#barnacle crew

Group Picture!!!! 🖤

THEM 🥹🥹

“Now that our first mate is alive an’ well again,” Jack chirped, “why the blazes is he on our boat?” He pointed a finger at Tim while looking at me and Fitzy.

“He helped us,” Fitzy answered. “The key you had found wasn’t for the Madame’s quarters, but for his.” As he spoke, he shrugged off his jacket. “He’s apparently been under her control, but was finally able to resist it.” Coming over to me, he draped his coat around my shoulders, rendering me somewhat decent. I quietly thanked him.

“He used ones of those dolls to throw Minuit into a fit,” I elaborated, “which let us grab the amulet from her.”

Tim shrank back slightly as Jack started to circle him, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. He then came to a halt in front of the lad. “What’s your name?”

“T-T-Timothy,” he stammered. “Tim. Tim Hawk, sir.”

Being called ‘sir’ seemed to appease Jack a bit and a small grin came to his lips. “Well, Mister Hawk, thanks t’ yer help, we are now able t’ return this amulet t’ its rightful protectors once again an’, by doing such, also return our dear friend t’ his home. We owe ye our thanks.”

Tim’s cheeks reddened. “I-It wasn’t done without ulterior motivation, I must admit,” he said, shifting slightly and looking down at the deck. “I wanted to get away from her.”

Arabella lightly patted his shoulder. “That’s understandable, lad. She’s not exactly the sort o’ woman someone wants t’ be around.” She shook her head. “Though, I’m curious: How did ye end up workin’ for her in the first place?” The others nodded in agreement.

“I was making my way from England to Barbados, where my uncle lives,” he began, rubbing the side of his neck. “I was hoping to live with him as my parents had died in an attack, but then the vessel I was stowing away on made port near the Pantano River.”

My brow rose. The Pantano was the river that led to Tia Dalma.

“I dared to leave the boat for a little while—just long enough to steal myself some real food,” Tim continued. “While I was out, a stranger approached me. He looked insane, dressed in his rags with dead snakes hanging about his neck and shoulders. As you now know, it was actually Madame Minuit’s disguised form.

“She grabbed my arm and started to recite my recent life events to me. Told me about the attack and the burning of our house…how I was looking for my uncle…She told me that, if I were to help her, she would help me in turn.” He shook his head. “I was irked, to say the least, and I was about to run away when one of the snakes came to life and bit me, putting me under her spell.”

Jean frowned. “She controlled you by way of snake bites?”

Tim pulled his sleeve up, showing them the various bitemarks and making Arabella gasp in horror. “Yes. The venom is what gives her power over a person, but it starts to wear off after a while. She hadn’t bitten me for some days, so I was able to resist her at times, like when I dropped the key for you.”

“That monstrous woman!” Arabella gawked.

“So…you’re the one who’s responsible for stealing the amulet?” Tumen asked, his brows furrowing. “And for turning…for turning that ship bronze?”

A guilty look came to Tim’s face. “I didn’t want to do any of it, I promise,” he said. “But I had no other choice—literally. When the venom is strong in your veins, it’s like you’re trapped within your own mind, forced to watch as your body is puppeteered by another.”

I shuddered at the thought. To think she had very nearly done the same thing to me…As Tim continued to explain his predicament to the others, I leaned over slightly and whispered to Fitzy, “I’m going t’ go change.”

He nodded. “I’ll let them know.”

“Thank you.”

With one hand keeping the coat held shut around me and the other lifting my skirt a bit so I could see, I made my way below deck. I was thankful to find a couple of lanterns lit down here, which allowed me to make my way back to the privacy curtain with ease. Undressing was a quick affair, given half my clothes had already been removed; I folded everything up and set them aside, figuring Arabella could use them in the future.

Before dressing, I used a bit of water to wash whatever powder and rouge that was left from my skin.

Getting dressed in my men’s clothing was much faster, too. The slowest part was binding my chest down, but even that was quicker than putting on stays. I didn’t need to do any adjusting of the lacings, nor did I have to do much in the way of adjusting myself; it was a simple matter of making sure to wrap the bandages evenly and not too tight. After that, I pulled on my shirt and tucked it into my breeches, took my hair out of its braided bun, and tied my bandana around my forehead.

And just like that, I was Emil once again.

“There. Back t’ my normal self,” I sighed, flicking my hair out from beneath my shirt. While it had been nice to be Emilianna for that little while, it had made me realize that I was more comfortable—and more myself—as Emil. Whether that would change in the future or not, though, only time could tell.

Grabbing my boots, I carried them over to my hammock before going back on deck. By that point, Tim had finished telling the others about himself and was now listening to Jack regale him with the tales of our own adventures.

