2021.03.11 A Spear in the Deep 3
Recap
LAST TIME! ON PRIVATEER!
The Privateers successfully found the Invictus. Deciding to go the route of white flagging and parlaying, the Journeyman successfully parlayed with the commander of the Invictus, Goggen Ironfoot. Getting his story, you get more crucial information on the rebel commander's motives and actions. His wife, Ronnie, was slain while fishing by a 'dragon boat'. Maggy and Erin, hearing this, would recognize it as the Shadowfyre, Prince Yraltien ap Ailil of Hawaii's flagship. You also learned that Goggen did not simply revive the old warship and start beating Concordia's ships into Davy Jones' locker either. Instead, he petitioned the Governor of Hawaii, where Yraltien is based, for justice. However, for reasons unknown, the Governor waved off Goggen's pleas and case as lunacy in favor of the Forsworn - something that seems to have left a questionable taste in the mouths of the crew.
With Timand taking the Oath of Accepted Burden, it was decided that the crew must return to Hawaii to find justice for Ronnie's death. How they plan to do this is what we find out now, as the Journeyman hits the waves en route to Oahu - demense of the Governor of Hawaii and the best chance of seeking above-board justice will be had.
The Pacific Ocean
Scene
Timand seems very solumn on the ride back, not saying much to anyone, just standing at the bow of the ship and staring out at the seas. He has sworn an oath, an important one, and while it has given him a sense of purpose and duty, it also ways heavily on his brow. For those who know him, he seems even more stoic than normal.
Conn lets Timand sit with his oath for a while, present but on the other Troll's sense periphery. He may want someone to talk to who understands, he may not, but either way the elder Troll thinks it's probably better to be on hand and unwanted than wanted and not on hand. The cannons always need a bit of attention anyway and so he makes sure to take care of the downtime work while he has the time.
Erin gives Timand a little time but at some point she will go over to him and take his arm as she looks up at him and gives him a smile. She doesn't say anything, just stands by his side looking out with him till he is ready to speak if he is ever ready to do such.
Vika spends the trip sitting at the bow, eyes closed as she concentrates on putting a little more wind into the sails. And enjoying the view at least. Relaxed as she watches the waves clip alongside the boat and the horizon ahead.
Timand finally rouses himself from his navel gazing, turns and gives Erin a little nod of appreciation, then stands and turns to look back at everyone else. "Alright so..what th' hell are we gonna be doin' with this governor? This guy we gotta rub out, is he an actual prince, or is that jus' his name."
The moment Cicada hears that they will be attending Court with a capital 'C' something seems to snap in the Hsien. It is probably jarring how seriously she seems to take the occasion, compared to how not-so-seriously they seemed to regard everything else. She scurries down into the deck, dragging out a large trunk she'd squirreled away down in the hold that was just about too big for her to manage to drag above deck. Eventually she seems to give up and just come back out to have a look at everyone. With a pout on her lips she assesses the crew. Presumably from being at sea for awhile now, they weren't exactly looking court appropriate. "Mmm... If we go to Court looking like this we'll be a laughing stock... Akan~de." She snaps her fingers and shakes her head.
"Yagi-kun," she calls out to Wick. "I need your help. Ojisan!," Cicada clears her throat, "may I borrow Wick for... formal duties?" Whereas their Captain had made jokes about Cicada getting the crew ready for a 'fashion show' before that seemed exactly what she intended to do just now. "We need to be looking out best, not like we just were hauled up out of the harbor."
Tabin has a cup of rum in his hand. Because why not? He can have as much as he likes...or at least as much as Maggy leaves the rest of the crew. Tabin is rattling his Eshu brain as he hmmms, and hummmms, and haruuummss and then takes a drink of rum. As Timand is the first to speak, Tabin looks over at him and gives him an arched brow. "Yraltien? Pfft." He shakes his head. "Yraltien isn't the Governor. Menihiron ap Fiona, Royal Governor of Hawaii, is the big wig. Rules out of Oahu. Prince Yraltien has control over the Big Island, especially the city of Hilo. As for whether he is actually a Prince? Hard to say. Word on the wind is the Dreaming recognizes the title but no one knows what he is a Prince of." He explains. When Cicada asks the Captain to take Wick for Fashion Duty he nods. "I'll take the helm. I'll leave it to you then Bosen. But you best not be putting us in dresses or the like."
