(L) "So this is the ship…?" Lina asked the half elf as the two girls neared a large moored vessel. "It looks pretty rundown, are you sure this thing is even seaworthy, Kat?" she added, giving the ship a once over with a dubious expression on her face.
"Well, it wasn't built for looks Lina, but the design is solid enough." "Its original purpose was to combat and withstand the attacks of sea monsters, not ferry people to and from my side of the barrier." The ex-assassin explained to the sorceress / 'mercenary'. "But. I don't recognize any of the crew this time around…" she added thoughtfully.
"That explains why this crew is the only crew with enough nerve to leave port right now with all of the ship attacks going on lately then I guess." The redhead mused more to herself than to Katibree as the two of them finally made their way to the base of the loading ramp.
The Captain of the ship, who stood at the bottom of the boarding ramp accepting the fee for passage, gave the two a slow once over before finally speaking. "That'll be 15 gold per person he said gruffly."
(L) "HAWH, that's robbery!" "I just heard you charge the guy in front of us 8 gold to board the damn ship!" She exclaimed while placing her face mere inches from the Captain's own bearded face.
The ex-assassin just shook her head while taking a step back and clasping her hands behind her head casually. Wrong answer grandpa…
(C) "Everyone knows that woman'r bad luck on ships, the additional fee is for the added peril of having you two 'bleeders' on board." The man stated flatly.
(K) Oh… my… heavens… The half elf thought to herself while considering taking another step back from the exchange, before finally deciding against it.
"B-bleeders?!" "Just who the hell do you think you are, you shriveled up old octopus?!" "You can't just… you can't just go and charge us 14 extra gold because of some totally unfounded belief thatyouhavenoprooftosupport!" The redhead virtually exploded.
"Actually that's only 10 extra gold of the fee." The Captain replied while folding his arms in disinterest.
"Then what the hell are the other 2 extra gold a piece for?" Lina fumed through gritted teeth.
"One gold a piece is for the manual labor and chores that little girls such as yerself will be unable to do." "All of the cooking and cleaning billets have already been filled." The bearded man stated matter of factly.
(L) "Grrrrrrrrrrrr…"
"And the other gold piece from each of ya will be to pay for us protecting ya against any sea monster that may attack us during the voyage." The Captain finished calmly.
"PAY you for our PROTECTION?!" "Oh-ho-hoo, you've got some serious nerve grandpa!" The sorceress exploded irately as she began to charge a Dragon Slave.
If I don't do something quickly, this entire port is about to cease to be… leaving us with no way to get back to my side of the barrier. Katibree thought to herself before stepping forward and grabbing the madly gesturing and ranting redhead from behind and restraining her as much as possible."Relax, Red." She said calmly.
"Whatdaya mean RELAX?!" "Did you hear anything that this asshole just said??" Lina exclaimed to the half elf while still struggling.
"Of course I did." The ex-assassin replied calmly. "However this 'asshole' is the only ride we have to get to where we need to go right now…" "I've got this one, trust me." She added quietly.
Lina eventually stopped struggling and just stood there, glaring at The Captain for a long moment, the intensity of her ruby colored gaze boring into the man enough to make him shift his weight uncomfortably before she finally closed her eyes and took a deep breath."
"You good?" The half elf asked Lina wryly.
"I'm good." The sorceress in mercenary's gear huffed.
"I'm letting go now…" "…No destroying the port?" Katibree reiterated.
"…No destroying the port." Lina finally affirmed with a sigh.
The Captain looked from one girl to the other swallowing uneasily. N-no destroying the port?
At this the ex-assassin released the redhead and stepped from behind her, walking up directly to the Captain before removing the hood of her cloak to look him directly in the eyes unhindered.
"First of all, your rules are ridiculous and outdated." "We live in modern times now and I seriously doubt that you even believe that load that you just fed us completely yourself." "Secondly, the person currently smoldering behind me is Lina Inverse." The half elf paused a moment as this information sank in.
The Captain remained wordless, but began turning as white as a ghost.
"I'm assuming by your reaction that you've heard of her." "Thirdly, considering that she was about to turn you and everything within a few miles of us into a smoking crater just now because you pissed her off so badly, I also seriously doubt that we need to pay for you and the rest of the crews' 'protection'." Katibree continued.
The man began to go an interesting blue color at this.
"Fourthly, instead of paying the regular 8 gold a piece, I'd say we deserve a discount now." "If not for the fact that she didn't end you and the rest of this ports' existence just now, then perhaps as gratitude for saving the sorry hides of you and your crew as well as the rest of the world on multiple occasions when it would have otherwise been destroyed."
The Captain stood there stammering wordlessly at this.
"Hum… now that I think about it…" The half elf pondered while rubbing her chin thoughtfully." "I'd say that the added bonus of us protecting your ship from any would be attackers probably puts us at right around… I don't know… 0 gold for a fee" "What do you think, Lina?" Katibree asked over her shoulder while moving out of the way to give the man a full view of Lina smiling at him vindictively.
