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Post by zuyuri on Mar 13, 2013 18:59:15 GMT -5
Groaning, Esmeralda decided she might as well talk to that guy. Also, Jim warned her of the dangers in the woods. Maybe she could feed Jim's words to whoever was going out in there. She followed the path cautiously, her dagger drawn in case there was an ambush or an assault. After maybe five minutes, Esmeralda sheathed the weapon, thinking there probably wouldn't be any danger for the time being. No sooner had she sheathed it, then, dumb luck, two grinning bandits were looking at her like she was a piece of meat. "Well, well, look who wandered her way in here," one of them taunted, "you must be the little gypsy everyone's talking about." "Yeah, and you don't deserve my identity, punks," Esmeralda growled. Balling her hand into a fist, she managed to get a nice hit on one leering face. The other one made a grab for her, but Esmeralda's elbow hit him square in the chest. Esmeralda knew this was one part one. She had to get out of here, fast. Tying her money close, Esmeralda made a blind dash down the path, her only guide being her adrenaline.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 13, 2013 21:24:11 GMT -5
Tulio had just decided to head out into the forest when he suddenly heard what sounded like running footsteps. He quickly put his back to a tree and peered around it. Running down the path was the gypsy girl who'd caused him so much trouble. Tulio watched her run down the trail as two men, thieves by the looks of them, gave chase. Normally, Tulio would have just left. After all, he himself was a bandit of the sea, but he would never hurt someone unless it was in protection. However, cutthroats were quite common in this area and these two looked like if they caught the girl, they would kill her. Taking this into consideration, he hid himself in the shadow of the tree until she was even with him. He reached out and grabbed her arm before pulling her towards him. "If you want to get away from those two without a fight, follow me and stay quiet." That said, Tulio ran deep into the unmarked forest, leaping fallen logs, dodging large boulders, and crossing small creeks.
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 13, 2013 23:39:39 GMT -5
Esmeralda would've said the same thing. Heck, even she would've done the same mood. Nodding silently, she hiked up her skirt and followed him. She had forgotten they were in forests given all the obstacles they were dodging over, skirting around, and crawling towards. All this for some loaded dice? Esmeralda had more trouble just for buying a pack of gum! Esmeralda noticed a small grotto that could be easily accessed by them, but not by the cutthroats. Pointing, she dove into the patch of grass, waiting for her ally. "Uh, first off, sorry for the trouble. And second, thanks."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 13, 2013 23:59:21 GMT -5
Tulio merely gave a small nod as he ducked down in the grass next to the gypsy girl and lay low to the ground. With his quick eyes, he watched the path they had just taken. The two men soon appeared, crashing through the underbrush. They paused close to where the two of them lay concealed in the deep grass. "Where'd they go?" "How should I know, you great lump?" The men continued to look around the area. Suddenly, the began to head in the direction of them. If they continued on their route, Tulio and the girl would be found. Tulio paused as they grew closer before suddenly opening his mouth and letting out the cry of a fox. The bandits paused a few feet from where they were hiding. "Ah, it's just a fox. Sides, that path is too hard to make, they must have gone this way." With that, the two men turned and headed in the opposite direction. Tulio watched them leave and stayed still for several moments before turning towards the girl and leaning his face against his hand. "Well, my sea flower, that was quite the adventure you just sent us on."
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 14, 2013 0:11:15 GMT -5
"Like I said," Esmeralda muttered, picking out some leaves from her hair, "sorry about the whole misadventure. I'm not exactly from this area, so, yeah. Didn't expect a chase sequence. Especially from psychos like them. My friend warned me about cutthroats, and boy it just wasn't my day." She laughed drily. "Literally." After a quick snicker, she looked at him quizzically. "So...what was up with the Dr. Doolittle trick? It got us out of a bad situation, but that was the best impression of a fox I ever heard."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 14, 2013 0:19:17 GMT -5
Tulio merely let the smile widen on his face as he rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from his vest. "Trade secret, I'm afraid. But I'm sure you have your own tricks up your sleeve. Those were quite an interesting pair of loaded dice. Never seen their like before, and I've seen a lot." Once he had finished brushing himself off, Tulio turned towards the girl. "You've got skill at conning, I'll give you that. So, what's your angle?"
