Pirate Age

[Capt. Blu]

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[BCOLOR=transparent]Out at Sea[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ray's reluctance only made Runali even more curious. The musician wasn't really one to go against plans. "I mean, it couldn't be all that bad, right? It looks abandoned!" Of course, that was just at a distance. "And Luro's right! If we ignored the last shipwreck we encountered, we wouldn't have found our navigator." She thought about the rest of what he said and waved it away. "All that other stuff isn't important- and Alicia's not manly." The look on Alicia's face was clear disappointment and annoyance. She was really going to have to explain to the empty headed sharpshooter how that was more offensive than a compliment. The navigator's more logical points, interrupting Luro's, made the captain hop over to his side. "See Ray, even Kadi thinks it's a good idea. And Kadi thinks a lot of the stuff we've done are bad ideas."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Aye, we may find something- or someone useful if we check it out." Jemima finally spoke. She figured the captain wanted all of their opinions and even though she was fully stocked on supplies, it didn't hurt to find more. By the sounds of it, it didn't really like Ray was going to win the argument. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I don't know…" After sighing away Luro's remark, Alicia looked out at the ship. "It could be a trap." She enjoyed their relatively peaceful travelling as of late, that ship gave off an aura of bad news.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"After all this time, you don't think we're capable of getting out of those kinds of traps?" Runali smiled and then shrugged. "I mean, we could always use someone standing guard on the ship if you two really don't want to go on board." With that, she looked over at Arcadius, signalling him to set their path towards the ship and that he did. "Lifeboats? Aye, aye." She looked through the monocular, seeing nothing besides the ripples of water and the ship being a sitting duck. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As the ship moved closer, Runali leaned against the edge of the ship, waiting and expecting something to jump out. When nothing did, she stood on the edge of the ship, while the others hoisted a plank over to board the opposite ship. While they did, she tugged on a loose rope and swung herself over. Runali cupped her hands around her mouth and took a breath. "Helloooo!" There was no response, so she looked at the others and shrugged. "Welp, let's search around, yeah?" [/BCOLOR]

 

[Grothnor]

As the Stardusk Pirates set foot onboard the seemingly derelict vessel, the main cabin burst open as a squad of crewmen poured out, armed to the teeth. At the sudden crash of the door opening, dozens more began pouring out from belowdecks, from within barrels and crates and even a few climbing up the sides of their own ship. They surrounded the Stardusk and over their threatening yells and jeers, one voice could be heard cutting through the din like a foghorn. "Alright, ye Ceranian milksops, ye've come a long way to find me, so here I am!" A greying middle aged man stepped out of the cabin, dressed and armed undeniably as the captain. "Come and get me, ye craven- Raymond?" His bellowing paused when he saw Ray, but resumed with a different tone. "HAHA! RAYMOND KARETH SKALTER!" Ray sighed defeatedly as the man scooped him up in a bear hug. "How are ya lad?"

"Well enough without a broken back," Ray protested, squirming his way out of the man's clutches. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll tell ya later, first, introduce me to yer new friends."

"These are my, ah, traveling companions..."

The man grinned. "Ye mean 'Pirate Confederates'?"

Ray's stomach dropped when he heard the man. "So, y- you know."

"Aye! My old contacts in the Navy let me keep tabs on all the pirate crews around, including yours. Now let me see...." He crossed his arms and began walking amongst and sizing up the crew. "You must be Luro Makachi." He said before the redheaded giant. Turning back to his crew, he shouted. "Oi, Shoggy, rotgut, double-time." One of the other crewmen ducked into a cabin and came out moments later with a bottle. The man took the bottle and handed it to Luro. "You seem like the type to enjoy this."

"If he's Luro, then ye must be Mikhail Arcadius. Nice to meet another merchant, though I think our professions differ a bit now, eh?" He laughed at his own joke before growing serious. "I'm glad to see someone made it off the Karalean in one piece."

"As for you two... Alicia Tashigi and Mrs. Jemima Bentham." He surmised correctly. "I am sorry for your losses. Akiyoshi Tashigi and Doctor Bentham were good men and the world is poorer for their loss."

"And that leaves Captain Runali Lev. Leader of the Stardusk Pirates. Anyone who can earn Raymonds respect and loyalty is good in my book. Lords know: I tried."

Ray scoffed. "By practically trying to pressgang me into the Navy."

"Pish posh! The Navy would have made you a real man. Now, since you didn't introduce me like I asked, I'll have to do it myself. I am James Percival Skalter." He took off his head and bowed int the traditional Lendrian fashion.

"My Uncle." Ray added sheepishly. And exactly the person I was hoping we wouldn't meet.

 

[Winter]

Alicia had said her goodbyes to the 'class' she'd been teaching, giving a genuine smile before leaving Hanako with some personal parting words that she truly believed would aid in defining the young girls future. They were the kind of words you'd expect to hear from a mother and in fact it had been Sakura, her own mother who has spoken the words to her before her untimely death. She had to admit, while she'd certainly miss the friends made here, she'd not miss the giant dinosaurs in the slightest, in fact once they were back aboard the Pearl she kept an eye on the giant reptile whom stood behind the crowd seeing them off. She could have sworn it licked it's scaly lips as it eyes her.

Back on the ocean once more she felt a serenity overtake her, enjoying the wind sweeping through her silvery hair, which had began to grow a bit since their departure from Utsukushi. Luro's comment once again caused her to narrow her eyes, mentally storing the moment so she could repay him latter before letting out an audible sigh. 'One of these days I'm going to cut out that tongue... ' she thought to herself before walking over to the edge of the ship, looking out towards the ship which Ray seemed less than pleased to see. She regarded Ray with suspicion at his sudden change in behavior, though she didn't question it and instead decided to give her opinion to the captain, indicating her suspicion of it being a trap.

Or course when the trap was sprung and they found themselves surrounded, all the others would hear an exasperated sigh escape from the swordwomen who visibly slumped before affirming her stance as she readied herself for a fight. Her hand placed upon the hilt of her sword and just as she'd began to draw it, the captain lifted Ray into an embrace which caused her to raise an eyebrow before sheathing her sword. "So... " she looked around for an answer before looking back to the scene unfolding before her. The older man seemed to be a friend of Ray's, which was a good thing, but what he said next caught her even more off guard as he seemed more than well informed on who they were.

When he gave his condolences for her father she visibly tensed and stiffened, the hurt of it still tender. Even so she inclined her head politely and cast her eyes downwards, "Thank you" she replied to his kind words, lifting her head to hear what else he had to say about the others. It was revealed that he was Navy, which made more sense for how well orchestrated the trap was, though it lead to more questions and where she was concerned it seemed too unlikely that someone whom knew of Ray would be here, now after they'd gained notoriety... and being apart of the navy on top of it. Something seemed... beyond a coincidence. Alicia mentally made a note to keep her guard up, well, that was until Tay said the old man was his uncle.

