Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Andouphe - Commerce District​

Oh god, I don't want to do this.
"Thank you. I'll... try to make it quick." No guarantee on that, depending on how much scolding was in store for him. Despite his decisive steps forward, nose to the air following wisps of tobacco, his heart thundered against his chest the stronger that scent grew. There hadn't been a hint of worry in Vespera's cheery voice, but ever the master masquerader, he knew she had to be concerned. Nancy was so meek and conflict-avoidant that he could make someone feel bad for trying anything with him, but he couldn't help if that someone hated him. Steven surely hated him, or at the very least didn't care for him. And whatever he said to Mariah had to make her stop caring for him too, as she didn't even bother to say goodbye to him. Or maybe she didn't need Steven's help and would have shunned him for this anyway! It's not like anything had challenged their friendship over the centuries. He'd be upset about Vlad outing him if not for the fact that it weeded out who wouldn't stand by him the moment he did something they didn't like.

Swallowing the emotions drying his throat, he trudged on and ended that spiral. It wouldn't serve him well to show up already on the verge of tears. The smoke smell grew to its peak, a fresh trail leading him straight to the culprit. Nancy neared the figure before anxiety locked his legs into place.
"Jack?" he questioned, approaching this meeting as if it were happenstance. At least it was just the shotgunner on his lonesome. "Um... is this a good time?" It didn't look like he was in a hurry, anyway. "I know you were looking for me earlier. Sorry if I was avoidant," he apologized, bowing his head. "I just wouldn't have been good company at the time." Which was true, but not THE reason. Really, he just didn't want to be berated more while he was already berating himself into tears every night. But again, maybe Jack would care less in comparison to his religious companion, if at all. "What was it you wanted? Or did Steven want me...?"

Bogrum Mazoga
Noble District - Andouphe Holy Sanctum​

Ah, a technicality. Power on par with a High God, but split between two domains. On paper she was a rank below, but her dual-wielding power was reason enough to not trifle with her. Bogrum was glad she was on their side, the Request weighing heavy in his pocket.

He simply listened in for a while, holding back a chortle at their cute sibling spats. What a breath of fresh air to hear about family affairs, after sailing the seas for so long. For the sisters to live so happily aboard a pirate ship was a grace only owed to Sebas. The man worked double-time-- quadruple-time now with Lostro healed-- to give those girls the best life possible, and it was that reason alone why Bogrum held as much respect for the man as he did. His excellent work as a captain was a secondary bonus.

When Demi called with good news to share, the relief was insurmountable. So Fergie really pulled through on it? It wasn't like Bogrum thought she couldn't. It was more like... this was a sign. Fergie surprised him with how level-headed she could be when shit hit the fan, but it was with great restraint on her end. Restraint that hit the fan as well when she was already at her patience's limit. He knew she hated Adonis's guts, so for her to hold back despite the perfect chance to splay those guts across his fancy office was...
She really must be doing better, then.
Happy to be leaving that ruckus, and happier hearing of Fergie's success, Bogrum accepted Sebas's offer with pleasure. "I'd be happy to. Fergie will find me eventually, but she has a prior engagement. I expect it'll just be me tonight." Fergie made things snappy, but who was to say.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Jack the Shotgunner
Andouphe- Commerce
​

Nancy's voice reached him and caused him to freeze in his tracks and turn. Nancy looked awful..........is what he would say if Nancy were a human, based on how his words sounded. Timid When Nancy asked if it was a good time, Jack shrugged. "S'Guda time s'any. (As good a time as any)". The way his voice trailed off at the mention of Steven told Jack what he wanted to know. Nancy wasn't avoiding him per se. He was more avoiding Steven. It made sense. Steven wasn't exactly kind when speaking about him. Jack had to reel him in a few timesJack stole a quick glance at the red-eyed girl with him, glaring daggers at the shotgunner. Must be some form of protection, Jack thought. He shook his head. "Both ah gues. I wan' now know how ya feel...... been 'bandon meself," Steven wanned t'know the punishment. Wouldn't shuddit bout it."
"Ya damn right I wouldn't." this was Steven, which put the vampire girl more on edge. Unlike Jack's burly nonchalant giant ass, Steven walked with more purpose, brimming with power. Musta 'ceeded in Charity. "When someone gets Divine Punishment, I want to help redeem him. Don't you want to help him?"
"He get 'elp when he ask," came a shrug from the man alongside the puff of his cigarette, "Ain' forcin' 'im. (Ain't forcing him)"
"You're too soft, Jack."
"Why are YOU trying to force Nancy to talk?" Ves stepped up
"The vampire, eh?" Steven stepped to her, returning her glare. Arguably a stronger one. "I want to know what he plans on doing about the charges."
"Whatever he wants!" Ves exclaimed, "It's not suddenly your business because you make it your business! It's HIS business!"

"Ugghh. I jus' wanna go drink," Jack said, getting exasperated. As far as he was concerned, how Nancy dealt with this was his problem, and if he wanted Jack to lend a shoulder, the man would lend it. These two idiots were arguing over getting him to talk, ironically not only keeping him from talking but more than likely making him regret approaching in the first place.

Jack and Ves began to argue among themselves about Nancy, getting more and more flared and heated as neither side locked down. It was a brick wall vs a stone wall, all over Nancy

Failed at the Start

Jack was honestly wanting to have these conversations solo, and Steven his own conversation solo. This was indeed NOT as good a time as any afterall. Now with this vampire stepping into the fray, it wasn't going to get better. Guess it was time to regulate. "SHADDUP!" Jack yelled out, growling at both sides arguing. "Back off, both o' ya!"
"I won't let-"
Jack shot her with a glare from hell, making her relent a bit. Jack was a big-ass dude, scarred from battle. Magic didn't matter when you were in punching distance. Ves saw a man both done with this and too irritable to compromise. "Back. Off. Girly." Then to Steven, "You back off too." By now, he didn't have to, because he came between them. "Leave it," he finally said decisively. There was to be no compromise here unless they discussed that solo. "Fish God disowned 'im, an' he don' wanna talk 'bout it, so leave it."

Jack looked at his smoke laying on the ground and got irritated. It dropped from his mouth dealing with this dogshit. "I'on care 'bout some fish god or god shit in general. Don' care so shaddup 'bout it. All o' yas." Jack loved Steven as his brother in arms. He was a good man, he really was. When it came to this god shit though, it could bring out the worst in Steven. The solution? Just don't talk about it. They got along very well when they were too busy fighting for their life to talk about their version of salvation. "Don' bring it up. Obris. That fish god. the Dragon god. No one." He didn't know Mariana's name. Didn't care. She was fish god, named more because of her association with Nancy than anything. "Same reason ah said leave me outta it, Fish got his thing, yah got yers."
"His name is NOT Fish!" Ves exclaimed indignantly, "H-'
Jack was suddenly in front of her. She hadn't seen it. Steven hadn't seen it. Nancy hadn't seen it. "I thought I said back the FUCK off, girly." he huffed gruffly, "'e speaks for 'imelf. SHADDUP!!"

Vespera Marine Seyres​

Whatever this big older man was, he was intimidating. His blood was boiling and would get her drunk in an instant if she drank it. He was willing to rip her head off. She wouldn't back down.........if not for the circumstance. This was over Nancy, and this man turned his wrath not only towards her, but towards his companion as well. It showed that he only gave a damn about Nancy. At least right now
His roar commanded respect, and Ves could only acquiesce. While he meant no harm, the moment he meant harm would be a terrible moment on her life. He had only given her commands, and that in itself was an appeal to nonviolence. Ves had learned a really good lesson out in the field: When a Giant appeals to nonviolence, take it. This man seemed to do exactly that. Plus, Steven here had a LOT of Holy power in him, brimming with it actually. She stood zero chance against Steven, but Jack was the one preventing a fight, though his own patience seemed thin. She would take the bone by backing off, though she did keep herself between the duo and Nancy


"Got along fine 'til this. 'Fore the God shit, so leave it," the man said with an air of defiance. Jack wanted to go the neutral route to all this. He was down to earth. He fought the hordes summoned by an Ancient Demon. He dealt with having to put on Shades every time Lostro showed her face. He dealt with Steven when he acted like this. He knew Sebas was pulled in by the fish god against his will. "If ya can't, leave me outta it." With that, he crushed his smoke under his boot and started trudging off again with a slight limp. After he was a bit of ways beyond, he spoke, "Jus' wanned t'see how ya was, Fish." Jack called without looking back. "Guess no better." It was a good deed gone bad in his mind

It wasn't time for that conversation. It may never be time. At this point, that was fine by Jack. Nancy had someone so he didn't need to try. Jack could only be Jack, and he didn't know if Nancy was looking to talk to Steven specifically, or he just lumped them both together.

Jack doesn't want to talk about Divinity again, unless it is very important. He's not more or less hateful of it. He's just tired of it, a mounting trend among the Basenjis. Also, Steven and Vespera will NOT be civil when it comes to the subject of Nancy. Nancy's conversation with Steven has to be done solo

WayfaringWaaksian

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Demestral Asella
Skies above Andouphe (Cloaked)​

The skies whistling in her ears calmed her down by the second. The Wyvern and his rider cloaked themselves as they put distance between them and the one they wanted to kill, more vertical than horizontal. The townspeople would be unnerved to see this large Draconian Beast circling their city, and attract their Anti-Air Corps to try and shoot them down. Airport cities had strict air control, and large flying Draconians were not part of it. Of course Dragons weren't either, but most cities weren't dumb enough to attack a Dragon, and Dragons were peaceful in general, preferring to stake their claim on a city and take tribute in exchange for protection, rather than antagonize denizens without reason.
Demi was still a tad bit worked up in the skies, but she was happy to finally get it done. "My Lieges, I pray my actions have achieved satisfaction in both of your eyes," she said as Quincy got a good wing stretch. Lord Aennan of the Flame and Dragon Supreme Elewynn. The hottest fire in Avalon along with the Draconic embodiment of the Fae. As hotheaded as Demi always was, serving this duo took her hotheadedness from 100 to 1,000, and it took her a LONG TIME to get control of her power and hotheadedness. Draconic power was POTENT when given to non-Draconians and most others ended up consumed by it, not unlike Nellie who almost lost her life with the Abyss.

Spoiler: Demi's Conversation with her Lords

"My loyal Disciple, you did a good job with that warning shot," Elewynn said, "As expected of you, you deliver."
"Indeed......." the voice of the lesser-spoken Lord Aennan. "I was expecting you to char him, but you managed to cool that inferno before it erupted."
Hearing those words of praise from her Gods brought tears to her eyes. She was far more worried about their reception to this than anything. One thing Demi knew about them is that they cared for her on an individual level, and cared for Quincy on that same level. Divine Favor was far more selective with Fae and Draconian Gods. They treated it like a mentor/mentee than what seemed to be master/servant relationship. They were generally more patient with their followers, and had self-awareness of the potency of their power. They weren't slapping it on those who couldn't handle it and expecting them to keep operating the same. Demi had broken rules, failed, fallen flat on her face, and both of them held out their hand for her to get up, and given her a bottomless well of retries and redos and patience that she could only describe as merciful. She looked at Nancy and the Goddess, and it only reinforced why she was glad for her choice made at the tender age of 7. "I am most thankful that you entrusted in me the task to handle it," she finally said.

"But a word of warning, Demestral....." Elewynn took on a serious tone. "This accommodation was given with the intent to nip that problem in the bud, asked of you despite it overlooking our code against interlopers." It was something that Demi had to contend with, and she hoped that it worked. While they seemed to believe that it worked, nothing was certain. Especially when dealing with Adonis. "It was also done despite Quincy wanting to kill him."
"Yes, so Elewynn and I came to this agreement," Lord Aennan said, "If he messes with Quincy again, while you will burn them to the ground, you will also be punished for Negligence after the fact. It is one thing if overlooking the code ends in your harm. It is UNACCEPTABLE if it brings your comrades harm." The Fae and the Draconians had codes. These codes were more a guideline to follow, shaped by tens of thousands of years of culture and tradition of their respective sect. These weren't rules, but they augmented punishments if not following it caused issues. Zero Tolerance to Interlopers was part of that code. It was similar to a Code of Chivalry or the 10 Commandments. "Remember that Quincy is just as responsible for you as you are for him, and has to follow the code as well. Since you are to become a Dragon Rider, his presence is the physical manifestation of your Draconic Divine Favor."

"Yes, my lieges." Her reverence to the crew over the code led her to take this gamble. She didn't want to destroy an entire crew of innocents all on the back of one man. While she would not apologize for that, she WOULD apologize for putting Quincy in the awkward position that she did, and letting her voice speak over his. "I will deserve worse than the Lance if the reverence to my crew brings my beloved companion to harm." She looked down to her Wyvern. "Quincy, you have my sincerest apologies for dragging you into my selfish decisions. If this turns out to be a farce that causes you harm, no amount of punishment you dole out to me will be atonement enough."
"I have no doubt that you mean well," Quincy responded, "and I speak for the Dragon Supreme when I say that we believe that this solves the issue. However, while the problem still walks from overlooking the code, the potential for re-offending and the consequences must be made known to you."


"...........Yes. I have no regrets for the path I've chosen to walk. If it ends with me in the maw, then so it shall be." Demi could turn back and go kill Adonis right now. However, she wouldn't spark a mutiny. Quincy would be put above the crew, of course. However, Quincy getting his word in was not worth destroying her whole crew if that could be avoided.
"That's my stubborn girl!" Elewynn roared in glee. "Carve that path like the DRAGON you have inside you! While this pirate crew falls not under us, you still hold them in reverence."
"That fire inside burns bright, and I’m glad I can call it mine," Lord Aennan commented, "Don't burn out. So I take my leave."
"As do I. I love you, my dear," Elewynn told the duo, "As does Aennan, though he'd never say it. I love you Quincy. Take care of her."
"Of course, my Liege," Quincy roared. "I love you too."
"I love you too, my Liege. I will not disappoint you." With that, the connection severed, and Demi smiled. "Now.......let's go find Nancy and Ves."

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Ashlynn Thormdottir and Avery Valencia
Commerce District: The Sharpening Stone —------> The Triton’s Trident​

Meanwhile our Viking/Cat duo had turned in their weaponry for Dragon Scale upgrades, and Ash was set to have her beloved axe sharpened and enchanted to the nines. They then moved nearby to the Triton’s Trident gun store. “You sure you don’t want a gun, Ash?”
“Still don’t need ‘em,” she said, “If they’re in pistol distance, they’re in Mama Bear’s summoning range.” Any pistol that wasn’t one of those dwarven repeater pistols or revolver like Avery’s were more of a liability than a help. One shot and you had to reload. On the battlefield, relying on a weapon that took upwards of a minute to reload after every shot was a big no-no for her………..but a big yes-yes when wielded by people she needed to kill.

For the overwhelming most part, if there is semi-automatic firing, it is either a Dwarven gun (extremely expensive) or is using magic to reload it. Revolvers are Dwarven Innovations not able to be mass-produced. Bows are still a fierce competitor due to how fast a skilled bowman can fire compared to someone using the average pistol

Ash never had a problem closing the gap and taking down gunmen in pistol distance. To Ash, most of these guns were a crutch and not even a good one. You miss? You don’t get another shot against Ash, because once she gets in axe distance, that axe was planting a kiss on that skull. Avery, however, was a peculiar case. His revolver was annoying in their spars. Not only that, but he was an agile master with that knife of his. A six-shooter mixed with the ability to keep up with her sickles always made him hard to fight, but she always prevailed the moment he ran out of ammo since she would never give him a chance to reload. Letting him reload gave him 6 more chances to insta-kill her.
“That’ll change soon, Ash. Maybe I can teach you the way of the gun.” Avery said teasingly. “You taught me a lot about fighting. I can teach you to get out the stone ages.”
“I’m willing to shoot with ya, Ave,” Ash countered, “But relying on that is like relying on magic.” She didn’t have too much room to talk since it was magic that let her summon and maintain Mama Bear, but she never had a problem defending herself without her Bear companion. In a magic-free zone, her axe was still sharp. “Plus, if it ain’t a revolver, I ain’t shooting it.” She wasn’t interested in wasting 30 seconds to reload every shot

Avery laughed as they entered the Triton’s Tridents, and were hit with a smell different than that of the Sharpening Stone. Unlike that of metal and smoke from the forge, this one smelled of oil and gunpowder. “Welcome in! I’m Aegis. Guns? Rifles? Crossbows? Cannons? Explosive? We got ‘em all!” They were greeted with saleswoman enthusiasm. The woman was covered with oil and grease. Not some prim lady, but there was a pretty woman there. Just one who obviously spent a lot of time today getting her hands dirty under the hood. “Looking to restock the ship?” She had them ID’ed as pirates from the getgo. Came with the territory of wearing the Basenji crest on their clothes.
“Not unless Adonis is giving me the gold,” Ash scoffed. “I’m just browsing, but this twink here might buy something.”
“Let’s go then, Twink!” Aegis said with a broad grin
“It’s Avery,” he said quickly, “Let me see about your small arms. I’m good with my Silencer, but I might need to buy a new rifle. Sniper Style.”
“We don’t get many marksman types ‘ere. I’m gettin’ excited,” she responded and took Avery off to the side, leaving Ash to peruse the inventory, sticking to the bigger almost warehouse like part of the building. This is definitely a pocket room, Ash thought. This place was simply not big enough to house a whole damn hangar. They’re in the middle of Commerce District! Pocket Rooms were very very common, essentially just portals masquerading as doors. Hell, Elaina’s library was a Pocket Room. They’re just expensive as hell to set up unless you’re a damn good mage enough to do it on your own.

"Looking for something in particular?"
The voice belonged to a giant shark man, roided to the nines he was so built. Ash was kind of taken aback, but she had seen weirder things since joining the crew. "A regimen that gets me as bulked as you are." She held out her hand with a grin. "Ashlynn. I prefer to put axes in skulls more than bullets."
The man took her hand and shook it firmly. "You got an arm on you enough already," he said with a hearty laugh. "Lucas. I'm a Lamnidae, or shark-man as laymen call us. I handle the big guns around here." he spotted Mama Bear. "And who's this pristinely groomed lady?"
"I am known only as Mama Bear," she grumbled to him, standing on her hind legs and holding out her claw, to which Lucas took in another handshake
"First time I've shaken hands with a Bear," Lucas said with another laugh, "But hey, let me know if you need anything." He was nice as hell! Shame he's a walking shark, Ash thought. You'd be on my radar if you were a human man. Ash was a woman who would stick to human or human-adjacent enough. Humans, Elves. Maybe a Vampire. Maybe a werewolf unless he spent too much time transformed.

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Andouphe - Commerce District​

Nancy didn't have the time to appreciate Jack's sweet sentiment before his partner was on the prowl. Steven's bark from behind made his heart jump into his throat, throbbing with blood that made every limb tingle. The way he strode towards them made Nancy feel like prey being hunted, his limbs finally unlocking to take a step away from his approach. He might as well have been, because apparently he was the only thing on this man's mind. What did he want?! Why did he care so much, when the incident had nothing to do with him?!
Vespera was already on guard, but if Steven's demanding presence hadn't been enough to set her off, that paired with Nancy's expanding aversion was. And set her off it did.

Amazing. Nancy was the biggest worrywart on Earth! So how in every hell did things always manage to turn out worse than he expected?! Vespera was yelling. Steven was yelling. Jack was yelling. Everyone was yelling! Good gods, why couldn't anything just go right?
One good day. JUST ONE. Was that too much to ask for? I guess I don't deserve that...

But to his thanks, Jack's yelling actually put a stop to it all. He said his piece and trudged away from the mess that had been made. Nancy watched him leave, wishing that he wouldn't. Jack was the only one Steven would listen to, but understandably wanted nothing to do with this. He supposed that left it all to Nancy.

"Ves." He motioned her to face him, showing his hands after prying them from hugging himself. <<This isn't working out. Let me handle this alone, and I'll meet up with you and Demi after.>> Vespera could see a speck of guilt in his down-turned lips, his firm gaze aside. <<When I said I wanted you here in case it got heated, I-->> He shook his head. <<I shouldn't have involved you in this in the first place. I'm sorry. But please... no more yelling. You know how I feel about yelling.>> That honestly made him more upset than anything, even more than Steven's entitlement. The shouting had started with Ves when all Nancy wanted was to keep the peace. Maybe he should have made his expectations more clear... or maybe he really shouldn't have involved her. This was so incredibly unlike her. She was a spirited woman, but this was beyond her gung-ho, take-charge nature. It was blatant aggression in the form of defense.
Had he become that pathetic, to elicit such a response? Don't make this about you.

<<I love you, and I love that you want to stand up for me,>> he signed with shaking hands, giving her a thin smile. <<But I can handle this. If Steven makes this an issue, I can just walk away and be done with it. The rest is his problem.>> Nancy could walk away right then, but then the same problem would persist. Steven would catch him eventually, and knowing his luck, probably when he was wallowing in depression and liable to cry at the slightest provocation. The adrenaline was already coursing through his body, so he might as well make use of it.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Time: 2000 (8:00pm)​

As dusk settled in, and the Goddess disappeared back to her place in the Heavens, the hundreds upon hundreds of Locathah made their way back to the seas. They brought the city a second wave of record-shattering revenue to the city, cleaning out restaurants and sea-themed stores of inventory yet again. Alas, with the Goddess gone, the pilgrimmage and the noise that came with it came to an end. The fishy smell? That would be lingering in the air for quite awhile though. At about this time, a lot of the vendor stalls were being packed up for the day, street lamps were being lit and shops were relying on their internal lighting moreso than the natural sunlight

As the day began to draw to a close, the Red Light District began to open in full force. The entertainers of the night began to prowl for patrons. The desperate, the pimped, the enslaved and the questionably-aged began to look to satisfy whatever conditions they had for the night, and drunk men told no tales. The thieves came out at night looking for easy money pickings, hyenas over the dazed and drunk's money. Over at the noble leaning side of the RLD, the aristocratic women paid to have their own escorts among the especially chiseled of the men who took on this work as a side-gig to mercenary work. Looks like women loved the look of built yet embattled men, the Conans among men whose body told a story that was as arousing as it was badass if not heroic

The debauchery only kicked up at night and continued into the morn. If one weren't careful, one would go into the next day with someone unsavory inhabiting their bodies. No amount of libido satisfaction was worth the risk............ unless you had the money to hit up one of the noble-side clinics that full-blown cured one of those incurables for noble-level pricing.

If you were feeling a different kind of itch to scratch, there was an entire host of drugs for your condition

• OOC: Incurables are those that may only be cured with Divine Intervention, because of course only through God can an incurable be cured

Steven the Deacon
Commerce District- Streets
​

Yeesh. Jack is PISSED, Steven thought. Maybe because it touched on his own experience being abandoned. He definitely came on too strong. Then again, this vampire was ready to fight as if she believed she had a chance. One flare of his power would wipe Ves's Blood Empowerment and prevent her from doing it again for long enough to put a bullet in her head......... But he only thought that because he sensed her aggression. Whatever stick was up her ass, she was either coddling Nancy or she really wanted to fight.

Jack took his leave and that left the Locathah to converse with Ves in Kraiven Sign. I wonder if I could use an [Ordination of Interpretation] to see what they're saying, Steven thought. He could, but it wasn't worth using. Normally a spell like [Trace] doesn't work on the Nullified Nancy nor does it work on non-verbal languages like Kraiven Sign period, but an [Ordination of Interpretation] works on all forms of communication. While it normally wouldn't work on Nancy, he's using Sign Language so that was free game since he was looking at his hands.

• [Ordination of Interpretation]: A stronger form of Trace that works on all forms of communication, written, verbal, or otherwise

"..............Right. Let me take my leave," Ves said, seeming defeated. "Call me when you're done............." her eyes darted to him, "..........or if he gets crazy." Nancy must've told her that he would require backup, and that must've meant to her to expect a fight or something. Dumb, because damn if Nancy would walk face first into a violent confrontation. The dude's a cupcake, Steven thought. Plus, with him being Null, Ves would get fried long before Nancy himself gets turned into fish fry anyways.
"I ain't hurtin' the dude," he said, exasperated. Not physically at least. "Sheesh, the fuck is with you people? I ain't yelling at a toddler. I'm talking to a grown-ass man about grown-ass man decisions." Steven ain't some hand-holder. He didn't give a damn how anxious Nancy was. He was in the real world now and like it or not, he needed to live in it. "What? He experiences the consequences of his actions and all of a sudden he's suckling the teat again? Did he not go through 2 invasions at this point?"

At this point, Steven's irritation wasn't even at Nancy. Now it was at this weird attempt to coddle him. Nancy came here on his own volition to talk, so talk they would. Jack didn't want to talk about the Divine stuff anymore, and definitely didn't want it to be a divider. That was fine. Whatever tirade Ves was on though was a big no-no.
"Oh, shut the hell up," Ves fired back, "You know nothing about what we went through." She still hadn't learned. Jack told her to back off, and she wasn't backing fast enough.
"Yeah, but I know what you people allowed to happen because you wanted to be coddled, and you wallowed. Who do you think treated those Blighted kids........or sent to Oblivion those who couldn't be saved? Not you," This was Steven's own admission to the anger he felt at the Kraiven people. If Elaina was pissed at what she found, he was definitely pissed since he was the one who had to look each and every one of these kids in the eyes and listen to Obris say whether or not they could be saved. Then he had to smite the the ones who couldn't be saved, and lie to the remainders under the guise of "sending them to God" when he was in fact sending them to Oblivion. Not all of them were saved afterall. "So fuck off out of here like Nancy said.........." He could only assume that's what Nancy said since Ves said she was taking her leave. "............because YOU were the courier for the King. I don't want to hear shit from you, sloth."

