Realistic or Modern beneath the waves - ic

[fairyfawn]

adventure one:
the curse of the blind jewel

many years ago, there was a ship with the name of the blind jewel. the captain and crew of the ship were very greedy and would gather any gold and valuables they could get their grubby hands on. legend says that from a certain trip, they got their hands on a whole bunch of things; pearls with rubies, gold coins, exquisite clothing, fine jewelry, and so much more. but they had not heeded warnings because the items they carry curses. different curses depending on where the item originally came from. one night, a horrible storm ravaged the ship and the crew and ship were never seen nor heard from ever again. not until the shipwreck was found stranded on a deserted island with no crew insight but valuables very much still there. what happened to the crew? why are there no bones on the island? and will the crew be tempted enough to take an object from the cursed shipwreck and face a potential curse?


the scene

date ; october 16th, 1720
setting ; the howling eel
weather ; calm and crisp with favorable winds, kind of chilly
time of day ; afternoon
description ; the crew of the howling eel is currently sailing towards the island where the shipwreck of the blind jewel is supposed to be located at. whether or not the crew believes in the curse is up to them but the ship will reach the island when the sun sets.

 

[fairyfawn]

MOOD: a lot

OUTFIT:clicky

LOCATION: galley of the howling eel

basics

MENTIONS:
bastien sophocles

INT:
ena Lost Echo

tags

TL;DR momentarily reflects on an argument before visiting the cook

tl;dr

dori

"she is the captain"

The Blind Jewel.

It’s a strange ship with an equally strange story attached to it. A ship crewed by people who were so greedy that they were willing to risk their lives just to get their hands on presumably cursed objects. And for that, their fate had been sealed and both ship and crew were lost to a violent storm and were never seen nor heard from again. A ship that held a thousand curses in the hold of the ship and Dori was eager to check it out. Word spreads fast amongst merfolk so surely this must be a true story. It had also been a while since the crew of The Howling Eel had an exciting adventure so Dori had been quick to jump up at the opportunity of exploring a potentially cursed shipwreck.

A few nights ago, Dori had told the crew about the story of the cursed ship at suppertime. “…and that’s the story of the blind jewel.” Dori finished faer story as fae picked up faer teacup to sip on some warm chamomile tea before setting it down in favor of picking up the tangerine that came with faer meal. Dori picked away at the tangerine peel and there was a moment of silence from them as they focused on peeling the fruit. “We’re going to explore the ship.” They had finally announced before eating a tangerine slice. Of course, they couldn’t just go sailing towards the shipwreck immediately. Sébastien, as superstitious as he was, was against this whole Dori was excited.

And now days have passed and the crew was finally sailing towards The Blind Jewel. They should get there when the sun dips behind the ocean and when night falls. Exploring a cursed shipwreck in the dark — how exciting! It made Dori wonder what kind of treasure she would decide to take from the shipwreck once she climbed aboard the rotten decks with a lantern. Words could not describe how excited and giddy Dori was for the ship to arrive at the island. Sure, she believes in curses and all that but if the ship had met her fate so long ago, then surely the objects would no longer be cursed right? Could curses even eventually wear off? Never mind that for now. For now, the crew will have to hope that the winds will be in their favor for the journey towards the island.

Right now, Dori was watching Sébastien who was on helm duty, because she had banished him there after their little argument this morning about The Blind Jewel. Quite frankly, the captain was still mad at him for the argument and would not be relieving him of helm duty anytime soon. While Bast is stuck at the helm, Dori would be doing whatever they want!

“For saying that to me, you’re on helm duty until I say otherwise. You can’t leave the helm until I feel like relieving you of helm duty.”

Those were Dori’s exact words before fae had banished faer first mate to the helm. This hadn’t been their first argument and it surely wouldn’t be the last. But Sébastien had made Dori mad — and it takes a lot to make someone as cheery and bubbly like Dori mad. If Dori’s mad, then it’s really bad. And Dori was not going to hear anymore of it; Sébastien can believe in the curses all he wants but Dori was not going to be swayed in changing course and finding a whole new mystery to investigate.

They’d been on so many adventures together, and soon Bast will see that absolutely nothing bad is going to come out of this. The crew will pick out their objects and they’ll come out unscathed. But anyways, Dori definitely won’t be relieving Bast of helm duty anytime soon.

Bandit and Athena were bounding around at Dori’s feet. Bandit is a two month old Great Dane that Dori found wandering around the town of Oriasea and naturally, Dori coaxed the puppy onto the ship to feed him and give him a home. He’s named Bandit for a reason. Athena is an old chihuahua who Dori found in the city of Tirie. There’s many other cats and dogs aboard the ship but Dori would spend all day introducing them.

It didn’t take long for Dori to take faer gaze off of Sébastien, he’s perfectly capable of tending to helm duty until Dori decided it was her turn. Maybe Ena needs help in the galley, perhaps the cook is low on fish to make meals out of. The captain had taken to jumping into the water to collect fish for Ena. Dori was happy to do even if they dreaded what came whenever they came aboard the ship after being in the water. With Bandit and Athena at faer heels, fae entered the dining hall which is directly attached to the galley.

Turning to her left, Dori entered the galley, where it was usually hot and stuffy and Dori would try to not spend too much time in the galley.

“Ena!” Dori called out cheerfully, forgetting about the spat that had happened this morning between faer and Bast. “How are we on fish? Do you need me to catch some more fish for you?” Dori asked enthusiastically, anxious to have something to do. Anything other than helm duty right now. Oh, and another thing — Dori wanted to get Ena’s opinion on the cursed shipwreck.

“Do you believe in the curse?” Dori inquired with a small hum, reaching out to take a tangerine to snack on.

code by valen t.

 

[sophocles]

MOOD: contemplative & annoyed at the situation.

LOCATION: the helm of the howling eel

basics

MENTIONS: lucy @SavannahSmiles ; dori fairyfawn

INT: santino ; MoxxyMoxx

tags

TL ; DR: stuck on the helm, bastien reflects on the events of the morning and the fate of the crew.

tl;dr

sébastien

❝ smiling fate, haven't seen you of late ❞

If only the winds would fight against them, he’d have more of a reason to discourage their venture.

