Freedom Is sweet

Having been released from prison Serena found herself back at the ship yard explaining to Mr. Sampson the foreman of the ship building operations whom had been the one to bail her out after her week of incarceration. He had a good reputation in the kingdom and they were all too willing to release her to his custody after he paid her fine. "I am so sorry Mr. Sampson, I just can't seem to stay out of trouble here." Serena said apologizing for the 30th time since they left the jail.

"think nothing of it, I would be remiss in my duties as the Foreman of the shipyard to lose a good hand like you In busy season" He said with a calm smile and a hearty laugh. "Mr. Sampson... Do you think pirates can be good people?" Serena asked and they had a conversation that detailed her stay in jail with the nice man who claimed to be a pirate who was the most free.

Serena being used to having her freedom was quite peaked by that, because on the dump she was literally completely in charge since there was no one else really, the occasional scrapper but mostly vagrants passing through no one really staying there but her. Luckily she had made quite a little hut for herself out of the remains of some ships and other items.

Serena Headed out to the port to watch the ocean while she was on break today. It was nice to be able to feel the water on her feet and look out at the vast world she had been thrown into by her impulsive decision to set out into it. There was the small complication that, she had no ship, She had not a lot of money to her name, She had no Friends, She had no Sailors to help her advance from this island... she was alone and had little to nothing.

The closest thing she had ever had to a friend had to be Either of the gladiators she had run into this past week. Maybe Mr. Sampson but.. he wouldn't leave the island for adventure probably. he had a lot of responsibility, Something she understood but didn't understand to be perfectly honest. Serena was sitting at the end of a dock in Her signature blue bathing suit with her hair Up in a bandanna which was blowing gently with the breeze of ships passing into the port.

Serena was simply sitting at the end of a dock, watching the ships come in and out and evaluating them in her head, something she liked to do was look for unique things on ships to add to her 'inventory' of knowledge concerning gadgets and ships. She was quite good at those things and not much else. "Hopefully these winds will bring change with them today" Serena said longingly as a ship pulled into the dock she was at. Perhaps fate would smile on her once more.

Illusia was a strange place for Adam to have found himself, an entire Blue away from where he made his fortune and life once again, but work was work and sadly that sometimes meant he had to travel a great distance away from his smithy and towards a place where he would instead be paid a decent sum of money. Sure it wasn't some absolutely outstanding amount but anything was better than nothing, and since he had sent himself to the streets all those many years ago he was more than happy to let himself do whatever it required to earn money within his chosen profession.

So that was why he found himself striding down the streets of Illusia, his anvil under one arm and his sack of tools over the other shoulder, whistling a jaunty tune to himself and nodding to those he passed with a huge grin plastered across his face. He had a destination in mind for the day, a simple little place to set up his shop and earn a few more bucks while he was on the road here, the money from the job he had taken jingling in a pouch on his hip already. It had been a simple patch-and-fix job, covering a break in the armour of a client he had taken last year who had been a tad... rambunctious... in his actions of combat.

But that was done and dusted, he had time to kill before the next merchant vessel left the port town and he could make his way back home. True it wasn't much of a home, mostly a small room above the smithy he had managed to rent in the Briss Kingdom, but it was enough. All of his worldly possessions were already with him except for his particular weapon, which was what he was going towards now, where he had stashed it away - the docks. A simple enough place but always one he enjoyed visiting at every town or island he ever went to. It reminded him of his days of travelling, though his mind of course shied away from the other memories associated with those aspects of his childhood, and so he was always happy to leave his weapon there.

An easy long walk down to the docks and once he reached the wooden edge of the thing he looked around for the perfect place. There was a single dock that was relatively unused for the moment, only a single woman sitting at the edge for the moment and talking to herself, though Adam couldn't make out what she said. It didn't matter, though he did walk forwards almost as if to approach her but then took a left turn before he went right to the edge of the docks and leaned over, grabbing a small bobbing circle of metal and then, tensing slightly, hauling a large anchor out in a single easy movement. The thing was almost as long as Adam himself was tall and it clearly weighed a good amount but the thin young man hauled it as if it was nothing, walking back just off the wooden part of the docks and sitting it down against a wall of a nearby warehouse.

Resuming his loud whistling once again he picked up his small anvil and set it down on the stones, pulling his bellows out of the sack he was carrying and placing it down next to the anvil easily. A nearby barrel made an impromptu seat for the time being and he placed a small stone oven down above the bellows and lit a quick fire, fanning it for a moment with his breath to get it started. He had nothing to do right then but it didn't take long for a nearby sailor to approach him and ask for a quick knife, a small handle being passed over and Adam grinned up at him.
"Won't take no time." he said with a laugh, picking up the metal he had to use with a small set of tongs and placing it into the oven quickly.

He had nothing but time to kill right now after all.

Persephone hummed lightly lightly to the music playing in her temporary office. She had been able to successfully secure herself transport to Illusa in exchange for providing her medical expertise during the journey. It seemed the crew had no permanent surgeon on the ship and were eager to have someone who who could treat illness and injury during the journey. It was a transport and merchant ship, meaning their were plenty of patients to tend to so she would not grow bored. While she was not one for emotions, she did find herself enthralled with music while working. Depending on the song, it had a profound effect on the patients mental state.

