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[UXLZ]

Ispil sighs silently to himself. Even if he managed to sneak past the boy and close off the valves, there was someone to check them every unknown time period.

"I'll leave you to your book then."

He goes off to explore the rest of the ship. Perhaps another opportunity would present itself.
Either way, he'd need the boy to relax his guard again.

[Dwarmin]

((Hey, it's just a ship. You have to tell me where you want to go, or just retire to your bunk for the timeskip.))

[UXLZ]

((I'm saying that he's wandering around, he doesn't know particularly where to go but he likely wouldn't head to places he has already been. Maybe the weapons deck?))

[Flying Dice]

Ker makes his way belowdeck, back to his bunk, to sleep off the last leg of the voyage.

((Hint = taken, hah.))

[Dwarmin]

((I'm saying that he's wandering around, he doesn't know particularly where to go but he likely wouldn't head to places he has already been. Maybe the weapons deck?))

((Well, sandbox doesn't mean 'wander' around. I better send someone to bother you.))

Ispil wanders around listlessly, exploring the vessel at leisure. He manages to map out internally the layout for later reference...

He eventually bumps into someone, while checking out the entrance to the arms room. Or someone bumps into him. A crafty, handsome looking sailor with tanned skin, a bristly mustache, and long, dark brown hair. He seems to favor light brown and dark black in his ensemble, which includes light leather armor, and cloak...and a very nice looking sword. Strangest of all, he seems to have a tiny golden dragon perched on his shoulder. It watches Ipsil avidly.

"...you, boy. What are you doing here? What are you...wandering around for?" He says, his accent cultured and precise-Ispil thinks he hears Helvian Empire...they're a wealthy human nation, these days. More powerful after they united the continent decades ago-man and lizardkin alike-into a powerful Empire, with peace and justice for all. Though some say the Lizardfolk disagree with this assessment.

[mainiac]

Captain Catherine talks about theatrics as she gives the tour but Natalie thinks about it in terms of practicalities.  She tests the bulkhead, measures the width and examines the hinges for rust.  Then she notes it down.  As they go to the next room she repeats the process.  The inventory causes her eyes to light up as she surveys how stocked the room is and if affairs or properly organized or not.  There are two kinds of people in the world and the organized ones tend to be the ones who stay alive...

"Aye, greenlander. I can do that. Maybe you'll even learn something. And though you may not guess it, I'm a businesswoman myself-I'm always looking for investors.

When they return to the mess hall, Natalie produces a small flask of wood alchohol and offers the captain a swag before downing some herself.


"Of course if that's too hard for the human lips I wont mind..."

"You mentioned before that you are always looking for investors.  Investors are good but they dont seem to be what you are lacking here, Catherine.  You told me a few things about you so let me tell you a few things about me..."

"My father was all I had but he was to his core a petty, petty criminal.  It wasn't that he wasn't talented, he was the very best.  He he always thought small and saw everyone but me as a possible mark.  With what he knew he could have built something up but he refused to stop acting and start thinking.  I tried to help him get long term partnerships but he always wanted to get the most right now instead of the most later.  People would always work with him because nobody in the business knew as much about manuscripts but they'd never work with him long.  He never moved up and he never changed the way he did things.  That's what petty thinking does, it keeps you doing the same thing year after year."

"You know how to do your job better then anyone but you have a half empty ship here when other ships are full to the brim.  Hell, even if you packed this ship to the gills it would be a waste of your talents because it doesn't take a world class captain to make a milk run west to east or back.  See you are thinking you get investors to fund the ship then get customers to pay the investors which is no different from what dad thought, a mark to take valuables from and someone to pay you for it.  What you need to think about is partners, who is it that you can help and no one else can?"

"Without dangerous work that you can do but would scare off a lesser captain your talents are being wasted.  And the people who can pay for dangerous work usually can afford to be your investor and your customer both.  If they cant then I know a few tricks to let people be investors with money that they didn't even know they had to invest, I had to if I was ever gonna keep dad off the streets.  You want my help searching for that kind of work, Catherine?  Or you too afraid to add a greenlander to your crew?"

Natalie tries to hide her seasickness as she makes the offer to join the crew...

((Apparently I was in a monologue mood))

[Dwarmin]

The Captain seems to be looking at you differently than before, when you were just a passenger and no more. She takes a swig of the drink herself, though she doesn't seem impressed by the taste.

"Well, I know the story of Icarat. Flew for the sun with his paper wings, did he, and fell in the ocean? ...aye, maybe I could put on a pair of my own wings, you're thinking. See how high I could go. Of course, it'd be a risk...go off the lanes I know. Might be I lose everything. Or I could have a fleet of ships, instead of the one.

