Private Tales No Jackets

[Lucius]

Lucius gently touched the small of Peyton's back, instantly feeling bad for rebuking her.

He understood well where the sensation came from, and admittedly seeing the expression on the old woman's face had been rather amusing. Still, hed rather not get mugged in the middle of a city they were supposed to be laying low in. "Why don't we find somewhere more…"

The Captain mused for a moment.

"Fitting." The two of them had naturally gravitated to this part of the city, a section that was more befitting of criminals and the like. It was normal for them to be in a place like this, they were pirates after all, but right now they had the wealth of a noble House.

Why not take advantage.

"We can buy something nice for the ship." And not get mugged. "Maybe a nice pair of boots for you too. Well, another, pair."

 

[Peyton]

Peyton laughed at his choice of words.. "Fitting.." she nodded and shrugged as she snaked her arm through his and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "We'll always be pirates, Luc. Teth is the only place we fit aside the ocean." she mused and followed the street uphill. "But fine... You convinced me with new boots." she grinned. He knew her so well...

Soon the buildings became grander, the people were better dressed, the roads were less dimpled and there was a pleasant bustle around a busy market in a town square lined by taverns and inns.

 

[Lucius]

"I don't ever want to be anything but a Pirate." Lucius said with a smirk.

That was a decision he'd reached long ago.

The Sea was where he was meant to be, and a Merchant ship just wouldn't due. Nor would any Navy. Being a pirate meant being free. That was what he wanted in life, what he needed. Even when he'd been a wastrel on Teth he had still been a pirate at heart.

Always would be. "Reminds me of the Inner-City in Alliria."

Lucius said as they wandered through the busy market street.

"Though...more gray stone." He said with a frown.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's lips twisted. She never wanted him to be anything but a pirate either. "Good to know." she mused. "I guess now at least I know the sea really is in my blood.." her brow arched as she mumbled.

Her gaze wandered with curiosity over the buildings and people.. "Oh?.. I've never been. Perhaps one day we could chart a course there. Visit your family." her head tilted as she looked at him with a small smile.

"What about here?.." she asked as she stopped outside a rather posh alehouse.

 

[Lucius]

The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

It made him wonder if his mother was doing okay, whether or not his father was still alive even. A pit floated through his stomach for a moment and he couldn't help but look over towards Peyton. She had no family, he had chosen to abandon his.

Lips thinned and he shook away the thoughts. They were family now, that was what mattered. "Seems just as good as any other."

He said with a shrug.

"The Prancing Pontificate." Lucius looked at the sign of the Tavern and then over to Peyton as he walked towards the doors. "What the fuck does that mean?"

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's gaze fell a little awkwardly as he decided not to give her suggestion any answer. She'd leave it at that..

She looked up at the sign that hung above the doorway and her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.."No idea." she laughed quietly. "I suppose if we're supposed to find these places more 'fitting' then we should learn what the fuck it means." she grinned. They really did belong in Teth. Their taverns were gritty and dark and named things like 'The Drunken Whore' and 'The Shitkicker'.

Those inside knew they didn't fit in either, and a few spared them a glance that they were too afraid to hold, others let their gazes linger in scrutiny and mild disgust. Peyton smiled sweetly.. She found them a polished, mahogany table in the corner by a roaring hearth, with cushioned chairs and a chandelier that hung above. It reminded her more of their cabin than any tavern she'd ever been in.

"Alright." she flipped open the dusty tome and started flicking through the pages..

 

[Lucius]

The book, as most were, was handwritten. Lucius could read, but it helped usually when the text was a bit less...flamboyant. it was clear that the scribe who had worked on this book had a bit of flair to his hand. Something to show off rather than actually make legible. A fact the Pirate captain found rather annoying.

Of course it didn't help that his thoughts kept flickering back to his family.

How was his mother? His father? Were they still alive? How was the business doing? Did they have any other kids by now?

A thousand questions plagued his mind and disrupted his focus. Lips thinned slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh as he hung his head for a moment. Thankfully, an old man walked over towards them at the same time. He wore an apron, his face haggard and hard. Lucius looked up at him.

"You kids know this place is a bit expensive, yeah?"

The words weren't quite offensive, but the intent to them was clear. "Oh aye. That's why we picked it."

Lucius offered a smile, and then gestured to Peyton.

Now was the time to show off.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton looked up with obvious insult, about to bite the bait when Luc answered first. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she huffed and settled with a small smirk at the Captain.

"A bottle of your best wine, please." her brow arched at the man and she looked back to Lucius with a tilt of her head, knowing wine wouldn't be his preference.

Peyton read the tome rather easily, likely due to so much time working with old maps and journals. She flipped through the pages until she came across a drawing of a kraken and her lips pursed..

