Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

[WayfaringWaaksian]

This was the first time Fergie was seeing this demonic spectacle, but it only left her with a contemptuous scowl on her face. Christ, what was it with divinity and the stripping shit? She mumbled her thanks to Sebas and tucked the towel around her torso, but kept her gaze locked on the Baroness as she laid in that ridiculous, seductive pose on the floor. And when she was done cooing at Sebas to give Fergie that glare of mutual disgust, she allowed herself a creeping grin. Her mortification from minutes ago wasn't forgotten, still burning from deep within, but it would stay deep within for now. Outwardly, it was like a switch had been flipped.

"That's for me to know, and you to mind yer own biz, love," she said in a tone almost identical to the one Baroness has directed towards Sebas, if it weren't for the undertones of mockery that dripped from it. She rose to a stand, wooziness weighing her head and pain shooting up her leg when she did, but the only indication of that being slight swaying and the twitch in the corner of her eye. Looking well down on her at her height, she told her, "Got a favor to collect from ye, if ye recall." Her hands raised as she shrugged. "Been a while, I know. But..." She leered at her with something sinister, eyeing her up and down in a gesture with no real desire but that insinuated enough. "Gave me plenty o' time to think on the... possibilities."

After that potentially fatal brush with divinity just prior, one would think she'd have the sense to not prod the bear again. But nothing in Provocation spoke against acting like an idiot assclown. Besides, the Baroness owed her, putting Fergie in a position of power. Like hell she wouldn't take advantage of it to make her suffer for the many, many inconveniences she'd put on them, which were nothing short of causing Sebas to become the adoptive parent of an orphaned child.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Sebas's Room​

"Pfft," Baroness said, calling her bluff, "1 favor with no catch? No mortal is dumb enough to waste it on torturing me. Not even you.......and that's me being generous." She walked over to Fergie. "You reek of Holy Magic. Keep it up and I have Divinity Law to delay your favor until that Holy Influence is gone." If Fergie remembered Sebas's words, there was the whole thing about Holy and Unholy being strong against each other. If it played into spells, it played into favors and contracts.

"Stop," Sebas said, intervening. Fergie was gonna screw herself over because who knew how long the residue for Holy Magic lasted. "Both of you: Don't start this bullshit. Baroness, if you deny Fergie a favor, I will deny my crew access to you until you get it done."
"She started this, Sebas." Baroness hissed.
Sebas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I don't give a shit. Just grant the favor and cross her name from your list. Ferg, cash in the favor. We're wasting out damn time."
Baroness spat. "That Angel you're under is wearing at your patience."
Sebas was unfazed and he crossed his arms, "No. The fact that we're docked and I want off this ship while we're at land is what's wearing at my patience."

She turned back to Fergie. "Hurry up and make your wish," She narrowed her eyes.

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Not the reaction she was hoping for, but oh well. Fergie never was one for subtlety, so her bluffs tended to stick out as badly as her nose did. Or had. The thing was in pieces somewhere in the hallways. "A scrap of praise fer a sad wench like meself? Please, it's too much." That mischievous glint died from her eyes when she realized she was still playing with fire. "So residual counts too? Shit..." She grit her teeth, nervousness showing in the tics of her hands when said fire was starting to spread to Sebas as the two began to bicker. Fuckin' hell, did she never learn?

"'Pologies," she ducked her head and returned to a seat on the bed, humbling herself and forfeiting her offense. "I need a Cloak relic. Need to hide me looks from folks under a certain allegiance." Trackers had been on her mind initially, yes. But after learning of the Basenjis' history with the Ballasts, plus the shitshow she'd caused that costed Sebas, there was no way she could chance being spotted, and there was no way she'd up and leave after the trouble she caused. Fergie owed it to him to make up for her stupidity, so her hunt would have to be placed on pause for now. There were more important matters. She had been considering using the favor for one and a tribute for another, but now that she was flat broke again, hitting both at the same time was out of the question.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Baroness, the Curse Demon
Sebas's Room​

Baroness smiled mischievously, but a growl from Sebas cut her short. Sebas held a power over Baroness that was undeniable. Maybe it came from the fact that Sebas had the last bastion to even summon her. Without Sebas, the only way to get access to Baroness was through her accursed chest in the Treasury and most didn't dare step foot in there under risk of losing all their stuff..... If they survived Kersact. With that, Sebas held all the ability to grant Baroness access to receive tributes. She wasn't able to just give out favors nor give out Baroness Relics without making a request from her accursed chest. Now with Fergie losing her Baroness Relic, Baroness was at Sebas's mercy. "Hide your appearance? Hmmm. I would engage in malicious compliance, but I don't want to sit in a drawer for the next week....." She sighed in frustration. If only he wasn't in here......or if her chest wasn't resting in a hoarder's treasury. "If you're looking to hide your appearance from a certain group of people of your choice, the best bet is an Illusion Relic, which will passively alter your appearance to this demographic and this demographic alone." She was starting to ramble and sound like a giant Elaina-level nerd. "The most common is a ring, of course. However, since they're common, they could be recognized. There are Ankle bracelets, garters, necklaces, arm bracelets, an effing hair clip, a hat, a holster or sheath. I don't know. That's on you to decide. It just must be an accessory." With the threat of Sebas, Baroness was uncharacteristically business like and interested in what she was doing. Or maybe she was always like this. It wasn't like Fergie was around when Baroness was explaining things to tributors.

Baroness thought for a moment. "If you want a relic that works against those under a certain allegiance both directly and indirectly, that's easy work. I just need specifics to craft it."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

At that malicious smile, Fergie fixed her with a heated glare. Though she knew full well that if the Baroness decided to fuck with her favor, it would be entirely on Fergie for giving her the motive to by acting like an insufferable shithead around her. If she wanted to rouse Sebas's ire and be starved of tributes again, that is. Once again, he was the only thing between Fergie and the worst consequences of her actions. The pattern was undeniable.

