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 Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:22 pm
At this, the entire crew positively howled with laughter. Even Fin let out a pretty hearty chuckle. "Come on Sain, you better hurry before he offers to buy you dinner!"shouted someone from the crowd, which considering the sound of the voice was almost undeniably the captain trying to disguise her voice.
"FINE, JUST SHUT UP!"He shouted after a moment, turning completely scarlet as he walked over to Cael, eyes burning with some kind of teenly-angst that clearly he was experienced in. He planted his feet, honestly none too sure what to do from this point; he had never danced with anyone before, really...especially another guy, and especially especially not another guy who would be leading.
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:50 pm
Cael winked cheekily. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle." He took one of Sain's hands in his own and placed the other on his shoulder, laying his own hand on the younger boy's waist. He scanned the crowd quickly. "Someone want to give us a tune, or at least the beat? Something lively. We're putting on a show for you guys, give us a little help!" Several of them began to clap along to the tune that appeared as if by magic from the small recorder Alyx pulled out as if from nowhere and Cael pulled Sain into the fast steps of a simple dance, one that required the participants to know only a couple basic steps. He figured it would be a good one to try since the other did not know any, really, and since neither of them were quite steady on their feet anymore. The melody was short and Cael let go of Sain without warning as it ended suddenly, sending him stumbling backwards and falling onto the deck once more even as he himself nearly overbalanced as well, staggering briefly back to his original spot next to the captain and holding onto the side of the vessel. "Whoa," he laughed, running the back of his hand over his forehead. "The kid's not bad. Not yet good enough for that kiss, though," he added with a grin in Sain's direction, much to his relief.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:27 am
Sain, for his part, looked exceptionally relieved to hear that news. He jumped up from where he had fallen on deck, and the very first thing he said was "and now someone gives me more booze..." as he grabbed a bottle out of someones hand, downed a few inadvisably large gulps, and wandered away rather bowlegged.
Of course, after that much purple stuff in one go, Lina was surprised he was actually conscious. "Cael my good man, you certainly know how to have one hell of a time,"she said with a laugh, very happy to have seen such an amusing spectacle. Of course, that performance did earn its lead dancer another dose of the purple stuff. "Here you go, and you deserve every drop!"she said, handing him the rest of her bottle, which was somehow only about half full; a rather astonishing feat, even for the Captain of the Coup d'etat...and she was still coherent, too.
Li was really quite enjoying herself, when she noticed way off in the distance, dark clouds were starting to roll in...She judged the distance at a glance, figuring they wouldn't reach the ship at least until the end of the day, two from the current at best...But it was not generally good policy to have a hungover crew in a storm presenting clouds that black. "Okay, okay...Everyone, put the bottles down,"she said, in a voice that certainly carried to anyone on the ship.
"Aw, Captain, what's the harm?"said Alyx, who normally would have known much better than to question her....but he had a few drinks in him, and was much more laid-back than even as was usual.
"Those, would be the harm,"she said, pointing to the clouds. After that, everyone knew better than to try and continue; those clouds did not look friendly in the least.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:38 pm
Cael was wiping off his mouth with his sleeve, leaving a streak of light violet liquid smeared along it as the captain spoke. "What...?" He asked, looking rather belatedly towards the storm as well. "Oh. Damn." He sunk down onto the deck rather sullenly. "I guess it's party over, then, huh?" Even as he spoke, the words more than a little slurred, the bottles were getting put away (although some with parting sips being taken lovingly) once more. "Damn storm," he muttered, as a hand took the bottle from him to return it to its place in the hold. Cael attempted to stand, but his head spun violently, the floor seeming to lurch up to meet him and he lost his balance, falling back down. He tried again, this time using the wall behind him as a support, and he clung to it, only half-up, as he looked around the ship. Things were mostly back to normal, the crew intent on outrunning the storm for as long as possible. Cael gave a dry sputter of a laugh at the sight of Sain, already fast asleep where he fell not more than a few yards away.
