A Pirate's Life (For Me) Group RP

Now that the ship was already on the move, there was no taking things back and no room for regretting. Sure, he might not have anything on him other than the clothes on his back, but he can make do. Somehow. It's not like he had much back at home other than books he'd swiped from local bookstores. Food would probably provided...right? Whatever. For now he was giddy with excitement. It's been so long.

From the voting they'd done, Carlos had already realised that this expedition was the exact same one mentioned in the parchment he'd come across yesterday (I mean, how many Mr.Haythams can there be?). Now wasn't that just a happy coincidence?

The moment Twila has left Victor, he goes up to their newly appointed Captain. "S'cuse me sir, but I got some questions." He stops to clear his throat before letting out his questions in rapid fire succession. "Is it true you've seen the kraken? Are we really passing through a kraken's nest? Where is this kraken's nest? Is there more than one kraken in this kraken's nest? What is our destination? How long is this trip?"
 
Haytham spotted the lanky boy who'd been so eager to come along on the ship sans shirt and his own cheeks turned pink, suddenly feeling incredibly inadequate. Granted, he was in a constant state of physical inadequacy in terms of appearances. However, seeing the youth's muscled build caused the scientist to make a mental note to keep his shirt on. At all times. Forever while on this ship.

Not that anyone would look at him with all the young and muscled men and women aboard the ship.

Heaving, Haytham leaned over the side of the ship and wretched. His short time traveling to Nassau had not given him his 'sea legs' and he wondered if he would spend as much time on this ship throwing up as he had on the other. Sitting up and resting his forearms on the rail he looked around the ship until he spotted... "You," he pointed to the man he had hired right before heading to bed. A doctor. "Dr. Martin?" Aaaand... there goes his stomach again. At least he wasn't the only one. Distantly he heard the sound of someone else losing the contents of their stomach.

Meanwhile, Victor was walking the length of the ship, making everything was in order. He passed by Vivien making sure she wasn't in danger of crashing his baby. She was fine for the time being and then he spotted Alexander, perched on the figurehead. Victor was reminded of... something, but he was soon distracted as his adopted niece yanked his spy glass from his belt. He growled after her, "Get yer own!" he liked to look ahead on his own, thank you very much. The girl was already gone, climbing up the masts where Victor could vaguely spot Diego.

Now that the boy was stuck on the ship, the old man was determined to get his tooth back. Yeah, Diego thought he didn't know about the missing gold tooth, but when you're missing teeth you start to know exactly how many are in your mouth and how many of the ones made of gold are missing.

Looking down the length of the ship, Victor spotted the scientist and shook his head. He'd be surprised if the man lasted the trip. He was already throwing up and by the looks of it he'd be gone with the wind if it ever grew too strong.

A young man approached him and before the old man could even get in a greeting, the guy had started rapid fire questions. The old man just laughed, "Yah, I seen a kraken. Two. Siblings or lovers, I think. A number of times." The old man was grinning. "Come here," he gestured for Carlos to follow him into the captain's quarters where a map was laid out. He'd already marked where they were headed and he pointed out "Petite Caverne" A little island almost hugged by a larger island. He made a trail with his finger indicating the route that they would take. "We head south to go around Nassau and that island there," he pointed to an island to the west of Nassau, "and we'll go south from there between this area..." he drew a line all the way down past a much larger island, passing Tortuga, and then landing where he'd first indicated they were headed. He didn't mention the smugglers. Trailing up north a bit he pointed to a wide open part of the ocean, "and here is your kraken's nest."
 
Diego looked down at the woman. He had watched her climb her way up, with surprising al.... alla... alac... she had climbed well. Pretty fast, even by his standards. He had been perched on the top of the centre mast, much like those guys he saw running around in those white coats sometimes (He had never been able to steal from one. He really wanted to learn how they did that). He had felt kind of like a bird, which he supposed was fitting, considering it was called a 'Crow's nest'. Then the woman had come along with Victor's little zoom glass.

