Charmed, I'm sure... [Shizzy] [M!]

[Anonymous]

It was warm and light and so, so peaceful under the covers. Roshan lay, listening to the soft whispering of the sea and the chattering of the gulls. She loved these quiet, dozy moments. She snuggled herself into the sheets some more and closed her eyes again.

She awoke properly with a start. The doorknob rattled and a banging came at the door. She jumped out of bed and leapt toward her clothes... "Hey lady! Get up! It's almost lunchtime and I gotta clean this room y'know!"

Roshan breathed out. She gathered the bedsheets around herself and went to open the door a crack. The short, dumpy woman outside glared at her. Smiling genially, Roshan said, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I was so tired last night, and I had no idea what time it was. I'll make sure to leave you as little work as possible, ma'am."

The woman scowled and turned with a "Hmph!" Roshan gently closed the door. "What. A bitch."

She dropped the sheet back onto the bed in a crumpled pile and poured some cold water out of the jug on the dresser into a basin. She washed and dressed meticulously, smoothing out every crease in the fine suit she wore. She pulled a hairbrush from a bag and did the same fastidious neatening on her hair. She tied the blonde ponytail, checking that no strands were free and finally looked herself over in her hand mirror. She gave a practised smile to the polished metal. "I am one handsome son of a bitch, yes I am."

She tidied her own things away, ignoring the scrunched-up sheets and towels and the spilled water. She grabbed her two bags – she usually only carried one – and made her way down to the bar. It was busy with people, all eating and talking amongst themselves – not full, but certainly lively. She ordered herself a sandwich and a beer and placed herself at a table facing the rest of the room. So many things to do today.

[Anonymous]

The ship that pulled into port was a very average looking corsair, nothing that anyone would ever have any qualms about. The ship had all of the papers to dock in Cerenis anyway, so the harbour master was very welcoming of the Scarlet Falcon. That was the name of the ship, though, people didn't know that it had many...many names. The ship was always changing and updating, along with a certain member of the crew. That was the man who stood at the end of the ship, right on the prow, delicately balanced there as the ship came glided to a stop. The man on board jumped from the tip onto the dock, landing on the wooden structure crouched down low like a cat.

Yellow predatory eyes searched the surrounding vicinity before the strange man stood up and grinned largely at the people who were looking at him. He was an odd looking man, in very noble looking clothes, a shirt with frilly cuffs, a black leather vest, slim trousers, large thin leather boots, and a captain's hat plopped atop his blond covered hair. It was the eyes though, the nails on his hand that looked like an animals, the long black and white tail that swished behind him, and the holes in his hat to fit two fox-like ears that poked out from them. He was not a normal man, but he didn't look all-together bad.

He walked with the swagger of a man that could get any girl, or man that he wanted. He looked as he could buy anything he wanted, and that he didn't have everything he desired...yet. All he was really desiring at this time was a large delicious mug of ale. Maybe two mugs. Perhaps three actually. Maybe two mugs of ale, and some red wine. Oh yes, that sounded delicious! Maybe a large haunch of meat as well, he felt a little empty, and nothing filled that like a leg of a cow!

He found himself an Inn with a tavern attached to it, and thrust open the door with a loud slamming noise. He looked around at some of the startled occupants. Some glared as well, which wasn't too uncommon. "Ale! Ale for me and all my new friends!" He declared as he looked around and then grinned at one particularly handsome, boyish looking man. "He can have two though." The captain strolled with purpose to the counter and placed a whole gold coin on it. "And a haunch of meat for me." He found an empty table to plot down at, taking his sword and scabbard from his belt and placing it on the table. A rather...rough looking woman brought him a tankard of ale, and a large leg of meat on a plate.

As he chewed on the leg, he looked around the tavern, just wishing he could lay siege to Cerenis. Sadly, this was a good money making place for him, and also a terrific place to find a lot of sexy, desperate women. Those who really liked a rogue and could be easily swayed by a dashing and handsome man like himself.

Oh if only he could tell them he was a pirate. That was how you got the ladies.