Sébastien stood at the helm of the Howling Eel, one hand positioned on one of the prongs of the giant wheel, the other grasping a compass in his palm. He raised his eyes to catch the direction of the wind upon the main sails, attempting not to set his sights too high up the mast, lest he make himself dizzy. He could only assume Lucy had made her little home in the crow’s nest for the day, but he wouldn’t dare to raise his gaze high enough to confirm that. He’d rather much like to keep his head on his shoulders.

Shaking his head to regain his focus, he raised the compass up, squinting his eyes as he compared their navigation position to the heading he had been given by Santino. With his gaze switching between the compass and the sails, he nimbly guided the ship to correct towards their charted course. The sails caught the full brunt of the wind once more.

Though successful in his endeavors as helmsman, Bastien heaved an exasperated sigh. Sure, the weather was quite fair for sailing, and while he was not ungrateful for that (any sailor would be out of his mind to desire less), there wasn’t much thought to be put into navigation. Unfortunately, the wind seemed to be taking them right where they needed to go.

Not only that, but he couldn’t quite leave his post. With only two people on board allowed to man the helm, he was stuck here until he was relieved of duty. He just had a feeling that wouldn’t be any time soon.

He and the captain had gotten in a bit of a spat this morning, as he had brought up his concerns about their venture. It wasn’t the first time the two had disagreed about a course of action — in fact, he seemed to never really be on board with anything Dori proposed. Her plans were always too harebrained and risky for his liking.

Yet, there hadn’t been one adventure of hers that he never went along with. Despite his worries, he always folded. Over their years together, he had learned to trust their instincts, perhaps even more than his own — and she hadn’t gotten him killed yet. There was a reason fae was the captain, after all.

But this? This was no laughable scheme or questionable opportunity that took him a few hours to warm up to. This was the Blind Jewel — the ship that doomed her entire crew to a fate unknown, the ship that was said to carry a thousand curses. Who knew what now awaited any ship foolish enough to sail for her?

Dori didn’t know, and she didn’t care. She had always been so — stubborn. Pig-headed, he had thought. Bastien had never gotten as frustrated at faer as he did this morning. Fae wouldn’t listen. How could she not see the risk that she put over them all? For what? The chance at the lost treasures that no other pirate crew had dared to pursue? He had gotten so exasperated that this time, he hadn’t been able to stop himself before he went too far —

“Oh, after all we’ve been through and all we’ve seen, curses are what you’ve chosen to be blind to?”

Oh, that one had gotten him in trouble. Fae didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say after that. Banished to the helm, he had been — and there he still was.

From his position, he could see her across the deck, glaring daggers at him — and he knew better than to return her gaze. He also knew they wouldn’t take what he had said to heart; they didn’t believe in the curses, after all. He always did enough worrying for the both of them.

And, despite his efforts, he had folded. Fae won, again — and he could do nothing about it. The captain and the first mate were to be a united front towards the crew; to go against her in front of them would be to sow seeds of mutiny.

Well, maybe it really wasn't that he couldn't.
Maybe it was just that he wouldn't.

No, no; he would sail the Howling Eel into the arms of whatever darkness befell the Blind Jewel, for no more reason than because she had ordered him to.

He heaved another sigh. Damn him. He’d always be a fool for Dorienne Alda.

Defeated, he cast his gaze upward, his eyes squinting as they caught the bright light of the sun. They still had about half a day of sail ahead of them, and he was already tired. At least the deck was quiet, save for the wind in the sails and the waves against the sides of the ship — and the creaking of deck boards as the presence of their cartographer loomed over his shoulder.

Drawn out of his reverie, Bastien furrowed his eyebrows, straightening up a little and snapped his compass shut in indignation.

“Santino — do you mind?” Bastien’s voice was low and unamused. He turned his head toward the young man slightly, peering at him out of the corner of his eye. He was in absolutely no mood for any mischief.

code by valen t.

 

[MoxxyMoxx]

scroll

cartographer

santino.

mood

a silly goofy mood

outfit

outfit

location

galley to helm

interactions

Dori, Bast, Ena .

tags

. fairyfawn sophocles Lost Echo .

Adventure, at last something new along the horizon! When Dori told the crew the tale of the Blind Jewel, Santino was immediately on board. This is exactly the kind of adventure he'd been longing for. He loved mysteries and legends and the fact he got to chart their course to this mysterious vessel was one he was happy to do for the captain. He spent two days looking over old maps, speaking with Dori about how the legends go, and trying to make sense of riddles of old. By the time he finally cracked it, he was able to give Sebastine the nautical directions to the Blind Jewel, only to hear that Dori and Bast were conflicted about where they stood on the adventure. Alas, all San could do was his job and lead them in the correct direction. As for the captain and first mate, that was their issue to solve and his to have fun with.

The Howling Eel had been serving the young Italian well. Having a full-time gig surrounded by caring people was hard to come by for Santino. He'd been an apprentice under an astronomer for a while but nothing had compared to the last six months on board Dori's ship. Sure he has worked hard to remain on board the vessel, but not everyone had made the mistake of flirting with the captain. Like many others, he had no real home to go back to, no country to call his. Therefore hard work and dedication were the only way he could convince Dori he was worth keeping around. Still just because he's been working hard doesn't mean he isn't the same person he always was. A charismatic jokester and an all-around annoying prick. That's Santino Coppola and he likes it that way.

He'd been hiding in the bowels of the ship since hearing about the fight between Dori and Bast, to avoid anyone who might be on a war path and hoping to catch up on some charcoal drawing. Needless to say, Ena probably wasn't happy about him wandering around in the galleys but there really wasn't anywhere else he could go when he could be needed for navigational help at any second. No one else here could read a map like San, especially when they're always drawn up by him. He liked being in earshot of people as well so he could throw in a joke or cause trouble.

Speaking of people, San wasn't alone in the galleys, of course not. Ena was always down prepping meals for everyone, a job he respected but would hate doing. San is a terrible cook and could never be trusted with such a task. It wouldn't stop him from messing with Ena though, especially since she'd likely be one of the last people to know about an issue such as a spat between Sebastien and Dori, the perfect chance to run a rig on her.

"Hey Ena,"

He said smiling,

"Just thought you'd want to know that Dori is madder than a hornet at Bast right now. I have the feeling she's on the warpath. Keep your guard up."

