08; "The Open Sea and Tonio"

We watch Tania as she get's used to living on a ship with pirates. We also get to listen in on Captain Ross and Master Flack having a little down time, and see what's on their minds.

 The early hours of morning, before the sun peaks over the waters, Tonio wakes to Master Flack's warm hand on her shoulder. She'd been sleeping in the charter cabin. "Tonio... Tonio, I think ya fell asleep workin' on the map." Master Flack said as he shook Tonio awake. "Hm...? Where am I?" Tonio said as she sat up from the floor and stretched the arm she'd fallen asleep on. "The Gray Riff. Ya teamed up with some pirates, remember now?" Master Flack murmured as he scanned the map that Tonio had fallen asleep working on. "So... Ya finished the map over night, huh? Impressive." Flack picked up the map and began to roll it up but Tonio sprang to her feet to grab it out of his hands before he could roll it up all the way. "No! I didn't! I still have to mark the path inland to Rustboro!" Tonio shouted in her normal, female voice, forgetting she had to throw it to make it sound deeper. Master Flack raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Ahem- sorry, my voice is always shrill first thing in the morning." Tonio coughed into her fist. "Well, then, let's finish this map up so we can report to Lieutenant Messa, okay?" Master Flack laughed, unrolling the map and setting it back down on the glass-top table, anchoring it down with the emeralds and gold again.

 Meanwhile, on the main deck, Toube was wide awake and inspecting the flag. "Aye. So ya found a lead did ye?" Ron asked, looking through his telescope. "Sure did, you think Captain Ross is pleased with me?" Toube asked, tying the flag back onto the mast. "Boy, he was pleased with ya from the start, whaterya' tryin' to make 'em fall in love with ya?" Ron joked, elbowing Toube in the ribs as he searched for the cable that lead back down to the main deck. "Ah, gee, Ron, I'dono. You think there's a chance for me an' Ross?" Toube joked back. "See ya." Toube waved, "See ya!" Ron yelled back as Toube slid down the cable and landed firmly on the deck, his boots making a hard click as they made contact with the deck. Toube looked up to the quarter deck in front of him to see Lieutenant Messa steering the ship and Ross making idle conversation with him. For some reason this reminded Toube of Tania and he decided to go check on her, the last place he seen her was leaving into the charter cabin, so he decided to check there. Toube took a quick look at all the ropes, cables, and sails before he decided to go and check on Tania. If something wasn't done before he decided to go and do what he wanted, Master Flack would surely call him out on it. Once Toube had decided all of his work was done right he started off to the charter cabin. He'd reached the door to the charter cabin and knocked once before entering. Upon his entrance, Toube was greeted with a cold glare from Master Flack, as to be expected. Yet, Toube just shook it off and took up a space next to Tania. "Good morning, Tonio." Toube greeted Tania kindly, yet Tania was too immersed in detailing the last of the map to realize Toube even entered the room. "T-Tonio...?" Toube pleaded after Tania, had Master Flack somehow gotten into her head and turned her to act like him? "Oh!... Toube, good morning. How long have you been there?" Tania asked, looking up at Toube for only a second to give him a warm smile. "I hope yer duties are all completed an' done with, Toube." Master Flack growled at Toube from across the table. "Oh, yes. No need to worry about that, Master Flack. I made sure they where good and done with before I came to check up on Tonio." Toube smiled, at that moment Tania looked up at the two and began removing the anchors and rolling up the map, handing it to Master Flack. "All done! Let's go hand this over to Lieutenant Messa! Toube, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have this map at all. You should have the honor of presenting it along with Master Flack and myself." Tania gestured the two out the door after her.

 "Captain Ross, Lieutenant Messa, we are proud to say that we have finished the map, and we can execute the proper route to our destination promptly now." Tonio smiled as she took the map from Master Flack's hands and handed it over to Lieutenant Messa. As Messa unrolled the map, Captain Ross leaned back behind him to study it as well. "My, we've got quite a ways ta go, now don't we?" Lieutenant Messa gasped as he pulled out his compass and held it up next to the map, reading which way he'd need to start steering the ship. "We oughta' get right on it then!" Messa laughed and excused Toube and Tonio to go about the rest of their day. As Toube and Tonio made their way down the stairs from the quarter deck to the main deck, Toube overheard Master Flack say something, "That Tonio... Is a bit feminine. I think ya be needin' to keep an eye out for 'em." Flack informed Captain Ross, Ross only replied with; "Aye? Ye judge, Flack. A boy shows manners fer his Capn' an ya call 'em a girl." Captain Ross pat Flack hard on the back, nearly knocking him over. When the two reached the other side of the deck, Toube began to speak. "Tania, did you..." "Yeah..." "Watch out." "I know." Tania and Toube quickly exchanged. "You know what they'll do to you if they find out your a girl, right?" Toube murmured. "Yeah, but they won't find out." Tania shrugged. "Whaddaya mean?" Toube looked at Tania as he leaned against the rails that boarder the ship, the sea breeze blew her bangs that hung out from her hat and showed her soft, feminine face. The rising morning sun shone in her eyes when she spoke. " Last night, right after you and some other crew went into the cabins to get some sleep, Master Flack and I came out to get some fresh air and some how wound up in a spitting contest." Tania laughed, Toube just gawked at her, "Really?" Toube managed to squeeze out of his throat. "Go ask Ian what he's mopping up right now." Tania smirked. "Who won?" "Me."

