Completed Making Allies [Tydus and Kel Tempest]

[Tydus Tempest]

Immediately, the Tempest scion's head shifted towards the cabin, Kel, and after a few moments, Vesh emerged from the cabin. The Tempest had no desire to disturb the penguin from its rest, the seabird deserving all of the rest it could attain, for the penguin had saved Tydus' life not even two weeks before. It was incredible, how much Tydus owed the Tavan.

I can't even express how much... If it weren't for you, Vesh...

The Tempest thought it in his mind, crouching the the ground as the penguin waddled towards him, sliding onto his belly and weaving between Kel's legs and approaching Tydus. The Tempest scion grinned, laughter escaping his lips as he held the penguin close to him, pressing light kisses to the plumage of the little penguin's head, hugging it around its belly before he remembered that there were other people present.

He half-listened to the Greytide introduce himself to the woman, his trademark smirk likely upon the black-haired Svefra's face, but Tydus paid it no mind. He usually did this, attempting to see if he could interrupt Tydus' conversation, trip him up or otherwise screw him out of a good petch. It happened already once at the bar, and Tydus expected many more obstacles in the path of promiscuity ahead, but in truth, it wasn't Tydus' sole intention this day.

The proposition of learning Vani to a greater extent was a pull far greater than that of his loins, an interest far greater than that of sexual experimentation with a Vantha. Of course, he would do both, if possible, but a good petch was never a priority. Business, then pleasure. One was more important and had a far more overreaching effect than simple desire. Tydus learned, of his own accord, how much of a wild card sex could be.

Petch first ask questions later doesn't apply, lad. That's to women who are of no use to you. Drunken lasses at the bar. This 'un, with her bright, lovely eyes and musical voice, can be extremely useful to you.

The Tempest allowed bright laughter to escape from his lips as he approached his new podmate, clapping him on the back, Vesh moving with the Tempest Svefra and clinging to the man's leg, brushing his wings against the young man's calf as the Svefra stretched his arms.

"Try best do I."

He managed one final sentence in Vani before he looked over to the pair, addressing the Svefra in Fratava, "Jackass. You know that I'm not going to petch a girl while you're on the ship!" He chuckled quietly before he looked back to the young woman, elbowing Kel's arm as he said,

"This 'un sleeps like a whale. Kel's me brother in all but blood, lass. Excuse him, though. He's no' used to seeing the lasses on his ship. T'is a new experience, right lad?"

Again, the Svefra's attention was focused on the penguin as it pulled upon his breeches, its beak tapping at the Svefra's knees. Vesh didn't speak to him like Jenkins did to Kel, but their relationship did not require words. The slightest of motions, or looks in the eye were enough to broadcast the emotions of the adolescent penguin and his Svefra friend. He chuckled, nodding to Vesh before returning his gaze to the young Vantha woman,

"Oh! An' this is Vesh. Me tavan! He looks excited te meet ya." The Svefra motioned for Vesh to approach the Vantha, the penguin waddling for several feet before reaching the woman's feet, wings reaching up to her waist.

The Tavan's actions caused him to burst out in laughter, nodding to give permission before he called out, "He wants ye' to pick him up! Go ahead if ye'd like. He dun' bite."

[Adi Skyglow]

Black hair tied in its usual braid followed Adi's rapid flick of her head to the side where the door of the ship swung open. Out stumbled a man, his hand raised to block Syna's rays of light from stinging his eyes. Dark hair sat in a messy pile on his head, an obvious contrast to Tydus' slightly neater dirty blond. An eyebrow arched in confusion opposite its twin, both unusually high over the violet eyes that were quickly losing their pink in favor of an amber color. It quickly became apparent that, even if he wasn't welcome in the conversation she was currently engaged in with Tydus, he definitely belonged on the ship. Since the darker-haired man had the gall to fill a mug-so that's what was in there!-with ale from a barrel similar to the one the wine bottle had been on earlier. Adi's conclusion was that the new man was also a Svefra, though she couldn't see his eyes to confirm her suspicions. She chuckled at his loud belch then, eyes flicking closer to the pinkish shade they'd been earlier. When he turned to her, obviously startled by her presence aboard the casinor, Adi greeted him with a winning smile in return for the odd syllable in a language foreign to her.