"Hm." Fergie eyed the floor and scratched her chin, mulling over the information. Giving her that warning look again, she said, "Curb yer temptation. I can't look like a freak 'r nothin'." She gestured at herself, the only thing hiding her ghastly figure from the world being the towel wrapped around her. "I already look like a freak. The point's to look 's average and forgettable 's possible." The lichen, the face, the hat that she absolutely refused to leave out of her sight for even a moment. She stuck out like a sore, green thumb, and she knew it. Speaking of her hat, "That thing's gotta look like yer standard fare, for one," she opened a hand to the mushroom in question. "Lichen can't be seen either. Maybe..." If they were traveling all across the world like this, they'd be encountering many different demographics. In one place the majority could be humans, the next orcs, and so on. "Might be too tall for a typical human. So prolly half-elf human." Full elf would just be her without the goblin traits, which would have been too close. The idea was to make her unrecognizable, but still retain features that stayed true to her general morphology. She couldn't appear to be a four foot tall halfling when she was past six, things like that.
Onto the point. "Gotta be hidden from anyone workin' under the Bronze Ballast name. Any flag, mercenary, agent, assassin, blah blah, ye get the point. Loyal or not, openly or not, if they answer to the name, they can't see this face." That would take care of the biggest threats, the greatest potential for getting caught. Someone on the outside could report her appearance to them, but how would they find a person who doesn't appear to exist anymore?

She thought for a few moments more. "Don't want direct effects, only passive. Don't want attention drawn to me." Now for the item itself. "Er... I dunno, ankle bracelet? Wait, no." She glanced down at her feet, remembering where her boots were probably sitting now. And maybe it was better to avoid accessories for the extremities, considering what happened to her other leg. But she did want it attached in some fashion, not something to hold in her pocket that could be set down and forgotten somewhere. Could be something inconspicuous, or perhaps hidden in plain sight would work just as well. Something like a bracelet could be eyed by thieves, unless it was some ugly piece of trash. But if she wore an ugly piece of trash, some might wonder why she'd be carrying it around, unless it were sentimental. And she really wasn't a fan of jewelry in the first place, which showed in her plain style of dress. Most everything she wore has a practical use, which led her to decide, "A belt. Nothin' fancy."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Baroness, the Curse Demon
Sebas's Room​

"Hmmmm. Quite a hard task...." Baroness said, very deep in thought. "The absolute most average speciman available......As usual, you make my life harder. At least this time, it involves my actual work." Of course Fergie not being grotesque went without saying. If the point was to hide, drawing attention in either extreme was counter-intuitive.

"Is it doable, Baroness?" Sebas asked
"I suppose so," she responded, "Though it may take a little bit of time. What Fergie is asking for is to become the prime embodiment of average. To be the absolute average in everything makes one more skillful than the best in one aspect." In other words, it was easier to make Fergie the absolute most beautiful Goblin or Elf or Human than to make her the most average looking across every [humanoid] species....... or even just the most average-looking across those 3 species, given the differences in beauty standards across all 3.
"If it's doable, it's fine," Sebas said, showing about as much sympathy to her as Adonis did them underwater. If it COULD get done, it was to get done. Probabilities meant nothing
"A shame I have to waste a prime piece of work for someone like her, but it's fine," Baroness said, then turned to Fergie. "Expect it nearby when you wake in the morning. Given the sheer amount of power you're asking for, I can't snap my fingers and make it appear like a lot of other things. It takes legitimate craftwork."

She floated back against the door to look at them both. "Anything else?"
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie couldn't help but feel a sharp disdain for this decision. It had been the coward's way out, in her mind, to hide her appearance and continue on with life as if there wasn't an entire faction out for her blood. Granted, there were new circumstances now. She wasn't hiding for her own safety, rather the safety of the crew she was currently tied to. Maybe she could have packed up and hit the next ship once ported if she hadn't royally fucked up, but what's done was done. There was a price to repay, and she would ensure that compensation is made, even if that meant pretending to be someone she's not in the public eye. As gross as that felt.

"Ey," Fergie narrowed her eyes at her, "it was him AND me that got ye outta that watery shithole, so it's the least ye could do." Sighing, she folded her arms and sat up straight. "If it's any consolation, we're done. You'll be seein' no more of me, least for a while." It would be some time from now building up her wealth again before she had money to spare on a tribute. "An' I can wait till mornin'. No big deal." She didn't necessarily have to go out in the streets, depending on where they'd be meeting the Canine. She'd make it work somehow.

Feeling a degree of relief now that that was done with, she looked over to Sebas, figuring it was his turn to make his wish known.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Sebas's Room​

Baroness was about to respond, but Sebas stepped in before she could. "I got one, Baroness," Sebas said, "I need a relic that allows Orabelle to take on a human appearance while on land and her normal form when she's underwater."
"Ahh," she mused, "you saw that Disney Movie, eh?"
"A what?" The hell was a Disney? Dizzy?
"Nevermind," she quickly brushed it off, "It's an upgrade to the Landwalker Talisman. Yours is standard fare. She will have pristine human skin when dry. When wet, her natural features will show in its stead. Human capabilities on land. Piscean capabilities in water. A second upgrade is Ice capabilities enhanced in human form but NO water magic. The exact opposite in Piscean form. All water and no ice."
Sounded intriguing, especially since Baroness was willing to add on. He wouldn't be fooled though. "What do you want me to do for it?"
"First of all, I'll need a hefty amount of gold as usual.........but I want you to do something else."
"What?" Somehow Sebas felt like he wouldn't like the terms
"I will give you the first upgrade to the Landwalker Talisman for the gold." She crossed her legs. "For the second......I want you to either get me 3 tributes by morning....... or to sleep with Avery."

Sebas fought the urge to shoot Baroness on the spot. She had a sick fetish indeed to try and get him to do something that goes against his very being. Still, if he agreed, he HAD to get it done as it was binding. If he got blackout drunk, sleeping with Avery would be easier but.......well not only would he never live it down, but Avery wasn't that type of guy to take advantage of his drunkenness. Lord knows he's had PLENTY of opportunities. Avery wanted a Sebas of completely sound mind and will, not drunk or doing it to fulfill a contract. "I'll get you 3 tributes or no upgrade. The second upgrade is completely OPTIONAL, Baroness. OPTIONAL or no deal," Sebas said gruffly, suddenly very annoyed. "I don't appreciate being asked to take advantage of my friend for personal gain." He's willing to give up stuff, but burning his friend in that manner grinded his gears. "Now, for that nonsense, either accept my terms, or you won't be seen again for the next month."

Baroness played with fire and got burned. "Tch!" Baroness was not happy to be denied a binding contract. Not only that, but denied it against the one who held power over her. "I'll take the gold immediately and upgrade the Landwalker Talisman to begin functioning as told immediately," Her demeanor was slumpy and defeated, "If you get me 3 tributes by dawn, I will upgrade it to enhance her magic as specificed. Fail and no adverse action."
"Accepted."
"Not having the power sucks," Baroness muttered. She needed Sebas more than Sebas needed her, and he knew it. She snapped her fingers. Gold began to flow out of Sebas's bedside table into her hand. "Landwalker Talisman Upgrade. Done. Landwalker Talisman Upgrade 2 and Illusion Relic. Done by morning." She shrieked and disappeared in a flash of white light. When she disappeared, both their clothes were fully on their body again.

