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 Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:43 pm
Varun whistled lightly to himself as he exited his cabin, squinting at the sun as it just began to peek over the horizon. He stretched, noticing that several of his crewmen were already out and about. No doubt the cook was already fixing the hungry men some breakfast...hopefully, he would not forget the extra passenger.
He heard the rustle of feathers, and turned to find a green and white creature standing near the helm, preening. The bright-eyed pirate smiled.
"Lunelai! 'Eturned from 'unting, have ye?" he commented, striding up to her and patting her on the head. The griffin coo'd softly in response, reaching down to continue picking at the several fish in her claws. He was glad that she was here, especially after the fight of the previous day. Handy as griffins were, they were little help in close-up battles - ships were too hard to maneuver on, and the skies made them too easy a target. Varun always had her go hunt when a battle was expected. She always returned.
Hmmm...wonder if the drunk lad was awake yet.
"You 'ere, Hovel!" called the captain, receiving the attention of an especially burly looking sailor. "Go 'ake our guest, will ye?"
"Aye, cap'n."
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:13 pm
When the ground was moving, Mal’s first thought was that he had too much to drink the night before. His vague headache only corroborated this theory, so he went through the mental checklist of what he always did when waking up with a hangover: naked? Half, but he usually slept without a shirt. With someone else? Nope. Sore a**? Nope. Familiar surroundings? He opened one eye. The other quickly followed as he realized the answer to this last question was also ‘nope’.
It took a little while for the answers to tickle into his mind. Ah… right. The funeral. And then there had been a fight---which explained the new bruises---and then meeting Varun again. All in all, it had been a pretty good day yesterday. Not a bad one, certainly.
He pulled a shirt on quickly and poked his head outside. Yep. Dawn was just starting to poke up. Perfect! Waitaminute… he squinted a little, trying to see what the big white and green glob was. If it actually was green. It looked green, but it was a gryphon, so, clearly, it couldn’t be.
“Mornin’, Varun!” he said cheerfully, seeing the other man standing not too far away. Apparently, Mal had missed out on the news that he was supposed to be woken up by someone else.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:11 pm
Varun turned, dipping his head a little and smiling. "About time ye 'ot up. Come 'ere and 'eet Lunelai, otherwise she'll 'ikely try to 'ite ye."
Yeeeah....didn't like strangers, Lunelai. Another reason why she was good to have around.
He sighed, leaning against the side of the ship as Lunelai looked t'wards Mal. The past two hours had been odd, but quite beneficial. Today would likely be a lazy day of sailing, as he knew of no other ships carrying worthy cargo to the same port. His other ship, the one that had been following, had been given permission to leave, and had done so during the night. This left nothing around them but blue ocean, and soon, a faint greenish-grey on the horizon. Land.
Of course, soon for a sailor could mean several days, buuut...whatever. Still soon.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 2:39 pm
“What can I say? I enjoy sleepin’ in!” Mal said, spreading his arms as if to say ‘it’s not my fault’. Pfft… yeah. Sleeping in until the crack of dawn. He had a mild hangover, but he wouldn’t let that ruin his natural good mood.
He eyed Lunelai a little warily, having personal experience with trying to approach a gryphon who didn’t want to be approached. It turned out that Aeron didn’t like waking up before noon and Mal had learned the hard way to let sleeping gryphons lie. “Didn’t know you had a gryphon, Varun. Wouldn’t’ve thought they would be much for sea travel. I guess she uses the air currents or somethin’.” Well, she probably kept the rat population down. That was always a concern on ships.
His eyes traveled towards the familiar horizon. “That’d be Elphin Forest. One of the first official battles was fought there,” he said, spitting out the word ‘official’. “Course, there were earlier non-official ones. Paralene refuses to recognize ‘em. Apparently, if you don’t think about somethin’, it ceases to exist.”
