meme 001 ✽ the pirate au meme

[ditz]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH - okay, who finished the rum?
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ღ Meme originally from amuse_box but I did add #13 for a wild card. 
ღ Image from here.

1. Boarded: Your ship has been boarded, and as captain you've been captured! Better hope the other captain gives quarter. Alternatively, it's a nice warm day for a swim. That plank was made for walking.

2. Victory: You've captured another ship! You knew those extra cannons would come in handy. And let's hope they've got lots of swag! Where's the captain? Are you the decent sort, or are you going to rub their face in it for a bit?

3. Swab the decks: You're a cabin boy! It's a good thing you don't mind doing all the dirty work, right? Anyway, the captain's calling; better see what they want.

4. Marooned: For a bit there you'd thought you were in Davy's Jones' grip, but somehow you've washed ashore with the driftwood. As you stare dazedly up from the surf, you have questions. Where are you? And who's that already on the shore?

5. Buried Treasure: Sink me! You've really found the mother lode. . . but you're not the only one. Who gets to take the treasure back to their ship? Better make sure it's you.

6. Rum: Rum, everywhere.

7. Swordfight: It's that person you can't stand! And they've taken your most valuable possession, that one of a kind thing you just can't live without! Better get that trinket back before it and your nemesis are gone over the side forever. Let's hear some swashes buckling.

8. Mutiny: The tack is full of maggots and this drinking water may as well have come from the gutter. There's one person to blame for this, and you're here to make especially sure that they pay for it. The captain does always seem to take the best treasure before everybody else.

9. Kidnapping: Don't they look rather peaceful, innocent even, sleeping so soundly there with their fancy nightclothes and pillows. Brings a tear to your eye, it does. Better take them aboard and send for a ransom.

10. Take a Gamble: Gotta spend your loot somehow, but it must have been the rum that had you bettin' everything at once! You've lost to your hornswagglin' shipmate; what did you lose, and what will they make you do now?

11. Under the Sea: You are now a Mermaid/Merman! That sailor over there sure looks appealing; let's see if you can lure them in with your charms. Don't forget that they can't breathe under water! You do seem to always forget, don't you. . .

12. The Doldrums: Can you say cabin fever? The sails haven't moved in weeks. You're about seeing if your mates can relieve this awful boredom.

13. Wild card. What do. Your choice. It doesn't even have to be here - wait why am I even explaining this to you YOU KNOW HOW THIS WORKS.

Comments

[deductives]

In more ways than one. Perhaps.

[Sherlock grunts when Irene pulls him up again, frowning at the wrinkles she leaves in his already battered shirt and overcoat. When he meets her eyes, though, he finds he's closer to her than he was before. Now he doesn't make an effort to move away. She's caught up in her own game, so he'll indulge her a little. The slightest turn of his head allows his nose to nuzzle hers.]

Badly. [The correction comes in an almost seductive whisper.]

I've noticed. But then, you always do. I hear the Crown is looking to move in on native Ceylon territory, and they haven't been free from the Dutch all that long. That the king's treasure is in fact a good chunk of their war funds.

[Sherlock's mouth glides closer to her ear.]

And if the king's subjects are upset he was keeping company with a British subject, lightly as the term maybe used, barter might be a good way to avoid him trying to earn back his people's trust.

[predominates]

[ Her lips thin out, pressed together to refrain from making a comment just yet. His recent time spent with his brother and the Royal Navy was showing. But she keeps still, body close, enjoying his willingness to finally play along. ]

Sharing his bed with a pirate, you mean. I know what he likes, and the king can't resist someone who knows how to tie a good constrictor's knot. [ And who better than a seductress sailor. But Sherlock gets the box tie arm, something she picked up during her travels in the East. Their close proximity makes it easy for her to reach around and remind him, tugging harsher than necessary. ] I think the queen is jealous I'm more likely to give him an heir than she can. And the same for her loyal subjects.

[ Which says quite a bit for anyone who knows Irene Adler. But even with that insult to the queen, there's a flash of vulnerability in her eyes. Sherlock had obviously tapped into her motives and the fear behind them. ]

I need that protection.

[ The map that should have been simple to acquire and enough to safeguard her, but since her plans were intercepted by Sherlock, there would be more legwork required of her and her crew. And if she was to be hanged, then they would surely be taken down with her.

Unfortunately, the stakes were very high this time. ]

[deductives]

[Exactly what Sherlock meant. He's also not surprised to be tied up more intricately, since Irene is familiar with his escape tactics. He seethes again when she pulls on his arms, and forces himself to sit straight again. It puts a little distance between their faces.]

Not that you would.

[The Sinhalese aren't aware of that, of course, nor would they be likely to care. Were this anyone else, Sherlock would tell them they'd made their own bed to lie in, but that crack in Irene's mask stops him. It always does. He sighs.]

Fifty-fifty.

[He's still a pirate, after all.]

[predominates]

[ Irene sits back with a satisfied smile that follows his reaction, allowing her hands to fall and rest on his hips. He was still sharp as ever, and perhaps even more so under pressure. But knowing she could have tied a more intricate knot, raises the question why he hasn't tried to escape this one yet. It says quite a bit about him, doesn't it? ]

Obviously.