“…An’ then Fitzy here decides t’ challenge me to a duel. Can ye believe the audacity?” He shook his head, ignoring Fitzy, who rolled his eyes. “It almost didn’t happen because we didn’t have equal swords, but ‘Bell here went an’ found an old rapier down in the hold o’ the boat, so we ended up dueling.”

“And I very clearly won,” Fitzy said, his voice dry. “And, evidently, it is a good thing I am here, otherwise Emilianna and I wouldn’t have been able to—”

“Nuh-uh-uh,” I interjected, wiggling my finger back and forth. “We’re not in disguise anymore, Fitzy. I’m Emil again.”

Tim turned around only to end up gawking at me. His reaction was understandable, given he had met me when I was Emilianna. “W-what…? But how…?”

I chuckled, moving towards the stern, where Jean, Arabella, and Tumen were at. “Don’t worry about it, lad,” I told him. “I believe Jack was about t’ tell you how Fitzy managed t’ defeat him in a duel and ended up as part o’ the crew.”

Jack looked like he didn’t know whether to pout or to puff up in pride as I returned the newcomer’s attention to him. Whatever he felt, though, he shoved aside and did continue to tell Tim about the start of our journey.

“So, what happened at the ball?” Jean questioned once I had sat myself down against the taffrail.

“Were there lots o’ people there?” Arabella asked, her head tilted.

“Quite a few, actually. More than I was anticipating,” I answered. “Fitzy and I did our best t’ blend in, which wasn’t too hard. We danced for a while, giving us the chance to look around for Minuit. We didn’t spot her, though, so after we took a quick breather t’ recuperate from dancing, we decided it would be best to start looking for her quarters.”

“You two danced? What was it like?” Arabella moved to sit down near me.

“It was fun. I think we participated in at least five o’ the dances,” I said with a small chuckle. I knew she had never been to a ball, so her curiosity was natural. “The ballroom was enormous, so half o’ it was dedicated to folks dancing, while the other half stood around and watched, waiting for their turn. There was a little refreshment room off to one side, where there were all sorts of drinks and food. The drinks, especially were very much needed after dancing, since it was so warm and humid in there.”

She nodded in understanding and let out a soft sigh. “The women must’ve looked lovely, all done up in their formal gowns and costumes…” she murmured.

“How did you two find Tim?” Tumen asked.

“We were able to make out the first part o’ the room number on the key,” I explained. “So, we went upstairs, found the rooms that began with one, and started t’ carefully test each lock.”

Jean’s face scrunched up slightly. “That must have taken you ages.”

I nodded. “It did. It took even longer because we were trying to be as quiet as possible, just in case the room’s inhabitants weren’t down at the party. We were also keeping a weather eye out for any of the inn’s staff…and good thing we did, because we were almost caught by a maid.”

Their eyes widened in horror. “How did you not get caught?”

A bit of a sheepish smile came to my lips. “By letting ourselves get caught,” I said with a shrug. Watching as their shock turned to confusion, I chuckled, though knew better than to tell them the full truth. “We pretended to be a tipsy couple trying t’ make our way back t’ our room, but got a little lost along the way. The maid told us we weren’t in the right area and we left down the hall. O’ course, we were actually just hiding until she left, because she also happened t’ tell us that we had been at Minuit’s private quarters.”

Arabella gave me a bit of a curious look. “And she believed you both…?”

“Believe it or not, Fitzy does a very impressive impersonation of a man who’s imbibed in a bit too much wine,” I snorted.

Tumen frowned, not quite believing me. “You cannot be serious.”

“I am entirely serious. He slurred his words just the right amount and even wobbled a bit as we walked.”

“What happened after you two had to walk away?” Jean asked.

“We waited for the maid to leave, which didn’t take too long, and we hurried back. We had already tried one door, so we tried the other. Upon opening it, we found Tim instead o’ Minuit, and that’s when we came up with plan to get both the amulet and Tim out o’ there.”

“Something tells me said plan didn’t quite go the way ye had meant it t’ go, though,” Arabella stated with a small laugh. “Given that the three o’ ye were bein’ chased by a crowd.”

I rubbed the side of my neck, another sheepish grin coming to my lips. “Aye…the plan was for Fitzy t’ find Minuit an’ charm her into either leavin’ the ballroom or—Stop laughin’!” Jean and Tumen had started to laugh when I said that Fitzy was supposed to charm Minuit and, admittedly, their humorous reaction got me snickering as well. “He’s a fine young man; plenty o’ women at the ball were making eyes at him! We were hoping the Madame would as well.”

