The Winds of Change (Cecilia, 2nd)

His face, as always, is perfectly composed, the very image of aristocratic class. The Lord Arrington looks at you quietly for some moments, long enough that one might almost assume that he isn't going to speak.


Suddenly, he smiles.


It's a small thing, little more than a gentle smirk, but its warmth is directed at you, and it feels as large a gesture as your mothers hug.


"Good luck, my little girl,"
 
Cecilia smiles back, blinking back more welling tears. She nods, taking a breath to give herself a moment before speaking.


"I'll make you proud and I'll be safe." She promises quietly gently touching the skirt of Dormir Lis and then dipping politely before picking up her bag and looking to Urteal.


"Thank you for bringing me along." She tells him, all parts excited and nervous at once.
 
Leading you onto the walkway, Urteal shakes his head.


"Thank you for accepting. It's been a long time since I've had company on board, that was both polite and interesting,"


Your parents watch quietly as you head up the gangplank into the ship, your mother tearing up as she attempts to wave reservedly and failing. The Lord Arrington simply nods once, a proud expression lining his normally faultless face.


Dell hurries behind the pair of you with the stoic grace of one born into servitude, several bags tucked under her arms.


Strolling on board, you can see that the ship is well worn, paths into the wooden decking polished smooth with years of footfalls. Some shallow notches have been dug into floor, long gouges and small holes, those too sanded smooth, though more likely by design than by age. You can't help but notice alongside those marks, are some dark stains that, despite fading, cannot hide the rusty tinge to their color.


Even so, the ship, seems immaculately cleaned and maintained.


Servants and crewmen make their way past the three of you, hauling all manner of items, though some on board sit quietly. Most are nondescript, bearing that quiet smallness of character retainers take amongst nobility, but there are some that stick out.


A dark, red haired young man speaks animatedly to a young girl, her freckled face creased in an animated smile, both wrapped quite heavily against the cold. They regard you curiously, the boy with wary trepidation, the girl with wide eyed glee.


Snow stands at the prow, rifle in hand, propped up against her shoulder. Even though you cannot see her eyes or face, it's obvious that she is surveying the surroundings, though there's little, if any heed towards you.


Amidst the chaos of the open cargo hold, a man with a shock of blond hair and pale glasses takes down notes on a ledger, speaking quietly, and occasionally cuffing passerbys about the head with a bark of displeasure or rolling of the eyes.


"The Ivory Fang, Miss Arrington, and her crew," announces Urteal, turning to you with something resembling a smile. "Though there are yet others beneath the hold," he admits absentmindedly.


"Thoughts?"
 
Leaving her parents behind, she does her best to push tearful goodbyes behind her, not looking back. This was it, she was finally taking her first journey off the Spire! With Dell's presence behind her and Helmine's chill around her shoulders, she takes in the ship, the bustle of the crew, the chatter, the preparations.


So much to take in but she didn't miss the two young people across the way, managing a brief but friendly smile before turning to continue taking in the sights and sounds (what she could hear in her good ear anyway). Snow looked busy, she doubted the woman would be pay much attention to her right now while on guard. She wondered briefly at the blonde man with the ledger, figuring him to be a quartermaster perhaps?


"She is a beautiful ship, Urteal." She tells him with a smile when he asks. "I'm glad to have the chance to finally step on board, let alone take a journey on her. Will we be introduced to the crew after we're on our way? I would not want to delay their preparations after all, but I will admit to be most curious as to how The Ivory Fang is run."


Her blue eyes were lit up with wonder and curiosity, she was probably already tucking aside a million questions to be asked later.
 
"You mean the mechanics which allow it to fly, or the structure of command?" replies the Dellebron, peering over the crew thoughtfully before turning his attention to you.


"And yes, you will be introduced to the crew once we are aloft, if not by me, than by Snow or possibly Mirkwood,"
 
"A little of both." Cecilia answers, nodding to the Dellabron. "I look forward to meeting them."


