Cloud looked up, hearing a commotion at the cell door. There was screaming and struggling, along with swearing all blended into a cacophony that could only mean one thing: they had found enough men to drag Barret to the prison.
The door opened. There was nothing more than the waning quarter near the water’s edge and a distant torch carried by a soldier. Still, the light shed by the open door was momentarily blinding.
It took three men to shove Barret into the cell. "I’ll face no charges but those given to me by my king!" he yelled.
"Your King," Cloud and Tifa heard Rufus say, though they could not see them. "Rules less than the whole of a tiny island. He may own a vast empire, stolen from the natives of all the lands he can conquer, but until he can settle it, he does not rule the seas. That dame has only one master, and until she strikes us down, he master shall always be Shinra: My father before, and with his death, now me."
Barret was shoved down the stairs and Cloud was astounded that he heard none of them break.
Instead, though, he heard a deep growling from under the stairs.
The door to the prison had slammed shut so no one saw whatever creature was there move, but suddenly the leg of Barret’s pants were in something’s toothy and frothy jaw.
Then as soon as it had struck, the creature released Barret’s pants, leaving him without a scratch.
"You are not him. That leg is real," they all heard someone say.
"Did that thing just talk?" Barret asked.
"How can it?" Tifa asked.
"I did not even know it was here!" Cloud said. "I been here five minutes and we be fed to monsters. I thought we were to be hanged."
"I be no monster," the thing replied. "I be no man, either if you be starting to suspect."
"What are you?" Barret asked.
"I have no name but Nanaki, the name the native humans had and I chose it for myself when I found such a time when I needed one. The professor that had me caught calls me Red. As educated as he is, he is far from eloquent with names, at least those for creatures that bear no human appearance."
Cloud reached out to touch the creature, finding it covered in fur that would have made that of a mink seem course and prickly as a porcupine had the sailor touched one before to compare. Finding the way of the grain of the fur, Cloud began to pet it.
"It’s soft," Cloud said, almost giggling.
"You’re rather forward," Nanaki said.
"My hair’s always been that way," Cloud said.
"Where’d ye come from?" Barret asked.
"A place called Africa. I learned to speak from traders there, though they would have rather skinned me than taught me had they any knowledge. The professor had me caught by three men and a woman with strange accents and care only for coins. I am the thirteenth of my species; the traders got the rest of my pack before the others. The professor always addresses me by that number."
"Not very original, is he?" Cloud asked, now scratching the creature’s ears.
"No, not really," Nanaki concurred.
Barret sighed. "So we be all that of my crew?" he asked.
"I ain’t really of any crew," Tifa said. "The others were all shot when they found the ship."
They all stopped, hearing something rattle in the lock of the door. Barret was the only one hopeful; he wondered if anymore of his crew had survived.
"Hey," someone whispered. No one recognized them.
"Who be you?" Barret asked.
"I go by Sharkbait. Me captain be looking for a replacement crew."
"So? What’re you in for?"
"I ain’t in. I is out. You be too if you come with me."
"What blather is this. Why go to a jail in a guarded ship to risk us all set afire for a crew."
"I heard the famous Captain Wallace was acaptured. I take it that be you?"
"What of it?"
"You be taken by Shinra. You either be hanged in the morrow at the gallows or you kin come with me."
"Why us?"
"I had to be asured you be against Shinra. My captain needs a crew that’s keen on stayin’ away from them. Convince me captain ta take ya and you’ll be free as birds."
"What ‘bout the dog?" Barret asked.
"I’ll follow anyone who promises food as well as freedom."
"That be a dog?" the young boy asked. "It talks."
"Much better than you, ironically," Nanaki said. "Not to offend, young one."
"What’s it look like?" Sharkbait asked.
"We don’t know, it’s dark," Cloud answered. "Maybe we kin pass it off as a cat."
"I be no cat. I’ll follow anyone until they need me not too. If I can manage to blend as a cur for one night, I’ll be free of the professor. He seemed to be nervous of the fact of his master Rufus using this cell or finding me."
"And you, be you my crew or do I leave you to the crows?"
"I’ll come along," Cloud said. "I hate crows."