She took a step forward towards the man with dark hair, and inclined her head, still smiling. He introduced himself as Kel, ship captain, in very accented Common. A smirk as dark as his hair adorned his face. It was only then Adi got a look at his eyes. Definitely Svefra blue. She raised an eyebrow and answered his smirk with one of her own before giving him a response. "Adi Skyglow, captain of that horse back there." Her left arm swept back then, indicating Myaris, who waited patiently for Adi to finish whatever business she had. "On occasion, at least." Her smirk shifted back into a genuine smile while her eye color evened back to violet. The pupils of her eyes weren't as cooperative as the rest of her eyes were, as they became rimmed with magenta.

Colorful gaze shifted from Kel's eyes to the other current occupants of the deck. Is that a petching penguin? What would a penguin be doing on a boat? Said penguin was clearly bonded with Tydus in some way. As the blond Svefra picked up the fluffy sea bird, Adi felt compelled to look away. They were having a private moment. Does Tydus keep Kelvic animals as...lovers? Penguin Kelvics were a new idea to her, but she supposed if that was what the young Svefra preferred, she wouldn't judge.

A brief sentence in Vani surprised her then, distracting her briefly from the harsh words Tydus followed it with in the foreign tongue. She refocused her attention on his Common words, allowing herself another chuckle when Tydus commented on Kel's lack of experience with women. Adi doubted that was true. Though she knew little about other races besides her own, Svefra were notorious womanizers.

Her gaze flicked down to the penguin then, who Tydus introduced to her as Vesh. He was relatively large for a penguin-oh! Hello there-as evidenced by his ability to stretch his wings up to her waist. An awed smile made itself known across her face upon contact with the polar bird. She looked to Tydus for permission, and when he invited her to pick the penguin up, she carefully did so.

[Kel Tempest]

Day 5 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

The black haired Svefra grinned at his podmate’s comment. He looked at him innocently, “Why brother, I don’t know what you are talking about…I would never interrupt such an intimate of setting. You sure know how to treat a lady.” He gestured sarcastically to the beat up deck, scuffed paint and ragged sails.


Kel leaned down and whispered loudly to the Vantha as he clapped Tydus on the back, “Aye, women are a rarity on me ship. Ty here, has spread quite teh’ reputation with most of deh woman in Riverfall. If yeh’ know what I mean.” He winked at her and laughed at his own jab at his podmate, hopefully undermining whatever future he might have with the woman. Kel never got bored with cock blocking Tyus, it was endless entertainment on his end. If Tydus was as good as he said he was, any disruptions of Kel’s shouldn’t pose a problem for him.


The Vantha gestured to the docks as she introduced herself. The Svefra glanced to where she was pointing and blanched as he realized she was referring to the large animal. He had seen enough of them to know that they were used for transportation. No one would ever catch him dead on one of those beasts.


“Yeh think that be fun to ride, yeh’ should try a shark sometime. Nothin’ quite as satisfyin’.” Kel leaned against the railing of the Laviku’s Wrath and rested one hand on it. Tydus introduced his tavan companion and Kel shot a quick glance at the partial open cabin door. He scowled at it.


“Jenkins! Get your lazy arse out here and meet the pretty lady! We aren’t about to let Ty and his petching fluffy little bird out do us!” Nothing but silence came from the cabin. “Jeeeenkins…” An edge of warning crept into Kel’s voice as he tapped his foot impatiently. Finally, a furry head popped out from around the door frame. The otter chittered irritably.


“I didn’t ask you if you were tired! Get your bumpkin self out here and be cute or something!” Jenkins stepped haughtily across the deck, shooting Kel a baleful look. The Svefra made a face at him and the sea otter huffed. He sauntered over to the woman and rubbed his face against her leg.


His face rubbed up against her once before he plopped down and looked at Kel crossly. Kel jerked his head at her again, more insistent. Jenkins still annoyed, chittered at him but seemed to let out a little sigh and rubbed her leg again. Kel looked at Adi from under his mug as he gulped down the contents. “This here be Jenkins. He’s me friend. Me and ‘em go way back.”


He pushed off the gunwale and lifted the lid to the barrel again, filling up his mug. He raised an eyebrow and offered her his mug. “Yeh’ look like yeh’ could use a drink.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the railing of the ship. “So Adi, why yeh’ be comin’ teh’ Riverfall fer?”