[Anonymous]

Roshan sipped her beer and quietly surveyed the tavern's occupants. Rough and ready, every single one of 'em. She wasn't going to get any business done here, or so she thought. She had just taken the last bite of her sardine sandwich and was about to leave when an... interesting-looking man entered loudly. He loudly ordered drinks for everyone (and two for her – not much of a surprise but a bit of an annoyance), flashed her the loudest smile she had ever seen and loudly sat down.

Her two second opinion of the man was this: he was flamboyant. He was probably rich and from this little display didn't mind being parted with money. He was definitely some form of magical, which bothered her deep in her Connlaothian soul, but she had learnt long ago that the only worthwhile judgement of a person was whether they have anything to offer.

He was worth a shot.

She searched inside her jacket for the small tin she kept there. She drained the last of her original beer, popped a breath mint into her mouth and gathered her things. The barmaid bustled up to her with a tray full of drinks. "Oh, are you leaving, sir... ma'am? Sirma'am? What'll I do with yours?"

Roshan lifted two mugs off the tray, smiling, and sauntered over to the table where the newcomer sat. "It's not often one meets such a generous gentleman." Light and smooth, her voice was a dead giveaway of her feminine status. "Is this seat taken?"

[Anonymous]

Oh he was loud alright.

You couldn't forget him, you couldn't miss him, you couldn't ignore him. Well you could try, but ignoring him just got him going, it just made him want to bug you even more. Most people, even his crew, found it was easier to acknowledge him and just be done with it. He was like a puppy who really just wanted some attention. Some people, the ones who ah...joined him at night, or during the day, in a more private way, found that if you scratched him behind his ears, he would even be like a puppy! Or a cat..some sort of animal that liked to be pet.

He had no idea that she was actually a woman, he just thought she was a very handsome and effeminate person. Still, he would be pleasantly surprised soon enough.

He began to strip the bone of meat as he looked at the very effeminate person, who was taking the two mugs of ale from the serving woman. This was good indeed, very good indeed. The person even walked over to him, and as he was drinking his mug of ale, choked on it and almost spat it out over the table. He lifted a foot and pushed the chair out for her, grinning as he set his haunch of meet and mug of ale down. "Oh no, not for you gorgeous voice. Have a seat!" He laughed as he stood up, holding a hand out to her. "Captain Spektrox, at your service." A naughty grin crossed his face as he winked at her.

[Anonymous]

((Short post. :( ))

Roshan chuckled at the man's surprise. She often had that effect on people. When he stuck his hand out, she looked pointedly at the mugs she was holding and set them down. Returning his wink, she took his hand and did a little curtsey. "Wonderful to meet you, Captain. I'm Lilah."

Smiling, she took her seat. She slid her bags off her arm and put them on the floor, touching her foot on them to keep them safe. After a sip of beer, she turned to face him and rested her chin on her hand. "So do you always ply strangers with alcohol, or is this a special occasion?"

[Anonymous]

As a true gentleman, Spektrox leaned down and placed a kiss upon the back of her hand. He had even remembered to wipe his mouth with a handkerchief before doing so, as to not slobber grease all over her lovely skin. He was always a courteous one, that Spektrox! You couldn't fault him for that! Her wink only made his grin increase ten-fold, if it were possible. "And a grand pleasure to meet you, Lady Lilah." If she wanted to flirt with him, then he could always show her that he was quite able to do the same. Then again, with Spektrox, even talking to him, or looking at him could be considered flirting.

He was a very boisterous sort of fellow.

After she sat down, Spektrox would return to his own seat, kicking his feet up on another empty chair and returning to his mug of ale. However, his haunch of leg meat was now going to go unfinished no doubt. He had much more...delicious and interesting things to entertain himself with. "Oh that? I find it's always nice to be generous within a tavern. Drunk people are a lot easier to talk to, and most people don't want to punch the man who bought them all a round." Spektrox told her simply, and that was mostly true in this case. The more that they were drunk and he was good-natured and free with his money, the less they want to start trouble...and the less that they paid attention to their own coin purses.

He was always a sly one, and always had a trick up sleeve to earn more money. However, he had found a very intriguing woman to spend his time with, so his plan to snatch a few coins from the local drunks would have to wait for another day. "And what about you, Lady Lilah? Do you always sultry saunter over to strange men, or is this just a lucky occasion for me?"

