[hr][hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/eqC3afw.png[/img]
[sub][color=f5deb3]with Roslyn Wicke [@Fallenreaper][/color][/sub][/center][hr][hr][color=F5DEB3][center][h2]N O   P L A C E   F O R   A   P R I N C E S S[/h2][/center]
[hider=O N E]The lower decks were no place for a princess, but Penny had hardly lived as one of late. She'd spoken as much as she dared with Yvain, shot Guy a distrustful glare or two at opportune moments, and made a bit of smalltalk with Zarina, with whom her relationship remained nothing if not ambiguous. She'd tried, a few times, to surreptitiously find out what the others had been apprised of in their missives, but she'd gotten the sense that she held considerably more information than most and had kept it close to her chest. Then, blessedly, they'd come into port and the waiting was finished. How Penny hated aimlessness![/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2]T H E   B A D G U Y S[/h2][/center]
[hider=T W O]The Perrenchwoman was hardly paying attention to Zarina as she marshalled her players like they were an orchestra and she its conductor. It wasn't out of rudeness or disregard, however. Penny had noticed the brig in the harbour and recognized it immediately as the Nar Sant Iermu - the infamous St. Elmo's Fyre of Captain Xavier Falzon. Dimly, she registered that they were not alone. [color=f7976a][i]Ayla... Leon...[/i][/color] Her eyes searched a small square nearby. [color=f7976a][i]Trypano... Ciro...[/i][/color] All of these, she was either indifferent or ill-disposed towards. Then, she sighted Roslyn. [color=f7976a][i]Dammit, Rose. Why'd you have to sign on with the badguys?[/i][/color]

That was a brief distraction, however. [color=f7976a]"That ship,"[/color] she announced, pointing in its direction. [color=f7976a]"She's the St. Elmo's Fyre, out of Djamant."[/color] Penny shook her head tightly, eyes fixed upon it. [color=f7976a]"I know her captain: an absolute slimeball."[/color] Slipping free of her crutches and propping them under her stump, she unslung her knapsack from her shoulder. [color=f7976a]"Let me handle that angle,"[/color] she declared, businesslike. Already, she was extricating a particular outfit from the bag. Had she gained substantial weight since the start of her pregnancy? She certainly didn't feel quite as light on her foot, but she wasn't visibly [i]showing[/i] yet. 

Penny glanced about to take in the reactions of others, looking for any objections or offers, as she closed up the pack, slung it over her shoulder, and palmed her crutches. [color=f7976a]"I'm onboard with Zarina taking the animal angle. Maybe Yvain to meet with the Marquis?"[/color] She glanced at her cousin before shrugging indifferently, almost as if to say 'figure it out, peasants'. Presently, Taleja, the Kressian, did exactly that, volunteering to tend to the sick and wounded. It was what the Perrenchwoman would've done had not she sighted the pyrates and had not she been with child. That one seemed utterly inoffensive, but she was still indelibly Kressian and, from Penny's experience, there was no such thing as one without a nationalistic streak. Penny inclined her head politely in return, but she still did not trust Taleja an inch further than she might throw the girl. 

She took a moment to evaluate the others. While she rather liked Rikard, he was still half a child and might make childish decisions. Zarina was not as smart as she thought herself, but she was a fundamentally decent and competent person. Yvain had been having something of a crisis recently after figuring out that he was not, in fact, the strongest, smartest, and generally [i]best[/i] person about, but he was capable and this might be an opportunity for him to recover some of his swagger. Guy was weak magically but skilled; utterly untrustworthy on a personal level but could be counted on to be absolutely loyal to the crown and its objectives. 

