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The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:42 pm | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme OOC:All right... I have no idea what to do, exactly, so I'm kind of gonna bs my way through this. If I end up skipping over too much, you guys can time warp, right? Good.
"My husband should have come through here, I think," Marc explained with what she hoped was a ladylike smile, falling into the role of Jennifer Redford much more easily than she'd expected to. "I'm sure he explained the situation to you?" The harbormaster was quick to be helpful. "Yes, of course. Mrs. Redford, isn't it? He did mention that you would be following shortly." He returned her smile, ushering her group of "refugees" past with no problems whatsoever. "Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs. Redford? Do you know where you're headed?" "I believe I can find it," she replied, hoping with all her might that the ruffians behind her weren't doing anything too stupid. She was afraid to turn around and look. "But thank you very much. I really ought to be going now." Inside, she cringed. That had sounded brusque, even to her own ears. But the harbormaster seemed not to notice. "Of course, of course. Good day to you, Mrs. Redford." As soon as they were out of sight, Marc heaved a sigh of relief. "All right," she said, turning to Jenny and handing her one of the letters from her bundle. "I need you to escort some of them to this inn. I'll take care of the rest of them. If you--" she paused, and glanced around her, a little unnerved by the amount of people who had stopped to stare at the rough-looking group. She supposed she'd have to be a lady this whole time. "If you would be so kind as to... procure a barrel of rum... I would appreciate it." She lowered her voice a little. "Mr. Redford has planned some... entertainment for our... refugees, in the form of a tour of some sort. I believe he wanted the rum as a sort of... gift." Seeing the rest of the crew to their respective inns was a fairly simple thing, with no hitches or difficulties (unless you counted one of the men attempting to bite the head off a pigeon that had fluttered down to land on his shoulder, leaving a small "present"; Marc had managed to save the bird and threaten the pirate badly enough to make him behave, managing to draw only a few stares.) Sending one of the groups with Jenny meant that Marc had one less stop to make and-- hopefully-- could catch up with the Captain at his last inn to regroup. She had left instructions for each of the groups, to get themselves tidied up, but she knew she'd have to return to each inn several times to make sure that they were, in fact, doing more than just shaking some of the grime out of her hair. (It was strange, how dressing like a woman could change her entire perspective. She'd never minded the crew's grime before.) She met up with the Captain at his final inn, and waited for him to finish getting the men situated before approaching him. "Mr. Redford, I believe all the refugees have been housed for the moment. Mr. Johnson* is taking care of the thank-you gift for their tour." She paused, not entirely sure whether she was supposed to set up the tour. The Navy ships hadn't even landed, as far as she knew. "Have we spoken to anyone about that yet?" she asked, knowing the answer was no, but hoping that he would take this opportunity to tell her whether that would eventually be her responsibility. She wasn't even sure who she was supposed to speak with. If Aiden was indeed on one of the ships, he would probably recognize her (as would Admiral Griffin, but she wasn't ready to accept that as a real possibility yet.) OOC:*I assume Jenny's being a "he" again? If I'm wrong, feel free to let me know and I'll go back and change this.
-------------------------- "Lieutenant Radley, we're nearing shore. Prepare the crew to disembark." Philip paused, frowning as he watched the Navy ship ahead of them. "And flag Aiden. I want to know exactly what he's got planned." Aiden was the type to obsess; judging by what his wife had done to him at the ball, Philip had no doubt that the man's first priority would be to find her and enact his revenge. And while the first goal matched Philip's-- find the pirates-- his second goal was hardly helpful, to the Navy's cause or to Philip's own. |
Melia Stahlflugel Joined: 4 Aug 2005 Posts: 613 | Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:56 pm | Characters: All for this theme; By Melia Stahlflugel: This theme, Any theme Jenny lead her groups to their respective inns, then went to the liquor store at the corner. She tugged on her vest with an air of great importance as she strode in and proclaimed, "A barrel of fine rum, good sirs!" in her her best booming male voice. She was, to her great dismay, becoming quite good at faking a good male voice.