Erin looks over to Cicada as she starts speaking and then looks down at her clothing and scoffs "I look fine thank you" she crosses her arm.
Conn nods and starts peacebinding his sword with gilded steel cable. It's a gesture he's always found somewhat absurd and trite, given that half the fae he knows can call hefty magics down from the sky, but it is generally the Protocol. A token gesture which, among the fae, is a significant thing. Swords securely peacebound, he nods and puts them back on his belt. "Well Timand, you're the one with your neck on the line here, you got a plan of action?"
Timand looks from Cicada to Tabin as he listens to what the captain has to say. "Shit." Is what he comes back with in response to that. "Does th' contract mean I gotta kill th' prince, or can I capture 'im an bring him back ta Goggen. Would killin' a prince..ya know...hurt me long term?" He glances from Tabin to Conn, giving what might pass for a helpless shrug "Beats th' hell outta me, I'm gonna leave th' court shit ta ya."
Wick stands at the helm, keeping their course steady. But as Cicada calls for him, he blinks. He tilts his head and glances between them and Tabin. But as the captain offers to take the helm, he nods and heads over towards Cicada. He smiles. "Your entrances are always spectacular. You want me to help for this one?"
Erin leans back as she looks thoughtful "Well, we don't know much about this guy other than we have heard.. MAybe we can go to this court, listen and see what we are really getting too and then decide"
Tabin frowns. "Maybe. We don't know who was aboard the ship that day. Yraltien may not have anything to do with it. He's an Ailil. He very well may not have but still claim to have done it, if it suits him." He shrugs. "I mean...the fucker's an Ailil, but it could be a setup too. So we'll need to peg who was out to sea the day Ronnie got shot down and what ships were out of ports." If only there was a court position that could possibly know what everyone was doing without being seen.
Conn chuckles "I should do a side class on Noble Houses. They're one of the Unseelie Houses, sometimes a bit sketch, but you can take that with a pinch of salt given I'm a Noble from a different House and House politics are cut throat."
"If your people are supposed to wear 'dresses' to court, then you're going to have to wear dresses!" Cicada chirps back at Tabin before turning back to Wick. "Hai~. This will go better if we uh-- How do you say it. Dress for success... and at least get everyone cleaned up so nobody can tell anyone has been at sea for however many weeks." She reaches up to investigate Wick's dark locks that no doubt had a very 'beachy' look from being at the helm. "We want to look good. But not too good! High ranking people don't like it if you show off TOO much or look too much better than they do. Especially if you're a Commoner Good enough that they won't just throw us out and give Conn a hard time bringing us in there." She looks up at the sun. "Everyone should have time for a shower... if they're quick."
Tabin, also, provides a breakdown of what he knows through Eshu awesome talespinning.
Menehiron, to hear Tabin speak of him, is everyone's favorite Frat Boy. Dont be discouraged by the tales of Menehiron and his drinking parties. He's an Arcadian Sidhe through and through. But there is a certain...aloofness, when dealing with Menehiron. Some say it is the standard affair of Sidhe of being slightly out of touch with the land they rule, others say he just ignores happenings. Others, more darker whispers, say he provokes them. Sadly, there is no truth or evidence to any of these depictions. All that is known is that Menehiron seems to brighten when things are in order, and can appear near blind when situations arise.
Yraltien ap Ailil, is a different story. He's a Prince. He's an Ailil, he's an Arcadian Sidhe. His freehold is in Hilo, on the Big Island, and Unseelie are -everywhere- on the Big Island with Yraltien the center of the storm. Everything from nightly houseparties to orgies to darker rumors of getting people so drunk they are sent to the hospital are all standard affairs when talking about the Forsworn Prince. Forsworn? He's an Oathbreaker, though no one knows what he broke, or when he broke it, the Dreaming has deemed him Forsworn. However, he takes /pride/ in his besmirched entitlement. Which should tell you something about his character. He's slimy, five steps ahead of everyone else and makes other Sidhe look bad in the Pride department. He's almost legendarily self-absorbed.