Her current patient had been attacked by a rather poisonous fish three days ago and was currently laying on her table. His muffled screams were growing louder, so she reached over and turned up the music as she withdrew a particularly sickly looking fluid. The man attempted to shake himself free but her nurse had done a good job securing him in place. Using a frighteningly large hypdodermic needle, she drew forth some of the fluid and grinned wickedly as she held it up the light to ensure proper measurement. She turned to the man who knew what was coming next, grin still firmly in place.

His thrashing grew more desperate as she got closer and pulled the sheet off of him, revealing a disgustingly infect purple and green leg. His right leg had looked similar, when he still had it. But with that sacrifice came progress, and she knew how to save this leg. It would be better in no time, and then he could get back to work. Not fighting however, ass kicking contests were not the place for a one legged man after all. "Calm down Charles, I am going to be saving your leg today. And you've made a substantial contribution to medicine. Now I will not be using an anesthetic as I need to get accurate feedback on the process. So lets begin shall we?" she said calmly, needling glaring dangerously in the light.

---

Thirty minutes later and she found herself exiting the ship, leaving precise notes behind for the Captain to deliver to the local doctors for after care. She was confident the leg would recover and she got very valuable feedback from her experiment. Once she was on the dock, she felt the cool breeze of the ocean air and looked at her surroundings the docks were fairly empty for the time of day, but she could see a nearby blacksmith going about his job. What truly caught her attention was a young girl sitting on the docks with a rather injured face. It seemed the girl had been in a physical altercation recently and had not seen a proper doctor to treat the wounds. This lead her to believe the girl was poor and thus her services could be rendered. She approached the young lady and jumped near her, striking a dramatic pose. Doctors coat fluttering in the wind.

Behold the glory:

"Hello young lady, I see that you have received some rather rough injuries and have not received proper medical care. My name is Doctor Persephone Serafina and I would like to extend my services to you" she said with a flourish. First impression were important and the posing was a habit she inherited from her mentor.

Serena saw a handsome young man RIP an anchor out of the waters next to her. That was. Remarkable. To say the least though she knew looks could be deceiving as she also had quite large strength for someone her size. It made her interested in him, swoon as one might call it.

Before she could even make an attempt to process her thoughts on the matter a woman in a lab coat approached her and posed quite fabulously which took all of Serenas attention upon her as she was nearly dazed by the womans radiance.

It seemed that her name was Sera and she wanted to help with her injuries... well she supposed she did get quite beat up by those armor guys at the bar the other day. " Say, Sister Sera .. do you think pirates are the most free?" Serena asked not putting any resistance into fending off Persephones advances to treating her.

Serena was a simple girl once something stuck in her mind there just wasn't room for much else until it got cleared up. Serena had been thinking about this all week even during her following conversations with the pirate in the dungeon with her. Was there a greater freedom out there than controlling the dump?

There was one question and many answers, none of which she had for herself, she had no friends, no family and no goals... but she always yearned. For something that escaped her. Perhaps this was evident to Persephone as Serena looked at her dead in the eyes with her own rippling blue pools for eyes. This was her hope is that someone.. could help her fill the mysterious void of which she knew not.

People, Adam decided as the metal heated up to a nice white-hot and was withdrawn from the coals to be placed on his anvil, were weird as all heck. He wasn't the kind of person to just dismiss the things around him even as he worked, and while he was a consumate professional he was definitely clued in and focused on the things that happened around him. The first and most evident was the woman sitting at the end of the nearby pier, maybe fifty metres away at most, sighing and staring into the water. She had paid him a little attention as he had taken his place there and begun work but it hadn't taken her long to return to her pensievity. And then there was the... doctor? Scientist? The woman in the lab coat who had barely paid him any attention and had moved directly towards the other woman, instantly introducing herself and beginning a fairly friendly conversation.

Of course, that was not all that was going on around Adam and he continued his little forgery as he listened and watched and, yes, smelled the world around him. A group of sailors were just departing a ship to the North of his position on the docks. A small boy was wailing loudly somewhere nearby, though not in vision - perhaps one street over? And a slat-ribbed dog was slinking out of a nearby alleyway, snuffling around and clearly hungry. If Adam had had some food to give it he would have -unfortunately he was probably almost as broke as the dog was, at least until he got paid from this job- and the tangy hot smell of the metal on his anvil told him it was starting to reach a good point for being shaped. It was a quick process, Adam's practiced hand moving easily and smoothly as he took his tongs and held the metal as he shaped it with his hammer and the small edging tool in his bag to smooth it into a knife shape.

It was, in truth, more of a barrel stave in shape but it was something for a customer, so a knife it would eventually be - or it would be once it was quenched and reheated for more shaping. Normally Adam would have used a barrel of salt water to cool the metal but the ocean was so nearby and was quite readolent, so with a quick lean and a hit from his hammer he opened a small hole in the wood of the docks so he could reach down and put the metal into the ocean itself, thankful it was high tide for the moment so he could reach the water proper. The metal cooled rapidly, steam rising from the hole Adam had made as he listened to the conversation nearby -neither of the two women had bothered to lower their voices- and he couldn't help but interject a little as a response to the question that was posed by the seated lady after a short time, a reflection on freedom and the idea of being a... pirate? Had he heard that right?

"Would it be fair to call pirates truly free?" he mused aloud -loud enough to be heard but not directed specifically at the women- his work never slowing as he pulled the cold metal out of the water quickly and immediately thrust it back into the heat, the cold water sizzling as it was added back into the intense heat of the forge fire, "Those who commit crimes are not free for they create bonds of violence and hatred - hunted by an entire group of people who wish to bring them down for their crimes, regardless of the truth of this particular definition."

