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Post by Machevelli on Jul 15, 2019 18:57:11 GMT -8
"Probably not a good idea to stand around here any longer. Why don't I head over to the captain and you get back to your duties? Plenty of time for me to see the sea later, I suppose." Lily turned around from the rail and walked back over towards the group of mercenaries and the captain.
She looked at her newfound companions, all outfitted with weapons she had never quite different than her fencing peers had, but no matter. They looked a tough bunch, and Lily was ready to prove to them she was not to be looked down upon.
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Post by rosallora on Jul 16, 2019 17:43:40 GMT -8
"Course, course." Tavi turns her head towards the captain and starts scurrying up her rope. "Aye, aye! To post! All to posts!" Of course she's late in her calling, being one of the only souls on deck who wasn't where she was supposed to be. The captain Huff's softly but doesn't seem overly bothered. The deck is still a flurry of motion, and Jonah is seen flicking one of the mooring ropes to bring it back on board. He could it tightly, calling orders to the others without having to look, a strong feeling of experience and expertise coating his actions.
"Ponytail. Right, yes. and... Blood." Her mouth quirks. What strange men."And monsters? We've hunted monsters of mortal men before, black souled and the like, but this beast is the only sea serpent we've ever seen up close. Heard plenty of stories, there's no end to them. But this thing is like nothing I've seen before in all my years of sailing. With our limited crew, there aren't a lot of spare hands for things like the fighting of monsters."
The anchor's chain clanks as it's reeled up, a team of five men pushing a wheel to bring the hunk of metal up from the water. Sal looks it over before looking back to the crew before her, her eyes moving briefly to the young woman who had gone to the side rail of the trip.
"We'll know our true course come tomorrow night. For now, we'll be setting out towards the middle of the local territory. If Hickory's numbers can be trusted, it will put us in a good starting position. We have about eight hours of sunlight left for all of us to share. As long as you do not get in the way, you will be fine. There is always something to be done, in my experience." The boat creaks, and the dock begins getting smaller, going into the background as the wind is caught in the Ursa's sails.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2019 17:04:41 GMT -8
He gave a short huff of a laugh in agreement towards Sal's statement, the words ringing true deep in his chest. The extra touch to his arm was allowed without any other mention as he was used to how handsy this particular environment could get. He took a small step back as the conversation shifted off of him.
It was almost amusing to watch the fancy looking man strut as he did, reaffirming the stereotype in his head. Still if what he said was true than at least he's been on a boat before, so that was at least decent enough new. Such an odd title too. Doesn't matter. The motion for privacy was met with a subtle roll of his eyes before he turned his attention back towards the woman who boarded prior talking with Tavi, though hunter's habit kept him listening to the conversation.
The blonde's introduction was short and simple, which was fine, but even his 'name' was odd. Did all the mercenaries in the Hamlet have odd titles like this?? His curiosity was peaked slightly as Lilly joined and he moved slightly to allow her into the conversation.
The hunter nodded as Sal started wrapping up her speech. "Whatever you need me for captain." He watched the dock they boarded on get smaller in the distance, his heart beating a bit stronger at the sight. Admittedly he'd never just been a passenger aboard a ship before, so it felt odd not doing anything already when he knew there was work to be done.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Jul 17, 2019 17:18:31 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
He nodded appreciably to the Captain's transparency; he should have guessed it from the garb but she seemed to sparse with flowery gloats, none at all if the cut of her jaw and tone of voice were anything to go by. His pleasant smile and demeanour came back to him easily as the sails came flush with wind, he looked up to their soft snap, before he looked off to the distant Hamlet.
It wasn't home, but the woman stood upon the fading pier was. He moved subtly, without his attentions, to get a better view of it as it shrank.
"I see..." He offered a vague acknowledgement to the Captain's words; he'd heard them but, with a sigh, he realized couldn't pull away from watching the Hamlet fade.
"... Well, I'll look forward to what the estimates are." He mused before taking a small sniff of the salty air; it was good to be back on the water, the expanse and freedom of it all... he knew Tilly would love it.
"Ah, should we... disperse then? Where ought we stay? and... you said Tavi was your cook?" Lekalis' eyes broke away as the shape faded, though only briefly,
"If she's occupied, I can see to preparing a meal for the evening?"
