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Post by Kat on Feb 16, 2007 10:48:53 GMT -5
[shadow=purple,left,300]Thus...we start over again? ^^; I mean, the last one was long dead. Some of us may have even forgotten the plot XDDDD[/shadow]
The Grog Grab was no neat little pub.
Even its name could strike a chord within any pirate's heart, be it the good kind or the bad kind, and there were all kinds on Krawk Island. It was a tavern brimming with nearly every customer stereotype the owners could think of. There were poker players, eating and drinking contest veterans, even a stray hydrophobic landlubber or five.
Plus, they couldn't care less if you were of drinking age or not.
And then there was that wench sitting at a table at the far right of the tavern.
She was alone, and hadn't ordered anything yet except for a cocktail with a tiny purple umbrella stuck in it. The cocktail was half gone, but the girl seemed to have no intention of finishing it.
Her long black hair was tied up in a hurried ponytail with a strip of violet cloth that barely passed for a ribbon, and her big brown eyes glanced around at the tavern, taking in all the folks as she tapped a little pirate ditty on the surface of her table. She was dressed in a purple dress with a blue apron and purple boots, and large gold stars dangled from her ears, coupled with a pair of silver crescent moons.
"Aye, ye be wantin' 'noth' Dancin' Bluey, lass?"
The chubby, buxom waitress smoothed out her skirt and patted her bun of red hair flecked with lots of gray strands. She smiled, revealing a set of yellow teeth plus one glistening gold incisor.
"No," said the girl, shaking her head. "Listen...I'll just call if I want something, 'kay?"
As the waitress left, swaying towards a pack of tattooed, scarred pirates playing a not-so-friendly game of gin rummy, the wench leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh.
She was bored out of her mind.
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Post by Tam on Feb 16, 2007 14:01:53 GMT -5
((Us? Forget the plot? ^_^  ) The cracked mug of grog was gone in under two minutes. "Bottoms up," the blonde girl off to one side of the counter, whose name was Tamia, muttered. She then buried her head in her arms, half from the taste, half from the overpowering raincloud of misery that had been following her around for the last day and a half.
You are an embarrassment to both yourself and your family, said a voice in her head with utter disgust. The voice did not startle her, because she knew that it had been sent by the lanky black cat beneath her stool. She had grown used to the cat's normally alarming practice of communicating through thoughts over the past months, and quite frankly, in her present state she wouldn't have cared if a twelve-ton squid had barged into the tavern and begun to read her mind.
"It's the least I can do to return the favour," she replied out loud, as she had not yet found out how to send thoughts back. No one in the busy tavern paid any notice to her, and in fact, it took several tries before she could divert the Eyrie bartender's attention and order another round of revolting watered-down rum.
Normally, Tamia wasn't much of a drinker, but right now it seemed like the only proper thing to do. By all accounts, her life was over the moment her father had swaggered through the doorway last night and proceeded to stammer that he had just lost his house and his family in a single game of cards. As it was, there hadn't been much keeping her in that house since her mother's death, and this latest act of ignorance on behalf of her father had been the last straw.
When she finished her drink and could feel the grog beating at her temples like a drum, she glanced up to see the cat perched on the bar in front of her, glaring down condescendingly. Is this all you're going to do for the rest of your life? Sitting here, drinking this garbage?
"No," she groaned. She couldn't even if she wanted to. For one thing, the pouch of reals she had on her person wouldn't last very long at this rate, and for another, the grog was rapidly turning her stomach inside out. "What I'm going to do, and what you're going to help me do, is find the first ship off this island that comes our way."
You'll find nothing but half-rotten pirate vessels here, the cat said, flicking his ears distastefully.
Tamia smiled crookedly. She had already thought about this, and she didn't find the prospect nearly as terrifying as that of staying here. "If that's what it takes...." She stood unsteadily, decided that she was presently too incapacitated to do much searching at all, and left in the direction of the room she had rented upstairs. |
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Post by Ikkin on Feb 16, 2007 15:06:59 GMT -5
Ikkin looked over her shoulder nervously as she rounded a corner into an alley in one of the worst parts of Krawk Island. Meridell was far away by now, but it seemed that her attempt to run away from her past was not going to go as well as she'd hoped. She had no clue how she'd made it this far, really... finding a ship that would take her out of Meridell was a task in itself, and it had taken all her cunning to make it to Krawk Island, that sanctuary for all those who had run into conflict with the law, without being discovered.
