Open So You Want to be a Knight? Part IV (SO Sylira)

[Aventis]

90th of Spring

“So, I probably owe you an explanation.”

It was the first day on the somewhat unexpected journey. Aventis sat on the edge of the ship, his feet gently hanging off the edge of the deck and above the salty water churning against the wooden walls of the ship.

Utis had approached the squire about six bells ago, as far as Aventis could figure, but time was difficult aboard a vessel. It wasn’t quite easy to remember. All that mattered, or so he had figured from the crew’s schedule, was work until someone told you not to work anymore. It could be pitch black, the brightest sky, or dusk. It didn’t matter. The waves didn’t stop rolling and the wind didn’t stop at all, and the only reason men might is because of sleep. You take the time that you had to sleep and eat, to do the necessary things, and then you work. It felt like home already.

But not quite.

He still didn’t know why he was ripped from his city, leaving for the first time in his life. It should probably have been a bigger deal to him. But it wasn’t.

Utis didn’t know that.

“We’re going to Abura,” he said, leaning up against the railing that Aventis sat on, looking back at the direction the city was in. Aventis figured if you squint hard enough at the horizon you could see the citadel, as just a black line, but he was probably being optimistic about the whole thing. “I don’t expect you to know what that is.” He stated with an exasperated sigh. “My brother might be there, kid. I need to find him. You know?”

Aventis remained silent. He was honestly unafraid to look at his patron and, although he couldn’t sympathize with the aging warrior’s reasons for the journey, he knew they were just. He simply didn’t know how to speak to the knight under these conditions. Or at least… Right now.

“Alright, then… Ah… When you’re ready I have a, uh… A little gift. As thanks for… Coming with me.” He said. Aventis couldn’t see his face but could hear the strain in his voice. He knew how difficult it was for him to have this conversation. He figured by pretending it wasn’t happening, the aging knight would feel a bit better.

He watched out on the ocean for a chime or so until he heard the knight’s footsteps as he walked back to the cabin.

Aventis sighed. It really was a beautiful ocean.

Aventis

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alexander stared off into the horizon, the salty wind gently caressing his shaggy rown hair, which had gotten a bit thicker since the last time he took the time to truely look at it. Usually he would try to keep it cut short, and lately the boy had neglected to do so. He mainly hated it when the wind blew his hair off in different directions, but he more or less decided to make an acception. No point in combing your hair in place if the wind is only going to mess it up again. He listened behind him as the other crew members worked away like slaves. Hard to believe, but he could not recall a single time seeing a crew member not doing something, unless they were sleeping or eating. It was a lot different than being in the Knighthood. At least then he had some free time. With a heavy, almost melancholic sigh, he wondered how his stepfather did it. Surely, being an explorer one would think he would have to work on a ship like this. He found it hard to believe, a brave explorer having to work his fingers to the bone like a slave just to be thrown off of a ship once he reached his destination. Which spurred another thought: He wondered if his stepfather had ever been to Abura. He remembered him talking about it once or twice in the past, but he was only told vague information on the city. Truth be told, Alexander had completely forgotten that the city even existed up until recently, when he found out he would be traveling there. He tore his eyes away from the beautiful ocean when he heard his patron move to stand next to him. "Hey, Ser Ranqor. Are we there yet? You don't have to answer, I just wanna let you know that I'm bored." The boy said, earning a sudden bark of laughter from the knight. This was one thing he enjoyed greatly; his patron had a sense of humor, unlike most knights Alex had the ''pleasure'' of working with. "Well, like I've said, there are plenty of things to do while you wait. Why not help the crew out? Or see how that cook is doing?" Alex shrugged, while also demonstrating a small, childish moan of distaste. Ranqor shook his head. "All right, why not just talk to someone and see if they want to train with you?" "Oh, come on." Alex said, his shoulders slumped. "We're out of Syliras, away from civilization, and you're still going on about making friends and talking to people?" He leaned heavily against the railing. "Well, you've barely talked to a single soul since we left. And you wonder why you don't have very many friends. Just talk to people, lad. Get to know them, and eventually you might find a few people who would be honored to fight beside you." Ranqor gestured toward the four-armed squire that had boarded with them before they left. You've got to be petching kidding me... He rested his forehead on the railing, before quickly glancing back up. "All right, fine!" He said, shaking his head. He approached the squire as casually as he could, pulling off his glasses to wipe them clean. This guy looks more isolated than I am. Here it goes... "Hello. Um... Mind if I join you?"

