Maks nods slowly. This was definitely going to be a very long-term goal. "We'll need to make sure that the pirates understand that we're separate from the locals. That will maybe help to fracture some of their retaliation towards us, rather than the local populace themselves. Maybe we should create some sort of calling card, so they know we were involved, rather than the locals? Send at least one of the first group back with his tail between his legs and a missive or banner to let them know what to watch for?" her tails swish slowly. "If we do it right, we can have them terrified just from seeing our banner."
"With no elevation, there are several places we could have come from. Or maybe none of them," Tavros murmurs, mostly to himself. Then, louder, "It looks like we're relatively close to where the turtles are, so that's good. Do many people live on that island? We could set traps, but obviously we wouldn't want the locals to accidentally fall in to them."
"We don't look local," Teniel comments.
"And not every pirate will see us, only what we have done." she says as she shifts forms back to her local appearance from the kitsune form, and then back into her golden-furred foxform once more. "A calling card will help them to know we are responsible."
"Well, with the language barrier in place, maybe you could write a fight song... something distinctive, that rattles around in the brain and will leave pirates whistling it despite knowing what it represents."
Lucina covers one eye with her hand as she continues to exam the map. "What about espionage? We could pretend to be joining them maybe cause them to turn on each other?"
"Also hard without knowing their language. Maybe we should just head to the island and see who shows up?"
"We could have signature moves, and call them out when we do them." It's unclear from his expression whether Tavros is serious or not.
Maks looked to Lucina. "What do you think about making our presence known? How would you go about it, or do you think it is a bad idea?"
Ben listens to the group patiently and it seems many ideas are floating forth. He focuses on what they are saying, probably in case he can insert or interject any helpful information.
"When would you be looking to travel there, and how may we assist in terms of supplies, equipment and people power? We do not have unlimited resources, but we do have capabilities to help start your .. enterprise.. of discouraging piracy and raiding."
"It could scare them off for a while but we can't stay here forever and when they figure out we aren't really under the banner it could cause problems."
Not wanting to be in yet another group's debt, Tavros speaks up. "I think the goatlings did a good job giving us starting supplies. And we're pretty good at fending for ourselves and getting food and such. I think what would be most useful is information, but I'm not yet sure what else we'd like to know. Unless, perhaps you know of a way for us to contact you once we're on the other island if we have further questions? Although if the people there are as kind as you, I'm sure they could answer any questions that may come up for us."
"Fresh water won't be an issue with our magic," Teniel points out. "And even if the fishing is sparse, we should be fine feeding ourselves for the next week. Maybe check in with us some time after you've dropped us off?"
Ben replies, "Yes, we can messengers periodically to check in to make sure everything is ok. When would you like to depart?"
"I think we'd be fine heading out now, though if you have any books we could borrow to study the local tongue, that would be appreciated."
"We have a primer we use for teaching children, it has wood block pictures and also a section in the back for some more 'advanced' words for smarter children. It may be a start."
"I'm willing to move whenever my friends are, as long as we are able to travel together that is."
Maks's tails shift slowly in time. It would seem that the others weren't nearly as interested in giving the people here a symbol to unite under once she... they were gone. Maybe she'd discuss it with them later. Or maybe it was best to let the people have a bigger say on the symbol. Probably that.
Maks nods. "I'm ready whenever we can get going. Unlike my friends, I'm more than happy to accept any hospitality you might give. As long as it isn't too much trouble."
Tavros eagerly nods his head, looking like a rather dangerous heavy metal headbanger. He was eager to finally start doing and being useful.
"Very well my new friends. I will arrange for passage to the island. I believe we can accomplish it soon."
Ben bows and heads off leaving you to your own devices. You wander the town a bit and watch people doing things. Some people eye you warily, others smile and wave. Children begin to gather at some distance, and many of them put their arms up aside their heads with pointed fingers like horns emulating Tavros. Whenever he looks their way, they immediately snap their arms back down to their sides as if he wouldn't have caught them. At one point the group catches a teen girl following the party also at a distance who will stop and sit and seems to be holding a sketchpad and charcoal.
Maks watches the young budding artist for a time, before approaching her. She casts the magic like she had done with Ben and offers to shake the girl's hand.
Her eyes widen and she moves to hide her drawing sheepishly. "Oh, hi, umm I wasn't doing anything.."
Maks's tails swish as the girl acts bashful, and a doggy grin forms on her muzzle. "I definitely wouldn't say it isn't anything."[b] She resents for a moment, before continuing, [b]"Unless you're going for a nihilistic approach, anyway. Art is about perspective, after all. My name is Maks, by the way, and I also enjoy sketching, though that's more an extension of my real passion for painting. May I?" She asks holding out her hand expectantly, but would withdraw it if the girl still seemed less than enthused.