The nervousness is quickly fading in the face of something so new and exciting before her. While she looks composed but cheerful, Dell would probably know very well the signs of Cecilia almost ready to bounce and skip with glee. Of course an Arrington out in public can't do such things, it would be as unheard of as someone randomly bursting into song.
 
"For the moment, let me direct you and your manservant to your quarters,"


Urteal snaps his fingers, a surprisingly loud crack that carries over the boisterousness of the upper deck. "Ku!"


The dark young man from before stalks over to the group, young girl in tow.


He's a few years younger than you, dark skin obviously of southern descent, with short, wavy red hair, and a rather prominent nose. The most noticeable thing about his appearance however, are his eyebrows. They're considerably large bushy things which seem determined to make the majority of his expressions seem to be little more than a series variating scowls.


The girl, on the other hand, is much younger, no more than twelve years old, pale and freckly, with smooth brown locks. She seems to be looking at you with a wide smile, completely enraptured with you.


"Sir?" is the boy's lazy, casual response, scratching behind one ear as his gaze slides from the Dellebron to you.


"Ku," repeats Urteal, gesturing to you and Dell. "This is Lady Cecilia Arrington and her manservant Dell. I want you to give her a brief tour of the ship as you direct her to her room. It shouldn't take any longer than the basic prep, and then you can return to the cockpit,"


"Aye, Captain," answers Ku, looking you up and down appraisingly. "C'mon," is all he says to you.
 
Cecilia smiles at them both cheerfully and bobs in a brief curtsy to Urteal before they go. "Thank you again, Urteal." She tells the Dellebron before stepping after Ku. "Lead the way."


Her eyes flick to the young girl as they begin to walk. "I don't believe I caught your name?" She asks curiously.
 
The child beams at you, turning around as she walks.


"I'm Julia," she chimes happily, unsteady stumbling backwards as the four of you move below decks, into the ship proper. "And that's my big brother, Ku,"


Ku gives you an unenthusiastic wave with olive fingers.


"And this here," explains the tanned youth, continuing instead of Julia. "Is the galley,"


He gestures inside an open archway where you can see several tables and long benches. Warm air cascades from within, bringing a tide of earthly, flavourful aromas.


"That's ship talk for dinner table room!" giggles Julia brightly, a gesture which elicits a tired, but not unkind eye roll from the older boy.

For the record, they're all speaking Tradestongue, which Cecilia can speak well enough. Dell can speak enough to get by, but not really have a decent conversation in, and Helmine is completely ignorant of the language.
 
Cecilia laughs, rather liking Julia's energy and enthusiasm. She's switched immediately to Tradestongue to converse with them, she'll fill Helmine in afterwards. She really should consider seeing if she can teach the serpent over the course of the trip while helping Dell along.


"So we all eat here then?" She asks both their guides curiously, taking it in. "Is there anything we should know about meals or times regarding them?"
 
"You're a guest, so you probably get somethin' specially for you. The rest of us, including your meatshield there, get first come, first serve, at called mealtimes and the like," responds Ku offhandedly, starting on his walk again.


"Bolas makes a reeeeally good stew!" Julia comments excitedly as you move along. "It's got all sortsa stuff in it, like sausages and milk and potatoes and it's all in gravy and stuff!"


"Bolas is the cook," is Ku's confirmation, stopping outside the next room, opening the hardwood door to allow you a look inside. Bookcases, scrolls, and all manner of arcane astrolabes make up the contents, laid out on in a manner that suggested some sort of organised chaos.


"This is the navigation room. Cap'n likes his charts and tools just so, so I'd keep my nose outta there if I was you,"
 
"That does sound good." Cecilia nods to Julia, stepping after her big brother. Given the differences between the two, she wonders if Julia was taken under Ku's wing and refers to him as her brother that way. It felt rude to ask right now, she barely knew them.


As they reach the navigation room, the Cryolyte peeks in.


"I'll make sure not to go in without permission." Cecilia nods in agreement to Ku. What a curious insight into how Urteal works, organised chaos much like how her room and desk had been. "Is he often in there?"
 
The boy just shrugs, starting his slouched jaunt once again.


"It's his office, so yeah, he is. Think he sleeps in there more than his bed," Ku muses, leading you down some stairs.