There was nothing hypocritical in his actions, not at all! He didn’t drink to avoid thinking about things… he drank because… because… it helped him sleep. Which was a way of not thinking about things. The irony didn’t occur to Mal, primarily because people rarely saw irony in their own actions.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:08 pm
Varun smirked a little. "Of 'ourse! 'Aybe 'at's why I'm always 'inking about 'old."
The man watched as Lunelai eyed Mal suspiciously, then looked t'wards this Elphin Forest. Ah, if only his land knowledge was as vast as his nautical knowledge. He knew enough to get around, but as for the names of forests and rivers too small for ship-travel, small towns....he knew little. He saw no need to know anymore than he did, though, because very rarely did small towns hold large bounty. And if they did, it likely wouldn't stay there for long. Loot had an odd habit of moving from place to place.
..his moved, but it was always within his sights. Always.
His attention snapped back to Mal as he heard Lunelai's jaws snap...upon noticing no blood, the captain laughed. "I think she 'ikes ye!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:23 pm
In general, Mal preferred traveling by foot. Sure, there was more danger from wild animals and, far more often, people, but he preferred it. It was simple, easy. Traveling by water or by coach, well, there were possible witnesses. Mal disliked the idea of being watched while traveling, or being tracked.
The sudden snap of Lunelai’s beak brought Mal sharply back to reality. In this particular reality, he obeyed his instincts and dove behind Varun, hiding behind the taller man. He peeked out from around Varun at Lunelai, not caring if she liked him or not. Alright, so that was a lie; being liked by a gryphon was much better than being disliked. It meant that she wouldn’t try to eviscerate him at night.
“… Oh… well… I guess that’s a positive,” he muttered, making no signs that he was going to move from behind Varun any time soon. “… I bet she would get along with Aeron. He greets people the same way. I’ve almost got him cured of bitin’ off fingers though.” Speaking of fingers… Mal checked his hands quickly, just to make sure he still had all ten of his fingers.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:50 pm
Varun laughed heartily, moving aside not long after Mal decided to hide behind him. "'Erhaps. Lunelai does 'ot often meet with other 'riffins, 'ough. She 'ery well 'ight do the same 'ing."
The man barked out a few orders to his crew, before turning back t'wards the front of the ship and moving to the railing. He took a deep breath, stretching and putting his hands behind his head. "How far inland is yer friend?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:34 pm
Eyeing Lunelai somewhat warily, Mal decided to not get too close. Sure, she hadn’t drawn blood this time, but there was no telling if his luck would hold or not. And, honestly, annoying a creature about the size of a horse with a sharp beak and even sharper talons was a quick way to die. He rather enjoyed life, thank you very much! Sure, things were… difficult, but he had gotten through difficult patches before.
“Hm? She lives in Synd most of the time. ‘Round this time of year, anyway. She travels a bit, followin’ the harvests.” It didn’t matter anyway. She would be there. If she had to walk through a field of flames and swim through a river of blood---which she actually had done on one occasion---she would be there.
-=-=-=-=-Time Skip!-=-=-=-=-=-=-
‘There’s always more fish in the sea’ was a phrase that had been tossed around many times without anyone ever thinking about where this proverbial sea was. If there was an actual sea, then it was Synd. The port city was absolutely packed with people, most of them dark-haired and short and completely ignoring the strangers in their midst. Well, most of them, anyway… occasionally, a woman---or, even more often, a girl barely past her teens--- would giggle as Varun or his men went by. More often than not, these women had a pink flower around their wrist.
If this had any significance, Mal didn’t seem particularly inclined to explain it. At the moment, he seemed far more interested in merely pushing his way through the crowd; his eyes constantly moved around, trying to spot his old friend. For the first time in weeks, he had broken out the old army uniform. It actually wasn’t that different than his usual clothes… the same shades of gray and brown prevailed over everything else. It was the way he walked that really made a difference.
Mal! Malmalmalmalmal!!”