He liked her. Almost enough to stop him from scaling down the mast and plucking the glass from her hands. Almost. Extending the glass, he looks at her eyes through it before tucking it back into his concealed folds of his shirt. "Name' Diego." He says as he looks her up and down. "It's pretty great up here right? Who are you?"
 
Kenn stood at the side of the ship that overlooked the docks as they were getting ready to start sailing. It felt weird, being on such a large boat, but he was sure he'd get used to it in time. As soon as they were as far out enough, he would set out his nets and start at his work. He didn't think that would be for a little while yet, so he just watched what he could see of the town from the ship.

Just then, he saw a woman run onto the docks, fists clenched tightly. He could tell who it was straight away from her very short figure; Theresa, one of his most recent lovers. A simple misunderstanding had made Theresa think they were something serious (it was probably Kenn's fault) and the last time they'd met had ended with him being hit in the head by a wooden bowl. He cringed as she lunged at his own little fishing boat, but obviously, he wasn't there. Kenn pushed away from the side of the boat and stepped back until he couldn't see her anymore. Either she hadn't seen him, or hadn't recognised him, because she didn't go to the bigger ship next. He was pretty damn thankful for that; if she had found something to throw, she would have thrown it, and she was a lot stronger than she looked.

He watched as people starting going below decks to claim their rooms. He decided to do the same, and get a room as close to the kitchen as he could manage. He should find the man who had been voted at the chef, too - Duncan, he thought his name was. It wasn't all that urgent, though. He headed below decks, feeling a little guilty about Theresa. She might have thrown a bowl at him, but she was a nice enough woman, and a rather good looking one as well.

He spent the next little while finding a room. There was one that was decently close to the kitchen, but he left that for the actual chef. Hopefully, he would actually want it. He ended up with one nearby, but not totally as close as he would have preferred. He considered taking a knife out of the bag, just in case, but the chances of any combat happening was pretty small. They weren't far out enough to get attacked by any other pirates just yet. He just dumped his things and then went back up onto the deck, confident that they would be far enough away from the docks that Theresa wouldn't have been able to see him, even if she had still been at the docks.

He was going to ask the captain if he knew where the drunk was, but he got up onto the deck in time to see Victor disappear into the captain's quarter, followed by a very excited looking man. He sighed, but decided that rather than disturbing them, he would just wait. So, he decided to go for a wander. He wasn't walking for one minute before he saw Niamh. He smiled to himself as he walked over and leant on the raining beside her. "So, it's your first time on the ocean, then?" He asked, a smile playing across his face. "I know it's not been too long, but how are you liking it so far?"
 
Luci didn't spend long on his perch, despite a nearly overwhelming urge to do so. He had duties to perform, and a ship to help oversee. He hadn't expected to be put into the quartermaster's position, but he was glad he had. It was one of his favorites. With few exceptions, quartermasters were simultaneously the most loved, and the most feared, person on a ship.

And while Luci liked being loved, he'd come to find out over the year's that fear was a much more efficient tool. But no one had given him a reason to show how much of a bastard he could really be. Not yet anyway. But they would, at least a couple of them. They always did, eventually. As much as the violet-eye youth hated to admit it, he'd inherited little of his mother's kindness, and more than his fair share if his father's cruelty.

Tearing his gaze from the waves that lapped at the hull, Luci would scuttle backwards off of the prow's figurehead until his feet were planted firmly on the deck. Taking a short reprieve to stretch his limbs out, Luci would scan the deck, actually catching Haytham's pink-cheeked stare, to which the much larger boy responded to with a smile and a wave, before moving off towards Niamh. The barkeeper turned sailor had been nothing to him on land, but out at sea, something about her had changed in his eyes. Though he stopped his approach short as Kenn swooped in just before him. The quartermaster would watch the two of them for a moment before drawing a dagger from his belt. It looked plain enough, but with an obviously keen edge to it, and a large amethyst embedded into the leather wrapped hilt. Luci would test the edge before turning his back to the unaware pair, pulling one of his lemons from his pocket to peel it, munching happily as he headed below deck to take inventory of everything the ship had in it's cargo hold...
 