Wish Granted

"How annoying," Sebas commented with a sigh. "The fun thing about blackmail is how powerful of a bargaining chip it is." Baroness couldn't hate him because he was why her tributing was booming AND why she was so mobile. She couldn't get on his bad side, not because she liked him but due to that fact. Sebas made sure to not scorn Baroness, but kept her in check. "That's why you hold the tongue, Ferg. Attract flies with honey, and then hold them over your frog if they screw up." It wasn't even high level manipulation. It was basic blackmail, and blackmail only done under lucky circumstance. "Adonis does it because it's effective."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

While Sebas and Baroness discussed the matters of his wish, Fergie hunched over again and crossed her legs, discomfort increasing in this prolonged state of undress. Less at the thought of more skin being shown, considering that both of them had seen plenty of her already, no thanks to the demon's weird-ass kinks. Or what she suspected; that suspicion was particularly what made this unsettling for her, as she couldn't help but feel like she and Sebas were being used for some sort of gratification. Which was seeming more and more likely, after Baroness brought up... that.

"PFFT—" Fergie slapped a hand over her mouth and buckled over. The look of ire on Sebas's face was one that she hoped would remain on Baroness, even as she struggled to not pop a lung over what their ears had just been subjected to. And it only got worse when Baroness was immediately shut down, dejection oozing out of her until she was visibly deflated. "Kh-Kh—" the other hand slapped over the first.

When the horny wench was gone in a flash, she finally let loose. "HAH! Goddamn, that woman needs to get laid!" Though it very well could have been more than that. Demons were known for toying with the lives of mortals, just for the sick fun of it. Watching someone she disliked do something they would never do otherwise, she'd certainly find decent entertainment. Too bad for her, Sebas was too principled to play her stupid games.

Sebas's words about conduct sobered her humored spirit, smile settling to a frown as she grew quiet, contemplative even. "Remember that favor ye said you owed me? After that feedin' frenzy?" Her headstrong approach in the fight against those sharks had impressed him. She hoped he still felt the same way now. "If ye ever catch me gettin' fresh with divinity again," she tapped between her eyes. "Sock me. Hard. Don't matter the circumstances."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Sebas's Room​

"Aye," Sebas said with a chuckle, his annoyance dissipated now. "Getting laid won't help her. She's too far gone." Eternally horny, there must be something in her DNA that made her get off on stuff like she was asking. "If she were that direct, I can only imagine that sleeping with Avery is pretty tame compared to what other guys must have done for her in the past." Sebas wasn't about to use Avery for something like that. Imagine loving someone and finally getting them, only to discover that they did it for an upgrade on a relic. Absolutely soul-crushing and it was the primary reason why it annoyed him so, not so much the concept of sleeping with him. It insulted Sebas's intelligence and morals to even suggest burning him like that. Not that he was the shining statute of morality. He's in custody of a child whose father he killed, afterall, but emotional abuse always hit different than physical abuse, at least in Sebas's mind

The secondary reason was that he wasn't swinging in Avery's field. "I wonder how many people were desperate enough in the past for her to try and apply it to me?" Humiliation or at least the compromising of self was not something Sebas would only ever do in absolute desperation. He was a bit too prideful. Plus, since he couldn't just shoot and kill them instantly, he was unlikely to trust them. "Regardless, we got what we needed, so let's do what we need to do before we sail again."

Sebas helped Fergie to her feet, almost yanking her light-weight out of her bed with one hand. With the impaled foot, it wouldn't be an easy feat to walk around in a city, but unless she paid to get healed (which would eat into her funds for replacing her armor and weapons) or went into stasis (which would take up the rest of her time on land), she was stuck using crutches and Stims to curb the pain until it healed. Speaking of which, "You got 2 Health Stims for free. Use them as you will." These were the exact same ones they used underwater, the ones you had to inject, which induced a ton of pain on their own before they began to heal. Again, the health potions you drank were more expensive than those you inject.


------------------------------------

Outside Sebas's Room

When they exited the room, the place was completely devoid of any and all noise. Given that they could be on this ship at intervals of 6 months, it was unusual to Sebas to hear the sounds of dead silence echoing off the walls. He was rarely ever on board when everyone else was on land. They weren't alone though. Bogrum was sitting outside on the opposite side of the hall, probably on principal to not eavesdrop, Sebas guessed. Sebas nodded to the orc as he stood up. "Waiting for Fergie, eh?" he said, making sure to use the full name around the orc man
Bogrum shrugged "You got a child to worry about so I figured I'll help here," he responded
Sebas nodded. He had full intentions to not leave Fergie on crutches to wander alone, but Bogrum's weird insistence on staying near helped to free his hands to do leader stuff and prep for tomorrow. "Where is Ora and Elaina, anyway?"
Bogrum snorted and passed him an orb, "Elaina gave me this and told me to give it to you. It will apparently lead you to her." Just like Elaina to be one step ahead. Just like Bogrum to not care and not question a second more than absolutely necessary unless it had to do with him or Fergie. There were merits to not questioning what's not important. Kept you out of business you didn't want to be in.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Tch. Typical divinity. Used to gettin' what they want, so they gotta throw a fit when someone steps in the way." She would have added a certain five-letter word in front of "fit", but given her current position, she was a little disenchanted with the word for the moment.

Fergie hesitated in taking Sebas's hand, fighting the notion that she ought to not accept any more help after the trouble she'd caused him, but the pain that shot up her foot after standing was enough to stifle her pride. Armed with only two stim packs and a bag of gold, it seemed like she would be stuck limping about for a time. Who would have thought that a nail to the foot would be such a pain in the ass?

Almost as big of a pain in the ass as Bogrum, who still wouldn't leave her the fuck alone. She glared at him after his first issued words. "Gee, thanks."
He blinked at her. "I was talking about Orabelle."
"Er... uh..." His response of laughter made her glare all the more vehement. "Oh, shut up!"

