[Flashback] Not so Solo Sailing (Erik Windsea)

[Cassidy Undertow]

Timeline: Day 26 of Fall, 509 AV Cassidy shimmied down the rope onto the casinor, her casinor, for the first time. She looked up at her family still aboard the ship that her been her home up until now. The morning light seemed to cast a halo around the crew, exemplifying exactly what she was leaving behind. Smiling, she waved goodbye; this was her choice and it was the correct choice. While she was untying her casinor from the larger palivar she was interrupted by the familiar motherly voice of Lia Proudreef. “Cassidy, take one last thing from us before you leave; take the name Undertow. Let it be a reminder to always look for the hidden under current in the sea and especially in the dealings with the mainlanders.” “Of course Lia” Cassidy hesitated for a beat, “I will miss you, I will miss all of you.” Before the scene could get anymore sappy Cassidy shoved off the palivar and hustled over to the tiller to set her direction; south. She glanced at the other boats in the pod as she past but staunchly refused to look back. Consequently it was an hour before she realized she’d been followed. Even then the only reason she noticed was because Urchin, her sea otter tavan, surfaced near the starboard side and chirped a high pitched mew. As she turned to greet the tavan Cassidy caught sight of the ship on the horizon; another small solo vessel. While she could out run most mainlander ships being this close to the pod meant she wasn’t in any real danger. She decided to allow the encounter; leaving the tiller she moved on to adjust the rigging to slow her speed. Finally, she turned to study the approaching ship. When she could finally make out that it was another casinor her tension eased away and she waited for the impending encounter.

[Erik Windsea]

A day ago Erik would have been asleep somewhere, with his Tavan Squall right along with him. Yet today was not a day ago, today was the day that Lia Windsea was sending him off on a ship. The parting was short and plain, with the command to learn how to do things on his own being the last thing before the Lia disappeared back into the hull. The rest of his family parted with a few words, the only one who actually stepped onto the small casinor was his father. He grinned at Erik before patting him on the back. “Where am I to go? I‘ve never sailed alone before…” He trailed off, his father’s response was to unsheathe his cutlass and flash it through the air. Sheathing it he held out the weapon to Erik. “You go wherever you want boy. Today was the day you pushed Lia to her limit. Go wherever the winds take you son, and never forget your name. Though if you‘re really lost, there‘s another pod that just sent off one of their kids. You might try joining up with them if you don‘t think you can make it on your own.” Seeing that Erik wasn’t taking the blade he moved forward and stuck it through the red belt Erik always wore. It fight perfectly and was only a slightly bit snug on him. With a final grin his father stepped back on to the families main ship and watched Erik open up the sails and move to the tiller. An hour later Erik was asleep, right next to the tiller. Squall was sitting on the tiller and gave a squawk as they approached the other ship. Since his quick departure Erik had gotten the ship moving and then dozed off as soon as he got bored. Now he awoke with a start, stretching he realized that Cassidy had stopped her ship. Darting around the casinor he started adjusting his own rigging and turning the ship. It was quick and a bit rushed, but Erik pulled it off and slowed the ship to a stop next to Cassidy’s. A resounding laugh came from the ship as he waved to her from the deck of his ship. “Hey there! You‘re the girl that just left her pod right?”

[Cassidy Undertow]

Cassidy bent over the railings to let Urchin wrap her forepaws around her hand and hoist her up on deck. Cassidy gave the otter a little scratch and then jumped up to stand on her railing, keeping a steadying hand on one of the ropes fastened to the mast and watched the young man pull up beside her. Cassidy gave a nod of acknowledgement smiled. "Yes, I've just left this morning. I'm Cassidy Prou-. . . err Undertow. I'm terrible at remembering faces but surely we've met, what's your name?" She gave the young man a cursory looking over; he seemed to be around her age and some minor parts of his features were familiar so she must have at least met members of his pod. As soon his boat pulled in range Urchin bolted across the gap to go explore. Cassidy somewhat expected the response but didn't think ahead enough to stop her. She shrugged and laughed, "Sorry she wont do any harm, she's just looking around."