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Post by rosallora on Jul 17, 2019 18:45:22 GMT -8
Sal chuckles at the man's willingness to get down to work. "As I said: always something to be done. If you'd like you can always join up with the crew, Prescott. If you're weathered to salt, then you'll fit in well enough. The sea is always as the sea is; that's what makes her nice to work on." Her head tilts towards Blood, considering what he's said. "A captain AND a cook? What a fortune we've brought you along! Sure; Tavi will be securing the rigging but I'm sure soon she'll be scuttering down and among the inner chambers to get to work on some meal. Fresh meat for a few days, and fish after. Been a while since we've had beef aboard - always strange." She laughs lightly, then begins walking. "I'm taking up to the helm. I prefer to start my voyages up there, anyway. But make yourselves at home. We're glad to have you aboard. And, Gods willing, we will take all four of you back to shore, all limbs attached." Sal nudges a door to belowdecks open to indicate where Blood could venture down if he so wished to. Otherwise, there is naught but the talking of sailors, and the tying of knots.
Abovedeck there are plenty of crew, mostly still adjusting crates and tying things up to keep them where they should be. Tobin, among them, hefts a barrel with the help of a few of the others. Tavi stands at the middle mast, looking down upon her little kingdom as she rechecks some of the stays. Sal's solid bootsteps are heard as she climbs the steps to the wheel, where she stands, taking over from her second-mate. All is good, for the time being, and soon the Hamlet is naught but a line on the horizon.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Jul 18, 2019 15:26:52 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
The Lord rather beamed at the Captain's exclamation, more than ready to enthuse about his skills, though soon as he words were done she seemed ready to trot on to helm the ship... which was a fair thing to attend to, he supposed, far more than listening to him prattle on about what he could do.
"Fair winds then, Captain." He fared the captain well, raising his hand as a bymeans to goodbye, before he brought it to rub the back of his neck. Rolling a kink out of his neck in the process, he set his eyes on the rather tame Prescott; the cord of rope on his hip was more than enough to impress the man as a manhunter... unless the man had a hobby of tying knots or somesuch.
"Well..." Lekalis sighed and shrugged with his brows, once he caught the man's eyes, his own rolled away to look portside to the horizon.
"... I've never been on an expedition where I had to just... wait." He chuckled, a silksome tune that had an edge of tension to it as he brought his hands about to rest on his spear,
"And I can't say I've seen you around before!" He remarked with some small surprise that brought his inkish gaze upon the beefsome man; Lekalis strode about him now, like a falcon to a mouse,
"Seems violence has already marked you though, which is far better than the soft faces I've seen stroll out of the carriage here; where ever would you catch a cut like that then?" He clucked his tongue and tilted his torso to get a better angle on the man's scar,
"I'm surprised, whatever it was, didn't cut your head clean in half..."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 20:19:07 GMT -8
Prescott sent a mild wave as the captain took her leave, keeping note of where she motioned for the other man could go if he so pleased. It was probably best to unload his gear now while things were calm and in control. No use being encumbered if the estimated time of arrival was anything to go by. He was just thinking about heading to inquire about bunking when Lekalis began his spiel.
Shifting slightly to hook a thumb in his belt, Prescott gave the Lord the attention he was looking for. "Aye. Only recently arrived here." His gaze steeled a bit under the Lord's scrutiny. Can't say he appreciated being prowled about like this, but at least this could be a decent opportunity to get a better read of the man. He quirked a brow slightly at the question.
"Got ambushed when I was still new to my trade. Lucky to have survived it, but it put me outta commission for a good while. Might be a story better told down the line." He turned some as he spoke to start making his way below deck. As the captain said, there was always something to be done but he kept the man in his attention for if he decided to follow suit. "I'm sure you have plenty stories of your own you're dyin to tell as well."
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Post by rosallora on Jul 20, 2019 17:51:25 GMT -8
As the man continued belowdecks, the creaking of timber became more and more evident. The ship had a sound unto itself, a certain breath that surrounded him. It was salt-soaked wood, blown through a million times, waves having crashed over the rails and seeped down into the ship's belly to sleep until it could no longer. The air was also cooler, almost gentler, not as sun-scorched as that above. The light of day disappeared as he continued down, lights held in glass lamps taking their place. They were carefully bracketed to the walls, each globule containing what seemed to be an oil lamp, though the flames burned not bright and yellow, but some sickly blueish hue. Regardless of the color of the light shed, the effect was the same, and he was easily able to locate where they were to put their things. The sleeping conditions on ship were largely hammocks, as it appeared, and there was in effect four of them that did not look as tossed as the rest. The blankets upon them were folded, the pillows wan but not as divoted as the others, and the canvas itself that made it up unstained by sweat or... other such bodily fluids.
It also helped that there was a sign nailed into one of the ropes that bore the title "For Land-Locked Hired Help -Jonah".
