”Oh, I’m not worried about that,” Azadi answers, ”my dad was teaching me that stuff with ropes strung across the yard when I was a kid. I just don’t understand what we’re doing... it sounds kind of like a pirate ship but why would they kidnap people instead of just hiring sailors? I was literally in port looking for a ship to sign on with...”
”Are we getting paid?!? Because if they kidnapped us to make us fight for free so they can rob others, then they’re slavers, just with a specific plan for their slaves... “
While she's swabbing the deck and dancing about, she takes note of Sandara off in the distance as she also appears to be similarly tasked. With a concerted effort she gradually begins to make her way in that direction until she's close enough to speak to one of her new friends.
"Top of the morning to you Sandara." Tessa says tipping her tricorne to the other red headed woman. "I wanted to thank you again for getting Wayfinder back to me. This blade means an awful lot to me and I've taken quite a fancy to it."
With a grin that sees the top left side of her lips curl upwards she adds "Oh, and if I didn't mention it yesterday, your choice of attire is impeccable. Us scarlets need to stick together, hmmm?"
"Oh, you don't get paid any more'n anyone else. But if we take a ship, you'll get a share."
"Cap'n Harrigan was down to a just a few crew when I hired on along with a bunch'a the others." She smiles at Azadi. "And then a couple'a days ago you 'n your lovely ladies came aboard. So, are you an' any them ...?" She waggles her eyebrows at the young man.
~~~~~
Sandara smiles as Tessa greets her. "Why thank you, Miss Tessa," she says with a mock curtsy. "Although I don't think I can match your choice of private wear." She sighs deeply. "It's been a couple of years since I had anything nice like that. I've just had to make do."
"That nice green-haired fellow," she starts snapping as she tries to recall his name, "Zadi or Zoggy or something like that? Anyway, he just cleaned it all up yesterday for me. Fresh water and all, you believe that?"
"Anyhow, we should see about changing that, no?" Tessa looks Sandara up and down and says "Oh I don't know, you're about my size, yeah? Maybe I'll let you try them on sometime and see if they fit. Swap clothes for a day and throws the boys for a fit? Hmmm?" Tessa winks at Sandara, shifting her weight to her left foot and leaning back against the mast.
”Oh, no, I just met them on the ship,” Azadi replies with a stifled chuckle, ”I mean I saw them in the tavern the night before we woke up here, and technically I slept with Tessa and Vi, but we were all actually asleep, or knocked out by the drugs, so nothing happened at all.”
He lets out an actual laugh and then continues, ”I’m not sure Tessa’s even interested in men; if you look down on the deck right now you can see her chatting up Sandara, again. What about you, you have someone you’re...” he does his best to imitate her eyebrow waggle before adding “here, or back in port?”
"Not just the boys," Sandara says with an appraising eye, looking Tessa up and down. "I'd consider it, but I'm not sure if you're brave enough to wear what I wear." She turns back and continues moving the stacks of rope she was arranging.
~~~~~~
"If you don't remember what happened with those two are you sure nothing happened?" Samms asks with a grin. "I know my ma don't remember gettin' pregnant with me, so ..." she shrugs and continues to smile.
When Azadi asks her about being interested in anyone on the ship, she shakes her head. "Nah. There ain't been no one on the ship I been interested in so far." She smiles at him and shifts away to continue working on the rigging.
Tessa scoffs when Sandara considers even implying that Tessa wouldn't be up for something. "Oh. Oh love, I don't think you've quite understand what you have just implied."
Tessa sets her mop against the mast and moves up behind Sandara and presses her chest against her back so that she leans behind her and whispers in her ear "See, you don't ever want to make an assumption about my bravery." She nips at her earlobe, tugging it gently before letting go and backing off.
When someone yells at her for putting the mop down she she turns around and shouts "Yeah, yeah! I'm going, I'm going!" She saunters back to her mop, putting a little extra effort into the hip swagger along the way.
As Tessa walks away amidst the catcalls that demonstrate that almost nothing happens on ship without an audience, Sandara calls out, "Aren't you going to ask?"
~~~~~
"Barefoot" Simms stands about 5'3" and weighs in at about 110 lbs. She's in her mid-thirties. Curly sun-bleached blonde hair, pulled back into a tight knot. The sun has weathered her skin beyond her years. Laugh wrinkles surround her dark brown eyes.