...Fair enough, I suppose, but I'm not keen to take a fool risk, when I have a sure thing in hand.  I grew up low, miss. Real low. Catch my own rats for dinner low. It's alot to ask me to risk all I earned...my son, my ship, and my life-sure, in that order...but, If I had never taken the chance and put to sea, I'd have never got here..."

She sits down, steepling her hands, thinking. After a moment, she reaches for her neck and withdraws a blue pearl necklace from between her bosom.

She lays it on the table. You note that it seems to be missing some of the pearls-and there's a clasp where they can be easily detached.

"...time would be I might accept you out of hand, but I'm not that young anymore. I'll need you to prove your worth to me, miss. And, it's only hard coin that can do. Let me explain this necklace to you.

All the major members of my crew, are also part owners of this vessel. We divided it into a hundred shares, each one priced at 200 gold.

I own only sixty eight shares of my ship, you see. Sixty eight shares, sixty eight pearls.

The others own their own pearls, and they share in a  percentage of the profits I make. I've got smaller investors on land-who only own say, percentages of a whole share-but no one who doesn't sail on my boat, without a personal stake, owns more than a single full share-no pearls for Greenlanders. No guarantees, either-if ya die, or jump ship, you void all your shares to the majority holder (which happens to be me) unless you've got kin on the ship to inherit...all your pearls go back into the pot.

You want in? You want to change the way we sail? Buy your pearls, and then convince us that you have a better way than what we're doing. That's how we do things here. I could part with a pearl or two-I like you, miss-I'd sell you about five, personally-though of course you'd have to join the crew if you wanted that, and you tell me you don't want the simple jobs. You could also buy out the rest of the crew, in part or full-they might part for less, or trade favors for shares. Me too. You find an offer that intrigues me, I might pay you for it-and your expertise...we've got a nice crabback game every weekend, too, if you can afford to buy in-you'd be surprised how often pearls go rolling across the table, especially when the cards get hot.

Get yourself ten pearls, and I'll welcome you as a full partner-you can sit at the table with us, and decide on where we sail, what we go after. Until then, yer a stranger with no money and big ideas. Fair enough, Ma'am?"

[UXLZ]

Dragon!? No, that's ridiculous. There's no way there'd be one here. Think, Ispil, think.

"Exploring the ship. I've never really been on one before and it's interesting enough to do, is there some sort of problem with my actions..?"

He wasn't lying. The monastery he'd grown up with had a river passing through it and even a small lake, but there were certainly never sailing ships. The biggest he'd ever encountered were small boats built for calm waters, nothing seaworthy.

[Dwarmin]

The man strokes the hilt of his sword gently with his fingerless gloves. His Dragon-pet flaps it's wings slightly, glaring at you.

"...No, no, nothing particularly wrong. I am merely a curious man...and, I think one rarely wanders without purpose. I was merely interested in your purpose. Friend." He says, smiling slightly.

[UXLZ]

"Curiosity is always a good thing, yes? Unless it kills you, of course, and even then it might be worth it."

Ispil relaxes slightly, also smiling.

"And now there's something I'm even more curious about than the ship, given that I've already explored most of it. Who are you? You're certainly... Different, to the sailors I've seen thus far. Are you also a passenger?"

[Dwarmin]

The man nods. He scratches his dragonling under the chin idly.

"...unless it kills, yes...that's quite funny..." He says, grinning. "I am a passenger, like you. My name is Leo. Looking for opportunity in the New World, myself...

You?" he says brusquely.

[UXLZ]

Ispil grins in turn and speaks a single word. Normally he would be more evasive, but something told him not to bother trying to lie to this man. "Hunting."

[Dwarmin]

"Hunh. What game do you favor?"

[UXLZ]

He holds his smile and answers truthfully, deciding to continue with his feeling that it was pointless to lie to the man. In fact, he had somewhat of a revelation. It was pointless to intentionally conceal his purpose, here in the New World. In the Old One, secrecy was necessary because there were things that hunted his order in turn. He doubted they were here yet, as well.

"Things that crawl, fly, hop, walk on legs, three legs, four legs, thousands. Sentient creatures that are not evil I won't touch, 'nor mindless ones that do the world no harm. I guess you could call me a 'hunter of monsters', if you were so inclined."

[Dwarmin]

"Sounds like your speaking in riddles, boy. Do you really live such a...complicated life?"

Leo seems to consider his words and laughs out loud. His pet-dragon blows a smoke cloud in your direction.