"You sure you'll be alright Runa? I don't want you getting hurt out there. I told you it would've been easier for you to join a crew instead of create one. Then again, I'd much rather you stay home with your mother and run the shop."

Runali gave a smile and laughed lightly. "Dad, I know you worry. But you also know I'm fully capable of handling my own. And you know that if I joined a crew they would make me do work. You and I both know that wouldn't work. And I already told you. The shop is so boring."

The two shared a small laugh before he hugged her. "Be careful out there kid!"
"Don't worry, I will."

"Oh my poor baby! You'll be off alone, and by yourself and in danger and. . ." Runali's mother continued to bawl as she hugged her daughter into a suffocating bear hug. "You better come and visit! Oh, and bring your crew. I'd love to meet them- and they'll bring in good business too!"

One again, the one eyed girl laughed lightly before hugging her parents once more and starting her journey as a pirate. More specifically, as a StarDusk Pirate.





It had been exactly two weeks since she departed from her family. Runali Lev had set sail to the grand seas, ready for adventure. It wasn't like her to be so adventurous or in want to move around, but the idea of sailing the seas sounded so much nicer than sitting around at home all day, doing the same old thing. So what better way to cure that boredom than to become a pirate? Maybe it was a fairly irrational choice considering the dangers and all, but it was too late to go back now. In the beginning of her trip, it was just her on a decently spaced ship with nothing but nice warm air and the ocean breeze. At the time, she decided not to put up her Jolly Roger- not until she had a formidable crew- to avoid possible conflict on her own. Runali spent her days letting the ship drift through the seas with ease. But the third day of the two weeks, was the starting day she met her crew. After the first one was met, they all seemed to join one by one. It was a small crew of only six of them, but it was all she needed right now. After all, they weren't going on any wild adventures as of yet. The crew had to get to know each other still. So far, from the week or so of interaction, they seemed to get along fine- maybe not without them biting a few heads at first.

Currently, their ship was docked and anchored on Hara Island. They had to stop early because Runali wasn't expecting to get a crew so fast... and she was short on supplies. Heh, yeah just a tad embarrassing. The StarDusk pirates were scattered throughout the island [or wherever they say they are whether it be on the ship, with the captain, or etc.] gathering supplies, or shopping.

Runali found a nice spot in the town's tavern and rested there until everyone was ready to go. "You're obviously not from around here miss." The bartender said with a caution to his tone as he  cleaned a glass. "Is there a problem?" Runali opened her eye, starting to pay attention to the stares she received, noticing some were fearful. "Did I do something wrong?" Runali questioned the bartender until he spoke in a softer voice. "You're just in...his seat." The emphasis on 'his' made her look over to see a male with messy green hair- obviously a dirty pirate- with a malicious grin walking up.

 "I see we have a trespasser." The male's hand rested on the table and slid it closer to her. "But I think I'm willing to let you go with just a warning- heh, for a price. "

Her bored expression never changed. "Excuse you, but I was just ordering a water... You're going to have to wait your turn." There was a few gasps from the tavern when she spoke out instead of moving to let him have his seat. What she did seemed to cause an annoyance in the unnamed pirate. Hopefully he didn't start a commotion. That was one less problem she wanted to-
And once a glass was tossed by one of the pirate's crew mates, everyone was fighting. A typical pirate thing.

"Hmph. Tough town." Runali looked over at the irritated pirate, sipping on her new cup of water given to her by the bartender. The bartender himself merely sighed as if he went through fights like those all the time.

Obviously, striking fear as a threat wasn't working out quite well, and it further irritated the "feared" pirate. It irritated him enough, to start a fight.

Didn't we just get here?

Two Weeks Ago: Just outside The Anchor

"I can't believe you're doing this Nolan, I always thought you were the responsible type." Annie let out an indignant huff before wagging a finger in front of Nolan's face. "And what if something goes wrong out there? You're a cook for crying out loud, not a pirate, so what then?"

Nolan's shoulders drooped and he rushed forward to put a finger on Annie's lips, this made the girl quiet down but also sent her into an angry fit. "I worry about you Nolan! You goshdarn know I do." Annie folded her hands over her chest and gave him one of the iciest glares he had ever seen. A chill ran down his spine, but seeing her so upset was actually kind of amusing.

The man made the mistake of laughing at her and before he knew it he was shoved back. "You can be so feisty Annie," his voice was gentle and he was smiling kindly. "One of the reasons I can't stop liking you," a silly grin lit up Nolan's face and Annie actually quieted down. "I'll be alright, it'll only be for a little while," the man thought about the sea, and suddenly it seemed as if he were a thousand miles away. "I just have to see what's out there before I settle down, but it won't be the life for me. I have The Anchor to look after and I have you to come back to." He grabbed her by the hands and clasped them between his own.

"Fine," Annie looked away, "you always did love the ocean," and before Nolan could say more she gave him a peck on the cheek, the gentle giant pretty much melted on the inside. "As long as you promise to stay safe," the girl pulled away, her fiery side once again showing. "If anything happens to you, I swear to God I will hunt down that captain of yours and skin her alive!"

The man backed up against the wooden post of the tavern called The Anchor and crossed his heart. "Aye, aye, my lady. I'll stay safe and come on Annie, don't pull the kid into this, okay?" He gave her a pat on the head and the woman grinned. Yes, everything would be fine now. He never thought he would get the chance to go sail the seas, let alone become a pirate, however, that all changed when Runali Lev walked into The Anchor to order a meal. Nolan wondered what a young girl like her was doing dressed up as a pirate and she told him about the StarDusk ship and her need for a crew. Without thinking twice, he blabbered about his dream of sailing the seas and she invited him to join her.

It was as simple as that and even now, he still couldn't believe it.

---

The Marketplace

Those pirates sure had large appetites.

Nolan walked through the bustling streets, several paper bags cradled in his arms. While the others looked around the city, he decided it would be wise to stock up on supplies and cooking ingredients. most importantly, fruits and vegetables. "Maybe tonight I should cook some roast chicken with mashed potatoes," he lit up at the thought. Nolan rarely met anyone who didn't enjoy his cooking, it was his passion and his talent and it showed in the food's texture and flavor. He cooked with love darn it, and he'd make sure those pirates enjoyed their greens.

