2017-06-05: You Are A Pirate
- Log: You Are A Pirate
- Cast: Layna Manydays, Talise Gianfair
- Where: The Ruby Empress
- Date: June 5, 2017
- Summary: A new pirate falls into the orbit of Team Chauncey.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
The Ruby Empress was a splash of color against the dreary, rocky hills surrounding it. This made it hard to miss, for anyone who might be going through the area at the time. Layna had given up on the idea of hiding it, though not on the idea of someday freeing it from its earthy confines.
At present the Captain could be found in the meeting room. She wasn't meeting with anyone in particular - instead, anyone who went looking for her would find her staring into a glass of alcohol with a contemplative look on her face.
Next to the gangplank there was a stack of crates, where Quartermaster Dahlia could be found issuing orders to crewmembers who would come down, pick one up, and disappear into the ship itself.
They were doing work, but they weren't so busy they couldn't stop for a moment if someone of interest showed up.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise also tends to present a splash of colour in most situations, mostly because of her complexion. This time she's a little brighter than usual. In fact, as she slides off the back of her horse near the ramp of the ship, it's evident enough that she's changed her style in one way: She bleached her hair and swept it back. It makes her look like she belongs on a beach.
Holding a hand up to her forehead, she squints towards the deck of the ship, but doesn't immediately spot the person she'd come looking for. Probably inside having a drink or twelve, she surmises, doffing her coat and draping it over her horse's back before tethering the equine and heading for the ramp.
As usual, she's got her sword slung over her shoulder, but she's holding her hands well clear of it as she heads for the ramp, her smile easy.
"Geez, work never stops for you guys, huh," she quips as she nods to the quartermaster, smiling crookedly. "Say, your captain on board?"
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Dahlia pauses, glancing towards Talise as she approaches. Some of the crewmembers pause to look as well as well, but a look from Dahlia gets them moving again.
"Miss Talise." She greets with a nod, and turns to face her fully. "Captain Manydays is on board, yes. If you've come to see her, she's in the meeting room at present."
There is a brief pause as Dahlia looks away from Talise, towards the ship itself.
"Drinking, I imagine - so nothing important." It seems Talise was on the right track, though some would debate the truth of Dahlia's statement.
"You have the Captain's permission to come onboard so if you remember the way, you are free to meet with her. If not, I can send someone with you." She says, returning her attention to Talise.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"Hey, to some people drinking's very important," Talise remarks with a laugh, pushing a hand through her hair with a broad grin that reveals the points of her canines. Her eyes sparkle with mirth.
"I think I remember the way. I'll shout back if I get lost," she assures, waving before heading up the ramp.
Once at the top, she pauses, then blinks a couple times before getting her bearings. One ship is laid out much like another, after all, and the captain tends to live in the same place - and she knows about ships, at least. It takes her little effort to pick her way through the ship, then around to the cabin.
Without so much as a wink of hesitation, she raps her knuckles firmly on the door to the captain's meeting room, then moves her hand to the handle. "Captain Layna?" she calls through the planks. "It's Tal from Lunar. You in there?"
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
The knock on the door gets Layna's attention. She looks up and, when she hears Talise's voice on the other side, a grin crosses her face.
"Ah, Talise! Good see you're still with us, lass! Come in, have a seat!" She calls back, and stands from her own seat.
While she waits for Talise to come in she walks over to one of the tables where various bottles were assorted.
"Care for a drink? We got some new ones in since last you stopped by. Filgaian alcohol's not quite the same, but it's a lot easier to come by!" She asked with a chuckle.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Pale hair or not, Talise is pretty distinctive. Pushing the door open, she meets Layna's words with a wide grin, striding forward and reaching out to give her shoulder a firm clasp, a platonic sort of mariner's embrace. "Not dead yet, Captain," she laughs with a shake of her head. "It'll take more than Metal Demons to put me down!"
She pulls a chair out and settles into it, draping one arm over the back of the seat. "Yeah, tell me about it. No Guard hassling you, I bet. They've got a bunch of good stuff, though."
With a gesture, she indicates a bottle of whisky sitting not far from Layna. "That looks right up my alley," she says.
The smile doesn't fade; there's a light warmth to her eyes. "So how've you been settling in? Make it through the Adlehyde thing alright? You sure seem none the worse for the wear, anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
The new look gets a second glance from Layna, but she nods approvingly and meets Talise's gesture.
"Aye, ain't that the truth!" She says.
