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MEET THE CREW - THIS MONTHS GUEST- THE GRIMM QUEEN - DEJANIRA
Argo stands outside the ramshackled and decaying building. Faintly on the door she can make out the words, 'Radio Bermuda', faded and scratched, letters partly missing and cobwebs in all the corners. But its there.
The Grimm Queen, Dejanira, agreed to meet her there for their interview and after knocking with no response sits herself on the doorstep to wait. Just as she was about to
give up and return to the offices of MIAB, a striking and confident woman dressed all gypsy-like smoking from a long and elegant cigarette holder approaches.. there can be no mistaking this person.. the Grimm Queen .. her approaching presence is palpable.
Argo is taken aback somewhat by her stature and physical beauty!! She stands up to greet her and offers a big smile. Towering over her, Dejanira returns the smile albeit quickly as she allows the smoke from her holder to drift from her ruby lips and float in the still night air ..
"Shall we go inside? Ill give you a tour and we can chat .. "
Argo nods. 'Sounds good to me Dejanira". Argo watches as Dejanira waves her hand in the air and a ball of light appears.
She tosses it at the door which swings open with a loud creaking sound. A little intimidating. A little scary. Argo rolls her eyes and again thinks about what MIAB crew will do for a story!!
The air is stale and smells mouldy striking their nostrils and they both snort and step back. Argo laughs " Hells bells Dejanira - whats that?"
Dejanira laughs also and says, 'hold up one minute.. let me lighten this place up!"
In the dark Argo can on sense and hear her movements .. moving at extraordinary speed a over the place again and again with those balls of light.
Suddenly, the fresh perfumes of jasmine and franjipani soak the air as each gas-Iamp comes on like a sunrise...
The place is spotless, no sign of the choking dust and stale stench that greeted them. The room is tropical in design and decor and it feels very quiet and peaceful.
Argo takes in the fresh perfumes as she looks around the room breathing deep in the feeling of nature. The MIAB reporter watches as Dejanira suddenly appears next to a rather sizable contraption.
Argo frowns. She did not see Dejanira walk across the room. Argo blinks.Shakes her head a little.
Dejanira dreamily strokes and hugs the weird giant golden shell or horn of sorts as if its a long lost but familiar friend. Taking a deep breath she blows the dust from it... she blows and blows as the dust turns to gold flecks suspended in the air ... Argo blinks twice to clear her sight .. Now she thinks she sees musical notes dancing in the air!!
Dejanira points to a chair which has appears at her desk as if by magic ...and nods to Argo she should sit there, Which she does noting her goosebumps.
Upon the desk sits a large barrel of rum with a little brass tap ...and two tankards. The tankards are full and ready to go. Dejanira sets herself on the ornate edge of the large console and smiles.
Clinking their tankards together in a toast as Dejanira begins her tale in a strong European accent.
She purrs. "I have taken time to study the questions your envoy delivered."
The slighty spooked reporter listens to the thick, exotic accent but the words are clear.
Dejaniera relights her long cigarette with what appears to be the tip of her finger. Argo double blinks and shakes her head a IittIe as if to cIear it.
The rich scent of fresh quality tobacco disguises the jasmine and franjipani for just a moment.
" I was born in Mauritus, out of wedlock on board my Creole mothers fishing boat. She very much fancied one of her crew, her first officer" a huge grin appears on her face as she winks .. "and he is, or rather, sadly, was apparently, my father."
I cant be sure because I was young when they left this world " she pauses for a moment.. Her big almond eyes holding sadness for times long
gone .. After a while she continues..
But I know she loved him and very grateful when he took us to Bermuda to live during an outbreak of one of the Spanish wars ...
We were welcomed in Bermuda and protected by a guild, SSTG and it wasnt long before we all felt like one big family. It was a good fit. I grew up there learning my voodoo and battle plans and strategies .. I have visited other nations but for sure my heart and soul will always belong to Bermuda. "
Dejanira offers Argo a cigarette holder of her own ..
