IC The Pirate Dream: Sliced Heart

[rs2excelsior]

Vigo steps forward, keeping an eye on the other merchant crew around him, places a foot on the downed man's chest, and lowers the point of his blade toward the face of his foe. The rapid attack seemed to have done the trick and kept the others from jumping him, long enough for the call to surrender. He smirks at his opponent and gives the fallen man a salute. "Show's over, ladies and gents. Drop your weapons and step away from them, if you please." Once Vigo is confident the enemy crew around him has stood down, he passes his sword to his off hand and helps the fallen crewman back to his feet. "You're going to want to get that looked at. Quickly, most likely." Vigo gently nudges the man toward his fellows, and returns to the other pirates.

Vigo chuckles at Eralia. "Perhaps I do play with my food a bit, but it got the job done, don't you think? Besides, there was far more bark than bite to this lot." Now that the fighting is over, Vigo is far more relaxed. He still has his weapon in hand just in case, but does not consider the possibility that some of them might not honor the surrender.

He glances over toward the Gale Seeker as Piscine slides down from the rigging and dives overboard. "...He meant to do that, I imagine?"

[Bansheexero]

Coated in arterial spray from the crew she slew, Eralia looks around at the crew with a look of slight disappointment. "I was hoping for more of a meal than that. Are we letting them go so soon? I can only hope letting the little fish swim away might lead bigger ones to us. This was less than satisfying."

Looking at the damage done to her vessel, Eralia looks around for suitable repair materials to prepare for the bosun while the captain and the others discuss "business."

Spoiler: OoC

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Assuming the battle is over, taking 20 on Perception and Profession (Sailor) checks (28 and 26, respectively) to confiscate whatever materials might be useful to repair the ship.

[CWater]

Piscine grabs a rope and slides down from the main mast. Unfortunately he nears the end of the rope too quickly and fails the last twenty feet into the water less than gloriously. In the water however, he's in his element, moving without effort in the currents. With no need to worry about air for breathing he can survey the surroundings in peace and quickly notices the unfortunate crewman floating some forty feet from him underwater, apparently unconscious.

On the deck Captain Ironskin has a lopsided grin on her face as she watches the other captain and his guards being led down from the quarterdeck. "Well then, Quartermaster", she says and turns to the man in question, "Looks like it's your time to get to work."

"Certainly, Cap'n!", Frin grins excitedly and rubs his hands together. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, have a go at it! Let's see what prices you can find!", he calls out to his fellow pirates. Next the elf locates Tybalt and goes to clap a hand on his shoulder, "Tybalt, my favourite rat", he leans closer to speak in low voice, "Go keep an eye on our friends as they plunder, let me know if someone... ah decides to skim the cream to themselves, will you? Good lad!" He pats the wererat's shoulder and turns around without waiting for an answer. "Vigo!", he calls across the deck, "Find me their quartermaster! And their papers if there is any! I'll be looting the captain's quarters!"

The sailor Vigo helped up looks surprised at this sudden display of civility, and certainly appreciates it more than murderous intent; he takes a few steps away from Eralia. The other members of the merchant ship's crew don't seem keen on fighting on either, obediently they toss away their weapons, some with a scowl, but no more. First Mate Abrayus starts organizing the round-up and making sure everyone are truly disarmed. Everyone still alive are gathered to a space in the middle of the main deck, where they can be best guarded, except for the captain and first mate, who are led to Ironskin.

The bosun looks over to Rafril, who is still on the Gall Seeker. "Is the ship ok?", Hesti asks shortly. Then the bosun nods to Eralia and points to the Gun Master who is running towards the huge gun, a gleeful expression on her face. "She needs help."

"It's bolted to the deck!", Waltya shouts after taking a glance at the cannon, "I need tools to get it loose!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Alrighty then! Fighting is done (for now) and it's time to take care of other business. This may include looting, guarding the prisoners, fixing the ship if it has taken damage or otherwise helping the other members of the crew (especially those in charge).

The "rules" for looting are:
1) Everything of significant value, i.e. platinum, gold, silver, jewels, magic items, etc. are to be handed to the quartermaster, Frin Skullkeeper, who will later give everyone their 'deserved share' of the spoils.
2) Anything else may generally be claimed by the finder.
3) Even something of value can be requested by the finder to be part of their eventual share. The practice is known as 'calling dibs'. However, it must first be given to quartermaster Frin for evaluation.