Tessa just wanted to hear her ask again. She pauses her mopping to lean against the mast again. "Alright. I'll bite. Tell me."
"Nah, never mind. You'll just have to find out some other way," Sandara calls back with a smirk. She turns back to attend to the rope coils.
Azadi smiles and gives Samms a little wave as she swings back to work. ”Swing back when you’re thirsty again,” he calls after her.
what kind of answer was that... I don’t even know if she’s into men either... why am I even thinking about this right now... I’m out at sea, finally, and have a job to do, even if my employers aren’t good people, so why am I so distracted by these women... Samms is nice but she’s not even my type at all, and she’s too old for me...
Looking down from the crows nest, the young man is suddenly very distracted by the sight of Tessa nibbling on Sandara’s ear.
holy sh!t... don’t stare, don’t stare, don’t stare...
Tessa crosses her arms and laughs out loud. "Oh. Mmmmm. Well played Sandara, well played."
She picks up her mop and gets back to work, letting her imagine run wild.
Glancing up, she catches sight of someone up in the crow's nest with green hair. Soggy? Zaggi? she waves off the though, mind drifting back to Sandara.
Only Tessa could find a way to turn her mind to picturing racy undergarments that the other redhead was wearing while having been drugged and taken prisoner aboard a pirate vessel.
The tiefling spends some time looking around in the crew's quarters down in the hold where they spent the previous two nights.
Sixteen pillars support the deck above this spacious hold. At night, the Wyrmwood’s common pirates tie their hammocks between the walls and pillars and sleep until dawn. Kipper and Patch Patchsalt, have claimed the far forward section of the hold as their own, and their hammocks are strung between the foremast and the stairs leading up to the middle hold. A trap door just behind the mainmast opens onto the bilges below. The hold is currently empty of cargo, but several footlockers line the walls. Each member of the crew has a locker, equivalent to a small chest. 16 empty lockers are stacked along the walls.
Other than the lockers which are locked, there doesn't seem to be anything else of interest.
Looking around and realizing that without going into the Captain's quarters (which she is not ready to try yet) she won't find the information she's looking for Donomsail returns frustratedly to the deck.
"Welp, maybe I can try sweet talking someone into giving me the information instead.", she says in her talking out loud way that she has. Having talked herself into the idea she looks around to see if there are any crew members around that she might talk to before she can change her mind.
"Oh Ambrose." Harmony sighs, pushing the man up against a wall and out of the way."You stay here for a while." Since its only her second day she doesn't feel too bad about using the fresh ingredients or tossing things somewhat randomly into the largest pots to make some sort of stew.
Once it's simmering she takes a hefty pinch of a strong smelling spice (nutmeg?) And mixes it thoroughly into a tankard of water before pressing it into Ambrose's hand. She then gets on with the kitchen, building on yesterday's success and clean floor to start reorganising the kitchen cabinets and washing the various implements.
A loud sputtering comes from behind Her, a sign that Ambrose had actually tied the drink and been jolted at least some of the way back to consciousness by a spice filled kick to the head. With him finally back to the world of the living Harmony continues her work, keeping up a cheerful chatter as she does so and trying to learn more about her immediate superior.
Looking around Donomsail spots the older Half-Elf "Striped hair lady, Skunk?, Marlin?, no...Badger!"
Donomsail walks over to where the lady is standing and leans against the rail looking out at the ocean. "Like the hair, looks like it took a long to get it to look like that. Say the job I have today isn't to time consuming and I'm not wantin' the First Mate or whatever he's called ta find me standing idle. Do ya need any help?"
Marisan scowls when she is assigned to bilge duty but offers no protest. She's well-suited to cleaning out the muck, though it is distasteful and filthy work. She slips away for a few breaks when she can, searching the bilges themselves for anything of value.
At the end of her shift, the befouled and worn-out brawler seeks out Azadi. "I saw you clean off Tessa yesterday. I would ask you do the same for me."
”Oh, hey... it’s Marisan, right?” Azadi asks happily as he finishes climbing out of the rigging, ”no problem, just hold still for a minute.”
