008

Chapter Eight

Fergus is the first to rise in the morning. He rolls over in bed and comes eye to eye with the two large breasts that bounced in front of his face so many times the night before. He stands up and pulls a shirt on and the sexy woman beside him stirs and rolls over. Fergus looks back down at her symmetrically round a*s and sighs a sigh of fulfillment. After pulling on his pants, the big man laces his boots and places his massive .50 Desert Eagle in it's holster. He strolls to the door and strides down the hallway to the bar with a profound bounce in his step. Arriving in the bar, he is greeted by the old O'Brien who has a serious and disturbed look on his face. Fergus greats him with a goofy, cheerful demeanor.

"Top a the mornin'."

"Eh," O'Brien grunts and fills Fergus a mug of coffee.

"Whats yer problem?"

"Ya know tha' heathen from las' nigh'?"

"Ya, did ya send him ta tha wastes?"

"Well, nah... he's dead," O'Brien shakes and Fergus stops sipping the coffee.

"Uh, wha'? Will we be held responsible?" Fergus losses his luster.

"Bah, hell no. Bu' if tha guard find out I could be in some trouble ya know?"

"Don' worry 'bout it. We'll take care a it," Fergus stands from the bar taking one last sip from the mug. He walks back upstairs and moves to Saul's room. With a loud knock on the door, Saul stirs from sleep.

"Who's there?"

"It's Ferg ya fool. Lemme in, we gotta job ta do."

Saul sleepily pulls some clothes on and unlocks the door. The gigantic Fergus lumbers in and closes the door behind him. Saul still looks half asleep and completely confused as he rubs the sleep from his eyes.

"Whats up?"

"Ya know that a*****e from las' night?" Fergus asks.

"Yea, what about him?"

"Well tha dipshit went an' died las' night."

"So, what does that mean? Are we being charged with something?"

"Nah, nothin' like 'at. But O'Brien could be in some trouble. I told 'im we'd get rid o' the body."

"How are we gonna do that?"

"Well, I figure there is plenty o' abandoned houses here. Les just dump tha f****r in one. Even if he is found, no one'll ever know how or by who. Right? They'll just figure he was a nuther one a them junkies."

"We should take him out the back door and find a place to dump him. Lets go before someone catches on."

They leave the room walking with great purpose. Saul leads the way into the bar where O'Brien gives them and anxious look. Heading through the back door, they find the dead man sitting in the same kneeling position they left him in. His body is severely battered and bruised. Saul reaches down and hoists him up while Fergus opens the door leading to the alley behind the bar. With great effort, Saul pulls the body out into the sunlight.

"Boyo, lemme," Fergus pushes Saul aside and grabs an arm in each hand. "Lead the way."

Saul tiptoes down the alley and peers into the house windows. He glances in to see a young boy sleeping soundly. On to the next house. The next dwelling, a small single story stone hut, has two inhabitants, an elderly couple, still in bed. The next house is a two story brick home. The first room Saul peers into is empty but contains a tattered old couch. Glancing in the next window, he spies a young lady standing at the kitchen counter. She is wearing only a pair of pink underwear and a draped open bathrobe. Saul quickly ducks away as not to seam like a peeping tom.

"Keep going," Saul sighs and continues on.

The next house they happen upon is without a doubt, vacant. A film of dust lines the windows with cobwebs nestled in the corners. Saul reaches for the doorknob but finds it locked. He steps back and contemplates. Fergus growls under the weight of the corpse on his back.

"What's tha problem?"

"Locked," Saul replies.

Fergus drops the body and approaches the door. He wiggles the knob and scratches his chin. Arriving at a solution, Fergus draws his large combat knife and runs it down the space between the door and the sill. He jimmies at the lock and rattles the blade around. The knob clicks and cracks and within a minute, Fergus has the door open. He steps back and nods with approval. Sheathing the blade, he hoists and tosses the body inside. He drags the cold body up the stairs and drops it in a pile in a small closet inside the masters bedroom. Hoping down the dusty stairs, Fergus wipes his hands off and reemerges from inside. The door is closed once again and the ordeal is over. Saul and Fergus stroll back to the bar for a well earned cup of coffee and plate of bacon.

Faux is slowly woken by the gentle breathing of the beautiful Torri. She sits up and takes in Torri's tight, sexy body. Goosebumps run up her spine. Faux silently stands and stretches, a cold draft perks up her bare n*****s causing her to pull a shirt over her head to combat the cold. Her stomach begins to rumble as she pulls her pants on followed by the wooly socks. Raul is still burried in his blankets lost in dream land. Faux silently slips out of the room.

