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[color=1E90FF][b]Interactions[/b]: Kalliope [@Tae][/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Mentions[/b]:[/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Time[/b]: 1800[/color]
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With a fist to his chest, Sjan-dehk returned both the bow and grin with ones of his own. This woman was turning out to be quite the interesting character. Few would consider sneaking aboard a warship only to be caught and placed on the ugly side of a dozen muskets to be a mere game, he wagered. Either she was a remarkable thespian putting on the most convincing act he’d ever seen, or she was – as he’d suspected as an aside earlier – no stranger to violent confrontations. 

Both would’ve earned her respect with him; the first for the sheer amount of skill, and the second for being a kindred spirit of sorts. Besides, she had the mind to be considerate of his crew despite everything. That spoke of some goodness in her heart, and that had to count for something. 

[color=1E90FF]“Don’t worry about it,”[/color] he said with a wave of his hand. [color=1E90FF]“There’s no need for you to apologise. They made a mistake, they have to suffer consequences. Today, they were lucky. It was just a cheeky woman looking for some fun. Next time, our visitor might not be as harmless.”[/color] That wasn’t just a hypothetical; Sjan-dehk was speaking from experience. Not every province was quick to choose sides when the war broke out. A handful tried to remain as neutral as they could, and that meant allowing vessels from both the rebels and the Crown and Court to dock at their harbours. Spies and agents stealing documents and plans from ships belonging to their enemies was the norm back in those days. Sjan-dehk had lost count of the number his crew had captured after the hundred-and-fiftieth one. 

Now that he thought about it, that was all the more reason for him to punish his crew. This wasn’t anything unknown to them; they knew what they should’ve done. Cleaning the ship’s six latrines seemed like almost too light of a penalty, now. But it was too late to change anything; Sjan-dehk had already told them what to do, and he wasn’t too keen on going back on his word. Even for something like this.

[color=1E90FF]“Anyway,”[/color] he continued. [color=1E90FF]“Nice to meet you, Ka-”[/color] The woman’s unfamiliar name tripped on his tongue and stayed there. Sjan-dehk cleared his throat and tried again. [color=1E90FF]“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ka- I mean, Lady Arden. I am Wasun Sjan-dehk, captain of Sada Kurau and the Fourth Lesser Marquis of Jafi.”[/color] Once again, he gestured to the ship around them. [color=1E90FF]“We just arrived this morning, so my crew’s busy getting her fixed up and ready. I’ll show you around, but excuse the mess.”[/color]

The [i]Sada Kurau[/i] was a lovely vessel indeed, as Kalliope had said, but there really wasn’t much of her for him to show. Or to be precise, there wasn’t much need for Sjan-dehk to actually bring Kalliope around; flat as the deck was, they could easily look up and down the entire ship’s length from where they stood. There was a raised quarterdeck at the stern, yes, but it wasn’t particularly high. [color=1E90FF]“This way,”[/color] Sjan-dehk said and beckoned for her to follow him to the prow. It was as good a place as any to start. 

[color=1E90FF]“Fore-and-aft rigged, three masts.”[/color] Sjan-dehk pointed to the rigging as they walked along the deck. As he passed each idle crewman, he gave them a friendly greeting as well as a reminder that Mursi was the sort to fill idle hands with difficult work. [color=1E90FF]“But see the horizontal yards? She can fly square sails as well when we need speed rather than agility. The rigging is complicated, as you can see, but-”[/color] He pushed aside a tangle of dangling ropes and tackles for Kalliope to pass under. [color=1E90FF]“-she’s got a bloody skilled crew. The sails can be changed before our enemies even know what’s happening.”[/color]

From the prow, the two of them could see Sorian bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Be it made of stone or wood, thatch or tile, it seemed as if every building shone in the twilight. Little pricks of flickering light marked where lanterns or candles had been lit in preparation for the night. Sjan-dehk leaned against the forward guardrail. Truly, it was a beautiful sight. Beautiful enough that he almost missed the dour, grey castle staring down at him. In the day, it seemed majestic – and it still was in a domineering way – but now in the evening? It was almost drab compared to the rest of the city.

Sjan-dehk drew in a deep breath and glanced at Kalliope with a grin. [color=1E90FF]“A damn fight sight, isn’t it?”[/color] He said and patted the cannon he stood beside. [color=1E90FF]“We’ve got four chasers here at the bow. They’re unlikely to finish a fight on their own, but they can slow a runner down, or give them a fair warning before we close in for a scuffle.”[/color] He pointed to a shelf fixed to the curved guardrails on either side of the guns. White bags stuffed almost to bursting sat on them, and underneath were a row of cannonballs. [color=1E90FF]“Stay clear of those. We keep powderbags and shot close at hand for our guns. Always have to be ready for anything.”[/color]

He drew in a deep breath and looked out at the city again for a moment. [color=1E90FF]“You know,”[/color] he started and turned to face Kalliope. [color=1E90FF]“I do have a question for you. I didn’t think we’d meet anyone here who could speak our language, but here you are. You’re not doing too badly at it, too. If you don’t mind me asking, who taught you? Where’d you learn it from? Would be great if we could find any of our own living around these parts.”[/color]