Elsewhere in the Shackles (Inactive)

Game Master Giant Halfling

After eating and putting her few belongings away she is happy to see Eshmun walking toward the ship. Intercepting him near the gangplank she goes to meet him and bring him on board. "So glad you decided to give this a try, as promised I'll introduce you and from there you're on your own." So said, so done, she takes him to Hedy's quarters, knocks on the door and waits for it to open. "Evening ma'am, hope it isn't to late to introduce you to someone." She pulls Eshmun in front of her to make sure he doesn't get overlooked. "This is Eshmun, he was Ship's Doctor for my father. He's been keeping his skills up by treating folks in the Beggarbriar District. But he is interested in the position of Ship's Doctor if it's still open. " With that she leaves them alone allowing Eshmun to his own merit.

“I’m recommending Ronnie Pfifer. If you worry it’s a biased choice, I understand… but she’s my best in terms of who I trust to be fair to the crew. So it would be unfair to her and myself—and to you—to pick someone else. Ronnie is the best for the job, and to recommend another to cover my ass is dishonest.”

She adds, “Just like it would be dishonest to tell you I’m glad I couldn’t find a reason to choose another. Captain.”

Assuming she was able to blurt all that, Saph finally lets Hedy actually get a word in.

Eshmun lifts up the parcel he's been carrying, which Aerin assumed contained his clothing and personal effects, and he unwraps it to reveal a beautifully crafted leather tricorne. "This was her father's hat," he explains, "its magic will benefit any ship, but it only works if its worn by the captain. So wear it well, ma'am, and may the Night Talon find nothing but success. I would ask though, that if you do part ways one day, you please give it back to Miss Aerin. I won't be there to make you--and I wouldn't have any way to make you if I were--but sending her on her way without it seems like the sort of thing that may call down curses on a ship..."

Handing the hat off to the captain, he turns and takes the sorcerer's hand. "Good fortune, Miss Aerin," he says, giving her hand a little squeeze, "I'll see you next time the Night Talon glides into Port Peril to empty her hold of treasures."

@Aerin- I applaud your initiative, but in order to recruit a new healer (or any kind of NPC caster, really) you either need to approach an appropriate NPC that I've introduced and make a diplomacy check to recruit them (with a DC based on how likely they are to leave), or make a gather info check to find an appropriate NPC and then a recruitment check to get them (with a DC that will probably be a fair bit lower, since you're looking for someone who wants work).

@Hedy- The hat grants a +2 competence bonus to profession [sailor] and to survival or knowledge [geography] checks made to navigate. Once per week a captain wearing the hat aboard their ship can (as a standard action) shout a rallying call to bring good luck to their crew and bad luck to their enemies (as the prayer spell, CL 10). And, that should make up for the gold you spent on ship upgrades ;)

There's a link in my banner to the ship's roster. I (obviously) don't expect you to memorize it or anything but it might not hurt to look it over- it'll show you who the officers are and give you some idea of which crew are helpful, established ones and which are new. As bosun you're basically responsible for all the riggers, and making sure that there's always an appropriate number of them on duty and doing what they need to for the ship to sail smoothly. That basically amounts to setting up their duty roster and providing supervision as needed, but we generally handwave all that (this is a game about pirates getting treasure, not a brass-tacks naval simulator) except when you want to use it for RP purposes. Technically the bosun wouldn't normally have any authority over the master gunner or the master carpenter at all, although the first mate seems to have sort of offered you that authority... I'll leave it up to you how much you want to get in the middle of Murillo's dislike for the man. If you have any questions about any of that, feel free to ask Lief in game, or me in discussion.

Assuming days 1-2 are flops, it seems that, after the date all goes very well. Saph looks for info that will align with her agenda, yet keep the bloodthirsty crew satisfied.

•

#1. Are there other lady captains out there? Saph would hope to be on good terms, as—not that she’d blurt this publicly—she and Hedy were both forced into a certain life simply because of their gender. The last thing Saph wants is to murder women over gold when they could form a sort of sisterhood.