"Wait what?! ... You have a navy uncle, how have we never known about this before?" she asked, looking at Ray. The swordswoman seemed to find herself surprised more often than not in recent times. Just when she thought there was nothing else which could surprise her. "First giant dinosaurs and now navy uncles... " she sighed and raised a hand to her head, closing her eyes for a moment, "You'd think by now I'd just learn to roll with it".

 

[Mizos]

Luro was pulled from his musings when the captain spoke of going over, he gave a small nod moving to retrieve the plank, he was a little curious why Ray was so hesitant but was more interested in what could be on the ship to question it further. Kadi was the careful one when it came to this stuff like this. Stretching his arms above his head he quickly made his way to the other ship taking a look around as the captain yelled for any life on the ship.
Luro folded his hands behind his head as a strange feeling filled him as he walked around the deck of the ship, he wasn't sure what the feeling was but it was a small chill that ran through him. Maybe it was the talk of this being an attack but he was starting to get excited; he could feel his heart beating in his chest. When the men burst out and surrounded them Luro grinned and grabbed his rifle from his back, he recognized it now that it had flared a bit, it was the same feeling he got right when a good fight was about to start. Hearing Alicia's sigh he glanced over at her before offering a wide grin.
"Why are you sighing Alicia, this is the best! I got the two dozen on the right so don't kill any of them," Luro said readying his gun lowering his body slightly.

However when the older man appeared Luro's attention moved him before he yelled something at Ray, seeing the two hug he straightened his body and locking his gun moved it to his back, he wasn't sure what was going on but this didn't feel like a trap anymore.
"Kareth?" Luro said scratching his cheek.
Luro lowered his hand as the man walked over to him, he tilted his head at him but offered a smile as he spoke to him, offering a nod when he said his name.
"Yep name's Luro Makachi, nice to meet ya."
When the bottle was handed to him he held it with both hands a small gleam forming in his eyes as he gripped the bottle tightly a small nod came from him.
"Captain we need to be friends with this person," Luro said looking over at Runali.
He watched the older man speak to everyone else revealing his knowledge on the crew, he arched a brow at this but his attention moved back to the bottle in his hand before he could consider the reason this man would know. Rubbing the bottle against his face he immediately opened it, though while going to drink it he caught Alicia's twitched and looked at the open bottle.
He held it towards her seeing the response at the mention of her father but pulled it away when she responded.

Luro rubbed the back of his neck as the man introduced himself, formal introductions wasn't necessary but he supposed Ray did the same, maybe he got it from this guy.
"Percival?" Luro questioned hearing the man's name. "You guys have funny middle names, but nice to meet you. Did you teach Ray that formal stuff?"
With a small shrug Luro went to drink from the bottle again but stopped as Ray introduced the man as his uncle, and after a moment it clicked that he was a navy man. Luro looked between Ray and his uncle before taking a long drink from the bottle a content sigh escaping from him as he lowered it before he spoke.
"Ohhhh I get it…that was why Ray didn't want us to come over here," Luro said.
Walking over to Ray he threw his arm around the man's shoulders and grinned at him.
"You didn't want us to know your middle name, well it's too late now Ray."
Luro moved away from the man before nodding to Percival.
"You being in the navy's fine by me, a wise old man told me that when you share a drink with someone that makes you friends, least till the drink's gone. Well I mean that's what he used to say before he was poisoned while sharing a drink with his rival. Thanks for being Ray's uncle too, I hope Ray said thanks too."
Luro brought a hand to his chin wondering if thanking him was the right thing to do; it seemed the polite thing to do.
"Hehe…Kareth."
Luro chuckled a little to himself repeating Ray's middle name to himself.

 

[Arcadius]

[BCOLOR=transparent]I suppose it would be a prudent moment to explain what I was searching for in the maps of the Cutthroat pirates. For a rather long time, a dread surmise was growing in my mind. None of my compatriots seemed to notice the fact, or perhaps were ignoring it on purpose, however, when the man mentioned Karalean, I realized he simply must know something. An urge to grab him and shake him for all his secrets rose in me, but…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]I was acting too rash. I might have been wrong about my understanding of his words, what he meant by saying that. At the last moment, i stopped myself from making more than an awkward fidget. Perhaps he simply overheard from someone else that I was onboard a ship called Karalean that was lost at sea. One of my friends could have told the story at a port tavern, or between the words. I had to practise caution. After all, I never said too much. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And insulting Luro was always a viable distraction tactic.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Arcadius nervously fidgeted when he heard the name of Karalean again. For a moment, he thought this man held vital information. He quickly dismissed the idea. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yes. It is unfortunate to hear there truly were no other survivors," he answered to the man. Perhaps it was for the better. "And yes, I suppose you could say I have been… branching out with my skills. Variety is the spice of life, after all." He hoped that the awkwardness in the way he pronounced his words would be understood as a shock over knowledge that none of the crew survived. He was certainly was in a shock, but not over that.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"And Luro, at least try to hide your manners when we meet new people. Unless you want your middle name to be Impertinent. Long and posh one, that's impossible to pronounce when drunk!"[/BCOLOR]

 

[Capt. Blu]

