How To Convert A Crew Member (Belgium and NT)

[Andorra]

This was an oddly familiar scene.

Anaïs sighed as she gazed through the shady town of Tortuga, having flashbacks of the time she met Henry, the only good thing that happened to her in that town. In fact, that was the reason she was here. After her success of obtaining a new crew member, Antonio was thoroughly impressed by her...converting skills. She had insisted that wasn't the case, but the Captain had told her to give herself more credit. Deciding she was perfectly fine on her own, much to Afonso and Henry's displeasure, he sent her on a mission to find more crew members.

In Tortuga. The most shady and crime-filled town. She was noticeably nervous about this...adventure. Hopefully there won't be an angry drunk this time...

The self defense lessons Antonio had given her didn't exactly fill her with confidence either. Not that he was a bad teacher, far from it, it was just that she had no confidence in her own abilities as a fighter. Anaïs suspected that the Captain might have been a little desperate for crew members. But, she would try her very best to complete this mission. She just couldn't help but feel apprehensive while she walked through a town notorious for...well. Lot's of things.

She decided to start somewhere that looked...relatively safe. An inn. Although she doubted she would find anyone there. But it was worth a shot, right?

(there ya go mama let's get you onto Spain's ship yes? -edited for Netherlands-)

[netherland]

((hi thar! I iz sneaking into yer thread))

Nikolaas had only really come to the inn to grab a drink from their bar. The place served some really good Belgian brands and he was almost considered a regular. After all, he knew one of the workers there rather well...Something he did use to his advantage whenever he could. And if the place go too rowdy, often heæd simply stand up and glare at the brawlers to get them to quiet down. His height had some advantages.
He lit his pipe and ordered another beer, getting slight disapproval stares from the bartender at the pipe - although 3 older men where sitting in the corner of the bar smoking as well. Nikolaas decided to ignore the look.

It wasn't busy at this time of day - not yet anyways - so when the door to the inn opened, Nikolaas turned his head ever so slightly to take a look at the newcomer. not recognizing who it was he turned back to his beer, taking the odd in halation of smoke from his pipe in between sips of beer.

[Andorra]

Anaïs no longer had her usual chipper demeanor that she would normally show to anyone. She was too worried and nervous about her mission. This place reeked of alcohol and smoke. It reminded her too much of that bar where she ran into that drunk. She shivered. Never again!

But, she remembered fondly of Henry and how he had saved her from a possible kidnapping...or worse. She smiled and blushed. The two had become fast friends, and it would be correct to say they were almost inseparable. She constantly sought him out to chat, and so did he. It was almost as if they had a schedule! Also, he was the most attentive and kind whenever she sang and played music at dinner time and-

She shook her head. Concentrate! Mission to do! Yes!

She sat at the front, close to the bartender. Her nerves soon overcame her fond memories, and she looked like she might have just witnessed a murder or something.

The bartender raised an eyebrow, but asked kindly "Can I get you anything?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh! Uhm...I guess...j-juice if you have any? Uhm...cranberry?"

The bartender blinked. Obviously this was a request he didn't get very often, but he muttered a 'just a sec' and wandered into the basement. A few of the locals chuckled at her order, a few words such as 'cute' and 'young' could be heard. Anaïs tensed up immediately. She put her face into her hands. "Ahhhh, what am I doing??" she whispered to herself, not really caring if anybody heard her.

[netherland]

Nikolaas watched with slight amusement at the young girls rather odd behavior. It was painfully clear she wasn't comfortable in such a place. Against his better judgment he moved down a few seats - closer to the girl. He sighted before speaking
"I think you should have brought a friend with you little miss...you look far to young to be here on your own..." Nikolaas took a large gulp of his own drink and looked at the shorter female.

"Bars are not exactly...safe" Taking a long drag from his pipe, he exhaled a few rings of smoke, ignoring the angry glare he got from the bartender - he was a paying customer, and at least his pipe smoke covered up the foul stench of unwashed sailors.
Glaring angrily at one man getting to close he turned his attention back to the young woman next to him.

