Private Navigating By My Bootstraps Till Now

[Gideon Hale]

The small merchant cog made a thunk as it slid alongside the jetty, his men quickly tossed ropes over and secured it alongside before lowering the gangplank. Grunting, Gideon climbed down the wooden surface, his bells jingling with each step. He gave a slow circle when his feet touched the dock with a cheeky grin. "Feels good to be home lads."

"Barkley," He turned to his first mate, a towering man he found far too serious most days, his tone jovial with an undertone of seriousness. "Make sure the men have a good time...but not too much of a good time, we are here on business after all. Don't need no harbor authorities sniffing too close to our business, ya hear?"

Barkley gave a nod. "Right cap'n, I'll keep em in line."

"Good man, good man. I knew ye would. Me, I've got us a navigator to find."

With that said and a spin that had his jacket tails flourishing, he began walking down the dock towards the wharf, aiming to set up shop at one of the many fine drinking establishments sailors of his ilk liked to frequent. He figured he would start at the dregs and work his way up. The last navigator he hired proved to be a dud and nearly guided one of his disguised merchant ships into a sunken reef. Some last minute steering of the rudder managed to save the keel. Shaking the memories away, he pushed open the doors to the tavern like he owned the place.

He sauntered over to an empty table with its back against the wall and a clear view of the other patrons and plopped down. He kicked his boots up on the table, flagged down one of the serving wenches and ordered a tankard of their finest ale and said loud enough for the patrons to hear that he was looking for a navigator and was willing to pay well for a good one. His business made clear, he lowered his hat to shade his eyes and made a show of napping, though he was far from asleep, a keen observer would notice the way his fingers caressed the pommel of his scimitar on his hip with a loving and familiar caress.

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

Mahsain wandered through the streets of the port city in North Ilica. She was a free agent, her last contract having been completed. She supposed she should try and find more work, but she was in no rush. She wanted something different, something more than just another merchant vessel going back and forth across the sea. She needed adventure.

Glancing up at the sky, the sun was starting to set and the stars just peek out. One of the moons shown in a crescent shape that mirrored the vertigo on her face. She stopped in the middle of the street, other pedestrians cursing her sudden halt but veering around her anyways. The deva stood staring up at the sky for more than a few minutes before starting on a new path. One directed by the stars themselves.

A tavern was busy, music and shouts echoing out into the growing evening. The image of a flag blowing in the breeze on the sign. A sailor's tavern if there ever was one and the direction of her sandaled feet that wove like the seas. Born on the moving flotilla, Mahsain was more steady on the deck of a ship than she was walking the shore. On entering, she was greeted by a few familiar faces. Sailors from her last contract and the odd Kharsagan sailor, who greeted her with no small amount of reverence. A mug of something found it's way into her hands, but she didn't sit with any who called her to their tables.

No, the stars had sent her on another errand, to follow another path.

There sitting in the back, hat pulled down over his face sat. Mahsain wove her way through the press of sailors enjoying a drink and the odd bar maid fending off questing hands with a giggle, before she sat down in a chair across from the man. "I'll take the position." She said with confidence as she stared at him from across the table. Her eyes sharp and steady.

 

[Gideon Hale]

Hazel-hued eyes slowly tracked the coming and going of the patrons. There had been a myriad of potential navigators who had offered their services and he had been forced to turn away for one reason or another. An empty flagon of ale sat on the table beside his right boot and a small trail of smoke drifted lazily from the corner of his lips as they parted and he exhaled.

The rolled tobacco resting between his lips flared bright red as he inhaled deeply, exhaling again. When the woman lowered herself into the seat across from him, he ran a slow appraising eye over her. There was nothing sexual about the act, it seemed more akin to one observing a piece of artwork or the clouds on a fair summer's day.

"You seem pretty certain you're the one I'm looking for," He replied around another exhale of smoke, this one shaped into a ring that lifted slowly to dissipate among the wooden rafters of the tavern. "As much as I would like to blindly believe in your talents, I'm not that kind of man."

He finished the rolled tobacco off, flicking it to the floor and slowly lifting his boots up and off the table to rest on the floor. He leaned slowly forward, linking his fingers together and resting his chin on top of them, a mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. "I've got a far better method for sorting the wheat from the chaff."

"I guess first things first," He continued, leaning back in the chair, balancing it on one leg. Each movement seemed measured with a near panther-like grace, the bells and bangles jingling audibly. "What rate do ye tend to charge for your services and do ye have anyone who would swear to ye qualities as a navigator?"

He raised a hand, flagging down one of the serving wenches to order a round for the table. "Once we've agreed to the price, I think we should put your skill to the test, let the stars guide ye and see if we arrive where I seek."

