[Open by request, please PM]
"So your name is...Scrimshank." Isabeau looked up at the raggedy man who stood before her, reeking of alcohol. Beard untrimmed and brimming with leftover bits of...something that she dearly hoped was food, eyes blurred and set too far back in his skull, weaving where he stood, he was the epitome of "lowlife".
"Yes'm, Cap'n," the man slurred. "And lemme tell ya, I'm the besht damn sailor this side o'...o'..." he trailed off, frowning and mouthing soundlessly.
"Yes, well." She clapped her hands onto the table and gave him a bright smile. "We'll be in touch, sir."
He beamed at her, revealing he was missing over half his teeth, and wove his way across the crowded tavern to the table he'd originated from. Isabeau groaned, dropping her head onto the table they had appropriated early in the evening. "This is hopeless," she muttered, voice muffled. "We've been at this for hours and so far the only half-decent candidate we had decided to get himself knifed over a barmaid!" She gestured listlessly in the direction of the stain where a pool of blood had been wiped off the floor earlier.
Well, no one could say pirates weren't an industrious lot.
"Maybe we should call it a night," she sighed, raising her head and leaning back in her chair. "They're only gonna get more drunk from here on out- and if one more of these sots asks if I want to take a ride on his dinghy so help me gods I'm going to shoot him." She turned her head to look at her first mate, seated beside her.
"What do you think?"
Gar bored a hole in the reprobate's skull with his eyes, watching him as he stumbled off to the bar again.
"Ain't worth his weight in bilge water," Gar said, and he looked down to Izzie, and grinned.
He looked back out to the bar, gauging the occupants under his steely eyes. Next to Izzie, he looked like a titan, like he could easily snap her in half. Instead, though, he laughed, and patter her on the shoulder.
"Mayhaps somebody new will come in. Searchin' for a good crew's a lot like fishin'," Gar said. "You gotta know when and where to cast, and you gotta have a good eye. Sometimes, the best fish come out at midnight."
He raised his hand, and signalled for the barmaid to bring them another round.
Izzie sighed and accepted the drink. "You're probably right. As usual," she grumbled, taking a sip from her mug and making a face. "Gods." She held the drink away from her and scowled. "That is foul."
Her watchful gaze caught the illustrious Scrimshank talking to one of the people that shared his table, gesturing widely in their direction. Another, equally inebriated, man stood and began weaving his way toward them.
She downed the contents of her mug and shuddered. "Well, here we go again..."
Revvil stalked down the street, the draconian's eyes darting around, always watchful for any danger. He growled quietly and his mouth twisted into a smile as his amber eyes fell upon a tavern. He made for it and stepped past the drunks outside the door and into the crowded room.
Nearly all the people in the tavern were drunk or well on their way there. There was pipe smoke drifting near the low ceiling and loud voices and drunken laughs filled the air. It was quite loud in the place, causing everyone just to yell louder. Revvil went to the bar and ordered a drink. When he got it he sat on a stool and looked around the room. In the far corner he saw two people sitting at a table. One was a young woman, barely twenty, and the other was an Ogre. next to the young woman he looked gigantic. It seemed that they were hiring for a ship. That was exactly what Revvil was looking for.
he finished his drink in one gulp and stood up. He made his way through the drunken crowd. He stalked up to the table and nodded to the two people in greeting.
"Good evening," he said, his voice a growl. "I'm looking for a sailing job and I see you're hiring. My name is Revvil and I've been sailing since I was a wyrmling, so I'd say I've got plenty of experience."
"Whoa," Isabeau muttered under her breath. She'd never actually seen a draconian before. She pulled herself together quickly and tried to look professional, straightening her spine in an effort to compensate for her lack of height.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Revvil," she said with a small, quick smile. "And just why do you want to sail on Poison Storm exactly?" She snuck a glance at Gar, trying to gauge her first mate's opinion of this new candidate.
"I'm in need of a job," Revvil said, smirking at the young woman's surprise at his appearance. "And nearly any ship will do me fine."