Penny realized that she was standing quite aimlessly in the midst of her evaluations. She shrugged and shook her head to clear it. [color=f7976a]"Right, well I suppose I should follow her lead,"[/color] she concluded. [color=f7976a]"It's rather a walk out to that ship."[/color] With a polite nod and a smile, she took her leave. [color=f7976a]"I shall reconnoitre with you all in a handful of hours, by the large disturbingly phallic statue in the square, no?"[/color] With that, she was off.[/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2]M E T H O D   A C T I N G[/h2][/center]
[hider=T H R E E]The docks were an alien place to Penny Pellerin, and so she decided that it was time to method act. There had been precious little shame as she'd dipped into a tavern, disappeared into a booth, and changed into clothes that didn't mark her as the sort of girl one might either bow before or try to rob, depending on one's inclination. [color=f7976a][i]Instead, they now will wonder how a painfully plain girl with one leg makes a living in the world's oldest profession.[/i][/color] She had paid the innkeeper to hold her valuables and her forearm crutches in storage and was back on axillaries. [color=f7976a][i]Why did I make war on my armpits for so long?[/i][/color] she wondered, eyes flicking about her surroundings, but she could bear it. She'd managed that way for nearly seventeen years before switching over, and the muscle memory quickly returned. What she could not get used to, however, was the cut of this skirt. It was so short as to be drafty. It was downright indecent. She was a woman engaged and with child! [color=f7976a][i]and also one who needs to be welcomed onto a pirate ship.[/i][/color] She resolved not to hesitate if any of the criminals got... handsy.

She walked along, falling into a particular strut, dodging around the moving crates and bustling sailors as if this was everyday business, trying not to gawk or rubberneck at the exotic sights, sounds, and scents. She wrinkled her nose. Jorubans and Revidians were everywhere, along with a smattering of Torragonese. Of friendlier peoples, she noted precious little, with the exception of a well-oiled contingent being led by Brother Hodari. In truth, though Penny knew what a hostile Mezegol might mean for Belzagg, she was tired of politics. Perhaps that was why, upon noting the presence of a Ciro Volta who seemed almost comically eager to avoid her, she simply let him think that he had. It had occurred to her to make an annoyance of herself, but... she sighed. She could make his life miserable later.

The St. Elmo's Fyre hove into view and she was every bit the majestically ramshackle thing Penny remembered from Isla d'Amato, but for the great gashes in her stern, hastily repaired. [color=f7976a][i]Sixty meters? [b]Seventy!?[/b][/i][/color] Penny wondered, slowing unintentionally as her gaze scanned the brig from one end to the other. She shook her head. There were many monsters that lay in the deeps but, surely, none were [i]quite[/i] so monstrous. [color=f7976a][i]Get there first,[/i][/color] she reminded herself, picking up her pace once more. It was - much in contrast to the brimming anxiety and peril of this place - a rather nice day. Gulls circled overhead. The port was busy and bustling. There wafted the aromas of street food to her nose: authentic and exotic cuisines of East Severa. Unbidden, Penny found herself smiling and even whistling a little sea shanty she had learned specifically to feel more in-character. [color=f7976a][i]Method acting: [b]now[/b] you're doing it![/i][/color]

For a moment, her attention was drawn by someone who appeared to be wearing the robes of an official. He was handing out these big glass jars to a cluster of people who'd gathered around. Penny came to a stop. She nibbled her lower lip. [color=f7976a][i]Just a small detour.[/i][/color] She made her way over, standing on her tip-toes to see over some of the shorter heads once she was close. [color=f7976a][i]Belzaggic.[/i][/color] She spoke it a bit: like a foreigner, but she spoke it. [color=f7976a][i]Most people here will know it.[/i][/color] 

[color=f7976a]"Sorry Captain Xavier,"[/color] she mouthed under her breath. [color=f7976a]"I'll see you soon enough."[/color] Then, she scanned the crowd, chose her quarry - a friendly-looking man who had taken one of the jars - and contrived to be bumped by him. She stumbled and began to fall. Surely, knocking a cripple over would warrant an apology and, hence, an opportunity for conversation, at least!