Argo shakes her head with a wee smile of appreciation. She is starting to feel a little odd ..
She dissipates the smoke with a wave of her hand. the MIAB reporter says,
"Tell us how you came to find yourself in Avonmora ... "
'This I have to answer not in-character. I'm one of those gaming kettles (boardgaming, role-gaming pen & paper, computer gaming and when I found this PG I totally fell in love with the piracy setting.'I liked PG from the beginning.
The first moments in a new game, when one is just clicking to dig what the new account allow to do, were rapidly fun. And in the first or the second day sailing, I got a messages from one of the old players with a kind welcome. He suggested me to join a Guild in order to understand and learn the game, and no, he wasn't in SSTG but he said that one is a good guild to train ..
I thought to myself ..'.A game in which noobs are not only welcomed but there's even a training guild? Great!' Too bad it's not like those old days anymore"
. Argo notes Dej's far off gaze.
It is clear she is remembering her early years in Avonmora with a fondness and pride.
Dejanira takes some time before sitting back down to continue..
"
My mother just disappeared after a long blood-thirsty battle near Chalkos. I remember standing on the docks waiting to greet them as usual only for the Captain to come and hold me and tell me neither my father nor mother would be coming home this time. His big brown eyes were kind and took me back to the warm and welcoming halls of SSTG where I was well cared for during my early years. I cried for days and didnt eat for weeks. But they cared for me and soon began to offer me a more advanced education.
Dejjaneira appears to glide up from her seat with ease and moves swifty about the room seemingly without her feet on the floor .. The Grimm Queen looks Iike her movements are somewhere between gliding and flying.
Argo had never seen anyone to be in one spot one second only to appear in another without actually walking there ... not even her old friend, the Sea-Hag does that! WeII.. not in pubIic anyhow - dejaniera just appears in one pIace in the room and then just as suddenIy appears in another.
Dejanira pauses and takes a long drag on her cigarette ..
She lets the smoke curl gently from her lips as she thinks out loud , " Its a shame Avonmora is no longer as welcoming as it once was. I wish it were. I doubt a new player would stay for long these days .. " She sighs and with a hint of sadness in her eye she looks directly at the reporter ",,, at least not as much as before".
Until that point Argo wasn't sure if her host was talking with her or to herself.
The SSTG Guild.
Main meeting room in the great halls of SSTG...
Suddenly Dejaneira drifts across the room in what appears to be 2 rapid strides. She performs some kind of ritual on that contraption ..
The Bermudian loyalist reaches underneath the desk and retrieves a large brown envelope with a broken seal, out of which she produces some just as large black cylinder- disc-thingy. ..
Argo had no idea what it was.
Fascinated, her eyes lock on Dej as she performs a number of actions on and around the cylinder-disc-thingy which DJ flips over and over a few times as she pokes around with the other dangIy bits attached to it .
Laying the cylinder- disc-thingy on the big circular tray on top of the wooden box, she stands still with one finger up in the air and waving it to indicate immediate silence.
She looks very pleased with herself indeed. As Argo opens her mouth to speak .. Dejaniera gives her a Iook she cant describe so she just as quickly closes it .
All of a sudden a loud cracking noise like gunfire fills the room and startles Argo whose first reaction is to reach for her cutlass with one hand and her rum with the other..
Looking wide-eyed at Dej she opens her mouth to speak.. the air continues to crackle as Dejaneira indicates silence once more .. A deep sense of anticipation fills the room ..
Argo questioned Dejaneira about Ieaving STGG and finding herseIf at Grimm .. Again, that faraway Iook on her face..
"I left SSTG to become a randomic nomad because the Dream was Over, like John Lennon said.
"Now dear friends you'll just have to carry on."
These cryptic words sung by Dej puzzled the intervier. But Dejanira didn't add anything else.
pic - Interior Grimm GuiId.
