Liana

Crowning Festival

The sun slowly sets into the horizon, the clouds cotton candy drifting throughout the sky. Many vessels are docked at the harbor, but a single ship stands out among them. As black as a starless sky, a massive boat with white sails billowing in the ocean breeze. Bright lanterns are strung from line and mast, illuminating the drunken froth of gaiety that overflows from the ship onto the docks, and throughout the streets. The clanking of tankards and the clattering of dice are mostly drowned out by the shouts and cheers as money is rapidly exchanged from one pair of hands to another. 

Music, laughter, and the smell of spiced rum and seawater fills the air. 

Liana strides beside Eldaren, a man a few inches shorter than six feet, wearing a white silk shirt, leather trousers, and matching boots. His black hair hangs just above his vibrant green eyes, a sword sheathed at his waist.

"You look tense, Lieutenant."

"I'm not. I'm just on guard. There's a lot of unknown variables here," and she sidesteps a man falling onto the ground, the crowd erupting into dance around them. 

"I wouldn't be too worried. Somehow I don't they have half the training you do."

"That's not the point, Eldaren. There's power in numbers."

"True, but I'm always a stern believer in quality over quantity," and Eldaren stops walking.

Liana wonders why Eldaren would stop in the middle of a loud, rambunctious crowd, but then she sees her.

Eldaren picks up his stride, and heads to meet Ravina at the aft deck, both him and Liana pushing through the various crowds of people.

Liana immediately notices Ravina's beauty, a well-toned, lightly tanned body dressed in snugly fit clothing. She also notices that Ravina is talking to a lizard man, his scales a dull green glittering beneath the lantern lights. 

Eldaren instantly inserts himself into the conversation, "A most wonderful party, my Prince. A most auspicious day, the Crowning Festival for the second ship of your fleet."

Ravina turns away from her conversation with the lizard man, "And who might you be?"

With a bow, Eldaren introduces himself "Eldaren, at your service. I'm here to discuss business at my father's request."

"I see," Ravina says. "What kind of business are we talking about?"

"A chance for mutual profit."

"Get to the point."

"Right," Eldaren says. "It's very simple. My family would provide you and your budding fleet with the finest mercenaries money can buy and you will refrain from attacking our ships that may pass through this region to lands beyond. In addition, we would be willing to pay you to intervene in the eventuality that any of our ships were attacked."

Ravina pauses for a moment before replying with, "Why would your men be loyal to me."

"They are loyal to whoever pays them, of course." Eldaren steps forward, an aura of confidence to him. "And with that coming from you--"

"I don't give a fuck about your money," Ravina sneers, her eyes like fires dancing on dry wheat. "My crew is my family. They aren't just here for money. They aren't tools to be used. If you can't understand that, get the fuck off my ship."

The lizard man chuckles lightly, "Yes. Yes my mistress. My spice will bring you far greater profit than any mercenary scum."

"SCUM? How dare you, vile beast. I'll have you know that I come from a proud and powerful family. I will not have their honor questioned by some outsider. Know your place."