Ardent

"I guess you never know what the birds will say." She shrugged, finishing up her little concoction.

Rynn leapt up as well, launched into action by Boj's movements. She was on edge, but seeing the men embrace, Rynn slowly calmed down, her muscles relaxing. She looked on as the two had a friendly reunion. She smiled a little bit, so it seemed Boj was capable of being friends with someone, just not her for whatever reason.

As the two men spoke in Kerrian, Rynn was quite perplexed. What were they saying? And why were they referring to her? As Boj introduced her she went to smile at the man, but it turned into something akin to a stonefaced look. He was clearly thinking very lowly of her. She shook his hand anyways, but didn't like the way the man looked at her. Why'd he have to judge her so quickly? Rynn was getting very tired of everyone either looking down on her or chasing after her. Perhaps she just needed to become brooding and silent like Boj to earn respect, for it seemed friendliness wasn't welcomed in these parts. And frankly, that hurt. She wasn't used to people treating her like this.

Varis continued to watch her with a mix of curiosity and annoyance as his hand returned to his side. He glanced at Boj, and switched to Tyrisian.

"I do not know you, but a friend of a friend is a friend. I will not block your progress. Boj, I will assist you if you wish it and if your friend does not mind."

Both of the men turned to look at Rynn expectantly, but Boj seemed hesitant. "We are, possibly, pursued. If you really want to return a favor...maybe preventing us from being followed would be better." Boj kept his eyes on Rynn, surprised she had not expressed any sort of amazement at Varis' elven features.

He hadn't expected to get what the man had been implicating, but he hadn't expected him to laugh either. He watched, visibly confused, his eyes searching for some form of reason. More or less gaining his answer as he went on to elaborate, talking of many things. Barasa, entwined in the knowledge only listened, mentally recording areas in which he felt most important. This conversation meant something, there was a purpose behind it. And he didn't want to forget it, but he found, as the man went on, something stirred in the back of his mind.

Had he known what the man was indicating, where his words were going, he would not have responded the way he did. Theory was his topic, sciences were otherwise distinctive from what he studied, though it tied in in places, particularly where magic was involved. He recalled now, parts of his thoughts mimicking what was being explained as he straightened in wonder and mystification. He'd seen the words he was speaking.

More focused in on the seed now, his eyes widened as he realized what was going on, unable to fully wrap his mind around it as it started to form. He only looked up when the man spoke again, “How do you-” He cut himself off though, watching him, “The wizard archives. Those documents, those were yours?” Has asked absolutely baffled.

“Wait, does that mean...” He couldn't finish. Forcing himself to settle back down against the desk his hands reached up around his neck, intertwining beneath his frizzy hair as he looked back at the man and the apple seemingly forming in his palm, “Yes,” He said, “Yes.”

He was sincerely hoping this wasn't another of his dreams. For all he seemed to be opened up to, it felt too surreal. He wasn't sure how to take it all in, but he did anyway.

Andy leaned back into his chair, smiled, and offered Barasa the apple which had sprung from his own fingertips. "Good," he said, chipped fingernails scratching the underside of his whiskery jaw. "Very good." He clasped his hands atop his abdomen and looked at Barasa critically. "What I have shown you alone is a grand gift already. Now, why don't you tell me why I should continue?"

Barasa took the apple gingerly the moment it was offered, wanting to feel what was previously nothing more than a seed. Wanting some form of confirmation that what he'd seen was real. He studied it, running his thumb along it's smooth hard surface. Only when the man questioned him, did he look up from the apple, breaking from the trance he'd found himself in. Shaking it off he set the apple on top on of the books, watching it briefly just to make sure it wouldn't dissolve or whatever else his dreams usually did to waken him.

When it did nothing but sit there, he looked back, “Because you approached me with a purpose,” He replied, folding his arms in clear recognition of just how much was going on behind his elated expression, “Whether it was simply to confirm suspicions or not, I can not imagine you revealing that kind of information without something to gain. And I want to know what that is," He said, clear but shaky nonetheless.

All that he'd studied till now, all that he'd learned. Everything he'd researched. He couldn't contain the ache for more. To uncover the truth behind the shattered history he'd worked in piecing together.

No longer did he regret getting on the ship. Not even as his stomach took on a whole nother bout of excitement.

