Connor Dryden

Captain of The Dragon's Spur

[sanya-temurtani-deactivated2015]

Tortuga was like great storm; one where waves crash and break on each other in stupid and loud roar.

But she was unmoved; she sat on a balcony, surrounded by number of her crew (the rest inside), watching riot, listening to this mob. They were children to her, this mob, being loud without purpose, throwing themselves about like infants that only just learn to walk. Her crew thought same, for these that called her captain were not simple men and women–no they did fall not into unneeded passions and violence. They had destroyed, laid waste whole towns and peoples, but these that they had done in past had purpose; were not like actions done by mob of children.

And so they stayed unmoved–were calm eye of storm.

“Foolish children…”

[connordryden-blog]

As the mobs had unfolded across the city, Connor sent his own crew to guard their ship. Mobs made people stupid, made them believe they were invincible. He could not afford to lose any of his crew to street brawls, nor would he risk losing his ship to a brave few who wanted to commandeer it for himself. 

His officers remained close by on Tortuga, doing the same as him. Watching. Waiting. If the mobs overtook the place, they’d leave for a while, travel to another port and wait for it all to blow over. In the meantime, Connor took residence in a tavern, enjoying the tropical breeze as he drank his rum. He’d given thought to returning to his ship that evening, but he’d been distracted when a woman and a portion of a crew moved to the balcony as well.

He was invisible and insignificant to them, just another pirate sitting on the terrace. She was quiet, looking out over the destruction of the city as her crew sat near to her, talking softly but somberly. Controlled.

Connor wasn’t sure how long it was before the woman finally spoke - two works, seemingly more to herself than anyone, but it was an opening all the same. 

“Yes... they are. If only it were possible to harness that fear and that passion, put it to something useful such as building walls, stocking the fort - anything but this,” Connor answered, leaning forward in his chair and making himself present for the first time.

[coramonae-blog]

The staring. Certainly, someone had to begin in, non?

[connordryden-blog]

Well, I’d certainly take the blame for starting the staring if you’re too shy to own up to it. A beauty such as yourself should always be gazed upon.

[black-prince-isaac-deactivated2]

“Ship sunk, I’ve been stuck here for almost as long as I haven’t and as much as I loathe this place there’s not really a reason for me to leave.”

The Turner’s probably though Josef had died twenty years ago, he’d never left any indication of where he was going only that he was gone with a satchel full of their money. Even if he could leave Tortuga there would be no welcome there.

“Have you been here long? I don’t recall seeing you in the taverns or at the brothel before.”

[connordryden-blog]

Connor nodded thoughtfully as his long fingers trailed along the edge of the copper cup. The man certainly had captured his interest - he’d said that he had been on Tortuga nearly as long as he hadn’t been here, and he certainly didn’t look that old. Connor made a mental note of the man, hoping that he could be useful in helping the Dragon’s Spur catch the real prize of Tortuga.

“My crew and I haven’t been here very long,” Connor admitted, bringing his cup to his lips for another drink. “The Mediterranean ports aren’t as rich as they once were, so we came to the Caribbean. Spent some time at Port Royal, then Nassau... and now, we’re here.”

He offered Issac a smile as he set his cup back down. Nothing that Connor said was a lie, of course. He simply left out the part that the rumors of the elixir is what drove him away from the Mediterranean - far more valuable than any of the gold and trade that waited for him closer to home.

[sikanapanele-deactivated2018121]

[connordryden-blog]

The Shadow of the Navy || Open Para

Connor looked out of his window, down to the streets below. More fires had been started on the opposite side of the city since he’d last taken a look. Men yelled and screamed as they marched through the streets, questioning the loyalty of every man they came across.

He’d sent all of his men to the Dragon’s Spur while the riots raged on, all instructed to kill any man or women who rowed too close to her hulls without the Dragon insignia on their person. Riots made people do stupid things. He didn’t want his ship burned, nor did he want any of his men participating in the madness. It would be an easy way to lose a crew.

But he couldn’t exactly blame the citizens for being afraid. Between the Royal and Imperial Navies, the Golden Age of Piracy was long over. Sure, there were still plenty of open ports with crooked lords that would happily sell stolen goods, but there were more restrictions than ever. There was a need to be careful. And there was no leniency for any pirate, even one of noble birth. Connor had learned that lesson all too well.

