Evankka smiled with delight when she saw Ashton, he didn't ever really have to do anything, he just had a presence about him that brought her joy. "Good morning Ashton, I'm pleased to see you are in high spirits as usual..." her voice trailed off as she noticed her goof ball of a body guard seemingly being scolded like a puppy.

The princess felt bad for Zane any time he got scolded because even though he may not always be on time, and is usually found goofing off, she knew if she was ever in any real danger, he wouldn't hesitate to protect her. She also couldn't blame Kaleb for lecturing, he takes his job very seriously and she always admired that about him.

Evankka could tell by the look on Zane's face that he wanted her to do something, so she walked over to the two men to see if she could break up some of the tension.
She stepped right in between them and smiled looking first to Kaleb, and then to Zane. "Isn't this nice, all of us together, going on an adventure?" She asked in an overly excited tone, hoping her cheerfulness would become contagious.

---

"Zane, don't you worry about sleeping in any more - I'm sure we'll find a solution on the ship for you." Kaleb said slowly, with a slight chuckle at the end, and giving a nod to Ashton, who had bid him good morning. ...We'll fit a pipe organ into your cabin walls tonight, Zane....

He watched his younger colleague feign a pout and turn his back, like a kid who had dropped a muffin in the dirt; Kaleb lightly shook his head in pity, before the Princess interjected.

"Of course, your highness!" He beamed at her, trying to be as enthusiastic as he could be, "I for one, can not wait to get out on the water. So much to see, so much to do! So little time... Right, Zane?"

He could see what Eevie was trying to do, and decided it would be best to play along; Zane may be a pain, but pushing it any further with her Highness present would be a dumb move. Instead, he turned his thoughts back to the ship, and the matter of establishing security's presence on-board. He turned to Ashton, and said quietly,

"Hey Ashton, how is your knowledge of defensive wards?"

"Hm...?" questioned Zane, tilting his head somewhat at Kaleb's assurance that he would no longer have to worry about sleeping in. He figured that if the guy had a method to combat these boring little chats of theirs, he'd be all for it. Even if that meant giving up a few hours of extra sleep each morning... "Well, whatever works, I guess..." After giving Kaleb an indifferent response, he turned his head toward the right again in time to spot his savior.

Zane perked up a bit when he saw that Eevie had walked over to them upon having clearly deciphered his silent message, and looked down at her with a smile on his face as she peered back and forth between him and Kaleb, excitement in her voice. His smile deepened and he gave her a nod.

"You bet!" said Zane, his expression now void of all previous ire, with nothing but pure joy remaining as he placed a hand on Eevie's head. His fingers were long enough for his hand to wrap completely over her small dome, which was quite an amusing site to behold. Zane, of course, thought nothing of it. This was among the usual display with the two of them. That one plop on the head he gave her was all he had planned, and thus removed his hand once more after a few seconds and chose that moment to look around once more. "Quite a lot of folks comin' aboard, huh?" Zane posed the rhetorical question to his shorter friend while placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner as Kaleb began chatting with Ashton.

Zane wore a blank expression as he watched the commotions of the other crew mates, most of them faces he had never seen before, while a handful were members of the royal staff placed with aiding the princess in her quest. Zane wanted to believe that they were all good people, but there was no mistaking that scent lingering in the air... There was malice, and coming not from one source, but many... This bugged Zane to his down to his very core, and it even made him reflexively shift his eyes back down to Eevie without his head bothering to follow suit. He watched her for a moment as she smiled warmly at the camaraderie already beginning to take hold on the ship, and that in turn made Zane smile. As things currently stood, there were only 4 people on that ship that he could honestly say he gave a damn about. And as long as Eevie, June, Ashton, and... yes, even Kaleb Seklar... No matter what, if his friends were by his side, he felt like he could take on the world.

Little did he know, however... Their battle to protect the princess had already begun. And they hadn't even set sail yet...

I rolled my eyes as the princess gave me no notice and walked by. "Fucking royals." I mumbled not too quietly to myself as I turned and moved along the ship, Zed had picked up on my annoyance and was growling lowly, I gave a sharp whistle calling Zed to follow and made my way below deck. Climbing down several flights of stairs until I was in the ships living quarters, quickly navigating the corridors until I found my assigned room. I swung the door open and stepped inside, scanning the room and raising an eyebrow at its extravagance. "Why would one person need all this?" The entire room seemed enriched with luxuries that I had never seen before, I moved through the room lifting pieces of fabric and cloth, examining the silverware and finely carved furniture. "So this is where the wealth of the land ends up." I dropped my bag to the floor with a deep rumbling thud, throwing my cloak onto the bed and rotating my shoulders, glad to have the weight off them. Zed had jumped onto the bed and was purring contently at its apparent softness, I was tempted to leave him be but knew if anyone happened by and saw him alone in the room it would not end well. So once again I called him to my side and locked the door behind us before making my lower into the ships bowls, I soon found what I was looking for. The training area, a large open room equipped with a large collection of training apparatus and tools.

