Fandom Summer of the Bleeding Heart Archipelago | RP, Fairy Tail, Closed

[Gold.]

{Erik Rosenberg ~ Of the Lonely Winter}
​

Sun, sand, and surf! Too bad this wasn't a deluxe beach vacation like they'd all gone on last year around this time. Salty wind tossed Erik's dark hair as the Golden Fleece rocked to a gentle stop, anchor catching along the sandy bottom and digging itself into staying put. Around the ship and the crew and the guild mages who'd commissioned them were scattered the ring of islands dubbed The Bleeding Heart Archipelago. Erik did have to admit; it was beautiful here. The sky was crystal blue, no sign of a cloud for miles, and the blue-green water was so clear he could see straight to the bottom. Leaning over the boat, he examined a sandy floor, large rocks covered in seaweed swaying in the distorted waves. Fish swam down here too, their scales glinting in and out of his vision as he tried to focus in on them. In the distance, the white sand and emerald green of one of the islands waved them down in the wind, the red blotches that got this place its name prominent among the leaves from even the ship. The beach looked inviting enough that he'd like to take a nap there. The sand was certainly warm frost he sun and the ocean breeze would keep him cool enough. This place seemed like paradise. Erik sighed. How on earth had the first expedition group gone missing here?

Erik helped two of the crew members lower a tender down into the waiting water below, tossing a rope ladder over the side of the ship so his guild mates could climb down into it more easily. There was a moment where he spoke to the sailors in a low voice, the lot of them reaffirming that the ship would wait for them as agreed upon in the original contract and payment. Erik noted the sailors didn't seem crestfallen by having to hang out. One or two of them were already reigning up rope hammocks between the masts, and another group was settling down onto the deck with a stack of cards and some dice. Why was Erik the group liaison? The sailors probably thought he was the safest pick for now. Thanking them again (and wishing he was the one getting to take a nice deck nap), Erik threw one leg over the ship's railing, signaled to any of his guild mates who hadn't realized they were heading ashore, and swiftly climbed down into the tender below. Then he got comfortable for the ride to shore, waiting for all of his companions to get situated and descend as well.

He ended up doing the rowing again. Why was that? He was always the one rowing on these tropical excursions. Erik sighed, glancing around at the familiar faces of the group as he heaved the oars against the water. There was Lorcan, who was mercifully quiet for once but at the expense of possibly puking any second now. Aelestra, with her white hair shining silver in the sunlight, the marbled beauty of a statue if Erik didn't know how she was probably fuming inside. Harper, who seemed to share Erik's own love of a good lounge day and who always knew the right thing to say. Calliope, with her jewelry and her keys and her always friendly disposition. Gwenith, who was polite and charming as could be, though she had a bright laugh and what seemed to be a kind heart. And then Tal, the hometown gambler extraordinaire. This was a good group. Everyone here was skilled in their own right, and with so many personal connections on the line, Erik hoped this mission would go off without a hitch. He closed his eyes a moment, faces filling his mind's eye. Atlas, Jasper, Aurora... Tamsin's fanged smile. "We're coming to get you guys," Erik promised to himself. "Just hang tight."

This wasn't his first go 'round on an island job so Erik beached the tender, jabbing the oars into he shallow water and using his strength to push the little boat up onto shore. It was only the water lapping at the beach here but Erik had learned from past experiences and was taking no chances. He raised a hand outwards, blue mist and sparks swirled around his fingers, and a sheet of ice froze the spot where the seawater met the shore. He placed a foot on it; there was the usual second of, is he gonna slip and go flying? But no. Erik was an experienced ice mage, and the slicks and sheets of it were as home to him as solid ground was. Treading over the ice, and came to a stop on dry sand, waiting for his guild mates to disembark the boat too. They were, of course, welcome to use the ice he'd created. After all, no wet boots which meant no wet socks and Erik would say the mission was off to a pretty good start. Folding his arms loosely over his chest, he turned his attention to where the tree line began, staring into the jungle's depths. It struck him then that something about this area seemed... odd. Not malicious, exactly, but... odd. What was it then?

Mentioned:
Lilure Beann FireMaiden Lucem Stitches and Patchwork Flintstone​

 

[Beann]

Aelestra Axel

tags

Lilure FireMaiden Lucem Gold. Stitches and Patchwork Flintstone

The weather was lovely but it wasn’t enough to quell Aelestra’s emotions. She leaned against the railing of the Golden Fleece, staring down at the clear waters below. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she continued to think about her brother, Atlas. He was the only reason why she was on this damned ship in the first place. She didn’t care about the others who went missing, she felt no personal connection despite all these years of being in Fairy Tail. However, she did care about her older brother, the only one she could trust. Why did he have to go on the expedition without her? It was rare for the two of them to be seen doing separate missions but it wasn’t unheard of. Nonetheless, she was angry at her sibling for disappearing. Not really though, she was more worried than anything but she hated the idea of being left alone. She had no one else.

Aelestra lifted her gaze from the water as the anchor was released and the ship rocked to a halt. They were here: The Bleeding Heart Archipelago. She didn’t know much about the ring of islands nor did she care. The only mention of the islands that she stuck with her was that it was located just south of Caelum — the country where her family was originally from. She held no real personal connections to the country as she was born shortly after her family moved to Fiore but there was always a constant question repeating in her head: would her life have been different if they remained in Caelum? Probably not. She simply couldn’t picture a life where her father was not an asshole and her mother wasn’t dead. Oh well, to hell with those two.

She turned around to watch Erik and some of the crew members lower a smaller boat into the water. The thought of offering help didn’t cross her mind so she simply just stood there and watched with a blank stare, only moving forward when he signaled for the rest of the mages. Aelestra let out an inaudible sigh as she used the rope ladder to climb down the side of the ship. She took a moment to steady her balance as her feet found the floor of the tender before situating herself beside Harper. Aelestra knew him by association as he was one of Atlas’ friends. He was alright and she could appreciate him being less annoying than some of the other guildmates.

Not long after, she glanced over at Erik who had taken it upon himself to row for the group. Better him than her as there was no way in hell she was going to volunteer to be a workhorse for any of these guys. She sat quietly with her arms crossed, watching the ripples of water travel away from the boat. Hopefully, this expedition wouldn’t take long as she was already feeling uncomfortable around the others and it certainly didn’t help how close proximity they were to her. She wasn’t claustrophobic by any means but she hated being within arms reach of another. Her uneasiness was displayed with a deeper frown, accompanied by the bouncing of her right knee.

Luckily for her, Erik wasn’t entirely useless as he managed to row them to shore in an acceptable amount of time. Right after him, she carefully traversed the ice path, making slight glances down at her feet to prevent herself from slipping. She was doing quite well considering she wasn’t an experienced ice mage like him. However, just as she lifted her foot to transition from ice to sand, her other foot gave way to the shifting of weight, causing her to lurch forward. Aelestra threw her hand out, harshly grasping Erik’s shoulder to prevent herself from falling completely. As both her feet found the soft sand beneath, she grunted at the ice mage in annoyance, pushing herself away from him.

