Pirates, Confusion And Fun

[mattiemagick]

Mattie smoothed out his lilac dress, the white corset squeezing his waist quite nicely. He had his hair down his back, a lilac ribbon holding it back from his face, a white silk choker around his neck with the crest of "The Salty Sea" pub in the center of the choker. On his ears were twin opal earrings and he had a light dusting of make-up on his face. His eyes were outlined in black khol and had a dusting of white eye-shadow, his lashes thickened with mascara. He had a soft pink gloss to his lips and his purse was white, a few knives scattered along his outfit to use to protect himself.

Mattie had heard from the regulars at the pub that today was when most of the Sea pirates and Air pirates came down to trade crew members and gain supplies and materials. Mattie wanted to see who exactly he had been translating for his government and what kind of a person they were. He was both excited and nervous, hoping to cement his feminine form in a lot of peoples' heads. He also had white gloves on and a lilac set of oval sunglasses on his face. he swiftly made his way down to the docks, keeping his white boots with lilac trim clean.

He gazed all around him at the bustling and lively port, seeing so many different ships and machines. It truly was a bustling town and he was so excited to be here. One of the prostitutes that he had gotten to know was by his side in an instant, looking as well dresses as he was. " It's excitin' t' see th' ships comin' in, sweetheart... always a differen' one each year an' each year one goes down. Now, ye be stayin' with me darlin', none of th' gals and me wanna see ye get 'urt 'ere." Mattie smiled at her and fell into step with her, two others appearing and joining the two of them.

[Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck]

Nikolaas was wandering around the docks looking for anything he could buy for his small supply shop further up in the streets. It was also a good opportunity to check out the ships and gain information about the various pirate captains and their crew. As far as he had gathered, his best bet on getting back to his home country was to somehow join one of the crews. Of course ideally he'd like to get this own boat and crew, but he was far away from having earned up the amount needed for that. Having done some quick calculations he figured it would most likely take him ten years to earn enough for his own boat, and damn it! He refused to be at Tortuga for that long!

He walked briskly along the docks scanning the area, the ships, and most importantly, the crew. Some looked like they would kill anyone who dared approach them, while others looked more 'normal' and some he would even be as bold as to say they looked friendly and welcoming. Hard to believe these people where all pirates...

Nikolaas was so preoccupied with admiring the ships he didn't pay attention to where he was walking and walked straight into a petite blond girl.
"Oh, excuse me...miss. Terribly sorry about that." Nikolaas scanned the young woman he had so rudely bumped into. From the choker's Crest this was someone who worked at "The Salty Sea" pub, a place he had visited a few times, but he had to admit, he had never seen this girl before. Was she new? There where also a few other, slightly older females with the young girl. He recognized them, and knew exactly what they did around this town. Did that mean this young girl was one of them? "Are you alright?" he asked slighty concerned.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie blushed slightly as the older male hit into him, apologizing. Mattie smiled as one of the girls wrapped an arm around his waist. " No harm done sir, I am fine. If I may ask, where do you work?" mattie was curious about this man, but the girls he was spending time with where slightly alarmed about the young man. Mattie gently squeezed one of their hands, reassuring them.

[Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck]

"Really? Oh that's good" Nikolaas smiled down at the shorter blond girl. There was some odd sense of 'familiarity' with this girl, but he couldn't quite place why he felt like he had met her before, it was like any memory had been blocked off - or hidden in a thick mist.

"Work? Oh I own a small merchant shop further up the street from here. You know...selling everything from weapons to food..." He trailed of with an awkward smile. Why where the other woman sending him such dirty looks? Or where those looks of fear? Nikolaas sometimes had trouble distinguishing between the two. "Why do you ask?"

[mattiemagick]

Mattie smiled softly and murmured demurely, " I am curious about those who work around here. My friends have been taking me to various places around this port, but I have not been here very long to see different shops and stores. Though I must go, but if you wish to see me, I work down at the "Salty Pub" as a server." Mattie smiled at the older man and let the woman in the green dress pull him away, the three girls forming a protective circle around Mattie. He quietly fell into step with them as they moved him off, one of the women brushing at his hair and skin, murmuring to him about different products and items to use.

[Nikolaas Lars Hasbrouck]

"Ah I see what you mean" He gave the young woman a slight smile before his expression darkened as he cast a few glances to some of the pirate ships "It's good you're out in a big group, being alone is a bad idea out here..Not everyone can be trusted."
He observed the group of women with a blank stare trying to decide why they where protecting this one girl. "Why thank you, I might try to come by at some point" his face was brighter and friendly again, not wanting the woman to be too frightened of him.