[Tydus Tempest]

An exasperated chuckle escaped the Svefra's lips at his podbrother's words, Tydus shaking his head. The man didn't understand, at all. Yes, the Tempest had both his reputation and inclination towards promiscuity working against him in this case, it simply wasn't the intention, or rather, sole intention of the continuation of their association. He flashed a smile at their guest before firing off Fratava at Kel,

"Mate, I swear to ye' that I'm not trying to petch this girl on yer' ship. Swear to Laviku. I'm tryin' to get 'er to teach me Vani, mate. A strange, girlish language in my opinion, but a trader needs to speak a variety of tongues, not just use that tongue for his own satisfaction."

The Svefra watched Jenkins scurry from out of the room, chuckling before he turned his attention to his own Tavan, his head tilting as he noted Adi picking the penguin up. Vesh's wings brushed against the side of the woman's face, as if cupping her jaw, then it leaned forward as if to kiss her, but it stopped, flapping its wings excitedly in amusement of its own antics. Tydus simply shook his head, laughing at the mannerisms his tavan took after him. He decided that it was the proper moment to explain what a Tavan was to the woman, the Svefra stepping forward and sliding onto the bulwark on the other side of the ship as he opened his lips to speak,

"Vesh likes ye'. He's a funny little chap, he is. He's me Tavan, a sea-born brother o' the Svefra. We live with ar' Tavan, learn from 'em. They learn from us." They save us, too.

The Svefra was only partially listening to his podbrother's interrogation of the woman aboard his ship, the man pressing his legs to the bulwark, gripping it with his knees as he lowered his torso out of the boat. He felt the pain immediately upon his abdomen, lean musculature flexing, attracting blood and energy to their placement in order to support the effort being placed.

He lowered his entire body so that he was laying in a posture akin to the ship's boarding plank, his arms reaching out to grip the pier, though he did not quite reach. His abdomen began to strain from the length of the motion, a deep breath filling the Svefra's lungs as he forced himself to crunch upwards with what was left of his usage, lactic acid burning in his toned form, blood rushed to his face and neck, leaving all three areas with a red tinge from the effort, for the moment.

He chuckled to himself before lowering himself to the ground, taking his flask and draining a second drink before a smile began to materialize upon his expression. Being behind Kel's back at this point, upon the bulwark, Tydus would wait until Adi looked in his direction to flash her a wink, the smile upon his expression growing into a suggestive grin, his gaze moving from her, towards the city, and inns, in the distance.

[Adi Skyglow]

With a penguin in her arm and her eyebrows raised, the Vantha attempted to puzzle out any of what the two Svefra were saying to each other. ...No. Still don't understand a word. With a small frown, the Vantha began speaking to herself out loud in her native tongue, Vani. "And you two think you're the only ones who can have secret conversations. Hah." Tydus' small amount of knowledge of her language didn't strike her until after the words escaped her lips. "Tydus, if you understood any of that, please ignore it." She burst out laughing at herself then, mildly embarrassed but also somewhat amused. It wasn't every day she talked to herself. Though it also wasn't every day she encountered two half-naked men within the span of five chimes. Looking back, Adi realized she'd seen more shirtless men in the past twenty chimes than she had in the past twenty years. Oops.

To her surprise, she hadn't started thinking of Drasna until she'd started thinking about her past. He'd been a serious shykehead. In Drasna's eyes, Adi was nothing but a piece of property to him. Her head and heart meant much less to him compared to her body and womb. A brief shudder coursed through her body. Hopefully Kel and Tydus weren't looking at her and were still engrossed in whatever conversation they'd been having.

She snapped out of her reverie when the dark, messy Svefra captain spoke to her. It took her a moment to remember that replying to someone when they spoke directly to her was considered proper etiquette. You know, if they talk like this to each other, maybe I could get away with a comment... "Is word getting out about how you like to watch?" She smirked, and waved her left hand in the general direction of the main city. "I've heard quite a lot about you back in town." She let out a roar of a laugh, straight from her belly. This was the kind of laugh that her mother would have scolded her for back in Avanthal, as it wasn't very ladylike. Petch her. I'll laugh how I want to.