"Oh why yes," The nervous clerk said, jotting something down. "Might I inquire where I may deliver your purchase?" Jenny explained the situation, and to where the barrel of rum could be delivered. The clerk nodded, "Very well then, it will be there. It does my heart good that we will be able to cheer up those poor refugees." Jenny tipped her hat and then went on her way to the inn where Captain Radley and 'Mrs. Redford' were presently. She knocked on his door when she arrived. "Jebediah Johnson at your service... everything's taken care of, and so far so good." - Aiden motioned at the flagman. "Listen, just tell him we'll discuss this on land. It's easier, and for God's sake, we're almost there." He then went back to thinking. He was having one of those rare moments where he was sober enough to stop and think things through. To pursue Jenny or not to pursue Jenny? Although it really burned his biscuits, he had to admit to himself that it would be stupid. He'd definitely get demoted if he kept going off on his own to pursue just one pirate for personal reasons, he reminded himself. So he would just have to wait... but he would have his revenge, maybe later rather than sooner now- but it would happen, and of that he was certain. |
Digithe Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Posts: 884 | Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:32 pm | Characters: All for this theme; By Digithe: This theme, Any theme OOC: Did you put Mrs. Radley instead of Redford on purpose?
Frost nodded crisply at the reports, the closest he would come to a show of approbation. "Thank you, Mrs. Redford, Mr. Johnson," he said, stepping out of the room and closing it gently behind him. Away from the salt of the sea and the grime of a pirate ship -- though he didn't let them touch him anyway, of course -- he truly looked the part of a gentleman. His manner was refined, his suit crisp, and his presence powerful. The only thing he might have lacked was a smile, but such a thing might only frighten anyone who knew him. "Shall we... walk?" Frost said, hesitating for only a heartbeat before offering his arm to his "wife." While none of it showed on his face, he was really struggling with this development that his first mate was a woman. Unlike Marc, who seemed to be growing more used to it as time past, Frost was growing more uncomfortable with it. The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts conflicted. She was a crew member -- first mate, no less -- that was certain. She should be able to communicate his orders and enact them with equal skill and celerity. Frost should not have to worry about whether his orders were appropriate, just that they got done. And, so far, everything was in order. Yet, Marc was not simply his first mate, but also Marguerite. Frost's ingrained senses of propriety were beginning to wake up and force him to second guess everyone one of his commands. That would not do, of course. The captain cannot make mistakes. Frost's immediate conclusion was to push these thoughts aside, and trudge onwards. If Marc could not handle what needed to be done, then she would have to leave. Captain Frost allowed that she would be difficult to replace, but there was nothing left for it. Yes. He could not ask such an experienced first mate to leave, but he would not make her stay if she couldn't handle things. Frost suspected that she would soon be tested. Perhaps, they both would be. "I have arranged for our rooms at the Spring Canary," Frost said, just succeeding to keep any hesitation from his voice. "It is a shame your wife could not make it, Mr. Johnson, but you will have an extra bed to stretch out in." He gave Marguerite a significant look almost as he said this. Of course, each room would have two beds. It would have been much easier if Jenny had been Marc's "husband," but even the crew would grow suspicious if they changed the charade now. The pens and paper were out. Now, Frost just had to wait for Marc to sit the test. Perhaps she would catch that meaning from his eyes. --- "Sir," Radley reported, lowering his telescope, "Admiral Aiden... err... suggests we meet on land." The flagman had decided to be clever and include some of Aiden's more colorful additions, but Charles felt it prudent to omit them in his report. "Shall I send a reply?" OOC: Marguerite, I apologize. If you think about it, this is just how it would have to happen. I didn't contrive anything on purpose to try to increase the level of misery in this RP. |
| The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:36 am | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme OOC:Um. I don't know what you're talking about. >.>
