[Log] Captain Halleck
Who: Javeri, Chadamalith, Halleck
What: A visiting Javeri, checking in on the Layabout's progress, picks up sailor Halleck and some of his men; all hands on deck!
Where: Split Hold
Note: Halleck may or may not change in later play; he's still very much a work-in-progress.
Split Hold
This hold sits nestled along the coast and has a wide, deep bay to provide protection from the storms the ocean can kick up. Split in to two, hence the name, there's a small area dedicated to drydock workers and sailors stuck there and then the larger part of the hold where everyone lives and works. The drydocks themselves are impressive and currently contain three ships being overhauled. A small building nearby has the smells of cooking food wafting from it and tables with large umbrellas sit in front of it. Dock workers and sailors tend to congregate there until it's late enough in the day to go drinking.
The sun's overhead high in the sky, but it's not all the way up. That's because noon has come and gone an hour or so ago. The noise is loud with people shouting and working on ships and generally carrying on. It's a busy time for the people at Split Hold and even if the bustle did not make that clear the noise indeed does. It's noisy enough that Chadamalith circles overhead. Low enough to watch everything that goes on he's disengaged from it enough to simply /be/ observing. Although there's a collection of children gathering on the beach to watch the blue so he might be landing soon enough. As for his rider, Javeri's sitting outside the food shack with a plate of fried fish and vegetables in front of her along with a mug of ale. She's popped in during her own lunch break and seems to be combining her meal with business since she talks to sailors either alone or in groups every now and again.
A dragon at the Hold is a matter for great gossip, indeed. Even a blue overhead had children and sailors and womenfolk alike pausing every so often in their work to peer up at Chadamalith circling overhead; the younger men currently swarming over largest of the sloops getting a makeover even go so far as to vault over the boat's side to stand on the docks and shade their eyes upward. "Vesley!" A voice roars, irritable, from the depths of the boat, "Turlock, Gregg! Back to work, you sorry sacks!" Hell. Nothing's getting done, anyway, and the man, with a low grumble of displeasure, dismisses the sailors from their half-assed efforts and swings himself onto the dock, too. But even he spends a moment, eyed shaded, gazing upward at Chadamalith, and lowers his gaze to search out the rider. There. The girl. Deliberately, the bearded man lumbers over to Javeri's table, and jerks his chin upward with a grunt. "He yours?" Then. "-- I know you."
Maybe if he knew he was the cause of the commotion Chadamalith would have done something different. Or maybe he knows he is the cause and does it anyway? He knows, maybe Javeri knows, but she's busy tucking into her meal with a healthy appetite. The blue overhead circles lower like he wants to see what's going on. When her meal is interrupted she looks up with a casual smile and nods. "He would say he's his own self, sir," she says with a low chuckle. "But, yes. That's Chadamalith and I'm Javeri." As for knowing her she grins again. "Hope someone knows me since I have a ship over there." A pause for her to consider him and then she says, "I don't think I know you? Have a seat? Can I get you something?" Alas business means she cannot get others to buy for her.
He's not deliberately coming across as gruff; the sailor dips his chin lower as Javeri offers a drink and drops heavily into the offered seat, and there's even the sight of a smile, perhaps, lurking in the depths of his facial hair. "Chadamalith," the man repeats, slowly, "and Javeri. Pleasure's mine," he rumbles, sticks a roughened hand across the table, across Javeri's plate. "Halleck," he offers, whether she takes the hand or not, and then angles his sun-squinted eyes out across the bleached wharf. Three boats. One, his to refurbish. One, Graeme's back from a spring squall. The last... "The Layabout," he rumbles. "Aye. 'n she's yours, too?" There's a pause before Halleck chuckles deeply, "or will you say she's her own self, too? A fine boat."