A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that he was a water-manipulator and that since they were trying to make good time, he should push his intoxication aside and help out. "Lemme... at'em." He took a step forward, then stumbled, barely catching himself, arms splayed out for balance. "...Whoa." Cael shook his head hard, regretting the motion as the world spun again. "'Kay. That was not a very good idea."
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:05 am
The captain spotted at once the trouble Cael was having. He had certainly had more to drink than anyone else, and the water manipulator had always been a bit of a lightweight. She walked over to him, helping him up a bit after he spun around and tried to catch himself. "Come on Cael, the others will be fine keeping us going without you for a while,"she said, leading him down the stairs back to the crew quarters below deck.
Li was careful with him on the stairs, knowing that his feet probably weren't going to go where he wanted them to when he was this smashed. She sighed a little bit, and said, "Next time, go a little easier on the stuff. Passing out is not a crew requirement." Obviously, that meant as soon as she had him settled in, she would be going back upstairs to get the unconscious Sain. Lina led him over to his hammock, and helped him into it, tucking him in in a slightly motherly way. She didn't often act the matronly part, usually more the friend, but when people got drunk her years of experience in that area seemed to be of help.
"Sleep it off,"she said, in a voice that was a little like 'I'm the captain, that's an order'. Everyone had gotten that kind of order once before, and it usually meant specifically, 'I had better not see your a** up on deck until you are completely sober.' She smiled a little, deciding to offer a little encouragement as well, "Though I've got to say, your tolerance is going up." Content that he would be staying where he was, she trecked back up the stairs to get Sain.
Just moments later, she was back with the air manipulator slung over her shoulder. She laid him down in his hammock as well, pulled his blankets over him and let out a sigh of completion; everyone else on the ship was at least sober enough to stay on duty. "I should get rid of that stuff..."she mumbled with a smirk for what must have been the 10,000th time; of course she knew she could never bring herself to do it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:19 pm
Cael lay prone for a few minutes after the captain had left him with the soundly asleep Sain. After a while, however, another urge grew too strong to be ignored: thirst. Gingerly, he sat up and stayed still long enough to let the room stop its heavy tilting. When it had steadied enough that he felt he could slip out of his hammock, Cael lowered himself onto the floor so that he could fumble with the lock to his small chest. It was a simple one, easily picked, and was not of much need anyway since he knew that none of the others would steal from him (and, besides, most of what he had in there was not actually that valuable, unless you were a map fanatic like him). He quickly tumbled it and pulled out a small silver flask, filled not with alcohol but plain water. He had filled it the last time they had reached port since it was cheap (free, really) and would last until they docked again. Drinking deeply from it, Cael was not concerned that he was rapidly depleting its meager supplies. It was for a time like this, anyway, when he was thirsty but did not want to journey far from his bed. Besides, they would land again soon enough and he could refill it at his leisure.
Pulling it away from his lips, he was surprised to find that he had drained it. "Guess I didn't fill it all th' way," he muttered vaguely to the room, then dropped it back into its chest and knocked that shut. Swaying heavily, he managed to drag himself back into the hammock, mercifully not swinging badly even with all the movement. Sleep came easier this time: Cael was unconscious almost before he finished lying down.
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:24 pm
There was the harbor...Damn it had been a long time since they had been ashore. Aerion wondered slightly if he'd even still have the feel for land once they docked...Of course, it wasn't like they were pulling in to trade, no far from it; traffic on the water had been much more successful lately than it had on dry land...What they needed was things of the sort they intended to keep...for a while at least. Namely food, drink, and medical supplies. The trader looked over to Tamior, rubbing the back of his neck slightly; He had been hit in the back of the head with a staff when a trade went badly about a week back, and since neither of them were healers there wasn't much that could be done about it.
