Fable - Ask Matters of Experience

[Surraya Evermor]

"I was more a catalyst than anything. Naser already wanted to find Noah, he just needed the information to act on it." She murmured, leaning back into her chair to watch the card game unfold.

The pet name he called her by made her nerves bristle, but she didn't correct him. If she called him out for it, there was a good chance that he would only do so all the more just to annoy her. She clicked her tongue as a man played his cards, idly drumming her fingers against the back of her chair.

"Just glad to be on the water again, y'know?"

 

[Naser Talzin]

He nodded his head, spinning around in his seat and motioning for the others to continue their game.

None of them seemed particularly interested in Suri, though that was not to say they were hostile or something of the sort. They seemed ambivalent in general, happy to have a new member of the crew or not. It was a mark of how accepting Naser had taught his men to be.

Everyone here was family, and if they weren't then they were to be respected. "Aye."

He told her.

"I don't feel well when off the sea. There's something...wrong about it." Arc seemed to muse for a moment. "How long has it been for you?"

He asked, still staying in his seat but looking at her now.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Quite some time... been nearly a year since I've been on the water, longer since I was sailing as a part of a crew." She answered him honestly, giving a small shrug of her shoulder.

"I've missed the open seas. It's good to be back out here again." She inhaled slowly and then expelled the breath, as if savoring the feeling of the boat swaying beneath them.

"How long have you been sailing with Naser?"

 

[Naser Talzin]

He whistled. "Years quite a while."

Arc said with a shake of his head, watching Surraya as though he were trying to gauge her. It was a card player reading his opponent, studying, not leering. There was an obvious training to his eye, something that spoke to the fact he did this sort of thing often.

"Nine...ten years?" He was not the newest member of the crew, but he had joined the same year Naser had 'retired'. "The old man picked me up from the street before his last job."

He chuckled. "Missed out on all the good stuff."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

She chuckled, shaking her head. Her posture was confident, but relaxed. Suri was a woman that was comfortable in her own skin, a keen glint in her dark eyes as she watched the room around them.

"I'm sure there's more good stuff to come. We're headed to take on the Raze, after all." She replied with a casual smirk, waiting to gauge Arc's reaction.

 

[Naser Talzin]

None of them seemed to care about the name, least of all Arc. He seemed to shrug his shoulders, lips twerking into a smirk as she mentioned the name.

Everyone knew it of course. Pirates were better gossips than housemaids. Everyone knew everyone of any significance, and it was common for even lowly crew members to listen to rumors just so they were up to date on everything.

Arc seemed to muse for a second, then prompted her. "Ever hear of a ship called The Queen's Bounty?"

Again, his eyes seemed friendly, his words a lull that seemed almost soothing.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Her head tilted slightly at the question and her eyes narrowed. He was trying to get a read on her, but she couldn't figure out what for. She got the impression he wasn't just boasting for the sake of it.

"Aye, we had a run in with her on the Ruby about six years ago. Haven't heard anything recent about the old Queen though... why do you ask?"

 

[Naser Talzin]

"Queen's Bounty." He mused. "Name dafter Queen Elspeth of Vel Anir."

She was the monarch before the previous King. A galleon that carried more than cargo, but also a mark of pride. Always crewed by at least two Dreadlords and with two ballista aboard. Most people were weary of her.

Marius had not been. "Naser was on Teth still."

There was no blame in his words. The Old Man had done his time, had done his work, if he wanted to rest then none of his crew would blame him for that decision. Arc seemed among them, smiling as he continued to tell the story.

"Marius wanted the prize though, and we went after them." A hand reached up to run through his hair. "Four Dreadlords, all guarding a single prize."

He chuckled. "We nearly lost The Maw in the process."

"Chased her down for a day and a half, but eventually we took her." Arc seemed to smile. "What is one blood mage against three Dreadlords?"

He said, offering a hint of his own knowledge of the situation.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Arc's last remark might have been meant in earnest, but Suri doubted the man's intent. He'd already made it clear what his opinion of card cheats was, which could easily be dismissed as a general statement... but the last question painted a different picture -- one in which he held Noah in nothing but disdain.

Was he attempting to get some sort of rise out of her?

She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but she grinned wolfishly back at him. If he was hoping for some emotional outburst or a reaction, he wasn't going to get it from her. Considering he knew about the blood mage, it stood to reason that he was aware of her relation to Mad Dorian and that she was Noah's first mate. Arc wasn't stupid, he was trying to be coy.

Surraya didn't take the bait.

"Did Marius sink the ship or laso her into Naser's fleet?" She asked a barbed question in return. Taking down the Queen had been under Marius' command, not Arc's, and the flotilla belonged to the Old Man.

 

[Naser Talzin]

He smiled. "Neither."

It did not even seem like the question bothered him at all, as if the barb had landed in a stretch of wood rather than skin. Arc seemed calm, cool, collected. Whatever game he was playing, it was clear that he was a master of it.

At least used to playing it.

