Nikki drained the mug, cleaned it and put it away, then headed out of the galley back onto the deck. "Fer! she called, waving. "How was your time in town? You seen the captain yet? He said he'd be back soon." She was already impatient to be off.

When Matthew appeared, the woman gave him a big smile. "And Matthew! You said something about cannons, did you find what you were looking for? Wait until you see the gloves Rous made everyone~" Nikki dug in her pocket for her pair and pulled them out. "See? I don't like wearing them because they get in the way of my claws and I hate having anything on my fingers, but they're pretty cool all the same."

Rous had left shortly after sunrise, and it was nearing midday when he finally flew over the town. He dove real low, skimming the rooftops, and pulled up to climb, trying to slow down before he reached the docks. As he glided along, a familiar feeling washed over him, a friendly presence nearby, but there was no telling who it could be. The ship came into view, pulling up one last time to stall the glider at the top, before diving down towards the ship.

"CLEAR THE DECK! GLIDER LANDING!" Shouted a deckhand, and everyone topside dove for the rails, stairs, or other areas out of the way of the open deck. Rous fished a hook from under the rack he was laying on, it was attached to the frame by a rope. As he passed over the handrail, he dropped the hook, and it snagged the rigging. The sleds on the bottom of the glider slid across the deck, before it snapped backwards slightly. The Captain rose from the sled, smoothing his hair back. [I]"Someone find a place for this glider. The wings fold up. Where's my first mate? Is everything ready?"[/i] He began asking, as people began to scurry around. He was about to issue more orders, when something caught his attention. He listened hard, as the sounds of fighting men singing reached his ears. An ancient Ãœprivaltian marching tune floated in on the breeze. Rous walked to the rail to see the source of the singing, and grinned.

Wyrn Stalkovia lead the column of men, all wearing red sashes in some fashion, singing and whooping and hooting and hollering. They marched up to the gangplank, and Wyrn halted them. He threw his arms out wide with a smile. [B]"ROUUUUSSSS! We are here to sail! Will you have us?"[/b] He shouted, his eyebrow raised, wide grin still posted on his face. Rous turned and looked to his crew, who looked back at him.

[I]"I don't know. What do you think, Jesters?"[/i]

[B]"AYE!"[/B] They all shouted in unison. He turned to the Red Sashes, and waved "Get your asses up here! We are leaving!"

Amidst the large crew shaking hands and making friends, Rous and Wyrn strode towards each other. Rous held out his hand to shake, but Wyrn had other plans. He laughed and picked Rous up in a bear hug, shaking him like a small child. [B]"Ha-ha! Rous! It's been too long!"[/b]

-D-

[ is there a posting order?]

(( SCREW POSTING ORDER. I posts when I wants! =P ))

Ooc// Negative . Post when it makes sense!

As he got closer, the boy saw that the flying house was not alone. There were many houses both on the ground and in the water. Only a few were in the sky, held there by great rocks. The boy wondered how the rocks were perfectly round, or how they carried houses into the sky. He decided to get a closer look, going to the edge of the trees. Sitting on a thick branch, he watched the hustle and bustle of the paths and people between the houses. There were so many of them, and not one was chasing him. They had their own tasks to carry out.

The boy was pulled from his concentration by the sound of a man shouting. His eyes went to the great water where houses were floating next to large, flat wooden surfaces. There were men dressed in red shouting and celebrating. The boy wondered if these red men had fire. Perhaps they could remove the wrappings! The Oak Tree would not believe what the boy had seen! So he leapt out onto one of the houses with a solid thud and began hopping from roof to roof toward the water house of red men. He was forced to stop, as there was only the flat wood between him and the water house, and he could not jump the distance. He had only ever seen a surface like that in the abbey, and the abbey was evil. He plopped down right where he stood. Sitting there on a roof's edge, he felt sorrow. He had no fire. He could not remove the wrappings, so he could no longer speak with the forest. Now he was too afraid to cross and receive the fire that could give him speech. He cursed those sages as he began to weep silently.

The Oak Tree was his only friend..

Nikki was distracted by the incoming glider, abandoning two half-finished conversations with hardly a second thought. "Ah, it's the captain!" she exclaimed, grinning widely. She had returned in just such a fashion, though her landing had been rather lackluster and the craft was now a bit damaged. It had been amazing and she couldn't /wait/ to try again, though. "I will need to get pointers from him," she decided aloud, tail swishing in anticipation.

No sooner had Rous landed than he was barking orders, turning the ship into a hive of hurried activity. Nikki found herself somewhere mostly out of the way to watch, since she was still new to the tasks needed to get underway. "I wonder if he really meant I'm an officer," she mused idly. "He said it, but was he serious?"

