Tawny Alfore's Story

Having switched off the engine as they came into port, Jasper made his way up the two flights of stairs from the engine room to the deck. It was certainly about time they stopped off for provisions, or else their grand adventures would've been more than short-lived. Once he was on deck, Tawny was already on land. Well, at least she hadn't decided to go bolting off again. That sort of thing certainly worried him, although he didn't let it show too much. Seeing the ship's unofficial first mate panicking wouldn't have been too good for morale. Or some such nonsense along those lines.

"Where d'you want me this time, Tawny?" the engineer called over to the captain. "Tagging along with you or staying back on the ship?" True, he could just choose whichever option he wanted, but if they were going out to faraway lands as a whole crew, then as captain she had to get used to giving important orders every once in a while.

Bright briefly stirred from her slumber, electing to take her mandatory scheduled cat nap at the very top of the ship, on the crow’s nest. For whatever reason, ever since she could remember, the cat girl always felt at ease in high places, though her ability to get down was shaky at times, especially when it came to trees. Still, she’d never been on a ship like this before, and she enjoyed being this high up, able to feel the soft, cool ocean breeze as she looked out over towards the horizon. This time, rather than her view being over the open water, it seemed that her view was overlooking a town. From what she could tell, it looked like Valiër, given the size of it and the types of buildings she saw in the distance. Bright was at least somewhat well versed in what each town looked like, as she had to travel around a fair bit in both of her past ‘lives’, so she had some familiarity to what the big ones looked like.

Still, if they were in Valiër, that meant they probably had to stop for provisions, or something of that sort. And considering the shrill voice of Tawny ringing out from the deck of the ship, informing her crew about shopping, it seemed her hunch was right, as usual. Her intuition was usually pretty decent. It was just her decision making skills that seemed to be lacking.

After a good, long stretch, Bright rolled over onto her stomach to peer over the edge of the crow’s nest, down the ladder and towards the topside deck where there seemed to be at least a little bit of movement. Her tail flicked from side to side as she watched, her head perched on her hands as she glanced at the hustle and bustle below. Well, at least Tawny was hustling and bustling. Everyone else was probably below deck, groaning and rolling out of their beds, or hammocks, after such a loud calling reached their ears. She couldn’t blame them, though. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep, too.

A short time later, the man with the eye patch emerged from below, and after Tawny exchanged words with Jasper, someone Bright suspected was Tawny's closest friend, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted down.

“I’d rather not come down, Tawny,” she stated, trying to get her voice to overcome the winds that swept over the ship. “I still need to catch up on some beauty rest anyways. Just make sure to get some milk and fish this time, will ya?”

In reality, Bright probably should’ve headed out with the crew. There was no real danger in it. Loki had bought her out completely, so she was a free woman, and she’d mostly gotten over her cat-nip addiction. Mostly. However, not only was a bit of her cat-like laziness was taking over, but she was also starting to develop a bit of distaste for certain members of the crew. Given her typical disposition, such a feeling was only natural for the cat girl, and in fact, part of her was already regretting this third life changing decision. After all, in her mind, Tawny was the only one who showed her any respect or kindness, and while she was indebted to her unofficial captain, she didn’t want to risk having to go out with the rest of the crew, at least not right now. At the moment, sleep was of the utmost priority. She continued to watch the crew scuttle about as she still lay on her stomach, her tail going from side to side, and her ears twitching every now and then as the wind blew by.

It wasn’t quite clear to anyone when Leon had got on deck. He hadn’t been there when they’d docked, that was for certain, but between Tawny’s yells and the time she’d gotten down the ladder, he had already made his way up and had silently slipped past Jasper and vaulted the side of the ship to the shore. Pacing up the beach, he made a quick scout ahead before heading back to the now pouting captain, arriving in time to hear both the feline and Jasper’s claim to staying on ship. He couldn’t imagine why – they spent more than enough time on the ship as it was, so any chance for shore leave was something any sane person would jump on.

“Figures the fat cat and the old man aren’t fit for a stroll into town.” He commented, having zipped silently to Tawny’s side, and possibly frightening the living daylights out of her. He was well aware that Jasper was not much older than him, but that didn’t stop him from using it as an insult. Listening in to the captain’s retort to the other two, he waited with his arms folded behind his head. Once he was certain he had Tawny’s attention, he spoke once more. “Still Scrawny, you can have the pleasure of my company til we reach the market. I know you’ll be sad to part ways, buuuutt I wouldn’t want you slowing down my business.” Smirking a bit to himself, a bustling place like Valier was a goldmine for people with his ‘unique’ talent. He’d make a bit of a killing today, though he’d have to keep a low profile if this was going to be an extended stay. Still, he had plenty of time. With a less than delicate touch, he gave a soft pat on Tawny's rear. "Unless you wanna have some fun instead, that is."