When she recovered from laughing, she immediately went pale. SHARK riding? That's petching insane! And it was to her, at least. She'd stick with a nice, sensible horse. Besides, though she had some very limited control over water-mostly ice-she couldn't breathe while submerged. "As insane as I'm sure horse riding is for you, shark riding is like that for me." She grimaced and thought of the back of her neck underneath her hair, where a cold mark-a snowflake from Morwen-sat waiting for her to tap its power. Adi almost never had actually used her Gnosis mark. "I've got a small level of control over ice. I can thaw it instantly, and I can freeze water or keep ice frozen or water thawed. But I can't breathe underwater! That's very far out of my reach." A nervous look crossed her face, eyes violet with a tinge of blue. She shook her head and cautiously stroked Vesh's fluffy head. Penguin handling was a first for her. Hopefully not a last, either. He was downright adorable.

It was then that Kel chose to turn and bark out some command in his strange language to...a door? Adi raised one eyebrow in a sign of minor confusion. Her confusion was most definitely not eased by the sudden appearance of a brown animal that looked like a cross between a worm and a fox. It wasn't anything native to Avanthal and it was absolutely not a creature she was familiar with. The thing looked...kind of strange. It looked almost irritated. Was that possible for an animal? Just as the question came to her, a memory of Myaris presented itself to her. The horse hadn't liked being pulled out of her stables at an odd hour or having to travel across half of Mizahar. She supposed she'd give the thing a chance.

A gust of wind from her arms startled her. Adi's gaze pinkened when she realized it was the penguin in her arms flapping his wings. He moved his beak close to her cheek, as if to give her a kiss. The smile that followed was genuine and full of childish enthusiasm. Another surprise came in the form of the fluffy foxworm rubbing its head on her leg. Aww! Though it attempted to slink back to Kel, messy hair jerked towards her direction. The animal repeated the gesture, somewhat reluctant. The Vantha chuckled. From his position in front of her, Kel introduced the foxworm thing as his friend Jenkins. At least he belonged here.

So does this foxworm have the same kind of bond with Kel that Tydus has with Vesh? More importantly, what even is that bond?Thankfully Tydus chose that moment to explain what exactly a tavan was. He'd mentioned the term earlier in reference to his penguin companion, but it was foreign to her like the language the two Svefra men spoke. It probably originated from the strange tongue.

Adi wasn't sure if she should look at the blond Svefra or the captain, as one was performing rather stupid stunts and the other offered her a mug. She looked back and forth before making up her mind. Carefully, she shifted the fluffy seabird to rest on her right arm, wincing as she did so. Then she cautiously took the mug from Kel's hand, trying not to spill any of the brown liquid. She gave it a cursory sniff. That's definitely alcohol. Ale? The odor wasn't horribly off-putting to her. It actually reminded her of her father, who loved to celebrate with a drink with his friends after completing a particularly taxing sculpture. He was an ice carver and incredibly good at what he did. Adi missed him. She took a step back, angling her body so she could watch whatever antics the tattooed blond was getting himself in.

"First, Tydus, that's probably not the best of ideas, but it's impressive." Had either been watching her, they'd have seen her smile. "It's a bit of a long story, Kel. I'll give you the short version, though. Vantha living in Avanthal will often have our marriages arranged by our parents. We're sold to whoever pays the highest price usually. My parents were kind and gave me time to see if I'd come to grow fond of any of the men who wanted me. I never did..." She paused here to take a sip of ale-oh, that is bitter!. She grimaced as the bitter beverage made its way down her throat, but was proud of herself when she didn't cough afterwards. Adi followed that with another, longer sip. It was the first time she'd ever had ale and it wasn't actually that bad.

"My parents ended up accepting the highest bride price they were offered, and I was to marry a man named Drasna Iceglaze. Drasna was a wretch of a man. I still don't actually know if he was truly human." A sarcastic smirk graced her features. The smirk was accompanied by red-colored eyes, signifying her hatred for the man she'd almost married. Her petty attempt to cover this expression was a swig from Kel's mug. "So I waited till the night before we were to get married, which was supposed to be the first of fall. Packed only what I needed in my backpack. My mother's horse-that's Myaris back on the docks there-was my means of transportation. We took a roundabout route, but we're here now. I plan on staying for a year or so, maybe longer." Adi raised the mug to her lips and drained it of its contents, licking her lips to clean off the last traces of the beverage. I think I like the stuff.

[Kel Tempest]

Day 5 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

Kel rolled his eyes at his podmate. “You and your WORDS. What are you, a scholar? Ain’t nobody got time fer that.”


