Pirate spin off that got buried in my writing folder... Unedited.

She had never talked to Mordekai before. His terrifying demeaner did not escape her, but it was more than that when it came to the large, strong Buccaneer shark. The scars, while she knew he couldn't help it, weren't exactly welcoming either. So, when she had to brace herself for what she knew was coming, her heart sank. Mordekai wasn't exactly friendly before, but he'd be even less amiable with the news she was bringing.

He grinned, looking out the window as he sat, perched on the loft with an axe in hand. "She's pretty, sir," The brunette said, twisting the weapon carefully, but he seemed relaxed about it. The shark grunted. "Reddish blonde, a shy smile, and she's one of Fish's students."

"A musketeer?" He scoffed. "One lesson from me and she would break in half."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Nah, she's tougher than you think. Not a bad shot either,"

He laughed. "To be one of his students you must be more than 'not a bad shot', boy."

The brunette only kept that same silly grin on his face. "I meant with that axe she's using."

At this, his interest peaked. "She is using a buccaneer's weapon?" Taylor nodded.

"Yeah, and for a first time, unexperienced slob, she's not doing too bad. Not as good as me though."

He rolled his eyes. "One of these days that attitude will get you into serious trouble." Following the younger boy's gaze however, he saw that his student wasn't wrong. She was working quite well, and the footwork was solid, her hands firm, but she wasn't putting her whole body into it, hesitating. A rookie mistake, but if she came to see him, maybe he could break her of that habit.

Then again, she was only a musketeer. "-Not sure if that means she is." He heard, and cursed his wandering mind. To seem only mildly interested, he grunted. "I think she's one of Avery's. I've heard she's one of the Armada's biggest thorns. Pretty impressive for someone so unwilling to get her hands dirty.

Mordekai sighed. "Musketeers have redeeming qualities. You would do well to respect her." He didn't sound particularly convinced.

"Like you put up with any of Avery's other lieutenants? They all drive you insane, the Commodore especially." Taylor grinned knowingly, pulling a blade out of his boot and watching it unfold into a full-length sword.

Ignoring his pupil's words, he looked at the blade. "Where did you get that?"

Taylor shrugged. "I asked Lafitte if she had anything for Avery's favorite little pet." Mordekai gave him a pointed look, and he sighed. "And I paid her a little gold for it. She's been at that for days now. She'll never get better at this rate."

"So, you plan to teach her how to wield a blade? She is not strong."

"Maybe not as buff as you or me, but she's quick, predicts movements, understands the actions of her opponents sometimes better than they do. I've seen her fight."

"You are not as capable as Lafitte when it comes to agility or swiftness. What can you teach her?"

"The basics. All she needs to know to be able to pick up a sword and keep herself alive for a little while."

He shook his head. "You want to get close to this girl. Who is she to you? Why do you insist upon going out of your way to help her?"

Taylor snorted at the age-old shark. "Aw, you know me! Always after one pretty lady or another!" This in fact, wasn't entirely untrue. Taylor was a little bit flirtatious, and the shark wasn't sure what the young boy saw in her, but whatever it was, it had to be something. Maybe he really was getting blind in his old age.

"Maybe she can teach you something." The ancient buccaneer said lowly. This perked up the young man's interest, and he chuckled. "I am not entirely out of surprises just yet."

She sprawled out in the small patch of grass breathing heavily. The axe was heavy, unwieldy, and made her feel clumsy. She longed to grab a rifle and shoot targets like it was nobody's business, but if she went with her gut, she'd have to try something new, and she couldn't rely on her skills as a sniper to get her anywhere in Valencia. The clouds in the sky were small wisps, floating about, barely worthy of the name, but she inwardly was glad she wasn't on her ship. Her crew had been given two weeks leave, something she insisted upon before shooing them all from Avery's office. They had actually waited for her to leave, but upon seeing her exhaustion, the old captain offered for her to stay and sleep for a few hours, at least until she could walk without falling over her feet.

The break, she decided, had been much needed for months now. She'd cleansed herself of burns and gunpowder, and just breathed for the first time since her parents had died. For what felt like forever, she'd been obsessed with the idea of filling her life with other people, but that only made her feel more lonely and empty, a void stretching into her heart that nothing would fill.

The loneliness and the emptiness somehow felt right. More than being around people had.

Another change, she supposed. Before it all, she'd loved people and jokes, and laughter, but the things she'd been forced to endure had changed that. The sweetest sound to her was one of silence.

The clattering of hooves caught her attention, but she couldn't be bothered to care. When the sound grew closer, and the gallop slowed to a trot, until the stallion let loose a cry that made something in her heart clench, she turned her head and saw a smiling young man. Maybe a few years older than she was, with eyes brighter than the sun meeting her gaze, sitting atop a crystal creature of a blue body with a red mane and tail, he looked like he had done something mischievous and gotten away with it without anyone realizing.

"Hi there!" She said cheerily, though the thought of a real conversation drained her energy almost instantly. "Can I help you with something?"

He dropped to the ground, and reached a hand out for her to clasp. "I'm hoping you won't mind lending me a moment of your time."

She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"I'm in need of a sparring partner, my usual one is busy at the moment, and can't be bothered with my petty need for practice." She seemed surprised, looking up and down the armor he wore. He must have thought she could wield a blade. Any fool looking at her could easily tell she didn't know what she was doing.

"I'm not really a swords and knives kind of fighter-" She tried to explain, but he snorted.

"You're not half bad, trust me. I'd know."

"I mean, I guess if you want to practice?"

"Do you know a place?" He asked, brushing the messy blonde locks out of his face. "I'm just staying here, and I don't have a lot of space in case things get hairy."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I know a place, I can get us there."

"Awesome!" He grinned. "I'm Taylor Aldridge."

She hesitated. "Grace," she replied finally. "Grace Randall."

"Grace," he said, watching her eyes meet his in the blink of an eyes. "Well, Miss Randall, I shall be escorting you to this prime sparring destination." He climbed back into the saddle, and reached for her hand. Her heart skipped a beat, and looking back, she wouldn't be able to find a real reason for her trusting this stranger so easily. She would blame his charm, or his wit, or even his good looks, but in that moment, all she could see was the glimmer in his eyes.