Chapter Two- Fortunes Turn
The Claudia was a unique ship- it's hull was centered amongst it's rather large black sails that spread out in several different directions, along with a variety of smaller fins, while the main hull, mostly a rusty red color, was a narrow and long shape, with a metal plow-grate mounted over the front where it's cannons sat in large slots that allowed the guns to be partially adjusted without changing course. The design allowed it a great deal of speed when the winds favored them, and also got them noticed every time they came into port. It about about 150 meters long, and it's wingspan was about half a kilometer.
The commander of the pirate airship was as unique as the Claudia herself. A man simply known as Gilder the Unfettered, he was a seasoned veteran, yet retained his roguish good looks. A set of glasses hung loosely off his pale nose, and his brown hair was well-maintained. He dressed lavishly, usually wearing a ruby-red coat and jacket, with several layers of intricate other clothes and a pair of gauntlet gloves. His whole approach to the world could be most eloquently summed up by his motto, which was: "Women are like sunsets. They're beautiful, but there's a new one every day." He and his small band of Blue Rogues were in search of the good life, in whatever form that might take.
Currently he was enjoying a relaxing nap on the bridge of the ship. It was richly decorated with many items, had a large set of windows that allowed a nearly panoramic view of the skies around them, and the helm controls mounted opposite a royal red couch that he was sprawled over. His pet, a rare species of green long-beaked bird called a Parrot, was called Willy, and it idly sat on it's uncaged perch near the couch.
David LeCroix entered the room, walking up the small staircase and into the bridge. He had jet-black hair that flowed over his face, giving him a slightly mysterious air, and he dressed in an expansive red cloak. His friend since childhood and Vice Captain, he was the more serious of the two, and often seemed the stable driving force behind the reckless adventuresome nature of Gilder. Pure professional he was, he couldn't refrain from addressing his old friend by his title. "Captain Gilder."
Gilder slept away peacefully. LeCroix frowned. He was supposed to be up an hour ago. "Captain. Captain. GILDER!" He crossed his arms, escalating his volume.
Willy decided to join in as well, showing the main characteristic of the Parrot- it could mimic human speech with a surprising clarity, and for a creature it was very intelligent. "Gilder! Gilder!" It squawked, it's wings flapping idly as it lifted off and landed a moment later back on his perch.
Forced back into semi-consciousness by his tenacious companions, he let loose a tired groan and shifted around, mumbling, "Ugh... not again, Lola... five more minutes..."
"Captain, you need to wake up," David said, putting emphasis on every word. To the side, Willy began to trumpet the phrase at least a dozen times in a row before growing bored and again silent.
"Huh?" Gilder sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly and groping around at the table next to the couch for his glasses, replacing them on his handsome face. "Ugh. I'm awake. I swear. What is it, Dave? Are we at Nasrad yet?"
"No, we're still a few hours out," The Vice Captain replied. "But we just spotted a shipwrecked kid's signal flare off of one of the abandoned island chains, and sent down a boat for him. The boat's about to get back, and we figured you might want to talk to him personally."
The man nodded and sighed. "Alright. Good work, then." He stood up with a groan. "I'm getting too old for this," He complained to nobody in particular, and nobody in particular would have believed such a gripe anyway. Willy found a new perch- his shoulder. They passed out of the bridge, down a narrow wood-paneled hallway, and up a flight of stairs to the hatch. Opening it, they got up onto the flat deck of the ship, and spotted the skiff approaching from the west.
The ebony-skinned man who was piloting the tiny ship passed into earshot as he was finishing his comment to the teenager clad in blue who stood next to him in the pilothouse. "Blue Storm, eh? I heard about you guys, it's nice to meet you."
"Not as nice as it is for me to meet you," He replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, you got any Sacrulen crystals around?"
"Ah, I'm sure we can find something for that ache," He said, and pulled the skiff alongside the Claudia's deck, where both the craft stopped to float in the middle of the sky. The teenager debarked onto the main ship, while the pilot pulled back and guided his charge towards the other side, where a small secluded hangar held another two of the small passenger craft, which also doubled as lifeboats in an emergency.
"Welcome aboard," Gilder said. "I'm Gilder, and this is my ship, the Claudia. The fearsome beast mounted on my shoulder is Willy. From the way you're dressed, I'd say you're an air pirate too, kid. What's your name?"
