[Closed; Mushverse Past] Basco/Marvelous voice testing/history sharing.

[captainmarvelous]

It still feels like I'm inside a dream as the startlingly red captain takes me onto his ship. I have the image of it first coming into view still burned to my eyelids; when I blink I still see it as it rose in the sky behind him, as red and bold as its captain. I haven't felt so drawn to something in my life, its call as strong to me as the song of the stars. It's as if even the blood in my veins longs for it; I don't think I could have refused the captain's offer to join his crew, even with how strong my pride can be.

He shows me the engine room, the impressive inner mechanisms that keep the ship airborne, keep it humming with life. And it does have life, more than any ship I've been on before. I can feel it humming under my touch as I grip a railing. This ship has a voice, has a story to tell me, or maybe one to make with me.

The brief yet concise tour eventually comes to the main living room, what I can feel just with my first steps is the heart of the ship. It's sparsely furnished, a small table with a pair of chairs, a tiny couch with coffee table, the main controls for the computer screen on the far wall. And of course the captain's chair.

I hover at AkaRed's elbow for a moment, drinking in my surroundings as he points out the stairs that lead down toward the crew quarters, the doorway that leads to the galley, and the other stairs that lead up to the crow's nest.

It already feels like home. Like I've lived here all my life.

AkaRed moves to sit in his chair, tells me to make myself at home, pick out a room for myself. I shoulder the small pack I brought with me, all I usually travel with, and spin around, drinking the room in all over again.

Comments

[curryjolokia]

As AkaRed takes the helm again, I know my role in raising the Galleon for my captain's escape is completed. From the crow's nest, Navi and I had brought the boat up to meet AkaRed, steering her narrowly between the bones of this half-razed city. Now that he's aboard, he doesn't even have to have touched the controls; the Galleon knows when her master is aboard, and my job's done.

So I'm already coming down the stairs from the crow's nest, Navi chattering away on my shoulder, when I hear a new voice on the bridge. "Sounds like we have a new member." I announce my presence before I'm far enough down to see the newcomer; when my head clears the ceiling and brings him into view, I grin to see the green, wide-eyed expression on his face.

AkaRed is in his chair already, but he tips his head just a bit over his shoulder toward me; that's as much of an acknowledgement as I usually can expect from him, and I grin, hopping the rest of the way down the staircase to approach the new kid. Walking a partial circle around him, I grin, appraising his form and his attitude. I like what I can see so far. He's got spirit, maybe enough to keep up with AkaRed and me.

"Captain, do we have a new cabin boy?"

[captainmarvelous]

I hear another voice wafting down from the stairs indicated as the ones leading to the crow's nest. Well, a pair of voices, but one seems more mechanical and repetitive than the other, and once the voices gain faces, it's obvious one was coming from the little robotic bird perched atop the other's shoulder.

The other man circles me, his eyes sizing me up. I stand a little straighter, though I leave one hip cocked a little, a half smirk on my lips. I know this game, and how to play it, and I'll show him the sides of myself that I damn well want to, and keep the rest behind my smile.

"For now," I answer his question, even though it was directed at the captain. "Until a better gig comes along."

I wipe my hand on my thigh and then extend it in greeting, prepared to give him my firmest handshake. No real sense in being rude. "Name's Marvelous."

[Yes I'm using shawl icons; pls ignore the connotation of the clothes. Not enough Akaki footage. :(]

[curryjolokia]

"Basco," I offer in return, pleasantly bemused by the kid's pluck. His handshake's solid, and I like that; tells me more about his character than his cocky pose does. Though, the cocky pose isn't all bad, all things considered. He seems to have at least some awareness of how these sorts of things work, where 'these sorts of things' involve strangers and less-than-savory employment opportunities. He looks young, but that could just be his breed influence; but he doesn't look like the type to share his life story, and honestly I'm not -that- interested to start with.

"You in the habit of taking odd jobs in pirating?" I ask, continuing on past him to the couch. Navi flutters off my shoulder en route, settling into her place on AkaRed's chair with a satisfied chirp. I take the couch, boot heels kicked up on the table in front of it.

"You look a little shiny to be in this biz."

lol. I don't have any bbMarvey icons on this account. XD

[captainmarvelous]

"Pirating's in my blood," I answer both his question and his comment simply, because I'm not about to share my whole life story with him. Nor am I about to brag about being in 'the biz' literally my entire life. If it comes up it comes up, but right now is not the time.

