Tales of Glory and Valour: the Seafarers Main RP Topic

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

“I’m sure we have-”

Dolphus narrowed his eyes in sidelong fashion at Ari. “I’m sure our food containers have been thoroughly waterproofed, regardless of whatever damage has occurred. But if not, your interests in that regard will fit in well with the rest of the crew, I suspect.”

“Let’s take him and go before something else happens.” Dolphus flopped his arm in the direction of the soldier, feeling the mask fitting comfortably back into place.

Ari’s brow, which still stayed in its raised position, was joined on its high ground by the other one, as she sensed the sudden drastic change in Dolphus’s demeanour. A moment later her surprised expression was replaced with a truly devious grin. She finally figured him out. So that’s how he holds himself normally. No wonder he got a place on that crew.

“Sure. But don’t you think you can deceive me, kid. I am not as stupid as you think.”

Her smile didn’t waver as she walked past Dolphus towards the soldier, but inside she couldn’t help but feel a looming sense of concern. The way the kid behaved just now seemed strangely familiar, as if it reminded her of someone. It was not a good feeling. And her feelings rarely, if ever, failed her.

But at least she got the answer she wanted out of him. She might be able to get a spot on his bizarre crew and leave the Armada for good. Whatever that concern was, she’d have time to figure it out later.

Ari walked up to the tied down soldier and kneeled down in front of him. She thoroughly searched through his clothes, looking for any hidden weapons (@Winterstorm345). She didn’t want to get stabbed in the neck while she was carrying him. After the search was over, Ari took off the chain and secured it around her waist. She took off the soldier’s helmet and chestplate and tossed them to the side. She could probably carry him with them on, but the road was long and she wanted to get rid of as much unnecessary weight as possible. After all, she had a lot of work to do when they arrive.

Ari was about to lift up the soldier when she stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. She placed her hand on his shoulder and, even though he certainly couldn’t hear her, said in a serious voice: “I am sorry for your friend. I shouldn’t have done that. He didn’t deserve to die.” An expression of sincere, profound sadness mixed with sympathy appeared on her face, which didn’t escape Dolphus’s attention. She swore that she would only kill for self-defence, but could that be considered self-defence? She was certainly keeping this one alive no matter what.

Finally, she lifted the man up and placed him over her shoulder. His weight didn’t seem to concern her all that much.

“Well, let’s get going!” she said, looking at Dolphus

[Ghid]

@NOTaHFfan

A moment later her surprised expression was replaced with a truly devious grin. She finally figured him out.

He could feel it.

Right after the words left his mouth he could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise. He paid them no heed; keeping complete facial control was necessary here just as much as it was everywhere else.

However, the similar yet familiar sensation he experienced as his feathers rose was almost entrancing, like a nosalgia for the unintuitive and alien experience he had undergone so frequently in the past, and that almost upset his delicate mask entirely on its own. Is this what it really feels like…?

@NOTaHFfan

“Sure. But don’t you think you can deceive me, kid. I am not as stupid as you think.”

Same to you, pal. Dolphus kept his suspicious glance as Ari confidently strode past, tightening his muscles on that side of his body to stop from instinctively tilting away from her. Like a grape. Just POP and there wouldn’t be enough scalp left to shave in my memory.

Maybe I should stop thinking about it.

@NOTaHFfan

“I am sorry for your friend. I shouldn’t have done that. He didn’t deserve to die.” An expression of sincere, profound sadness mixed with sympathy appeared on her face, which didn’t escape Dolphus’s attention.

With his back to her, Dolphus had only glanced as she rummaged about for what was likely some kind of hidden weapon. Then she suddenly whispered - if that was what it was supposed to be - an apology for what had happened.

It appeared her definition of deserving to die was open to scrutiny, at least in Dolphus’ eyes. What set this second man apart as someone undeserving? If he was anything beyond that, she would not have ineffectually apologized to him as the honorific stand-in for the man she brutally murdered.

But the youngest Gorov couldn’t find it in himself to agree. He had seen the wing. The case for why his death was not only deserved but necessary was a strong one, even if he had failed to find it within himself to deliver the final blow.

What am I going to do?

@NOTaHFfan

Finally, she lifted the man up and placed him over her shoulder. His weight didn’t seem to concern her all that much.

