"Gods! What's going on over there! I should have went!"
Tessa yells loudly. "My spyglass!"
Valeria studies the mistress of the keep as she speaks, and weighs the woman’s words...
Leaning towards Marisan she quietly says, ”she seems to be telling the truth about you being safe unless, or until, we attack.”
"Uh, Captain, Ma'am?" Jack questions hesitantly as he points to her hip where the spyglass hangs.
"Huh? What?" she says, looking down at her hip. "Why didn't you just say so!" she says, flustered. Grabbing her glass, she focuses it in on what's happening with Harmony's crew.
"Looks like they are just talking." she says, relieved. "Okay. Everything is fine. Everything is fine."
She lowers her glass to see Jack standing by her side. "Jack? What are you doing standing here? You should be in the nest. Skidaddle!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Jack says grin and a salute before ascending the ropes in a fashion similar to Harmony's monkey.
Donomsail puts a hand on Tessa's shoulder. "Donna worry. Marisan is there 'n' you'n'I both are knowin' she be keepin' everybody safe." It is hard to tell if Donomsail trying to reassure Tessa or herself with the soft tone she is using but the hand she put on Tessa's shoulder is giving her a light massage as she tries to help her captain stay focused on the here and now. "Shall I refill yer mug? Mayhaps a bit o' the biscuits left over frum breakfast?"
Tessa nods to Donomsail, but it's not clear which part she said yes to, maybe all of the above or maybe she just needed to nod her head.
"You're right. Everything is fine as long as Marisan is with them. I am just overreacting is all. Thank you."
Harmony nods to Val's words but then shakes her head at Marisan. "I'll stay Marisan. If she's sincere then there's no danger and it gives me longer to talk to her. You three get back to the Siren quickly and stop Tessa doing something rash. Tell her I suggest all the officers come to dinner, leave Sandara in charge."
Decision made she raises her voice once again.
"My thanks Lady Smythe, I will come ashore at once. My officers will return in one hour to join us at dinner." She gestures for the boat to close in until she can step out onto dry land, or at least shallow water and then turns around to give it a shove back out again.
"Remember. Nothing rash!"
The longboat bumps into the stone steps and Harmony jumps out onto one of them that's covered with water to step up and stand before the single, heavy, reinforced door.
Following instructions, Mina and Fina heave to on the oars and row the boat back out into the lagoon. Once they've reached a fair distance, Harmony hears the sound of a heavy bar being pulled back and the door opens outward towards her. Two armed figures gesture for her to come inside. Once she steps inside, the heavy door is pulled closed and barred.
The chamber inside is floored with the dirt filling the tower’s base and is used to store assorted supplies, spare timber, kegs of nails and tar, spare sailcloth, fishing lines and nets, lengths of heavy rope, and unused furniture. A rowboat hangs from the rafters. Alcoves in the walls and below the arrow slit hold more delicate items such as tinderboxes, tallow candles, and chipped crockery. A side alcove holds a staggered wooden ladder that accesses the second floor. The ladder
is unusual in that its rungs alternate from side to side so that someone not paying attention can easily lose his footing and fall.
The two armed men gesture towards the ladder with their weapons. Reaching the second floor, Harmony is met by the armored man from the roof. He's an older man with a well-groomed, but receding hairline. Nevertheless, he carries himself with the air of a man whose weapons aren't decorative.
"I am Sergeant McCleagh," he says in a stiff voice. "I am the commander of Her Lady's forces. If you would come with me." Without waiting for a response, he turns and begins walking away.
With the two guardsmen behind her, Sergeant McCleagh leads her through a couple more rooms and then up to the next floor and into the kitchen. An elderly couple are in the middle of preparing a large meal, but pause when the four of you enter.
"Please place any and all weapons you have upon this table," the sergeant says to Harmony. "Please also remove any jewelry as well." He gestures at a small open coffer sitting on the table. "It will be kept safe until you are cleared to leave." His voice brooks no argument.
Once Harmony has done so, one of the other guards opens a sturdy door that appears to lead to a storeroom. The room has an arrow-slit window and is filled with sealed barrels and kegs. A small table and chair have been set in the middle of the room. Sergeant McCleagh gestures for Harmony to enter the room. For the first time, the confident man seems to hesitate.