"Good day!" The man hopped forward and stared at the onions and beans scattered across the table. "How much are you selling those for, ma'am?"

The old lady gave him a smile. "15 silver coins for that sack of beans over there,"

"Really?" The man lit up and began looking through his bad for the money. He payed the old woman and thanked her then came to a sudden realization. There was no way he'd be able to carry everything back to the ship, well not on his own. He could see Annie laughing at his pain, gah! Nolan awkwardly began dragging the giant sack of beans along, hoping that he'd run into one of his crew mates?

Raymond Skalter was in the music shop, perusing their selection of fiddles. He was examining a fine instrument when the proprietress approached. "Do you see anything you like?" Raymond turned his head and glanced her over before replying, "Yes, two beautiful instruments." She brought a hand to her mouth and blushed. He reached for a bow and asked, "May I?" She nodded and he played out a short but beautiful tune.

"I can see you are quite skilled. Are you a famous musician?"
"No, not famous. Infamous, perhaps."
She took a step closer. "Infamous for what, exactly?"
"Getting too close to women I shouldn't." That, and murder. He thought.

It didn't take much 'bargaining' after that to get the considerable price of the fiddle cut in half, though calling it a fiddle was like calling a 50 year old scotch 'booze.' It was a Lendrian viola, an instrument from his home island. A very fine piece of artistry, and in the hands of a professional, which Ray was, produced a fine mellow tune. A bit higher pitched that his one back home, but he'd hardly been able to take everything in his mad scramble to escape....

...It was late that night, maybe 2 or 3 in the morning when the guards burst into the sleazy dockside tavern to arrest Raymond Skalter for the murder of Daniel Setn. Raymond was besotted, having given up all hope of escape. His family had given up on him, the Setns were crying for his blood, and she was gonna get away with it all. The guards were making their arrest proclamations when Ray said "I was framed, you daft barstards." Ray couldn't remember much of what happened immediately afterwards, but he gathered he had 'that cute girl with the eyepatch who ordered a water in a tavern' to thank for his escape. She had dragged him onto her ship after fighting off the guards. She asked him weather or not he was really framed. And he told her the whole story, about Daniel, and the bitch who got him killed and Ray framed for it....

Ray shook his head, dispelling the thoughts of that night, and the growing scowl on his features. It wouldn't do well to dwell on the past, even if it was only a week-and-a-half ago. Hopefully we move on soon. The more distance between me and Lendria Island, the better.

"Guh, I need a drink." he muttered, and headed towards the tavern.

What Luro assumes is a couple weeks ago after a long night and multiple consumption of ale

Luro’s eyes slowly opened as he started regaining consciousness, his gaze met with an unfamiliar ceiling and he was pretty sure he was in a bed right now. He slowly sat up and looked down realizing he didn’t have his shirt on but that wasn’t too unnatural after drinking as much as he did before.
He brought hand to his head as he couldn’t remember most of what happened last night…well except the drinking part, he was pretty sure he punched someone in the face.
Luro felt something shift next to him and looked over to see a woman asleep next to him; he blinked a few times tilting his head as he dug in his memory, he noticed the wedding ring on her finger and actually panicked a little but finally his memory returned to him.
“Oh yeah that happened,” he said with a nod before climbing out of the bed. “Pants…pants…ah there they are.”
Luro found his clothing one by one and got dressed adjusting his shirt a little before grabbing his gun then heading over and picking up his rifle putting it on his back.
He grabbed a piece of parchment and grabbed a quill pin before dipping it in ink, he wrote a small note on the parchment for the woman currently asleep, it was only polite to say goodbye to someone after all.

Luro went to leave but stopped seeing a pearl necklace on a dresser, walking over he stuffed it in his pocket and taking a few steps back wrote an extra note on the parchment informing her that he stole her necklace before going to leave once more.
However as he neared the door he noticed it open, a slightly plump man walked in a bandage over his nose and his right eye black, the man was slightly shorter than Luro and had short brown hair. When his eyes landed on Luro they widened before narrowing into a glare as he pointed to him.
“You!” he exclaimed which woke the woman in the bed who Luro assumed was his wife.
Looking at the ring on his finger it seemed he was correct in his assumption. Luro lightly tapped the side of his head with his fist remembering him.
“Oh yeah I punched you yesterday, sorry about that.”
“What are you doing in my house?!”
“Your wife apparently,” Luro said shrugging. “I think your daughter too…actually yeah though that was earlier.”
“What?!” the two exclaimed at the same time.
“I should probably go pay more attention to your wife,” Luro waved to the man before running and jumping out of the window crashing through it, he hit the ground rolling before lying on his stomach as his lunch almost came back up.
“Ugh...that seemed like a good idea until I actually did it,” he said getting onto his feet.
“Get him!” the man exclaimed from his now broken window prompting Luro to quickly retreat.

Luro reached the docks and pulled the pearl necklace out of his pocket, he tossed it to a child sitting near the pier who eyed it with wide eyes before looking back up at Luro.
“I’m sure you could get a good price from that, just don’t let the mayor see you,” he said before walking over to his small dingy.
No sense in not sharing his wealth as he still had some silver left over, untying his boat he pushed it out to sea before hopping on it and turning back towards the town.
“Guess I can’t come back here for a bit either,” Luro said before sitting down and folding his hands behind his head. “Still I’m feeling good, I think I got some good luck coming my way.”
Sadly Luro was wrong in that regard as he found himself stranded on an island….again. His ship completely torn apart from the rocks he had the pleasure of meeting when the wind picked up. There wasn’t enough wood to repair it so it seemed he was stuck here for awhile, possibly forever. Luro sighed and fell on his back on the beach setting his rifle next to him before folding his hands behind his head.
A few days passed before Luro noticed a ship in the distance, grabbing his telescope he looked at it to see a young lady with an eye patch at the helm.
He tried waving to them and screaming but he was pretty sure she wasn’t going to see him, he was on the eye patch side and they were pretty far away.
Luro grabbed his rifle and pulling out a small contain from his sleeve started reloading his gun, he walked forward until he was fairly in the water and raising his gun took aim at Runali. He smiled and turning the gun slightly noted where her hand was on the wheel, he took in a deep breath and exhaled fired a shot hitting the spot right above her hand on the wheel.
Thankfully that was enough to get the attention of the young lass who would become his captain, he climbed on the ship and ended up joining shortly after enjoying the idea of someone else guiding the ship as it seemed he kept getting stranded on his own. He wasn’t against telling her the love he had for the Coral Pearl either offering to be her carpenter

