[Race For The Queen's Juniper] Chapter 1, General Posting Thread

Nidelia

Nidelia

A Lost Kitty
Nidelia was doing what she did best, sing. She sat on the stage of the local pub singing to her hearts content. It seemed there was nothing she loved more, in fact it was obvious she she poured her soul into the song. "Let your arms enfooold us, through the dark of night, will your angels hoOold us, 'til we see the light," she sings as she watches the crowd whose jaws are just dropped and they were hanging on every word.


She smiled, she lived for this, everyone loved music, including her, but what was better for her was having them enjoy her music, her voice, which she loved to share with the world. Suuure, she was known for making extra money on the side, but then again, a thief always took waht money they could.


She slowly stood up from her seat on stage as she continued to sing. "Sleep, angels will watch over you, and soon beautiful dreams will come true, can you feel spirits embracing your soul. So dream, while secrets of darkness unfold," she sang happily as she mingled between the men and their tables, the men loving every minute of her, and of course her money greed loving it as well as her hands would dip in and out of their pockets unseen, unnoticed, for they all just focused on her and her voice.


She then got back up on stage and sits back down. "Let your arms enfooold us, through the dark of night, will your angels hOold us, 'til we seee the light," she finishes the song and everyone broke out into an uproar and shouted for more and she bowed, her long red hair dangling around her and her belt jingled with the small bells she had on it.


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Ladan had already been with his captain when she took the flier, but had decided to help in rounding up the crew, it was the least he could do being her first mate, plus she already knew where he was. He wondered into the crowd that had gathered, heading for the pub, where he was sure most of the men would be, after all, that's where the whores were. As he walked his hands were gliding in and out of pockets of the crowd, grabbing all the coin purses his hands could nab.


Ah the lovely sound of distracted people listening to the towns criers, or even just paying too much attention to what's in front of them as they walked. Idiots, he thought as he made his way towards the pub. Upon arriving a very beautiful blue skinned Djinai sat upon the stage of the bar singing, he wasn't aware she was the newest member of The Hangmans Remorse, which, being the newest, of course he didn't, he'd never seen her. He glanced over and saw a stray apple. He grabbed it and leaned against a pillar and took a bit out of the apple.


He wasn't going to deny their men such a good show, after all, this woman obviously knew what she was doing! He watched as she stood up and walked off the stage and began mingling with the men, he also couldn't help but smirk as her hands were making their way into the mens' pockets! Oh dear lord she was good, she had them all entrapped. He shook his head with a silent chuckle whilst eating his apple. Maybe she would have been a good addition to the Cloud Peril? Could obviously make some money for the ship.


But that wasn't for him to decide, he wasn't the captain, he was only the first mate, though at least his opinion mattered to his captain. The woman slowly got done pilfering all the mens' pockets, good thing too, if she'd have reached him she would have found a blade at her stomach, sadly. He'd hate to threaten to kill someone who sang so wonderfully and beautiful. He soon finished the apple and threw the core away as she wrapped up her song. Once she had the whole bar went into an uproar of appraise and also demanding another song. He however took that time to look among who was there to find the crew of Cloud Peril.
 

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The sound of a violin playing was drifting in the winds around the ship of the Hangman's Remorse. It's quick strokes then slow ones made sweet sounds to soothe the ears or whatever. In other words, it should be pleasant to listen to.


Brooksleuth, the Musician of the Hangman's Remorse was usually found lazing around in the Crows Nest. They've took port by Asenteos and supposedly the crew had already left the ship, but him.


"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot, drink up, me 'earties, yo ho..." He hummed as he continued to play his tune. No-one was there to hear it, or maybe a few others did, but he usually played for his own entertainment when alone.


Brook stopped midway of the song and sighed. He should get down with the others instead of laze around today. He could sense something happening, something exciting. The musician left his violin by the crows nest but always kept the bow with him. His firm hand gripping the rope that lead down to the deck of the ship roughly tugged at it and he felt himself being quickly lowered, the wind rushing past his blonde hair and pointed ears.


Bad landing.


Brook landed onto the deck of the Hangman's Remorse with a loud and clumsy thump. He must be out of it today. He quickly pulled himself together and shook his head, "Lazin' around 'ad gotten me bones tired." Brook muttered, making his way off the ship with his hands on the back of his head.


The Captain, First Mate and his fellow musician had already left, since he didn't see them on the deck when he made his rough landing. He wasn't actually sure of the others but it didn't matter, they always end up finding each other anyway.


"We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot." Brook sang as he pushed his way through a bit of the crowd, hearing a outburst of cheers in a tavern near-by.


"Drink up me 'earties, yo ho."




