Timeless?

[MissPenny2]

Havana, Cuba-1715

Under the Spanish rule of King Philip V, Havana teems with bright hopes of life and dark tales of death. On the surface, the city is littered with the royal army, pointing their muskets at anything and anyone who seems even the slightest bit adverse to the will of the crown. Then again, it was always the underside of the population that one should be worried about.

Pirates, one ship full after another, some friends and some foes, have made dock in Havana, all passing themselves off as merchants or British "privateers". And where there are pirates, you can be sure that various other less-than-upstanding citizens are sure to be close behind, just like blood in the water. This port town of Spanish-Cuba has become a nest of scoundrels, each one waiting for his chance at a golden prize to come along. For one ship's captain, his opportunity doesn't come knocking so much as threatening.

Meet Castalia Milas, a trained thief and assassin pledged to a secret order bound by honor above all else to serve the original royal bloodline of the Grecian island of Crete, tracing all the way back to the Minoan period. She's been issued an order for which the price of failure is death. She needs a captain and a crew. She's chosen his.​

@TechEwok

 

[MissPenny2]

The cool night breeze brought with it the subtle taste of sea salt, whispering through the few lone palms that stood along the sandy beach bordering Havana's port. Ships of varying sizes, each anchored a short ways from the shore, creaked with the small movements of the water beneath them. In the pale moonlight, the sea almost appeared to be pitch black as if anything could be waiting just a few inches past the surface, cold and unforgiving. Standing at the end of a worn pier, a lone young woman could hardly make out her reflection in the water. It was a reflection of black on black, the darkness of the water lapping at the shore several yards behind her on the underside of the wooden walkway just barely spitting back the image of her dark attire past the elongated shadow of her person.


Her eyes raised, carefully passing over the vessels that floated steadily in the same warm waters that gave off this icy appearance, some small enough the be brought up to the end of the shorter boardwalks, others still further out. She'd been watching the general area for the majority of the evening, though originally from a hiding spot atop a lodging house just inside the city. Her decision was not an easy one, and if she made a wrong choice, things could end badly for her, very badly. She needed to select a method of transportation, a ship, that she thought could get her to her desired destination, but also one with a strong captain who could be persuaded to stick with the journey.


Tucking a stray strand of dark hair back underneath the cloth that draped easily over her head, Castalia Milahs hooked one finger in the lower portion of material and pulled it back up over her mouth to rest on the bridge of her nose from where she'd tugged it away to allow the breeze to wash over her face. She'd made her decision nearly an hour prior, the moment she had connected various stories and rumors drifting about with a name and a description, but had only just assured herself that her initial reaction had been the correct one. Suddenly feeling a set of eyes on her back, Castalia turned away from the water to face the buildings just beyond the sandy shore.


Beneath the wooden overhang of a small exchange shop on the rickety pier stood a man she'd spoken to earlier that evening who had insisted that he couldn't pass on the information she'd requested. Under the offer of currency, he agreed to speak with her after the hustle and bustle of the port had died down. Making her way back up the walk, Castalia came to a slow stop still several paces from the stranger in front of her, the shelter casting a shadow over the both of them.


"Tell me about The Red Siren." She repeated her request from hours prior, though the sound of it came off as more of a command. Arms crossed over her midsection, Castalia's voice hung in the air for several seconds as she sized up her competition should he choose to play games with her. Lips pressed together in a firm line beneath their masking cloth, she uttered a sarcastic "Please."


@TechEwok

 

[Dirtbear]

The floorboards creaked with the crashing of the waves on the shore in the background. Oro leaned across the the counter of his shop and eyed the young lady with her demands. Oro picked at the decaying wood on the counter and gave a dark grin of gold. "Little darling, I think you should check your tone. Or you won't be getting no information from me." He said in his smooth spanish accent. He pointed to his strongbox and jingled a bag of coins, "I believe there's a few missing from my chest. Mind finding me some to replace them?" Oro slyly proposed. He waited for his matron to purchase the information she desired.