"These here are the quarters," he says, gesturing to the entire hallway. "Further downstairs is the cargo hold and the engines. I'd show you 'em, but the cargo hold is probably crazy right now with last minute preparations, and the engines, well, Joro is funny around strangers,"


"...Or familiar faces. Or most people. Living things in general, actually," He grimaces, rubbing his chin. "Point is, let's just not go near the engines unless we have to,"


"Joro's the fixer! The maker! The all machine back breaker!" laughs Julia, clomping about with her hands raised above her head, making silly faces with bared teeth. Her face falls as Ku shudders, and the young girl squeezes his middle in an affectionate hug. He pats her head, smiling, before looking back at you.


"Joro's the engineer. Bluntly put, she's f-" he pauses, casting a wary glance to the girl still encircling his waist. "-airly weird, and I don't like 'em,"


"I think Joro is cool!" exclaims Julia, her voice slightly muffled as she slowly extricates herself from her hug. "The rhymes are funny, and she always tells me a cool stories!"


"Uh-huh," replies Ku flatly, blatantly unamused.


"Anyways, your room should be one of these," he continues, starting down the corridor. You can feel a massive area of intense cold in one of the rooms, and somewhere beneath you, significant heat.


"This would most likely be interesting if I knew what was going on," grumbles Helmine quietly.


Dell remains silent, as she is wont to do in the presence of others.
 
"I'll remember about Joro." Cecilia smiles, giggling a little at Julia's rhyme. "I wouldn't want to bother anyone who is busy after all. But I like stories too, maybe I can visit sometime?" She follows them down the corridor, glancing at the doors they pass. She can guess at the cold aura room, though that's certainly intense.


"I'll fill you in once we're settled, Helmine. I might have to see if you can learn some Tradestongue." Cecilia murmurs to her gently in Spirespeak.
 
Ku just waves it off, that grimace still permeating his features.


"We can go down later when Ku is working," offers Julia wistfully. "I mean, if you want to,"


"There's the Cap'n's room, and that's Snow's room," continues Ku, pointing to two rooms on the right, Snow's being the one you sense the immense cold behind. Even now, you can see frost lining the metal door.


"This is the guest room, which for the time being, is yours," he says, gesturing to a final door on the right.


"And these are the crew barracks," indicating to the sole door on the left. It seems to be filled with bunk beds and chests.


"Anythin' else, or you good to go for the moment?"
 
"I would like that, Julia." Cecilia smiles at the younger girl.


Taking in the rooms, noting who is where, she turns back to Ku and shakes her head as she replies.


"I believe we're good for now, we'll get settled in while the ship finishes preparations. Thank you for showing us around, I appreciate it. I hope we will see you both later." She adds, giving them both a polite nod as she opens the door to the guest room.
 
"Bye bye Miss Arrington!" Julia waves happily as she skips away with Ku, who slouches off with his hands in his pockets, not looking back.


The room is.... disappointing to say the least. No en-suite bathroom besides a simple privy, no walk in closet, no ice-chest of snacks, a double bed rather than a Queen size, and barely even a window besides a small, grubby porthole. The room itself is tiny, only dozen or so feet either side, with only a single closet, beside table with mirror, and chest at the end of the bed. All in all, very poor fare.


Well, at least they don't expect Dell to be staying in here.


Your retainer sets your bags down by closet, peering about curiously. She says nothing, but looks at you with a nervous smile.


"Well, this is certainly a step down, isn't it?" remarks Helmine, encircling your neck as she examines her surroundings.
 
"Well...I was somewhat expecting it to be small. I mean, we are travelling and the ship is home not just to us while on our way." Cecilia smiles, trying not to show disappointment as she takes it in, then shakes her head at herself, chasing away the thoughts of her big comfortable room back at the Spire.


"I'm sure it'll be just fine once I unpack and get used to the difference in room." She beams at Dell and Helmine. "A very small price to pay to get to go travelling after all!" She laughs, moving to start unpacking her things and setting them in proper places.
 
