Back to Part IV
September 29 18xx
Evening, Domino’s Airship
Nellie climbs over the side and looks at Domino “Yea?” Domino replying with her usually blank expression “Planning and rum?”
Nellie not one to let things go once she’s got her mind on it “Your crew at the plannin?” adding after Domino’s nope “But they on your ship where ya plannin.”
“They have normal hearing.” Domino bounces back. Nellie has her next move though “Ya trust em not to be puttin their ears at doors an walls?”, replying to a mhm with “Yea, well I don’t.”
Domino quick again, she points toward the bow “He’s over there watching stuff, shes down below buried in the engine.”
“You’re missin the point Aunt D.” Domino replying “Must be.”
Nellie aiming to get to bottom, and end, of this “Ya don’t trust my crew, an that’s fine, ya don’t gotta they’s mine to worry bout. But ya spect me come up here to make plans without em, an trust yours, which ah don’t.”
“I dont expect you to trust them. I only trust them as much as I’m paying them so far. I trust that I can see where they are and what they can hear” Nellie nods to the reply, it does make sense, but it’s not what she wants to know “Ah got humans, same’s yours. Two others with brains the size of walnuts. A regular everday wolf, he dun talk much. An a vampire. With ‘ception of that last one…what ya worried bout?”
Domino looks at her “Mostly that last one. Also the big guy, but not as much or for the same reasons.”
There it was, the answer Nellie already knew but wanted to hear. “Ah got tranqs for the big guy should he get cantankerous.” she pauses then sighs “As for Alek, you’re gonna haveta get used to him. Ya don’t want him hearin, fine…but ya trust me not to tell him anyway? He is captain too.”
“I trust you to do what you gotta do to run your crew, but it’s you I’m planning with.” Domino sighs “Can plan in morse code if you want.”
Nellie shakes her head “Just makin sure we on same page…” Domino replies “I don’t trust him and I don’t want him on my ship. Might change, but that’s where we are now.” Nellie gives up, the argument pointless, she knew it when it started. Still not happy that D doesn’t trust her, which is what she hears from it. She just nods and says “Let’s go plan then…”
Domino nods and pours the rum glasses. Nellie climbs up and sits right on the large table top her eyes scanning the map Domino spreads out on it. Domino points out an area “Here’s where we are.” her hand moves along a route “That way’s shipping lanes…good for raids.” Nellie nods and Domino moves again “Over there we got a nice little port. Bit off the chart for larger ships, pirates gather there sometimes to plan stuff and divide spoils.”
Nellie nods listening. They continue on, the subject shifting to raid talks, strategies, what each others crews are skilled at, guns…size and quantity…the like. It ends where they left off before the change of subject, Domino pointing back to the shipping lanes “They have a small fleet and not many allies.”
Nellie nods “So current plan is sail to that route, find a ship, give it a good raidin…” Domino adding “There’s a few other smaller ports like em around, but they’re closest and weakest.”
Nellie nods “Aye, well pick a headin an that’s where we’ll head.” Domino points out a spot on the map and Nellie takes note of it “A’ight then…good deal.” she downs her glass and sets it on the table with a thump “Reckon ah better get back down there…” she looks over at Domino “Maybe yall drop down…get the crews together. Everone should kinda know each other a bit case we’re ever thrown in a mix…”
Domino nods “Sounds good. I’ll see who wants to come down.”
Nellie drops down to her deck, followed by Domino and Juliana, Gary opting for staying aboard Domino’s ship to watch over things. First thing Julian notices is the wolves, she looks at Domino “Uh, Captain?”
Domino meets her look with a smirk “Meet the crew.” adding a moment after “They’re friendly.” Juliana nods, but her expression showing she wasn’t fully convinced.
Nellie nods and half smiles “Mostly anyway.”
Domino asks “Where we goin?” Nellie replying “If we’re drinkin we’re goin down…” calling to her crew as she heads to the hold’s hatch “Yall come down here, we’re gonna have a drink…Bam, any trouble howl will ya…” looking over to his grunt and nod before she drops down the hatch.
