"You know, you accepted it way too fast, lass." Anne spoke without emotion, taking another sip of the poor beer the city had to offer. She let herself enjoy the cold alcohol as it traveled down her throat.
"I'm not some naive girl. I have nothing to offer you. No money. Not even a crew. Even if you're eyeing my body, I know you're just teasing and have no real interest." Her gaze locked with Nyx's endless dark abyss as she paused. Something about them was unsettling, but for some reason her eyes made her feel calm. They were like a beautiful nightmare.
"The promise is too shallow. I could just never get strong enough for what you need. Hell, I might not even bother trying. You're a Vethari. Your current strength enables you to establish your own crew. Or to hire someone to go look for the item you want. So… I don't get it. Why?" She tilted her head, studying Nyx, trying to figure out her soul.
Nyx's smirk deepened. "Not bad. But who said I was just teasing you?" She broke into laughter while resting against her chair. "Honestly? I'm just going with my guts."
With a sigh, she continued, "You're right, the promise means nothing. You could fail. You could never get strong enough to sail the cursed waters. And about me getting a pirate crew? How much do you think a ship costs?" She scoffed. "I'm an assassin. The high paying bounties either are way too dangerous - and I am not that strong yet - or it is a trap to get you down."
She took a sip of the fresh beer she had ordered, settling comfortably in her chair. She wasn't hiding who she was. Everyone knew the Vethari usually were assassins as their bloodlines were built for it. They were feared for who they were. But not all of them were bloodied warriors, so the world still allowed them to live freely. The weak law could not touch a Vethari without proof.
"To get what I want, I'd need to hire a Pirate Lord or the King himself. And the money is not even the problem here." She tilted her head slightly, studying Anne. "Which makes it even more suspicious that I accepted, doesn't it?"
Anne nodded slowly.
"You are weak and have nothing to your name besides a thin dumb rat."
"Squeak! Squeak!"
"But you stated yourself that your parents retired from piracy." Nyx paused, taking a sip. "I have spent twenty years in these waters, and I have never met a pirate who retired or a son of one. They all die before that. That's just how harsh the seas are, Princess."
A fight breaking out in the tavern interrupted their conversation. Both women stopped to watch the scene. Drunk people fighting was always fun.
From across the room, it was impossible to tell why the fight had started. Nonetheless, the fight wasn't going too well for either of them. The younger one tried to throw a punch at the older guy's chin, but he stumbled midway and lost his footing, staggering to the side. The other tried to take advantage by kicking the lad in the butt, but as soon as he lifted his leg, his world spun, and he felt his insides trying to get out.
Laughter erupted from the crowd. No one even tried to break it up.
Slightly bothered by the laughs, the old sailor took his mug and threw it at the young lad. He missed as the guy stumbled to the side. The mug? It hit the head of an enormous Drakthari, a lizard-like humanoid. Drakthari were usually friendly creatures, one of many races that lived alongside humans in these waters. The streets were filled with scaled, furry, rocky humanoids and whatever else the sea had spit out.
This Drakthari, though, was also too drunk. He got up with an empty rum bottle. The old human flinched.
"THAT HURT!" He yelled too loudly, throwing the bottle in the direction of the man while laughing his ass off. He just wanted to jump into the fight and have some fun too. That was the start of an all-out drunk fight.
"Well, I guess this will be a mess. Want to go somewhere else?" Anne proclaimed, getting up, mug in hand, not throwing a look at the other woman. If she wanted to follow, she would.
While walking to the bartender, Anne got a taste of the rat's passive ability when a bottle flew by the back of her head, almost hitting her, if she hadn't subtly sidestepped. It sure was useful.
[Stowaway's Luck]:The rat has an uncanny knack for survival. Whether it's avoiding being stepped on, dodging falling objects, or miraculously escaping danger at the last second, it always seems to slip away unharmed. This luck extends slightly to the Captain when she's near, helping her avoid minor accidents. (Passive)
"Oy, get my change, can't drink in this mess!" She yelled at the bartender. Unfortunately, she couldn't drink all she wanted to. The bartender looked at her with disdain but still slid her some copper crests. The taverns in this world were pretty honest. No pirates would allow themselves to be swindled out of their booze.
As they continued walking through dark alleys, Nyx finally broke the silence when she saw Anne stealing a wall lamp from someone dumb enough to leave their window open. "Where are we going?"
"To the ship." She paused, turning slightly to the Vethari. "I told you, I'm broke. Can't afford a lamp, and it's too dark on the ocean at this time." She laughed it off. She was pretty casual about her unfortunate circumstances. "Are you going to finish explaining why you apparently accepted being part of my ghost crew?"
"Sure. As I was saying, for your parents to still be alive, they were either too weak or powerful enough to hide themselves for so long." She sighed. "They probably taught you all they knew if they had the guts to throw you out after taking care of you for so many years. So I thought about gambling on you. I have better chances at helping you take over a Pirate Lord than getting one to work for me while still earning something as a crew member."
"Won't this way take longer than trying to buy a Lord?"
"Probably. But I am a Vethari. I'm very patient."
Anne fell silent. Nyx's motive wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Sure, she was right about her parents teaching her everything. They had sailed under fake identities, training her hands-on in their way of piracy for years. It had only been ten years since they abandoned that life, and she had been lazing around since then, but she still remembered everything.
Nyx said it was a gamble. Should she also gamble on the Vethari? She had always been good at gambling, and she felt good about the idea.
"Oy, oy. Are you really thinking about making her an official crew member? Remember, you can't undo it easily." the rat squealed, going crazy. He didn't like the woman.
"It is fine, Rat. She won't be able to do anything to me if she truly accepts being my First Mate." Of that, she was sure. Because there was a line she hadn't read out loud when she was browsing the Wayfinders book: bound crew could never kill their captain. It was a safety measure that the system had created because it knew the greed of the souls.
"You know, Cap, it is pretty freaky, you talking to a rat." Nyx said as they finally stopped in front of a rowboat filled with two barrels.
"You will learn to love Rat too, Nyx." Anne smirked, turning to stare at the Vethari. "So, will you truly be my First Mate?"
[ALERT: FIRST MATE BOND INITIALIZATION REQUESTED.]
In the next second, Nyx blinked, surprised.
[CAPTAIN ANNE ASHFORD WOULD LIKE YOU TO TAKE OVER THE FIRST MATE POSITION OF THE ROGUE'S EMBRACE.]
[DO YOU ACCEPT?]