Stupid ice, she thought as she created some distance from herself and the rest of the group. Stupid island, she looked toward the tree line, squinting slightly as if that was going to help her pick out anything specific other than leaves and vines. Without much consideration for the rest of her guildmates, she started to march through the sand and toward the entrance of the jungle.

code by @Nano

 

[Stitches and Patchwork]

Gwenith Argent
The Dollmaker

~~~~

Location
Getting off the Golden Fleece

Interactions
Erik Rosenberg- Gold. (Mention)
Aelestra Axel- Beann (Mention)
Lorcan Greer- Lilure

~~~~

Among the crates and barrels gathered in one of the corners of the ship’s deck sat Gwenith. Her head bowed for the majority of the travels, eyes focused on the wooden owl she had been whittling during the majority of the journey. Seemingly in her own world.

That was until the ship suddenly lurched to a stop as the anchor came down. Gwenith tensed from the shock, as she swiftly stood up with a sense of alarm. Only to see the ring of islands that surrounded them. And for a moment, Gwenith found her feelings of worry and fear of the worst melt away into amazement as she gazed at the landscape before her. The paradise that sat peacefully amidst the clear blue waters. An illustration out of storybook seemingly have come to life. It was… beautiful.

However, as Gwenith stared at the scene, it hit her that the boat was no longer moving. No, rather it was now at still, only now bobbing in place due to the waves underneath. This… this was their destination. Bleeding Heart Archipelago. Where the previous traveling group had disappeared. Where Aurora had disappeared.

A chill ran down Gwenith’s spine upon this realization, her fingers clutching the wooden owl ever so tighter as her brow knit in concern. And in her head echoed a plea.

Please. Please may they be safe.

A weak hope surrounded by uncertainty and fears of the unknown as much as Gwenith hated to admit it as they swarmed her head.

Fortunately, before Gwenith could ponder any further, she noticed another of guild mates trying to grab her attention. Erik Rosenberg. Seemed as though he was trying to send a signal that they arrived to the rest of the group before he swiftly descended a rope ladder that she could only assume was set up while she was distracted. Either way, pulled back into reality once more by the call of action, Gwenith was quick to push that swirl of thoughts to the back of her head as she gathered her bearings, slipping her owl into the light brown satchel that hung from her shoulders and rushing forwards towards the ladders. Nonetheless, she did stop to allow approaching fellow guild members to climb down the ladder before her. It was common courtesy after all.

Only to find herself staring at the island once more when the group had boarded the rowboat. As the swarm of thoughts came flooding back… Gwenith found herself no longer enjoying staring at the beautiful islands before her. No. Rather, she found it more comforting to stare at the floor of the boat. Preventing herself from getting lost in her thoughts by gazing at the wooden planks and the shoes of the familiar faces of her guild mates. After all, now wasn’t there time for getting lost in her thoughts. She had a job to do. A job she should be aiming to succeed.

Gwenith’s fingers played with the fabric of the dress she wore as she found herself longing to continue working on the owl she has been close to finishing before. Just to help manage the stress. Yet now wasn’t the time for distractions. There was too much at stake to purposely let herself distracted. So Gwenith found herself simply sitting in silence, trying to push back the swirl of stress and concerns with this focus on her duty as she gazed intently at the floor of the boat.

Only to note Erik had stopped the boat, blinking in surprise upon realizing they were indeed close to shore. Regaining her composure, Gwenith prepared herself to stand up and wade through water. Only for Erik to seem to have other ideas who nonchalantly formed a path of ice ahead of them and walked across with ease. As though he were walking on stone

That… was a way to avoid getting wet.

Gwenith quickly snapped herself out of her startled stupor this time as she shot Erik a grateful smile from where she sat on the ship. A nonverbal attempt of saying thank you from a distance. After all, he did make a seemingly walkable pathway for them to the coast.

At least that is what Gwenith thought until she witnessed Alethra attempt to cross it. And initially, she seemed to get through with ease though the disgruntled expression on her face said otherwise. Then again… seeing Alethra was a disgruntled expression was a norm… would that be rude of her to think? Well it isn’t something she would say to her face. Then again, there is a lot Gwenith would say to Alethra, often too intimidated to approach out of fear of bothering her.

Unable how to approach this minor inner conflict, Gwenith ignored it, deciding to simply assume maybe perhaps she was struggling with the icy path. An assumption confirmed when the white haired mage nearly fell upon reaching the sand, needing to be caught by Erik. Well… so much for it being as easily walkable as Erik made it seem. But it was a path nonetheless so Gwenith should be grateful either way.

Nodding to herself, Gwenith turned to the rest of her guild, giving them a small yet still warm and kind smile.

“After all of you,” She spoke with a gentle cadence, exhibiting the same courtesy as she did on the boat as she scooted to the side, making space to allow her fellow guild members to get off the boat before her. Only to note how one of them sitting nearby appeared rather sickly.

Lorcan Greer, a fellow guild member who was her friend. Or at least he proclaimed he was. Just like he has with just about everyone in the guild. Not that Gwenith minded, finding his company and joyful personality calming to say the least. As worrying as the thought of her getting too close was. Yet that wasn’t her primary concern at the moment. Rather, she found herself focusing on how silent the usually rather talkative mage was during the duration of their travels.

Now Gwenith was well aware of the mage’s motion-sickness and had not approached him about during the voyage out of fear that she would simply be bothering him or forcing him to talk making him feel worse. Yet as she gazed at him now with her polite smile slowly fading into a look of concern, she found herself wondering about whether or not he would be fine enough to walk. There was only so much information she can garner from staring, especially if she did not want to appear rude… a factor that begun to nag at her the longer she stared. She had to say something.

