"Mason, get yer arse over here!" A brutish man comes running to the call of his captain, meeting her at the entrance of the ship, the Iron Tracker. He looks over to see two people, one a male and the other a female, both around their late teens.
"We making another run?" He asks cautiously, knowing that these were most likely mages thinking they're getting freedom.
"Aye, they be two lovers. Parents rejected them because magic. Load of horse shit I say! I bet the parents are mages themselves, but ain't have the balls ta say so." The lovers look around nervously as Kestrel and Mason talk.
"Um, excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but we must leave soon." The male speaks up.
Not even looking back at him Kestrel respond. "Fine! Fine! Mason get their arses up on the ship, I be gettin too sober, so watch them while I go to the tavern." She then looks to them, flashing a toothy yellow grin. "Don't ya worry laddies Mason will keep ya safe while I'm gone."
The pirate drags the lovers up, trepidation painting their faces, but Kestrel didn't care, she just started strolling away to find the closest tavern. What meant to be one turned to three, but rarely ever being sober turned her liver to steel and so her body was used to this amount of blood alcohol content. Whistling to herself, something caught her attention.
"Bets! Place your bets! Which pig shall win? Bet on which one and find out!" This caused the captain to burst out laughing. She's gambled on many unusual things, but racing pigs in the alleys of Connlaoth's capital defiantly ranks in the top ten. Approaching the man, Kestrel drops ten gold in his hand.
"I' have me bets on that one." She points to the spotted pig.
The man then announces. "Ten more gold for speckles!"
The woman probably didn't notice the man crunching loudly on an apple across from her, because both he and she seemed pretty focused on the pigs. But upon hearing her laugh and just who she was betting on, he had to snigger.
"Waste of ten gold, ya know." He smiled, still looking at the pigs as he took another bite of his apple. At this angle, the moonlight shined off the blue gems of his piercings, and accentuated the dimples of his left, freckled cheek. He continued to noisily chew with his mouth open and as if she'd care, he went on to point at the scrawny, pale colored pig in the corner.
"I bet all my coin on Winston." He turned to her now, blue eyes glowing as his gems once had when the moonlight hit his face. He was grinning widely, a juicy apple crumb on his chin.
"He was born on the seventh day of the seventh month at seven at night! If that ain't lucky, I don't know what!" And he turned to lean against the gate post, crunching into another apply bite.
"All ya coin?! Ya poor sod! But luck aint anythin if ya don't have some ya self ta back ya up. Speckles will win, I just know it." And with that Kestrel swipes the apple from his hands and takes a bite herself.
"How about second bet." The criminal captain gives off a seductive pose, pausing to let this man who seems to know too much about racing pigs a good eyeful of the dirtied pirate. As the juices of the apple dribble down to her chin, she continues. "If ya loose, I get ta keep yer apple, but if ya win then I'll give ya more than this apple back if ya come to my ship."
She finishes off her deal with a wink. Kestrel didn't plan on sleeping with him, but she needs an alibi or a possible scapegoat if her delivery goes awry, and little did Kestrel know, the lover's parents were already sending search parties out for them, not because they care, but because they thought the two ran away together, which wasn't entirely wrong.
"Yep, all of it." He simply smiled, even as she took his apple, but didn't reply to her suggestion- however, he did take a nice long look at her. Then he turned away to where they were preparing the pigs to race and pulled out a second apple that he bit into.
"How about you keep the apple and if Speckles wins, I'll save your winning pig from turning into bacon." He flashed his pretty (whiter than her) teeth before taking another bite and leaning in.
"Speckles won the last race," he mused, chewing away thoughtfully.
Kestrel looses her posture, looking at him dumbfounded. She hasn't met a man or woman that wasn't ready to get in bed with her...or with multiple apples to spare, he's either really clever or a blissful idiot. I guess seduction won't work against him. she thinks while stretching, she looks away from the man, mumbling something about him being a pig humper.
When he mentions saving the pig, she turns back to him with an eyebrow arched. "Whaddya mean? Tis seems a bit complex fer a load of farm animals runnin through the city. And who are ya anyway?"
From Kestrel's time in Zantaric, she knew that things like these can go corrupt fast, but she expected more discreet from Reajh. Then again, if the people hosting this aren't personally swindling her than she could care less, but if they try, this weirdo seems to have the inside dirt she'll need.
John Johnson gave a loose shrug.
"Does it matter who I am? I'm about as anonymous as you!" he turned to her, giving her a wry grin. "And it's not that complex. Hell, this is like a tradition in the city." He paused to raise a brow at her. "I take it your not exactly from around here are you?"
Then again,s he made it painfully obvious with her accent.