Oh, thank god. Marc, who had been wondering about this very bit of awkwardness only moments before, breathed a sigh of relief. She was much more comfortable sleeping in a room with Jenny than the Captain, and she was sure the Captain understood that very well. It was quite considerate of him, really, to offer her that alternative, and she-- Wait. Warning bells were beginning to go off. When was the Captain ever considerate? He wasn't a cruel man, by any standards. But when did he go out of his way to make other people comfortable? Especially other people who worked for him? She'd seen him push the comfort of his men aside many times before. His general attitude seemed to be along the lines of, 'I'm providing you with the opportunity to find treasure; what more do you expect?' Quickly, Marc reran his words in her head. Their meaning seemed obvious enough-- but when was Frost ever obvious? Perhaps she was only hearing meaning where she wished to hear it. She ran through his words again. Alone, they didn't seem to mean much, but along with that look he'd given her... she was very good at interpreting his looks. Usually. Every now and then he threw her something she missed, or misinterpreted. Well, let's think this through. If she was right, Frost was telling her to sleep with Jenny. Who was, at the moment, Mr. Johnson. Who, having the title "Mr.," was a man. Who, not having the name "Mr. Redford," was not her husband. So she would be a married woman sleeping in a different man's room. Well, that couldn't be right. But perhaps Frost thought the crew was too stupid to notice. Or perhaps she was misreading everything. Well, the only thing to do was check. If she was right, she was right, and she was going to ask some potentially awkward questions for no reason. But if she was wrong-- well, better to find out now than to have Frost learn of his wife's apparent infidelity later, when he wasn't expecting it. Well. Damn. "Um. Mr. Redford." Marc coughed, suddenly very aware that her arm was still linked through her "husband's." Being a woman was strange enough without the added weirdness of being Frosts wife. Which led back to-- "Is it... is it all right if I..." she lowered her voice, aware that she was about to appear either incredibly stupid or just very awkward. "Is it all right if I don't sleep with you? I mean, not sleep with you-- I mean, I won't try to do that either." She managed a nervous laugh. She was turning a rather alarming shade of red, even despite her dark skin. "I mean--" She glanced around again, to make sure nobody was within earshot. Her voice was low enough that even Jenny, close as she was, wouldn't have been able to hear her. "I mean, I just want to make sure it's okay if I sleep with Mr. Johnson. I mean. In the same room. You know. I mean. You don't think anyone will notice, do you?" She paused. "Because I would definitely rather sleep with Mr. Johnson." Another pause. "I mean. Not that I wouldn't want to sleep with you, Captain. I mean, not sleep with, sleep with. Just in the same room with." She took a moment to realize what she'd said. "I mean, I wouldn't want to do that, either. I mean. I should probably stop talking now." She coughed again, and quickly unlinked her arm from his. Should've just made the assumption. --------------- "No. They've already reached port; we'll just meet with them when we disembark." He waved the Lieutenant away, trusting that he would prepare the crew to disembark. God, he hoped Aiden wasn't going to follow that woman on some blasted fool's chase. Certainly, Griffin had his own personal stake in this whole situation, but he wasn't going to go off on his own, chasing after one pirate. Not unless he had to. OOC:Marguerite is very angry at you, Dan. But rest assured, her anger will be redirected back toward me fairly soon... I definitely contrived a few things on purpose to add misery to this RP. |
| Digithe Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Posts: 884 | Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:08 am | Characters: All for this theme; By Digithe: This theme, Any theme Frost glanced at his first mate with a hint of curiosity in his expression. Besides the various things she had accidentally implied amidst her stuttering, she seemed to have misunderstood his plan entirely. That was rather unusual. Still, she wasn't exactly trying to ignore his orders -- unless she was feigning ignorance as an excuse to get out of it. That would not do. While Frost doubted very much that Marc would do such a thing, it was something to consider. It might be even worse if she was trying to work around her orders than if she were simply arguing them.
"We shall have two beds as well if it pleases you, Mrs. Redford," Frost said, the significant look he gave Marc still mixed with some degree of curiosity. He had rather hoped that she would understand from his earlier statement that she would have a separate bed, but that for them not to share a room would completely ruin their disguise. Frost glanced briefly at Jenny for a second, wondering briefly if she knew why Marc was acting so oddly, before turning to face forward. The captain decided it best to simply ignore the suggestion that she room with "Mr. Johnson." That was simply out of the question -- he wondered how she had even conceived the idea. "If you... prefer a separate bed, I could certainly not refuse you." There, he'd said it very clearly. She didn't even need to interpret any subtle twists of expression. Not really. At any rate, it should have been easily discernible for Marc, who had read a great deal more complex instructions from even less before. |
| The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:30 am | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme OOC:Okay, I lied. She hates you a LOT right now.