"So what are you doing here....looking for someone perhaps?"
it seemed like a lot of people went missing in such towns, and oddly enough a bar was everyone's first stop when trying to locate them. Taking one more puff from his pipe Nikolaas wondered if this was a friend of the woman he had a terrible habit of referring to as 'sister' - despite both of them knowing they did not have a family relation - just a lot of odd memories and dreams that seemed to be connected.

[Andorra]

Anaïs jumped a little when the tall blond spoke to her. It made her even more nervous when she noticed that the man was in fact drinking and moving closer to her. She tried to distance herself, but there wasn't anywhere she could really go without walking into a group of old men. She studied him closely; he didn't seem drunk. His speech was not slurred nor did he reek of it. He did smell of smoke though, but that wasn't as bad. He was also quite polite; and he also was not draping himself all over her. That was a plus in her books. But, she had learned her lesson before, and she did not instantly warm up to him.

She did give him a small smile, however. It didn't matter if he was like the last drunk she ran into, she would be polite nonetheless. "A-ah...well, to be honest sir, I would have preferred a companion...but it just didn't work out that way." Her shoulders tensed into a small shrug. "And I'm very well aware how dangerous bars can be." She sighed. "I suppose I guessed this place would be different because it's an inn but..."

Her eyes widened. "Ah! I don't mean to bore you with my issues!" She gave him an apologetic nod. She would have said more, but the bartender came back with a tall glass of cranberry juice. She smiled and said 'thank you' to the bartender, who gave the stranger one last frown before turning away to clean the table.

She took a small sip of her juice, and shot a quick glance at the stranger. Again, he was a stranger that seemed awfully familiar. For whatever reason, she felt that she would have an awkward relationship with this man, for reasons she couldn't understand. He seemed like a nice fellow, why would it be awkward?

Because he hates your brother.

She blinked. Where did that thought come from?

She smiled at what he said next, but she scratched her cheek nervously. "Ah...I'm not looking for a specific person...but I am looking for someone..." Ahh, that sounded weird, didn't it?

[netherland]

Nikolaas listened to the small woman speak, nodding along to her words in agreement "I see..." he took a long drag of his pipe and watched lazily as the smoke swirled up wards before dispersing into nothingness. "Inns are usually safer...but this town isn't exactly a place where the law is upheld by anyone, so as a general rule...nowhere is safe on your own" He sighted and stifled a yawn, wondering where Eva was at the moment - he'd wanted to see the younger Belgian woman before he had to return to his shop...

He smiled slightly at the young woman and shook his head "No need to apologize little one, no harm done in words alone"
Leaning back as far as he could in his bar stool, Nikolaas waved for the bartender to get him another beer - might as well while he waited for Eva.

Turning to look at the smaller woman the realization hit him "Ahhhh...you are a recruiter,ja?" He'd seen and met countless - several stopped by his shop for information on people passing though the town. A merchant like himself knew to listen and remember every piece of information possible
"We get several of your type around here...although not often they look like you...." He chuckled slightly and mumbled a small 'dank u' to the bartender once his beer arrived.
"So who are you recruiting for? the Army? the merchants? or is it that you work for one of the many pirate ships that stop by this town?" She didn't look like a pirate - but living in Tortuga had taught him that people where not who you might think they where.

He tried to think if he'd seen this girl before - she emitted a familiar feeling, but not to the same extent as Eva and Caroline.
Shrugging the feeling off he decided not to dwell on it - it only gave him a headache.

[Andorra]

Anaïs gave a sigh of let down. "I see..." she said, trying not to sound too disappointed. Before she had a little hope that she wouldn't run into trouble in here, that this place was somewhat safe, but indeed, this is Tortuga. No place is safe here. She wondered how he survived here. He must have been strong, or at the very least, ruthless to keep criminals at bay.

She jumped at what he had said next, how did he know?! She didn't think she had made it too obvious. He must have been very perceptive. "A-ah...you're right sir. I am." She fiddled with her thumbs. "Mmm, not army or merchants no." She looked at him, and smiled slightly, although it was a nervous smile. "I'm a pirate. Of The Madre Maria."

After a few seconds of hesitation, her nervous smile turned into her normal one. She extended her hand to him. "My name is Anaïs. Anaïs Castillo." She giggled. "Thank you very much for not being a creepy drunk sir! May I ask for your name?"