He flashed a grin at them, directing it at them this time, then turned his gaze back to the metal, watching it as it heated from silver to yellow, to orange and then red and finally withdrawing it once it was white-hot again.
"But then again is there even such a thing as freedom?" his philosophising was not rare, nor was it to do so to effective strangers, but they could not know that of course, "The craftsman is a slave to their work, their art, their customers. Those who police the world are held under the thumb of their own rules, their own factional expectations and their own requirements to advance and to power. Maybe it is the most true to say that there is no real freedom in this world, for everyone is, at a baseline, a slave to themselves."

The metallic tink, tink, tink of his hammer began to ring as he shaped the metal, finally, into a bladed shape. He looked up at the women again, his work by rote and so practiced from his years of movements that he didn't even need to look - though he did prefer to.
"Or maybe pirates are indeed free. It would be nice, to be truly free, don't you think?"

Persephone was curious as to the way the girl responded to her. She refereed to her as 'sister' but they were not related in the slightest. Neither was she a member of a religious clergy. Perhaps it was a term of endearment used on this island the way some men referred to each other as 'brother'. She settled on this as an acceptable answer to her query, and could focus on the girls other question.

She was about to respond with the blacksmith nearby spoke up, interjecting himself into their conversation. That was quite rude to be perfectly honest, it didn't even seem like he knew the girl as he did not greet her upon his initial arrival. What she'd learned of social etiquette taught her that it was quite important to introduce yourself before speaking to them. It is why she always went for rather grandiose introductions.

She listened as he continued in a rather philosophical way that she would not have expected of a man of his profession. In her experience such men didn't think beyond designing their project or at the most, subjects of metallurgy. His take on it was interesting but she felt he wasn't actually answering, just speaking.

She turned back to the girl and opened her suitcase that contained several medical tools and medicines. She pulled out a disinfectant wipe and brought it up to the girls face, wiping down the scraps and cuts on her face. None of the wounds were deep enough to scar, but still required cleaning to avoid an infection. "Yes, I do believe that pirates are the only true free ones. Despite the threat of Marines and the World Government, they still go where they please and do what they want. Sure there are consequences of such things, consequences are not evidence of a lack of freedom. A craftsman may be the slave of his work, but its his own freedom of choice that  caused him to join such a job."

It seemed the man from before knew quite a bit of the ways of the world, some of it went over her head but that was fine. It seemed that for better or worse he agreed, he mentioned the restraints of work. These she understood, She had to work to eat it was just the way of the world. "I see.. I too understand the confines of work." Serena said and fell into thought for a moment. It seemed at the very least that he had posed a question of his own that it would be nice to be truly free. This was kind of what had been nagging on Serena's mind.. perhaps there was more to freedom than she had previously known it. "Could you tell me. What Does one need to be a pirate? Mr. Smith?" Serena said and Sister Sera seemed to confirm more or less what the smith had surmised though with a positive twist.

This of course meant to her that there was some merit to that mans words while she was in the slammer. There was still a lot of things she was not aware of in order to become a pirate she didn't know. For example, what was a pirate other than free? What was needed to become one? What did they do other than be free? so many questions and not a single self generated answer for her, perhaps these two would lend her their aid in understanding that. " Sister Sera, What do pirates do once they are free?" Serena asked wondering how exactly she would go about something like becoming a pirate.. were there requirements? She had no clue. No Start, No comprehension.

The Girl known to her as Sister Sera put some antiseptic on the wounds on her face she didn't really visibly cringe or anything. If nothing else she would seem vacant of that it was simply that all of her brain power was diverted to trying to figure out the matter at hand. her body however visibly shivered a little at the introduction of the sting but only for a moment and then it adjusted she had quite the constitution for a small girl such as herself though it afforded very little to her during the battle she would have to be stronger if she wished to be free, though this too was lost on this poor girl. At least for the time being her thoughts were entirely diverted to this question. 'how can i be truly free' unfortunately for her answers, power, Freedom. They all came at a price that she was entirely unready and unable to pay.

He wasn't surprised that the woman in the laboratory coat was dismissive of his musings, in truth Adam hadn't even really expected them to be listened to at all but it was almost like the two women couldn't help themselves. That was fine, he was a big fan of philosophy when he had the time to think on it, and while working did require all of his active concentration it did allow his mind time to roam and contemplate even as he went through the episodic movements of rote repetition. The movements of his arms were swift and clean, his hands shifting up and down on the hammer as required to either gain or lose leverage through the swings, his other hand moving to the paring knife quickly and cleanly as he slowly scraped back the metal into a tapered edge, nodding after a little bit in satisfaction that the work was finally done.

Of course he listened while he worked, the doctor-woman (was she a doctor or was he simply making a less than rough guess? He would have to ask her if he ever got the inclination) mused herself, speaking at a fairly basic level about the freedom of choice people had and Adam had to keep himself from scoffing slightly at what she said, instead placing the knife once more into the cool water below him to quench it and let it cool. If he had have had time and space he would have sought out olive oil -it gave a far finer quench for blades and was the preference for working with sharpened and tempered metal but the knife was rough so salt water would be fine- and instead the words washed over him, her own insights as interesting as the other woman's questions were once she too picked up what it was she was thinking.