"Birney?" he says, directing his query to the elderly woman. "Would you ... uh ... ensure ... um ... that our guest isn't ... hiding anything?"
The woman steps into the room with Harmony as the guardsman, including the Sergeant turn their heads.
"Nothing to worry about, Deary," the woman says in a voice filled with compassion. "I just needs to check so we's all safe." With that, she searches Harmony's clothes, looking for any concealed contraband. Harmony notices that the woman seems to be taking great care to be respectful, but she's quite thorough.
Once the woman's finished, she calls out, "Albers. Albers! Bring this young woman something to eat."
With a friendly smile, the old man brings in a plate filled with a portion of the food that's being prepared in the kitchen. "Here's ya go, Miss," he says with a nod as he sets it on the small table. A large mug of water joins it. "Now's if your friends be all friendly like, you'll be outta here in two shakes with no harm done," he says. The two of them exit the storeroom and the door closes. Harmony hears the lock being turned and she's left alone with her dinner.
~~~~~
Once the crew on the boat see the door shut, Mina and Fina give more effort to the oars to return the longboat to the Siren
Returning to the boat, she'll report to Tessa everything that happened, knowing that she will worry and is likely to snap, which Polli is fine with. With a frim line of her lips and her own worried eyes, she'll end with "Our captain insisted, and she is right. If we want to try diplomacy, she is the best choice of staying." then with a pause she'll add "I would like to attend the meal. If things go south, I want to help."
”Sh!t...” Val mutters once the door is closed.
”Marisan, maybe you should be the one to tell cap’n Tessa what she said...” she offers, ”none of us could order her not to do anything rash, obviously, but she might take the other cap’n’s request better if it comes from you...”
Tessa is watching the entire exchange through her spyglass, sipping her rum occasionally. When everyone but Harmony gets on the boat, she looks confused. "What the f~#~ is going on? Why is everyone leaving Vi?!" she shouts.
When they start rowing away and two armed figures take her away, Tessa loses her s$*&. "OHNOYOUDIDN'T! TO ARMS!" she shouts.
"GET THE BALLISTA READY!" she screams before ringing the alarm bell loudly five or six times.
"SANDARA YOU ARE ACTING CAPTAIN" she says as she barrels forward and takes a running leap off the bow, diving into the water. She surfaces in a full swim, heading for the longboat as fast as possible.
Polli adjusts her glasses seeing the other captain hurling toward her as she practices her speech to her in the longboat (silently!). "now I'll get punched in a smaller boat, great." turning to the halfelves "Mina, Fina, steer that way so we can save our Tessa before a shark eats her."
”This is going well...” Val observes with a sigh.
”Don’t aim to her meet her,” she instructs the twins, ”she might just swim around us... aim to cut her off so she’s swimming towards our broadside...”
Tessa reaches the longboat breathing heavy. As she climbs aboard she tries to yell, but she can only get it out in short bursts. "WHAT. ARE. YOU. DO-ING. DON'T LEAVE. HER! TURN AROUND. RIGHT NOW!" she says, yanking and oar from an *ina and starts to row. "I SAID ROW! WE ARE NOT. LEAVING VI!"
"Oh good, welcome aboard." Polli sighs "Captain Steele, might for a moment you spend a second to listen WHY your fellow captain made a decision ON HER OWN to do the very thing you want to go demand her not to do because you want to TELL her what to do?" trying to be understanding, not annoyed, not worried from her nonexistent balls and back for the other woman as well.
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Tessa leaps to her feet, standing up and looking across at Polli nose to nose, with her fists balled and still breathing heavy. For five breaths she stares her in the eyes and raises her hand to eye level with Polli "Hold this." she says, placing her hat on Polli's head.
Turning away she wrings her hair out and says "That makes complete sense."
After wringing her hair out and shaking her hands, she takes her hat back and pops a flask off her hip and sips her rum before holding the container out to Polli. Looking down at *ina, she says "Please row us back to the Siren." before taking a seat in the boat.