[Anonymous]

She had to admit, the kiss was a nice touch, albeit with just a hint of grease. It had been a while since Roshan had come across someone this flirty. He was clearly enjoying himself too, enough for it to be infectious. Against her better judgement, she actually sort of liked him.

She listened intently to the Captain's reply. Paying attention to one's audience is very important; too many forget that. As he explained, she found herself thinking that it seemed like an effective approach. Perhaps a little flashy for her taste (she liked the personal touch) but no doubt there would be situations where she might find it useful. He might be smarter than she had anticipated. She would have to be careful.

However, it seemed that he may still be susceptible to her usual tactics: make someone feel special, smart, like you really like them and then maybe they'll be... open to suggestions. But she would definitely have to pay close attention if it was going to work, in a way she hadn't for years. Hopefully it would be worth it. She wasn't the type to take on a challenge for the sake of it.

She tapped her bag with her foot and hoped she wouldn't have to hang on to it for very much longer.

Lady Lilah. It had a nice ring to it. Maybe one day... "Actually, I'm quite private," she replied. It was true as well, for a certain value of true. "But I couldn't leave such a unique and... handsome man to the barmaids." She lowered her gaze momentarily, then smiled brightly. "And a captain, too! I don't suppose you have any interesting stories to tell? Adventures on the high seas?"

[Anonymous]

Spektrox had an abrasive sort of personality, he was very much a loud person and didn't seemed to care all too much if people didn't like him. While he hoped that most would, he knew that some people would just not like him, and he had to accept that. It was a terrible thing in his mind, people not liking him, but an unfortunate possibility.

Her intensive staring and listening to his explanation was seen as a success to Spektrox. He had won her over so to speak, and now she was hanging onto his every word.  He didn't know because she had some hidden plan, some ploy or plot to snare and trap him in as if he were nothing more than a fly, and she was a spider. No, he just thought he had won her over and that he was now the focus and centre of her attention, which he very well seemed to be.

All he was really looking for was a bit of companionship after all, and the best place to find it was in a tavern.

Her compliments, and her admittance to the fact that she was quite private but had to be around him struck very true with the Captain, who's grin returned, but nary a blush could be found on him. Oh no, it was very hard to embarrass Spektrox, such a fine woman talking about him like that just made his ego even more impressive. "Oh I have quite a few my Lady Lilah, but I wouldn't want to be the one talking about myself all day and night. That would be quite rude. I'd rather hear about you my fine friend." A quick deflection, and a follow up that most people should jump at. He didn't much want to talk about raiding ships and the like, it was very bad for business. Not to mention it was very rude to go on about yourself in front of a lady.

No, Spektrox was very sure that he handled this quite well. "I mean, a woman of such beauty and grace, in a tavern of all places? There must be a good reason and story behind that."

[Anonymous]

Oh no. Oh no no no. Asking Roshan about herself was like silver to a werewolf. She could come up with something non-suspicious, but it was always maddeningly vague. It was a skill she badly needed to work on, and tried to avoid having to use.

After all, what should she say? She didn't like lying outright – she always felt like she'd end up contradicting herself and giving the game away. Should she say she was here for business? But then he'd ask what business that might be and that'd be a whole mess of trouble.

Her mouth covered for her while she thought. "That's a shame," she pouted theatrically. "You can't introduce yourself with a title like that and then hold out on me."

She chuckled and took a sip of beer. She'd have to go with what she had.

"As for me, I'm not very interesting at all. I like to travel, and I stayed here last night because it was the first inn I saw. My last employer paid me in somewhat of an awkward manner so I was low on funds. No big mystery."

[Anonymous]

They were one in the same when it came to that aspect of their lives. Spektrox usually stuck with being a merchant ship of sorts, where he would just say that he came into port to unload some cargo and to pick up some supplies. It helped that Spektrox DID use his vessel for cargo, and it helped to give him his cover. People would never think that he, a merchant captain, could possible be a pirate. It always made him giggle when he thought about it. People were so silly that way.

"Oh you'll get to know all about me soon enough, but I don't dare be rude now." This was an interesting game, and the playful fox within his soul saw it right away as just that. It was a very obvious game to that side of him, who could hold out the longest against each other. Spektrox would win though, he was a very shrewd and cunning man, he could easily manipulate this conversation...but he was going to have so much fun with it. This woman was terribly interesting and bizarre, it made for a very fun time.

