Mako had started hauling the body of the unfortunate soldier, muttering how heavy the soldier was, before looking up to catch sight of Alexis sprinting towards Dolphus.
Huh. I guess she is really concerned.
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Mariner meanwhile was recovering from his wounds and using a resin to seal the crack in his shell. Carefully he brushed the edges, trying to smooth it down, forcing the bubbles out to ensure good adhesion. After a short wait it was hardened. He covered it with a simple dressing, ensuring nothing would disturb it until cured.
Walking back on to deck he looked for the closest sailer. âGood day Maya, have you seen Caeseus? Was hoping to ask him for an update on the repairs.â
The sailor, looking up, smiled at Mariner then shrugged. âUnfortunately not sir, think he went to brief the Privateers. Waste of time if you ask me, doubt they know what to do with a briefing.â
âThatâll do Maya, they have a very important mission you know.â
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Ari stopped in her tracks and turned towards the sound of the rapidly approaching footsteps. Someone was rushing towards them from the direction of the boat remains. A woman with black hair. How did she notice her earlier? The woman had a confident, determined appearance. Ari immediately identified her as someone in position of authority. She had that look on her rather strict face. It didnât escape Ariâs attention that the woman was wearing a military cape, extremely similar to the one draped over the kidâs shoulder. Ari had a hunch on who that was. She eyed the rapidly approaching figure with an air of curiosity, but inside she tensed. For whatever reason, she had a hunch that this interaction wasnât going to be the smoothest.
She looked over at Dolphus: âIs that your Alexis?â Despite her efforts, she put a bit too much emphasis on the word your. She just couldnât help herself.
The only thing more curious than the womanâs arrival was Dolphusâs reaction to it. She couldnât get her eyes off of his face, side eyeing him, watching for any signs of genuine emotion slipping through the mask. Whatâs the deal with these two? Why does he seem so attached to her, of all people?
Ari noticed another figure appear in her peripheral vision. But for now she paid no attention to it, being too preoccupied with the much more apparent visage of Alexis.
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From the deck of the Caelinâs Hand, Karl saw the group emerge from the forest.
Oh no. Alexis will be⌠wait. He saw Alexis head towards them, and realized after a moment that Dolphus was one of the people who had just arrived.
âOh good, heâs fine,â Karl said out loud.
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Without another word, Alexis runs up to the gathered party and stops short of Dolphus before kneeling down to check for any wounds. Once certain that thereâs nothing too life-threatening to him, she embraces him in a short, hands-free hug. âThank the gods, youâre alright.â She says finally as she stands back up. âTharos said you had been flung out of the ship during the storm, you must be quite the trooper to have survived all that.â She says with a warm smile as she tousles his hair. Not waiting for a response, she turns to the rest of the gathered group, focusing her attention on Ari. âWho are you?â
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Dolphus was barely able to tear his eyes off Alexis long enough to send a puzzled glare towards Ari, only lasting for half a second. Sheâs trying to find something out⌠Her prying is too obvious. Too may little signs. What exactly I donât know, but-
As he looked back. Alexis seemed to have jumped forward considerably, so it was with a start that Dolphus took in her immediate reaction to his presence.
Dolphus could feel his throat locked as he leaned back, unsure what she was scanning him for. He looked down briefly to ensure the blood-stained part of his shirt was sufficiently hidden by his vest, spending just a moment too long inspecting his wardrobe before Alexis embraced him in a⌠Hug⌠maybe.
A flurry of thoughts bombarded him, in roughly this order: Sheâs actually hugging me⌠No she isnât, sheâs barely touching my cape and nothing else⌠Is this some kind of punishment? Does she know? I guess I deserve this kind of treatment⌠Okay maybe itâs better that she doesnât I donât want her finding out about the wing just yet and causing a scene, do I need to tuck it in more?
So as Alexis finished the hug she may have noticed Dolphusâ body crumple slightly as it tried to avoid contact on his left side. But if this was indicative of him possibly abhorring contact, her next action demolished that notion altogether.
Dolphusâ cheeks flushed slightly upon hearing her relief and the following compliment, the mask showing some of the emotion lying underneath. But as she tousled his hair briefly, the mask exploded into a million tiny shards, flying out and sparking in all directions as his lips parted and eyes glowed.
