Thread: Ardent

Cas glanced at the Innate momentarily, quickly looking back to Deryn and noting with a nod the last, robed crewmember stepping aboard. Eyes still on the other elf, she answered him.

"Sorry, 'my side'? That's supposed to mean--what, have you been talking to Belo? Anyway, good. Let's keep it that way. Name's Cas."

Short, not-so-sweet, and to the point. She had an elf to watch.

Barasa, his eyes still peeled to the massive open space above and beyond, had more or less been caught in it's grasp as he tried to imagine how life amongst the skies, no land beneath him, would fair. Most of his youth and well into his later years he'd been inland and bound to it. Buried in archives and holed up in the academy libraries of Castillo, the scholar had a very limited grasp on what he was getting in to. But he could adapt... though with his pulse thudding in his ears and the gut wrenching nerves in his stomach, he knew it would be awhile before he could consider the vessel anything akin to a home, temporary as it was.

After a moment, he looked down at his hands, not really sure what to do with himself, feeling a bit lost and out of place amongst the movement and people shifting along the deck as if they were all perfectly comfortable on the ship. He'd stick out like a sore thumb no doubt, much like he had when he'd first entered into the academy as a child. Perhaps one day he would come to love the Ardent as he had the academy... Though, even with all the optimism in the world, there was a flicker of doubt in it all. Still, he had his books, well, some of them anyway, and he was sure they would provide him the same distraction that got him through the years of torment from his brothers and the few years it took to get adjusted to the academy.

Rubbing the back of his neck as he proceeded to glance around, a cough sputtered from his lips, something smacking his back rather roughly. He looked up at the assailant, his eyes wide and expression raw with shock. If he hadn't been so caught off guard by her rather... aggressive greeting, he probably would have gawked at her appearance. He'd seen elves before from afar and in old records, but not so closely. It took every bit of concentration to pull himself to a complete stand, only starring after her as she veered off, her words taking a moment to process.

He looked down warily at his bags once more at the mention of getting a move on, part of him wishing his brother could have come along, if only to help him move and unload the collection of books and documents and whatever else he had managed to stuff in with them. With a reluctant sigh, he reached over and lifted the smaller bag up onto his shoulder, adjusting the weight with visible discomfort before reaching over and grabbing the larger bag, tugging on it with whatever remaining energy he had.

He managed to lift it, the bag itself hovering over his foot as he forced it forward with his leg, book corners jabbing into him as he did. After many awkward steps, he set both bags down again, looking around for someone he was comfortable asking for help.

Hope immediately lept into his gaze, eyes falling on a Kerrian looking male not a few steps from where he'd stopped. He was much lighter in skin tone, like his mother's. Perhaps not fully Kerrian. But enough for him to feel a flicker of home, “Do you mind giving me a hand?” He asked in attempt to pull his attention, “Sadly, I don't think I can get all this down below by myself,” he finished, his eyes falling on the two bulky bags at his feet.

“Mood lightening? I should use turn that phrase more often. I usually went with ‘entertainer’ or ‘You just don’t know what’s funny’ in the past. Mood lightener sounds much more upstanding though. More difficult to argue.” Cain chuckled. “I tip my hat to you. Perhaps, despite our ages, I’ll be your mischief making protégé. You teach me all the latest and greatest. I teach you some airship classics.”

Listening to her comments about Cas made Cain snicker. “Not sure if she’s main gunner. She probably got promoted to First Mate Bootlooker or…the captain’s evil cat. Look at her, can’t you just see her curled up on the deck somewhere, hissing at anyone who so much as looked at her funny.” He curled up his fingers and hissed, imitating a cat by clawing at the air in front of him and meowing angrily. “Like that, only…smaller.”

When they switched to the new guy, Cain noted the tone of her voice. It made her sound much older than she was. It disturbed him a little, having a girl so inexperienced in life be so settled with all that’s happened to her. She was better off mentally than most women he’d met and she’d barely stepped away from her mother’s teet. Strange. Enviable though. That’s why, when he responded, he demonstrated no pity or false understanding. She didn’t seem the type to want that. “Your dad did you a favor both by knocking boots with your mom and abandoning you. Imagine how you would’ve turned out raised in those prim and polished villas. We’d never find you in the frills of those dresses, and all you’d be good for was giving maids something to take care of and forcing your husband toward adultery.” Cain set a hand on her shoulder and shook it. “Instead, you get to fly on the Ardent.” He brought his hands to his chest and smiled broadly, “With me no less! Now, who wouldn’t trade anything for that?”

He looked at her as she talked about everyone liking her. At the thought of her punching people, Cain couldn’t help but laugh. This one would be good to keep around. “I don’t know. Respect for Fort is something we all have on the Ardent, but we still go around and punch each other.” He shrugged, “We’re like a backwater family that way. ‘Did you put a dead bird in my sock?’ ‘Did you put the pig’s head on my pillow?’ ‘Why I outta…’ Pow! Bap! Wa-pah!” He stopped himself mid-punch and lowered his hand. “I am now realizing I don’t know what a backwater family would really be like.”

Cain looked toward the minor crew setting the sails, then toward the captain. If his years of experience in successful take-offs and horrific crashes was any indication, having the crew up in the sails was a sign that an aeronaut’s job needed to be done. He stepped off the rail and turned to Alcy. He tipped his imaginary hat and flashed a smile. “If you’d excuse me. I’m going to take us off this rock and scare the living sh*t out of everyone who doesn’t have their sky-legs yet.” He started to walk away when he paused and turned around. “I’d find something to hold on to.”

Bidding Alcy a final adieu, Cain followed the path that had been ingrained as memory into his very legs. It had been years since he’d been up here, but it felt like he’d never left it. The wheel had survived impact, but he could tell all the rest of the instruments and paneling had been replaced. They looked the same. The engineers probably worked off the boat’s original designs because the Ardent had been a thing of perfection. Changing something now would only ruin that. Still, something seemed off. Foreign. It lacked use. Only pieces of this Ardent knew the feel of the sky, the roll of the clouds, and the less than gentle treatment of pilots in the past. Only pieces still remembered the crash that had made it dock-bound for so long. It was finally time to teach it those old tricks.

Hearing the sound of the engines firing to life beneath him brought the widest grin to Cain’s face. There was no straight shot from the dock into the intended course without guiding the ship out of port first. Which depressed him. It would ruin part of the surprise. Scanning the docks and judging on the fly how much space he had to maneuver in, Cain steered the Ardent gently away from the docks of Cann and set her to drift as he changed her direction. Really, he was waiting for the engines to warm up. One last glance at his Captain, a slight nod to confirm what was going to happen, and an obscene gesture of farewell to Cann behind them, he let the throttle go.

