Li chuckled as Cici summed up everything so neatly, making a mental note to add "guildmaster" to list of things he would allow himself to be called from now on. [color=7bcdc8]"I couldn't ask for a better group! Considering I handpicked all of you from hundreds of other wandering sellswords, I'd say most of the credit for this amazing team is mine,"[/color] he joked. These were, in fact, the only sorry excuses for adventurers willing to sign on with some no-name country bumpkin Bangaa. "Handpicked" was a bit of a misnomer when there were only a handful of them to begin with, but such distinctions were of no importance to him; after all, for all they knew, he'd actually scouted out hundreds of potential applicants.

[color=7bcdc8]"Well I suppose we're still missing my story, aren't we? I'm not one to talk about myself that much, but I guess I can share,"[/color] he figured, leaning back in his seat a little more and crossing his arms nonchalantly. He'd been rehearsing this story in his head since he woke up that morning. [color=7bcdc8]"I was the captain of a merchant ship. Just a regular ship, not an airship or anything like that. For years my crew and I ferried passengers and goods from Bervenia to Baguba and everywhere else in between. The last few years had been tough for the crew; it just wasn't nearly as safe to sail anymore. Pirate attacks became more and more frequent, and soon, nearly all of our business had been take by airship merchants, who could move cargo more quickly and safely than we could,"[/color] sighed Li. He then leaned forward a bit, closing his eyes and looking down, as if the next part pained him to say aloud.

[color=7bcdc8]"The crew became unhappy. We were small time even when business was good, and back then we still barely made enough to feed our families. We didn't have the gil to upgrade to an airship and finding any work at all was a constant struggle. I could do nothing to help them. Then, one day, my first mate staged a mutiny, and all but a few of the crew rallied behind him. They planned to join up with a pirate fleet to make more money, but they knew I would never allow it. They killed all the men who refused to mutiny, and they wanted to kill me too. But I escaped, by some miracle. That was three months ago..."[/color]

[i][color=7bcdc8]They're eating it up, I'm sure of it. I never knew I was such a great actor.[/color][/i]

[color=7bcdc8]"But now I'm here! And I couldn't be happier with my new crew. As far as I know, none of you are currently planning to kill me, which is a marked improvement over the last group I led. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in the contract, but attempting to slit the guildmaster's throat in his sleep is frowned upon,"[/color] he noted, dryly. [color=7bcdc8]"But I'm sure that won't be a problem. You guys seem alright to me,"[/color] he added, casually.