A young woman in similar clothes burst from the crowd and jumped at Mal, hugging him fiercely. Mal hadn’t been expecting this and stumbled back a few steps, laughing at the other’s antics. He hugged her right back anyway, swinging her around as best he could. It was a bit tricky, seeing as she was at least an inch taller than he was. Her hair--- a thick wavy mane of black---ended at her shoulders.
“Lynne! What’ve you done now?” Letting go of her, he looked at her, still laughing. And then the laughter stopped. His eyes narrowed and he pointed at her bosom. “What the Hell are those?!” He demanded in a mock-outraged tone.
“They’re called ‘boobs’, Mal. Repeat after me: ‘Boooobs’. I’ve decided that I’m done with wearin’ baggy clothes. Speakin’ of clothing, who’s Captain Tightpants here?” She nodded towards Varun, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. As friendly as she was with Mal, it was pretty clear that Varun wouldn’t be getting any tackle-hugs for now…
“This? This is Varun Loknath. Varun, this is Aaralyn Reeds. Come on… let’s move before we get arrested for somethin’ or other…” nodding back, he pointed out some far-more traditional soldiers watching them. From the look of their uniform, these ones were from Paralene. And they weren’t too happy.
Moving on out of the stream of people, Aaralyn led them to a slightly more quiet place to talk.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:24 pm
Varun didn't like people touching him. People he didn't know, who predominately weren't female. That comprised about 99% of the crowd he was currently in. Five of his biggest men followed them, though their attempts at fanning out around their leader didn't work. Ah, well. In a crowd this big, enemies wouldn't dare try anything. Too many witnesses.
And he had noticed a few....strange, things. He'd ask about them later.
He sent a glance back at the men behind them, clearing his throat as he caught them making small talk with a few females who had tagged along...they quickly severed ties. Hmph. Work before pleasure, they should know that. If Varun was really about to make a rather nice deal, the women would come later. Besides, the way they were acting almost frightened him....
...the way this woman was acting kind of...well, anyway.
Varun blinked lightly at Mal and...her, wondering if this was the woman he was scheduled to meet with. Mmm. Meet with her he would, hopefully. The whole 'boobs' thing really didn't help his mindset. Shaking his head a bit, he watched silently. The captain smiled a little when his name was mentioned, but that was about it.
As they moved to a 'quieter' place, he reminded himself that this was a woman he was dealing with. Women in business were tricky creatures. They tried to toy with his mind. It had worked...four times, probably. Twice with the same woman. Damn that siren-esque b***h. Anyway. He would have to keep himself guarded. Mal might be friends with her, but money was still money.
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:49 pm
Usually, a ‘quiet place’ meant an inn or a tavern of the usual shady sort. But, Aaralyn led the two men to a very different place. To the outside world, it looked like a rather normal---if elderly--- sort of home with plants in every bit of spare dirt that could be found. Where dirt couldn’t be found, plants managed to grow anyway. Only someone very knowledgeable about the flora of Cambria would have noted that most of the plants were the sort that could make a person very, very happy.
Even inside the house, potted plants littered every bit of surface that could be found. The windowsills were more like miniature gardens than anything else. Even the air seemed alive in its own way.
“Now then,” Aaralyn said, moving a few pots out of chairs so they could all sit down. “What’s wrong?” The question was directed at Mal. For the time being, she seemed content to ignore Varun.
“What makes you think somethin’ is wrong?” Mal asked with just a tinge of suspicion in his voice. Although the chairs were cleared off, he made no sign of wanting to sit. For now, he was content with wandering around and poking at the plants. Lynne really did change the place since the last time he was here…
Aaralyn snorted. Apparently, she had never read the Ladies Manual which expressedly forbade snorting like that. Or, if she had read it, she ignored it anyway. “Uh-huh. Mal, you saw Paralenian soldiers and you didn’t make their lives thoroughly miserable for watchin’ you. You can never resist that sort of thing. You always go through the trouble of makin’ their lives just a wee bit more difficult.”
