Inez returned Pyria's wave with a suspicious stare before Pyria immediately climbed a tree. She had just turned when Axel sped up, almost causing her to trip, then quickly regained her balance. Speed-walking through the terrain she hoped Pyria hadn't done something in the foliage, like set it on fire or something. The smile she gave her was overly mischievous.
Inez watched the men observe the scene when they emerged, eyes narrowing when she saw them exchanging the glint of coin. Her mild annoyance was interrupted as Silver-Tongue abruptly let go of Juan, leaving him limp, so she just dropped him as gently as one can drop someone. At that point, anyone might want to lay in the sand. She still waited for him to rise back up again, though.
Looking up, she smiled wryly up at them when she heard a few members surprised or annoyed at her reappearance. She didn't take this personally, though, since Pyria and Juan's fate seemed to be bet on as well.
Inez glanced around at her surroundings and then realized her rapier was still in the little boat. She wondered why she still left it unattended at this point, being paranoid about losing it when she was holding the weapon and not throwing, tossing, or otherwise casting it aside. Glancing back at Juan, then deciding he might need a moment, she started back to the pull boat to retrieve her asset.
Picking it back up Inez noted the shininess and decided not to leave it alone now that Pyria was a member of The Deceit. This wasn't to say she would handle it correctly from then on, just to be more attentive about its whereabouts.
("Incorrect weapon handling" again XD )
Pyria had not been shot, and this much is proved when she skitters out of the trees like a teal rabid nightmare.
As a matter of fact, her new nickname aboard the Deceit was "the Rabbit-thing from Hell."
Of course, she appreciated the nickname, but she'd set the man on fire who'd started. Posterity and all that.
So when she emrged from the treeline and saw the flash of gold, she screeched, letting everyone know they needed to recalculate their life choices. After all, she'd managed to survive the captain's wrath several times over the short time she'd been aboard the ship. What made the crew think that this time would be different?
(random but i headcanon everyone having pointy teeth. everyone)
(and i dont mean sharp as in having prominent canines i mean like shark teeth)
(Oh, that's exactly the kind of teeth that Pyria has, except thinner and a lot more of them. As a matter of fact, she has three rows of teeth, one right after the other)
(XD is that a reference to a song?)
(yeah thats what i was wondering lol)
(my fault for living under a rock lmao)
('Cus I know a lot of songs that have that phrase in ir lol)
(mm i think ive heard one that was similar)
(lol sorry, my musical theater nerd is showing. For context it's 'Blood in the Water' from Legally Blonde the Musical)
(For instance, Blood//Water by grandson)
(im literally in theatre and have watched 2 musicals in my lifetime dw ahahaha)
(. . . I have watched the Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Beetlejuice and the Repo Man)
(ive watched beetlejuice little shop of horrors and i barely remember the sound of music haha)
(Lol, I haven't watched little shop of horrors)
(Oh! My schools doing Little Shop of Horrors next semester for our spring musical :D )
(Lol, let me know how that goes!)
(omg that sounds so fun :00)
The Captain breathed a deep sigh of resignation as Pyria came streaking out of the forest like a manifestation of all his grievances with the world. The goblin had followed them. Yay. Rubbing the bridge of his nose the Captain listened as even more of the men groaned, more money getting shuffled back around.
He'd be checking in with a few of his plants, keep an eye on who said what and when. Make sure even more gold circulated in the ships ecosystem to loosen a few tongues and keep even more hands in check.
A few of the oarsmans on the tug sat up, watching Inez retrieve her sword. The man who'd been cut shied away from her like he had gotten burned just by the girls presence. Nervous by the loose swordswoman some hastily exited the raft, no one wanted to loose an ear. They came over to Axel, staring at Juan on the ground. The man was still eh- Clothed mostly by nature and was now coated in sand like an unfortunate gummy bear in a sandbox. The men looked to him for direction, uncertain what to do with their questionably valuable prize.
Axel gave them a sort of half shrug and pointed vaguely in the direction of the Deceit.
