[IC] One Piece: Eternal Pose (OPEN)

[FiroIV]

My Hider

Chapter One: Twin Capes

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<sub>The journey of the Black Crown Pirates started on the South Blue Sea. It began with Alveara Jones golden haired with a crown of obsidian. Her aspirations to do good and to get even had just set in motion. The first course of action she took was to gather a crew, crew first, army later she thought.

First she needed a shipwright, and Port Drydock was where the best shipwright and ship were built. It was once home to the best shipyards in on the seas, but it’s current state has left it bitter. There she would find a suitably small ship and shipwright who built it, Dowell.

Next came the Doctor she decided. The two women landed themselves in a small island of no great importance where they met Brinsley, a medical officer in the marines. It took some convincing and beating up marines and soon enough Brinsley was on board. No one was harmed except maybe the local Captain whose pride may have been hurt.

The Chef was next. She knew she needed the best food and luckily there was renowned local in their next island. A fight, some drinks, and a handshake later soon enough they had Seijin on board. She could smell the trouble on him, but she didn’t care he was a good chef and a good fighter.

They were to just stop at a Lougetown and resupply before entering the Grand Line, but then came the Swordsman. Miyamoto Ryu was a rather infamous swordsman who’s actions have gained him a bounty. His strenght was too good to pass up. With a promise to fight strong enemies and a vow to make him stronger the Swordsman came aboard.

They were a crew of a five, Captain, Shipwright, Doctor, Chef, and a Swordsman, six if one counted the ship. They were ready for the Grand Line and one could say they were almost heading peacefully for it, but alas the world had other plans. Every action has a consequence and theirs caught up with them. The Captain whom Brinsley was employed with was hot on their tail, and an even hotter head. The man needed to settle a score and what better way to do it than ensuring that the crew would not make it to the Grand Line.</sub>

On the Evening at Reverse Mountain The Cradle Princess was on its last metaphorical leg. It had done well in taking the crew of five this far, it survived the battle with the marines just moments before, but more importantly it had brought them where their journey would really start. The crew has done all that it could to keep it alive, but it will break soon enough there was nothing left to do but hold course. All that the crew could ask for is for one more push.

It had just flown past the half point of the reverse mountain. The speed of four waters rushing together shot the Cradle Princess high into the sky. For a mere moment it slowly glided into the night sky. Looking down the could see the vast open sea of the Grand Line stretching out before the, and the lights of Twin Capes warmly inviting the new pirates.

Landing in the cold unrelenting water the ship’s hull cracked with a thundering noise. Water splashed onto the deck showering everyone in freezing water. The audible sounds of the ship breaking could be heard all over. The more sentimental people would have taken their time to shed tears, but no one had such luxury. In mere minutes their ship would crash into the water of the Grand Line and with it the ship will break apart.

“BRACE YOURSELVES!!!” Alveara shouted as a command rather than a statement. Their belongings would be lost and the Cradle Princess would meet it's end here, but in spite of of it all she was excited. Here is where their journey would begin.

The force of the ship with all of its weight and strength broke the surface of the water, and with it an absurd amount of water exploded above. The force of the water broke the ship apart sending debris and the crew in the skies at the mercy of their own landing strategies.

[BayRat]

Flame Tyrant Elli

Twin Capes

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Amidst a bustling road at the port of Twin Capes was a makeshift stand marketed with standard equipment. All matter of common weaponry and tools hung on racks around the large wooden stand. Within this little shop was a man in a bronze coat and brown trousers, sitting over an anvil as he firmly struck a hot blade with a hammer. Beside him was an even larger hammer, too big for his own hands to wield from what could be seen of it, composed of solid iron. A red mask of a demon, a somewhat infamous symbol from north blue of the Flame Tyrant himself, was worn over the blacksmith’s face.

