”Alright ye scurvies, settle down, she’s gonna tell us a story to pass the rest of the time!” Rorom said, calling the sailors who were about on break.
The rest of the crew ooh’d and awe’d at every point in her story. Many of them seemed to enjoy the idea of a pirate. Yet Rorom was a true blooded biqaj, and hated Pirates to his very core. They were dastardly and devilish creatures, who never earned their way through the world, but would only prey upon those who could support themselves. They got by on stolen fates, and this Scarlet Sparrow seemed much in the same vein.
Rorom had been born and raised in Bayward, near Ne’haer, and had to deal with their kind almost every trial of his youth. He owed his humble beginnings to their predations.
Still, he gave the story a chance. It leaned heavily into themes of greed and wealth and abundance, and a pirate lass that wasn’t satisfied with a limit to any of those things. It reminded Rorom of his own mark of Sombran, and how it’s presence in his life had led to such abundance. Had he earned it at all? Was he owing everything to Old Grey?
”Chrien’s Empty Belly…” Rorom whispered as he learned of the pirate lass’s eventual fate. Sunk by her own greed and wealth. Although it was certainly well deserved, the theme of having so much wealth that it sunk all of your prospects and could result in an ignominious end… It was enough to chill Rorom doubly, realizing that he was falling into that trap at Mirq’s bidding.
He decided then, that he would rid himself of this lot, and work backward toward a more austere existence. The kind where he’d enjoyed solitude and struggle. He missed it in some ways, afterall. He’d never had to worry about where his next meal would come from, nor how he’d pay for the latest repair to his ship, ever since acquiring Chamadarst’s mark.
The rest of the crew applauded Yeva’s storytelling skills, and hooted and hollered at the fate of the greedy pirate lass. Yet Rorom was troubled.
Then, the call came from the crow’s nest. ”Land Ho!” Immortal’s tongue was within spitting distance. Which meant they’d be sending along a longboat to bring their passengers aboard to shore.
”Well, lass, it seems it’s time for you to take your leave?” Rorom said, standing from his seat. He led her and a few other passengers to the deck, and then the longboat that hung from the side of the ship of the line. There, he went about gathering some barrels of his best pickled fish. These he placed within the longboat, for Yeva. ”Here lass, have some pickled fish fer the trip. No worries about payment now… Rorom is a generous captain.” he crossed himself twice, guarding against the evils of wealth and greed.
Then, they began to lower the longboat down to the water, once the passengers stepped into it. Rorom would help Yeva into the boat personally. The longboat would make a long trip into shore. After releasing the passengers, it would float back to the Gray Asylum, where it’d find berth and Rorom would sail back to Scalvoris, to consider the fate of his ship of the line. He had a lot of thinking to do, it seemed.
