Rosia Hienrik's Story

The door slammed open, winds howling behind it as a slip of a thing tethered by a heavy rope around her waist walking in with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. The cabin looked over at Rosia briefly, Zae giving Vex’s foot a subtle kick to signal him. Rosia had an energy about her that cultivated chaos, exactly the kind of wave they wanted to ride. Vex gave her a nod, stood, and ambled away from whatever mayhem she was about to release. His job was generally to stop havoc on the ship, so he tried to keep himself out of the limelight of disorder when he could.

Wes looked over to Dieter as he corrected Rosia, and while he was right - Nym did need to get work done - Wes preferred he was the one bossing around the cabin boy. Still, he knew better than to just outright undermine the first mate.

“I dunno, we have some time.” Wes clasped a hand over Nym’s shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. “How about it, Nym - you want us to tie you up so you can go get a look at the stars?”

Of course he knew that wouldn’t happen, but it was enough to make him laugh. If the wind didn’t blow her away, leaving her flailing in the rain in wind, then she’d most assuredly spew right into the wind so it blew back on her. Rosia had already moved onto the next corner of the room, Xavier trying his best to wrangle her from bothering the passengers.

While the room was watching Rosia, Zae had slunk in the shadows rounding until she stood directly behind Sari who had taken a seat back at the table. She made no indication of noticing Zae’s presence, but when others at the table looked behind her, Sari's shoulders tensed. Wes could sense the shift in tension in the room, glancing over to the table from the corner of his eye.

Sari’s hands thumped on the wooden table as she pushed herself up, broad shoulders only seeming to set themselves further apart. When she turned to face Zae, the morfaereal had transformed herself into a mimic of Sari - complete with the fiery red coils atop her head going in all directions. Sari stepped forward, her duplicate unmoving so that they stood uncomfortably invading one another’s face.

“Back up, shifter.” Sari growled. Zae clucked her tongue, wagging a finger in Sari’s face. Sari slapped Zae’s hand away, Zae feigning offense. “I said back….up.”

Dieter had just leaned against a wall and taken a swig of his ale as he scanned the room, and doing a double take at seeing two Sari’s and only coming to one conclusion. Zae. He set his drink down and took a step towards the two crewmates, hoping to diffuse the situation before anything happened. “Zae…” He spoke out loud, a warning.

Morphing back into her original form, Zae hardened the density of her forehead plate and knuckles. She put up either hand as if in defeat, taking a step back briefly before winding back and thrusting herself towards Sari. The beast of a woman had a moment to react as Zae tensed, one hand catching Zae’s fist as it came her way.

Zae looked at Sari with an overconfident smile, throwing her head forehead to collide her forehead against Sari’s nose. Blood immediately began to spill, painting down Sari’s face and onto Zae. Around them the room had swelled, several of the crew members finding the closest foe and throwing licks.

Before Dieter could reach the two, conflict arose; not just between them but between most of the crew as a brawl was breaking out, madness erupted and a smirk came across D’s face subconsciously. D made his way through the brawl smoothly, pulling one man into another and tangling them both up in the rope Rosia brought in earlier. Tripping one female crewmate and tipping her and a few others over a bench clearing them out of the way. A few crewmates even tried their hand at targeting the first mate, but just ended up colliding with each other and knocking each other out as D took a half step. He didn’t quicken his pace to the two main perpetrators of the conflict, taking his time in pacifying others around him effortlessly.

“Enough.” Dieter spoke, voice raised enough to reach around the room and seating in everyone’s ears. He pulled Zae back behind him, knowing it would be easier to pull her away than Sari, and inserted himself between the two.

“Nine lashes for the both of you when this storm is over. You’ll be lucky if they aren’t done by me personally.” He spoke, staring Sari down, seeing her mouth open to speak. “Hush. I don’t care.” Dieter cut her off, not breaking his stare, as if waiting for Sari to do something in retaliation.

With the back of his head turned to her, Zae stuck out her tongue making a face at Sari - enjoying herself too much. Dieter could hand out all the lashes he wanted, even if Vex actually did end up delivering them all Zae had to do was harden the surface of her skin. Sari glared at Zae over Dieter’s shoulder before glancing down in submission, taking her seat back at the table among the others.

“Exemplary work,” Zae hiccuped, giving Dieter a goofy grin and a pat on the back as she wiped the blood from her forehead.