---

Presently in the marketplace
Luro walked through the marketplace his hands shoved in his pockets, he wanted to go to the tavern and drink but he ended up staying behind to inspect the ship for any leaks or problems. He was going to try and ask the captain to pay for his drink but she was gone before he had a chance.
Luro sighed and shrugged his shoulders deciding to just wander around for awhile, thanks to Carmen he didn’t have to worry about supplies since that was her job and all.
Luro grinned glad to have one less thing to worry about, not that he really minded doing the shopping, he could find a bargain sometimes which left a little for himself. Granted she was the boatswain so he had to report back to her, sometimes he left out the extra he saved. Thankfully Luro had an eye for good wood and he inspected it before purchasing it, the Coral Pearl wasn’t getting any weak wood if he could help it, well so long as they had the money anyway.

A familiar face caused Luro to stop his gaze falling on Nolan, he hadn’t known the guy for that long but his food was enough of an explanation of his character which was good.
He seemed to be having some trouble with the food; Luro brought a hand to his chin wondering if he should help him carry it. Seeing him drag the potatoes he shrugged and walked over to him adjusting the rifle on his back.
“You look like you could use some help,” Luro said to him with a raised hand.
Luro reached down and grabbing the sack of beans threw it over his shoulder, however he stumbled back a little at the weight and the force of his throw before catching himself.
“This is all going back to the ship right?” Luro said smiling at him. “With all the stuff you have I can’t wait until we eat.”
Luro stepped to the side letting Nolan lead the way back before placing a hand on his hip.
“Haah working on the ship, working off the ship why can’t I find a lass to listen to my troubles or some ale for once. Least Carmen hasn’t found me; she might give me an order.”

Void

TWO WEEKS AGO...
"Don't g-g...g-get me wrong," Ylva started, already hating this conversation. It wasn't necessarily the content of the conversation she couldn't stand; she was quite fine with that part. She hated that she had to speak, which meant she was going to stutter. But, she had to move on. "I th-think this crew is a grea-great lot, cap'n. But I d-do...don't think I'll find what I'm l-l-looking for with you." She spoke, of course, of her origins. She'd been bouncing from crew to crew in search of where she could have come from, but with no real luck. Her agility with the sword and comparative generosity had done wonders to help her hop from one ship to another, but it seemed as though no matter how many crews she joined and left, nobody had the answers she was looking for.

With any luck, this next one would be different. She'd heard about the StarDusk pirates, and their search for the legendary Black Compass. Leads to a treasure of gods, does it? Ylva's logic was that with any luck, such a magnificent treasure, or even just the search to find it, would no doubt point her to the place she came from. She'd already spoken with the captain; she was lucky enough to be with this crew when they touched down here on this island, and whaddya know, the StarDusks were also here. The StarDusk captain - Runa, was it? - seemed like a good enough sort, though quite young, especially for a captain! But a crew was a crew, and a quest like this would surely benefit Ylva and her own search.

---

NOW...
Hara Island seemed nice enough. Admittedly, the task of guarding a ship's loot became all the more important when a pirate ship was docked at land. No telling what kind of thieves would try to snatch up a pirate's hard work, after all. As a result, Ylva - mainly by choice - was rather holed up inside the ship, guarding the various valuables the crew had looted over time. It didn't necessarily mean the task was boring. Being left alone in a room full of various treasures was actually way more fun than one may initially think. If only to keep herself entertained for the duration of this otherwise-menial task, Ylva was spending her time piling up the contents of the room into one large heap roughly in the center of the room.

All things considered, it wasn't a half-bad pile. But oh how she got bored with this job, even if she did volunteer to do it every single time. Well, she was stuck on this ship for now, so may as well get some fresh air. Departing from the room for a moment, Ylva made way to get back on top deck where she could get some sunshine and fresh air.

Ray was singing a raunchy little ditty under his breath as he approached the tavern. He was actually quite pleased with his recent acquisition and with the price he paid for it. And with the 'negotiation.'

"When I was 'prenticed in Lendr'a/ I came to see my dear..."

She was quite willing to let it go for free, but Ray had more respect for the instrument than to take it for free. However, he couldn't go spending his money willy-nilly like before. He had to budget what few funds he had left, at least, until the StarDusk Pirates could bring in a nice haul.

"The candles all were burning/ The moon shone bright and clear..."

That's what life is going to be from now on, isn't it? High larceny with the occasional side order of slaughter. As a pirate flew out of one of the tavern's windows, he added to himself, And bar fights. Especially bar fights. Can't forget the moment that I signed onto this crazy adventure. Well, actually...

"I knocked upon her window/ To ease her out of her pain..."

Entering the tavern, he deftly dodged a barstool and sidestepped a pair of grappling brutes, all while carrying the viola case. He saw a glimpse of the captain in the fray, but not much of her, being obscured from view by the larger men. She can handle more than this, no problem. Their eyes met for an instant, hers bored and his flashing with a wink.

"She rose to let me in and then..."

He stepped over to the bar, nicked a bottle of gin and navigated his way out of the fight and tavern. If I'm a pirate, may as well act like one, and what better way to start than some petty larceny?

"...she barred the door again."

Two weeks earlier:

The rumble of cannon fire, the sharp sound of splintering wood, These sounds awoke Kai from a deep slumber, he toppled out of his bed and immediately leaped to his feet. However, the second he righted himself, all the sounds seemed to vanish without a trace. Kai let out a sigh of relief and frustration, it had only been a nightmare… No a memory, but the same one he’d had on many occasions previously. His mighty Leviathan, torn to shreds and bombarded with cannons after she and her crew had sailed through a hurricane.

