Avery was amazed how Tressa didn't seem to get lost but seemed to know exactly where everything was that they had passed. "I'd say start outside, maybe go back to the ship and track down anything to write a notice on for the board then go to the pub. Some of the sailors might be getting off at the end of a job unless they stay with their ship." She replied. "We should probably make sure your supplies reached the ship anyways." she added, turning towards where she thought she remembered the ship docking. Eventually she found her way to the dock, hoping Tressa wasn't going to judge her on getting turned around so much, and boarded the ship.

"I have a few sheets of paper in my room. I'll draw up a notice." She told Tressa, her mind going through what it would need to say. The doctor picked up clean sheet of paper out of her desk and wrote down a message similar to the one she'd be recruited by. Wanted. Soldiers, sailors, sages and pyromancers for a privateer crew. See Doctor Avery Jackson or Tressa. She left a space at the end for Tressa's last name, having realized she had never given one. Avery returned to the deck and looked around for her crewmate.

After finishing about a fourth of the cannon, Matthew decided to take a break. He looked to the sun, now slowly starting to set, the bottom of it just above touching the horizon of the mountains beyond the town. He pulled his leather work gloves off, along with placing his goggles on his forehead. Both him and Beelze walked out the door, waving to the metalsmith, though he only waved to just Matthew, as if Beelze didn't exist. "That's it for the day?" Beelze said, leaning into Matthew's view while they walked. "I guess so." Matthew said, apparently realizing the fact that this demon won't ever leave him, or his mind. As they stalked off to the poorer districts, Beelze broke the silence and said, "Well, I think I'll see you later." And with a snap of his fingers, Matthew turned around just in time to see him disappear into a flurry of shadowy crows. Matthew simply shook his head and said, "Time to build up a new network."

When Tressa spotted her, she beamed. "Oh, excellent!" she said, reaching out for the page. "Looks perfect to me. I'll just pin it up here, shall I?" she indicated a tree that was in good sight of the bar. "Well, as soon as I find a good way to pin it...should have brought a knife or nail or something."

As Rous progressed deeper into the forest, the trees began getting bigger and taller. Soon, the average sized tree would have taken 40 men holding hands to circle all the way around, and Reached hundreds of feet into the sky. This was the Great Forest, home to some elves, wolves, all sorts of creatures. The elves wouldn't bother him on his way, only if he meant to cause trouble here would they intercept and question him. They somehow knew the intentions of those entering their forest. He could already feel eyes focousing on him, following his footsteps.

It began to grow dark, the sun beginning to set. Once it got dark, things would get interesting. Althouh he had never run into any problems walkig through here at night, wolf territoies were always changing. He'd have to keep moving from here on out.

Nikki kept her distance from Rous, but stayed where she could see him. The trees became /huge/, bigger than any she'd ever seen. She had no idea trees could get so big! If she climbed one, she could probably see to the ends of the earth, she bet. That would be fun -- but it would have to wait for another time.

Avery knew she'd probably regret donating a knife but pulled her small dagger out of her belt, "Use this." she suggested, offering the dagger to Tressa. After the announcement was pinned she headed to the bar to wait for anybody adventurous enough to try for the crew.

The man towered over the majority of the people in the pub, and was an absolute monster. Standing at 6'6, and weighing just a bit over 250, his arms were as thick as tree trunks, and his legs twice that size. Barrel chested, with a powerful jaw. Underneath the long, scruffy beard were scars, and an almost permanent smile. For a big brute, the man was very jolly. But don't think of him as a pushover! Around these parts he was known to throw men bodily through windows, then turn around and continue drinking like nothing happened.

With his thick, red wool coat in hand, he strode through the doors of the pub, his booming laughter already filling the room, Icy blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He ran his thick fingers through the mop of brown hair on his head as he looked around. [B]"Ah! Who has drink for old Wyrn, huh?!"[/B] He scooped up a passing barmaid, giggling and screaming as he gave her a smooch on the cheek. He picked up a pint off the bar, then turned to the rest of the room. [B]"I saw recruitment poster on tree outside, who do I talk to to sail?"[/b] He asked, draining the pint in one long gulp.

Avery raised her eyes, the guy asking about the poster seemed like a handful and a bit impressive, "That would be me, sir." She shouted over the din, flicking two fingers in a wave. "Why don't you come over here so we can talk a bit more quiet-like." she added with a grin.

He grinned, pulled over a stool, and sat in front of her. He pulled out a deep bowled pipe, and stuffed it with sweet smelling tobacco. He put the stem up to his mouth, and the bowl let itself. A pyromancer.

He locked eyes with her, still smiling, the most prominent feature of his now becoming apparent. The physical glow behind his eyes were on par with Rous' glow. [B]"I would like to sail. I believe you need pyromancers and soldiers. I am a fighting man, you need me! Are you Captain of ship?"[/b] He asked, puffing away at his pipe

Avery stiffened at the pipe, the smell was too sweet for her taste, among other problems with it. "No, the captain is attending to other business. I am the ship's doctor, and this lady here is the chef." she responded as authoritatively as possible, motioning to Tressa beside her. "We are indeed in need of pyromancers and fighters. If you are still interested sign this paper. We will also answer any questions you have."

Tressa gave the man a small smile, small not for meekness but because the smile was little more than formality. Once the smile faded, there rested a small frown on her lips. While he looked capable, she had a hard time approving, on a personal level, of one who chased barmaids. But then, many sailors were like that so it wasn't as if she didn't want him around. A "fighting man" was the right kind of sailor if they were going to be encountering drakes again. As Avery had things under control, she only crossed her arms over her chest, remaining silent.