Rewind. Below deck, the slight jerk and splashing noises of the docking ship rose Eve from her daydream, causing her to awkwardly drop the book she’d been reading. Unlike the others, who each had a room on the second floor of the ship, she didn’t need sleep – so she’d taken up to reading in the dining room, with her meagre belongings being stored downstairs with the engine room. Taking a moment to crawl under the table and retrieve the novel she’d been reading, the piercing voice of the captain made her raise her head a little too fast, bumping it on the underside. Rubbing her head, she turned back to the doorway before sitting up, tucking the book under her arm. The last time she had gone shopping, there had been so many interesting things to see – though as she didn’t have any money on her, she was limited to just looking. Still, that was entertaining to her, and she was eager to do so again as she opened the door, carefully closing it behind her as she stepped out into the sun.

Seeing no sign of the captain, Eve made her way over to Jasper, listening in to determine Tawny’s location. On hearing Jasper’s question, her face fell just a little. The crew had already denied her travelling into town unsupervised after she’d attempted to follow Leon’s instructions on ‘Burden Relieving’ and gotten arrested. As a further consequence, she was instructed not to trust Mr. Cowen’s guidance, and had instead begun learning from Jasper. If he was not heading into town, then neither would she. “You will not be accompanying Captain Scrawny, Mr. Flynn?” Eve asked innocently, having adopted the moniker for their captain from Leon. That man was such a bad influence on the impressionable amnesiac…

Admittedly, Bright couldn’t say she was a huge fan of being out on the open ocean, and Tawny’s mention of solid ground was probably valid. However, the cat girl had managed to get over her initial fear of water. That is, the sight of water, even large bodies of water, no longer freaked her out. But being in water and getting all sopping wet? Well, that was an entirely different matter. Though, the second one really depended on how those words were meant...

In any case, that meant her laziness and her desire to stay high up would have prevailed if not for one small detail, and that was the unofficial captain’s comment. She’d rather have Bright tag along than to let her stay on the ship? Well, that seemed to be a first for the cat girl. Now-a-days, it wasn’t often that someone wanted her company, after all. Or at least, someone who wasn’t looking for something more than just company.

Initially, this thought swayed Bright’s opinion towards heading out. It’s not like this meant the two of them would have to get buddy-buddy because of it, and plus, it would be unfair to Tawny if she continued to refuse, even though she definitely didn’t want to go. However, just as she was about to voice her reconsideration, someone came up from out of nowhere, insulting both Jasper and her as he sauntered up onto the deck...

Leon, as folks called him, was the primary reason Bright was regretting her decision as of late. Her distaste for the crew mostly came from this man, because while the rest of them weren’t incredibly terrible to her, Leon made up for their neutral stances, and Tawny barely made up the difference with her friendliness. Not only did he belittle her at every chance, but he’d already made a few moves that caused a rather violent reaction, one that fortunately didn’t result in any real violence or anything drastic. She simply bared her claws and teeth, hissing at the miscreant when her rump was squeezed. The display was an empty threat, one that was more a show to try and prevent him from trying it again, just in case she couldn’t keep her cat-like personality under wraps. It was definitely a good thing she’d kept it under control while he’d been around, and that no one knew about it. While Bright didn’t want anyone finding out about it, she especially wanted to keep it from Leon, because she knew he’d really take advantage of her when she was vulnerable like that.

Speaking of those few moves, as his companion, Eve, came onto the deck, it seemed he’d made yet another one, this time on Tawny, prompting her cheeks to go red from the embarrassment. Clearly she’d never really been treated like that before, but it was no matter. Her reaction was justified, shouting as she answered Eve’s question.

Eve was one of the few members of the crew, and perhaps the only one, that Bright felt like she could relate to, at least somewhat. The poor girl had lost her memory, and while socially she was an airhead, the way she acted was always kind and respectable, even if her actions may not reflect her true intentions. Still, Eve, along with Tawny, was one of the few reasons Bright still stuck around with the crew. If Jasper, Eve, Leon, and Tawny were all heading out, though, she did have a question to ask.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stick around and stand watch over the ship?” Bright called down, trying her best to conceal her revulsion to Leon as he stared up at her, along with the rest of the crew. “Because I’m fine heading into town as long as that creep stays as far from us as possible. Not that he’d bring himself down by actually hanging with us supposed lowlifes, anyways, the stupid jerk.” She rolled her eyes before she continued. “But, if you want me to come along, uh...someone’s gonna have to help me down...” This seemed to be a trend every time Bright managed to get herself up to the crow’s nest. Half the time she’d need some help, and half the time she wouldn’t...

Jasper watched as Tawny came to the decision of having him come along with the shore party. Well, he was probably going to do so anyway, but still, having her get used to giving orders was good. She was also right about her buying second-rate pieces to fix the ship; it took a keen eye and the right know-how to find quality parts on a tight budget.

