Rous spun the wheel, lining up with the small group of ships they were sailing with, pulling along side the lead ship, waving to its Captain. Giving him a quick warning about the civil war, he turned to his growing crew.

[I]"It's nearing midday. Someone take the helm, and someone replace him after lunch. Once you have everything tied down and settled in for sail, you are dismissed to eat! But be back here after you eat, I have important information about this next leg of the trip."[/i] He began down below decks as the "Aye, sir!" Echoed through the air, followed by Wyrn.

He came up behind the group of his officers, escorting the interesting boy to the food. [I]"Gather up your food, and meet me in my quarters. There are things to discuss!"[/i] He said as he passed by, headed to his room.

He stuck the spit through the chunk of oddly colored meat, setting it on the legs over a logless fire, as he drizzled rum over it. Drake meat was very tough, and extremely gamey, but if prepared right tasted wonderful. And it had odd properties to it, it made one feel a thousand times healthier. It was somewhat frowned upon to eat, as it was thought that ones essence was absorbed by whatever ate you, and drakes ate a lot of people. A bouquet of freshly dead and dying flowers sat on his table, needed for what he was about to do next.

"Oh, of course." Blackfire smiled at her. "Easy. Well, I mean, theoretically. We can discuss it later; based on the movement of the ship, we should be in Rous's quarters. I'll meet you there; get yourself some dinner first." She moved around, pulling out a pale pink mash that was probably the baby's meal.

((Ff I sat here all day and this is all I came up with))

Jack found her balance once more with a little tap from Rous. “Thanks Captian” She smiled turning to face him. Hearing his orders ring though the air was reason for her to jump down back onto the deck. No need to risk falling off a now moving ship.

Wandering back below as the crew bussled around, she stopped a moment at the bottom of the stairs hearing the capitan call out to everyone. Then venturing in a little further coming upon the group with child. No need to overwhelm the kid even more, quietly she slipped around them. Yet again hearing the tail end of the captains orders, this time directed at them.

As always the kitchen smelt wonderful. They were possibly spoiled having someone like Tressa preping the food and what not. She felt she cared more than what could have been on most ships. Grabbing a couple things, taking a random bite here and there before taking it with her. Jack yet again set out back to the corridors towards the captains quarters. Her hand hovered for a moment in a closed fist before finally knocking, starting soft and getting a little more prominent by the third rap.

((haha, it happens.))

Tressa nodded and slipped out, glancing around for anyone who might see. She headed off to the kitchens, pleased as always to see her food being enjoyed. She grabbed herself a plate and paused, deciding to make sure that everyone got their food before going to the captain's quarters herself.

Matthew eyed the deer child as he drifted away from Avery, showing sudden obvious discomfort around her after they spoke. Matthew kept himself from laughing as the deer child climbed once again on Nikki's back and adopt her as a mother-figure. "I'm not sure if that's cute or funny." Matthew said under his breath, failing to try and suppress a smile. He looked over his shoulder to find the captain. He seemed to want the group to meet him in his quarters after they got their plates of food. Matthew quickly stuffed half a loaf of rosemary bread and two apples into his pockets and headed off. Matthew noticed that he wasn't eating as much as he used to, ever since he became the champion of Beelze. He supposed the demon prince's energy sustained him more than what he would be without that energy. But that was a topic for another day.

Matthew soon arrived at the captain's quarters, but it seemed Jack had already beat him there. The young man gave a quick nod to her as they waited for Rous to open the door for them. While they waited, Matthew slowly took an applied out of his pocket and took a bite out of it.

"Seems so~" Nikki grinned at Matthew. "C'mon, Feathers, let's get some nosh! See ya in a bit, Captain," she added, following Rous' orders. She didn't see Tressa in the kitchen, so the neko went to poke around what was hot and ready. It seemed there was some weird sort of meat, but it smelled good, so that would be perfect. "Here, looks like we've got mystery meat," she said cheerily, not meaning it to denigrate the food but simply as a way of saying she wasn't sure just what it was. "Want some? I think it smells lovely.

"What do you mean, what is this place? It's the ship's galley -- where they make the grub. ...Wait, /what/ did you call me? I told you, my name's Nikki! Don't call me mom, that makes me feel old!"

Tressa peered around at the voice. "Hi Ni- What's this, another mouth to feed? And a boy, too. He'll probably devour the whole kitchen by the time we land again, eh?" she said with a kindly smile, adding, "Er, where...did that meat come from? Is...is that drake meat?" Drake meat...there wasn't a lot to base it on, but Tressa felt herself assuming it must have been the Captain's doing, putting it there, cooking it. Well, at least it was clear he knew what he was doing, it seemed to be prepared correctly. "Let me get something to carve it," she murmured, fetching a knife.

