High above the endless forest that was the planet, a ship flew though the air, powered by magic. It traveled a world reclaimed by nature, humanity having lost it's hold on it due to attacks by demonic creatures.

Some took to mountain based shelters, ruled by the Church. Safe but controlled, freedom being sacrificed for life. Others took to the skies, using magic to keep their freedom. They were called pirates, shunned by most. And the pirates on this ship would turn out to be more important than most.

----

Two girls sat at a table in the crew bar, both looking to be in their early twenties. One was white skinned, with short red hair tied into a pony tail, bangs covering her brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress with a small blue denim jacket over it, with some sandals. Casual clothes for a casual day. She had a soft face and gentle features, with the exception of her eyes, which were tired and weary looking, forming a stark contrast with the rest of her face, AND her rather small and lithe body.

The other one was dark skinned, with long braided black hair and bright green eyes. Unlike her friend's face, her's was rough and hard, scarred up and tough looking, with an eyepatch over her left eye. She was medium sized, with well toned muscles that were shown off by a sleeveless red shirt with black trims . The rest of her outfit was finished off by simple blue jeans and white sneakers.

The two were playing a simple card game, a small distraction to past the time until they were needed. Nether of them were really paying attention to it, however. Both of them kept looking to the sides, the read head sighing as the black haired let out a small chuckle.

"How long have you noticed him, Grace?" The black haired one said, drawing another card, shaking her head.

"Pretty sure since he came in. What I want to know if it he notices that we know he's here?" The red head answered, tired of pretending.

"Let's ask! Hey, boy-o, you know we know you're here yet?"

He, as they called him, was not having a good day.

Well, actually, he was probably having a better day than he usually had, as most of his experiences were just generally terrible. Regardless, that didn't make it good. He was still hungry, exhausted, probably smelled bad, and his wrists were still shackled together. The choice to run away from the slaver ship he had almost been forced to board was somewhat spontaneous- people talked about how awful that ship was, worse even than the rest, and he couldn't bear the idea of that. So he had abruptly brained his captor with his shackles and made a run for it. At least he was leggy enough to outrun the security.

However, everything after that had gone downhill. He had been cornered in a boarding area, and saw no other way out besides boarding the ship besides him. The pirates couldn't follow him without getting in a mess of trouble for boarding another crew's ship, so they had left. Of course, they would probably seek reparations with the captain, and compensate them for giving them a slave who wasn't even supposed to be aboard their ship in the first place. And if it was another slave ship then he really was dead. So he had dodged the crew until he found himself in the ship's crew. Then, as stealthily as he could, he hid himself under one of the tables in the bar. He had done it without being seen- or at least, that's what he thought until the two pirate women quietly playing cards called him out.

After a few moments of panic, and debating just running away again, he reluctantly emerged from underneath the table. His eyes briefly darted to the door, and then the window, and while determining which was closer and how to reach each, he said, "I know now."

Appearance wise, he was rail thin and not very tall. His skin, while dark by nature, was darkened by the sun. He had thick black hair that obscured most of his face, which had a nose that had clearly been broken at one point, large black eyes, thick eyebrows, and a mouth that seemed too full of crooked teeth. For clothing he wore a black sleeveless top and blue jeans. An overly large blue coat with patches adorning it top it all.

The two girls looked at the boy, the black hair one slightly amused. The red hair, however, was more annoyed! "Great, a slave. He had to choose OUR ship to hide on." She groaned. "Sam, go get the captain." Grace asked her friend, standing up and walking towards the boy. "Don't move and try to run away." She warned, her face softening up now that she was actually talking to the boy. "We're not going to hurt you." She continued....a small blue light shooting out from her fingers and hitting his cuffs. Ice covered them, freezing them. "Okay, now very carefully yank your arms apart. It should break the cuffs."


