Terreth

Rel'Kaz Del Va Hiim

Rel'Kaz sat up, rousing quickly after Mitsuhide called for whoever else was below decks. He found a bowl of soup and feeling his hunger start to emerge, devoured it quickly. After finishing his meal he pulled out his chest, longer to accommodate his rifle, and set it on his bed to take out his gear. He was still dressed in his robes, but he kept his armored vest in the chest. A took out his precious rifle and laid it on the table. He'd cleaned it before he started making his ammunition, so there was no problem there. He looked back in the chest and specifically at the cylindrical container that held the blueprints to his rifle. He'd given them a few looks, and if he could miniaturize them they'd make excellent pistols, but he never had the technical expertise to do such a thing. The Phoenix, of course had an excellent engineer aboard, but he'd only been a part of the crew for four months, and he'd seen them all pull their weight during that time, and he'd also pulled his weight but he still didn't fully trust each and every one of them. Eventually, perhaps when he knew more about the people he traveled with, then he'd tell them about the danger he was technically putting them in. Still, it was things to worry about later. He took just his rifle and his dagger, which he strapped to his belt under his robes and slung the rifle onto his back then headed up to the deck.

Above deck he saw the first mate, Mitsuhide, standing with a hair pin in hand. Rel'Kaz wasn't a reader of people, but he could see that he was distracted, at least for a moment before he came back to his usual self. Rel'Kaz nodded in greeting.

"Good day, Elir Akechi, did the Captain tell you what this announcement will be?" He used the Caradi word for sir, as he had for the past four months whenever he addressed a man of superior rank. They had a different word for the women, Alva.

After some formalities, most of the people had left the room; all save for Blue and Varsh.

Caintry could feel his skin crawl as the stench of alcohol filled his nostrils, causing his stomach to lurch, and he gave a face of disgust when he looked upon Varsh. He had remembered the day when he first met Varsh, he indirectly saved him from slavers and saved his life, and he had proven to be the most handy of a comrade in a multifarious array of brute ways. He may of even been First Mate if it was not for his stupidity , and not just that but his endeavor to not even learn another wrinkle into his brain. Also, Caintry thought that Varsh and he could have been good friends, even though Caintry likes to think he is at least a pleasant companion to his entire crew, but he would not socialize with a drunk. Caintry despised drunks, not understanding why anyone would sacrifice the clarity of their mind to just have the ability to be slurred and make stupid decisions, and he was thankful that his people back home were pushing for deeming alcohol illegal, although he never did catch up on how things were doing in Denauc since he left. There was not much information on a nation that prefers isolation, but then suddenly Caintry’s deep thought was interrupted by the entering of Markel.

He watched as Markel escorted the walking stench of whatever intoxicator he drunk out of his cabin, and he thanked the Muses, a common saying that popped up in Denauc, that Varsh was gone. And here I was, afraid I would have to shoot someone.

Now, Blue and Caintry were alone in the shaded room, the lamp throwing flashes of red and yellow light on and around them, and Caintry let silence fill the space in between them, creating a heavy haze that was building like a growing blanket. It almost seemed like one could touch the silence, the lack of noise, and without causing a sound, he took the papers and set them down on the desk as he started to stand.

“Thank you,” his words were kind but the potent silence made his voice cut through the air with power and immovable authority, “I will look at these later, but I have something I would like to speak with you about.”

Caintry slightly strode towards Blue with a grace that seemed off put by the mood, and his face held his signature smirk. However, his smirk seemed more intimidating than welcoming, and he began to speak again with the powerful kindness.

“I trust you, Ms.Samson, but you hold more power on this ship than you probably know. I hold the wheel that steers the ship, I command the crew, I am the Captain, but you, Ms.Samson, you are the one that could easily…” Caintry paused as if carefully choosing his next word, "mislead me. Now, I have been to the Islands of Sharnown, and the Togani are peaceful people.” Caintry now spoke softer and slower, “However, the people do not make a person, I am a prime example of that, so I must know. Will you mislead me?”

Caintry left the last sentence with a warm tone, but that would not help the ominous tone that he had used. The room’s dimness seemed darker, and the shadows the single light casted seemed more menacing. He looked at Blue. Gods, what a beauty! She looked sweet to Caintry, innocent in a way, but he had the lives of many in his hands. While that would not stop him from getting in a wonderfully dangerous adventure, he could not let self interest get in the way of such an important job such as navigator, the entire reason he did not take the role himself. Well, that and he would hate the extra work. He hoped to become better known to Blue, however, so he decided that his usual smirk would be a warm smile.

She covered her surprise well, but it was always fun to arrive with a surprise up ones sleeve and Sellitos was a consumate preformer. However upon hearing her statement about the cook he could only roll his eyes. He was totally unsure of how to deal with that cat. She seemed to bounce all over the place and he had a hard time deciphering what was going on with her. A confusing and frustrating situation to find himself in, considering he accounted himself a rather good people person.

"This apple is pretty tasty. Did you 'commandeer' it from the kitchen?" she inquired with ever so slight a smirk?

"I am shocked that you should think such things of me!" he said with mock indignation. However he couldn't quite hold it together and broke into a mischievous grin. "They say the forbidden fruit tastes best. he said with a wink, then shrugged and spread his arms wide in appeal "How else was I supposed to find out"

Just then however Alex popped into the room and Selitos was forced to make his apple disappear briefly into his cloak. Thankful that he hadn't yet taken a bit of it.