"Who knows, perhaps we shall find something of worth," He continued, his fingers curling around the flagon of ale when the serving wench returned, lifting it to his lips and tilting the contents down. He wiped at his beard with the back of one hand where some of the liquid had splashed into his beard. "Perhaps ye will be the first worthwhile one to have sought my audience."

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

"An uncertain hand at the helm can lead to disaster. I know when I'm in the right place." The navigator said with a lazy smile at the man across from her, not the least bit concerned about his calling her abilities into question. Perhaps she'd come on a bit too strong, but she'd felt so strongly about taking this position. The stars had led her here. It was where she was supposed to be after all.

"There are a few here that would vouch for me easily enough." She said with glance back toward those who'd greeted her on entry. "A few from my last contract and other from Kharsaga, those who might vouch for a navigator's skill." A glass of water was sat at her side by the barmaid she'd ordered from and she gave a nod of thanks. Perhaps a bit different than the ale that many of the other sailor's drank, but she liked to keep her head straight when necessary, especially when bargaining a contract.

She considered the first question. Rates, rates were a bit different. She didn't truly care about something so simple as money. What she searched for was something different and the stars had led her here. Yet, at the very minimum, she knew she needed enough money to survive. "For my rate, thirty gold per month for the length of the contract. With the option to walk away at any port."

Mahsain was following the will of the heavens whatever that looked like. She gave a bright grin. "I think you'll find that the stars are the best guides and I am quite adept at reading them. Is there anything in particular that you're searching for?" Knowing the details was enough to help to help understand the meaning behind the star's messages. To guide a ship true.

 

[Gideon Hale]

"Well, color me intrigued." Gideon chuckled, reaching up to scratch at his beard. "Ain't met many in me life who seem so certain of their destination, let alone direction."

He gifted her with the slight upturning of his lips in a smile. "I find you intriguing - that alone is worth a trip."

"You just point out these fellows or lasses and I'll be sure to give em a quick chat, check to confirm your reliability and skill and the like." He lifted the flagon of ale to lift it to his lips, taking another long mouthful of the warm liquid, letting it slide down his throat and warm his belly. "I ain't doubtin' your capabilities or that ye be steering me true, but a man don't last long in our world without wanting to wade in the shallows before diving into the deep."

He let out another chuckle at her price. "Thirty gold? Aye, tis seems fair. If ye can deliver consistently on time and without reproach, I'll make sure ye get your fee, same as any of my crew choose to sail under my flag."

"Tsk tsk," He wagged a callused finger. "I don't think we're on them sorts of terms yet. A man gotta have some secrets he keeps to the chest. Just know when we board my vessel, I'll tell ye where I wanna go and ye steer me there true and I reckon we'd have ourselves a contract."

He leaned forward to bring the feet of his chair back to the ground, tossed enough coin on the table to pay for the drinks and rose to his feet, adjusting his hat to sit just so and his scimitar thus, his movements measured and precise, a slight tingling of the bells accompanying them. "You ready to see me ship, get ter know what ye be workin' with?"

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

"That Devani there with the janty looking hat was the pilot of my last ship. The turtle kin over by the wall is a Kharsagan Captain, I've sailed with in the past. Both can attest to my skills." She said as she turned and pointed out two possible sources of reference. She didn't rightly worry about the need for him to ask about after her skills, she knew that her reputation was strong enough among many of the crews. The Kharsagan turtle kin Captain alone would have likely been enough. Even if it had been a few years since she'd sailed with him. The Kharsagan people held tightly to the importance of their navigators.

She half considered if perhaps she should take a moment to ask around about him, but that though left her mind as soon as it started. Mahsain was not the cautious sort. She believed more in following her path as the winds and stars guided and that applied to her as much as it did the ship that she sailed with.

"With the stars as my guide, I'll never be led astray." She said assuredly as she stood from the table to follow him out. "Navigating a course is a lot more accurate when I know what we're looking for." She said with a shrug, she could still plot a course with a bit of vague information or a general destination on the map, but that was something any run of the meal navigator could do. Kharsagan navigators were better, but she supposed not everyone knew that.

Mahsain waved a hand toward the exit. "After you Captain . . ." She paused head tilted to the side, her hair falling away from the moon-shaped mark on her face as she did so. "I don't know if I got your name." She said. She'd been too caught up on the fact that she felt pulled to become a member of his crew. For good or for ill, the stars wanted her on that ship.

 

[Gideon Hale]

"Aye, the Devahni, noted." Gideon ran his tongue over the outer enamel of his front teeth, making a mental note of each individual person indicated. He intended to make sure to have his trusted first mate have words with both in a roundabout way before the evening was through, to affirm her talents from first person sources. "Turtle kin, aye. That should be plenty enough."