Gruff is nothing new to Javeri, but she's been wasting time with sailors for close to a decade now. She wipes her hand on her trousers before taking the one offered to her for a shake. Turns of pottery and a little over a turn of dragonriding have left her hand rough and her nails blunt and stubby. "Everyone's pleased to meet me," she answers with a chuckle and then glances up overhead. "Sorry. He's almost as fascinated by this as he is fruit trees. Saw there was a small orchard and figured it was best to keep him away from trying to eat half of it. He'll land soon though so the kids can visit." She lifts a hand to catch the attention of the man behind the counter and shows two fingers. Eventually his son will come out with a couple of fresh ales. "She's mine. Well, mine and my investors, but mine, yes, sir." Chadamalith's foibles make her chuckle and she says, "Nah. She hasn't told me that yet. Not like he did."
If Halleck turns her hand over, slightly, to inspect her roughened fingers and those stubby nails, it's a quick motion that's lost as soon as he releases her and sets back into his seat. He crosses his arms over his chest; he hooks a boot under the table leg and leans back. "Shouldn't come as a surprise," he tells her, offhand, for everyone being so happy to meet her. "Don't get many of your type down this way." Whether he means dragonrider, or young woman, or -- anything else, he doesn't specify. Only skims his eyes over her for a moment, and tips his head back to gaze up again at Chadamalith, snorts. "Yeah. Appreciate it. Don't get much in the way of fresh fruit without having it eaten up by wild beasts." Neither does it seem to come as any particular surprise to him that the blue would be eating the fruit, but then again, he's just a sailor. A quick motion on Halleck's part belays the son's rattling about for mark change; the boy nods once, and the ales come just that much faster, and free of charge. "What're you planning on doing with her? If you don't mind me asking."
"Now, Halleck," Javeri says in a low teasing tone with laughter in her eyes as she leans back in her chair. "Don't go trying to turn my head with sweet talk and a free drink." Not that it wouldn't work and she winks before saying, "At least not when we're working." Shaking her head she sits straight again to finish off her lunch. "Chadamalith's no wild beast," she does correct although there's no censure in her voice. Just a friendly correction. "And when he gets carried away I take of it, but he's just eaten before we came and should be fine anyway." The blue makes a low slim over the docks before circling a spot on the beach three times before landing. Close by the hold kids who've been watching begin to make their way curiously, and sometimes nervously, close to him. "As for what I'm doing with her. Going to give her a nice retirement same as her captain got. Cruises around the island for those that want to pay for her. Run some card games, fancy parties, moonlight romance cruises and so on. Whatever'll make a mark and help out with the Weyr during the Interval."
Halleck takes the teasing in stride, rolling his shoulders as her voice drops and a slow smile -- no more than a smirk, though it's nothing so wicked as that -- and dips his head. If he'd bother to uncross his arms, he'd salute her, but as it is, he merely twitches a shake of his head and chuckles a laugh like gravel. "After the working, then," he suggests casually, with another slow look angled up, then over, at Chadamalith as he swoops down to the beach. "If your beast what-that's-not-wild will allow it." The man's voice is easy, benign, with no insult intended in his tone and even a sharp nod for her correction. "Anything's got talons and teeth like that, though..." Halleck trails off, narrows his eyes once at one of those children entirely unafraid of approaching the blue, and calls lazily over his shoulder, "You watch yourself, there, Pike! -- don't mean nothing by you or him," is tacked on, afterwards, unapologetic for the caution, and instead he considers Javeri's words as he lifts a shoulder and rubs
his chin against it. "Good boat for it. Sturdy. It'll take a bit of cash to overhaul her again; y'got enough in your little pockets? Though I suppose an en-ter-prise like that," (he pronounces the word slowly and carefully) "pays for itself after a bit."
"I don't keep him from his fun with the ladies," Javeri tells Halleck with a loud laugh. "And he's not one to care what I do." And that's the end of that. Invitation made because she does make invitations to certain kinds of men and then moving on. "Talons and teeth are for beasts, promise, Halleck. And he'd never hurt a kid. Now, if one tries to climb him and falls off...well, that's what happens." Chadamalith, for now, is holding himself still although his head is angled so he can watch the kids approaching. "He's pretty laid back for being so big. And he asked me to tell you that he takes no offense at your words. Don't see many dragons here, huh?" She looks around the small hold and grins. "I like it here though. People with a purpose. That's always good. As for the Layabout." She stops and grimaces a bit before shrugging her shoulders. "Little pockets is right, Halleck, but my investors are willing to give me time return their marks to them. If I can be making marks and not paying it back by this time next turn it'll be great. I figure to have her up and out by the time winter rolls onto the North. You looking for work? Because I've got a crew to fill."