Descending into the bar, she spies Fergus and Saul slip into the back room while the chubby bartender sports a nervous look on his face. She steps toward the bar when someone stumbles on the steps behind her. A lean, blonde haired man with a bushy beard stands before her. He has an ivory handled revolver in his holster and a look of restless sleep on his face.

"Sorry, excuse me young lady," the American shuffles by her and out the front door. Faux shrugs it off and strolls to the bar and the jolly old, round fellow.

  "M'helpya lassie?" O'Brien greets her merrily.

"I..... umm..."

"Yar with them big fellows righ'?"

"Yes..."

"Then ya can chow fer free," he pours her a cup of coffee and waddles into the back. Gratefully, Faux sips the warm coffee and instantly feels more vitalized. A minute later, O'Brien returns with a large, deep plate. Faux peers into the dish and finds a large serving of baked beans loaded with chunks of fatty bacon. Next to the beans sit two, fluffy biscuits. The other half of the plate contains a pile of scrambled eggs with onions and broccoli cooked in.

"Oh my god," Faux gasps under her breath at the heavenly smorgasbord laid out before her. She has not seen such a delicious looking feast in year. Even during the days when her parents were alive, they survived mostly on cold cans of slimy canned goods.

"Bwahaha," O'Brien laughs deeply. "Enjoy lass."

Faux lifts a soft, warm biscuit and drowns it in the thick, soupy beans. With a savory look on her face, she shoves the damp biscuit in her mouth and chews, remembering how hungry she was. She swallows quickly and takes another bite. She takes a large bite of eggs and despite not liking onions, still wolfs it all down. With the last biscuit, she sops up the remaining bean juice and swallows it down. The fork drops to the plate with a clatter as she leans back, stuffed and satisfied. O'Brien retrieves the plate and beams down at the thankful young girl.

"Howd tha treat yer?"

"Excellent, thank you," Faux thanks him genuinely. With a gorged stomach, Faux stands to head back to her room when Fergus and Saul reenter the pub. Fergus looks at the barkeep and flashes to sausage fingers as they take their seats.

"Two coffees."

"Morning," Faux squeaks.

"Howdya sleep?" Fergus looks at her.

"Wonderfully, thank you," she smiles a nervous smile and heads back upstairs. She strolls down the hall and opens the door to Torri and her brother. As the door creaks open, Torri rolls over and looks up at her with a sweet smile on her face.

"Good morning sexy," Torri greats her in a sultry voice. She gets out of bed and hops with excitement while her perfect breasts almost bounce from the restrictive bra. She skips to Faux and hugs her, planting a big kiss on her cheek. She pulls away when Raul stirs, he may not understand what was going on. Faux kneels at his bedside. As his eyes open, she rubs his bushy head and kisses his toasty warm forehead.

"Morning big guy."

"Hey sissie..."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm," he rubs the sleep from his eyes.

"Want to go get some food?"

"Im hungry," he wiggles around her and out of bed, pulling his shirt over his head. Torri grins at the little boy and slowly dresses, the whole time giving Faux an intriguing glance almost begging her for something. Faux leads them down the silent hall and back down the steps for a delicious breakfast.

Alieana hears the door next to her open and click shut followed by muffled voices. One of them she recognizes as her sisters. The bed feels too good on her aching muscles from their journey and she doesn't feel ready to rise.

Eventually, the rumblings in her stomach and the urge to see her sister and Saul again get the best of her and she wiggles her lean body from under the covers. Goosebumps run up her toned legs which are bare in the drafty room. Hastily, she pulls her pants on and heads for the door in her jeans and white wife beater. Her feet are wrapped cozily in her thick wool socks and boots.

Arriving in the bar, she notices she is the last one to rise. She slowly walks up behind Saul, who is sitting at the bar with everyone else. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek, he turns and returns a nervous, almost awkward kiss to her rosy cheek.

"Good morning..."

"How'd you all sleep?" she asks them all.

"Good," Torri answers for Faux and Raul.

"Who said anythin' 'bout sleepin'?" Fergus chuckles and glances over to Veronique Herzanova.

"I slept good," Saul smiles. "Not as good as you though Im guessing."

"Im so hungry," she rubs her flat stomach as Saul pulls out a stool for her to sit next to him.

