“If I have offended you in some manner, please inform me so I may avoid it in future.” Caeseus said, seemingly stung by the indifference. He reassumed a more relaxed posture that never the less held some bearing of command.
“Well, do you have any idea where either Alexis or the new Captain is then?” He asked patiently, he was beginning to get a little concerned for this sailor, she seemed to be displaying a remarkable disregard for the goings on around her. He feared it might be the result of concussion from the wreck the other day.
As the day had drawn on with this conversation the ship had continued it’s steady approach to the Sea Gate. Pilot boats soon came out to guide the ship to a dock. The dock seemed almost eerily empty, the massive storm of 2 nights past seemed to have kept many ships from making it to this port. The only other current inhabitant, a battered merchant vessel limping it’s way back to the isles. As the tugs brought the Caelin’s Hand in, a small welcoming committee gathered on the pier.
Several well dressed Officials stood near the front, ready to collect the ships manifest and information.
Having emerged onto the deck, Karl took a look at the next port of call. Though the day was clear, he felt as though a storm was brewing. Probably the scenery, he thought. Empty dockyards and officials to lie to, and all the bother of making sure not to get into brawls with customers at the pubs.
It was, in fact, the perfect time to search for the charts he required, while everyone was busy with the legalities.
“Where could I find a map of the ship’s rooms?” he asked the nearest crewman.
Perhaps rather unfortunately, the first thing to catch Dolphus’s attention was the movement of the ship, the Caelin’s Hand gently changing course to ease towards the pier. His eyes traveled just far enough to see it was not Alexis at the helm, much to his disappointment. It meant both that he did not see her and that he might end up seeing her later.
Then, the pilot boats dramatically changing the sound of the waves against the ship as they disrupted the water further out, closing in and safely escorting the sizeable vessel towards its destination - to the massive sea gate, which now threatened the Caelin’s Hand on either side.
Still, the whole situation would have been much more enjoyable were it not for the cluster of stuffy officials loitering about on the pier, some bearing smiles and others making their displeasure clear. The gaggle of faces behind them was of much less importance; Ari was in an excellent position to witness Dolphus shrink away for a moment, terrified of the prospect that somehow he had met any of these paper-pushers before in conjunction with his father’s dealings.
“Something’s happening,” He blurted out, oblivious to whether or not Ari had said anything in between then and his getting distracted by the turn of the vessel. A thought crossed his mind, but he rejected it. Mariner would surely have noticed the slow in pace and must have assumed they had arrived, since he had a way of-
…of noticing things…
It was only after his temporary dip into self-loathing that he realized he had walked from Ari’s position on the deck and over to the railing, his hand tightly gripping the side. He wiped his palm across the inside of his cape with a cold expression of disgust; maybe the real Dolphus had survived the humiliating experience of cleaning up on a fishing boat and living for a year on the street, but he was captain now.
Dolphus blinked in frustration, resetting his mask of indifference as the pier neared. He could not recognize anyone there, and there was no visible reason for him to be feeling such a palpable sensation that something was about to happen. These were just simple island folk; they’d be over and done with after some official back-and-forth and the legal letters had been handed around like it was the head of the third sister of the sea gate.
Relax. He breathed. Or pretend to, at least. There’s nothing that can happen.
As Mako nibbled away at a rather sizable piece of hardtack in the galley, he rather caught bits and pieces of conversation- a rather bothering habit he had picked up from…his travels. Nothing unusual at first. Then, all of a sudden, he heard people talking about coming to port, and his body froze up like a nasty dead rat that got stuck behind something.
Oh. Oh NO. Wonderful. Back to a land of plenty. As in plenty of people who are going to notice me. I’m like a giant painted scarecrow with all of these bandages. EVERYONE is going to notice me, and it’s going to make everything messier-I’m going need something to hide myself with.
He stalked away to the armory, grating his jaw. Stupid scars, stupid face, stupid, unpredictable people- His teeth gnashed over one another as he fumed. His feet shuffled over the crooked floorboards, as his gaze whipped to and fro, seeking out something, anything, to hide his unsightly appearance with. His sights landed on some sort of fabric, tucked neatly beside some silvery pieces of dusty armor. Mako seized the garment, bony fingers gliding over the soft, smooth hide that it was made from. It was a cloak, crafted from some sort of sealskin, or the like, awash in a deep and dark red tint, with hints of golden thread and metal fasteners. In the dim light from within the room, it was in some sort of way, beautiful.
He almost felt guilty taking it.
Almost.
Mako unfolded the cloak, draping it across his slightly bowed figure, pulling the hood over his head, casting a shadow over his face. The only thing now truly visible was the glinting glow of the emerald-greens of his eyes.
