"Huh, well that's fancy looking..."
Sasha stands back marveling at the gold and porcelain contraption that Lureene sets down. The oblong basin is about 18 inches wide, one foot across with a depth of 8 inches. On either side are gold handles and four small gold claw-feet support the base. On one of the narrow ends, a gold spigot flanked by a pair of knob arcs gracefully over the basin. From its neck, a mithril chain secures a stopper that blocks a drain in the bottom that is filled with inky, shimmering blackness. On the front side of it, facing you is a dial currently pointing to the left.
"Um," she leans over it to have a closer look, seemingly afraid to touch something that looks so expensive, "so this was in the master cabin? That's pretty swanky for an old tub like this! The ship I mean, not the– whatever this is. How's it work? It doesn't look like it's going to hold much water."
As she keeps talking and moving about in her birthday suit, she inspects the knobs and dial, and figures out that the spigot can pivot. "I wonder what these do..."
She turns the knob on the right several times and a torrent of cool water begins to flow. "Oh hell, it's going to flood the room!"
However, even though the stopper isn't in place, water does not pour out across the floor. Instead what enters the drain hole simply vanishes! Hesitantly, she experiments with the lever on the left. One instant the water gushing out is icy cold, the next it's scalding hot, remaining at whatever temperature she leave it at. Lastly, she reaches for the last lever. "Hey, it looks like it has a few different settings here..."
Clicking the dial once to the right, the device grows in size until it becomes a large wash basin about 3 feet wide, two feet across, and 18" deep. "Oh wow!"
Another click soon follows and it grows into a large porcelain bath tub measuring 6 feet long, 4 feet across, and 3 feet deep. "Holy crap, Ellie! I wonder what this last one does..."
She selects the last setting, seemingly heedless of the fact that the device now occupies most of the free space in her room. Fortunately, it doesn't grow any larger. Instead the spigot itself grows and elongates until it has formed a tall arc ending in a golden calla lily that showers water down from above. "By the gods! Captain Kovack must have stolen this from Syrene herself, would you look at this?! Hey, did you notice if there were any scrub brushes or lotions or anything in there? Oh, you did!"
She hops in, sets the stopper and begins splashing around, laughing wildly and shouting. ""
Upon noticing Ellie's gaze, Sasha says, "Oh, so what do you think of the ink? My stupid mother made me get it when I turned 13. I thought about trying to get it taken off, but I can't really see it so I figured what the hell, right?"
Lureene squeals in delight at this wonderful contraption. Maybe being a princess does have its perks after all!. She is glad to get out of her sweaty clothes, and gazes in appreciation at the lithe form of Sasha. She looks for the lavender flavored bath salts, knowing from past experiences how soothing they are.
She climbs in the tub next to Sasha, and exclaims, "Hold still, I need to mix these salts together!" Once she has done so, she adjusts the water flow to cause a bubbly froth to appear on the top of the surface. She tries to relax in the tub but the presence of Sasha recalls another time in a Tavern bath not very long ago...soon she is blushing madly like a schoolgirl.
On seeing the tattoo, she stares at it and a sliver of fear enters her body (which DID have a benefit of cooling her ardor). Trying to keep her voice casual, she remarks, "I don't know, Sash. I think it looks fine to me, of course I have to admit, Momma ABSolutely forbade me to even think about getting one!" She giggles, "She is kinda a fuddy-duddy that way!" she thinks she was able to hide the tremor of fear, but it was hard to say.
"Well good for you then, El! I never wanted it, but I didn't have much choice. My mom, her mom, and all the way back are part of this stupid order of assassin's. She wanted me to be her heir or some crap. I mean don't get me wrong, fighting and hunting are exciting and everything, but I don't want somebody bossing me around!" She rolls her eyes and sighs, "I wish I had you mom. At least she actually cares about you. I'm pretty sure Lisa wouldn't tackle you and start lopping off fingers if you told her you didn't want to be a merchant."
She leans back in the tub, enjoying the bubbles and company, actually quiet for about a minute or so. "Man... she'd be sooo piiiiissed if she knew I was teaching you her moves today. Haha! Oh wow, she'd be mad!"