Sam smiled, letting out a small chuckle. Grace going from "super annoyed with somebody" to "nice and comforting them" was always something that amused her. "You are TERRIBLE at the whole "tough guy" thing." She said, getting up, Grace shooting her a quick glare. Same waved it off, walking tot he door. "Also that's a window to the outside, kid. Don't go for it unless you can fly." She warned, heading for the ship's bridge. The captain would want to know about this, and even if Sam was positive what his reaction and orders would be, she still had to hear it right from him. "Good luck, Grace. I know you have trouble with kids." She joked as she left.

Grace shook her head, knowing that Sam was just teasing her. Her own way of telling Grace that she knew had it handled, however, making the red head smile. "Okay, kid. You have a name? What port did you get on? Tell me everything, alright?" She asked, giving him a small smile to help him feel less uneasy. "We're not going to give you back to them, alright?"

Automatically flinching at Grace's tone, he almost began backing up when she ordered him not to move. Immediately he froze in place. He watched uneasily as she froze the cuffs, shivering a little at the chill spreading around his wrists. However, he followed her directions, and the small chain snapped in half. "Thank you," he said, a little uncertainly.

Still, escape was on his mind, and his eyes drifted to the window- until Sam warned him about the fall he would have if he jumped out of it. He winced at the thought. Not exactly the way he wanted to go.

Grace's immediate barrage of questions threw him a little, but he forced himself to focus. "No name. I'm not sure about the port name, but it might have been Port Wells." He scratched his face, uncertain whether to believe her claim that they wouldn't give him back over. He felt like he could trust her and the other woman- although one could never be sure- but he had no idea if the captain was of the same frame of mind. Finally, though, he said, "ship I was getting put on was the Raven King." He eyed her for a reaction. Stories were oft told about the cruelty of the pirates aboard the Raven King, especially the captain, and it wouldn't be unlikely that she would have heard a few. If she decided to rescind her support, he was prepared to run for it.

Grave let out an annoyed grunt when he said he had no name. That meant, most likely, he had been a slave his entire life. Which meant he didn't know the pain of being pulled away from a loving family, which Grace knew was one of the greatest pains a slave could go though, But it also meant he didn't know the feeling of a loving family in the first place, and Grace wasn't sure which one was worst.

"Port Wells? Okay, the last one we were at, makes sense." She nodded, wiping her brow. She hadn't noticed, but she was getting a bit nervous. She had to be careful while talking to him, and careful wasn't something she had yet mastered the art of. "Just take it slow, Grace. Nice and slow. Where the hell is Sam can she get back here already?" She thought to herself, shaking her head to get back into focus.

And then he said the name of the ship he was going to be put on. She instantly straightened up, and looked him right in the eyes. "Stay here. Do not move from this spot. If anybody that is not me or Sam tells you to come with them, do not. If they keep on, tell them I'll...." She trailed off, knowing full well her usual threats should not be said in front of a kid. "Tell them the sun wouldn't thaw them out after Grace is done with them, okay?" She said, running off.


A few minutes past, when suddenly Grace and Sam rushed back into the room. "Raven king? RAVEN KING?" Sam yelled, looking at the kid. Her face filled with...excitement? "I'll like to see those heaps of shi- junk. Those heaps of junk TRY to mess with us." She grinned, punching her fist into her palm, pacing around. "Sink them right to the bottom of the great green forest! A good deed that will last us a year's worth of days!" She ranted, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Sam calm the HELL DOWN." Grace sighed. "We're not sinking their ship. If Raven King asks for him, we'll just say we don't HAVE him." Grave crossed her arms, tapping her foot as she waited for her friend to calm down. Nobody on this ship liked Raven King. Some simply due to the stories about them, and some due, Grace was pretty sure, to having first hand accounts of them. Point was, the ship wouldn't work with them on a matter of principle.

"And if they won't give up?" Sam asked, irked her friends would kill her excitement. "You know, forget, we'll deal with it later. Right now..." he turned her attention to the kid, smiling. "Alright, kiddo. We're gonna take you to the captain. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, so no need to worry!"