The Ardent rocketed forward, reaching intended speed in much to short a time for comfort. When they reached cruising speed, Cain began making course adjustments and plotting the best path to follow for the weather patterns he’d researched. Of course, alterations would have to be made, but it would be easier working off a base idea. Once all this was finished and he’d worked through turbulent sky to reach proper and intended altitude, he’d head down for food.

The little avatar of bloodshed was caught unawares by the sudden--thankfully, slow--takeoff before Aerodar rocketed the ship into the high skies. Her knees buckled the littlest bit, steel-toed feet went a-stumbling, hand shot out to balance herself. She glanced up at Enris, then after the receding figure of Deryn.

Without the courtesy of any sort of parting comment and only a glance cast topside, Cas hurried under deck and after the other elf.

Her abrupt and terse reply might have been interpreted as conceited-ness to a less observant eye. She was clearly distracted, most likely by that other elf that was trying to physically pierce her with her glare. The two obviously had some not-so-good history together. Well, he didn't want to deprive them of that inevitable not-so-good reunion. Giving Cas a quick nod, he walked away to let them have their moment, whatever that may include.

He looked over the railing and imagined seeing no ground below whenever they left the docking area. He had been aboard a few battle ships so was used to less than smooth traveling conditions. From what Cas had insinuated about the Ardent's pilot, he guessed there would be at least a little rough sailing ahead for them.

“Do you mind giving me a hand?”

Enris looked over at the man who had spoken. He was obviously of Kerrian blood, his dark skin and dark hair saying as much. He didn't look like he really belonged on a ship though, looking more suited for a library or anything on land in general.

“Sadly, I don't think I can get all this down below by myself.” The other man finished, glancing at his bags sadly. Enris gave an amused chuckle. "Sure, I'd be happy to help out." He wasn't sure which bag the man wanted help with so he just grabbed both and slung one over each shoulder. They were a bit heavy for him, but nothing he couldn't handle. He glanced over at the darker-skinned man again and noted his skinniness, at least he would have an easier time with them than him. From the weight and feel of the bag, he surmised the contents were mostly books. So this man was a scholar then. That explained why he looked so out of place. It made sense they would need a scholar, one with vast amounts of knowledge to help guide them to the Shift Particle. Only a fool of a crew would go on such a journey without one.

Shifting the bags weight around so they sat more comfortably on his shoulders, Enris gave a practiced friendly smile as he introduced himself. "My name is Enris, it's nice to meet--" before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by the sudden movement of the ship. The floor beneath him jerked forward and Enris had to hold onto the nearby railing to keep from falling backwards. On reflex (on previous battle ships, he had had to steady more than a few men who were new to ship battle), he grabbed his new acquaintance by the shoulders to help steady him. A man as unfamiliar to moving ground as he might have fallen without aid.

It seemed the pilot thought it time to move out and begin the journey.

"You can't argue a mood lightener...." She said with a grin, nodding at him. "And thank you sir. It sounds like a deal." Alcy smirked at his comment about them teaching each other.

"Captain's evil cat?" She chuckled softly "I like that one. I shall be sure to avoid her claws whenever possible. I like your viewpoint on my father's behavior. Makes him heroic." Alcy chuckled again. "And you're quite right, I'd hate to be paraded around in dresses and flaunted like a pet. I like this much better. And of course, your company just makes it that much better" One more grin at him.

"Backwater family? Incest and everything?" She laughed, then nodded as he said he needed to go fly the ship. And with his advice, Alcy moved away from the railing and stood near a mast grabbing onto it as the ship would launch and nearly knock her off her feet.

A few moments later, Alcy heard the dinner bell. She supposed it was time to go meet everyone else and try and be social. And so, with that, Alcy made her way to the dining hall.

He should have felt embarrassed asking for help, the old distant memories of being the runt of the litter, the lanky, particularly slow and dilatory little boy, chasing after his brothers out of breath and lagging drastically behind. He'd never been fit for anything other than menial tasks, never really had the strength to pull his own weight around and usually had to rely on other people to do it. His inferiority had frustrated him to no end as a child, but now, older, though still weak and without any physical merit, he was stronger mentally. It was hard to feel ashamed of himself with all he had accomplished as a result of his inferiority. He had known he would never be good for strenuous activity, known that the possibility of going anywhere in that direction was otherwise nil to none, so he forged his efforts elsewhere.

And now his brothers were the strong capable men they'd been expected to be while he was a bookworm, a scholar with credentials and a profound knowledge of his people. He could be proud of that. Taken to books and research, learning the momentum of words and how they fit together, why and where, what they meant, what they could mean. That was the very reason why he was standing amidst a crew of expeditionary sailors instead of one of his bothers. Because he had accomplished something. Though, admittedly, it wasn't much. He could no more determine the exact function of the koysqatsi, no more than anyone could, but he had suspicions, estimations about his findings. More than most could say.

He looked up at the other man as he chuckled in response. Barasa's rather pathetic situation seemingly promoting a source of amusement for him as he seemingly pulled the bags up on his shoulders without any visible effort. A Kerrian no doubt, at least, in part. Perhaps he didn't need his brother after all. Stifling something of a bemused look, he rubbed the back of his neck, “Thanks,” He said, still feeling bad for letting him take both bags. He would have said something, had he not already been through the same thing with his brother already – who had out-rightly ignored his desire to help. But it also sufficed as a relief as well. As much as he loved his work, he was not a fan of making it mobile. That and he imagined, life on the ship was bound to force him into frustrating situations. So he figured he'd best enjoy the niceties while they were available.

Flashing his full attention to the helpful man as he went to introduce himself, the surface beneath him jerked, a yelp of surprise passing through his lips as he was grabbed by the shoulder, held up right so as not to tumble back. It took a moment to regain his balance, even with the extra buffer. Gingerly his massive hand grabbed the rail as he looked out across the stretch that only widened as they pulled away from the mountain city. And despite the fact that it was nothing like leaving home, he felt as though he'd left a part of himself behind. If not that land itself.

His insides tightened uncomfortably, but he ignored it as best he could. This was no time to be upchucking his lunch. He let go of the rail after a moment, “Thanks. Again,” He said with a pale smile, “I am not used to these... I'm not accustomed to being off of land,” He stated hesitant at first with his words, not entirely sure what he was trying to say. “To be perfectly honest, this is my first time on a ship, apart from the passenger vessel that brought me here from Kerria,” He said, starring back briefly at the mountains slowly fading into the distance, “Anyway, I'm Barasa, Barasa Agunda,” He said, moving though fairly slow as he adjusted to the movements of the ship, towards the entrance into what he could only assume were the crew's quarters, “It's good to meet someone of... similar roots. Always brings a bit of home with it,” he added, managing to hold himself steady now.

He stopped once more however as a bell rang, unfamiliar to his ears. He blinked, "I imagine that means something important?" he tossed the Enris a questioning look.

