Kroop leaves and makes a motion of locking his lips and throwing away the key.
After some time with the discussion floating in the air, Gall finally returns looking... perturbed.
Esmarelda gives the cook a smile and a nod in thanks before listening to what her friends had to say. When she noticed the half-giant return to them along with the look on his face she asks "Gall? Something wrong?" gently as she sat up from her hammock, where she had been laying while listening to their other friends.
Gall scowls darkly as he leans his shoulder against one of the pillars that the hammocks are strung up between. "I hope the lot of ye ain't forgotten Owlbear? Turns out Plugg brought the lad over here with us," he begins in a conversational tone, but the frustration and anger quickly bleeds into his tone. "And has him chained up in the captain's quarters like he's some kind of animal. A pet, even! Bloody savages; it just ain't right."
He shakes his head and rubs at one eye with the heel of his hand, trying not to look as tired as he feels. Thinking better of it, he moves to settle himself into his own hammock, sitting in it like a chair.
The news of the mistreatment of Owlbear creates a more somber mood among the companions as they drift off to sleep each individually considering whether they should take a bold step forward or wait to see how events unfold...
She'll try to get anyone who's currently Indifferent to improve to Friendly or even Helpful.
At the beginning of the day, Harmony is again dispirited by how she's sent once more to her least favorite job on the whole ship -- the bilges. The bilges again. As soon as she's out of sight, she curses and kicks the bulkheads while making her way downstairs to the ass end of the Man's Promise. Three times in a row here is no coincidence. Clearly Plugg and Scourge hate her. And after the flogging yesterday, she's in no mood to be particularly forgiving and accommodating herself. She hates right back. Maybe by accident, maybe on purpose, maybe half and half, she botches her work in the bilges today, not managing to tidy it up to expected standards.
Cueta shrugged. She'd never understood just why the others were so affectionate for the Owlbear. Sure, he was dumb, but so were lots of folk. The Owlbear wasn't sweet dumb, he was dumb dumb, meaning he'd do what was asked of him, even if it meant beating another person to death. And that made him dangerous dumb.
But regardless, the others liked the guy for some reason. "We'll keep an eye out to free the Owlbear. Perhaps he'll even be grateful, though like a cur, I suspect he likes his crate."
--------------
Joining Harmony in the bilges, Cueta sets about her tasks with grim determination, bailing and cleaning. The heat gets to her, and at the end of the day the swab can barely stand, almost falling asleep during dinner.
To ensure the didn't feel the whip against her flesh once again, Esmarelda kept her head down and set about her work. Swabbing the deck before getting down and using the holystone on the wood. Though giving it her all seemed to take it all out of her. By the end of the day she looked exhausted and weak. She pushed a hand through her hair, moving the dark black strands out of her face, as she stood and picked up her bucket to return it to it's home when it wasn't being used.
After an uneasy night of fitful sleep, I headed above decks to be once more appointed the task of lookout. Plugg's satisfied sneer had me tilting in the direction of last night's discussion. I forced a smile and an exuberant salute to keep up the appearance that nothing was amiss. I then spat in my hands and started up into the rigging to begin my day's work.
I served with aplomb, but again the tedious work had me aching for my berth by sundown.
The morning sees Gall doing much the same thing he has been the past two days, which only serves to leave him scowling all day. Even with the permanent frown etched into his features, he sets to his daily task of fishing and preparing whatever he catches. Though, he may take more than a bit of begrudging glee out of butchering his catch and picturing it to be Plugg and Scourge as he does so.
During his time carting fish or sea turtles or octopi to and fro, he takes his time about checking around the galley for anything interesting or useful.
The hard work on the ship seems to be taking its toll on the crew.
Plugg whips not only Harmony but Conchobhar Shortstone as well at the end of the day for failing at their tasks.
Both are left on the deck panting and smarting at their wounds. Harmony lends words of encouragement to hm and he grins, "I didn't know ye' cared lass. What do ye' think, a guy like me and a tall lass like you have a chance in this world?" He grins despite the pain.
Cueta, Artevious, and Esmarelda are so exhausted that they can hardly stand and watch the whipping.
