Posts by Nicotine.

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    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]The.. The captain? That was both frightening and relieving; she seemed okay, if not a little.. Off. Sel? Like Selena? Or maybe something else; many people tended to have strange names, him included.


    "That's fine! Nice to meet you, captain." Nico said, not minding the odd nickname; Mary had called him odder things, definitely. Though usually those nicknames were endearing, and not somewhat random. Oh well, didn't matter too much.


    "A tour would be fantastic." Nico said, as Trudy chirped cautiously on his shoulder. Trudy nipped at his ear and he winced; he'd only known her a week after all, she wasn't really the most perfect companion yet.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico was settling in.. Decently, considering he was among a group of rather terrifying pirates and his most trusted companion was some sort of demonic animal that clung to his shoulder and every so often bit one of his ears.


    Though that didn't mean he knew everybody, or even knew one percent of the ship or island's contents; but now was as good of a time to learn, right? He was full, well rested and ready to take on the task of discovery.


    He heard chatter down in the hold, and trotted down; he only recognized one of the voices, the captain's, but she seemed nice enough so he wasn't all that worried.


    He noticed the two rummaging through some chests, obviously looking for something. He walked over while Trudy watched the two with cautious in her eyes.


    "What're we looking for down here?" He asked.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico had seen all manners of creatures in his lifetime; it came alongside the job, of course! Though one thing he didn't usually see was ferrets; he rarely saw those weasels out in the wilderness alone. Usually they at least had a traveling companion, or were part of a group. But this person appeared to be alone, apart from the captain chatting with them.


    The tom trotted over, a curious, warm smile on his maw. His pet however, watched them all with cautious eyes; Trudy tightened her tail that was currently wrapped around Nico's neck, while tightening her grip on his fur as she rode on his shoulder.


    "Hello, Xyila, captain." Nico said, his ears tilted forward attentively as he looked at them. "...Are you okay, miss? Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Nico said in concern as he peered at the ferret, who was hiding under some sort of leaf- did he recognize that type of leaf? Was it another one of this islands strange things? No, no it seemed normal.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico followed her with light footsteps, not sure how to continue the conversation so he decided to let it die. He glanced at the jungle around them, his natural curiosity taking over. He did want to learn more about this island, especially after finding Trudy here; maybe the captain knew more? But she'd seemed surprised to see Trudy, so maybe not.


    "So, why is this place called the Skulls?" He decided to ask; the Skulls was a strange name, though it was mildly catchy. Still, he wanted to know why they'd name their group something like that.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Oh gods, he was late for his first meeting! He should've known to set an alarm, but he'd forgotten and now he'd overslept. The tom hurried over just in time to hear the announcements, and breathed a small sigh of relief that he hadn't missed anything.


    He didn't understand most of what the captain said, but he quickly scribbled down notes in his notebook to keep track of everything. He wasn't sure if he wanted to volunteer to host weekly tasks, but visiting one of their allies to bring gifts; oh joy, he could start his search for Mary!


    He tried to ignore the brutality the captain talked about - walking the plank, keelhauling, marooning like he'd been.. - but if he had to adopt some of these customs in order to stay in the Skulls, he would. He would do anything to find his wife, even break his morals.


    "I'll bring some gifts to Boneclan." Nico said.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico shivered, even underneath the cloak he'd brought along after hearing how cold Boneclan's territory was; he didn't know why anything would want to survive in such harsh conditions, but he supposed there were ways. Ways that he wasn't interesting in studying at the moment, interestingly enough.


    He'd left his trusty pet, Trudy, back at home; the cold conditions wouldn't be fair to the warmth-loving demon. Which meant he was all alone while he waited on Boneclan's border. All he had was the clothes on his back and the gifts he'd brought; he tried to make it something that they'd enjoy, so he brought heating packs that could easily be heated over a fire, cloaks like the one he was wearing, and a nice selection of weapons he'd been advised to bring.


    Though bringing gifts was his official reason for being there, there was more to it then that; he was looking for his wife. Even though he doubted she'd be in this cold, bright place, he had to check.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Well, now would be as good a time as any to meet his clanmates. Considering he was going to be spending who knows how long here until he found Mary, it'd be best to know the people he'd be living with.


    "E-excuse me, I'm holding a meet and greet, I'd be appreciative if people could come over and introduce themselves." He called out. "My name's Nicotine, but most call me Nico." As he spoke, his pet, chirped and nipped at his ear. "-Oh, and this is Trudy." He added. The blue, tiny creature named Trudy tightened her tail around his neck and looked around with glowing yellow eyes.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]She was parroting the familiar words Sel spoke to most every stranger; it was cute, though the question of his favorite color was a.. Loaded one, and he'd rather not go down that path with children around; still, if he ignored her that would be rude and he didn't want to stifle anybody's curiosity.


