In need of buoyancy
- Finn Roberts
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CharacterScourge of the Sea
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Level010p / 0g / 0s / 50c
- Race: Human
- Class: Fighter
- Posts: 34
- Joined: April 30th, 2020, 6:50 pm
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
Cirice went on to talk about the whiskey. He smirked. "Of course it's better. I won't lock up horse piss in my cabinet. I don't know where the tavern gets it supply from, but it's not us. Between me and your babyface out there, we at least have good taste in liquor. If we can start providing the taverns with good stuff, we'll make a fortune." he answered her before dropping his feet and getting up. "No use in finishing the bottle tonight. We still have a ways to go." he said before walking to the door. He really did not care whether she followed or not.
Outside was lovely as he walked up to the helm where Derrick was lazily steering. Twilight had fallen and he could see fireflies on the jungle edge.
"Blissful, isn't it?" Derrick asked him as he came to stand next to his friend.
"For now. We'll sail for another hour or so, then drop anchor. Tomorrow I want you to set a course for the Narrows." Finn answered.
Derrick sighed. "You better hope we get favourable weather on the day we get to those pillars. We won't have a dragon saving our arses this time."
"We don't need one. You just make sure you're not half asleep on that day." Finn countered teasingly. Derrick smirked, but said nothing. They stood in silence for a while, listening to the evening noises of water lapping at the hull and men laughing on deck.
@Cirice Vaisha
- Cirice Vaisha
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CharacterThe Wildling Pirate
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Level030p / 0g / 0s / 75c
- Race: Kerasoka
- Class: Ranger and Rogue
- Posts: 70
- Joined: July 14th, 2020, 3:44 pm
- Has thanked: 63 times
- Been thanked: 56 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
Once outside she looked around and took a deep breath. From the railing on the main deck she listened to everything going on. Derrick and Finn's bickering, the crew chatting over this and that, some of her own crew mingling with Finn's. She closed her eyes and simply listened to everything around her...then she heard Finn mention dropping anchor. Her eyes snapped open and she made her way to the quarterdeck. "We're not dropping anchor." she ordered with a serious look. "We sail through the night on minimum crew. Only a handful of men will be needed, my crew will suffice. I'm not going to waste a single minute." she insisted further, her eyes darting between Derrick and Finn. "If you and your men can't sail in the dark, that's fine. I can. You two can rest up, I'll get us where we need to be." she continued before glancing around them. "Wind should be shifting in our favour any minute now. I'd suggest opening the t'gallants before we lose the advantage." she commented further, looking back to them and making her way to the main deck.
With nothing better to do for the moment, she decided to explore the ship a little. Whether Finn liked it or not, she was going to keep them running through the night. She clued her men in and moved to her own quarters for a quick moment of respite.
@Finn Roberts
- Finn Roberts
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CharacterScourge of the Sea
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Level010p / 0g / 0s / 50c
- Race: Human
- Class: Fighter
- Posts: 34
- Joined: April 30th, 2020, 6:50 pm
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
"Listen, lady, I don't give a fuck who and what you are, but if you think you can ever give an order on my ship, you are making a big mistake. I asked you along on this voyage as a courtesy to get back at the fuckers that bested you. I would welcome suggestions from you, but don't ever presume to play captain on my ship." he growled in a low, dangerous voice. "If you want to sail through the night, you ask. You will show me respect on my ship. I may consider you a friend in a strange way, but you will never override me on my ship again." he added before letting her go.
He turned towards the men, while still being very aware of Cirice. He was ready if she decided to retaliate, "Night shift will sail with Captain Vaisha's crew through the night. You have two hours to get some grub and shut eye before taking your posts. The rest of you get off once they return." he ordered. He then turned back towards her. "You are welcome to stay here at our side or you can get some shut eye - up to you. You can help yourself to some drink in my cabinet if you so wish." he told her in a much calmer voice. He turned back to face the deck while standing next to Derrick, folding his arms across his chest.
"Feeling better?" Derrick asked.
"Mildly." Finn answered, looking out over the water. This was going to be an interesting voyage.
@Cirice Vaisha
- Cirice Vaisha
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CharacterThe Wildling Pirate
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Level030p / 0g / 0s / 75c
- Race: Kerasoka
- Class: Ranger and Rogue
- Posts: 70
- Joined: July 14th, 2020, 3:44 pm
- Has thanked: 63 times
- Been thanked: 56 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
Luckily he wasn't that big an idiot and relented to her idea of sailing through the night. He let her go and she sheathed her knife again, but she maintained her glare for a moment longer before turning to face the stairway to the main deck. He offered her a drink and she glanced between him and Derrick. "Don't mind if I fucking do." she muttered coldly as she walked down the stairs and entered his cabin. A few moments later she emerged with his bottle of whiskey and made her way to the lower deck. With the bottle in hand she disappeared into her quarters to cool off.