"That definitely sounds fair to me, Kat." Lina responded, never taking her eyes off of the man in front of her. "So what do you say about that offer then, 'Skipper'?" She asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.
Just then a burly sailor walked down the ramp to check on the Captain. "These lil' girls giving you some trouble sir?" "I'd be more than happy ta deal wit - -"
(L) "Fireball."
(BS) "Arrrrggggggggh!"
(L) "So, do we have a deal or not?" the redhead reiterated to the Captain impatiently, not skipping a beat as the sailor next to the bearded man lay twitching and smoking in a heap.
"Y-yes of course, right this way Ms. I-Inverse…" The Skipper stammered before beginning to turn around.
(K) "Oh and Captain?" Katibree asked while pushing back that same rouge crimson lock of hair behind a pointed ear like she always did
"Y-yes…?" The bearded man asked while turning back around.
"It would also be in your 'best interest' not to divulge the true identity of my partner to anyone, or mention the location to which we are traveling to at anytime." "If an enemy of ours gets a hold of this information and I trace it back to you… well let's just say, I can't erase an entire Kingdom with the snap of my fingers… but I do have my own 'talents', and I will find you and deal with you." Katibree said, her lavender colored eyes flashing dangerously.
"U-understood Madam, this way please…" "I'll have the finest quarters prepared for ye…"
(K) "Much obliged Captain." The ex-assassin said while pulling her the hood attached to her cloak up and over her head once more.
(L) "Now that's more like it!" Way- to- go- Katibree
The two girls followed the nervous Captain up the boarding ramp and into the bowels of the ship, ignoring the stares and the occasional lewd comments that the surrounding sailors made before finally making it to the room the two were to stay in.
(C) "Here be our most lavish quarters young ladies." "I'll send someone up to make the room more to yer liking here in a moment…"
The half elf peered into the room that the Skipper was referring to. It was a modest size with a bed that was smaller than either of them were used to sleeping in with another person in it, but it was pretty nice by ship standards. Katibree looked over at Lina while raising a mostly platinum colored eyebrow inquisitively at her.
The redhead gave the ex-assassin an I-could-care-less gesture before turning to the Captain and speaking once again. "Don't bother sending anyone up unless they're bringing food, the room is fine the way it is." She stated bluntly before walking into the cabin without another word and dropping the pack that she'd been carrying on the floor unceremoniously.
(K) "I guess we'll be seeing you if the ship needs any… 'protection' from us 'bleeders' then Captain." The ex-assassin laughed before closing the door to the cabin behind her.
(L) "Jeez, I still can't believe the nerve of that jerk!" the sorceress fumed while plopping down on the bed and removing first one black boot and then the other.
"Yeah, that guy was something else." "It really does take all kinds…" The mostly platinum haired warrior said wistfully while walking over to the other side of the room and peering through a porthole serving as their window.
"I'm not sure how you managed to stay so calm with him insulting us like that Kat, but the way you broke him down was really impressive…" "I was starting to think that the guy was going to drop a brick in his pants!" Lina added with a giggle.
"Well, it really didn't help him any that you where standing behind me the entire conversation emanating an aura of death as I laid the facts out on the table for him…" the half elf replied with a laugh. "When you're that angry even I get a little worried." She added after removing her cloak and beginning to fold it with a small smile on her face. Well… I suppose that 'a little' is somewhat of an understatement there.
"I guess not!" the sorceress said with a laugh as she began removing her Talismans, setting them in a box formation on the bed as she took them off.
"What are you up to now?"
"Well, I've been working some stuff about the Talismans out in my head and I think I just figured something out." The redhead explained while turning around to sit cross-legged on the bed facing the Talismans before placing her hands over them and closing her eyes.
"Whew, it's just go, go, go with you." Katibree said while removing her boots and bracers. "I've got to get some shut eye, so good luck with that Red." She added while laying down horizontally on the top end of the bed not being occupied by the sorcery genius, her legs and an arm dangling over either side of it lazily.
"Oh, I can do this on the floor no problem Kat." Lina said after reopening her ruby colored eyes and stifling a giggle at the sight of the half elf sprawled across the bed in front of her. She looks like a big lazy house cat laying that way. The redhead thought to herself with amusement.
"I'm fine just the way I am… Just kick me or something when you're ready for me to move so you can get some sleep too." The ex-assassin half said half mumbled into the mattress that he face was partially buried in.
The sorceress watched the half elf silently a couple of moments while smiling before finally responding back. "…Ok, suit yourself." She finally replied before extending her hands out over the Talismans once more and faltering before removing her fingerless gloves as an afterthought and trying once again.
"Ok, that's better." She said to herself approvingly before closing her ruby colored eyes and concentrating once more.