"No hard feelings I hope." Esmerelda said to Dimitri "you're still a promising pirate" she added with a grin.

“of course Captain. I would still envy a spot in your crew of course.” he said with a bow to her of his own and jumped down from the table.

From her vantage point on the table Esmerelda could see Etheldred roll his eyes and turn to leave the Inn.

“But my crew!” Esmerelda called s. “we must still elect our quartermaster!” laughing cheers rang from the crowd.

“Etheldred my good man, would you join me up here?” Esmerelda asked.

“no” he remarked drily.

Esmerelda feigned upset “well would anyone else like to be quartermaster?” a chorus of nos rang from the crowd. “and who would we have as our quarter master” Esmerelda asked the crowd. A drunken cheer of “Etheldred!” rose up in response.

“it appears then both of our positions are secure captain.” Etheldred said flatly and walked away.

Esmerelda watched him go for only a second before addressing her crew again.

“And my crew!” Esmerelda called still commanding her audience. “I am most pleased to announce we will also have joining us on our next voyage a surgeon, a healer, Petrianna Yekaterina Alexandra Androvna! Come up here girlie.” she said extending her hand down and hauling Petrianna up on to the table.

Petrianna was nearly completely paralyzed at all the attention and noise but managed to say a quick “Thank you I am most pleased to be sailing with you.” before jumping back down and hurrying to the safety of a quieter corner.

“and now we call for enlistments! Returning sailors new crew we will take you all on an adventure. We will raid the merchant vessels, we will plunder undefended lands, we will see things our parents never dreamed of seeing. The world is wide and long and we will see more than we have before when we sail south for the Southern Continent!” Esmerelda announced to the crowd to thunderous applause and cheers. She saluted her crew and jumped down. She walked over to Sezjeck and said “not bad huh?”

“Not bad at all captain,” he replied “now to the business of the thing.”

“Oh why do you spoil my fun Sezj?” Esmerelda asked with a sigh.

“You brought this upon yourself Captain, you nominated him.” Sezjeck said evenly.

“Someone that good at their job should not be this hard to work with.” Esmeralda remarked.

“Theres always the next voyage captain.” Sezjeck offered.

“If we don't kill each other first.” Esmerelda laughed.

Etheldred was already seated at a table with contracts for the voyage ready to be signed. Esmerelda walked over to him to do her truly least favorite part of her job of sitting next to him while the crew signed on for the voyage. Lark was the first in line to sign up for the voyage. And he barely read over the articles before signing his name to the charter for the voyage.

“I think you confuse stupidity for bravery boy.” Esmeralda said “ but if you survive this voyage you will be richer, wiser, and hopefully better suited for living..” she concluded.

“Oh I am very well suited for living Captain Esmerelda. You see back in my village--” Lark was cut off

“You are not important enough for us to know your back story.” Etheldred sneered.

“Well that just rude.” Lark responded.

“The quartermaster is indeed unpleasant but we are none the less we are at least momentarily in agreement. I do not need your life story. Move along we will see you on board.” Esmerelda said dismissing him.

Lark shuffled away from the table and over to the bar. The room was alive with excitement. The towns folk mingled in with the men and women off the boats. Esmeralda's crew was one group among many drinking, gambling and celebrating new or returned voyages. Lark saw Petrianna by herself at a small table in a corner looking distractedly around the room while rubbing her thumbs along each of her finger tips over and over again.

A glass shattered drawing Lark's attention away from the Northerner. A glass shattering was by no means an uncommon sound in the tavern but this one was followed by an angry yell and a brief but deep silence before it was replaced by the sound of chairs scrapping back against the floor, more braking glass, angry yells, and the meaty sound of fists hitting faces. What started out as a fight between two people quickly escalated to a fight between two crews to an all out melee in which all present were taking the opportunity to vent rage and settle scores. It did not matter who the score that needed settling was with. A loud whistle came from the madam of the inn and a dozen or so of the upstairs girls that had been working the floor disengaged and nimbly made their way threw the crowd and back to the safety of their rooms. Lark watch as each picked her way threw the crowd side stepping and ducking threw and around the increasingly chaotic violence in the bar. Lark was amazed. He had seen more than one bar fight on his journey to the coast but never had there been this many people this uniquely suited for and partial to violence. He decided to try a theory he had been working on during his moths of traveling along the road. He unhooked his concertina from its place at his hip, stepped onto his stool and up onto the bar and sang out shouting above the din :

“I met a lass so bonnie and fair and a fair bonnie lass was she! Hay ho! And a fair bonnie lass was she.”