The one-legged woman was only saved from an ignominious tumble by a strong dark hand that reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Her hair flew about and one of her crutches clattered free, but she remained on her solitary foot. [color=f7976a]"I- I'm so sorry!"[/color] she blurted, in heavily-accented Belzaggic, a common second tongue around here. Her eyes were wide. [color=f7976a]"Ugh! I'm clumsy. Are you okay?"[/color]

[color=7FFFD4]"Oh no no no!"[/color] came the quick reply. [color=7FFFD4]"I'm okay. I'm sorry. Are [i]you[/i] okay?"[/color]

Penny smiled bravely, trying not to lay it on too thick. She wasn't herself: a woman with royal blood in her veins, who'd faced death a dozen times, who'd slain sanguinaires and blood mages and grand demons. She was some sailor's daughter who made a living by getting men to pay for her. [color=f7976a]"Just fine, and maybe we agree to split the blame, yes?"[/color] She crouched on the spot to reach for her fallen crutch, but her saviour scrambled to retrieve it first. [color=7FFFD4]"Oh no. It was me."[/color] He offered a nervous laugh. [color=7FFFD4]"We have so much to move, you know, in so little time. We're rushing about like madmen here."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Thank you,"[/color] Penny chirped, accepting the crutch from him with a shy smile. [color=f7976a]"It's amazing to see so many people working together."[/color] She gazed up, doe-eyed and innocent, at one of the large ships being loaded. [color=f7976a]"I do hope we can do it."[/color] She twisted to regard him more directly. His Belzaggic was flawless. He was likely from there. [color=f7976a]"I hope we all come back safe."[/color]

[color=7FFFD4]"A girl like you isn't going..."[/color] the man offered with some concern, and Penny shook her head. [color=f7976a]"I have some of the Gift,"[/color] she countered, face determined, [color=f7976a]"and I've done little with it. I would like to sign up, sir!"[/color]

He looked her up and down, evaluatively, and Penny's conscience began to prickle at her own deception. He was of an age with her father. [color=7FFFD4]"It's Kofi."[/color] He held out a hand. [color=f7976a]"Penny!"[/color] she replied, taking it eagerly in hers. With her free hand, she brushed some of the hair from her eyes. [color=f7976a]"I'll be honest: I haven't been here for very long and I don't know where to get started, but I came here to do more than just..."[/color] she trailed off, looking guilty at the ground. [color=f7976a]"Well, y'know."[/color] She coaxed some blush into her cheeks and shrugged in shame. [color=7FFFD4]"Hmm. Well, you'll need a crew to take you and -"[/color] He glanced at the empty side of her skirt and she snorted. [color=f7976a]"Oh, I'm absolutely no use on a ship."[/color]

[color=7FFFD4]"You don't have to do this, Penny."[/color] He looked at her with such... [i]fatherly[/i] concern and lack of judgement that she resolved right then and there to ensure that he survived. This man was more than a tool. He was a person, and a good one. [color=f7976a]"I know,"[/color] she admitted, [color=f7976a]"but I want to. Things don't get better unless people who have some power act."[/color] 

He smiled and clapped her on the shoulder. [color=7FFFD4]"Well, you have some of the Gift, right?"[/color]

[color=f7976a]"I mean... I'm no Hugo Hunghorasz."[/color]

[color=7FFFD4]"Hah!"[/color] Kofi laughed. [color=7FFFD4]"If only we had him, or brave Jobanzaggah."[/color] He shook his head. [color=7FFFD4]"Alas, it is not so, but if you are even one hundredth of him as a wizard, then you will be a great boon to our effort. Come with me."[/color] He hefted the large jar again and motioned with his chin. Penny nodded and smiled hopefully, surprised to find that it was genuine. [color=f7976a]"I [i]do[/i] have one question, however,"[/color] she interjected, as they began moving, [color=f7976a]"That jar you're carrying: what's in it?"[/color][/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2]F R E N E M Y[/h2][/center]
[hider=F O U R]Penny had emerged from the ship, tucking both a pamphlet and a few vials of an unknown liquid into the pouches on her belt. She stood there for a moment, fastening the clasp and... there was Roslyn: [color=#cbc66d]"Penny? I didn't expect to see [i]you[/i] here!"[/color] 