Enris nodded his head in acknowledgment of the second thanks, preoccupied with re-adjusting the bags again. The sudden take off had disturbed the perfect position he had found earlier and now books were stabbing him in uncomfortable places.

“I am not used to these... I'm not accustomed to being off of land,” The man was hesitant, perhaps embarrassed to be admitting this weakness?

“To be perfectly honest, this is my first time on a ship, apart from the passenger vessel that brought me here from Kerria,” The poor guy. If his only experience was aboard a passenger ship, he would have trouble along the journey. Well, hopefully he could adapt easily. "I see," Enris commented, feeling he should say something after that "confession." "This will be nothing like a passenger vessel, so you're a little out of luck. I'm not exactly an expert on ships, but I have been on a number of battle ships." It was weird how different and land air battle were from each other. Being in the air, of course, added a whole new dimension: the ability to go under the enemy. You could go under the enemy on land as well, but it was more difficult and too much trouble in Enris's opinion. He had grown to, not hate battle, but not crave it like an addiction either. If he had to choose a "favorite," it would have to be air battle. He found it more exhilarating than plain land and there were so many more possibilities strategy wise.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the other man at last introducing himself. Barasa Agunda. Interesting name. "Agreed." Enris responded as Barasa made his way towards the crew's quarters. "Although there is some Tyrisian in me, from somewhere in my past family history." It was only a slight amount, but enough to lighten his skin tone from its usual Kerrian darkness.

Enris stopped just as Barasa had at the sound of the dinner bell. Enris nodded at the man's inquiry. "I do believe that would be the dinner bell." Despite the fact that he had been snacking on salted pork earlier, his stomach was feeling the need to be filled with real food and by real food it wanted meat. "We should probably drop off your bags first don't you think?" The bags were starting to make his shoulders protest. Even though he was well built, he wasn't used to having such a weight upon his shoulders. "They're heavy." He stated bluntly but not harshly.

Steadied, though uncomfortable knowing that what he was standing on was moving, he could do no more than agree with the fact that this, indeed was nothing close to a passenger vessel. So he nodded in kind, furthering his thoughts to recall how his brothers had described battle ships. Heavy in artillery and fire power as they were in strength, though they'd lacked a great deal in speed because of it. Or so they'd told him. What he knew of the Ardent was that it was built for velocity, which made sense considering it's size.

He smiled respectively, at the mention of Tyrisian blood, “I figured as much, my mother is part Tyrisian herself so I carry the gene a bit,” He splayed out his hands, turning them over, half studying their tone, “But I've got my father's skin, though not nearly as dark,” He said, shrugging it off. He was only really lighter toned as a result of hollowing himself up in the academy, and within books, granting little of his presence to the sun on most days. Though, he imagined he'd be tanned in no time being on the ship. He'd remembered the amused look his brother had given him the moment they had reacquainted, having never seen his skin so sun-bathed. It probably hadn't helped that they'd barely been able to recognize each other. The thought amused him, until it faded into the realization that he would have to start adjusting his thought patterns if he wanted to make himself comfortable with the crew. Because when he was bound to be hit with the impact of what he was really doing, he would doubtless start to miss what he was leaving behind. Especially seeing as he'd done it before. Though leaving Cann had not been nearly as hard as leaving Castillo.

Informed that it had been the dinner bell, he nodded, reaching the door that lead down below, he held it open for the man, as something of a thankful gesture for all he was doing. His expression, however was apologetic at the mention of the bags being heavy,“I would say it's a result of not being used to travelling light... or at all, but,” He glanced at the jacked edges stretching the fabrics of the bag, “While that's certainly true... being a scholar... is not a career befitting for mobility,” He explained, eyes falling on the innards of the ship as they ventured below.

Enris followed the man down into the ship.

Cas Seingalt leaned back in her chair and flicked a card across the table at the muted crewmember, taking a moment to admire her work as he yawned and revealed the severed tongue behind rough, cracked lips. A fair price paid and in the two years since, apologized and more for on her part in the taking of his tongue.

Really, she thought, he'd gotten the better deal. Cas had killed for less.

She was rather bad at this game, she thought with a frown. Deryn had taught her to play, but without threatening violence the elf found she was entirely unable to match her older friend's abilities, and usually unable to match anyone else's, either. Cas was hoping the muted machinist would be an easy target.

Apparently not.

Cas might have swung her gun wildly at the man for the smug grin across his face as he pulled his winnings closer, but today was not that day. After all, she'd lost a bet and now she'd had a promise to keep.

Truth be told, in this case it was perhaps she who had gotten the better deal. Perverted--in her mind--though the mute's betting deal--in written form--might have been, even she had to admit the littlest bit that she liked the idea. She'd gotten on fairer terms with the man since the ship had set sail--even she felt bad for taking his tongue--and when Deryn had not been around to whisper with, when the captain had not been around to--well...she'd never call it stalking, but it was bordering on such--stick close by, when that dark-skinned Kerrian scholar wasn't studying outside of his room. It was times like those that she spent with the mute.

She moved down the hallways and into the gut of the ship, finding the storage room and poking through it as she tried to remember where he said he'd placed it. She lifted one white tarp after the other, her thoughts turning to the scholar.

Cas had found herself walking right to him, without so much as realizing she'd gotten up. She'd found herself unconsciously circling him, watching him, and experiencing an unfamiliar and vague turning of her stomach. Not an unpleasant feeling exactly, but...one that had left her more than a little confused, as the incidents came to grow over the course of the month. Granted, they were still rare, and the feeling was terribly faint. But it was there.

She'd wondered if the excess of Kerrian blood in his veins had unsettled her. He was no Innate, certainly, but like had happened with Belo it was always possible for the bastard magic to lie waiting under the skin, just waiting to be uncorked...ah! Here it was.

The linen fluttered, heavy and thick as she put all her--small amount of--strength into throwing it off the old phonograph. Dusty, a little rusty, but stunning to be sure. They'd had one back home, her mother used to play the saddest songs...an mournful little smile helped its way onto her lips and she ran a hand along the copper horn, her smile growing at the faint hum the movement produced. The sound probably wouldn't be great, but it seemed in alright enough shape. Now to get it topside.

Some twenty minutes and a great deal of gun-waving later, the pair of engineers Cas had 'recruited' into dragging the thing up the stairs and onto the deck had finished doing so. The mute had fallen asleep in the time since she'd gone below deck, a weathered novella hung over his face and his chair leaning dangerously back. Lovely. Only barely annoyed, Cas casually nudged his foot with the steel tip of her boot before turning and fiddling with the dusty contraption.

Click.

The sound cracked and popped before finding the right note, a tingle of piano key sounding out as the sound began, the betting pair getting into waltz position as the old chanson began--only for the aged record to, itself, snap and crack. So much for a song. But the mute was not deterred: he clumsily but with the most pleased expression whirled the half-amused elf around, lucky to be alive.