Sasha reaches forward until she finds one of your feet and starts massaging it. "So, are you and Andre on this trip so you can learn how to run your folks' trading business? Or did you guys just come along to keep her company while your dad was busy over in Mallos?"
Lureene inwardly shudders when Sasha mentions her own Mother. She was morally certain Sasha's mom was a saint, compared to her own.
In response to her questions, she replies after thinking a moment, "Well, Andre just recently got out of the military. We haven't been married too terribly long, and when Momma suggested that we should take a getaway with them and see how the merchant business works, we jumped at it. If nothing, Sweetie is practical, he always tells me it never hurts to have more skills." She stretches out her other foot, allowing Sasha to start on the other one. "As for me, I think it is interesting to travel, but Momma thinks I cannot handle numbers too well, so I keep studying that stuff, but it is hard!"
"Heh," she holds up her left hand, and sticks out her tongue, "you think you've got problem with handling numbers? I can't even count to 10 anymore! Hahaha!"
"Man, where's Lisa get all this good-smelling stuff? I thought only elves and nobles had stuff like this. Your folks must do pretty well for themselves, I guess. Aaahhhh.."
"I worry about that girl."
Alis laughs quietly to herself and whispers back, "Just worried about one of them? You're generous!"
Alis removes the silver pouch with the ivory cords from the bag she has with her. She whispers something in the same dialect you have heard her and Mal use, and then begins to shuffle her Tarot deck. While you are uncertain what she said, it sounded like a question and you could make out Lureene's full name.
After mixing the cards to her satisfaction, she splits the deck into three piles and turns over the top card of each...
Past, Present Future: Will Lureene Ourson ever conceive a child?
The matronly-looking woman gives a slow, pained sigh, evidently not caring for what she see. Looking down, Priyya recognizes having seen all three of the cards before. From left to right, they are the 10, 6, and 3 of discs, although the ones on the left and right are upside down.
In a low voice, Alis says, "I don't think El's going to like what I have to tell her..."
A shadow falls across the two of you where you sit and you look up to see the first mate appraising you. He looks at the cards before Lisa, seemingly curious and squats down on the deck near you. Without taking his eyes off the cards, he says, "Sister Sarah, I do not know what miracle you wrong, but that woman, Aerys is like girl reborn. There is a fire in her eyes now that was not there before. If I had a handful more sailors like her..."
He looks up in her direction momentarily, and seems surprised when he catches her gaze. Realizing that she's smiling with pride, he nods his approval before meeting Sarah's gaze, his face perhaps just a bit redder than a moment before.
"I will not ask what was entailed, only..." he runs his hand down the mass of black girding his jaw, before leaning closer, "do you know if she calls any man mate?"
Sarah is poleaxed momentarily. Her reply is slow in coming. "Uh... Anton, I'm not a matchmaker and we are talking about the personal life of my patient. I can say that she is unattached. I can't say whether she is interested in changing that... However, I will be checking in on her later and I can ask if she might be interested in finding a good, patient, and respectful man who appreciates the unique woman she is."
Her tone leaves no doubt that it is both advice to him and a warning of how she expects him to behave around her patient.
Lureene sighs and enjoys the bath immensely, saying little to Sasha, but her mind runs over what she has learned about her so far. There were certain parallels in both of their lives. Both of them threw off the yokes of their mothers, to forge their own paths.
Soon the passage of time marks itself as wrinkles on both of their bodies. Reluctantly, 'Ellie' climbs out of the tub, and proceeds to clean up the mess they had made, using a couple of towels she had brought over. Once finished, she smiles at Sasha, "Sash, I just want to let you know, I am glad you were able to get away from what your mother wanted you to become. I don't think you can be happy doing what she wants you to do." She gives the red haired woman a hug, before picking up her clothes and the tub and heads over to the aft cabin where they are staying.
She enters quietly and stores the tub. along with all of the accessories, back in Alis' chest. She then dressed quickly back in her blue dress, waving at Mal who is still at work. "I hope you will join us for dinner later."
