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Post by Delta on Sept 4, 2023 21:53:12 GMT -5
Darkness. That was all the greeted Dante in that moment. A painful, achy kind of darkness that pulsated in the temples of the hungover and the weary. What had happened? Where was he? He closed his eyes and groaned. He remembered someone taking him by the hand. They went to the bar, and they smelled like sandalwood. There was dancing, and spirits aplenty. He then felt hands across his body... he was carried. Was he in a mosh pit? He closed his eyes in the half dream half memory and could only smell the stench of aging beer.
His body was contorted in knots, and he had a brief moment where he wondered if he had dislocated his shoulder. The vessel wiggled as he tried to find the smallest of comforts in his confinement. He gave the limb a good yank, but the gesture had disturbed the barrel he was trapped him, and he knew it to be a barrel as it fell to its side and began rolling around. His stomach dropped, and it was by the grace of the gods that he had expelled whatever contents his digestive system had rejected before being stuffed in a barrel. I mean the nerve of people: a barrel?! He had told someone he was a distinguished lord maybe! He was dressed too nicely for such a treatment.
The barrel kept rolling back and forth until eventually he got his legs towards the lid and kicked. The warped expanded wood whined against his protestations, but his nauseous determination pressed him onward. The lid burst open, and the blue Fellblood in ruined clothing stumbled out and towards a railing which was a convenient place to vomit the last of whatever joyous poison he had imbibed.
He looked out at the horizon and the sea unfurled like a blue blanket. It could make one sick. Wiping his face out of a feeble attempt at dignity, he said, "Who throws someone into a barrel and onto a boat? Does no one use inn beds anymore? An alley?" He groaned and tried to get his bearings, his eyes bleary and unfocused as consciousness made desperate attempts to take hold in his mind.
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 5, 2023 4:11:39 GMT -5
Javal was currently sitting in his commander’s office on his ship looking over assignments the company had been given this month. He smirked and most of this stuff looked pretty fun. He'd had to sign on a lot of stuff. Usually, this job would be given to retainer/vice-president/lieutenant commander Nadia Sadirne but he had decided to work on giving paperwork a try. If he wanted to be a good boss he’d have to learn how to do good paperwork. He was also pretty pumped since the crew was given a lot of booze from saving a wealthy winemaker. They’d stored it down in the lower decks in their cellular room. Meryl was in charge of leading the lower members of the ship to unload it and leave it there.
Meryl herself sneakily tiptoed into the cellular and was about to open the door to it before she stopped mid-turn of the doorknob.
Her face sharpened as she heard some commotion past the door. Someone was complaining about getting stuck? She knew that wasn’t one of her men, at least no one that served in her department. She readied her fists as she slowly opened the door and said, “Hey who’s down here? Come out before I find you or you’ll be in big trouble.
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Post by Delta on Sept 5, 2023 8:41:28 GMT -5
Dante continued to lean against the railing and didn't respond for a long moment. He groaned and said, "Down? I thought I was up. There's been some horrid mixup."
Meryl would see a stumbling Dante doing his best to stand upright which was an impressive marvel considering the considerable inebriation of the night before. He cleared his throat and said, "A thousand apologies for the scare. If it's of any consolation it was not my intent nor my doing that I'm occupying this ship in any capacity. Are you the captain? First mate? Boatswain, quartermaster, gunner... well, in either case I'm Dante Discreet. Um.. where exactly am I? I mean I'm on a boat yes, but perhaps more specifically."
He buckled a bit and found he needed the solace and comfort of a sturdy wall.
"I'm uh.. sorry I didn't get your name, awfully rude of me miss...?"
It was clear by his dress that he was not from the ship, and any threat he could have posed was laughable in his current condition. He gestured towards the open door and said, "If you haven't cast sail yet, perhaps you could give me escort, and I could get out of yours and everyone else's hair. I think that's an equitable arrangement all parties can be on board with... no pun intended."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 5, 2023 10:22:09 GMT -5
Meryl walks down the steps into the cellular and finds a peculiar sight, what seems to look like a drunk fellblood stumbling around.