It was not often the ancient man who occupied the dingy chair before Barasa was caught off guard. He had lived far too long and seen far more than the child before him could so much as begin to contemplate. And yet, contemplate it or not, the boy had put Andy in a less than perfect position. Maybe he was just getting old, he thought with a grimace and then a smile which rose up all too easily.

"Your papers do not do you justice. Though whether taking advantage of such an old man, even...if that should be an accomplishment I'm not sure," he finished with a chuckle.

He leaned forward and looked at Barasa steadily, hands clasped. "Where we go, there lies a place I cannot go. I desire...an apprentice, so to speak. In exchange for your assistance, I will teach you what I can. Whether it be your people's history, or how to..." he says with a smile, "or how to read instructions."

Finally Andy holds up a finger. "This is, of course, our secret. I think you are smart enough not to cross me, so don't find yourself a reason to do it. Should you decide you wish this, you will meet me in my room each day, each evening, whenever you like. And you will learn to...deal with the elves." He did not elaborate.

He may have been much younger than the man, more than he could even guess. But he was an intelligent man, in all his awkwardness. And the elder man acknowledged such, elating a sense of accomplishment in him. Knowing well what the seemingly ancient man with the peculiar name was by then. He took another glance at the apple, decidedly grabbing onto it once more, handling it carefully, if only to calm his nerves, the adrenaline firing through his system.

All the same, his full attention was on the man before him, watching and staring, clinging to every word now that everything seemed to be falling into place. Of course. An apprentice. That was it. An suddenly his whole trip became more than what he thought it would be. There was no way he could turn it down, not with what he was offering.

Barasa was not a greedy man. Not in the least, but his desire, his innate need to uncover the world, the history his very blood was tied to, he could not stifle it for nothing. It consumed his livelihood, fed his need, his purpose.

His eyes fell upon the two fingers, nodding, having expected as much. A secret. He was used to uncovering and revealing them, though not so much to keeping them. But he knew this wasn't so menial like his other discoveries. This after all, was well beyond simple theory. This was the key to truth.

At the mention of elves however, he froze. Thinking of the woman that had sent him into a bit of a coughing fit that day after hitting him on the back. He remembered ties, the wizards. The elves were deeply rooted to the wizards, servants of sorts. He remembered that much, and they were struggling without them now that they were absent to the open eye.

He looked at Andy however, thinking of the two elves on board. The man hadn't elaborated, which was equally foreboding as everything he'd been saying.

“Very well...” He replied, though part of him remained unsettled. "I will do as you ask," Did this man intend to thumb the elves at him? He couldn't tell. He wasn't even sure how involved this man was with the crew. Or how much they knew. Or the elves knew for that matter.

Andy's smile grew like a wolf's. "Good," he began, and slowly stood. "Good. Come to my room sometime tomorrow." And with that, he let himself out.

She reached both arms into the never ending depths that were her bag, pulling out charts and books of the sort, along with a journal she wanted to use as a log not only for this journey but to track the course we moved on listing how successful... or unsuccessful certain paths were. It was under Deryn's impression that there was another aeronaut on ship, to better describe as the head aeronaut who had led out the previous voyage.

Well, it didn't exactly turn out right for them last time did it? So maybe now I can aid in guiding this ship properly. Just then, as if the old man could hear her thoughts the unsuspecting elf found herself being flung forward, her knees tripping over the side of the bunk sending her head crashing into the wall in front of her. "Aghk!" , she exclaimed in a haggard tone. Taking a moment to rub her skull, she sat on the edge of the thin mattress and tried to shake the ache out.

Green eyes dizzily rolled about in her skull, before her darkly shaded eyelids blinked a few times until her stare was centered on a indistinguishable figure at first... slowly piecing itself together until Deryn was face to face with none other than Cas.

"Pourquoi êtes vous ici?" she asked in a demanding tone. "Don't flatter yourself, I came here to fly... I wasn't looking for you." Hand still clutching her head she growled at Cas's readiness with her weapon. "I should be asking you the same question, old friend." Accentuating the end of her sentence with a firm bite of inflection she rose to her feet. Just like any other elf, she stood below average in height but Deryn had always been a little bit taller than her counterpart... it was one of the few distinctions they had between one another, aside from this newly acquired scar on Cas's face.