Having finished with the engineer for the time being, Tawny directed her attention towards Bright, who had been sleeping in the crow's nest. Jasper did wonder how exactly she got up there, but such a gymnastic feat was probably best witnessed rather than being told about. The catgirl seemed pretty intent on having a lie-in for the day, although there was no telling if she’d get out of bed or not.

“Figures the fat cat and the old man aren’t fit for a stroll into town.”

Jasper easily recognised that voice. Leon, the ship’s resident git and all-round troublemaker, had quietly walked past Jasper while he was looking up at the crow’s nest and had joined Tawny on dry land. He quickly checked his pockets while the thief’s attention was diverted, just to be on the safe side. Even though the guy had been particularly helpful in... “acquiring” a ship, he was still a total jerk. Jasper didn’t throw a retort in Leon’s direction. He’d simply bide his time until a suitable opportunity arose for sweet, sweet payback for the insults.

Eve had also come up on deck, not far behind Leon. In stark contrast to the former, she was very well-mannered, and even though there were times when she eluded the grasp of common sense, the girl was a smart one. Good company too, even though Jasper ended up doing most of the talking. Eve asked the engineer if he really was staying on the ship. However, Tawny answered that question before he managed to get a word in.

“No, Eve. Jasper is coming with me, because I don't want to spend an entire day with this... This pervert!”

Leon had just goosed the cap’n, hadn’t he? Okay, Jasper hadn’t exactly seen it happen, but he would’ve been prepared to bet his last doubloon on it. The thief was kinda predictable in that regard, after all. At any rate, Jasper was going with the shore party.

“C’mon, Eve. Let’s not keep ‘em waiting too long,” the engineer said to her as he disembarked using the rope ladder, reminding himself to look for the bloody gangplank later when he had the time. He walked back and forth a few paces, mostly as a bit of a warm-up for their little shopping trip.

Bright’s voice sailed down from the crow’s nest again, this time bringing up a valid point; someone would have to stay and guard the ship while the majority of the crew were away. Okay, she was giving the ol’ “You might have to help me down first” excuse, but then again, the crow’s nest was the best vantage point on the ship. Jasper wasn’t too fussed about whether she was coming or not, in all honesty. Theia and Senka had yet to show up, after all...

The salt-and-brine smell of the ocean breeze, the wind in her hair ... there were days she thought life simply did not get any better than this. And today, Theia clung to the boom at the bow of the ship as they came into port, her face turned toward the sun without a care in the world. Then, she could scent the faint odors of fish and fruit, and she gradually became aware of the indistinct chatter of people below until the plunk of the ship's anchor into the water broke her out of her trancelike state. Leaping off her perch on the bow, she landed with both knees bent, one hand pressed to the deck as she pushed up, the folds her skirt falling around her form.

When she heard Tawny call out to the crew, the words "Anyone" and "shopping" clearly reached her ears, and while neither of them were among her choices of things to do, she loved sightseeing and visiting new places. Lately, she had kept to herself, and it had been a long time since she'd done anything with the captain, so she owed her a little "girl-time."

Theia gave little more than a brief glance at the crow's nest and shook her head. She gripped the rigging ropes and barely climbed a quarter of the way up before stopping, toes curling around the abrasive ropes. Her dark hair tumbled across her back and The scar on her face was plainly visible as she peered up at Bright.

"Not this time," she half-muttered, the thought that Bright might soon come to rely on her too frequently to get down from those awfully high places crossing her mind. Best not to give her an opportunity.

Sighing, she waved the catgirl down, her rich island accent carried by the wind as she called out, "Come on, jump onto the lower platform and climb down the ropes! It's just like I showed you before."

Without giving her a chance to plead for further assistance, Theia deftly manuevered back down and sauntered across the deck, the shapely swell of her hips emphasizing her small waist. Even when she wasn't performing, she held that same air of confidence. Walk proud, the way her mother had taught her- shoulders back, exposing the graceful, almost swan-like lines of her collarbone, chest out (because, hey, if you've got it, flaunt it), and people will always think you're taller than you really are. She leaned down and checked one of the pockets she had sewn into her skirt, making sure her balisong knife was safely nestled there, and straightened, brushing back the hair cascading over her right shoulder and untangling a few strays from her hoop earring.

Long locks grazed the divet at the small of her back as she arched, stretching toward the sun, and tugged the covering over the left side of her face, fingertips brushing the length of her scar, from the sliver of hair missing along her brow to the thin, puckered line running down her cheek, and let it rest securely against her face, leaving just the opening over her eye. Patting her coinpurse, still somewhat weighty from her gig at their last port town, she heard the telltale jingle and couldn't help but smile. There was no way Tawny would let her get away without spending at least a fair third of it on herself, probably on some new outfit to add to her colorful, albeit meager wardrobe.

