Betty
The inn's neglected steps groaned in protest, unaccustomed to guests, as an elven pair emerged from their room seeking familiar faces. Domiel, with tightly braided hair and a severe look, led her drowsy sibling to the nearest table. Rivet dropped into a seat, resting her head on the chair's back and staring blankly up at the ceiling. Her drawn out groan was heard only by her sister in the otherwise empty room.

"Do you need to go back to bed?" Domiel questioned, sitting beside her twin, head cocked as she listened for the innkeeper. The establishment seemed rarely visited, she doubted the owner was in the habit of waking early to prepare food for travelers. Still, she hoped for such a miracle as the day began. 

Rivet rolled her head to meet her sister's gaze, "Is that an option?"

"No," Domiel replied, a cruel, teasing smile breaking her austere expression, "I'd never get you up again. I'd have to recruit Drake to carry you back down the stairs."

The wild maned elf perked up at the mention of his name, flashing a wicked smile, "Ah, you'd be making the mistake of assuming I wouldn't drag him to bed with me."

Domiel muttered a response littered with curses, shoving her sister's chair with her boot while hoping Zephyra would soon join them. Keeping Rivet, Drake and the man accompanying him in check was not a task she wished to tackle alone. 

As Rivet tried to recapture the peace of sleep Domiel's attention strayed to the window. Dust drifted lazily in the narrow shaft of light and already the oppressive heat of the sun could be felt. It seemed harsher here, not as kind as the sun that warmed them at sea. In this desert place it did not make the ocean's spray shimmer like scattered diamonds, or gently color their skin gold. No, in Khisfire it burned. It drained life from the land and its people, perhaps even drove them mad. After all, their strange rumors were what lured Domiel to Maat.
Harry
"You are a lucky woman." *A voice broke into the conversation, smooth and confident, clear as day.* "We are not at sea - and so if you *Did* Manage to drag him into bed with you, you would be spared the hard fall of being turned out of your hammocks before I set you both to work. As things are, the floor of the inn is not half such a distance from the bed."

*An elf woman, a familiar sight, descended upon them both to sit at the right hand of her captain, and settled beside Domiel with a smile - and a cautioning glare at Rivet. Zephyra was a relatively sturdy looking woman, fit as an athlete, with with hands used to work and a well-proportioned form. Her nose and jaw were striking, and her eyebrows were strong. Many scars striped her hands and forearms, a mixture of knife marks, rope burn, and regular burns.
 
She had put on a light yet sensible skirt of navy blue, a blouse of white, and a thin jacket of the same navy, with a white scarf bundling her hair back and covering her head, and a wide linen sash of navy and white stripes tied around her waist. Into it were tucked a dagger, intricate in its brass engravings, and a long cutlass, of the same make, with a wooden handle and elaborate brass scabbard. 

Her appearance was well taken care of - and it had been evident she had not spent the day in bed. Zephyra's hands were always occupied, and that was no less true here - as she sat at the oaken table, the smell of the dry air in her nostrils, she brought a small piece of parchment from within her blouse, laying it out on the table. A map of the area, marked with the places they had been and the destinations they needed to see. 

Zephyra was a wanted woman in Khisfire - wanted for murder - but she doubted any knew her face after so long. People came and people went in this kingdom - money changed hands, and justice was never prevailing for long. What **They** Called justice, anyway. She was of the firm mind that the man had not deserved the breath he had taken.*

_ _
"If I recall, Captain, you wished to add a destination?"
Piper
「 ༄ 𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕖 ༄ 」

*"What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning? Shave his belly with a rusty razor! Shave his belly with a rusty razor! Shave his belly with a rusty razor!* And... C'mon, Ehkan! You sing the next verse!"

For most normal folk, such a chipper attitude in the early morning was nonexistent. However, for Drake Stormborne? It was practically unheard of him to *Ever* Tire of such animated energy. Regardless of the time of day or night, Drake remained as lively as ever. No sour attitudes or threats of violence ever appeared to phase the man, simply rolling off his back like *Water;* Which only ever emphasized the fact that he was *Born* To be a Water Genasi. He rarely diminished his spirit for the adjustment of those around him and instead, adapted to the current of the atmosphere for maximum enjoyment of life. 

"Wait! I cannot cease it, allow me to continue... *Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Early in the morning!"* Drake unfurled a wide toothy grin while he cast a glance at his friend, "My, don't you love that song? It gets the blood pumping... The water flowing!"

A hearty chuckle escaped from the Water Genasai's lips, his entire body nearly vibrating with joyous laughter. He couldn't hardly contain his excitement for the adventure to come. Sure, every pirate and criminal adored the precious shimmer of gold heaps yet... The exploration of a land untouched and undiscovered was the *True* Treasure. Captain Domiel Marques knew this, and Drake was lucky enough to be invited by *The* Woman of *The Sovereign Soul* To embrace such treasure. Drake had been a pirate for nearly all his life, enough so that he had begun to crave more than simply gold for his secret cove of goodies; rather, the man desired the deepest and most haunted of Lucidien's secrets. He wanted what nobody else dared to claim, what the world would *Deny* Him if he had not a single backbone within his body. Which is precisely what motivated his liquid frame to bounce to life this early morning. He had the rarest and truest of all treasure to uncover! Surely enough, Drake had snagged Ehkan along the way to Maat in the early hours. The Sun Elf rambled on about other activities to fulfill his day, however, it was quick work of persuasion when Drake promised gold, mystery, and stunningly badass ladies. Therefore, the two men came to a swift agreement and hustled to the rendezvous location set out by Domiel without another glance or thought to the past. 

"Aha! There is the Inn!" Drake pointed out the building ahead, his azure gaze glinting through the slanting rays of the early sun, "Appears we are right on time, my friend. I am certain you will not regret this day, the day you agreed to join the Son of the Storm for the most daring of daring quests. How do you like that, Son of the Sand?" He smirked as he sent one last glance at Ehkan.

༄

When the men closed in on the entrance to the Inn, Drake eagerly pushed forward to separate himself from Ehkan and slam open the door. With a bright and toothy grin, the pirate greeted the early morning patrons with an extra unnecessary dose of enthusiasm. 

"Ahoy, world!" Drake beamed loudly. The barkeep sent a deadpan stare his way, for even he was not awake enough for this certain pirate's antics. Regardless, Drake proceeded unphased from the disgruntled audience among the Inn and made a beeline for the group of pirate ladies in the back. His eyes glimmered as he examined each woman; Domiel, Rivet, and Zephyra. They were all admirable women in his eyes, more than deserving of both respect and fear across the seas of Lucidien. As he approached the table, he yanked an empty chair and swiveled it around so he could straddle the seat yet still face the ladies at the table.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Dangerous Dom, Radical Riv, and Zippy Zeph! This is quite the party, well with ol' Ehkan and Drakey too," The Water Genasi offered a charming smile, "Say, how about we fill up on some lucky liquid before we head out? I haven't had my morning fill yet. I came straight here, as per Captain's orders." He sent a friendly wink towards Domiel. His own Captain, Magnus, greatly discouraged any sort of reckless behavior such as drinking while on the job. So with Captain Domiel, it was like he was on some sort of vacation. And with Rivet, it was like he was destined to utterly *Wild out...*