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[BCOLOR=transparent]Out at Sea[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Her call was met with several people circling them and several weapons facing them. She scratched the back of her head and gazed around at just how many people there were. Without taking her eyes off their new enemies, Runali pointed a finger over at Alicia and Ray. "...This doesn't mean you or Alicia were right." Just when Runali thought they had to fight, one of the men- the captain, or who she assumed was in power- stopped his crew. When he called Ray's name, she glanced at her crewmate in confusion. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Usually a person being called by their full name meant they were in trouble right? That was a parent type thing, wasn't it? "Wait- your middle name is Kareth- wait you know him?" Her questions weren't being answered fast enough.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man decided to go about getting acquainted with her crew instead of answering the questions that everyone had right away. Then again, Ray wasn't making any moves to answer them either.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Jemima looked a little hesitant, as she always did around strangers, but nodded her appreciation of his sympathy. It did make her question just how much this stranger knew about her, however she stayed silent and let the man finish his rounds of getting acquainted with the rest of the crew. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Aye. I am the captain." She didn't know whether to feel pride towards being known, or a little wary that this guy was connected to the Navy. Learning that this person of the Navy was Ray's uncle did strike Runali with surprise, more so because it seemed like something that would have come up in conversation maybe once or twice. "You know, that would have been good information. I've ran away from home, I'm a musician, I have family in the navy so we should steer clear- you know, that kind of thing." While she agreed that it was a shock, the 'giant dinosaurs' weren't anything compared to this- at least to Runali. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"It would be something worth knowing in order to avoid, considering our pirate status." Jemima added in, with no sounds of disdain. Unless they could trust the familial bond between uncle and nephew, who knew what trouble they could get into by simply being around them. And sure James was family, but the rest of the crew happened to still be Navy- Jemima realized her paranoid thoughts were getting the best of her and sighed. Sure she needed to remain cautious, but she could relax a little bit. Hopefully. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Luro. Luroooo, we don't befriend the Navy. It's the Naaavy." Everyone was a lot more relaxed now that they weren't in any real danger, and Runali watched as Luro walked over to Ray, 'figuring out' the problem. His answer made Runali cover her mouth, now having to hide her laughter. She had expected him to say something odd, but that was just downright silly. "Luro," She cleared her throat, "Their middle names aren't that bad. And Ray was a noble at one point. You suuure, there's no other reason Ray didn't want us to come here?" Sometimes, she wondered about her shipwright, and other times she just accepted his comedic actions. While Luro was given something to think about, Runali turned back to Ray and Ray's uncle. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Don't mind my crew, they mean well." She looked between the family members, trying to find some sort of resemblance. Runali decided to leave it be for now. "Alright, I'll bite. Is this usually what the Navy do to lure pirates in? I mean, it's a good scare tactic but probably not a good idea if huge ships come by-" Realizing she was getting a little off topic, she started over. "So, what's with the scare tactic? Kinda disappointing to know we can't loot the ship."[/BCOLOR]

 

[Grothnor]

Ray felt the need to correct his companions of their misconceptions. "I didn't tell you guys I had a 'Navy Uncle' because Uncle Percy's just a merchant captain."

Ray's uncle confirmed that. "I retired from the Navy... oh, thirteen years ago. I set up and ran the Black Marlin Trading Company for a few years before Bernie, that's Raymond's brother, took over. Now, I just sail ships for them. Besides, I've seen Pirates more noble than kings and Marines more crooked than dogs' hind legs, and if Raymond's with ya then yer probably closer to the former. Probably."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray retorted.

Captain Skalter wore a wry smile as he shook his head. "Ye had poor taste in friends, lad." Ray rolled his eyes and looked away, scowling.

Luro's giggling turned Ray's attention away from his uncle's chiding. "I thought I told you guys my middle name already."

Captain Skalter laughed at Kadi and Luro's antics. Ray awkwardly chuckled along, clearly uncomfortable with his Uncle around. Captain Runali commented on the merchant crew's appearance. "Aye, the Q-boat maneuver. We hide belowdeck and wave a surrender flag or something to lure the enemy ship to come alongside ours and board us. We then ambush them and take the fight to their ship. A regular Navy tactic. To be fair, we were expecting ye to be far more numerous... and hostile, which is why we didn't just attack."

"By the way, you never said what you were doing here." Ray chimed in. "The Black Marlin Company normally works around Lendria."

"Aye, they do. This is a special job." Captain Skalter leaned forward. "Bernie's looking into expanding and sent me to check out the route to Port Startford while making a pay delivery to the Navy base there. I'm telling ye this because I trust Raymond, and I need yer help. We've managed to get this far unmolested, but I'm afraid we're going to attract unwanted attention before we get there. That said, I'd like to make ye an offer. If ye help escort us to Port Startford, we'll pay ye ten percent of the money we're carrying. What do ya say?"

 

[Mizos]

Luro wiped a small tear from his eye mumbling Kareth one more time before looking over at Arcadius, he arched a brow at his words but catching his comment on a middle name, Luro's eyes widened and he promptly shook his head.
"That's not fair Kadi I won't be able to introduce myself with a name like that."
Luro impertinent Makachi shipwright of the StarDusk pirates, just thinking about it made him feel tired. Arcadius wasn't harsh enough to give him a middle name like that right? The possibility was too risky to ignore but he couldn't be rude to these guys either it'd make StarDusk look bad which would upset the captain.
He was pulled from the harsh choice presented to him at the captain's words, reaching up he rubbed the side of his head hearing they couldn't be friends.
"We can still shoot the other navy though just not these guys…" Luro said tilting his head at her.

Hearing there was another possibility of why Ray didn't want them to meet the captain of the ship, Luro brought a hand to his chin and lowered his gaze to the ground, something else Ray didn't want them to know? Nothing really came to mind, what did Ray being a noble have to do with one of his secrets?
He was a pirate now so it didn't matter what he was, maybe he was a pirate then a noble then a pirate again was that his secret? He couldn't imagine why he'd keep that a secret though, perhaps Ray wasn't his real name, maybe he had a feminine name and was afraid the crew would make fun of him for it. Luro shook his head as that didn't make sense, Kadi had a feminine name and they left him alone.
"…he didn't want us knowing he had an uncle?" Luro questioned. "Wait Ray has a brother?"

Luro looked over at Ray as he brought up his middle name; he took a drink from the bottle before pointing at Ray with the hand holding it.
"Oh you have a middle name Ray? What is it? I heard a funny one recently."
Luro looked over at Percival hearing his request deciding to question Ray about his name later, a wide grin formed on his face before he gave the man a firm nod, navy or not he seemed like a decent guy so he liked the idea of hanging around him a bit longer. Though when the maneuver they used on them clicked in his head Luro hit his fist on his palm as a chuckle escaping from him.
"That's why I was so excited, I got captured from a maneuver like that," Luro said smiling. "I was imprisoned for three weeks."
He looked towards the sky reliving the fond memory, breaking out of the prison was the most enjoyable part of it, the capturing part was fun too but the others that were taken wouldn't stop complaining about being killed or something of the sort, it had been so long ago he had forgotten what exactly happened.
"Captain we should help them this is Ray's uncle after all and Ray's one of us," Luro said crossing his arms over his chest. "Also Ray don't worry about your bad friends, you know you're best friends if you try to kill each other at least once, least that's how I see it. Oh but that doesn't mean we're not friends, just Alicia's my best friend. You're right below her though...actually you're tied with Kadi, Ben and the captain but I'll pick one eventually.....wait or was the captain the top one and you were tied with her....hmmm. I can't forget Lily either she tried to kill me too...hmmmm"
Luro turned his gaze from the group and started thinking counting on his fingers and mumbling.

 

[Capt. Blu]

Collab: Captain and @Grothnor

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Out at Sea

The captain nodded to Luro. "Yes, buuut we don't want to be in that kinda trouble. Well- only if we're sure we can get out of it." It seemed Luro had wrapped the captain into another train of thought.

"That's besides the point." Alicia cleared her throat, getting both her captain and Luro's attention back on track.

