Chiara (shi-ara)
Chiara
History
Chiara was born into a happy family, mom, dad, two siblings. Dad did something on the internet and there might as well have been a money printing press running overtime in their basement. (There wasn't, Chiara checked).
School was okay, nothing special, grades around 80% with little effort, but school not really challenging enough to make Chiara put genuine effort into it to reach a 100% score.
Not knowing what to study, not that there was a need to study. The family had enough with money in funds and stuff. That Chiara and their siblings could all three live a whole life of spending money without making a significant dent in the amount. So after graduation Chiara asked their parents if they were okay with the idea of traveling the Caribbean for a year instead. They had no objects. Dad gave Chiara a credit card and his grande advice was not to get any children.
Pirate life
At some point along the way Chiara met some crew members of the Red Sunrise in The Last Drop ale house. They were maybe a bit too chatty about their way of life, and Chiara spun the story she told every time. They were just another broke student jumping from job to job while traveling the world. More for safety than that, Chiara actually wanted to lie.
A few days later Chiara sailed out with the crew on the Red Sunrise, as a member of the deck crew. They knew their way around a ship, as their family had chartered a superyacht every summer since Chiara was a child. A motor yacht, with crew, but Chiara was curious and had actually learned things from the crew on those trips.
Chiara had actually informed their family, by a letter so it would be a bit delayed, that they had landed a job on a superyacht, not revealing the true nature of the business the ship was in.
Live on deck was harder than Chiara had expected. More physical labour than they had ever done, and managing the sails was a whole other business than motoring. Where they were more helpful was at the helm, or assisting in navigation.
Clank! The first thud already froze Chiara in fear, hoping the heavy shell would stop but no the shell bounced and clanked all the way down the stairs, hitting every step, clanging on the sides. Finally, coming to a rest at the bottom with the soft singing of the metal slowely dieing down.
Everybody watched in horror and seemed to be frozen in time while just a second before they were practicing with the new cannons.
"If you want to die, please just jump overboard and let the sharks have some fun. But don't try to take all of us with you, thank you very much." Michael said after a moment of silence.
-"Sorry"
"You know what, why don't you go help Marshmallow at the helm."
-"Yes Bos'n"
As the third mate of the mate Chiara was more in their element, able to show the knowledge they have off navigation, and quickly learning more. It didn't get them away from all the deck work, but at least some of the work Chiara did was appreciated now, and that felt good.
Chiara had never fired a rifle, well not at another human, they had when they were practising with it on the ship. But now the entire crew was on deck of the small cargo ship they were tight onto in an attempt to relieve it of its valuables. And to the pirates' surprise the crew of the freighter was armed and willing to fight.
Chiara was left on board, standby at the helm. And was actually to the back of the crew of the freighter, who had surprised their friends. With the rifle resting on the compass housing Chiara aimed for the guy in orange coveralls doing who did the most, shouting and pointing with his rifle, while Marshmallow was standing in front of him with his arms in the sky. Breathing heavily in and out, Chiara tried to calm before they pulled the trigger.
Afterwards the whole crew thanked for Chiara for creating the distraction, even if they had missed by a mile, it was enough to change the outcome of the fight in their favour.
Just as student job as any other :p
Indeed, some summer holiday work for some extra pocket money :P