"Here, sit, you can have some of mine."

"Thank you sweetie," she whispers and takes a bite of oniony eggs.

When all the plates are empty, Fergus stands and stretches, the admiring Raul mimics him. Alieana puts her arm around Saul as he sips the last of his coffee.

"So what's the plan for taday?" Fergus looks them over.

"I really don't know," Saul ponders. "Find a job?"

"Maybe we should ask around," Alieana adds.

"I wonder if the guards got any open spots," Fergus suggests.

"Let's get out and explore," Raul proclaims as he stands up on a stool.

Heading into the town, Fergus heads back in the direction of the gate to have a chat with Ramell. Raul follows him with adoration in his eyes. Saul decides to head further into town and do some looking around, Alieana accompanies him. Torri and Faux casually stroll down an alley to do some exploring. The inner part of the town seams to be housing for the less fortunate as the houses have turned into shacks and the pedestrians' clothing has turned in to grimy rags. Many shacks have tables set up out front with haggard, bearded men selling random odds and ends scavenged from the wastes.

"Buy somepin'...."

"Help a beggah...."

"Spare somepin fo' the needy...."

Saul and Alieana walk along uneasily trying not to make eye contact. It's not that they don't want to help, it's just that they don't have any money to spare either. They round a corner to head back in the direction of O'Brien's when a hunched up old man cuts them off. Protectively, Saul places one hand over his firearm and one between the greasy man and Alieana.

"Don' hurt an old fool like me," the hooded old man cowers back and removes his hood.

"What do you want," Saul is hesitant.

"I got somepin you might like ta hear," the round wizened face beams up at him with blood shot eyes and black, rotting teeth.

"We'll have to pass," Saul takes Alieana's hand and pushes by the crazy old man.

"I knows where ta find a workin' boat," the man tries one last time and hops after them. Saul rolls his eyes and begins to get agitated.

"Why would I care?"

"Aint ya friends with 'at blonde 'Merican fellow?" the man jumps in front of them again as Saul stops in his tracks.

"What blonde American?"

"The one workin' with 'em other 'Mericans, the southern psychos. Hans I fink 'is name is..."

"Johan?" Saul steps toward him with seriousness in his face. "Where is he? Was he here?"

"Boyo, you aint to bright is ya?"

"What the f**k is that supposed to mean?"

"You stayin' in the same tavern ya blimey f**k," the old mans eyes twinkle with sarcasm.

"Follow us. Johan will want to know about this boat," Saul and Alieana pick up their pace and the old man hobbles along behind them. 

They get back to O'Brien's to find Fergus sitting on a bench outside the door with something clutched in his hand. Raul bounces up and down with excitement next to him.

"Whats up?" Fergus greats him. "Who's tha old f***a'?"

"Umm, I don't know. What's your name?" Saul looks back at him.

"They call me Skiz..."

"Whys 'at?" Fergus laughs.

"Can't says I knows..."

"Well what ya want?" Fergus stands.

"He says Johan is still alive and he can find us a working boat," Saul cuts in.

"Find?"

"I knows where one is. I know the cap'n and everythin'. The cap and some a his crew is staying wiv a young lady here."

"Introduce us," Saul steps forward.

"Don't ya wanna find ya friend firs'?"

"Let's go inside and see if anyone knows where he is," Saul opens the door followed closely by Alieana then Skiz, Fergus and Raul take up the rear.

Inside the bar, the little group of prostitutes huddle in the corner around their queen Herzanova and her tits. Two men sit at the bar, one is tall, thin and goofy looking, the other short, rugged and lean.

"Perhaps one of our lovely lassies kep' him comp'ny las' night," Fergus gets a devilish grin on his face and starts toward the sexy women. Saul shakes his head in disagreement.

"If I know Johan, he didn't."

"He some kinda f****t?" Fergus pauses.

"Nah, he's in love," Saul chuckles.

"Christ, what's 'at?" Fergus laughs and turns back to the bar.

"What 'bout you two f***s?" Fergus sits down next to the short one while acting like an a*s.

"Hey partner," the shorter man pulls back from the overbearing Fergus.

"Partner?" Fergus bellows with laughter.

"Makin' fun of the way I talk?" he stands defensively. "You aint exactly got the noblest voice ya mic b*****d."

"Touchy, touchy," Fergus leans back.

"What the f**k are you doing?" Saul steps in. The tall one stands quickly and looks Saul up and down.

