Harmony blankets the area around Tessa with sparkly lights, outlining two vaguely humanoid figures. Donomsail speaks a blessing over the group. Valeria studies their movements and can tell that they've been, at least temporarily, blinded. Polli places an enchantment over Harmony, causing her vanish from sight. Marisan dances in to kick and punch one of the foes into - almost - incoherence.
Round 2
Tessa easily finishes off the assailant that Marisan attacked, leaving just one. That one that continues to attempt to slam its fists into the swashbuckler. It misses, however.
"Tessa! Move!" Harmony yells in annoyance as the Siren nearly gibes. "I need to steer!"
Val begins firing arrows at the blinded foe.
Tessa MOVES out of the way. "Alright, Alright!" she says, sliding to the side to create enough room for Harmony's big butt to steer.
Once out of the way she pokes at the sparklies twice, hopefully landing one decent blow.
Polli will shift to a side of the bad guy where no one else is and unleash lighting into the air.
Tessa feels blessed to attack again, this time sliding into flanking position with Marisan!
Marisan dances around the enemies, flipping and kicking.
Blessed by Donomsail’s spell, Val manages to fire off one more arrow.
Once Tessa moves Harmony steps up to the wheel, exhorting the Sirens as she does so!
With Marisan kicking, Valeria shooting, Polli shocking, Harmony singing, and Tessa stabbing, the second invisible creature falls quickly.
Combat Ends!
It doesn't take Harmony but a moment to correct the Siren's course and with a huge lead over the Wyrmwood, the ship sails on to victory. There is much cheering as the ship of sapphic sailors (as its reputation is becoming known as) crosses the finish line as the clear winner!
As soon as you drop anchor near the island, your friends and well-wishers approach and board, including the Master of Gales himself to congratulate you on your victory. As winners of the Free Captains’ Regatta, you receive the regatta’s rich prize purse — with 16 entrants, including yourselves, the purse totals 8,000 gp. More importantly, you have now gained a seat on the Pirate Council of the Shackles. The Master of the Gales ceremonially attaches a broken, silver-plated manacle on Tessa's wrists as a symbol of this honor, representing your freedom from the constraints of other nations’ laws and authority, but also the responsibility that now binds you to the welfare of the Shackles and its people, whom you now represent. Finally, the Master of the Gales presents you with a deed granting you lordship over a small island in the north of the Shackles. But a deed is only a piece of paper; in order to truly claim dominion over this island, you must explore it and deal with any monsters or other inhabitants there.
Harmony embraces her fiance with gusto at the finish line. "If you'd cost us the race by not getting away from the wheel I'd be tanning your bottom until it was as red as your hair." She whispers fiercely. "But we won, so instead." She finishes by giving the victorious red-head a thorough kissing, proving that the ship deserves its nickname...
-------------------
That evening, once the hands have had their dinner and are enjoying the delights of victory, Harmony summons a meeting of senior officers on the quarterdeck. With the ship at anchor there is no helmsman and it is a reasonably private conversation.
"Firstly congratulations." She says. "This was a superb effort by the whole crew, led flamboyantly as ever by Captain Steele." She pauses to allow Tessa preening time. "But it couldn't have been done without all of you, so thank you."
She pauses again to let that sink in properly. "Now recently I was accused of theft, although not in so many words. It was suggested to me that Tessa and I have been claiming unfair amounts of loot for ourselves and shortchanging the officers who contribute to its claiming. That implication hurt me, a lot." She says honestly. Val, Donomsail and even Polli can see that Harmony has abandoned her usual guile. "There has not been a single piece of eight taken by this ship that has not been fairly split. If anyone doubts me you are welcome to look at the ships books, everything has been accounted for there. Now I know." She holds up a hand to forestall any comments, "There are two exceptions to that rule. The Sea Witch, which I claimed, crewed and sent sailing. Yes, I did that." She looks around the group, "But every penny of loot that Maheem passed on to me has been shared equally amongst you all. That was the promise of the Siren - equal shares. If one of you wishes to take command of the Sea Witch then I will not stand in your way, you may part company and set out on your own voayage if you wish. I claimed the Sea Witch because I am the one who went to the work of finding sailors to crew it and I chose officers to sail it. That has been my role here on the Siren and I did it for the Sea Witch as well, but in doing so I have not taken a single gold piece from any of you. So criticise me if you wish but I honestly believe that none of you would have done a better job than I did. I have simply had more practice than the rest of you."