She leaves the cabin and looks for Alis, intending to apologize for using most of her expensive salts. She notices Alis and Priyya talking with the First Mate Devers, and waves at them.
"How are you all doing?" She asks cheerily.
"Aww, well thanks! I'm glad too. I just hope I can stay out from under her thumb. She takes rejection about as well as I take orders."
"Mmm," Sasha returns Ellie's hugs, squeezing her tight. "I can see why Andre doesn't want to share."
After finally letting her new friend go and helping her to towel off, she says, "Hey, I'm going to have a little rest for a bit. Thanks for bringing that awesome tub over here, that was great. We'll have to do that again! See ya later, El!"
"It's Alton, ma'am, but I understand. There's no need to go troubling her on my account. Please, forget I asked."
Upon seeing Ellie's approach, the first mate nods politely and returns to his duties.
Sense Motive Checks:
As Lureene approaches, Alis leans over to Priyya and chides her a bit by telling her what she's certain she already knows, "I think you hurt his feelings, dear."
"Well hello, dearest daughter of mine, did you have a nice bath?"
As she speaks, you notice that Alis is beginning to pack away her Tarot cards.
Lureene responds happily, "Yes, Momma, the bath was positively divine! You never told me about that wonderful bath before! Sasha really got a kick out of it ,too." She looks down, a little downcast, "I think we used too much of your lilac shampoo, Sasha put GOBS of it in her hair. I am sorry about that, Momma."
She leans forward to give her Momma an apologetic hug, while doing that, she leans into her ear and whispers,
She disengages and notices the cards, "Momma, were you trying to forecast who Alton would fall in love with?" She asks jokingly.
Alis sighs slightly but it turns into a laugh. "Well, as long as you don't go using up all of my lavender perfume I think I can manage. As for the bath itself, that was a little knick-knack your father happened across in... Silverwake I believe. The shop-keep said that it had apparently been crafted for some muckety-muck elvish princess or some such. The seller wasn't particularly forthcoming with how he got it mind you, only that he was willing to give your father a very good deal on it when he learned Gerrold was leaving port in only a matter of hours."
"As for the cards? Nooo, not for the first mate. He's actually kind of bashful, you know. Sarah dear, I'm going to head back to the cabin to make certain Ellie put my basin away properly. It would be something of a bother if we sank the ship..."
With that, Lisa heads below with Ellie. Once they are both in the room with the door closed, Alis removes her hair-pin and rubs her hands over her face. "Uugh, I can't stand the way wrinkles feel! Have I said that before? Because if I haven't, I really hate the way the make my skin feel!"
Giving a short sigh of relief, she looks at Lureene and says, "Alright, if it's OK for Andre to hear what you have to say then out with it! I've got something I need to talk with you about myself..."
Alis leans over to Priyya and chides her a bit by telling her what she's certain she already knows, "I think you hurt his feelings, dear."
"Her 'problem' was caused, in great part, by a lost love. It's better I hurt his feelings a bit than undo all her progress. I'll see how she feels about the possibilities then speak with him again."
Lureene looks at Alis fondly, "Look at the bright side, think of what you have to look forward to in about fifty years or so!"
Her tone turns serous, and she lowers her voice, motioning for 'Andre' to get closer so she does not have to speak loudly. "I saw Sasha's tattoo, and I have a feeling this could be trouble..." She quickly describes it to both Alis and Mal. "Now, she told me her mother gave it to her unwillingly, I believe. Now I believe Sasha is sincere when she says she does not belong to this group but I AM concerned about her mother."
Once they have digested this piece of news, she turns to Alis, and asks, "What did you want to tell me, Momma?"
Sarah watches Lisa and Ellie head below deck, unsure if she is supposed to follow or not. Lisa's comment could be read as either merely informative or pointed.
Sarah elects to enjoy the pleasant weather on deck, observe Aerys as well as the First Mate, and attempt to finish off Aerys' epic. Now, how do I broach the subject of new men with her?
"Her 'problem' was caused, in great part, by a lost love. It's better I hurt his feelings a bit than undo all her progress. I'll see how she feels about the possibilities then speak with him again."