Well here you guys go, pork stew. Odd to see you here Seli."

"Mmm the soups smells great Alex and I figured the captains cabin seemed quite crowded so I came to offer our lovely lady navigatrix some company and make sure she has the map the right way up" he replied smiling in jest.

She handed him her bowl with a mock courtly address "As repayment for the apple, kind sir' He decided to play along, taking the bowl in his free hand and attempting a courtly leg "M'lady is too kind" The effect was only slightly ruined when he spilled some of the steaming hot stew on his wrist and let out a muffled oath in Avenesian and licked the soup off his wrist.

Markel came in and summoned blue to the captains cabin. The little fuzzball seemed somewhat frazzeled but Selitos hadn't know him long enough to decide what to think

“Well I guess I will see you when the Captain calls us out for a vote, Selitos.”

"Pick us somewhere nice' he chuckled. She exited, and he followed soon after, leaving the spare apple on her desk. Her not eating the soup had concerned him slightly so he figured she'd want something later.

Upon being summoned on deck Sellitos sauntered his way over and took up a seat on the capstan waiting to hear what would happen next.

Guldor Duskarr

Guldor sat in his dimly lit cabin, reading over his notes for the 5th time that morning. on the desk in front of him, a small black fire sat casting a dim light over the pieces of paper in front of him. He had maps, book extracts, his own notes and anything else he thought might be slightly useful to his decision making process. They had to dock somewhere, that much was certain. He had reached his conclusion 3 days ago, but there was nothing wrong with checking his answers a couple times. Make sure the captain knew he was getting his money's worth.

A muffled voice filled the room, and Guldor groaned in frustration before rising from his wooden chair.
"Would it kill them to make it even slightly understandable?" He mumbled to himself, grabbing his maps, notebooks and other scraps of paper and bundling them under his right arm. He swung his left hand over the desk, extinguishing the dark fire, and proceeded to open the cabin door. He allowed the door to swing shut and made his way up onto the deck where a few people where lounging about. He looked around impatiently and after spotting the first mate, he approached swiftly. "Do you have to slur every word? How the hell has anybody got a clue what your talking about?" In all fairness, Guldor probably could have worked out what was being said to him, but he didn't see why he should waste his time trying to decipher the words of people who couldn't be bothered to pronunciate. "So what's this about? We should be docking soon... I need to speak to the captain..."

When the two were finally alone, the atmosphere around them suddenly changed to a much more serious and almost intimidating or powerful air. Blue instantly knew that she wasn’t here just to speak over the planned routes but instead something else and before Blue could even control it, something grabbed the back of her stomach, making her wish she hadn’t given her stew to Selitos. Despite the growing tension in the air, Blue remained calm and watched her trusted Captain as he began to speak, concluding that he was, indeed going to speak to her about a much more serious matter than routes and how to get there.

“I trust you, Ms.Samson, but you hold more power on this ship than you probably know. I hold the wheel that steers the ship, I command the crew, I am the Captain, but you, Ms.Samson, you are the one that could easily… mislead me. Now, I have been to the Islands of Sharnown, and the Togani are peaceful people. However, the people do not make a person, I am a prime example of that, so I must know. Will you mislead me?”

“I will not mislead you, Captain.” Blue said in a confident tone, staring at him as he smirked at her, releasing some of the tension. Blue gave him a small smirk back, now realizing that the creature that gripped her stomach was named Guilt and while she reasoned with herself that she had nothing to feel guilty about, the feeling would not totally disappear. “I have grown attached to this crew and the ship, along with its Captain; it has become my new home and I enjoy seeking adventures with everyone,” Blue looked up at him, smiling a bit wider. “So I promise I will not betray or mislead you or the crew.”

Blue held up her arm as if to show him her muscle of loyalty she had for them and while she looked perfectly fine on the outside, she was in a small panic on the inside that she was desperately trying to swallow. All in all, the Captain had destroyed any way Blue could convince him which island to head towards for there was no way she could even bring up the subject now. Often times Blue wondered if the Captain was that smart in figuring people out or whether he just blindly followed his instincts. Nonetheless Blue shouldn’t allow this to ruin whatever chance she had to find her brother; there was still a chance that crew would –hopefully- pick her desired route.

It wasn’t like she was there to betray them but Blue knew that she would easily sacrifice anything for her brother and perhaps that was why she felt the small guilt gripping at her stomach. Not to mention no one on the ship had known she only joined the ship due to this reason. Although this resided in her mind, Blue was honestly speaking the truth to the Captain; she had grown attached to the crew and ship, as well as the sense of adventure she had lost long ago when her brother had disappeared. Because of the Phoenix and company, Blue had regained her sense of adventure and met some good people and this was all thanks to the Captain for allowing her to join him.

“I will not mislead you, Captain.” Caintry saw her smirk and gave an inner sigh of relief; when it came to good diplomacy, balance must be found, even between an absolute authority and friend. “I have grown attached to this crew and the ship, along with its Captain; it has become my new home and I enjoy seeking adventures with everyone,” Blue looked up at him, smiling a bit wider. “So I promise I will not betray or mislead you or the crew.” This gave Caintry even more confidence in his speech skills, so he returned the smile with his own, rather devilish, grin that was unhateable. Deciding that he did indeed trust her, he turned and sat back down at his desk, and he replied to her as friendly as ever.

