"Saint-Pol-de-Leon." The creature's thick tentacle wrapped around three drinks and it sloshed the foaming ale into its jiggling mouth, mostly. It also drenched its chin and chest, but it didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed pleased to be so wet. "1496, fer what ever good that is. Useless human perceptions of time.
"I remember." William was inching away from the thing, his nostrils flared. "I won bigger prizes since then."
"Bigger 'an the Seynt Nunne?"
William's lip curled as the thing leaned in close. "She wasn't nothin' special."
"No, but her cargo!"
"You don't know nothin' about that prize. I got better plunder from Queensborough, hell St. Andrews was legendary." He downed his drink and tried to leave, but the slimy thing across from him lashed out with its tentacle. It suctioned around William's wrist and he glared down at it.
"I got a job for ya, Kyd."
"I got my own jobs."
"Not like this. You wanna see the stars? I could arrange it."
He'd often heard of ships that sailed through the sky and beyond, but none of the mysterious creatures at The Sunken Norwegian had ever offered to show him first hand. "You gotta star ship, whatta ya need me for?"
"You got information I need."
"Like what?"
"Seynt Nunne, where'd you stash her?"
"I sold her, to a man in Plymouth."
"Ya hear that, Jim?" The thing bellowed and the bartender rolled his eyes. "You know you owe me you snivellin' ale swinger!"
Jim curled a lip and sighed. "You know I can't. We got a schedule."
"Screw yer schedule!" The thing lashed another of its tentacles through the air like a whip and Jim jumped.
"When the landlord hears..." Jim trailed off as he fiddled under the bar.
William tried to wrench his hand free of the things grip but it was firm. "You can let me go, I'm in."
The thing licked its lips as it watched time and space slip by the windows. "In what?"
"You were recruiting me for a job."
The thing laughed and William felt the suction cups of its tentacles pulling at his flesh. The harder the thing laughed the more it pulled. "I think you got me wrong, friend. I wasn't recruiting you. I was recruiting the ship!"
Jim looked up, boredom framing his eyes. "We won't have time to touch down, can you jump?"
"I'll be fine, Jim." The thing was using William's voice now, he noticed its loose skin was growing firm.
"You're hurting me," William said as the pain in his wrist burned and sliced through his nerves.
"You're hurting me." The thing mimicked William and laughed. It was looking more and more like him by the second. "Why would I use you, human? It's Seynt Nunne I'm after."
The world began to slip away from William. His bones grew weak and his hair brittle. "Why?"
William was looking at himself now -- a younger, more vibrant version. The copy of him smiled and slipped its tentacles back up into its clothing. "Do you think I have nothing better to do than explain myself to you?" The second William grinned as the original faded. "And don't worry about those legendary prizes of yours." The door slammed open and before leaping out into the open air the copy of William said, "I'll make sure they're claimed after I win my own."
