flawedmemes | TEST DRIVE MEME

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TEST DRIVE MEME

01. ARRIVING IN PELEA
A cold wind singing down from the white-capped mountains which hang blue-black in the distance stirs your cheek, the tall grass all around you. A bough creaks as the wind makes it tremble, and the dappled shadows drift over you, leaves rustling. As you blink awake, you hear the quiet hiss of water over stones. You are not where you once were!

You and a large group of strangers are blinking awake, pulling yourselves up off the dirt, grass, and rubble near a small wooded stream. There is no evidence of civilization in sight, and as you exchange stories you realize that you must decide what to do.

Will you head past the trees and towards the mountains? Deeper into the forest? Stay put and wait for help to arrive? You might even try to meet everyone else, and either convince them to band together... or head their separate ways.

02. CITY SLICKER
There are many cities throughout the world of Pelea, and in most player characters, the Flaws, are welcomed as curiosities. From the pastoral villages or bustling, grand cities of Shousal to the massive, sprawling bureaucratic centers of the Empire, your characters will find a wide variety of cultures and races to interact with and investigate. They could be seeking empoyment, answers to the mystery of their arrival, or a quiet place to drink away their worries.

03. WILDCARD!

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[ She does not deign to sit, not yet, not until she feels more comfortable or more at ease. Charles is still a dangerous man who gets into sword fights, a man who can suffer a notable injury and still walk and assert himself. Better to have herself closer to the door if need be...at least for the moment. ]

I am unfamiliar with Pelea and its cities. Any information would be useful...but then, you say you do not often roam its cities and towns.

[ A true sailor. And a pirate, it seems, unless he's trying to have her on. Alysia laughs a little, quietly, the sound almost genuine. ]

And what role would I serve? Would you have me as your ship's doctor when I can only embroider? I cannot save a man who has lost a limb or too much blood. Would you have me as your crew's wench? You'd lose your crew in a day if you tried.

[ She'd kill them, one by one, or see them thrown overboard. The thought is almost satisfying. The smile she gives him is small but sharp. ]

I'm not running from anything or anyone.

[ At least, not in Pelea...yet. ]

As I said, Eveka is a good place to hide. There's much trade happening over there, not all of it legal in Vairaya, and a good place to find some rare goods. I've heard the same of Jiaport, but I have not visited it.

[He pauses, wishing he had his cigarette paper and tobacco on hand.]

Shousal doesn't do magic, Czilia is magic-friendly. I've found myself appreciating Vairaya cities more than any others; people have been more welcoming there - maybe it's because I'm a man.

[Another pause, and Charles scratches at his growing stubble.]

Nobody can save a man who has lost too much blood, and we don't take wenches aboard. The men all have their favourite whores in different harbors. You'd be surprised how little they like to share with each other.

[Leaning back, he looked straight into her eyes, squinting at a beam of sunlight coming through the window.]

I used to sail with a woman - she scared the rest of the crew shitless. She was incomparable with a sword, and not afraid to use it, which is all you need to sail most of the time.

[With a smile, he sits back up, the wound on his side feeling cold and numbed now under the drying paste Alysia made for him.]

You have added skills; you can patch up people, and help ferret out better returns from cargo - we know nothing about the value of these herbs you seem to cherish, but you do, and these are being transported between Vairaya and Czilia all the time.

[He raises an eyebrow.] You'd see a lot more of the world.

[ A pirate with standards? In truth, the only pirates she's ever met call themselves sailors and never seemed the type to divulge. Charles is a curious one indeed. Alysia gives him a considering look, leaning back slightly to put more weight on one of her legs. What he's offering - as far-fetched as it is - resonates with her. Freedom, the seas, an opportunity to start anew. She doubts she should take it...but it isn't a poor offer, either.

In fact, she quite likes it. ]

I do not wish to see the world for its splendor...though it would be a particular bonus. What I want--

[ To learn. To know weaknesses. To deal in secrets. To never allow someone else to disgrace her again. To go home. She cannot allow Lorelei to be alone, not when an assassin is following her every movement.

Her tone is firm when she speaks: ]

You cannot offer me what I want.