She accepted the spell. The girl seems shy about you looking at her work, but seems a bit afraid to say no, so she hands over her sketch. It is a decent rendition of the group, nothing spectacular, but the work of someone who practices a lot and has an eye for detail.
"What do you paint?" She takes your hand when offered and then inspects it. "At first I thought you would have paw hands, but I saw they look like people hands. I guess it would be hard to paint with paws."
"Ooh. These are good." She says, tail swishing. "I can tell you've had plenty of practice." She says as she looks through. "One of the biggest things to remember is that you are your own worst critic." She adds.
"I paint things that inspire me. Sunsets, places, people." She looks back to the group, with the last part. "I've even tried to pantsuit and feelings before. It's sort of a mixed bag for what people see then, though. I mostly paint for pathos. I want to make people feel. How about you? Why do you draw?" She looked at the girl, expectantly.
"My parents were killed by sea devils. I just draw to escape. I wish I could become powerful heroes like you and make them pay."
Maks is taken aback for a moment by the revelation. "Sea Devils as in pirates, or something else?" she says, head tilting slightly. "As for being a hero, and being powerful... that is the easiest thing in the world. Especially for an artist. An artist need only be an inspiration to be a hero. Show them your strength, and share your words, inspire pathos within your family and friends, and keep their hearts strong with your words and deeds. One need not be a fighter to be a hero."
"No, the sahuagin, fish men of the sea..." She shows you a disturbing picture she drew of them.
Maks' ears lower and her tails sag slightly as she focuses on the picture, trying to memorize what details she can.
This was certainly art... but sad art as well.
"I do not know much about them, and I'm sorry for asking about them... but do you know where the sea devils live?"
Tavros seems amused by the little pseudo bull children. When he sees the girl sketching them, he immediately starts to make dramatic poses. He then reveals his complete lack of knowledge about how modeling works as he switches from one position to the next. As Maks talks to the girl, Tavros gets the brilliant idea to try to get other people to join him in his posing and starts gesturing towards Lucina and Teniel to join him.
Not trusting her people skills with such a sensitive topic, Lucina left Makoto to comfort the child while she continued her exploration of the city. She shook her head as a silent denial to Tavros's offer to model but watched them all with interest.
The children grow bolder and creep closer to Tavros, eventually trying to climb on him and hang two or three at a time on each outstretched arm.
Lucina moves through the village silently, and walk around looking at the hustle and bustle of people. Several young men are punching and kicking a tree near by, seemingly odd at first, then you realize they are doing some sort of martial arts conditioning. Walking further Lucina realizes she is being watched. She looks about and sees sitting in the shade of a large tree and old woman sitting on the ground, mending fishing nets. her wrinkled old face look at you plainly with no emotion, just watching intently.
Lucina moves towards the woman watching her and bows when she gets close, if the woman would let her Lucina would silently sit next to the woman and take a broken fishing net repeatedly casting mend until it was fully repaired then move on to the next.
Lucina sits and helps the woman mend the net. She works with deft but strong hands for her age. They seem very gnarled almost claw like, and at one point she looks up at Lucina, and you see she that one of her eyes appears damaged, wounded for how many years you don't know, but a scar across her face at the eye tells you of some ancient wound. Her remaining good eye is very pale, almost a sea green. She smiles and old blackened teeth give you a little bit of the heebie jeebies. She hums some unknown song in an old gravelly voice, the sort of voice that seems to have a catch in it, the kind that makes you want to clear your own throat hoping the person clears theirs.
-----
Makoto, the girl responds. "They have vast undersea cities where they sometime range to these islands and make war on the land peoples. It has not happened in some time, not since increased trade has either warned them off or give them other targets. Perhaps that is something to be thankful for. How did you learn the things that you do? ..... I wish to leave this village behind..... There is nothing here for me....I...I want to join you..." Her last few sentences spill out in bits and pieces, a sort of stream of consciousness confession.
-----
Teniel, Pamburu has treed some sort of small simian creature of some sort. It seems like a monkey or perhaps something like a lemur or other proto-primate. You are not familiar with it.
It appears unhappy with Pamburu and is making quite the racket, rending some leaves and raining them down on Pamburu who is quite content to have found something to play with. It seems he is close to contemplating scaling the tree trunk to get at his quarry.