Vex didn’t think of himself as a thief, actually he rarely stepped out of the loose rules the ship upheld. But it was a storm, the crew was secluded together in a small space, and Zae had finished off their alcohol within the first few hours. They both held rank on the ship, high enough that Vex felt that they deserved some sort of extra allotment for dealing with the crew. He knew no one else would see it that way, hence why he had left his heavy steel toed boots in favor of the silent stealth option his robotic legs could transform into. The high-tech mod had cost him well over $8,000 to add when he’d upgraded and he’d rarely gotten around to using them. Instead of steam powered, they fueled from his internal battery and were virtually silent, making stepping down the hallway outside the mess hall a breeze.

The kitchen was dead silent once he entered and shut the door behind him, the sounds of the fight dulling behind two steel walls. It was dimly lit, messy and clean all at the same time, and had the smell of two many spices caught in a badly ventilated room. Vex wasn’t sure if the cook ever got around to using any of those spices, but he kept his mouth shut on that topic.

The storage room off to the side was dimly lit, disorganized but clearly set up in a particular way for one man. Vex ignored the dry storage bins and freezer in favor of the barrels of alcohol, piled high and strapped together to avoid catastrophe. Vex uncorked the front of one of the whiskey barrels and started filling up his and Zae’s flasks.

“I’ll just take that out of your rations for next week,” Wes said from the door, one brow quirked towards Vex. “If you wanted an advance on your rations, all you had to do was ask.”

It was by no means an original idea to sneak booze from the kitchen, especially when they were all holed together like this for an extended period of time. It wasn’t even the first time Zae had tried it. That’s where Wes assumed Vex got the idea from.

“Maybe next time you two shouldn’t try to make your distraction so obvious.” He gave the hunk of metal a half smile, gesturing towards where he was sure Dieter was already pulling people apart.

Vex ran a list of annoyed curses in his brain as he finished up the first flask, tipping his head to the side as the only indication he’d heard Wes. He turned after a moment of silence, taking his sweet time to re-cork the barrel, “I doubt Zae’s got ‘less obvious’ in her vocabulary” He offered the cook a bemused smile before taking a sip of the newly obtained whiskey, “Maybe we can just leave this between us, a one time deal. I’ll owe you or somethin’”

Wes dragged his gaze across Vex, mulling over his options. On one hand, Wes took the integrity of his position with a somber sort of seriousness. However given his current position with the not-quite-a-cabin-boy just on the other side of the wooden wall it might not be so bad to have a favor with the master-at-arms. Wes leaned against the doorframe, crossing one leg over the other the exposed gears of his leg clicking as it adjusted to the shift of weight.

“Who even punishes the master-at-arms?” Wes gripped at the scruff along his jawline in thought. “I mean - I mostly just want to see how this plays out - even though you are a thieving bastard who thought he could take from my kitchen and I wouldn’t notice.”

“Technically, ours” Vex gestured with the flask at the room, grinning to show he was mostly kidding, “I’ve never been caught for anything remotely worth punishing, so I guess I don’t know. Let’s leave it that way- I’ll….” He paused and moved closer, his steps springy and light with his legs shifted to their lighter model, “I have a friend at our next dock that works in a kitchen. I bet I could get you some things you may be lacking”

Though Wes was curious what kind of connections Vex would have to procure some of Wes’s more rare “wishlist” materials - he’d much rather take the nonspecific future sometime in the future. He glanced back into the room where the ruckus had calmed down, stepping inside the kitchen to move past Vex. Wes gestured towards the door for Vex to take his leave.

“Don’t worry about it for now, I’ll let you know when you can pay me back.”

Vex moved towards the door, shuffling a bit because he wasn’t too sure if he trusted the cook. It wasn’t like an extra flask of whiskey was anything to throw him overboard for, but so far this was a well paying gig and his longest yet. He’d rather stick around.

“Thanks then. You know where to find me” He knocked on the door on his way out, letting the metal on metal be the signal of his exit as he slipped back down the hall again.

Grabbing a bit of ginger root, Wes shortly followed back into the hall. He had pulled out a pocket knife he used for peeling, whittling at the nub of ginger. When he found Nym again he handed her the bit of ginger.

“Ginger root, it’ll help with the sickness. Don’t bite it.” He barely glanced at her, making sure she didn’t get the wrong idea that he cared or nothing like that. “Need you back on your feet by breakfast.”