[ No one can. It isn't Charles' fault, in that sense. Alysia has lofty ambitions and would see the demolition of all she calls her enemies. But what he offers, in turn, is something she's never had before. In truth, she doesn't know what to do with herself now that she is a mostly-free woman. There is a glimmer of uncertainty upon her features, there and gone in a second, of a woman who is mulling over a life's worth of choices and looking for the next step. It is a single moment but it is a vulnerable one.

And again, the facade returns. ]

But what you are offering me is...tempting, I will admit.

[He can tell that his words hit somewhere close to home as he looks at Alysia, and the minute shifts in her expression. A slow smile spreads over his face as he keeps his eyes on her, letting her consider what he's talking about.

He's got nothing to lose, talking about his life in Nassau. He's got nothing to lose, telling her about what little he knows of this world. He's only got to gain here - a crew member is a crew member, whether it grew up in skirts of not.

He wonders about her life; where she's from, what she does, or used to do if she's not a native like him. Back home or here, Charles is keeping to his main rule; he is his own man, follows no one but himself. His freedom is his most prized possession, that he's fought for, time and again. It doesn't matter where he is, he's never giving it up.

But then, she tells him straight that he can't offer her what she wants. Charles grins then, giving a shake of his head.]

Probably not. But I can offer you a lot more than most men.

[It's as much another push at a job offer, and a proposition at the same time. He's been behaving himself until now, but he's relaxed since his wound is now stitched up and lathered in ointment - feeling less close to death reminds him that there's never a bad time to get laid.]

You don't look like someone who's given in to temptation very often. You should try it.

[He resists winking. Barely.]

[ A great deal more than most men. Most men try to ply her with trinkets and gifts, promises to marry her out of her household so she can no longer play handmaid any longer. Foolish; if they looked a little closer, they'd understand she never had any intention of leaving her house or her duty. It's a romantic's way out, and utterly disgusting. No man has ever really known Alysia. No man except for Deron...and he's given her everything and more.

And now she'll never be able to return to his house. ]

You don't know very much of me to make a statement like that.

[ There's no malice in her voice, only skepticism, even if he's right. Alysia holds Charles' gaze while she turns the ring on her finger slowly, the motion thoughtful. Oh, she hears his proposition, she simply chooses to ignore it. He's not the first and certainly won't be the last. Some part of her wishes to remain in the city and build influence...but the trouble, of course, is that she will never travel - and if she does, she will be alone and mostly unprotected. She can build influence and learn secrets, sell them at her leisure, and make a profit as she roams the seas. Charles may not like to venture into ports and towns, but she does. ]

And what are your terms, if I were to accept such an offer?

[ Only a fool would simply say yes without knowing the fine print. ]

Edited 2016-07-08 13:58 (UTC)

I wouldn't pretend to know you after only such a short time. But I know myself.

[Many people - Eleanor included - underestimated Charles throughout his life. Thought him weak, thought him dim, thought him easy to manipulate. But none of it was true. He was excellent at what he applied himself to, and it rendered him dangerous. Eleanor, Flint, even Jack! Made the mistake of not believing so, of trying to twist him, play him, use him. They'd all regretted it, one way or another.]

Terms are simple - you follow my command, and you get a share of every prize we get, equal as the rest of the crew. On board, my word is everything, and my men know it. I'll make sure none of them try anything with you, but you also need to know that you might have to fend for yourself. Make yourself indispensable to them, and you'll have their loyalty.

[Holding himself up to be able to lean closer, Charles put a hand close to his wound, keeping his face straight.]

Cross me, and you end up like the man who did this to me. Help me, and you can become a rich woman, feared across the land.

[ She immediately senses the loophole in this argument: On board, my word is everything. She can use it to her advantage when on land and exploring the towns, cities, and ports. It isn't that Charles is not a man worth following so much that she does not know him - she does not know his codes, his laws, his morals. He's a pirate, of course, that much is certain. He pillages and plunders and takes what he pleases. But does he murder children or take slaves? And that's where the sticking point is. Alysia gives her all into her work but will not follow someone with morals far different from her own. ]

I feel I should know more about how you operate, sir, if I'm to make such a decision.

[ Still, it's clear she's at least considering it. ]

And if I choose to leave your crew one day, to go my own way?

