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Post by Raven on Jun 19, 2016 21:05:35 GMT -5
“Boss, we are down to oats. If we don’t find work soon”
“Yada yada, I’m already on it. Get my Giant, tell him to bring the rod” a small fragile voice came from an equally small woman. She stood on the last two inches of the bow, her toes pointing toward the great sea. Above her was a collection of great sales that were currently slack, allowing them to float in the blue waters. The sun was high in the sky, midday, but the wind coming off of waters cooled the heat of the summer.
“This is the honey hole, Giant” she pointed forward. Below them in the clear blue waters was a shadow figure of a ship on its side, now a coral reef, home to some beasts. She could see the flourishing schools of fish circle around, breaking to the presence of bigger fish bolting through their parade. The tall man, presumably Giant, stood with a huge rod in his arms. He threw the line – a dangling fish at the end of the hook to attract those huge beasts swimming below. The man behind her wore a get-up of full leather attire, a hired body guard who found his home among the Flotsam.
“Ya’ remember this beauty?” She questioned, grinning ear to ear. This was one of her rival ships that lay slain to her cunning ability. Giant nodded behind her, he never talked much at all. “Yeah. You did good too, but really. I got him good” she laughed. Then suddenly the rod bent over in a huge arch, the reel screamed loudly as the line ran outwards. “Oh yeah baby!” she shouted and leaned over slightly, looking into the water. “Get that bastard up close!” She shouted to Giant and pulled out her long dagger from her thigh. She then began to take off her knee high boots and set them behind her.
Giant pulled in the huge fish after several minutes of fighting it. Once it got up to the boat it fought harder. “Alright, keep ‘er steady!” She shouted. Suddenly she leapt into the water with both arms out. With a splash she wrapped her arms around the fish. It was a 8 ft long Tuna, 3 feet longer than herself. She spun around and with the dagger stabbed the fish in the belly and ripped it upward to his gills. Instantly his innards came out, flooding the water with blood. She reached her arm into his body and cleaned him there, dumping over 20 pounds of guts into the sea. Instantly the fish stopped fighting.
She pulled away and reached the surface. “Get ‘em up!” she shouted and then swam to the side of the boat. “Throw me a line you lazy bafoon!” she shouted. Then from the side a rope fell to the water. She gripped the water and climbed up easily. She rung out her long brown hair onto the deck and stepped over to Giant who pulled the Tuna onto the deck. “She’s small but she did the trick! Throw that line back into the water! Get me those monsters” she grinned. She had chummed the water with the gut of the tuna, bringing in the bigger fish.
“All you worthless fools get a rod and bring in the money!” she called and walked away from the bow with her boots in hand. A few people emerged from the cabin and tossed their lines into the water. In the Captains room above the cabin she changed into a pair of black leather pants, ripped in the knees and worn. With a white shirt, a sash tied about her waist and an open vest to go over it. “Wet wet wet” she muttered and tossed the clothes to the side.
She came out of her room and leaped into the air with ease – pulling on a line that pulled one of the sails taught. Then she easily monkey leaped from one line to another, pulling each sale – all 4 tight to catch the wind. “Pull the anchor!” she shouted and then climbed to the crow’s nest. She pulled her goggles that sat over her bandana over her head. Instantly her vision zoomed forward and she peered around. Then she clicked her tongue and a bird flew over to her shoulder. “Go look” she pointed and the bird flew off.
The anchor was drawn inward and its door shut. “Lets sell some fishies!” she called and jumped from her crows nest to the large wooden and steel steering wheel. She gripped two spokes and turned the wheel in one big motion. “Cruise control!” she shouted. A man stepped forward and nodded her head. “South East, full sail, mama wants her chocolate!” She shouted and pointed. She gripped the wheel after the entire boat turned swiftly, jerking it back to position. The long haired man stepped in her place and put his hands on the wheels.
“Deck hand man! Make sure this fishy stinky-ness doesn’t linger. Thank you thank you!” Her Deck hand stepped forward with his large brush and nodded, watering down area that was piled with huge fish. There was several sharks, two tunas and some jack that were stacked at the bow in a pile. “We got 2 hours to make it to town!” her boat moved with extreme speed, currently the number one fastest boat In the world. Flotsam was the best.
They made it town and tied off at the dock. Several of the dock hand stood with their jaw agape at Flotsam. It wasn’t that Flotsam was beautiful, or cool looking. Actually it looked like a ratty – tat wooden boat, with plenty of second hand repairs to the wood where portions of it was blown to bits. It was the Flotsam, and that was enough. “Giant! Get the boys and bring these to the market. Make me a penny and take the chef shopping for some goodies!!” she shouted as she stepped off her boat. She had no idea what town she was in – but it was some where, she could make some money.
“Ren” A voice came from between two shops. She stopped and turned, looking for the voice. “Eh?” she asked and approached the voice. Her purple hues looked around until she spied the voice. “Do you got the stuff?” She whispered. “I got the money” she spoke and pulled out a few coins. From the darkness a hand came forward and held out two bars towards her. Molanian Chocolate. Her favorite. “Oh yes.” She took the chocolate and dropped the coins in the hands. “Thank you sir” she spoke and walked away.
“Wait”
“Nope”
She walked away, her sash tail trailing behind her. A group of men gathered outside of the bar and suddenly rushed up. A clatter of voices – offers and begging to Ren. “Back up, back up. Ya’ damn seagulls. I got nothing for ya unless you have good reason and a decent bag of money. Let me to the café you damn bagers!” She spoke and slapped a hand away that reached for her. “Or I’ll make you move” she spoke. The men finally moved from her way. She stepped past the bar and made her way to the small breakfast café. It had been quite a while since she had been to Portland.
The bell rang happily as she entered, her eyes beaming as the scent of pasteries filled the air. She took her seat at the bar and a waitress walked over. “Coffee?”
“Yes please, some pancakes” She smiled and sipped on her coffee that was poured before her. “Oh sweet sweet coffee, you are so kind to me” she whispered. The door bell rang and a large sailor walked up. “Ren.. please..”
“Why?” She spoke without turning her eye.
“There is rumor that - “
“Rumor is not truth. Come back when you have a better standing” She waved her hand, telling him to leave. The man grit his teeth and stepped forward. In a quick move she threw her fork and it stabbed the man in his forehead. The fork stuck out straight, still wiggling in vibration. “And let that be a warning to any other deck scrubbing land loathing foolish sea birds. Bugger off. I want my pancakes” she spoke and took another sip of her tea.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 19, 2016 23:07:05 GMT -5
“Good morning, Miss Sarálonde.” An old woman pushed open the curtains to a rather larger room with marble flooring. The rays of the sun rushed into the darkness of the shadows and flooded over the velvety red comforter. “You’ve much to do today, Mélawen.” The woman moved about opening up another curtain that led to the balcony that overlooked the city of Portland. “Mélawen, it’s beautiful out.” A groan of deprecation came from the lump of blankets. The sound of the early morning birds chirped from the gardens of the palace. “Mél, come on dear.” The tiny old woman pulled the comforter away to reveal the princess. “You’ve got to get dressed.” She woman adjusted the thick frames of her glasses upon her wrinkled face.
“How about….” The girl sat up and hung her feet over the edge of her bet, her chocolatey tasseled hair hung down passed her shoulders. Her ocean blue eyes caught the old woman, “We pretend and I’ll just enjoy a relaxing day on the balcony….hm? It certainly does sound nice for once, to do something that I wish.” She gave a small sheepish smile as she stood and made her way to the balcony. She leaned against the cold stone as she looked over the city. Across the city lay the sea.
“Mélawen, you and I both know that you disappearing for a day just isn’t something that is allowed. Your father may have my head…no actually, he would, and you wouldn’t want that now, would you?”
The princess sighed heavily as she imagined life on the sea, life away from here…free. Since birth she had been given orders, she had been shoved around like nothing more than a puppet to her parents. Much like other royals did to their children. She had no choice. Not in what she wore, nor where she went. She couldn’t even venture out to the gardens without so much of a fuss from her father. She usually found herself in the gardens late at night by the light of the moon. She silvery rays allowed her to enjoy the petals of the flowers and the curves of the trees. It was the closest to the outside world she could manage to get. “I wouldn’t.” She finally responded as she came to the old woman, “So big day, huh, Ida?”
The woman smiled softly as she helped the princess into her formal attire. “Mélawen, you will do well. Tomorrow you will be wed to Sir Victor Leighuges, I know you see it as a negative move on your parents part, but it will be good for the kingdom. The Leighuges line has a lot to offer, land, money, their royal guard, which is leagues ahead of your father’s army. And with the mages---“
Mélawen sighed heavily and shook her head, “He doesn’t know what he is doing to me. This isn’t at all what I want.”
“That doesn’t matter dear. For centuries they have been setting up marriages, it isn’t up to you unfortunately.”
The princess fell silent in that moment. She couldn’t stop this if she wanted. She had no power. No say. There was nothing she could do. She felt more like a prisoner than royalty at this point. “How does my father expect the humans of his land to respect us? Marriage isn’t going to fix the cruelty that the humans from his land have unleased.” She snapped before she pulled away from the woman. She wore a beautiful white dress with sapphire blue trimming that caused her eyes to stand out.
“Princess, please, you don’t have much time before the breakfast…” The old woman toted her back in front of the mirror where she brushed on make-up and mascara. Several silent minutes later the old woman smiled. “My advice is to be the strong girl that you’ve always been, you will persevere and this will be a huge step for the kingdom. For you.”
