No bloody hour, thank Besmara. So Cueta's off to dinner, and despite last night's shipwreck, Gall and Fishguts have acquitted themselves nicely. Perhaps it was the steady pace that she worked at, or the fact that she didn't exhaust herself, but Cueta finds herself scarfing dinner down, sharklike, all large, toothy bites. Dragging her hand across her mouth, the sailor pushes her plate aside and kicking her feet up onto a nearby barrel, leans back to enjoy Harmony's performance.
After the story, Cueta makes her way over to Ratline, where the Mwangi tries to engage Rattsberg in a conversation, but they're just not really interested in talking to Cueta today. Shrugging, Cueta makes her way over to get her rum ration, exited to have a drink for the first time since the pressganging.
While visiting Esmarelda at the bilges, Harmony does what she did during the rat fight the other day, staying up on the ladder and not descending all the way down to the bilge waters. "That is some foul stuff", she grimaces, nodding down to the...stuff...liquid...type...thing. "I hope you don't mind if I just stay up here and, you know, don't join you down there." Whether Esmarelda minds or not, though, getting down there is a 'hell no' sort of thing, even for sympathy reasons. "That's a little funny that you mention not saying goodbye to your mother, though. I'm in a bit of the same situation. As far as I know, I just disappeared, and I doubt she knows what happened to me. At least, unless someone who arranged it gloats to her."
Esmarelda gave a small laugh as she heard Harmony speak of the bilges. "Then hope you never get sent down here." She told her as she got back to work. When she brought up the fact of not getting to say goodbye either she went quiet for a time. When she finally spoke it was simple, "I am sorry. I hope no one gets the chance to gloat." She asked as she stopped what she was doing and looked up at her.
-------later that night------
Esmarelda came up from the bilges drenched in sweat and bilge water, her clothes sticking to her. "Okay, so this day has been... exhausting." She said as she joined her friends. Her attention went right to Gall first. "Where you able to get everything Cueta needed? Maybe even a small sized fiddle?" She asked, and she smiled a bit nervously when she asked for the fiddle.
"This is heavy as crap", Harmony says as she makes her way to the galley as the evening mealtime approaches, just before Gall and Fishguts close up shop. With her, she's dragging the massive sword -- literally dragging by the hilt, the tip scraping the deck. "If this isn't yours", she tells Gall, "I swear, you get to transport it to whomever it belongs to. I'm done!" With that, she lets the huge sword clang to the galley floor, and lets out a heavy sigh of relief.
When Harmony returns to the galley with the enormous sword in tow, Gall immediately drops what he is doing. He hurries over to snatch the blade up off the ground and smile fondly at it. On him, it actually looks like it is the appropriate size despite being twice as large as a normal sword. "Aye, this here's mine. Thank ye, lass, ye done right by me. I'll see that I return the favor soon enough, don't ye worry." With a bright grin to the bard, he goes back to digging through things in the galley in an effort to find something interesting.
---------------------
At Esmarelda's question, he quickly washes down his fish with a bit of grog before answering. "Naw, lass, I handed that axe off to Harmony on account of I expected her to have better luck with Grok. I'd be mighty surprised if she didn't get ye that fiddle, though. Seemed on the top of her list," he replies with a glance in Harmony's direction.
Sometime during the evening activities, Harmony approaches Rosie Cusswell with the halfling's fiddle in hand. "So, I heard from my friend that there's a trade you'd be willing to make", she says, and turns the fiddle around in her hands, demonstrating it to Rosie. "I hope this is the right one, hm?" If Rosie reaches for it, Harmony will let her have the fiddle without quarrel, and then brings up the topic of Esmarelda's kapenia. "Now, about the other half of this trade? Or is there something more you want for that...cape...blanket...whatever that thing is?"