"Well regardless, you do realize it's my sworn duty to tease you, right?"
In a more serious and quiet tone, she continues, "If that's the case, then I don't know. Normally I don't mind playing matchmaker, but who's to say if it's too soon. Of course, if you fall off a balance beam and hurt yourself, the longer you go without trying again, the more apprehensive you become. Anyway, I'll leave you to your reading for now, old friend. See you at supper."
"Look at the bright side, think of what you have to look forward to in about fifty years or so!"
"Huh?" Alis scrunches up her face and looks towards Mal to see if he's got any clue what she's talking about. When he appears similarly clueless she asks, "Sooo, what happens in fifty years?"
"I saw Sasha's tattoo, and I have a feeling this could be trouble... Now, she told me her mother gave it to her unwillingly, I believe. Now I believe Sasha is sincere when she says she does not belong to this group but I AM concerned about her mother."
Alis grits her teeth at the news concerning Sasha. "I suddenly find myself wishing we had stripped Chivane of a bit more than just her armor. I can't recall whether or not she had any tattoos, although the saw-toothed blade and a coiling red snake sound like awfully familiar symbols, wouldn't you say? You... didn't see any wasp-like helmets in her room, did you?"
When Lureene shakes her head 'no', Alis murmurs, "Well that's good I suppose."
She looks up at Mal, bites the corner of her mouth and looks back. "Well, while I don't think her flakiness is faked, I suppose we'd actually have to employ magic to tell for certain. Of course, that would tend to attract attention. It would also send a signal that we have become suspicious if you suddenly stopped spending time with her... Even if a mother might rightfully be concerned about her 'pregnant' daughter rough-housing with someone who has been trained to be a professional killer — espoused career preferences not withstanding."
"Andre, would you mind thinking on the matter for a bit and let us know what you think? [smaller]My thoughts are, since it seems like she is friendly, even if it's a ruse, having El around her at least gives us a bit of a warning signal should she try anything. And if she's actually sincere? Well, probably better to keep things friendly and maybe learn a bit more about whether her group and the Ruby Coil are one and the same."
"What did you want to tell me, Momma?"
"Hmm? Oh... that?" She smiles and waves her hand. "Let's give Andre a moment to see if he had anything to say first. I had thought to have a talk with just us ladies..."
Sense Motive Checks:
"Huh?" Alis scrunches up her face and looks towards Mal to see if he's got any clue what she's talking about. When he appears similarly clueless she asks, "Sooo, what happens in fifty years?"
"Oh! uhhh...nothing, I guess." Lureene pauses, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I guess I need to work on my comedic timing, right?"
stuff about Sasha
"Yes, Momma, I agree with you. I just hope she is sincere, but...I...I have been fooled before. Momma if she is a member of this group, do you think..." She points to her hairpin to emphasize their cover story.
Mal turns at the mention of the Coil and Sasha, "I cant work on this anymore today, anyway." He turns to regard the two women. "I don't like this whole thing one bit. First of all, we don't know if she's actually telling us the truth regarding her affiliation with the group. But even if she is, she obviously has a connection, and I find it ridiculously coincidental that she would find her way into this ship. I dont know about you two, but i dont putmuch idea in the idea of cooncidence. And even if we look past that, her connection just increases the chances that we'll have another run-in when we're not ready. I'd prefer it if she weren't with us anymore." You can tell it's intentional that the method of her not being present is ambiguous. "But barring her... absence, I'm not comfortable with anyone being alone with her, even if she hasn't done anything to draw our distrust."
Lureene nods at Mal's appraisal of the situation, "I agree with you, this smacks of a setup all the way. Unfortunately, our chance of doing so has vanished, for now." She gives Mal a small smile, "You might say, that ship has sailed."
She then gives him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself, Andre, and there is really not much she can do while onboard ship. she would have to wait until landfall. Although I think any more visits to her cabin should be out of the question for now."
"What ship has sailed? I'm sure we could come up with a decent reason to stop being around her. And about you handling her, she's an unknown. She might be capable of taking us all out. The last one with her marking was capable of it."