“Well, let’s get going!” she said, looking at Dolphus

Dolphus, who had been staring at what was now her knees like a mannequin, his eyes seemingly dimming the reflections entering them, suddenly realized reality was still going on and let life spring back into his features. “Wh- Uh, yeah. Let’s do that.”

Quickly striding far enough forward that it seemed like Ari couldn’t witness his expressions crumbling into worry and doubt, Dolphus hurriedly reset his mask before her significantly longer legs inevitably overcame his stride. There’s no way he can be allowed to live. There’s no other solution to this; to somehow make him forget what happened and truly be sure he’s forgotten it. He has to die.

But how can I possibly kill him?

[Winterstorm345]

@MakutaOisli

Move, Move. Mako sped up, the rustling of his stitched armor aligning with his steps

@NOTaHFfan

Well, let’s get going!”

As they set out from their rest point they encountered Mako a short ways down the path. Hurriedly following along their footprints

The man over Ari’s shoulder twitched slightly. He’d regained consciousness several minutes ago, but was playing dead for fear of what might be done to him. Now, hearing a third set of steps, he cracked his eyes just enough to see through his eyelashes. Trying to get a look at this new arrival. For all other intents and purposes he looked the same as when Ari had knocked him out.

[Ghid]

For a little while the path was quiet and would have otherwise been calming, but Dolphus was in the middle of a storm more tumultuous than the gale which mauled the Caelin’s Hand. What he was going to do with the soldier was utterly beyond him, and yet it gnawed at the back of his mind like an incessant rodent.

How could he die?

Unless he… No, I don’t think he would kill himself. Perhaps he would if he felt he would be tortured into betraying his country, but… That would inevitably lead to him spilling the secrets about my wing.

Someone up ahead was making a tumultuous rushing noise. Dolphus’ head snapped up, looking directly along the path, finally catching a glimpse of the distant figure rapidly closing the gap between him and the Gorov child. Is that… The assassin guy, maybe? Strange choice to send-

@Winterstorm345

As they set out from their rest point they encountered Mako a short ways down the path. Hurriedly following along their footprints

“Oh, gosh.” Dolphus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with an immense amount of pressure - for him, at least. “This is a… member of our crew allegedly, and I must apologize in advance.”

“Why couldn’t they have sent anyone else…” He grumbled, his under-the-breath comments growing less and less under-the-breath. As Mako neared closer and closer to speaking range, Dolphus could feel his brow contracting painfully, forcing him to press his fingers against it and massage the muscle underneath.

Maybe when this is all over I can convince him to jump off the boat but tied to the anchor this time.

…

SHIP I MEAN SHIP

[MakutaOisli]

@Ghid

As Mako neared closer and closer to speaking range, Dolphus could feel his brow contracting painfully, forcing him to press his fingers against it and massage the muscle underneath.

Holy. He’s alive. And who’s this?

Mako affixed his gaze onto Dolphus. His eyes darted, eyeballing him. He cocked his head to the side slightly, as if puzzled, for there was something new about Dolphus, something fresh. He couldn’t quite tell what, how ever. Turning to Ari, he quickly looked her up and down, before giving an exhale of relief. Drawing himself back to attention, he snapped back to Dolphus, his voice still slightly hoarse.
“Good. You’re alive. I had already saved you, so finding out that you had died straight after would have been…”
He trailed off, not knowing what to say.
" You’re alive, and that’s what matters."
He turned back to Ari.
" I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally acquainted before?" He asked.

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

Right after the words left his mouth he could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise. He paid them no heed; keeping complete facial control was necessary here just as much as it was everywhere else.

Ari didn’t notice any reaction to her statement on his face. He either wasn’t fazed by it in the slightest, or was able to hide the fact that he was. Either way, she knew that her judgment was correct, and it must have gotten to him, even if he didn’t show it.

@Winterstorm345

As they set out from their rest point they encountered Mako a short ways down the path. Hurriedly following along their footprints

They walked through the forest towards the ship in complete silence, only occasionally interrupted by the snapping of a branch under Ari’s heavy boot. They were approaching the place of their encounter with the platoon of soldiers, and Ari couldn’t help but remember the extremely unpleasant experience she had there. There was one more thing she wanted to discuss with Dolphus one on one, before they encountered anyone from his crew. It was something that’s been bothering her for a while, and she needed to talk to him about it.