With that, he went up to the main deck, holding back laughter whilst passing Dori secretly hoping something interesting would become of that piece of gossip. He was hoping to find something else to do with his time. Bast was alone by the helm so it only felt right for him to go and bother his favorite teasing target. He climbed the steps up to the helm and spied over Bast's shoulder at the compass. He loomed over him for a few seconds before Bast begrudgingly made San's presence known. Bast wasn't too fond of San but he didn't care, he liked pretty much everyone on the ship and took the more hardened personalities as a mission for him to soften the edges off. Sure pirate life wasn't easy but it's easier when you keep it loose. Sailing for hours on end every day for sometimes weeks at a time meant you had to play the odd prank. It's the only way to keep things light.

"Oh nothing Bast,"

he teased,

"Just was wondering if you were sure you knew where you were going. Danger isn't something you are particularly fond of and it would always be easier to get us lost than be thrown overboard by Dori."

He had a goofy grin on his face. Bast was the best for teasing. It was always more funny how he hated it. He'd never really had anyone like Bast to mess with before. He was a strong man and a very respectable first mate, a fighter and someone who tried to remain composed where he could. That's why it was always more fun to tease him.

San couldn't lie for very long. His pranks and jokes being short lasting in nature and his own inability to control how he feels often get in the way.

"I kid I kid. You're doing great,"

He exclaims.

"Need any of my help? I'm not doing anything and have some of my papers with me?"

He held up his leather book of parchment with a kind look on his face. Despite the teasing he liked Sebastine. The guy cared about the crew in his own way and San respected that just not as much as he liked making fun of him.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Lost Echo]

Ena was used to solitude. She added a small stick to the fire, frowning as the water had yet to simmer. The galley was as hot as an oven, making her sweat more than she did as a--. She pushed the thought away, wiping her hands on the rag stuff in her belt as if to clean them. And she still needed the fire to burn just that hotter. Company was rare down here, few tolerating the heat, but that was fine, Ena was used to solitude. Perhaps in truth, she may want for the company of some of her fellow crew members (a face in particular, which would have brought a blush to her cheeks if they weren’t already so red, came to mind.) To perhaps know some of them better, but that was neither here nor there. The point was, she was used to solitude and to have it broken by Santino of any of the crew made it all the worse.

She’d marked him as trouble immediately upon boarding. His roaming eye was accompanied by a wink, and she’d feared she’d have a visitor that night. For surely the crew knew what she had been. It was why they kept their distance. She’d barely slept a wink those first days, wondering how to handle it when he came. He was good to look at, at least with clothes, for she knew they could hide all manners of sins, so should she step back to let him in? She trusted that wasn’t what Dorienne had hired her for. Fae had been very clear about faer fondness for the stew, calling for it’s maker. And she had not approached any of the girls. But was it worth the discord of a protest? Or was it her old self that wanted to?

It mattered not, for the lad never came. Soon, as if she had passed, or perhaps failed some test, his sultry compliments about her body gave way to preferences for her food. Confused, it had taken her weeks to conclude he was harmless: naught but talk. She needn’t worry about any action. (Rumor had it Dori had already taught him a lesson. It was probably what stayed his hands. Though what form it took, Ena didn’t know.)

The water having begun to boil with her thoughts, Ena went to the waist high barrel, pulling the lid off with a grunt. When she turned to set the wood down, she was surprised to see the man in question no longer lurking, but coming up to her.

“Hey Ena”

Bending over to set the lid down, she asked, “Do I finally get an answer to why you’re here?” She spoke to the floor, her voice sardonic, before straightening and turning to gather a handful of potatoes.

"Just thought you'd want to know that Dori is madder than a hornet at Bast right now. I have the feeling she's on the warpath. Keep your guard up.”

She spun, dropping the potatoes in her hand across the floor. “What?” She asked, her question getting lost as he climbed the stairs to the main deck.What did that even mean? Could Dori get mad? As she fell to her knees to gather the potatoes, she shook her head, admonishing herself. Of course she could. Even good people were human, weren’t they. But in the past four months, Ena hadn’t even imagined such a thing. What had Sebastien done? Her mind flashed back to her husband’s displeasure and she closed her eyes to block out the thoughts. Regardless, the crime must have been grave to break the captain’s easy attitude.

As she stacked the potatoes on the counter, then retrieved more, she wondered. Did she believe Santino? The trickster had yet to lie, for all he loved to laugh at another’s expense. She glanced back at the now empty galley. He was one for mischief, it was true, but Ena couldn’t deny the fact that he had been hiding down here. Something she herself was now doing. Whatever temper came forth from a good woman like Dori must be as fierce as she was. She felt compelled to batten things down like she did during any other storm.

Ena might not have been planning on leaving the galley before supper was ready, but it now took on a certain urgency. Grabbing her knife, she began to peel the potatoes, keeping the peels for the goats and chickens to eat later. It was strange to be worried about a woman’s anger, but Dorienne was unlike any woman Ena had ever met. She was stronger, smarter and faster than men three times her size. Even the men who towered over her obeyed her. Ena wondered what it was like to have that power.

“Ena!”

The cook jumped with a curse, narrowly missing slicing a peel of her thumb off instead. “Captain!” Setting the knife down, she turned around, smiling at fae and faer companions. She always had a follower or two with her. Ena wondered if they had a schedule planned. Each of the dogs were tossed a potato peel in greeting.

“How are we on fish? Do you need me to catch some more fish for you?”

Ena couldn’t help but smile, their ship was the best fed on the sea, and it was thanks to Dori. “I’ve gotten quite good at knots now, I can help too” she offered, not wanting the captain to do all of the work, but she answered dutifully, “I’ll finish up the fresh stuff tonight, but we still have plenty that we salted earlier.”

When asked about the curse, the cook laughed loudly before lowering her head, feeling a blush burn at her cheeks.With a prayer it wasn’t noticeable, she shook her head, “No ma’am. I know better than to have fear overcome reason.” Then realizing this was likely what the fight was about, she added, “Even if curses were real, I’d trust you to guide us past any.” How could Sebastien not trust them?

 

[Skryeb]

MOOD: Just getting started

OUTFIT: See pic

LOCATION: Heading to the Clinic

two

INTERACTIONS: Arya

MENTIONS: Dori, Ena, San, Bast

two

TAGS:
@pastelfox
@sophocles
@MoxxyMoxx
@Lost Echo
@nyxievous

two

TL;DR: Just starting his day, Keyon thinks about the upcoming adventure as he makes his way to the Clinic, where he has a run in with Arya.

two

Keyon

Keyon was always impressed by how fast information spread through The Howling Eel. Between stepping from the cabins to heading towards the clinic, he'd already heard that Sébastien and Dori had been in a pretty big fight and were now furious with each other, which he’d learned translated to: they had a bit of a tiff and weren't talking to each other at the moment. It still amazed him how different The Howling Eel and her crew were in comparison to his time aboard The Devil’s Call. Here, the crew still moved about as normal, chatting and preparing for their next stop, whereas his father’s crew would have been doing everything in their power to either make themselves scarce or fall through the floor.

