Snippet #2087209

The muscle was apparently named Jericho "Iron Heart" and he was the first mate of the crew Iris was forced to join. Had the necromancer been more social in Juriya, he'd have maybe recognized the name, and heard of the tales of Iron Heart Malone. Though with that logic, he would've never gotten into necromancy, and be the nervous wreck today. The laughing from what Iris could only reasonably guess was from the captain was rather disheartening to hear; as his threat was seemed to have been taken with a grain of salt. The mage hung his head in defeat for a few moments before realizing that no-one was moving; and that everyone was awkwardly staring at their (other) witness until she started crying and ran into an alley.

Emotion was hard enough to understand for Iris but this was ridiculous. A smirk couldn't help but form on his lips as he waved goodbye to their captain; left to fix up that mess all by himself. It was enough to almost make the necromancer feel sorry for him. Almost.

Though it would be disastrous for the mage to sort out that mess himself; it didn't make walking with a very deadly killer anymore comfortable. The silence in the walk was finally broken when the two finally reached the docks; and approached the ship known as the Satan's Serpent. What an odd name. Iris thought to himself as Jericho boldly, proudly, and laughingly stated that they were pirates. It was another degree of oddness the necromancer would cross. Like a man who just got out of the doctor's office to shout out to the world "I have a flesh eating disease!" with a smile on his face. It was the beginning of the oddest things Iris would find on his search for Utopia.

He bent down on one knee and looked into the eyes of his vicious new-found pet, petting him over the hand with one gloved hand, and scratching him behind the ears with the other. Fur was something Lucky lost around the tenth year; so it was a new experience all over again. "You don't hurt anyone in there unless I say so Rusty. Understand?" The bulldog barked, and started to pant eagerly as if it was excited, a trait the elf wish he could exchange for his fear. Jericho assured him otherwise that his pet wouldn't be a problem except with a certain Aria.

The inside of the ship was rather...clean? Surprisingly clean. As if there wasn't any pirates on board this ship at all. The comfort that Iris had was suddenly dissipated as he was forced into a room occupied by so many other people. He tensed up instantly, shoulders locked at his side, and proceeded to stare into the ground only to catch a glimpse of people. There must have been about six people in that room and Jericho introduced the one named Aria to the mage. It only took a slight glance to tell but this girl was an elf as well. A very, very short elf. Which indicated that she was either young, probably in her twenties, or that fate seems to truly hate her. Of course, his eyes were rather busy then gathering the oddest out of the group, a gorgeous-looking woman with sun-bathed skin wearing a blue dress. Just as she was talking to Jericho, he was bust trying to figure out who the blond woman was, who clipped her hair short and had the attire of a hired gun. From where Iris stood, she could see half of her body as she sat in the chair, and was staring until he swore her deadly wildcat eyes saw him, prompted him to turn his head away. For some reason, his line of sight met the lady in blue's, and he quickly let his eyes fall to the ground.

He raised one hand, covered in a black glove, and gave a small wave when suddenly he was being pulled away from the situation. As soon as he exited the room, he breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down to see the young one named Aria pulling him along. Iris could only guess she was somewhat ambivalent to his pet. She showed him his room in the lower deck, a rather empty room, with a bed, a counter and dresser. He thanked her and just as he was going in, noticed she was staring at the undead dog, probably unsure of it's existence or whether or not to pet it. "It's okay, he won't bite. His name's Rusty." The necromancer added, slipping into his room to unload his books, and placed the bones of his dead cat into the center of it. The elf was certain the dog would do nothing to harm Aria; undead had to follow the commands of their masters.

He drew a small pentagram in chalk around the bones, to help the joining process, reached into the book around his waist, and read the Rite of Rising. Iris could hear Aria and Rusty getting along behind the door but blocked them out as he read the words; the circle emanating a purple glow before it dissipated. It was as if nothing was drawn in the first place. The bones started to rattle, sorting itself into form, stacking against one another until it was complete. Lucky stood once more, with off-white colored bones, and jumped into her master's lap. Lucky was basically a skeletal cat but she's smarter then what people taker her for. Generally more friendly as well. After lightly petting the animal, Lucky moved with feline speed, and held onto the back-cloth of his cloak. The comfort of a cat was much more satisfying then the excitement of a dog.

When Iris left the room, Aria and Rusty were playing around, and the captain seemingly appeared out of nowhere, causing Iris to jump. He explained the meeting in his quarter's and told Aria to escort Iris there. After he walked away, Lucky climbed up upon Iris' shoulder, and looked down upon Aria. "Aria. Lucky. Lucky. Aria." Iris introduced again, though Lucky was less enthusiastic then Rusty was. She stayed perched upon his shoulder even when he entered the crowded room of the Captain's quarters. He began to pick up Lucky with one hand, using his arm as a comfortable place for her to curl up in, and began to pet her out of sheer nervousness while Rusty sat jealously right beside him.