RP Pirates of the Hard Nox 2

It was impossible to hide the initial shock; not of the transformation, but of the person who stood before her and willed it to happen. It hadn’t been long enough, in fact, she would’ve preferred to never see his face again. Fate was a wicked little thing, wasn’t she?

He was right, of course, she had grown. She no longer felt what she once did for him, nor the devastation that’d followed when he'd left. She remembered though, and that alone made her want to float away with the smog. Worse yet, he knew. About her past, about her favourite past time - once upon a time ago. Gods, she needed to find Caleb.

Once the initial shock passed, Alys forced herself to smile and sink a little more into the wall. The blade sat threateningly on her shoulder, yet the fae chose to appear to ignore it, instead daring to reach out and straighten the collar of his uniform with her hands. "Sky - you always looked good in a uniform." She let them trail slightly down his chest before casually falling at her sides. The knives strapped to her body and hidden within her coat practically burned against her flesh, reminding her that they were there. "But stealing from a pick-pocket? That's low, even for you."
 
Back into the Hard Nox, Caleb didn't bother knocking before entering the clinic.

"Hey, are you busy?" He asked, knowing he'd find Emer in there, likely sipping on a teacup. "I have a surprise for you!"

***

He was happy to see her. They hadn't parted ways amicably and that was completely his fault, but it was so long ago she must've forgotten it by now. A smug smirk filled Sky's lips as she fixed his collar and he took a step back, enough to put his blade back in its sheath.

"Whatever is in here, it's heavy." He said, tapping his jacket where he's put the loot. "Your friends' money, isn't it? That's unlike you, to have friends."
 
Her gaze lingered on the slight bulge in his breast pocket, where Ronan's share had been hidden. Sure, it was heavy, but compared to what they'd earned, to what she'd earned, it was nothing. As far as Alys was concerned, Ronan deserved the loss now - simply for the trouble she was going through. But she'd have no choice but to ask for it back, if only to keep Sky unassuming.

"What can I say? People change. Now are you going to give that back? Or are you still a fucking prick?"
 
A fucking prick. Perhaps she was still mad at him for disappearing under a different name and a new face. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, and seeing her reminded him of why that was.

"Have a drink with me. For old times' sake." Sky asked, hands loosely resting on his hips. Perhaps he'd give it back if Alys said yes.
 
Rielle, once more, changed course at the drop of a hat. Everything with her was so sudden, it nearly felt like whiplash- it certainly would have been worse had Juniper not been so accustomed to changing so often theirself. They smiled, and leaned back in the chair a bit. "Good. I hope you can handle yourself, I'd feel awful if you died. Especially since things just recently got better for newcomers," they said, eyes moving to Caleb as he stood from his own chair, another of Emer's people left behind. That was something they'd never seen before, and it seemed Caleb was at least making an effort to introduce the two.

It was good he was making an effort. They understood what it was like, being the only one of your kind. It was maybe easier for them, on account of blending in, or maybe that made it harder. They still weren't quite sure. "Oh, we haven't decided where yet. We just made it back from the Ice Lands, and... need a break."

A slip of paper was dropped in front of them, and they looked to the new captain of the Hard Nox once more. "Oooh, tempting. I... a date? I don't even know who I'd bring, but I'd love to go." Already their mind was wandering to what they would wear, whether they would even need a mask, who they could be for that night... "Oh! Right, apologies. Rielle, this is-" they motioned towards the vacated space that was once held by Caleb "- er, was, the captain of our vessel. His name is Caleb. I... don't suppose we'll be getting service. Unless you want to hold out and wait, I can show you where we're docked? Just so you don't get left behind."
 
"Can't," Alys responded, almost immediately. Pushing herself off the wall, she strolled past Sky to pluck the knife she'd thrown from the wooden barrel. It felt all too familiar in her hand - and looked it too. Sliding it back into the sheath, she once more met his gaze. "I'm busy and don't know how long I'm staying in this shithole."

And as if she wanted to have a fucking drink with him.

Mimicking his stance, Alys placed her hands on her hips and turned to face him. "Are you going to give it back or not?"
 
"Oh, I'm quite good at not dying," Rielle assured the person across the table from her, "Haven't done it even once!" Why, she was an expert at not dying! If that was their only requirement, this would be the easiest trip of all time.

