FOTD, Poached Pear 10: Gifts
Title: Gifts
Main Story: In The Heart -- EPIC PIRATE AU
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (rapine: the act of plundering), poached pear 10 (for richer or poorer), chopped nuts (EPIC PIRATE AU), malt (Summer challenge 219).
Word Count: 1370
Rating: PG.
Summary: The difference between giving and sharing.
Notes: I'll go back to canon someday.
The fight had been quicker than most, less violent. Danny seemed almost disappointed when she came to get Gina out of the cabin.
"Spaniards," was her only opinion, as she held the door open. "Spineless bastards. Can't be bothered to give us a proper fight."
"That's a good thing, though," Gina said, stepping out onto the deck. She shaded her eyes while they adjusted from the dim sweet darkness of the cabin's hidden bunk to the brilliant Caribbean sun. "Fewer of us injured."
Strange, how fast she'd gone from "them" to "us" when thinking of the pirates. She'd been sailing with the Bedrock Drift less than a year, and it was second nature now.
"None of us, actually," Danny said, letting the door thump shut and stepping up by Gina. "Well, no one except Humphrey, and he doesn't really count." Gina sent her an inquiring look, and she added, "Dropped his cutlass and stepped on it. Lost a couple toes. Watch where you step."
The problem with Danny, Gina reflected, was that she said these things, and one could never tell if she was kidding or not. "Where's Ivy?" she asked, instead of continuing the topic.
Danny jerked her head at the other ship, lashed tightly to theirs. "In the hold, probably cackling. This one's full to the brim." She grinned, fiercely. "We're going to drink well tonight, my friend!"
Gina suppressed a wince. That meant roistering, lots of it-- if she was lucky, she could persuade Ivy not to get dead drunk, but the rest of the crew was a lost cause. "I'm thrilled for you," she said, managing not to sound dry. "Is it safe for me to go over, do you think?"
Danny shrugged. "Sure, why not? Somebody attacks you, just give a shout and we'll come and kill them for you."
With that somewhat uneasy reassurance, Gina made her way across to the Spanish ship, past the Spaniards lined up on the deck-- they stared and muttered among themselves, until Lars thumped a select few upside the head and demanded to know who'd taught them manners-- and down into the hold.
Ivy was not cackling. But it was pretty close.
"A good haul?" Gina asked, as she picked her way past open chests to her lover's side.
"An excellent haul," Ivy replied, glee permeating her voice. She kissed Gina, somewhat absently, then bent back down to the chest. "Look at this! Even if we divide this evenly, we're set for at least a year. We can go legal for a while!" She looked up and gave Gina that smile, the bright beautiful smile that had first caught her that warm summer night.
"I'm glad," she said, and she was, for legality meant safety, at least for a while.
"And, here..." Ivy dug in the chest, then straightened again, a necklace in her hands. "Here! For you." She held it out, still beaming.
Gina took it from Ivy's hands and held it up, catching what little light filtered down into the hold. Little golden florets dotted with emerald leaves linked in a circle from which dangled a gold-framed flower of sapphires. It really was beautiful, and it would have made a far larger impression if she hadn't already had a chest overflowing with similar pieces that Ivy had given her. Still... "It's lovely," she said. "I'll add it to the others."
Ivy paused, arrested in the middle of further pillaging, and looked back at her, puzzlement on her face. "You don't like it?"
"I do like it," Gina said, and then, spurred on by that look, added, "I do. It's just that... you know I'm going to stay, right? You don't have to keep giving me things." To bribe me, she thought, but did not say.
Ivy blinked at her. "I like giving you things," she said. "When I have them to give, you know. There's a lot of times we go hungry."
"I know," Gina said, thinking of a time last winter. "I just... I'm here to stay. For richer or poorer. I don't need things to make me stay."
Ivy opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking thoughtful.
"All right," she said. "I think I understand. Still. Keep the necklace." She smiled rather shyly. "It'll look beautiful on you. That's all I was really thinking."
Gina smiled back at her, and clasped the necklace around her neck. It felt cool and hard against her skin. "It does, doesn't it?" she asked. "I'm going to go back abovedecks."
"All right," Ivy said again, and kissed her cheek. "I'll be up in a while. Send Lars down if you see him, will you?"
Gina blinked, surprised by the suddenly calculating look on her lover's face, but said, only, "All right."
--
Almost a week later, Ivy shook her awake far too early in the morning.
Gina rolled over and stared blearily up at Ivy. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"
Ivy smiled down at her, a soft little expression that made Gina's heart contract. "Get up," she said. "I've got a surprise."
A surprise. Oh, that did not bode well. But Ivy was awake in the grey and chilly predawn air, and Ivy was never awake before the sun was up if she could help it, so whatever it was must be important. Gina got up.