She opened her mouth, ready to start talking, when something suddenly caught her attention. A sound of something, or someone, hurriedly rummaging through the forest in front of them. A sound that was getting closer and closer.

Ari instinctively tensed and reached her free hand towards her metal bat. What now?! Did those soldiers return for payback?
If they wanted a fight, she wouldn’t be acting so cowardly, like she did last time. She did give the empty-eyed man a promise that she would punch him in the face, and she liked to keep her promises.

@Winterstorm345

The man over Ari’s shoulder twitched slightly. He’d regained consciousness several minutes ago, but was playing dead for fear of what might be done to him. Now, hearing a third set of steps, he cracked his eyes just enough to see through his eyelashes. Trying to get a look at this new arrival. For all other intents and purposes he looked the same as when Ari had knocked him out.

Ari didn’t notice the increase in the soldier’s activity, she was way too busy scrutinising the forest in front of her, trying to make out the source of the approaching sounds. For all she knew, he was still knocking out cold, limply hanging off of her shoulder.

@Ghid

“Oh, gosh.” Dolphus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with an immense amount of pressure - for him, at least. “This is a… member of our crew allegedly, and I must apologize in advance.”

Ari’s brows didn’t seem to catch a break today. They shot up as she eyed the figure that appeared in front of them. Before her eyes was a bizarre patchwork of bandages, feathers and leather assembled in a rough human-like shape. It was impossible to determine what was under it, as the figure seemed to be covered from head to toe in this strange clothing… if you could even call it that. But, whatever that figure was, Ari was determined that it couldn’t be a living breathing human being.

Ari turned towards Dolphus with the same expression of confusion, her hand still hovering over the handle of her weapon, just in time to see an extremely disgruntled look on his face. She’d never seen him so childishly frustrated before, and his reaction seemed to amuse her quite a bit. She loosened up slightly. This was about to get interesting.

“…apologise? What do you-”

@MakutaOisli

“Good. You’re alive. I had already saved you, so finding out that you had died straight after would have been…”
He trailed off, not knowing what to say.
" You’re alive, and that’s what matters."
He turned back to Ari.
" I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally acquainted before?" He asked.

Ari turned back towards the stranger as he began to talk. There was something strange about his manner of speech. She didn’t seem to notice that his last inquiry was directed at her, as she was too preoccupied studying the way he spoke. His words were surprisingly formal, which contrasted starkly with his appearance. It seemed like he tried to mimic the way of speech of Armadan lords and ladies, with mixed results. It was clear as day that he wasn’t from these lands. Everything was so bizarre about this man. And there was still a feeling that didn’t seem lo let go of Ari, she couldn’t hold this suspicion in anymore, she was overrun with curiosity. She looked back at Dolphus with a smirk on her face and eagerly pointed her finger at the figure:

“Is this one of your ghost sailors that you talked about, kid?”

[Ghid]

@MakutaOisli

“Good. You’re alive. I had already saved you, so finding out that you had died straight after would have been…”

Dolphus finally looked up at Mako, his lips parted and his brow crinkled in blatant confusion. What… What the heck is he talking about?

@MakutaOisli

" You’re alive, and that’s what matters."
He turned back to Ari.
" I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally acquainted before?" He asked.

@NOTaHFfan

She looked back at Dolphus with a smirk on her face and eagerly pointed her finger at the figure:

“Is this one of your ghost sailors that you talked about, kid?”

“Don’t give me any ideas.” Dolphus murmured in reply.

“…Mako, this is Ari, a shipwright.” Dolphus gestured with an unrolling of his upwards palm, the fingers pointed in Ari’s direction. “She claims to have been stranded here roughly the same time we were, and she and I also apprehended this lone Armada soldier for interrogation.”

His eyes lazily glanced at Ari during his speech, and he wondered if she could see him nervously swallow. “She has offered her services to us in exchange for safe passage, so I am taking her to discuss terms with Mariner. How is everyone doing? I had no additional time to inspect the rest of the crew.”

Maybe tomorrow I will wake up and this will all have been a dream, and Mako will have accidentally drowned i the squid attack, and I had never have met Ari, and we never got shipwrecked on this stupid island, and I never dealt with Armada soldiers, and-

…But then I would never have met Devan.

[MakutaOisli]

@NOTaHFfan

Is this one of your ghost sailors that you talked about, kid?”