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Anni 'Breezy' Kennwood - Home in Carran


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The sun was up high in the sky, and Anni couldn't help but stand still for a minute, feeling the cool breeze touch her skin. Ah. Finally home. Carran, her hometown and the big capital, was bustling with life as usual. They had just docked the ship and Breezy had immediately run off, almost skipping to her family home. It wasn't like they didn't dock in Carran often, but everytime Anni would've found herself busy with inventing something new, or fixing the engine after a cruel fight. So busy, she forgot to get off the ship and visit her family. Woops. Ah well. I'm home now and it's only been... a few years? Grimacing slightly, she could almost hear her mother's scolding voice.


She didn't bother with knocking, as she tried to enter her home. The door was locked though. Strange. It's usually always open. Breezy would soon learn of all the thievery and caution, people had to take now a days. So she had to knock anyway, and when her mother opened the door, it was a picture-perfect, touching family reunion - after she had been scolded and hit on the head by her mother, that is.


"Ma', you'll never guess who's on the ship with me!" After telling a few stories about what they'd been up to (mind you, she left out the bloody and brutal parts), she finally told her mother about Maeve - her childhood friend, and one, who her mother simply adored. She left out everything about the other guy, finding it difficult to even think of him without wanting to break a few skulls. Needless to say, there were laughter, hugging and tears in the Kennwood household that day.


So around she went, wandering around Carran to visit old friends and family, and to the workshop to get a good round of ale with the guys and her uncle. She had always been happy on the Hangman's Remorse, but it was only know, Breezy had realized how much she had missed home. Home wasn't quite the same anymore though. The atmosphere had changed.


Her feet walked through Carran and unconsciously took her to her favorite place - The beach. The greenery that used to surround it was gone, and left was only the sand and sea. It might've been her imagination, but even the sand looked a bit sick to her. Regardless, Anni kicked off her shoes and plopped her little butt down in the sand near the waters, letting the waves tickle her bare feet. She wasn't much for melancholy, so she just sat and enjoyed the view of the ocean with a small smile, humming a sea shanty. "




"
 
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Captain Soledad pushed her way through the crowd into the bar, looking unusually gloomy. She dropped heavily into a chair by the stage Nidelia was singing from (ostensibly, when not draping herself over the clientele), slouching dramatically as she resolved to spend the next few hours there. She needed to talk to her crew, and if she knew most of them, they'd likely filter in here before they went to the ship.


From a pocket in her coat she procured the flier she'd picked up earlier, reading it again by the bar's dim, smoky light. Was this it, she wondered? The great hope for the future of the world? A flier that may as well say "There are a tree, go find tree?" She tossed the brief flier down on the table and snatched up her mug. Business wasn't exactly booming in the pirate world. They'd had a brief spike in prizes as the food market crashed, causing a bunch of small-time traders to start selling their goods at wildly inflated prices, but now the famine was bad enough that virtually nothing was getting shipped at all. For a while she'd considered sailing the Hangman's Remorse to some remote island, hopefully untouched by the plague, and have the crew live out the rest of their lives peacefully, isolated from the turmoil tightening around the civilized world.


She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, sighing. Of course, there's no way they'd ever go for something like that. Pirates have to pirate, after all.


Maybe I should just have Breezy paint a tree blue and glue some fruit to it, see if they'll take that.
 
"3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494459...."


Through the uproar that was the crowd in the tavern, a solitary voice could be heard muttering under its breath, pi to the nth decimal. Her tricorn was lain on the empty table, the flier propped up against one side of it, shrouding the white grin of the shark. The reader was none other than Captain Novena Brightwall of Cloud Peril, the queen of numbers. As the stage girl broke into a song, she grunted, annoyed, and rubbed her knuckles against her temples, drowning out the crowd and the music in her mind with more numbers.


"...44288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543..." she stopped short of the next number, and looked up from the table and at the flier again. The bloody digit of an Aetherblade captain was there too, and no doubt her crew, powered by greed as it was, would be overwhelmed with such an offer. A pardon from the Queen meant that they won't be criminals any more. Live life to the fullest, they will. With this in mind, this Juniper factor could also be exchanged for monetary income itself, and not just for a paltry sum either, given how heavy the reward is. As they locked eyes when they took hold of the fliers, both of them knew neither were going to back out of this one. Novena leaned back onto her chair, rubbing the back of her neck. The crowd went wild again as the singer performed some act that Novena really could care more about, but didn't. She did care about wishing that both would shut up for a second so she could reorganise the equations.


"Expand, simplify, compress..." she muttered, before picking up her hat and set it on her dirty blonde hair. She rolled up the flier and glanced about the room. The Lad was somewhere around here, probably picking up coins from loose pockets. She had barely gotten a second sweep of the crowd before the song stopped, and the crowd burst yet into another round of catcalls and demanded for an encore. This, of course, only facilitated her search. At one side, the Lad was watching the performer intently, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips as he devoured an apple. Novena approached him, taking care to tread on the toes of those on the side of her beeline towards Ladan, and made especial effort to push those directly in her way off her course.


"Keeping your eyes on something you like, Ladan?" Novena leaned against a wall beside her First Mate, throwing her attention to the performer. A redheaded, dark skinned Djinai. To each his own, she supposed.
 