She hadn't [i]seen[/i] anything, had she!? [color=f7976a]"Uh... [i]Rosy[/i]!?"[/color] Penny blinked, a surprised smile finding its way onto her features. [color=f7976a]"Ipté's bottom! Fancy [i]that[/i]."[/color] She shook her head in disbelief. [color=f7976a][i]Method acting, baybay.[/i][/color] She paused, halfway to embrace, and canted her head slightly. [color=f7976a]"You're not..."[/color] Her voice sunk a bit and she glanced about surreptitiously. [color=f7976a]"With [i]them[/i], are you?"[/color]

Roslyn's eyes made a quiet glance at where Penny had come from and back to her friend. She didn't know what to think at this point. It was clear on her face through her eyes and the lack of a smile. That dark, unsettling feeling started to bloom in her chest again. Taking a deep breath, she let it clear her head for a moment. She lowered her voice. 

[color=#cbc66d]"If you mean Ciro and the others, yes. He invited me after finding me spending a bit too long at the bounty boards."[/color] Her eyes remained on Penny. [color=#cbc66d] "That doesn't explain why [i]you're[/i] here."[/color]

Penny shrugged. [color=f7976a]"To kill the beast on behalf of my country and its allies,"[/color] she replied. [color=f7976a]"I get the sense that we've got the same goal, but we're kind of on different sides."[/color] She began moving again, forcing Roslyn to either follow or be left behind. [color=f7976a]"I'm headed for the St. Elmo's Fyre there."[/color] She gestured with her chin. [color=f7976a]"I've... encountered those pirates before and they're not to be trusted, but the Marquis has them on a leash and they're the last ship to see the White Thresher."[/color]

The answer satisfied Roslyn as she walked next to Penny, listening to her friend continue. Her eyes glanced at the ship that drew closer with each step. At the mention of having met those pirates, her head snapped back to Penny. 

[color=#cbc66d]"From the sounds of it, your experience with pirates was a little worse than mine."[/color] She continued, her own information lined up with Penny's. [color=#cbc66d] "I will admit, it is hard to believe someone has a strong enough leash to keep pirates loyal."[/color] Roslyn had left out the bit about the Count's request while she continued. She had primarily signed on to kill the beast, not play politics. 

Penny did not act upon the invitation to share further. She liked Roslyn well enough, but they were on opposite sides here, and it vexed her. [color=f7976a]"Oh, they're not loyal,"[/color] she offered, [color=f7976a]"just desperate, beaten. The moment they can slip the leash, rest assured they will."[/color] 

Roslyn glanced down briefly, but her step never stumbled. [color=#cbc66d] "That makes sense."[/color] She let the silence fall in between them. Her heart rushed back to pound into her ears the closer they came to the dock where the Elmo's gangplank rested. 

Then, they were there. A quartet of local guards stood before them and a pair of rough-looking pirates lounged against a stack of barrels closer to the vessel. From its decks could be heard the sounds of chatter and laughter, particularly those of a certain sort of woman. Penny took a moment to plump her lips with a flash of magic, enhance the colour of her eyes, and remove the dirt from under her nails. Sensing the draw of mana, Roslyn glanced her way and her eyes narrowed in confusion. [color=#cbc66d][i]What are you doing?[/i][/color] The Perrenchwoman decided against tightening her corset, but compensated by lowering her neckline and hitching her already-short skirt up a bit more. In the young amputee's mind, Roslyn was a much better looking woman than her but, when the former drew any male attention, there was almost always a sense of curiosity about what she looked like beneath the empty side of her skirts. [color=f7976a][i]Time to stoke that.[/i][/color]