Vespera Marine Seyres​

Ouch. Those words hurt. And bad. With her flame effectively snuffed out by Nancy sending her away (rightfully so in fact), to hear this from Steven was a punch right in the gut. He was right, and it was something that tortured Ves on top of everything else. There's no excuse as to why she didn't know about it. As the prime courier, she had endless gossip running through her head, enough to get her visited by the Daedric Lady of Taboos, Coprini the Clandestine, at one point. Certainly there was SOMETHING said by SOMEONE that could've tipped her off. The Church wasn't always Holy within the Null Realm either. She just avoided it for avoiding it sake. She also wallowed in misery like he said, and it made her blind to the Blight, and to the corruption that festered. It didn't fester under her. How much did she deliver that contributed to this? How many letters written that brewed up the storm that ultimately had Nellie destroy the castle? How much did she hear that she didn't question, or just wrote off? She'd contributed to many many investigations as a vampire. Her nose for blood made her an expert tracker and her tongue made her an expert identifier if she tasted the blood. Then the fact that she could be very fast and knew the cities inside and out as a courier who ran around for a living, if she locked on someone, escape was impossible against her in the city of Toron..........

So how much could she have helped with? She spent part time helping with cold cases when not delivering packages, but she could've had her ear to the streets. She could've gone into those Churches. She was well aware of what she could've prevented, and yet she didn't

Because she chose to wallow in her own misery, a misery not special or unique to her.

Spoiler: Words Taken to Heart

Ves could and would stand up for Nancy wherever possible, but when the lens was turned on her, that's when the story changed. Steven was brief but his tongue, even held back, was harsh. If he turned on her fully with that line of thought, Nancy would have to be the one stepping in for her. 200 years of verbal abuse didn't just wash itself away like her respect for the Goddess did. It was one thing to get called names for her skin color or the fact that she was a vampire. It was another thing when what was said was due to her actions (or inaction).

The difference between Elaina and Steven was condescension vs disdain. Elaina didn't hate them. She just thought herself above them. That was annoying, but she could at least benefit from her. The knowledge she shared and as well as the IDs were very important. As long as one "knew their place", you would only ever get the occasional light-hearted jab. Steven? That was disdain. He full blown didn't like them. Nancy was an exception. Her being THE Master Courier and him being the one who treated the kids, it made sense why he didn't like her, not to mention that her first approach was one of aggression, against people who are aggressive by trade. Judging by the fact that he knew of her meant that he had to have asked Elaina about her as well.

Who was she kidding? Ves talked a big game, but that was it, it seemed........... and she was going about this all wrong. If they saw her as coddling Nancy, it made him look bad, and Nancy held them in enough regard at least want their respect. While he SAID that he could just walk away and it would be Steven's problem, Ves knew him enough to know that it was likely a front. Still, he had the determination to make the step in the first place, and she got in his way. Jack took the right approach, breaking them both up and telling them both off. She wasn't supposed to be protecting Nancy. She was supposed to be SUPPORTING him. Beside him, not in front of him. She was being selfish, and unironically less helpful to someone she knew over 200 years than someone he's known for only a few days and spent more time avoiding than talking to in those few days

Steven was not in the wrong. She approached him with aggression. As rude and intense as he was, he wasn't aggressive.

I've got my own problems to work out, she thought. She knew it, but as long as those were put to the wayside, she couldn't help Nancy either. For now, disengage and take the loss here. "..........I'm going to go find Elaina. See ya, Nancy........" with that Ves quickly charged off with her vampiric speed, but as soon as they were out of sight, it turned to a defeated slink. With a sigh, and tears welling in her eyes, she tapped her crystal. "Vespera to Elaina........"
"How unexpected." came the answer after a few seconds. "Need something?"
"Are you free to talk?"
"Hmmmm." The witch was deliberating. "Did you know that Chamomile tea has a soothing effect, reducing stress and anxiety?"
"Is that relevant?"
A gasp. An over-exaggerated one at that. "Such snark towards someone you're requesting to lend an ear," Elaina said playfully, mock-offended. "I've half a mind to hang up."
"No!" Ves caught herself. Obviously Elaina was implying that Ves needed a cup of tea. As playful as she sounded, it would be a valid reason to hang-up "Look, I'm sorry. I take it you're at a cafe."
"Atta girl, atta girl." Elaina responded, and Ves could SEE the smirk on her face. "Leafy Bean Cafe. Marked on your map." The connection severed from there without further words

With a sigh, Ves made her way towards the Noble District. Elaina was open to the idea. She just apparently knew her place in the whole thing



Back to Steven

Steven pulled Nancy aside. Off the streets and at a storefront to one of the shops. Nothing about the shop mattered. They were just getting eyes because they had made a scene. "Alright, I get why you avoided me," Steven admitted with a shrug. This thing didn't exactly help. He was just an intense man who didn't bullshit around. "I don't fuck around with that Law breaking shit........but Jack talked some sense into me." Steven was filled in completely by Elaina over the course of those 3 days, and though he'll never condone defiance, ESPECIALLY given how Nancy knew the rules, Jack had to lay it all out. Sort of a "say it out loud to see how stupid it sounds" exercise. 200 years of no God. God comes back and breaks a rule. Family in danger from it. Defy God or let family die. What's the right choice? "I'll say this though........."

Steven would not be apologetic to Ves. She made her bed. It was best to let her lie in it unless Nancy was willing to take on Steven's irritation, even if it meant that Ves willingly went to the Witch. "..........I'm not holding your fucking hand," Steven warned without hesitation. Nancy could fuck off if he wanted hugs and shit from him, "You're getting nothing less than the blunt truth from me. Talk to that vampire if you want a cookie for your woes." He'd bust Nancy's balls for sure, but he wasn't gonna abuse him for abuse sake. "BUT, I didn't seek you out to bully. My God saw me put myself on the ground with bad decisions and told me to get the fuck up and get it together. You're in that position right now and you earned it." It was the blunt truth. Regardless of Nancy's rationale, regardless of how dumb the Goddess was, Nancy knew the rules and chose to break them. "You're in the gutter, you put yourself there. You can keep crying in the gutter, or you can get up and walk. That vampire can't carry you. Only drag you.........and she shouldn't be willing to drag you, but she is."

It cannot be stressed enough how important Jack was to Steven being talked down, both now and before this encounter. It also helped that Vespera lightning-rodded any aggressive verbals. Take the bone

"Do what you want, but........................whatever, what did you want to say?" He obviously had something to say, but discarded it. Steven wanted to hear his viewpoint. He said his peace so it was on Nancy now to say HIS peace

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Laylah Halliet
Noble District- Tranquil Shore Hotel​

No luck. She interviewed the guy she saved, but unfortunately he wasn't the fit she was looking for. Nothing she didn't expect. Maybe she really should go find one of those slaves with the potential for Healing Magic. Buy them, release the slave collar and if they have a [Curse of Slavery], dispel it. Then let that slave join her of their own volition, or choose the life of a freed slave, which was a circular pipeline back into slavery unless one could make a living to sustain themselves.

Knock knock! "Room service!" a pleasant voice called from the other side of her door, which Laylah opened with magic, barely lifting her head from sorting the medical tools she brought with her. The doctor was inspecting them to see what needed to be kept and what needed to be replaced. Oh, she forgot to seal her wings! Too late! The woman saw her and dropped her tray of food in surprise. It would always be surreal to see an Angel in person. Same with a Demon, only Demons elicited fear.

Oh Gods, Laylah thought. The crew got used to seeing parts of her wings, to the point where she walked about with her wings partially out. It was UNCOMFORTABLE to keep wings folded up like that. It was like sitting down cross-legged. It got very uncomfortable after a time. Like taking off a bra after a long day, for Angels to stretch their wings felt SOOOO relaxing. Some Angels cloaked them, but cloaking them was not making them disappear, so they were still prone to physical contact. In her Medical Bay, that was a no-no. Laylah quickly brought the woman in with magic and shut the door, locking it with magic and applying [Ordination of Silence: Soundproof] to her room to prevent her voice attracting attention, especially since alerting people to an ANGEL would destroy her peace for the rest of the time she would be here. Now her room floors were stained with food and a broken bottle of wine, and the women scrambled to get it cleaned up. Laylah WOULD just make it all disappear, but this was her job, not the angel's. She'll make the remains disappear once the woman left

Minutes later, the woman was finally done after saying sorry for the hundredth time. Laylah had watched without word up until this point, and only spoke when the woman completed her cleaning. "Yes, as you can see, I am a Holy Angel. I serve the Spring Prince Qeien, God of Health," she said. I don't want another female for Adonis to potentially take advantage of, Laylah thought. She wanted a man. Preferably the biggest burliest and most intimidating man she could find, to heal people. "I work as a doctor here on earth and I would like to keep my presence a secret. Can you do that?"
"Y-yes." the woman said, a little lost for words. "Let me take back this food and bring you something better."
"I said a SECRET," Laylah reiterated, "you dropped it so you replaced it. You're not serving an Angel, yes?"
The woman nodded. "Yes. I promise. I will be back in due time, Angel Laylah." The woman scrambled out of the room.

The woman sighed. It's Lady or Mistress Laylah at minimum, she thought. She preferred Lady over Mistress, but..........oh well, she didn't care at this point. She may need to leave at this point. If this woman wasn't trying to follow simple instruction, then people may be trying to pray to her or ask of her things that are only for messengers of the Gods.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye
Commerce- Streets​

The trio of man, Triton, and Orc set off to find Lostro. Sebas flicked his crystal "Sebas to Lattice."
"Yes, Sir Sebas?" Lattice's voice was calm as ever
"Demi is done with her confrontation and you'll be recalled soon. Meet us halfway with Lostro so we don't keep her waiting."
"Yes sir. See you soon." Ahh, what a sweetheart Lattice was. Shame he saddled her with his girls, though Lattice never gave a complaint.

Sebas cut the connection and yawned. "Hope Lostro is somewhat tired or at least found some shit to study because if she's still full of energy, it's gonna be a long night for me." Lostro was erratic as hell. She was either a crackhead or a sleepyhead, a bookworm or a blade enthusiast. "Yo, Bogrum, you ever wanted kids? I'm stuck with these two, but did you ever think you'd be caught in the Deeps, the Pockets and shit? Or did ya think ya'd be with an Orc or Goblin chick......or whatever you're into, settled in a small colony..........." Sebas says "colony" since that's what Orcs call villages. ".......not sailing the skies with a dude trying to play with your life?" He was referring to Adonis. It seemed from this that the crew was seeing Adonis as someone who is playing with their lives. Sebas knew what went on with Fergie's troops, alongside what happened with Lostro. "I'd love to retire about now, but Kaer Lyon is kind of bad right now." he said in Orcish. He wasn't MARRIED to the idea of going back to Kaer Lyon, but he at least wanted to be within travelling distance to his family, and not the Demi kind of travelling distance.

Spoiler: Bicker, bicker

"Stuck with us? You LOVE us!" Orabelle said indignantly, glaring at him
"My love for you two are about as solid as your ability to annoy the shit out of me."
Ora deliberated for a bit. "So you DON'T love us?!" Took you too long to come up with that response, but you're getting better, Sebas thought.
"Oh yeah. Appreciate Lattice though," Sebas said without too much delay, "I contemplated putting you and her up for adoption." This was a lie of course. As annoying as they could be, they weren't nightmares to deal with. She didn't need to know this though, especially given how much he said he loved her and Lostro............. and his actions to back up that fact which put on his shoulders the deaths of 25% of the Basenjis crew.
"Right, the one we fought a demon to save, you considered putting up for adoption," Ora fired back sarcastically. Touche ya little brat, Sebas thought playfully
"You're both just that annoying," he responded in kind, and smugly to drive it home. "Don't overestimate how annoying kids can be for all the love I see you with." And there was a grain of truth in it. It was something no one really prepared him for. In the span of a month, he took on the full time job of parenting these two girls on a pirate ship and he did what he could to distance them as much as possible from his pirating stuff. As much as he could for girls who literally came with him, at least. Sebas wasn't some infallible father. He walked through coals for them, but they had specific needs, fundamentally different in ways that 2 human children could have even at the furthest apart they could be in terms of needs. "Love you both, but you drive me crazy. You'll understand when you're a mother."

But........" he looked to Bogrum again, "What made you do this shit?" They didn't live a glamorous life, their lifespan low. Bogrum wasn't exactly a pirate's pirate. If anything, he was a landlubber. He was a sensible man, despite him serving under the Scorchclaws. There was a brutality there, but either he abandoned it or he chose where to put it, and either his stint in the Pockets or something else made him see reason. You don't serve under the Scorchclaws and be as sensible as he was. Sebas knew...........because he himself got an offer, which was a very high task for a human, especially given his humanity among Orcs. "You didn't wake up one morning and say 'I wanna sail the seas and do illegal shit'."

• OOC: Not enough in depth character interaction. Time to change that

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Commerce District - Streets​

Watching that fire die from Vespera's eyes as he gently rebuffed her made guilt pierce him sharply, but it had to be done. Her aggression was having the opposite effect both of them wanted... unless she wanted Nancy looking like some helpless child tottering behind his mama bear. That was exactly what they were rewarded with.
Gods... As Steven went on and on about them, Nancy curled up on himself, chin on his chest and tail curved around his knees. Embarrassment crept under his scales. He really had lost all respect from this man, hadn't he? Vespera's shadowing was only yet another nail on the coffin, if not the final. He just wanted her to be there in case he had a damn panic attack so someone could drag his frozen body away! He wished even more that Jack had stayed. At least he bothered to ask how he was doing and didn't speak for him.

Maybe Nancy was seeking approval from the wrong person. Steven's next verbal barb was another nail in THAT coffin.
'Sloth'?? 'Wallowed'?? The teeth on his lip nearly bit into the skin, holding back only in obedience to his Trial. No, he KNEW Steven didn't just accuse the most hard-working woman he knew of being "slothful". What the fuck was this?! If he knew that she "wallowed", then somehow he knew she had been drowning in depression. Why am I surprised, he thought, bitterness on his tongue rather than copper. He WOULD be the type to judge someone for mental illness. Steven was happy to project vices onto people he didn't know while leaving his own wrath unmitigated. He knew High God Obris handpicked those most in need of His guidance. Well, He was severely slacking on the job!

Any remaining light in Vespera's eyes had been snuffed out now, a grief comparable to what he had seen for 200 years on her face as she turned away... to Elaina?! No! What was Ves thinking?! She'll tell her he's right! Nancy's breaths quickened, lungs struggling against tightening ribs. She'll tell her she deserves this, and that she deserves to suffer, and that she should want to die--

Stop, stop, STOP! Nancy held his breath before all the oxygen made him pass out. She's not going to die! Stop freaking out! He couldn't imagine why on Earth Vespera would seek someone out who abused her. And with a hearty helping of guilt, he realized it didn't feel out of character considering how long she let herself suffer harm by the Kraiven citizens. But surely she had enough self-respect to not put her psyche in the hands of that...
Just let her, he told himself. Ordered himself. Let her do what she wants. Damage control later. Looking at Steven with a new kind of heat in his face, Nancy kept his jaws locked firm. His teeth wanted to pierce different skin. Pray that you're just lashing out. PRAY, Steven.

• New Character Trait: Nancy is Negatively-Aligned with Steven (Dislikes)
  • Nancy perceives Steven to be belittling Vespera's suicidal depression as slothfulness. The only reason he DISLIKES instead of HATES is because Steven had to personally smite the children too Blighted to save.

Nancy Sticks to his Guns

Nancy let Steven lead him away, grateful to be out from under all those eyes. Grateful that his anger was exhausted on someone else, as shitty as Nancy felt for that. Grateful that he wasn't being insulted and demeaned for a decision that had nothing to do with him. Grateful most of all for those last words. "Do what you want". Damn right Nancy will.

Everything else Steven said can fuck off. "... Do you think that's what I've been doing this whole time?" Facial fins were pressed to his skull, as if that could hide how boiling red they were. "Crying for myself? Wallowing in self-pity?" His arms folded, tail lashing behind him in the same tandem as someone's foot might tap. "Did you forget that I just watched my homeland of two centuries burn to the ground? Or did you expect that to not effect me?"

It was already spelled out for him, but Nancy gave Steven the same bluntness he would have. "I've been mourning, Steven. I've been mourning almost everyone I've known for 200 years because they're dead. I've been mourning all those children being used against their will for someone's sick experiments. I've..." He cut himself off before he got more worked up, already trembling. How Steven would react to his honesty rattled his anticipation, but he was also too angry to care. If he couldn't see how tone-deaf it was to basically tell him to "suck it up" after all that happened, then Steven didn't give a shit about him.

"... I'd like to think that you do care," admitting that there were heavy benefits of the doubt at play, "and that you're wanting to make sure I don't stagnate when I have the means to improve my situation. If that's the case, then I do-- truly-- appreciate it." Steven did give an almost-apology, revealing a mere smidge of empathy. "But I will only stop crying in that gutter when I'm ready. When I'm ready, Steven," he emphasized, leaning his head closer. The height difference between the human and this tall fishman were stark when Nancy wasn't curling into a scared ball. "Vespera won't drag me out of it, and you're not going to crack the whip over me to get me to leave faster. Neither of you made me get out of bed today," he said, unfurling his arms out to gesture at the surrounding town. "So I'm already taking steps. If it's not fast enough for you, then I d--" A deep intake of breath to flatten his nerves. "I don't care. I don't owe you improvement. Vespera was wrong to attack you like that, but she's not wrong to say that it's none of your business."

Since he was already in it, Nancy might as well give him the full truth. "I actually didn't want to talk to you at first. I humored you because I knew you wouldn't leave me the hell alone otherwise. You were angry-- and very rightfully so, knowing what Obris had you do. I can't imagine having to smite those kids myself." He could, actually. And he knew he'd immediately try to smite himself instead of living with the guilt, even if the culling was justified. "But-- and please, PLEASE correct my presumptions-- but it seemed more like you wanted to take your anger out on me than actually help. I did nothing to wrong you, but I could sense your rage every time you neared. It interrupted my mourning and made me feel the need to hide." So if Steven wanted Nancy to get up and walk, hunting him down was doing the opposite.

"If you do want to help me, then wait to follow at my side when I do start to walk. If you truly do care about me, you won't become yet another problem for me." Nancy was willing to permit Steven into his business, though he felt like he really shouldn't. He wanted to tell Steven to fuck off and be done with it. But he couldn't afford to lose potential allies in case this was all a misunderstanding. "And if you have any respect for me, thank Jack for talking sense into you. Because if you ever take your anger out on me when I did nothing to wrong you, we're not on speaking terms."

Bogrum Mazoga
Commerce District - Streets​

Where did Bogrum see himself? Let's see. Saddled with kids? Not quite. Stuck in the Pockets? Definitely not. Tied to a wife in a colony? Not anymore. Sailing the skies and seas with a man constantly on the cusp of facing a mutiny? No, but he supposed the past few events would have led to this eventually.
"None of the above," he eventually answered Sebas. In turn, he said in Orcish, "And you don't have to tell me Kaer Lyon's bad right now. Why else am I here?" There was a joking undertone, accompanied by a low chuckle, but it was true.

But kids... ah. Seeing Sebas bicker and bicker with his little ones made him long, admittedly. Bogrum never planned on having his own at first, though it was a consideration now just to honor his family line. There were enough children in need of a family as it was. But Bogrum had always found himself in a position of caretaker that wasn't fatherhood. The older brother making sure his siblings weren't cleaving each other with axes, or the teacher guiding new engineers so they didn't lop their fingers off with the equipment. There were a lot of missing limbs, he realized, looking back in his mind's eye at all the Orcs he had known. How had he managed to keep every single digit?
There was always joy to be found in building a person up into their best self. Raising a child was like building from the ground up, laying foundations that will keep them solid for the rest of their lives. And to have his foundations shaken too, so he could repair and rebuild imperfections crafted into him. To be fair to his dear mother though, those imperfections were surely few.

Ah, but he was drifting off now. "I'll be honest Sebas, but I won't be a downer. It's not a happy story. I don't have much to go back to, so onwards I go." Bogrum kept his gaze ahead as he walked, careful not to lumber into all of these small humans and Tritons. "Though if we're talking of retiring, I've thought about setting up my own woodwork shop after I've made my fortune. Settle down in a port town and offer services to good folks like you." He smirked, bearing one tusk to its full size. "Not necessarily legal folks, but good."
And that begged the question. "I could ask the same for yourself. What brought you out here instead of fighting for Warlord Sheris? I can't imagine you never got the invitation." It was high praise, but one that cast quite the shadow. Who wouldn't take the opportunity to bring glory to their family? Though how Bogrum saw it, Sebas either brought them glory in his own way, or had no one to bring glory to.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Steven the Deacon
Commerce- Streets​

Huh? Rage? Is that what Nancy supposedly felt from him. "Nancy........What made you think that you were special enough to affect me to that extent?" Steven cocked his head in genuine confusion. "I chewed Jack's ear off about it many a time, but if you think I've been this enraged beast on the prowl for you because you've felt a source of RAGE, you gotta take a look at that vampire." Steven sensed the rage from Vespera from the moment he saw her. "I could have and WOULD HAVE kicked your door in if you affected me to that degree," he said dead seriously. "If anything, your avoidance irritated me, but I don't know you well enough for you to EVER take up that kind of space in my mind. We lost 25% of our crew. You know how much more work I've had these 3 days?" Steven took a deep breathe with this one. "A lot. A metric fuck-ton, just like the people in Kraiven.........but my world still turns. I'm too damn busy to be thinking about a crying-ass man all day. You. Are. Not. Special."

"WAS I mad at some point? Yeah, I was, and that anger came from me having expected that a God did their fucking job like we're expected to do our fucking job. But............ he said, "I can't POSSIBLY be mad that you broke Divinity Law with that for a Goddess." Steven, having been filled in in-depth about everything that happened and why by Elaina came to the obvious conclusion that the Goddess was a fucking IDIOT. Steven had such faith in the jobs Gods did that huge things like what the Goddess did would've made him Dissent on the spot, and talking to Sebas confirmed that the belief was not unreasonable. Sebas had reason to serve the Goddess, but as far as he [Sebas] was concerned, the Goddess felt not all that far off from Adonis

But back to the business at hand, Steven shrugged. Someone needed to tell him that shit happened in the background. "Guess I'll give it to ya straight. Someone has been taking the fall for you," he said, "Barely been working......... Who's been pulling your weight?" This was true. People that they brought with them had work to do while on the ship. Nancy was sleeping and eating good these 3 days, own room and everything Not a fin was lifted by Nancy to do actual work around the ship, with a crew now 25% short overnight. "Say what you want about Ves, but she's been pulling your weight."

Spoiler: Parallel Conversation

Elaina Melora
Leafy Bean Cafe

Elaina stirred her tea as Vespera entered and sat down. "Hello hello, Vespera." she said, nothing that Ves had definitely been crying. No amount of red eyes will save her from the puffy cheeks and generally shiny eyes, as well as the defeated look. "Looks like you're not doing too well."
"Of course I'm not," Ves said bluntly, "Were you watching?"
"Flattering yourself by thinking you're on my mind that much, ok" Elaina said nonchalantly, rebuffing that notion, "I had a conference call with my proxy concerning matters in Orivae."
Ves's brow perked up. "What's going on in Orivae?" she asked, "Is everyone OK?"
"The Goddess Descended to burn the dead," Elaina said in a low voice, more than happy to enlighten her. She then snapped her fingers and put them and their table inside a Bubble of [Silence]. "She did it, and left not too long after." She could thank Josephine for why she knew any of this. The witch didn't have Omni-Sight. At least not at distances that far. "Josephine is scared out her dress due to Nellie being emotional as always. Then again, the Goddess is just as emotional."
Ves's face went hard at the mention of the Goddess. "Ugh, of course they'd scare her. Isn't she a normal person?"
"Not exactly normal, but wants to be," Elaina corrected, "She has a powerful Daedric being inside of her that she is unaware of. It is the sole reason why I haven't killed her for what she did."
".........Can't you show a modicum of mercy?"
"I have, by leaving her alive."
"I......but yo-......ok," Ves said, not about to fight her
"What? You think I can't kill that being inside her? We killed Mozreliun, we can kill Rook," Elaina said smugly, "But even so, Josephine has kind of grown on me. She does her job, doesn't complain too much. Too bad it took messing with her memories to get her like that." It took a lot of work to mess with Josephine's memories and get her to a point where Rook wouldn't attack her. Rook has all self-awareness, but as long as Josephine didn't HATE her and was unaware of Rook, Rook was kept at bay. Unlike Mozreliun, Rook would go SOLELY for her, and then rampage everything else. Granted, she could snipe Josephine and then teleport too far for Rook to reach, but the Daedric always found a way


Vespera Marine Seyres

Given Elaina's general personality, it actually came as a surprise to know that Elaina's blood pressure actually regulated when she spoke of Josephine. Then again, Elaina did say that Josephine grew on her. That simple phrase meant nothing per se, but knowing that Elaina meant it spoke to the fact that Elaina was honest through and through, down to stuff that she would never admit in person, but wouldn't lie about. "Do you like Josephine?"
"No," Elaina said with a startling amount of immediacy, to the surprise of Ves. "She's a proxy. Easy to talk to, attractive, competent. That is the most amount of 'like' I place on her." The blood pressure indicated that this was the truth. Geez, you're cold, Ves thought. That lead was nipped in the bud
"OK, so what'd you visit me for? I can guess, but I'd rather not have the charade."
"..........." Ves sighed
"We have all night, but not in this cafe, Vessy," Elaina commented after a few seconds, nursing her tea
".................I..................Do I deserve to live?"
Ves could sense the rare throwing off of Elaina. Of course it The witch then regained her composure. "Deserve to live? Hmmmm......."
"We have all night, but......."
"Oh shut up," Elana countered. "On what basis do you ask this question?"
"............."

Back to Steven

"So now do you get where I'm coming from? EVERYONE IS MOURNING, Nancy," Steven told him bluntly. He was. Sebas was. Ash was. Avery was. Jack was. Demi was. Vespera was. Elaina was. Every single member of that ship were mourning huge losses. Losses beyond maybe what Avery predicted, and no amount of willingly walking into a death march would change that. "You're not carrying your full weight," Steven sighed. This wasn't the thing he wanted to tell him. "When I said 'suckling the teat', this is what I meant."