"Marius is clever, much more clever than I am." The others laughed behind him, though it was not because of his words. "When I slit the last Dreadlord's throat, he called for our retreat."

He said. "We slaughtered the crew, left the ship marooned in the sea."

"Brilliant that." Arc said with a shake of his head. "Took what we wanted, but left the ship as a warning. A word of who we were."

He clicked his tongue. "Wish I'd thought of it."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Nothing like a good ghost ship to frighten the mainlanders." She chuckled, growing tired of the strange verbal sparring session that she'd stumbled into.

Speaking with Naser was intimidating, but she felt as though the man at least respected her. Noah had always treated her as an equal from the start, the jabs they threw at one another were light hearted and playful, all in good humor. This conversation with Arc was... different.

It was one she'd been accustomed to before her time on the Ruby. As though she was being judged and observed, that she had to prove her worth to some man either for his entertainment or because he demanded it.

She had no interest in a dick measuring contest.

"Naser certainly knows how to pick 'em. He has a nose for the clever ones, doesn't he?"

 

[Naser Talzin]

He clicked his tongue. "He has a nose for the useful."

It was a strange, almost roundabout complement, but again there was no biting sarcasm to it. He spoke simply as a man such as he would.

There was no authority behind him, none except what those men around him gave him. He, like everyone else aboard The Maw trusted Naser's judgement implicitly. If the Old Man thought bringing Suri aboard was a good thing, then it surely was.

"It's why we're all here." He gestured to the ship. "Even Devon here."

Arc clapped the man besides him on the shoulder. He didn’t look like much in truth. Scrawny, smaller than Suri herself, most would not have thought anything of him, but a boldness clung to him that spoke volumes somehow. "Should see what he can do with a knife."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

Suri turned her gaze to the lithe man, Devon. He was small, but there was little doubt in her mind that he was as nimble as a weasel. It wouldn't surprise her if most men he fought were dead before they realized what happened.

Her attention shifted back to Arc. Useful seemed to broad a term for the crew of the Maw. If Naser had a say in every soul brought on board, she doubted that he'd agree to hire a particularly cruel individual. He was intent on fostering an environment as close to a family as possible, which meant that useful wasn't the only quality that mattered. Or at least, she hoped it wasn't.

Had Naser only brought her for what little information she had? If she stopped being useful, what would happen? A dozen thoughts whirled through her mind as she tried to sift through the possibilities.

"I'm lookin' forward to meeting more of the crew. For now, I should go lay down. Thanks for talkin' with me. I'll let you get back to your game." She excused herself as she rose out of her chair, smiling.

It was going to be a long two weeks.

 

[Naser Talzin]

He nodded his head. "Sleep well then, darling."

Arc said as he turned back around to face away from her and moved to rejoin the game of cards. The others welcomed him of course, and he seamlessly rejoined their conversation as though he had never left it in the first place.

He was almost like a social chameleon, blending into the conversation without a second of transition. Laughter echoed through The hold, not loud enough to bother, but almost a calming sound to those trying to sleep. A white noise that let everyone know that things were okay, that there was no reason to be troubled.

At least for now.

Naser remained on the top deck, the giant of a man perched against one of the railings and quietly watching the stars. There was no expression on his face, no anger, no angst, nothing that would even mark him as human.

That only changed when he watched the stars above shift, when he saw the Mark of Winds slowly move...untouched by his own magic.

A smirk touched the old man's lips, and only then did he turn and wander back to his cabin.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

The days passed surprisingly fast on their voyage to Lament. Suri familiarized herself with the crew's routines and dynamics, getting more comfortable but still keeping herself on the periphery. It wasn't anything personal, the crew were all welcoming and respectful but they weren't her crew. She felt like a bird flying with the wrong flock -- she was welcome, but it wasn't her family.

That didn't stop her from making friends, however.

Vex, the cook she'd met on her first night, quickly set out with tenacious determination to befriend the newcomer. The cook's bubbly personality helped Suri to open up a little more. Since the crew had the sailing well under control, Surraya invested herself in learning a new skill -- to cook.

Laughter often filled the galley as the two women worked together, their cheerful bantering infectious.


Surraya carried a tray of food up to the captain's quarters, something of a daily tradition. Today was no different. She bumped the door open with her curved hip and quickly slipped into the room. "Come eat while it's still warm. Bread just came out of the oven!" She called, setting the tray down on the table.

Her nerves danced anxiously in her stomach. They were getting close to Lament. The rundown town should be coming into view over the horizon in just a few hours.

 

[Naser Talzin]

Naser was practically leaning over the table as Suri deposited the food in front of him.

He glanced up at her for a brief moment before offering a gruff; "Thank you."

Then returned his attention to the map below. Over the last two weeks they had come across thirteen ships. Three of them had spotted The Raze, though all of them had escaped her clothes. Suri had told him that likely meant Dorian hadn't been interested in capturing them.

All three ships had confirmed this as the heading, and though that didn't meant Dorian was currently at Lament it certainly meant they had been passed here.