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The pitch black sky hugged the moonlight over the sea as a babe with it's mother. The moonlight hardly escaping the clouds that covered it, leaving the waters below dark and wanting. The creaking of wood and the soft whispers of the winds were all that accompanied a lone ship out on the waters. A figurehead stood up above the calm seas, a beauty carved of mahogony and detailed enough to see the creases in her scales. Kara Lea, the siren that adorned The Red Siren was renowned on the Carribean. She was beauty and what followed her usually lead to two options, death or a perilous swim. At the bow above Kara Lea, stood a man stoically watching the form of land off the horizon. His hand placed at the pommel of his blade, Captain Valen Belenus looked onto Havana and let out a soft sigh that carried with the wind. Footsteps came behind him and stopped a few paces away, "Cap'n. Havana be not a few minutes away. Shall we stow her out at sea or try to dock without any fuss?" said the man behind him. Valen turned and flashed a small grin to his first mate, Miel Ducan. "We shall make port on Havana's docks. I doubt they know of our... transgressions with the Spanish. I haven't seen any privateers gunning for my head or any of the king's men with the sack to come after me without reason. So, let's dock and meet with our associate about our cargo." Valen said, his grin faded away and his eyes looking into his trusted second hand. Miel nodded in acknowledgement and roused the crew with orders and howled at the helmsman for falling asleep at the helm. Valen turned and sighed again, 'Another nightfall. Look forward to another sunrise.' He leapt up onto the railing and clinged to a line leading to the bowsprit. The wind blowing through his hair, his braid dancing in the breeze.

 

[MissPenny2]

Castalia raised an eyebrow at the man's response, far from any sort of answer she'd wanted. Suppressing a short laugh, she cleared her throat softly and shook her head. It was all too obvious that none of her Order had ventured this far into the Caribbean within the last century or she would have been recognized for what she was supposedly capable of. "Oh but darling, I'm afraid that's not exactly what I had in mind." The false smile in her words was practically audible, though vanished in an instant as her arms flew from her torso and over the counter in one smooth movement. One hand snatching a fistful of the stranger's shirt collar, Castalia nearly jerked his form over the countertop as her free set of fingers brought a dagger from her belt and gently pressed the blade against the man's throat.


"I'll ask once more. You've caught me in a generous mood." In truth, Castalia didn't have any intention of bringing the seller's life to an end. Not only was she truly not in the mood to have to deal with the aftermath, she did need this information. Although other outlets could be tracked down, she'd already caught this one, quite literally, by the throat. There was a pause before she spoke again, forcing a well practiced glare into her eyes. A single strip of moonlight reflected off the pure silver of her blade to illuminate the dual cocoa colored irises before another set of clouds slowly passed in front of the celestial body, toying with the shadows once more. "The Red Siren. Speak. Now."

 

[Dirtbear]

"Mijita. Mami, woah. Now Now Now... Quidado with that, heh." Oro shouted unevenly trying to catch whatever dignity he had left. He cleared his throat as the dagger pressed against his throat. He was afraid of this girl, but his fear was selling out information on Bell, Captain Bell. That dread that followed in his pit when Captain Bell caught wind Oro, his trusted fence, sold him out to whoever this was, there would be far worse than a slit throat. Oro grew bolder than a few moments ago, "Perdona me. But you would be doing me a favor by slicing my throat. Information on Bell is hard to find. Hard to find in my business means mas dinero. If you understand where i stand." Oro said smoothly, laying out the conditions before her. Waiting for her to think on what he had said, he jingled his bag to make his point clear.

 

[MissPenny2]

Castalia sighed softly, restraining herself from rolling her eyes as her grip on the man's shirt tightened. "I've come a long way to see the man in charge of this particular ship. Do you understand me?" Her voice was eerily quiet, its stressed tone making it obvious that the stranger across the counter was testing her patience. "Now, you can either tell me what I need to know, or I can relieve you of a finger each time something unrelated to my request comes out of your mouth." Applying a slight pressure to the blade at his throat, Castalia never broke eye contact. "Trust me when I say locating this ship is of the upmost importance." Her last sentence was hissed through clenched jaws and seemed to hover in the night for a moment before moving on.

