Sky Pirates :XD

My character:
Name: Willow Byzantine
Age: 18
Appearance: Long wavy blond hair, usually kept underneath a hat or tied back. Slim, average height, bronze eyes. Slightly tanned.
Skills: Brilliant mechanic, engineer and inventor. She can fix anything, and build anything. She has a lot of designs for the weirdest gadgets that she came up with herself.
Personality: Gets angry easily, but she's usually quite nice. A lot of people describe her as "just plain weird" but it doesn't bother her.
Bio: Grew up in a small town with big ambitions. She designed an amazing security mechanism which she was sure would make her rich, until she put her trust in the wrong people and had it stolen from her. Her family abandoned her when she made it clear that she wanted to do more with her life than farm, so now she's wandering the port, looking for work.

Name: Temperence Swollow Lyndinshield (but prefers to be known by her second name Swollow)
Age: 19
Appearance: longer than usual white/silver coloured hair usually kept in a high ponytail or braided to keep it out of the way. Silvery-blue eues and slightly tanned skin but still paler than usual. Shorter than average height.
Skills: Has a natural talent for telling when rough weather is around (helps to keep the crew safe) and is good at close range flghting if needed. Can navigate if needed but usually does not as her sense of direction isn't very good. Stragetic thinker.
Personality: She is strict to everyone on board and ensures that order is kept on the ship. She does not lose her temper easily and when she does it is something worth seeing. She is ruthless to her enemies but cannot stand to see prisoners treated badly or unfairly without a decent reason.
Bio: Raised as a merchant's daughter but her family weren't the best and she ran from them when she turned eight years of age where she was taken on a rogue ship by people who she thought would help her but instead treated her terribly. She spent around five years on the ship before she managed to kill the captain and slip off the ship and onto the port where they were docked. She was able to find work on the port for a while but when the chance came to board another ship she took it and it worked out better then the last time and she became captain at the age of seventeen when the old captain was killed by a member of the crew from the old ship where she'd killed their captain.

Alright. That's me all set and ready to go!

"Name?"
"Willow Byzantine."
"Age?"
"... 25."
The man looked at her sceptically.
"22?"
He sighed. "You had any experience flying on an airship before?"
"No."
"OK, tell me honestly. Are you any good at mechanics?"
"Yes! You know the Oltha #1 security system? I designed that."
He snorted. "Yeah right! What kind of fool do you take me for? Everyone knows that Hektor Dragon designed and built that!"
She sighed. "I can tell you that your watch was made 10 years ago, and judging by the design, in this very port."
"What?"
"I can also tell that your airship is of Eastern origin although it looks as though the sails were refitted recently around this area. They are worked by a pulley system controlled at the helm, very good design."
He stared at her.
"I'll work for half pay. Please?"
"...fine."
And thus, Willow finally got a job.

Temperence Swallow Lyndinshield stared down at the mechanic of her ship. Currently he was figiting and not meeting her eye.
"Would you mind," she said in an almost deadly calm voice. "Telling me exactly how the ship's engines malfunctioned so terribly?"
"W-well..." he said, shuffling his feet and not looking up at his captain.
"I'm waiting Stroud," she said calmly, tapping her silver heeled boot on the ground. She saw his eyes flick to the boot and resisted smirking as she thought about what was going through her mind. She kept a knife blade in the heal of her boot so when she kicked someone it added a little extra...force to the kick.
"I m-must've missed something," he finally managed to stutter out timidly.
"You think?" she replied casually, gesturing to the entrance to the engine room where clouds of dark smoke were billowing.
"I-if you give me a-another chance then I-I'll-" she cut him off with a sharp motion of her hadn and he immediately stopped talking.
"No," she said simply. "I've had it with this. The truth is that you're a terrible mechanic. We should be able to make it to the next port but after that you're getting tossed off this ship."
"B-but Capt-"
"no excuses!" she said firmly, raising her voice slightly. "This has happened too many times now. You're confined to yoru quarters until we reach port then someone will escourt you off teh ship. Now get out of my sight."
Stroud scuttled away, followed closely by one of the lower ranked members of the crew to make sure he actually got to hsi room and stayed there.

