Air Pirates!

(Cap)
To be honest, I didn't want to see them off. These types of things were always so awkward. Most of the time I was sending people to gather information or scout the area coming up ahead. In those cases I'd give the group some advice. But, I couldn't give advice to this group. There was nothing that I could tell them that would prepare them for their journey. They were going to find out soon that there was more to the story than just air pirates and evil empires.
But I saw them off anyway. It was the right thing to do. There wasn't much talking; I think everyone involved had realized that this mission was pretty important. I shook gauntlet's hand and hugged Tetra.
"Good luck," I whispered to her. I then smiled to the both of them, and walked back to my cabin.

I pulled my cloak tighter around myself. It was eerily quiet, which meant either the Empire was here or they had just left. Either way, we'd have to move fast. I glanced over at Gauntlet who was just staring out into the fog. "We'd better go make sure Hirli is up. We'll have to move quickly once we dock. The ship needs to make a quick getaway from here."

I vaguley rember a faint knock on my door before a loud noise and the cold sea water on my face. "Aah", I sputtered

"Get up, you lazy oaf. We've got work to do."

"Fine" I spit as I get out of bed grumpily.

We were an odd group together. I'm sure the people living in the port city of Daylon raised some eyebrows. But I didn't notice them. This was an adventure. This was my chance to be a hero, like my dad. He was a soldier, fighting for the Republic before the empire took it over. That's really why I became a pirate, because it was the only thing I could do to fight the empire.
We wandered through town, gathering some supplies we couldn't take from the ship. Hirli wanted to buy all of the liquor in the liquor store, but Tetra and I convinced him to only buy 5 bottles of rum. I didn't want to drink, I needed to be as attentive as possible.
We eventually made our way to the harbor on the other side of the island. There laid the boat we were supposed to take. It was a very small ship, the smallest non-rowboat I've ever seen. It's name was the Lost Prophet. The name was stylistically written on the side of the ship(it covered most of the boat).

((Mind if I join?))

((yeah, sounds fine. Just make a character or two (I suggest two, so you have someone in both of the two plots) We could either have your character just awkwardly added to the group, or we could build in something like you're a villager who joins or something. We'll figure something out.))

Name: Alyca (also known as Alex)
Rank on ship: from town
Weapon: two cutlasses
Skills: very good at fighting with double swords, dabbles in strategy and knife throwing
Personality: Spunky and sometimes a little childish, she loves it when people underestimate her
Description: but with deep forest green eyes.
Background/history: She grew up in an orphanage after her mom left her in the middle of the night, at the time there were mostly boys there she she had a fairly rough and tumble life despite the mistress's attempts to make her a lady. When she got older she started dressing like a boy and going down to the docks to work for tips. When she does this she goes buy the name Alex.
Other: she likes riddles and puzzles and anything that will sharpen her brain.


Name: Simbyc
Rank on ship: Cabin girl
Weapon: a small knife
Skills: can almost fade into the background, making it easy to listen in on conversations as people tend to forget she is there. Can sit still and quiet for long periods of time.
Personality: Tends to be very quiet, preferring to listen than talk. But that doesn't mean she is weak. She just knows when to stay silent.
Description:
Background/history:She just appeared on the ship one day. No one even noticed she was there (except Tetra, who caught her trying to slip away with some food.) until someone thought to ask how the cabins were so clean. After that they let her stay as long as she kept up the hard work.
Other:


I wandered the docks looking for a job. The captain over there with the scruffy beard and tired looking eyes was far too broke to be able to pay me, that captain with the tiny mouth and angry look tended to hit people he thought were trying to steal from him (aka everyone), and that one by the water had enough hands already. It was then that I noticed the lady. That was strange. There were not many women sailors around. I walked over to where she and the two men with her were standing and smiled; the perfect image of a small scrawny boy looking for some cash. "You need help miss?" I asked, carefully keeping my voice somewhat low so she would not hear the high pitch that marked me as a girl.

I was mumbling thing in coherently under my breath about the small amount of liqour I possesed. Walking on with the group. The ship seemed alright, nice small boat. Would be easy to overtake. Hope we don't hit pirates.

"Well, hello there! Do you happen to know who captains that xebec there, the one called Lost Prophet?" I asked the young child. He looked young, if not a bit feminine. I ignored Hirli's unhappy mumbling.

((Xebec:


Basically, very small and very fast. if you want a different ship, this website has a list of ships: http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm
))

((yeah, that's fine. just remember that it flies.))
I walked up to Tetra, and as nonchalantly as possibly whispered into her ear, "I think that's a girl."

I heard what he said but ignored it. If I challenged him it would just cause problems. And I had been in enough fights on this dock to know that causing problems was a bad idea. "Captain Sterman. He usually has luch at the Lazy Cod, the pub down the road. I can show you there if you like?"