Nym didn’t pay much mind to Rosia as she entered- Rosia and Nym had become fast friends when Nym came aboard the ship. Rosia was friendly and Nym was eager to have some sense of camaraderie, so it fell into place naturally enough. But the suggestion that she go out onto the deck in a storm, Nym wasn’t having any of that. She didn’t have to reply, Dieter let his disapproval of the idea be known.

Then Wes was talking, gave her shoulder a gentle shake and said, “How about it, Nym - you want us to tie you up so you can go get a look at the stars?”

Nym gave Wes the dirtiest look she could muster, given the queasiness she felt. She’d learned better than to smart off, at least in front of the crew; Wes would somehow find her an extra mountain of chores to do, and he'd smile as he did so.

Ferris didn’t mind Rosia’s interruption. He wasn’t so engrossed with his reading that a simple question would upset him. He looked to the side as another member of the crew yelled at her not to interrupt, but Ferris just shook his head, ”I don’t mind,”

He held the cover of the book and smiled, ”It’s actually a collection of papers about a kind of bioluminescent algae found in the Tuilia Sector that-” All at once he seemed to realize that this wasn’t exactly a thrilling conversation, ”Sorry,” He chuckled lightly, ”Not the most thrilling topic.” He opened his mouth to say something else when a fight broke out among the crew. He cast a sideways glance at Rosia, as if to gage her reaction. He would be staying put; he could probably hold his own in a fight if he needed to, but he wasn’t the sort to go looking for one.

As the fight broke out, Nym found herself reaching out to clutch her bucket to her chest. Wes had left for some reason, no doubt trusting she’d stay out of the brawl. Even if she had it within her to join the fray, she’d just get knocked on her backside, and in that case he’d just laugh at her. As it were, she was more concerned with not letting anyone kick over the bucket than the actual fight. Sailors, even the respectable sort, tended to get a little riled up from time to time, so Nym just scooted out of the way, tried not to spill the contents of her stomach across the floor, and ignored the commotion the best she could. She was at the bottom of the pecking order on the ship, and she’d been repeatedly reminded that it was better to keep her nose in her own business. Safer, too.

Dieter broke things up quickly enough, though, and Wes was back not too long after that, and upon catching him walking up, Nym piper in with, "You missed all the excitement." But then Wes was handing Nym some ginger root to calm her stomach. ”Thank you,” She said, taking the ginger and glancing at it almost suspiciously. Wesley was meant to protect her and she was very grateful for everything he was doing, even if she didn’t always appreciate his methods. Nym rolled her eyes when Wes said he needed her back on her feet by breakfast, ”Oh, absolutely, sir. Wouldn’t do to miss a day of my many important duties.” She popped the ginger under her tongue and hung her head, closing her eyes to try to block out the world for a moment, ”You ever miss home?” She asked, almost a whisper, even though she was fairly sure Wesley wouldn’t indulge her question for what it was; he never did. She hadn’t seen her home in years, and she’d not wanted to leave in the first place, but the homesickness didn’t normally hit her until some other kind of sickness came bearing its teeth.

xxx

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Give me the final piece
Little lights that lead as far as I can see
Of all the billions of stars
That are the dreams of your friends
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xxx.xxxxx║ Hex: #076232 ║



♥
♥
♥
♥
''╔════════════╗
♥♥♥♥♥♥So I'm a little c-c-crazy
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Get off my back
♥''You're curious but scared I'll give ya
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥A heart attack
''╚════════════╝ ♥
♥
♥
♥
''╔════════════════════╗
♥♥♥♥♥♥So I'm a little c-c-crazy
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Get off my back
♥''You're curious but scared I'll give ya
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥A heart attack
''╚════════════════════╝
xxx.x

xx╔═════════════════╗
Let's get mischievous
And polyamorous
Wine and women and wonderful vices
Welcome to the cult of Dionysus
xx╚═════════════════╝

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx║ Hex: #722F37 ║


Rosia turned her attention from the man with the book as a commotion started behind her, obviously this being a bit more exciting. She wondered for a bit if she was seeing straight as she saw two of the same crewmate, but realized it was Zae after Sari said shifter. “Ooohhh…” Rosia mumbled out loud to herself, getting excited as she watched on. Rosia’s bottom lip pouted out as she noticed the first mate walking up, disappointed he would break up the fun, but before he could stop the two Sari’s a punch was thrown and a fight quickly began below deck. Not a fight full of anger, besides between Sari and Zae, but one of fun between crewmates and drunkards.

