Fable - Ask Matters of Experience

[Naser Talzin]

He chuckled. "Never was one for words."

Naser had never gone to school, as a child or adult. He'd not learned to read well into his twenties. It was his Captain at the time who had insisted upon him, practically threatened to walk him off the gangplank if he didn't learn.

It came in handy of course, but he still didn't like it much. Most of the books in his cabin were still unread. He kept them mostly for the others.

"Stones is good." He told her. "Keeps the mind sharp."

A hand motioned towards a cabinet in the back. "Should be in there."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Haven't played Stones in awhile." She remarked as she went to fetch the board and container from the cabinet. The game was set out on the table and she took a seat opposite the old pirate.

"Do you prefer black or white?" She asked him with a grin, waiting to see which color of stones he'd choose.

 

[Naser Talzin]

"You choose." He told her softly.

That choice alone could tell you more about your opponent than they might think. Did they want to go first, second? It was always a matter of studying and knowing who did what. That was why Stones was played by generals, tacticians.

There was always something to learn. "Do you know where I got this board?"

He mused.

"An Anirian Galleon." It seemed that Naser had a thousand stories, and a thousand trinkets to go along with it. Yet every time he spoke of them it seemed there was a longing in his voice. "I was twenty two at the time, one of my first prizes."

His head shook. "I didn't take a single piece of gold, just this board."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Suri swept her dark eyes over the board and she smiled at the story. She enjoyed listening to Naser speak, his deep voice seemed to rumble to thunder from a distant storm on the horizon. It was calming, but also bespoke of the danger ahead if you weren't careful.

She reached out and took the little box filled with the black stones, gathering one before she delicately placed it down on the board.

"And you've kept up with all the stones throughout the years? That's impressive." She mused, turning her gaze back to the Pirate Lord. "Not to say that I'm surprised though. You don't strike me as the kind of man to misplace or lose a treasure once it's won."

 

[Naser Talzin]

"I've always been very organized." He said with a smile on his face, taking those with the white stones and leaning back in his chair.

Many people thought of Pirates as little more than savages and murderers. They were killers, monsters who slaughtered without rebuke or care. Yet that had not been his experience, never in his life had it been. Even those of the worst quality had something underneath.

"When I take something." Naser said with a shrug. "It becomes my responsibility."

There was no damaging what was his. "I've been lucky enough not to lose many ships too."

That always helped.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

She smiled at his response, then lowered her eyes back down to the board. Naser's plays seemed for more methodical and meticulous than her own -- that wasn't to say she didn't have a plan. The soft click of stones being played filled the silence for a few minutes, Suri perfectly comfortable with the quiet.

Still, she knew that most people didn't appreciate silent companionship.

"What is the saying? I'd rather be lucky than good?" She mused, glancing up at Naser.

No matter how much a man planned or schemed, or denied the influence of chance, things could still go wrong. Suri, for one, wanted Lady Fortune on her side. She never scoffed at the importance of good luck.

 

[Naser Talzin]

"That is true." He mused.

At the end of the day mortals could only control so much, and gods? Gods were not much better. At least from Naser's own experience. He smiled slightly, taking in a deep breath as he leaned back and continued to move his stones to counter Surraya.

"I met a luck mage once." He told her. "I practically got down on my knees and begged her to join the crew."

Naser clicked his teeth. "She told me you always pay for good luck with bad down the line."

A small haunted look entered his eyes.

"She might have been right." He commented.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Everything in balance." She murmured, continuing on with her casual plays.

Suri didn't seem to be placing strategically, instead a small pattern was beginning to emerge in the layout of her stones -- she was creating something closer to art than claiming territory.

She tutted quietly under her breath when one of Naser's stones went to a place she hadn't expected, interrupting the flow of the pattern she was making.

"Fortune is a fickle thing, but she'll always come back around at some point."

 

[Naser Talzin]

He smiled.

In games like these it was often not about winning, at least not for Naser. He did not have enough ego to always need victory. He was learning about her, every shift of her stone, every movement that she made.

It taught him something small. "A truth I learned long ago."

Naser commented, waiting for her to continue her pattern.

"Where are you from?" He asked, a hand brushing his beard.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"I grew up in Teth, actually." She said with a small smile, laying down her stones while she spoke.

Gradually a vague image of crashing waves was starting to take life. It was a rough design, given the media she was using, but discernable nonetheless.

"Always been around ships and the water. Life just doesn't feel the same without them." She mused quietly, her voice soft, introspective.

"Started sailing as an entertainer, heh. Singing and the like. Ended up as Shantman and worked my way from there." Suri added, allowing Naser a further glimpse into who she was.

