RP Pirates of the Hard Nox 2

Oh. The new captain looked distracted. Maybe this'd been a bad time.

"Of course he hasn't escaped," Hester grumbled, taking the bracelet back without comment. "I'd be dead if he had, no doubt. Or one of us would be, anyway. He's down in the brig. With--" the construct, no, they had a name, remember?, "--Mal." Bit of a rough stumble, but it couldn't be helped. She'd get used to the way things were different here eventually. Probably.

"Um... Speaking of, what exactly is their... Deal, I suppose? I never got the chance to ask Sinead about them."
 
He hadn’t told them to put Leo in the brig, but so long as he was behind bars and under someone's watch it should be good enough. Caleb gestured for Hester to follow him as he made his way down the stairs.

“Mal is… Mal.” He shrugged when they got to the first hallway. “I don’t know what they are exactly, an amalgamation of body parts with a bad attitude. They came with the ship, from what I heard.” Caleb had never asked Mal where they came from, they also doubted he’d get an answer if he had. He looked over his shoulder at Hester, paying attention to how she’d react to his follow up question. “Do you know a man named Aamir Rake?”
 
'Came with the ship,' huh? Hester tromped down the stairs after Caleb, rolling his words around in her head. Were they tied to the ship in some way, then? She was fairly sure they weren't necromantic in origin--at least, not entirely--but... Oh; the conversation was moving on.

"Not by name. Part of the crew that kidnapped Emer? Rake feels like a pirate name."
 
“Mm.” Nessa murmured at Alys’s arrival, her dull amber eyes raising from the waters below for a moment. She slid a hand away from where she had it resting on the railing, and held it out into the dead air. She frowned at it, the ring, the gemstone didn’t shine its acquired crimson hue quite as brightly as it once had, though maybe that was simply due to the fog. She rolled her fingers and it twinkled a little so she stopped.

“I thought I’d be happier.” She said, maybe to Alys, maybe to herself. She sighed, resting her chin on her forearm she turned her gaze back to Alys and didn’t turn away. “Something’s wrong, huh?” Nessa repeated. Did Alys mean with her? With Emer? The Nox? This entire Goddess forsaken month?

“Yeah, I think so too.” Nessa said after a pause.
 
Two pairs of footsteps caught Alys' attention momentarily; her head turned towards the sound, watching as their shadows descended down the stairs together. Her gaze lingered for longer than intended, moving back towards Nessa and her outstretched hand only after the steps had completely receded.

"Pretty," she commented, the flash of red easily catching her eye. Nessa always had good taste.

Silence briefly enveloped the two as the fairy tried to decipher what she'd heard. "What do you mean, happier? Are you unhappy?"
 
Lucien Kilta had been out hunting.

Whilst the stench of Leimor no doubt swam within the veins of its inhabitants, who knew when they would next make port? Much was left unknown under O'Cain's captaincy, and Lucien knew his continued acceptance upon the Nox was amongst it. The bargain he struck with the Captain had run its course, and the new one forged with her inadequate replacement was shaky at best, made under threat and only kept by the other due to fear. If the former quartermaster ever thought he would have a chance to rid himself of the vampire for good, any agreement they had would be null and void.

Sinead Oiche may have been a bastard, but at least she had the decency to be honest about it.

Lucien stalked the streets of Leimor to get away from the confinement of the ship's timbers, to avoid the cyclops glare that had begun to worm its way into the wood, a commanding presence seeking to supplant hers. The Nox was her ship, and Caleb O'Cain could lay claim to it until his other eye rotted away, but it would always belong to her, to the last nail.

These thoughts joined the Leimor smog as it clung to him, muddying his mind. Lucien took no particular pleasure in the task this time, quickly draining his victim of what precious little their body had to offer at the moment, choosing instead to simply let them die rather than allowing their stores to build once more. Some of the blood was portioned into a small silver flask whilst the body cooled, before Lucien made his way back to the ship. Despite his desire to be away from O'Cain and his influence, his steps quickened as he approached the docks. They had apparently taken flight, the ship bobbing in the air as though it still lay within the waves.

Lucien scaled the rope easily, slipping onto the deck with naught but a whisper of fabric and boot. His gaze unwillingly slid towards the helm, the faint image of a familiar figure gazing out into the night, one hand resting on the wheel. His eyes temporarily shut, and when he opened them Lucien knew that his captain would not be there. Familiar voices filtered across the deck, and Lucien's attention once again unwillingly shifted as he heard the tired voice of his fledgeling. He slipped into the shadows, keeping an ear on her conversation.

She would have said he was getting soft.
 
“Unhappy? That’s…” Nessa paused, her brow crinkling as she looked up at Alys. She took a breath, salt and fish and something a little sour from the city. That cultist telling her to leave or she might do what? That made her feel tired again, so she let the breath go. “The Goddess allows for many things, it is her way. But to take life for something so… so base as hunger? A starving man may take his bread, but blood is no bread.” Nessa grimaced at that, a flash of light over sharp teeth quickly gone as she pressed her lips closed.