[ Unless he is a dread pirate who slaughters children, holds slaves, or tortures innocents, she doesn't see herself crossing him. But she also needs to know if 'moving on' is considered betrayal or not. ]

Edited 2016-07-10 13:16 (UTC)

[The first thing that comes to his mind when she asks about how he operates is the kind of prizes he takes. He remembers how angry he was at Jack when he was made to pursue a slave trader - how it brought so much to the surface, brimming just under his skin. He almost tells her right then, that he was a child slave himself, that he saved himself and went back later, saving the rest of them, but he swallows it down.]

Ask away. I'm guessing it's about morals, isn't it? Are you worried we're a bunch of animals? We're not. I am not.

[He'd never agreed with everything that happened with Max; there was little he could do with the black mark Eleanor put on him, but he'd always planned on letting her go.

And now...He doesn't care if his men don't agree with his morals; usually, they don't care enough to ask, either. Often, any disagreement gets resolved right away - with his crew backing down, or someone getting injured. Just like back home.]

If you don't owe me anything, you're free to go your own way.

[After all, crew members switched from one crew to the other regularly. Of course, it always could turn sour, but Charles didn't really care about it that much. People got tired, scared; people fell in love.]

[ There is a ghost of a laugh on her lips, more derisive than anything. She glances at him from over her shoulder. ]

I can handle animals. I can handle men, too. I wonder, instead, what line you will not dare to cross - and if we are alike in mind.

[ But he's not offering anything specific, and so Alysia cuts to the chase. After all, she has nothing to lose by showing what she will not stand for. If anything, she can ask as many questions as she wishes and it might paint a more conflicting portrait of who she is, something she would be all too glad to do. ]

Your stance on recruiting children, for instance. Slavery. The role of women - either on your crew or upon ships or isles you plunder.

[ She can take care of herself and ensure no one touches her. That isn't her concern. ]

And do you take indiscriminately or do you have a particular code for that?

Children are not fit to be on ships, so I don't recruit them.

[They make for good errand runners on land, but on ship, they're too small, too easy to slip into cracks and disappear forever. They're not strong enough to man sails, either. They're useless mouths to feed.]

I don't abide slavery, either. I don't chase slavers for prizes, and I don't sell people.

[Again, he's reminded of Max, the closest thing to a slave he's had, and he'd been set on letting her walk as soon as he could. It was his crew - his then crew - that had been responsible for the rest, but he still bore it as another scar. Just like all the scars from his own slavery, especially the cross under his collarbone.]

As I said, if you can handle the men, as you said you could, then you shouldn't have a problem. I don't take women, and most of my crew is happy to pay for them. If they're unsavoury on land, I can't do much about it. We rarely sail with women, but when we do, it's women who can keep men at bay and earn their keep.

[Which is he certain she can do.]

We go for big game. We're earning our name, right now. Sizeable prizes are what matters.

[ No children, no slaves. No selling people. Charles has a rather proud view on women, something that garners an actual, albeit brief, smile from her. He understands the limits she will have and she's quite grateful that she does not need to assert herself to him in any way. She will need to lay the groundwork, to be true, but she would have needed to do that anyway. ]

But you've sailed with competent women before.

[ That much is very clear by his tone.

The promise for big game isn't what sells it to her. She can score larger pockets of gold doing less dangerous work by continuing to be a bard. But doing both can gain her reputation and a name - whichever name she takes - and she's keen to see what this sort of life might hold for her. Better still, that it will allow her to discard an identity if and when she leaves to do something else without any sort of shadow over her name.

Charles seems a likable man, as well. If he's to be her employer and captain... Well, it could be much, much worse. ]

I'm interested. On one condition.

[ And this will be the trickier negotiation, she knows, because she certainly can't say all that she does. But Charles can know some, can have a taste of it, especially if she can sell it as something that will benefit the both of them. ]

When we dock, there are things I would like to do and take part in. Bartering, selling, collecting. You are the captain and the one I hold loyalty to. In this, I will not falter.

[ That's the complete truth. ]

But I have ambitions of my own. So long as it does not hinder the crew, the ship, you, or our position, I would ask for leave to do what I wish when we are docked. I work with herbs, as you can see, and I would like to know more of the world. I won't be able to do that while remaining on a ship for the rest of my days.

In return, if I find something interesting and worthwhile, you'll be the first to hear of it.

