Patricia
**Just one person to man the entire ship? While it was on the smaller side of the spectrum, it was still peculiar that only one man resided there. Seeing as how the stranger's now recognized Mercy, but not yet addressed her, she decided to do it herself. Carefully, she paraded over to the water near his ramp, hand on rapier, icy gaze settled onto his face. They were at speaking distance now.** "Who goes? Friend or foe? I suppose it doesn't matter. Whether you like it or not stranger, there's a fee I must charge you for docking here!"
 
**With that said, Mercy quickly established a tone of hostility and unease for the man before her. She even tightened the grip around her basket-hilted rapier, and seemed to draw it inches from the scabbard, as if she were ready to face off at a moment's notice. Lifting her head, she tried to send a condescending little smirk toward the man, in an attempt to persuade him to acquiesce her farce.**

"Failure to comply will result in rather... Unsavory results for us both, sailor."
Jeffery
*As the woman approached the sharp eyes of Nikau worked to take in every detail of her. That's what decided life or death- was knowing more of your target than they know of themselves. He noted her garb, impractical for a full time bandit. As he worked with the water his look only broke to spy the tree line, in which he picked up on nothing- heard nothing. The way she approached, the subtle cues in her cautious step indicated she was most likely alone, or so he had to guess. This wasn't the first time in his years of sailing he was cast into another situation.* 

*Her intentions were most likely malicious.* 

*As she came near, Nikau was able to catch the smaller details of her face. Likewise for her, she could spy the vein like tattoos that covered his face in a rippling pattern that emphasized his expression. Though the paint was worn as if applied multiple days ago. Though once she started talking he responded with a low and matter-of-fact tone.* 

"Oh, I knew it." 

*Her threat of course caused him to tense up. His hand reaching out from inside the bucket, now full of clear water. Flicking his wrist twice, droplets falling into the sand below. Stepping back a step and his intense pale green gaze falling to her hilt when the sound of hissing metal filled the air.* 

*He spoke, his voice deepened at an older age, and a bit raspy in tone. A faint accent barely audible tinged his syllables in a way that nodded to the fact he was not speaking a native tongue.* 

"I see... I assume this fee is everything on my person, yes? I don't think I can do that, young lady. It'll put me in a pretty rough position would it not?" 

*He stood straight up, at a height just below six foot. One hand resting on the lid of the barrel without the bucket atop it, finger sinking into the crevice of the lid. Eyes narrowing back.* 

"Next thing you know I would be running around in the woods like yourself."
Patricia
"Watch your mouth stranger. I'm not 'running' around in the woods, I'm living here to enjoy the solitude, and your assumption is all wrong... The fee is letting me aboard to sail with you." **Mercy said, beginning to form a cheeky smile on her lips as she loosened up. Her hand became empty again, letting go of the hilt which previously—and boldy—threatened to draw blade. It seemed she wasn't looking for confrontation just yet.**

"You thought I was a bandit didn't you? Tsk tsk tsk..." **She started to amble towards him slowly, making sure to put her hands up at chest level perpendicular to her sides; a sign of yielding, in case the stranger got the wrong idea from her approach.** "I'll have you know I've been trying to stop. As in, stealing, burglarizing... Robbing at knife point. I'm beyond that now... I've been waiting for a chance to leave the mainland and travel abroad the seas. I just couldn't afford to buy a boat!"

**She stopped approaching, just before stepping on the ramp. With her hands still raised, she began to propose.** "I won't have to anymore, now that you're going to take me aboard. Won't you have me as your guest? You wouldn't leave a girl all on her own would you?"