OOM: Pearl Repairs

[politestpirate]

The sky is cool, grey, and occasionally misting, but that just means when you are working hard you can keep warm enough.

And there is certainly plenty of work to be done. The deck of the Black Pearl has been cleared off, with debris and pieces that are large enough to reuse stacked carefully. All over is the gleam of cut and exposed wood, the splintered edges cut and smoothed in preparation for patching sections. One mast has been cleared of charred and torn sails and rigging, the canvas and rope set in one area to work on before it can be sent back up.

One of the current priorities, however, is fixing the stern section of the ship, the back wall of the captain's cabin, that took some of the worse damage from the kraken-

Scottish autumn nights can start to get chilly, afterall.

Party thread style, slowtimes more than welcome.

Comments

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

When. Not if. Wellard catches that, and one eyebrow raises. "Unfortunately, we don't quite have the means to get her up in a dry dock, even if we could build one. So... we'll rather have to hope the freshwater doesn't affect her too badly."

His lips twitch, and Wellard studies a section of railing nearby.

"Most of the damage was to the gundeck and up. Mostly where all the crew would have been."

[merrimanlyon]

'All things considered, if any sea-going vessel might be immune to the usual effects of fresh water, the Black Pearl might.' Merriman says it rather wryly, as he bends down to dip his fingertips in the water near to the edge of the hull. 'But it will be something to keep an eye on, all the same. If the situation becomes truly dire, it might be well to see about magically sectioning off a portion of the lake surrounding the Pearl and turning the water brackish, at the very least. The lake was created with magic, and is sustained with magic -- further magical alteration is not out of the realm of possibility.'

He looks up again, taking in the damage that can still be seen to the outside of the ship. Inside, he knows, there is still much repairwork to be done.

'I suppose damage of that nature would be the logical outcome,' he muses, 'if the kraken thought to crush the ship from without rather than attempting to break in from beneath.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"... The whole lake was made by magic, sir?" Wellard blinks, and eyes the water beneath the Pearl as if it suddenly might decide to cease to be.

"Um. I don't quite think that was a... solution anyone here has thought of, sir." If because most of the people who knew about ships do not know magic, and the few that know magic, do not know about ships. He shakes his head.

"Or, the attacks were on the people first, instead of the ship."

[merrimanlyon]

'To the best of my knowledge, this lake is magical in origin -- and designed to resemble an area of rural Scotland,' Merriman explains. He too glances down at the water beneath his feet, and gives a slight and non-committal shrug. 'Such a change would of course have to be authorised by the proprietors of Milliways, naturally. But with any luck, we will not have to resort to that kind of alteration.'

His thoughtful expression darkens to a near-scowl as he considers Wellard's last statement.

('After you, or her?')

'That would seem to be the intent,' he says, rather quietly.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"... Let's just hope it does not decide to stop being magical any time in the near future." He mutters quietly, then glances back to Merriman.

Wellard nods quietly, running a hand over the section of railing nearest himself.

"Need a hand up when you're done, sir?"

[merrimanlyon]

'There is little more to be done for now, save to speak to Captain Sparrow and hear his thoughts on the matter.' Small, gentle ripples spread out across the surface of the water beneath Merriman's feet as he walks toward the rope rigging that hangs down the side of the boat. He puts a hand on the rigging, but does not start to climb just yet.

'How goes the rest of the repairwork?'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Well enough- we've been getting the rigging and sails down to work on them- A good portion of them were torn or burnt. One of the yardarms is cracked all along the length- we'll have to see somehow about replacing it."

He smiles a bit wryly. "Then quite a lot of work to the gundeck and captain's cabin, and some places on the deck and railing up here.

"All in all, its going well enough, though I quite know how much we'll be able to get done before winter- though some we can at least do from the inside of the ship."

[merrimanlyon]

'Ah, yes,' Merriman says, his expression turning pensive again. 'Winter. Another matter to consider, as far as water temperatures go. But we have some time until the weather is cold enough for the water to reach the freezing point.'

He studies the rigging for a moment, then looks up at Wellard. A wry smile hovers at the corners of his mouth. 'No need to pipe the side, at least. Though Captain Sparrow did so, the first time I came aboard -- he seemed to find the situation amusing enough to warrant the formality.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard chuckles quietly. "Certainly sounds like Jack, to do so for an East India Commodore on board a pirate ship- even if both of those aren't quite the case here."

No piping then, but Merriman does have a hand offered to him when he reaches the railing.

[merrimanlyon]

Merriman could, if he chose, make a point about it being an East India Commodore on a former (if reluctantly and temporarily) East India vessel. But that piece of news is not exactly his to relate. The effort of climbing is a good enough excuse to keep silent, and Wellard's extended hand is accepted with a nod of gratitude.

'Even with all that remains to be done,' he says, looking round as he dusts off his coat, 'there has been a definite improvement. Quite a lot of hands have been at work here.'

The thought makes him pause, and a faint but noticeable tension sharpens the lines of his face.

'Do you know who else is working on repairs to the Pearl?' he asks, carefully. 'Or what they happen to be working on, for that matter?'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Just cleaning up the debris helped quite a bit." Wellard glances at the ship, then back to Merriman with a curious look.

"Myself and Mr Kennedy, of course. Then some others here from the bar- some I've known before, some I've only met on board. Miss Elda, Mrs Tam, Miss River, a Mr Crowley..."