She waits for a moment, "Secondly, and on a similar vein, the shop in Port Peril. I had it signed over to Tessa," She glances at her fellow captain who (she now realises) might not even know that, "Because as Captains we have a certain degree of authority that the rest of you do not. That is all. Tessa has no desire to leave the Siren that I know of, and neither do I. Again, if any of you wish to retire from the sea and set up your own business, speak to us. I will add my words to yours to convince my fellow captain that the business should be yours. But until then, she is the best owner. A seat on the Pirate Council carries weight."
Harmony takes a deep breath, and then another. "So, if any of you feel hard done by speak now. Tessa and I have made decisions many of you have disagreed with, and we have all dealt with that I hope. But we, I, have never cheated any of you. Ever." It takes a few moments for Harmony to regain her composure. "That is all I wanted to say, please don't let me keep any of you from the celebrations any longer."
Still drunk on the storm, Polli is a huggy, squealing, wide sloppy grinning, happy mess. Celebrating their victory, the storm, her love, the crew! All of it.
Until the meeting...
Her frown comes back, hers arms cross defensively, and she is wary as can be of every word. While she doesn't care about ownership of any of it, (other than the Siren, which she sees herself as being an equal partner in), and truly doesn't see Tessa or Harmony cutting out shares from them, she does still very much care about the thing the 'decision disagreed with'.
In her mind it has not been dealt with, that it is still there like a oozing wall of distrust between her and the captains. But that isn't going to get solved any time soon. They believe they were RIGHT, which was insane... Polli's arms grow tighter, frown deeper, but she shakes her head hard to dislodge that train of thinking. It won't change, talking or thinking about it...
and she really wants to enjoy the evening.
So she keeps it shut, says nothing, and leaves when dismissed. The rest of the evening she does her ever loving best to dwell on the wind and rain and the stunning of delight of having family to celebrate with, while avoiding the two she is no longer certain of anymore.
what in the hells is her problem... I knew I never should have been honest with her... she commands me to tell her how I thought things would be and then—even though I went out of my way to say I was alright with how things are—takes insult when I tell her, and has the nerve to call it an accusation... unbelievable... then she insists everything’s split equally while explaining why it hasn’t been split equally... I wonder how long it’ll take her to realize we just won the two of them a whole island, I couldn’t help but notice that was conveniently left off the list...
Val takes a deep breath and smiles pleasantly after the captain’s ‘inspiring’ speech. When dismissed she tugs a silent salute on her cap and promptly heads off for some actual celebrating with the other peasants.
After the kiss, she nips at Harmony's ear and teases a whispers [b]"Maybe I should have lost it on purpose?
Tessa looks sidelong at her fellow captain when she mentions the shop. She hadn't quite put that together and that came as a surprise to her. More of a surprise however, are these accusations of being unfair with their crew. She just doesn't get it.
We're an unconventional ship with an unconventional structure where we grant more latitude to the officers and crew than any other ship in the Shackles. We were both selected by the crew. We both-
Tessa stops before she gets herself worked up. It's clear everyone wasn't going to agree on things and it's best she just moved on rather than make it worse. She looked down at the silver-plated manacle while she waited to see if the crew was going to speak up in answer to Harmony's speech.
She folded her hands in front of her, waiting patiently.
With the Regatta Victory in hand, Captain Fairwind informs you that a feast will be held in your honor in Port Peril as soon as you return there. During that feast, she will personally pass along to you more information about your island. She gives you all a hug of congratulations and then returns to her own ship to race you back to the port city. The rest of the ships that survived the race vanish off to the four winds. The last to leave, fittingly enough, is the Wyrmwood. She keeps her distance, but it's clear that you're being watched by her captain. Having taking your measure, he shouts orders and the ship of your past sets sail and plots a course to the southwest.
- Day 192
In spite of your best efforts, Tessa Fairwind beats you back to the city by a good half-a-day. You're met that evening by a pair of courtiers at the pier when you tie up.
"As soon as you are able ..." one of the men begins.
"... we are to escort you and your entire crew to Long-leg's Hall ..." the second continues.
"... where your welcome feast will commence," the first concludes.
"Please note ..." the second man adds.