She was good, Spektrox would give her that. He was usually very good at telling if a person was lying. Then again, he was usually up against people who were cowering for their lives. Okay, maybe he wasn't that good. It made him a little disinterested now however, she was very convincing. However he wouldn't share that on his face, no expression would betray him today! Except for a big grin on his face as he listened to her. He would have to tell him...er...something about him?

"That sounds interesting enough to me!" She had made her story perhaps a little too interesting. His mind started to wander, looking at all the questions he could ask her. She had some sort of strange occupation that meant she had multiple employers...and she had been paid in an awkward manner. A naughty smile crossed his face, wondering just what manner she had been paid in. Wait. No...usually that's how women would pay men wasn't it? Not the other way around.

Then again he had mistaken her for a man...

"I'm also, of course, a traveller, but just a merchant man. Nothing too fancy, I go from port to port, delivering and picking up exotic goods for people. I visit Thanatos quite a bit, and here of course...Yoreiq too...they're all very good places!" He leaned forward in his chair, his arms flat on the table as he grinned, his large ears attuned to face her and focus on her. "Now you've gotta tell me what you do pretty lady, you mentioned your last employer, which means it isn't a completely stable job..." With a look of scrutiny he tried to figure out just what she could be. She was dressed way too well for her to be something like a serving girl, or a tavern whore. She was much too open and outspoken, which meant she could be important. Not a noble, they just sat around collecting taxes, and while she looked regal, she didn't look like some royalty. For one, she was here in this tavern.

Oh yes...she was something else alright, and he was very interested to find out what.

[Anonymous]

He's too good... what's going on here? There's something wrong. Think, Rosh, think. He didn't look like he was employed by any of the several dozen people that would quite like to see her dead, and he wasn't asking the right questions for that. And he certainly wasn't a town guard of any stripe. She'd just have to keep an eye out for danger signs and give herself an excuse to leave if things got too hairy. Damn. She was so hoping to have the contents of the mystery bag dealt with before dinnertime.

While her business here was a sore point, she could talk about her last job in a way that was at least mostly true and would hopefully throw him off a little. "I'm afraid you'll be rather disappointed here. I deal with money. I just did some accounting work for a nice old widow a few towns over - sorting out wills, investments, that sort of thing. It's only unstable because I like to travel so much, and I get bored if I stay in one place for too long."

So I'm an accountant. Juuuust an accountant. That's pretty much the most boring profession there is, right? Even embezzling is a really boring crime. So don't ask any more about it.

She shrugged, grinned the fake grin of a desperate woman and changed the subject.

"Exotic goods, though! That sounds fancy to me! What sort of things does that include?"

Oh, please say jewellery.

[Anonymous]

He was just a pirate trying to stop a slightly androgynous woman from knowing he was a pirate.

Funny how things were. This man almost seemed incapable of deception, he just seemed so theatric, so good natured, that lying just wasn't something that he could do. Yet he learned well, he knew that if he didn't lie...he'd be in trouble. People would find out about him, and that would be a very terrible thing. Then he'd never be able to dock in port again, and he'd have to beach his vessel every time he got lonesome or needed to replenish supplies. Oh Gods he couldn't live like that, like some...common pirate!

"So you work with money! I love money. The way it glitters so prettily, the shiny coins, and of course...the musical notes it makes as you carry it, all the little coins getting together in harmony, playing a wonderful little melody." Spektrox gave a rather happy sigh as he thought about it, a stupid grin on his face, his eyes half-glazed as he just imagined the noise of the coins jangling and jingling together against one another. Oh the sound of Gold itself was the best, but there were other sounds that worked just as well. Silver and bronze, mixing together and creating a symphony. Coins didn't discriminate against each other, they didn't hate one another or desire any harm upon the other lesser coins.

Mainly because they had no concept of society, or intelligence, which made them perfect.