Captain Skalter's explanation of his reason for being around didn't quite help anyone understand, save for Ray who was actually from Lendria. But no later, was Ray's uncle asking for their help.

"We just got here and you want us to help you?" Jemima's eyes narrowed in skepticism. Family or not, this Skalter had his trade close to the Navy. That was near crossing a line into dangerous territory. "Cap'n, I don't think it's a good idea. Skalter here may be able ta be trusted, but the rest of these guys? Who knows how quick they'd be willin' ta nab pirates."

"I agree, and we have a course we're following captain. We have other priorities, right?" Arcadius glanced down at the compass he had in his pocket and then at the captain. He had his own doubts, but Jemima's thoughts only encouraged his own. It didn't sound like a good idea at all.

Runali nodded in understanding, only to look over at Alicia as she spoke as well. "While that may be true, I'll have to agree with Luro. Family is family." As Luro once again wandered off into his own little world, Alicia could only sigh and continue. It could have been her experience with losing a loved one that softened her disposition slightly, but nonetheless, she seemed relatively okay with helping Ray's uncle. "You don't talk about the rest of your family very often, so I assume this is the closest relative you have?"

Everyone had a valid point and with them split and indecisive, the captain wasn't sure which was the better idea. So, she looked at Ray and shrugged. "What do you think Ray? He's your uncle after all."

Ray explained, "My family owns the Black Marlin Trading Company, and we-they've made their fortune by trading with and supplying the Navy. Most of the contracts only take them to the Ventra Navy Base, not far from Lendria itself. Even though the Company works for the Navy, they don't owe them any allegiance."

Captain Skalter nodded. "And right now, getting to Port Startford in one piece is more important than the gold in our holds... or on yer heads. Besides, I'd rather not be forced to kill me nephew. As for me boys, they're all handpicked lads, longtime vets of the Black Marlin. I trust them enough to put me life in their hands."

"But not rum or wimmin!" One of the crewmen called out, causing the rest of them to laugh. Captain Skalter smiled. "They're a rambunctious lot, but they do as ordered."

Jemima and Arcadius weren't persuaded, but since it wasn't their decision to make, they decided to stay silent on the matter. The former was prepared for another fight, while the latter was, albeit always, ready for an 'I told you so'.

Ray continued. "As for Uncle Percy, well, he may talk your ears off, but at least he's the Skalter least likely to betray you." If only because he hasn't yet.

Captain Skalter suddenly looked sad. "Raymond, about that-"

"Save it." Ray glared at his uncle. "It's your call Captain."

Runali's gaze went from Percy to the crew behind her. "Oi, Kadi, that Port Startford place... It's in the direction we're headed, yeah?"

Uncle Percy interrupted this time. "It's East of here."

"Uh, no Captain. We're headed South."

"Hm... Well, it doesn't hurt to have a bit of a detour- and Skalter did say he'd pay us. And we can use that money for new navigation and medicinal supplies. And, and-"

"A'right, a'right cap'n." Jem stopped Runali's ongoing attempts of persuasion. "If ya want to do it, then so be it. Not like I plan ta go anywhere after all." Her response made Runali grin and then look over at Arcadius.

Realizing he was on his own now, he simply nodded. "Fine. Though if we're just going to go off course every time we make a new course, I don't see why you even need a navigator." His slight jab was met with a smile and Runali turned to Ray and his uncle.

"Sounds like we're helping!"

The next day's travel was rather uneventful. The Blue Hydra sailed alongside the Coral Pearl, leading and guiding the pair on their way towards Port Startford. That night, a fog bank rolled in, obscuring both ships from each other's view. The Stardusk had a brief discussion on how to keep in touch with the Blue Hydra and avoid losing them, ending when Ray began singing a sea shanty. Not soon after he began, the voices of the crew of the Blue Hydra wafted in through the fog in response.

Relying on sound, the ships sang their way out of the fog bank and into open waters once again.

---

The morning sun rose, illuminating their path to Port Startford and the challenges in their path....

"Ships ho!" The lookout on the Blue Hydra called the warning. A small fleet of ships sat arrayed across the horizon, directly in their path.

Kadi brought the Coral Pearl alongside the Blue Hydra and Runali called across to Captain Skalter, "Is this that trouble you were worried about?"

"Aye, looks like!" Captain Skalter called back. "Larks, what do ye see?"

"Looks like three schooners and a frigate, ser, loaded for bear and swarming with men!" The lookout said. "It's them!"

"Then there's no use runnin'. Time to earn yer pay, Stardusks! I'd guess the schooners have a score of fighting men each and the frigate three times that."

Runali stared out to the oncoming ships and then looked at Kadi. "Aim for the smaller ships first. We'll take out their crew while Skalter handles the others." Arcadius nodded and hurried to the wheel of the ship. "Man the cannons! If they get too close, well, you know what to do!"

While the Stardusk crew scattered to their positions, the crew of the Blue Hydra were doing the same. Weapons were drawn and cannons were rolled out. For a merchant ship, the Blue Hydra was certainly well armed.

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"Capitaine, it is ze Blue 'ydra, but ze 'ave a small Pirate ship with zem."

"It matters not." The Captain of the enemy frigate, the Soaring Song, said lazily. "Take Skalter's ship, then 'iz head. It would be nice to get ze sea rat out of the way, once and for all."

"Une Hydre Bleu pour l'oiseau bleu." The lieutenant said, grinning.

 

[Mizos]

Luro missed a majority of the conversation with the crew only coming back to the conversation hearing one of the crew members mention rum, he turned his attention back to the others, wondering why they hadn't started moving yet. Hearing Ray's opinion on the matter Luro scratched the side of his cheek arching a brow at his comment about betrayal. If that was the case did it mean Ray was more likely to betray than Percival was? Luro crossed his arms and shut his eyes wondering about this, that didn't make sense but if Ray was saying that he'd have to bring it up to him later. Stretching his arms above his head Luro folded his hands behind his head and looked over at Jemima and Arcadius as they agreed to help Percival, Luro grinned at this and gave a small nod.
"Don't worry about it Kadi! You're good at that course stuff, that means we can make a bunch of detours. We should make a detour after this detour too! Alicia you agree right?"
Luro chuckled before looking back at the captain at her exclamation, he raised his fist in the air with a hearty 'aye' before moving back towards the Coral.