"You American?"

"Yea, where you from,"

"Bat-On Rouge, Louisiana. You?"

"Well I work in D.C. My home is in Boston though."

"Holy all f**k," he steps forward to shake Saul's hand. "Maybe ya know our newest member."

"Whos that?"

"Mr. Kristmas?" the tall man drawls.

"Where is he?"

"Should be 'long. I'm Jarrett Lee and this my big bro Marty," Jarrett shakes his hand in return and Marty does the same.

"See, now chill out," Saul glances at Fergus who sniffs his nose and arrogantly shakes their hands.

"An' who's 'is peach?" Marty extends his hand to Alieana, she grips his hand firmly..

"Alieana Reed... pleasure."

"Pleasures all mine," Marty grins wide. "Perhaps you'd like ta see my room?"

"Now what do you take me for Mr. Lee? The w****s are over there," Alieana glances toward Saul and winks.

"Ah, I see, yall two shaggin'. I gotcha," Marty quickly dismisses the idea and drops it.

"Sit, sit," Jarrett insists. "I'll buy us a round."

"It's early," Saul sits. "I'll take some coffee."

"Maybe ya more Scottish then me thought," Fergus smiles and sits with Raul right next to him.

"Thats tha spirit," Jarrett smacks his hand down on the table. "Four Guinness my good man!"

"I'll pass too thank you," Alieana cuts in.

"Then I'll just have ta have two," Jarrett decides.

"Whatabout ya?" O'Brien looks at Saul and Alieana.

"I'll have a coffee."

"Same," Alieana smiles.

"Me too!" Raul butts in.

O'Brien returns with the four frothing mugs followed by the coffee for Saul, Alieana and Raul. Saul takes a long refreshing gulp of hot coffee while Aliean takes quick sips. Raul puts the mug to his mouth and winces as the bitterness hits his lips. But when he notices Fergus glancing over at him, he stubbornly continues to drink it. Fergus and the Lee brothers gulp down their drafts and begin to get friendlier with the assistance of alcohol in their systems. Saul looks back down the bar to the jovial Lee brothers.

"So where did Johan go?"

"Not sure," Jarrett belches.

"Maybe ta see that girl we saved."

"Girl you saved?" Alieana stops sipping.

"We went on a mission las' nigh'. Saved a girl from bandits," Jarrett starts his second mug.

"She was in pretty bad shape. Stab wound, starvin', had to been raped a dozen times," Marty shivers.

"F**k," Saul whispers and sips some more.

"We better find 'im," Skiz interrupts. "Not sure how long cap'll be here."

Jarrett hops up and mockingly salutes the little man. He belches in his face and jogs goofily out the door. Five minutes later, just as Saul finishes his coffee, the door bursts open and Johan strides in purposefully. As is seeing a ghost, Saul stands up and bounds to his best friend.

"Son of a b***h, I thought you were dead."

"Never thought I'd see you here," Johan shakes his hand and pulls him in to a half hug. "What's up?"

"Well, he says he can get us a working boat."

"You serious?" Johan bolts to the tiny man.

"Yessah, well. Whats in it fer me?" the man trembles.

"Don't tempt me old man," Johan grabs him by the scruff of the neck.

"Okay okay, please please," the man wails and Johan drops him and glares daggers at the disheveled little man.

"Where is this boat?"

"Well, it aint a boat fer the takin', I jus' know the cap'n, I can bring yer to him. He's a generous man."

"Lead the way," Johan says seriously. The cowardly Skiz limps to the door while nervously glancing all around him.

"Follow..."

Johan strides after him followed by Saul, Alieana, Fergus, Raul, and the Lee brothers. They emerge from the bar and Torri and Faux are just returning. They look a bit confused. Torri rushes to her sister to find out where they are off to.

"What's going on?"

"Just follow my dear," Alieana brushes Torri's soft black hair out of her face as she strolls by. She grabs Faux's hand and pulls her along.

"Come on Faux, something is happening."

They walk along following the odd little Skiz as he hums an odd tune under his wheezing. As they get closer to the gate, they abruptly stop at a beautiful two story, stone house. Skiz turns to them and grins. He hops up to the door and knocks on it feverishly. A couple seconds later, the door is answered by a short, stocky man with thick Asian features. His shoulders are like granite slabs and his large biceps bulge from his white t-shirt which sports a small anchor tattoo on his right arm. He rolls his eyes slightly at the sight of Skiz.

