Accidental Affair

[Celest]

"Did ya 'ear?" Whispered on woman to another. "Belleville struck the gov'nas 'ouse last night."


"No!" Gasped the other woman loudly.

"Yes! Rumored to 'ave taken 'is whole cabinet of silver." The women shook their heads mournfully.

"You lasses talkin' 'bout Belleville?" A vendor walked from behind his cart of vegetables. "I 'ighly doubt it was 'is whole set of silver. No pirate can arm that much in one trip."

The women just narrowed her eyes at the intruder of their conversation and walked away, whispering about this mysterious captain, Captain Belleville. This pirate was one that only had stories and actions to its reputation. There was no face, no gender, no real name. In the minds of men, Belleville was a man because no weaker gender could ever pull of the great feats of piracy that this captain was. Belleville was the most wanted pirates in the Royal Navy, but he seemed to always be just out of reach, a step just before the navy.

"How can this pirate get in and out of our port without being seen!" A high ranking man in the military screamed as he slammed his hand down on the wooden table, staring down a commodore and his crew. "It is not like this man is a phantom! Invisible to the eyes of mankind!" He shrieked again, spittle flying from his lips.

"M-m-maybe he has someone else do it for him? Or... someone in port that helps him." The crew member looked up at the commodore for affirmation that his comment wasn't completely daft before staring at the ground.

"Just leave! Go get Belleville. Do whatever you deem necessary to get that traitor on the end of a rope!"

***
​

"Such beautiful silver." Slender fingers ran around the bowl of a silver spoon, a greedy smirk spreading across her lips. " 'e was such a nice man to let me 'ave 'is silver utensils. It wasn't to 'ard either. Simple seduction." Delaney waved her hand nonchalantly and turned to face a couple members of her crew who awestruck by the silver set upon their dining table.

"And 'e is non the wiser, eh?" A man sneered and leaned closer to his captain.

"Aye." Was all the woman said and she licked her lower lip then brushed by the men standing there, thick boots thudding against the wood floor as she strode to her quarters.

Once safely in her rooms, she kicked off her shoes and trotted over to her desk. Once she set down, she placed her elbows on the desktop and dropped her chin into the palm of her hands, rubbing her temples with her index fingers. Piracy sure was a great life, but it came with a cost. Sure, the governor was just a man in her scheme to keep up her reputation and gain wealth, but there were so many other men that were 'just men'. It was a shame that she used her promiscuity to gain what she wanted.

Delaney Belleville. The dreaded pirate of the seas, phantom of the ports. A man in everyone else's mind, but a common whore in her own. How did she get to this point? Simple determination. The girl had grown up as lowly peasant in the countryside somewhere, bowing to whatever someone of higher status told her to do. At least that was how her life was after her father died. Her life didn't matter before he died; that part of her life didn't shape her. It was the struggle, the pain, the turmoil that turned her into the 'ruthless' pirate that had the dastardly reputation, but she wouldn't trade in her traitorous life style for one of east. Delaney has become addicted to thrill and crudeness of her life.

Shaking her head quickly, she focused down on the map spread across the desk. In three days time she was going to make port again. There was a well-to-do winery that she wanted to obtain some wine from, but the trick to that one was the fact that she wasn't going to be close to the docks. She needed some detailed planning to work this out. Maybe some disguises and wagons...

 

[Eternalfire61]

Commodores Log 136:

My days and night are getting longer and longer. The moon seems to laugh at me as I stare at it in the night. This is all because of Belleville. That damned bastard keeps me busy. If only my men knew how to deal with. All forty of them are well trained and know how to fight. Sadly, when it comes to Bellville they sit there and piss their pants. The Governor will be on my ass tomorrow as always because of Bellville. I do all I can and yet nothing gets done. Yet Belleville does it in a night. How could any man break into the Governor's manor, and steal from him. It's either a large amount of planning or a respectable amount of cunning. Either way I hate the bastard. If I ever meet Belleville in battle he'll soon feel the ropes of the gallows calling to him like his mother did when he was younger.

Still I stay up every night. The crows squawk at me while I lay in my bed. It's either in my head or someone is trying to get to me. As a respectable commodore I have so many things I have to do. All in all it's just another sleepless night. Too bad that I don't have an assistant of some sort or maybe a maid. A wife would do but I don't have the time to find one. All of my time is kept away from me by my job. Even the filthy prostitutes can't satisfy me because of how held up I am. I'm like a rabbit who is running away from the keen hunter looking for some food for the night. It still bothers me how my father could do his job so well.