The sun was already well risen into the sky at this point, and since they were well into October now, the weather brought upon the need for a coat to block some of the chill of the wind. He tucked his journal under one arm so he could fix one of his rings on his fingers, stepping from the interior of the ship out into the sunlight. Squinting against the change of lighting his eyes adjusted to the daylight. Glancing across the deck, he politely took in whatever stragglers were also starting their day, or were well into it. Catching sight of Sébastien and Santino at the Helm, he decided it was best for him not to join them since he had a feeling the First Mate’s patience was undoubtedly already thinning. They did have the whole day ahead of them still, it wouldn’t do anyone any good to ruin it so early. Besides, it would be best for him to check in at the Clinic first, to make sure everything was in order prior to their soon to be stop, just in case anything went awry while they were visiting The Blind Jewel.

Keyon had to admit, when the Captain had told the story to the crew the other night over dinner, the idea of disturbing what was described as a well known as a cursed ship did not sit well with him. Though he hadn’t thought anything of fanciful tales like this before, and had never heard of the ship prior to Dori’s story, after the adventures he’s had upon The Howling Eel so far, he found it a little reckless to tempt fate by going to inspect the site. Though, he’d also become quite reckless since joining his new crew, so he guessed this was just part of his life now. Plus, he had complete confidence Captain Dori would absolutely never intentionally harm faer crew. The only itch he had against it still was that Sébastien had been vocal enough about his disinterest in going to the other ship that the entire crew was now aware of a fight between him and their Captain. If anything, he’d kept that fact in mind when they arrived at their destination.

His boots clicked against the wood of the deck as he made his way over to the door that would bring him down towards the clinic. He raised a hand at Bast and San in greeting, grinning at them both before making his way back out of the chilly air, and into the ship's interior. A brief thought that perhaps he should stop at the Galley to see if Ena had anything still prepared for a quick bite crossed his mind, but he pushed that off, figuring a mid day meal was already close enough at this point that he could probably wait till then.

Opening the door to the Clinic, he found the small room currently empty, but he was sure Cyn would make an appearance at some point. He set his journal on the small desk they had set up for the both of them. There were a few papers spread across it, some scribblings from one of their conversations, and the bag of candy he had left there for her to take from as she pleased since she had helped him through a particularly trying theory about some herbs he’d found after their last stop inland. Reaching his hand into the bag to grab one of the sweet drops, he found it mostly empty, which made him smile, and he made a note to himself that he would need to get more when they stopped inland again.

As he popped the drop into his mouth, he started moving about the small room, humming to himself as he took stock of what they had on hand. Thankfully, the crew of The Howling Eel didn’t find themselves in need of tending to that often, but he still wanted to make sure that what they had on hand was ready for use and not fully expended before the need for it came up. He was nearing the end of this routine, fully crouched down in front of a cabinet and peering in towards the back of it when he heard someone come to the door to the clinic. Turning his head, fully expecting it to be Cyn, he was surprised to see Arya there.

“Ah, Arya,” he said cheerfully. He was always pleasantly surprised when he came to visit, plus a little company wouldn’t do any harm. He brushed his hands off on his pants as he stood fully, turning towards the doorway to face the man. When he fully took in Arya’s appearance though, he caught what brought Arya to the Clinic. “Ooh, lemme take a look at that,” Keyon’s voice was soft as he beckoned Arya closer and held out his hands to take Arya’s injured one into them, “It doesn’t look like it’ll be any lasting damage, but we’ll definitely need to look that over.”

"He tucked his journal under one arm
so he could fix one of his rings on his
fingers, stepping from the interior of the
ship out into the sunlight."

code by valen t.

 

[nyxievous]

mentions: the crew?
interactions: keyon

Arya Shirazi

the carpenter

A constant flurry of tasks kept Arya, the Howling Eel's diligent carpenter, perpetually occupied aboard the ship. His work spanned a spectrum of endeavors - replacing decayed wood within the ship's hull, constructing additional cabinetry in the galley to house Ena's assortment of spices and provisions, and reinforcing the ship's prow with structural enhancements - Arya’s days on the ship were always filled with activity.

Busy as he was, the carpenter relished the bustling solitude his labor granted him, the sounds of sawing and the hammering of nails keeping him company. Now and then, fellow crew members would join him, seeking his quiet companionship to escape boredom or to share a brief respite. Arya was a good listener that way, lending a willing ear to anyone who needed to rant, share their dreams or passions and occasionally responding with a quiet hum or a softly spoken comment.

It was markedly different from what the carpenter was used to. Suspicion had colored his initial interactions with the crew, an instinctual response borne from his past. Yet now, over the course of a year sailing alongside this new crew, Arya found himself contemplating a daring thought: these individuals, once strangers, had somehow, against all odds, turned into his friends.

Which was why he was worried about this new adventure that the Captain had proposed. Arya himself didn’t believe in curses. But the prospect of a legendary shipwreck teeming with possible treasure weighed heavily upon him. Doubts crept in. Had other pirates already looted the wreckage? Might they cross paths with another ship? The chances, remote as they were, could not be disregarded. And Arya did not like that one bit. A nagging irrational fear whispered: what if that other ship held familiar faces?

Acknowledging that perhaps he was just overthinking things, Arya steeled himself internally. It would be fine. Him and the crew would be just fine.

It’s between these musings, that Arya, usually not a distracted man, got distracted. His practiced hand, gripping a hammer, faltered in its precision, causing the tool to collide against his own hand with a resounding thud.

“Fuck,” the single expletive escaped the brunette's lips quietly. It was a good thing he had a high pain tolerance. Grimacing, he flexed his fingers experimentally, and hissed at the sting. He had half a mind to ignore it and continue on, but it didn’t seem like a good idea, especially seeing as they had a shipwreck to explore that evening and he needed his hands to be in good working condition. With a sigh, the man begrudgingly set aside his tools and embarked on a course toward the ship's Clinic.

