Salvage pt1

July 22, 1740
near dusk

Storms at sea clear off as quickly as they brew...they come hard, fast, and show no mercy. Luckily the Opal had come up on the tail end of such a storm and avoided the fate of 'whooooosh... blam, crack, sink'...

The Captain was pleased when the clouds started to roll away and the sky cleared, it was a relief not to have to plough through or try to circle around it.. they were lucky this time and the relief was evident as the crew started to chatter amoung themselves again.

"Sail!" Someone shouted, though the murmurs were quite a different sound than the usual roar of triumph. There was an odd hush that rumbled over the voices as the 'sail' turned out to be mostly floating, not waving. "More or less..." The wreck was tremendous and debris was everywhere as the Opal cut into the edge of where the once-majestic ship had been.

Will came up to the starboard side behind the others. "Captain? Looks like there may be survivors, look!"

Captain Sparrow was already moving to that side of the deck, having heard the call as well. "I suppose we should see what she has to offer us." She grinned a bit, catching Will's eye and giving a nod for orders to be called out as she turned to find where Nance was.

Will nodded at the captain's request and began by tapping shoulders, peeling the onlookers away from gawking. "You... and you... lower a boat and get out there. Pull anyone in you can reach. You... up in the nest and look for any furled sails... make sure this wasn't an attack - they might not be far if so..."

Robin stayed the boy's hand. "Easy. Salvage first then scout. Even if they're out there and turn sail, cannon fire's not reaching us until you have what you want out of the water... breathing or not."

Will pulled his hand away. "Then salvage... mate. Get in a boat and show them how it's done," he snipped with a shallow grin and a fire haunting his eyes. He wasn't going to make the same mistake he had before regardless of this man's experience.

"Oh... well... aye sir," Robin nodded, trying to keep the sarcasm and humor as thin as the first mate's grin. He'd do as told. "Who's with me? Get on ye!" He hollered, setting off to untie one of the boats and bring up what or who they could find.

"Oy!" The dark haired youth did have a voice, and it carried well over the hollers and rumblings of the crew. He'd spotted enough in the water himself to be ready to set oars down and practically flew to help Nance lower the boat.

Toby was checking the sky more than the water. The storm held a rough wind behind her still that kept a few white caps perched on the waves around them. He stole up beside Will. "Let them go to their boats, but keep them close, sir. Storms like her, they circle round." The sky above them was clear, but the wall on the horizon held a mystery he had no interest in unraveling with the Opal's sails.

"Noted, thank you. Then get your charts below and prepare for visitors," Will snipped, getting Toby on his way to watch for such an occurrence.

Out in the wreckage strewn over a large crate that had not yet sunk was a woman with long raven locks, she was passed out, looking almost as if she was having a peaceful nap. She wore a dress of such fine style and fabric that one would assume she was some sort of fine lady perhaps even nobility. The beauty wore a gorgeous jeweled necklace, what was left in her hair of pins adorned with jewels to match, and a small dagger was clutched in her hand. The tears in the dress she wore revealed red and black marking on her arms. She moaned softly and her eyes fluttered open as the shouting and splashing sounds reached her through the 'thick' fog she felt like she'd been in.

There were a few scattered survivors of the wreck, many had perished and more slipped away in the hours since as they clung to debries or tried to swim hoping by some miracle another ship would pass and rescue them... most didn't make it long enough to see the sky clear or the Opal as it came up to the site. Josette clung to the debris she'd managed to get her upper half on and had found herself floating somewhat near the fancy lady but for a while couldn't get close enough to check on her. She'd just drifted that far when the Opal was upon them, so to speak. Josette looked up at the voices and splashing, worried and at the same time grateful that another ship had come along.

Vic was eager to hit the water and trying to be easy on the ropes so the dinghy wouldn't crack coming down too fast. "I could have told him there were survivors. Look!" He pointed out to the mops of dark hair and sparkles that were barely keeping above water between the bits of floating debris. There was too much in the way to row around and he was off in the water himself, going after the first girl. "Oy, hold on!" He called around a mouthful of salt water as he swam to her and pushed the useless scrap aside for Nance to row closer.

"Is she alive?" Josette asked, calling to the man from not too far beyond the jeweled lady. She struggled with her long skirts to get higher on the piece she clung to, before she was pulled under. She gave a small cry as she felt the tug, her dress had gotten tangled and caught on something below the water that was pulling her down..

"Aye miss... oh no you don't! Take a breath!" He yelled, hoping she'd be able before her head went beneath the surface. He hoped her friend was sturdy and snug on her crate for the moment as he bobbed up like a dolphin himself and dove beneath the waves, kicking down to find what had grabbed this one and started down with her. Hoping it wasn't a shark, he struck out with the knife from his side, cutting loose what he found to be a balloon of tangled fabric around a board and the chock it held, heavily weighing the girl's soaked skirts and tugging her with them. The cloth had been good quality and thick, taking a long moment to cut free from her as his own breath bubbled away from him in his haste. One more moment and likely neither would be seen again. Vic's hand finally cut the mass loose and shot upward with her, in search of the dinghy and Nance.

Nance shook his head. Well, the boy was already in the water, so he'd stay in the dinghy and start hauling. He pulled up a barrel of powder, hoping to find it had kept dry when he next saw Vic kicking off to a second stop.

Their dinghy was closest to the girls while the second boat gathered a couple more barrels and crates to be inspected once they were back on board. One or two more possible survivors seemed to be pulled up, though their status appeared grim if the grey coloring he could see from here told him all he needed to know.

Rowing to the crate Vic had abandoned, he helped the girl who clung, hoping she had the strength to hold on to him and the will to allow his help. "Let go of the crate miss, and give me your hand. We've got you," and the crate once he pulled her up. He gave her all the assistance he could, if it meant getting in the drink himself.

Vic popped up again and had his hands full - quite. On second thought, if the crate would hold, it could be dragged. They needed room for the girls. Nance slipped the ropes around the crate this girl had been floating on to pull it behind them instead. Now he rowed over and reached an oar out behind Vic. "Ahoy... Corvid, here!" He steadied the boat for the boy to pull the girl he'd righted and helped get her in the boat as well. Himself, powder and two girls in heavy wet clothes - he could probably hold Vic as well, but nothing more and there were still crates to pull up