Multiple Settings To the Skies: Main

[KennethPhoenix18]

Chapter 1: New Paths, New Lives

After the loss of their crew and ships, the pirates of Zephyr Rose and Lupus Howl joined together through a drunken blood pact. Gathering the last of the crews, the captain commandeered a galleon and sailed out. Finally landing in Columbian skies at the town of Joesvilla. Not in the Republic, nor in Victorian rule, the pirates take their first collect breath of solace. Now they are planning their next move.

Date: July 13, 862 LS (Lifted Skies)
Weather: Cloudy/Warm​

Spoiler: The Mary Celeste

 

[KennethPhoenix18]

Sitting in her private library reading a book, Mistress Kimberly Harmon waited. Her tea always at the perfect temperate, she sipped. A simple earl gray with cream, a bit of honey. Kimberly may be the Emperess of the great nation in the world but she enjoyed the simple taste of it. Although she technically wasn't the ruler, her husband was, and she was there to give him an heir. Those in power knew the truth, Kimberly was the real one in control.

Putting the cup back down Kimberly smiled and snickered at the story she read. It was just something the young girls were all talking about, a romantic piece of a charming and witty bard chasing the hand of a young farm girl. These stories were fun, they reminded her of her youth, going from city to city and the foreign skies of the east to the dangers of the west. She turned the page and continued to read, finding the next part very interesting. Holding her place Kimberly checked the author, seeing the name familiar, realizing it was her old friend and past lover, Francis. Going she reread the section and gave a loud chuckle.

"Francis, oh you dog, this about us! Well, I see now why all the girls love this. Hah."

​

She took another sip, as the knock came at the door and two young girls ran inside. Fralia and Mhani, her twins. The spitting images of herself at their ages. Giggling they came up to their mother bouncing at her sides. "Mummy, mummy! We came to see you!" Squeaked Mhani. "Yes, yes! And we brought a man with us. He looks very scary but very kind too." Fralia leaning in to say the last part.

Kimberly cupped her hands around her daughter's face and smiled to each in tow, she spoke to them in this strange dark too. "My girls it's too early for you to be coming to Mother with men. Even if their scary kind." A second knock came as a tall man in a military dress walked in. Taking his hat off, he bowed deeply.

"Mistress Harmon. Princess Fralia, Princess Mhani. Thank you for having me. I come with news for you Mistress." His voice was deep and commanding, one of the tendencies of a man in his position. Joshua Greenberg, commander of the Areocutos was his name, an ally for her goals. She stood taking her cup and plate with her. She nodded, as the two girls gave a small curtsy each. "Your news Commander?" Kimberly asked. Joshua looked at each of the girls and raised a curious eyebrow. "My daughters are here, speak."

"Yes, Mistress. The two pirate crews you wanted to be removed have been made so. Shot down in North Columbia. One ship did seem to escape but was found wrecked soon after. No survivors. As for the Keys we may have found the location of one. In the scattered islands in southern Columbia near the border of the Republic. I have Lawrence going down there soon to investigate. Kingsmill and Labue are looking into more of the relics to find the other Keys. Once I have their reports I can update you further."

Kimberly nodded as her eyes closed. When she opened they were jet black, black veins race off his face from them. She took a deep breath as she sipped her tea. "The Lion and Steel are still alive... Crippled is all you did to them... But it seems that fate has changed. We need them now, keep pressure but do not kill them..." Black ichor ran from her eyes as they came back to normal. Mhani handed her a handkerchief, wiping the blackness off. "Thank you, Commander. You are dismissed and know this. You're walking a fine line. Do be careful you may see what lays under the clouds. Oh and please find one of the maids. I would love some cookies for the girls and I." At the sound of treats, the two young girls bounced in excitement.

Joshua quietly put his hat on and walked out without a word, but his face even through his military baring spoke fear. Kimberly knelt down to play with her children with a devilish smile.

 

[KennethPhoenix18]

'If you look through the narrow lens of modern society, you will never see the full beauty of the world.'​

The morning was warm on his face as he lay in where ever he happened from the night before. Thankfully Van was used to wearing googles all the time, so it kept the light out. Granted as ee opened his eyes as the sunlight cut into them still. "F***! My head... Too much damn rum..." He groaned in pain.

Pulling himself to his feet, Van found that he was in the crow's nest. The sight of the ship below was sudden and in his hungover state almost made him retch. Grabbing the railing, he whispered. "Hold, hold, hold the line..." Taking deep breaths, Van pulled himself together. "Argh! My hand." Looking at it he saw it was bandaged with a fresh cut. Pulling up his goggles, he squirted against the light that now fully filled his eyes.

Peeling off the cloth he saw it was covered in blood, as was his hand but it was mostly dried by this point. The cut that was on hand was fresh though, flexing it still hurt but it wasn't bleeding mainly oozing. He thought about the last day, it involved a lot of drinking, a bit of crying, and one mad decision. Well, a lot of mad decisions he must figure. His head was killing him, instinctually he fished into his bag and found a spongy mushroom. Brown shallowcaps, a godsend for the foolish drunk. Popping into his mouth, Van chewed looking around. Seeing his waterskin, he downed the entire bottle. 'I'm at least a kind drunk... Sort of... And Bolts is a good man for his strange love of mushrooms...' It took a few minutes for the mushroom's effect to take, but once it did clarity and focus came although not memory. Van could at least remember one thing.

"Blood pact... I made one with that woman... Did I tie my fate to her's? Hahaha! Hah..." He laughed as his face dropped on the railing in defeat. Quietly he just sat like that, waiting for an Aerowhale to swallow him whole. "Welp, it not like I have a crew to try and take the ship. We need her but she needs us... What was her name again... Luke, Lucila... Lucia... I think it was Lucia... Should look around."

From the crow's net Vance could get the best view. They were docked on the side of the island on a private dock. He could see a large town southeast of them, he didn't remember where he ever was. Van was always bad at that but he did remember they were in the neutral lands of Columbia. Unclaimed by the Republic but free of the Empire, a good place for pirates and those of the free. "Probably a great place to find some more crewmen and get back out on the clouds. The town looks like it's... I shouldn't judge that distance..." Look at the deck he saw his long red vest and equipment, nodding he jumped on the rigging and found himself down to the deck collecting himself. Looking back up he marveled at his drunken self for the feats he could do. Slipping his wakizashi into his sash next to his pistol, Van pulled on his vest and grabbed his longer katana from the ground checking it over. His rifle was in a state, the cycel was faded and the fittings were loose. He'd need to give it to Hui for repairs.

'Where was Johnny, and that boy...? Wyatt... S***, a kid like him shouldn't have gone through that fight. Doesn't matter, I'll reward him for his troubles.' Popping his neck left and right, he took a deep breath and stomped heavily while tapping his katana on the deck. "All hands report! Cap'n Van callin'!" Van slipping into his natural Crescenter accent as he yelled.

'So rip it off! And be free! Free to see!'

