[$] Sinful Seas (With Knux33)

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Z'ril jumped at the gunshot, hearing that over all the other shouting, things went silent and the once blond could barely make out the noise of the captain talking before he sighed and continued patching up Zamin. The shifter seemed to be slowly relaxing, still in pain but feeling his leg going numb thanks to the salve, the pain subsiding to bearable levels as he opened his eyes and looked up at Z'ril. "How…" Z'ril smiled at the other, the question breathless and filled with pain. Gently set the others leg down and then the answer came walking through the door only to sit down next to Zamin and poke him. The shifter looked at Ventus, his eyes slightly unfocused, and then he smiled. "Thanks." Zamin looked exhausted and Z'ril leaned over to give him something for the pain before William was there and helping him away.

Z'ril smiled weakly then grabbed a bucket and decided to sit away from Zamin to throw up the nothing in his stomach. Z'ril groaned, his head throbbing, he would have to take care of his own wounds once he could see straight and he wasn't dealing only with adrenalin. Z'ril winced when William kissed his head but just kind of sat back. The gesture was oddly intimate for the both of them, they were close but he hadn't thought that they were that close quite yet, Z'ril decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth though as he waited through his vomiting before he started patching himself up.

The next few weeks were… interesting. They were nothing near as calm as the past few months and it only got worse the longer it went on. They were hauled up for well over two days trying to fix the two ships into something movable and then they had to make frequent stops to fix the ship as it continued to fall apart. Zamin made great improvement, being up to get up an dmove around in only a week, but moving wasn't as easy as one would think when you are missing a leg. Zamin had to learn how to walk again on a constantly moving boat and while it had been mildly amusing to see the man hobble around at first it soon became crew norm to help the man… when Ventus wasn't around to do it.

It seemed that as time ticked on Ventus became more and more possessive over what he thought was his and while Zamin would snap if the other got a bit out of han for the most part the dragon was teetering on the edge of mother henning. It had been almost cute to see the dragon so attached while Zamin was incapacitated and stuck in bed. Both of them were healing but everynow and then the dragon got enough energy to come back with a fish or something for Zamin to eat. It was obvious to everyone else that the dragon wanted his possession back in working order. Z'ril on the other hand healed and went from bad to worse as the month ticked on.

He was harsh, callous, rough and most of the time just vicious. He would snap at anyone and his hair was now completely black. Zamin explained that after his birthday he would go back to mostly normal but it was hard on many people. The nymph wasn't allowed anywhere near the dragon, even though even the big beast knew what was going on, because he could tell that the dragon would be a good fight and instantly started poking at the beast. It seemed the only person able to calm Z'ril was William. It was becoming more and more obvious that they were not going to reach port in time and with Z'rils growing volatile nature Zamin had started pressing that William stop being captain and take care of the situation.

Z'ril need to be tied up with constant watch and a distraction of a certain nature but it seemed that William was less than willing since they were still out on the open sea. Zamin warned him against the hesitation but he knew that the other would not listen to him.

It was a little over three weeks after the kraken incident and Z'ril was fuming constantly, he never seemed to be calm, he almost steamed with rage and only stilled long enough to close his eyes for a moments rest before the nightmares were waking him again. He never slept, not ever, and it was obviously wearing on him. Zamin knew that the other would be on the edge soon here enough but he didn't realize how soon until he heard a shout and saw that Z'ril had one of the other crewmates by the throat. Z'ril hobbled over as quickly as possible while shouting for William before he hit Z'ril with the crutch he was using hard enough to break it before the Nymph let the man go and turned on the fallen Zamin.