He had been stopped by a cook on his way to topside, the man wanting him to try a new meat-filled recipe he had made. Sadly, Enris had to politely decline. Over the past month he had made friends with the people in the kitchen as he had highly complimented them on their skills considering the working conditions. The man was disappointed at the refusal and feeling bad, Enris promised to stop by later that night or tomorrow afternoon. The cook grudgingly took the compromise and finally allowed Enris to pass. Apologizing again he continued onward.

It didn't take long for him to reach topside and see something he thought he would never see. Cas (he had finally learned her name) dancing with a crew member. It was definitely. . .odd to say the least. Enris never really took her to be the type to do something that was considered to be fun. She had seemed much too uptight. He was glad though. He was glad to see something besides an arrogant and uptight elf like a lot elves he had seen. It was a very nice change of pace.

He didn't make any move to make himself known, enjoying what he was seeing and not wanting to ruin the moment.

Taking the stick between her thumb and forefinger she pulled it from her lips and scanned the deck that she could see, letting out the sweet smelling smoke into the air. Her shoulder brushed past someone she wished not to acknowledge, and had been doing a pretty damn good job of it since they boarded. It wasn’t her place to throw around her beliefs when she was on a job, and the second best thing was just to pretend the Innate wasn’t even there. Although, it had crossed her mind he was doing the same, he kept to himself and never even attempted to test the elves patience or boundaries which was something she had not expected. But, in her eyes, their non existent relationship, this was being considerate. Just as she has been ignoring the recent history of the other elf on board, Cas. It was certainly tough, and ate at her mind when she would let the thoughts slip as she stared off into the blue abyss above them.

Maybe that was just the way Deryn handled most things, ignorance. It wasn’t healthy, that was for sure, but who was going to force her to face the things she never wanted to face? Nobody. Looking over she saw a amusing sight, Cas dancing about next to some hunk of junk sputtering a decent tone out into the air. Who was she dancing with? Hmm.. It must have been the mute, Deryn has crossed paths with him once or twice but the girl kept to herself.

It was lucky for Deryn that she was so caught up in the merry of the moment or she would have noticed her friend was sucking on one of the last lho sticks Cas had left. Even if she did notice, she shouldn’t get too much of a scolding since we were going to be docking in the near future. Perhaps if she could get a hold of something like that she would surprise Cas with a nice little present, maybe some home made Gypsy bread to boot. Shaking her head with a laugh she took another long drag before trudging along to take the wheel.

Something about this moment was beautiful, she didn’t know if it was the night sky, the flapping of those thick cloth sails, the music teetering along or the jolly laughs of her good friend. Wind blew pleasantly through her hair and headscarf as she looked straight ahead, thinking of the plans for daybreak.

The girl stood near the taffrail of the ship, leaning against it. Her hands clutched the top of the railing, her face looking between the posts. She grinned broadly as the wind rushed through her hair. Her hat lay on her back, dangling from the strap that kept it from flying off the ship into the air. She giggled as her hair flew around her face.

"Enjoying yourself?" Thana asked as she came up behind the little girl, resting a large hand on her shoulder. Her voice was earthy and rich as she spoke, looking off into the distance off the taffrail. Looking down, she studied her daughter who was watching the scenes they were passing. 'What an odd child, always looking behind instead of forward. I suppose it is her nature.' she thought idly, the words rolling about in her mind.

She and the girl had kept to themselves since coming aboard the Ardent at Fort Rock. She had made token appearances at meal time, but for the most part, remained apart from the crew, watching them. She wasn't certain what to make of them yet. And she was cautious in who she would allow around her daughter. The Captain seemed like a good sort. And with Abida on her best behavior, there had been no problems yet with anyone.

Looking up, Abida grinned at her mother. "Oh! Mama! I love it! Did you see the clouds over there? Did you? I was watching them. There was one shaped like a turtle. And another shaped like a fish. It's way better up here than in our quarters." She giggled, going back to looking off the back railing of the ship as she stretched up onto her tip toes to rest her forearms on the rail.

"Good." She stood beside her daughter, watching the clouds with her for several moments as she held a conversation in her head, trying to figure out the best way to respond to the girl. After a long moment she finally spoke, "I like watching the clouds too. They are a rare sight back home." Lowering herself, she got on her knees beside her daughter, resting her arms on the railing as well. She smiled, eye level with the girl now.

"Are we going to go back when we are done on this contract? I miss walking... but ships are good too. Different. But we move so fast and it is funny not having the earth under me." Abida said, turning to the woman beside her. She tugged on the front of her dress, adjusting it beneath the soft cloth belt that held it in place. Thana reached over and placed the girl's hat back on her head, pulling the bead on the string tight to hold the hat in place.

Looking thoughtful, she nodded, "Yes, we will go home when we are done here. Where would you like to go first?" She pulled her jacket down to her waist as it began to ride up over her stomach a bit, exposing the dark blue shirt she was wearing.

"I dunno. Maybe Cambria to see Killian? I like him." The girl looked at her mother, her brown eyes full of hope as she stared at her.

"We'll see if we can find another airship there when we are done then."

Unsurprisingly, the minute-long, music-less waltz ended early and with a bit of a bang. Literally, as the mute's head hit the floor with a groan when Cas spotted her old friend Deryn and her boot came out of nowhere, lightning fast, right in the path of her dance partner's own feet. She dusted her front off--what dust she had supposedly acquired during their little prance about the deck, one could only guess--and strode from the scene of the crime as if it had never happened. More importantly, as if she had never looked happy during the whole affair.

Well, he had said 'for a minute'. By her count, they'd waltz for that and then some. She'd held her end of the bargain.

A few good human-sized paces from Deryn (and several more elven ones), Cas' eye caught on the little girl at the new medic's side. Her steps faltered and she paused a moment to regard the little girl, quite unsure how to react. She shouldn't have been surprised at the child on board, not really, what with the captain being softer hearted than a...well, she wasn't quite sure what to compare him to on that one.

She recognized the woman at the girl's side as the new medic they'd picked up in Fort Rock. The girl looked a bit pale to be her daughter, but maybe she was a halfer like Belo. Her nose crinkled at the memory of her old rival's stench of ale and magic, but though she caught a faint whiff of magic from the mother, she detected not a bit on the girl. Lucky for the girl.

Now, Cas had never been very good with children. Didn't see the appeal and wasn't quite sure how they worked, especially the human ones. Children were something of a chore back at the manor, her mother hadn't been all that pleased with being made to have one, or so Cas'd been told. Her father, on the other hand...he'd been all too happy to step in and help the girl cheat on her tests once or twice when no one was looking. She smiled the faintest bit. He'd found something to like, at least.

