((Sorry readers for another month long hiatus. I was busy with Helsa Week and then got a little lazy to edit and now I've got so many more chapters to edit. Oof. I hope to get some more chapters edited and post them before I get swept away by Helsa Week 2.0. ))
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18. 'Bullshit'

It was evening by the time, the Captain finally got the chance to go check in with Hans. He wanted to discuss how the first meeting with the guard had gone in private. As well as making sure he hadn't hurt himself too much during their impudent demonstration. He knocked on the door like he usually did, before entering the room. "How ya faring Westergaard?" He questioned. "Hopefully the doc wasn't too angry."

Hans seemed deep in thought, but jarred by the Captain's intrusion, and curious.

"Hm? Oh no. I didn't mention it to him, the pain went away, and this time there were no stitches to rip open, so I suppose as long as I don't collapse in a heap somewhere in the next day or so, I'll be fine." Hans suggested lightly. "Still, not a wise thing I did, but I purport to be many things, wise isn't among them. What brings you here, Captain? I didn't expect to see you again today."

Still, he was using titles. He didn't dress like a prince now any more than he had when he arrived by boat, all cotton shirts and sailor's trousers, looking more like a young pirate than an ex-admiral, let alone a prince. Still, there were untold years of experience in his eyes. Experience with sadness, with death, with anger and fury and complex sinister tidings, but he seemed so baffled by the concept of being liked. The cheers of the men still bothered him, somehow. They were good and positive and gave him positive feelings, yes, he was still a human; but he also felt saddened, because he didn't feel he deserved them- or ever could. Those thoughts, he wouldn't burden the Captain with. Not for the moment, that hadn't been what he asked. He didn't want to make the Captain worry, any more than he wanted Elsa to worry for him. But he also didn't feel the need to disguise his thoughtfulness as playful banter or 'just thinking' or put on a happy face, as he might with Elsa. The Captain was a man, and a workhorse at that. He would surely know these same depths of thought?

The Captain slightly tilted his head and cocked his brow, at the distraught glazing over Hans, the Prince's eyes clearly reflecting his self-doubt.

"Thought it went rather well today, but it looks like you use a drink, a heavy one at that," suggested the Captain. "It was your own advice to the men, was it not? And you know what? You should take your own advice too. If you're well enough to fight, I think, you're well enough to drink. Come on Westergaard, I'll treat you to that drink," he urged. " I wish to chat with you as men, it's kinda hard to do that in this stuffy room." The Captain wasn't going to senselessly allow Hans seep into those dark thoughts alone, if he could help it.

Hans hummed a bit, tone still light but face unmatching, until he heaved himself up to his feet, as one might on a ship; a lazy but graceful movement, like a cat's casual saunter or a bird of prey's lazy low swoop.

"I'll warn you, Captain. I'm either very grim or very childish, and little in-between. And, I'm not above a challenge." He joked wryly, settling a bit. He took off his sword and set it on the bureau again. "In the Isles there are shelves in the taverns for weapons, but we're a little old-fashioned. I imagine it's not the custom here." He would adapt; weapons while drinking was an awful idea.

The Captain smiled a bit, that Hans had accepted his invitation without too much coaxing.

"Hope, I won't regret the invite later," he chuckled.

He nodded. "Not in Arendelle."

The Captain escorted Hans over to the town tavern, it was a leisurely walk away.

"So take your pick Westergaard?" The Captain stated, as they arrived taking a seat. "Curious to know what kind of drink you'll choose."

"I'm a man of the sea, what do you think I'd pick?" Hans pointed out wryly. "Rum, of course. The stronger the better. Ale for when you're thirsty, rum for when you have a thirst, ey?" Drinks, not women. That had a different prescription.

"You know, I think you're the only person I know who calls me by my last name alone, not some title. I think I could get used to it." He mused idly, leaning somewhat on his arm in the booth. He still looked terribly casual, it was easy to forget that he was a prince, and indeed easy to forget any rank he'd had. It almost looked more like the Captain was grabbing up a wayward young man from the street to teach him a few life lessons.

"You remind me a little of Captain Janssen. Only a little, of course. He's old enough that he seemed just as old when he was snatching me up out of the water by the back of my shirts grumbling about 'neglecting princely duties' I didn't have." He seemed amused by the old memories, but there was still that look of bitter-sweetness about it. "But, I suppose it's just the familiarity. You're not afraid to tell me when I'm being a shit, sometimes we all need someone like that."

"Of course, I should have figured," chuckled the Captain. "Is that so? Well, someone's gotta keep you grounded."