He stood there looking nothing like the peaceful nymph he was known to be. Zamin shouted for William again, motioning for Ventus to stay back because Z'ril wasn't going to hurt the downed shifter but anyone else was fair game before suddenly the male was grabbed. "William you need to keep him under control! Just tie him up already, it's about damn time, he won't be pissed but it will keep him from causing anyone harm! Including himself!" Zamin glared at the captain, the man needed a good dose of reality at the moment.  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

William just laughed at the look of confusion Z'ril got at the kiss, enjoying the other's bewilderment at it before moving to get back to work as things seemed calm in the captain's cabin for now. William hadn't meant the peck to seem intimate, though clearly Z'ril thought it was such in his scrambled state, and the pirate wasn't really one to correct false assumptions so long as they were amusing and not dangerous.

As time crawled by and they also seemed to travel at a snail's pace though, the captain soon found himself very, very far from amused at the situation at hand. He had been banking on being able to reach Parrot Isle within the month, but as the weeks went by it seemed it would be lucky if they reached the port in double that time. Will was well aware of the dangers coming close with their timetable and Z'ril's coming birthday, but leaving the helm of his ship when they were still so far from shore was not an easy thing for the man to do. William was a man who would rather work himself sick--and had--than let work go undone. And he was a captain; a bloody pirate captain, not some lazy hog that let his men do all the work. No, Will was as common a sight patching up loose wood and sealing up leaks as any man on board, and the thought of not doing his job on a fully-manned ship still so far from port was ... almost foreign. So, instead of taking Zamin's words and turning them into action Will waited it out, uneasily trying to keep the powder keg that Z'ril had turned into defused as best he could without giving up his work ... with obviously poor results.

With Ventus raging hardly a few yards away from where Z'ril was (talk about a ember on the edge of igniting a ammunition barrel) over Zamin Will cussed and bit the bullet, grabbing up the nymph from behind and grappling with Z'ril all the way to the captain's cabin as the man dragged the black-haired and black-tempered Z'ril bodily there.

As soon as the door slammed, the entire crew murmured amongst themselves because they knew what was up; most of the crew on the slaver ship were creatures themselves from Will's crew, and the smaller Dandy having a mostly-human load from the initial number. They knew well enough they wouldn't be seeing the captain anytime soon for the foreseeable future if he had any lick of sense, and most just got back to work, one helping the poor sod up who'd gotten the brunt of Z'ril's mad ire.

Ventus, predictably, went right over to Zamin and helped up the one-legged shifter, eyes glowing with his inner fire even in the bright sunlight. "I should've taken a bigger bite out of his hide when I had the chance," the dragon grumbled lowly, glowering at the broken crutch. Back when they'd first met the dragon had gotten his teeth into Z'ril, but not for long before the nymph had used his on blood to choke up the dragon and rather painfully showed the starved creature who was not to be eaten. Though now that he had grown fit, the dragon was clearly a lot less at peace with back down at all the damn 'challenging' he thought Z'ril was doing. He was a king of the air, damn it all, and had the ego of royalty too.

The dragon offered his shoulder to Zamin as a new temporary crutch, and immediately glared and even lightly hissed at anyone coming close to check on the shifter as well. Even after a near month of being among them Ventus did not for a second consider any of them friends, despite the fact many tried to be nice enough. But the dragon was having none of it; he'd had enough of people and huminoid anythings to last a lifetime, and Zamin was the one exception that made the rule. The cat had been the only real friendly face he'd seen on a regular bases when he'd been weak and trapped, and now any attempts at friendship seemed pale and worthless in comparison to to what Zamin had offered, though the cat hardly appreciated his attentions sometimes. Ventus huffed, leading the cat towards the ladder that went below deck, where the slavers-that-were-now-stored-as-slaves-to-be-sold were held, and also extra materials. Like what would be needed for a new crutch.

Ventus went down first, letting Zamin come after as he watched the shifter very closely on the way down, really mother henning and acting like he was ready to jump to the rescue should the one-legged male need any sort of assistance. Though at least he was less hovering once they both got to picking through the discarded wood pile looking for something to construct a new crutch, looking over the planks and such that were no good for the ship beyond fire wood or for smaller patch jobs. Ventus was quiet, very quiet as he worked, and discontent look on his face ... not that that was anything new. The dragon was sick and tired of ships and humans and human-shaped creatures. He itched to stretch his wings for a long flight to any bit of land where he could assume his real form and just bask in the sun, letting his scales take in the heat and to be free to live as he had before getting captured. The hot taste of blood and weight of red meat in his belly was something the dragon dreamed of hungrily, though even all that was not quite enough to abandon his new possession.