Once Plugg is done he addresses the crew, "How many o' these do I need ta' deliver afore you get it! I mean business, pick up yer work or we'll be selling more'n this ship when we reach Port!" That said he stalks away.
Gall spots nothing of great interest around the galley, its as if anything of value is with Plug ans Scourge within their own rooms...
Yawning more than a nervous cur, Cueta hits her bunk like a chest of gold headed towards Besmara's Chest, which is to say she sinks into it, and is snoring loudly almost before even she's closed her eyes.
Grumbling under his breath, Gall gets good and fed up with this life of all-work-no-play. He sets out to gather up who he can among the crew to play a few drinking games, if nothing else. Nothing particularly big, but at the very least, they can hopefully scrounge up enough people interested in arm wrestling to make it interesting.
Though I ached mightily -- being in that confounded crow's nest all day and under the blazing sun is quite taxing, I must say -- I still wanted to see the Owlbear and ask if he'd managed to bring aboard my wayward copy of my mother's novel. It would be most vexing if it were left aboard the Wormwood, seeing as how I lacked the means and, truthfully, the desire to return to that ship.
My fatigue was such that I didn't linger; I just popped in to say a quick hello, sorry for his current state of accommodations, and to inquire about my book. Once I learned about its fate, I promised I would continue his lessons as soon as I was feeling better, but I dare not attempt a day under Plugg's harsh discipline half-awake. Hence, I returned to my berth and was soon fast asleep.
Esmarelda, completely drained from her day's work, said nothing and made her way to her hammock. She curled up in a ball, well the best she could in a hammock, and passed out almost instantly.
"Well, you never know, Shortstone. Anything's possible. But I have to tell you right from the beginning, this is *not* my idea of an ideal date", Harmony answers the foppish gnome as they're recovering from the day's flogging. "Much more...gnh...soft play sort of girl, me." She grits her teeth.
Come evening, for once, miracle of miracles, Harmony isn't fatigued despite the punishment Plugg had so eagerly visited upon her. She does some more socializing, flitting from crew member to crew member until she finds someone she connects with, and then spends the rest of the evening speaking to that person.
Artevious is able to pop in and out speaking to Owlbear briefly, "Owlbear gots the book, Mister Plugg says so I read it again, when he says so..."
Art manages to get back to the quarters of the allies before Plugg or Scourge can ask him why he is fraternizing with Owlbear. All three are fast asleep barely past the time where the sun's rays leave the sky.
Seeing that he should stay near home base with his three companions fats asleep and the future of the crew uncertain, Gall tries to get some arm wrestling in.
Three short matches with Rosie, Kroop, and the scowl faced Fipps result in that activity being curtailed due to lack of worthy competitors! If only Owlbear would be let off of his leash...
Harmony runs into Sandara Quinn on the ship and begins chatting her up, by the end of the conversation, Harmony is sure that Sandara is on her side or at least won't stand against them if they challenge Plugg ans Scourge...
A bit disgruntled by the lack of a challenge aboard this ship, Gall resolves to try something different the next night. In the meantime, he heads off to get to the day's tasks, as per usual. Fishing, cleaning, prepping, and cooking. Someday, he tells himself, I will find a way out of this damned kitchen. Still, he does not mind the company of Fishguts as he works his way through his tasks.
The days of scrubbing the deck begin to take their told upon the varisian woman. She just couldn't keep it up. It was mind numbing work and even though she was in plain view of the crew she felt totally alone.
This was never so difficult on the other ship... I am starting to think this damn ship is cursed...
She knew she'd feel the lash later today. There would be no getting around it once again.
I daresay my relief upon knowing that my wayward novel was neither away nor warded, thankfully remaining in the custody of the Owlbear, did much to lift my spirits. Refreshed from my night's sleep, I sprang up the rigging easily and managed my task of again being the ship's lookout smartly.
If only it didn't take me out of the action so. I was perched far above the deck with only myself to keep company, and couldn't rightly pop down to give the others a hand -- poor Esmarelda was again having a rough go and there was nothing I could do to to assist.