When she gestures to a bottle of whiskey Layna nods and pours a glass of it for her, before bringing both it and the bottle towards Talise. She then takes her own seat once more.
Except for the new scar on her face, Layna seems alright...though close inspection reveals that her coat, while similar, is a different one from her usual.
"I've got the chaplain to thank for it, putting us all back together. You haven't met him yet, but he's a good fellow - devout follower of Althena, too, but not like the Guard. Really not the type you'd expect to be running with pirates like us, aye?" Layna replies with a chuckle, taking a drink from her glass. Her gaze lingers on it for a short while.
"I would've preferred to stick around Adlehyde longer, but, well...the Guard had to show up and ruin things. As they do." With that said, she glances back to Talise.
"And how about you and yours? Don't know if you heard about it, but Ida disappeared for a while. Gave me a scare, until I saw her again at the castle. Thought she might've been taken by one of them."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise got one of those too - a fresh scar. It's not on her face, but it does emerge from the collar of her top - it's a tank top today - and cut up the right side of her collarbone, then along the side of her neck to a spot just beneath her ear.
Her eyes linger a moment on Layla's own war trophy - well, by some manner of trophydom. She accepts the glass and sets the bottle down, knocking the drink back with a heavy swig, then setting it down with a low breath. "Nice," she murrs approvingly, nodding down towards the glass and its amber contents.
As Layna tells her story, the tall half-Beastwoman smiles ruefully, rubbing the back of her neck. "As soon as the Guard showed up, I got out of there. It's bad enough that those Solaris guys showed up too. I've had enough problems with Aveh that I don't want to mess with them, /or/ with the Guard." Making a face, she glances towards the porthole. "Can't say I trust the Guard to be much help."
At the last, she raises her eyebrows and nods back to Layna. "What, you mean after the attack? Yeah... she went off to say goodbye to her science team. Had me worried sick until she came back and rejoined me, Lyn and Rosaline."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"'Solaris'? Can't say I've heard too much about them yet. But if they're as bad as the Guard, that's saying something." She comments, then nods.
"Aye. The only people they help are themselves. I don't know what they've got planned for Adlehyde, but they've got my condolences." Layna shakes her head and takes another drink.
She does frown slightly at Talise's last response. After?
"Nay, it was right in the middle of it. Had an awful fight with some strange, transforming creature. Had to pull one of my comrades out of danger, and when I met up with one of the others he said she was gone." Layna explains.
"But it's a relief to hear she's safe. She impressed me, that one!" She says with a chuckle.
"And so did you, lass. Been a while since I've seen skills with a sword like that."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"I don't know a lot about them but they seem like they roll with Aveh, and I'd rather not mess with the Aveh guys. Whoever they are," Talise says with a grimace. She tilts her head back and takes another hearty swig of alcohol. It washes away a few bitter thoughts about Filgaian politics, and about Fei.
Setting the glass down, she shifts in her seat and crosses a leg over the other. "A transforming creature, huh? The only one I saw was the big nasty one with the sword. And the female one with him, I guess."
The words of praise draw a rueful smile to her face, and she touches her hand gingerly over that spot where her fresh scar intersects her collarbone. "Obviously not skilled enough," she answers with a touch of self-reproval. "But thanks. It took a lot of practice to get halfway decent, even if it's turning out that half the people on Filgaia have supernatural strength and reflexes on top of whatever skill they've got."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna nods appreciatively. It definitely helped to have someone around who could fill in the gaps that were missing. They had done their best, but some things still eluded them.
"Aye. It was talented with ranged weaponry. Sad to say, there wasn't much I could do to help there." Layna replies. It reminded her of how much more difficult things were here...and Talise seemed to be feeling the same way.
"Chin up, lass. You did well. Seems to me they're at the top of their hierarchy. You should be proud." She says with a smile.
"But aye, strange, isn't it? But I guess the people here...seems to me they're fighting against even the land itself. Suppose it makes sense, that they'd have to learn how to adjust." She comments.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
The words of praise bring a small, rueful smile to Talise's lips; she chases a few locks of bleached hair back behind one shallowly pointed ears. "Yeah... I tried, anyway. It was the least I could do. Even if we didn't save the king... hopefully we at least foiled /some/ of their plans a little bit. That'd make me feel a lot better."
Taking ahold of the whisky bottle, Talise pours herself another glass, picking it up and taking a smaller drink than before. She swirls the drink slowly about her glass.