“ I am alive, though by how much is debatable.”
Mako answered swiftly.

@Ghid

Dolphus finally looked up at Mako, his lips parted and his brow crinkled in blatant confusion. What… What the heck is he talking about?

*Of course he doesn’t remember. * Mako thought, looking at Dolphus’ obvious confusion.

@Ghid

His eyes flew open in shock, his neck retracting as a fresh stream of water erupted from his nose. Hurriedly rolling onto his hand and knees, a hacking fit released what felt like most of the water in his entire body,

Unless there was another reason.
Mako looked Dolphus in the eye.
“ You nearly drowned. Mariner dredged you up from the sea. There was still water in your lungs. Unless you had any other reason, I quite sure that I was able to get the majority out of your nose. Otherwise, you would have been a bit more than under the weather.”
He finished quickly.

@Ghid

She has offered her services to us in exchange for safe passage, so I am taking her to discuss terms with Mariner. How is everyone doing? I had no additional time to inspect the rest of the crew.”

“ Tharos is mad at the captain, Rook is… somewhere, Mariner has been scavenging supplies off the bottom of the sea, Karl is out and about, and Alexis…”
Mako spoke very sincerely.
“ She’s been worried about you.”

[Ghid]

@MakutaOisli

“ You nearly drowned. Mariner dredged you up from the sea. There was still water in your lungs. Unless you had any other reason, I quite sure that I was able to get the majority out of your nose. Otherwise, you would have been a bit more than under the weather.”

Dolphus blinked once at the strange usage of grammar, but otherwise kept his composure as best he could. His nostrils stung from the memory of the incident.

Why’d he have to go and bring it up in front of the protein pile?

“My apologies, I was too preoccupied to send you a letter of compliment over the incident.” Dolphus looked like he was about to yawn out of sheer boredom, but his throat tightened to suppress it.

@MakutaOisli

“ Tharos is mad at the captain, Rook is… somewhere, Mariner has been scavenging supplies off the bottom of the sea, Karl is out and about, and Alexis…”
Mako spoke very sincerely.
“ She’s been worried about you.”

Curious, He thought. No mention of Jade or Nico. That’s a pinch concerning…

“Then we had better not keep her waiting,” Dolphus sighed, motioning for Ari to follow as he strode past Mako - and unintentionally showing a sliver of the youthful pain he felt at the thought of having caused Alexis distress. I’m going to have to apologize so much to her… Why do I always have to keep making things worse for her? Is Mako telling the truth? Was she actually worried for me?

Careful, Dolphus. Mind readers and all that.

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

“…Mako, this is Ari, a shipwright.” Dolphus gestured with an unrolling of his upwards palm, the fingers pointed in Ari’s direction. “She claims to have been stranded here roughly the same time we were, and she and I also apprehended this lone Armada soldier for interrogation.”

His eyes lazily glanced at Ari during his speech, and he wondered if she could see him nervously swallow. “She has offered her services to us in exchange for safe passage, so I am taking her to discuss terms with Mariner. How is everyone doing? I had no additional time to inspect the rest of the crew.”

Ari opened her mouth, wanting to interject, but ultimately closed it and waited for Dolphus to finish his speech. After all, talking was the boy’s specialty, apparently. However, it was no good that she wasn’t the one introducing herself.

She stepped forward and exclaimed confidently:

“Yeah… I’m Ari. I kidnapped the boy because I thought you guys were Armadan soldiers. Turns out you are not, so him and I are friends now. I’ll repair your ship and you’ll take me as far away from this miserable place as possible!” A wide smile appeared on her face as she stretched out her free hand towards the stranger, going for a handshake.
@MakutaOisli

[N01InParticular]

@Winterstorm345

Thank you” he mumbled.

“Don’t thank me yet. Here, let’s get you something to drink first.” She said this as she removed the flask from her hip and placed it on his lips. “It’s not much, but every little bit helps.” She commented flatly as she sat him down underneath the shade of the ship. “And for the love of the gods, no more magic.” She paused, waving over one of the ghostly apparitions that manned The Caelin’s hand. “Can you make sure he doesn’t die for me? I’m going over to investigate the boat over there; see if they’ve seen any sign of dolphus!”