Mélawen took in a deep breath, “I hope so.” She whispered softly as she turned, “Thank you for everything Ida.” She stepped from the room to be greeted by a knight, her escort. “Good morning, Xavier.” She greeted him with a soft smile, the sadness showed in her eyes.
“Good morning, princess, all is well, no need to be troubled.” He spoke as he began to walk down the hall toward the spiral staircase that would lead them into the grand hall and finally to the long breakfast table that her parents sat at the far end of. “Good luck.” Xavier gave a nod as he took his post at the door.
“Ah dearest daughter.” Her mother greeted her with a smile on her face. Her eyes matched Mélawen’s a beautiful blue that only the ocean seemed to have. “You look lovely, doesn’t she dear?” She looked away to the king.
“Good morning, Ayla.” He smiled, his beard silver with black hair peppering it. “You do look quite lovely.” He nodded. Ayla was her middle name, the name her father had wanted to give her, though her mother had insisted on giving her an Elvish name, and thus her mother had won. She had come up with the idea of wedding her to the human. A mistake, in her father’s eyes. Though, the queen called the shots in this palace.
“Thank you.” Mélawen said softly as she sat down for breakfast. Which was filled with meaningless chatter between her parents. It was the same each day, she felt like a doormat, a fly on the wall. She was greeted and then her mother went about laying out the plans of the day. The princess shifted uncomfortably as she fought the corset for small breaths of air. She had taken two or three bites of food and felt like her stomach couldn’t take anymore.
Her mother stood with a smile, “Off to the parade dear, we must celebrate your last day before you are wed.” She turned and left the room with her father.
The princess trailed behind with knights behind the trio. The parade was hot. Mélawen felt like a display piece as they were toted down the streets with the cheering crowds. Toward the end of the parade it was getting harder to breathe against the tight fabric. “F-father….” She muttered as she fell forward, falling into the arms of a knight, unconscious.
“Princess, wake up….” Cool water splashed against Mélawen’s face. “You gotta get up, Ayla.” Her eyes cracked open as the familiar voice echoed. Her vision was a blur. “Hey, are you with me, there isn’t much time.” The air was cool around her. “I promised you there was nothing to worry about princess.” He patted more water against her forehead. “You have to get up.” He helped her to her feet.
“Xavier…” She whispered as she blinked several times. “What…what’s going on?”
“I found your out…I’m sorry it had to happen this way princess.” He apologized.
“What…what are you talking about?”
“I slipped some herbs into your tea during the parade, you’ll be alright, just give yourself a few minutes to get your bearings, I brought everything for you.” He opened up a bag and pulled clothing out of it.
“Wh…where are we?” Her vision was clearer now, though the world spun. She leaned against a cold stone wall.
“Let’s just say I got you out of the palace, Ayla. Here, change into these in there.” He pointed to a door. “I’ll tell you what is going on in a minute.” He walked from the room.
Mélawen stumbled slightly as she went into the room and pulled off her dress, her corset was gone. She blinked her eyes as she brushed her hair from her eyes. She pulled on the garments. Pants. She had never worn pants. She furrowed her brows slightly as she buttoned the pants. She then pulled on the rest of the clothing before she looked in the mirror. The pants were black with a blue metal strap over her knee, she felt as though it would make a good defense in a fight. Her boots were black with bright yellow laces and red soles. She wore a yellow shirt with a red short sleeve button up over the top that she left unbuttoned. She left the bag on the bed in the room and emerged into the cool room that she had been in before. She looked around to see a couch, a towel lay at one end. Where am I? She wondered to herself.
“How does it feel?” Xavier came back into the room with another garment in his hands.
“I….” She furrowed her brows, “What’s going on?” She asked softly.
“You said you wanted to escape.” He smiled, “Here we are. You need to go to the café at the end of town, look for a small pirate, her name is Ren. You’ll know her when you see her. She is the captain of the Flotsam.” He set the clothing down and turned. “Here, I grabbed as much as I could to help you.” He pulled a bag that jingled with money. It was full of golden coins, no doubt stolen from the king and queen. “Just follow this map I drew you. Okay princess?” He moved and tied the cloak to her and put the hood up. The tattered dark grey material was aged from use. “Oh, don’t forget.” He handed her a set of blue gloves and a gadget that he clipped over her left forearm. She held her arm up as the red lights lit up and ticked slightly. “It’ll help you, I had a hard time finding one of these, it’s very rare.” He pushed a button and a screen appeared, “Route to Portland Café.” He smiled then, “It’ll give you directions.”
“I…um…” Mélawen stammered, “I…” She looked down to the gadget on her arm as he pulled the hood over her head, “I’ve never been outside the castle walls without a knight, Xavier…” She muttered.
“You’ll be fine with, Ren.” He grinned. “I’ve taken care of everything, the king and queen will think you’ve been kidnapped, and I’ll take care of the rest, by the end of this I will hopefully fool them into thinking you are dead.” He hugged her then. “Go.” He nodded as he handed her a staff. Her staff from the castle. It had a green crystal at the tip of it with red cloth. It was a relic that had been passed down in her family for decades.
The princess stared to the knight for a moment before she headed out the door into the light. She ducked her head, hiding her face from the citizens. If she so much as glanced to someone, her cover would be blown. Her head leaped into her throat as it pounded quickly. She was terrified and excited…she had never dreamed that this would happen. Mélawen made her way to the café by direction of the gadget on her forearm. Her tasseled hair hung down helping to shield her. She had heard about the Flotsam, stories. She had heard of the captain Ren as well. All from Xavier. He told her crazy stories that she thought were just that….stories. She walked into the café, the bell jingled happily with her arrival. She scanned the café through the shadows of her cloak and quickly found the woman.
Mélawen walked up to her and sat across from the woman at the table, hiding herself in the shadows of her cloak. She placed a pouch on the table, one that Xavier had given to her to give to the woman. “I need out of the city, I will give you more once we are off shore, and once we land at port in Glimbourne.” She spoke softly, still hiding within the shadows.
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Post by Raven on Jun 19, 2016 23:42:02 GMT -5
“These pancakes are freaking delicious!” She shouted and then stood up. “Whos the chef here? I’m stealing you, where are you?” she held her fork and knife in each hand. There was a sudden shuffle and then the back door shut close in a hurry. “Ah… come on.. I was only kidding.. just.. a ..compliment?” she laughed and then sat back, humming a little tune while poking at her pancakes. The waitress poured another class of coffee and then stepped away nervously. “Lighten’ up musky land rats” she muttered and took another bite. Ren leaned her head back and gulped down her coffee.
When she set her cup back down there was a girl in front of her. Ren paused for a moment and studied this person, and then looked to the bag. “I might have the fastest damned boat out there, but Glimbourne is a solid two week ride, you know that right?” she spoke and grabbed the bag of coins.
“One condition… you gotta make me pancakes” she shoved her empty plate forward. “If ya’ don’t know how, better learn quick!” she spoke and then stood up. “Lets go, I got a meeting with a bar of chocolate” she stood and then left the café.
Giant then approached and bowed his head. “Giant meet uh…. Pointy, pointy meet Giant. This here is my right hand man – but he’s mostly for look.” She held her hand up and Giant picked her up and placed Ren on his shoulders. “Alright! Pointy here needs to go to Glimbourne, but of course we will stop at Belgmine because they have the best brew for the boys, and frog legs are a weird human delicacy that I will never understand but some how love” she glanced down to her Ayla and then nodded.
“Interesting threads you have pointy. I don’t mind some color..” she laughed as they approached the dock. The dock hands cleared the way as the rest of the crew followed up with crates in their hands. “Deck man! Did you get that shit off my deck! I want it to smell like lemons! Pick up some damned lemons!” She shouted and then leaped off of Giant’s shoulders. She smiled as she looked to her beauty. It was a medium sized ship, completely wooden. Patches of the ship were of a lighter color, half – hazardly done, but patched. The sails were huge and tan in color, slightly ratty at some ends from good use. The lower half of the boat was covered in sea life, shells and more that had attached for the ride. The only thing that was absolutely perfect was that every single rope line was brand new, bright and white. Flotsam never had a rotting line, and never would. “She’s not the prettiest, but shes the best. Just like me!” She laughed and made her way onto the boat.
“Pointy!” she waved and stood on center deck. Ontop of the deck was a closed quarter room. As they came under the cover of the room she stopped and pointed. “Those doors infront of us is my room, Captains Quarters they call it. No touchy. To the right is these stairs here, that’s where you will stay. Follow now” she waved and stepped into the hull. The stairs led into a narrow hallway. “The first door on the right is yours, being a payin’ customer and all.” She opened the doors and held her hand out. The room was rather big, a nice bed in the center – wardrobe and a small desk. “It ain’t much but its better than the commons with the boys. No one will be coming in here, privacy is all you. If you like candles, slow sexy music and personal time – then this room will be perfect for you. Anyone bugs with ya’ and you come get me. No one fucks with a lady on ship” she nodded and then stepped back into the hallway. “All these other rooms are for my ship mates, you’ll meet ‘em. Good guys, but stick to your room. Straight down the hallway is the mess hall, eat all the grub you can consume, always food about. In the back of the mess hall is the kitchen where you will mix me up some good pancakes right?”
