The Green Stripe and the Pirates

[Crescent]

Tiger smiled a bit. He'd thought she wouldn't have anything special in mind. With all the gold he was planning on demanding, he could buy her all the trinkets she wanted. He turned his eyes back to Kail. In his inner mind he had solved the problem of these Champions she wanted so bad to bring with her.

"All right, lassie," he said, choosing to ignore altogether her sarcastic remark of a good heart. A pirate had only need for a golden heart - preferrably a 24-carat one. "If you can meet our price, you have yourself a ship... but for every extra passenger, I'll want an extra bag of gold. I hope that's not a problem."

[[and... uhh... weren't there seven champions? So that would make other six, not five. Just noticing a clerical error there in what Kail said ]]

[Delta]

The snow white mare lifted her ears, but only a little. She brushed her tail against Tiger's leg to show that even though he had already accepted the deal, she agreed also.

[Crescent]

Tiger kept one ear turned to Bridie, whisking his own tail to touch her hip while waiting for Kail's answer. He felt comfortable knowing she was on board with him. Sometimes he simply couldn't think what he'd do without her.

[Bella]

Kail nearly rolled her eyes at the new mare on board, but she kept her eyes still on the captains face. He proposed an extra bag of gold per passenger and she was very glad the whole army wouldn't be joining. Not including herself (he never said anything about her having to pay her own way) that would be six more bags of gold. Maybe she could find really small bags.

"Done." Kail held out her hoof to shake on it. Not that she really trusted him much on a shake alone, but perhaps he would feel the warm power running off the peg and know not to go back on his word.

[Crescent]

Tiger was a little suspicious of her quick compliance. But then again, by what he had heard, the Locket was a big deal to these land-lovers. Maybe that explained it. Well, in any case, they had better not double-cross him, or they'd be very sorry. Very sorry indeed.

So he nodded and grabbed the pegasus's hoof to seal the deal. The strange warmth that spread over his hoof as he touched her made him draw his head back just a little, however, his ears drawn back. What the hell was this? Some rainbow-business again? d**n, he didn't even believe into the whole thing - well, except enough to give in to Gan Ning's beliefs, but he'd always thought of that as a private thing of his first mate. He rather not meddled himself into any religious scuffles.

"A-aye," he said finally, however, deciding it was silly to let some ghostly feeling like that shake him. He drew up his chin. "Aye, done."

He pulled away his hoof and stood erect, trying not to look shaken of the touch of something he felt must be greater than his own life.

[Bella]

Noticing the difference in demeanor as the captain shook her hoof, Kail thought he would certainly keep his end of the deal.

"Excellent. As soon as the other Champions get here we will be back then. Be ready to go by the end of the day, at the soonest."

And with that, Kail decided she had had enough pirates for the day and hopped up into the air, gliding down to the docks and the unicorn below.

[Jewel]

"Aye, done."

The heavy red stallion's ears perked forward slightly, and a familiar glint took its place in his emerald eyes. New energy flooded his body, that refreshing promise of some new kind of adventure, that feeling that his heart alone could lead him across the vast sea. Cutter never tired of moving from one port to another, seeing the world with the crew he considered to be his family. Pirates though they were, he reasoned that Gan Ning and Tiger were the ones, if any, he could trust with his life (and around whom he could hold his fiery temper).

And if they succeded in this mission, as he believed they would, Cutter's life as he had known it might finally feel fulfilled. He might be able to have more than a floating bunch of boards to call home: He may finally be able to return to his family.

These thoughts and feelings were only expressed in a slight change in demeanor and a sharp swish of Cutter's raven-black tail. Turning his head confidently to Tiger, he asked in his deep voice:

"Aye, then. Any new orders, Captain?"

[Crescent]

Tiger's eyes remained fixed on Kail's disappearing figure for some while after she had taken off. He felt uneasy, and wasn't sure if he liked this deal after all. But he didn't want to show it. As Cutter spoke, he tossed his tail a little and swiveled his other ear to him. But his gaze didn't move.

"Just prepare the ship," he said with a low voice. "And be ready for anything." He turned his eyes to his crew members sharply. "I don't trust these royal types. They say one thing and mean another. Keep your eyes open."

