Chapter 10 - Personal Negotiations and the Morning After.
Natalie stood on the quarterdeck, wiped her eyes, and ignored the helmsman as he steered the ship and glanced her way from time to time. It was after sunset and the sky was clear and the elf looked up at the stars. Back home she could name every constellation and just by the stars know what direction she sailed, but here it was so different and the constellations were unfamiliar. Natalie had been sailing since she was three and her father taught her everything he knew, which was extensive.
Natalie grew up in Savannah, Georgia and she grew up privileged. Her family came from money as well as Old South Aristocracy and her father loved to sail and was certified as a Master Sailor both in the United States and Internationally. It was nothing for him to take his wife and daughter on a three or four day sailing voyage down the coast to Florida or up to the Carolinas on his thirty four foot, two cabin sail boat. While on those trips or just out for the day Natalie's father taught her all about sailing and boating and how to use the stars as navigation.
"Here it's getting chilly out." Natalie jumped at the voice and then smiled up at Jason as he put a blanket around her. She had left the cabin in such a state of anguish she had stormed out in just a shirt and the undergarment.
"Thank you."
"No worries. If you want you can sleep in our cabin tonight. Ahira is still seasick but at least stopped vomiting and I can sleep on the floor so you can have the bed to yourself."
"That's kind, but I may sleep up here tonight. It's a nice evening."
"Ok." Jason told her. "I won't give you the same lecture I gave Rain and Christie but I think you know what it was."
Natalie nodded, "I know...I will try...least until we get home."
"Good." The paladin said and walked away and then stopped and turned his head, "Were you really going to use a spell on her?"
Natalie grinned at him, "Yes but just my polymorph spell. I was going to turn her into a goat...it would have only lasted a few hours."
Jason walked away laughing.
Natalie looked at the stars and strange constellations for a while and shivered. It was getting colder than she thought and sleeping on deck no longer seemed like a good choice. She turned to face the ship, smiled at the helmsman who smiled back but quickly adverted his gaze from her, which she thought was odd. Per Captain Samera this crew was made up of some of the hardest men on the seas and could even be vicious and cruel if needed, but all day the crew avoided her. Yes they looked at her with lust and when she tried to strike up a friendly conversation with a few of them they were polite but quickly made excuses not to talk to her. She expected that with Christie; from what she was learning about the drow their reputation was well deserved, but she was a moon elf not a drow. Natalie shrugged and was about to take Jason up on his offer to sleep in their cabin when she noticed the light from a window under the poop deck coming from the captain's cabin. She smiled.
"Well Jason rejected me, Rain does not want me, Christie obviously hates me, but I know of at least one person on this ship who would enjoy my company." She muttered to herself and walked to Samera's cabin.
Natalie knocked on the door and it was soon opened by the captain. He was naked from the waist up and was barefoot. Natalie took in the view of his muscular chest and arms and liked what she saw. Samera smiled at her.
"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit, my lovely elf?"
Natalie smiled back, "I was...I could not sleep and saw the light from your cabin and figured you were awake and thought maybe we could share some wine...to help me sleep."
"Of course, I was finished with my business for the day." The captain stepped aside to let Natalie into his cabin.
Natalie looked around and thought the cabin was very spacious and well decorated. There was a large bed, a sofa, a desk with a large elaborate chair behind it and another smaller chair in front of the desk. There was a large wooden wardrobe closet and two other smaller cabinets. Natalie frowned when she saw the first mate Lotholi sitting on the small chair in front of the desk. He was holding ledger books in his hand.
"We are done for the night, Lotholi. Make sure you divide the crew's shares of our cargo and the extra gold we made from our passengers fairly."
The Halfling stood up, "Aye, captain, don't I always." He did not take his eyes off Natalie and the way he looked at her frightened her a little.
She was used to men and even women looking at her with desire and lust in their eyes, but the first mate looked at her with disapproval and even murder with his cruel eyes. He got up and left the cabin without another word.
"That one scares me." Natalie admitted.
