Seeking Allies (Rui)

[Asa Khan]

On a whole, the port was bustling with activity, with people and carts moving between ships and buildings, and people weaving an intricate web around them. The seawater was enough to sting the eyes of the unhardened, and the wind blew fiercely through the hordes of sailors. In amongst this typical scene was an oddity; a creature like the others, yet different in subtle ways. His skin slightly darker, his eyes an odd colour and garbed in odd clothes, this strange man moved through the crowds surveying the vessels which were docked.

He moved from ship to ship, from too small to too old, until eventually he came upon a ship that stood out from the others. He had heard whispers of the name in a nearby tavern. There were very few men around the ship... he had a vague understanding of what that implied. With a menacing smirk he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

In a heavy foreign accent, he barked "I seek the owner of this vessel, the "Red Siren". I would speak with them," eagerly awaiting a response.

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

A shadow cast over the stranger below the gaze of the mighty Red Siren. A man wearing a large captains hat stood watching the man below. "I'm the captain of this here ship! State your business!" Rui shouted before making his way down the docking board onto the harbour ground. He looked at the man and grinned in a evil manner. "You're not from around here are ye? I'm Rui of the Takiri family, famous family of pirates in this area." Rui stated in a proud manner, even despite being an outcast of the main family he still wore his family's name with pride.

A small monkey sat upon the mans shoulder and it looked at the strange man with beady black eyes. The monkey was called Tsu and was Rui's pet from a far off land. Rui wasn't all that afraid of foreign people, he had travelled a lot and seen many different places and come to terms that the Chinese were just one type of people and were no different from any other group of people.

[Asa Khan]

Asa looked up at the man who had emerged, unfased by his announcements. He was relieved, however, that he had actually found the person he was looking for.

"Keep your past and status to those who have the interest, for I have none. Your senses, however, do not deceive you. I hail from a far-off land blanketed in sand and heat. It is very different to this land," he said, grimacing. He had no love for titles or heritage; they were things which had no meaning in his world.

So far, the man had not attempted to slay him. This was a good sign, if not unusual. He was accustomed to dealing with militia from his homeland, not seasoned warriors. Taking advantage of this, he quickly made his way onto the ship, barging past several sailors in the process, and took his place in front of the man.

"I... understand that you... in your line of work... require decent fighters, correct?" he inquired, making a feeble attempt to focus on Rui rather than the creature which sat on his shoulder. He shuddered as he stared into its black eyes. "My apologies if I seem distracted. Your companion is... unnerving to say the least. I have not encountered such a demon before."

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

Rui continued to show his grin of pride of his ship and crew and he stood in front of Asa. "I can always use more fighters in my crew, we are still small and lacking but already I've found myself some very good fighters who are now my closest officers. I'm guessing you're here for a job maybe?" Rui assumed before tilting his hat back so he could see Asa in a better light.

Rui listened to Asa talk about Tsu and turned to look at the monkey on his shoulder. "This...? This is Tsu, it's hardly a demon in my view. It protects me from my illness by warning me when I'm about to go down, saves my life this little one. He's a gift from the Gods." Rui spoke as he stroked the monkey's head and fussed over it. "You don't need to fear little Tsu, he won't hurt you at all."

[Asa Khan]

Asa laughed nervously at what Rui had just said. After a few seconds it was like a forceful release of air than a laugh.

"Blessing or no, I do not trust such a beast. My people are always wary of strange creatures. While I have tried to leave their ways behind... my decades of living among them have left me with certain traits."

Quickly, he regained his composure, standing up to his full height and replacing his hand to his his sword.

"Should a job be offered, I can assure you that you'll find none more skilled in the way of the sword," he boasted, quickly removing his curved blade from its scabbard and performing several highly skilful techniques on an ethereal opponent, then returning the blade as quickly as it was unsheathed.

"A decade of fighting has not been in vain, as you can see," he said with a smirk. "My force currently stands at 300 men, whose service would be a privilege, and I guarantee they could best any rebel in combat. Should you allow us to join you... well, they benefits are obvious."

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

Rui held Tsu in his arms and stroked the small monkey, he didn't like it when his friends were spoken badly about. He sighed and watched as Asa showed off his skills with the sword. Rui seemed impressed but he knew just fighting imaginary opponents wasn't enough to prove the skills on the battlefield, he knew the time would draw swiftly and so on that day he hoped to see if Asa was truly worth the effort and time.

"I can use all the allies I can muster. If you want to be part of this ship then you're hired. Though remember who your captain is otherwise you'll have to learn the hard way." Rui warned, he would not tolerate mutiny on his ship, he was the big dog and no one else. The only person who could look down on Rui was his brother, Kenshi.

[Asa Khan]

Asa nodded in confirmation of Rui's assertion. He loathed any form of authority over his men other than his own, but he always knew that the world did not agree with his opinion.

"I will gladly join. I regret that I must tell you that we are lacking in a vessel, so we must resort to working on land. You are the captain; that is not contested, but I must tell you that my men only accept orders from me," he said. He moved closer to Rui. "And should you not recognize that fact," he whispered, moving his head to within a few inches of Rui's right ear, accompanied by the placing of a small steel blade on Rui's wrist, "then the 'hard way' may be turned upon you." He immediately moved back to his original position, with a knowing smile on his face, satisfied that his point had been made.

"Is this all to your satisfaction?"

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

Rui grinned at Asa and didn't seem at all threatened by the man. Rui now approached Asa and he stared the man in the face and leaned in close. "You're troops belong to you, but you belong to me." Rui spoke making it clear he was going to play the big dog no matter what Asa said. Rui felt the strong urge to dominate Asa, his lust taking his mind a little but he resisted and backed off again.

"The ship is already filled with my troops and an other officers troops, I guess I can leave you on land until we save up enough money to get another ship for you." Rui spoke as he gazed up at his pride and joy, 'Red Siren' was his family's ship that he had stolen when he left them.

[Asa Khan]

It was rare to encounter a person such as Rui, as many would have given in to his threats. It would be amusing to see how he fared.

Asa began walking around the ship's perimeter, scrutinizing every inch of it, before finally moving toward the mast, placing his hand on it.

"Fine craftsmanship, of that there is no doubt. How does it cope in a storm, though? Looks are not everything," he jeered. He would not normally act as such, but he had to probe the personality of the ship's captain, to see what he could exploit.

Asa paused for a moment, a look of consideration. He raised his hand tentatively and asked, "If I may be so bold as to inquire... what kind of jobs are you usually hired for? How do they pay?"

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

Rui watched as Asa examined the ship and Rui soon walked along behind the man before stopping beside him when Asa asked about the ship and storms. "Yeah, she's encountered storms before. She's done well but she did rip her sails one time which was difficult to mend." Rui admitted, he was just glad that on that day the mast didn't come down. He placed a hand on his hat and set it a little better as the sunlight hit his eyes.

"We were being hired by merchants and farmers to carry out trade which did earn us some fine money since we did it quickly and didn't get held up by the other pirates. Though that all ended when the Yellow Turbans showed up. Trade has dropped and the merchants have fled and the farmers have taken up their swords for battle. We're lucky to even get one job a month." Rui grumbled, he didn't like what was going on but he couldn't really do much about it. "Recently we've been hiring ourselves out to the war and to the Lords of the Han. Soon we plan to go to war to get some more money and to save the trading industry."