Velvet maintains unblinking eye contact with Bolvak. Bolvak moves his head closer to Airy, Airy moves her face closer to Bolvak, Velvet tilts himself even closer to both, bringing the three of them into an intimate tete-a-tete-a-tete, so close their breathes mingle together to gently warm all three faces.
He speaks softly. "It means, luxurious, and... " his voice lowers drastically in pitch, a rich sensual tone, "... smooth."
Velvet stays like this for a long moment. Then, he suddenly leans back from the intensity and regains a casual demeanor, as if nothing had happened. He turns his full attention to Lickett. "But if it's a distraction you need, I'll see what I can do." Velvet grins playfully. Leaving his food and drink behind, he makes his way to the other side of the deck closer to the captain, officers and Scourge.
"Crew of the Wormwood!" Velvet booms in an attention grabbing voice, "in honour of this festive occasion, let us have a little entertainment!"
Velvet starts with simple juggling using empty mugs dropped by drunken pirates and old plates clear of food. He quickly adds more random items, scooping them off the floor without breaking pace. He climbs tables, flips from place to place with effortless precision, juggles with one hand while standing up-side-down on the other. He catches thrown items and stacks them on an outstretched foot in a stunning demonstration of balance. His actions are elegant and rapid, gliding from one impossible move to another. He's entrancing, smooth, and impressively flexible. You don't even know what's an arm or a leg anymore, he's a jumble of limbs and leaps and ever stacking and whirling objects. It is an incredible sight to witness!
Velvet keeps it up until he runs out of energy, finishing with a graceful bow and a neat tower of dishes. He's out of breath but overall cheery and quite pleased with himself. I hope they used this time wisely...
Bolvak remains motionless, drying eyes moistened for a few awkwardly sensual moments of shared breath, and only turns to Airy when Velvet leaves the table altogether. Not that he's typically eloquent, but the experience of literal speechlessness is new and uncomfortable.
"Well," he says, just to break the spell. "Alright. Then." He runs his tongue over his teeth and swallows. "So, the, the prestidigitation? For Grok. You good to go on that now, Airy? 'cos that whole diversion thing's off to a roarin' start, and I don't much wanna be next to Likitt when he makes a move." Despite himself, he glances at Velvet's acrobatic display more than once. Just to try and figure out if he's really getting those fleet feet above his head, see. And behind his head. And around his shoulder?
"I'm," Bolvak shakes his head, "I'm gonna head over now, yeah, soon as you're ready."
Velvet's display is marvelous to behold, and he holds the full attention of the crew until it's over. Near the beginning, several sailors throw plates, spoons, and mugs at him to mess him up, but this quickly ceases as he effortlessly incorporates them into his routine. He finishes to rousing applause from all and whistles from a couple of the ladies.
The distraction is so complete, that Tamesis' rum-tossing goes unnoticed.
Tamesis plops down next to Likitt and smiles over at the eye-candy doing his dance. She watches, enraptured, for a long few moments, before snapping out of her reverie and taking a few bites of the slop. She smirks at Likitt as she swallows, "Started working on Fipps. Got under his skin a little, but I don't think he's ready to fold, just yet. Needs a little more. Maybe tomorrow..."
Likitt generally viewed himself as a sensible amphibian, used to the ways of the Tall Folk. After all, aside from the proclivity to murder, they were not all too different. However as he watched the exchange between Bolvak, Velvet, and Airy, the air humming with mammalian musk, the young Grippli was struck dumb. So logically, he did the only sensible thing and let out his mating croak. In a sudden intake of air, his vocal sac swelled to an impressive degree as a low and notably interrupting croak, as the Tall Folk seemed adamant on ignoring the mission in favor of their wanton desires.
"I did not realize that your kind needs three to fertilize the eggs. It's interesting to find more and more out about Humankind... And Elemental-kin."
As the ship's attention literally gets turned on its head, Likitt refuses to continue such sensualisms and throws himself entirely into his job, grabbing all four bottles in a cluster and nudging Airy briefly to allow her to work her magic, just in case the drinks needed to be fed to Grok immediately. After that, he sneaks about only with the expertise of a small creature, keeping himself hidden behind table, mast, and whatever he could squeeze his diminutive body behind. Upon reaching a clean bucket, he lays the drinks inside, covering it with a bit of tarp to give it the impression of leavings.
Naturally, he is the finest at these sorts of things and makes his way back to the group with the greatest of ease, just as the performance is about to end. Nudging Bolvak, he murmurs to the giant, "Grok's present has been dropped. Bucket with some patch tarp over it. I must go and see what can be done about Fipps."