[ And a pirate, indeed. One of her eyebrows raises in a way that asks, are you trying to bargain with me? But she would never be able to convince the king with only half. ]

Seventy-thirty.

[deductives]

[Sherlock is in no position to be bargaining, quite literally, but he was certainly going to try. The treasure was supposed to be quite the bounty, but not that bountiful.]

Fifty five-forty five.

[Now he does start to struggle again, slowly but surely.]

My men have orders to get there if I don't come back, so you're getting quite the deal here.

[predominates]

Sixty-forty.

[ Her reply is fast, and her body shifts to lean harder against him. Irene won't settle for anything in the fifty range. ]

I'll untie you. [ She's not above a little persuasion herself as her voice drops into something more promising. ] Unless, of course, you're enjoying it. More could also be arranged.

[deductives]

[Sherlock grunts a bit when she presses against him, but a smirk comes to his face. He wonders if this little game is more exciting than whatever she had in mind.]

I believe that would happen regardless of my agreement.

[He looks down, which only lets him press his nose to her hair. The perfumes and sea salt blend better than he could have imagined. And though it grieves him to part with that extra ten percent, he supposes Irene living to lose more treasure to him is worth it.]

But I can this time.

[That and his hands had long ago fallen asleep.]

[predominates]

[ Their little games are always more exciting than anything else, but this is business that needs to be taken care of first. Even though there's no one better who knows how to mix business with pleasure.

When he dips his head, Irene remains still and closes her eyes in some silent communication -- the kind that only seems to happen on their level. As always, it's nothing so simple as saying thank you. But Sherlock smells of tobacco and the ocean and for a second it's all that occupies her senses. ]

Done.

[ Deal. But she lets the moment linger a bit longer, seeking out his eyes, before sliding away. She saunters toward her desk, pulling the wedged knife out and carrying it back to him. There was still time to enjoy the rest of the night; he would be returned to his ship soon enough.

Reaching behind him with careful and skilled hands, she slips the blade between his wrists and breaks the rope in one swift cut. He could easily take care of his ankles now. ]

[deductives]

[Sherlock is quick to get his hands in front of him again, rubbing his sore wrists in an attempt to get the feeling back. He glances around Irene's cabin with more attention now. Her maps are adequate enough. Sherlock reaches down and unties his ankles, which at least had feeling left in them.]

Quite a few new baubles here. The Persian rug is unfamiliar.

[predominates]

[ Irene balances the handle of the knife in her palm, before curling her fingers around and letting it rest at her side. Still standing in front of his knees, she casts a glance over her shoulder, admiring her own handiwork. ]

Yes, it's new. I thought it looked better on my cabin floor. [ Then she turns back to Sherlock, practically snapping her teeth at him. ] Came with the garter.

[deductives]

As do most things.

[Sherlock says it quite nonchalantly, slipping off the bed and walking over to Irene's table to observe the map. He still flexes his hands to regain feeling.]

We'll have to turn westward.

[predominates]

[ Irene smirks with an amused huff most likely in agreement. It's true, even Sherlock would. But eventually she turns, watching him for a moment before following over toward her desk. She stands beside him and leans around his arm -- perhaps still too close for his comfort. However, her eyes are drawn down at the map. They were headed east of Port Elizabeth, back toward the Indian Ocean. She was wagering that a trip to the Caribbean was in store. Though it was still too early to tell. Thankfully she had a reliable navigator now. ]

Ah, that wasn't so difficult, was it? [ she returns the knife to its groove in the desk. no more playing dirty -- just play. ] But thank you, dear. I'll let my men know.

[deductives]

[Placing that thought in her head was entirely intentional, if only to serve as a teasing distraction. He doesn't flinch as she draws close again and keeps his eyes on the map.]

I wouldn't be too swift with the order. Come up too quickly on my ship and the crew might get nervous.

[predominates]

Do I seem to be moving?

[ Irene knows that he made a deal, but she isn't quite that eager to trust his word. Plus her tone sounds much more teasing. She is under some time restrictions, but not pressing enough that she can't keep herself occupied with the other pirate captain for a bit longer. Her hand spreads over the map, blocking his eyes from view. Then she raises both eyebrows in question. Well? ]

[deductives]

[Sherlock furrows his brow when Irene interrupts his mental charting. He draws himself up to full height again so he can look down at her skeptically. Had they not just been dueling on the beach, or did he dream that part of the evening?

He places one hand on her bare shoulder, and cups her face with the other. They were gentle actions, but his icy gaze remains as penetrating as always.]

Are you being coy, Miss Adler?

[predominates]

[ Irene likes to keep him on his toes, though desperate times calls for desperate measures and all that. But didn't it say something about them that they could be dueling one moment and then testing each other with touches the next? Neither seemed willing to give in; somehow still each the other's exception.

She rolls her shoulder back, shrugging his hand down farther as she steps forward. Despite their large height difference, she seems to stand just as tall. There's a confident spark in her eyes that fuels her. She lifts her hand from the map and covers that bit of open chest where she can find his heartbeat. She presses against him insistently. ]

Not at all, Mister Holmes.