She turned her head completely confused, “Down and up? What do you mean? Also yeah there's been a mixup. Why've you decided to stay away? Was it to steal our booze supply?”.
She raises her gauntlet fists as she says this hoping to intimidate the strange new figure into not stealing their alcohol.
As Meryl sees the stumbling around Fellblood she sighs, “This guy is no threat to me, our anybody, the only person he’s capable of hurting is himself”, she thought as she listened to the hammered man’s ramblings.
“Uh don’t worry about it I’m more worried about you than I am about me. As for my position on the ship, I’m the cook and make the food for the entire ship. I also serve as Lieutenant Commander of this entire team’s spirit operations. It’s nice to meet you Dante Discreet, is that your last name? Discreet? And as for where you are, you’re onboard the Blade of Abaddon specifically in the cellular room, and my name’s Meryl Greene,
She then shook her head and said, “First off let’s get you to someplace to sit down, let’s go to the captain’s quarters. He has the best chairs”, she chuckled.
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Post by Delta on Sept 5, 2023 10:56:47 GMT -5
Well that was a far warmer welcome than I was expecting.
He gave the cook commander a firm couple of pats on the shoulder and said, "Well Lord Commander Meryl Greene, I appreciate the kind gesture, and might I say what a distinguished vessel you have had the honor of serving on. Truly a remarkable ship." He sighed and caught his breath, saying, "I do regret to inform you that you may want to throw the barrel I was in overboard. I don't think it's fit to carry rocks at this point."
He followed the crewmate to the captain's quarters, scanning about his surroundings to get his bearings. He got some strange looks and a few chuckles, and there was a brief moment where he wondered if the crew were responsible for his misfortune. The genuine confusion of the crew eased these suspicions, but one could never completely shake off the feeling he was being set up. It came with the experience of waking up inside of a container that probably once held beer but probably had long since turned into an unsavory fluid and expelled into the sea.
He found the nearest chair he could stumble towards that didn't look like it would riddle his rump with splinters and sat down. He ran fingers through his hair in a desperate attempt to appear as a facsimile of dignity and said, "Well Ms. Greene. Who is the captain that I no doubt will be making the most generous of acquaintances with? And does he have water to spare?"
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 6, 2023 1:41:30 GMT -5
Merryl laughed heartily as the stranger put her shoulder, “Man I don’t have a clue you are but I like their style already, and Cook Lord Commander has a nice ring to it. As for the ship, yeah the captain bought this baby and all her glory from this carpenter crew somewhere in Moonglade”.
She reels back a bit as Dante mentions taking out that barrel, “Yeah I’ll have one of my guys throw that overboard, how drunk are ya man? And a better question: "Have you been in that barrel for a long time?”.
The cremates onboard looked over Dante and were extremely confused as Meryl told them the story. None of them had any idea who this guy got stuck with but they found it very amusing.
As Dante steps and sits into the captain’s quarters Meryl leans against the wall whistling slightly as she waits for his captain, “My captain is fellblood man named Javal Zarrias, you’ll probably gonna like him, he’s a jolly fellow with way too kind of a heart for this world. As for water I can get you some quick”, she then opens the door and yells out, “Hey one of you guys get me two glasses of water immediately”.
She then holds the door before suddenly one of the chore boys hands her two glasses of water on a tray, “Thank you sweetie”, she says softly and hands them a handful of solars.
She hands Dante a glass and says, “Hope that helps ya out, captain should be here soon”.
Suddenly the door opens and a tall muscular fellblood walks through followed by a regal-looking moon elf woman holding some paperwork.