Moving forward slowly, with every step her leather boots creaked below her as there eyes stayed focused on one another, every move being closely watched. "It's like looking at a ghost Cas, I thought you were surely dead." To put it simply, it was a hard subject for Deryn to speak of and brought up a surge of mixed emotions inside her. "Hearing word of treason, of scandal... and these crimes committed by you? What kind of place does that put me in, hmm? Am I to put my closest childhood friend to death?" It was clear that not only did her crimes fill Deryn with a sense of betrayal, but this situation also left her with a weighted decision to make. As they stood, the silence of the room was broken by an echoing dinner bell but Deryn was quick to ignore it and remain unwavered in her quest for answers.

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.

Deryn's response sent Cas' hips shifting, blade falling, jaw and face rearranging itself into a less ragged and accusatory countenance. Deryn's response was...unexpected. To say the least. Her first question caught Cas off guard, and the littering of other questions hung heavy and unanswered in the space between them. Cas' jaw clicked as it shifted, eyes stayed on the older of the two.

Finally she gave something like an answer, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "You'd have done the same, Deryn." Her voice hardened as she went on, but the threat rang hollow somehow. "Try anything and I'll cut your face and hang it in the galley." She glanced in the direction of the dining hall, where the call to truce rang so insistently. She would not want to miss it. Cas flicked her gaze towards Deryn again.

"You left for a reason. Do you really want one of us dead despite it?" Cas slipped her hand into the pouch at her side and carefully felt through each item. Finally she found the thing she desired, and lifted it for viewing between the two of them.

A little packet of lho-sticks, smell sweet and now more accustomed to. She'd saved up for this pack in particular, put in one too many hours shirking dignity or embracing drudgery. She had plans for this little pack. But a very old friend stood before her, one long lost to the ages and the movement of the world. One who pondered an attempt on her life. But an old, dear friend nonetheless. Such an occasion called for some sort of private celebration--and a peace offering.

Cas twirled the twin peace offerings between her fingertips, her smile sad. "A truce, for dinner at least? Captain doesn't like blood in the galley." She added more softly. Not two years ago, she'd pressed herself to understand the appeal of the little lho-sticks even as she snatched one from the captain's lips and ground it beneath her boot. In the span of the two years since, she'd come to understand why. Her own reasons, of course: she doubted the captain had a god-shaped hole in his chest and a distinct desire to fill it. She'd be more polite the next time she tossed out his lho, at least.

The sticks completed their slow twirl, and Cas fumbled with a lighter for a moment to set hers alight. She held forward the other for Deryn, already falling into the comfortable rhythm of inhale, exhale...

"For old times?" The bell rang insistently.

"You'd have done the same, Deryn." , "You left for a reason. Do you really want one of us dead despite it?"

This was true, Deryn shared a vast amount of traits, interests and beliefs with her dear friend Cas. Unfortunately because of those things, it was easy for them to get in trouble. Up until now, the elf hadn't really thought of it in such a way. Two women, both with the same beliefs and great aspirations but with completely different lives. When Deryn left the mansion of Cann, it was by a favor of her mother. She left Cas behind, in the world her mother was trying so desperately to get her out of, What would I have done if the tables were turned?

Deryn was never forced to lay with another man because that was just "how things were." and she was sure as hell never forced to deal with those twisted up feelings of anger and uneasiness that the elven genetic code gave them. I ran away from all that. Thinking to herself Deryns' eyes grew weak from these sudden realizations as Cas began to fiddle with something in her pouch.

"Oh.. hm?" Awakened from her thoughts she looked toward Cas again, holding a burning lho-stick between her lips and offering one out in her direction. It was a little unsuspecting, this kind of peace offering... especially now. A short pause was held between them, that bell ringing and ringing for their appearance at dinner.

With a few nods she clicked her tongue and took the stick of sweet smelling herb and popped it between her painted lips. "You always find a way to persuade me." With that, Deryn's gloved hand quickly came up and bopped the underside of the hand Cas was holding the lighter with, sending it up into the air for Deryn to swiftly capture in her palm. Flicking the cover back, her thumb swiped the lighter sending it aflame. As the end of her lho lit up with a cherry red light she smirked, eyes glancing up at Cas, knowing that little trick would sure enough bring about that pulsing vein in her forehead.

"Let's go, shall we?" Tossing the lighter back at Cas, Deryn blew a long puff of smoke out in the air. "Care to lead the way, you know this ship better than I."

Cas' face tightened with either grave annoyance or an attempt not to laugh. Whichever the cause, she snatched the lighter out of the air and slipped it back into her pocket. "You're easy to persuade," she lobbed back, eyes on her friend's rouged lips. The last time Cas had set foot on this ship, she'd been painted up just as much if not more. Too much time spent on her own had done away with the habit--and Cas wondered briefly as to the kind of life her friend had lived, that she had not lost the habit in twice the time. Deryn had been the independent one, and it left her a little unsure of herself to ponder on the subject.

