Whale of a Tale! (Open to prospective Bonnet Crew members)

[fearjunkie]

Jasper #1

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It only made sense to Jasper to look for crewmates at establishments made for pirates, by pirates. Still, he probably should've taken into account the fact that his fancy clothes and former-rich-boy ettiquette made him stick out in a bad way.

"Heavens, that's the third man who's tried to mug me today..." Jasper sighed as he wiped the blood from his knuckles with a silk handkerchief. "If this keeps up, I'll never find a crew."

The gentleman pirate gingerly stepped over his unconscious would-be-mugger and made his way through the bustling marketplace. As his eyes scanned the ramshackle buildings, his eyes fell on a
tavern. Jasper smiled - if there ever were a place to find a good crew, it'd be with the hale and hardy folks singing shanties in the local watering hole!

Jasper strode confidently towards the bar and flung the swinging doors open, flashing a grin that practically illuminated the place. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" he announced loudly. "My name is Jasper Bonnet the Third, and I am looking for able-bodied pirates to work as my crew!" 

[slyfan01]

Yumba #1

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A girl sitting alone in the corner perked up at the pirate's entering. This could be exactly what she was looking for. See, it was painfully obvious to anyone with eyeballs, the girl by the name of Yumba wasn't from around here. Arriving in town only a few days ago, she came from the legendary sky islands.

She came down to the blue seas for one purpose, to see what made their warriors strong enough to challenge even god. But she has had little luck finding actual crews to join up with. Mostly merchants for now carrying her from port to port. But now, her luck may have just changed.

[Aromancer]

Cornelius #1

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At another table, flirting with one of the serving wenches, another well-dressed man with a masterfully-quaffed pompadour and a pair of round sunglasses suddenly turned his attention towards the entrance of the establishment. "Ah, I do hope you'll forgive my rudeness, but this might be relevant to me," he said, turning to the man who had just made his proclamation.

The man gracefully stood from his table, approaching Bonnet with a dazzling smile on his face. Upon reaching him, he gave a low, graceful bow towards the man. "So rare to find a fellow gentleman of class and refinement," he remarked, "especially one of piratical persuasion. Cornelius Luster, at your service."

[fearjunkie]

Jasper #2

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The gentleman pirate's expression lit up as Cornelius made his introductions. "Ah, wonderful, wonderful." Jasper said. "Off to a rolicking start we are- tell me, what are your skills? Cooking? Brawling? Marksmanship? Spare me no details, my good sir."

Meanwhile, at the docks...

Three haggardly pirates stared out into the water, squinting at something that had caught their eye. One, a short and squat bulldog Mink, was the first to speak: "Oi, boss. Izzat what I thinks it is?"

The 'boss' in question- a towering human with a long black beard and an oversized prosthetic left arm- grinned. "If ye be thinkin' that's a Ship Orca, ye be right, Osvaldo." he said. "And if ye be knowin' about Ship Orcas, ye know they fetch a pretty berry on the black markets...rare beasts, they are, tough as a Marine ship an' just as swift."

The third pirate- a masked man in a long red coat, shouldering a massive rifle- chimed in. "And I don't see an owner anywhere nearby..."

The boss laughed. "Kyarhar! Keen eye as 'er, Montaigne. We nab the beast, an' the Coghand Pirates will never have t' settle fer watered-down grog again!"

[slyfan01]

Yumba #2

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Unknown to the disaster starting at the docks, Yumba perked up hearing what was going on. This guy was recruiting for a crew. This just might be her chance to see what she wanted from this world. She got up, and walked over to the two men.

"Sorry to interrupt, but if you're looking for a crew, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. Name's Yumba. Not really used to sailing down here, but I can keep a group entertained and not to bad in a fight." Yumba said, "If there's more you need to know, just ask."

[Aromancer]

Cornelius #2

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"I've seen my share of scrapes," Cornelius acknowledged, "but such barbarity is usually best avoided, where possible. My battles often require a good deal of... cleanup." He curled up his lip, as though the thought caused him to recoil, but recovered quickly enough. "My true skills lie in music and appraisal; I can accurately gauge the value of whatever treasures we might encounter, based both on materials and craftsmanship. As for my instrument, I'm a deft hand with the viola." He held up the case that held the named instrument to show it off. "I find that keeping a positive morale is crucial to keeping a crew in proper working order. My repertoire of classical pieces is quite extensive; I assure you, you will not quickly grow bored."

As they were speaking, Yumba appeared on the other side of Jasper, causing him to give a slight start. "Ah, a fellow entertainer?" Cornelius bowed to the woman and reached out to kiss her hand. "The wings upon your back compliment your heavenly beauty, my dear. May I ask who I have the pleasure of addressing?"