"I'm Vyse," He replied, and smiled in a friendly manner. "Thanks for picking me up. I've been stranded down there for two weeks."
"Two weeks! Two weeks!" Willy cheerfully echoed.
"It looks like you're a little bruised up," Gilder noted. "Tell you what, get that Sacrulen crystal, then come meet with me on the bridge. I'd love to hear your full story." Vyse nodded, and he turned, walking back down the hatch into the decks of his ship.
A minute passed, and Vyse emerged onto the bridge of the ship, looking around. "Woah. This is a nice airship you got here, Gilder." He walked into the center of the room, and Gilder looked over from sitting on the couch. "Um... well, as you know, I was on that island for 14 days, but that's just the end of the tale. I'll start from the beginning: Well, Dad and the crew and me were out one day, it was after dark, and we were returning to our base when..."
0-0
Light played across the boy's closed eyelids. For the first time in nearly a day, his form began to stir. With a groan that was as quiet as the wind, his hand moved, tracing a line in the sand down towards himself. Pushing down on the ground, he added his other hand and was able to get himself up on all fours. He reluctantly opened up his eyes, only to be met by an eyeful of brown. Moving his hair out of the way with a sudden jerk of his head and made him very dizzy, he looked up at the dazzling blue sky. Gentle white clouds benevolently flowed high above him. This was no longer Valuan airspace.
Taking in clean air, he looked to the ground beneath him. The soft, smooth sand crunched lightly as he shifted his weight. Tracking his eyes up, he examined the island he was on. The land curved up, culminating in a dull point high in the sky, and forming a crescent moon shape. Sheer cliff-face gave way to a wild forested area right in front of him that was about half of a kilometer long, at most. The sand he was on led to a very small pond of clear blue water that had no visible source. Waves of water lapped at his boots.
There were no other landmasses in sight, just clear sky. He frowned, standing up and brushing himself off. At least I'm not dead, he thought. The destroyed and fire-damaged remains of Centime's spare lifeboat sat to his left. There was not much of the escape vehicle left, and a quick inspection revealed that most of the supplies had been ruined or lost to the flame. He was able to salvage a few Pyri crystals, but all of the magical boxes and Green Moon crystals had been crushed or burnt to useless ash. Melted globules of gold laid around the wreckage, but he also scavenged about half of his surviving money. Most thankfully of all, he located his twin cutlasses, which had somehow survived the cataclysm most of his equipment had not. He holstered them on his belt again, nodding as he felt a little less vulnerable now that he was so armed.
As he turned to leave, a gleam from the rubble caught his attention. Searching it again, he uncovered the two glowing Moon Crystals that he had taken with him. Memory flooded back, and suddenly he was overjoyed that the two critical items were in-tact and safe with him. He pocketed the crystals for now.
When he had crash-landed, somehow the boat had sparked a fire, and began to burn. Running on nothing but animal instinct, he dragged his own nearly lifeless body out of the flaming wreckage, collapsing safely on sandy ground. He would have been dead if he had stayed where he was knocked out, but there was no accounting for it. He did not remember anything after escaping the burning ship, at all.
"Aika... Fina..." He sighed, looking down. "We must have gotten separated... after... Ramirez... I can't believe it! Who fires on lifeboats!?" He winced and put a hand to his head as pain shot through it. He took a few deep breaths. Oh, crap... what if I have brain damage? Not that anyone would notice. Okay... just gotta stay calm, that's all. I can handle this.
Dyne had made it a point to give Vyse and Aika survival training during their formative years on Pirate Island. Every sailor knew when they set out for a voyage that there was a chance of being stranded- humans can't fly, and even on easy flights something could always go horribly wrong. Among other useful skills, he had demonstrated how to hunt native monster species of several different kinds, how to filter water, build or find shelter, and other important tasks. It looks like I'm going to need them... for now, I'm a pirate without a ship.
"Where am I?" He asked himself. He had no memory of such an island. "Well, looks like I get the privilege of naming my new home... I think I'll call it Crescent Isle for obvious reasons." He looked back towards the other crest of the island, over the mysterious pool of water. Looks like I'll get a better vantage point to survey this place from up there. He walked to one side of the island, and up the gentle slope until he reached the top. He could see all of the forest, to where it turned to the steep, curving cliff face.