I have. [Anne Bonny is more than competent, to be true, and he'd never let any of his men discard her. She was an awful person, sure, but she could play a rapier better than most men, and she gave him respect.

Sure, she'd betrayed him, but Charles had never been truly mad about it. The men she slaughtered had been raping a woman for weeks, and he'd been gone. It was almost surprising it took so long for her to do what she did to the rest of the Ranger crew.

And then, she said she was interested. Charles smiled.]

My quartermaster can show you the ropes, what you're expected to do while we're at sea. His name's Mr. Titch. He's my best officer, and if I'm not around, his word is law on the ship. The men follow him just as loyally as they do me.

[Loyalty. That's a word Charles cherished, needed. When she mentions hers, he nods.]

You're free to do as you please off the ship, as long as it doesn't mar my, or the ship's reputation. When we're docked, everyone scatters. Some of the men even have families. You're not going to be a prisoner. You're going to be freer than you've ever been before.

[Freedom was all Charles craved at all times. He'd bow to no man, ever again.]

[ You're going to be freer than you've ever been before.

Something tightens in her stomach and a wash of guilt sweeps over her enough to make her nearly drown in it. For a moment, she feels as if she's betraying the two people she loves most in her life - both of whom are in terrible danger without her there to protect them. It makes her skin crawl just wondering what might be happening while she is trapped in this world. The conflict plays out within her, without much change in her expression. If anything, for a moment, she seems thoughtful and far away, in another time and another place.

The moment passes. So long as Deron and Lorelei are not in Pelea, she can do very little but bolster her own influence and skills in the interim. If they should appear, she will know of it, one way or another.

Instead, she turns to Charles and gives a decisive nod. ]

Consider this my acceptance of your offer, then. When do you set sail?

[For a moment, she disappears inside herself, and Charles just looks at her, taking in her unusual beauty. She's paler than anyone ever could be in Nassau, assaulted as they were by the constant, unrelenting sun of the Bahamas, and her eyes hold something so distant, so cold, it appeals to Charles.

She's obviously self-serving, but he can't begrudge her that, and she already pledged loyalty to him, something Eleanor had never done, too busy stabbing him in the back, repeatedly, while pretending to love him. The thought makes his stomach twist; he'd done so much for her, and all she did was betray him, over and over, and call him a monster, an animal.

Killing her father had felt good. Liberating. He was free of her.

Alysia comes back suddenly, her eyes snapping to his, and when she accepts his offer, Charles' grin grows wide, a little predatory.]

Welcome aboard. [He'll need to talk to the men.] We leave in three days. Just long enough for me to get back fully on my feet.

And see that you take that time. The wound won't fester with what I've given you, but it's important you don't strain it either.

[ Not if he wants to be back on his feet in three days. He's either an ambitious man or a hard-willed one, neither of which she would put past him. A captain should have both. Still, if he hopes to be commanding a ship and standing for long hours without something sufficient to dull the pain, he'll need as much rest as he can muster.

She dips her head into a low nod. ]

I'll gather my things and will be there on the morrow. Though you'll need to tell me the name of your ship before I get lost.

[ Unlikely, but she'll keep the facade going...for now. ]

...And you'll need to tell me your name.

[Charles raises an eyebrow. He's not going to imagine she cares.]

Duly noted, ma'am.

[Charles is...well, pleased of the way his day has gone, now. He's got a new crewmember, which could prove extremely valuable to him. And she won't take anyone's shit, either. It's the kind of crewmember they need.]

Captain Charles Vane, of the Revenge. We're docked in the east harbor.

[ The Revenge. Gods, how no one's tried to sink his ship while it sits in the harbor, she'll never know. How many other ships could possibly be docked with similar names? Tomorrow will be a good chance for her to find out, get a feel for her soon-to-be occupation. She'll need to be good friends with Mr. Titch if she's going to acclimate quickly and efficiently. Find out what he likes to drink and make sure she brings it on board before they leave.

But he also gives his name, no preamble, no hesitation. A shame she can't give him the truth. ]

Eryn.

[ There's no hesitation on her part, either, but she pointedly has no last name. She never will. ]

I would give you a surname if I had one, sir, but alas, I was never given one.

[ Charles has earned that little kernel of truth, even if he doesn't believe it. ]

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TEST DRIVE MEME

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