Gall's words seemed to make Esmarelda grin. "If anyone could get that fiddle Harmony could." She said with a smile before she began to search for Harmony. Though she did not expect to find her speaking with Rosie already. She walked over just in time to hear the last of Harmony's words. "It's a scarf." She stated as she crossed her arms. "Though I believe Rosie here has been using it as a blanket..." She told Harmony before she looked at Rosie. "You do still have my kapenia right? You haven't made any other deals for it right?" She asked the halfling, looking a little worried.
Alas, diplomacy and friend making seemed to be as difficult for Cueta as storytelling. Ratline was rather afraid of the woman for some reason, tho exactly why was uncertain. Perhaps he was just easily startled by strong, independent women. Yeah, that must be it...
Oddly enough, tucked in the corner behind the large tub of pickles, is a rather dusty corked vial with a brilliantly clear liquid inside it. Giving it a sniff doesn't tell you much other than it isn't water, and it isn't vinegar. It has a pleasantly clean smell like that of fresh drying laundry on a warm summer's day. Perhaps someone else knows what it is.
"Well I'll be damned, that be my f&!+in' fiddle! Shit, i thought I was never going to see that again. That cunt Grok... practically stolen it, she did! Hardly matters know! That b$+*#'ll never get my money again!" At the mention of her blanket (aka Esmarelda's scarf), she snaps her fingers. "Bloody hell, just about forgot. A fair f&&%in' trade if there ever was one. You'll have to forgive the stains. And the tears. I'm a feisty sleeper! Shit, I once punched a guy so hard in my sleep my whole fist actually got stuck up his f%*$in' nose!" As she regales Harmony and Esmarelda with tales of her vicious sleeping habits, she leads them below to her locker where the kapenia was stored in a lumpy heap. When she hands it over to Esmarelda, it's a dirty, wrinkled, torn mess that will take more than a little work to patch up. "Alright, now you two bugger off while I reacquaint myself with this little pieces of wood. Only piece of wood that never disappointed me..."
Once everyone had gathered back up, Badger pops her head below decks. "Come on up. They bringin' out Owlbear for some festivities!" she shouts to the crew that had lingered down there for their meal. The excitement in Badger's voice was sincere and eager, though none of you are familiar with what on earth Owlbear is being brought out for. Typically the simpleton is kept below decks to guard whatever the officers deem worthy of guarding.
On deck, Plugg is prancing about Owlbear on a leash. "There be our fine rat chasers," he announces mockingly as the party comes up on deck. "Brought ol' Owlbear up for some sport." Plugg pulls out a fat coin pouch and jingles it a bit. "One hundred gold on Owlbear against one of you," he proposes, pointing at the party. "Though I doubt you'll find victory here. But If you're brave enough, then have at him!"
Gall follows the group of pirates up to the main deck with his flagon of grog in hand, clearly curious about what this could possibly entail. Fortunately, he does not have to wait long. As soon as Plugg mentions the prize money that is on the table, he tips back his mug and downs the lot of the liquor swiftly. Only then does he shove his mug at the nearest bystander and shoulder his way through the crowd.
"Bloody finally! And here I thought the lot of ye weren't fond of no good sportin' brawls. Somebody get me another bit'a rum, I'm gonna turn yer Owlbear into hamburger meat for tomorrow's dinner." With a wicked grin, the half-giant cracks his knuckles and gets good and limber for the fight.
It seems that no matter who else steps up to try to take his place, he is hearing none of it. Apparently, it is not a good idea to try to dissuade a drunk giant from a fight.
"You know, *I* brought you that fiddle, and *I'm* going to take this here scarf", Harmony says, making a snatch at the kapenia from Rosie's hand if she's fast enough. Of course, even if she succeeds, though, she just turns around, and then presents it to Esmarelda. "Here we go. Your kapenia back. Sorry for stepping in the middle here, but considering I'm not taking any payment for my negotiating services, at the very least I should get the intangible credit for bringing it to you", she smirks.
