The Show

Rosamund was pushed into the captain's cabin by a pirate, who then left and closed the door behind him. So much for a graceful entrance, but at least he didn't fall over. Walking around with your hands tied behind your back was a feat in its own right, looking distinguished on top of that would be a minor miracle.

No matter. He straightened up and looked down at the pirates that were waiting for him. First was that fallen noble, standing by the window. The second was the Captain.

The woman in her fifties sat at her table, smirking at his entrance. The first thing he noticed was that she was a mage. A simple shimmering band around her head told him as much, but with how weak it looked, he wondered whether she was even aware of it.
Her dark skin was weathered by the sun and the sea, and she was missing her left eye. She wasn't wearing an eyepatch, instead opting to display the large scar. She even tied her curly, graying cyan hair back. Did she think seeing it would shake him? What a joke. He calmly stared her down, showing neither anger nor fear.

"Look at him, Cinda. Quite a show he is putting for us," the woman commented. "Neither a flinch nor a trace of disgust. Young man, do you even know where you are?"

Oh yes, now he knew. He gave her a confident nod.

"And do you know why you are here?" she asked.

Well, he could hazard a guess. He nodded again.

"Release him, dear," Captain ordered. "You have quite a lot to answer for, Lord Governor. Have a seat," she spoke as her new First Mate approached him with a knife in her hand. Instead of handling it like a normal person, she opted to wave her knife at him, slicing the disgusting rag on his face and cutting through the ropes. She gave him a smirk when she noticed his bloodied wrists. He opted to ignore it, focusing on clearing his throat and finally breathing free. He looked at his arms. The wounds were shallow enough to have stopped bleeding already, but his sleeves were now bloodied. An expected turn of events, although disappointing all the same.

"Captain Jason Lotus," he spoke. "I have been wondering when I would get the chance to meet you. It is a pleasure."
She let out a laugh. "The pleasure is all mine, Lord Governor. Now sit. Down."
On the chair across from her? As if. The woman has been trying to shake him up since the second he got on board this ship, and it would have worked, too. She even made sure to show off her scar. Surely she had something else in store. Not to mention the desire to be in control of the situation. He couldn't just let her have all the fun here, could he? "I do apologize. The temporary accommodation you provided me with has left me somewhat stiff. I'd prefer to stand at this time. I will graciously accept your offer for a cup of tea, however."
"I do not recall offering," she said.
Must be the age, he thought. "I do apologize, in that case. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."
"You are quite an outrageous man. I can see now why those children got swayed by you."

Children? He wondered if she counted Adanita into that category. But still, such a comment warranted no response. He calmly waited for her to get to the point.

Captain Lotus shifted in her seat. The golden coins sewed into her clothes rang clearly as she raised her left arm and set it on the table. Her left hand was missing, and it had been replaced by a frankly terrifying hook. From what he could tell, both of its edges have been sharpened. Its sharp point gleamed in the sun that came through the windows behind her. He kept his face under control, not letting it show how glad he was he didn't put himself anywhere within the range of that thing.
Was it not law in some countries on the continent of Kalisto to remove the left hand of thieves as punishment? This woman was from Port Khonsu, if he recalled it correctly. Somebody had built quite a career.

She seemed disappointed in his lack of reaction yet again. She dug the hook into the heavy table, drilling through the wood with ease. "Lord Governor," she said. "Let us discuss the fact you stole my man."
"Stealing would be an overstatement," he replied. "Pronyscher Zaum made an attempt on my life while I was under protection of your laws."
She let out a snarl. "Our laws." She spit those words out as if they were a curse. "Our laws dictate you may either kill him, whip him, or release him. You cannot take him as your slave."
"Slave?" he said. The woman flinched from his voice. He had to dial it back. As entertaining as it was to see after all her attempts to shake him. He continued calmly. "My family has not held a slave for the past three generations, and I do not plan to break that streak. I assure you I had no such plans for Zaum."
"Then what did you want with him?"
"I was impressed by his initiative during our meeting. Your laws would have him killed or beaten for it, but I'd prefer to give him some appropriate education before sending him back to you. A man who knows when to react is good, but imagine how good it would be to have a man who has wields tools other than violence."
"So you are just insane, then?"
"You must be joking. You would be benefiting from his education, too. Captain Vervain is set on turning this place into a real country, and your man would be among the first people with the knowledge of how to run it."
"You are saying that you will reward both him and I for that murder attempt of his?"
Well, when she puts it like that, it does sound a bit insane. "Yes."

She was at a loss of words. He decided to take a second and enjoy his small victory, before continuing. "If I had time to be angry with every man who wanted me dead, I'd spend it on a nice vacation," he said. "I am working with limited time. If I see good human potential, I will use it. No matter who it is."
"Do you think I can believe you don't want any revenge?"
Oh he will get his revenge. He remembered his college days and exam stress with newfound fondness. This will be a cruel and unusual punishment for everybody involved. "At this time, I think you believe me as much as I believe he won't try to kill me again. If nothing else, this will certainly be an entertaining experiment."
"So, you are just insane. I think I should just kill you," she said, getting up, "before you get everybody involved in this nonsense hanged."
"That is not my intention. Captain Vervain has saved my life, and will be doing me another favor by dealing with a personal problem of mine. Handling this issue for her is the least I can do."
"Worry not. You won't be doing anything," she said.
Cinda was still there. Two against one, with that hook in the game - he was certainly going to die. "What about a duel, then?" he asked. Keep stalling. Adanita was on her way.