Or well, do, as with a kind yet not a bit more worried smile appeared a crossed her lips, Gwenith gave Lorcan a thumbs up. An attempt to nonverbally ask about how he was feeling and if he will be alright on the ice path as she anticipated his reaction should give her a clue on his current state.

~~~~

​

 

[Lilure]

• Lorcan

• 
  "I'm... not gonna make it... this is... the end...." So much for the mighty white dragon! Fairy Tail's resident ball of sunshine and chaos was curled into a ball of less-than-sunshine and more-misery-than-chaos on the deck of the Golden Fleece. The trip had started well enough when they'd left the port ("Some stupid boat is not gonna take me out this time!"). Ten minutes later and he was KO'd, reduced to a sad, shivering pile of jewelry and faux fur. Had he uncurled a few times long enough to hurl over the side of the ship? That's really none of your business! Mercifully, his guild mates had left him to suffer in agony alone so he was spared from any embarrassing moments of someone actually noticing the great dragon slayer felled by simple motion sickness ("Me? Motion sick? Hah! I'm stronger than that!"). Sure, his guild mates would say, sure. Whether they didn't have the heart to knock him down a peg or just knew he'd bounce back up anyways, no one ever roasted him too hard for it.
  
  So there he lay, shoving in his little ball, when, at least, a kindness; a mercy from above, if you will. Out of the corner of one half-open eye he spotted Erik, waving the squad down and if there was one thing Lorcan knew about Erik, it's that he wasn't waving anybody down unless it was go time. Yes! Lorcan's heart sang in triumph. For someone who was so sick he was on his feet and across the deck of the Fleece faster than anyone could say shiny. Desperate in his pursuit, Lorcan half-shoved Erik and anyone else out of the way, hitting the rail of the boat with his torso. Palms slapped down onto the smooth wood and he let out a strangled cackle and a, "I'm free!" before he pitched himself off the ship without hesitation and fell... into another boat. The tender sloshed around like mad in the water with his sudden weight. Lorcan groaned, shock radiating up his shoulder and left arm from the impact but he was more crestfallen by his latest discovery than the slight injury. "Wasn't there... supposed to be water here?" he whispered out. So there he lay, curling back into his less-than-sunshine ball which conveniently made room for everyone else to sit down. Each row of the boat and slosh of the oar sent a fresh wave of nausea through him, so he laid there and stared at a knot in the wood, flipped away from everyone else so they couldn't see the great white dragon at his worst. Eventually, another mercy; the tender ran aground.
  
  Half-aware of Erik doing his ice things and Aelestra taking a slight skate across the shore, Lorcan began to muse how he was going to haul himself out of this stupid boat when, then, it happened. Through half-lidded eyes, his gaze fell on Gwenith's face, blurry at first and she was... what was she doing? His vision cleared. A thumbs-up. A, you-can-do-it! Yes. Yes he could. He couldn't let this boat make a fool of him now, not when everyone was here to watch him. How uncool would that be? Lorcan threw a hand down into the bottom of the tender and pushed himself up with one bicep. In his state, he probably shouldn't have been able to manage moving at all, but that's the beauty of draconic strength. It lets you do what regular people cannot. In a somewhat fluid motion (again? how?), the young man shrugged out of the sleeveless grey jacket, the collar lined with a soft fur, that he seemed to always wear. With a haphazard toss, he dropped it into Gwenith's lap and his hoarse voice whispered, "Don't let it... get wet." Then he literally launched himself into a sideways aerial roll over the side of the tender... on the opposite side of the ice path.
  
  There was a splash and silence for a few seconds and then Lorcan sat up abruptly, sitting in the shallows. A loud breath (maybe it was more an exclamation of relief) exhaled from his lungs and he ran his hands quickly through his now wet hair, heavy with water as he slicked it back. Droplets of saltwater ran down his face, almost mimicking tears, and jumped off the ends of the crystals hanging from his ears. Despite the cold ocean and the fact that he was all wet now, warm color had returned to his face. "I made it!" he said, but now there was life and tone in his voice. Strange how just vacating the vehicle in question for even a second could somehow restore the young man's vitality. If there were any doubts, he was on his feet in a second, sloshing through the ankle deep water over to Erik. "We are never taking a boat again!" he told the ice mage fiercely, reaching out to shake the other man's shoulders. Had it even been Erik's decision? Who cared? "I'd rather swim the whole ocean next time than set foot on another one of those things. Hell, I might even swim back when we're done!" Rant somewhat done, Lorcan released his grip on Erik and then walked up and down the beach a few times. At one point, he crouched to examine a seemingly innocuous shell with the scrutiny of a conchologist. "So this is the place, huh?" Lorcan said, turning back to everyone else. He put his hands on his hips. "Where is everybody?" Um, yeah, great question Lorcan!
  
  "Wait, sorry!" With those words, he dashed across the sand, over to the tender, and planted one foot firmly on the ice sheet and the other on the sand. "Almost forgot with all the fresh air I was taking in!" He grinned his signature crooked grin and extended his hand outwards to those still in the boat. "Ice is slippery, but my balance is good." Yes, ice was slippery. Would he have still said it had he seen Aelestra's near face-plant? Who knows? "Lemme help you guys out!" Lorcan said, shaking his hand somewhat excitedly as he waited for someone to accept his offer.
  
  
  Interacting With:
  
  Directly: Gold. and Stitches and Patchwork and whoever takes his hand
  Mentioned: Beann (briefly)
  
  Location: The Beach!!
  
  Mood: Standard Lorcan Shenanigans, Post Motion-Sickness​

 

[FireMaiden]

Calliope Beaumont
Interaction: Stitches and Patchwork
Mentioned: Gold. Lilure Beann Flintstone Lucem ​

To say she was excited was an understatement. Calliope couldn't keep herself still, moving around the deck of the Golden Fleece like a child running around a playground. Gracefully avoiding poor Lorcan however, not wanting to stress him out further by giving his motion sickness an audience. Still though, she was enjoying the sight of the ocean. The smell of the sea air, feeling the saltwater mist spray against her face. It had been ages since Calliope was out at sea. Most of her missions required travel by train or carriage...when Calliope finally settled about 30 minutes into the trip, she found a spot near the front of the ship. Pearched on a ledge so she could watch the ocean with no threat of falling in, Calliope would be left to her own thoughts. Thoughts that would finally travel to their goal in the archipelago.

The first team sent here had gone missing. Among them, Calliope's brother Jasper. It wasn't odd for him to take missions on his own away from Calliope. After all, he was an S-Rank wizard. She was just an A-Rank. Not that it was something to sneeze at, but she didn't get the same opportunities he did. Until of course, they had gotten word the first team was missing. Calliope was worried about her brother, and her parents sent at least 6 letters asking for updates and if they should make an official request to search for him before this opportunity came up. Calliope couldn't let it pass, and insisted she go. She wasn't the only one looking for a family member either. During the ride, Calliope would occasionally find her gaze wandering to Aelestra. Her brother has also gone missing. Strangely, it was a comfort knowing someone else here was more than likely struggling the same way Calliope was. As excited as the woman was for the mission over all...Calliope was terrified for her brother.

Thankfully, before she dove too deep into those fun little thoughts, the ship would lurch as it came to a stop. Instinctively, Calliope's hand dropped to the key ring holster. She knew they wouldn't go flying off, but if Aquarius' key fell, Calliope would never hear the end of it. Aries would be kind about it and Libra...the dissapointed look on that spirits face was almost as bad as getting berated by Aquarius. Calliope coild never make the mistake of dropping her keys again...anyway, the woman jumped up off the ledge she was sitting on, the smile she had at the beginning of the trip returning. The islands looked magnificent, Calliope could feel it in her bones they'd be finding something incredible. And she had a good feeling they'd find their missing guildmates. Calliope returned to the area where the bulk of the remaining members were, watching as Erik began and some of the crew members lowering the rowboat. Lorcan, of course, had come back to life and was the first one over! As expected though, they'd get to hear the sound of him colliding with a wooden surface.

Calliope couldn't help but laugh, looking over the side as some of the others went ahead and climbed down. "Missed by this much," Calliope chuckled, holding up her hand with two fingers nearly pinched together. She didn't really blame him though, if she got motion sickness, she'd want off the ship as soon as possible. Speaking of, Calliope would be among the last to climb down into the rowboat, settling in next to Tal. Erik seemed to take it upon himself to row them to the beach, which Calliope appreciated but if he wanted any help, she would volunteer. It didn't seem like it was needed though as soon enough, they'd reach the beach. Or, close enough. After of course...Lorcan throwing himself into the water with that looked to be encouragment from Gwenith. Once again, Calliope couldn't blame him, it was very understandable. She chuckled, watching him declare they'd never be taking a ship again. Which happened...every time they had to travel via some sort of vehicle. Lorcan of course would reach the beach before them, and seemed to realize that as Erik set about making a small bridge for them to use. Erik went first, followed by Aelestra who slipped.