Xavi ignored the commotion around him, as he shuffled his cards and got ready to deal them out to the being in front of him, but before he could flip and read them, the fight broke out and his customer across from him was pulled away and pulled into the scrimmage. Xavi stayed seated and slid the fee that was already paid to him towards himself and into his pocket, reshuffling the cards as he knew his customer probably wouldn’t be back. He sat alone and reshuffled his cards a few times, assuming no one would pull him into the chaos that was going around.

Rosia quickly lept from her seat and joined the fray of the brawl, keeping a smile across her face during it all, even when an elbow hit her in the cheek indirectly. She herself landed some good blows and even almost got in the way of Dieter clearing the chaos around him, though she knew better to get in his way. She took a moment to admire the first mate, always intrigued how it almost seemed like he was in control of the energy around him somehow. As he bellowed for stuff to calm down, Rosia smirked and fixed her hair as much as she could before making her way back to her seat.

The first mate let out an audible huff as he walked away from Zae and Sari, hoping the rest of the night would be calm, besides the storm outside the ship. Over his years on the ship he had seen just about everything, and a little scuffle on his, Yael’s, ship wasn’t anything new. He grabbed his drink and sat down before the fight happened, it somehow being untouched and sat down on a bench to continue scanning the room.

As things began to calm down and people helped each other up and picked up anything that was knocked down, Rosia sat across from the man again, letting out a small giggle. “So, I heard you have a pretty cool bioluminescent thing yourself.” Rosia spoke to Farris, using a word he had said previously but she had no idea what it meant but sounded fine out of her mouth. She leaned in with her head in her hands and elbows on the table as she faced Farris.

Xavi chuckled to himself as Rosia came back to the bench, noticing that the Sudakloren stayed out of the fight much like himself. The hyper-active gal spoke, using a word he assumed she had no idea what it meant as Xavi had never heard her use that word before talking to the man at their bench. He took a look around the room and saw the cook and cabin boy over in the corner, the cook helping out the newest member with their sea sickness. He was a bit perplexed why the two of them seemed to interact more than any others interacting with Nym, but mostly ignored it. It was the cabin boy that drew most of Xavi’s attention, as something about them spoke to Xavi. “Excuse me.” Xavi spoke out loud excusing himself, not to anyone specific, and headed over to the two.

The tarot cards flew between the navigator’s hands and fingers gracefully as he strolled across the room, catching the end of their conversation, and only speaking when he felt one was finished saying what they needed to say. “We all have dreams of heading home, but it's the ether that guides us. I do miss home.” He spoke, his cards ending up in one hand, halfway fanned out, as if inviting the cabin boy to take a card.

Wes looked over to Xavi as he inserted himself into the conversation. Any annoyance he might have felt was subsided by gratitude for not having to indulge Nym’s question. It was rare that his kind left their planet, duty often kept them bound to one another. He hadn’t come across his own for so long and while he did find comfort in it, there was a sour taste in his mouth whenever he tried to talk about it.

“I’m going to get some shut eye, keep up ‘till I come back.” Wes looked over to Nym sternly, “I need your eyes on me kitchen. Make sure no one tries to break the locks or nun’.”

He didn’t really think a wispy thing like her would be able to keep anyone out if they were determined enough, but he thought she’d like sometime a little closer to her age mentally. If she were to become a leader among their people, maybe if she learned the outside world wasn’t so bad she’d make their world more open to it. Plus he enjoyed seeing that glint in her eye at the hint of adventure, reminding him what it was like to be young and traveling through the cosmos for the first time.

The others were still drinking in full volume, but Wes had long mastered sleeping through the cacophony of the crew. Besides, the storm was still raging outside long enough that when he closed his eyes and focused on it’s sound the rest of the noise sort of melted away.

Zanzibar was the last major port on their path for weeks. This ultimate destination had been kept under wraps, though they knew they’d be going through the 36th quadrant. As they approached the floating city the clouds cleared. The current of passages in and out of the city kept the city surrounded in winds that kept it clear from the clouds.

It was one of the oldest cities in the galaxy, though it’s original structure laid in ruins below where the city now remained suspended by the giant large hot air balloons that were built around the entire structure keeping it afloat. It was massive enough from a distance but as the ship drew closer you could make out the depth of the passages that wound through the core of the city.