“Mm, sorry.” She said. Nessa raised her hand again, trying to get the gemstone to catch light, which it did, pitifully. “I don’t know if I think it’s pretty or not” Nessa added.
 
It was becoming more and more frequent; the instinct to approach, or perhaps more troubling, to comfort rather than disregard. Alys still wasn't any good at it, she didn't think, despite what past evidence suggested.

How to provide comfort to a vampire who hated their nature? Knowing Alys felt the same way - or imagined feeling the same way. Cursed to feed on blood, to never grow old, to live forever and watch those around you die...

Her eyes lifted upward, finding her own selfish comfort, albeit brief and interrupted. "But survival isn't simple. Especially not for you." For Alys, it was the need for control. Stemming from the utter lack of it. From the loss of companionship and security. "Yet you've found a way to survive without taking life. All that's left now is to live, also in your own way."

Her gaze drifted back down to the ring, watching Nessa adjust her hand to the flickering light. "It's quite unlike your usual silver and sapphire." A pause. "If you don't know if it is, then it isn't. Not when we can have anything we want. So why wear it?"
 
“Why? That’s…” It was that red that made her think wasn’t it? That gem, clear as crystal when she first found had been as pretty as a song, but now the red lingered like old crusted blood. Though, perhaps it was just to her eye that it looked as such. Redness that flitted from the light as if it simply desired to never be so clear again. That was an odd thought, wasn’t it?

Nessa lifted her head from her arm, though she still had to look up at Alys. Had she told anyone? Juniper had been there when she had, but had she told them? Thinking that far away, though it had truly only been a couple of days hadn’t it, made her feel tired. Many things seemed to, anymore, so maybe that was why she felt like she needed to tell someone.

“In the ice lands, I ate an apple you know?” Nessa’s lips worked for a moment, pale as she was, and cold. But the amber in her eyes glittered smartly where the ring refused to shine. “And it was so very sweet. And this ring was…”

Nessa didn’t finish that thought, she instead looked back to the ring that she thought most definitely wasn’t very pretty at all.
 
Apple...

Alys mouthed, brows furrowing as she glanced down at Nessa and the ring adorning her finger. Back and forth.

She'd hardly consider herself an expert in vampirism, but there had been - and continued to be - at least three of them on board, enough for the fae to purchase a small arsenal to protect herself with. Specifically from one, maybe two. There'd been others before, of course, each carrying their infliction with pride or misery, each relying on the liquid that flowed within her veins. Apples weren't desirable - they weren't supposed to be sweet.

Nessa seemed fixated on the ring. Pretty at first glance but now, paired with the sickly appearance of her skin and the unnatural consumption of something other than blood, became unsettling.

"The ring was what? Where in the Ice Lands did you find it?" Alys questioned, angling her body to face the smaller vampire directly. She was significantly less knowledgable in dark objects, but Sol was a powerful man, and the Ice Lands had brought them both blessings and curses.
 
“Captain. Solomon King’s offspring, he says.” Caleb said, as they got to the last set of stairs. “He wants to rescue a girl from the Truth Teller, do you have any idea of who it could be?”

His voice was lower than before. With his acquired vampire senses Leo would surely know they were coming, but wouldn't have the privilege of listening to their conversation even if it was unlikely he’d live long enough to talk about it with anyone else. So far, Hester had proved to be trustworthy even if he wasn't sure where her loyalty lied. Not with King, or she wouldn’t have left. From the little he knew about Solomon King, he doubted he was the kind of person to welcome a traitor back with open arms.
 
Taking Caleb's cue, Hester lowered her voice. The offspring of the Good Captain? She'd had no idea he'd had lovers, let alone children. Wild.

"Right. Hm. Okay." A pause.

No, this wasn't going anywhere. Move on to the next part.

"I knew several girls aboard the Truth Teller. Rescue, though? Don't know about that. The people King takes aboard don't tend to last long enough to be rescue-able. " She shrugged, outwardly unbothered by what that implied. "So unless it was one of the acolytes, and by rescue he meant kidnap..." Or it could be someone who was already dead, and the 'offspring' bit was part of some extremely misguided con. That felt more likely to her.
 
Right. Caleb had forgotten about the people King kept on his brig, Juniper, Leo and Emryk being some of the few if not only survivors. If the woman they were searching for was a prisoner, perhaps he’d have nothing to help Aamir with.

“We’ll talk more about it later.” He said. Even though there were still many questions he could have asked, they had something more urgent to take care of. “Get the bracelet ready. I'll put it on if you’re afraid of getting near him.” With that, Caleb went down the stairs and pushed open the door that had eight holes that weren't there the last time he'd been there. For a moment he feared it was a sign that Leo had escaped but there he was, trapped behind bars and probably not too happy about it.

“Why did you bring him here?” Caleb asked Mal, who seemed to at least be doing their job of keeping an eye on the vampire. He eyed the man, trying to find a semblance of remorse for his past behavior. Caleb wasn't remorseful, he was pissed. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you going to cooperate? We can let Ronan's spirit out and end it quickly, I'm sure it'll be a delight to see what it does to you.”
 