He dressed himself and proceeded out of the room into a dark hallway. He’d spent the night in the tavern he’d visited last, a small little pub known as the Crimson Dragon. Kai walked lazily down the hallway and down the stairs into the main attraction of the building, the bar. After seating himself at his usual spot at the end and looked up at the barmaid. This particular bar was where Kai inevitably returned to after some time, the maid here known as Roxanne knew precisely what he wanted without him needing to say a single word. “Drinking already? You must have had the dream again.” She said to the pirate as she began to fill a mug with his favorite ale. All Kai did was nod as he was handed the glass and downed in mere seconds and handed it back for a refill. “Aye” he responded after several moments of silence.

Before too long the pub had once again filled with it’s usual crowd. The shouts of “He’s a bloody cheater!” and “Who’ll buy a sailor a drink?” soon filled the tavern, generally nothing Kai hadn’t seen before. That is, until his would be captain Runali happened to wander in. The young pirate was talking about how she was getting together a crew to travel with her. Somewhere during the conversation she managed to offend one of the more aggressive patrons. The man had walked up to her and started to threaten her, she made some sort of smart remark. A moment later the man drew his sword and swung it down upon the girl.

A clash of steel, and a shower of sparks ensued. Kai had moved faster than he remembered he could, in an instant he had crossed the room, drawn his swords and blocked the man’s attack. He quickly dispatched the attacker and checked to make sure the girl was unwounded. Why had he protected this young woman? What was it about her that had made him leap across the room to come to her aid… Then it hit him, she had to be about the same age he’d been when he started his crew. Yes, she was exactly as “The Leviathan” Kai Keelson had been before his rise to power. Then and there he asked to join her crew in the hopes that he could prevent the same tragedy that happened to him from reoccurring with this girl.

Present day:

Kai was stationed just outside the tavern, his foot against the stone wall behind him and his hat tiled in such a way that it cast a shadow over his eyes. He’d been traveling with this new crew The StarDusk Pirates for a good two weeks now. For the most part, things had been good, not really all that interesting to be honest, they’d visited some towns, made some money stealing, but other than that not much stood out.

All was not fun and games however, as a good number of the crew didn’t seem to trust him, apparently thinking he desired the position of captain even though he’d sworn his swords to Runali, that his blades might cut down her foes. This didn’t bother Kai very much though, he didn’t care much what the rest of the crew thought. As long as Runali knew that she could depend on him to be at her back, that was all that mattered to the salty old pirate.

He was snapped out of his daze when the sound of fighting erupted from behind him in the bar. He turned about swiftly, gazing through the window, his eyes scanned the room for a moment but settled on Runali sitting at the bar. He relaxed against the wall once again, if she called for him he would be in the bar in a matter of seconds. Until then he would remain here until either his captain decided it was time to leave, or she called him inside to “Tidy up”

He rested his hand upon the hilt of his ruby encrusted sword, not in a threatening manner, but simply because having them in his hands gave him something to hold onto, which put his mind at ease for the most part. He continued to listen intently for any signs that Runali wanted his assistance. He continued to wait patiently for his captain.

"Girly I don't think you get it. The captain told you to move." A larger male slammed his hand on the bar counter, making Runa's glass shake. With one finger, she stopped it and glanced up at the bulky male now in front of this 'captain' he spoke of. His fists clenched as he watched the one eyed girl casually sip the glass of water. She was way too calm to be in such a situation. In the background, the captain without a name chuckled add his crew came and riled the place up. Chairs were being tossed, tables are flipped and a lot of arguing took place. "Get up or I'll move you myself!"

"You wouldn't hit a kid would you? Especially one with only one eye?" Her question was answered when the bulky male reached out to grab her. "Whoa." She leaned forward, barely missing his meaty clutches. "I guess that's a yes." As the male swung a punch this time, the one eyed girl spun in the bar stool only to jab his arm twice with her finger tips. "That was close." She hopped onto the counter and picked up her cup. "You're not going to feel that till the morning. Along with," While he was in shock that his arm had fell limply to his side all of a sudden, Runa managed a few more jabs making him collapse all together. "Now you're just jello. Don't worry, it'll wear off by tomorrow." She tipped her hat, only to maneuver backwards so she was leaning backwards on the counter top and holding on the edges with her finger tips. "Uh, bartender... do you mind?" Setting his clean glasses away, he casually pushed Runa's hat onto her head before going back to his post, watching as the tavern was destroyed.

'Why did I even get this job...
Obviously, this happened more than once for the poor bartender.

What made the girl have to lean backwards was a grumbling captain with a sword. "You bastard, what did you do!? What kind of magic-" Oh great, he was dumb too. The fight didn't last very long, mostly because it consisted of Runali dodging novice attacks with ease. The entire time, she managed to stay on the counter top and on her toes, occasionally on her hands too. "Stay still so I can stab you. . ." He growled out before finally, the one eyed girl stepped on his sword and kicked him in his face.

"Now why would I do that?" She jumped off the counter top and sat back in her seat. "I hope those guys got the stuff they needed." She mumbled about her own crew and looked around. The pirates around here were pretty sensitive if they were going to fight over something as little as a seat. That was probably too much fighting in the matter of a day if she stayed in the town. And the girl didn't have a death wish. Somewhere in the midst of fighting, she heard a familiar voice singing. Her head turned toward the sound, as she dodged a random flying object to spot Ray grabbing a drink and going. Their eyes met briefly before Runa was distracted again.

With a lot of people unconscious and sprawled out thanks to the sudden uproar, Runali smirked ever so slightly and began hopping from area to area grabbing free loot. Some of which she kindly gave to the bartender. "Thanks for the water. And these guys are sorry about the damage, so they decided to make it up to you."

The bartender gave a genuine smile. "That was nice of you. I appreciate it miss." Runali merely tipped her hat and turned. "I think it's about time for me to be leaving." She said, now with a new set of coin pouches jingling as she walked out. "Hm, maybe I should get a new eyepatch." She assumed everyone was on their way back so she decided not to keep them waiting. Turning her head, she looked over at Kai who was looking as intimidating as usual. "Hmph, you didn't have to wait out here you know." Runali was still getting used to the fact that she had a "personal guard". She didn't mind it, but it was something to adjust to, like the new crew.