After that, Lorcan would offer a hand to the rest of them. Which was very nice of him. "You go first Gwenith," Calliope coaxed with a smile.

 

[Gold.]

{Erik Rosenberg ~ Of the Lonely Winter}
​

Even though it caught him off guard, the ice mage remained firmly planted in place as Aelestra’s weight bared down him, his shoulder giving a small ache from the intensity to her grip. “Um, you’re welcome!” Erik called after Aelestra’s withdrawing form, throwing his arms out to the side in some kind of gesture asking if she was for real. He sighed as he watched her white hair swishing away, his arms falling to his sides. It was totally pointless to express his mild annoyance at her attitude, he knew that. Nothing he could’ve ever said would make her apologize, or offer a proper thank you for breaking her fall. Not that it bothered him exactly, he knew that was how she was but—

He was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by someone shaking him and a familiar voice yelling in his ear. This time Erik countered, one hand going in for a bicep grip and the other for the front of Lorcan’s shirt. Pretty soon, they were both shaking each other. “Stop grabbing onto me you maniac!” Erik menaced. “You’re always right on top of me every time I turn around!” What was Lorcan jabbering about? The boat. Well obviously, given how much he hated the things but how else were they supposed to get to any offshore destination. “It’s a freaking island, how else did you expect us to get here? You can swim out into the middle of the damn ocean and drown out there for all I care, but I’m not paddling my way home. Now get off!” By that point though, Lorcan’s attack was already over and Erik was left with the feeling of motion even though he was standing still once again. Another sigh from the ice mage as he watched Lorcan prance around and then find a new distraction in helping the rest of their guild mates from the tender. “If we knew where everyone was, we wouldn’t be here in the first place,” Erik said in a mild tone, answering Lorcan’s very stupid question.

While Calliope and Gwenith tried to out-polite each other over who was going to get out of the boat first, Erik turned his thoughts and his gaze back towards the jungle. On the strand of sand now, he could see the plants the island was named for clearly; Love-Lies-Bleeding. It was an interesting flower. Like nothing he'd ever seen before, especially growing up so far away from a tropical environment like this. They draped over the trees and the branches, hanging low and high. It wasn't so much petals they had, but clusters of an almost dust-like substance. The color reminded him of Tamsin's eyes, and Erik abruptly shook his head, trying to shake her out of it. Getting caught up in happy memories of her right now was something he couldn't afford to do. After everything, right now he needed to focus, so he could find her and everyone else who had missing too. It was his turn to stare into the depths of the jungle, like looking hard enough might make their missing guild mates appear.

Then motion caught his eye and his blue gaze flicked over to Aelestra, storming straight off into the jungle. "Hey, wait a minute!" Erik called out to her, half-jogging in her wake. As he caught up to her, Erik knew better than to reach for her hand or her arm as a physical stop gap, the way he would've with Lorcan or Tamsin. Instead, he put on a burst of speed and and circled, coming to a firm stop in front of her to prevent her from going further too. "You can't just run off into the jungle by yourself," he said. "We need to work together here, we don't know anything about this place." Hopefully he'd be able to reason with her, but with Aelestra's impulse, who knew if she'd listen to him or not. "If you go off on your own and get into a bad spot. then the rest of us will have to worry about you and finding everyone else."

Interacting With:
Lilure Beann

Mentioned:
FireMaiden Stitches and Patchwork​

 

[Lucem]

Laying atop a makeshift bed of crates and barrels, Harper snoozed away. With nothing to do except wait until the Golden Fleece reached its destination, he decided that getting in one last nap would be the best way to make use of his time. There probably wouldn't be many opportunities for him and the others to catch their breath on the archipelago, so he wanted to rest up as much as possible before he was forced to work.

Eventually, the commotion on the ship's deck roused him from his slumber. He slowly regained his senses, feeling a slight tickle as his earrings brushed against his neck. The warm sunlight and refreshing sea breeze tried to lull him back to sleep, but he managed to resist and open his eyes. However, instead of seeing a cloudless, blue sky, he only saw darkness.

Still half-asleep, he briefly wondered who turned off the sun before registering the unfamiliar weight on his face. That's when he remembered that he'd been using a book to block out the light. It wasn't interesting enough to keep him entertained throughout the voyage, but it definitely worked as a sleep mask.

Removing the book from his face, Harper stifled a yawn and looked around to figure out what all the noise was about. Before his eyes could even adjust to the bright outdoors, he saw Lorcan zoom by while laughing before throwing himself over the edge of the ship. The only sound that followed was a very audible thud. Ordinarily, seeing something like that would've made him think he was still dreaming, but considering his current company, it made sense.

Seeing Erik beckon to everyone, Harper accepted that his break was over and jumped from his wooden nest. As he moved to join the others, the book in his vanished, consumed by a pale blue light. With both of his hands now free, he climbed down the ladder, paying the injured diver no mind. After being in Fairy Tail for so long, things like this didn't faze him. It was the guild's own version of normal.

More than okay with letting Erik handle the rowing, Harper settled into his seat and watched as everyone else squeezed into the tiny boat. He glanced at Aelestra as she took the seat next to him, but he chose not to say anything, not particularly interested in having his tongue ripped out if he accidentally slighted her. They didn't have a hostile relationship by any means, but it was pretty obvious that the white-haired mage wasn't in the best mood.

Harper could clearly see Aelestra's impatience, noticing the deep frown on her face as her bouncing knee bumped against his own. Considering the reason for this mission, it was no surprise that she'd be upset and eager to set foot on land. Like the other wizards who were part of the initial expedition, Atlas's status was unknown, never returning from the islands. A sister wanting to get her brother back was easy to understand, and many people in the current party had similar motivations.

Unlike a few of his guildmate's, Harper didn't have a profound reason for joining the second wave of explorers. This was just a job, and most of his interest revolved around the reward. Well, that and the artifact he'd been told about. Compared to everyone else's motives, his were pretty selfish, and he didn't have any problem acknowledging that. However, that didn't mean he didn't care what happened to the missing mages. If they were alive, he'd do what he could to help bring them home. If they weren't, he'd accept it and move on. Things were just that simple for him.

When they finally neared the shore, Aelestra was the first one to rush ahead, leaving the rest of the group in the dust after almost slipping on Erik's ice. It wasn't very surprising. Of course she'd want to run in and find Atlas as soon as possible. However, going on a solo journey through a jungle on a mysterious island with magic artifacts probably wasn't the best idea.

Lorcan was the next to scramble out of the tender, opting to go for a swim instead of a walk. As soon as the Dragon Slayer settled down a bit, he extended his hand, offering to help everyone cross the ice that almost took out the temperamental Take Over user. Meanwhile, Erik was trying to do some wrangling.

Deciding to just let Gwenith and Calliope do their thing as they tried to figure out who'd go first, Harper went on ahead. He didn't want to end up cracking the ice with his face, so he went with his own method of transportation. A soft glow enveloped his boots, replacing them with the Air Walkers from his armory. Giving the other three some space, he applied a small amount of wind magic and raised himself into the air, allowing him to effortlessly cross the shoreline.

Cutting off the flow of magic, he returned to the ground, his heels now digging into the sand. He arrived just in time to see Erik circle in front of Aelestra, trying to cut off her advance. Harper noticed that the ice mage didn't go as far as actually touching her, which was definitely the right call. The guy probably would've lost any hand he put on her.

There was no telling if Aelestra would actually listen to Erik. If she decided to go off on her own, it'd lead to a lot of problems, both for herself and the rest of the group. With that in mind, Harper decided to provide a little bit of backup.

Resting his hand on the pommel of sword, he approached the pair, stopping only when he was a few steps away. "We'll have an easier time finding Atlas and the others if we stick together." That was all he said before turning away, now focusing on the path ahead.

Atlas was the only thing that seemed to matter to Aelestra, and she most likely wouldn't want to do anything that lowered the chance of getting him back. Using that seemed like the best way of getting her to see reason. The way to negotiate was to focus on what the other person wanted and the things that mattered most to them. Things like logic and unrelated emotional appeals weren't as dependable.

 

[Stitches and Patchwork]

Gwenith Argent
The Dollmaker