After the crew has gathered for the so-called 'festivities', and Plugg brings Owlbear over, Harmony doesn't realize that she's giving herself away by scrunching her nose in distaste. They're treating him like an animal. On a leash? That's disgusting. I can't say I know him, but that can hardly be right. I wonder how much he realizes about what's going on.
Looking over to the rest of her group while Gall is already preparing for the fight, Harmony says in a quiet voice, intended not to carry all the way over to Plugg, "I'd heard about him, but I hadn't realized he was so big. Then again, so is Gall. If we want to do this, then he", she looks to the half-giant, "might have the best chance of all." But she looks dubious, frowning. "Beating on a simpleton isn't exactly my idea of fun entertainment, though. Plugg is a sadist. For all we know, he's doing this as much to hurt Owlbear as he is to hurt us. Whoever wins, he gets to see people beat each other to a pulp for no reason but his amusement." Her face hardens. "I'm not a bedamned circus monkey."
Cueta flexes her fists and is ready to offer her fists when Gall beats her to the punch .
Scowling, the sailor has to admit Gall's probably got a better chance to beat this Owlbear. If she had to coppers to rub together, Cueta would put them on her hulking friend that's fore sure.
Snearing at Plugg, Cueta moves up next to Harmony to watch the fight. "You either be the puncher or the punched. The Owlbear is the paper on which we write our message. "
I had quietly observed from a distance as Harmony demonstrated her entrepreneurial chops, in procuring the last of our gear from Grok and, most notably for Esmarelda's interests, that fiddle that Rosie coveted. In short order, all the property was reunited to its owners and I was able to sneak off to don my armor.
Feeling better protected, I went through my belongings and discovered a most disconcerting fact -- one of my mother's novels was missing! I had to retrace my steps a bit, and came to the disturbing conclusion that one had not been returned to me by Grok. Whether she was holding out on me or it had not made it on board when the rest were, I would have to find out. But I would not rest until Le Pirate de Poisson: Dead Man's Trove was returned to my collection.
But alas, my search was interrupted by Mr. Plugg bringing up a hulking brute from belowdecks and challenging one of us to fight him. Despite the man's size, I knew it would be a grand chance to acquit myself in true Poisson style. I opened my mouth to accept the challenge, but Gall suddenly displayed a quickness that I had not earlier seen. He stepped forward to take on the fight.
It was, I suppose, better match-up. I would have to rely upon my quickness to stay out of the Owlbear's reach, while Gall could likely match him brawn for brawn. I couldn't fault the big man for accepting the challenge, and truly, it seemed as though he was relishing the prospect of fighting. So instead, I clapped him on the shoulder and wished him well.
I moved over to the growing circle of spectators, and found myself near Harmony and Cueta. "Would that I had been quicker, I would have accepted the fight. But it would be hardly sporting for there to be two of us against him," I observed.
When Harmony spoke, I considered her words. "I daresay that Plugg would get more pleasure in seeing one of us get pummeled. But if Gall were to win in a strong fashion? That would not be to his liking. He wouldn't put up such an amount of gold otherwise."
Harmony mmms and nods a little bit at Artevious' observation. "I can't say I would be sad to see Mr. Plugg take a financial hit of that magnitude. Not that I'm not rooting for Gall as it is, but I really hope he wins so that Plugg can feel a vicious stab right in his wallet." She rolls her eyes a little. "Of course, all this is assuming that the bastard even keeps his word. I haven't exactly seen him display a lot of honor in the days we've been here."
I offered Harmony a bit of a roguish smile. "Well, perhaps we should put ourselves in the position to make sure that Plugg honors his word. He wouldn't want to let his crew think less of him, would he?"
"Mmm. I see your point", Harmony smiles a little.
Esmarelda smiled as she took her kapenia back from Harmony. She looked it over and gave a heavy sigh. "You know a kapenia is given to us on the day we turn fifteen... it is a mark of adulthood." She told her as she gently held it up. "Oh I hope I can find some one to help mend this... Maybe I can see if the stitchmen can sew." She sighed before she hugged Harmony gently and whispered "Thank you..." softly in her ear.