"What doesn't that include? I carry all sorts of things for merchants! Whitesands themselves occasionally allows me to carry cargo like their white pearls, or sometimes it's the latest styles from Arca, fine bolts of silk, cotton, and wool, raw ore for smelting, and occasionally I get to carry that smelted ore that's been manufactured into something! Swords, shields, armour, jewelry, cookware, silverware, I even carried a load of furniture before." An impish grin crossed his face as he thought about that particular load. "I tested them out by sleeping, eating, and steering from one of the very nice armchairs." He hadn't wanted to deliver some inferior good after all, he had to make sure he was carrying top of the line. It was odd because he didn't steal any one of them. For the life of him, he couldn't see how a couch would do good on a pirate ship. Chairs also were a little difficult, fancy chairs with large backs, because of his tail. A couch he could lounge on but...then he'd have to do all this finagling with his tail.

It wasn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Not a moment ago Roshan had been seriously worrying if this man had figured her out, and now she was wondering if he was all there. All this going on about coins. She personally found coins annoying; they're heavy when you have a lot of them, so are not easy to make a hasty exit with in the middle of the night (as she often had to). What she liked about money was totalling it up on paper, seeing the large numbers and with a flick of the pen and some cheating making them grow. She was good at that.

Ah, but finally some good news. He had dealt with jewellery before. She was still not sure if she would arouse his suspicion, but it was worth a try. Having just arrived in town, he was her best bet for this. She didn't know if word had started to arrive here yet, but if it had he was unlikely to have heard it. Anyone else would be a gamble, and she didn't want to hang onto these things any longer than she had to.

Her eyes flicked quickly to the window. She'd already scanned the room and any subsequent entrants, but she had to be extra careful. Satisfied that she was about as safe as she could be, she reached down and picked up the smaller bag at her feet.

She beckoned him to move closer. She'd never not be scared when doing things like this, but they had to be done, and shows of fear put people off. So she didn't show it. "About that awkward payment I mentioned... It seems you have experience carrying these kinds of things. Maybe we could do some business," she proposed in a near-whisper.

[Anonymous]

Spektrox was a man who spent a great deal of time with coins. People always had coins on them, and in his opinion nothing was finer really. There was no possible way he could ever see  the same side that Roshan saw, to him, anything on paper wasn't real. You could write down a million gold coins, and it wouldn't mean anything to him. It was just a number on the paper, and as such, it wasn't physical. However, sitting down IN a million gold coins, with all of them below you like golden grains of sand on a beach...now that was real. Alas...he did not have a million gold coins, and likely wouldn't reach such a high amount.

Now, he wasn't a man that would get very suspicious of a lot of things, but this suddenly took a turn for the suspicious as she started to look around...almost...nervously. In all fairness, Spektrox was accustomed to these sorts of shady deals, and he could smell when one was coming up to him. Right now, she reeked. Figuratively speaking. In all honesty she smelled rather nice to him and his delicate sense of smell. Very nice. She may have looked a little...more on the masculine side, but she smelled like a woman. That's all that counted.

However, when she asked him to move closer, he slid his chair over a little bit. A very wicked grin spread across his face as looked at the small bag she was carrying. Oh this was a very shady deal indeed, and he loved it. Of course, there were always little white lies and little details forgotten about property like this. An accountant wouldn't get paid in a bag of...well, he assumed it was probably...Well, he wasn't sure, until he thought back to her question.

She asked about jewelry.

Of course. She had stolen jewelry! Well, it was either merchandise that was stolen, cursed, fenced, or even all three. If she wasn't worried about the jewelry, she would have already sold it...but she wanted to sell it to him, an innocent ship captain. That just seemed so wrong to him. Besides...he was a ship captain who just transported goods around. If she wanted to buy them from him, she'd have to do a lot better than accepting his drinks and indulging his ego.

"Do you have someone that you would like to ship them to then? I had plans on going to Thanatos soon, I suppose for a modest fee I could be persuaded to carry the contents of that bag...of course...since you said you only had been paid in that...awkward way...there are other things I could accept." Again, that naughty grin crossed his face as he leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. This would be really interesting indeed! He was actually excited, not just for the prospect of getting a little...fun time, but to find out what she was holding. They had to have been stolen, if not, they had to be cursed. If all she did was tally some old lady's money, she wouldn't have received THAT much stuff.

Spektrox was not as stupid as he appeared. Despite all of his rather playful looks and mannerisms, there was a reason he was a ship's captain.

[Anonymous]

Oh, they were stolen all right. She was guilty as hell on that count. And she needed to get rid of them right now. Most of it was her natural desire to not get caught, but a good part of her urgency was simply the fact that she was, embarrassingly enough, flat broke.