"Well c'mon Kai. I'm sure everyone is heading to the ship now. And I think I've made a few friends." She jingled a few of the coin pouches she 'recieved' as she led the way back.

Unfortunately for her, some of those pirates weren't hit over the head hard enough, and were probably going to come after the girl soon enough.

The Ship:

A familiar voice caught the cook off guard and he spun around nearly dropping the sack of potatoes.

"Oh Luro, it's just you." Nolan struggled to give the man a wave and grinned when his fellow pirate offered to help. "It's appreciated, thanks for the offer." The man was ready to carry half the load, but before he could say anything, Luro grabbed the sack and practically swung it over his shoulder. "Er, are you doing okay?" Before the cook could say anything the man began walking off and complementing his food, it made Nolan grin like a kid on Christmas morning. He wanted people to enjoy his food and knowing that the pirates actually liked it made him feel ecstatic.

Tonight, he would make the best stuffed potatoes and onion cream, it would be heavenly.

"I'm glad you like the food I put on the table, but are you sure you don't need a hand? Those are pretty heavy." Sure, Luro was almost a foot taller than him, but those potatoes were weighty little things. The man was pretty chipper and soon enough he started talking about Carmen. Nolan had only known them for a little more than a week, but the girl seemed nice, a little soft spoken at times though.

Nolan carried the grocery bags in his arms and laughed a little at his fellow pirate's words. "Who knows, maybe you'll find a nice girl out there. The world is a vast place, now we better not keep the others waiting for us." Nolan and Luro made their way back to the ship and noticed that both Carmen and Ylva were onboard. "Good afternoon, do you both need help with anything?" He looked around, impressed. Carmen and the others had done a mighty fine job while the rest of them had looked around the marketplace.

"Luro and I have got the food on deck, do any of you want something specific for dinner?" He gave the man a tap on the back then lit up with a grin. "I'm sure the captain and the others will be happy to come back to a table full of food."

Luro walked with Nolan adjusting the potato's over his shoulder, he gave Nolan a thumbs up as he mentioned needing a hand showing he was alright with carrying it. The sack was heavy but he could handle something like this at least that's what he told himself, and it seemed one of the harder things to carry. Besides the sooner they got back the faster Nolan could start cooking which Luro was already looking forward too. If he remembered Ylva was at the ship and he was positive he saw Carmen too but either of them could have left so he wasn't sure if they were still there.
"Here's hoping I hope I can find one soon," Luro said at the idea of a lass. "I can't wait to get back on the ship let's hurry."

Once Luro climbed back on the ship with Nolan he took in a deep breath a sudden calm enveloping him as he looked around the ship, there was just something about the Coral Pearl that relaxed him. He reached over and ran his fingers along the wood a grin forming on his face, Nolan was right the ship looked good. Hearing Nolan ask if the two needed help caused Luro to rub the side of his head, he wondered if that offer to help applied to him as well, he averted his eyes and let out a weak chuckle wondering if he could find an escape route if they actually needed any.
When Nola tapped him on the back Luro brought a hand to his chin at what could be for dinner, so long as there was ale he'd be alright with whatever Nolan cooked.
"Without a doubt I know I'd loved coming back to dinner," Luro said nodding a few times "Well I'd really prefer if I had food in one hand, some ale in front of me and a lass' re-"
Luro stopped speaking looking over at Carmen and Ylva, he raised his free hand and coughed into his hand.
"I mean more food in the other hand because I would be hungry..." He said trailing off and the end.

"All of that aside you guys stayed on the ship, you can't hog the Coral Pearl to yourselves, I wanna show her some affection too. We could have even bonded over it, I would have guarded the loot with you Ylva we could have told each other dirty jokes and Carmen we could have.....uh....well I don't really like cleaning so that wouldn't work....um...we can't do that either...well I'd think of something eventually but you get what I mean."
Luro set the potato's down as they were starting to get a little heavy after holding them for too long, he looked at Ylva and Carmen smiling a little to show he wasn't completely serious with what he said. He did wander off on his own after he finished checking the ship.
"I hope the captain returns soon, if I can't drink at the tavern I can't think of anything else to do here really. Well nothing that won't have the guards on me anyway."

Kai nodded as Runali came out form the tavern, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning against, he stretched for a moment and then followed his captain back to where they had moored the ship. He frowned slightly as she stated that he didn’t need to wait. “Of course I know you’re more than capable of defending yourself captain.” He stated as he followed her, his coat swishing slightly from side to side. “But you never know, he might have had a dozen crewmates in that place. I was simply there to even the odds in case things got out of hand.” He continued as he looked around.

Keelson smirked slightly when he saw the small pouches of coin that Runali had ‘Appropriated’ from some of the men in the tavern. “If I may be so bold captain, I don’t advise inviting your new ‘friends’ to dinner.” He said as he grinned to himself imagining the scenario “You know how much Mr. Fischer hates cooking for unexpected guests.” He added as he grinned. In truth, he had no idea how Noland would react to them bringing several armed strangers to the dinner table. Kai made a mental note to figure that out at some point or other.

Kai reflected that during their time on this island he hadn’t bought a single thing. He wasn’t sure if that made him better at saving money than the others or not. He knew he had a little more money than the rest of them saved up. Although this made sense considering that out of everyone in this crew, he was the only ex-captain among them, he knew how this game was played. He thought a lot about the rest of the crew on their way back, plenty of sharpshooters, but not very many skilled swordsmen. Among them, Noland was the only one who Kai had taken an immediate liking to as the boy’s culinary skills were top notch. That alone was enough to make him stand out in Kai’s eyes. The others, they had yet to prove their mettle to him, but he’d save his final judgment of them until then.

In the Tavern ~

"Get up! Get up!"

"What... happened?"

"My- my money!? It's gone!"

"What the- mine is too!?"