[Erik Windsea]

Erik grinned, it was good to see another Svefra that wasn’t in his pod. Squall had moved to a pile of rope and was already falling asleep. Seeing the bird doze Erik thought about dozing himself, before remembering he had just called out to the girl and received an answer. “Erik! Well, Erik Windsea. That‘s my name! I left my pod too, but only for a little while. Until Lia calms down…Who am I kidding, I‘m sure you‘ve met a few of my family members. Lia Windsea decided that the only way I was going to learn some lesson was if I left the pod for a while…” He trailed off, seeming a bit down trodden before noticing Urchin darting around the boat. He laughed not really feeling the need to remove the otter. “It‘s fine, Squall‘s the only one she needs to watch out for. He can be a bit grumpy if someone wakes him…So where you heading?” He leaned against the railing on his ship in thought. It was different to have to ask someone for help, and at this point the was still wondering how to approach Cassidy with his problem. He glanced at Squall as if looking for an answer or advice. The seagull was still asleep, not that he would have been much help right now if he was awake.

[Cassidy Undertow]

Cassidy smiled as she noted Erik’s easy-going manner; definitely enviable. She could never stop planning and this decision had been no exception. Not only had she prepared a plan but she had thought up contingency plans in case something went astray with her first. She had even thought of three different ways to earn gold should her initial idea fail. “I was thinking about going to Alvadas. I struck out on my own volition, so I’ve had plenty of time to plan. I’ve heard that merchants pay ship captains to carry goods across the sea to different merchants and that seemed like a decent way to make some mizas.” fidgeting as she said ‘mizas’, acutely aware that other Svefra found her total acceptance of a currency bizarre. Many people mistook her interest in mizas for greed which wasn’t at all the case. Currency was simply something Cassidy understood, and she saw in it the inherent game that the bartering system could never offer. Mizas allowed for some excitement and risk that Cassidy wouldn’t have had access to if she’d simply tried to barter her way up into a larger ship. More than anything she wanted that larger ship, so she could see all of the seas and be a captain so she would never have to worry about being useless or superfluous. To avoid noticing whatever reaction might follow Cassidy’s mention of mizas she took the time to sit down on the railing. At the same time she hiked up her dress’s skirt to avoid the water but still let her toes into the waves lapping against the side of her boat. Meanwhile on Erik’s ship, Urchin had managed to lift the lid off of a barrel, which fell to the deck with a large clatter, and was attempting to get a look at what was inside. Luckily for the contents of said barrel, otters weren’t especially known for their climbing and she eventually lost interested and moved on. Returning from her self-absorbed train of thought she remembered she hadn’t asked him his plan in return. “And you? Do you know where you’re going to go now that you’re on your own?”

[Erik Windsea]

At the mention mizas Erik took on a strange look, like most Svefra he would rather barter than use the money. Although he had dealt with people who used mizas it was a bit strange to hear another Svefra talk so openly about them. Yet Erik’s grin returned quickly after hearing it. “I see, so you‘re one of the business-like folks huh?” By watching Cassidy he could see that she fidgeted when she spoke about the currency. He himself really didn’t care, as long as he had food and a boat on the water he was fine. Then a loud clattering noise drew his attention. The source was a lid to a barrel, knocked off by Urchin. “Your friend is quite an explorer, but it looks like he woke Squall” Squall had risen from his bed in the ropes. Looking about the boat he spotted Urchin, flapping his wings the small bird took off after the otter. Erik stepped out in front of him and scooped him up, clamping his beak shut and holding his wings down. “Now Squall, she‘s not doing anything wrong. Let her be okay?” Letting the bird go Erik received a peck on the hand as Squall flapped away from him. Erik’s grin disappeared as he winced, before reappearing brighter than ever. He watched the bird sit back in the ropes, yet now it watched Urchin like a hawk, refusing to sleep while the otter was on board. Erik turned back to Cassidy and laughed. “He thinks he owns the ship! I‘m not sure about where I should go…there wasn‘t exactly time to plan anything out. The only thing I really knew in a sense of direction was that someone else was heading this way…You wouldn‘t happen to be in need of a sailing companion would you?” A loud squawk from Squall prompted another reply from Erik. “And a birdbrain seagull?” It wasn’t until after he had asked that he realized what he had said. After all his thinking on how to go about asking her it had just slipped out without much thought at all. He turned, moving to pick up the barrel lid Urchin had removed.