"Well, we don't know for certain if these are the same markings as before. Frankly we didn't notice if our late, dark-haired friend had any. From what I saw earlier when she and El were sparring, I don't think she's at the same level as the other one. Mind you, I'm pretty sure she could handle El though — at least if you couldn't get any spells off."
"As for decent reasons not to hang around her..." she looks up at Mal and snaps her fingers, "Andre's a jealous and over-protective. When he figured out that his 'pregnant' wife had been rough-housing all day, he was more than justifiably upset not only with Sasha, but also with myself and Sarah for our complacency!"
"Now, with that in mind, we can still use this situation to our advantage. El, you learned how to detect surface thoughts recently, correct? A clever conversationalist like you should be able to figure out how to employ that to figure out her motives, right?"
As Mal and Lureene consider this, Alis looks to the big, currently tow-headed warrior and says, "Andre, please be a dear and go fetch Sarah, would you? I'd like to get her viewpoint as well."
Once Mal has left to go do so, Alis turns to Lureene and says, "Alright, we need to talk..."
The princess bites her lip for a moment considering how to phrase what she has to say. "In town last night, Sarah and I visited the temple of Súmalya to get some healing supplies and also to do a bit of research. Specifically, we were trying to figure out if it's possible for you to get pregnant or not."
"From everything we read, it should be possible for a being with any degree of fiendish blood in their veins to produce offspring with a human or another being with fiendish heritage. Furthermore, if you actually did get pregnant, the sources we read indicate that it would be damn near impossible for you to lose the baby, but that it would also develop much faster than a normal human baby. Considering the last time you and Rath were together, you'd definitely have been showing before now."
Seeing the mix of excitement and anxiety on Lureene's face, Alis sighs and says, "El, you're not pregnant. Here..."
She reaches over and removes the hairpin. Instantly, your form morphs back to normal — your breasts their usual size, your tummy perfectly flat. "Since you've decided to go along with Sasha's bluff, I figured that it would be necessary to start making some small adjustments to your disguise as time goes on."
Now here's the hard part...
"That reading I was doing earlier was about you, El. It showed that in your past, everything that's presently on the right path was a mess, but it also shows that in the future, manipulations of outside forces interfere with your happiness. In short, the question I asked was if you will ever get pregnant and the answer came back as 'no'."
Before Lureene's emotions can get the best of her, Alis grabs her friend by the shoulder and lifts her chin up so that she can look her in the eye. "Now, the thing about such reading is that the only show the future if it stays its present course. There are ways of changing things! You understand?"
Still noting doubt and despair in Lureene's expression, she says, "Think of it like this. Let's say that you have a really annoying habit but you don't realize that you're doing it. Kiiind ooof... like that hair chewing thing you were doing the other day. Well, if nobody ever told you about it, you'd just keep on doing it right? Well, if someone is about to point out to you what you're doing, it helps you realize it and to change your behavior. It's the same way with a Tarot reading."
"Now, remember when you told me that your mother said you'd never have to worry about having children? I'm not sure how old you are or when tieflings, which is what the books said you are, would normally become fertile, but by your own admission, you've been with more than a few men and haven't gotten pregnant yet."
"Sarah and I talked about it, and there's a few different things that could mean. A. You can decide when you want to be fertile or not sort of like full-blooded elves and some animals do. They only get fertile when aroused. B. You're barren — which seems kind of unlikely given what we read. C. You're still too young to conceive. Or D., and this is what I think based off of my reading, that some outside force is interfering with your ability to conceive. It's also possible your cycle could be extremely long."
Alis allows that to sink in for a moment before continuing. "Now part of the reason I suspect your mother's interference is why else would she have said something like that? Everything else we researched indicated that wasn't the case. However, one other thing we read was that while fiends usually have no more desire to bear a tiefling child than mortals, sometimes they see utility in having a tiefling child in the physical world to act as a spy."