Polli holds her gaze, fully expecting to get hit, hard (thinking, s##%, I should have taken my glasses off before saying that), but blinks in utter surprise, Total flummoxed jaw-dropping surprise, at Tessa's response.
Speechless she takes the flask and swigs a burning torrent down her throat.
Val quietly watches the scene unfold in front of her. She’s surprised and visibly relieved by how it goes.
wow... I know who I’m asking to talk to Tessa about things in the future...
When the long boat arrives back at the ship she grabs the rail and steadies the small craft while the other officers disembark, then helps the twins tie it off before climbing aboard. She debates asking the captain what the plan is but after a long morning of humiliation decides to disappear to her bunk and lay low until summoned.
An hour later and five of you are rowing towards Tidewater Rock again. You are met at the steps by a rather stern looking, armored man who introduces himself as Sergeant McCleagh
"If you would follow me," he says, stiffly. He leads you inside and you can see that the ground floor room is mostly taken up with storage of, well, everything up to and including a rowboat. Up a narrow ladder at the side and then through various rooms and two more staircases to what you're guessing is the top floor and a dining hall.
A long oaken table that can seat up to 10 fills this room, over which hangs a heavy iron chandelier. An arrow slit alcove serves as a sideboard and holds a tapped keg of ale. A wide window — the only true window in the castle — overlooks the picturesque harbor and admits a soft southerly breeze, but has sturdy oak shutters that can be barred from within. A door to the north opens on stairs leading up to the battlements. To the east is another sturdy door.
A sturdy woman stands at the other end of the table, flanked by an elderly couple in their seventies or eighties. It's also hard not to notice the four armed guards, one stationed in each corner of the room.
"I am Lady Agasta Smythee and welcome to Tidewater Rock," the woman says. "I offer you a host's hospitality. Please have a seat." She gestures at the wooden chairs placed on both sides of the table and as you move to sit, she takes a seat at the head of the table.
Once everyone has found a place, the elderly couple begin serving up plates of boiled crab, butter-simmered sturgeon, goat cheese, and hard bread, along with mugs of ale or rum depending on the diner's preference.
"I must apologize that your fellow crewmember is unable to join us, but please, be rest assured that she is unharmed and is partaking of the same feast that we are - albeit with less company." She takes a hefty drink of ale. "So what brings you to knock at the door of the Rock?"
Val stays quiet at the table as she carefully observes all the goings on. She’s mindful not only of the Mistress of the Rock but the servers and attendants as well.
Tessa takes a seat and is cordial, eating her meal and enjoying the goat cheese most of all. When talk of her fellow crew member is brought up, Tessa frowns and lowers a piece of cheese she is holding in her hand. "This is quite a fine meal, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to talk with you. We can get to business in just a moment, but I must declare to you that I am worried about the crewmember you are holding. She is quite special to me and I do not think I could stand for a hair on her head to be harmed."
She takes a bite of her cheese, vocalizing a "Mmmm!" she she holds it up Lady Smythee with a smile before continuing.
"Let's be blunt, shall we? As much fun as word games are, and believe you me I am trained in them, your prisoner keeps me uneasy and so I'll be honest with you. While I was prepared to lie to you and say we were here to trade, it's true that after our last capture of cargo on the seas that I was riding high on emotion. When our crew member didn't return to our ship, I fully had planned to sail here and assault The Rock and claim it for ourselves." she says bluntly, before taking another bite of cheese. "This is really good, where does one get this stuff?"
After swallowing a bite, she sips her ale and continues "I assure you our combat prowess is quite a feat and I have confidence we would have been successful," she raises her mug of ale "But you took Violet from me, and so I have decided on a new plan." Another bite of cheese, which she chews slower this time.
Turning to Polli she whispers "We need to get this for Ambrose. I'm serious now. Get this cheese, Polli."
"Where was I? Ah, yes, assaulting The Rock. Yeah. Cooler heads prevail, hmmm? We're looking for a bald-headed man with a Kraken tattoo and Captain Harrigan, heard of either of them? I've got a score to settle with the Kraken and most of the crew has a score to settle with the Harrigan. I have some cargo to trade and we have some dancers, card players, singers and fantastic stories to share. Not to mention I have some great rum. All in all, what I'm looking for some new friends. You all seem quite competent and established, what do you say? Hmmm?" she raises her cup of ale to the Lady, hoping for a positive reaction.
