Flynn's smile widened at the old dwarf's greeting. "I should have known I couldn't hope to fool you, you crafty old sea dog. And I'm a lot less deep in the bottle than I was last time you saw me- I learned to rein in most of my wildest excesses, and to live with the rest. Still, I wouldn't say no to sharing a drink, if they have anything better than this..." He waved the bottle of rum, then set it down on the edge of the porch, and placed his leather satchel beside it before turning to the captain, and to the others assembled.
He opened his arms wide, and bowed again, this time to all of them. "My name is Flynn O'Rourke, though I've answered to others over the years- and I would most heartily appreciate it, if you would not mention it to good captain Wallace." He waved one hand in the general direction of the harbor, where Wallace's ship was preparing for sea. "I'm a fair sailor, and I've been all 'round the world and seen all manner of wonders- and lived to tell the tale, and for that matter I heard many a tale, both factual and fanciful. I can hold my own with a blade or a pistol, I can sing songs from bawdy to gospel and back again, and I can talk men from their gold and women from their, well..." He paused, and waved at his satchel. "More importantly, if the rumors I've heard are true, I'm a doctor and a surgeon both- healing is something for which I truly have a gift." He paused again, and stepped forward, taking care to keep his hands open and spread wide, far from his weaponry. He bent his head just a bit, and spoke a bit more quietly- it was obvious that his words were mostly meant for Katerina, though the others would be able to hear him. "And it is to your father that I owe a debt- the sort that cannot be paid in coin alone. And since it took me long and long to realize it, and longer still to take up that weight, I'm sad to say that I can't repay him- so therefore I must pay it to you, in full, with all the interest gained through the years of my failing- only some of which can I lay to the fault of the bottle. So therefore, I would place myself, and all my skills and my knowledge, at your disposal until you release me. No matter the foe, no matter the storm, no matter the odds- for I know I'll never rest with this debt still unpaid."
He looked directly at the captain again, then around the group, and raised his voice to a more boisterous volume. "See, I told you I was a smooth talker. Well, what say you? Will you have me on your crew, or must I twist at the end my rope a while longer?"