…It will have to suffice.
He walked- or rather meandered back up- towards the deck, his feet slightly unsteady against the ships wooden frame, his arms hanging slack against his sides as he slowly made his way up from the lower bowels of the Caelin.
As Mako reached the upper deck, his attention was raptured by the sight of a group of…officers. Because of course, this day couldn’t possibly get any more tense. Now there had to be additional eyes watching the crew’s every move, until the officers and their suspicions had been sated enough to return to their other, less concerning duties.
He stepped farther onto the deck, reaching close to one of the railings.
Mako’s gaze snapped left, towards the movement in the corner of his eye. There, he found Dolphus leaning against the railing, as he was, looking rather uneasy, his cape being grasped in his palm. As the captain’s expression returned to a rather stationary one, Mako found himself shuffling closer, his feet quiet against the floorboards, and the cloak whispering slightly against him, in contrast to the waves that rocked the boat gently.
Eventually, he was just a few feet away from Dolphus. He stared at the captain for an odd second, before uttering:
“…Are you alright, Captain?”
He asked quietly, his voice slow and reedy. He angled his head to the side, attempting to better observe Dolphus’s expression.
“You seem…irked, by something.”
Of course, HE was irked by the fact that the crew was now going to be even farther from the Sea God, and he’d have to contend with…Officials, and that he had lost his mask, and now plenty of people probably disliked him, and maybe he would never make it back…but Dolphus didn’t have to know all of that.
It wasn’t an instinctive sense that drew him towards Mako’s existence, but the observation that only Mako of all the members of the crew would shuffle his way over. However, there was an odd element to the behavior, something that Dolphus hadn’t considered before in any noticeable context… At least, not consciously.
His smell. It had suddenly increased in quality, replacing much of the moist, festering odor with a musty, wooden one, that had the unmistakable flavor of quality to it he only ever observed in the garments he was accustomed to - that is, those of high society, and the habitations they dwelt in.
Perhaps he’s skinned someone to use as a cape or something.
Dolphus began to turn towards Mako…
…And found the self-control to stop. To not silently stare the bandaged blighter in the eye until it became overwhelmingly obvious that he and only he was the source of such irritation. As much as Dolphus wanted to unfairly pin his frustrations on the wacky character, he interrupted his rotation to set his gaze back on the incoming pier.
Mako hesitated, his eyes darting away toward the floor. The question had, rather frankly, taken him off guard. He wasn’t expecting that as an answer, more likely something snarky or rude, but here it was. An innocent, albeit personal, question. He looked back at Dolphus.
“I’ve never left Armadan waters. This is the farthest I’ve ever been from my homeland.”
Mako said, a somewhat wistful tone now tinged in his voice. By the gods, he missed home. There could be no doubt. He was silent for a moment, before speaking again.
“Have you ever traveled out farther, Captain?”
He cocked his head to the side, seemingly intent on listening to whatever it was next that Dolphus had to say.
“Whatever you say, pal,” Jade replied, with the tone of apathy still lingering in her voice. Adjusting her cloak’s clasp, her stance shifted irritably.
Jade perked up at the question, internally brushing off the specter’s concern.
“Last time I saw Alexis was in the back cabin, below deck. Not sure if she’s still there, but then you only have so many places to look on a ship. Speaking of which, the captain’s got to be around here somewhere-”
“There he is! He’s talking to Bandages over by the railing.”
Having caught sight of Dolphus near the bow, Jade gestured to the young captain, taking in the sight of the ship approaching the pier.
“And it looks like we’ve finally made it somewhere, too.”
Caeseus simply nodded, and began walking over to where Dolphus stood. “I see we’ll be docking soon Captain, I have taken the liberty of preparing our paperwork.”
From a small leather case at his belt he removed a few scrolls which he presented to Dolphus. “We have arranged a light resupply as well, which should help to ensure we make it to Securis without too much rationing” He leaned in slightly closer to cut the others from the conversation, ensuring only Dolphus heard his next words.
“The officials here will give us a hard time, I don’t recommend anyone disembark beyond the docks. We may be strong armed into taking on extra crew too.”
As Caeseus spoke, the mooring lines were thrown out and secured to the various tie down points along the dock. A small party appeared to set the Gangplank in place. As soon as the plank was in place, the Customs officers set forward their ornamental armour rasping softly as they slid across the fine silks they wore.
The lead Inspector, looking rather gaudy with metal wings rising from his shoulders placed one foot upon the Gangplank, the message was clear, no one disembarks without getting past him.
The crewman, looks back, “you lost already? Ship can’t be that hard to navigate can it?”