It wasn't the authorities that Ikkin had to worry about now, though; there were none of those on Krawk Island. The denizens, however, weren't the nicest sort, and they apparently thought that the kitsune would be an easy target. If only she'd gotten more rest and was in better shape, it wouldn't be a problem, but after her long journey, Ikkin was in no condition to fight.
It soon became apparent, however, that she wouldn't have any other option, and she drew the broadsword that she had strapped to her back, the one she had used as a knight of Meridell. Her two pursuers came into sight, and she assumed a fighting stance. The pair, a Skeith and a Techo, just leered at her maliciously as they drew their own weapons.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, hoping to distract them so she could get away. There was an abandoned building she could slip into behind her, and she wondered if they would notice if she backed towards it slowly. Her two opponents just laughed.
"You'll see," the Skeith said. "But don't worry, we won't kill you. At least not just yet."
"I don't want to fight you..." she said, still keeping her sword ready to defend. This wasn't going to go well... The Techo responded by trying to knock her sword out of her hands with his dagger; she managed to block his slash. The Skeith, in a move of surprising intelligence and speed, used the lock her blade was in to snap her sword in half. Ikkin barely managed to avoid getting cut by the Techo's now free dagger and the blade of her own sword as it spun through the air. She backed off again, and leaped into the air, trying to use her magic to fly off. It seemed to work momentarily, but it failed after she got several feet from the ground. She barely managed to land properly, and the attempt had cost her some time.
In a last ditch effort, she blasted some air at the ground, spraying sand in her two opponents eyes, and ran as quickly as she could. Finally, when she thought she had made some distance from them, she looked at her surroundings. She was right in front of a pub named The Grog Grab. Hoping that the amount of people would act as a deterrent to future attacks, she went inside, and hoped that she wouldn't get kicked out for not buying anything.
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Post by Rider on Feb 16, 2007 15:41:17 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Once again left in the proverbial gutter.
The girl wiped the spilled rum from her face with the least grungy corner of a tattered red cape. From the top of the world to the bottom of the tavern brawls, and up and down and up and down. it came in waves. Like the ocean itself.
Rider loved the ocean.
She also loved drinking, pirating and gambling. Those seemed to be the problem, really.
A pink creature under the table scrabbled at the girl's leg.
"I know, Ventratta. No need to remind me."
The Meepit just stared. They needed money for a room, and they needed it soon. Otherwise, it was another night in the alleys, and the temperature was expected to drop.
The door opened and a sweaty, exhausted kitsune walked in, panting heavily. She seemed a little nervous.
More importantly, her pocket bulged.
Rider smiled to herself. Like taking candy from a baby. "Hey you! With the funny ears!" [/glow]
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Post by cyrillen on Feb 16, 2007 17:07:40 GMT -5
Most of her hair were still dripping, but the ends were starting to dry up and frizz. Nervously, Cyr clutched at the pink shoes with one hand, and swept hair off of her damp shoulder with another. "Ugh," she groaned. "I'm never playing RCP with the ninjas again. I haven't even known what that stands for for more than a month! They took everything!" Fuming inside and shockingly wet, she stormed inside the Grog Grab and banged her head on the bar. Not too hard. "On the other hand, it was lucky I had enough money left to buy the shoes after the game. I still wish I could take them on the ship!
"I mean, I would . . . but they'd get wet. Really wet, which is useless. And my money'll have gone down the gutter."
Her head rested on the polished wood and her eyes were closed tight. A moment later, the barman shouted next to her, and she looked up with a start. "Hey!" she protested.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2007 19:17:19 GMT -5
"Land, I hate land. Sky and sea is all for me." The voice was rough and uneasy, as if speaking english was not her best. The winged creature hesitated at the door, her green eyes narrow. It smelled like all sorts of drink and food. Might be a good place to find some fun.
Fenrix Silverstreak was in the mood for fun. The Bar fight and card game kind of fun. Finally she pushed open the door, assaulted by the overwhelming smell of drunken people and loud noises. She wrinkled her nose ever so slightly and re-adjusted the trench coat around her shoulders, best not let everyone see that she was half dragon...right?