As the game went on, she realized that Naser wasn't actively trying to beat her. It was more like they were trying to read one another, building something together without openly communicating. If anything, Suri thought, it made for a more interesting game.

"What about you? Why Teth?"

 

[Naser Talzin]

Naser shrugged. "Made too many enemies in Cerak."

He had been born in the Bayou south of Alliria. Most of his early life had been spent in the swamps, and from there he had joined merchant ships. It was a path that many of his people followed, one that lead to decent lives.

"I turned Pirate at twenty." Naser said as he moved another of the stones. "The Ship I was on got attacked by a man named Blackthorn."

His hand gently threaded through his hair. "A cruel man, harsh, but fair enough to his crew."

Probably the only good thing Naser could say about him.

"Sailed with him for two years. Then under an Orc named Grul. He was...well, he was something." A warlord on the seas, rather than a true pirate. "Then I got my own ship, took it from a city called Salitra. That was when I started making enemies."

His life story was too long to tell in one sitting. "Few years passed, and it was easier to come to Teth than the South."

He said quietly, almost as if a part of him missed those seas.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Not surprisin' that a Pirate of your renown would make a few enemies." She teased him gently.

Suri played her last stone and leaned back to look down at the board with a warm smile on her lips. A tactician would have likely wanted to pull his hair out at the game, but she was quite pleased with the result. She may not have won, but she could still walk away happy with her own accomplishment. It was a life lesson in and of itself, learning to take the good with the bad.

Her gaze turned to Naser, her smile still present. Call it optimism or hope, but there was something about Surraya's tenacity to make note of -- she didn't let defeat pull her down into the dregs of despair.

"For what it's worth, Captain, I'm glad to have finally had a chance to properly meet you."

 

[Naser Talzin]

"More enemies than friends." Naser commented quietly as he placed the final stone and sealed his victory.

The pattern that she had created was quite beautiful in it's own way, showing an artistry that most would not have thought Pirates were actually capable of. His hand withdrew a moment later, and he smiled at her.

It was a genuine warm smile, the kind one might expect from a proud father. "Likewise."

He mused.

"it seems I taught Noah well on how to pick his crew." That was something at least, even if he had failed at so much else.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"You've taught him well in most things, Naser." Suri corrected, holding the Pirate Lord's gaze with an earnest smile. "You did right by him, and you do right by your crew. That's more than most can say in this world. Don't be so hard on yourself."

She leaned forward, starting to separate out the stones once more.

"Besides, you can safely say that you've made one more friend. That has to count for something?" Her smile turned to a mischievous grin, offering him the black stones.

 

[Naser Talzin]

He chuckled. "Suppose it does."

The Old Man slowly leaned back in his chair.

Naser had made many enemies over the years. He had fought and killed more than his share foes, but he had also made friends. Dozens of them. An entire fleet that had once followed him. Most of them were gone now, doing their own thing.

Yet he knew that if he called they would return.

"Suppose thats why you want Noah back so bad." He mused. "Loyalty, friendship."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Suri dipped her head in agreement, a faint smile touching her lips. "Noah's a good man and a great Captain. We make a surprisingly good team. He's a rare find for people like us."

She mirrored Naser's posture, leaning back in her chair as she ran a hand through her dark curls. Her smile slipped for a moment and her gaze dropped to the board between them.

"But... That's only part of it, really. He's in this mess because of me. It's my responsibility to make things right and free him from my brother's madness."

She took a heavy breath and then exhaled. "If that means I have to take his place, then so be it. Granted... That's not exactly Plan A, but we can't figure something else out... I'm ready."

Her weight shifted somewhat in the chair, grimacing. "If that happens, Naser, you tell Noah I died. He'll come looking for me otherwise and is liable to get himself killed." She said matter-of-factly, her expression grim.

 

[Naser Talzin]

For the longest time Naser seemed to remain quiet.

He leaned back in his chair, shifting his weight as the wood creaked a bit beneath him. A hand came up to scratch gently through his beard. A breath filled his lungs, and one would have thought that he were puzzling out some sort of misery.

"I can tell him whatever you like, Lass." Naser told her with a shrug, considering for a few moments before speaking further.

"But." He knew his son. "He won't believe nothing until he sees a corpse."

Noah had always been that way.

The boy had always been a stubborn bastard. "Did Noah ever tell you how he came to join my crew?"

 

[Surraya Evermor]

A sad, understanding smile touched Suri's lips at Naser's response. She knew that it was true, Noah wasn't one to give up so easily. All she could do was hope the stubborn bastard didn't die if it came down to that. His freedom could very well rely on his ability to let her go.

She crossed one leg over the other, tonguing the inside of her cheek as she shook her head.

"He always told me that you found him on the streets, but he never went into much detail on it and I didn't think it was my place to pry." She explained quietly.