I moved to the rooms center and removed the six foot great sword from its sheathe on my back, taking up an offensive combat stance and closing my eyes. Zed noted the stance and moved to the side of the room, laying down and giving off a silent yawn as his head rested atop his crossed paws.

For a while I remained completely still, slowing my breathing and finding my center until my eyes shot open and my body burst into action. Swinging the sword in wide powerful arcs at devastating speeds, my body moving in fluid motions and adding kicks seamlessly into the Kata. The routine lasted several minutes of nonstop movement, ending in a final flourish, the sword stopping dead mid swing.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sun was frowning now as he listened to the red-head speak, seeming to give no attention to the monkey to answer his question. His frown vanished at the other voice that spoke up, Sun turning his head to look up, considering he was still crouched low, at the source. Now confusion took over once more, Sun's head leaning to the side as he got a good look at the person. "It was magic he used, he released the spell." she said. His attention on red-head or the identical was now gone as he watched the newest arrival to the little mess that had been occurring.

His eyes were settled on the horns that sat atop her head, Sun standing up to his full height now to get a better look at them. She had turned her attention away from him for a moment, but he was still looking at the top of her head. He'd never seen someone with horns atop their head like that, and he couldn't help but wonder to himself how they felt. Were they a smooth type of horn, the kind that sometimes had a dull luster to them? Maybe they were rough, the kind some livestock had atop their heads in the fields of farmers. He was already reaching out towards them, wanting to know what they felt like for himself.

"Oh I'm Terror by the way. I'm the ships doctor so if you somehow get any injuries or even if you get sea sick feel free to seek me out and I can help with that."Sun's eyes moved back to her face as she spoke again, this time the words being directed towards him as well. He watched her for a few moments, hand still somewhat outstretched before returning her smile with his own grin.

"How you get those horns?" the monkey asked, his hand moving forwards more to try and reach them. "You like Sun Wukong, a special animal? Maybe part animal? I don't know many horned creatures with skin like yours!" His hand did stop though as what she had said earlier about the magic finally dawned on him. With a gasp, he immediately pulled his hand back, his grin growing larger. "Wait, you say Identical can clone himself with magic?! Sun Wukong needs to learn this!" he was looking at her for a moment before he looked around the area to try and figure out where Identical may have gone. He looked back at her. "One of me great! Imagine more of me!" He jumped up onto the broken bed to climb up over it, though he stopped just before he ran off to turn back to look at Terror. "Terror know about the magic! Come with me and help me convince him! Maybe you learn as boat needs more like us on board! To many normal people!" He then hoped off the bed, moving across the deck on all fours again. He stopped momentarily, looking at Terror again and waving her to follow. "Come, come!", he then off again, moving towards the railing of the ship.

Hoping up onto the railing, he remain perched there as he scanned the docks for Identical. He looked different than the other humans did as well, so Sun knew he should be able to spot him easily. His searching paid off once he spotted exactly who he was looking for, who was standing alongside a few other people. Sun did a little shake of excitement, also because he noticed Red-Head among them. "Sun Wukong find them! Come, come!" he shouted, though he didn't actually check to see if Terror was following him by this point. He dropped over the edge of the railing and began climbing his way down the side of the boat, finally hopping off of it once he was close to the docks below him. Once there, he quickly scampered over to the group, hushed noises of excitement emanating form his mouth as he moved along.

He finally stopped once he reached them, stopping himself near Identical. Firstly he looked to Red-Head, waving to the man. "Hi Red-Head. Identical!" he immediately switched his attention over to the armored man, his eyes settling on the other's lizard-like eyes. "Hi! Sun Wukong want to learn copying magic! Please teach me how!" He was bouncing in his spot slightly from the excitement. "Be so fun, be useful! Please teach me!"

After a few moments of excitement, it was then that Sun's eyes finally settled on the others among them. His eyes started first on Red-Head, before moving over to look at a white haired man. Least he was another easy one for Sun to spot, and easy to name! He then looked at the other three, firstly looking at the armored individual who stood next to the woman in the black dress. Sun raised a hand to his chin, squinting his eyes at the man. He'd be a hard one to give a name to. He then let his eyes wander between the two women there, one of which looked like she was about to collapse and fall asleep on the ground right there. It made Sun grin, his hand lowering to the ground to support himself; she'd be another easy one to name!

He then looked at the woman in the black dress, again his eyes squinting as he looked at her. There wasn't anything distinct about her he could use to give her a name, another one to make his poor monkey life difficult. With a shrug, he then looked between the black-dress lady and the one in the armor. "What does Sun Wukong call you two then? I can make names for others, less they give names to me." he then chuckled a bit, smile reappearing, "Or maybe I call you by my names anyways!" he laughed now, his body posture finally relaxing as he remained there on the ground, hands resting on the ground to support him as he remained crouched.

