Chapter Text
“Aw, hell yeah!” Barb crooned, excitedly. The ship they captured was transporting something rarely found above the waters- a mermaid.
The being was bright pink, almost glittering in the low light of the room. Her more delicate fins on her arms and sides were pressed in close to her body to protect them. Her head fins were flared defensively and her teeth were bared.
Barb didn’t care though. Well, she did, but she wasn’t scared by the gesture. “This is so wicked!” She cheered, pumping her fist excitedly. She ducked her head out of the door and called out excitedly. “Hey Val! Get in here!”
A few moments later, another pirate came in, this one with purple pigtails. She raised an eyebrow curiously. “Did you find the weird food they were talking about? The ‘delicacy’-” She froze when she registered what was in the room. “No fucking way,” she said, breathless.
Another pirate, a guy named Demo, poked his head in. “What’s up? Is it… oh my goodness!” He said, quickly running up to the tank. The mermaid hissed, puffing out further. The sound reverberated even into the air. Demo somehow looked even more excited. “Do you know how rare these guys are?!” He burst out, eyes filled with stars. “It’s supposed to be uber lucky to see one! I can’t believe they have one in captivity!” He looked over at the two women in awe. “Can we keep her? Please?”
Barb rolled her eyes. “No shit. She’d look epic in my office,” she said. “Come on, let’s get her out of here.”
“Do they have any care supplies for her?” Demo asked, looking around.
“Nope,” Val said, flatly. “I think they were just planning on eating her.”
On behalf of the creature, Barb felt offended. “Who could eat something that looks this epic?!” She burst out. “Nah, she’ll be Debbie’s new best friend!” The mermaid did not seem excited by the prospect. She continued glaring and snarling.
Some of Barb’s crew came down, attempting to lift the tank. Unfortunately, water was heavy. They turned to their captain nervously, unsure of what to do.
“Can we empty the tank and carry it like that?” Someone suggested, nervously.
“Would that hurt her?” Barb asked, eyes narrowed. The person faltered slightly, shrugging nervously.
“No, mermaids are actually semi-aquatic!” Demo said, cheerfully. “One of their most commonly documented behaviors is sunbathing on rocks!”
Val glanced over at him in confusion as the others took confirmation for permission and started draining the tank through a spout at the bottom. “...are we going to need a rock for her?”
He opened his mouth, before pausing. “I… don’t know?”
Barb’s brow furrowed. She’d have to do some research to make sure she was taking care of the mermaid properly. She could sunbathe on deck, but they didn’t want her running away and getting caught by a shark or something.
The mermaid still hissed, looking in displeasure at the draining water. It was only when her ear fins were finally out of the water, though, when she stopped to glare at the group.
She tried to curl up away from them, but the tank was barely big enough for her as it was. Her fins flared, but she stayed silent.
“You’re so cool!” Barb assured, looking at her. One of her head fins flicked at the loud sound, her eyes narrowing even further somehow. “Yes you are! Debbie’s gonna love to meet you! She’s my pet- uh.” She turned to Demo. “What is Debbie, again?” He looked at her, giving her a bewildered shrug. “Anyways, this’ll be so awesome! We’ll get you a nice tank on my ship, something you can roam in!”
The tank was empty when she finished, and her people tried to lift it to no avail. It seemed that it was still too heavy. Her people looked at her helplessly, confused.
The pirate queen wanted the mermaid. But the mermaid had very sharp teeth. And they didn’t want anyone hurt- her or themselves.
“Take her out of the tank?” Barb suggested. The mermaid hissed, pressing herself against the back of the tank. She unsheathed her claws, which made a horrible noise on the glass.
Val hummed in thought. “You know how you cut Debbie’s claws?”
“Yeah? Why?”
—
Any of the crew that was unaware of what was happening below deck were shocked when the first mate and captain walked out, followed by crew members holding a thrashing carpet.