"Come on, lets get this over with so we can get back to business,"said the exceptionally tan man, as he strode on to the dock, payed the docking fee with slight annoyance, and then continued into the town, instinctively assuming the other was right behind him. Their ship was a decent size, not full of course for two men would have trouble crewing such a vessel alone (even if one was a water manipulator), but could suffer about 15 live souls to take residence in it.
As the coins in his side pocket clinked together merrily, something caught his attention; a gold coin between the fingers of an oddly dressed woman with even more bizarre hair...Red streaks through the blackish puff of tied back hair just looked peculiar to him...But then again, He and Tamior didn't look entirely normal in a port such as this either, so he would not be one to judge. Regardless, he passed her by as Aerion headed to the market, hoping to pick up some fresh supplies at a good deal...and if he was lucky, maybe even some oranges.
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:14 pm
Tamoir was indeed right behind Aerion, looking casually through the crowd as they walked for anyone who might be interested in some of their wares. Or who might be a good target. Either one.
"Hey." His voice was quiet, just raised enough to be heard by Aerion over the noisy crowd. He did not say any more, but he knew the other knew what was on his mind. While it had only been one word, it held just enough unconcealed interest to be explanation enough by itself for the other man.
Tamoir peeled off, disappearing into the crowd with surprising ease considering his exotic appearance. He reappeared a few minutes later, one of the bags at his waist heavier with coin and a rather self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Remember the 'silver' ring?"
He watched as Aerion's mouth curved up. "Enough for drinks, I think. Maybe a bite to eat. We're not going to want to take it with us," he added shortly. His conversation was spartan and nearly impenetrable to outsiders, but they had been working together long enough that Tamoir did not need to say more, at least not about business.
"Ah. Excuse me, sir," Tamoir flagged down one of the many vendors selling their wares on the street. "My friend and I would like two bottles of your finest, yes, thank you. And... these." He picked up two still-fresh buns the man was selling in addition to the drinks. "Thank you, my good sir," he said with a polished smile and genteel accent, dropping the coins he had just obtained in payment into the merchant's hand.
Tamoir was smiling to himself as he turned away, sliding with Aerion back into the mass of humanity. The silver coins had been fakes, rather obvious ones, and not the sort of thing they would want to have on them if they were trying to make any sort of proper business transaction. His own fakes, of course, were of a much higher quality.
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:32 am
"Good show," replied the taller of the two in the very same tone when handed his bottle and bun, "however, now I suggest we get farther into town before that vendor realizes you've fooled him." With that note, the blond quickened his pace slightly. They would undoubtedly have to take another route back, to avoid the cheated merchant's stall on the return to the ship, unless he was really as foolish as he seemed and hadn't noticed by the time they were finished.
Aerion scanned the area, looking around to see the type of people who seemed to flood the harbor at the moment...most of them were better dressed than the pair, but at least they looked significantly better than the average pirate, thus not to be mistaken for one. Down the way he spotted the stores they sought, wondering a little to himself if they would be foolish enough to take the not-so-silver coins as well....Of course, he knew better than to try with real shops. A street vendor was one thing; more than likely, it wouldn't matter if they were never allowed to do business with him again, but a resupply shop or two...that would hurt them in the future.
Into the building they went, and less than 20 minutes of haggling and bartering later, they came out with supplies enough to last them a long while. The blond strode down the street next to Tamior, both their coin purses lighter, but still content; there had been a healer on hand to help his neck, and frankly he thought the relief from pain was worth the relief of some gold. "Where to next?"he said, a slight grin across his face as they meandered in no real direction to no specific location.
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:05 pm
Tamoir looked about them again, still with the easy glance of one who has seen enough busy streets and cities that one more did not faze him a whit. He took a bite of the bun, savoring the softness and the taste. After enough time at sea, fresh food of nearly any quality was very appealing.
"Let's try the stalls again," he said, dropping the hand with the bread to his side. "Might as well see if there's anything to pick up. Or to sell."
