Bastian knew from his old instincts what to do.
Before they had a proper crew in place, there were only so many knots they could tie, and it did not make sense to unfurl the sails, so Captain Bastian Black spent a few blessed moments watching the women scrub the deck, make tea and make sure that he was comfortable.
All of them had a splendid work ethic. Of course, he expected Lia to be a bit different, as she seemed to be almost of a feline persuasion in the sense that she minimized her efforts and maximized the profits. That was also a great trait for a bookkeeper and a pirate. It was not always reasonable or good to work too hard. Bastian, too, knew this by heart and therefore he was free to enjoy the bouncing of the Maiden's Mercy as it bobbed along with the gentle rocking motions of the waves, being anchored near the harbor district.
And there were also other things that bounced pleasantly: Amanda's assets were so prominently displayed from the cleavage of her nice dress that it was only a matter of time before Bastian's eyes would pop right out of his not-yet-quite-scurvy skull. Melinda was feeding some doves that had passed by to see what this fuss was all about, and the birds were very curious about this amicable woman who seemed to fashion tasty seeds out of thin air. As Melinda had plenty of pockets on her practical clothes, Bastian figured that she kept some tools and goods on her person at all times. Like seeds for birds and knives for people. Either way, it was also clear that she had considered her aesthetic choices as well when she had put on her clothes, as her strong thighs really were honored by her short dress.
Bastian knew that women of this caliber were not easily impressed. Because he had a job offer and a high level of literacy, he was still in their good books, but it would not be that way for long, since he had almost nothing to give them for their service and he reckoned that a nice scented soap would not keep them satisfied.
No, these women were not idiots and neither was Captain Bastian Black. He knew that they had ulterior motives. Big deal. He knew they had calculated their decisions, that they saw his earning potential - they were of the risk-taking persuasion, but they were still expecting to profit from this endeavor. How horrible. Human beings were inherently selfish and there was nothing particularly evil about that. Everyone had to consider their own personal needs. Of course, safety, shelter and food were important, but some resilient and impoverished individuals could tactically give up some of those things in order to gain more long-term profits. Gold was a great motivator. Bastian considered himself to be quite a handsome guy, but by no means was that enough to last them all the way to their destination.
Lia finally arrived two hours later, and she had a total of seven ladies with her. Her cheeks were flushed and it looked like the reason for that was the immense amount of talking she was engaged in with a chatty blonde. The blonde woman was a bit older than the rest, taller, and dressed in a different way. She was wearing a simple, yet obscenely golden dress, fit for a queen, but most definitely not fit for a wannabe prostitute. She seemed simple in all other regards as well. It was not that she was stupid, she simply wore no makeup and talked loudly, with short sentences, and she had a very prominent, breathy laughter that stole a piece of Bastian's heart as he heard it the first time.
"And here they come," Lia said proudly. "The Red Horse House is a bit of a mess right now. Our dear madame even considered coming with us, but she chickened out and decided to escape into another brothel instead. I have to say that Gorgo has some nerve, ruining the city of the pirates like that. He already has the whole port eating from his hand. What a man…"
Bastian did not know everything about the climate of the opinions around here, but he had figured out already that people did not like the way Gorgo acted.
Sure, Roy had always been a bit of a walking catastrophe, with his impulsive tendencies and a hunger for quick stimulation. He had gambled, with real money, from a young age. He had been stealing from stores, not because of the loot itself or any materialistic allure, but for the thrill and to see if he could fashion a strategy to avoid getting caught. Some people were inherently drawn to his psychopathic charisma, and to some, he could be downright charming. To just as many, though, he was a menace, someone they banned from coming to events, someone to avoid and ostracize. However, that had only fed into the outsider complex - yes, Bastian recognized this thing that he shared with his brother. They were both outsiders. Except that Bastian had not let that make him a massive puppy-kicking jerk with a victim complex.
The worst thing that Roy did, though, was the backhanded compliments that hid the greatest insults known to man. It was the rumor-loving, catty, nasty trait in him, it was the way he talked about others, it was the way he had talked to Bastian for so long, always making it seem like Roy was the one who was continuously being wronged. Bastian had been so lucky to have spent so much time without hearing Roy talk at all.
He sighed, breathing in the immense relief of not having Roy Gorgo running his mean old mouth around him.
Instead, he heard nervous, neurotic women speaking all around him, asking him questions that he could barely comprehend in this dazed state of mind. He heard confident women, he heard shy women finally gaining the courage to speak up, he heard all kinds of women and their voices were sweet melodies in his ears. Like a piper leading him through the gates of heaven. Nothing had ever felt better.
"CAPTAIN BASTIAN," Lia shouted in his ear, startling him thoroughly. "These women would very much like to speak with you if you stop dreaming for a moment!"