Nestor looked to the side, finding there the man who had... started everything. A clumsy scientist who was unfamiliar with sailing and didn't even own the ship they were using. He sighed, as he was adressed as -Doctor Martin-. And immediately afterwards the man spilled the contents of his weak stomach into the sea. Beautiful... the doctor rolled his eyes, he watched the man vomiting without blinking or a trace of disgust in his face in exception of the smallest of winces. Someone else was puking, one of the kids, he recognised the completely opposite to elegant pose and the way he was holding onto the edge.

"Doctor Néstor, Or Néstor. But don't call me Doctor Martín..." he grumbled. "I'll get you and that kid over there something to calm your stomachs a bit. When I come back with it perhaps you can explain to us all the details of this trip. Such as our destination and the meaning of our journey, sir." He grabbed his bag, and disappeared into the ship to look for a room with at least a bed and a desk.
 
While the rest of the crew was busy making a ruckus up deck Duncan started to dig through the store room. It looked like there was plenty of flour as long as he could keep it dry. Some fish already and plenty of rum. Those were the only ingredients he really needed anyway. The rocking of the ship gradually increased and he grinned to himself. That had to be a sign that the ship was on the way out of port. "First things." With a raspy chuckle the man dug his flask from the inside pocket of his vest and dipped it into the barrel of rum. "Ahh." With his satisfied sigh he corked the flask and placed it into his pocket. The vest visibly sagged in the front from the weight, though it felt good to know that he wasn't going to be without for a while now. Dunking a large mug into the barrel he made sure he had some rum to drink and finally dunked a bowl full of rum too.

Duncan put the lid back on the rum barrel and walked both the bowl and mug to the galley. The mug was to sip on and the bowl he dumped into a kettle. Snatching a few fish from the store house he gutted them and tossed the heads into a bucket. Shoving the bucket to the base of the stairway he bellowed. "Somebody take slop ta upper decks." It could be used for bait for more fish or just tossed over board. Either way he didn't want it while he was cooking. Once the fish was ready he threw it into the kettle with the rum and started to make a fish and rum meal. He might thicken the broth up with some flour later on if it was looking meager.
 
At the mention of not one but two krakens seen on apparently multiple occasions, Carlos' jaw actually drops a little. He's not even sure if this old man's just messing with him or not. Come to think of it , how would he even know if he was being messed with? He follows him into the captain's quarters anyways. Despite having even more kraken questions now, Carlos managed to keep himself from interrupting the captain brief him through the journey. This was important. It was interesting too. He made a mental note (that he will probably forget later anyways) to jot all this down later somewhere.

But by the time Victor was done, the first question that came out of Carlos was not about krakens.

"Wait...why Petite Caverne?" Whatever he's heard of that place had rarely been good. And Carlos was the type to keep an ear out for rumours and gossip. Was this a smuggling ship? Well, it doesn't matter to him if it was does it...depending on what they're smuggling.
 
They would be stopping in another port in a day where they could pick up more food provisions such as fruits (limes!) and vegetables. Everything that had been in the ship's kitchen had been from Victor and was enough to feed the crew, but it wouldn't last very long.

Haytham eyed the doctor our of the corner of his eye and sighed. A sassy doctor, a bunch of kids, a couple of drunks, and several weird folks. What had he gotten himself into? At this point, there was nothing left in his stomach, but still he heaved, waving the doctor away. Something for his stomach sounded like a great idea. Exactly what he'd meant to ask for. The scientist slumped against the railing already drained of energy.

He supposed he did need to explain a bit more about where they were going, though he wasn't exactly keen on sharing the why.