The journey to the clinic bore no surprises, with Arya passing the Galley and catching only the tail end of one of the Captain’s dogs following after them. The distant sound of laughter trailed behind, fading as Arya's knuckles rapped softly upon the clinic door. He swung it open, revealing Keyon already within, and as the surgeon cast his questioning gaze, Arya only raised his swollen hand in response as he entered the room.

“I’m no surgeon, but I don’t believe it’s broken,” Arya offered as Keyon turned his hand over for inspection. The surgeon's expert touch contrasted with Arya's roughened fingertips, a soothing caress amidst the carpenter's discomfort. He experienced a wash of relief as Keyon's professional assessment aligned with his initial thought, extinguishing the ember of anxiety that had smoldered since the hammer's unfortunate impact.

Arya's hopefulness dimmed, however, upon spotting the slow bloom of a purple bruise on his fingers. “Please don’t say that I’ll need a cast or that I can’t work for the next couple of days,” he said, raising pleading blue eyes to Keyon’s. He would be absolutely devastated if that happened. "I'm grateful it's not more serious. But, I have to admit, I'd feel rather lost without my work to keep me busy," the carpenter voiced his thoughts, hoping Keyon would give him a pass.

code by valen t.

 

[fairyfawn]

MOOD: frustrated

OUTFIT:clicky

LOCATION: galley of the howling eel

basics

MENTIONS:
n/a

INT:
ena Lost Echo

tags

TL;DR a chat with Ena

tl;dr

dori

"she is the captain"

Dori immediately felt the heat of the galley upon stepping in there; sweat beads immediately appearing on her forehead. She shouldn’t stay in here for long and she often wondered how Ena could even stand being in the galley for so long when it’s hot and stuffy. Bandit and Athena were quick to wolf down the potato peels that had been tossed their way, licking their maws happily. Dori would have to leave soon and get back to the cool, October breeze outside.

The captain smiled softly at Ena. It was great to help Ena out with catching fish, and it seemed like they had enough fish for a while. Plus, Ena was getting good at knots. They’ll haul in a whole bunch of fish to feed the crew!

That was the end of the fishing conversation.

“Even if curses were real, I’d trust you to guide us past any.”

Dori wanted to jump up and down right there — Ena had faith in Dori about this adventure and that the captain would guide faer crew through anything that came their way, let alone curses. See, at least Dori knows that Ena has put her faith and trust in faer when it comes to this particular adventure. Unlike a certain someone that Dori knows. “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that you have faith in me.” Dori commented casually. Did Ena already know about the fight that she had with Sébastien? Word does spread fast like fire on this ship. So it was possible Ena was already aware of how mad Dori was at Bast. “Did you hear about my fight with Sébastien?” Dori inquired, “he’s against this trip.”

It felt good to talk about this with someone.

“We got in a fight this morning because he thinks sailing towards a cursed shipwreck is a bad idea, being as superstitious as he is. Even if the objects are still there and are cursed, maybe the curses have worn off from being there for so long.” Dori was being optimistic about the situation. Yes, they believed in curses but they didn’t want curses to deter them from this trip.

“He’s just being so…” Dori momentarily struggled to find the right words to describe her exchange with Sébastien. “so… mulish!” The captain exclaimed, exasperated. Yes, that would be a correct word to describe how her first mate was acting. “I would never get us killed, I am sure that you know that. When’s the next time we’re going to be hearing about an allegedly cursed shipwreck? We haven’t had a thrilling adventure in so long and this is one that I want us to check out.” The captain was starting to ramble to Ena about how frustrated they were with their earlier interaction with Bast. Ena was someone that Dori can talk to, to get this frustration off of her chest. Bubbly, cheerful Dori is truly madder than a hornet right now as Santino would put it. “As far as I’m concerned, he can stay here while we check out the shipwreck. We’re getting there by the evening hours. I think it’s pretty cool to step aboard a cursed shipwreck during the night hours.”

The captain inhaled sharply, calming down. At least fae had gotten that off of faer chest to someone. Yes, Dori felt much better after venting to Ena about how mad fae was at Bast. “So, what are we having for supper tonight?” Dori inquired, changing the subject as her eyes landed on the potatoes.

Dori continued to eat the tangerine that she had temporarily forgotten about, picking at the peeling and pulling off tangerine slices. Perhaps it wouldn’t take long for faer to go back to faer usual cheerful, optimistic, and bubbly self now that fae had gotten faer frustrations off of faer chest.

code by valen t.

 

[fieldsofred]

MOOD: exhausted.

LOCATION: the nest of the howling eel

basics

MENTIONS: santino @MoxxyMoxx ; dori fairyfawn

INT: lucy ; MoxxyMoxx

tags

TL ; DR: stressed by the mornings events mary escapes up the lookout abandoning her chores.

tl;dr

mary

❝ If you wrong us, shall we not revenge? ❞

There had been yelling again that morning. Something Mary was going to have to get used to at some point. And yet she never seemed to. While she wasn't entirely new to the concept of yelling, she had been yelled at plenty of times before. It was just so strange for so it to happen so many times. So early into the morning. It was about that damned Blind Jewel. What a strange name for a ship, and what a foreboding tale to go along with it. Mary knew well enough that the stories surrounding the doomed ship and its treasure, was enough to give it a wide berth. But not for the Captain. Fae always seemed to be swinging headfirst into danger. A type of danger that Mary was entirely new to. Danger always meant death or worse for her, but the way the death came was entirely knew. She had feared a death in the birthing bed or a head chopped off for some reason or another. Death was a dear friend of hers it was there was she was born and waited for her time to come. Death was just and patient, it cared not who it took, all were taken equally in its eyes. It was man who killed, man who inflicted injust ends. Death did not care for when one came with them for he knew that eventually all would follow him into the great unknown.

Mary had not been on the ship long and was still finding her way about it. It was easy enough to find something to do, everyone had something they'd rather pass off of onto someone else. Mary most mornings found herself doing the mending. She could pretend that she was home safe in Northumberland. Friends at her side making idle conversation. Alas that was not the case and had not been for many weeks. While the Princess liked much of the crew and was happy to make friends where she could. The situation was not ideal, and she feared for the repercussions that were to befall her friends in her absence. She was stuck here on a ship in the middle of the ocean heading towards a cursed shipwreck. A damned thing which caused all of the yelling. She could not quite understand the fascination this crew had with the strange and unreal. While she did enjoy myths, legends, she did not obsess over them the way the crew seemed to. What was a mere tale to her, was very real to them.

