“Let’s talk about what you want.” [ for theodore! ]

{ Profound & Emotional | Always Accepting }

It had been a most unfortunate shift in the relationship between himself and Aaron. The realization of the man’s intentions had – to say the very least – come out of nowhere. It was impossible to deny the implications when he had awakened, his head still stinging from the blow it had been forced to absorb, bound and gagged in what appeared to be a ship’s storage. 

It was not the first time his uniform in combination with his youth had brought about the conclusion that he was a man of gentry – a fortune clothed in purchased authority as opposed to a man who had started at twelve and worked his way into position through honest labours. It was, however, the first time anyone had gotten quite so far in their attempts to profit from it. 

Aaron had not thought his actions through entirely, it seemed. He had been discovered and now, brought into a private discussion with the man who was not only responsible for releasing him from the bonds he’d been trussed up by, but for the sanctity of this entire crew, he found himself in a most unique position for adventure he’d never quite considered before. The Navy was not the only way to live life by the sea, after all – and it was not as though he could ask pirates to leave him in a safe harbour without risking themselves, either.  

He turned it over in his mind, the whole of this situation, quietly rubbing feeling back into the numbness of his fingers as he chased debates until he found the answer most suitable. As always, it was the truth – he had never been a man for lies – but perhaps it was a bit too much of the truth for a question that perhaps had been seeking a simpler answer. 

“To live a life that leaves behind no regrets is all I have ever wanted — and for that, I have always found myself relatively prepared for the strange twistings of fate life can sometimes bestow upon people.” Easing his gaze up, he took this time to observe Captain Flint thoughtfully. He had heard of him, naturally – a pirate so infamous as he was hardly going to go unheard of in Port Royal, where he was one part hero and one part monster, depending on who was spreading his legend at the time. 

It was interesting to note, that in all the stories that spoke of his eyes ( some saying they glinted silver when he killed a man, others going so far as to say they turned as red as his beard ) not a one saw fit to mention they held differing hues. As always, it was the truth that was more captivating than the stories and their embellishments, which furthered Theodore’s appreciation for honesty.

“In this moment what I want is to know how I can be of service on this ship. There is no room on board for idle hands, this I know quite well. I am afraid your man was mistaken in thinking I would be very profitable – my position was not purchased, and the only money to speak of in my family is what I send home to my sisters, and what they manage through sewing clothes for rich women who are quite unlikely to pay for a man they’ve never met. Sympathy can be purchased, that much is true, though as I would rather die than have my sisters trade themselves for me – that leaves my worth in what I am capable of as a sailor, as opposed to what I can be sold for.”