“I could not of heard a better statement, m’lady. I thank you dearly for the work, but I think it would be best if you joined the crew. Being the navigator, you no doubt have the biggest opinion on where to go, an opinion I will value.” When he finished speaking, he picked up his new maps with slight eagerness, high hopes for the island that would no doubt hold the greatest adventure, but his heart sank, although he did not show it, when he saw the complicated route to Parada.

He saw that Parada was statistically a stretch, which would be straining their dwindling supplies and even faster dwindling morale, so he gave an audible sigh with his slight disappointment on his momentary fancy with the island. To think of the adventure at being one of the first to set foot on such an uncharted island, no doubt there being some ancient ruins or other fascinating attractions, but he would not put his group through such a grind for an island without civilization. Finally, his face contemplative, he decided that he would not even mention Parada as a choice, thinking of the crew over himself , and quickly shifted the papers on his desk to hide the ones that gave what little information on Parada by covering it with papers on the other two. He looked at Paradiso, a rather rancorous and dangerous place, only comparable to anarchy, so it held much adventure with some ability to resupply. He liked the idea, but he was unsure which pirate or dug-lord controled the island, making it the more dangerous choice. Perodo, on the other hand, was part of the Avanesee Empire, so no doubt they would have no trouble and the ability to get anything they need. Any company with an airship passes through their cloud-docks, but this specific colony had been dark for a while, the possibility of nothing there loomed.

Either way, a rough gamble.

He looked back up at Blue, his brow furrowed in deep thought, but he seemed to look past her, his pensive mood getting the better of him.

“I will meet you out there when the other have gathered.”

Pacing, Aurea's eyebrows drew down furiously, creating a solid line on her forehead. The light-colored hair blended in quite well against her pale skin; despite the time Aurea had spent out in the open, sit was almost never without her cloak on. Without it she felt naked most unless she was assuming the role of a different person. Situational psychology was an interesting matter but one that she had never cared much to study, especially as it would do nothing to help her with her problems. While seemingly many, they stemmed from one source: herself. Always herself. If she hadn't decided to snag that one jewel, plant that one document, embezzle that one man. If. Quite an important word despite its size. Hardly a word at all. More so than single letter words. Not much use in them.

Perplexed at her sudden interest with the nature of words, she turned that confusion into anger, baring her teeth silently before pounding on a wall of the ship. Damn that bitch, her mother! "Rot in hell you forsaken maggot!" she screamed. Or would have had she been alone or somewhere sufficiently loud to drown out her voice. Instead, she muttered it before once again punching the wall. Scrapes appeared on her hand, revealing the pinky flesh beneath the skin. Snarling, she pulled out her crossbow, cocked it, and shot a bolt into the wall. Half the head dug into the wood, splintering the material. Ripping the bolt out of its target, she inspected the tip before it. placing it in her cloak. She would need that damn engineer Amelia or the Rel'Kaz bastard in order to fix the piece of ammunition.

Hearing steps upon the stairs from the lower deck, she swirled around, crossbow coming up to take aim at the opening. Her head took sight first and upon seeing Alex, the crossbow went back into her cloak with nary a flourish or rustle. Breathing deeply in order to calm down, she forced a smile onto her face as the bowl of soup was placed near her. Why must I put up with this insufferable fare. Where- Her mental rant ceased as the aroma of the concoction wafted to her nose, tingling the sensory nerves. It smelled good. Quite good. Bending tentatively, she picked up the bowl, scanning the outside for any form of tampering. Seeing none, she dipped her finger into the liquid, before lifting it to smell. Never hurt to check for poison or acid. Too many times such things had found their way into her food.

Scarfing down the meal, the bowl quickly emptied into her stomach, scraped clean. Sighing somewhat contented Aurea proceeded to the kitchen, leaving the bowl near the entrance. Done with that, she decided it was time she talk with the captain. Making her way to the captain's room, she spotted Varsh and Markel standing outside the door. Alcohol, the smell of it at least, permeated the air around the large man, a harsh, stinging stench. Stopping as the announcement came on over the jury-rigged communication system, Aurea sighed. Finally getting somewhere.

"Clean yourself up, Varsh. Your appearance is filthy, your odor worse, and I do not care much for alcohol in the morning. Excuse me," she stated, voice perfectly neutral the entire time through. Perhaps not the best idea to threaten the man, but she could get out if need be. A bolt in the chest would put him down. Passing to the door, she examined Markel out of the corner of her eye. A most interesting addition to the crew. Fondling a needle with her left hand Aurea stood there for a moment looking at him. Some new fur gloves wouldn't hurt, she thought, grinning softly. Opening the door, she slipped in quietly, standing at the back of the room as Captain Osborne finished his conversation with Blue. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to tell him the trouble she was in but it would help guide them away from Paradiso. Damn place most likely contained several, if not dozens, of people searching for her. Bowing her head, Aurea waited until she was addressed.

Upon entering her room Alex came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be able to talk to Cainy alone in his quarters. So she reconnected her makeshift com and spoke. " Captain Caintry, I would like to have a private word with you before the meeting, I understand that ye, err, your quarters may be full fer, I mean For awhile so please visit me in me, err, my own please." she tried to speak right and proper to show that she meant business, but in a nice way. SHe had some things to get off her chest and information to give.

After sending the message she disconnected her com again and set about to cleaning the kitchen and her room. This time she did not use her magic as she had a lot on her mind and needed it occupied. I Hope that scallywag comes. She thought to herself then smiled. Her Cainy wasn't a scallywag but a hero, and a handsome one at that, though she knew her boundaries and knew she wasn't that pretty. She was a mean ol piratess after all.