Dolphus reached across his body, pulling the collar of his military cape tighter. It matched the fashion of the Northern Fleet, whom he had witnessed bravely try to harpoon the Thauin before it could wreck their vessel. They were the last real power in the Summer Isles, and the only thing holding the decrepit economy together after his father’s death.
“No.”
Dolphus’s knees had finished recovering, and kept his feet firmly planted as the rest of his body tried to jump away from the sudden appearance of Caeseus the dead magic ghost deckhand. Also on display was a certain curt nobility suggesting that perhaps this dead magic ghost was a cut above the rest in terms of social status, and the new captain felt far more comfortable in its familiar presence.
It was far from a friendly presence, but the challenge of meeting it was a much-needed social dopamine hit in a world of Aris and Makos. As Caeseus continued, Dolphus hardly even noticed that his immediate thought - to wonder where Alexis was due to the mention of captain - had been entirely brushed aside.
Dolphus tried and failed to keep his eyes from drifting in the direction of Mako as Caeseus continued, making it quite obvious to the dead magic ghost where his concerns lied. As the scrolls were presented to him, he leaned in to a similar degree before responding.
“I am not too horribly opposed to taking on an extra soul we can transport to Securis and be done with if it gives us an easier time here.” He took the scrolls without looking at them, trying desperately to make it look like he totally didn’t have too much for one handful. “If you locate anyone-”
The lead inspector’s boot hitting the gangplank tore through the conversation, pulling Dolphus’s eyes towards the motion and the absurd ornaments of its originator. Straightening out his back, he mumbled something to Caeseus that even he wasn’t quite sure of before descending down the gangplank to meet his ungracious host.
However, as he stopped his descent just a meter from the lead inspector, his mask slipped back into place, the inside just as hot as the outside was cold. “Captain Dolphus Greylark of the Caelin’s Hand.” He felt no compunction to salute in accompaniment with his title, instead extending the scrolls in his hand without further comment.
…But with the slowly growing presence of an indignation in the back of his mind, a sudden self-awareness of his age in conjunction with his new position. Hopefully he would be proven wrong.
Annabelle Costello slinked her way through the back alleyways of the Sea Gate. The less people that could convince her to turn back, the better. The port couldn’t be too much farther. By the time she reaches port, she hoped she would get used to walking with the lifters in her father’s oversized boots.
It’s still not too late to turn back. The thought had echoed through her mind since she slipped away from home. She stopped in her tracks for a moment and took a deep breath. "No, Belle. You’re in too deep now,” she told herself softly, adjusting the strap of the satchel that carried a couple medical text books. If she was going to convice any crew that she could be a physician, it wouldn’t hurt to skim through those in her spare time. She would just have to hope all she’ll have to treat is rope burns and maybe at worst heat exhaustion…
You’ve already run away from home, you’ve stolen - no, borrowed - father’s coat and sword. Yes, borrowed. He won’t miss those while he’s laid up in bed, her thoughts continued as she started for the port again. All of this is for you, father. When I return, I know I can help you to get better. I know you’ll understand. I won’t lose you, too…
…
As she approached the port, she knew it was time to start her act. Shoulders back, chest puffed out, and head held high, she walked with a purposeful stride towards the docks. Time to find a voyage for a start. Then, we’ll keep going from there…
Mako blinked for a moment. This…was slightly surprising, at first. But then some blanks became filled, as it was more obvious. Now…this was a development.
A young Captain…now so far from home…it seems I have more in common with him than initially thought…
His thought was cut short by the VERY distasteful sight of…what exactly?
Wings. There were wings. On a man. A very lavishly dressed man. Wings on a man who looked like he’d drown if he fell into water.
Does…does it even support a purpose beyond meaningless…intimidation?
The inspector had a thin weasel like face, and when it contracted into a sneer there was no mistaking the utter disdain as he searched the squalid little wretch standing in front of him.
He snatched the scrolls from Dolphus’ hand, almost acting as if they’d been his all along, and the boy was some pick pocket he’d apprehended making off with them.
His voice, high and thin matching his face, seemed to hiss out from behind his teeth. “I am in no joking mood boy, fetch forth the real captain while I peruse these documents.”
Snapping his attention away from Dolphus in a wordless dismissal, he scanned the deck, taking in Mako, Ari and the various other members of crew malingering about. “Lord of Fire, this Voyage is full of unkempt dogs, must be a Penal Voyage” he muttered to one of his two toadies, setting the two of them chortling.
The docks were a pretty sorry state for work prospects, the gleaming white hull of a Legion diplomatic vessel was in the process of casting off. Judging by the way the crew was acting as they set to making sail, their visit hadn’t gone well.