"That's kind of how things are here," she admits with a look towards a porthole. "Filgaia's not like Lunar. It's... it's dying, somehow. Lynnai calls it desertification. Apparently there was a war in the distant past and some sort of dark force was destroyed, but fragments of it fell to earth and tainted it. Now everything's slowly becoming a desert and the world's rotting away."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Aye, that's the important thing." Layna agrees with a nod. They might have ultimately failed, but they showed them that they weren't just going to lay down and do as they pleased.
As Talise explains Filgaia's situation, a sad look crosses Layna's face. She follows her gaze outside, looking over the dry, dead land that currently kept the Ruby Empress imprisoned.
"No one deserves this." Layna murmurs, shaking her head. "I might be stuck here for now, but that doesn't mean I hold anything against Filgaia's people. I'd like to think there's something I could do to help...but I guess they'd already be looking into it." She comments.
But what could she do? Ever since coming here, she was starting to learn some of her limits. Particularly where technology was concerned.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Sand dunes aren't a strange surrounding to Talise. The Salyan Desert became her home away from home after she left her ship - or her ship left her. But at least on Lunar, she could hop a ship and sail somewhere green without much trouble.
"Maybe this is why Althena took us away from Filgaia," she murmurs distantly, touching one hand to her collar as her brows dip into an anxious furrow. "Maybe the Blue Star has been dying all along, and she saw that we had to get away. But then... there are too many people living here who are good people, and to think that they would just have to face this alone...."
She trails off. Closing her hand, she looks down to her lap for a long, pensive moment.
Then she lifts her eyes back to Layla with a small, sad smile. "...Filgaia's been through a lot more than Lunar. What I know suggests it's been cataclysm after cataclysm... the world's suffered a lot. While I'm here, I'm trying to help."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
It made sense, that that's why Althena would have taken them away. But, to leave behind everyone else? Layna wasn't well-versed in Filgaia's history, but she couldn't imagine what they might've done to deserve being left behind.
She studies Talise quietly as she thinks.
"Well..." Layna starts, taking another drink. "They're not alone anymore, at least. We might've brought some of our problems with us, but they've got us now, aye?" She replies with a nod and a smirk.
"Maybe that's why we're here now - to help relieve some of that suffering. I think you've got the right of it, Talise. While I'm here...might as well do my part, too, aye?" She says, and chuckles.
"Maybe, when all's said and done...Filgaia'll look better on Captain Manydays and the Ruby Empress than Lunar does." Her expression becomes a little more wry at that.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"Some of our jerkier problems, it's true," Talise concedes, her smile slightly bitter as she scratches the back of her neck. In the darker places of her mind, gloomier thoughts lurk. Thoughts of a figure all in white hurtling at her, swords in hand.
"I think you've got the right idea," she says as the smile she wears relaxes, once more easy and casual. "Sephilia and I will get home eventually. So long as we're here, I've got friends who need help, and I've got a lot to learn. Filgaia's the Blue Star to us. Maybe by understanding Filgaia, I can learn more about Lunar, and why Althena's acting the way she is. If nothing else I'll know if all the old stories are true."
One finger tapping absently against the edge of her glass, she leans forward, elbow propped up on the table. Layna's comment leaves her to chuckle lowly. "Hey, I look on you and the ship just fine," she teases with a bat of lashes.
"Decided where you're gonna go from here?" she questions, then. "You handled yourself pretty good during all of this, and goddess knows the bunch of us could always use another good hand."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Sounds like a good start, aye." Layna agrees with a nod and a raise of a glass. She had a point - learning more about Filgaia might help them learn more about their own problems back home.
Talise's assurance does get a smirk out of Layna, though.
"Aye, that you do. And I appreciate it, lass." She says with a nod.
When she asks about her intentions Layna stands from her seat and walks over to the porthole. She's quiet for a moment.
"Well...first things first, I want to see the Empress safely out of these sands. I'd like to say I'd sail the seas after that, but...sounds like the political situation is just a mite dangerous for a strange ship with an unknown flag to go sailing." Layna explains. She hated to admit it, but it sounded like Filgaian ships had every advantage over her own. The Empress was fast back on Lunar, true, but compared to Filgaian ships, with their more advanced technology? Not to mention weaponry.
"After that...I don't know. But there's not much more I can do here, particularly if the Guard is sticking around. It might be time to take the crew and move on, but..." Layna shrugs. She had no idea where to go from there.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"It's something to kill time, right? The group of us were thinking of heading towards Kislev soon - seeing if we could get by the roadblocks. We'd made some discoveries in an old ruin but all the clues from that pointed us towards there, but we couldn't get there because of politics." Talise shrugs easily, dragging her thumb along the edge of her glass to wick away a few beads of condensation. "Now might be as good a time as any."