Well, good impressions and all that. Cas felt the sudden and strong desire to form one, both with the medic and her daughter--briefly the elf wondered if any of the northblooded men on board had been involved in the girl's creation--and, as always, the captain. It couldn't hurt; judging by the groaning behind her she'd probably just given the medic a little extra work.

Children liked treats, didn't they?

So Cas held up one finger to the girl to beg a moment, her own height not all that greater. She took the last few steps or so towards Deryn, shot her a vitriolic little look as she snatched the lho-stick from the elf's fingertips, and retraced her steps back to the little girl. Well, it probably wasn't very good for her, but it couldn't be much worse than candies, could it? She smiled uncertainly, bent herself just the littlest bit forward as she offered the roll of drugweed to the girl, her face reflecting her mostly honorable but rather clueless intentions.

Out of the corner of his eye, Enris saw Deryn pass him by without saying a word. This entire month they had been traveling together the elf woman had not once even acknowledged his existence. To her, he might as well not have even been there. That was fine by him. He knew she would have an immediate distaste for him, so why push towards a friendship that would never happen? He thought himself polite for not intruding upon her space with his "disgusting" presence. However, if there ever came a time that she should want to speak with him, he would not ignore her, it was not in his nature to ignore someone offering a hand in friendship or what have you.

Deryn wandered out of his field of vision so Enris turned his attention back to Cas. Someone had caught her eye. He followed her line of sight and saw a woman with her daughter. He vaguely remembered seeing them around the ship but they didn't make much of an impression on him. He would have made an attempt at befriending the girl had the mother not been so overprotective of her. She seemed to judge who was allowed around her daughter and who was not with just a look. He would have to make a more valiant effort. Enris himself liked children. They were straightforward (like he was) and rarely hid their feelings, or if they did it was very easy to tell when they were lying. They had not learned how to put up pretenses and so were easy to communicate with. They also tended to say amusing things which would make Enris smile.

He watched as Cas snatched the Iho-stick from Deryn and attempted to offer it to the girl. What in the world was she thinking?! Enris didn't know a whole lot about Elvish culture but he knew and had learned some things from Barasa in this past month to know that Iho-sticks were not made for children, especially human children. He would not allow this.

He stalked over to the little bunch and snatched the Iho-stick from Cas's offering hand. Normally he would not interfere with Elves, but he would not allow her stupidity to poison a young human mind.

"Are you an idiot?" He questioned Cas getting right to the point, glowering down at her. "Why would you give a child this drug? Are you trying to poison her?" He was getting more angry by the second and although his body language didn't show it, you could see it smoldering in his eyes and could hear it crackling in his tone.

It was true, Deryn was quite lost in the moment. Her eyes closing for just a second, perhaps the lack of sleep was finally catching up with her or maybe she wanted to enhance her other senses for a moment to fully enjoy all that was around her but alas, good things never last too long for the elf. In the midst of sucking a long and slow breath of smoke into her lungs, the herb encased in paper was ripped from her painted lips.

It caught her so off guard she jerked forward in her stance, almost knocking herself off balance as her bliss was snatched away. Upon opening her eyes, she came face to face with exactly who she expected. Deryn didn’t bother with words and neither did Cas, she was doing a good enough job with simply scolding her with those eyes. A sigh of defeat released the smoke she held deep within her chest out into the air, to be honest she got away with burning down the length of the stick far longer than she thought she would.

But oddly enough, Cas was not stealing it back for herself, she was offering it to someone… a child in fact. Now Deryn wasn’t the most perceptive elf, but she did get around enough to recognize the faces leaning against the railings. The aeronaut had not introduced herself at prior sightings because frankly, she wasn’t sure how most people felt about elves being around their children. It wasn’t like she would hurt the poor girl, but Deryn was a bit of a troublemaker when it came to kids, encouraging the little girls to walk and talk with the power of their male counterparts… which in the past has upset a few mothers to say the least. Look at those eyes filled with innocence and hope… look at them, fixated on an lho stick Cas is holding out… in front of her, wait what? Snapping out of a confused thought she was going to approach cautiously but was halted by the approaching Enris.

He was furious, a sight she really hadn’t seen before. As he came barreling up to scold Cas, Deryn decided to hang back and let this scene play out. Hopefully Cas would take a step back and not make a scene in front of those innocent eyes, but if it did turn out that the innate had stepped over some boundaries by scolding her like a dog in front of the mother and child Deryn would do her best to redirect her friends attention.

Abida watches the small elf as she approaches, turning her attention away from the clouds that the ship is slowly moving away from. A few strands of her hair hung in her face despite the hat she wore. The girl tugs at her dress again, her small hands clenching the simple fabric for a moment before releasing it. Sidestepping, she moved closer to her mother, not quite touching, but close enough that she could if she wanted to.

Then, the elf holds out the stolen Iho-Stick.

The girl looks up at her mother, brushing her hand against the woman's side, then back to the stick held out in front of her. Thana's hand moves to the baton hanging at her side as she carefully goes over words in her head. Her jaw clenches slightly as her daughter looks up at her, innocent and confused. Her dark eyes stare at the elf offering her child the drugweed- the glare in her eyes does not speak of pleasure. As her broad lips press together and her eyes narrow, her daughter grabs her hand before she can grab the baton at her side. Reflexively, her other large, masculine hand rests on the grip of her pistol, not grabbing it, but resting there- an involuntary, silent threat.

"Why are you trying to give me that smelly old thing you stole from..." Abida starts to ask getting cut off as Enris stalks up to the elf. Her eyes are drawn away from the Iho-Stick and to the Innate. She blinks at him as he verbally tears into the elf. She looks up to her mother, "Is the elf trying to kill me?"

Thana looks slightly taken aback by the question. "No." She pauses a moment, reevaluating her words, "Well, maybe. You never know with elves." She moves just slightly in front of the girl, getting a hair's breadth between her, Enris and Cas. "Abida, go to our quarters."

The girl frowns. "I don't wanna. I wanna see you beat up an elf." She almost stamps her foot in tantrum, but one look from the woman she calls mother and she thinks better of it.

"I want you to bring me my bag."

"Oh..fine," she says sullenly, her eyes looking to the Innate, the elf and her mother. She can see the anger in her mother's eyes, hear it in the man's voice and see the weaponry the elf wears.

She moves away from them almost reluctantly, but eventually scampers to their quarters.

Cas' tail might have slipped between her legs and curled up her belly, ears might have flattened themselves in the most unthreatening manner she could muster, had she really been the cat Alcy an' Cain'd mentioned in jest. But she did have eyes, and in the face of the Innate's anger they went round as saucers. The drug-stick dangled between loosed fingertips, mouth parting into a tiny oh as that rounded gaze trailed slowly upward, and upward, and then upward a little more, into the face of her verbal assailant. A stunned expression, in less words.