  Time passed by and eventually it was four-thirty in the afternoon. Ian was taking a breather on a barrel on the main deck, Master Flack pushed him all day. "Ian, ya really need to work on that ther' upper body strength of yers. ESPECIALLY if ye be workin' on Capn' Ross' vessel." Flack hit Ian over the head with another map. "Eyack! Aye! I'm tryin' my hardest, doesn't that count fer somethin'? " Ian growled at Master Flack in his golden Irish accent. "No." Master Flack hissed, turning on his heels and walking up to quarter deck. It seemed that Master Flack came down off the quarter deck at least four times a day only for the purpose of wrongly chastising any one crew member that he felt like yelling at at that moment. Toube and Ian had, undoubtedly, been his favorite focus of abuse, they where the only ones that Flack ever yelled at anymore it seemed. Sure, Toumas would be yelled at occasionally when he came from below deck to ask Captain Ross what he'd like for supper, Ron would be called down from the crow's nest on occasion, and Jason was never really any exception. Yes, he was nimble and good when it came to being a blacksmith but looking aside from his talents in that field Jason was nothing but a quiet and clumsy giant. Master Flack was, as it had come to recognition, a first-class bully, and the only one person he couldn't and wouldn't dare stand up to was Captain Ross, for obvious reasons. If someone where to cross Flack with the quickest cutlass in the land, he'd act as if it where simply a sharpened dinner fork. And it was silently noted, with fear, that the whole of the crew knew this.

 Toube dropped down from the same main cable he always used to get from the top of the ship to the deck. With the accuracy of a bat's echolocation, Toube managed to land in front of Ian's sulky face. "Cheer up. You know, Master Flack. He yells at us every day." Toube patted his friend's back but it didn't help much. "That's not why I'm blue, Toube." Ian sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Toube raised his eyebrows at Ian, "What is it then? Get sea water in your eyes? It happens to all of us." Ian glanced up at Toube and then looked down to the deck. "Nah, it's just... When do ya think Capn' Ross'll realize I'm his son?" Ian whimpered, he obviously wasn't in a very manly mood today. "Oh? That... Well, have you thought of maybe telling Captain Ross your his son?" Toube shrugged, giving Ian an 'I'm trying' smile. Ian blinked at Toube, and glanced over his shoulder at Ross, then back at Toube. "He'd throw me overboard..." Ian sighed, apparently he was in a depressed mood, too. "Ross? Nah, he's way to nice to do that. Especially to his own flesh and blood." Toube said waving his hand, as if to push Ian's silly suggestion away from him. Ian stood with his arms folded broadly across his chest with his head hanging down, he was in thought. Would Ross really accept Ian as his son? Would he believe him? Did Ross think he could trust Ian not to lie? Ian didn't know the answers to these questions, and the only way to find out was to of course ask Captain Ross. Toube went dead weight on the rope, held it with both hands, and crossing his feet as if he where leaning against a wall. The comfortable positions of Ian and Toube caught Master Flack's attention. "Aye! Whater' ya two doin' over there, aside from slackin' off!?" Flack hissed down to them from the quarter deck. "Na-nothin' Master Flack!" Ian foolishly responded. Master Flack grumbled and walked away from Lieutenant Messa's side. He had one foot on the first stair down to the main deck when Captain Ross boomed down on him; "Flack! Leave them boys alone! They be doin' nothin' tis harmful! Let 'em rest! Night is soon upon us. As we all know, that be when tha real work is ta be gettin' done." Captain Ross scowled at Flack and signaled him back to his side with a nod of his head. Flack growled and glanced back at the boys before walking back to Ross' side on the quarter deck. "I know ye be doin' me job fer me, Flack. An' that just won't do now. I realize that is I who needs ta become harder, Flack. There really is no need fer ya ta be tossin' these lads about anymore." Ross sighed as he looked out at sea, Flack now standing to the right of him, Messa on his left.

 The sun had finally set on the day. The crew worn, but happy to finally be back at sea again. Captain Ross was in the masters cabin, eating a shining red apple while comfortably swinging in the hammock he'd hung as a bed. Ross was reflecting on his day. What he had said to Flack was true; he was tiered of letting Flack do his job so he could be a softhearted Captain for his crew. It was near time for him to step up as a Captain. Yet Ross feared what his crew would think if he started punishing them, which was a behavior only Master Flack showed. And though it IS a Master' s job to oversee punishment to a disorderly crew mate, It was not his job to be the one to constantly order the crew around. If anything, it was a trait more suited for Lieutenant Messa, though he was as soft as Ross. Ross knew there was no need for Flack's obsessive shouting at the crew, though it did keep them in line, Flack was not trying to earn the position of Lieutenant, which would answer the question of Flack's controlling attitude over the crew. Master Flack had even stated to Captain Ross before that he wanted nothing more than to simply be the Gray Riff's one and only Master. Remembering this surfaced something in Ross' brain; had Flack accused Tonio of being a girl because he was afraid she would take his place as Master? She certainly possessed the ability to, and Ross suddenly had the urge to express to Flack that everything was to stay as is. Yet Ross digressed, he would wait until morning to tell Master Flack. For now, Ross would nap, and by tomorrow morning at sunrise the Gray Riff would have reached the half way mark between Port Isabella and the promising Portland of Alabastor.