When they all gathered back together Esmarelda watched silently while Plugg pulled this, Owlbear, out to show him off. Then when he called for one of their group to come and face him, Esmarelda took a small step back. Not getting in that. She thought as she shook her head, and was glad when Gall stepped up. "Have fun Gall." She said with wave.
As Harmony and Artevious spoke about Plugg, Esmarelda leaned on Artevious to keep herself up. Her work in the bilges was finally catching up to her. "If it wasn't for the fact Gall is entering this fight, I'd be crawling into my hammock while every one else is up here. Might be able to get a good start on some much needed sleep." She told her friends with a slight smirk.
"So in your culture, everyone becomes an adult at the same time? The day they turn fifteen?" Harmony asks, after returning the hug with a warm smile. "And from then on, you can marry?"
"So in your culture, everyone becomes an adult at the same time? The day they turn fifteen?" Harmony asks, after returning the hug with a warm smile. "And from then on, you can marry?"
"Marry, own property, anything like that." Esmarelda answered with a nod. "Though I wouldn't really call it my culture as I was raised here, it was more of my father and mother's culture that got passed on to me." She said with a smile as she let her go. "Kapenias are often passed down the family tree and the embroidering also doubles as a family tree, this one belonged to my grandfather on my father's side." She told her as she smiled at the ripped scarf.
I felt somewhat abashed that I was unable to properly assist in the returning of Esmarelda's kapenia. I had managed to glean that quite often a pirate's life includes running about and fetching various belongings for individuals and returning them. But no matter; another opportunity would present itself presently, and I had my own quest of a wayward belonging to recover.
I allowed the weary Varisian to use me as support, since clearly her work in the bilges had been taxing. It was, therefore, quite the relief that she was able to avoid the lash this evening. I put my arm around her shoulder. "Stay strong, my dear. I expect the fight to begin shortly."
I felt somewhat abashed that I was unable to properly assist in the returning of Esmarelda's kapenia. I had managed to glean that quite often a pirate's life includes running about and fetching various belongings for individuals and returning them. But no matter; another opportunity would present itself presently, and I had my own quest of a wayward belonging to recover.
I allowed the weary Varisian to use me as support, since clearly her work in the bilges had been taxing. It was, therefore, quite the relief that she was able to avoid the lash this evening. I put my arm around her shoulder. "Stay strong, my dear. I expect the fight to begin shortly."
Esmarelda smiled brightly when Artevious's arm rested on her. It made her fell like she wasn't going to just fall over any moment now. "Oh aye, I'm sure our Gall will make quick work of this." She said with a smirk as she leaned herself closer to Artevious. The whole time slowly and gently worked her kapenia in her hands.
Plugg gives a wicked grin and takes the leash off of Owlbear. The hulking, slouched man fumbled forward on awkward feet and the rest of the crew moved back to create a clearing. The man is covered in remnants of tar and feathers from a cruel joke played on the simpleton at sometime.
"Bare knuckles only. No tricks," Plugg adds as Gall rushes forward to volunteer for the fight.
At Pluggs direction, Owlbear charges forward at Gall with his big meaty fists swinging.
Owlbear gets off the first punch, fists landing squarely in Gall's gut.
Gall draws his fists up just a bit too slowly to block the first punch that careens into his gut. He lets out an oof as the wind is knocked from his lungs, but decides to come up swinging. Or at least, try.
With every intent to punch straight through his opponent, Gall aims to sock Owlbear square in the jaw, as though to return the favor. If nothing else, he hopes it will rattle the man's teeth just a touch.
Cueta winces as Gall seems caught off guard, the feathered hulk landing a solid punch to her friend's stomach. Stunned, for a moment, Gall recovers nicely though, throwing a large fist directly at the Owlbear's face. Cueta lets out a large war-whoop, one her parents' parents would have used in their outrigger canoes, before the family moved to Bloodcove a generation back.