Luro spent the day sitting on the deck cleaning his rifle and trying to make a dent in the restocked shelves of drink, he still wasn't sure what they were doing but it was fun traveling with another ship. It was like having a traveling companion except they were huge and made of wood with people living in them, that sounded amazing no matter how he looked at it. When the fog rolled in Luro lowered his rifle and raised his gaze to the surroundings, a small grin formed on his face and he immediately went to retrieve a lantern, lighting it before returning to the deck and joining the discussion. Luro wholeheartedly agreed with Ray at his solution to the fog problem and sitting on the edge of the ship, the lantern hanging off his waist he hummed, since he didn't know the words, along with the group continuing to clean his rifle. Luro had to admit he felt a little sad that the fog had left so soon, a part of him hoped it'd come back so they could do it again.

Luro tried to stifle a yawn the following morning between wiping his eyes as the captains pointed out the incoming ships, Luro didn't need to be told twice to man the cannons as he was already sprinting towards them a wide grin on his face. It had been too long since they had gone up against other ships with the Coral, he loved showing what she could do in a firefight. Ray was the expert when it came to the cannons so he made sure to keep his ears open for any advice from him as he started firing his cannon at one of the schooners. He laughed as a cannonball crashed into the ship and splintered wood filled the air the crew on the other ship firing in response with just as much fervor. The almost ear deafening booms filling the air as each cannon was fired, that feeling as a cannonball narrowly flies by one's skull, and the scent of gunpowder in the air accompanied by the pained screams of the other ship. A toothy grin found it's way on Luro's face at how stimulating it all was, he could feel his body trembling and his excitement growing with each passing moment.
"Captain I'm crossing over!" Luro exclaimed sprinting away from the cannons.
One of the schooners that had a fair bit of damage knocked into it drew closer to the Coral, Luro ran towards the edge and leapt off the side running through the air as he fell towards the opposing deck, landing on one of the crew members he rolled and uppercut one of the enemy crew members with the butt of his gun as they reached for their sword.
"Hahahahaha!"
Luro spun his body slamming his gun barrel into the skull of one of the crewmen, he turned only to have a foot slam into his chest knocking him into the mast, he pat his chest before promptly ducking as a sword slammed into the spot his head once was. Raising his knee he hit one of the men in their stomach and grabbing the back of their shirts pulled them away before kicking them over the side of the ship.
Luro readied his gun and raising it shot the crewman manning the wheel in the skull before lowering his gun, he stumbled a bit as the ship turned slightly and regaining his footing he looked up to see the crew promptly surrounding him, readying another shot Luro set his gun on his shoulder and grinned at them before making a fist. It was so exciting to be outnumbered, he really had to talk to the captain to make sure it happened more often.
"Luro Makachi shipwright of the StarDusk pirates at your service! You guys don't mind if I steal your ship right?! All opposed try to kill me so I know!"
Hearing the loud roars of the crew members as they ran at him he grinned and sprinted at them.
"Well know it's just self-defense captain can't blame me for this."

 

[Arcadius]

Earn our pay. I smirked at that notion. Up to this point, from the moment I joined the crew, Stardusk never really participated in the act of naval piracy. Mass murder, general mayhem and occasional bad pun, sure. This time, however, was the first time where actual plundering and looting of opposing ships had a chance of happening, assuming we did not sink them, which was always an option for us, of course. Obviously, the first time we attempted to do our job, all kinds of things decided to go to hell…

"You don't actuall-"

BOOOBARARAPOOM!

"Damn it all! GET DOWN!"

Luro was a master marksman, all right. It was pointless denying the fact, but while he was tending to his cannons, two of the three schooners split from the main formation that was heading for the Blue Hydra, and set course for Coral, it clearly being perceived as a lesser threat. Naturally, they turned their sides, fired a salvo and turned back, the lighter ships being faster and way more nimble that Coral was. While one was engaged, the second one was free to dance around the larger ship and fire with near impunity.

The first enemy salvo was mixed round shot and grape shot, and while the heavier round shots landed mostly in the sea, falling too short, several bounced off the main deck, where Luro successfully ignored them and they ignored him. Those present on the poop deck, including, but possibly not limited to, Arcadius, had to quickly duck as the bannisters and helm was peppered with small metal balls.

He got up, clearing himself of wood splinters and pulling a shot-off helm wheel knob from behind his neck, only to see a shot up schooner with one-Luro boarding party pass to the port of the ship. The schooner had a jammed rudder and was out of control, with full sails. The smaller ship bounced off the Coral and sailed behind at full speed, leaving behind nothing but a memory and spilled tea kettle in the ship's kitchen.

The other schooner lined up for another shot. Arcadius quickly grabbed the helm and started to turn the ship towards the schooner, to show the smallest possible silhouette towards it, and to hide his own rudder from fate similar to other schooner. As luck would have it, the bastards fired quickly and Coral was raked from nose to stern, round shot shaped hole appearing across the hull and several smashing apart windows on the gallery below the poop deck.

While the damage was mostly minor and superficial, the schooner's relatively light armaments no real match for the Coral in a stand up fight, the shots still penetrated and did damage to some critical areas. Luckily, the gunpowder magazine was left unharmed. If that would go up, the ship was done for and everyone on board would learn to how leave ship very quickly. Some other sections were, however, shot quite badly, namely the rum stockpile and rudder mechanism.

"Cap'n? We… have a problem." The ship was stuck in a mild turn to starboard, closing in on the not-so-shot-up-schooner. The not-so-shot-up-schooner seemed to try for another close broadside, letting Coral go close before they'd pass right in front of it, firing all their guns up close and personal before steering out of Coral's way. "The helm is stuck! Capn't, we can't manoeuvrer for shit, the rudder will move only half a degree in both directions! Something from the last shot must have got tangled in the rudder pulley mechanism. Someone has to go below decks and clear out what'ver is obstructing… dammit, Luro simply had to jump ship. Someone hold the damned rudder steady so it doesn't slice me in half when I get it working again!"

 

[Grothnor]

Ray wasn't terribly good with aiming a cannon, and he doubted Luro was as good with cannons than he was with rifles, so as the Coral Pearl and the enemy schooners traded their opening salvos, Ray was vaguely surprised he and Luro managed to land hits. However, against the fast and nimble ships, they soon had one bearing down on them fast. With what seemed like an imminent boarding action, they didn't have time to ready another salvo. The out-of-control schooner closed with the Coral Pearl swiftly, and Luro and Ray headed to the top deck to repel impending boarders, or at least that's what Ray thought. When the ships passed, Luro leapt aboard their ship, as moments later, half a dozen of their marines jumped onto the Pearl.

"Someone help Luro!" Ray cried, prompting Alicia to just barely manage to hop aboard the schooner before it passed. It was up to Luro at the ship's helm and Alicia at the stern to defeat the dozen enemies onboard.

Ray stepped up to the wheel at Kadi's request to hold it steady, hoping Jemima and the Captain could keep the enemy boarders away from the navigator as he fixed the rudder.

