Maréngo watched the other party members start to file out and decided to make his own exit. He gave a friendly nod to Skarsat as he stood and wiped a bit of grease from the pheasant with his hand which he wiped on the side of his pant leg.
[color=00a99d]"Be seein' you tomorrow then. Don't go breaking anything you can't pay for and you,"[/color] he said pointing at Neh'miah with a smirk, [color=00a99d]"don't steal anything else you can't get away with before we set off."[/color]
He smiled at the both of them and chuckled before making his way back downstairs and into the main area of the tavern, but not before having Percy jot down a list of what he'd want for the journey; just a few odds and ends. With that, Maréngo rejoined the festivities. The celebration was in full swing and he would be severely disappointed in himself if he woke up with coin in his pocket. He might very well meet his god in the next few weeks so he would live like he was dying tomorrow as he did every day. No one takes coin with them past the grave so what good is holding on to every bit of it you touch? No good at all. Which is exactly why the sailor went straight to the top shelf and shared a bottle with a table of fellow seamen all equally as loud and burly as he. Such a fine icebreaker as passing around a bottle of master brewed cabernet warmed them up to his company right away.
[i]"And where have you been all night, friend?"[/i]
The question came from a man with a golden hoop in one ear who gave a hearty laugh as he drank straight from the bottle before passing it along to the next man in line. Maréngo grinned as he watched the bottle circle back to him. He grabbed the neck and took a long swig, finishing the last of the bottle before slamming it back down on the table.
[color=00a99d]"Me? I've been waitin' for a group of fine men to drink and tell stories with!"[/color]
A cheer went up around the table as mugs and horns smacked together.

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The festival carried on and before long Maréngo was thoroughly tipsy. His boisterous and animated way of telling his stories had started to attract the attention of other patrons.
[color=00a99d]"--And the wave brushed the heavens as the water swallowed the galleon whole like a monstrous shark!"[/color] He stretched his hands to the ceiling of the tavern as his voice rose. [color=00a99d]"And then crashed down on our ships with all the fury of the Kraken!"[/color]
The excitement in the small gathering around him only swelled as he brought his arms down on a tiny imaginary ship. He swayed a bit as he reached for a mug of ale on a table beside him and brought it to his lips, spilling a bit as he set it back down.
[color=00a99d]"Everythin' went blacker than oil as I spun in a storm of water and wreckage. I had no way to know which way was up and only by pure luck and the will of the Lord of the Seas did I see a flash of lightning to my left."[/color] He clapped his hands together for emphasis. [color=00a99d]"I kicked off what I thought to be a mast and swam for all I was worth. My lungs burned like heated shot as I kicked and clawed at the dark water. It seemed like I'd never make it."[/color]
His face fell as he clutched at his own shirt and it was easy to hear the despair in his voice; in another life he would've made a great living in the theater. The crowd was on the edge of their seats when all at once he rose up tall and proud with his chest out and a gleam in his eyes.
[color=00a99d]"But then my hand broke through the deep and I felt the howlin' wind on my fingers! I was alive but for how much longer? I grabbed tight to a piece of floating wreckage and looked around. I seemed to be the only survivor but I was far from safe. I called out to Lord Leathe and begged for the life of this lowly acolyte. I clung to the wreckage for hours and beseeched him until my throat was raw and soon my prayers were answered. I was carried right into the eye of the monstrous storm which was right over a small archipelago. I swam for all I was worth and came ashore shiverin' and near dead. Barely a moment of rest did I have before the storm closed back around me. I don't know how or when I managed to fall asleep but I opened my eyes to this world and not the next. I was still alive, but only just! I spent two weeks drinking the blood of sea animals and eating turtle meat near raw until I was rescued but I survived, didn't I!?"[/color]
The group cheered and Maréngo downed the rest of his ale. He grinned as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked around. The night was growing long in the tooth and he thought he might like to retire… with company of course. He left the group after a final toast and moved on to find a lovely lady or two to keep him warm later that night. If not, there was always plenty of drink left to warm his guts and help him to sleep.