"... 'as soon as you are able' should be taken to mean 'as soon as humanly possible,'" the first finishes.
"The food is getting cold," the second man says with the sneer of a hired servant.
~~~~
Once the crew has cleaned up to the officer's satisfaction they make for a boisterous parade to Long-leg's Hall - a large feasting hall that can be reserved for ... special occasions.
There are tables filled with food and drink as well as musicians already well into a lively tune. A cheer rises up from the gathered Free Captains and assorted hangers-on when the officers and crew of the Siren arrive.
Captain Fairwind has had time to get dressed for the occasion in a green flowing gown and presents herself when you arrive with a mug of ale already in her hand.
"So who will be the first one to dance with a beautiful Free Captain of the Shackles?" she questions with a wink. A baritone voices speaks up from the other side of the group. "I think I'd like that honor," Pierce says, holding his hand out to Marisan.
"May I be the second?" Meiying questions in a quiet voice. She's donned a blue noblewoman's dress. The dress has seen better days, but she wears it well. She looks nervously at Valeria, but her smile slowly widens.
Before anyone else speaks up, Captain Fairwind plonks her mug down on a nearby table and grabs Harmony by the hand, dragging her towards the area set aside for dancing. "I'll be damned if I'm going to be the last one to dance," she says with a laugh.
~~~~
The revels continue for some time, but at least once you notice the Master of Gales himself sitting off to the side. His gaze is serious rather than celebratory. He sees you notice him and gestures for all of you to come speak with him. He sits at a side table with just a lone bottle of wine that, by the matter of how full it is, he's only poured one glass from.
He reaches into a bag sitting next to his chair and pulls a rolled parchment from within it. "This is the deed to your island and the provision for six new seats on the council," he says in a gruff voice. "Captain Fairwind requested that you and your senior officers all have their names inscribed upon it. Not sure why you would wish to share power in that manner, but that was the request. If that's not to your liking, take it up with her." He reaches down and pulls out another scroll - a map. "This is the location of the isle. It's approximately two hundred miles to the northwest of Port Peril." He reaches down and pulls up a third parchment showing the outline of an island.
"It’s called the Island of Empty Eyes," he explains, "for the queer statues that leer over its shores. Uninhabited and fraught with danger, make no doubt, but naught that pirates of your capabilities can’t handle. You’ve landed seats on the Pirate Council, but winning a race don’t make a sailor a captain, nor a freebooter a lord. You’ll need to show the Council you can tame the island and make it your own, if you want to claim your seats. The lords of the Council will come calling in three months to see if you’re worth the honor that’s been bestowed upon you, and they’ll expect to be feted as befits pirate lords of their stature. Provided you look like you know what you’re doing, they’ll take your oath of loyalty and grant you your seats on the Council. If not... well, you wouldn’t be the first winner of the Regatta who failed to live up to expectations."
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“Just consider it please” Polli said over Dony’s crimson shoulder, as she fusses over her love’s luxuriously silky hair. The pair of magical nerds were getting ready for the party in their nested quarters under all the hustle and bustle of the ship. Polli, of course, would rather curl up next to the cleric, with a book or for a lovely, lengthy, distraction, but Dony deserved to be shown off just as much as any Siren. So the wizard relented with only a bit of grumping, spoiled with a quick tickle that took her by surprise.
“Not now, not yet, at least, but sometime… we could make magic items for the wealthy and provide healing and doctoring to the poor. A little shop of our own, to have and to hold for all time” she whispered the last part, holding her breath a moment at the thought. She didn’t know how long she had left on the Siren. Already she had been on this one longer than any other, she thinks, or at least it felt like it. It was hard to tell, so many of the others had those periods of depressed gloom where the time bled together, where years might pass without notice. Not on the Siren though…
Still her opinions were grating on the powers that be, her voice asked to be quietened, and her hopes… another small shaked of her head. It was a familiar pattern in her life.
“Sorry, I don’t want to decide anything or ask you to. I just want you to think about it… that’s all.”
She steps away, complete with her task, and nods, stunned as always that this magnificent woman loved Her, the cantankerous Polli Bog.
“Now how do I look?” the wizard was in a form fitting blue silk with white creams flaring out. She felt it was too low in places and too high in others, but she had asked Marisan, who knew such things, and was assured Dony would love it.