Once he'd finished playing messenger, Bogrum looked back to Fergie, who was propped against the wall with her weight on her prosthetic. "So what will you do now?" The implication was understood between them, that Fergie couldn't exactly just up and leave in her condition now.
It left her to answer, "Need to get back with the capt'n. An' need to get with Kersact."
"The treasurer?" He tilted his head curiously, a gesture that struck her as too child-like on a big-ass orc man. "Why him?"
"Him an' his goons 'r gonna be under our charge," was one reason. The second was that apologies were in order, for her conduct and damages caused. She was certain she'd made herself look bad, acting like a fool and breaking their shit (well, not THEIR shit technically, but close enough), which wouldn't bode well for her if they had to answer to her orders.
"Ah. Well, first, let's get you to the medbay, so you don't have to keep walking on that—"
"Eh, I'll be fine," she cut him off, attempting to walk past despite the limp in her gait, but being blockaded by his body. "I'm fine! Stim pack's kickin' in, don't hurt that bad."
"You'll keep it from healing doing that, pain or not." He didn't budge, even at her despondent look. "We're getting you a crutch, or I'm picking you up and carrying you."
A cat-like hiss breathed between her teeth. He could have sworn he saw her pupils narrow as well. "Death wish, Bogrum?"
"Your choice."
"Fine!" She threw her hands up. "Fine. We'll go."

Satisfied, he looked back to Sebas before making the trip. "Thank you for helping her."
"... Aye." Fergie looked the other way, hands fumbling with one another. "Thanks."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

"No problem," Sebas responded to them both, closing and locking the door to his room. "Remember what I told you, Fergie. I'll stop if you stop." Sebas took his leave with a wave to go find Elaina and Ora. He activated the orb and left the ship




The duo, left together

This left Bogrum and Fergie. For them, if their goal was to see Dr. Laylah, she was in the Medical Bay. As they moved to that location, they could get a good look out over the city they were ported at. This was Andouphe (Ann-doof). Of course Captain Adonis would port somewhere like here. It was a well-to-do city, where everything was expensive.

Spoiler: Andouphe

Andouphe
Location: South eastern coast of Tacrof
Specialty: Air and Sea port​

Description: Andouphe is a major port city in the South Eastern coast of Tacrof. It serves as one of the biggest merchant cities in the country. From here is where the most lucrative commerce enter and exit. Andouphe is guarded on both sides by 2 more seaport military cities to deter from external naval attacks. That opens up Andouphe itself to focus on trading effectively and safely. Attacking merchant ships is an easy way to end up sunk as trying to fight Merchant ships in Andouphe waters will result in flanking alongside torrential superior firepower from both sides.

With an airport, Andouphe is also known for exotic and imported goods from even further countries than its closest coastal neighbors. It allows them to receive goods from the internal land-bound countries, and with both country taxes and tariffs at the receiving country, it is ultimately at a lower cost overall than shipping it to the coast to then sea-ship it to Tacrof.

The airport also serves as an aristocrat's playground. Air Travel is expensive. Pirates who can sail the skies are prestigious. Since this makes air-travel safer than sea travel due to not having to deal with dangerous waves and deal with less pirates and even less ghost ships, air-travel brings in the rich and/or famous. Tourism in Andouphe is a booming industry

If you want to get rare and exotic goods from more obscure, land-bound foreign countries, Andouphe is a place to find it

It was looking like Fergie wouldn't have the money to buy new stuff AND eat what she may want AND get a room for the night. Hell, if she want stuff and a room, food wasn't a thing. If she wanted food and a room, her stuff would come from the slums on the opposite side of the city. If she wanted stuff and food, she'd be enjoying it from her bed on the ship. She could take solace in being able to sleep and eat for free on the ship, so that alleviated the pressure if not only a little.

Bogrum had more money on him. He saved his cut from the merchant ship raid, eating like Fergie as he came on the ship with nary a coin on his person. He also worked a bit while not dealing with Fergie, his strength as well as his unwillingness to utilize it for free coming in handy.

Meanwhile, Sebas was absolutely rich. The man lived like Adonis compared to them, always having coin to spare even after making tributes to Baroness. It could only be chalked up to a mix of living like them in the past while taking on absolutely ludicrous missions that hauled tons of loot, putting adventure over his own life. No Dead Man's Isle to wipe it all away either............

The ship was devoid of most life. As they crossed the deck, some of the last few got off the ship.


Medical Bay

As the duo entered the medical bay, they were met with a sight. The sight of a brilliant light that burned their eyes to look at. The brilliant bluish light resonated brighter and dimmer like a person's chest heaving while they breathed at rest. The few patients in the medical bay appeared to be completely asleep and translucent white waves washed over everyone that walked into it, soothing their pain but not contributing to their healing. At a dimmer moment, they could see their doctor. She was on her knees in a white nun outfit, in the center of the room, with white shining wings outstretched. Her wingspan was massive, reaching from bed curtain to bed curtain, almost as long as Fergie was tall..........on one side. This meant well over 12 feet total.

Her hands were clasped and she was speaking a language neither Bogrum or Fergie could understand. It definitely wasn't English or Orcish, not recognizable as French, Italian, Elvish, or German. It wasn't important. They couldn't understand it. She was definitely praying though and chose a moment where none of the patients could see her, hence why the patients were asleep. If she left the doors open, it must've meant she didn't anticipate someone coming to see her over going to the land-clinic........or maybe she did. Who knew?

Regardless, she didn't acknowledge them, seemingly not knowing they were even there. Her head was down and she was completely lost. If she wasn't an angel, she'd have a damn hard time convincing these two otherwise. Since their goal required crutches though, the fact that their doctor was divine wasn't the important thing. It was the choice between waiting for her to be done, which could take lord knows how long, or trying to get her attention, which was........who knew what would happen?
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie wouldn't be forgetting this any time soon. But she knew better than to make promises she couldn't keep.

The city line became visible as the two ascended above deck, with it its glittering buildings and airways dotted with distant ships. Past the salt-soaked docks, buildings grew taller, wider, and more ornate further up the hills. Clean and bright even from this distance, one couldn't help but believe they'd scarcely find a speck of grime should they decide to make the climb.
Fergie had to scoff. "Froo-froo."
"Had a feeling you'd say that." Bogrum regarded the city with shrugging indifference. "I'll be making my own rounds up there at some point. You?"
"On this foot, with this headache? No thanks." She had the sense to not go out and about until her illusion relic was complete and on her person. If she needed to set foot in that hoity-toity aristocrat's playground, she would do it once she was certain of her anonymity. And that reason only could have been for replacing her belongings. "Not spendin' me hard-earned loot on fancy drinks an' a silk bed."
"Likewise." He could agree on that. "I'd like to upgrade my gear at the very least. By the looks of it, you should too."
"Eh, aye." She could borrow equipment from the ship's armory and weaponry just as easily, but she wouldn't be able to take it onshore for her own personal excursions. Having was always better than borrowing, in the end. "Don't wanna stumble 'round unarmed an' get meself shanked."
"Exactly why we'll be heading out together, when you're ready." Given that tone, Fergie knew protesting would be met with a brick wall. "But first, let's get you those crutches."