As he had done the previous day for Tessa, the green-haired sailor proceeds to summon fresh water, a couple gallons at a time, directly above the Mwangi woman. Each time it splashes down on her carrying away some of the filth. Once she’s reasonably clean, he raises his hands and drops them dramatically, and all the water in her clothes falls out onto the deck, leaving her mostly dry.
Before she walks away, he steps closer and whispers, ”remember, I can purify the grog too so it won’t make you sick... just sit with me at dinner if you want me to.”
Marisan sighs as Azadi douses her with clean water. The moisture causes her clothes to cling tantalizingly to her shapely body before the undine dries them again. "Thank you, friend, for getting me wet," she says. After a moment, she grins and adds, "And then getting me dry again."
When he leans in, she whispers back, "I have my own method of avoiding the grog. But I will still sit with you at dinner, if you want me to."
”Sure,” Azadi answers with an innocent smile, ”it seems like some of the crew that’s been around longer wants to cause trouble for us new ‘recruits’... it would probably be a smart idea for us all to stick together as much as possible.”
Marisan nods in agreement. "Should they try to pick a fight again, your water magic will come in handy. I saw you shoot ice from your fingers this morning. What else can you do?"
After finishing deck-swabbing duties Tessa takes note of the dread-locked woman and the green-haired elf thing and makes her way over to them. "Afternoon. Glad to see you both made it through your chores today without being shived. Anything exciting to report?"
"The bilge is disgusting. But I'm sure you knew that already," Marisan replies acerbically.
”Uh, well...” Azadi replies with a little embarrassment, ”that’s about all I’ve learned to do so far... I can throw ice, conjure water, dry things off... purify water... umm, I can create a current? I’m sure I’ll figure out more soon...”
Tessa does a slow-close of her eyes to refrain from vomiting in her mouth. "I am never going down there again. I don't think I could make it out again. I swear to the Gods, should I be sent down there you will need to come rescue me."
Tessa opens her eyes and waves to Azadi as he continues to talk to Marisan, desperate to change the subject "Uh, hey Zoggy. "
"Is that your name? Zoggy? Like Soggy but with a Z. Your parents should be beaten." the pointed ear woman questions, comments and insults in combination as she tiredly pulls herself in the area with them. Nodding at the others, she adds "I have a cleaning spell if you have further stainnnnns" she nearly nods off at the final words, hence the prolonged nnnnns.
Polli spends her time piling and move ropes alongside Sandara and gets to listen as Sandara and the woman she was brought on board with, Tessa, brazenly flirt, generating cat-calls from onlookers. She still hasn't gotten the hang of conserving her energy, though, as by the time she's finished, she's exhausted.
Tessa goes to deck cleaning as if made for it. The fact that she spends part of the time chatting with Sandara doesn't hurt matters.
Donomsail spends more time snooping than running, but doesn't do a bad enough job to generate anything more some foul words regarding her parentage from Master Scourge.
Azadi seems to think this trip has been just a wonderful vacation, spending his shift watching the horizon and chatting with 'Barefoot' Simms.
Harmony attempts to talk some sense into Ambrose, but he's so far gone that he's insensate.
Marisan manages to complete her task but is left fatigued - and covered in foulness.
~~~~~
That evening, there's no one to receive any public punishment during the 'Bloody Hour' and so it's on to dinner and your evening's ration of rum.
~~~~~
As Donomsail approaches "Badger" Medlar, the older woman looks the tiefling up and down and gives her a sneer. "What do you want, demon-spawn?"
~~~~~
The Undine looks over his shoulder to see if there’s someone else joining them and then his shoulders slump.
she doesn’t even remember my name... why would she, it’s not like I was the one who cleaned her up yesterday when she was covered in...
”Oh, uh, hi... Red...” he answers, forcing a little bit of a smile, ”It’s Azadi... my name... it actually means ‘liberty’ in Kellish. My parents named me that because they had both been born slaves and set free, but it kind of seems a little ironic now, given our current situation.”
Marisan nods at Polli. "Thank you, friend. I will keep your spells in mind."
Once again, she ditches the rum ration overboard without anybody noticing. The brawler decides to take it easy tonight, resting to recover from her fatigue. She sits beside Azadi as the two eat dinner.