If she learns of this on one day, she’ll try meeting a lady captain the next day. (So if she learns of lady Cap’n day 3, apply the day 4 roll to meeting her. If she learns of her day 4, please apply day 5’s roll…)

•

#2. Are there slave ships? Saph is sure that Hedy agrees a slave ship is a deserving target. Saph personally would be in it for rescuing the slaves, but the slave drivers would undoubtedly deserve a bloody end. (Hopefully, any lady captain she learns of won’t be captain of a slave ship.)

•

#3. What about the sunken treasure? The crew isn’t interested, but why not get more info? Saph and Hedy can both survive underwater. Who better to go after sunken treasure!

•

Any days left can go to recruiting the healer and making crew helpful.

"Master Eshmun!" Hedy rises from her charts in surprise, giving the little man a deep curtsey of respect. Anyone down and near gutted knew of the halfling clinic, and his willingness to see to your wounds no matter who did the gutting. Neutral ground he was in a city of backstabbers.

Her mouth dropped open at the suggestion he was joining them, but thankfully only for a moment. Slack-jawed captains are rarely thought highly of.

"I'll wear it with honor and as long as I am alive will make sure Aerin receives it if we part ways." she pledges, meaning every syllable.

Assuming you don't protest, She leads you off the ship, up the dock, and around a corner towards a little shop off the beaten path. "You do look beautiful in that dress," she tells you, "but I know that Hedy and Vadoma put it together for you, which is so sweet, and really impressive, but then I was thinking about your story and... well, it occurred to me that you've probably never owned a real dress before much less been able to go dress shopping, and I thought, as beautiful as you are, you should have a chance to try things on and see all the options and feel like a princess for a little while..."

As she reaches out and opens the door, you see from the sign hanging above it that she's taken you to a seamstress. "If you don't like it we don't have to stay long, but I heard she does dresses for Free Captains and fancy prostitutes, and actually this is where I got my dress and she has so much pretty stuff... will you try some of it on for me?" Looking past her you can see dozens of dresses in different colors and styles hanging from rails around the walls and several more displayed on wooden forms. "Welcome," an elven woman greets you as she walk towards the door to meet you, "how can I help you this evening." Ronnie doesn't answer but looks intently at your face to see how you react.

Day 2- You fail to find a way to meet Captain Fairwind (possibly because you're distracted over the impending date).

Day 3- You learn that slavery is legal in the Shackles and practiced by many vessels, even when that's not their primary business. When pirates take another ship, it's fairly common to sell whatever survivors don't join the crew into slavery; and, when merchants defeat attacking pirates they often sell the surviving buccaneers into slavery. There are also devoted slaving ships that travel through the shackles moving human cargo from one region to another.

Day 4- You discover that Felnas Seaborn, the handsome elven free captain whose ship went down with a full hold, has been painfully tight-lipped about where the wreck is. You do, however, learn that the ship he arrived in Port Peril on sailed out of Oyster Cay (a settlement Northeast of here, on the mainland near the Sodden Lands), and rumor has it that he arrived there with a handful of his crew on a ship's boat (the row boat used for landing parties and the like).

Day 5- You hear word that there's an unusual man by the name of Sylik Krane who's been healing wounded sailors for drinks at a bar down on the south side of the docks. Apparently, he was kicked off his last ship after summoning an errant lightning bolt that took out the foremast.

Day 6- You track down Sylik Krane, a not quite human-looking man whose windswept blue hair makes you feel an odd sense of kinship towards him. After talking with him about the Night Talon and the possibility of returning to sea, he gladly accepts the opportunity to meet with Captain Bogg about joining the crew.

I'll kick off RP for meeting the captain below. Do you want to pick where those 3 influence checks go or do you want me to assign them randomly?

I'll let whichever of you gets to this first kick off the interaction. Saph already made the recruitment check, so Hedy just has to decide if she's alright with it.

Hedy was finishing a late lunch of a flaky fish in a cream sauce and a nice crusty bread slathered in butter. "Whell, hello to you." she looks up in interest at the newcomer "May I ask why my master of arms is presenting you to me on this fine afternoon?"