At the shindig,
“May I?” the graceful sylph asked for Dony’s hand for a dance as the others started pairing off. A small whisper of magic allowed the two to float with the winds, as they swayed and swished, never letting go for a second of the song. Polli stayed as long as Dony wished, smiled with the others, even danced with a few people other than Dony (at the cleric’s insistence).
It was a lovely evening.
Val summons a bunch of water to clean herself up with quickly, then puts on her armor and swords. Activating the power of her armor, she transforms her outfit into a low-cut, bodiced gown, made of black silk and embroidered with tiny anchors and nautical stars along the seems and hems. When asked to dance, she smiles and quietly answers, ”I have no idea what I’m doing,” as she rises to take the dance floor with her lover. She proves a bit handsy as a dance partner but, thankfully, her natural grace keeps her from making a total ass of herself.
She listens dutifully to the Master’s explanation of the island until he mentions Captain Fairwind’s request, when her interest is suddenly piqued.
wow... there’s one captain really looking out for us... I’ll have to think of some way to thank her for that...
After enjoying the celebration, and retiring to a nearby inn for some more personal celebrations (away from the Siren’s noise restrictions), Val calls upon her magic to see what rumors about the Island of Empty Eyes might be floating around Port Peril.
Harmony reads a mood as well, or better, than most and it is entirely possible that her dour mood contributes to Tessa Stormwind beating Tessa Steele back to Port Peril. Even the prospect of a party doesn't seem to cheer her up in the slightest and she goes to little more than the base effort required leaving the Siren in an all black assembly of boots, trousers and jacket trimmed with white and silver. Combined with her black hair Captain Violet looks more like she's going to a funeral than a party at least partly in her honor.
She accepts the dance from Tessa Fairwind, not that she has much choice about it, but dances without her usual enthusiasm, although years of lessons ensure that she is at least passable.
She pays more attention to the Master of Gales but, when he finishes speaking, unrolls the charter and neatly expunges 'Violet' from the list of owners, leaving only five names behind. She departs the party shortly afterwards.
Marisan arrives to the feast dressed in her finest dancer's outfit, which looks pretty similar to her usual clothes, if more colorful. She beams at Pierce as he asks her to dance, taking his hand. "Do you think you can keep up with me?" she challenges him as she puts her full training on display and puts all the other dancers to shame!
At the discussion from the Master of Gales, Polli is confused why she is being given a seat on the council or listed on owning an island. Neither she cares a lick about. Her love, her family, and her ship are her cares and worries... well throw in a good book or two, and some soup now and again.
Still she accepts this is something the captains are wishing, and she's had enough of rocking the boat for a bit. An attempt at healing, maybe... but then Harmony refuses to accept the island so she is completely lost in the matter.
In the end the wizard shrugs and does the same, rejecting ownership of the island and a seat on the council (if allowed). She isn't good at reading anybody, so is just following her own mind on the matters.
As Harmony moves to line out her name from the charter the man pulls the parchment back slightly.
"Be aware that if your name isn't on the island deed then you're also giving up your seat on the council," he says. "Are you sure that's what you wish to do?"
~~~~
"I'll do my best," Pierce says to Marisan with a grin.
~~~~
Once Captain Fairwind finishes her dance with Harmony, she moves on to Tessa. The two red-heads make quite a picture and draw an appreciative crowd of onlookers. Some cheering. Some making much cruder comments.
~~~~
Meiying happily leads Valeria through various dances, laughing and giggling the entire time.
Later that night, when the two Sirens make it back to the ship, Polli will glance at Dony, with a scrunched obstinate look but sighs an "Okay... I'll try." a quick kiss later and a promise to not be long, she knocks on the captain's door.
"Sorry, the... disagreement between us is not why I am here. I wanted to clarify my thoughts on distribution and state that you are... both... good captains, for the most part." she couldn't keep herself from adding the last irritation.
"The best I've served under at least."
If there is no response, she'll nod her good night, and go back to her cabin.
Marisan laughs as Pierce, indeed, does his best. ”It is a good start! I will have to give you private lessons later!”
She dances close to the captain, gazing longingly into his eyes.
She eagerly accepts Fairwind's invitation, enjoying the celebration and festitivies. No one is faster to the party than Tessa, and by the time she's dancing with Fairwind she's already completely sloshed. It's all she can do to stay upright, slurring her speech and tripping over everything in a very un-Tessa like fashion.
