Post by Zen on Dec 21, 2020 5:37:27 GMT -5
Treyjen was simply enjoying being at the helm, feeling the sea’s pull on the ship’s wheel, teasingly reminding him that if she wanted to change their course, she could at any moment. The sea was a dangerous mistress, and that was perhaps why he loved her so much. There was little else in the world that offered him the challenge that made life interesting. And in those simple moments at the helm, he felt right. Like he was just where he was meant to be. There was a contentment, a satisfaction, a certain sort of high that no substance he’d ever dabbled with could replicate.
So he wasn’t terribly happy to be brought out of it by the three young men that suddenly appeared up the steps, murmuring to each other as they approached him. With a resigned sort of sigh, he shifted his attention to the three; brothers that had joined the crew only a scant few months ago, picked up from one of the little cotholds that dotted the coast where they made their meager trades outside of Mavros.
“What can I do f’ya, boys?”
The eldest took a step away from his brothers, grinning, “Well, captain, we heard a rumor just yesterday….”
Treyjen quirked a brow at him, “Y’gonna havt’be a bit more specific’n that.” His gaze flicked to one of the younger brothers as he pressured the older to get on with it.
“Well, some’a the others were talkin… bout how you’ll give the ship t’any man that can drink ya under the table, and give’m your place as captain.... Is that true?”
Treyjen leaned into the wheel just a bit as the sea’s current roughened, tried to pry the wheel from his hands as it battered at the rudder. “Aye, it’s true. Y’think that’ll be you, d’you?”
One of the younger brothers piped in then, “Rakkish’s won every drinking contest back home. Outdrinks men twice his age!” Rakkish seemed to puff up just a little at his brother’s boasting on his behalf.
“Does’ee now?” Treyjen’s voice dripped with condescension, but none of the three seemed to catch it, “And was it mentioned’n these rumors y’heard what happens when y’lose?”
Rakkish’s confident grin faltered briefly, “Ah… no…?”
“Mm… y’know what it’s called when y’try t’overthrow y’captain?” Treyjen watched the three, quietly amused.
“I… uh, mutiny? Right?” Rakkish glanced at his brothers for confirmation, one shrugged, the other nodded.
“Aye. Y’know what happens t’the losers when a mutiny fails?”
The three had grown rather quiet now, all their bravado gone. Rakkish finally answered, “They… they’re killed…?”
A dark grin pulled at Treyjen’s mouth, “Aye. So then. Are y’willing t’bet y’life that y’can outdrink me? Willing t’bet y’life t’possess my ship?”
“Are… are ya… serious....?” Rakkish’s eyes were wide, as were his brothers.
“Why wouldn’t I be? The Storm’s Eye’s worth more t’me’n anything. It’s only fitting y’bet what’s worth the most t’you, aye? I’m willing t’wager that’d be y’life. Or…,” Treyjen’s cold blue gaze shifted from Rakkish to his brother behind him, “Perhaps one’a y’brothers’ lives?”
“Wh-ya mean this ship’s worth more to ya than your life?” Rakkish blurted with a glance back at his brothers, who were looking more terrified as the conversation continued.
Treyjen grinned, “Aye. She is. And I’ll not hand her over t’anyone that doesn’t value her the same.” He let a silence draw out, to let all he’d said really sink in, “So y’still wanna make that challenge, boy?”
“Uh…,” Rakkish glanced at his brothers, swallowed hard, and sighed, shaking his head, “N-no… captain….”
“Didn’t think so… back t’work then!” he snapped, sending the three scurrying back down the steps and off to whatever task they’d been set to before they’d gotten that idiot idea into their heads to bring up to him. With another sigh, Treyjen closed his eyes so for a moment there was nothing but him, his ship, the wind, and the sea.
From her place where she had been studying the map where Treyjen plotted their course, Yelanna had watched the entire encounter, her curiosity growing. She waited until the young men had gone before she moved closer to Treyjen, “Was that true?”
His eyes opened once more to turn to Yelanna’s face at the sound of her voice, and he grinned, “Which part?”
She laughed softly, “Well… all of it really, but… would you really hand over your ship like that? If someone beat you in a drinking contest?”
“Aye,” he replied simply, “Some day. I won’t live forever. She’ll need a new captain eventually. When the day comes I can’t outdrink all these bastards anymore, I’d say it’s high time I step down, aye? And if a man - or woman - is willing to risk their life to have her then… that seems a good enough test to me.”
“Would you really kill him if he didn’t beat you?”
“Aye, love. A wager’s a wager. You can’t win if you aren’t willing to place your bet and risk losing it all.”
She was quiet a moment, “Is this ship really worth more to you than anything? Even Nalyra?”
He cast a quick side glance at her and was quiet for a while. His voice was a bit harder when he spoke, “I suppose it is. Or I’d have taken her by land, just the two of us, and run that way. Would’ve been easier to find a new life. Wouldn’t have had to kill anyone.” His grip on the wheel tightened, “But I didn’t even consider it.” He glanced at Yelanna again, “I named her, you know. She was new built and nameless as a newborn babe, and I was named her captain, given the right to name her. I didn’t even-”
She was surprised to see the sudden flash of pain over his features, something far more agonizing than she’d ever seen him express, but it was gone almost as soon as it had come and she was sure she’d imagined it. He glanced behind him, “Jusikar! Take the helm!” When the other man had, Treyjen turned away, muttering to himself as he walked toward the steps, “I need a drink.” As much as she wanted to follow him, she got the sense he wanted to drink alone.
Fun Fact: I've probably mentioned it before but Treyjen often switches between his ‘sailor’s accent’ and speaking more ‘normally’ depending on who he happens to be talking to. Usually at sea he falls back into his accent while on land he drops it to sound more educated and to be taken more seriously as a trader. He generally drops it when talking to Yelanna, a semi-conscious choice to match her own speech patterns, which obviously don’t have the sailor’s accent. So yeah that's why sometimes he has an accent and sometimes he doesn't when I write these things xD
