Jun swore in Chinese as she was thrown to the ground. Didn't these people know what she could do? She had been captured because she could communicate with the dead and call their spirits, a rare talent that could fetch a high price at market. She could also do a few other things, like bring people back from the dead, but no one knew about that.
"I hope your men learn some manners soon," she said. If only she could get to some paper and some ink. She could make a few talismans and see if she could summon a guardian spirit until she could get home.
"Well, they are pirates, you know. There's only so many manners they can learn," he pointed out. They had at least untied her from her bonds, so she could at least move freely.
"Anyway, sorry about that. Welcome aboard. I'm Captain Maxi," he said, as though they were meeting at a bar or anywhere else but his private cabin on a pirate ship. "And you are?"
"I'm Tao Jun, a daoshi from the Tao Clan," she said with a respectable bow. "I can communicate with the spirits of the dead."
Not many knew of daoshis so she added a bit of explanation for him. It was rare that anyone knew of who she was, but a lot of people in the spiritual world knew of her family and what they could do with spirits.
"Tao Clan, huh? I thought those were just fairy tales people told," he muttered, though he looked fairly impressed.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms behind his head. "So how'd a daoshi like you end up in the belly of a slave ship, all chained up?"
"Guest," he repeated. "I don't really do the whole slave trade thing. Too messy, too shady."
He watched her for a moment, then noticed the collar around her neck. What a piece of work those slavers were... all the better they were all dead or captured at the moment. He stood up from his chair and took a few steps towards her, hands on his hips.
"Hold still," he said, pulling a knife off his belt. "Let's get that collar off of you."
Maxi was careful with a blade, and he turned the collar around her neck in search for where it fastened together. With nimble fingers, he used the knife to cut away the clasp, letting the collar drop into his hands and then discarding it on the floor.
"There you go, princess," he said, standing back up and tucking the knife away. "Good as new."
Well, this just sucked, didn't it? A witch she may be, but a lot of good it did her in escaping her captors. Turns out, being able to fly meant little when her crow form was such a big target that even a half-blind man with Parkinson's could shoot her down with little trouble. They'd originally targeted her because of her "exotic" look; dark skin, straight black hair, and crimson eyes, but the instant she turned into a giant bird, she'd pretty much sealed her own fate.
Blanche looked up from the floor at her current captor, a look in her eye as if she was sizing him up. Granted, since she was on the floor, it was kind of difficult to get an accurate estimate as far as that went. Wiggling her shoulders, the woman tried to loosen the ropes binding her wrists behind her back. No luck.
"Could, uh... you just... cut that? Please? Since I'm your guest and all... this isn't very comfortable." She laughed, trying to pass it off as a joke. It was a long shot, but it was pretty much all she had.
"Depends. Are you gonna play nice?" he teased her, pulling the knife out of his belt. "Because if you try to beat me up, I might have to tie you up again."
He leaned down beside her and got to work cutting her ropes. "You'll have to excuse my men. Half of them can't read and the other half have never read about manners."
"Me? Beat you up? I'm just a harmless little girl, I would never-!" She's absolutely appalled you would say such a thing, good sir. Appalled, I say. Okay, so this 'little girl' was at least twenty-five, but that was beside the point.
As soon as the ropes were cut, Blanche let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her sore wrists. Did they have to tie them so tight? There would be bruises for a while...
"I'm not one to hold grudges, don't worry about it." Lies. Expect a few of them to find dead rats in their beds soon. "Soooo.... what should I call my dashing rescuer?"
"Maxi," he said. "Captain Maxi. I'm in charge of this little junk and the morons who run it." There was a certain amount of affection in his voice for his crewmembers, however.
"And what should I call the luckiest little almost-slave on the seven seas?"
[ooc: After being in the hotel for a while, Tsutomu has relaxed a little and shouldn't be as hesitant, though he might be after all of what just happened.]
Yes, it was indeed very bad luck. Tsutomu didn't expect to be kidnapped from the hotel, and brought down to a ship. Everything was a blur afterwards. He had no idea where he was being dragged, what was going on....he had a feeling he was going to be a slave, but he could barely understand what the men were saying.
The gunfire and canons had woken him from an uncomfortable sleep in the ship one night. Frightened, he huddled into a corner and waited, hoping he would be okay. Once again, it was all a blur once the door opened up, and pirates ran in and took a lot of expensive things. What he didn't understand was why they wanted him, too
( ... )
"You've been captured by pirates. That's what's going on," Maxi informed him, folding his arms over his chest. "Though I thought my men were at least a little more polite than to throw people around like they're sides of beef."
He stepped up to the man on the floor, examining him. "Got a name?"
"Pirates? ...I should have figured..." Tsutomu tried to sit up, despite how difficult it was while being handcuffed.
"...Fujisawa Tsu-" Tsutomu looked up and got a good look at the man. Something about him was familiar. Deciding the situation didn't call for familiarity right now, he shrugged it off. "Tsutomu."
"Tsutomu. I'm Maxi. Captain of this ship. You've already met my idiot crew. Welcome aboard," he said.