Of course, there was also the matter of Varun’s presence. That was unusual… normally, Mal came alone. But, the reason behind his presence was clear to Lynne. It was about time that Mal finally got around to getting a boyfriend.
“Nothin’ is wrong… well, not rea…” Mal trailed off and he walked over to Aaralyn curiously, looking her up and down. Clearly, something else had changed about her appearance. Putting a hand on top of his head, he measured himself against her. Huh. That was weird… last time he had checked, he was the taller of them, but now she was at least three inches taller…
“Damnit, Lynne! You were the one person I was actually taller than!” Mal went on a mock-rampage at her growth spurt, blaming it on everything from the water to the drugs to… well, just about anything, actually.
“Some of us aren’t midgets, Mal,” was the reply, accompanied by a fond pat on the head that only seemed to make the man more annoyed. While he was distracted---and ranting about shrimp--- Aaralyn winked at Varun and lifted her pant leg just a little to show off the heels she was wearing. She put a finger to her lips to signal silence before letting the pants back down to cover the secret of her success.
Finally sitting down in the chair, Mal crossed his arms across his chest. Alright, so maybe the anger wasn’t completely made up… as weird as it sounded, he actually was mildly annoyed that Lynne was apparently taller than he was. Stupid thing, really… Shoving it from his mind, he got to the point.
“Business is slowin’ for you lately. Don’t bother arguin’ with that, Lynne. I know it for a fact. Varun here’s got a ship. And he’s willin’ to help transport. For a cut of the pay, of course.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:49 pm
Varun couldn't help but smirk a little. Aha, so it was not the wiles of a woman that he'd have to worry about, but the wiles of her garden. What a garden it was, too.
He was playing with the leaves of one plant while the two talked - also opting not to sit - as his men lingered near the door. They were smart enough not to touch anything. The fact that she was ignoring him barely phased the man. Actually, it was easier. Much easier. And he got to play with cargo before ever even getting it on the ship!
Once Mal exploded into his little tantrum, however, the man turned. He barely contained a laugh as the heels were revealed - he'd make it a point to bring that up in the future. "Hey, Mal, why don't you reac-....wait, no. Lynne's taller, She can reach it better."
...not like he actually talked like that, but whatever.
Ah, now was the fun part. He strode over two the other two upon the mention of business, losing interest with the plants. Cargo, rather.
"Correction. I've 'ot 'everal ships. Two 'ilitary sized, the 'est merchant." he stated, smiling a little. Being able to say that inflated his ego a little.
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:05 pm
“Several ships,” Mal corrected himself with a slight nod at Varun. It didn’t matter if the man had one or hundreds; so long as he had at least one, then the pirate would be suitable. If the pirate agreed anyway. Sure, pirates weren’t exactly known for honesty, but Mal trusted Varun enough to go through with this deal if only because of the vast rewards that he would get from it. Oh, and also because Mal knew where Varun slept. That would motivate a person too.
Aaralyn frowned and her fingers traveled to the tips of her hair, an anxious habit that she had never fully broken. As a general rule, Cambrians did not like or trust strangers. But… well, Mal trusted him enough to bring him here in the first place and the man generally had good instincts about things like that. ‘Generally’, being the key word here.
“Several ships. Impressive,” she admitted with a shrug. Alright, so maybe she was a little impressed by this. It was tricky enough for a person to get enough gold for one ship, let alone many. Not only that, but a person had to be able to hold onto them, an especially tricky task when there were multiple ships.
“Well, I can’t say that trade hasn’t been more difficult lately. It’s been getting more expensive to get rid of the damned Paralenians…” Aaralyn mused, still not convinced that this was the best idea. Since she came from a family of merchants, she had grown up listening to her father complain about taxes, how much it was to ship things, and how little he got back. He had always warned her that, if she became a trader, she should always keep business local.
Pulling her fingers away from her hair, she tapped the table for attention. Heh. As if she wasn’t already the focus of attention. “Why should I do this? Things have been difficult, yes, but they’ve always relaxed. How do I know that this will be more profitable than simply stayin’ local?”
