SurfAngel_1031

  Overwhelmed with the idea of losing an eye, Digger began scratching his cheek just below his right eye. “D-D-Did that really happen? Um…Captain, Ma’am…un Captain One-Eye…” Digger stammered trying to say the correct thing so he wouldn’t have the same fate. Shaking profusely, Digger managed to grip the bottle of rum that he’d pced beside him earlier in the evening when Ruby offered it. With the attempt to bring the bottle of the nutty alcohol to his lips, Digger’s nervousness caused him to miss his mouth and dump a rge portion down the front of his brown-white stained shirt. “S-S-Sorry Captain..” He looked down, “Shit.”

  “Calm ye boots boy.” Ruby shook her head. “Need’n be ya splitt’n yer noggin, Aye? Ol’Ruby isn’t have’n yer eye.” She winked at Avanora. “Yet.” Ruby raised her bottle to Digger. “Waste not d.” Without hesitation she poured her own aromatic spiced rum down her throat, not stopping until the bottle was completely drained.

  A feeling of unease seeped into Ava’s gentle mind as she gazed at the frightened Jonny – Digger. “Luciouz lovez?” She patted Ruby on her leather-covered leg, “Digger there is close to running off like a scared mb, yez?” She waved her hand and a soft white beam danced its way through the air, swirling around the fire once before wrapping Digger and then cleaning the young man from head to toe. “There we go, Mizter Digger refreshed, yez?” Ava closed her hands and rubbed her palms, and let out a controlled breath. “Ruby, love.” Ava spoke warmly and blinked her molten white-silvery eyes at her lover. “You are a maze of wonder, do you know thiss?” Avanora lightly hissed her words, and allowed her showmanship as a fire-breathing dragon to hover in the air. “Producesss fear in the heart of fun and folly, Yessss?” Avanora flicked her split tongue towards her captain and partner before she id her gaze on Digger. “I’ll ansssswer your questionssss, yesss?” Ava paused and looked to Ruby for permission and received a wink from her bzing hazel eye. “Yesssss, that tale wasss true.” Ava blew lightly into her hand and sent licks of yellow-orange fire bzing around her fingers, making it appear that she was breathing fire like a fantastic dragon would.

  “Lamb.” Ruby patted her stomach and lightly burped. “Hear ya now, Digger me boy…Tis the mb that brought this little side nugget to me afront mind, Aye?” Spotting the look of confusion on both Ava’s and Digger's face, Ruby stood up and held up a single finger. “Mayhaps a little proof be upfront and in order, aye?” Like a shadow, Ruby disappeared from view and blended into the night without so much as a sound in her wake.

  Impressed by the little fire show and his very clean clothes, Digger managed to finally drink more rum. “Lady Avanora?”

  Frowning lightly, Ave shook her head, “Ava isss fine and preferred, yesss? What isss on your mind?”

  “Oh, I just wanted to thank you for…” he waved his hand and coughed up a little rum. “For the show? It made me think of home. We’d have rge fires and sing between seasons.”

  Peering down at her scalded fingers and broken nails, Ava barely nodded. “Think nothing of it, Captain Ruby has an image, yez? Best that you learn that now.” Her soft eyes looked up at Digger, “I might not always be near to help, yez?”

  Digger nodded and shrugged his shoulders, “I understand. I thought we were becoming friends, so you helped me.”

  Without warning, the darkness around the small encampment seemingly waivered and Ruby stood silently beside Digger. She squatted down and hooked one of her fingers under the boy’s chin. “There is this much to say and ye readily agree that me Avanora generally doesn’t get close to the crew, she doesn’t. Not by Ruby’s wishes, you unnerstand? My dragon-dy keeps her own council as it were.” Ruby’s second hand floated from the shadow and into the firelight, holding a shiny and fine golden egg. “Ye can feel its heat ya can.” Ruby deftly flipped the treasure into Digger’s hand. “How’s about we be discuss’n treasure, as it may seen by Ruby that yer eyes nay moved since the gold be glitter’n.”

  “T-treasure Captain?” Digger smiled as he felt the solid gold egg pulsing with heat and lost himself in the soft glow for a few seconds, then looked up to Ruby. “Mmm, treasure…” He quietly nodded.

  “Hooked ya be, Drink up me boy, drink up…care for that egg while Ruby spins the tale, savvy?” Ruby reappeared beside Ava, giving her a gentle kiss and raised her eyebrow. “The egg, love. The egg.”

  Ava nodded, “Yez love…the egg.”