The hysterical crooks and pirates searched around for their money, more than likely stolen from someone else. Before everyone could point fingers at each other, one male reached over and grabbed the bartender who was steadily cleaning up. Not once had he moved from his position. When Runali gave him the money, he merely placed it under him in a secret compartment. "Where's are things. Unless you want to lose a few limbs, I advise you to start talking."

With a gun so close to his neck, and a few swords aiming to kill as well, the bartender gulped and put his hands up in surrender. "That k-kid. The girl with the eyepatch took it. When she saw you guys passed out she went for the opportunity and then l-left!"

"Which way did she go?"

"I don't know! I-" A sword pressed against his chest and his heart raced. 'Why do I stay at this job. . . I should've just stayed in the markets. It's safer there. . . "I think she went to the docks! But I swear, that's all I know!"

The bartender sighed heavily when he was released and the pirates piled out to reclaim their prizes. "Sorry miss. . ." He fixed his clothes and began to tidy up the rest of the tavern.

"Hurry before she escapes!"

"Raid her ship!"

"She's no match for all of us!"

Those pirates sounded pretty angry.



"I guess that's a fair observation." She nodded, still holding on to the pouches. She was content with her little earnings for the day. Walking alongside him, Runali paused only to move so Kai was on her right side. She didn't like for people to be on her blind side. It always made her paranoid- even if it was people she knew she could trust. Of course, she never said this out loud, so the crew had to learn by perceptive-ness. Runali didn't say a word about the small adjustment. "Heh, Nolan might not approve of all the people. And I don't think the Coral Pearl can hold all those people."

A few townsfolk gave the two skeptical glances considering one was a male clad in pirate gear that looked pretty fearsome, and the other was just a girl, she too in pirate attire carrying a lot of coin pouches on her. (Her pockets weren't large enough to carry them all) This made them cautiously hide their valuables, or pull their children away. But they weren't to blame. The inhabiting pirates were pretty rowdy and had scared the people into being scared of pirates. "Hey look, there's the dock." She quickened her pace to the boat, tossing up some of the pouches mid climb so she could get up there easier. "Incoming." She called out in hopes they'd hear and catch the pouches, or at least notice them enough to put them away.

While she and Kai were climbing their way on board, gun fire was shot, barely missing the captain's hands. It was enough to make her let go, and she was sent falling back to the ground, until she caught herself using one of the ropes. "That was rude..." The captain looked over to see a rally of unhappy looking pirates all coming towards them to attack. "So maybe they were a little upset. And to think they would have let me take their money without a hassle."

"There she is!"

"Attack!"

"Strip them of everything! Make them regret ever stealing from us!"

"Sink their ship so they can't get away!"

Those were a few things yelled out as they invaded. "I guess you were right Kai. That guy did have a lot of friends." Runa managed to climb up to the top, peeking over. "We have some unwanted...guests that need to be dealt with. Mind giving a hand?" As she asked, more gunshots were fired and she quickly scrambled up to dodge becoming swiss cheese.

Luro looked behind him hearing the familiar voice of the captain, it seems they didn't have time to make dinner first. He started to offer a smile to the returning two but noticed the men approaching from the distance. With a shrug he dropped the potato's and took his rifle off his back, taking out a paper cartridge he started reloading his gun, by time the men started firing his gun was already loaded and he walked up to the side of the ship just as Runali spoke. He offered a wide grin before resting his rifle on his shoulder, with the excited look in his eyes one would think he had just found unguarded loot.
"Aye Captain, perhaps they should understand what it means to draw a weapon on someone, especially the captain of pirates."

Luro ran toward the edge and leaped off it, he hit the ground rolling until he was in front of the guys and without missing a beat uppercut one of the men with the butt of his gun, he released it having successfully drawn the attention of the others causing to spin in the air. He turned his body catching it mid spin before aiming it at the skull of one of the pirates behind him and pulling the trigger.
"It's a sad day for you lads," Luro said raising his gun to stopping a sword from coming down on him, he kicked the man in his stomach before hitting him across the face with his gun smiling at him. "You went and shot at and insulted the Coral Pearl, even worse you attacked the captain. I mean I'm actually in a really good mood today even with you guys here but you messed up twice."

He ducked as another swung horizontally at him, spinning past him he grabbed his pistol off his belt as he did so, the pirate turned only to see the barrel of his gun pointed at him, primed and ready to fire.
"Shame I'm not the type to really take prisoners," he said pulling the trigger grinning as he tossed the gun aside watching the man's body fall. "Oh right Captain I forgot to ask, did you want prisoners?! I mean they've already drawn their weapons so I figured it was alright to go ahead and take them down!"
Luro slammed the barrel of his gun into the stomach of one of the men before kneeing him in the chin sending him onto the ground.
"Almost forgot to ask actually, still gotta get used to holding back in situations like this. I mean I'm going to rob them either way but we got a reputation to uphold or something right?"

The Coral Pearl

"I'll make it the best meal you've ever had." Nolan grinned from ear to ear, laughing at the way Luro interacted with the women. He was a nice guy and so far had been the easiest one to get along with. Nolan liked the pirate and hoped that they could be friends. The others were a bit more gruff, making it a tad harder to have casual conversations. The cook was just about to bid them farewell and retreat to the kitchen, however, suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Incoming."

Wasn't that the captain? He made his way towards the ledge only for a coin purse to crash into his face. Nolan stumbled back a little as a few more hit him in the stomach. He scrambled to pick them up then eyed both Kai and the captain as they struggled to get on the ship. "What on earth?" Shouts echoed throughout the docks as men clad in leather began to appear, each of them were visibly upset and they even threatened to sink the ship. They had only been here for a few hours and they had gotten into trouble already? Nolan let out a sigh, these people really were amazing, though at the moment he didn't think that was a good thing.

"We're under attack!" He yelled before scrambling to throw the pouches of gold into a chest. His fellow Stardusk pirate Luro didn't even think twice, and before he knew it the pirate had leaped off the ship, attacking enemies left and right and even having a casual conversation while he was at it! Wait what? Prisoners? Nolan noticed the captain clambering onto the deck and he rushed towards the girl, easily lifting her off her feet. His big brother instincts took over and soon he was fussing and dusting her off. She was as young as his little sister, and it amazed him how she was already a captain.