For a conwoman, Roshan sure did trust other people to be dull, boring and predictable. Stupid, really. While she had, of course, fiddled the lady's accounts to give herself a nice little something on the side, it was the kind of something she'd need to sort out elsewhere. An investment, a small business ownership, an innocent piece of paper or two that needed to change hands. The old woman wouldn't miss them; they'd been her husband's concerns and she barely even knew some of them existed. As for the immediate future, she'd been relying on her actual payment for that.

It hadn't quite gone as planned.

She'd guessed she'd be liked, but not this much. She'd been asked to stay around for company and as an incentive to make her stay, the old woman had no intention of paying her. Now, she could have used this an opportunity to get into the will and become filthy stinking rich, but it was far too risky to just sit around and wait for the old bag to pop her clogs. Not when she was so sure her past was always one step behind her. When the tension was too much to take, she swiped what she could and ran, and now here she was, trying to sell off stolen goods like a common criminal. All in all, she found it pretty humiliating.

And now it seemed like she'd have an uphill struggle even getting money for these. Ah well, it couldn't be helped, and times like these kept her sharp. She'd been getting lax lately. It was just the push she needed, not that it was any consolation.

She caught herself, and corrected her body language. Relax, smile more naturally. "Aaactually, I was rather hoping you could be convinced to take them off my hands for good. When I said I was low on funds, I, ah, meant it. Of course, I only ask for a fraction of their true value. If you wish to inspect them elsewhere, you'll find that they are very fine indeed. I'm sure you can spot an opportunity to make money when you see one?"

She arched a graceful eyebrow. "Of course, if you need more persuasion, I am willing to compromise in a variety of ways. You will not find me any less than accommodating."

[Anonymous]

The advantage was really for Spektrox at this time. She had let too many things slipped, and that was a terrible thing to do. More so when you wanted to get a good deal on something. Oh yes, he was going to have a lot of fun now wasn't he? Spektrox was going to quite enjoy this whole thing.

He really just had to figure a way to get her back to his ship. This deal, was shady. This deal was REALLY shady. He had just got into town, and he really would have preferred not to get into this sort of thing. The problem was, this woman seemed to be very...well, noticeable. He was afraid that if he was buying stolen shiny things, it would end up with him being tracked. He could always feign ignorance, said he thought they were pretty, or he was transporting, but then...the woman, Lilah...would be the one to get away with his money. He'd not have money, or the shiny objects...and then...he in trouble. Oh this would be very...ugh. Hopefully his men were doing the smart thing and getting the ship organized.

However, things just got better. She would sell them for a fraction of their price, they were no doubt nice, but she was right, he wanted them to be checked out. He could do it himself, he had spent quite a bit of time around precious gems and metals before. It would mean of course...AH! Going back to his ship! Hah hah! Perfect. Very perfect. Oh this was not going to be bad at all. He picked up his drink and finished it off. He wiped his mouth his handkerchief before holding his hand out to her. "Alright then Lady Lilah, let's go to my ship. I have some things there that I can inspect...the jewelry with. As well as...do some...negotiations." Oh he liked the sound of that actually. Negotiations.

Hah hah.

"But we'll have to be a little more...truthful with each other. Like where I shouldn't take that jewelry to, if I were to...purchase them from you." He kept his voice low, so that the surrounding people couldn't hear them. He was subtle when he needed to be. "Anything to help a beautiful lady out after all." He winked, laying it on a little thick to help this whole thing. After all...negotiations.

[Anonymous]

She knew she was giving him far more of a lead than she normally would, but right now Roshan didn't much care about getting a good deal. Any deal would do. These were just a replacement for the small cash she would have made anyway; all she wanted was enough money to get herself out of here and to where the actual proceeds were and, of course, to be not carrying stolen goods. That would be nice. She was paranoid enough without the damn things.

So he wanted to go back to his ship. That suited her just fine. She was much less likely there to run into somebody she'd rather not. Of course, if things went bad it would be harder to get away, but that was true of most places.

