A Ship By Any Other Name...[Open]

[Caramon Zero]

I go down to the docks to find my ship and search for my crew, yet neither seem to be in sight.

All the hustle and bustle from ships getting restocked and leaving as more come in to be resupplied has attracted a fair bit of my attention as I aid in helping the ships resupply so they can be able to leave a bit sooner so that Merik'll have less to worry about, and be able to bring in a bit more money faster.

After several hours of helping ships come and go, the sun sets, and I decide to go to a nearby bar to cool off and get me a drink.

I enter and request a Lon Lon Milk from the bartender as I wait to see if anyone knows where my ship is.

[Volkin]

As Caramon entered the bar, Volkin lifted his head to look at his new captain and gave a shaky sort of smile. "So he finally told you the good news huh?" He slid out of his seat and came to sit over by his friend. Volkin looked as though he might have been drinking for quite some time now given the state he was in.

He slumped forward onto the bar and motioned for another pint before turning his head to the side and looking up at Caramon. "Congratulations, guess we're the good guys now." He let out a little chuckle. Good or bad never meant much to him, all he cared about was seeing the world and leaving home behind. "Heh, maybe we should start doing some good or somethin'...subvert the power structure and give the little guy a chance."

He smiled a thanks as a pint arrived for him and he began to drink. "Rob the stuffy merchant ships and pillage the tax collectors and help out the ones who are struggling to survive." He let out another little chuckle and took a deep drink. "Of course we'd have'ta keep some for ourselves, take a bit off the top. Pirates gotta make a living too."

[Caramon Zero]

My milk arrives soon after Volkin gets his ale, and I can't help but smile at how mature he seems when he's drunk, as it makes me feel like an older brother watching his little brother grow into a man.

I decide that this's a proper time to lift my bottle into the air and offer a toast.

Too our new ship, and to her crew!
May she always sail smoothly, and may her crew have the strength to bare any storm![/i][/b][/size]

I take a swig from my bottle afterward, and ask Vee a question.

So little brother, have you seen the ship?
Because I haven't been able to find it anywhere...

And I think that's a great idea, Vee, we'll take.... ten percent off the top, which should still be a fair amount, spread it amongst the crew, take another five percent and send it home, and give the rest to the people who need it more than we do.
My brother, you are a genius![/i][/b][/size]

[Volkin]

The grin on Volkin's face grew wider and he raised his glass, hitting it against Caramon's bottle but not with enough force to cause any damage to it. He let out a low chuckle and turned around so that he could rest his back against the bar. "I think we have the chance to make this a pretty damn good run, don't you?"

When asked about the ship he shook his head. "Didn't want to take the tour before the new man in charge so I been here all day." Volkin got a proud twinkle in his eye as his idea was taken into consideration. It seemed like the right thing to do. They got to have adventure, they got to pillage and plunder, and they got to redistribute the wealth a bit.

[Yay Robin Hood ship!]

[Caramon Zero]

With you and the others helping me out, I know we will.[/b][/size][/color]

I look at my drink, then back at Vee.

I'm glad to know how you feel about that, but I still kinda wish you'd seen it, as I still haven't been able to give her a new name, and I was hoping you'd be able to help me.

The only thing I heard about the ship formerly named "The Reaper" is that it's one of the few smaller ships that can hold her own against much larger ones without so much as a scratch.

"The Reaper".
"The Ship of Death".
To me, those don't sound anything like what we'll be using her for, so I say we give her a new name, but what should it be?

Hm...
If we're going to be doing things that require taking, keeping, and then giving, we're gonna need lots of luck.[/b][/size][/color]

I think about the last words I speak, then I smile at Volkin once again.

How about "Lucky Thirteen"?[/b][/size][/color]

[Volkin]

Volkin tilted his head back so that it was resting against the bar and just watched the ceiling for a few moments. He did not seem to hear what his friend had said, though in truth he was simply trying to process it.

He sat up after a bit of silence and took another drink of his ale before speaking. "I like it. It sounds a lot more piratey than the one I was thinking. Fool's Gold. Can't even remember why I thought of it now." Volkin finished off his ale and waved the barkeep down for another.

[Caramon Zero]

I chug my bottle down and ask for another as well before I continue our conversation.
Well Vee, do you think I should take you back to your room before you end up on the floor?

How about we see the ship in the morning?
That way we can start any repairs on her and hopefully set off in the evening if things aren't too bad.
Otherwise, I suppose that it'd be best to hang around here until repairs are complete.
Of course, I was planning on remodeling my new ship with a training room, and a few other important things to keep the crew in top condition, so it may take a few days to complete the modifications...

So little brother, feel like stayin' home a few more days?[/i][/b][/size]

[Volkin]

"Oh come on, don't be a spoil sport. This place is a lot of fun and we're celebrating! Who wants to go to a stupid old room when there's fun to be had out here." He grinned and raised a toast, swaying lightly in his seat. "To us and your new ship, Captain Caramon." He let out a little chuckle before chugging what he had left and listening to what his friend had to say about their plans.

