Sorn had been far too distracted by the twitchy guy with the musket to be much concerned about anything else -- until a screamy girl on the other end of a very pointy spear startled him into raising his hands in surrender. The first thing he noticed was the uncertain shake in her grip. The second was the tremble in her voice. This girl had obviously never been in a real fight in her life. He wondered, in the back of his mind, when she'd last seen another person.

It took him half a second to comprehend what she'd just said. How was she speaking two languages at once?

[color=lightgray]"Hah?"[/color] His face twisted, confused. His posture relaxed slowly, certain now that she wasn't about to take any initiative to draw blood. His mouth curled in a sneer. [color=lightgray]"Who'd [i]want[/i] it --?"[/color] The quiet [i]click-hiss[/i] of Smelly's musket sounded from a distance. Before thinking, Sorn twisted forward, grabbed the girl's hands and the spear together and flung her with her weapon to the ground --

[i]BOOM-CRACK![/i]

-- just as the tree behind her exploded in a shower of splinters.

"I know you're there, Sorn!" Smelly called with a slightly manic lilt in his voice, as he stuffed more ammunition in his hot musket. "Come out and get yer head blown off like a good sharky-boy!"

[color=lightgray]"They'll kill you easy,"[/color] Sorn snarled down at the girl, [color=lightgray]"and eat or burn [i]everything [/i]before they leave."[/color] He peered at her, and his mouth stretched in a knowing smirk. [color=lightgray]"But I'll distract him, if you've really got the nerve to use that thing."[/color] He gestured to her spear, watching her steadily while he stepped away from the tree -- into sight of the musket.

"I got you now, Sorn!" the pirate howled.