Thread: Open Skies, Smoking Guns(Myself x F R O S T)

The Neko was certainly not looking forward to the inevitable questions that would be raised when she was seen to be wearing Mercury's shirt, given that it was quite clearly not meant to fit her, and she quite clearly didn't have a bra on underneath. She was hoping that most of the crew would be distracted between the prisoners, the loot, and the battle, but she cut quite a fine figure in that shirt, particularly since it had already been intended to not be entirely modest, so any of the crew who were interested would no doubt be casting long looks her way. That being said, she wasn't entirely sure she was in a rush to change out of it, though. The freshness of Merc's scent mixed delightfully with the more musky sweat from his exertions. Almost a certain thrill to wearing something to...well, provocative, to be honest with herself, that was his and smelled so much like him. Every girl wanted to feel sexy, and that helped. Fortunately for Mercury, few, if any, among the crew had any experience with other dragons beyond tall tales and myths, so the fact that two swift kicks had battered down the reinforced portal was plenty enough, at least for the neko. Even the strongest among the crew likely would not have been able to breach the room without an axe and some time to work at it, after all. Most importantly, none save for the neko and the captain had seen the feat performed. The Merchant was like to exaggerate it out of fear, to make himself seem comparatively less cowardly and also due to the distortions that terror inflicts upon the mind. As for the neko, well, if Mercury was so inclined, she could likely be convinced to retell the tale as one swift kick, rather than two. She would probably see, or could be brought to see, the value of Merc upholding his reputation. However, even if the truth did prevail, it is unlikely any would think any less of the dragon. Normally, perhaps she might have let the situation go without commentary, as he bound and gagged the merchant, but that was before Mercury had seen fit to smirk and joke about the compromising position she had been caught in with the Elven mercenary. Ooh, kinky She grinned. Should I leave you two alone, go get my boyfriend? She would admit that it was cute how he scolded the merchant, but he had a good point. Admittedly, if one was going to die either way, perhaps defiance was the more honorable way to go, but if cornered by a dragon, she would find herself inclined to stroke its ego, or whatever else it desired stroked, if it would keep her alive. She was rather attached to her life, and tragically was bereft of eight replacements. Probably. She hadn't tasted that, admittedly. I hold some hope that the mercenaries are spared. Their comrades surrendered, after all, and they don't hold any particular grudge against us. That wasn't to say that they wouldn't be executed, either to make a point against their resistance, or from an overzealous crew member, but, while she didn't know them, they seemed interesting enough types to keep around. Would make good pirates, if they didn't tentatively stay on the right side of the law, as they did. He would hear a scoff that could only have come from the neko, even as his eyes wandered away from her. Interrogation, right. She muttered, tone making it clear that she questioned the motives of the Captain's involvement with the pretty elf. No question of the redhead's tastes being exotic, after all, and her lust wasn't much hidden, either. The catgirl did have the decency to cough and look apologetic, though. She didn't know Merc that well, and if he was close to the Captain, she didn't want to be putting herself on either of their bad sides. Indeed, generally speaking, the loot was pooled and then distributed by position, with bonuses given for exemplary performance or, admittedly, favoritism. Between his skills and his position, that meant few would question Merc taking what he wanted, within reason, unless the Captain wanted it for herself. The Neko, on the other hand, was merely another hand among the crew. Only the bold, the skilled, or the foolish tried to snatch things for themselves amongst the common crew. She was, fortunately, skilled, but she also was careful, and didn't take often, unless she thought she could get away with it. That's nice wood. She couldn't help but admire when he dragged his claw across the desk. The floor, too. She knew good woodworking mostly through her firearms, and most of those she handled were average to poor quality, but she could spot the good stuff. She looked around while he looked through the desk, though when relatively valuable items began to appear, she found her gaze once more drawn to the desk, a sparkle in her eyes as she all but licked her lips in anticipation. It was possible they were disappointed, but looking at the poor, plump bastard on the ground, he was well enough off for himself to have something nice tucked away close at hand. Let me know if you need a luck....quietly opened. He was plenty capable of smashing through locks, as