She rose a brow at Deryn's suggestion that Cas lead. "I'm not falling for that one." Cas motioned politely to her side. "I'll show you the way, but you walk to my side or to my front." Waiting to see if Deryn relented, Cas breathed in a wisp of sugar-smoke and, if she agreed, led her down the hallway and into the dining room.

"You've always been such a smart one..." With that statement she scoffed a little, pulling the smoking stick from her mouth. "Hm.. maybe smart isn't the word. Tactical maybe." Musing on her words she walked beside Cas thinking to herself, I can only imagine how these past years have made that very trait grow stronger.

Taking another drag, Deryn admired the architecture inside the Ardent, reaching out to touch the carvings etched into the moldings. Something about the style tugged on her memory but she couldn't quite recall where she had seen them before. This elf was really taking a liking to this ship, living on it for a while wouldn't be a problem for her at all. "It just dawned on me, now that I've got you... you can give me a better run down on all the dirt I need to know, hmm?" Certainly Cas would know some things that not even the shadiest taverns of Cann wouldn't.

It wasn't long before they came upon the dining room, it was smaller than she had imagined but maybe it was for the purpose of forcing closeness with the crew. In her eyes a crew was much like a family, and the best way to work together is to have that closeness. Oddly enough; Deryn didn't mind closeness... and could easily win over a crowd if she so pleased but she'd want to play things differently here, find out what Cas has to say and then work with that. "Oh, and any way you can get me a seat at the Captains table?"

The unusual pair moved down the hallway, the shorter of the two scoffing at the offhand compliment. "And you're a very good pilot, apparently. Maybe you can teach Aerodar a thing or two." With a sidelong glance at her old friend, Cas took a moment to stop and marvel at how easy it was to fall back into her old self. Even with Fortinbras, or Aleta, idle chatter was rare. With that thought, the elf's eyes softened. She'd missed the ship, yes, and Fort especially. Aleta, yes, but even the others...infuriate her they might, yes, but...

Cas took a long drag outside the dining room, licked her fingers, and snuffed out the glowing tip of her joint. Exhaled. She glanced at Deryn as they entered, leaned over, and said a little more quietly: "Might want to put it out." Cas was quick to flick her own into a nearby ashtray. She wasn't sure yet whether or not she'd mind the captain or any others seeing her with it--it wasn't as if it was against some rule. She worried the captain might think her a hypocrite, perhaps--she did after all still wish him off the damned things even as she took it for herself--or that she was less than at her best. Regardless, Cas had little plans of smoking much of the stuff: she'd needed it these past two years.

Now, at best? Maybe as an occasional treat. "Sometime, maybe. We'll see."

The dining room was as of yet mostly empty--the first shift crew was busy with their work, her own second shift still getting settled. A few shipmates whose names she had either not bothered to remember or whose faces she did not know lingered here, laughing amongst themselves over a pint or two.

Cas shook her head at Deryn's request as she took her own, uninvited seat beside the captain's own. As it had always been. "Just sit," she said with a vague wave of her hand and leaned back in her chair, half-content and wrapped in the familiar lingering sugar-sweet scent. She smiled and plucked a strawberry from the center of the table, and then another--ah, the perks of arriving early.

Cain had been the easy one to meet; now the realization dawned on Alcy that she was about to meet everyone else, having to face the crew on her own. Being young was always treated as an advantage on land, but on a ship it made Alcy quite anxious. Even though Alcy had a spunky demeanor, she never let it show until she was comfortable with someone. Cain had just made himself very easy to talk too, and she sincerely hoped her was going to be at the dinner.

After dropping her stuff off in her room, Alcy saw other crewmembers headed in the same general direction. Assuming that was where dinner was, Alcy followed. The twenty year old gunner was quiet on the walk to dinner, trying to blend in and looking for Cain but not seeing him yet. He must've still been directing the ship. She sighed, knowing that the way luck worked she wasn't going to see him for a while. She'd have to face this one alone. And so, Alcy made her way to the dining room, coming in a moment after two elves, one the short one that was apparently the captain's evil cat. It brought a grin to Alcy's lips, remembering Cain's amusing comment.