Ashton gave a smile and respectful bow to Terror as she caught his eye, the predatory slit-pupils taking in her form calmly before he moved his gaze to Kaleb. "Defensive? Most of my magic is Illusionary; In terms of defense, I can make copies of Her Highness; confuse an enemy; or make her Majesty look as though she were you or me." He listed calmly.

Then the excited Monkey Man came to him and he took a step back in surprise, smiling nonetheless. "T-teach? I.. Um....I don't know how to teach people, sorry." He said, blushing bashfully as he scratched the back of his head. "As for what you may call me, please, call me Ash; or whatever name is easiest for you to remember." He said, introducing himself with a small bow. "I...I can recommend some books for you if you wish to try to learn my magic, though, Sun Wukong." he added with a smile.

Idly, Ashton's eyes began to search for Terror; her appearance intrigued him, and he could smell something.... different about her. He was a curious Draconian, for sure, his eyes darting to either direction searching for her. He shifted his weight to one leg and tapped his clawed fingers against the bracer of one of his arms.

Evankka liked it when Zane patted her head like that. Most people wouldn't dare lay a hand on a member of the royal family save for the occasional hand shake, in fear of having that hand chopped off, but Zane always treated her like a friend rather than a Princess. Eevie didn't care for having servants or bodyguards, she wanted to be seen as just another crew member, but she could feel others staring, and judging.
Though a bit naive, Evankka wasn't an idiot, she knew there were plenty of people who considered her to be an arrogant, spoiled little girl, but hopefully this trip would change how she was viewed, and she could return to her kingdom with a new set of allies.

Evankka, took the black veil from atop her head and tossed it to the side, deciding to embrace the sunlight, regardless of her fair skin. After all, she would be spending a lot of time in the sun, that was inevitable. Her black cherry colored hair was pulled up messily, having left too early for her lady servant to fix it up for her.
As she brushed a few strands from her face she noticed Zane looking a bit lost in thought, as he glanced down at her, she stared back at him, her bright purple eyes studying his, then she started giggling at how deep in thought he was, it was as if he was staring subconsciously and didn't even notice her staring back at him.
"If you like looking at me so much, I can have a portrait made for you to carry around." She stated amusingly. Her favorite thing about Zane was she could drop all formalities and actually have fun with him.

She then noticed what appeared to be a large monkey approach them. She opened her eyes wide, finding him quite fascinating, forgetting to say anything at all, she found herself just staring curiously.