Elsewhere a few local Fishermen tried selling their day’s catch, to little interest. They moored alongside a few miserable looking merchants, on their way back to the Isles to sell what little wares they had been allowed to keep by the excisemen.
However, in the crowd one ship stood out, a long proud looking warship, albeit one that had seen better days. More than a few patches covered it’s long hull. Stranger still were it’s devices, it flew the flag of the Hearthtemple, and the old traditional royalist standard. Around this strange and noble ship, dock inspectors and excisemen milled hungrily.
Mako affixed the inspector with a venomous glare, verdant eyes attempting to flense the string and gristle from his bones, as if to turn the man’s carcass into nothing but offal.
I already tire of this one…
He inwardly seethed, hands itching to lash out. What disgust they evoke. What fury. Mako’s gaze never broke off from the man, as he stalked closer to the inspector. This one. This one reminded him of her. That vile, disgusting, putrid, scheming-
The mage had closed the distance between himself and the Inspector, hands still withdrawn inside the red-cloth robe, eyes glowering out from the hood.
“…The Captain deserves your respect-”
He hesitated, before spitting out the next honorific like a foul, revolting curse-
“Sir. He is no cabin boy.”
Mako wanted this man gone. He wanted to get out of here. He wanted this to be over, and to be as far away from this imbecile- and at the same time, he also wanted to simultaneously question why he was defending Dolphus- the boy hadn’t done anything except irritate him- but at the same time, between the two of them at that moment, Mako hated the inspector more, and so it would satisfy his impulsiveness to see the weasel’s face cave in like a rotten fish.
“Was thinking of building a model of her,” Karl replied. “Of course, that can wait until later. I’ve got business enough upstairs. Looks like the customs guys are here already.”
He turned and headed up the stairs, emerging just in time to hear Mako’s correction of The Inspector. These bureaucrats, he thought. No brains, no attention. I wish I had an excuse to beat him up.
Ari exited her handstand with all the grace and elegance of a raging storm, firmly planting the metal-lined soles of her boots into the deck with a thunderous thud. the fiery ship wright stretched, revelling in the satisfying ache of her muscles after a workout well done, and casually leaned on the barrel she had just leaped off of, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She curiously watched the following scene transpire in front of her.
The Sea Gate appeared a lot less threatening than Ari had envisioned it to be. Seemingly almost completely deserted, with little to know navy presence in sight, it appeared quite peaceful, to an almost eerie degree.
Ari turned towards the young captain of the ship, his remark having reminded her of the fact that he was still standing a short distance away from her. She had been so distracted by the sight of the quickly approaching island that she momentarily forgot about his presence. kid’s got a way of pretending he doesn’t exist, she thought to herself.
She observed his facial expression shif ted through sadness, then disgust, and finally settle into his usual stone-cold apathetic mask that he wore so well. The act was oh so convincing, however the last Wohlford had gotten too many glimpses behind the curtain of Dolphus’s performance, had seen too much of his true self to view it as anything but a mere act.
It must be so hard to have to pretend all the time… Poor kid…
Before Ari’s thoughts on the matter could be developed any further, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mako. She shifted her gaze back to the pier, having found the presence of the bandaged fisherman irritating due to their earlier altercation.
Not far enough, Ari thought with a grimace.
The conversation that Dolphus was having with the boring looking official was just out of Ari’s earshot, and Ari figured that the matters they were discussing were incredibly uninteresting, unimportant and did not concern her in the slightest.
Since the inspector was blocking the way off the ship, Ari, without a second thought, approached the side railing of the ship, gripped it with her hand, and leapt over it in one surprisingly graceful motion.
significantly less graceful though was the loud sound of cracking and bending wood as Ari landed on the pier, digging the metal-lined soles of her boots into it with full force. She stretched her back and began walking towards the town as if nothing happened, with not a single concern about the repercussions of her actions in mind.
Dolphus thanked his knees for not giving out on him as Mako suddenly appeared from behind, looking like the disheveled wreck he was, teeth flashing out from beneath his far too expensive cloak.
Raising his thin hand for a moment, he slowly gestured to Mako to back down, although whether or not he actually listened was less a concern. His remonstrance had provided an opportunity that Dolphus’s political acumen could not avoid capitalizing on.
“Hungry dogs.” His eyes never left the inspector.
The conversation would’ve progressed into the expected back-and-forth between Dolphus and the lead inspector, worsening their opinions of each other until they got tired of the ordeal and moved the proceedings along, until with a massive THUD the entire pier trembled. After popping into the air from what he had convinced himself was the force of the impact and not, as it truly was, his weak knees refusing to keep him planted, Dolphus looked towards the source of the impact with one hand clutched over his heart and a mix of confusion and offense on his features, the mask having fully dropped.
