General: Usual intro, I do not own this story, all credit due to Sunjinjo (Iris). Hope you enjoy the final audience session.

An Overlady's Audiences Part 12

The visitor coming in next stood out from his predecessors already by stepping forward without fear or respect immediately after coming in, off the trap door and towards the throne, without being intimidated by his surroundings or even looking around for a moment. Jinx raised her eyebrows, first because of this demeanour, then because of her visitor's appearance.

A jaunty bow had nut-brown dreadlocks obscure his face, but as he straightened out sharp, silvery grey eyes were revealed, beholding her from a tanned face. The visitor was clad in an off-white, half-open shirt and watertight pants, and multiple pieces of dyed cloth had been bound around his waist, which failed to disguise the gleaming cutlass amongst them. His outfit was topped off by a tricorne hat. Once risen from his bow, the visitor grinned and thus bared a few golden teeth. "Greetings, lovely Overlady. The stories do you no justice."

Jinx smiled in amusement. She already liked this visitor more than Autanius, stiff and serious. "Greetings. Who honours me with this compliment?"

"You don't know me? I'm deeply shocked," he grinned. "I'm none less than captain Diego Silver-Eye… 'Gorgeous' Diego?"

"Sorry, I've never heard of you before. But I'm glad that's about to change," the Overlady snickered. "I have the suspicion you're no legal sailor?"

"My heart is as black as yours," Diego replied smoothly. "My black flag pales in comparison. I command the glorious three-master Rapture, and I've ruined or taken the life from quite a few Imperial captains." He put a hand on his hip. Jinx could almost see how the sea breeze would blow through his dreads as he hung on to the rigging, and she felt a brief pang of nostalgia; she missed the sea. She pondered the idea of letting Diego live in any case and sail with him for a while. She'd always known there were many pirates sailing the seas, but she'd never met one before. Another reason to be overjoyed with her new position – an Overlord was destined to see it all, do it all, and kill or possess much of it…

"I happened to be in the neighbourhood," the pirate nonchalantly interrupted her thoughts, as he came a bit closer in a swaying fashion betraying his sea legs, or mild drunkenness, "and I was wondering if I could perhaps ask you a favour…" He cast a glance at Jinx' amused grin. "…oh shark-fanged lady of the fell depths."

"You're a smooth talker," the Overlady observed. She could feel Kniff growing restless next to her. "May I guess? You want to borrow Minions? You're not the first, you know."

"But I am the one with the best job for them, I wager," Diego remarked with a blinding, utterly charming smirk. "I heard about the talent for piracy your Minions have; so much death and destruction, such speed, and they don't require payment…" He caught the subtle change in Jinx' expression with eagle-like precision. "…but you do, of course, and that's why I'll offer you a generous ten percent of my proceedings." He took another step, and one of his boots ended up on the bottom step of the throne dais. He suddenly was much closer this way. "I won't have anyone claim Diego Silver-Eye doesn't pay his debts," he spoke in a voice which would have caused warm and cold shivers in Jinx if she'd been human. Kniff bared his teeth, but Diego paid the Minion no heed – he was barely the largest in the hall, and even then the pirate probably wouldn't have been impressed.

Jinx looked her visitor over coolly, busy betraying no emotion whatsoever now she'd seen how good Diego was at reading that. She placed a calming hand on Kniff's shoulder, but the Minion remained tense. Then she cast a glance upwards and met the eyes of the first brown Minion she saw. "Rampus? Could you go get Scabies and his group? He'll like this. Take some blues with you, too." The Minion nodded and hurried off, and Jinx turned back to the pirate, still standing very close by. "Diego, I can certainly lend you a few Minions. I have one who's at least as piraty as you, you're lucky they obey me, otherwise he'd replace you as captain in an instant. You would do well in remembering he's the only one capable of swimming, though."

Diego spread his arms in triumph. "I can't swim either. Being swept overboard as a sailor, it's better to die quickly. Or elseway, be saved by a mermaid," he grinned.

"I would rather not be saved by the Everlightian mermaids," Jinx remarked.

"Ah, but they float very well and they're good eating once you reach land."

Jinx chuckled. Despite herself, and Kniff's reaction to Diego approaching her this closely, she started to like the pirate. To business, she thought to herself. "I'm not sure about that ten percent…"

"Five's good too. I value your concern for a poor sap like me." Diego briefly picked his solid golden teeth.

Jinx coughed. "…but I do want to ask something else of you in exchange for the crew I'll supply you with."

"Oh, I have other crew members, but I wouldn't really care if your Minions… completely replaced them."

"There is a chance of that," Jinx answered honestly. "Without me around to keep them in line… though, that is not to be taken for granted with me around either," she spoke with slight emphasis. "Diego, I don't have any ships myself anymore. And I miss the sea."

