Karl grinned.
“I look forward to seeing it as much as you, ma’am. I can assure you that it will be a pleasure to stop there for a while.”
He paused, looking around the table. Was someone else planning an itinerary? Or would it be a blank slate, other than the necessary supplies a ship needed at a foreign port?
4 Likes
Alexis let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in. The choice of dolphins for captain was… well it was certainly a choice. She didn’t have many doubts that he could pull off the job with some amount of tact, but even so she couldn’t help but feel the decision was wrong. Would she have felt that way if she had been voted captain? Surely not right? But even then she couldn’t help but have doubts.
“Bah!” She said mumbled under her breath, she was thinking too much. Now that Dolphins had won she knew for a fact that rook would need to be dealt with so her mental faculties would be better spent preparing for that inevitably. She also had her conversation with tharos to look forward to now. even if she hadn’t been voted captain it was still important to make amends with the young caelin.
“Ballsy move there Dolphus.” Alexis spoke finally to their new captain. “I have a feeling you’ll do good work here.” She patted his shoulder and began to walk off before turning to look at him one last time. “If you ever need counsel I’m always at your disposal.”
6 Likes
Dolphus slowly turned his gaze to meet Jade’s. The enigmatic thief had stayed quiet most of the voyage, and while she did not vote for him she had chosen to commend his new position as captain of the Caelin’s Hand. And while he did not yet know how to feel about her presence onboard, it did seem to help to have her support.
Karl had not voted for him. Perhaps he had given his support to Alexis because he felt the pressure of Dolphus’ repeated glares, or maybe because he was part of an evil shadow magic cabal who wanted nothing better than to turn everyone in the world into dark-eyed soulless monsters like-
Meeting, Dolphus. Other people, Dolphus.
He couldn’t help it; the mask was the best it could have possibly been, and he was running out of juice. If he could last until the official end of the meeting-
Dolphus’ lips parted as his gaze quickly turned to Alexis. In spite of his newfound doubt and distrust of her, she still held his heart in her hand. He had been pretending when mentioning the permission of fire, but he was close to thanking the form of plasma for Alexis turning away just in time to avoid seeing his intestinal tract tie itself into a pretzel.
Lurching as if he had been punched in the stomach, he was able to push himself back up with his one hand, although his abdominal muscles fought him every step of the way. As Alexis looked back before exiting the chart deck, Dolphus met her eyes with uncertainty and finally forced out a nod while breaking eye contact.
Owwwwwww… Is this what happens if you don’t drink enough water? Or am I just that pathetic?
Yes but also let’s assume it’s the water.
4 Likes
Mariner nodded, he was certain he’d be plagued by questions the second he tried to rest tonight. However, he assured himself, he could always just not answer the door.
“Very well, meeting adjourned.” He spoke through the vague chatter. “I will inform Caeseus of our new course. Dolphus, a word in private if you don’t mind.”
He knew this would be a difficult conversation, but would be necessary for a successful voyage. It would likely make Dolphus very unpopular with the crew. Especially that big one Mariner thought. She wouldn’t like it one bit.
Tharos finished his goblet of wine, before he rose from the table. He felt considerably better for it, he had a mood to have another, but knew he should save it. If he’d burned this much energy so early into the voyage, he felt he’d have need of it’s restorative powers sooner rather than later.
He was still tackling this debate as he stepped out of the Chart Deck, a half step behind Alexis.
9 Likes
As Dolphus’ head traveled to stare directly through the floor, and into the bottom of the ocean, making ominous eye contact with the crabs scuttling about and trying not to think about the obvious connections to Mariner, part of his greatly dehydrated brain fired up, throwing off the cobwebs and dust of a long couple of days’ neglect to recall something he knew he had heard before.
Caeseus.
There was something of the Gorov fire in his veins that sprung up at the recollection of that name. It had been suspicious then and it was suspicious now. And yet, as his blazing eyes returned to stare into the opposite wall, he would hardly be given the time to consider it.
His shoulders began to sink into his ribcage.
He’s going to want to talk about my duties, my expected involvement with the crew, and not to overstep any boundaries or cross any lines. And them I’m going to ruin everything by…
No. Dolphus looked to the door, at the fleeting form of Alexis before Tharos rudely decide to exist in his line of sight. I can still get out of this. I can- I can find some excuse. I can get out of mentioning it at all.