While he had worked on crafting a short sword, a small crew of pirates approached the stand. Elliot didn't even turn to face them at first. The presumed captain of the crew spoke first. “You shouldn't leave your gear out in the open like this, makes it all the more easier to steal.” There was a confident grin smirked across his face as he and his crew began snatching equipment off the racks. Elliot dropped his hammer with a sigh as he turned his masked face towards the thieves, but they had already broken off in a sprint.

The captain of the thieving pirates turned to say some snarky comment, but his draw dropped when he saw that the averaged size masked male didn't leave the stand, instead a hulking scale mass of blue scales emerged and leaped out of the open roof of his workshop. Before he had time to recover his surprise, the captain and his crew’s path were cut off by a fireball; which exploded into an array of heat and smoke. The terrified crew all looked to the trail of fire that blocked them off and then behind them to the 10 foot high monster that slowly stopped forward.

After a minute or two of that ordeal, Elliot placed the unconscious rookie pirates in a pile in front of his shop, they're battered and broken bodies was a reminder to any other daring pirate or thief to keep off from making away with his goods without paying. Once he had finished neatly stacking the stolen weapons back on their racks, he continued to work on new gear over his anvil.

[Ferrocerium]

As she arcs through the air towards the water of the Grand Line, the only thing on Dowell's mind is that she had said they were coming in too fast. It was a miracle that the Reverse Mountain had taken as long as it had to tear the Cradle Princess to splinters; Dowell had heard stories of daredevils who tried to brave the wild mountain current without a ship, and they rarely ended happily.

From her bird's eye view of the wreckage, she could already tell that the damage done to the Princess was beyond the point of being repaired. The little caravel ship had exploded like a ripe melon at the impact, barely anything more than driftwood. Dowell had known something like this could happen, but Alveara had laughed at the suggestion of putting the ship in drydock for a few weeks to do repairs.

'Nothing more pointless than a pirate crew without a ship,' she thought. The wind whipped through her hair as she finally lost upward momentum, and began to plummet towards the water. 'Now Alveara'll expect me to make a new ship, and I don't know where she expects to find the money for the materials. The only reason the Princess [i]was so cheap is because I didn't use expensive wood, but that's because I only made it for practice. And she wants to expand our crew, so I'll bet the new ship'll need to be bigger. A brig sloop at the minimum, but she'll probably want something bigger-'

"Right. Falling," Dowell reminded herself. She sized up her surroundings. The city of Twin Capes stretched out from the foot of Reverse Mountain, on both sides of the mountain's downflow. She took a thick loop of rope off her belt, and tied a loop knot on both ends. She didn't check if it was tight enough; she'd been tying knots like this since she was four years old. She could do this in her sleep.

Sixty feet to the water. Dowell heaved one end of the rope towards a building on the northern cape. It caught on a chimneypipe, good and sturdy. She tossed the other end towards the southern cape, hoping that she'd judged the distance right. Forty feet to the water. The other end landed on a weathervane, which wasn't the sturdiest anchor point, but Dowell was in too much of a hurry to be too picky. She gripped the rope, and pulled both ends taut.

With her two new anchor points, Dowell's plummet became a swing. She hit the water hard, but not as hard as she would have hit it without the ropes. She surfaced quickly, and pushed her long, black hair out of her eyes. "Too damn fast," she grumbled, wrenching the south end of the rope free with a sturdy tug. She began to pull herself towards the northern shore, muttering curses at her captain.

[TechnoWizROK]

Seijin

Twin Capes

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Ridiculously powerful, violent sea currents, suddenly being submerged into the cold waters and then being flung into the night sky, with such force, was not how Seijin planned to wake up from his nap on a particularly nice, cozy and warm spot on the deck that he had laid claim to. This certainly was some way start the crew's journey in the Grand Line; the ship was in pieces and his crewmates were literally scattered to the winds, plummeting down to the ocean.

He gazes off into the distance, during his freefall, and he found the Twin Capes to be quite impressive, admittedly it wasn't as grand or majestic as Mariejois, far from it but it felt warm and inviting as if it was embodying the thirst for freedom. It certainly was something to behold. 'Ugh where'd that come from?' Nonplussed from his sudden sentimental moment he chooses to busy himself with the matter of falling at hand.

