Selling the Spoils of War [attn: Jagaea]

[Jehaine]

Taking a deep breath of air, Mara tasted the air in the docks of Whitebridge, Andor. The Crimson Dagger was moored at the docks behind her, its holds filled with what the lawgivers would have called 'unlawfully acquired goods' had they known where she had gotten them from, but like most lawbreakers she couldn't care less what they thought as long as they couldn't prove a thing.

 

She wore the same long coat she always wore, mostly because it kept clear of her back due to the way most of its weight hung from her shoulders. Her shirt was white, covering the fact that rather than a short shift, most of her torso was wrapped in soft cloth to keep from clinging and tear open an old wound on her more-than-scarred back. People were allergic of blood in areas like this one, and she only had so much to spill.Her pants were made of dark leather, and her cutlass was plainly visible tucked behind her belt as it was. If it had a sheath, she did not wear any.

 

The dark-skinned Tairen looked around the docks, trying to spot some merchants to approach. It would take a few minutes, she knew, in this seedy area of the dock district, but the profits were better if one knew how to watch their back. And that was something she had been used to doing far before she'd ever set foot on a vessel. Unfortunately, most merchants in this district wanted to avoid being an easy mark, so she knew they wouldn't want to board a ship whose captain they weren't familiar with, opting to meet on neutral ground.

 

- "Zerios, Haken, rig her 'nough ta keep from driftin', but ready fer a fast move if things turn sour. Timeon, yer wit' me, less'go."

 

Though she was capable of sounding eloquent if need be, her crew consisted of a bunch of people from different nations, each with their own accents that had ended up blending into one over the course of several years at sea. It had almost developed into a language of its own, a thick soup of accents those not used to it had some degree of trouble following. Still, she made her way off the plank, flanked by the old ship doctor. He was good with words, better than her anyways, and she would hardly ever shake hands on a deal without his input. Though she was the captain, there was no doubt who was the cargomaster between the two of them.

 

 

Mara Novares

'Honorable trader'

[Tigara]

Stepping out from one of Whitebridge's many Inns, Jagaea surveyed the town. It was one of the nicer towns in Andor. Caemlyn was the best, but Whitebridge was close. And the men here tipped well, for being Andor. She wasn't fond of Andor for that one reason. They were a much more modest country than some others. While in some places in Murandy, Tarabon, and Altara, she could get away with wearing almost nothing at all. But Andorans were far too bashful to show off any skin beyond hands and faces.

 

Wearing a slightly clingy gown of a smokey blue cotton, she began her wandering. Her hair wasn't in braids as is often was, but instead her golden locks flowed freely down her back.  She still had that large, pink flower tucked behind her ear from that man last night. A nice man, but just a bit creepy.

 

She found herself wandering near the docks. She liked being near the water sometimes, and Whitebridge has a very nice dock. Spotting a man at a distance, she gracefully wandered his way. He looked important and most importantly, rich. Getting closer, she noticed it wasn't a man, but a woman! A woman captain! She had seen very few of those, unless you counted the Sea Folk. She couldn't very well turn around now, not after she purposefully made her way here. If she was a captain, she might be interested in bartering. Yes, that would work.

 

"Hello there, Captain. You have goods to sell, yes?" she said, doing her best not to slip out hints of seduction.

 

Jagaea Kazim

A Dancer. At least, that's all you'll get to know. 8)

[Jehaine]

The casual observer would notice little more than two sailors and a woman in conversation. Those that were more familiar with this area of the docks however knew they were there to trade goods, as no captain would be leaving their ship unless it would be to head towards one of the many seedy tavern that centered around the harbor area. Noticing someone approach, Mara found it hard to suppress a smirk. The fish were eager to bite today, it seemed, as they had barely been standing there for fifteen minutes. With a little luck, she would be fetching a good price today.

 

"Hello there, Captain. You have goods to sell, yes?"

 

- "That i do. Would you be interested in buying any?"