Meanwhile, the Blue Hydra fired its salvo off in a rolling roar of a dozen cannons. The shots tore into the mast of the schooner bearing towards them, slowing them and removing them from the fight for now. The enemy frigate slowly began turning for a broadside as the Blue Hydra swung around to bring it's other side full of guns to bear.

 

[Capt. Blu]

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]
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[BCOLOR=transparent]Battle: Out at Sea[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The firefight started with a bang- literally. Runali heard Arcadius' yell to get down, but she had already been climbing up for a higher view of the enemy ships. The impact caused her to lose the balance she had. Fortunately, she managed to swing to safety using a few of the ropes tied to the sails. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll go after Luro." With nimble quickness, she followed after Luro onto the enemy ship that was in range. Unlike Luro, she landed more gracefully, with her feet landing on several faces that tried to cross to the StarDusk ship. It didn't take her long to cut down most of the men in her path. She ended up behind Luro before the men circled the two again. "Alright Luro, you're ship savvy here. We need to get this ship away from ours before it causes more damage." There was also the option of just kicking all the men off the ship so no one could fire the cannons at the COral Pearl. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What kinda problem exactly?" Hearing that their ship was damaged Runali almost turned to call for Luro only...he was on the other ship. "I dunno how to fix it, this is what I pay you guys for!" Fortunately, Ray rushed over to help Arcadius, leaving Runali and Jemima to take care of the men on the deck. Fortunately, the enemy ship Luro and Alicia began to drift too far for more of the enemies to jump to their ship. "Easy peasy, right?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Jem simply nodded, having grabbed a rifle that was tucked off to the side for easy access. Now she was really glad she hadn't given the gun to Luro. Both captain and doctor fought their way through the group of men trying to attack them and their ship. "Hope ya know how ta swim." Jem grunted as she quite literally flipped two of the men overboard. She glanced over when the captain landed right next to her and leaned over to see a few of the men attempting to swim back to their own ship. "Yes. Easy 'peasy'." Jem said with a small smirk. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Runali grinned and gave a thumbs up, turning to Ray. "We don't have to worry about your family over there do we? I mean it looks like they've got a handle on things, yeah?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'll go see if Arcadius needs help." Jem nodded and ran after Arcadius.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]~~~~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Okay. Stopping them is one thing," One of the men who hadn't been killed off yet attempted to sneak up on Alicia, only for her sword to be pointed at his throat. "But now we need to get back to our own ship." Her gaze went from the Coral Pearl to Luro. "Care to steer us back? I'm not very partial to swimming back…"[/BCOLOR]

 

[Arcadius]

While I was a witness to feats which I can't describe with other word than magic, none of what I have seen was more than a fragment of power that was the momentum of mass. A large, heavy spinning object holds enough energy to break bones and flesh with ease, and right now, I was descending below decks to free up such object. A ship's rudder is a simple mechanism. Big wheel, handled by a human, transfers its motion using a rope and some pulleys to a big piece of wood protruding from the ship's hull under the water surface. If the piece of wood is hydrodynamic, all the better. Issue was, obviously, that there was a lot of tension in the system, and should I remove the obstruction blocking movement of the rope without due care, I was risking losing an arm, or my head if the rope would snap.

Most of the mechanism was laid inside the double walls around captain's cabin. The helm was placed atop of the cabin, the ropes went around and under, where the rudder was seated on a huge bearing, with the rope tied to a series of pulleys attached to an arm that moved the rudder. The whole system allowed easy, albeit slow, movement of the huge and heavy block of wood and iron that was the rudder itself. And somewhere in this maniacal mess of ropes and metal was something that obstructed its movement.

Just as Arcadius entered the crawlspace, the sloop fired a second salvo to clear the deck, before closing in and going for a boarding party. He cursed the idiotic idea of running a relatively large sail ship on a skeleton crew. Coral had at least double displacement and triple firepower compared to the schooners, both combined. One decent broadside and that pile of matchsticks would be blown apart, but noooo, they had to have one drunk and one guy from fuck knows where running the fucking fuck-load of guns and fukkened firing solutions while the two fuckers sailed the fuck around them firing their fucking cannons...

Let's just say he wished to not be in a cramped, dusty and hot space while firefight raged around him, doing Luro's job. The actual issue was easy to spot, a full shot blew apart one of the supports and a large splinter got stuck in a pulley. The pull from the rope attached to the rudder forced it in and chewed it into the wheel.

"FUCK!" he reconnoitred the situation. Jemina was drawn in by the sound of profanities screamed over the gunfire. She peeked into the crawlspace just as Arcadius pulled the piece of wood free from the mechanism. The laws of momentum conservation worked flawlessly, and the rudder instantly tried to correct the ship's course by pulling opposite the direction the ship was travelling. The helm above them would start spinning wildly and if the person holding it would not be quick or strong enough, it would give them a proper wallop. Either way, the ship was possible to steer again.

Arcadius emerged with a bloodied hand, it full of splinters. His face was somewhat pale, from the shock of having a wooden stake impaled through his hand. "Eeeh... mind doing some triage? I fixed it!" he told Jemina with a slightly off grin on his face.

 

[Grothnor]

Before Ray could answer Runali's concerns about his uncle, the roar of man-made thunder rolled out again as the Blue Hydra opened up with a broadside against the enemy frigate. "I think they have things under control." Even though Jem had evicted two of the boarders, it still left four more, and they had disappeared from the deck. "Where'd they go?" Ray asked. "Check on Jem and Kadi and sweep the ship, make sure they aren't sabotaging the ship." Feeling the wheel jerk violently in his hands, Ray figured Kadi had fixed the problem. "I'll swing by to pick up Luro and Alicia."

Belowdeck, three of the boarders ambushed Kadi and Jem, bursting into the pulley room before Jem could see to Kadi's wound. Ray was surprised to see one of the crewmen peek out abovedeck once Runali left. The man spotted him, snapped off a shot with his flintlock pistol, which fortunately missed, then charged Ray at the helm. Conjuring a chunk of ice to hold the wheel steady, Ray drew his rapier and parried the incoming blow. He hoped he could defeat his opponent quickly, both so he could pick up Luro and Alicia and because the other schooner was lining up another broadside, and he needed someone to take the helm so he could man the cannons.

 

[Capt. Blu]

"The next island looks way too far away... The best plan would be to back track and fix the ship."

None of the StarDusk had predicted going back to the Cutthroats base so soon. It had barely been a month and the group was back in the desert country.

"You guys are really good at hiding in this place." Runali looked over at the captain of the Cutthroat pirates as Jem and another doctor checked her over.

"So, what exactly happened that made ya have to come back?" Alcinoe raised a curious eyebrow, moving out of the way so Jem could bandage Runali's arm.