"When I say that you're being coddled, it means that Demi is swabbing the deck at midnight. It means Ves is working double overtime for Elaina because it would be YOUR job instead. So forgive me when I look at you all puffed up in front of me and feel not a SHRED of intimidation. The sole reason you've had the time to mourn is because some other schmuck from Kraiven worked in your place. Demi has you set up in a room. Ves is setting you up for life under the Seyres name. Are you seeing what I'm saying?" Steven's rants now took on a different context. Now it came from a man who had to do his job regardless of how grieved he was to a man who Nepo'ed his way into a room and out of work, with a weird amount of people trying to protect him. "You are eating and sleeping good. Who is paying for that, huh? People are paving the path FOR you." Well, Elaina wasn't paving anything. She was making things easier, but she was undoubtedly getting paid for it.

"So no, you won't get any extra coddling from me and Jack. I'll put a boot up your ass. Jack won't." He turned around and began to leave. "Your slack is not someone else's weight to carry. Carry your own weight when you're ready, but until then, know and accept that someone as grieved as you are is doing your work FOR you. If it means we don't speak, so be it." With that, Steven left to go find Jack and get some grub. Now he wanted a hooker, but the gun range would have to suffice for the night

Steven is an ally locked behind a hard veil of tough love. Smol boys not allowed near him. He accepts Nancy's threat of not speaking again.

Spoiler: Parallel Conversation 2

"............Steven said I'm guilty of Sloth, and that was the basis that Nellie killed those people on. If the Goddess judged me, would she say I was Slothful?"
Elaina sipped her tea. 1 second, 2 seconds, 10. "Did she judge you?"
"No."
"Then you're not Slothful," Elaina said, "If that oaf can judge the Kitsune Twins who were separate from the 100 Elite, surely she can judge you. If she didn't, she hasn't deemed you guilty. Granted, it doesn't mean you're INNOCENT. It just means you're not guilty."
"And what would you say?"
"Why care what I think? My word is not Law." It honestly surprised Ves that Elaina wasn't using this moment to put her under the boot again. "As for Steven, I say who cares what that zealot thinks?" Elaina leaned forward, "He seems to operate under the assumption that we fall under some form of Divinity Law. Me? I don't fall under it but I operate to subvert it."
"Subvert Divinity Law?" Ves's brow raised, "How do you think you'll subvert Divinity Law?"
"By destroying souls, saving dunces like Nancy, preventing emos like Nellie from using their gifts, Gambiting people's Divine Favor, preventing revival, inducing Nullification. All of that subverts the system by preventing their Will from coming to pass." Elaina took another sip. "In fact, if we didn't have to breach the Null Realm or fight Mozreliun, the Gods would not have intervened at all."
It made sense then why Mariana was even in the picture. But it painted a bleak picture because they would've been living under that rule indefinitely. But Ves took an opportunity to learn more about Elaina. This opportunity wouldn't present itself often. "Why?" Ves asked, "What made you go on this path?"
"You saw what happened to your not-boyfriend, right?"
Ves wanted to slap Elaina for implying any romantic feelings for Nancy. For Christ's sake, 2 people can be close friends without there being a romance! Even if she did have feelings for Nancy, it physically could not work out anyways! "Yes. The Goddess exiled him based on her own stupid actions," she growled.

Elaina looked back to her tea. "Do you remember when I regulated your attitude when you wanted to act like you were better than us? I feel the same way about the system of Divinity Law." She then said, igniting her cup to warm her tea back up. "That is why I do what I do. There are only a few actual Gods amongst the Pantheons. The rest of them? Glorified Angels. Why would I want to serve Mariah?"
Ves's eyes grew wide at the perspective. Never has she heard it put like that! One day, Mariah was an normal nun. The next? A Holy Angel on the path to become a God! To Ves? A being that, for all her benevolence towards her, was a danger now. To Elaina? The same Mariah, and that was likely to never change whether Mariah was an Angel or a High Goddess.

"See, the way I see it, God is not A higher power. God is THE HIGHEST POWER. They answer to no higher power, and they damn sure weren't former denizens on the mortal plane. THEY CREATED THE FUCKING PLANE!!" Ves could tell that Elaina was calm, but her ability to yell passionately without a change in her calmness spoke to a higher control over her emotions. Or maybe it was the perspective of being aggressively apathetic instead of aggressively caring about it. "I'm willing to believe that Gods have peers, but I will NOT dedicate my life to serving a lesser being."

Elaina is Agnostic because she believes that God doesn't answer to anyone. Therefore, any God that isn't the absolute highest may as well be like her. This belief was confirmed reinforced when Mariah became an Angel

Sebas Deadeye
Commerce District- Streets​

"I can't consume a Beast's Heart to advance. I'm a human afterall, not an orc. Thus, without a gun as the great equalizer, I'm dead-ended working for Warlord Sheris," Sebas explained, "I can do it now with my whole Viperfish Blood thing now, but........" Sebas had no desire to live in the badlands that mostly made up Kaer Lyon anyways, and while he could always take weapons into battle, if he couldn't go mano-e-mano with them, they'd never acknowledge his prowess. Sebas was very strong for a human, but even the strongest human was no match for a similarly trained orc. Not in hand-to-hand anyways. "If I were to go fight for Warlord Sheris, I'd never garner the same respect without roids or something. Then never be able to promote since a Beast Heart will kill me. Deadend"

Spoiler: Orc Lore: Beast Hearts

Orc Biology: Consume Beast Hearts for Greater Strength​

It has been observed in some Orc cultures that they eat the hearts of the strong enemies they fight in order to get stronger. This is largely a misconception brought about by an actually true observation. Orc CAN get stronger by eating hearts...........BEAST hearts. However, taken too far, some Orc cultures have applied it to other orcs, falsely believing that such cannibalism makes them stronger when it simply does not

There are 3 types of Orc. Most are green, but green could turn red or blue. When Orcs get strong enough, they can promote by consuming one of 3 items: The Monster's Heart, the Berserker's Heart or the Sage's Heart. All 3 of these make an Orc stronger, but they can only consume one type. Once they consume it, the other 2 paths are stonewalled. 99.9% of Orcs who seek to break this mold end up dead. Remember, you are created by a God to fit a mold. When you color outside the lines, you may end up dead.

The Monster's Heart is the most general, the determined heart of most beasts to survive and live a long life. These hearts are those of battle-hardened beasts. These Hearts are very very common in comparison to the other 2. When consumed, the Orc gets a big power boost, but gets to keep both their magic and physical capabilities, at the cost of a much slower growth than the other 2 paths. Orcs who promote using this are officially deemed Honorable Orcs. Qualified Monster Hearts are kept in enchanted water. These orcs are typically the leaders on the battlefield


The Berserker's Heart is the ferocious heart of a furious beast. Known to be enlarged, veiny, and ever-pumping even when removed, It it believed that the heart of the berserker keeps on beating due to its everlasting desire to fight and grow stronger. To kill until there is none who can stand before them........or to fall in the glorious fight to the death. It is for that reason that the heart will beat on as it continues fighting. That is, until it is pierced and thus silenced, rendering its effects useless and unable to be used for promotion. Orcs who consume the Berserker's Heart turn red and become Savage Orcs, more commonly deemed Red Orc Berserkers. Their mana/magic is effectively made non-existent while amplifying their physical capabilities to the nines. These Orcs aren't the tip of the spear, they are a mobile battering ram. Don't be surprised if a Red Orc Berserker is air-dropped into a fort, and that fort falls to that presence alone. These Orc are typically put in pairs and rarely with the main attacking force.

Draconic or Daedric Divine Beasts will always have a Berserker's Heart. They are typically stored in the blood of at least 5 different beasts, or Black Water. Do NOT store multiple Qualified Berserker's Hearts in the same container. It is unknown why, but if stored together, over time only 1 heart will remain beating while the rest cease function

Avery owns a Berserker's Heart, taken from Mozreliun


The Sage's Heart is the immortal heart of a Blessed Beast. A heart brimming with the essence of magic swirling within it, it glows and never stops beating so long as it is supplied with magic to keep itself beating. This heart contains the essence of the world, the secrets previously unseen and unfelt condensed into the heart of the beast that owned it. They know that such knowledge cannot be made to perish. It must be passed on, recycled into the world just as the body of the dead returns to the earth as part of the Circle of Life. When consumed, the Orc's skin turns blue and they become a Shamanic Orc, more commonly deemed a Blue Orc Mage. Their physical growth will hit a dead-end. Their physical limits will be strictly enforced while it will utterly shatter the limits of their magic and mana capability and potential. Warlord Sheris is a Blue Orc Mage. These Orcs, like the Red Orc Berserkers, are utter powerhouses on the battlefield. However, unlike ROBs, they are able to unleash devastating non-divine attack spells or rally and buff battalions worth of soldiers to spearhead an assault. They are tricky, they are versatile, they are thoughtful, they are dangerous.

Fae or Holy Divine Beasts will always have a Sage Heart. They are kept in a pool of mana or Holy Water until time to consume. Hearts will slowly drain the mana from the water to sustain itself. Multiple hearts can be kept together, but they exponentially increase the drain on the essence. If they are kept in a mana/holy devoid environment for too long, they will cease to beat before-long.

• Honorable Orc- Green; Normal but strong; Monster's Heart
• Shamanic Orc- Blue; Capped strength but exponential magic ability; Sage's Heart
• Savage Orc- Red; Little-no magic but exponential physical ability; Berserker's Heart

For Sebas, a human, consuming a Beast's Heart would most likely kill him. Orcs were built differently, as like most species on Earth. God designed their species with defining characteristics, and for Orcs it was compatibility with Beast Hearts, and [Passive Ability- Rage]. Sebas simply could not compete beyond a surface level and a good leader was not just in logistics. For Orc, they were on the frontlines fighting WITH the people. Humans a lot of time didn't do that. The King wasn't on a horse charging. At most, they'd be in a tent at base camp commanding his generals. Few kings stepped up and decimated the frontline. "It really would be an honor to fight for Sheris, but I fear that she's trying to conquer all of Kaer Lyon now. Scorchclaw Territory seems to not be enough for her........or maybe it's her Circle which consists of mostly Savage Orcs." The Circle of Hearts were a group of 14 Orcs which served as Council for the Warlord, not much different than King Hemhart's Council or any King's Council. For Orcs, it was usually generals of their army. Sheris called it her Circle of Hearts due to it being those who consumed the Beast's Heart

When Bogrum mentioned not having much to go back to, the most Sebas could think of was plunder. That's USUALLY what it meant, and it was about as normal as the stench of death in the Deadlands, named as such because of how much unburied dead were there, to the point of it becoming a literal regional mass grave. "I get it, but rumor has it that we might be taking on a mission that'll take us back into Kaer Lyon." Pirates WERE hired blades afterall, good for the war effort, especially if it involved having them sail. Orcs in general were NOT well versed in seaside warfare so a lot of their naval efforts had to be outsourced. "If Sheris wants our blade, it's a good thing that my family is under her protection." Sheris was a benevolent woman overall, rather take over a village than destroy it and kill the people, and rule by respect than fear. "Guess we'll see.........Hope she don't make a new Deadland." He looked forward as they came upon Lattice and Lostro in Commerce. "Yo Lattice," Sebas said
"Yes sir?"
"Thank you for taking care of Lostro. I'll pay you as usual. Call Demi and head back."
"Lady Demestral will reject your payment attempt as usual," the Draconian maid responded with a smile, "but I appreciate the sentiment and words of praise." She bowed her head. "Until next time, Sir Sebas, Sir Bogrum, Lady Lostrogret, Lady Orabelle." Sebas could never get over how sincere she sounded for someone having to service people that were NOT her master.
"LOSTRO."
Lattice already stepped off, but Sebas knew Lattice heard it and took it to mind, as she did any and all criticism regarding her service.

"I'll need to see some of that woodwork though, Bogrum," Sebas quipped out of nowhere, "Sounds like an investment when you finally start being seasick........but for tonight, there's dinner and a show tonight. We already ate, but I'll treat ya and get drinks while the show goes on. The least I can do for your effort out in the field. It's little recourse............This shit will affect the crew for a long time," he said. It was followed a dark look. Sebas was grappling with guilt to SOME degree, and it made sense. This all happened to save a child who, if left dead, would've saved over 70,000 lives. On the other, the day Lostro drew her last breath would've had them facing Mozreliun anyways. The only way to have avoided that outcome period would've been to kill her again or smite her a long time ago, before Mozreliun grew to as powerful as he did. "That's why I want to give my thanks."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Commerce District - Streets​

... But the Bullets Ricochet

By the time Steven was done with him, Nancy was left with a gash in his chest.
"Barely been working."
He was trying. He was TRYING! Was nothing he did ever enough?! Did Steven think he was just living it up while Ves picked up the shifts he couldn't trudge through? That just because he had access to a bed and food, it meant he was lazing about and gorging himself all day? Did he think he wanted to be broken like this?!
"Someone as grieved as you are is doing your work FOR you."
But... everyone was broken. Demi watched her comrades die, and her homeland burn to the ground after being apart from them for so long. Vespera spent that time wanting to die because the people she worked for hated her. And Nancy had the audacity to make them take care of him, as if his misery was anything unique?

No. He wasn't special. He was nothing. Nothing but a crying, pathetic waste.
Breaths were heavy against the fist clenching his collar, now splattered with tears. His teeth clenched, wanting skin to catch. Can't you do something other than cry for once in your worthless life?!
He had to leave. He had to leave. He was a burden to people already so downtrodden, so why stay? They were better off without useless dead weight who could barely pick himself up from gutter, let alone even a mop and bucket.
Everything was a dizzy blur of shop signs and street lights as he fled. Nancy couldn't just take a shiv to his throat and be done with it. He couldn't do that to them. They loved him. He didn't know WHY, but they did love him. It would be yet another grief to discover his dead body. No, he had to disappear and never be found. Quickly, before Ves could talk him out of this.

Clicking his comm crystal off, Nancy mentally catalogued the items in his bags as he looked for street guides. I have enough money for rations, if he could even stomach them, so he'd have to buy something well-preserved. Or he could just forage for his own food. First aid kit. Camping gear. Hell, he didn't need much. He'd lived out in the woods before. Not alone, but he traveled with his sister in a dangerous badland. The countryside surrounding Andouphe couldn't possibly be much worse, but he would ask the locals to be sure. He could do this. He'd done it before. He could do this--

"Oi, fish boy! The hell ye think you're goin'?!"

Spoiler: Paying it Forward

Fergie
Commerce - Streets​

Said fish boy jolted into a skidding halt, flipping around to face her like a wide-eyed rabbit. Good lord, could he run on those stumpy wee things. Fergie actually had to maintain a jog to keep up with him.
"Wh-- What do you w--" Recognition flashed across the Locathah's face as he looked her up and down. "Raid Captain?" His hunched posture straightened before this higher ranking woman, though he looked no less frazzled.
"Nah. Just Fergie. We're off-duty." She strode towards him, closing a reasonable speaking distance that wouldn't startle the already-spooked thing. "Yer vampire lass went that-a way," she told him, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "Where ye headed? Buyin' her flowers?"

As if. Not after the thrashing Steven gave him. Granted, it was the most gentle thrashing Fergie had ever seen the man give. Honestly more a simple statement of facts, with a sprinkling of some frankly presumptuous opinions. She'd give Steven credit if he wasn't incapable of not being a dickass.
"Um..." Nancy's feet shuffled backwards, boots scuffing against the pavement. They had wide brims, designed specially for the webbed feet within, she figured. Most fishfolk ran around some degree of barefoot, but not this fellow. "I'm... I'm leaving," he said, an assertive grip clamping onto his bag strap. "I've been a drain on resources, and I can't promise when I'll be able to pull my full weight. It's better that I get out of your hair."
"Oh, come off it." Fergie took a few just as assertive steps forwards, maintaing the same distance. "I overheard everythin'. Had to make sure our good Stevie Boy didn't rip ye's some new holes without reason." The fact that he didn't honestly surprised her. Talk of Divinity Law-breaking? Fergie was certain the dude had to hate him for it, but no. Steven had some sort of soft spot for this sad fish boy. "Godsdamn, mate, ye've got some balls of steel. Tellin' the Gods no? Some real pirate shit there." She already liked him for that reason alone. Defying Divinity Law was as peak an outlaw could get, damn what anyone said.

She motioned her head where they last saw Steven. "So why the hell do ye suddenly care what that bootlicker says? He ain't even in charge." Fergie didn't fuck around with slackers either, but slacking wasn't just "not working enough". It was a state of mind, and one she doubted Nancy shared if Demi was this willing to vouch for him. "He's damn good at what he can do, but there's a reason he ain't in leadership."
Nancy was shaking his head before, but now much more fervently. "I can't let you convince me to stay. Sorry..."
He began to turn away, an action abruptly ended by her immediate barking, "DON'T YE MOVE A DAMN MUSCLE!!" She was over him in an instance, staring him down best she could at a taller man. "I know I said we're off-duty. But I've taken down game worse than you, big boy, an' I won't hesitate to yank ye by the gills!"
"... Dont yell at me." Tears were brewing, threatening to spill over his already slicked cheeks. Good lords... "Please."
"Then sit down an' shut up. Yer gonna listen to what I have to say. I ain't mad." He seemed hung up on that sort of thing. "Now sit," she urged, pointing at the curb where sidewalk met street.
Compliant, Nancy settled himself down, most likely to deter any more of the Dreaded Raised Voice. Whatever, so long as it stopped him from running off to bumblefuck just because someone was slightly mean to him. Fuck, maybe that was mean too. He was holding himself up fine until Steven barbed him with that last tirade.

Fergie sat a professional distance aside from him, but her eyes crept all over his slouched form, taking in every detail under the lamp light. Jesus fuck. She didn't know where Steven got this "eating and sleeping well" notion. The dude was fucked. Glazed eyes sunken in dark pits. Fins withered at the tips. Barbels thin and drooping. Loose skin around the neck and tail, a sign of rapid weight loss. Come to think of it, she never saw him in the Mess Hall, but what did she know? She'd been hella busy too, busier from her position.
"Honestly lad, I'm surprised yer folks haven't sent ye to the medbay yet. Lookin' real rough there." She couldn't expect Steven to read Piscean bodies, but surely his vampire friend had to? Or maybe he refused to admit himself and settled with part-time work out of guilt. It's what Fergie would have done the past few times had she not been literally bed-bound by those injuries and illnesses.
"... I'm not the only one." He sunk into himself, long body folding over as his arms wrapped around his legs. "I'm not special."
"Ah shaddup. Stop parroting that dickhead," she ordered. "I don't wanna hear anythin' about "suckin' the teat" or "coddlin'" or any of that nonsense. Just 'cause he's too prideful to ask for help don't mean he gets to put that onto ye." The only figure she had ever seen come close to doting on that man was his best mate Jack, and that amounted to "Hey, did ya eat? Are ya dead? Not too drunk?" Basic ass stuff. Far be it from the most prideful bitch around to judge Steven for it, but making that anyone else's problem? Hell no. "Nothin' against him, though. The pirate life fucks with folks' view on basic relationships." As direct a quote she could make from what Sebas had said. She didn't know much Piscean, but she understood the gist of it. "It's give and take, Nancy. Ye take time off, ya give it back when Vespera or Demi or whoever needs their time off. We don't care so long as the work's gettin' done." Sebas paid out the ass to save hers multiple times. She returned it by being a damn good raid captain. A simple concept that she needed a reminder on, and apparently she wasn't the only one.

"So don't let it get to ya. Ain't yer fault he's pissy that ye didn't reward his sage advice by kissin' his feet and suckin' his nuts."
Nancy recoiled at that, a motion poorly masking the chuckle it drew out. "Don't say that." A smile, finally. Something to lift that drooping look on his face.
"What? He's a notorious asshole," she continued on. She was no Elaina, but she couldn't deny herself a bit of cattiness. Like hell no one shit-talked Fergie behind her back, and plenty of it was justified. "Dude needs to get laid, if anything. Maybe he's got a riveting personality behind all that bitchiness once he blows off some steam."
"Fergie, please." The plea meant little when that smile widened to a grin behind his hand.
"Nah. He's alright. Still an asshole, but he's alright."

Bogrum Mazoga
Commerce District - Streets​

"Ah. I suppose that's just the way it is." Bogrum couldn't relate. Not because he was an Orc and Sebas a human, but because he didn't care to move up himself. He was always content in the little corner he'd nestled himself into, spending more time building war contraptions than racking up bodies with them. It wasn't as glorious or glamorous, but neither were for him. Even nowadays he was thinking about stepping down from leadership. Some grunt work might help take his mind off of things. "To be honest, I don't miss it enough to go back. As much respect have for her, I've done my part." There was nothing left for him to fight for there. Nothing worth putting his own life down for, and his Warlord's glory wasn't good enough reason. He wasn't dying for what amounted to a stranger.

Sheris, Fabian, Adonis...
Well. He would rather not die for a stranger.

And then Sebas dropped a bomb on him. "Ah..." They might be heading to Kaer Lyon? Were things coming full circle so soon? Bogrum wasn't ready to go back, if ever. However... "We're on business. Is what it is." Different circumstances. It was a big region, who was to say he'd be coming back home? Regardless, he was with the Basenjis now. Pirates never stuck around in one place long.

Bogrum perked up with a smile seeing Lostro. "Little one two," he acknowledged. Orabelle was technically Number Two chronologically, so he'd see how well Lostro took to that title. Now, for the pleasant subject shift away from politics. "You already saw some on Fergie," he said on the topic of woodworking. "Got her set up with a new prosthetic. Though that was mainly replicating the old one." Some tweaks to polish imperfections in the old design, with a bit of personal flair-- whatever the ever practical Fergie allowed-- but that was really it. If he wanted to show off his work, he'd need to set up a portfolio of sorts.

A less pleasant subject shift, now. "Sebas..." There was a glimpse of turmoil behind his stoic composure. Not a great turmoil, but one all the same. One that came with making a costly, yet necessary choice. It was inevitable, were the words primed to leave his lips. But Sebas didn't look like he needed the reassurance. Not for that, anyways. "You've done a lot for this crew," he did say. "It shows."
Then something a little more contentious. "The Canine has more respect for you than any of the circle of leaders." Adonis, Damond, and Fatimah were distant in comparison. Especially Adonis. "I suspect that the crew shuffle isn't just because of the losses."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Elaina Melora
Leafy Bean Cafe​

The duo kept their conversation going, and Elaina could tell that Ves was finally relaxing and opening up. She was much more fun to mess with when she wasn't appearing before her emotionally hurt. Elaina was not one to kick someone while they're down, at least not unless she brought that emotional torment on them herself. Steven is just a man stalwart in his beliefs. Good thing that idiot has a bigger idiot to talk sense into him. It was strangely pleasant to talk to someone like this, especially since Ves had dissolved some of her spite of the crew, instead of just walking around hating everything and everyone without turning inward. Grief or not, 2 centuries of ignorance when you're close to it is impossible to just absolve all personal accountability
"I.........I thank you, Elaina," Ves said, "For the tea, one, but.........I never thought that I would seek out you of all people for reassurance."
"It's a first time for everything, Vessy," Elaina said smugly, "I don't believe in atonement. Only punishment. If you're not guilty of a crime, then you don't need to be punished. However, if you look inward and see a failure in some regard, we are to stand up and do better going forward."
"But why are you being nice to me?"
"Did you think I hated you?"
"You don't treat someone like you treated me and call it liking me."
Elaina sighed. "Let's not pretend that I acted upon you first" she said, "The biggest one who still has it is the Goddess, but I wonder if I can make a few conference calls to see how things are going with her, if another God hasn't humbled her yet."
"Do you mind if I listen in?" Ves REALLY wanted the Goddess to get her comeuppance. It was almost like Steven's verbal boot rerouted her hatred to where it should be
"........Hmmmmm." Almost never did Elaina have someone join her side on a call. She preferred to conduct her business solo. "I can't have your hot head messing with my business ventures."
"Please," Ves said, "I can't look Nancy in the face quite yet, and I REALLY want to know what kind of Karma is collecting on the Goddess."
Maybe the witch just attracted the interest of a troublesome one. She preferred her subordinates to do what she says asking few questions.........but at least, Ves had a vested interest in asking these questions, given that the Goddess gave Nancy the business end of things. "..........I will mute you. You will not speak during my business call."
"I accept."
"Good," Elaina took her spoon out of her tea and put it in Ves's, then stirred it. "It's enchanted with [Mute]. Drink. It'll stay in effect until I disable it after my call."
"We're doing this now?"
"Indeed. I have other ventures to tend to after this encounter ends. Drink up that we may proceed."
Ves took a breath, looking into the cup of tea, then began to drink.............



Steven was a useful idiot, and useful he had unwittingly been indeed. He pushed Vespera right under her wing. If he wanted her to repent to a Holy God, he had quite the opposite effect. Then again, the Goddess Herself had killed any chance that Ves would come under Holy influence. If she didn't hate the whole system, she was certainly willing to destroy it just to get back at the Goddess. Fumble Nancy as well, Elaina thought. Steven was too rugged a pirate to be a good talker to someone like Nancy. His home was on a sailing ship, and that was why he wasn't behind a pulpit instead. If Obris is using you to convert people, the Paragon can't be very smart either.

Elaina put her hands the crystal ball in the middle of the table, making sure they were still shrouded in a bubble of [Soundproof] to keep their sound from escaping. "Elaina to Mahogany."
"Yes, Lady Elaina?" There were the bustling sounds of an obvious restaurant. Mahogany was a barmaid, and follower of Lady Coprini, Daedric Lady of Taboos. Elaina had to curse her to not retain Elaina's last name or her witch title. She literally physically could not ever remember the Melora last name or the All-Seeing Witch title as it applies to Elaina. The woman had a place among Coprini's best for how many rumors she's spread. True? Untrue? Didn't matter. Coprini loves Her chatterboxes.
"What's the word from Qalta? Anything about Goddess Mariana?"
"Lots of juicy deets!" the woman exclaimed, "I'll go on break right now!"
"Call back when you're somewhere quiet," Elaina instructed. Then to Vespera. "Qalta, the City of Remembrance is the Daedric city where Coprini the Clandestine resides, the Daedric Lady of Taboos." Qalta was a place shrouded in secrecy, but the people there were all notorious gossips. If they didn't have insight, there was no insight. That being said, Elaina knew that it being a DAEDRIC city, that a lot of those rumors were partially true if not untrue. One must treat information that came from Qalta like a game of Telephone or 2 Truths and a Lie. "It's called the City of Remembrance. It never says that what you remember is truthful."