It seemed their ship was due to stay in port for a bit - and, ship? That ship? Rielle hadn't missed it when the man with the eyepatch had dropped the name, even if he'd been talking to someone else. She listened in to other people's conversations all the time! Well, if they hadn't meant for people to be listening in, they shouldn't have been talking!

He stopped by to drop off one of the advertisements about that fancy party half the town was all atitter about, then vanished into the streets to go do whatever it was he was up to - probably find something to wear, no doubt. He looked like he could use some suggestions! Juniper attempted to make an introduction, though it was rather spoiled by the quick exodus.

"Oh, I say, I've heard of that one. You're pirates!" Rielle did not seem disappointed by this fact: rather, she seemed to think it was just another adventure. "Thought the captain was a- er." She didn't finish the sentence aloud, but made a gesture with her hands that rather implied... well, it was on the wanted posters, wasn't it?

"Love to see where it is. Can't be late for your own adventure! Bad form, you know. Shall we?"
 
"A friend, you said."

With a sigh, Sky reached inside his jacket for the satchel. Whatever content it had, it was unlikely it had any real importance.

"Like you and I were friends?" He smiled at Alys, the same smile that had won her over back then. The changeling held the satchel up. "Take it from me and I'll let you have it."
 
Her patience was dwindling, and his charming smile only made it worse. Hanging by a thread, Alys shrugged and gave him a coy smile. "Maybe."

Certainly not; she didn't even consider Ronan a regular friend, but for the sake of Sky's perception of her, she continued to play along.

The smile didn't remain for long though; daring to take a step towards him, shoulders squared, she spoke again. "You haven't changed at all - still playing games. Why don't you save yourself the embarrassment and just give it to me."
 
“I can change, if that's what you want.” as the words left his mouth his voice rose in pitch, his cheeks grew wider and the dark brown hair turned orange. It was Ronan’s face Alys was looking at, over a shorter and ripped body.

“This guy? I don’t believe you.” Sky laughed, turning his face back to normal. “C’mon Alys, that was years ago. Stop being so bitter.”
 
Juniper stood, and began towards the ship. It wasn't far, basically in view of the restaurant, and didn't take long to point out. As far as the captaincy... "Well, we've had... an adventure." Their tone was more somber than one would expect, considering the words they used, but it was hard to tell what really happened. "The important part is he's in charge now. You'll pick up the rest if you decide to hang around. Oh, and try not to boast about who you're running with now. That won't end well, for you or any of us."
 
Bitter? She wasn't fucking bitter. Distrustful, yes, with a fear of abandonment, thanks to him, but not bitter.

"You've been fucking following me?" Alys snapped, cheeks reddening at the sight of Ronan's childish face on Sky's body. She'd only been off the ship for a whole goddamn minute, and already, she'd had enough of Leimor and all the shit it had to offer. Once he let her go, the fae fully planned on staying on board and making sure that he didn't sneak onto the Nox using someone else's face - the bastard.

Once he let her go. As though he were keeping her hostage. She hated how much he got under her skin, how much her blood had begun to boil, both from anger and embarrassment. Pathetic.

"I don't owe you shit. I told you, I'm busy, and you're wasting my time. Keep the fucking pocket change," She spat out, turning to walk down the alley, towards the entrance.
 
"You have 10 minutes to get ready, I'll be waiting outside. It's an order from your captain!" Caleb added before Emer could even protest, which she certainly would have done had he not closed the door between them. He leaned against the pillar next to the door to the clinic, having a perfect view of Leimor. What a sad looking place. Even sadder seemed to be the person approaching the Nox, with shiny eyes and furrowed brows. Caleb wanted to go to her, but instead looked over at the officers' quarters across from him.



Caleb didn't shoot, instead he tried to strike the vampire in the head while simultaneously tackling him to the floor. The loose eyepatch rolled out of his face, revealing the scar he tried to keep hidden at all times.

"Get the fuck out of here or I fucking swear, I'm tossing you off this ship!"

[...] Fitting that King would leave behind his pet who similarly hid his injury. As they hit the floor, Lucien threw his head back and laughed darkly.