She slung both of her bags onto her shoulder and stood up, taking Spectrox's hand. He spoke quietly, which said that either he'd figured her out or, sensibly, didn't want to open them up to muggings. As for the jewels, he could dispose of them anywhere he liked, really. If he knew what was up, he wouldn't be stupid enough to flash them around here, and if he didn't, well, it wasn't her concern any more, was it?

"Well, it seems you're the only one in this town who'll take them, but I'd imagine they'll sell very well almost anywhere else in the world. They are especially nice." Innocent enough, yet informative. She chuckled at his wink and gestured towards the door. "Lead the way, captain!"

[Anonymous]

Spektrox was not a man who really cared about getting caught with stolen goods. He knew what he did was quite illegal, he was a pirate for crying out loud. He might as well just spit in the king's face and call it a day. Granted, that was rude, but that was a whole different tale really. Spektrox was gladly going to help this young woman out with her problem, and he was going to get a little...well...a lot of compensation. After all, he had the upper hand! Blackmail was fun when it could lead to good times! Right now it was going to lead to his ship. After that, it could go anywhere. Taking advantage of such a handsome woman was probably not the most theatrical thing to do, and he would admit it actually felt sort of unpleasant in his mind.

He was noble after all.

This would be a battle that would rage on for Spektrox until a clear winner could be decided. It probably would also have to do a lot with what she was really doing with the jewelry, and how honest she was. After all, honesty among thieves! Wait...was it honesty or honour? Didn't matter, both were important to thieves really. It wasn't like he'd rat her out of course! No, that would be very bad. It may be sexist, but it was because she was a woman. Not that he didn't think she couldn't handle being in a dungeon, but because like hitting a woman, it was completely unthinkable to get one in so much trouble.

Ah, the dilemmas of a pirate captain, how fleeting they could be.

"Well then, let's go see how especially nice you are!" Innocent enough, yet informative. He grinned broadly as he locked his arm gently with hers and began to lead the way. His dinner was forgotten, and so was her drinks, but they had plenty of that back on the ship anyway. Not that he would want to get her all liquored up. That would be silly. It was a short walk back to the boat, and Spektrox was unusually quiet. Well...conversationally he was, but the young looking captain was busying humming and whistling, occasionally remembering the lyrics and breaking out into a full shanty before going back to humming as the words slipped his mind.

Back at the ship, they were greeted by rough looking men, and even a few tough looking women. They were clearly sailor-folk, the whole lot of them, some had scars, some had grubby faces, missing teeth, noses that looked like they had been broken several times, each of them looked like a bunch of people you didn't want to get on the wrong side of. However, all of them greeted Spektrox very warmly, the camaraderie that they displayed showed that he was no doubt a very fair captain, whom they all respected. "This way my lady Lilah." He gestured into the captain's quarters, his own personal quarters. They were spacious, as a Captain should have, filled with a great many of things, including a full four poster bed, with at least ten different pillows, silken sheets and a large goose down comforter. It had a magnificent desk and chair, all bolted of course to the floor for stability. His desk was rather clean, though it had some ink pots, quills, even a few parchment scrolls out.

Spektrox went to a large ornate chest of drawers and pulled out some lead weights with numbers on them, and a scale set. He also got out a jeweller's eyepiece and a small set of callipers and what looked like a little hooked pick. He set them out on the table, quickly getting a chair for Lilah to sit in before taking up his spot behind the desk, grinning all the while. "Let's do business, trot out those golden little gems of yours and let's have a look see." He almost faltered and giggled madly when he said golden little gems. He had used that line before on a Yorieq Isle's beauty, she had golden skin and well...

You could probably guess the rest of that story and what her 'gems' might have been.

[Anonymous]

Taking the captain's arm, Roshan allowed herself to be steered out of the tavern and into the street. Her companion seemed in high spirits, singing to himself; she was glad for this, as having to make small talk would have distracted her from her thoughts. She discreetly scanned her surroundings, checking everything. Unfortunately, she spotted something that worried her. It was hard to tell, as she only got a quick glance, but she was sure she had seen a face she recognised in the crowd...

At the ship, that nebulous feeling of dread only got worse. She had little experience with sailors as a whole, preferring to travel on land and by foot for the most part. It was entirely possible that the crew of a merchant ship was legitimately as rough as this lot, but something was telling her they weren't. Her suspicions had been raised earlier in the tavern, and now again – she hadn't figured out yet that he was a pirate, but he most definitely was not what he said he was. Still, no sense in letting that slip. She smiled and nodded politely at the crew members as they greeted their captain.