"So, we escorted Ray's uncle to...the government and got attacked. We made it out, obviously. But then we had to go back and follow them - They were Royalists of some sort who are against Lendria. That's where Ray's from. Anyhow, long story short, our ambush took a bit of toll on the ship and our crew." She gestured over to Kadi who had been unconscious for some time. The doctor kept Luro as well, sure he had a broken rib or two.

"It's no big deal, nothing I haven't been through before!" Just as he was about to take a drink from his stashed away bottle, the doctor snatched it from him. An argument about Luro's health presumed behind them.

Runali looked at Alcinoe and shrugged. "With a KOed navigator, we figured it would be best to go where we knew land was for sure so we could fix the ship and, you know, get better."

The explanation was vague and unclear but Alcinoe accepted it, knowing Saff would have a better explanation soon enough.

~~~~

It didn't take long for the news that the StarDusk were back again to scatter through the Cutthroat base nor did it take long for each of the crew to find themselves surrounded by their friends and admirers.

Runali found herself strolling through the base alongside Alcinoe. It was a quiet and peaceful walk until Alcinoe broke the silence. "So, what do you plan to do next?"

The question hung in the air for awhile, with Runali mulling over it. "I'm not sure yet. But I was thinking about your advice. About goals and having a home to go back to." She scratched at her bandaged arm that was now in a sling. "We need to reevaluate those. Take some time to make some better goals. And, well, I haven't seen my family in awhile-"

"You're planning to disband?!?"

"Wh- oh, no! Never, we worked hard to get where we got! I just meant I'd be taking a trip home. Probably means they'll be tagging along."

Alcinoe gave a sigh of relief and chuckled. "Good. Ya can't just go quittin on us." The captain reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here. An invite. It's a festival...for pirates. A pirate festival if you will." The look of confusion made Alcinoe explain a bit further. "The festival's kinda like a secret gathering where we can all go under the radar of the government. Ya'd think everyone would start killin' each other then and there but I guess even the bad guys get a break." She shrugged and looked over as Lady emerged from the sand. "It's not for awhile, but I figure newbies like you would need a personal invite."

"Huh... Well yeah. Of course we'll go. Sounds like a party." Runali leaned against Lady. The sun began to set and she removed her eyepatch. "Yeah, we just have...A few personal things to take care of before then..."

"Aye. Save that for when the sun rises again. As I always say, morning rises and so do new opportunities."

Mikchail Arcadius

"Wha-! He's okay, right?"

"Yes, he's alright. Now let him rest Belen."

The navigator's assistant pouted but listened to the doctor and headed out, only to run into Runali. "Oh, hiya captain Runa. Doc says your navigator'll be fine. Annnd she kicked me out." Belen grinned- however it was short lived when the doctor gestured for Runali to go in. "Aw, how come she gets to- okay okay I'm going!"

Runali sat on a stool by Kadi's bed and looked down at him. "Well, with this kinda damage I suppose you deserve the rest. But you better wake up soon. We can't have ya lying about for days on end."

Her eyebrow raised when she heard a groan. "I mean, I would hope getting blasted by a cannon allows me some rest." Kadi's hand rested on his head and he winced a little.

"Nearly. The impact just made you hit your head a little too hard." Runali chuckled and then waved at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You've only been out a few days- three or four. And we didn't know how long it would take to get to the next island so we channeled our inner Kadi and decided to go back to the Cutthroat base."

The navigator stared up at the ceiling for a moment before cracking a small smile. "Ah. That was...smart."

"I bet you're just saying that because you get to see your girlfriend." She laughed as the typically calm navigator's face flushed red as he frowned at her. "She was here earlier checking up on you." The expression never changed. "Heh, okay okay. Not like you aren't happy about it."

Arcadius leaned back with a sigh. "You know captain, everyday...I seem to wonder why I made this insane decision to become a pirate." Runali's content smile faded a little. "It's not very fitting of me- especially from my background." He let out a soft chuckle. "But at the same time, everyday I couldn't imagine myself being anything other than a StarDusk pirate." He sat up on his bed, grunting in the process as he adjusted. "For the first time in a long while, I feel like I'm actually living."

There was a moment's pause before Runali giggled a bit. "I think ya might have hit your head a bit too hard there Kadi. You just said you're okay with all the crazy antics you've been through."

With a laugh, he rubbed his head. "Maybe you're right...I think I might need to rest some more to make sure I'm not going crazy like the rest of you."

Raymond Skalter

"So what's got you down?" Runali slid onto the stool next Ray. He had gotten away from his new fans and decided to drink by himself.

"...Being a noble had its perks and all, but now, it's become more of a burden than anything." He paused for a moment, looking down at the alcohol in his bottle- well it was Luro's but he had plenty. Normally he wasn't so quick to be chatty about his problems, but for some reason, it was a lot easier talking to the captain. "It's nothing I can't handle though. My family's the least of my problems at the moment."

The captain lightly punched his arm. "They were the least of your worries when I helped you out of Lendria." She smiled. "You may be of noble blood, but you're nothing more than a dirty pirate now."

Ray laughed and nodded. "I s'pose I did sign away my nobility when I joined... And I'm glad I did. They were a bunch of stiffs. I'd never gotten these cool powers if I hadn't gone with you guys either- even if I can't swim now. And travelling with you captain has been a helluva journey. And I can't wait for the many more to come- especially when you're the Pirate Lord."

"Wait does that mean-?"

"I still will not step foot into one of those airships."

"Aw come oooon!"

"...How about a song instead?"

Alicia Tashigi

"Are you sure you're alright? Your friend looked really hurt!" Hanako stood with wide eyes as Alicia adjusted her kimono to accommodate for the bandages that wrapped around her shoulder.

"We're a tough crew. Not to worry, I'm perfectly fine." Alicia smiled pleasantly. "But if it worries you, I'll rest." She realized the girl would of course be worried. After losing people close to her, it was expected of Hanako. "Now, you said you've been practicing right? I'd love to see."

Runali was a few feet away watching Alicia mentor the young girl. She looked calm and happy. It was nice to see her not so cautious and ready to kill. Of course, it didn't take long for the swordswoman to sense the presence watching them and for her to gesture for her captain to join them. "Is everything alright?"

Runali sat by Alicia, watching Hanako and a few others practice their swordplay. "I was only observing. You know, you look a lot more calm than the last time we were here. And a lot more eager to say hello to the others. I've noticed a lot of things actually- besides your improvement of course. I don't know, but you seem...happier?"

Alicia smiled. "I feel happier. There was a saying I learned some time ago, 'There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality.' It made me realize that maybe...juuuust maybe, I needed to relax a bit."

