<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/FsSwBxR.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Rosette de Courtenay (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=300519.msg14691423#msg14691423)<br/><strong>Position:</strong>Captain<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The Esperanza | top  deck<br/><strong>Time &amp; Date:</strong>Day 2 | 11 AM<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Devon | Lawton | Sarah | Chiana | Lourdes | Royce<br/><strong>Content:</strong>Event Stuff<br/><hr/><br/>The ship cleaved through the water with the same kind of hunger that its captain, nay, its entire crew seemed to feel. If there was any doubt as to whether this new ragtag band of pirates deserved their place aboard the Esperanza, now was the time to clear it once and for all, and Rose was hopeful, almost adamant that each of them was going to prove themselves worthy.<br/><br/>“We’ll easily outpace her,” she said, watching the ship through her spyglass for a moment. The merchant vessel was as unimposing as she had described it to her officers; the Mistral was not sailing in a way that begged to be noticed. But the French’s efforts to sneak their way across the Atlantic would soon prove in vain, and the returned pirate ship and its shiny new crew would not leave a soul to tell the tale of the Esperanza’s glorious, merciless victory. Rosette was eager to get into the heart of it, and it showed in the way she stood bouncing on the balls of her feet, subtly but noticeable to anyone standing near. Right now there were only Devon and Liam, and it was the sailmaster she addressed first.<br/><br/>“Master Black,” Rose commanded, “I trust you can handle the chase. Liam will stay near and assist you, but if there was a time to prove you’re deserving of being here, now’s the time to show it. Let our girl stretch her legs a bit, but don’t take any unnecessary risks.”  Rose angled her head towards the helmsman. “We can’t afford to make any mistakes here.”<br/><br/>She more jumped than bounded down the stairwell, and then straight down to the gundeck, where Lawton was surrounded by so many skittering powder monkeys and more physically capable men and women to handle the - his - cannons. She paced past them, subjecting the guns to a final and, she suspected, incredibly redundant inspection that she was sure her master gunner would be offended by if he noticed. “I would ask you if you’re ready,” she half jested, “If I hadn’t sailed the world twice over with you already.” With her hands clasped at the small of her back she nodded, a sign of hard-earned respect towards Lawton. “Cripple ‘er fast, Master Townsend. We need her grounded and boarded before any other ship catches a whiff of what we’re up to. Make sure it’s not sunk before we return with the cargo. I trust your aim’s as sharp as it was four years ago?” Rose paused, and she cast a brief look around again, furrowing her brow. “Say…” she said, not without wonder, “Where’s that little mouse gone?” The young girl that she’d spotted descending to the lower decks, indeed seemed absent now, and Rosette wondered if she’d found purpose elsewhere. Perhaps in the galley, aiding Nancy in her efforts. That chef was something else all right, and she wondered if she would find the Esperanza’s cook up on top, joining the other swordsmen and -women.<br/><br/>The Captain didn’t linger long, and when she resurfaced on the main deck, she glanced briefly towards her first mate, then to her navigator as well. Everyone looked ready and anxious, impatient for the impending battle. Rose marched towards the front, briefly halting at the trio of women she’d spotted the day before. They were now accompanied by Chiana, and Rose found herself quietly approving of that fact. Although she wouldn’t tell Chiana so out loud, she was protective of the girl, and had she been a less capable pirate than Rose would have been tempted to hide her in her quarters throughout this encounter. Not that she would tell Chiana as much, but there was no denying that ever since they’d found the girl clinging to driftwood out at open sea, she had<em>mattered</em>, for lack of a better way to describe it. And much to Rose’s chagrin, she found that she didn’t want the girl to perish.<br/><br/>As the Esperanza came into view, the merchant vessel grew visibly anxious, and with full sail it went speeding off into open waters. It was a sight that Rose adored, and she looked up to the main mast. “Time to hoist our colours!” she called out, and with true pirate flair the black flag was raised. Theirs was a black and white depiction of the traditional skull, but rather than the crossbones a white, thorny rose was draped horizontally across the lower half of the Jolly Roger.<br/><br/>Satisfied with the sight of the flag that had been left unused for far too long, Rose stepped in to the gathering of women, noticing that one had cfound a more elevated spot than the rest. She briefly sized up Chiana, if just to see if she was prepared enough, then cast a smile at the others, one filled with confidence, bordering on arrogance. "We'll be the first ones to set foot on that ship," she said firmly, "Make every bullet, every slash of your sword count. We're not taking prisoners today, ladies." Rose let her gaze linger on Sarah then, and she gave her a teasing, almost taunting wink. "Hope you slept off that hangover, sailor,"  Rose said, "I'm expecting nothing but your best today."<br/>