Javeri's laugh inspires one from Halleck, too, and though is brows quirk up in an expression of (almost-) disbelief, he leans forward and thumps his elbows against the table. If the bluerider doesn't block him first, he'll snake a hand out to snag a piece of that fish to pop into his mouth, and over the back of his hand he'll wink cheekily across the plate. The man remains just as cheerful as he turns again, one big turn on his shoulders, to glance at Chadamalith, and then when his attention is back on Javeri he nods, once, firmly. "Trust you, though I don't know if I should. You dragonrider-types, you know," he admonishes, wagging a piece of her own fish at her, "you're slippery. Or so they tell me. You don't seem so bad to me." There's that casual up and down again, thoughtful, critical, and then beyond her to the hold at large. "Sure. We're small, but we're strong. Got resolve. Determination." Then: a laugh. "Or so they tell me." He sobers fair quickly, though, at the mention of work. "Mmm. Could be, maybe. How many hands do you need?"
Her plate's open for the stealing because Javeri's finishing her original ale to start on her second. "I am trustworthy person," she informs him with a laugh for his thievery and winking. "Just ask around. Plenty of these sailors know me or have heard of me." Not /that/ way although she doesn't bother trying to explain that since even if it were the case she doesn't seem likely to mind. "As for dragonriders in general, shells, Halleck! We're as trustworthy as anyone else. Sailors, now...my father nightly lectured me on how I had to be careful around that lot." Her head shakes as she winks and then leans back in her chair holding her mug in one hand. "Well, since we're not fishing not so many as she needed before," is the answer as her head tips to the side. "Be honest with you I ain't so sure on that. Had a captain I was talking to, but he decided on another option so I'm trying to sort it all out and find a new one too. Someone who's not going to try and rip me off. I can't offer a lot of marks at first, but I'm willing to give a percentage over to the right one."
The last bite of fish is waved around, rather emphatically, when Halleck says, "Anyone who says they're to be trusted aren't. Goes for sailors and dragonriders alike." Is that a twinkle in his blue eye? Perhaps. But he jabs the fish one last time in Javeri's direction and then it disappears down the hatch and the sailor jogs his leg so that it bounces against the table. "Me, on the other hand. Trustworthy about as far as you can throw me." So: he's following the line of thinking that he people who claim they /can't/ be trusted are the ones who really can be? Either way, he guffaws a laugh at the mention of the bluerider's father, snagging another bite of -- soemthing -- off her plate. He considers the roasted tuber for a long moment, before he nods. "I've got some men, good ones. Only they seem to be distracted by the pretty things," Halleck jerks his head; those men who aren't gathering around Chadamalith have found an excuse to linger in the area nearby Javeri. "If you take me, you gotta take some of them, too. We've all mouths to feed."
Good thing, it would seem, that she's mostly finished with her meal anyway. Since it's starting to go to him she leans forward and just shoves the plate closer to his seat. "You'd be surprised how far I can throw a man I decide he's truly not to be trusted," Javeri tells him with a twinkle in her eyes and a poorly concealed laugh behind her quickly raised mug. Chadamalith is happy for the attention and he stretches himself out as flat as he can be so that a couple kids can provide scratches to his head with a bit of encouragement via nudging. "I am afraid, Halleck," the bluerider tells him with a grin, "That if I got any less pretty I'd be right on the other side of ugly. It would be nice to have a crew here to watch the fixes though. Although if they're easily distracted by my guests, when I get them, that could be a problem. How many men are we talking about?" Looking over at the lounging men she throws them a wave and a grin. "Good thing I came right from drills and not a trip to the beach." Fully dressed. Even boots. Such a rare thing for her.