--
Above decks, the gulls were still calling. A couple of them were up on the masts, perching and shitting down on the crew. Tavi scrambled along the wood, cawing almost as they did, swatting at them.
"Just leave them be!" shouted another of the seamen. "They'll take off eventually, don't terrorize the birds. Bad luck."
Tavi turned a stink eye to him, then rolls them, settling instead in the safety of the crow's nest. "Fine," she says, folding her arms. She rests them upon the rim of the crow's nest, and looks down just in time to see a blot of white land directly onto Lily's head.
"HAW!" The woman above shouts, vindicated.
There's a laugh from a few of the others, and another jogs up, a bit of rough cloth in hand. Tobin grimaces in sympathy. "Ah, miss..."
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Post by Vanitypirate on Jul 20, 2019 18:21:00 GMT -8
Ponytail looked over his shoulder at the bird that swirled on overhead. Quite rudely, but with impressive accuracy, it vandalized poor Lily's hair. He wondered to himself why she did not wear a hat out of doors. Then it occurred to him that nobody on this ship, in fact, was hatted at all...
It was quite disturbing to him that he was clearly the most qualified person to be on this boat.
Quickly, already impressed with himself, he thought to demonstrate to the other smug gulls what happened to those who trifled with his compatriots. He found his gun, aiming down its barrel as he rested his hip against the ship's railing.
After a few careful moments of aiming, Ponytail pulled the trigger, fired, and missed the dastardly bird entirely.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Jul 20, 2019 18:30:36 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
"Ambushed whilst trading; forsooth, the details of the cargo, the ambushers, the ambushees'. Afloat or aland, the questions do ask themselves..." Lekalis waxed on like a lusting poet, though paused and called down to Prescott as he descended; Lekalis' own spear, set horizontally as it was, would make the effort a mite difficult and he'd a few persons he would like to mingle with yet.
"... Alas, you're right! Another time." He assured with a nod and a dainty wave, before taking a knee to continue on without shouting but rather, speaking loudly,
"Perhaps I'll tell a the tale over lunch or rest or the like!" the words only just left his mouth when a sudden crack stole his attentions; his head snapped about. Gunfire was certainly expected on a gunboat like this, but the snap was of a rifle, he knew too well.
Though its owner and make were certainly a far cry from the smokey and bloody memories the noise dredged up; the man with a gilded tail on his scalp and verdant jack had his rifle snug against his shoulder with smoke pluming out of the barrel with an utterly cocksure measure about him, which seemed to pervade most gunners it seemed.
Lekalis' eyes narrowed and he rose soberly, brushing his knees off before hailing the man,
"Trying to fetch lunch already?" Lekalis chuckled as he looked over to Lily and felt a grimace on his face at the sight of the poop on her crown. The Lord suddenly felt very vulnrable, and immediately very conscious of where the birds flew over head.
He moved to hide beneath the shadow of the helm quickly.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2019 12:15:06 GMT -8
The familiar sight and sounds held a familiar comfort. There were many days and nights that a place like this was the only respite during long hours of back breaking work between meals. It was far easier to find the space made for them then he'd thought. This Jonah seemed like a rather meticulous fellow, though admittedly that type of man was a good fit for First Mate.
'Better then some..' The bitter thought pricked at the back of his mind as he tossed his helm into the hammock with a vague air of irritation. He knew this wasn't the time to start getting huffy over the past, but that didn't stop the low rumbling growl escape his throat as he worked out of his gambeson and scales. Not all of his gear was to be removed. He still kept most everything equipped to his belt including his axe, his rope and hook and the few coin he had (a lesson he learned very very quickly on his first nights as a crewman) as well as the new tunic he had recently gotten to replace the one that """accidentally""" got ruined. He also slipped his leather gloves in one of the pouches along his belt.
With a quick retie of his hair to keep it out of his face, Prescott was about to head back up on Beck when the color of the oil lamps caught his attention. Was it just his imagination, or did it seem odd? He stepped under one for closer inspection and reached up to touch the glass lightly enough to hopefully not burn himself on it if it was in fact hot from the kind of heat fire typically makes. It felt relatively normal from what he could tell at least. He was just about to dismiss the strange anomaly when the sharp familiar crack of gunfire rang from above, putting the hunter immediately on edge. Leaving the matter behind, Prescott hastened his pace back up to the deck with his axe ready in his hand. Just in case.
As he worked his way up another sound caught his attention. Footsteps. The grip of his axe tightened a bit seeing ashe'd been already put on edge from the gunshot, but it didn't stop him from halting to see who else was with him.