Amaco

Amaco was still standing near the head of the ship, watching everyone go about their business and meet the people they would be spending the next year with. The girl glanced down at her feet and realized that she better go to her quarters and secure her things. The reminder of her weapons poked her mind and she decided she’d dispose of them in the cover of night. It’d be a shame to throw such fine craftwork into the water, but she had no other choice, or risk being exposed.

~~~~~~~
When she finally had her things settled in her room, she returned to the deck where the crew was still loading up last minute supplies, and checking all corners of the ship, making sure they were ready to set sail. She scanned the deck and her eyes landing on Rooke again. He was laying back on a chair by himself and she figured now would be a good time to talk to him. She wanted to get a jump on getting her weapons remade. She didn’t like the thought of having her resources restricted. Taking a deep breath of fresh sea air, and the scents of all the creatures on board, she quickly walked over to Rooke. He sat up shortly before she made it over to him. He was in the middle of the ship, and they were in perfect view of everyone, which made her weary. Amaco was very accustomed to the shadows, and living her life outside the eyesight of most other creatures in the world. Being this out in the open was new to her, but she knew she would get used to it soon enough. She leaned up against the chair next to Rooke and began fiddling with a loose hem on her cloak. She thought carefully about how she would address him, and what exactly she would say. Soon enough, she opened her mouth to speak.

“You’re Brooke right? The blacksmith?” She asked, purposely messing up his name. She wasn’t sure why she thought to do this; if his work were known, people from his parts would know his name. But why would a navigator need a weapon? The thought trickled into her mind, but she expertly ignored it and continued on with her introduction. “My name is Amaco. I’m the navigator for this trip,” She subconsciously grabbed the strap of her bag that she stored her maps in. Of course she wasn’t going to leave those in her cabin; she figured she’d be able to put them in the Captain’s Quarters, where they would be doing planning and such. “Anyway,” she continued, “I was wondering what kind of weapons you make, and how quickly you work?” She knew exactly what he made (at least, she knew he made exactly what she wanted), and generally how long it took him. But given that she feigned not knowing his name, there would be know way for her to know the answers to this questions either. “I have something specific in mind,” she said carefully and pulled a folded piece on cloth from her pocket. She handed it to him so he could inspect the details. She knew he was capable of making things like this, she just wondered how common it was for people to ask for them. She put her worry out of her mind and on her excitement for a new weapon.

Watching all the other beings, studying their personality and character, Esmeralda smirked lightly. She most certainly could not wait to meet everyone but it seems that the majority of everyone's focus was on the princess, no doubt. A royalty on any kind of ship was enough to cause a bit of a stir. I saw a giant with a large saber-tooth tiger walk passed me and I could easily sense his annoyance. It seems that the princess did not give him any attention. Perhaps the princess thinks the giant as a lowly crew member who handles the heavy manual labor on this ship. Heh. I suppose we have a stuck up, spoil brat that we will have to put up with on this ship." I chuckled lightly under my breath before I waited a few minutes, letting my eyes scan everyone before I descended down the stairs.

I was about to return to my room but I heard distant grunts and the familiar sound of metal cutting through the air. My curiosity got the better of me and I continued making my way down the stairs until I reached the lower part of the ship and there I saw it, a training area and the giant. I watched quietly as the giant did his routine kata and when he finished, I clapped slowly before I stepped forward, revealing myself to the giant. "As one would expect from a giant, a being created for no other purpose but war." My eyes glint slyly at the giant. "What is one like yourself doing on this ship? Trying to run and hide from the fact that you are the last of our kind? Do you not crave war and violence like those before you?" I asked, looking up at the giant that stood taller than any being I have ever seen but my eyes nor my heart showed an ounce of fear, if anything, I was excited to be standing in front of the last of an ancient race that once roamed these lands.

---

The shimmering gaze of the sunlight against calm waters had almost put Johnathan into a trance. There was something so soothing about being on the water, that he just couldn't put his finger on, but knew was taking an effect - maybe it was the cool sea air, or maybe it was the gentle rocking of the ship - who knows? In his semi-hypnotic state, he hadn't really noticed the girl who had appeared at his side, and as she spoke in a soft voice to him, he almost questioned who he himself was.

He quickly snapped out of it, looked at her intently, and heard her out. Brooke? She knows my trade, but not my name... interesting... am I really that anonymous in this city? A slight smirk crept upon his lips upon receiving the cloth, as he tried to figure Amaco out, but it was short lived and replaced by an expression of shock, seeing the sword that she intended for him to make for her. This is a thing of beauty, he thought to himself, but who designed this drawing?... And why does the ship's navigator want such an extravagant armament?

Johnathan could not help but lick his lips lightly, having found so many questions and many more that hadn't even reached the forefront of his mind - he had found his first customer, but there was so much that needed to be answered. Taking a moment to examine the weapon plan, he raised his glance up to the eagerly waiting young woman.

"This... certainly is an extravagant piece you want to commission, miss. A special occasion, perhaps?" he smirked, before taking a deep breath. "A weapon of this complexity can take 2 or 3 days in normal circumstances to produce, perhaps less if my time was solely dedicated to it... but these are not normal circumstances, and it will not be cheap. I trust that you have some means of payment to offer me, otherwise we would not be having this conversation, correct? Oh... and by the way, my name is Rooke."