Halleck's not picky. He'll ripple a shrug and settle into the last of the food on the plate, although he lands fingers lightly on the edge of it to stop it from sliding too far past him. Around a sliced and fried tuber, the man's mouth purses for a moment in a distinct expression of surprise-turning-to-laughter and his voice is rich with yet another chuckle as he replies, "Now, why doesn't that surprise me? And you've got a bouncer and a half to back to you." Pike, courageous little Pike, will even risk clambering at Chadamalith's side to climb up to his neck ridges, although if the blue so much as twitches he'll slide harmlessly back down to the sand. Whee! "I don't know about that," the sailor grunts, and his smirk flickers once again before he's reaching for his own ale. "Though I guess it'd be something like being so far head you're coming right back up again on the people in last." A compliment of sorts, maybe. But for the matter of business, Halleck is dead-seriously, and he leans forward again, elbows around his plate, to say, "as many as you'll need or take. Good work's hard to come by, and something lush like that'll have men falling over each other just to get a chance at it. And so long as they know good and proper they ain't suppose to leer," Halleck shoots a pointed look over towards those closest sailors, who either rub at the back of their necks or just leer right back, "we can work around that, too."
Better the food be eaten than go to waste. Even if she was still hungry there's always food back at the Weyr and all. "I learned a lot of tricks growing up the way I did," she says with a shrug before jerking a thumb over towards where Chadamalith allows Pike to climb up and he's ever so good at holding completely still other than breathing. "He's new to bouncing, but I've not had to use him yet. I spent way too much time at the Sandbar growing up and a couple of old sailors took pity on me and taught me what I needed to know to stay out of trouble." Pausing there Javeri grins and adds, "And the best kinds of trouble to get in to as well, but we ain't talking about that." Looking over at the sailors she rolls her eyes and then looks back at Halleck. "I don't mind if they leer at the right people. So long as those fancy ladies who might take offense are left be. And there'll be plenty of time on shore for them to enjoy those who won't mind. Tell you what then, Halleck. You want to captain the Layabout I'll take it under consideration." Meaning she's going to ask about on him because she's no fool. "I can let you know by the end of the next seven. If we can come to an agreement I'll let you pick what you need for your crew above those few I already have and I'll bring you back to Ista to meet them."
Pike's settled himself between blue neckridges and even throws his arms up and makes some whoosh-whoosh sounds -- you know, like you'd hear if you were actually flying a-dragonback and not just pretending. Halleck presses an arm against the table when he turns to look again, and that sight earns a half-grin before an idly inquisitive look is shifted back to Javeri. "Tricks," he repeats, and then ducks his head as he laughs. "Good on you. Wouldn't have it any other way. Though there's something to be said for learning from your mistakes, too," he observes with a flick of his fingers at the crumbs trapped in his beard, and the remark on the best kinds of trouble? goes by without comment save for an amused crinkling around Halleck's eyes. He glances over, too, at the sailors, considers. Nods firmly and says, "I think we can sort that out. Ladies in fancy dresses are off-limits." Javeri herself, perhaps not so much. But Halleck doesn't add to that, only juts his hand out again over the table once again. "'s a good deal. I'll take it if you'll have me," he acknowledges roughly.
There's a bit where she's distracted by watching Pike and Chadamalith. Eyes go a little distant and when she looks back she's grinning. "Oh, I made my mistakes. Still remember their names fondly." Without another word she drains her mug and sets it down with a quiet thunk so she can reach for his hand to shake firmly on the deal. "Sounds like we have a deal then, Captain Halleck. And just in time since I believe if I don't want to be late for my afternoon work I'll be needing to go shake him free of kids and get us back home." Standing up Javeri reaches for her jacket and nods towards the beach. "Next time we'll come on a rest day or half day anyway. Take some of them up for a little trip if their parents don't mind. It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to working with you and your crew."
/Captain/ Halleck. There's a certain ring to that and the man pushes back his shoulders, running a hand through his hair, although he reckons with a chuckle on Javeri's past mistakes, "hope for your sake the Layabout doesn't turn into one of them." Completely unrepentant, he adds in explanation, "wouldn't be a proper sailor if I didn't look at everything a bit askew. But if you ask me, she's in good hands." He lightly presses his other hand over the back of hers, releases her when she moves to hand. The sailor does, too, and cups around his mouth to bellow something back towards the children scattered around Chadamalith; most scatter, although Pike is reluctant to slide down off of the blue's back. "Figure they'd like that, Javeri. I'm looking forward to it."