He sighed and shook his head, examining the skies again. In the distance from the west, the clouds were beginning to darken. He squinted, and his skyglass proved it still functioned by magnifying his view. It was without a doubt a significant storm-front that was moving right for his island. I'd better find some shelter before that hits... He noticed a cave at the back of the forest. Hm. Perfect enough for me. He walked down the path again, and through the forest, picking his route carefully. He still didn't feel quite well enough to run, so he kept it nice and slow. Occasionally grass and brush rustled near him, but no monsters emerged to attack, so he assumed it was docile native life and paid no attention to the noise.
It didn't take the Blue Rogue long to reach the opposite side of Crescent Island. As he was approaching the wide mouth of the cave, he came upon a gruesome sight. Skeletal remains, still clad in half-destroyed red rags, laid on the grass. He barely stopped himself from recoiling at the sight, attempting to emotionally detach himself and objectively examine what was left of the body. Obviously it had been out for a very long time, long enough for everything except bone to rot away. "Apparently I'm not the first sailor to get shipwrecked here."
He knelt down for a closer look, attempting to ignore the stench the remains had accumulated. On the front red rag, he noticed heavily faded stitching, and traced out the word in his mind. Gonzales... so this guy's name was Gonzales. Must have been Nasrian or something. He glanced up at the Red Moon, hanging almost perfectly overhead, as though it were noon and it was the sun. Man, my ship must have been blown at least fifty leagues off of it's previous heading... I'm not even under the same moon domain as when I got knocked out. He felt another dull throb of pain and returned his mind to Gonzales.
A small piece of heavily weathered parchment rested just beside his arm. Gently Vyse picked it up and unrolled it. It was a jaggedly ripped old map, and at first he thought it was a map of the island. None of the landmarks matched up in his mind, so he decided it must have been a different island. Maybe this will come in handy one day. He pocketed the map and sighed. Well, Gonzales... I guess it's time to give you a proper burial... how do I dig a hole... I have it!
He focused what magical talent he had into his hands and consulted his full knowledge of Blue Magic. It wasn't his specialty but he felt confident he could deliver what was needed. Kneeling, he recited the standard incantation. "Moons! Give Me Strength!" The blue runic symbol glowed underfoot, bathing him in gentle illumination. Swirling mists appeared above his head, and he stepped back. The mists turned to water, which began to blast into the ground, soon digging a hole sizable enough for a grave. Panting with the effort, he stopped the spell there, and laid the remains inside. He gathered several dozen medium-sized rocks, piling them up into a crude covering for the grave, and dusted off his hands, surveying his work.
I'll make you a headstone soon, He promised to the deceased shipwreck. For now, I better head inside. He found the cave system was simple, with only a few branches that led off into dead-ends, and one that stopped at a medium-sized enclosure within the rock. Inside was a bed which looked like a nest, a small wooden deck, and a few other artifacts that showed that human hands had touched this place. "Looks like he must have been here a while, in order to get all of this set up," He noted, his voice echoing.
Laying himself down upon the nest, he comfortably situated himself and curled up. After I get a bit of rest, I'll go out hunting for food. My ration packs were all destroyed with the lifeboat. Having taken care of that practical matter, he allowed his mind to drift off to Aika and Fina. He glanced up at the rock ceiling, through which he almost imagined he could see the Red Moon. Fina... Aika... are you where the Red Moon touches the land? Are you ok?
The storm had been over Crescent Isle for several hours, and while Vyse tried to be alert, with no threats in sight and a warm sleeping area, along with a strange fatigue he couldn't quite identify, he was quickly sound asleep. The pressure front moved on, passing the small nearly-abandoned island and leaving it's only inhabitant to a fitful rest.
When he did awake, a quick check showed him that it was dusk outside and the skies were once again pretty clear. Red light from the setting sun and the Red Moon bathed over the entire island in an odd display. Vyse would have enjoyed it more, but his stomach cried out for food. He had not eaten anything in about two days by his own count, possibly more.
In addition, the wound on the back of his head bothered him still occasionally, launching searing pain throughout his upper body at completely random times. He wished for the thousandth time that he had been able to find an intact Sacri crystal amongst the rubble of his boat.