No I can’t. Despite his best efforts, he looked up at Ari with an almost despondent air, seemingly the most melancholic newly-appointed captain the Armada had ever seen. I’m sorry, Ari. I don’t know what will happen, what I’ll have to say to satisfy him.
But I promise whatever happens, if it’s possible for me to save you from it I will.
5 Likes
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Ari turned her head towards Jade. This was the first time she heard the mysterious girl speak, so Ari seemed mildly interested in what she had to say.
She responded to the girl’s sarcastic inquiry with a toothy smile, seemingly not noticing her sarcasm or the awkward silence which most of the room replied with.
Ari followed Alexis with her eyes as the woman left the room. The fact that the kid became Captain clearly didn’t make her happy, even if she tried to hide away her concern.
She thought about how much she wanted to leave that room as well. She would have walked right out after Alexis had she not promised the kid that she would accompany him until the meeting was over…
At last, Ari let out a sigh of relief. She couldn’t wait to get out of the crowded room and get some fresh air.
She didn’t pay much mind to Mariner’s desire to talk to Dolphus in private as she assumed that it was some boring formality related to the kid becoming the captain and she didn’t have enough foresight to realize what implications that conversation could have. Ari was only disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to talk to Mariner like she wanted to because of this.
Another movement in her field of view caught her attention:
Why is he the only one who gets to drink during this?
Ari realised that she was getting hungry and thirsty again, given how breakfast time was approaching quickly. She watched Tharos leave the room as well, anticipating the prospect of food and getting ready to depart herself. She took a step towards the door and threw one last look at Dolphus…
Ari immediately stopped in her tracks, caught off guard by Dolphus’s look. She couldn’t wrap her head around what caused him to act this way, but she had a feeling that it was something deeply important to him. She had no idea that he was worrying about her and imagined that his new responsibilities as a captain and his doubts about Alexis were the things weighing down on him. She gave him a confident, hopeful look in response, as if trying to reassure the kid that everything was going to be alright no matter what happened.
“Don’t hang your nose, you’ve got this, kid!” She paused, thinking for a moment and suddenly lightly tapped Dolphus on his healthy shoulder with her fist with a smirk on her face, “when you’re done talking, we should eat something. You need to be strong and healthy to become a good captain!”
She hesitated to leave the map room just yet, waiting to see if Dolphus would respond…
4 Likes
Mako rose, the creaking of his chair against the old timbers of the floorboards becoming an annoying cacophony. He walked towards the door, taking a glance at Dolphus.
Take care, Captain.
A part of him flittered with, what? Hope? Hope that perhaps maybe, just maybe, he and Dolphus would get along?
Don’t kid yourself. He probably doesn’t even care. Scratch that, he definitely doesn’t care. Besides, you’ll ask to duel him, and then Mr. High and Mighty will return.
Now that’s interesting…perhaps…well. I suppose no one got anywhere by being idle.
He turned to Ari, his gaze shifting upwards to meet hers.
“Ari, can I talk to you for a moment?”
4 Likes
Dolphus looked at his shoulder in surprise, not at the fact that it had been touched but at the realization that Ari could bump something with her fist without putting every muscle in her body into the motion. He looked back up at her face just in time for his brain to recognize the significance of what she said next.
It was true, he was absolutely starving. And beyond thirsty, that too.
But more importantly, Ari had unintentionally stepped into yet another position Alexis had previously held, swooping in to keep the appointment over a meal that Alexis had never been given the opportunity to honor. The prospect of Ari leaving now, after all that had happened before, was becoming more and more difficult to imagine, and this wasn’t going to help.
In desperation he looked towards where Alexis had been, hoping that he could somehow still find some significance to attach to her. But, unfortunately, all he could see was abs.
Mako’s interruption was a welcome one, sparing Dolphus from having to verbally reply to the invitation. He gave something of an awkward half-nod to Ari and went back to staring into the wall, hoping the pressure on his stomach would be given the chance to decrease sometime soon…
Maybe all Mariner wants to do is talk about uhh, Ari’s history. Yeah, just catch me up to speed on her importance as a Willford, and why it matters, and um… Wait, isn’t her last name Willford? Or am I misremembering?