“Okay great. Free roam, stay outta the way, and if we got some tail for you – let me know. Someone attacks me I’m gunna hit back, let me know if they’re some kinda friend of yours. This ain’t my first rodeo.” Ren then went back up to the stairs. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure you know, but the name is Ren. That’s all that’s to it! Welcome aboard my lovely Flotsam.” She patted the wood rail and then ran up the steps.
“Ahoy, or whatever!” she shouted and then leapt upwards to the sails and pulled them tight. “Go go go! Birdy says we got some darkies rollin through, gotta beat the wind!” She shouted and clung up in the sails as the boat shot out to sea.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2016 0:26:16 GMT -5
Mélawen watched as the scene played out. When Ren suggested that she was to make pancakes before they had even gotten up from the table, her brow rose. Who is this strange tiny--- Her thoughts were interrupted by the word ‘Pointy’. It stung her ears. The elf looked up to the Giant as she was…introduced. She shuffled along behind the Giant and Ren. Her mind was going a million miles per hour as she looked to the scruffy boat. This…is…it? Her jaw was slack at this point. Was Xavier crazy? This woman was certainly crazy. Or insane. Mélawen hadn’t made up her mind quite yet on which it was. Though, she trusted Xavier’s judgement. She had known him since she was a child, and he had always protected her. He was the only knight that allowed her into the gardens after all. Without him she would have been confined to the walls of the palace until she shriveled up and died.
Mélawen had no idea how far Glimbourne was. But, she knew from Xavier’s stories and the books that she read that it was a safe haven, which the elves thrived there. She would be safe. It was touch and go in other towns. Elves were a lower of the species in places other than Portland. She had to be careful out in the real world away from the protection of her knights.
The princess cringed each time the short girl called her pointy. She stared down to her still hiding beneath her cloak. She followed Ren into the narrow hallway, this was highly out of her element. She listened quietly as she watched Ren. The room was small. Compared to what she had been used to. But, thankfully it was larger than the hallway that gave her the fear of being crushed. She wasn’t sure how to take the captain, her fast talking. She was quick. And once again she mentioned pancakes. With that the tiny woman went off on another tangent about Mélawen keeping out of the way. She watched as the captain ran off of the stairs and listened as the woman yelled and then they were off. She could feel the boat moving. If that wasn’t enough she could hear every creak and patch moving. She cringed slightly as she imagined her soggy death from drowning. She sighed as she clicked the door shut and collapsed onto her bed.
Mélawen untied the cloak and placed it at the edge of the bed as she lay back. The bed was a stiff surface with lumpy pillows. But, she was free. That was all she needed to remember. Her freedom. Xavier had done her an incredible favor, and one day she would thank him, if she ever could. The princess slipped into a light slumber as her fear subsided for the moment.
~~
“Where is she?!” The queen had tears streaming down her cheeks. The princess’ room was wrecked. Xavier had really done a good job.
“It’s okay, honey, we will find her.” The king pulled her into his arms and wiped away her tears. “Ida, when was the last time that you checked on her?” His voice was heavy. He looked to the scribbled note in his hand, it was full of purposeful spelling errors and terrible penmanship. “Did you see anything suspicious?” His voice trembled as he threw the paper down back onto her bed.
The old woman was trembling, she was afraid this would be pinned on her, it was her job to watch after the princess after she had fainted. “She was sleeping…I only left for five minutes, when I came back….” She shook her head.”
~~
Mélawen woke with an ill feeling in her stomach. She stood as the boat rocked from side to side from the waves of the ocean. She left her room and found her way to the deck where she moved to the bow. It was beautiful. She had never been on a boat. Her stomach continued to twist about. Sea sickness wasn’t something that she had been warned about. She sat down on the bow and looked back to the crew, she watched as they worked for a while before she stood and found Ren sitting on the side of the boat. “Ren.” The princess began. She had her hand in her pocket as she looked down to the girl. She stumbled slightly with a wave that pushed the boat. “As promised.” She set another bag of gold coins in the captain’s hands. “Now, with all due respect, my name is Ayla, I prefer to be called that much more than the degrading name that you have chosen to call me.” Her royal tone showed here. She paused, “And….would you mind explaining pancakes? I’m not familiar with the term.”
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Post by Raven on Jun 20, 2016 0:45:29 GMT -5
As the ship sailed they avoided the incoming storm with ease. The waters were choppy but the boat was deep, holdings it own through the waves that picked the boat up and down. Ren made her way across the boat, first inspecting the deck – making sure it really smelled like lemons. “Off with ya’, drink some beer or something” she waved the crew off to relax. She stepped over to the wheel and took it over, letting the co-pilot take a break. She stood for a long while with one hand on the top of the wheel, fingers relaxing over a stud.
Ren hummed softly for a while until the co-pilot came back. By now the sun made it’s way down to the horizon. Its red and orange colors shifted over the sky and swarmed the line of the sea. It was a explosion of color – reflecting off the ocean and back into the sky again. It was almost as if one could feel the fire hot red on their skin. The sound of the water slapping the ship, and the wake almost crinkling as they cut through the water – it was soothing to Ren. Home.
Ren lifted her head as she looked to her guest, she pat the space next to her, instructing Ayla to sit. “Ayla huh” she shifted her shoulders. “I’ll have to come up with something better than that then…” she chuckled and looked out the sky. “On this ship you aren’t your land self. You are just another body floating the grand sea. While I got the sails and the rutter, no one has control over this beast. What that life there on the sand is nothin’ like this. So here, Ayla, whatever, think of somethin’ better than that” she broke off a piece of her chocolate and then handed her a square.
“No pancakes huh? Not sure what part of the sand world you’re from the pancakes are the best damned thing come to land lovers. But I only just had them for the first time a few months back. So fluffy…warm… “ she licked her lips and then put a piece of chocolate in on her tongue. “Didn’t take you to be much of a pancake maker. But it’s still part of the deal. Next stop we make you’re getting a damned cook book.” She stood up and then dug through her pocket. “Ain’t much on guests here, but my butt scrubber gets a little sea sick too” she pulled out a few hard candies that were wrapped up in wax. “That’ll sooth it, you’re a bit pale. Drink some water, you’ll get used to it soon” she handed the candies to Ayla and then walked over to the wheel. She waved off her co-pilot, she would take the wheel for the first shift, and then switch with him to get some sleep.
She pulled at her canteen about her waist and drink a good sip. “Apple juice?” she asked and held the canteen out. “You seen a sun set like that before?” she asked, her head turning to the side to look at the final stages of the bleeding sun. As they went forward she turned the wheel slightly, as her eye spied a sand bar ahead. She pulled her goggles on for a moment and spied around, and then placed them back on the top of her head, resting over her bandana.
“Aha. Got it” she smiled and looked over to Ayla. “Is the spiffy okay?” she asked and chuckled. “Regarding your delicate taste in garb. Mighty spiffy if you ask me! I like that, works for me if it ain’t as offensive, or no? I could call you Long Legs? Or Land Lubber if you want to get old school up in here.” Ren laughed even louder.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2016 21:06:36 GMT -5
Mélawen took her place next to Ren as instructed by the patting of the wooden deck next to the captain. She looked to the woman and listened intently as she spoke. The princess furrowed her brow at the notion that there was no control over ‘the beast’ she knew the captain referred to the ocean itself. She had read books, and listened to stories from Xavier about the horrible storms that happened upon the sea. The waves that seemed to be miles above the deck of the boat. The horror stories of a boat being engulfed by the sea. She knew that all were not just old pirate tales, not everything that she had been told was a fairytale.
The princess took the small square of chocolate and smiled to the captain. “I adore the chocolate from Onyana Serin, have you tried it?” She took a bite of the chocolate and smiled as it melted in her mouth, smooth and sweet, the perfect mixture of cocoa and sugar with just a dash of milk. “Though, Portland does hold its own in the chocolate business.” She chuckled slightly. She fell silent then as she continued to listen to the woman, speak of pancakes, the food sounded rather delicious. She rose a brow slightly when Ren mentioned that she hadn’t taken the princess as much of a chef. Though the accusation was true, she wondered if she had not been careful enough, had she known she was the princess all along? Did anyone else notice her leaving the city? What if the king and queen found out that she had run away with the help of Xavier, a man that was not far from retiring from his years of service in the royal army. She had a puzzled look upon her face as she listened to Ren tell her that they were going to give her a cook book. The woman wasn’t joking about this cooking of pancakes. It was odd. An agreement to cook. However, Mélawen would do her best, this woman had aided in her rescue from her life of imprisonment in the palace.
Mélawen took the candies that Ren offered her and immediately opened it, “Thank you.” She whispered softly, the odd substance began to help almost immediately. She stood and followed the captain, the princess watched as the woman took over the wheel. A slight smile curved up her lips, Ren belonged here, no doubt about it. She wasn’t as insane as she had once thought. She was quite caring despite her outside shell, or at least that is what Mélawen presumed. She hadn’t really had the chance to meet and greet with anyone outside of the palace, no one really. Ida was the closest thing to someone from the slums she had met…and Ida acted more proper than some of the nobles, despite some of her word choices. The princess took the canteen and sipped on the apple juice, it was a thick cider like juice. Delicious. She took a few more swigs before she handed it back to the captain. “I…” She began to protest against the silly name until she heard the term ‘long legs’ she cringed slightly and furrowed her brows. “S-Spiffy will do.” She responded as she looked to the setting sun. “It’s rather beautiful here….I….” She paused, she had almost spoke of the palace and how she had never been able to watch the sun set upon the sea. How she had been confined to the palace walls all of her life. “I’ve never been able to enjoy the sun set from a ship before.” She added as she leaned against the railing carefully. She moved the candy around in her mouth. “How often is it that you do something like this?” She asked before she shook her head, “Never mind me…sorry….” She took a few steps away. She was silent as she listened to the waves lick at the side of the boat. The creaking of the old wood as if the Flotsam was speaking to its passengers.
