Deck of the Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Sunday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

So after yesterday's picnic, Duke had seriously considered raising anchor and just getting the hell back out of Fandom while the going was still good. Unfortunately, he still needed supplies and at least a little more socialization before he was ready to hit the seas again, and an island so small it didn't even show up on any maps was the best damn hiding spot he was going to get from the various and sundry people who either wanted to arrest or kill him.

He was definitely not going to teach a class at the high school though. Certainly not one about piracy. That was just -- people hadn't trusted him around kids when he was a kid. It was clearly nonsense.

Having spent the morning on various repairs and maintenance around his ship, he headed into town for groceries around noon, then set up his small grill on deck to make some lamb shashlik and vegetables. After a couple weeks of living on fish and jerky, kebabs were right up his alley.

[open! Duke's boat's deck is visible and easily accessible from land. Think of it like someone's front patio or driveway, only furnished with crates and random thrifted benches and things.]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"The state. I came up from Brazil." Duke took a sip from the flask. "Damn, that's good." He held it back out for Jack. "And Georgia is a country. Трахни Россию.*"

[* Fuck Russia]

[biotic_psychotic]

Jack took the flask back, saluted him and took a slug. "I don't bother carrying crap around." She snorted, "That place has been a country and then been absorbed and then been a country again so many times I can't keep it straight. But yeah, fuck Russia. That place is a total shithole. Got some nice architecture, though, I'll give it that. It's not much different in my time but there's less country bullshit. The Alliance kind of made everyone play nice in the sandbox, for all the good that ever did anyone."

[betterthanaplan]

"See, that's what always gets me about sci-fi. I've been all around this planet. I'm not sure there's anything that could actually get people to forget about the country bullshit."

[biotic_psychotic]

"I mean," Jack drawled, "the country bullshit pales in comparison to being bigots toward other sentient races. The colonialist attitude started a frickin' war when humans stuck a flag on a planet that was a protectorate of a race who had - and still has - the best trained military fleet in Citadel space. Wasn't the attitude that changed, just the scope of the game."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded slowly. “Humans are still dicks, then. Guess I can’t argue with that.”

[biotic_psychotic]

"Every species has their share of dicks," Jack noted with a shrug, "I'm biased. Weren't any of the other species in my galaxy who messed my shit up. Humans just got this attitude though, you know? Like.. we were the last fucking sentient race to show up and yet we rock on in like we're better'n everyone." She snorted, "We're one of the shorter lived races, too so that's pretty damn funny."

[betterthanaplan]

“Yeah, well. Can’t beat us for sheer fucking bravado.”

Ugh. People.

[biotic_psychotic]

"You've clearly never met a Krogan," Jack drawled, and then chuckled. "You'd probably like them. They're a helluva lot of fun." Offered him the flask back, "Brazil, huh? That's the place with the big damn carnival?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Lots of places have big damn carnivals,” Duke said. “But yeah, Brazil’s are some of the biggest.”

[biotic_psychotic]

"Are there clowns at theirs?" Jack asked suspiciously. She hated clowns. They were creepy.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke snorted. “Not that kind of carnival. But there are usually a lot of costumes and make up.” He spread his hands. “It’s more of a big, kinda raunchy party. Getting all their sins of the flesh in before they have to play nice for Lent.”

[biotic_psychotic]

"My kind of party," Jack said with approval, "Those are always fun. Never been to Brazil. Mexico once, not that long ago. Not for a party, though. We were chocolate shopping, if you can fuckin' believe it."

Kanan and his mushy Valentine. Ugh.

[betterthanaplan]

“I’ve heard of worse reasons to go to Mexico.” Most of them involving illegal activities, natch. “Brazil’s nice.” He frowned. “Not sure I can go back to Rio anytime soon, though.”

[biotic_psychotic]

Jack gave him a raised-eyebrow look. "Leave in a hurry, didja?"

[betterthanaplan]

“If I hadn’t, I definitely wouldn’t have run out of booze by Georgia.”

[biotic_psychotic]

"Guess the question is, did you leave with a shipment or without one?" Jack mused.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's smile was at least half grimace. "Yes. That is a question that you could ask."

[biotic_psychotic]

"So, I'm asking," Jack smirked, "Did you? Because if you did, you don't know this town but I do. I could maybe tell you the who or the where or whether it's better to try across the causeway."

[betterthanaplan]

"Uh huh. And what kind of cut would you want for such a service?"

[biotic_psychotic]

Jack tilted her head and considered, "A favor. I mentioned my friend Fjord. He used to be a merchant sailor and he misses being on a boat so much it hurts. If you've got ship-type jobs to do, you give him a shot." She gave him a piercing look, "And you keep in mind he don't look like you but he's a fucking person. He's a good guy. He's from a place that don't have tech so all his ships are sails only. He might like to learn about modern ones."

[betterthanaplan]

"If he's any good, I'd do that anyway," Duke said. "He one of your students or something?"

Considering the crash course he'd be trying to give himself on old fashioned tall ships after Wednesday, Duke might well end up offering Fjord a flat out trade anyway.

[biotic_psychotic]

"He's a friend. He's older than me, about as old as my dumbass brother close as we can figure," Jack said, then asked, "You seen any of the non-human-standard residents of the island yet? Because there's a few of 'em. He's one. Hence my 'treat him like a person because he goddamn is one' codicil."

[betterthanaplan]

"He could be a walking tree, if he's good at what he does I'll work with him." There'd probably be a bit of staring first, but he'd try to be polite about it.

[biotic_psychotic]

Jack nodded slowly, "That's a good attitude to have. Can't tell you how good or not he is, you'll have to judge for yourself. Fuck if I know anything about this kind of ship. So - what are you trying to move?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "Nothing, currently. Had to dump and run in Brazil." You did not fuck with the Brazilian police. "And, being mostly known for my discretion, I wouldn't tell you even if I did have some packages on board. You know if there's a market for anything, or anyone who needs something moved fast and quiet, I'm all ears." He smiled. "Oh, and if anyone's up for a couple friendly hands of poker."