The singing of the Red Scarves attracted her attention, and Nikki stood to get a better view. They weren't the only ones -- was that a kid on the rooftops? Nikki squinted, but couldn't get a good look. "Hey Matthew, I'm gonna check something out, don't leave without me, 'kay~?" she said all in one breath as she clapped the man on the shoulder in passing. "Shouldn't take very long!" And with that she was off down the gangplank and over to shore. The building the kid was sitting on was right by the water's edge, and it was a matter of moments to find an accessible route to the rooftop.

"Heya kid, whatcha doin'? I saw you, you jump like a cat!" the woman exclaimed cheerily, a smile on her face. "You got some nice -- hey, are you okay?" Nikki crouched down, and took a closer look. The boy looked like he was crying, but he was totally silent. Not only that, but he wore some weird wrappings with a symbol on them over his face. Who was this kid?

A loud thud nearly threw Avery out of bed. Grumbling curses she gathered a pair of pants and a shirt in her arms and forcefully threw them on the bed. She shoved her legs into each pant leg violently, still annoyed somebody had woken her up from a pleasant dream. She left her boots by the door, too annoyed to put the troublesome footwear on. Indistinct shouts reached her ears as she yanked open the door to her quarters.

"If some bumbling sailor fell off the rigging, help me..." she trailed off as she reached the deck. Apparently the captain was back on board and working to get underway. Cold, slushie water dropped onto her foot, her anger had caused water to accumulate at her fingers and start to freeze. She stifled more curses as she watched the crew scurry about to complete the captain's orders.

After watching for a few moments she spun on her heel and strode back to her quarters to get her medicine bag. Most of the sailors moved out of her way with just a glare, she dodged the other sailors as she went. The doctor slung her bag over her shoulder and headed back on deck, finding a safe seat to watch the crew work. She wished she'd had more time to learn this ship's rigging so that she could help. Right now she would only get in the way.

Rous patted the big bear of a man on the shoulder [I]"About 300 years too long. You haven't changed a bit. Haven't died once, have you?"[/i] Rous asked, and the big man shook his head. [B]" Nyet. Lived all 435 of my years....from the looks of things, you have, friend..."[/b] He traced the wrinkles under his eyes with a finger. [B]"Last we met, you looked 20. Now 27-28. You've gotten into trouble, haven't you?"[/B] Rous nodded "5 times. You learn things while you're dead, though. You bring that kid along with you?" He asked, pointing to the young man, whose head was adorned with antlers, and face wrapped in bandages.Wyrn shook his head. Rous walked to the gangplank, and crossed his arms.

[I]"Oi! What's wrong? You sailing with us or what? Come on!"[/I]

Blackfire yelped in surprise at the knock. "U-uh, one second!" she called through the door. Hurriedly, she tucked the little baby away into the bag again, then answered the door. "Ah, Tressa," she said, sounding just a little winded. "I hope you enjoyed your time off. Um, what can I do for you?" She flashed a smile at the other woman. It faded at the small noise of complaint from her new messenger bag. "Ah, sorry..." The bag whined again, and then the wyvern crawled out of it, in full view of Tressa and anyone who might've been behind her. Blackfire swallowed, glancing from the baby to Tressa with a weak smile.

(())

Instinct took over at first. The boy flinched, expecting to be harmed or otherwise wronged when he heard a voice and saw the woman. After a moment, he felt a connection. She had within her traits of a Forrest animal. He slowly approached her, then jumped to her side when the man yelled at them. Terrified, he gripped the cat-girl's clothes as he squatted behind and to the side of her. He didn't understand any of what was going on at all. He wanted the Oak Tree to tell him everything was okay like it always did before. Having affinity for the Forrest and its inhabitants, he could feel the cat-girl's spirit. She was no threat, not to him. The boy hoped she would protect him from the evil men. He didn't want to be captured, not after having just escaped the sages. He didn't like this Forrest of people and houses anymore. He wanted to go home. But he couldn't. He needed man's fire to remove the wrappings. He ran one hand through his messy, shaggy, white hair and held it there as he stood, gripping his other hand to the cat-girl's shirt. He looked at her for guidance. He couldn't hear the Oak Tree from there, and he had a feeling that by the time he got back, he would have a long story to tell. Until he did, he would look to her.

[yeah I assume we're all subscribed at this point and thusly will pinging only the relevant people.]

Matthew's eyes turned to Nikki as she spoke behind him. He scratched his head when she asked him about a cannon. "Um.. Yeah, well the cannon is a bit of a suprise in case we get into any more trouble like the drakes and stuff." He the thought to himself "That, and it's pretty experimental." He decided to leave that information out for now, however. He raised his eyebrow a bit once she mentioned Rous getting everyone gloves. "What's so special about them?" But before Nikki could answer, Matthew heard a man shout.