"Get 'im on the ship. Maybe some clothes. Food? Eh, just throw 'im in my cabin and I'll figure out what to do with 'im later." He said it casually, more worried for the fruit platter in his room than the avian mans health.
Hopefully the raft would survive its return trip to the bigger ship. Silver-Tongue didn't particularly fancy a dip in the ocean today, he'd already gone through two good shirts this trip. And Siren blood was proving to be a real pain in the ass to remove from cream colored fabric.
He ambled over to the pull boat, getting in and working on his hair. The jungles humidity had made the already curly hair a mess of black springs. Pulling a face he tied it up in a loose ponytail, too unbothered to fix it. He glanced at Inez, head cocking to the side.
"Before we get back on board. Lass, watcha think of our catch? Still thinkin' on what to do with 'im." Violet eyes twinkled with amusement, the corners of his lips pulled into its customary Cheshire cat grin. He seemed genuinely curious what Inez thought. The little chef was blunt and strangely insightful at times.
(sorry i tried posting earlier but didnt have time, about to in a sec)
Inez noticed a few specks of blood on the blade. How'd it get there? She furrowed her brow then looked up at those who were in the boat. It dawned on her that she might have injured someone while throwing the weapon. She laughed, considering they could have been the same people who'd bet on her demise. She didn't know, but it was funny to her anyway.
Inez thought on Silver-Tongue's question for a moment, looking back at Juan. "Hm." She looked back. It was unclear what kind of job he could serve on the Deceit as of now, if that's what he meant.
"I guess… I could make something for him. Maybe that'd help." She suggested. "And probably also keep Pyria away." She says, glancing back at the goblin.
It was unclear to Inez whether or not the captain would go through with her idea. But no one should have to starve, ever. That's something Ren said often. She generally just hoped Silver-Tongue wouldn't jump right into interrogating Juan- in his state right now, it would probably be one of the least compelling reasons to join the Deceit (aside from a goblin trying to take the metal wings from your back), but it wasn't like he had a choice at this point anyway.
The Captain breathed a deep sigh of resignation as Pyria came streaking out of the forest like a manifestation of all his grievances with the world. The goblin had followed them. Yay.
(Omfl, I laughed for a million years XD )
Axel mused over her reply. Food might do the thing good, gods above sometimes he knew he could barely think without food in him. And living on an island probably didn't give a steady stream of nutrients. He thought it over for a couple seconds more, then shrugged again, waving at the oarsman to pick up Juan and bring him in the little raft, they needed to get back onboard. Else they'd need a safe place to stay the night, the nightcrew couldn't interact with the people at Harpsford Bay. It wouldn't go well.
Glaring daggers at Pyria and clearly wishing he'd wrung her scrawny neck like a startled chicken the minute he saw her, waited for her to get in with them before giving the order to return. Or.. However else the daemon decided to get on the ship. He shaded his eyes, looking up again at the deck of the Deceit. He saw Kavo was waiting for them, which was good. He knew his men schemed and plotted against him constantly. It was expected, welcomed even, but taking over the ship was impossible without people who knew what they were doing when it came to run the thing. And an uncooperative helmsman was one of the surest ways to sink a vessel.
The crab man was new, but he had a sense of strength and loyalty around him. It made the Captain uncomfortable, how was anyone supposed to keep others in check when they weren't tempted by gold or threatened by steel? Loyalty was such a strange concept. Axel hated it. Which made it even more annoying with how blasted useful it was. He'd have to do some digging, no one joined a pirate crew with a squeaky clean record, but everyone had something they were ashamed of. Hell, even family to threaten. Some dirt or piece of information to be leveraged, a secret to dangle over their heads. And if they didn't have one? One could usually be manufactured for a simple sum.
The Captain heaved a deep sigh, lost in his thoughts. He'd been doing this for years now, it never got.. Boring per-say. Just repetitive. He craved something new. Maybe 'loyalty' was a new taste, one he didn't particularly like, but it was something. The tall pirate hardly noticed as he got back to the deck of his ship, he was busy thinking and picking stray bits of crushed leaf from his coat.
Pyria scuttles over to the ship like a demented furry crab that can hop forwards, scaling the wooden side with ease, not bothering with any other way of getting on the ship.