As Layla gets up, Talise looks after her with a tilt of her head, eyebrows shallowly arched. She listens as the other mariner explains herself.
"It might be," she concedes. "But I haven't been too impressed by Filgaian ships so far. I was on a steam-powered one that took us to a smaller island... great endurance, but very slow and unwieldy. Not a fighting ship."
The tall woman rises from her chair and drains the rest of her whiskey. Setting the glass down on the table, she circles it to move to stand by Layla. One hand comes to rest on the other woman's shoulder in an encouraging pat, and she smiles crookedly.
"Invitation's always open," she assures. "Maybe there's a way we can help you move the Empress, too."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna listens as Talise explains her own plans. Kislev, was it? It sounded like they would be moving on, too. Her description of the steamship she was on gets a chuckle out of Layna, too.
"Aye? Then the Empress would sail circles around that one." She comments. That was certainly a fact that brightened her mood.
She glances towards Talise when she moves to join her by the porthole, but her attention soon returns to the outside. She's quiet for a moment.
"Aye...I wouldn't mind that." She admits. She glances towards Talise again for a moment, studying her quietly as she considers something.
"...I'll tell you a secret, Talise." She says. "I received another offer of help the other day. From the commander of the Ebony Wings. Her dragons...she says they'd have the strength to pull the Empress free. She'd even keep an eye on the Guard's movements for us. And in return...we'd act as her eyes and ears on the sea. It's not a bad deal on its face, but..."
Layna sighs.
"Look at me. A self-respecting pirate, considering a deal like that. It just...pains me to see the Empress like this. She's been my home, and my constant companion for as long as I can remember. Do you think less of me, lass? For being tempted like this?" It sounded as if this had been troubling her. Perhaps this was why she had been drinking in the first place.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
A little grin plays at Talise's lips, eyes brightening just a shade. "I think the Empress definitely would. So would the Lunabelle, if she were still afloat. Those ships from Lunar - they're corsairs, built for speed and agility. They're not passenger barges like what I've seen on Filgaia so far."
The tall woman shifts her weight, shoulder resting against the wall to support her in a relaxed lean. Her arms fold loosely under her bust. As the captain studies her like that, she tilts her head, curiosity twinkling behind her eyes.
Then Layna reveals her secret, and Talise bites down hard to her bottom lip. "You mean Riesenlied," she says, her tone taking on a hint of obscure sadness. She hadn't been there, but she'd heard the stories.
"Riese seemed like she was a pretty okay person," she says slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "But... having seen some of the other Metal Demons she rolls with... Zed's buddy Berserk, Siegfried... you'd be helping people who want to do things that go way beyond piracy. Those Metal Demons made no secret of their total contempt for humans."
She sighs, shaking her head. "...I don't think less of you," she admits. "I'd have given Riese a fair hearing, too."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Aye, Riesenlied." Layna nods.
"Her mission statement...it was pretty sound. Filgaian weapons are made from the remains of her people, and she seeks to keep them and weapons like them out of the hands of people who can't be trusted with them. Honestly...she might have the right idea of that." She admits.
"But...like you said. Her allies are a dangerous sort. I can't help but respect their strength, but their actions are...detestable. Helping her...would be helping them indirectly." She glances toward Talise again with a thankful nod.
"But...I'm glad, to hear you say that. I discussed it with my crew, but they were pretty divided. So...the decision is ultimately left up to me." She explains, then turns to face Talise fully.
"So...I'd say you turned up at a pretty good time. I think I needed someone outside of the crew to talk to about this. So...I think I'm going to have to turn her offer down... Course, that means I'm still going to need some help freeing the Empress, aye?" She says with a smile, and extends her hand.
"So, if you still don't mind working with me, knowing what I've said...I'd be glad to join you lot."
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"Maybe. But I think there's something kind of paternalistic about that mindset," Talise observes as she shifts her weight, pushing a hand up through the bleached blonde of her hair.
"I mean, I understand that Dragon Fossils are bits of Metal Demons - and that they can be dangerous. But the way she says it, she acts like only she, as a Metal Demon, can be trusted with them. I think that's kind of bull, to be honest with you," she opines as a scowl reaches her face, shallow but still steady. "Some people do use them for evil reasons, but most people fight because they need to fight. And a lot of times they need to fight because the ones being paternalistic are using all the nice-nice talk to hide what they really want to do."