The bar was still stuffed with the sounds of fighting and Lark quickly realized he was going to have to carry the first few verses. Much to his delight the inn keep started to immediately clap along.

The focus of the crowd shifted ever so gradually as one fighter disengaged long enough to call out a verse.

More quit their fighting and joined in the chorus now “hey Ho! And a fair bonnie lass was she!”

another verse was called out and Lark felt vindicated and spectacular. He noticed Petrianna's rapt attention.

The next verse came from one of the upstairs girls as she led them all back down the stairs. Somewhere around verse eight the whole bar was singing along and round about verse twelve Lark sang out a final chorus of “a bonnie fair lass was she.” to rousing applause and a general air of camaraderie in the bar. Barty Brownboots was the first to talk to him.

“Thank you boy that was a close one. This ones on the house.” he said and pushed a tall flagon of ale across to him. “I like it when my Inn doesn't get smashed to bits.” he added with a smile.

“Yes, peace is in general better for business.” The madam said. Then gestured to one of the girls “Lucille, give this young man...” she paused appraising “ thirty minuets of your enchanting company.”

“bBt ma'am he's a boy!” Lucille said apprehensively.

The Madam regarded Lark again “Can you grow a beard boy? How old are you?”

“I can grow a beard.” Lark said self consciously stroking his jaw. “it just comes in all patchy and blond.”

“how old are you?” the madam pressed

“I've seen 16 summers” Lark asserted

“yes sweetie but when's your birthday.” Lucille asked

“the fall equinox.” Lark mumbled.

“Come again dearie?” the madam pried

“Its in a few weeks!” Lark said now loud enough to be heard

“Splendid then Fifteen minutes of your time Lucille dear than back out on the floor.” The madam patted Lucille and Lark on the shoulders and walked away.

“That was incredible!” Petrianna said. Lark had not noticed her walk up. “I didn't realize you were a bard.”

“I'm not a bard.” Lark blew off the comment.

“You just did magic using music. That spell was calm emotions, and on a lot of people at once, although I guess the room is small, and it is easier as more and more people calm down and strengthen the effect of the spell bu--”

“whoa whoa whoa, its not a spell its just a song.” Lark maintained.

“Just a song can not turn a violent and chaotic mob into a peaceful if loud gathering of people. That was magic.”

“then all music is magic.” he said trying to sound cool. “i've seen this happen plenty of times” he said trying to sound worldly “when people get angry you've just gotta get em singing and it calms them down every time.” he finished

“And have you been the one to start the singing before” Petra asked.

“No not myself” Lark replied.

“And has it every calmed down that quickly before when you have watched other people just use music?” she asked further.

“No” he replied again

“And had the crowd been this big and violent before” Surely she could get him to see this.

“No” Lark replied blankly.

“You are a bard, why are you denying it. Magic is great.” Petrianna began.

“Listen Miss what ever he is he is not, he is on my time and we're starting now.” Lucille said, hooked Lark by the collar and pulled him away upstairs.

“I'll see you on board Petra!” Lark called as he was hauled off.

Petra thought it odd that anyone would deny the use of magic to anyone let alone themselves, magic was the best thing there was to her mind.

“Why will he not admit he's a bard?” Petra thought to herself.

Down the bar Tornas had seen all that had unfolded. The fight, the song, the healer's revelation, and the boy's denial. Tornas had spent most of his life after the monastery in bars. As such he had seen a lot of bar fights. Some of them had been solved with a rousing and unifying song but this quickly and this well he had only ever seen her be able to do before. He pushed away the untouched drink in front of him and stood up to leave.

“Not thirsty tonight Tornas?” Barty the inn keep asked him.

“No, i'm drying out for a bit.” Tornas replied.

“Onboard a ship? Good luck with that” Barty laughed

“Thanks Barty, i'll need it.” Tornas bid his friend farewell and walked away from the bar.