What: A visiting Javeri, checking in on the Layabout's progress, picks up sailor Halleck and some of his men; all hands on deck!
Where: Split Hold
Note: Halleck may or may not change in later play; he's still very much a work-in-progress.
Split Hold
This hold sits nestled along the coast and has a wide, deep bay to provide protection from the storms the ocean can kick up. Split in to two, hence the name, there's a small area dedicated to drydock workers and sailors stuck there and then the larger part of the hold where everyone lives and works. The drydocks themselves are impressive and currently contain three ships being overhauled. A small building nearby has the smells of cooking food wafting from it and tables with large umbrellas sit in front of it. Dock workers and sailors tend to congregate there until it's late enough in the day to go drinking.
The sun's overhead high in the sky, but it's not all the way up. That's because noon has come and gone an hour or so ago. The noise is loud with people shouting and working on ships and generally carrying on. It's a busy time for the people at Split Hold and even if the bustle did not make that clear the noise indeed does. It's noisy enough that Chadamalith circles overhead. Low enough to watch everything that goes on he's disengaged from it enough to simply /be/ observing. Although there's a collection of children gathering on the beach to watch the blue so he might be landing soon enough. As for his rider, Javeri's sitting outside the food shack with a plate of fried fish and vegetables in front of her along with a mug of ale. She's popped in during her own lunch break and seems to be combining her meal with business since she talks to sailors either alone or in groups every now and again.
A dragon at the Hold is a matter for great gossip, indeed. Even a blue overhead had children and sailors and womenfolk alike pausing every so often in their work to peer up at Chadamalith circling overhead; the younger men currently swarming over largest of the sloops getting a makeover even go so far as to vault over the boat's side to stand on the docks and shade their eyes upward. "Vesley!" A voice roars, irritable, from the depths of the boat, "Turlock, Gregg! Back to work, you sorry sacks!" Hell. Nothing's getting done, anyway, and the man, with a low grumble of displeasure, dismisses the sailors from their half-assed efforts and swings himself onto the dock, too. But even he spends a moment, eyed shaded, gazing upward at Chadamalith, and lowers his gaze to search out the rider. There. The girl. Deliberately, the bearded man lumbers over to Javeri's table, and jerks his chin upward with a grunt. "He yours?" Then. "-- I know you."
Maybe if he knew he was the cause of the commotion Chadamalith would have done something different. Or maybe he knows he is the cause and does it anyway? He knows, maybe Javeri knows, but she's busy tucking into her meal with a healthy appetite. The blue overhead circles lower like he wants to see what's going on. When her meal is interrupted she looks up with a casual smile and nods. "He would say he's his own self, sir," she says with a low chuckle. "But, yes. That's Chadamalith and I'm Javeri." As for knowing her she grins again. "Hope someone knows me since I have a ship over there." A pause for her to consider him and then she says, "I don't think I know you? Have a seat? Can I get you something?" Alas business means she cannot get others to buy for her.
He's not deliberately coming across as gruff; the sailor dips his chin lower as Javeri offers a drink and drops heavily into the offered seat, and there's even the sight of a smile, perhaps, lurking in the depths of his facial hair. "Chadamalith," the man repeats, slowly, "and Javeri. Pleasure's mine," he rumbles, sticks a roughened hand across the table, across Javeri's plate. "Halleck," he offers, whether she takes the hand or not, and then angles his sun-squinted eyes out across the bleached wharf. Three boats. One, his to refurbish. One, Graeme's back from a spring squall. The last... "The Layabout," he rumbles. "Aye. 'n she's yours, too?" There's a pause before Halleck chuckles deeply, "or will you say she's her own self, too? A fine boat."
Gruff is nothing new to Javeri, but she's been wasting time with sailors for close to a decade now. She wipes her hand on her trousers before taking the one offered to her for a shake. Turns of pottery and a little over a turn of dragonriding have left her hand rough and her nails blunt and stubby. "Everyone's pleased to meet me," she answers with a chuckle and then glances up overhead. "Sorry. He's almost as fascinated by this as he is fruit trees. Saw there was a small orchard and figured it was best to keep him away from trying to eat half of it. He'll land soon though so the kids can visit." She lifts a hand to catch the attention of the man behind the counter and shows two fingers. Eventually his son will come out with a couple of fresh ales. "She's mine. Well, mine and my investors, but mine, yes, sir." Chadamalith's foibles make her chuckle and she says, "Nah. She hasn't told me that yet. Not like he did."
