Oh, sweet spirits she was going to have murder him, wasn’t she? That was the only thought that crossed her mind as he started speaking again. Most men at this point had the good sense to sit there and look pretty after she knocked the wind out of them. Though this one? If she didn’t know better she would assume it only egged him on. Though he might have the good fountain to possibly assume she was some jilted lover or a lady he had ignored. That’s what his typed assumed wasn’t it when a woman did something drastic or outside the lines of conduct? He would be further the fool.<br/><br/><br/>All men of power and high birth were fools. There has yet to be one to prove her otherwise. This one was just a whole new brand of foolish.<br/><br/><br/>She quirked a brow at the man, contemplating if he was either just very stupid or so entitled that he doesn’t understand what sort of situation he’s in. Her fingers twitched over the handle of her pistol. If she didn’t need him, she wouldn’t have hesitated to silence the man for good. Maybe the spirits will smile upon her and she would be wrong and he could be done away with. What was one more noble father or mother who had a price on her head? He wouldn’t be the first nor the last man she has killed.<br/><br/><br/>Lucia took a deep, cleansing breath, the fog creeping across the deck like long, ghostly tendrils, the unnatural chill that permeated the very air around the island clawed its way across her skin. She let the chill settle in her lungs before she spoke. “Did your mum drop you on your head?” She growled, before stopping herself with a slow intake of breath ones again. Pulling it in through her nose, before pinching the bridge willing every impulse she had to simply throw him off her deck from her mind. Or at least far enough that she didn’t feel like it would be euphoric to do so. She squeezed her eyes shut before letting out the breath she had been holding. “Whoever told you that pirates were fair were fools indeed.” She sighed, eyes snapping open with such a look that would wilt a meeker man.<br/><br/><br/>She was really starting to doubt he had a meek bone in his body. Anyone else she would respect that.<br/><br/><br/>Hard to get?! Skies help her!<br/><br/><br/>Here she was a damn fool to believe the stories she was told of this man being courageous and brave. A force to be reckoned with on the field of battle. How could this man defeat Amir in combat? It seemed he could think with little else than the lesser of two heads.<br/><br/><br/>“And you say you make it habit to run off with Pirate wenches?” She snorted, following where his gaze landed. Oh, that was an interesting thing to call them. “My,” She raised her hand to motion at her chest staring him flat in the eye as she continued, “Personality, must be a grand thing indeed! Maybe I should use them in battle instead of my sword if they're so powerful.” Well, at least it was some comfort to think that high born and peasants have one thing in common. “Your father must blush at the idea of sort of trouble you would willingly get into.” Weren’t nobility supposed to be stuffy and repressed in public? She could say from personal knowledge that many were anything but behind closed doors. Either this man was a hell of an actor or he really was just this simple. Nothing to hide and no embarrassment to do so.<br/><br/><br/>A glance to the side was all she needed to know the men were ready to go, the rowboats ready to lower. With little preamble or announcement she turned to saunter over towards the boats, men stepping out of the short woman’s way with the urgency befitting her. “You, you and you three.” She announced pointing out five men and one woman, three of which holding a sack. Each man and woman of hard labor and sun harden life of the sea. Some withstood the seas harsh caresses then others, a few a few teeth short to prove it. They snapped to attention at her words. “You take the second boat. This is going to be a small landing, you hear?” She called looking around at the men and women gathered on the deck. “Stay close behind, and watch my flank.” She commanded before pointing at three more individuals. “You three in the boat with me.  All of you stay close and don’t wander off into the mist. I ain’t tellin’ none of yer wives I lost you here. Especially yours Clancy!” Her tone has so easily shifted from command to play in less than a moment, poking a balding, but sturdy man in the chest, making those around him chuckle. He was the third she had pointed at to join her rowboat. “That woman frankly scares the piss out of me.”<br/><br/><br/>“Try bein’ married to her, Cap’n”<br/><br/><br/>The quip sent a fit of chuckles through her crew, the tension draining from their shoulders. “Al’ight, the rest of you lot keep my ship floating, ring the bell if the royal hounds find us, huh? Nothing worse then the dogs catching us with our pants around our ankles, aye?” The more she spoke, the more she fell into the accent of the lower bred. The shift alone seemed to set some of the men at ease. Something intentional. Nothing worse than an armed nervous man. Though being found with your pants down does run a close second.<br/><br/><br/>With her words the landing crew started situating themselves and gear into the boats, a smirk quirked up her full lips as she turned on her heels, looking over the Nobleman. Her smirk only grew into a challenging smile. “Well then Sire.” She purred, her tone every ounce a challenge dripped in poisoned honey, a flourishing bow common to the elven kingdom of the northern landmass, A bow so deep she doubted her top did little to retain much modesty as she bent at the waist, head up maintain eye contact as she had spread her arms out with a flourishing twist of her hands as she grinned, the end of her tied back locks, falling over her shoulder with the motion. “Won’t you accompany a wench to Cervus Isl?” A challenge to his words before and obviously a bit of insult if the mocking bow was to be taken seriously. She stayed in the revealing position for a few beats more before she straightened with a laugh and sharp grin before twirling on her heels to the boat edge, heaving herself over the edge to stand upon the rowboat, two of her men ores in hand as the equipment laid at their feet. Ropes with hooks, sacks, picks. All the best things for a little treasure hunting after all.