The door slammed open, winds howling behind it as a slip of a thing tethered by a heavy rope around her waist walking in with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. The cabin looked over at Rosia briefly, Zae giving Vexās foot a subtle kick to signal him. Rosia had an energy about her that cultivated chaos, exactly the kind of wave they wanted to ride. Vex gave her a nod, stood, and ambled away from whatever mayhem she was about to release. His job was generally to stop havoc on the ship, so he tried to keep himself out of the limelight of disorder when he could.
Wes looked over to Dieter as he corrected Rosia, and while he was right - Nym did need to get work done - Wes preferred he was the one bossing around the cabin boy. Still, he knew better than to just outright undermine the first mate.
āI dunno, we have some time.ā Wes clasped a hand over Nymās shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. āHow about it, Nym - you want us to tie you up so you can go get a look at the stars?ā
Of course he knew that wouldnāt happen, but it was enough to make him laugh. If the wind didnāt blow her away, leaving her flailing in the rain in wind, then sheād most assuredly spew right into the wind so it blew back on her. Rosia had already moved onto the next corner of the room, Xavier trying his best to wrangle her from bothering the passengers.
While the room was watching Rosia, Zae had slunk in the shadows rounding until she stood directly behind Sari who had taken a seat back at the table. She made no indication of noticing Zaeās presence, but when others at the table looked behind her, Sari's shoulders tensed. Wes could sense the shift in tension in the room, glancing over to the table from the corner of his eye.
Sariās hands thumped on the wooden table as she pushed herself up, broad shoulders only seeming to set themselves further apart. When she turned to face Zae, the morfaereal had transformed herself into a mimic of Sari - complete with the fiery red coils atop her head going in all directions. Sari stepped forward, her duplicate unmoving so that they stood uncomfortably invading one anotherās face.
āBack up, shifter.ā Sari growled. Zae clucked her tongue, wagging a finger in Sariās face. Sari slapped Zaeās hand away, Zae feigning offense. āI said backā¦.up.ā
Dieter had just leaned against a wall and taken a swig of his ale as he scanned the room, and doing a double take at seeing two Sariās and only coming to one conclusion. Zae. He set his drink down and took a step towards the two crewmates, hoping to diffuse the situation before anything happened. āZaeā¦ā He spoke out loud, a warning.
Morphing back into her original form, Zae hardened the density of her forehead plate and knuckles. She put up either hand as if in defeat, taking a step back briefly before winding back and thrusting herself towards Sari. The beast of a woman had a moment to react as Zae tensed, one hand catching Zaeās fist as it came her way.
Zae looked at Sari with an overconfident smile, throwing her head forehead to collide her forehead against Sariās nose. Blood immediately began to spill, painting down Sariās face and onto Zae. Around them the room had swelled, several of the crew members finding the closest foe and throwing licks.
Before Dieter could reach the two, conflict arose; not just between them but between most of the crew as a brawl was breaking out, madness erupted and a smirk came across Dās face subconsciously. D made his way through the brawl smoothly, pulling one man into another and tangling them both up in the rope Rosia brought in earlier. Tripping one female crewmate and tipping her and a few others over a bench clearing them out of the way. A few crewmates even tried their hand at targeting the first mate, but just ended up colliding with each other and knocking each other out as D took a half step. He didnāt quicken his pace to the two main perpetrators of the conflict, taking his time in pacifying others around him effortlessly.
āEnough.ā Dieter spoke, voice raised enough to reach around the room and seating in everyoneās ears. He pulled Zae back behind him, knowing it would be easier to pull her away than Sari, and inserted himself between the two.
āNine lashes for the both of you when this storm is over. Youāll be lucky if they arenāt done by me personally.ā He spoke, staring Sari down, seeing her mouth open to speak. āHush. I donāt care.ā Dieter cut her off, not breaking his stare, as if waiting for Sari to do something in retaliation.
With the back of his head turned to her, Zae stuck out her tongue making a face at Sari - enjoying herself too much. Dieter could hand out all the lashes he wanted, even if Vex actually did end up delivering them all Zae had to do was harden the surface of her skin. Sari glared at Zae over Dieterās shoulder before glancing down in submission, taking her seat back at the table among the others.
āExemplary work,ā Zae hiccuped, giving Dieter a goofy grin and a pat on the back as she wiped the blood from her forehead.