“He can hardly flirt with Arabella, let alone a woman of such high status like the Madame!” Jean snorted. He continued to laugh despite Arabella giving his arm a playful smack.

“Ah, but that’s the wonderous thing about bein’ a masked stranger in a room full o’ other strangers,” I grinned. “The anonymity it brings is capable of immensely bolstering one’s self confidence.” My grin then faltered. “Of course, our plan didn’t go as we had wanted it to, so we never did get t’ find out if he would have been able t’ charm Minuit or not.”

“What happened?” Arabella asked.

“Minuit found me stuffing my face with fruit,” I answered with a small shrug. “She was rather glad I was enjoying it over the meat an’ cheeses. Not sure why, but she quickly became interested in me and I was about to become her latest slave when Tim threw her into a fit using one o’ those dolls. At that point, I grabbed the amulet and Fitzy so the three o’ us could get out o’ there.”

“And then she ordered her minions to chase after you, which resulted in the crowd chasing you,” Tumen said, head tilted. “As well as New Orleans being turned to bronze.”

I winced slightly. “The whole city got turned, then?”

“From what Fitz and Tim were saying, all the buildings and streets were turned to metal, but not the people,” Jean said. “Didn’t you notice it happening?”

“I kind o’ noticed it, but I was more focused on trying to breathe.”

Tumen looked down at the amulet, which was securely fastened around his neck. “…I wonder if there’s a way to turn it back to normal…?”

“Maybe Tim knows?” Arabella suggested. “After all, Madame Minuit seemed to know how the thing works, so he might have an idea.”

“Oi, Tim!” I called over.

He turned; as he did such, Jack leaned over with a pout, letting me know I had interrupted a good part of his story.

Giving Jack an apologetic smile, I asked, “Do you happen t’ know how t’ undo the amulet’s magic?”

Tim shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he admitted. “I don’t know much about it, aside from it needing three gems to make it work and that it leads to the City of Gold.”

I nodded in understanding before motioning for him to go back to listening to Jack. “Thanks. As you were.”

“There’s a bronze stone—gem?—in the amulet right now,” Tumen said, looking down at it. “Which explains why it turns things to bronze.”

Jean’s eyes widened slightly. “…I wonder if that means, were we to put a diamond in it, if it would turn things into diamond instead?”

Beside me, Arabella let out a soft whistle. “Think o’ all things we could buy with that kind o’ treasure,” she murmured, more to herself than the others. “I could have my own place—my own tavern, even. Saints, I could buy myself an entire island!”

“And Jack could get himself a better boat,” Jean said. “We could all have our own boats.”

Now that was a tempting thought…though I was content to take orders from others, the thought of owning and captaining their own ship was a thought almost every sailor had. And if we could turn things into diamonds, we could get ourselves a rather nice ship. Maybe even a ship of the line…

“My people know the amulet as being a dangerous thing,” Tumen suddenly reminded us. “It is not a toy to be played with or used to purchase islands and ships.”

I cleared my throat. “Right. Anyway, we’re trying to return it to your village, not use it for our own gain. We don’t need another Sword o’ Cortes moment happening.”

Arabella and Jean sheepishly nodded in agreement.

With the evening’s chaos now gone, it was time for the crew to get some rest. I volunteered for first watch, as I still felt rather awake. The lads disappeared below deck, but to my surprise, Arabella remained topside with me. I had a feeling I knew why, though.

“I’m surprised you’re not turning in for the night, lass,” I said, pulling out my compass to check our heading.

“I’m not quite tired yet,” she said, moving to check the lines attached to the mast. “So, I thought I’d keep ye company for a little while.”

My brow rose in amusement. “That’s a first. Usually, it’s Jack who’s staying up t’ keep me company. Or me staying up to keep him company…”

With the lines secured to her liking, she came to stand by the wheel with me. “Well…I may have a wee bit o’ an ulterior motive or two,” she admitted. “I wanted t’ make sure you were doin’ alright.”

I blinked at that. “…You wanted t’ make sure I’m doing alright?” I repeated. “I’m doing fine, Arabella.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, her brows furrowed. “I mean…after passing out like that earlier…” She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. “It almost looked like ye had stopped breathin’ completely an’ I know that’s not good for a person.”

My expression softened a bit and I gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, thanks t’ you getting those stays off o’ me, I’m doing a lot better than I would have been otherwise,” I told her. “Thank you, by the way. I’m not sure the lads would have thought t’ do such a thing.”

A small smile came to her lips and her worry seemed to ease up slightly. “Of course they wouldn’t have—they’ve never worn the things before.”