You need of course not necessarily follow these, as they are the rules of the ship, not the rules of this game. If the quartermaster finds out you've sneaked something for yourself though, he won't be happy and you'll be punished. However, he's unlikely to kill or permanently maim you for such a thing (otherwise the ship would soon be manned by a skeleton crew).

Some of you were also instructed what to do in the post above, and carrying out those orders will doubtlessly please your respective superiors. However, this is a pirate ship, not a military vessel, and only the Captain's word is absolute. Otherwise you can get away with doing pretty much anything as long as you're being useful.

[Thunder999]

Asvard rushes onto the other ship and begins looking for the hatch to their cargo hold, he didn't get to do much fighting (that gun really got his hopes up, but alas the Cap'n be too much for them) so he's really hoping to find something fun, a shipment of booze he can sample perhaps.

[hannahbbug3]

Piscine dives down towards the unconscious crewmate, grabbing their arm and tugging them back towards the surface.

Spoiler: Actions

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Using a "full round" to run, Piscine can clear 120 ft. in 6 seconds, so he should be able to take the crewman to the surface quickly, no problem!

Once treading water at the top, he gives the unconscious man a few whacks on his back to try and help clear his lungs, but he can only be so effective while keeping them both afloat. "Hey!" he calls up to the decks of the two ships. "Someone toss a rope down here to me!"

[rs2excelsior]

"On it!" Vigo calls over to the quartermaster. He gives the other pirates a little bow, and trots off toward the ship's stern. After a moment he realizes he actually has no idea where the merchant's quartermaster or his papers might be. Most ships have their officers' cabins in the stern... that was as good a place as any to start. He makes his way to the cabins, bypasses the two largest (as those probably belong to the Captain and First Mate), and begins searching for something that looks like the ship's records and manifests. If that doesn't work, perhaps he can ask some of the prisoners.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception check to search? (1d20+6)[21]

[aReallyGreatAxe]

Tybalt nods and hurries belowdecks to keep an eye on the rest of the crew. He trusted that the Quartermaster would give him a fair share. At least, Frin always had before. So there was no real need for him to join the plundering flurry. Still, this merchant crew looked fairly soft, perhaps a new set of pipes would catch his eye.

Spoiler: OoC

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Perception, to see if anyone's sneaking anything they shouldn't: (1d20+5)[25]

[Bansheexero]

Eralia goes below to the cargo hold, after seeing the ship needs no repairs. She calls dibs on any mithral found, having a personal fascination with the metal and seeing utility in it's lightness. Additionally, she steers clear of any musty clothing and looks for any cedar containers to mitigate her mottephobia.

Spoiler: OoC

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Perception check (1d20+6)[17]

[Rokku]

"You folks wouldn't happen to be carrying any princesses, would you," Bromden asks of the prisoners.

"I've always wanted to make off with a princess, that's proper pirating."

[CWater]

Asvard locates the hatch to the cargo hold, it is secured with ropes but other eager pirates come to help him remove them and lift the heavy hatch. Once they get it open and light spreads into the hold, they see that Eralia is already in there, carefully examining the containers. Darkness is not a problem for her, so she had just run below deck and looked for the path to the hold. The main cargo seems to consist of intricately decorated carpets and linen, which are neatly stacked in watertight boxes or wrapped into bundles. There's also quite a few barrels of wine, and a few smaller boxes of already bottled wine.

Eralia's attention is drawn to another smaller box, which is too heavy to contain fabrics. After prying it open she discovers that it holds about a dozen swords and daggers, as well as some bullets. The weapons' metal has an unusual shine, not mithral sadly, but she's pretty sure that at least half of them have a silver coating. About the rest she's not sure.

Tybalt sits on the edge of the hatch (it opened up a quite large hole to the deck when fully open) and watches how others dig through the goods. It's not the first time he's been on this 'duty' and he spots how a half-elf called Sticks slips something shiny into his pockets. Also one dwarf known as Opal, a lady despite beard, moves rather suspiciously as she's climbing back up, like she's concealing something under her jacket.

