"Slavers and Pirates and Elves, Oh My!" Campaign.

((If this all seems new to you, the background story is in the Ripped Bodice Tavern forum, under "Alexia's Corner."  This picks up exactly where that left off.))

Miryala and Niniane were waiting at the Bodice when Vida walked in.  Miryala gestured to a chair on the same side of the table she was sitting at, with her back to a wall.  Vida nodded approvingly, as the choice offered a good view of the tavern's various patrons and a solid tactical position should anything untoward happen.  She sat, crossed her legs, and set her captain's hat on the table, untying her bandana and letting her shoulder-length brown hair fall free.

"This is Vida, captain of the Harbor Cloud," she said to Niniane, "and this is Niniane, she's been helping me, and might join the venture."  "A tavern maid?  She looks hearty enough...as long as she keeps me grog cup full," the captain laughed.  Niniane shot her a narrow-eyed glare.  Miryala, trying to diffuse the situation as soon as possible added, "you'd best watch your tongue, I've seen what she can do with that knife."  "Duly noted," Vida laughed, slapping Niniane on the back gregariously, eliciting another disapproving look.





Within the space of the next hour, more than a dozen mariners that had come to the call of Vida's 'old friend' were interviewed.  Vida decided, after assessing their skills, reliability, and trustworthiness that eight of them should be hired.  

"We need a weather witch.  A mage, who knows the seas.  Someone who can fill our sails when becalmed."  A tavern girl overheard their conversation as she filled Vida's cup.  She looked as if she wanted to speak, but was afraid.  Niniane gestured that she should say what was on her mind.  "There's a weird foreign mage, who's staying at the inn here.  She might help, if you can drag her away from her new squeeze that long, they nearly wore out the bed in that room!  Supposedly got in a scuffle that landed her in the arena, where she was part of a big battle.  Lost in the arena...quite the sight, got her fat butt spanked red, she did, and then..."  

"I can hear you, you know..." said a tall, auburn-haired woman in a revealing purple dress.  The tavern girl scurried off, terrified, as she approached.  "Irlana."  Vida eyed her, without leaving her seat.  "That accent--Almeridan?"  "Heh...close, but far," the tall woman replied.  "The colonies?"  "Ah, you're a sharp one for a sea-dog."  "Watch who you're calling a dog, mage...unless you want to relive--"  "Well, Irlana, pleased to meet you," Miryala interrupted, strategically.  

"What's this about?" she asked, as young woman in red mage robes approached her from behind, and threw an arm around her waist.  

"We're going on an expedition of sorts.  We need a mage who knows the seas, and can fill our sail with wind."

"I certainly know the seas, and I think I can find a way to do that for you," she said, looking down at her wand.  The young woman's face looked concerned.  "But...darling..."

"We're going after slavers, and the pirates who help them." Miryala responded.  "We'll be gone weeks at least, maybe months.  Our trip will take us into Almeridan waters, though probably not as far as the colonies."  Irlana's face showed deep consideration, while her younger companion looked vexed, "but I just found you...I can't...months?"

"I know these waters well," Irlana offered, a contemplative look on her face, "and I know of these slavers, by reputation.  Can you pay?"

Vida interjected at this point, "If you're good enough, one seaman's share.  And a chance for booty."
"She's already got that," her younger companion giggled, tapping Irlana's backside lightly to demonstrate.

"Aren't they just adorable," Niniane groaned sarcastically, pointing into her mouth as if to express vomiting.  Miryala nodded, amused.

"Please, don't go.  We can make a life here together."  Irlana shook her head, "Jess, I think I could really love you.  But this is something I might have to do.  My past--my conscience, require it of me."

"Then take me, too," Jessica said to captain Vida, who looked at her dubiously.  Niniane shook her head violently to the negative, "Maybe we don't need either of them--we certainly don't need some lovestruck teenager."  "I'm 21...and a half, I'll have you know!" Jessica replied, "and a pyromancer!  Well, almost."  Niniane looked at her mockingly, "Oooooh, 21!  And a half!  Sorry to have offended you, pyromancer...almost!"

Miryala shook her head in disbelief.  If this was her party, it wasn't getting off on the right foot.  "Look, we only have space for one weather-witch.  You seem nice and all, but maybe neither of you is the right fit for our--"  "Bring her," Irlana interrupted.  Miryala's expression remained obstinate.  "I've seen her fight.  She's quite talented--she nearly beat two more experienced mages in this very tavern."

Miryala bit her lip, now indecisive.  Vida looked exasperated, Niniane's glare clearly a sign she disapproved.  Miryala looked at the ground, as if knowing she was going to regret this.  "Ok, ok, you lovebirds can both come--but one seaman's wage and one share of the booty, to be shared between you."  Jessica nodded eagerly, "She'll have enough booty for both of us."  Irlana rolled her eyes at the continued commentary on her backside.  "One more thing," the younger mage added.  Miryala looked at her in disbelief that she was continuing to negotiate after barely being humored by the others.  "We bunk together."  Vida spoke up, "There's a room in the bottom, by the cargo hold...I can't promise you'll be alone in there, but the noise won't keep the rest of us up...and it may be damp."  "Oh, it will be plenty damp," Jessica giggled.  "Aaargh, kids," Niniane carped.  
"Meet us on the third wharf three days hence," Vida said, as the pair of mages walked away, hip to hip, arms around each other.

