On The Waves Again! [Solo]

[Canali]

Fall Day 6 Year 511 AV The shipyard was bustling near the twelfth bell. Sailors were working quicker than usual, loading and unloading, in the hopes of having a midday break. It wouldn't come for many, but some captains would allow their crews to head off into the city, with strict instructions to be back by a certain bell. Others would simply keep their employees working until the last possible tick, then let them loose, not caring after that point if they went off and killed someone or got drunk at the local tavern and used a lady of the streets. Currently, near the twelfth bell, sailors were cursing and loading shipments or unloading if they just docked. Merchants were nearby, hovering like vultures over the new imports. Someone in the distance, slaves were yelled to keep moving, loaded onto a large ship with their hands and ankles bound. Canali took all of this in as she walked slowly, grey eyes wandering from ship to ship, taking in each detail of the name to the condition to the crew. The sailors themselves were a hard bunch, overflowing with muscles and inks. More than half of those she had seen wore little clothing and, besides dripping of sweat, reeked of the sea. Several yelled out catcalls to her and one even tried to grab Canali's arm, only to be snapped at by the captain. Others simply ignored her, tagged her as just another face in the crowd, and went back to work. Every chime here was worth a pay, and if spent dilly-dallying, the pay was cut. The air smelled like fish and man; the water was rippling under the docks. A fish splashed within hearing distance. A sailor swore colorfully with words Canali had never heard before and didn't seek to repeat. Pausing her cautious steps to glance around with lost eyes, Canali tried to find her way around. It was chaotic and she was left with no hint. A sailor, who had finished with his burden, approached her. Pushing the trickle of fear down with a quick, mental, reprimanding for being judgmental, Canali met his weary eyes straight on. "What be a lil' lass doin' down 'ere, eh?" His voice was roughened by seawater, softened by the fear he saw lurking in her eyes. Deciding that he had the time to spare, he decided to be more… gentleman like and stuck out his hand, ignoring the way she flinched back. "My name's Kiah." Carefully, warily, Canali slipped her right palm into his. "Canali." Kiah's grip was strong, but he didn't squeeze her fingers like many men would have to prove their strength. No, she could see by the muscles layering his body, and the way they flexed whenever he moved, that he was strong. Kia was bald, skin nearly black by the days spent at sea in the sun, but he had soft eyes. If Canali had to guess, she would say he had a child back wherever he came from. Most likely a little girl. "I'm looking for travel to Mura. You wouldn't happen to know any reliable ships I could find passage on, would you?" Oh, she hoped he did. Canali didn't know if she could spend another bell wandering around this place full of dangerous men who didn't care for what little law there was of Sunberth, seeing as they would be gone by morning light. When Kiah jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the ship behind him, Canali tried not to flinch again. He wasn't going to hurt her, for chrissake! "My cap'n. We be goin' back tha' way." Actually, all the way to Mura after they picked up some supplies. After getting out of Sunberth as fast as they could, the crew would be headed towards Black Rock restock before sailing the seas towards beautiful and peaceful Mura. "Let me go get 'im. He'll know wha' ta do." Without waiting for a response, the bulky sailor with kind eyes climbed back aboard the ship. Canali took the time to step out of harm's way, eyes scraping around her to see if anyone was looking, and leaned against one of the large boxes the sailors had been unloading. She studied the ship. It wasn't huge, but seemed big enough for safe traveling. The masts were down, tied to keep them from flailing and causing the ship to pull away from dock. The outside of the boat was clean of any type of fungus. In fact, it nearly shined. If she had to guess, Canali would say a sailor had scrubbed it for some time. Most likely part of the ritual of coming into dock. Jerking out of her inspection when another man, near sixty, climbed agilely down from the ship's makeshift "ladder" of a board, Canali waited patiently. The old man sized her up with one long look, which would have made Canali uncomfortable if there had been any lust in it. Instead, he was simply looking her over to see what she was made of and what exactly she wanted. "I heard you wanted passage," a pause before he tacked on, cordially, "ma'am." Something about the young lady before him made him want to stand up taller and act like the gentleman he had been raised. "My name is Captain Roderick and this here is my ship. My sailor here informed me you wanted to go to Mura." A slow nod from Canali. "How are you going to pay?" A small pause hung in the air before Canali asked, jaw set and eyes flaming, "How much are you asking for?" Captain Roderick laughed. He liked the lass already. "Two hundred miza." For a moment, Canali fleetingly hoped it was silver, but figured he would accept nothing less than gold. Wanting to save the girl from a heartattack, Captain Roderick shrugged. "We can negotiate." When he went to speak again, Canali cut him off. "Given the size of your ship, it'd be safe to reach the conclusion that your sailors cook. Am I right?" Wondering just what the girl was up to, Captain Roderick nodded his grey head in agreement. Reaching up, he scratched his grisly beard. "I can cook. You need a chef. I'm sure we can figure something out." Again, Captain Roderick chuckled lowly and nodded. "That we can. I'll tell you what. You pay me fifty mizas and you got yourself a deal." A pause. "The fifty will go towards the rent of your room, considering you most likely wouldn't enjoy sleeping with the crew." Panic crept into Canali's eyes. "Anything you put in your room, stays there. I ain't gonna go asking about no pets or nuttin', because I don't want to know." Turning, he climbed back aboard with a final shout over his shoulder, "Ship leaves tomorrow at six bells!" Kiah grinned at Canali, one front tooth missing. "Welcome aboard."

[Archelon]

Thread Award "..." And the Results!!!!: Can.nah.nah... na... nah : Can Can!... CanCan! : :P XP For canali: SkillName 1-5 How/why? Negotiation 2 to start you off with the skill XD Lores: Sunberth's Docks (basic) Ship's Passage Ledger Notes: Captain'sPassage Fee: Take fifty gold mizas from your ledger XD Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Interesting thread!Keep them up.