"You folks wouldn't happen to be carrying any princesses, would you," Bromden asks of the prisoners.

"I've always wanted to make off with a princess, that's proper pirating."

The sailors exchange a glance, unsure if this was a serious question or a jest. "Uh... no", one of them, a human man, replies. "No princesses. Not even a baroness. Just carpets. And wine."

Vigo heads to the stern to look for the officers' rooms. It's not too difficult to locate them, and on the way he sees Frin disappear into the captain's quarters. There are four other doors nearby that appear to lead to small bedrooms. Still, while cramped, to have your own personal space was a luxury on most ships. Two of the rooms are empty, containing only a thin bed, a chair and a heavy chest, and the other one also has a tiny writing desk with one drawer. A half full bottle next to a bed and clothes left haphazardly on the floor tell that the rooms are inhabited. The third room is similar, with a writing desk, and Vigo also spots a man poorly hidden under the bed. The fourth door is locked.

Piscine dives down towards the unconscious crewmate, grabbing their arm and tugging them back towards the surface.

Once treading water at the top, he gives the unconscious man a few whacks on his back to try and help clear his lungs, but he can only be so effective while keeping them both afloat. "Hey!" he calls up to the decks of the two ships. "Someone toss a rope down here to me!"

"Oi! Just a second!", someone shouts from above and a moment later a rope is tossed down. Then another right after. Looks like two crewmembers had the same idea. The man stays limp in Piscine's grasp, but at least it was easy to drag him around. Piscine recalls his name is Tresk or Trask or something like that.

Spoiler: OOC

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Those that are looting, you can make another Perception check while searching the hold.

Also feel free to make any other check you think relevant to what you're doing.

[hannahbbug3]

Piscine gets close enough to the ropes to grab one of them, using it to tie around Tresk's - if that's his name, but that's neither here nor there - wrists, secure enough to get him pulled up to the deck. Sure, his shoulders might hurt when he wakes up, but at least he'll be alive. That done, Piscine turns his attention to pulling himself up, while the other crewmembers haul up their unconscious mate.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Not sure what exactly is needed for tying ropes, but I assume Athletics to climb up?
Also, Piscine has a +2 trait bonus on "any check involving rope" which I will put into the rolls.

Here's a couple shots in the dark for the skill I'd need to make sure Tresk is secure:
Dexterity - (1d20+4)[10]
Sleight of Hand - (1d20+4)[15]
Profession Sailor - (1d20+13)[17]
Perception - (1d20+6)[25]

Pick and choose from those what you want, and if you want a different skill, feel free to roll for me if I'm slow to reply.

And now getting Piscine up.

Athletics - (1d20+7)[11]

[rs2excelsior]

Vigo smirks as he sees the man attempting to hide under the bed. He says nothing at first, moving into the room as if he hadn't noticed. Quietly, he drops a dagger into his hand from a wrist sheath and casually walks near the bed. He reaches down, grabs the man, and hauls him to his feet--not holding the point of the dagger toward him, but making sure it's well in view. "Well, well. What do we have here? I'm looking for the quartermaster of this ship. I don't suppose you might be him?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Strength check, if I need one: (1d20+1)[18]
Not sure whether this qualifies more as diplomacy or intimidate:
Diplomacy: (1d20+5)[6]
Intimidate: (1d20+2)[22]

[Rokku]

"Well that's a shame. I'll have to look for some other kind of treasure."

Bromden begins casually walking the deck, looking over the various weapons everyone has to see if anything catches his fancy.

Spoiler

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Perception (1d20+6)[16]

[CWater]

Piscine gets close enough to the ropes to grab one of them, using it to tie around Tresk's - if that's his name, but that's neither here nor there - wrists, secure enough to get him pulled up to the deck. Sure, his shoulders might hurt when he wakes up, but at least he'll be alive. That done, Piscine turns his attention to pulling himself up, while the other crewmembers haul up their unconscious mate.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Not sure what exactly is needed for tying ropes, but I assume Athletics to climb up?
Also, Piscine has a +2 trait bonus on "any check involving rope" which I will put into the rolls.