For a moment, she glanced at her friend-turned-opponent and was about to offer the advice to doll up. That was almost certainly their way onboard. She caught herself, however. She would never go so far as to directly sabotage Roslyn, but what happened here could have significant consequences in the future. Whichever side was of greater assistance to Mezegol in this crisis might very well gain their allegiance. [color=f7976a][i]Sorry little duckling. It's either sink or swim for you, on your [b]own[/b] merits.[/i][/color] [color=f7976a]"You sure you wanna be here, Rosie? It's... dangerous."[/color]

[color=#cbc66d]"And being tasked with killing a White Thresher [i]isn't[/i]?"[/color] She cast about for another option, but it seemed there wasn't one. [color=#cbc66d]"Besides, I'm not the one carrying children in my belly."[/color] 

Penny was about to respond, but then they were close to the guards. Swallowing her distaste for the lewd display, she broke into her strut again - the one where her hips swayed back and forth like a cobra. Penny came to a stop in front of the four of them. [color=f7976a]"Hello boys,"[/color] she cooed, twirling some hair, [color=f7976a]"I've received an offer to go have some [i]fun[/i] on that ship."[/color] She made a show of looking up at it in wonder, leaning forward and twisting until her tits were practically hanging out of her blouse. [color=f7976a]"Of course, only with your permission, good sirs."[/color] She drew back coyly and did her one-legged estimation of a curtsy.

All that time, the Elmo's wounds glared at her: impossibly huge - impossible to have survived without exceptional luck or... something else she could not, at present, determine. She caved momentarily and her eyes flicked Roslyn's way.

The Hendlishwoman had fallen just slightly behind Penny. Still, she followed as she swallowed down the fear. [color=#cbc66d][i]No turning back now...[/i][/color] Roslyn realized. She reached back and snapped her hair tie easily. Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, as she shook her head to loosen it a bit. A pretty face could at least avoid some trouble, or so she hoped.

The response was immediate. Roslyn let down her hair and batted her lashes and was a dozen times more effective than Penny could've ever hoped to have been. They were ushered through. [color=f7976a][i]I am completely outmatched.[/i][/color] She knew it for a certainty. She was not attractive. She had never been and never would be. Ashon, for all of his kind words to the contrary, loved her not because, but in spite of it. [color=f7976a][i]What man looks at two women and thinks, 'I want the one with one leg'?[/i][/color] The duckling had caught on and Penny was finished. 

They made their way to the gangplank and there were two pirates. The roguish, vaguely handsome one gravitated towards Roslyn and the fat drunk settled for Penny. [color=f7976a][i]A way on is a way on,[/i][/color] she counseled herself. [color=f7976a][i]You have Ashon. You love him and he loves you.[/i][/color] The pirate's eyes flicked between her chest and the loose, flapping fabric of the left side of her skirt. [color=f7976a][i]Fuck you. Fuck you. [b]Fuck you![/b][/i][/color] It was all she could do not to twist on the spot and glare daggers at Roslyn. [color=f7976a][i]Fuck your pretty, stupid face! You've never taken even the slightest bit of initiative your entire fucking life! Why now!? You knew [b]exactly[/b] what you were doing, too. This was [b]my[/b] lead - [b]mine[/b] - and you just ran up and stole it![/i][/color] The worst part was not that Roslyn had done so, it was that Penny was utterly helpless to stop her - helpless, just as she had been before Ersand'Enise. 

She swallowed and tried to calm herself. Roslyn was not her enemy. Roslyn was her friend, even if they found themselves on opposite sides right now. How could she have doubted that? How could she have begrudged her an honest, non-intrusive attempt to get ahead? How could she have thought such bitter, nasty things!? What need had Penny for male attention anyhow? She was engaged and with child! She found herself wishing that Ashon was here. He'd have known what to do. He'd have come up with some brilliant outside-of-the-box solution and they would've succeeded together. 