"I don't think we should kill any of them!" If they committed murder, they'd be wanted in this town and he really, really, didn't want them to have anyone's blood on their hands. He noticed one of the pirates sneaking up on Luro, so Nolan grabbed the nearest thing he could (a giant potato), took aim, and threw the thing with all his might. It collided into one of their enemy's faces and the man fell off the docks with a splash. The pirate flailed around and screamed, it really looked like he didn't know how to swim and suddenly Nolan felt a pang of worry. "Just try to float, or grab onto a piece of wood!"

The cook grabbed a rifle from behind one of the barrels and began aiming at the enemy's feet. "I suggest you leave, we really don't want any trouble." He put on his stern face, the face he used whenever one of his little siblings were being troublesome. "I could point this gun at your head right now, but we could really just talk it out--" before he could say more a bullet whizzed past his head and one of the pirates yelled at him to just shut up.

"Eurgh!" He ducked. The man had never been in a fight before and he could feel his heart hammering inside his chest. What were they supposed to do, just shoot these people? He positioned himself behind a sack of rice and began to fire warning shots.

Kai ducked down behind the railing of the ship as bullets started to fly, his own captain instincts were taking over. His mind raced, immediately thinking of at least a dozen countermeasures. The cannons, they could blast the entire dock to pieces, they could face them in open combat, they could shoot them from the rails, they co- And then his mind went blank. Kai watched as Noland, their cook began to fire warning shots and shout at their attackers whilst hiding behind a mere sack of rice.

The Leviathan made his way over to where Noland was stationed, he grabbed the young man by the scruff of his collar “Get down you blasted fool.” The pirate said and forced him to the floor of the ship. Anger filled ex-captain’s eyes as he checked to make sure everyone else was alright before they turned back to the cook. Finally he spoke, his voice gruff and salty again, as it always ended up when they were in a battle. “Noland, listen to me, you’re a pirate now, these people at this very moment are trying to kill us, our captain, the crew, and destroy this ship. There’s no time for you to get compassionate for the enemy…” He paused ducking to avoid some lead being fired from the enemy before he spoke again “I get it, you’re new to this whole piracy thing… But if you can’t handle it, get below deck and wait while we finish this up.” He said before he too leapt off the deck of the ship into the fray of enemies, drawing his blades as he went.

He initially stabbed downward taking down two pirates right from the start. Unfortunately he found himself locked in a circle of six pirates, his eyes darted around noting each of their positions. In a moments time they all engaged in a vicious sword fight. Kai hadn’t done this in quite a long time, however he was still able to parry each and every one of the opponents attacks unfortunately he was unable to launch even a single attack. They had him locked in place, but he didn’t budge an inch, his swords seemed to turn into silver blurs with the speed of his swordplay. However, he wouldn’t ask for any assistance, that wasn’t his style. These pirates wouldn't be attacking his comrades while he had them distracted.

Ray had started heading back to the ship after his successful theft, but ended up sitting by the docks, playing his viola and singing. And drinking. Almost half the bottle of gin was gone by now, and he had accumulated quite the following. He was at first offended that someone had tossed a coin into his viola case, but by the seventh coin clinked into his case, it sank in that he was making money for singing tavern songs and getting wasted. He was enjoying himself greatly as he led his entourage in the last verse of a song. As they finished the thoroughly off key ditty, Ray noticed a mob of angry pirates storming out onto the docks. "Huh, I wunner wassup wi' them."

"It looks like they're going after that ship docked there." One of the crowd helpfully pointed out.

"Heh," Ray chuckled, "that looks like the Coral... oh."

"The Coral Oh? What the hell kinda name fir a ship is that?" Ray ignored the ignorant bystander and quickly gathered up his belongings. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting all of you, but I really must be going." He picked up his bottle of gin and realized he couldn't carry the viola, a sword and the bottle all at once. He took a last swig and tossed it to the dense bystander. "Happy Birthday," he said as he ran off. The bewildered man simply said, now to no one in particular, "But its not my birthday. I am so confused."

Ray was behind the angry mob and they hadn't noticed him. An idea struck him and he quickly tucked the corner of his scarf so that the StarDusk insignia was concealed; it would only be a temporary disguise as not much would dislodge the tuck. He drew his sword and started pushing his way through the mob, shouting about nonsense, trying to fit in as an inexplicably angry pirate. "They stole my horse! I want a cherry pie too! Will someone let me at them!?" The pirates somehow considered him one of their own and let him through. He lunged at Kai and their blades locked. The pirates recognized even in their rage that two powerful swordsman had clashed, and so gave them a wide berth. Ray and Kai circled around one another on the pier and broke apart, Ray now on the ship's side of the pier, and Kai leaping back into the horde of belligerent buccaneers. Ray ran up the gangplank and hailed Captain Runali.

"Hello there, Cap'n. I think we've all had enough fun for this port. What say we send our well wishers an explosive parting gift?" He said pointing at the cannons.

Void

Luro said . "Oh right Captain I forgot to ask, did you want prisoners?! I mean they've already drawn their weapons so I figured it was alright to go ahead and take them down!"

As she scrambled up, she found herself being lifted by Nolan and being checked over much like how a mother would distress over a child. She didn't mind very much, but she looked over board to see Luro attacking some of the pirates. Before she could call out, Nolan seemed to disapprove of the idea of killing anyone. "We're pirates Nolan, lives are bound to be taken." She held a matter-of-factly tone to her voice, but gave a small shrug before turning to answer Luro. "Only kill them if you have to. We aren't murderers, we're pirates. Just knock them out if you can." At this point, she was calmly sitting on the edge of the ship, watching as her knew crew protected it. "Heh, you guys are cool." She admired before standing to help out. With teenage curiosity, she watched her bodyguard, the ex-captain, get surrounded by a hoard of those pirates. Only moments later to be helped by Ray. "At least they know o wf teamwork."