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye
Commerce- Streets​

"Hey Bogrum, look at this neat book I got." It.......was best for Bogrum to not touch it, but the sparkling eyes of Lostro showed an awe in the malevolent Daedric swirling from inside it. There was also something else in it. "It holds both Fae and Daedric curses. Wanna read?"
Sebas rebuffed this quickly, attempting to grab the book with his left hand and receiving a painful sudden quick shock. "Fucking hell," he said, shaking off his left hand while successfully grabbing the book with his right to no consequence this time. "Missy, you leak Daedric. Don't go flashing your Daedric stuff in people's faces. You activate the effects. Bogrum's gonna contract Brittle Bone Disease or something." Lostro sat on a repository of power that was simply out of her ability to control, and Sebas's ability to lock it down was not total. She already had that issue BEFORE the Goddess let her drink from the Abyss and multiplied that absurdity by 100x.
"Alright alright......." She conceded, trying to take the book back. "I won't show anyone..... though it IS kinda cool that this book can give people Brittle Bone Disease"
Well the Brittle Bone Disease was an example, not a spec of the book. "You can show them. Don't let them touch it," he responded, giving her back the book. "We're not getting on the hook for opening Pandora's Box."
"Can I get a book, Papa?"
"You got to pray to the Descended Goddess, Lostro got a book. Sounds fair to me," Sebas responded. While Orabelle looked dejected at this, Sebas didn't care. They both chose something, and Orabelle got a rare opportunity while Lostro got a rare book

When Bogrum shifted to his place on the ship, Sebas nodded. The shuffle may complicate things. "If Adonis wants to do something to mess with my mojo, his best bet would be to break up my circle." Sebas, Ash, Avery, Elaina, and now Demi. They were absolute experts. With Avery proving that he was not just hanging on Sebas's nuts and proving himself a master strategist, Ash kept the troop sharp and ready, Avery for the master plan. Elaina for the boundless knowledge. Demi for both her power and her infectious enthusiastic faith. And Sebas? Well Sebas was the one tying it all together and taking care of everything to enable everyone else to work at their best. Fatimah was pissed at Adonis for his actions, and Damond was a single-minded battle whore. Sebas already had Ash and Avery eating from his table. He was very glad that he cultivated a friendship with Elaina and Demi.

Then there was Fergie and Bogrum, 2 very strong assets. Fergie had a level of relatability that Sebas simply didn't have, being Divine-Touched now. Fergie was armed with little more than the standard foot soldier and NOT a literal fucking bear to lean on. Sebas's entire circle initially thought Bogrum would be the one the crew respected more given his more approachable nature, and a better leader as a result. While the second statement was true, that Bogrum WAS more fit to lead than Fergie, the first statement turned out to be false. Fergie was a better people person than Bogrum, among the crew at least. Their direct, brutal, vulgar, nature was not for the faint of heart. Sebas was a leader and Ash was his right hand. Bogrum was a leader, and Fergie was a hell of a right hand. They synergized nicely, and this was proven lately, with Bogrum's minimum casualties and Fergie talking down both Avery and Demi

Sebas then grinned as he continued his line of thought. "I'll just take my influence to wherever I'm sent. He can't put me in a dirt poor position without the crew noticing. If they're ready and willing to march to their deaths for me, it's on me to ensure that I remain trustworthy and NOT let this Mozreliun shit happen again. In fact.......I want to move the crew away from all this Divine stuff." Mozreliun was over their heads. Without Demi, Evangeline, and Laylah, as well as the Goddess Herself, they stood absolutely zero chance. It was a stupid gamble to take that worked out for the cost of 25% of their crew. "That's all I'll say on that one," he finished with a chuckle


Dinner and a Show

The quartet went into the place. It was a theater. Dinner and a show, and not the show where you eat your meal while hoping someone doesn't get slammed on your table for bumping into their assailant. A genuine show, fit for nobles. "This play is......" Sebas looked at the pamphlet he was given. "........called Hamlet." He'd never heard of it. Didn't care. Sebas could read, but he didn't read books for entertainment.
"An incredible tale of betrayal. I've read it 10 times."
"You and your 9 snakes in one session doesn't count as 10 times," Sebas countered without hesitation
"One, it does count since my snakes give me a different interpretation each since they read on their own," Lostro retorted, "and secondly, it was 10 SEPARATE occasions."
"So 100 times, and you're trying to watch it be played out live?" There seemed to be no registration in Lostro's mind that Sebas saw her as multiple brains in one, even if she acknowledged it subconsciously. Maybe because Lostro saw her and her snakes as entirely separate entities, even if the snakes fed the main mind that was Lostro herself
"Hmph!" Lostro said, turning her nose up, "Guess I won't tell you about it."
"Good," Sebas said, chuckling. One could tell that they were pretty close despite the bickering, "You'd spoil the story. You read it, Ora?"
"If it's about betrayal, it explains why Elaina hasn't shown me that story yet." the Triton girl responded, "I like stories like The Wizard of Oz."

Sebas bought tickets for everyone. "Ever heard of Hamlet?" he asked Bogrum, and held out a meal voucher to him. This sort of theater wasn't common for the folk, but as pirates, maybe they pillaged the wealth necessary to enjoy the finer things in life every once in a while. "Someone gets stabbed in the back. Fitting for our situation, but since the ticket's free and I already paid, it's either show or pint to pay me back."
"What type of stories do you like, Bogrum?" Ora asked him, "I like romance."
"You like The Wizard of Oz," Lostro interjected, "The witch was weak to water. Probably smelled horrible. She made witches look bad."
"And I guess Elaina is the model witch."
"YES!" Lostro exclaimed, "Beautiful, knowledgeable, smells nice. She's the true auntie."
"What is it with you and smell?"
"You're a Triton. I don't expect sea-dwellers to know the value of smelling good, stinky."
"Oi, over the line, Lostro. Don't do it again." Sebas intervened sharply. Lostro wasn't intentionally out of line but it came with the territory of being a child. Sometimes they said some stuff out of pocket. "...........but yes Ora, we landwalkers value someone who smells good." It wasn't like those in the sea didn't value smell. It was more that they didn't view it the same way as landwalkers

(This is the timeskip point. Unless you have loose ends to tie up, we will skip to the Crew Shuffle and Departure.)
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Spoiler: Paying it Forward (cont.)

Nancy Noi
Commerce - Streets​

Why was this woman trying to help him?

Petty insults to that man's character couldn't hide the fact that Steven was right. Someone like Nancy didn't even deserve to pity himself, let alone accept pity from anyone else. Yet people kept rushing to his aid, like to a baby's cry. As if he were some innocent thing in need of protecting.
"You're too pure for this world".
He wasn't pure, but he also wasn't for this world. He shouldn't exist. He should--

"Oi!" Rapid snapping got his ears to perk up from flattening to his skull. "Stay with me, Nancy!" He was averse to those sharp eyes piercing into him through the dark, but they commanded his gaze. "Did ya even hear a damn thing I just said?"
"... Why are you being nice to me?"
"Nice?!" Fergie barked out a laugh. He expected condensation to follow-- or god forbid, more pity-- but no. It was genuine mirth at the suggestion. "Mate, I ain't bein' nice. I ain't nice. I'm givin' ye basic decency."
Which was something Steven didn't think he was deserving of. He'd rather shun him than respect the few boundaries he tried to place. As far as he would be concerned, this was just more special treatment. A superior saying that Nancy's sloth was justified instead of whipping him back to work as she should. How did he keep eliciting these reactions from certain people? Why weren't they just leaving him to rot? He didn't deserve "basic decency", he deserved--

"NANCY!" He was ripped away again, now aware of the ice in his limbs and the tears in his eyes. "Get out of LaLa Land and listen, dammit!"
"I am," he forced out, scales shuddering. "What do you want me to say?"
"Whatever stops ye from sittin' there and moping. Talk to me."
Yes, because his misery was so inconvenient to everyone, wasn't it? It is. You're an inconvenience--
His head was wrenched away from burying into his arms, firm fingers clasping him into place. "TALK. TO ME." Her nails were sharp, too sharp to belong to an elf like he thought she was. Their fine points pressed in between his scales, threatening to breach the skin underneath. He hoped they would.
"Get them thoughts outta yer head an' say 'em."
Anything to distract from the sobs wanting to bubble in his throat. Could he ever stop crying?? "I... I don't want to be a burden. Please. Just let me leave. Everyone will be better off."

"Mate, listen to yerself." Those eyes were sharper than her claws, piercing through the blurriness of his tears. Why was she mad at him? "Do ye really think Vespera would fight tooth an' nail like she just did over a burden? Do ye think Demestral would fight to keep a burden's spot on the ship? I mean, damn, do ye think that low of 'em?"
Nancy lurched away from her grasp. "No!"
"Then stop actin' like it!" she demanded, springing to a full stand above him. "Stop actin' like the words of a man who don't know ya-- an' ADMITTED that he ain't even thinkin' 'bout ya-- hold any damn merit!"
"I don't care that Steven said it!" He was fine with flashing his teeth as they hissed the name. "I care that they're true!" Before Fergie could make up another excuse, Nancy was rising up too, refusing to let her look down at him. Fuck it, he could be mad too. "Don't you DARE accuse me of thinking little of them! They're EVERYTHING to me!"
Whatever noise about to leave Fergie's mouth wasn't allowed to form words. "And don't try to manipulate me into doing what YOU think I should do!" He could see her puffing up, Raid Captain Fergie returning at the harsh tone returned. So much for equal footing. "I'm not the idiot you all take me for!"
"When the hell 'd I ever say that?!" she managed to get in.

He didn't hear it. All he heard was the static in his brain.
"I swear to gods, nothing is ever good enough for you people! If I let them help me, I'm an asshole! If I try to stop them, I'm an asshole! Damned if I do, damned if I don't, I'm just a bad person no matter what!"
If he let children die under his nose, then he deserved to burn. If he tried to save who was left of those children, then he was just "playing the goodie"! So what the hell was he supposed to do?! Not exist?! HE FUCKING WISHED!! If he deserved to die, why did Elaina save him?!
"What do you want me to do? Lay around and continue being a leech? Why would you want that? Why do you want me?! Why haven't you just thrown me overboard already?!"
He was worthless. He was worthless. This had to be pity. Anything that wasn't virulent hatred of his existence had to be pity. "Do you want me around just to feel good about yourself?! Wouldn't you feel better if I was GONE?! Not even the Goddess I served for 200 FUCKING YEARS wants me, why would you want a USELESS, PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT LIKE ME?!?"

"Nancy. Stop." It wasn't the words that got him to. The hands that pried his away did so harshly, enough to bruise. They wouldn't bruise as badly as the fins he'd been crushing under his grip. "Yer hurtin' yerself."

You're hurting yourself.

His hands shook in hers. Everything shook.

I'm hurting You--
No. He never hurt Her. How could a lowly mortal hurt a god? He was one out of millions of servants, nobody special if one single thing was all it took for Her to throw him away like this. He wasn't special to Her.
You're hurting me.

His chest burned as much as his eyes. Couldn't he do anything other than cry?

I don't know how to stop.

For a time he couldn't tell, his world only consisted of salt and sweat. A harsh tang that stung his nose as it buried into her sea-stained blouse. There was a sweet scent too. Delicate lichen, the kind he'd find propagating on rain-soaked wood. It was a scent he'd envelop himself in when he wandered into the woods surrounding the Springs. He would hide there so no one could smell his tears.

Hide me.

Bogrum Mazoga
Commerce District ---> Theater​

Lostro's brazen brandishing of that unholy book made Bogrum take a step back-- the equivalent of several for a human. There was no assurance of protection from that tome. More a promise of great harm. Watching Sebas's left arm get zapped reminded Bogrum that his own couldn't take much more magic damage.
"I can appreciate from a distance," he told the girl, smiling best he could without it looking like a terrible grimace. He had little hope that none of her snakes caught onto it, the way they flicked their tongues at any movement.

When Sebas said he would try pushing the crew away from Divine matters, Bogrum gave too eager a nod. "That will be best for everyone, I believe." Better than whether Sebas remained in leadership or not, he wouldn't add. As much as Divinity had helped in their plight, it had also been Divinity that destroyed so many. He didn't want to raise his hopes, as disasters like this always seemed to follow that Adonis, but...

Damn, he was sick of this shit. Says the man carrying a Request...

Whether it was truly behind them or not, Bogrum was happy for the distraction tonight offered. A good meal and a good show. Sebas sure knew how to treat his scholarly girls.
"I've read it once." Bogrum wasn't one for plays. Or fictive works as a whole, really. "It was required reading. Barely remember any of it." It must not have captured his interest. Or based off of Sebas's description, maybe it wasn't a story he was keen to remember. "But I'll give it a second chance."
Given his lack of interest, he let the girls chatter about their favorite books, happy to listen in. Of course they took every opportunity to throw barbs at each other. Normal sibling behavior.
"They seem well-adjusted, considering... everything." There wasn't a single thing normal about Orabelle or Lostro's circumstances. Nothing except having a good father... and that wasn't nearly as normal as Bogrum liked. "Whatever it is you're doing, you're doing it well."

Fergie
Commerce/Residential Junction - Bridge​

A bridge probably wasn't the best place to take someone who was ready to jump off of one. But they needed to cloak themselves from the eye of the masses, and Nancy needed a change of scenery. That took them to a humble pass over one of the canals that cut through the city. He wanted to look out at the water-- something about the stars. It was overcast, but a few glimmers of white shone through the thin sheet of cloud. Golden magelight flushed them out, but wasn't enough to cast reflections of their faces as they gazed.

All Fergie had to do was look over at Nancy to see that he was a wreck. She didn't need to see at all to know that she almost was one as well.

She hadn't meant to cry too. Seemed to be the worst thing to do while someone else was taking the crown of that, but it was drawn out of her. Sucked out like poison from a bite, but more visceral. Like pulling loose guts out of a gaping gunshot. Disgusting.
Cried over a godsdammed stranger. Big fuckin' softie here.

What little she could see of the stars told her that a lot of time had passed. She wasn't staking out Triton's Trident's tonight. Ah, well.
"Tch." Fergie tugged at the fabric clinging to her chest, soaked and chilly. "Would be flashin' folks out here if it ain't so dark."
The attempt at humor was met with the thousandth "sorry" that night. An attempt failed. She should really stop trying to lighten the mood when it was at rock bottom.
"Nah, don't mind bein' used as a snot rag. Been covered in worse b'fore." Stop.

Silence again. Lapping waves, ringing bells, clopping hooves in the distance. Cities were so quiet at night. More so than a creaky-ass boat, anyways.
"She know?"
"... Who?"
"Yer lady."
"... My friend?" She wasn't deaf to the emphasis.
"Whatever. Vampire Lass. She know?"
"Know what?" His hoarse voice almost left it at that, but he managed, "She knows all about the exile."
"Does she know ye want to be gone?"
The quiet that followed was answer enough for her. "... I don't know." Nancy's folded arms tightened under his chin. He kept his gaze over the water, but she could tell he wanted to burrow away. "I hope not."
"She needs to."

Fergie didn't expect him to like that. He looked like he wanted to glare at her, but all his puffy eyes could muster was a desperate look. "She can't. She's... she's been through too much. I can't force any more on her." Turning back towards the canal, his mouth twitched in hesitation. "I don't know how she didn't... end it all before all of this happened. She was so miserable."
A hum of acknowledgement urged him to continue.
"Please don't share this with anyone. Please." Guilt struck him with a visible chill, and he looked ready to cry again. "I shouldn't even be telling you any of this, but-- but you have to understand! I can't do that to her! I can't make it all about me..."
"Mate, whatever happens here stays here. Ain't me business to spread 'round." With reassurance out of the way, she pressed, "But don't ye think she'd get it more than anyone else? She knows wantin' to die. An' she knows you." Fergie leaned down to mirror his posture, arms resting on the bridge guard. "'Sides... maybe it would help her too, knowin' she ain't alone. That she ain't... I dunno..." she shrugged, "broken for it."

That did something. A flash of life in his dying eyes, rivaling the dim stars. "... I didn't think of it that way."
There was an urge to press more. If Nancy decided to go through with it, it shouldn't be just to help Vespera. If one could trudge through a midnight deck swab while the other could barely get himself out of his room, one was in more need of help than the other. But she could tell how his priorities were categorized. Fergie was no different, and she knew herself.

Cupcake aside, it seemed he wasn't much different either. "Promise you'll tell 'er."
Nancy's lips thinned. "I can't promise anything."
"Then ye will tell 'er. That's an order." When he looked back at her, she made sure he was seeing Raid Captain Fergie. "An order, Nancy. Got it?"
"... I'll try."
Trying was good enough. "I'll try" could grow to "I will" with enough nurturing.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

TIME SKIP: 2 Days

The Next Day​

The city of Andouphe gradually began returning to normal after the loud and chaotically religious Piscean people returned to the waters they came from, leaving a trail of mucus and stink around the city, yet pounds upon pounds of coin in the pockets of the businesses in their brief pilgrimage to the human churches and chapels around the city. Water mages would definitely earn their keep today, pressure washing the streets. The stink would be easier to rid, as this industrialized city would easily go back to the smell of gas, gunpowder, oil, seawater, and debauchery. The Noble District was ahead of the curve of course, never losing the smell of fresh air, flowers and bakeries

Ash and Avery picked up their weaponry. Ash her incredibly enchanted axe and Dragon-Scale Sickles and Avery his Dragon-Scale Swordbreaker Dagger. Trixie and her husband worked a good ways into the night to do their work. Gold spoke volumes, and Trixie took a liking to Ash's catboy friend on top of the bond the women in arms shared. Ash eyed her axe, knowing it wouldn't be

Sebas and the girls had a heart to heart about what was going on between Ora and Lostro. There wasn't strife per se. There was just a wall between the two, mostly on the part of Lostro. He would talk to her in private, but he had to bring it out in the open and not let either of them brush it off. Ora wanted to grow closer to her sister, but Lostro didn't seem all that interested. She seemed to stare off into space. A LOT, always seeming distracted or lost in thought, and since she thought with 9 brains, if a brain thought a million miles a minute, Lostro's would be creating a wormhole.

Sebas had to be the mediating force between the two. Well........the bridge. There was a chasm of understanding between them, not really animosity. It was best described as something akin to someone having a crush on someone who doesn't even know you exist. Not on the same page. Not even in the same book


On the other hand, Kersact and his crew ran rampant and looted as much as they could, working overnight and gathering a ton of loot amongst themselves. Any business NOT locked up was looted of any and all gold and shinies. Some of them stole the locks to ensure they couldn't lock up nicely. Others were skilled lockpicks so weak locks may as well be not locks. They were a whirlwind scooping up any pocket change and bringing the rapture to the contents of low-scale shops, leaving only the cheap and low quality stuff. Professional thieves had to have a discerning eye afterall

Vespera our friendly vampire uncharacteristically spent a good portion of the morning with Elaina of all people. While most people wouldn't even notice, doing their own thing around the city, Nancy definitely would notice. The Locathah disliked if not hated Elaina, yet it was certainly the encounter with Steven and being sent away that moved her right under Elaina's umbrage. On one hand, Ves's mood and worldview was certainly more improved lately from being finally away from Kraiven. On the other, it was feeding Elaina's smugness. However, it seemed like Elaina has lost any and all interest in Nancy..........of course not, but for now Nancy was thrown on the backburner for the Witch. That was perfect for Ves. If Nancy wanted to hang out, his best bet was the Pixie with the Wyvern she was looking to turn into a full-fledged Dragon

The Day After​

Spoiler: Naka

Nakaos
Commerce District- The Triton's Trident​

"Naka........." Naka stood at the front desk of the shop, holding the little slip in her hand. The bell was there but the giant never She felt so clumsy. It was one thing doing paperwork in the ship. She could at least keep it there. Having slept on the ship because she couldn't bring herself to buy a room. The crew was more tolerant of her difficulty speaking with people. The people in these inns? Not so much. After being called names by a rude clerk and rushed by those behind her, Naka wasn't willing to risk creating another long line as she wracked her brain for human words to describe stuff. Having one eye and standing at human

"AH!" Lucas came crashing out of the back at the sound of her voice. "My favorite giant," he exclaimed happily, vigorously shaking her hand for way too long. How have you been?! Enjoying your time here in Andouphe?" Long after Ash and Avery left, Naka found herself at this shop looking at the weapons. Even on her day off, the giant was fascinated with big weaponry.........and she ended up browsing enough to catch Lucas's attention. They had a 2 hour discussion about various big ship weaponry. Naka liked this shark-man
However, he was being intense right now, and it kind of made Naka internally recoil. He was coming on too strong for Naka's comfort, even though they talked at length just yesterday ago. "Naka has........slip."
"Yup yup. I got your order all fixed up and prepared for you. Come with me though. I wanna show you something we unloaded last night." The duo moved over to the Ship Weapons Hangar, where Lucas showed her to a weapon. "THIS!" Lucas declared, "THIS is the Giga Mortar." This weapon was a MASSIVE mortar. Far bigger than anything Naka had moved before. A barrel enough to fit a body in, a weight requiring the damn near chario it was housed on. This thing had to weigh nearly Drop Blade levels of weight. This thing could probably shotgun out a ton of normal sized cannonballs. Naka was immediately star-struck. "The biggest and heaviest cannonballs in the biz," the Lamna said manically, "Nothing gets blasted by this and stays afloat."

Naka inspected the work with a watchful eye, taking into account the metal used in it. She moved it and inspected the wheels. It was something she could actually use. However, the issue is that it would take a TON of gunpowder to use, meaning that it would have to be used in situations similar to their late Drop Blade, or done only after looting a ship to give them enough surplus. Plus, there's the gigantic cannonballs it would take. Their hangar didn't exactly have unlimited space, and the cannonballs were like 5x the size of their normal cannonballs and heavier than even that.

"Here's another." Another weapon shown. This one had an incredibly long barrel and a scope. While the other was a full-blown siege weapon, this one looked like it would be deployed by a city trying to stop a Dragon or something. It would require a team to operate. "This is the Pile Driver. It shoots long metal rods for extreme long range precision destruction." This one caught Naka's eye, but it had a big problem. "Metal rods?" she said, "Logistics problem for Naka." This would require a lot more magic than a cannon, because that's the only way to launch a metal rod at lethal speeds unlike a cannonball, where you could just pack as much gunpowder as possible into the ignition chamber and call it a day. Also, they could loot cannonballs, and did so often. It meant that metal rods were a FAR more scarce munition, thus not only more expensive but required more training. Also, her Lizardmen would need to know enough magic, or the ship would have to supply them with a mage or two willing to part with their mana in order to charge the Driver. Hmmmm. Her Lizardmen were not well-versed in magic. Even those that could breathe fire or acid did so with a flame or acid gland in their bodies, not out of any sort of magic affinity

She wanted both, but she couldn't buy both without Adonis's wallet. She leaned more toward the Pile Driver over the Giga Mortar. The metal rods would be easier to accommodate, took less resources to fire, but required magic to do so. She could scope out a source. It was Dwarven made, which meant it could be altered Still........ "Naka will think about it." She held up the slip. "Naka's order? Naka must load them on ship." Her lizardmen were waiting, so the time to be browsing was short.

Spoiler: Cannons

​

"Right. Right," Lucas said. Let me get you your order." With that, Naka picked up her order, still passing glances at the duo of special weapons. They could be powerful assets, but she bought only what she was given the budget to buy.

Spoiler: Vespera

Vespera Marine Seyres
Noble District- Cloud Nine Suites ----------> Leafy Bean Cafe​

Ves was set to meet Elaina at the Leafy Bean again. The depths of the witch's connections knew no bounds. A follower of Coprini the Clandestine?! Ves was convinced that everything said would be a lie, or at least some sort of half-truth, but Elaina expertly sifted through what was reported using simple yes/no questions as if playing a game of 20 question, and used magic to induce a form of speech-to-text to transcribe exactly what was reported. While it was a bunch of yes/no questions, it was by no means softball questions. It was stuff that seemed to REALLY test the follower's knowledge. Elaina used that form to take advantage of the fact that the follower was known to splurge and say a ton. Not a word was left out, even if Vespera thought the follower was speaking a novel with the substance of a single chapter. Vespera was given a case of the hazy-brain by the end of it, which Elaina scolded her for what she deemed a "goldfish's attention span", much to the vampire's annoyance

Of the data, Ves was given a copy and told to sort through the data and start sorting it into different subjects. It would be on Elaina to determine what was and what wasn't true. Ves preferred Elaina to just give her the rundown, but transcribing and sorting, while it was something she did, she chose to leave it to workers. To Ves, it would serve as a baseline. "I want to know if Hermes can think." she had said, "Trust me, if you want to stay stupid, I can leave you packages, ask no questions and let you take off. But trusting the world is why you're in this situation."
"No, I just came on too strong with Nancy." Ves had countered. "Plus, my life was a lie."
"It wasn't a lie. You just overcompensated when you could no longer delude yourself." Elaina fired back callously, "Keep calm and course correct. Nancy doesn't need an irrational brat. Neither do I."

My life wasn't a lie. I was being delusional. Those words hit the hardest. It could only ever be delusion to trust in a society that hated her even when she provided an invaluable service to the Kingdom. When the facts are sometimes LITERALLY slapping you in the face, it is delusion to ignore it. Whether that delusion was a coping mechanism, or it was the small part of the Abyss that housed the last spark of hope keeping her alive, delusion was delusion. Elaina wouldn't let her escape that reality. Keep calm and course correct.