Her response was something along the lines of a stammered and confused "I--I--". Lids fluttered a bit.

Now, if anyone was going to poison a child, Cas might be counted among their number. Provided she had a reason and wasn't listening to those rising little vestigal human voices in the back of her head, 'course. Usually she wasn't. So it wasn't really that she took much offense to the accusation--and the mother's which followed it--but rather the fact that, well, rarely did anyone shout down the elf. The shouting down part was the easy bit, 'course, seeing as she wasn't much taller than the girl herself. And look down their noses all they like, Cas' kind wasn't so unlike that of the man before her.

Cas realized she was stammering and making a hell of a fool of herself, her jaw unslacking itself and snapping shut. Turning her head around slowly to look at the Aun woman, she seemed unsure for a long moment just what to do, or say to her. It was never quite clear whether her own relationship with her mother was entirely unlike that a human might have, or just altogether more honest. The woman's protectiveness hadn't stunned her like Enris'--now that was a thing to leave her scratching her little head for some time. Her time on the Ardent had been her first and only foray outside her kind--not an entirely wanted one, to be sure--until two years ago, and those two years had not been a great deal of help in nurturing a better understanding of the not-gods.

And it seemed one of the truisms she thought she'd learned on the last ship--namely, that everyone loves a good smoke, whatever it might be of--wasn't even true. She let out a small sigh and mimick'd a gesture of peace she'd seen at the end of a rather nasty argument between a captain and his First Mate three ships--or was it four?--back. She flattened her palm, tilted it on its side, and extended it forward...and then up, and up a bit more. Well over her head, she offered Thana apology by way of handshake.

"My...misunderstanding," she said hesitantly, before abruptly adding: "Apologies." Her expression hardening somewhat again as she peered up at the woman, comfort returning her to her usual undeserved air of authority and sternness. The roll of drugweed lazily dangling between the fingers at her side, a thin stream of sweet smoke wafting between the two of them.

Thana nods, accepting Cas's hand in her own. She lets her hand move from the grip of her pistol as her large hand envelop's the small elf's. "Apology accepted. Misunderstandings happen." She shakes the hand lightly, not as one with such large hands might shake- it is almost delicate. She releases the hand and bows her head slightly. "We are in too close quarters to be at odds for this trip."

She turns her attention now to Enris, "Thank you for your concern as well." She bows her head to the tall man. She studies him for a moment, glancing between the small elf and the man a couple of times. Words skitter about in her head, but she voices none of them. Instead, she offers her hand to the Innate, looking him in the eyes as she does.

Distantly, she is aware of her daughter moving away, hopefully heading to their quarters to fetch her bag. Really it is just something for the girl to do, but she has some licorice in her bag that she knows Abida is fond of. If the elf is interested in the girl, perhaps something more innocuous to get them acquainted.

Meanwhile, Abida hangs by the doors to below deck and the rooms, watching the trio at the taffrail. She can't hear them any longer, but sees her mother accept the hand of the elf. She breaths a sigh as she watches the hand fall from the pistol. Watching the situation apparently diffuse, she goes below deck to fetch her mother's bag.

A little surprised to find that Thana had actually accepted her handshake, Cas' hand remained airborne a handful more moments after Thana's own hand had long since pulled away. She lowered it uncertainly, not quite sure what to make of the woman. Her hand had reached for the pistol at her side, the motion Cas knew best.

The sight certainly gave her pause, though she wasn't sure why.

It wasn't like she'd never seen another person reach for their holster. Oh, she'd seen that plenty a time these past two years especially, and come out best each time. Though there had been a few instances she'd faintly wished she hadn't. But a little something in the motion reminded her a little of herself. She smiled faintly at the pistol, and--Barasa. Where was he?

Turning on her heel without another word, smiling to herself, she took a few steps from the Innate and the Medic, towards her old friend. She leaned forward, clasping her hands behind her back and lowering her voice somewhat: "Have you seen that scholar? Barasa?" The smile loosened a little as she wondered why she was wondering about his location. It was beginning to feel a little unsettling.

“Hm.” A slight mumble crawled across her perched lips, eyes lazily watching the scene. Perhaps it was quite a boring outcome, but a painless outcome indeed. It was even strange to see Cas be put in such a state, bubbling about with her words was something she rarely did. And those pale elven cheeks weren’t a shade of rose, so she could not be mixed up in an alcoholic buzz. It put her friend in a fainter light, which to be honest was nice to see. The world from the viewpoint of an elf toughens them in mind and body, truly stifling their honest intentions. Vulnerability was shameful and greatly avoided, but constantly being on guard, being thick skinned… it grew tiring.

Watching the bouncing child all a mess make her way toward the steps was quite amusing, children were so cute weren’t they? It didn’t help that the girl had a hat twice the size of her head that caught up the air behind her. The way the string latched on around her neck almost made it look like she had a parachute attached to her, not only causing a lot of drag on her speed but seeming that if the wind did pick up just right it may just snatch the little ball of youth and steal her away into the night sky.

A curious voice, spouting a curious name came to her ears, perking her lips into a coy smile. “Barasa ey?” Closing her eyes, Deryn let her head fall back casually as she inhaled a long breath. “Barasa…” She said his name in a way that made it drag out over the moments, hissing when she got to the S in his name. "I really am not quite sure where the handsome devil is at the moment, he spends much time affixed to his books." Deryn paused for a moment, sighing a woeful sigh. “If only he were to take as much pleasure in holding me in those hands of his as opposed to those bindings of parchment.” Her eyes fell on Cas with a smile. “Are these the thoughts that plague your mind, dear friend?”

Closing her eyes again she thought to herself, most likely sharing the same thoughts as Cas. Something was different about the attraction that the elf felt for the scholar, it was something beyond her mind, her will. Of course Deryn would joke about the subject, specifically with Cas who she has seen hiding outside of his quarters. But she would do her best to not seem interested, and hopefully draw the attention away from herself.

Cas' lower jaw worked itself up and down a few times before settling tight against the upper with a nearly inaudible click. Nostrils flared, vein might have popped if Cas' veins did that sort of thing, lids widened and thin brows crinkled.

The other elf's insinuation was unwelcome, to say the least. Might've struck a chord, hard, but it was the sort of chord even Deryn herself wasn't admitting to. It wasn't true, exactly, but it was the sort of half-truth, almost-truth, the kind that made Cas wonder what in the seven Bursian hells was wrong with her.

Her jaw clicked, reset itself. She glanced, a little shamefully, back to the two she'd just walked away from. Hoping, of course, that they hadn't heard. Or anyone else for that matter. It was a fucking shameful insinuation for Deryn to toss about so idly, and she wouldn't forgive her so easily for it. She was still trying to regain the small bit of reputation she'd lost after someone--she had her very obvious suspicions, but then again elves were never known for their brilliance--had spiked her drink the first night.