Oh. Oh. Marc coughed again. She felt like an idiot. Of course sleeping in the same room as "Mr. Johnson" had been an entirely ridiculous suggestion. What had she been thinking? Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Um." Well, now what? Clearly, based on what Frost was saying, separate rooms had not been in the plan. Separate beds had not even been in the plan. For a moment, she considered putting her foot down and insisting... but Frost was already so clearly displeased with her inability to read his (admittedly vague) instructions, and she did hate to think that he was upset with her, especially so soon after finding out she was a girl. It would have been perfectly dreadful to confirm any notions he might have had of her incompetence. Perhaps it was better just to go along with it and avoid making a fuss. "Um," she said again, her face feeling ridiculously warm. Goodness, she didn't want to do this, but Frost had other things to worry about, and she really just wanted to avoid proving herself entirely incapable of doing anything right. She had the feeling she was being tested, though perhaps this was paranoid of her-- still, if she'd been the Captain, she would have been growing tired of her obvious girl-issues. Surely he didn't want to have to deal with that. And if he hadn't already arranged for separate beds (and apparently, he didn't think sharing a bed was ridiculously weird or uncomfortable, or he would certainly have phrased things differently), well, she wasn't going to cause trouble. And maybe I can sleep... on the floor. Or something. "That's okay. I mean. I don't mind not having two beds." Unlike Frost, she was incapable of hiding her emotions behind a calm facade; her expression was one of misery and abject mortification, but she was determined to prove herself capable of dealing with whatever came her way. There. It was said. Dear lord. What have I gotten myself into? OOC:But maybe she hates me more. Goodness. She's just a stammering little fluffball of hatred right now, isn't she? |
| Melia Stahlflugel Joined: 4 Aug 2005 Posts: 613 | Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:53 pm | Characters: All for this theme; By Melia Stahlflugel: This theme, Any theme Jenny watched as they went back and forth, exchanging increasingly muddled and embarrassed conversation... until Frost looked to her for- what? Guidance? Help? Damn, he must really be confused to be asking for her help, even in such a roundabout way. She knew the source of Marc's odd behavior, but it wasn't exactly something she could just tell Frost. Even someone who had fallen as far from polite society as her couldn't be saying such things. So she just shrugged... and took a deep breath. "I am sure the hotel has provided two twin beds for you, Mr. and Mrs. Redford, as is prudent and appropriate for a hotel of such a standing... so there is no need to ask me to arrange for extra space or to worry more on the subject." She bowed, thanking God profusely that there had been no one nearby to hear all this mess. "And besides, Sir, Milady, do we not have business to attend to?"
- And finally Griffin showed up with his full posse in tow... after Aiden had been standing out in the hot sun with his for some time. "All right, so we're all here; what's the plan?" Aiden said, cutting to the chase. He idly wiped the sweat from his tan brow with his jacket sleeve, but stopped and turned when he realized there was an unfamiliar face next to Griffin. "Who's the new kid?" OOC:I don't know what to do with Aiden at the moment... whatever, getting the ball rolling for that group of chars. |
| Digithe Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Posts: 884 | Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:29 am | Characters: All for this theme; By Digithe: This theme, Any theme Upon hearing Marc's request to have only one bed in the room, Frost promptly reached for a cup of tea, which he sipped gingerly before spewing it all over both Marc and Jenny.....
OOC: Just Kidding
Upon hearing Marc's request to have only one bed in the room, Frost opened his mouth to say... nothing. He wasn't even sure that he had planned to say anything -- "It's settled then" perhaps, but that certainly wouldn't have worked. After telling her so very clearly that they would have separate beds, and perhaps a curtain, if they could arrange it without drawing any attention, the captain simply could not comprehend why she would actually request that they not have separate beds. Surely she had not expected to sleep on the floor -- he could not sleep in a bed if she were without, of course. Surely she had not implied that they share a single one. Surely. Fortunately, the speechless Frost was saved from having to form a coherent response by Jenny. At least, for the moment, he had time to consider just what Marc had been thinking. "Yes," Frost managed, clearing his throat. He passed his sharp eyes over Marc briefly, perhaps hoping to see into her mind, before continuing. "The management at the Spring Canary has arranged a supper for us, in recognition of the service we are providing to these refugees. It should not be a large party, perhaps the owners, the Mayor, some town council members. Nothing too serious. I believe the tour shall be taken care of as soon as our... friends show up." --- "Lieutenant Charles Radley, sir," Charles said, snapping to attention and saluting smartly. He almost opened his mouth to explain the plan, before he realized that he had no idea what it was. Tentatively, he looked to Griffin, not sure if he should just stay at attention and keep his mouth shut, or if Griffin was expecting him to do something else. OOC: My brain died |
| The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 1:07 am | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme Marc was immediately aware that she'd done something wrong. The Captain looked shocked. The Captain never looked shocked.
