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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2014 23:49:55 GMT -6
"Yes, mama!" Or...wait, that was supposed to be "ma'am", but the gentle slap upside the head kinda scrabbled his words a bit. Oh well. Mama and ma'am can be the same meaning of the word today, damn it. Seriously though, she was kinda treating like a child. Guess that's what they call a "man-child". Couldn't let that fly for long though, even if he doesn't care as much. Ah, but that wasn't the time, and there was no guarantee that after all of this, he'd see the woman again anyway. But she did a good job at patching him up. Better than what he was trying to do before he passed out and left the job half-finished. "I'll pay ya back the debt...somehow. Dunno yet, but we'll see!" Whether it was gold or whatever, he didn't particularly care.
Treat her to a meal once they got on land...or something--wait! She still offered him the stew, didn't she? Ah, he'll bring that up later. It wasn't going anywhere other than running the risk of it getting cold. But he's eaten warm to cold meals before, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Even though he still had some pain from the bandaged up wound, he could actually feel his hunger kick in much more now. That wound wouldn't kill him immediately anyway, so he had little to worry about. Just had to follow the "doc's" advice and not battle any Macs or sharks for a while. Wait...he hasn't done the latter yet. She tripped him up!
...Anyway, the conversation took an odd turn as she questioned his skills. Of course, he was a mercenary! He had to have some skill with his little play things to live this long. Giving Selene another one of his funny-looking smiles, he leaned back even further. "Hmmmmm...well, I'm no braggart and I let my skills show themselves in action instead. But to give you a straight answer...eh. I'm better than the average chump." The idea of staying aboard wasn't exactly a bad idea for a cleric...last he remembered, the town back there had it's own problems. "Ehhhh, about the only logical choice for me is to tag along, I guess. That city back there has it's own problems and a job I finished there before...this happened was able to at least allow them to sleep peacefully at night. But they have a bunch of injured folk. Better if I just find some other cleric like you said." Yeah, which he wasn't too surprised anymore that some of them mobbed the Macs in his escape now. Bet the idiots didn't see that coming like he didn't!
...Wait a minute.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2014 17:07:25 GMT -6
"You don't owe me anything." Selene rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks, slowly walking back to her desk with no further reason to hover about the guy who kept calling her mom. She couldn't tell if he was messing with her, or actually that much of a mama's boy. Neither option was particularly appealing. The remainder of gauze and bandaging was tossed to the desk, slightly scattering the paperwork, but she didn't much care. It was just paperwork, after all.
About facing as she heaved her butt up onto the desk, Selene sat on the edge, swinging one leg over the other as she crossed her arms, one of her more common poses. A mercenary, huh? He made it sound like whatever he had been doing back there as for the greater good, rather than just starting trouble. Whether that was easier or harder to believe given her impressed of him so far was... difficult to ascertain. She was starting to think he was insane. Which, to be fair, just meant he would fit in perfectly around these parts. The glorious madness of the sea.
Not like she was entirely immune, either. Selene sighed. "If you weren't so busy being half dead, I'd test that claim now." Really, what was a little blood loss and nearly dying? People these days needed to get some gumption. It built character, anyways. "Assuming you don't die of the gout in transit, how would you like a job? I could use another good sword arm. Bow arm's fine too." A mischievous smile. "You can even keep both arms if you really want!"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2014 14:29:26 GMT -6
...A job, huh? Well, yet another odd and surprising turn of the conversation. But hey, at least one was offered to him! "Well...I'd be stupid not to take you up on the offer. Granted, I've never been hired by the navy before, but why not?" Odd though, considering he's been temporarily apart of a few armies here and there for the bolstered numbers they required during dire times. The fact that he's never taken a job for big shot naval services was quite a surprise. He's been on jobs for escorting people on ships before, but that was about it. Ah, but guess that was another point towards his way of life. He was able to experience new things, even if he didn't want to! Hopefully whatever Selene had in mind was going to be interesting though.
Well...it was about time he retrieved that bow of his, the weapon still siting a good bit away from him on the floor as he scooted over some just enough to grab and inspect the weapon for a bit. Had to make sure the thing wasn't damaged. Bows could be so fragile if not properly taken care of. At least he does that! The bow string was fine as well, but it seemed like some of his arrows were missing out of his quiver. HEY! Did someone steal some of them while he was out? Maybe he didn't pass out in here...someone probably robbed him while he was knocked out and kicked him in here...or not. If they did, then why would they just steal a few arrows? Some of them must have just fallen out when he jumped aboard or something. Not like crew members needed to steal anyway...right? And if they did, he was pretty sure they wouldn't get very far with someone like Selene around, and trapped at sea for that matter. Who knows? Maybe there were equally scary people aboard!