My eyes instantly shifted to the sound of slow clapping, finding its source to be a human women stepping into view. I slowly stood up straight and sheathed my sword, Zed had perked up and was making his way towards the stranger, sniffing the air and gauging her scent. I waited in silence and watched Zed, more than once he had seemingly known the disposition of a stranger. He was to a degree able to judge a person and see their worth. He moved up to the women, circling round her and sniffing her cloths and hands. His head jerked back and shook violently, pawing at his nose and sneezing before sniffing her again. It only took a few moments before he had made a decision and sat down beside her looking completely as ease.

I turned fully towards the women and studied her more closely, there was definitely something.... different about her but I had never known Zed to be wrong, so I moved towards her, stopping a few paces short and examining her a last time. She had an air of perfect confidence about her, a physical beauty that even I could appreciate. Yet women and love were something I had little care for. "The wars have long past." I moved a step closer and crouched down, rubbing Zed under his chin causing him to purr loudly. "There is nothing left in this land for me." I stood back up and looked down at her. "And you? Why are you here?"

Zane's smile disappeared for a brief moment as his eyes opened wider upon being addressed by his friend Eevie, but it didn't last more than a second before his smile and the warm look in his eyes returned. He was still standing there with his hands behind his head as though he couldn't be more bored with the current wait for everyone to get settled in, but in all honesty he was feeling pretty great. Excitement, maybe? Zane gave the princess an answer to her poking fun at him almost immediately.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked her, bringing his hands down to meet his hips as he titled his head and raised an eyebrow, making him feign annoyance towards her as he looked down at the considerably shorter woman. "D'you know how hard it'd be to fight with a thing like that in my hands?!" Although his voice was raised slightly, he wasn't yelling at her, and he knew it wasn't perceived as such either. This was a usual interaction for the three of them; the princess and her two loyal bodyguards.

Before Eevie could throw one back at him, however, her attention was stolen away by the monkey Zane had had a brief encounter with earlier. He held up a hand in reply to the monkey's greeting of him, not batting an eye at being called 'Red-Head', as it was clear to him and everyone else who he must have been referring to.

"Yo, monkey-dude!" said Zane, a friendly tone in his voice. He let his hand drop back down to his side with a sway of its entire limb as their new monkey/man-like ally introduced himself. Sun Wukong was his name. Zane had thought he seemed pretty cool. Sun had an air of innocence and purity of the heart about him, and Zane liked people like that. They were the most fun to hang out with, after all. It was one of the reasons he was so taken with Eevie when they had first met. "The name's Zane Archaeus!" He said that with a thump on his chest with his fist upon being asked what Sun should call him and the various other people around him.

As everyone went on introducing themselves to Sun Wukong, Zane's eyes shifted to the demonic-looking creature walking toward them all, a few seconds behind Sun's arrival. Immediately, Zane moved toward her as if a moth drawn to a torch. Making her stop in her tracks almost immediately after she had joined everyone, Zane invaded her personal space by very rudely observing her features up close. His hand was holding his chin and he was shifting his weight around so that his eyes met a new level each second while he checked her out. He took a couple of audible sniffs at the air around her, making his already rude actions appear even more brazen. Finally, his eyes locked with hers and he moved his face very close to her own, an eyebrow raising suspiciously.

"Hmm," he pondered, rubbing his chin slightly. "You look pretty mean... But I don't sense anything off about you." Speaking honestly about how he saw this woman whose name he didn't even know, Zane leaned back once more, giving the poor girl back her space. A large smile appeared on his face and he said the first thing on his mind without a moment's hesitation to think about what it might have sounded like to the others. "Well, you smell hot, so it's all good!" Had Zane not been so very dense, he too likely would have stumbled over himself as surely many others who had caught what he said might have done, but the boy's thoughts were pure, although his choice of words made them seem otherwise. He had no idea who or what the woman in front of him was, but the moment he had sniffed the air she carried with her, that is to say: her scent, he picked up a strong relation to fire. The only word that came to mind in his thick skull had been 'hot', and so he used it without shame. Zane's utter obliviousness to how he was coming off to surrounding eyes and ears would be the reason of his misunderstanding the sharp feeling of a small hand meeting the back of his head with the force intended to beat discipline into his very being.

"Gah-!!" grunted Zane, his head instantly bowing in front of the demonic woman in front of him from the sheer force of the blow. He snapped back up and looked around, brow creased seriously as he held up a clenched fist and grit his teeth, trying to figure out who it was that did it. His eyes fell down on Eevie, who was now standing right in front of him with her hands placed on her hips as she scowled up at him like he did something unsavory. "What the hell was that for, Eevie?!" He was angry at being struck so suddenly as he rubbed the spot with his hand, but he knew she must have had a reason, and therefore didn't really feel all that upset about it. But still; the back of his head really stung...

Evankka tapped her foot, giving Zane a scowl. "If you didn't notice, you happened to be awfully close to her. Which most would consider quite rude." She tried to sound proper since others were no doubt listening at this loud interaction. She hardly noticed that her slap seemed to echo throughout the entire harbor.
She grabbed hold of his ear to pull him off to the side. "Zane.. it isn't nice to tell someone who you've never met, that they look mean, regardless of how hot you find that woman." She couldn't help but crack a small grin, as she tried to hold back a giggle and remain serious.