Strong women... also... cry. Strong... women... also cry.

“Oh, wow! I haven’t had a dress at all since I was a little girl, and that was just a black and white maid uniform.” She manages to resist both bursting into tears and kissing Ronnie passionately. A gentle squeeze of the hand and a warm smile will do for now.

To the elven women, she says, “I’m here with Ronnie, your satisfied customer. I would like to be a satisfied customer too. Ronnie and I are headed to the Taldan Bakery, so I’d like something appropriately elegant. Something that, when Ronnie and I step through the door, just screams she and I are equals. Not that screaming is elegant, but you get the idea.” Saph is obviously excited about the dress, but she manages to stop chattering endlessly. “The name’s Sapphire by the way.”

Day 5- You hear word that there's an unusual man by the name of Sylik Krane who's been healing wounded sailors for drinks at a bar down on the south side of the docks. Apparently, he was kicked off his last ship after summoning an errant lightning bolt that took out the foremast.

Day 6- You track down Sylik Krane, a not quite human-looking man whose windswept blue hair makes you feel an odd sense of kinship towards him. After talking with him about the Night Talon and the possibility of returning to sea, he gladly accepts the opportunity to meet with Captain Bogg about joining the crew.

Ronnie is beaming at your reaction, and she informs the elf, ”neither of us know very much about dresses... could you make some suggestions, please.”

”I’d be delighted,” she replies, stepping back and giving Saph an appraising look. After a moment she offers, ”Your skin tone is lovely, but rather uncommon... I’d suggest one of two approaches. If you’re looking for subtle elegance, stick to neutral colors—like white or gray—and tones that are in the same color family as your skin, but different enough that it doesn’t look like you’re trying to match it—pale blues, gentle greens, soft purples. Now, if you’re trying to make a statement, on the other hand, I’d suggest going for dramatic contrast and for you that’s really orange, although, remember, the orange family isn’t all bright, it also includes browns and tans. Your own color is so strong that, in either case, I’d suggest choosing a subtler tone so that it doesn’t compete with your natural beauty. So, what would you like to try on: something subtle, or something that makes a statement?”

She raises up her gloves as she speaks.

The gloves send additional words to Anduviel. Which reminds me, I’d like to purchase some lingerie, if you sell that as well. Is there a way to get that to me in secret, like when I try on the dress?

"Ronnie is a fine suggestion, Sapphire. Eager, smart, with ever-increasing confidence. I am not fully ready to make this decision, but I thank you for the thought you put into it." her eyes hold the blue woman, making sure she understands she's been heard and that she's dismissed now.

"Any decisions on our next venture?"

Day 8 (rolled 23) and Day 9 (rolled 27) could easily be spent on this. Saph wants to know the slave trade well. If day 7 got the info she was looking for…
• Day 8: Any slavers docked here now? What’s the name of his ship?
• Day 9: Would the Siren’s Master at Arms meet her? How does Fairwind feel about the slave trade?

Anduviel chuckles slightly also, and says, ”I don’t know, it sounds to me like you’re learning some subtlety. One of each sound like an excellent place to start though. Sapphire, why don’t you head behind that screen and remove your dress and I’ll be there in a moment with something to put on.”

”What do we need a screen for,” Ronnie teases with a smirk, ”it’s just us girls here...”

The elf shuts her down quickly though saying simply, ”patience will be rewarded, Ronnie. Dresses are always their most beautiful when they’re all laced up.” Then she arrives behind the screen with: a lilac strapless satin dress in a similar shape to Ronnie’s; a shimmering orangey gold silk dress that covers the shoulders, with a neckline that dips down fairly low and a narrow, longer skirt that’s slit well up both sides; and, a pair of delicate lace undergarments hidden between them. ”Which one shall we start with?”

"Those of you who don’t know, I'm Aersten Vidsun, and I am your new bosun. I'm one of several new faces around here, including some up on the lines with you. Now, you've all served here a while, and you all know that our Captain, and even more so, her First Mate, have a... certain standard they want to see from our work. What I need you to do is make sure the new arrivals meet that standard. I’m gonna be shifting the duty rosters around some, and make the work details are a mix of old hands and new. You are to make sure that the new folks come up to speed, and that they don’t drag the rest of us down. If there is a problem, you bring it to me."