Cicada seems to be happy when Tabin explains things.
Clover's still up there in the nest with Lark, and while she makes sure to keep an eye out for possible dangers, she also keeps an ear out for what's going on down on the deck. She smiles as the breeze blows on her face and through her hair, and she tilts her face down so she can look over those below. The talk of what shenanigans Yraltien gets up to with the parties and whatnot gets a brow arched and a curious grin.
Erin leans towards Timand and crosses her arms "DResses are fucking gross and I fucking hate them" she shakes her head "I have clean clothes and a nice shirt and I showered' she grumbles "No one likes a fucking swamp ass" she mutters a little to herself and then shuts up as she turns to listen to to Tabin as he speaks.
Wick bows his head allowing the diminutive (yet mighty) Cicada to examine his hair as they wish. Days navigating under the sun has drawn out subtle hints of bronze in his otherwise dark hair. He gives a small nod, smiling. "Mm. We'll all look presentable. But. Not too much."
The Satyr glances over as Tabin begins to explain. Hearing this... it slowly clicks in his head. A Sidhe court. Growing apprehensive, his gaze flits to Conn.
Vika comes from her spot at the front of the boat, dragging her fingers through her hair; the wind didn't do it any favors. She looks to Tabin as he talks, then her brow furrows faintly as she asks. "Why is he suffered to live? If someone is so underhanded and bad for the people as a whole why not take him out to sea and drown him like the rat he is?"
Timand lets out a little jet of air as Tabin relays the story, then after listening to Erin unload he lets out a small laugh. Giving her a pat on the shoulder, he rises from the deck and makes his way down to the galley, coming out with a bottle of rum. No glasses, he just starts to drink the bastard from the neck. Because why not. "Alright..so...maybe it wasn't th' prince who did th' killin, maybe it was onna his henchmen. If we can bag that feller that would satisfy th' contract, right?" He glance between the crew for confirmation. "So Conn, I'm gonna need ya to take th' lead on this court stuff."
Cicada lets go of Wick's sunkissed hair and looks over her shoulder while Tabin explains the political in's and outs of the persons of interest. She purses her lips when she hears about the parties and debauchery. "Hey how come you don't have any of that back in Prospect? I have noticed a distinct -lack- of orgies." She hums and taps her lower lip. "So they're party people... this should be easier then. Is it custom to come to Court bearing gifts in your lands?"
When Erin complains about dresses Cicada quirks a brow. "Betsuni kamahen de," she says taking out a compact, "but we could really bring out the colors of your... face." She indicates that Harlequin patterning Knockers tended to have. "--And fluff up those pigtails." With a side glance to Timand she hums. "Hmmm. That would probably be a good idea... for you to act as if you're part of Conn's retinue. At least just this once. Just... don't wander around looking lost. It makes some people uneasy and other people... hungry."
Conn shakes his head "If it comes out that I'm a member of House Scathach, which is quite likely, then you will be at a disadvantage; we can try my presenting myself as a member of the Red Branch Knights, which is true. As to avenging the murder of Goggen's wife? I think you're likely to just know when the Oath is fulfilled, we can give it a go."
"Sounds like it!" Clover calls down to Timand. "Whoever is responsible for her death. Eye for an eye," she growls, grinning a bit as she looks back to the ocean and gazes out over the glistening water. She props an elbow on the nest and rests her chin on her palm, and she sighs happily for a moment. She's watching the water again, then gives a little meep and look around. Musta been a bug. She goes back to watching for the island!
Erin looks at Timand then nods "If we find out who it was that killed her and deal with that person that should do it" she eyes Cicada and slowly hides behind Timand using him as some kind of shield as she looks at her "Touch me with that and i'll put you in the water" she warns as she grumbles.
Vika just looks from person to person, then shrugs and goes to start putting her armor on, since that'll take her a minute or two anyways. Bow and quiver too.
Wick has gotten quiet, head still bowed a bit. Though he glances up at Clover with a soft smile at the fierceness of her growled words. But he frons a bit as Erin threatenes Cicada. Not that putting Cicada in the water will do much to the water fae.