 

[Naser Talzin]

He smiled. "I did find him on the streets."

Naser seemed fond of stories, though perhaps that was just the way of an old man like him. It was a way to connect with his past, some things long forgotten, some things that would just...go away when he was gone.

"He was protecting someone from a gang of older boys." Naser explained. "A boy called Tillen."

His head shook. "Lad was beaten black and blue, on the edge of death. They gave him a chance to leave, three times."

"Refused to leave, not even realizing Tillen had already died from the beating the others had given him before he showed up." Naser frowned. "That's the kind of person Noah is."

Stubborn beyond reason.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"No wonder he was vague on the details... knowing Noah, he feels like he failed." She said, shaking her head.

The story rang true. Noah was quick to step in when he thought someone else needed help. He was a pirate, but one with honor and compassion. It's why he'd agreed to keep Surraya on his crew, even after he found out about her brother's obsession. Why he'd shot her and thrown her overboard when they'd been caught. He was protecting her and the rest of the crew.

Suri's expression softened and she looked down at her lap, her fingers idly lacing together. She looked vulnerable and exposed. "I miss him..." She murmured. "I just... I hope he's okay."

 

[Naser Talzin]

Naser nodded his head slowly, he understood the feeling. It was why he had let Noah join his crew, seeing the despair in his eyes. As far as he knew the boy had not even been Noah's friend.

That had taken character. "He is, lass."

Not dead yet at least, that much Naser could feel in his very bones. His eyes closed for a second, as if he were drawing himself up to concentrate a little more. After a moment he opened them back up, looking at her.

"They should be back soon." It was a quick trip after all. "Then we'll see whats what."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

The pair spent the next little while in meandering conversation and comfortable silence. Surraya enjoyed listening to Naser's tales, whenever he had one to share. She'd been about to ask him another question, to prompt him into another story, when there was a firm knock at the door.

One of Naser's men entered and dipped his head.

"Arc's returned, Captain. They're pullin' up on the longboat now."

Suri twisted in her seat to look back at the man and then quickly pushed herself to her feet. "Any signs that they were followed?"

The deckhand shook his head and then took his leave.

 

[Naser Talzin]

Naser frowned for a moment, though not for any particular reason.

For some reason a bad feeling churned his stomach, though he could not have guessed what or why. Slowly the old giant pushed himself up from the chair, motioning for Suri to get a move on.

"Let's meet Arc." He told her.

"There's no time to waste." A frown touched his features. "I want to be ready to burn that city if we have to."

It was a though that came with a scowl, one that he clearly meant. Slowly he moved across the captains cabin, pulling open the door and stepping out Into the sun. He spotted some of the men hoisting the longboat into the ship, and then his voice howled.

"HOIST THE ANCHOR, WEIGH THE SAILS!" No one was startled, no one jumped. They all moved in an instant, jumping into action as Arc and the others boarded.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Surraya followed Naser out onto the deck, slipping past him as he called out the commands to ready the ship. Anxiety fluttered in her stomach, not from the prospect of burning Lament to the ground, but with worry about what news Arc would bring.

Vex moved to greet Suri with a warm hung and a hesitant smile. There was a bag of supplies slung over the cook's shoulder. "The Raze is currently docked with half her crew mullin' about the town." She murmured lowly to Surraya.

"We didn't see any sign of Noah but... wasn't exactly like we could get close enough to find out."

Suri nodded quietly and smiled in return. If the Raze was indeed in port, it meant she was vulnerable. It would take time for the crew to rally and those that did were more than likely drunk. Three years had passed since the attack on the Ruby. It stood to reason that they weren't expecting any sort of trouble.

The Maw's arrival had caught them off guard.

 

[Naser Talzin]

Arc walked up behind Vex with a nod. "Aye, sir. Just as she said."

Naser shifted for a few seconds, looking down at them, then slowly nodded his head. Fingers tightened for a few moments, glancing up towards the crescent bay that lay out ahead of him. He took in a deep breath and then motioned towards Arc and the others.

"Get the Catapults ready, the ballista too." He frowned, then yelled. "Marius! Where the fuck are yo-"

Before he could finish the Dark Elf seemed to materialize out of nowhere. His blank expression peered up at Naser as of waiting.

"Captain."

A grumble escaped Naser's throat. "Get the boys ready. I want the Ruby's masts down and it's keel broken. Understood?"

Marius nodded his head, and odd wisp of shadow permeating from his shoulders.

The dark Elf called out, listing off half a dozen names as he walked along the deck. Each one he called out had a man step forward, a sort of smug smile clinging to their features.

"Want to know how The Maw got so famous for being a ship killer?" Naser asked as they began to move towards Lament.