It doesn't take her long to find him. Seems old OneEye barely made it out the door before he collapsed. The first thing she notices on stepping outside was the stench in the alleyway .. it makes her gag..
With her eyes watering she sighs and leaves the alley momentarily returning with a large and heavy wooden bucket. William awakens in shock to the burning cold water dowsing his body. The sound of canons booming, no, horses, no, gunshots, no - it be the sound of his
own heartbeat pulsing inside his brain.
He thinks to himself, "I need to stop drinking these pirate-made rums."
As he tries to roll over and go back to sleep another wave of what feels like fire and ice is tossed upon him. His eyes start to focus from blurred vision of someone standing above him.
His head spins as he begins to recognize that this ice cold assault is being delivered by 'my guild-mate, Argo'.This specific combination of fragrant old fish, urine, vomit, stale ale and spilled grog is unique to this alley, He looks at Argo who is crinkling her nose as he stumbles and staggers to his feet. Under his breath he mutters. " I know, I know, I know you know, my carcass has been dumped behind the hair of yea o frog many times before now!" He looks up with wide innocent eyes and says cheerfully uselessly steadying himself against the wall,
"Hi Argo, is it time for the interview already?"
He gives her his biggest and most charming grin he can muster as he loses his balance and nearly falls again, staggeringly desperate for balance. The back wall of the tavern saves him as he awkwardly pushes himself steady now away from it. His legs wobble like jello, " I will need to get a couple of ales and I will feel better."
As they pass the water trough for the horses, Argo can no longer stand the stench of him nor the burning of her eyes and on an impulse she cannot control, grabs him, knocks him off balance and plunges him into the chilly water... William, a little startled at first but together they laugh heartily as she helps pull him back up.
Now somewhat dried off by the warm and welcoming fire inside the tavern, a dram or two of rum and several ales later Argo asks how he is doing.
" I still feel like a donkeys backside, but at least the thumping in my head is subsiding"
Argo signals the barkeep and nods, 'Our meals and another round..?"
The barkeep nods in return.Placing her parchment pad, squid ink and quills on the table she turns to him and says, "So.. tell me about yourself. Who is WilliamOneEye? We've been friends for a while but who are you really? "
She laughs playfully. He leans in close to her and squints his one eye ..."If a mad scientist were to sail and rob people, I believe that would be me. I enjoy trying experiments, sometimes I profit sometimes I lose, but do you really lose if youre having a good time. I have traded, I have farmed, I have wreck hunted, gold smithed, banked, I have stolen, I have governed. I like to see what is possible, I like to study, learn, and experiment. I like to push my own boundaries and I rarely refuse a challenge."
Argo really isn't sure if her old friend blinked or winked. In all the time she has known him, she has never been able to tell.The MIAB reporter studies his craggy yet somehow handsome and weather worn face .... "What was your early life like?"
He wipes his mouth roughly and spits a little chewing tobacco as he says .. "Much like now, Sail, plunder, drink, repeat." His one-eye glints and sparkles as he speaks.
Argo involuntarily raises an eyebrow, smiles a little while she continues to just look at him quizzically ... and he just looks right back at her with the same expression!
She smiles a little while she continues to look from his one ok eye to the other .. er the hole where an eye should be....As if reading her mind or rather her expression Will pauses "Apologies my dear, I did not realize it was out. "
Quicky he reaches into a leather coin purse and pulls out his glass eye. With a sudden slow slapping motion he rolls it upward and into the bare socket and he chuckles.The pupil of the false eye is pointed awkwardly upwards and out to the left. It makes him look rather insane. Argo's eyes widen substantially as she tries unsuccessfully to stifle explosive laughter -
... Sensing somethings not right, WIll blinks a few times and the pupil rights itself to a somewhat more normal position.
He can tell by Argos' reassuring smile all is good now.
Another round of laughter and he continues, " I was a slightly neglected Bast...(cough!,cough!) I mean... Illigitimate son of a Governor,
I left home at an early age, joined a pirate crew,
it was not long before we raided that governors, my fathers, fleets, we took his cargo and a few of his ships.
Needless to say I was even less welcome at home after this incident