She knew there was no way Zane meant it that way, but she couldn't help but pick up on how it sounded, and it would drive her crazy if she didn't tease him about it.

She regained composure giving a small cough and went back to frowning at her fiery bodyguard. "In the future, please try to address others more respectively." She placed her small hand on her forehead and sighed. "I swear.. you wear me out."
She glanced over at the horned woman with an apologetic look. Hoping Zane didn't manage to hurt her feelings in any way.

Amaco

Amaco watched as he inspected her drawing. He was smiling at first, but when he looked closer he seemed surprised. Mac tucked her hair behind her ear and waited patiently as he inspected her artwork. She had spent a while on this specific piece. She wanted it to be perfect. Ever since Forest had given her this job a few months back, she had been designing a very intricate blade to fulfill her duties.

Soon enough Rooke looked up at her and began speaking. He asked her the purpose, and how she intended to pay. “Yes, of course Rooke, my apologies,” she corrected herself. “It is a gift for someone dear to my thoughts,” For the lovely Princess, she thought as a smile spread across her face. “For a very special occasion.” Her death. She softened her eyes and looked at the drawing again. For quite some time now she had been imagining slitting the Princess’s throat, or cutting out her heart, with something just as beautiful and exotic as the Princess herself. Amaco thought it would bring a little irony to the situation. And who didn’t enjoy irony? Amaco reached into her pocket and pulled out a pouch full of gold. She gingerly placed it in Rooke’s hand. “I believe there is enough there to cover the price the weapon given the circumstances,” she stated, reaching into her pocket once again to retrieve a slightly smaller coin sack. “And this,” she placed it next to the first bag, “Should be enough to prioritize my weapon over what should come next to your business.” She was speaking carefully now. She didn’t have much gold with her, but this was the most important so naturally this is where she was going to put her money. Should she need something more she knew she’d be able to nick a gold piece here or there without raising suspicion. Besides, she was the navigator and she was earning her stay and meal on board so what more would she need to buy?

As she considered this she looked out on the water, wondering when they would set sail. The water was peaceful, and she thought she might like being on a ship. She hadn’t spent an extended amount of time on a ship before, but the sea had never bothered her. She was a strong swimmer, but being in the water was the last thing she wanted to do. As far as she was concerned, a werecat had no business in the water unless there was a large transportation craft made of wood separating them. After Rooke inspected the coins, Amaco smiled at him. “So do we have a deal?” She asked, then added, “And if it’s for some reason not enough, I will pay you the rest when I receive the blade finished to perfection."

---

Johnathan smirked as Amaco elaborated on the weapon being a gift for someone dear to her, and he could not be more intrigued to find out exactly who and what it was for, but there was still a lot of time. Taking the pouch in his hand, he carefully opened it to examine the contents - about a hundred Ryse galleons!

He exhaled deeply - Ryse currency hadn't been pressed for more than a century, but it was made of high purity metals, and was predominantly found in pirate stashes or noble's vaults. The metal in each coin was worth considerably more than 10 of our modern day gold coins. This would indeed be more than enough to cover the costs of the weapon, but not in the traditional sense. This voyage was not trip for profits - this was likely to be a one way journey, and Johnathan knew that - so this fine gold, with its affinity for magic, could be useful for enchanting weapons.

One question now dominated his mind: Why would a lowly sailor, be carrying such wealth on her person with this much confidence? He could not fathom it - there was so much that he wanted to ask, but knew that he would not get an abrupt answer in his favour. This young lass had found him, not the other way round, and she must have known him well enough to know of the level of craftsmanship required to forge this blade would be beyond some newblooded smith.

Who are you, Miss Amaco, and how do you know me?

As he closed the pouch, he found another smaller pouch being placed into his other hand. Weighing it, and judging it to be about a quarter of the size of the first pouch, he nodded slowly, with a slight puff.

"Aye, lass," he says, looking up at her with a grin, "I guess we do have a deal. I'll get started as soon as I am able to access the ship's forge."

One thing he knew for sure, was that this would not be the last meeting he would have with Amaco.

---

Kaleb sighed, "Not a problem, my friend - I know magic is a broad spectrum of schools." He started to think of ways to maintain security against unseen threats on board the ship.

The strange monkey-like figure who had been climbing up and down the side of the ship hadn't bothered Kaleb in the least, at least not until he approached the group. He seemed to be more taken with harassing Ashton than the Princess, which gave him a sense of ease. As Sun asked his name, he said politely, "My name is Kaleb. It's nice that you are joining us, Mister Wukong."

After Sun had said his dues, Kaleb returned his gaze to the Princess and her companions. He struggled to stifle a laugh as Eevie beat Zane around like a ball of yarn, but maintained his position and didn't say a word. Zane is a fool, but he brings out the best in Eevie - it's more than I can do - and he could probably get away with murder under her finger...

"Now I'm on the ship. Great. Finally, the ship. I'm soo glad I didn't miss it." Hallie thought and sighed in relief. She rubbed the dried mucus out of her eyes and looked around.
"I'm in for an adventure, ain't I?" she thought with a smile on her face while looking at the people on deck. "I'll meet them and we'll hopefully chill together. Who knows? We might help one another with the journey and even more. Though right now I'm in no shape to talk to anyone. Maybe I should go find the rooms..."

Hallie stopped in front of a bed in the middle of the deck. She looked at it with a dull exprssion for around ten seconds.
"Eh, what the heck." she murmured to herself and went closer to the bed. She fell on her knees, as the upper part of her body bumped onto the matress, topping it off with deafened snoring.