He watched the women leave and disappear the other way, before he himself turned around to look for any good swords he could try and get from the pirate crews. His own was worn and not of the best quality, surely there had to be some pirate with good weapons to sell or trade. Nikolaas patted his pocket to ensure he still had his small pouch of opium safely stashed in his inner breast pocket. This could very well ensure he got himself a very nice sword...

[mattiemagick]

Mattie stayed within her group, the younger male looking around in awe at the different ships, both air and sea landing in the docks. His eyes were wide in his face and the awe written there was incredible. Mattie's eyes travelled all over the different ships, the women he was walking with explaining the different types and which ships were piloted by which Captain. He was amazed and kept looking around, his head moving from place to place, sight to sight. he easily staying with his guardians when he accidentally hit into someone. " oh gods, I am so sorry about this sir..."

[Wonsanji]

Perhaps it wasn’t professional for a ship’s captain to make a habit of leaving the ship as soon as she was properly docked, but then, Yong Soo never claimed to be professional. And the allure of a new pirate town to explore was simply too exciting to ignore, especially one in the West. After making a quick excuse to Yao about checking around the local atmosphere, the Korean was ambling along the docks of Tortuga, broad sleeves swinging lightly with each step and grinning eyes darting to take in each new sight. Because of this, he wasn’t paying attention to the one place that made sense, and bumped into a young woman in a pretty dress.

The Asian’s arms wind-milled slightly, but he managed to keep from falling by grabbing the girl’s shoulders, an easy if slightly embarrassed laugh escaping him as he stood upright, a bit surprised that he didn’t have to look down. ‘People are so tall in the West,’ he chuckled. Not quite looking at the woman’s face just yet, Yong Soo tried to wave off her concerns with one sleeve, smiling brightly.

“It’s alright, da ze! Nothing brok-”

Yong Soo paused abruptly once his eyes met the other’s, his throat seizing up as an electric jolt coursed through his spine. For a moment, the girl was a man—a man with bright blue eyes deep as the sky, and a smile that flashed like the sun. The Korean flushed as a sudden strong wave of emotion crashed through his mind, a sensation like desperation and hope so intense it made him feel a bit weak in the stomach.

With one blink, the image faded, and the Korean saw only an effeminate youth with soft purple eyes and wavy hair. Yong Soo awkwardly held the Canadian’s shoulder, his expression utterly bemused as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie felt a shudder run through him as the tall asian grabbed his shoulder, a flash of recognition running through his form, knowing that this man was a nation-being. Mattie only knew him through his dreams, but this man, he felt familiar. Mattie looked at him with a small blush mantling his cheeks, head tilted a bit down. " I-I'm glad y-you're all r-right sir... d-do I know y-you from somewhere?" Mattie felt shy and oh so young compared to this man, a bit quiet and nervous, shifting his skirts with antsy hands. The girls had kept on going when Mattie bumped into him so was a bit unsure of what to do.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo frowned lightly, still a bit dazed and confused, his boisterous voice suddenly solemn, “I don’t know, da ze. I was about to ask.”

He looked the girl over, trying to determine what was so familiar about her. His confusion only grew, as the first impression of devil-may-care energy and excitement faded, replaced with a sense of familiarity that just drifted on the tip of his tongue. He felt oddly let down, in yet…

Yong Soo frowned more, not liking this confusion, and placed both hands on the girl’s shoulders, looking her in the eyes as though they could make things clearer. Behind him, he heard the cluster of women accompanying Mattie tittering, but put them out of his mind. Many questions came to mind, but the one that left his mouth surprised him;

“Do you have a brother, da ze?”

[mattiemagick]

Mattie suddenly felt dizzy and cold. The man's grip on his shoulders made him feel like he should be friends with this man, but it also made a chill of fear sweep through him. Mattie remembered the eyes this man had, and he knew that he was from his dreams. Mattie trembled and murmured, " N-No, I don't h-have a brother. D-Do you know of a-anyone with g-golden-brown eyes?" Mattie had to ask this, having remembered those eyes, wise eyes. He knew that this man, this captain, of what ship he did not know, if he asked Mattie to join, he would. Mattie would join in a heartbeat and without a thought. Something pulled at Mattie around this man, and he did not wish to leave it.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo blinked slightly, tilting his head, “Golden-brown eyes? That sounds like either Yao-Hyung or Jun-Shi, da ze.” If she knew Yao-Hyung, then that might explain at least some of the strange familiarity. The Korean had an instinct for such things. But if she knew Jun-Shi…

