forum "Bloodstained Gold" (Pirate Group RP) {Closed}

Started August 25, 2022 by @ScotchTapeWorm group

tune

The Captain looked at Aria curiously, for a girl so talkative he kept forgetting she was there, he had barely registered that she'd followed him to meet 'The Lady', she seemed to have a knack for simply.. Disappearing and reappearing sometimes. Axel was learning not to question it, all of his crew had their quirks, as far as Aria's went, her sticky fingers and a penchant for cooking were more useful than a hindrance. The girl was a quick learner, but that didn't mean he was going to answer all of her questions.

"Yeah, Kavo's hired if he wants to be. I'd cut off my left hand for two more like 'im, though I'm not sure the ship would be able to stay afloat!" Silver-Tongue chuckled, still running through the logistics of hiring the crab man, obviously they could carry him, but where was he going to sleep? The Captain doubted he'd fit in any of the normal bunks or hammocks, maybe they'd have to give him some space in one of the cargo cabins? For now Axel just planned on sticking him in with the surgeon, since they still had free beds available. He'd figure out what to do for Kavo when he had more time on his hands.

The other questions, Silver-Tongue figured he could have some fun with the girl, she was so new to this some things just went completely over her head. To sell the bit all humor drained from his face again and the tall man's violet eyes showed no mirth. He shook his head looking thoughtful.

"That woman? She's my ma, you can't see the resemblance? I keep her safe in that little hole in the wall and keep her fed. She's not too happy about me bein' a pirate an all that. No more questions!" Axel couldn't keep the glint of mischievousness from his eyes, he very clearly wasn't telling the truth, there wasn't a scrap of familiar resemblance between the Captain and The Lady, besides maybe cold eyes and a hard gaze. It was frowned upon to let others know about her, too many first mates had tried to bribe the woman who ran the island to dispose of their captains for them. She never did, loyalty was an important tool in her arsenal, and the hard woman made sure everything stayed in order.

So, picking up whistling again the Captain walked off, trusting that Aria would make her way back to the ship without him. Glancing at the sky he had about half an hour to kill. Walking through the pop-up markets was an amusing past-time, picking up the odd bauble or two to place in his already cluttered cabin. When the time finally came, Axel strolled back down to the docks, looking over his ship with a critical eye. The repairs were done well and efficiently and the new paint made the ship look sharper than it actually was. Silver-Tongue grinned, he knew being generous with his tithe was a good idea, The Lady was apparently very pleased, judging from the sleek accents of gold paint shining on the vessel. It screamed opulence, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was finally growing on the cold woman? He tossed aside the idea, she'd probably try to up his next tithe by 25% for this 'favor', best to stop at different ports for while.

Throwing out his arms, he addressed the crew still milling around on the wooden dock.

"Sorry we're not stayin' longer lads and lasses. We've got a job to do! I want everybody on board within the next ten minutes or yer gettin' left behind! We clear?" Axel had a loud voice, which carried clearly in the briny air, he got many nods, a few 'aye's', and Jared, who bless his probably worm ridden heart, just looked confused. He'd never figured out time… Or much else for that matter. The Captain mostly kept him around to win a bet with another one of his crew members. Clapping his hands, the crew lurched into motion and he smiled at Kavo and Aria, they seemed to be getting along.

Resting his arms on the railing of the deck, Silver-Tongue watched his men work, both pleased and taking mental notes. He liked to check in with most of the crew personally. They had plenty of time on the open ocean.

(Sorry I've been pretty silent! I'm recovering from the tail end of getting Covid and have mostly been asleep the past few days haha. T^T )

Kavo smiled at Aria. "No requests, I'll eat just about anything, other than crab. Kinda tastes weird if I think about it too much." He winked at her. "I'm sure you'll do just fine with what you've got here, the Captain seemed happy with your cooking."
Speak of the devil, Kavo turned as Silver-tongue called the all-aboard. Kavo scuttled over to the man as the crew scattered to do last minute jobs.
"Captain, looks like I'm ready for that handshake, if you haven't second guessed having me here." Kavo gave him a genuine smile, a bit different from his calculated polite smile, and held out a hand. "Let's talk destinations."

Silver-Tongue straightened up, sticking his hand out immediately, it hadn't even crossed his mind that he hadn't already offered the crab-man one. The Captain had the weathered hands of a sailor, with a few scales gathered in a diamond formation in the palm of his hand. Most people, when touching a snake for the first time were surprised by the texture of scales. They weren't cold, but rather soft and warm, feeling vaguely like scarred skin. Axel had a firm grip, and he grinned at Kavo soon after.