Getting everything organized she sat at her small table and waited. "Oh wait, I better make tea, bet that ol Cainy will enjoy it. I bought some with mine own money." she said to herself and snapped her fingers beginning it. She tried to keep her stomach under control, her stew smelled great and it brought her hunger back, making her stomach rumble. Tea will make it better, she thought to herself then sat down again.

As soon as Caintry got situated , he heard the muffled voice of Alexandria.

" Captain Caintry, I would like to have a private word with you before the meeting, I understand that ye, err, your quarters may be full fer, I mean For awhile so please visit me in me, err, my own please." He almost cringed at the attempt to be formal, but he appreciated the decent try at it. A meeting before the vote? That would be rather queer considering that Caintry called the meeting himself, but he determined that if he got it over quickly, he would be able to do away with before anyone was forced to wait too long. Standing, he began to gracefully walk past Blue, giving her a kind smile, and made his way towards the door.

“The day she speaks proper common-tongue is the day that a Denaucman talks like a pirate.” He said it as a sly joke to Blue after shortly looking back, and when he turned his attention back forward, he nearly jumped at the site of Aurea.

She was silent and unseen, the entire reason he hired her on, but he always found that he enjoyed her nonetheless. She was smart in the most devious way, most like him, and she was calculating with less emotion, all though he wish she would at least socialize a bit more. He looked her up and down, and thought that maybe he should include her in more of Markel’s training, he would possibly pick up on the fact cheaters always win, and then for sure Markel would be a clone of Caintry, as cunning as Aurea and himslef. The thought of two Caintry’s made him shudder, but it would be perfect. Giving a kind and welcoming smirk, he spoke to her as informal that someone of his intellect could bare, attempting to maybe be-friend the excellent sneak.

“I am terribly sorry to miss you, but maybe when I am done meeting with Ms.Alexandria- uh, I mean Alex, you could ambush me in the halls to discuss whatever you needed.” And with that, he opened the creaky door, making a mental note to ask Amelia to maybe fix the annoyance, and made his way across deck.

As he walked by everyone that were currently congregated for his announcement, he saw Mitsuhide being crowded as Caintry just was not but a moment ago, so he shot him an understanding glance that said I know right. After another short examination of the group, he delve into the corridors and hallways of below-deck, counting his graces that his cabin was only a doorway away from fresh air, and within but seconds he found himself at the kitchen.

He politely knocked on the doorway, but right before he hesitated, still unsure what to expect even after three years. He gave a cautiously kind smile, and began to speak with a soft curiosity.

“I do believe you called, if I am not mistaken.”

He could not help but to be a bit scared on what awaited, and he faced many sky-serpents or worse without a blink. Caintry was over two-hundred and something, he never counted, years old, definitely having his fair share of women, but being alone in a room with one still go to him.

As the Captain came in Alex shut the door, placing a soundproof spell on the room. She could smell his nerves on him. "I made some tea, come one an sit. It's not a long talk and please don't act so nervous, I'm not that pleasin to the eye." She said, trying to soothe his nerves somewhat. Taking a deep breath she blushed a little as her stomach grumbled loud and she quickly took a sip of her tea.

"Alright, first thing, I sound proofed the room. Secondly, I'm sorry fer embarasin ya. It was wrong of me Cainy." She took a deep breath again and another sip of her tea. Her ears were down and her face as well, she really did feel bad for making a scene. "And last but not least. I know I don't have a say, but I do be havin some info and mine own thoughts. Perodo has not been heard from in months. Naturally I am curious about it and would like to look into it, however as much is not known, I feel we should be resupliyin first. I been keepin tabs on my old crew and I happen to know they are in Paradiso. This will also be a problem. Now that one island, not much may be known but at least at the shores it's safe. I been there once. One of the many reason I be known as Alex the Bold. I can keep, us fed for about a week n o half if I'm careful. We can make it ta Parada. I been near these stars, I know we can make it there. Mine opinion is that we go to Parada, stock up on food then hit Perodo. Now ya can take it into consideration if ye wish but that's all i gotta say." she said then blushed again as her stomach rumbled.

“I made some tea, come one an sit. It's not a long talk and please don't act so nervous, I'm not that pleasin to the eye. Alright, first thing, I sound proofed the room. Secondly, I'm sorry fer embarasin ya. It was wrong of me Cainy. And last but not least. I know I don't have a say, but I do be havin some info and mine own thoughts. Perodo has not been heard from in months. Naturally I am curious about it and would like to look into it, however as much is not known, I feel we should be resupliyin first. I been keepin tabs on my old crew and I happen to know they are in Paradiso. This will also be a problem. Now that one island, not much may be known but at least at the shores it's safe. I been there once. One of the many reason I be known as Alex the Bold. I can keep, us fed for about a week n o half if I'm careful. We can make it ta Parada. I been near these stars, I know we can make it there. Mine opinion is that we go to Parada, stock up on food then hit Perodo. Now ya can take it into consideration if ye wish but that's all i gotta say." Caintry picked up a tea as he listened to her speech, paying attention to every word, and when he finished he was unsure what to think.