When it was their watch, she emerged and grabbed a slice of bread from the kitchen on the way out. As she made her way to the quarterdeck she affixed her black cloak to fight off the cold of the evening. She took a moment to familiarize herself with their location and destination and turned to face a nearby sailor. "Half sail, if you please. And tell the men to be at the ready. If I want something done, I want it fucking done. You understand?" she commanded him with a stern voice. He scrammed off and relayed her orders to the rest. With that set she took her place behind the helm and nibbled at the bread, calmly adjusting their course every now and then. Her eyes were locked onto the stars showing her the way. "Oi! Douse the lamps. We don't need to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves." she ordered a sailor and he did as he was told. Pretty soon the Queen was pitch black with only a few lights to aid the sailors in their duties.
She wasn't sure where Finn was and at this point she didn't care. At this point her patience with him was thin enough already.
@Finn Roberts
- Finn Roberts
-
CharacterScourge of the Sea
-
Level010p / 0g / 0s / 50c
- Race: Human
- Class: Fighter
- Posts: 34
- Joined: April 30th, 2020, 6:50 pm
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
"Are you sure you want to go through with this? She's not making it easy on you." Derrick asked him after a while as everything settled down again.
Finn smirked. He was glad Cirice was below deck at this comment. "I never expected her to make it easy. She never does. You know that." he answered. "The men are ready for what it is they'll face. Most of them also know her. They know what to expect."
"Aye, but this could go south in the blink of an eye." Derrick countered. "You know how unstable she is."
"She may be unhinged, but she's a damn good captain nonetheless. An influential, well known one at that. If we had let this go unpunished, those bastards would get bolder and try to take us on next. If we don't nip their little experiment in the bud right now, they'll pose a hell of a lot of problems for us later on. I want to fight them on my terms, not theirs." Finn told him.
"And the men? How many do you think we'll lose on this little revenge quest? If that ship is so heavily armed, you can bet its crew are good fighters as well."
Finn's eyes flashed. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't thought about this? Weighed the losses beforehand?" he snapped. "I had to make a decision! Lose a handful now or lose most of them later on? What would you pick, Derrick, hm?
Derrick sighed before nodding in resignation.
"Don't be so quick to hand out judgement. You know I won't risk their lives needlessly." Finn continued in a strained voice before heading down to his cabin.
The change of the watch had come and gone, while Finn tried to make sense of their schedule while also mulling over everything. It was well into the night before he threw down the quill and got up. He was much too agitated to get some sleep, so he put on his jacket and walked outside to try and clear his head somewhat. It was almost completely dark. Cirice had probably doused the lamps to keep their position as secret as possible. He went to stand at the port rail on the main deck to look out over the open water.
"Molly." he called to his nighttime navigator. For the life of him, he could not remember why they nicknamed this man Molly, but the name stuck.
"Cap'n?" Molly asked as he came closer. He was a big brute of a man with the personality of a lapdog - not an angry hair on his head, but loyal to a fault.
"How far have we sailed?" he asked.
Cap'n Vaisha has us on half sail, Cap'n. We've passed the first inlet already." Molly answered.
Finn nodded. "We're making good time, then. I don't imagine you're doing much navigating?"
Molly smiled knowingly. "No, Cap'n. I'm on sail duty tonight."
"Good man. At least we're still on course, so she can't be too bad at it. Just follow her lead through the night."
"Aye, Cap'n." Molly answered before returning to his post.
Finn stood for a while longer before walking up to the quarterdeck to stand next to Cirice.
"Whereabouts do you think that bitch is about now? Her steering shot and all?" he asked calmly, his attention to fore.
@Cirice Vaisha
- Cirice Vaisha
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CharacterThe Wildling Pirate
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Level030p / 0g / 0s / 75c
- Race: Kerasoka
- Class: Ranger and Rogue
- Posts: 70
- Joined: July 14th, 2020, 3:44 pm
- Has thanked: 63 times
- Been thanked: 56 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
The wind shifted slightly, causing her to glance up. She waved over one of the sailors and leaned over the railing. "Get those sails adjusted. I want them filled permanently." she ordered him and he scrammed off. She looked ahead of them again and turned the wheel slightly. She kept the silence going for several moments more before clearing her throat. "You grab me like that again and I'll rip your throat out. Got it?" she spoke up as she glared at him. "You make the rules on your ship, that's fine. But don't grab me like I'm some whore again. Do you understand?" she spoke with authority as she glared at him. Her golden eyes stared at him before looking up at the stars again.