He bites his lip. "Mr Norrington, from Captain Sparrow's time. And a Mr Inigo Montoya, also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts, sir."

[merrimanlyon]

Merriman nods slowly, making a mental note of the names. When Wellard mentions Norrington's name, his jaw tightens.

'James Norrington,' he murmurs. 'The former Naval officer. And from what I have heard, a rather key player in the sequence of events that led to Captain Sparrow's arrival here.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard looks at Merriman with no small bit of concern. "How so, sir? I- I do know that he lost his ships in the hurricane we were in. He was trying to catch the Pearl."

He sights, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He had nearly gotten us a time before, off of Tripoli, and that's when we figured out how to use the Astrolabe to get from place to place. Then after everything, when we were heading back to the Isla de Muerta, that's when the hurricane hit, and we had seen his ships before."

[merrimanlyon]

'According to Captain Sparrow, Mister Norrington lost his commission due to his failure to catch the Pearl and her captain,' Merriman replies. 'Resignation, of course. He would not have survived the result of a court-martial. Yet once out of His Majesty's service, the former Commodore remained in the area -- and eventually was hired by Captain Sparrow to serve on board this ship.'

He meets Wellard's gaze for a moment, before looking up to the charred remains of the yardarm. 'Not an uncommon turn of events. Someone with that much experience at sea would be of great use to any vessel, regardless of whether it operates within or without the confines of the law. But it also seems that Mister Norrington learned quite a bit while aboard this ship, and put that knowledge to his advantage.'

A pause, one that lasts a moment too long to be natural.

'Or more specifically, to the mutual advantage of himself and the British East India Company.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard's eyes narrow slightly.

"He found out what they wanted in regards to Davy Jones and Captain Sparrow." Flatly.

"But then how is he here, and what did he do?"

[merrimanlyon]

'His door, it seems, is no longer visible.' They both know what that means. 'I have not spoken to him myself; I do not know the specifics of his arrival. But unless I greatly miss my guess, he will only be free to leave when the Black Pearl leaves this lake. Shortly before, or shortly afterward. He, too, will have a part to play in the story to come.'

There is another pause, as Merriman attempts to figure out how best to explain enough without explaining more than is his place to explain.

'You have seen how magic can work through objects, and thereby affect individuals who have a connection to those objects.' Again, there is no need to elaborate further -- the subject is sensitive enough as it stands. 'The closer the connection to the individual, the stronger the pull of the magic. There is quite a lot that can be done with something as small and fragile as a single strand of hair, for example.'

He runs a hand through his own wild white hair, almost without thinking about it. 'That kind of power is similar to what most men would consider malevolent magic. A connection can easily become a binding, and thereby a means of direct control. And I believe we have spoken before of the Company's interest in controlling the seas.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

A strand of hair-

Or a bracelet, hand-made and freely given. His lips purse in a faint frown, and Wellard nods slowly.

"With something... or someone who is magical, or of magic- the Wild, you said? Such a thing would be... even more so, wouldn't it? The connection, and binding and control?"

He bites his lip. "What could the Company get of Davy Jones to control him? Could they even, without having or knowing any sort of magic themselves?"

[merrimanlyon]

Yet another silence, rather more weighty this time.

'The connection itself would be similar enough. But the Company appears to possess something that makes a single strand of hair look insignificant. Consider the difference between trying to hold on to a man by a single strand of his hair...and trying to hold on to him with one of your hands encircling his throat and the other poised to drive a knife between his ribs.'

His mouth twists in a grim, humourless smile as he says, very quietly:

'To the best of my knowledge, Mister Wellard, they have his heart.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

As much as Wellard would immediately like to think such a thing would not be possible-

The Commodore would not lie about such a thing, no matter how outrageous it may sound.

"... Good God."

[merrimanlyon]

The more outrageous it sounds, the less likely he is to be untruthful about it. Simple logic, when one is dealing with Merlion.

'The heart of the sea. Literally, figuratively...but there is no need to argue semantics.' A slight shake of the head. 'Now consider this: in whose hands is a weapon most dangerous? A pistol, for instance. In the hands of a man who knows how to use it -- or in the hands of a man who does not?'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Either man can still kill you." Wellard mutters, before taking a deep breath.

"Though the latter man is more dangerous, as he can kill you even if he does not mean to." He shrugs. "Accidents, mishandlings..."

He blinks, looking back to Merriman. "And someone not knowing anything of magic, with such an item that is-"

[merrimanlyon]

' -- far more powerful, and has a far greater potential to bring harm to those who are not the intended targets,' Merriman finishes, with studied calm. 'But do not forget that the Dark is involved in this equation as well. And the Dark has much better idea of the uses of such an object, and no qualms at all about wielding its power indiscriminately.'

They are out on the deck, and the lantern is nowhere nearby. But anyone who might have been looking at the lantern at that moment might have noticed that the unwavering flame within it burns a little bit brighter now, and a little bit taller...and a little bit colder.

'Mister Norrington, it seems, has provided both the Company and the Dark with the object of their mutual desire.'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Davy Jones' heart." Wellard mutters, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Before he came here, and without whatever they needed Jack for." He sighs, quietly, then bites his lip and looks back to Merriman.

"Did he know? Mr Norrington?"

[merrimanlyon]

'Did he know what?' Merriman tilts his head a fraction of an inch to the side. 'What he was doing? What the Company wanted?'

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"All of that, yes." Wellard nods.

"What it means for the Company and the Dark to have the heart, and what they may do with it. The consequences."