"Do you need anything else Miss Cecilia, or can I secure myself a bunk?" asks Dell, gathering her own bags, a small familiar box clutched to her chest.


"Small seems to be an understatement. It's cramped for me. I can only imagine how tiny it seems to someone as large as you," moans the serpent, rolling over your shoulder, her coils loose with petulance.
 
"Oh, please do. Go settle yourself in. Helmine and I will be doing the same." Cecilia nods to Dell. "We'll see you when you're done."


She waves to Dell as she opens her trunk of clothes and starts to carry thing over to the closet to hang them up. Hm, she hopes she has enough room, some items may need to remain in the trunk. No, she's sure she can find a way to make everything fit neatly, she didn't pack everything from her room.


"Well, we're probably going to be able to explore the ship after we take off. Oh, I need to fill you in as well." She laughs, beginning to recount to Helmine who their guides were, what the places were they visited and so on as she unpacks and stores things away.
 
Everything sort of fits... though the effort of fitting the majority of your clothing into the wee wardrobe has left certain garments rather creased. Your mother would probably have a conniption if she saw the way you manhandled that dinner dress in there.


Your books and smaller garments, such as your underclothes, fit just well into the chest at the foot of your bed. It might prove to be something of a pain in order to get volumes buried deeper down though.


The final note of disappointment still rings through, being the lack of any desk or even chair, making note taking that much more difficult. Still, everything eventually winds up packed away, if not particularly neatly.


Your recounting of your adventures go by easily enough with Helmine, though she still seems to be throwing the serpent equivalent of a strop, rolling around restlessly on your shoulders and sulking whenever she gets a chance.


"I still don't understand why Master Snow and Sky has a child aboard. Surely she can't be of much use beyond baiting scenarios," she murmurs close to your ear, tongue tickling your lobe.
 
"I doubt that's why she's here, Helmine. Don't be cruel. I've read books where quick and small beings are needed in areas grown adults cannot fit. She probably has a very important task, you know? And there are always cabin boy and girl to help the cook or keep the place clean. Urteal said we'd be introduced to everyone once we disembark, I'm sure we'll find out much more then." She smiles at the serpent, tickling her scales.


"Now, do you want me to set up your box by the chest or are you going to stay with me as usual? You seem like you're having a hissy fit, pun intended, and I won't have that if we're going back up to the deck. Father said to be on best behaviour and that applies to you too. I'm responsible for you after all, you know?" She adds with a sigh. "Things will be exciting and fun once we get going. You'll see. We'll probably hardly use this room except for sleeping and when I change clothes."
 
Helmine snorts with a sibilant whistle, but she makes no further comment, nor movement from your shoulders. Her pout is something you can feel, even if it is pointed away from you, though luckily you're the only one likely to be able to read the expression on a snakes face.


A voice echoes over pipes in the walls, a cry of "All Aboard!", and the ship shudders beneath your feet.
 
Hearing the yell and the ship shudder, Cecilia moves to the door of her cabin and opens it, looking up and down the corridor for Dell. She was hoping to be on deck for when they cast off but she had also promised not to go anywhere without her bodyguard and friend. She hoped she hadn't gone too far...
 
Dell is standing in the corridor, a look of confusion on her face. The lost expression falls away as she sees you, instead turning to something approaching embarrassment as the girl draws up to you.


"No one here speaks Spire," admits your retainer, rubbing the back of her neck and grimacing. She avoids looking you in the eyes, her gaze instead wandering everywhere but. "But I think they got the gist of what I was trying to say from my little my pointy actey performance,"


Eyes glazing over slightly, Dell frowns.


"Either that or I might have stolen someone's spot and then dissed them in front of everyone there,"


"Establish dominance. Eat the largest one there," advises Helmine with flat whisper and a knowing nod. "Not yourself, of course,"


"Thanks," is the flat, humorless reply from your retainer, running her hands over her hips with an awkward glance down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)

Similar threads

Sora No Kami
A vicious dance with death (RP 1x1 based on the song "My R") TW: Self-loathing, Suicune
Replies
1
Views
103
Sora No Kami
Sora No Kami
Back
Top