She made her way to the bar and abruptly sat down. And motioned for the bartender. "Rum, rocks...now." Faking a yawn she glanced around, maybe she should join a table were they were playing poker. That sounded like fun. The black haired pirate was less than amused by the solid ground dwellers. She needed to find a ship and get back to the open water, were she'd be safe.
OoC//: ^^; Not much to say right now. Fenny will just sit back, drink her rum, pick a bar fight..0.o did I say pick a bar fight? I mean...
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Post by Kat on Feb 16, 2007 20:42:23 GMT -5
A couple of large thugs with anchors and skulls tattooed all over their muscled arms swooped down on the girl as she plunked her purple boots on the table. She pretended not to notice, but it was hard when they were tilting their heads to stare at her face.
"Hey, pretty lass, how'd ye like a sail on me barge o' awesomeness?" He had a very obvious lisp and was struggling to keep it down, but the girl was trying not to snicker as she continued playing the ignorant, deaf wench. The other guy put his arm around her, smiling and revealing crooked, yellowish teeth. His breath reeked heavily of whiskey.
"Move it," she muttered, when she realized they weren't going to leave her alone till she said yes.
"C'mon, ye knows ye wants to. We'll even gives ye the best lil' cabin we got. Ye look like ye needs a ship."
"I said no. Didn'tcha read my lips earlier?" The wench wriggled out from the thug's grip and stood up, only to find herself grabbed around the waist by his friend, the one who had spoken first and had a huge blue parrot's feather dangling from one of his ears.
She was losing her temper fast. The two men kept on pleading and cajoling her to join them, both of them now holding on to each of her arms. Sure, she was bored, but she wasn't desperate.
Suddenly, there was a flash of violet light, and the two morons were knocked off their feet, each one crashing into a table. Parrot-Feather was even more unfortunate to have landed in the middle of a furious drinking contest, and each one of the contenders was glaring at him with crazed, bloodshot eyes.
"Anyone else want some?" she growled, rolling up one of her sleeves and shaking a still-glowing fist. Quite a few pirates shrank back in their seats and went back to whatever they were doing, pretending that insane wench didn't exist.
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Post by Ikkin on Feb 16, 2007 21:28:23 GMT -5
Ikkin was resting against the door frame trying to catch her breath when she heard the girl with the red cape call out in her direction. "Hey, you with the funny ears."
Funny ears? she thought. I suppose there's worse names to be called. She walked over towards the table, having no where better to go. Perhaps this girl could become a friend... Ikkin really didn't want to be alone on this island for longer than she had to be. Her recent experience proved that was unsafe.
"What about my ears?" she asked the other girl as she sat down in a chair across from her. She smelled strongly of stale rum, and that was even less appealing to her kitsune senses than it would be to a human. But, Ikkin figured, that was better than what some of the other denizens of this island smelled of. "And just who are you?"
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Post by Rider on Feb 17, 2007 10:55:46 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]"Never seen ears like that before. Where are you from, lass? Can I buy you a drink?"
Ventratta, realizing that Ikkin didn't jingle when she walked, tugged frantically on Rider's pant leg, but the pirate was too wrapped up in her scheming to notice.[/glow]
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Post by Ikkin on Feb 17, 2007 13:08:34 GMT -5
"I used to be a knight in Meridell... had to run away, though..." Ikkin said, looking down at the table. "But that's not why I have the ears. I'm a kitsune. How about you, though? You look like you have an interesting story of your own, too." She smiled.
"A drink sounds good, but I don't want to impose... And your Meepit seems to be trying to tell you something," Ikkin said, noticing the little petpet tugging at Rider's leg, then looking back up at Rider.
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Post by Tam on Feb 17, 2007 13:10:46 GMT -5
Upon reaching her door, Tamia was irritated to find that the rusty, rum-stained key she had received refused to jimmy the lock. She muttered a low string of curses, steadily plodding back down the stairs with the black cat padding several steps behind her, as if he did not want to be seen with such a disaster.
As she passed the dingy kitchen behind the bar, the reek of grease, sweat, and obviously more rum assaulted her, making her feel worse than she already did. Groaning, she decided that she needed some fresh air, and so staggered off in the direction of the back entrance. Just inside the doorframe she found a dry mop leaning beside a pail of water, and after assuring herself that the water was clean and cold, she set to work splashing her face and arms, washing away some of her sickness. She didn't imagine that two tankards of that diluted alcohol had gotten her too drunk -- but then again, she didn't drink very often.