"What you want?"

"We has some people wanting a boat, maybe can be crew?" Skiz stutters furiously. The man looks unhappy until he gazes upon Saul, Johan and the rest of them. He grins and turns a little.

"I get captain," he closes the door and hurries off.

Thirty seconds later, the door opens again but it isn't the rugged Asian, instead they stand before a strikingly handsome, dark skinned man. He smiles warmly, nods to Skiz and looks over the new arrivals.

"I hear we have some strapping and lovely applicants for our open crew positions."

"You have a boat?" Johan steps forward.

"That I do, why do you ask?"

"We're looking to get back to the states."

"Now why would you want to do that?" he looks confused.

"Personal reasons."

"Well if you're willing to join my crew and do some hard work, I'm sure we'll swing around there sometime."

"I'm in."

"Excellent, all of you then?"

"I aint sure," Jarrett hesitates.

"We'll stay here," Marty backs up. "We got a good thing going here. Good luck to ya though, yer a good man Mr. Kristmas, it was an honor fightin', killin', and runnin' like hell by yer side."

The Lee brothers shake their hands one last time and leave the captains house. Fergus is grinning and shaking his head.

"I'm Captain Valentino Ferrari," he extends a hand. "And you are?"

"Johan Kristmas."

"Saul Odadjian," Saul extends his arm.

"Alieana Reed, my sister Torri," Alieana shakes his hand and Torri nods with a fake smile.

"Fergus O'Flaherty."

"And what about these two young ones?" Captain Ferrari looks at Faux and Raul.

"I'm Faux, this my brother-"

"Raul!" the little boy shouts boldly.

"Looks like we have our cabin boy," Captain Ferrari beams.

"Come on in, I'll introduce you to my mates," he waves them inside and closes the door behind them.

The house is very clean and smells of some sort of roasting beast and pungent wine. Music drifts in from another room, music with heavy, downtuned guitars, a tapping double bass pedal and a deep, soulful, symphonic voice. They follow the captain into a large, flame lit kitchen.

In the dim room sit four other bodies. At the kitchen table sit the Asian man that answered the door and an even larger man with blonde hair and blonde beard which is bound at it's long tip by a thin red rubber band. They appear to be playing some kind of card game and drinking from a bottle of whiskey. Standing over them watching the game blankly, is a tall vacant looking young man whose face lacks any hair or emotion. The fourth body is behind the stove tending to some great smelling food. She has dark hair and very Mediterranean looking features. Her skin is young and soft and her dark eyes brim with kindness. She is young and extremely attractive.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Johan Kristmas, Saul Odadjian, Fergus O'Flaherty, Alieana and Torri Reed, and Faux and Raul umm..."

"Davies," Faux helps him out.

"Thank you my dear," Captain Ferrari nods. "Well, you already met Son. He is my second mate, he doesn't speak English very well but he is strong and gets things done. Before the downfall he was a top notch mixed martial artist trained in Tae Kwon Do and Eskrima, he's very lethal with a blade." The sturdy Son has a surprisingly friendly face once marked with a smile despite it's flatness.

"This is my first mate Ghaal Thorson," Captain Ferrari points to the large, viking looking man playing cards with Son. "He also was a mixed martial artist trained in Greco-Roman wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is a Norse mythology fanatic, you should see his tattoos," Ghaal is a menacing man. He is just as tall as Fergus but with a more athletic and lean build.

"This striking young lad," he walks to and puts his arm around the vacant young man, "is my little brother Anjelo. Anjelo, why don't you go grab the diner plates for supper."

The lumbering man boy thuds off to do his choir.

"He may look pretty dim but he has a genius IQ, he was diagnosed with Autism when he was two years old. He does keep my ship running however, he is a great engineer," Captain Ferrari beams while talking about his little brother.

"And this beautiful goddess of the stove is the lovely Orabella, my sexy, faithful, and intelligent wife," he walks to the beauty behind the stove giving her a hug and kissing her passionately.

"You sure are a charmer," she winks at him, "what are you buttering me up for anyways?"

"You know I always get like this before we set sail," he reaches over her shoulder and pulls a piece of food from a pot and sticks it in his mouth. "Delicious as always."

Orabella has a very alluring presence despite being dressed merely in baggy black pants, a gray sweatshirt, a white cooking apron, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her lips are soft and luscious, her hair, black and silky. Her dark eyes are filled with sexuality but also scream with intrigue and intelligence. On the counter next to the stove lies an open copy of Homer's The Iliad which she is busy reading while preparing diner.