Victor was surprised at the question. The young man seemed... concerned about the cave. Perhaps he knew more than he let on. "I'm not even sure, that's just where the skinny guy, Haytham 'e said 'is name was, said we were headed. I just sail where we need to go."
 
Below deck, Luci was practically barging, if lazily, into every room that wasn't locked, having retrieved a few sheets of parchment and a quill from his quarters before hand. Each and every little thing that wasn't a part of the ship, little or large, would be jotted down in shorthand. Despite leaving home when he was thirteen, he'd taken it upon himself to learn his letters, as well as his basic sums and differences, mostly so he couldn't be cheated whenever he went to market.

There wasn't much of anything, unless they planned on constantly hopping from port to port but...that was something Luci wanted to avoid if at all possible. Not just because he hated the idea of visiting land so much, though that did play a factor. No, the real reason is that it was highly inefficient. It irked the lad immensely when he thought about how much time they could potentially waste with so many needless stops.

Once his inventory was complete, meager as it was, Luci would head back up deck to compile a second list, a grocery list if you would. He'd always thought better with the sounds of wind and sail and ocean spray around him, so once more he'd take a position towards the prow of the ship, basking in the sun and the surf. This was true contentment...at least for Luci...
 
Twila paused and opened her eyes upon hearing the voice come from above her. She didn't know why she didn't see Diego up there before. She shielded her eyes to get a better look at him and tilted her head in confusion. "Oi' d'ya not remember me tellin' ya' there was a man passed out on the side o' the tavern yesterday? You were wit' Jimmy gettin' 'im some water. Remember, I'm Twila the 'Devil's Grin'. Yeesh lad, if yer memory is that bad than I don't know what to do." She made a 'tsking' noise and put her hands on her hips. She stayed leaning against the railing of the Roost's Nest (Crow's Nest, same thing) and looked out at the sea. She noticed some darker clouds to the West, so she opened up the spyglass she 'borrowed' from Victor. She looked through it carefully scanning the horizon where the clouds were, but it didn't look like anything serious. Just one of the minor storms, although they probably wouldn't run into it by heading that way anyways. Shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, she closed the spyglass back up and this time hooked it onto her belt.

Twila turned back up to Diego. "Honestly though. I'm kinda hurt ya' don't remember me. I remember yer name though. It's Diego isn't it? It is nice up 'ere. I'm the Sea Artist, ever since I learned it when I was 14 or 15 tha' is. Studying yer local star charts, sea weather patterns, and keeping an eye on the shallows is my job. So basically navigating overall, without a compass that is." She paused and whispered to herself for a second. "Actually I should probably buy one soon, lost my other one." Twila turned back to Diego and looked him up and down. "And what about ya' lad? What're ya' doin' up 'ere? Shouldn't ya' be down on the deck 'elpin out down there? I would be careful Victor doesn't see ya' if so. He's pretty harsh sometimes on those who skip duties."
 
Alexis glanced around, watching the others as they went about choosing rooms or just standing around to talk about things. I should probably find one too, she thought. She headed below decks, hoping she could navigate herself around well enough. She spent awhile just wandering around, staring at things on the ship. She'd never been on a boat before, and she wanted to take a good look at things. She ended up taking far longer than she should've to choose a room, settling on one closer to the exit. She hadn't really brought much with her, but she was pretty sure no one really had done so either- she hadn't seen anyone that appeared to be carrying a lot of things. As far as she knew, all she had was a change of clothing and whatever was in her pockets. Hopefully that'll be enough for this, she thought, walking back towards the main deck to go check out what was going on.
 
Diego frowned. She said she knew him already, but he was pretty sure he would remember hair like hers, even if he forgot the accent. At he rmention of meeting him last night with Jimmy,he Meade and 'oh' face of understanding. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I'd been drinkin' a little. Not too much mind you, but I'm a pretty big lightweight so it doesn't take much to have trouble remembering things." He asnswers as he plops himself down, legs swinging in the void.