"I cannot pretend I am a first-hand expert on the freedom of pirates," Adam said as he withdrew the knife from the water and placed it onto his anvil again, pressing the still-slightly heated and unsharpened edge against the hilt the sailor had given him to work with, "Though I have certainly spent my fair share of time at sea. All I know is that the idea that pirates can do 'whatever they want' and go 'wherever they want' is a fallacy from a time long gone, especially in these Blue Seas. Is it not true that certain places will attack or arrest someone flying a pirate flag on sight? Are not certain places controlled by those of the World Government who would call them anathema? Is it not also true that their own needs are as much a driving force as are their wants? If food runs low you are forced to find it, if water runs low you must find a way to decant or boil. When you need medicines or general supplies you must find a thing. Ultimately to be human is not to be free, but perhaps that is the best struggle?"

With the knife blade firmly in the hilt he gestured down the docks towards one of the debarking sailors who rushed over, taking the blade with Adam's small warning of heat on the blade with a nod, handing over a couple hundred thousand Beri in return. With that same easy smile the man ran back to his fellows, already exclaiming over the quality. Adam himself packed up his things quickly and easily, pushing them into the bags once more and then standing straight, stretching his arms above his head to loosen his muscles and then picking up his bag with one hand -the anvil's weight barely slowing his movements for even a moment- and then the large green anchor with his other, slinging it over his back and walking over to the two women, stopping a few feet away out of respect for the two relative strangers.

"Hi there," he said simply, the grin on his face large and honest as he studied them both up and down quite openly, "We never were introduced were we? My name is Adam."

Serena chose not to answer the girl right away. She was clearly showing interest in being a pirate, something she could take advantage of. She herself was looking for a pirate crew to join to gather test subjects for her experimentation. If she manipulated her in the correct way, she may be able to just form a crew herself rather than find one. She had no interest in leading the crew, but she wouldn't be opposed to being an adviser to a malleable Captain. This girl seemed like a good target for such methods. She was already asking complete strangers to teach her of this world.  

She placed a bandage over the deepest cut over the left eyebrow, a few smaller ones on her cheek and right jaw line. "You can remove these smaller bandages before bathing tonight. However try not to get the larger one wet, and make sure it is replaced tomorrow. It should be healed cleanly in three days if you do so" she said to the girl, removing her purple latex gloves, balling them up inside out, and throwing them away in a nearby trash can. At this the man began to speak again and if she was being honest, it was rather droll. He was waxing poetic but not getting straight to the point and answering t he girls question. She credited her mentor towards her efficient mannerisms and lifestyle. It's what made her an excellent doctor. Clean and calculating, where it seemed the man had plenty of time to think while doing mindless work. She supposed it was impressive that he didn't let his brain vegetate like many of his peers she had encountered.

Perhaps she was being overly critical, she had been dealing with a screaming pest for the last three days on the ship. She considered seeing if there was a bar nearby that served any decent vodka to help ease her. Perhaps even find a nice fluffy bed to sleep on for the night. That ships beds had been of poor quality and had agitated her lower lumbar. She looked back at Serena and decided to answer her question finally. "Pirates do whatever they want. Granted someone may always try and stop you, but that's why you need the strength to ensure your desires can be met. But tell me, are you planning on becoming a pirate? I could see a youthful girl as yourself being a fine captain one day" she said, giving the girl a smile. She objectively knew that smiles could be very beneficial towards swaying someones feelings towards you. However she always found that when imitating such an action she could never have the smile reach her eyes like common people. With practice her mentor showed her how to effectively fake a smile by closing her eyes.

Don't you feel safe?:

While awaiting her reply the man seemed to dust himself off and make his way to them proper. He introduced himself as Adam and she realized that she had only introduced herself to Serena and not him. This would not do. So she spun in place, causing her coat to wave dramatically behind her. She struck introduction pose #228 and spoke. "Pleasure to meet you Adam, I am Doctor Persephone Serafina. Let me know if you require medical services while our paths are crossed. While your talking is long-winded and time inefficient, that will not cause me to refuse you access to the best medical care in the Blues."

Pose #288:

Basically everything that Adam Said went over Serena's head, She was not bright enough for all the philosophy that he was so apt at. Him introducing himself however she did understand, though before she could respond Sister Sera seemed to give her instructions for the bandages.. she sort of retained the information, hopefully she would heal up fine and dandy as Sera Said, it was likely that she would after all Sera said so. Serena turned to face adam now all bandaged up by Sister Sera " It is a pleasure to meet you Smith Adam, I am Serena" Serena said Not wanting to be rude, that was something she had learned about not too long after leaving the dump of her home island and finding her way into society, rudeness was apparently a big hot button for people.

It seemed that once again Sister Sera was able to dumb down Adams Musings so that Serena could understand. It seemed that he was saying that people always wanted to take away the freedom from a pirate, but that As long as you were strong that everything would be fine. More so, it seemed that Sera was confident In Serena's ability to become a pirate though Serena Still knew not how to proceed with such a thing. Sera also Did a dazzling Pose to introduce herself once again though for this time it was Adam not for Serena. " I see, I do want to become truly free. While i was in the dungeon A man told me that as a pirate he was the most free person there. While i still don't quite understand what it takes... I Think that i do want to take to a life of adventure like he told me about." Serena said

At the very Least Serena managed to surmise that she couldn't do it herself, The man spoke gallantly of his comrades During the time they spent together. This made Serena wonder how one gathered comrades, perhaps these two could shed some light on that, they both seemed very capable and obviously more competent than herself. " The man spoke wonderfully about his comrades... How does one.. Get Comrades?" Serena asked to neither one of them in particular as she had come to expect that Adam would give her more questions than answers but that Sister Sera could make even his over the top responses into a manageable format for herself to understand which was great considering that she didn't have very high comprehension.