Well, her horror had subsided when Jenny had spoken up; two beds were the norm, apparently. Well, thank god for that. Sleeping on the floor hadn't sounded very appealing; sleeping in a bed with Frost had sounded even less so. Sleeping in a room with him was not something she looked forward to, even, but considering what she'd thought just moments ago, she was more than willing to go along with it. Prudent and appropriate. Well how the hell was I supposed to know that? Marc had never been to a city as clean and upstanding as Brest. She'd never set foot in an inn like this one. Thank god they were so prudent and appropriate, then. Wait. Marc took a moment to rerun the last minute or so in her head. He'd said-- and then she'd said-- and-- Damn it all to hell. She hadn't realized what he'd been trying to tell her. She should have-- it was about as clear as Frost ever was-- but she hadn't. Damn, damn, damn. She felt her face warming again. God, she must have sounded ridiculous. Maybe he thought I meant I'd just sleep on the floor. After all, she had been entertaining that idea very strongly. The look he was giving her, however, was slightly more shocked than that. "No," she said suddenly, panicked. "I didn't mean-- um. I didn't mean I wanted to-- Sleep on the floor. I was going to... I mean. Nevermind. Damnit. Damnit." She was doing rather a lot of stammering lately. She got the feeling she might have left a few key words out of that explanation. It's the dress. Damn stupid idea, this was. She quickly shut up, and resolved to stay that way for the remainder of this whole situation, unless it was absolutely necessary for her to say anything. This resolution was blown to hell the next moment, when she realized what the Captain had said about the dinner. "The... the Mayor?" she practically squeaked. "Town council members? Damnit. I mean--" She stopped, trying to think of some more appropriate word that adequately conveyed her displeasure; there was none, so she simply left the statement unfinished. She couldn't manage five minutes around Jenny and the Captain without turning into a humiliating mess. How was she supposed to converse with the Mayor? She considered asking her "husband" (the very thought was enough to throw her off-balance again) whether she might be able to get away with being ill and confined to her room upstairs. But she knew that was out of the question-- it would be rude, it would draw attention, and it would somehow insinuate that she couldn't handle all of this. She wasn't sure if she could, but that was entirely beside the point. "I mean. How very... generous of them." There. A sentence. A proper sentence, all strung together in a way that made sense. (She was quite proud of herself.) ----------------- "Leave my lieutenant alone." Griffin stepped forward, an easy, casual expression on his face. He knew Aiden all too well, and the less Aiden had to do with his officers, the better. The man had a violent temper; he'd seen it firsthand, and he had no doubt that this particular mission (any mission involving that pirate woman he was after) would surely cause that temper to flare. Best let it flare toward Aiden's own crew. "You wanted to meet. I assumed you had something planned. No? All right. Lieutenant Radley." He turned to face the boy. "You and half a dozen of the men will stay here. Tend to the ships." He turned back to Aiden. "You and I will take the remainder of the men on a search of the town. I'm sure I don't have to tell you not to be too disruptive. This is a resort, after all; they wouldn't appreciate us ruining their business." He paused. "Admiral, you know these pirates better than I do. Where should we be looking?" |
| Melia Stahlflugel Joined: 4 Aug 2005 Posts: 613 | Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:12 pm | Characters: All for this theme; By Melia Stahlflugel: This theme, Any theme "Yes, it is very generous of them." Jenny nodded. "And I look forward to the most delightful tour we shall have afterwards." She ducked down and whispered in Marc's ear, "Just say as little as possible while being as polite and demure as you can stand... and you should be all right." A lady in polite society, after all, was supposed to be seen and not heard. In this situation, Jenny was actually thankful for that.
- Aiden rolled his eyes. "I was planning to leave him alone." He blushed a little with embarrassment at Griffin's crack about having something planned. It really wasn't like him to be so scatterbrained, even when he was drunk... but he'd had his mind on other things the whole way and so had not come up with one. But he was back from his trip into his own thoughts now, and he knew just the way to track down the pirates. "It's quite simple, really," Aiden nodded knowingly. "D'you remember what the men on the scene of the explosion at the blockade said it smelled like?" "R-rum," One of the men answered timidly. "Correct." The man was visibly relieved, but Aiden didn't even notice. In fact, he hadn't even turned to face the man when he spoke. "And so since they're out of rum due to an unfortunate mix-up, they'll order some more. Which means that the liquor store owner for sure has seen them... he may even know where they are, if they asked for it to be delivered." He smiled. "To find them, we just gotta follow the booze." |
| Digithe Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Posts: 884 | Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:28 am | Characters: All for this theme; By Digithe: This theme, Any theme Frost couldn't help but stare at his first mate after the hearing the jumble of words that had flown out of her mouth. Fortunately for him, the way he looked at people normally seemed very much like staring, so this probably wouldn't have appeared out of the ordinary. What Marc had said sounded very much like -- yet surely she didn't -- but it seemed almost as though -- no, of course not. He misheard her, that was all.
