(OPEN: La Madre Maria ) Raid on the Port Town!

[littleiberia]

HI GUYS I'M BACK AND WITH UNCREATIVE TITLES TO BOOT }}

Trade routes on the Mediterranean were something that many a man dared not touch. For as long as anyone could remember, the Venetians had controlled a strict thoroughfare to the Mediterranean nations, including the lucrative spice trades. It was the ancestors of Afonso and Antonio-as far as they knew, anyway- who were the ones who broke through to round the Cape of Good Hope and visit India.

So it seemed fitting that the crew belonging to Antonio was making that trek. India was a land of vast riches; and by riches, they meant 'things to steal'. It was a pirate's duty to do such things, and after a successful trip to Morocco and the Straits of Gibraltar, Antonio Fernández Carriedo was feeling cocky. His crew was becoming one of the most feared names in the ports, and he couldn't have been more proud; they would take on the world and all of it's riches bit by bit.

Reaching the port town of Goa was the easy part. Waiting for nightfall and the raid was the most difficult. The captain was more than excited, and he paced his deck excitedly, moving to check in on each of his crew members as they prepared for the raid down below.

[Andorra]

"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, Princesa nasquí i Pubilla entre dues nacions neutral~" Anaïs hummed, scrubbing the last bit of the floor. "Ahhh done~" She gave a peaceful sigh, a job well done. She put away the cleaning supplies and changed into a more casual outfit, her usual white dress and vest. She quickly walked to the deck, excited to watch the scenery and relax a little, until she undoubtedly was called to do something else for someone. Not that she minded the constant work. She liked being helpful.

Her face brightened at the sight of her Captain. He quickly paced back and forth, obviously he was excited about the raid that they were going to do later. Anaïs couldn't exactly share his enthusiasm about the raid, but at least he was happy about it. And she would do her best to help out, no matter what they did. She was a part of this crew, after all. Plus, it wasn't as if she had never done a raid with them before.

Antonio didn't notice her, he must have been too preoccupied with his boisterous thoughts. She giggled, walked up behind him, and patted his shoulder. "Hello Captain~" She gave him a big grin. "Excited for later?" She already knew the answer, but she was positive he would want to talk about it.

[littleiberia]

Anaïs' presence startled him a bit; the brunet jumped, whirling around. Smiling brightly at the young woman, a silly giggle escaped his throat and he nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "Ay, Anaïs, you startled me! Of course I am excited, si! How could I not be? It's been too long. I feel like I was getting antsy--oh! That reminds me, I have a job for you!"

Smiling fondly, he took her shoulders in his hands and turned her around towards a wall, steering her towards the captain's quarters and blabbering excitedly about the raid. Antonio opened the door and pointed in a corner. Resting there was none other than his large, formidable weapon, the massive halberd 'Cortés'. "I'm going to entrust you with my precious Cortés. He needs to be polished before the big raid today. Just be careful, it's very sharp, si?"

Antonio patted the girl's head with a grin and murmured, "I know it's not the most exciting task, but...I don't expect you to get involved with the fighting unless you wish to, comprende? It's up to you!"

[Andorra]

Anaïs gave Antonio an apologetic nod at his comment; although she doubted he cared that much about her sneaking up on him. Something that she greatly admired about the Captain. Just how much he enjoyed surprises and entertainment. He certainly knew how to have fun, that was for sure. She smiled warmly at him as he expressed his excitement, it warmed her heart to see him in such a good mood.

She raised her eyebrows after he said he had a job for her. "Oh?" she replied, excited. Usually the jobs the Captain gave her were very important. "Wah!" She exclaimed in surprise when he took both her shoulders. She kept quiet while Antonio rambled on about his excitement, grinning at his enthusiasm. When they stopped in his quarters, she instantly realized what the job was going to be. The beautiful and prized weapon sat in the corner elegantly. "Ah! The most important job of them all!" Anaïs giggled, actually quite serious.

Anaïs pondered at what he said. "Ah...I'm afraid I'm still pretty useless when it comes to fighting, haha! But I'll still join you. Who knows, you may need me for first aid, yes?" Although she hoped not. She didn't like it when they got hurt.

She smiled, and found the Captain's stash of polish. She took Cortés carefully. He was very sharp.

[littleiberia]

"Very true!" Antonio replied with a smile, ruffling her hair. He rather enjoyed Anaïs' company. She was an incredibly kind girl--almost like a sister to him. He'd even called her hermana before, like an after thought. It was so strange. Shaking those feelings aside, Antonio reached into his pocket and pulled out a small roll of pretty golden and red ribbon. "Could you also put that around the middle? I know it's weird, but it's good luck, ahah ~"

Patting her head again, he beamed. "I'll be back to check on you in a bit, si? Please be careful!"

[piratadelsol]

Emmanuel stood high on the railing of the main deck, leaning against one of the lowermost shrouds, inspecting the rope once again. All clear. It wasn't as if he hadn't just done this the day before, or the day before that. Still, they were going to battle soon, and, well...

He'd hate if something went wrong.

It wasn't exactly that he wasn't excited. He was willing to do whatever he was told; he really was. It was simply the fact that the ship was always at such a risk, the ship he was responsible for, his Captain's ship but his own pride, now that he'd been entrusted with something.
Now that he had a reason to be important.