"And I hate bein' their dinner, I say we join. Something like this is our Lord smiling upon us."
"Naw, I just be Sharkbait," Sharkbait said.
"I’m a good crew. I been on ships. I can raise sails as good as any man," Tifa answered.
"Then it be settled. I know a loft yous kin stay the night, then we try and get me captain out of port and all we need to hope fer is fair weather and no spoils."
……………………………………………………………………………………………
"Cid! Put that snuff away, I got you a crew like you asked!" Sharkbait yelled, running down the dock.
"Where?" he asked. "And keep it down. No one knows where them Turks could be lurking."
"You found us a ship?" Sharkbait asked.
"The best I’m gonna," Cid said sighing.
"Whoa!" Sharkbait exclaimed, looking at the gigantic ship. "That’s huge! How many sails—"
"Who cares? Where’s my damned crew?" Cid asked.
"Behind me."
"That’s it?"
"With the survivors included, it would make a total of eight. Seven if you don’t want a dog," Sharkbait said.
"Seven? I only see two men—oh no! No! I’ll be damned if I’m bringing a woman on board. Them’s bad luck. Trousers on deck, corsets on land!"
"What about Shera?" Sharkbait asked defiantly.
"Any o’ ya cook?" Cid asked.
Everyone including Nanaki shook their heads.
"That’s why she’s stayin’. I can’t find one blasted cook in all the Caribbean! I’m cursed with her!"
"What about Aeris?" Sharkbait asked.
"Aeris is special. You know that. I ain’t takin’ anymore skirts on board."
"Got a spare pair of trousers?" Tifa asked.
"No. No. No. And damned be the Lord and the Sea, no. Once I git a man ta cook, the only thing ‘sides Aeris with breasts on the ship is the figurehead. No."
Sharkbait glared at him, but he didn’t move or change in attitude. Sharkbait grabbed Cid’s large hand and jammed the open palm against the tattered shirt on the young child’s own chest.
"Sweet Mary’s tits!" Cid exclaimed, pulling the shirt away and looking down. "You got ‘em too—"
Cid was cut off from any ending to his sentence by Sharkbait’s fist meeting with is face, knocking him into the water.
Seemingly more at ease than a fish, Cid surfaced and lifted himself back to the dock.
"What are you getting’ ideas ta strike me for?"
"I gave you a free feel, I di’n’t invite you in!" Sharkbait exclaimed.
"Git!" He yelled.
"Whadda ya mean, ‘git?’" she asked.
"I mean I said there ain’t never be women on my ship long as I can help it and I meant it!"
"Shinra pay a damned good, you know that Cid."
"You wouldn’t!" he yelled.
"I ‘ould report Aeris and the lot of them. Sweet God knows they’ve got the gold I always bin awantin’"
"You keep yer damned mouth shut, you!" Cid said. "Fine. I’ll take the women. I’ll even take the dog if it’ll eat rats."
Nanaki nodded, not offended in the least.
"Jus’ keep word o’ Aeris away from Shinra. You a captain?" Cid asked Barret. He was the only one with a look in his eye that meant he had a mission, a desire to set sail for certain lands for certain reasons, not just to set sail.
"Aye. First we leave port. We sail north. Towards the keys."
"Smart man. Lost the warships in the rocks and keys, lose the search parties where there be too man to search. You know your way ‘round ‘em?"
"They be a treasure to me. I’ve escaped into ‘em more times than I can remember. Ho good be your navigator?"
"Go on up an’ meet her," Cid said. "Rest of you, on the ship. Now. Get this crate movin’ afore I keelhaul you to catch supper!"
"Sharkbait!" Barret yelled form the ramp.
"Yessir?" she asked.
"I like you. Gotta thank you too. What be yer name? Yer real one?"
"For real I is Yuffie," She answered. "You ain’t goin’ to the keys, are ya?"
"Oh I be goin’ to the keys. I just ain’t gonna hide in ‘em. Gonna drag Shinra to be eaten by bottomfeeders on ‘em. You gonna tell the captain?"
"No, I bin on trips more crazy. I ain’t gonna save ya if ya git us killed. I’ll kiss ya if ya git me treasure."