"You're first and foremost a man it's easy to forget that if you don't have something keeping you in check," he stated, and paused before transitioning. "And on that note, I think you did rather well in keeping the men in line today. It didn't go without a hitch that's for sure, but I think you really got through to them. You got them in a fighting spirit, you sure got a way with people, boy, -and I say that in the best way possible- that it makes me almost envious. When you speak to them you get really down-to-earth, you weren't on some sort of high horse, you really show them that you're one of them, which is true because you're not just a soldier but a fellow man sworn to protect Arendelle just like them, and that in itself is rather respectable." The Captain was trying his best to get through to Hans, ease those doubts he may have, if he planned on being a good teacher to the guard he had to believe in himself first.

"Aye, there's the rub," Hans pointed out, ordering a drink as easily as a native to the country, "I'm not 'sworn' to a damn thing. I protect Arendelle because I have sins to pay for, and I like your country. Were I truly a bastard, I'd use this opportunity. I am, against what your men might think, the same man who raised a sword to kill the Queen. I'd be more comforted if your men were still suspicious. This tells me there's much to teach them. I may be truthful this time, yes, but how otherwise is this different from last?" Hans couldn't help but be disquieted at the notion.

"I've got an idea for training tomorrow. Another kind of test. Nothing physical, I'll sit and clean swords while the men do physical training, and talk. I'd like to test them. And you." He leaned back a bit as his drink was brought, looking bothered still. "It's not that I'm upset to be liked, per se. I'm vexed that it was so easy to get in again, like before. As easy as the first time, like nothing has been learnt." He leaned back, waiting for the Captain to get his drink.

"Even on a ship, I worked to be an admiral. My name could have gotten me a strong position, but I started scrubbing decks and moved up from there, and hit every position on the way. I may have hit admiral young, but damned if I didn't at least land on every job on the way." He was determined to do that, at least. "Damned if I'll be a useless shit, demanding ranks I never deserved." He scoffed at the thought.

The Captain ordered his drink, and it arrived shortly after. "You may not be sworn to Arendelle in the same sense as the rest of us, that's true, but that blade of yours says otherwise," he pointed out, grabbing hold of his drink.

"I see where you're coming from, the men were very spirited today, that's for certain, but I'm sure there's still lingering doubt among them. Just because the group as a whole looked determined it don't mean all the individuals are fully convinced. Some men aren't as open to expressing their concerns in public. Don't think just because they're willing to give you a chance that it won't be a challenge. They seemed to warm up to you, but trust doesn't come that easily, not when everyone is well aware of what you've done. They haven't forgotten, what you did is sorta hard to neglect. But then again, you did call for a clean slate and that also includes yours as well," he mentioned with a nod.

"What's the difference this time you ask? There's many differences for sure, but the main one is 'never again'." The Captain was using Hans' own words against him.

"If you are any kind of bastard now, it's definitely a stubborn one. I don't know if it's an Isles thing or if it's just you but, you're something else, you know that Westergaard? I don't know of many men, if any, that would be willing to accept more punishment after receiving a flogging like yours. Most men would have been content to surviving or just embrace death, rather than be bold enough to return to attempt to atone, especially when it seemed nothing more than a foolish gamble or a death wish. Taking that extra step to try to make amends really says a lot about a man and his conscience," he assured with a nod.

The Captain remembered something he forgot to say earlier. "It's not like the men are just blindly trusting you, a lot of those men have seen you in action, fighting alongside them. You know, you could have very well sat on your ass during the raid, no one expected anything from you, and yet you charged in to aid and got the scars to prove it, that's gotta count for something," noted the Captain.

"You've already exceeded expectations, with your actions." Thinking he'd talked too much the Captain shifted a bit in his seat. "All this rambling to say, you already try you're damnedest and yet you still don't think that's enough. You're too hard on yourself, and no I haven't forgotten the bad things you've done, but you dwell too much on them, you think they overshadow the good you've done or are going to do. You don't have to constantly try so hard to prove yourself."

Hans listened, and even after the first part about the sword, smiled a little to himself and looked away, as if he was flattered.

"Never again, is right." He agreed with a nod.

"I need someone like you around, too. I suppose I assumed they didn't notice me. I tend to, I'm not usually noticeable, apart from the hair. The Royal Shade." He laughed dryly. "We started calling the cat on my ship 'Your Highness', so I wouldn't have to answer it. Someone would ask for 'the prince' and we'd all point to the cat. He had the same fur color as my hair, we joked." He laughed a little at the memory.