With that, he rises from the table, keeping his eyes on Velvet's performance. Perhaps the steamy talk was entirely justified. He seemed a capable and lithe member of his race. Eventually, he made his way around to Fipp's seat, looking in awe of the dance of plates, "Wow... Never thought I'd be sitting here on a boat, seeing something like this. We got off on the wrong foot, you and I. My name is Likitt."
Fipps grunts in response. After Velvet's performance is finished, the bald human mutters, "I aint dumb. You did somethin' to make Syl go all bonkers this mornin'. And I seen you bein' all buddy-buddy with the other newbies. What's yer game?"
Froggie's weirdly lascivious comment is one thing, but this expectation that Bolvak should cart over a mysterious bucket to Grok is questionable even with Velvet's diversion.
"Appreciate the favour, but Grok's got all the quantity of booze she needs; the deal's about quality. And I don't care to be caught holding a gallon of rum on penalty of drinking it all or a fourfold lashing. So 'm gonna ditch that quart bucket I took from you last night, soon-like, and recommend you do likewise with this grand pot unless you're the gambling sort."
"And, no offence, but your 'realisation' is like 'figuring out' that laying hens fertilise 'emselves."
Secure in the knowledge that they no longer needed to feed Grok gallons upon gallons of rum, Likitt noticed that Fipp was not nearly as an idiot as he previously assumed, or at least had an element of canniness that made him wary of the Shaman. While entirely justified, this made trying to convince the man of his good intentions somewhat difficult. He would have to be careful with his wording and with a bit of luck, he might be able to befriend an enemy.
"I don't have a game Fipps. However, we are stuck on this vessel for a long time. I don't see a need to become enemies while we're here. I'd like to call an end to any grudges so we can work together. Syl... Well you've seen her up there. I can't be too careful around her. It's not as if my skin is made of mithril or something."
Fipps gives you a calculating stare. "Tell you what. I got no beef with you personally, and you don't seem like a total b@%&&. You and your buddies don't f@## with me, and I'll leave them alone. Unless one of the officers says something, of course."
Airy leans back once everything's all normal in their conversation again, and waits for Velvet's distraction to get in to full swing. She rests her hand on Bolvak's forearm once the distraction reaches its climax. "Let's head on over," she says, standing up and sliding past him, leaving a lasting touch on his forearm with the tips of her fingers, "and see if we can't do business with Ms. Grok."
She heads on over to Grok's spot and greets the quartermaster with a smile. Likely a rare thing to see on this ship. "Good evening."
The half-orc returns your smile. "Well, hi there. You the special friend Bolvak mentioned? I've been anxiously awaiting the application of you ... talents."
Not that it limits their usefulness, but Bolvak finds his newer allies a bit more adventurous than expected. Which is to say, sexy. Or at least that's what it seemed like Froggie was going for. Hard to tell. Whereas Velvet (of course that'd be his name) and Airy were anything but ambiguous. Well, some things about Velvet were ambiguous.
But when Airy pops off to Grok, it's back to business. He nods at the quartermaster after the Sylph greets her, and leans in. "So, this my talented friend I was talkin' 'bout earlier. Fancy some citrus-y reserve rum?"
Grok grins. "I'm game. Hit me up!"
Airy nods to Grok and hovers her hand over the mug of rum, casting her Prestidigitation spell with a few unintelligible words and some vague gestures with her other hand. She attempts to change the strong taste of the rum in to the delicious citrus rum that she drank just before being abducted on to this damn ship.
She removes her hand from above the mug and says, "That should do it. Let me know if you want any adjustments to the taste."
Grok takes a hesitant sip of her drink before smiling. "A little too fruity for my taste, but that's not bad! I think I can get behind this 'magic drink' thing. Ya got a proposal or something?"
"Glad you like it. How 'bout an ongoing deal, drinks each night for gear each day? 'sides the chain shirt and spiked shield I mentioned, I understand Airy here's lookin' to get her spell components and tattoo designs." Bolvak points a thumb over his shoulder and waggles it in his allies' general directions. "Likitt back there's got a few requests, and our whirlin' dervish needs a longbow and arrows back."
"I think that can be arranged. They'll need to be good drinks, though, and I'll want variety. You've got the magic; the question is, do you have the skill to keep me interested?"
Airy drums her fingers and chews the corner of her lip. "Well... I've gone on a lot of dates at a lot of fancy places, and I've been all over Varisia. I've spent a great deal of my free time at the tavern that this particular drink came from, too. I suppose it all really depends on your preferred taste."
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New Day
It's shaping up to be a decent day for a change. Nobody tries to attack you, and your job assignments could definitely be worse. Kroop's even sober today, so Velvet is only responsible for catching some fish for dinner. If he catches enough, it's possible that the crew will end up being able to enjoy some, too.
Around midmorning, though, something unusual happens. One of the swabs (Jack Scrimshaw) comes rushing out of the bilges, bleeding from a nasty gash on his leg. Plugg intercepts him, and they conduct a hushed conversation before Jack is sent off to get patched up.
