<span style="color: #FF0000">Ross tapped Roth, his second in command, on the shoulder. Roth recoiled from his touch slightly, surprised, but then relaxed after he turned around to see Ross. <br/><br/>"Everything alrigh', Cap'n?" he asked in a drawl, slurring his words slightly.<br/><br/>"Not you, by the looks of it. Couldn't wait a few hours till we dock in Tortuga?" Ross's tone was serious, but a smile played at his lips.<br/><br/>Roth was grinning now too.<br/><br/>"I'm about as patient as you are, sir," he said, pulling out a small canteen from the inside of his cloak. Ross rolled his eyes but kept a smile on his face as he brought out his own canteen, and the two men took long drinks as the ship began to near the docks of Tortuga.<br/><br/>"You've probably thought we were ten minutes away from Tortuga for the past two hours with all that rum on your upper lip," Ross said after a moment's silence, his jovial words cutting through the sound of wind rustling sails and creaking wood. Ross slapped Roth on the back, his only response being a grunt, before walking out to the prow of the ship. <br/><br/>It was long and didn't stand too vertically, jutting out almost like a plank and easy to balance oneself on. Hopping onto it, Ross extended his hands out on both sides and walked to the very edge of the gnarled piece of metal. He plopped himself down onto it, resting a hand on a taut rope to support himself. He then withdrew the canteen once more and dropped a bit of the muddy liquid onto the ocean. The ship had lost a crew member earlier that day, mostly to the man's own stupidity, but Ross had love and respect for his entire crew.<br/><br/>The ship settled into the docks just as Ross finished the last drops of rum from his canteen. He cast a few sideways glances at the ships docked next to his. All rather well known and respected ships. Jumping down from the prow onto the dock, he smiled as he recognized two other captains. He gave a low, rumbling laugh before approaching them both.<br/><br/>"Well, I've always said this sea we live in is pitifully small," he said, bowing his head and placing his hand on his chest in greeting. The whole motion was overly dramatic and didn't look entirely polite, but Roth didn't particularly care. "I like the way you think, though," he added, turning to Nate and turning his canteen over upside down. A single drop fell out.<br/><br/>"I could use a refill or two."</span>