"'Hard on myself', one could say that. Others might say 'not hard enough'. Murder is an exceptional crime, even attempted. Technically speaking I should've been hanged in the Isles, but my eldest brother didn't want to see that scene play out, when my dress rehearsal went so poorly before." He made a lot of theatrical references. From 'aye there's the rub' to speaking of 'dress rehearsals' and 'performances'. The oddity of that almost disguised the subtle suggestion laced there in his last sentence. He had another thought about the captain, but decided it was better left unsaid, at least for this drink.

"Perhaps they don't need to worry about lies yet, then. I'll worry about that some other time, and worry about reviewing those tests. I mean it, when I say we should add women and the Deaf to our roster. People who get overlooked, usually, can be the most determined. I've never seen fighters more determined than female pirates, for a certainty. Even cornered they'd sooner hack a chunk out of you than give up easily, perhaps because they know what can happen when they do, if the men they surrender to are anything less than honorable." He didn't like the idea, but he knew it was likely true. He was back to business, perhaps in hopes that the Captain forgot about his implications.

The Captain laughed a little at Hans' reminiscence of the red furred feline.

"That's true, a coup isn't something easy to overlook, nor should it be, but since you've been given the opportunity to redeem yourself, you need to find a balance between being too hard and too soft when it comes to disciplining yourself . I'll do my best to keep you in check, and if I think your slacking, I'm not afraid to reprimand you, if need be," he chuckled, but he was serious. The Captain had taken note of his mention of a 'dress rehearsal' and though he was curious of the reasoning behind it, he didn't bring it up (he was trying to brighten the boy's spirits after all), but kept in mind.

"I'll see what I can do about broadening up the recruitment, if you think we can find promising potential soldiers among people we failed to take into account, I'll welcome them with pleasure. We really can't afford to undermine anyone willing to protect Arendelle, especially when we need everyone we can get," concurred the Captain with a nod, getting back to talking business like Hans wanted.

"Agreed, the defenses seem so small for a castle so sprawling." Hans seemed genuinely put off by that. "At least in the Southern Isles, the castle has a boatload of well-trained princes with swords, and maids who know poisons, and the castle is built like a castle. It's ancient, it's meant to be sieged and survive. Arendelle is too new for ancient sieges and building clockwise spiral stairs for defense. It's a little unnerving. Are you kingdom guards or castle guards? It seems the team is too small to protect a whole kingdom, too large for a castle- but the castle is such a unique shape for a kingdom. As if someone began by building a house, and forgot to stop." He was amused by the concept, certainly.

"Part of it might be that I'm fluent in sign language, at least for my brother. We could spread that sign language in Arendelle, if there is no current sign language here. A standardization would help to bind Arendelle and the Southern Isles, if only very slightly. Not that I'm after that for any personal reason, but my brother Bernhard is Deaf, and he never leaves the castle if he can help it. No-one takes the time or energy to learn, but his brothers. It would be nice to expand his horizons, if he could be convinced to venture outside." It wasn't for selfish reasons, but for a brother that he took an interest.

"Ah well, you didn't want to talk about this, I'm sure. So, what do men of good standing talk about here? I'm sure you don't talk about women in quite the same way we do on boats, but I'm not sure what else you'd prefer. I don't watch sports, but I do know a thing or two about pirates and good adventure stories and the like." He didn't say he didn't talk about women, only that he suspected the Captain wouldn't appreciate him talking about them- which suggested, at least, that he was still a warm-blooded male who did take an interest in the opposite sex.

"Arendelle's defenses became inadequate due to the luxury of living peacefully for so long. Like I've said before and it's quite obvious to see, even though we're a fairly newer kingdom, we haven't really adapted with the rest of the world. It truly is a miracle that we lived so prosperously until recently, it's a good thing our kingdom was often overlooked," he admitted a bit ashamed. "The castle guard, though I don't think it makes much difference either way, most of the military resides here in the capitol and the rest of the armed forces for the rest of the kingdom's provinces are heavily reliant on the militia. The entirety of Arendelle's defenses require an overhaul," the Captain let out a disgruntled sigh. "And yes, the castle wasn't built as much of a stronghold, since it they were confident on it's optimal location near the fjord would be enough to keep out intruders. In days of olde it might have sufficed, being able to see incoming attackers and being protected by the fjord, but it doesn't really work when the enemy knows your defenseless and manages to evade the natural deterrent undetected," he explained, which is what happened during the raid.

"I'm not aware of an official sign language in Arendelle, but it could be quite useful in more ways than just strengthening our alliance," agreed the Captain. He thought it was admirable that he thought of his brother and wanted to find a way to broaden his horizons. "Definitely something you should bring up to the Queen."