No, the men and women of Tortuga were right to have a healthy amount of fear and they were right to kill the Navy officer. But burning and breaking down the rest of the island was stupid. It lowered their defenses and confirmed all of the stereotypes the soldiers had about them - uncivilized, brutal, and savage. There was no right way to root out the Navy, but Connor knew this wasn’t it.

He turned away from the window when the door creaked open. He’d been expecting his dinner brought up from below, but it was clear that it’d been delayed a little longer. “Well, you certainly aren’t the maid bringing me my supper. Do we have business I don’t know about?” Connor asked the intruder.

[matthias-salvatore-blog]

“Not every man, s-surely,” the young man said thoughtfully, dark eyes scanning the other man’s face with an arresting focus. Most men easily had their attention diverted in most conversation, but his attention was focused fully and completely on the Captain, issuing no judgements yet without proof. He had had to learn the trick, as the world continually bombarded him with useless sensory information that would otherwise distress him. It was a coping technique turned into a skill that could be used with devastating results. “Men w-will drink and f-fight if t-they don’t h-have enough to do. Opportunity costs,” he murmured. “If t-they h-had s-something b-better, t-they’d do t-that. Otherwise, w-what else h-have t-they t-to do b-but d-drink and go w-whoring?”

“And you,” the boy said, his eyes meeting his fully, gaze sharp and interested. “H-how are you…realizing your p-potential?”

[connordryden-blog]

“There’s an entire island to explore. Nooks and crannies filled with wonders that we’ve never seen. After all, most of us are from countries far across the ocean. And this is just one island of many here. There is opportunity in this New World,” Connor replied, nodding toward the young man. 

There were plenty of rumors that’d brought Connor to Tortuga specifically. This island was said to hold the elixir of immortality and some of its residents already had it flowing through their veins. He was here to learn and find it for himself. And, if the rumors were true and Tortuga was home to all that the rumors said it was, what about the other islands? What was there that could be his for the taking?

“I was nothing like most of us here. Nothing but a boy hellbent on chaos. But I rose above it, took over a Dutch ship and earned the right to call myself Captain. I hold claim to the Mediterranean Sea. You think that is done by wasting my time getting drunk and fighting? Ambition will lead us all forward.”

[thedragonsbaroness-blog]

Kyra approached him from behind. “Who are you talking to brother? If it’s that tavern wench before you, she’s probably just working out how much money you have.”

[connordryden-blog]

Connor rolled his eyes and set down his drink as his sister’s words cut through him. “And where have you been, sister? Been a couple of days since I’ve seen you. Hope you’ve been out of trouble.”

[coramonae-blog]

So I suppose the question becomes who started this little trend?

[connordryden-blog]

And what trend are you speaking of?

[lieutenant-commanderelizabe-blog]

“I wasn’t the one staring.” Elizabeth sat down and ordered something to drink “Do you make a habit at staring at people? Or am I just special?”

[connordryden-blog]

“Mm, say what you want, ma’am, but you’ve been caught. No need to backslide now,” Connor replied, giving her a toothy smile. “Of course, when I see someone staring at me, I make a habit to never look away. Show of weakness.”

[wolf-boy-stiles-deactivated2015]

I was not staring at you. I was staring a your drink. But yes, I’ll sit.

[connordryden-blog]

Then have a drink.

[pours rum into the spare cup, handing it to her.]

[madameevanna-blog]

Nodding, Evanna reached out and accepted the alcohol. It was something she didn’t do often, and when she did she preferred to do it alone, but just this once couldn’t hurt. Holding up her cup, Evanna smirked. “To future friendships, then.” She toasted him then quickly tossed the burning liquid back. It’d been quite a while since the familiar burn of rum ran down her throat and Evanna had almost forgotten how much she loathed it.

“Evanna Adams. If we’re so dead set on becoming friends, I suppose we should introduce ourselves, shouldn’t we?” She set down her cup and crossed her legs, angling her body to face her new companion. “And who may my new drinking partner be?”

[connordryden-blog]

“Connor Dryden, ma’am,” he replied, sipping his own rum. He raised his cup in toast to her. “Captain Connor Dryden.”

There was a reason why he’d been settling into taverns and brothels. The women that milled around those places knew far more about the island of Tortuga than God himself. Befriending a few of them to feed him information certainly wouldn’t hurt.

