(It took everything Ember had not to set his arm on fire then and there. And she would have, if not for the barrels upon barrels of explosive powder surrounding them. If the brainless Harpy were on fire, he would almost definitely panic and flounder into the stash of gunpowder.
She drew the flintlock instead, flashing the pistol between his eyes, leveled inches from his face. Almost enjoying the threatening click of the hammer.
"You've got four seconds to let go of me," she said coldly, her voice drained of emotions and tone, glowing eyes locked with his.
Nautulis sucked air between her teeth, taking a cautious step back as she glanced at Jintao and Tay, watching for their reactions.
@Lacy Duckwing
@Isabella6Storm4
@_-Captain BRM-_
@Amer
(How did this escalate already)

Raven stood rigged at the sight of the gun. Just one spark, one.
Tay's lips hung loose, and she blinked a few times, not daring to move. "Oh my gosh. They're crazy," she breathed. "They're- actually.. well." She paused, exhaling through her soft words, "we're all just.. crazy."
”Are you trying to kill us all, Ember?”
Vhanya strode into the room, her tail flicking menacingly behind her. What the Harpy thought she was doing, Vhanya couldn’t begin to guess at. She would have demoted her right then and there, but to do so would also be admitting her own miscalculation of the Harpy’s brashness— and she would rather be marooned than admit that.
After her deal with Bailey at the tavern, she couldn’t help but feel pleased; she would have a full crew under her watch by sundown, and she was looking forward to having old Cyrus aboard the Quicksilver once again.
Her Quartermistress flinging about a pistol in a room full of gunpowder was not expected.
At least the three she’d sent down to the magazine in the first place hadn’t blown up her ship, that was promising on their behalf.
In truth, her inventory she knew. All of the barrels in the powder magazine were neatly listed in her logbook. She had bought the necessary gunpowder to replenish her stocks after she left the tavern, the men bringing them were to arrive later in the day.
The trio, especially the Phoenix, had managed to not implode the ship, and that was testimony enough for them possessing a scrap of moxie; Vhanya could work with scraps.
Speaking of which…
“Be a lamb and lower the flintlock, Ember.“
@-Shade-
@_-Captain BRM-_
@Lacy Duckwing
@Isabella6Storm4
Gecko's blood went cold at the sight of the pistol. He fell silent, frozen in the fear of his possible death. He continued to hold onto the Quartermistress' wrist as though it was impossible to think otherwise. The sounds around him faded behind the sound of his pumping heartbeats. He forgot to breathe and waited for his body to hit the floor- dead.Nautulis let out a faint whistle, stepping a few extra paces back as the Captain entered the chamber, allowing a gaze to wander as if the scene were of little interest.
How unfortunate.
Ember was starkly aware of the smoke rising from her arms and clenched fists, the struggle to stifle the fountains of rage within her was all that was keeping the smoldering from catching alight.
It felt unfair. She hadn't wanted to start a fight. Fights were rarely ever worth her time. But the bedraggled Harpy had crossed a line- ignoring her was one thing. Defying her, and then worse, touching her, was an entire other. She wouldn't shoot anyone she didn't have to, especially not in the ship's chamber powder, and she was counting on the half-wit to overlook the bluff completely.
Ironic that the captain would instead, and then underestimate her to the extent of thinking she'd actually let the hammer fall.
For a silent moment after Vhanya's words, she did not move. No one did. The handful of seconds stretched tense, and Ember felt the burning of all their eyes.
The pistol lowered, slid back into its holster. The Harpy yanked her wrist and twisted, shoving the other Mythic's hand away, claws sliding unbashful across his exposed arm as she did.
Ember knew she had miscalculated. But perhaps she could roll the other's doubt in her to her own advantage.
Like the wake from a nightmare, the female broke her wrist free from his grip with a painful scratch and pushed him to the side. He regained his senses with the sudden realization that today was not his last day. Still silent, he slid to the shadows and kept his eyes on his supposed killer.
Jintao barely shifted with the sudden draw of the pistol. Such reactions he was used to and had done so himself. He raised an eyebrow, almost pleased with the Quartermistress, had not it been in the powder room. A blade would have been a better choice, he kept his opinion to himself. The Captain arrived and he stepped aside, letting her through. He gave her the first genuine look of approval since he had been on the ship.
"Quite the timing, Captain," he said. "Any later, you might have lost your ship." He turned to Ember. "That is not what I would have expected, of course," his compliment came with a slight smile. For him being her threat, letting her know that he had trusted her enough not to pull the trigger would hopefully benefit the both of them in some way.
@-Shade-
@_-Captain BRM-_
@RDchicken99
@Isabella6Storm4
@Amer