"When do I start work?"
"The ship should be coming in to port soon," said the recruitment officer. "They already have a mechanic, you'll just be an assistant. You'll have to shut up and do as you're told!"
"Yessir! When's the ship coming in?"
"Soon! I don't know! Now leave me alone!" said the irritated man.
Willow grinned and left him alone. She went out to the landing areas and watched the sky. Soon the ship she'd seen a picture of would be appearing there. And finally she'd have paid work. Maybe just as a mechanic's assistant, but it was still work. No matter how talented she was, no one would hire a pretty little blonde girl to do hard work. She didn't really look much like a mechanic, it was true, but she'd hoped people would be just a little more open-minded.

Swallow entered the comand center of the ship to see her chief navigator looking over a map and muttering to himself.
He looked up as he heard the door open and saluted her before going back to his charts.
"What's the ETA for reaching the next port?" Swollow asked, sitting down accross the map table.
"About ten, maybe fifteen minutes," the navigator replied. "It depends really."
"With the engine the way it is I'd say more like twenty," Swollow commented darkly.
"You finally going to ditch him?"
"Yes. I've had more than enough screw ups from Stroud."
"About time."
"Agreed," Swollow sighed, sitting back in the chair and crossing her legs. "I mean, you'd make a better mechanic than Stroud and we both know how terrible you are with machines Lucario."
"Ain't that the truth," Lucario replied dully before bending back over his beloved charts. "Just alter the course about 62 degrees west and we should get there soon."
"Right," Swollow said. She stood from her sitting position and took control of the ship, carefully turning it as Lucario indecated the correct angle.

Finally she saw something in the sky. It got bigger and bigger. Soon there was no doubt about it. It was the Silver Sparrow.
She was a beautiful machine, even nicer than the picture she'd seen. Although she could tell from the movement that there was probably a problem with the engines... what on earth was their mechanic doing?!

Swollow could see the port out the window now and she let out a small sigh of relief. Now that she could see where she was going she piloted the ship expertly, manouvering it into the docking station. She resisted the temptation to growl to herself as she felt her poor ship shudder and shift under her hands as she settled it firmly in the dock.
Now was the time to kick that stupid knows-nothing-about-machines mechanic off her ship once and for all. She sent two deck hands to go down and fetch stroud as she walked swiftly to where they could step off the ship. As Stroud was brought on deck she could see that he was shaking slightly and resisted the urge to smirk.
"Thank you," she told the two deck hands calmly. "Tell the crew that while we are here they may go ashore but they are not to do anything that could get them arrested, got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" the two deck hands said, grinning slightly as they heard her words which, according to the code that they'd developed over the last two years, meant "Do what you want but don't get caught."
Swollow nodded her head as they left and turned her attention back to the still trembling Stroud. He was taller than her but he was still intimidated. She grabbed him by the back of his collar and began to frog march him off the ship.

"Out of the way, girl!" The recruitment officer shoved Willow aside and ran forwards towards a striking young woman disembarking from the ship with a rather frightened looking man in tow.
"Captain!!!" he called.
Willow sighed. What a suck up. She looked at the Captain with interest. she was a beautiful young lady, and could have been much older than she herself. If she'd seen any other girl of 19 captaining a skyship she'd have been sceptical about whether she'd be able to handle it. But she could see clearly that no one wanted to cross this girl.

Swollow looked as a man came rushing up tp her and her eyebrows rose as he called out to her. She studied carefully although kept up an almost disinterested mask.
"Wait a moment," she told the man before turning back to the trembling former mechanic.
"I'll warn once and for all Stroud," she said simply. "Stay off my ship, stay away from my crew and stay FAR away from me. I do not want to see you again and if I do I can't promise that you'll leave unscathed. You hurt my ship and you endangered my crew by not doing your duty as our mechanic properly. Now get out of my sight." With that she released his collar and, making sure to angle her foot so that the blade in the heel wouldn't come into contact with Stroud's body, swiftly kicked the man and sending him sprawling in the dirt at her feet.
Stroud quickly scrambled to his feet and began to retreat quickly, passing by a girl as he went. Swollow followed him and her eyes were drawn to the blonde that he passed. She was taller than her with slightly tanned skin and blonde hair. She couldn't quite make out the colour of the girl's eyes though.
"Now," she said, turning back to the man that had come up to her earlier. "I apologize for the interuption." Her voice was smooth as she addressed him. "Who are you and what can I do for you?"