Lifting her chin with what she hoped was a dignified air, the little elf smoothed out the folds of her shirt and wrappings. "You," she began in a most delicate voice, "can go fuck yourself."

She had been spending her time occasionally avoiding Cas and Deryn and occasionally pulling pranks on them with Cain, when he wasn't asleep or fantasizing about whatever it was he fantasized about. Alcy had managed to stay mostly out of trouble, having yet to cross swords with Cas in any sort of meaningful manner, though she still smirked to herself in glee when she recalled the night where she'd gotten Cas drunk. Alcy had never told her, but every time she saw her in amused her.

Today, however, Alcy had been spending much time away from Topside, taking a bit of time to herself. She finally made her way up on deck, and saw the amusing sight of Cas offering a small girl drugs. Of course she would. Cas was clearly an all around awful person. But, Alcy had a bit of sympathy for her as she saw the dejected way the elf walked off. Not to mention Enris had apparently gotten on to her. Alcy liked Enris, he was a bit quiet but he seemed to respect her, at least more than the elves did. Quite a scene really.

As the medic, her daughter, and the elves wandered off to do their own things, Alcy took the opportunity to talk to Enris for a bit. At least with him she could expect polite conversations with very few slights to her age (A growing problem with he others really, she was getting quite tired of it). She couldn't help it if she was young and skilled, and Alcy had never expected it to be such a problem. The fiery gunner really couldn't wait to get old enough for people to just take her seriously.

Putting those frustrating thoughts aside, Alcy strolled over to Enris, her normal hop in her step and the average grin on her face.

"Offering drugs to children? Elves are interesting creatures, aren't they?" She chuckled softly, casting him a sidelong grin "Other than saving children from addictions, how has your day been?"

He should have spoken to the Captain the moment he was asked. Should have found time after one of meals. But no, instead, there he was, standing in the open doorway, forced by the old man to seek him out Topisde. He stepped out onto the deck, having to clench his eyes briefly to adjust to the glare of the sun. He looked around, almost squinting, catching sight of Enris, the young woman he now knew as Alcy, Thana; the Medic, a few other crew members and... the elves. He cursed the old man, for all the wonder that he was, he'd just shoved him into the very situation he was told to avoid. Worse yet, the Captain appeared to be no where in sight.

Slinking back, hopefully out of sight, he dropped onto a crate in the shade of the ship, not quite adjusted to the heat and the glare. He hadn't been Topside in days and wouldn't have been had he not been shoved up the stairs and further blocked from going back down. It wasn't easy to anger the man, but with the frustration and the lack of sleep, he'd grown a little unhinged, even with the elder man. He rubbed his face, further contemplating whether he would be able to shave later or not while juggling the thought of where he would find the Captain. Though he was sure if he tried to go back down now, he'd be forced up again without being able to get a word in.

Both hands now, covered his face, releasing a heavy breath. Perhaps being outside would do some good. He'd spent far too much time inside, below deck and in the confines of his... disaster of a makeshift study. At the very least, now that he was out, he could breathe. Recollect himself now that he wasn't distracted and spent in research and... reinvented theories. For the last day or so, it had all been about links, connections, physical properties even so much as chemical properties. What made what real, what didn't. What could be formed simply, what couldn't. How everything was virtually connected and interlinked. Fastened together.

Too much, he needed to relax. He forced himself to drop his shoulders, leaning back on his hands, peering skyward, wincing in the sun's gaze.

Speak of the Devil, and by the Throne, he appears.

Fort stepped out of his cabin under the aftcastle, a look of grim confusion coloring his features. He'd intended to step out for a smoke, a little nip of the lho-seed and tabac blend he kept in a small black leather pouch on the old Carlyle war-harness. In truth, all he could do was ponder and smoke. Every bit of what he'd been told equated to a lot of vagaries and half-answers.

He supposed he could drink as well, though a sloppy Captain generally failed to evoke much confidence. No, better to have a small draw and be among the crew...doing what he knew best, as it were.

Fort produced a small brown rolling paper and portioned out a small bit of the mild narco-stimulant mixture. He squinted into the sun, ascertaining that they were not in fact going the wrong damn way (CAIN), and nodded approvingly as he licked the roll-up and set it between his lips.

He patted his right hip once, plucked the roll-up from his lips, swore, set the lho-stick back between his lips, patted his left pocket, nodded vaguely, plucked a box of matches from his pocket, and lit his bit of curdled cancer. He inhaled heavily and exhaled through his nose like a restive dragon.

This small ritual brought satisfactorily to a close, he glanced about the deck. Everything seemed to be going well enough. A well-oiled machine, and all. Sure, Cas and Deryn were conspiring as the little harpies often did. The newest addition to their crew was standing at the bow, the slightest ghost of disapproval coloring her features...time to worry about that later. Enris and the new gun were conversing not far from the medic. And Barasa was...

Barasa. The Scholar. Lights began to flash as concepts connected. Fortinbras Carlyle knew an awful lot about ships and sailing, bargains and bloodshed. He was not a wealth of esoteric knowledge. Knots? Yes. Swords? You betcha. The Bursian robbing you blind? You better believe it. Wizard's cant, odd ciphers, and geography? Not so much, sparky. Try the bookworm.

Fort drew another long slow breath of lho as he sidled up to the scholar. "Barasa," Fort spoke the man's name as he exhaled politely over the gunwhale, "have a moment to cease your sun-worshipping and have a word?"

If it was one thing he'd gotten used to, it was the movement of the ship. He was consciously aware of it, no doubt, but after a couple days, so long as the ship was sailing steady and not exclusively managed by the one he'd come to know as Cain, the physical awareness of it, had so much as ceased. The only thing now, that told him the Ardent was a-sail was the pressed breeze it obtained. It was replenishing in part; fresh air available to under-worked lungs and taxed skin.

The sun on the other hand in all it's pompous glory was about as domineering and invading as ever, if only because he'd avoided it a little too much. On land, it had always been easy to duck out of, but Topside and airborne where only clouds and sails were available to weed out the heat, it was about as easy to avoid as the elves were.

Thankfully they hadn't seemed to notice, or were alternatively occupied which made the whole hiding out on open deck a heck less of an issue. Their increasing habits of eyeing him or standing outside his quarter's had already made him paranoid. He wouldn't have been surprised if they'd managed to peek in on him either for all their curiosity and his severe lack of awareness when surrounded by a wall of books and archives. Heading warnings, had needless to say, been difficult and frustrating. He'd taken care to eat his meals where he could avoid them, or when Enris was around, often opting to sit with him on account of their visible disdain towards the Innate.