When the Captain had told their tale of cursed treasure, Mary had otherwise ignored it. What use did she have in a sunken ship its rusted treasures. It was best to leave certain things well enough alone, a life of poking metaphorical bears had taught Mary as much. Caution was a skill exercised by the clever, a skill Mary feared that much of the crew lacked. Tension seemed to hum in the air, the smoke of the fight not yet disbursed. This tension choked Mary, her normally quite nimble fingers shaking unable to stitch straight. The bereft woman sighed let her gaze meander upwards. From where she sat on the deck she could make out the white blonde hair of Lucy against the sky. She seemed to be one of the few on the ship that shared Mary's appreciation of patience. Mary folded her mending, she believed it to be one of Santino's so it mattered very little to her if she finished it or not. She tucked it in a box so that it wouldn't be blown away by the wind.

Mary had not been a very active child. Between her many illnesses it seemed she was never out of bed long enough to get into the sort of mischief a Lady would need to to climb a tree. Her soft hands slipped on the rough wood as she pulled herself up the mast. The ladder was small and meant for a person far more lithe and agile than she could dream of being. Ask her to dance, she could, ask her to name the latest fashions from France or even Italy she could. But climbing up a ladder several stories high into the air. That was entirely new. Moving was made easier by the pantaloons she had been given, she wasn't quite sure whose they were just that Dori gave them to her with a smile.

Mary was out of breath by the time she reached the top her arms and legs aching. Ginger waves plastered themselves to the sides of her face. She curled herself up into a seating position in the nest. Offering Lucy a tired smile.

"I have- Oh dear, my breath- I have come up here to escape the foul atmosphere of the deck, if you do not mind?" Mary panted. Her face shone with sweat and her cheeks burned a vibrant red. Slowly air returned to her lungs and her smile became far less forced.

"What do you think of the ship we are heading to?" Mary leaned her head back against the mast, closing her eyes for a second. She stared out into the sea and the sky, admiring it in all of its beauty. Before even letting Lucy think of getting a word in edgewise Mary swung around to look at the young lady.

"I certainly don't mean for you to think I believe in all of that hubbub of curses. It's just there's usually a reason, logical of course, that people believe that something is haunted or cursed. Spells and all sort of magicks are falsehoods, and it best that we all do our best to recognize them as such. They make for fine tales but not anything more," the clarification relieved a bit of the stress that forever seemed coiled around her stomach.

code by valen t.

 

[Mypilot]

the world is here before us

The wind had a bite to it that afternoon. Althea didn’t mind, for it was far easier to remain alert hanging from the ropes with such a chill to remind her she was a living thing, capable of falling. Not, of course, that Althea had any concerns about falling. Even now, hanging from the running rigging, she kept a tight grip on the ropes and an even tighter grip on the going ons beneath her. Her fellows were working on their tasks, meandering through the ship, and the Eel kept her steady course through the swift sea, heading towards a promised destination that would either grant them wealth or corruption beyond anything they could imagine.

Stifling a yawn, Althea began to peel herself away from her beloved towering heights one careful hand at a time. As she descended, she gave each rope a careful tug to ensure it was still secured, that the sails were positioned as intended, and that there was no fraying or knots where there shouldn’t be. The standing rigging looked at her with its tar-slicked surface, and she gave them a quick look back to ensure they were taut and the same as they were every day, before she continued her descent.

There below was Sébastien, a hand on the jutting handles of the wheel and another on his compass. The wind seemed to be doing most of the work for him, guiding them straight and true, but it did good for the ship to have a capable set of hands at the helm even with weather as fine as this. Santino stood near him, and that made two accounted for.

But where had her captain slipped off to? It was rare for Althea to lose track of Captain Dori, but on days such as this where all hands on deck weren’t quite as necessary, it was easier to do so what with folks disappearing and reappearing from below deck. Like an agreeable ghost, Althea drifted away from the pair of men and towards instead where she felt her captain had slipped away to. The rope had little give in her hands, the cordage for the sails a little looser than the standard, and it allowed her ample room to leap from one and onto the main deck.

Soon Althea felt the gentle slope and sway of the deck beneath her feet. Despite the fact that Althea spent about the same amount of time on her feet as the next person, there was always a strangeness to being on a floor level. Althea was far too used to being tucked away in some high up position, and that familiarity with such elevation had not grown less despite the fact that they hadn’t made land in some time, and Captain Dori hadn’t put Althea’s particular skillset to use.

Instead, Althea had to see fit to keep her talents whetted on the idle gossip and chatter of the crew. There was little to learn that she didn’t know already, but such was the way of things. Rarely did anything change between the crew, and even when they did the changes came in a way that could be predicted right if you knew your fellow crewmates well enough.
Like, for instance, Sébastien and the Captain coming to a disagreement.

It wasn’t unusual for them to have a heated debate about the Eel’s planned adventures, even if those debates never amounted to anything that went against what Captain Dori wished. When the captain had explained the nature of The Blind Jewel and her curse, Althea had felt her own heart aggrieve itself with worry and a smarting jab of uncertainty, so she had certainly known to expect that their own superstitious first mate wasn’t tickled pink with the idea.

Althea shook her head clear of such thoughts, for it mattered little now. Sébastien and the captain would make up in time, just as sure as Sébastien would lead them to their destination dutifully. Pirates they may be, but all of them were on this ship for some reason or other to follow Captain Dori. This likely would not change any time soon.

The stairway below decks was lit only by the sun overhead, and descending below had enough of a light difference to cause Althea to blink a couple times with pause. Where walls separated rooms and halls from the port windows of the ship hull, candles instead illuminated the way. With the tilt of the ship, they flickered back to and fro as a reminder to even those with their sea legs that they were in constant movement.

There was the captains voice, filtering towards her from the ship kitchen. Ena would be there certainly, for it was of the hour where food would be on a few of the crews mind. It was Captain Dori who Althea heard speak first, a question on her tongue. Do you believe in the curse?

Althea stilled, drew up to the door, and listened. It was a question likely on a lot of the crews mind, especially after the tale the captain had woven for them when the plot was revealed. Treasure and curses both, and a history of death. That was what they sailed towards. Ena’s response was conciliatory, and Captain Dori’s relief immediate.