"We'll be reaching the Narrows in an hour or so. You can either enjoy a lovely cruise in the night through them from up here or your cabin." she explained to him. A smirk appeared on her face as she glanced at him. "I promise I won't scratch her." she quipped, tapping the wheel of the Phantom Queen.
@Finn Roberts
- Finn Roberts
-
CharacterScourge of the Sea
-
Level010p / 0g / 0s / 50c
- Race: Human
- Class: Fighter
- Posts: 34
- Joined: April 30th, 2020, 6:50 pm
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
"Good." he merely replied. He stood in silence for a while and listened as she asked for the sails to be adjusted. They were making good progress.
Cirice drew out the silence even longer before she finally spoke. She told him in her very diplomatic way to not grab her like that again. Finn snorted but said nothing for a minute or two.
"Just don't give me reason to and I won't." he replied after a while. "If I did not grab you, you would not have stopped to listen. And it was either me or my crew that made you stop and I am the more reasonable of the two. You bruised my ego and I bruised yours and we'll get over it. If I had left it to my crew to sort out, it would have ended in a bloodbath that would have cost us all dearly later on. I resolved the matter quickly and painlessly and we can still move forward without too much hooha about it." he explained without looking at her. His tone was not rude or demanding, but it still did not allow for an argument about the subject.
After a while she said that they would reach the Narrows in about in hour and that he could decide what he would do. She also teasingly promised not to scratch the Queen. He smirked.
"You're a woman. I trust your sailing as far as I can throw my ship. I think I'll stay up here to keep an eye on you to make sure that you don't hurt my lady." he quipped right back. "Molly!" he then called out to the main deck.
"Cap'n?" he asked as jogged up.
"According to Captain Vaisha's calculations, we'll be nearing the Narrows soon. Although I have every faith in Captain Vaisha's ability to navigate on her own, I want you to assist her in any way she needs you to, to aid in navigation through those pillars. Understood?" he ordered.
"Aye, Cap'n." he answered before turning to face Cirice. "Just give a holler when you need an adjustment or an extra eye, Cap'n." he said, before jogging back to the main mast.
"He's not Kerasoka, but he's damn right close when it comes to sailing at night. He won't let you down." Finn explained to her. He just hoped she didn't take affront at something he said again. The woman's moodswings was getting on his nerves. He might just gut her next time.
He stood in silence for a while, enjoying the night air. He could feel a shift in temperature, which meant that dawn was probably only two or three hours away. With them passing through the Narrows, they had every element of surprise. They'd be on their prize just a the sun would breach the ridge to their starboard, blinding their prize to their approach. All their bickering aside, Cirice was just as good a captain as himself. She knew what she was doing.
@Cirice Vaisha
- Cirice Vaisha
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CharacterThe Wildling Pirate
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Level030p / 0g / 0s / 75c
- Race: Kerasoka
- Class: Ranger and Rogue
- Posts: 70
- Joined: July 14th, 2020, 3:44 pm
- Has thanked: 63 times
- Been thanked: 56 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
She remained quiet as they got closer. "All hands, raise the courses. Unfurl t'gallants and topsails! I want this bitch turning on a dime!" she ordered the sailors, taking a deep breath. The narrows were coming in quickly, though they slowed to a more manageable speed as the sails were raised. "Get your man on the bow, I want to know about any rocks beneath the surface." she said to Finn, glancing at him then to the rocks ahead of them. The moonlight was fading, but her golden eyes shone brightly. When the first rocks came, she calmly adjusted the steering to miss them with elegance. One rock came speeding up but she corrected, sailing past it close enough to touch. She glanced at the masts, making sure they cleared the rocks. Thankfully they were high enough.
Her eyes darted around them, checking for a clear route. She found what she was looking for and swung the ship hard to port. She halted the wheel and spun it back to straighten the ship out, placing them in a rather unnervingly close distance to the other rocks. "How's it looking, Molly?!" she called out with a harsh voice, a focused frown affixed along her brow. The ship was groaning under the strain, but she knew it could take it. She'd be disappointed if the Queen couldn't.