"Food may be getting hard to come by... Guess I should stock up."




The advantage of being the ship chef, meant you had a decent amount of treasure and money to trade for expensive items. Right now, that meant food. Stocks were low on the ship, and Rhys always refused to let the Quartermaster do his job. There had been some arguments at first of course, but refusing to cook if the ingredients were of an acceptable quality had quickly swayed the minds of those involved. Of course, that was the previous Quartermaster who was now dead, but the rule had stayed in place. The new guy knew this.


So, right now, instead of sitting in the inn and drinking, Rhys was inspecting the foods that were on offer. He'd already purchased some which would be delivered to the ship shortly, so he had to hurry so he could meet them there and direct them to the correct place. He did have some time to look for anything special, perhaps some fresh beef? He'd not made the crew a stew in a long time and with the weather being cold, no doubt they'd be thankful for a hearty warm meal.


As if his... prayers? Nah he didn't pray. Hopes! Yeah, his hopes were answered a few stalls up. A farmer was selling stacks of fresh meat, the cook even had enough to buy the remaining lot. Whatever wasn't used would be salted, two birds, one stone. Now, to find the last few ingredients and head back to the Remorse to sort and start to cook.
 
Nidelia was pretty much beaming up on the stage, basking in the calls for an encore. This would be a good time to try out her new song shed just written. She had hoped to practice it with Brooks and sing it to the crew, but she could do both. "You want another eh?!" She called, causing all the men to cheer and start banging their pints against their tables and start chanting: "Encore, encore, encore," and as she grinned she waved her arms for them to stop and they got earily quiet, anything said above a whisper would be heard.


She cleared her throat. "This is a song I just got done writing, about a lover and her estranged man who was being hunted by sirens!" She says as she starts to hum.


"A kite above graveyard grey, at the end of the line, far far away, a child holding onto the magic of birth and awe," she began to sing, her voice demanding all the attention as all the men watched her in silence, only her voice filling the air. She glanced over at her captain and gave her a soft smile as she sang, as though to say she promised it was the last and that she would be with her momentarily. The words flowed of her lips in pure memory, having worked so hard on the lyrics for the last year.


"At the end of the river, the sun down beams, all the relics of a life long lived, here weary traveler rest your wand, sleep the journey from your eyes," she sang, her voice ringing through every corner of the bar, even the loners had stopped speaking and were watching with slight surprise. Nidelia's presence was demanding all the attention and she was getting it and it appeared as though she was reveling in it.


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Ladan looked over just in time to watch his captain desperately make a bee-line towards him. Why her wasn't sure, buy he knew he would find out. He sighed softly as he ran a hand through his shaggy tan hair as she spoke and chuckled as she thought he was smitten by the singer. No, she wasn't his type, she merely had an amazing set of pipes. "I merely like her voice, she herself is not my type. I was just thinking about how we don't have a singer on our ship," he had just finished talking just in time for the entire crowd to fall silent. They were all watching the woman on stage. She was demanding everyone's attention without so much as a word, a mere arm movement. He leaned to his captains ear. "Look at her, she would be a great moral booster for the crew," he whispered almost inaudibly as the woman on stage spoke.


"This is a song I just got done writing, about a lover and her estranged man who was being hunted by sirens!" Interesting, she even wrote her own songs! Right after the woman began to sing once more, but this was definitely a silence demanding song as it started. This woman was truly amazing in her own right and probably the most gifted singer he had seen in many many years.


He could feel the emotion flowing through her ad she sang. In the heat of the moment he had gently, without thinking really, started to take a gentle hold of his captains hand. If successful she would notice how rough his skin was from years of working on a ship, very covered in calluses.


"The mermaid grace, the forever call, beauty in spyglass on an old mans porch, the mermaids you turned loose brought back you're tears.


At the end of the river the sun down beams, all the relics of a life long lived. Here weary traveler rest your wand, sleep the journey from your eyes," she sang. Ladan felt bizarre hanging on every word the woman sang, but the song was amazing.


After singing the chorus once more, after a slight pause, she finished the song, causing a huge uproar of happiness and amazement.
 
Rebecca typically kept her favorite parts of the ship in perfect condition, which was anything which required gunpowder. When she wasn't performing maintenance on the weaponry Rebecca was often caught stealing rum from the storage, or when docked, out drinking at various pubs. Lately she had developed a new hobby, drunkily following Rhys around attempting to mooch some food off him without impacting the ship too much. Or at least she claimed. Rebecca never admitted that she followed Rhys simply because he made sure she didn't cause too much chaos when they're docked.


A few shouts echoed through the area as she stumbled over a pile of vegetables and fruits, sending them rolling across the floor. Rebecca didn't bother to apologize, just simply staggering a decent distance away from Balthier (I mean Rhys).