She walked in, looking around at the dining hall. No where near the expansive banquet hall she'd been expecting, but this seemed more suited to the way the Ardent's crew lived and worked together. Alcy supposed it was time to get to know her family, though the poor girl had absolutely no idea where to start. There weren't many people in here yet, but Alcy failed to recognize any of them. Lovely.

"You got it." A playful salute was given to Cas before grabbing a chair and promptly swinging it around to sit backward in it. Resting her chest on top of the back of the chair, she wiggled a bit to get exactly comfortable. "I didn't expect this kind of food on the ship, Gregory..." Stopping a second she grabbed a strawberry before elaborating between sweet and juicy bites. "...Gregory was this gorgeous scholar I was boarding with not too long ago, he told me that all I was going to get were eggs and pickles!"

The way she gestured so widely, and laughed with such a jolly smile, you would have never known these two were just at a stand off. It was just like old times, Cas and Deryn could be tussling around in the dirt for hours over bragging rights and before the fight even ended they would stop bloodied up and bruised laughing hysterically not even remembering what they were fighting about in the damn first place! Maybe it was best Deryn hadn't noticed how easily Cas was putting her in a relaxed mood, if thoughts of her family finding out about their chummy attitude snuck into her brain it would just ruin the evening.

Looking over that big bowl of berries once more she scanned it for the fattest of the lot, snatching it up quickly and pressing it to her lips. Something seemed to distract Cas from the delightful snacks, intrigue turned Deryn's neck to face the direction of her stare in time to meet the looks of a well shaped female entering the room. In a hushed voice she leaned over to her friend, bringing the berry away from her lips to speak, "Ey, look at those lost doe eyes hm? You gonna show mercy or unsheathe those claws of yours?" A low snicker erupted from her, examining the girl from afar. It was obvious she was a new addition to the crew, much like Deryn... bringing about sympathy for her. "I really don't want to see her get snatched up by some dirty old man and have to suffer through that all evening."

Cas glanced at her unexpected companion with something less than approval at the way she bandied about compliments and insinuations regarding this man. By the way Deryn spoke, somehow she doubted the man was anything other than human. "Only on the first night..." she began, watching Deryn bite into her strawberry. "And sorry, boarding with?" she finished with a somewhat colder edge to her voice.

The eyes in question belonged to the girl she'd seen Cain chatting up earlier. Eyelids drooped just enough to narrow her gaze, a slow smile clawing its way up her face. Glancing at her old friend, she smiled.

"Regardez-moi."

It was, indeed, an especially rare treat that stood before them. Lost doe eyes, indeed. The Ardent was not the sort of ship that was likely to carry many of her type. Their scientific financier two years ago had been a rare treat, one Cas had been sure to take advantage of. Her cat's smile grew at the memory of the boy-man tumbling around in heels and gods knew what else. Grew a little wider than most on the ship would find a comfortable sight.

She smiled, motioning for the girl to come closer and raising her voice if she did not. "Come here, girl. What's your name?" Girl was something of an...overstatement. The 'girl' was likely over twice Cas' own age.

The way the two elves had looked her over was quite disconcerting, especially the way Cas gave her a grin that held very foreboding news. When someone wanted to make friends they smiled, when they wanted to find a toy, they smirked. But. Alcy needed to make friends, and she supposed the best way to remain safe from Cas's apparent claws was to be friendly with her. So, Alcy had no choice but to pretend like the grin was a sweet, sweet smile.

But, if the elves thought they were getting some barely tainted delicate flower, they were in for a surprise. Growing up in the slums and having been the only female on a crew before, Alcy wasn't exactly flower material. She could handle her own, and she could smirk evilly just as well as Cas, though at the moment, Alcy simply smiled. She needed to push aside what Cain had told her about the short elf.

"Alcy" She said with a smile, reaching the two elves. Alcy took their greeting as an invitation to sit down, and so she did. "I'm a new gunner on here, though I am not new to gunning." Alcy grinned a little, she knew here way around a gun quite well-both a handgun and a ship's guns "And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

Cas watched Alcy with amusement and curiosity, pleased that the girl had decided to step forward. Mercy, or claws? The elf leaned forward, half-eaten strawberry held between the tip of her fingers. Her cheshire's cat smile widened.

With faux friendliness that would have made her own mother wince, Cas extended her free hand to shake the girl's. Only to have her expression falter slightly when the girl declared herself a gunner. We don't need another gunner. Hand still extended but fingers now a little slack and curled, Cas would cant her head and raise the pitch of her voice almost imperceptibly.

