Looking For Adventures

[Tauer]

"Hmm..." The Captain tapped his chin with bone fingers before having a Eureka! moment. "Aha! I shall present you as a pre-wedding gift once we arrive in Shankshellagrad. You can be Miss Cherry's personal handmaid; clean her room, fetch her food and bring her drink, carry her bags. It'll give you the perfect opportunity to get close to her, to snoop around and find out what she's using to control my ship and crew.

Then maybe I can destroy it before the wedding."

*POP*

Mr. A transformed from his flowing white bridal costume to a butler's smart black suit, immaculately white gloves and highly polished shoes.

"Miss Ivy the servant? This sounds like a hoot!
You can bring her vases of wine and platters of fruit,
Go shopping for hours and give advice on her dresses,
And when you have time you can clean up her messes!"

[Ivy]

Ivy had been wondering what the captain would think up, but a handservent was NOT what she was expecting. She wasnt sure what to expect, but that was so not on the list. She stood and her jaw went slack and hung open. She stared at him with disbelief, though it quickly turned to a scowl as Mr. A started talking. She glared at him, snapping her her mouth shut, before turning to look at the skeletal captain and crossing her arms. "Are you sure that will work? Ive never done anything like that before." she wanted to say she never would, but she was interested in this adventure and wanted to see if she could pull it off.

[Tauer]

"I'm almost certain it will work!" The Captain exclaimed, cheerily. "You have the luck of the faeries on your side, after all. This is a matter of my life and death, so if- WHEN you succeed, I shall be forced to reward you greatly for your assistance."

And if that didn't work, the flexible skeleton got down on his knees and begged.

"Please, please, pleeeeaaase won't you do this for me?"

"Aww, just look at this man. He begs for his life.
Won't you help foil the plans of his possible to-be wife?"

[Ivy]

Ivy wasnt as interested in rewards as everyone else, but she would never say no to one. After all, she needed money as much as everyone else did. She had been about to answer yes when the captain got on his knees and started begging. Her eyes flew open and she gave the skeletal man a horified look. "Ill help! Ill help! You dont need to beg!" This time, she ignored Mr. A when he started to speak, except to give him a uncomfortable look. She crossed her arms and looked at the captian. "When do I start?"

[Tauer]

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ivy received a very big, grateful hug in return for her offer of help. Mr. A gave her a wink and a thumbs up. After a few seconds, in which I'm sure the little blonde adventuress felt uncomfortable, the Captain released his skeletal grip on the girl and skipped backwards.

"We'll be landing in Shankshellagrad in less than a day. Miss Cherry Rose owns a large estate there and-" If the Captain had any color in his face, it would at this moment have drained. "-that is where the wedding will take place. It's going to be held outdoors unless this storm holds up. I wouldn't say no to it being postponed or cancelled altogether."

The Captain crossed his boney fingers, hoping.

"I will present you to Miss Cherry once we land, where she will choose to either keep you or kill you, and then we can take things from there, depending on her decision. I would offer you a cabin for the rest of our journey but we have none spare. I can, however, have food and drink brought down to you and I will leave this door unlocked. But I advise you not to go wandering because...there is one thing I failed to mention. Miss Cherry is on board. She has evicted me from my own cabin and has rarely been seen up on deck since we departed from our previous location. If my crew find you out of this cell, I have no idea what might happen.

I strongly suggest you get some sleep. You're going to want to be well rested before your...mission."

[Ivy]

Ivy stood and looked uncomfortable when the captain hugged her, and once she was released she backed away a step. She listened to him talk, frowning at the thought of being a maid of sorts, or killed. But she had promised, and she wouldnt go back on that promise. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly once the skeletal man was done talking. "Is there anything I can do to make the chance of her not killing me greater?" she glanced at the stool and back to the man. "Ill stay in here, I promise." she was grateful for the promise of food, and the thought of sleep was alluring already.

[Tauer]

Counting on his bone fingers, the Captain listed all the things Ivy could do to increase her chances of surviving her time under Miss Cherry Rose's employ.

"One. Show her proper respect.
Two. Do NOT argue back, throw a tantrum or have an attitude.
Three. Follow every one of her commands. To. The. Letter.
Four. Complement her now and again.
Five. Don't get in her way or under her feet.
Six. Hot food should be served hot. Not warm. Nor cold. HOT.
Seven. If she asks a question, answer it.
Eight. Do not let her see you sitting or standing around idle.
Nine. Break a single item and you're life will no doubt be forfeit.
Ten..."

The Captain said the last thing with a smile, as he opened the door and headed out of the room.

"...Enjoy yourself. It's not every day you get to go undercover. Just don't get caught. Goodnight."

And with that, he closed the door behind him.

[Ivy]

Ivy stared at the captain as he spoke, a frown on her face. She wasnt much good at acting, or keeping her temper under control. She sure hoped she would remember all the rules, as she wasnt too keen on the prospect of dying. She was going to need to be careful, and remember NOT to show her annoyance if she would be called a child. "Thank you. Ill do my best." she told him as he left. When the door closed, she backed up and lowered herself onto the small stool, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her head in her hands. She was worried, she had never needed to do something like this before. She hoped she could pull it off. "Mr. A, will you be there when Im given as a gift?" She fought a frown and pushed herself off the stool and onto the floor, curling up into a ball and closing her eyes as she waited for a reply from Mr. A. After a few minutes, she fell asleep.