Dropping onto solid ground, she waited a beat or two for her "sea legs" to adjust, feeling as though the warm sand under her feet shifted lazily like a molten sea. Passing her gaze over Eve with a light smile, she narrowed her eyes sourly at Leon, still annoyed at his more than crude behavior over the past couple of nights. I have nothing to say to you, her eyes seemed to say. She briefly looked up to see if Bright had managed to make her way down, yet, that closed-lipped smile finding her full mouth once more and broadening ever-so-slightly as her gaze settled on Tawny and Jasper.

"Well, I suppose I could land us a spot at the local tavern tonight. You can count me in, too."

“Hey, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it toots. Most girls would pay just for a night with me.” Leon gave Tawny a rather friendly grab around the shoulders, ignoring the pervert comment and obvious infuriation on her part. At least, until she made a point of breaking free from him, in which he gave a nonchalant shrug, turning his back to the crew and looking over the shore. Her loss really, but at least she was one of the less uptight members of the crew.

As the captain declared Jasper would be accompanying her into town, Eve’s face brightened a little. “Well if that’s the case, would it be alright if I came along too, Lady Captain?” Eve asked over the rim of the ship, her face positively glowing with excitement. Jasper was the first to answer, confirming that she was invited along as she nodded, trotting over to the ladder. Leon, having skulked slightly away from the volatile captain, wasted no time in interjecting, chuckling a little as he stepped back and folded his arms behind his head. “Yeah Eve, get on down here. If sweet cheeks here doesn’t want you, I’ll let you spend the day with me.” Pointing a thumb to his chest, his other hand rested on Tawny’s head, once again invading her personal space.

“Thank you Leon the Great, but I think I’ll be happy to spend the day with Lady Tawny and Master Jasper.” Eve responded cheerily, causing Leon to scratch his head a little at her blunt rejection. Still, it seemed that in spite of the instructions from the rest of the crew, she couldn’t help but listen to Leon, retaining the title for him that he’d taught her. It was sometime around then that Eve heard Bright, turning to look up to the crow’s nest, catching sight of Theia attempting to coax her out. Intrigued, she waited on the side of the ship, before tentatively climbing down the ladder to shore, dusting herself off as she landed.

Sighing at the spectacle the resident scaredy cat had gotten into, Leon cupped his hands, shouting to make sure she could hear him. “I could help you down if you want Whiskers, but like, aren’t you a cat?! Just jump and land on your feet!” Placing his hands by his side again, even from this distance he could make out a glare from the kitten. Immediately however, his attention was diverted to the ever appreciated presence of Theia. The icey look he received did little to deter him as he gave a wolf-whistle, though it seemed she planned on ignoring him. That wasn’t going to work at all. “Free drinks, eh? That’s too kind of you toots. Maybe I’ll stick around then. It’s always nice having an entourage.”

“Entourage?” Eve asked curiously, Leon smirking at the opportunity to impart some of his ‘wisdom’.

“Yeah. Means worshippers. It’s important for guys to have a lot of them.”

“Is that why we need Miss Fayline?” Eve continued to inquire, oblivious to the misdirections Leon was applying.

“Heh, yeah. Exactly. She’s one of my escorts. You catch on quick.” Giving another thumbs up, Eve smiled a lot, always happy when she got praise.

“Does that mean I’m part of Mr. Flynn’s entourage?”

With Leon shamelessly flirting with pretty much every female crew member, Jasper couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t do so with Eve. Maybe because taking advantage of her would’ve been a little too easy? As if to prove this, the thief was now misleading her once again, although in his defence (surprising to think of it that way) he was telling a half-truth. All Jasper had to do was give her the other half of the truth before things got out of hand.

“Eve, an entourage is a bunch of people who follow around someone who’s either more important than them or highly respected by them, and that someone isn’t just a guy who’s desperate to get the girls,” he explained patiently, giving a meaningful look towards Leon. Eve asked if she was part of the engineer’s entourage, causing him to give pause for thought while he came up with an answer that didn’t encourage the women to glare daggers at him, but also didn’t want to disappoint Eve.

“You can be part of my entourage if you want,” Jasper said to Eve, playfully ruffling her hair a little. She was just so adorable when she smiled like that, blissfully innocent to the darker things in life. He’d overheard Theia saying she could get the crew a spot at a tavern. Well, it’d be good to sleep in a bed that stayed perfectly still, not that the beds on the ship weren’t comfortable or anything. But if they had enough money left over, then he couldn't see the harm in staying in town for the night before heading off in the morning.

Bright continued to lay on her stomach, her tail still slowly moving from side to side as she peered over the edge of the crow’s nest at the folks down below, a bit apprehensive about getting down. The crew continued to discuss both the trip to town and her ‘issue’, as one might call it, until Theia made her way over towards where all the chatter was. She glanced at Bright’s position on the boat and shook her head, the cat girl giving a smile as she watched the woman slowly climb the rigging ropes up to her. But when she stopped, Bright frowned. She patiently listened to her advice, struggling to hear through her accent a bit. After all, she wasn’t quite used to such things.