Matthew took a quick jump-slide back as Rous called out to clear the deck. Soon Rous was back on deck, shouting out orders as soon as he landed. Nikki had arrived in a similar fashion not long ago, however her landing wasn't as quite... Gracious as Rous'. Matthew smiled a bit, shaking his head, eyes closed. Not long after Rous had returned, singing could be heard from a far off distance. Matthew looked to the source to find Wyrn, the man he had met earlier at the tavern, along with his accomplices. As Rous turned to ask the crew if they'd accept Wyrn and his band of red-sashed sailors, Matthew was among the men to shout "Aye!"

As Matthew was greeting the new privateers, he heard Nikki talking behind him. He was about to respond, but she had already ran off to the shore, to the small boy she had mentioned earlier. Matthew put his foot on the railing nearest to Nikki, and rested his arm on his thigh, calling out to the two of them, saying "Hey! You coming on or what?" With a friendly smile. The kid seemed to also have horns, although his seemed more like antlers than anything else, and he doubted they came from the same source.

[I]"Nikki! Hurry up and get on board. Bring your new friend, he /might/ be useful for something. We are leaving in 15 minutes. With all this new help, things will to much smoother!"[/i] He walked from the rail, and Wyrn followed "Do you always recruit random, strange individuals to sail with you?" He asked, slightly concerned. Rous chuckled. [I]"I've met some very good people doing that. Let's get this ship ready to leave!"[/i]

They strode off to help the crew get ready.

Fer only half spun hearing his name be called from a familiar voice. He started to open his mouth to answer as he brushed his hair back. Only to shut it again without a sound coming out as Nikki disappeared into another conversation. Though the silence didn’t last long as the Captain made his grand entrance. It was fascinating and one he felt was in true Rous fashion. He sprang back to try and help compact the flying vessel as the singing overtook any thoughts.

Jack grabbed one of her blades as she almost rolled out of her bedding hearing the crash from above. Her hand gripped tight around the handle as she flew up the stairs just to be greeted by the ever intriguing Captain. Carefully she slid the blade into a sheath attached around her thigh hearing the songs of the additional crew. She went to look over the ship to the crew, and the docks below. A small bit of sea air blew a couple stray dreads back from her head as she caught sight of the deer looking boy. She could tell he was scared, it probably didn’t help everyone going to him. Hopping back up to sit on the railing, straddling it for better grip if there were any sudden movement. Glancing back over her shoulder slightly towards the captain and Wyrn. It was going to be rather nice to have someone so large, and well rather jolly around the ship. Seemed like a good one to befriend. “Welcome aboard sir, it’ll be a pleasure sailing with you and your crew” Jack smiled to the large man as Rous stepped over to the gangplank for the boy.

(( Nikki's actually mid-20s, so more a woman than a girl. Just so you're aware. she's still totally a cat-girl though.))

Nikki pat the kid's head, ruffling his white hair. He had horns, and it made her wonder if he was some other sort of -mimi. She knew they were out there, but she'd not run into very many of them. "Alright, Rous, we'll be there~!" she called back, waving at the man on the ship. "Hey, kiddo, I can't stay long, but if you wanna come on an adventure, you should come with. The captain says you can! It's a lot of fun, and you'll see all sorts of things." Nikki looked down at the boy. "So, you interested?" Her tail swished lazily. She hoped the boy would come; he was really different, and she was curious. Who was he, and why didn't he say anything? He seemed to like her, at least. She freed his hand from where he had a grip on the hem of her tank top, and smiled at him. "If you wanna come, we gotta get going." The woman gave his hand a gentle tug towards the edge of the roof, and the ship beyond.

Tressa grinned back. "Sorry to bother you bu-" she stared at the wyvern. "Bu..."

They had just been attacked by wyverns, hadn't they? Not that she'd seen much of it, hiding belowdecks like a coward. But then...

"Oh my goodness that is adorable! What's its name? Is it a boy or a girl? You can't keep it in a bag!" she said, rambling it altogether, from near girlish shriek to cooing to stern admonishment all in one flow.

[oh, yes. I made sure to say 'woman' in the beginning of that post for that reason. But thanks for keeping me covered!]

She had released the boy's grip of her shirt, holding it in hers. He wanted to go with her. To have an adventure and when he got back, he could tell the Oak Tree of it all. He felt her tug, and responded by placing his other hand on her forearm. He couldn't speak still, so he nervously nodded. He wanted to learn of what "Captain" was and if he had fire. He was ready to go, but still he was frightened by the wood below. Would this be like the abbey? Would he be tortured and belittled and beaten only to be cast out? He didn't like it, and he couldn't jump the distance. He decided to climb onto the cat-girl's back. He was worried it was an overstep, but he knew she would find he was extraordinarily light. He had realized himself early on that he was unnaturally light. It helped him jump as far as he did and climb with haste. Still, even on the back of his new friend, he trembled with anxiety. He kept thinking to himself 'this is not the abbey, this is not the abbey'.