A harder task than one would expect. As they reentered the corridors and rounded the corner, they both paused at the bright blue light streaming out of the open medbay doors. "Uh... is that normal?"
It had only been a month since her employment, but that had to have been long enough to know. "No," Fergie said decisively, shaky footing made even more cautious as she inched forward and peered inside, Bogrum not far behind. "The fuck...?"
"So she's an angel too?" There were few other conclusions for him to draw at the sight of those gigantic wings, and that display of power.
"Tch. Ain't fuckin' with angels no more." She'd learned that lesson, at least. "Prolly strike me down with brimstone 'r some shit if I interrupt."
"Well, no, but it would be rude to," he whispered back. Though getting Fergie what she needed was the priority on his mind. "I'll just—"

Fergie didn't give him the option, spinning around and making off the way they came. Or she would have, if her lichen foot hadn't caught on her leg, so instead she ended up face-first on the floor. Again.
"Geez, Fergie!" Knowing of her head injury, he was instantly worried, bending down on a knee to help pull her up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Thankfully, her hands had taken most of fall force by catching her, though now they were poised to swat at him as he hoisted her back to her feet. "Don't 'geez' me!"
"You need to be more careful," he scolded. "You have a concussion. You don't want to make it worse."
"Psh." She rapped a fist against her skull. "Can't break what's already been broken."
"Fergie..."
If their whispering from behind hadn't alerted the doctor to their presence, the fiasco in the hallway was sure to have.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

A loud shattering sound erupted from the room. When the duo approached the room again, there was Laylah standing there in her normal doctor garb, not a single religious thing about her. No wings, no nun outfit, no crucifix, no trace of her doing what they saw her doing. The moment was so jarring that they could question if the display of divinity even happened. "Fergie, Bogrum, come in," she said

Dr. Laylah
Medical Bay- Laylah's Office​

"So we have an issue," she said seriously. She sat across from the duo in her office. "I can't be too sure how my barrier dispelled and my door opened, but neither of you were supposed to have seen me in that........unsightly state." From those words alone, they knew Laylah was NOT proud to be a being of divinity. "While I am proud to serve such a benevolent god as an angel for Him, I do NOT want to be associated with Enforcers like Evangeline. Something tells me that you two seeing me in such a state is a result of Evangeline's tampering." She thought for a second, tapping her foot on the floor. "I get her ire for wanting to suppress my divine status.........SHE'S the reason I do so. That bitch......" Laylah caught herself quickly, a string of insults primed to fire from her mouth like a line of Ballast cannonfire. "I feel like she does a disservice to us, her ego breeding distrust of the divine holy amongst the crew." It was kind of impossible to argue with that, especially since Fergie herself and even Sebas had a distrust of the divine. Hell, Sebas trusted Baroness more than he trusted Evangeline. Evangeline's presence caused conversations to quiet and eyes to divert. Her beauty was undone by her ruthless aggression kept only in check by Divinity Law, and like Kersact with stealing, when given the option to smite, she would do so without hesitation. Manipulate the rules to bend the bounds of the insane restrictions that came with being granted insane power

She huffed. "I'm gonna cut to the point here so I can send you on your way: To do my duties as an angel and to retain the trust of the crew here on this ship requires my divinity to remain suppressed and unknown. I spent my life helping people and my god has allowed me to continue that in my afterlife." Her voice steeled, "If my divinity gets out, I will be lumped in with Evangeline, despite being absolutely nothing like her. We're not even the same kind of angel." That was evident by Laylah's utterly insane wingspan, while Evangeline had 6 shorter wings. "While I am not pacifistic, my magic certainly is for the most post." So while she could run you through with a blade, she couldn't smite. That was Evangeline's territory.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

When they were first sat down, the difference in composure was stark. Bogrum, again with that shrugging indifference, only sat rigid in his seat to demonstrate the alertness and attendance deserved of the doctor. Fergie sat rigid because she was restless, very much wanting to be out of that office despite the way her hands were clinging to the sides of her chair. She attempted to mirror his nonchalance, hands retreating into her pockets, as they would have been trembling or twiddling with each other if they weren't occupied somehow. The anxiety was obvious to Bogrum still, and he passed her a look of concern and mouthed, "I don't think we're in trouble." Either it offered no solace, or she couldn't read lips for shit.

Only when Dr. Laylah began to explain things did the tension in the room start to dissolve, at least for Fergie. "Hoo, fuck," she let out a breath of relief, slumping in her seat. "That all?"
"We've had some... experiences with Evangeline," Bogrum admitted, speaking in the plural as to not single Fergie out. "Forgive us if we've given the impression of mistrust."
"She hates me," Fergie told her, singling herself out anyway. "Dunno why, but she does. That might got somethin' to do with it."
Resisting the urge to sigh, Bogrum assured the doctor, "But we won't let one bad experience influence our thoughts. And we don't disclose anything you wouldn't want known."
"Aye. I ain't no snitch." After all, "the enemies of my enemies are my friends" was the saying. Fergie wouldn't necessarily dump her trust in this woman, divinity or not, but they had solidarity in hating that six-winged bitch. That, and she didn't want yet another angel on her ass.

"We did come for a reason, though," Bogrum said, getting to his point fairly quickly. "Fergie needs crutches for her foot. Can't walk on it."
"Walked all the way 'ere on it, didn't I?" she snarked.
Here Bogrum allowed himself to sigh. "SHOULDN'T walk on it."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Dr. Laylah
Medical Bay- Laylah's Office​

"Easy," Dr. Laylah said cheerily, relieved that they wouldn't spill the grog on her divinity. "For your gesture of good will, I'll help you." She snapped her fingers then opened her hand. Immediately in it conjured crutches. "I'm prescribing you an Ordination of Healing. It will stifle the pain of your injury completely, but it won't heal it fully.......yet." She gave Fergie the crutches and started writing something down. "Use these crutches, stay off the foot. I want these crutches back in the medical bay BEFORE you step foot on The Canine. If you do so, the Ordination will be fulfilled and your injuries will be completely fully healed."

She stood up and passed Fergie the paper. It was illegible, not because Fergie was illiterate, but because it matched some of the magic inscription she's seen before. Given that it looked loosely similar to the Ordination of Misfortune, she could make the easy assumption. At least this one was on paper and not placed on her body against her will. "I'm told by Adonis to not use my magic to directly heal injuries of the guilty, and you're guilty of insulting the Enforcer..........but since I despise her more than some demons, this will be a middle finger to her." She giggled a bit. Laylah's idea was mischief and bad behavior was decidedly innocent

She sat down again. "I believe that's it. Carry this paper on you AT ALL TIMES. Divine Protection and prescribed Ordination. Get those crutches back here before stepping on The Canine and you'll be back fit to raid." Simple task.