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If Tessa minds being called Red, she doesn't show it. "Azadi! That's it! I was talking to Sandara earlier and I just couldn't remember it." She clasps him on the back and says "Thanks again for that cleanup yesterday, you were a life safer. From the looks of uhm," she turns to Marisan, snapping her fingers. "Mara-uhm, Marabell, you helped her as well."
During supper Tessa takes a seat next to Polli. She stirs her slog of a meal and swishes around her mandatory rum drink in her hand. Looking over she remarks "You know Polli, you are the shortest elf I've ever met. Are you a half-elf?"
"A good name" Polli remarks in as well words as possible, then pushed past them all to collapse in a corner.
----
"If you could, Azadi?" the cheek resting on the hard table woman asks quietly to the green haired man, her eyes moving to her grog requirement.
As the ginger sits down, and is loud, again, Polli sighs like a cow's bladder being sat on. She shifts her head to look Tessa's way "I think your ears have waxy build up. I have an ointment that will help that... unless it's crept all the way into your strawberry brain, at which point you are simply doomed. I Am Not An Elf. Not half, not quarter... nothing."
"Oh." Tessa remarks, straightening her back and looking Polli up and down again, trying to figure out this mystery. "So. Not an elf of any kind, eh? Got it. What's with the uh," she reaches out and grabs the tip of her left pointy ear, wiggling it between her fingers. "Pointy ears then? Very elf-like. You know Piggy, you don't have to be afraid of your heritage. You should be embracing it. Like so."
Tessa sits her drink down and climbs up on the table. "Attention! Attention everyone! My good friend Piggy the miniature elf here would like everyone here to know it's alright to embrace who you are!"
Looking down at Polli, she motions for her to hand Tessa her drink so she can make a toast.
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Polli groans in the effort of raising her hand to the table, wiggling her finds she sends a sharp zap of ozone into the wench's cup, shooting it across the table, splattering grog over the place. "crap... I was aiming for you... how could I miss an ass that size?" she manages to raise her body up, lean forward and squint at the other woman's bottom through her glasses "Did you get stung by a nest of bees or something, it looks swollen... or is it... Ah... you're retaining water, I think. Too much prostitute sex made you with child, maybe?"
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While standing on the table with a broad smile, her hand extended and waiting for her cup from her friend, Tessa wrinkles her brow at the strange mini-elf. "What? What are you saying? Did you just say my ass is large? And did you just-"
Tessa hops down from the table and leans her face uncomfortably close to Polli's face, dropping the smile now and slowing her speech as she invades Polli's personal space. "Did you just call me a whore?" She uses both thumbs to crack the knuckle of her index fingers, staring into the mini-elf's eyes.
"She also said you were pregnant!" Marisan calls, egging Tessa on.
Marisan's words push Tessa even further, pushing her nose into Polli's and causing her head to push back. "Thank you Marasil, A fat pregnant whore with a large ass is it then, elf?"
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Polli actually seems surprised, not at the invasion of personal space, that seems to happen once people start getting insulted at the reality of their lives, meaning when Polli points out the reality of their lives and they get insulted by it.
But surprised at the whore question "You're... not a whore?" her voice a question. "It was an assumption on my part admittedly. Based on your attire, napping in a seedy bar after what I had assumed was a hard day's work, and your general flirtatious attitude with... well everything. There is nothing wrong with the profession, honest work for honest pay. You have the looks for it..." she realizes maybe she should switch tracks... maybe she should just apologize since the once thought as whore did take down the mistaken for man woman with ease.
As Marisan interjects, she forgets and instead pushes "Yes the pregnancy part was just an insult. Strawberry brain here can't tell an elf from an sylph even though I ALREADY TOLD HER WHAT I WAS." she snapped loudly.
Tessa is having none of this fat whore business. Halfway through Polli's explanation, she loses Tessa. Elf. Sylph. Same damned thing! As she zones out when she rattles off more nonsensical bullshit, Tessa pulls her head away and begins to look away only to turn back around and shoves her fist into the mini-elf's nose with a quick jab from her right hand.
Looking down at the short elf, she says "Now say you're sorry for calling me a fat whore and I'll forgive you and we can talk about elves, sylves or whatever the hell has pointy ears and is short."