Vex didnāt think of himself as a thief, actually he rarely stepped out of the loose rules the ship upheld. But it was a storm, the crew was secluded together in a small space, and Zae had finished off their alcohol within the first few hours. They both held rank on the ship, high enough that Vex felt that they deserved some sort of extra allotment for dealing with the crew. He knew no one else would see it that way, hence why he had left his heavy steel toed boots in favor of the silent stealth option his robotic legs could transform into. The high-tech mod had cost him well over $8,000 to add when heād upgraded and heād rarely gotten around to using them. Instead of steam powered, they fueled from his internal battery and were virtually silent, making stepping down the hallway outside the mess hall a breeze.
The kitchen was dead silent once he entered and shut the door behind him, the sounds of the fight dulling behind two steel walls. It was dimly lit, messy and clean all at the same time, and had the smell of two many spices caught in a badly ventilated room. Vex wasnāt sure if the cook ever got around to using any of those spices, but he kept his mouth shut on that topic.
The storage room off to the side was dimly lit, disorganized but clearly set up in a particular way for one man. Vex ignored the dry storage bins and freezer in favor of the barrels of alcohol, piled high and strapped together to avoid catastrophe. Vex uncorked the front of one of the whiskey barrels and started filling up his and Zaeās flasks.
āIāll just take that out of your rations for next week,ā Wes said from the door, one brow quirked towards Vex. āIf you wanted an advance on your rations, all you had to do was ask.ā
It was by no means an original idea to sneak booze from the kitchen, especially when they were all holed together like this for an extended period of time. It wasnāt even the first time Zae had tried it. Thatās where Wes assumed Vex got the idea from.
āMaybe next time you two shouldnāt try to make your distraction so obvious.ā He gave the hunk of metal a half smile, gesturing towards where he was sure Dieter was already pulling people apart.
Vex ran a list of annoyed curses in his brain as he finished up the first flask, tipping his head to the side as the only indication heād heard Wes. He turned after a moment of silence, taking his sweet time to re-cork the barrel, āI doubt Zaeās got āless obviousā in her vocabularyā He offered the cook a bemused smile before taking a sip of the newly obtained whiskey, āMaybe we can just leave this between us, a one time deal. Iāll owe you or somethināā
Wes dragged his gaze across Vex, mulling over his options. On one hand, Wes took the integrity of his position with a somber sort of seriousness. However given his current position with the not-quite-a-cabin-boy just on the other side of the wooden wall it might not be so bad to have a favor with the master-at-arms. Wes leaned against the doorframe, crossing one leg over the other the exposed gears of his leg clicking as it adjusted to the shift of weight.
āWho even punishes the master-at-arms?ā Wes gripped at the scruff along his jawline in thought. āI mean - I mostly just want to see how this plays out - even though you are a thieving bastard who thought he could take from my kitchen and I wouldnāt notice.ā
āTechnically, oursā Vex gestured with the flask at the room, grinning to show he was mostly kidding, āIāve never been caught for anything remotely worth punishing, so I guess I donāt know. Letās leave it that way- Iāllā¦.ā He paused and moved closer, his steps springy and light with his legs shifted to their lighter model, āI have a friend at our next dock that works in a kitchen. I bet I could get you some things you may be lackingā
Though Wes was curious what kind of connections Vex would have to procure some of Wesās more rare āwishlistā materials - heād much rather take the nonspecific future sometime in the future. He glanced back into the room where the ruckus had calmed down, stepping inside the kitchen to move past Vex. Wes gestured towards the door for Vex to take his leave.
āDonāt worry about it for now, Iāll let you know when you can pay me back.ā
Vex moved towards the door, shuffling a bit because he wasnāt too sure if he trusted the cook. It wasnāt like an extra flask of whiskey was anything to throw him overboard for, but so far this was a well paying gig and his longest yet. Heād rather stick around.
āThanks then. You know where to find meā He knocked on the door on his way out, letting the metal on metal be the signal of his exit as he slipped back down the hall again.
Grabbing a bit of ginger root, Wes shortly followed back into the hall. He had pulled out a pocket knife he used for peeling, whittling at the nub of ginger. When he found Nym again he handed her the bit of ginger.
āGinger root, itāll help with the sickness. Donāt bite it.ā He barely glanced at her, making sure she didnāt get the wrong idea that he cared or nothing like that. āNeed you back on your feet by breakfast.ā