Kel snorted and shook his head. He would never understand his brother’s fascination with such abstract concepts. All one needed was a weapon in one hand and a mug in the other. Everything else was just nonsense. A person won fights with weapons, not words. Steel is what made the difference in battle at the end of the day, not the sharp lashing of a tongue.


Kel shook his head again, drumming his fingers along the gunwale of his beloved vessel. He watched as the penguin showed off to the new arrival and scowled at Jenkins for not doing a better job. It was hard to get good help around here.


Kel shook his head disapprovingly, “Yeh’ kno, it be rude to be talkin’ in ‘nother language in front of others.” He made a tsking noise from his throat. His mock disapproval was replaced by a wide grin that spread across his face as she mentioned him creating a reputation for himself. He threw his arms out cockily.


“What can I say? I have a gift.” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he listened to her laugh. She was bold. He liked that. But the mention of horseback riding caused him to raise an eyebrow skeptically. “Whatever makes yeh’ sleep at night.” He shifted against the gunwale, his buttocks beginning to ache from being pressed up against the wood. He took another gulp of ale but almost choked when she mentioned magic.


Kel erupted into a fit of coughs as the ale went down the wrong tube. “Magic?! Who in their petching right minds uses magic?!” He shot her a black look and felt for his kukri that normally resided at his waist. He growled quietly as he remembered he hadn’t strapped it on when he woke up that morning and cursed his luck. Magic users couldn’t be trusted. They bred dissension and hate wherever they stepped. It didn't matter what level of control they had over the elements, whether great or small, sorcerers wielded magic and it always brought doom.


He was about to throw her off his ship when she abruptly accepted his ale. She sniffed it curiously and her reaction to the drink caused the Svefra to pause. He tried to stifle the grin that came to his lips as she grimaced at the taste. It was always entertaining to see someone try an alcoholic drink for the first time. Especially the darker brews. Its flavor was harsh and took quite some time to get used to. But the scowl returned as he remembered what she practiced.


Nevertheless, as he listened to her story he realized she was a bit of a rebel. She ran away from home, skipped out on a wedding and escaped from her family who attempted to force into something she didn’t want. Plus she seemed to take a liking to the taste of ale. Kel mulled the new information over. In that moment, his mind was made up.


“Yehr’ a rebel. Yeh seem teh’ like ale. I hate teh’ magikk users but if yeh like ale, how bad could yeh’ be?” He nodded once in approval. “Yehr’ good in me books. Just don’t use that petchin’ sorcery around me or I’ll be havin to cut yehr’ hands off.” He wished he had his blade to prove his point but his words would have to do. He groaned inwardly.


“Shyke, now I sound just like Ty…”

[Tydus Tempest]

Did Kel say magic? The woman knew how to use magic? A mixture of admiration and a tingling fear rose in his mind, though the latter faded when she mentioned that it was a minor control of the freezing state of ice or liquid state of water. It was nothing to fear. Even a bit interesting. It'd be a cool little power to have. Not very practical, though. He wondered to himself where the woman had picked up such a power, having never seen the Magic Merchant make use of such an ability. Hypnotism was one thing, a magic in itself (though in truth, Tydus barely saw it as such. It was so... natural to him), but this was a different beast altogether. Tydus rose from the bulwark, attempting to gather his breath as thoughts whirled in his mind.

When the woman switched gears, changing the topic from her abilities to being able to breathe underwater, he chuckled, "Neither can we, lass. I remember a Svefra or two that could do it in the old pod, but us? Ha. Ridin' sharks doesn't require breathin' underwater if ye' stay near the surface. And if not, hold yer breath, lass. It's not too hard." He chuckled aloud after he spoke, pushing himself off from the bulwark, stepping towards the cabin and pulling a large bottle that was hidden behind the barrel that Kel had taken ale from.

The woman's definition of a bad idea was completely distinct from his own, the Svefra used to moving about a ship. His body was rather toned, lean from his years of living aboard a ship, his experiences on the sea shaping both his mind and body into powerful tools to be manipulated at Laviku's command. He chuckled at her, feeling the burn of his abdomen, allowing deep breaths to fill his lungs as he focused upon something else. His attention was immediately called to Vesh and the woman holding him. A shrug moved the Svefra's shoulders as he took a sip of his wine, swilling it in his mouth before swallowing. His reply came after,

"A bad idea, lass? Life ain' livin without a bad idea ar' two spread about it. Tryin' to play it safe an' get on by isn' the way of the Svefra."

