Kroop looks to the Markborn and frowns, Aye boy, lunch is ready. We'll be bringin' their lunch soon. Kroop then turns and walks back towards the wooden plates to prepare the food. As he walks towards Jesal, he leans towards him a bit.
Sandara looks somewhat flabbergasted at Charlotte, No, I haven't been able to fix something like that! I didn't know the Pirate Queen gave powers like that as well. Can ye teach me how to do that later, lass?
Quarne's eyes twinkle in delight when he sees your 'schematic', When can you have it completed? I must confess, I am intrigued by your design. I've never outfitted one of the crew with such a wondrous device, due to some officers' reservations about such things. However, in light of the recent amount of foolishness, I am sure they will agree this is the correct way to discipline incompetent crew. You've seen the hunger in their eyes, that urge to inflict and observe pain, but they hold themselves back, like starving men afraid to steal a bite of ambrosia. Two surgeons couldn't be wrong, could they, my boy?
"I'd be glad to show you. It's hardly a complex thing to do, but it's quite convenient to have on a boat."
Iggy raises an eyebrow at the cook and his "apprentice", clearly showing that he's heard the questionable turn of phrase. He doesn't bother to say any more, knowing a scared cook would make bad food. Knowing the food won't be far behind, Ignatius heads back to the deck to join with the rest of his new-found friends. Stretching and taking a more crouched position than actual seated beside Charlotte, he grins. "So what sort of folks do we have here?"
"Weee-ee-eell..." Charlotte draws out, tuning the newly-repaired string, "I can certainly put in a good word for the cleric here and the swordsman over there, and you saw just as well as I did how that quartermaster was. Other than that, most of the crew seems starved for entertainment, so I gotta say I don't have the captain in very high esteem. How about you? Find anything... interesting, down there?
"Found a thief that's in for a keelhauling, some nasty big spiders, and enough bilge water to fill half a small inn." He grimaces at the last part. "But you know, I haven't been introduced to your friends yet.." He pushes the hair back behind his ears, exposing the Mark on his cheek, extending a hand out to Sandara. "The name's Ignatius Hank."
Temerith gazed up at the sun and tried to judge the time of day...
Variziel nods at Charlotte's comments to Iggy. "I'll also vouch for m'lady here," he says with a small mock bow. "What's keelhauling?"
"Basically..." Charlotte leans against the side of the ship.
She stops fiddling for a moment, pondering a few things. A short moment later, Charlotte places her bow against the strings, playing the first few notes of a dirge.
Charlotte turns back to face the group, a mischievous grin upon her face, slowly approaching Variziel.
"When they caught him a'stealin' from the captain's own chest,
They decided t'was time for that poor soul to rest.
They bound him up tight, with a rope at his waist,
Threw him to the salty waters for a taste,
The ropes and the waves dragged that dirty soul down..."
Charlotte lets the penultimate line hang for a moment, as she approaches Variziel and half-whispers the last line to him, as a warning of what fate awaited them if they displeased the captain:
"And the barnacles soon had his blood for a crown."
Letting the last few unsettling notes echo dissonantly upon the air, Charlotte cracks a more genuine smile and returns to her makeshift seat nearby. "Nasty stuff, really."
Variziel swallows. "Ah. Well. I'll keep that in mind."
Plenty to write home about, but I think I'll leave that bit out.
Janus will head off to find mister plugg with the stitchman's permission of course.
Sandara nods at you, Ye have me thanks, lass!
Sandara's eyes widen at you, By the Pirate Queen, are ye a Markborn? Oh Besmara, pleased to meet ye, Mr.Hank! This is so exciting, meeting a Markborn!!! Tell me, what's it like?
Sandara laughs heartily for a moment, No reason to be scared, boy! What ye really need to be scared of is... A TAP DANCING SQUID!!! She emphasizes this last part with a loud voice, obviously trying to startle you. She laughs again with her melodic laugh.
Run along now and get permission from Mr.Plugg for your... modifications.
Temerith got back to work replacing the ropes.
Ignatius grins, obviously not expecting the respect from the woman. "Indeed I am. It makes for a tough life. Requires you to grow up with seawater for blood and barnacles on your heart."
He winks, stretching his shoulders. "At least that's what they say. As far as Plugg is concerned, I'm either the best thing or the worst thing to happen to the ship, depending on the hour."
He begins to work out the kinks in his muscles, rubbing the spider bites on his arm, looking it over momentarily. Seeing and smelling the brackish water that still clings to his skin, he intones several strange words that sound like a fine, life-giving rain falling into the ocean, dousing the wound in fresh water.
It looks to be quite effective in the cleaning aspect, but the wound is still there. "Damn." He grunts, touching just around the wound. "What a waste."
Variziel starts at her yell, stepping back and reflexively reaching across to his right hip, but he quickly breaks into a grin and laughs along with her. "Now that would be something to write home about." He turns to Hank and cocks an eyebrow. "Yes, what's it like being a Markborn--and, what is a Markborn? The birthmark there?"