It was another crumb in the trail.

"We'll be at Lament in a few hours." Naser said, confirming Suri's thoughts as he reached over and grabbed one of the loads of bread, chomping down on it like a barbarian would a piece of mutton. "I'm going to send Arc into the city first in a longship."

Naser said. "The Maw will cause half a panic if it's seen and Marius and I are too…"

He shrugged, not feeling the need to end his sentence.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"That makes sense. Not lookin' to put the entire town into a panic, and don't want Dorian scurryin' away if he's there." She nodded, tucking her curls behind her ear.

As much as she didn't care for Arc, she knew the man was a good choice to send. He wasn't as well known as Naser or Marius, and he'd shown a knack for reading people.

"Did you want me to go with him or stay here on the Maw?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the table.

 

[Naser Talzin]

"Up to you." Naser would not make that decision for her.

He knew from his own feelings that there was an eagerness to just sail into the bay and burn the whole place down until he got the information that he wanted. It had been Marius who convinced him that such an act would be foolish.

Suri likely had the same line of thought as he. "Vex will be going, scouring for food. I know you've gotten close with her."

The old man glanced at the map of Lament's bay, running a finger where they would anchor The Maw. He would stay there, at least until his patience ran thin.

"But I won't force your hand either way." He told her.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

For a few moments, Suri was quiet as she considered the options. The situation was a dangerous and precarious one. If she miss-stepped it could spell disaster for herself and Noah. She needed to play it smart and slow. Rushing in without any real plan or back up was stupid.

She expelled a quiet breath and shook her head. "As much as I want to go... it's best if I stay here on the Maw for now. If Dorian is in Lament and catches wind that I'm there, he's liable to attack the party I'm with. We wouldn't find Noah and it'd be putting more people needlessly at risk."

 

[Naser Talzin]

He nodded, though Naser was almost tempted to use her as bait.

It was a cruel thought, an evil one, but it was not the first time he'd had the idea. Noah liked Suri, respected her, that much was clear, but Naser? Naser only cared about his son.

He had come to like the girl, enjoy her presence, but his family had always come first. Perhaps she could be part of that family in time, but Noah had been...well Noah had been among those he had cared for the most. It was hard not to give into his darker inclinations.

The piece of him that many would call the 'true' pirate. "Alright."

He said with a nod finally.

"We'll keep ourselves here." Naser flashed her a smile. "Two watchers, watching. A mouse and a Giant."

It seemed a good enough fate. "We can distract each other from the anxiety."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

The thought of using her as bait had already crossed Surraya's mind. She knew that it was an inevitability. How else would they draw a mad pirate out of hiding, but by offering up his most coveted treasure on a silver platter.

She hated the idea of belonging to anyone, but she knew that's how men thought of her. That mindset is what had attracted her so much to working with Noah. He never treated her as though she was property or a possession.

When he called her a mouse, her head tilted slightly but she smiled. It was certainly a first, and was considerably better than doll.

"I could certainly use a distraction... I hate waiting on the sidelines. Always puts me on edge."

 

[Naser Talzin]

He chuckled. "I think that's a feeling all pirates get."

They had not decided to sail the seas and become pirates because they were people who liked to sit around and do nothing. Each and every one of them were people of action. They wanted to fight, hunt, do whatever they pleased.

To be a pirate was to be free.

There was no arguing that point, not with Naser, and not he suspected with Suri either. He flashed her a quick smile, stepping away from the railing just as the half crescent of the cove began to come into view.

They would anchor The Maw just to the left of the bay. The ship was too large to truly hide it if anyone came looking, but Arc and the others would enter Lament far before any scout could make it back. At least that was what he hoped.

 

[Surraya Evermor]

She smirked back at him and shook her head in amusement. He wasn't wrong, everyone she ever sailed with would get antsy when they were left back at the ship. It was in their nature to go where the action was.

"So, what does a Pirate Lord do to pass the time then?" She asked teasingly.

"You can only play so many rounds of cards before you get bored out of your mind."

 

[Naser Talzin]

"Pirate Lord." He repeated the phrase back.

Naser had never much liked the title, if only because it seemed somewhat counterintuitive to what he had actually always tried to be. Nobles and Kings always tried to rule over others, setting rules and holding themselves over people just for the fun of it.

He'd always tried to do the opposite.

Lips thinned as he stepped back into the Captain's cabin, walking over towards the long table with the high-backed chair. "Cards have never been my game."

He admitted.

"Too much chance." Naser had never liked giving up control. "Not enough control."

 

[Surraya Evermor]

"Hmm... checkers then?" She asked with a tilt of her head, moving to take a seat at the table across from him.

"Or do you prefer word puzzles?" A grin flashed up at the giant as he sat down in the high-backed chair.

The mental image of the old man stooped over a scroll, scrawling in letters to a crossword while sailing across the seas made it impossible not to smile. It seemed too mundane and normal for such a powerful and influential individual.