• Keep the paper on her person. It is not explained the properties of this paper, and neither of the duo would care enough to hear the entire explanation
• Don't injure her foot again
• Get the crutches back to the Medical Bay before boarding The Canine (Noon tomorrow)

If she could do that, she would be able to raid and not be made a crippled disappointment for the entirety of the next mission. "Now, say you accept the terms."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie looked at the parchment in her hands and the crutches in her lap, a little confounded that she was receiving this much help. Well, that took care of her immediate problems. It sounded like an easy enough task, but easy tasks were also easy to fuck up, at least in her experience. "'Ight."
Bogrum didn't seem satisfied with that one word. "If I catch you stepping on that foot even once, you know what'll happen."
She grimaced. If ensuring her wellness for her role as raid leader wasn't enough motivation to stay off the foot, the thought of Bogrum hoisting her up against her will for all the crew to see would do. Granted, the halls were dead now, but with her luck, who knew.

Dr. Laylah's willingness to go against orders to spite someone she hated made Fergie grin. "Like the way ye think, Doc." Some disrespect was certainly worthy of respect in her book. Normally she didn't care much for angels, but an angel who spat with other angels? Very different picture.

She would hesitate, though, not having forgotten Sebas's explanation so soon. Carrying the paper at all times would make her under the influence of holy magic. Since the illusion relic she'd get in the morning was being crafted by a demon, she had to wonder if it naturally came with dark magic. Though she recalled Orabelle drinking holy water, despite having two relics made by Baroness on her person. "Geez..." Her head spun trying to categorize it all. Where did it end, and where did it begin?
"What's wrong?"
"Nothin'. Just plannin' it all out." She'd figure it out later. This was an opportunity too good to pass up. "I accept the terms."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

The moment Fergie said the words, the Ordination on the paper lit up with a baby blue light. With that, Dr. Laylah became cheery again. "Excellent." She stood up. "Now, I'm sure you have some land-bound matters to tend to, and some of my patients are about to awake." She stood up and grabbed a syringe. "I will see you two tomorrow. Remember the terms of the Ordination. It's the difference between raiding and waiting." With that, Laylah sent them on their way

An Impaled Foot, Some Crutches, and an Annoyance
1:48 pm​

With them getting a late start due to their commune with Baroness, they had lost nearly 2 hours thus far. With only 1 full day on land minus the time they would need to sleep, time to get done what they needed to get done (whatever that was to them) wasn't really on their side right now, and with Fergie forced to deal with a bum foot until she returned those crutches, time would be a definite concern if Fergie had important things to do before sailing again

Second on Fergie's agenda was to see Kersact. Bogrum kept a close side-eye on Fergie as she used the crutches. "Kersact is a master thief," he said out of nowhere, "In a major city like Andouphe, how the hell are we gonna find him or a member of his crew? Surely Captain didn't force Kersact to stay and guard the treasury even on land." To deprive someone of the ability to explore land while on land seemed inhumane. Wouldn't hurt to check the treasury though before testing their luck in having to scour the city to find 1 specific person. Unlike Elaina, who was probably at some library or other nerd things, Kersact likely didn't have anywhere to go besides the general rich people areas of Andouphe
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

As they left the medical bay, Fergie swung on her crutches with no difficulty, taking little time to adjust to the general movements of operating them. If Bogrum had the nerve to ask, she'd tell him that it was a frequent predicament she found herself in, with a prosthetic that would act up on occasion and force her to lean on walking aids. But usually it was her lichen foot lifted off the floor, not her meat foot. It was hard fighting the urge to alternate them, especially when she realized, "Damn, strong shit. Can barely feel it now." Even her head was starting to clear up, that fuzziness receding to subconscious recesses.
"Don't forget what the doctor s—"
"Aye, aye, I won't forget! Jesus..."

Bogrum brought up a good point. She still had to snark, "Wow, Kersact? A master thief? Never woulda guessed!"
"Hush, you." But he was smiling regardless. "We only have so much time to hit the shops, let alone go on a wild goose chase for a man who can only be seen when he wants to be."
"Bogrum," she started, serious. "I can't go on land. Not 'till morn." He had many questions, but none would make the journey from his head to his tongue, instead hinting in a look of inquiry. Deeming it better to not leave him in the dark— so much— she explained, "I can't be seen."
Bogrum didn't visibly react to this information, only asking, "Can't be seen, period? Or just recognized?"
"Aye to the last one."
"Hm." He paused to think. "You wouldn't have a lot of time tomorrow. We're due to board the Canine noon."
"Can't take the chance. Either gotta rush 'morrow, or borrow from the armory."
"Now, hold on." Bogrum brought a loose fist to his chin, a pondering gesture. "You just can't be recognized, right? That means you'd only need to hide key features."
"Er..." She liked where he was going with that, but where to even begin? "What 'bout me don't stand out like a splintered thumb?"
"Well, for starters, let's focus on what does. Such as," he waved a hand up and down her face, "the hat, the ears, the nose..."
Wherever that was, he was tempted to ask, but Fergie graced him with an explanation. "On the floor somewhere." As vague as it was.
"And we can wrap that prosthetic up too, until you get some new boots."
"That's somethin', but it ain't enough." Though her arms were wrapped around her crutches, she could gesture at her face. "Ain't a lot of elflins about. Don't take a genius to narrow it down."
"Elf-lin?" Bogrum tilted his head again, miming the word on his lips. "Is that just...?"
"Elf-goblin? Obviously— why're ye laughin'? The hell's so funny?"
He tried to stifle himself with a big hand, grinning behind it. "Nothing. I just... never heard that term before. Usually hear things like half-elf goblin, or elf-born goblin. Some combination."
Fergie had heard many more names for her kind, and most not so neutral. "Point stands. Still stick out. 'Specially if I'm walkin' 'round with me holes exposed. Er— Face holes."
"Well..." Bogrum glanced down at her bound foot, then up at the cloth circling her head. "I believe I have some spare bandages."