"Destinations? The ocean, obviously!" He chuckled lightly, looking at the crew finishing up. He did have a destination in mind, it was just that the Captain preferred to have maps to point to.. And a compass on the table. A small gleam grew in his eye, excited and devious. Silver-Tongue very obviously had a plan that he was working on, one that he liked, it could be something small, like overhearing merchants planning a shipment, or something obviously insane. Time would tell what was on the Captains mind.

Aria smiled, then picked up a crate and carried it to the kitchen. It was common for her to make stew, but it was the simplest and most versatile meal she knew of. Picking out produce (that she'd actually bought, miraculously), she started to boil water in a pot and washed vegetables, preparing broth that she'd made earlier in the day. Extracting her knife, she quickly chopped carrots, tomatoes, and whatever else had been in the crate. She never knew how to read very well, so whatever she saw on the stand that she'd at least vaguely recognized Aria had taken.
The scars on Aria's fingers reflected the number of times she'd accidentally cut herself with a kitchen knife, though it never made her more careful with knives. She was proud of herself, though, since it had been a good while since the last time it happened.

Kavo returned the grip, no limp fish handshakes here. His hand was rough, but not hard like his chitin. It was calloused, but otherwise normal skin. He noted the scales and wasn't surprised, but only because he'd handled actual snakes before.
He liked the Captain, but he also knew they might butt heads a couple times as he learned Silver-tongues style. He didn't want to create problems, but the first few days were always… interesting.
"Can I at least know a cardinal and you can give me the details later, sir?" Kavo offered. He extended his smaller pincer and turned the 'wrist' upwards. There was a small compass set into the chitin. "I can be prepping our heading with the rest of the crew."
He also needed to familiarize himself with the Deceit's helm. Every ship was a little different, every rudder had a different pull, every wheel had a different resistance, and he'd need to be steady in order to do his job correctly.

The Captain made a humming noise, though it retained a hissing quality whether he liked it or not, it was a hard habit to break. Removing his hand from the Karcaon's grip, running it through his own hair. The curly mess had come undone from it's previous bun and hung around his face in waves. Kavo was formal, very polite, and clearly wanted to do a good job. Silver-Tongue always could appreciate a good worker, but he'd see how the man did after a few days actually aboard. The Captain ran an odd ship, but it worked for him and the crew eventually got used to it, or found employment elsewhere.

"North East, start us out slow, no faster than five knots, the waters around here are tricky. If I see the scamp around, I'll send Isla yer way. She's our sailing master, I expect you an 'er to be seein' a lot of each other. Or save me the trouble and find 'er yerself if you see 'em. Young blonde thing." The Captain's eyes drifted away from the conversation, he seemed to be.. Listening to something? There was lots of noise aboard the deck. Men moving, the sound of ropes and exertion, the bells from the little town still giving life to the wind..

Axel shook his head, not letting his expression change. "But Kavo? End of the week I expect a report from you. Questions, concerns, hell, if you have any complaints this is yer one chance to make them with my… Full, undivided attention." Again, the Captain had an unnerving grin, he was purposely being vague, not letting the crab-man fully catch on if this was a test or not. Maybe he genuinely wanted his opinion, maybe he just wanted another test of character, the Captain himself didn't really know, it was part of what made him so unpredictable.

The tall man clapped the Karcaon hard on the shoulder, though it didn't have any force. Even if he'd pushed with all of his strength the Captain doubted he could even make Kavo shift his weight. He left, still looking wistfully off at the sea, the expression of confused listening more apparent now that it had his full attention. Still, the violet eyed pirate had work to do, and that work started below deck. He gave a nod to one of the men, who let the body of the old helmsman drop into the ocean, he was stuffed into a barrel, the corpse long since beginning to rot. To any observer it just looked like they were throwing off dead-weight, making room for all of the cargo brought aboard. The sailor made a religious sign with his hands, visibly shuddering. The men hadn't liked that they kept the old helmsman around post-mortem, thought it was bad luck. It would probably make them give Kavo a warmer welcome than some of the other new crew, maybe they'd even see him as a good omen. Silver-Tongue chuckled, scratching at the side of his jaw, it wouldn't help the poor soul with the hazing that much though.

Going below deck, he trusted his men to make the rest of the preparations alone. He tasted the air, pulling a face. It was another benefit of not having completely human blood, the more serpent elements came in useful. For example, he had an excellent sense of.. Smell. After a sort. He could tell what Aria was cooking, mildly annoyed with stew again, but the broth had already been started this morning, so he couldn't complain. The fresh ingredients would be a welcome addition. The Captain could also still taste the blood in the air from a brawl between two of the deckhands last week, he ran his tongue across his lips, trying to clear the taste.

