Impulsive Piracy Who: Viara Tremaine, Thren Canondias, Alerrin, Bhobigo Ferrik, random pirates (NPCs) Where: On the Northern shore of Thedas, near West Hill When: 4 Eluviesta, immediately after Conning Partners Summary: In which Thren and Vi actually (finally!) get to her boat, meet some pirates and an angry chef, and make impulsive decisions that might bite them in the butts later. Rating: T for language, sexual innuendo. Lots of sexual innuendo. (also B for Bob) Status: Complete
As he walked ahead of Vi, heading for her boat, Thren remained completely unaware of her internal war. He looked down the line of the coast and wondered if they were almost there. He'd imagined the Star several times over, and as they grew closer, he felt the excitement building in his stomach. He felt like a child at the prospect of seeing a pirate ship.
He threw a grin back at her in acknowledgment of her response. Their time was drawing to a close, and he felt a quick brush of sadness. Traveling was better with a companion at your side, and he would miss the shuffle of boots next to his.
Vi smiled quickly, her eyes focused ahead as they walked. She thought she could see a small amount of movement at the edge of the deck. Alerrin might be prepping for a small group to depart and look for her; or it might just be normal crew movement. Most of the time, when they weren't docked at a large port, the interim time spent between jobs was spent on repairs, sparring, and the like. She spoke casually, trying to gauge his interest and also getting herself used to the idea that he was going to leave. "Do you just want to meet Bob? I can shuffle you down to the kitchen without much other ado. Odds are my quartermaster is going to fuss over me, but I can have him keep the crew at bay. They won't question it."
Thren's heart pitched happily. "I would love to meet Bob, and this quartermaster if he gets to fuss over you and live." He imagined the quartermaster's exasperation clearly, hell, he'd felt it for a league.
Viara chuckled. "Alerrin is a rare man. He saved my life. He is the good friend I mentioned earlier, and, well... I can't refuse the manner in which he fusses." Her voice sounded fond to her own ears, and she didn't care. "He's very stoic, and so correct that it tends to break him when I act out of a logical order. And I don't like breaking him. He deserves better." Her head tilted as she picked her way down the incline - it wouldn't be much longer. The rush of the ocean drowned out any other natural sound in the area. "And the trick with Bob is to eat something if he puts it in front of you. Don't ask, just eat. And well, you seem to be good with dwarves. You'll have an advantage."
"And the unspoken advantage that I will eat just about anything..." He smiled. "There isn't any real trick with dwarves. If they offer you something take it, if they don't offer it, don't even mention it... at least, that's my experience." Thren cocked his head. "Alerrin a father figure or a lover?"
Vi sputtered at the thought of Alerrin being a lover, before she eventually laughed. "Oh, of the two, a father figure. I doubt we'd ah...mesh, in bed." She'd never even thought of it - Alerrin had ever been a protector and mentor, and he was quite a bit older. "I'm not even sure if he recognizes me as a woman, sometimes. He'll only ever call me Captain, despite how often I ask him to do otherwise." She smiled up at Thren, somewhat cheekily. "Never really had a lover, just many one-night-stands. Some with the same person, but never more than one night in a row." She briefly thought of Conlan and wondered how he was; the last time they'd parted he'd been thoughtful and distracted. She liked the mercenary, but it was nothing like love to her.
She carefully placed her boots as they walked, the ground giving way to a coarse sand, causing her feet to sink a bit and her back to howl. "It's possible they've seen us already, so... don't be alarmed if you hear shouting."
"Not even when you were younger?" Thren wasn't worried about the shouting, just confused that she'd never had some teenage infatuation, or young love, or any relationship that made it through daybreak.
Viara shook her head, pressing her lips together before she spoke. "No. When I was a teenager, I took a shine to some of the men on the boat, but Isabela kept a pretty rough crew and... well, I was more delicate then. She also told me that I would be wise if I didn't take love seriously - it's hard enough, being a woman in charge. She told me that whenever she took a particular lover, it always led to...people treating her less respectfully, if that makes sense. So I've been...careful. Especially as I was a young captain." She smiles, almost sheepishly. "Also, since I've been old enough to trust myself, I never really met anyone who struck me that way. Not...really."
Thren's brow furrowed. His life had been spent running and in secrecy, yet even he'd found himself entertaining relationships. It just seemed very sad to him. "So just shines? You've never been in love? Not once?"
Viara felt the tops of her cheeks color at the inquiry. She'd thought about love, sometimes, but it was a concept that she didn't even know how to begin with - foreign, and dangerous. She flicked her eyes towards Thren's and then back towards the ground. "No. Not...close." She thought about it even as she spoke, to make sure it was true. She'd liked some of the men she'd slept with, but love...? It had been to easy to forget about them come the next day, other things to do, no lingering over 'what if.' She opened her mouth to offer more explanations, but then felt her face pinch, simply saying, "It never seemed something that was meant for me. And I don't really know what it is."
"Yes, well I could disagree and tell you that you'll find it someday... but you probably don't want to hear it. You're beautiful, and surely other men would agree, but maybe you're in love with the ship, or the sea, or the adventure." Thren felt sad for her, but didn't pity her. "Some people find other kinds of love that are just as rewarding, and just as special. People live their lives how they can, and find whatever meaning they can. As long as you are fulfilled, I respect you."