"You know, considering the circumstances, you're pretty goddamn lucky we decided to hit that ship today. You would have been the equivalent of a side of beef if you'd gotten to port on that thing."
This...this was not her impressive escape. The one she hadn't finished planning. This was actually probably going from bad to worse, except at least she wasn't chained to a wall. That was a plus, right?
"Yes. A guest. Did you think we were slavers?" Maxi replied, watching her reactions carefully. "We're way classier than that. We're more into treasure and gold than living, breathing human beings. So in a way, you really lucked out, huh?"
He kneeled down next to her to loosen up the bonds she'd been left in. "Sorry about the idiots outside. They don't know what to do with pretty girls."
Rule number one of escaping a situation where one was not chained to a wall yet? Don't provoke the one undoing the ropes. Even if you've had a really crappy week.
"You look a bit more like pirates. Never figured pirates to be the altruistic slave-freeing sorts." She frowned thoughtfully...mostly in an attempt not to wince at the way her wrists didn't appreciate the manhandling. With all the ropes and shackles she'd dealt with since capture, she'd have bruises for a month. "Yeah? Well that seems t'be a running theme of the area."
"Well, maybe most pirates aren't. But this is my crew and they do what I say, and I don't like slavers," Maxi pointed out. He discarded the ropes on the floor, then stood up.
"Name's Maxi. I'm the captain of this humble little vessel. And you are?"
Comments 135
"I hope your men learn some manners soon," she said. If only she could get to some paper and some ink. She could make a few talismans and see if she could summon a guardian spirit until she could get home.
Reply
"Anyway, sorry about that. Welcome aboard. I'm Captain Maxi," he said, as though they were meeting at a bar or anywhere else but his private cabin on a pirate ship. "And you are?"
Reply
Not many knew of daoshis so she added a bit of explanation for him. It was rare that anyone knew of who she was, but a lot of people in the spiritual world knew of her family and what they could do with spirits.
Reply
He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms behind his head. "So how'd a daoshi like you end up in the belly of a slave ship, all chained up?"
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
He watched her for a moment, then noticed the collar around her neck. What a piece of work those slavers were... all the better they were all dead or captured at the moment. He stood up from his chair and took a few steps towards her, hands on his hips.
"Hold still," he said, pulling a knife off his belt. "Let's get that collar off of you."
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
"There you go, princess," he said, standing back up and tucking the knife away. "Good as new."
Reply
Blanche looked up from the floor at her current captor, a look in her eye as if she was sizing him up. Granted, since she was on the floor, it was kind of difficult to get an accurate estimate as far as that went. Wiggling her shoulders, the woman tried to loosen the ropes binding her wrists behind her back. No luck.
"Could, uh... you just... cut that? Please? Since I'm your guest and all... this isn't very comfortable." She laughed, trying to pass it off as a joke. It was a long shot, but it was pretty much all she had.
Reply
He leaned down beside her and got to work cutting her ropes. "You'll have to excuse my men. Half of them can't read and the other half have never read about manners."
Reply
As soon as the ropes were cut, Blanche let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her sore wrists. Did they have to tie them so tight? There would be bruises for a while...
"I'm not one to hold grudges, don't worry about it." Lies. Expect a few of them to find dead rats in their beds soon. "Soooo.... what should I call my dashing rescuer?"
Reply
"And what should I call the luckiest little almost-slave on the seven seas?"
Reply
Yes, it was indeed very bad luck. Tsutomu didn't expect to be kidnapped from the hotel, and brought down to a ship. Everything was a blur afterwards. He had no idea where he was being dragged, what was going on....he had a feeling he was going to be a slave, but he could barely understand what the men were saying.
The gunfire and canons had woken him from an uncomfortable sleep in the ship one night. Frightened, he huddled into a corner and waited, hoping he would be okay. Once again, it was all a blur once the door opened up, and pirates ran in and took a lot of expensive things. What he didn't understand was why they wanted him, too ( ... )
Reply
He stepped up to the man on the floor, examining him. "Got a name?"
Reply
"...Fujisawa Tsu-" Tsutomu looked up and got a good look at the man. Something about him was familiar. Deciding the situation didn't call for familiarity right now, he shrugged it off. "Tsutomu."
Reply
"You know, considering the circumstances, you're pretty goddamn lucky we decided to hit that ship today. You would have been the equivalent of a side of beef if you'd gotten to port on that thing."
Reply
Right?
"A guest?"
Reply
He kneeled down next to her to loosen up the bonds she'd been left in. "Sorry about the idiots outside. They don't know what to do with pretty girls."
Reply
"You look a bit more like pirates. Never figured pirates to be the altruistic slave-freeing sorts." She frowned thoughtfully...mostly in an attempt not to wince at the way her wrists didn't appreciate the manhandling. With all the ropes and shackles she'd dealt with since capture, she'd have bruises for a month. "Yeah? Well that seems t'be a running theme of the area."
Reply
"Name's Maxi. I'm the captain of this humble little vessel. And you are?"
Reply
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