“All good, cap?” One of the gunners said, an eyebrow raised curiously.
“What are you staring at?!” Barb hissed at them. “We’ve got a ship to sink!” Quickly, everyone began rushing back to their duties, ignoring the crew of the ship they had taken over growing more and more alarmed.
The Pirate Queen of Barbed Wires ignored her crew, internally growing excited over her new pet. It was going to be epic!!
—
On her shoulder, Poppy glared at the pirates behind them she could see out of the end of the stupid rug, still fighting to free herself. This stupid pirate didn’t even know what she was doing. A growl built up in the back of her throat, but her vocal chords stayed still. She wouldn’t give them satisfaction. She wouldn’t tell them anything.
Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape. She froze, however, when her eyes locked on The Chef. Her heart felt like it had stopped, her lungs crushed like when she went up too fast. Her fins pressed against her head, all fight drained for fear.
The woman was still smiling, looking smugly at Poppy. She had been captain of the ship they were on and seemed to command everyone’s attention without argument. She had gloated to Poppy about cutting off her fins and serving them as a delicacy, before killing her to serve the rest- kept alive only to keep the meat fresh, of course. She would go into horrifying detail- detail that Poppy didn’t want to repeat.
“You know,” the older woman said calmly, making the pirates stop in their tracks. “If you wanted to bring me along, I could serve her up for you. After all, I’m just the ship’s chef- I’m no danger to anyone.”
No! Poppy’s heart begged. Please! No!
The pirates scoffed and Poppy felt herself being shifted around as the pirate leader stepped forwards. (The rug was still. She was too terrified to move, still. Afraid that Chef would still come for her fins with a wickedly sharp knife.) “Nice try, but I know how this works. All these people listened to you when we attacked. You may be a chef, but you’re not just a chef.”
“Oh, but imagine what dangers would follow when people find out you have a mermaid aboard your ship,” Chef said, still calm. “It’s better to just kill her now, that way we won’t be forced to report this to the kingdom.”
Poppy felt her muscles turn to ice. Report to… the kingdom? Was she being hunted? Had they found them again?
The pirate scoffed, pulling out her pistol. Poppy's attention was pulled over to the weapon. “Or, we just kill you now, and you won’t report anything.”
“I’ve heard the rumors,” Chef snarled. She was losing her composure. “You leave your victims alive.”
“I have, haven’t I?” The pirate said, spinning her pistol around casually. “It’s a great way to spread fear. But, then again, I’m already the most feared pirate in all the seas.”
“Captain,” one of the other pirates reported. “We’ve got everything. We’re all set to clear out.”
The pirate captain turned, glaring behind her. “Well? You heard her!” When her eyes met Poppy's, the mermaid found the strength to glare back. Then, her prison was moving again and she was set on the deck of another ship.
Through the smallest gap in the railing, she saw the Bergenton drifting away.
“You wanna see a trick shot?” The pirate queen said, interrupting her thoughts. The woman smiled at her crew, before turning around and firing at the other ship. With her strong hearing, Poppy heard a ‘clink’ before the other ship burst into flames. She watched in shock as the ship that had captured her burned, sinking beneath the waves.
[“Hey, the mermaid calmed down!” One of the pirates said excitedly.
“Maybe she’s realized we’re not going to hurt her?” Their friend asked curiously.]
No one had even jumped over the side before the ship was engulfed. There were no other ships anywhere on the horizon. Chef was as good as dead. The torture was over.
A noise crawled out of the back of her throat. Too late, she tried to shove it down, but an instinctual whine made its way into the open. Then, all of the feelings she had been shoving down to look brave bubbled up with her relief and she started sobbing.
The pirates all looked at her in confusion, shuffling nervously until someone realized she had started gasping for breath.
Slowly, Poppy’s vision faded until she passed out. Part of her was thankful for it.
—
“Quick!” Barb ordered, face growing serious. “Put her in the tub and fill it with sea water!”