"What a wonderful crew I've picked out." She mused. A little distracted by her admiration, she didn't realize the dirty pirates climbing up until a sword was swung inches from her. "Whoa." She said before jumping backwards. As the pirate lashed out, the other four that snuck their way in began to raid the ship. One in particular going into the kitchen to raid the food stock. "Oh no you don't." A low sweeping kick caused the pirate to fall off the edge and into the water...or the dock. Whichever one, he hit pretty hard. But there was no time for victory musing. She jumped onto the deck and quickly jabbed the two men about to go through one of the doors making them both collapse. "Pressure points are pretty useful...except for when you gotta drag them out the way." She sighed, tugging the heavy men off the ship. 'That's three, now where's the other...'

The fourth pest of a pirate was sneaking around towards the kitchen greedily, hoping to find some gold or valuables in the process.



"Steady...Steady... That's right girly, just stay and-"

The sniper woman took her shot just as the one eyed girl was tossing men overboard. She grinned as she saw the girl fall backwards. "That'll teach you to mess with my captain you brat..." The woman huffed and aimed from her hiding spot behind a wagon, trying to get the rest of the crew mates that weren't hers, but they were moving too fast. And people were getting in the way. By this time, townspeople were all wondering where this commotion was coming from. They wondered what had started a full blown brawl at the docks. The merchants and traders grabbed their things, heading for safety, while every other townsmen tried staying safe. Luckily for them, the Hara Island residents weren't harmed. . . Save for some property damage.

* * *

'BAM!'

Runali was hit causing her to fall backwards on the deck. Unfortunately for the sniper woman, her aim was off and it only managed to hit her in the shoulder. Still, being shot was a new pain she'd rather never, ever feel again. She clutched her shoulder for a moment before sitting up. "Ow..." She breathed and then stood up. The captain noticed how much chaos was starting, and how fast this would probably be in the papers- or at least on some wanted posters. With a loud whistle, she called to her crew.

"I think we've gotten too comfortable here. It's high time we leave! Before the government gets involved, you know?"

Ray said "Hello there, Cap'n. I think we've all had enough fun for this port. What say we send our well wishers an explosive parting gift?"

She looked over to where Ray had appeared and was pointing to and tilted her head towards the cannons. "I'm sure one in the direct center would be enough. Too many and the people will be fairly upset, y'know?" Runa held her shoulder, feeling the wetness of blood staining her short sleeved black shirt. "We may want to hurry with that plan."

Luro knocked a man to a ground before pointing a pistol as his head grinning as he met the man's eyes, however the captain's words hit him and he glanced in her direction before giving a nod. He sighed and moving his gun to his leg shot him in it to keep him from getting back up before throwing the gun away. Anyone who attacked him should be willing to put their lives on the line but the captain wasn't wrong they weren't murderers they were pirates. Luro had to make sure to be more of one than the other, he nodded as he slammed his gun into a man's face sending him stumbling back. Admittedly he'd prefer to just end them as he firmly believed once a weapon was drawn one's life was on the line, but he didn't need another wanted poster up and even he knew pirates didn't always kill or they'd have no place for prisoners at least that was his logic.
Luro continued moving swearing he just saw Ray stumble through the crowed, when he looked over at Kai as Ray clashed with him he arched a brow before seeing what Ray did, a small smile formed on his face catching his intent before he ducked narrowly dodging a sword. He raised his gun uppercutting the man before kicking him in the chest sending him falling back.
"That was a little close for comfort, gotta pay attention."

Luro continued moving but his entire body flinched as a loud blam sounded. That shot was too far away to be from anyone nearby, and it didn't sound like a pistol anyway which most of these men had. The scent of gunpowder around him was faint so he had to tell himself it wasn't close, whatever that was it came from a rifle, maybe a musket. Did the navy catch up to them and were they firing? Looking around he didn't see any more men aside from the pirates, it was pretty easy to recognize them in those uniforms. An ill feeling caught Luro in his stomach and he looked up at the captain as she whistled, his eyes widened seeing her hold her shoulder. He grit his teeth and elbowed a pirate in the face coming up on his right, reaching down he grabbed his pistol and putting the gun against his chest pulled the trigger mostly for the mental confirmation of the sound.
"The captain's been shot!" Luro yelled before turning and running towards the ship.

While running Luro pulled out his powder and started reloading his gun, he ducked under swords and jumped over lower swipes kneeing one man in the face, as he passed Kai he stopped reloading to clothesline one of the pirates with his gun as he ran towards him to help, he grabbed his cartridge and teared it open with his teeth as he continued running.
He put his rifle on his back just as he finished reloading and jumped on the ship before he climbed up the rope, that shot came from one of the pirates, that's the only thing that made sense, the captain seemed to upset them and if it was the navy there'd be more than one here and more than one shot, they normally shot in unison anyway and he was sure they would have shot at the pirates too not just the captain. Whoever shot her was probably aiming for head, if he could get up top he could figure out where the shot come from.
Once he reached the top he climbed over the edge and pulled his rifle around before smiling at the captain.
"Hey Captain would you mind getting down please? Nolan please protect the captain, I'm sure Kai will be here to do just that soon. Also Ray that was pretty funny but we can laugh about all that later."
Luro put a foot on the edge of the ship before raising his gun and aiming at the bottom, they wouldn't move to the roof too easy a target if they were found out, he just hoped they hadn't already moved.
"The shot probably came from below with all the confusion down there it'd be a good place to hide and shoot, they're probably behind something that could provide good cover and going off where I believe you were standing....." Luro trailed off aiming down a smile on his face, his eyes scanned the entire area especially places to hide.
"Got her," Luro said before his aim landed on the wagon his smile moving into a grin. "She's behind the wagon it'd be pretty nice if a cannonball hit there since I can't get a shot with her hiding behind it. The moment she pokes her head out...."
Luro's finger rested on his trigger his breath steady as he waited for the slightest movement.
"I'm afraid I intend on killing this one captain, unless you want an eye for an eye...and I hit her shoulder. Also I just realized I could have used something else other than eye, please excuse that. Well actually me saying something about it probably didn't help, how about an arm for an arm....nah that sounds silly I'm keeping the original one."