In need of buoyancy

[Finn Roberts]

CETNISADEL BAY/SOMEWHERE AT SEA
Late Afternoon




It was a lazy afternoon. The crew of the Phantom Queen were enjoying a well earned break in Cetnisadel Bay after their goods were fenced. Most were lazing around in the tavern or enjoying some company at the inn.
Finn and Derrick were relaxing at a table on the veranda of the tavern, overlooking the Bay. A girl was on Finn's lap, nuzzling his neck, while he sipped some cheap whiskey.
"It's time to find some good liquor again. We can't live on this horse piss forever." he told Derrick before nibbling at the girl's ear.
Derrick was stretched out in his chair, his feet propped on the table with a tankard of ale in his hand, eyes closed. "I heard some talk of a ship transporting some good stuff to Fellsgard - the long way around. Apparently, sailors are scared of the Narrows - fortunately for us." he answered, shifting a bit to be more comfortable.
"We should lighten their load a bit then. You know where abouts they are now?" Finn asked before pulling the girl closer and nibbling her neck.
"About nine hundred miles south of here. If the accounts are correct, that is." Derrick answered.
"Good. We can lie in wait, then." Finn replied. "We need to find a ship with a substantial cargo as well. This last haul of ours wasn't much."
"Aye. I've been doing some asking when we were in Verdant. Apparently there's a nice little convoy that will be heading for Domrhask soon. We could intercept them." Derrick answered.
"That could work. Are we stocked up on bombs and provisions?" Finn asked.
"We are carrying full load." Derrick said before taking another gulp of ale.
"Good. We'll leave in the morning then. Have the men ready." Finn replied before burying his face in the girl's bosom.

@Cirice Vaisha

[Cirice Vaisha]

The Hellion came limping into the harbour of Cetnisadel Bay in a pitiful state. The hull was full of holes, the foremast was snapped by the base and dangling on the side, and what was left of the sails were torn and scorched. The battered ship quickly caught eyes before reaching an open dock. Its captain let go of the wheel and limped her way to a boarding ramp, not looking any better than her ship. Her face, usually flawless, was bloody and bruised with a deep scowl permanently set along her brow.

She stepped off the ship and onto the pier, breathing a heavy sigh of relief before turning to one of her crew members. "Make sure you plug any holes still leaking. Get the wounded some help and unload any cargo before it's spoiled." she ordered with a low voice before limping off, her right hand clutching a bandaged wound on her upper leg. She glanced at the tavern and decided that a drink seemed appropriate for the moment. However she groaned as she got closer. But she held her tongue as she walked towards the veranda. "You'll have to try harder than that, sweetheart, he only likes girls that bite." she grumbled as she walked past them and into the tavern, shoving everybody aside to get to the counter. Once there, she downed a mug of grog and waited for a refill, then went outside again to sit down on the fence of the veranda.

She sighed again and pressed the back of her head against a pillar, slowly rolling it back and forth with closed eyes. She finally opened them and glanced at the two pirates. "Just as I thought my day couldn't get any worse, I have to look at your ugly mugs." she muttered, pressing the mug against the side of her head. She took another sip of her mug and glanced at it with a look of disgust. "This stuff tastes like piss. Don't tell me you're in the brewing business now..." she jabbed at them with a smirk.

@Finn Roberts

[Finn Roberts]

Of course the bliss of peace was short-lived with the arrival of the doomsayer Cirice Vaisha. As the elven captain made a quip as she passed, Finn sighed in frustration into the girl's chest before lifting his head.
"Can she never just shut up and enjoy a drink like everyone else?" he groaned towards Derrick as Cirice disappeared into the tavern.
"You're asking the wrong person, my friend." Derrick grinned, eyes still closed.
Soon, Cirice made her appearance once more and made herself at home on the veranda rail along with another quip about the liquor.
"If we had made this, it would at least be drinkable. We are as disgusted as you are." Derrick answered her without opening his eyes.
"Go on, get." Finn said, playfully smacking the bum of the girl on his lap. She took off with a giggle as Finn leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. Only then did he take a good look at the elf in front of him.
"The fuck happened to you? Seagull think you were its nest or something?" he asked, finishing his horse-piss whiskey.
Derrick cracked an eye at this and caught sight of the Hellion in the harbour.
"Either that or woodpeckers got to her ship." he quipped teasingly.

