Exiles Recruitment: The Shieldmaiden

[Blink]

There was a lot of commotion happening in the Peggin' Parrot pirate bar, and all of it seemed to focus on Blink. Despite the fact that she could clearly see people all over the bar looking at her or talking about her, none of them were actually interacting with her. They were clearly trying to decide what to do. Blink, for her own sake, was just sitting at the bar and pretending not to pay attention. She had ordered herself a diet coke to sip on, while Rufus just stood near her stool and acted like her bodyguard. "What's happening now?" Blink asked, as she couldn't really look herself without giving up her cover of not caring.

Rufus scanned the room. She watched his eyes as they moved side to side, as if he was studying the room. He was very good at identifying the important bits of a scene, as if he was outlining the threats in front of him. "The guy I knocked out is telling some other guy." The pink teleporter chuckled. That bouncer was probably not happy. "The bartender is telling the guard at the bottom of the stairs about us." Blink nodded. They had instructed the barkeep that they wanted to speak to the owner. Rufus continued. "Up in that balcony room, they're making it no secret that they're talking about us."

"It's almost like we don't fit in," Blink said sarcastically.

"Clearly you should wear an eyepatch," Rufus suggested. Blink gave a nod of approval, to show she was considering the idea. She'd make a damn sexy pirate, she decided inwardly. "So, what's the play here? Just shoot everybody, grab the chick and run?"

Claire laughed at the simple plan. She didn't hate it, though it wasn't really needed. "We just need to talk to the Shieldmaiden alone. Even though they seem like idiots, we don't need to shoot this place up." Rufus frowned. He was obviously looking forward to it. "I'll try diplomacy first, but if it makes you feel any better, I doubt it'll work. We'll probably have to knock some heads together."

"Looks like that time is coming soon," Rufus stood up straight, having been previously leaning on the bar. "Two goons. No, three. Coming this way."

"Handle it," Blink told him. The goal was to make it seem like she had no interest in grunts, but instead wanted to talk to the important people in the Omni-Pirates group. This is what would get her face to face with their mark from recruitment. So, Rufus would handle talking to the underlings.

She could hear the footsteps of two people. Then, shortly after, a third joined them from off to the side. It was difficult to hear as the techno music around them seemed to increase in volume and the bar itself was filling up with patrons. "Can I help you gentlemen?" Rufus asked, standing directly behind Blink, in the way of her and the goons. "The lady is trying to enjoy her beverage." As if to drive his point home, Blink noisily slurped on the straw inside her diet coke.

"Her drink can wait. The boss wants to talk to her." This was a deep voice. Blink's ear twitched as she attempted to recognize it, but could not. "Let's go."

Rufus leaned over her shoulder to whisper, but he didn't actually say anything. Blink just nodded as they spoke without words, clearly both at an understanding of what needed to happen next. She set her drink down on the bartop as Rufus straightened back up. She spun around the barstool with a big smile, hands up. "Awright, let's do it!" She giggled. Now that she could see the three bodies, she hopped off her seat and made a bee-line for the middle one, grabbing his hand in her's. "Let's go, handsome! Lead the way!"

He was obviously taken aback by her forwardness, but didn't seem to mine. "This way," he said, recovering his professionalism. Blink glanced at the other two goons. One was non-notable, but the other was clearly the bouncer they had knocked out to enter. She thought perhaps he felt a personal stake was in this. He glared at Rufus as the bald Exile passed him with a cheeky grin.

"I love this music!" Blink yelled over the noise. The goon leading her by the hand clearly couldn't hear her as they passed the speaker. She quickly pulled him to the side, giggling at his surprise, and started to shake her hips in front of him. "I said, I love this music!" She giggled as she moved in front of him, playing the rich bimbo well.

"We need to go!" The dark-skinned man hollared over the music. "You can dance later?"

"Promise?" Blink asked, biting her lower lip in a way to look more innocent. She didn't think she could pull it off particularly well, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Promise! Let's go!" 

He re-took her wrist in his hand, almost possessively, and yanked her towards the stairway. She had to dodge some dancers on the way, but for the most part made a good show of stumbling as he dragged her. Rufus was behind her, and one of the goons was behind him. They headed up into the stairs, passing a sign that said 'VIP Only.' Blink giggled the whole way, as if overly amused by the fact she was being dragged. 

Once upstairs, she was led into the first room available in a long hallway. She yelped as she was yanked into the room and presented to those in the room. "Here she is." The guy told those in the room. Blink waved playfully at the patrons; there was about six men all in ridiculous pirate gear, which made them look more like cosplayers then actual pirates. The important person, however, was in the back of the room. As Blink and the Shieldmaiden eye made contact, the teleporter could tell that the warriorress recognized her immediately.

"I hear you wanted to talk to me," one of the six wanna-be pirates said. He didn't look particularly different from the other people in the room. He had an eyepatch and a fake wooden leg wrapped around one of his limbs. If she was being quizzed on who the boss was, she wouldn't have picked this guy. "I run this place. It's invite-only, but you and your goon here seemed to have stumbled in."

Rufus grunted at the word goon. Blink smiled. "I'm terribly sorry for the show," she began, her voice a bit more high pitched then usual. "I'm here with a job offer. It's with actual professionals, promises real adventure and will actually make a difference around here."

The 'boss' of the Omni-Pirates looking confused. "Excuse me? Job offer?"

"Ohhhh no no no," Blink said to him, waving her hands. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you, Captain Hook, but the offer isn't for you." Again, he looked confused, as did all of his accomplices. "It's for her. Astrid Yver. The Shieldmaiden."

The blond woman in red leather armor and matching face-painted looked startled for about a moment. All of the pirates in the room turned around to glance at her, clearly just shocked by the statement. But after a second or two to contemplate, the woman known as the Shieldmaiden nodded her head. "I'm in."

In a moment of quickness, Blink brought her elbow up to the goon that dragged her in and connected it right onto his nose. As he fell back, Blink's hand smacked into Rufus' check, gripping his tank top and then teleported both of them across the room. Before any of the fake pirates could say anything, Rufus and Blink appeared in front of Astrid and grabbed both of her arms. She willingly allowed them to push her back, and all three disappeared into the wall. 

Gone much quicker then they arrived.