"I look like a damn mummy."
Bogrum couldn't stop himself from laughing if he wanted to. "But the point is to not look like you, right?"
"Aye. I ain't complainin'." Fergie turned her bandaged hands over, seeing no hint of green. Both feet and her entire face were covered likewise, only her yellow eyes piercing through the one opening. "Could scare them rich merchants into givin' me a discount, threaten to give 'em a curse," she said as she curled her fingers into claws in what was sure to be a very threatening display.
Bogrum guffawed at this, large shoulders shaking. "Let's not give the guards any incentive to tail us. I doubt Captain would bother bailing our asses out."
"Nay, he won't." Bogrum was opening the door to see her out, but Fergie wouldn't leave the room yet, gazing longingly at her hat and ears where they rested neatly on his bed.
"They'll be safe in here," he assured her. "And before you ask, my roommate wouldn't mess with it either, assuming he's not resting at an inn tonight." He smiled as he made the next comment, but Fergie could tell there was no real humor in it. "I think he's too nervous of me to risk tampering with my side of the room."
"Better be nervous of me, too. I'll fuck 'im up if I see so much as a flake of 'is skin on Lucy."
"All the more reason to not worry," he said with a more genuine smile. It was less the fact that Fergie had named her hat that tickled him, more that she insisted on referring to it as a person, or at the very least a pet of sorts. Though he couldn't pretend to know what level of sapience or sentience the mushroom cap possessed, and he had a feeling Fergie wasn't interested in divulging. "Let's head over to the treasury, just in case Kersact's still on board."
"We're knockin' an' makin' him come out. Ain't steppin' foot in that accursed place again."


(Posts will be a little spotty for the coming weeks, but I expect to be back to my usual activity by October)
Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Correct they were to go to the Vault......partially. When they knocked on the door enough (which took a few tries), someone finally answered. It was that pretty goblin woman, Kersact's assistant. "Hello to you both," she said, "Fancy seeing you here again Fergie, after the incident from before......" she took note of them not trying to enter, "......though I can understand fully why you don't want to enter." She took a look at Bogrum, "You must be new here."
"Yes. My name is Bogrum,"
"Edina."

Edina, Kersact's Assistant​

As a goblin, she was tiny. As a magic-user, she wasn't really an upfront fighter. As a thief, she wasn't a direct fighter. To look up at the towering muscular Bogrum made her quake in her boots.......internally. Externally, she showed no fear, but she was fearful indeed. If Fergie came back looking for revenge, nothing short of maneuvering Bogrum into the vault would save her. She was afraid of Fergie initially, but right now as she was on crutches and after seeing her frankly embarrassing display earlier, Fergie wasn't a direct threat.
She decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, though someone who looked closely would be able to see her apprehension. Being left to her own devices against a threat made her stomach churn. With that, she decided to address them politely, hoping they came in peace, and assuming they needed to talk to Kersact and not her. "If you're looking for Kersact, he's not in. He will be in at midnight. Captain Adonis doesn't want to spare the magic to just place a barrier on this vault, so we're stuck guarding it." Her voice betrayed heavy exasperation. Edina could place her own barrier on it, but hers was decidedly weaker, lasting only 10 minutes. If the vault was ever left completely unguarded (no barrier and no guardians), they would be at the mercy of Evangeline, and no one wanted that.
"Either you can leave a message, come back at midnight, or try to go find him. Good luck with that though. We ARE thieves afterall and Kersact has a curse to contend with." Hoard 1,000,000 pieces of loot (1 coin is 1 loot regardless of its value). Just the thought of that curse made Edina shudder because that would take a lifetime to alleviate. Absolute torture
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

After an incident like that, it wouldn't be far off to assume the perpetrator would never step foot near the site where they'd reigned their chaos, let alone show their face. Although Fergie's face was hidden by all the bandages, something that she wasn't sure if she was thankful for or not. One one hand, they masked her distinct mortification, but on the other, Edina had to be wondering just how badly the Ordination had fucked Fergie up for her to be completely wrapped up like that.

Even more wrapped up in her thoughts of how stupid she must look than she was in the bandages, Bogrum ended up responding before her. "That's unfortunate," he said with a frown, sympathy bringing him to shake his head. It was understandable, but still. "Trapped here the whole evening."
"That's Adonis for ye."
Bogrum looked down at her with furrowed brows. "Fergie."
Tempting as it was to ignore the chastising and go on about it, she realized it was poor taste to criticize the actions of another when she had her own to address. "Eh, oughta be more personal. We can try to catch 'im 'ere at midnight."
"I wouldn't think we'd be out for many hours," Bogrum agreed.
"I'll leave a message in case." She shuffled in place, a motion made more awkward with her crutches. "Wanted to apologize. For that... y'know. Shitshow I caused. Breakin' shit. Actin' like a fool. Tell Kersact I'll get 'im a new vase. Better one." Her head lowered. "Extends to you too, Edina. Sorry for, uh... chuckin' me coinpurse at ye."
"Fergie..." Bogrum chastised again, a little shocked at the admittance.
"Shut it." Biting back her annoyance, she went on, "It'll be different on the Canine, an' from here out. Can promise that."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Edina, Kersact's Assistant
Vault Entrance​

Edina didn't even know if Kersact would be willing to hear Fergie's humble pie. A lifetime of dealing with similar people made him trust the feisty Fergie more than a kind Fergie. "Wow......." Edina said, "To swallow pride and apologize for honest wrongdoing......" Even though Bogrum was clearly the one prodding her own, she was a bit taken aback to see someone swallow their pride and apologize, especially given that she was wrapped to all hell, making her unpresentable even beyond the crutches. Most would take the lack of apology to the grave. "Fatimah taught me to reward humbling, so I'll let you in on a secret. Take it as a gesture of good will: Thief's Lament, which is the curse you got hit with, can be reversed. If you bring back another of the same vase, repair the broken one in full, or get another one at 1.5x the value of the broken one, you will get everything back that you lost." To repair is for it to be done in a way that's not duct tape and glue. It is to be repaired in a way that shows it completely undamaged in the first place

Edina could see that Fergie was sincere, albeit embarrassed about having to be sincere, and that was due to Bogrum. Bogrum seemed to be to Fergie what she was to Kersact, though she doubted Bogrum was there to keep her in check like she was to Kersact. She could full blown tackle Kersact to the ground, and she could bet that, given Fergie's personality, if Bogrum tried something similar, someone would wind up dead. "But.......what's with thisssss attire, Fergie? Did you get injured after that thing with the nail?" Edina was looking on when Ferg winded up on the floor, looking a bit concerned. "Was it the Ordination?"
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie was taken aback herself when her apology wasn't met with kneejerk disbelief and mockery, or at least numb recognition. People tended to take regretful words with a grain of salt when the sting of one's actions still lingered, and rightfully so. But instead, not only was Edina taking her apology well, she seemed to be... praising it? "Er... wha..." Fergie glanced between her and Bogrum, searching for answers to questions that were stammered out in half-spoken chunks. "I don't... why would..." Then she looked away from all eyes entirely, seemingly even more embarrassed. "Ain't a big deal. Just the right thing to do."
"Not enough people do the right thing," Bogrum had to insist, despite her discomfort.
"Bare minimum," she argued. "Don't get all thankful 'til I put them words into actions." To Edina, she said, "But thanks for the tip. It helps." Knowing there was a way to reverse her misfortune put a notable weight off her shoulders.