    "I'm Nicotine, but everybody calls me Nico." He said earnestly. "And I like all the colors, its just impossible for me to choose." He decided to go with the quick answer instead of the long-winded one.


    "I'm sure nobody would mind you staying here." He answered before glancing at Sel, looking for guidance; she'd done this more then him, so he hoped she'd take the lead.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Oh, there was that ferret again; he was glad to see she was settling in well. "Hi Xylia." He responded, while Trudy watched the ferret with attentiveness; he was so excited that Trudy was finally learning to respond to her name! It was magical to see her learning and helping him explore this strange place.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]The cat snuggled more into his cloak as he waited, not immediately noticing the figure walking out of the snow until she was right in front of him. He pressed his ears back, hoping that she'd ignore his rudeness; he got lost in thought so easily, and it was even easier in this climate to find himself slipping further into his mind as a solace from the cold.


    "Oh, hi. I'm here bringing gifts from the Skulls to Boneclan, and I'm looking for someone as well." Nico explained, slightly alarmed that a child would be allowed to wander the barren snow-laden land alone, especially without any sort of protection like a hat or a cloak like the one he was wearing. Was frostbite a common occurrence here? Did people die from the cold? Di- He bit his lip as he noticed himself start slipping back into the realm of thought.


    "Oh, er- But first, my name's Nico, forgive my conversational clumsiness." He added.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Hmm, so far it'd only been people he knew; he didn't mind of course, Xyila and Sel's company were always welcome to him, but he'd been hoping to meet some new faces. Oh well, they could always play a game to pass the time like Sel had suggested.


    "Sure, that sounds fun. Do you have anything in mind?" Nico asked; he usually preferred boardgames or cardgames, but since they had neither at the moment he hoped Sel had something planned.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico wasn't what most would imagine to be a fierce pirate; which was because, frankly, he wasn't. He was merely using his membership of the Skulls as an excuse to use their resources and influence to find his wife... Well, now that he thought about it that way, maybe he did fit in with these people more then he wanted to admit.


    He was clever, honest and playful; he had a genuine, childlike curiosity about the world around him that'd never been crushed or questioned. He held a deep faith in the world to be unpredictable, never perfect or truly hell-like. After all, life was made up of mountains and valleys with roads and pitfalls like any other journey, it wasn't as simple as an ocean where some floated and others drowned.


    Trudy nipped his ear as she noticed him spiraling into his thoughts, and he jumped back into reality. He'd noticed an odd scent on their borders, so he'd tasked himself with checking it out. What he was met with was a mildly scary sight; the young wolfdog, taller then him even though she was most likely younger then the tom, who fell starkly on the older side of the population.


    She was breathing in a weird way; with just the muscles pumping the air in and out of her body in use. She didn't seem to be tense, but that was simply a strange way of existing; he knew he'd never be able to relax himself and keep such composure.


    "Hi lass, what brings you to these parts?" Nico said, trying to integrate some pirate slang into his sentence and mostly succeeding, though it was obvious it wasn't how the male usually talked by how his ears twitched and pressed back while he spoke.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico wasn't as amused by Xylia's actions as it seemed the others were, but that was probably because he'd gotten cuffed and scolded by the npcs who thought Trudy had stolen their fish. After that unpleasant encounter, the male started heading up to the deck as he heard voices; Trudy let out a low hiss of displeasure, obviously still boiling with anger and not in the mood to hang out with people, but Nico still decided to check it out.


    He noticed Sel, a stranger, and Xylia hanging out by the wheel and trotted over curiously. His curiosity turned to concern when he noticed Xylia's stomach rumbling oddly. He made a small noise in agreement with the kitten's question as he looked at them.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico didn't have as much tragedy growing up as some of the people he'd met; he'd had a simple, good life with plenty of friends and decent parents. He'd drifted away from his friends eventually, and he'd lost contact with his parents after being marooned, but he'd had a nice life before coming to the Skulls. Which, he supposed, made him a bit insensitive to the issues surrounding such great losses, but he would hope he'd never have to help anybody cope with such things if he could help it.


    He noticed Xylia and another child chatting on the deck, with Sel carefully watching over them like a mother hen that doesn't quite want to admit she's protective of her children, or in this case, any child without a proper guardian in Sel's sightrange.