He chuckled, shoving his hands into his belt. "Stars are plenty good enough to guide ye, sure. But will ye do when its overcast or stormin?"

"Don't be worryin' about our destination," He teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief beneath his hat. "You will be paid, tried and true, should you deliver. I'll provide the destination, the manpower and the ship, you just be getting us where we be needing to go."

He took the offered lead, his gaze roaming at a leisurely pace over the crowd, seeming to focus on nothing while consuming everything at the same time. "Captain Gideon be my name miss. You can be calling me Gideon, Captain or Cap, any of the three will do."

He guided her down the wharf, jacket swirling about his legs and bells jingling. He whistled a soft tune, pulling out a wad of tobacco and rolling it into another slip of paper, lifting it rest between his lips before striking his flint against steel to spark a match, lifting the flickering flame till the tip of his makeshift cigarette. He inhaled deeply before lifting the cigarette from his lips and exhaling a plume of smoke. Before they were halfway, Barkley appeared alongside, his steps matching his captain's. He tugged the taller man's ear to get him to lean down, whispering under his breath and pointing back at the navigator before Barkley nodded and was gone again.

It wasn't long before they arrived before the merchant cog, several of his men lounging on the deck, looking bored. Upon seeing him, they quickly scurried away amidship, knowing better than to be caught lounging about on deck. He began climbing the gangplank, pausing halfway to turn back to her, seemingly as comfortable and stable-footed there as on land. "Ye don't get seasick, does ye? Never know when rough seas be stirrin', don't be wanting to give the crew extra work cleaning and all."

"This be the Amelia," Gideon cooed, the fingers of one hand straying up to tease through his bead and the beads there. "She be one of my merchant vessels and should see us on our journey. What say ye so far? Or would ya prefer to see our heading or destination before ye decide still?"

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

"Just cause the stars are covered, doesn't meant they're suddenly not there." He certainly wasn't strong that overcast and stormy nights could make it harder, but there were ways to deal with that. Mostly by the stars themselves, but she wasn't going to explain all the secrets of the School of Stars to an outsider. He didn't need to know how it worked, just that it did.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Captain Gideon. I'm Mahsain Roshan." She said introducing herself as they walked, her sandaled feet unsteady on the ground. Weaving slightly as if she'd had too much to drink. There was a quiet between the two as they moved down toward the docks. Another sailor coming up to the Captain, whispering something in his ear before turning and disappearing again. She missed the man pointing her direction as she walked with her eyes at the stars, which likely didn't help with the strange unstable gait as she walked, but neither did she stumble.

The pair reached the vessel in question. The Amelia. An interesting name. Ship always seemed to be named after women or the sea itself. She half wondered about the story behind the name, but that though fluttered away again. The deva scoffed at his question. Seasick? If anything she got land sick. Mahsain had been born on the sea and she would die upon it if she had any choice in the matter. "What kind of navigators have you been employing in the past if you're worried about seasickness."

The Deva followed him on board, her tail swishing lazily. As she stepped on the slightly rocking vessel, her steps settled. "Everything looks acceptable so far. Aye, the maps would be a good to look at, but then I'd like to look over the vessel herself." She knew that she'd likely agree, but it was always safe to check over the ship that she'd be sailing on. Poorly maintained vessels normally always were a result of the negligence of the Captain. Pretty words were always easy to convince someone that everything was well, but one couldn't hide the rot in the wood.

 

[Gideon Hale]

"The pleasure is surely mine, Mahsain." Gideon chuckled out, glancing over his shoulder, tips dyed gold and red hair stirring in the breeze from the ocean. "Interesting name that, Mahsain."

He ran a tongue over his lips. "Not sure why any would name ye so."

The journey had revealed to him several intriguing details about his potential navigator. One of them was that she bore solid sea legs - always a good indicator of someone's knowledge and experience with the shifting seas. He would have been led to believe she was drunk or had imbibed too much if he hadn't watched her ignore more of the warm liquid he gulped like life itself, chasing the fiery tingle that made his belly hum. The scoff at his question regarding her possible seasickness was to be expected, as it would be of any true skilled navigator.

"Aye, a good question. A few of this and a few of that." He chuckled, climbing up the steps to lean against the spoke of the steering wheel. "None too special or entirely skilled. Some have served well, some have served less. I be letting them judge themselves against the sea, she's a far harsher mistress than I."

He tilted his hat back, his bells jingling as he ran a hand through the beads of his beard. "Ye be welcome to give er a once over if ye like. Ye be sure to struggle to find a less seaworthy ship than ol' Amelia here. But ye know what ye look for and need to reassure sure, so ye got freedom to look."