I slide my pack off my shoulder and toss it down on the tiny dining table; I can always settle into a room later. I flop down in one of the chairs and cross my feet at the ankle, leaning back and folding my hands loosely in my lap.

"So, Basco," I tilt my head, studying him. He's pleasant on the eyes, for sure, and keeping himself as casually guarded as I am. Not much to read, but at least he doesn't seem antagonistic or aggressive to my presence here.

"You here for the pay or the treasure?" It's an easy question most of us ask each other when joining new crews. Like asking if someone is a temp or a full timer, if someone enlisted or was drafted. Are you a pure blooded pirate or just making ends meat.

[curryjolokia]

"Neither," I grin, folding my hands behind my head with a cocky smile. One brow pops up, quizzical, while I watch him; he's taking my measure, in a bit more weathered of a manner than I would have expected from someone who appears so very wet behind the ears. Hn.

"And you?" I know what he's going to say - but it's only polite to ask the question back.

[captainmarvelous]

Curious answer, but I'm not going to pry, not yet. Not while we're still casually sizing each other up. Not when I'm still new and testing the waters, getting my sea legs on a new ship, so to speak.

I smirk, then let it slowly become a real smile. Not all wide eyed and awe filled, just a quietly honest smile, letting a bit of myself slip into it. Not too much, just enough for Basco to get a glimpse. "Treasure. And then some."

[curryjolokia]

He smirks, which I was expecting; then he smiles, with a foggy wisp of the man underneath threading through its surface, and I clench my jaw suddenly, hiding the sudden hitch in my breath with a cough. "Ambitious." I let him see my amusement on my face; my opinion of his goals, I keep further down. In answer to his teasing honesty, I'll give him just a little of my own - a softness at the corner of my eye, belied by the oh-really-bitch? eyebrow above it. "Captain," I call, aiming the address over Marvelous' head. "You sure know how to pick them."

"I picked you, didn't I?" AkaRed answers, just tipping his head a bit; that's enough to count as amusement on him, and I frown briefly. Was that a compliment or an insult?

[captainmarvelous]

I chuckle, then I laugh, a warm, full, throaty laugh. Both at the captain's comments and Basco's little frown that follows it. Yes, I think this situation, this little arrangement of a crew I've suddenly found myself a part of, is going to work out just fine.

I did note the softness that edged Basco's eyes briefly, as I'm sure he noted the honest quality of my smile. I may not know much about the man, about the real man, and he may not know much about me, but I think we'll get on eventually.

My laugh is punctuated by a rumble from my stomach, and I rub at my abdomen thoughtfully. "So when's dinner? Oh, I hope that's not one of my jobs. I'm a shit cook."

[curryjolokia]

"I've got that covered." I grin. I think I'm going to like this Marvelous - I can see he's a pirate through and through, and that's enough for me. The rest, including a closer look under that shirt hem (I let a little approving smirk flicker through, letting him know I saw that flash of skin, whether or not he intended it) -- can come later. "I do a pretty excellent noodles and nut sauce, if you like that kind of food."

[A few days later.]

[curryjolokia]

It's been a few days since the new kid came aboard, and I'm pleased that my initial take on him was accurate. He's enthusiastic, almost cutely so, but at the same time he's not the naive greenhorn I first took him for. He's earned his stripes one way or another, and learned more than a bit of subterfuge in the process. Several times he's caught me in a false assumption, correcting my presumption with that crooked little smirk and goodnatured challenge in his eyes. It's a balance to the frequent necessity, as he gets used to life on the Galleon, that I show him the ropes and rules.

Not like I'm going to give him any ideas about the pecking order - I outrank him, and that's that - but he's not dead weight, far from it, and he's done nothing to upset the relationship between AkaRed and myself. Far from it - with Marvey-chan to tease, I've got a safe target for my 'authority issues' and have found myself treading delicate ground with AkaRed much less frequently. I can appreciate that.

He's developed a habit of hovering just outside the galley doors while I cook meals. I'm not an extraordinary cook, but I'm willing to try (unlike AkaRed) and unlikely to kill us with culinary disasters (unlike the kid). And I have thumbs - which Navi lacks - so really, it's me or we starve.