----
Tessa looks confused and shakes her head to answer the question for Harmony "No, that is not what she wants to do. She is not giving up her seat on teh council." she states quite clearly.
---
She kicks her legs up on an empty chair and says "I appreciate you coming here to state that. It's not easy being in charge and we do our best to take care of everyone here and it really means a lot to me that you are part of this crew. Thank you for coming forward to speak your mind."
"Oh, and you're the best damn air genie I've ever had the pleasure of serving with." she says with a nod.
Harmony places a gentle hand on Tessa's cheek and stares into her fiancees' eyes for a long moment. Then she leans in and decisively crosses out her name.
-----------------------------
"Polli? Would you mind me asking a personal question? What do you see happening after this? Assuming that you want to retire from the sea one day, what would you and Dony want to do then? I'm... thinking about the future."
Val shoots a confused look at the captain when she scratches her name from the charter.
is she trying to make a grand gesture over the even shares bit... or is she upset that it can’t have her real name... or that Captain Fairwind made her share it with us...
”Cap’n,” she adds tentatively, ”I know it’s not my place to say, but maybe you should listen to Captain Steele... you could always sell or trade away your share later—hells, you could even renounce it—but getting added later on might not be as easy...”
"It is done." Harmony says in reply. "I've been thinking about the future and this is the right thing to do, and now is not the place to discuss it. Later, if you truly wish to know."
It is clear that Harmony is not to be dissuaded.
Polli seems surprised about the question, her shoulders losing some of the tension, her grip even relaxing a bit as she thinks "a real family" she replies softly "Children, I mean. Ones that know love their entire childhood instead of fear and neglect." Dony's tales makes Polli's abandonment seem tame. "I've only started discussing this with Dony, so please, don't breathe a word. And if she says no, well I'll go wherever she is. That's all that matters." she trails off for a moment "We have time. Dony is young, and I'm... I have a long lifespan." Dony's lessons push in her head "And you two?"
”Yes, ma’am,” Val answers with a concerned tug of her cap.
After the festivities, she tries to speak with the captain but finds her already engaged with Polli, so she hovers far enough away that other noise drowns out their conversation. When Polli leaves them she approaches and offers, ”Cap’ns, I wanted to apologize for speaking out of turn tonight. I...”
what in the hells am I doing right now... I must have drank too much... ‘ask me later if you really want to know’ is not going to go any better than ‘you can tell me’ did...
”...well, it’s none of my business what my cap’ns decide to take or not take. But, uh, thank you... for not protesting Cap’n Fairwind’s suggestion...”
"You spoke your mind, you're absolutely entitled to do so." Harmony says calmly. "There's no need to apologise. As for the island and the seat, we said equal shares. You've earned your place at the council table, or at least you will in..." She glances away. "Ninety one days. I suggest people start thinking of themes around cyclopes." A hint of Harmony's normal humor shows through for a moment. "Now if you'll excuse us Val...?"
”Yes, ma’am,” Val answers with a tug of her cap. Assuming Captain Steele doesn’t wish to add anything, she turns and heads back to her date.
Tessa doesn't hide her surprise when Harmony crosses off her name, her jaw falling open as she stares at her co-captain in astonishment, unable to understand what the play is here. "Uh-alright."
--------
Her smile wanes when Harmony mentions going on though, bringing back a conversation she had with her soon to be mother-in-law. Harmony is going to want to go home someday. she had said. Tessa ponders this and gets lost in the memory, eyes glazing over as she thinks about it.
Tessa nods silently, letting the slayer depart.
"What was that about?" she asks, looking in Val's direction after she's gone.
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"I've been thinking a lot." She says, trying to work out how to express the complex tangle of feelings and emotions inside her. "And I'm not like my mother, not enough to do this. My mother, she can bend people, the world even to her will. It's scary sometimes, to see how people contort themselves to do what she wants. If she was leading this ship there would have been no talk of unfairness or complaints over punishments. Everyone would see things her way and there would be no question of it being otherwise." Harmony shrugs, sending her hair rippling across her shoulders. "I can't do that. The last few weeks, since the business with Ambrose, have shown me that. I'm not strong the way Mother is. I can lead a ship, but... I don't have the... the ruthlessness to go any further. Not for myself." She pauses and gives Tessa a tremulous smile.