 

It was an effort to keep her thick accent out of her speech, but she managed. It wasn't that she had any intention of hiding where she was from, but given the rather diverse nationalities on board the Crimson Dagger her already Tairen slum accent had been infused with Andoran, Murandian and even a hint of Illianer in it, making it a bit hard to follow unless she worked to suppress it. Her eyebrow raised slightly at seeing Jagaea though, judging by the woman's outfit she suspected that the blonde woman had a tendency for seduction. She herself used the fact that she was a woman to her advantage as well at times, allowing herself to be underestimated if the situation called for it, but judging by the look on Jagaea's face there would be none of that today either. Looks like they'd both be fish out of the sea this time. Heh, bet i can still outdrink her though

 

 

Mara

Money on the mind, rum in the veins

[Tigara]

"That i do. Would you be interested in buying any?"

 

Jagaea struggled to figure out what she was saying. Does she have to have such a thick accent? She brushed aside a random strand of hair that had ventured onto her face and replied, "I might have some interest. You have jewels and silks, yes?"

 

Suddenly, she noticed something...odd about the captain. It was very familiar...the captain could channel! How unlikely was it that a channeling woman would just appear on her doorstep...figuratively. Then she remembered what nationality she was. Tairen. They were nearly as bad as Amadicians. If she told this woman she could channel, they'd likely both be dead from her panic frenzy. Maybe this one was best left dormant.

 

Jagaea Kazim

Resisting the recruiting urge

[Jehaine]

Mara nodded as Jagaea brought up silks and jewels. Good, having what she would be looking for would get her a better price on her goods than trying to peddle them to a merchant who'd be saving his money for something else. Still, she suspected the woman, like most merchants, would prefer to see what she was buying before actually forking over the money for it.

 

"May i suggest we continue these negotiations in a more private location?"

 

It was the first time Timeon, the older man sitting next to Mara, had spoken up. Using the distraction, Mara glanced at Jagaea's clothing almost unnoticeably brief, trying to estimate how much coin she was carrying, and judging by the way her gown clung slightly a bulging purse would have stood out, especially in this area. Yet, the goods she had asked for were generally expensive... A room somewhere then, where she would have stashed the money she wanted to buy her goods with. Not a problem, she needed time to gather samples of silk and jewelery anyway.

 

- "You would happen to have such a place in mind?"

 

 

Mara

You didn't really think you could show gold in this place, did you? ;)

[Tigara]

Jagaea smiled and nodded. "Aye, I do. Meet me in my rooms at The Bothered Badger and we shall continue." She smiled sweetly and turned back to the inn. She gracefully sauntered in the door, avoiding the few puddles in her path.

 

"Mistress Annala, a lady captain will be joining me shortly. Send her up to my rooms when she gets here, will you?"

 

"Yes, Miss Jessete. I'll be sure to." The merry, plump innkeeper replied. She was a good lady and very kind. It was unfortunate that she was a lightfool. Once in her rooms, she dug out her coinpurse from her bag of clothing and set it behind her where she sat on her bed. A rap at the door alerted her and she embraced the Source, just out of precaution and gave a quick. "Come in."

[Jehaine]

Mara had been careful on her way to the agreed upon place, bringing two sailors with her for protection that knew enough about blending in to avoid notice until they'd be almost on top of any assailants. Next to her in a more obvious fashion however was Timeon, the ship doctor and her second in command. Though she could count, Timeon was the one that could actually read and write and she let him set up the contracts as her assistant.

 

Once at the Inn, she didn't as much as glance at the man that had already taken up position in the bar itself, instead heading for the innkeeper to let her know that she had arrived for a meeting. Though she couldn't care less about titles herself, buying jewelery meant money, and money likely meant a title. She'd do perfectly well without one, of course, but it generally ended up having a positive effect on the buyer's mood if they were being believed nobility.

 

A stairway up, followed by a rap on the door. The innkeeper had let slip the name of the person she was meeting, miss Jessete it seemed, yet she decided not to bring it up until she would have. In her pocket rested some choice items from the jewelery she had on board her vessel, serving as examples of the quality of her wares. Honestly traded, of course.

 

"Come in"

 

Nodding to herself as much as to Timeon, the two of them walked into the room. She was slightly surprised at seeing no guards where she had expected at least some form of protection, but instead felt that strange feeling again, as if something was tickling in the back of her mind but she couldn't quite remember what it was. Discarding it as a mere distraction, she placed the pouches she carried on the table, allowing Miss Jessete to inspect the quality.

 

 

Mara

Ready to talk deal