"And you are correct in assuming I would not partake in discourse about women, for I am a married man. Though I probably wouldn't engage, nor would want to either, out of respect, even if that wasn't the case. Stories are good, yes, but men don't have to be constantly yammering in order to be entertained Westergaard," chuckled the Captain. Hans did like to blabber like a parrot given the chance, not the Captain minded, he was an entertaining lad, but all this talk could be rather exhausting.

"Drinks and cards could be adequate entertainment." The Captain took out a pack of cards and placed them on the table.

Hans held up his hands in defeat. "No talk of women, fair enough. I only do because the men often do and otherwise it makes them difficult to converse with." He assured sweetly.

"Congratulations on the marriage, and on being so faithful. I've known some right bastard men who aren't." He shrugged. He seemed a bit off-put, though. "I don't get to talk much at home, so I speak too much everywhere else. What shall we play?" He could shut up as easily as he spoke, though now he had more to turn over in his mind. "You've kids?" He proposed, short and purely curious. The Captain seemed like he would have kids.

"Thank you," he grinned, appreciating the compliment, he truly loved his wife. "You don't have to hold your tongue, just saying that you don't have to yatter," the Captain assured him, he didn't wish to discourage him. "There aren't many card games for two, we could play piquet perhaps," he suggested, with a shrug. "Unless you have something else in mind."

"Kids? Just one so far," he answered. " A little girl."

"Ah, that explains some things about you." Hans joked playfully, at the idea of a little girl in the Captain's family. "Let's see, you can't be that much older than me, perhaps... ten at the oldest, the way you speak of her?" He proposed, purely guessing as a way to keep the conversation alive.

He imagined the Captain to be ten years older than him, or a few years younger than that; and he himself was twenty-four, plenty old enough to have a kid himself, though he had no interest in it at the moment. Most seemed to have children young, so he guessed based on that.

"I've heard of Piquet, but never played. It's usually poker on a ship, or spades. If we had more people, I could show you how to play Cheat, or as most people call it, 'Bullshit'. Or Spoons, if we feel like a bunch of children, I quite like that one." He had no fond memories of gaming with his brothers, they weren't the gaming sorts, or those that were ones he wouldn't want to game with.

"Maybe we should drag someone else into our games. There's Speed, I suppose."

"Is that so?" he gave a hearty laugh. "Though I'm well aware I am an old man at heart, I truly might not be much more than a decade your senior. You'd suppose, by the way I am, that I'd marry much sooner, but I didn't get wed until I was a tad bit older than you are now, the ripe old age of 27. How old are you now Westergaard? 24-25?" he questioned.

"We had our little girl soon after, she's almost six years old, and if you do the math you can figure out how old I am."

"Piquet is a bit complicated to explain. So if you can manage to get some others to join us, which I'm sure wouldn't be hard for you, then we can play one of your suggestions either Cheat or even Spoons if you really like," chuckled the Captain. "Might be one of the last times to be childish before the rigorous training begins."

"Twenty four." Hans agreed, amused. "I tend to assume most people have children by twenty, but I often forget the age discrepancy between men and women, too. Women tend to be married younger, men older, that was my assumption wrong. I was close to right about your age, at least." He laughed a little at the thought.

"Oh nonsense, there's always time around the edges to be childish." He assured, with a casual wave. "As I said on the boat: Shiny brass buttons are all well and good, but if making your men shine buttons all day makes the men hate you, then damn the buttons." He waved casually, and took another sip of his drink.

"Who fancies beating the Captain of the Guard and the worst criminal in Arendelle at a friendly game of lying at cards? I'll teach, if anyone wants to join us." He knew they were both recognizable faces in Arendelle, and he used that to his advantage in the tavern, picking up the cards to shuffle them loudly, a call to most men in the kingdom. "No wagers, I imagine it would upset the Captain, but we can always make the losers buy drinks." He suggested playfully, grinning over at the Captain, as if to say 'You have not yet seen the beginning of my charisma'

"Would you believe, my brother Eduard is the charismatic one?" He teased. "We're all actors, the lot of us. Some better than others. I learned to be whatever I need to be. Eduard learned how to be himself so well that everyone liked him for it. A mirror and a portrait, in a sense. Some may not like him, but he and I were always quite close." He continued shuffling the cards, hoping to be joined.

"I'm in, it's a slow day." A barmaid suggested, pulling over a chair and straddling it like a man.

"Oh, I like you already, you'll be good at this." Hans assured, waving her into the game. "One more?" He proposed, looking around.

"I guess you're right about all work and no play," he nodded remembering the proverb. The Captain was well aware of Hans charisma, that's why he asked him to be the one to recruit players. The captain shot him back a look as if saying 'Don't test my patience, boy.'

With the Barmaid joining in, a young man at one of the nearby tables finally stepped up, to fill the opening.

