Chapter Text

Nara Teshurr

Daft fingers laced up the new leather boots Nara Teshurr recently bought. The sun was high and the air by the BlueLake Distract was filled with the smells local vendors. The festival of Jubliee was a the best time to vist the city as Nara hated Neverwinter the rest of the year. Right now she was on top of the world, hundred of miles from home and in a place where no one knew her or the sins she hid in her closet.

There was little that could sully this moment for her, save for bumping into the large man that made her smash her pastie into her face and bite her own tongue.

"Ah Hells!," Nara swore, "Watch where you're going arsehole!"

There was a snort as Nara looked up at the man, well, more tiefling than man. He was so tall Nara had to tilt her head nearly 90 degrees in order to meet his gaze. His golden eyes were nearly blank as they examined her, as if he were seeing past her and not at her.

"Mmm, it's an odd day when someone tells me to watch where I'm going when I'm not moving." The tiefling was in the middle of a transaction, his hand in his purse and the vendor holding a bag of items for him to take. Nearly everyone looked at Nara as if she had just poked a fire elemental in the face and were now waiting for it to blow.

Nara set her jaw and attempted to suppress a twitch in her icy glare at the giant in front of her—gods forbid she enjoy even a simple festival. It was always something; usually her own fault, but really, that was besides the point. "Apologies," she finally managed to quip, turning on her heel as her chest burned with embarrassment, praying that it wouldn't creep up her neck to her cheeks, or at the very least, the remnants of gravy and crumbs she was attempting to wipe from her face would cover it.

There was a round of laugher as she stormed off. Stinking horneater! Embarrassed even more Nara dashed into the first pub she could find. She walked into the Bear Naked Ladies, a tavern adorned with bearskin rugs, taxidermies and pictures of nymphs. Tacky wasn't the word for the place. Sighing, Nara took a seat by the bar. There were a list of weirdly named drinks for common alcohol.

"Sundance creeper." She ordered figuring a vodka and lime would be fitting for the afternoon.

"Whiskey, neat." The voice was next to her, low and raspy as if he had to cut up every word before he spoke them. Nara turned to see the tiefling she had bumped into, one golden eye on her.

Nara gripped the bar. Could she not even indulge in cheap alcohol with diluted lime juice? Gods, the nerve of him! Attempting to compose herself, she adjusted the bow slung over her shoulder. "I doubt you've followed me because we ran into each other like two star-crossed lovers in a poorly written novel and you're convinced we're meant to be, so," she huffed, staring at him once more. "What is it you want? Would you like to humiliate me further?" She narrowed her eyes and glanced down the length of the bar. "And don't you dare say it's a simple coincidence. I can spot four other empty seats."

"You smell like blood and death." The tiefling sniffed.

Nara stared at him blankly for a moment. "Do you smell everyone you meet?" Her voice teetered between somewhere between sounding incredulous and deadpan. She sat silently, contemplating: is this a strange tiefling greeting? Do they have an enhanced sense of smell? She pretended to wipe at her nose, smelling her sleeve as she did so. She detected nothing but the lard based soap she had washed with and the disappointment of a ruined pastie.

The drinks came and instead of answering her the tiefling sipped his booze slowly. "I'm looking for a second mate for my ship."

Nara sighed and took a sip of her own drink. It was just as disgusting as she thought it might be from a bawdry establishment like this, but she still managed to choke it down and utter a sigh. If it was in relief that the strange man wasn't here to hassle her further or despondency at her current occupation of hunter and coin purse that was growing lighter by the moment from a rare day of indulgence, she wasn't quite sure. "If you needed directions to a skilled seaman, you could have led with that. There's a notice board in the market—mercenaries tend to post there. You might find a posting from someone with the right skillset." She took another sip of her 'sundance creeper' and suppressed a shudder. Hint of lime, my ass. If her tastebuds were right, it was a hint of medical alcohol in its stead. "If not today, then surely by tomorrow. I see new parchment there every day." And yet my own remains untouched and sun-bleached. It's a shame that bear, moose, and those that hunt them are about as common as trees here.

"If I wanted second rate killers, I would've gone there, but you…you've got something special about you. My eye can tell." He touched the eye with the patch over it. He shot back the rest of his drink, "Another whiskey and sundance creeper for my new crewmate."

Another round of drinks appeared, but this time Nara scooped up the whiskey. "Never said I wanted another creeper." She expected him to blow his top off and rage out at her instead he took the sundance creeper and downed it.

"Not bad." He belched.

