[b]Jacob[/b]

Jacob smiled, but continued to work on raising the sails at the young boys questioned him. He had seen the boy before on the ship, but only briefly in the mess. The Lusty Pillager was large, so large that it was as if it were its own world. Whole days could go by where Jacob might not see some members of the crew. It came as no surprise that he had rarely seen this boy. Most of his time was more likely spent running around after older crew, earning a reputation for himself. That was certainly what Jacob had been doing during his early years. It was a tough initiation, but it was worth it in the long run.

"You should be working, boy." Jacob said, not too bluntly, but not too friendly either. As he said these words it became apparent how differently he spoke to the young boy. He knew why of course. Jacob had come from a family that had once been wealthy and well-educated, and even after all these years no other accent or dialect had rubbed off on him. It was - along with his reputation for hitting his head - one of the things he was famed for aboard the ship.

He continued to unravel a large knot of rope that lay before him at the foot of a mast. However, while he worked he sensed the boy's lingering presence and thought of what to say. Truth be told he knew nothing of this new arrival either. Her face had been obscured by rough fabric as she was hauled aboard, and after that a wooden door had separated them from each other. All Jacob really knew was that she was young. It wasn't just her gentle voice and feisty attitude that told him this, it was the way she moved with a reckless - almost childish - elegance about her. Despite never seeing her walk, he could tell by the soft creaking of the floorboards as they talked only minutes ago. And by her violent, yet tamed resistance as they dragged her away from her home. It didn't matter who you were, Jacob knew that if you twisted your body and threw all dignity aside, you could break free from your captures. Maybe not for long enough to escape, though. She was surely a woman of great wealth.

"She's worth a lot of money, that's all I know." Jacob finally said after unravelling the rope and setting it aside. "Don't go getting yourself into trouble. She's not the friendliest sort either." With a firm clap on the boy's back Jacob nodded to the the crates waiting to be thrown overboard and returned to raising the sails. He didn't want the boy to go and mess around with a captive, so he decided that giving him as little information would leave him uninterested. Surely he wouldn't be foolish enough to speak to her. 

[center]* * *[/center]

And hour later and the ship began it's voyage into open water, leaving behind a mass of crates and other useless junk in it's wake. It was cold on-deck, but luckily the sea was calm and the wind was steady. The deck itself was dotted with a few crew members who busied themselves with small tasks, and at the helm the captain stood, steering the ship roughly northward. Aside from that all was quiet up top. The majority of the crew were down in the mess, and those who weren't lay in bed and recovered from a tiring day. Jacob was one of those people. His day hadn't been very hard-working, but the days leading up to a kidnapping certainly were and he relished the calm of life on-board the Lusty Pillager when all was going according to plan. 

"You spoken to 'er yet, lad?" A voice said from across the room as Jacob lay in bed thinking to himself. It was an old voice that belonged to quite possibly the longest serving crew member aboard the ship. Jacob turned to see the rugged old man sitting up in his bed, his face tired and worn. His name didn't spring to mind.

"Yeah." Jacob said simply, sitting up to face the man.

"She's brings bad omens with 'er, I'll tell you that." The old man shook his head, as if her were remembering something that he wished he hadn't. The lines on his forehead grew deeper his eyes seemed to take on a new, darker shade of their usual brown. Jacob had no idea what he meant by 'bad omens', but it didn't sound good. "I've seen that sort before."