The princess caught the glimpse of a black dot on the horizon from the direction that they had come. She squinted as the dot became larger. “What is that?” She asked pointing toward the object that was gaining on the Flotsam quick. It was large compared to the tiny pirate ship and as it became closer the royal flag of Portland came into view. The yellow flag with a dark blue stripe down the center and an unmistakable insignia of a sword that had a feathered wing to either side done in a bright blue. “Oh….” She muttered, “That’s…” She took in a breath. “How could this be? How did the Royal Army know to track them down? How had they?! They were several hours out, and yet here one of her family’s ships was, closing in on them as if they sat dead in the water. “I need to tell you something Ren.” She turned, fear in her eyes. “I…I’m Mélawen Sarálonde, the princess of Portland…I should have warned you…I…” She was beginning to panic now as she turned and leaned against the railing. The Royal Army ship was closing in fast. “I apologize, Ren…I should not have done this….it was a mistake…I have put so many lives in danger….” Tears welled up in her eyes. She did not wish any harm to these people, they had saved her. The ship was nearly a football field away now. Her breaths where quick as she looked to the captain with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean for this….” She shook her head, her heart pounding. She looked back to the ship, at the bow stood Xavier, his eyes caught hers and his head hung slightly. They must have forced the information out of him. “That knight…he…” Tears rolled over her cheeks freely now, her voice shook and her lower lip quivered. “He is the only friend of mine…captain…he does not wish to hunt me down…he will cause no harm…I can not speak for the others…” Her words were hard to decipher, but if one paid enough attention she was understandable.
Mélawen gripped the stern to tightly that her knuckles turned white. She felt that holding onto the railing was the only control she had. She shut her eyes as she fell to her knees, her body shaking. She didn’t want to go back. She feared what would be done to her, for running away. The queen was ruthless. Her father wouldn’t raise a finger to her, but her mother…that woman was another story. That woman was heartless. “I’m sorry…” She choked out as the ship caught up to the Flotsam.
A pair of armored feet landed on the deck near her with a thud, “Run, princess.” Xavier’s voice called, he lifted her and looked to the captain. “This is the fastest ship in the sea, is it not Ren?” He looked to the small woman, a woman he had encountered many times in his past. This is how he knew of her. He didn’t just know the stories, he had been on the Flotsam, on more than one occasion. “I’ve got the princess!” He called up to the other knights. He had Mélawen tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he ran beneath the deck. “Stay here, use this sword to keep the door shut, and don’t let anyone in unless it is Ren or myself.” Xavier ran off and drew his other sword. He climbed to the deck and caught one of his men off guard as he shoved the man from the deck of the ship.
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Post by Raven on Jun 20, 2016 21:39:10 GMT -5
Ren turned her head as she questioned. “Well I usually watch the sun set every night – wait..” she paused as Ayla started walking away. “That wasn’t the question huh?” she chuckled and then gripped the wheel again. From the crows nest a black bird swooped down and perched upon the wheel, cawing at Ren. Ren turned her head just as Ayla questioned the speck in the distance. Ren jumped up and yanked on several lines, pulling the sails tighter – she tied them off on the side of the boat. Instantly the boat picked up speed, as they were cruising smoothly before. She landed back at the wheel and stomped her feet in a rhythmic motion. Suddenly a scurrying from the hull of the boat occurred as the men woke up from their sleep.
“Hey spiffy – calm down there. It’s alright” she spoke hastily. “I knew you were some one special. But ain’t we all!? Princess, murderer, thief or whore, you paid your ticket. I’ll keep my end of the bargain up!” she spoke and glanced over her shoulder again. The boat caught up fast, which was a surprise to Ren. “Bastards!” she called out and then swiftly turned around as. Her co pilot took the wheel and she drew her sword from her waist.
Ren was surprised for certain. “Okay okay wait, hold on” she spoke firmly. “This is mighty confusing, not sure if I should say – Oh hey Tinman! It is so nice to see you again! Or wonder what the hell you’re doing leading some crazy rag-tag royal crew to kidnap my good payin’ customer. Now, now tin man!” she stepped forward – but then was even more surprised when he picked up Ayla and ran towards the cabin. “Okay uh..” she turned and then suddenly there was a clash of sword against her own.
From behind Giant stepped up – his huge body thudding against the wooden deck. He blocked a sword attack with his brass arm bands and picked up one of the men and tossed him to the side. He then began to swing at the men as they came tumbling over into Flotsam. Ren stepped forward and lifted her leg – kicking one man in the nuts, sending him hurdling over. She then swung her sword and jabbed at another, a quick duck and she sliced another across the chest. “Giant!” Ren called and jumped backwards.
Instantly her tall friend lifted her into the air and threw her like a pitch fork – her head and sword first. Her sword pierced through the chest of one man, and she toppled him over and then rolled onto the deck. Both of her hands reached out and she grabbed at the ankles of another guy who then fell over, toppling into another guard. “Sardine push – over!” She cried out and a pile of guys fell over as they lost balance. She pulled her gun and flipped it around, she beat down the pile and then flipped the gun in the air – gripping the gun she pulled the trigger. A bullet flew out and towards the rifle-man who stood on the opposing boat, pointing downwards into Flotsam. The rifle flew from his hands and rendered the rifleman weaponless as the bullet smacked the barrel of the rifle.
By now her crew was on the deck – completely owning the poor royal group like they were just a bunch of kids. It was a swift match, and soon the entire crew against them lay defeated. Mostly knocked out – no fatal damage had occurred. Ren stood on the boom of one of her sails and pointed her sword to the men. “Tie them up boys! And let me speak to the leader of this foolish crew!” she laughed and jumped down. “Proceed with the Load and Go procedure!” She shouted. Her men tied up the men and began to drag them back to their boat, leaving them on the deck of their ship tied up and knocked out. “Bring forth Spiffy!” She spoke.
She turned and then looked around. “Okay! I’ll get spiffy! Giant! Man the deck!” she shouted and then went down to the hull. “Spiffy! We have commanded the battle! Come out” she spoke. She then turned and walked back up to the deck. The men now had sling shots in their hands and forks and knifes, they were shooting the sails of the opposing ship – so that they could not navigate back to land. “Hope you got some oars!” She laughed and then turned to see Ayla come back up. “Tin man! Tell me what the hell is going on!” she spoke. “And by the way its so nice to see you again” she spoke with a sudden sweet voice, she then ran forward and gave Xavier a quick hug. Just a swiftly she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “But Yeah. Tell me what the hell is going on, with some dock loving pretty ship chasing me down?”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 21, 2016 23:32:13 GMT -5
Xavier aided Ren's crew in the battle, not that any of her crew needed his help. He knocked several of the Royal Army knights out and helped to move them back to the ship. He gave a nod to Mélawen when she came up from beneath the decks at Ren's request. He returned the quick hug with a smile on his lips. "I assure you, if I had my way and someone had not noticed you leaving in such a hurry, I would have led the men in the opposite direction." He looked to the princess whom looked to the wounded ship that was beginning to disappear in the distance, a shadow among the early hours of the night. "You know who this is." He gestured to Ren, "Or if you don't, this is the princess." He looked to the young woman whom stood next to him. The princess that he had been instructed to protect with his life. He was doing so, was he not? He had gotten her out of the dangers of the palace...and into another world, hopefully a safer place once she escaped the grips of the kingdom. "Remember the girl I spoke of the last time I was on Flotsam?" He sighed softly as he watched the princess, she had moved to the bow of the ship by this point. The mist of the sea sprinkled upon her cheeks at each passing wave as it splashed against the old wood of Flotsam.
“The princess has a very troubled life, she won’t speak of it, but I have seen it.” Xavier looked back to Ren then, “The queen is an evil bitch.” He paused and cleared his throat, “My apologies for the language.” He chuckled slightly, “But you don’t mind.” He shook his head and grinned, before he sighed and leaned against the railing. “I helped her escape and I gave her the information about you. I made it look like a kidnapping, to keep the princess from trouble if she ever slips up and gets caught. The downside to that is one of the knights saw you leaving in a hurry and saw a cloaked girl. I had no choice but to go along with chasing you down. I knew your crew could hold their own against those idiots.” He shot her a smile. “I just couldn’t let the queen sign Mél’s life away to the noble that will ultimately cause a war between the elves and humans, far worse than it is now.” Xavier fell silent once again as he looked to the velvety night sky, the moon was almost full with few clouds around, the view of the galaxy was amazing on the ocean.
“Ren?” Mélawen asked softly, her skin was the tone of snow, she stood with her hand to her stomach and a troubled expression. “Could I trouble you for more of that candy?” She held her breath for a moment to prevent herself from retching on the deck. She looked to Xavier and gave a soft smile, “Thank you for everything, Sir Xavier.” She thought of the wedding that would have been taking place in less than 24 hours. She could only imagine the look on the noble’s face when her father told him that she had been kidnapped, a day before the wedding. She gagged again, sweat beaded on her brow. She felt dizzy.
