Another long night

[Caesar Lions]

"What do you think of the Sea Hounds, Alaya?" Caesar asked her. An idea was beginning to form in his head. He had only to decide if he was to mention it to her or not. It all depended on her answer to his question. The sailor took another big swig of his rum and whiskey, setting it down on the table again before wiping his mouth on his arm. He looked up at her and waited for a response.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya had mixed feelings about the Sea Hounds. "They are terrible and great at the same time. I guess it is because they are pirates" She said with a small smile. They were better than the Sirens in her eyes. It was hard to like someone that stole and fought but she was used to that around this place.

[Caesar Lions]

"Ah." he said, "But it is the greatness that you have to look for. You want to sail, don't you? You said you'd love to be out on the waters rather than in this bar. Well," now he smiled again, "Won't you need a crew?" He hoped that she would get the hint. Women weren't allowed on ships. They were bad luck. However... If nobody knew there was a woman.... What was he telling her? WHY was he telling her all of this? Caesar looked at the rum and whiskey. Was he drunk? He counted back and forth on his fingers. 1...2...3...4....4...3...2...1. No, not drunk. But he shoved the whiskey aside all the same.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya contemplated what the man had said. She never really thought about making herself look like a boy and join a crew that way. It could work, she was young and she could easily look like a boy. She put away the rest of the mugs she cleaned and refiled some others glasses. How she would love to get out of here. "Well what ever happens this bar will be short of a wench" She whispered.

[Caesar Lions]

"Oh, the drunks won't know." Caesar argued. "They see everything double anyway." he laughed at his own joke. The sailor looked around the bar, and then back at his drink. Surreptitiously, his hand gripped around the handle of the rum and whiskey mug again and he took another gulp of the sweet liquid. He licked his lips as he set it town again, the delicious flavor still in his mouth.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya smiled. It was a true, kind smile that no one could forget, one she never showed. "That is very true and I won't miss it either" She said. Tomorrow she would head for the docks a new person ready to take on a new role. She would work on one of the ships and finally be out on the sea.

[Caesar Lions]

Caesar smiled back and nodded happily. He could almost see the gears working behind her face. "Make sure to come up with a good name for yourself." he reminded. "Everyone already knows you as Alaya. You need another something to be called by." said the sailor. He looked at her, trying picture her in a man's clothing. "How about... Jack? Or Christopher?"

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya shook her head she had a name picked out. "I was thinking Aaron" She said. She always liked the name. She knew it would be the name of her son if she had one. It was a silly thought at her age but it was a good name. Her mother also liked it. It was the name of some family relative on her mothers side.

[Caesar Lions]

He tilted his head, looking at her from a sideways angle. "Aaron?" he repeated, thinking. Caesar scratched his chin, considering it. "I guess you would look like an Aaron." He nodded again, and then gave an approving grin. "Welcome aboard, Aaron!" He said, and gave her a hardy handshake. The name worked, and suit her -him well.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya laughed. "Well I am not Aaron yet. Right now I am still Alaya the bar wench. Tomorrow at the dock and for a while I will be Aaron" She said. She couldn't wait till morning. The sun would glisten off the great sea she would soon be traveling on. It had been years since she had been on a ship but she still remembered everything her father taught her.

[Caesar Lions]

"I know." said Caesar. "I was just trying out the name." he explained. He held the glass to his lips again, but found it empty. "As long as you are still a wench..." he began, pushing the glass towards a little. "Could you I some more, please?" asked the sailor. He wondered what she would look like tomorrow, as a man. She didn't look anything like a man now, nor did she act like one. Caesar smiled, holding back a laugh. "We'll have to work a little on your voice." he said. "And your mannerisms and the way you walk." Men didn't speak to one another they way that they spoke to women. Caesar couldn't contain his laugh any longer. It would be funny trying to teach a woman how to be a man. Much less a Sea Hound. But they could do it.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya could act like a man, maybe. "I am sure a drunken old fool can get his own rum" She snapped in a lower voice that she usually used. Alaya stilled poured him some more of the rum and whiskey. She smile. It would be fun to learn.

[Caesar Lions]

Caesar shook his head. "uh-huh." he said. "Deeper. Aggressive. Like this," he cleared his throat and put on a scowl. "Drunken scoundrel, get your own damn rum!" he roared, a vein in his neck pulsing. Some of the other drunks looked at him and nodded in agreement, though Caesar didn't know what for. Others just paid him no mind. "Like that." he said, calming down as if he had been quiet the whole time. "You have to add a rough edge to your voice. It has to be more than just low. It has to be harsh and demanding. Otherwise you'll never get your way. I'll have to teach you the words we sailors use as well. Believe me, they come in handy on a ship." he promised.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya knew that this was going to be tricky. "that might take some time to learn. Why do you d**n men have to shout and thrust your weight around?" She asked. A girl trying to be a boy. How wrong can one person get. It was hard enough to act fully human. She heard two people argue not too far off from the man. They were sitting a the bar and fighting over a glass of rum. She took over a glass of rum and slammed it on the table. "Now listen here you two d**n bastards. You fight at this bar and the next thing you will see is the black depth of the sea" She said in a rough voice. Fighters always angered her especially when they were drunk.

[Caesar Lions]

"I dunno." the man shrugged. "It's kind of like a dominance thing, I guess. It's just plain instinct. It's what we do." Caesar told her, a hint of defiance in his voice. "Maybe I'll teach you how to spit later. And belch on command." he chuckled. He knew that she didn't like it. The sailor watched her as she yelled at the two other drunks. "Closer." he said. "But your anger is too feminine. I'll teach you things to get mad over and what not to get upset about. You'd be surprised." he told her.