<hr/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 20pt;"><strong>Game Master</strong></span></span></div><hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/FsSwBxR.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Captain Rosette de Courtenay (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=300519.msg14691423#msg14691423)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The Esperanza, Port Royal | top deck<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Alvirs | Devon | Sarah | Nefsonne | Lifa<br/><hr/><br/>The Esperanza practically soared out of Port Royal, and Rose’s spirits seemed to soar along with the beautiful ship. If anyone had ever dared to pull into question her love for the ocean and all the mysteries it held, then it took but a single glance at the notorious captain for any and all doubts to be dispelled instantaneously. From the proud stance to the winning smile and the sparkle in her eyes, that seemed to solely exist to rival the way the sunlight glittered upon the heads of the cobalt blue waves; all of it embodied a barely contained excitement to be<em>out here</em>again, where the world was their oyster, filled with boundless adventures and limitless possibilities, and where grief was but one of many hardships best left ashore, forgotten until the next time they set foot on land.<br/><br/>From her previous perch upon the higher deck she addressed her bosun, although her attention remained on the people below. “Aren’t they amazing, Alvirs?” she exclaimed, elated as she stood there, rocking lightly on the heels of her feet. It was a slightly too girlish habit and one only visible to those who stood near her. “Some hardened pirates, some fallen heroes, some who barely set foot upon a ship before. Our dear Liam sure knows how to pick them, eh?”  A teasing glance was sent to her longest-lasting companion, and for a fraction of a second too long her eyes lingered on the expression that littered his features.<br/><br/>Alvirs was an exception in so many ways, and for better or for worse, Rosette could not think him away from the Esperanza again. A pirate through and through, and one who had proven his loyalty in ways that she couldn’t imagine she’d ever allow anyone to even try anymore. He had been there when she’d abandoned her old crew, when she’d set sail for dark and ominous shores. He’d  been by her side while she quietly grieved, not a word spoken about the lives lost to the Captain that had always been her nemesis, but since then become the very bane to her existence. He’d wordlessly remained loyal even when her motives and actions became questionable, and endured until Rosette de Courtenay had found her<em>joie de vivre</em>once more.<br/><br/>“It’s high time I meet these brave souls in person,” she decided, “Make sure our navigator keeps a steady course north-west. He has a sharp eye and a steady hand, but a man’s loyalty lies not in his skill.” Her gaze briefly rose to the helmsman, whose focus and dedication to the position he’d been given - or rather, had earned - were admirable, before making her way down the wooden steps. She was noticed immediately, and where people had been hesitant, almost wary of as much as glancing her way, already it appeared that their hearts were warming to the spirited captain, as nods and hummed greetings were sent her way. With her head held high, she traversed the deck with confident, steady bootfalls that confirmed the many hours Rosette de Courtenay had spent out on open water. Port Royal was still a looming shadow behind them, but already the waves were more alive, the sails billowing with the steady seawind that blessed this new crew’s maiden voyage. Rose took in faces already gaining a first hint of familiarity, allowing her attention to rest briefly on the considerably less hungover looking girl. She had found the will to pull herself to her feet, and although she would get just that delightful bit of extra attention from the captain’s right- and left hand due to her initial less-than-proactive attitude, Rose had high hopes that this one wasn’t going to be more trouble than she was worth.<br/><br/>Sarah Jackson wasn’t the reason why she had deigned to return to the main deck, anyway; in the commotion of the Captain’s speech, there were a few others who had stood out, albeit in different ways. One by her belated, and hurriedly covert, arrival, but it seemed that the dark-haired young woman who had almost missed her call, had already disappeared belowdeck. Rosette had decided that she would let her be Liam’s concern for the time being, which left but two who warranted at least a brief moment of her undivided attention. A pair, it seemed, who had remained stoically unaffected by Rose’s call for loyalty to the Esperanza and to<em>her</em>, and who even now seemed to be hiding near the bow in what could only be assumed was an attempt to stay out of the captain’s -or anyone’s- way. Which only piqued Rose’s intrigue all the more.<br/><br/>Unfortunately for the girl of the pair, the man was genetically unequipped to go unnoticed. By size alone the hulking man stood out, and if it wasn’t sheer bulk, then his watchful eyes or at least the dull shine of his hairless scalp would have drawn some attention to his person. Rose appreciated having a bit of raw strength aboard, and it wasn’t him that she was concerned about. No, it was the figure who remained mostly concealed by the mantle she wore, standing just beyond the foremast,  that had Rose questioning whether this was the inevitable plus one they had to suffer for the giant’s pledge, or if there was more to the unassuming figure behind him.<br/><br/>She looked up at the man before passing him, unafraid and unyielding despite being a good head and a half shorter. Rose noticed that his focus on the young woman intensified, unable to miss the protective nature of the look in his eyes. From his nonverbal communication alone she deduced that the odds of her being an asset to the Esperanza were rapidly diminishing, but she paced up to this, still hooded, aspiring pirate, with an aire of expectation. Rose feared no man nor woman, and the girl was a far less intimidating sight than her companion to begin with, so when she inevitably closed the distance between them, her approach a little akin to one attempting to corner an animal and keep it from fleeing, she searched for the sailor’s eyes.<br/><br/>Her lips parted as if to speak, although the words stuck in her throat for the time it took for Rose’s heart to contract a single time. Her attention was drawn to several things at once, only one of which was the outlandish beauty that went concealed both by the shadow of the rimmed hood she’d pulled over her head and the fine layer of grime that smudged her delicate features. And when Rose quietly described it as outlandish, perhaps<em>otherworldly</em>would be more accurate, as the surreal nature of it made her briefly question the accuracy of what her eyes were perceiving. It almost distracted her entirely from the more disquieting rivulets of tears that ran down her cheeks, silent testimony to a distress of which Rose didn’t know the origin.<br/><br/>Rose did not feel pity for the girl, nor any form of genuine sympathy. They had not yet braved any storms together, not fought any enemies nor faced any form of adversity that would earn this nameless girl the right to her compassion. All it elicited was a need to learn the cause for the sadness of this stranger, and she clasped her hands together at the small of her back, drawing to a halt only when she was level with this unconventional sailor.<br/><br/>“Good morning,” she said, calm in a way that belied the myriad thoughts that had flooded her mind since her short trek across her ship. “My name is Rose, although you might come to know me as your Captain. It seems that I have missed your initial introduction, so it only seemed courteous to come greet you in person.” Rose smiled in a manner that offered both warning and opportunity; a chance to tip the scales to a more favourable end for this passive stranger. Rose began to walk again, the manner in which she slowly strode past, nearing the bow, a clear indication that she wished for the girl to follow. Only when they had made their way to the front of the agile vessel that was Rosette’s most treasured position did she halt, and Rose took her place near the railing, letting her lower arms rest casually on the polished wooden surface. Overlooking the vividly coloured ocean she made pretense of smalltalk, even if they both knew better than to mistake this for being a trivial conversation. “What is your name, girl?” she inquired, and, to this, turned just enough to offer her a cursory glance. “And what has brought you here, aboard my ship?"