He quickly stepped aside as a mug flew past him before turning back to the young woman. "Are you the captain? Or is he?" the draconian jerked his head towards the Ogre. He didn't much like Ogres, then again, he didn't really like anyone.
"That'd be me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Something about this guy put her on edge- but so far he was the only non-drunk to approach them.
And he obviously had good reflexes.
Hmm...they could do worse, she supposed. "Name's Isabeau, but if you sail with us you'll call me Captain."
"Aye," he smiled, "Captain." He half bowed. "It'll be good to be sailing with you. Where do you make port? And when do ya set sail?"
Whenever would work for him, the draconian hadn't been on a ship in a month. He had gotten by by pick-pocketing and gambling, two not very reliable ways to gain money. And Revvil preferred water to land, anyway. The sea was his home, and it always would be.
"We're sailing to Yoreiq, south around the desert. After that, well...less clear. Should be leaving about two hours after dawn." She arched one eyebrow. "Interested?"
"I'd come aboard wherever you'd be going," Revvil said, and it was true. The draconian was just looking to get off of land. If he hadn't been able to get a job on a ship soon, he would have stowed away, just to get off land. He liked being in port, but not longer than a month or two.
Evangeline sat at the bar. She didn't know why she was even ordering drinks, her undead body numbs the pain for her. Possibly it was to just pass the time, hoping that someone in this rotting place would need a bodyguard, and then she heard it. A few patrons talking about hiring sailors.
With her interest peaked, she finds the three people, two of them being an ogre and draconian. Maybe her rotting flesh wont seem so strange on this crew. Standing straight as a board as if a solider was listening to orders, she interrupts. "If I may interject, I think my services could be useful to you. I am no sailor, but I am a bodyguard with military background, so I am familiar with following commands."
"Then you're hired," Izzie said, making an executive decision. "Welcome aboard Revvil."
Then her attention was drawn by the newcomer. Well. Almost a whole evening of nothing and then two decent potentials at once. She looked the woman up and down, calculating. "What's your name then?" she asked, putting an elbow on the table and propping her chin in her hand.
"My name is Evangeline Maric, former soldier of the Connlaoth army. My skills can go further than just brute muscle. My...condition increases my sight and speed at night."
Evangeline didn't know why, but being apart of a sailing crew seemed desirable to her. Maybe its because there are still rules and order, but with its own chaotic twist.
"Evangeline," Izzie repeated. Hardly a pirate's name. Or a soldier's for that matter.
But then, neither was Isabeau.
She looked at the woman questioningly; she'd never seen anything quite like her before. That seemed to be a common theme for the evening. "You ever sailed before?" she asked. It wasn't exactly a requirement, not for this particular crew at least. Still, it'd make her life easier if she didn't have to assign a babysitter until the woman got her sea legs.
Revvil hissed under his breath as the other woman approached. He didn't like soldiers. Well, he hated them more than he hated most everyone else.
All the same, he said nothing as she spoke, only nodded when the Captain said he was hired. He looked over to the Ogre, wondering what he thought about all this.
[Sorry about my delayed reply. I got tangled up in stuff this weekend >_<]
For pretty much most of the exchange, Gar sat back, silently drinking as Izzie got out there and showed her stuff. As her mentor, he didn't want to interfere, since this was not only her job as captain, but it was also a pretty valuable learnign experience.
She was still a rookie in Gar's eyes, after all.
When Revvil looked at him, Gar gave him a neutral nod of acknowledgement, before he tipped back his drink to finish it off, and then he stood from the table. Indeed, now that he was standing, he pretty much towered over everybody else.
"I'm the first mate. You two can call me Gar."
[Not a problem :)]
Taking her first mate's cue, Izzie stood as well. It didn't have quite the same effect, considering her height, but it did make her feel more in control.
"Yes, excuse me for not introducing my first mate sooner," she said, hoping she sounded professional. "If you sail with us, consider orders from him to be tantamount to my own."