"As for Victor, the old drunkard can go screw himself. I'll help with the sails and the rigging, but if he expects me to be able to lift much he's been at the rum again." He says, lifting an arm that while muscly, had long been deprived of required daily nutrition at an early age and recent success had yet to fix that. "He'll want Jimmy. The guy's pretty strong." He finishes before lookin four over the water, taking in the view.

He had long since grown up next to the sea, but this was his first time seeing it like... this. Flat, grey expanse, only sound being the slap of water on the hull and the sound of shouting down below. Formthe first time, Diego realised that he couldn't see land anymore. Just flat, grey nothingness containing monsters and unseen terrors of all sizes, with very little to run to. He... he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"On second thought, might actually go down and help out. Being alone up here is a very quick wa to depressing myself." He mutters to Twila, before grabbing a rope he had previously set out, giving her asmall wave, and stepping off the platform. The wind rushed through him for just half a second before the rope snapped taught and Diego let go, landing on the deck with only minor pain in his arm. Looking around, he set off towards Victor to get something to do.
 
Niamh wasn't staring out to sea for very long before Kenn joined her.

She looked towards the man, taking a moment to take in all of his features. He still looked like the same person she'd known on Nassau, but the confidence that had normally exuded from him had increased tenfold; it was like the sea was his home. She could see why he liked it so much. There was something freeing about it, and Niamh had never thought that she'd actually feel free. There'd always be someone telling her what to do in Nassau, but she felt empowered (being picked as first mate helped that too, even if it was Victor who'd chosen her) on the ship and like she didn't have to answer to anyone (except Victor, apparently).

A small smile curled her lips as she looked back out to the ocean, "is it really that noticeable that it's my first time on a ship?" She laughed. "It's beautiful," she gestured out to the sparkling sea that happened to be all around them. "It's got a completely different feeling than Nassau. A good different, but that's probably subject to change." She turned so she was leaning back against the railing on her elbows, her head angled toward the flirty Englishman.

"How does it feel to be back on a ship? I know you were dying to leave Nassau." Same, she thought as she gave him a playful nudge with her elbow.


Jimmy had settled on a pretty small room, not wanting to take any of the larger ones away from the more experienced people on board (AKA people that could hurt him). He didn't spend much time down there, he just dropped off his little sack of belongings in a corner and then made his his way back up to the main deck.

The movement of the ship made his stomach churn again and Jimmy was beginning to wonder if his stomach would ever settle. He didn't want to spend the entire trip puking everywhere.

The sunlight he was used to was being blotted out by thick, dark clouds, and they looked to be getting worse in the direction they were headed. He looked around, but no one else seemed to be worried, so Jimmy tried to calm down the anxiety that flowed through him and slow the intense pattering of his heart. It didn't really work too well.

That was when he finally saw his friend, "Diego!" He was normally begging to be away from the younger lad, but he was so nervous that he actually wanted the teen by his side. Diego seemed to be headed toward Victor, so he followed behind him. Maybe doing something would help get everything off his mind.
 
"What. Really?" Carlos quirked a brow. "Haytham? The guy emptying his guts into the ocean?" He supposed that wasn't unlikely though. Maybe only as unlikely as someone having seen two krakens at the same time. He supposed looks could be deceiving, especially in that Haytham guy's case. Not that he's gonna go snooping around or anything. If ain't got anything to do with any critter of the ocean, it ain't got anything to do with Carlos.

"I gotta go snag myself a room if the others haven't taken them all already. Talk to ya later, gram- uh- Captain." He turns to head out of the captain's quarters before immediately turning back around. He's got this sheepish look on his face. He's gonna ask something real stupid.

"By the way, as newly appointed carpenter...uh...what exactly am I supposed to do?" Carlos has never been into carpentry before. He knows a thing or two about maintaining boats but not...woodwork...which is what the role of "carpenter" sounded a lot like.
 