"And I think that's because I don't want it. Not really, not enough. I love you Tessa and if we just sailed the oceans together I'd be happy. I don't need to be a Pirate Lord, I don't need to sit on the Council and everything that people, Val especially, have said over the last week or so has shown me that. The fame and the respect matters far more to her than it does to me. If I can't commit one hundred percent to being the greatest pirate I can, then I just won't be good enough. So I'm going to commit to something I absolutely can commit to. You."
This time her smile is wider. "You, Contessa Steele, are a born pirate. You fight, you swear and you drink like a pirate should. You and Fairwind are so alike its scary sometimes. We are good together, we run a fine ship, a fine fleet even so that's what we're going to do. Two minds, two voices, working towards one goal. I'm not giving up captaincy, or the Siren, but I want to stand behind you in the Pirate Council Tessa, I'm going to help you, rather than have to sit there on my own. And then perhaps, one day, we can retire and start a family of our own - just like Polli and Dony. Do you understand Lacey? I need a purpose and I want that purpose to be you. That's why I gave up a share on the island, not because it's haunted by dead cyclopes, because I'd rather share your part than have an entire island of my own. My mom is a powerful woman in her own right, for all that she acts the 'perfect wife' at dinner parties. I'm not like Mother, but I want to be more like Mom. Does that make any sense?"
Harmony sniffs and realises that she's crying. "I'm just babbling, I'm sorry." She says, looking rather helplessly for something to dry her eyes with.
Tessa had been following along with the words which were not surprising at all to her. While she sometimes had trouble reading people, she was especially close to Harmony and seen the tumultuous effects it had on her recently.
So I'm going to commit to something I absolutely can commit to. You."
Tessa can't help at grin at that statement. When she goes on to compliment her fighting, swearing and drinking, her pearly whites are showing as he soaks up the praise.
nd then perhaps, one day, we can retire and start a family of our own.
.
Tessa holds her smile, blinking, as she tries to contemplate retiring from being a pirate to start a family. She looses a few of Harmony's next words as she zones out thinking about it but picks back up at the end.
I'm not like Mother, but I want to be more like Mom. Does that make any sense?"
Moving beside Harmony, she slips her hand around her waist and pulls her close. She offers endearing words to help soothe her woes "Your mom is rude and is fat, neither of which describe you. She smells bad to. Like ... old shoes." She shivers, trying to get rid of the thought. "I' hope those aren't the qualities that you are speaking of?"
She chuckles and moves to look into Harmony's eyes, lifting her chin "This is all I've ever known and this is all I had ever thought about doing. I don't know if it's what I want to do forever or not, but I can tell you that I don't feel like I'm even close to being done. Whether this crew realizes it or not, they need us doing what it is we are doing. We are holding them all together and without us the Siren becomes just another ship in the Shackles."
"Maybe there will come a time where I'm bored of dancing across the tops of mens heads and besting them in swordplay and maybe there won't. Regardless, you are what keeps me alive and sane out here. You are my balance, my center and if you tire of this life and want to go home, I'll be at your side."
She levels a finger at Harmony and clarifies "Though I swear to the Pirate Queen herself, we will not live with or adjacent to your parents. Considerable distance is required."
As she thinks more on that, she laughs loudly. Tessa's laugh is always loud free, causing her red curls to bounce and a dimple to show on her left cheek. "Can you imagine? Maybe we should ask to move in with them. I can't imagine your mom's face with trying to sit down and join her for tea every morning."
Mimicking Zhi's voice she narrows her eyes and squints at Harmony "Contessa! What do you think you are doing! That's not the proper way to sit at a table for tea!" Throwing her head back in laughter, she pushes Harmony to the bed and hops on top of her waist looking down at her. Leaning down, she places both hands on either side of her head and says softly "I'll follow you to the ends of the world, Vi. Together we are immortals."
She leans in and kisses her on the lips softly before nuzzling into the crook of her neck and softly biting it playfully.
Later however, later enough that the stars are giving way to a new dawn and the captains are at the warm and fuzzy stage that comes after a well satisfied sleep Harmony rolls over to place her nose against Tessa's. Then she casts another spell so she doesn't have to roll back over again immediately!