Right? When put next to what she'd said earlier, it seemed almost too clear that.... But that simply couldn't be. After all, she'd sailed with him for years and never even hinted at such a thing. Then again, he hadn't known that she was a woman then. Of course she couldn't make those sort of suggestions to a man if she was also a man. She would have been skewered on the spot! So then... did that mean she had been thinking it? No, certainly. Without a doubt. She was just trying to make her way in the world as a pirate, that's it. Even entertaining such ideas was ridiculous and an insult to Marc's integrity. But what she'd said was almost undeniably clear. Of course, she had been stuttering so terribly that her words might have just been mixed up. Yet, the stuttering could also have been caused by what she was saying.... Enough, Frost told himself, shoving that train of thought to the back of his mind. It would probably not entirely leave his thoughts, but he could at least dull the noise for the moment. More pressing matters were at hand -- the inn was now in sight. Though he couldn't hear what Jenny had whispered, he guessed that it was some quick advice, and decided that she had the right idea. "If it comes to it, compliment everyone, no matter how awful they look," Frost whispered, hoping he wasn't repeating anything that had already been said. "Take your time with everything, even drinking. Be deliberate, but reserved in all your movements. Keep your voice down, and remember always, 'Please' and 'Thank you.'" The captain quickly began to wish he'd had more time for thorough etiquette lessons -- it was nothing short of impossible to squeeze years of training into half a minute. All he could do now, he decided as he opened the door and motioned for his companions to enter, was to hope and to trust in Marc. Marc, who had just wanted to sleep with him. She didn't, damnit! --- "Yes sir, so long as I'm on the watch, no shady characters shall board!" Charles said, raising his hand to his forehead again in a sharp salute. Though disappointed that he wouldn't be able to search with the rest, he understood that guarding the ships was an important duty as well. This way, at least, he wouldn't risk running into his brother -- though Charles wouldn't hesitate to try to apprehend him, he wasn't fool enough to think he could best his brother in a swordfight. Besides, if he was in a search party, he wouldn't have any chance to flirt with any pretty ladies that might happen by. |
| The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:02 am | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme He was looking at her.
Marc was an exceptionally courageous woman. She wasn't squeamish or afraid of spiders; she'd never shied away from a chance to throw herself into a swordfight. She'd braved abusive pirate captains, barfights, duels with some of the deadliest men at sea and, now, dresses. And while she hadn't always come out on top, she never let a black eye or a busted lip or wounded pride stop her from jumping into the next barfight, the next duel, or even, apparently, the next dress. She was not easily frightened. But he was looking at her. She wasn't sure whether something was expected of her. He hadn't asked a question, but then, he often expected an answer anyway. She just couldn't tell. And now she'd gone and said-- what? Nothing coherent, she knew that for sure. Her stammering had sounded painful even to her own ears. That was probably why he was staring at her. He was probably exasperated with her inability to speak properly. Yes, that made sense. But at least she'd cleared up that awkward little misunderstanding... which was, she thought, more than worth stammering like an idiot. Still, he was just... looking at her. It was-- "Unnerving" didn't quite cut it. "Damn scary" was a little closer. What am I supposed to say? She thought through everything again, and she couldn't for the life of her find a point at which he'd asked, or even implied, any sort of question. It would help, she thought, her confusion turning to annoyance simply because it had no other direction to go, if he just said what he was thinking. All of this read-my-mind stuff was near impossible. Would it really have been so hard to say, "By the way, there're gonna be two beds"? Would that really have been so difficult? She was glaring at the ground now, because to glare at the Captain would be unthinkable-- through all this confusion, that, at least, remained certain. So she glared at the floor, and was extremely grateful when Jenny whispered her advice, because it gave her something to think about other than how stupid this all was. "Compliment everyone," she repeated, when Frost began to talk, glad to have something else to focus on. This would be like the ball, she hoped, only without the inability to breathe. "Deliberate... but reserved. Right." I have no idea what that means. Move really, really slowly, maybe? "Voice down." Shut up, basically. I can manage that. "Please and thank you." Please and thank you. I know those. If I can just not say anything other than please and thank you, I might be okay. That is a complete lie. She was seized by a sudden nervousness, but she held steady and followed the Captain. She had found, in the past, that it was easier to push aside fears and such when you were following the Captain. He was counting on her, and she just had to not screw up. Right. I can not screw up. In front of her, the Captain opened the door. Marc put a smile on her face, hoping that it looked gracious and not stupid. Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit-- --- "Good. I'm counting on you, Lieutenant." Griffin turned back to Aiden, having considered his reasoning. It seemed sound. "You follow that track, then. I'm going to ask some questions at some of the inns here in town. They've got to be hiding out somewhere." Although he had to wonder just how effectively such a ragged, motley group could hide, in a place like this. Still, they'd managed to infiltrate a ball, so he supposed they were better at disguising themselves than he gave them credit for. "Send word back to Lieutenant Radley if you find anything. I'll be back later to check up with him." OOC:Oh, the awkward... XD |
| Melia Stahlflugel Joined: 4 Aug 2005 Posts: 613 | Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:47 am | Characters: All for this theme; By Melia Stahlflugel: This theme, Any theme The tension between Marc and Captain Frost was so thick that Jenny wondered if anything short of a sword could cut through it. But that wasn't the issue now- the issue now was surviving the dinner that lay ahead of them. Jenny followed behind the Captain and his "wife" as he opened the door to the dining room.