His cabin was the most spacious of the ones on the ship, but easily one of the more full. His room clashed a bit between two styles, it had sleek, wooden furniture of clearly expensive wood. A real bed, with plush pillows and blankets, he had bookshelf's lining the walls, filled with trinkets and books. A desk, littered with papers held down by glass paper weights. It was very elegant, very expensive, and an extreme point of power. The room reflected his wealth, which could be taken as both arrogance or an encouraging sign. His men were paid well, of that the Captain took a sense of pride. In his mind's eye, they were just as much his possessions as any of the trophies in this room. As such, they were a reflection of him, his men received insurance fee's if injured, though that was an industry standard, but the better off they were, the better Silver-Tongue felt about his own reputation. A dubious sort of symbiosis. Perhaps it was the serpentine part of him, or the naturally greedy man, but the Captain loved to have things. People, money, power, little trinkets, or trophies, they filled him with an immense satisfaction. Though was often the case, it was never enough.

Sitting down at the desk, the pirate kicked off his tall boots, Pouring over the papers before him, maps, filled with personal notes and such. Part of this would have gone to the job a first-mate, but Silver-Tongue was a very paranoid man. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Keep your cards close to your chest. Even his desk, had more secret compartments than he had fingers to count on. It was time to get to work.

A shriek rang out into the open air, a knife falling. Aria swore viciously, and- well, like a sailor (would "like a pirate" be more fitting?) Despite her knifing skills, which she'd prided herself in, Aria still managed to injure herself with the blade. Gripping her palm, luckily her left hand, she scrambled to find something to stop the bleeding. Quickly wrapping a cloth around the wound, she picked up the knife and washed it, biting the inside of her mouth. She reminded herself of her captain's snake-like nature and ability to pick up the metallic scent of blood, deciding to pretend it hadn't happened. She rinsed the cut and wrapped it with gauze, likely to leave yet another scar.
After fifty minutes, the time doubling at the fault of the discomfort, Aria had deemed the pots ready. Carrying them out, and deciding that it could be more of a buffet-style meal today, saving herself the strain.

(not gonna lie, current pet peeve is how much I'm gong to have to type the words 'poop deck' for the job I've given Kavo XD )
(Also, hope this is ok. Can edit if not, it's got a lot of scene setting)

The hissing-humming from the Captain was a noise Kavo wasn't ready for. He tuned it out as the man began giving orders. He noted direction and speed, and stored the sailing master's name away in his head. Isla. Got it.
The Captain seemed distracted, although what by, Kavo couldn't tell. But the man challenged him to have a report ready, and Kavo could already think of stuff to put on it. We need to restack the cargo, for one, the ship has a definite tilt which I'll have to compensate for.
Silver-tongue slapped his shoulder. Not his shell, his shoulder. Kavo kept his posture only by planting his 6 feet. Truth be told, he didn't particularly like being touched inside the shell, but. Captain was the Captain, he could Captain however Captain liked.
Kavo heard a splash and turned to see a sailor crossing himself by the rail. … Interesting. He hoped that wasn't his predecessor, but even if it was, he was here now.
The Deceit was of an interesting design, differing from most ships Kavo had been on. Rather than a main deck, with the Captain's cabin under the poop deck, and a forecastle deck, the Deceit had a gun deck and a quarter deck below the poop deck. The prow of the ship had a raised deck over the forecastle, where many of the regular sailors slept. Any of the new hires, or the ones the Captain had clearly been eyeing as cannon fodder, would bunk in there. The forecastle deck had a small bow gun, really more of a big crossbow, that pointed out across the bowsprit. A ladder down from that deck lead to the gun deck, or the main deck of the Deceit. It was where the masts sprouted from, and where several of the smaller cannons were mounted, where they could be shifted with the most maneuverability. The hatch to head below deck was midship, and the gun deck lead to the galley.

Usually, a captain had his cabin on the main deck, but the Deceit had used that space for the galley and dining space. It also served as the meeting place for the whole crew, as well as a makeshift surgery when the infirmary below decks overflowed. Above the galley was the quarter deck, from where a man could see over the bowsprit and out to sea easily, and still be shielded. It was a prime spot for a captain to stand and give orders when he needed to. It also served as a loading area, with an hatch down into the galley.
And from the quarter deck, the next level up was the poop deck. It was the far rear of the ship, as far aft as you could go, and it looked down over the quarter deck. This was where the helm was located, the great pegged wheel that controlled the rudder. This was Kavo's perch, and as he clambered up to it, he could see out over the quarter deck, the lower gun deck, the forecastle deck, past the bowsprit, and off to the horizon.