The Besmaran stalks the sidelines, half a mind to lunge at the Owlbear's legs in an attempt to take him down, make the job easier for Gall. But she holds herself back, despite the excitement.
Harmony looks away a little bit, not so fond of the overt brutality going on. Stupid male posturing... I hope neither of them gets seriously hurt.
The Owlbear struck first, and hard, but Gall demonstrated that he could hit hard too. It was a wonder who would fall first if they went at it like that. My new allies shouted their encouragements, and I shouted a rousing "Good show!" when Gall responded with a solid blow.
I watched with rapt attention as the fight continued.
The jeers and cheers of the crew rouse as the fights first blows were exchanged. A big grin spread across Owlbear's face. He was doing good! His friends liked him!
Not wanting to disappoint or lose the encouragement of those who had bet on him, Owlbear aimed another blow at the half-giant with a deep growl.
Owlbear's punch hits Gall in the jaw with a sickening crack.
Gall grunts in surprise and his head jerks to one side as the fist catches him in the mouth. He spits a bit of blood from his split lip onto the deck and straightens up again, not feeling great but still on his feet. With a mighty heave, he makes to try to level the equally large man with one of his own fat fists.
Unfortunately, the punch to his mouth has thrown a few spots into his eyes and the punch goes very much wide of the tarred and feathered man.
More cheers rose up as Owlbear ducked his head to the side and raised another fist to his competitor.
Apparently both men were feeling the effects of a few blows to the head, as Owlbear's swing goes wide, narrowly missing the side of Gall's head.
Gall's wide swing fortunately puts him clear of the next punch that Owlbear swings his way. He counts his blessings and reminds himself to thank Besmara after all this is over, before drawing his fists up again. One lashes out to try to strike at Owlbear, in an effort to catch him square in the throat.
Cueta starts forward into the circle when Gall catches the Owlbear's punch square in the mouth, but she steps back as the pugilist recovers. Obviously staggered, Cueta's friend misses with his next punch, but he manages to land a brutal right hook into the Owlbear's throat. Besmara's whispers are there, in the back of Cueta's mind, pleased and deep, ringing like the strikes of a drum.
Esmarelda watched as the two men exchanged blows. She really had nothing to offer in way of cheering. Though she did take notice of each of the fighter's condition, and began to worry with the last hit that Gall took. Come on big guy, keep on your toes. She thought as she saw him land the next punch.
Harmony grimaces visibly at the violence, and stays quiet, letting the people have their "fun".
Owlbear staggers back away from the half-giant, arms shielding his head. "No more! No more!" he cries with a thick, dopey slur as blood runs out of his mouth where Gall had got him good at least once. "I hurt!"
Of course, Plugg was having no part of this. "Quit your simperin'!" Plugg sneered. He threw a wooden club at Owlbear which hit him square in the back. "You'll be done when I say you be done! Now get back in there and finish the giant!"
Owlbear lowered his hands enough to peek towards Gall, then turn and see the club. He quickly hid behind his own limbs again. "No more! No more!" Apparently the simpleton was at the end of his physical limits and pain tolerance.
Some members of the onlooking crew jeered and booed, some tossing fish bones and bits of leftovers towards him. "Coward!" some called, "Not even good for a good fight anymore!" shouted others.
Owlbear just stood there and took it, blubbering a wheezing sounds suggesting the man had broken down into tears.
It's plain to see the cruel crew members doing the taunting were those who sucked up to Plugg and Scourge.
The half-giant advances with his fists raised, every intent on turning Owlbear to flesh-colored mush. The poor man's yelps and whimpers, coupled with the abysmal treatment from the rest of the crew, quickly change that. He falters for a moment and his fists slowly drop back to his sides, before he moves to step forward with both palms outward. A placating gesture as best he can manage.