She met the pirate's eyes for a moment and flipped a switch, an upbringing within the royal family of Perrence equipping her with the ability to do so. [color=f7976a]"Pick one, hmm?"[/color] She smiled challengingly, starting to ascend. [color=slateblue]"I'm a lil' greedy,"[/color] the man slurred. [color=f7976a]"Well no shit,"[/color] Penny replied, slipping for a moment, [color=f7976a]"You're a pirate."[/color] For a second, his smile fell slack, but then he laughed. [color=slateblue]"Oh, you gotta wicked sense o' humour!"[/color]

Inwardly she grimaced as the line came to her. [color=f7976a]"Well, I wanted to get off on the right foot. Permission to come aboard?"[/color] She batted her eyelashes sweetly and, for a second, she could see the cogs turning behind his eyes. Then he let out another bark of laughter. [color=slateblue]"Sure! Hop on!"[/color][/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2]F I G H T I N G   S H A P E[/h2][/center]
[hider=F I V E]Whatever Roslyn did next was none of Penny's business. There were a half-dozen local girls aboard the St. Elmo's Fyre. A couple had the look of professionals. The others were either out of curiosity or to make a quick buck. A couple of glares were splashed her way, along with a couple of inquisitive looks. More than one evaluated her top to bottom with their eyes. She had her way on, though, and it was enough. Now, to get to the captain or quartermaster without having to do anything more than some harmless flirting and maybe a quick kiss. She set to work.

[color=f7976a]"So, what's your name, big guy?"[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Oh my gods! That sounds so scary![/color]

[color=f7976a]"Would you believe me if I told you it was a shark?"[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Well that just means there's more of you to love, right? Hee hee!"[/color]

She dragged him about the ship, feeling like the worst sort of fraud the entire time, waiting for him to sober up and lose interest. A couple of pirates snickered. One or two made kissy faces in her direction. [color=f7976a][i]Method acting, Penelope. Method acting. You are a strumpet. Be the strumpet.[/i][/color] She managed a little twinkle-fingered wave and a blown kiss and continued her tour. If the repairs were ugly, they were effective, and the Fyre appeared to be back in fighting shape, but a quick scan revealed a lack of gunpowder down below and a general shortness of provisions. They were subsisting mostly on hardtack and even alcohol was scarce. Her 'host' must've had a personal stash. It soon became clear that Quincy - yes, that was his name - was trying to lure her towards a more private area of the ship and she was trying to politely resist without making it clear that was what she was doing. 

Then, all at once, Penny felt someone's breath on the back of her neck. She started to whirl but was caught around the shoulder by one strong arm. [color=82ca9d]"Well look at [i]you[/i], Easy Access."[/color] The intruder's free hand brushed through her skirt and squeezed her legless hip. Fire and ice raced through her veins. She drew energy instinctively and, only a last moment reminder of what she was supposed to be prevented her from blasting him to shreds. [color=f7976a]"Handsy handsy,"[/color] she scolded, using a tiny bit of magic to push herself partially free. She turned to face him, and he was a big fellow - at least six-four and built like an ox. [color=f7976a]"Didn't mama teach you to wait your turn?"[/color]
 
[color=slateblue]"Hey!"[/color] shouted Qunicy, [color=slateblue]"Yeah, she's mine!"[/color]

[color=82ca9d]"Oh, and who would you rather be with?"[/color]

[color=f7976a][i]Not a rapey pig who just walks up behind girls and reaches under their skirts![/i][/color] 

[color=82ca9d]"This little porker?"[/color] the big man scoffed.