He walks over to his desk and sits down placing his hands in the desk and shows his brightest smile, “Some of the crewmates caught me up to speed on my way here. I’m so sorry that you were stuck in that barrel, good sir, rest assured that was not intentional on any member of the crew. If you’d like to be compensated for your time I would be absolutely happy to hand some solars over”.
The moon elf woman sighs loudly in embarrassment causing Meryl to struggle holding her laughter in, while the muscular fellblood man is looking straight at Dante in earnest.
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Post by Delta on Sept 6, 2023 6:28:37 GMT -5
Dante observed the Solar exchange but didn't say anything. He was far too contented to drink the contents of his glass than to opine on sailor economics. He sighed and said, "That's refreshing, thank you Meryl. And to be more specific as I'm sure I was rambling a moment earlier, I'm unfortunately not inebriated anymore. This is the sorry aftermath of said inebriation. Truth be told, I'd like to think I hold my liquor somewhat better than most, but I'm not immune to getting carried away. Still, this would be a first." He wondered for a moment if perhaps his drink had been laced, but given the strange company he refrained from positing that theory. He wasn't sure if this kindness was a front just yet.
The broad shouldered purple gentleman that designated himself as captain finally arrived and seemed rather sympathetic to Dante's situation. Dante smiled in appreciation and said, "Well if the crew is half as charming, beautiful, and kind as you are then that is certainly worth its weight in Solars. Your cook was the first person I saw upon rousing, and in my delirium I might have momentarily mistaken her for an angel. Most accommodating good captain. I'm Dante. Dante Discreet. And I'm told this is the something Abbadon or another. I'm normally better at names but the pounding in my head is so loud and vexing that I can't help but miss a few details."
He set the empty glass down and added, "As for how I got into the barrel, I'm afraid I blacked out. I try to embody a certain level of wit when I'm imbibing, and I suspect foul play as I'm not one for investigating my own revelries. No doubt my curious fate was at the hands of individuals lacking in your company's kindness."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 6, 2023 23:40:24 GMT -5
Javal smiled brightly and blushed, “Thank you kind sir, and I’m glad that my left hand woman was helpful to you in your time of need".
Javal holds his hand out to shake Dante’s and says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mister Dante Discreet and yes you are currently on board my galleon, The Blade of Abaddon”.
Javal then remembers something and says, “Oh my apologies I never introduced myself properly. My name is Javal Zarrias, President of the Drakon Security Company, Former Dragon Prince of the Black Dragon Pirates, and Pupil of Sir. Ronrik Emeraldcutter".
His attention shifts towards the matter of how Dante got into a barrel of booze in the first place as he says, “How did you black out? Do you remember where you were before? I can tell you what we were doing if that makes you more comfortable with us. We were docked in Thorock, Dragon’s cradle my hometown and we were done with a job we had there that a noble fellow had us do simply run out bandits out of his home. He paid us very handsomely as well as gave us a lot of booze. I visited my mother’s inn and hung out with my friends here and we departed on another voyage and here we are now”.
Javal then says, “Nadia can you get our friend Dante here some solars for his time?”, he says with a nervous smile.
Nadia sighs once more and says, “Find my liege if this is what you’d like”, before leaving the room.
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Post by Delta on Sept 7, 2023 6:45:52 GMT -5
Dante nodded and listened along to his alibi, but it seemed innocuous at best. Still, it was clear Javal was trying to be polite, and this was by far greater accommodation that he would have expected otherwise. He continued to entertain the thought when the mention of Solars came up. Again the need to protest swelled, but he thought better of it. He did inquire, "President? What's a president? Is that a kind of captain?" He gave Nadia a brief and sympathetic glance before returning to the conversation at hand.
He scratched his chin and thought for a moment. He said, "Well cap- I mean president, if what you say is true then that would mean I probably wasn't at your mother's inn. I'm sure you or someone else would have noticed a fellblood being stuffed into a barrel. Not that many would care, but given your disposition and shared lineage I'm inclined to believe you would have intervened in some capacity."