Regulus had acquired some minor injuries during the night, nothing they couldn’t fix up at port. Zae was one of the last to surface onto deck, having checked the machine room to make sure nothing busted during the storm. Her forehead already dripping with sweat, she wiped at it with the back of her hand as she walked up beside Vex.

“Reckon you already have some business on port?” Zae asked. She’d been trying to drag the cyborg to one of the brothels when they went into port. He had yet to have taken the bait, somehow always evading her efforts.

Wes had less give in his plans, every visit in port was a list of errands to stock up the Regulus and this one was more important than any other. They would be going past the reach, though there’d be some smaller ports along they way where they could pick up some essentials - but he preferred not to risk it. They were barely able to live on top of each other whilst drunk and well fed, take those away and it’d be carnage.

“Alright - you stay here. I need you to get that kitchen sparkling, I’ll be coming in with barrows of shit so I need every bit of space we have.” Wes directed Nym. He could’ve taken her along, he’d prefer to keep an eye on her - but he didn’t want her getting lost.

The sound of the door leading to the quarters captains flung open, Yael walking out with a stoic expression. Half of those on the deck just glanced over briefly. He never interacted much with the crew anyhow, better off leaving that to Dieter. He was much better at dealing with others than Yael ever was. He walked to port, eyes on the city as they approached. Signaling from the dock the workers guided them into an empty spot.

As they pulled in a ladder smacked along the side of the ship, two people pulling themselves on board. Yael handed over some paperwork, the three exchanging words briefly before stamping Yael’s paperwork and heading back to the dock. Nodding to Dieter to give him the go ahead that they were all processed, he turned his back to the crew returning to his quarters.

Zae had already morphed her shape into a rope like shape, throwing herself overboard before reforming back on the dock. She looked back to Vex, using her hand to block the sun from her eyes. Her nose crinkled, eyes squinting.

“Well if you get tired of your scheduled lay, I’ll be at the Red Fox.” Zae hollered up, making no attempt of discretion and giving him a big goofy smile before jogging off.

“Alright - here’s a list of all the shit I need done.” Wes handed Nym a piece of parchment, pulling a bag over his shoulder.

---

xxxxxxx



It had been three weeks since she hopped ship and set foot on Zanzibar. Leaving her last crewmates to be afterthoughts in her mind. They had been different from the usual types she travelled with, and it hadn't helped that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't wrap her mind around the very basics of their language. She was usually far better at that, but this time she had spent most of her time onboard struggling to understand even the basic gestures. They'd been somewhat understanding, or she thought they had been understanding. Perhaps she had misread them altogether? It was certainly a possibility. The amount of issues that delayed them along the way to Zanzibar certainly hadn't been her fault, but she knew tensions were high, continuing to travel with them would have been a mistake and sooner or later they would have likely stranded her anyways. Ismeria refused to make that mistake again.

Ismeria didn't mind puttering around Zanzibar till the next viable ship came along anyways. Mostly spending her time hunched over glasses of amber liquid, biding her time with relaxation rather than work. She had the skills to barter and trade for what she needed - that had gotten her quite far already. But she knew her time was ticking away, day by day, she would need to get out of here soon. Before she went crazy. The stillness had already crept beneath her skin, an undeniable itch that begged her to get moving. She never knew where it came from, what wild energy had been instilled in her upon leaving her home planet, but she knew to listen to it.

Sometimes she imagined that it was her brothers spirit, his sense of adventure guiding her every step.

She missed him.

"My favorite customer! Welcome!" Cried the barkeep. Ismeria smiled - every customer was his favorite customer. His greeting had been the same for every patron that walked through the door. Even if it wasn't sincere it was endearing.

Ismeria slid into a seat, "The usual please," She spoke, folding up her glasses and setting them aside. It was easier to take them off indoors, where the brightness didn't pierce so deeply. She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, where the glasses usually sat heavily, digging into her skin. She should really find a better solution, but it always seemed like an afterthought.

"Going to the port today?" He asked as he slid the drink her way, the liquid sloshing over the side and onto the tabletop. She wondered briefly if it would be rude to ignore him - then decided yes, of course it would be asshole, and nodded before downing the drink in one go. She needed the warmth that the alcohol would bring. She had spent much of her time on Zanzibar freezing her ass off, unable to regulate her internal temperature with the atmospheric change. Even her cloak had been of little help - not to mention that her clothes beneath were the same rags she had been wearing thin for ages. She could definitely do for an overhaul. She hoped the next place she landed wasn't suspended in the air, she just wasn't built for places like this.