“You’ll do no such thing, quartermaster.” Lucien spat out, a wicked grin curling his lips. “That is, unless you wish for another to join poor Sierra in her fate.” The moonlight glinted off his fangs as Lucien smiled wide, awaiting the quartermaster’s decision.





Caleb waited for her to get to the main deck and searched for her eyes, twitching his wing as soon as they met. He opened the door to the office next door to the clinic and waited quietly for Alys to join him.
 
Rolls of paper fell to the floor with whispered rattle as Leo backed his way into a relatively uncluttered corner. For what might have been the first time since he had come aboard the Nox the ship’s navigator was regarding him with something almost resembling respect or humanity, and Leo didn’t trust it one bit. Even his words held less bite than usual, an ironic twist given they were essentially closed off within his lair. One would expect such a place to be dark and dank, chilling in atmosphere as the vampire’s cold hands. Of course Leo had been in the room before, had even investigated one of the mysterious ceramic pots, but focusing on the floor and the filth was different than facing the beast in its home. He had never been there while Lucien was present.

Yet despite his expectations there he was, casually speaking with the blood drinker as if they were something resembling friends, or maybe colleagues. Even the way Lucien called him “pup” was less scathing, and followed by the illumination of his plans with the Bone Witch Leo couldn’t deny the air of the conversation. The shield was set aside, thumping audibly in the silence that followed Lucien’s question to the floor as he leaned it against a cabinet. He didn’t leave the corner, though.

”I have heard that cutting off your head would work, or a wooden skewer to the heart. I think that would kill most things, though.” There was a mysticism tied to the stories he had heard of the undead that survived on crimson life, and Leo could never wrap his head around it. Stories of cats and garlic and prayers did little when faced with fanged death, and more often than not Leo had found that stories of how to kill this or that creature were over exaggerated. ”You are stronger and faster than us.” The statement seemed to be made more for his own sake than to answer the Navigator.

”The bastard threw me like it was nothing; moved before I could react. If that wasn’t bad enough he has that ice.” Leo broke free of the safety of his chosen corner and stepped toward the cabinet of ceramics. ”The Baron could match his strength, you and Nessa might match his strength and his speed, but Juniper is the only one who could stop his magic.” A single jar was lifted, tapped softly before Leo brought it to the vampire and set it on the desk, tension measured against the proximity to a bloodsucking fiend.

”What chance do I stand?” A painful admission. ”I’m just a man. Angry and used to inflicting death, sure, but a man all the same.” Leo wasn’t really sure why he was telling the vampire this; he only knew it was the truth. ”Maybe I’m hoping you know a way to level the field for me.” Was he answering Lucien, or his own doubts in himself?
 
The walk back to the Nox was brisk and purposeful. Alys knew the likelihood that he would follow her was high, and as much as she wanted to portray someone who wasn't bothered by his presence or that awful interaction, she was simply too emotional to maintain her usual level of control. With a face that was typically unapproachable, the fae moved through the crowd without care, bumping her shoulder roughly into another, who took one look at her and practically ran in the opposite direction.

By the time she made it back to the ship, angry tears rimmed her blue eyes. Most of the anger was directed towards Sky; knowing that he would probably meddle with her business, and that she'd need to disclose information about her past before he did it for her. But also anger she held for herself; for allowing herself to be so affected by him. She'd need a moment to calm down before seeking out -

- and there he was, beckoning her to the office.

Blinking away the tears that threatened to spill over, and inhaling sharply, Alys crossed the deck, meeting Caleb in the office. The slightly crooked door closed behind her - it had been re-attached to the hinges after being torn down earlier that week. She crossed the length of the room, pacing, arms crossed tightly against her chest. Silence filled the space, which remained even as she sat herself down in a chair and glanced towards Caleb. He was looking at her, of course, and unlike her usual self, Alys looked away, out the small window. She waited for him to speak first, taking the extra time to figure out what she was going to say. And how to get the absolute terror she felt to go away.
 
Caleb stood still for a moment, watching as Alys closed the door behind her and shrunk in one of the chairs. Something had happened and his heart tightened seeing her like that. Despite Alys' clear signs of not wanting to be there he approached her, taking a closer look at her face in search of any kind of injury.

"What happened?" He asked, anger mixed with relief to see that whatever had happened at least didn't seem to have been physical. He'd have to shoot someone if it had been the case.
 