His skill with the Moon Step was nothing exceptional but it was more than enough to slow down his descent downwards and direct his fall towards the city of the Twin Capes. Briefly considering to help out his crewmates but dismissed the thought, having confidence in their own ability which was well merited as he already found Dowell swinging to safety, only to hit the water Seijin slightly winces for her stead. Eventually he makes his way to shore as he drops down onto the beach and promptly makes an effort to dry himself off, his drenched self being unpleasant in the cold night.

[Rhodus]

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Before the crew had begun its ascent of Reverse Mountain, Ryu had perched himself up in the crow’s nest of the Cradle Princess in order to get the best view of the landscape below as it passed by. It was also somewhere out of the way, which meant there was little chance of anyone telling him to do anything.
Ryu held no illusions about how dangerous it was to enter the Grand Line via Reverse Mountain. Living in Loguetown, he’d seen countless crews on every kind of ship attempt the crossing, only to come back with a crippled ship (or in many cases no ship at all). However, none of this caused the slightest bit of hesitation for him. The only way for him to achieve true strength was on the Grand Line, and this was the only way to get there for anyone other than the Navy. If he died now, then he simply wasn’t strong enough to weather the Grand Line.
As the Cradle Princess crested over the peak of Reverse Mountain, the entire landscape below unfolded. From where he sat perched in the crow’s nest, Ryu could see for miles in every direction, and the view could only be described as breathtaking.
The ship seemed to hang in the air for a moment before it’s course shifted downwards as it reached the apex of its flight through the air. Ryu could already tell that the ship wouldn’t survive landing in the water below. The ship was already as good as destroyed from the beating it took just scaling Reverse Mountain, and even the wind rushing past was almost enough to tear it to pieces. It plummeted through the air continuing to gain speed right up until it slammed into the sea below.
Because he had been perched up in the crow’s nest, Ryu was flung from the ship with a bit more horizontal momentum than the rest of the crew. As he flew through the air, he knew that if he didn’t land properly, he could easily permanently lose the use of his legs, or even his life. Despite the fact that he was possibly plummeting to his death, Ryu couldn’t help but smile. This thrill, this danger, this was what he lived with. Moments like these proved that he was alive.
He removed one of his swords from where he had slung them over his shoulder, leaving it in the saya, and positioned it with the end just below his feet. The end of the saya hit the water just before he did, breaking the surface and allowing him to escape any serious injury. He would definitely have some bruises at the end of the day, but he hadn’t sustained anything serious. After taking a moment to sling his sword back over his shoulder, Ryu swam upwards back to the surface of the ocean. He then began to swim towards Twin Capes, moving at a relaxed pace. When he eventually reached the shore, he took a few seconds to stretch before turning to face the ocean again and sitting on the shore to wait for the rest of the crew.

[Jiatsu Hoshido]

Jiatsu Yaboku had been treating a small group of children for several cuts and bruises from their local bullies when she'd heard more than seen, a ship crash into the ocean just outside of Twin Capes, she'd arrived weeks ago with Ryoku; her best friend, and hadn't found a single crew worth following pass through, of course most crews weren't doing well when they landed and because Jiatsu loved to take care of the injured she'd offered the crews she'd seen help, free of charge. Those same crews had asked her to join them but she'd declined, though even she didn't understand why. Sighing under her breath she finishes the treatment of the children, "You need to fight back next time you little brats, or they'll just keep bullying you. Now go home this doctor has to check on that crash." The children let out a chorus of 'thanks' before Jiatsu walks away from them and makes her way to the shore where she notices someone sitting there soaked and a blade by his side, a woman with black dreadlocks pulling herself to shore, and someone seeming to almost float to the ground safely. Jiatsu shakes her head a bit as she walks towards the three people she'd noticed, her long raven black hair swaying slightly side to side with her long strides.