Grace was one of the types he couldn't immediately get a read on, which discomfited him. He didn't like not being able to guess what someone was about to do. She seemed just as nervous as he was, though, although he couldn't fathom why. Her abrupt departure both startled and relieved him, and he relaxed slightly. She seemed intent on protecting him, but again, he didn't understand why. He stayed where he was and tried not to fidget, and instead thought. He could just leave the room, but that seemed counterproductive, since the ship was in air. He was essentially stuck, since they knew about him and he had no avenue of escape. He just had to hope they were friendly, or that he would survive long enough to escape.

The two women returned as quickly as they had left. What they said gave him some measure of relief- although he wasn't really sure why they were so bent on monitoring their language around him. He wasn't even that young. He was like seventeen, probably. When they mentioned the captain, however, he froze. It was one thing if they wanted to help him. If the captain decided he didn't want to, he was as good as dead. He swallowed. "Okay," he managed, as he wasn't in a position to refuse.

They arrived at the captain's room with relative speed, as the two practically frogmarched him there. It was spacious, though not the largest captain's room he had stood in. Multiple shelves were lined with odd baubles of varying worth, from precious gemstones to glorified trinkets. However, the man in the center of the room was much more imposing. His face was primarily swallowed by a huge white beard, and the rest of him seemed to consist of muscle with clothing stretched across it. The captain eyed him- or at least he thought he had, as he couldn't actually see the man's eyes- and rumbled, "so this is what all the fuss is about?"

"Slave! Kid! On ship! Raven King! Fight!" Sam explained, excited at the concept of fighting some slavers. Maybe a bit too excited, all things considered! Still, she calmed down with Grace put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head. The excited woman stopped, blushing a bit and sighing, letting out a nervous chuckled. "What I mean is...uhhh. We found this kid on the ship. A stowaway slave that was going onto a Raven King. You know, those jerks. We told him we would keep him and lie to Raven King's crew's face and say we didn't have him if they asked. We totally came to this decision without thinking about your opinion about it, Captain!" Sam explained with a salute. SAm did respect the Captain, she really did! She just thought that her opinions were better in every way.

This was also way she never talked to him without Grace nearby!

"What this idiot means is that we don't think we should do business with Raven King as of matter of principle, Captain." Grace stepped in, lightly pushing Sam away and giving her an annoyed look. A look that was returned by a goofy grin, causing Grace to roll her eyes. The boisterous woman would be dead without her, she sweared. "And if they continue to bother us about it, we-"

"I'LL TOTALLY FIGHT THEM COME CAP LET ME." Sam interrupted, shoving Grace to the side. "Everybody in this room, no this SHIP knows Raven King needs to sink to the bottom of the forest! And we're just the crew to do it!" She grinned, holding up her fists. "This is our chance to make this world a better place! And besides! Look at the kid! Look at....uhh" She turned around, looking at the boy. She stared at him, her face deep in thought. Suddenly, a smile formed as she knew the perfect idea.

"Look at Rabbit! He'll be a great help to the ship!"

"....Rabbit?"
"yeah he totally looks like a rabbit. he probably likes the name. Rabbit you like your name right?"

The boy tuned most of the conversation out, although not intentionally, and instead stared up into the captains face with terror. The man was going to basically decide his fate, and he couldn't read anything from him besides intense, unchanging disapproval. Of course, his predominate facial feature was a beard, but it was an expressive beard. He gulped nervously, rather aware he looked as scared as he felt.

When Sam abruptly addressed him with a new name, he unconsciously jumped. "W-what?" He said, flinching slightly. "Um, sure." He had never really had a name before- slaves who hadn't been born into it hung onto their names, but when you were born a slave, you didn't generally didn't stay with a parent long enough to get a name. The idea of having one was a foreign concept. He let the name roll around in his brain. Rabbit. A weird name, at that.

The captain snorted, and Rabbit (as his name was now) was suddenly conscious of a hand descending toward him. He instinctively jerked away, but the man's massive hand simply came to rest on the top of his head. "Jumpy like a rabbit," isn't he?" He said, a considering tone in his voice. Rabbit held as still as possible.

His hand retreated as the captain crossed his arms. "He can stay on board. I won't go looking for a fight with the Raven King, but if she comes a calling I certainly won't say no. Clear?" Rabbit blinked in surprise. Could he actually be safe?