He set off down one of the other side streets towards the bustling area equidistant from the docks and the pubs where many merchants called their wares. It was a tight fit, sliding between the throngs of people, and the stench of salty unwashed human and cheap perfume mingled with the smells of hot cooked food and alcohol and some more exotic (but undoubtedly diluted) spices and herbs. Tamoir led the way this time; he had started off first and his thickly muscled and tattooed bare arms were threat enough to part the crowds a little about them. They slowed as they passed vendors selling trinkets: semi-precious stones, bundles of scented cloth, shards of carved ivory and bone. Tamoir stopped briefly to purchase a simple awl with a blacked wood handle for a pittance and slid it into one of the pockets on his worn brown vest.
"Well?" He glanced at Aerion, now beside him, and shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head questioningly back towards where they had secured their vessel.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:14 pm
"Not much else left to do, and the cargo should have arrived by now,"said the taller man, stretching a bit and putting his hands comfortably behind his head as he headed back to the docks with his partner. On the way back, he even managed to lift two pocket watches and a wallet...all in all, this was a fairly good day. The sent of salt increased in the air as they approached the water...and the glint of gold caught Aerion's eye again.
That woman was still standing there. What the hell was she doing? She didn't really seem like she was paying any attention to those around her, just sort of...staring. At nothing. But, maybe he was mistaken...After all, it wasn't unusual for him to get lost in thought. "Wonder what her deal is..."he mumbled, more to himself than to Tamior.
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Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:41 am
Papatuan had spent a lot of time staring at the sea, steeling herself for the reality of spending a lot of time on sea yet again, being frustrated with the lack of huge landmasses in the world and generally dreading the seasickness she would have to stand until she got used to water again. She'd also, of course, carefully looked at each ship and its crew to find a suitable vessel that would take her where she needed to go, and since her chosen vessel's crew was now back from their errands, she could wander over and have a chat about possible services to be rendered.
"You!" Papatuan called out, long steps easily taking her through the people in the way between her and the two fishbelly men. As she came up, it was obvious they were all close in height, though, if you counted Papatuan's hair, she had a lot more height on either of them.
"Would you like to earn some honest money by taking me where I need to go?"
Once again playing with the heavy coin with one hand, Papatuan put down the single brown sack that held her other effects; anything really worth anything was of course kept in her many pouches, and not in the sack. She wasn't stupid.
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Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:53 am
Tamoir let an easy smile play over his face. They'd had ruder greetings in the past. "What can we do for you, ma'am?" Politeness would get you everwhere, he reminded himself as he stood under her stern gaze. "Where would you like to go?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:13 pm
She grinned, snapped with her fingers to let the coin flip around between them, the almost worn-out face of some long-forgotten important personage facing the two sailors.
"To where the rest of this treasure is. For there is a lot of it, and it wants to share of itself," Papatuan smirked, an eyebrow raised, and then flicked the coin away, discreetly hiding it.
"Are you willing to risk some to have part in that?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:02 am
Aerion lifted an eyebrow. He had a very peculiar feeling about this woman, in fact more so than one...Including one spurned by the fact she personified treasure...Sure, the coin looked real enough, but they had made forgeries in the past that looked more real than an actual item; it wasn't hard to do, for them at least. The taller man smiled as he always did when he made a deal, and calmly said "You make an interesting proposition, m'lady. Allow my associate and I to discuss the matter." In general, that was code for 'Tamior don't you say yes until we check this out.' The more flourish he added to his words, the more emphasis he wanted the other man to realize he placed on that code.
He paused a moment, and then added, "Though, might I ask...What treasure are we discussing?" Most of the great treasures that were hidden throughout the seas of their world had legends, or better yet simply tales. The difference in his mind between a tale and a legend was simple: a legend was a thing of epic proportion, something exaggerated from the moment the first words were released from the original speaker's mouth...Tales, however, could be confirmed...Unfortunately, most of the great Treasures of Tale, he found, had been discovered by one party or another...Then again, that was his pessimistic side talking.
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