The small shadow of a fairy, as well as the occasional flutter of Dain's wings as he moved about on the ship, was not something that the men before the mast had yet learned to recognize. Their ears were attuned more to the hard crack of a man's booted heal upon the wooden decking and the clearing of a grog-wetted throat. So when the fairy rapped hard on the smooth polished door he received no answer from within, though there were certainly voices beyond. Closer at hand, however, were the surreptitious murmurs of at least two male voices down the hall. A flickering lantern cast their shadows on the wall, and even those seemed furtive and crafty, though the men they belonged to were just out of sight.

[color=f7941d]"Are there enough of us on board to make a move?"[/color] The first voice sounded young.

[color=1a7b30]"I'd say so, yes, but it's not a matter of just numbers, [i]boy[/i],"[/color] came the reply, this voice far deeper, older, and somewhat slower. Also meaner. [color=007236]"It was a given that Donnie would have to go, and that stick-up-his-ass Darfellan as well. But we were all expecting Ricko to be hired on as first mate so we'd have access to the armoury. What do you know about her?"[/color]

[color=c4df9b]"I've never shipped out with her 'afore but I hear tell she's been on the wrong side of the black line before. Mayhap she'd be willing to throw her lot in with us if the price is right?"[/color] The third voice was quieter and more thoughtful. [color=c4df9b]"I hear she likes a good game of cards. Might be a good chance to talk to her."[/color]

[color=1a7b30]"It's too big a risk,"[/color] came the second voice again, and one of the shadows shook its head. [color=1a7b30]"Soon as she refuses we'd be forced to kill her."[/color]

[color=c4df9b]"Well then we'll send her to the bottom."[/color]

[color=1a7b30]"Agreed. I'll tell the others. Blow that lantern out, boy."[/color]

The tallest of the shadows lifted the lantern, causing the flicker of light to jump and warp, and then it was gone, the three men moving down the cramped hallway the other way.

Just then, foot-steps approached the captain's door from within, and Blaine's own voice could be heard from the other side. 

[color=00a99d]"Ye have a job to do, you know,"[/color] he said, a reluctant grin in his voice, [color=00a99d]"Much as I enjoy the company of as lovely a lady as yerself, I can't spend this whole voyage with you in my lap."[/color]

[color=a187be]"..mmm...your loss, Captain."[/color] The sassy, purring tone of a female sounded strangely like it was coming from somewhere near the floor. The doorknob twisted and opened inwards, the newly-oiled hinges barely squeaking. 

[color=00a99d]"Oh, good evening Mr. Crest. Did you knock? I certainly hope you weren't waiting here long."[/color] Blaine looked down at the moth-winged fairy, a lop-sided sort of smirk on his face. A sleek gray shape threaded between Blaine's boots and oozed around the door-frame as supple and silent as a scarf in the hands of an exotic belly-dancer. Two emerald green eyes glanced up, framed by a set of ashen stripes and long whiskers. Slightly bigger than the average cat, the female licked her lips, and the owner of the second voice was suddenly revealed. [color=a187be]"By your leave, Mr. Crest."[/color] And then she was off down the corridor of the gently-swaying ship, her long tail held up high behind her, the tip bent haughtily. After watching her go, Blaine moved to the side and turned back to Dain. [color=00a99d]"Care to join me for a drink?"[/color]

--

Kira's fiddle wouldn't be the only one on deck that evening. The excitement of the first night out on the open sea was always a bit of a celebration in and of itself. But most sailors didn't have anything nearly as fancy as an instrument crafted in Green Fall. 

And most of them were lingering on the main deck, while Jharnia seemed to have made a home for herself as close to the bowsprit as possible. She was a pretty girl, barely into adulthood, with dark brown skin and long black hair secured down her back with a set of thin bands of carved coral. Her clothing was made out of something turquoise and gauzy that covered her chest and her legs but kept her midsection bare. Probably not the wisest choice on a ship crewed by salt-hardened seamen.

Kira's heavy bootsteps on the deck behind her caused Jharnia to look around, her brown eyes startled. She had been busy with what appeared to be a turtle-shell bowl full of seawater and shells. 

[color=39b54a]"Oh! Ehm. Gud evening madame Kira,"[/color] she replied shyly, her own accent was almost as thick as Kira's but vastly different. [color=39b54a]"Yas, I am Jharnia."[/color] Her eyes darted over Kira's intimidating clothing, seeming to pause on the various silver flourishes on the way down to her boots. She stood up and held onto the railing tightly, clearly still unsteady on the rocking deck. She frowned a little uncertainly, guessing that Kira hadn't come to talk to her on a whim but unable to figure out what it was she might need.

[color=39b54a]"What does the first mate do? Did you need something from me?"[/color]