"The sea does have a habit of claiming one's love, though I have some left for other purposes. But didn't you control all of Everlight? I thought the Imperial harbour there was full of galleons?"

"It was," Jinx replied, thinking back to Ignavopolis and the wonderful, bloody night she and the Minions had had there not that long ago. "But as I went back to slaughter Emperor Sayron's followers, a few of them were smart enough to set the harbour on fire, as a few others escaped by ship. There wasn't much I could do to salvage the burning ships. I went after them on the wing, but I was alone, and by the time I had the situation under control without using fire magic the ship had run into a reef. The sea is closed to me. What I ask of you is access to the Rapture when I wish it. We can communicate via the Minions in your crew."

Diego took another step closer. "It'd be my pleasure to share my ship with you, my dark lady. And perhaps my cabin, too?"

Jinx narrowed her eyes and rose from the throne. With a single move she'd grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and her other hand, now filled with fire, had come very close to his face. Diego looked up at her from that position. "You're stronger than I estimated," he admitted graciously. "Is this a 'no'?" His silver eyes glistened, without the slightest trace of fear.

Jinx burst out laughing. "You never give up, do you?"

"I'm not just a great captain, but also a notorious conqueror of lady-hearts," the pirate grinned.

Jinx let go of him. "Not this lady, Diego. My heart lies a bit deeper than the depths of that ocean of yours."

"Such a pity." Diego took a few steps back. "But I am glad we can cooperate." A brief cry made him look back, and Jinx outstretched her arm to provide a landing spot for the red parrot flying towards her throne.

"Is this the addition to my crew?" Diego inquired, still looking at the throne room's entrance.

Jinx looked past him and greeted the Minions coming in now; a good horde of browns led by Scabies, and about five blues. Scabies looked into the hall warily at first, but brightened as he caught Diego's gaze. The horde gathered near him.

"Boys, this is Diego Silver-Eye, a pirate who'd like to see how you fare at sea." Jinx grinned seeing Scabies' expression; his eyes shone so brightly it almost hurt to look at him. Duda flapped back to his shoulder and Diego looked down at him, assessing the brown Minion in amusement.

"Your own parrot, an eye patch… did you lose an eye?"

Scabies lifted the black cloth and showed off the large scar underneath. Diego nodded in approval and the Minion grinned. "Are a pirate?"

"How many nautical battles did you win?" Diego asked.

"Two ships, but also Ignavopolis, Nordberg and Arcadiopolis," the Minion proudly replied.

Diego chuckled. "Yes, I'm a pirate, more so than you." He stared back without blinking as Scabies' eyes lit up fiercely. "But I'll gladly help you gain more experience aboard my vessel. All of you! And rum! And gold!" He grinned broadly as the Minions growled among themselves in approval. "People all along the coastline will tremble seeing my… our ship approaching!"

Jinx nodded contently – she liked the sound of this – and then clicked her claws to the basalt of the throne. "If any browns fall overboard, send blues after them. They can swim very well and they can even save a Minion if he's already drowned."

"Good tip," Diego remarked. "And when can I expect your lovely presence aboard?"

"In a few days, or whenever you're ready. I'd appreciate it if you set sail for the Reef Gates to pick me up as soon as you could."

"Where are we headed?"

"The Ruborian harbours in the Kemetis delta."

"There are no Ruborian harbours, the Kemetis is still contaminated."

"Exactly," Jinx grinned. "I'm going to do something about that. In a few months everything will be different down south."

Diego bowed again. "Then the Rapture will be anchored at the Gates in about a week, Milady, and we'll sail south together. Perhaps you'll already see improvement when we meet again, but as soon as you're done in Ruboria your Minions will certainly have transformed into pirates of my calibre in any case."

"I look forward to seeing your calibre in action," Jinx replied dryly. "I'm most curious."

"I won't disappoint you," the pirate winked. "In any way!"

"Enough flirting," Jinx snickered, and she sent the flames down to him and his group of Minions. Kniff looked at her sideways, and Jinx looked back. "What? Kniff, I'm part Minion, I'm as loyal as you."

"Rip his arms off if he flirts one more time," the brown growled.

"No, you won't," Jinx spoke, turning him towards her. "because he's our ticket to open sea. I'll beat it out of him myself, alright?"

"As long as he doesn't like that a little too much, either," Gnarl remarked. "But Mistress, what if we just killed him and his human crew and take that Rapture of him for ourselves? Then you won't have to listen to his flirting anymore… and neither will I."

Jinx leant over to his side. "Maybe I will, later, but for now he's useful with those Minions, I think. If he can improve Scabies' skills, not mentioning the others… experience at sea is useful."

"Your wish is our command," Gnarl grinned.

That concludes these audience sessions with Jinx. It is my pleasure to inform you readers that the anticipated sequel of Minion Mistress is ready for deployment.

'Shadows Embrace' will be published in two days so I hope you will stay tuned for it. Please review and take care.