Spoiler: Get UP!

laceanddoodles Twin Fantasy Sana Natsuko ADarkAndStormyNight Ayama

Spoiler: Those In Town

xAlter NecromancerNight Hibiscus StormWolf

 

[Sana Natsuko]

[div class=leftFloat][/div][div class=name]Amanda Earning[/div]
[div class=paragraph] Annoyingly woken up by some idiot yelling, she drowsily sat up and looked around her room, rubbing her eyes and yawning, everything from last night slowly began to kick in. ''C-Calm down... I am sure it was just one of those... Weird dreams." Obviously lying to herself she sat on her bed wearing the clothes she collapsed in and pinched herself, yeah not a dream. Sighing to herself and lying back down on god knows who's bed she thought about it a bit more, as much as it may seem bad, its actually more of an ideal situation. Remembering back the other captain said something about them losing members too, so in the end we are both benefiting from helping each other. She then began thinking of any alternatives that could have been taken... Only for none to come to mind, "no matter how I look at it, we needed some form of help to recover and what we were given was another crew in a similar situation to us, its like fate." She goes silent for a bit to hear whats happening around, it seems a few people are up and moving, probably the other crew, as for her crew, she didn't know where they were on the ship, or if they were even on the ship at all, all she knew was that... She was tired, hungry and suffering from a slight hangover [/div]
[div class=paragraph] She stumbled her way over to the door and placed her hand on the handle before listening to see if anyone was on the other side. It all sounded quiet so she peered her head out and looked down the corridor, then she used all of her skill to trace where she came from last night to solve a problem that had just begin to kick in... She really needed the toilet. Following her footsteps from were she came, she remembered finding the bathroom while looking it for a place to collapse on, she reached the room before hearing footsteps coming her way as she quickly dashed in the room and locked the door, as she let out a relieved sigh, she quickly pushed out all the thoughts of what would have happened if anything went wrong and begun to relax thinking more about what happened last night to try and get a grasp on their crews situation. From what it seemed, they stole a ship..."Oh thats right, this isn't ours. No wonder that bed felt different, but at least I can confirm we were all on the ship before I passed out." Standing up and fastening her pants she left the room, in less of a hurry this time and made her way back to 'her' room. [/div]
[div class=paragraph] Walking into the room she looked around examining it all "Well... For a room I stumbled into and collapsed in, its not too bad. Maybe I should claim this room if we are keeping this ship." Hearing more movement on the deck, she thought about maybe checking who was up there and what they were doing, if she was lucky it could be some of her crew... If not should she would have wasted her time... She collapsed back onto the bed "I am sure it can't be that important, plus if its my crew up there they will definitely find me." After lying there for what felt like hours, (Probably 20 seconds) all the thoughts of if her crew were in danger began to fill her mind as she quickly jumped up and put a small medical bag around her waist, she began making her way to the deck "I am only checking. I am only checking." [/div] [class name=name] font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; color: #027306; [/class] [class name=leftFloat] float: left; padding-right: 10px; [/class] [class name=talking] color: #027306; [class] [class name=paragraph] flaot: left; [/class]

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Wyatt Silverman​

Wyatt had slept like a rock. He was so worn out after all the fighting, he nearly passed out. Just days and days of it, drowned in booze. Wyatt always believed he could out-drink a woman, but apparently this was not so, as the ladies of the Zephyr Rose drank him under the table. So much for men being strong and women being meek. He woke with a throbbing headache and back pain that would put his own grandpa to shame, with his cheek laying on an unfinished map. The drool he left behind had caused the ink to run. A quick peek in his bedroom mirror revealed that it had left faded, black marks on his right cheek. He wiped at it with some success, but ultimately gave up, far too hungover to care.

He'd slept in his clothes from the night before. Not the first time he'd done so, but the first time he felt embarrassed about it. Because what was he, really? No fighter or true-blooded pirate, for sure, he was the bloody deckhand. Passing out drunk is something one should earn the right to, and he just hadn't. He'd have to harass Bolts about those weird mushrooms he always had, God bless the man.

And then suddenly the captain is shouting. Did he ever even make it to bed?

With trembling hand, Wyatt quickly changed out of his dirty clothing. One of his pant legs had a stench of vomit on them that he'd have to wash out profusely. He wasn't sure what was worse: if it was his own vomit, or someone else's. But he was now at least presentable, with a nice hat and some gloves on, eyes still drooping and squinting at the sun peering through the window.

In his youth, he recalled, he'd dreamt of being a fish. The ocean is so vast, to be just a small fish and explore it all would be amazing. But it could be dangerous, too. A small fish like himself may be in line for getting eaten. In a way, being a pirate was like being a fish.

The strong clomp of his boots echoed in the stairwell, eyes sagging with blackened circles underneath. He must have looked well-weathered, like a real man. Soon enough he'd be thick in sinew and gruff in voice, and that'd be the day he'd know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he'd grown up. The sun blared bright in his eyes, and Wyatt threw a hand above his brow, squinting into the sky. "Bright..." He muttered, slowly shuffling to the center of the deck where Cap'n stood in the crow's nest, casting a powerful shadow over the wooden surface. It was black as the night. Wyatt stood in the shadow, as if hiding from the sun's harsh rays.

"Mairnin', cap." Wyatt tipped his hat, attempting to sound enthusiastic.

 

[Ayama]

Hui-Ru Yu

'Bolts' (Ship Engineer)

Male - 24 - Gay

“What is broken
Can be fixed.
What still works
Can be improved."

Location: On deck

With: Van, Angel, Soot

Hui was wide awake. He had been all night, scurrying around the underbelly of the Mary Celeste, inspecting, fixing, making plans. And as he worked, in his mind, in the background, he pondered the Lupus Howl's crew's recent history.

First, they had lost half their number in a fight against the police of the air. Then, the Areocustos had confiscated and looted their airship while the rest of them were able to make their escape- barely. In the few weeks since, it had been nothing but running and hiding, trying to evade capture or death.

The last twenty-four hours, however, had almost been crazier than all of that put together. The Zephyr Rose's crew, it turned out, had suffered the exact same fate, and last night, following a drunken encounter in a tavern, Vance and Captain MacGregor had made a blood pact to unite the two crews and sail as one.

After that, they had promptly commandeered a galleon and sailed away from the Empire. Now, it was morning, and the newly formed crew of the Mary Celeste needed to figure out what the plan was next. In Hui's humble opinion, the first order of business should be to settle on a different name for their ship and their new crew but, as that wasn't up to him, he focused on his area of expertise instead.

Since boarding the ship, the overexcited engineer had not slept a wink, far too exhilarated at the prospect of discovering all the secrets of an entirely new machine. The Mary Celeste was a larger ship than the Lupus Howl had been, perhaps a little slower, but definitely more powerful and far more able to hold its own in a battle which, given their recent history, was a very good thing.

Hui hadn't even gotten around to inspecting the cannons yet, as he had been too busy crawling around the engine room all night, working on understanding his new best friend. This one he had decided he would call Bertha.

By the time morning rolled around, he had already assembled a comprehensive list of
- the tools he would need (he'd only managed to grab a few from the Howl when they escaped, and the ship only seemed to have the basics)
- basic repairs, modifications and improvements, and the parts he would need to put them into effect (some more common than others)
- cycel supplies; they were dangerously low, and stocking up would be the very first order of business to attend to, before anything else

He also considered what he would need in order to construct his quarters, as he always slept in the engine room rather than a proper one. He suspected he'd be able to cannibalize most of it from other parts of the ship.