Here's a couple shots in the dark for the skill I'd need to make sure Tresk is secure:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Pick and choose from those what you want, and if you want a different skill, feel free to roll for me if I'm slow to reply.

And now getting Piscine up.

[roll4]

The other pirates start lifting Tresk up and Piscine climbs up using the other rope (there was use for it after all!). It's not the more graceful ascent, as the side of the ship is slippery and he slips a few times. Eventually he gets back up on the Gall Seeker's deck and sees that the others have gotten some life back into Tresk, though he's still crawling on all fours and coughing hard.

Most other pirates are already hauling boxes, crates and bundles out of the merchant ship's hold, looks like the looting is already well under way. Those that were wounded badly in the short fight have gathered together on the Seeker's main deck where the bosun is quickly examining them and making sure they clean their cuts with rum and bind them tight. "You're going to the witch", Piscine hears Hesti say to one pirate who has a gotten a nasty gash to his side, referring to the witch Hekla, who in addition to being the cook was the closest the ship had for a medic. The sailor in question grimaces at the thought.

Searching the hold, especially the area where the wine is stashed, Asvard finds a small crate that contains some smaller bottles of brandy, whiskey and absinthe. Judging by the label they're good quality, could even be worth some gold, or just nice for consumption.

Spoiler: OOC

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Talking of roughly +10 gp per bottle.

"Well that's a shame. I'll have to look for some other kind of treasure."

Bromden begins casually walking the deck, looking over the various weapons everyone has to see if anything catches his fancy.

Spoiler

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Perception [roll0]

Most of the merchant crew's weapons are simple things, clubs, staffs and daggers, with a few cutlasses in the mix. If anyone would care for a spare weapon they would certainly suffice, though most are otherwise not interesting, except for one dagger and a rapier. The dagger is made of darker metal than ordinary steel, and despite looking work it's still definitely sharp. The rapier is fine work with beautiful carvings on the handle and even a small green jewel embedded to the handle. This hardly would've belonged to any of the sailors, it might be the first mate's.

Vigo smirks as he sees the man attempting to hide under the bed. He says nothing at first, moving into the room as if he hadn't noticed. Quietly, he drops a dagger into his hand from a wrist sheath and casually walks near the bed. He reaches down, grabs the man, and hauls him to his feet--not holding the point of the dagger toward him, but making sure it's well in view. "Well, well. What do we have here? I'm looking for the quartermaster of this ship. I don't suppose you might be him?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Strength check, if I need one: [roll0]
Not sure whether this qualifies more as diplomacy or intimidate:
Diplomacy: [roll1]
Intimidate: [roll2]

"Ack! Please, sir, I'm merely a book-keeper", the man squeaks. He's short but has a nicely trimmed full beard and is wearing neat but practical clothing. He seems to be human, though there's something slightly dwarven about his features as well. "I- I handle some of the ship's procurement and supplies, yes. Please don't kill me."

[Rokku]

"Well hello my darlings," says Bromden, collecting the two blades. He tucks the dagger into his belt for now, and takes some time to admire the rapier, even making a few practice maneuvers with it.

[hannahbbug3]

Piscine kneels down by Tresk's side, baring his teeth a little bit when he realizes the majority of the looting has already been done, and the good stuff is likely already claimed. "Hey, sailor. I saved your life, you owe me," he says, something of a growl in his voice. Hopefully he'd still get a good cut of the treasure for his contribution to the fight. But if he didn't, well... he was sure this favor would be useful. He gives Tresk a firm 'thwack' on his back, causing the man to splutter up more water, before he stands and helps out by toting things around as needed, at least doing his best to look busy.

[Bansheexero]

Eralia palms one of the silver daggers and hides it on her person before the other looters arrive. She then closes the container and takes it with her, as she continues looking around for more loot.

Spoiler: OoC

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Sleight of Hand take 10 (13)
Perception check (1d20+8)[12]

[Thunder999]

Asvard hauls the crate of spirits out and back to the ship. "I'm calling dibs on that Whiskey" he shouts to the quartermaster.

[aReallyGreatAxe]

Tybalt sits on the edge of the hatch (it opened up a quite large hole to the deck when fully open) and watches how others dig through the goods. It's not the first time he's been on this 'duty' and he spots how a half-elf called Sticks slips something shiny into his pockets. Also one dwarf known as Opal, a lady despite beard, moves rather suspiciously as she's climbing back up, like she's concealing something under her jacket.