Ves sat down in the cafe across from the witch. "I take it the task is complete." This wasn't a question. This was a statement, as if Ves had no business even sitting at her table with an incomplete task. Elaina WAS a strict one when it came to tasks given afterall.
"Yeah," Ves responded with a nod, and sliding across the table the requested documents in a folder. "It seems like a whole lot of nothing, but it's sorted at least."
"Good. I expect ignorance from you given that you're new to all this, but those gaps will be filled in eventually," Elaina said, looking over the documents. "Neat handwriting.........Easy to understand...........I'll keep looking over it. Order whatever you want. My tea is on the way and I'm not sharing it this time."
"How stingy of you."
Elaina didn't even look up from her inspection of the writings, "If you've got a problem with that, you can always pay for it on your own." Ves was not expecting Elaina to be paying for it, so she immediately felt silly.
"..........I'll take your offer with appreciation," Ves resigned immediately as she started looking over the menu.

Present Day: DEPARTURE IMMINENT
Time: 0600
Meeting Place: Andouphe- Docks
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 55 Degrees

Adonis- "The most amazing combinations can result if you shuffle the pack enough."
Fatimah- "A stupid quote stolen by a stupid man about to do something else stupid."
Adonis- "When are you gonna forgive me?"
Fatimah- "Never. And not until Avery does at least."
​

-Asmund Adonis vs Fatimah, on the impending Crew Shuffle​

Departure was imminent for the Basenjis. Everyone had to be at the docks by 0800 to begin loading equipment and taking inventory. They were set to leave at 11, and after then if you get left it was too damn bad. Anyone cursed to serve the crew who got left would be considered abandoning the crew, and whatever the curse's effects are would activate.

The feared looming Crew Shuffle would be conducted here

Sebas Deadeye
Noble District- Cloud Nine Suites​

"Papa?"
Sebas was shaken awake by his Holy child Orabelle. There she was, standing at the head of his bed, voice sounding concerned.
Ugh, what time is it? Sebas thought. It was indeed Cloud Nine because holy hell that was some of the best sleep he'd gotten in years. Those mattresses were enchanted with [Relax] and [Healing Slumber]. Sebas looked at the crystal displaying the time. Early....... but they had to depart today. Early. "What is it, sweetie?"
"......Can you wash my hair?" It was a reluctant ask for sure. "I was wondering if I can talk to you about something important
Sebas sighed. He wasn't someone who could deprive her of a father figure right now. "You've got something on your mind. Tell me, please."
"I will tell you in the bath..............please."

In the bath, Sebas handled Ora's hair with care. The delicate strands were covering up the delicate child who owned it. Triton hair was not really the same as human hair. While it was far more resilient, it did require special shampoo to maintain. "So what did you want to talk about?" To get in the shower with her father like this.......... Ora had something on her mind. Her hair was something Ora was pretty intimate about. She didn't want just anyone touching it, but her father was an exception. Lostro was the same with her snakes. Only Sebas could touch.
"I........" Ora started, "I don't know if I have wronged Lostro, but if I have, I'm really sorry." It's been a while since Sebas has seen that long face on a little girl. "Can you tell her that for me?"
"I know where you are coming from, and I will talk to her." Sebas said decidedly
"She wouldn't accept an apology from me," Ora said, "I think she hates me."
"Ora, she's YOUR sister. Express it to her and it will be fine. I'm there as the mediator," Sebas said to the girl, "I will talk to her if that doesn't work." It was here that Sebas decided to nip this problem in the bud. "You're strong. If you can do what you did in that fight, you can do anything."

Lostro wasn't so simple. He just wanted to give Ora hope. "Lostro is............. feeling lonely, but is in a position where she hurt a lot of people against her will." Sebas realized that he couldn't keep this under wraps. The more Lostro drank from the Abyss, the more she would suspect, even if the Goddess said she'd never tell her. The Abyss was also her word, so if the Abyss told her, Sebas would never forgive the Goddess. If anyone needed to tell her, it was Sebas himself. "But her memories of it were wiped. So she knows something is off, and that it concerns her, but literally can't put her finger on why."
".............Are we ever going to tell her?"
"I will, and I will do so soon," Sebas told her somberly, "I won't let this keep you two apart, nor will I let that loneliness eat her alive. That sound good?"
"Yup," Ora said, "It won't be easy, but I will be patient."
"Thank you, Ora." Sebas said with a smile. "Now let's rinse and hop out. Wouldn't surprise me if Lostro is already awake."


----------------------------------------------------

Demestral Asella
Outside of Andouphe- Nearby Woods​

Demi slept in a tree outside of Andouphe in a nearby woodland. She just needed fresh nature air that wasn't a literal salty mist. The industrialized Andouphe still made her physically sick with the air pollution that reached everywhere but the Noble District, which some company employed mages to ensure. She would rather smell the smell of vegetation any day of the week. Maybe that came from the fact that she spent large chunks of time out at sea with the crew and the air was just so much different around a forest than at a woodland
"My Lady!" Demi awakened at the sound of her trusty Lattice. "While it is early, yes, we must move in favor of loading the ship."
"Geez, Lattice." Demi said, "So loud, my God." Demi.........was hung over. There was a combat tournament the night before that she partook in and won. It was a local thing so it wasn't like it bolstered her fame. If anything, it was more for Nobles to watch people potentially kill each other for their entertainment. Still, Demi won the tournament easily and with it a fat sack of Gold was the award. A normal family could live off this pay for like 6 months. Those Nobles really knew how to pay. Granted, the sleazebags of the bunch oogled her and the women were dissatisfied that their hunks of man meat didn't win.
"I'll cure you, my lady." Lattice conjured up a bubble of water from above, which Demi held and began to drink. Amazing, cool, hydrating, life-giving water. The more she drank, the more her hangover went down

Spoiler: Conflict Requires Regulation

"What have I told you about curing that girl of hangovers, Lattice?" This was Quincy, "She made her choice. Let her live with it."
"Buzz-off, Quincy," Lattice said, turning up her nose immediately, "I'm her maid. She doesn't suffer under my watch."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU INFERIOR WELP?!" Quincy roared angrily, unleashing some [Flame Breath] as he spoke. "YOU WILL KNOW YOUR PLACE AS A DRACONIAN!!"
"I KNOW MY PLACE, AND IT'S BY MY LADY'S SIDE," Lattice fired back without hesitation, then darkly "YOU. ARE. OPTIONAL." Lattice was decidedly weaker than the both of them, but it didn't mean she would be a pushover.
I want to put both of you to the lance, Demi thought. Having a screaming match in her presence? Absolute no-go. To refer to her as "that girl"? Those were fighting words.

"'That girl'? That's how you address me?" Demi said, an aura of anger starting to surround her. Lattice immediately snapped into position. Sitting, tail wrapped neatly around her paws, tail resting over the top. Head up, eyes closed, calm. The anger was Demi's noble upbringing coming into play. She was not some unknown wench, and she wouldn't take this from her subordinates. "I think you forgot YOUR place all because I drank to celebrate a victory. Is that correct?"
The color drained from Quincy. "I'm sorry, Lady Demes-"
"Informality is a privilege, Quincy." Demi kept going as if Quincy said nothing. "Look down on me again, and my lance will become your buttplug until you eventually poop it out."
"........Understood."

"Now, what have I told you about disrespecting my maid?" It was Demi's time to break this up. Quincy was not authorized to give Lattice orders. If Lattice was no longer considered a legal Draconian, she did NOT have to follow Draconian hierarchy. Lattice could not be both a draconian AND an inferior species. This was not Schrodinger's Draconian, where she was both Draconian and an inferior species depending on the rules invoked. "By Divinity Law, Lattice is a Fae, not a Draconian." Lattice was biologically in between Fae and Draconian due to the Fae Curse. That Fae Curse put her under jurisdiction of the Fae, no different than how someone being punished by a God falls under that God for that purpose. "Therefore, Draconian rules do not apply. Leave. Lattice. Alone. If she commits a wrong-doing, it is your job to report it to me, and if and only if I tell you to will you render the punishment." She kneeled down to the bowing Quincy. "NONE of that entails insulting her. Do NOT do it again, Quincy." Her voice was as steeled as her lance. She was not gonna have this bickering between 2 200+ year Draconians, mostly instigated by Quincy. She was EXTREMELY protective over Lattice. "I kept her away for an unforgivable amount of time because I know how you viewed her. No more. She is with us, and you will deal with it."
"As you wish, Lady Demestral........" Quincy gave in, flame thoroughly quenched.
With that, the matter was settled

"Thank you, Lattice." Demi praised her, now fully awake. "But take care to not antagonize Quincy. I expect mutual respect."
"Of course my Lady," Lattice said without hesitation. "Shall we begin the business at hand?"
"I just gotta move stuff and do logistics." She clapped her hands twice. "Quincy, go hunt. You have until we're about to set off. Lattice, we'll go get breakfast and start prepping to leave." With the commands given, Demi started walking into the city while Quincy flew off into the opposite direction. It was time to put back on the hat of Leader of the Basenji's Rider Squad


------------------------------------------

Dr. Laylah Halliet
Noble District- Cloud Nine Hotel​

Laylah had recovered her mana in full so that one night at Tranquil Shores Hotel made her not need to sleep again. She knew she couldn't stay at Tranquil Shores after that one woman saw her wings, yet she wasn't going to wipe the woman's memories. Let her enjoy being in the presence of an Holy Angel. It was why she went to Cloud Nine instead after that first night. With no patients to treat though, Laylah kind of..........struggled to figure out what to do with all her free time. She was so used to spending her time in the Medical Bay that it being out of it for days on end got kind of hard to do. That was.......... a weird feeling to have. On one hand, she wants to do her job. On the other, doing her job as well as she did would keep her from doing her job. She didn't want people hurt, but she did want patients.

Evangeline was asleep on her bed. Instead of having her Angelic coworker get her own room, Laylah went ahead and let her crash in her room as she wouldn't need the bed. Unlike Laylah, Evangeline kept busy with enforcing the local laws. Slaughtering bandits, capturing wanted criminals (always dead if 'dead or alive' was on the table), killing those on Goddess Banera's hitlist, even offering to take care of God Qeien's hitlist since Laylah was under Pacifism rules. So at the end of the day, Evangeline was dog-tired but fulfilled.

Spoiler: The Enforcer Awakens

Evangeline was a beautiful woman, but she slept pretty crazily. While she didn't snore, she was convinced that if they shared the huge bed, Laylah would end up kicked on the floor. It was like she was fighting demons in her sleep, which wouldn't surprise her. Always moving and murmuring, random kicks. It was nice to see this cute vulnerable side to their onboard killing machine, but it would be a nightmare to ever sleep next to.

After being up all night writing Evangeline's Angel Evaluation, she took the parchment and it disappeared in a white light, sent to Goddess Banera. "♪ Wake up, Evangeline ♪" Laylah began to sing softly, then repeated at a slightly elevated voice until it eventually got loud enough to wake the Angelic warrior.
"Ugh, why can't you just shake me awake or something?" Evangeline said, sitting up. Her bedhead was immense. This was one of few times Laylah has seen Evangeline lacking composure. "It's not like I'm your patient or something."
"You're sleeping on my bed enchanted with [Relax] and [Healing Slumber], a bed I doubled the effects of," Laylah countered, "I also gave you a massage. You may as well be considered a patient."
".........Whatever. Guess we're leaving today."
"Indeed," Laylah said, "Can't say I'll miss this place, but the beds in the Noble District are absolutely heavenly."
"Yup, far better than mine," Evangeline agreed, "Maybe I should steal this whole bed."
"If you want to do that, you're not doing it from my room. I paid for this room and I'm not getting put on a wanted poster."
"You're right. Let's meet at the cafe. I'm grabbing a mattress from one of these empty rooms." With that Evangeline disappeared. Where? Laylah didn't know.

----------> Leafy Bean Cafe

Laylah walked into the Leafy Bean, hotel tab paid. Didn't know Elaina and Vespera became buddies, Laylah thought as she passed them without speaking, not wanting to interrupt anything. They were in a bubble of [Soundproof] so they obviously wanted privacy. She could bust through it, but Elaina would notice it immediately. Laylah wasn't entirely interested in what they had to say anyways, so she sat at a table alone and ordered breakfast, which for Laylah was Horchata and a fruit platter. She figured Evangeline would come later, so for her Laylah ordered a pot of coffee. Laylah gagged at plain black coffee, but Evangeline couldn't stand sweets. An incredibly sensitive tongue to sweets, if it had even a slightly noticeable sweetness was already borderline too sweet for their warrior. Angels only NEEDED to eat and sleep to replenish used mana, so any partaking of food was purely for pleasure otherwise. If Evangeline wanted to drink black coffee and eat meat only, Laylah would definitely judge but let her have her pleasures in life. It was hard for Evangeline to think positively about anything but killing
"Good morning, Dr. Halliet. You're up early." The witch noticed her and came with smug greetings.
"I've no need for sleep since the first night," Laylah responded.
"Ah, out of patients to inundate yourself with?"
"You all inundate me, not me myself." Laylah turned to Ves right behind her. "Have a seat, Vespera. Thank you for awaiting permission, unlike this rude Witch."
"The more the merrier, right?"
"Only for those who didn't abandon their table to be a thorn in someone's side."
"Don't be so cold, Doctor!" Elaina said in mock offense, "You're here alone. We just thought we'd give you company."
Laylah sighed. "So Vespera, how have you enjoyed your time since leaving Kraiven?"
Ves gave a small smile. "I can say for certain that I'm happy to be out of Kraiven, she said, "However, my feelings are still overall mixed. I felt overwhelmed plenty of times."
Laylah could feel the huge swirl of emotion in Vespera. Sorrow, anger, self-hatred, but also determined. There was a well of love in her, clogged by the nigh Daedric-touched levels of trauma she'd gone through. "And of Nancy?"
"He's............I've been giving him the space he needs. He's understandably depressed about the Goddess, let alone Kraiven. The space has been good for me as well to think about what I want for the future."

Evangeline walked in. Her face contorted the moment she saw Ves. "Oi, Elaina, vampire. I'm meeting Laylah here. Clear out," she commanded. Ves scurried off immediately, fear gripping her in waves from what Laylah could sense
"I'm glad you acknowledge me enough to say my name. You can stop acting so cold now, my dear Evangeline."
"Piss off," Evangeline said in disgust, "Don't forget that you're still a Witch, enemy of the Gods."
"If I were an enemy of the Gods, you'd be able to kill me right here and now..........but you can't." Elaina waved as she went back to the other table with Vespera
Evangeline sat down. "That Vampire sat before you." she pointed out
"What about it?"
Evangeline leaned forward, her voice hard. "Why did you suppress your holiness enough for her to do that?"
This again, Laylah thought. "I'm a Pacifist, Evangeline. I will keep it suppressed so long as there are Daedric people around." Plus, at 6 stars, right under God level, letting her power flow freely would make her a literal Holy beacon, felt and sensed for MILES around. She couldn't have that. "Now, let's eat and head to the dock."
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Spoiler: Nancy

Nancy Noi
Andouphe Outskirts - Brackish Lake​

The night passed on. Despite the desire to pass with it, Nancy was alive to see the sun again. That wasn't to say urge to jump into that canal was gone, though it wasn't with the intention of letting the salty water destroy his gills. He just needed to hide, somewhere he could never be found until he willed it.

He always felt better after hiding. If he felt better, he could be better. He'd stop being such a burden and embarrassment to his friends after they worked so hard for his sake.
Why? What do they see in me?
The want to never be found again would leave eventually, he knew that. Loneliness always won out in the end. But right now, he didn't want to be seen or known. He didn't want to be.

Hiding was the closest thing to not being.

It was loathsome to ask any more of his friend after being given so much, but Nancy had requested Demi and Quincy to fly him out of the city to the nearest freshwater body. What they found wasn't fully freshwater, connecting to an estuary that webbed out towards the beaches, but it was safe enough. He had elected to say little during the brief trip, and nothing of the heavy cloud fogging his mind. He wouldn't permit Demi consoling him when she had her own grief to contend with.
"I just need to be alone for a while," he had told her as they dropped him off. "Then I'll pay you back for everything. You have enough burdens as it is... I'm sorry I'm like this." Then he slipped away under the waters, before any insistence that he was anything else reached his ears.

As of now, he was a burden. He couldn't let anything convince him otherwise.

The water burned at first, but not of the painful sort. It was a pleasant ache, like eating spicy food. Stimulating. That paired with the cool currents flooding his gills cleared out that fog in his mind, and he could think again without those thoughts devolving into more reprimands about how worthless he was.

"Worthless"...
Worthless people weren't loved. So why did they love him?
... Loved people also weren't treated the way the Goddess treated him. If She loved him-- and She did, or else she wouldn't have wept for him-- why would she put all the blame on him? Tear him down and try to destroy him?

"Because it's convenient." Nellie's words from long past echoed. "It's convenient to claim fucked up kids for Herself, raise them to fit Her vision. It's EASY. It would be just as easy to throw them away the moment they stop fitting that vision."
It had seemed so cruel, let alone blasphemous, for her to say. But now, after everything...

It was easy to break a minor rule to bestow Nellie Favor. It was easy to protect Her own, especially with the benefit of gaining a whole city. It had been easy to claim neglected children for Herself, raise them and nurture them into the perfect followers.
It would be just as easy to wipe her hands those children away when they turned out not to be. To appease the Council. Appease those children with promises of Paradise, only after serving Torment.

Torment for saving a life. Torment for saving his sister. A "shameful" act. A "bad decision".

... Fine then. Hurt me. I don't care anymore. I should just expect it at this point. He no longer denied the anger searing between his ribs. I shouldn't have expected anyone to care about her either.

Nancy made his decision that day. What followed was the first restful sleep since he'd returned to Earth.


The Day After...

It had been a brief trip for Pixie-Dragon duo, but one that took almost all day for Nancy to return from. That was by design. A long trudge out in nature, away from conversation and distraction, would keep him comfortable while reminding him of the world outside. Resting in that lake had been so soothing, he wanted nothing else. Nothing else but to waste away in it, waste away into nothing. Peace at last.
The Council won't allow me peace, he knew. Death wasn't an option. They'd send him to some sort of hell for "evading justice".
Besides, Vespera didn't want him to waste his days hiding. Or Demi. Especially not Nellie. He needed to be okay for her.

So out into the world he went again, and a world he had forgotten after a lifetime in the Null Realm. He'd forgotten how the sun shimmered on the lake surface like diamonds, or how the leaves changed color and flew in the breeze. Autumn was approaching, and he could feel its bite in the wind. Reagents abounded near the trail to Andouphe, mushrooms and grains and bulbs he could have only obtained with careful spellcasting and nurturing in his lab. Now they grew naturally all around him, peering through grasses and under shrubs in hiding spots that were plain as day to his trained eyes. He would be coming back with very full pockets.

The return of smoke and oil was jarring, but not unwelcome. Especially when it was devoid of any trace of Pisceans, a fact as bittersweet as the scent they brought. Nancy didn't need reminders of what he couldn't have.

Nancy made his final stop of the day in a residential park, resting in the grass to ease his aching legs. And rested there for quite a while. A several mile trek when the most exercise he usually got was a quick swim probably wasn't the best decision, but he pushed through and was proud of himself for it. It felt good to be proud, for once.
What's there to be proud of? You're only benefiting yourself. No, maybe this was good. Maybe it would be good if...
Ideas formulated with more ease as he dug into his meal, exhaustion overriding any lingering food guilt. Some minnows and shellfish, ripe blackberries, and-- to his delight-- a truffle. All gathered on his own; it was good to know that this city boy still hadn't lost his touch.

The fishy meal attracted some attention, thankfully not of the "humans staring in disgusted confusion" sort.
"Oh...!" A cat. Yes, a cat, weaving its way into the bushy alcove he'd nestled himself into. His day was officially made. "C'mere. Kittykittykittykitty..." It didn't need much coaxing, already lured by the scent of his food (or... himself?) and greeting him with big eyes and a needy mewl. He offered a polite finger, letting it touch its nose to him before attempting a pet. The eager licking at his oily fingers told him that this one would need a bribe first.

"What a sweetheart," he cooed. The silky fur against his scales, the cat's soft crunching as it leaned over its meal, all sent a wave of calm over him. Nancy adored cats. "Adored" couldn't hold a candle to the affections he felt for the little beasts, but it was the closest descriptor English had. He had been a big hit with the local cat colony near the Stoneroses HQ. The only reason he didn't bring them into his living space was because of how small it was, unsuited for a wandering animal. That, and he was an alchemist: bottles abound, and cats loved making sure their counter space was free.
He doubted this one was a stray, or if it was, one very well-cared for. A beautiful dilute calico, its long fur only slightly tangled. Neglected of a good brushing, but otherwise healthy. There was no concern to be had for its living arrangements here.

Yeah, that's right. Don't even think about it. Nancy couldn't be taking in pets. Not when he could barely take care of himself. But maybe... when he wasn't just a few cruel words away from spiraling... maybe having something depend on him would be a good exercise.
Maybe he could have both of what he wanted.

Spoiler: Fergie

Fergie
Commerce District - Triton's Tridents ​

In the morning sun, the storefront of Trition's Tridents gleamed like a beckoning beacon. No distractions this time; today, Fergie was getting her next lead no matter what.

... Whenever she could garner the nerve to enter.

Damn. Fergie sucked in a breath, steeling herself in a resolute stance. No matter who the people inside were, or who they worked for, this was Bronze Ballast territory. An ally of the Commodore. And if the Commodore knew that her assassination attempt had only landed Fergie on Dead Man's Isle rather than the Depths, she would make sure that was promptly corrected.
But it wouldn't be Fergie entering this store. They should only see some elf-human nobody looking for something to shoot with. So she shouldn't expect to be met with a bullet upon passing the door. Besides, she never did find out where Saige stood on the whole thing that happened. And she had been Cassandra's closest confidant... other than Fergie herself.

Instead hit in the face with the smell of gunpowder, Fergie gawked at the pocket room she'd stepped into. It wasn't like the massive sub or Wyvern hangars on the ships, but it was hella nice. This was high end shit! Some of the nicest firearms she'd ever seen lined the isles, and she found it easy to play the role of a curious customer. She hadn't even arrived on the dot of opening time. Didn't want to look too eager to be here.

Since it was still early enough for it to be a mostly quiet building, it wasn't long before she was accosted with the typical salesperson spiel. Who was delivering it kept her attention sharp.
"Hello, hello! Name's Aegis. What're ya lookin' for today?" While she proceeded to list off every ranged weapon in existence, Fergie tried not to stare too hard. Honest to gods it was actually her, curly mop and everything. Decade past since she last laid eyes on her, but it hardly felt like it. This was the same woman, hidden under a mask of grease and just as enthusiastic about guns as ever.
"Eh... somethin' to shoot with." Saige's signature cannon on the front desk mantle caught the corner of her eye. She took care not to stare too hard at it either.
This earned a laugh, obviously. "Well, that don't narrow it down."
"Aye. Revolver, then. Finally got the coin to upgrade." With her wits returned to her, she remembered to dig into her pocket. "Lookin' for a specific make, too." Pulling out a little parchment, she shared a scrawled drawing of the not-Ballast insignia. "Don't have the name. Too retarded to read."
"Not to worry! You're looking for Lucina Artificery. Some of the best guns we got in stock." Saige-- Aegis. Don't fuck this up-- ushered her to where they were displayed. Somehow Fergie had overlooked them; of course the finest wares would be put in proud display at the front. And these were the finest, same Dwarven make as the rifles Duradel had shown her.

"Holy hell..." Fergie caught herself reaching towards one of the pistols, glancing at the shopkeep to make sure her grubby fingerprints were worth it.
"Go ahead. Take a look."
Eager, she felt the gun's weight, tracing the subtle flare with her finger. She'd seen this design. She knew this like the scars on her own hands. "Lucina"... could that be no more than an alias? Simply looking at the weapon in her hands had her awash with nostalgia. Fergie could hear the clicking of metal fingers handling steel in the back of her mind. Cass was a fellow amputee, half of her hand taken off in a mishap. One didn't get as good at their craft as she did without risks.
"... water-resistant, magic-resistant. It can be enchanted, but it takes a special spell for it to take effect." The sales pitch went on and on, but Fergie could only think of one thing.

God damn, I miss her. Honestly, who did she want to reunite with more? Her arch nemesis, or her best friend? Not that she wanted to see the Commodore's face again. That was just taking care of unfinished business. Righting a wrong.
... It was her own fault. No matter that the Commodore would have caused it anyway. It was still her fault.
"But it's done now," Cass had said in the aftermath. "Can't put a leg or hand back after you've blown it off. You can only put something new together." Her fake fingers twiddled, brandishing spiked knuckles. "Hell, something better."

And was this better? Chasing that bitch around in a wild goose chase, hoping cleave her head off eventually? It was done. The old Bronze Ballasts were gone. Decades of work set back for Fergie's now-enemy, and the seas just a bit safer without her and her ilk roaming free. Slavery culled, tyranny snuffed.

... From her.

"-- helloooo?" A hand sweeping in front of her face brought Fergie back to earth. "Enthralled, aren't ya?"
"... Aye."
"I'll warn you, it's top dollar. But you won't find a better all-arounder than this. Treat her right and she'll last you longer than anything you'll find."
How much longer could she last, running around like a chicken with her own head off? "Need a wee bit more warmin' up to." Now for the real questions. "This gunsmith. Y'know where the main office be?"
"Ah, that Adonis looking to network?" She must recognize the Basenji crest, then. These folks definitely weren't shy of pirates; too good of business there to be. "Lucina's set up in Padtoles. If you want a spot with her any time soon though you gotta send out a letter. There's a long waiting list. I'll write down the address for him."

A continent's distance from here? Yeah, that wasn't happening any time soon. Fergie doubted they were heading for that stuffy country, if the rumors about Kaer Lyon were true. Regardless, she could use the trip to get to that side of the world...

Why ye tryin' to convince yourself? She was too attached. Too goddamn attached. It was already decided before she even got here. Ye can't leave 'em like this.
The crew fucked over by Adonis's bad decisions. Those Kraiven folk fucked over by their idiot-ass king. They were her folk too, now. How many Nancy's were there in the throes of depression? How many Avery's and Demi's ready to put a bullet in the head of the fool leading their charge?
If there was to be a mutiny, Fergie would be standing there beside them. And this time, she'd do things right.