"The way I look at it, you probably don't want your custom-made spy getting knocked-up and settling down. So, if my hunch is right, the thing that would prevent you from ever conceiving is your mother. If ever we wanted to change that, more likely than not it would involve confronting her in some fashion. What that is though, I don't know yet."
Before the two can say any more, there is a knock at the door and Sarah and Andre enter.
What timing!
"Alright, let's recap..."
After Priyya has been caught up, Alis asks, "One thing to consider also is, why bother to tell us that she a potential assassin anyway? The best reason I can think of is to see if she can shake us up and see if it gets a reaction. If I was supposed to kill someone and I enjoyed it, I'd probably want to make them sweat a bit. However, I think that if I wasn't sure if I had the right mark, just maybe I'd try to dupe them into revealing the truth somehow."
She looks up at the rest of you, particularly at Priyya, and says, "Thoughts?"
She then sighs in resignation, saying quietly, "Then, I have not escaped Mother at all. She allowed me to escape. But I thought Couryanna could be trusted, she said she knew Father... She lapses into silence, recalling her Vision. She recalls it with crystal clear clarity, the part where her Father was advancing on her Mother. Was he trying to protect her? Or was he trying to help Mother? She again fingers her locket, a Gift from....who? Her Father? Was it from her Mother, another tool so she could be watched by whoever was assigned to scry her?
"'Lis, I...I...don't know how I can do this. I need your help, but I don't want you to get hurt because of the enemies I have." She wants to say more, but then the knock on the cabin door indicates the private time is over.
When Mal and Priyya have returned to the cabin, Lureene nods at the suggestion, "I believe that would be a good idea to try, however I wonder when and where would be the best time to do this, maybe in her cabin after dinner?"
Priyya considers what she has heard. "The one thing we can say about the bug-heads, based on Chivane, is they are highly disciplined. Sasha isn't, unless its a very clever act. If she were an assassin, and she knew we were her targets, then tipping her hand about being an assassin is without profit. If she is an assassin who suspects we were aboard and was looking for a method to flush us... well, I think there would be better ways to do that without drawing attention to herself as an assassin. No, if I were an assassin, I'd be one of the quieter folks on board."
"I see value in sweeping her mind to find out if she is an assassin or, indeed, where her strangeness comes from but I shall be surprised if her actions are an intentional gambit. We might gain some knowledge of the organization from this girl's recollections of her mother, however."
"I don't know whether she is or isn't. My gut says she's not; but we don't really know enough about her to say either way. She could be as thick as she appears, or it could be a very good act. My issue, though, is the mere fact that someone with so close a tie to the group is on this ship. It just makes us being found out all that much more likely."
"I, too, like the idea of prying into her addled brain. We still use the 'Andre is jealous and of overprotective' angle, though. You risk too much being alone with her, Ellie."
Lureene ponders this for a moment, "Very well, I will do as you wish, Sweetie!" She gives him a brief hug in thanks.
"Well, I believe its suppertime, and I am famished!"
"As am I." He looks at Priyya and Alis, waiting to hear the end of the conversation.
Priyya shrugs, "I could eat. Regarding the girl, we've hit the point of pure speculation and we need more solid information."
"Well, judging by the footsteps above us, I think we've got about an hour before Vinzini will have supper ready. By the way, have you noticed how much time that last passenger is spending with the captain? I think I've noticed her head down to her cabin maybe once, twice tops. They didn't seem to know one another when she boarded but I'm starting to wonder..."
She gives a soft growl of irritation. "Dammit, now I'm starting to see lurkers in every shadow. I'm going to lay down and enjoy being in my own skin for a bit. As for Sasha... she seems to like you two. Why don't we all have dinner separate, with our own new acquaintances tonight. That way, if someone is up to something, we've limited the number of us who could be within range of an area-affecting spell — they'd have to keep their eye on multiple locations."
With that, Alis falls back in her hammock. "See you in a bit..."
When Malandrenas heads up to the deck to stretch his limbs, he hears a good bit of shouting from amongst the sailors working the mizzen mast. Looking up, he can see that one of the sails has split and is not catching nearly as much wind as it should.