It happened. His flushed cheeks cleared instantly, settling into a ruddy glow as his pupils slowly increased in diameter. For the first time in a while, his brow relaxed, all but losing the wrinkle in between as the sounds of the shore died away in an instant. The only thoughts that entered his mind were to tell her his deepest fears, his most well-kept secrets, all the pains hidden in his heart, but just enough of the real world remained within his vision to keep him grounded in his aspirations.
âŚThe wing.
It was no longer a wretched thing, some abomination grafted onto him like a curse, but was a gift, a jewel, something so dear and so precious that rather than hide it from the world in fear, it had to be guarded and shown only to those he trusted the most.
You have to show her.
Were it not for the rest of the world, with all its ghost sailors and giant murder women, he might have thrown the cape off right then. But it was enough to continue staring in awe at her as she, unlike the emotionally distraught child he was, continued behaving like a rational adult.
OOC: Weâre so back 
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Dolphusâs lack of response to her jab confirmed Ariâs suspicions that the rapidly approaching stern-looking woman was, in fact, the fabled Alexis and that the kid saw her in a completely different light from everyone else.
Is she his mother or something? They do look quite alikeâŚ
The woman was now in armâs reach from her and carefully examining Dolphus.
Ari was barely able to hold herself from laughing out loud at the awkward attempt at a hug that unfolded before her eyes. She let out a chuckle, despite her best efforts.
These people clearly donât know what a real hug is.
After this display, Alexis didnât seem nearly as threatening anymore. Ari was able to relax once again.
Ari curiosity watched the boyâs deathly pale face turn an almost healthy pinkish colour, which was presumably his equivalent of a blush, after hearing Alexisâs reassuring words. She mentally patted herself on the back for getting a good read on his character. Sheâd already seen what she assumed was his true face before, and getting the confirmation that it was not a fluke, in the form of this display of genuine emotion, definitely felt rewarding. She couldnât help but warm up to him just a little bit more, seeing again that the cold, uncaring facade wasnât everything he was about. After all, he was just a kid, who got dealt a very bad hand in life.
The painfully obvious comparison once again creeped its way into Ariâs thoughts, but she shoved it into the farthest corner of her mind. It was not the time to get sentimental. She had a job to do.
âIâm Ari W-â She caught herself. She still didnât trust these people enough to disclose something like this. âJust Ari. I am a shipwright and I will repair your vessel for the small price of you getting me off this island and as far away from the Armada as possible.â She threw an uncharacteristically calculated glance at the ship, as if confirming her assessment of its current condition. âIt desperately needs it, you know, and I bet that you all want to leave this place just as much.â A big genuine smile appeared on her face.
This time she couldnât help but notice the figure of a sailor listening in on their conversation. A figure that didnât look quite alive. (@Winterstorm345)
OOC: man does it feel good to be real again 
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â I found them, or rather, they found me, in the forest. Along with this unfortunate sap.â
Mako said, dragging the unconscious soldier in his grasp towards them.
âAll said, Iâd say this probably wasnât the worst thing to happen to us.â
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âItâs nice to meet you.â Alexis says flatly, taking mental note of the hesitation to give a last name or what was possibly a title. âIâm sure dolphins have already said something, but Iâm Alexis.â She finishes as she sticks her hand out for her to shake. âAs for paying you to repair our boat, I would need to discuss that with the crew first.â She pauses, realizing that some of the specters that ran the caelinâs hand may have already been salvaging wood from her boat. âBut youâre welcome to stay with us until weâre able to reach a verdict.â
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Ari nodded and eagerly shook Alexisâs hand, with the smile still being present on her face. She didnât seem to mind the dryness of the womanâs greeting.
Ari rolled her eyes at Alexis calling the ship a boat.
âSure thing. I donât need no money for my work. All I ask for is a passage away from the Summer Isles, as far as possible, which is where you seem to be heading anyways.â She switched to a much more serious tone when she said this, signifying how important the matter was to her.
âSo itâs a deal!â Her face broke into a wide smile once again. Things finally seemed to start to get better for her. At least she didnât need to look for shelter now.
She moved her attention to the ship once more. She was too far away from it to determine the exact extent of damage that it sustained, But the most glaring issue, the broken keel, was extremely apparent, even from this distance. Damage like this normally sent ships straight to the scrapyard to be dismantled, and most shipwrights wouldnât even attempt to fix it, knowing that it was a lost cause. But Ari didnât have such a luxury.
And the unstable looking repairs done by the shipâs crew still bothered her.