"Gunner?" The edge of her lip twitched at the girl's answer and her uninvited seat beside them. The captain's hiring of other gunners had always...been something of a pet peeve. It did little to endear the girl to her.

At the thought of the captain, Cas glanced in the direction of his empty seat and back--a reminder to behave herself. Perhaps she would show mercy. For now. Tonight was a night for good first--well, new--impressions. Cas could be patient. She would play with the girl another night. Decision made, the elf looked to Deryn and motioned vaguely at Alcy, ignoring her question for the moment.

"Laisse tomber," she muttered. "Je ne suis pas d'humeur à le faire." Forget it. I'm not in the mood.

Glancing back at Alcy with an expression less amused and approaching apathetic, Cas briefly pondered her change in mood before wasting no time at least putting the girl to use. "Cas. I am your superior. You should bring me a drink from the cabinet. Nothing alchoholic." Somewhat frustrated with her own indecision, Cas finished her strawberry.

After shaking her hand, Alcy was able to figure out quite quickly that Cas was not pleased with her. Now that, that was something that really irritated Alcy. Don't just decide to dislike her because she happened to be the same position. It wasn't like Alcy was the head gunner, she was only there to be a gunner when Cas couldn't (or from what her personality seemed like wouldn't). Where was Cain? Alcy could use another table at the moment.

"Yes. A gunner. I have the best record of anyone that applied in Cann." Alcy said, smiling sweetly, doing it just to aggravate the elf. Clearly Cas was jealous of the fact that there was another gunner, and this thought made Alcy's smile turn into a smirk nearly as vicious as Cas's. Even though Alcy wanted to make a good impression, now would be her only chance to teach Cas that she wouldn't take pointless disrespect. Alcy was on the precipice of a very important decision- listen to her four foot tall superior or establish herself as someone who wouldn't take trouble.

And then the elf so rudely demanded that Alcy get her a drink. And she no longer feigned a look of quiet amusement. Her face showed indignation. At that moment Alcy's decision was made. She didn't like Cas, and she had no respect for her because, no matter how skilled someone was, treating someone like that made them completely ineligible for respect. Call it Alcy's biggest pet peeve. She very much wanted to refuse the drink , but was fairly certain the elf had enough pride to make a scene if Alcy did not do as she say. And so, Alcy stood up, but looked down at the elf with a very indignant expression, her 5'6" height towering over that seated evil cat of the Captain.

"You are my superior when it comes to gunning, and ONLY when it comes to gunning. I will not take your shit, so please, take your attitude elsewhere. I will get you your drink, but not because you told me. I will get it because I don't trust you not to make a scene if I refuse. You may hate me all you like, but you will not ever be able to say I am weak." Alcy said quietly, where to others it would look like little more than a passage of words between 'friends'.

And with those words, Alcy went over to the cabinet and pondered the drinks, finding something decently alcoholic but not enough to where it would be tasted heavily. And then for herself, she grabbed something much stronger. She'd need a drink to deal with that cat. Alcy walked back over to Cas's table, setting it down in front of the elf.

"There you go" She smiled sweetly, just to aggravate her more "And no worries, I have every intention of being perfectly civil to you when we are working together, but unless you intend to treat me better than you just did, I think it would be best for us to go end our conversation here." Alcy smiled one more time, and then walked off to an empty table, unafraid to sit alone in here. After all, nothing could be worse than sitting with the Captain's Evil Cat.

And with that thought, she took a nice long swig from her strong drink.

Ms. Seingalt glanced up at the new gunner, her apathy swiftly giving way to returning annoyance and amusement. Oh, how the two seemed to go hand in hand. Her brow quirked at Alcy's self-declaration regarding her skill, quirked higher at her outburst, and finally the elf simply shrugged. The girl had bristled oh-so-defensively, put her foot down and made some grand heroic stand against the bored elf. Cas' brow quirked only higher, amused smile slowly returning.

The new gunner had assumed much. She'd had humility carved in her face--mostly. Not the cruel elven humor carved out, though.

She shrugged her tiny shoulders and plucked another strawberry to nibble upon. "I don't disagree," she said in answer to Alcy's so-brave little declaration of worth. "Nor do I hate you, mon porc-épic." Nevertheless, she cast a glance Deryn's way and watched with amusement as Alcy retrieved her drink, not knowing that Cas probably wouldn't make a scene this day. First--no, new--impressions and all.