@Solitaire
 
Lilith stood in a dusty weapons shop, the loud clatter and talking drowned out due to the rather large and thick door. She was here getting Evie all nice a shined up. The Cutter's last leave, left a few nicks in her beloved blade. One might say Lilith's love for her weapons was how you would image a mother would be about her favorite child. It was a very rare sight to see her without either Evie or Horus. This day though, she left Horus back on the airship. Surely, she wouldn't need both of them. Then again, one could never tell when you were here. The world's capital. Carran. In this place, anything could happen. As the craftsman was doing what he supposeditly was the best at, Lilith walked around the shop, looking at the the various swords. Sure they looked impressive, but she wouldn't choose any of them over Evie. She hunted high and low for a great weapon like her.


Heavy footfalls were heard behind her as the craftsman came back around the front of the shop. Lilith turned and in his hands was what looked like a brand new Evie. A small smile spread over her lips as she walked towards the rather large man. She took from his hands and inspected it herself. Seeming pleased with it, she looked up at the man. "She looks perfect. It seems that you have lived up to the rumors. I am very pleased, Thomas". The craftsman looked pleased with Lilith's praise. "Of course lassie! I ain't known as the best fer nothin'!". He let out a deep and hearty laugh. Lilith let out a small chuckle herself. "Of course, kind sir". She laid out the money that she owed him and carefully slide Evie back in her scabbard. Lilith walked towards the door as the owner asked her to come by again, when she was in port. She gave him a small nod and walked out.


Upon walking outside, Lilith shielded her eyes from the invastion of the bright light on her eyes. Blinking a few times, she looked around at all the hustle and bustle of the towns folk. A twich formed on her brows at the ammount of people that inhabited this place. Rolling her shoulders, she walked down a pathway leading towards a local pub. Lilith wasn't much of a drinker but for some reason, this day she felt like having half a mug of ale. It didn't take her long to find the place, it had people spilling all the way outside. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through all the people to the doors.


After entering the pub, Lilith fought her way to the bar, daring anyone to say a word to her. On her way to the bar, a burly and drunk man reached out and grabbed her backside. It took Lilith half of a second before she turned around and grabbed the man's hand. Forcing him up out of his chair, she spun him around and jerked his arm painfully around his back, holding onto it tightly. Leaning into his ear, she carefully spit out,"..ey, didn't anyone tell you not to pick on lasses? One might just rip yer arm off". Stepping away slgihtly, she put her boot against his back and kicked him out the door. Fixing her clothes, she ignored everyone stares and murmmers. Walking up to the bar she asked for her mug of ale, paid and then walked outside, mug in tow.
 
Jackson Filcherly

(Posted here as well, since Jackson walked through the public domain, others might wanna interact as well)


Jackson lounged lazily on the deck of the Cloudcutter, his hammock slung above-decks for a change. He rocked in it back and forth, enjoying a quiet afternoon, most of the crew ha left to go into town, Carren being tha largest city on the continent,possibly the world. It had too many people for his tastes, he much preferred the sea breeze and salty water. So, he had volunteered to stay behind on the ship, and he had just finished up re-tuning and adjusting the steering mechanism which had needed a calibration badly. Their last voyage had been pretty hard on the ship. But, of course, it was not anything he couldn't handle, he was Jackson T. Filcherly, Master Carpenter and Engineer!


He was fiddling with a contraption in his hand, some mess of gears and metal pieces to keep his hands busy. It was useless, of course, nothing more than bits of scrap thrown and bolted together for his own amusement. "Jackie boy," he said aloud to himself, "Ya really have t' find yourself A suitable woman to keep occupied, or this boredom's bound ta kill ya one o' these days." There were quite a few attractive women on board, most available and all around his age. But, there was a reason for that; he wasn't quite sure how Capt'n Novena's mathematical mind would process a man's courtship. The boatswain, Lilith, well, the only way she tended to speak to him was at volume and an angry tone about his latest "shenanigans". On the other hand, Meredith, the surgeon, she was a young lass, but she tended to joke around with Jackson, often giving him ideas for his next stunt, whether she realized it or not. Last, but certainly not least, Aya, the musician, she was a rough-and-tumble pirate maid, her spunk was almost a match for Jackson's own high spirits, she and he got along rather well, he thought.


He was roused from his day-dreaming by a sudden snap and a piece of metal breaking off into his hand. "Ah, cursed wind take it, I don' even have th' parts to put it t'gether again. What a piece o' whale blubber this thing is." He sighed, he had been hoping to avoid going into the big city, but this realization that he was running low on some supplies would come back to bite him if he just let it go. "Be'er get this done 'n over with."


Walking down the plank and over a few streets into the main city square, he was immediately bombarded by hordes of shopkeepers thrusting their wares into his view, street-side performers waving hats and tin cups in his face for a coin or two. He dislikes being crowded, he attributed this to his "free spirit". Across the plaza, he saw a few familiar faces, though he couldn't name all of them. A few he knew, Ladan for one, pinching pockets of coins and valuables. If he tried to catch anything out of Jackson, he'd only find a handful of razor-sharp blades, the reason he never strolled along with his hands in his pockets. He noticed his captain and the boatswain in a tavern, but the Aetherblade's own happened to be there as well, so he thought it eat to avoid a confrontation, at least for the time being, and continued on down the street. A hardware supply building caught his eye, and he entered, suddenly immersed in a world of every gadget and piece of engineering equipment he could imagine.