He found himself frequently sipping the tea, and with every sip a drop of nostalgia followed from his adolescent years in Denauc, remembering the Bare-root tea that was forced upon him as a child. Bare-root was a harsh and bitter tea that burned on its way down, very unlike the tea he drank now, and it was said that none could wear a more appealing mask than that tea, its smell enticing but its taste unforgiving. When he was young, he was often forced to drink the horrid tonic on occasions, all the Denaucmen children were, and his parents, a memory he never wanted to get deeper into, would say that it was supposed to represent life, that it was going to taste like the tea. He would always say to himself that his life would be of a sweeter tea, but it was not so. He came to understand the tea, but he never did get the true mystery surrounding the tea, why the adults always drank the tea as their favorite drink. Maybe they endured the tea because, just like life, it is more about the struggle than it is the outcome. Maybe their drinking was the full understanding of the lesson, that the harshness is what makes it truly beautiful, and so Caintry sat there once again in deep thought.

He thought to himself that he wanted a cup of Bare-root tea.

Looking up, once again realizing he was in company, he swiftly readjusted himself to be proper, and he began to respond in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Your apology is accepted, but the nickname is not. A nickname is nothing more than the defilement of the beauty of name, so since my name is Caintry, I will be called Caintry, not Cainy or whatever you can concoct. For the sake of the argument, one may try and prove that it is the most affective way to show familiarity, but that is quite fiendishly not true. If you were a stranger, I would call you Ms.Ren-Remeticion. If you were an acquaintance, I would call you Ms.Alexandria. If a friend, I would call you Alexandria, so all that Alex nonsense is a rape of your actual name. If you were meant to be called Alex, they would name you Alex, and so, in conclusion, my name is not Cainy.”

He took another sip, expecting the bitter taste to only be disappointed, and this gave him time to realize he ranted a bit, cursing his Denaucane mind. He began again.

“I digress. I have taken Parada from the choices, I know we could make it but it is an unworthy strain on everyone else, and I will put your input into my final considerations. Thank you.” He rose with a genteel smile, and he turned towards the door before remembering the spell.

Oh, how he loathed magic. All of it, so he thanked any that he was a Denaucman, incapable of magic.

“If that is all?” he awaited curiously.

Alexandria was stunned and in the silence her stomach grumbled again. Blushing she nodded and opened the door. "Oh, one more thing. Please promise the crew will be kept safe?" she said then without waiting for a reply she left the rest of her tea and layed down on her bunk facing away. Her tail was still and her ears down. For some reason sadness was plaguing her and she sniffled hoping the Captain wasn't seeing this pitiful display.

Maybe it was because talking about her old crew reminded her of her mother. And remembering her mother was dead hurt her a lot. It was as if a dark cloud was above her head.

Mitsuhide bowed to Rel'Kaz and upon recovering from this courtesy, he returned a similar greeting.

"Good day Rel'Kaz-San. He has not but he speaks with our navigator now and he mentioned a something pertaining to a vote. I assume that we will be voting on where to land but this is a mere guess.".

 The conversation died there, Mitsuhide resuming what he was doing previously, at least till Guldor came upon him.

 "The Captain is busy Guldor and you already know who the mechanic on board is. If you any complaints about this ship or the comms system, bring them up to her. As for this announcement. I am assuming we are voting on where to land.".

 With that Mitsuhide turned sharply, the scabbard of his Katana nearly hitting Guldor (his scabbard sashed in such a way that it sat nearly horizontally, a mark of nobility in his homeland and it established his personal space. "Good Day, Guldor.".With that went off to a solitary spot by the deck where he sat down on his knees and continued to mourn and mostly remember. Remember what he had done, what he failed to do, and ponder on the unknown. What fate had befallen his House and what fate fell on Hapón and Edo.

Guilder back stepped, almost offended. "A vote!?!" He protested to nobody in particular. He looked around the ship frantically. How could they leave something so vitally important to a vote? It was suicide. Why did he have a feeling he could already predict their verdict. No, it was his job to advise, and the captain was damn well going to listen to it! "Captain! Captain!" He shouted across the ship before muttering under his breath "For crying out loud, where the hell is he?" He started to make his way furiously towards the captains cabin, clutching his bundle of notes tightly...

The last time Blue had saw her brother was when she had ‘ambushed’ the black ship which took him. While it was rather stupid of her to board the ship alone, Blue was unable to think straight as the thought of rescuing her brother fully took over. She found Willsih locked in a room where the trash had been thrown. Blue assumed he was tied up and tried everything in her power to break open the door but before she could even do so, the crew had surrounded her.

While Blue is no girl in combat as she had successfully took out more than several men who were twice her size, Blue was still a young woman who had been outnumbered by over thirty men; even at the time Blue knew she wouldn’t be able to beat them and in the end, she had focused her energy on breaking the door to give Willsih a chance to escape while she occupied them. Even though she broke the door, Blue was unable to free him as the crew had secured her and the captain of the black ship raised his sword and anchored it down on her back. It was only luck and determination that during his slashing, that she wiggled out of the crew’s men who held her (the reason why she has such an odd scar that extends from her shoulder to front thigh area).

Blue remembered how much she bled and how shaky the world seemed as she still continued to try and fight, her fingers just barely wrapping around the door-frame before the captain of the black ship tossed her aside. She wouldn’t allow her vision to fail as the blurry image of the captain walked near her, his sword raised over his shoulder with a twisted smile on his face- the image was so clear that it sent shivers of anger down Blue’s spine, even now, years later. It didn’t take long before the captain of the black ship kicked her like garbage and pushed her off the ship to fall to her death.