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Post by Raven on Jun 22, 2016 0:03:21 GMT -5
“Ah…” Ren turned, her arms crossed. Her eyes looked to Ayla that stood on the far side of the ship. The moon played over the deck and lit the princess with its white glow. The men finished up cleaning the deck and made their way down to their cabins. Ren turned back to Xavier and nodded as he spoke. “The Princess you spoke so fondly of, if I remember” she grinned cheekily. “You will be labeled as a traitor Xavier” she spoke softly. “That life you had before.. you know you’re not going back, right?” she turned and placed her hands on the railing. She had dipped from her serious nature, their friendship tended to do that. Bring the side of her that rarely any got to see.
“Troubled huh..” she closed her eyes and sighed softly. “I could tell.. when I first saw her” she moved from the railing and looked back to Xavier. “Seems trouble is all that comes out of Portland…” she scoffed… “I hate that place” she chuckled and then shook her head. She listened to speak more and then laughed. “Oh yeah, those rag-tag heavy coated King worshiping jelly rolls had no chance against my mighty crew” she winked and then turned her head slightly when she saw Ayla approaching.
“Hey there Princess Lady” she bowed her head in an almost jokingly manner. “Good to see you in one piece. I see your Tinman saved you, like a tinman should” she nudged Xavier and grinned. “The trouble is all mine” Ren said with a smile and dug out more of the candies. “You know.. I always dreamed of being a Princess is a big ol’ castle. But you know, seeing as you’re running away ‘n all, maybe not” she chuckled and then stepped towards the wheel.
“You two should get some sleep. We are making a quick stop at port tomorrow. Those royal jerk-offs damaged my rutter..” she grit her teeth. “That includes you, Tinman. Jerk - off” she added and then placed two hands on the wheel. “Leave me to my babe. We need some alone time” she spoke and then leaned forward, allowing her body to rest on the wheel.
In reality she wasn’t tired. She had been stabbed in the small battle they had. Partially embarrassed that she let it happen. She was taken by surprise, and that messed with her. Something like that had never happened before, and she wouldn’t let it happen again. Ren felt something amiss on the boat, like something was wrong, like a distraction. She couldn’t quite pin her hand on it, like something bad was going to happen. Last time she had felt that way was the previous visit to Portland. Maybe it was just the reminder of that shit-hole city… That terrible feeling lingered.
Ren placed her hand on her side, the wound was only an inch deep, a knife had gone in and stopped against her rib cage. Her jacket covered the wound, but blood had soaked into her white under shirt, by now it had clotted up and hardened, but it didn’t stop the pain.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 22, 2016 21:08:15 GMT -5
Xavier had lowered his head slightly, “If you think that I am not aware.” He sighed, “I am well aware of the actions that I have taken. I swore to protect the princess, and that is what I have done. That royal scum would have been worse than her mother, and that is putting it lightly.” He became silent for a moment. “It’s hard to watch someone become powerless, and it’s even worse to be powerless yourself. I’ve done enough and I have suffered through enough of the queen’s treachery. I never planned on returning, honestly I planned on catching up to you in a port somewhere along the way.” He smiled to her then. “I’ve missed Flotsam.” He had his hand on the old wooden railing. “The couple of times that I traveled with you before I became the captain were very enjoyable. It’s the best ship I’ve been on.” He chuckled. He then sighed once more when they returned to the serious matter of the princess and her troubled past. “Just last week I thought the princess wasn’t going to wake up. The queen beat her nearly to death for miss stepping when the noble boy asked for her hand in a dance to celebrate their upcoming wedding. She’s never been a ball sort of girl, she always has her nose in a book.” He smiled as he listened to Ren continue as she spoke of her win against the royal buffoons that called themselves the Royal Army. This was when the princess approached. Xavier grinned awkwardly when Ren spoke of how he had saved the princess. “I’m only doing my job.” He chuckled.
Mélawen took the candy and gave a soft smile. “He’s the best….erm Tinman around.” She popped the candy into her mouth and fell silent as she allowed it to dissolve. Her ocean blue eyes watched the movement of the captain. Something, something was not right about her. The princess noticed when she had grit her teeth. She knew that look all too well. She had worn that mask several times, all too many times to be honest.
Xavier gave a nod, “I’ll turn in then.” He looked to the princess. She didn’t budge. “Princess?” He asked, she leaned on the railing. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just going to stay here for a bit longer.” She paused to look to him, her eyes only glancing away from the captain for a moment. “I’m not used to the sea like you and Ren.” She held her stomach. “I assure you I will be fine.”
The knight watched her for a moment and gave a nod. “Alright, princess.” He bowed his head slightly before he left to the general quarters below deck.
Mélawen watched Ren as she stood at the wheel. She leaned against the railing for a moment longer before she turned and pulled the jacket back to reveal the dark staining of blood on Ren’s undershirt. “Ren…” She looked up to the captain. “You’re hurt…do you have any medical supplies?” She looked around the deck and opened a few of the small boxes. She shoved a few things aside and found a small pack that was under a pile of netting. She opened the pack and searched through the supplies. “Where is your---“ She paused as she saw the man coming back up the stairs. “Come with me Ren.” She carefully wrapped an arm around the captain and took her beneath the decks to her room when the crew mate had taken over the wheel once again. She opened the kit up and set out the supplies quickly, “I may not be able to cook you pancakes, but I do know my way around wounds.” She gave a soft almost sad smile as she pulled the fabric away and cleaned the wound. “Here.” She handed a rag to Ren. “You’re not going to like this.” She poured more water over the wound and took in a deep breath as she pushed Ren back on the bed. “Just bite the rag now.” She muttered just before she dug her finger into the wound. She had noticed a glimpse of something that reflected light in the wound. After about a minute or so she pulled out the tip of a blade. “This could have eventually killed you, Ren…why didn’t you say anything?” She whispered as she cleaned the wound again. Mélawen then threaded a needle and carefully placed near perfect stitches in the side of Ren. “There.” She gave a nod. “Now you should be good.” She smiled to the captain.
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Post by Raven on Jun 22, 2016 21:56:20 GMT -5
Ren glanced over to Ayla when she lingered. She paid no mind for a moment until she approached her – surely she had been caught. Ren winced slightly when her jacket was pulled to the side. “Hey – uh” she stumbled back slightly and glanced to her co-pilot. She waved to him to take the wheel just as the princess wrapped an arm around her and took her away. Ren awkwardly hobbled with the princess. She wanted to fight back, to tell her to leave her alone, but she didn’t. Something kept her from it.
Ren sat on the edge of the bed and glanced to Ayla. She shuddered slightly when Ayla’s finger tips came in contact with her skin. Her skin color was a pearly like white, hints of purple tint lingered in her pigments. She helped lift her bloodied undershirt up, revealing her ribs and hips. She had plenty of other scars around, this wasn’t the first – that was for sure. Ren took the rag hesitantly and placed it between her teeth. Just as she did she felt the cold water hit the warm wound, causing goose bumps to appear all across her body.
Ren bit the rag harshly and groaned through the material. She could hear the squishing of her skin and bleed in her ears, as if it was inside her head. The pain wracked her body and she squirmed slightly. Once it was over she spat the rag. “That fuckin’ hurt!” she groaned and grasped her wound, as if grabbing it would make it stop hurting. Ren then grew silent again as Ayla cleaned it. With each thread she grit her teeth. Once it was over she let go of the sheets and wiggled her fingers.
“I’ll need five or six whiskeys to forget about that” she muttered and put her jacket back on. She stared to the princess for a long moment. “Never really had a medic on the ship before..” she spoke softly, her voice dipping away from its high – pitched energetic nature. “You might just find yourself at home here” she spoke. She lifted the other side of her shirt to reveal a long gash that started at her shoulder blade and ended just at her hip bone. “Two years ago I got a real bad one, we ended up just burning it, didn’t know what to do with it really..” the scar was very raised, and even still pink.
“I’m sure you have your own plethora…” she rubbed her upper arm with her hand and glanced away. “Xavier has told me bits and pieces about you. I’m glad he found me when he did. No one deserves that fate” she stood up slowly. “The sea is about being free. Nothing holds us back here.” She adjusted her shirt and tucked it slightly. She paused for a moment before going to the door. “Thank you, Ayla” she turned her head and smiled. “I will see you in the morning..” she stepped out of the room and hobbled up the stairs.
Ren opened the door to her room and made it to her bed. She fell on her bed and sighed softly. It had been a long day, for sure. She stared to her ceiling and then threw her arm on top of her eyes. The gentle rocking of the boat sang her to sleep.
The morning came and Ren rose before the sun. She made her way to her wardrobe and pulled a new tunic out. She swapped it out and then pulled her bandana from her head. She tossed it down and ran her fingers through her hair. Ren then placed her belt through her goggles and let them dangle off her hip. She threw her hair back and let it fall over her head in a wave of tossed hair. Ren stepped outside and then looked to the sky. She knew instantly they had made way over 80 miles in the night. It would be a pain to turn with the broken rutter. She would have to manipulate the sails to allow her to turn. She knew they had to be at least 40 degrees west-ward.
Ren stepped forward and untied one of the lines and pulled it tighter. She groaned slightly and then pulled harder – she knotted it off and stepped to the other side. The sails arched and pulled in more air. She then stepped up to the wheel and pulled at it harshly. She then walked back down and pulled at one line, pushing the entire sail to turn on its radiating pole. This grabbed the air and forced the boat to turn. Ren then tied the line off and made her way to the mess hall.