[Queen Sunrunner]

And with that, Kail decided she had had enough pirates for the day and hopped up into the air, gliding down to the docks and the unicorn below.

Suncatcher was standing pensively, her ears flicking in every direction at the strange noises of the docks. She looked up at Kail's approach, relaxing slightly when she identified the pegasus. "Kail..."

[Bella]

"Champions Unite!" Blue shrouded the peg's vision as she landed on the dock before the unicorn. Sometimes, being a Champion was slightly annoying, especially when the other stripes could send out and catch her mind easier than Dragonrose had.

Shaking her head to dispell the blue mist that had wrapped around her brain, Kail decided she better try to contact the others before responding to Suncatcher. Holding up a hoof to signal quiet for a moment, Kail closed her eyes and tried to reach out to Razz, using her heart as much as relying on his power of the Rainbow.

Razzarro! I've found a boat for us to take. They are willing to follow the pirates for us. Meet me in Dream Valley as soon as you can, I imagine I will be at the Castle. And as an afterthought, Tell Blue not to call again huh? It really kills me not to fly back at that.

Opening her lavendar eyes, Kail looked to Suncatcher. "We better get back to the Castle, the Queen will want to know just how poor I made her."

[Queen Sunrunner]

"I'm not sure the Queen is up to hearing any such thing. Not that any deal you may have cut us is bad, Kail, but she's not entirely...okay, right now." Suncatcher's tail swished anxiously. "Any amount of money is worth getting the locket back. But you can tell me as we walk back, and perhaps I can pass it along sometime when I don't think it's going to shatter her..." The Princess and presumptive Heir sighed deeply, glancing over her shoulder at the Castle.

[Bella]

Kail smiled at the weightless peck on the cheek Razz mentally sent her, and then turned back to SunCatcher.

"Well, that is probably a good idea yes." Kail turned with the unicorn and started walking back. "To the captain, I've promised a bag of gold for each pony boarding. Which is seven Champions at the least. Him and some of his crew also wanted a largish sum of gold and jewels - nothing Dream Valley can't handle, unless things have gone severly downhill since last I was here. Another crew member merely wants his named cleared of some old charges."

Kail turned her head slightly so she could catch any expression on the Princess' face. "The last of them, and this is one that I never actually agreeded to mind you, wants first go at any sunken ships and the goods on them. I didn't know what kind of goods you usually ship out of the harbor, nor how often they sink." Shrugging, the peg waited for any thoughts the other might have.

[Queen Sunrunner]

"They don't sink too often--we haven't lost any since I've been born, that I recall anyway. If there's anything down there that we haven't gotten ourselves, we're never going to. He's welcome to it." Suncatcher flicked her forelock back with an impatient toss of her head. "I know there are some ships down there though. As to the gold and jewels--yes, we can manage that. Sunrunner has tended to the treasurary well. The dropping of charges I'll have to look into...but I'm sure it can be done."

[Bella]

"Excellent."

Kail didn't reply anymore than that, instead her mind had gone back to Razz and the other Champions. They weren't actively calling her anymore, but she could feel them starting to move. She felt somewhat useless in Dream Valley now that she had found a ship.

As the castle came into view down the street and up the little hill, the peg decided she really didn't want to deal with that mess at this moment. She was in too much turmoil inside already to deal with the stress of trying to talk to an incapacitated queen and court.

"Suncatcher? Would you mind telling the Queen what I agreed to on your own? I think I need to get back to my own mother for the short time I will still be in the Valley today."

[Queen Sunrunner]

Suncatcher gave Kail a wryly amused glance. She didn't want to deal with the Queen in her current state either, but she couldn't dodge it so neatly. Still, Kail would have enough to do in short order--best to let her go. "I'll let her know. If there's any objections--which as I've already mentioned, I doubt--I'll let you know. If you don't hear from me, all is well." She paused, tilting her head slightly as she considered something. "If you need anything further, I suggest you try to get ahold of either me or my father, not Sunrunner directly. I have a feeling that by the time this settles down, there'll be a new monarch on the throne." A sad smile flashed across Suncatcher's face before she swiftly turned and galloped to the castle without further conversation.