Inside a modest dinner was laid out, shiny silver covers still over the food to keep it warm. Well, modest given the salaries and upbringings of the men who sat at the white-clothed table. They all looked terribly important and full of themselves to Jenny, but that was probably just because she had spent so many years now with pirates. She bowed politely to them all, and waited for the others to do the same, and for Frost to introduce them, as was proper. - Aiden shrugged. "Suit yourself, Griffin. But you'll be running all over town to find them." Aiden stifled a mean chuckle. He found Griffin downright stupid when it came to predicting others' movements outside of military battles... and even being a skillful tactician was no great feat: due to the formalities of battle there was a limited number of formations and possibilities. You simply had to memorize them. So Aiden didn't expect much of him in that area. He doubted Griffin had even considered one serious possibility, given the circumstances. "I'll send word to your Lieutenant when I find the pirates. And in case you forgot, tell him to look out for the pirates try'na steal our ships. Theirs is wrecked, so they may... shop around." OOC:Dan- I totally forgot that poor Charles was still there! Oops! But it turned out okay: it's definitely something Aiden would do xD He's a dick like that. |
| Digithe Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Posts: 884 | Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:26 am | Characters: All for this theme; By Digithe: This theme, Any theme "How do you do," Frost said with his best guess at warmth, bowing politely to the hosts. As he continued speaking, he managed to keep from watching Marc -- he was praying that, at the very least, she wouldn't bow like Jenny was. "Thank you kindly for the invitation. This is my wife, Mrs. Redford, and my associate, Mr. Johnson. I know that I speak for all of us when I say that your hospitality is greatly appreciated."
And then some brief pleasantries were exchanged that Frost didn't really feel and ultimately forgot, and the trio were seated. Though he it made him want to throw up a little, Frost braced himself for maintaining "pleasant conversation" with whoever decided to start it. --- Though slightly offended that Aiden was speaking as though he weren't there, Charles said nothing. Instead, he considered their separate strategies. Griffin's seemed rather far-fetched, but if Aiden was wrong and the pirates weren't planning to get more alcohol, then he would be making even less progress. As he saw it, the pirates would be eager to leave as soon as possible. Since the Navy controlled the harbor, and would have seen them if they'd already tried to leave in another ship, their only option would be to escape by land. It was likely they'd already left, but it wouldn't hurt to put guards at the town exits. The pirates' only other chance would be, as Aiden suggested, to take one of the Navy ships -- the other ships would surely be unattractively slow or lightly armed. That plan, of course, would just be ridiculous. They'd have to have some serious guts to attempt such a thing. Which is exactly why Charles was worried. He knew that his brother was leading these people, and he knew that his brother had just about as serious a set of guts as could be had. |
| The Ace of Spades Joined: 7 May 2006 Posts: 398 | Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:03 am | Characters: All for this theme; By The Ace of Spades: This theme, Any theme Marc caught herself in time-- she'd had to curtsy at the ball, and she assumed it would be the same here. It would have been nice if she'd had someone to watch, but since one of her companions was male and the other was supposed to be male, she found herself to be the only lady at the table.
