Arms crossed, Latch leaned against the central mast of the ship, between two smaller masts.. She was among a large crew of mercenaries hired on, one coming in a pair, and some being solo; A battle-hardened, and burly diamond dog, a pair of griffons that had shorter weapons and lighter gear that relied on their finesse, a unicorn stallion who was strangely deathly silent, but had an air of strong magic about him. Then there was herself, she packed light, like the griffons.

Her equipment consisted of equal parts leather and cloth, plus a bit of fur. Bracers around her wrists with plates atop them, a hard leather corset around her waist, while a bit stiff, worked well in favor of prevention of stabbing, and keeping her weapons a bit more stable. Her boots were fur-lined at the top, leather and cloth with breeches underneath kept up by the corset. Light as she was, her 'top' consisted of nothing more than martial wraps carefully compressing her bust, being remarkably less flimsy than a bra.

There was a sharp whistle heard above the hustle and bustle as workers went about loading cargo onto the seaworthy vessel. At the highest point of the ship before the crow's nest, and the wooden piece sticking out of the bow, a rough looking griffon fanned a worn chapeau about the air. "Alright, listen up ladies!" She hollered as everyone slowed down to a halt, some on the dock still, and some upon the ship. "We've got rough waves ahead of us thanks to a forecast by the pegasi here in Vanhoover, while they can't control the weather all the way out into the ocean, they can at least give us a better chance of avoiding a sizable storm!"

Hushed murmurings were exchanged with the crew, same with the mercenaries. Latch however, remained against the central mast of the ship.

"I'm not done yet, so shut it!" She said above the whispers, shouting them down. "You may have noticed as well, a few new additions to our crew -- a few mercenaries in fact." She gestured to Latch, the griffons who were on the ropes leading up to just below the Crow's Nest, the silent stallion near the starboard side, and the burly Diamond Dog still on the docks, helping load cargo.

"These folks are here to protect us, since we're hauling some valuable cargo this time around." She announced at a lower volume. Perching her chapeau back on her head, she walked around the railings near the wheel and took the nearby stairs onto the main deck. "Rumors already got out several days back about the cargo, so we're expecting unfriendly company on the waves."

Waltzing over to Latch, being the only one to be at a reasonable distance, and more approachable than the rest of the group, the captain of the ship draped her arm around Latch and gave her a shake. "Mercenaries like her are what's going to give us additional security should we get boarded, and we more than likely will. They can't retrieve cargo at the bottom of the sea, so be on your guard! These mercenaries surely will."

Latch cleared her throat and shook back against the captain. "Please, let go of me." She said firmly.

The captain chuckled as a smile went across her beak. Letting go of the pony, she patrolled around the deck of the ship. "We've got a few more boxes coming in, so come ladies, let's get ourselves out on the waves sooner rather than later!" The captain put her talons to her beak as she whistled loudly, signalling for them to continue.

All around them, ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs got back to work. The deck was in full motion again as cargo was loaded on, and after some time, the boarding ramp was brought back in. Still holding her position against the central mast of the ship, the Captain approached Latch with a warm smile. "Hey, care to join me in my quarters?" She flirted.

"I'm a merc, not a prostitute. If you want me in bed with you, that'll cost a lot more than what you're already paying me." Latch replied stiffly, without missing a beat.

The captain guffawed, and shook her head as she bust a gut. "No, no... you got the wrong idea, but I mean, I can double your pay if you want in bed with me," she soon replied as she wiped a talon beneath one of her eyes. "I just wanna have a word with you, you don't seem special compared to the rest of the mercs I hired on, so I wanna know what your deal is in my quarters. This also isn't a date."

Latch snorted with amusement and pushed away from the mast. Rolling her shoulders and uncrossing her arms, she smiled back at the authority of the ship. "Alright. Lead on, Captain." Gesturing onto the deck, Latch followed in the wake of the charismatic griffon.

Around barrels, past sparsely dressed crew, and just beneath where the steering wheel was, they'd entered the quarters. Rather clean compared to the rest of the ship, the long table in the center of the room remained untidy with papers, maps, various notes, obligations, and possibly a list of cargo among it. The mess however, remained on the farthest side away from the entrance. Throughout the room, lanterns hung about the ceiling, as well as a rather spartan cot adjacent to a desk at the far side, just in front of the windows.

"Not bad," Latch observed. "Neither garish or too filthy, the place seems cozy."

"Glad you like it," the captain said as she went behind her desk and kicked up her boots on her desk. "So, we're here to talk about you though, not how I hold myself, or how I decorate my quarters."

"Agreed."

"So, I'd like to ask then: while we have a silent unicorn out there capable of flinging magic for extended periods, griffins to cover the aspect of agility, and one angry diamond dog for raw strength..." The captain suddenly pulled her feet off her desk and leaned forward over it, bridging her talons as she narrowed her eyes at Latch. "My First Mate hired you lot in bulk, and didn’t really think much of you as you joined in on the package. What's so special about you?”

"Eight years of rapier fencing that I've translated to my side sword, which I use in tandem with my dagger." Latch pat the armaments upon her waist, the larger of the two weapons upon her left side.

"I see... and that's all?" She asked, appearing both disappointed and unimpressed.

"Care to go toe to toe with me then?" Latch offered as her hand trailed down to the hilt of her larger sword. "It's better I show you instead of explaining it."

There was a strange sparkle to her eyes as the offer was brought out. A smile formed on the captain's beak, and she rose out of her seat. She was no stranger to a challenge. "You'd like to show me what you're capable of then?" The captain sauntered off to the side near what looked like a coat rack of sorts. A scabbard hung off it, leading into a large, shiny hand guard.

"A cutlass is your weapon of choice then?" Latch said pointedly as she kept at rest despite the challenge accepted. Her left hand however, remained clutched on her side sword's hilt.

