Stowaway

Writers: Devin
Date Posted: 16th April 2008

Characters: Jerroll
Description: Jerroll discovers a girl hiding on his ship
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 4

The docks were quiet except for the distant sound of crews enjoying themselves. Cosani crept from shadow to shadow, ducking behind crates on her way toward the ship. A burst of laughter made her cringe and duck low. Two men passed nearby singing something, the words muddled.
Cosani waited until their voices were fading before peeking out behind the stack of crates. They were out of sight. She turned back around and looked at the ship she was making her way toward. The Silver Sails. She'd heard a few people mention it was headed across the sea, bringing goods to snowbound Dragonsfall Weyr. She clutched her small bag of belongings and hurried up the gangplank to the deck.

~*~*~*~*~

Jerroll rubbed his sore head and cursed himself again for drinking too much last night. Lerra had been sure to give her orders _extra loud_
this morning just to rub it in. He made his way through the lower deck, checking to make sure all the cargo was properly secured before they set out. He held the glow basket high and blinked against the pain it sent lancing through his eyes. Slowly, he went around the port side, moving toward the back. Ah, there was a crate that was out of place. It was too far from the wall and didn't look like it had been secured at all. He'd need to have a talk with the crew later.

Setting the glow basket on top of the crate, he paused, eyes widening.
There was someone back there. His first thought was that maybe it was one of the crew, sleeping off a night of drinking. Lifting the glow basket closer, he saw that it was a girl. **A stowaway, then.**
Jerroll set the basket down again and reached to shake her shoulder.

The girl shifted in her sleep, making a protesting noise. The moment she opened her eyes, they widened and she jerked back against the wall.

"Calm down," Jerroll said. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I would like to know what you're doing on my ship."

Fear left the girl's eyes and her jaw stiffened. "I need to get to the Weyr. It's very important, but I don't have the marks to pay for passage."

How old was she? Thirteen or fourteen, maybe? Nearing the age when girls started to be married off. He wondered if there was trouble at home. "So you thought you'd get a free ride on my ship?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Her eyes narrowed and she dug roughly in the small bag beside her.
"Here!" She thrust a tiny pouch at him. "That's all the marks I have."

Jerroll dumped the pouch into his hand and counted what was there. Not even a full mark. He looked back up at the girl. Her stern expression slipped and she said, "Please, I need to get to the Weyr."

"This isn't enough to pay, and I don't let people ride for free," he said. The girl opened her mouth and he held up a hand. "But ... if you're willing to pay for your passage by working, I'll talk to the Captain and convince her to let you stay."

The girl gave him a scrutinizing look. "What kind of work?" She'd heard things about what happened to girls aboard ships.

"Cleaning the deck, helping with meals, that kind of thing," he said.
"Nothing improper if that's what you're thinking." He got up from his crouch and lifted the glow basket.

"I can work," the girl said, also getting to her feet.

"Alright. Then come with me, and we'll go talk to the Captain."

The girl followed him through the lower deck, frowning in thought.
"Wait ... did you say the Captain was a her?" She must have misheard that. Women weren't Captains.

Jerroll smiled. "Yes, I did. Captain Lerra is a very fine captain. I'm her First Mate, Jerroll." When the girl didn't respond, he prompted, "And what's your name?"

"Cosani," she said. Maybe she would be able to stay on the ship, since the Captain was a woman. She had to understand what it was like for girls. **I shouldn't have to play on sympathies,** she chided herself.
But if that was what she had to do to get to the Weyr, then so be it.

Last updated on the April 17th 2008

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Stowaway