[Isolde Seibold]

Isolde had lost track of her patron. She wasn't sure how, being on a boat and all, but she could reckon why: Lady Freed was probably off learning something new, like how to rig the sails, or getting to know the crewmen that were off shift, maybe bothering them for a game or a talk. It was something she would do.

What that meant for the Nuit was that she herself would probably end up being introduced to some sailor that her Lady had met. That, or the lady knight would end up giving an impromptu lesson on the ship's equipment and uses. Lady Freed was never one to sit idle-- even simple conversations were considered time well spent. It was one of her many philosophies that the more you knew, the better prepared you were.

It had only been a day --less than a day? it was hard to tell out here-- since they'd set voyage, and so Isolde hadn't been expected to do anything but hang around and acclimate to the twisting of the deck under her feet. She didn't know if it was this way for anyone else, but she was having difficulty learning her balance. It wasn't that she was seasick. No, it was like she could feel the Suvan gripping the edges of the boat, churning, causing it --and thus her-- to sway and rock and occasionally lose a step. She'd already taken to walking along the sides of things, instead of into open areas. It was safer that way until she got what Lady Freed called her 'sea legs'.

Thus far her time on board had mostly been spent gazing out at the sinking visage of the city, as if the edge of the world --or the sea itself-- had decided to swallow Syliras up. Last night, Lady Freed had stood next to her on the deck and explained some things, like why they were there. Now the Nuit knew that the place they were going was far away, much further than she had ever traveled. They would end in a city called 'Abura', one she had never heard of, and they were going there to find... someone.

Her Lady had jestingly called it a quest, and yet it sort of felt like that. Talking about it, Isolde had gotten the impression that her patron had volunteered their services. Perhaps, then, the person they needed to find was someone the lady knight knew. Or, just as likely, perhaps that person was in some sort of trouble he could not get out of. Isolde had come to realize that was the very reason Lady Freed had chosen her as a squire; she'd seen someone who needed help.

Currently, however, all the poor Nuit needed help with was walking. It might have been better to rest, but she had needs other than her own to fill. Galan's, for instance. It had been a great surprise --and relief-- to see that the Lady had packed everything that Isolde might need for this journey. That included her dog.

The mixed-breed's near-blindness meant that he couldn't be comfortable in a new place without learning it first, so the Nuit was doing her best to ease him along the edges of the ship so that he might slowly memorize its dimensions. At least with Galan by her side she felt some sense of stability. He was a big dog. She put a steadying hand on his back when she felt she might tip over, and he wagged his tail and earned a pat for lending her his strength.

It was on the trip around the ship's railing that she bumped into someone. Her attention hadn't been focused up; she'd been looking down at her wobbly legs and at her dog. Suddenly the boat shifted, she tried to compensate by taking a fast step forward, and then she smacked into something unexpectedly solid-- a person. Beside her, Galan gave a happy little woof.

Isolde looked up to apologize, and then stopped to gape in astonishment. Too surprised to say anything else, she exclaimed, "It's you!" The two young men she'd fumbled into appeared to both be squires. One of them --the one she was now staring at-- she recognized: he had been the one who had followed her into the woods, asking about her magic. She couldn't recall if she'd ever actually learned his name.

Now she automatically took a step back, careful to clutch the rail. Galan's wagging tail was swatting her leg, and he leaned forward, asking to be pet. Finally, the Nuit said, "Um. I'm Isolde. This is Galan; he's nice. Uh, we were just getting to know the ship. Sorry for bothering you like that. I can't seem to figure out how to walk."

OOCSorry if this is crap. I suspect it might be. v.v

[Aventis]

Hello, um… Mind if I join you?”

Aventis had been sitting on the lip of the boat for a while now, his multiple arms grasping the railing with his multiple arms for a couple chimes now. Aventis didn’t bother turning his head to see who was addressing him - it didn’t much matter. He wasn’t doing anything anyway. If the fellow wanted to join him, that was his choice.