"Sounds good cap'n. Be nice to take a look around some more too. This place is really cool!" Volkin had never heard of this place before joining the crew and the fact that he was here and was a pirate and surrounded by other pirates had never seemed so amazing before. Perhaps it was the atmosphere or maybe it was the ale, but he felt blown away by how much his life had changed since he left home.

[Caramon Zero]

I can't help but laugh at him calling me "Captain".

Hey Vee, you know you don't have to call me that...
We're brothers, so it's alright to call me by name.
And as your brother, I'm just trying to look out for you, so don't get too hammered, okay?

How about I give you a tour after we check on our ship?
I may even let you test out the new obstacle course I built, but I think you may need to hold back a bit, 'cause I don't want them to take you off my crew right after they put you on.[/i][/b][/size]

The last words I spoke were both serious and playful, and I hope that even in his drunkenness he can understand what I mean by them.

[Volkin]

Volkin started laughing and rested his head on Caramon's shoulder, patting him on the back and turning his head to the side so that he could look up at him. "You're such a worry wart. I know what I'm doing and even if I didn't I'm not going to get hurt so drink up me hearty..." He trailed off and chuckled a little before picking up where he left off. "..and stop being such a sour puss."

He spun around in the seat and leaned back against the bar again as he listened to his brother detail some of the things that he had added to the ship. When Caramon was done speaking, Volkin looked to him as though trying to figure something out. "Why would anybody take me away? This is where they want me and this is where I'm staying."

[Caramon Zero]

Well Vee, if some of the other Captains saw just how talented you are, then they might try to get you to go with them, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it if you decided to go with a different crew.[/i][/b]

I chug down the rest of my bottle and ask the bartender to make it my usual as I paint the bottle crimson with a big, black "CZ" on its side.

You know I don't drink, but please keep it a secret from the rest of the crew, as I don't want any of them trying to get me drunk, since I want to keep the ship in one piece...[/i][/b]

I look at at the ceiling and then back at Vee with a look of determination in my eyes.

From now on I need to be a good example so that our crew won't obey orders out of fear or because they have to, but because they want to out of trust for their Captain.
That's all I really want, so I don't really care who my new crew's gonna be composed of, I just have to do my best to earn their trust, right little brother?[/i][/b]

[Volkin]

"Why would I decide to go to a different crew?" He looked at Caramon as though he'd just said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. "You're my brother. Why wouldn't I stick with you?" He took a drink of his ale and sputtered a bit as he ended up taking just a little too much.

Volkin frowned as Caramon stated that he wanted to be a captain based on trust. It was then that he decided that if Caramon's tactics did not work, then he would work behind the scenes to be sure that the crew stayed in line. "You will still discipline when needed, right?"

[Caramon Zero]

I smile at Volkin's statement.
Vee, you're awesome.[/i][/b][/size]

I laugh as I understand Vee's hidden meaning to his question, then I speak my mind on the matter.

I'd only do so if it was needed.

I have an idea that'll keep 'em in shape and'll still work as punishment, as I was planning on making the training regimen difficult for most people.

But with your reflexes, it may seem almost too easy, so I'll give you a special training course that I'll upgrade from time to time so you can train at your full potential along with the rest of the hardier members of the crew.

Used as a punishment, they have to do the training within a certain time period, and if they don't, they have to do it again and again until they do, or they can choose to be docked some pay until next time around, so it'll be their choice.

I won't bully my crew, but I'll be fair to all of them, only punishing what I believe is unjust and only distributing punishment where it's due.

Does that sound like a fair idea little brother?[/i][/b][/size]

[Volkin]

He grinned a cocky sort of grin and looked over to Caramon. "Of course I'm awesome." The grin quickly faded and he let out a little chuckle to show that he had only been joking around. "Come on now, if I left the crew who would be there to take care of you? You think you're just looking out for me but it goes both ways."

Volkin nodded along when Caramon was talking about the training course and he found himself looking forward to giving it a shot. If it would help him hone his talents then he was more than willing to run it as many times as he could to try and master it, even if just because it brought out a sense of competition in him. "It sounds fair enough as long as the crew sticks to it." And if they didn't stick to it? Well, they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

[Caramon Zero]

I can't help but smile as he says this.

You're right little brother, like always.[/size][/i][/color]

I look towards the harbor as I continue.

Oh, if they're true pirates I think they will.
More work to keep your share of the gold?
They'll jump on it in a heartbeat.[/size][/i][/color]

I let out my most boisterous laugh as I turn back to Volkin.

I know you enough by now to know that you're pro'ly gonna be havin' lots of fun with that new training course, but I'm gonna start it off slow so you don't wear yourself out with the easy stuff, alright?
I know you can take a lot of punishment, but still, you never know what'll happen with this training course I've built.[/size][/i][/color]