Adam was a constant smiler, he couldn't help it it was simply a part of him, but when the doctor -Persephone- decided to try and smile at him with some strange closed-eye expression he couldn't help but feel... terrified? No, that was too strong a word. Creeped out? A little closer but perhaps not quite what he meant in his own head. Something more along the lines of a combination of apprehension and wariness, a mixture that the smile was in no way genuine but a forced facade, a front being put up for the good of all and to try and put things at ease. It reminded him of a fox he had seen once, walking casually past a hen house and not directly towards it, intently not looking so as to put the chickens at ease as they squawked and scuffled around as they saw it. But once their guard was down it struck, taking two chickens and disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Still, he was reasonably confident in his abilities to stop someone attacking him out of the blue and with his anchor casually in one hand and over his shoulder he could lift, swing and slam it in only a few heartbeats, fast enough that the doctor wouldn't be able to evade in time if she was also launching an attack. Of course this was all academic, he didn't bother tensing himself as though to prepare, he didn't even change his smile from the casual one that played at the corners of his mouth. She was not really focused on him, she was focused on the other woman, the one who seemed... ok, maybe it was a little mean to say she seemed a bit slow but it was kind of accurate. The simplification of his own words by the doctor to the girl kind of spoke volumes and he let his smile grow a little, no hard feelings after all. Maybe she wasn't slow, maybe it was more about considering her thoughts longer, that was always just as valid - it never hurt to think through a whole situation.

Then she asked them the question he hadn't expected, and he pursed his lips a little -somehow still smiling as he did so- while he considered it. Was making friends really such an easy thing? It wasn't exactly hard overall, but someone who was so trusted to be a companion, especially in the general sense that this girl was talking about... that required trust. Clearly Persephone seemed like she'd be whole-hog-balls-to-the-wall-up-in-her-ass for the other girl, she was fascinated and it was clear to anyone with half a brain (though the why of it all escaped Adam for now) but the general sentiment in the air was now was he? He was a free man really, only on the run from mentions of his past, though those were just as easily crushed as they were evaded, and besides his craft he didn't have much else for him. Was his life really destined to be one of crime and 'id' rather than 'ego' or was he a far more tempered person? Of course he could always avoid committing crimes, but maybe, just maybe, this was an opportunity.

And he was not one for missing an opportunity.

"The way I see it," Adam said, sitting himself down next to Serena and letting his anchor drop below the pier's end, touching the water and tracing ripples in it as he did so, staring out across the bay, "Isn't it more a question of how do you trust people? It's not hard finding people to be friends with - we just met and I could be your friend, if you wanted. But I guess it comes down to who would you like to travel with? Personally I'd like someone open, someone who would be willing to try the new things that we come across, someone who could be decisive but also open to other ideas."
He flashed a wider grin up to Persephone then back to Serena, his smile fading a little to just a friendly one, his eyes open and his face honest.

"Do you think that could be the two of you? I have no ties here, I am a free agent after all."

The girl seemed receptive to her words which allowed her to move onto the second step in her manipulation. She was going to speak but Adam started first. He was already offering to be the girls friend and seemed to interested in becoming a pirate himself. While she didn't understand human emotions, she did understand the structure of a mans skull and facial muscles. She could tell that he was giving her a different smile than he had offered to Serena. She was curious as to what the differences meant, and would have to pick up some books on the subject to be sure. It never hurt to brush up on the basics after all. While friendship was an oddity she hadn't possessed since her early childhood, she would be keen to get this crew together. If this girl thought they were friends, well then that just made her job a little easier.

Once the man finished speaking, she chose her moment to strike. "Any pirate crew worth anything requires a Surgeon to repair their broken bodies. Seeing as I hold no reservations about piracy, I would be willing to fulfill that role for you. Along with excellent medicals skills comes my nurse. He is even adequate in a fight whenever those arise." She did her best to remember what she could of how friends operated. It took her a moment of silence before she could think of anything to say that might be useful to motivate the girl to this decision. "Seeing as I currently have no friends myself, you would not need to worry about a possible betrayal from random strangers at sea." Nailed it.

Serena seemed to be at a loss surely when he was talking to her he could see the vacancy, Though her eyes would light up when he told her that they could be friends that much was apparent. "I have heard of friends! Can we really be friends?" Serena said Genuinely grinning ear to ear the Honest Purity obvious. It seemed that When Sister Sera spoke up she was also of the mind that they could become friends. That was great, after all their names were so similar they were practically already Sisters. That was how families worked she thought, she was very unknowing of that type of relationship with people even friends was a stretch of her knowledge which she still didn't fully comprehend however from the way the man in the dungeon talked of his comrades they were friends with each other.

From what he had told her that was the reason that they were going to come save him, Because they were friends. This made her feel like perhaps just being there for her friends would make her a good friend. An oversight on her part, it was much more complex than that and would lead to all sorts of misunderstandings on her part which would surely inconvenience those around her, but they would surely understand that it was not her intention to be a hindrance or be a burden. This was just the hand she was dealt by life. Boy were they in for some shock when they delved into that, herself included she was very sheltered from her lack of human interaction she had no idea how raw a deal she had gotten at all. Some would say this is how she managed to be so happy though, after all ignorance is bliss.