"We got this?"

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

If there’s a mirror, she checks herself out in the lacy little bikini thing. It’s like wearing a flower!

“Maybe I’ll wear the gold tonight, and lilac in the morning. So I guess that means I try on the lilac first.”

The seamstress helps you slip into the strapless lilac dress and lace it up. At first it seems impossible that it would stay up on its own, let alone support your chest at all, but as she shows you how to tighten and tie the laces you feel the boning of the bodice press against your skin and lock in place. The soft purple color against the rich blue of your skin is quite lovely, and it picks up the pink in your gloves as if they were made to go together.

When you, nervously, step out from behind the screen Ronnie's eyes go wide as they take you in and all she can manage to say is, "wow..."

The test complete, the new ship's healer thanks you; then, he and his parrot head off to get settled into their new quarters.

“I don’t wanna rush tonight. Oh, I’m eager. You’re not mistaken. But there’s something about the nervous feeling that I like… and after tonight, I won’t have this kinda nervous again… will I?”

Outside the dressing room, Saph beams at Ronnie’s reaction. “Looks like I won’t be wearing red tonight. But there’s still the question of wearing gold.”

Back to the dressing room!

* * *

Healer Test
When the talk of a ‘test’ comes up, Saph says, “I better get ready for my shore leave. Best of luck, Doctor.” She salutes Hedy on her way out, then gives a friendly wave…

The last thing I want on my mind tonight is the sight of dangling infections. Oh, I hope they don’t serve cucumbers at the restaurant. Ask me later, if you’re curious! (Definitely the gloves.)

She smiles as you return, beaming, to the area behind the screen and helps you get out of the first dress. As you begin putting on the second dress, you're immediately struck by the dazzling contrast between the shiny gold and your deep blue skin. Its a little disappointing, then, when Anduviel takes a step back and scrunches her face in thought. "The gold is stunning on you," she remarks, "if you ever want every eye in the room to be on you, this is your color... but... it doesn't work with those gloves. You could go without them if you want but I'm guessing, since you never took them off at all when you removed all of your other clothes, that you'd prefer to wear them?"

"I have an idea... it's a little risque for the bakery but, given your red dress, I think you might be able to pull it off... you get out of this one and I'll be right back." She leaves you to undress and returns a few moments later with a new dress. Its glossy light brown silk is much less ostentatious than the gold, but the style more than makes up for it, with sides that are open from the arm nearly down to the waist and a neckline that plunges so far down in front that your navel may be visible; the skirt hangs all the way down to your shins, but a slit runs up the right leg well up onto your thigh. "Oh, that's so much better with the pink," the elf says with a smile, "shall we see what Ronnie thinks?"

"Yes, please," the other woman calls out. When you emerge this time she is completely speechless, though her cheeks and her chest begin to redden.

She really appreciates the elf woman’s advice…

When she sees Ronnie’s reaction, she says, “That’s obviously a yes to the dress. So which will it be tonight?”

When Saph is back in the dressing room, to gather the lilac dress even if not to change into it (depending on Ronnie’s choice), she asks the price. If it’s reasonable*, she asks the price of all three dresses plus lingerie.

*(Reasonable = Pathfinder standard prices.)

If she buys all three, she’ll show Ronnie the gold, but with her gloves off.

When you ask Ronnie which dress you should wear tonight, her adorable smirk slowly returns to her flushed face and she stammers, "uh, this one... definitely this one..." Before you even have a chance to step back behind the screen, she steps forward and places her hands on the exposed skin of your sides and leans in to plant a soft, lingering kiss on your lips.

Once you do get back behind the curtain, Anduviel informs you that despite her quality and reputation, her prices are quite competitive with other shops. The lilac and light brown dresses are each 8 gold, the golden dress is 12 gold, and the lacy undergarments are 2 gold.

She looks down at the ground for a moment then shakes her head. "Ma'am, may I have a frank conversation with you that won't leave this room at all?"

