Merging of Cultures (Woodes and Shiori)

Woodes was not a sentimental man in any sense of the word. His beast of a wife in England could tell you that and she would. For days on end if you would ever let her. Not that he could really blame her. It was hard being a lesbian in the world as it was today... their marriage was a lie and any chance of them being friends had gone out the window with his success as a privateer and then as an officer in the Kings navy.

Hard to stay civil when you saw the other person perhaps once every ten years.

But the reason for his little stroll today was more to do with the ship he recognised rolling into the harbour. Grinning a little bit, he waited for the ship to pull up and when it did he grinned and bowed slightly,

"Shiori-chan..." he greeted her brightly, "It is a pleasure to see you again."

The last time they had met had also been the first time. But being nursed back to health by a woman after being stabbed by an assassin tended to leave one with an overwhelmingly positive perspective of the woman,

"You honour my docks by returning..." he told her before offering to take her hand, "May I escort you to my villa? It is almost lunch time and I wish to repay the kindness you once showed me."

Shiori was rolling into Havana again with some more goods from Japan. She had been gone for two months and she couldn't believe that she had missed this place more than perhaps she had missed her homeland, the wafting warm air that carried the scent of cigars and tropical spices was something that never assailed her nose in Japan. Perhaps she should look at setting up a more permanent residence here? She had enough money for it.

As she docked her ship, Shiori hummed happily and allowed her hands to slip down from the wheel caressing the wood with her fingertips. It was nice to have a break from the wheel her hands were quite red from gripping it as she steered The White Lotus through the waters leading to Havana, still with no resistance.

Of course as she strolled down the gangplank, her new samurai sword strapped to her back, she noticed someone speaking to her, and her face split into a smile seeing Woodes again. She had helped him back on his feet after he was injured and she had found herself hoping she would see him once more when she returned.

"Ah, Mr. Rodgers, what a happy day this is. I had hoped I would see you during my stay in Havana again, and here you are on my very first hour. The Fates are smiling upon us today." she stated with a bright smile on her lips.

Bowing to Woodes she straightened up again and took in his appearance, the scar did little to hide a handsome face and in fact highlighted it and made him appear more rugged. Without hesitating she took his hand and was beyond thrilled to leave the Lotus with her first mate and go out to lunch with her friend here in the port.

"Thank you, I shall be happy to accompany you to your villa. It will be interesting to see the hospitality of the Western world first hand." she stated with a soft smile "I appreciate your invitation, I have been standing at that wheel too long I think."

Was Woodes happy that Shiori had remembered him on sight? Yes. Very happy about that actually! It had been his secret fear that he would wait for her at the dock and call out to her but she wouldn't recognise him. It was a stupid fear of course, not least because his face was quite literally impossible not to recognise.

He grinned a little bit,

"I do not believe in the fates but I do believe in people." he told her with a grin, "And I believed that you would once again seek the warmth of our air, the calmness of our seas and the hospitality of your friends here."

Of course he wanted to be the number one friend on that list.

Her hand was soft and slightly colder than his was but that was fine. He liked holding her hand in his, light though the touch was. As they wandered down the dock, he hummed happily to himself,

"I know the feeling." he admitted with a smile, "But for all the aches, there's a sense of pride that comes with standing at your ship's wheel that can never be replaced."

As they approached the gates of the manor he was staying in while in Havana, he smiled widely to her,

"Oh yes! We can have our lunch by the pond actually..." he grinned slightly, "I just had it created... I believe your people call it a koi pond? With the cat-fish in it?"

Shiori smiled gently when Woodes said he didn't believe in fates, to be honest it was a personal choice, she believed in the fates because there had to be a reason for everything that happened in her life. If she had not had picked Edward up from that island and not had made an enemy of him then she would not be here with Woodes today. Or at least, that was her thinking on the matter, perhaps to him it was just a chain of extraordinary coincidences.

"Well you are right there, I found myself missing these shores more than I missed my own home while I was away. I find myself wanting to live and explore new places, instead of travelling the same routes, with the same obstacles every time." she stated with a small smile "I do find myself enamoured with Havana."

It was pleasant to have someone to converse with about matters such as this, although she did talk to her crew it was nice to have a captain to talk to. Some things only a captain could understand, like the burden of caring for a crew, the pressures of planning and preparing their ship for journeys and the upkeep of the ship itself.

"Oh yes, it is that feeling of the waves crashing over the sides of your ship, the breeze ruffling your hair and the beating sun on your back that cannot be beaten by any other sensation. Well...perhaps not any other." Shiori grinned deviously.

The fact that Woodes had installed a Koi Karp pond made Shiori blink a little bit but she smiled softly;

"Yes back home we do have many koi ponds, it sounds as if you desire an eastern flair to your villa. If so, stone gardens are also very popular. I enjoy arranging them myself, it can be very relaxing." as she spoke, she took the time to look over the exterior of the villa and smiled, it seemed all she was doing since she arrived was smile "Your home is very beautiful."

Found herself missing Havana more than she had been missing her home? He could definitely understand that sensation even if a lot of other people would think them slightly mad for wishing to see more of a foreign land than of their own homeland. He nodded his head in agreement and hummed as he took in a deep breath,

"Oh I know exactly how you feel Shiori... my homeland is a cold and wet place." he admitted with a small frown, "It is full of old families who think they rule the very land itself... but it is so beautiful without the people."

He smirked slightly,

"Here there are less people to spoil the land."

Woodes always did like to 'talk shop' with other captains it had to be said. And why wouldn't he want to? After all, when he was a privateer he worked with other captains and other ships to take down their prey and they had developed bonds of friendship over their experiences as captains. He smirked a little bit at her joke,

"A regular salty sea dog aren't you?" he teased with a wink before nodding in agreement, "Sailing out of port with your ship at your fingertips and your crew at your command... it certainly is a feeling not easily matched."

Had he developed a small affection for the Far East? Yes, yes he supposed that he had. The koi pond bit was nice and relaxing though, even if he had had to cut off a man's hand for attempting to steal one of his fish. He blinked a few times before chuckling and shaking his head,

"Only in some places. Stone garden... I'll take your word for that one." he teased her before humming slightly and glancing at her sword on her back, "Although the swords have been of particular interest to me... may I see yours?"

Shiori turned her attention raptly to Woodes when he said that he didn't like his homeland as much as he liked Havana either, she thought that it was strange the way that they were the same in so many ways to each other. The description of his homeland made her feel a little bit giggly, it was cold and wet was it? But the fact that it was run by oldest families that thought that they knew best? It was the same everywhere wasn't it?

"I think that the oldest families run everything, everywhere." she stated with a small smile "That is the way it is in Japan as well, but we don't mind so much, the Elders normally know what is best and we follow what they say in their wisdom. Except when they are so stuck in the past they refused to move and accept changes. I think that might be your problem as well."

Being a captain was never really about the power over other people, she thought that it was all about the power that she was giving herself. Choosing her own way, going where she wanted to go and when she wanted to go there. That was what it was all about for her.

"I enjoy the freedom that being a captain gives me over myself. Waking up in the morning and knowing I can go anywhere, and explore where I like as long as I like." she grinned, closing her hands into fists at her side.

When he asked to see her sword, Shiori smiled brightly and took it out of its holster passing it over to Woodes with a cheeky visage fixed upon her face. She hoped that he would take care with it, she didn't want it to be nicked, or for him to nick himself by accident although he was more competant than that.

"Here you go, be careful with it." she purred "It's very sharp, don't let its lightness deceive you."