Velvet wakes up a bit stiff.
He wanders to the galley to fetch the bucket of goose guts to use as fish bait. He doesn't really know how to fish, but he's seen it done.
"Morning Kroop," seeing as the man is sober today, asking for help seems like a good idea. "How you feeling today?" Velvet makes the appropriate amount of amount of small talk to be friendly.
"Any rods or hooks I can use around here to use with this bait?" He picks a feathered limb out of the bucket, "or should I wing it?"
Tamesis wakes early and prepares her spells, as usual. Today, she prepares her Prestidigitation, and complements it with Arcane Mark, in case she needs it. For her more limited, more powerful spell, she opts for Keep Watch. Now that she has her weapon, she may as well use her magic for more mundane options.
She frowns as she accepts her work assignment for the day, but goes to it with as much gusto as she can. When Jack comes running up, she eyes him warily, but keeps working, doing her best to keep her distance from the conversation.
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After the success of the prestidigilibation scheme, Bolvak wakes up with the same sense of anticipation - maybe even optimism - that he went to sleep with. Dodging the rum ration didn't hurt either. He'll have to thank Froggie again, now that he appreciates what a difference that subterfuge makes. Airy too, just to stay in her good books.
His luck keeps rolling when he dodges the bilges yet again for repairs, and he sets to work determined to get ahead of schedule, carve out a break, and get his mitts on his kit. Then recce with the squad to plan the next stage of the deal.
But when the poor bastard who was put on the bilges tears out on a fresh limp and trails drops of blood while Bolvak's caulking below deck, it looks the day might prove a bit more complex.
Airy awakens nice and fresh for the first time since coming aboard this ship. Her willowy shape stays huddled up and watching everyone warily as they leave for the work bell to get their assignments, on alert due to yesterday morning's events. She waits for Bolvak to head up to the deck and hops out of her cot to go with him. He's the biggest of their little group, so he's most likely to scare off any potential ne'er-do-wells.
Airy accepts her work assignment with as blank a face as she can muster. Keeping herself unreadable seems like a better option than showing fear or arrogance when you just want to be left alone. Runner, huh? That shouldn't be too bad. Maybe I'll explore some, or talk to that redhead Tamesis was chumming out with.
At least the day's not looking too terrible. It's going to be a nice warm day with some breezes, and running in that is going to be tiring in a pleasant way. She informs the rest of the group about the weather for the day, and keeps positive thoughts. She's sure that the man with the bloody leg will have nothing at all to do with her, and she won't have any backlash for anything whatsoever.
The day began groggy and crusty, the sea air stiffening his skin and making his eyes crusty, yet Likitt seemed confident in the rest of the day. He had been thinking about the rum for some time and since it had such a foul stench and effect, perhaps it could be effected by his magic and be cleansed of any inimical effects. As he goes through the ritual of cleansing and prayer to the spirits of the ocean, he asks for the ability to purify his food and drink, to hamper his foes in a haze of confusion, and to be blessed with pure water drawn from the air. They seemed to have developed a report with other members of the crew and might not need to fight as much, so opted to receive the blessings of healing and of charming. A glib tongue would be needed today.
Lookout seemed a nice and steady job that would leave few chances at screwing up. After all, unless they ran into some shoals, there was nothing to blame the Lookout for. The entire crew would have to be drunk to run into a cliff wall or something...
The sounds of pain and the scent of fresh blood filled the air as one of the men rushes out, leg freshly cut into. Likitt had to hold himself still and watch, unable to help the swab lest he out himself. Was the man just being a fool, or is there something worse below deck?
He had an odd suspicion that this question would be answered soon.
There are several fishing rods and nets, so you have your pick of gear. Of course, with the amount of stuff that Fishguts keeps in the galley, it's no surprise that he'd have something useful.
--------------------------------
Once the initial excitement has died down, everyone gets back to work. However, you notice Plugg and Scourge conducting a hushed conference and begin to get a sour feeling in your stomach. Sure enough - it's not long before you're ordered to take a break from your assigned labor and head down to the Bilges. Plugg's orders are simple. "That dumbass said somethin' bit him. It's probably just a rat, but I want you to make sure. Get down there, find out what spooked him, and make sure it won't happen again. Don't come out until you're done - shirking your duties means you'll face the lash tonight."
Bolvak keeps a poker face with Plugg, and in under 10 seconds, stomps out his hopes for the day with a yessir.
Once the group sets off for the bowels of the ship, his brow furrows, his jaw bulges at the joints, and the inside of his right eye twitches. "Not that the pressure isn't already on," he mutters, "but I still aim to see Grok today. Let's pulp this s+&!-sucking anklebiter fast."