"Good to meet you," Ghaal stands abruptly and moves to them to shake hands. Johan takes his hand first to get his knuckles crushed together in a Scandinavian vice grip.

"You too..."

"Hope you are hungry my friend," he pats Johan on the shoulder with his bear paw hand. "The last meal before setting sail is always a big one. And the young lady can cook."

"What's on the menu?" Fergus pulls his belt up.

"I made roast lamb with caramelized carrots and sweet rolls," Orabella answers in her sultry Italian accent.

"Sounds excellent."

"You just wait," the captain assures them. "Now sit, sit. Lets discuss our new voyage."

They walk to the large diner table and sit down. The captain sits at the head of the meal. A chair is left empty at his right arm, Orabella's seat. Son and Ghaal are next in line, sitting directly across from each other. Saul and Johan sit next to the large, muscular men, also parallel with each other. Alieana sits next to Saul With Torri and Faux sitting close together. Raul follows Fergus' every step and plops down beside him, still beaming.

"We're planning on sailing down around Spain out around Africa and cross the Atlantic from there to the coast of Brazil, sail North, visit random Caribbean Islands, proceed up the the coast of the states and eventually return to my beloved Italy," Captain Ferrari explains.

"Is this an actual sailboat we'll be traveling on?" Alieana asks nervously.

"No, no. It's an old large tugboat."

"How is it kept fueled?" Saul asks.

"We have a small gas powered pump that sucks in sea water to a hydro powered engine. The amount of fuel needed to start the process is minimal and from then on it is fully powered by water and steam, Anjelo handles that," the captain chuckles. With the mention of his name, Anjelo quickly returns carrying a stack of white plates. Without saying a word, he places a plate before every seat at the table and sits in his place, at the opposite end of Captain Ferrari.

"Everything is ready," Orabella carries the large lamb rack over and places it in the middle of the table.

"Let me help," Torri stands and shuffles to the counter and picks up the small basket of sweet rolls.

"Thank you sweetie," Orabella smiles at Torri and retrieves the caramelized carrots. She takes her seat next to the captain and smiles to everyone. "Dig in."

Gaahl is the first to grab at the food, he rips away a large portion of the lamb and rips at it with his teeth. He sips a dark liquid with every bite. Son starts with a heaping pile of carrots which he shovels into his mouth in large portions. After two mates greedily get their servings, the captain and Orabella politely take small portions of everything. Johan slowly grabs a sweet roll and takes a generous bite. The soft pillowy dough is incredibly good, it seams to have a light glaze all around it and they are still warm.

The meal is plentiful as everyone gets more then enough. Fergus and Gaahl are also well on their way to getting completely wasted. Son, not being a drinker, bows his head, shakes the captain's hand and goes off to bed where he'll do five hundred pushups, chin-ups, and sit-ups, his usual nightly ritual.

"Where are we all going to sleep?" Faux asks concernedly.

"Well there are four bedrooms," Orabella starts. "Me and the captain in one, Son and Gaahl take the other two. The last room has two beds. We also have two couches and a cot."

"We can share a bed," Alieana grabs at Saul's hand.

"So we have one bed, two couches and a cot left..."

"Take the bed Fergus, big man needs a bed," Johan insists.

"Thank ya boyo."

"You two girls can have a couch, Johan the other and our cabin boy can have the cot," the captain stands merrily.

"One more thing," Alieana stammers.

"What is it dear?" Orabella asks kindly.

"I really could use a bath," she chuckles, "and a shave," she feels at her stubbly legs.

"Of course, a woman has to stay fresh and clean," the captain winks at Orabella playfully.

"Young ladies, come with me," Orabella stands. "I'll show you to our master bathroom and let you all bath and shave."

Alieana stands and follows Orabella, Torri and Faux reluctantly do the same. They ascend the stairs and walk down the hall into a large, shining bathroom. A large bathtub, big enough for at least five people, is sprawled out in the center of the tiled floor.

"I'll get you each a razor," Orabella goes to a small medicine cabinet, opens the door and removes a small bag of pink razors. She walks back to them and hands one to each. I'm sure you've never had a bath like this before."

She drops in a small tablet and presses a button. The tub begins to fill from many different water jets and the tablet dissolves into fragrant, foaming suds. The bubbling, steaming cauldron is extremely inviting.