Tessa's discussion of taking the Rock by force of arms clearly unsettles the guards in the room and hands move closer to weapon hilts. Even the sergeant steps closer to Lady Smythee, but she gestures him back with a casual hand.
"I like a woman that speaks her mind," she says. "I must warn you, however, that while a show of force might be successful, your ... Violet, did you name her? Violet would be the first casualty of the assault. I say that not as a threat, but as a simple statement of the precariousness of our negotiations."
She turns to the elderly man that, oblivious to the veiled threats being passed back and forth is busy giving Marisan another helping of crab. "Albers, would you be sure to send two wheels of cheese with our guests when they leave?" she asks in a pleasant voice. "Certainly, Your Ladyship," the man says with a grandfatherly grin.
"I know not this Kraken you refer to, but if by Harrigan you mean Barnabas Harrigan? That vile beast I am well aware of. 'Twere he and Antiochus that took my Bert from me." Her face clouds over for a moment before her hostess smile returns. "If you seek him out to do him harm then you have my blessing, but I know not where he would be found," she says with a smile. She picks up a piece of crab with her fingers and slips it into her mouth, licking the butter sauce off her fingers with practiced ease.
She looks at Tessa with an appraising eye. "I must say that if someone came along that hated the man as much as I do and had a reputation ..." She says the words as if they held a specific meaning. "... that others couldn't ignore, I might be inclined to form an ... alliance ... with them. Possibly even a Shackles Marriage. If they weren't already ... committed to someone else."
The Lady lifts her goblet to take a drink of ale.
"But on a different subject ... So are you and your friend Violet committed to each other?"
Tessa's grin couldn't be wide when she orders cheese be taken to their ship. She lowers her ale and says "Oh, I think I'm in love. We'll come up with some form of payment for you for that."
"Committed? No. Not like that. I love Vi, I do. But she's in a serious relationship and we're life-long friends is all. I'm afraid she's not available if that's what your after." Raising her glass of ale, she takes a sip and says "Her other is quite serious about this matter either, trust me I tried." she says, half laugh and half seriousness until she grasps what the Lady is saying.
Did she... just offer to marry Violet for an alliance?
"You know. I bet I could try and talk to Violet if you want. It might not be so serious after all. I bet given an alliance, she would give it serious consideration. After all, our forces combined could be a powerful force to be reckoned with. Harrigan would stand no chance and with my blade, I would strike him dead."
She says as she stabs another piece of cheese and plops it into her mouth and mumbles "ohmygodsogood.
Val nearly chokes on a mouthful of buttery crab meat when Tessa begins talking about marrying off Vi. Leaning over to Polli she whispers, ”what’s a shackles wedding?”
Marisan lets out a hearty laugh but says nothing, simply enjoying the feast and the conversation.
Polli frowned at being ordered to steal cheese, but then gives a slight raising of one corner of her lips to her success. She mentally lists making sure the cheese isn't poisoned once it arrives. I wonder if Donomsail has a spell for that
She sits through the meal, hands in her lap, not eating for the same reason. Leaning over to Val, she'll answer "It is a temporary marriage to signify an alliance that can be dissolved without reason by either party. I haven't heard of one being done in decades."
"We talk alliances, but you still hold our Violet as a hostage. If you are not willing to eat without one of us at sword point, trade her for me so she can speak her own mind on the matter."
”I don’t think our host was proposing such an arrangement right now,” Val explains to Polli, and less directly Tessa, ”the Mistress of the Rock would only accept such an offer from someone whose name was already known throughout the Shackles...”
Polli turns to Val "I am aware, Miss Korvin. But Surely if we are even talking about this Arrangement, we are beyond the need for a hostage. And If we were, surely the person we are talking about should be Here not Wherever!" she waves her hand in irritation to that somewhere. Her winds pick up slightly, whisking her napkin to the floor. Frowning down at the fabric for a moment, like IT did something wrong, she looks back up at their host "So the question still stands, can Violet be released, or be traded for me, so she can join the conversation." she'll glance at Tessa "If that is okay with our captain, of course."