Why in all the pirate ships in all the seas in all the world did this have to happen? It'd just be my luck that they were smuggling a baby kraken or something...
In all honesty, the sour sarcasm was just compensating for his own cowardice. He was a Grippli with fine talents, but meeting unknown foes in battle were not one of them, especially when barefisted.
Creeping down the ladder of the bilges, he keeps close to Bolvak, eyes darting about with each creak and moan of the ship's interior.
Peacefully fishing off the bow of the boat, Velvet enjoys the nice warm day with occasional breezes. It's a lovely day to be outside. So of course he's ordered to go down to the depths of the ship to trudge in foul water, possibly containing a horrid creature. With teeth. And no sense of humour.
Once the group is all together in the very dark, very smelly, hole of a place, Velvet claps his hands together lightly.
"You know back at the Goldfish, we'd call this a Golden Girl."
When Velvet begins what sounds an awful lot like the makings of a story in the same vein as last night's... questionable events, Bolvak sets to looking real hard at the bilges for anything like vermin.
Tamesis doesn't bother to hide the contemptuous sneer as Plugg and Scourge chicken out of investigating the disturbance themselves. Leaving the cowards to their fear, she boldly leads the way down to the bilges, drawing her cutlass as she reaches the floor. She begins looking around the bilge, glancing around for any movement...
"But, I suppose that's a story best left a more...comfortable time."
Velvet looks around, really wishing he was anywhere but here.
"So perhaps when our spirits meet in the next cycle, we can share that story... For now, keep an eye out for Baby Krakens..."
Airy descends the ladder shortly after the meatier people in the group do. "I was hoping to avoid ever coming back down here, to be honest. I got a few beatings last time. Not cut out for bilge work." Airy looks abouts for anything resembling a large rat, hoping that it doesn't pop up next to her. "Is anyone else a little concerned that they seem to have lumped the lot of us together in their heads?"
You discover the cause of Jack's distress almost immediately as not one, but a half-dozen cat-sized rats crawl out from the filth and muck of the bilges. They strike with lightning speed .
Bolvak drops into an aggressive stance and snap-kicks at one of the rats near Tamesis.
Tamesis grunts her thanks as Bolvak's bodyguard instinct kicks in and he punts one of the rats surrounding her. She, in turn, twists into a spinning maneuver, bringing her blade around at the other one just next to her.
As soon as the rats plunge upon them, Likitt takes a quick hop backwards, not wanting to get anywhere near those ugly brutes. Letting a chant begin at the back of his throat, he curses that he couldn't heal the wounded Tamesis without incurring the rodent's wrath. "Hold on a bit longer, Tamesis. I've got your back"
Velvet moves forward and throws a sucker punch at the closet gross rodent.
Airy steps back a bit from the rat that bit her and chants out a quick syllable for a simple cantrip, conjuring a small ball of lighting and throwing it at the rat that is now next to Velvet.
With the exception of Bolvak's rodent-punting endeavors, your offensive efforts are spectacularly unsuccessful. Fortunately, the giant rats are equally ineffective this time, as only Tamesis is bit .
Velvet swings and hits air, but at least manages to dodge the not so ting pointed teeth the second time around.
"I'm so much better at biting than this thing." he thinks before swinging another hook.
"Tamesis, Airy, pull back! Likitt, close ranks with me and Tamesis, guard Airy! Any rats coming at her go in a kill zone!"
Tamesis steps back and takes a swing at the only rat remaining within reach.
Watching the rodents of unusual size press their party into a corner, Likitt feels the urge to flee, to save his slimy skin from any needless bites. However, watching the group tighten up, commands shouted by Bolvak, desperate swings, he couldn't bear to flee. Falling to all fours, he squats down and opens his mouth, the strong muscles in his tongue flinging out and sending it past Airy and sticking right against Tamesis' back, the power of his faith running through the conduit and sending roaring healing energies to the Tiefling.
Making sure not to pull the Tiefling back with his retracted tongue, Likitt moves quickly, sliding in a position behind Bolvak to close up the line. He may not be a master fighter, but he could take on these fiends.
Airy scrambles behind Likitt and out of range of the rats, casting another acid splash at the one fighting with Tamesis.
Bolvak strikes at a rat to break up the swarm, and stays on guard at Tamesis' flank. "Alright, now get ready to form a line!"
You continue your string of misses as you form a protective wall by the ladder. Two of the rats manage to get quick nips in as you do so.
Tamesis grinds her teeth as the rat bites her, yet again. Furious, she spends a small amount of her inner power, imbuing her weapon with a magical emhancement. As the weapon starts to glow, softly, she raises it high and brings it down upon her rodent foe.
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Bolvak growls and lashes out at the same rat, waiting for Tamesis to step back into the line before he does.