The revolver pistol would eat up more than half of her funds. Funds that she'd need for travel if she decided to leave. "... I'll bag it." Later, Fergie would return to a very happy Orc man.


...?

"You were right, Edwin." Aegis spoke into her crystal, holed up in her office after that transaction was finished. "There's no way that ain't her." Illusion spells couldn't hide the cadence of one's voice, or the motions of one's stance. And those had been ones she'd known too well. "... Absolutely not. She'd cut us off if we put so much as a scratch on her. Just keep an eye on her until we hear back."

Present Day

Nancy Noi
Park - Residential District ---> Leafy Bean Cafe​

Another small victory in another restful sleep for Nancy. This one was certainly due to the long hike he had walked yesterday, since that night's sleeping accommodations were... questionable. He'd curled up in the bed of a water fountain in that park, absolutely refusing to set foot in his room or even on the ship. He couldn't bear to allow himself rest in there without fully earning his keep.

Woken up early by an irate cleaner shooing him out from there, Nancy headed out with more purpose. He had kept Vespera waiting long enough, although he wasn't too worried. Even though it had been Elaina Ves was spending her time with, last time he saw her she was markedly happier. He didn't understand it, but he didn't understand a lot of things about the witch. She believed Kraiven deserved to burn, yet she did everything she could to save them. She looked down on Ves (who didn't she, honestly?) but seemed to be a positive in a bleak situation. What was her motive?

... He had questions. Many questions. Things beyond Vespera's new alliance with Elaina, but that was definitely on the table.

To his fortune, they were easy to find. That fancy cafe, the same one he'd last seen those two colluding in. As Nancy approached the building, however, the "fancy" part of the equation shot into his nerves. From what he remembered in his reflection-- of a different pool of water-- he didn't look great. Didn't feel great, either. Sore all over, with a suspicious itch behind his tongue. That fountain water wasn't very sanitary, and probably wasn't cleaned often. Found a few coppers flipped in there, at least.

He'd cleaned himself up best he could. It was a good thing his robes were water-resistant, otherwise he'd be dripping all over the streets. Couldn't exactly cast a spell to dry them off anymore. But maybe the locals wouldn't gawk too much at a homely-looking Locathah, if they could even tell what "homely" looked like for him. Besides, he'd faced the petty judgement and scorn of plenty socialite brats before. It meant little to him.

Nancy gave a tentative peak into the cafe window. Elaina and Ves were indeed inside. Something worse than socialite brats were in there too.
No. He turned heel and sped away from view. No, no, no. Not doing that. The angel. Both of them. He wouldn't dare enter their line of sight. Never doing that. Once he was a distance away that wouldn't be considered loitering, Nancy tried to put the brakes on his running thoughts. He didn't even want to think about what those angels might say to him. Surely they'd be disgusted with his presence, and would make that very known.

Whatever. You expected this. He didn't expect them to be there too! Why?! Of course, just his rotten luck--
What was he even freaking out about? He could just call Ves and ask her to come out. But she looked busy in there...
"... Vessy?" His voice on the line was tentative. That is, more tentative than usual. "I know you're probably busy, but when you get the chance could you come out? I'm ready to talk, if you are too."


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Vespera Marine Seyres
Noble District- Leafy Bean Cafe​

Ves's heart was racing as they quickly cleared out from the table. They sat across from each other like they've been doing. Ves ordered Black Tea and a simple breakfast sandwich. Elaina ordered Green Tea and a blueberry muffin. "Why is Laylah friends with Evangeline?" Ves asked
"Not friends," Elaina said, "Coworkers. They're 2 Angels on a ship full of mortals. They'll stick together for that reason if no other. If anything, Evangeline has to answer to Laylah if their ranks have to be invoked."
"So Laylah can give Evangeline commands?"
"If she needs to. Only done to uphold Divinity Law. General authority."
"Sounds complicated."
"Such is Divinity Law," Elaina commented, "It's why I like prodding the bear. Hearing Mariana screech in my ear yet unable to do something to me is a special kind of catharsis. Same with Evangeline


Nancy's voice on the line shattered her thoughts in conversing with Elaina over their tea. "Nancy........he's called me and he's ready to talk."
"Then go," Elaina told her, "or don't if you're not ready."
"Do you think I'm ready?"
"Normally, I would say something along the lines of 'if you have to ask, the answer is no'" Elaina responded, sipping her tea. "But........I see you're back to taking care of your appearance, and are in general a little more self-aware. Seems like you're ready to me, but remember: You're at his side, not in front of him."
"Right........" For the first time in a few days, Ves felt a spark of determination again. Nancy had undoubtedly noticed that Ves had been talking to Elaina. Elaina had been noticeably nicer and endlessly willing to talk, not that she forewent her "witch duties" to converse with her, but never really shooed Ves away. However, it was time to separate for the time being. Ves took a deep breath. "I'll go talk to him."
"Good. Go kiss and make up." Elaina said with a smirk as the vampire stood, then her look turned serious as she looked into her cup. "Good luck with your endeavor. If all goes well, Nancy may secure a part in my library."
"Don't get too cocky, Elaina," Ves said flatly, "He may not want to work with you."
"Friends like to eat together though" Elaina gave a finger wave as Ves stepped off

What is her intention? Making friends? Doubtful. Getting Nancy's favor? What would she need his FAVOR for? Is it wanting to prod the Goddess? Ves didn't know. It was something to investigate though, and soon. For now though, she would thank Elaina because, now having to swallow her own pride, the witch's comfort was invaluable to making her feel better regardless of Elaina's intentions......... much like her assistance was invaluable in Kraiven regardless of her belief that it deserved to burn

Stepping in front of him. "Good morning Nancy," she said a bit formally, "I hope you've enjoyed the time here. I know you needed the space, so I left you alone. Looks like I needed the space as well to rack my brain." Rack it away from Kraiven at least, she thought. "What'd you want to talk about?"
WayfaringWaaksian

------------------------------------------------------------

Steven the Deacon
Commerce District- Sea Dreams Inn -----------> Port​

"Steven. Wake the hell up before we're late!"
Steven woke up with a yawn to his companion's voice. Turning over, from the fact that there was a woman in his bed, he completed his good deeds in Andouphe. If he needed to do a confessional for this, so be it. Steven quickly got dressed and left, not a word spoken to deep-sleeping lady of the night. He would check out and they could rouse her from her slumber to send her out. There was business to tend to.

Steven met Jack outside. "You good?" Jack asked him, not bothering with a greeting
"Could use some coffee, but I'll live," Steven responded with a yawn, "Let's move."

The duo swung by a shop and grabbed a few portions of food for the blue wavy road they were about embark on, then made their way to the port. They were just on time. As foot soldiers, while the leaders had to spend the time to coordinate getting all the supplies and paying suppliers, the grunts had to load the crap onto the ships. 3 ships and not a lot of time. Good thing there was a lot of crew. Sebas and Demi were there coordinating. Naka was hands on with her ship weapons, being fairly strict about only those authorized by her Foremen being able to touch the actual weapons whereas the rest would have to move parts or ammunition. As usual, Naka had the fastest and smoothest flow, utilizing different pathing than the others.

The duo had already loaded up their personal stuff to the ship so they mostly had to move barrels of preserved food to last months, enchanted barrels full of fruit made to completely stop spoiling/decay so long as the barrel is closed, barrels of ale, massive tanks full of fresh water, boxes full of live bait for fishing purposes, large hulking boxes full of gun ammo, shotgun shells, cannon rounds, mortar rounds, flachettes. They were armed to the teeth, canines sharpened ready to bite. As Steven rolled up his sleeves and moved a box of mortar rounds onto the ship with Jack, he wondered what was next for the crew. Rumors were swirling around among the crew. Padtoles. Kaer Lyon. Egregon. Grioles. Why? Were they hired? Are they on contract? They were pirates. It was rare for them to ever sail without a purpose. Were they to augment a military? Pillage an enemy village? Set up an ambush? Find the next relic Adonis wanted?

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Noble District - Leafy Bean Cafe​

Relief at seeing Vespera again was muddled by a sharp spike of anxiety. "Ves... what..." Nancy shook his head, barbels curling into neat coils. "Don't... talk like that, please. We're fine. I'm not upset." Her overly formal approach was unsettling to him. Maybe he was just overreacting, but he couldn't help thinking to himself, Don't suddenly act like we don't know each other...

A smile found its way on his face when he redirected his thoughts. "I can't possibly be upset at you for caring so much about me." It was like Vespera carried a piece of Nellie, standing up for him like that. And... yes, she was literally carrying a piece of her, he realized. Maybe that had something to do with it. "I mean... yes, it was a bit embarrassing for me when it happened. But nothing you did could've changed the outcome." The smile disappeared, something dark in its place. "Steven already decided what he thinks of me." If anyone was treating Nancy like a child, it was the one who even brought that idea to the table.

Whatever. He was no one important. "You seem better," Nancy noted, perking up. Not that Ves looked particularly bad after they left Kraiven. A little more disheveled than her typical prim self, but anyone who didn't know her could write it off as a result of the rough ship work. Nancy hadn't. It took only an instant for him to notice her cleaner dress, her hair brushed and out of her face so he could better see her bright eyes.

Nancy knew that he looked the opposite of better, and knew that Ves would be able to tell. He had a whole story prepared if she mentioned it; one that didn't include the fact that he slept in a dirty fountain last night.

"Elaina's been treating you... decently, then?" After she was beaten into the ground and threatened by this woman, Ves somehow found some sort of solace in her. Nancy didn't understand how she could be so forgiving. He knew he himself would never forgive Elaina for demeaning him when he hadn't even wronged her. But she was also someone who saved countless lives, his sister's once, his own twice. For some reason. Despite them being oh-so terrible and deserving nothing more than to burn for the crime of existing next to terrible people doing terrible things. Had it all just been her lashing out? Or the truth of her heart bearing itself?

That was what he was going to find out. "I want to speak with her. But first... I..." Guilt clutched his heart in an unforgiving squeeze, dragging him down into a contrite hunch. "Thank you for working in my stead during the trip. Sincerely, it means so much that you'd do that for me. But I... I shouldn't have let you." He felt sick all of a sudden, swallowing back bile that wasn't there. "You weren't well either. You... no, you were miserable. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so far for my sake. I'm--" not worth the effort-- "I'm not faultless here. I could have taken care of myself. But I didn't." Because you're a lazy, worthless bag of -- STOP.

But he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop feeling disgusted at what he was: useless dead weight that served to only drag people down. Vespera would be better off without him. She was already better now, and they hadn't spoken in days. That was proof enough that she in no way needed him. "I'm going to take on more shifts to make up for it," he said, holding himself a bit higher. It was false confidence. "I'll pay my part, and pay back what you spent on me. That way it wouldn't have been for nothing."

Fergie
Andouphe - Port​

She felt corny for thinking this. Gods, it was so bad. But Fergie hadn't felt better now than she had in years. Despite the back-breaking, mind-rattling work of taking inventory and loading the ships, on top of the looming threat of the dreaded Crew Shuffle, she couldn't be happier to be living it in this moment. Doing shit with a crew she was happy to serve, honestly just happy to be here rather than running off to bumble-fuck to settle a score with some hazbin who wasn't even in the lives of anyone who mattered to Fergie. Maybe Cass, if Cass was even still in the picture. But she wasn't here right now. Just the Basenjis.

So right now, only the Basenjis mattered. And the Basenjis actually doing this shit right, goddamn-- "Oi, Marts! That shit don't go with the ammo! I know yer idiot ass ain't too stupid to read pictures, look at what yer fuckin' pickin' up!!"
Okay, it was just one hungover crewmate who decided to have too much to drink the night before departure. She could chill out a bit, dude was punishing himself enough. Things were going smoothly otherwise, but at this rate they weren't going to be finished loading early. Adonis liked being finished early. More time to do the shit he actually cared about, and that was one of the few things Fergie agreed with him on. As it was, while most of the crew was here, the rest were trickling in from town a little too slowly for her liking. She could help Sebas oversee the process and speed things up with who she had available, but she couldn't drag people here, unfortunately. She'd be damn good at it too. Hell, maybe she could have been a bounty hunter if not for the pirate life.

Among the slow trickle were two bodies she was very pleased to see. "Oh thank gods, ye's two! Finally someone bloody competent." Bodies were bodies, but these were reliable bodies, and Fergie appreciated that. There were few as consistent as Steven and Jack. "Stevie Boy, I got a job for ya." Fergie was in too good of a mood to be an asshole. Steven was an asshole by default, so this shouldn't be hard for him. "These sorry louts won't pick up the pace, an' I want this shit done yesterday. Spread some of that gusto an' put the fear of god in 'em, will ya?"

"Fear of god" was as far as Fergie was allowed to speak on such matters around Steven. Literally, she wasn't allowed to talk religion with him. The tense "debates" that almost ensued any time the subject cropped up between the two led to Jack having to strike the gavel down and make them both shut the fuck up. In the very same manner he had when Steven and Vespera were biting at each others throats, even. That was why Fergie had gotten involved with that debacle in the first place. Steven going at it with someone wasn't unusual. When the otherwise chill Jack started bellowing at him for it, and she could hear it across the whole damn marketplace? That's when she knew it was serious.

And she seriously needed to pick her battles better. Steven wasn't going to change his viewpoint, and neither was Fergie. Much better to focus on what they did agree on: work needed to be done.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Vespera Marine Seyres
Noble District- Leafy Bean Cafe​

"Elaina has been........good to me surprisingly," Ves admitted, "We don't have many to trust among the Pirates, and..........I WISH I could hate Elaina." Ves winced as she said these words. "But despite her saying Kraiven deserved to burn, she has been only good to me since then." Ves felt so awkward saying this to Nancy, because it was admitting that she went right into the witch's arms upon rejection from her best friend. "I........I wouldn't be able to face you here and now without her. She is condescending. She is insulting. She should NOT be likable....... but I do have a sort of appreciation for her now."

Ves sighed. "I'm working for her. I don't trust her, but I do moreso than most others." She thought about it. "I have Demi and Elaina. You have Sebas. As reliable as he seems, he works for the Goddess. Elaina. Steven. Jack. Demi. According to Elaina, even the other Gods are smiling on you." It wasn't like Ves was envious. It was that her best source of support was a witch who always seemed to straddle the fence between "best left alone" and "don't ignore her presence." Ves had to, in a lot of ways, still figure out her own path in this new world. She wanted to go home, but travelling in the lands of an unfamiliar world like this just to find her parents could end up being a wild goose chase. Ves hadn't read a map in how long again? Then travelling across continents in a world 200 years older than she lived in before? It would serve her better to go with the pirates and potentially get an offloading place closer to where her home could be.

"I won't accept repayment from you, Nancy." Ves concluded solemnly, "I helped you because I love you and I was worried about you." It becomes a power dynamic of lender and customer, which is why Ves never put that on friends. "It will invalidate all of that if I accept repayment as if you're in some kind of debt to me." You owe me nothing and I owe you nothing, she thought. Friendships ceased the moment they became transactional like that. At least, that's how Ves saw it. "It's not for nothing if you're back on your feet."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sebas- Food
Fergie- Ammo
Demi- Water/Alcohol
Naka- Weaponry

Steven the Deacon
Andouphe- Port​

They had caught Fergie's eyes, and while it could've turned into a confrontation, they both seemed to be about business right now. "Aye, let me whip these bozos into shape," he affirmed. "Starting by getting everyone here." Steven started to glow, and when he spoke, it was LOUD. "DILIGENCE IS THE MOTHER OF GOOD FORTUNE!" he said, sounding pissed with a hint of righteous fury. It was as if Steven has just been told his direct subordinate had fucked up something on the ship. His voice could be heard by Basenji's all around the city "YA'S GOT 3 MINUTES TO HAUL YOUR ASSES TO THE PORT! EVEN A SECOND LATE GETS REPORTED, AND BOY DO WE LOVE PUNISHING THE SLOTHFUL!"

How did Steven do this? He tapped into one of the virtues. Tardiness and laziness fell under Sloth, so to take on Sloth, he called upon Diligence to reach those moving without a care in the world. "YOU FUCKS! MOVE THIS SHIT! YOU GOT YOUR BOOZE AND YOUR TASTE OF ASS. TIME TO WORK OR EAT SHIT!" Steven was effectively commanding them by order of his God using [Whisper]. Then calling upon his Diligence to cut through the Sloth, it makes Whisper far stronger coming from him since he was doing the will of his God (fighting the Deadly Sin of Sloth)

• [Whisper]: A psychological spell that influences the mind, making the target more likely to do what the user tells them. More effective on those of weaker mind or when persuading the target to do something they are not heavily against doing. OOC: Think of it like alcohol. It lowers judgement, but it doesn't make you do something you are AGAINST doing
  • Duradel uses this spell quite a lot, which is how he's such an effective conman

This kicked the crew into gear. Whatever had them malingering around began to dissipate and work speed began to increase and the trickle rate began to increase tenfold. The threat of punishment for skimping work was a no-go especially when 25% of the crew were gone now. Steven and Jack themselves got to moving more gear. "They should be coming in now. You can crack the whip," he said. Steven didn't want to be some leader. Not to any crew at large, but he did have an influence. He provided a level of religious therapy to some of the people. Confessional when needed despite his demeanor. Jack was more of an uncle figure to the crew. With the puff of cig and a dose of truth, Jack would send the young ones on their way with a more accurate outlook on life. Steven was there for more of those who felt any kind of remorse for what they did, hoping to let them offer their sins up to the Paragon Himself Obris


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye
Andouphe- Port​

Sebas was in charge of food for this one. This was one of the most important ones alongside water, which Demi was overseeing while Fergie did ammo and Naka the weapons. While Sebas was barking out orders, Lostro was walking around. Her very presence sped up work because they were frightened of the girl that, before 2 days ago, would kill them if they looked in her direction without Shades on. Lostro was mostly just curious about the process and logistics of what they had to do. They could always fish if they wanted fresh food, but to feed an armada, they required a fuck-ton of food. Fruit especially to chase the scurvy away. "Do you think we have enough, Papa?" Ora said, looking up to him
"It's never really a question of if we have enough," he responded, "It's more of a question of if other crews have a supply........but we have a lot more than usual." Adonis liked to be at sea for as long as possible between destinations. Constant stops were a no-go. However, he had a small fleet to feed. Raiding was cheaper in a few ways. Most notably, it is loss of troops having less mouths to feed, and looting their supply prevented having to resupply for at least a while longer.

This lent itself to judgement of the draw. One had to balance risk of life for the gain of loot. One costly raid for not enough gain could put their entire trip in jeopardy........... and for the Basenjis, this was coming after Mozreliun. Adonis decided to play it a bit safe by getting a lot more supply than usual. A lower supply meant more raids on generally faster ships. A higher supply meant less raids on slower ships. So Adonis wanted to stay more defensive this time, even with The Canine

The food was eventually all loaded, it being the highest priority. "Oi Fergie," Sebas greeted with a quick nod upon approaching her. "How goes the ammo?" It looked like Naka got the weaponry done, and Demi's crew was still carrying their liquids. Having to be more ginger in their handling than everything else, they would undoubtedly be the slowest, as even a splinter would spell the eventual end of that barrel of water if not handled quickly. Demi's defensive magic protecting the barrels was invaluable. For the less dexterous crews, between barrels and the liquid to put in them, this could end up being the most expensive part of the crew. Most weapons only needed to be bought once. Ammo only ever needed to be topped off unless they were bad shots. People could go days without food, plus the ocean was full of fish to catch. But water? That's where things got dicey. Water was the most precious commodity. An entire small fleet had to drink water. Holy and Water mages could purify ocean water to be drinkable, but for a crew that size? They're full-time water purifiers

The Blue Dessert held limitless water, but they could only carry a limited amount...... Like a cruel joke to those on land from Mariana Herself. Her waters for her people and her people only.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Noble District - Leafy Bean Cafe​

"You don't have to justify yourself, Ves." Maybe Nancy was taking that the wrong way too, but she seemed to be over-explaining. Yes, Elaina obnoxiously touted vast superiority over everyone. Yes, she was very resourceful despite that. And yes, he wasn't keen on the idea of being involved with her. But he felt his strong opinions against her loosen knowing that she'd become a well of positivity for Ves. Perhaps that resourcefulness wasn't only in witchy dealings. "I trust you know what's best for you. So long as she isn't hurting you, I'm not bothered anymore."

But he was bothered otherwise. Vespera listing off every person he supposedly trusted, or that he could even afford to trust. It felt... he didn't like that he felt this. But he did. Presumptuous, much?
"I think you're overestimating the good graces I have," he warned, tone lowering. "Like you said, Sebas works for the Goddess. I don't care to hear what he might have to say to me. Steven sees me as some sort of mollycoddled brat who's never faced hardship before." The words became flinchingly bitter. "I can only imagine what he's told Jack about me. Elaina doesn't even see me as a person. And the Gods..."

Why would Elaina tell Ves that? Was it to quell her anger at the situation? Maybe he should let this one lie for her sake... but for his sake, he couldn't let her go on thinking he was some doted-on child. "I know Elaina's been truthful for the most part, but that's a lie. They aren't smiling down on me." Fingers tightened around the hems of his robes, over his tensing stomach. He felt so, so sick. "I'm undesirable to Them now. Nothing more than a convict. I know this because if my Goddess-- my Mother-- felt comfortable doing... that... to me, then who knows what any other God would've done. I'm probably lucky that I didn't dissent before She punished me."

The notion of dissenting even occurring to him was probably a punch to Ves's gut. If she wanted to question him, he didn't let her. "I only have my own, Ves. You, Demi... and that's it. The Gods don't care for me anymore. These people look down on me because I didn't work and wasted their space... and I don't blame them." He felt bad implying that Ves's good graces turned sour. Nancy was the one who had accepted it in the first place. As if they'd let me say no. "I can't... I can't rely on anyone. I know I can you and Demi, but... I..."
Dammit, dammit, why was he about to cry again? Why was that all he could ever do?! If it weren't for that stupid Trial, he could bite himself and make those tears vanish. But no, Heavens forbid he keep the only thing that helps. "I'm being a burden. And that's the last thing either of you need."

He needed to go. That heat burned in his chest again, and he didn't want to risk breathing fire at anyone undeserving. "When you go back in, tell Elaina I'd like to speak with her when she has the time." Shuffling as he readied to leave, he tried to give Vespera a joyless smile. He didn't quite manage it. "I'm not ungrateful. I appreciate everything you've done for me. But... I really would just slow you down."

Nancy was walking away now, but a vampire could decide how far he got.

Vespera's Options:

• Stop Nancy- What is he even saying?? Try to talk some sense into him.
  • Pro - Reestablishes Nancy's worth in Vespera's eyes
  • Con - He might be too stubborn to listen
• Let Nancy Go- He seems really bothered. Better to give him space.
  • Pro - Lets Nancy process whatever he's grappling with in peace
  • Con - He further entrenches himself in those thoughts
• Bring him to Elaina- I can't let him believe a lie. Maybe he needs to hear the truth from the source.
  • Pro - Elaina shoots down his insecurities with cold fact rather than warm reassurances
  • Con - Nancy will be panicked in the presence of Angels (able to be worked around). Elaina's general roughness might chafe him.
• ???

Fergie
Andouphe - Port​

"Hells yeah!" Fergie clapped her hands at the fanfare display. She usually didn't let herself be too impressed by shows of the magical type, but dammit, sometimes the monkey brain needed to clap its cymbols. "That's what I like to see!" The crew pouring back in was exactly what she wanted, and exactly what she got. "Great job with that. Yer next drink's on me." She gave Steven a thumbs up, which switched to a hand-wave as she added, "If yer Man Upstairs ain't got a problem with it." He served that God of Virtue or whatever. Bunch of nonsense, telling folks its a sin to have a bit of fun. They had to lighten up this shitty, god-awful experience on Earth somehow.

Whatever! Whatever. No more debating about it, and that included imaginary arguments in her head. It would be bitchy to complain about something that proved useful to them, and not of the sort Fergie liked to gratify. She could be bitchy by whipping the stragglers into gear.

Or she could chat it up with Sebas for a bit. It'd been a while, hadn't it? "Goes well. The numbers folk say the count's right." If they said everything was accounted for so far, she trusted them. She hated math, someone else could do that shit. "Ye got a shit-ton of chow there. Guessin' we'll be on the trail for a while, aye? Thank gods. Been missin' the sea like an old lover." Not that she fancied that Goddess Mariana. By Nancy's account, she sounded like a major bitch. Maybe Kaimana was alright... as alright a God could be.