Her cheeks are flush when she returns to the dressing room to get the other dress. “Oh, wow, I’m not so sure I do know my body better than you do. I mean… even the red dress didn’t……… wow.”

Saph removes four platinum coins from her purse. “This probably isn’t a tipping industry, but I… I’ve never been to a place like this before, and your advice, not just on the dresses… yeah. Thank you.”

If Anduviel says the tip is too much, Saph will just ask her to slip an additional 2g set of lingerie into the bag. (Do I book-keep the date stuff? Not a problem if I do, since that is my assumption. Just want to clarify before I start subtracting gold from my profile.)

Once the items are paid for, Saph proudly walks about with Ronnie’s arm locked in hers, and in her hand—a shopping bag!

"I'm glad to have been of help," Anduviel replies with a warm smile. "And thank you for your generosity," she adds, slipping an extra set of lingerie into your bag.

Ronnie can't stop stealing glances at you as the two of you make your way through the city towards the bakery. She's not alone either- you can't remember this many people looking at you since you were in the arena in front of a full crowd. The two of you do receive more than a couple cat calls before you make it far enough from the docks to be free of such trouble, but the only man foolish enough to really try anything is greeted with Ronnie's slipper-shoe to his groin before he can even finish the indecent thing he was trying to say.

True to Annie's word, you smell the incredible aroma of baking pastries before you can see the bakery. As she warned you, the outside is truly unremarkable and Ronnie seems a little bit surprised that you've both gotten dressed up for such a place. Walking in, however, is a completely different surprise. A number of small tables are draped in white linens and surrounded by an eclectic mix of antique chairs. Each table is laid out with a matched set of fancy china and silverware, but the sets are different from table to table. In the center of each is a vase with flowers and a candle to provide low, warm light. A teenage girl in a simple, light blue dress smiles and welcomes you as you enter, then leads you to table for two off in one corner. Once you're seated, she asks "what can I get for you two?"

Saph replies, “I was thinking to look at the wine list, but a kindly seamstress advised me not to dull my wits tonight. So might we also consider your finest teas? Aside from that, we’d like to look over the menu while resisting the urge to fill up on your famously aromatic bread.” As the waitress gathers both the wine list and the choices of tea, Saph lets Ronnie look on with her at the menu. “What looks good to you, Ronnie?”

"I'm flattered, Captain, truly," she explains, "but I think I can guess pretty easily who suggested me..."

"Saph is beautiful, and kind, and so sweet... we had the most amazing night together the other night..." her mind clearly wanders for a moment and her cheeks begin to redden a little before she snaps back to the present and continues, "but I told her we can't do stuff like this... if I get this promotion right after we... well, right after we made love, then everyone on board is going to know I got it for bedding her. Even if you and her and every other officer swears it isn't so, that's still what the whole ship will think."

"If she was just a notch on my belt, I'd take it gladly, and when the crew gave me sh!t I'd just tell them they were jealous that they couldn't bed an officer so well that they got promoted for it, but... well, if you'll pardon my softness, ma'am, I think I maybe have real feelings for her... and she seems to have them for me too... I think me becoming an officer, at least right now, would complicate that..."

She takes another sip of her tea before sighing and concluding, "I guess what I'm saying, ma'am, is that I would rather be a raider and free to be Saph's lover than be an officer whose relationship is tangled up in ship politics."

"Your first time, huh? Well, here's a list of beverages," the young woman answers handing you a sheet of parchment, "the wines are at the top here, and those are hot cacao and coffee drinks below there; on the back you'll find the tea list, by region, and at the bottom a few fruit juices. Unfortunately, our menu changes everyday depending on what's fresh in the market, so we don't have anything printed for you to look at... almost nobody orders à la carte because of that. We have options to just order dinner, a light dinner, or a feast and we'll put together your courses from what's made today; that's what most people do. If you do want to order à la carte, I could start listing things that are prepared, or you could give me an idea of what you like and I could tell you what we have along those lines?"