"Something interesting might finally come along," She told him, though the annoyance in her tone belied the message. Fingernails picking at the grooves in the wood grain. She was usually naturally chatty but the extended period of time stuck here had sucked the social pleasantries right out of her. She'd spent the last three days loitering around the port, scoping out the ships that came in and out. So far anything that caught her eye hadn't panned out. Either the ships wound up being less than ideal or the crews would have no need for her.

"Well, I wish you the best luck," the barkeep seemed to finally sense that she wasn't in the mood. Ismeria didn't like to come off as rude - she was a rather nice person by nature. But she also didn't mind having a little silence while she drank. He refilled her cup before he left, and she set about the task of drinking that one down as well.

But she would take his wishes of luck. She could certainly do with a little extra on her side.

She left a few coins on the table as she went, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in her system as she began the trek towards the port. She was there quite early, but there wasn't exactly a timeframe for when ships were coming and going. Sometimes the more interesting ones arrived in the dead of night, swatched in shadows, and sometimes it would be in the early creepings of dawn, riding the same winds that kept the cloud cover at bay. But being out and about in the open while it was so bright out was an issue. She pulled her cloak tighter, making sure that the hood was securely fashioned.

Usually she stayed well out of sight, though the workers had seen her there enough times that they didn't seem bothered by her presence anyhow. She simply chose a spot to get comfortable, and waited patiently. One eye on her surroundings, as she quietly picked through a book detailing the history of the city. She liked to pick-up as much information as she could on the places she had been. Books were the best tools by far to do so.

It seemed though that perhaps the barkeeps luck truly was on her side today. It wasn't long before she noticed the workers scurrying to get into their positions. A ship coming in to land. She set the book aside, watching the proceedings with interest. She had seen many ships of all shapes, sizes, and materials in her life. This one though. There was something about it that piqued her interest - that might have simply been the desperation to leave Zanzibar speaking to her though. She didn't know, but she did know that whatever else, she had to get onto that ship.

Farris fought hard to suppress the laughter that bubbled up in his chest when Rosia said she’d heard he was bioluminescent, and he did fairly well. After a quick chuckle that was disguised by a cough and a grin he said, “No, my people aren’t bioluminescent, though I think the people on Lumina might have a form of luminescence. The Sudakloren actually have a sort of knowledge exchange that we practice, it’s not well understood because it’s hard to study but it has a lot to do with the nervous system and-”

He sighed, realizing he was rambling and Rosia probably didn’t actually care much for a biology lesson. “Actually,” He held up his hand, open palmed, as if in invitation, “I could show you, if you didn’t mind.” He cleared his throat as Rosia gave him the go ahead, “It shouldn’t feel like anything, but it might tingle.”

Quickly, he put information to the front of his mind, and let it flow through him, into his hand. First, a gentle boop on her nose, and the meaning of the word bioluminescence planted itself in her mind, and then he gently rested a hand on her cheek and let the basic information about the algae from Lumina he’d been reading about flow through, as well. Then he gently ran his thumb across her cheek, an affectionate gesture, and pulled back. “Whoa.” The girl said, pausing for a moment.

“There you go,” He said, almost absently, and turned his attention back to his book.

Nym’s curiosity with Xavi’s cards was only broken by Wes telling her she needed to keep an eye on the kitchen. Nym nodded heartily, giving the cook a quick, “Aye, yessir.” Though, truthfully, most anyone on this ship could just pick her up and move her aside on a good day if they wanted past her. After assuring Wes she understood his instruction, she turned back to Xavi, “So I just… Take one?” She wasn’t fully familiar with it, but she plucked a card from Xavi’s deck nonetheless.

When she turned the card to look at it, a grim and confused look crossed her face. Death? “I…” She started, voice getting caught in her throat as she remembered the prophecies the Oracles had spoken over her in her infancy, “What does… What does this mean?” She hoped there was some hidden meaning in the card, even as a chill crept from the hollow of her back and spread up into her chest, across her limbs, right to her hand gingerly clutching the card.