Ventus had no horde, no lair or permanent place of living. To finally have something belong to him was a curious thing, and even curiouser was having something ... not whole, and still wanting it. The brown haired male grasped a sturdy bit of wood and felt the grain of it, glancing Zamin's way and wondering not for the first time how the other might react to just leaving. Not well ... which was oddly why the dragon did not up and go. Leaving these smelly ships was something Zamin would not be happy to do just yet, so he grudgingly remained and fought the urge to tear into the hold where the slavers-now-slaves were penned in, and devour them all. Or get the thrice-damned Z'ril when the other was not suspecting an attack and clumsy from uncontrolled rage and lack of sleep.

"What about this one?" Ventus asked, finally pulling free of his musings to look at Zamin blankly, not sure if the other had said anything or not before the dragon himself had asked about the wood.

*

William forced Z'ril down onto the bed, glaring down at the nymph with unhidden annoyance. He couldn't work, and it was the nymph's fault. Sure, Z'ril didn't mean it, but still William was not a man who often hid his anger or ire over things that weren't exactly convenient for him. He had his own life to get on with, his own ship to recapture and take back as his own so he could hang the damned Kyd who'd taken his precious Satan's Swan. Worse than hang, really, but he pushed the bubbling anger back down and just sighed at Z'ril's wild actions and wrestled around quickly to grab some short rope and proceeded to tie Z'ril's wrists to the bedposts. He tied them separately, far apart on the wide headboard; so Z'ril couldn't easily work them loose or bite at them.

"Damn; there. And stay there," William growled, standing and proceeding to pull off his gun holster and hang it up, though he kept his sword close on-hand. "If tying you down and ******** your brains out is all I'm going to be allowed to damn do for however the hell long this last's I'm going to damn well do it," William bit out and proceeded to tear Z'ril's clothes of in a most ungentlemanly manner and, well get to it. Will was not against gagging Z'ril to keep the other decently quiet and to stop any unwanted bites, and he was also not in any mood to be gentle. He wanted to work; the ship was in no shape to be left without a captain. The ship was barely well enough to limp along through the sea as well as Zamin could limp along on deck, and with the frustration he had to be pulled from his post, Will took out on Z'ril. He was a pirate, not a damned gentleman. He could act civilized well enough, but as his enemies had the misfortune of knowing ... Will was also not at all hesitant to be most uncivilized when he was not happy.  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Zamin gripped onto Ventus as Z'ril was pulled away and let the other help him up even though the man was growling and being rather bitter. Zamin knew once the old Z'ril was back that the other wouldn’t be quite so bitter toward Z'ril, most likely the once blond would apologize, but it was… hard still. Z'ril was a very good friend and when Ventus had not been there Z'ril had even through his changing system. He had bandaged Zamin up and saved his life just as much as Ventus continued to do. Yes Zamin got tired of how much that Ventus was clinging to him but at the same time he knew that it was a life saver.

Zamin stared after everyone as they were scared away and then he was going below deck with Ventus. The dragon was always so rough and tumble with everyone, he always growled and fought with people verbally, it was so strange considering the other refused to leave. Zamin had asked him before and gotten a simple answer that he wasn't leaving and the shifter couldn’t figure out why. He just didn't understand why the other wanted him so badly. Sure he had been kind to the dragon when no one else was but at the same time he was now a ruined object that no one would pa two silver for let alone actually care about. This wasn't a world for those who were crippled, he knew that very well, so why did Ventus seem to find so much value in him and would it stay around?