He loved this spot.

He gave the helm a spin, and was not surprised to find that the wheel was tight. The rudder leverage was cranked up way high, and Kavo had to wonder if the Captain had really trusted his last man. I'll need to lower that, I'll have to crank on this wheel to make quick changes. The Deceit was unique in another way. It had taken elements of sky-ships, the great flying ships that crisscrossed the land just as the sailing ships did the ocean. It had a set of levers along side of the helm, long brass levers with whale-bone handles, that would allow Kavo to make quick adjustments to the speed and angle of the ship. On a less sophisticated vessel, all of that would have had to have been done with the sails, a stiff wind, and short of that, a strong prayer. But the Deceit of Fortune was a marvel, a beautiful, innovative ship, and she was prepared for much more than that.

Kavo considered himself lucky to have landed such a job.

He ran his hands over the levers, setting the speed limits that SIlver-tongue had ordered, before orienting the wheel the right way to get going in the right direction. He checked the progress on the sails, watching the sailors do their jobs, and found himself excited, for the first time since Ravu had died.
He was ready for this.

The Captain paused in his reading, he'd been looking over the papers, but had gotten intensely, achingly, unforgivably bored. So he'd picked up one of the books from wherever it was nestled in the dragons hoard he called a room. He placed it face down on the desk, not too bothered with proper book etiquette or that he was probably breaking the spine of the paperback. This particular indignity to his books he'd picked up because one of his old cartographers was a massive nerd. It drove the man absolutely insane, so obviously the Captain did it even more.

Silver-Tongue could smell that dinner was ready long before the bell was rung, alerting the crew that if you weren't on pressing active duty or had someone who could cover for you. It was time to eat. The tall man stood languidly from his desk, stretching his arms above his head. Taking his time, he even poured himself a drink, he had a small liquor cabinet tucked away in the corner, with several glasses laid out. He'd just finished writing a letter to the old helmsman's family. The older man had a wife and two grown children, who he often talked about at length before he died. After he died, he didn't talk about them nearly as much.

The Captain didn't have to write letters, but sometimes he felt like it, especially for a man who spoke about home so much. The man had even opted into some form of life insurance, his share of the loot that he didn't get to spend being sent to his wife, so the Captain felt obliged. Leaving out some of the more.. Gruesome details, it was really just a short letter. Explaining the man was dead, how he died, and that they were receiving compensation. Feeling especially generous, the Captain even threw in a condolence.

Non-pressing business done, he placed the letter in a little stack with other mail he needed to post next time they got to a port with working postal. Or next time they accidentally ran down a ship carrying letters rather than actual cargo. Though.. That ship hadn't been a complete waste of time and energy. Axel smiled, scratching his stubble again, he didn't like having a beard, but didn't like being completely clean-shaven either. So he settled for the most uncomfortable middle ground.

Finishing his drink, he put the cup back on its rack, enjoying the clink the glass made against other materials. It was the little things. Getting food seemed like a good idea now, so he left his cabin, watching his men jostle each other out of the way to get a bowl first. Rather than cutting the line, the Captain waited patiently behind some of his men. It earned him a few confused looks, and more than a few wary ones, deckhands wondering if this was a test, or the Captain just decided he had a patient bone in his body today.

He gave them no answer, the line he was in moved quicker than the others, the now slightly nervous pirates getting their food faster than their peers. The tall man looked amused, but ladled himself a bowl just like the rest. If the Captain really wanted to freak the men out, he'd take the bowl to dining commons and eat among them. Changing his mind at the last minute, he instead went to eat in his own cabin, like he usually did. He grinned at Aria as he passed her, nodding his thanks.

On occasion he joined the crew after dinner, a few of them could play instruments and cards were never in short supply. Gambling with real money wasn't allowed, it caused fights and those gave the Captain headaches, but the men could instead use their rations of alcohol instead. Each man did have a maximum number of rations they could own though, and to ensure no one got the bright idea of hoarding their chits and using them all at once, they had a certain window of use. It was a use them now rather than later system, or give it away to someone who would use it. It gave the ship a thriving mini-economy, and made the men easier to regulate on times of short rations, you'd just slowly wean them of their allotment. No one was happy when that happened of course, but it made things infinitely more manageable.

Back in the comfort and privacy of his own room, the Captain began to eat, pleasantly surprised with the stew. It really was good, he'd have to- Silver-Tongue chuckled, shaking his head, poor girl had cut herself making it again. It was really just the faintest waft, from the food, but he could still pick up on it. The Captain wouldn't mention it, but now that he noticed it the tang was hard to ignore. So he just dumped some brandy in it, which masked it reasonably well. He wondered idly if the girl would take offense to him altering the food, but couldn't muster up the effort to care.