âYou donât have a real shipwright on your crew, do you? You wonât be able to complete the repairs before high tide. No matter what your verdict is going to be, I need to talk to the one in charge of fixing the ship and look at it up close.â
Ari looked over at the approaching Mako and pointed at the unconscious soldier who was being dragged by him, looking back at Alexis:
âUhm yeah⌠we also have this. The kid will probably want to tell that story.â She knew that she couldnât tell the truth about what went down in the forest. Better let Dolphus deal with coming up with a good lie. It seemed to be his specialty, after all.
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Dolphus was so enraptured with the moment that the casual mention of a boat completely flew over his head. Perhaps for the better; if he had been paying attention, he might have recoiled at how naturally he accepted the notion that boat and ship could be interchangeable in this societal climate.
She touched me.
The universe, with all its uncountable stars, could not outshine Dolphusâ eyes in that moment. The roots of the hairs Alexis had touched were still tingling, as the light of the sun danced about the scene in exultation of the event and in everything she was. Truly nothing else in the world mattered, and theâŚ
âŚThere was a nagging feeling, one he had felt almost thousands of times before. As the world slowly and irrefutably smashed its existence into his face, the fact that Ari, Mako, and one of the ghost sailors were in fact still real once again entered into his mind.
Someone had said something about Dolphus. Or, maybe, some word that was supposed to refer to him, perhaps. Either way, after an annoying long pause and a lot of slowly looking at the assembled faces in the same entranced fashion, the gawking Dolphus blinked twice, his pupils still dilated to a tremendous degree.
âHuh?â
ooc: not quoting you to force a reply winter I just literally forgot to quote you before sorry 
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Caeseus couldnât help it. He stepped forward angrily. âMy crew.â He spoke crisply, drawing attention to himself. âHave conducted repairs that would normally take days in a single morning. They may not be trained shipwrights, but theyâve accomplished more than any other crew could have given the situation. I believe theyâre due a little respect for their efforts.â
He gazed defiantly up at Ari as he said this, standing his ground with his shoulders set. âIf you have something to offer, offer it quickly. However, I will not take continued slights on the workmanship of my sailors.â
He looked as if he was about to walk away, but he paused. âNow, I came here to deliver a report on the repairs.â He shot another contemptuous glance at Ari, before he continued. âWe have removed the damaged material, and replaced it with what could be salvaged from the wreck. As well as a little from our own reserve store. Tharos of course, was able to assist in procuring a new mast, although we will still be one sail short.â
This time he sent a look Makoâs way.
âThe keel is a different matter, my crew have made the hull good as new, minus cosmetic reasons. The keel we could only sister back together with the skill we have on hand however. Perhaps, if this real shipwright would like to prove their worth, they could start by joining a new piece in. For someone with training it should be a laughable matter.â
He smiled internally, though h kept his face straight. He knew as well as anyone, even for skilled tradesmen, joinery was tricky work. Especially for such important pieces. The tolerances were incredibly tight.
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Ari stared Dolphus down with a puzzled and slightly annoyed look on her face. She finally opened her mouth to respond, when suddenly an unfamiliar voice cut her off.
She started turning to face the owner of said voice as she spoke:
âAh, so youâre in charge of conducting the repairs?â This was the first time she was able to get a good look at the man. There was nothing too special about his appearance, he looked more or less normal, the only notable thing was the fact that his armour seemed vaguely familiar, even though Ari couldnât quite remember where she had seen it. However, despite his ordinary appearance, something about his presence didnât feel quite right, giving her an uncomfortable feeling. Chills went down her spine when an idea appeared in her mind.
She confusedly turned to Dolphus, lowering her voice, but not realising that everyone could still clearly hear her: âIs that what a ghost sailor is like?â She sounded curious, but there were slight notes of disappointment in her voice. If that was indeed a ghost sailor, then ghost sailors were much less exciting than she had imagined them. Even that bandage guy looked more ghostly when she first met him in the forest.
Finally, she recollected herself and faced the ghost sailor, straightening up and clearing her throat:
âItâs impressive that you made the repairs in such a short time.â She didnât want to admit just how impressive it was. Theyâve been away from the beach for what, four hours, and these sailors have already accomplished so much?! Did they never get tired? She continued: âBut what makes you think that theyâre going to hold? Without any shipbuilding knowledge, how do you know that it all wonât come undone as soon as you set sail?! This is not about the speed, this is about the quality of work!â
Ari was starting to get annoyed. What slights was he talking about? She just stated the facts based on what she had seen.