Now, of course, Althea was surprised to know they’d be arriving so soon. She expected the night to pass at least, but it seemed their dinner would be the final point before the scene of the wreck would loom up at them from the gloom. Althea fidgeted with the silver on her fingers, curious what the rest of the crew would think of this: the question and imminent arrival both.

althea

MOOD: Curious, wary

LOCATION: Below deck

INTERACTIONS: -

MENTIONS: Dori; Ena

TL;DR: Althea was in the rigging of the ship and descended to find Dori, then hesitating to listen to her conversation with Ena.

TAGS: fairyfawn Lost Echo

code by valen t.

 

[Skryeb]

MOOD: In his zone.

OUTFIT: See pic

LOCATION: The Clinic

two

INTERACTIONS: Arya

MENTIONS: Dori, Bast, Cyn

two

TAGS:
@nyxievous
@
@
@
@

two

TL;DR: Keyon spends some time making a salve for Arya and asks him what he thinks about The Blind Jewel.

two

Keyon

Keyon smiled at Arya as he placed his injured hand within his, happy that the man trusted to come to him with this. He ducked his head and fell quiet for a few moments as he looked it over, assessing the best way to treat the injury. His touch was gentle yet firm as he pressed into the area, taking in Arya's reaction to the pressure. He knew he had to be careful with his assessment though since he was well aware that the man's pain tolerance was higher than most others. It made working with him a little difficult, but Keyon liked to think he was at least learning some of the other man's tells when it came to pain and sickness.

While the skin was already bruised, it didn't seem like Arya would be out of work at all, though he'd most likely be feeling the pain for at least a few days. Most people would use an injury like this as an excuse to get out of any work or duties, but he knew how much his job and hobby meant to Arya. He understood too; sometimes when the crew went long periods without any kinds of injuries he itched for some kind of usefulness that he could stick his hands into.

Realizing he hadn't spoken in a bit, he finally glanced up at the other man and gave him a guilty smile. "Right. How about you sit for a moment and I'll make you something to help with the pain." He ushered him over towards one of the chairs they kept in the room besides the one at the desk, gesturing for Arya to take a seat.

Turning his back to his now patient, he opened his journal on the desk, flipping a couple of pages with one hand as he recalled a previous conversation with Cyn about which herbs were best for treating pain. With his other hand, he fiddled with things on the desk, shuffling the loose papers to an area where he wouldn't muddy them up with his work. Finding the right page, he picked up the book and placed it in the palm of his left hand, turning back to look at the shelves that lined the wall of the room. Each shelf had a lip on it that held rows of jars in place, each one filled with various herbs. The shelves were a newer addition, a design that Keyon and Arya had come up with together late one night after Keyon had been frustrated, unable to find the herbs he'd been looking for with them all piled into one of the cabinets. The shelves were a little rough, since Keyon was far from skilled with the trade, but Arya's careful hand had turned them into something functional.

He glanced back and forth from the journal to the jars, comparing their contents to what he had written. Using his free hand, he began collecting a couple of them, shaking the contents around to inspect them before giving a short nod and tucking them under his arm. He did this a few times, fingertips brushing over the corked lids as he quietly read names aloud. When he got to the end of the list, he made a pleased humming sound before turning away, now juggling the jars that he needed.

"Just something to help numb the pain and combat any swelling. You know, Cyn's knowledge is a godsend. I probably wouldn't have been able to do half of this without her knowledge," he spoke as he moved back to the desk, the jars clattering against the wooden surface. One fell over, trying to make a break for it, but he quickly caught it before it rolled to the floor. He looked over his shoulder at the other man to see if he had seen and huffed a laugh in embarrassment before turning away again.

Keyon took the mortar and pestle from the cabinet next to the desk, setting the pestle aside as he set them on the work space he had cleared in front of the jars. He muttered to himself as he read the passage through again, adding in measured scoops of each herb into the stone bowl carefully. Once he was satisfied with the contents, he took one of the jars they kept of clean drinking water and splashed a little in, picking the pestle back up and crushing the contents into a paste.

"What do you think about our journey to The Blind Jewel?" He asked now that he was at the part of the process that didn't require his full attention. "I personally don't think Dori would purposefully send us into something fae would consider dangerous. But it is odd that Sébastien would be so vocal about his disinterest in us going. He doesn't strike me as so superstitious that he'd avoid an adventure as interesting as this."

Picking the bowl up, he grabbed one of the clean scraps of cloth and dragged the chair from the desk over to in front of Arya, sitting in it so their knees were almost touching. He picked up the other man's hand again and began applying the paste where the bruises were already showing, generously slathering it across the area. Once he was satisfied with the amount, he used the cloth to wrap it tightly enough to make it stay.

"All done!" He finally announced, grabbing another cloth to wipe his own hands off on, "Give that a little bit, but the pain should stop soon. If it gets worse, please let me know."

"Using his free hand, he began
collecting a couple of them, shaking the
contents around to inspect them before
giving a short nod and tucking them
under his arm."

 

[Lost Echo]

The captain looked so happy; it was beautiful. She was beautiful, but whatever she was feeling was not jealousy. Ena forced herself not to stare, instead picking up the abandoned potato and beginning to peel once more. Her face, already bright from the heat, seemed to redden to her ears. She had expected this weird feeling to fade as time passed, but all it seemed to do was grow. Perhaps distance was the solution, but the captain was so effusive it was impossible not to feel as happy as fae. Ena didn’t want to avoid her, truth be told, if Dori had decided to avoid her in turn, Ena’d be, well hurt, like a child. So she had to act normally, even around this weird feeling filling her chest.

She started to chop the potatoes, finer than normal so they would cook faster--was Dori here because she was hungry? Would that tangerine be enough? She hummed an affirmative to their question if she’d heard about the fight, then hesitated, unsure if she should speak. Her thoughts on Sebastien were…negative to say the least. He reminded her of her husband, less perhaps, to be seen in a tavern like her old one, but still, hard and unyielding. He was emotionless unless his annoyance (or worse) overtook him. The type that was slow to praise and quick to punish. Though thankfully Dori had [most likely] implemented a no flogging rule, so the first mate was limited to reprimands. He was not near her equal. For truth, Ena wasn’t sure why fae kept the man, especially if he went against her like that? She’d trusted his loyalty to Dori (or trusted Dori’s trust in him) but if he wasn’t…

But the captain didn’t need her words, instead starting to talk instead. For a moment, Ena paused in her chopping as her heart seemed to swell to bursting. Was the captain actually confiding in her? The weird feeling grew, but the warmth around it made it wonderful. As she continued to work, Ena nodded along, carefully memorizing every word the captain said. They likely knew of the cook’s mistrust of Sebastien and would listen without protest of the man’s “virtues” whatever they were. Still, to be trusted this much. Ena lacked words.