" So you two would really Adventure with me? . . I am afraid that i don't know even how to proceed to be honest. I am happy that you two would be my friends though" Serena said with a beaming smile and she looked back and forth between the two of them so that they both could see. That was important, that people saw a smile. Someone once told her that smiles were contagious and that it could brighten someones day like the rays of the sun itself. Serena loved to smile for this reason, if she could help someone with something as simple and free as a passing smile she was all about it. After all aside from her ship skills she didn't have much else to offer. She supposed that she would have to rely on these two a pretty unfair amount. It seemed Sera had a nurse that would accompany them on their journey as well. That was strange though because then Sera said she didn't have any friends. "But sister Sera, Isn't your nurse your friend? If you travel together, Doesn't that mean you are friends?" serena said hoping she hadn't misunderstood the mans guidance.

Well, he had expected Serena at the least to be receptive to his general idea of being friends but it was a little more of a surprise that Persephone had gone with it. Maybe it was his general distrust of the woman coming through a little -though none showed on his face as it was hardly that present- but he supposed maybe it was more because of her interest in Serena than in him, he was an addition to the one she really wanted. It wasn't like she was particularly subtle about it after all, so he simply continued his smile and bore it in good grace. It would hardly do to make a scene and if this little thing ended up panning out into something a bit heftier than simply a long conversation on the docks of a dinky little town in the middle of an equally dinky island in the West Blue then he'd have plenty of time to get to know her; heck, he'd probably end up calling her an actual friend by the end of it all, if she didn't try and dissect him or something equally insane.

As for Serena... well, despite the somehow implicit decision that she was to be the leader of their little threesome -foursome? Persephone apparently had another companion herself- it wasn't necessarily the worst thing ever that Adam could think of. He himself was woefully unsuited to leading, he was far more likely to end up with his head in the clouds over some obscure philosophical principle while he worked than he was to make the necessary decisions for anyone other than just himself on anything besides smithing, and he'd have rather the good doctor beside him also not be the one in charge. Again it was that earlier uneasy feeling, something to do with her general focus on Serena, with an almost laser-like precision, and he would just have rather not put himself in any form of subservient position with the other woman. Not that he would be subservient to Serena either really, but he'd be more comfortable with the arrangement as it was appearing.

"I am glad," he said warmly as they both consented to his idea, though he did quirk an amused eyebrow at Persephone for her immediate mentioning of the idea of betrayal, "Though I feel like we need to mark the occasion somehow - a drink, or a meal, or some kind of little soiree into some form or another to celebrate such a momentous moment."
He paused for a moment, having already forgotten his soon-to-be-new captain's general lack of understanding, then chuckled softly and rephrased it all.
"Maybe we should go grab a drink to celebrate, just because you travel together doesn't just make you friends. We should get to know each other a bit more first maybe." he instead concluded, standing up slowly and stretching his arms high, hauling up his anchor and the bag of his smithing tools a moment later so the others could potentially get moving as well.

"Though a question does jump to my mind," he said after another moment of relaxing his muscles, "Do either of you have a ship?"

Persephone raised an eyebrow at the girls statement regarding her nurse. Their relationship was based on mutual services provided. She was fairly certain that it did not meet the requirements of friendship. Unless she had the notion incorrect, something she would definitely need to do research on. "No, the nurse and I are not friends. He provides assistance in my daily life which fulfill a rather broad spectrum. In return I provide him with free medical care for his numerous and frankly frequent injuries. He is more of an employee if you require a label" she stated plainly. She was sure the girl would be able to understand that terminology.

The girls other response about being more than happy to call her a 'friend' and travel with her meant her plan worked out efficiently and would not require much more convincing. This was good, as she hypothesized this would make manipulating her to fulfill her own ends in the future much more easy. The blacksmith may prove troublesome, so getting him onto her side would be important. She had noticed his gazes at her were different from the ones he was giving their 'Captain'. While she wasn't sure what those looks meant just yet, it was better to er on the side of caution. Besides, he wasn't as simpleminded as the Serena.

"Yes, I agree that we should seek out a meal. My nutritional intake has been rather poor while traveling on that transport ship. Their accommodations were sub-par at best. As for alcoholic beverages, I prefer not to drink simple grog. So if you know of any places that serves a fine brandy or vodka then that should be our first destination." While experiments were her main vice, she quite enjoyed the side effects brought on by a few glasses of liquor. It proved quite useful for relaxing when her studies proved to be troublesome. This was a quality that was also passed down by her mentor.

She made sure all her belongings were securely tucked away before extending a hand down to Serena to help pull her to a standing position. She motioned for Adam to guide them through the port town proper. As they would travel she would turn to look at Serena. "First things first, we will require a ship. Piracy is quite difficult without one. Otherwise we would be no better than simple mountain bandits. And I am not willing to be something so low class."

It seemed to Serena that they were to go Celebrate this occasion, she had never had the ability to celebrate anything.. What was the occasion? was it their friendship? or the Adventure.. Things were so difficult to interpret most of the time for her. It seemed Adam clarified for her this time that no being friends and traveling together weren't the same thing after all. Darn and she thought she had that one down at the very least. Sera seemed to correct her as well that the nurse was more of an employee so essentially the same relationship that she had with Mr. Sampson the foreman of the ship yard here. Speaking of the ship yard Though,  Adam Also posed an important question if either of them had a ship... she couldn't say she did since she just kind of drifted place to place on sea faring vessels that needed a mechanic while they were at sea trading her skills for room and board as it were, which if she recalled is what sister sera had said she did as well to come here. I would love to eat something and get to know the both of you. I haven't lunch yet either. There is a little tavern just up the shipyard a little ways They have all sorts of things." Serena said with a smile and stood up careful not to lose any of the bandages that Sister Sera had attached to her.