Her crew began rushing around, Val and Demo carrying the mermaid downstairs and into the tub as everyone else began filling buckets with sea water.
The wash tub would have to do until they figured out something more permanent, she decided, storming in after them.
—
When Poppy woke up, she was surprised to find herself unrestrained. Her tail flicked, disturbing the water around her. Her gills flared and she was even more surprised to find herself surrounded by genuine sea water.
Slowly, she glanced around, taking in the room. She was in some thin basin just long enough for most of her body to fit, though the end of her tail stuck out the other side. Apparently, they had prioritized her gills when the tub turned out to be too small.
The rest of the room featured some interesting materials strung up from thin lines. They looked like sails, but a lot thinner. (She couldn’t imagine they would stand up at all to strong winds.)
Slowly, she pushed herself up, lifting her upper body up and out of the water for her tail to shift into the water. If she was attacked, she’d be better able to defend herself with her claws. There was no one else in this room, but there was a closed door to one end. She narrowed her eyes at it, shifting to pull herself entirely out of the water. She should try to make her escape while they were still unaware, she decided.
She grabbed onto one of the hanging cloths to help her leverage her tail out, but at the most crucial moment, the cloth fell down, bringing her down with it.
Ow, she thought pointedly, snarling at the cloth, which had landed on top of her head. She huffed in annoyance, shifting her arms underneath her so she could get back up again. Unfortunately, the cloth that was over her head was also under her hands and she was stuck, unable to move.
She growled in frustration, unsheathing her claws and ripping at the material out of desperation. Someone might have heard her falling, and she wasn’t in a very protective position where she had fallen. She needed to move, to get free before-
“Hey, it’s okay!” A voice called out. She stilled, apparently having missed someone entering the room. “You don’t need to shred this, I’ll help you out!” The cloth shifted and she found herself facing the man that had been up against her tank when the pirates had found her. She peeled her lips back, revealing her teeth. He just smiled even more, apparently thinking she was smiling at him. “Yeah! I can help you!” He spoke slowly and happily.
With the cloth gone, he looked up and behind her. “Let’s get you back into your tub, okay? We don’t want you suffocating again.” He stood up and began inspecting the way she had landed, walking behind her and closer to the tub. “Maybe if I-”
The second he stepped into the perfect position, she struck. The force and weight of her tail sent him tumbling back, straight into the tub. She felt a little bad- this guy had seemed genuine, if a bit clueless- but she had to escape.
Using her claws, she dragged herself quickly out the open door and down the hall, towards where she smelled fresh air. She made it to the stairs before cries of alarm sounded. A grabbing hand reached to catch her, instead catching on one of her fins. She yelped in pain, and the hand was quickly retracted.
She used the gap to pull herself quickly up the stairs, using her tail to bat away anyone else who got close. Soon, she was off the stairs and onto the deck.
She blinked in the broad daylight, but pushed herself forwards. She needed someplace tall- her eyes caught on a point directly in front of her. Avoiding even more grasping hands, she pulled herself up on the post desperately.
Someone managed to grab her arm, but she didn’t fight it like she had before. Instead, she turned to the great ocean and let out a noise. The first noise mermaids could produce- before they hissed or growled or anything else- a pleading noise. It echoed for miles.
Please! The noise conveyed to any mer who was listening. I want my dad! I want safety! I’m scared and alone and I need help!
Desperately, she looked out over the horizon, waiting to see a ripple in the water, a flash of color, something that told her she was in familiar territory. That she was where the sea critters could guide her home or her people could find her.
The hand on her arm dropped suddenly, but she only shifted to fully face the water, making the noise again.
Please!
Once again, there was no response.
Quietly, she repeated it one more time- more out of desperation than anything else.
Please?
She was alone. She didn’t know where she was.
She couldn’t go home.
Eventually, hands began gently grabbing at her again, pulling her off of the edge of the ship. She let them. There was no point.