[color=f7976a][i]You are a prostitute. What would you do?[/i][/color][/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2]U L T E R I O R   M O T I V E S[/h2][/center]
[hider=S I X]Then, there came the sound of loud, purposeful footsteps and her unwanted admirer's hands fell away. Penny twisted on the spot. [color=7ea7d8]"How about neither of you?"[/color] declared a commanding voice. It was Captain Falzon. [color=7ea7d8]"Fancy seeing you here again, Penny Pellerin."[/color]

Of [i]course[/i] he would recognize her. [color=f7976a]"I didn't get enough last time, captain."[/color]

The big man began to stammer a protest, but the captain silenced him with a glare. [color=7ea7d8]"Don't you have provisions to be moving, Salcedo?"[/color] he snapped, before turning his ire on the other. [color=7ea7d8]"Quincy, shouldn't you be on station?"[/color] Both hurried off presently and the remaining two watched them leave. The captain turned to face her. [color=7ea7d8]"Why are you here?"[/color]

She regarded him, thinking of the best approach to take, and decided on more-or-less honesty. [color=f7976a]"Same reason you probably are: to kill the thing that carved up your ship."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Hah! Ah-haha!"[/color] He shook his head. [color=7ea7d8]"Still fulla shit a year later, Hopper."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"You can choose to believe it or not, but that's what I'm here to do."[/color] By mutual agreement, they began walking.

[color=7ea7d8]"Oh, I don't doubt you are, with ulterior motives, but we sure as hell aren't."[/color] He shook his head. [color=7ea7d8]"Thing already tore us up once and that was enough for one lifetime."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"I don't doubt it,"[/color] Penny agreed, coming to a stop by a recently repaired gunwale, spare planks and hammer still to be found nearby. [color=f7976a]"I'm not blind to the wounds on your ship."[/color] Presently, she began moving again. [color=f7976a]"And yet here you are."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Not of our own free will."[/color] He shook his head. 

[color=f7976a]"How unfortunate."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"You just [i]ooze[/i] empathy, Pellerin."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Why thank you!"[/color] she chirped in reply, but her face quickly became serious. [color=f7976a]"Why are you here, then? Arraigned finally?"[/color]

The pirate scowled. [color=f7976a]"Isn't it obvious? We dumped everything, mages pushed themselves to exhaustion creating more wind, and made for the nearest port. Was the only escape."[/color]

Penny furrowed her brow. [color=f7976a]"The white thresher's a bluewater, though, right?"[/color]

He nodded, but also shook his head. [color=7ea7d8]"Heh. Yeah. Not like any bluewater I've ever seen before, though."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Why didn't you just go into the shallows somewhere instead of coming into port? You had to have known you were wanted."[/color]

He stopped abruptly and leaned against the gunwale. [color=7ea7d8]"Why don't you gimme a little credit, kid, huh?"[/color] He shook his head, gazing out over the port. [color=7ea7d8]"We were taking on water and it's all cliffs around here. Zengali's the only place to land."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Well, you're alive, at least."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Aye, and prisoners."[/color] He spat over the edge, both he and Penny idly watching the wad sail into the water and land with a small ripple below. [color=7ea7d8]"Barely provisioned. They're stringing us along, gonna try to force us to fight."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"And how much of their trade have you disrupted?"[/color] she countered. [color=f7976a]"They don't owe you anything but the gibbet."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"[i]Dami[/i], you're a vicious little thing."[/color] He scowled. [color=7ea7d8]"It's just another sort of death sentence. We escape the noose and get thrown out in the vanguard against a beast we've no shot of killing."[/color] He snorted. [color=7ea7d8]"You think the marquis is gonna risk his own people?"[/color] He regarded her evaluatively for a moment. [color=7ea7d8]"Why do you think [i]you're[/i] here?"[/color]

[color=f7976a]"We're from Ersand'Enise. He'd never be stupid enough to view us as disposable."[/color]

For a moment, the captain just looked at her. Then, he snorted. [color=7ea7d8]"No, I guess not."[/color] He shook his head. [color=7ea7d8]"Your zenos sent you, then?"[/color]

Penny paused before answering. He was trying to bait out a lie, she realized. [color=f7976a]"We sent ourselves out,"[/color] she admitted, [color=f7976a]"two groups, representing Perrence and her allies and Revidia and [i]hers[/i]."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Ah, there's the real play. Anything for the flag, princess."[/color]