----
Tavros by now you have eight, maybe ten children, you can't quite keep count climbing and shouting and clambering all over you like a jungle gym, taking up your offer to pose and taking it further by trying to outdo each other as children often do. Their island boredom relieved they tug on your horns, tail and poke at your thick hide and fur in curiosity shouting and calling to each other.
Even while the woman had an off putting appearance Lucina would return the smile and continue her work, growing up around so many different kinds of people she was likely used to uncommon appearances and the last thing she wanted to do right now was offend someone from the village.
Teniel has no interest in eating monkey; he calls Pamburu off.
"I..." Makoto's voice catches for a moment, and her head tilts. Her alien body makes her body language that much harder to read, as one ear pins back ever so slightly. "Would no one miss you? Would you miss no one?" her tails still hang low and swish slowly.
"I cannot promise that you will be safe if you did come along. And I do not know if I will be able to do anything for the sea devils... I would like to if I could." she says, almost as an afterthought, focused more on what the girl desires.
She looked to Miyu who seemed content to simply watch the exchange. Some help he was... stupid spiritual conscience.
"No one will miss me. So it's settled. When does the adventure start?"
"It's definitely not settled." Maks says to the headstrong youngster. "It's fine with me if you come along, but it's not going to be all glory and amazing. And like I said... I can't promise your safety. But I'm happy for you to come along... you just have to convince everyone else. As for learning, we spent a great deal of time learning what we do know in a place that was very good for it. Mine has been... a precarious balance." she looked to Miyu, who still seemed content to stay silent. Her doggy eyes narrowed slightly... as she moved back towards Teniel, probably with the girl in tow.
"I know island life, I can be useful. I am not afraid of danger, I can take care of myself." she says somewhat defiantly, a toe kicking sand idly about as she tosses her dark hair.
"Your friends will love me! What isn't to like?" She smiles charmingly pearly white teeth gleaming.
"I'm not a babysitter," Teniel shrugs, "And if you get into combat, we'd have to slow down to protect you; so we'd need to know you'd be able to stay safe. Might be better if we come back and let you know when we've found the right spell for breathing underwater."
"Honestly," Maks says, returning her smile, with a doggy smile of her own, "That remains to be seen!" but inwardly she was a little troubled; the girl deserved a chance to shine as Makoto had... but was she the one to give it to her? Troubling... and she'd definitely make herself useful, Maks was certain. "You'll want to bring a lot of paper and the like; I don't have any, and don't know how to make more. I should be able to make pigments with ease, though."
She stops near Pamburu and Teniel, looking up to where the tiger is still eyeing the creature. "Go ahead an introduce yourself. I think we'll go with one at a time, unless the others come this way... and Tavros is busy being a jungle gym, so you may have to introduce yourself more than once."
Teniel shakes his head. "I am Ki Teniel Memedi, Second Dalang of the Moon-Rabbit Clan, and this is my introduction."
Suddenly, and without warning, a dozen phantom goatlings spring up from the beach just next to the girl and leap at her, swinging weapons; a phantom Tavros and Mlinzi, full of battle fury and determination and at their full size, leap into view of the illusion and knock them back, one by one, though a few phantom weapons travel straight through the girl.
"This is what we've seen in the past week. If you sat through it without flinching, you might be ready to come with us; if not, we'll show you how to hold a spear, you'll train with it every day, and we'll be back once you understand just how dangerous it can be."
Maks flinches away from Teniel's rather forceful show of power, before she realizes it's an illusion... and then scowls at him. His point completely unmade.
Miyu, for his part, had reacted quickly as well, hackles up, and lines in the sand where he had begun to lunge.
She holds out her hand to Tenial "Hi, I'm..." and the shrieks and throws herself to the ground spinning with her feet up defensively. Cringing on the ground she looks up and realizes the magic behind it. Cowed she says, "Well I have trained with Master Ben, but I have no weapons. I can use a spear." She shakes the sand from her hair and adjusts her skirt. "I'm not afraid of danger." though you can see she is badly shaken, and face pale, pupils dilated, voice shaky.
Tavros grins immensely as he turns into a minotauran jungle gym. He starts gently spinning about in a circle, not fast enough to dislodge any of the the children, but fast enough to have them practically parallel to the ground. He seems to enjoy his playing but remains careful not to hurt any of them.
Lucina, yes you and the others hear the scream. Everyone is in the same basic vicinity, by a few hundred feet. People start to come to investigate the scream, keeping in mind the children were screaming too, just more of the elated glee type of scream rather than a bloodcurdling scream, although sometimes it's hard to differentiate.
There are other people about too, it isn't a ghost town, so many people are watching and see the interchanges going on.