The fug between them dispersed she looks into Tessa's lidded eyes. "Tessa the Immortal, Hurricane Queen sounds nice. That's a goal I can get behind." A sparkle appears in her violet eye and she rolls on top of Tessa, pinning the taller woman face-first into the mattress.
"However, you've got to be nicer about your mother-in-law. This isn't the first time you've done this so I'm going to have to teach you a lesson!"
Tessa doesn't sleep in smallclothes, or much of anything, and the helmsman hears at least one hearty smack from the cabin below before all sound abruptly ceases.
Harmony knows she's not being entirely clear, but she can't express the feeling properly, beyond knowing that she desperately needs her parents' reassurance.
Harmony can hear the nervous tension in the question.
From there the whole story comes tumbling out. Ambrose, the officers, the Regatta, winning, turning down the seat. It all flows out in a messy deluge that leaves Harmony feeling a lot better by the time its done. "So we aren't going to be coming back any time soon, but I want to, one day and I think I want to be a mother too. So I just wanted to know... what was it like for you? How did you know?"
Zhi takes a moment to collect herself.
"And if that's what you want with Contessa, then we can offer at least one magical solution that would make that possible. I won't go into details right now, but suffice it to say that it obviously worked for your mother and I."
"I'm going to get an ear-full about this from your mother because I promised I would leave you to your private business," Zhi says into the bard's chest. "But when my baby needs a hug, my baby gets a hug."
She holds Harmony in her arms for a bit longer before stepping back with a sniff. She reaches up to pull the taller woman down to press a kiss on her forehead. As she does so, she whispers a word. It's not a word that Harmony's heard before, but she recognizes it as a magical word of activation. Of what, she doesn't know.
"If you're going to be a pirate, then I expect nothing less but the Queen of Pirates for my daughter," she says with a proud smile. She tips her head and vanishes. The last phrase she utters is, "Don't forget the Night Tea."
It's not until twenty minutes later that Harmony realizes that her skirt pocket is not as empty as it was a little while ago. Within it is a wand of heavily carved, deep red wood.
Harmony leaves the cabin feeling more cheerful than she has in days.
You spend another day shopping and making preparations for your exploration of the Island of Empty Eyes before setting out. The journey is uneventful and in less than a week, you've reached your island.
- Day 198
Reaching the island in the early morning, you spend an hour or so just circling the place intended to be your home.
A high plateau forms the north and central portions of the island, surrounded by 500 - foot high cliffs. Two long peninsulas jut from the plateau to the southeast and southwest. Two sheltered bays offer the best anchorages, a large one to the south and a smaller bay to the east. In addition, a number of beaches where boats can land line the island’s shores. Scattered across the island, but especially along the beaches and cliffs of the central plateau, are large, weathered statues of giant cyclopes. The statues are all clearly of great age, but their single eyes, which once reputedly contained large and valuable gemstones, are now just empty holes — the reason for the island’s mysterious epithet.
Approaching the island, you discover a number of low-lying shoals and barrier reefs just offshore which Tessa believes that she can easily navigate if you wish to drop anchor in one of the sheltered bays.
You note a number of points of interest in your circumnavigation of the island.
On the northwest side of the island a tall stone tower topped with battlements rises along the cliffs. Two eyeless cyclops statues rise above these defenses, gazing sightlessly over the western sea. Above them, the spire continues upward, tapering into a giant crystal shard of pink quartz. At ground level, immense double doors, decorated in ancient glyphs, form the tower’s only visible entrance.
In the eastern bay huge stone pylons lead from the shore into the bay. The broken beams and timbers that once formed a giant dock lie smashed between them, half-submerged in the water. Three giant-sized canoes and a catamaran lie beached on the sand nearby.
At the north end of the southern bay, you can see a stone-walled fort. It has 15' high walls and a number of watch towers. There seems to be no activity that you can discern from the distance you're at.
You can also make out a number of large stone bridges crossing various rivers that look like they've weathered the ages well.
Val points out the stone fort at the northern side of the southern bay and offers, ”I think that fort’s left from some colonists who tried to settle here a while back. There’s rumors it’s haunted, but it could be a good home base for us... if those are just rumors, or we clear it out...”
Polli is most curious about the huge crystal in the tower, but tactically the fort seems a good choice. "I do worry about the boats though. If their size is an indication of the size of their sailors, we might wish to confiscate them, until we know their intentions."