 Meanwhile Ross pondered his crew's state, Flack also rested in the charter cabin. He lay on a wide bookshelf that cased both documents of past and current ports, towns, villages, royal checkpoints as well as strands of gold jewelry and gems of all sorts from past plunders and destructions of small mining towns. He was thinking about Tonio, was she really to be trusted? Flack understood that no other crew mate turned up with any leads but Toube, whom brought this lead to them, was a newbie pirate, he certainly could not yet be trusted. Then again if things went bad and costed the crew anything it was pirate code for Toube to be killed or marooned. Which, if things did go bad, Ross is too softhearted to kill young Toube, and would rather maroon him. The entire time Flack had been a part of Ross' crew they'd only had to kill two crewmates. One for stealing Messa's share of the plunder and the other for having ties to the British Navy. Flack turned onto his side, looking around the charter cabin. Ross was a softy, but when battle came he was a different man. He knew how to fight, his experience with a cutlass could surpass any swordsman's and he only carried a pistol in case of emergencies. Ross was not a man to toy with in emergencies either. There was once a time back when Flack was only a few months into the crew and a storm had hit overnight. The ship had been struck by lightning and ripped two of the main sails into shreds and had caught fire. Everyone was panicking, the only one who kept his head in the situation was Captain Ross. He'd led his crew successfully through the storm with no sails to a safe port. It was an amazing feat and Ross was to become Flack's hero. But now Flack had gained some experience of his own and felt he was worthy of the title he carried. Now it was his job to look after the crew, and try his best to become their hero when the time comes. At that last thought Flack fell asleep on the bookcase.

 On the main deck of the ship Lieutenant Messa took the place of Captain, Master and carried out his own as Lieutenant. He was shouting orders to the crew while navigating and holding steady the ship. He'd had Toube on constant sail duty, tying and retying the ropes that held down the sails. Ian was kept busy mopping up water that splashed up on deck, for the waves at night which where pulled up by the moon where strong and rocked the vessel fiercely. Ron, at the time, was trying his best not to fall out of the crow's nest while keeping a look-out as usual. "Ya alright up there, Ron?" Toube called out as he fastened a rope tightly to the mast. "As alright as I'll ever be, Toube! Ya keepin' yer grip on them cables alright?" Ron yelled passed the roaring of the raging sea. "Doin' my best not to die, I can say that much!" Toube struggled over to the next rope and untied it, the winds blew hard, which made it difficult to tie the ropes back onto the mast without the sails tugging on the ropes and almost out of Toube's hands. Eventually the storm blew over and everything was calm again. Toube checked over all the cables one last time before sliding down them back to deck. "Lieutenant Messa. Permission to take temporary leave below deck?" Toube looked up to Lieutenant Messa from the main deck. Messa's shoulder-length, curly brown hair whipped in the light sea breeze, his black eye's focused down onto Toube at hearing his name. "Reason?" Lieutenant Messa asked shortly. "I need a little rest." Toube replied, he could feel a yawn coming on. "Fifteen minutes... Ian will come down to get you when your time is up." Messa replied, taking out his silver pocket watch from his petticoat. Toube noticed that for a pirate, Messa had managed to maintain proper English. Toube retired from the main deck down below one level to the 'hall' where the crew's quarters lay. Toube entered his room and lied down in his cot, the size of the Gray Riff was at that moment brought to his attention.

 The vessel was much larger than most other pirate ships. In fact, for it's size, the Gray Riff should have had a second Lieutenant, a Master's Mate, and a Gunner. The ship was at it's bare minimum of crew, any less and it's maintenance would be near impossible. Unlike most pirate ships, which only had one level under deck for the cannons, the Gray Riff had one level with eight total cabins for the crew, a second level for cannons and a small carpenter's workshop, and a third level that served as a kitchen aside from being storage for food, rum, and extra materials. Toube wondered where Captain Ross got such a marvelous vessel and decided tomorrow he would ask him, but for now, Toube had no time to ponder, he only had fifteen minutes which was down to thirteen by now. At that, Toube closed his eyes and rested is head on the small, not so comfortable pillow that was provided for him, and he let Her, the sea, rock him to sleep.     

Author's Note

This and the next chapter takes place at sea, so I hope you like it when they're sailing 'cuz theirs gonna be a lot of that for the next few chapters, yet these two chapters WILL be shorter than the rest.