"When ye be ready to decide, I can show ye the maps." Gideon called, palm resting on the pommel of his scimitar with the practiced ease of one accustomed to its grip. "I be hopin' to leave port come mornin'."

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

"Why is anyone named? My parents were inspired. Something to do with the moon if I remember correctly." The navigator gave a shrug. Meanings of names weren't that important. It was the actions that became tied to that name that mattered most. She followed him up the steps to the Quarterdeck. Eyes sharp and already beginning her observations. The wheel had been properly lashed, which was good. She'd once walked off a ship because the pilot had left it untended. A low bar though in the scheme of things.

The Deva looked eager at the invitation to view the vessel. "I shall be back momentarily then." She said with a large grin that showed off her fanged teeth quite well. Mahsain had a few key things that she liked to check for, most were easily noticeable, but were so often overlooked on poorly maintained vessels that it was quick enough work to decide if she had to worry about the thing sinking beneath her feet.

Moving to the back of the Quarterdeck, she leaned back over the railing so far that she was close to going over the side if she leaned out any further. It was easy enough to clean barnacles off the side, but a lazy crew would often leave them on the harder to clean areas like the rudder. Letting the little pests eat away at the wood until it was too late, but she could see none there. Satisfied she pulled herself back in before, making her way down the bow. With a little leap, she climbed out onto the bowspirt. Her balance easy as she checked, pulling at the ropes there. The bowspirt was important to the ship and the ropes there as they helped to keep the balance of the sails and before her next check, she wanted to make sure she wasn't risking her life needlessly. Once again, she could tell the care put into the ship. The ropes, while not new, certainly had been upkept and replaced as needed.

Her final check was her favorite, more indulgence than true maintenance. Walking to midship, she leapt onto the rail and quickly climbed the rigging up to the crow's nest. The wind catching in her hair as she leaned against the railing while staring up at the stars while the clouds past by. The moons darting between the clouds as if they played hide and seek with the world. For Mahsain, a steady crow's nest where she could be close to the sky was important. She always felt that the closer she could be to the stars, the easier it was to read their secrets. Not all School of the Stars navigators felt the same, but it was just her little thing.

The Amelia passed all her tests, so all that was left was to go back down again and look at the maps. Climbing back out onto the shrouds, she made her way down the ropes with ease, leaping the last few feet to the deck before going back up to where Gideon waited. "The Amelia is a well maintained ship. One of the best I've seen in a while." Confirming what he'd told her earlier, but it was still always worth a look on her own. "Shall we look at those maps now?" She asked.

 

[Gideon Hale]

"Take ye time." Gideon replied with the flash of his own teeth, leaning against the spokes of the steering wheel. "I'll be here waitin' on ye when ye return."

Hazel eyes followed her movements across his ship, admiring the ease and balance she exhibited. He felt his appreciation and respect for her grow a tad bit. He could respect a sailor who could move with the ease of land on the ropes and rigging of a ship. It took time, natural ability and inclination toward lack of fear to do so. He found himself growing slowly intrigued with this woman and was wondering if her skills of navigation were anything close to the skills she exhibited in acrobatics with navigating up and down the ropes.

He gave a bow, lifting his hat off his head and crossing an arm over his chest. "I thank ye. Me men do the best they can to keep er shipshape." What went unsaid and unspoken was that the men had long ago learned that he tolerated no less.

A well-maintained ship and crew could spell the difference between a successful voyage and a hazardous one. It took only one frayed rope or rigging to spell ruin in strong winds or rough seas. The Amelia was due for drydock soon to check the hull for weak timbers and patching any holes. Probably could do with a new layer of caulking. He didn't fail to notice how the men and women of his crew within hearing distance seemed to perk up, their chins lifted and chests puffed out in pride.

"Aye, we can. Follow me." Gideon led her down the steps to the quarterdeck and through the wooden door leading to the captain's quarters. "Here, I keep 'em in me room."

His room was spartan in decoration. A bed, the covers neatly folded and tucked in, a small pillow resting against the headboard. A large table dominated the center of the room, neatly rolled maps stacked in one corner. A pair of lanterns hung from the ceiling, their wicks unlit for the moment because the illumination from sunlight streaming in through the pair of windows was more than sufficient. A small shelf held a few scrolls, a bottle of rum and compass. He led her to the table, reaching to untie the string holding one of the maps and spreading it over the span of the table.

He grabbed a few small rocks and placed them in each corner to anchor it and then when he was sure she was looking, pointed to a spot on the map for one of the islands. "Here be where I want to go. Can you guide us?"