My father was a respectable commodore such as myself. He was a noble man when he was in ranks. Then he started to drink. To think it was all because of mother. She was a kind woman who loved my father but didn't know her place. If father smacked her to do work she'd just have the maid do it or if she was bad and was it. The damn woman never said sorry. If I was hit I would do what I was told and even say sorry. Is it that hard. Maybe this whole thing fell apart when she starting throwing herself around. It was all because of that one night at the pub. Those sailors must have been at sea for a long time because they did it with her for the whole night. Twenty one sailors later and it was bad. Too bad my father didn't even know until he got the itch. That was two or so months later. Then she hung like any other person would have been. I suppose that's what lead father to drinking.

Once the Governor ordered his retired he slowly went into a downward spiral of course. He began smashing things and yelling at people. At time he was the best to me at some time he wasn't. That didn't matter I still respected him and did what he asked of me. Sometimes that was stealing booze from the local market but that didn't matter. I still was loyal and I always will be. That is how I make my life.

I should get some sleep. Maybe two hours or so.

~ Commodore Henry La'Vallette II


That night Henry got about two and half hours of sleep which was about as much as he usually gets. He had to wake up at dawn and do all the things that was required of him. The day was going to be rough but he always kept routine. First he would go to the docks and check on the men, then he would set the flag up on his home, afterwards he would go to the pub and get an ale. Of course he got an ale otherwise he wouldn't be able to put up the rabble of the daily common folk. To be fair he hated them. He heard stories of a peasant stealing money than giving it to the poor. To think that someone that idiotic would do that. Only the strong can keep themselves afloat.

As he walked out to the dock fresh air engulfed his nostrils. He loved the smell of the sea. That is one of the reasons why he owned a ship. The sea was like his maiden that didn't talk to him or provide anything for him. As he walked along he spotted two of his mean roaming the docks as they should. Davey and Timothy, they were good men but a bit broken when it comes to thinking. They weren't completely stupid but they did have their faults. He waved to them as they passed. His eyes focused on Davey's face when he was picking his nose. It disgusted him slightly but he understood it. One had to be rid of the green monsters that lurked in thine noses. He kept walking until he got back home. As he saw the sun finally set he put the flag up and then headed toward the pub."The filthy rat," was a nice pub that didn't exactly have rats in it, but people close to it. He ordered his usual drink then chugged it.

Then he headed to the place where he would be needed the most. Which would be the Governor's manor. He didn't want to go but he had to. He opened the door and put his hat on the hat rack. Once he walked into the meeting room the Governor slammed his hand on the table. "Who do you think you are being five minutes late." The Commodore sat down and pulled out a letter from his pocket. "That's all the damage and how much we have to pay for. I do suggest that you do not just yell at me because I am trying to work my men as hard as I can. They are incompetent and don't know how to work." Henry stood up and looked at the Governor in the eyes and walked out of the manor. He needed more to drink.

 

[Celest]

Three days. For three days Delaney paced the ship, working through plans in her head. Sometimes, she would silently talk herself through her plan or run to her room to write down the perfect scheme only to ball it up, run to the ships edge and toss it over. The crew whispered that she finally lost her sanity or took something upon herself that was too much. That wasn't the case; she was simply trying to work out the best plan ever. Then,at last, the day came for them to come into port except, it wasn't them at all!

A small boat was tied to the docks carrying a lady and a few 'protectors'. They escorted her off the boat, making sure her over sized skirts didn't trip her and her extravagant hat didn't blind her.

"Lady Lilia Hedley." A member of her crew said to the man at the dock. "That woman is a wine connoisseur and has put her sights on this town very own winery."

"W-w-well, of course!" The small man stuttered, bowing low to the lady as she just looked down at him then strode right by, snapping her fingers for the other men to bring her several pieces of luggage to the towns local inn.

The woman's heels clicked on the crack wood floors of the inn. She raised an eyebrow and glanced around at all the grungy looking up at her. It wasn't the most spectacular of places, but it would do. Not making a sound, she just waved one of the men to the front desk to get her a room key then escort her upstairs.

"Ehh! We got 'em fooled down there ain't we?" Delaney grinned as she closed the door and stacked up her empty suitcases that in a few days time would be holding many bottles of wine, depleting the rich winery in some of their greatest stock. "Bright an' early we are gettin' out to the winery. Introducin' Lady Lilia to the poor ol' man." She grinned and looked at the faces of her crew members. "This'll be a breeze."

Her crew nodded and smirked before going on their way to the local tavern with the now manly looking Delaney Belleville. She wouldn't let herself stay in a stuffy old inn if she didn't need to. The woman was going to have just as much fun as the men.