He pulled out his cutlasses and began to search the wooded area of the island for anything to eat. He had deduced that Gonzales had lived there for some time by evidence, including a lengthy journal kept by the dead sailor. If he had survived that long, there had to be edible creatures out there.
The forest was small, and he quickly found several odd creatures. With many bumps across their bodies, their thin tails kept them aloft by beating randomly, giving them an odd bobbing motion and an uncertain clearance off the ground. Vyse had never seen them before, and like other things in the island, took to naming them. He decided to call them Grapors, after a story his father had told him of an island where weird fish of a thousand species roamed free.
They were a somewhat aggressive animal when discovered, although they seemed to seek evasion, as evidenced by his lack of interference when he had originally woken up. As he approached them, he saw all the Grapors turn towards him, and fire a flickering beam of rainbow-colored light. The attacks barely missed him as he clumsily dove out of the way, looking up as the fish prepared to attack him again. There was nothing for it but to fight.
A well-placed Pyri crystal roasted one of the floating fishes, sending it to the soft grass in a smoldering heap, and Vyse charged in, using the momentary confusion of the magical explosion to get up close with the other three Grapors. His swords flashed and they fell, one by one, within moments.
Vyse looked over the four deceased creatures, and frowned. They certainly didn't look all that appetizing, but at the point he was at he began to take cuts of meat from them anyway. After fighting and killing two more clusters of the creatures, the sun had set completely over Crescent Isle, and he found that he had hunted enough to supply himself for a number of days. Stopping, he set up a campfire near the sandy pond and the wreckage of his lifeboat and cooked some of the meat, gorging himself with more than his usual unstoppable hunger.
Now sated, he leaned back on the soft grass, sighing as he found himself staring right up at the Red Moon. I must be somewhere near Nasr. That's good, Nasr's a really aerial country. Maybe I got lucky and washed up near a trade route, and either way a ship's bound to happen by eventually. Tomorrow I'll construct a flare at that summit over there just in case.
His heavy eyelids' desire to flutter closed soon became too much for the well-fed teenager to resist, and he fell into a more peaceful rest, undisturbed by the native creatures of the island or the temperate weather of the night.
He spent his second day on the island searching for firewood to build his beacon and keep it going for a long time. Reluctant to employ his cutlasses as saws, for it would dull and damage them and he had no way to refine them in case he needed them as weapons again, he searched the island for already loose, dry wood. Dry material of many kinds was in short supply after the storm, but he managed to find enough fuel eventually, and took it in two trips up to the highest available point on Crescent Island.
He cleared a piece of land and began to dig, making a sizable hole and filling it with rocks and stones that had all been blasted to be about the same sizes. Adding the fuel over the top, he put the finishing touches on his rescue flare, and then stepped back to admire his rough work. If a ship comes by all I'll need to do is light this and they're sure to see it.
Let's see... what's next... Dyne had always taught him the most basic steps to surviving on an abandoned island when you were shipwrecked. 1. Food and shelter, so you could exist, 2. A way to flag down rescue, so you could be saved, and 3. If possible, repair your destroyed boat to a state where you could leave the island, so you could escape.
The next task for the teenager, then, would probably be to patch up the lifeboat. It had lain nearly forgotten on the small shoreline, as he had been prioritizing, but he gave it a more thorough inspection now. The rusted metal prow of the ship was ripped into several pieces, the engine had sustained a lot of fire damage and was deformed from the heat, and one of the maneuvering fins had been snapped in half on impact with the ground. It was actually worse than it looked, and he scoured his mind in search of solutions.
This time, there was nothing for it- he had to cut wood, and so put his cutlasses up to it. The blades did their job well, and he had extracted long strips of material with which he could repair his boat. Fitting the wood up to the hull and filling in the holes ripped out, he began to create the hybrid ship that would convey him to civilization.
Before he could get any farther in the repairs, more dark clouds appeared on the horizon, which heralded another storm was heading his way. He sighed, wiping off his hands and abandoning the wrecked lifeboat for the moment. He sought cover in the cave, preparing to wait it out again.
Rain bombarded the surface of Crescent Island for almost an entire day, leaving the Blue Rogue firmly stuck inside his makeshift den. He sighed, leaning against the mouth of the cave and looking over the gloomy, darkened and wet skies. Masses of swirling gray clouds passed him by, and several times lightning flashed and thunder rumbled the ground around him.