...Maaaaan. Don't say that.
After his bow inspection was finished, he decided to check on his sword, pulling it from his side as he slid the blade out of it's sheath. While multitasking with inspecting his blade, he still kept the conversation going. "So, what're we taking here? Temporary service? Delivery boy? Shark wrestler? I'd be up for anything, really." ...Wasn't too sure about the latter, but he could probably shot one with an arrow before it could chomp him to bits!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2014 0:25:52 GMT -6
"Oceans of blood, tidal waves of gore, tsunamis of severed limbs, and the extermination of all mankind. The usual, really."
Her face was carefully neutral and her tone casually serious, as if she had no idea what words she was uttering. The mask stayed in place with only minor cracks for a few moments before crumbling to dust as Selene started laughing, shaking her head in obvious amusement. She seriously needed to stop messing with newbies... sometime... probably. But today was not that day! "You know, I bet someone would actually show up if I started recruiting with that line. Maybe the Church should start catching dissidents that way. 'Rebel against the church and get a free tomato!' Probably have idiots lining up like lambs to the slaughter within a candle mark. There's a damn sight of fools in the world these days."
And like that her humor was gone, washed away by an expression as serious as the Ending Winter. "I wasn't entirely joking about the oceans of blood thing. There are countless pirates based in the Western Isles, and I'll wager over the course of this campaign a fair few of them will feed the sharks before this is over." But that was why there was an entire Etrurian fleet inbound, not just a few ships, for the greatest crusade in a long time. Selene didn't much care for the religious justifications and political skullduggery that was behind all of this; she was just happy to have an excuse to crack a few skulls and test herself against the most wily and dangerous opponents she could possibly face outside of a war - and given the sorry state of most of Elibe's navies, possibly the toughest opponents she COULD face right now unless the dragons themselves came back.
If this didn't pan out, maybe she'd try kicking the Dragon Gate down and asking if any water dragons wanted to go a round or two.
"According to the wise and all-knowing church, we're talking a glorious crusade to free the Western Isles from the cruel hands of the godless heathen greedy monsters who plague it. Realistically, pirate extermination. You can pick your favorite answer."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 12:26:13 GMT -6
"Sounds fun! Might need an umbrella for all the blood though." He already knew she was joking, the moment she burst in laughter, but no harm in playing along a little further. But naval service...he didn't really have much experience with fighting on a ship, but he had his doubts it was something difficult to grasp. He did have a run in with a small band of pirates one time on an escort job, so that COULD count as some sort of experience with fighting at the sea. As far as fighting alongside the navy themselves goes...that's a completely different story. He didn't even know how military routines at sea went. Maybe it was similar to ground army? If that was the case, he'd catch on rather quickly. He considered other possibilities that worked in his favor, but they were slowly coming to light.
"Hmmmm...well." Pirate murder wasn't exactly something he cared too much about, so it wasn't like he hesitated to accept if it meant killing them off. More like he wondered if it'd be in his grandmother's benefit. The price of that damned medicine kept going up every year, it seemed, and his mercenary life had become much more demanding because of it. Fighting pirates DID seem fun though. He wanted to feather one between the eyes with an arrow or stab them in the mouth right after they say "Arrrr!".
...Whoa, that was brutal. Selene was becoming a bad influence on him already.
However, as he weighed his options, he decided to take some of his thoughts and concerns in speech, his smile turning to a neutral expression as he returned his sword to it's sheath before speaking. "...Not to sound like a money grubbing merc, but how would the pay look if I accept? Gold's been a little tight lately and at this point, I'd rather not take anymore risks." His tone shifted to one of genuine seriousness now, somewhat hesitating on revealing his true reasons for needing money other than to survive. It's not like people needed to know his life story. "I'm a simple guy to work with and I go with the flow, so as long as things look well on the gold side of things, I've got no problem with being a pirate exterminator or anything else I've got to do here. And it'd be a great opportunity to use my bow more often."
Yes, other than sizable battles on the ground, he hardly had much of a reason to use it in close up battles with his trusty sword in hand. It would be a shame to pass up on the opportunity, which is why he was sort of hoping everything was going to be cool with his pay.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 4:31:36 GMT -6
Selene shrugged, not really in the mood to haggle prices before she'd had much to eat, and grabbed a piece of jerky for emergency sustenance before really considering a response. The honest answer was that she straight up didn't give a god damn about the money side of things, she had lackeys for that generally and frankly all she would really have to do was just add him to the expense report anyways, but the church would have a conniption if she budgeted something like a million gold for one mercenary, and she really didn't want to deal with that. "I dunno, I don't really negotiate the mercenary side of crap much." She did know, of course - Selene read every expense report from every ship under her command in search of foul play and embezzlement, but she didn't see any need to let him know that.