"Easy, lad, easy. I ain't gonna hurt ye no more. That were just a bit of fun, but it's over now. Don't ye pay them no mind, yer all right." Unsure of how to take the blubbering, he simply shifts around the side of Owlbear to pat him on the back. "Just, eh. Calm down there, mate. Get yerself a good, deep breath, yer gonna be right fine."
Esmarelda's face shifted into one of anger. "Gall, don't throw another punch!" Esmarelda shouted as she pushed away from Artevious and stood at the edge of the ring.
She smiled when she saw Gall trying to help Owlbear. She walked over and gently laid her hand on Gall's arm before her attention turned to the man before them. "He's right. Gall won't hurt you anymore so don't you worry." She tried to keep her voice low and soft before slowly offering Owlbear a hand.
"Shut the hell up!" Harmony finally blows up, after having held in her disgust at this whole event, she can no longer contain it. Yelling at the top of her lungs at the crew members heckling Owlbear. "How the hell *dare* you?! He's a god damn kid! He may have a big body, but even the dumbest, most brainless among you should be able to see that inside his head, he's just a scared little kid! You're making a god damn kid fight arena fights to amuse you adults! Big men! Big grown men! Afraid to get punched yourself, so you send a damn *kid* to get beat up on your own behalf! And you call *him* cowards? I didn't see any of you god damn lily-livered maggots volunteering to fight Gall. Owlbear did more than any of you had the guts for, and you call *him* a coward?! *HIM*?! Look at yourselves, goddamn it! Hiding behind a god damn kid, and then making fun of *him* for it?! How the *hell* dare you?!" Every now and then, she looks back over her shoulder, making eye contact with the other crew members. She tries to call for some 'yeah's of support from the less Plugg/Scourge-minded, less evil crew members, trying to incite them to look upon the hecklers with at least a fraction of the disgust she holds for them. "You f#+%ing worthless little pieces of shit, you make me *sick*!" She obviously has no problem with cursing in the presence of kids, though, spitting every hateful word out with so much venom that it could scald a snake.
A good fight ruined, Cueta thinks, as the Owlbear breaks down in tears. Man-child or not, he wouldn't be blubbering if he'd won.
Spitting on the deck in disgust, Cueta turns to make her way below decks when Harmony begins yelling. Cueta stands, shocked, for a second before she slinks around the side of the ship, finding herself standing near Master Scourge about the time that Harmony finishes her berating.
Leading had courage in her own way, Cueta had to give the woman that. Harmony'd put a bulls-eye on herself tonight.
Cueta flexes her fists and tenses her arms, the whispers coming on strong now. She may still yet get her fistfight tonight. Then, a quick thought occurs to her. Officers' keys!
That would be a prize to risk a flogging for...
Well, what had been a tense and thoroughly riveting bout of fisticuffs degenerated into a rather uncomfortable affair when the Owlbear revealed himself to be a simpleton. I had to commend Gall in his most gracious restraint, declining to pummel the man-child further.
Harmony's diatribe was so heated that I myself felt singed by her scathing rebuke, since I, too, had wanted to step up and fight him. But clearly her venom was reserved for Plugg and his cronies, so I did not feel affronted.
But perhaps there was opportunity to be found as well. "Here here!" I shouted, following up Harmony's words. "Let's keep in mind that we are all part of the crew of the Wormwood now, no matter what winds of fate conspired to bring us here. We are flesh and blood upon timbers and canvas, sailing in waters with who-knows-what lurking just below the waves. Let us all take a moment to recognize that we are pirates with a dizzying array of threats and opportunities just beyond the horizon. I've met in my travels an order that espoused a loyalty to one another, and I suggest we adopt their rallying cry -- 'Together for one! And each to the other!'"
The crew who had not been harassing the poor man nod their heads and mumble their agreement at the words of Harmony and Artevious while the others who had just been taking pleasure in the taunting shift uncomfortably. The jeers slowly come to a halt, leaving the ring of silence in the air, only broken by the heaving cries of Owlbear.