The crew was awake by now, all 6 men sat at a long table, spooning their breakfast. Ren walked up to the breakfast bar and put together a plate. Eggs, bacon and a muffin. She sat at the table and ate her breakfast in a bit of silence. She was never much of a morning person, if the sea would let her – she’d sleep all day.
Xavier stepped into the room and made his own plate, sitting next to Ren. “Mornin’” Ren spoke with a smile. “Good morning cap’n.” Xavier spoke and took a bite of his eggs. “So… its been about four years since you last board this lovely vessel, is that right?” she spoke through bites.
“Indeed” Xavier nodded.
“It Is nice to have you back… did.. you mother make it through?” she questioned softly.
“Mm… no” he muttered and looked away.
Ren reached forward and placed her hand on his arm. “You got a new thing to protect now, you still have purpose” she smiled and then ate her muffin in two bites total.
“Today we dock at St.Nora to fix my rutter. We wont be there long as I know the royals will be tailing us” she spoke and then stood up. “Be prepared for anything” she added.
Ren then walked over and made another plate of food and carried it out of the mess hall. She knocked on Ayla’s door and then cracked it. “Hey, made ya’ a plate” she spoke and walked it over. “Bet ya’ never had breakfast in bed” she grinned and set it down at the end of the bed. “We got a bathroom, girls and boys side. Even includes hot water, surprisingly, thanks to a good ol’ dwarf I shipped once. They got some good mechanics” she smiled and turned for the door.
“We are docking today at St.Nova. We won’t be there long, I am expecting trouble, of course.” She chuckled and then walked out of the room. She made her way to the wheel and stood over it, staring out to the incoming land. St.Nova was a taller city. Its buildings reached higher than most, several stories high. Half of the city was on docks, buildings built over the water.
They came to the dock and they roped off. Ren spent a few minutes prepping the ship. Untying the sails so they were slack, dropping the three anchors they had as well. Giant approached and nodded. “Take Wrench and get a new rudder, make it good” she dropped a bag of coins in his hands.
“Spiffy! Tinman! Lets check out this shit-city!” she called and then stood at the dock, waiting. The dock hands turned and stared to the ship and hurried off, to tell of the arrival of Flotsam. “I hate being famous” she chuckled and tossed her hair back. “Aye – so we need a cook book and medical supplies. I got me a new doc’ “ she glanced to Ren and smiled. “I have a feeling while we are here – this lovely city will be invaded with royal ass wipes in search for us. So yeah” she laughed. “But I’m out of chocolate too so” she stepped forward. “Tinman! You’ve been here, lead the pack!”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 24, 2016 20:04:20 GMT -5
Mélawen winced to the sound of Ren’s cries. “S-sorry…” She had muttered several times as she worked. Though it hadn’t slowed her. She tossed the used supplies into a bin labeled for garbage as she listened to Ren. “I’m not sure you could call me a medic.” She shook her head. “I’ve simply learned from books and from the doctor at the palace. I’ve always had a fascination with the human body. How it works. What happens when it fails, and what happens when it becomes broken. Though, I haven’t had any formal training, my mother wouldn’t allow it.” She looked away then, a tinge of pain in her eyes as she thought about the numerous times that she attempted to talk the queen into allowing her to go to the university. That was a brick wall, essentially. A very painful brick wall at that.
The princess looked to the large scar that was raised on Ren’s skin, her eyes traced over it and ended on the woman’s eyes. “You’re lucky you didn’t lose your life, Ren.” She muttered. She fell silent once Ren revealed that Xavier had spoken about her past. She bowed her head slightly, her eyes glazed over though she looked away from the captain. ‘No one deserves that fate.’ The words spoken by the woman seemed to echo in her mind. She hugged her arms to her body as she listened to Ren speak of the sea, how it allowed them to be free. “Anything is freedom, in comparison.” She whispered. Her eyes finally caught Ren’s when she had been thanked. “It is my thanks to you, for keeping me safe.” She gave a slight smile, pain hid within her ocean blue eyes.
When Ren had left Mélawen sat on the edge of her bed, the tears finally came in a rush, flowing freely down her cheeks like a river. She moved and pulled the blanket around her as her body shook from sobs until sleep wisped her away into its clutches. She was taken away into a dream. She stood within a bustling city, one that was nothing like Portland. The buildings were tall, roads curved every which way, floating above the ground supported by pillars. Mechanica cars zipped around. It wasn’t like anything she had ever seen, though, she had read books about these places. But, her family believed that these humans that dwelled here were demons. Or at least that is what she was led to believe. She stood on a hill looking down into the valley of the city. The busy streets, the people that rushed about eager to get to work. It was the early morning hours, the sun had just barely made it over the rooftops of the shortest buildings. She took a step forward, only to hear the clap of metal on metal, she felt the cold material on her wrist and looked down just as her other wrist was shackled. She looked to the heavy chains that weighed her down. Her eyes moved to see one of the knights standing before her, a deep red glow where his eyes belonged. A dark morbid chuckled emitted from his helmet. He grabbed her by her throat, “I’ll enjoy every second of carrying out this mission.” She grasped at his wrist as she choked for air. “You’ll regret what you’ve done, princess, you’re going to wish you’d drowned.” He slammed her into the ground.
Mélawen sat up with a gasp, her breathing heavy, sweat beaded upon her brow. She looked around the dark room, only the flicker of a candle chased away the thick shadows. Her night continued like this, each time she fell asleep, the nightmare would surface. It was never exactly the same, but…it always ended the same. The intense pain of her body slamming into a hard surface, she felt as though her vertebrae shattered at the force that was exerted from the man. She had never seen a knight that looked quite like that, so the odds that this was more than a nightmare were slim to none. But, the thought of it chilled her to the bone.
In the early morning hours the knock at the door caused the princess to sit up in a hurry, when she realized it was only Ren she relaxed and gave a chuckle. “Actually, no, I haven’t, it’s not allowed in the palace. Each meal is like a play, each part must be done as the queen demands.” She looked to the delicious food. “Thank you, Ren.” She quickly shoveled the food into her mouth before she stood and made her way to the showers. She stripped herself of her clothing and stepped into the warm water, it was just right, not too hot, and definitely not cold. She cleaned herself up before she slipped on her ‘spiffy’ clothing once more. She looked to the gadget on her forearm and clicked a few buttons, playing with the device. Paused as she heard the hustled of the crew and the knock of the side of the boat as it tapped against the dock. She ran up the stairs just as she heard Ren calling for her and Xavier.
Xavier came up the stairs only moments later, he had gotten rid of most of his armor, in hopes to blend in better with his surroundings. He had plates left on his forearms a black shirt with armor on the outside of his thighs and his armored boots left. His sword was upon his hip. He had been up into the late hours of the night fixing his armor, getting rid of his allegiance with the Royal Army. “Ah but with fame comes money.” He chuckled to Ren’s comment. “If it is chocolate you want, then chocolate I shall find you.” He smirked. His black hair was spiked up, a different look from when he wore his helmet constantly.
The princess looked around in awe at the city. “St. Norah.” She mused as she looked around. “It’s beautiful, I imagine everything will look beautiful compared to the marbled walls of the palace.” She let out a laugh.
“Princess, you need to pull up your cloak, it will lower the chances of someone spotting you that knows who you are.” He turned and carefully pulled up the hood, a smile on his lips. “I think this look suits you well, Ayla.” He turned and walked into the city.
Mélawen looked to Ren a moment, “How is your side?” She asked softly, “Did you drink away that pain?” She gave a soft smile. She then returned her attention to the city as they marched their way into the depths, the Flotsam disappeared behind people and buildings and before long, the ocean was out of view.
She gasped when she was taken by the arm by a man out of a boutique. “Honey, you need to find yourself something more suiting to you.” He pulled out a measuring tape. He wore a top hat that had a clock attached to the side and a long gentleman coat. His attire was very flowing.
“She’s fine sir.” Xavier warned the man.
The man looked him up and down and then chuckled. “She sticks out like a stubbed toe.” He pulled at her jacket. “You know.” He leaned in closer and pulled her hood away, “Even with your hood up I knew you were a royal, Princess Saralonde.” He looked her in the eyes. “Want to blend in?” He pointed to his shop. “Just a small price to keep yourself hidden, or if you’d rather, I could just call him over here.” He pointed to a sheen of armor in the distance. “Our own guard is on the lookout for you princess. They say you’ve been kidnapped, and a knight helped.” He looked over to Xavier, “A great effort sir, however they are out for your head. The queen sent a telegram through to us, the reward for the princess is rather high. Come.” He pulled Mélawen inside, “I’ll help.” He grinned. “Maybe I’ll even make it free, it isn’t like you’re getting any money from mommy and daddy.” He ran around in the shop, his eyes glancing outside. “In here.” He shoved the trio down into a cellar just as three knights came into the room.
“Shop keeper.” The head knight spoke as he held up a sketch of the princess, “Our princess has been kidnapped, have you seen and of these criminals?” He held up other sketches, one of Xavier, another of Giant and Ren. “The reward for any leads to the connection to Princess Mélawen’s kidnapping are desirable and not something that should be turned down.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve heard of this one, but God, I haven’t seen this woman in months! She always runs away from my shop anyway, afraid of fashion I suppose.” He grinned.
The knight furrowed his brows slightly, “Alright then, if you hear or see anything, do tell your mayor, and she will inform our queen and king.” The knights then left.