Fortunes rise and fall with the tide, it is said, and right now they seem to be at their lowest ebb. Our own ship's captain going against orders and sailing off, leaving us in the unenviable position of casting our lot with a traitor or becoming mutineers ourselves.
I had much to ponder.
Harmony is clearly starting to run out of steam. Again she flubs her jobs during the day working in the bilges, providing unsatisfactory work. In her mind's eye, she can already see the upcoming punishment during the flogging hour and, as she continues working in the filthy water, she flushes with growing anger.
Perhaps because this is a bad day in so many ways, she also flubs her chatting with crew members. Of course, a flub for Harmony would be seen as silver tongued by many others. But she knows herself that she could have done so much better.
Cueta gives Harmony a grin as they're assigned the bilges again. "Getting to be a second home, eh?"
Seeing Harmony suffering as the day goes on, Cueta doubles her efforts in an attempt to get both of the womens' work done. At the end of the day, the bilges are bailed and scrubbed, but Cueta's spent. Looks like another night spent in her hammock.
Gall's work fishing and cooking in the kitchen is grueling but the half giant is resilient and manages to accomplish his tasks admirably.
Cueta works diligently but not diligently enough for Plugg not to notice Harmony's failings.
Esmarelda's position is high profile enough that she cannot hide her inability to keep up at her work.
Before the day is over Scourge calls out both Esmarelda and Harmony for a whipping, "Maybe this'll motivate ya' ta' work harder a'fore the day is done!"
From his position in the crow's nest Artevious observes the events on the deck below, he glances up for a moment.
Eriziel "Rizz" Aleson - You did it! You escaped Cheliax by boat. Serving an employer who tried to enslave instead of enrich you and slaying them is frowned upon, even by the wicked of that country.
Now though, an escape by the sea seems a poor choice, supplies dwindling low and with no land on the horizon the future seems bleak...
I observed the happenings upon the deck far below me and couldn't help but feel frustratingly out of the action. Not only could I be of no use to help the young ladies who still struggled under Scourge's watchful eye, but now I would have to watch once more from the nest while they fell under the lash.
I cast about desperately, hoping for something to distract Scourge from his grim task, when I caught sight of a small shape bobbing along on the waves. Perhaps providence was finally at hand!
"Belay that, Master Scourge!" I shouted down from my perch. "Starboard side, look sharp! We've got a boat about a mile straightaway from midships!"
Scourge calls out to Plugg, "Get this ship turned starboard now! Take yer positions and prepare for boarding hardies!"
The excitement of some action causes Scourge to forget about disciplining Harmony and Esmarelda.
Harmony lets out a sigh of relief as Scourge's attention is distracted. She shifts off to the side a little bit, trying to draw as little attention to herself as she can, and tries to take Esmarelda by the arm to pull her away from Plugg's vicinity as well. Then she just waits to see what's going to happen.
Ritz moans to herself. She's not sure's what's worse: the boredom or the lack of supplies. She probably shouldn't have used her only blanket as a bird catching contraption. Stupid bird.
Stupid sky. Stupid water. Ughhhhhh.
Gall, hearing the shouts for boarding to be prepared, storms his way straight out of the galley without a second thought. Snatching his broadsword up on the way, he makes it to the deck just in time to see Harmony and Esmarelda scurry out of the way. Naturally, he moves to plant himself between Plugg and the pair of women to give them a meatwall to hide behind.
"About bloody time! I were gettin' all sorts of restless. Who've we got the pleasure of plunderin'?"
At first nothing seems amiss, well more than it already is anyway. Then you begin to hear something, from far away. A voice, perhaps you are hearing things. You turn around and then you see it, a ship and it is heading towards you!
-------------------------
As the ship closes in on its target you all quickly realize this is no grad task but a small distraction from you daily routine. The boat could not possibly hold more than four people. Scourge and Plugg are grinning ear to ear at the prospect of attacking even so small a vessel.
A ship!
Ritz immediately looks around for something to signal them to her presence if they haven't already noticed. After a few seconds she can be seen waving a hemp rope around wildly as it swings in the air and slaps the water.