"If Ida's playing, I want to join too," he said determined, calling the barmaid by her name meaning he was a tavern regular or knew her personally. "See if I can finally get a free drink from her," he laughed, flashing her a smile.

Hans grinned at the Captain, a little more childish, a little more playful at the look.

"Now, here's how we play." Hans shuffled one last time, and began to deal all the cards. "No cards withheld, we deal all fifty-two. Whomever has the ace of spades starts. You play as many Aces as you have in the center of the table. Then, play to the left. The next person plays as many twos, and the next as many threes, and so on. If you don't have any, lie. If you suspect someone of lying, say 'Bullshit' or whatever variant you prefer. If you're caught lying, you pick up all the cards. If you try to catch someone else lying but they told the truth, you pick up all the cards. We play until either someone is out, or we can continue playing until only two are left." As he finished, they each had their pile of cards.

"So, who has the ace of spades?" He asked sweetly. He picked up his cards to spread them.

"Two aces." Ida played first, boldly. She seemed passing familiar with this one, at least. "Good luck on that drink, Derrick, you'll be waiting on it a long time." She assured. Playful banter, without anger, and it was Derrick's turn.

"Waiting until the end of this game is a pretty long time indeed," Derrick bantered back. He stared Ida down for a moment. "I think you're bluffing," he asserted.

"You sure about that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! Bullshit!" he exclaimed over confidently.

"If you say so." Ida shrugged nonchalantly and flipped her cards to reveal an ace of spades and an ace of clubs, before a large grin crossed her lips.

"Dammit!" Derrick groaned in disappointment. Picking up the cards to add to his hand.

"Still think you'll be getting that drink?" Ida boasted, roaring with laughter. The Captain laughed earnestly as well, the game had just begun and it was already off to a great start. Hans' turn followed.

Hans laughed. "Who would bluff at the start of the game, when the ace of spades must start? You had me going, unless the Captain's deck has two aces of spades? Cheating at poker lately, old man?" Hans teased, calling the Captain 'old man' in the same way the Captain called him 'boy'.

Just playful banter so far as Hans was concerned.

"No no, don't pass it to me, you still must play, Derrick, twos to the table." Hans insisted.

Derrick grumbled and played two twos, and Hans suspected at least one was a lie, but decided not to call him out.

"One three." Hans laid down his own.

"So, what makes you the worst criminal in Arendelle?" Ida asked, confident enough in herself that she wasn't the least afraid to ask.

"My reputation, of course, it is all a man has. Tried to kill the Queen, if you believe the stories. Now I'm teaching the Watch how not to let it happen again, and somehow nobody's had me killed yet." Hans didn't seem the least bit concerned about the number of patriots to the crown in the bar- which was all of them. He took a drink of his rum.

"Bold move, admitting that here." Derrick pointed out, with a bit of a scowl.

"Aye and it's bold to call Bullshit on a first turn, we're all full of surprises. I tried to kill the queen, then I saved her during the Weselton raid. One good turn deserves another, and one good captain deserves another turn." Hans gestured to the Captain for his turn, as he reorganized his cards without fear.

The Captain nodded and made his move.

"Four Fours," he declared, placing four cards atop the pile. Everyone looked at him in disbelief, thinking he was being either really bold or really dumb.

"Now that definitely has to be Bullshit!" Ida insisted, knowing the odds of that were highly unlikely, she might have been more prone to believe three, but all four seemed impossible. The Captain turned his cards and revealed that he in fact had not been bluffing. Ida's mouth was agape incredulous.

"No way," she uttered.

"Sometimes life is rather unexpected, wouldn't you say? One shouldn't easily dismiss seemingly impossible odds," commented the Captain, giving Hans a knowing look. "You never know, taking that risk might end up being one of the best decisions you've made."

Ida was a bit vexed collecting all the cards and adding them to her hand.

"Two fives," she said as she started the new discard pile. "And actually think it through before you call bullshit this time, will ya, Derrick." There was a slight grumble in her tone.

Hans chuckled. "Tell that to my scars, Captain. I believe you but my back doesn't." He joked.

Derrick was smart enough not to call it this time.

"One six."

"Bullshit, at least lie bravely." Hans turned the card over, himself, and shoved the cards back at him.

"Two sevens. The trick to playing Bullshit, is being reasonably good at math, and watching everybody else. If everybody is equally surprised that four fours are being played, and nobody has immediately jumped down their throat, he must have all four." He shrugged. "It was the best decision to return, the worst to make it necessary, I'd say. The whole coronation affair was indeed my biggest regret in life, but at least it got me here, so it's not the worst of possibilities." He considered it a bit before nodding, as if he'd had to gauge some other possible 'biggest regret'.