<br/><br/>“Cap’n, Cap’n wait!” a young voice called. Few had noticed the young boy had disappeared after his baffled shock of having the nobleman bow to him. His small frame struggling with a long bit of fabric that he tripped over more than once as he tried his best to carry it to the woman. Ignoring the snickers of the other pirates as his cheeks flushed with the effort of trying to maneuver the heavy fabric. “Y-y-you forgot yer coat and boot!” He added, smiling at the baffled-looking woman. “It’s chilly, ma’am! You’ll catch yer death, you will!” His cheeks puffing out in indignation as he held the fabric out the best he could, making the woman smile fondly, as she leaned across to take it from him. The young boy taking the chuckling of the other men in stride.<br/><br/><br/>“I’m sure it’ll take more than a sniffle to kill me, Pip.” Though despite her the seriousness of her tone, she pulled on the frockcoat all the same. The fabric stark black. The color so vivid it was clear it had taken much time and effort to dye the fabric a deep ebony. Golden thread embroidered the fabric. The lining a twirling design of gold and black, to match the large golden cuffs. The boy looking rather pleased with himself as the woman sat down, rolling her eyes at the boy. “Now off with you! You have some cleaning to do.” She chided, her sharp words softened by the smile still on her lips as she waved him off. The men aboard deck lowering the rowboats as the boy waved with all the cheer of youth.<br/><br/><br/>“A little chilly Cap’n?” a man teased to only have the sole of her foot land squarely in his chest sending him toppling backwards, nearly slamming the back of his skull into the edge of the boat, bringing the snickers spilling from the other two pirates to a halt as their brave counterpart laid dazed, feet up over the edge of his bench.<br/><br/><br/>“Any of yah have anything else to say?” She hummed, a predatorial smile on her face as the men looked anywhere but at her. No sooner had the boat touch water did the men get to rowing, Clancy going so far as to shove the dazed toppled man’s feet out of his way as he took his previous seat to row. It took the down man a few moments to right his ability to breath before he returned to his seat. She taking the moment to pull calf high boots on her feet, tucking her trouser legs into them as she did so.<br/><br/><br/>It was an uneventful trip as they traveled deeper into the fog, their only guide being the blue dancing lights ahead. At one rock face, it was clear to see the golden lantern with the unnatural blue, magic flame suspended from the edge of long stick secured in the side of the face.  It’s blue glow leaving just enough light to lead them to the next. It was as if the sun was choked behind the white mist as the light of day slowly gave away to it, leaving them only in the faint pale blue glow and the sounds of the roaring sea. It took all her seafaring experience to not topple from her seat. The worst wave of which that attempted to throw them off the ship as a child would throw a toy, had her grabbing Alek by the back of his shirt to keep him from being tossed from the boat, yanking him hard towards the center of the bench for where she at least can keep the fool from drowning.<br/><br/><br/>Do they even teach nobility to swim? Or does all that food they eat make them simply sink like stones?<br/><br/>It was an arduous task indeed when they made it close to shore, two of her pirates threw themselves over the edge of the boat when the bottom started to brush against the sand. Pulling the vessel up further onto shore before she followed. Yanking the rope hard to tye it about an anchoring rock on the sands of the black sand beach. A far off cry of screaming bird, cutting through the stark silence like a knife through air. “Count off!” She shouted as she heard the rustling of disturbed sand not far off, but just outside the blue light of the lantern upon the rock.<br/><br/><br/>“Shit!”<br/><br/><br/>“Bitch!” Another shouted, the mischief in their voice clear, the red-haired woman only smirked as she rolled her eyes, plucking a smooth, white stone out of the sand before chucking it in the direction of the voices to be rewarded by a pained yelp.<br/><br/><br/>“Yes, I know what you are. Now, what’s yer number!”<br/><br/>“One, fuck.” A man hissed as he shuffled into the light, rubbing his chest. The others soon fell in line after claiming numbers one through eight.<br/><br/><br/>“Alright, you lot stay close, and don’t lose the blue blood. I need ‘im in one piece. You hear?”<br/><br/>“Aye!”<br/><br/>“Then move out!” She called The men and woman forming a semicircle behind her before she grabbed Alek by the wrist to tug him after her as she grabbed a lantern from the top of the rock. Letting him go after a few steps into the thick forest line.  Lantern held out before them. The mist like a thick blanket before them, casting the world around them in a veil was hardly the outlined shadows of what laid around them barely visible. “Don’t wander off.” She spoke quietly, her pirates on edge the further they walked. This was not simply an island of mist. They knew something walked behind the white veil. It strikes when one least expects it. Quick, savage. She had lost three to it already. She preferred for it to just stay at that.<br/><br/><br/>They just needed to enter the cave. It never seemed to follow beyond the mouth of it. Her gaze never once lingering in one place. This would all be worth it in the end. It had to be.<br/><br/><br/>She couldn’t fail him again.