The Freeman's Paragon
No Name Port, the Island of Pocatellage, 1438 ATC
"... The ship ye be boardin' is called the Freeman's Paragon, as there be treasure beyond closed doors that awaits the infamous ERB-all-ist recently acquired. And I be Captain Willem Wake.'' The captain had bright blue eyes, was in his sixties, and wore a large grey sunhat and had a bushy salt and pepper beard.
As Brayden climbed the Jacob's Ladder and landed upon the polished wood with a resounding 'thud', Pip, Lager and the ship's dog, Cranberry, all promptly sat up from their nap- hurriedly rubbing the sleep from their eyes to erase the evidence o' their naps. The dog attempting to follow suit, however failing due to his lack of coordination and thumbs. "Alright ye maggots,-" Brayden began, tossing a look over his broad shoulder to see the rest of the crew stiring to life and begin to prepare to set sail. "Let's ready the anchor, ready the oars and let loose the ropes. I've a feelin' our Koran mercenary will aboard within minutes, with a new addition and hopefully a feckin' destination." He declared, though his chest felt short o' breath as he realized Nodessa would only be bringing one new mate aboard and not two. "Aye, aye!" Were the resounding echoes the crew's response, all sixteen o' them plus the dog running around like eejits in preparation for their next journey.
"Joining us as well, Ruari? Cierra?" Nodessa asked, one brow arched to perfection. "We sail within an hour.''
"Yup!" Venser pipped up speaking for all of them. "For now we are all in this together."
"Brayden be the boss, right behind Captain Wake. He'd tan my hide if I barked an order your way without a second though, I reckon." She smiled back. ''As you all are passangers for now until we take down the Foul Fury.''
"The life of a pirate pays pretty well." Ro commented. ''Er, not that I... I've delt with pirates many times before. I am from the Alphonse Islands.''
Blue hues trained upon the crew hard at work readying the ship at berth. Were they...? With a roll of those eyes, Nodessa smacked his palm against her forehead and gave a groan. "Fuckin eejits, the entire lot o' you!" He wailed, shaking his grey haired head. "FIRST the anchor, THEN the rudder, THEN THE BLOODY SAILS! We get the oars out once we're out of the harbor!" With a stomp and huff. He shook his head when Brayden glanced up to curse back at her for yellin’ at him, only to watch his jaw drop when his dark gaze settled upon the lass she’d brought with her. For him. “Aye, aye!” A resounding chorus echoed from the ship, and Captain Wake was back to rolling those blue hues upward. “NO, NAE!” He yelled back, more-so growled. Were they truly all daft? Had they even heard her right?
Brayden looked up from uncoiling the rope thicker than his skin, aiming to strip them up and down with his words for yelling at him like he was a bloody moron. Until his gaze landed upon the new man and the two girls. He felt his lips part at the surprise, his mind whirring with all the possibilities as to why they'd be heading this direction. As if there'd been a fire lit under his ass, Brayden hopped the deck-railing and landed on the dock below.
The young sailor noted his heart didn't skip a beat at the sight of Nodessa again, though he had the foresight to determine that would eventually change the more he became convinced she was here to stay. There would be mornings when she would step out of their bedchamber, the sunrise upon the horizon framing her beautiful figure as if she were a divine beauty. His heart would skip a beat then. Or when they were readying' the ship to sail from another port. He would look over and she'd be there beside him, leaning across the banister with a smile too-big for her face as she reveled in the salty air and the beautiful view. She would be his view... He thought, smiling to himself as he freed the coiled rope and set to work upon another.
Nodessa moved to the helm and set her slender fingers upon the wheel- fingertips sliding over the polished, cherry oak finish smoothly. She'd dreamed of commandeering a ship ever since she was young, and the appreciation that she'd finally won it was not lost on her. Her stromg draconian tail swishing back and forth happily.
Cierra smiled and settled against his side after they were aboard the ship. The breeze blew her hair around her face as she stood beside Venser. She was not in love with him but drawn to him in a way she could not explain. This man stirred something inside her. She was void of a need to feed from him or entice him. She bared herself around him. She looked up at him and chuckled. She stepped back a little on her unsteady legs and looked down at the deck, not used to being on ships as they watched everyone scurry about. The tall temptress stood there with her head hung down, her burnt orange eyes lowered with a glimmered, her red dress billowing round her legs and her raven hair billowing about her like some wild halo as she let out a sigh.
"Came here for naught?" Captain Wake asked the new people aboard his ship. "I hope you all 'ave a thirst for adventure. It would be a droll voyage without it." Looking back down at the ropes. "Bloody damnation!" He swore, realizing he'd supposed to have been coiling instead of uncoiling. How else were they take off?
''Brayden!''
With a deep exhale, Brayden set re-coiling the ropes he'd just uncoiled.
''We've got a target! Not far from here is a ship with a squid on it's sails, the Foul Fury! And today we board them, kill every God of the Slender Sea cultist aboard, and take their cargo!''
"Oh this is going to be fun!" Venser ejaculated looking to Ro and Cierra.
Cierra simply smiled while Ro brushed back her hair and sighed.
"Exactly what I am used to."
"An adventure on the high seas!"
"Oars ready! Sails ready! Prepare to cast off ye dogs!"