"Uh, no thanks, Lassie, we're kinda in a hurry, and don't really need to be seeing any captains. But thank you," I said, trying to be polite. It really wasn't my strong suit. After being on a pirate ship for a year, your manners go down the drain.

"Well the lady asked who captains the ship, the answer is Captain Sterman. If you are in such a hurry then you obviously want to talk to him sooner rather than later." I retorted, then bit my tongue. Insulting people was not a way to get a job around here. But he did insult me first, talking down to me as if I were nothing but an annoying dog yapping at him. so I did not apologize.

"Will you take us to him please?" I asked politely, shooting Gauntlet a look to be quiet. When the child nodded and started off, I slid a knife down my sleeve and pointed it at Gauntlet. "James is drawing off the Empire, if we steal the ship, they'll start hunting us too. We do this legally, for now." I spoke quietly and let my words hang in the air for a moment before I slid the dagger back up my sleeve and followed the child.

I sighed. I hated doing things legally. It made things a lot harder.

I led the way, nimbly avoiding carts and puddles. Was walked down the road, towards the other end of the harbor, then stopped in front of the Lazy Cod. A fish shaped sign faded with age and saltwater hung above the door. I pushed it open and went inside. It was smoky and dark inside. If someone would bother to clean the windows it might be better lit, but sunlight and drunken eyes do not mix. So I was left picking my way around tables till I got to the far end of the room. Captain Sterman was a tall and lanky man in his late 20s. He had dark hair and I could see the beginnings of a beard. "hello sir. I have some visitors for you." I said to him. He was one of the nicer captains, I did a lot of business with him, so he knew me.

"Captain Sherman, I presume." I greeted him politely and with a slight curtsy. He stood immediately and offered me a seat, all the while eyeing Hirli and Gauntlet. I sat with a gracious smile. "These are my men; we would like to charter a ride upon your vessel. Hirli is an engineer." I gestured towards him, noticing his looks of longing at the tankards all around. "Gauntlet is a warrior. And I am both medic and cook. We all know our way around a ship and would not hinder your own travels." I paused, letting him digest the information. "We would also be interested in bringing that boy along with us." I gestured towards ((Tiana)).

I whispered in Tetra's ear, "I'm still pretty sure she's a girl. And do you really want her on our ship? We've all known eachother for a year or more, and we just met this lass. Are you sure this is the best idea?"

I nodded slightly. "We need to get to the Isle of Drasdia." I told Sherman. He looked surprised.
"Why Drasdia?" He asked, suddenly looking very suspicious. I fished for a plausible answer and just said the first thing that came to mind.
"My brother has just purchased a manor there and he insists I come live with him there." I replied, hoping it was believable enough.

A manor? Her brother purchased a manor... then why the heck would I and the drunkard be here. Well, Gimli made some sense...you do need an engineer to pilot a ship. But why me? My quick thinking brain came up with a solution, and I quickly said it...even though it wasn't exactly a very good one.
"And I'm her husband, that's why I'm coming with," I hope it didn't sound to out of place. Wait, who am I kidding, i was trying to convince an obviously drunk man, I had this one in the bag. Of course, it was not the best thing to say, based on the fact I got the dirtiest look I've ever seen from Tetra.

I was shocked. me?! why on earth did she want some skinny boy she had just met? She didn't even know either of my names! One of the men, Gauntlet she had said he was called, whispered in her ear. I narrowed my eyes at him. he did a little too much whispering for my taste. Then they started talking about manors. I could smell the lie a mile off, growing up in an orphanage or boys makes one good at seeing lies. I think the captain saw it too, but decided to let it pass. Money was money. The funny thing to me was Gauntlet seemed to think very little of Sterman, I could see him eying the tankard on the table. it would be his first I knew. He had just come into port this morning, and had time before his next voyage. He drank very little while sailing, always saying that was a way to end up on the rocks. So he always relished his drinks on land. I pulled my mind back to the conversation. Her husband huh? Judging by the look she gave that was a biiiig lie. "So I get why you are going, but why me?" I asked.

"You have a knack for knowing just when to take action." I said to the boy, clearly an orphan, I figured he probably didn't get steady work. "Captain Sterman, will you take us? My brother, Lord Henry Masillion, will no doubt be ready to pay you any extra expenses we cannot cover." I dropped the name, knowing immediately after that I had hooked my fish.

I stared at her. She had known me all of five minutes, had seen me snap at her friend and then lead her to that captain. that was it. When had she figured that out? Then she mentioned the Lord. " THE Lord Henry Masillion?! I gasped. He was practically king of Drasdia. Everyone knew about him. Some said he was a saint, and always helping people. some said he was a devil worshiper and people who defied him usually went missing.