~~~~

Location
Ice Path

Interactions
Erik Rosenberg- Gold. (Mention)
Aelestra Axel- Beann (Mention)
Harper Layne- Lucem (Mention)
Taliesin Lachande- Flintstone
Calliope Beaumont- FireMaiden
Lorcan Greer- Lilure

~~~~

Gwenith wasn’t quite sure what to expect in response to her thumbs up. After all, the dragon slayer was rather unpredictable. Which wasn’t bad. Just… made it difficult to figure out how exactly he would respond to things such as this gesture. At the most, she hoped for an indication that Lorcan was okay or, if not, an indication of how she could help her fellow guild member. Outside of that, Gwenith tried to prepare for anything.

Only to be completely blindsided by Lorcan simply throwing her his jacket. Gwenith blinked and stared at the jacket with a look of confusion, barely processing his request before the boat suddenly lurched to one side as some water abruptly splashed into the small rowboat. Gwenith tensed, quickly turning her back towards the water as she held the jacket tightly to her chest, barely managing to prevent a drop from landing on it on such short notice. At the cost of her blouse, the backside of it at least was hit by a wave of seawater. Yet Gwenith did not pay much mind to it. Rather, right after she was suddenly splashed, the mage looked over her shoulder in hopes of ensuring her fellow guild member was alright.

Only for him… to not… be there.

“LORCAN!” Gwenith cried worriedly as she raced to the other side of the boat, clutching the jacket as she basically leaped to the other side of the boat. However, before she even looked down at the water, Lorcan popped out of the surface, seeming to have immediately returned to his cheery self. All the while Gwenith stood there, wide-eyed as she slowly connected the dots of what just happened. Quietly accepting with a sigh that once more, Lorcan managed to catch her completely off guard.

But he was okay. And that’s what mattered.

So, watching him paddle to the beach, joining Erik and Alestra, Gwenith turned her focus to the jacket she was entrusted with. Specifically, she found herself ruminating about how exactly she was going to keep it dry while being surrounded by water. That was when it occurred to her. Her bag. This jacket wasn’t too big. Perhaps…

Becoming busy with folding the jacket just enough to fit it in her satchel, Gwenith became distracted from what the rest of the traveling party was doing for a moment. Not quite noticing how only Lorcan had crossed to the beach and no one else had made any attempts to cross after him. Oblivious to how one of her guild members was now turning to her.

Well, that was until Gwenith finished stuffing the jacket into her bag when coincidentally a voice sounded behind her. Gwenith tensed, evidently a bit startled as she turned only to see the remaining crew, Tal, and the source of the voice, Calliope was still on board. With Calliope allowing her to go first.

“Oh um…” Gwenith stammered, evidently caught off guard when faced with the same politeness she was shown before. As well as at a loss for what to do. After all, on one hand, she did make them the offer for them to go before her first and it would feel wrong to just disregard that prior offer the first chance she gets. Yet at the same time, would it be rude also to just disregard this gesture? Especially since that could possibly just be wasting the time that they needed at the moment. Yet… still…

Gwenith pursed her lips, remaining silent for a moment as she found her gaze jumping between Calliope and Tal in desperate hopes that one of them would interject. Solve this dilemma for her. Yet as no one spoke, it became quite apparent to Gwenith that this decision was up to her. And she turned to Calliope and faced that warm seemingly genuine and kind smile… Gwenith couldn’t bring herself to say no. One aspect that tipped the scales.

“Thank you greatly, Calliope. You are much too kind. I will be waiting for you both on the other side.” Putting on a polite smile once more, Gwenith thanked gave them a small curtsy as she tried to ward away any guilt for taking back her prior offer with an unspoken promise that she would make up for this in a future instance.

And with that and one final check that her satchel was on her, Gwenith turned to the ice path, taking a deep breath before placing one foot on the ice. And then the other… only to find herself barely catching herself from falling as her feet slid under her as though they had a mind of their own. Yet, sticking her arms out to the side immediately, Gwenith managed to remain standing. And after a moment of standing in that small spot rigidly, Gwenith began to move, shuffling forward in small steps. Making slower but still evident progress.

That was until Gwenith looked up and noted, behind the smiling Lorcan who was a comforting sight, was a far more worrying one. Erik, Aelestra, and Harper, all gathered at the edge of the island, none of them looking rather happy as Erik seemed to have barely stopped Aelestra from storming into the underbrush. Immediately, concern arose in Gwenith as impulsively, she tried to jog forward to check on them, forgetting she was walking on ice. A mistake that Gwenith identified a moment too late as that one all-too-quick misstep led to her feet slipping right underneath her and before she could even process it, the brunette girl fell face first on the ice.

Pain rang through Gwenith’s head. Nothing too serious but… that was going to leave a bruise. If anything though, Gwenith felt more embarrassed than anything, her face burning red with embarrassment despite ice being directly applied to it. She never was one to be too prideful. However, she was one who despised worrying others. And as she lay there, Gwenith doubted she was doing anything then the opposite of that. Especially as time passed on.

With that thought, Gwenith clenched her jaw, refusing to allow any noises of pain escape her as she managed to sit up, forcing on a smile once more as she glanced between her fellow guild members both in front and behind her, trying to nonverbally reassure anyone who saw her fall she was alright. Only to notice her satchel. Specifically, how it was still hanging from her shoulder but not sitting on the ice path itself, its brown cloth beginning to darken.

In a swift but frantic moment, Gwenith grabbed the satchel, placing the bag onto her lap and desperately hoping the jacket was still dry despite that. Before she could get carried away with those thoughts, the mage found herself shaking her head, returning her focus to the current task at hand. Getting to the other side.

Which was now proving harder than she would like to admit as Gwenith attempted to stand up once more only for her feet to threaten to slip under her once more, forcing her to remain sitting. Just… wonderful. Gwenith took a deep breath. No no no. She can do this just… it seemed she needed to move forward without standing up. Perhaps…

In slow stiff movements, Gwenith awkwardly began to scoot herself forward, which compared to everything else, seemed to be the most efficient strategy. Despite the fact that the thought of her needing to scoot down the rest of the path after her guildmates walked down the ice path so flawlessly was enough to cause her to flush from embarrassment as she looked down, her bonnet hiding the red hue her face had taken on.

Nonetheless, after a few moments, Gwenith finally reached where Lorcan stood. Rather than take his hand, however, she reached into her bag, pulling out his jacket which was all folded in order to fit in the satchel in the first place.

“Your jacket. I hope I didn’t get it wet during that… journey,” Gwenith muttered, managing to bring herself to look up to meet his eyes as she gave him a sheepish smile. Only to look past him at the rest of the party at the shore as soon as she spotted them from the corner of her eye, her smile fading as her worries returned, wondering what was happening yet too nervous to approach and intervene.