Serena turned to Adam now though As it seemed Sera her sister, whom she basically shared a name with which made them family right? How did family work exactly? Well probably best to figure out Friendship and then piracy first. "Well, While i don't have a ship i am sure i can talk to Mr. Sampson who i work for at the Ship yard and see if he would let me work to pay off materials and i could build us a ship, I have gotten a lot better!" Serena said trying to reassure them that she wouldn't be dead weight and that her skills wouldn't go to waste if they were going to team up with her so that they could go have fun together and be free. So many questions she had on how to proceed. She couldn't process all that right now though she had to focus on getting them to the pub she had been eating at daily because then if they needed her at the ship yard they could come get her easily since it wasn't far from the docks.

"Its just this way" Serena said pointing and then heading away from the docks towards Rileys port bar. It was a quaint little joint with the occasional bar fight and well.. the whole mix up with the guard the other day... well at the very least the rude bartender would hopefully be a little less of a nuisance now that she had been cleared of all charges of piracy. . . Which was irony that would be lost on her since she had just made a pact to become a pirate with her two new found hopefully sometime friends. "So what else does a pirate need, to be a free adventurer ?" Serena said trying to gather some information while they walked after all she was so in the dark on this that it didn't matter that the sun was shining vibrantly.  They would make it to the bar after a very short walk she probably had enough time for one more question and answer tops before they would reach it.

He tuned out a little bit after asking his question -still paying attention mind you but letting his mind wander and take in his surroundings nearby- and he watched calmly as the sailors on the ship nearby departed with the tide, their sails booming out quickly in the rising wind and sailing off into the sea proper. He envied them, that ability to leave as they needed, the ability to travel so freely. Sure, he travelled and he had spent many years of his life travelling with his family -though his mind shuddered away from those memories quickly- but he wished he could do so now and that was part of the reason he was so receptive right now with these two new women in his life. He was not a shy man by nature, nor was he virginal in many respects, but he was a little apprehensive to be so very trusting as he appeared to be with effective strangers, names shared or not. So he would be on his guard, though not openly, and see how things panned out.

Still his smile did not slip and he listened calmly to their words, eyes still travelling around him to take the sights in. The doctor said something about nutritional intake -whatever- and then expounded on her own lack of appreciation for "simple grog" in favour for brandy or vodka. Hey, if she wanted to have poor taste in beverages that was on her, but Adam did indeed know a bar nearby that he had already spent some time at the night before that would sell more than its fair share of drinks for their tastes. And then Serena dropped the ship bombshell, revealing her own work at a local shipyard, making Adam's smile grow into one of actual delight.
"Another slave to the crafter's life!" he exclaimed happily, "I never did have the care for working with wood, the graining in it was always far too easily moved for my tastes and the lack of heat makes the entire process far less fun, though I definitely respect the traditions."

They walked onwards, Adam semi-leading the way but not quite as Serena evidently had a place in mind. It turned out it was the same one he had been considering anyway however, a nice relaxed place made from dark mahogany and shining steels -one of which he appreciated, the other he assumed Serena might- and a kindly bartender with a quick grin and the biggest set of arm muscles Adam had seen in his life. He had even witnessed the man grab two men with a single hand on each and bodily throw them out of the bar the night before simply for causing a ruckus...
Or not, for rather than the bar Adam had hoped for -it didn't look like one on the outside he supposed, more like a proper establishment or a restaurant- and they instead went towards one named "Riley's Bar", a place he knew had a bit more of a restive atmosphere than he preferred, enough that he hefted the bag of his tools a little closer, so they'd be out of the way.

Adam had not responded as they walked, instead thinking on the final question posed by Serena as they walked, but he spoke slowly as they got closer to the establishment, a bit of music drifting ahead of them almost as though to invite them inside.
"Well it's a case of need isn't it?" he said finally, "We need the means and ability to travel easily and safely so we need people who are capable of doing so. We need someone who can help navigate, someone who is clever in terms of cooking and ideally someone with medical abilities. Clearly the doctor here has the latter one down," he said with a nod to Persephone, "And I'm a decent hand with cooking, but the navigation is potentially an issue. Though," he added with a laugh, "Perhaps less so here in the Blue Seas, the ocean is considerably calmer here thank the light."

Persephone was not all too often surprised by her assessments of people, but in this case she could admit it. She had not pegged Serena to be a craftsman. The fact she is a shipwright was going to make this process drastically easier to handle. She herself had acquired and stockpiled some wealth before her decision to travel around, and she could help purchase any raw materials they may need. Unsurprisingly however was that Adam immediately jumped on the tidbit with the fervor of a child who discovered someone who liked the same types of toy as he did. She honestly tuned out his words when he brought on the slave nonsense again, she could only handle so much of that empty philosophy.

It seemed that this Mr. Samson individual was close to Serena, and so she needed to play it carefully when they encountered him. She suspected he may not be as daft as her new Captain and didn't want to show her hand too soon. If she needed to fake pleasantries until they got what they needed, well she would certainly try. It was tiresome having to do it, but she didn't want him tipping off Serena to her own manipulations. Serena seemed to have a place in mind they could dine at, which suited her just fine. She hoped that it wasn't simply a greasy spoon and that they had at least something that wasn't absolutely destructive to her bodies overall health.

