"A way to contact you, hmn? Well, that would make him a bit of a two-way street, now wouldn't he? For you could get hold of me through him as well. I'm not so sure if I like being so readily accessible," the Cap'n commented with a grin and a laugh, though neither were fully honest. And for good reason.
While his expressions were dishonest, his words carried an underlying truth - it was always far easier to take in one with no connections over one who had deep obligations to another. Obligations that could loosen tongues and result in things being said that shouldn't be said to people who shouldn't be told. Loose lips sink ships, after all, especially the vessel that Hohoyoho was manning. And, from the sounds of it, this Piper fellow was already fully Cliodhna's. He would have to put forth quite the show to be worth the risk, and much effort be made so he understood the position he was in.
It was almost certain that he would find no home on the Stage Left, at the very least. Even if he swore off his drinking and muzzled that chatty pink bird that kept swooping about and squawking heedlessly in Man's tongue, the pirate captain was still not certain enough to entrust him with the knowledge of the double life of the Jolly Rogers. Not when such words could slip so easily into the ears of the Flames and risk everything he had built.
And yet, Piper could still have his uses, if utilized properly. Quite the hornet's nest had been stirred with the bridge performance, giving glimpses to a more complex undercurrent within the Jewel's hierarchy. The Cap'n could very well have himself a means to have an ear at Raubahn's door, should he need it. While he plied his trade far from the Thanalan sands for the most part, such an asset was not something to give up so quickly. This required... finesse.
Perhaps if he kept Piper like the unremarkable man the Flames had brought to him - a mere Extra, just as he seemed to be under Cliodhna's employ. An outlier that could be called upon when an a small role opened up on their grand stage, to fill in before being set aside once more. He would know the Cap'n as only the Cap'n, and never truly become one of the family unless he was fully and utterly willing to choose the Pirate over the Tempest. To cast aside his current shackles to truly become one of the Jolly Rogers, Hohoyoho was uncertain the Miqo'te could manage it.
All of this ran through the Dunesfolk's mind in the space of time between Cliodhna's words and her turning to leave. Planning and scheming, calculating and plotting, weighing pros and cons as only one with everything to lose could. The Hyur was only a couple steps away when the pirate captain spoke up again.
"I will give him a chance, yes, if nothing else but," he intoned, sitting back in his seat again and folding his arms over his chest. "However, he has much to prove. I will send word to him when I'm ready for his... audition. In the meantime, I believe he'll be quite interested in the Eighth Ace, how it was acquired, and what you plan to do with it. Not to mention that you and yours still have your own grand finale to perform."
He stood then, standing on that box that he had been using as a booster seat the entire time. The one that creaked and moaned with his various movements throughout the conversation. It whined again as he stood and made a most elegant bow.
"So, as one actor to another, I will say this..." He tipped his visor lightly and grinned his biggest grin yet. "Break a leg out there."
And then the tip of his steel-toed boot slammed into the crate, releasing a cacophony of light and noise and smoke. Fireworks and glitter, bells and whistles. A most glorious flashbang, to be certain. And, in its aftermath, the Cap'n was gone. Along with almost all of the other denizens of the Korner. A once-crowded pub was left with only a few bewildered stragglers, the wench, and Cliodhna and her retinue.
Should they continue to the Garuda's Embrace - still blatantly decorated as the Eighth Ace - they would find whoever had brought it into the docks had vanished as well. All that was left behind was the ship, tied neatly to the dock, and a deck of playing cards left next to the sail - the same deck that Youkio had lost the ship with, for Cap'n Distraction's flair for presentation wouldn't allow for anything less. And should that deck box be opened, an inquisitive folk might find an extra four aces almost the other 52 along with a folded up note.
While his expressions were dishonest, his words carried an underlying truth - it was always far easier to take in one with no connections over one who had deep obligations to another. Obligations that could loosen tongues and result in things being said that shouldn't be said to people who shouldn't be told. Loose lips sink ships, after all, especially the vessel that Hohoyoho was manning. And, from the sounds of it, this Piper fellow was already fully Cliodhna's. He would have to put forth quite the show to be worth the risk, and much effort be made so he understood the position he was in.
It was almost certain that he would find no home on the Stage Left, at the very least. Even if he swore off his drinking and muzzled that chatty pink bird that kept swooping about and squawking heedlessly in Man's tongue, the pirate captain was still not certain enough to entrust him with the knowledge of the double life of the Jolly Rogers. Not when such words could slip so easily into the ears of the Flames and risk everything he had built.
And yet, Piper could still have his uses, if utilized properly. Quite the hornet's nest had been stirred with the bridge performance, giving glimpses to a more complex undercurrent within the Jewel's hierarchy. The Cap'n could very well have himself a means to have an ear at Raubahn's door, should he need it. While he plied his trade far from the Thanalan sands for the most part, such an asset was not something to give up so quickly. This required... finesse.
Perhaps if he kept Piper like the unremarkable man the Flames had brought to him - a mere Extra, just as he seemed to be under Cliodhna's employ. An outlier that could be called upon when an a small role opened up on their grand stage, to fill in before being set aside once more. He would know the Cap'n as only the Cap'n, and never truly become one of the family unless he was fully and utterly willing to choose the Pirate over the Tempest. To cast aside his current shackles to truly become one of the Jolly Rogers, Hohoyoho was uncertain the Miqo'te could manage it.
All of this ran through the Dunesfolk's mind in the space of time between Cliodhna's words and her turning to leave. Planning and scheming, calculating and plotting, weighing pros and cons as only one with everything to lose could. The Hyur was only a couple steps away when the pirate captain spoke up again.
"I will give him a chance, yes, if nothing else but," he intoned, sitting back in his seat again and folding his arms over his chest. "However, he has much to prove. I will send word to him when I'm ready for his... audition. In the meantime, I believe he'll be quite interested in the Eighth Ace, how it was acquired, and what you plan to do with it. Not to mention that you and yours still have your own grand finale to perform."
He stood then, standing on that box that he had been using as a booster seat the entire time. The one that creaked and moaned with his various movements throughout the conversation. It whined again as he stood and made a most elegant bow.
"So, as one actor to another, I will say this..." He tipped his visor lightly and grinned his biggest grin yet. "Break a leg out there."
And then the tip of his steel-toed boot slammed into the crate, releasing a cacophony of light and noise and smoke. Fireworks and glitter, bells and whistles. A most glorious flashbang, to be certain. And, in its aftermath, the Cap'n was gone. Along with almost all of the other denizens of the Korner. A once-crowded pub was left with only a few bewildered stragglers, the wench, and Cliodhna and her retinue.
Should they continue to the Garuda's Embrace - still blatantly decorated as the Eighth Ace - they would find whoever had brought it into the docks had vanished as well. All that was left behind was the ship, tied neatly to the dock, and a deck of playing cards left next to the sail - the same deck that Youkio had lost the ship with, for Cap'n Distraction's flair for presentation wouldn't allow for anything less. And should that deck box be opened, an inquisitive folk might find an extra four aces almost the other 52 along with a folded up note.
We'll be in touch, if you play your cards right.
- Cap'n Distractin' and the Jolly Rogers.
~