“J-jump down?” Bright stated, stumbling over her words. Sure, the cat girl liked acting all big and bad, but at times like these, she really was just a simple scaredy cat. Still, Bright stood up from her position on the ground, standing at the edge of the crow’s nest as she looked at the jump she was about to take. After all, if the crew really wanted her to come along, it’d be fair to climb down and talk to them about it at the very least. Even if that meant she had to deal with...

“I could help you down if you want Whiskers, but like, aren’t you a cat?! Just jump and land on your feet!”

Leon. That stupid jerk still irked her to no end. She glared at the blonde haired chauvinistic pig, narrowing her eyes before she retorted.

“Doesn’t mean the fall won’t still hurt, y’know! Just because I’m a cat doesn’t mean I have springs for legs.” She paused for a moment, before she added something, leaning forward towards him a bit as she did so. “So, why don’t you catch me instead? Oh, wait, I’m clearly way too beneath you for that. I wouldn’t want to sully your hands with my dirty lowlifeness!”

Of course, the exertion from speaking so loudly and so furiously at Leon caused her to lose her balance, and after a quick wave of her arms to attempt to regain her balance, her foot slipped and she began to fall. Almost comically, the cat’s arms and legs flailed about as she tried to gain some semblance of balance as she fell, passing the platform below and plummeting towards the deck. However, in a freakishly fast fashion, Bright’s cat-like reflexes reacted, and she reached out and grabbed the rigging rope, sliding down it briefly before she came to a stop. The cat girl shivered for a few moments, clinging to the rope with all fours as tightly as she possibly could before she finally realized she was safe. Slowly, Bright climbed down the rope, still shaking slightly, even once she got all the way down to the deck. Her hand stung a little from the rope burn, but the shock of the entire event prevented her from really feeling it fully. After looking at her hand and winced, she hoped that the minor injury would heal quickly.

“It’s fine. I’m...fine,” she stated, walking up to the group, a few of their eyes exhibiting at least a little bit of worry. After a few deep breaths, she turned to Tawny. “But...uh, anyways...if I come with you, you promise no one’s gonna run off with our ship, right? I mean, I know it’s not that likely, but it’s still a valid concern, I think...”

Still shaken from her fall, the cat’s normal standoffish disposition was somewhat lost, though it was slowly coming back...

“Well, in that case, so long as that dirty bugger keeps away from me and cuts the funny business, I think I’ll be right to come shopping with you guys. You’ll just have to point me to the nearest fish market once we get there, of course.” Bright managed to force a tiny little smile that faded fairly quickly afterwards.

A faint scribbling could be heard from inside the room of Senka, although the crew members would be pressed to hear it. The occupant of the room, Senka himself, sat in a comfortable position on his bed, back against the headboard with his legs bent at the knee, using his lower thighs as a desk to hold the decent sized volume he was reading from. To his side, laying on the bed’s surface was a small pad of blank stationary, which Senka was scratching on in short, concise strokes with a quill.

Senka was studying, again. He’d passed several hours in his room, quietly working, since joining the crew. He had set out on his journey knowing practically nothing about sailing, but had carried a small but complex series of books on the subject with him. It had been his intention to study up and present himself as a sailor with at least a theoretical knowledge of travel.

Unfortunately, his search for a ship had taken much more effort that he’d anticipated, and he’d been left with little time for looking over books. Ironically, he only had the time to do so once he joined a crew. Even though he’d already been accepted, he still wanted to learn as much as he could, so that he would be of use to Tawny, his captain, when the time came for him to do so.

For that reason, most, if not all, of his free time had been spent in much this same fashion. Him reading from the difficult texts, scribbling notes on his papers as he attempted to absorb as much as he could about everything that was ocean travel.

Well, that was mostly the reason; at least, it was the excuse he was giving himself. It was probably equally true, if not more so, that he was scared to do anything other than cower in his room.

Since joining Tawny’s crew, Senka had been onset by a rather irrational fear of his crewmates. True, he’d never actually been an incredibly social person, appearances notwithstanding. Being with Raisa had helped greatly in that field, as he’d never felt alone when he faced the social world. Now that he was quite alone, however, he’d discovered that he was quite the coward.

It wasn’t that he was scared of the crew itself; he was more scared of facing them. He’d had the privilege of seeing his fellow seamen a few times over the past few weeks, namely at meal times, and the appearance they gave off terrified the novice sailor. Namely, they all seemed to be so damnably worldly. Whether it be a very authentic eye patch or a confident turn of phrase, not a single other member of the crew looked out of place on the ship. If they felt that way, then they were also damnably good at hiding it. When he sat at the dinner table, meekly looking around….he’d never felt so alone.