(pretending my characters were here the entire time, like a boss)
--

Vivien scowled at the scathing look Victor offered her as he strutted past, silently judging her capabilities. "Don't worry," She barked, "I've pulled a number of ships out of shallow reefs without damage. One of the perks of being a first mate to a drunken crew that wouldn't know a whirlpool from the hollow of a canon, I guess." She grumbled, mostly to herself as she continued easing the ship from his docking post and into the encompassing reef. She relied greatly on the shouts that came down from the roost, but she also knew most of the crags and crannies of this particular reef, for the very reason she had just mentioned. She couldn't count the number of times she'd had to take the helm when the pilot on her last crew had been so sodding drunk he'd thought it was funny to purposefully run their vessel aground. Of course whatever damage the poor thing had received had immediately been pinned on Vivien, which only gave her a moment's hesitation as she spun the wheel sharply to the left, gracefully avoiding a particularly nasty stretch of shallows. "How's the starboard looking?" She bellowed up to the occupants of the Roost, knowing this next segment would need a bit of guidance from a bird's eye view.

--

Azazel padded along belong decks, examining the charter he'd lifted out of the captain's quarter's just a few minutes before. He hadn't actually been planning on taking part in this little expedition, and had only been on board out of curiosity, but studying the charter in his hands he was getting quite excited. The chosen route depicted would take them extraordinarily - and rather dangerously - close to Siren's Cove. The one place he'd been trying to reach for nearly three years with no success. Maybe this was his chance? He just needed to adjust the course a few clicks east. Not that, that would be particularly difficult. If he went about it the right way, no one would be the wiser. The trick was keeping the navigator and pilot from saying anything. And he had taken extreme pleasure in realizing the pilot was the very same woman he'd managed to charm the night before. And even greater delight in recognizing the bilge rat who had stolen his belt. This journey was going to be very enjoyable. The very thought broke a toothy grin that showed too many, too sharp teeth, but quickly smothered his joy at the sound of approaching steps.
 
Twila watched Diego scale down the rope from the Roost's Nest. He was a quick thing, and a little weird at that. Although, she couldn't really say anything because she was an oddball herself. She shrugged her shoulders and steadied herself as she felt the ship begin to move from port again. It was shaky up there, but after years and years of sailing, Twila had gotten used to it. When she heard another female call up to her about starboard she took a quick look over the edge of the railing and into the depths below. There were many colorful sea creatures darting and shining back and forth throughout the reef. Every now and then when a fish's scales caught the sun just right it would flash blind her for a brief moment. Although, it wasn't strong enough to not be able to properly see of course. Twila focused on the reef and judged the depth of the water below her on starboard side. It was pretty low, but if the ship stayed relatively straight, they would be able to sail past it with no problem. Wind gusts weren't and issue in this area either, although not being at full sail helped avoid the wind gusts that did exist.

She quickly finished up looking overboard and waved down to Vivien. Twila saw her at the wheel and called out to her. "Oi', ya' should be fine if ya' continue to steer 'er straight! It really only gets shallower on either side o' us. I noticed a small sea storm brewin' in the West as well. If we can avoid tha' stretch for a while and possibly hook around it, we should be fine and avoid the storm no problem." Twila had confidence in Vivien's steering skills, she was a former first mate after all. She knew what it was like being at the helm and what it was like to steer the ship. If it was anybody else, Twila would've probably continued to give more directions and a long winded explanation about how to avoid the storm and the shallow area of the reef. With a small sigh of content, Twila continued to lean on the railing of the Roost's Nest, but this time she observed what was going on below her. It was a little chaotic, there were all types of people around. She could see Diego and Jimmy, Victor, and Niamh. Vivien was at the helm, and there were a few good-looking men, and even a few people she didn't recognize from the original sign ups, where she put in her application for this trip. It was an interesting bunch and would most likely prove to be so as the trip progressed farther. Twila just hoped that they would all be able to make it out alive at least. All too often storms washed crew members overboard and lost them at sea, or ended up ship-wrecked due to other, things.
 