Nikki was surprised when the boy climbed on her back, but she laughed. He was light -- really light. What did he eat, feathers?! "Right, let's get about the ship, and I'll introduce you to everyone. Here we go!" She dashed for the edge of the roof and leapt off, and from there to the top of an awning, then to a short stack of crates, making her way gracefully down to the ground. From there it was a quick dash across the gangplank to the Jester's Legacy.

She found a place that wasn't being trampled by the frenzy of activity to let her new friend down. "There, Feathers, see? Whatever you were worried about, it's no big deal." Nikki grabbed the boy's hand and quickly wove her way through the complex dance of busy sailors to where Rous waited. "Feathers, this is Rous. He's our captain. He's cool, but he can be sneaky. And wait until you see him fight~!" She tilted her head at the man. "I don't think he talks, so I'm calling him Feathers until we find a better name for him, or he finds a way to tell us what his is~ He doesn't seem afraid of heights, and he can jump real good!"

[B]"So, You're Captain, when did this happen? And since when do you like sailing, Mr. 'Scared-of-open-water. Where's destination? "[/b] Wyrn asked crossing his arms as he watched his Red Sashes quickly adjust to sailor work. Rous pointed out over the lake "Rhindel, across the lake 3 days. And I've been sailing for a long time, only just became Captain about 5, maybe 10 years ago, you clown." Rous said with a grin, but Wyrn became concerned. [B]"You mean, we are sailing through Leónese waters? You know they are in the middle of a Civil war, right? The separatists aren't too friendly, and the parliamentary forces attack everyone out of caution..."[/b] Rous frowned, scratching his head [I]"I wasn't aware. So we will run into problems. I'll let everyone know to be prepared."[/i]

He turned as Nikki and the kid came walking up. Rous creased his brow, and crouched down to get eye level with the boy. There were a few reasons to wrap his face. Either he was injured, or his voice pissed people off. [I]"Wyrn, what do you make of this?"[/i] Rous went to turn the boy's head with his hand to get a better look, but quickly recoiled as the seal flared up, burning his hand. [I]"Damn! There's a bloody seal on it!"[/i] He sucked his burned fingers, as Wyrn bent over to inspect it. Wyrn rubbed his chin. [B]"It seems someone wanted him quiet. Why do you think?"[/b]

Rous leaned in uncomfortably close, peering into the boys eyes, as if he was peering into his soul, the physical glow behind them flaring to ( even more) insane levels, as a smile slowly creeped across his face. [I]"Wyrn, what do you feel when you look into his soul? I think we have a rare, rare find here! A find that will be very useful..."[/I]

Wyrn also leaned in, his eyes also blazing. His eyebrows shot up after a second. [B]"Noooo. Let's get the wraps off! We MUST find out if we are right!"[/b]

Rous grabbed the back of the boy's head, holding onto the excess wrap to keep him from squirming. Holding out his index finger, it began to glow. [I]"This is going to get a little warm.[/i]" He pressed the finger into the middle of the boy's forehead, twisting it half a turn like a key. He traced a circle back to the original spot, twisted his finger the other way, and drew a line across. The seal flared for a second, then faded to black soot. Rous smiled, [i]"I still got it! Take those wraps off, boy. You should feel much, much better."[/I]

The boy, Feathers, drew back as the two men got to his level, but their gazes held him. He was beginning to think they weren't like the others until one of them grabbed at him. He flailed for a moment but couldn't move much, so he locked his own hands into Captain's arm. His breathing was frantic and his eyes were squeezed shut as he awaited his doom. A single tear escaped one of his eyes as he felt the pressure and heat on his head. When he was released, he bounded backward. His maneuver was fouled by a red man who blocked his path. He bounced off the man and slammed to the wood, quickly collecting himself to hide behind his friend.

Suddenly he had a realization. The wraps had all but fallen off durning his scramble for safety. Stunned, he stayed there, squatted behind the cat-girl's legs as the wrappings finally fell off his face. They /did/ have fire. And they had helped him. "Captain is... kind." He said, vocalizing his epiphany. His voice was fitting for his youth. It was light, airy, at a mid-tenor tone. He looked up to Captain, moving out from his hiding place but just enough to see. With the wrappings gone, the mark under his lower lip was clear. He didn't know it, The mark was an ancient sealing rune that translated to two words.

"White Stag".

[i was gonna wait but I couldn't lol sorry guys >.<]