Once everyone is down she nods over at one of her guys “Hey Davies pull us over a barrel huh? Rum.” then proceeds to hunt down mugs ad bring them to the table while everyone passes out their nods and heys. Davies gets the barrel to it’s side at the end of the table and Nell starts filling mugs and passing them around, naming her guys as she passes theirs “Davies…Baz…” she nods to the sleepers, who are sleeping off a nights work like the dead, or just not bothering to say anything or show otherwise “Butcher…Lyons.”
Juliana adds in her smiles and nods to the fellas then asks Nell “Does the guy upstairs talk?”
Nellie replies with a shake of her head “Nah…he’s tried a couple times but it comes out growl no matter what.” leaving out that she can talk to him just fine, mostly “Pretty good at gettin a point cross usually though. Takes a few times some…pends who he’s talkin to an what him wants.” and that the seemingly garden variety wolf out there with him can talk with him even better, or that he can talk to anybody he wants to.
Domino asks “How’s Ashina doin?” answering Juliana about who that is with “Friend of mine, purple, round here somewhere.”
Nellie nods “Purple woman with hooves…usually find her horizontal…specially when Bam goes to rockin the ship.” she chuckles “He’s till tryin to sort why he can’t eat her…an why ah won’t either. Keep tellin him cause she’s personish…an probly give him tummyache.” she shrugs “Off poutin somewhere round here ah reckon. She tried makin friends with Bam today. Fell all over herself when she seen the other wolf, then Bam laughed at her.”
Domino asks Baz and Davies a few questions, where they come from and the like. Asking Baz “”Hey. You Russian? Polish? One of those eastern ones?” Baz nodding and replying in his thick accent “Russian” before taking a large sip. Domino nodding “Ah ok. Know a few Poles but not so many Russians.”
Nellie looks at her “Alek’s Russian, you’ve met him.”
Domino shrugs “Wasn’t paying much attention to his outfit.” and Juliana asks “Who’s Alek?”
Nellie sighs then looks at Juliana “The other captain of the ship. He’s sleepin right now…maybe meet him later or nother day.” still a bit sore from earliers conversation, and a bit bummed having hoped he’d get up early and join them, but his schedule a bit different, she’d just have to hope for another time.
Domino then asks Juliana “How’s the engine looking?” Juliana brightens up at the mention “She’s a lovely engine, good, old cogs and bits. Well built. I’ll keep her oiled and she’ll keep running forever!” Domino smiles
Nellie glad for a change of topic looks over at her “Didja make sure the thingamabob was idlin right with tha whatchamacallit an spinnin the doohickey jus so so the wuteveritis runs smooth?” Both giggling after Juliana replies “Mhm! Yep! All going smoothely!” Nellie looks at Domino “Ah like her. Think anyone else woulda looked at me like what the fuck ya on about…”
Domino smirks at their carrying on then nods “She’ll do.”
Nellie turns her attention back to Juliana “Ah can fix jus bout anythin ah reckon..but don’t ask me what the part’s names are…or even what exactly they do half the time..ah just move an fiddle til it goes to runnin” Domino goes on to add she can do a little bit but no expert, why she hired Juliana to keep it running, Nellie nodding “Last I were on it it were makin a racket…runnin but not soundin quite right. Had me fiddle with it, but weren’t much time for proper fiddlin. Jus give it a right kickin, an threw out somethin unneeded…it got us there an back anyway.”
They finish out the night talking about Nellie’s plans to put an engine on her ship, once she can get the owner, she refers to as the ship’s papa, to agree to it. Her and Juliana making plans and such for it and talking parts and engine work. Discussing Gary and his habit of watching everyone, whether needed or not. Domino saying she’ll sort him.
Domino ends the night with “Bout time we got back” a round of nods and byes and see yas then “Tell Alek get out of his box.”
Nellie nodding “Night both of ya…see ya.” she sees them off then retreats to the bow of the ship to lounge on the bowsprit and wait for her co-captain to wake.
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