"Etruria doesn't generally need much help outside of the Inquisitorial Army, but I told them to f**k off, and I'm a lot more open to shady types than them. You can negotiate your terms through the proper channels, but I have more than enough authority to ensure you're paid fairly." Which was putting it mildly. "'Sides, I'm curious to see how good you actually are at talking those greedy asses out of their money. Might get some more use out of you as a negotiator or something if you do a good job. I'm more of the maim-kill-burn type." She grinned through her food, ripping off a larger chunk of jerky and setting into it with gusto. God DAMN she was hungry. "...If you don't get moving I'm just gonna eat everything here."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2014 11:10:52 GMT -6
"Welp, that's that, then. You've got yourself a deal." He said with a smile, completely dropping his serious expression. "I don't like dealing with holy-rolies myself, so I'll just take your word for it on the pay." And the last thing he needed was some high and mighty holy man in his face. Otherwise, Selene would be out of an employee rather quickly since he'd end up punching one of the punks in the face at some point if they interacted. But judging from her tone and how she doesn't seem to care about how Etruria handles things, Selene probably would mind a priest with a black eye. He chuckled at the thought though. "BUT, that'd be a fun move to make if I ever get the opportunity. Trying for a raise at some point wouldn't be bad!
...All right, maybe he was looking a little too forward to this job. Was it just for experiencing something new anymore or did he really just want to have the chance to punch a priest now? Pretty sure it wouldn't bode well for him though, considering how uptight Etruria tends to be. Though that train of thought was thrown off entirely as he watched Selene chow down a little bit and she made her comment. He decided to take that seriously, as from how she was eating, she was likely to eat his probably-delicious stew she offered him! Despite his aches in pain, he pulled himself forward as he took the bowl from the table, laughing a bit as he stared into the bowl. "Heeeeey! Can't take back what ya offered, even if you're the boss lady."
Well, this WAS good! Maybe because he was hungry as hell and he'd eat an ox if he had to? Oh, not that it mattered. After taking another spoonful and swallowed, something occurred to him as he began to causally speak again. "...Oh. Fair warning. If I'm going to be around here, my group of enemies are bound to come back to harass me at some point, and likely bug you in the process. The little trio calls themselves the Mac Brigade." He continued eating afterward as if that was supposed to be a normal sentence. Well, it was normal for him. Today was just a screw up. He probably needed to settle things for good with those chumps the next time he sees them. They weren't Selene's business, so as long as he's around if they show up, he'll finish up his dirty work.
...Besides, they actually pissed him off this time. One of them made a certain "threat" that didn't settle with him too well before he jumped on this ship. The idiot was probably bluffing, as he probably had no information on where to look in his hometown. But when they crossed paths again...eh, it'll probably be seriously bloody. It was about time he got those fools out of his hair for good.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 16:15:19 GMT -6
"Holy... rolies." Selene lifted an eyebrow, taking a break from her roll to stare at Xain with a half-smile. He was either incredibly stupid or incredibly free-spirited and unconcerned with future job opportunities. Most church folks would've threatened to arrest him for that, and some might have. Power went to their heads right quick, she'd noticed. None of which implied that she actually cared in the least, of course. If he could fight and wasn't a total pain in the ass to work with, she didn't much care if they believed in Elimine, the collective spirit of humanity, or the goddamn monsters for that sake. "Can't say I've heard that one before, but it has an amusing ring to it. Might want to pretend to be polite when going for that raise though. They get pretty antsy when you start throwing nicknames around."
Which she clearly did not know from experience or anything. Sometimes Selene wondered how she managed to breathe unaided. Not as much as Xain sometimes did though. This... Mac Brigade. What the hell kind of name was that? And THREE of them? What the hell were three idiots going to do against the combined might of Etruria's naval power, ram them in a rowboat? While it did sound like an amusing way to spend ten seconds, she wasn't too concerned about the outcome. "Xain, I run the Etrurian navy. I don't care if a couple idiots want to commit suicide by stupidity, it'll be a nice diversion for about three seconds if nothing else. Unless they happen to be friends with every pirate in the Western Isles, that problem is most likely done and sorted."
