forum The Curse of the Sea (Closed)

Started February 10, 2020 by @Moxie group

tune

Lio was sat at the bar, sipping lightly on his third drink. He had noticed Adela's appearance in the tavern as soon as she had walked through the doors and made a point to keep glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She seemed to be a captain, of sorts, so the first thought that crossed Lio's mind was that she may have had some valuables on her. Now, the bartender made a point of enforcing the no pickpocketing rule, but the two of them were close enough that Lio had earned himself a relieve from that rule. The bartender would simply turn a blind eye unless someone pointed it out to him.

After the ale was finished, Lio pushed his tankard towards the bartender and made his way over to the bathroom, which happened to be in the same direction as where Adela was sitting. His head was in the direction of where he was walking, but his eyes had drifted to scan the woman for valuables. Surely she had… Was that a real pearl on her earring? A pearl like that would be worth a lot of money, if traded with the right person. Now all Lio needed to figure out was how he was going to remove it from her ear…

He plopped down into the chair near her, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess we'll see. I heard you were looking for a crew." he replied, running his hands through his hair for a moment. "So. Can you help me, or am I just wasting my time?" he needed to get out of the city and on a crew, and right now she looked like his best bet. Most likely.

Well he certainly wasn't meek. Adela appreciated the man's boldness and regarded him. He looked strong, but so did almost every other man in the tavern. He was forward, but not outrageously disrespectful. The most important question was, would he be useful? She held her head up high. "I don't waste time. What's your name?"

"Andre Waylon." He replied. "And you're…Adela, correct?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her. "And if you don't waste time, you'll need to know what I can do. I can chart a course and keep us on it, I can run up the sails, tie a good knot, read and write, and a few other winning attributes. I'm also not one to get distracted by…women." he finished. And that was the truth. He was more likely to get distracted by a man.

"I see." As Andre spoke, Adela arched an eyebrow back at him. She didn't say anything for a moment. "And, may I ask, what is someone with so many winning attributes such as yours doing without a crew? Is this a recent development?" she asked.

He frowned slightly. "I…found myself on the wrong side of the law." He replied slowly, being careful with his words. He didn't know how she would react to news that he was a sodomite, and he had no wish to disclose that in a crowded place like this, where you didn't know who might be listening in.

He obviously didn't want to talk about it, and Adela could both respect and understand that. In fact, she was starting to get a hint of a suspicion of what this run in with the law was. "Let me put it this way. Is whatever happened going to interfere with our abilities to be on my crew?"

He looked at her carefully. "No." He replied simply. Even if he did end up liking someone on her crew…it didn't matter, because they wouldn't like him back. If they did…well. They could cross that bridge when they came to it.

Adela studied him. He seemed to be telling the truth. He was quite skilled, and he had come to her. And though she would die before she admitted it, Adela was desperate. Finally, she held her hand out for him to shake. "Alright. You're hired. Meet me at the northwestern docks at dawn. Don't be late or we leave without you. I trust you won't disappoint me."

Andre shook her hand. "Of course. You won't be disappointed." he replied, shooting her a quick smile. Then he stood, ordering another drink and taking a sip. Good. He could get out of here before the law or anyone else caught up with him.

Two down. God knows how many to go, Adela thought to herself. She looked around, wondering if she should move on to a new tavern. She checked the watch in her pocket. She still had time. It was late, but she still had time. Adela could feel the urgency. She needed to find a crew tonight, she could not afford any more time than that. She went up to the bar to order another drink, then sat back down. No. The bartender knew her here. This place had already given her two people. She would see what else it would bring her.