Plugg spits and throws the coin purse angrily towards Gall before stalking off into the Officers' quarters and slamming the door behind him. Scourge glares about at the others before shouting "Back to work, ya scurvy dogs!" Sure enough, most of the crew is done for the day, but they bustle off deck anyways while the few who keep watch at night return to their posts.
Once Plugg and Scourge are out of sight, Owlbear flees back to his bunk below decks.
After the silence starts to fall, Harmony, red-faced from the yelling, starts to gradually calm down, still breathing heavily for a few moments, but little by little, it evens out, until finally she's settled down, regaining some of her usual composure. She takes a moment to re-center herself, taking a deep breath in, holding it, and then slowly letting it out.
Harmony's next priority is to try to establish some level of contact with Owlbear and try to offer some comfort to the simpleton. She tries to approach him, slowly and cautiously, speaking soothing words in soft tones. If there's a chance, she'll try to do it before he flees belowdecks, but if not, she'll try to find him wherever he makes his bunk. Now, right away, before sleep, or if the situation doesn't allow for it, then she'll try to do it tomorrow between daytime chores. Either way, she'll try to approach Owlbear and try to talk to him a little bit. "Owlbear? Owlbear. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want you to know that those people who were mean to you were wrong, and you don't deserve to be treated like that." She tries to get to talks with the huge man and establish some level of contact with him.
Cueta gives Scourge a hard stare before heading belowdecks. Grabbing some fish stew, the sailor looks around for Esmarelda. Once she finds her, Cueta asks, "How'd it go with Grok? Get my bow? Get your fiddle?"
One hand snaps up to catch the hurled bag of coinage more out of reflex than preparation or skill. In truth, Gall had completely forgotten that he was going to get paid for the fight the moment Owlbear had started bawling. It took him another moment after catching the sack to realize what it was and he grimaced down to it. This did not feel right; he had been handed blood money to beat up on a man with the mind of a child. Still, it is five times what he had prior to the fight and they do need the money. Reluctantly, he tucks the gold into one pocket and turns to look in Esmarelda and Artevious's direction.
"...bloody hell, mate. I didn't know," he utters hoarsely as he glances down to his hands and at the bruised knuckles. "I-- Should I go and apologize to the lad? Why didn't nobody tell me beforehand?" He cannot help but feel like the lowest of scum for what he has done.
Esmarelda gently took Gall's hand. "Because Plugg and Scourge are nothing but sadists, they wanted to see him and you get hurt." She told him "This wasn't your fault." She said as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
When Cueta came back from getting a bowl of soup and asking about her things, Esmarelda got a slightly worried look on her face. "I gave the axe to Gall this morning to get our things back, but he gave it to Harmony since she's better at speaking with people. She was there when you told me what you needed so I am sure she got it... but to be honest I really haven't had time to ask. She was already giving Rosie her fiddle for my kapenia by the time I found her. Then this happened." She told her.
Cueta scowls, momentarily, before forcing the anger from her face. "That's a, like a, did you ever play the game of crow's nest? You get a bunch of people together, stand far apart. Then one yells something to the nearest next to her, and then she yells to the nearest next to her, and so on, down the line. Then the last tells the first what she heard. Sometimes it is different, amusingly so. I'll tell you... I always wanted a horse!"
Turning, she looks for Harmony, and then makes her way to the silver-tounged woman, casting a smile over her shoulder. "I'm glad you got your kapenia, Esmarelda."
Cueta takes Harmony's arm and leans in close. "The axe. Did you trade it? By chance, did you get my bow, arrows and a weapon?"
She pauses a moment, a long beat, while the ship bobs over a swell. "Or a horse?"
"...a horse?" Harmony stares at Cueta for a few moments, her sense of humor briefly impaired by the goings-on before. Then, she shakes her head, and waits for the others to approach her as well, before telling them, "I got all our stuff. It was a crapload. It's all in my locker, feel free to come by anytime to pick up yours." Harmony will give out any and all belongings from her locker as requested to her four fellow abductees. She will, however, make the occasional comment like:
"What the heck is this thing, anyway?"