[Winterstorm345]

The Sailor, wearing an officers uniform, had in fact been on his way to make a report. His expression soured a little behind the faceplate of his helmet. However he came over to check on Tharos, bending down to speak to him in a low whisper.

As Alexis went over to what was left of the boat, she passed sailors coming back towards the ship, carrying what timber was usable from the wreck as well as the boat’s singular sail.

[MakutaOisli]

@Ghid

“My apologies, I was too preoccupied to send you a letter of compliment over the incident.” Dolphus looked like he was about to yawn out of sheer boredom, but his throat tightened to suppress it.

“You can compliment me by getting back to the ship in one piece.”
Mako spoke.

@Ghid

“Then we had better not keep her waiting,” Dolphus sighed, motioning for Ari to follow as he strode past Mako - and unintentionally showing a sliver of the youthful pain he felt at the thought of having caused Alexis distress.

Mako said nothing to this, but noticed that there seemed to be a tiny, microscopic amount, of regret in Dolphus’ eyes.

@NOTaHFfan

Yeah… I’m Ari. I kidnapped the boy because I thought you guys were Armadan soldiers. Turns out you are not, so him and I are friends now. I’ll repair your ship and you’ll take me as far away from this miserable place as possible!” A wide smile appeared on her face as she stretched out her free hand towards the stranger, going for a handshake.

Mako shook the large hand, his own cool and slightly wet with the soaked bandages.
“Let us move swiftly. I do not feel it wise to stay idle for long.”

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

“Then we had better not keep her waiting,” Dolphus sighed, motioning for Ari to follow as he strode past Mako - and unintentionally showing a sliver of the youthful pain he felt at the thought of having caused Alexis distress.

Ari narrowed her eyes at Dolphus’s tiny showcase of emotion. So there are people who he cares about, huh.

@MakutaOisli

Mako shook the large hand, his own cool and slightly wet with the soaked bandages.

Even the man’s hand felt strange. Wet and cold, as if it belonged to a corpse that spent a little too much time submerged in water. Ari wasn’t a squeamish person in the slightest, but she still couldn’t help but shake her hand around and wipe it against her pantleg after letting go.

@MakutaOisli

“Let us move swiftly. I do not feel it wise to stay idle for long.”

Ari frowned, puzzled by his response. No questions asked? Nothing at all?
She expected at least some kind of reaction to her outrageously straightforward response, but the man seemed to be completely unfazed by the notion of her abducting his crewmate. How can one be so indifferent?

And he didn’t even introduce himself in response? What did the boy call him just now? Mako?

This was certainly the strangest ship crew she’s ever encountered. And she only met two of them so far. What kind of freaks was she about to meet when she finally made it to the ship?
But, Ari wasn’t the one to talk. She was far from normal as well.

As they continued walking through the forest, now joined by another person, Ari couldn’t help but think about her new acquaintances, staying uncharacteristically quiet. The boy tried to mask his true emotions, but Ari could probably see through his mask if she wanted, since he unintentionally showed his true face to her once. People’s faces revealed a lot about them, no matter how much they tried to suppress their feelings. The strange man’s face, on the other hand, was completely covered, so Ari couldn’t read it no matter how hard she tried. It unnerved her slightly. She needed to try a new approach, if she wanted to figure him out.

Ari slowed down a bit, waiting for the stranger to catch up. Without stopping, she turned her head towards him:
“So what’s your deal? You’re very quick to trust me.” She grinned and leaned towards him “Doesn’t it bother you that a complete stranger will be travelling with you from now on? Would you trust someone you don’t know with repairing your ship?” Her grin only ever seemed to get wider.

[MakutaOisli]

@NOTaHFfan

“So what’s your deal? You’re very quick to trust me.” She grinned and leaned towards him “Doesn’t it bother you that a complete stranger will be travelling with you from now on? Would you trust someone you don’t know with repairing your ship?” Her grin only ever seemed to get wider.

“I never said I trusted you. I just said that we needed to move, and that is all.
Whether or not you get to be part of the crew is up to the captain’s judgement, and
I already know all I need to. You hate armadan soldiers, and you are the one who could fix our ship. But that doesn’t mean you are our only option. Doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?” Mako eyed Ari. “If not, then there is no issue. I simply want to cut to the chase, because if there is one armadan soldier, then there are more. They are like flies.”