Samera laughed and motioned for Natalie to sit on the sofa, "I would tell you he is harmless, but that would be a lie. But you don't need to fear him. He knows to obey me and not to cross me."
Samera put on a white shirt and walked to table and opened a small vial, pourer a few drops of the contents of the liquid on his hands, and then rinsed them in a bowl of water. Natalie could smell the liquid even from where she was sitting and it was a very pleasant exotic scent.
"That smells good," She said and stood up letting her blanket drop to the floor and walked over to the table and picked up the vial and smelled the contents.
"Soap?"
The captain did not answer her right away but took the time to gaze at the elf. All she was wearing were her short underwear and her peasant top that came down to only her midriff right above her belly button. Natalie had not put on her linen bra after her bath and her breasts could be seen through the material of the thin cloth of her top and her nipples were erect. The elf seemed oblivious to how she was dressed and the eyes of Samera.
"No, it's oil from the altheas plant. Very common. I like its scent and even through it dissolve in water the scent remains on the skin. Here...hold out your hand."
Samera poured a few drops on Natalie's hand and the girl rubbed her fingers together and indeed it was a slick oily sensation. She then washed her hands and smelled them and the scent remained.
"I like that." She told the captain.
"Like I said it's very common and I will have a few vials sent with you when you depart."
Natalie smiled, "Thank you." And she walked back to the sofa as Samera's eyes focused on her butt.
The captain opened one of the smaller cabinets and removed a glass pitcher of red wine and two glasses. The captain poured wine into the glasses and walked to Natalie and handed her one and then sat down next to her on the sofa; the sofa was more like a love seat so the man was close to Natalie.
Natalie took a small sip of the wine, she really did not want it but it was an excuse. She sat the her glass down on the small table in front of the sofa and brought he legs up beneath her butt as she turned her body to face the captain. The short undergarment rode up even further and exposed more of her upper thighs.
"So why is he your first mate?" She asked bringing the conversation back to the first mate.
The captain shrugged, "The crew voted him to be after my previous one was killed in a tavern brawl in Baulder's Gate. He has a way with numbers and figures and while he would not hesitate to slit someone's throat he has always been fair with the crew."
"You don't fear him well...leading a mutiny like you did to get the ship?" Natalie teased.
Samera laughed, "Oh no, my beauty, the crew is very loyal to me. I pay them well and they know they could not get a better percentage of the profits from our cargo on any other ship. Plus Lotholi is not a leader. A murderer and cold hearted bastard yes, but not a leader and the crew would never follow him."
Samera took a large swallow of his wine, "You do not like the wine? It's one of the best I have on board." He said as he noticed Natalie did not drink anymore.
Natalie smiled, "I really did not want any wine."
"Oh and what brings you to my cabin this hour of night? I can't imagine it's to discuss Lotholi or the politics of my crew and if you wanted conversation you have your friends and drow lover."
Natalie looked shocked for a moment but then recovered, "Why would you think she is my lover?"
Samera laughed, "The way she looks at you and the way she looks at me when I compliment your beauty."
Natalie giggled, "Well in truth her and I do have a past that included us being lovers but that's over with."
The captain smiled, "So back to my question...what brings you here at this hour?"
Natalie shrugged, "I want to know why the crew avoids me."
Samera chuckled, "They are afraid of you."
Natalie's eyes grew wide, "Afraid of me? Why? I can see why they are afraid of Christie...even if she is harmless...her being a drow but why me?"
The captain shrugged, "Sailors are a superstitious lot. The witnessed you little display of magic this morning and then you are a moon elf, something they have never seen before, and they think you are a dryad witch and you have the power to charm them and control them. Silly I know, but like I mentioned, they are a superstitious lot and only a few of them have ever seen a moon elf and I suspect none have ever seen a drow as well, but drow are not as much of a mystery. Everyone knows the drow are cruel, murderous bastards. But I know you did not come here to ask me that. So once more, why come to my cabin?"
Natalie grinned, "I thought maybe we could re-negotiate the deal you made with Ahira."