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"F!@*!" Polli wasn't expecting the punch, she never does really, even though she almost always does get punched. Holding her swollen nose and fumbling for her glasses that had clattered on the table. Once retrieved she protects them in her hands, then stands up, looking plainly (but still up) at the other woman and says simply but firmly "No"
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"A pregnant, fat whore!" Marisan adds encouragingly.
At the other woman's interjection, again, she adds "The whore part was a simple mistake. The fat part is untrue but deserved. But if you wish to retake PIGGY, I will retake FAT. The pregnant part was just an extension of Fat" her speech is getting a little nasally.
Without looking back at Marisan, Tessa nods corrects "Thank you. Pregnant, fat whore."
Wrinkling her brow again, she is surprised to see her say no. "No? What? All you have to is say your sorry for calling me a prostitute mistakenly. It's not hard, just say the words I'm sorry."
Tessa draws her fist back to punch Polli in the nose again when she interjects it was a mistake. Lowering her hand she asks, "Oh? Your name isn't Piggy? I thought you said you were Ms. Piggy, the elf. Or something like that. Honest mistake really."
Clucking her tongue she says "Alright then. I'm sorry for messing up your name, I tend to do that often. My fault. But I want apologies on fat, pregnant and whoring. Let's hear them."
She beckons for Polli to apologize, ready to punch her in the nose again should she decline.
Tessa sighs repeats the same action, stepping up and jabbing her in the nose again. Not too much, just enough to feel it. "Look. You just called be
[b]"Please stop being obstinate, this is ridiculous. Apologize and let's chat."
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"Fine. I apologize for the mistake of assuming you were a whore, no matter the evidence supporting the assumpt--" she stops herself and sighs, realizing that kind of apology will just result in getting punched again. Starting again, "I am sorry for calling you a fat pregnant whore. And my name is Polli. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tessa was it?"
Tessa nods, "Thank you, Polli. I apologize as well for calling you an elf."
With a flourish, she takes her cap off and bows. "Tessa, indeed. I will answer to others if need be, just," she pokes a finger into Polli's chest. "Don't you dare call me Contessa. I hear Contessa and," she raises her fist again.
With a wink and a smile, she throws her right arm around Polli's neck and guides her back to her seat. "So. Tell me about sylvens. I don't know much about them. Are they cousins of elves or something?"
"you really are a rather violent person aren't you" Polli mutters, but gets guided to her seat, puts her glasses back on to her reddening nose. "No relation to elves, just another of the bastard half breed races that are all over the f~!~ing place. Djinns, instead of angels, demons, orcs, or elves this time. Air genies. I am a descendant of Air genies. she'll add when Djinn goes over her head. She could drone on but sees the interest fading fast in the other woman's eyes.
"Huh. Air genies? No shit! Can you fly? Oh and, aren't all genies air genies? Are there water genies or fire genies too?" Tessa asks, confused. "Hmm. Never thought about that before. So you're descended from an air genie? That's pretty bad-ass, I have to admit. I'm from two boring old regular Taldan humans."
Looking over her shoulder at Marisan, she inclines her head in Polli's direction and clarifies "This is Polli, she can fly. She's an air genie."
Marisan waves. "Hello, Polli. I am Marisan. I can dance. I'm a human."
"Nice to meet you, Marisan. Yes, I witnessed that articulation of your synovial joints seems very well suited for the rolling movements you seem to prefer." her way of saying you dance well. "Also if I could fly, I wouldn't still be on the ship... all I can do is Not Fall, which is significantly less useful in this situation."
Marisan blinks, parsing only half of the words that Polli uses. "Um, thanks. I think."
Tessa goes to drink her rum when she catches multiple head shakes and then a look in the direction of Azadi. She looks curiously at him, cup in hand while he neutralizes said drink. She has no idea what just happened and asks "Is that a blessing of your people, AZoggy?"
After the supper concludes, Tessa pats Polli on the back. "I like you Polli, you use some fancy words and are of the air genie peoples. If you need help with anything or anyone gives you shit, come find me. Alright?"
Making her way out of the group, she seeks out Sandara and finds her on the fore deck. "Evening, Sandara. Our stargazing tonight?"
Throwing her arm over the railing, she leans her head back onto her right shoulder while kicking her left leg up against the railing. Looking into the woman's eyes she says "I wish half of the stars in the sky would shine as brightly as your eyes, maybe I wouldn't be tripping around up here."