"We made landfall last night," Ivy explained, leaning against the table while Gina pulled on her chemise and skirts. "This little island my father used to take us to. He and my mother would always..." She stopped, and shook her head. "Well, never mind. There's something I want to show you. This place I found."
Gina blinked at her, and laced her bodice. "All right," she said, somewhat dubiously. "This is why you wanted to talk to Lars?"
"One of the reasons," Ivy said. "Come on."
They rowed together in perfect silence from the ship to the shore, and didn't talk even then, as Ivy handed her out of the boat, pulled it up on the shore, and led her on a faint path into the green shade of the trees. The strange thing about it, Gina thought, as they walked quietly hand in hand, was that it didn't feel awkward at all, not like the silences at home, or the once between her and Ned.
It was just... comfortable. Like she belonged here, walking through a green silence with her hand in Ivy's.
"Here we are," Ivy said, at last, and turned to her. "Close your eyes, all right?"
"All right," Gina said, and closed her eyes.
Ivy took her other hand and led her forward for another few paces, around a corner, past a tree-- she could feel the leaves brushing over her face-- and...
She could hear water, she realized.
"All right," Ivy said, a few steps later. "Open your eyes."
She did, and stopped in her tracks.
The thing that struck her first about it was the color, the sheer living green of it all. Trees, bushes, undergrowth, creepers and hanging vines and even something bright and alive under the water. The water itself took on a green tinge from all the life around it, all but the waterfalls, lacy white over shaded rock.
"This is beautiful," she breathed, and stepped forward, past Ivy. "This is... how did you ever find this place?"
"I told you my father used to bring us here," Ivy said, and there was none of the smugness Gina might have expected to hear in her voice, only a soft happiness. "He and my mother used to go off by themselves. It's hard to be private on a ship-- well, you know that. They'd leave the crew to look after us. They didn't do a real good job-- so I'd go exploring." She came forward, standing just by Gina's side, and looked up at the waterfalls, smiling. "I found this place. Never showed anyone else."
Gina looked sharply at her. "Something else you're giving me?"
Ivy shook her head, still looking at the waterfalls. "No," she said. "Sharing it."
Silence fell, broken only by the waterfalls.
"Thank you," Gina said, finally.
Ivy's hand stole into hers, cool and soft against her skin.
Main Story: In The Heart -- EPIC PIRATE AU
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (rapine: the act of plundering), poached pear 10 (for richer or poorer), chopped nuts (EPIC PIRATE AU), malt (Summer challenge 219).
Word Count: 1370
Rating: PG.
Summary: The difference between giving and sharing.
Notes: I'll go back to canon someday.
The fight had been quicker than most, less violent. Danny seemed almost disappointed when she came to get Gina out of the cabin.
"Spaniards," was her only opinion, as she held the door open. "Spineless bastards. Can't be bothered to give us a proper fight."
"That's a good thing, though," Gina said, stepping out onto the deck. She shaded her eyes while they adjusted from the dim sweet darkness of the cabin's hidden bunk to the brilliant Caribbean sun. "Fewer of us injured."
Strange, how fast she'd gone from "them" to "us" when thinking of the pirates. She'd been sailing with the Bedrock Drift less than a year, and it was second nature now.
"None of us, actually," Danny said, letting the door thump shut and stepping up by Gina. "Well, no one except Humphrey, and he doesn't really count." Gina sent her an inquiring look, and she added, "Dropped his cutlass and stepped on it. Lost a couple toes. Watch where you step."
The problem with Danny, Gina reflected, was that she said these things, and one could never tell if she was kidding or not. "Where's Ivy?" she asked, instead of continuing the topic.
Danny jerked her head at the other ship, lashed tightly to theirs. "In the hold, probably cackling. This one's full to the brim." She grinned, fiercely. "We're going to drink well tonight, my friend!"
Gina suppressed a wince. That meant roistering, lots of it-- if she was lucky, she could persuade Ivy not to get dead drunk, but the rest of the crew was a lost cause. "I'm thrilled for you," she said, managing not to sound dry. "Is it safe for me to go over, do you think?"
Danny shrugged. "Sure, why not? Somebody attacks you, just give a shout and we'll come and kill them for you."
With that somewhat uneasy reassurance, Gina made her way across to the Spanish ship, past the Spaniards lined up on the deck-- they stared and muttered among themselves, until Lars thumped a select few upside the head and demanded to know who'd taught them manners-- and down into the hold.
Ivy was not cackling. But it was pretty close.
"A good haul?" Gina asked, as she picked her way past open chests to her lover's side.