Sweeping over the whole operation, it seemed Naka was already done, to no one's surprise. Demi's team was still at work, which was expected given the nature of the job. The liquids were delicate work. Bogrum was helping doing the lifting. The big man had the strength to lift one on his own, and the dexterity to keep it stable. Toned biceps pumped to support all the weight, chest heaving very little under his sleeveless tank. An easy task, now that those muscles were much more defined now than right after his rescue--
Ah, no. Stop. He ain't for you.
Guilt wasn't a common irritant when admiring a person, but here it was, buzzing in her ear like a noisy sand gnat. After Fergie's awkward confession, Bogrum continued on like nothing had happened. Not in a cagey way, where something was so obviously wrong but he wasn't saying a damn thing about it. He was genuinely unbothered, and Fergie found that more unnerving for some reason? Was she being duped? How was he not d--

Jumping that train of thought. "Hullo, lasses." Fergie gave a polite little wave to Sebas's girls, which was the most polite she'd care to be. "Had fun with the landlubbers while it lasted?" Bogrum had mentioned something about a play. They seemed bookish enough to handle sitting through one of those.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Vespera Marine Seyres
Noble District- Outside Leafy Bean Cafe​

"I would believe the same about the Gods not smiling down on you............If we hadn't gotten word from Zeltzin." The name should ring a bell. Nancy never really elaborated much about his mentor, but he DID tell Ves some of the basics of their mentorship. "One of Elaina's contacts serve the Daedric Lady Coprini the Clandestine. Zeltzin is her advisor. All I have is rumor, but the Goddess's standing as both Goddess and Lady are not good." It was a gambit, but one Elaina reminded her of, information the witch only knew courtesy of the brain probes. Hearing that name would hopefully show Nancy that Ves was not bluffing, or that Elaina wasn't just feeding him an empty platitude. "I can't say for absolute certain it is true, but I CAN say that at minimum, Lady Coprini and Zeltzin have been watching you. Lady of Taboos or not, smearing the name of your God is against Divinity Law. No way that follower is lying." Ves wasn't some tome of knowledge, but at least that much is true. The Goddess's standing was rumor, but the eyes of Coprini being on him was absolutely true

"It's not like I need you to follow a God, but I do want you to know that you are not here alone. I know your trust is shot, but this is the time to find who NANCY is. Not as Nellie's brother, or Mariana's follower, or Zeltzin's student, or my assistant, or the Guild's Alchemist." Ves was fighting tears at this point. He was reserved to..........Ves didn't know.......rot? Accept death? "If you can't trust anyone else, and you can't trust yourself to move forward, at least AT LEAST allow me to help you to your feet. You don't HAVE to come with me to my family. You don't HAVE to get on that ship. You are not bound by anyone's rules, feelings, or bidding. I am no longer bound by Kraiven." Yes, Ves did have to find herself in this new world, but not being Nancy's friend was not on that list. At least, not in a way that SHE initiated.

Nancy tried to walk away, and try to stop him Ves did. She ran after him and blocked his advance. "You KNOW that no one slows me down." Ves said firmly. This was in every sense of the phrase. Slow her down from doing what? "That is why I chose to work with Elaina, knowing how you feel about her." It was something that Ves would always feel a bit of guilt about doing, but her apologetic nature around it was going away. She made her choice fully knowing this. "My walk is about me. I want you to walk yours........but my walk does NOT involve cutting you out of my life. We don't HAVE to separate here, Nancy, and I don't mean just physically." Ves had zero peace of mind that Nancy trying to walk away wouldn't be the last time she saw him. "I'm confident you can find your way on your own........and I'm willing to give you that space. PERMANENTLY if need be. I just........You're not a burden. You weren't a burden when I had to carry your bloody unconscious body. You weren't a burden when you broke one of your fins and couldn't make a delivery in time. Not a second since the day you waddled into the Stoneroses HQ to join that guild have I EVER seen you as a burden, even when I had to apologize for something you blundered on." Ves couldn't speak for a single other person. She couldn't even speak for other people's views when he blundered on an assignment given to him BY her. Since the moment they became friends, She had never felt burdened by him a single time.

Ves sighed. "I'll get out of your way now," she said. Nancy wanted to leave and she wouldn't block him any longer. "My crystal is always open for you........and I'll relay your message to Elaina."

At this point, it was on Nancy whether to stay and go. Regardless, hopefully he got those words to chew on. For Ves, she had to get back to Elaina


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sebas Deadeye
Andouphe- Port​

Sebas smiled "Aye. It's looking like an extra long trip this time," he responded to his Raid Captain. "More than anything, I'm glad we're back on the water and not fucking around in the clouds anymore." It wasn't Sebas's first time rooting around in the clouds, but there was never a peaceful time in the clouds. If they went up there, they were doing some extremely dangerous stuff. Not Mozreliun-level dangerous stuff typically, but things far more dangerous than a Ghost Ship or a Naval vessel. Sebas was more than happy to go back to the days of firing cannons and looting ships, not fighting demons
"Aaagreed," Ora said, "I missed swimming. We didn't even have rain" Ora missed the water terribly while in the skies. Her tank full of holy water was only good for sleeping in. She said it was too cramped for her to do any real swimming in. While in the air, since they were over the clouds, Ora was fighting dehydration the entire time. "Being back in the water will set my mind at ease."
Lostro gave a small wave to Fergie as she approached. "I too prefer the sea to the sky," she said formally for some reason, then a yawn escaped her lips. "Hydration is no easy feat when you have to drink for multiple." Since Lostro had 8 snakes, 4 on each side, she was essentially eating and drinking for a total of 3 people. If she were running around and sweating, she had to eat/drink even more on top of having to do so in general since she was a growing child again. It would explain why she was a generally physically inactive child compared to Ora. Ora could run around without a care in the world. Lostro was very easily tired due to her brain firing on 9 different cylinders and her body routing resources to 8 destinations on top of her own. She had been energized by Daedric power for a while, but it was starting to stabilize and the excess starting to recede. She could very quickly go back to the perpetually sleepy child she was. Luckily, Sebas could inject her with Daedric power to perk her back up, but he could damn near see the sleep bubbles coming from her at times, trying to stay awake but not able to.

His sleepy girl has returned to him.

Spoiler: LORE: Gorgon Physiology

Gorgon Physiology: Snakes Have Metabolism Too!

​

Gorgons have heads of living snakes in place of hair. Since these snakes are sentient with minds of their own, they require sustenance of their own. Luckily there is no overcomplicated process to "feed" them. Since their views and tastes feed into the main body (the actual Gorgon), the Gorgon's body feeds back, providing them with hydration and nutrients from food. The snakes provide another brain for processing power and perspective. In turn, they feed off the body to sustain themselves and grow stronger.

It is largely determined by genes how many snakes a Gorgon may have for hair at full maturity, though this number has only ever been under 4 in cases of medical anomaly. There tends to be a symmetry at play with Gorgons. That tends to fall in line with either being an even number of snakes, or an odd number with 1 snake in the middle of the back of their head. Snakes tend to follow a pattern of growth alternating sides on the head, and prioritizing an "empty" spot. Gorgons with many snakes tend to be much stronger overall, since more snakes means more brains and the more snakes maintained, the more the Gorgon has to consume to sustain all of it. This makes Gorgons a race of extreme potential, but they must take care of themselves

Should the Gorgon begin starving, snakes begin to die in order from youngest to oldest. This is because younger snakes require more sustenance to sustain since they are growing. Dead snakes weaken the main body proportionately until it is removed, a process that tends to be both physically and mentally painful. Since a snake is literally both physically and mentally connected, it is no easy task. However, a dead snake remains until it is either revived or removed. A Gorgon that can rip a snake out of their own head without batting an eye is one to be feared, and is a dead giveaway to some form of mental illness or brainwashing........or just purely mad.


Notable Gorgon: Lostrogret Deadeye

Lostro is a notable Gorgon Child. Born to a Drawf man and Mystic Gorgon woman, The genetic lottery awarded Lostro with Dwarven propensity for physical strength and Dwarven stature, the Gorgon head of snakes and the mystic power granted to not only her but each of her snakes as well. This lottery, for all the benefits, has the downfall of Lostro has a devastatingly fast metabolism. The girl is notable for being tired. She can't run very fast or very far. The only way for Lostrogret to sleep in a way that she gets the full benefit is to have both her AND all her snakes fall asleep together, a feat that's nigh impossible without some powerful sleep drugs or sleep-inducing spells. She has to eat food equivalent to 3 of her peers. Without a sleep spell, Lostro essentially has to sleep 12 hours a day

It is a good thing that Lostro has a huge sweet tooth, since she has ample reason to indulge in sweets as much as she can.

"I'm glad to have met who I have though," Lostro said, recovering from her next yawn, "The play was fun......... Revenge and death is fun to watch...........When it's not your back being stabbed, at least."
"Wake up!" Ora exclaimed, shaking Lostro a bit, "Yes, we're ready to set sail." she said with a wide grin

".....If you'd like, Auntie Fergie, I can tell you a few stories," Lostro told her, calmly ignoring Ora. One of Lostro's snakes hissed at the girl though, making her release Lostro, meaning that at least a spike of annoyance hit her. "Better to tell than to make you read it. It's more fun, especially when the Abyss helps visualize it." This spoke to maybe some form of ability to project what she was envisioning. It's typical of those with a Mystic ability, but when filtered through the lens of the Abyss? Even a family-friendly play could be morphed into a horror. At least, that was the assumption that Sebas went with.



"We're looking at quite the trip if Adonis wants us packing this much," he said, "I would say the same about your ammo, but when have we ever had too many bullets to shoot, hahaha." Too many cannonballs maybe, but never too many bullets. Too many weapons, but never too many bullets. Just like too much food but never too much water. "No trip will be complete without Adonis splitting up what works though." In a way, Sebas admired the joker-like balls it took to mix stuff up like that. It was that mixing that got Avery to show his stuff. It got Elaina into his circle. It got Fergie and Bogrum to prove their chops. There was certainly merit to be had, Sebas couldn't deny that. However, this one reeked of a power move. Demi had threatened his life. Avery had threatened his life. Adonis kind of needed to flex his captain status and remind the crew of who they follow that led to them getting the riches from the raid on Kraiven
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Noble District - Outside Leafy Bean Cafe​

Zeltzin.

Recognition did beam from Nancy's face, with it a slew of emotions. Not a day had passed since her death that Nancy didn't think of his mentor. One might not think it due to how little he talked about her in the Null Realm, but his silence was because of the pain that bit his lips every time he tried to speak. Her loss had devastated him, more than the severance from his Goddess. If they had ever returned to Earth, at least Nancy had the reassurance that he'd see Her again. But Zeltzin was Daedric, Nancy Holy. He had been certain that they'd never see each other again, even in his afterlife.

But he could hear from her, and was now. His eyes stung; Goddess hadn't even answered his first prayer once they left the Void until that Angel prompted Her, but Zeltzin and her Lady were watching him?

Then came the reprimands. Of course she's watching. She adores that city, despite how terrible it could be. It's not just about you. You're not special. Then a reprimand of that reprimand. Zeltzin is watching. Present tense. She loves you. She died for you, just like you would have if she'd let you. It had not been convenient for a Daedric person to accept a Holy protege. That had been a true labor of love. Lately his doubts had drowned out all that he knew, but not even they could convince him against Zeltzin.

It wasn't a lie. Regardless of rumor, Zeltzin never gave false platitudes, and never entertained gossip without a grain of truth. If she said that the Gods frowned upon Mariana's actions, then there was something to it.
So... why did he still feel no relief?

Who was Nancy? Just Nancy, regardless of the people who actually mattered? Nobody. Nothing. Less than nothing. He didn't see Ves's logic in insisting that he wasn't a burden by listing every time he'd been one. You're blinded by love, his mind screamed, his jaws clenched shut. You're blind to how useless I am! I'm a blight on your life, just another thing to worry about! "Assistant"-- what an insult to you. I never helped you. I couldn't help you when you wanted to die! I can't help anything!!

Why, why, WHY DO YOU LOVE ME?!

His crystal would have been shrieking by now if he wasn't Null, but all was silent. All but his heart throbbing angrily and his tears pattering onto his robes. Ves had turned away before he let her see them fall, but he made swift work of them with his sleeve. "Vessy, wait..." His voice was hoarse as if he had been shrieking all along. "I... never got around to giving you your gift." For some reason, that recollection soothed the tension. He still had something to offer. "I'm sorry it's taken so long. I just haven't been able to find the words. But... soon. I'll be ready soon."
Though unspoken, the intent was clear. You'll see me again. I'm not leaving you yet.

Nancy would find the words. Then he'd tell her everything.

Fergie
Andouphe - Port​

When the girls chimed in with their agreements, Fergie couldn't help but chuckle. They took after their father. Taught right by him, too. What a rarity, an adoptive father doing his job, and actually doing it well. The envy she felt for his girls wasn't at all malicious, though she did feel a touch of guilt for it. The trio seemed much happier than before, talkative and chipper. She wondered if Sebas was thinking the same thing about Fergie, now that she was back to her jovial and joking self from the beginning of her service. Dare I say it? Life is good? She'd keep that to herself, in case she jinxed it and they got sunk by a Navy cruiser later.

Lostro had said it so casually, but Fergie felt like she'd just had a dagger plunge into her gut. Auntie...?? The two barely spoke, barely had a string of attachment. What made her worthy of the title? Her throat tightened, eyes burning with a sudden pressure. Fuck, am I about to cry?! Hell no!
A few quick blinks and a very stern focus on the rest Lostro had said took care of that. "Aye Lass, I'll give it a watch." Fergie did enjoy a good tale. And that Abyss would make it a hell of a lot more interesting than some stuffy noble's play.

Fergie did not enjoy Sebas's next comment. The long trip sounded lovely, but that other thing? "Ugh, don't even want to think about it." Her dread was more teasing than anything, resigned to the upcoming Crew Shuffle. Still wasn't something anyone was looking forward to. "Hate it when he messes with our mojo. S'ppose it can't be helped, with the losses." It hadn't fully hit her yet, just how many people they lost. How many were lost overall, including that kingdom. Literally thousands of people, gone under a day. Fergie had dealt with so much death in her life, it rarely fazed her, but this wasn't unfazing. It was just night impossible to comprehend. "Or it's just Adonis bein' Adonis, heh."


Nancy Returns

Among the trickle of crewmates, an unmistakable figure drew near. Memories of two nights ago rushed in, along with refreshing relief at seeing him again. "Oi, Nancy Boy!" she greeted with a grin, motioning the scruffy Locathah over. Yeah, he looked even worse than before. Physically, for sure. But there was a different air about him, apprehensive but honed. Frustrated, even? The flushed patterns on his fins hinted at a subtle anger.

"Good morning, Officer." Back to being formal, she noticed. "Is there any work I can do here?"
Ah, that was what the honed look was for. Business on the brain. "Hah!" she belted out, hands on her hips. "Sure, gummy arms."
Nancy turned heel and began to leave.
"Wait, wait! I'm just fuckin' with ya, mate!" He stilled, head tilted just enough for his sideways-facing eye to glare back. Yes, glare. Fergie had expected him to look teary-eyed, but this was welcome. Good. Show me some backbone. "Alchemist, right? Yer good with numbers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She jerked her head Sebas's way. "Food stock needs recounting. Got more than the usual, so we need the extra brains."
"Done." Nice, some confidence. That was a step up from before. "Where do you need me to start, sir?" he asked Sebas, looking his way. Fergie could see his apprehension rise through his quivering barbels. Maybe not so confident as she thought.

Fergie didn't know or care if Sebas actually needed help in that area. She knew that ammo was being sorted as per protocol, and that she didn't want Nancy working near Steven. As for the main reason? Keep a close eye on this 'un, she comm'd to Sebas telepathically. Suicide watch. She had told Nancy that it stayed between them, but this was too important. "Threat to self" level important. And Sebas wasn't one to spread people's dirty laundry.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Andouphe- Port​

Suicide watch, eh? What a pain, Sebas thought. Nancy looked like utter dogshit. Aye, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself, he comm'd back to her. Sebas could hardly blame Nancy for feeling like he was feeling. Sebas would've Dissented from the Goddess for shit like that. But it was time for business, and Nancy was about to work like everyone else on this ship. "You're doing inventory," he told the Locathah, pointing to some of the barrels/boxes of food moving along. "Follow that line of red barrels. When you're down there, I want a count of red barrels. They will be labeled Dried Meat, Dried Fruit, Nuts, Cheese, Fish, Hardtack, Dry Beans. Then you will count the blue boxes. They will be labelled Fresh Meat, Fresh Beans, Fresh Fruit." He paused a sec to make sure Nancy was following, then he continued, "Don't worry about specifics. Chicken and Beef are both Fresh Meat. Apples and Oranges are both Fresh Fruit. Cashews, peanuts, and walnuts are all under nuts. So on and so forth."

"Lastly, you will count all the purple barrels. ALL of those are Enhancement Powder." For a price, you could get Enhancement Powder sprinkled into your food or drink. When put in drink, it essentially becomes an electrolyte drink. In food, it enhances the flavor as well as increases the effects of the nutrients provided by the food it's on. It made food more nutritious

"That is your job," Sebas commanded, "Don't get in the way of the movers. If someone gives you a hard time, let me know and I'll kick their ass." He handed Nancy the clipboard and pen. There was no coddling or asking about his competence. It was straightfoward. A food inventory. "Count what's there, then keep counting as more are loaded." May as well treat this guy like just another grunt, Sebas thought. If he can read, he's already more useful than 80% of this crew. "When the last barrel is loaded, I will come grab you, where I then want my count. Until then, if I see your face, it means you're not counting, which you better have a damn good reason for."

"You got this job because you can read and write," Sebas said bluntly. He didn't give a damn if Nancy was the Goddess's son. He was a Basenji now. "If you prove to be too dumb to count correctly, you will be put on manual labor. You're not going anywhere near our labs if you can't count barrels." It was the difference between an office job and the coal mines, and this was Nancy's one and only time to prove his worth to Sebas. "Questions? If not, get to it." Maybe being treated no different than the rest of the crew would do him some good, he thought

He turned to his girls. "Ora, go find Doc. She might need help with medical supplies." The little girl nodded and took off without a word. "Lostro, go to Ash. She's over personnel. Send out some eyes. Get visual on stragglers. I want names so we know who's on janitor duty for the next week."
"Can I curse them?" Lostro hurriedly asked, eyes full of hope
"I'll get approval first," Sebas said, betraying his own irritation
"Vespera is with Elaina," Lostro told him, eyes glowing a dark purple. One could feel the Abyss oozing from her, but only if they looked into her eyes. "Shall I curse her too?"
"She works with Elaina, so NOT late, Lostro," Sebas said gruffly, "You curse one person, I'm sealing your Daedric, and doing so painfully."
"Alright, alright," Lostro said, giving in immediately, "I won't curse anyone........yet." She turned her head. "Who wants to lend me their eyes?" A moment of pause, "Thank you! Eyes from the Abyss, lend me your sight to scout your next meal."

A black tar circle appeared, and from it, 6 baby beholders came out of it, basically floating eyeballs. If one observed Lostro's hair closely, they would notice that 3 of her snakes were missing both eyes, their sockets being void. Yet they were still lively as if nothing was wrong. The baby beholders then disappeared, presumably to fulfill Sebas's order. Freaky shit, Sebas thought


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Demestral Asella
Andouphe- Port​

Meanwhile, Demi and Lattice were inspecting the water and alcohol barrels. Demi's job was to inspect them and enchant them with defensive magic to prevent breakage. "Water's in the light blue. Beer in the brown. Wine in the yellow. I want them set in the correct spot!" Lattice's job was to verify the enchant and verify that they were in the correct place. It was essentially the same role Nancy was playing. Checking for contamination and poisons was VERY important. If there's a wanted Basenji, someone can take down an entire ship with a few kegs of poisoned beer or wine. One contaminated barrel could get a huge chunk of the crew sick if they drank it. Once verified, these barrels were taken to the Reservoir, one of the more secured parts of the ship. Stored in a highly enchanted refrigerated vault, a lack of water is a the easiest way to force a stop, and is second only to ammo when it came to plunder. Therefore, the Reservoir is how the Basenjis kept the water both safe and chilled.


Lattice's Phone Call

Spoiler: Lattice's Phone Call

This is where Lattice sat, on a barrel eyeing those who entered and ensuring that no color-blind behavior was taking place in setting these barrels. She decided to make a call. "Ummm Lattice to Josephine."
Sniffling could be heard. Then the clearing of the throat. Josephine was trying to get herself together, not knowing that she was already on the line. "Hello Blueberry," Jo said pleasantly, which made Lattice smile. She had never had a nickname before, and it elated her heart whenever Josephine called her Blueberry. She was such a safe person to talk to. On Jo's demeanor though........ Lattice could tell this wasn't fake, but definitely forced. Maybe Lattice could be that for her in return
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't push the issue, Lattice thought. "How have you been?"
A sigh. "I've had better days, Blueberry. And it's still mornin'. I'll get through it though," came the voice back with a chuckle. Lattice could feel the nervousness. It was as if Josephine was talking right in front of her. Lattice could visualize Josephine trying and mostly failing to psych herself up. In the little amount of time she talked to Jo, there was only one person she wanted to comfort more, and she was outside barking orders about the barrels.
Hearing her like this pricked at Lattice's heart. "Would you tell me what's going on?"
"I have a meeting with crazies from the Goddess. I........I think she'd have killed me by now if not for Ms. Angel."




Crew Shuffle happening soon: 1-2 Posts

"Please stay safe!" Lattice said, growing incredibly worried for her friend. "I can see if Lady Demestral will allow me by your side." It was a long shot, but Lattice has never asked for a favor in the entire time she's been her servant. Maybe Lady Demestral would allow her this one thing.
"As much as I would love to see you, Blueberry............I couldn't possibly expose you to danger like that." Josephine said, noticeably warmer now, "Come by if I can manage to get this library running. I would love your company." Josephine seemed
"I would like to visit you again. Will I have to check out a book?"
"Only since it would make you visit me again," Josephine said, and Lattice could visualize a grin, "I thank you for calling, Blueberry. I'm happy to hear your voice. I'll call you to make sure you're being safe out there on the seas."
Lattice grinned, her face flushed. "I look forward to it," she said, "Hopefully Orivae gives you plenty of stories to tell."
"If not, I'll make sure to make one up for you, hahaha," Jo said as the line cut

Back to her reality of watching these people load the barrels. It was dull in comparison, but it was her job so she would do it with the full ass she was born with. Demi was not one to be trifled with, even if she was typically happy or peppy

Demi found a bad barrel. "Contamination! Get it out of here!" Demi yelled. It was a barrel of wine too, just like she expected. As the barrels flowed to the ship, the Basenjis had to ensure not really the best for the crew, but not literal life-ending for the crew.

The Basenjis loaded up these ships for the long haul. Hopefully he leadership did their jobs. Demi always contributed her full-ass to the job, no matter what said job was. She took her job seriously. "I will FUCK YOU UP! for DARING TO BRING THIS BULLSHIT TO MY EYES" Demi was not playing around with the safety of the crew

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Nancy Noi
Andouphe - Port​

Nancy had come for grunt work. He received grunt work. No complaints, no questions, not so much as a blink of confusion at Sebas's instructions. He might as well been given a standard grocery list to check off, his only show of emotion being mild surprise at the mention of Enhancement Powder. More pointedly, the quick glance over to see how many barrels of it there were. His lingering gaze said it was many more than he expected.

The interaction lasted as long as Sebas needed it to. "Yes sir," was spoken as he turned to leave. He overheard Fergie make a snappy comment about the weird bleeding eyeballs that floated by, before she too left the captain to tend to his hundreds of other tasks. As for Nancy, counting barrels? Easy. Stay out of everyone's way? Easy, so long as he watched where he put his tail. He didn't have to talk to a single damn person as he devoted all of his attention on barrels. Lifeless, brainless barrels who wouldn't judge or sneer at him for existing.

Spoiler: Nancy argues with himself some more

Stop.
But he wouldn't be Nancy if he could.
Does he think I'm stupid?
No, he only said "stupid" because it would be stupid. Nancy would have to be stupid to screw this up. Actively be trying to screw this up. He did this every week when restocking inventory for the lab. He could do this half brain-dead.
I feel half brain-dead. What if I am? What if I screw up anyway?
Oh, for gods' sake, what even was this? Nancy wasn't offended by the task, or the way he was spoken to. It was... just business as usual. No different than what he'd overheard in the week he'd spent with these people.
Maybe he doesn't care? Gods, he hoped. He didn't want to hear anything about what happened. Don't even mention it. Don't even acknowledge its existence. Nancy wasn't some scorned child, abandoned by his own Godmother. Just a nobody they picked up from the side of the road because they needed the labor.
You did this back home. You did this many times before that. You can do it again--
Do what? What did he even accomplish? The Stoneroses paved the way for him. Nancy hadn't earned a single damn thing in his life. He was nothing but some coddled brat that only took and took. He was a fucking parasite that should have been--

A scent made his barbels clench. A foul scent, at that. Nancy's nose identified the source in under a second, unsurprisingly a blue box. "This one's bad! Take it back!" He could picture what mess was inside, slimy sour chicken gone to waste. The integrity of the crate was intact, so the enchantment seal had to have been broken. Not bad enough to have obvious tells of leaking or distention, but bad enough to be inedible. Unless one was desperate enough, but not even himself would take the risk. And he wasn't about to let anyone else, either.

"It smelled fine to me," was the oh-so-helpful response.
Since his nose leaned far into the sensitive side, Nancy was going to excuse this. Not after that remark. "Open it."
The man balked a bit. "We're not allowed to do that."
"Then TAKE IT BACK." A flare of hotness drew Nancy's lips back. "Do NOT make me waste Sebas's time by arguing with me. It's your asshole he's going to flay open."
That got him to listen. Mention the name that actually carries respect around here: noted.

The rest of the inventory went without a hitch. Nancy double-checked, triple-checked, quadruple-checked, and still had time to carry a surface-level inspection of the cargo. That brief irritation scattered those self-flagellating thoughts, allowing him a clear head to do what was needed. Sebas would be receiving a nicely-written grid chart of all counts, including losses. Nothing was unaccounted for.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

The Crew Congregates for the Shuffle before Loading

The Canine was all loaded up, the crew assembled. Names were taken for all those who were late, and the deserters who ultimately didn't show. Roll was called multiple times across both the leadership and the squad leaders themselves. It was about time to load up and set sail

Sebas went down to the storerooms. While the boxes were enchanted to preserve the fresh food and the water, they were still stored in ideal places to keep them fresh even without magic. He assumed that Nancy would do the job given, and do it well if for no other reason than it better be accurate unless he wanted to shovel coal into furnaces. Luckily, Nancy made himself visible when called. If nothing else, Nancy respected the call of his name, given his status on the crew. Leaving the captain waiting or not sounding off when you were called was less forgivable every call after the first call. "Alright, Nancy. Let's see the report."