At the sound of the bell, footsteps accumulated in the salty air, and Inez backed up as the men ran. She walked away and decided to return to the room she'd been staying in, adjacent to the kitchen for convenience. There were three beds other than hers, unoccupied by anyone as of recent. She opened a window, and almost told herself to savor the feeling since she might have roommates at one point- but didn't see the point in asking them anyway. The Deceit Rocked gently, and Inez thanked herself for restraining the urge to attempt the liquor. It didn't take much to get her drunk, which she'd experienced one too many times- once. However, her drunken state was what landed her on the ship- not that she didn't want to be there, but having known that in any other case, any other setting, she would have tripped off the dock.

Inez watched the sky grow slightly darker, then grew bored. It was a miracle that the overcast sky had kept her attention for longer than two minutes. Dinner was over by now, for sure, so it was likely safe to say the deck would be a bit less chaotic. She aimed to change that, as a grin spread across her face.

Kavo was busy checking his heading against the compass in his arm and a couple other instruments, when the bell rang. He watched as the crew cleared the decks, headed for the galley. The food, whatever it was, smelled good, and he prepped to go get some.
Leaving the helm was always a risky business, especially if you were the only one who knew what you were doing. But Kavo had come up with a solution years ago. He locked the levers in place, set so the ship was on an even keel, and then pulled a small circle of metal out of his vest. He flattened the steel in his pincer, pulling it out into a long piece. He curled one end around the bottom peg of the wheel, before wrapping the other end around the stand. The wheel wouldn't spin, or move at all, really, until he undid the metal, or something broke the wooden peg. But by the time the wind or the waves were pulling hard enough to break pegs, he'd had noticed and come back. It had worked many times before, and it allowed Kavo to run errands and do other things, as long as they were headed in a straight direction for a while.

He noted the Captain come out from his cabin below deck. The man looked like som primordial beast, emerging from its lair, and Kavo was impressed again with how much the man seemed at home here, as if he knew this was his domain, and nothing here could challenge him.
Kavo was climbing down the narrow steps from the poop deck, which were clearly not built for someone of his proportions, when the Captain made his way back down to his cabin, a slight smirk on his face.

The Karcaon wound up just jumping, trying very carefully not to leave deep scar marks in the decking. His chitin feet were very hard and very pointy, and he knew the wood around the helm would need to be replaced soon, but he hoped not to damage much else.
The thud of his body hitting the deck startled several sailors, who were walking out of the galley.
In fact, the galley seemed mostly empty, as he stepped down the few steps into it. He'd waited long enough for the room to clear out, and the crew to go back about their business.
The galley was a big room, with several long tables running the length of it, benches on both sides of each table. There was a bar with some stools against the far wall, and behind that, a kitchen where he could see the remains of Inez cooking supper. The girl was a whirlwind of energy at all times, and the mess she left behind was evidence of that.
In the kitchen, there was a ladder, up to a set of rooms over the galley. Kavo figured Inez probably stayed up there. He grabbed 2 large bowls, and ladeled out what looked like a delicious stew. It smelled really good, and he smiled to himself. The energetic cook really did have talent.
"My compliments to the chef!" he called up the ladder, before turning and going to sit at one of the benches. He grabbed a clean-looking fork (one could always hope), and began eating, fishing for the solid chunks in the stew, before tipping the bowls back and drinking down the tasty broth.
He set the bowls back by the stack of used dishes on the bar, and made his way back up to the helm. The climb from the main deck, where the galley was, to the quarter deck, to the poop deck, was a bit of a hassle, same as getting down. He'd need to get some rigging set up, or reinforce the wall boards so he could ust stick his feet into the wood and cimb that way. It wouldn't look gorgeous, but he could do it tastefully.
Things to add to that report for the Captain.
The helm hadn't moved, and Kavo released the metal binding with a small smile. There was a bit of trepidation every time he used that method, but it had never failed.
The overcast sky was a bit worrying, but it didn't look like storm clouds, just thick ones. He was beginning to wonder where they were heading, but knew that someone like Silver-tongue would consider patience a virtue.
So Kavo held their course.

( Also- @Davadio Thats like- Ten times better than what I can draw (Just trust me on that one-) It's very helpful! Thank you :D )

(You're very kind. You too, lemonwitch.)
(Ask me to write stuff? Great. Do music? Great. Act in a play or musical? Great. But draw? Nah, man, I'm good. That's an art I don't do XD XD )