He forced a breath, he should have been astonished by them, enthralled, studying them to no end, and instead, he was avoiding them and bordering on the verge of being fearful towards them. All for distinctly covert purposes.

Clouds passed overhead, uncloaking the sun to the point where he was forced to block it out with his hand, only to find the silhouette of a man standing before him, calling to his attention. He blinked the blur from his eyes, the voice of the very man he'd been assigned to look for promoting him to sit up straight. Figures. Either the old man was a seer of some sort, or his intuition was spot on. Though the image of him booting the Captain up topside and blocking his way down also briefly crossed his mind, if only because he felt like a puppet on strings at that point.

It didn't knock the immediate malaise back any though. For the time that he'd been on board, he was no longer as frigid... or jumpy anyway. Albeit, the nervousness was still present, particularly since it was the Captain, but the fact that speaking to him likely entailed something work related, he managed to remain visibly void of unease. It probably helped that he was too mentally drained to pay much attention to the knot of panic in his gut.

“Actually,” He said, rising to his feet slowly, “I... I was hoping to have a word with you as well... Captain.” Still firmly unaware of how to be addressing superiors, and apparently unable to knock the awkward kick in his voice.

The freedoms of a renowned scholar had given him too many liberties and he'd been predominantly void of having to address those supposedly above him. Royalty and nobility aside (for as much as he actually had to deal with them personally).

Enris watched as Cas sulked off the deck. The way she seemed so dejected made him almost feel bad for reprimanding her as tough as he did. . .almost. But really, an elf who had such a long life span should have learned a few things in their years. . .like Iho sticks were not for children. Really. She needed to use her head more and her instincts less (no matter how good intentioned they may be).

He nodded his head at the mother's thanks and took her hand firmly in his in a friendly handshake. He noticed her looking him straight in the eyes as if to judge his character. He did not back down until the handshake was done. It was only for a second or two but he saw in her eyes a strong woman, one who would do anything to protect her daughter. He admired that.

He was about to go wander off somewhere else when Alcy approached him.

He gave her a small smile at her remark. "It's been fine. I'm a little more tired than usual but other than that it's been about normal." He attributed his extra exhaustion to being woken up in the middle of his nap by a certain elf.

"How about you? How has your day been?" He asked in return politely. He noticed the bounce in her step. An attribute he figured most young people had. They still had hope and hadn't experienced as much hardship as most adults or hadn't been through experiences that stripped that hope away. He envied her in that regard. He wished he still had his youthful optimism but sadly, it had left him long ago.

It always seemed that Deryn knew exactly how to push the right button when it came to Cas. Ill intentioned, it was not… merely for some childish fun, but it did indeed get a harsh reaction. The way her short friend clenched up and stuck her nose in the air as she cursed, perked the older elfs eyes slightly. Something about that word, and mainly something about the way her friend spoke the word was a verbal jab to the stomach. Starting out strong with a hard “F” and ending it with an “uck” that approached her ears like daggers. Now that she thought about it, that was probably her favorite curse word in the whole sailors bible. Sure, there were more creative ways to speak slanderously, but that word was short, to the point but strong as well.

With a groan she threw her upper body forward so she sat hunched with her elbows on her knees, looking at the boards below her feet. “But… that nearly isn’t as fun when it’s a one woman show.” Deryn spoke with a light wine at the end of the sentence, pouting her lips to appeal her flustered friend who at the time was casting a small shadow over her, blocking out the sun which she didn’t mind at all.

It had seemed something was drawing the crew topside, since more and more of them kept pooping up. Perhaps the long days and nights being jammed on this ship were starting to get to them, but it was true… standing topside to take in the sky, the air and the sun was far more refreshing than breathing in the old scene of wood and preservatives that always seemed to travel through the cabins below. The familiar sense that someone uneasy was nearby made her smile, without even looking over her shoulder she knew Barasa had finally broken free of the confines of his “makeshift library”. A few moments passed until she was proved right by the captains voice calling out his name. Finally she turned her head out of curiosity, her eyes slim as they peered under the morning sun that set her skin a glow.

As she stared off, admiring the “old” mans proud and confident mannerisms beside Barasa and his squeamish demeanor it hit her. She should probably look busy. Abruptly standing up, her gloved hands took grasp of the wheel and stared forward, and now… she realized they were right on course and there really wasn’t much for her to do at this very moment. “Now, what to do…” It was a quiet morning, not much hooting and hollering from the rest of the crew, even the deckhands were content and barely a chatter. A shrug fell from her shoulders as her eyes caught the glance of Alcy and Enris appealing themselves with idle talk. Polite smiles, expected small talk, remarks that neither fall to the left or the right… everything was so safe with humans, it was boring. Sure, more people would say they enjoyed a humans company over and elves but to be honest, most human interaction seemed pointless.

Deryn would take the word of two good blokes who she could trust any day over the whole city of Cann saying she was “enjoyable company” or “a pleasure”. Because it would all be fake, this elf isn’t running for election, so so what if her popularity was in the dumps. She was content.

Stepping across topside to lean on the railing she looked down, faintly seeing the waters move below them. No boats were below, just deep blue sea. Still no sight of any over sized sea creatures though, which honestly saddened her. Hopefully at some point on the journey she would see something of interest like that, preferably not trying to kill her but perhaps just a quick glimpse above water would be nice. A story to tell the little ones if she ever did return to her home, at least to show her parents she was still in one piece. Shaking her head, she rubbed her neck. “Already thinking about when this is all threw, ey?” Where was her head? It must be the alignment of the planets or something, but today was surely sending her mind into space.

Barasa was looking to speak to him? Indeed? Now there was something to send to the gazetteer's back in Cann. The jumpy little bookworm had hardly offered him a "pass the salt" in his time on board. Ba'ator's Balls, the kid had seemed like he'd wanted nothing more than to squirrel himself away in his bolthole and read and write until they'd come upon their objective...Looking for him, then? Sure, why the hell not?

"That a fact?" Fort rubbed his maimed hand across his jaw, the soft leather rasping softly against the first stubborn stubble of the day, as the scholar gained his feet. With approval, the captain noted that the scholar had at least found his soar-legs. Not shaky like some of the other first-timers...

What, before the Throne, could the scribe want from him? Perhaps a star-chart or a schematic from the engine room? Access to the hold to stow some of the heavy leather volumes that comprised his collected scrawlings? Or perhaps he'd run dry of ink? Fort chuckled to himself as he took another drag of his lho-stick, drawing the heady perfume deep and exhaling luxuriantly.

He squinted in the glare of the sun as he beckoned him on. "Let's have it then, boy. Mine'll keep." He gestured with his free hand toward the prow, that they might walk and talk. Too much time cooped up and sitting wasn't good, by Fort's standard, and that holding true for all men, he figured the scholar could stand to wander a bit as well.

"Speak your piece."