Post by Sara (Keena, Paela, RingPaw) on Feb 27, 2014 13:44:31 GMT -5
She was 12 when she “joined” the Blue Coral and already her hand had delved into more pockets and purses than she thought possible. Everyone walking around Zazesspur always had some extra gold that they didn’t mind “handing over” for her well-being.
She was Asa of the Sekko, trained in her early years by her mother in the art of rogue-ish behavior. Asa was a secret kept by her mother to avoid confrontation and possibly death from her father. Lord Tyler of Saradush was a man too paranoid for his own good and upon discovering the bastard child, ordered her death. Asa was long gone by her mother’s order before the guards were even told to bring her in. She and her mother parted, both wearing masks enchanted to look human and cloaks to hide their tell-tale (punny) tails.
“The sea will watch over you to the west,” her mother had said before they parted, Asa heading towards the coast and her mother heading inland. Asa had wished to travel with her mother but the older hengeyokai had forbid it, giving vague reasons about leading him astray for a while longer. Asa assumed she meant Lord Tyler and obeyed her mother orders. Her mother also gave her a locket, a gift from someone special, her mother had said, to carry and remind Asa of her. Asa wore it proudly. She was 11 when they parted and her chest was filled with pride that her mother would trust her to head off on her own this early in her life. She’d hopped an elfish caravan with a “poor little me, I’m an orphan” act and sat pretty all the way to Zazesspur.
The family of elves had given her a few coins and she treasured them enough to by her first dagger with them. That was the last of the honest life though as she took to the streets, much like she did in Saradush and started to relieve people of their extra coin. She ended up, stealing from the wrong man not soon after that. A dragonborn that had dark brown scales all over, except on his hands. They were as dark as obsidian. He had a scar on his left side jaw that followed all the way down his jaw line as well and Asa had truly feared for her life in that moment.
This was the infamous Blackclaw, the pirate her mother would tell her stories about. The scar was a dead giveaway and she glanced up into his eyes to see if they glowed as red as her mother told her. They did and she found herself held by the collar of her tunic up at his eye level.
“You little veshtal (draconic: not a very nice word),” the dragonborn grumbled, plucking his coin bag from her hands and moving her over the water. She’d been working the docks for a couple days, picking merchants clean as they came in. “I hope you can swim,” he said and with a good toss, Asa was out to sea. She could, of course, swim and she broke the surface with a gasp. Her mask was cracked in the impact, the force breaking whatever magic it had and now the tuffs of fur under her chin, blending easily into her hair, were soaked. She also had a pointless mask to carry around.
The pirate had moved on and she climbed back up onto the docks, feeling around under her tunic for the locket her mother had given her. Finding it safe she trudged back to her spot against a fish sellers shop to dry. She pondered going after Blackclaw but she decided he’d just slit her throat for even approaching him again.
The day after, Blackclaw found her again and confused as to why she was a fox all the sudden but filled with dread. He pulled her into a back alley, ready to kill her (because Blackclaw had known only one Fox and their pasts were… messy). He pulled the locket from around her neck and stopped, staring down at it. He asked for her name and she said she didn’t have one. Asa fought with everything she had but he held her tight by the neck. Blackclaw didn’t say another word as he walked out of the back alley, guiding Asa by her neck to three-masted schooner that sat at dock.
He continued asking for her name and Asa continued to reply in the negative until he stopped completely. The crew on board watched the scene for a good minute before Blackclaw ordered them out of port and back to the Blue Coral. “You’ll be working for me now boy,” he said, gruff and twisted the locket in his hand, “and I’ll be keeping this.”
Asa fought and reached out to strike him. Blackclaw wasn’t fazed at the fight she put up and when night came and they were upon the frigate, the Blue Coral, she curled in the corner where he’d chained her and thought about what her mother had always told her. Blackclaw told her she’d be chained there till she got over her issue and embraced the freedom he was offering her. She spit at him and he hit her.
She wasn’t surprised. Her mother had told her Blackclaw was a ruthless pirate and offered no sympathy to anyone. She passed the night, staring at the dragonborn as he slept and in the morning she told him she wouldn’t fight. It was either play along until she could jump ship at a port or starve.
“You’re going to be my cabin boy,” Blackclaw said, “you will bring my meals from the cook and retrieve whatever I ask of you. You will clean and you sleep on that hammock there.” He pointed to a hammock fastened to the roof on the other side of his quarters, well away from his sleeping area. “You will scrub the deck when I tell you, and run messages when I tell you,” he said, “is that understood.”
“Yes,” Asa said.
“Yes sir,” Blackclaw corrected, bitingly, and threw a new shirt and pants her way. “Now change, you smell of land.” When Asa didn’t Blackclaw grabbed her by the throat again. “Change,” he ordered. She tugged off her tunic and pulled off the trousers she’d stolen only to hear him hiss and pull away. She hurried to pull on the trousers that were just as beat up as her old ones.
She was to be a boy now, Blackclaw told her and that if the crew found out from her own folly, he wouldn’t step in and save her from what they would do to her. Asa nodded, her mother having told her those type of stories as well. “Now kaldra (draconic: fox),” Blackclaw said, “bring me my breakfast.” Asa frowned because she didn’t know where the cook was but the stone look in Blackclaw’s eyes told her she shouldn’t ask him.
