Icy Winds (open to anyone)

[shapasaknife]

Odessa, a major port town in Southern Ukraine that overflowed with life, even in the early January morning as merchants and sailors alike began their daily routine. A small merchant ship pulled into port and two of the crew members quickly made their way to the nearest map-seller, their own have vanished, along with a few other common items. The ship had been searched up and down, and everyone from the captain to the cabin boy had their room searched in vain for the items. Everyone whispered it was the ghost of the lady that now haunted their ship, being sighted several times around in the darkest corners and disappearing without a trace. The so called ‘Ghost’ was actually making her escape at the very moment, crawling down one of the ropes that attached the ship to the harbor. She landed with a small crunch of snow, picking herself up, shifting her bag to rest better on her shoulder, and wrapping the blanket tied about her neck tighter around her. Natalia was use to cold temperatures, but not in such clothing. Underneath the thin blanket, she still wore the maids outfit, blue and white, and stockings to go with it and a bow to adorn her head. It wasn’t exactly the equiptment she needed, nor wanted. Pulling the blanket as tight as she could around her and fixing it a bit so it created a hood, she headed into town, hoping a clothing shop or somewhere warm was open.

After a few minutes of searching (and cursing under her breath in Russian) she found a small tavern with a warm glow in the windows. She quickly darted inside the warm looking building, pulling the blanket tighter around her face, hoping neither the captian or first mate or anyone else from that ship walked in and recognized her. Natalia choose a spot near the fire and let herself defrost, rubbing her arms under her makeshift cloak and keeping her head down. When the tavern keeper came over and asked if she needed any help, she ordered a hot cider and asked if he knew if there were any clothing shops around. The kind man told her directions to the nearest one and went to get her drink, leaving Natalia to pull her bag off her shoulder and riffle through it for some money. At least it seemed things were going to go her way today.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Inside the tavern also situated near the fire sat a surly blond man who was scowling up at a much taller, laughing blond. "Damnit Mathias, what is with you and your obsession with dragging me somewhere cold?" Arthur shivered, sipping at a pint of warm grog just to stay warm.

His complaints were somewhat true - while he generally headed for the Americas and sometimes to Asia and the Mediterranean to do whatever pirating he could get in, when he gave the Dane the choice of the next target, they inevitably ended up somewhere Eastern European. And while the taller blond seemed to enjoy the freezing cold, Arthur was beginning to tire of the constant cold.

[denmark]

The aforementioned Dane was currently dressed in his warmer leathers and furs beside his captain, and was indeed laughing, mostly at the other man's reaction and adversity to the cold.

"It's refreshing, ja? And good for you! Ever sat in a really hot sauna, then flopped into the snow? It's the best~!" he prattled on a bit more before pausing to take a deep drink of whatever alcohol his captain had provided him with. Whatever it was, it was coloring his cheeks, and between the alcohol, fire, and clothing, the Dane was beginning to overheat a bit. Shedding a few of his layers (first the leather cloak, then the fur-lined one), he draped them over his captain to warm the man a bit before leaning back in his chair with a contented grin.

"You have to admit, it's beautiful here, even if you don't like the cold," he prompted, nudging the man with a grin. "Much better than those humid, sunny islands you always drag us to."

[shapasaknife]

Natalia glanced over at the two blondes, quietly listening in on their conversation with little interest. Really, all she wanted to do was get warm and head off to the shop that she had been told about. She got out what she hoped was enough money for the cider when she heard the larger blonde comment about 'humid, sunny islands' and being dragged to them. A warm port sounded like a piece of heaven. Possibly she could enjoy the tropics for a while?

Natalia shook her head. No, she was on the lookout for her brother. She didn't have time to go taking vacations for faraway places. Then again... she had no leads to where he was, no traces, no trails... Besides, he complained about the cold and said he wanted to go somewhere warm as well. This could be a good opportunity. Peeking out from her cloak, she memorized their faces and tried to sense if they would be superstitious.

