You Can't Spell "Pirate" Without "Irate".

[not so Fabulous Fabio]

Alfred was nervous. It was apparent by how jittery he was, unable to keep still as he let his eyes wander over every object that decorated the parlour he sat in. He was very nervous, indeed, as he waited to meet his gracious host, one Lord Arthur Kirkland. He had no idea what this man was going to be like. All he knew was that the man was a privateer and was in need of a first mate.

And apparently Alfred was applying for that job.

It wasn't exactly a willing thing. He had been dragged there ( not literally ) by his brother who happened to be a friend of this privateer. For someone who was supposed to be his friend, Matthew hadn't told him much about this Lord Kirkland. Or maybe he had and Alfred hadn't been listening. He should have paid more attention to Matthew on the trip here. Granted, it was difficult to pay attention to his brother in general and he had been jittery even before they had arrived.

Even though he still wasn't paying any attention to his brother, Alfred was glad that he was here with him. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he had to wait in this room by himself. He'd probably be up pacing or fiddling with the furniture, which would somehow lead to a disaster. If he tried to stand up now, he knew Matthew would snap at him. He wasn't sure what to do with himself when he was just sitting, though.

Where was Lord Kirkland, anyway? He wasn't an expert on entertaining guests, but Alfred was pretty sure that people weren't supposed to leave their guests waiting for so long. Well, he sounded like an important person, so he was probably busy. Hopefully he wasn't too busy... Alfred would hate to be a bother. Wonderful, he was only making himself even more nervous.

[Lord Arthur Kirkland]

Lord Arthur Kirkland was in need of a new crewmember. He hadn't had the slightest clue about finding one, aside from his usual strategy of patrolling the taverns and pubs for sailors he could tempt off with promises of rich spices, gold, silver, jewels, and silks, without being pursued by the Royal Navy no less! Yet, he needed a capable and not so rowdy member for this job, so his usual strategy had failed.

When intelligence failed, Arthur was sometimes a lucky man, and in this case, Matthew Williams was the source of his good fortune. The young man had assured Arthur that his brother was a good match to be his first mate. Matthew was a good kid, so Arthur did trust him, and if it had been a less important positon, Arthur would have hired the brother on the spot. However, the first mate was a key position and Arthur needed to make sure this young man was the very best or at least useable.

Either way, the appointment had been made, and finally the date had arrived. Being the gracious host that he was (and also wanting to test the young chap's nerves), Arthur let Alfred sit alone in his house for a while. Once that was through, Arthur deigned to grace the young man with his presence.

"Ah, you must be young Mortimer's brother... He has said much of you. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. As you already know, I am Lord Arthur Kirkland, captain of The Royal Fortune. So then, let's hear about your experience with ships. I want to know what you can do and what you have done," Arthur wasted little time with pleasantries and geared the conversation for business. He was an impatient man, and certainly not one for idle chit chat.

[not so Fabulous Fabio]

Alfred had begun to believe that Lord Kirkland wasn't interested in meeting him, and was prepared to leave without speaking to him. Just as he was about to stand, he saw movement in the doorway, and finally his host had arrived. He made sure to sit up straight and hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt.

From this first impression of Lord Kirkland, Alfred could only feel intimated. Clearly he was a serious man, judging by how formal and straightforward he was. Alfred, himself, was rather laid back and wasn't usually very good at dealing with serious people. 'I just have to stay professional,' he told himself, 'and not say anything that will make me sound like a fool.'

He opened his mouth to tell the other of his experience, but he couldn't think of the right words and ended up sitting with his mouth hung open for a few moments. Eventually he managed to stutter out, "M-Mortimer?" Oh God, he was doomed. (Though he was legitimately curious about who Mortimer was. Perhaps he did have the wrong date after all....)

If he hadn't been obviously nervous before, he surely was now. "N-nevermind that! U-um... my experience with ships, right...." What was his experience? What had he done? Did he even qualify for this job? He might as well prepare to be shot down already. "Well... I used to work on the docks, loading and unloading ships, you know? And I've been out to sea before. On a fishing boat." What else was there? Oh, he wished Lord Kirkland would just send him away already so he wouldn't have to risk embarrassing himself any further.

(( Yeah, so, I don't actually know what kind of experience a first mate should have. /derp Googledidn'thelp. ;n; ))

[Lord Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur chose to remain silent as Alfred talked, keeping a blank (though quite haughty) expression on his face. The privateer wanted to see how the other handled uncomfortable situations. If a little interview like this shook the boy up too much, Arthur wasn't sure he'd be capable as a first mate. He needed someone to rely on, someone who would take care of his dear ship if Arthur was incapacitated... It would be a lie to say that the thought of needing to rely on someone made Arthur feel uneasy. However, Arthur was no fool and knew quite well that he simply couldn't forgo a first mate, even if that would make this part easier.