 

[Dirtbear]

A grunt crawled out of his tight throat as the pressure behind the blade dug into his skin. Blood broke free along the blade and he winced as he looked into her eyes. His mouth opened slowly. Oro would rather die than lose parts of him so he might as well concede to her. "Mi--


A soft whistle blew beside Oro's face and a thunk decimated the rotting boards of the wall behind him. An axe handle was protruding from the mess and another whistle and thunk landed a hairs breadth beside the young woman's waist. "I would hold my tongue, if I were you, Oro. No telling what would fall out of through your teeth." Captain Bell threatened, a tinge of disgust in his eyes. The tip of his duelist long blade tapped the edge of the assailant's jaw from behind. "I would be more careful, doll. Sometimes those you seek come to find you instead. Drop your weapons in the counter and we'll see where we stand. Move and my mate will put you out of your misery in a smoky finish." Miel snickered as he cocked the pistol aimed for her back. Valen lifted the blade and held it casually on her and with his free hand twirled his hand, "Now, please. I've got affairs to attend to." Valen's highland accent bleeding through the words.

 

[MissPenny2]

Castalia's eyes darted from the man behind the counter to the axe buried in the wall behind him only a split second after it made contact, instantly causing her shoulders to tense up. How could she have been so careless to let her guard down in the middle of the docks? Mentally scolding herself, she had to work hard not to jump in surprise as the next axe landed in the counter next to her, luckily able to restrain herself from moving a muscle even as she felt the edge of a blade against the thin cloth covering the lower half of her face. Slowly closing her eyes and exhaling, Castalia's mind worked to systematically plug through several different scenarios of possible plans of action, though many seemed to leave her with a round in her back. When her eyes flashed open a second later, they held an icy gaze as they met those of the man called Oro once more.


Gradually, she lowered her dagger and gently placed it on the countertop. "Now, now, boys." Keeping her voice level, Castalia pushed Oro away as she released her grip on his collar and turned to face the other two. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

 

[Dirtbear]

His wrist ran straight to the wound on his neck and Oro huffed. "Vieja, she just tried to kill me. I should gut her--- "Shut yer trap! I will not tell ya twice!" Valen pointed his blade at Oro and froze him in his place. Miel snickered under his breath and Valen turned his head very slighty, his face cold like stone. "Is there something funny, Miel? Remember...." His voice trailed off not finishing the sentence. Miel's heart dropped instantly and his blood raced in fear. 'Aye, Cap'n.... I'm gonna lose me head...' Miel thought to himself, struggling to keep his aim steady. Captain Bell returned his focus to the lovely woman in front of him. His stoic face melted into a smile and he flourished his blade as he sheathed it into it's scabbard. "So, to whom do I owe the pleasure of my company? A king's errand girl? A pirate? Or another bounty hunter wanting my head, hm?" He said as he stood casually, taking in her features in the scarce moonlight.


"She wanted information on who the captain of The Red Siren was and where he be located. I wasn't going to---

BLAST

​

The smoke filled the area and a body crumpled to the floor. A ringing rang in Valen's ear and as the smoke cleared, there were only three of them left standing. The shady woman, Valen, and Miel who held the pistol. Valen slowly turned his body to Miel and parted his his off to the sides in a questioning gesture."She moved. I have bad aim, Cap'n. Still got water on me hands. Won't happen ag'n." Miel replied with a grin. Valen brought a hand to his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What am I to do with you, Miel..." He softly muttered under his breath. He looked over to the blood that splattered over the wall behind the counter and down to the woman. "Well, talk."

 

[MissPenny2]

Errand girl? One eyebrow cocked, Castalia had only just opened her mouth to shoot some variation of a snarky retort back in the captain's direction when Oro began to speak once more, cutting her off. Seconds later, a shot tore through the night, causing her to jump forward a step, her right hand immediately flying for the second dagger hooked near her waist. She refrained from drawing the weapon, however, when her eyes cut over to the grinning male holding the smoking pistol and then to the blood splatter coating the wall. It was then with a new sense of caution that she let her hand fall back to her side and returned her attention to the captain, though now that she was a step or so closer she found herself having to tilt her head back slightly to make eye contact.


"I'm afraid you underestimate me." Castalia didn't allow her gaze to waver from the eyes of the man in front of her, but she could hear the breathing of his companion off to the side quite clearly, letting her know he hadn't moved. "I come with a proposition. One with wealthy profits, in fact." She paused, a slight grin tugging at her lips from beneath the cloth. "But I only work with the man in charge." Only then did her eyes flicker to the man with the gun. What had he called him? Miel? Either way, Castalia was not about to play on their terms alone.