The Korean’s eyes lit up suddenly, an excited smile spreading across his face as he bounced on his feet, “Do you know either of them, da ze? Yao-Hyung is the first mate of my ship, the Lucky Dragon—a Chinese man with a long brown ponytail, da ze, and he likes pandas, and cooking, and a weird knock-off of a cat mascot from Japan, which I think is kinda both weird and cute, da ze, but don’t tell him I said so, while Jun-Shi is his little brother—a young guy with big eyebrows and no expressions and pyromania—he loves anything to do with fireworks, da ze, especially when it’s a prank.”

Yong Soo took a second to breathe, and then went on, “I’ll be really happy if you know about Jun-Shi, da ze, because we’re looking for him, but if you know Yao-Hyung then you can’t be that bad of a guy anyway because Yao-Hyungnim is really smart, da ze, even if he’s not the Big Brother because I’m taller. Oh, and by the way, my name is Im Yong Soo, and I originated in Korea!” The Korean beamed, the flood of words temporarily subsiding, as he waited on the other’s response.

[mattiemagick]

Mattie's eyes saddened and he sighed, head drooping slightly as he hesitated in answering the older man. He only knew of eyes, not faces or names, though his heart lurched for the young man loosing a family member. He sighed shakily and murmured, " I-I'm sorry, I only remember eye colors... and I only know the color because I've been having, well, dreams of different eye colors and I only know they're important. I am sorry I cannot be much help, but I can give you my name... it's Mattie, Mattie Williams from Canada."

Mattie's eyes widened and he slapped his hand over his mouth, starring at the male in horror. " O-oh n-no... I-I-I'm sorry... I-I have to g-go!" Mattie was panicked, he never made such a big mistake before. He turned around to flee, scared out of his mind, forgetting that he still didn't really know his way around Tortuga.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo tried to not look too disappointed at the dead-end, and, to his credit, did admirably well, his smile only fading a little. “Ah, it was a long-shot anyway, da ze, but gamsa.” He tilted his head at the other’s name, finding it strangely familiar, and not quite noticing the panic in his eyes. “Canada, da ze? That’s above America, ri-”

And then Mattie was trying to back off, terrified. Yong Soo blinked, confused, and then frowned in sudden concern, his demeanor abruptly switching. He kept a hold of the Canadian’s shoulders, refusing to let him leave, and turned his face into the other’s path.

“Hold. Before you start going ballistic, da ze, breathe.” He tilted his head, eyes still piercing the others, his voice softening, “You’re on the run from someone, right, da ze? It’s o.k, I’m not going to blow your cover.” This Yong Soo was not good at comforting people, but he couldn’t help but feel it was important, no, crucial, that the blond did not run from him.

He looked around, and, noticing that they were, after all, in the middle of a busy street, guided Mattie to an overhang, where they would be less likely to be spied upon and where the town’s reputation could provide an easy excuse for a man and a woman to seek dark places. He looked down at Matthew, brushing the other’s face with his sleeve, trying to calm the blond down. “You’re not the first person I’ve met that didn’t want to be found, da ze.”

[mattiemagick]

Mattie shuddered and curled into the other's grip, this different personality soothing and calming the panicky Canadian. Mattie took in deep breaths and calmed, a shiver filling his limbs as the adrenaline pumping through his system began working it's way out. Mattie sighed sadly and looked into the new versions' eyes, able to tell the difference easily. Mattie grinned softly and murmured, " I am not hiding from a person but... I know I would never tell anyone else this, I am hiding from the Canadian Government. They felt I was important and I was, imprisoned, there from age two to fifteen. I ran and I've been hiding ever since. Just, if those people approach you, don't tell them where I am. Please."

Mattie shifted nervously in place before biting on his lip and hugging the Asian briefly. " Thank you for calming me... if you hadn't I'd have been lost." Mattie smiled softly at him and murmured out, " I don't know why, but you feel so important to me... I'm not even sure why." Mattie's eyes flickered around and he whispered to the male, " Come find me if you need me at the Salty Sea... I work there and am supposedly Sea-Struck... I think you might just help me find myself and give me a true home." Mattie pulled back and smiled, picking up his skirts and disappearing from sight, reappearing besides his guardians, the girls guiding him away and around.