Aventis gestured to a spot next to him with his lower right hand. He didn’t much mind the company, though he wasn’t too keen on speaking at the moment. At that, he probably wouldn’t have been in any other situation either. As long as the stranger wasn’t doing any harm, there was no point in being rude.

Despite the circumstances, Aventis wasn’t exactly in the worst mood. It was comfortable outside - comfortable enough for him to shed his cloak. At least, for a bit. A few sailors had earlier shown interest in his peculiar anatomy and jokingly said they wished they were in his situation, which was kind of them. As a result, the squire felt a bit… Better about shedding the cloak. It made him feel… Gifted. Something he hadn’t felt about his physique before. Honestly, he doubted it would last.

He leaned his lower left hand back on the hilt of his rapier, which hung at his side, the blade facing the ship’s deck, providing him something to lean on. He glanced back at the crew; they were all at work, diligent as ever. For a short while, now, he had been aware of most of the ship behind him but had chosen instead to watch the waves ahead. Being aware of the crew behind him, he was mildly surprised - but not surprised enough to turn around and indulge his curiosity - when he had heard the pitter-patter of a small beast’s paws against the wet wood of the ship, and moreso when he heard quiet “yip”s every once in a bit.

He had apathetically accepted the fact that a dog had boarded with one of the other passengers, and that it would most likely be a bit trying to share the limited space available with an animal.

He offered an exasperated sigh to the salty, seaborne wind before resuming his lack of activities, but not for long, as a quick jolt nearly compromised the gentle balance between him and the blue abyss below.

He gripped the sides with white knuckles, compensating quickly for the blow, understandably a bit irritated.

“It’s you!” He heard.

His head darted back only to be met with the mage he had put at sword point under a misconception. He was fine with what had happened and had accepted the terms, but this was too much for one day.

“Uh. I’m Isolde. And this is my dog Garran.” She continued.

Aventis stood swung his legs over and stood at least a foot above the girl, his clenched fists at his sides. It hadn’t yet crossed his mind that it wasn’t anyone’s particular intention to anger him, but it had come so fast. There was only one reaction he could have without throwing himself offboard. And it had only been a day.

“Sorry for bothering you like that. I can’t seem to figure out how to walk.”

No, apparently you can’t. Aventis thought, but instead of being snide, he simply stared at her, considering the situation.

After a brief moment of consideration, he promptly turned towards the cabins to find some peace and quiet.

“I’m going to train.” He said, not quite cheerfully. It was going to be a long journey to Abura.

Aventis

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alexander nodded - even if the other squire had not bothered to turn his head to see it - and sat down next to him, his right foot dangling over the edge, while his left remained planted on the wood of the deck, allowing the boy to rest his elbow on his knee. For a moment, he stared at the dark watery abyss below, wondering just how far the sea floor was from the surface. A bit more staring left him feeling a bit dizzy, and he quickly glanced away. It was the first time in many years he had set foot on a ship, and considering that he never learned how to swim made him just a bit uncomfortable. He stared off into the horizon for a time, pulling his glasses off and wiping them clean on his shirt, before pushing them back up the bridge of his nose. He kept himself from staring too much at the Eypharian's extra pair of arms. After all, the only Eypharian he knew was Sayana, and he was not very well acquainted even with her. Deciding to strike up a conversation, he spoke. "So... beautiful ocean, hm?" Before Alex could even anticipate a response, there was a sudden outburst from behind him. The only response he gave was a turn of his head to acknowledge whoever had called out. The four-armed squire on the other hand, seemed a bit more surprised, nearly falling over the edge. Acting upon instinct, Alex reached up to grab his shoulder in an attempt to steady him, but quickly pulled away when he realized the squire had already caught himself. He watched as the Eypharian stood up and glared at the woman, towering at least a foot above her. He quickly stood up, thinking for a split second that a fight was going to break out. Thankfully, all the squire did was stare as the woman talked, and Alex almost sighed in relief. He watched as he announced he was going to train, and walked to one of the cabins. "Nice job. You pissed him off." Alex said to the woman, debating on whether or not he should follow. He shook his head and made up his mind, walking towards the cabin. If he punches me, it's Ranqor's fault. He thought.