~~~~

​

 

[Beann]

Aelestra Axel

tags

Gold. Lucem

The sand proved difficult to march through in heavy boots, each step sinking in and slowing down her efforts. It was rather annoying, having to put more strength into freeing one foot after the other. At this rate, she may as well use her magic to fly away from the group and over the jungle. Before she could actually consider that, however, she was forced to stop in her tracks as Erik planted himself in front of her. Her frown deepened — if that was even possible at this point — and she glared at the ice mage who tried to reason with her.

Why couldn’t she run off into the jungle by herself? He wasn’t the boss of her, no one was. She was her own person and she’d be damned if she let anyone change that now. The rest of his words were white noise to her as she continued to scowl at him. In her head, she generously granted him a five-second grace period to decide to either: get out of her way or be barreled through. Aelestra had no qualms with performing the latter, he was getting in the way of finding her brother after all.

She lifted her foot up with full intent of walking right through Erik but Harper’s words made her reconsider her actions. How would sticking together make it easier to find Atlas? She didn’t want to rely on any of these mages. The only person she could truly rely on right now was herself. Regardless of what she thought though, she found herself shifting her body away from Erik and took a small step in Harper’s direction. Crossing her arms over her chest, she grudgingly waited for the rest of her guildmates to group up.

code by @Nano

 

[Flintstone]

Tal had spent most of the trip aboard The Golden Fleece below deck. He had been quickly reminded that traveling on the ocean and hangovers do not mix well. Consequently, when the boat came to a stop he was nearly as excited as Lorcan to get off the damn thing. Although he was not nearly as disappointed by the tender they got on after disembarking from the larger ship. As Calliope climbed down next to him, he gave her an easy smile that quickly morphed into a grimace once the tender began to move out from the shadow of The Golden Fleece. It wasn't the motion that got to him this time, but the bright sunlight. He knew he should have brought a pair of sunglasses with him. At least he didn't have it as bad as poor Lorcan.

Once they arrived near the beach and the smaller boat came to stop, events seemed to happen incredibly fast to Tal's hungover brain. Before he knew it there was Ice on one side of the boat, Erik, Aelestra, Lorcan, and Harper had disembarked, and a sopping-wet Lorcan was offering his hand to his companions. "Well aren't you quite the gentleman," Tal drawled in response to his guildmate's kind gesture. He figured the hand was more for guildmates of a more feminine persuasion and climbed up onto the ice on his own. To his credit, he did make it most of the way to the beach but faceplanted on the home stretch.

"As if I didn't already have a headache," He muttered as he crawled across the remainder of the ice. He then flopped onto the sand, got up, and dusted himself. All this before hollering at his guildmates still on the boat or the ice, "Hurry it up! Time is money and money is games and drinks!" As if he didn't just get to the beach himself.


Interactions: Stitches and Patchwork (Gwenith), Lilure (Lorcan), FireMaiden (Calliope)
Mentions: Gold. (Erik), Beann (Aelestra), Lucem (Harper)

 

[Lilure]

• Lorcan

• 
  Crack! Lorcan knew that had to hurt, and watching Gwenith take a dive head first into the ice made him feel like his teeth were rattling from the impact. Sure, his balance on the slick surfaces was pretty good now (especially after being on so many jobs with Erik), but even he too had struggled with crossing the ice floes at a point in his life. Believe it or not. Either way, Lorcan was about to pounce across the ice to Gwenith's side. "Don't tell me that fall knocked her out or something?" he was praying to himself, almost gawking at the fallen girl. But, her response was quick, and she was thankfully alert and smiling to the onlookers. Lorcan smiled back, trying not to grimace. The look on her face was definitely a forced expression, an 'I am okay!' He knew, because he'd faked that same expression plenty of times. So when he returned her smiled, he made sure it was genuine. In fact, he even decided to return her encouraging gesture. As Gwenith began to scoot her way across the ice, he gave her a thumbs up. "Just take it slow!" he called to her, nodding at his own advice. Was there really any other way to go, when crossing a slick surface?
  