Feeling better? the cat asked scathingly.
"Why yes, Oran, I am, thank you."
Her head was definitely feeling a bit clearer now, and she stepped onto the doorstep overlooking a grungy alley. If she looked in either direction down the narrow passage, she could see a few unwholesome-looking individuals lurking in the shadows, some of whom were staring at her. They undoubtedly wanted to see if she was carrying much money in her belt pouch, or maybe they wanted something else from the young girl. The touch of smooth wood in her belt reassured her, and she told herself that if any of them wanted to have a go, a good knock with the blunt end of her slingshot, combined with Oran's claws, would be sufficient to deal with them.
A little wistful at the missed opportunity for slingshot experience, she slipped back inside and into the bar, only to find that things were a little more exciting than when she had left.
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Post by Rider on Feb 17, 2007 13:22:11 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]"Excuse me," Rider said, looking very ^_^;
She reached under the table and scooped the Meepit up. She turned so her body was blocking the Meepit from Ikkin's view and hissed, "I'm busy, can this wait?"
Ventratta waved his paws around, though Ikkin couldn't see.
"We don't know that for certain."
Another pause.
"I am not drunk."
And another.
"Whatever. Still might be worth our time."
She set Ventratta back on the floor rather roughly. Ventratta squeaked, insisting that his mistress was drunk. Rider shook her head, reaching into her pouch and fingering a white packet inside. Fallen though she was, she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
The root of the blue dragoncabbage, guaranteed to put any man into a deep slumber. Said by some to evoke demonic dreams.
"You'll hear my story in time. I'll go get the drinks, then." She rose and walked to the bar.
She spoke to the barmaid in low tones. "Two of your cheaper ales, and make it snappy."[/glow]
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Post by Ikkin on Feb 17, 2007 13:45:09 GMT -5
Ikkin looked at the Meepit suspiciously. She had no idea what the girl and the petpet had been talking about, but "Still might be worth our time" sounded a bit ominous. However, this girl had been kind enough to offer her a drink, and she needed to find someone who would be willing to take her in, so she stuck around anyway, despite her suspicions.
At least she was recovering her energy, she thought. She knew she still hadn't recovered enough to fly, yet - that would probably take a good night's sleep - but it was comforting to know that she still had some reserves to call on if something went wrong. Because in Krawk Island, it always felt like something was about to go wrong.
Ikkin looked towards the bar and saw Rider ordering her drinks. "Two of your cheaper ales, and make it snappy." She figured the other girl didn't realize she could hear her. It didn't matter, anyway; it wasn't as if she could expect someone she'd just met to buy her something expensive.
The barmaid went in the back to get the ales, and Ikkin turned her attention back to the Meepit, who was still sitting on the floor. "You're pretty smart for a Petpet, aren't you?" she asked, as much to herself as to the Meepit. "What were you two talking about?"
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Post by Rider on Feb 17, 2007 13:56:50 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Ventratta, still sulky about losing his argument with Rider, suddenly perked up. He traced the outline of a boat in the air, then made motions like he was counting coins.
Rider returned with the ales. "Have you two been bonding while I've been gone?"
She paused, looking at the ale in her right hand and the one in her left. Ikkin was sitting to her left, but the drugged ale was in her right hand. Sheepishly and praying that Ikkin wouldn't know the difference, Rider took a sip from the ale in her left hand and gave the right-hand-ale to Ikkin. Awkward. [/glow]
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Post by Ikkin on Feb 17, 2007 15:19:38 GMT -5
Ikkin looked at the miming Meepit strangely. She couldn't really figure out what he was trying to tell her, and wondered if he might be trying to do some kind of weird Meepit dance.
She turned to Rider when she came over. "I suppose you could call it that. I have no clue how you can understand him... uh, I just realized, I haven't gotten your name."
She took the proffered mug of ale, wondering why the other girl had switched the two mugs. Maybe the barmaid had spit in it. Ikkin hoped that wasn't the case. She sniffed it gingerly; she generally didn't drink, but at the moment, it didn't seem like that bad of an idea, so she took a sip.
Strange... I'm starting to feel... tired..." she thought. Sounds later, she fell face first onto the table, sleeping soundly.
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