"One eight. Making the best possibilities out of the worst situations seems to be one of life's favorite things to do," suggested the Captain. "Odds are rarely in your favor the way you want them, so you gotta make due with what you got."

"Two Nines."

"Bullshit!"

"Well, look at that you actually got it right this time," Ida taunted.

"Of course I did!" Derrick gloated, with a large smile. "Two Tens."

"I wouldn't say 'favorite', but I would say 'required'. I am the thirteenth, I was never destined for good things. If I get anything, good or ill, it's to be fought for. Three jacks." He set his cards down and shrugged. "And what of you two? A barmaid willing to play cards with a Captain of the Guard and a criminal, you don't seem scared of much. The Castle Guards are hiring, and we're certainly accepting female applicants." Hans proposed, diverting the conversation.

"Oh! Is that so? I might consider joining the guard then," she laughed. "It does get rather drab at the tavern. I'm not afraid of brawling with the boys, ain't that right, Derrick?" Ida nudged him with her elbow.

"Bullshit!" Ida turned to glare at Derrick, ready to hit him upside the head, until realizing he wasn't the one that'd spoken though, it was the Captain. She looked at him in confusion for a moment then remembered the game they were playing. He wasn't doubting her capabilities, but Hans' cards. The Captain was a bit flustered at the momentary misunderstanding. Clearing his throat a bit in awkwardness.

"I don't believe it," he stated, once more this time with a much softer tone and use of words, the last time he'd spoken. The harshness of the way he'd said it last time, seemed uncharacteristic of him, hence the slight confusion. His articulation seemed to suggest that he wasn't strictly referring to the cards, but voicing his opinion of what Hans had previously said. He looked for the cards directly to Hans as he waited for the reveal.

Hans seemed curious a moment, then smiled.

"You've caught me again, Captain." He revealed his cards- two Jacks, and a queen. "Now which part of what I said were you also calling bullshit on? 'Never destined for good things', I wager? Well, take it as you like it, but I've never believed in destiny, only power of will and determination. Just because I wasn't 'destined' for good things doesn't mean I can't force them, so I went and became an admiral." He shrugged, and picked up the few remaining cards. "If one must lie, lie boldly." He reminded the others with a sly smile. "And so the game begins in earnest."

"At any rate -that puts queens on your shoulders, Captain.- I look forward to seeing a woman in the Guardstaff. I've never known a woman with a weapon who wasn't twice as terrifying as a man with the same. I faced a female pirate once; her crew was taken quickly and she was by no means its leader, but she was the last we could restrain, and she nearly took a chunk out of one of my men in the process. I admired her boldness. She was more memorable than even her captain. It's just a shame that in most places the punishment for piracy is death. Who knows, maybe she got out of it, Anne Bonny did." Hans knew a fair bit about pirates, even the long-dead historical ones.

The Captain smiled, a bit relieved, he was perfectly fine with Hans being a self-made man, he had just been disturbed thinking that he thought he was a good for nothing, luckily that wasn't the case.

"One Queen."

"I'm really tempted to join myself," Ida affirmed. "I can help spread the word. Aside from myself, I also know a few other women that might be a perfect fit, as well, not your typical 'angels of the house' gals. That'd be ready to throw down a challenge in a heartbeat. Besides y'all might need a woman's perspective, especially if the guard's consist of a bunch of dullards like Derrick."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" exclaimed Derrick.

"Of course you do. It was an insult afterall, dear Derrick." She razzed. "Two Kings."

"I'm no dolt! I like to see myself as a risk-taker that didn't get it right," he confidently corrected with a smirk. "Four aces." He really did have two additional aces, that's why he'd jumped the gun last time, but Hans didn't know that.

"Oh I definitely want to see you and your friends on the guard. We'll have to get some feminine-cut uniforms. And no I don't mean 'skirts'. Can't have you going about in ill-fitting wool coats on the Queen's watch." Hans observed.

"Always one queen, I'm surprised nobody called you on that, Captain." Hans wouldn't say he knew better, he could only confirm the existence of one queen, but he suspected someone else had the other queens. "If you manage to get through this night without getting caught at least once, I swear..." He took a drink of his own rum. "Oh right, my turn. Two twos." Derrick, however, had played two twos before. Hans had suspected at least one was a lie, but was it?

The Captain chuckled at Hans' allegation about the Queen card. Sipping his drink as well.

"Good, cause if you made us wear skirts. I'd expect the men to wear them as well," Ida said in a dead serious tone.

"Ida, why did you put that image in my head?" Derrick started laughing hysterically at the thought of the entirety of Arendelle guard wearing skirts.