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2014 11:22:52 GMT -6
"I'll be on my best behavior!" Or at least try to. He honestly didn't care for their hurt feelings, but getting arrested just for calling some out their name didn't sound too fun. Talk about taking your religion too seriously. A raise did sound pretty awesome though, so being a good boy...or man, was at least something he could do. Sort of placed a dent in his plans to punch out a priest, but maaaaaybe sometime in the future when he's on his own, he could dress up like some thief in black garbs and just break in to...only punch someone. Anonymous, the priest puncher. He only goes in to hit them and not take a single thing. Damn, he REALLY wanted to do that. Seriously, Selene wouldn't get in trouble because they wouldn't know who he was--
All right, that was enough. Imagination gone insane today.
Though Xain raised an eyebrow at Selene's sudden response to his 'warning". "Hah. Quite the confident one, eh?" Not like he actually cared for the sudden snap back, but he did switch his tone back to his more serious one afterward. "Hold on there. I didn't tell you that to warn you of impending doom. I know well enough three idiots aren't enough to tackle an army. Only figured you'd know so you won't be wondering why three random guys that aren't pirates picked a fight with you. Common courtesy and all that." He took pleasure in his stew once more before putting it aside, playing around with his sword's hilt for a moment. "...Besides, the Macs' heads belong to me and me alone. I was just saying if I was within the vicinity and within their sight, they'll go full retard mode and attack anyone to get through to me. Never said anything about you having to fight them. If the Macs arrive, they die by me. I just figured it'd be respectful for you to know this if I'm going to be around here."
After playing around with his sword, he went right back to picking up the bowl. Knowing how the woman seemed to operate so far, he wouldn't be surprised if she was stubborn enough to steal his personal kill. Well, it would have been really nice if he could up an end to the Macs by his own hands considering the threat they made, but as long as they were DEAD at the end of the day, he didn't have too much to complain about. "Mercenaries make a lot of enemies in their line of work. And the Macs seem to have ties with different kinds of people, so I wouldn't be surprised if they tried something with an allied group or more at sea, since they can't take me on alone. You're free to tear those guys apart if they attack your ship, but the three goons in particular are my problem to deal with." It was about time he made some "Mac" and cheese out of those guys anyway!
...Maybe he should just stop with the puns.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2014 22:25:38 GMT -6
"...I hope your paycheck-bargaining skills are a hell of a lot better than what you just displayed, or you're never going to get a raise." She chuckled, not really perturbed by Xain's words or the idea of the Mac Brigade alike. She could respect wanting to get even with the guys who made his life a living hell, but he had some brass balls to tell her what she could or couldn't do. Almost set off her competitive side enough to argue with him about it. Almost. It would be such a stupid thing to argue about that she could let her pride take the day off.
And if she didn't accidentally kill them in the process, maybe it wouldn't kill her to let him deal with them. Assuming they weren't in the way... much. "Well, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. I'd be surprised if you ever even saw them again, what with the navy thing and them probably assuming you're dead after the injuries you took last night. But life has a funny way of just crapping surprises down your throat, so maybe lil' Mac will come back to play, and you can murder the crap out of them like a proper sociopath!"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 10:32:36 GMT -6
"Yeeeep. Just thought I'd bring that to your attention. You're probably right...though if they DO attack you like idiots and I'm nowhere around...eh. Guess that just meant I wasn't supposed to get 'em." ...For their sake, he hoped they harassed someone else and got themselves killed in the process. Besides, he'd rather the little reunion occurred on land, as he knows that no one needed to be around for what he was actually going to do to the guys. Xain never favored just outright killing people because they tried to kill him in particular...but when they mess with the only family he had left, they weren't going to see the light of day ever again. So all he could do is grin and laugh at Selene's joke about killing them like a sociopath, as she didn't realize...how very close to true that'd be.
He completely resisted the urge to sigh in order to hide what he was really feeling, and left his smile up as perfectly as possible. If Sharelle knew he was going to kill off three guys that weren't part of a job, that would sadden her, as she didn't raise a murderer. Which was why when the deed is done, Xain was already mentally prepared for that burden and he knew he had to do it for her. When his enemies start going after her to get to him, he had to take necessary action. His grandmother would just have to understand if she ever found out...which she won't. What he did was for her and her alone. He didn't care one lick about the Macs trying to take him out.
That was...prrrrrrobably enough serious talk though. If he kept the thoughts going like that, his mask would slip. "Guess that means I'm hired then! That should be enough motivation for me to fight off these wounds and survive long enough." And in the meantime, it was time to dig back into his stew!
Topic end.
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