The other man seemed to handle himself well enough, despite the obvious nervousness. Arthur waited a while, taking his time to draw up a response in his head. "I see... Then you certainly have adequate experience. Explain to me why you think young Maxwell recommended you to me. What are your strengths?" Arthur asked, looking directly at Alfred. He wanted to observe everything, any telling detail, any potential mutiny, anything.

Alfred simply seemed like a nervous young man who wasn't dangerously ambitious. Lord Kirkland almost wanted to be suspicious because Alfred was simply so... agreeable. Then again, Alfred's brother was a trustworthy young man, and perhaps he was right about Alfred. The privateer wasn't completely sure. Perhaps he'd go along with this, but he'd sleep with an eye open and always keep a hand on his pistol or dagger. Not that he wasn't usually cautious and mistrusting of others... Really it would be a marked change if he managed to completely trust the potential first mate.

[not so Fabulous Fabio]

Lord Kirkland wasn't getting any less intimidating, and that wasn't helping Alfred feel any less nervous. If the man would just stop giving him that sort of 'better-than-you' look.... He already knew that the other was better than him, so why did he have to stare down at him like that? Well, it would make sense if he was purposely trying to intimidate him. Yeah, that was probably it....

Alfred took a moment to clear his throat and gather his thoughts before he answered this time. He needed to sound more confident and to stop saying foolish things. Though, the random names that Lord Kirkland kept saying were really throwing him off. Who was Maxwell? And he didn't get his answer about Mortimer.... But that wasn't important right now.

"Well, in general, I have strength. I'm really strong! You know, because I was unloading all those ships, so I had to do a lot of heavy lifting." There we go, that came out much better than before. Now, what else could he say? His strengths were... making friends easily and being able to stomach just about anything. Neither were probably anything Lord Kirkland would care about. What would the privateer want to hear was the question.... "I'm a pretty trustworthy guy, I think. I've never gone back on my word before, and I've always been loyal to anyone deserving of my loyalty." Did that make sense? Oh well....

In perhaps and attempt to lighten the mood a bit, he grinned and added, "Also, I've got an iron stomach. I swear I can eat anything!"

[Lord Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur felt something akin to pity for the young man. Alfred seemed so nervous, and Arthur wasn't making his job any easier, nevertheless, Arthur felt a certain... trust for the American. Despite the nervousness and apparent lack of intelligence, Alfred seemed capable to some extent. If not, he would certainly be easy enough to manipulate, and that was certainly something Arthur didn't mind having in a first mate. It meant there was a smaller chance of mutiny, at least from the first mate.

"Well your 'iron stomach' will have to know how to eat hard tack. Consider yourself hired. I suppose you are looking forward to working alongside your brother, Maximus. He is a trustworthy young lad, with decent judgement. While I do not condone nepotism, I will listen to his counsel. You are to report to my ship at dawn in three days time. If you are late, we shall set sail without you and I shall name someone else a temporary first mate. If you cross me, consider your life forfeit. If you make too many mistakes, you will be demoted to cabin boy before being dropped off at the next port. Do you understand? We can work out shares and wages once you've agreed," Arthur explained. He stood up and briskly walked to his desk, retrieving a quill and paper to write a contract upon.

"Now then, for the terms... Do you need any special accommodations? I can't promise I will meet them all, however, I do want you to be frank with me. We will be sharing a ship together and I want no unpleasant secrets from you. You will follow all my orders to the letter, is that clear?" Arthur glanced at Alfred, impatient for the other's reply. He tapped his quill on the table, with the inkwell lying on the table nearby.

"Come on then, I don't have all day."

[not so Fabulous Fabio]

... Had he heard that right? Hired? This whole time, he was expecting Lord Kirkland to laugh at him and kick him out, but instead he was hired? Well, this was a fantastic turn of events! Alfred grinned, listening intently and nodding as the other spoke. "Right! Yes, sir, I understand completely. I'll definitely be there!" Three days, he had said? He could remember that, definitely. Matthew probably wouldn't let him forget anyway.

At the thought of wages, he wondered just how much he should ask for. How much was too much? Did he need a lot? Kirkland could probably spare quite a bit, but Alfred didn't want to ask him to. Well, they could figure that out later, right?

More importantly, did he have any secrets or anything he felt the need to share? Not really.... Nothing of significance that would effect anyone else. "O-oh, uh... I don't really need anything special. I like to think I'm pretty low maintenance...." He hoped he wasn't lying right now, but he honestly couldn't think of anything. "And, of course I'll follow your orders. I'd make a pretty awful first mate if I didn't right?"