Things didn’t get any easier as she learned the ropes but at least she didn’t have to sleep below deck with the crew.
(The downside to this: She was literally called Fox for the near 7 years aboard the ship.)
She was Asa of the Sekko, trained in her early years by her mother in the art of rogue-ish behavior. Asa was a secret kept by her mother to avoid confrontation and possibly death from her father. Lord Tyler of Saradush was a man too paranoid for his own good and upon discovering the bastard child, ordered her death. Asa was long gone by her mother’s order before the guards were even told to bring her in. She and her mother parted, both wearing masks enchanted to look human and cloaks to hide their tell-tale (punny) tails.
“The sea will watch over you to the west,” her mother had said before they parted, Asa heading towards the coast and her mother heading inland. Asa had wished to travel with her mother but the older hengeyokai had forbid it, giving vague reasons about leading him astray for a while longer. Asa assumed she meant Lord Tyler and obeyed her mother orders. Her mother also gave her a locket, a gift from someone special, her mother had said, to carry and remind Asa of her. Asa wore it proudly. She was 11 when they parted and her chest was filled with pride that her mother would trust her to head off on her own this early in her life. She’d hopped an elfish caravan with a “poor little me, I’m an orphan” act and sat pretty all the way to Zazesspur.
The family of elves had given her a few coins and she treasured them enough to by her first dagger with them. That was the last of the honest life though as she took to the streets, much like she did in Saradush and started to relieve people of their extra coin. She ended up, stealing from the wrong man not soon after that. A dragonborn that had dark brown scales all over, except on his hands. They were as dark as obsidian. He had a scar on his left side jaw that followed all the way down his jaw line as well and Asa had truly feared for her life in that moment.
This was the infamous Blackclaw, the pirate her mother would tell her stories about. The scar was a dead giveaway and she glanced up into his eyes to see if they glowed as red as her mother told her. They did and she found herself held by the collar of her tunic up at his eye level.
“You little veshtal (draconic: not a very nice word),” the dragonborn grumbled, plucking his coin bag from her hands and moving her over the water. She’d been working the docks for a couple days, picking merchants clean as they came in. “I hope you can swim,” he said and with a good toss, Asa was out to sea. She could, of course, swim and she broke the surface with a gasp. Her mask was cracked in the impact, the force breaking whatever magic it had and now the tuffs of fur under her chin, blending easily into her hair, were soaked. She also had a pointless mask to carry around.
The pirate had moved on and she climbed back up onto the docks, feeling around under her tunic for the locket her mother had given her. Finding it safe she trudged back to her spot against a fish sellers shop to dry. She pondered going after Blackclaw but she decided he’d just slit her throat for even approaching him again.
The day after, Blackclaw found her again and confused as to why she was a fox all the sudden but filled with dread. He pulled her into a back alley, ready to kill her (because Blackclaw had known only one Fox and their pasts were… messy). He pulled the locket from around her neck and stopped, staring down at it. He asked for her name and she said she didn’t have one. Asa fought with everything she had but he held her tight by the neck. Blackclaw didn’t say another word as he walked out of the back alley, guiding Asa by her neck to three-masted schooner that sat at dock.
He continued asking for her name and Asa continued to reply in the negative until he stopped completely. The crew on board watched the scene for a good minute before Blackclaw ordered them out of port and back to the Blue Coral. “You’ll be working for me now boy,” he said, gruff and twisted the locket in his hand, “and I’ll be keeping this.”
Asa fought and reached out to strike him. Blackclaw wasn’t fazed at the fight she put up and when night came and they were upon the frigate, the Blue Coral, she curled in the corner where he’d chained her and thought about what her mother had always told her. Blackclaw told her she’d be chained there till she got over her issue and embraced the freedom he was offering her. She spit at him and he hit her.
She wasn’t surprised. Her mother had told her Blackclaw was a ruthless pirate and offered no sympathy to anyone. She passed the night, staring at the dragonborn as he slept and in the morning she told him she wouldn’t fight. It was either play along until she could jump ship at a port or starve.
“You’re going to be my cabin boy,” Blackclaw said, “you will bring my meals from the cook and retrieve whatever I ask of you. You will clean and you sleep on that hammock there.” He pointed to a hammock fastened to the roof on the other side of his quarters, well away from his sleeping area. “You will scrub the deck when I tell you, and run messages when I tell you,” he said, “is that understood.”
“Yes,” Asa said.
“Yes sir,” Blackclaw corrected, bitingly, and threw a new shirt and pants her way. “Now change, you smell of land.” When Asa didn’t Blackclaw grabbed her by the throat again. “Change,” he ordered. She tugged off her tunic and pulled off the trousers she’d stolen only to hear him hiss and pull away. She hurried to pull on the trousers that were just as beat up as her old ones.
She was to be a boy now, Blackclaw told her and that if the crew found out from her own folly, he wouldn’t step in and save her from what they would do to her. Asa nodded, her mother having told her those type of stories as well. “Now kaldra (draconic: fox),” Blackclaw said, “bring me my breakfast.” Asa frowned because she didn’t know where the cook was but the stone look in Blackclaw’s eyes told her she shouldn’t ask him.
Things didn’t get any easier as she learned the ropes but at least she didn’t have to sleep below deck with the crew.
(The downside to this: She was literally called Fox for the near 7 years aboard the ship.)