he had made plenty clear, but that was noisier, left the object clearly damaged, and could potentially damage contents. Normally not a problem, but with draconic strength, soft metals such as gold might give way and deform. Unfamiliar with draconic, his exclamation drew only an inquisitive tilt of the head from her, but there was no misunderstanding the pouch he presented, nor the light in the thief's eyes. She happily snatched the ruby out of the air when it was thrown to her, twirling it on one finger to allow herself to examine it fully before tucking it away. Blue was more her color, but when it came to gems, or gold, or silver, she was nowhere near picky. Yes, there was part of her that wanted the entire bag, but Merc had readily earned it, and she was just happy to be given anything from the proceeds. As for the rest, there would undoubtedly be a lockbox tucked away somewhere where the merchants liquid proceeds were stored, but that would have to wait. Assuming the crew, or the Captain, didn't find it first, which seemed unlikely. She happily accepted the weapon, careful with it even though she was sure it was unloaded, twirling it around a finger and nodding her approval. It was surprisingly simple, considering the wealth of the man who possessed it, but it would be a good holdout weapon, limited in range by its size, but plenty capable of doing some damage up close, especially if paired with the element of surprise. Once back on deck, they would find that indeed, rather than the boarding action of earlier, the ships were all but docked with one another, with the merchant ship pacified. Mercury and the neko both drew some attention, chiefly due to the fact that he was topless and she was wearing his top, which was pleasingly ill-fitting, but the bloodied arm that the dragon possessed was also taken into consideration, and the prize slung over his shoulder, though that was soon unceremoniously dumped with the mercenaries and soldiers. There was plenty of activity, largely the dead being gathered and the wounded being tended to, with the surviving soldiers being marched out onto deck to join the other captives. With all command structure gone, the last bastion of resistance, which had impressively inflicted some casualties on the assaulting pirates, had crumbled. The leader of the boarding party, the one who had sent the dragon and the catgirl below-decks to make an assault from behind, approached, nodding respectfully to the dragon. You did well. Both of you. I assume He looked to Mercury to see if he had any objections to the neko's performance being assumed positive. No report was asked for, as that would be given to the Captain, but there was the matter of the prisoners. The Captain has claimed the elf for herself, at least while negotiations with the Mercenaries go on, but the blonde is yours, Merc. He gestured to the fierce warrior, who had set herself apart from the soldiers, with the elf. She is to be kept intact, though. As much as possible. It was unlikely that Merc would do any real damage, but the boarding sergeant clearly didn't know him that well. After you're done, report to the captain. She'll be done with negotiations by then. And you can join the others in sweeping the ship. You've a nose for loot. With their join operation done, it was time for the neko to return to her duties as a crew member, it seemed. While Mercury would likely be displeased at the delay in his meeting with the Captain, it made sense that he see the blonde first. Knowing if she was going to join, or be released, would partially dictate the redhead's course of action in dealing with the Mercenaries, and sending the sellswords on their way would allow attention to be turned to more pressing matters. Likewise, he wouldn't be deprived of public announcement of his victory, as the crew would be gathered once all affairs, and it was a sure bet that the victor of the contest would be one of the declarations made. As for the neko, well, she hadn't expected the privacy and special consideration to last, so she wasn't too crestfallen, as fun as running with Merc had been. Little attention was paid to their state of dress, either, by the sergeant. He presumably had to deal with all of the annoying aspects of keeping things running, and was in no mood to make such observations. At any rate, Mercury would notice the blonde being escorted over to the pirate's ship, to be secured somewhere quiet where the dragon could talk with her, or whatever he intended to do with his prize. The elf was left with the others for now, as the Captain would likely come claim him in person after the mercenaries were dealt with. Valuable a member as the elf likely was, given that they had technically been defeated, the loss of one or two of their number was hardly a steep price to pay. The soldiers would likely be executed, but if any among them had the desire to join, or a rich family, they would be kept around, if only temporarily. They could be sold to slavery, but as a rule, the captain stayed away from that. It was generally more trouble than it was worth.