Setting
In an illustrious land of autumn hues far beyond the sunset is where your tale began.
There you stood, in a field bathed in sunlight, waist high grasses browned by summer passed.
It was a golden stretch of curiosity, natural and naked made for your exploration.
There was, as far as the eye could see to the north, south, and east, nothing but the swaying reeds.
Over to the west, a crag of dark stone stretched towards the sky.
How did you get here?
Aewisp responded, rising higher in the air as the grasses giggled.Of course not,
The reeds swayed, reaching towards Hanoko in tickling motions. The woman smiled, a sun flare striking where her mouth was.
After many moments of silence, Aewisp spoke up.I know of a place...
Aewisp looked west,A place with many worlds... Perhaps gateways from many worlds. Sounds...Many have passed through seeking their destiny. None have returned,
A good sign?
Aewisp responded, looking back towards the girl with a gentle smile.Eminence,
Shall we? With that, the wind lady lifted into the air, the breeze blowing her towards the west. She stopped after a few yards and waved an arm. A large gust of wind gathered around Hanoko, waiting for the cue.
Aewisp said from where she hovered, a few feet above the reeds, suspended in the glorious sun.If you permit the winds to do so, they will carry you along with I,
It was the third storm Genevieve had gotten caught up in, the third storm to land her in the middle of a large, strange, place with seemingly no other life anywhere around. She was starting to feel like a real story book character!
Well, except for the luck part. She kept running out of that. Sitting up in the middle of the field, Genevieve pushed the mop of red hair out of her eyes. A pretty enough place, at least there was daylight here. No structu-Where is my ship.
And, come to think of it,
Who're you?
"Lady, If you don't remember my name, that means we havent got to the good part yet." He smiles, revealing a suprisingly winning smile. Maybe this new place isnt so bad after all.
She hurried to her feet, checking for her revolvers. Why that haughty little...Huh?
The girl, who was dirtier than she was old, withdrew a gun and aimed it point blank at the face of the charmer.You ain't a part a my crew,
She lowered it a hair, realizing he must be lost too,Where's Port Royal?
Did you come on the storm?
She piped up, squaring her shoulders and the gun. What was more troubling? His lack of memory, or his lack of knowledge on the storm?Well I ain't a ghost, surely,
No, he probably didn't, but in truth, she had no idea who she was looking at either. But she had a gun!N' why should I have cause to remember you? D'you know who you're lookin' at?
She lowered the gun, recognizing the name. Yes, Silas Quinn. Rum merchant.Genevieve,
She had personally head a raid on one of his ships a year back, pilfering one of the more expensive casks and enjoying it all the way back to their base. The ship was left unharmed, the crew... Well, she wouldn't blame them if they never set foot on a transport vessel again.
Had he heard of her? It could be bad. She could be arrested, caught, out here alo-Wait a minute. Reminded of their apparent seclusion, Genevieve again perked up the gun.
If I lower this y'ain't gonna try anythin' funny, agreed?
There were no airships in the sky, no steam or smoke rising from anywhere around. About the only thing worth mentioning besides the sky, the grass, and them was a big mountain lookin' thing in the distance.Thanks, yeah, French... So...
I don't s'pose you know a way away from here?
He strained his eyes, to see if there was any sea or coast on the horizon. It didn't look like it. Was he dreaming? He pinched himself, to be sure. Wincing in pain, he concluded this was definitely reality.
"I don't suppose a fine lady such as yourself has any idea where we are to begin with?"
She pointed towards the rock in the distance,Nowhere, as it looks..
Yonder rock mountain lookin' thing, due west a league 'erhaps.
"So, Miss, or perhaps Mistress if you prefer, what exactly -is- the last thing you can remember?" He called back, not slowing his pace.
She flashed a devilish grin.Captain, is preferred,
With a huff, she withdrew a cutlass. Hack! The reeds seemed to whisper as they were felled, voices barely carrying on the wind towards the large rock.
"Well, Mistress Captain, Last thing I can remember is consuming far too much of someone's- that is to say, my- whiskey, and passing out in a calm night, probably in a Port Royal boozing den. Not the first time i've woken up in strange lands after a fine night of fun, I can tell you! But, first time I've had a face as lovely as yours to wake up next to, no mistake." He flashed another wicked smile, carefully picking his way through the chopped reeds, following close behind her now.
The sun beat down on her red hair as hard as his words beat down on her nerves. Mistress? Captain. Captain. She said nothing and continued to chop. Chop. Chop. Chop. Cho-
Genevieve whirled and held the cutlass up, wagging it as one wags a finger.
For effect, she chopped some more of the grass. A girl had to do what a girl had to do to not get ravaged, after all. Face as lovely as hers, she blushed again, turning to hide the coloring of her cheeks.Four paces back, thank'er!
Chop,I was somewhere horrid,
Chop,Crawlin' with the dead,
Chop.Like nothin' I've seen ever,
He barely noticed the strange hissing of the reeds as she cut through them, his thoughts occupied with both how to win this fairfaced and capable woman over, and also with idle thoughts about where exactly he could be, or how to get from here to somewhere more comfortable, preferably with this wench in tow.
"Horrid? Dead, eh? Sounds like you've been hanging out with rough rapscallions alright. I assure you, I am nothing of the sort." He lied boldly. "I've seen some strange sights, Mistress Captain. Dead Men aren't the strangest. Though waking up in a verdant field like nowhere in the West Indies i've ever seen.." He paused, a strange note of doubt entering his tone. It was a very odd place to wake up, indeed.
"We're nearly at the rock there. Strange, I thought a place as lively as this would have more birds. Well, present lovely company excepted, of course." He chuckled.
Not what she would ever have wished to wake up to. Not a place for bird or Bird.
The need to chop had passed, the reeds dying down as they approached the massive rock. Something told her that she would have been better off in the stadium.