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 14, 2013 0:49:24 GMT -5
"Pft. No angle," Esmeralda responded. "I just go where the wind takes me. As for my little dice, I've got more than just those." She patted her pouch. "I'm a 'magician'," she used air quotes to emphasize how untrue it really was. "but I have to lay low otherwise I'm in big trouble. As I said before, I'm not from around here."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 14, 2013 17:53:34 GMT -5
"Oh, you mean these tricks?" Tulio said with a foxy grin as he held up a handful of the contents from the girl's pouch. He had "relieved" them from her as they had hidden from the bandits. With a laugh, he tossed them back at her. "Well, if you aren't from here and you want to lay low, I suggest you find a better place to perform your trade than the port. As you just saw, sailors aren't too fond of gypsies. I'd be happy to take you to an area where you can blend in more easily." Tulio then flourished his hand before sinking into a bow towards the young woman. "You can call me Tulio."
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 14, 2013 21:11:42 GMT -5
Esmeralda gaped at him. What the heck? This guy was good. Heck, he was her match. She caught the pouch before tying it to her coin belt. "Heh. I'm used to being hated just for what I do. But I'll take your word for it. Plus, those men down at the port are probably too wasted to understand half of the crap they're saying. Those ones that gave us the run were just a little wiser." She glanced at him mischievously, "So where exactly do you have in mind...Tulio?" She exaggerated a curtsy. "Also, the name's Esmeralda. You won my respect, and with that my name."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 14, 2013 21:54:00 GMT -5
"Oh, a bit proud of yourself aren't you? Well you need that in our line of work." Tulio turned his back on Esmeralda and headed towards a concealed path that few on the right side of the law knew about. "Well, Esmeralda, if you want to play your magic tricks and not get caught, you need to move into a town setting. There are plenty of other gypsies around there and you won't be singled out as much. Trust me, a man of my skills knows these kinds of things." He turned back towards her with a slightly cocked eyebrow. "I would think a girl like you would know that."
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 15, 2013 11:05:32 GMT -5
"And be confronted by mister high-and-nosy?" Esmeralda scoffed. Her last encounter with Prince John left a disgusting taste in her mouth. "Yeah, that man lost my respect the moment he tried to worm his way into the secrets. I've already found some refuge in the city, thank you." But then something about Tulio hit her hard. If he was wanted by criminals, what was he doing around the port in an area where he could easily be caught? "So, besides swooning at the sight of the sea, what are doing around the port where you clearly can be caught in the blink of an eye?"
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 15, 2013 11:19:41 GMT -5
Tulio appraised Esmeralda as they walked along. Clearly she was clever and knew how to improvise in a tough situation. She could possibly make a good member of a pirate crew, but only if she could learn to work with others in a team and Tulio had the feeling she wasn't the cooperative type. "Earning a little extra coinage to start me on my journey. I'm in search of a new crew to replace one I lost. And I only accept the best of the best in my line of work." Tulio continued to walk through the forest, making hardly a sound and moving through it with ease. Even if he had spent most of his time at sea, he was still familiar with the forest.
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 15, 2013 17:15:49 GMT -5
"You know what," Esmeralda untied the money pouch. She shook out the coins, counted the amount, and put half back in the pouch. "here's a little extra cash to help out on that journey." For her, that was generous. Often just two or three coins were the most people got as charity from her. But here, Tulio clearly needed help. Esmeralda trotted along side him, her eyes darting in case there were any men like the cutthroats hiding out here. Even more interesting, was Jim watching them? "You mentioned a...God, I'm so stupid!" Esmeralda twitched her skirt in frustration. Tulio was a pirate! It explained so much now.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Mar 15, 2013 22:49:43 GMT -5
Tulio was a bit surprised by the coins. He took the money and stared at it a moment longer before scrutinizing Esmeralda. Clearly she was a girl of many talents and had a unique personality. Tulio tossed the coins in his hand as they walked along until Esmeralda made the connection. "Ah, so you've realized what I am, huh? Well you've guessed right. I'm a pirate, Captain Tulio of the late vessel Neptune's Outlaw and the dreaded Fox of the Sea." Tulio looked smugly back at Esmeralda, thinking that she must have heard of him and his famous deeds.
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Post by zuyuri on Mar 19, 2013 12:29:10 GMT -5
"O...kay. Interesting name for a pirate, but hey, whatever rocks the ship I guess. No pun intended." Esmeralda had heard lots of pirate names from random stories, but none of them really stuck out. In fact, most of the just seemed to steal from one another; Blackbeard, Redbeard, Black Bart...the list went on and on. But the name Fox of the Sea was creative. "Is Neptune's Outlaw docked in the port somewhere. I can take us through the backstreets to get to it whenever you find a crew and some supplies. Or both."
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