Xavi couldn’t help but smirk as Nym revealed her card, Death. And her reaction was one that most people have when they pull such a card. The cabin boy quickly asked what it meant, but these cards never spoke in directs, but in messages that were to be interpreted. “In due time it will explain what it means. You can hold onto it until then.”

Nym didn’t like the vagueness, she was used to being spoken to directly, honestly, but here she was just the cabin boy, and it was always fun to tease the lowest person in the pecking order. She nodded when Xavi said she could keep the card, turning it over in her hand a few times before tucking it into the pocket of her baggy pants. She’d never worn trousers before coming aboard the Regulus, she liked them.

Sleep hadn’t come easily for Nym; it rarely did aboard the ship. She still wasn’t quite used to the way it creaked and swayed under the deck, and the noise of the last stragglers left awake was enough to keep her ears perked until late into the night. Add the foreboding feeling still lingering from Xavi’s card, and it was as if sleep was meant for everyone on board the Regulus but Nym. Still, she had to be up bright and early. Port or no, she had the same chores every morn’, and she was determined to get to them. It was probably good for her, the manual labor, and more importantly, someone might tell her she was doing a good job, and that was something she desperately wanted. She also really hoped to get all her regular chores done early in hopes that she could check out Zanzibar. She’d heard stories, and was really wishing Wes would bring her along, or let her off the hook for the rest of the day if she had things properly shining.

That wasn’t in the cards, though, it seemed. They hadn’t even docked into port yet when Wes was telling her he had a whole list of things to do. “But I-” She started, the disappointment showing on her face, but she quickly rethought trying to argue with Wes. “Of course…” She said, looking down at her feet and the deck below.

Farris always had things to do, and coming to port in Zanzibar was no exception. He had books and papers and files to return to the local Sudakloren library (they’d insure the materials made it back into the right hands), and a few colleges to meet up with. They had information and ideas to share, and Sudaklorens are nothing if not efficient.

It wasn’t long before the ship was docked, and Nym found herself looking over- what she considered- an impossibly long list of tasks. She sighed, but before he left she said a quick, “Best of luck, Mr. Aloysius. Hope you find everything we need.” She smiled, a part of her hoping the sickening sweetness would at least guilt him into finding something interesting to tell her about later.

As he left, she turned back to the kitchen, grumbling the whole way as most everyone else was filing off the ship. “What’s the use of scrubbing out the cupboards?” She mumbled to herself, “I could probably just stack everything up differently and no one would know the difference…” A part of herself wondered if most of this stuff was just to keep her busy and safely on the ship. Of course it was; wouldn’t do to have the Feraelian crown prince get lost or fall off the edge of Zanzibar.

Nym hummed to herself, trying to decide where on the list to start. Top down, she supposed. Someone had told her that was the best way to do things. She’d start with getting herself a bucket of soapy water, then. Couldn’t go wrong there, at least. She passed by Rosia on her way back to the kitchens and smiled at the other young woman, “Are you going off ship?” She asked, seeing no problem with stopping for just a moment to chat, “Can you find me something pretty? I’m feeling rather drab these days. I’ll pay you back.” She normally wouldn’t ask something like that of someone, but she and Rosia had gotten fairly close in the short time they’d known each other, “Wes gave me this whole bullshit list of chores to finish, so I can’t go myself.” She held the paper up to Rosia, to emphasize the length of the list.

xxx.x

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Let's get mischievous
And polyamorous
Wine and women and wonderful vices
Welcome to the cult of Dionysus
xx╚═════════════════╝

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx║ Hex: #722F37 ║


The rest of the trip to their next destination was relatively calm and typical for the ship of the Regulus.

Dieter was out on the deck of the ship for a few hours now and Xavi and their helmsman approached Zanzibar. Dieter was excited to make another stop before heading into the 36th, and knowing he had to take care of some personal things as well. The crew got to their roles prepping to make port as a young woman announced a visual of the city from the crows nest. Dieter watched on, most of the crew knew what to do already at this leg of their journey, but he liked to keep an eye on them for Yael.

As they pulled in, the sound of the captain's door flung open and Dieter let out a whistle to let it be known that Yael was on deck. Captain Yael personally didn’t want his crew to stop working when he was out, but Dieter kept a small reminder to the crew as respect to him. He leaned against the rail as he watched the exchange between the so-called port authorities and the captain, quickly catching the nod. “Port approved! You know the drill, get us anchored, get us docked. Xavi, Eladrin, pick a skeleton crew to stay behind.” He announced, walking down the steps and exchanging a glance with Yael.