He sighed and shook his head saying, "Doesn't really narrow things down too much, but it's a start. As for my last memory? Gods, I remember joining a small sortie of folk on a pub crawl. Seemed like there was a celebration of sorts though I'll admit the town was up and about in full revelry. We went into a couple of bars, shared some laughs, and I even had a couple of folk spare me a kiss. Indeed, an all around good time. And then.. well... my oaken imprisonment."
Dante gave a dismissive wave and said, "Well to hell with the lot of them. It may be more trouble than it's worth. I didn't carry much of anything on me, and most of my money was on me when I woke up. The simplest explanation is often the correct one: they probably thought it was incredibly funny to toss me into a barrel."
He paused for a moment and mused, "Although it's funny. I recall the man and the woman under my arm that night. They looked like twins. Elven perhaps? It's best not to assume with pointed ears, but in a stupor you simply have to grasp at straws."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 7, 2023 10:18:07 GMT -5
Javal smiled excitedly as he responded to Dante, “I’m the president and commander-in-chief of the Dragon Security Company, The Drakon Security Company is my very own organization that I created. The Drakon Security Company is a private peacekeeping organization that strives to secure anybody from anything. We’ll battle monsters, bad guys, and any other dangerous stuff and we even try to do more than that. We want to help everybody with everything so we try to help with even the little stuff such as helping people move and helping cats out of trees".
Javal sighs in relief as he hears his mother’s inn was not responsible and says, “Yes of course we would never do that. I worked in her tavern for several years before I joined the Black Dragon Pirates”.
“Do you remember any of these folks you were pub crawling with? And as for the celebration, I think it was some sort of celebration for one of our residents reaching a huge milestone with his store. We have to figure out what happened because if it happened to you someone else could be out there stuffed in a barrel. To be honest you got off pretty lucky getting trapped on our ship as someone who grew up living the pirate life let me tell you pirates can be some unforgiving guys”.
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Post by Delta on Sept 7, 2023 11:02:32 GMT -5
Dante gave a nervous grin and rubbed the back of his head. He said, "You don't say? Well, I suppose I've stumbled upon the kindly corsairs this time around. My luck experiences such fluctuations as you can clearly see. It was misfortunate that I'm in this situation in the first place and very fortunate I'm not being keelhauled beneath the ship as barnacles serrate my flesh like a turkey knife." He cleared his throat and said, "Though pirates helping old women cross the street is quite the mental image."
He smiled more genuinely and said, "Well one thing I can tell you is they were twins, one a man, the other a woman, attractive if your hold such preferences, and they were quite fun company. I don't believe anything salacious occurred..."
Thinking for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and gesticulated his index finger to signal something was coming to him. "One peculiarity that I seem to remember is we met one of their friends. The twins exchanged some coin and.. yes, I do believe something along the lines of 'having a fun time' is what they were on about. No doubt they purchased the services of this boorish thug. It would explain how I got stuffed the way I was. Despite my admirable physique it was clear by my body's orientation that I was placed with less than the most gentle of care."
He chuckled and said, "I don't suppose 'burly sailor with a penchant for crime' narrows it down all that much does it?"
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 8, 2023 2:44:48 GMT -5
“Yes you are very lucky indeed my friend, I once got stuck in a barrel after one of my brothers pranked me and trapped me into a barrel as well. I ended up at sea for a couple of hours before getting found by some random other group of pirates. They then threatened me and tried to hold me hostage before my old crew destroyed them and their ship”.
Javal then raises his finger as he says, “We’re mercenaries and security members. I left the old life of piracy two years ago. Thankfully due to my rising reputation as a hero, I’ve been given amnesty for my past pirating ways. We weren’t the pirating type in the first place my old crew, we were more like a huge family searching for adventure. That was before the crew broke up”, he says the last part in a somber tone before quickly shifting his expression back to the bright smile he had on before.