A strange sense of deja-vu struck her as she studied their faces. The larger one seemed to be missing something in her mind. Some kind of... weapon? Natalia was a little unsettled by him, but sensed that he wouldn't hurt her unless she got on his bad side. The other one, with huge eyebrows over emerald eyes, struck her as an annoyance. He seemed like the sort of man who would get on her nerves quickly.

But he also seemed very superstitious, a person who would actually fall for her ghost gig.

Whatever the case may be, she had decided on her next target. She would just have to wait until they left and quietly follow them back to her ship. From there, she could execute her plan.

[Arthur Kirkland]

The look of sheer horror Arthur sent Mathias was almost comical. "Jump... in the snow? After being in a sauna?" Sounding thoroughly disgusted by the idea of going willingly into a snowdrift. "For God's sake, I don't think I've ever been in a sauna..." He snorted indignantly, but couldn't help shooting his First Mate a grateful look for the added layers as the taller man draped them over his shoulders. "Just thinking about it makes me cold..."

Tugging the leather and fur coats around his shoulders tighter, Arthur glanced out the murky window to see the snow fall much gentler than it had been when they'd made their way inside the pub. It was rather pretty, and if snow could happen without it being cold, he wouldn't mind seeing it more often. "..... I admit nothing." he sniffed haughtily, taking another sip of the wonderfully warm grog. "Especially because I like those so called 'humid, sunny islands. In fact, I think we're long overdue to head back down to the mediterranean and do a bit of treasure hunting, don't you think?"

[denmark]

Mathias laughed jovially at his captain's expression and obvious disdain toward the idea of throwing oneself into a snowdrift. After a few drinks, he resolved, he'd try to coerce the man into it. Okay, maybe after a lot of drinks, but it was going to happen, damn it.

"Well, we can at least enjoy the sauna part together, ja? It'll remind you of the those tropical islands you're so fond of~"

He sat forward on his seat a bit as his captain began to speak of future plans, nodding a bit even as his nose crinkled at the idea of visiting the Mediterranean again. Treasure hunting was always fun, but it was harder to do in hot weather, he found. Sure, the ground was softer and easier to dig on, but Mathias came from Scandinavia; most of his clothes were designed for cold weather. Heavy furs and leather were his favorite for sailing, because they made him feel more vicious, more viking-like. However, he enjoyed his modern clothes just as much, even though they were also made to be resistant to cold.

"Ja, I think some more hunting will do the crew some good," he admitted after a moment, tilting his head thoughtfully. He'd admit that while he liked the cold, the rest of the crew seemed less than pleased with it. "The cold seems to be bringing their spirits down."

[shapasaknife]

Natalia nearly chuckled as the shorter blonde seemed appalled at the others suggestion. The cider came and she paid the man, offering a quiet thank you. She kept her face mostly hidden still, not wanting them to see her on the off chance. That would ruin any hope of pulling her scam. Sipping at the newly acquired cider, Natalia tried to mull over what she could make out of their conversation. It seemed like the one with large eyebrows was considering going back down to the Mediterranean. Stories she had heard of such places ran though her head, and she found herself wanting to go with them more and more. Natalia just hoped she didn't burn in all that sun.

The larger one was keen on the idea of going to a sauna. If they did go to one, and more importantly, if they went back to their ship first, then she would have a perfect opportunity. Vaguely, the Belarusian wondered how big their crew was. Hopefully it wasn't too big, or else she'd have trouble pulling this off. Taking a long drag of the cider, and letting out a soft sigh, Natalia waited for more information.

[Arthur Kirkland]

It had to be a combination of the extra layers warming him up mixed with the alcohol because a sauna was starting to sound like an appealing thing. Of course, the mere idea of going outside the tavern was still on the 'not going to happen anytime soon' list, but the extra warmth from a steam filled room sounded wonderful. "Hmm... maybe someday." he sniffed, certainly willing to try - on a day where it wasn't snowing and in the minuses outside. The shock from warm steamy room to freezing cold outside would probably stop his heart.