Jiatsu steps up to the blonde who'd landed relatively safely, if also soaked and sighed shaking her head at him, before looking him over rather quickly not noting any blood or injuries, she circles him just to be safe and brushes strands of hair from her face stopping in front of him with her arms crossed, "Well you don't look injured that's good less trouble for me. Oh by the way, I'm Jiatsu Yaboku a doctor here in Twin Capes. I'm going to go check on that other fellow, how many of you are there anyway?" She asked the question even as she walked over to the swordsman and gave her head another shake, kneeling down so she's eye level with him and tilts her head, "You didn't land so safely did you? You don't seem to be bleeding though, I'm surprised none of you I've spotted so far have crashed into any of your debris, well if you're not in danger right now then I have no reason to be worried. Still if you start to get any pains you should come find me, I'm Jiatsu, most of the town knows me." Without anymore trouble the raven haired woman stands up straight again, purple-blue eyes sparking with an odd welcome friendliness before she walks off quickly towards the black dreadlocked woman pulling herself to shore.

Jiatsu taps her booted foot a little beginning to pace back and forth as she waits for the obviously skilled woman to make it to shore, just so she could get a look at her, an unfortunate side effect of being a doctor she supposed, still it was too bad she didn't know how to make her own medicines, that would probably make her life a little easier. Despite her focus on the woman closing in on the shore Jiatsu's bright eyes scan the waters looking for anymore of the crew, none of these three really struck her as 'The Captain' but looks could be deceiving she supposed, still she kept a careful eye out, noticing bits of the destroyed ship washing onto shore and making sure no bodies washed up with them.

[Fabricant451]

"'Nother round, luv, quick as ye can!"

How many times had she told them not to call her 'luv? Typically she had nothing against affectionate nicknames if they came from the proper source and meant something, but when it was from the mouth of drunkards and pirates - often the same crowd - it had a sinister tone to it; to the regulars and roughhousers, she was certain they saw the bartender as only a wench to fill their cups and their eyes as they drank and made a mess of things. One more thing she was certain of was that if it they called her 'luv' one more time she wasn't going to be held responsible for what happened next. In a place like this, throwing out rowdy customers was a nightly occurance and there were few in the Capes who could do it with such aplomb.

Romi Rackham wouldn't have survived nearly as long as she had if she'd been one to simply sit still and let pirates, liars, all manner of criminal (petty, legal, or otherwise) have their way in her establishment. Well, she called it 'her' establishment but she wasn't the owner, but it was fairly accepted that the 'Call was the best place to get a round in not just because of the drinks but in how the bartender served them. Romi was hardly the most eye-catching of bartenders even in Twin Capes but what others had in their appearance Romi had in the real heart of the matter, the drinks. Other bars had eye candy and nightly fights over said candy as if they were some sort of hostess bar. The Seadog's Call didn't have to worry much about that, any time a fight was about to break up Romi was there to knock sense into the fighters just before knocking them on their ass as they were tossed from the establishment.

The owner once said to her that Romi served drinks like an angel and gave retribution like a devil. Romi wasn't much for angels or devils but the comparison wasn't too far off the mark.

"Not until ya hand over the money from yer last round, and the one before that." Romi shouted from behind the bar to the increasingly more drunk crew that had been thirsting for a refill. A cloth hung from her waist, having just been used to wipe down a long necked bottle. "And don't say yer good for it, we all know 'only thing yer good'fer is nothin'!" There was a pregnant pause from the table that had demanded a refill as all eyes looked to the red-faced captain. When the drunken git burst into laughter, complete with slamming his mug on the table, the rest of the table joined in, once again filling the tavern with noise and elation.

As the laughter continued, Romi placed a tray on top of the bar counter and set five mugs on top of it, tightly together with four glasses surrounding a fifth in the middle. From behind the counter she pulled a tap, spun it around her palm and, quickly placed it on a barrel while in one smooth motion she pulled it. Tipping it, the amber liquid poured smoothly into the mug in the center until it rose to the top with a foamy head. She didn't stop as the liquid reached the top of the center glass, instead letting it overflow, the liquid pooling into the four mugs surrounding the center; it was only after the four around the center had been filled that she stopped tapping the barrel. In the palm of her hand were five mugs of frothing liquor, the perspiration clear on the chilled glass. And not a drop had been spilled, miraculously; a testament to the understanding of her craft.