To the credit of his companions, they hadn’t given him the cold shoulder. A few members of the crew tried to engage him in their conversation, but that didn’t last long. They quickly figured out that Senka was terrible at conversing. It was closer to the truth to say that he was terrible at conversing whilst feeling so nervous, but the end result was the same either way.

Still, he’d enjoyed being submersed in the tide of relations. He’d learned quite a bit about his crewmates, like their personalities, likes and dislikes, relations with other members, just by observing. It wasn’t as if everyone was being discreet about those things, necessarily…but still.

The rub was: he may have been alright with seeing them every so often, but he didn’t have the spine to get up and walk amongst them during the day. And by now, they probably thought that he was standoffish and unsociable…perhaps by now it was too late to try?
A gradual stilling of the ship, coupled with the rather loud noise of the anchor dropping, alerted the pensive young man to the ship’s stopping. He’d been so distracted with his fretting that he’d stopped taking notes on his work, holding his quill over the paper for several long moments whilst he thought. The result: the bottom of his page was decorated with several dots of ink.

Then, the high, but not gratingly so, voice of his captain suddenly rang out from the top deck of the ship. Senka only heard intermittent phrases, however. It was surprising that he heard anything at all, what with him having stuffed one of his old coats against the bottom crevice of his door, trying to block out interrupting noise and light.

Following the noise, the general clatter of movement sounded through the underside of the ship, and his jacket did nothing to block out that. Senka stilled, setting his quill down and marking his place as a half-grin slid to his face. People were moving. Action. Talking. Things he would rather avoid, but would undoubtedly inflict upon himself.

Once his things were cleaned up and put back on the nightstand beside his bed, he stood and inspected himself in the small mirror he’d brought from home. He looked…pretty awful; his hair was intermittently splayed, the long strands either choosing to bend outwards or bend inwards, curling against his cheek and neck. With a frown, he tried to run a hand through his messy mop, recalling a time when Raisa would have licked her fingers and smoothed the offending hairs down, teasing him all the while. The memory brought a bit of color to his pale cheeks, and made his heart beat with a pang of longing.

No, it wouldn’t do to start thinking those kind of thoughts, Senka told himself. Not now.

Bending lightly at the waist, Senka picked up his coat from in front of the door and brushed the dust and dirt off. Once he was reasonably happy with its appearance, he slid his arms into it, allowing the large jacket to swallow his reedy body. With his arms inside the much to large sleeves, he fastened it closed with just a single button at the neck, as he always did should it need to be removed in a hurry. Feeling sufficiently presentable, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, snuffing out the solitary candle that had lit his gloomy room as he went.

---

Senka heard the voices of his companions before he saw them. They clamored all around, from off the ship to the deck, from the deck to somewhere up high. They called in predominately cheerful, mocking tones; although some traces of argument slipped in every now and again. The crew that Tawny had put together was not completely functional, but there was an undeniable relationship between its members. That was another reason Senka felt thoroughly left out: he wasn’t a part of the synergy the way everyone else was.

As he stepped onto the ship’s main deck, still hanging back by the stairwell, not wanting to be seen, he looked around for his companions. Most of them seemed to be ashore, but one in particular remained on the ship, besides him. The cat-woman, Bright, if memory served, was still atop the crow’s nest, fumbling about how to get down even as Theia was sliding off the ship.

Senka cast his gaze upwards to observe the feminine feline from the safety of the shadows of the stairs. To his knowledge, he had yet to be noticed by any of his shipmates. For now, he was alright with it staying that way. He intended to enjoy the show of Bright climbing down before he made himself known.

But, what he saw was not the humorous display of feline grace, but rather, the horrifying few of the woman suddenly starting to fall from the crow’s nest, a fall that would surely kill her.

And suddenly, he was no longer watching. His body reacted even before his mind could comprehend what was happening. His hands were unbuttoning his coat, shedding the restrictive material as he swung the hair from his eyes. He was running then, breaking from his shelter behind the stairs to bound onto the deck proper, his long legs allowing him to cover a lot of distance in a burst of adrenaline.

He didn’t think much as he did it; in his mind, memories from old were rising forth unbidden, painting the scene in front of him a different color. It wasn’t Bright falling from the crow’s nest; a more familiar body, with pale hair spilling out from the tail she held it in, was falling from an unknown height. Her screams sounded in his ears; so real. He ran harder, the blood singing in his ears as he prepared to catch her.

But then she wasn’t free-falling anymore. She’d managed to reach out and clutch at some of the rigging, slowing her descent incredibly. Upon seeing this, Senka dropped suddenly and painfully to one knee, effectively stopping his rapid running. His eyes stayed glued to Bright as his body tensed in anticipation, ready to sprint in any new direction she might fall in should she loose her hold on the rope.

