Uban grinned impishly, and even went so far as to gently and playfully slap Yawar's arm with the back of his hand. "Oh, you got a lady love, eh? Good for you, mate. I had a lady back home, but..." Uban cringed, "There was this other guy who I had to compete with, you know. And I kinda accidentally killed him in a bar fight. Pretty much ruined my chances there." He shrugged, awfully casually for having just mentioned committing murder, however accidental it might have been. For a moment, Uban considered the benefits of a lens that would shade his eyes from the reflection of the sun off the water. It would be nice not to have to squint so much...maybe he'd figure out where to get some for himself and for Rohaan. 

The man smiled, pocketing the scribed balls. "I've heard of mages out there sort of...redirecting lightning, but not one of them can create it like I do," he boasted, practically beaming. "I'll tell you what though, it takes a hell of a lot of energy to do it. We go through a whole lotta food on this ship between me, the kid, and Wheel, not to mention everyone else. In fact, just before you guys boarded, I'd been experimenting with what I'm really capable of doing, and I'll be honest with you, I'm barely on my feet right now. I'd probably chop off a man's finger just to get another cup of coffee, but how Rohaan got his hands on the first one I had, I'll never know."

Uban nodded in Hana's direction. "Oh yeah, she's real smart. Smarter than me, I tell ya! She knows all about things like runes and that sort of thing, and how they relate to magic. I came by mine just sort of on accident, naturally, you know. So I don't know anything about..." he gestured inarticulately. "There was a word for it. Erm, Candips, or some such." He shook his head. "I don't know, you'd have to ask her." 

--

Berlin glanced over at the two men conversing and chuckled lightly. "That would be best. But I wouldn't worry about that one. He's pretty harmless." He said this right as Uban sent a lead ball and an arc of electricity sparking into the air, which, considering what he'd just said, made him smile a little self consciously. "What I mean is, Uban could probably make friends with a rabid dog. It's the kid you've got to watch out for. Wheel is a bit hotheaded maybe, and a little unfriendly at times, but the boy's far more devious." 

Speaking of Wheel, Kaga-Met seemed to be fairly interested in the berserker. Berlin supposed that if he allowed himself the space to think about it instead of worrying about diplomacy, he'd be fairly interested in who this Millie woman was, too. Berlin scratched his chin, and absently thought it might be time for a shave. "Wheel mentioned at one point he came from Vyrm, though he didn't say too much about it..." Berlin studied Kaga-met, wondering just how much he should reveal. He figured the explanation did have some tactical relevance, so he said, "He's had a lot of training as a fighter, I know that much. But more importantly, he's a Berserker. We never discussed in great detail how he got it--some brief words here and there, but nothing entirely illustrative--but he's got a curse on him. I don't know how much you know of these things, but it grants him unparalleled strength, speed, and battle prowess in general. I've seen bullets bounce off him. A side effect is that he often experiences intense bloodlust. I'm better equipped to handle that sort of thing than most, but every so often I'll turn him loose on my enemies and..." Berlin shrugged. "We've found a good rhythm. But like your Millie, he's tight-lipped about his past. I only press when it's relative to the health and cohesiveness of my crew." 

As Kaga-met signaled to Yawar, Berlin watched in a shifting visage of curiosity, confusion, outright shock, and thoughtfulness. He had an an initial jolt of surprise and...perhaps something like aversion before he began sifting through the implications of what he'd just seen. Uban took a step back, mouth hanging open but sort of loosely working as if he tried to say something but his jaw was broken. Finally he uttered in a breathless whisper, "Medical condition my ass..." There was a nervous smile on the sailor's face, partly to break the tension between them and partly to diffuse his own nerves. 

Rohaan's sable fur stood on end as he hissed, and his little ivory claws emerged from the soft tips of his paws to prick Pieter's legs. He hadn't meant to, and as soon as he realized what he was doing, he extricated his claws from the fabric of Pieter's pants. The cat rubbed his small head against Pieter's chest in apology, but his ears were flat and his tail twitched. 

Berlin wondered out loud, "Tevira's tits...what must that be like...?" Rohaan had told him something of the unique eyes of small insects, and from what Berlin knew, he guessed that seeing through that many lenses at once had to be nothing short of disorienting. 

Berlin was relieved to hear that Kaga-met was willing to not only cooperate, but it seemed there'd be something in it for all of them beyond the mere satisfaction of retribution. The captain grinned and shook Kaga-met's hand, and this time there was none of his odd, subtle magic in the contact. "Pleased to have you, Kaga-met." Berlin looked out towards his crew and whistled, indicating that they should join him and Kaga-Met. Rohaan moved to Pieter's shoulder, opting to both stay close to someone he trusted and also to stay in animal form. He'd learned that if he was in an animal shape, people were less likely to try and speak to him or otherwise engage with him. When it came to strangers, he preferred it that way.

"Captain Kaga-met and I have decided to join forces for the time being. It should go without saying, but he and his crew should be treated with respect and cooperation while we destroy our common enemy." He gave particular attention to Rohaan as he said this, though he knew he'd need to have another, private conversation with him as soon as he got the chance. "Am I clear?"