And so it came down to the gold. Mal figured it would, eventually. Unlike Lynne, he had little concept of trade. Still, he didn’t consider this a huge problem, since Varun was bound to be more knowledgeable about that sort of thing.
“’S a different country,” he pointed out. “Different country that has no access to Cambrian fun. People probably want it, but can’t get to it on account of the… trouble here.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:10 pm
"It 'ould be slow at 'irst, to be sure," Varun said quietly. "Things 'ike 'at always are. But 'ey also almost always pick up after 'ot too long."
Especially with all the tight-asses that he dealt with. They needed some of whatever she had. Hell, just being in the room was putting him in a good mood.
He didn't know why he was helping Mal to convince her. He, personally, didn't give a s**t whether or not she wanted to use him as a carrier. Of course he cared about the money, but...well, he wasn't exactly hurting right now. The money gained from the silk and salt would make things quite comfortable for the next few months. And that was only one successful venture.
Varun looked up a little, suddenly remembering that he had his men in the room. He cleared his throat, motioning with a quick eye movement for them to leave. The men nodded and stepped outside the door. Eh...trust his men? Of course. But he wasn't stupid. The details of business were primarily between himself and the dealer.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:19 pm
Aaralyn wasn’t sure why Varun was helping either, but she had some theories. Number one, she figured that he wanted money. Even with her reserves of faith-in-humanity, she wasn’t going to pretend to be blind and miss out on the fact that about ninety percent of human actions were motivated by greed. Number two, she figured he was doing it for Mal. D’aww… how sweet of him!
“You sure you can find a buyer?” the question was directed to both Varun and Mal, her eyes flicking from one man to the other.
“Yes.” Actually, Mal was only ‘pretty sure’, a phrase that he knew from experience wouldn’t be accepted by Aaralyn. When it came to business, she liked things to be completely sure. Hm. Varun’s help was welcome, but slightly suspicious. It wasn’t like he needed this money… then again, maybe he had a feeling that the next few ventures wouldn’t be as successful as the latest acquisition. Might as well have a bit of certainty.
Besides, how difficult would it be to find a buyer for drugs? Everyone loved drugs! All he had to do was wander around the more disreputable bars and, eventually, he would find a buyer. Organizing a contract wasn’t exactly his forte, but he was willing to try at least. After all, he had a promise to keep. And he always kept his promises, unless it was personally inconvenient.
Again, Aaralyn’s hand went to play with the ends of her hair. She didn’t quite believe Mal when he said ‘yes’ in that particular tone of voice. And this load of… goods was particularly expensive, both to produce and to sell, but… well, Mal was Mal. He had earned her trust.
“Well… we’ll see how it goes. Now to less pleasant business… the prices…” Pulling out a sheet of paper, she made a list of what she had to sell, how much there was, and how much it ought to sell for in neat copperplate writing. Occasionally, she stopped and allowed the tip of the quill to brush her chin in thought. Finally, she circled a price at the very bottom, stating, “That’s about what your transfer fee should be, Captain.”
It was a respectable sum. It wasn’t anywhere near what Varun would get for the salt and silk, but it was still a decent price for a relatively quick voyage.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:02 pm
Varun picked up the paper, scanning it carefully. Hmmm....his mind began whizzing about, calculating figures. True, it wasn't any sort of huge amount...more like a nice supplementary sum. However, should a voyage go wrong, the distance and effort was enough to make him wince. It would be a chance taken. A small chance, but enough of one to make him hesitate....
Oh, and he was also trusting a woman he barely knew, reputation wise and otherwise.
He glanced at Mal very, very briefly. If this somehow went bad...
"I 'ink we have an accord, m'ady." the bright man stated, grinning widely as his attention immediately returned to Aaralyn. He clapped Mal on the shoulder rather roughly, affirming the statement of his earlier glance.
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