Her wide grin told him what a mistake he just made. Ah - of course. It was a duel, he just threw away any sort of protection he had from that request for a parlay. He accidentally gave this woman a way to kill him with no repercussions. He had been played for an absolute fool. No matter, there was no backing down now.

"Very well. For a weapon, I choose swords, and my second will be Cinda," she said.
"Why, you have me at a disadvantage. I have nobody who would be my second on this ship."
"Worry not, your Lordship," Cinda said, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him along with her on her way out of the cabin. "All will be arranged."


Hah! Arrangements his ass. He wouldn't be given a second, Cinda got him a sword that gave him a strange feeling, and a judge had been selected from Jason's crew. This was a farce, an absolute mockery of a proper duel, and he had no issues speaking his opinion on this absurdity. He managed to keep his voice under control while a few of her crew began a shouting match. Surprisingly, a few people were on his side, too, screaming about code duello. They were in the minority, but it seemed that either Captain Lotus or Zaum simply had a few enemies in the crew. He refused Cinda's idea that he should just get one of those people for his second. After all the way this duel was getting set up was downright criminal.

Pun.

In either case, he wasn't going to let these idiots wear him down. He stood his ground, and when the topic of him being a coward was brought up, he politely asked the offender if he'd like to fight him too.
The man was considerably less polite turning him down.

The fighting between the crew continued to the point where he didn't even need to speak. Feeling much better about himself while people started to shout at Lotus, he leaned on the railing and watched them go. He cheerfully wondered if this was how Helen of Troy felt.
As he was pondering his new situation, a small hooded figure grabbed onto the rail on his left. "Hi. Y'aight?" Wait, if Ekliptik was here, then-


"JASON LOTUS! WHAT IN THE FIVE HELLS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"


Adanita Vervain's booming voice rang in his ears. This was the voice she used when she was giving orders, a voice that could be heard through a raging storm. She managed to sneak up behind him, standing on the rail next to him and holding onto the shrouds. The sky-blue coat of hers was fluttering in the wind.
She came here as a Queen, and the Queen was furious. The entire ship went deathly silent. Everybody was waiting for what her next move would be.
She looked down at him, and for a moment their eyes met. Then, she noticed his bloodied wrists and her face turned a gray color.

The wave of relief that washed over him when he saw her immediately froze over.
Somebody will die if he doesn't calm her down.

"Good day, Captain Vervain," he said. "Captain Lotus and I were about to engage in a duel, and we were just about discussing the matter of weapons, seconds, and a judge."
"WHAT?! Can't you go a WEEK without challenging a Captain, you absolute idiot?! And what the hell were you planning to do with that toothpick when she has a HOOK?!"
Well, that was uncalled for. "Then would you be my second, Captain Vervain?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I can't accept that!" Jason shouted.
"You be quiet! I will deal with you later! And you, you outrageous little- " To his absolute surprise, she stopped herself.

She clenched her fists to the point her knuckles turned white. He curiously watched her as she let go of the shrouds, landing on the deck with a heavy thud of her boots.
She stood across from Lotus and Cinda, turning her back to him. He too straightened up, calmly waiting for her next move.

"Who challenged whom?" she asked.

"I did," Rosamund answered, not giving Lotus a chance. Saying anything else would be unnecessary and only muddle the situation further.

"Alright. What do you want from him, Jason?" she asked.
"My first mate back, and his head on my hook."
"Lord Governor, do you accept this?"
"Yes."
"Very good, then. Have you been kidnapped before issuing the challenge?"
"Yes," he said.
"Jason, do you confirm that? And choose your words very carefully, as I have several witnesses."
"Guilty," she said. She wisely didn't say anything to justify herself.
"Lord Governor, you want her first mate. Am I correct?" Adanita asked.
"Yes."
"Very well."

She raised her voice again, shouting clearly for all to hear. "Considering the way this challenge has been issued, it is within my right to nullify it as your Queen. However, I have been arguing all day with other Captains about the issue of whose ship will sail with mine to Hipparcos, carrying the future students, and I am in quite the mood for a fight."
Oh, jolly good.
"The duel will last until one side surrenders. If you lose, Captain Lotus, I will be taking your ship and your crew as my own. If Lord Governor loses, I will send him back to Hipparcos alive and well, but with no plans for further cooperation with either him or Bretonia, or anyone else in this damn world. I trust that will satisfy everyone here."

Dead silence was her answer. Was she truly putting that much trust in his fighting skills? He was honestly touched.

"However! I still cannot simply get over how this duel has been issued. Lord Governor, do you wish me to nullify it?" she asked, staring him down. "I am certain nobody here will hold it against you."

Aha. There it was.

He considered it for a bit, to be honest. It would be an unnecessary risk, would it not? But then again, he should be pulling his weight around here, if only a little. "If I win, we will travel to Hipparcos first thing tomorrow," he decided. "If everything is ready, that is."
She did not expect that. "...I can arrange it."

He took a deep breath. "Then, I will accept those terms."