"Wake up ya blubberin' bloody piece of...Eh....Whatever."
"I'm awake."
"Of course ya are, Miss Dash. Of course ya are."
The captain threw down his short cigar into the dirt. The morning light surrounded the fields of the small plantation. Pirates went to and fro from the Ragnarok anchored by the shore and the hut where the crew was staying. Rainbow was resting on a heavily leaning palm tree. The trunk's grooves were not the most comfortable bed in the world, but it was better than most things she slept on. Caramel was sitting on the grass with what looked like a large pen and a small canvas was on his knees. He was not paying her any heed as he looked out into the Bay. An array of paints in small bowls was at his side. Rainbow, in her half-awake state, was confused by his actions.
"Uh...What ya doing cap'n?" She yawned in the middle of her question.
"Painting." He said absently.
"Painting? Aren't ya a pirate? You know, y'ar and buccaneer...y? What does a pirate captain have with...art?"
His absent gaze shot to her. "Miss Dash...If there's one thing I'm good at, it's art. Why should I reject my inherent talent because of a name?"
"Well...When you put it that way..."
"Besides, it helps me remember where I've been. After a while, all these places look the same in your mind, but not on canvas. On canvas, everything is how it should be: unique. It's my way of collecting memories that will last longer than my own. To tell ya the truth, I painted before I was a....rogue privateer. No one teached me. Teached meself. Saw the great arts of the 1st Imperial Era in Canterlot. Ever since, I've aspire to be like 'em. I ain't gonna let some ships and fighting, and lootin' get in my way."
Rainbow sat up on her palm tree. The captain continued his painting in silence. She pushed herself off the trunk, her feet landed in the soft dirt with a rather loud thump. She walked over to Caramel and inspected his art over his shoulder. From the first glance, his boast about being good was wholly satisfied. The semblance between the actual Bay and his art was incredible. With every stroke was a new blade of grass, a new texture on the bark, a new reflection on the water. His strokes ceased and he turned to her.
"Do ya mind? Bloody Hell! Ya slept in that shirt? Looks like ya ran in a butcher shop!"
Rainbow looked down at her shirt. It retained the blood stain of the soldier she killed the previous night. The shirt did indeed look awful. He blinked at her for a couple seconds before reaching in his pocket and pulling out a few bitpieces. He then lifted them for Rainbow to take.
"Go get yaself a new one lass. Las' thing I need is my crew lookin' like cannibals......And don't get in no trouble."
Rainbow accepted the bitpieces from the calloused hand. The amount he gave her was far more than what was necessary for a simple shirt. She placed them in her pocket. Just then, she realized that she was wearing a shirt that made her look like a murderer. It would be better to change before going, she thought. She instinctively started to take off the shirt. Caramel growled angrily.
"Miss Dash, I'm trying to paint a damn piece of beautiful historic art here! I don't need distractions....No matter how temp...I mean, have some decency."
She pulled her shirt down. "I can't go like this. I'll be pummeled by the Guards. I need a clean shirt. Well...I don't know of any spares."
He slid his work aside and quickly took off his sleeveless jacket from his robes. He then tossed it to the young pirate in silent frustration. Rainbow gave him a mouthed "thanks" and put the jacket on. It was, needless to say, too large for her and the ends went almost to her knees. The captain returned to his work without commenting on how ridiculous the girl looked.
"I'll see ya around I guess..." Rainbow muttered before walking away.
Rainbow left the captain to his art. She was heading for the city, but stopped. Maybe she could bring Berry along? She nodded enthusiastically and headed back to the hut. Laughing pirates were standing outside the door, playing with the tools they gathered from the dead Templars. Talking about the Templars, their bodies were all still where they died. None of the crew felt like moving them, so they stayed unmoved. Luckily the smell had not started yet. Rainbow knew that they bodies had to be pitched somewhere soon if they were staying at the hut for another night.
"What's with you Rainbow?" A pirate at the door asked her curiously. His eyes were on the jacket.
She crossed her arms. "Don't ask. Hey, have ya seen Berry?"
"Yeah, she's in there." He pointed inside.
Rainbow followed his finger. True enough, Berry was in there. The purple haired woman was face down on an old and worn table; her hand clutched an empty bottle of Ponyville cider. Rainbow walked over to her and nudged her slightly. Berry mumbled but stayed fast asleep. Rainbow performed the same action again, this time with more force.
"Berry. Berry!"
"Wha...? Huh!" She sat upright. A second later she wailed and covered her eyes. "Gah! Brightness! Sick and torturous brightnessss...."