Once he was satisfied with his list and having attended to every detail, Hui turned his attention to his mushrooms. Mushrooms were his second passion and, though he mostly cared because he wanted to eat them, he had become quite competent at keeping and growing them as a result.

He carefully inspected his new cultures. He had been able to grab a handful before they'd had to depart the Howl and, with the use of his very last Water and Earth cycel, to get them started on the Mary Celeste. Thankfully, they had taken, but Hui knew he needed to get his hands on more Elemental cycel fast if he didn't want them to die.

He was just pondering what the best way to go about that would be when he heard Vance's familiar shout, accompanied by the customary stomp of his boots and clang of his sword. Hui grinned, knowing he would no doubt be hungover and in a bad mood- he always found the captain more entertaining when he was grumpy.

Tearing himself away from his mushrooms, he scurried back under the engine, out of the room, through the bowels of the ship and, finally, up onto the deck. Vance was standing, looking around for his crew, clearly impatient.

Hui bounded out of the hatch and fairly launched himself upwards, landing in the rigging. Casually hooking a foot into a loop of rope, he let himself go and dangled upside-down, grinning madly at his commander.

"Morning cap'n!" he called brightly, adding an upside-down salute. "Rough night?" he asked as he noticed the clear after-effects of too much drink. He wanted to snicker, but knew Grumpy-Vance would not take kindly to it.

As he swung there he swiveled his head to the left and to the right, taking in the length of the ship. "Boy she sure is a beauty, cap'n! I was up all night, checking her out. The Celeste sure is one fine machine, if I do say so.

Maybe a few tweaks, here and there of course- nothing too major to start with; just a couple circuitry reruns, maybe a few upgrades. 'course, we'll be needing the supplies for that first, and though I don't rightly know what our finances are like these days, we should still probably make a run into town." He seemed to keep talking without ever needing to draw breath.

"Did you know Bertha has a backup steam engine as well? You don't see those in ships so often these days, but the mushrooms will be right at home, what with all the humidity. I was thinking of running the cooler through there, and only using it as a power source for when we need to conserve cycel.

Of course, that would be a bigger project, but I'm sure I could do it as I've got time. By the way, what's the plan now, cap'n? Are we going to be staying here for a while, or do we have a head'n? By the way, I was thinking..."

Hui could have simply gone on talking, as he was famous for never shutting up unless made to. Luckily, at that point, someone did.

codedbycrucialstar​

 

[StormWolf]

Aleksander Nikolanstovich III
"... and that's why they called her the Bearoness! I still got the scratches on my ass to prove it!" Alek hollered with and slapped at the rough and stained table, the heavy silver skull-and-gear ring clapping sharply. His captive audience of fellow morning-drinkers joined Alek is his raucous laughter. Each note was like a sledgehammer upside the head, prompting another long pull from the tankard clutched in his fist. For the life of him, he couldn't remember a single name in the sea of faces... but the wench was J-something,, and the skipper over by the kegs was some standard Gallic flair. Hans, Franz, or some such. Between the copious drink and the thighs wrapped firmly about his ears the night before, his recollection was definitively murky.

Before he knew it, Alek was glancing at the bottom of his tankard. A damned pity, that. Alek sighed, and the rancid wave of his breath billowed back to meet him. Nothing but stout ale, greasy food, and the occasional hit of Vedic lotus. A rough stubble had sprouted along Alek's anvil jaw and his typically well-groomed self was disheveled and bedraggled. Days old pomade had his hair in an oily tangle and his slept-in uniform was rumpled and stiff. The stains would come out with a proper steaming, but some filthy blackguard had made off with a couple brass buttons from Alek's coat. At least Alek's ring remained on his finger and his pistol was firmly in its holster.

Slumping back into his chair, boots propped up and his cup held aloft, Alek took a moment to read the room. He hadn't been engrained long enough to know regulars or people of pedigree, but there was a reason Alek had kept to seedy dives like the one he currently occupied. Dock hands, merchants, and boatswains were the gears that made ports run. They see and hear things, and through his carousing, Alek plucked a potentially juicy story from the morass. Not one, but two independent vessels had docked, each positively dripping with the kind of gravitas that piqued Alek's interest. Just in time, too! He'd run out of coin a couple days ago, and had subsided solely on his charm and chicanery since. He needed a way off the wayward little rock before a resident got too fond, or their existing partner caught wind of their trysts.

There was a gnawing part of Alek that missed the smell of powder, aether, and gun oil. The report of a cannon and the liberation of the high winds in his hair. As soon as his tankard had been topped off, Alek made a show of standing and staggering. Dark beer sloshed over his fingers.

"Lovely as this is, you don't drink it. You just rent it. Be back in three shakes, darlings!" Alek slurred, shaking one leg as so many men are wont to do after a visit to the lavatory. Or in this case, the refuse pile in the alley. Alek had no intention of coming back inside to settle the tab, so he'd have to multitask.

 

[xAlter]

Lady Victoria Fiona Markov
Interactions: People on the deck of the Mary Celeste
Location: Cargo Hold > Mary Celeste Deck
- - - - -
Victoria awoke to the smell of dust, aging cheese, stale bread, and forgotten wine, as she rolled on to her side, groaning in annoyance. Within the darkness of the room she was in, Victoria barely stirred when she bumped into a crate. Thinking the room to be some back alley she had took shelter in for the night, she didn't find anything unusual with her surroundings. That was until she opened her eyes, and looked around. Sitting up, and rubbing her eyes with the back of one of her gloved hands, the former noble, now turned murderer, criminal, and wanted lady realized with a shock, she was not where she thought she was. "Shit!" she exclaimed in the darkened room.

Standing with a jolt, Victoria knocked crumbs of bread and cheese off of her body, and sent an empty bottle of wine tumbling. This wasn't some back alley where she had fallen asleep. This was the cargo hold of a ship! Frantically searching for her belongings, Victoria managed to find her rapier leaning against another box. Grabbing it, and hastily fastening the stolen blade to her belt, Victoria made sure she had everything on her. Opening a small bag she had on her person, Victoria began to fit as much bread and cheese in it as possible. She wouldn't have another chance for food after she managed to escape, so now was the time to grab some. Once she was done, Victoria began to sneak out of the ship, hoping no one would see her until she made it to the deck.

She had sneaked onto a ship that was docked, hearing that the crew was not on board. Ships like the one she was one were prone to have supplies for long journeys. Food, water, medical supplies, and other vital supplies were always on board. Sneaking on board was an easy feat. Simply climbing over the side in the dead of night was child's play to Victoria, and it showed. Getting down into the cargo hold was also easy, and there, Victoria ate a filling meal, something she hadn't had in over a week. Living a life on the run wasn't easy, and Victoria struggled day in and day out to survive alone. Making her way out onto the deck, Victoria stared at the assembled crew. "Uhhh..." Uncertainty filled her voice as she assessed her situation. This wasn't good.

Spotting the main mast, and noticing a warehouse just off where the ship was docked, Victoria made her decision. From where she was standing, she bolted, jumping off a nearby railing to grab onto the rigging. Grabbing the rope, she began climbing up deftly, until she reached one of the arms reaching towards the warehouse. Steadying herself once she reached the top, she looked down, trying not to gulp in fear. If she jumped at the last possible moment, she'd be able to reach the roof of the warehouse, and she'd be free. Taking off in a sprint, Victoria traveled the length of the beam below her. She could see it, freedom and not getting caught. She was almost there, and strangely it felt as if she was falling...

