Yo ho ho, exploring we will go. (Closed)

[Alexis Whitewave]

Alexis sat down slowly and looked at her hands which were rested before her, lightly tanned with obviously neglected fingernails which were short and uneven. It had been a while since she’d been with her pod and was dying to get back to them but she had a couple places she needed to go and business she needed to take care of. She had been on the sea for a good while though, feeling much more confident there than on land, and still had not run into them. Perhaps it would be a good idea to seek them out soon.

”Where did you meet them?” she asked after a couple minutes of thought. Being away from her pod was hard for Alexis, but it had gotten easier since she had received Lynn in Riverfall recently and the Black Cavern expedition may have even been her subconscious telling her that she needed more Svefra company. Whatever the case, she was here and may as well make the most of it.

”Are they all well?” she asked, her tone a little worried. When she had left their Lia was ill, and Alexis still felt guilty for sneaking away merely two nights after the old Svefra fell ill, and couldn’t imagine how betrayed the rest of her pod felt. However this was not a story she wanted to tell either Sable nor Aluria. They did not need to know – it would only bring judgemental stares and suspicious glares.

[Aluria]

Aluria sat there, waiting for a bite. The water looked calm before her, and she smiled at the thought of just cruising along the waters.

She gasped, and felt a small tug on her line. Her eyes widened with expectation, and she looked down and saw that she had caught a fish! It was small, but it was good enough for her. Quietly celebrating with joy, she pulled up the net, which squirmed and struggled beneath her. She heaved the net up, and collapsed onto the deck, laughing. She watched the fish with intense curiosity, watching its every move. It looked like it was suffocating, and it was in pain. She hated to see that, but there was nothing she could do about it. She looked around, looking for something sharp. She spied a large, wooden stick that was pointed at the edge. She hastily grabbed it, and walked over to the fish.

Sorry.

The wooden stick went cleanly through its eye. She hoped that Sable wouldn't mind her messy job. But she caught the fish.

"Sable, I caught one! I'll make dinner now!" she called over her shoulder, not wanting them to wait. She grabbed the limp fish and headed inside. She walked over, looking for the kitchen. She found it, and made her way inside. It was a normal kitchen. It had an unattractive crack in the ceiling, looking like an ominous hand that might reach out and tap her. She paid no mind.

"Would you mind bringing over the fish?" she called once more, as she began to cook a nice fish stew for dinner.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

“Evan and Evana,” Sable paused, brows knit together as she tried to figure out why those names didn’t sound proper. “Ilvana? Alvinia?” Finally, a chagrined curl to her lips, the captain glanced at Alexis for help. “Anyway, your brother and sister are pretty worried about you. The pod was anchored off Fang Isle down in the southern Northern Suvan to collect medicinal herbs. Is that within their normal range?” As she spoke, the little oil stove continued to elude her efforts toward ignition. Long body bent at the waist, she finally propped her head up upon an open palm, elbow on the small counter, and face turned toward the stubborn device. “Apparently they’re recovering from some sort of epidemic that only affected the elderly and the young. I couldn’t tell whether they were more happy that you missed that or upset that they haven’t heard from you,” Sable told her with a short glance, neither admonishing nor accusatory. Just as the little stove flared to life, Sable, yelping, jerked away from the flames reaching for her nose and rubbed anxiously at the appendage. Aluria entered just in time to see woman inelegantly tumble over her own feet and crash into the bulkhead. “Barnacles!” Cursing her own clumsiness, long limbs tangled like a pile of sticks in the corner, Sable shook out her head, golden locks dancing, and waved Aluria toward the crackling stove with a gracious gesture. “It’s all yours. Glad to see that you managed to catch something. Did you get two more for our lovely animal companions?” Having regained traitorous feet, the woman snagged Aluria’s fish and cleaned it, leaving the guts in a nicked wooden bowl for Alexis. Sable eyed the hole in the fish’s head, wondering what had happened to its eyeball, as she cleaned gunk off her hands and slid over the two other fish. Glad to be rid of anything remotely tied to cooking, Sable lounged on the stool opposite the Whitewave. Much more suited to watching others work, she eyed her two companions expectantly.

[Alexis Whitewave]

"Evan and Iliana" Alexis said with a smile. She leaned back from the table a little, distancing herself. Alexis got to her feet nearly as soon as the bowl of guts was placed down, eager to escape the conversation.

Alexis took the bowl and slipped out to the deck, eyes darting over the ship to locate the animals. Glad to be alone and away from talking about something she was not particularly proud of, Alexis wandered over to where Lynn stood. She had crossed over to Sable's boat and positions herself looking back over the horizon, where the sun would set in the evening. The dog was gazing out at the sea, until the scent of fish broke her trance and brought her running towards Alexis. Alexis put the bowl on the deck where Lynn hungrily attacked the contents. It was then that Alexis spotted Sib, Sable's tavan. Alexis grabbed some food from the bowl and tossed it over to the sleek little creature.

