The book of bad juju

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Remember everyone, when in combat, we all line up behind Aria and use her as a human shield.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Elani had to stifle a laugh when the dwarf handed back her pen. Not since that night at the opera had she been forced to keep her laughter bottled up inside of her. She was just so... dwarfy, was the best way of putting it. So stereotypical. She managed to hide her grin behind a hand and a coughing sound. Luckily, the girl didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't make it obvious. Elani looked down at the paperwork, and crossed off a few of the more restrictive sub-clauses. Nothing major, just little alterations to the contract that weren't... fully legal, strictly speaking. She was just behind the dwarf and ready to hand in the documents when they appeared in around the corner. She had to twist her head to the side to see all of them, and she wished she hadn't. Practically all of them carried swords. All they'd need to do was stab downwards and the entire rickety plank they, and the ship they were moored to, would crack and fall tumbling into the abyss. Elves were a race some believed were descended from the harpies of yore, with a famously light bone structure mainly composed of cartilage, but that didn't mean she wouldn't become an instant tenderized steak when she made her impact on the ground. She swallowed.

The leader of the hoarde barked his demands.

"T-the captain?" She stuttered, where nobody could hear her. It struck her that she didn't exactly know his name. On all the paperwork he was just marked as Employer. The ship, as was plain to anyone who could read the name painted haphazardly on the side, was "The compass", but what was her captain's name? Elani raised a trembling hand, and pointed toward Maithien. Maybe if she cooperated, she'd get out of here with just her legs broken. With her one free hand, she inched her way down to the leather cave slung across one shoulder, and rummaged around in it. Her hands closed around a walnut grip. At this range, it'd be nigh on useless, but at least it'd make her feel better to go down swinging.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

I think Daliq and Katewyn are onboard right now, but nobody else is.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

*Speciesist. Being racist would imply elves could breed with dwarves and create fertile offspring

...Okay, bad example.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Mmm, delicious conflict. Nothing better to spice up a story.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Finally managed to post. I have this awful habit of writing, i've been meaning to kick it, but i just can't stop adding more paragraphs. I could've dragged it out to about a page more. Sorry if it got a little bit wordy.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Elani smelled the dwarf before she saw her. The deep rich tones of Armenian plum was overpowering, but in a good way, like someone had left a bottle of perfume out in the sun. The dwarf(As the pungent odour appeared to be emanating from) was short, stout with hair twisted tight into braids, In quite a lot of respects the perfect dwarf . Which rose the question of the smell. Elani was familiar with stenches. They came with the job. But perfumes, scents, dainty hints of touch were a completely unexplored valley. Maybe this was normal practice for people happy to spend all day down a dusty mine shaft? To overpower the nostrils through sheer volume?

"I'm of your opinion, friend," Came her voice, gently like the clanking of silverware on a stone floor. "It's a curious mix, clamoring for those papers. I'm sorry to ask a favor, but can you read by chance? I'd like to know what that banner and those papers say, out of curiosity. I thought I heard someone say sailing off...?" The question hung like a baited hook, and Elani didn't bother to keep it dangling. "Apparantly, Missus. The gaudy sign is talking about some kind of trip. For what purpose, exactly, that seems to be a little bit of a myste-"

" 'Ello there."

A third voice, from the young lady she'd tried to grab attention from barely two seconds ago. She seemed nervous. Species divide? Or just the pressure of being inside a crowd of complete strangers and signing up for an expedition of peril? Either way, best to be courteous. A face like that had a certain value, and it might be worth something to befriend this enemy. Or at the least, to not be enemies. The lady reopened her mouth, and continued. "I'm Anisa, and this is a treasure hunting expedition." She said a little louder, as if to make herself heard above the sudden sound of an engine spinning into life.

"Mmm, treasure hunting?" Elani sounded, almost as if she was trying out the words to see if they fit, It was out of doors, yes, Dangerous, but in that romantic sense that implied that bards would sing of your feats in concert halls across the sky after you'd died. Treasure hunting would do nicely. "Well, thank you for that, Missus Anissa. Could someone be so kind as to pass us - oh, thank you sir- " Her eyes darted across the sheet of fresh print the man in the centre of all this attention was handing out. Phrases like "Limited liabillity" and "In the event of your departure" hit the eyes first. She turned back to her vertically challenged friend. Seems like she'd got the gist of it, at least.

"It's a contract. A sheet of paper you sign in order to begin working. Quite a lot of sesquipedalian bureaurcray, but mostly harmless. I might want to go through some of this with a fine comb later, but if you sign it, you go onboard that ship," She pointed with a free hand, and fumbled in a pocket for a fountain pen. She signed it. The thing leaked halfway through the word "Cleavensplodge".

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

I often find the best way ter show a strong accent is to downplay it, y'know? Include a couple of them idiom things, misspell a word or two, and the reader's mind'll fill in the res'.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Seems like in role-playing, as in art, there are no mistakes. Just happy accidents.

Ragtag: Steampunk treasure hunting.

Well,i just got completely ignored. Not sure if it's that Anissa is the kind of racist who doesn't ever register the lesser races or if Star Catcher didn't catch my post, but it's quite jarring.