As he watches, Aerys sings over to it from the foremast and begins inspecting it. She gives another nearby sailor a look of agitation and calls out, "Mr. Devers, it looks like it was lashed to the yard with unequal tension on the stays. Tear looks like it started here near the top and ripped down."
She illustrates her point by making her way over and finding that there's about a foot more slack on the lines on one side than the other.
The first mate grumbles something under his breath and looks to the Captain who simply raises a hand indicating to get on with it.
"Tch... That's sloppy, really damn sloppy. Mavato, Ichirou, get that sheet down. McOwens!" He points and meaty arm at the man near Aerys, "You're gonna patch, fold, and stow that sail. After that, you're on KP duty for the next week!"
Alton remove his bandanna and runs his hands thru his hair, shaking out the sweat before tying it back in place. Upon seeing Andre he nods. "Careless mistake sheered the mizzen. We've got a spare, but you have to punish crap like this if you don't want it to happen again."
Noting that Andre's guns are even bigger than his own, Alton gives a big grin and asks hopefully, "Don't suppose you'd mind helping me haul the spare up from the forward hold, would you?"
Sarah make her way up just in time to hear the first mate grumble something under his breath. He looks to the Captain who simply raises a hand indicating to get on with it.
"Tch... That's sloppy, really damn sloppy. Mavato, Ichirou, get that sheet down. McOwens!" He points a meaty arm at the man near Aerys, "You're gonna patch, fold, and stow that sail. After that, you're on KP duty for the next week!"
Alton remove his bandanna and runs his hands thru his hair, shaking out the sweat before tying it back in place. Upon seeing Andre he nods. "Careless mistake sheered the mizzen. We've got a spare, but you have to punish crap like this if you don't want it to happen again."
Noting that Andre's guns are even bigger than his own, Alton gives a big grin and asks hopefully, "Don't suppose you'd mind helping me haul the spare up from the forward hold, would you?"
She gives a soft growl of irritation. "Dammit, now I'm starting to see lurkers in every shadow. I'm going to lay down and enjoy being in my own skin for a bit."
Against her better judgment, Priyya decides to poke the bear. "Well, at your advanced age there is a tendency to get crabby and need naps..." Priyya exits the cabin at high speed.
Priyya isn't exactly certain where it came from, but she ducks out the door just in time as a potted daisy comes flying at her head, seemingly borne up by the laughter of an evil witch.
"" Still laughing, Alis lays back in her hammock and is soon sleeping peacefully, lulled to sleep by the motion of the sea.
Once she has finished talking with Alis, Lureene who is feeling very tired, decides to take a quick nap, following Alis' lead. She sleeps through the noise made by her 'Mother', undisturbed.
Noting that Andre's guns are even bigger than his own, Alton gives a big grin and asks hopefully, "Don't suppose you'd mind helping me haul the spare up from the forward hold, would you?"
Mal moves to follow the sailor, "Sure. Anything is better than laying up in your cabin all day." His green eyes follow the girl Aerys for a few moments, "She's surprisingly adept at this sailoring thing when she's not drowning in alcohol."
Alton hesitates at Andre's remark, his reply catching in his throat for just a moment. Taking a deep breath, he looks up at the rigging before meeting the soldier's gaze. "Aye. I am glad that Sister Sarah was willing and able to help her. She is a– fine sailor..."
Just as you prepare to head down the hatch once again, a soft yet clear voice reaches your ears, "Save your strength, seamen."
Turning around, you see the slight, green-robed woman Ieana emerge from Captain Kovack's cabin. She pushes her spectacles up with a slender finger and says, "I shall salvage this situation."
Speaking words in some alien tongue of magic, she leaves the deck behind floating up into the air behind the tear.
"Sailors," she says, now on eye-level with Aerys and Ishirou, "secure the sail how it should have been..."
With that, she floats down and begins casting another spell. As she moves slowly upward, the fibers of the canvas reweave themselves sealing the split as though it had never existed.
Captain Kovack gives an approving nod at the magical repairs. He merely smiles like a school boy when the demure woman floats down past him reenters his cabin without saying another word.