She hops over to Kavo, hands him a shard of coconut, hisses at the rest of the crew - besides Inez - and climbs up to the crow's nest.
Not one actual word had escaped her lips the entire time.
Kavo watched as Axel returned to his ship. The Captain looked like he was mulling things over, and that was… never a good sign. Silvertongue was the kind of man that only mulled things over when he was scheming. Otherwise he trusted to his instincts.
And scheming made Kavo slightly nervous. Predicting a man's instincts was not a difficult task; trying to worm your way inside a man's thoughts and discern his plotting was much different.
The Karcaon watched as the party dragged the bird creature down to the rowboat, watched as they crossed the water. He chuckled to himself at the continuing saga of Inez and her blade. The cook was going to take off someone's nose or fingers or put an eye out or something, and Kavo had every intention of backing her up when some angry pirate came after her. If Kavo was the clearest head in the crew, then Inez was the purest heart, and Kavo wasn't about to let their one spark of good be threatened just because she liked to handle her sword dangerously.
He shook his head as Pyria dove into the water and swam the distance. Why she wouldn't use the boat was beyond him, but then the goblin was definitely the most distilled form of madness on the ship. She'd clearly taken up hating Kavo as a hobby, and if it meant she kept her distance, he couldn't be totally disappointed.
The Karcaon was shocked, then, when she scuttled straight up the side of the Deceit and right up to him. He just stared at her as she pressed a gift into his hand, before turning and wordlessly scurrying up to the crow's nest. A small piece of coconut shell, soggy from the swim, but symbolic of something nonetheless. Well. Interesting.
He glanced down at the boat again, and caught Axel's eye, which was concerning. The reptilian Captain's eyes were still calculating, except just now he was looking directly at Kavo while doing it. Silver-tongue could be counted on to do the unexpected and sometimes the unwanted thing, but Kavo had been open with him intentionally, inhopes of curbing that trouble early. A man without secrets was a man without chains, and Kavo had told the Captain his entire history when they'd met. He knew he unsettled people, being bigger and stronger than most. More heavily armored, quicker, and just generally more unassailable. It made people uncomfortable, but he knew his honesty and loyalty made it worse. Big, strong people are bullies; finding someone who didn't fit that mold put people in new territory, and the unknown brings fear, or at least discomfort.
So the fact that Axel Silver-tongue was plotting in his direction, after Kavo had shown him loyalty and honesty, was not surprising. What exactly he was planning, though, was sure to be very surprising.
The crew hauled the rowboat our of the water, the Captain alighted on the deck, and Kavo stepped over. He nodded at Silver-tongue, who ignored him, before turning to the bedraggled looking individual in the boat next to Inez.
"Can he walk?" the Karcaon asked the cook.
(i love how kavo interacts with the other characters he balances everyone out so well)
Inez wasn't sure whether the captain agreed or disagreed. Whether or not he did, she would find a way to get something to Juan. When Kavo addressed her, her eyes immediately drew to the coconut shell in his hand. Did Pyria give that to him just now? She wasn't paying attention.
"Can he walk?" Inez took a moment to look at Juan. It's not like there was anyone else Kavo could be referring to.
"He could." She replied vaguely. "He's stunned right now. But he might be able to later. He could run, a few minutes ago. I think we startled him."
This reply was vague, and she was aware of this. That was the most informative kind of answer she knew how to give. With a few exceptions, everything was said warily, which was in Inez's comfort zone; But even if she were as loose with her words as her weapons, in this circumstance, there was no better way to answer- given her vocabulary.
"Did Pyria give that to you?" Inez asked, laughing and gesturing at the shell in Kavo's hand.
(Thanks! He tries)
Kavo nodded, a confused and amused look on his face. "Yes, she bestowed this gift upon me. Do you have any idea why?" He briefly examined the cocnut shard, not willing to miss anything that might clue him in to why.
As for Inez's answer, the critter/person could move, so that was a good sign. They hadn't totally destroyed it, and it wasn't entirely dead yet, so there was hope.