She grit her teeth. Thatâs it. He clearly has no idea what heâs saying. What had been slight annoyance moments earlier turned into burning rage. She lashed out:
âLaughable matter?! Most craftsmen wouldnât even attempt to repair damage like this! Do you know how important a shipâs keel is? The entire vessel is built around this part, and it bears the biggest load in the entire structure at all times. If itâs not sound, then the ship is at risk of snapping in half at any moment! This is why ships with a broken keel get sent straight to the scrapyard, not a shipyard!â She stormed up to Caeseus and was now standing uncomfortably close to him. âYou can doubt my skill as a shipwright as much as you want, but donât you treat this job as if itâs something so trivial. I will repair your keel, and it will hold together for as long as you travel, that I can guarantee, just show me where my tools are at.â Saying this, she threw a glance at Mako.
She seemed to forget that she technically wasnât allowed to work on the ship until the decision was made by the entire crew, according to Alexis. Her pride as a craftsman was on the line, and she wasnât about to lose an opportunity to prove her worth.
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âŚYour crew?
The logical side of Dolphusâ brain was beginning to work again. It took a bit of effort to get going, however, as the high of the moment was exceedingly powerful, but the ferocity of both individuals in the conversation ruined the experience quite thoroughly.
YOUR crew?? Who even are you?
Dolphus could feel his throat locking so tight it inverted and came out the back of his neck, and kept traveling back into the woods. His massive pupils had shrunk to pinholes in terror of the situation, and it felt like the kettle was about to boil over. In which case, what chance did Ari have against someone she couldnât even hit?
I guess if this were Mako Iâd wait and find out, I suppose.
âWe really shouldnât-â He blurted out, his singular hand rising halfway in a cautionary motion, his face very clearly portraying his dread of the inevitable. A moment later the mask was clumsily replaced, and the attempt at redirecting the situation continued. âThat is to say, we shouldnât be making decisions on Marinerâs behalf. If I may continue escorting her to see him, you can finish delivering your report to the captain with no further interruption.â
Whoops. Dolphus tried and failed to stop himself from adjusting his collar. That just came right out, didnât it? We havenât actually voted yet.
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âDid you finally chose a leader for your privateers then?â Caeseus sounded mildly interested. âGood, weâll start getting regular meetings together to discuss the expedition.â
To Ari he simply said, âWeâll get you introduced to the shipâs carpenters then. Iâm sure theyâll find something for you to do.â
Without a further word he turned and walked back towards the ship. âI have business with Mariner as well, provided heâs regained his mental facilities. Evidently he was struck by debris while shielding a member of the crew from harm.â
Immediately he knew he hadnât handled that well. However, it was difficult for him to play nice so to speak. The damage to the ship seemed to manifest as spiritual damage to his very essence. It was a bit like trying to walk on broken legs. Still, he had a duty to the Honoured Dead, and the Armada as a whole.
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Ari sharply turned her head towards Dolphus in dead silence. She was still heated from the argument and her facial expression very much reflected that. She was about to tell him not to interfere with her and the sailorâs argument when he continued:
Her eyebrow twitched. She was so done being âescortedâ everywhere by him.
She muttered under her breath: âCould have chosen a different word that doesnât make it sound like Iâm some kind of prisoner or somethingâŚâ Now her furious expression switched to a childishly grumpy one. Dolphusâs well timed interjection managed to calm her down more or less.
The sudden change in the sailorâs attitude puzzled Ari. He had just been so defending the honour of his crew vigorously, and now he simply looked detached and extremely tired. She lifted her hands up in protest and opened her mouth to retort, but couldnât come up with anything to say. She was left standing with a confused look on her face, her eyes following the departing sailor.
She helplessly shrugged her shoulders and turned towards Dolphus once more. Now she just looked equal parts sad and confused. All traces of her earlier anger were gone now
âLooks like everyone wants to see this Mariner. Well, lead the way, kidâŚâ
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The thought to retort with âI got eaten by a squid earlier okay, cut me some slackâ crossed his mind, but he ultimately let it slide. It was enough to know that she was at the very least no longer staring at him like she intended to rip his throat open with her thumbs.
It would be deserv-
OH WOULD YOU SERIOUSLY SHUT UP RIGHT NOW
âWell n-â
Dolphus closed his mouth, his brow crinkling in sadness. Not at the bizarre logic of a dead magic ghost sailor pirate guy who came to deliver a status update to someone who wasnât captain, but at the realization that this moment, the thing he had been longing for, for years and years of his short life⌠was over.