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Post by Machevelli on Jul 21, 2019 17:34:51 GMT -8
Lily looked up as she felt something land on her head, hand instinctively reaching up to brush whatever it was off until she realized what exactly it was as she observed the gulls in the air. She groaned and began to go look for something to clean her hair with before she heard a gunshot and whirled around, frightened at the sudden sound.
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Post by rosallora on Jul 22, 2019 6:06:13 GMT -8
Tavi was watching the birds when the gun went off, and felt a heat too close to her body for her own liking. She does not jolt back, used to such things as gunpowder and violence, and knows that her balance in her current spot was more important to her than flinching away from the sound of the gun. She looks down at Ponytail, and a few others of the crew do as well, eyeing the quickness with which the lad had taken out the gun.
"Ma'am-" Tobin, overlooked and now pinkfaced at that fact, retreats back a few steps with the kerchief. It was clear she wished for some different assistance.
Behind Prescott came a hand that set upon his shoulder in a familiar way, forcing him lightly but firmly to the side as Jonah climbed the stairs to the sky-facing decks. He had an immediate look of anger and concern about him, also zeroing in on the sight of Ponytail and his firearm.
"Why in all seven circles of hell would-"
There was a jolt to the ship, sending many stumbling out of their places. Tavi hung quick to the edge of the basket, looking at the surroundings of the ship. "Trouble!" She yells, and quick. "Fish-types, speared, sword, hooked! Many - ten, eleven..."
"Great," Jonah mutters. The man drew a shortsword from his belt as the boat rocked again. There was a sound like the scrabbling of claws that surrounded them, and into the air came the smell of fish and a heavier brine than the plain and open sea.
"Take up your positions for a boarding!" Jonah yelled. He points with the end of the sword. "Your four, take the bow. I hope you actually know how to fight."
The hulking bodies of scaled not-men started to emerge from the sides of the ship, hauling themselves over with hooks made for climbing or claws scratching at the good wood of the Ursa.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2019 22:48:12 GMT -8
The sight of the other man pushing past made him realize that perhaps he was a little too on edge for the situation currently and he allowed the grip on his weapon to relax some. Still, Prescott fell into step behind him to investigate the gunfire as well. As he stepped back into the light of day once more, he had little time to piece together what was going on before the surprise jolt to the ship had him jerk back to regain his footing.
Really??? Just after he'd removed his armor??? "Son of a bitch." The hunter growled sharp under his breath but was quick to follow Jonah's orders and bolted down the deck towards the bow, knowing full well that there wasn't time to go back for his leathers. Not like it'd be the first time he'd have to fight without them. Just gonna have to play it a bit more careful.
It'd be a lie to say that the fish-men didn't unnerve him some but he was banking on the fact that scaled or not they still probably bleed. Prescott switched his axe to his non-dominant hand and reached back to release the weighted hook tied to the end of the rope hanging from his belt. With a practiced motion, he set to twirling it in tight circles beside him. He took the moment of it gaining momentum to think as he braced for the on coming attack. Gathering from Tavi's report, he knew those spears would pose the biggest problem to him personally considering their reach.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Jul 23, 2019 14:13:36 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
It was fitting the party would start with a bang, he supposed, as he squinted up at the woman in the crow's nest with a slightly quirked brow. He'd not seen monsters of such blatantly fishly designs... but he'd seen their like before. Only recently, it seemed, their kind were becoming more and more ambitious in their attacks.
A part of him couldn't deny a campaigner's worry that the Enemy was preparing for some greater assault.
Such designs were beyond him now, though; he would have to consult with the Heir, for certain, perhaps set Tilly to it. But alas; he harmuphed and nodded to the Jonah's orders,
"Hear!" He replied in kind as he produced his spear, by far greater in length than their harpoons, but he knew better than most to be wary of them when thrown; it seemed that Eel Knight was fair warning for what now came... the world had a quaint sense of consistency, he mused to himself as he looked to Lily and her soiled crown, and Ponytail, then Prescott in kind; he rose his hand and moved to take position on Prescott's flank.
"Prescott, was it? Be good and cut the rope off the bastard's harpoons if they stick me... I'll try to stick them back." He intoned with a somber though chipper tone,
"Ponytail! Fetch the girl! Bring it close and move together!" Lekalis called out to the boy; realizing perhaps a bit late that the man's gun would need to be loaded again if he hoped to defend himself... but his gun would be more than welcome in punishing whatever the Pellagic's had in mind...
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