If Halleck turns her hand over, slightly, to inspect her roughened fingers and those stubby nails, it's a quick motion that's lost as soon as he releases her and sets back into his seat. He crosses his arms over his chest; he hooks a boot under the table leg and leans back. "Shouldn't come as a surprise," he tells her, offhand, for everyone being so happy to meet her. "Don't get many of your type down this way." Whether he means dragonrider, or young woman, or -- anything else, he doesn't specify. Only skims his eyes over her for a moment, and tips his head back to gaze up again at Chadamalith, snorts. "Yeah. Appreciate it. Don't get much in the way of fresh fruit without having it eaten up by wild beasts." Neither does it seem to come as any particular surprise to him that the blue would be eating the fruit, but then again, he's just a sailor. A quick motion on Halleck's part belays the son's rattling about for mark change; the boy nods once, and the ales come just that much faster, and free of charge. "What're you planning on doing with her? If you don't mind me asking."
"Now, Halleck," Javeri says in a low teasing tone with laughter in her eyes as she leans back in her chair. "Don't go trying to turn my head with sweet talk and a free drink." Not that it wouldn't work and she winks before saying, "At least not when we're working." Shaking her head she sits straight again to finish off her lunch. "Chadamalith's no wild beast," she does correct although there's no censure in her voice. Just a friendly correction. "And when he gets carried away I take of it, but he's just eaten before we came and should be fine anyway." The blue makes a low slim over the docks before circling a spot on the beach three times before landing. Close by the hold kids who've been watching begin to make their way curiously, and sometimes nervously, close to him. "As for what I'm doing with her. Going to give her a nice retirement same as her captain got. Cruises around the island for those that want to pay for her. Run some card games, fancy parties, moonlight romance cruises and so on. Whatever'll make a mark and help out with the Weyr during the Interval."
Halleck takes the teasing in stride, rolling his shoulders as her voice drops and a slow smile -- no more than a smirk, though it's nothing so wicked as that -- and dips his head. If he'd bother to uncross his arms, he'd salute her, but as it is, he merely twitches a shake of his head and chuckles a laugh like gravel. "After the working, then," he suggests casually, with another slow look angled up, then over, at Chadamalith as he swoops down to the beach. "If your beast what-that's-not-wild will allow it." The man's voice is easy, benign, with no insult intended in his tone and even a sharp nod for her correction. "Anything's got talons and teeth like that, though..." Halleck trails off, narrows his eyes once at one of those children entirely unafraid of approaching the blue, and calls lazily over his shoulder, "You watch yourself, there, Pike! -- don't mean nothing by you or him," is tacked on, afterwards, unapologetic for the caution, and instead he considers Javeri's words as he lifts a shoulder and rubs
his chin against it. "Good boat for it. Sturdy. It'll take a bit of cash to overhaul her again; y'got enough in your little pockets? Though I suppose an en-ter-prise like that," (he pronounces the word slowly and carefully) "pays for itself after a bit."
"I don't keep him from his fun with the ladies," Javeri tells Halleck with a loud laugh. "And he's not one to care what I do." And that's the end of that. Invitation made because she does make invitations to certain kinds of men and then moving on. "Talons and teeth are for beasts, promise, Halleck. And he'd never hurt a kid. Now, if one tries to climb him and falls off...well, that's what happens." Chadamalith, for now, is holding himself still although his head is angled so he can watch the kids approaching. "He's pretty laid back for being so big. And he asked me to tell you that he takes no offense at your words. Don't see many dragons here, huh?" She looks around the small hold and grins. "I like it here though. People with a purpose. That's always good. As for the Layabout." She stops and grimaces a bit before shrugging her shoulders. "Little pockets is right, Halleck, but my investors are willing to give me time return their marks to them. If I can be making marks and not paying it back by this time next turn it'll be great. I figure to have her up and out by the time winter rolls onto the North. You looking for work? Because I've got a crew to fill."