I quietly snorted. “Fair point, lass.” After lightly shaking my head, I looked up at the stars. “But I promise you, I’m doing just fine after that. I have the dregs of a headache it brought on, but nothing worse than that.”

“Good,” she said with a small nod. “Now…why don’t ye tell me more about the ball?” There it was: The actual reason I knew she had wanted to stay up. “What…what was it like? I know you talked about the dancin’ already, but what about the gowns and the costumes? Were there any sort o’ entertainers?”

“No entertainers that I saw aside from the orchestra, but the dresses were all rather lovely. Most o’ them were much finer than the gown I had been wearing and were in all sorts o’ different colors. Greens, reds, and yellows were the dominate colors o’ the night, though. And the ladies also wore far more jewelry than me, too, and had their hair done up in intricate styles. I’m fairly certain some o’ them were wigs, but most looked t’ be their natural hair,” I explained. “The majority o’ the costumes we saw were snake themed, which wasn’t too surprising, given Minuit’s penchant for snakes. Minuit herself wore a rather striking black gown and had herself a mask that looked like a viper.”

She nodded as she listened, her head tilted and a bit of a dreamy look in her eyes. “What sort o’ food was there?”

“Mostly finger foods. Smoked and cured meats that had been sliced and cubed; slices of fancy cheese and bread; a few small cakes; and plenty o’ diced fruit. It was rather good stuff, too. Even more so since I hadn’t eaten in a number of hours…I actually wish I had managed t’ eat a bit more, since I shared what I had with Fitzy.”

“It might be for the best ye didn’t eat much, though,” she chuckled. “Ye might’ve passed out sooner, otherwise.”

“That is very true,” I agreed with my own small laugh. “And Fitzy wouldn’t have appreciated hauling my unconscious arse around—especially when I was in that gown.”

She brushed some of her auburn curls over her shoulder. “It must’ve been hard, sneaking around in it. All that fabric rustlin’ about an’ not being able t’ bend thanks t’ the stays…”

I shrugged. “It wasn’t too bad,” I admitted. “The main thing, like you said, is the sheer amount o’ fabric. I had forgotten just how much weight it can add t’ a person, even with just the one petticoat. But, I will admit that it was probably for the best that I was dressed as a lass. I’m not sure Fitzy and I would have been able to convince the maid we were trying to get back to our room otherwise.”

Her head tilted. “Oh? Because the two o’ ye acted like a drunk couple?” I nodded, but my brow quickly rose when I watched a mischievous grin come to her lips. “Ye had t’ kiss him, didn’t you?”

“Kiss him?” I snorted. “Why in the world would you think I had t’ kiss him?” My voice and expression may have been amused, but inwardly, I felt my stomach lurch slightly.

The mischief in her smile turned almost wicked. “Because your lip rouge was a wee bit smudged…and some o’ it was on his mouth.”

I stared at her, unsure whether or not to believe what she was saying. It’s not like I had been paying much attention to his lips after our…brief osculation to have noticed if my rouge had transferred onto them…

Her grin grew wider the longer I remained silent. “Ye did kiss him, didn’t ye?” she giggled. To her credit, she was keeping her voice quiet so no one else would hear. “What was it like? Is he a good kisser?”

Knowing I couldn’t lie my way out of this now, I let out a defeated sigh and felt my cheeks grow just the slightest bit warm. “He…was a fairly good kisser, that I’ll admit.”

She pouted. “That’s it? Just a fairly good kisser?”

I quietly snorted. “Lass, I’ve kissed a grand total of two lads in my life, so I don’t really have much knowledge there t’ judge by. Now, if I had been kissin’ a lass, it’d be a different story.” Going over to the rail, I peered over the edge into the water; I was beginning to sense the water changing from fresh to salt. “But, he knew what he was doing, I’ll give you that.” My cheeks grew a bit warmer as I remembered how he had instantly pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss…and later, how he had kissed along my hand.

“So, you’re sayin’ he wasn’t a total amateur, then?” she giggled, quickly pulling me out of my thoughts. “I have t’ admit, that’s a wee bit surprising.”

“It was very surprising,” I agreed, returning to the wheel. There was a bend in the river coming up and I would need to steer us through. “…By the way, this conversation is just between us two, aye?” I asked. “You won’t be telling the others about this?”

“O’ course I won’t,” she assured me with a laugh. “I think we both know if the others found out, they’d never let ye an’ Fitzy live it down. Jack, especially, would taunt the hell out o’ ye both.”

EDIT: The artwork from the video

Bonus art! This one’s more recent but still old as I drew this like 9 years ago. I’m 90% sure this art style was heavily influenced by the manga adaptation.