“My apologies my friend that you were indeed pranked as they say and shoved into a barrel. Unfortunately, that description does not narrow our search in the slightest since there are many of them usually in Thorock, especially the port areas".
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Post by Delta on Sept 8, 2023 6:34:44 GMT -5
He kept the topic to his own troubles when it was clear the topic of his old crew was a sore spot.
Dante rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yes, I figured my meager descriptions would do little to narrow it down. The only thing I could remember was..." he thought long and hard, but all he could come up with was..
"...the smell. Mint. Like a strong spearmint, as if the man had grab a fistful of mint leaves and ground it up in his mouth. My senses were quite dulled at the time, but even then it would be difficult to forget something like that. It didn't strike me at the time; I simply thought a smelly man like that was just making feeble attempts to disguise his odor.
He shrugged and said, "In truth, justice is a secondary aspiration. Though if you are sincere in helping me in such an investigation it would seem to me the twins would be the most likely start. They were human, or at least they looked human. Silver hair and eyes, hair cut short, and they wore dark robes with patchwork silks on them. I suppose they could have already changed up their wardrobe, but I assure you if I ever saw them walking down the street I would know them in an instant."
Dante smirked and added, "Much like how I wouldn't mistake you for anyone else either. And here I thought I had nice abs, though in truth I'm not much of a fighter so my physique is mostly for show. You've certainly got more grit than I if you're leading a band of pi- I mean mercenaries."
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Post by Javal Zarrias on Sept 10, 2023 0:54:27 GMT -5
Javal continued twiddling his thumbs trying to think if he recognized the people who messed with Dante and got him barreled.
Suddenly the image of the person who must have done it popped in in Javal’s head as the other fellblood mentioned Mint.
“Wait, you said the man had a powerful mint smell to him, right? I think I might have an idea of who that was. I do remember a very minty-smelling man who would sometimes cause chaos at the local taverns of Thurrock. “Peppermint” Jon Klavel, is a huge goonish man who has a reputation for just being a downright mean man. I’m sorry you had the misfortune of meeting and being stuck in the barrel by him. I’ve heard he’ll do just about any mean thing to another person as long as he either gets paid for it in solars or personal enjoyment".
He tapped his fingers on his desk trying to think of the twins from Dante’s description, "I might have seen them before although I can’t remember their faces off the top of my head, to be honest with you my friend".
He shrugged in modesty as Dante complimented his grit, “Thank you it does take a lot of work especially since we fight so much danger daily but it’s worth it to save people. What about you Dante? What’s your story, my friend?”.
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Post by Delta on Sept 10, 2023 7:53:06 GMT -5
Dante would have been angrier had he not known that his stupid nickname was Peppermint. What kind of nickname was that? Did he wear curly toed shoes and wrap presents every year? Was he an animate garden gnome with periwinkle pants and a magic bubble pipe? Every time he tried to conjure in his mind a vision of someone named Peppermint, it came off as so stupidly saccharine that he couldn’t take the man seriously. It was the twins that earned his anger far more than him. At least he was some guy who got paid to do cruel things. These twins misled him with a promise of a sleep over! Who does that to a handsome guy like him?
“Curious that the twins don’t come to mind. Perhaps they aren’t local. Such a distinguishing feature is difficult to miss. Simply being twins with silver hair, and gorgeous eyes and full lips can be… well… you know.”
Dante’s attention shifted when Javal asked about his story. Dante crossed his legs and said, “Well, I’m from the Ash Lands so we’re on pretty short supply of ocean water. At least that’s what happens when you live near the mountains and under the posterior of a terrible and calamitous dragon. We lost just about everything to Vulcadraeus waking up from him millennial power nap. Before all that terribly tragic event I made my money by breaking and entering. It’s the Ash Lands after all. It turned out later on that I made for a very talkative distraction for some of my friends. So much so I made a career out of it. Now I’m a Master of Ceremonies… basically a party planner for the layman. It’s a living I suppose.”
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