Into the Desert (FoxLeFay and UnendingEmpire)

[FoxLeFay]

It was a few minutes past noon as Violet walked through the streets of Senra, tossing the heavy silver compass in her hand. Every time it fell back down she felt a rush of enthusiasm. It was the key to adventure. The socio-artistic find of the century. The only thing between her and destitution at this point. All of the moneybags in the city had sworn this was the last of her escapades they were funding. She knew she'd prove them wrong and would bring back such a treasure that they'd be crawling back on their dirty knees just to get a peek at the thing. Of course, by that point, she'd sell so many little gold trinkets that she'd never have to work another day in her life. Hello, prestige. Violet Cadden, the world's most content footnote on the notecards of museums and private galleries.

She had taken out an advertisement in the local newspaper just earlier that week looking for a sturdy ship and an able captain. Many people responded when they heard of the opportunity for wealth but the actual details of the plan made even the surest sailor pale. They were going into the wasteland to chase after a treasure long thought to be fictitious, led by a girl whose only clue was a slightly worn compass lid that may or may not be accurate. Her translation of the runes were admittedly only as good as the quality of the markings themselves. If she somehow could have come to herself for help, she knew for sure that she'd tell this crazy Violet chick to take a hike. No one wanted to risk their ship, money, or life on this fool's errand. Sure, she had gotten her friend and partner in crime for the past five years to join, but between the two of them they still had no means of transportation.

A letter came in the mail after most of the other captains worth their salt had laughed in her face. It was written by a certain Tori DeKein, who seemed at first to just be a thrill-seeking daredevil due to her haphazardly written response. After some digging, it became clear to the blonde that this woman was a pirate. Not just any pirate, but somewhat of an infamous one. Tori DeKein was the star of legends regarding epic battles, a lost crew, and even the owner of a rumored lucky hat that prevented the wearer from harm. Violet couldn't be sure which stories were true, but they all painted the picture of the type of woman she wanted to journey with into the unknown and seemingly unending desert. Captain DeKein was brave, adventurous, experienced, and likely a little on the crazy side. All of those were qualities that would come in handy.

Violet had responded affirmatively and asked Captain DeKein to meet her in a bar near the harbor, called the Prophet's Grogshop. It was a sandy, dirty place, but it had the best liquor in the city. She figured it would put them both well at ease. Violet had also asked her friend and fellow passenger to come and give an opinion on the captain.

Sand whipped in the air in front of the bar as Violet opened the heavy door. It was very dark inside for mid-afternoon, and nearly empty on account of most people of reputable standing being put off by the idea of drinking before three unless it was a particularly dreary morning. She couldn't see the captain, but she took a seat at the small square table right by the door.

She denied the roving bartender three times when he asked if he could pour her something short and strong but finally took him up after his fourth go-round. It just seemed rude to continually turn down his hospitality. She rolled the compass between her palm and the rough table. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a skinny gentleman (if he could be called such) leering at the device. She dropped it back into her coat pocket, downed the potent drink, and kept her sights trained on the door. She was still a few moments early.

[UnendingEmpire]

Today was an important day. A meeting about what could be the finest voyage in the history of voyages, and the possibility of treasures unlike any other at the end. If those treasures were really at the end of the road, Tori would be living the easy life for the rest of her life. Of course, that wasn't why she was down with the idea of going out in search of supposedly-fictional treasures guided only by a girl with an old compass that could have easily been fake. It was the sense of adventure and danger; the same thing that had been the fuel for the men and women aboard the Queen Venice since before Tori's birth. She even gave her crew a chance to step down from this mission if they were too afraid. She was answered with rallied cries of how they wanted to live great or die great. That was good. Even if she knew the ship like the back of her hand, Tori had no chance of handling Queen Venice all by herself. As Prophet's Grogshop came into view, Tori did one final mental check.

Gloves? Check. Her weapon-like nails were often under control, but accidents happened and it would probably be a bad first impression if this Violet girl had her arm sliced open mid-handshake. Hat? Check. Never leave home without it. Despite rumors, it didn't really bring luck. The luck was Tori's, and her crew often avoided harm by jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire...if that made any sense. Leave the crew to watch the ship? Check. While the ship's name wasn't a particularly popular one, Tori herself had quite the underworld reputation. It wouldn't do to have criminals or officials parading onto Queen Venice while she was away, would it? Recklessness? As always, check. She was ready for this.

Tori took her first steps into the bar. This Violet person who wanted her aid in the mission had said which table she'd be at, and Tori could see her fine when stepping in on the door clear on the other side of the bar. This was a pretty nice start to a day. Get a mission that may or may not have been her last, but held the chance of living the high life forever. As Tori made her way over, though, she stopped clean in her tracks at one of the other tables. The reason? She could feel a drunken hand clear on her ass.

"Eyy, there pretty lady."

"That's not even my best feature, sir," Tori responded with, taking the gloves off her hands. When Tori used the phrase "the gloves are off" she didn't kid around. It meant ass-kicking was imminent. "It's my hands. See? See how well-done my nails are?"

"Well, look at tha-AAAAAAAAAAH!"

The drunkard's cry of pain came from Tori's hand - showing her nails right in his face - swinging those exact nails down over one of his eyes. It resulted in three deep cuts down half of his face, but he'd live. Rarely were Tori's cuts fatal. Just very painful, like a cat. "Be happy I spared the other eye. Grope me again with those drunkard hands, and I'll cut lower." With that, Tori put her gloves back on as if nothing had ever happened. Only when she was certain the man with the sliced face wasn't going to try anything again did Tori make her way over to the table where she saw the Violet person wanting to hire her services.

"Sorry about that," the good captain said as she took a seat. "Captain Tori DeKein, at your service. So, let's hear a little more about this mission, eh?"