"Really? You carry around one of these? *Really*?"
"Well, it's still smaller than a bread box."
"Didn't your mother ever teach you anything?"
"Yeah, uh, I wouldn't let anyone else see that."
Owlbear is very receptive to praise, and his whole face lights up at any kind words of encouragement, though he flinches if anyone makes an sudden movements. "Owlbear is mighty warrior!" is his repeated reply to any compliments about the fight. He shares very little about himself, but explains that "Master Plugg takes care of Owlbear. Owlbear not so good," if anyone questions the relationship between them.
Gall offers a weak smile back to Esmarelda for her kind words, but it quickly turns into a grimace when he remembers his split lip. Tilting his head to the side, he spits more blood onto the deck and then nods at the young magus. "Aye, I suppose not. Thanks, lass. Still, I feel like a hog's arse for bein' a part of this." He licks his lips and lifts a hand to pat his friend on the shoulder before ducking below decks.
Once he catches up with Harmony and Cueta, he graciously if quietly takes all of his things back. When she mentions the size of his sling and the bullets it sits with, he cannot help but give a bemused snort. Despite the night's sport, her comment still manages to bring out just a bit of humor in the half-giant.
"That it is, but it'll bring a touch more pain to whoever's on the wrong end of it. That's a promise. I reckon everything where I'm from's a sight bigger than what yer used to though, lass."
Harmony will seek out Owlbear at some point during the evening as well, either before or after distributing the stuff to her companions, whichever ends up working out more smoothly. But it's clear that her mind is less on the equipment and more on the simpleton that clearly looms large in her mind.
Once she's down where Owlbear is, she tries to placate him and console him. "You are *very* good, Owlbear. You did nothing wrong. You were a mighty warrior. Owlbear is very good." If he allows it, then after some more talking, Harmony will try to place his head in her lap very carefully, to let him rest there. She's good to spend an hour or two with Owlbear if he seems amenable to her company.
Everyone's things. That's all ur stuff. The only thing missing is Artevious' last book.
I took another thorough look through the pile of goods Harmony managed to procure from the ship's purser. I still hoped that the last novel to keep my collection complete had found its way into the odd bits and wares that had yet to be distributed. Unfortunately, it did not appear as such.
"If I might inquire, there appears to be a volume of my mother's novels that is not within my own collection. If you happen to come across it, I would be most grateful for its return." I told Harmony and the others as we picked over the last of the belongings obtained from Grok.
I had to nearly pinch myself. I was now in the role of providing a quest for another to locate an item and retrieve it for me. Such a turnaround of fate was not expected.
"If I might inquire, there appears to be a volume of my mother's novels that is not within my own collection. If you happen to come across it, I would be most grateful for its return."
"And don't ye forget that we've the coin to buy it back now, too. Best that the gold what was won off Plugg's used for something good after all the bad what came of it, aye?" Gall suggests as he nods across to Artevious, assuring the man that he will keep an eye out. He makes a mental note to ask Mila later if she has seen it, as he cannot imagine anyone else on this wreck reading. Then again, maybe his assumptions are off base and someone here at least pretends to be an intellectual.
Owlbear certainly doesn't send Harmony away, seeming to enjoy the gentle company, though he seems very set to not think poorly of Plugg, though he seems much less fond of the cruel Scourge. It seems his loyalty is bought with fear.
The next few days are uneventful. The routines start to settle in and you all go about your business as usual: wake up, get yelled at to start your work, work, eat, sleep, repeat. But the lack of spectacular events does give you some time to better acquaint yourselves with your fellow crew mates .
Cut-Throat Grok -
Fishguts -
Owlbear -
Badger Medlar -
Conchobhar Shortstone -
Rosie Cusswell -
Crimson Cogward -
Jack Scrimshaw -
Barefoot Samms -
Ratline Rattsberger -
high = sober, low = inebriated