"Hey!!!" she yells. Her voice has a bit of grain to it, making it a bit low for a woman, but it has no problem carrying over the waters.
"Hey!!! I'm over here!"
Esmarelda joined her friend as she pulled her away from Plugg and Scourge. She did her best to keep her head down and stayed at Harmony's side.
"Thank you." She told the Chelaxian woman quietly so that most around them could not hear her words. "If we are lucky they will forget what happened..." She said as she waited to see what would happen.
Cueta heads to her bunk and grabs her boarding pike and long bow rushing back up hoping not to miss the action.
Plugg begins cackling as the person on the boat appears to be waving a rope to draw the ship in!
Scourge calls up to Artevious, "Unfurl our flag, let this fool know the doom that comes for them!"
Scion of a fierce pirate as I was, I could certainly understand the elation that comes when a sail appears to be ripe for the taking. However, I could hardly fathom Plugg and Scourge's apparent glee when I looked over the bobbing little dinghy off our starboard bow. It was small, hardly worth noticing and certainly not laden with enough cargo to be of any value. Furthermore, it appears the ship's lone occupant was hailing us. Someone in such a small boat so far away from a coastal settlement may in fact be in need of rescue and if such were this fellow's affairs I could hardly blame him -- or her for looking to us for salvation. Hence, I was quite puzzled by Scourge's demand that I display our flag.
"Ahem, sir? What doom, exactly? I daresay there is little doom to be spread around in either direction. I believe there is only one person aboard yon vessel, and he appears to be hailing us. That poor sailor may well be looking to us as rescuers -- so unfurling the black might be a rather rude turn of events."
Scourge looks up at Artevious, "Unfurl that g#$%+@n flag or I'll hang ye from that mast in its stead!"
Plugg taps Scourge on the shoulder, "The damn fool is right, its just a lone dinghy, let's press that halpless fool inta service. Esmarelda's worthless on the deck and Harmony in tha' bilges, we'll be needin' that one ta get some work done round here!"
The ship stays on course to intercept the small boat which has no hope of escape now.
---------------------
As the ship comes closer you realize that you may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire, while the ship appears to be a merchant vessel, it is obvious from the well armed, non-uniformed crew that it is something else entirely, a pirate crew!
Harmony is good just watching from the sidelines, focusing on self-preservation. She appears tentatively curious about the dinghy or whatever small boat is approaching, but ultimately, her first priority is on trying to stay out of Plugg and Scourge's line of sight, hoping they forget about her punishment.
Rizz, realizing that the vessel in front of her may not actually be the harbor she is seeking. Then again....
She takes a a quick stock of her supplies. Other than the basic gear she had on her, she had enough water for a couple more days, a broken fishing rod, a well-used bucket, and some damp rope. Yep, no decision to be made.
Eagerly, Rizz starts rowing towards the pirate vessel using her great sword as an oar.
Whoever is on that boat is either brave or crazy as they begin rowing towards the ship!
Once the ship gets close enough, Scourge yells down to the halfling all alone in the boat , "Ya' seem ta' be in a real pickle there lass. Know that ye're addressin' the Scourge of the Arcadian Ocean and ye' be our prisoner!"
"Yes! Take me aboard!"
It must've been an odd sight, finding someone eager to board a pirate vessel to be taken prisoner. However, Rizz had had enough of the solitude of the open sea. Also she wasn't looking forward to slowly dying from starvation, dehydration, or drowning.
Gall quirks a brow in puzzlement at the shouted request, but he moves to grab one of the large coils of rope laying about the ship. (Hopefully) before Scourge or Plugg can reprimand him, he moves to the railing and hurls it down to the woman. "Come on then, lass, let's see if we can make ye useful!"
Pike in hand, Cueta stares out at the water, anticipation turning into a scowl as it becomes evident there's no pirate ship, but rather just a dinghy, bobbing along the waterline. Plugg! Only a moron would find enjoyment in raiding a lifeboat. Plunking her pike's pointy end into the ship's deck, Cueta sighs and joins Gall at the railing. "Oy! Come on up then, we'll not drop ya!"