An hour later, he left with an armful of tools and supplies, nails, screws, bolts, a few pieces of lumber strapped onto his back, a handsaw, and other various knick-knacks. It took him almost twice as long to get back to the ship as it had taken to get from there, mostly because he kept dropping a nail or a piece of wood slid off his back, and he would have to stop and readjust his load. He finally made it aboard, and not seeing anyone about the decks yet, he scurried down to his room/workshop, and unloaded his prizes. "That should keep us in d'mand fer a little while, won' it, Oakbane?" He looked to his saw-sword, a weapon, yes, but also his must trusty tool, and he treated it as if it was a separate member of the crew. "Now, I may as well make me self busy down here until the Cap'n or sommat else needs me services up-decks."
 
The Captain slammed a pistol barrel-down into the table, knocking out a small lead ball and a pinch of gunpowder. She put a cigarillo in her mouth and held it to the frizzen of the now unloaded pistol. The strike of the flintlock mechanism and flash of powder illuminated her face briefly in the smoky bar, lighting the cigarillo handily. She blew a cloud of smoke and watched it drift away in the dim half-light.


It was propaganda, this flier, it had to be. That or ineffective desperation. And what would she get out of it, anyways. Money? Tempting, but something about just being given money didn't sit well with her. A pardon? They couldn't catch her anyways, not with a thousand ships. So why did it bother her so much?


The memory of the Cloud Peril captain's face when they saw each other in the market drifted through her mind. She gnawed at the end of the cigarillo, hissing under her breath. Captain Soledad considered no one in the world her rival. She had to admit, though, Brightwall was a person who knew the odds. What did she have planned?


Speak of the devil. Soledad watched Captain Brightwall barge her way through the crowd to talk to a man she recognized as the Cloudcutter's first mate. Like the rest of the bar, they were distracted by her girl on stage. An idea formed in the Captain's mind, and with surprising dexterity for someone so large she slipped into the densely packed crowd. She had to dodge some strange altercation surrounding the enemy's bosun, but managed to make it to the bar without attracting too much attention. Slapping a small pile of coins on the bar, she leaned in conspiratorially towards the barkeep.


"My compliments to the singer, friend." She said. The man nodded and snatched up the coins, and the small slip of paper hiding in them. He filled an ornate goblet up with some of his best stuff and set it aside to be given to Nidelia when she had a moment, the message tucked surreptitiously under it. In the Captain's unusually regal handwriting, it read:


N-


Bearded guy and blonde with tricorn are CC's captain and first mate. They don't know your face, see if you can get some info from them. We'll be under sail at dawn.


-S


Smiling to herself, the Captain left the bar, practically ramming into Brook on the way out.


"Ah, Mister Thamalath," she said, dragging him by the collar a few steps as she walked out into the street. "I'm afraid I'll have to cancel any festivities you may be planning. You don't happen to know any experts in botanical legends, by any chance?"


They two found Rhys and Rebecca in short order, the drunken gunner having just caused a bit of an incident. Without looking, Soledad flipped a mollifying coin into the shopkeep's hand and called out to the two.


"Fair weather, m'trumps! Hope you've got your affairs in order, we'll be raising anchor soon. Help me gather the others, aye?"


@VolcanicMagma
 
Rhys was used to his... drunken shadow, sort of. Although his eye twitched as Rebecca stumbled over some poor fool's pile of fruits and vegetables. He watched an apple rolling across the ground and with a heavy sigh, he looked over at his unapologetic crewmember as she stumbled away from him. Turning on his heel, he started the walk back to the ship and stopped as his Captain came out of apparently nowhere. He hadn't seen her coming.


"Just finished in fact, Cap'n." He nodded, watching the shopkeeper clutching the coin. "I was literally just heading back to the ship. Get Rebecca to help, I've gotta sort out the deliveries and start working on dinner."


@DireSloth
 
"A morale booster?" Novena echoed without much intent on wanting a clarification. Her brows furrowed slightly. She had tallied her experiments with worded and non-worded musical performances with the findings of various researchers, and found the myth of worded songs being highly disruptive of thought processes very true, at least for her. This was hardly a 'morale booster' for someone who relied heavily on her thinking and counting. She did, however, discount the fact that the words of the song usually had an effect on people, and her looks were far from unpleasant as well. Maybe the men on the ship (Novena paused in her thoughts here to give a laser-like stare at her First Mate, and to recall the lackadaisical man that was Jackson Filcherly of her crew) could stand to be more upbeat with her voice and her looks. Novena weighed the options, and came to a conclusion: mayhaps the lady could join them in the crew, as long as she didn't sing loud enough to be heard from the captain's quarters.