Tessa watches the exchange between Polli and Valeria with interest, not speaking until Polli explicitly calls her name out. "Captain Violet" she correct the sylph, emphasizing the first word of the two, "should be a part of any marriage conversation, this is correct."
Tessa was torn. She wanted Harmony freed, but she didn't feel like this was the appropriate time to disrupt their negotiation. "I think that perhaps after our meal and conversation is concluded, we can at that time request to swap prisoners if our Lady hostess would be so kind. For now however, please finish your meal and let our kind and most beautiful Lady Smythee continue our conversation." she raises her cup of ale to the sylph before turning back to their hostess.
"Now then. I can assure you that we despise Captain Harrigan and wish to extra vengeance upon him before hearing of your terrible story. I'm deeply moved by your loss and can assure you that when Wayfinder pierces his heart, may it be at that moment that yours finds some inner peace." she raises her cup of ale to Lady Smythee.
Polli nods to Tessa. She had been not mentioning the Captain part since Tessa hadn't, thinking it was a strategy to reduce her importance, but it turns out it just hadn't been mentioned yet.
And she shuts it for a bit.
"Your captain chose to present herself as hostage?" Agasta questions in surprise. "That was very brave of her."
She tears off a chunk of bread and dabs it in her plate. "You are correct. I have status that I wish to uphold and would not be able to join myself to someone that didn't hold a ... certain level of recognition. Smart women like yourselves should be able to accomplish that." She picks up another piece of crab.
Tessa nods "I see." she says, thinking about what the Lady had just mentioned. She adds "Vi and I are co-captains of The Siren. We believe in running a different type of ship, non-traditional that breaks the mold of an unreliable crew who will mutiny and stab you in the back. What we build is not based on torture, slavery and punishment. Hard work, teamwork and commitment to excellence have seen us through so far.
We will own the sea and nothing will stand in our way." She also tears off a piece of bread and begins munching on it.
"It would appear however, that you require a few more notches under our belts to prove our worth. Alright then. Other than Harrigan, what other accomplishments would you like to see in a potential suitor?"
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Donomsail, sitting quietly next to Polli so far, startles when Violet's Captaincy is mentioned then she leans over and whispers in Polli's ear.
"Welp, tha jist put a cork in tha bunghole. Vi's importance just went up, A'm afeared there may be fightin' afore we git 'er back."
Polli snorts out a laugh, despite herself, at Donomsail's turn of phrase. She looks as apologetic as Polli can manage at the disruption in negotiations.
The sergeant glares at Polli, but Agasta spares her no more than a glance.
"Two captains? Interesting. You must be very close then," she says as she runs a finger around the rim of her goblet. "I don't really care what accomplishments you undertake, so long as you make a name that's recognizable. I'm from Galt and not a privateer as such so I don't really know what it would take to gain recognition amongst them. I just know that I wouldn't be able to engage in a alliance with someone that was entirely unknown."
She considers the situation for a moment longer. "I know that my Bert was fond of raiding merchant ships. Now, granted, the Rock gave him an advantage in that the visibility from here is almost unparalleled, but I'm sure you'd be successful doing something similar if you have a capable crew."
Tessa ignores Polli's snort and shrugs "Oh yes, we notched one under our belt just a few days back. Very well then, we are agreed. We shall make plans to return to the Rock after our name has spread. At that point in time we'll revisit our negotiations on the alliance. Now then, business shall be done for now. Let us sip our ale and feast in entertainment? What is your preference I wonder, Lady Agasta? Would you prefer song, dance or magic tricks?"
Turning to Marisan, she asks "Mari, would you mind dancing for us?"
different, yes... there are a lot less whippings than some ships I've heard of... twice as many mood swings though, at least, maybe more... and one captain who's more than willing to pass judgment without ever asking a question about what happened, and to humiliate you in front of other crew members...
Val perks up when Tessa asks Marisan to dance. "Oh, yes," she encourages with a little applause, "you're such a beautiful dancer, please do."