[Lord Arthur Kirkland]

"Your wage shall be attached to the plunder we get. A portion of it will go to the crown, seeing as we are privateers, then the rest will be divided in the usual manner. I will get the largest portion as the captain, the rest will be divided equally between the crew, well, aside from the amount allotted to compensate for any who might lose an appendage. However, seeing as you are an officer, I think your wage will be a share and a half. Does this sound agreeable, Jones?" Arthur explained, though he was not going to allow any disagreements or bartering from Jones' side (unless it meant a greater profit for Arthur). Profit. Well, that certainly was the point of the voyage, wasn't it? Lord Arthur, of the old noble family Kirkland, needed more money, and he was going to steal some with the permission of the monarchy.

"Judging from what I have gathered from this interview, you will be an adequate first mate and addition to my crew. We shall see if I will be able to keep this opinion of you once we've set sail," Arthur sent a glare that said 'Don't you dare disappoint me, Jones'. Not even waiting for Alfred's response to his earlier questions, Arthur began to organize the papers on his desk. Alfred's agreement was practically decided, and Arthur's will was close to law, particularly on the ship. If the other man found it disagreeable, Arthur would find another first mate and that would be that. He was not going to bargain about his authority.

"If this business has been decided, take your leave, Jones. I have other matters to attend to." Arthur gestured for Alfred to shoo away.

[not so Fabulous Fabio]

Alfred was very sure that there would be no point in arguing with Lord Kirkland over his wages as it would only lose him the job he had just obtained. Anyway, the deal seemed fair enough, so he didn't have a reason to complain. He wasn't sure what a typical first mate's share would be, so how was he to know if he was being cheated or not? Surely Lord Kirkland wasn't the type of person to do such thing? "That sounds just fine, sir."

He was glad the other found him adequate, though he hoped that eventually his opinion would change. He wanted to be thought of as more than just 'adequate'. Well, he'd prove himself better than that soon enough! "I'm fairly sure you won't have to worry about your opinion changing in a bad way." Alfred said with a grin. Now that he was officially hired, he felt a burst of confidence that he wished he had had during the actual interview. Oh well, it was too late to dwell on such things.

And aparently he was being kicked out already. Well, there wasn't really a reason for him to stay any longer, so that was fine. "Right, right! I'll see you in three days then!" he offered the other another grin before turning to leave. Wait, where was the exit again?

[Lord Arthur Kirkland]

"Three days. Don't be late," the captain groused. He had lots of things to do. After all, he had to make sure his things were in order so he could hop on a ship and sail across the world in search of fortune and perhaps even fame. A part of Arthur liked to think he'd end up getting a knighthood at the end (rather than a short rope and a long fall if he were to mess up- Arthur had not forgotten Captain Kidd). The idea of his corpse being put on display wasn't a particularly appealing idea to Arthur either. If he screwed up, after the hanging, they chain his body up so that it could be held in place as it rotted, then hung up on a gibbet. How civilized... Though this image was still more appealing than that of being drawn and quartered. But, Arthur reminded himself that he was a loyal man, and he wouldn't give them fodder for pirate accusations. There was a distinct line between a privateer working for the King and a criminal pirate, or so Arthur told himself.

Of course, it was much too late for these misgivings to stop Arthur. So the gentleman in question merely stuffed his misgivings and fears into a tiny box and buried it in the back of his brain. There was nothing quite like good English repression followed by a nice cuppa...

The three days that passed were filled with much preparatory work for Lo- no, Captain Arthur Kirkland. It was quite the relief when it came time to finally board the ship. He quickly began to make sure the crew was present, so that he could begin to bark out orders. The quicker they got out to sea, the quicker he'd have more coin in his pocket, and the Kirkland's wouldn't be known for their lack of wealth anymore. Arthur was going to be the Kirkland who raised their family name out of the mud.

---------------------------
Hooray~ Some historical notes

Captain William Kidd - A privateer who was essentially a victim of both circumstance and his own mistakes, and ended up tried and hanged for being a pirate. His body was then gibbeted (put on display in the method described earlier in this post)

gibbeting- as you can tell, displaying the body in such a manner was quite common, most notably for pirates. The entire body could be displayed, but if someone was drawn and quartered, the pieces of the body would be displayed in multiple places.

drawing and quartering (a.k.a. hanged, drawn, and quartered)- a very... interesting punishment for treason... I wouldn't read past this if you're weak of stomach, it's disturbing. The prisoner would be dragged to the place of execution by either a sledge or a horse, then the prisoner was hanged but cut down before they died. After that, they'd be disemboweled and their entrails burned. Finally, they'd be beheaded and then cut up into quarters with a limb to a section.

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