Would there still be value if Ventus found his own kind? Zamin couldn’t help that thought creeping into his head as he made his way down the steps into the lower deck and started searching through the wood with the dragon. Would the other leave him alone on the ship, or alone anywhere, after saving his pathetic life once he found something new and whole to keep as a treasure? Zamin hated these thoughts, what they did to his heart, he hated feeling broken and as he sat unable to really even search through the wood for a new crutch he couldn’t help the way his chest clenched.

This wasn't a good life for a cripple, being a cripple wasn't a good life in the first place, people could live whole live without arms or eyes but to live long without a leg was unheard of. Creatures were easily caught and sold for meat like this. Zamin didn't want that to happen and he didn't want to left behind by the dragon because his possession was pitifully broken. It was another reason that Zamin grew so irritated at times, he knew the other was trying to help but for the life of him he just couldn’t figure out why, the others voice pierced through his thoughts for a brief moment and Zamin looked up to see what the dragon was holding before he nodded and looked back down to his hands.

He was silent, staring at his hands, he had only lived a few weeks as a cripple and it was already weighing so much on him. Zamin looked up at Ventus when he got closer and used the other to stand but then he looked up at the dragon for a moment, confusion clear on his face, then he did something he probably shouldn’t have done. He leaned up and kissed the man because maybe that was why. Maybe the other had an interest in him, and Zamin in the other, it just wasn't clear to the both of them.

**

This was what Z'ril needed, to be held down and taught where his place was, because there was no real force to it. William wasn't gentle but the moment the man showed what he wanted Z'ril was willing. He wanted control, wanted to switch it around so he was the one holding William down, but even to himself that just didn't seem right. He needed this, to be shown his place, he needed to know that he was omega in this situation. The leader here was not him and that was needing to be made clear. So it was and by the time they had abated the anger Z'ril was exhausted, tired past the point of sleep, he could hardly lift his limbs to pull at the restraints. There was a small ammount of clarity in his eyes and as Z'ril looked up at the restraints he couldn’t help but sigh. "I..dont…. I am sorry William." Z'ril pulled a little more at the restraints. "I wish we could have made it to port."  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Ventus gripped the wood and walked back over to Zamin with it, letting the shifter get hold of him and use him as a steady thing to hold onto for balance. The dragon was no whittler; he would take the long plank up on deck to the same pirate who'd made Zamin's first crutch. The dragon was confused though, when the other male did not move and Zamin seemed to look confused too. Ventus tilted his head slightly, about to open his mouth and ask when Zamin was suddenly pressing their lips together. Ventus ... had no idea what Zamin was doing, since the dragon had never bothered to pay attention to human customs or mating rituals; or any customs at all for that matter. The dragon had lived all his life as just that: a dragon, before getting captured. So to him the kiss did not hold much meaning beyond 'this is something I've seen humans do'. And even then it was a shock, making Ventus stiffen and n** Zamin's lip rebukingly in his confusion before just staring down at the shifter.

"What was that? Why did you do that?" Ventus asked quickly, before the shifter could do anything else foreign and odd. The dragon licked his lips, focus still on Zamin but also sampling the other's taste as he listened; Zamin didn't taste too bad. "You keep doing that, and I just might eat you," Ventus commented dryly, still looking unsure as to how he felt about this kind of ... 'custom'.

*

"You an' me both," the captain grumbled, laying alongside the nymph and moving an arm up to grab one of Z'ril's arms. "And stop that.You'll rub your skin as raw as a clam's muscle." The man sat up, staring down at Z'ril and wondering how long the other would be coherent. Hell, some small part of him hoped that would be it and he could get back to work now, but the old sea dog in him knew bettr than to really put stock in such things. This was something that was going to last hell of a lot longer than one ******** session, Z'ril and Zamin had already made that clear enough. "Try to get some sleep, why don't cha?" Of course Will knew the other would have the usual nightmares, but at this point the captain didn't care if the other was raging, screaming, or whatever. Either way they were going to be stuck together for a while yet. Might as well attempt to rest a little, since Z'ril looked exhausted.

