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Post by The Forgotten God on Jul 9, 2020 20:00:30 GMT
Owned by a supposedly retired pirate. How he gets new books and maps and the like is...well, all alleged and not proven in a court of law.
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 17:40:35 GMT
On the second day of their stay on the island, Silvia spotted the bookstore and strode towards it. As she walked, she sang a few bars of one of her favourite songs, her spirits high by being on dry land once more. She wasn't particularly bookish but she did love tales of high adventure and, after spending so much time at sea, she thought it would be a good idea to buy a book to while away the long hours.
Sing me a song of a lass that is gone
Say, could that lass be I?
Merry of soul she sailed on a day
Over the sea and away.1
_____________________
1 - I borrowed and slightly edited the first stanza of the theme song of the TV show Outlander, which uses a rewrite of The Skye Boat Song.
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 18:15:12 GMT
Damien was outside of the shop studying it closely. It would be a simple enough manner he thought. Though there would certainly be some kind of trap. You do not build a shop on a pirate island with out some safeguards. He was making plans and deep in though and did not notice Silvia approaching.
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 18:31:56 GMT
She broke off her song to see that the master thief seemed to be oblivious to her presence, despite her singing (and in fine voice too!) so she decided to have some fun. She sneaked up behind him and stuck a feather she'd spotted on the ground earlier (and kept as a souvenir) in the back of his trousers.
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 18:40:44 GMT
Damien had been surprised by the feather, but had long ago managed to control his external reactions. He had a reputation to maintain, if he flinched at every little feather how would that look. He smiled confidently and stroked his chin. "Good afternoon. Do you think that a bookstore gets much patronage on a pirate island? I would imagine most of the louts only have one practical use for a book. I doubt a store such as this could survive selling pages to wipe pirate's asses." He tapped his chin. "Since that is unlikely that means this location is holding a secret. I despise secrets." With that he turned to look at Silvia, not who he had expected, but he could work with that.
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 18:50:07 GMT
She grinned saucily at him. "You were deep in thought there, king of thieves. Be grateful I didn't pull your trousers down. I was tempted, you know." She looked over at the bookstore. "I never thought of it like that. My goal is to find a gripping adventure story to keep me company for the rest of the voyage."
She lowered her voice and said "Perhaps they are using it as a cover to send secret messages, or other things. You know, someone buys a stock of books but can't carry them away, and the books have to be shipped instead...with the secret concealed inside. I've heard that sometimes books are hollowed out to make space for treasures." She'd stolen the contents from a couple such books.
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 18:59:47 GMT
Damien nodded, "It is certainly possible. That thought had not even occurred to me. I was thinking that it might be a front for another business. Perhaps the sell poisons. Or worse Curses and other necrotic magic. I was once in a chandler's shop after hours and found out the man had a whole business below his establishment where he was training goats to... well... it is not really a story for friends I wish to keep."
He turned his gaze from the store and gave her a smile, "As for the trousers, fell free to remove them when ever it suits you. I will have no complaints with that at all. THere are other ways besides books to fill your time during the voyage." His cocky smile covered his face as he stared her in the eye.
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 19:13:23 GMT
Her grin deepened. "That would be a trick, wouldn't it? We're travelling on separate ships. I'm sure even the king of thieves can't reach so far." She winked at him. "Let's leave that thought for now. We've got shore leave and I intend to enjoy it. I assume you are planning to discover the secret of this bookstore then?"
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 19:17:25 GMT
Damien nodded, "That is what I was attempting to do before I was so rudely interrupted. I was waiting here to observe who patronized the shop. Get an idea of what they left the building holding, and get a measure of them." He chuckled and shook his head, "So far all I can tell you is that no one goes in. Ever. At least in the last half hour."
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 19:28:59 GMT
"But that's not very long," she said. "You'd need to watch it for much longer, and over a period of days. No, months, even. It would be better to go in and talk to them. I mean...it is a funny place for a bookstore but they must get customers sometimes else the cover is no good."
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 19:34:03 GMT
Damien nodded wisely, "We shall but before we go in we need some kind of cover. You should be a pirate captain. You can use your name no one knows that, but I will be your dashing, swashbuckling lover named Roger. I can be your top man. That way we can look around and no one is the wiser at what we are doing." He flashed his smile at her, "Does that sound like a plan you can get behind, Captain?" He winked dramatically at her.
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 20:31:02 GMT
She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, all teasing gone from her voice. "I'm the Skylark of Bastion. Everyone worth knowing already knows my name. But you're right, I need an alias, and I'll make a better captain than you will."
She already had two aliases she frequently used, not that the king of thieves needed to know that. He had probably heard of at least one of her other names, even though he probably wouldn't have connected the dots.
"I shall be Annie Keach, great-granddaughter of the infamous Captain Keach. Do you know about him? I wrote a song about him, you know."
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 20:35:18 GMT
"I knew a Stacy Keach once. Now there was a good kisser." Damien smiled as he was lost in memory for a long moment. Then he looked back down at Silvia, "Unfortunately I have no head for songs. In one ear, and out the other. I am sure I have heard the ballad of Captain Keach one thousand times." Stroked the little bit of hair below his lip, "I presume he was a pirate of ill refute. Perhaps he even murdered a school teacher, or some other dastardly act."
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Post by Silvia Raizer on Jul 10, 2020 20:56:14 GMT
Silvia grinned. "Probably. He murdered a lot of people, mutilated others. Once a captive refused to take off a pretty ring, so Keach chopped his hand right off. Old Redbeard was a proper villain, if half the stories I've heard are true. He raised her voice and began to sing:
"When I was a nipper
I boarded a clipper
Sailed the seas as a goods importer, oh
Edwin Keach is my name
But I earned my fame
As Redbeard the pirate of the water, oh.."1
She swept off her hat and bowed. "That's the first verse of the song, but I probably shouldn't sing any more here."
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1 - I borrowed this one from the Horrible Histories song about Blackbeard.
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Post by Damien Chevalier on Jul 10, 2020 21:08:21 GMT
"Those are exactly the kind of people I despise. Pirates and bushwhackers lacking such creativity that they have only one answer to every problem. I mean there a literally thousands of way to take another's coin and actually have them thank you for it. I have done it many a times. Most nobles are such fools that they will give you half their treasury to a sultry smile alone, and beg you to come back and rob them again." Damien shook his head, "In reality most pirates are just trying to hurt others because it makes them feel better inside. They make all of us who live on the correct side of the law look very bad." He shrugged helplessly and smiled at Silvia, "It is a good song though. I just despise such a man becoming a legend because he had unleash his own demons on the world."
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