Regardless of the quality of my cooking, I am the cook - and I've learned this gives me an additional bit of leverage over the kid. I'm just waiting for the day AkaRed gives me a really unsavory task, so I can start calibrating Marvey-chan's food-to-bribes exchange rate. I'm going to bet it's skewed in my favor.

I'm facing the range, grilling some vegetables to toss in with tonight's noodles, when I hear the click of his boot passing the doorway. Leaning backward, I grin over my shoulder at him. "Hey, Marvey, hand me that spice, willya?" I gesture at the spice rack with my chin, both hands busy tossing the skillet's contents so it doesn't burn. "That light yellow-brown one."

[captainmarvelous]

This is easily the most pleasant ship I've been on before. This work is rewarding, just physically challenging enough to keep my active and fit, but not backbreaking or the borderline slave labor I've been expected to do on other ships. Not that I've even been a proper part of anyone's crew before, just hired my hand out to get me from system to system on occasion. I'm at the bottom of the chain of command, with the possible exception of the bird - not really sure why she fits in, but I'm not looked down on or expected to do any more than my fair share of tasks and chores.

The captain is nice enough. Quiet and driven toward his task. Doesn't speak much, and doesn't try to pry into my business. Basco on the other hand is lively, everything he does or says colored with an air of mischief. I can't quite put my fingers on him sometimes, what his goals are, what's brought him to AkaRed's side. I like him though, he's good company, and not an unpleasant face (or body) to look at.

Also he can cook. Anyone that can cook is aces in my book. I've taken to hovering just outside the galley while he's preparing meals, saving my sweeping and mopping main room chores, or finishing my chores into to just relax as the yummy smells waft. Yeah, I may pass by the doorway more times than is strictly necessary, but I don't think Basco minds. It's a compliment really.

I jump a little when he addresses me, peaking my head inside the galley. I blink at him for a moment, then wander over to the indicated spice shelf, looking over the impressive assortment. There are at least three spices that could be described as 'light yellow-brown', and a couple more than could easily also fit that description in the right light. I grab one at random and hold it up. "This one?"

[curryjolokia]

I don't bother looking over my shoulder to check which spice he's grabbed; I didn't actually need one to start with, it was just an excuse to get his attention. And if I'm making that obvious now, well, maybe I have a purpose for that, as well.

"Yeah, that'll work," I answer, my apparent attention fixed on my skillet. "Come shake a few pinches of that in?"

I'm grinning more these past few days. Not that I've ever been a somber sort of creature, but AkaRed is, and it's easier to take on the general mood around you than keep yours aimed in a contrary direction. Follow the lead of the crowd around you, and things tend to run more smoothly in general. It's a chameleon trait of mine, and with the new kid around, it's probably the reason I've been all the more cheerful. He seems genuinely happy to be here on the Galleon. It's another of his characteristics that makes him, honestly, kind of cute.

"You like spicy food, right?"

[captainmarvelous]

I blink when he doesn't even really look at the spice in my hand, just says it's fine. Knowing my lack of skills, he should probably check what I grabbed, right? But then, what do I know. I can barely boil water properly. You'd think with my appetite I'd have learned at least the basics of how to work a kitchen, but no such luck.

I wander over to Basco's side and grin at the sight of what he's cooking. I can't help but smile wide and unguarded when I see food. It just makes me happy, not to mention I seem to need a lot more of it than most of people I've encountered, something in my heritage, like my strength, I suppose. Given that I don't really know where my heritage originally hailed from, that's as good an excuse as any.

I shake a bit of the spice into the skillet, taking great care not to accidentally upend the entire bottle of powder into the dish. "I love spicy food," I answer him, and my own thoughts. But there is such a thing as too spicy, even for me.

[curryjolokia]

He's such a singleminded guy. I think he may have completely missed my innuendo in favor of drooling over the food. It doesn't even have any meat in it - a category of food I've already learned he has special fondness for - but nevertheless he's looking at it with the longing eyes of a lover. I definitely can use this, at some point.

I grin, sass in my voice, and quirk a brow at him, intrigued. I can't resist the temptation to find out what happens when I push another button or two. He makes this game endlessly fun, and he's very easy on the eyes. I don't know if he's realized how close he's standing to me, just to get closer to the smell of the food.