"Aye, here y'are. This is the last one until ya pay up." Romi placed the round on the table to a rousing cheer before she set up gathering the used mugs just before the rowdy crew engaged in drunken revelry which often saw ale spilling rather than sloshing down their gullet.

This way of life had been largely without thrills, but there was a certain honesty to it, even with the hazards of being leered at and threatened by pirates who were looking to impress before setting out to certain destruction. Braggarts and blowhards, nothing more. She didn't hate it here, but if there was one thing that she couldn't find in the Capes no matter how hard she looked, it was a reason to stay.

The problem there was she hadn't found an opportunity to leave.

Back behind the counter Romi went, using the drunken singing as background noise as she wiped down the mugs and wondered if this was what it felt like to settle.

[Ferrocerium]

Dowell is halfway to the shore before she remembers something very important. Two things, actually.

The first is that devil fruit users can't swim. They sink like rocks in salt water. There's no scientific explanation for why it happens, but Dowell has always thought that it's the Devil's price for such power. Just folklore, of course.

The second is that Captain Alveara is a devil fruit user.

Cursing, Dowell starts to look around for any sign of the intrepid captain. Losing a ship immediately on arriving in Paradise is bad enough, but losing a captain? That's just plain embarrassing.

[Pirouette]

Nona Sirenia

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Has it really been two weeks? Nona thought to herself as she busied her morning with a fresh idea of attracting attention. Normally, attention in a pirate community might be asking for trouble but without any experience, Nona couldn't even call herself a pirate. A circumstance she was looking to change as she had thrown away her previous life just two weeks again in favor of seeing the world. Something that was seeming more and more unlikely as it took Nona quite a lot to even arrive in the Twin Capes. Now, she had the seemingly impossible task to convince a crew to hire an absolute greenhorn navigator, a position as it turns out, not many captains wanted to take a risk on.

Still, one shouldn't just give up because yet... though Nona figured at some point she won't exactly feel too optimistic anymore. She could even feel the gnawing sensation of just giving up as two weeks of consistent reject didn't feel so good, but Nona figured her breakthrough was right around the corner! ... One could hope at least.

It took Nona all morning but she finished painting a sign advertising her position and she planned on marching through town, hopefully attracting attention. "Navigator! Navigator for hire! Don't get lost again with me on your crew!" Nona chanted as she marched down the streets of Twin Capes. Few pirates even bothered to investigate her claim but those that did waved her off almost immediately hearing her truthful admission she had zero experience with navigating.

With little interest, Nona continued throughout the day to try and pitch her way onto a crew but due to her character, could never really let the whole "zero experience" thing be kept a secret. She felt like she needed to tell the truth, which only hurt her chances of employment.... Speaking of which, Nona was also broke at this point and the lack of employed pay was definitely starting to hit her now. She took the odd job every now and then but without steady work, she found it a little tough to eat a night. Tonight's meal, was courtesy of fishing out coins from a fountain.

With food in hand, Nona fled to the quiet retreat of the beach to have a little driftwood bonfire and dinner. It was expected to be a quiet night but as Nona had just pulled off her cooked meal, a crash sounded behind her and by now, Nona figured out that usually meant something bad happened with a ship trying to pass the Reverse Mountain. It was surely an impressive explosion when that ship hit the water but Nona missed it, only managing to catch a few of the ship's crew being thrown about. Nona took a chomp out of her fish and chewed slowly as she watched the aftermath play out from a distance. If anyone needed help, Nona would have probably helped out but at least from the crew members she saw, they handled themselves quite well. Several of the crew members managed to make it to the shore with relative ease, it seemed. Good. Nona didn't fancy the idea of leaving her dinner unattended.