Panicking, Victoria watched as the mast she was running on began traveling up... or was she going down? Controlling her racing heart, she grabbed onto anything to slow her fall. Her arm reached out, grabbed a rope, but whatever was holding it in place failed, and she hit the deck with a yelp. Rolling until she hit the railing of the edge of the ship, Victoria shakily tried to stand, but failed as her entire left ankle flared in pain. Looking down at her foot, she noticed a something on her boot; bird poop, fresh bird poop caused her to fall. Pushing her complaints to the back of her head, she noticed the contents of her bag had spilled out, leaving bread and cheese on the deck. That wasn't good. Pulling her gun, Victoria held it in front of her. "Stay back! I'll shoot!" she said, cocking the hammer from her place on the ground. She didn't know what these people would do to her now that she cornered herself. What a way to start the morning.

 

[Trektek]

Marta Cazalla-Quartermaster First Mate​

Marta Cazalla woke up in a bed that was not her own, with a pile of drool on the pillow next to her. It was wet and it was sticky, definably partially alcoholic. And with the amount that she was relatively sure she drank the night before, she didn't doubt it. Wasn't the first time that it happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time. Turning to the her side, there was a sleeping man, one of the other crew. She had had her fun the night before, but on second glance now that she was sober, it would definitely be a good idea to leave the bedroom before he awoke. She must have trusted the man enough however, in her drunken state, because her mechanical prosthetic for the lower portion of her right leg was off. But her mechanical left arm was still attached, so maybe not that much trust. She quickly attached the limb as quietly as she could, got dressed and made sure that all of her weapons were in place on her body.

She paused at her rapier as it brought back memories, both those of a pleasant and an unpleasant nature. Her brother teaching her swordplay with all the body language, steps, blocks and maneuvers. Her brother challenging her to a duel, standing over her broken body as she dodges his final strike and ends his life.

Marta snaps out of it as she hears the man in the bed starting to stir. Definitely time to leave. She didn't even know his name and hopefully it would stay that way. The last thing she needed was someone following her around the ship like a love sick puppy dog. She just needed to blow off some steam from what befell all of them. It was an unmitigated disaster that befell them. Half the crew was slaughtered by the Areocustos. Those Damnable Police of the Skies. Here they were, just doing the honest work of raiding, plundering and sometimes killing, minding their own business really and they came and killed many of them.

Including dead in the attack was the old First Officer, so now she ended up with the job. On one hand, more power was great. She went from the Quartermaster to the second in command of the ship. Of course, they now didn't have a ship that was their own. They lost that. And now they've teamed up with another crew, this one all male. There were some lookers in the bunch, to be sure. Only time would tell how she'd feel about them. They might be useful for a good lay or two like this one, at least. However, when all was said and done, she'd need to follow the Captain's lead on what they were going to do.

As she walked out of the room, she heard a thumping sound and someone telling them all to assemble. It was a male voice, so not her Captain. But maybe it was the other Captain, the male one. Maybe she'd go to check out what that man had to say. She traveled in the direction of the male voice.

 

[ADarkAndStormyNight]

When his Captain called, Johnny was in the midst of reading some... bizarre book he’d picked up a few stops ago. It wasn’t very good, and he had many doubts it was even written in English, but he needed something to put off the stress.

Yes, something. His crewmembers and... unfortunate partners had the great aid of alcohol to ease their pain. He did not. Johnny had been sober for a good few years. He found that alcohol muddled the brain and made it harder to focus. He definitely did not miss the head-splitting pain the morning after.

The morning after was trouble enough already. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep before his body booted itself from the otherworldly realm and into the physical world. His body ached and his mind similarly. He reached into his coat, and pulled out a loosely wrapped cigarette, lit a match, and started taking in the breath. Sleep made him lose somebody of his memory, but the smoke made it all come back.

The loss. His friends making drunken fools of themselves. The singing. All of it. He found when people are drunk they tend to listen to him less and less, right when he felt they should listen to him more and more. And the pact.

But his book, something about merchants or something, he didn’t really know. He just needed words to read, not anything to think about. It was a purely passive relationship. And mid it he had heard his Captain. He saw the others awaken in their less than honorable positions as he climbed aboard the deck, stood at salute, and spoke “First Officer Norman reporting for duty, sir.”

 

[KennethPhoenix18]

'If you look through the narrow lens of modern society, you will never see the full beauty of the world.'​

Van smiled as his modicum of his crew began to shuffle out of the underbelly of the Mary. First was the youth, Wyatt. He seemed to think he was in the crow's nest as he stared up into it. The boy must have had too much to drink and was still waking up. Granted he was prompt and was trying to keep a chipper tone. With his widest smile, he addressed him slipping back into his Victorian accent. "Early bird gets the word. You're due a gift for your punctuality. Once we get into town, I'll pick you something nice." He finished thumbing over his shoulder to the Joesvilla in the distance. As finished his first mate Johnny walked up in a slight tilt to his air. In his more formal tone, he gave a near-perfect Victorian salute. Van was mildly taken aback.


"At ease. Solider, this isn't a military ship. You know that... Regardless I believe there is a large chest of coin in the Captian's Quarters. I think that should get us back in good order once we get into town. But think it's mainly gold... So take a purse and find a broker to get us some silver. First thing, first we need to get more crew. Ship can't run on one man alone, even if he is a tough son of a witch." Looking at Wyatt. Vance wanted him to know, he was going to be appreciated here.


Like the master of mechanics out came Hui like a whistle on cue. Popping out of nowhere he curried about and upon the overhanging rigging. Hanging over him like something out of a romance. He made a comment on his hungover state. The shallowcap had taken effect in him, but his outer appearance must be still catching up. "I'm actually pretty... Here. Your knack for growing mushrooms is quite handy. Speaking of which do you have any blue... Damn it..." Van cut himself off as Hui started in a torrent of information, Vance wanted to listen but just couldn't it was too much. Reaching out he pushed him causing him to swing. "By the skies, hush up. Just make sure we fly, oh and my rifle needs a new crystal and some repairs. Johnny, make sure Bolts here get the money he needs for supplies for necessary purchases... We don't need a repeat of our last trip to Gallic... By the by how did you manage that explosion... Almost cost us the trip out of Uro..." He looked between the two men.

He was about to offer the rifle to Hui as a from the hold a woman with white hair burst out running out to the edge and leaped. Instead of going forward she when back and rolled. He watched this in quiet thought. Van didn't know who this woman was, she must have been one of the crewmembers of the Zephyr Rose. It was until she regained some semblance of herself turning to the group and aimed a revolver at them. "Oh, she is quite fast. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're not one of the Rose girls. And just know this is a semi-automatic rifle. I've come back from single bullet shots. I doubt you'd come back from becoming cheese." Vance cocked the rifle in his free hand and aimed it at her. Knowing full well if he pulled the trigger nothing would happen, but she didn't know that. He gave a quick glance at Hui, giving him a silencing glare. "Put down the gun, and tell me who you are? I'm Cap'n Vance Lani of the Lupus Howl. And please come up girls, I can see you coming up. Join us, I didn't get to meet all of you yet." His voice was filled with a spiced honey tone.


