32nd Ymiden, 718th Arc
Laughter and taunting rang through the establishment. Various degrees of encouragement resonated from floors to ceiling. It was a loud one this one.
"C'mon scarface! Don't be a...pussy!" Their small group exploded in laughter again and Emerit jokingly punched the man in a shoulder.
"I ain't half the pussy you are with that face! But I ain't doin' it. Not to-trial..." She shook her head, refusing the challenge to do 'Walk the Plank' drinking game. As deadly as the punishment was on the sea, Emerit was not eager to find out its power on dry land. So she was being mocked but cared not to rise to any of that. In fact - wrapping her arm around Ciara’s shoulder and bringing her lass in crime closer to her, she pointed a finger at her redhead friend.
“But her! She gots it in her I tell ya! She could drink all of yous under the table in no time.”
Insults, jokes and random pieces of conversation were flying back and forth and for anyone not used to the sailor or fisher talk, or drunk for that matter, this would look like a crazed circle blabber. Someone just call the authorities already! It would not be needed, though. They were a harmless bunch.
It was just as Emerit was eager to see if her friend would rise to the task that she felt a tap on her shoulder. Twisting around just enough to see who tried to call her attention, her gaze landed on an unfamiliar face. Clean shaven, black hair neatly combed, well dressed with a whiff of good manners startled Emerit at first. Did he get lost on his way to good town?
"Yea? What's up?" Emerit asked, looking at the man with lively amusement. She couldn't quite imagine what this man would want unless he confused her with a hooker due to sheer inexperience. He looked a bit greenhorny.
"Are you Emerit Nji'Hadi?" Speaking loud over the crowd, one of her drinking comrades slapped the other on the chest, hollering: "Ay, look at dis! Em's got a boot boy!" Another burst of laughter filled the air and the woman in question sent them tall o hell quite heartily whilst giving Ciara a cheeky wink with a wide smile on her face. Son of biscuits those men, really. Thankfully harmless like them flies in Phillipe’s kitchen.
"I'll spares ya the who's asking bullshit. Yea, that's me. Why?" This time, she turned in her seat a bit more or the twist would have hurt her back in the long run. The black-haired stranger seemed to feel relieved at finding her on one hand and on the other, looked at her companions with a slight frown.
"Well, don't you get judgy now mister. I's doing you an honour talking to you. Now spill the beans." Emerit put on the air of importance and experience, leaning back with her elbows over the backrest, opening up her chest as if that was to give the impression of grandeur. Well, it sure nicely showed off her modest rack hiding underneath the shirt.
"Linca said you might be able to help. He mentioned you helped fix the whale problem in Havardr so you might be able to help me too." Well, Linca be damned. Emerit did not care how this naif came across Linca, because the man just did her a favour. She could bask in her fame, however minimal, and feel like the queen of the world. All good to her ego.
“Aye, I might," she said, shrugging as if it was not a big deal. "But really, you need to spill the beans, otherwise I am as clueless as a babe." Batting her eyelashes once or twice, with a subtle smile on her lips, it was enough to catch the man off guard with gentle flattery.
"Ah, right..." The man realised, frantically pulling a free chair closer. What a dum-dum, Emerit gestured at Ciara in the meantime. "Um, my name is Mirza Mahesh and I'm a scholar from Viden. I specialise in oceanography with reach in ichthyology and---"
"Hold on! Ich-what now?" The man looked at her startled whilst Emerit looked befuddled by the tongue twister of a word that frankly made no sense to her.
"C'mon scarface! Don't be a...pussy!" Their small group exploded in laughter again and Emerit jokingly punched the man in a shoulder.
"I ain't half the pussy you are with that face! But I ain't doin' it. Not to-trial..." She shook her head, refusing the challenge to do 'Walk the Plank' drinking game. As deadly as the punishment was on the sea, Emerit was not eager to find out its power on dry land. So she was being mocked but cared not to rise to any of that. In fact - wrapping her arm around Ciara’s shoulder and bringing her lass in crime closer to her, she pointed a finger at her redhead friend.
“But her! She gots it in her I tell ya! She could drink all of yous under the table in no time.”
Insults, jokes and random pieces of conversation were flying back and forth and for anyone not used to the sailor or fisher talk, or drunk for that matter, this would look like a crazed circle blabber. Someone just call the authorities already! It would not be needed, though. They were a harmless bunch.
It was just as Emerit was eager to see if her friend would rise to the task that she felt a tap on her shoulder. Twisting around just enough to see who tried to call her attention, her gaze landed on an unfamiliar face. Clean shaven, black hair neatly combed, well dressed with a whiff of good manners startled Emerit at first. Did he get lost on his way to good town?
"Yea? What's up?" Emerit asked, looking at the man with lively amusement. She couldn't quite imagine what this man would want unless he confused her with a hooker due to sheer inexperience. He looked a bit greenhorny.
"Are you Emerit Nji'Hadi?" Speaking loud over the crowd, one of her drinking comrades slapped the other on the chest, hollering: "Ay, look at dis! Em's got a boot boy!" Another burst of laughter filled the air and the woman in question sent them tall o hell quite heartily whilst giving Ciara a cheeky wink with a wide smile on her face. Son of biscuits those men, really. Thankfully harmless like them flies in Phillipe’s kitchen.
"I'll spares ya the who's asking bullshit. Yea, that's me. Why?" This time, she turned in her seat a bit more or the twist would have hurt her back in the long run. The black-haired stranger seemed to feel relieved at finding her on one hand and on the other, looked at her companions with a slight frown.
"Well, don't you get judgy now mister. I's doing you an honour talking to you. Now spill the beans." Emerit put on the air of importance and experience, leaning back with her elbows over the backrest, opening up her chest as if that was to give the impression of grandeur. Well, it sure nicely showed off her modest rack hiding underneath the shirt.
"Linca said you might be able to help. He mentioned you helped fix the whale problem in Havardr so you might be able to help me too." Well, Linca be damned. Emerit did not care how this naif came across Linca, because the man just did her a favour. She could bask in her fame, however minimal, and feel like the queen of the world. All good to her ego.
“Aye, I might," she said, shrugging as if it was not a big deal. "But really, you need to spill the beans, otherwise I am as clueless as a babe." Batting her eyelashes once or twice, with a subtle smile on her lips, it was enough to catch the man off guard with gentle flattery.
"Ah, right..." The man realised, frantically pulling a free chair closer. What a dum-dum, Emerit gestured at Ciara in the meantime. "Um, my name is Mirza Mahesh and I'm a scholar from Viden. I specialise in oceanography with reach in ichthyology and---"
"Hold on! Ich-what now?" The man looked at her startled whilst Emerit looked befuddled by the tongue twister of a word that frankly made no sense to her.