Even though it seemed like the rain was utterly useless, the weather nothing more than an annoying obstacle to his work, Vyse did learn some things from it. Under the domain of the Red Moon's fiery gaze, few places got as much rainfall annually as his island got in the last two days. This led him to believe he was somewhere north of the main continental mass, as a rain-shadow effect from Valua's high mountains was what caused much of Nasr's current desert climate. Once he got his boat fixed, all he had to do was go south, and he was likely to hit the Nasr coastline, which would be a start.
Still, a growing feeling of restlessness gripped him as he watched the rainfall drench every part of his island. The small lake on the other side overflowed, washing gently over the boat, and schools of Grapors flapped wetly around, seeking the cover of the thickest trees. He sighed and shook his head to clear it, ignoring the pain as his injury acted up again. "Well, I guess I can't do anything about it. I'll get some rest, and when the rain passes by, I can get back to work." He went back into Gonzales's den and laid down on the straw, slowly trying to go to sleep.
While he slumbered, the island slowly began to reveal it's hidden bounty. Every once in a while, the moons rained down showers of the precious reactive materials, moonstones. Arcadians used this material for fuel, and it was a vital component of a lot of aspects of life and industry. They were collected with the utmost speed and fervor, and usually seeing one lying around on the ground was a rare sight.
Crescent Isle, however, had been abandoned for a very long time, and had not seen the touch of moonstone harvesters yet. The random hits of the small meteorites gathered and accumulated, covered by time and the soil of the island. The rains began to slowly wash away the topmost layers of the soil, and unearth the glowing red chunks and shards of magical stone. By the time Vyse awoke again, it was nearly sunrise, the rain was winding down, and many of the newest moonstone deposits had been at least partially revealed across the island.
He remembered that part of his training well. Moonstones are the common fuel source for all airships. Abandoned islands hold high concentrations of moonstones. If I want to find some, all I probably have to do is go around looking. There's sure to be a few sticking right up out of the ground.
Vyse started off from his cave after a hearty breakfast of meat, watching the sunrise and trudging around the wet grass and dirt. The sun rose up and, as usual, spread it's life-giving tendrils of heat and light across the sky, illuminating everything and joining the Red Moon. The young pirate smiled and felt that, all things considered, things seemed to be going fairly well for him. I got food, water, shelter, and my boat. Plus the Moon Crystals are still safe with me. I could use them for fuel... but then again that level of power would probably make the engine explode. Better to just find some diluted 'stones.
Searching very hard wasn't required. He soon ran across one- a glittering, jagged red rock about the size of his fist, stuck in it's own small impact crater of turned dirt. Kneeling, he used one of his blades to dislodge the meteorite, and pocketed it. Walking through the forest, he spotted and collected five more of the revealed moonstones, ranging from one about a centimeter big to one bigger than his head. The Grapors, as usual, fled at his approach, leaving him to do his work in peace. He reached the wrecked boat, where his wooden repairs had only fixed a small part of it's major hull breaches.
Examining his take, he laid them out onto the sand. Raw red 'stones don't give off much power, but it should definitely be enough to reach Nasr, and then I can find one of their border towns or wait in a trade route for a caravan to help me. He nodded in happiness, and looked up into the clear skies of early morning. Dew and mist stuck to the natural and wild climate of Crescent Island. Fina, Aika... wherever you are, stay safe.
Gathering more timber, he prepared the wooden material and began to repair the basic frame of the boat first. It was a small craft, but in order to make it sturdy enough to fly, he had to work a lot. He used another Pyri crystal to melt down some of the iron frame so he could reshape it to accommodate it's new hull plating. Having no tools to speak of except his blades and a small repertoire of magical powers, it was a rough job by any standards.
He took over four days to repair the hull, but finally he was satisfied that it was in a suitable condition to stand the rigors of basic flight. Over that time, he made sure to always keep the signal flare burning, keeping up that hope of rescue, even though he spotted no ships. He set the ship floating in the water so that he could work on the engine, finding to his surprise that the boat's shape was almost perfect to maintain buoyancy. As his first week on the abandoned island drew to a close, he found his efforts were already sending him on his way to getting off of Crescent Island, one way or another.