 

[Lucius]

"Ale." Asking for grog probably would have been a bit too on the nose for what he was.

Lucius had never been a complicated man, that much he could easily and readily admit to himself and others. He didn't particularly care for complex flavors and the like, always just preferring what would hit the particular pang that he was feeling at the moment.

Right now that would be ale.

"Well." Lucius said as Peyton stopped on a page. "Seen that before."

He commented quietly, squinting slightly to better read what was on the page. It detailed some things about the kraken, listed facts. They were large and enigmatic beasts, only coaxed to the surface by magic. Their blood was valuable to wizards, and their minds were sharp enough to almost be called intelligent. The page also said that because of that they were almost impossible to ensnare. Unless one was very powerful.

As Lucius looked at it he frowned.

It meant that whatever had directed that Kraken to attack their ship had been powerful indeed.

A small breath filled his lungs. "Keep flipping."

Lucius directed quietly, nudging Peyton through the next few pages until they landed upon one entitled "Ylenia, the Sea Witch". Next to the title was a drawing of a woman, her face half beautiful and half a depiction of the sea itself.

 

[Peyton]

"Mhmm.." Peyton replied distantly as she read about the creature. Even the inky depiction of it was terrifying, a splintered ship crushed in it's tentacles. She suppressed a shudder on her spine and traced a finger down the page and paused over emphasis on powerful magic and she lifted her gaze to Lucius. Her brow furrowed. She knew it had been him. She'd seen it with the shark in teth, and the whale that had crashed into their ship during the takeover. It intrigued her, but it terrified her more.

She continued flipping through the pages, golden eyes skimming over the weathered parchment, and she stopped as they were drawn to the drawing of the sea witch. Her fingertip traced the outline of the beautiful side of her face and she started to read.

Peyton could feel the barkeep hovering near the table and taking his time to put their drinks down. She frowned up at him and splayed her hand over the page with a dry 'thank you' and he left abruptly.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius looked at her for a moment, then at the inkeep who had hovered over them. A brief smile flickered over his features, the amusement of Peyton showing her possessiveness even over the bit of knowledge that the book had to hold.

He knew that if was because she wanted to keep things private, but it also amused him about how she was so forward with it. Fingers splayed over hers for a few seconds, softly holding her hand and drawing it away so that he could read the page.

Ylenia was, as her title would suggest, a Witch of the Sea. Apparently carrying a being of powerful magic that drew her power from the souls of sailors lost at sea. Some by nature, and others by the hand of those who made bargains with her.

The latter, according to legends, received a black spot upon their flesh. One which grew as the bargain remained unfulfilled.

Lucius thinned his lips as he read. "That..."

Sounded a bit too familiar.

Uncomfortably so.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton caught his smirk and arched a brow in a mute 'what?' and she smirked back. She laced her fingers with his as he moved her hand away. She read along with him, her brow furrowing a little more with every line and she looked at him as he spoke.

"So he made a bargain with a sea witch and didn't hold up his end?.." her brows lifted and she sat back with a huff. "This just gets a little more confusing every fucking day." she muttered and reached to lift the bottle of wine and drink from the neck of it rather than bother to pour it into a more elegant vessel.

The bar keep scowled.

 

[Lucius]

They would have to leave more gold, Lucius decided.

"I think we need to find the ship." Lucius said quietly, drumming his fingers over the book for a moment and half flipping the page to see if there was any more information.

When the next page turned out to be only another entry on some kind of sea siren he flipped back to Ylenia's visage and looked over to Peyton. A shrug turned over his shoulder, and he frowned for a moment before taking a breath.

"It's like following bread crumbs." He told her. "Once we connect them all it might make sense."

Then he looked at his own hand. "Don't think my magic has anything to do with it. I'm just the freak you stumbled upon along the way."

He offered her a smile and squeezed her palm.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton groaned as he spoke of finding the ship and her head shook at him. "And what if it's at the bottom of the ocean?.." her brow arched and her eyes fell back to the page to read it again, her lips twisting in consternation, a slow nod given in response to his words, but she stopped as he called himself a freak and her eyes rose under a frown.

"Luc we wouldn't be here if not for you and your magic.." she answered him seriously and squeezed back at his hand.

 

[Lucius]

He smiled. "Then I guess I learn to call on some Whale friends."

Lucius smirked at her, not knowing really what else to say. The magic that he had within him was strange, utterly foreign, but it was there. He couldn't control it that well yet, but in time he knew that it would become an asset.

Hell they were pirates.

What kind of pirates didn't want to be able to speak to the denizens of the sea? Dolphins could tell him where the best plunder was. Sharks could harass longboats...there were a thousand things that he could do with his abilities.

Things that opened new doors. He smiled.

"I'm only joking." Lucius said as he flipped his hand and gently squeezed her palm