“I still be one ta decre that girls be bad omens, they are. Water’s curse us for dyfolk.” Cranky huffed and left the table, and headed for his hammock.

  It was after a few of the other pirates left for their bunks, that Ruby sensed a growing uneasiness growing from the other end of the room. Indicating that her instinct was on target, her dagger began warming her leg in anticipation of the coming conflict.

  Three men slowly approached and drew their cutsses, “Can’t be hav’n Cranky without all, we can’t. We three are to be hope’n that you, Ruby, think deep about return’n some of hims bounty, we do.”

  Gently sliding her ruby dagger from its sheath, Ruby took a loose defensive form. “Gentlemen, surely there be a friendlier way to be settl’in this, aye? Make’n it so that all be well, Aye? Put away those bdes and lets..” Ruby fshed her charming smile, “Parley.”

  Taking up positions around Ruby like a loose triangle, the men slowly walked around Ruby with anger and frustration on their visages. When the leader, Cutler ‘Toxic’ Godfrey, the little band of thieves spoke he wiggled one finger at the beauty. “What more is there to be say’n ya cunt? Cranky is right, bad luck ya be, no ways around it. Now, give back what you’ve stolen from us or face the bdes.”

  Irony of saying that she’d stolen the silver from the crew wasn’t lost on Ruby. Pulsing wildly in her hand, the dagger seemed to give its owner fshes of blood and gore like it did when doing boarding parties or years back while killing the guards. “Happily it be that I put away me dagger for better days, men. If given the right circumstances, as it were.” She pointed the bde tip at ‘Toxic’, “Hear it now and let no one be disagreeable, Ruby nay cheated, never does. Every chance ta check is met with the truth, so no. I’ll not be give’n up the silver. Ya are welcome to gamble to get Cranky is coin, if’n ya dare take the chance.” Deftly flipping her dagger in her hands, Ruby warned, “The capt’n won’t look kindly on us scuffl’n. Tis his rules, they be. You choose gentlemen.”

  Deciding their fate within a couple of chaotic seconds, Toxic led the way and lunged at Ruby, and swung his cutss low in an attempt to catch the woman by the legs. Following suit, the others swung their bdes one at Ruby’s chest and the st aiming for her head.

  -So be it.-

  Ruby told herself as she managed to dance her way between two of the swords and block the final one with her dagger. Having one of the men’s swords locked to her weapon, Ruby found an opening in one guy's defenses and pnted her fist right between his eyes. Stumbling backward with a broken nose, the pirate fell to the ground, blood pouring from his nostrils. Ruby smiled as she watched the man fiddle with his nose, “You know better, Lunden.”

  “Heaven, to damn you girl.” Lunden struggled to stand up, “She blinded me, she did.” Angry beyond belief managed to get to his feet and charged Ruby while she was still deftly dodging the other two. “Bloody water there be with you, One-Eye.”

  Knowing that the injured man’s words were a curse for her to die in a blood pool so sharks could feed, Ruby didn’t take any more chances with him. “I tried to warn you away, but…” She jumped to avoid a low swing from ‘Toxic’, then threw her dagger point bnk at Lunden’s chest. Much like hitting a target dead center of its red dot, her dagger flew true and embedded itself in the pirate’s heart and dropped him like a stone. “That’s one, ‘Toxic’. You just got Lunden killed.” She spun and rolled her way to her first kill, and withdrew her dagger which then echoed a goopy sound of psma and crunching of bones. Crouched like a tiger ready to spring, Ruby waved her dagger between ‘Toxic’ and the remaining cutthroat. “Think about what you’re doing.” Ruby uttered without a hint of sailor speak. “Captain’s w, I can defend myself how I want. Both of you are going to the brig, or worse.” Raising one of her well-curved and plucked eyebrows, Ruby sensed that her taunting did exactly what she wanted.

  ‘Toxic’ waved to his st partner, Ronald ‘Rock’ Talway, and they moved in on Ruby at the same time. “All ye had to do, girl was give the man his treasure.” Toxic nodded and they both rushed the lithe woman pirate with a howl that made the others in the room start cheering on the fight.

  Rather than the obvious spring to meet the twin bdes of the men coming to her, Ruby dropped to her stomach and rolled as hard as she could into Toxic, and sent him to the floor. Recovering quickly, Ruby crawled behind Cutler and held her bde to his neck. “Tell him to back off or it will be both of you. This is your st chance.”

  Meanwhile the crowd had started chanting ‘Ruby’ over and over, some of the pirates saying ‘Spill it all Ruby!’ Much like she was in a gdiator ring in front of a bloodthirsty crowd. Many of the cheering men started ying out silver on an empty table with one young steward counting the coin and making note of who had begun betting.

  Holding his sword defensively, Ronald looked at his companion lying there with Ruby’s dagger pressed against Cutler’s neck so that it was already lightly bleeding. “What say ya, Cutler? I’m nay in the mood ta be wrapp’in ya in cloth for the fishes man.”

  A few tense minutes passed without a word from the combatants, but the crew grew louder and bet more with every passing second. Without warning, loud and heavy leather booted footfalls came from above deck and then stomped their way into the crewmember ‘lounge’. Imposing and visibly angry, Captain Jaques stopped at the entrance. “Ruby. I should has knows it twas you, girl.” Jaques looked around and saw the table full of silver and gold. “Aye, good show so far me thinks.” He looked at the steward who had begun shaking. “Calm down boy, what are yer odds?”

  Studdering lightly the boy managed to eke out, “Three to one in favor of One-Eye, captain. If’n I had to guess, captain, the others know she’s of the betterer.”

  Rubbing his chin in quiet thought, Jaques reached into a small pouch and tossed a gold to the pile. “Now’s then. Some’n tell’n this old captain how the scuff’n came to be, aye?” He looked at Ruby who just shook her head. “Well some soul better be bbb’n or me guards will take all yous in.”

  When Cranky spoke up from his hammock, it was with an annoyed tone. “Captain, Ruby has been devil’s hide cheat’n all night. Took me for everything she did.” He walked around the corner to see the action. “Them’s just try’n tado right by me, ts’all.”

  Walking around the dead body, he pointed to Lunden. “Him’s a rigger of yours, girl.” He chuckled. “So, accused of false winning, took everything poor Cranky had and these few came to ya. That about cover the issues?”

  A room full of pirates all mumbling and affirming what the captain suggested, Jaques folded his arms and asked the obvious question. “Anyone be a witness ta this cheat? Or was it like always, just in yer heads?” He waited for an answer from the others that never came. “So, Ruby was wronged?” Captain Jaques smiled as all of the others nodded once again.