It was Ari.
Of course it was Ari.
His face immediately relapsed into his typical mask, paying it no heed as it climbed back up his features. Part of the ease by which it traveled was due to his immense disappointment at the expected behavior of the last Wohlford, whose antics he really should have anticipated and accounted for.
The other factor… Well, Ari’s big, dumb, muscular hands still held his heart in them.
Having completely picked himself back up from his undignified expression of involuntary reaction, Dolphus leaned towards the inspector with a subtle raising of his eyebrows. “Hungry.”
Karl was just in time to see Ari jump ship, followed by seeing the pier physically bend from the impact of her landing. It was both impressive and perfectly calculated (likely unintentionally) to draw everyone’s eyes to the pier, regardless of how unobtrusive the exit was supposed to be.
He turned to the nearest member of the party and asked, “Do we have any errands to the town?” It would be convenient to go acquire some provisions, he thought. Seems like a nice place.
The Lead Inspector watched all this play out without comment, merely taking a moment to steady himself as the ship rocked violently from Ari’s departure.
“Lord of Fire” he cursed, “You are the Captain.” His voice sounded almost disappointed. When safe to do so he walked forwards, just enough to cast his shadow over Dolphus. “You have one thing for certain. Audacity.”
He took note of Mako, “I suggest you leash this one, probably has rabies, just looking at him turns my stomach.”
He collected himself, trying to regain his bearing. A man of his position, forced to consort with these, these… dregs. With an effort he forced down his disgust, his nose, although slight still proved long enough to look down at Dolphus. “Very well, if we must suffer this grotesquery, let us do it quickly, how many crew are you planning on taking on?”
Caeseus wished nothing more than to die again, just dissolve into oblivion right now, and not have to be around this crew any more. The sheer lack of discipline and decorum was abhorrent. As Karl spoke he snapped around on his heel, “You will go nowhere until the Captain expressly orders it.” He hissed, a little more intense then he’d intended.
Dolphus held his hand up again to anticipate a possible Mako outburst, his eyes locked with the inspector’s as they peeked out from under his black eyebrows at the inspector’s greyed irises. He didn’t have to work very hard to resist the urge to smile at the comment, although it did tickle his throat.
That was pretty good.
Dolphus did, however, have to fight hard to keep his eyes from snapping to the side in a vain attempt to find Caeseus. Now I know what he meant by extra crew.
He didn’t have a very good read on the inspector, even though his first check had been conclusive. His experience had been primarily on the sidelines of his father’s engagements, chiming in at key moments when it did the most damage to his opponent. Here, however, he was flying alone.
…or am I?
Dolphus’s eyes flitted to Ari. She sauntered off towards the ramshackle town without a care in the world, seemingly oblivious to the gaudy creature in clothes far too big for her tentatively walking straight towards her out of the crowd that pretended to mill about. She had left him all alone in the cruel, uncaring world, like a kitten on the street corner. In the rain. During a thunderstorm. With tragic music playing.
His eyes drew further, growing more casual as they neared and eventually locked onto Mako. His face was masterfully obscured by the cloak he wore, somehow, despite it being sealskin and rather droopy as a result. His teeth flashed on occasion, implying either a lack of lip or a serious lack of good manners. Either fit with the mental image Dolphus had, and possibly with the mental image he wished to convey.
“The dogs have to eat.” He returned his gaze to the inspector. “Do you have any fat ones?” To further reinforce the point, his eyes quickly scanned the inspector’s physique.
“Your jokes are wearing thin.” He said with disdain. “I ask again, how many will you take on? Once we’re finished that we can get to the manner of fees.”
He took a quick stock, “Let’s see, that’ll be a mooring fee, supply fee, damage fee, conduct contrary to good order fine, reckless disregard for protocol fine. Income adjustment tax, threatening a customs official fine. Not to mention the possible criminal charges you’ll face for any trouble your crew member causes ashore.” He shrugs, “I’m sure once a more detailed account can be made, there’ll be more fines to press, but I’m getting ahead of myself, how many crew members are you taking on? Be aware, not taking one on could incur a hefty fine, on top of everything.”
Towards the end of the pier, two squat, solid looking towers guarded the Port Gates. The towers while being rather plain stone, were remarkable for their armament, ballistae were mounted every so often, allowing them to cover all angles of approach from the shore. Soldiers stationed at the top took note of Ari and swung their ballistae around to aim in her general direction, while they made no further action, they tracked her as she advanced towards the town.