Rise of the Shark((Void)

Darcey returned some time later, and stretched as she entered Bryan's quarters.
"Try to get some rest, Bryan" Darcey said warmly before she curled up on the couch. She rested her head on her arms, and tried to get comfortable.

Bryan smiled over at her as he rested in his bed and returned his gaze to the ceiling. After a moment, when the soft moon's light came into the room, he closed his eyes and sleep took hold of him.

Midnight came around by the time he woke up. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and headed outside. He stood on the deck for a moment before he went to the helm and dismissed Crowley, taking the wheel of the ship to finish the trip to Nassau. Out here on deck, with the wind and the silence, Bryan had time to think. No doubt that the Twin Cobras would probably gain the upper hand and either he or Darcey...maybe both, would get hurt. It was a given. Torres said that they were dangerous.

Darcey woke up, and realised that Bryan was gone. She let out a yawn before she went in search of the captain.
"Something wrong, Bryan" Darcey asked curiously as she stood beside the captain.

Bryan gave a small chuckle where he stood at the helm of the ship. "Not at all, Sinner," he said with a slight tease to his voice. "I promised Crowley I'd finish the trip to Nassau at midnight and it's midnight. Crowley's down below getting some sleep with the rest of the men."

"You're a good man, Bryan, and I hope that you know that." Darcey pulled her coat closed, and sat down on the railing closest to him. She looked up at him before quickly looking to the stars, and smiling. Bryan was one of the nicest people that she had ever met.

"I take care of my crew, unlike most Pirates," Bryan answered with a simple statement but internally he was smiling. He'd never been told that he was a good man. Sure, the crew all respected him, but no one had genuinely said that he was good. He never thought himself that way. His father had simply shown him that, if he took care of his crew, they'd take care of him and remain loyal and true. They would lay their lives down for him and he knew it, just as he would lay his life down to save his own crew.

"From what I gather, most of the pirates view kindness as a sign of weakness" Darcey explained as she pulled a small bottle of rum from her pocket, pulled out the cork, before taking a few sips.

"My father saw it as a form of strength," Bryan said, flinching when his voice hardened. He swallowed and cleared his throat to get it back to normal. "He always took care of his crew and....many of them went down with him when he died..when the Titan was burning." Bryan stopped talking for a while, his eyes never leaving the horizon. Then he spoke again, his voice soft. "Most of the men with me now are what remains of the Titan's crew. Of my father's crew."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your father. He sounds like he was a nice man." Darcey took another sip of her rum, and looked up to Bryan. "It's good that you're taking care of your father's men."

"They hardly ever speak of what happened," Bryan answered with a small nod. "They like it here on the Demon Shark. It's like the Titan never burned. Like it never sank to the bottom of the ocean." He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before he returned his hand to the wheel. "They're my crew now and they're loyal to the last breath, every one of them."

"Loyalty is hard to find these days" Darcey said sadly. She still missed her ship. Now she had a partner to help her get her ship back.

"Don't worry," Bryan said, looking over at her briefly. "You'll get your ship back and any of the mutinous cretons will be weeded out from the loyal ones." An idea buzzed in his head and soon, he beckoned her over with a hand, stepping to the side while the other firmly grasped the wheel.

Darcey's eyes widened when Bryan offered her the helm. She stroked the ship's wheel softly, and smiled happily as she actually took hold of the helm. She felt like she was finally back to normal. The young pirate smiled happily to herself.
"Thank you, Bryan" Darcey said softly.

Bryan stayed behind her but gladly relinquished the helm to her and a smile spread upon his face. "You're welcome, Lass." He stayed silent a moment while the smile grew wider upon his face. He couldn't resist the urge to sing to the young woman and he knew the perfect song. The instant his sweet, beautiful voice came forward, it sounded like he was serenading the young female Pirate.


(Bryan sounds like Josh Groban when singing)(<-- this guy)

Darcey was awestruck by Bryan's voice. It could only be described as the voice of an angel. Her knees went weak at the sound of his voice. There was more to the handsome Templar Pirate than met the eye.


"Cold blows the wind to my true love,
And gently falls the rain.
I never had but one true love,
And in greenwood he lies slain.

I’ll do as much for my true love
As any a young girl may.
I’ll sit and mourn all on his grave
For twelve months and a day.

And when twelve months and a day had passed,
The ghost did rise and speak,
“Why do you sit all on my grave
And will not let me sleep?”

‘Tis I, ’tis I, thine own true love
That sits all on your grave
I ask one kiss from your sweet lips
And that is all that I crave.

My breast is cold as the clay;
My breath is earthly strong.
And if you kiss my cold, clay lips,
You’re days will not be long.

Go fetch me water from the desert sand
And blood from out the stone.
Go fetch me milk from a fair maid’s breast
That young man has never known

How oft on yonder grave, Sweetheart
Where we were wont to walk—
The fairest flower that I e’re saw
Has withered to a stalk.

When shall we meet again, sweetheart?
When shall we meet again?
When the oaken leaves that fall from the trees
Are green and spring up again."

Darcey's voice echoed across the ship, that fairy voice so sweet and gentle.

(I reckon Darcey would sound like Amy Lee from Evanescence)

Bryan's heart skipped a beat in his chest as he listened to Darcey sing. While he knew that his own voice was entrancing, hers was simply enthralling. He almost felt like an old sailor would in the arms of a Siren: helpless and unable to do anything. He'd never heard any woman with a voice like Sinner's. He went back up to the helm, his eyes looking like he'd been under a spell. Then he blinked and rubbed the back of his head while casting his gaze onto the deck. He could feel heat rising into his cheeks and cleared his throat to try and cover up his nervousness. "Your voice is....well....enchanting...." Nervousness crackled through his voice like lightning through the sky.