He needn’t of worried, though. Bright was able to safely land herself from her dangerous descent, perhaps not perfectly, but nonetheless safely. Senka let out a deep sigh as he saw her feet touch down, his heart still beating frantically inside his chest. Gradually, the lucid visions peeled themselves back away from his eyes, and the world was what it should be once more. Bright was Bright, not…not..

Had anyone been watching his eyes, they would have changed from a lurid red back to their more normal amber as the delusions fled. As Senka calmed down, still breathing rather heavily, he mutely walked back to the stairway. As he retrieved his coat and replaced it around him, he couldn’t help but wonder. He’d never had such an intense reaction…nor had he had such a retro-active vision…maybe, maybe he should get out of his room more…

He was unsure if the people on shore had seen his mad dash to catch Bright; he honestly wasn’t even sure if she’d seen him, as intent as she must have been in slowing her fall. For now, though, he’d act as if it hadn’t happened, unless they questioned him. He didn’t want to have to answer to why he’d reacted so strongly if he didn’t have to. He didn’t want his crewmates to think he was crazy. Or rather, crazier; they probably already had their doubts about his sanity.

Now with his cat back where it should be, he came towards the edge of the ship and looked down to the shore, right at the flock of his crewmates. Seeing that they were all assembled there, and catching the back end of their conversation, he made an impulsive statement.

“Hello? Excuse me, Captain Tawny? I-If it’s a problem, I’d be more than happy to remain with the ship whilst you fine people go into town. Ah, that is…i-if you trust me to be alone with the ship. I-I’ll completely understand if that’s not the case, I just, ah-trying to be, convenient, that is…”

Senka’s confidence wavered further and further as he spoke, realizing that he might not be trusted to keep watch. They didn’t know him that well, after all. At the same time, he tried to keep the relief, and strangely, disappointment out of his voice.

If he was left alone, he could go back down to his room and retrieve his study material and resume his studies on the main deck, in the sunlight. It wouldn’t be an unenjoyable experience, really, and not unlike what he’d been doing before this little venture. However, he’d somewhat wanted to go with the crew. Some part of him was aggravated with his lack of social interaction, telling him in a tone that heavily mirrored one specific woman, ‘If you don’t get out there and try to make friends, then you’ll never be accepted!’

Well, whatever was decided…it wouldn’t be his place to question. As he paused to wait for a response, he leaned against the guardrail of the ship, trying to take the strain off of his now aching knee. It was no doubt bruised from the impact against the hard wood. It would be a good reminder to him not to get so carried away again, he thought with a touch of grimness.

With a simple nod to herself acknowledging that the catgirl's landing was, indeed, safe, the musician found herself being pulled into Tawny's heartfelt hug. As usual, she instinctively froze, but relaxed not a moment after and gave her a light squeeze in response before the captain let go. Though the embrace was not unwelcome, Tawny notwithstanding, Tea had never really been physically affectionate with the crew members in spite of her otherwise cheerful disposition toward most of them. Raising an eyebrow, she looked up briefly as the remaining crew made their way on deck or to shore, and turned to Leon, scoffing at his insistence upon scoring free drinks.

"Drinks, Pajudo?" she simpered, her accent slurring on the last syllable of the island profanity. "After last time, when you had too many and ended up face-"

She paused to glance at Eve, that coquettish smirk diminishing the instant she decided to leave out such a... trivial detail in favor of protecting the girl's vestal ears. Almost impishly, she cast sidelong glances at Tawny and Jasper, and put one hand on her hip, meeting Leon's wolfish stare with her head cocked to one side. "Puh! I'll buy a round for a song and bet your next pay I could drink you under the table."

Eve listened intently to Jasper, nodding as she took it in. An entourage was people following someone more respected… Not someone desperate for girls… That made a lot of sense. Leon wasn’t desperate for girls in the slightest, and to her, he was highly respectable. Of course she and the others would be part of his entourage, and she’d be happy to show other people that she respected him that way – Though was she allowed to be in more than one? By Jasper and Leon’s definition, so long as she followed them around it would be okay, right? Giving a surprised squeak as Jasper placed his hand on her head, she smiled as he ruffled her hair, letting her know she was welcome to follow him. It was warm and affectionate, and it always made her feel good when she got a concept and was praised for it. “I’m happy to be a part of your entourage.” Genuinely pleased with herself, and that fact, she would happily follow Jasper and Leon around. Everyone was so smart and taught her so many things, it was only natural to respect them. After all, that book on etiquette said that respect of others is of the utmost importance.