Plugg turns to Scourge, "This one is so delirious she is happy we're takin 'er prisoner!"
Scourge turns to Esmarelda and Harmony, "Don't think I've forgotten yer poor performance, ye'll take this new one and have her assist with yer duties. The next one o' ya that fails she''ll be replacin' ye, permanently..."
Esmarelda gave a rather worried look as she over to their new comer.
Permanently.... does that mean we'll be gotten rid of?
An easy feeling settled into the bottom of Esmarelda's gut as she shifted a bit. "If she replaces one of us... what will we then be doing?" Esmarelda asked softly.
Rizz hoists herself onto the larger ship with ease. She reaches the deck and jumps for joy.
"Thank the gods I'm off that dinghy!"
Rizz is genuinely optimistic and relieved to be saved from an otherwise horrible end. Thankful to her saviors, regardless of who they are, Rizz bows enthusiastically as she introduces herself.
"I'm Eriziel Aleson, but just call me Rizz. I'm pretty sure this is a pirate ship, but anything is better than dying slowly on that banged up dinghy down there. Glad to be aboard!"
Harmony would be happy to welcome Eriziel otherwise, were she in a less precarious position with the ship's masters Plugg and Scourge. As it stands, she's worried enough about herself that she doesn't step forward to present the newcomer with the warm welcome that she surely is going to need on board this godforsaken ship. She just sighs a little, glances sideways to Esmarelda, seeing the look in her eyes, and nods mutely.
From what I could observe from my perch way up in the crow's nest, our new arrival seemed quite glad to be aboard. I for one couldn't wait to meet her and find out what strange mystery she represented. In my mother's tales, whenever my father found a stowaway or someone stranded upon a lifeboat or piece of driftwood, it always heralded the start of a grand adventure. I doffed my hat and waved at her in welcome for the time being, while my imagination ran. Would she be a lost princess of the gnomes? Or carry with her the treasure map of a great pirate hoard? I couldn't wait to find out.
"Good meetin' ye, Rizz. I'm Gall," the towering half-giant replies with a smile that might seem at odds with the enormous sword he brought with him to the welcoming party. Still, he neglects to bow in return and gestures toward Harmony and Esmarelda for the halfling's benefit. "Best ye follow them two, seein' as they'll be teachin' ye." Especially since, in his mind, they are likely moments away from Plugg and Scourge demanding the group get back to work.
Scourge grins wickedly in response to Esmarelda's question and stalks off.
Plugg looks around, "The day's work is done or close enough to it. Harmony and Esmarelda, show Rizz to the bilges and finish up down there, no breaks for slackers. Gall, drop anchor here. You two" he points at two of the former crew of the Promise "get on that dinghy and get it up here as a spare life boat".
Harmony tries to speak to one of the former free sailors as they pass by but whether lack of confidence or comments from other crew members the man just sneers at her.
Harmony leads Esmarelda and the newcomer Eriziel down to the very bottom of the ship, where the nasty rank bilge water is collecting and gets about emptying and cleaning the area. This time she does much better than during the day, both managing to do good work and not get any further fatigued than she already was.
While working, she tries to talk a little to Eriziel. "How did you end up in the middle of an ocean alone? Did your ship go down, or were you sent away?" And also some introductions, of course. "I'm Harmony. As you may have gathered, this is a pirate ship and several of the crew members aren't here exactly voluntarily. Plugg and Scourge, whom you already met, are in charge here, and they won't hesitate to put you to the lash if you perform poorly."
Rizz hums to herself, still in a chipper mood. though she may be tired, she's a hardy little gnome and pushes through the labor.
Esmarelda did her best to hide the shutter that worked up her spine from Scourge's creepiness.
Besmara give me luck...
Esmarelda turned to Rizz and her attitude changed slight. "Welcome aboard, for what is it worth." She told the halfling. "I'm Esmarelda, and this is Harmony." She said as she pointed to her friend at her side. "Come with us and we'll show you the bilges..." She sighed.
When Rizz didn't seem to answer Harmony, Esmarelda reach out and waved her hand in front of the gnome's face. "Rizz?" She asked.