The shop keeper opened the door to the cellar before he changed his sign to closed and shut all the drapes and locked the doors. “I hope you didn’t take my stab at your fashion offensively darling, it’s quite beautiful actually.” He pulled at her red sash, “You’re the best dressed pirate I’ve seen girl.” He then grabbed the princess gently by her wrist and toted her into the other room.
Xavier moved to the window and peeked outside, “We need to get back to the Flotsam as soon as we get the supplies.” He looked to Ren. “I don’t know how the queen got knights here so quickly. There must be something that I’m not aware of going on here. ..” He sighed slightly. He sat down on a couch. “I’ve put her in more danger than the palace.” He muttered. “What if she gets caught? The queen will kill her.”
“Not if she blends in better handsome.” The shop keeper came back and stepped to the side to reveal Ayla. She stood in the doorway with a dark red loosely fitting blouse. She wore leather belts and brown pants with leather boots that fit high on her shins and cuffed over. The shop keeper had even cut her hair short and spunky. He had tied a sash in her hair and fit a bowler hat a top her head. “There! A pirate fit for Flotsam. Yes?” He grinned.
Ayla gave a soft almost uncomfortable smile. She rest her hand on the hilt of a pistol on her hip. “What do you think…?” She asked.
Xavier stood and smiled as he looked to her, “Woah, you look…” He paused as he looked her up and down, “This suites you. Yes. Ren?” He looked to the captain. “I think we will blend in now. Thanks…uh…” He looked to the shop keeper.
“Benjamin, or Benny for you boy.” He chuckled before he looked to the princess. “Come by anytime you need something love. You too Cap’in.” He flashed Ren a smile.
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Post by Raven on Jun 24, 2016 20:50:16 GMT -5
Ren crossed her arms slightly when the flamboyant merchant pulled them aside. She tilted her head and then glanced around - her eyes catching the sight of the near by guards asking around. “Mm - sounds good, go go” she spoke and stepped forward to the cellar. She shut the door behind the other two and listened to the merchant. He was very kind, he could easily be punished by death for hiding them. Ren turned her head towards Ayla and Xavier, and then stepped back when the door opened up.
Ren chuckled and nodded her head “I know, good stuff right” she winked and then stepped over to Xavier as the merchant took Ayla away. “It smells so good in here” she spoke and walked over to one of the tables against the wall. There was a plethora of candles and incenses, one of them were burning. “Dragonsblood” she muttered as she read one of the boxes. She lifted it up and sniffed it “Oh that’s good” she muttered and then set the box back down.
Her eyes looked over the collection of sewing needles and threads, and on the other side was linens hanging, the colors bright, and others of different textures and designs. Ren stepped back over to Xavier and crossed her arms, waiting patiently. “Don’t think that way Xavier” she replied to him. “Seems if she would have stayed her death would come eventually, if not worse as a drone to the system” she spoke softly and then glanced to the dressing room. She could over hear the man instructing her to put certain clothes on.
“It will be dangerous.. but all good things are right?” she grinned and nodded. “You know I’ve been doing this for years. This isn’t the first royal blood I’ve transported and protected. I’ve been chased and hunted for years. This is petty” she waved her hand. “I wouldn’t take it up if I didn’t think I could do it. I knew who she was when she came to me. I knew what would come of it” she glanced to Xavier and then paced a little bit.
“You remember when we smuggled that crate from Zarnoco to Kandoline?” she laughed. “Where we were chased by the Ghosts of that ship - Leviathan? Yeah.. this is nothing compared to that hell hole. We made it through that right?” she laughed. In the crate was an amulet that was used to absorb the souls of the pirate ship Leviathan, an ancient old tale of one of the greatest ships that ever sailed the seas. The souls were distraught and angry, they followed the amulet - until Ren had finally ended their suffering by returning the amulet to their sunken ship. It was finding the ship that was hard. And dealing with the angry ghost pirate ship that followed and attacked them. They had taken her second hand then.. and since she hadn’t chosen another.
Ren sat on the arm of the couch and waited. The sound of clippings came from the other side of the room, that was blocked off by a changing curtain. She then stood once the curtain was pulled aside and Ayla was revealed.
Ren’s jaw went slack, she crossed her arms again and stared. She glanced to Xavier when he spoke, and then Ren scratched her head almost awkwardly. “You look dashing” she finally said and smiled. “Perfect for Flotsam, hell - not sure how I feel when you’re looking better than the captain. People might start to think maybe you’re Captain of Flotsam. Maybe not though, you’re too tall” she grinned, her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Ren then dug in her pockets and pulled out a bad of coins. “Well, Benjamin - if we are ever ‘round I’ll come back and get my self all did up too” she laughed and handed him the bag. “That’ll suffice more than enough, surely. Thanks, if you ever need a lift lemme know” she grinned and then glanced to Ayla. “We should head back, with the guards and all..” she waved to the other two and opened the door out.
Her eyes scanned the area and she nodded for the two to follow. As they came back to the dock she saw her ship still tied as it should. The new rudder had been installed. As they came to Flotsam - she paused and then grit her teeth. Her entire crew sat in the middle of the ship tied up. A crew of royal guards stood before them, their blades drawn. “You bastards!” She cried and she ran forward, drawing her own blade.
Just as she step foot on the ship the ties had been sliced by royal guards. The ship started to part from the dock and Ren skid to a stop as she stared to Xavier.
Xavier wrapped his arm around the princess and nodded. “I got her!” he shouted as the ship began to leave.
Ren shook her head and gripped her sword. “I’ll be just a minute!” She cried over the sound of the sea air whipping past her hair. She ran forward and jabbed one of the soldiers with her sword, piercing through his body. “I was nice before! But I ain’t gunna be nice now you low life meat bags!” She pushed the man off her sword with her boot and clashed with another. She pulled her gun from her hip and fired it into the mans gut and then turned - slicing another’s arm. She jumped upward but her stitches pulled at her and she groaned, falling to the ground. She pulled the gun and shot another man that was bringing his sword down upon her.
She rolled over to her side and crawled back up. A rush of four more soldiers came her way. She parried several attacks until she finally got one in. She sliced at one’s heel, and stabbed another. She slipped from the group and ran over to her crew. Ren sliced at their roped arms and released them. “Get my ship back!” She shouted and then parried another attack. She pulled the trigger and the man fell over. The crew scrambled for their weapons and began to attack the few remaining soldiers.
Ren glanced to the shore - they were a only a few miles out now. She grit her teeth and then ran up to her wheel. “Move it - you dirty ‘ol scum lickin’ queen suckin’ rat loving son of a -“ she thrust her sword forward and sliced into his gut, then with both hands she pulled the sword up - breaking and cutting through bone, she sliced up to his shoulder and his body peeled into two. She gripped the wheel and shouted “Boom alive!” She yanked the ship to the side. The sails turned in reaction, its boom moving until it knocked into placed. The ship caught air and bolted back towards the dock.
“Co-Pilot! Take the wheel! Drop me off and stay out, I gotta get Tinman and Spiffy back!” she shouted. Her co-pilot ran over and took the wheel. As they came to the dock she leaped off the side of the ship and landed on the deck. She waved them off and began to run forward. Ren pulled her goggles onto her face and began to spy for their tracks. All of the soldiers that were surrounding the ship were gone, as well as her princess.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 24, 2016 21:56:27 GMT -5
“Ren!” Ayla cried out when she had boarded the ship. She fought against Xavier before her eyes focused on the soldiers that surrounded them. “Xavier….” She muttered.
“Release the princess, traitor!” One of the knights ordered, their swords were all drawn. “Don’t make us kill you.”
“You’ll kill me no matter what!” He growled back as he held onto her more tightly. “Hold on, Ayla.” He said as he threw her over his shoulder. He simultaneously pulled the pistol from her hip and shot the knight that had been ordering him around, the bullet sliced through the air and pierced between his eyes, instantly killing him. Xavier took off into the city with Ayla over his shoulder. Shots rang out from behind them. Xavier ran into a back alley and set down Ayla. He leaned against the brick wall breathing heavily with his hand clasped over his side. “Princess…” He muttered.
Ayla drew her brows together as she looked to his hand, blood had stained his skin. “Xavier, let me see.” She pulled his hand away and looked over the wound, luckily the bullet had only grazed the surface of his skin. “You’re okay.” She gave him a soft smile.
Xavier looked to her and sighed, “Bullet wounds burn.” He pushed off of the wall just as the clinking of armor made it to the end of the alley. He instantly grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. “Hurry, princess.” He toted her along.
Ayla looked over her shoulder as she was pulled through the streets. Xavier pushed people out of the way and pulled her into another alley. “We need to keep moving.” She looked to the knight with fear in her eyes. “We can’t stop.”
“Calm down, I’m thinking.” Xavier drew his sword. “I’ll hold them off, you need to run Ayla.” He looked to the soldiers that were once again in hot pursuit. “Go!” He called as he ran toward them and began to battle the men.
Ayla paused for a moment before she took off in a sprint. She took random turns and ran until she felt as though her lungs were going to light on fire. She leaned against a wall as she fought to catch her breath. Just around the corner she could hear music and the sound of the chatter of people. Ayla moved around the corner to find a festival of some sort. She slipped into the crowd of people and merchants. She only hoped that Xavier was alright. She looked around and caught the glimpse of armor, she ducked into the crowd and slinked into a merchants tent.