'So rip it off! And be free! Free to see!'

 

[Ayama]

Hui-Ru Yu

'Bolts' (Ship Engineer)

Male - 24 - Gay

“What is broken
Can be fixed.
What still works
Can be improved."

Location: Mary Celeste

With: The Crew

"I'm actually pretty... Here. Your knack for growing mushrooms is quite handy." Hui grinned at that. It seemed the captain had taken the precaution of treating his hangover with a browncap before summoning his crew. A good thing, since he tended to be extremely irascible when he had a pounding headache. He still looked terrible though, and Hui kept himself from giggling at the sight with difficulty.

Vance's admission that Hui's proficiency with mushrooms was actually useful made him want to laugh even more, as he recalled vividly the first time the captain had come upon his cultures on the Howl. He'd had to come down to the engine room one night, meaning to get Hui for an emergency repair or other, when he had seen the veritable sea of mushrooms blanketing the room, Hui fast asleep in his cot.

Vance's roar of rage had woken him up so suddenly that he had dropped out of his hammock and painfully onto the floor. Vance had ranted at him at the top of his lungs for what felt like an hour, giving him any number of reasons why he couldn't have mushroom cultures on the ship. Hui had hung his head, the very picture of remorse, and gotten rid of the mushrooms.

Well, most of them. In truth, he'd conserved a handful and, at the first opportunity, simply restarted the cultures. Luckily, the captain had ended up drinking quite heavily one night, and awoke the next morning with a terrible headache and a worse temper. Hui had offered him a browncap and, when experiencing the relief that it provided, Vance had been willing to hear him out about the mushrooms.

Since then, his cultures were common knowledge, appreciated by the crew and captain alike, and Hui took great pride and pleasure in them. He didn't even hear Vance's request for a bluecap (no doubt to help with his breath), lost in his own musings about the ship and all the repairs he had planned for her. He was interrupted when Vance shoved him in the chest, setting him swinging to shut him up.

"By the skies, hush up. Just make sure we fly," Vance said with customary gruffness. Hui beamed and gave another inane salute.

"Aye aye, cap'n!" he declared.

At the mention of repairs on the rifle, Hui's expression turned serious, and he held his hands out in order to inspect it as Vance asked Johnny to get him some money. When he asked about the explosion that saved them from the Areocustos in Gallic but also nearly cost them the Howl, Hui grinned madly, recalling the crazy invention he and Johnny had collaborated on.

Still needs some work, he thought, mentally rubbing his hands together in avid anticipation (and zero caution). He was about to go off on another rant to explain the mechanics of the explosion when a stranger burst out of the cargo hold.

Vance reacted with perfect calm- Hui merely tilted his head and stared at her with open curiosity. What was she doing down there? he wondered.

When Vance threatened her with the inoperative rifle, Hui was able to stop himself- just barely- from laughing out loud. The idea of threatening someone with a weapon that didn't work was just too hilarious to him. Vance silenced him with a threatening glare, and Hui rolled his eyes. The captain introduced himself smoothly and waited for the woman to respond in turn.

Hui, still dangling upside-down like some kind of deranged monkey, twitched the rigging so as to swing himself closer, inspecting her curiously.

"My, she sure is a beauty, cap'n!" he declared brightly. "What do you suppose she was doing down in the hold then?"

He smiled at the woman, his eyes twinkling happily, sensing there was an interesting story behind this and excited to hear it.

codedbycrucialstar​

 

[Saturn_moon]

Jinora Augustin, Navigator of Zephyr Rose​

Jinora awoke at the small desk in the room she had temporarily claimed aboard the Mary Celeste with the pencil which she had been using to map out possible routes stuck to her cheek. It is general knowledge that rum is the preferred poison for most pirates. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Jinora, she had quite a strong dislike for it. That, combined with a night of socialising, singing and dancing, Jinora was out of there faster than a banewulf.

“Merde.” She cursed as she straightened out her back with a crack. She really was getting a little too old to keep falling asleep at her desk. Still, she had managed to map out some exciting routes that she thought the Captain would like. Routes Captain Lucia would like, she corrected herself internally. She didn’t know anything about the other Captain. She also wasn’t sure if she was ready to call him Captain either.

She stood up and looked around the small room. Besides the small desk and chair, there was also a wooden chest with a heavy lid and a bunk bed. The Mary Celeste, although bigger than the Zephyr Rose, still didn’t have quite enough rooms that a full crew could get their own so it was likely they would eventually have to share if they decided to keep the Mary Celeste. At the moment, despite partnering up with the Lupus Howl, their total number was still barely that of a small crew because of the losses each side had taken in their battle against the Aerocustos. Captain Lucia had said that it was thanks to her that the Zephyr Rose had managed to escape when they could and with as many as they had but honestly, she had absolutely no idea what she had been doing.

Sure, she’s had to escape before. The odd pirate ship here and there when she was helping to ferry cargo around – ironically, the one time she didn’t escape led to her actually becoming a pirate – but never an entire fleet of military ships that were actively shooting at them. She ran through all the terrible scenarios that could have happened and came to the conclusion that it was sheer dumb luck that they’d managed to get out alive.

“It’ll be sheer dumb luck if the two crews don’t end up with swords at each other’s throat by the end of the week.” She muttered to herself. With that, she figured she might as well take a look around the ship before everyone else awoke.

No surprise, Jinora soon found herself up at the ship’s wheel. She ran a hand over the wheel, the wood warm from the sun and smooth to touch from years of use. The Mary Celeste wasn’t a new ship but the last crew had maintained her well. Until we stole it from them, she thought guiltily. She pushed the thought out of her head. No use dwelling on that now, what’s done is done. Jinora quickly learned that the number one priority for pirates is self-preservation and, in this case, self-preservation meant stealing a ship. All things considering, it could have gone a lot worse.

From up in the crow’s nest, she saw a head pop up. She squinted to get a better look and quickly realized it was the Captain. The other Captain. It took him a moment to get his bearings straight before he jumped over the railing and lowered himself onto the deck using the rigging. What a show off, she thought. After putting himself back together, he yelled "All hands report! Cap'n Van callin'!" He hadn’t seem to notice she was already up on the deck.

Not wanting to be the first, she hung back at the bay and waited to see who else might show up. First came a boy, no bigger than she was, with a mop of brown hair, looking not a day over twenty. Then came the Xin, likely their engineer considering his attire. For some bizarre reason, he had decided to casually hang himself upside down from the rigging. He was soon followed by a very serious looking man wearing a very fine trench. The first mate she assumed from the way he carried himself in front of the others.

A young woman with stark white hair then emerged from the hold. Jinora didn’t recognize her meaning she wasn’t a part of the Rose, which was odd, since the other crew was supposedly all men. All of a sudden, the woman decided to make a run for it, or rather, climb for it, for she started to hurriedly ascend the rigging up to the main mast. Jinora watched tensely as she sprinted across it, only to slip and fall. Thankfully, she managed to grab on to a bit of rope but still landed on the deck with a hard thump. Could this day get any crazier? With bread and cheese falling out her bag, the woman pulled out a gun and pointed it at the men on deck. In response, Captain Van pulled out his rifle and did the same to her. Apparently, it could.