She had almost jerked out of when she felt a hand slide into hers. Her eyes followed the hand to its owner, and she stopped short from putting a knife in his gut. In her reverie, she had forgotten that Ladan was standing beside her. It had broken her train of thought, and she really despised it when someone derailed the calculations within her mind. She clenched her fist, did not act, then relaxed. Ladan had been around the ship for a long time: she and him had a long history within the Cloudcutter, even if they didn't agree on a lot of topics, given her rather fickle temperament to what constitutes of following her code of honour and what doesn't. She watched his eyes linger on the singer, as she finished yet another song. For just a second, a jolt of electricity speared through her heart, and she drew her hand away from his, the bare skin of her fingers tracing lightly across his palm as she did. She tucked one hand in her pocket, and tipped her tricorn with the other. She pushed herself away from the counter and placed a hand on Ladan's shoulder.


"Get the yoctograms back on the ship ready to sail at 1st notice. Let me see if I can get her on the crew." She patted him reassuringly and moved towards the singer on the stage.
 
The old, rustic tavern had lasted long through the years, its condition far from pristine, yet still sailors and locals alike had flocked to it, the business garnered more than enough to sustain its life. Michael had no memories of the place before joining up with the Aetherblades, and now he'd be the first to say he's had one too many. One too many drinks lead to a few nights his conscience would be better off forgetting.


Michael had been watching the place from across the street, standing there with a growing shadow over his expression as crowds trickled and ebbed past. He knew the first mate was likely inside, from what he'd gathered, and he was debating how badly he wanted to pose his question when a familiar face stalked out of the place, a mug of liquor sloshing as she went.


Lilith, he remembered, the boatswain of his new crew. They'd shared a few drinks before, and she hadn't been the worst of company. It'd provide a good cover if Ladan looked his way, anyhow. Michael set into motion.


He crossed the street in speed, wading through the filtering crowd at an easy, poised gait. He reached Lilith without twisting in direction even once, and touched his hand to the bend of her arm once he was close enough.


"Leaving so soon?" He asked quietly. A gentleman, after all, did not raise his voice for any but the most offensive of reasons. The lessons of his youth were rooted deep. It would give his bellows more impact, but the cost of the technique meant the hard of hearing would have to lean in to discern his words. That, of course, was an advantage if they were a pretty woman. A smile spread slow and easy across his face. "Would you stay a while longer? I only just arrived, miss Lilith."
 
Vil had nothing better to do than just walk around the Remorse. He'd walk up the forecastle, down to the main deck, into the hold then into the quarter deck. He'd explore the whole ship and still found nothing better to do. He'd made his way to the pilot's cockpit, finding a girl in the room. 'Huh.. Here I thought I was alone.' he thought to himself


Closing the door behind him, he walked closer to the woman. She was sitting in a chair, somewhat napping. 'Heh.. Perfect.' he thought, standing over the woman. She was a looker, brunette, slim face, slim figure. Vil smirked, leaning closer to the woman, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. He then blew into her ear, wondering if she'd wake up.


@Killigrew


(Lame intro sorreh)
 
Tilting the mug and pouring the rest of the ale down her throat, Lilith felt a hand gently touch her arm. Before even turning, she had her hand on the hilt of Evie, ready to unshelth her if need be. The voice that came out of the person behind her, let her know that it was only one of her crew members. Turning around she looked up at what appeard to be the Cutter's Gunner. It was unlike him to want her to join in a few drinks with him. It wasn't like they were the best of buds but they somehow enjoyed each other's company. Shocking as that may seem given that they both are so head strong. Usually, if she were to meet someone like him, she would butt head with that almost instantly. For Micheal though, it didn't seem that way for her. Though it probably had more to do with that he didn't take any shit from her and he threw at her as much as she threw at him.


Lilith gave him a ver small and slight smile. "Only on one condition, Mickey", She smirked, knowing that he hated nicknames, which was why she gave him one. "Stop calling me Miss. Lilith works just fine". Lilith quirked a brow at him and dared him to call her that again. Though, they've never been in a tussle before, she had a feeling that of all the people he would give her a run for her money. After looking at him for a moment and calculating that he was smart enough to not call her that, she walked passed him and back through the tavern doors.


After stepping inside, she then realized that her Captain and First Mate where also there. Frowning, she wondered how she could have missed them. She walked up to the bar and ordered her drink, waiting for the Gunner to join her. As she waited, she noticed that her Captain was walking up to the girl that just got done singing when she entered the tavern the first time. Lilith raised a brow at this and wondered just what their odd ball of a Captain was up to. Knowing that crooked screw, she was more than likelt trying to get the poor lass to join the Cutter. Lilith took another sweep of the place, making sure that now Blades was in the area. Looking back over at the First Mate, she gave him a small nod and took a drink from her mug. Looking over her shoulder, she seen the Gunner now making his way over to her. With a smirk, she looked at him,"..well it took you long enough, Lad. Find some poor damsel that needed help on the way in?". Lilith quite enjoyed giving her shipmates a hard time about things like that, it was an easy to break any tension. She couldn't have her underlings getting too stressed out now.
 