“Ayla darling, what are you doing?” Benjamin looked to her. “Wait…” He looked to the people moving about outside and set down the clippers that he had picked up. “You’re in trouble.” He wrapped his arm around her, “Come on, I’ll get you out of this mess doll.” He walked her out into the crowd again and placed his top hat over her head, it slid down and shadowed her face slightly, obscuring her features. They walked right passed knights unnoticed until they were away from the party and on a silent street. “Look, I can’t keep covering for you love, I value my gorgeous head to stay atop my shoulders.” He smiled. “Keep to the shadows and stay in that direction it will take you back to the docks.”
Ayla tipped the top hat up as she looked up to Benjamin. “Thank you, sir.” She turned and took off down the alley in a sprint.
The next thing she knew she was on her back, her neck in pain, her back felt like a steamroller had ran her over. The run was blocked out by the shadow of a figure. “Princess.” The voice was low, he chuckled as he lifted her up. “Good to see you’re safe.” The man spoke from within a hood. He was hired, clearly, he wasn’t a knight, she had never seen this man. “I have been instructed to return you to the palace, your mother is worried sick. They didn’t hurt you did they?” He asked as he looked her over. “You must have been terrified.”
Ayla backed up slightly, “W-who are you?” She asked, “Princess?” She played, “I’m headed home now, I’ve no clue what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, is that so?” The man stated, Ayla took a step to sprint away and was instantly slammed against the wall. “I thought this might happen. I warned the queen that it wasn’t a kidnapping. Not with how clean your escape was. There would have been a trail….” His voice was low, threatening. “I will enjoy bringing you to her and watching your punishment. Royals can be quite entertaining.” He snickered.
“Princess!” Xavier called out as he ran down the alley toward the two.
“Of course.” The hooded man grumbled. “Here, have some of this.” He cupped his palm over her mouth, a cloth soaked in a liquid seemed to suck the oxygen from her body. “This is the last thing you’ll remember before you wake up in the palace.” He shoved her limp body to the ground. He drew two short swords and parried an attack from Xavier. “Give up Captain, you’re wanted as well, wouldn’t you rather escape? Hm? At the cost of the princess? You can be a free man.” He slammed Xavier against the wall. His fighting technique was immaculate. “Listen, the queen paid me half already, and the half that I have been paid is more than any full payment I have received for a job in the past ten years. So, you will not stand in my way.” He stabbed Xavier in the side of his ribs. Xavier buckled forward into the man’s knee as it came up into his chest. “Sorry Captain, business is business, right?” The man kicked his side as he crumpled to the ground. “Just remind yourself in the future, whatever happens to the princess, it happened because of you.” He snickered as he headed over to the limp body of the princess.
“Get….away…from her.” Xavier spat blood from his mouth, he had his pistol aimed to the man, his hand held his wound. “I’m not allowing you to take her back to that hell hole.”
“Allowing?” He chuckled. “I don’t need your permission.” The hooded man jumped forward and kicked the pistol from Xavier’s hands and clocked him in the side of his head with his heel. “Now stay down.” He spat on him. “Let’s go princess.” He bent down to pick up Ayla.
Xavier slammed into the back of the man, slicing a dagger into his back. “I will die before I let you take her back.” He growled as the two tumbled to the ground. The hooded man ended up pinning the knight and was inches from forcing the dagger through his heart. Xavier struggled to keep his grip, pushing against the strength of this hooded assassin.
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Post by Raven on Jun 24, 2016 22:28:50 GMT -5
Ren glanced around to see a few soldiers running about - in search of something. “Good” she muttered and then ran to the closest building. She scaled the side and crawled onto the roof. She stepped to the highest point and looked around. It seemed in the distance was some sort of gathering - it was crowded and compact. Ren noticed a figure coming down the ally, it was their tailor. He was missing his hat…
Ren jumped down and approached him. “Hey - you again. Hi, hey. So - you seen you know who?” she asked, fumbling for something in her pocket. The man nodded “Yeah, I sent her back towards the dock, the longer way. She can’t be past the cathedral yet” he spoke. Ren tossed another small bag towards him and raced off.
Ren skipped between people and jumped around. She was small enough to slip around almost like a child might. “Move it or lose it!” she cried out and finally escaped the huge crowd. She saw two soldiers headed towards the cathedral. She drew her dagger and scaled up another house. She ran on the roof tops - her tiny feet patting against the roofs, drawing the people out of their homes. Ren jumped forward - her long hair flowing behind her, and landed on the shoulders of one of the guards. She stabbed the dagger into his eye and pierced his brain. Instantly he buckled to his knees and Ren skipped off. She then tripped the other man and grabbed him by his hair, pulling his head back. “Tell that bitch of a Queen that she should give up while she can. I’ll kill every fuck face she sends” she reached forward to the fallen man and forced her fingers into his other eye. She pulled out his eyeball, blood and all and stuffed it into the mans mouth. She then lifted his head and slammed his jaw into the ground - forcing him to chomp on the gooey eye.
Ren stood and wiped her hands on the soldier’s sleeve and then dashed forward. At that point she saw the hooded man with Ayla on his shoulders. Ren suddenly gained a burst of strength and power. She battered into his side - pinning him against a wall. With intense speed - like a blur - she thrusted the dagger between his legs. He keeled over and Ren grabbed Ayla in one motion. She set Ayla down and then pulled her sword.
“You’ll pay!” She shouted and thrusted the sword forward. The Assassin drew his own blade and parried her. He groaned and moved forward - throwing his sword towards Xavier. With crazy speed Ren sliced his hand off and then leaped forward - her boots landing on the assassin’s chest and pushing him over. She grabbed his hand that still held his sword and put the blade up to his neck. “Fuck you” she whispered and sliced his throat with his own sword. She then quickly patted down his chest until she heard jingling. “This shit is mine, fuck face” she spat and pulled the large bag of coins from his inner pocket.
She stuffed it down her breasts and crawled over to Xavier. “Hey Tinman, you gotta make it” she fumbled through her pockets and pulled out a small pill. “Swallow” she shoved the pill into his mouth and looked him in the eyes. The pill was a elven substance that caused the body to ignore pain sensors and jolt the body with energy. “Come on!” She pulled him up.
Xavier suddenly gained strength and picked up the princess. She shot something into the air - it was a flare gun. With that motion her boat turned and headed for the docks. She drew her gun, and Ayla’s gun and held each in one hand. As they ran forward she held them in front of her body, firing at each soldier that rounded the corner. “How many of you shit bags do you have?!” She turned and stood at the end of the dock as the boat came up. “Xavier!” She shouted.
Xavier hopped onto the boat with the princess in his arms. Ren fired two more shots before her guns were out of bullets. “Butts” she muttered and then turned and jumped on her boat. “ Go go go! Full speed!” The crew had hold of the lines that went to the sails - they pulled hard and the sails taught full of air and the boat bolted forward, leaving a huge wake behind them.
Xavier stumbled and set the princess down on the deck. He rolled over in pain and gripped his side. “Tinman! Its okay!” she shouted and ran next to him. She pulled at his tunic and glanced at the wound. “Ya had worse, quit ya bitchin!” She pulled at his shirt and began to rip it. “Get me some booze!” She shouted.
“Hey - medic, come on. Wake up, I need you here” she leaned over and shook the princess slightly. Another man arrive with the supplies. Just as they did - her crow came from its perch and flew down - cawing at her loudly. She stood and glanced off to the distance. Huge dark clouds were rolling from the south - headed out to sea. “Oh shit” she muttered and looked to her co pilot and re-directed the boat to go towards the blue sky.
“Get them inside!” She shouted and then ran over to the wheel. The crew lifted both Ayla and Xavier and put them in the guest room. The chef came to Xavier who took heavy duty tape and a bundled up cloth and stuffed the wound - and taped it down. “Hopefully when the princess wakes she can fix that” the chef spoke and then poured a some tea that he conjured into the princess’s mouth. “There you go” he whispered.
The boat began to rock heavily as the waves began to grow large. The storm could not be out-ran. The huge waves picked up the boat and slammed it down, only to be battered by another huge wave. Ren gripped the wheel and stared to giant. “Put the second rudder on - now!” she called as a wave splashed against the boat and sprinkled over her.
The sky grew dark and terrifying. Ren had to focus - she had to turn the boat perfectly into each wave to ensure their leverage. This was what determined a true Captain. The battle against the sea. Giant bolted down the second rudder and hooked it up quickly. “Giant, Kupo! You two on the lines, everyone else in the hull!” She shouted as she turned the boat swiftly.
“11 !” She cried, the two men pulled with their might. They were the two biggest and strongest men on the ship. The sail turned and helped adjust the boat to the huge wave that was in coming. They came at different angles - which meant that with each wave Ren had to adjust their approaching angle. That and she had to watch the waves coming in at the sides, she had to approach them head on - if they got mixed between two waves of different degrees - it could capsize them.
The waves were the biggest Ren had seen in a while. Just as she watched - out of the corner of an eye a water spout landed a ways out. The wind was retching. It pulled at her hair and threatened to toss her tiny body, but she fought the terror. “Bring it on!” She cried out and pulled at the wheel. Her hands grew to a prune, and her body drenched in the down pour. She fought the sea for nearly two hours - until they pushed past the storm.
The waters calmed - the huge waves seized and returned to a choppy state. Kupo and Giant tied off the lines and walked over to Ren. They stood in silence for a moment and then they nodded. They had done good. Ren slowly stepped down the stairs to the hull and made it down to the guest room. “They okay?” she muttered - beat and tired now.
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