A Markborn is one who was born with the mark of the Great Banshee Queen on their body."" He taps the spot on his cheek, tracing the mark with his finger. "We're attributed with a variety of things, from the destruction of ships, raising monsters from the deep, cursing pirates to never rest..."
His grin widens and darkens slightly. "And I will never say which are true and which are false. But it is a tough life. Many will not allow my kind on ships. They don't want to kill us, but there are far worse things than death."
"Oooooo. Mysterious and dangerous. I like you more with every passing moment. Guess that makes two of us with strange things going on, then," Charlotte replies with unnatural nonchalance.
Perhaps a little too conveniently, the deck nearby gives a loud and eerie creak. Charlotte shoots a frowning glance in the noise's general direction, so as to say "Cut that out, you." to some unseen being.
"Oh? You're not some sort of cursed woman that we're going to have to put in a holy box or chain up when the full moon rises, are you?"
His eyebrow raises at the creak.
"One of those things is correct. I'll leave it as an exercise to you to figure out which." Charlotte winks. "And as fair payback, I don't intend to tell you which it is either. You have my word that it's no threat to any of you, though."
Ignatius chuckles loudly. "Well, sounds a good...challenge? Is that the word?"
"Not much of a challenge friend. She wants you to chain her to the bulk head and I am guessing it is not just on a full moon. More the pity that, I rather enjoy it when they fight back. Not much fun if they just lay there and take it." Janus interjects as he walks up to the small knot of sailors. The smile on his face very much caused by the joy he is taking in his new position, although one could easily mistake it for a genuine attempt at friendliness and camaraderie."Speaking of laying there and taking it, any of you swabs seen the good mister Puggly? I have been given the unenviable task of speaking to our first mate." His voice takes on a low conspiratorial tone, as if he was letting the others in on a secret of some import.
Charlotte throws Janus a stare that could fatally poison the average scorpion, and raises her hand, so as to slap him, but restrains herself. As much as she'd like to let her hand express her discontentment, she reasons this wouldn't be a good place to cause a scene. Instead, she merely looks him in the eye and pokes him in the chest to punctuate her tirade:
"Hey, baldy! I don't appreciate your insinuations. I don't know what kind of harlot you take me for, but you'd do well to keep it to yourself."
Ignatius nods as well. "Best not to make such insinuations either around Besmara's faithful..." He looks over to Sandara, smirking, and then looking back to Janus. "But I'm sure that you must just be experiencing the slight craze coming from the fiery eye above us."
The Markborn's look says it plainly to Janus without another word needing to be spoken.
Janus lets off a sudden and singularly disturbing laugh."Oh my I can see our first mate has inspired such love among you already, Scourge will be oh so pleased to hear that. Or maybe not, less work for him." Oh so touchy these Besmarans. Oh what fun they will be. What a pity they are probably going to get themselves killed before they can be useful. Janus returns Ignatius's stare with one of equal intensity, a look of mixed madness and cold calculating sanity."To bad, and here I thought someone might like to chain me up for a change. Well I guess I will have to content myself with my responsibility to the crew." Janus punctuates this last by fluttering his eyes, a motion made all the more creepy by his lack of lashes."Still it doesn't answer my question. Has anyone seen Mister Plug, it is important I find him soon."
Janus glances around for Plugg or Scourge.
Variziel stifles a nervous chuckle at Janus's commentary, noticing the hard looks coming from Charlotte and Iggy. Janus, what are you saying? And why are you saying it? The half-elf looks back and forth between Janus and the Besmarans, not knowing where he should stand if it came to it. He's odd, but he did save my life, he's a good healer...
Fortunately, it seems a fight isn't imminent, and Variziel just goes back to swabbing--the mention of Plugg reminding him that he does have a job to do.
Charlotte raises an eyebrow at Janus's response. "You're an odd one, you know that?"
Then, she leans back against the railing once more and resumes her playing, once more losing herself in melodies of great voyages and greater pirates, as well as some more... low-brow pieces she guessed would appeal to the dogs that worked this ship.
"... he had muscles like Torag and a smile like Cailean..."
"... he had Rovagug's breath, so I sailed the next day."
Jesal walks up delivering "lunch" consisting of an unidentifiable lump of gray slop in a wooden bowl and a ration of rum.
"Dis bein me first shot at lunch. Dunna expect much! Be hearin' ya discussing religion and da sorts. Besmara be a bit demandin' for me. Dis one be preferrin' da less personal touch of Gozreh."
"Ah, Gozreh. Goddess of the waves, so I hear? Good to know I'll have a companion to ponder them with."
Charlotte accepts her rations and takes the occasion to give Salt a firm handshake.
Then, she takes a bite of the food.
"Better than it looks," she says, trying to keep a straight face and washing the bite down with a sip of rum.
At least it doesn't taste like it's rotten. Shouldn't make me sick, I hope.