Will himself moved to get up from bed, glancing towards the maps laid out and pinned down on his desk. Maybe he could at least do a little work if Z'ril was tied down and looked done for the moment ...

((Haha, Will no. I imagine you will not be allowed to leave the bed or take your attention from Z'ril without consequencessss))  

[Killer_Kiwi_XD]

knux33

Zamin certainly wasn't expecting the reaction he got, though not that the bite actually perturbed him, he chuckled when the other pulled away, blood on both their lips thanks to the man's action. Zamin wasn't one to get down about such things so to know it wasn't… something more than just possession was nice. The shifter licked the blood off his own lips, wincing slightly at the bit mark, he just shook his head at the others words and sort of hoped his way over to the stairs to the upper deck. "Just ignore it. A stupid thing people do I figured I would try… do you think I would look like a better pirate with a peg leg?" Zamin grinned over his shoulder at the other.

He wasn't going to let his thoughts known, he wasn't going to tell Ventus that he had thought this was something more than what it was, there was no point to it. He let himself feel his depression for a moment and now he just had to buck the hell up and deal with life. When they reached the next port he would invest in a wooden leg to try and not have to worry about the crutch anymore, for now though he would just… deal with not being of much use. He could always shift but he hadn't done that since he was on the ship, it wasn't something he did lightly, so that was out of the option. Zamin hobbled his way to the upper deck, not paying much attention to Ventus, not need to aggravate the situation.

**

Z'ril looked up at the other, stopping his fidgeting, of course as the other told him to sleep he felt an irrational flare of rage. Yes because then Will would just get up and leave so that he could look at his damn maps or something. Z'ril hated that thought process that bit at him for no reason, he didn't need to be so angry with Will, but of course then the other was getting up from the bed and Z'ril was jerking up himself and trying to reach out and grab the other. A straight growl left the male and he yanked at the restraints again. Clarity was quickly fading again, exhaustion bubbling away quickly, this was what it was going to be like for the next long while.

If Will didn't want Z'ril ripping through the restraints, or the bed, it would be wise if he stayed with the male while he was like this. There would be no real going anywhere but thankfully the crew had prepared for that and knew where they were trying to go.

((Oh of course not! But now we can focus on the others for a while biggrin ))  

[knux33]

Killer_Kiwi_XD

Ventus turned his head slightly to the side and glared as bemusedly as a eagle that had just gotten licked by a small, appetizing mammal. Because the shifter's blood did taste very nice as he licked his own lips free of it; he'd had enough of a sampling taste to know that when he'd brought Zamin out of the kracken's clutches thanks to having used his mouth to carry the profusely-bleeding shifter. Then again, red meat was the most delicious, and he'd gone a long while on just fish and jerky. Even the damned insane mix-breed would probably taste delicious at this point.

As Zamin explained with unsatisfactory skimpishness the event that had just happened, Ventus huffed at the hopping Zamin. A 'thing people do' referred to many, many 'things' and the dragon would appreciate an actual answer instead of some wish-washy one. But all the dragon elected to do was simply follow Zamin back up to the deck and simply agreed: "People do a lot of stupid things. But a peg leg? Please. You balance bad enough with one very long pointy stick; what gives you the impression a much shorter one will work better?" Ventus snorted airily, clearly not impressed with the suggestion. He'd heard others talk little about what a peg-leg was, so he knew what Zamin was talking about ... though the dragon had not seen any in action, so it was up to his imagination to supply he probabilities of whether it worked well or not. And in the dragon's mind, clearly, a little peg was no good a replacement for a leg.

"... What exactly do stick-legs have to do with ... pirate-ness? Pirates steal, drink, and fornicate vigorously when given the opportunity. And sail on the sea," Ventus added in, eyes turning towards Zamin and frowning when it appeared the other was not listening to him. Grasping the plank of wood more securely he poked the shifter with it as he let Zamin lean on him--or more acuratly had one securing arm around the feline shifter and dragged the captive cripple wherever he wanted: namely the best whittler on the ship.