Kel's comment about magic set him on edge, the Hypnotist shrugging nonchalantly, keeping his own affinities a secret, all the while remarking at the hypocrisy of it all. Every single Svefra was a magic user from birth, the power of Laviku's blood within them sparking their ability to control sea creatures of their approximate size. They were also blessed with several other abilities, but now was not the moment to reflect upon them, instead laughing at his pod brother's antics and judgement, the unknown hypocrisy in them, but it didn't matter. Kel is Kel. I'd not have him any other way. Besides, the women he scorns with his horrid words could always turn to a more... gentlemanly, beloved podbrother. Who knows?

He chuckled at the thought, stepping towards the pair with a laugh as he took another sip of his wine, looking over the woman's mug of ale. Wine was much better, especially one such as this, with a vintage marked upon the label, and a body that burst flavour upon the tongue. It was second to rum, but the wine was more plentiful. The rum was precious, to be saved for rare, special occasions. After all, what would Tydus do when the rum was gone? He'd probably die.

[Adi Skyglow]

"No, wait-I'm not a sorcerer!" Adi exclaimed after Kel had reacted to her story. Adi, you petching idiot! You don't mention ice powers to men you've just met, especially when they ride sharks! Color rushed from her face to her toes. Obviously the captain didn't like magic. How was she going to explain to him that she'd been marked? An idea hit her then. Gently, Adi placed Vesh-still resting on her arm-on the floor of the ship. She drew her braid back away from her neck and held it to the top of her head, slowly turning so her back was towards him. "Look-it's my Gnosis mark from Morwen. All Vantha are born with them. I don't know magic at all. My mark is a burden to me, Kel! It reminds me of things I don't want to be associated with any more." Sighing, Adi turned back around to face him and extended the mug he'd offered her, drained of ale, as a sort of peace offering. "Don't worry. You'll never see me do anything with it, I swear." Though she hadn't intended to use it around him (or anyone for that matter), it seemed the best way to pacify him was to agree with him. To the Svefra men, she was a complete stranger. They had no reason to trust her.

Riverfall had been a different experience, so far. She'd seen no others of her race in the city yet. The lack of Vantha in the city didn't really surprise her, though. Vantha were a northern people who thrived in the cold. And Riverfall, while not exactly the desert sands of Eyktol, was nothing like her birthplace of Avanthal. Adi supposed that most of her wintery cousins wouldn't be comfortable here.

With her left hand, Adi carefully undid the cloak that draped over her shoulders. She folded it as best as she could with one arm and tucked it in her backpack, which was fairly empty save for very basic supplies. It was surprisingly warm for very early spring. Odd...she could've sworn it was cooler only a few chimes ago. "Did it...just get warmer on the ship, or am I going mad?" Adi queried. In the company of two shirtless sailors, surely at least one of them would've noticed an increase in temperature. Especially if it was sudden.

She turned to Tydus as he approached her and Kel with a smirk on her face. "If that's the case...well, it definitely sounds interesting. I might try it sometime." The smirk left her face in favor of a more serious expression. "As much as I agree with you, some bad ideas are worse than others. I've had my share of bad ideas for the year, I think." With that comment, she shrugged. "Ah well. It's over and done."

A broad grin spread across her face at the same time pink flooded into Adi's eyes. She reached back and untied the leather strip that kept her braided hair back, then ran her fingers through the braid and shook her hair free. "This is the first ship I've ever been on," sang the Vantha in Vani. It was an unconscious switch that she didn't intend, nor did she recognize. Adi felt pleasantly happy.

OOCUuuuugh. I'm sorry this is so short.

[Kel Tempest]

Day 5 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

Sorcerer.


He was transported back to another life, to the childhood that came with so many bad memories. But this one, this one took the cake. Magic users never used to bother him. Until he came. The Greytide pod had made port briefly at Black Rock when their mast had been cracked in a storm. They had to make an emergency stop, otherwise they would never have stepped foot on such a cursed land. It was only a few days but in that short time, everything changed.