“Put down the gun, and tell me who you are?” He said “I'm Cap'n Vance Lani of the Lupus Howl. And please come up girls, I can see you coming up. Join us, I didn't get to meet all of you yet.” His tone a little too sweet for her liking.

With a sigh and some hesitation, Jinora descended from the bay. Despite being significantly shorter than Captain Van, she looked him squarely in the eye. “You know, just because you’re a Captain doesn’t automatically make you our Captain. Your blood pact is with Captain Lucia, not with us.”

 

[NecromancerNight]

Dante was humming a song his father use to sing while walking down the ports. He was looking for a ship to hitchhike, hoping that he will not have to sleep with the cargo again. His back was still aching from sleeping with barrels of rum, and he really hope that he will not have that experience again. The weather was warm, making it quiet hot inside his cloak. Overall, he was very uncomfortable.

He decided that he should rest here for the day. Traveling for three days straight on land was not the best idea. Still he had to get somewhere, he finally had a lead on his sister and he was not going to lose it.

Just as Dante was looking at the different ships, a child bumped into him. The child apologized quickly then ran away. Dante knew that he could catch the child, but he just sighed. He patted his pocket, purse gone."Great, now how am I supposed to find a ride without attracting too much attention?" He was weighing his options when a ship caught his eye. The Mary Celeste, he heard that it was captured by pirates. Smiling, he added blackmailing to his options. Of course he would never tell the authorities, but an empty threat will be just fine. He noticed a gathering on the deck. "Blackmailing it is." he thought.

He took out a binocular from inside his sleeve. A Xin on board, he can't believe his luck today. Maybe he will not have to blackmail after all. He quickly ran into an alley and took off his cloak. Then he walked near the ship. It seems that the crew was fighting. He used this opportunity to use his steel ribbon as a grappling hook and slipped on to the ship's deck.

“You know, just because you’re a Captain doesn’t automatically make you our Captain. Your blood pact is with Captain McGregor, not with us.” The short girl said.

"Maybe I'll have to wait a while." Dante thought as he walked near the crew.

 

[Saturn_moon]

Jinora Augustin, Navigator of Zephyr Rose​

Jinora glanced towards the white-haired woman still sitting on the deck, gun pointed at Captain Vance. “Oh, for heavens sake, would the two of you put the guns away?” She exclaimed. “She obviously isn’t going anywhere with that injured ankle of hers.” She said pointedly to the Captain. Jinora realized she was being a little harsh on him, and even though she wasn't too excited to have him and his crew around, it still didn't justify her being rude. Had her father been around he would have knocked her on the head.

While on the outside Jinora came off as confident and witty (or at least that's how she hoped she was coming off as), she felt quite the opposite in this crowd of people she knew nothing about. She hoped the rest of her crew would show up soon.

She cocked her head curiously at the Xin still swinging from the rigging, a look of glee evident on his face. How was he not dizzy yet? It was then she noticed a figure slip on to the deck and silently approach the group. “Er… and who might you be?”

 

[NecromancerNight]

The short girl turned to look at him.

A million thoughts ran through Dante's head. A witty bard, the book from that Francis guy. Xin.

3,2,1...

「窈窕淑女，君子好逑[An old love song. A fair lady is a gentlemen's best mate (blame google for this weird translation)]」Dante put on his sweetest smile, and blow a kiss to the girl. Act dumb. "A bard charmed by such a fair lady." He batted his eyes. "I have come on this ship when I saw the most beautiful flower in all of Aerkr." Looking at the girl's face, he knew that acting as a romantic novel's character was not the best idea. Damn it, should not have borrowed that book.

The whole ship went quiet.

 

[KennethPhoenix18]

'If you look through the narrow lens of modern society, you will never see the full beauty of the world.'​

His eyes were on the white-haired girl sprawled out aiming him down. He kept his sly grin going knowing how well it infuriated people. When all of a sudden a short pouty-lipped girl appeared from the upper deck breaking his attention, staring him in the eye and started berating him. He looked at the girl, back to the woman, then back to the girl. His composure was broken in a wide-eyed sigh as he felt something he didn't except. Sudden attraction? Shaking his head, he thought to himself. 'I don't have time to unpack that at the moment...' Taking a quick breath and putting back on his smile. The woman kept her position, leveled gaze, and gun at the ready. It was that girl the broke the tension again pointing out the white hair's injury, Van finally took the woman over, seeing the way she was testing her leg. "She may be injury she's still is a stowaway, and still tried to steal for the supplies." The same spiced honey tone, but his gun did lower. The irony of the statement wasn't lost on him, he just technically did own this ship and it's contents now.

The pouty-lipped girl, he could see eased with him dropping weapon but again she caught his attention or more brought someone new to it. A Xin man, more boy; looking about the same age as Wyatt appeared to be sneaking abroad. Van saw the attempt to lie his way on board. He was done with the constant surprises and with one swift motion pulled his flintlock out firing it right over the man's head. The kickback of the gunpowder almost knocked the gun out of his hand. 'Bloody hate these things... Too much power...' His face now turned from jovial to annoyed. Using the smoking gun to gesture, he said. "Come here, sit down, and wait. I have much more pressing matters... Wyatt, tie the newcomers to the railing." As he walked off he finally handed his rifle to Hui and was now knocking the rest of the burned bits for his barrel. He looked back at the short girl and smiled. "Are you coming, Miss? Well, you didn't introduce yourself, but by your accent, I can see your Frank." The spice from his tone was gone now, it was naturally sweet. His eyes glance over to the main door as he heard steps coming up.



'So rip it off! And be free! Free to see!'

Spoiler: TAG

NecromancerNight Saturn_moon xAlter

 

[ADarkAndStormyNight]

JOHN NAEMEN, First Mate of the Lupus Howl

​

John examines the scene in front of him- two strangers aboard their ship, an increasingly aggressive crew. It made him slightly annoyed. Especially at Vance's seeming joy at all this around him. Vance was a good friend, and the ship was his home, and he didn't care to see either defiled like this. Besides- he knew fighting would only make things worse.

"Vance," he spoke in a clear and calm voice, "I feel we should tie up the girl too- I've seen people fight with more than a mere sprained ankle before." he says, motioning towards the woman with the white hair. "Besides, we don't know why she's here. I don't want her sneaking away before we know who she is." In John's mind, she could've been a spy for practically anyone under the sun- though what information she would even have of use, he didn't know. Still though, he didn't trust her.

"And for the Zephyr Rose crew... well, I think it best everyone breathe a little bit. We had a long day, and I'm sure both Vance and Lucia can agree that we have another long day ahead. Aggression will get us no where, but talking- talking is quite good- for ALL of us."

