I.III In The Pocket

It's odd the difference a lack of body language can make in a conversation. It's downright menacing to not see the person you're being addressed by.

“Now then...comfortable? Good. Lets you and I talk. For you see I'm sure you're here to explain yourself. Like why you have walked in here empty handed but for the clothes on your back and the weapons on your person. Maybe you are here to ask for forgiveness, for failing to give me what I want, when I paid you so handsomely in advance. How is that ship of yours? I understand most if not all that money went into getting it, what with the loss of the Laughing Fox 1”

I'd bet a handful of coin that he had that speech rehearsed, with the sole intent of unsettling me. Well Mr. Nemo, mission accomplished, and the barb about my previous ship...that dug deep.

“I don't feel rightly comfortable on the matter of the first Laughing Fox sir, if I may say so” I replied settling myself in the booth. He brought both of his gloved hands out of the shadow and knit them together like a head master at a boy's school.

“Of course. Now then was I right in all my assumptions so far?”

“Well-” he interrupted me with an upraised hand, palm facing me. Just bloody rude that ain't it?

“I was. Now stop me when I get off the beaten path so to speak Jancer. You see we now have a conundrum. I have a reputation to uphold, and you have a debt to pay. And I always collect my debts” Well bugger me...he had me in his pocket. The last place you want to be is in his pocket. I imagine his pocket as being a very small portal to a special hell thats layered in darkness and lined with serrated blades. But that's just how I see it. He finally decided then was a good time to lean out of the shadows, revealing a man without a face. Well thats not exactly right per se. But its a good way of putting it.

You see Nemo always wears a mask, big contraption that's a bit like the grim reaper, if the grim reaper were made of brass tubing and gears. Rumors fly this way and that on why he does this. Maybe its for anonymity. Personally I think its just to unnerve folk. Did I mention how warm I was feeling? I wiped sweat away and grinned as convincingly as possible.

“Well ya see Nemo, I was thinkin' bout that the whole way here. The way I figure it, we can do a job for you. Pro-bono so to speak. No more money needed. And we can be square.” I was gesticulating wildly now hoping this worked. “I mean you've always got something up your sleeve, what needs lifting? Breaking? uh....hell my two mates could even hurt people. They're quite adept at it in point of fact” I said gesturing to my two crew members who dutifully did their best to simply stand their looking intimidating. Well they were either dutifully looking like that, or they just did it on instinct. Either way I hope it got the point across.

He leaned back and knit his fingers together again leaving me to look at nothing but his hands and shadow again while I sweat under the lamp. I could practically feel a clock somewhere ticking by slowly as the seconds passed and I waited to see how he would react. Finally after what felt like hours but was probably a matter of a few minutes he spoke up.

“You have excellent timing Captain did you know that? Because it just so happens I do have a job. One most people have told me 'no' to.”

How fortuitous! Possibly. Probably not. If so many people have told the scariest criminal alive that they simply won't accept this commission then it has got to be insane. I had to ask anyway

“...gods and gears, why pray tell would they refuse it?”

As the words left my mouth, his hand came up and like the dutiful lap dogs they were one of the two bruisers handed him an envelope.

“Because my dear Jancer, this job is near on suicidal. One would need a surprising amount of luck to pull it off, and unlike yourself, most people do not rely on luck near so much as you famously do.”

Taking the envelope with both hands, I turned it over idly while my mind raced. Nemo took the moment to start talking again of course,

“Now as to the job itself you-” I came to my decision in the middle of his probably prepared speech.

“Will be accepting”

For a man who's all about mystery, the surprise was fairly evident in his response.

“Just like that hm? No details needed?”

“Man like you would have all the details enclosed here. And I'm not exactly in a position to say no to it whether I like the job or not. Liking it isn't part of the deal yea?”

Leaning forward again to show that skull faced visage of his, he tilted his head like he was examining me.

“Just so. You are more astute than I sometimes give you credit for. Now get out of my bar.”

He waved me off like one of his underlings, which I'll admit got a little under my skin, but I wanted to come out on top here and get out of that razor filled pocket of his. Not being able to help myself I gave him a cheeky little salute as I got up and just waved my index and middle finger in a circle to tell Lug and Lilly to get a move on. Collecting our weapons I didn't open the envelope till we were outside the bar.

I couldn't help myself from letting out a little gasp, and I'm relatively sure even Lilly's eyes widened a bit as our eyes skimmed through what was written there.

“Well...!@$%”