Javeri's laugh inspires one from Halleck, too, and though is brows quirk up in an expression of (almost-) disbelief, he leans forward and thumps his elbows against the table. If the bluerider doesn't block him first, he'll snake a hand out to snag a piece of that fish to pop into his mouth, and over the back of his hand he'll wink cheekily across the plate. The man remains just as cheerful as he turns again, one big turn on his shoulders, to glance at Chadamalith, and then when his attention is back on Javeri he nods, once, firmly. "Trust you, though I don't know if I should. You dragonrider-types, you know," he admonishes, wagging a piece of her own fish at her, "you're slippery. Or so they tell me. You don't seem so bad to me." There's that casual up and down again, thoughtful, critical, and then beyond her to the hold at large. "Sure. We're small, but we're strong. Got resolve. Determination." Then: a laugh. "Or so they tell me." He sobers fair quickly, though, at the mention of work. "Mmm. Could be, maybe. How many hands do you need?"
Her plate's open for the stealing because Javeri's finishing her original ale to start on her second. "I am trustworthy person," she informs him with a laugh for his thievery and winking. "Just ask around. Plenty of these sailors know me or have heard of me." Not /that/ way although she doesn't bother trying to explain that since even if it were the case she doesn't seem likely to mind. "As for dragonriders in general, shells, Halleck! We're as trustworthy as anyone else. Sailors, now...my father nightly lectured me on how I had to be careful around that lot." Her head shakes as she winks and then leans back in her chair holding her mug in one hand. "Well, since we're not fishing not so many as she needed before," is the answer as her head tips to the side. "Be honest with you I ain't so sure on that. Had a captain I was talking to, but he decided on another option so I'm trying to sort it all out and find a new one too. Someone who's not going to try and rip me off. I can't offer a lot of marks at first, but I'm willing to give a percentage over to the right one."
The last bite of fish is waved around, rather emphatically, when Halleck says, "Anyone who says they're to be trusted aren't. Goes for sailors and dragonriders alike." Is that a twinkle in his blue eye? Perhaps. But he jabs the fish one last time in Javeri's direction and then it disappears down the hatch and the sailor jogs his leg so that it bounces against the table. "Me, on the other hand. Trustworthy about as far as you can throw me." So: he's following the line of thinking that he people who claim they /can't/ be trusted are the ones who really can be? Either way, he guffaws a laugh at the mention of the bluerider's father, snagging another bite of -- soemthing -- off her plate. He considers the roasted tuber for a long moment, before he nods. "I've got some men, good ones. Only they seem to be distracted by the pretty things," Halleck jerks his head; those men who aren't gathering around Chadamalith have found an excuse to linger in the area nearby Javeri. "If you take me, you gotta take some of them, too. We've all mouths to feed."
Good thing, it would seem, that she's mostly finished with her meal anyway. Since it's starting to go to him she leans forward and just shoves the plate closer to his seat. "You'd be surprised how far I can throw a man I decide he's truly not to be trusted," Javeri tells him with a twinkle in her eyes and a poorly concealed laugh behind her quickly raised mug. Chadamalith is happy for the attention and he stretches himself out as flat as he can be so that a couple kids can provide scratches to his head with a bit of encouragement via nudging. "I am afraid, Halleck," the bluerider tells him with a grin, "That if I got any less pretty I'd be right on the other side of ugly. It would be nice to have a crew here to watch the fixes though. Although if they're easily distracted by my guests, when I get them, that could be a problem. How many men are we talking about?" Looking over at the lounging men she throws them a wave and a grin. "Good thing I came right from drills and not a trip to the beach." Fully dressed. Even boots. Such a rare thing for her.