The elf nodded distractedly to Alcy as her drink was placed in front of her, still mulling over the conversation in her head. "Thank you," she said automatically, two words which from these lips that might have left most in the Ardent crew eyeing her with well-warranted suspicion.

These past two years had left her unsure of herself. She sipped the drink absently, pondering whether to laugh at the girl for turning all a-bristle, or not being afraid of an elf. New impressions, Cas. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, glancing towards the captain's seat.

The gunner did, after all, remind her a little of Aleta...Cas sighed, leaned back in her chair, and with her hand and voice bid the girl return. "Let me apologize. You should have a seat," she said, in the most unpracticed of voices.

It was much like introducing a new kitten into the home of a long lived cat. The kitten being played by the girl introducing herself as Alcy, and the cat being played by Cas. As the scene played out before her, it was clear that the part of owner was being played by the Captain and the current thoughts boiling in her friends brain were along the lines of, Why do we need a new feline in this house? I'm not enough? What makes this kitten so great? It was amusing none the less, watching the two of them giving sad attempts at being civil. Cas had indeed changed over the years, the elf she remembered would have had Alcy on the floor the moment she finished the first sentence of her bold speech.

When the young gunner departed, Deryn faced the table and hunched over the back of her chair. It was quite surprised to say the least, and if it wasn't for the reserved manner that Cas was acting in Deryn would have probably been on her feet in an instant. Instead she reached for a small load of bread at the center of the table and broke it in two, placing one half on her friends plate and before stuffing her face she let out a long drawn out whistle to indicate how awkward the situation truly was to make light of it.

It wasn't long before Alcy returned, the drink accompanied with a scowl to match. Deryn continued to keep herself occupied with the fluffy and flaky hand full of bread thinking to herself, Man... who is the cook on board? I could fill up on this alone. But as she chewed, her throat became clogged and she couldn't help but choke on the nickname Cas had just bestowed on the girl, mumbling under her breath like an echo. "mon porc-épic." Accompanying the statement with a laugh she drove a fist to her chest trying to relieve herself and knock free the chunk of bread in her airway.

As if this night wasn't full of enough surprises, words never spoken by Cas to anyone flowed into the air. A shocked face drew her attention to her friend, who seemed to be... serious. "Wow, now I'll vouch for her there. I've never heard an apology from her and she ripped three ear rings out of me... and then kept them!" With that she slung an arm over her friends shoulder and pat her back.

"mon proc-epic" What had that meant? Alcy, having not been around elves enough to need to learn their language, had no idea what Cas had just called her, but for the sake of keeping her temper from getting the best of her again, Alcy chose not to ask. She didn't want to hear something extremely offensive and have an outburst. Perhaps if they were somehow on good terms, Alcy would ask her later. She continued walking back to the table.

"You're welcome..." Alcy said, fairly apathetically and more out of habit than desire to say it. Alcy went to leave, but found herself, much to her suprise, called back by the elf as soon as she had taken her own seat. She looked over at the elf table quizzically, wondering why Cas was calling her back. That elf was a piece of work. Very, very confusing.

But, Alcy decided to give the elf a second chance to make a first impression. Perhaps Cas has not meant to be so harsh and Alcy had overreacted. Though she didn't want to admit that. And so, she picked up her strong drink and walked back, taking the seat once more she had taken before.

"Thank you for apologizing." Alcy said, the bravado from earlier moments gone in her confusion. She looked at Deryn, nodded at her statement. Alcy felt compelled to apologize too, though mostly the glaze over the earlier moment. "Look maybe I overreacted. Its a bit of a hot button for me." Alcy said, referring to Cas's decision to instantly be abrasive. Her attention turned back to Deryn. "I didn't catch your name" Alcy said, trying to change the subject.

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.

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.

Part of him admired the design, another kindling the idea that this would be where he was to live for an unspecified amount of time. He pulled his teeth against his lower lip, brushing off some of his coiling nerves. A knot tightened in his stomach beneath it all. He hadn't really been sure what to expect when he'd first been requested to join the Ardent in their expedition, but his mind had envisioned it much differently, more or less, morphing what he'd remembered of his time on the passenger vessel. He'd known to expect differently, nevertheless.