âŚI wonder who that wasâŚ? Maybe Mako? The newcomer guy?
Dolphus looked positively haggard. The crushing descent from the high of physical contact was utterly devastating to him, and although his mind continued to operate as normal, his heart was collapsing inside itself, shriveling up like a date.
Inhaling and flexing his pectoral muscles (what little there was) in order to push his head up again and not glumly descend his gaze into the floor, he cast a fleeting glance at Mako - he wouldnât dare look at Alexis lest he fall apart on the spot - and slightly rolled his left shoulder to pull the cape closer to his neck.
âAlright.â It sounded comparatively resolute and determined when paired with his appearance. Swallowing hard, he started towards the ship once more.
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Mako muttered something venomous under his breath. âHow about you shut your ancient trap you haughty piece of-â He murmered.
Mako stepped in front of their path. It would seem he had one last thing to say. His eyes shone like twin gems, offsetting against his white mask.
âBefore you go off and gallantly talk to him, just two extra things:â
He locked eyes with Dolphus. âI believe that we still have a conversation to end, once this ordeal is over.â
He whipped his eyes over to Ari with extreme speed.
âFurthermore.â Mako said, his voice pooling with anger,
âThis is not about your pride. This is about getting off this godforsaken rock. I hope that if you stay, you wonât let that get to your head.â
He spoke icily. As the words left his mouth, he dragged the unconscious soldier towards a spot next to The Caelins Hand.
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Ari reluctantly followed Dolphus, with her shoulders slumped and trying her best to limit her pace as much possible in order to avoid bumping into him due to her paces being twice as wide as his. Now that her anger completely wore off and she didnât have anything to focus on, she once again remembered just how incredibly hungry she was, having not eaten any real food in well over a day and how every single muscle in her body ached from last nightâs stormy escapades.
Trying her best to distract herself from her empty stomach and hurting body, she focused her attention on visually examining the hull of the ship, which was now becoming more and more visible as they approached it.
Reluctantly, she had to admit to herself that her initial assessment of the cosmetic hull repairs done by the crew was incorrect. From up close it all looked much less chaotic and, most importantly, significantly more structurally sound. It was clear that whatever these people lacked in shipbuilding knowledge and skills, they made up for in rigorousness, determination and genuine care for their ship. But the one thing that rigorousness and determination couldnât fix was a broken keel, that she knew for sure.
It wasnât like she was about to apologise to that sailor for being wrong about his crewâs repairs, however she was going to take him more seriously from that point onwards
OOC: @MakutaOisli, I wrote this post concurrently to your reply. Iâll probably respond to your quotes in the next one
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Dolphus started as Mako suddenly rounded on him, dragging the body of the soldier up in front of the pair with surprising speed. There was a level of venom to his voice that made his apology back when Karl arrived seem transparent and artificial by comparison.
Dolphus said nothing in response; he was dealing with too much to prioritize it. But that changed when Mako set his fangs towards Ari.
Mako wouldnât get very far before the soldierâs body refused to move. A small leather loop on the soldierâs boot now had a sword running vertically through it and into the ground.
Dolphus didnât speak at first, lest he fly off the handle. But his bleached face was tense with fury, and his tired eyes glowed with the heat of the sun. It took a couple of big breaths to come down and recompose himself enough to trust his mouth in retorting.
âYouâre a hunter who doesnât hunt.â Dolphus exhaled. âYou refuse to act in any capacity other than petulant vice at every given opportunity. You abstained from the captain vote because you couldnât get over yourself, and now youâre trying to undermine your own position on board by making enemies of everyone. Youâve got less purpose on this ship than the gull droppings.â
ââŚAnd a similar smell.â Dolphus ripped his sword out of the ground and re-sheathed it, too flustered to bother wiping the dirt off it first. âMy patience is at a strain after being nearly crushed to death inside a giant squid, Mako. Whoever you think you are and whatever you think youâre capable of, it persists due to the good patience of every member of this crew, but some day itâs going to run out.â
Storming off past Mako, Dolphus finally let loose the violent shudder that had threatened to topple him after recalling the squid incident, and he wobbled briefly, but managed to maintain his step. The crawl of the esophagus lining constricting his skin twisted and reshaped the rage into a visceral reliving of the event in his mind, already forgetting Mako and descending fully into the memory.
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