Irlana smiled.  Although outwardly, it might seem that losing half her pay to Jessica might annoy her, inside, she was happy that her wanderlust and her lust for the nubile young pyromancer's flesh could be sated as part of the same deal.  "This will be a truly epic adventure," she said, to no one in particular.  "It sure will!" came a comic, male-sounding voice from inside her robe.  "Wand?"  "Yes?"  "Shut up."

"So, you have a crew, a weather witch, and some giggly mage schoolgirl with an attitude.  Good going."  Vida said, handing Miryala another tankard of mead from the tavern girl's tray.  "Who do you have to help you fight?  To help you hunt pirates, and accomplish your mission once you get there?  I think we have room for around four or five more."

"Well," Niniane answered, "we've had a note on the message board for a few days, and there's been some interest.  Some of them should be here tonight."  "Let's find out," said Miryala, standing and walking toward the center of the tavern.

No one expected the Elf to climb up on a table, but no one seemed to mind.  Niniane's eyes widened, seeing a side of her companion she hadn't to this point.

"People of the Ripped Bodice Tavern," Miryala started, in a voice louder than anyone knew she was capable of.  She paused for a moment, noticing that she had spilled some sticky mead into her cleavage as she climbed onto the table.  She pushed her free hand inside her breastplate, between her cleavage, and tried to rub the sticky sweet liquid out as much as possible while she continued speaking.  "As you might have seen from our notice on the message board, I am launching an expedition to take down some slavers that plague our seas, and free the people of my village.  If any of you have the skills and the desire to help in this matter, I can pay sailor's wages, plus a share in the booty.  Are there any who are interested in the challenge?  Come forth and meet my crew."

Niniane clapped, as that was a pretty good speech for a moderately drunk elf, who had seemed a little shy up until this point.  Vida's keen eyes noticed a solitary figure, a raven-haired woman who had been sitting in the opposite corner of the bar, who listened intently, took the advertisement from the notice board, and left the tavern without a word.  "Looks like trouble," she said, elbowing Niniane's side and pointing toward the exiting figure.  Niniane glared at her again.  Apparently, she didn't like how much Vida kept touching her.  She clearly wasn't used to that kind of camaraderie from someone she barely knew.

Miryala climbed down from the table, barely keeping her balance, watching the crowd for any volunteers who might come forth.

((This will run a bit after "Trouble in the Arena" Ends or slows down--just opening RP and seeing who wants to come along--suggestions so far in the signup thread involved Yvette, Maybe Annie or Jamie?))

As soon as she saw the job, Yvette knew she had to take it. What these pirates were doing was wrong, and that was exactly the type of thing Yvette stood against. She only wished that these sailors had chosen a more discreet rendezvous point. Yvette hated showing her face in the city, for more reasons than one.

So Yvette found herself sitting at the bar, trying to ignore the various cat calls thrown her way by having a drink, but blushing a bit redder each time. Meanwhile, the faunus tried to figure out who exactly was going to hire her.

She had found a trio that looked like the right sort of people, and was about to approach them when she saw the mage who humiliated her in their one-on-one arena match. Sure, she had kinda gotten back at her, but there was no way she was getting anywhere near her any time soon.

Once the pyromancer had left with her girlfriend, who had also humiliated Yvette to some small degree, and the odd elf had made her speech, the freedom fighter walked up to her new employers. "I hear you're trying to take out a group of slavers," Yvette said with as much confidence as she could muster (not a lot.) "I would be willing to lend my bow to the cause."

Miryala smiled to her companions, happy to show that her speech had gotten the attention of someone willing to sign on. "I'm Miryala, this is Niniane, and Captain Vida. Please, let us a know a little about you."

"My name is Yvette, and I fancy myself a pretty good shot," the faunus replied curtly. "I don't much like talking about myself; it brings back," she closed her eyes, "bad memories."

"I can vouch for her expertise with the bow, I've seen her in action!" a nearby waitress who had overheard offered, then ran off, giggling. Miryala just looked confused, and was about so say something when Vida chimed in, "Welcome aboard, archer. The bow is an important weapon when ships near one another, and you'll be handy. And the three of us," she added, looking at Niniane and Miryala to make certain they heard, "won't be asking any more questions about your past. I'll also command the sailors to avoid the topic as well."

Yvette's face turned very red at the waitress's comment, and she hung her head as Vida spoke. "Thank you," she said in response to their kindness, and once they had the details of when and where they'd be meeting worked out, the faunus left the bar and returned to her hideout to prepare.