"C'mon Berry. I'm going into town, wanna come with? It'd be nice."
Berry cocked her head lazily, her eyes were only half opened. "Nah, I have me dranks..." She lifted the bottle to her mouth, only to find nothing coming out of it. "Damn..."
"Hey, I got some bits, I'll buy ya a drink. How 'bout that?"
Berry nodded slowly. "Sounds....delee..dely...great."
Rainbow patted her friend's shoulder. "I thought you would say that."
"See, I told ya it would be nice."
"Yeah..."
Berry gulped down her new bottle of apple cider. For some odd reason, the cider was cheaper in Baltimare than back in Manehatten. Rainbow was certain the distance from Ponyville was the same, so it had to be a different reason. She mentally shrugged and left the thought behind. They had cider, that's all that mattered. Now, they had a tailor to see.
"Do you know where the clothes are?" Berry asked between her gulps.
"Of course. I got a good look at the place last night. Should be right over here."
They turned the sandy corner and the tailor some was in view. It wasn't much of a shop, as clothes were not as necessary in the hot weather, but it was fine for what it had. The two had to dodge some people moving barrels of who knows what before finally reaching it. The store had several shirts available in an elaborate array of different colors. However, the hardest part was finding a size that fit her.
"G'day lasses, may I be of assistance?" A deep voice called from the back of the shop.
The two turned to see a large man smile at them. His teeth were unusually white and even. He was obviously the owner and maker of the clothes. His hair was gray, but he lacked wrinkles and everything that came with gray hair. Rainbow returned his smile and Berry tried her best to make her face into a smile.
"We're looking for a shirt. Kinda ripped mine." She pointed at her jacket.
The tailor nodded. "I see. I have many shirts. Do you want blue, yellow, red, orange?"
"White's fine." Rainbow said.
"No, it is not." An elegant but firm voice uttered behind her.
Rainbow turned around to see a young woman leaning on the wall. Her hair was purple, her robes were white. Not any average robes either, but fine and complex Assassin robes with a belt lined with light blue gems. She was the same Assassin Rainbow saw the day before, only this time, the woman's hood was down. The Assassin gave them a friendly grin. Even though this woman was an Assassin, Rainbow had to admit that she was by far the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. The Assassin brushed her curly dark purple hair out of her eye, revealing a deep sapphire iris. Her red lips parted as she continued.
"Darling, with hair like that, white is simply too simple." She pushed herself off the wall and sauntered over to the two pirates. Her strides were just as regal as her appearance. "I suggest a light blue. Like the sky. Cyan."
The tailor nodded. "I agree, Lady..."
"Rarity. Lady Rarity." The Assassin answered.
Rainbow stayed silent. The fact that an enemy was standing right before her was unsettling to say the least. Berry seemed quite unaware that the young woman was an Assassin. Rainbow was frustrated by this. She's even wearing the usual white, she yelled internally. Rarity brushed Berry aside and stood in front of the small pirate.
"With hair like that, you must be a bold one." Rarity continued. "You're not afraid of being watched or judged. I can tell these things from looking at a woman. But you lack fashion, my dear. I can help you with this, darling."
"Darling?" Rainbow deadpanned. "Seriously? I don't need fashion. I dress like how I want."
"Are you? Are truly satisfied with a simple white shirt?"
Rainbow faltered. "Well...When you say it like that..."
Rarity squealed. "Oh, I couldn't do this with Applejack. I see an opportunity. I see a grand opportunity to make you fabulous."
"I have a limited budget." Rainbow muttered.
Rarity waved her off. The action was like that of a noblewoman. "Don't worry about that. Money is not an issue with me."
"I don't like the sound of that." The tailor muttered under his breath.
"This is boring."
"Hang in there Berry, It'll be over soon."
The three of them sat on an old bench. They had not gone far from the shop where they met each other. Rarity giggled in excitement as she sketched designs on a piece of parchment. After having been with her for an hour or two, the pirate realized that Rarity was much younger than thought previously. Rarity was, at most, in her very late teens. Even though Rainbow was only 20, this small difference in age seemed excruciatingly large because of their conflicting personalities. Rainbow yawned in boredom while Rarity repeated her quick and deliberate actions. Turning the parchment to its side, looking at it from different angles. It was freakin' parchment, Rainbow uttered in her mind, it's the same damn sketch any way you look at it!
"Oh, I forgot to ask. What is your occupation?" Rarity questioned. Her eyes remained on the sketch.
"I told you, I'm a sailor." Rainbow mumbled.
"I would never have guessed that."