 

[Sana Natsuko]

[div class=leftFloat]

[/div][div class=name]Amanda Earning[/div]
[div class=paragraph] As Amanda walked up to the deck, it only seemed to get more chaotic as she got closer. Becoming a bit hesitant as she just reached the door leading onto the deck, "I probably should just head back... No I have to check!". “I'm Cap'n Vance Lani of the Lupus Howl. And please come up girls, I can see you coming up. Join us, I didn't get to meet all of you yet.” Amanda sighed, she hadn't even walked through the door yet and he was already getting under her skin, after hearing that she just wanted to go back down to 'her' room and sleep. As she turned around, right before taking the first step back she heard a crash almost as if someone had fell and it wasn't a small fall either, she felt the floor vibrate under her as the sound happened. She slowly opened the door and peered out. [/div]
[div class=paragraph] As she looked through the door, what she saw and what she expected didn't add up. She expected to find a few crew members, maybe some of her own all stood there and speaking... What she saw was the captain of the other crew and some white haired woman both pointing guns at each other, two members of the other crew watching from the side lines and an insane person hanging upside down. Looking over to the woman she started to wonder who she was. She wasn't part of their crew and the other crew were all guys, so perhaps a stowaway of sorts, then suddenly a familiar face appear. Jinora appeared and started lashing out at the captain and then pointed out the woman's ankle. Amanda didn't realise it at first but what she said was true, the girls left ankle was quite badly damaged, at least she knew who fell now. [/div]
[div class=paragraph] As if Amanda wasn't confused enough, another person showed up on deck who appeared to be unfamiliar to both crews as well. Upon being discovered the person froze for a couple seconds and began to sing a short song. What felt like minutes of everyone standing there looking at him in silence, it was finally broke by the sound of a gun shot coming from the other crew's captain and causing Amanda's ears to ring. Just when she felt the hangover beginning to settle, he had to kick it up again. He gave some orders to his crew and then began speaking to Jinora. Amanda decided before the woman got tied to the railing, she would at least inspect the injury she had as she walked over to her. [/div] [class name=name] font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; color: #027306; [/class] [class name=leftFloat] float: left; padding-right: 10px; [/class] [class name=talking] color: #027306; [class] [class name=paragraph] flaot: left; [/class]

 

[Ayama]

Lucia Alexandria Abara

Captain of the Zephyr Rose

'Luce' - 'Cap'n'

“What we need
We will get.
What we want
We'll simply take."

Location: On deck

With: Roses, Howlies, stows

Lucia awoke with a start, feeling that extreme and intense disorientation that comes the morning after a night of heavy drinking and not knowing where it is you fell asleep. She had a brief moment of panic, the trauma of the last few days flaring up in her confusion, fear sending her heart pounding a mile a minute. This was exacerbated by her being in the dark and unable to move.

Am I tied up? Were we captured? she feared, desperately twisting this way and that.

After a few moments of fevered thrashing, she rolled over and fell to the ground- hard. Though it hurt, the blow actually helped to clear her head and get her untangled from the covers she'd had wrapped around her. She blinked blearily at the room she was in, noting the rich drapings, map-covered desk, bookshelf and large chest and customary porthole- all the trappings of a captain's cabin. But it wasn't her cabin.

Lucia groaned, pushing herself up slowly, memory returning in fuzzy bits and pieces.

Not the Zephyr... Right... Stole a ship... Lupus Howl... Captain Vance...

As the events of the night before returned, she frowned, putting her hands to her head in a vain attempt to calm the pounding headache. She winced as she did so, noticing the hastily bandaged cut on her hand.

Right, blood pact... she remembered, hardly able to believe what she'd done.

It was about survival, she reminded herself. I had no choice.

The Zephyr Rose had been hunted across the skies by the Aerocustos for weeks, having to run and hide and fight for dear life. Finally, their vessel had been taken, most of their crew captured or killed, and the few survivors had barely made it out. Not knowing what they would do next, they had encountered the remains of the Lupus Howl's crew the night before.

Spurred by alcohol and desperation, the two captains had opened up to each other about their woes and decided to join forces in order to survive. Despite being completely drunk off their asses, their new makeshift crew had managed to steal a galleon and sail away, making port in this small town away from the Empire.

Celebrating their success, most of them had drunk themselves into a stupor- her and Vance included. Lucia had bet the captain's quarters in a game of poker and won, so she was able to stumble into the bed and pass out. Not that it really mattered- they'd both been far too drunk to actually care where they spent the night.

And now it was morning, and the new co-captain of the Mary Celeste needed to face consequences. The first of which, following the disorientation and aggravating headache, was a sudden wave of nausea and accompanying sore throat. Pushing the bile down through sheer effort of will, Lucia stumbled around the cabin in search of water.

Having found it and feeling moderately refreshed, she quickly checked her reflection in the mirror as she became aware of noises outside the cabin door. First it was a series of dull wooden thuds, followed by a loud voice and several quieter ones, and then a resonating crash and raised voices.

And then suddenly, above everything else, the sharp crack of a gunshot! Adrenaline waking her up and clearing her mind more effectively than a cup of coffee, she stormed out of the room to investigate. Those three girls were all she had left now- if any of them were hurt...

When she burst out of the captain's quarter's, she was greeted by a strange scene indeed. Vance was standing in front of her, looking in her direction, a smoking flintlock pistol held loosely in his hand. Behind him, hanging upside-down in the rigging like some deranged monkey and holding, of all things, a cycel rifle, was the Howl's Xin engineer. Wei, or whatever his name was.

By the railing, the Howl's first mate and deckhand were busy tying up two young-looking strangers. The man was another Xin, looking almost like he'd wandered up there by accident. The woman wore rich yet obviously worn clothes, had striking long white hair, and was currently having her apparently injured ankle tended to by Amanda.

Lucia rolled her eyes. By all accounts, this woman was, judging by the pile of cheese and bread littered on the deck, a stowaway, but her medic didn't care who people were- she just tended to them automatically. Marta and Jinora were on the deck as well, and they appeared to be unharmed. By the looks of things though, Jinora wasn't happy.

Lucia wanted to let out a sigh of relief that they were safe, but knew that now was not the time. She stepped forward with all the authority she was accustomed to (even if she now shared it with someone else), glaring at the scene.

"What the hell is going on here?" she sternly demanded, keeping her gaze locked on Vance's and expecting an explanation.

codedbycrucialstar

 

[NecromancerNight]

The bullet sailed passed Dante's head.

Damn it. The goggle man looked like he was annoyed yet joyed? Dante's hand slipped on the steel ribbon in his sleeve, then considered otherwise. He was sure he will die if he tries to he takes on all of them at the same time. Keep silent and see what happens next. He obediently held his hand to his back to allow the scrawny boy (Wyatt?) to tie his hands.

The dark man with a scar rose his voice"Vance, I feel we should tie up the girl too- I've seen people fight with more than a mere sprained ankle before." he says, "Besides, we don't know why she's here. I don't want her sneaking away before we know who she is."

Great, he probably thinks that white hair lady is a spy."Just wait until you see me" he mumbled under his breath. But maybe this can work after all. Dante was pretty sure he can talk his way out of most situations. Now where did he hear about Zephyr Rose? The all girl pirate crew was famous among the shanty mans. And the goggle man, Vance was it? The captain of the Lupus Howl if he remembered correctly. The crew looked aggravated, so maybe say some thing to ease the tension.

"I'm not sure about the others but I swear that I come in peace" He said in his usual emotionless tone.

Then he realized that might not be the best idea.

 

[Saturn_moon]

Jinora Augustin​

Jinora watched with utter confusion when the random Xin who had snuck onboard broke out into song. Her comprehension of Jin was limited compared to the other languages she knew, but even then she could tell that it some sappy love ballad. She was still trying to process the entire situation when a gunshot rang out loudly across the deck, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. However, it didn't seem like anyone had been hit.