Willow watched, impressed, as the man got kicked and scuttled past like a terrified rabbit.
The recruitment officer approached the captain and spoke in an oily voice. "Captain, ma'am, I trust you've had a successful journey. As you ordered, I've found several new recruits for the ship."

Swollow's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the man. His tone of voice didn't impress her, it seemed oily and she resisted the urge to kick him too.
"Successful is not the term I would use," she quipped. "After all, as you cna clearly see there are black clouds of smoke coming from the ventilation ducts from my engine room. Now, may I have your name and then we can go and see these recruits that you have lined up shall we?"

The man looked slightly taken aback. "Yes, er... of course, Ma'am. My name is Davis, ma'am. Ruel Davis. And the recruits should be arriving soon." He glanced back and saw Willow. "One of them is here already. Forgive me, ma'am, I was reluctant to hire her, she's younger than she says and inexperienced too... you may get rid of her if you so wish."
Willow's gaze narrowed. Did he realise she could hear every word he was saying?

Swollow stared at this 'Davis' with eyes that revealed nothing.
"I hardly think that is necessary," she replied calmly. "After all, aren't I younger than you were expecting? Age is no barrier when it comes to talent. Experience can be gained easily enough." Her eyes flicked to the girl that she had noticed earlier and then back to Davis.
"I will wait for the other recruits and then I shall make my decision."

"Yes, ma'am, of course, ma'am." Davis was really laying it on thick, wasn't he?
It wasn't long before the other recruits arrived. They were all male and older than Willow, and they lined up in front of Davis and the captain. Willow joined them and stood at the end. She hoped the captain would let her on board. She could see smoke coming out of the vents and was dying to fix this beautiful machine.

Swollow barely managed to keep a scowl off her face as she stared at the other recruits that Cavis provided. They were all male, they were all older than her by at least five years and she was quite sure that she didn't want them on her ship but she would be fair about this.
"Hello," she spoke loudly and clearly to them all. "I am Captain Temperence Swollow Lyndinshield, Captain of the Silver Sparrow. I trust you all know why you're here? If not then I don't have time to waste on you so leave. I am in need of a new mechanic as my last one was rather...lacking, shall we say." She cast a disdainful glance to where Stroud had run off before refocusing on the recruits.
"Firstly I want your names, ages any other relivant information that you can provide."
'Now,' she thought. 'Let's see how well they can follow orders from a female captain.' She did not have time to deal with pig headed sexists on her ship.

Willow stood up straighter, immediately interested as the captain mentined needing a new mechanic. She'd just expected to be an assistant in the engine room but maybe this was her lucky day...
"Joe Brightley, 30," said the first man. he was slouching and didn't look too impressed that his new captain was female and a full head shorter than him.

"No," Swollow said at once. She looked the man over and considered him. He was slouched, indecating he thought that this was a waste of his time. His tone indecated that he wasn't impressed with her and she could just tell that he would cause trouble on her ship. "Next."

"What did you just say?!" he exclaimed.
The other men tensed, sensing a fight. Willow sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I believe I said no," Swollow replied simply. "Quite frankly the fact that you had to ask me to repeat myself proves my point. As well as not respecting me as a Captain, which your atitude clearly indecates, you are also clearly unable to follow simple instructions and basic orders, something which I demand of all my crew. I do not have time to teach a dog how to sit when comanded." She gazed at him cooly. "Now leave."

For a second, Willow thought that the man was going to hit her. So did everyone else. Instead, he spat at her feet, turned around and walked away.
The tension relaxed slightly.

Swollow didn't flinch as the spittle landed near her feet. As he left she turned her attention back to the next possible recruit.
"As before," she said. "State your name, age and anything else you think is relivant." She glanced at the recruits and sighed, wondering how long this would take before she found someone that could handle being her ship's mechanic.

The three other men each stated their names, ages and any skills they had to offer with respect to the captain. Willow waited patiently for her turn.

Swollow stared at the three men intently. They were better then the first but she still found them lacking in one way or another. One was clearly willing to work under a female captain but had an issue with her age. Another was clearly a sexist pig and the third...she fought back a shudder as he continued to stare at her. Not a chance.
"Alright," she said finally. "I will hear the last recruit and then I will make my decision."
Her gaze fixed itself on the taller blonde.

"Willow Byzantine," she said. "22, and I'm thinking of filling the gap that idiot left behind."
The other three had been sent away... did that mean that the job would most likely be hers? Not necessarily...