"That was what you said last time." Rainbow flopped her head to the side. The knowledge that this girl was an Assassin boggled with her mind. She was not some deadly warrior, she was a Canterlotian princess wannabe, Rainbow concluded. How did she get recruited into the infamous Brotherhood? She appeared no better a fighter than an egghead scholar! Rainbow lowered her eyes to the sketch Rarity had been working on. The design had many unnecessary features and accessories. It was made for a strut down a Canterlotian road, no the open seas. It would only weigh Rainbow down. Besides...
"That's hideous." Rainbow commented.
Rarity grunted loudly and crumpled the parchment ruthlessly. She then chucked it across the street and actually hit a man on the head. The man cursed and searched for the offending culprit. Once he saw Rarity, his anger vanished and he continued on his way with a new merriness in his step. It must be great to be great looking, Rainbow thought. The young Assassin took several deep breaths before slowly turning to Rainbow. The movement of her neck seemed hard and limited. Rainbow could practically hear the creaking of an old door as she did so.
"You're not an easy customer." Rarity remarked without moving her teeth.
Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. "I never asked for your Canterlotian designs. All I wanted was a shirt."
"Fine! What would you want to wear? There has to be something you want." Rarity said.
"You know what, there is."
Rarity's expression lifted. "Oh? Like what?"
"Something to match my colors. You know, like rainbows. But not too heavy. You know? I want a hood, for you know...the sun. Lots of pockets and stuff for...tools. No sleeves. I don't like sleeves. I got it! Have the sashes be like rainbows. Like seven, all their own color. Can ya see it?" Rainbow leaned back on the bench.
Rarity tapped her chin. "Yes. Yes I do. It's very..." She paused and looked at her own robes. "Like mine..."
The pirate shook her head. "Naw, make it simpler, more "me" like."
The Assassin glanced at the pirate. "It will not be difficult at all. You know I am a prestigious seamstress in Canterlot. Do you really want to waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on something so...simple?"
"Yes." Rainbow answered abruptly.
"Alright. The customer is always right. I'll see what I kind do, darling."
"Please don't call me that."
"But..."
Rainbow silenced the Assassin with a cold stare. Rarity nodded and began her work. Since she had already gotten some fabrics and supplies, she did not have to leave them. Rainbow slid down to a more comfortable position on the bench. Her feet barely touched the sand underneath. She turned to her friend. Berry was sleeping soundly with her mouth wide open. An occasional snore roared from within her throat. Rainbow covered her face and sighed loudly.
"Of bloody course..."
"What took ya two so....WHAT?!"
Caramel jumped back in fright like a startled cat. He stood there staring at Rainbow for an astoundingly long time. His face held confusion, fear, anxiety, and trace amounts of several hundred other emotions. One thing Rainbow kept noticing was his twitching eyebrows. He did not blink nor did he speak. She decided to end the awkward silence.
"So...What ya think?" She gestured to herself.
Rainbow's new clothes consisted of a cyan shirt with hood, seven sashes, each the color of the rainbow, her arms were bare up to the forearms where she had long padded gloves that covered her hidden blades, thin light brown trousers began where her shirt ended, which was not certain due to the many sashes, brand new boots were on her feet, and the last touch was the tight "x" that her two swords made on her back. Without the hair, she hardly looked like the pirate that left earlier.
"I...I told you to get a shirt...Not an Assassin." Caramel uttered softly.
"Isn't it great? I mean, I'm not one for fashion, but this stuff is awesome." She beamed.
"How did ya afford all this?" Caramel asked.
Rainbow reached in her pocket and returned the bitpieces that the captain had given her. "You see, this Canterlotian woman did all this for me out of Generosity. That's what she told me."
"Generosity....Why did you abstain the part where she was an Assassin?" He crossed his arms.
"How did you know?"
"I didn't. Thanks for tellin' me. Only Assassins would talk about Generosity like that. You decided to be an Assassin huh? Unlike you, I earned my robes. I killed that son of bitch and took his robes. I did not have some wench make me some. But I must say, they look bloody fantastic. Don't get any blood on 'em. I must ask, why the swords on the back?"
Rainbow's cheeks flushed. "Because..." She averted her eyes to the ground. "They would slide on the ground if they were on my hips. Cause...You know...I'm too...shor..sma..."
"Short n' small?" Berry suggested.
"Damn it!" Rainbow bellowed and stomped off, leaving Caramel and Berry in the field.
The captain turned to the other. "So, what did you do?"
Berry pointed at herself "Me?" She asked lazily. "I drank and slept."
The captain sighed. "Of bloody course..."
~