"Capitán," he called loudly from his place, "El barco está en buen estado. Está lista."
English was still a bit out of his range. He knew enough, but Spanish was simply easiest. He hesitated often in English, which made him feel less intelligent. Easiest way to avoid that? Speak Spanish.

[littleiberia]

Carefully shutting the door on Anaïs, Antonio turned around, hearing the strong voice of their newest recruit. A visit to Puerto Rico had brought about the new crew member, a boatswain that Antonio had immediately taken a liking to. Emmanuel reminded him of himself, albeit a bit younger, and he couldn't help but enjoy the young boy's company.

Walking towards him, he clapped the boy on the shoulder, grinning widely. "Bien, bien! ¡Supe que permites atenderte el barco estuve un hidea bueno! ~"

Speaking in Spanish was good, but. Patting his shoulder, Antonio gave a kind smile. "Have you been practicing your English like I told you to, Emmanuel?"

[piratadelsol]

Emmanuel couldn't help but to flush embarrassedly at the praise- and at the mention of English.
"Aye, si, pero," he stopped, sighing. "Cuan- When I speak it, it does not... please me in my voice," he explained as best he could. "Es mas facil a expresar todo cuando hablo en español. Estará un tiempo largo antes de yo aprenderlo."

He fiddled with the tools in his hands nervously as he spoke. Being around the captain always brought mixed feelings. Respect, fear, as well as a strange sort of attachment, one he wasn't altogether happy with feeling. One he wanted to escape, but also a sense of duty. Besides, what was the point of fighting? It wasn't as though he were suffering. He barely knew the man. He needed to stop prejudging him.

[littleiberia]

whoopsforgot the red that time my bad }}

Antonio listened to the brunet speak, nodding. Learning English had been the hardest thing he'd ever done--even know, he still spoke it with a strange accent, even a lisp. Giving a gentle smile, he chirped, "Claro que si! ¿Debes practicar más con la tripulación, sí? ¡Te ayudaran mucho! "

Pulling away for just a moment, the Captain's expression turned serious. "¿Puedes mirar a la jarcias una vez mas?¡Quiero todo estar perfecto!

It had to be perfect. It had to be. Grinning, he waited for an answer, expectantly.

[piratadelsol]

"¿Por mi capitán?" asked Manuel, smiling jovially. "Puedo hacer todo. No preocupe; todo estará perfecto cuando vamos a pelear."
Giving Antonio a reassuring look, Emmanuel nodded, giving a quick glance over his tools.
It was pretty excellent to feel useful.

"Y porque tu me comande," he continued, "Voy a practicar mas. Gracias, mi amor, mi capitán, todo estará ordenado."
Pet names like 'mi amor' were, to the Puerto Ricans, much like those of the English; 'love', 'ducky', 'mate', all of those sorts of things. They were a sign of respect, not necessarily affection. Still, the affection Manuel felt was like a somewhat betrayed son to his father- it was all he could do not to begrudgingly call him 'papi' or something similar.

And besides.
How could Antonio be anything close to a father to him? They were barely a few years apart in age.

[littleiberia]

Emmanuel had always been incredibly polite and kind to him. That was something Antonio enjoyed--oftentimes (for God knew what reason!) his crew refused to pay attention or even listen to his orders--but Emmanuel was different. Maybe it was how they met, or something? Antonio could barely remember how he'd met the young man, they'd been on the ship together for so long. There were vague, lost memories of --Cortés, perhaps? And a young child-- but that was ridiculous.

Shaking his head, he smiled again, patting his shoulder again. "Dios, España, y yo te da las gracias, Emmanuel."

[Andorra]

She gave Antonio a childish smile when he gave her the ribbon. It was incredibly adorable to her, having a grown man still hold those kinds of beliefs. Antonio had become another idol of hers, perhaps not as influential as her mentor Artista was (although she noticed they had similar....quirks), but she still deeply respected him nonetheless. Also, she still could not shake the feeling that she had once known him from somewhere. But that had to be impossible. Anaïs never left her home in Andorra before she went on her journey, so these feelings made no sense. And even stranger still, she constantly had to fight back the urge of calling him 'brother'. She had to do this with Afonso too. She had once called Antonio brother and it was very embarrassing (a few of her crew mates had poked fun at her for it), but at least Antonio didn't mind. Truth be told, he seemed even more giddy after she did.

She turned to him before he shut the door. "Yes, Captain~ I promise he will shine!" She carefully held onto Cortés, opening the tub of polish with one hand and dipping a cloth into it. She started at the top of the sword, and gradually worked her way down. Thinking about the raid made her feel slightly uneasy. This would be the second raid that she would be a part of, and the first went well but, she couldn't help but feel a little useless with raids. Sure, she had good experience with first aid (she did grow up with six younger siblings after all), but even so, her combat skills were...less than desirable. Also, she hoped she wouldn't get in the way. But, she convinced herself as long as she kept aware of her surroundings, she would be alright.

What really worried her was her crew mates. Of course they were skilled, they had many successes under their belts, but she still worried. In the pirate world, anything can happen.

She shook her head. There was no point in dwelling in what if's. She should concentrate in the now. Because Cortés needed her right now, and she had stopped polishing him due to her thoughts. She giggled. "Sorry Cortés, I'll pay attention to you again." She continued to work, making sure she didn't miss a spot anywhere on the magnificent weapon, while she hummed a pretty tune.