Hmmmmm. The count added up. Neatly and legibly written, with charts and everything. This was far above and beyond what was needed, and that wasn't a bad thing. In fact, the Locathah had something to prove, and prove it he did. "Excellent," Sebas told him. "Simple job, yes? But important." The losses were few, but if they paid for barrels/crates, Adonis had very little tolerance for bad merchandise. It was not uncommon for people to get roughed up for trying to pawn off subpar and stale if not inedibly bad food. They shoud know better than to do that against a crew that were able/willing to buy or supply their own Preservation Containers (the enchanted barrels/boxes) "You get to move on to the labs, but if you're not working in the labs, you will be pushing paperwork." On a crew where most of them were illiterate, Nancy had a valuable set of eyes and a hand with a bit of dexterity in it. "Let's go join the crew. Stick close, because if I don't claim you, you're going to be at the mercy of someone else on some other ship."


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Crew Hears the Mission

"Crew!" Adonis yelled out, standing on air, behind an invisible pedestal essentially. Some of the crew were on the ship but most of them at this point were lining the port. There were 1049 Basenjis and the sea ships were smaller than the huge airships they just came off of. With a decrease of about 25% of their crew, they would be seeing much much less people. "You've had your taste of bed, breakfast, and local tail. You've had a taste of the high life and what we stand to gain from these heists. Now it's time for our next mission!"

Huge cheers from the crew. Dedicated to sailing to the point of adding the SKIES to be sailed as well, it's not to say everyone was ready to go right now, but getting back their sea legs were in order. "We got a lead on a ship travelling from Grov Strax to Grioles, named the Crossguard." Adonis started. Maybe he learned his lesson that the crew kind of needs to be in on what it is they will be doing next, partially to reassure them that they're doing ole-fashioned piracy. Not demon fighting. "The prize from that ship? Dwarven weaponry and what's estimated to be about 5,000 gold coins. The goal? Hijack that ship and take everything on it. Our bounty is a rare metal that makes for powerful weapons which is to be returned to the client in Grov Strax. The second bounty? The captain of that ship. The one who made off with not only the metals, but some high quality silks. We will sell the oil and volatile powder, interchange our weapons, then deliver our bounties back to Grov Strax. I want the captain of that ship ALIVE."

He looked down at his crew. "If you fuck up any of these bounties, it's coming out of the share of not only you, but the crew you're assigned to. I trust my captains to make wise decisions and lead us to victory." These were more cheers, but Sebas could tell there was noticeably less now. These missions were always harder, when targets had to be left alive and their swords guided with more precision than usual. Barrels stained with blood meant a money loss for either having to clean the barrel or having to replace the barrel. Any bounty wanted dead or alive paid for if they were alive. Every hole put in a barrel of silk cost them some bounty. Any barrel with liquid may as well be lost unless it was repaired or transferred immediately........ and that didn't even begin to get into Enchanted Barrels which had inherently more value than normal ones. This mission was deemed very important for him to say that. The enthusiasm was still there, but having to be careful naturally took the luster out of raiding and pillaging

Spoiler: Mission Details

Mission: Bounty- The Crossguard​

Wanted for gross larceny. We seek the return of important silks and metals crucial to efforts in the name of Warlord Sheris as she campaigns against Grioles

Captain: Alfred "Bones" Reed (Wanted Alive or Dead)
Ship: The Crossguard (Optional)
Bounties: Boxes of silk, barrels of oil, all firearm weaponry, all stores of metal ore
Location: En route between Grov Strax and Grioles

Reward: 5,000 GC, 130% selling price of all non-metal bounties returned, 150% price of all metal ore bounties returned, 2,000 GC for the head of Captain Reed OR 4,000 GC for the secure capture of Captain Reed
*GC is Gold Coins

Sebas thought about it. Grov Strax is Orc Territory, as is Khunda. Why was Warlord Sheris trying to take on Grioles? Conquest? What in the hell were the politics in the places around Khunda? Particularly Ishrion and Egregon, which were both Elven territories. It was an easy flank if they wanted to protect Grioles.........but Grioles was human territory. While Grioles had not much for Egregon, it was a very close trade relationship with the coasts of Ishrion. In fact, so did Tacrof and Ustania. If Andouphe wasn't at the south eastern coast of Tacrof, this interception mission would be incredibly easy as they would simply arrive to Grioles first and go from there. Sebas could only guess it wasn't that simple though. Who sent people into Orc territory to steal this stuff? An opportunistic pirate crew? Or a foreign entity trying to either get involved or stoke the flames of war?

Involved or surrounding countries/territories and their majority ownership

• Grioles- Human
• Grov Strax- Orc
• Khunda- Orc (Kaer Lyon)
• Ishrion- Elven/Fae
• Egregon- Elven
• Ustania- Daedric (Vampire Territory)

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Hearing the Mission

Bogrum stretched out his arms, feeling the satisfying pull of worked tendons. He was a strong man even when newly rescued from a slow starvation, but now that his strength was returning, the simple labor was as effortless as should be. It felt good to be near his peak again, able to wield an axe with the same force that pushed Warlord Sheris's army closer to victory. Physically, that is. Mentally...

What he saw in that city haunted him. What he heard from that city made him grateful of what he saw, because that had only scratched the surface. He couldn't fathom the things spoken of from the Church, the Castle... who knows what else. Bogrum tuned out the details as much as he could. He didn't need to know. What good would it do, tearing his mind apart about things he couldn't help? There was no fixing any of that. Gods be smiling upon the poor souls trying to fix what was left of Kraiven.

"Grioles, huh? Me ol' stompin' grounds." Fergie was a welcome interruption. Gracing him with some background? This was a new milestone for her.
"I hope you don't mind Warlord Sheris trying them on for size." It was a joke, as much as it wasn't.
"Eh? Nah, don't give a shit. Fuck 'em. Bunch of dickheads anyway."
"... Is there anybody you don't consider a dickhead?"
"Nope." He received an anticipated punch to his arm. "Dickhead."
"Someone's in a better mood this time."
"Damn right! Finally, some real pirate shit. Do it the ol' sails an' swords way. None of that Divinity shit." Bogrum could read "fuck 'em too" in her mind, but the words never announced themselves where Angels could hear.
"I wonder what the catch is."

Unlike Fergie, he wasn't dreading the Shuffle. Change was welcome to him. Moving barrels was nice. Shoveling coal was nice. If he could land a demotion, he could spare some more dead faces from his growing nightmares. That psych eval hadn't happened yet, on account of Dr. Laylah's priorities, so it was likely a vain hope. Hell, he was ready to step down at this point.

---

Nancy hovered close to Sebas during the hearing. Not as close to give impression of a scared child clinging to the safest adult, but certainly enough that Sebas could tell he was heeding his warning. He wouldn't dare allow himself to feel safe. No, never. Not around any hint of Holy. But Sebas was coming close to it. He treated him no differently that Nancy could tell, even showing a touch of concern to suggest he stay at the man's side. It was more care than any Holy person had showed him since his fall from grace.

What grace? I was never anything to begin with.
He was just being gullible. More likely Sebas was just more professional about his distaste, and would give him hell once he dared to be lulled into false security.

That didn't matter. He didn't have to stay, like Vespera said. Once this mission was over, he could hightail it if things got bad here too. Nancy owed these people nothing. Only Vespera and Demi, but... he'd figure it out. But even now he had options. Labwork, his bread and butter. Or paperwork as something to fall back to. And he would need to fall back to it. Goddess was entertaining delusions if She thought putting a Trial on him would stop him from hurting himself. A bandage solution to what wasn't even a problem. He knew the parameters of his body. He knew how to take care of himself after. Vespera finding him unconscious was a fluke, a mistake never repeated.

What if she does know? Nancy excused it as acquiring reagents, and getting careless during the extraction. Did she believe it?

He already had sketched out some parameters of the Trial, too. The bruising to his fins from two days ago didn't cause a memory block. That meant only intentional harm was considered, as that had just been an unthinking fit. Just as well, as it wouldn't do to forget everything in the middle of an important procedure just because he grazed a finger on some broken glass. But what about pricking a finger for blood? Collecting samples for science? Was that considered? Did it only count if the intention was to harm, rather than to study? Could he even separate the two?

... What were they talking about again? "I hope you won't need me for navigation any time soon," he remarked to Sebas. Nancy didn't know if he actually recognized the countries mentioned or not. Whatever Adonis said was a blip in time lost to him. "But... I mean, I could learn quickly." And whatever anxiety that rattled him-- until Sebas's meager praise gave him relief-- was tumbling back. "I'm not-- I'm not trying to make excuses. I can do anything you need me to. I'm-- I'm just being realistic. I-- sorry--"


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Andouphe- Port​

"Navigate? I barely trusted you to count barrels," Sebas said with a scoff, waving him off. Even if he had the ability to navigate, he didn't have the confidence to look into the faces of this crew and give the recommendation. You steer the ship wrong, and Adonis will have you killed "You still have to prove that the first time wasn't a fluke.........but keep trying." Despite being a Locathah, unless the Goddess gave him adaptive gills between fresh water and salt water, there wasn't much insight Nancy could give them for the waters they were navigating in. In fact, it would probably kill him. That didn't even get into the fact that Nancy came from a place 200 years behind so he had nothing of worth to say about where they were going and why anyways.

"Unless you fuck something up, you'll be given ample opportunity to prove yourself. For now though, you're an errand boy, which beats the alternatives." His ability to read was VERY important to this decision. Unless you were trying to be a position Quartermaster or higher, it wasn't required to know how to read. Sebas was in the minority knowing how to read, let alone how to write English when there was Orcish and Elvish



The Crew Shuffle

Spoiler: The Crew Shuffle

"Now! It's time to divvy up the crew into 4 ships." Now they were taking a group of 4 instead of the 3 that they had in the last mission. "At the forefront is our scout and aggressor, The Canine!" Cheers from the group who served aboard The Canine. They absolutely proved their worth in the last mission from beginning to the end. If you were on The Canine, you were guaranteed to see some action. It was the ship that those who were really starving for cash wanted to be on. It made sense, as it was the ship at the forefront. The only loot that could be found on that ship was sustenance and ammunition. "Sebas!" Adonis yelled out, "You were an excellent captain, commanding it to decisive victory, and in the skies of all places where a mistake means certain death. Alas, you have run your course as captain, so take a step back and focus instead on being the Quartermaster of The Canine. Remove your Captain's Key.........."

Sebas stepped forward, leaving Nancy behind, and took off the key around his neck.

"...............And hand it to BOGRUM!" Cheers rang from crews, mostly from those who served under Bogrum in the battle to defend Toron. They knew of his leadership and they obviously approved of him taking the helm. "BOGRUM! You have shown your leadership prowess on the battlefield. Now I want to see you put it to use across ships with naval tactics."

"Next, the Hackle. This will be the support ship. In a diamond formation with the Canine at the forefront, the Hackle will be sailing alongside the Basenji Main ship, the Hackle will be our fast response ship for all threats to either of the other 3 ships." This one was a little puzzling but it made sense. Adonis was splitting up the crews to reduce casualties, but it wasn't just some weird Joker thing he was pulling. The Hackle was supposed to be the First Responder to any situation. "The captain of The Hackle.........DEMESTRAL ASELLA!"

Demi was surprised to say the least. She was NOT expecting to be taking the helm of a whole crew, but her versatility fit the needs of the crew more than most. "You will be the rockstar for this voyage. From coordinating with any ship to turn the tide of a battle, to coordinating trips out to deliver bounties to mitigate risk of loss, The Canine was our experiment for the last voyage. The Hackle will be the experiment for this one." Offload bounties as quickly as possible to prevent thievery or loss in the event of a sinkage? It made sense. Was it worth further splitting up the crew at large? Who knew?

"Alongside her, we will have our long-reaching eyes. NAKAOS! You and your lizardmen will board the Hackle with your tools of bombardment, ready to destroy anything and everything within the sightline of ANY of our fleet." Even Adonis wasn't dumb enough to separate the cyclops from her lizardmen. Sebas a bit sad at the loss of a true one like Naka. I will pay her her respect, he thought. Naka was nothing less than a woman who strived for the best in every aspect from bombardment to understanding the cultures she were surrounded behind, to simply speaking the main language of those she worked with. As a cyclops, learning complex stuff didn't come easily. Naka? Naka was amazing and she was a HUGE loss

Naka kept her signature poker face. "Naka will do best." was all she said with a nod and, without a cheer from her own mouth, her lizardmen gave their support to follow her wherever she went. "LIZARDMEN!" Naka declared. "GRAB YOUR BELONGINGS AND BEGIN BOARDING THE HACKLE." She cared not for anything else anyone had to say. She was on The Hackle so The Hackle she would go.

Next is the Basenji Main Ship. "I will be helming it with Fatimah, with her as the Deputy Captain," he said, to silence. It was compulsory. Known. Of course for the MAIN ship he wouldn't appoint someone else at the helm. His being the captain made him the authority so anything less would be questionable at best. "I need a Quartermaster. Someone to manage the troops. There is no one better than ASHLYNN THORMDOTTIR!!"

Ash took a deep breath. Having to take a step down was definitely a downgrade. When you manage your people, you become a more effective mother, Mama Bear told her. Can't say I would want to do this shit........ It was the LAST thing she wanted to do, but it was a step towards her future. "AYE!" she declared. "I will whip you fucknuts into shape. Fuck with my bear and I will fuck with you. If you're a fatass, you WILL lose that bullshit under me!" Being quartermaster allowed her to be a raid captain. Just the alternative raid captain instead of the primary


Adonis dove into the captain of the Caboose and their Deputy Captain, as well as their Quartermaster but who gives a shit about The Caboose? All Sebas cared about was getting Avery on the Canine, and getting Nancy on there as well. The bulk of the crew was then split up. If you weren't part of a special crew, like Naka's Lizardmen, Demi's Rider Squad, Kersact's thieves, or Avery's Special Operations unit, or played a special role like a cook, you were a foot soldier

TLDR- The Crew Shuffle
The Canine

• Captain: Bogrum
• Co-Captain: To be decided
• Quartermaster: Sebas Deadeye
• Nancy is here, as Sebas's errand boy

The Hackle

• Captain: Demestral Asella
• Co-Captain: To be Decided
• Quartermaster: To be decided
• Ship Weapons Lead: Nakaos
• Fergie is here, as a foot soldier

Basenji Main Ship

• Captain: Asmund Adonis
• Co-Captain: Fatimah
• Quartermaster: Ashlynn Thormdottir
• Elaina is here, but the libraries on each ship connects to this main one
• Vespera is here, a direct subordinate to Elaina

The ship's shuffle was.........borderline a roll of the dice for each person. Almost everyone who had belongings on the ship would be grabbing said belongings to relocate to another ship. While most of their sleeping situations wouldn't change much (sleeping in a bay full of hammocks), it added another layer to the schedule of events. Sebas's circle was utterly shattered in an almost systemic fashion. Avery would be on The Canine, thankfully, but Demi? Fergie? Naka? Ash? Those who expressed loyalty to him as captain of the Canine were also divided among 4 ships. On one hand, a smaller crew meant more space to live and move about. They wouldn't stink up the whole ship with their stench either. On the other, they had to rebuild the camaraderie and Sebas felt like he would be playing a vital role in quelling dissent from people who may not see Bogrum as captain material. Last thing they wanted was mutiny

This was the new crew. How would Ash operate on the Basenji Main Ship? He had no concern for Naka, because she would play her role to perfection, especially when working with the infectiously enthusiastic Demi who just showed her power to the crew as someone to NOT fuck with. Fergie though was as new as Bogrum was, so would she have the same issue?

Sebas sighed. "Girls. Let's go grab our stuff. We'll be in a smaller room, but at least it's still a private room." Sebas did NOT want his little girls sleeping in a bay with all these men. Lostro would be safe given that a moment of distress from her would destroy this whole ship. Ora? He wouldn't allow Ora to go through the same trauma that Lostro did, so having their own private room was still best practice. It was because of his girls that he was willing to accept a leadership position.
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Bogrum Mazoga​

What the fuck?

No. No, this didn't make sense. Him? When he hadn't even received his psych eval? When the whole reason of him leading the Defense charge was due to his faltering stability? Now Adonis wanted him to be a captain?

The questions continued to run, but Bogrum didn't stop his hands from taking the key from Sebas. His ears were full of the cheers of his comrades, so much louder than his internal doubts. If they thought this was the right decision, then surely... Well. Fergie always said that pirates chose their own leaders.

"And I will lead us to victory again and again!" he declared to his crew, accepting the key with a tightened grip. It was his hope that the initial apprehension only read as surprise outwardly.

Fergie​

What the FUCK?!

Footsoldier?! What the hell was this?! She lead his stupid Vanguard, dealt with his stupid mistake, and all the thanks she gets is a full demotion?! What, did saving his ass from Demi embarrass him? Did he not like what Fergie had to say, and this was her punishment? That cowardly, treacherous, fucking piss-shit-dick-headed--

And once the rage hit its peak, Fergie was awash with an overwhelming apathy. Why did she care what Adumbass did? The crew made the true decisions here. It wouldn't surprise her if Demi bee-lined to her for a leadership role. Besides... it sounded awfully nice to take a break from the responsibility, and fuck around for a bit. Her coinpurse would protest after dumping most of her pay on that gun (a nice-ass gun), but still. Fuck it.

Nancy Noi​

... What the fuck?

Errand boy? Really? After being promised he could work in the labs, now he was being reduced to some tag-along? Nancy didn't want to be around people, let alone a follower of the Goddess. Was Sebas keeping tabs on him to steer him the "correct" way like Steven and bully him for not being his little bitch?

The hell are you even on about? Nancy had no business in those labs if he didn't know the basics of modernization in this age. Alchemy could be so much different from what he was used to. 200 years! And Alchemy was always an innovative field. He'd better hit the books first before even attempting to brew.

And "errand boy" sounded insulting, but thinking about it... Sebas was enlisted as Quartermaster. That meant Nancy was being chosen as an extension of his authority. Trusted with him to pass on his instructions, make sure they're heard, make sure they're respected. Trusted with him to gather accurate data on cargo, crew, and whatever else. It wasn't terribly impressive. Anyone could do that. But not everyone could do it well, and if Nancy was the one doing it, it would be. He'd make certain of that.


"Nancy Boy!"
"Nancy Boy" felt his scales nearly leap off his skin when a hand clapped between his shoulder blades. Of course it was Fergie, grinning like she was greeting an old friend. "Can you not? Do that, please?"
"Looks like we're splittin' up," she continued on, of course ignoring him. Or maybe noting that for next time. He'll hold her up to that. "But don't be thinkin' ya can't call me, 'ight? I'm always around." She tapped her comm crystal, then a look passed over her face. "I'm makin' it sound like an option. It ain't. Ya WILL be hearin' from me."
"... Okay." Acquiescence aside, it wasn't like Nancy couldn't just block her. Then again, it wasn't like he had a reason to.

The floorboards under his boots seemed to rattle when Bogrum lumbered his way over. "I'll be getting a call too, right?"
"Mm... nah."
Nancy wasn't expecting the most heart-wrenching puppy eyes he'd ever seen to be from this chiseled orc man.


Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

The crew began loading up the ships in full force now. They didn't have long to get set. Plus, the pirates who had to stay in the bay and sleep in the hammocks wanted to get first pick of the space. The corners and near vents were most desirable. The corners provided better protection for their stuff, while the vents made the area around it have better quality overall instead of choking down the stale air of tens of sweaty sea-salty men. Adonis's ships were higher quality than most, and even then that was an issue. They wanted to avoid the places near the shitters due to smell and noise from people entering/exiting said shitter, and people wanted to avoid the hatch into the hold. While it provided EXCELLENT ventilation, those hatches were where large pieces of cargo had to be loaded. Sleeping there meant you were first to move if large cargo had to be loaded. There was also the fact that they were taking an early sea-salty shower if the ship hit rough waters. Then you were sleeping on a soggy hammock

This was the reality of being the low level foot soldier. Once promoted, you could be moved into what's more akin to a barracks bay and sleep on an actual bed. For a lot of them who used to sleep in the hammocks, it was a bittersweet feeling to now be moved into a barracks bay. Why? It left some of them with the question: Did they get promoted because they earned it? Or did they earn it because 25% of the crew were wiped out?

Demestral Asella
Andouphe- Port​

Demi didn't expect to be put at the the helm of a ship. She was given no co-captain, so she could pick her poison........and she wanted someone the opposite of her to keep to the ground since her head was always in the clouds. Now who to promote for quartermaster, Demi thought. "Lattice, can you move my stuff into the Captain's Quarters?"
"At once, my lady!" Lattice ran off to do her job while the ship captain found someone to promote. Lattice was still reading up on people so Demi couldn't just consult her, so she had to go off what she personally knew.

Demi approached group. "Hey guys," Sebas and the girls, Bogrum, Nancy, and her subject of the time, Fergie. "Fergie, I saw the look you passed in my direction, and you're exactly right," she said with a grin, not even bothering to play coy or beat around the bush. "I want you to serve as my Quartermaster. If your words can reach Avalonian rage, it can reach the crew." Fergie's gained trust in Demi comes into play here. It wasn't like Demi believed Fergie was the only one, but sleeping in your own room and managing personnel logistics seemed to beat sleeping in a bay with a bunch of others, especially after being a Raid Captain. Her stuff was at stake, liable to be stolen. "If Adonis wants you a foot soldier, all the more reason to be promoted." The quartermaster was the bridge between captain and crew. In the Basenjis, "captain and crew" meant both from them to the individual ship captain and from them to the Fleet Captain Adonis

"Captain Demi, I see things went well." Sebas said with a smile, rendering her the proper respects which honestly made Demi feel a bit uneasy. Just minutes ago, SHE was the one calling HIM captain. For the flip to switch immediately like that was weird for her. "How's it feel to be at the helm?"
"Drop the formalities," Demi said with a chuckle, "I'm still tempted to call you Captain, yet you are a friend of mine. No formalities.........." It made everything easier. Eliminate the barrier between friend but to answer his question, "I wasn't expecting it, but I will see it as appeasement. Either that.........or he's trying to lock me down." As captain of a ship, she couldn't just take a leave of absence, which was her plan once they got under way. "I was planning to take off for a while to clear my head, but now I can't. That is, unless the Dragon Supreme says otherwise."
"I wouldn't blame you for taking off regardless," Sebas told her frankly, "Just know. Captain or not, different ship or not, if any of you need anything, just let me know."

Vespera Marine Seyres
Andouphe- Port​

A deep sigh
She expected to be working under Elaina. She did NOT expect that she would be separated from Nancy so soon. A double slap to her jaws told her to get it together. As much as Ves hated to admit it, working for Elaina was far better than the alternatives. Not only could the Pirates take her closer to her home, but in working on a ship, Elaina was a powerful force. Her library connected the trio of ships so it wasn't like her separation from Nancy was anything long term. Elaina permitting, Ves could go across the ships at will. Guess this could have been worse. Some of the men on this ship had given her lustful looks, and while she didn't fear harm per se, she didn't want to deal with it. If they attacked her, she didn't know how the others would perceive her, given that she was a newcomer even if she had defended herself. Take being violated, or take being killed if she defended herself. Then again..........there WERE women on this ship, so was that sort of thing outlawed? Or just outlawed against each other as crewmates? Where did she herself stand in all this? "Elaina?" Ves asked the witch, "If someone tries to forcefully take you, do you have the right to defend yourself?"
NOTHING about Elaina's demeanor changed when that question was asked. "If someone tries to violate you, put a bullet in their head then report to me immediately." Elaina said without hesitation, "I will probe that pretty little head of yours, extract the memory, then present it as evidence." Oh, right........ she forgot Elaina actually had that kind of ability. So there was no he said/she said.
"Would you do that for me?"
"You ARE my subordinate, right?" Elaina responded, before turning away. "Let's go. We must test the Gates between the libraries." Without awaiting a response, the witch walked off. Ves grabbed her stuff and followed

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie​

Likewise not bothering to hide how pleased this development made her, Fergie rolled her shoulders as she settled her hands on her hips. "Well, well, well. 'Suppose that's what I get for bein' subtle." She wasn't, and had given up trying long ago. "Aye. I'll wrangle these rascals into their best selves for ya." With this position in her hands, Fergie realized that this was the better deal. Better than being knocked down to a foot soldier, and better than standing at the helm. This kept her closest to the crew without compromising her authority. And boy, did those rat bastards need it.

"Captain to captain." Bogrum gave Demi a muted salute. "Congrats, and best of luck. Whatever Adonis's reason, he didn't do wrong choosing you."
"We'll make things easier for ya, lass," Fergie nodded. "My job to, anyway."
"We will. I see us working well together," Bogrum was sure. Demi's skill was flexibility. She could find a way to work well with anyone, so long as there was a mutual attempt.


Before the two left to gather their respective belongings, Fergie pulled Bogrum aside, face set in a honed stare. "Seriously though. Ya alright to be at the front of all this?"
There were doubts swirling in the man's head, she could tell. But there was something more determined in Bogrum's eyes as they flickered over the scattering crew. Almost conspiratorial. "I can see this panning out better than expected," he said. Fergie bristled frustratedly at the cryptic wording. "Roll with me on this one?"
Roll with him she would. "Aye. Ya know I'll always back ya up." Her gaze fell down. "Just don't want ya losin' yer head. It ain't an easy life."
Bogrum waved a hand. "'Easy life' isn't for me. Toil keeps the mind sharp and body fit."

That's how she knew that even now, he didn't quite understand. Not yet.

Nancy Noi​

Of course. Just their luck. The whole reason Nancy even allowed Demi to pitch in for him was knowing she would take time to herself after it was all said and done, but now that was being taken away from her. What would be her compensation now? Nancy had nothing to offer in return. He was too much of a wreck, too much to even help himself. Having to rely on people just to survive. They were better off throwing his dead weight overboard--
Stop.

"Sir, I can help move yours and the girls' things," he offered Sebas. "I've already taken care of mine." He could be useful somehow by playing pack mule. It wasn't like his own paltry belongings were weighing him down, and as ex-Captain and a father, Sebas surely had a lot to carry.

And of course, just their luck, Nancy was being separated from anyone who gave an actual shit about him. He had looked over just in time to see the worried glance Vespera sent his way. Who knew when they'd get to see each other again? Guilt needled his chest when he almost felt relief wondering that.
I'll be okay, his returned glance told her, pained reassurance pulling his lips. I always am.
He would make sure that was the last lie he ever told her.


Kylesar1