"Go ahead girls," Alieana encourages Faux and Torri. They reluctantly approach the frothing soup bowl. Not caring anymore, Torri pulls her shirt off and tosses it aside. She kicks her shoes off followed by her wooly socks. Sitting on the side of the tub, she pulls off the grimy pants so she is left in only her small panties and undersized bra. Faux hides her deep blush. With one more pull of her panties and snap of the bra, she slides buck naked into the froth, the warm liquid smothers her bare body and she instantly feels much more relaxed. The powerful jets massage her aching joints while the hot water relaxes away the knots in her muscles, and the soap dissolves away the grime.

"Come on Faux... its great."

Faux slowly undresses and slides in next to Torri. Underneath the bubbles, Torri begins to tease Faux. Her fingers poke and prod her naked legs, making her blush even deeper.

"I'll be right back, I need to use the bathroom," Alieana flits away to one of the toilets. Orabella leans over the tub and looks upon the two young girls with her usual kind smile.

"How does that feel?"

"Wonderful," Torri smiles.

"Then you won't mind if I join you?"

"No not at all, by all means do," Torri giggles.

Orabella unties her tattered apron and tosses it into a hamper. Removing the grimy sweatshirt and pants, she begins to reveal an amazingly fit and desirable body. Her heaving breasts are held in with a black lacy bra and her incredibly smooth legs lead up to a crotch that is just as smooth, also covered in lacy black lingerie. She pulls the panties away and Torri is amazed by her smoothness putting her into a type of babbling trance. Orabella notices and chuckles out loud.

"Its not polite to stare."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How do keep so... so clean?"

"I don't shave, I wax myself," she grins as she unsnaps her bra and lets her large breasts fall out. She seductively strides into the tub and slithers into the warm water. Alieana comes back wrapped in a towel. She steps up onto the edge of the tub and tosses the towel to the floor and drops into the water. She sigh deeply as the warm water washes the aches, pains, and dirt away.

"Wow, this feels great."

The girls chat and bask in the muscle soothing water. After shaving their legs, they dry off and put fresh clothes on. Orabella leaves first to join Captain Ferrari in their room. Alieana hugs Torri and heads to her room which she and Saul will be sharing with Fergus. Torri and Faux head downstairs to find Johan passed out on one of the couches and Raul curled up in the cot, out like a light. Torri takes up a blanket from the empty couch and sits on one of the ends. Faux cuddles next to her and they wrap the blanket around them.

"Night beautiful," Torri kisses Faux and the in next minute they are both sound asleep.

Alieana tip toes into the room to hear the familiar sound of Fergus snoring. Saul also appears to have dozed off. She silently moves to the most open side of the bed. Quietly stripping down to her underwear, she pulls the blankets away and Saul stirs and wakes.

"Hey," Alieana whispers.

"That was a long bath."

"It was lovely," she climbs in the bed and cuddles up with Saul.

"Wow, your legs are so smooth."

"Thats not the only thing I shaved," she grasps his hand moves it into her panties. They cuddle and fool around for half an hour until they slowly drift off into a comfortable sleep.

Orabella saunters down the dark hallway to the door of the master bedroom. Turning the knob and ducking inside, she finds her husband sitting at a desk working diligently at an old sea chart. Noticing he is thinking very hard, she slinks over to him and begins to rub his tense shoulder.

"Hey sweetie," he greats her.

"Come to bed."

"I really need to finish this dear..."

"Come on baby, I got a fresh wax, lets celebrate our departure," she runs her delicate hands down his chest and begins to rub his thighs.

"Give me five more minutes and I promise I'll sweep you off your feet," he kisses her cheek and gives her a wink.

"You better papi," she replies in a sultry voice and strolls to the side of the bed. Sitting down, she crosses her sculpted legs slowly to try and entice the captain. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye a small grin crosses his face.

The captain measures and draws lines on the chart. Dotted lines outlining the coast of the African continent. Points of interest marked with red pen marks. After five more minutes of tracing and marking, the captain drops his pencil and compass, stands, and stretches. Orabella unties her robe and slides her naked body across their soft, silky bed. A wide, handsome smile crosses the captain's face at the site of his Italian goddess. Dropping his cotton sleep pants, he takes her in his arms and they properly celebrate their new voyage with powerful hip thrusts and soft, passionate moans.

Author's Note

Suggestions?