Hans laughed too, both at the Captain, and at Ida's joke.

"Ah, you see, us Queen's men know the truth- there is always only one Queen." He joked, with a mock-posh tone, like the royal everyone tended to forget he actually was. "Thank god it's this one, the one in the Isles is-" He elected to drink instead of finish that sentence, looking off as if to say 'well, you know.'

"Yes, the gents in skirts and the ladies in armor, I'd pay to see that. New rule, anyone makes fun of the female guards, they get a guard skirt." Hans proposed, with a wry grin. "We can tell foreign countries it's a Scottish Kilt, they'll probably be fine with it. Until the Scots visit."

Laughter boomed, and far beyond just the party of four playing at the table, they were joined by some of the surrounding tables as well. Of course people have been eavesdropping. How could they not? Who could easily ignore the Captain of the Guard sharing a drink with the most infamous and worst criminal Arendelle had to offer. Everyone was curious, because outside the castle walls there was only gossip of Hans.

Hans grinned to himself, and cast a somewhat playful look to the Captain.

"Oh I have an audience now, do I?" He hummed. "Our next round may require a bigger table, then. Come on, if you're going to laugh, join the conversation, god knows I like to talk, and I like to annoy the Captain, who gets annoyed at my talking. It's a perfect setup." He joked, letting his charismatic attitude come out again.

He was quite the chameleon. Morose alone, but the more people he could get to laugh with him, the more he laughed as well. He could tell stories or get serious, he could be a fury in battle, but still could not bring himself to anger when righteously struck by Anna. He seemed very unique in his manner, ever shifting. The more people there were to attend to, the broader his personality had to be, the more in-tuned with the other personalities he needed to become. He could be funny, but never silly. He could be chaotic, but never wild. Playful and childish, but never so un-serious that he couldn't come right back to a stern look when he needed to. In spite of his drinking, he still had an undercurrent of control. He knew exactly what mannerisms he was putting on.

The Captain lifted an eyebrow and gave him a slight irked glance in return. An 'Oh, brother' could almost be read from his expression. He let out a bit of exasperated grumble.

"If it keeps you from talking my ears off, everybody is more than welcome to join," he quipped, taking another swig of his drink. The Captain made his next move in the game. "Also if you want me to get called out for any 'bullshit', I suggest you do it yourself boy," he challenged with a slight simper. He could tell Hans was trying to play it safe.

"Ah, the conflicting nature of my character. Do I do for myself, because I am a hard worker, or let others take the risk for me, because I'm not a fool? A fine question, we'll figure it out when others don't pounce on their turns too quickly to call it." He laughed a little. "Are you calling me 'boy' because you feel old even though you're younger than my eldest brother? Or because you're irked about me putting you on the ground in the sword demonstration earlier?" Now he was just being a shit. In truth he thought it was endearing, mostly, but he was beginning to wonder about the nature of it.

"Not a fool, ey? You say that, but I've heard otherwise. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure 'Fool' is one of your official titles, granted by the Queen even, what an honor," chuckled the Captain. If Hans was being a jackass, he wasn't going to hold back either. "I call 'em like I see 'em," he shrugged a little before adding. "Boy."

Hans laughed, caught by surprise.

"The Captain has bested me in my own game." He raised a glass in salute. "But for the record, I gave my own dumb ass that title, thank you very much. It was easier than explaining to the snow-child why an attempted murderer is telling jokes to the Queen." He shrugged. "For my next act, I shall balance on a chair. Doubly fun if my next glass is a double." He finished his drink and set it down, just being playful. He was sarcastic, of course- unless someone challenged him.

The Captain finished his drink and ordered another round, who would pay for it would be determined later. The game continued, and Hans and Captain were the ones with the least amount of cards. Ida and Derrick were the ones calling 'Bullshit' mostly against each other and Hans, the Captain did seem to be getting away with his plays.

"You know what I just realized, Westergaard? Unless I'm mistaken, if you lose I'll have to pay for it too, cause I doubt you're given pension." he brought up. "But knowing you don't accept aid and value hard work, I'm sure you'll find another way to compensate."

Hans laughed. "Always, Captain. Hard work like training Her Royal Majesty and your recruits for you? I forget, am I a prisoner or a swordmaster? Nobody seems entirely clear on what my role here is- least of all, me." He leaned back and shrugged a little. He didn't drink yet, wanting to be clear on the monetary situation. He did feel he held the right cards. "Or did you intend for me to start a brothel? I grant you I'm handsome enough Captain, but that really sounds more like my brother Eduard's thing." That was definitely delivered like a joke, but he grinned wryly at Ida, hoping she would jump in on that setup.

