Stavanger Bay barnacle bill

the beginning of the meeting was simple: if any of them sought a rank above the one they all currently held: swab as it was called — foreign but familiar in the harsh way it fell off of tongues — they should seek out the leaders. the gangster allows that to sink in before smokestep moves onto the second part of what he wishes to address. though ambition is not something the fearghal monarch has ever, nor would ever, lack he's getting older and after the turmoil he has suffered and endured lately he is, for the moment, content to remain at the bottom. of course, his pride would never allow him to linger there but being a boring, regular subordinate has brought a peace and freedom to arturo that he has not felt in a very long time.

it's only natural the coywolf would wish to savour it until greed and pride both reared their ugly heads once more.

the code is simple enough to follow as smokestep reviews it with them: no contribution, no food. duels are to be overseen by leadership, trespassers are to be taken to smokestep for judgement. they were not leadership ready until they earned sea legs and a pirate name. arturo wasn't quite sure what 'sea legs' were but he assumed ( even if he was incorrect ) that it was at least a rank above 'swab'. the gangster gives his young leader his undivided attention, a slight perk of already attentive ears as the pallid young man mentions what is, perhaps, the most important thing he's spoken all meeting: that anyone who abandons the crew will be hunted down and killed. while arturo does not bother to glimpse around and see if any of the others are perturbed by it the gangster regards the younger man with appreciation. now that was a rule that the devil coywolf could get behind. he had a similar rule for teaghlaigh — though he wished he'd enforced it more. he should've. maybe if he would have things would be different now.

arturo does not allow himself to linger in regret — there was no use; it was all in his past and last he checked his direction was forward and not backwards — and when the opportunity arose to ask any questions he remains silent. he has nothing to add and understands the code well enough, he feels.