Tingles curled across her forehead, were followed by a cold chill spreading out from her ear. Maeve stirred from her reverie, from that half-sleep that dulled her senses. She last remembered falling into a state of half-deadness, staring dumbly out the cockpit's windowed frame and her thoughts running down her mind without much direction; flutterings of memories and intricacies of perceptions breezing by like the clouds on a morning run.


She'd been certain that the door'd been locked behind her, and by instinct believed at first that a bug was playing at her. She swat lazily at whatever had woke her, seizing up when the back of her palm made contact with flesh, a light 'plap' announcing the solid impact.


Maeve slowly flicked her eyes to the left, and caught sight of this long curtain of red spreading open for a chiseled face. Her eyes went wide, and she immediately leapt from her chair to lightly catch herself across the cockpit, where her back hugged the wall and her arms crossed tight across her small body.


The flash of a glare, warning this man off, was sharp across her expression as she regarded the intruder.


@BlaineInTheButt
 
Mickey. His face was blank, but inwardly his lip was curling. He'd always found nicknames distasteful. Michael was hardly two syllables, and far more regal a name than... Mickey. Mickey was a child's name. But he kept his dissatisfaction sealed behind closed lips, and let Lilith lead on. She'd already accepted his invitation, he could see, but she had to poke him around first.


He hovered at the entrance as she walked in, a sudden crowd making a wall between them. He lost her in the mass of bodies, and by pushing and contorting, he finally forced his way through to somewhat open air, dank with smoke and liquor though it was. All the fuss seemed to circulate around a singer descending the stage. The people within were practically falling over themselves with awe.


If only they had seen Celestia on the Midnight Stage. Some perspective would do the masses good.


Michael made his way over to the bar and fell down in the stool beside Lilith. He raised an eyebrow at her little prodding.


"Weren't you that poor damsel?" He asked gently. He motioned for the bartender and ordered himself a drink -- the same as Lilith. "And here I am, offering you help, in the form of my company." As he spoke, he surveyed the crowd, briefly stopping his gaze on the First Mate, who he marked and kept track of thereon.


@Broken\-Angel
 
Vil chuckled as the woman was out and off her chair. Looking at her, he got a clear view of her. Slim figure, petite little woman. Well, all woman were petite to his large frame. Flashing his usual smirk, he took a step closer to the woman, playing with one of the many rings he had on. "Now, now.. I don't bite.. Much." He said, smirking as he looked at her. As he inched closer, he could feel that the woman was somewhat startled by his sudden appearance.


He took hold of her chin and looked into her eyes, a rich green colour looked back at him. Her face was small and rounded, as expected of a female. "You're quite the looker, hm?" He said, pulling his hand back to his side. He stepped back, creating little space between them. Bowing in front of her, he acted like a gentleman, kissing the back of her hand. "Iandir Vilen Ilimlian, First Mate." He said, standing at his full height. "At your service, madamme." He added, smirking at her.


He then took out a cigarette from his pocket, followed by a lighter. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, he lighted it up, blowing a cloud of smoke out. "Now, I do believe I do not know you're name." He said, looking at her. "Care to share?" He asked, giving her a wink.


@Killigrew
 
Lilith looked at him from the corner of her eye and let out a small snort. "Nay, I think ye might have me mixed up with some lass with her head in the clouds. This here lass, will be putting you in yer spot in a jiffy. Or have you forgotten that?". She turned her head to look at him fully, a small smirk playing at her lips. Lilith down the rest of her Ale and set her mug down and stood up from her stool. She placed her coin down on the counter, gave the gunner a nod,"..well it looks like you're not much of a savior it seems, as I'll be taking my leave from you". Lilith turned and pushed her way back out the doors again.


Once outside, Lilith slipped her fingers into her belt at her hips and walked down the roads. Getting tired of waiting for her Captain, she decided to go on and get back to the ship. She doubted that anyone was there, maybe just Jackson. As she walked, she passed by a few of the towns folk and let out a sigh. They reminded her of her mother and how it had been quite a long time since she's been home. She wouldn't be surprised if her mother had finally kicked the bucket. Sure she'd be sad if that were the case but it would only last for a minute. The person who raised her and the person who was there when she left, were two different people. Lilith closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she was coming up on the docks.


Walking up into the ship, she made her way below decks and walked down the sections to her quarters. As she walked she heard the familiar voice of the quirky Jackson. Popping her head into his room's doors, she looked at him with a shaking head. Of course the lad was trying to fix something. Though he kind of messed up more than he fixed but the poor thing meant well. "Well it seems you're hard at work again ey, Jackson. Just make sure to not leave pieces of yer fingers behind this time, hmm?". Lilith gave him a small chuckle.