4 Likes
Ari didn’t get a chance to wait for Dolphus’s answer as the following silence was immediately interrupted by Mako’s voice calling out for her. There wasn’t any point in waiting for Dolphus’s reply anyway because she wouldn’t have accepted “no” as an answer. She already decided that Dolphus was going to have a meal with her no matter what he wanted. Probably because she didn’t know where the dining area was on the ship and Dolphus most likely did, or maybe because she was subconsciously looking for a way to cheer the kid up. After all, food had always improved her mood…
Turning away from Dolphus for the last time, Ari faced Mako with a slight sense of surprise. Out of all the people currently in the room, she expected him to address her like that the least, given how they had a very rough introduction the day prior. She scratched her head and tilted it to the side slightly.
“Uh… yeah, sure?”
Now that Mako stood much closer to her and in a slightly more well-lit area of the room next to the doorway, Ari could see the mangled features of his face a lot better. The damage was further accentuated by the lighting, making Mako all the more unnerving in her eyes. Whatever that injury was caused by, it was way worse than any of Ari’s own scars, she thought, and couldn’t help but wince slightly at the idea of going through something like that.
Putting those concerns aside for now, Ari started walking towards the door where Mako was standing, seemingly waiting for her. She then stopped briefly, as if suddenly remembering something, and addressed Dolphus over her shoulder as she raised her hand to grab his attention: “Don’t forget about the food, kid!”. Her usual toothy grin could be seen on her face. She then walked out the door, this time not forgetting to bend down before her forehead had a chance to make contact with the top of the doorframe again, expecting Mako to follow.
4 Likes
Mako followed her out, his footsteps quiet compared to hers.
“May I ask a question?”
He gestured for her to follow as he walked towards his cabin door.
4 Likes
Ari looked over at Mako with her brows slightly lowered in confusion. If he wanted to speak to her about something, why was he being so hesitant about it? Was it some kind of polite etiquette thing Ari had no idea about? Well, Bandages certainly didn’t look like someone who would be more well-versed in etiquette and manners than her. Or maybe he was nervous about asking his question? After all, people often acted nervous or intimidated around her, with the kid Dolphus being the latest and most obvious example, and she had been ready to get into a fight with Bandages the day prior. Even if Mako didn’t strike her as the type of person to get intimidated easily, even by someone like her, or self-conscious about the things he said, no other explanations crossed her mind.
Finally, after a short pause she responded: “Didn’t you want to talk to me? You might just as well, I don’t bite”, followed by a cheeky grin.
She followed Mako to another door in the hallway, presumably leading to his cabin, which was situated not too far from her own.
5 Likes
“I never was the best at this. So, I assume you will be leaving us once we arrive at mainland?”
Or have you another reason to stay?
He opened the door, a blast of incense and resin wafting out, as he walked inside. The bed had the covers moved, some not, as it had been pushed to the very corner, instead of the center. A few sticks of incense were placed on the nightstand beside it, alongside wrappings of bandages, the smoke still rising from them. Across the room, a small sort of shrine had been made, with a small Idol of the Sea God placed at the center of a very small ring of pebbles. In another corner was a bow with a quiver of arrows, some knives, and a fishing rod. He sat at the center of the room, and beckoned her to do the same.
3 Likes
Air scratched her chin, thinking about her answer. Once again, she realised that she didn’t really have the time to think through the exact details of her escape from the Summer Isles.
“As soon as we are far enough away from the Armada and there’s a place with a port and maybe a shipyard, I’ll be off and won’t bother y’all with me being here anymore. You have your goals and I have my own…”
A faint image of Dolphus’s pleading face on the verge of tears briefly appeared in the back of her mind, causing Ari to wince slightly. She tossed the thought aside, almost angry at herself for having it at all.
Stupid kid
Ari felt that this wasn’t the main thing Mako wanted to ask her about, there was no reason to bring her to his cabin for a simple question like this, so she couldn’t help but tense up ever so slightly in anticipation of more to come.
Ari walked through the door and her nose was immediately filled with the extremely familiar smell of resin mixed with a different one Ari didn’t quite recognise.She looked around the unfamiliar cabin. It felt lived in, unlike her own room, even if the almost tribalistic decor looked completely alien to Ari who had spent her entire life living in big cities. Surprisingly, the room was quite tidy after last night’s storm. The objects in the corner drew her attention: a bow, some arrows and what looked like a fishing rod. Didn’t the kid say this guy was a hunter?
Before she could examine the curious room more, the bandaged hunter sat down on the floor in the middle of the cabin, much to her surprise, given that the bed was right there, and gestured her to join him. Confused and slightly hesitant, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and set down facing Mako with her back against the wall, trying to make herself as comfortable as she could. She looked Mako in the face, waiting for what he was going to say.