Dieter flipped through the ledger he had gotten from Wes a few days ago going over their rations, knowing he could possibly hire some more help before leaving Zanzibar and making sure they wouldn’t have to go into their reserves. He made some last minute notes and comments to the crew that would be staying on the ship before finally walking onto the dock and taking in the air of some land. Even though Zanzibar itself was floating itself.

Much like he made himself through the brawl of his ship, Dieter effortlessly flowed through the crowd on Zanzibar, knowing he had an appointment to keep before more than likely going by the hotspots and seeing if any possible crew additions catch his eye. But as he continued to make his way through the city, heading away from the city center, he felt a presence on his trail. He was more curious than worried about whoever or whatever was following him, and started to take a small detour to confirm his suspicions. And his suspicions were correct as he entered a side alleyway.

The alleyway was long and narrow before coming to a dead end, Dieter was leaning against the back wall when the cloaked figure came around the corner and faced Dieter and his pistol on his hip. “Well hello ma’am. May I help you?”

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♥
♥
♥
''╔════════════╗
♥♥♥♥♥♥So I'm a little c-c-crazy
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Get off my back
♥''You're curious but scared I'll give ya
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥A heart attack
''╚════════════╝ ♥
♥
♥
♥
''╔════════════════════╗
♥♥♥♥♥♥So I'm a little c-c-crazy
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Get off my back
♥''You're curious but scared I'll give ya
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥A heart attack
''╚════════════════════╝
Rosia was a bit skeptical at first when Farris seemed to offer to show her, especially all the big words he said before which she was only partially listened to. Anything she didn’t know or understand, she seemed to ignore until it became her problem, most of the time no issues would arise, but occasionally it would get her in trouble. As she nodded to Farris she watched his finger come closer to her face and boop her on the nose, and within a second she knew bioluminescence. The spelling, what it meant, and even when to properly use it; probably the most complicated word she knows now.

She barely had a chance to let out a breath before Farris’ hand was on her cheek and more information flowed through to her and a better understanding of an algae she hadn’t heard of before from a planet she’d only heard rumors of. It wasn’t until the man ran his thumb across her cheek that Rosia realized she was holding her breath. “Whoa.” The only thing Rosia could think of at the moment was to say, pausing to try to comprehend everything that had occurred and the knowledge she now had. She really enjoyed it. “Well… Thanks! Let’s do that again sometime!” Rosia said with a smile before turning around and heading back into the crowd.

---

Rosia had climbed up into the crows nest when she heard that Dieter was already on deck, meaning they would be at their destination soon. She thoroughly loved being one of the first to their destination, and making the call that it was in sight. Rosia picked up the habit from hearing old stories of pirates back on Earth calling out whenever they saw land during their sea voyages. And it wasn’t long until she saw Zanzibar. “City ahead! City ahead! Xavi ain’t been lying about where he’s taking us.” She shouted before sliding down a rope hanging off the masts and giving an assist as they approached and docked.

Initially, Rosia was selected to be part of the skeleton crew to stay behind, but didn’t plan on exactly listening to Eladrin. They had enough bodies staying behind and if she stayed she wouldn't have nearly as much fun as going into Zanzibar. Before heading out she wanted to fill her flask and headed down below deck into the kitchen, having talked to Wes a while ago about wanting an exchange of more liquor for a portion of her food.

Along her route below deck Rosia wasn’t surprised to see the cabin boy getting ready to do some, smirking a bit remembering her short time as a cabin boy before the crew realized she would be better utilized elsewhere. “Of course I be going off ship. No skeleton crew keeping me from enjoy ole Zandibar.” She replied to Nym’s question, taking a seat for a moment to talk, listening to Nym’s request for something shiny and complaining about the chores she had to finish. Hmm… I’d like something shiny too… Rosia thought to herself before realizing Nym was holding up a list.

“Oh?” Rosia said shortly, before snatching the list and darting around another side of the table. She glanced at the list, but not being able to make out much of what it said, but did understand the length. “Well, let's get going something shiny then.” She said, folding the paper up and sticking it in her shirt. “If you be wanting your list back, you gotta come with me.” Rosia said with a smile as she headed towards the stairs and up to the deck. “It’ll be fun.” A promise she spoke with her words, Rosia would definitely be having fun, might not be the same for the cabin boy.