Walking down the hall, confined and out of the open air made the movement of the ship... less discomforting on multiple levels. At least this way he wasn't open to the concentration of air forced against him. And for that, the knot built in his stomach loosened a bit. He preferred being inside, locked away in confined spaces. It was all he could really remember being used to. The innards of the Academy, though home to much much more space were what he had considered safe. Relief always managed to find him when he walked into a place that shielded him from the outside.

He looked about attempting to find an open door to an unoccupied room or anything that would have made for something he could occupy with his luggage. After a moment, he'd found one, no apparent markings on the door and nothing that would have marked the room as inhabited apart from a bunk, a desk and a chair. He peered inside, “I think this'll work,” He stated, stepping aside to allow the other man room to enter.

Bare as it was now, he imagined, it would not be so by the end of the evening. He'd never been one known for keeping things organized.

Cas was beginning to grow more impatient as the night wore on and the dining room did not grow crowded in turn. She turned the nub of a strawberry over in her fingertips once, twice, and a third time. She wondered what sort of trouble was the rest of the crew getting in, and she stuck here with the world's largest porcupine and a woman who was a little too close for comfort.

She glanced at Deryn, shrugging lazily and leaning back in her chair and returning the cup Alcy'd brought her to her lips. Maybe it was the lho-seed--in fact, Cas did not suspect otherwise--but annoyance and impatience was beginning to fizzle away into a faint, vague contentedness. Cas leaned back in her chair, sipped her mystery drink, and watched the door.

The longer she looked at Varis, the more it dawned on her that an elf being this far out for no apparent reason was quite odd. Elves were not an odd sight to Rynn, but one out here quite was. She chose not to ask, however, as that might be rude. She would just ask Boj later about him.

"I do not have anything against assistance" Rynn said, looking at both men, realizing they seemed to be waiting for a response from her. "But Boj is right, it would be good to have someone preventing us from being followed." She spoke, suddenly feeling very guilty for dragging Boj into her issues with her insane fiance. It would be better for him not to have to deal with it. She had been quite selfish, really. But she could beat herself up later, now she needed to pay attention to the two before her.

Boj ma'Deu didn't act much like himself with Varis present, or at least not the Boj that Rynn had gotten used to. As Rynn mulled over the question, the two exchanged friendly jabs, sneaked back and forth alongside lopsided grins. The boyish air between them fizzled immediately as Rynn spoke, and Boj looked back to her as he scratched the underside of his chin in thought.

"So it's settled, then? You'll stay behind for us?" he said with a glance to Varis. "However long you can manage will help."

The young man nodded, eye-paint wrinkling with a smile as he bowed and in polite fashion took Rynn's hand--should she let him--and kissed it. Should she not, he simply chuckled and shrugged at Boj, who returned the gesture. "Whoever pursues you and my friend--" he said to Rynn, nodding to Boj, "will find themselves frightfully delayed. I'll give them your warmest greetings," he added, straightening up and looking to Boj. "I trust this takes care of the matter of my favor?"

Boj chuckled, a surprising sound from the giant's own throat. "Yes. By far. We'll head into the caverns tonight, or in the morning. Will you join us for dinner, at least? I smell fruit on you, I think."

Varis chuckled. "Guilty as charged. But for the lady only, I think," he said with a smile and slipped from his pocket a few fresh berries, wrapped in cloth, and offered them to Rynn. "If you wouldn't mind it, my staying, of course. It's been too long since I've seen Boj here, and I'm curious who he's gotten himself mixed up with this time."

Boj cast Varis an annoyed look at that.

Letting out a shrill scream, Deryn fell back into the dirt her hand clasping over her ear. "You little..." Taking not more than a moment to pull her hand away to examine the blood staining her hand a furious snarl came over her and she leaped toward the now laughing Cas bouncing the studs and rings that not more than a few seconds ago were still in her ear about in her hand.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Her stained fists clenched down on her opponents shoulders as she stuffed her knees against her chests, sending her off balance and to the ground. Both of them landing with a loud "Ooomf!" Deryn quickly pressed her forearm against Cas' thin neck and smirked at her advantage. "Just admit it! You can't win against me!" It was a subject the two bickered about on a regular basis, it just so happened that this time Cas demanded they take the discussion outside to test said theory.

Around them a crowd began to grow of appalled and interested faces alike. As soon as word hit that the two were ripping up the greenery in the courtyard the fight was sure to be broken up shortly. Older women scoffed at the rowdy couple of runts and the boys of the house clapped and cheered, any excitement was good excitement to them when you're caught behind these walls.