[NOTaHFfan]

@MakutaOisli

You hate armadan soldiers, and you are the one who could fix our ship. But that doesn’t mean you are our only option. Doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?” Mako eyed Ari.

Ari laughed out.
“Not in the slightest. Your only other option is getting stranded on this island, unless you have a spare ship stowed away somewhere around here, that is. And I’m getting out of here no matter what it takes.” Ari’s smile didn’t seem to want to go away.

@MakutaOisli

I simply want to cut to the chase, because if there is one armadan soldier, then there are more. They are like flies.”

“That, I agree with. But I have a feeling that we won’t be seeing them for a while.”

Her face darkened. The dead-eyed Captain certainly got what he wanted, otherwise he wouldn’t have let them go so easily. But what was it? What did Dolphus say that satisfied his interest?
Whatever it was, Ari had a very bad feeling about this. Her instincts told her that the encounter with the Captain would not lead to anything good later down the line. And she tended to trust her instincts most of the time.

But this thought reminded her of something. Something she wanted to discuss with Dolphus. The following conversation was about to be extremely uncomfortable for Ari, but it needed to be done. It’s been in the back of her mind ever since they parted their ways with the armada Captain. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She picked up the pace and eventually caught up to him. She tried to make sure that they were out of Mako’s hearing range and finally spoke.

“Uhm… kid, I…” she looked visibly flustered. “There’s… something I wanted to talk to you about. Back when we got surrounded by… you know…, I acted like a coward. I… got scared of him and couldn’t do anything and you had to protect me by talking to him. I should have fought him, should have protected you. You’re too young to deal with things like that. You didn’t deserve to go through all of that alone.” She paused and turned away, too embarrassed to look at Dolphus and lowered her voice even further. “I was pathetic there. Please… can you keep what happened there a secret, from anyone, okay? I promise that it will never happen again.”

Was revealing her deepest insecurities to Dolphus the smartest move? Ari didn’t know. But she wouldn’t be able to find rest for herself if she didn’t talk to him about it.
@Ghid

[Ghid]

@MakutaOisli

“You can compliment me by getting back to the ship in one piece.”
Mako spoke.

A slow blink was his only reply. If Mako thinks he can really guilt me through Mariner’s efforts to save my life, then he’s got another thing coming. I don’t recall him doing anything other than obnoxiously staring at me the entire time.

@NOTaHFfan

“Yeah… I’m Ari. I kidnapped the boy because I thought you guys were Armadan soldiers."

Ohhhh you STINK.

Dolphus’ expression changed from one of worry to an offended scowl as he walked along, mulling over why in the world Ari would humiliate him in such a fashion directly to Mako. Didn’t she have any idea of how petty Mako was? How he would undoubtedly use this against him, same as he had tried to weaponize his being in peril?

Maybe I can cut her hair off in the middle of the night as payback…

…AM I INSANE WHY WOULD I EVER DO THAT SHE WOULD CRACK MY LIMBS OFF

@NOTaHFfan

"Your only other option is getting stranded on this island, unless you have a spare ship stowed away somewhere around here, that is. And I’m getting out of here no matter what it takes.”

The conversation was loud enough and obvious enough that Dolphus could feel his face falling again. Here was yet another burden the crew would have to endure if they hoped to get anywhere. But unlike before, this new addition wasn’t based on any kind of emotional attachment on Mariner’s part.

And definitely not on MINE.

…Oh right, except for how I literally told her everything.

@NOTaHFfan

“Uhm… kid, I…” she looked visibly flustered.

Dolphus jolted away from the suddenly appearing Ari, his body once again trying to jump into the air yet restrained by his feet touching the ground. If this keeps up my knees are going to rip apart. How do all these giant people keep sneaking up on me?!

It still had not yet crossed his mind that perhaps his seemingly favorite hobby of hyperfocusing on his own overly emotional reactions was in some blatant and obvious way deadening his otherwise razor-sharp senses. But as the conversation continued, the likelihood of him finally making that realization dropped so far below likely that it shrunk to microscopic proportions.

@NOTaHFfan

“There’s… something I wanted to talk to you about. Back when we got surrounded by… you know…, I acted like a coward. I… got scared of him and couldn’t do anything and you had to protect me by talking to him. I should have fought him, should have protected you. You’re too young to deal with things like that. You didn’t deserve to go through all of that alone.”