[Silverink]

It was busy night as usual in The Sea Dog's Call as working men and women shouted at one another over tankards of beer and ale. It was only about to get louder as the doors were thrown open as an authoritative-looking man barked out "Clear a table, my desert flower is about to dance. You lot move..Mern compensate the lads with another round..". A bespectacled man nodded tossing out coins towards the displaced patrons as other men hastily cleared off a center long table's surface, as conversations lulled to a quieter note as the captain settled down on a seat at the middle of the table. Polished black boots gleamed perched on the table as he let out a long whistle as the low thrum of drum echoed in the background followed by the rhythmic clinking of coins rubbing against one another. The door opened once again as a veiled woman clad in dancer's attire elegantly stepped out onto the table, her pale feet bare but making no more than a whisper against the wooden surface. A waterfall of pink hair was constricted into a tight braid as the anklet of coins around her feet chimed with each step as crimson eyes peered behind the translucent white face piece. Her wrist suddenly snapped forward to signal the hidden drummer as the beat picked up and her dance began.

There were a few sailors that had been to the Kingdom of Alabasta who quickly perked up from their drinks upon seeing the dancer's attire and display. Her footfalls increasing along with the beat as the silk wrappings about her wrists floated through the air as she danced, her core tight revealing a hidden strength to her. A few coins clattered onto the table in appreciation as the dancer slid down into a complete split with a wave in her patron's direction. Eventually like all things, the dance came to an end as the dancer gave one final curtsy before gently removing her face veil revealing a stunning smile and flushed face. The bespectacled man offered her a hand down as she gladly took it before blushing again from the boisterous applause from her current guide, a mere traveling merchant who offered space on his ship for civilians. By the name of Marco Kelim, his appreciation for her dances made it a wonderful friendship indeed as Marina Ikle came to find out as her crimson face cooled "You didn't need to do that Marco..". The merchant laughed shaking his head "I didn't, but if this is be your final night aboard my vessel, damn if I wasn't going to make a memory of it..". A look of hope sparked in his eyes as his laughter faded "That is unless you are reconsidering my offer..a woman's talent like yours would be a fine asset when I have guests..you could see the world..".

Marina gave a sad smile before shaking her head no "I can't accept it Marco as much as I wish it..my heart would become too restless on your safe and well-traveled paths..Don't worry about me. I will be fine, just need to find another way to travel it seems". Marco gave a slight smile before placing a small golden hoop into her palm and giving a bow in farewell leaving the dancer in the bar. Picking her way through the crowded bar as Marina slid onto a free stool before thinking aloud "Ever think you have made mistakes just moments after making a decision..". Her gaze fixed on the bartender as she asked softly "Red wine please..just a glass..and if you could provide some old fashion bartender advice..that would be a bonus..".

[FiroIV]

In an ideal worlds thing always went her way, but this was not an ideal world. Alveara, captain of the Black Crown pirates, had a plan to make it into the infamous Twin Capes safer and more normal than this, but such was the life of pirates. Giving in to the chaos that was their chosen occupation she simply gave in to her current predicament; more than sixty feet up in the air from the water.

According to her estimation she was by far the highest one to have been light. Logically it made sense given her petite and light body, but it was still quite annoying. Closing in on the water, her body spread wide to slow her descent she looked for her crew, based on her estimates everyone seemed fine. Dowell, and Seijin landed in the water close to the shore, Ryu flew farther than the rest but he seemed okay and was following quickly. Brinsley was nowhere to be seen yet, but Alveara trusted that someone as sturdy as him was safe. All that was left was to think of her own landing strategy.

Moving herself mid-flight was no easy task, but it was doable. She moved her legs and feet facing down towards the ground. Her new position made her accelerate like a fast falling missile accelerated by gravity and physics. No more than twenty feet above ground, just below some of the jumbled mess of a skyline she used her powers on her legs. Gone were normal feet and instead there was a large cream colored spike. Extending and expanding her as needed she made Impact with the ground.

