Markus raised an eyebrow and looked upwards, giving a smile that momentarily revealed his youth, as if to ask the Gods how he fell in with such a crew. The Gnome woman held herself up defensively, her big blue eyes darting around with a wary edge. Markus was glad the Gnome did not see the Gnoll behind her, as he had a look that spoke of unbridaled hunger, and how much of a delicacy he considered this newcomer. 

Markus took a step forward, measuring Grimey. He already knew the answer to his question, but he needed to be skeptical for appearances sake. "You know how to handle a gun?" 

"Ha! I know my way around a gun better than you know your way around your-" 

"Jim, escort our new lady crew member to the deck and introduce her to the crew. Make sure you tell Sketti how she got here and let him tell her where to go." He ordered the younger boy. Jim gave a quick look around the room, the monster, the short gunner, and the dangerous vixen all made him equally uncomfortable. "Aye sir," he said, and pulled on Grimey's blouse lightly. She smacked his hand. "Oi, you should know better than to touch a lady!" Yet she followed him, thankfully. 

"I'm not sure if I brought a blessing or a curse." Calliope remarked.

"You can go now, Sron." Markus said, heading back to his desk. 

The ship rocked lightly, and a faint yell was heard from on deck. No doubt the crew was now getting along swimmingly with their new crewmember. The Gnoll gave a rough reply, the first time it had spoken since it's introduction in the Buggered Whale. "Aye Captain." It said the words very slowly and deliberately, its voice sounding far too menacing and bestial to ever be taken lightly, and he turned to leave, his humped back nearly bumping into the top of the door. 

"Oh and Sron? Don't eat the newcomer." 

"...Aye sir." 

With that, the door closed. Markus breathed a bit easier as soon as it did, looking a bit more like the lost swordsman that had found her in the dungeons in what seemed far longer ago than it was. "Our first port and you managed to get us a new gunner after we left it. That's impressive." he said with a smirk. She gave him a sly look that oozed with an 'of course I did.' Markus replied with a wicked smile that showed his teeth. 

"But if we want to keep the crew," he said, heading over to the other side of his desk. "We need a good haul. Did you get our bearings?" 

The words of Sketti rang in his ears. 

Markus was no fool. He was never the negotiator or the ambassador for his father's court or estate, but he did serve and dwell there long enough to know more than his fair share of politics. He at least knew enough to know that to trust anyone blindly, particularly a recent tyrant, was a bad risk. But there was mutual gain here, and even past that, he felt he knew her kind of anger at the world hidden beneath the surface. He could relate, and maybe after they cashed in on this hunt, he'd let his guard down...a bit. 

The ship rocked due to the swell of a wave, and an opened rum bottle slid across the desk. Markus somehow caught it without even giving it a glance, picking it up and taking a swig. He felt like a light buzz. 
[@Penny]