Ronnie leans in until your shoulders and upper arms are pressed together as you share the drink menu. "I don't even know what half of these things are..." she quietly confesses, "maybe we should just get the meals that they put together for us, and ask her to suggest drinks?"

"Hmmm... love over ambition." Hedy gives a wistful smile "It is your choice, and I respect your wishes." she sighs, leaning back and sipping her tea "Well, if we ever have another opening And you continue to impress, we can talk again."

We'll promoTe Jim as her aid, if he is willing

Saph replies to Ronnie, “A saffron tea would be appropriate, but…” She goes on, to the waitress, “…but as you say, it is my first time. So let’s have an extravagant feast for two, and 遠東最好的茶…”

She finger-waves the translation, the finest tea from the Far East, then continues to speak of other areas in their native languages while using her gloves to translate to the waitress.

In Polyglot, <or the most passionate fruit juices of the tropics,> in Skald, <or the most delectable hot cacao outta the Great White North…> (Skald-Canadian?) She goes on, as long as there’s an area on the beverage list from a place whose worldly language she knows, finishing with <or whatever divine beverage you recommend> in Celestial.

She hasn’t told Ronnie what her gloves do yet, as the mystery of how the waitress understands her is part of the fun, so she hopes.

She enjoys the warmth of Ronnie’s flesh against hers. Saph was not expecting this gentleness. Kicking that guy in the balls, on the other hand… that was beautiful!

Rising from her chair, she gives a quick salute and waits to be dismissed.

Later, with Gentleman Jim
When you offer Jim the promotion he smiles and answers, ”You know how much I enjoy meeting your needs, captain.”

Growing suddenly serious he adds, ”you also know I’m trying to keep a low profile out here, so I wouldn’t be able to be with you when you meet with important people, or anyone who could recognize me, but if you don’t mind that condition, I’d be honored to serve you however you like.”

The young waitress on the other hand, seems not to need any translation as you bounce through languages. After your date gets a chance to answer you, the waitress offers, ”I think I got all of that... but, if you trust me, I can choose a pairing for each course and have them brought with your food? Very little alcohol, of course, since you were advised to keep your wits. How does that sound?”

A few days in, he gathers them all up for a brief talk.

"I'm gonna keep this short. I ain't the type for givin' speeches and I figure none of you are the type for hearin' them. The thought flashes through his mind that if Mother heard him talking like this, she'd be mortified. Well, I'm here and she's not.

"I don't expect the Night Talon t'be the embodiment of naval precision or some damn thing, okay? This ain't the Chelish Navy."

"Pick a reason to give a damn how you do your job. Because the life we've chosen says that sometimes we'll fight for our livelihood, and sometimes we'll fight for our lives. And in a fight, more often'n not, it's the guy who gives more of a damn that'll come out on top."

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Chez Moi in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong is like this place: looks like an old apartment on the outside, and no menus, you eat what they serve. I proposed there and ate there with family and friends the day before my wedding.

Saph turns to Ronnie, “Notice the clientele? I was thinking of our first date—I mean the plan to get men to start something so we could fight ’em. I picked this place so there wouldn’t be any temptation.”

She gives Ronnie’s hand a squeeze.

“Not to fight, anyway.”

Hedy laughed, a low melodious one colored in memory "Oh the things you can do with..." she stopped, giving a smile and shaking her head "But no, my stance on sleeping with Any crew members stands. At least until we are a seasoned ship."

At his acceptance, Hedy seems relieved "Terms accepted. Since I doubt you want the esteemed title of Cabin Boy, I thought we'd shift to Concierge. It's a froo froo term for an assistant that helps keeps everything moving along, one in retrospect you might already be familiar with."

She gets done, and fidgets a bit, “There is one other thing, Miss. I struggled on whether to bring this up, wanting to get the position purely on my own merit, but I truly do wish to be a crew member of the famous Siren.” she opens her sachet on her side and pulls out a notarized letter. “Miss Polli Analasia Bog IV is still the doctor on board, correct?” she waits almost holding her breath at the response, then relieved when she hears the answer “Good, then here. This shows the purchase of one Hedwig The Merwhore, which is me, or was... me, they called me a mermaid because they were idiots... Purchased By Miss Bogg, some five years back.” she pulls the letter back once it is read protectively and puts it away. With a worried smile and an uncertain tone, she pushes through “So I am her property, please return me to her at... Once?”