Sipping at his spicy drink now that he wasn't freezing anymore, Arthur sighed and looked towards the fire. "Well I can certainly see why. Most of them come from those sunny, warm places. In fact I'm not entirely sure that James had ever seen snow before he jumped on my ship and we went north for the first time." Seeing the young boys expression of disgust at the icy temperatures had been something highly amusing - after all, it was rare to see the Australian boy without a smile on his face. Then again, the look disappeared the moment he'd seen the wildlife that inhabited the northern climates. And the request to have a penguin for a pet had to be denied right away.

"And well - there is something that I want to check out. Last time I was to Tortuga, I visited the Dead Man's Tale - and there were a few really interesting propositions on the Board. Specifically, there's apparently a village somewhere out there that considers outsiders to be like Gods. I have an interest in seeing what kind of treasure they have hidden away and how much of it we can get away with." Then, with a contemplative smirk, he sent his First Mate an amused look. "And certainly, when they find out we aren't some kind of Gods, we'll have to fight our way out. Feel like cracking some skulls? I hear they use pikes as weapons."

[denmark]

Mathias had heard it before, that a lot of places south of where he came from never saw snow, but he could never quite bring himself to believe it. It had to get cold sometime, right? And cold usually meant snow! And if it didn't, how could those poor people ever survive without the beautiful snow-fall?

His surfaced from his thoughts at the mention of of the Dead Man's Tale, and listened to his captain's ponderings quietly for a moment, a grin slowly splitting his face as the man spoke. When he finally finished, Mathias was nearly in his own little world, imagining such a small, closed-off place that would use pikes as weapons, and worship outsiders like Gods. His fingers twitched slightly, missing the familiar weight of his axe that he had been ordered to leave on the ship when they were in towns, and he nodded with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm as he agreed with the Brit's consideration.

"Ja, I think it would be a good exercise for the men, and for Skadi," he agreed, referring to the crew and his axe, which he had named for Skadi, Norse goddess of winter, and the hunt. "It's been so long since we've had a good fight, I think my muscles have gotten stiff."

[shapasaknife]

Tch. That sounded ridiculous. Never seen snow? Sounded like dreamland to her. She continued to sip at her drink and tried to imagine a life without snow. It'd be a lot warmer, but boring. She like playing in the snow when she was younger, and had a hard time thinking of a childhood without it. It was something constant that she could count on. Natalia liked that.

Oh, great. Treasure hunters. That was just swell. Her expression went from neutral to sour in less than a second. That would mean they would stay in one port or one area for a long time, looking for something that might not be there. The only good thing about treasure hunters is that they would leave the ship mostly empty during those times. It gave Natalia a chance to sneak into the kitchen and get food, plus steal a few items of value to sell at the next port.

Natalia huddled down further into her chair and examined the pros and cons of this ship based on what she knew so fare. They we bound to travel to warm climates, that was a plus. They also seemed to be well stocked, both men looked well fed and nourished at any rate. They seemed superstitious and didn't look too bright. The cons were they were going to be in some ports for a long time and the bigger one seemed a bit violent. Hopefully, if she was found, he wouldn't be the one to hand out the punishment. Hopefully, she wouldn't be caught at all.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"No. That's just the cold." Arthur sniped, downing the last of his drink before it cooled too much. Regretfully standing and pulling off Mathias's jacket, he held it out for the tall Dane. "We'd better get a move on then. Before I freeze permanently into that chair."

Giving the Dane enough time to pull his jacket on, Arthur did one of the bravest things he'd done in his lifetime in his opinion - forced himself to go to the door and open it, stepping out into the damnably cold weather. It was snowing still and within a few steps, he'd hunched in on himself as much as he could but he still practically vibrated like a plucked string.

The only thing that kept him going were thoughts of the warm caribbean sunlight waiting for him, the small warmth in his belly where the grog sat comfortably, and the knowledge that he was getting to go off on a new adventure that would hopefully be equal parts profitable and dangerous and no one was telling him where to go or what to do. Piracy. He certainly never got to do enough of it.