His fear was that the engine had been so badly damaged that it could no longer power the maneuvering fins or even keep it floating in the air. Opening the warped and torn outer casing, he found the whole thing a complete mess. Refusing to be dismayed, he started to work, using what little knowledge of moonstone propulsion and engine technology he had to patch together a system that would accept the raw stones.
Finally, at nearly midnight of the fourteenth day, after he had patched a bunch of sturdy leaves onto wooden webbing and mounted it to the side to replace the wrecked fin, the engine sputtered to a dubious life, shaking the makeshift lifeboat's repairs. Vyse held his breath, waiting and watching it. When it began to float, rising to about eye level, he whooped a cheer and slept into the air. "It works! It works!"
Yes! Tomorrow, I can finally leave this rock, and get on the search for the girls. He feel back onto the grass, exhausted, and winced as the ground made contact with his injury. "Ow! Damn! Eh... oh, well." Even the throbbing pain in the back of his brain could not deter the good night's rest he prepared to seize. Lucky, too. I only had enough meat for another day... I should hunt some more and stockpile before I leave, so I can survive the voyage.
Hunting and gathering two more stacks of Grapor meat, he helped himself a leisurely meal at about noon of his final day on the island. For the first time in a while he felt no schedule or deadline, as now he had the means to control his own destiny. It felt very good after being stranded, even for such a short amount of time.
Loading up what small possessions he had into the boat, and he rigged a makeshift wheel carved out of bark and oak wood when he remembered his last task. The beacon. I guess I'd better douse the fire, wouldn't want to worry passersby when I've already escaped. Climbing back out of the patiently waiting boat, he jogged up to the summit where rested the smoking fire. He took out a small, chipped blue moonstone that he had found in the wreckage, the last of it's kind he had. He was about to spark it off the side of the flames and release it's watery energy, when he spotted an unfamiliar dot in the sky. Looking up, he used his skyglass to magnify the image.
He was taken aback, so shocked he couldn't say anything for several seconds, and when he did, his tone was throughly disbelieving. "Holy Moons Above! A ship! A ship!" Indeed, centered in his magnified vision was an airship. It didn't look much like a traditional sailing ship, but he didn't care. Turning, he pulled one of the red moonstones out and increased the size of the fire, waving madly to the ship as it passed the abandoned island.
Vyse watched twin explosions appear in the sky next to the smoking cannons of the ship, and knew they they had saw him. Man, if I'd known a ship would happen by, I wouldn't have spent all that time on my boat, He thought, chuckling. Time to leave this place.
As a small skiff made it's way towards the island to pick him up, he cast a final glance back down to the familiar landscape of his temporary home and heaved a sigh. I just had a really weird feeling about this place... like I'm going to be seeing a lot of it again. He turned back towards the landing airship that sat moored next to him off the cliff. Ah, not if I'm lucky!
0-0
While Vyse had been stranded away from civilization, the girls had the opposite problem. They were pirates without a ship, and in the middle of a metropolis.
The girls awoke early the next day, hungry and seeking work. Unlike the Inn they had stayed at back at Maramba, the owner informed them that sadly, complimentary breakfast was not served for the tenants. However, there were numerous establishments set up to serve at this hour, and he recommended one of them and pointed the girls in that direction.
They set off across the clean, wide boulevards that were already buzzing with people. They took in the sights of Nasrad, and their appearance and skin color marked them as obvious tourists or visitors. A Nasr Army trooper in the brown leather uniform of the country greeted them as they passed in a fluent if accented Valuan, "Greetings, fair foreign ladies. Is our city not a wonderful sight? Us Nasrians know the true meaning of value and beauty, unlike the slag-heap of a town that the Valuans call their Imperial Capital." He grinned widely.
Aika nodded. "Yeah. I was at Valua once, you know. Even the air there's gloomy. Say, I was wondering if you could help us. We're kind of short on cash, and we'd like to know if you-"
"Ah, looking for monies, eh? Say no more," The soldier declared in his booming voice. "I will take you to Osman Financial. She's one of the most famous financiers in all of Nasr, and she gives loans to just about anyone. Follow me, then, and stay close, for the crowds of industrious Nasr citizens are already thick!" With that he set off on his purpose, and the two girls followed. They found they made much better time with the large, muscled soldier wedging through the throngs of people.