Of course, Ida jumped in without hesitation, she wouldn't miss out on the chance of flustering the Captain of the Guard, how often would an opportunity like that present itself? Ida played along and began to look Hans up and down.

"Oh, yes. Easy money for sure. A man with all your qualities, are very hard to come by," she observed, with a glint of the eye. "You could easily undertake an entire brothel all by your lonesome," she was slightly poking fun at Hans for the 'start a brothel' comment, since brothels required more than one.

The Captain had gotten flustered from the beginning, since he was indeed reliant on Hans, and that in itself was embarrassing enough. But, when Hans brought up the alternative and even if it was just a joke, had made his eyes widen and his facial features shifted to utter horror. It was rather easy to ruffle his feathers, with that subject.

"Oh dear God, no!" the Captain shuddered, covering his face with one hand for a moment, before making his fingers rub the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Anything, but that." Hans had really tested the Captain's patience.

Hans snickered a little. "Sorry Captain, twelve brothers have rather made me good at teasing. God knows we're no good for anything else until we can swing swords about. Anyway, whatever your last play was, bullshit." Hans had been watching the game in between witticisms, and noted that he and the Captain both were perilously low on cards. He wasn't stupid, the game only got good when the pile was thick- though someone picking the pile up late, as often happened, made for an intrigue as well, for then no-one truly knew the fate of the cards. And if he had to pick some up, well, Hans was one of the few who had strategies for Cheat beyond 'the last card in anyone's hand is almost always bullshit'.

"Finally calling me out on my bullshit. Congratulations it paid off," concluded the Captain, picking up the pile after revealing his cards. The pile wasn't too big, but thick enough to significantly push Hans in the lead with the least amount of cards.

"Don't be too proud, captain, I was aware of your bullshit a while back, but what are friends for, if not supporting one-another's nonsense?" He joked dryly. "Or perhaps, is it rude to call you a friend of a treasoner? I would hate to insult you." That was much less of a joke, as he continued to watch his cards. "Is this a bad time to admit that this game can easily go for an hour?" He smiled a little to himself and drank his rum, but there was a bit of insincerity to it. Any time he got to thinking about himself, it seemed he got a little less genuine, a little less jovial.

"I'd be more offended if you didn't think there was some sort of camaraderie between us," answered the Captain. "Considering we're gonna be spending a lot of time working together. If you thought I was good for nothing other than jokes and buying drinks, I'd be insulted for sure." He chuckled.

"You know not that long ago, if someone'd told me I'd someday be sharing a drink with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, I'da laughed in their face and thought they were crazy." He laughed a little to himself. "Look at me now, I'm playing cards even."

"Now don't go blabbing that the Captain of the Guard takes criminals out for drinks, if the guys in the dungeon catch wind of it they'll have themselves a field day," joked the Captain. He chuckled a bit then got a bit more serious. "You really think I'd ask anyone to share a drink with me? And much less a common criminal? If so, you're sorely mistaken, I only reserve that privilege for people I respect." The Captain raised his glass and drank from it.

Hans seemed a little wry, and gestured around him.

"I imagine anyone here would have thought it equally hilarious so much as a month ago. I bring out interesting qualities in people, and they do the same to me." He admitted. "Forgive me for not thinking much of myself. I've earned an admiralty and that much I consider admirable. An Admirable Admiral. Hah. But the rest I could take or leave. Maybe the swordplay." He gave an offhand shrug. "Princes are a dime a dozen in the Isles, and you get the thirteenth free." Still, that was a joke, but he seemed somewhat lightened. His tone fluctuated seemingly with the tides, for how fluid he could be, jokes and jibes turning into self-deprecation and mild loathing for himself alone, yet he maintained a tone of friends at a bar, no matter how many were listening.

The night at the tavern continued with a few more rounds of cards, after the first game concluded, to Derrick's dismay he lost the first game and had to buy the table drinks. After testing the waters with the first round, a lot of the bystanders decided to join in the fun, for themselves. Which meant more drinks, quips and laughter. After a few rounds and tired of being awarded something simple like alcohol, they'd decided to up the ante for the final round and raise the stakes to something that was worth a bit more, (not monetary, but something that'd put their dignities on the line) they agreed to bet that everyone other than the winner had to sing a song. The Captain was greatly relieved to have won that round. Soon after disbanding what seemed to be an endless concert of drunken singing, that dragged on a tad bit too long thanks to Hans actually enjoying the punishment and crowd continuously asking for an encore, the Captain finally called it a night. He decided it'd be best if escorted Hans back to the castle before he became too inebriated.