Breathing out through her nose in a slow rush, the half-Beastwoman closes her eyes for a few seconds. "Sorry for the rant. Just... bugs the fuck outta me."
When she opens her eyes again, she catches Layna's gaze, the scowl giving way quickly to an easy smile. Her hand falls to her side once more. "Of course I don't mind working with you. Besides...."
Holding her hand out, she clasps Layna's tightly, giving a brisk, firm shake. Her eyes twinkle. "...I've gotta have /someone/ around who can keep up with me when we go out drinking, and Ida's too poised, Lyn's too polite, Rosaline's too innocent and Sephilia doesn't like alcohol."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna listens in, arms folded in front of her as Talise explains her point of view. When all's said and done, Layna nods.
"...That's a good way to look at it." She admits. She...hadn't really thought of it that way, but it made sense.
Once more, Layna's usual grin crosses her face as Talise grasps her hand. It was a good, strong shake. Layna definitely approved of it.
"Aye, you can count on me! I won't let you down there!" She says with a hearty laugh.
"I'll have to meet these friends of yours sometime, if we're going to be working together." She says, finally pulling away. She'd met Ida, but she still didn't know the others yet.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise's smile grows crooked, a gentle blush colouring her cheeks. "Yeah. Just... I've heard that we-want-to-hurt-you-to-help-you garbage from the Guard, too, and it sounds just as terrible coming out of the priests and soldiers as it did coming out of Riese's mouth."
The moment of bitterness passes. Her handshake is indeed strong. Even without her gauntlets, she seems like she could bench-press the Empress. Her eyes glint; her emotions tend to show in her face, and now is no exception. "Yeah! I'm sure you won't. And I'll do my best to help you out. Hell, you're a salt like me, what's a little companionship between the two of us, right?"
Finally she slides her hand back, letting it come to rest at her hip. Her thumb tucks into one of her belt loops, out of the way.
"I'll introduce you to the others soon," she promises. "You'll like 'em. They're reliable, and incredibly smart - Lyn's just as knowledgable as Ida."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Don't worry, lass. You should hold true to that conviction, even to a friend like me." Layna says with a nod. It was understandable. It definitely seemed like something the Guard would say. Layna supposed it was an easy comparison to make.
"Aye, aye. Always good to work with a kindred spirit!" She agrees with a nod, her grin still wide. It definitely made it easier for the two of them to get along, coming from similar backgrounds. She had yet to meet any real Filgaian sailors, but she hoped they wouldn't be a disappointment.
"Looking forward to it, then! D'you think they wouldn't mind explaining about Filgaian technology? Because if I'm going to be here for a while, I think I best start learning." She asks.
It had defeated her on a few counts before, and she'd prefer to avoid that happening again.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Layna's grin nearly matches Talise's, save for the fact that Talise's involves a little more showing off of what might be described as cute little fangs were she proportioned like Jessica de Alkirk rather than a very tall fighting woman.
"I think they'd happily explain. Ida taught me a lot about ARMs already," she says, then brings a hand up to tap her temple with two fingers. Her grin grows slightly self-effacing. "Took me awhile to figure it out, but she got it into my head eventually!"
Smash cut back to Talise's saddlebags, where a napkin has been tucked away. It has a scribbled picture of a gun on it with a note reading 'ARMS GO BOOM!' scrawled beside.
Back here on the ship, Talise says, "She's definitely the one to talk to about them - she's an expert in them."
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Well, I'll be sure to ask, then! We've got some crossbows here, and I know how to use one, but ARMs seem...like a bit of a different beast!" Layna comments. They were both ranged weapons, but the fundamentals were something else entirely.
Not to mention that some of the ARMs she'd seen were...pretty strange, to say the least.
"But for now...I think that bottle's calling our names again, aye?" She suggests, nodding towards the table.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"I've never tried a crossbow," Talise admits. "I usually throw knives when I need to hit something far off."
Stepping away from the porthole, she reaches for a bottle of something with a broad grin, uncorking it and taking a swig before she even sees what it is. It turns out to be some kind of ale. She wipes her mouth with the back of her arm.
"I think several bottles are calling our name!"
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
If Layna's grin could widen even further, it would. Instead, her approval is measured by the laughter that meet Talise's declaration.
"Aye, I'll drink to that!" She replies with a nod. She follows suit - wandering over to one of the tables, grabbing a random bottle, taking a swig, then holding it out towards Talise.
"To the future! May it be ever bright, and full of discovery, treasure, good friends...and good booze!"