    He heard them chatting about the island and trotted over; he loved that island, even though he'd been stranded there before joining the Skulls. It was full of so much mystery! He'd only recently seen the temple, which brought so many questions; he'd have to study it more in depth sometime. And he'd also found Trudy there, whom was currently curled up on his back napping while she clung to his fur with her tiny fingers.


    "There aren't any rules stopping you, and I'm sure any of the adults wouldn't mind giving you a tour." Nico said helpfully; though Xyila could probably do a good job of showing the kitten around, he didn't feel safe letting the two children run off into a hostile environment without someone protecting them.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]//Interested if nobody else is! aka he's like, the backup if nobody else is gunning for it


    Nico wasn't really the best with herbal medicine; he knew some basics, like what you can eat and what you can't, but that was it. He had an intricate knowledge of biology though, so he was certain he'd pick up on this stuff quickly though. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was with knowing that the captain knew a bunch about herbs though, but maybe that made her better at her job?... Ok, even though he thought that he knew it was bull.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico might have zoned out, just a little, while thinking about colors; it seemed as thought they were now giving her a tour. Good, so she'd been accepted; he was happy about that, he didn't know what he'd do if Sel said to leave the child out here.


    "We're decently big, but not nearly as big as some of the other groups. We don't know for sure; the founders wanted something pirate-like and unique and thought The Skulls was the best fit. And we're in a jungle, and jungles are like big forests that are brighter and damper then normal forests." He put it into words that Xylia hopefully understood as he trotted alongside them; he'd love to see more of the jungle as well. Even though he lived there, there was still so much to explore!

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico felt his heart temporarily stop at the kid's words, and Trudy let out a soft growl of confusion at the seemingly threatening words. Nico tried to hide how his shoulder slumped partially in relief as the kid's grin and wagging of her tail lightened the mood. He'd admit, physically she definitely had the advantage; he wasn't trained in battle, and try as Trudy might she was still small enough to ride on his shoulder and couldn't do much in a fight.


    Nico gave his chest a quick lick and tried to think up a reasonably humorous respond to Kodaline's words, but he came up with nothing; he wasn't much of a comedian. He supposed he could try to play up the pirateness - he shivered at that word, goodness what was he coming to nowadays - and try to keep his accent? That might be funny.


    "Well, s'long as you keep tha pillaging for later, I don't see a reason why you can't join, tar." Nico said, purposefully making making his response more like he'd heard from his clanmates - more specifically, the captain - while trying to keep enough of his proper English accent leaking through to make it amusing. "Nicotine, but most call me Nico. Pleased to meet you, Kodaline."

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Nico nudged Trudy to calm the small creature down as Kodaline responded. Landlubber? He knew it was an insult, but it was too true for him to really protest. She then asked about the captain, which was probably what any sane individual would do after joining a pirate crew.


    "Alright, Koda. And our captain is Cap'n Sel, a right ole seadog. She'll probably turn up sooner then later." Nico responded, not knowing Sel's full name; he did know that she was well adjusted for the pirate life, and was the one who encouraged everybody to use pirate slang. "Do ya want me to show ya the way to the ship?" He asked next. Even though it was pretty obvious if you circled the island for long enough, it'd be much easier for him to show her the way.

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]Conjure.. Oh right, many people had powers and conjuration was among them; Sel must have that power. He had to admit, he was intrigued by the many powers people held, but he'd have to save his curiosity for later. He hummed, trying to think of a game that was simple enough that Xylia wouldn't be confused by the rules, but interesting enough that everybody would have fun.


    As he thought, another familiar face trotted over. This time it was Koda, still rolling with the pirate slang; which made him want to join in. Damn, he wanted to but Sel would probably notice and tease him about it.


    "We could play War if ya conjured some cards." Nico suggested; it was a game made for two people, but they had four so they could all pair up. "And hi again, lass."

    [center][fancypost=width: 500px; text-align: justify]//quietly pming you and taking you up on that offer ;p


    And there Sel was, sauntering up as she usually did. He knew she would arrive sooner or later, Sel tended to pop up whenever she noticed an opportunity to interact with her clanmates. He took her nodding and mouthing something akin to "that'd be awesome" as a signal she did want him to show her the way to the ship.


    He snorted in restrained chuckling at Koda's answer to Sel's unusual question. He wasn't sure if Koda wanted to open the floodgates or not, but she sure as hell had.


    "Alright scallywag, ya can try your luck at plundering the cap'n's heart later." Nico said, already looking at the shadows on the trees to gauge the direction they needed to go to get to the ship. "The ship's this way." He said after a minute of observation.