[fearjunkie]

Jasper #3

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Jasper grinned as Yumba entered the conversation. "The more, the merrier!" he said merrily. "Two entertainers? Most captains would turn their noses up at something like that, but I have a feeling we'll just draw in even more crew members! Why, we'll be able to write our own songs for the bards to sing our exploits with. As far as I'm concerned, you two are hired~!"

He clapped his hands together. "I've got a ship ready to go. Though, I should forewarn you, my sailing vessel of choice is admittedly...unorthodox. You'll understand when you see it."

With that cryptic line, Jasper gestured for Yumba and Cornelius to follow him out at the bar. But when they got to the dock, there was a conspicuously empty dock. Jasper froze in shock and horror, cradling his face in his hands before he let out an aghast:

"Okieeeeeee!"

Jasper began frantically looking around before his gaze fell upon the harbourmaster. "You there, did you see a large orca in port?"

The harbourmaster blinked. "Uhhhh, yeah? Didn't see who docked it- or how they docked a wild animal- but some pirates just left with one a few minutes ago..."

Jasper looked absolutely devastated. "My best friend, poached like some common animal...."
The eccentric dandy whipped his head around with an expression of utmost seriousness. "Will you two help me in retrieving my Ship Orca?" he asked.

[slyfan01]

Yumba smiled as they headed for the harbor. She's actually kind of glad to have another entertainer on the crew as it would take the pressure off her all the time and free her up to better understand the world of the Blue Sea. And once they reached the shipyard it was painfully obvious she understood it even less than she thought she did.

"You made a ship out of an animal?" She asked in confusion. From what she managed to see of the world down here that wasn't something done. Not like home where where people would use the animals as transportation all the time. But she shook off her confusion. "Yeah I can help you track this thing down. Been awhile since I really got to cut loose. And I'm expecting some great things from you blue seaers."

---

Yumba Post 3

[Aromancer]

Two gentlemen, two entertainers. They should be able to get along fairly well! Cornelius wondered if Yumba and Jasper had any commonalities they could bond over; but he was sure they would present themselves with time. In the meantime, that he was able to find common ground between himself and both of these people was an auspicious sign! "I'm looking forward to many raucous adventures with the two of you!"

Cornelius was slightly miffed that Yumba had neglected to introduce herself following his request; but it was understandable, in light of the discovery that Jasper's ship was an honest-to-god whale. "That... cannot be sanitary," he remarked uncertainly.

But eventually, he let out a defeated sigh. "Well, in any case. I may yet decide not to sail in such a creature, but I can't very well leave a fellow gentleman stranded. I will at least help you track down your whale."

He looked around at the docks, eventually pointing out a fast-looking sloop. "Shall we commandeer that vessel for the pursuit? We are pirates, after all!"

[fearjunkie]

Jasper #4

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Yumba and Cornelius' remarks managed to pull Jasper out of his hysteric fit for a moment. "Well, Ship Orcas are actually evolved to accomodate people as passengers. They have a sort of 'secondary stomach' that's actually quite dry and clean-"

Jasper stopped himself mid-spiel. "Wait, I don't have time to explain!" he cried. When Cornelius mentioned a fast sloop, Jasper reached into the breastpocket of his fine coat and produced a tiny collapsible spyglass, extending it and peering through it to the vessel in question. "Yes, that will suit our needs just fine." Jasper remarked as he put the spyglass back. "Now, if you'll excuse for just a moment-"

The dandy pirate walked down the docks and began speaking with the sloop's captain. Though it was too far away for either Yumba or Cornelius to hear what was being said, it was clear the sloop captain was laughing off Jasper's requests- until Jasper pulled a hefty-looking coinpurse from his coat and dangled it in front of the man's nose. The man quickly changed his body language, grabbing the coinpurse with a wide grin before walking away. Jasper then turned back to wave the two pirates aboard.

[slyfan01]

Yumba joined the other two on the ship. "I'm a little confused. You lost something so you paid more to even try to get it back? Why not force the guy to just give us the boat?" Yumba asked.

Yumba stumbled a bit once they where where actually on the sloop. Her wavers didn't seem to be the most agreeable on this ship for whatever reason. Something she'd have to learn to get used to if she truly wanted to venture these seas.

"Alright, so now we have a temporary ship while we find your 'ship orca'...which I'm still really looking forward to seeing." Yumba added in. "What exactly is the first part of this plan? Do you even have an idea on how to find it?"

[Aromancer]

"I hate to take sides when I've only just met you both, but madame is right." Cornelius gestured to Yumba. "It seems... counterproductive to me to give up such a large sum of money, especially when we could commandeer the vessel you require through threat of force. I understand if your whale is sentimental to you, but it's still not very "piratical."

The three of them climbed into the sloop and Cornelius cast them off. "Regardless," he said, going to sit down next to Yumba, "we find ourselves without a navigator at present. How would you suggest we track down your stolen whale?"