Blue’s eyes fluttered and she looked upwards. Hearing Alex’s broken formal speech had pulled her out of her memories completely which caused Blue to make a mental note on appreciating Alexandria more than she had done so before. A slow but dull ache seemed to resonate from her shoulder, back and thigh where the grotesque scar hid behind her clothing; this caused Blue to become uncomfortable so when the Captain had told her the sly joke about Alex, she didn’t react but only stared at him, seemingly confused. Blue looked at him for a short while more before bowing her head to excuse herself and dismissed herself entirely, walking into the corridor and leaving the Captain and Aurea together in the room.

Her fingers ever so lightly touched her left shoulder, feeling the deep scar that still remained underneath her shirt. Blue bit her lip slightly as her pace slight increased towards the deck, now regaining the importance of this vote. She must find her brother, she had to. The sleepless night was starting to take a small toll on her body as memories flooded her head once more; they seemed to all collide at each other and became rather loud, making Blue hold onto her head as she appeared on the deck, the sun’s bright rays making her squint slightly at it. It was quite fortunate that the warmth of the sun seemed to dim the chaotic thoughts that still appeared to clash in her head.

Blue made her way slowly pass the deck and into her quarters, locating a small glass of water Blue would always keep for the night so she could refrain from entering the kitchen after hours; she gulped it down eagerly before sitting in her chair at her desk, closing her eyes and allowing the thoughts to shatter one by one, releasing the tension of her headache. She placed her arm over her head and breathed calmly, the silence from her quarters soothing her as a memory seemed to continuously play within her mind- the memory of Willsih and her playing pirates when they were younger. The memory was so profound and sweet, it made Blue smile at the ache of her heart.

“Ah, how sweet.” She whispered, sitting back up as the thoughts seem to quickly dissipate. Blue rested her head on her desk for several moments, watching the cloudless sky in silence. To Blue’s surprise, it helped a lot to sooth her aches and pains that was caused by the sudden thrash of memories. She smiled a little bit, a red apple now appearing in her view to block out the sun’s rays; it was odd that she hadn’t seen it before- perhaps the headache caused her to ignore everything around her. Blue knew that it was the reason and picked it up, looking at the little red fruit before placing it back down on the desk, thinking it would be smart to save it for later.

With that, Blue stood from her desk and exited the navigation room and headed back out on the deck, quickly locating Selitos and waving up at him as a thank you for the apple he had left in her room. Instead of heading towards him, Blue headed towards a barrel that use to hold some sort of liquid and made her seat on it, waiting for the Captain to begin the vote.

Amelia had just about nodded off to sleep when there the echoing voice of the ships cook came in from the horn, signalling that food was ready. Rolling over in the hammock she grumbled a little to herself and ran her fingers through her mess of hair before staring a little blearily around the room. The creaking and clicking of the door into her chamber locking in place and the engine room one swinging inwards caused her to blink the last vestiges of sleepiness from her eyes and focus on the new arrival in her domain. His voice louder than needed and causing her to start a little.

"Nova! I need some help with my arm; I think some wiring got fried when I was working with a battery earlier today."

”Ya divena need to shout! I’d offer you a brew but I just been about to get some shuteye till you woke me.”

She chuckled a little, her voice somewhat annoyed but friendly all the same as she hopped down, still wearing her clothes and most importantly her boots which made a resounding thud on the reinforced metal and oak flooring. The engine room itself was both an unstable concoction of forces all vying for control over the others, and into this Amelia had added even more and built a forge in the middle of it all to top off the madness. So she’d made sure to add additional layers of protection from the outside world so that very little could actually dent the walls let alone pierce them, resulting in making sure the ship wasn’t in any danger from within but that didn’t always extend to without. She shook her head a little and walked over to one of the benches around the edge of the room and cleared some of the mechanisms in progress to the side before turning and beckoning Sebastian over to her. Turning back to the bench she reached into a drawer and pulled out a small box containing several small tools for finer work than some of her heavily implements. Each of them was made of mithril, with one or two having gemstones tapering to a point for their tip. Shaking her head she made him sit next to the bench and laid his arm out on the wooden surface. She carefully inserted one of the tools into the skin and drew a line from wrist to elbow in the inside of the arms curve before lifting up the skin itself to have a better look at the inner working. She quickly reached over and picked up her goggles, which were rarely off her head but she’d thrown them to one side after getting in from working under the ship.

”Seb, you’ve managed to ruin half the wires in your forearm. What exactly were you fiddling with to cause this, must have been a mighty battery. Since your skin isn’t that conductive from what I remember.”

She raised her eyebrow slightly before looking down and continuing her work, setting down the first tool and picking up one of the ones with a ruby set into the point and gently squeezed it. The tip sparked and burst into flame for a moment before dying down to a fine prick of light which she ran along the artificial tendons that had been ruined and began to weld them back together and disconnect those she couldn’t repair. After removing the damaged ones she reached up and opened one of the drawers set against the wall behind the bench and pulled out a wheel of thinly spun gold wiring. She slowly unwound small lengths and cut them to size before inserting them into the forearm and once satisfied that the new wiring was in place and firmly connected she picked up one of the sharper implements and prodded Sebastian’s fingers and palm to make sure there was feeling and movement again.

”Perfect. And seeing as I’m awake I might as well go get me serving of broth that our cook graciously decided to wake me up for. Moments before you did much the same I might add.”

She carefully placed each of the tools away within the box before slotting it back into one of the many drawers. Standing up she stretched and yawned a bit and lifted her goggles up to rest on her forehead before shivering a little from the yawn.