Then she wander over to the side and sat on the rails, looking out to the clouds. She thought about her brother, and sister, and her father. All of which had no idea where she was or why she had left. The only person who might know would be Karen, her childhood friend, but she had left in the night without a word to anyone. Maybe someone had guessed she had gone to see her mother and just taken a long time to circle back, but either way she had left her pod when they needed her most.

[Aluria]

"The soup is ready," called Aluria, setting up the table and laying down the bowls of fish soup. "If you want something other than soup, just ask me. But right now, I think soup is my speciality." Speciality. She liked that word, mainly because she was describing one of her specialities. Cooking soup. Yum.

After laying down the food, she sat at the table, tucking her chair in and with a spoon, she took a sip of the food that she had made. It tasted a bit salty. She hoped that Sable and Alexis preferred salty soup. Calling it salty soup was exaggerating, but she knew that if one didn't like salt that much, they would notice it immediately. Not that many people disliked salt.

"Hmm... I think it tastes good. A bit salty, though," she said aloud, voicing her opinion. She then turned to Sable. "What do you like to eat? Next time, I can try to make some for you," she offered, wanting to make a bit of small talk. Although she was a bit on the introverted side, she hated awkward silences.

Aluria politely waited for Alexis before she began to eat.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

A knowing but disinterested gaze followed Al’s retreat from the galley. Sable kicked her feet down and reached for a bowl. “This smells wonderful, Little Al. Soup is better than fish ash,” she gasped around a searing mouthful of the dish. Gulping it down desperately, she coughed slightly and took the precaution of blowing over the murky surface. Stupid fire, all she wanted to do was eat! Well, it wouldn’t take long to cool…but impatience reared and she fished around with her fingers for a bit of meat to burn her mouth with once again. “We’ll sleep here, I think. I’m gonna go take this to Al and stow the sails. Feel free to look around. The comfy bunk is mine, you can sleep anywhere else,” blue hues winking, the lanky woman unfurled, filling the tight space. The second bowl was snatched up before she disappeared. Al wasn’t hard to find on the small vessel and Sable sauntered over, aware that she intruded upon some quality teenage angst. “Here, this is yours. Did you kill someone?” Sable lifted her nicked dish and slurped down some soup. “I didn’t think so. You did what you had to do, you did what you did.” Sib rolled around at the women’s feet, playing up her baby appeal for all it was worth. That fish gut had been tasty. Sable looked out over the waters, letting Laviku’s music rattle around her ears for a moment. “If you have to atone for whatever it is, you’ll find out when you go home. Until then, you’re basically just playing the ‘what if’ game with your feelings, and no one likes the ‘what if’ game.” Al clearly didn’t, she looked morose and miserable. Al was an adult, but with Little Al around, Sable couldn’t help the pull to take care of both of them that stemmed from the community effort to raise all Svefra children. “We’ll sleep here tonight. If you’re still around in the morning, we’re heading to the Cavern.” Sable clapped the teenager on the shoulder, and slurped down the last of her tasty meal. Man, she needed to hire that girl on or something. Having edible food was a real plus. Bare feet padding over deck, rhythmic with the beat of birds wings over head and the boats steady rock, Sable disappeared below deck.

OOC Continued here. We can keep up the social action, if you guys want to do some character bond developing. But I thought the plot could move forward with little conflict at this point.

[Trident]

Sable Baggywrinkle Skills: Leadership +3 Bartering +2 Sailing +2 Swimming +1 Lores: Droplet Pod: Lia Trochkie, Knowledge of Black Beach Cavern The Story of Black Beach Cavern Bartering for Rum Alexis Whitewave: History, Personality, Pod Aluria: Personality Alexis Whitewave Skills: Bartering +2 Teaching +2 Animal Husbandry +1 Sailing +1 Fishing +1 Lores: Condition of the Whitewave Pod Sable's Tavan: Sibilance The Story of Black Beach Cavern Proper Rabbit Care Sable Baggywrinkle: Knowledge of Whitewave Pod, Personality, History Aluria: Personality Aluria Skills: Bartering +2 Cooking +2 Teaching +1 Fishing +1 Lores: The Story of Black Beach Cavern Rabbit Recipes The Basics of Net Fishing Sable Baggywrinkle: Knowledge of Whitewave Pod, Personality, History Alexis Whitewave: History, Personality, Pod Comments: Whew! This has to be the longest thread I've graded thus far. But that isn't a bad thing! The scenes were seamless, going from one location to another at a good pacing. I gave everyone bartering and teaching points for the whole trading bit. Leadership for Sable was obvious, and the lores about each other varied depending on how much each person revealed about themselves. Please note the lores with commas can be construed as different lores, but are grouped together for convenience and because they are related. Anyways, good job everyone! If you have any questions about my ruling, feel free to PM me!