All jokes aside, Finn could see it must have been one hell of a fight for someone to best Cirice Vaisha on a hunt. She may be a pain in his arse, but whoever did this would be a greater pain if left unchecked.
"Did you at least drown a bunch of the fuckers that did this?" he asked, a bit more serious. If they were still sailing around, they would soon learn to fear the independent colours.

@Cirice Vaisha

[Cirice Vaisha]

Cirice watched the girl run off and let out a snicker as she looked back to Finn and Derrick. Her smile faded again as the two of them took their turns to make fun at her. At least Finn got serious and asked about what happened. She merely shook her head. "Barely. The fucker jumped us from the river outlet to the south. Must have been as heavily armed as the Queen and it had a bloody ice ram on the bow. Now I'm asking you this. What the fuck kind of warship can keep up with my ship, maneuver that bloody river even with a full set of sails, and have armour on top of all of that?" she explained with venom in her voice, chugging down her grog and pressing her mug against a tavern wench passing by. "Refill. Now." she ordered coldly without even looking at the girl.

"Double broadside from not even a hundred yards away, not one shot scored. I'm amazed we survived a single one from her, the fucker was packing 12-pounders at least. I know my cannons aren't that big, but damn. I would have expected to do more than dent it at least, especially at that range. Only reason we got away is because I managed to get us on her stern. Took out her rudder, the wheel and likely the steering mechanism as well. Sent her sailing into the west while we ran back here." she explained her story as she glanced at her ship. Once her drink returned, she took a sip and sat back once more. "She was definitely a hunter. Not your standard navy ship and she knew how to handle herself, definitely not a pirate. My guess is a company ship, likely built to counter our little exploits." she continued calmly, glancing between the two of them.

Her eyes focused on Finn for a few moments. "She's going to be a problem if we don't take care of her. You know this as well as I." she spoke, turning to face him fully as she sat on the railing.

@Finn Roberts

[Finn Roberts]

Finn listened to her, his brow furrowing the more she spoke. The companies were getting bold, their resistance against the Independence growing. When Cirice had finished, Finn dropped his feet to the ground and leaned forward in his chair. He remained silent for a few minutes, folding his hands in front of his knees, looking out over the Bay. Derrick watched him with resignation written all over his face. He knew his captain would not let this go unpunished.

Finally, Finn looked back at Cirice. "I agree. A ship like that won't fuck around in these waters just for the hell of it. They've declared war by trying to take out one of the most feared ships on the Azure." he said, all mockery and jest gone from his voice and face. He got up and went to stand at the railing to get a good look at the Hellion. "You want to take care of that bitch, but you won't be able to get the Hellion out the Bay." he said before looking back at Cirice. "So I take it you need the Queen to send that fucker to the Locker?" he continued, a halfhearted smile curled around the corners of his mouth for a second before disappearing again. He looked back at the Bay, his blue eyes stern and thoughtful. He then turned to look at Derrick.
"This fucker got one victory. He's not going to stop until we are gone." he said.
"I know." Derrick sighed. "Good thing you reinforced the Queen's ram the other day, then."
Finn then looked at Cirice for a second before sighing and looking up at the sky. "I know I'm going to regret this." he said, shaking his head. He then looked back at Cirice again. "I'm probably going to need your help on this. You in?" he asked. He knew it will probably use all his willpower not to drive a sword through her gut before this endeavour reached its destination. But he also knew that she was one person he needed by his side along with Derrick if this undertaking was to be successful. He was screwed.

@Cirice Vaisha

[Cirice Vaisha]

Finn stood up and stated his thoughts on the situation. Cirice looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he spoke, asking about her need for the Queen. "Something like that." she said but fell quiet as he continued on with his rant. He then, to her surprise, asked her to join in on the hunt. She was planning on demanding to tag along. Good thing she didn't need to scream at him again to get something done. "Of course I'm in. But I have something crazier in mind." she started, looking up at him with a grin. "I want her alive and seaworthy." she stated.