For a moment, she froze, but it was only a moment. Of course he'd have known. Of course Amelea would've told him. [color=f7976a]"You wanted honesty. You got it."[/color] She shrugged, watching the silhouette of a large fish meander by in the water. [color=f7976a]"Mezegol is going to be important strategically in the war that we all know is coming. We need to make a good impression to skew them either neutral or over to our side."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"You people and your politics,"[/color] Captain Falzon spat, [color=7ea7d8]"Willing to kill and die for something that isn't even real."[/color] 

[color=f7976a]"Maybe not to you, Captain, but I never really had a choice, did I? And the 'unreal' idea of Perrence has moved millions since the time of the Avincians and their feather-duster helmets, one way or another. I'd call that plenty real."[/color]

He sighed and waved her off dismissively. [color=7ea7d8]"Sure. Whatever."[/color] His gaze was starting to become a tired one. [color=7ea7d8]"Now, do we have any more to discuss?"[/color]

Penny shrugged. [color=f7976a]"I think we can beat the creature. You survived it before as a single ship. We'll have an entire armada at our disposal, and some of the best young mages in the twin continents. I've seen things you can't imagine, Captain, and I believe the reverse is likely true as well. I've no intention of dying at the claws of an overgrown lobster and I can't bring myself to believe that you've packed it in so easily."[/color]

He regarded her evenly. [color=7ea7d8]"Mhm?"[/color]

[color=f7976a]"But I don't think waiting until they provision you and then running is your best option."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Oh isn't it?"[/color] he grunted. [color=7ea7d8]"Not sure where you got such a daft idea."[/color]

She regarded him implacably and he snorted and shrugged. [color=f7976a]"They'll either blow you out of the water or the beast will get you. Less of us fighting it also means we might not win."[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Some things aren't meant to be overcome by the works of men."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"And yet you said it was like no other bluewater you'd ever seen. Something unnatural about it? Perhaps a Revidian experiment gone wrong?[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Unlikely, but it was fucked up,"[/color] he admitted, [color=7ea7d8]"Bigger than any I've ever seen, moved in a jerky, erratic way, bluish-green gaps in its scales."[/color]

[color=f7976a][i]Bluish-green,[/i][/color] Penny thought, [color=f7976a][i]Bluish-green.[/i][/color] Then it came to her: that was the colour of threshers' blood! She realized that she'd been silent for a good few seconds, however. [color=f7976a]"Listen: I'm only asking you to take the lower-risk option that benefits us both. I abided by you in good faith last time, didn't I?"[/color] He'd have known very well that he [i]hadn't[/i]. Another extended pause ensued, and she could practically [i]feel[/i] the captain thinking. [color=7ea7d8]"It's about pride, too. They've kept us chained like beasts here, slowly starving us. The men don't wanna work for 'em and I can't blame 'em."[/color]

Penny didn't miss a beat. [color=f7976a]"Little bit of provisions would go a long way, huh?"[/color]

[color=7ea7d8]"Would,"[/color] Captain Falzon agreed, [color=7ea7d8]"if they weren't ruthless cheap bastards. Exi knows these aren't even our hunting grounds. We never hurt 'em."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Captain,"[/color] said Penny, turning to face him in earnest, [color=f7976a]"I'm going to secure you some things you need - nothing too spicy like weapons - and we're gonna work together."[/color]

He scowled and studied her. [color=7ea7d8]"'ll think about it,"[/color] he grunted.

[color=f7976a]"And I'll get to work." [i]Best to stroke his ego a bit,[/i][/color] she thought. [color=f7976a][i]Let him think I'm working for him. Toss in a sprinkling of shame.[/i][/color] She was already thinking of finding Guy and asking him for something that might tickle a Djamantese.

[color=7ea7d8]'We'll see what you can bring."[/color]

She didn't try to shake on it. That was not the way here. [color=f7976a]"Likewise."[/color][/hider][/color] 
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