"Um... Thank you, Bryan" Darcey said sheepishly. She had never been complimented before. Darcey looked at the stars, and smiled happily. She felt like she was on the Dark Tide once again. She was pulled back to reality, and handed the helm back to Bryan.

Bryan carefully took the helm back from her, his fingers brushing lightly over hers. He remained silent for a time, his eyes staring ahead as the sky began to lighten with the first rays of dawn. Already, he could smell Malcolm's breakfast in the galley and hear the first stirrings of the crew down below deck. A few of them came up top and began to check that things were in their proper place before a few grabbed buckets and mops. Bryan couldn't help but smile. He was tempted to burst out into song, but he had a feeling they were nearing Nassau and didn't want to jerk the men awake so rapidly. If they were to be happy throughout the day, then they might as well wake up on their own. It was what his father had always told him.

Darcey grabbed a bucket and mop, and began to clean the deck. She would occasionally smile to herself, then shake off the smile before returning to her work. Darcey hummed the words to the unquiet grave, the song she had sung for Bryan earlier. As she hummed, she smiled and continued to mop the deck.

Bryan did the same, humming the song he'd sang for her, The Female Smuggler. Each time he hummed a quiet smile rested upon his face and every time he wiped it off with a hand. He didn't need Crowley coming up and teasing him of how he looked like a young lad trying to court a girl that he liked. But inside, that was exactly what Bryan was and his eyes rested upon Darcey as she cleaned the deck quietly with the other men. Ahead of the ship, he could see the ports of Nassau and called down to the men. "Whoever is the most awake of you lot, prepare to lower the sails and drop the anchor! We're at Nassau's ports!"

"There's my bloody ship" Darcey shouted happily upon spying the Dark Tide. She laughed happily, and even did a little dance. Her happiness, however, was rather shortlived. The once proud brig had more holes in it than usual, and it seemed to be in a dire state of disrepair. The sails were torn, the hull was breaking apart in some sections, and the sails were missing. "Bastards! First they take my ship, then they let this happen?!"

"Easy, Sinner." Bryan said at her side, having passed the helm to Crowley when he'd come up from the deck. "We'll weed 'em out. If you intend on taking your ship back first, you'll need good fighters at your side." He shouted a couple of names, waving a good bit of men forward. "Horker, Drake and Finley will set about repairing your ship. The rest of my crew will help weed out the mutinous men from the loyal ones of your own crew. Crowley will be getting information about the Twins for me, so I'll be able to help out weed the disloyal rats from the ones who are still loyal." He sounded determined.

"Thank you so much, Bryan" Darcey squealed excitedly. She did yet another little dance, laughing happily as she twirled around on the deck. She looked at her ship, and smiled. Soon, the Dark Tide would be hers once again. She didn't even try to hide her mixture of excitement, happiness, and a touch of anger. "Just one question: how are we going to find the mutinous bilge rats, and separate them from the loyal?"

At her question, Bryan's eyes narrowed and a twisted smile appeared across his face. At that moment, he didn't seem like the kind young man who had brought her aboard his ship back in Inagua. He looked like a demonic shark ready to hunt. "I have my ways." He rumbled with a quiet, deadly chuckle before he rounded and shouted to Crowley and the men. "Pull her into port! Lower the sails and drop the anchor!" The men scurried to do their captain's bidding, Crowley pulling the ship into port and the men lowering sails and dropping the anchor.

Bryan had swept to his quarters and returned moments later dressed as he had been when they'd taken the Man-o-War and killed those who were allied with the Assassins. His hand was pressing his mask into place and once it clicked, he removed his hand and fixed his hood for a brief moment. At that minute, he looked like an Assassin. But his crew knew better. This was how he always dressed when he was hunting Assassins or traitors. And they knew that he was entering what he called his Blood Frenzied mode, so they kept a good ways behind him, never crowding him. He jerked his head toward the three he'd named earlier, his voice growling behind his mask and making them jump with fear. "Make sure you fix the Dark Tide. Crowley! Stay with Darcey." His next words would send shivers down anyone's spine as his voice seemed to just growl and his eyes narrowed beneath the hood. "It's time to hunt the Traitors."

Without waiting for anyone, Bryan sprang off the deck and onto the docks. Once he'd landed, he sprinted off toward the town, leaving his crew to shiver and murmur silently on deck.

Darcey had her usual sultry look about her, the look that had lured men to their death. She set off for her ship, ready to take it back by any means necessary. People parted immediately when they saw Darcey coming, a few, however, marched behind her. They were some men that had remained loyal to her. Their shaggy looks suggested that they had been cast out almost as long as Darcey, but their weapons seemed to be in immaculate condition. Five men, that's all she had. She approached the Dark Tide, and drew her swords.
"I've come for you, Alvarez! And I will be taking my ship back" Darcey roared angrily. She looked absolutely furious. Her few men stood behind her, their own weapons ready. She knew there were a few more good men on the ship. A rather mean looking Assassin stepped out from the shadows, and lowered his hood.
"Like what I did to the ship, captain?" It was obvious that the man was mocking her.
"It looks cheap, just like you, Alvarez" Darcey spat.
"See, this is why I had to get rid of you. Women are guided by their emotions, and that cannot be allowed at sea. A ship is no place for a woman, let alone a Templar whore!"