Matthew strode into the dark corners of the town, where the poor lived and the rats ran free. Matthew fit into these kind of places, except for the captain's sabre and ornate hand guns at his sides. He saw many men and women on the streets, their moans and cries for help echoing through the street. Many of the poor he saw held potential, but he was looking for a specific kind of person. He saw him on the side of the street in an alley. Two thugs were pushing him back and forth, trying to extort him. Matthew slinked into the shadows of the alley. He emerged just beyond them and pointed one of his pistols at the thugs their eyes widened as he pulled the trigger. They went running off as the gust of empty gunpowder flew into the air, no bullets accompanying it. The poor young man looked to him with suspicion,

"Who are you?"

[B]"Fair enough!"[/b] He said with a shrug and a smile. He grabbed a quill, and dipped it in an ink bottle on the counter. He signed his name with an extremly fancy flourish, one of a highly educated man.

[B]"Tell me about the captain. Who is he? Is he a fair man? Good leader?"[/b] He asked, accepting a fresh pint from a barmaid. Once again, he drained the foamy ale in a single gulp, setting the mug down on the table, as more men lined up behind him. One reached over his shoulder to sign his name, Wyrn simply leaned to one side. He smacked his forehead, with a chuckle. [B]"Oh! Forgot manners! Forgive me, I'm Wyrn Stal'Kovia! I'm known as 'Bear!' "[/b] He held out his massive hand for a handshake

Tressa tilted her head as she looked down at the sheet, curious at his signature. "Captain Rous," she said, looking up and meeting the man's eyes. "He's...charismatic. A good fighter, led his men through a drake fight on the way here." She gave Avery a half-glance before, despite her slight disapproval, taking his hand. Her slender hand was like a child's in his, but her grip was firm enough. "Bear seems like an appropriate name."

"What Tressa said, he's a fair man. Looks after his crew." She confirmed, noting his fancy signature then shaking his hand. Her hand wasn't as dwarfed by his as Tressa's but it was still small. She wasn't used to that but it didn't bother her. Larger men had larger hands. "We hope to see you soon, Bear." The line behind Bear was getting longer, although it wasn't as crazy as the line that the two woman had signed up in. "Hopefully we won't have any stab happy people this time." she whispered to Tressa, nodding her head towards the growing line. She didn't feel like carry out any injured or dead people at this time.

His smile faded into a look of shock and excitement. [B]"Rous? Rous Al'Shineran?! Haha!"[/b] He bellowed a laugh, pumping his fist in the air. [B]"That crazy bastard is still around! I knew I felt his spirit nearby! It's shocking, man used to be scared of water, now he's Captain! Ironic, no?" [/b] His shoulders shook with silent laughter.

He turned to leave, then stopped, holding up a finger as an idea struck him. [B]"Oh! I can help recruitment! Hold on!" [/b] He turned a tad too quickly, completely knocking a man off his feet. He bent down with a quick apology, and hauled the man up like he was a child who had stumbled taking his first steps. He rushed to the door, and stepped outside. Sticking two fingers in his mouth, he let out a long, loud whistle that echoed off the faces of the buildings. The moment it faded, doors all up and down the street opened, and men poured out, 60 or so in all, and they assembled in front of Wyrn. One, about as tall as the Bear, but skinny, with long, bushy sideburns and jet black hair, stepped forward. "Da, bear? You called?" He asked. All the men looked fighting ready, some with swords and knives drawn. Bear grinned "Comrades, I have job for us!" He said, and the men elbowed and spoke amongst themselves. "Does it pay well?" The skinny man asked, his acdent as heavy as Wyrn's. Wyrn poked his head back in the pub, which had gone silent at the assembly of the gang. [B]" Does Rous pay good?"[/b] He asked the two officers

"My name is Matthew, and I have a favor to ask." The horned young man said, "I am in need of a network from the criminal underground." The homeless man's eyes darted to the left, avoiding Matthew's gaze, "I don't know what you're talking about." Matthew tilted his head, "I think you do." He then dropped a small bag of coins into the man's surprised hands. "You keep me updated with the towns and such, there's more where that came from." The homeless man weighed the bag in his palms. After a while he let out a long sigh, "I suppose I'm not in a place to say no. The name's Garret." He said, extending his hand, the other one greedily keeping the bag of coins close to him. "The pleasure's mine." Matthew said, accepting the handshake.

Avery grinned, amused at the water comment, "He also hired a somebody who can manipulate water." Her comment was lost though as Bear eagerly spun around. She rose to help the poor soul who had been knocked over but settle back down when he was helped back on his feet. nn"He'd be an interesting addition to the crew, no?" She whispered to Tressa. Bear's whistle caused her to flinch. She caught the gist of what was going on outside. "You'd have to talk to him about it." She didn't care to shout that kind of information. Avery excused herself from their table and went to look outside. The sight of that many soldiers made her worry about letting so many men loyal to Bear on the ship but it would be Rous's call to make. They would need the extra numbers anyways.

Avery grinned, amused at the water comment, "He also hired a somebody who can manipulate water." Her comment was lost though as Bear eagerly spun around. She rose to help the poor soul who had been knocked over but settle back down when he was helped back on his feet. nn"He'd be an interesting addition to the crew, no?" She whispered to Tressa. Bear's whistle caused her to flinch. She caught the gist of what was going on outside. "You'd have to talk to him about it." She didn't care to shout that kind of information. Avery excused herself from their table and went to look outside. The sight of that many soldiers made her worry about letting so many men loyal to Bear on the ship but it would be Rous's call to make. They would need the extra numbers anyways.

"Well, we already have a pretty big party of characters," said Tressa with a small smile, arms still crossed, "but yeah, he'd definitely be interesting." She started at Bear's question, but relaxed with Avery's answer. She hadn't been sure how to answer. "Looks like there won't be a problem with lack of signers-on, eh?"