 

[Dirtbear]

A grunt answered in response and Valen walked over to the counter, retrieving his ax and stowing it in it's leather holster. He shook his head as he stepped over the body of his fence and kicked him over the head when he brought his boot down, catching some blood on the heel. Another grunt escaped his throat, this one mixed with a sigh. Valen grabbed the handle of the second ax and forced it out the portion of the wall board it was stuck to. He examined his ax briefly and muttered about the nicks in the blade before joining it with its companion. Valen looked back at the woman feeling like leaving her there. Valen wanted nothing to do with her. He stepped over the body again, avoiding the body and grabbed the dagger left on the table. He examined it and made a face, intrigued with its design. He tossed her a melancholic gaze and looked away from her to Miel. "My mate will have to attend to what you want. I've now have to find another... procurer of items after he so happenly put my previous one out of commission." Captain Bell glared at his first mate and pulled on his vest to get it readjusted.


Valen walked to the end of the counter of the rundown shop, passing the inconvenient woman, and grabbed the strongbox Oro kept his coin in. Lifting it, he felt there was enough in there to pay for some items on his list needed for the ship. He jabbed the dagger into the keyhole and and wiggled it for a bit. He began to get a sense of frustration in him when it wasn't opening so.... He pulled out his ax and bashed the handle of the dagger and the head of the ax, popping the lock open. A smile rose to his face and he tossed the girl the dagger and opened the strongbox. He grabbed the coins and filled a pouch with them. Tying it to his waist, Valen began to walk away. As he did, he began to speak, "Miel, clean this mess up and take what you can to the ship." He paused, then looked back to her, regretting it but profit tends to do that, "Are you not coming?"

 

[MissPenny2]

The young woman's lips came to rest in a firm line as she watched the captain retrieve his weapons before dismissing her to negotiate with the other man. She was not accustomed to not being taken seriously, or at least as a serious threat. If she had hinted at a similar chance at something the Order considered of value on the coasts of France or Spain, she would have had the entire port jockeying for a chance to learn more. Clearing her throat softly, it was clear that Castalia was more than a little irritated. The captain's rather rough handling of her surrendered dagger only added to this, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.


Remaining silent through the remainder of the proceedings, a small sense of relief was granted when she snatched the silver and jade hilt of her dagger out of the air and returned it to its proper place on her belt, but not enough to cool her temper. In fact, she had already imagined several ways to go about taking out both men at once, though she knew she needed them, by the time the captain paused to spare a glance back her direction.


"No." Her answer was simple and causal, as if one had asked if she would be attending a town hanging. "No, I'm not coming." Striding forward, Castalia pushed past the captain without slowing her pace to continue down the dock, her eyes focused directly ahead of her. "I have matters of my own to attend to. Time is money, as they say. I can't have you wasting mine."

 

[Dirtbear]

"Bah! Fine by me. Good riddance. Go get yourself killed!" Valen shouted as he waved her off and walked back to Miel and shouldered him out of his way. "Aye, cap'n. She get under yer skin? Ya know ya can't handle em. Fine ladies like --- " Miel was cut off with a grasp at his throat and the captain lifting his boots off the floorboards. The captain glowered at his first mate and the icy chill crept on Miel's skin. "You ever speak of that... And you'll wish you weren't in the brig on my ship, Miel." Valen held him for a few seconds as he gasped for air before releasing him and letting him fold over on the floor, coughing and wheezing apologies. Captain Bell kicked Miel's pistol over to him and scoffed, "Hurry up and pick yourself off the floor. We need to get this on the ship and out to sea before we run into more unexpected delays. The cargo can wait a while. We got some coin to hold us over." He said jingling the bag under his vest.


Miel and a few crewmen hurried over the back of the exchange shop and grabbed contraband and items Valen could sell around the islands. Valen watched the men hurry back to the boat that led back to his ship. He turned and lit a cigar and blew the smoke out, cherishing the sweet rum the tobacco was soaked in. He smiled and threw the slow burning fuse onto the dry roof of leaves and brush, catching it aflame. All the valuables taken and only Oro's body along with junk left to burn, he would leave no trace that he was there. But something wasn't sitting right with him. He looked around and felt a sense of foreboding. He called out to the crew, "Time to head out. Pull the lines! We got an execution to carry on!" The crewmen on the boat cheered heartily and Valen wasn't smiling. He didn't know what was going on but his senses were put on alert.