"The Hellion is over fifty years old, it's high time I got something more modern. Don't worry. It also makes your job easier. You don't have to shoot the shit out of her, you only have to get me onboard her." she continued. "I've been playing with some recipes for stuff that make a rather nasty boom. Should be perfect to clear the decks but still keep the ship intact. And just to make it worth your time as well, her waterline was a little high. She's carrying cargo of some sort. I'm dead certain she's got some booty from other hunts before she came at us." she got up with a bit of a struggle and shifted her weight to her good leg. Looking him in the eye, she nodded to the harbour. "Well then, Captain Roberts, let's go." she ordered as she turned around to walk down to the harbour. "The remainder of my men will be coming along as well. Don't worry, it's the leftovers of the bunch that eat next to nothing. They won't be a problem. Though I do sincerely hope my accommodations will be satisfactory." she spoke over her shoulder, flashing him a wink towards the end as she walked away.

After a bit she had everything sorted with her crew and her ship was cleared out. They could go through the effort of scuttling it later. With everything squared away and some time spent doctoring herself, she returned to the tavern looking much better. "Well captain, when are you planning on setting sail?" she asked as she fiddled with the sleeve of her fresh new outfit.

@Finn Roberts

[Finn Roberts]

"Well that escalated quickly." Finn said in response to her wanting to keep the hunter seaworthy. "All right. But if she shoots at me, I shoot back. You'll need to do some plugging when we are done." he continued.
"Look on the bright side. At least we'll get some decent loot out of this little adventure. She won't be carrying low value items if she's armed to the teeth." Derrick said.
Finn looked at Cirice before she took off. "Bring all the ammunition you have. We'll need it. Oh, and I take eighty percent." he stated in a decisive tone that did not leave room for retorts. He then looked at Derrick. "Get the men ready. They have an hour." he ordered before disappearing into the tavern.
Derrick sighed. "What have you gotten us into this time, sweetheart? he asked rhetorically before getting up to start rounding up their crew.

The sun was starting to set when they met back at the tavern. Finn was leaning against the railing of the veranda when Cirice appeared, looking a right side better than earlier. She asked him about setting sail.
"My men are ready. Derrick already got them on the Queen. You can get your men aboard and we'll be off. I don't....how do you put it....lollygag." he said, standing up straight. "You look like you're feeling better, but are you up for a fight?" he asked, looking her up and down. From what she had told him, there was no room for error on this venture.
"We need to get going." he said. He then walked past her and down the steps towards the harbour. "Might want to keep up, Captain, or I leave you behind!" he called over his shoulder.

Half an hour later, they were sailing out of the Bay. Finn handed the wheel over to Derrick and motioned for Cirice to follow him to his cabin.
"I need information." he said as he walked past her to descend to the main deck.
Inside his cabin, he poured them some better whiskey than the shit they were drinking earlier. He handed her a glass and motioned for her to sit. He went to sit behind his desk, his feet on the table.
"I guess I should thank you for blowing apart my cabin the other day. I got some nice stained glass and better furniture at a special price from and old friend in Fellsgard." he said, taking a sip of his whiskey. He savoured the better tasting liquor. He definitely needed to find some more top grade liquor for his cabinet. He'd die before he bought bottles from the tavern in the Bay for their ship.
"So, what can you tell me about this ship? Any weaknesses? Tricks I should be aware of?" he asked after a while.

@Cirice Vaisha

[Cirice Vaisha]

Cirice was pleasantly surprised that they were setting sail immediately. Though she frowned when he asked about her combat capability. "I'm a fucking Kerasoka, Finn, not some fair-haired Lumaecia maiden. It's going to take a lot more than some splintering to take me out of a fight." she retorted flatly, eyeing him hard. He walked off and she followed along, landing a kick on his backside as she caught up with him.

Her crew boarded and got situated while she stored her personal belongings in a private room. She was most certainly not going to sleep with the foremast men like a common deck-hand. She caught up with Finn and Derrick on the quarterdeck, though she didn't have much time to relax before Finn led her to his cabin. She plopped into a seat, kicked up her legs and sipped at the whiskey as she listened to him speak. "Figured you'd like to renovate a little. Call it a woman's intuition." she quipped with a wink before sipping away again. He then asked about the ship, causing her to stop drinking. She set her glass down and stared at him for a moment, thinking the details over. "Picture the Hellion, but better. Sloop-of-war, I'd say, twelve guns a side. It has an ice ram, so my guess is that it's meant to go anywhere it needs to at sea. It handles like a dream from the look of it. The hull has steel reinforcements, though it's mostly meant for structural purposes, I'd say. If it's meant to be able to traverse ice, you can expect a lot of oak to shoot through, so plinking at long range won't do." she explained calmly, going quiet again for a moment or two as she thought some more.