Feathers, almost completely ignored Nikki's request of not calling her 'Momma', peeking over her shoulder with comedic squinty eyes. This 'meat' smelled good, and he had seen those who had chased him eat it. But he didn't know where it came from. It didn't look like anything he had ever eaten before. "Momma, what is meat?" He asked, perching himself on the table with his bare feet as he poked at the it. When the other one came out and mentioned it was /drake/ meat, he began to make the connection. He had heard of drakes. The Oak Tree had told him of great and terrible beasts that once flew through the skies all over. If this was come from one, that mean that drake was /dead/. Looking around, he saw there were other meats. Many other kinds.

He clasped his hands over his mouthin horror. These people were /eating/ the bodies of animals. He thought of the Forrest animals. The squirrels and birds and hairs that scurried about. He pictured them being slaughtered and eaten. Tears rolled down his face as he was frozen, squatting on the table.

In his unstable emotional state, the power with in him began to slip. Moss and tiny flowers grew from the wood a for a few inches around his feet. He bolted off the table and for the door that they had entered through, but ran into one of the red men, bouncing off him like he had deflected off the demon before. He fell to the ground, gasping for air in a fit of panic. What /was/ this place? Why did people do such terrible things? This wasn't the world that the Oak Tree had told him about. The floors were wood like the abbey. He got up frantically and ran back to Nikki. She was kind. She would keep him safe. He climbed up into her arms, half sobbing and half panting out of mental and physical fatigue. "Meat is not food, meat is murder!" He sobbed, crying for the creature who lost its life just to be feasted upon.

Avery followed everybody else into the galley, she didn't like the look of the drake meat, instead she chose some fish that looked to be cooked in butter and herbs. She plunked herself down on the bench across from Feathers, determined to convince him she was good. Her eyes caught his growing agitation but before she could try to calm him down he bolted. As his power grew some leaked to her again, and she began to glow faintly. She wasn't even half an inch out of her seat before he was back with Nikki.

"Well crap, I'm a lamp." she commented as the yellow light faded. This boy was definitely going to keep things interesting on board. Her ears caught the boy's views on meat, "There are other things here to eat. It looks like they have some fruit and vegetables up there." she offered. She went to go retrieve some apples, carrots, and potatoes from the food selection and placed them on a plate. "Try these. I promise on my life I didn't do anything to these things that would harm you." She placed the plate gently in front of Nikki and Feathers. She wanted to help calm Feathers down, but figured her normal way of calming young patients with her water and light tricks wouldn't work. It was frustrating to not use her skills to help him.

"Hey, hey!" Nikki didn't know why the kid was so upset, but he seemed distraught, and she gave him a tight hug as he clung to her. "Murder? Well...huh. I've...never really thought about it like that?" Her ears were back in distress. "But Feathers, it's not wanton killing. People give thanks when they take the life of an animal to eat it. We're not hunting for sport, we're hunting for food." The woman gave his head a pat. "Bears and wolves and mountain lions, they all eat meat, you know? It's part of the whole cycle of life. Bats eat bugs, and mosquitoes -- they eat us!" She wasn't very religious, but knew enough religion that she believed most things were connected /somehow/. "And it's not easy to just not eat meat. I know my kind, nekomimis? We can get very sick if we try. There's things in it that we need to stay healthy." Nikki stroked the boy's hair soothingly. "If it upsets you, you don't need to eat it, but please, don't judge people by what they eat." She gave him a reassuring smile, one that slightly showed the pointed teeth that matched those of predatory mammals.

Rous opened the door, motioning for them to come in. [I]"Go ahead and start eating, I'm going to go check on the roast I have going! And find out where everyone is!"[/i] He stepped out, as Wyrn poked his head up over the side of the hammock he was laying in. [B]"Roast? What kind?"[/b] Rous poked his head back through the doorway, a grin on his face. [I]"Drake roast!"[/i] and disappeared once more. Wyrn sat there for a second, then thrashed about, trying to get out of the hammock. He rolled, landing on his chest with a thud that shook the floor, and scrambled out behind Rous.

They rounded the corner just as the boy was making his speech, and bolted. Rous was about to make a quip, something along the lines of 'Oh, you're one of /thoooossseee/' or something about his size, when he spotted where the boy was standing. He bent down, examining the spot on the table, his smile widening. He was still going to have to ignite the boy's soul, to find out the full extent of his powers, though.

[B]"Oh, you're one of /thoooossseee/"[/b] Wyrn said, disappointingly. Rous, not looking from the spot, responded "This is why we are friends, Wyrn." He stood up, and walked over to the boy. He crouched in front of him, getting eye level once more. [I]"If you only knew /how/ we had come in contact with these drakes, you'd understand. If you met these drakes face to face, you'd have no remorse. You'd make a nice little snack for a baby drake."[/i] He stood back up, turning to the group, his charming, crooked smile returning. [I]"Everyone got their lunch? Good! We have some matters to discuss, and..."[/i] He looked to the boy".....Some things to figure out. To my quarters!" He grabbed a big serving platter, and with the biggest knife he could find in the kitchen, scraped the meat off the spit, which almost fell off the rod with ease.