  Working on the many rigging lines for ‘The Ghost Spade’, Ruby had just finished working on the mainsail and mast when she spotted Captain Jaques as he walked out of his cabin. Slipping her arms and legs around a thick silk rope, Ruby gracefully slid down and nded with barely a tap of her heavy leather boots. “Ahoy Captain.” Ruby waved and collected the box that held her repair supplies. “We are ready when you are, Captain.”

  Gncing up at his immacute sails, Gerald Jaques shook his head. “Damn girl.” He pulled on his fancy town coat, “You do know we are not going our nay time soon, Aye?” He pulled out his spygss and handed it to his newest rigger, “Ruby One-Eye, be you used that, savvy?” He chuckled, “Ruby be tell’n me what ye vision shows. Unless me twitchy eye be fail’n me, thems out there be at least one navy search’n about.

  “Yes, sir. I see a Britsh and French fg.” Ruby handed her captain the spygss. “I suppose that means we’ve been raiding too hard along the coast?” Ruby asked and pulled the bandana off her head and dried her neck.

  Captain Jaques ughed and patted Rub on the back, which caused her to stumble forward due to his heavy hand. “Listen ye here, Ruby.” Stomping one time in pce to get Ruby’s full attention, Captain Jaques waved his hand along his body, to point out his outfit. “Do as ye will, Ruby One-Eye, mind this if you will…We have’n anchor in a right friendly pce we do. Aye, the gem of Egypt..mayhaps fer us buccaneers - Alexandria. Now I’ll tell you, can’t be a finer city to be spend’n all that loot, Aye?” Captain Jaques headed off his ship. “Been here over a week, we has. What be the point in earn’n if not be spend’n? Ruby One-Eye, get ye bottom off’n here and have some fun.” He pointed to where the other sailors slept. “Gather yerself up in some of thems fine silks we..” Jaques ughed, “..Borrowed, and lemme see ya straggly self, Aye…” He gripped Ruby by the elbow, “Bright strips afix’d and me ol’nogg’n say there be an angel of Alexandria. “At least another week before we attempt to drop canvas.” He bent down so he was eye to eye with Ruby. “I sas now, this and listen up, you. The women here…” Captain Jaques grinned, “...They sure like a little danger, ye see?”

  Honestly tired of standing on the ship and working the day way, Ruby set her box on the deck and looked to her small private area. “Company would certainly be better than your lousy face, Captain.” Laughing right along with the Captain for a few seconds, she suddenly smelled herself and wrinkled her nose. “I think I am going to get into a little trouble.”

  Captain Jaques cpped and started a little hymn as he walked off into the night. “All the trouble you want, Ruby. See ya around, me will.”

  Excited as though it were her birthday, Ruby darted to the rear of the ship and first looked into the mirror she’d managed to secure to the treated timber. Turning her head so she could see the right side of her face, Ruby touched the scar that her captain had left her in their fight. A few months had passed since the duel that brought her into the crew and Ruby stood there and admired her handiwork. Her stitches the second time had been fwless, using little ‘x’s over the spots where a particurly nasty tear had been, then deliberate stitching that left the slightest line of covered white where the injury had healed. A bck and form-fitting eyepatch covered the ugly socket where her hazel eye had been. She pulled the bck strap off and wrapped it around her hammock. She felt fortunate that she could still use the eyelid, but often didn’t bother trying since it made the socket more prominent.

  -I am not going out looking like a monster.-

  Ruby opened one of her two footlockers and pulled out something she’d been working on. A single section of soft silk that fit her head perfectly, and affixed to both sides of the band was carefully weaved fishing line wrapped with silver thread to form an enticing web rather and a complete bckout to cover the missing eye. Dead center hung a smooth and round ruby, which seemed to gleam from all angles.

  -Ruby, you worked on this for a month. Let’s see if it works.-

  Holding the heavy stone to her socket, Ruby used her other hand and adjusted the red band until it was tight and flush around her head. Once more looking into her mirror, Ruby smiled at the way she looked, given the gem glittered and allowed her to have an ‘eye’. Stunned at her appearance, Ruby silently swore again to herself.

  -I can’t let it stand, while I do like Captain Jaques..he has to pay for my eye.-

  Allowing the anger to pass through her harmlessly, Ruby grabbed a leather and pulled out a few things. First she folded a lovely yellow full-length dress, complete with a tight bodice that would amplify her chest. She then tossed in a pair of leather shoes, then as suggested by the captain, a handful of orange and red streamers to affix on her arms and legs.

  -First no grime, then a pce to settle into for a few nights.-

  Gncing over, Ruby saw her armor tucked away and promptly changed from a small satchel to a good-sized backpack. Once she strapped on her namesake dagger and rubbed its handle a few times, the pyful pirate skipped for a few steps and then took off into the big city of Alexandria.