[Cassidy Undertow]

As soon as Urchin realized she had Squall’s attention she took off. After she had gained speed she flopped down on her belly to slide the rest of the way, scrambled over the side of the ship. Urchin made her escape leaving nothing in her a trail but a small splash of sea water. Cassidy chuckled watching Urchin going running, ”sorry, she’s a lover not a fighter.” She looked back at Erik and smiled. It hadn’t hit her until he offered to join her just how worried she was about being alone on the sea. Erik wasn’t from her pod either, which meant she wouldn’t feel beholden to him. Just two traveling Svefra’s seemed like an excellent idea. “Well lucky for you I’ve got a compass” she said as she pulled the compass out of her neckline. It was a small brass nautical compass attached to a chain around her neck. “So we needn’t rely on anyone’s sense of direction, which is doubly lucky because I’d get lost below deck if I had more than one room.” She laughed at herself after realizing she hadn’t actually answered him, “by that, of course, I mean you’re welcome to come along.” Noticing Erik’s cutlass she added, “and perhaps you could teach me to use a sword, I’m wretched at swordsmanship and I suspect it’ll be a very useful skill in the future.” She looked to Squall to and nodded, “and a pair of eyes in the sky would be an incredible help on any journey, we’d be lucky to have such a birdbrain on board with us!” Without waiting for a reply she got back on to her feet and began adjusting her rigging to continue on. In only a few minutes and after a several quick checks on her compass she was prepared to go. Cassidy looked back to Erik with grin and excitement in her voice she could hide. “Ready to sail Erik Windsea? The whole sea is laid out before us and the tide waits for no one!”

[Erik Windsea]

Erik laughed as well, watching Urchin’s flight from the ship. Replacing the lid on the barrel he turned back towards Cassidy. Upon hearing that she was okay with him coming with her he smiled, feeling as if for once things might go his way. At the mention of the cutlass his face took a slight red tinge before he laughed again. Laughter seemed to be the cure for everything, including Erik when he was embarrassed or nervous. “Great! I can show you how to use a cutlass of course, this one was actually a parting gift from my father.” Seeing that Cassidy was ready to leave he too set about readying his own ship for sailing. A few minutes later Erik too was ready, with Squall asleep once more in the ropes Erik grinned before checking to see if Cassidy had finished with her ship. As soon as he was at the railing he received an answer before he had even asked. “Lead the way Cassidy, I‘m ready to go whenever you are!” Moving to the tiller he realized the truth behind those words. He really didn’t know where to go, if he hadn’t caught up with Cassidy or if she had dismissed his offer to join her he would have just wandered the sea without direction. Today he was going to change all that, a door just opened and for once Erik was going to get up and walk through it. This time he wouldn’t be falling asleep at the tiller, maybe once they reached Alvados, but not before.

[Growl]

Appreciation Time! Name: Cassidy Experience: +2 Sailing, +1 Interrogation, +2 Socializing Lore: Going off on your Own, Meeting another Svefra, Inviting someone to come Along Name: Erik Experience: +1 Sailing, +2 Interrogation, +2 Socializing Lore: Going off on your Own, Meeting another Svefra, Asking to come Along Additional Notes: Erik, you cannot simply have your family give you stuff. No freebies, unless the cutlass is your family heirloom, you are not to add it to your CS. Thanks! Otherwise, this was a cute, rather short thread. Keep up the good work! PM with questions or concerns.