(A love story between a female first mate and a new addition to the crew of a pirate ship)
Almost all of the ship's crew was on the Merry Watch in celebration of their new catch, the Kingfisher. Rack after rack of fine eastern wines fueled the partyers who guzzled it down like cheap beer. The Orchids, men and women alike, mixed eagerly with the new members of the ship's company. Dice games and wrestling matches and song circles had erupted spontaneously. Propositions unspoken were everywhere. Anto watched with a grin as his friend, Valora, disappeared below-deck with a crew-woman in her arms.
The crew had spotted Anto about a week ago, clinging to the wreckage of a safety boat while he leaked blood from his legs like a broken faucet. A quick interrogation after they hauled his sorry ass from the water revealed he was the lone survivor of a ship hit by a strong storm off the coast of Cuba. Three days he'd been adrift, so needless to say he took the oath of piracy almost as soon as he recovered enough to speak.
Anto watched the merriment from the fringes of the starboard side, his feet dangling off the edge of the raised quarterdeck. The advice from the doctor, who was currently lip-locked with one of the carpenter, was to stay off his feet as much as he could or he'd risk opening his stitches. Sadly, this meant he couldn't grab his own bottle but it was much better than losing his legs to infection.
Footsteps approached from the left and a quick glance revealed it to be the First Mate, two cups of wine in her hands.
"Good show you put out there, ma'am," he said. "I watched the whole thing from here. FOund oout something scarier than sharks, too."