@Killigrew @Stickdom
 
(Copied from Cloud Peril Thread for continuity {hint hint, Angie, there's more in the other thread xD })


Jackson, Aboard the Cloud Peril

Jackson took his leave of the ship's cook as the stout and grumbly dwarf went off to check the larder for supplies and rations, taking Jackson's beef with him, much to his chagrine. "Ah well, the ol' sea otter can make bet'er use out of it than I can, I s'pose." He made his way back to his workshop room, and tried to procure another of the little mechanical menaces he had just given the cook, but with some modifications, of course. Seeing as he had thrown the first one together from scraps and had not written down the exact components he had used in its creation.


Jackson fiddled with this for the better part of an hour before he became frustrated with it. He pushed his chair back, one of the few to have wheels on this ship, not exactly stable in a tossing gale, but more for comfort and ease of motion than safety. For now, he slumped in it, deflated in mechanical defeat, his head lolled over the back rest and closing his eyes as he spun around a few times. As he turned around and around, his hand brushed the paper cloth that covered his table, pulling it and knocking half of his pieces to the floor. He jumped up, then crouched, trying to sweep them all together before they were lost between the cracks in the wooden floor. "Seven winds! What's th' matter with me work today? Can't fit diddly with squat, that blasted contraption is.." He stopped as his hand rested on an unusual piece that might, possibly, just maybe...


He grabbed it and held it between his teeth, then practically leapt to his feet, piling the pieces he had swept up onto the table. With the piece still separate and the contraption in hand again, he cleared a space to work. Only a moment and he had swapped the piece between his lips for a screwdriver, fitting it into the empty hollow that it slid into, oh, so nicely. He had to keep himself from skipping with delight, he had thought it wouldn't ever be complete, but now he was closer than ever.


It was at this moment that Lilith opened his door, unseen by him, so focused on his work. Her voice startled him, and he jumped to face the door, his left hand flying behind his back and his right to his forehead in a proper salute, stuttering, "A-a-Aye, Ma'am!" This was purely instinctual, but doing so had flung the device from his salute-bound hand across the room, where it broke into fragments against the wall. He winced as he heard the shatter, but did not remove himself from his salute, though his eyes slid mournfully to look in the direction of his poor mangled device, lying dead on the floor.


@Broken-Angel


@Beowulf
 
The man inched closer, blind to the warning in her expression, and Maeve sunk further into the wall.


As he grabbed her chin, she snatched it back, jerking her head away to be free of him. But he still didn't seem to notice her discomfort, and moved in attention to her hand instead, dropping his lips on it and drawing out a stilted gasp from Maeve.


She was too shocked to pull away that time. Whatever he was saying fell on deaf ears as her head swam and the color drained from her face.


The surprise soon gave way to a reactionary fury, and it spread cold around her as the kissed hand drew her sword from her belt in a swift, flashing motion.


"How dare you force yourself upon me," Her voice was a cutting whisper as she pointed the narrow blade at the low of his chin. "How dare you..."


Her eyes flashed. She was poised in readiness to thrust right through him.


@BlaineInTheButt
 
"Testy, testy." Vil said, chuckling at her. Women these days were getting feistier. He liked feisty. "Now.. Who said anything about forcing myself on you?" He repeated, a smirk evident on his face.


His expression never changed even if she unsheathed her weapon. "You want to duel me, love? Then a duel you shall have." He said, dropping his cigarette, stomping on it and unsheathing his babies, Sil and Lan.


The dual swords gleamed when the light struck them right. It was obvious how much he took care of his blades. He then swung them around, like they were mere play things. "Are you sure about this, love? I'd hate to scar such a beautiful face." He said, smirking at her.


He didn't care right now if they were in a small space, he'll be cutting up everything he'll see in here, hopefully some parts of her clothing as well. 'Well.. I'll aim for other things..' he thought to himself, a smirk never fading from his lips.


@Killigrew
 
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Ladan blinked as he watched her, giving her a simple nod at her orders and left to find the other members of their ship. He wasn't sure where they were as he hadn't really seen any of them in the bar. Plenty of stinkin' Aetherblades though... he thought to himself.


He headed out to look for the crew.


Nidelia finished her song bowing deeply then noticed she had a drink waiting and went and grabbed it reading the note, which she quickly tossed into some other person's drink while they weren't looking. She began sipping her drink and sat on the stool for a moment as she scanned the bar. The leader of the Cloud Peril... hmmm... I hope I'm not getting in over my head for my first mission from my new captain... she thought as she then spotted the captain walking towards her. Wait, why is she coming after me?! She thought to herself and quickly gained her composure and put on a big grin like she always did meeting someone new. "'Ello to ye!" she says walking up to the captain as she had made sure it was obvious she noticed she was wanted by the captain.


"'Ow are yeh and what can I do ye for?" she asks in her thick accent (Irish IRL).
 
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