Dolphus almost turned towards Ari with a lip curled upward in revulsionary confusion, but the rest of her confession cut him off. He tried to fight back as best he could, he truly did, but as she described in further detail the shame she felt for pushing him into the position of defender, how he was simply too young to deal with evil adults, it struck at him like a sledgehammer.

…No, no, of course he wasn’t. Was he really so small that he couldn’t handle one or two pompous idiots? Had Sickle Setroth posed any difficulty, when he crushed his throat with a mop handle? Or any of the other miscreants he manipulated with his dead stares, his artificial charisma, his commanding ways?

The dead-eyed officer had identified him as Gorov instantly. Sickle Setroth was dead. He could feel the crushing pressure of the mop handle against his own throat. It seemed he really was too young to deal with things like that.

@NOTaHFfan

“I was pathetic there. Please… can you keep what happened there a secret, from anyone, okay? I promise that it will never happen again.”

If Ari bothered to look back, she would have seen Dolphus’ knees bumping into each other as he walked. His hand was digging into his left shoulder, recalling the pain of Ari’s rip conflicting with the human touch of her fingers. His spine was reducing his form as much as it could, his brow was crinkled in sheepish misery, and it was only through the greatest effort that his mask hadn’t imploded, cracked right down the middle in a hundred different ways.

“I- I…” He tried to swallow, but his dry throat refused the request. The desire to enter the fetal position and completely dehydrate by blasting water out of his eyes had never been so persuasive. “I c- I… uh-”

Sunbeams struck his face and stopped him in his tracks. Looking up through the cracks in the trees, he suddenly turned his head about in realization. They were back in the clearing.

“Y-Yes, of course.” Dolphus blurted out, sensing the imminent arrival of Mako from behind. He looked about for some obvious path back to the ship and the shore, but having never traveled there voluntarily or even consciously, he had absolutely no idea where to go.

[MakutaOisli]

@Ghid

He looked about for some obvious path back to the ship and the shore, but having never traveled there voluntarily or even conscious, he had absolutely no idea where to go.

If there was a glare from the sun, Mako didn’t notice. He stepped into the clearing, passing by Ari and Dolphus. He started walking in the general direction that led to the ship, and gestured for the pair to follow.

[NOTaHFfan]

@Ghid

Sunbeams struck his face and stopped him in his tracks. Looking up through the cracks in the trees, he suddenly turned his head about in realization. They were back in the clearing.

“Y-Yes, of course.” Dolphus blurted out

Ari stopped next to Dolphus. The situation was completely hopeless, there was no was he wasn’t going to notice her face growing redder by the second. If only she could hide her emotions like the boy. How could she have gotten herself into such an embarrassing situation?

“Thank you, Al- Dolphus.”

Her face burned with a new force. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. They aren’t even alike. How could you mistake him for-
Idiot

She started frantically looking around, desperately looking for something else to cling onto. Oh. They made it to the clearing.

She looked over at Dolphus: “Oh right you don’t-” She was thrilled to get a chance to change the subject. After doubtfully eyeing the forest for a couple of seconds, she pointed in a direction. “There. We came from there. I… think.” She smiled and let out a nervous laugh. She wasn’t the best at directions.

As they carried on, Ari continued, desperately wanting to fill in the awkward silence: “Who is this Alexis he talked about? Your… captain?” At this point Ari managed to almost return to normal, only small awkward notes present in her voice.

[Rukah]

Groaning slightly, her mouth still tasting like seawater, Jade tied up her still-damp hair in a rough ponytail. It felt like an eternity since their motley crew had left Emberhold, and so far the trip had been nothing but trouble.

Nearly getting left behind and the voting fiasco gave way to the Northern Fleet, the Thauin attack, and last but certainly not least the massive storm which had left them beached with a cracked keel on some random island. Jade was no shipwright, but even she knew that if the keel broke the ship was only so much timber and sails. At least the rest of the Caelin’s Hand was more or less fine, due in no small part to its diligent crew of ghostly sailors. No thanks to us, she thought.

At any rate, Jade was getting very tired of sitting around watching some phantoms piece the boat back together. Mumbling “I’ll be back in a bit,” to no one in particular, she got up and started heading to where the weedy kid with the rapier had wandered off to. Maybe he’d found something interesting. (@Winterstorm345)