She thought about what Dori said, that the curse--if they were being generous and pretending it was there--would have worn off. It made sense. Surely the curse was likely merely a disease. It likely killed off everyone on the ship, but the wreck was a form of quarantine. Enough time had passed that they’d be safe. It would not have even occurred to Ena, but that was the captain’s wisdom.

Sliding the potatoes into the hanging pot, she stepped around Dori to the barrel of onions, huffing as she opened the lid and pulled one out, snorting: mulish was one way to describe the first mate. Then, with a glance at the pot, she pulled out a second, tucking the two in her arm as she resesaled the barrel. Returning to her counter, she nodded, “Of course!” coming out to interrupt, but thankfully fae didn’t seem to mind as she continued talking. It did go without saying. Ena assumed that trust was given to all captains (surely they wouldn’t join if they didn’t), but especially for Dori. She could tell that everyone on the ship was loyal to her. (Even Sebastien, for truth.)

Admittedly, having never been on one beyond the forest in her youth, Ena didn’t know if she wanted an adventure, her mind stilling while tiny coals of her childhood tried to stir into a flame. One could argue her last attempt (her first attempt at freedom) had gone badly, but the cook trusted Dori. She knew where she’d be without them. Anything was better than that. She stabbed her knife into the counter she was using to cut on, adding a new ridge to a series of them. Pulling it out of the onion, she began to cut it sideways, the blade still sharp enough to cut through the layers like butter. Anything. And she’d learn about this new adventure thing tonight it seemed. “And the moon’ll be full tonight,” she commented, seeing it as a good omen.

Then Dori asked about what she was making. Though her blush had receeded without her noticing, it flared back full strength. Wetting her lips, she responded, “Fish stew.” The one that had gotten her hired. The one she apparently went to when she was worried. At least worried about Dori. She had gotten the ingredients without thought. The habitual motions relaxed a part of her. Was it just how many times she had made it in that tavern? She doubted it. No, it represented leaving that vile place instead.

She glanced at Dori for her next step, pausing as she made a quick decision. With an impish smile, she put a finger at her lips, “Shhh…” then went over to the barrel of salted pork. Opening it up, she reached through the salt to pull out a piece, slicing off a piece about the size of her fist. Shaking the salt off, she returned the rest to its barrel, retopping it. This was her secret bit. Everyone liked a bit of bacon, so she’d thought to include it in the stew, not mentioning it to anyone else. She was quick to chop it up into tiny pieces that were likely to break down as they cooked further, before dropping it into the stew. She smiled at her captain, but spoke as if nothing had happened, “They’ll have to cook for a bit, then I’ll add the Maui Maui. It’s denser than most fish, so I have to add it sooner than usual.” It gave her enough time to feed the goats and chickens the leftover choppings. “Then once the potatoes are soft, I’ll add the goat’s milk just before serving. It’ll take about half a candle.”

 

[nyxievous]

mentions: dori, seb, cyn
interactions: keyon

Arya Shirazi

the carpenter

Keyon's temporary silence cast a reflective lull in their exchange, a thoughtful pause that Arya respected. The surgeon's guilty smile when he finally broke the silence elicited a soft chuckle from Arya. He followed Keyon's gestured invitation, settling into one of the chairs while cradling his injured hand, a faint grimace flickering across his face as a reminder of the recent mishap..

The alchemical dance that unfolded before him, as Keyon paged through the journal, surveyed the shelves, and gathered the requisite herbs, was a mesmerizing display of the surgeon's skill and methodical approach. Arya watched with interest, his respect for Keyon's abilities reaffirmed with every deft movement. His eyes flitted between Keyon and the array of jars, listening to the litany of herbs being softly spoken. It was an intriguing process, one he had observed on a few occasions but had never dared to fully comprehend, appreciating instead the depths of Keyon's knowledge.

"Your talents, both yours and Cyn's, are immeasurable. They’ve certainly helped me many times," Arya remarked as the surgeon resumed his work. Keyon's deft juggling of jars, their contents shrouded in mystery to Arya, underscored the vast gap in their knowledge domains. The intricate arts of healing and herbalism remained uncharted territory for him, skills that could have proven invaluable had he invested the time to acquire them. All Arya knew was that mint was both delectable and refreshing.

A soft chuckle punctuated their conversation as a rogue jar attempted an escape. Arya couldn't help but tease, his words delivered with a playful glint in his eyes. "Careful," he cautioned, his tone light. "I might have to craft a sturdier holder for your precious jars with my injured hand soon."

The application of the herbal paste drew a mix of sensations- an initial cool embrace that gradually surrendered to the soothing warmth emanating from the afflicted area. Arya's expression remained stoic, but there was a discernible relaxation in his features as the pain began to abate under Keyon’s careful ministrations.

As the conversation circled back to the impending voyage to The Blind Jewel, Arya found himself intrigued by the surgeon's perspective. “I share your sentiments," he replied thoughtfully. "Dori, she's... cautious, in her own way. I don't think they’d knowingly lead us into harm's way. Sébastien's reservations, though, are curious. He's usually a man of logic and reason. Perhaps there's more to this voyage than meets the eye."

With his hand all wrapped up, Arya expressed his sincere gratitude, "Thank you, Keyon," he said, his gaze meeting the surgeon's. "I'll be sure to let you know if anything changes."

A brief pause lingered, like a calm between waves, before Arya's curiosity bubbled to the surface. "And what about you?" he inquired, his gaze wandering to the shelves lined with mysterious jars, their labels an enigma to him. "Do you place any faith in legends or curses?" Leaning back in his chair, his steady gaze flitted back to the surgeon’s. "What sort of item do you think could tempt you to confront a curse, assuming they are, in fact, real?" he asked. “I think for me, it would have to be something I wouldn’t be able to live without…” he mused as his words trailed off, wondering what such an item could even be. He figured he shouldn't monopolize too much of Keyon's time, considering he'd have to leave soon, but he didn't mind indulging in a bit more friendly conversation. Keyon was always a delightful conversationalist and pleasant company, particularly during the late hours.

code by valen t.