Adam made a good point about their need for a navigator, she wasn't overly worried about one at the moment. The Blues were well mapped out and simple charts would suffice them for now. They would need to procure one when they decided to move into the Grand Line. She approached a table with enough room for the three of them and sat down, grabbing at a nearby menu of the inns food. As she suspected, there was a lot of food that seemed coated in grease, but she was in luck as they offered a rather expansive selection of grilled fish and sushi. She would wait for the waitress of the inn to come to their table and ordered herself a grilled salmon with a tray of sushi. She needed the nutrition that came from these after her distasteful meals on the ship. "Also I would like glass of whiskey, neat" she said before turning to look at Serena. "So tell me Serena, how long have you been a shipwright? And who this Mister Sampson you spoke of earlier? Is he perhaps your teacher in this line of work?" The more information she had, the more she could fine tune her approach to the man.

Adam seemed excited that she too was a craftsman or at least she thought that's what he said. This made her excited that he was excited and her smile gleamed to show it. Then they got to the brass tacks it seemed they needed a Navigator and A chef for extended travel. It seemed that for now he was offering his skills as a cook however he wished to have one that was specifically for that purpose. Which made sense she supposed that would mean more friends. That was definitely the reason, Or at least the only one she was able to come up with. Though at the same time she supposed every ship she had ever chartered to get island to island had both of those things. That must indeed be a requirement as Adam said. Then it was settled they would need at least a cook and a Navigator if they were ever to set sail towards adventure and freedom.

Serena sat down at the table that had been chosen by Sera and when the waitress came she was going to order a fish dish as she did every day. "I will just have something with fish please as usual it doesn't matter what" Serena said beaming with Happyness that she was about to sit down and eat with friends. Serena had never had friends before, All of her close Acquaintances were mostly ship owners that she had gotten a ride from or a shipyard foreman that she worked for room, board and sometimes some extra money to get nice souvenirs which were usually bracelets if one couldn't tell by looking at her arms covered in bracelets. Though there was also her tattoo She had gotten that 3 years into her 7 year journey after coming into contact with a majestic sea king which is what the tattoo is of. She has great respect for them as creatures as any other creature but more so for being so powerful and commanding of a presence but kind and gentle still. Or at least it seemed to her.

Its eyes hadn't bore any malice when she looked into them, it was simply guarding its territory which she didn't see anything wrong with that creatures were always encroached upon by humanity and had their freedoms taken away. She supposed that this was a lesson she had actually managed to learn which clicked when Adam had been talking about it earlier.. it was true that people would try to take away freedom without realizing how precious it really was to the people they took it from. Well, she supposed that just meant like the majestic Sea king she would have to be defensive of her freedom. Though she wasn't sure how, she wasn't a giant powerful Seaking. That was thought for another time however as she was asked by Persephone how long she had been a shipwright and about Mr. Sampson. "Well, I suppose it has been quite some time since i left my home island. I couldn't say an exact amount to be honest. I am not great with that sort of thing among others. Though if i had to guess i would say around 87 Full moons that i have been a tinkerer, though I have gotten a lot better lately under Mr. Sampsons guidance so i suppose you really could say he is my teacher of sorts. He is the Foreman of the Shipyard here. I have been working for him for about 2 weeks well... Except for the week in jail." Serena said trying to make sure she didn't leave anything out.

Serena wondered how she would ever be able to find them a chef, and a Navigator she doubted that she would just be lucky enough to happen upon one like she had with Sister Sera and Adam though perhaps fate would smile on her once more and she would. She liked to believe in positive outcomes due to fate. Because it meant that good would always prevail in her mind which was reassuring to her. Even in the Face of Adversity.

[[OOC: Well I'm back now boys, apologies]]

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It was easy enough sitting down once they went inside, Adam casually noting the orders from the two women before simply shaking his head with a friendly smile at the waiter on the first pass, ordering just a simple glass of water on the second to which the man brought him a small jug and three glasses. Not what he had ordered though Adam saw the practicality of it in terms of bringing them that in a single move rather than over multiple trips. The whiskey came a few moments later, Adam eyeing the brown liquor for a moment before deciding internally that he would pass on alcohol for the time being. He didn't have anything against the stuff per se, he was simply more comfortable not drinking it when he could and since right now was more of a details moment than one of celebration he would forego it... at least for a time.

He listened with some interest though when Serena gave her rather odd assessment of how long she had been a shipwright -she had simply said craftsman but this was the proper term and even to himself Adam was proper- and he did some [s]321[/s]quick maths in his head and arrived at a rough sum of a little over six and a half years. Still, if she had only been on the island for a short time then how had she improved so dramatically as she saw it under a man in less than a thirtieth -or so- of the time she had been a...
Ah screw it, she was happy and that was fine to him, he simply chuckled softly to himself as the smells of frying fish began to drift from the kitchen and he thought maybe he should have ordered after all.

"May I ask why he is in prison?" he said softly, his smile fading a little to a sympathetic one than an internally amused one, "You said you yourself were as well, is there a reason for it? Some kind of dispute, something more violent or a political reason from on high? I am... mildly well acquainted with all three."
His tone was dry, droll almost, and the fish came a few moments later, a rather delicious looking thing with an array of vegetables and thick-cut chips of potato roasted and fried alongside. It smelled rather good and Adam did admit to some order-jealousy of course, but when he looked up at the waiter he shook his head, the waiter shrugging without a word.

"More's the point, why did you get out but he did not? Are the reasons related? And would you be more amenable along the lines of... perhaps... breaking him free if that must be the case?"