The story is simple. Hedwig grew up a slave, earliest memories were from the brothel, as a servant and then a prostitute in a large tub. An angry wizard doctor came to the house of ill-repute collect wayward crew so the ship could leave the hellhole they were docked in. Someone shouted Go Away Elf.
Hedwig said uncharacteristically loud, She is not an elf, she’s a sylph
That piqued interest, a how do you know that, answered with they let me read
A conversation where the sylph named Polli asked questions, engaged in intelligent arguments about interesting conversations, and then at the end, spent her entire life’s savings on buying the woman from the whorehouse. It was that or burn it down, she muttered as they left.
She worked on the ship for a bit with her until she had enough to go on her own, with the intention of returned to Polli to repay her, but the wizard got fired from more ships than one could think possible. So it has taken a bit.

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“That doesn't sound Vudran” the clerk of the Rancid Boil pointed out.

Her eyes caught the sailor's, deep blue like the depth of the ocean, and held him for a moment before she nodded slowly “Because it isn't, and I'm not.” she considered before answering “I am an undine, though I don't look it. Bastard offspring of a marid? No idea what I'm talking about? A Water Genie?” she sighed at the declining education level of the Shackles lately. Bringing up her hand, she spreads her fingers out to show the webbing between them, then brushed the thick waves of ebony hair away from her neck to show the slits of her gills. “I can breathe underwater.”

After letting the usefulness of that on a pirate ship, she leaned over the table to look at his notes “I believe that deserves an extra tick there on your list of qualifications.” she points to where, then raises her gaze to his, letting her eyes widen like she just realized how close she was to him.

Her voice grew softer “I've been cook, a good one, and I've been a courtesan, a great one” she is pretty, one has to admit, and there is something light and stunningly addictive about her scent... the sailor leans forward, only to have her raise up and away “But no more. I was chained. A slave forced to service Clients in a bathtub. Merwhore, one of the creative establishments that owned me called me that. And it stuck.” her frown was deep, the anger hot but old, “But f~#$ them. Those that I couldn't find have died from old age or cock rot by this point.”

She gathers herself, smoothing away nonexistent creases of her lovely coat and the heavy skirts underneath. An owl, the color somewhere between snow white and luminous blue, flew down from the rafters to land on her shoulder, making her smile “This here is Cream, my familiar. I made him myself.” the owl pecked her in the side of the head, enough to get a wince “Don't fuss, it is unprofessional.” she whispers to him and pulls out a dried fish from her satchel which he gobbles down “He is a magical bird, quite mischievous to one's enemies, as well as helping me keep an eye out for nary do wells.” a cocked eyebrow in the sailor's direction again, as if weighing his nary do well nature.

“I make potions and bombs, have a way with words, and am brilliant.” she lists the rest of her qualifications in rapid order, and with no humility what so ever (though a really observant one would see the way her eyes creep away as she talks, a subtle sign she has her own doubts aplenty).

The sailor tough had been convinced at either cook or courtesan, hard to decide which is better, but asks the last question anyway “Why hook up with the Boil?”

“I'm looking for someone, that at least was and hopefully still is a crew member board your Fine- um- noteworthy vessel. A Polli Anadalasia Bog IV, a ship's doctor.” she starts to look through her satchel for something, missing the horrid frown that split the man's face at the mention of Polli. Pulling out a bill of sale. Of her. To Polli “I am her personal property. Even though that foul-tempered wizard bought me just to free me from my wretched existence and only really took an interest because I happened to know from reading, of all things, that she was a sylph and not an elf...” she stops talking as she notices the frown and the two ugly as sin brutes rising to stand behind the clerk with arms crossed. “Oh... I see you have met her. Um... and that she is unlikely still on board. Well then I will be-”” without a second to spare she throws several bombs and runs her ass off.