lulu grinned at the woman next to her, the red on her swelling cheek only becoming aggravated by the booze. ”a slow death to them all.” she added, showing her darkness. almost immediately as they’d guzzled down the first, she was patting her hands on the bar for another round. two more shots were set before them and she quirked a brow at her neighbor daringly, reaching to hand her one without asking if she wanted it.

lulu looked over at the man interrupting, and then back to a corner where a bunch of leathery sailors sat around a table, slamming each others fists into each end of it. it was an especially rowdy, especially drunken bunch. she beamed at them like a child would a playground.

she turned back to the bar and leaned over it. ”i’m buying the bottle, thanks.” she grabbed it with no fear, eliciting one hell of a look from the barkeep, but it was clear that it was too late in the evening for him to care enough to protest. it was impossible to keep up with the shenanigans.

with that, she clinked her shot glass with the blonde again, downed it, grinned at them both widely and headed off in the direction of the chaos, bottle held high, beckoning them to follow if they wished.

while lulu was a smart cookie, it was situations like this one in which her perceptiveness fell short. perhaps it was the booze, or the adrenaline, but she hadn’t noticed the intensity of the woman’s eyes.

by the time she’d reached the table, the blonde and her tattooed friend were making their way over. lulu noted the bottle in tow, and smirked impishly. well-played. she’d taken the bottle to share, but this woman had other plans. to it a mind like lulu’s, it felt like a challenge. this time, it was her stare that locked with the blonde stranger’s. it said ‘you’re on.’

as the bill was waved in front of her, she cackled, “hey, i’m no sucker!” she looked back at the meaty sailors. “my bet says you know these jokers better than i do!” she grinned, raising the bottle in hand and taking a heavy swig of it. she would not be primed for gambling for another nine, ten ounces.

a few moments later, a fist was finally slammed into the table, dominated by the red-haired gentleman. some more cheering commenced and lulu raised her bottle in a pointed gesture to the blonde as though to emphasize her good decision. “what’s your name, captain hardass?” certainly the pot calling the kettle black, but she had heard the man say he’d lost to her arm ten times.

lulu raised her brows at her, the apples of her cheeks round (one of them noticeably more so than the other now) as she smiled and gave a hm, sure’ sort of noise. was this her crew, maybe? sailors were a fun crowd.

a treasure hunter? lulu was a treasure hunter sometimes, she supposed. work, for that fleeting moment, stepped into the forefront of her mind, and she took a hard mental note of the name. she’d likely forget it by the end of the night, though, all things considered. she put out her hand. her shake was firm, as her father had taught her. it contrasted with the looseness of the rest of her. “lu.” she answered simply over the commotion, eyes still smiling.

as the so-called anders approached again, lulu watched the interaction with amusement, downing another gulp from her bottle and standing by. then, she was swiftly thrown into the mix by dross. lulu’s eyes widened at her presumptuousness, but she was nonetheless thrilled at the idea. “come on, anders.” her voice was mocking as though there was some joke only she was privy to, and she took her place at the table, swinging a leg over the chair and pulling it up. another glug, and the bottle was slammed down on the table for dramatic effect.

her eyes bore into his for a moment. “ya fuckin’ ready?” there was yelling all around, and they clasped hands. someone hollered ‘go’ and the struggle began. her teeth bared, corners of her mouth curling up in a mad joyousness that was both drunk and primal. several seconds passed, and lulu growled, and anders’ hand sunk down with a thud on the wood. the surrounding men howled, some laughing, some cheering. she looked up at their blonde captain, raising her bottle to her with a grin. “what do you think, captain?” who was next? was it her?

another came to sit, and lulu was not expecting him to hit the floor a moment later. she laughed heartily, clearly just as concerned as everyone else when he stayed down. the skyler was sitting in front of her, gazing with the sparkling eyes of a strong challenger. lulu received a toothy grin that contained a kindred spirit. this woman was the good kind of trouble.

she clasped hands with her firmly, teeth bared as well. “let’s see what ya got.” the two began, straining, growling amidst cheers. the struggle went on for a considerable amount of time for an arm wrestling match. each of them came close to pinning the other, and lulu’s eyes stayed locked on her opponent’s, glossy, bloodshot, joyous.