Tybalt takes note of Sticks' appropriation, but it was small and shiny- probably just money, Frin could sort that out easily with proper notification. Opal, on the other hand... if something was large enough to make her climb funny, then it was large enough to be a problem.

"Ever see a keelhauling?” He asks conversationally, breaking his usual silence.

"Tie the poor soul up, drag him beneath the ship. Water’s cold, mind, and any fellow’d be like to drown, bouncing around so far from the air. That’s bad enough. What really makes it worth watching is that the hull’s not smooth- the barnacles’re what really get ‘em.” He chuckles. “Sliced up six ways from Sunday. Best part is, they don’t always die." He pauses for effect.

"Wonder if Frin’s partial to keelhaulings?”

Probably too harsh a punishment for Frin, if you ask Tybalt. Which made it excellent to obliquely threaten a lady with. Even a bearded pirate lady.

Spoiler: OoC

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I... think rambling very incoherently about keelhaulings might merit an intimidate check? (1d20+12)[29]

[rs2excelsior]

"Good, good, that'll do," Vigo answers with a grin. "So, if I were looking for cargo manifests, bills of sale, ship registrations, that sort of thing, you think you could help me find those?" He still does not directly threaten the man with the knife, but absently gestures with that hand as he speaks and keeps a grip on his collar with the other. "You seem a reasonable fellow, I'm sure we don't need to resort to anything... unreasonable. Right?" He winced a bit internally. Was that too much? Too dramatic? He wasn't sure. This whole "stealing and intimidation" thing was still sort of new.

[Bansheexero]

While the rest of the crew is looting, Eralia ducks out with her container, taking some time to better stash her silver dagger better.

Spoiler: OoC

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Stealth (If necessary) take 10 (14) *I figure the others are distracted anyway.
Sleight of Hand to stash dagger take 20 (23)

[CWater]

"Good, good, that'll do," Vigo answers with a grin. "So, if I were looking for cargo manifests, bills of sale, ship registrations, that sort of thing, you think you could help me find those?" He still does not directly threaten the man with the knife, but absently gestures with that hand as he speaks and keeps a grip on his collar with the other. "You seem a reasonable fellow, I'm sure we don't need to resort to anything... unreasonable. Right?" He winced a bit internally. Was that too much? Too dramatic? He wasn't sure. This whole "stealing and intimidation" thing was still sort of new.

The man relaxes a bit once he realises Vigo isn't planning on gutting him on the spot. He swallows. "Right, yes yes, I keep those, yes. The papers are in the chest over there", he nods towards the sturdy chest. "I I have the key. The ship's papers, the Captain has those. In his quarters."

Asvard hauls the crate of spirits out and back to the ship. "I'm calling dibs on that Whiskey" he shouts to the quartermaster.

The quartermaster is not in sight at the moment, but Asvard makes a mental note to let him know once the elf shows up.

Spoiler: OOC

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Consider the dibs claimed. :)

Tybalt takes note of Sticks' appropriation, but it was small and shiny- probably just money, Frin could sort that out easily with proper notification. Opal, on the other hand... if something was large enough to make her climb funny, then it was large enough to be a problem.

"Ever see a keelhauling?” He asks conversationally, breaking his usual silence.

"Tie the poor soul up, drag him beneath the ship. Water’s cold, mind, and any fellow’d be like to drown, bouncing around so far from the air. That’s bad enough. What really makes it worth watching is that the hull’s not smooth- the barnacles’re what really get ‘em.” He chuckles. “Sliced up six ways from Sunday. Best part is, they don’t always die." He pauses for effect.

"Wonder if Frin’s partial to keelhaulings?”

Probably too harsh a punishment for Frin, if you ask Tybalt. Which made it excellent to obliquely threaten a lady with. Even a bearded pirate lady.

Spoiler: OoC

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I... think rambling very incoherently about keelhaulings might merit an intimidate check? [roll0]

Opal visibly pales. "Oh eh... Never seen one of 'em meself, no. Bloody business I hear. Heh. Hey, you wanna see what I found in the hold?" She reaches inside her tunic and takes our a small crate. "Held it close so it won't break." She opens the lid and shows Tybalt a fine collection of silver utensils, each beautifully decorated with ocean theme.