“Come here, sit down, and wait.” Captain Vance ordered the Xin with a smoking gun in his hand. If Jinora was uncertain about her feelings towards the Captain of the Lupus Howl before, she was pretty certain now that she didn’t like him. “I have much more pressing matters... Wyatt, tie the newcomers to the railing.” She was about to argue that the newcomers hadn’t done anything to warrant such a treatment when the serious looking man from Lupus Howl spoke up. Despite the complete madness of whatever was happening, his tone was calm and measured as he delivered his message to everyone present. Definitely their first mate.

Deciding that it was best that she withheld from making any more criticizing remarks, at least until Captain Lucia arrived, Jinora pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a tired sigh. It wasn’t even noon and already she wanted to call it a day. Captain Vance turned back and spoke to her with that impossibly sweet tone and smile of his that was quickly getting under her skin. I bet he talks to all the women he meets that way. “Jinora Augustin. Navigator of the Zephyr Rose.” She replied curtly. "And I take it you're from the Crescent." It was then she noticed Amanda poke her head out from the doors to the lower deck and Jinora felt herself relax a little. Unsurprisingly, Zephyr Rose's resident doctor, apparently unbothered by everything that was happening, immediately made her way over to the injured white haired woman without so much as a word to anyone.

"What the hell is going on here?" A voice suddenly demanded from the deck above.

Without even glancing back, Jinora recognized the voice and she smiled upon hearing it. "Captain!" It was nice to know that some things hadn't change and with the rest of the Zephyr Rose now assembled, they could finally try and make sense of this strange new... partnership?

KennethPhoenix18 NecromancerNight Sana Natsuko ADarkAndStormyNight Ayama

 

[xAlter]

Lady Victoria Fiona Markov
Interactions: Sana Natsuko KennethPhoenix18 Ayama
Location: Deck
- - - - -
Victoria wanted to shout, wanted to scream, and wanted to kill the man before her. She wanted to do it badly. Pull the trigger and watch him fall to the ground, dead, lifeless, a cold corpse. Yet something kept her from doing just so. Instead she lowered the gun to her side, and her hand went slack against the hilt of her rapier. She watched cautiously as the man, a 'Vance' lowered his rifle. She had to keep her mouth in check from remarking some scathing comment about him. His voice put her on edge, and it was grating to listen to. And even if he wanted to shoot her, how would he? She saw his gun was broken, that a piece wasn't the best. It wasn't easy to fool the eye of one such as her.

Watching the woman, a medic approach, Victoria sighed into her jacket, and relaxed against the railing. She was a prisoner now. No doubt they'd ask for answers, maybe kill her, or even turn in her bounty. "Just my luck..." she thought to herself. Too much was happening too fast. It was supposed to be a simple run and grab, but no, she had to pass out from exhaustion in the cargo hold! Once again, Victoria tensed as the woman whom she assumed was the medic began to work on her leg. "Thank you, I suppose, for not killing me outright." she spoke up, eyeing the rest of the people on the deck. Eyeing a piece of bread near, Victoria picked it up and began eating it.

"I'm surprised to see so many about this vessel... wasn't my intent to cause a commotion. Simply hop in during the night when you were all drunk, and grab something to eat." Falling silent again, she watched as another person emerged from the deck. This situation just kept getting crazier and crazier. She wanted to laugh now, at the absurdity of everything. She was once again a prisoner, a different kind, but still one all the same. Brushing some crumbs from her clothing before she was tied up, Victoria leaned back and let out another long, drawn out sigh. She began to whistle a tune, one she had learned when she was still leading the Seven Serpents.

 

[ADarkAndStormyNight]

JOHN NAEMEN, First Mate of the Lupus Howl

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After the stowaway was tied up, he whispered to Amanda. "I don't know how well you can fix that leg- ankle- whatever, of hers with what's on you, but make sure it isn't hurting her. I'd like to know who she is and what she's doing here, and I feel I'm not the only one who'll want those answers- and I don't want her distracted when we end up getting them." It was once he had began walking towards Vance that he heard a woman's voice from across deck.

Naeman looked toward the now awakened captain of Zephyr Rose- what was her name? Sleep had fuzzed a few of his memories, and he was never too good with names... Mary? No, it had an L. Luna? Lara? Lucia??

LUCIA! That was it. She had been below deck during all of this, apparently, a fact he hadn't previously realized. He could've sworn that she was aboard.

"Captain Lucia, it's good that you finally joined us," he said, nodding towards the Zephyr Rose captain. It was obvious she was, if at least the smallest bit, hungover.

She was staring intently at his Captain for answers, so he nudged Vance slightly. "That's on you, sir," he muttered, a bit of a smirk on his face.

 

[KennethPhoenix18]

'If you look through the narrow lens of modern society, you will never see the full beauty of the world.'​

Rolling his neck, the tension eased away. Van was thankful for his level-headed first mate, John balanced his showboat nature. Granted he was overcompensating at the moment, and him firing a shot off may have been overkill but damn he enjoyed it. Keeping his grin, he glanced back over and saw a brunette woman tending to the injured woman. 'Good, a medic... That is something we sorely needed.' The shorter girl now introduced as Jinora, a Navigator. He raised an appreciative eyebrow. "Hrmm, good! I always appreciate a good navigator, I despite being a career..." He paused making a thoughtful smile. "Privateer. Can't read a map for s**t. Possibly, it's useful to not let people know you're from lawless skies?" His crescenter accent disappearing taking on a perfect Victorian one. Turning back he saw the other captain, Lucia walking up right up to him and like Jinora before staring him down and berating him. Instead of a simple callout, she was demanding answers. John appeared next to him having gone over to see the medic woman, he was polite as ever. With the little exemption of his nudge and goad.

Van's smile never broke, and it was too far along to break. He just gave the man a side-eyed glance and took a quick breath. Staring back at the angered woman, he reached into his pack and found another brown cap. He slipped his pistol back into his belt, and pull out his canteen, offering them both to her. "Shallowcap for the hangover, water to wash it down. Peace offering, from one captain to another." Handing the over he noticed her hand was freshly bandaged too, confirming without a doubt, their blood pact was true. 'Lovely, we are now a bloody family... By the skies that is an awful joke...' Van began to rub his bandaged palm and gestured over to two newcomers. "One stowaway, the white-haired one. She tried to run off with some of the supplies. Thankful or sadly? Depends on the perspective I would assume, she didn't make it far enough." He noticed she began to start eating the food that slipt out of her bag. 'I should probably say something but the boat is already rocking. She still was a loaded gun, and I don't think Lucia would take kindly to her doctor getting shot.' Now gesturing to the Xin boy, Van continued. "He seemed to have just snuck on the ship, I don't know if recently or he is just another stowaway but regardless I shot at him. That was the gunpowder sound. If you don't have any more questions, I do think we need to get to the logistical side of this new partnership. Rundown on crew responsibilities, proper introductions, supplies, pay for the men, and now technically women too. Maybe find some use of those two. We also do need more aeronauts and a course of action for ourselves afterward. Things best discussed in the captain's... Captains' quarters. Whenever you are ready, or shall I keep the show going?" The tonal shift Vance had when he started speaking on their next steps was jarring. His previous mischievous tone change to professional and tactful, his face appearing in the same manner but then closing back into the sly grin he had before.



'So rip it off! And be free! Free to see!'

Spoiler: TAG

Ayama

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