Kenn let his hands hang over the side of the ship, smiling as just the tiniest splashes of warm water jumped up to meet his hands. The thought came to him that soon enough, he wouldn't feel sun-warmed water again. There would be no more weird atlantic croakers or redfish, the anatomy of which it took him ages to learn, only the simple cod, haddock, and mackerel, the insides and behaviours of which he knew like the back of his hand.

He looked up at Niamh and smirked. "There's a look you get on your first sailing," he said, pointing at his own face, and then Niamh's, "and you've got it bad," he said with a chuckle. "Not only that, but I think that if you'd ever been out on the sea before, you wouldn't have ever come back." He looked down into the water, spotting the sharp glint of sun on fish scales. They were passing too fast for Kenn to reliably identify, but he could tell that none of them would be good enough for even half a meal. Bait, maybe, but he had brought some of his own, and he was willing to guess that there would already be bait somewhere onboard.

He hesitated at the question, and sighed. "It's still too different to say." He shook his head. "Ask me again when it gets colder. But for a new experience, it's not too bad." He let out a short, carefree laugh. He looked over at where Nassau had disappeared into the distance. "Nassau was nice, but at the end of the day, I'm glad to go."
 
The crew would soon learn that Victor was easy going. It was his first time being captain and as long as the ship was moving, he wasn't worried. The one to worry about when it came to slacking duties was Luci and the old man was content to leave the young man to his own devices on how to encourage productivity aboard the ship. For the most part he wandered around to check how everything was running.

He didn't seem bothered by Vivien's attitude with him. It was his ship, his most prized possession, the only thing he owned that he truly cared about; he was going to be checking on those caring for his ship.

"Yeah, 'es the one." He laughed, a little, at Carlos' question. "Mostly maintaining the ship, particularly if we take any damage we might need a few repairs." He clapped the young man on the shoulder before leading him out of his cabin. He let the man go to find his room, noticing the other two teens on the ship heading his way. He waited for them to approach, taking a second to look out at sea.

The waters were calm, for now, but that could easily change in an instant.

He was already routing out where they would stop for supplies, knowing that his ship was not stocked for a long journey. Even still, the smell of cooking fish could be smelled when Luci appeared on deck again, the door to the stairs opening up.

Meanwhile, Haytham was still bent over the railing waiting for something to settle his stomach.
 
With the wind blowing strong and the sea breeze spritzing the air with ocean mist, Luci found his mind wondering far and away from the task at hand. He'd lay back on the middle of the deck, basking in the incandescent rays of light, his overly pale skin almost glowing. Not magical by any means of course, but when that much white is lit up with that much light, some mind find it hard to look at for long. He'd let his hair down out of its pony tail, the thickly oiled locks rolling down his shoulders and further, almost to the small of his back, and so thick. Almost as if he was laying in a pool of the blackest pitch tar.

His duties could wait. The others on the ship could wait. They could come to him if they wanted his attention badly enough. For now, Luci just wanted a nap, surrounded by water on all sides, the world fading away from his mind.

And replaced with something far more important. They'd fly through his day dream on huge, pale wings of torn webbing and mast-thick bones. Their eyes shone in the darkness, crimson and royal and indigo, shimmering through the spectrum of the soul as they gazed upon those who felt their stare. Their cries, horrible cacophonies that rend the ears and shatter the mind. They trail massive, rusting, seaweed clogged chains that hide the spectral remains of those they claim, rattling through the water with a din of metal and bone and suffering. One broke the surface, soaring into the night sky.

Its malevolent, pitiless eyes falling on a young, terrified boy who screamed so loud he woke half the ship...

Luci sat up, covered in a cold sweat, hand clutched to his heart. He didn't shout, didn't so much as whimper.

The strange young man could only smile before rising to his feet, making a beeline for Victor, Carlos, Diego, and Jimmy. Most would call what he had just experienced a nightmare. To Alexander...

It was merely his most vivid and most treasured memory.
 
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