Esmeralda Basil

I watched the giant then my eyes fell onto the large saber-tooth tiger that approached me and sniffed at me. My eyes glanced at the giant before me and I could see that his eyes was studying this beast. Perhaps this was a test, something to see if I am worth talking to the giant. The tiger seemed to agree with my presence as it sat next to me. I smiled lightly before I turned my attention to the giant and it seems that his eyes were judging me, something that I was completely used to then finally the giant spoke. "Ah, for a second there, I thought you have lost your tongue." I said, teasing the giant lightly before I nod my head in agree. "That you are right. Wars have long past...at least, on the lands but within every being's heart, there is a war that is constantly being fought." I smirked lightly as I watched the giant seeing to show a softer side when interacting with his pet. A rare thing to see from a giant.

I stared at the giant as he questioned me. I thought quietly, choosing my words carefully before I spoke. "I am hoping to find a place where I can have a new beginning. A fresh, clean slate if you will." I put a hand on my hip and I looked at the giant. "It is not often one can be blessed with an opportunity to start anew. What about yourself? Why are you here? You say there is nothing left in the land for you, what do you expect to see beyond these waters?" I asked before I turned my head slightly, looking up and I mumbled lightly. "What is taking them so long?" There was a hint of impatience in my voice but before I could let myself get irritated, I looked back at the giant, my eyes showing curiosity and interest once again. "I bet your fortune would be interesting to read." I said, pointing at his hand. "You probably have an interesting story as well."

Angeline made her way along the docks anxiously. She had resolve and the passion to go through with this but her hands were still shaking. She had never been in such a big crowd before, not willingly and it was nerve-racking merely imagining that she was going to be trapped upon a ship with dozens of individuals until…

She hung her head as a person working the docks walked a little too closely to her. It wasn’t worth worrying over, not now she was here. If she didn’t get on the ship, the black market yobs that were hanging around the market the other day were sure to catch up with her. She couldn’t keep running.

It wasn’t difficult to spot the Fallen Angel, it was as grand as expected of the royal princess. Big enough to home a quarter of Briella no doubt. She admired its beauty resentfully, even someone like her could tell it was a ship not easily rivalled. She pulled back her hooded jacket a little to see better as a result a couple of youths sitting on crates to the right whistled and called to her.

She gave them a boisterous glance before turning her attention back to the ship. She brought the very little she owned with her in a sack, over one shoulder she carried her bow and a holder for her arrows. Dressed in tight leather bottoms and a bodice her figure was well outlined so it wasn’t surprising that she was attracting attention. It was awful having eyes on her, and she felt like punching every pair of eyes focused on her ass but being dressed in peasant clothing would draw royal eyes to her more than the clothes she wore right now. Perhaps she had over thought her clothing.

Her hooded jacket was the only ragged item she owned but it helped keep her ears hidden. She had pinned her ears back as well and had woven her thick hair into large plaits over the top with stolen jewels to help hide them further. She couldn’t afford to be outted before she even made it onto the ship and she wasn’t sure if the royal guard would perform extra checks on the crew mates as they arrived. Angel could only hope none of the crew would be able to sense her species in a different way.

She could see the other crew members boarding the ship, leaning over the railings and gathering upon the deck however a great deal were standing in the harbor. She held her head high and walked over to the ship and up the boarding to the deck in an attempt to avoid the crowds for a little longer. Soon she would be trapped with them for a long time. She only paused when she levelled with the finely polished deck. Her bright fiery eyes viewed the surroundings. This was it. No turning back now.

Turning round to look over the railings at the crew below she saw humans, giants, half-breeds and more. The miss mash of strong scents assaulted her nose and many scents registered as predatory. She allowed herself a breath, with so many scents in the air picking hers out would be more difficult, it helped ease her anxiety.

That is until she laid eyes on the princess. It wasn’t difficult to spot her, almost as easy as spotting the Fallen Angel. She glowed with wealth and good health. Angel hadn’t expected to feel anger but suddenly it roared in her ears at the sight of her. She looked happy, there wasn’t an inch of pain or sorrow in her face, not a day unfed or abused. It made Angel furious. She quickly glanced away to gather composure. If she couldn't handle looking at the Princess without getting fired up, this trip was merely a death wish.

Terror


So much began happening as the monkey who's name Terror caught was Sun Wukong began to ask her many questions. She looked at him strangely as she noticed he was reaching for her horns. "You're awfully curious now huh? I'm a half demon, that's how I got my horns." She ended up saying with a giggle as she realized he meant her no harm.

He then began to get excited over the magic she mentioned that the man had used. He wanted her to follow him to talk to the man and she giggled again as she slowly began to follow. He was quick and got to the group before she did. However she approached shortly after, her eyes falling on Ashton. Her eyes met his for a moment and she gave him a sweet smile.

That smile disappeared shortly after as Zane began to invade her personal space and stopped her from getting any closer to the group. He looked her over and she was beginning to feel very nervous. "Um..." She couldn't find words as she shifted her weight and her tail flicked uncomfortably. She almost teleported away from him, but he finally backed out of her personal bubble.

When the Princess smacked him and pulled his ear it dawned on her what he had said about her. "Wait what...um...I..." She got all flustered and her face became a deeper shade of red. She wished to just disappear, but she knew that would be rude. However she managed to compose herself when the Princess gave her an apologetic look.