  As she scooted within range, Lorcan leaned further outwards, placing his weight onto the ice-balanced foot; a precarious gamble on his part, but he didn't seem to be thinking things through at the moment. Instead he was reaching out now with both hands, ready to help Gwenith up to her feet and off the frozen terrain. And yet. Before he could, she was offering his jacket, sharing her hopes that it was still dry. For real? Lorcan just stared at her minute; there was a glimmer in his eyes. Surprise? Maybe a little away? Then his signature sunshine smile was back and he was taking the jacket from her. "You really take things too seriously!" he laughed. "Don't worry about something silly when you just got hurt, you should be focusing on yourself!" As he spoke, he shook the jacket out of its careful folds. Whether it had gotten wet when er satchel hit the water, Lorcan either didn't notice or didn't care. He swung the jacket over his shoulders, sliding only one arm though the absent sleeves and allowing the familiar weight of fur to fall into place. Further, further. He was inching forward onto the ice, his back foot now on the very edge of sandy ground. "C'mon, lemme help you out. How's your head?" Lorcan was asking, stretching his loose arm out for Gwenith. The gap was just a little too far and he seemed to disregard his own center stance now. Both feet were not he ice and he cleared the distance, falling into a crouch beside Gwenith. "Put your hand on my shoulder and stand up slowly. No worries, I won't slip!" The white dragon was obviously confident in this anchoring abilities; the blinding smile and sparkling blue eyes were a clear indication.
  
  Then, there was an unexpected occurrence. Tal. Slamming into the ice. Also face first. Lorcan feel the froze sheet ramble under his boots but it held up. Of course it was, this was Erik's doing after all. His magic was really no joke. "You okay man?" he called out to Tal over his shoulder. Normally, he would've been quick to appear as Tal's aid too, but tied up with Gwenith like he was right now, he didn't want to move for fear of startling her into slipping and falling again. Better to just be the rock on the ice as it was! Plus, Calliope might still need help getting to shore and judging by Tal's next words, the usual time and money spiel, he wasn't going to be helping the others out any time soon. Actually, it really was up to Lorcan to assist Calliope and Gwenith if they needed it. He couldn't quite see them, so caught up with his current situation, but his senses were draconic; he could hear them, even from a distance. Aelestra had tried to storm off into he jungle. Erik and Harper were trying to stop her. "Ignore those guys," Lorcan told Gwenith. Mainly, he meant ignore Tal, who was verbally in a hurry. "Don't try to rush if you think you'll take another dive. That would be embarrassing." Wasn't the first one enough, Lorcan? He was giggling though, in a good-natured way. Of course he wasn't trying to make Gwenith feel bad. He was trying to make her laugh; to make her feel better.
  
  Still though, things were sparking on the inside of his chest. Who did Aelestra think she was? There was a chance she could jeopardize the whole mission if she went totally AWOL. "She's not the only one missing someone," Lorcan thought grimly. The dragon slayer was holding up surprisingly well in the absence of his shadow. Truth was, he was avoiding thinking about the situation too much. In his head, Tamsin was fine, they were here to pick her up, they'd go home and eat bread at the corner bakery; easy. If he started contemplating the intricacies of the problem, how even Tamsin hadn't returned from he first expedition... it was too much to handle, when he was supposed to be focusing finding her anyway. Optimism it was, then. Lorcan's greatest defense in life. "She's probably waiting for us," he grumbled under his breath, not realizing he'd spoken aloud.
  
  
  
  Interacting With:
  
  Directly: Stitches and Patchwork Flintstone
  Mentioned: Beann FireMaiden Lucem Gold.
  
  Location: The Beach!!
  
  Mood: Optimistic, but clinging to it a lil​

 

[Stitches and Patchwork]

Gwenith Argent
The Dollmaker

~~~~

Location
Beach

Interactions
Aelestra Axel- Beann (mention)
Lorcan Greer- Lilure
Taliesin Lachande- Flintstone
Calliope Beaumont- FireMaiden

~~~~

Gwenith blinked upon seeing Lorcan's surprisingly nonchalant response about the jacket. It wasn't exactly out of character for him to take these matters lightly. Yet as she watched him edge off of the sand and onto the ice before she could stay anything to stop him, she found a familiar voice in her head nagging at her. Reminding her how little she deserved this sort of treatment. This kindness. That's what made the jacket so important. Why still found herself gazing at it to see for any evidence of any sort of wetness. After all, managing to accomplish this little favor. That was the least she could do. To feel worthy of all of this.

Yet it never felt like enough.

And as Gwenith sat on the ice, seeing Lorcan walking onto the slippery path without hesitation and just shooting her that genuine smile, she felt a certain tightness in her chest as she managed to muster a smile. A weight that glued her down to the ice. Whispers that she shouldn't accept the help. That he shouldn't have been going out of his way to help her. She shouldn't have made him come this way for her. "O-oh, my head is alright, no need to worry. And ah thank you but I will be fine Lorcan! I swear. I can just scoot past you and you can help Calliope, that should be ef-"

Before Gwenith could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a nearby thump. She tensed, scooting slightly to the side only to narrowly catch herself from slipping off the side of the ice ridge when Taliesin suddenly faceplanted nearby. She had not even noticed he had gotten to the ice path. Nonetheless, Gwenith could help but gaze at him concerned as he crawled to the beach, staggering to his feet. Before she could even utter a word, he seemed to brush up the fall, simply commanding them to hurry it up. After all, time was money.

Right... Gwenith was probably wasting time with her indecision.

"Ah, we're on our way Tal! Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Gwenith called to him with a sheepish smile before turning to Lorcan only to perk up when hearing Lorcan's advice about not paying attention to the others. And while it took her a moment to process that was an attempt to make her laugh, as soon as Gwenith noticed the white dragon slayer giggling, she couldn't help but join in, quiet laughter slipping from her lips as she chuckled. "I suppose you do have a point there."

Gwenith's laughter did stop when she heard Lorcan's grumbling. Her smile faded as she noticed Lorcan's normal optimism dip. Just for a moment. If anything, from how quietly it was uttered compared to everything else he was saying, she doubted she was meant to hear that. Which made whether or not to respond to it a more perplexing decision than she would like to admit. Especially since... she could sort of understand where Aelestra was perhaps coming from, despite how reckless that venture was. There were people missing. Various friends, family, mentors. They were all part of the first travel group that had disappeared. The reason they were here. Even now, as Gwenith thought about it, she couldn't help but feel a sickening churning in her stomach. A sense that with every second she spent sitting here, another second that could be dedicated to finding them before it was too late was wasted even if there was time. Yet... in an unfamiliar environment, she knows all too well how being alone could just be asking for trouble. Either way, thoughts like there were far from helping the mood. But what was there to say that wouldn't sound too forward or invasive?

"And... that makes your patience appreciated," Gwenith piped up, speaking slowly and deliberately as it was obvious that she was saying this on the fly, desperately hoping it didn't sound rude at the very least. A fact that was further accentuated by her hesitantly and stiffly placing a hand on Lorcan's shoulder with a smile before returning her focus to the task at hand. Finally getting off this bridge. "That said I should be up by now. Apologies for dawdling. And making you come out all the way out here."