Priyya watches the woman emerge and return to the Captain's cabin, speculating cattily to herself... I wonder if she gets a lot of practice with that spell mending the Captain's over-taxed trousers?
The actions of the new passenger that the captain has latched onto generates more than a bit of gossip amongst the crew. From bawdy jokes to speculation over he's going to get hitched and drop anchor, most of the crew seems fairly obsessed with this new development.
For his part Mr. Devers merely grumbles more since this new distraction has left him shouldering more work than usual. Fortunately for him, his two best sailors, Aerys and Ishirou, being fairly stand-offish in their own right seem to be paying more attention to their duties than most.
In the hour or so before Vinzini has finished supper, Alton offers to show Mal the ropes explaining various terminology, how most lines are belayed rather than being tied-off, and how the crew goes about handling orders in unison. He also lets the big man take the helm for a bit so he can feel the strength of the sea currents in the rudder.
Seeing that the soldier's military mind easily grasps crew operations, Alton gives an approving nod and says, "Train with me like this and by Light's End I'll have made a sailor out of you!"
"By Invidia's black heart, this can't be happening!!!"
For dinner, Vinzini has prepared a fine repast of crabs and lobster that you took on before shoving out this morning. The look of glee on Sasha's face, at getting to enjoy one of her favorite meals two nights in a row, is nearly frightening. Thankfully, she is dressed a good deal less provocatively than on your 'date' last night.
She eagerly sits down next to Ellie so that they can converse more easily and only plays footsie with her husband once during the entire meal. Whether that is due to distraction, discipline, disinterest, or the new bruise she bears on her shin upon leaving for seconds remains unclear, although Andre has a somewhat amused look on his face after the woman 'jumps' mid-meal, nearly falling off the bench.
"AH–hem!" she says, wide-eyed, recovering from her momentary lack of balance. "Miss Ellie, I do hope you're not going to let those go to waste now, are you? Here, let me help..."
It seems her one saving grace is the fact that her confidence and sexuality helps to draw some attention away from these short-comings. After getting rebuked by Andre at one point for flirting too overtly with you, she seems momentarily angry that he's not into the idea of having both of you, but it is quickly replaced by a feeling of sadness. Yet even that doesn't last for more than a minute tops and it soon melts back into her nigh manic optimism.
The only over-riding thoughts that you are able to pick-up consistently is the nagging doubt that people don't like her though she can't figure out why. You sense that she is generally rather lonely and is so excited at having a friend and a possible lover in Ellie that she doesn't quite know how to conduct herself. Yet every time the fear of losing that friendship bubbles to the surface, it is quickly drowned by a wave of optimism and a desire to try harder and treat this like an adventure.
When she asks Andre about his soldiering experiences once again, she seems to become nearly ecstatic at thoughts of violence and going on adventures. Afterwards she is quiet for a while during which she day dreams about the three of you forming a mercenary band hunting exotic animals and taking bounties by day, and tenderly treating each others injuries by night.
Sense Motive Checks:
Bluff Checks
"I see your friend is dinin' with that gnome again," Aerys tries to keep up a tough tone in her voice, but it's clear to you it's an act she's putting on to keep the randy sailors at bay. "Mind if I sit here?"
When the kindly old nurse indicates that she is more than welcome to sit beside her, she permits herself the faintest of smiles before setting her plate down and setting her tricorn hat in her lap when she sits.
Sense Motive Checks:
One of the sailor who has been eying her, wanders up, a tankard in each hand. A sleeve of tattoos extends up his left arm covering that shoulder. While he's rather attractive and looks to be about 20, it's plain as day that the man is full of himself.
"Hey, 'rys! Got ya a beer since ya forgot yers. Whatcha say we git tanked an' cozy up love?"
Not far off, a few other sailors give approving laughs and make some comments best not repeated in polite company.
"Nah, I've had enough to drink for a lifetime."
When the man continues to badger her, Aerys c0cks a smart-ass smile, and replies, "How about you have 'em both, then go back for some more. If you're really lucky you'll get tanked enough not to mind the splinters..."
"Splinters, whaaaa? What chu on about woman?"