4 Likes
His gaze locked onto hers, his emerald eyes boring into her.
“And then what will you do?”
He asked, now with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“After you depart, what is your goal?”
4 Likes
Ari scoffed. It wasn’t her usual cheerful laugh, rather it was bitter and a bit of sadness showed in her tone and on her face.
“You wanna know, huh? It’s to find a place to live in peace, as far from there as-…” Ari paused, thoughtful and after a moment, finally continued, “I don’t have big goals like you do, I don’t want to find a new heir to the throne or anything like that, I just want to live without having to worry about too much stuff…”
Deep down Ari knew that this wasn’t what she truly wanted, but all of her dreams and aspirations died a long time ago, died with them. A desire to run away was everything she had left.
Having gotten lost in her thoughts, Ari forgot where she was and who exactly she was talking to. Must have been the smoke coming off of the weird things next to the bed messing with her brain. Snapping out of it and realising the situation she was in and that she overshared, she started to get a bit angry, which showed clearly on her face. The anger was directed less at the bandaged hunter for asking and more at herself for saying so much in response.
“Why are you asking this anyways? After I leave the ship, we will never meet again, so it’s not like what’s gonna happen to me is any of your business!”
She paused, calming down a bit, and folded her arms across her chest.
“If you have something to ask that’s related to my stay on this ship, go ahead, but leave my future out of this.”
4 Likes
“Frankly, a part of me could care less about the heir. But my home matters to me. If I ever can to go back without being driven out, I’ll take any opportunity.” He said, his fingers tapping on his forearm, his words a bit colder than he meant.
He sighed, the sound coming out like wind whipping through the reeds of a river.
“Look. Dol-The Captain,” He corrected himself, his left hand tightening upon itself,
“Seems to care for you. I say this because he’s defended you, and you two seem to be getting close.”
He paused for a moment, shifting his weight.
“Even though he is young, I doubt that he hasn’t lost more than most. He needs someone to help him. Not to hold his hand…but…to be there for him…”
He shook his head, rubbing his temples.
“Lovely, it sounds even more idiotic aloud…”
Why do I even care? He hates me! Stupid, moron, idiot…
4 Likes
As Ari listened to Mako’s speech, she realised more and more that her original impression of him was in fact very wrong. He struck her as someone who didn’t understand the emotions and feelings of others and who seemed to care only about himself, but this display showed that he had quite a bit of empathy and compassion.
Ari smiled that the notion that he also cared about the kid, even if he didn’t want to admit it to the world, or even himself.
When Mako was done with his speech, Ari looked him right in the eyes with a much more serious expression.
“Listen… the kid saved my life back there on the island, if not for him, I wouldn’t be here, so I want to repay him… He’s a good kid, I will help him with everything I can while I’m here, that’s the promise I made, but I won’t forget about my goal for his sake. I won’t return to the Armada anymore…” Ari paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something and then chuckled: “heh, I’m not good at looking after people anyways, they always seem a lot more worried around me.”
This time she made an even longer pause, remembering the things Dolphus had said to her the day before about the would-be captain, Alexis.
“The person the kid cares about the most is that woman, Alexis. If there’s a person he needs to be closer to the most, that would be her, which she doesn’t realise. That’s who you need to be taking to…”
Even if that’s what Dolphus had told her, she still wasn’t sure if she fully believed in it. It seemed to her that he was looking for someone in Alexis who he wouldn’t be able to find… would being close to Alexis really be able to help him?
Would being close to me be able to help him?
Ari felt a sudden urge to switch the subject as quickly as possible.
4 Likes
He nodded solemnly, his eyes breaking off from hers for a moment, lost in thought.
Huh. That….makes sense…
He felt a slight tang of guilt from that. He was still lost, and this was no exception to that.
Idiot. Couldn’t even recognize that…
He looked back at her again.
“Tell me, how good are you at woodworking?” He asked, changing the subject.
3 Likes
Ari raised her eyebrows in surprise at the unexpected question.
Where did that come from?
Intrigued, she leaned forward slightly with a smirk across her face.
“Good enough to keep this ship afloat. Being a shipwright is all about woodworking, ya know… Why are ya asking?”
4 Likes
“I have need of a new mask. Parts of my face are prone to irritation and inflammation. That’s what the resin and incense is for. Usually my mask is full of it, but it was soaked with blood and can’t be used anymore.”
He hesitated before continuing.
“Could you maybe… help me carve a new one?”
4 Likes