Touched By A Dragon

Chapter 31: A Fine Crew

Lillianna had just learnt to speak like Talon, luckily for her was a fast learner. She had also taken up a new name, Aurora D’Angelo. 
“Aurora, if ya gonna tent ta be a D’Angelo, why’d ya spend that time learnen ta speak different?” Talon asked.
“Because, I need to blend in until I can find someone who had connections to Luka D’Angelo so I can meet him in person. Otherwise I’ll just get ignored or beaten up.” Lillianna explained. “And we’re going to need some more suitable clothing.”
Talon nodded, standing up. Then he started walking towards the sea. 
True to Talons word, it took about half a day until they saw gaslights, carriages and  buildings. Lillianna and Talon fit in the crowd perfectly. The harbour was bustling with people, from Lords and Ladies, dressed in formal attire, not a speck of dirt on them, to common street dwellers, dressed in sewn together rags and covered in filth. They rushed by a countless number of beggars and many more people who just turned their noses up at them and continued on their way. It disgusted and saddened her that someone who had much didn’t give anything to someone else that had nothing. But there was nothing she could do now, all she could do was get home and try to do something about it when she got there. 
“Talon, where is the closest shop that sells pirate attire?” Lillianna whispered, sharply.
“Bout three blocks at way, an ya gonna wanna put at language lesson in ta practice.” Talon hissed back, nodding ahead. 
As they approached the cloths shop, Talon wondered how they would pay for all the clothing when they didn’t have two cents to their name. When the lady had finished fitting Lillianna and himself he realized something. They where not going to. Lillianna shot him a meaningful glance, held up three fingers, smiled and nodded towards the door. Talon then crept towards the door as Lillianna did the same and turned towards the shop clerk. 
“Well, thank you so very much for being so very helpful. Just send a scroll via dragon to the castle at Dane and King Ravenswood will gladly pay the fee. Ok? Thank you again. Oh and if anyone comes looking for us tell them that Aurora is waiting at the docks for a crew.” She flashed an innocent smile, then turned and ran.
Talon ran in front if Lillianna, turning left and eventually getting lost in a huge crowd of people. Now dressed like pirates, they walked towards the docks, Lillianna sat down on the edge of the pier and Talon stood protectively behind her, facing the crowd.
“Relax, Talon. Ere aint gonna be no trouble til people start turnin up. And lookin like at you gonna scare em off.” She laughed.
Talon scowled, rubbing his huge boulder like fists, and sat down.
“Aurora, ow you even know at em people are even comin?” Talon asked.
Lillianna smiled.
“Cos, at store we just robbed, is a private supplier of King Ravenswood, sposed to be the ardest store to rob but at clerk knows at missin Princess. Musta thought I looked like er.” She shrugged.
Lillianna then took out a cutlass from her belt and raised it to her shoulder length hair. With one hand she gathered up all her hair in a loose pony tail and with the other she cut it. Her hair was now a messy, choppy, mop, that sat around her head at various lengths. She dusted her hands over the water and watched as pieces of cut hair floated away, she then looked at her face, reflected in the calm water. 
“You something Talon? I’m glad you’re here. Even if this is just for the money, I’m happy you decide to help me.” She whispered, not taking her eyes off her reflection.
Before Talon could answer, Lillianna heard the clip clop of heels against wood. She looked up and saw three female pirates, walking towards them with scowls on their faces. They appeared to be triplets, they all had ivory skin, covered with freckles, flaming red hair, cut at different lengths and bright blue eyes. The tallest of the three walked in the middle, she prowled, cat like, a deadly glint in her eyes, she wore black skin high boots and a purple pirate dress. The woman on her right wore the same boots but her dress was dark blue and the woman on the left wore a dark yellow dress with the same boots.
Lillianna got up and stood, hands on hips, just a step in front of Talon. The three women stood, just a few steps away and the middle one spoke.
“Be you Aurora? The young pirate at robbed Kings Cloaks?” She asked.
“Aye, who’s askin?” Lillianna replied.
The woman smiled, as the other two shared a look of complete bewilderment.
“I be Lydia Silver tongue and this be me sisters  Alena the Smooth and Clover the Deceiver.”
Lillianna looked from one woman to the other as Lydia introduced them. She noticed their small, catlike bodies and how fragile they looked.
“I be Aurora the Cunning, an i be lookin for a crew worthy of a fine ship.”
“How fine a ship we be talkin?”
“Fine enough ta cross the Eastern currents.” 
At these last words Lydia, Alena and Clover all looked a bit ruffled. 
“Ya tryin to cross the Eastern currents? Why would ya want ta do something like at?” Lydia 
“Lets just say there be great treasure waitin on the other side, enough gold to last a lifetime.” 
“An where we be getting this fine vessel from?”
“I’ll tell you more of o details when I get a crew full enough ta work it.”
“We be the best sailors around, an we not too bad with blade neither, to crew a ship big enough ta cross the Currents we only needen two more people if ya count at man.” Lydia said, gesturing towards Talon.
As she finished this sentence an uneasy silence filled the air. Lillianna and Talon where looking past them at the huge croup of riff-rafts blocking the peir from the road. They where craning their necks and occasionally Lillianna heard murrers from the croud saying things like ‘Aurora’ and ‘robbed Kings Cloaks’. She looked at Talon, he looked awestruck and his eyes where shining with amazement. They shared a look of determination and pride before walking up to the crowd.
Lillianna stopped walking and faced the crowd. Hands on hips, a deadly glint in her eyes and a don’t mess with me look on her face. 
“Listen up you scurvy sea dogs! I am Aurora D’Angelo. And I am going to need the finest crew to ever man a ship, a ship fine enough to sail across the Eastern Currents. But I am sick of males telling me what I can and can’t do. So either all men that want to be apart of my crew must be prepared to take orders from and work with women as equals or get lost.” 
Lillianna finished speaking and looked around at the crowd. Her fiery eyes flashed from person to person, she noticed that all of the men had gone and most of them had left when she said ‘take orders from women.’ The women on the other hand, had become excited and it appeared that more had joined the crowd.
“Ok then, I am going to need full demonstrations of your strongest area. I only need one more person. So who’s first?” She smiled.