Bogrum himself was a little surprised to see this side of Fergie. Unbeknownst to Edina, it never occurred to him to think an apology was due, let alone insist Fergie make one. He knew bits and pieces of what had transpired, not so much the nitty gritty. He thought that she just wanted to touch base with her new charge, but there was more to it than that. Though he certainly would have pressured her to make amends had he known, it was clear that it wouldn't have been necessary, as awkwardly Fergie went about it.
All the more awkward it was when Edina asked the question she hoped she wouldn't hear. "Uh..."
"Yes. Ordination," Bogrum said for her, in an attempt to draw the matter away from the truth. "Got beat up pretty badly. Won't go into the details." The glare he was receiving went unnoticed, even though it might as well be boring into his head. "She'll be fine, don't worry, but I'm just standing by to make sure no one makes a go at her. She's still tender."
"BOGRUM." Fergie was starting to grow a little more thankful of her bandages, now that her face was burning underneath. "NOT. HELPING."

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Edina, Kersact's Assistant
Vault​

Fergie was about to lie to her, and it was Bogrum stepping up to push it quick enough to make it seem like the truth. Edina could've pointed that out, but given that the truth was most likely irrelevant to anything Edina was working with, it would've served absolutely no productive purpose to point out Fergie's bad attempt at lying convincingly. Edina didn't know WHY Fergie was lying, but she was lying...........but Edina decided to take it for its word. "I praise the humble because how many Basenjis are humble? How many that seem humble are put into leadership positions?" The answer: Every single one that Fergie could think of during her time with the crew. Evangeline wasn't humble in the slightest.......but she also wasn't really a leader. Adonis, well..... When you have the money to start the crew, you could be an exception to the rule. "Humble people are easy to talk to and easy to approach. Humbleness won't seem like a big deal until you lead a group and find them more loyal to you than to who you answer to." she responded. "Pride is the death of many a good man. Learning to swallow it is bare minimum only if you have none to begin with. YOU, Fergie, have tons."

Edina then shrugged. "Enough droning on about people I don't actually know. I'll relay your message to Kersact. I take it he will give you a 2nd chance and finally stop cursing your name. It drives me crazy." With that, Edina waved her goodbyes and shut the vault door.

Vault Closed

That left the duo to the next part of their agenda, whatever that was. If they wanted to brave Andouphe and risk Fergie being discovered for the chance at getting back all of her stuff so she can get better gear, that was one thing. If they wanted to play it safe and stick a pin in getting back Fergie's lost stuff by staying here for the night, that was another option. Without reversing that curse, she likely didn't have a ton of money to go about getting more gear........or the vase that she broke, which seemed more likely that she would have to acquire in ways besides buying.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

What Edina was saying brought Fergie back to the mess hall. In her own words, she'd told Sebas that she'd choose him over Adonis. Her captain he may be, but Adonis wasn't the one who fought alongside her and risked his life to save her ass. She hadn't thought into it deeply before, but she supposed Sebas had to have his fair share of humility to have earned her respect. A man too concerned with himself wouldn't take on the burden of raising someone else's child. Probably wouldn't brush off praise like he had in the mess either, which Fergie wasn't certain she could boast of should she have been the recipient instead. She was a prideful woman. That she couldn't deny, and wouldn't protest. Not to say that Sebas wasn't, but if he was, he certainly had a better handle on it than herself.

Envisioning what choice curses Kersact might have delegated to her, Fergie murmured, "Huh. Guess that's why I've been sneezin' this whole time."
"But you haven't sneezed once since..."
"Been holdin' it in. Same thing."

They were left with a decision to make. "So all I gotta do now's get a new vase."
"Certainly makes matters easier, doesn't it?" Not letting them get ahead of themselves though, he said, "It couldn't hurt to go into the city still. I have my gear to get, and—"
"Still? How's this change the plan?"
Bogrum shrugged, not sure what she was getting at. "Well, if all you need is a replacement, I figured we could nab another vase from our raids." Just like she had with the wine bottle to repay her debt to Adonis. "We could still get you better gear right now, of course, for until that happens."
"Or we could get the vase now."
Understanding now, he breathed a weary sigh. "Fergie, we can't just..."
"Buy one? Prolly not. But we're bloody pirates, the hell's the point of buyin'?"
"If you're thinking you're gonna run a heist in your condition..."
"They'll least suspect I did it."
"You can't. Literally." He gestured at her jittering legs. "You're on crutches, for gods' sakes!"
"Well... uh..." It was clear Fergie was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but the look she was giving him said it for her. He likened it to sad kitten eyes, and the effect was equatable.
"Look. You know I would—"
"I'd pay ye back."
"— In any other circumstance, I'd gladly go along with something like this. No payments necessary. But look. You're injured. You have an Ordination to tend to. We have a role to fulfill on the Canine. If we tried robbing someone, we'd run the risk of getting caught. A risk made even greater by your state. Not to mention, you'd run risk of getting injured worse. And prisons wouldn't be kind to us..." People like them, was the undertone of his words. "It's not worth it. Not when you already have an out. There's no time limit, from the sound of it."
"Hate it when ye throw logic at me." She looked down at her feet. "Shouldn't wrap ye up in my shit, anyway."
"That's not a problem. I want to help. But me helping pertains matters that should take priority. Like your health, for one?"
Fergie grumbled. "I know..."
"Let's not take any more risks. Gods know you've taken enough already."
"I KNOW. Just forget I said anythin'."

Bogrum might have attempted to console her, but in the face of her rising agitation, he deemed it better to pretend to forget. "Were you wanting to speak with the Captain still? I don't know if he's still here or out in the town now, but I want to head down there before evening."
"Eh, better not. Don't wanna get Doc in trouble." She wasn't sure if he could sense that Ordination on her should she get near, so she'd wait until that was taken care of before approaching him. "I'll vouch for ye anyway. Favor or not."
Bogrum smiled. "Honored."
"Don't push it. Let's just get this shop run outta the way. Bandages 'r startin' to itch like a bitch..."

Kylesar1