“Mm, that abandoned mansion we spent the night in, in one of the bedrooms.” Nessa said with a shrug of her shoulders. Had there been anything interesting about that room? Some old mattress, a locked jewelry box, and torn frozen sheets? None of that seemed particularly interesting really, unless one cared about the different sorts of molds that took up residency within mansions as they settled into the lingering stages of death. “It was in some old jewelry box, probably could have picked it with a hairpin, never quite understood the point of a lock that easy to pick really.” She added a shrug at that thought.

“It was clear when I found it.” Nessa said finally, after a small pause. She wasn’t certain why, but she felt a touch guilty saying it as well.
 
"So you found this colour-changing ring - ," Alys repeated, glancing down to the brilliant red. " - and the next morning you ate an apple." Swallowing hard, she continued, attempting to choose her words carefully. "And since then, how's your appetite?"

And why the fuck are you still wearing the ring?
 
"For someone so enchanted by freedom, you seem quite eager to get rid of it."

Mal stood there and listened as Leo continued his spiel, their face twisting further and further into a look of suspicion. He thought they were going to let him out- if not them, then the rest of the crew. The arrogance was... well, it was fitting of the lad, especially now, but he wasn't exactly helping his case. After killing someone (who, admittedly, Mal was also targeting), freeing a dangerous prisoner, and allowing said prisoner to turn him into a monster, did he really think the good will of the crew would carry him this time?

Then, he slammed against the bars.

Then, he threatened them.

So, they'd set him free to do the same thing he had always done- which, from Mal's limited experience, mostly amounted to this: reckless, aggressive mess-making. And if he got hungry- well, they could only hold a few prisoners at a time, couldn't they? He'd turn on the crew. He was telling them he was going to turn on the crew-

"Why did you bring him here?"

"Why did you tell Juniper you wouldn't use the crow cages anymore?" Mal shook their head, "It's not relevant- he's not getting out."

They glared at the man behind the bars, then turned towards the captain and the bone-weaver.

"Did you catch any of what he said, hm?"

Mal pointed at the cage with the wrench, throwing their other arms into an exaggerated shrug.

"He'll do this again, you know. Damn near told me himself." They frowned, "And he'll start picking off crew members if he starts feeling peckish. But, I suppose..."

A sly glance towards Leo, their tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You're inevitably going to let him out, aren't you? Sooner or later..."
 
Sky bless, it was good to be in normal clothes again.

Not that the dress wasn't beautiful. It had been. But the thick swish of the layered skirts around her legs, the warm embrace of her shawl, and the lack of that terrible tightness around the abdomen were all sorely missed. This had truly been an odd night. A turn of events so fast and uncertain it would leave even the most stoic head spinning. Comfort was welcome, here, and she would not have it any other way.

"Good evening, dears," she called as she stepped into the mess hall, moving into the kitchen to have herself a bowl of soup. As exciting as it all had been, she'd barely had the time to eat, and her stomach was turning knots in on itself. "Have you eaten? I can fetch you both a bowl as well, if you would like."

What she hadn't expected coming back, not simple as a pot of soup or steadfast as her clothes, was the tiny cracks that palpitated in the silence. Things were darker on her return. Colder, in ways that had little to do with the night. Whispers over words, tears over laughter, tension over peace. She didn't mention Juniper's damp eyes, nor Pris' worried glances. Only a small facet in the rainswept clouds lingering over the Nox.
 
A familiar voice, a welcome one, and one that filled them with a sense of relief that they weren't sure they would be able to feel on that night. Juniper turned, briskly wiping at their eyes with a sleeve that would imply they'd been at the party, though there were very few who were aware that they'd been there. "Oh, Emer, it's- you're alright. You're alright, right? What happened?" they asked, voice hoarse and hesitant, still somewhat dizzy.

In response to the wisewoman's question, though, they motioned towards the now empty plate and cup. "I, uh, have. Thanks to Pris, actually, she's helped me a lot tonight."
 
“My appetite?” Nessa sniffed, her eyes flicking away from Alys for a moment. This was fine, really, it was better like this. She plucked at the edge of her cloak, sending a shiver through the cloth. “It’s less… ah, demanding now. If I just eat something it feels fine. It’s just…” Nessa wavered for a moment, searching for a word.

“It’s normal, you know?” An edge of, what was it, desperation perhaps maybe pleading, found its way into her voice, and it made Nessa wince.
 
Caleb attempted to ignore the tightness in his chest when Mal explained why Leo wasn’t locked in a crow cage. Why did he sentence him there in the first place? He could almost visualize Sinead’s smirk, looking down on him. Breaking your promises so soon? You really are a bastard.

Luckily they changed the subject and the anger returned, along with a small headache. Caleb massaged his temples, then took the bracelet from Hester before approaching the cage.

“Leave us alone for a minute. I need to talk to him.” The captain asked.
 
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