They shared a laugh and Runali looked out at the swordswomen. When Hanako landed in their view, she spoke again. "Do you mis this? Home?"

Alicia raised an eyebrow for a moment before smiling again. "Well, of course I do captain. But I wouldn't leave the life I have now to go back. I became a pirate in order to see the world, like my mother had. As much as I love Yula Fei, I don't think I would have gotten any better as a fighter without exploring what's out here. And I wouldn't have made such great friends- a second family even."

There was a pause before the young woman continued. "Besides, I couldn't possibly leave when we haven't accomplished making you one of the most infamous pirate captains this world's ever seen."Hanako had once again, stolen the swordswoman's attention, leaving Runali to look up to the sky in thought.

Maybe that was their new goal... Climbing the ladder to become apart of the Worst Generation? Maybe even have the title of Pirate Lord? Who knew-

Well, they had plenty of time to figure it out.

Luro Makachi

"Ya know Luro, you've got a pretty good aim. Not as good as mine, but ya know. It's still pretty good." Both Ozzy and Luro had guns in hand, testing to make sure their newly fixed weapons worked as well as they think they did.

"You thought I didn't?" Despite their wooden targets being plenty of feet away both marksmen managed to get clean headshots. It was hard to believe either missed any of them. They were so invested in their 'activity', Lady (with Runali lounging on her head) managed to sneak behind the two and watch.

"Gyah, I knew we missed one!" Ozzy looked at the crossbow that malfunctioned in her hands.

"But I counted. You said 13!"

"14 Luro, 14!" She sighed and shook her head. "Don't mind it. Just check the others, I'll go fix this one real quick- Oh, Lady, Captain Runa- didn't notice ya there." Ozzy smiled and patted Lady's snout before going back to her workshop.

"So. You're having fun I see."

"It's like a marksmen's paradise- We should kidnap Ozzy and take her with us. Or take her guns." Luro hadn't taken his eyes off his targets as he spoke, making it hard to tell if he was joking or not. Then again, it was always hard to tell if he was joking or not.

"I'm sure Ozzy would put up a tough fight there. From what I've seen, you actually managed to make a friend out of her too."

Luro grinned and spoke after taking another shot from a rifle. "She reminds me of...of..." Immediately, he had forgotten who. "Huh, I forgot. But! A friend that threatens obviously is a trustworthy one!"

"Wait, by that logic, what does that make us?"

It was then Luro paused and looked back at Runali. He held a confused, yet thoughtful expression as he tried to figure it out himself. "The crew...you guys..." He frowned because he wasn't sure, which made him think too hard- at least too hard while he was sober. Wait, was he even sober? He didn't remember the last time he took a drink from his stashed bottle, only to realize it was empty. Scratching his head, he sat up and turned to face Runali. "You guys... I think you guys are what I think freedom feels like? It's been a long time since I've been with a group that hasn't tried to kill me. And it's fun!" He shrugged and began to stand. "I dunno, but whatever it is, I wouldn't change it."

While Runali sat with a rather surprised expression, Luro shook the empty bottle. "I'm gonna go get more of this!"

He was already off before she could respond. "...That's one odd shipwright I have, Lady." She chuckled and patted the top of the large crocodile's head. "But he's great." And as if understanding, Lady nodded slightly before turning and slowly continuing their slow trek around the Cutthroat base.

"We're what freedom feels like...Huh."

Jemima Bentham

"So the others don't know about your past pirating do they?" Saff had quietly waited for Jem to finish her doctoring and walk out of the sick bay. Seeing that the question made Jem tense up confirmed Saff's suspicions. "Not much gets past me ya know."

"That's my business and my decision whether I share it or not."

Saff stretched her arms over her head and adjusted her goggles. "If ya say so...Just know, you'll have to trust your crew eventually..." With a shrug, Saff wandered off to find her captain.

Jem's arms crossed as the words echoed in her head. Instead of going off to join the Cutthroats, she hung around the sick bay. Kadi was fine and had been released from bed rest, but she felt more at peace by herself, focusing on patients than having small talk with others. And she had no intentions to change that- however when Runali walked past, probably leaving from getting the gash on her arm checked again, Jem stopped her. There was hesitation at first, making Runali raise an eyebrow.

"Something wrong doc?"

Jem's frown deepened, only for her to sigh and lean against the wall. "This is an odd crew, yeah?"

Runali smiled and nodded. "I can't argue with that."

"And...Well, at first- I didn't have any intentions on stickin' around after we found Red and gave him what he deserved. At first," She repeated for emphasis. "But I started ta like you guys. And I figured...I should be completely honest with you since you're the captain." The doctor looked over at Runali, who only had a curious expression. "I haven't told ya the..whole truth about my past. It's somethin' I've been trying ta keep in the past, but I guess that's not gonna happen if I'm becomin' a pirate...again."

"You were a pirate before?"

"Born to pirates. Before I got married, my father was a privateer. He was sponsered by a monacrchy, not the government-"

"While I appreciate your honesty, that's nothing to be so worked up about, ya know?" She laughed a bit. "If ya don't remember, I didn't know Luro was involved with...Whoever that was that attacked us back then. As odd as it may seem, I'm fine with not knowing every little thing about you. However, I'm also fine with you telling me- Of course if this information is the reason we're being attacked by someone theeen it becomes kind of relevant."

Jem looked pleasantly surprised by the news, and also rather confused. How she was raised, that kind of lack of trust would have gotten someone kicked off the ship. But, she had to admit- this was nothing like the crews she had been apart of.

Here...it was a lot warmer. A lot nicer. After losing everything, she had shut herself out from the world. It had been awhile since she was completely trustworthy of anyone.

"You know," Runali slipped her hands into her pockets and smiled. "You may think the world's against you doc, but I'm not- your crew isn't either."

"I-...thank you captain."

Seeing Jem's face soften made Runali grin. "Well? C'mon. no need to hang around by yourself all day." Thr captain continued on her original path and Jem watched her go.

"...Yeah. Right, of course."

Did you know pirates banded together because of a common goal? Of course you knew it was for wealth, (wo)men, and to accomplish what personal troubles they had. ​

The StarDusk crew found out the hard way that the pirate life wasn't an easy one. In fact, for them, it still isn't. Their journey was filled with trials and dangers, but without the slightest hesitation they jumped head first into it. Each day they travel, ready to face danger and conquer it. Originally, their goal was to find the Black Compass, but that changed over their time together. While the crew still looks for the forbidden treasure, their new goal is to become the best of the best, to rise up in the ranks and earn the title of Pirate Lord. It's going to take a lot to get their, but each one of them is fully prepared to give it their all to make that happen.

After all, this is the Age of Pirates.

​