"He does not look like the type of person to appreciate my particular dialect of English," he said, smiling slightly. "Would you mind taking the lead?"
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"Of course, darlin'," she said with a flash of a smile, then grabbed his arm to pull him behind her as she wove her way through the tavern, making sure to make her path as mindless and indirect as possible while making her way over to the particular man.
The man looked up from the piece of parchment, looking around the bar with wide eyes. His hand snaked to the cup of ale that sat in front of him, and he took a long swig from it, completely oblivious of the two making their way over to his table.
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"Oh he's going to be a fun one," she muttered, then plastered on a simultaneously pleasant and pirate-y smile as she sat down in front of the man. " 'ello mate. Tho't you could use t'he company. Well, that and 's quite full here."
Anto sat down next to her, folding his hands on the table. The man eyed the two with unguarded suspicion, pulling his drink closer to himself.
"Aye, I s'pose it's a bit crowded tonight," he said in a low, gravelly voice.
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"Mmm. Say, you look like someone I could use." She cut to the chase, never one to beat around the bush for long. She reached out slightly and tapped the table as she spoke, enunciating her words. "I'm an Orchid, one of the crewmembers of the Merry Watch? We're looking for, say, extra motivated members?"
"Oh? An' what do you mean by 'extra motivated?'" he asked, taking another long drink of his ale. "That could mean a lot of things."
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"It could," she agreed, propping her head up with a hand, "But what I'm looking for is a skilled crew of my own, one that isn't in it for the booze and freedom. We need soldiers."
His eyes wandered over to Anto, studying the small man with a bit of confusion. "And this is one of your soldiers?"
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"He's tougher than he looks," she said, then sat up straighter—business mode. "I need to know if you have what it takes and if you're willing to take up my proposition. You look the part, but looks aren't everything."
The man gave Anto another once over, then finished his drink. "I tell ya what. If if your friend here can beat me in a little sparring match, I'll join ye crew."
Anto looked over at Fane, giving her a small nod.
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Fane cast a slightly concerned look his way, telling him silently that he was injured and shouldn't be getting into serious sparring. But, she knew, he's stubborn and wouldn't listen, so she looked to the man and nodded as if she wasn't worried. "Alright. Let's take it outside first, however, so we don't draw too much of a crowd."
Anto stood up, only making the man smile. It was obvious that he was grossly underestimating his opponent. They weaved their way through the tavern, the prince hiding his limp the best he could as they exited the bar and out into the cobblestone street.
"First one to cry uncle?" the man asked, sliding into an experienced fighting stance.
Anto nodded, doing the same.
The man came at Anto with blinding speed, swinging a punch that would've ended the fight right then and there if it had connected. But it didn't. The prince had slipped under the path of the blow, leaving his opponent's back exposed. Anto lunged and climbed onto the man's back, slipping his arm under his chin and clenching as hard as he could. It was almost identical to the move that he had done to the killer of the original second mate and it produced a similar result.
"Uncle!" the man cried out in a tense voice his knees buckling underneath him.
Anto let go as soon as the words were spoken, landing on his feet as the man rubbed his throat gingerly.
"Yer one fast motherfucker!" the man said, offering his other hand out to Anto. "Me name's Mathias White."
"Anto," the prince responded, shaking the hand in return.
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Fane was standing off to the side partially leaning on a lamppost, and she flicked her brows up when she watched the fight. Anto was fast, faster than she had expected. She hadn't actually watched him fight, at least watched him properly and not out of the corner of her eye, so witnessing that made her all the more hopeful in his ability to help train.
She was considering having him join the special crew—which she had yet to name—thinking his skills would be useful as a co-leader or something. Being a runaway prince, he surely had some sort of leadership skills hidden away in that thick skull of his. If not, then his fighting capabilities would surely earn him the respect needed.
"I'll join ye crew, lady," White said, turning to Fane and offering his hand to her, too. "What should I call ye?"
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"Fane," she said, reaching out and taking his hand, giving it a firm shake. "You know of anyone else we could recruit? However much I appreciate a good scavenger hunt, it'll take up less time if you could point us towards some good people."
"There's a lady back in the bar," he said, pointing back to the Lonely Mermaid, "Sneaky as hell, she is. Nearly stole me coin purse right out from under me nose."
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Fane looked to Anto and nodded, then offered a smile towards White. "Thanks. We'll talk to her." She waved Anto over as she started for the door.
"I felt like I handled myself fairly well," he said, checking to make sure both of his knifes were still at his hip. They were.
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"You were quite impressive, I'll admit," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't expect many more compliments, however. You've run out of your fair share."
"Yes," he said, smiling in an amused manner. "You can't be babying me anymore."
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She scowled. "I'm not babying you. I'm doing what's necessary because your incompetent ass will get itself killed within three seconds of me not watching over you like some eternally disappointed guardian."
"Oh, how did I survive 7 years abroad without you?" he asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes as they entered the bar again.
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"You never had a taste of piracy, that's why you survived," she reasoned, looking around for the sneaky woman. She didn't need a description—she had a good sense of what a sneak would look like in a crowd of drunks.
She sat on the far end of the bar, sipping on a cup of ale while eyeing the entire tavern like a cat would look at its prey. She took notice of the two immediately and frowned, beginning to stand.
(Iḿ not good with female characters, hlep)
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(lmao. It's funny, because I've got more male than female characters)
Fane came up to the woman without fear in her eyes, something that intrigued the woman. Usually, someone took one look at her and saw something in her that made them hold their purses just a little closer. Fane, however, kept herself open, arms over her chest and belt pockets on full display. "How can I help you?" the woman asked, angling her head curiously. She stood shorter than Fane, perhaps a good 3 or 4 inches, but her presence was clearly felt in the area around her.
"I've heard that you're the best master of stealth there is in these parts," Fane said, "I'd like to offer a proposition."
Anto followed Fane, standing about a foot behind her and a couple to the left. He doubted his presence would affect the conversation at all, so he just stood patiently and kept his mouth shut.
(Bump?)
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(i'm here, i'm here. I'm slow this morning)
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The woman rose a brow. "Really? Well, you heard correctly. What's this proposition, and what's in it for me?"
Fane shrugged, looking nonchalant. "I'm a crewmember of the Merry Watch and am forming a small and specialized crew. You look like just the kind of person I'm looking for. You'll be paid well, and will be free to steal to your heart's content, within reason, of course."