Halleck's not picky. He'll ripple a shrug and settle into the last of the food on the plate, although he lands fingers lightly on the edge of it to stop it from sliding too far past him. Around a sliced and fried tuber, the man's mouth purses for a moment in a distinct expression of surprise-turning-to-laughter and his voice is rich with yet another chuckle as he replies, "Now, why doesn't that surprise me? And you've got a bouncer and a half to back to you." Pike, courageous little Pike, will even risk clambering at Chadamalith's side to climb up to his neck ridges, although if the blue so much as twitches he'll slide harmlessly back down to the sand. Whee! "I don't know about that," the sailor grunts, and his smirk flickers once again before he's reaching for his own ale. "Though I guess it'd be something like being so far head you're coming right back up again on the people in last." A compliment of sorts, maybe. But for the matter of business, Halleck is dead-seriously, and he leans forward again, elbows around his plate, to say, "as many as you'll need or take. Good work's hard to come by, and something lush like that'll have men falling over each other just to get a chance at it. And so long as they know good and proper they ain't suppose to leer," Halleck shoots a pointed look over towards those closest sailors, who either rub at the back of their necks or just leer right back, "we can work around that, too."
Better the food be eaten than go to waste. Even if she was still hungry there's always food back at the Weyr and all. "I learned a lot of tricks growing up the way I did," she says with a shrug before jerking a thumb over towards where Chadamalith allows Pike to climb up and he's ever so good at holding completely still other than breathing. "He's new to bouncing, but I've not had to use him yet. I spent way too much time at the Sandbar growing up and a couple of old sailors took pity on me and taught me what I needed to know to stay out of trouble." Pausing there Javeri grins and adds, "And the best kinds of trouble to get in to as well, but we ain't talking about that." Looking over at the sailors she rolls her eyes and then looks back at Halleck. "I don't mind if they leer at the right people. So long as those fancy ladies who might take offense are left be. And there'll be plenty of time on shore for them to enjoy those who won't mind. Tell you what then, Halleck. You want to captain the Layabout I'll take it under consideration." Meaning she's going to ask about on him because she's no fool. "I can let you know by the end of the next seven. If we can come to an agreement I'll let you pick what you need for your crew above those few I already have and I'll bring you back to Ista to meet them."
Pike's settled himself between blue neckridges and even throws his arms up and makes some whoosh-whoosh sounds -- you know, like you'd hear if you were actually flying a-dragonback and not just pretending. Halleck presses an arm against the table when he turns to look again, and that sight earns a half-grin before an idly inquisitive look is shifted back to Javeri. "Tricks," he repeats, and then ducks his head as he laughs. "Good on you. Wouldn't have it any other way. Though there's something to be said for learning from your mistakes, too," he observes with a flick of his fingers at the crumbs trapped in his beard, and the remark on the best kinds of trouble? goes by without comment save for an amused crinkling around Halleck's eyes. He glances over, too, at the sailors, considers. Nods firmly and says, "I think we can sort that out. Ladies in fancy dresses are off-limits." Javeri herself, perhaps not so much. But Halleck doesn't add to that, only juts his hand out again over the table once again. "'s a good deal. I'll take it if you'll have me," he acknowledges roughly.
There's a bit where she's distracted by watching Pike and Chadamalith. Eyes go a little distant and when she looks back she's grinning. "Oh, I made my mistakes. Still remember their names fondly." Without another word she drains her mug and sets it down with a quiet thunk so she can reach for his hand to shake firmly on the deal. "Sounds like we have a deal then, Captain Halleck. And just in time since I believe if I don't want to be late for my afternoon work I'll be needing to go shake him free of kids and get us back home." Standing up Javeri reaches for her jacket and nods towards the beach. "Next time we'll come on a rest day or half day anyway. Take some of them up for a little trip if their parents don't mind. It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to working with you and your crew."
/Captain/ Halleck. There's a certain ring to that and the man pushes back his shoulders, running a hand through his hair, although he reckons with a chuckle on Javeri's past mistakes, "hope for your sake the Layabout doesn't turn into one of them." Completely unrepentant, he adds in explanation, "wouldn't be a proper sailor if I didn't look at everything a bit askew. But if you ask me, she's in good hands." He lightly presses his other hand over the back of hers, releases her when she moves to hand. The sailor does, too, and cups around his mouth to bellow something back towards the children scattered around Chadamalith; most scatter, although Pike is reluctant to slide down off of the blue's back. "Figure they'd like that, Javeri. I'm looking forward to it."