"An excellent haul," Ivy replied, glee permeating her voice. She kissed Gina, somewhat absently, then bent back down to the chest. "Look at this! Even if we divide this evenly, we're set for at least a year. We can go legal for a while!" She looked up and gave Gina that smile, the bright beautiful smile that had first caught her that warm summer night.
"I'm glad," she said, and she was, for legality meant safety, at least for a while.
"And, here..." Ivy dug in the chest, then straightened again, a necklace in her hands. "Here! For you." She held it out, still beaming.
Gina took it from Ivy's hands and held it up, catching what little light filtered down into the hold. Little golden florets dotted with emerald leaves linked in a circle from which dangled a gold-framed flower of sapphires. It really was beautiful, and it would have made a far larger impression if she hadn't already had a chest overflowing with similar pieces that Ivy had given her. Still... "It's lovely," she said. "I'll add it to the others."
Ivy paused, arrested in the middle of further pillaging, and looked back at her, puzzlement on her face. "You don't like it?"
"I do like it," Gina said, and then, spurred on by that look, added, "I do. It's just that... you know I'm going to stay, right? You don't have to keep giving me things." To bribe me, she thought, but did not say.
Ivy blinked at her. "I like giving you things," she said. "When I have them to give, you know. There's a lot of times we go hungry."
"I know," Gina said, thinking of a time last winter. "I just... I'm here to stay. For richer or poorer. I don't need things to make me stay."
Ivy opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking thoughtful.
"All right," she said. "I think I understand. Still. Keep the necklace." She smiled rather shyly. "It'll look beautiful on you. That's all I was really thinking."
Gina smiled back at her, and clasped the necklace around her neck. It felt cool and hard against her skin. "It does, doesn't it?" she asked. "I'm going to go back abovedecks."
"All right," Ivy said again, and kissed her cheek. "I'll be up in a while. Send Lars down if you see him, will you?"
Gina blinked, surprised by the suddenly calculating look on her lover's face, but said, only, "All right."
--
Almost a week later, Ivy shook her awake far too early in the morning.
Gina rolled over and stared blearily up at Ivy. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"
Ivy smiled down at her, a soft little expression that made Gina's heart contract. "Get up," she said. "I've got a surprise."
A surprise. Oh, that did not bode well. But Ivy was awake in the grey and chilly predawn air, and Ivy was never awake before the sun was up if she could help it, so whatever it was must be important. Gina got up.
"We made landfall last night," Ivy explained, leaning against the table while Gina pulled on her chemise and skirts. "This little island my father used to take us to. He and my mother would always..." She stopped, and shook her head. "Well, never mind. There's something I want to show you. This place I found."
Gina blinked at her, and laced her bodice. "All right," she said, somewhat dubiously. "This is why you wanted to talk to Lars?"
"One of the reasons," Ivy said. "Come on."
They rowed together in perfect silence from the ship to the shore, and didn't talk even then, as Ivy handed her out of the boat, pulled it up on the shore, and led her on a faint path into the green shade of the trees. The strange thing about it, Gina thought, as they walked quietly hand in hand, was that it didn't feel awkward at all, not like the silences at home, or the once between her and Ned.
It was just... comfortable. Like she belonged here, walking through a green silence with her hand in Ivy's.
"Here we are," Ivy said, at last, and turned to her. "Close your eyes, all right?"
"All right," Gina said, and closed her eyes.
Ivy took her other hand and led her forward for another few paces, around a corner, past a tree-- she could feel the leaves brushing over her face-- and...
She could hear water, she realized.
"All right," Ivy said, a few steps later. "Open your eyes."
She did, and stopped in her tracks.
The thing that struck her first about it was the color, the sheer living green of it all. Trees, bushes, undergrowth, creepers and hanging vines and even something bright and alive under the water. The water itself took on a green tinge from all the life around it, all but the waterfalls, lacy white over shaded rock.
"This is beautiful," she breathed, and stepped forward, past Ivy. "This is... how did you ever find this place?"
"I told you my father used to bring us here," Ivy said, and there was none of the smugness Gina might have expected to hear in her voice, only a soft happiness. "He and my mother used to go off by themselves. It's hard to be private on a ship-- well, you know that. They'd leave the crew to look after us. They didn't do a real good job-- so I'd go exploring." She came forward, standing just by Gina's side, and looked up at the waterfalls, smiling. "I found this place. Never showed anyone else."
Gina looked sharply at her. "Something else you're giving me?"
Ivy shook her head, still looking at the waterfalls. "No," she said. "Sharing it."
Silence fell, broken only by the waterfalls.
"Thank you," Gina said, finally.
Ivy's hand stole into hers, cool and soft against her skin.