Pirates of the Sorcerean II

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Jasperre le Beau? The name scratched at the back of Zillah's mind without bringing up a reason why it should be so familiar, why she should be so convinced that it was important. No matter, for now, it will come to me later. But even if she couldn't place the name, the accent he shared with the man in the long overcoat was unmistakable. She changed the tune she was playing so it took on the flair of their homeland, adding the syncopation and flourishes common to the folk music. When the song was done she laid aside her fiddle and took up her flute, playing a lively dance that the two men would be sure to know. After a few bars she changed the melody slightly, turning it into a bawdy tune that made even the most drunken sailor in the place sing.

This is my chance to get out of here and back on the trail. Every ship needs a good musician, right?

 

Pierre took a glance at Zillah, silently nodding to himself at the music.
Glancing at the time, he walked slowly to Zillah and sat down without a word next to her.
"May I have a word with you?" he said quietly.

 

Seeing that the crowd of sailors would carry her song on their own - it was one that lent itself to "creativity" in adding new verses - Zillah set down her flute and looked up at Pierre, feigning surprise. "Aye, Sir, but wha' could ye wan' wi' the likes o' me?"

 

Pierre drummed his fingers on the table in beat with the tune, and studied Zillah up and down.
"Quite handy with that flute, arn't you? Where'd you learn those skills?"

 

"Dunno, Sir, I jus' always had an ear for a tune," Zillah shrugged. "I travelled a lot wi' me Da before he passed, and whenever I heard a song it jus' kinda stuck in me head. Da liked t' hear me play - said it helped pass th' time quicker."

 

Pierre studied Zillah up and down for the last time, paying full attention to every part his eyes scanned.
"How would you like to perform on my ship..." he spoke the next word very quietly, allowing them both to just barely hear it. "...miss?"

 

Zillah's eyes widened slightly - her disguise was good enough to fool the drunken patrons of the Mermaid's Rest, but apparently this man was not among them. She dropped her phony accent as well.

"Aye, Sir, I'm looking for passage out of here. I can earn my keep on a ship, but I'd prefer it be as a musician and crew member than as a cabin-warmer."

 

Pierre nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips as he remembered his first journey on the high seas.
After a while in thought, he nodded and stood up. "Follow me." He said, and left some money on the table as he left the inn slowly.

The night was arriving outside, the sea air fresh, albeit mixed that that unique aroma of docks. Pierre took a deep breath and looked up into the moon.

Now, we'll see if she's brave enough...

 

Zillah quickly slipped her instruments into a hard leather case, collected the coins that jingled in the cap she'd left on the table, and followed Pierre out into the street. What test do I have to pass next? she wondered, checking discreetly to make sure her sling was ready to hand.

 

Pierre led Zillah down the docks, and finally they approached a med-large ship, that appeared to be rather finely built. The words "Black Wind" was written in gold letters on the ship.

"Well, missy, this is it." Pierre said. "I don't have a ship right now, so I'm going to get one. You can stay back, or you can come with me. Make up your own choice."

And what that, he started to climb the rope ladder, silently hoping she would follow because he dearly needed a musician. Why oh why does he have to be so dramatic?

 

Zillah slipped the straps of her instrument case over her shoulders, thankful for the extra strap around her waist that held it secure against her back. A new fiddle would be hard to come by. Knives rubbed gently between her calves and boots as she followed Pierre up the rope ladder, matching his silence, but she desperately hoped she wouldn't need them. There was too much risk to her hands in close-quarters fighting, and a musician with broken fingers...

 

Pierre was rather glad to be almost thrown off, because this means Zillah is also climbing the ladder. He reached the deck of the ship and looked around. Nobody in sight, but sound was coming from the crew's quarters downstairs.
Pierre waited for Zillah to climb up, and handed her a short sword and a pistol.

"Don't use the gun unless you have to, it makes quite a bit of noise." Pierre said, drawing an odd combination of a pistol and a sword from his belt. "We're vastly outnumbered. There's seven of them: the captain, a black guy, a redhead guy, two brown headed guy, a guy with a beard, and the First Mate. Be careful."

(ooc: Anyone wanting to join can take one of those characters apart from the captain and we'll work you into the story alive, somehow. Although you have to be rather quick.)

[ July 06, 2004, 10:10: Message edited by: Deathmage ]

 

Charley looked out over the rails, seeing the dark shape of the Pirate Breaker drydocked on the other side of the port. He scratched his beard, turned around, and there saw a man dressed as a captain standing there, who he didn't recognise.
"Ah - sir. What brings ye here?"

 

"Oh, hello there!" Pierre said, putting the sword away again quietly before Charley noticed. "Just taking a look at the -" and at this point he yelled "FLAMINGOES!"
And then Pierre punched Charley in the face and kicked him in the stomach again for good measure.

 

The punch to the face made Charley off ballance, the kick sent him over the side of the ship. The splash he made upon impact with the water was quite audible...

 

Zillah crouched low against the rail, rtying to find something to hide behind while keeping the hatch that led to the crew's quarters in sight. She thrust the pistol and sword into her belt before forgetting about them and reaching for her preferred weapon, an assortment of darts. The soft leather wrapping even held a narrow pipe for blown darts, and she breathed a silent thanks to the ghost of her father for teaching her that trick - even though he had paid for the lesson with his life.

 

Pierre snorted silently and swore under his breath at the noise. He turned back to Zillah.
"Got a name?"

 

The hatch flew open, and four of the crew ran out, stopping abruptly as they saw the seeming captain and ... uh, other person.
"Captain, sir. What was tha' splash?" asked the red haired one.

 

Pierre rolled his eyes and quickly came up with a logical conclusion. "That bearded fellow just fell into the sea!" he said in a hurried tone. "I was about to rescue him! You fellow better go take a look."

[ July 05, 2004, 17:26: Message edited by: Deathmage ]

 

The red headed man raced over to the rail and looked over, shouting "Charley!" at the greatly disturbed water below.
The other three looked at the captain strangly, no doubt thinking - 'who the hell is this guy, and why the hell is he on this ship?'