Marisan nods and stands, stripping out of her fancy dress. Fortunately (?), she is wearing her dancer’s outfit underneath. The muscular Mwangi woman proceeds to put on a show, spinning, leaping, and dancing for their host’s enjoyment.
Tessa whistles loudly when the dance is complete. She leans over and asks for a glass of wine, switching off her ale because her hostess is drinking wine. "Magnificent Marisan!" she cheers loudly. "Who's next?" she looks around the room.
"Polli! How about some marvelous magic from our air genie? Hmmm?" she instructs, taking a sip of her wine. She leans in to Agasta and lowers her voice and says "This is quite nice. Thank you for having us."
Polli who had been picking at the plate in front of her, thinking 'maybe I could eat something, no one has doubled over sick, Yet...' gestures absentmindedly into the center of the room where suddenly one of her minithunderstorms pops up.
A sphere of swirling winds, crackling lightning, followed by micro thunder making glasses rattle, plus a puddle of course.
After a few moments, it disappears and she looks up to others gazes with some of that cheese in her mouth and on her chin, "My spells are for destroying and killing, not entertaining." she explains flatly.
Tessa claps loudly, a huge grin on her face "BRAVO! Our own personal thudercloud, that Polli. I tell you what! She's an extremely valuable addition to our crew. Stout nose on that one too, I might add."
Pivoting to their hostess, she asks "Do you have anyone to offer up or should my crew continue?" she shoots Valeria a you're next look with her eyes.
Val joins in whistling for Marisan’s dance. She winces a little, however, when Polli announces that her magic is for killing.
When Tessa looks at her she smirks and gives a little nod, but waits for Lady Agasta’s reply before beginning.
Oddly Polli's lips curl upward at the stout nose comment, giving her captain a nod before exploring more of the cheese.
Lady Agasta claps along in time as Marisan demonstrates her dancing abilities, seemingly quite entertained. At Polli's demonstration, however, her lips tighten in a thin line.
"You've made your point," she says curtly. The mood in the dining room taking on a decidedly chillier tone. "It's getting late and I'm sure you should be getting back to your ship and crew," she says, wiping her hands on a cloth napkin. She rises from her seat and the sergeant steps to her side possessively. "Sergeant McCleagh will show you the way out. Give some distance to the door and we will release your Captain Violet. Thank you for coming."
Val’s smirk disappears even faster than it appeared.
Polli’s talk about killing made this all seem like a show of strength...
She stuffs one last big meaty piece of crab in her mouth and prepares to rise calmly with her comrades to leave.
Tessa's smile fades quickly.
S+!*. Tessa suddenlly sees everything unraveling and tries to come up with a plan on how to salvage this.
She rises when Agasta does, nodding to her hostess. Thinking fast, she smiles warmly again, holding her hands out "Thank you for an amazing meal, your gift of cheese and for speaking with us this evening. I take comfort that you will release Violet, unharmed, to us when we leave here tonight. I would ask one thing of you, before we depart your Rock."
"If you would release Violet and my crew to return to our ship, I would very much like to stay a bit longer to engage in some additional, let's say, more intimate conversation with you one on one. I have to sing my song, and it would be my honor to do so in a setting that would be clear of any," she shoots a glance at Polli before looking back at the hostess "Distractions. Should you see fit to grant me this audience, I would be most humbled."
"I would be willing to take whatever precautions you would seem fit. I will leave my possessions behind and take with me only voice if you wish."
Polli mutters "shouldn't ask me to be a smiling puppet of cheer and showmanship, how could that end up, badly, oh, like this, of course." she is in the 'feeling bad and annoyed at life' mode cluttering and cracking together which makes her a joy to be around. She gets up, brushes off the crumbs and says with a small bow "Excuse my horrible manners, Lady Agasta. I'll wait in the boat while the rest of you finish your dinner."
Val places her hands on the table and slowly stands as well. ”I believe we are all finished with dinner,” she replies to Polli with an attempt at a smile.
”Cap’n, if the Lady is interested in hearing your song, I am willing to accept responsibility for safeguarding your sword until you return to us.”