"It's perfectly fine Your Highness." She said as she gave her a smile and tried her best to courtsey, though it was rather clumsy looking. "I am quite excited to go on this trip with you all. If anyone needs medical attention please come to me for it. I shall be the healer on the trip." She finally said with a smile as she looked between everyone as her eyes landed on Ashton. Something about him intrigued her, maybe it was the scales and his dragon like eyes. She wasn't sure.

As everything was happening around him, Ashton's eyes focused on Terror, their eyes meeting a few times. Every time their eyes met, he felt something he couldn't describe; he didn't know what it was, and at the moment, wasn't trying to figure it out. All he wanted to do at the moment was make the half-demon's acquaintance.

Then she came up to him, and they met eyes again, and he returned her smile with his own toothy smile.

"Greetings, Terror, I am Ashton. It is a pleasure to meet you, and, if I may be so bold, you are very lovely." He said, smiling and giving her a small, polite bow, keeping his eyes on her, the reptilian, predatory slits looking intensely, memorizing her shape in case he could not make out details, and would need to rely on silhouettes.

"Perhaps, one day I will sing a song for you?" he asked smiling; offering to her the best of his services. "That is, of course, if her Highness does not require me at the moment." he added with a chuckle.

Terror


Terror felt her face heat up a little as Ashton introduced himself to her. If one looked close enough they would see her face turn a darker shade of red, however she still had a smile on her face. "You flatter me, not many think that way about a half demon. Thank you." She said with a small giggle. It was the first time anybody had truly said anything nice to her.

He then offered to sing to her sometime and her eyes lit up. "Oh I would enjoy that as long as you don't mind if I sing along." She responded excitedly, happy to find out that someone else on the ship could sing. It seemed like they had quite an interesting group of people on the ship. "Or perhaps I can perform with you for Her Highness?" She spoke mostly to Ashton, but she glanced over at the Princess briefly.

Amaco

Amaco smiled at Jonathan. He seemed equally pleased and intrigued by her payment. He appeared to be thinking before he finally looked up at her. He agreed to her deal and she hoped he would have it done soon. She couldn’t wait to know how it would feel in her hands. “Thank you, Rooke. And if I am pleased with your work, which no doubt I will be, you will be seeing more of me.” She smiled again at him and glanced around the ship. A much more pressing thought crossed her mind. Eventually there would be a full moon and she would be forced to find somewhere to change safely. Normally it wasn’t a problem. Sometimes the Mongrels would put her in the cellar, but other times they let her run around the forest, hunting all night. This was preferable, but without a pack for her to run with, she sometimes got lost and it would take a day or two to find her way back home. She knew the forest well, but her human form traveled a lot slower compared to the panther-human hybrid form.

She replaced her hood and began pacing the edge of the ship. This craft was ginormous and it would take a few days to explore the whole thing. Catching sight of the captain once more, Amaco stopped and watched him for a minute, before deciding to approach him. She still had a little more than a week before the full moon, and she figured there would be plenty of room below. She’d have to find chains too. And the supply of meat. I’m sure there will be plenty of fish, she thought and her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten breakfast.

When she thought of the panther, her stomach churned slightly. She had changed so many times, she could almost feel the pain just thinking about it. But when she was the panther, she felt alive. She almost preferred it. That was only when she chose to change of course. During the full moon she couldn’t control herself. Amaco didn’t mind much though, she wasn’t afraid to rip anyone apart. In fact, she loved it. The panther loves it.. she thought, wondering where the desire to kill really came from. However, hunting wasn’t an option on this ship. No one could know her secret, and she definitely couldn’t eat anyone. She’d be overboard within the hour. Unless no one found out… she smirked.

Soon enough she was standing near Elcid and the smell of wolf was overwhelming. Now that she was so close to him she realized the different, almost stronger smell was coming from him. The aroma wasn’t necessarily bad, but both of her packs raised her to hate wolves. Before she was a werecat she remembered having a dog, but he died a few years before she turned. Her lip sneered unintentionally as she looked at him. “Captain Elcid,” she began and swallowed. Amaco started removing the maps from her bag to show him. “My name is Amaco Hana; I am the navigator for this trip,” she bit her lip to avoid letting a growl escape her throat. Mac adjusted her hood and stared at him, wondering how he would react if she just asked him what he was. With that thought she realized if she knew what he was so easily, of course he knew was she was. Suddenly fear sank in. If there was something different about him, he could be stronger than her. She stepped back slightly, and angled herself so he couldn’t see her face. “When are we leaving?” she asked, all of a sudden feeling very anxious to leave the shore.

Ashton smiled and chuckled. "Sing with me? I'd love to! I grow bored of singing with...myself." he shrugged. "I would love to hear the sound of a fair Maiden's voice as she sung with me!" He smiled, giving her a small bow again. "Perhaps we can even teach each other some songs, see what there is in the world we do not know!" he proposed.

As he caught Terror's glance to the Princess he smiled. "I'm sure she would love it; after all, my singing never seems to fail to lighten her mood, I'm sure the two of us would be enough to even make her dance." He paused for a second as he ran that thought over in his head. "Of course; if you would like to dance while singing, I'd be happy to change the tempo and dance with you, as well." He added, looking over to the beautiful Half-Demon.

Wait...Beautiful? Is that what he thought of her? Huh...she went from intriguing to lovely to beautiful in a matter of moments. This would be an... interesting voyage to be sure.