"Of course," Revvil growled, the look on his face almost countermanding his words.
The draconian then looked to Evangeline, the undead woman seemed like she would be able to become a capable sailor, even if she said she was no sailor.
Gar narrowed his eyes at the Draconian, and although he wasn't completely sure if all his hissing and growling was just something that he did, or because he was trying to level some kind of tone at him and Izzie, he'd wasn't sure.
"Looks like this is all we're getting tonight, Cap. Shall we get these new swabbies onto the boat?" He said, and he grinned at the two new hires.
When Gar introduced himself Evangeline saluted. "A pleasure to meet you sir." She lowers her arm and turns back to Isabeau. "I have sailed in a few missions, but it was not a common occurrence."
Isabeau nodded. "Well, you'll do," she said easily, shrugging.
Looking up at Gar with a crooked smile she agreed, "You're probably right. Follow us." The last words were directed at their new crew members as she moved around the table. "We're docked in the cove just south of town."
Revvil looked at the ogre, a strange look on the Draconian's face. Not quite challenging, but not humble either, anyone who was looking closely would be able to tell that there were other thoughts in the Draconian's head besides being a loyal crew member.
Revvil looked away from Gar and back to the captain, his eyes still glittering with an inner light.
"I've heard worse skillsets," Gar said, looking towards Evangeline.
"Time in the army, and some naval experience? Puts you a cut above the rest of the poor sods around here," Gar said, and he motioned to the tavern as a whole.
"We'll see you swabbies at the ship. You've got 'till sunup to gather your things and get going. If you're not there by sunrise, you get left at the docks."
Isabeau gave Revvil a sharp look. Already she could tell there might be some trouble with the chain of command.
Still, he seemed a willing enough sailor. They'd just have to make things clear on the ship, that was all. "See you at dawn," she said with a smile and a mock salute as she moved toward the door, nudging Gar's arm to get him to follow her.
As the two left Evangeline looks over to the draconian with a deadpan expression. "So you are joining then too, if you have a lot to pack I suggest don't even bother coming. The more that you own the more of a liability you are."
Evangeline looks down at her chains then back up to Revvil. "I never have any luggage to carry, and I don't need sleep, but orders are orders so I'll wait."
Gar followed Isabeau out of the tavern, ducking out through the door behind her. Once they were clear of the place, he started to talk.
"Evangeline looks a pretty good addition. The Draconian looks like trouble, but I don't think he means it that much, either. If he had that much of a problem taking orders, he wouldn't be signing on as a crewman."
He patted Isabeau's shoulder, his massive hand pretty much covering it all.
"Ya did good, Cap'n."
She threw him a grateful smile. "Thanks, mate." Letting out a long breath, she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "Yeah, I'm sure a few days on the ship will work out the kinks, whatever they are." All in all, not a bad evening.
"Let's get home," she said with a crooked grin, needing to feel the roll of the deck beneath her feet.
Revvil had nothing to pack either, everything he owned he carried on his person. So as the Captain and First Mate left, he did so as well, though not to go home.
He walked the opposite way down the street as them, and entered the next tavern he came to. He didn't need any sleep now, he had slept most of the day away, he would wait here with a drink until sunrise.
As a draconian, he didn't get drunk very easily, but it wasn't impossible, and after a few drinks his temper would be up. Revvil wouldn't let that happen, not now, when being drunk could wreck his chance at a sailing job.
He sat down at the bar and ordered an ale.
Evangeline watches as the last member of her soon to be crew left. Looking around she decides that there's no use in staying in the tavern, for she can't get drunk and even if she could, it would be unprofessional to show up piss drunk on her first day.
Walking out, the light blinds her for a second, just one more thing Evangeline has yet to get used to with her undead body. Looking around nothing seemed of interest. Spotting a nearby dock she decided to spend the time peacefully.
Sitting down at the edge, she dips one chain into the water. Without a line and rod to fish, her chains make a makeshift solution so she can pass the time.