A man was in that city. His blonde hair, blue eyes and tattoos of the sea seemed to convince everyone that he was friendly. He was cheerful, outgoing and incredibly helpful as they made repairs to the ship. But there was something…off putting about him. Kel could never figure out what it was. Maybe it was the looks he gave when he thought no one was paying attention. They had just finished repairs and were heading out to sea in the morning. But then it happened. It was just before dawn. Everyone was asleep.


He attacked.


The morphor shifted back into his natural state. The human’s mind was bent, broken, filled with hatred. If it wasn’t for the lone guard who shouted out before he was killed that the entire crew wasn’t murdered in their sleep. Kel remembered seeing the spiked hands as they plunged into one of his podmates chest, blood splattering the decks. It took everyone working together to kill the magic user. But it took a heavy toll on the Greytide pod.


Kel shook the memories away. It didn’t matter, it was the past. But he knew that deep down all magic users were the same. It corrupted people, twisted their humanity and warped them into something that robbed them of their sanity.


Kel focused back into the conversation just as Adi began explaining where her powers came from. Realization dawned upon him as he understood that her “magic” came from her deity, just as his ability to communicate with the sea life came from his. Gnosis power wasn’t magic at all in his mind, it was just a blessing from their deity.


“Ahhh! Well why didn’tcha say that in teh’ first place!” Kel slapped the tattoo that started from the top of his shoulder down to the bottom of his peck. The tattoo rippled and shifted as it curled as if it were alive, just like the ocean that was his home.


“Us Svefra are Laviku blessed as well.” He had already settled in his mind that she was okay but now everything was cleared up he could rest in peace.


Kel took the mug back from her and filled it up again. He smirked at her. “That’d be teh’ ale that be warmin’ yeh’ up. Yeh’ feel it warmin’ up yehr’ belly?” The black haired Svefra raised the mug to his lips and drank deeply, the dark hops tingling his taste buds as the familiar taste washed down his gullet. He sighed with pleasure as he took a breath of air and handed her the mug.


“Drink up, tis’ only gets better from here.” He winked at her and realized it could be a pretty good day.

[Tydus Tempest]

Gnosis. It was the divine connection between a person and a God. for the Svefra, it was Oceanus, the mark that took different forms upon different skin, all of which brought glory and power to Laviku's mighty name. For Tydus, it was the whale in the sea, the school of fish, and the anemone. The gnosis mark rippled and moved upon his shoulder, the whale coming and going, which left the fish a chance to populate at times. He nodded as he listened to the woman explain to Kel the power of her gnosis, understanding it far better now that it was explained.

Morwen? Who...? Ah, right! The Vantha God. I remember...

The words were a lie. There was a faint, dying recollection of a brief mention the Magic Merchant had made, but had the woman not have said the name, he'd have understood a gnosis without a deity. He smirked at Kel as he mentioned how drinking required a bit of getting used to, the young man nodding in agreement as he stepped forward. He passed Kel by, taking place against the surface of the living quarters' outer wall, taking yet another sip of wine before stowing it behind the barrel once again.

There's no need to waste such a treasure on a single evening. Wine and rum are to be enjoyed. Ale's to bring along the loose tongue.

He chuckled quietly to himself before reaching for the last mug that was left atop of the barrel, filling it from the barrel's tap. He moved forward so that he was directly next to the woman, his free hand curling around her waist as hearty laughter escaped his lips. He raised his glass, toasting out for all to hear in slightly slurred Common.

"Lad, lassy. Another nigh' under Leth and over Laviku. Another day passes us by. And another night in the company," With those words, the Svefra pulled the woman just a bit closer to him, allowing her to press to his side, his lean form warm against her as he completed his toast, "Of those wor' being 'round! To ale! To life! But, mos' of all, to us!" His grin was broadly spread, the alcohol pulsing happiness through his veins. His mind was neither tainted nor numbed at the present moment, wine and rum swilling in his stomach potently, but the clincher that would set him into his drunken state was not yet there.

Tydus was floating at the surface of a sea of alcohol, his head just above the water, the rest of his body tired and willing to surrender. And he was glad to let it to. The drunkenness took the pain away. It took the fear away. The thought of it caused the thin, diagonal scar at his neck to hum in his mind, the Svefra recalling for but a moment before the world of women and drink claimed his attention once again.

Once the toast was completed, Tydus pulled his glass from the air, pressing it to his lips before tilting his head back, ushering in the blessed alcohol that spurred his excitement so.