Going up a set of white ramps, they arrived at the second level of a large building with a billboard mounted outside. It said 'Osman Financial' in Nasrian, and provided a Valuan translation below. He turned towards them at the door and said, "Here we are. If you require any more assistance or directions, don't be afraid to ask! Our noble army is all around the city, defending the people under the Red Moon against the Valuans and any other ragamuffins that try and attack Nasr." He bowed, and set off again.
Fina blinked. "Well, he certainly was a... nice man," The Silvite noted, smiling nervously. His boisterous nature had caught them both off-guard, and although their original aim was breakfast, they decided to give Osman a try and see if they couldn't secure some rhira for an early departure from the city. Cupil assumed it's normal cover around her hand, chirping one last time in encouragement.
Entering the front door, they were greeted by the receptionist, who was a prim and proper looking secretary seated behind a desk. "Welcome," She said in a broken Valuan. "The owner is around back. Go on in." They nodded and went over to the gold-embroidered door that said 'OSMAN'. Well, Aika figured, At least her ego's pretty wealthy.
Osman herself was... rotund, to say the least. Her office had a mix of pink hues that eerily reminded them of their rescue and stay on the Primrose. Wearing ornate golden robes and a fancy hat, along with literal rose-colored glasses, the short, fat woman sat behind an enormous desk. "Welcome," She said, waving idly. "Pull up a seat. How can I help you? I am Osman, and I am a famous financial figure in the Nasr Kingdom. I'll give a loan to anyone if I think I can make even a single rhira in the exchange."
"Well, I'm Aika and this is Fina, and we're Blue Rogues who were recently shipwrecked," The redhead said. "We're going to save up money to buy a ship, but if you give us a loan we could pay you back later and it would really help us."
"Hm... maybe," She said. "What can you give me... for collateral?" She fanned herself idly with a foreign-imported fan, smiling the same kind of smile that a Valuan officer would get at hearing that two Blue Rogues just entered his building.
"Collateral?" Fina echoed, blinking.
"Yes, you know, something to ensure that you two won't just run off and take the money," Osman said impatiently. "Especially air pirates, and you're already looking to buy a ship. I need some insurance to make sure I get my investment back."
"Um..." Aika blinked. "Well, like I said, we were wrecked, and most of our stuff was in the other lifeboat... we don't have much to our names..." They had used Clara's purse yesterday to purchase a few basic Sacri and Curia crystals, magic droplets, and an extended rent for the Inn.
"Nothing?" Osman recoiled at the very thought. "Much too risky! I'm sorry, but I just can't take a chance on that! Without collateral you can just forget it!"
Fina blinked. "Um... but... we need-"
She was cut off by the entrepreneur. "What you need is not important to Osman Financial's shareholders. What the company needs is what is important, and without some insurance, I can't just give away rhira or gold willy-nilly! It wouldn't be good business."
Aika frowned. "Hey, listen you, just give us a chance to explain ourselves. You can't just flat out refuse without hearing anything else first."
Osman huffed. "I'm not running a charity here, you know. Trusting air pirates is a most unprofitable way to conduct yourself, so it's not the way for me! Secretary! Show these young ladies to the door, if you will!" With a spin of the chair they were now staring at the back of her seat. The discussion was decidedly over.
The Blue Rogues left, and Aika made sure to slam the door behind her, causing a very loud noise that Osman could hear in her office. "That was really fuckin' rude," She said, and then crossed her arms. "Well, that went well. C'mon, Fina, let's go find something to eat. My blood sugar's low." Her temper and the fact that she hadn't recently eaten were not helping her accept the seemingly rash judgments of the businesswoman.
They found a bar and grill on the next block over that was not only open, but also advertising 'help wanted' in glowing magical calligraphy paper outside the windows. The owner, a slightly portly Nasrian, smiled as they entered. "Hola," He said, first in Nasrian, then when they gave him a confused look, he switched to Valuan without a hitch. "Welcome," He repeated. "What can I get you young ladies?"
"Is the job offer still open?" Aika asked. Thus, the Silvite from another world and the fiery Blue Rogue from Pirate Isle found themselves a way to accumulate money, and food, at the same time. Things seemed to be going overall well for them, and Fina silently hoped that Vyse was holding up as well.