"That's good. I love spice, myself." The spoon scrapes in the pan, mixing in the powdered spice - from the smell of it, it's cumin, a lucky grab on his part - with the caramelized vegetables and the char. "Maybe I should make a separate dish for our Captain, and make ours even hotter."

[captainmarvelous]

"Does he even eat?" I ask, not entirely seriously and not expecting any real sort of answer, I mean, I'm sure our captain eats, I've just never seen him at it. Either he wanders off when it's mealtime or he just sort of hovers near us at the table. It was a little unnerving at first, for maybe the beginning seconds of that first meal. But it's hard to care when decent food is set down in front of me.

The spice Basco had me add makes the wafting scent of the food even more enticing, and I have to actually stop myself from grabbing at bit of vegetable and popping it in my mouth. One, hot, and two, I think Basco might smack my hand with the spoon. "How much longer?"

[curryjolokia]

"He eats," I answer, smiling absently. The skillet's beginning to go dry, so I reach over the flame to grab a bottle of thin oil, adding a splash or two and stirring quickly as the iron pan soaks it up, spitting. I don't notice the heat, but Marvey might be stepping back a pace in a moment or two; hot oil, I've been told, hurts when it hits humanlike skin. I wouldn't know.

"I wish he'd eat while it was still warm, though," I admit, glancing briefly at the kid. "It really does taste better before it's gone all cold and clammy. But he does everything on his own time. Even meals."

I can see him eyeing the pan and I tease him by sliding the spoon around the pan's curve, herding the vegetables toward my side, where it's harder for him to reach. "I haven't even gotten the noodles started yet," I laugh. It's hard not to feel complimented by his eagerness, even though logically I know he'd be this focused on the food no matter what quality it was.

"Unless you just want bunny food for dinner, you'd better be patient."

[captainmarvelous]

I take the smallest half step back when the fresh oil he adds begins to spit a little, I'm a bit more resilient than most of the human variety, but heat is heat, and hot oil is especially hot. I know, I've had a few experiences with it before I gave up on trying to cook anything that needed it.

"I like that about him, though." I say, somewhat absentmindedly, focusing on how Basco seems to be scooting the vegetables away from me in the pan. My brow scrunches up a bit, and my stomach gives a small growl. "Everything on his time. How a captain should behave."

Finally I give in, holding Basco still by his arms for a brief moment (he's slight enough, I think I can manage) and then reaching around his other side. I snake a bit of tasty looking vegetable from the pan and pop it in my mouth, eyes closing after as I hum and chew happily. It's good, savory and spicy, and I lick my fingers after to get that lingering bits of flavor off them.

[weeks later]

[captainmarvelous]

I can't imagine AkaRed wasn't aware of the Zangyack ambush waiting for us when he sent Basco and I planet-side ahead of him, but I also can't figure he'd just let us fall blindly into this kind of trap.

There a ranger key down here, I don't think the Empire is after them like we are, but they sure seem to show up a lot when we're looking for them.

"Basco!" I shout, firing a shot at a Goumin coming up too close behind him. My bullet cuts close to Basco's face, brushing his hair aside on its way past.

I let out the breath I was holding when the Goumin goes down, though I don't have much time to worry about Basco. I have just enough time to turn and raise my sword to stop another Goumin from taking my head off.

[curryjolokia]

Marvey's sword comes up to block a Goumin mace; he holds it off long enough for me to whip a throwing knife across the battlefield between us, under his guard, sinking deep into the Goumin's throat.

I'm already spinning before it's reached its mark, because in the space of time it took for me to attack, another Goumin mook has gotten the idea in its head to try an attack on my throwing arm, where my guard is presumably lowered. The short sword I've braced across my chest, pommell driven forward in the palm of my off-hand, slices fast through its breastbone, ensuring no future generations of Goumin inherit the bright idea to attack a duel wielder under his dominant arm.

I've already reversed the grip on my short sword, slicing backwards and then sweeping out and around. But the mook on my blade is stuck there, the uneven bones of his ribs tangling on the serrations of my blade as it twists in my hand and his body. He's dead, but also dead weight, slowing my movements.

Slashing wide and low, with my cutlass I clear a half-second's space for myself, enough to twist my whole upper body in a forceful lunge. Like a stone from a sling the dead Goumin is flung from my blade, crashing through a rank of his fellows in the process.