She sat down between Frost and Jenny, feeling a little more comfortable with people she knew on either side of her. Say as little as possible, Jenny had said. Frost had told her, compliment everyone. Well, best compliment everyone as shortly as possible, then. "Mr. Johnson, you're looking quite well today," she said. The Mayor gave her a strange look, but then smiled at her warmly. I guess that was right, then, she thought, and proceeded to compliment the mayor, the men on either side of the mayor, and the waiter who came to lift the covers off the dishes. "Mr. Redford," she said, having complimented everyone else. She wasn't really sure whether it was appropriate to compliment one's own husband, but he'd said "everyone," and she certainly didn't want to mess up. Compliment everybody, after all, was the first thing he'd told her, so it was probably important. "Um..." She thought for a moment, then said, "That coat looks very good on you." It was all she could think of; she'd used just about every other compliment she knew (and she didn't know many) on everyone else already. Well. That part was over, as long as no late guests showed up. She turned her attention to her plate, which was empty. She saw that others were serving themselves from the silver platters in front of them, so she followed suit, being careful to do everything extremely slowly, as the Captain had instructed her. She had to sort of half-stand to reach the platter of potatoes that was just on the other side of Jenny's plate, but she scooped them slowly and deliberately. She failed to realize, however, that everone else seemed to be serving themselves from the cold platters holding various varieties of salad; she was the only one with hot food on her plate. Why are there so many forks? she wondered, staring helplessly at the row beside her plate. They were all different sizes. Maybe they were trying to accommodate people with different-sized mouths? She hesitated, before selecting one (and picking it up very slowly) from the middle of the row that looked about right... --- "I would ask you not to insult my Lieutenant's intelligence," Philip said, his expression as pleasant as ever, despite the cold edge in his voice. He said nothing of the insults directed at him; he didn't mind, because Aiden was an ass, but he wouldn't have his officers insulted. "He has his share of common sense. He's hardly going to let a band of pirates waltz in here and trap him beneath a chandelier." With that, he left, taking with him several of his men and giving them instructions as to where to go, what to look for-- he knew his plan was not the most efficient way of dealing with the situation, but they had few leads. Aiden was following the most likely one. There was no guarantee that all the pirates' rum had been blown up by that bald babbling pirate, but it was still the closest thing they had to any real direction to follow. Anyway, he'd been to Brest several times in the past, and he knew the place fairly well-- if he had to, he could speak to the Mayor and see whether he'd heard anything. Pirates, hiding in a place like Brest-- surely someone had heard something. This was the kind of place where bored rich people came to vacation, and such people tended to notice every tiny bit if impropriety. Anyway, there weren't really that many inns that they could realistically have hidden out in. Most of the inns around here were full year-round; one generally had to write them months in advance to secure a room, and he was willing to bet these pirates hadn't planned that far ahead. Of the inns left, he ruled out three-- they were dingy, and they stood out in a city as clean as this. Radley was smart enough not to select a place like that, he believed; it would only draw attention, and it would be the first place anybody would look. He split his men among the remaining establishments, giving them strict instructions to find the pirates and report back, no arrests. It wouldn't do to put them on their guard; he was after the captain and the girl, albeit for entirely separate reasons, and he wouldn't risk that just to watch a few scruffy pirate peons hang. He chose a few of the inns to investigate himself. The first two turned up nothing: no pirates, nobody who resembled pirates, nobody who appeared at all suspicious. They can't possibly disguise the entire crew, he thought, can they? Well, Aiden was covering another avenue; he would just have to be patient and hope that one of them managed to turn up something. His patience paid off when he reached the third inn, although he didn't know it immediately. When he asked to see the owner, he was pointed toward the dining room. He entered to find a group of people seated around the table. "Oh-- my apologies, I didn't realize that there was a dinner going on. Excuse me; I'll come back later." There was a funny noise, like someone choking, but he was paying more attention to the Mayor, who was standing up to greet him. "Admiral Griffin," he said, his voice warm. "It's been so long since you and your father visited our city! Please, won't you join us for a little dinner?" Griffin returned the man's warm smile. "I wouldn't wish to intrude," he began, but the Mayor would have none of that. "Nonsense," he said. "I insist. You're here with the Navy this time, aren't you, Griffin? Won't you allow me to introduce Mr. Johnson, and Mr. and Mrs. Redford? These wonderful people are escorting a poor group of refugees-- such selfless acts, I thought, deserved some kindness in turn." "Of course," said Griffin, who had just looked at the three 'wonderful people.' "It's very nice to see you again." He first recognized the Kearney girl-- Marguerite, she said her name was-- she appeared to have choked on her tea and was still sputtering in a rather unladylike manner. And, sure enough, Radley was seated beside her. He wasn't sure who the third person was; he recalled that "he" had been introduced as a Mr. Johnson at the ball as well. Whether that was the correct name, Griffin didn't know, and he didn't much care (although he had his suspicions, based on the way Aiden had interacted with "him" back at the ball. Oh, the chandelier-- he was never going to let Aiden live that down.) Without any further protest, he took the seat offered him, which happened to be across the table from Marguerite. Mrs. Redford, he corrected himself. "Oh, do you know our guests, Admiral?" "I believe we've been introduced," he said, offering them a polite smile. "Only a few days ago, in fact. His expression remained pleasant and nonthreatening; to any outsider, he would have appeared perfectly at ease. He'd considered arresting them, of course, but to do so here would be unthinkable. It would be an embarrassment to the Mayor, for one thing. And the Mayor appeared fairly enamored with these "kindhearted" people. He would likely provide some resistance. No, better to wait until after dinner, when he could confront them with little inconvenience to anyone else. "Are you quite all right, Mrs. Redford?" She was still sputtering, but appeared to be getting herself under control. "Yes," she replied. Then, almost as an afterthought, "Thank you." And then she added, much to his surprise, "That's a very pretty ribbon in your hair." OOC:MarcFail. |
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