With that, Gwenith used the hand she placed on Lorcan's shoulder and attempted to bring herself to her feet, ignoring those sensations from before. It was tricky with Gwenith finding herself gripping his forearm for a moment with her free hand to steady herself only to quickly let go as soon as she was up and realized what she was doing. And upon seeing she was up, she smiled.

"Thank you. And, if you don't mind, I'll go on ahead by myself while you can stay back and help Calliope should she need it," Gwenith suggested as she turned to Calliope, shooting her a thumbs up as a check-in to see if she was alright and okay with going onto the ice.

"And I will be sure to make sure we wait for you two. As a thank you for being so patient with me and... my struggles with this bridge," Gwenith added in a slightly playful tone in another more subtle attempt to raise the mood with a joke. All the while she began attempting to go around Lorcan now so she can shuffle down the rest of the ice bridge and reach the sand so she could catch up with Taliesin and the others.


~~~~

​

 

[FireMaiden]

Calliope Beaumont
Interaction:
Mentioned: Gold. Lilure Beann Flintstone Lucem Stitches and Patchwork ​

There was a reason Calliope hadn't made it out of the boat yet. Watching each person attempt to make it to the shore...and then fall on their asses, Calliope was dying. She was doing her best to keep the gut wrenching laughter under control, no sound leaving the woman other than the occasional desperate for oxygen squealing. Of course she was concerned for her guildmates, not wanting them to have actually sustained any really injuries but watching them wipe out was hilarious. She would manage, after a few minutes to catch her breath again and finally stiffle her laughter, straightening up finally to step out of the boat. "You know, why didn't we just...pull the boat closer to shore?" Calliope called out. Then they could have hopped over the front of the boat and straight into the sand. But she wasn't going to complain, not when she had to focus on getting across the ice. Her boots already had some nice grip to them, so to begin with, things seemed pretty stable.

Her goal really was just to get across without crashing, the woman shimmying slowly, barely raising her feet but trying to go to fast so her feet didn't slip out from underneath her. It was a very precarious process, a few times Calliope feeling her feet to slip, with caused her to almost overcorrect and fall. But she somehow managed to stay upright, brows furrowed in concentration as she continued to unattractive shimmy across the ice. It was...really weird, really, really weird. But she was almost there, just a few feet from the shore and about to take Lorcan's hand when it finally happened. One overconfident step, and Calliope was suddenly falling backwards. It was happening, Calliope had to accept her fate. It was...just going to happen.

Calliope landed hard on her butt, her hands helping to break her fall some. For a few moments, she'd sit there, defeated before she'd shift to just scoot the rest of the way, standing up once her feet his the sand so she actually had some grip. "We will never mention this again."

 

[Gold.]

{Erik Rosenberg ~ Of the Lonely Winter}
​

A grateful nod in Harper's direction, but Erik bit back the relived exhale this time. For a moment, he'd really thought Aelestra was going to go straight through him. And what then? Though he'd never say it aloud, despite how obviously powerful the white-haired woman was, he did think his chances in a one-to-one fight were good. Who hadn't wondered how they'd stack up against their guild mates powers? That said, it wasn't like he wanted to fight her. It would be totally pointless, and in this situation, a massive waste of time. Pride was of little concern to the ice mage; that was why he was known for his level-head. So If Aelestra had gone her own way, his only option would have been to let her. His mission was to find the missing guild members. And he wasn't going to let anyone's reckless or stupid decisions impede him from doing so. That said, Harper's appeal to the woman was welcome and good. The Equip mage was much better at those sorts of things than Erik was. Harper know what to say when to say it, and in this case, Erik was especially grateful for that. Hence, his acknowledgment of thanks, though Erik didn't say any more, to Harper or Aelestra, and instead lapsed into silence as he watched the rest of their party convene from the tender. A small part of him was surprised. Everybody was having trouble with the ice path? Lucky for them this was an island job. Imagine if the missing group had vanished into a tundra.

As the group assembled, Erik started talking. On the way to the island, he'd come up with a loose game plan. Their group didn't exactly have a leader, but if no one had something better to offer, why not step up and offer his thoughts? "We should mark the trail as we go," he said. "There's no way we'll be able to cover this island, all these islands, in just one day. With the tender here, we can come back once it starts getting dark and rest on the ship. Or make camp here," the last part was an after thought. Rest for Lorcan wasn't going to happen on the boat. "We'll search while the sun's up. I'm not opposed to splitting into groups, but no one should go on their own. Everyone back by sundown." One person going off on their own was a liability, but they had more than enough people to split the party. If anyone ran into trouble, hypothetically, there would be at least one member to go and get help. "Look for anything out of the ordinary, or anything that could be a sign of one of the missing members." It was unlikely, but what if they found a clue on their first go 'round. Coming back from searching to meet up tonight, and someone had something. Nightfall... Tamsin wouldn't just come barreling out of the shadows, would she?

For a moment, Erik looked back into he gloom of the jungle. A trickier of sweat slid down he back of his neck. The beach was getting hot with the sun beating down, but the jungle would hopefully offer some relief from the sun. Half-absently, Erik raised a hand to cup the back of his neck, and the shimmers of ice magic misted around his fingers. Instantly, his skin cooled down to a more agreeable temperature. The wind stirred, causing the flowers of the Love-Lies-Bleeding to quiver in the salty breeze. A jungle though... this place would be a wet heat, not a dry one. "Watch out for snakes," Erik sighed out as an after thought. Tropical settings were a pain in the ass as it was. Snakes, poisonous frogs, large-fanged mammals... all that without even mentioning what could be lurking on the island. That was the most intimidating. What had the power to stop a group of powerful S-Class mages, to stop a dragon slayer, from coming home. "Unless someone else has something to say, then we should--"

Erik started to bring the meeting to a close when a loud rustling sound started up behind the group. In a flash, Erik whipped in the direction, an icicle on the edge of his fingertips. The leaves were vibrating madly; something was definitely there, and only practice kept him from impaling whatever it was. Throwing first was never a good idea when you couldn't see what it was, and what if it was one of the expedition members and--

A small, white bear wandered out from the bush and onto the sand. It walked on two legs, and more closely resembled a child's toy than it did an actual animal. The bear stopped when it saw the group. It raised one paw to its snout and titled its little bear head to the side. "Mepo?" the bear said, staring at them with curious black eyes. It had a small, tinny voice, and couldn't have been tall enough to measure to his knee. Erik stood there, frozen like someone had thrown ice at him for once. This was... not what had come to mind. He'd been picturing one of those massive were-jaguars or something. Awkwardly, Erik shuffled out of his fighting stance and the ice coalescing around his fingers dissipated. "Mepo?" the bear said again, tilting its head the other way. This was probably the most non-threatening thing he'd ever seen, and so dumbfounded by it, he almost forgot he was with a whole group.

Interacting With:
Everyone pretty much

Mentioned:
Beann Lucem Lilure​