“So, Miss Adams, can I ask where you come from?”

[black-prince-isaac-deactivated2]

“…I see.”

Isaac paused visibly, taking a good moment to decide his approach before stiffly taking the offered seat. It wasn’t his, it didn’t offer that same controlling view of the rest of the tavern and having his back to the door unsettled him. But it wasn’t like he could refuse knowing who this newcomer was. He owed no allegiance or respect to this man, pirate captain or not. If anything he should kill him and hope the rest of the crew gave up their quest. It wouldn’t do to rush into anything, and Isaac had a lot more time to plan things out than Dryden did.

“Isaac.” He deliberately left off his last name, not wanting to risk being recognized as the quartermaster of the famed Black Widow as unlikely as that was. “What brings you to Tortuga Mr.Dryden?”

[connordryden-blog]

Connor didn’t miss the stiffness in the other man’s movements. He’d purposely refused to give up his seat for a reason - how would the other man react? Would he start a fight? Walk away? He had to hand it to Isaac, he played it smart.

“Same thing that brings us all to Caribbean ports. To be free and get rich. I can’t complain on either front,” Connor replied, giving the man a smile. “And you, Mr. Isaac? How did you wind up on this hunk of rock?”

Connor hadn’t seen him before, and judging by his movements and proclamation that Connor was in his chair, he had to be someone relatively important on the island. He was invested in know exactly who this man was.

[matthias-salvatore-blog]

There was wariness in him, of course, but here also was a chance for useful information, which was difficult to come by. He just would have to be incredibly cautious about what he gave in return. “S-seems you h-have a limited p-pool to choose from,” the boy said softly, sitting across from him, his wide dark eyes burning slightly, not obtrusively, but enough to give his face an arresting light that wasn’t there before, a gravitas and a center. 

[connordryden-blog]

“Yes... quite. Most people here would rather drink until they piss themselves or fight each other over a whore who isn’t anyone’s to begin with,” Connor said dryly, raising his cup for a drink. When he was finished, he let out a small sigh, setting his drink back down. “So much potential for these men and this place, and they waste all of it.”

[allthatglittersisandres]

“Taking a seat would be nice,however the only seat open is the one that creaks just far too much.” Even after saying that Andres took a seat by the man he never saw in the tavern before. “Nice accent there, buen señor. Where do you hail from?”

[connordryden-blog]

Connor nodded at the other man as he took a seat. Part of him was thankful he wouldn’t have to endure another damn Englishman.

“Sweden,” he replied, reaching for the jug of rum. He poured some into the spare cup for the other man. “From the small little town of Stockholm. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, yes? And you? Spanish, I presume?

[madameevanna-blog]

“Sorry. I was weighing my options between staying and having to sit next to you or going back home.” Evanna sat, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “And we’re not friends.”

[connordryden-blog]

Connor returned the smile to the woman, though he also quickly took a drink of rum to drown out the temptation of being rude. Every person he met could be useful to him in some way, even if he didn’t see the immediate benefit. He lived by the philosophy to never shut a door, no matter how easy it would be.

“Well, maybe we can share a drink then... have a toast to future friendships,” he said as set his cup down. Reaching for the bottle of rum and the spare cup, he poured the woman drink and held it up for her to take.

[black-prince-isaac-deactivated2]

“Well… I would, but you’re in my seat…Mr.?”

[connordryden-blog]

“Dryden. Captain Dryden,” Connor replied, nodding toward the other man. He gestured to the seat across from him, offering it up in place of his own chair. “My apologies. There’s another chair here and I’ve a bottle of rum to share.”

[tess-volkov-blog]

“I’d say it’s all the people whispering around you, love. I wonder if you notice that you’re the focus of everyone’s attention.” She took the cup and sipped the drink slowly as she glanced around.

[connordryden-blog]

Of course Connor noticed. Few things happened in a room without him noticing. Besides, he’d been the center of attention all of his life. In what felt like another life, he’d been the golden son of a golden family, swimming in attention and bending the will of all those around him. He may have gotten a new name, but Connor never lost the ability to work a crowd.

“Am I?” he asked, mimicking genuine surprise. His eyes scanned the crowd around him before settling back to the woman. “Can’t imagine why. Maybe because I’m very tall...”