"SEE?" Sam mouthed when the Captain called Rabbit jumpy. She gave the captain a thumbs up, knowing her name was a good choice, was Grace just face palmed.

However, when the Captain gave his orders, Sam grew serious, nodding. "Yes sir! We won't go looking for one, but if one comes to us, we'll give it all we got!" She said with a salute, Grace just sighing besides her. "...Yay! New crew member!" Sam smiled, spinning around and facing Rabbit, beaming. "I was getting bored of the members we already had. Speaking of, time to introduce you to them! You'll be a hit!"

At this, Grace interrupted. "Sam, slow down for a second? Please? I know you're all excited, because you're never NOT excited, but...the ki-, excuse me, Rabbit probably wants to calm down." She said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Go get him something to eat, alright? I'll take him to the spare room we have and let him rest, probably get him some new clothes."

"Oh! Yeah, smart! You're so smart, Grace! A good brain to go with your good looks. I'll go get him something!" Sam said, running off and leaving Grace flushing red.

"Damn it... she tires me out." Grace muttered, a small smile on her face as she watched Sam leave. Then she realized an important detail! Rabbit and the captain was there, and saw that.

"....NETHER OF YOU SAW THAT." She yelled, grabbing Rabbit and pushing him out of the room, her face bright red.

~~~

"Gah, sorry about that." Grace told Rabbit, leading him to a spare bedroom the ship had. "I...well, it's better if we don't talk about it. Ever. At all. What were we even talking about? Exactly!" She dropped her head, sighing, embarrassed out of her mind. Stupid Sam, always making her feel so awkward. That would have to talk about that one day....but later. Not today. Maybe next year, yeah.

"Uh, anyways...Hope you like it here. I know it won't be as nice as being totally free with a nice home, but everybody here is really nice, and the food is good, and the beds are comfy!" She told Rabbit, smiling. "I know how it's like to be suddenly rip out of what you know. Even if it's too a better place, it's still kind of a shock, isn't it? But every one here will take care of you, don't worry. Just help out enough to get a decent pay, enough to set up by yourself, and you'll be a free man!"

She knew it must have been hard for the kid, and he was probably feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now. But, she was going to do everything she could to help! She didn't know why, but something about the kid she liked, and she wanted to make sure he would get though this okay.

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"Hey, we figured out what the missing slave went." A man said, walking into a room on the ship known as Raven King. Inside, a girl with bright blond hair with red steaks was getting changed, just putting on a black vest over a red t-shirt, completing her outfit with black jeans and heavy red boots.

"****, really? That was quicker than I thought." She smirked, spinning around. "Tell me where, and I'll go get that brat back. " She said, punching her palm, sparks flying off when she did.

"No need to worry about it. He wasn't worth much." The man continued, shrugging.

"Like hell! This isn't about him. This is about showing nobody escapes from Raven King! Not with ME here!" She growled, glaring at the man.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Okay. They're on a ship called...."

Rabbit was frankly having a hard time processing what was happening to him right now. A mere hour ago he was afraid for his life as he ran away from slavery, and now... He had just been given a job on a ship. And an actual job, not a 'do this thing or we cause you pain' type job. He would be paid, and he wouldn't get pushed around all the time. And he had a room. Gingerly, he patted the bedspread of the bed. It was hardly anything fancy- if anything, it was actually sort of cheap, itchy fabric on a thin mattress, but the idea of it being his was overwhelming. "Thank you," he said, managing to keep his voice level. Quickly, he forced himself to think about something else. "What... What's this ship called? And, um, is there anything I can do to help right now?" The fact that he wasn't doing anything right now was frankly making him a little anxious- like if he waited too long they would decide they were tired of him and get rid of him.

However, before Grace could answer his question, his stomach growled- loud enough to be heard by anyone else who would have been standing near by. He flushed bright red. "I'm sorry, I-" he tried to think of an excuse. "I didn't get a chance to eat anything today, so..." He trailed off awkwardly, feeling rather embarrassed. They had offered him a job and a place to stay and the first thing he did was ask for things.