Ventus, with his usual grace, snapped at the man to make a new crutch for Zamin as soon as he was able, and the man would likely do it too; but not for the dragon, who most of the crew looked like they wanted to punch or avoid; all in the end avoided the dragon because he had the ability to turn into a giant fire-breathing monster whenever he wanted to. Even pirates had enough sense to value their hide ... at least, not when out after a long sail in a port bar. Though most of Will's crew was of a good sort to not do that ... too often.

While Zamin was still stuck either clumsily hopping on a swaying deck or clinging to the socially rude dragon, Ventus went over to the railing of the ship with the other, looking out to sea and getting a thoughtful look before glancing Zamin's way.

"You hungry?" It was an odd question ... though Ventus waited patiently for an answer, yellow eyes shining bright as they usually did with flecks of orange at their core.

Upon getting an affirmative answer, the dragon gave a rare look: a mischievous grin. "Let's get something to eat, then." The human-formed dragon pulled away from Zamin ... and leaped cleanly over the railing, diving overboard with a splash far below in the sea waves, the dark shape of the dragon's true form soon shadowing beneath the ship. The tips of his long muzzle broke the water first, nostrils flaring open and huffing out a spray of water before taking in air, lazily circling around the ship. Ventus then shot up, wings snapping wide and flapping to keep him up out of the water (but not airborn yet) so his front talons could easily clasp around the shifter and hold him close before taking off, the crew largely yelling out complaints at the shower of flung water and wind from Ventus' wings before the dragon had ascended too high up to hear their puny voices any longer.

Ventus thought he was doing Zamin quote the honor; taking him up into the sky like this. To the dragon, there was nothing better than flying; all little creatures that crawled along the ground or swam were nothing but lesser beings compared to those who could touch the heavens like this. Nevermind how Zamin might feel about heights, or about being held by talons. Dragon 'hands' were not exactly meant for holding live beings comfortably, after all. Ventus turned his head slightly one way and then the other, letting both eyes get good looks down below as the ships grew smaller and distant on the horizon ... until they were not in sight at all. But the aerial predator did not care; his sense of direction was magnificent, and there were fish to be found. He stretched his white wings with brown markings, gliding along the invisible currents of air as he sought out a school near the surface of the ocean.

And when the time came he found one ... there was no warning before peaceful gliding suddenly turned into diving downwards, like and arrow slipping down out of the sky. He could not use his front talons, but the back ones did well enough as he pulled up at the last second to slam his back legs down, claws hooking into the grouping and pulling up with a decent amount of fish flopping about. A few flopping free, but Ventus did no mind small losses; he pulled up and took the fish with him ... flying onwards to some unknown destination with a possibly-wet Zamin at this point. Eventually his destination was clear: a rough, rocky outcropping became visible. A small landmass hardly better than a glorified sandbar, but the dragon landed upon the rocky and gravely area with an air of satisfaction, depositing both suffocated fish and Zamin down gently, and holding his head high, like some noble that had just given a pauper a nut of gold. He snatched one fish and swallowed the 'small' morsel whole, one eye on Zamin, before shifting down into his--less glorious--human form. He seemed eager to take in whatever gratitude the feline had to give.

"So, what do you think?" he asked with the air of one expecting much heaping praise.

*

Will cursed loudly and threw up his hands before turning and returning to bed, quickly realizing Z'ril was likely to break the headboard of the bed and tear through the mattress before he could even get a second of work done if he was foolish enough to get even an inch more further away from the crazed water nymph. "At least quiet down so I can actually sleep once and a while," the captain growled right back at the savage creature he was stuck with before proceeding to work at an activity to get the other's energy down again. The only activity the two of them would be enjoying for a while; Will was just glad the crew wouldn't bat an eye at the state of himself of Z'ril; unlike some certain maids in certain stupid hotels who screeched at any sight of a naked buttock. Damn p***y virgins.