His presence neared; she didn't see him, refusing to look away from the window, but she could hear it. Feel him. Closer but far enough to keep a respectable distance. That was good, she liked that.

Should she give him a warning? Ask him to shut up and hear her fully before kicking her out, or worse?

She thought it over, even after he asked his question. But the more she thought about it, the worse her heart began to race, the more nauseous she began to feel, the more prominent her fidgeting became, moving from pulling at her fingers to the chain around her neck. She hadn't taken it off since returning from the Ice Lands.

"This doesn't leave the room," she finally whispered, voice somewhat hallow. Better to just come out and say it.

"I used to hate pirates. I think a part of me always will. For what they did." Her steely gaze finally moved and met his, bits of silver lining her bottom lids.

It was a rather contradictory statement - she knew that. She was a walking contradiction; a pirate, murderer, raider. There was no doubt that she'd gotten lost along the way, a wandering soul in search of something that'd give her an ounce of control or satisfaction. But she hadn't killed innocents, not unless they came after her. A pathetic excuse, but as much as she'd learned to be a pirate, first and foremost, she'd also learned how to survive.

She paused, searching his eye, fear wafting through her. But she continued. "I trust you. And I'd rather you hear it from me. So sit down and listen. And if you so much as think about pitying me, I will break your nose again." Her voice softened. "Okay?"
 
"Ah. An adventure." Rielle nodded sagely. She knew about those sorts of adventures. Granted, it was usually other people having them. Surprisingly, Juniper didn't seem inclined to tell the tale. If it had been Rielle, she'd have been more than happy to give the whole town a description of how it had happened.

Perhaps it had been boring. Now, that wouldn't have stopped Rielle at all - she certainly knew how to enhance a tale when it was called for. A good story was like a good soup - it needed a lot of things mixed in, and some of them it was best not to ask about. Why, that was an excellent line, wasn't it? She'd have to remember it for later.

The sorceress made some comment about boasting, and Rielle reached out sympathetically and patted her on the hand. "Ah, no, love, of course not. Why would I? You're the ones being graced with my presence, not the other way 'round! But! I shall allow you the privilege of being the part of my tale I don't mention to onlookers. 'And then I was conveyed to my next destination by a pirate ship.' See? Leaves a lot to the imagination, skips over the parts we're keeping quiet. Best to know what parts not to mention, or you'll end up spending the night in the cells for being 'drunk and disorderly' - I was not drunk, I'll have you know, it was just that the wife of the guard-commander didn't like me mentioning her little case of the - er. Well, let's not have another night in the cells. Anyhow. Who are we avoiding this round?"
 
While Alys looked anywhere but in his eye, Caleb noticed for the first time the ring hanging from a chain around her neck. An engagement ring? It looked cheap, which meant absolutely nothing, but the size… It was made for a child, not an adult woman. Come to think of it, Caleb didn't know absolutely anything about Alys' life prior to the Nox. As if she could read his mind, Alys said:

"I used to hate pirates. I think a part of me always will. For what they did."

For what they did... To her. Caleb had never seen Alys more vulnerable, afraid of his judgment and things he didn't yet know about. He didn't pity her, nor was he afraid of what he was about to hear, and he wanted to show her that. So when Alys asked him to sit down and listen, he did - After getting the bottle of Ciaran's liquor he had kept hidden in a drawer and handing it out to the fae.
 
The liquor burned on the way down her throat, warming her belly from the inside. It did little to ease her fear; it'd take a while for it to become liquid luck, time she didn't have. But it distracted her, at least for a moment.

Alys began from the beginning, very vaguely explaining what'd happened in a run down tavern that sat beside the coast. How a girl of ten boarded her first ship in search of those responsible. How she finally fell into the habit of dispatching her horrid crewmates, how she'd disappear into the night and find new ships to board. Her words were succinct, emotionless, robotic; she spared him the details that remained ingrained in her mind - there was no room for majority of her tales, not yet.

Once she was done, done with the worst bit, she dared to meet his gaze, eyes wide with anticipation. Anticipation, fear - fear that things would change any second.

"You chose one hell of a partner to mutiny with," she found herself whispering. And then she braced for the worst.
 
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