Spoiler: Tybalt

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Also, you notice Eralia slip a silver dagger to her belt.

The merchant ship's cargo is in good process of being hauled up from the hold and moved over to the Gall Seeker, where the deck soon becomes a messy maze of boxes and packages. First Mate Abrayus strives to keep some sort of order, so that it will still be possible to move around and everything of significance is ready for the quartermaster's inspection.

At this time Gun Master Waltya has managed to get the large cannon loose from its fastenings and is ordering a group of pirates to push it over to the Seeker. Abrayus shakes his head at the sight. "Are you -ing kidding me? Where is she planning on putting that thing? Truly, Clamshell has no sense of practicality whatsoever."

The two captains and the first mate of the merchant ship are observing the proceedings from the side. The first mate looks sullen, and the merchant captain's mouth is a thin line. He speaks very little, yet Captain Ironskin doesn't look amused by what he's saying. She throws him a grimace which promises murder.

[rs2excelsior]

"Well, let's have that key then, shall we?" He leads the man over to the chest and motions for him to open the chest. He keeps an eye on the bookkeeper, in case he tries to bolt for the door, not that he expects him to try anything--or that he has anywhere to go. Once the chest is open, he takes everything inside it. The quartermaster can sort out what's important. "Right then. Ship's papers are in the captain's quarters? Come on, I've got someone who'd very much like to know exactly where."

Vigo follows the man out of the room and to the captain's quarters. "I've got some of what we're looking for," he tells the Quartermaster. "This fellow says the ship's papers are in here."

Spoiler: OOC

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Posting assuming that he goes along willingly with what I ask--I'll edit if that's not the case.

[Bansheexero]

Eralia makes her way back to the ship with her container of weapons. Being rather heavy for her small frame, she seeks assistance from one of her fellow crewmen.

Spoiler: OoC

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Diplomacy roll (1d20+8)[23]
Intimidate roll to ensure he does not take anything (1d20+7)[15]
Perception check to see if anything is stolen (1d20+8)[10]

[Rokku]

Brom springs back over to the Gall Seeker, and presents his findings to the quartermaster.

"I know you appreciate knives, Frin. I thought you'd like this little number. I'd like to lay claim to the rapier myself, if you'd be so kind."

[hannahbbug3]

Piscine, eager to look busy, pretty much volunteers to help Eralia when she asks so nicely. He's not super strong, himself, but at least it's something to do... and gives him an excuse to retreat belowdecks for a little while. As happy as he was to be useful... he always grew bored of work quite quickly.

"Quick fight over there," he comments to the water-elf, speaking in their shared Aquan tongue. "I had a good view. You're devastating with that blade of yours."

[Bansheexero]

Eralia smiles, revealing a row of sharklike teeth, responding in Aquan. "Thanks, but still not used to moving on the surface, everything seems so much heavier and the warmth is unbearable at times."

Spoiler: OoC Comment

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I always imagined Aquan sounding like dolphin squeals and clicks.

[hannahbbug3]

Spoiler: OOC

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I accept this canon.

Piscine can't help but smile as Eralia responds. The woman had always seemed standoffish to him - though he supposed he was no better. Still, companions were good to have, and of all the people on this ship, Piscine figured Eralia was the one he shared the most in common with. "Where am I taking this crate?" he asks, hefting it a little higher in his arms.

[Bansheexero]

Again, replying in Aquan, "I need it transported to our ship, preferably to the quartermaster. However, it does have some nice silver weaponry, if that interests you. I don't trust that wererat, he seems too loyal, so it may be useful if things turn bad. I will return to the cargo hold and search for more, thanks."

[hannahbbug3]

"Mithril works as well as silver in that regard," Piscine says, tipping his head back a bit to indicate the ornate trident he calls his own, slung over his back. "But silver you say? That's interesting for more reason than one. Let's see what the quartermaster says about getting those into our hands when we divide the loot, hmm?" the undine hums with a smile, heading across the plank set up between the two ships and carrying Eralia's crate in the direction of the quartermaster's cabins.