"No other weapon suited for battling upon the high seas," the captain said with a merry chuckle. Wrapping the belt of the scabbard around her waist, she tightened it and withdrew the sword as a sharp ring was heard throughout the cabin. "I should warn you though, I have no shortage of experience using it."

"And neither I with mine," Latch said in response. Walking around to an open area to the right of the table, having enough space for both of them to move around and not clash with anything, Latch remained neutral in her posture, but noticeably took a slightly wider stance.

The griffon swung her cutlass about the air a bit before walking over to Latch. Taking a more elongated stance with her cutlass kept out in front of her, she stood before her. Her brow was furrowed intensely, and her talons gripped the hilt tightly. A fire was in her eyes as she waited for Latch to prepare herself.

"Your move, Captain," Latch then stated. "En Garde."

Loud plods against wood echoed in the cabin as the Captain encroached upon Latch. Giving a wide swipe with the tip of the blade coming close to Latch... the pony merely pivoted, and slid back out of its reach.

The Captain quickly followed up, cutting the blade through the air with a diagonal strike that’d nick the pony. Latch quickly readjusted, and pivoted her on her feet, letting the blade go right by her as she leaned back. The Captain recovered quickly, pivoting herself around and giving a wide slash at the air.

Latch's eyes widened as she'd seen the attack quickly winding up. Avoiding the quick follow up attack, Latch kicked back out of its reach, giving ample space to the both of them. She watched as she captain spread her wings and used a gust of air to push herself back, adding to the gap between the both of them. "You're quick," the captain complimented.

“You’re quick, and aggressive.” Latch finally saw fit to draw her own sword from its scabbard, as well as her dagger. Having her longer weapon in her right, and her shorter in her left, Latch smiled at the griffon captain as the two started to shuffle closer together.

Lazily wrapping her fingers around her side sword's guard, Latch kept the dagger closer to herself as she locked eyes with the captain. Assessing the various parts of her body to where she should attack, and where she could possibly feign, the two went between advancing and retreating from one another carefully, back and forth in a line with attacks to test their reflexes and guard. It was a mental game of chess between them of who would move, and who would immediately retaliate with a better move.

Testing her, Latch rest her sword's hilt back properly into her hand. She gave a sudden, sharp flick of her wrist, aiming to just get beneath the cutlass' handguard. The captain moved her hand out of the way, avoiding a possible snipe upon her wrist. Again, Latch tested her with another move. Stomping forward rapidly, Latch went for a thrust that was just a bit out of the way, but not so much to make her dodge it by simply moving. The motion was met with a deflection near the base of the cutlass, one that went a bit too wide, and had too much strength behind it.

Rushing in as her longer blade was deflected, Latch pressed the flat side of her dagger against the captain's neck, flattening the feathers. The two stared eye to eye as Latch continued to remain calm, yet focused. She didn't even break a sweat. "You're dead, Captain."

The griffon snorted, smiling. "So I am. Another," she ordered.

Stepping away from one another again, the two kept each other within distance of their blades. Latch had adopted an elongated stance, while the captain's narrowed considerably. The captain was quick, and kept up the offensive. Blades were clashed and deflected, and they traded with one another for a short period, going back and forth with their game of tug of war. However, as a stab went too wide, and too deep, Latch had her sword's flat side pressed against the captain's head as she sidestepped the attack.

"You're dead again," Latch pointed out, panting lightly.

"You- you're fast..." The captain heaved as she pulled away, drooping, and sheathing her cutlass. Taking in a deep breath, she let out a loud sigh as she straightened up. "Okay, you're really skilled, that I can tell. Eight years, right?"

"Eight years," Latch parroted with a nod. Sheathing her blades, she relaxed much of her weight on her left foot as she leaned back a bit. "You're really skilled yourself, Captain... but you could really do with proper instruction on your form. It shows that you've fought before, and I imagine that's not the first sword you've went through. It looks too new."

The captain chuckled mirthlessly. "’Aye, you got a keen eye too when it comes to that sort of thing. Alright... so you're one of those -- one of those smart folks who are pretty sharp on the battlefield, right?"

Latch nodded sagely. "I'll be honest though: I really thought you were trying to kill me more than a few times throughout. That really scared me and put my mind and body into overdrive there," Latch then said as that calm facade dropped. “Had you pressed me any further, I might’ve been the one to take it too far...”

The Captain laughed uproariously. “Then that could’ve spelled the end of my seafaring days, and you -- perhaps the new Captain of my ship,” she teased.

“I’m not fit to be a Captain, and I don’t really plan on being one,” Latch responded dryly.

“It’s only a tease, dear,” the captain said as she approached Latch. Giving her a swift, soft pat on the back, she beamed at the pony. “You’re too finely cut for this line of work on a lowly ship such as mine, but I’m glad to have someone of your skills on board.”

“The money certainly helps to entice a merc like me to come aboard.”

“Aye, but you could definitely see fit to use those skills elsewhere, somewhere better than a dangerous line of work such as here. Casualties aren’t really forgiving once storms hit, or brigands seek to rob you.” The griffon corralled Latch out the quarters with her.

Keeping in step, Latch walked out onto the deck with the Captain. “If you have recommendations, I’m all ears.”

The Captain smiled as they came out onto the deck. The ship was ready to sail, and much of the crew was lollygagging about, waiting for the signal of their captain. “What if I were to tell you then that I might know some folks who might be looking for skills like yours?”

---

First proper story of the new year! Here we have Latch showing her stuff in the fullest. While sporting some design changes due to artistic liberties (that I support), I greatly admire how this turned out.

This was done by the amazingly talented  baroncoon who you should totally check out!

You can also check out much of the artwork he does on his Patreon too! - https://www.patreon.com/BaronEngel