Perhaps that was why when Tawny said something about breaking Leon’s pride it caused the girl to curiously tilt her head, speaking in slight confusion. “I would never aim to hurt The Great Leon, Lady Tawny… Please forgive me if I said anything to offend.” Giving a concise bow in apology, Leon couldn’t help but laugh at how Tawny’s jib had backfired a little. Eve was still terrible around sarcasm and non-literal phrasing, so the comment about Jasper made her just a bit concerned as she grasped Tawny’s sleeve. “Why not Lady Captain? I-Is there something wrong with being in his entourage?” For the moment however, it seemed her fear would not be eased as Theia made her way down, the Unofficial Captain’s attention immediately drawn over as she leapt into a hug. Nervously squirming where she was, Eve retreated to the company of Leon and Jasper, though her mind played over just why Jasper wasn’t an improvement on Leon. Jasper was incredible! But then, so was Leon… Wait… Oh! That made sense! She was saying they were both just as good as each other! Relieved and satisfied with the most positive outcome, she clapped her hands together. “I get it now!” She stated aloud, probably a bit too loud for how quiet she normally was.

Leon smiled at the idea of drinks, remembering some of the ‘stances’ Theia had adopted when she’d had a few too many. Still, as she began to recall a certain bar-room tale, it was a rare moment where Leon decided to back down a little. Sort of. “Well, you’ve got me there, Pah-jew-doh.” Mimicing the term she’d used (though with a bit of butchering with his own accent) Leon wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but he’d try it anyway. Smirking a bit, her response was a sign that he’d sufficiently mislead Theia that night into believing he was a ‘lightweight’ drinker. It was amazing what he could grope and get away with when people thought he was off his face… Ah, the warmth of Theia’s bosom… Now, falling into that was such a sweet, sweet embrace… Though pretending he remembered none of it was a true shame. That mischievous smirk still on his face, he shrugged at her next challenge. “Hey girl, when you try to outdrink me, everybody wins. But last I checked I’m the owner of this fine vessel, so you pay me for lodging. Though I suppose I can overlook some past expen-”

“Hey look, I managed to get her down anyway.” Leon stopped midsentence bragging to everyone as he watched Bright tumble from the crow’s nest, seemingly unaware or uncaring of how dangerous such an act was. Still, seemed he thought that the incident was something to take credit for, proudly rubbing his knuckles over his chest as he awaited Bright’s arrival. “Told you you’d be fine. I wouldn’t let anything happen to a body as fine as that.” Grinning as Bright came over, Leon scooted away before he received a new set of cuts down his arms. Instead, he directed his attention to the newest arrival to the scene, the ever mysterious Senka. Kid was weird, never did much. And, seeing as he didn’t have a pair of melons on his chest, Leon didn’t pay him much attention other than to use the guy’s inadequacies to prove how much more impressive he was. “No offence Senka, but at least if Bright stayed she could at least scare off a mouse – I really don’t think you’re going to be any worth when it comes to protecting my majestic vessel.”

Striding up the slight hill, he turned to the whole crew. “No, I propose we all head out, go get some much needed R&R before taking advantage of Theia’s gracious offer for drinks. Everyone agree? Good, then we’re off!” Turning and heading down the road, Leon didn’t give much of a chance for objections…

Jasper did want to hear the rest of Theia’s tale, although since Eve was in earshot, she’d start asking some rather awkward questions, to which Leon would’ve been too happy to provide the answers (read: blatant lies) to. Well, at least there was time for that later.

Bright’s landing from the crow’s nest was both impressive and frightening; one wrong move would’ve meant one less crew member travelling with them. Damn lucky she was part cat. With such agility and flexibility, who knows what sort of stuff she could do? Senka also seemed to have burst onto the deck just after the cat-girl started falling. Jasper didn’t care whether or not it was a coincidence; the poor bloke needed a bit of fresh air, and a trip round town with the crew was just the ticket. Tawny seemed to have the same thing in mind too, since she had him come ashore with them.

The engineer then watched as Eve tried figuring things out with the information he had given her, with the addition of a sly remark from the Captain which seemed to derail things a little, but in the end she came to a conclusion that she was happy with, loudly notifying the rest of the crew about this in the process.

There was also quite a bit of talk about a drinking contest once the shopping was out of the way. At least, Jasper assumed that; drunk shopping probably wouldn’t have gone down too well. Even though he could hold his liquor a fair bit, the engineer decided not to participate. Mostly because it was usually funnier to watch. That and he was curious to see what Tawny would get up to when she was absolutely plastered.

“A’righty then, we’ll meet up once we’ve all done our bits with provisions,” Jasper said to nobody in particular, since it was still uncertain what course of action was going to be taken, and he did not want to miss the chance to see Tawny drunk. Nevertheless, he followed Leon and Tawny towards Valiër with Eve in tow. He hoped that they had a decent shop for spare parts, or at the very least a scrapyard that had some useful hidden treasures somewhere.

At the first glimpse of Valiër, Tawny had already separated herself from her own crew, her short sprint ahead causing the crossbow that was strapped around her torso to sway wildly across her back. The mechanical arm emitting a fair bit of steam from moving at a more rapid pace.