The fall was much faster than anticipated, and the hole it left was relatively sizable, a feet or two larger than the size of her own body’s circumference. She doubts that very few people would care for the hole. The ground took the brunt of the force of her attack leaving her relatively unscathed. Pulling herself out of the hole she made, a good six feet deep she found herself on dry land, and a not even a bit of sea water on her, a success she deemed it.

Alveara found herself a nearby her teammates and casually walked by ignoring some of the onlookers. People were bound to be attracted by the sound of the crash and the sight of their ship destroying itself. She assumed as much from people. By the time she found herself among Dowell and Seijin, and a third unknown person whom she didn’t place as a threat, raven haired and wearing a sailor suit. She paid no mind to the third person and ushered her two comrades.

[Fabricant451]

Romi's eyes flickered to the door when it was thrown open and immediately she assumed the worst. Some rowdy sort looking to cause trouble in what was normally a decent place. One night. That was all she ever asked. One night without having to throw some violent lush on their ass. One night without having to break up a fight over a rigged game of liar's dice. One night where things were simple. She was in the wrong place with the wrong profession for that, but it was something to strive for at any rate. When the boisterous new arrival demanded a table be cleared, Romi had to consider a moment. Were there any house rules about table dancing? This wasn't exactly the kind of joint that serious dancers would normally choose to frequent. So long as there was payment, which there was with the call for another round, then Romi supposed there wasn't harm in it. And if there was, she was close by.

It was only in this instance that Romi saw the downside to her job. By all accounts a show would've been a welcome change and distraction from the normal dealings, but rather than observe the dancing routine, she had to get another round prepared for sailors who were mystified. Romi had caught a glimpse as the dancer came in, recognizing the attire straight off. That was not common around here. Interesting. The bartender only managed a few cursosry glances as she went around the table exchanging empty glasses with full ones, and helping herself to the payment that marked a new round, careful to leave the tips that were meant for the current center of attention. Romi didn't know a waltz from a tango but from what she managed to see, the dancer was talented.

Back behind the bar Romi went, wiping down the returned glasses with a wet rag and a dry cloth. It came as a surprise when the dancer sat down in front of the bar, the section typically reserved for those drinking alone. "Wrong place if wine's what yer after, luv." Romi spoke to the dancer with the same coarse manner that she spoke to the rowdy pirates with, albeit with a softer intonation. She didn't want to scare or intimidate the poor lass. "But yer a fan of red, then how's this strike a fancy?"

Romi grabbed a clean glass and turned to a tapped barrel against the back wall. "How much do ya know about wine? Maybe it flows like the sands of Alabasta where yer from but place like this? Wine's a fancy lad's drink and fancy lads don't come to places like this." Romi let the mention of Alabasta hang in the air. "What I mean t'ask is: do you know what many wines use in their composition?" Romi turned to face the dancer while one hand patted the side of the barrel. "Oak and oxidation. Ales aged in a certain barrel come with similar aromatic profiles."

Romi pulled on the tap and a frothy red liquid filled the mug. "This here is a barrel aged sour ale with a savory twist. It is, in other words, a beer that tastes just like a red wine." Romi spun into a twirl suddenly and, mid-spin, slid the glass along the bartop, ending the spin just in time for her to place her palm down and catch the sliding glass; as she handed the red wine tasting ale to the dancer, she offered a friendly, grin. THe kind bartenders were known for.

"This one's on the house, luv. Consider it a gift for livening up the joint. But you look troubled and not the kind of trouble that's fixed with wine, women...men...or a fight. What's got ya down? One woman to another, is it romance woes? The guy ya came in with, ya need him roughed up a bit? No...I know that look." Romi peered directly at the dancer's face, the corners of her lips curving into a grin. "You miss something. Someone. Maybe...homesickness? Love sickness? Sea sickness? Whatever it is, I've a cure for what ails ya...that is if ya like ales, yeah."

_@Silverink