”Up and at em lad, haven’t got all day. Don’t want people to start talking about a fine gentleman in a woman’s room, do we?”

She gestured towards the still open door with one hand, grinning a little at her joke for a moment before walking over to her coat and pulling it on. Rubbing her eyes a little as sleep was beckoning, which initiated another yawn as she reached down to pick up her wrench to sling it across her back. After ushering the quartermaster out of first the engine room then her quarters she walked towards her food, feeling a faint grumble in her stomach as she entered the galley. Just as her fingers reached for the bowl she groaned a little as the echoing voice of the first mate filled the room, requesting all hands for the captain’s attention. Grumbling a little she picked up the bowl Alex had left on the side for her and grabbed a few slices of crusty bread.

With all in hand she walked up stairs onto the beam of the ship itself and sat, cross-legged on the starboard bulwark with her food in hand and began to munch down the food while waiting for the others to make their arrival known. She wondered a little if this would be related to their destination, and if they actually had one. She could probably keep them flying for a good while yet but nothing lasted forever and a few parts of the ship needed work that even she couldn’t replicate without the proper material. She became somewhat lost in both her food and mental calculations of what materials were still available and what could be turned to fuel if all else failed while she waited on the stragglers to arrive.

As Aurea stepped into the room, Alexandria's voice came over the communications system, requesting a meeting with the captain. From the slight tremor in her voice and the hesitance with which it had been spoken, Alexandria was obviously uncomfortable about something. Perhaps that happy demeanor presented earlier had simply been a temporary state acquired during the preparation of food for others. On with the psychology again. Perhaps I should have chosen a different job, she thought, curious as to the random obsession. The boredom really was getting to her in ways that she didn't like. Though there was nothing wrong with messing with an opponent's mind. Quite enjoyable actually.

A small smile creased one corner of her mouth as Caintry jumped slightly upon seeing her. Despite the insufferable time spent on the ship, her skills still had not lost their touch. He really should have expected this from her. Stealth was something ingrained in her, surprise more so. She had been on the ship long enough for him to know that. Nodding silently at his words, she tapped her foot, staring at the wood paneling on the floor and walls. Quite glossy yet soot-stained and worn. A strange combination. Where did he find the time to keep-

Whipping her head up, Aurea realized that she was left standing alone in the cabin. Fumbling inside the heavy fabric of her cloak, she extricated the hand crossbow before rushing out the door. Seeing no one, she shot a bolt down the hallway, hoping it would do something. The head slammed into a door. Whose, she did not know nor did she care. "How could I have lost myself so?" she muttered, miffed at losing her chance to talk with him before the vote. Striding quickly to where the bolt remained, she tugged it out, this time more easily than on the upper deck. At least this head did not need to be repaired like the other one.

Cloak swirling behind her as she spun, Aurea proceeded slowly up the stairs, seeing no reason in hurrying to reach the top. It was only a few scant feet as it were. Nothing of note. Spotting the others assembled around the deck, Aurea tucked the crossbow back into her cloak before settling in near the stairwell, watching.

Varsh allowed himself to be led away by the small cabin boy that he could crush with one hand. Wandering down the hallway he felt the alcohol beginning to depart his system, burned by the fantastically high metabolism common to his race. As the unlikely duo walked down the hall, Aurea stopped briefly, saying "Clean yourself up, Varsh. Your appearance is filthy, your odor worse, and I do not care much for alcohol in the morning. Excuse me," . Varsh's eyes widened, and then a basso growl rumbled out from deep within his throat. He wheeled, brushing Markel's hand off his arm, muscles beginning to prep themselves for the joys of battle. His battle hormones were singing now, and they were only enhanced by the fact that Aurea seemed to wander off, not seeming to care to stay behind and see what she had caused.

"Coward! You insult a son of Terask and flee!" Varsh prepared to pursue, but the small voice of reason in his head made him remember the oath he had sworn upon boarding the ship. To defend all members of the crew as clan, to protect the ship as home, and to serve the captain as chief. Frustrated, he slammed his fist into the wooden wall, making a dull thud that reverberated throughout the hall. Splinters stabbed into his knuckles, leaving a dozen embedded. Little beads of blood appeared. Facing Markel, he said "Sorry. Anger is hard to control sometimes, specially after I drink. But I am no longer drunk. Promise. Anger burns it away. Like fire burns water and makes steam. So come, and I will tell a story. A tale of heroes!"

”Seb, you've managed to ruin half the wires in your forearm. What exactly were you fiddling with to cause this, must have been a mighty battery. Since your skin isn't that conductive from what I remember.” Sebastian smirked. The battery burst while he was patching it up, splattering acid onto his forearm. He had thought that it was fine, but as it turned out, it wasn't. He messed around with his arm after Amelia left, until he heard noise above deck. He thought it be a good idea to check that out.

When he came to the top deck, the bright sun glared into his lenses. He tapped out his current lenses for new ones that adjusted to the light almost immediately. Nearly the entire ships inhabitants were there, were with the exception of the rats. They were going to vote. A vote that could, rather would determine whether or not they would survive another voyage or die at sky. He walked over to the edge of the ship and leaned against the wall, waiting for the vote to start.

"Oh, one more thing. Please promise the crew will be kept safe?"

The question caught on Caintry as he prepared to leave, stalling him halfway through the door, for he did not know if he could promise that. In the many years he has spent on this planet, he has seen many die, and he remembered one of the many times as his memories came flooding in.