Between Spectrox and the sighting in the street, Roshan was very understandably nervous. It seemed things would not go her way today. It would be best to get this little deal over with and then quickly and quietly leave town. Staying a moment longer than necessary would be suicide.

At least his quarters were nice. She sort of felt at home here. The place was even possibly a little more opulent than the room she'd had when she still lived with her family, and she was deeply envious of that luxurious bed. She managed to stop admiring the furnishings and sat at the desk, opposite her host. She caught the hint of innuendo in his invitation to start working, but ignored it.

She opened the small bag and tipped the contents onto the desk. A pile of maybe four or five dozen individual items of jewellery spilled out, mostly necklaces and brooches of gold, diamonds and rubies, with the odd ring, bracelet and flash of silver and sapphire to even the collection out. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a single fake in the lot. As for curses, she wouldn't know one if it punched her in the face, so that was up to him to spot. She knew how much she would have tried to sell these for if she hadn't been in such a rush, and she knew how much she would have paid for them too, but she decided to keep quiet for now and see what his opinion was. No point in trying to influence the price until she knew what that price was. "So, what do you think?"

[Anonymous]

Spektrox was rather oblivious to her discreet glances to the crowds. For a moment, he almost forgot that it was daytime. Sometimes for him, these things would just roll together, and day would be night, and vice versa. He was fairly sure the jewelry wasn't her, that it had been stolen, and was rather worried that someone might come seeking them. It was nothing he couldn't really handle, but he didn't particularly want guards crawling all over his ship. It would mean that they might find some of the things he'd rather not have them find.

He probably should have told his crew to tone it down a little bit. However, he didn't expect to be bringing a lady back to the ship so soon. Fate was a funny thing though, and it shaped people's expectations of the future in strange ways. He really did hope that the honour of thieves held true for him. She could make him as a pirate, and he could call her a thief. People had seen them leave together, and she had those bags...hopefully if he needed it, a witness could indeed say the bags of stolen jewelry were hers. If she were smart, she wouldn't say a thing, and both of them could avoid ending up in a dungeon somewhere.

There was a smart remark or two that Spektrox could have said when he caught her gazing at his bed with jealousy. That would need to wait sadly, as they had business to conduct together. He really did want to say something, but feared he might be pushing his luck. He didn't want to come on strong after all, he didn't want to scare her or turn her away from him. That would be terrible! There was still hope, and he was happy to keep trying to press the issue of...negotiations.

That was such a great saying!

As she showed him the different necklaces, rings, bracelets, brooches, and all the fun shiny objects, his eyes lit up. He quickly set about trying to see which were real and which were fake. There weren't any fakes however, which was good news. He had to use very precise scales for that job, to see what was pure and what wasn't. Spektrox would also scratch them very carefully with the hooked pick, just to be sure of this. Sometimes people were clever with their fakes and forgeries. He was careful to look at each one of them, inspecting the jewels and gems embedded into each one. Then there was the sniff test. He had a good sense of smell, and it wasn't hard to tell if they had been sitting in a shop or if they really had belonged to a woman. Shops had particular smells to them, he could tell them almost right away. Jewelry shops had that fire and ash sort of smell from kilns and the like. This however, smelled more like a home, faint traces of perfumes and such, which made sense.

"I think that they're in very good condition Lady Lilah. Very good indeed." He would have to sell them on the islands. Some in Thanatos might pay well for them. However, she wanted to get rid of them right now. What would be a fair price? What wouldn't be? Could he lure her into his bed without making her feel like she was some common prostitute? So many questions! Smiling to himself, he picked up a ring and tried it on. The thing didn't fit, his fingers were a little too big, despite being dainty in terms of a sailor. "For the entire thing, I'll give you...a hundred gold shiin. Ten Gold Suns if you tell me where you really got them." The offer was very generous all things considered, and he was even willing to pay her in Serendipity's money. "And if you want...you and I can try out that bed you were eyeing." It was a long shot, if these were what he thought they were...

She probably would want to run very quickly. That was typical with women, always wanting to do business and then run far away. It wasn't fair to him, but he would endure!