Despite the ease of this fight, I can't relax. If I make it too evident how easy skirmishes like this are to me, Marvey will start asking questions. And I haven't yet decided if I'll tell him the truth about my heritage.

Situations like this, where it's clear AkaRed knew what he was sending us into and neglected to warn us, make me rather sure what our Captain would tell me to do. Were it any of his business, which it's not.

"You hanging in there, Cabin Boy?" I holler, grinning across the corpse-littered distance between us.

[captainmarvelous]

"Worry about yourself!" I toss back, teasingly. I know very well he can hold his own, but if he's going to keep calling me Cabin Boy at times like this...

I slash at an over ambitious Goumin, tumbling with him as he goes down and using that momentum to do a half handstand and whirl with my legs. I hook them around another Goumin's neck, feeling and hearing the satisfying crack of his spine as I drag him to the ground and get myself back on my feet.

I pick another few off with my pistol, the last few stragglers that are trying to retreat. My adrenaline is still pumping through me as I turn and cast a quick glance over the small battlefield, searching for Basco.

[Here, have a ball of feels shrapnel]

[curryjolokia]

When Marvey looks up to find me, I'm in the middle of crouching down to examine a bit of treasure half-hidden by the body of a Goumin who'd valued his orders to protect it more than his own life. As I crouch, I sever his head from his shoulders, planting the tip of my kaijin sword in the dirt and levering down its blade like I use the knives in the galley to slice scallions. His body seizes once and goes limp, revealing the artifact he'd been clutching so desperately.

When I notice Marvey's looking, I grin at him, lifting my plunder over my head in my off-hand to wave at him. It's heavier than I'd expected. Maybe it's made of a precious metal under all the grime and scuffing. "Got a shiny!" I call across happily.

I don't know what I'll do with it - I'm a poor musician at best - but maybe it'll be useful for waking Marvey up in the mornings when he pretends to be deaf to the world. Or maybe it'll have no purpose at all. But it's shiny, and now it's mine.

[Have some feels back at ya. :P (http://i49.tinypic.com/2mbmf6.gif)]

[captainmarvelous]

I press the tip of my sword into the dirt - okay maybe that's a Goumin's spine, wasn't really looking down at the time - and lean somewhat heavily on it as I beam at Basco.

I don't want to admit that one of the grunts slashed at my right arm, just above my wrist, and that it's bleeding. I hold my hand at an angle so that the blood maybe won't trickle down onto the visible parts of my skin.

"Can you even play that?" I tilt my head, trying not to pant too hard from the pain that's slowly building as my adrenaline wears off. "That's a musical instrument, right?"

[curryjolokia]

Picking my way across the battlefield requires me to glance down every so often, making sure not to turn my ankle on the barrel of a Goumin mace. I make it a dance, sauntering towards Marvey with my sword slung over my shoulder. "Probably?" I answer, shrugging. It doesn't matter what it is, so long as it's mine. Marvey understands that sentiment pretty well, I think.

"How'd you fare? Any shinies?" As I draw closer, my smirk dims just a bit; Marvey did have a harder time of it than I did, and seems to be pained. But he's still standing, which means he's fine enough for now. I'll hold back any serious concern until he's no longer able to do so.

He'd be insulted if I acted any differently. We know each other well enough for that much, by now.

[captainmarvelous]

"Just the key we were sent down here to get." I say, voice slightly tight from the increasing pain in my arm. It's sharp and throbbing, but not bad enough yet that I can't still pretend it's nothing.

I reach to wrench my sword back out of the Goumin's spine, but the movement just sparks a sharp jolt of pain from my wound, and blood not only trickles down onto the back of my hand, but stains the sleeve of my shirt.

I manage to only wince and not groan, though my eyes squint shut for a moment.

Must be a deeper wound than I thought.

[curryjolokia]

When blood blooms on Marvey's arm, I frown and step close, gripping his arm firmly above the elbow and tugging upward to help him keep his balance.

"That's a bit more than a scratch," I comment dryly, giving him a smile to show I don't think less of him for the wound. Whether he'll believe that or not isn't in my control, but at least I can be straightforward about my half.

"Let's get back to the Galleon. I'll get you bandaged up."