“Come boy! Do you want to live or not?” The man, his former captain, was tall and rough, towering over the younger Caintry who was shorter and skinnier, and his voice was a booming coarse shock wave that could cause even the most iron-statured man to shudder. All around them, the smuggling ship burned into an inferno, the screaming of several men and some women in complete agony shot through the fires, and sweat bulleted down both of their faces, drenching their shirts. Suddenly, like demons appearing out of a void beyond scorches in existence, twelve or so pirates swung onto the deck, swords and smug looks drawn to the ready, and the captain drew his own saber in a screeching scraping of metal against metal.

“Which one of yer wants to be sent to the Hell beneath the Skies first?” he shouted with the confidence of a charging bear, but he turned round with a concerned look to Caintry for an aside.

He softly spoke, “Run and get cover boy, I still need a legacy.” Caintry’s boyish heart sank as he realized the meaning of those words. Out of nowhere, the first pirate lunged and-

Caintry turned to reality once again as the soft sobs of Alexandria brought him back, and he thought what curious creatures Nekos are, one minute mad, then energetic, then apologetic, and finally sad. He thought of his past, and finally decided he could not promise something he could not keep. So, with a new grimace on old wounds, he turned without a word heavily to begin the vote, and he finally reached the above deck. Examining the grounds, he saw Varsh about to begin telling Markel a story, and he sighed for his concern that that man might bring down Markel’s intellect down to his own level. He strode over properly as a captain should.

“Varsh, we all do so indeed enjoy your tales, but Markel must take my side.” he turned to Mitsuhide, “As well as you First Mate.” He spoke friendly to both, and he walked up top the upper-deck so he could look down onto all the others and be heard by all, expecting the two to follow.

“Attention! As all of you can clearly see, we are in dire need of land, sooner rather than later. So, we have two possible courses, Perodo and Paradiso, and you no doubt have knowledge of these places already and pre-existing opinion. Since I am from Denauc, I am familiar with the notion of Democracy, so I will rule as my forefathers did! Let me hear your voice and your opinions! I will listen!” He spoke powerful, unusual to his usual formal and genteel voice, but as captain he has his duties, even if his duty was rabble-rousing.

As he looked at his crew, he thought At least I love my rabble, so he waited eagerly for their opinions.

Rel'Kaz Del Va Hiim

Rel'Kaz watched as Guldor approached Mitsuhide, and he cringed inwardly at the blatant show of disrespect. If he had been the First Mate, he'd have given warning to him. Still, he approved as the first mate turned on his heel and nearly hit the Advisor with his sheathed sword. He stepped back and put his back against the railing the covered the edge of the ship, except for the spot where the crew would embark and disembark. He watched as Guldor stormed towards the Captain's cabin as Varsh was lead out by the cabin boy, Markel. He smiled inwardly as the difference in stature between the two was amusing to him. As the rest of the crew gathered out onto the deck, he surveyed them. Then Caintry came out onto deck and made his speech. He had heard of these islands before, having traveled to both once in the two years he's been a fugitive from the Alazari Empire. He knew which he would choose out of the two choices he had.

"I say we head for Perodo. As I have told most of you before, I have a bounty on my head, and none of you have tried to kill or capture me yet, so I assume you will not try to do so in the future. As to my knowledge, Paradiso is a island full of the scum of the skies, no offence intended if you think differently, and no doubt a place where prospective hunters will find it rather easy to catch their prey. That is all I have to say."

(OOC: Rel'Kaz has given a fake reason to the crew as to why he has a bounty on his head, since the Alazari Empire did not send posters and flyers around, rather they had picked the bounty hunters, so you can bet your prized possessions that they're good at their job. Rumors have been floating about though, so even people who haven't been called by the Alazari Empire may know a little about the bounty's details. If we do end up heading to Paradiso, then if any characters that wish to know more may want to inquire about this. In character of course.)

Varsh was about to launch into his story telling voice when the captain came by and just snagged his audience. Grumbling Varsh walked closer to the upper deck to better listen to the captain, who gave a speech requesting the crew's vote. First the gunner called his vote out, stating his reasoning for wishing to avoid Paradiso. Thinking about it, he decided that Perodo seemed the greater chance for adventure, seeing that a colony had gone dark, meaning that something had made it go dark. Something he could engage with his blade. Thus, he took a step forward and called out "Captain! I vote we make way for Perodo! My blade thirsts for battle, and it seems we will get the most of that from Perodo!" his voice boomed. He then stepped back to wait and see what the others had to say.

Guldor listened to the first two responses and began to feel a little more confident. Maybe he didn't give them enough credit. It seemed he wasn't the only one who realised paradiso would be suicide. It seemed the crew had managed to scrape together themselves a few brain cells since he had last checked. It was, however, incredibly foolish for them to make such a rash decision without consulting the ships adviser, the person on board who is paid to inform people on decisions like this. Still, it could have been worse... He stood up tall, brushed himself down and took his place near the captain.

"Relkelz!" He called out, butchering the name completely. "Sebastian! How we doing on ammunition?

He didn't care much for the response, he just wanted to emphasise his point. he turned to Caintry with a subtle grin of pride. We won't last an hour without weapons. Perodo is our only choice." He nodded as he spoke to emphasise his words. Glad to have got his point across, he turned way and watched over the rest of the crew. They would be pretty foolish to contradict the ships advisor..... But he still had a sneaking suspicion that they would...