The sea water lapped at the rocks and poles of the docks where many ships, small or magnificent, were anchored. The evening was still young as the sun hadn’t even kissed the horizon yet. Instead, the low light cascaded through pink and orange clouds, framing the open waters from above. Melanie watched and waited while calculating the time it would take for the first star to slip from behind the darkness. The girl untied the red bandana holding back her thick curls from falling in her face. Her hand ruffled at the roots of her hair so it would fall as it naturally should. She tied the bandana around her arm for the time being.<br/><br/><br/>Nearby was a large pub with a few tables and chairs out in front where pirates could sit, talk, and enjoy a drink. A gravel path wound down for a while, lined with shops for odds and ends. Ship repair shops, trading posts, and brothels were scattered about. A far ways down was a currently empty market, closed for the night. Surrounding all of it was a sparse forest and shrubbery.<br/><br/><br/>Melanie sat atop a few ancient barrels of beer with her own hardly touched bottle in her hand. Her legs stretched in front of her and she supported herself with her one free, metal arm. Flesh transitioned into metal just above where her elbow would be. The joints in that arm were stiff and didn’t work well at all. Supporting herself like this was basically the extent of what she could do which is why she spent most of her time drawing maps or studying. Melanie had yet to meet a mechanic that could craft a better arm and although Maxmillion had offered to pay large sums to get top of the line technology, she had refused any gold offered to her. Not that she could find anywhere where it would be worth spending.<br/><br/><br/>Melanie watched as the old captain himself jaunted over to where she was. The brute of a man had to be at least seven feet tall. He towered over to her, alcohol on his breath. “Melanie!” he bellowed, scratching his face beneath a scraggly silver beard that matched his hair, “You’ve hardly touched your drink! You should get involved; there are some handsome lads around.” Max grins stupidly, obviously tipsy, his accent thicker than it usually is. Melanie chuckled and looked past him as a crowd started to slowly congregate. A few brave, or likely drunk, pirates sung and danced to an old sailor’s melody. It was a sung in a canon and soon more people chimed in. The girl swung her legs off the barrels when Max turned to see the display. “Come on, lass! It’s not often we’re docked in a port like this,” the man grabbed Melanie’s hand and dragged her to her feet. Her hand was comically small in Max’s bear paw. She hardly had time to set down her drink before he pulled her into a quick stepped promenade. Girls in far sexier outfits partnered up with some stragglers and soon everyone was dancing as if rehearsed. Max was right, they hardly ever docked at a port like this, let alone had she danced like this before. Luckily it wasn’t difficult to pick up on and the movements were very natural as she spun from partner to partner. A laugh escaped her lips when she finally found Max again.<br/><br/><br/>Melanie wondered where the rest of the crew was. She could pick out a few odd faces here or there but no one else stuck out her aside from her current partner. “You’ve still got a hop in your step, Captain!” the girl had to speak up over the singing. She grinned as her curls bounced with each step. The door to the nearby pub opened and more than a few pirates flooded out to join in. Soon she was pulled away from Maxmillion and spun to her next partner. She smiled at each person she twirled to. It was one of the best feelings to know how many people from all ends of the sea had come here. They were singing, dancing, and sharing stories. They were quite a bunch of misfits and criminals, but they had moments like these to look forward to.