She swirled the whiskey in the glass and looked him up and down. "Hm… while I'm not in the habit of leaving with strange men that sniff me and have an affinity for cheap booze, I'm not opposed to a… change in career." Nara offers a smile, lips drawn tight, her face twisted unnaturally. She could stand to practice a placid smile or two. "I'm not sure what you and your special eye," she leaned in and squinted at him—well, moreso at his chest, he was still a good head above her even siting down, making her tilt her head up uncomfortably once more—"which might I add, is still very much covered, see in me, but let's say I do come along with you." She leaned back and crossed her legs, bracing her hands over a knee as she had often practiced at soirees as a child. After all, her father had told her it made her look every part the noble back then. "I expect my pay in silvers, not coppers. 20 a week, at the very least." She gripped her knees a bit harder. "And ample training. I have never so much as been on a ship. Lastly," her fake smile faded into a scowl—one that would have made her mother cringe. "If you so much as think about any funny business, I will leave. Immediately. I don't care if were thousands of miles from land, if you so much as insult me, I will find a way to swim to shore." As much as she loved her father, she would not become her mother, putting up with harsh words and the fancies of someone that didn't care about her. Her unsettling smile returned once more. "Oh, and I suppose one other thing: I don't discuss family, so I would very much appreciate if you skip asking about them."

A smile as wicked as the archdevil of the Nine Hells appeared on the tiefling's face. "Well then, you have a deal." He put out his hand for Nara to shake.

Without a second thought, Nara offered her own hand and grasped his. Rather, she attempted to. Gods, what are they feeding kids in the Hells these days to make a man the size of a bulwark? "Very well, then." For how frail she appeared and despite the fact she couldn't seem to do more that place her hand against his, her shake stayed firm. "I suppose proper introductions are in order. I'm Nara."

"Atlas."

The Nyx was a beautiful ship, her onyx wood and black sails were a fierce sight to behold. "The ship doesn't bite you can walk on her." Atlas was behind her, waiting to board his ship. "Ladies first." The high elf walked on the plank with only a few butterflies affecting her belly. Falling into the sea was never a fear of hers, but being confronted with the possibility now made her rethink her fears.

"Captain!" A shot came from the deck. Above her was a high elf, no half-elf with short white hair that shined silver in the sun. His body tan and toned from working a ship. "Whose's this?"

"Second mate." He said matter-o-factly.

"What?! I have other people lined up. With way more experience."

"Fuck 'em." Altas walked passed the half-elf. "Show Nara her duties, then when we find some more crew we set sail."

The half-elf was about to talk about but he quickly shut his mouth and regarded Nara with a scrutinizing eye. "I'm Zhanye Zephyplain, first mate. And you are?"

"Nara." She put her hand out for Zhanye to shake, but he never took it.

"Great. Great. Do you know anything about sailing?"

"Not a thing."

"Fuck me with a duck." Zhanye rolled his head back. "Well, follow me around and I'll show you what you can do."

The walk around the ship was a long one. Her feet hurt, but not as much as her head as it swirled with information about how to properly tie knots for the rigging.

"This isn't what I expected a ship to run like." Nara sucked air through her teeth and placed her hands on her hips as she regarded Zhanye. "A shitload of information, but lucky for you, I'm a fast learner." She looked down her nose at the man. "Tell me, Zhanye: does Atlas make a fair captain? Does he treat you well; keep his word on pay? No… hitting, screaming matches, double-crossing, or… anything like that?"

There was a long pause on the half-elf's face as if he were trying to calculate his words like arithmetic. "The Captain is fair. More generous than he should be, but he has his moments. He treats the crew like family."

"Well, I don't know about you, but some of use have fucked up families."

"Then you are going to fit in just fine." He opened up a port door and hopped on to the ladder. "We finished everything above deck, now below."

Nara groaned. "Fucks sake's this ship is huge." She followed below with him, occasionally rocking on her feet when he stopped to explain something or rubbing her temple when he introduced the name of some new navigation device. "Right, then. Is that everything, or do we have another three floors below us yet?"

"We do actually! How'd you know?" Zhanye seemed to take pleasure in her pain. She note that if she could she would stay away from him as much as she could even if he was her boss. The tour finally ends in the cargo hold where a garden had been growing. It smelled of earth and morning dew.

"Oh, wow this is lovely. Who did this?"

"Eh, just a left over from the previous owner of the ship. Just a druid with a stick up his ass." The man hopped over some plants and picked a few mushrooms. "Good shit though if you want some."

Nara hummed. "Though I'm not opposed, I'm afraid if I partake tonight you'll need to reteach me everything tomorrow, and I don't think either of us would enjoy that." She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she glided away from the man and up to the crew quarters she had seen nearly an hour earlier.

What a strange day, she thought to herself as she peeled off her clothes and splashed herself with soapy water from the washbasin. She felt a couple of eyes on her, but thought nothing of it—it wasn't the first time she'd shared quarters with others, and she'd be damned if she couldn't scrub the day's grime off her skin. Besides, she knew she was nothing special; her mother made sure of that. Still, it must be a blessing of Lathander. In what other circumstance could such strange events take place?

She let out a sigh and dove beneath the duvet spread across the hammock, humming in approval as soft cotton touched her skin—it was far better than the rough spun rubbish at the inn she had been staying at, and even if her new crewmates snored just as loud as the drunken patrons she had grown accustomed to, she was certain to sleep much better than she had in a long while. Yes, she thought as her eyes grew heavy, curling up on her side in a way that surely made her gangly frame look like a dead spider. It's all very fortuitous. Lathander has blessed me at last.