Her eyes spotted a rock dead ahead of them. "Drop the starboard anchor! Now!" she barked at her and Finn's sailors. Once they did, she would let go of the wheel to let the tension swing them out of the massive rock's way. The bowsprit shrieked as the wood clipped the rock, but no damage whatsoever came of it. She ignored the shouts and cries from crewmembers as they panicked, focusing solely on spotting rocks in the night and getting past them. "Cut the anchor!" she ordered, preparing to correct their course once they got rid of it. "I'll pay for your anchor, don't worry." she quipped to Finn, confident his temper was starting to grow shorter with every turn of the wheel.
@Finn Roberts
- Finn Roberts
-
CharacterScourge of the Sea
-
Level010p / 0g / 0s / 50c
- Race: Human
- Class: Fighter
- Posts: 34
- Joined: April 30th, 2020, 6:50 pm
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 30 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
"I thought you didn't need him?" he teased, but he turned to the deck nonetheless. "Molly, I want your eyes! I want to avoid every damn pebble that comes our way!" he ordered.
"Aye, Cap'n!" Molly hollered as made his way to the bow.
Within a few moments, the first stones were upon them. Finn stood calmly as Cirice deftly manoeuvered her way through them. she found a way through some stones as the Queen protested some of her steering. Finn wasn't worried about the Queen's complaints. He knew she was made of sterner stuff, but a pillar passed unnervingly close to them.
"You scratch her, you paint her." he said with a smirk.
He listened as she called out to Molly for his eyes.
"Tooth to fore, Cap'n!" he shouted.
When Cirice ordered the starboard anchor to be dropped, he lifted his brows, but remained silent as she steered like a crazy person to avoid the stone. When the immediate danger had passed, the crew voiced their panic in unison. Finn lifted his chin.
"Stop being girls and hands to stations! We've all sailed these Narrows before! It's nothing new!" he ordered with finality. Circe then ordered the anchor cable to be cut. Finn sighed, but knew he would have ordered the same. When she threw a quip at him, he snorted. "I'll subtract it from your share. They're getting more expensive by the day." he quipped right back.
After a few more drastic swerves from Cirice, Derrick came hobbling up to the helm.
"I was just going to swear at you for your crazy steering, but I see you have the Harpy at the wheel." he told Finn as he came to stand next to him.
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Finn asked him, still slightly irritated with his friend's lack of confidence in him.
"As if anyone can sleep with this steering. All the men are clinging for their lives below deck." Derrick replied with the same annoyance.
Finn narrowed his eyes at him. "You're either going to be grumpy below deck or productive up here. I will not tolerate your complaining up here." he told him.
"Let me do the sailing, then." Derrick retorted.
Finn's eyes flashed. "You will not touch this wheel in your current mood. If you keep pressing this, I'll gag you and throw you in the brig to simmer down." he snapped. He was not going to tolerate resistance from Derrick as well. Circe was bad enough.
"You'd do that, wouldn't you?" Derrick said in a slightly calmer tone. "Fine. I'll leave you to it." he continued before hobbling back to below deck. Finn let out a huff and clenched his jaw as another pillar narrowly missed them. Derrick had just soured his mood.
"Boulders to fore and larboard, Cap'n." Molly called from the bow.
@Cirice Vaisha
- Cirice Vaisha
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CharacterThe Wildling Pirate
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Level030p / 0g / 0s / 75c
- Race: Kerasoka
- Class: Ranger and Rogue
- Posts: 70
- Joined: July 14th, 2020, 3:44 pm
- Has thanked: 63 times
- Been thanked: 56 times
Re: In need of buoyancy
She glanced down for a second as Derrick emerged. "Nice to see you too, darling!" she called out to him. She remained quiet, though, as the two men went back and forth with each other. Finn finally silenced Derrick's complaining, sending him below deck again like a parent scolding a child. "Now don't be so mean! You'll hurt his feelings!" she teased him with a maniacal laugh before focusing on the rocks again. Molly called out the position of the rocks and Cirice reacted immediately. She spun the wheel hard to starboard, narrowly sailing past the massive rocks. Once they cleared it, she straightened back out and visibly relaxed. "Worst is behind us, Captain Roberts." she quipped with a confident grin on her face as she turned to face him. "You can have your man take over for the rest. It's all smooth sailing from here." she commented as she stepped away from the wheel and turned towards the stairs down to the main deck. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me. There's still half a bottle of whiskey left if you'd like to join me." she quipped as she calmly walked down the stairs and made her way below deck.
In her quarters she collapsed onto the hammock, nearly flinging herself off again, and reached out to pull the bottle closer. She took a swig of it and sighed as the liquid burned her throat. They were getting close. Just a few more hours and that bitch would be hers...
@Finn Roberts