"As for weaknesses, the steering was shot to hell and back by us as well as the stern. Possible damage to her broadsides as well. We sent them sailing into the mist to the west, so they will be taking the long way back to a port for repair, likely Fellsgard. For now, they will be using temporary repairs to keep them in business. With some tricks and risky steering, the Queen should be able to get into some nice positions to bring her to a halt. As for catching up...a trip through the Narrows should cut off days if not a week at least. Of course, I completely understand if you feel like avoiding it." she suggested with a teasing grin as she finished her whiskey. She pushed her glass back to him for a refill and sat back in her seat. "By the way, your taste in women leaves a lot to be desired. As for the cut, fifty percent is the highest I'll go. I'm going to need all the money I can spare to get that ship properly refurbished for my crew and I." she commented casually, standing up and leaning against his desk.

@Finn Roberts

[Finn Roberts]

Finn listened intently as Cirice explained all she knew about this ship, while sipping his whiskey. With its armament and strength, the hunter seemed almost intimidating, but Finn was not easily intimidated. He looked forward to the fight.. The reinforced hull could pose a challenge, but the fact that the steering is shot, could work to his advantage. Cirice kept on talking and ended with a nice little taunt about the Narrows. He smirked. "You're not sailing with a coward, darling. The Queen knows how to dance through those pillars. Obviously we'll take that route, otherwise we won't intercept those fuckers." he said, his cocky grin still on his face.
She then had to take a jab at him about girls. His face turned coy. "Aww, I didn't know you cared." he teased right back, refilling her glass and pushing it towards her. "You sound jealous." he continued, a mocking smirk on his face. How strange women could be when another woman was involved - especially when the one woman continuously expresses her dislike for you. His grin stretched to two nautical miles at this thought. Derrick would enjoy trying to solve this riddle.

She went on to lean against his desk when she told him about the cut. He laughed. "I'll give you forty. Take it or I stop this little venture right here and now and you can face that bastard in the ship he already shot to pieces. I have the bigger guns and you know it." he said, still leaning back in his chair. "I'm not heartless though. I'll leave you some high value items that will help substantially in the repairs." he continued, watching her for any move she might make. "Tell me, why an ice ram? What do you want to do with it?" he asked, taking another sip of whiskey while still watching her over the rim. "You trying to outshine me?" he teased. Jokes aside, it'd be interesting to hear what she was planning. She may be a lot of things, but "dull" was not a word he would use for Cirice Vaisha. She liked to keep things interesting.

@Cirice Vaisha

[Cirice Vaisha]

Cirice smirked at his answer on the Narrows. "Glad to know. I was starting to worry whether I made a mistake or not, tagging with you." she teased. Though her smile slipped as he teased her back, clicking her tongue. "Me, jealous? Hardly. I just find it amusing that you'd stick your cock into anything with to legs and a snatch without a concern of what else they're attached to. Though I guess for you that's the only thing that matters, huh?" she quipped, flashing him a wink before taking a sip from her whiskey.

He then moved on to their cuts of the prize. She glared at him as he laid down his counter offer, but she relented. The ship was also to be factored in and in her opinion, it was worth the loss of prize money. "Fine. Forty. Though restrain your men from going too liberal with the cannon fire. Otherwise we're not getting anything." she retorted, slumping into her seat and kicking her legs up onto his desk. Then he asked a rather odd question. She blinked in surprise before taking a sip. "Oh I don't know, Finn. What do you think people use ice rams for?" she fired back with a sing-song voice dripping with sarcasm. Her sarcastic smile faded as she gave a shrug. "I believe there's money to be made up there. And if not from cargo ships carrying ore, then from simply mapping the area. People want to know what lies between those mountains of ice and there's not many sailors in these waters willing to risk their hides in an undertaking like that." she answered more seriously. "Plus it's devastating. Have you seen what an ice ram does when it's plowed halfway through a ship's hull?" she continued.

She looked down at her whiskey and swirled it around in the glass. "This stuff's a lot better than whatever soap water they were serving at that tavern." she commented, downing her glass and setting it back on the table.

@Finn Roberts