Boy, was it going to be good.

Tressa slipped up behind Feathers - everyone was swarming him, and Nikki had already made the main point she'd wanted to make, but there was still something else. "Hey, sweetie," she whispered, "You obey Nikki, you don't criticize the others for eating animals, and I can promise you a diet that doesn't include any if you don't want them. I know a thing or two about nutrition, and I'm the cook here, so you just let me know - Avery was right about this, it's safe to eat by your standards. Honestly, I was just a little confused since you're actively wearing deerskins right this very moment." With that, she slipped back to wrap up some more bread to bring with.

"Ah, smells like drake meat!" Blackfire said happily, getting herself a plate of a bit of everything. "Hi, new guy. My name's Blackfire and I'm the first mate, which means that if for any reason the captain has to tend to something else, I'm the next one in authority. I know everything is overwhelming, especially with all these people around, but hey, you might get to used to it." She smiled at Feathers, and then found herself a comfortable seat to sit on.

Jack nodded back to Mathew when he approached. Something didn’t surprise her that they were the first two to arrive at the Captain’s quarters. “Thanks Captain” She smiled stepping inside after the invite, going to take a place at the table he had. Setting the food in front of her the meat of the roast caught her attention. Her face instantly scrunching with an uncontrollable look of confusion and a bit of disgust. That didn’t sound good at all. Easily it relaxed as the two men left. “So, Mathew” Jack tried striking up a conversation, she didn’t know much about him at all. Yet all she could think of was “Did you enjoy your time off?”

Matthew thanked the captain as he entered the room, right after Jack. He contained his laughter as Wyrn clumsily fell to the floor, crookedly smiling just a bit. He allowed himself to fall down on one of the sofa-like furniture, plopping down with a small sigh. He rose a hand to wave off Rous as the captain left his quarters. As the door was closing he heard the deer boy yelling something about murder, but Matthew decided to not really think anything of it. "Must be a vegan." He said aloud, mostly to himself. He continued to munch on his apple as time went on, until Jack decided to speak up. He turned his head to her as he registered the question, "Oh, well, it was pretty good I guess. I don't think the captain knows of my little project I made while we were off." He gave the woman a sly smile, thinking of the look on Rous' face when he sees it.

(( Looks like we have a birthday! Happy birthday !))

(( ^_^ Oh, happy birthday, Jack_in_the_box ! ))

Feathers' sadness turned to confusion. He gave the cook a look like she was an idiot. How could she accuse him of such evil behavior? "This coat was made from the hide of my friend who died at the hands of sages. He is with me always. He protects me, as do the other white deer who have fallen." He was getting angry. He climbed out of Nikki's hands, rage filling his whole body as the power grew. Moss and grass and sapling sprouted from the floor for a couple of feet around him and he practically growled at the cook, "They fought and died because /your/ kind kills the Forrest and builds ground houses, and now sea houses and sky houses! You cut the trees and kill the animals and burn the wood! You poison the land and feel nothing!" The saplings were gaining mass, pushing tables aside and cracking the floors. "The Oak Tree warned me, he said you people were poison!" He finished, glaring around the room as he stood in front of Nikki in an almost protective/possessive manner. The growth stopped, leaving three small trees in the wood of the sea house. Feathers would have kept standing there if his hunger hadn't been as bad as it was. A few days with wrapping you can't remove means no food and no energy. The power receded and he struggled to continue standing.

[happy birfday!]

"She didn't know that Feathers, she said she was confused." Avery said cautiously. She ws as slightly alarmed by the plant-life that blossomed with this boys anger. She knew it'd be a bad idea to point out that that's what humans did for shelter, or that humans weren't the only ones to kill animals. Pointing out his incorrect ideas would be another bad idea, not all humans were like that. "Feathers, I feel for the creatures in the waters, it is part of my gift. Sometimes, I can tell if they are suffering from tainted water. I understand your frustration and anger, but please don't destroy our ship. There are things in here that could hurt the aquatic life." She told him calmly.

Although she knew he wasn't a fan of hers she scooted around the table and scooped him up, placing him at a seat. Having him eat something was more important to her than a meeting with the Captain. She'd rather keep him alive and get yelled at than let him suffer and follow orders, even if he didn't like her. "We have vegetables, fruits, non-meat foods. Please eat." she said, her eyes trying to make contact with his.

Tressa backed away in alarm from the child. This was a difficult situation - it was one thing to be unsure of defending herself against danger, but this was a boy, a naive kid with more power than befit his control. I have literally never cut a tree or poisoned anything, she thought, but Avery came to her rescue and she didn't have to determine how to ensure her own safety without harming Feathers. She'd have to explain her assumption later, when he was less agitated already, when she could word it best - killing something like a deer and failing to use the meat and skin was, to her, wasteful, and not just in a commercial sense. If you aren't going to eat all of it, don't kill it.

"I'm...going to bring this bread to the captain's quarters, then," she said, giving Avery a look that wished her luck in handling the kid.