#* 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖚𝖓𝖊 𝖋𝖆𝖛𝖔𝖗𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊 : ANNA

[scltnsea]

— the ship was slowly rocking near the coastline where the pirates usually sought refuge, teetering on the gentle waves like the ocean was catching her breath after the storm that had passed through. sea legs were integral to a pirate, however, supplies and other necessities required trips to the mainland and it was nice, every so often, to find footing on stable ground ( though, james would argue every square foot of never island was anything but stable ). begrudgingly, james followed his crew off the ship and adjusted his coat, shaking his shoulders of the storm that had just blown past them, eyeing how mother nature had caressed the shore that had the beaches littered with shells, driftwood and varying debris. he felt a presence beside him, an aura that was hard to dismiss, and turned his head to look down at the individual accompanying him.

❛ — ah, anna... ❜

the fireball standing beside him burned bright enough to set the sun to shame. if the stars were able to reach out to them, james was certain they'd recruit anna to replace the very giant star that beat down upon his tired, heavy shoulders. she was violent, she was ruthless, she wielded her weapons with a smile and wore the scarlet blood of other's with a pride he himself had yet to become familiar with. her disdain for the inhabitants of peter's treehouse made his seem petty, at times, and he admired her dedication and her commitment to whatever cause he assigned to her. a lilt of a smile graced his face, softening hard features momentarily as he turned his head forward, watching crew members disappear in neat batches amongst the trees past the beach's edge.

❛ the smell of the land after a storm is a bit inspiring, isn't it ?? ❜ james took a deep breath through his nostrils, lids fluttering shut, the very scent he was mentioning tickling his nostrils before he released a slow exhale through parted lips. ❛ it reminds you that after all of that thrashing, all that excitement... the aftermath is all that more delightful... ❜ he turned to face her again, tilting his head, grazing his eyes over her features before turning back to look at the ship. the jolly roger took the storm like it was one of the ocean's creatures itself, and james took a moment to fondly dote on her before returning his attention to anna.

❛ the calm after the storm, anna, is only temporary. for when one storm passes, another is sure to follow.... ❜ clearing his throat, james began to advance forward, nodding his head in the direction he was walking, silently instructing her to follow. ❛ now i must ask you to swear to secrecy...as i assure you a storm is brewing sooner than anyone is anticipating. alas, this storm won't be one of mother nature's creations...❜ he stopped, turning to face her once more, a wicked, mischievous glee twinkling in his eyes;

❛no, my dear, it shall be one of OURS. ❜

@fortunefavorcd

[scltnsea]

— a lilt of a smile appeared on his lips as james appreciated anna's boldness to counter his own opinions. anyone else would have elicited an immediate dismissal, or sparked an argument, but the man nodded tenderly at her words. the matter at hand wasn't about what sensation a storms aftermath brought upon the living, though harmless conversation was a fleeting luxury the crew got to enjoy. given the circumstances, james was surprised that he himself was able to find any particular moment of stillness, of normality. short lived, albeit, but a moment he doted on regardless. her peaked enthusiasm at the theatric promise of a scheme delighted the man, and he turned to face her, hand pressed deep in his coat pocket and hook dangling loosely at his side.

❛ i figured you would.. ❜ he commented, offering her a nod, expressing quiet gratitude for her dedication to a cause he undoubtedly assumed she was already aware of. ❛ your enthusiasm and loyalty don't go unnoticed, anna... which is why i am tasking you to aid me in this endeavor. the storm is headed towards lost boy territory. ❜

the memories flashed before him in a quick succession, plaguing his thoughts temporarily with a reminder of why they were in the circumstances they were. a life for a life, james had sworn by, drumming that thought process into the many crews he had overseen over the years. that mantra was applicable in this situation, though it wasn't a life he was after... not this time.

❛ surely you are aware of the wrong-doings done at the expense of our crew... my quartermaster being one of them... i do not take kindly to having those beneath me being brought senseless harm.❜ james knew vaguely that the two of them had been acquainted during their joint time on their previous vessel, the name of which was passing him by in this moment, and rousing anna's passion was vital in ensuring her ruthless commitment to the task he was about to ask her to perform. though he had no doubt that even if it were a random crew member whom it had happened to, anna would commit to the job with the same devotion. making it personal was just fuel to the already lit fire.

❛ i've been made aware of the cruel, violent act committed against my quartermaster and i am looking to seek vengeance for them... i am tasking you with executing that. i am offering you the luxury of avenging cecco yourself, as i know the two of you are close....and while pining after pan is irresponsible, no doubt, i have no issue taking from one of his futile followers and mirroring the injury brought upon cecco.❜ james lifted his hand, wiggling his fingers that complimented the ones the quartermaster had lost.

❛ i do not wish to make it anything of magnitude given the loss we have just experienced.... however, i will not allow the crime committed against my quartermaster to go unpunished. i believe cecco to be too fragile at this moment to go out and perform this task on their own, so i am entrusting it to you. ❜

Stormy weather didn't shake Anna in the same way that it did for Cecco, what with their shared trauma given to them by the Righteous Harpy's demise. It was fire that quickened her heart and threatened to turn her knees to gelatin. What storms did do was leave her a touch melancholic for several days after. She found them invigorating in the moment, dangerous weather forced you to focus and forget all else except for what needed doing to ensure survival for yourself and the crew from one moment to the next. But when the threat dissipated and the clouds parted, all the thoughts that had blissfully been pushed aside came flooding back and brought with them all sorts of old things she'd rather stay forgotten.

"Captain," Anna said affably in greeting, accompanied by a distracted nod of acknowledgment as her eyes stayed trained on Cecco. She couldn't help but worry about them constantly these days. They'd acted as her guiding compass of a conscious for — well, who the hell really knew how long they'd been in Neverland — a long time and now Cecco seemed so lost...The captain's voice had a commanding effect on Anna's focus and served as a welcome pull from her brooding, she smiled as she listened. Cecco was meant to be the one who brooded, not her. The damn fool.

"I'm not so sure I see the aftermath in quite the same light," Anna replied in earnest, "The smell is a galvanizing one though, I'll give you that." She sensed the start of a pitch, so she didn't bother to further argue one viewpoint over the other. In general, there seemed little sense in trying to argue anything with the man before her. Besides, Anna was in desperate need of something that she could throw herself into; something to help delay her own processing for a little longer so that she could remain solid ground for Cecco as they crumpled and found themself again. It was only fair. They'd done so for her many times.

"Now that I certainly know to be true," Anna said, agreeably falling in step to follow as she thought of her own clusters of memories that hung menacingly in her mind just like waiting storm clouds. She didn't feel compelled to interrupt for the sake of voicing an oath of secrecy. Anna felt that her previous actions spoke to her readiness to hold her tongue when it was called for better than any lofty words could. So she remained silent, listening with rapt attention, hands clasped behind her back as they walked.

"Oh? I do like the sound of that," She admitted once she felt the pitch had reached its conclusion, her smile turning from pleasant but a tad gloomy to one that was far more spirited. "And where precisely might this coming storm be headed?" She pressed for more details, an eyebrow arched in question, not that the details mattered over much. She'd do just about anything to keep her head clear for just a stretch longer.