FPRP III IC: New Beginnings

The warm breeze pulled gently at the palm tree’s leaves and carried the fragrant scent of flowering hibiscus as saltwater splashed against the hull of the Pine Marten. It was mid-day and the sun was high in the sky: warm, yet not overpowering, the perfect day for a stroll that many of the locals took advantage of. The anchor’s loose and the sails are put away, and the existing crew is onboard the recently docked ship.

We are currently at the port of Cyrill, a warm, tropical environment that has luscious beaches with pink sands and pale blue waters. The local’s favorite dish is Aght flounder, a green fish that has a fresh crisp and clean flavor with little to no fat, and as a result, the residents tend to be in good shape and of good health. The existing crew has orders to spread the word that there is a pirate crew recruiting. The Navy isn’t a problem in this area because the natives never sent out any complaints, so they were never notified of any buccaneer activity in the area, so the budding crew will be safe as they recruit members so long as they leave the natives alone…for the most part.

Akaine Omorrow was swinging her feet gently in the string breeze as she reclined on the main mast’s first sail bough. She was chewing on a celery stick leisurely as she looked out at the port, taking in the surroundings. It had been a while since she had been to Cyrill, and she had missed the place…mostly their food. That wasn’t to say that she had stopped by only to eat the local special, what she was really here for was to fill up the open positions in her crew. It hadn’t been easy getting the ship here and there without at least three quarters of the crew, but alas, she was just starting out. Her ears perked up as she listened to a fisherman scrape off some barnacles from his small boat with a chisel. She then turned her face back to the deck of her own ship. With a small smile on her lips, she looked down at the slightly worn wood and the fresh sails that were only just recently bleached. The Pine Marten was a new ship, and a beauty at that, she had made sure of it herself; overseeing it’s construction so that there was no skimping on materials and skillful labor because she sure as hell didn’t skimp on payment. Her ship was a three-master and was styled after the navy’s own ‘man-o-war’ with a few little tweaks here and there that Akaine added for her own pirating enjoyment. The navy didn’t really have comfort in mind, and somehow, she managed to make sure that her crew didn’t need to sleep in cocoons. There was a medium-large industrial-sized kitchen, rooms instead of the typical ‘man-cave’ that most ships sported that wasn’t for luxurious trips on the coast, and a lot of areas for blacksmithing, carpenting, swordsfighting and the like. There was even a library. Akaine had insisted on this, resulting in a smaller captain’s quarters and a slightly smaller kitchen. A library was something that she required, no matter where she went, as continuing one’s education constantly meant that you would have an advantage over your opponent. Half of the Navy’s force was practically brain-dead, but there were a few bright bulbs in that group, and a few even brighter than those in the higher-ups. And in the pirating business, you could never be sure who you’d be seeing on any given day, especially if you gained a notoriety and some government leader gave them permission to hunt you down exclusively.

Now if there was something that Akaine loved, it was having the navy stalk her ship’s movements. As much as Akaine liked to keep hercrew and her own hide safe, there was something of an ego inside her that loved the notoriety. She almost viewed it as a game of fox and mouse. She was the fox, obviously. She took the mug off of the sail’s mast that she was resting on and took a long sip, her tail twitching happily as she enjoyed the chai flavor. “Now that’s a good tea.” She said softly, and called out to her first Mate, Thomas Morgan Edwards II…she preferred to call him Morgan, it was so much simpler. “Ay Morgan! How about we get some fliers out there?”

[Wave 1: enter: Akaine, Tuor, Sam, BG, Sentios, and Fummo. You are the existing crew members.
Wave 2: Prepare to post: Arch, Zako, Innocence, and Karo.]

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Leo-

A tall and handsome man walked slowly across the deck of the ship, his eyes looking out towards Cyrill to take in a few of the sights before jotting down various notes in a small leather bound booklet. He was very well dressed all around, at first glance one would assume he was someone from the upper class and most certainly not a pirate. However there he stood upon the ship the Pine Martin, taking his notes and contemplating various ways to maximize his profits from their stay in Cyrill.

Acquiring a larger crew was definitely high on his priorities list, on the voyage to Cyrill he had to handle more of the menial duties and chores than he was comfortable with. More people meant a larger distribution amongst tasks and chores, which would leave Leo more time to his own devices. The man snapped his book shut and smiled with satisfaction, content with the amount of information he'd gathered from his initial view of the port. This wasn't his first time in Cyrill, however small differences were noticeable from his last visit. Leo turned his gaze up towards the Captain, he hadn't known the woman long enough to have figured her out completely just yet, and there were still several things he needed to see before he could pass judgment upon her character. However meeting her opened up many new opportunities for him, so all he needed was to have a bit of patience.

"It was my intention to head inland to carry out a few of my own personal... errands. I'd be happy to take some of those fliers and post them up along my way, in fact it would be my pleasure to do so Captain." the man said up to the woman in a polite fashion, a gentle smile upon his face as he tipped his hat slightly towards the Captain. He had several contacts on the island that he intended to meet up with, additional funds were never a bad thing in his opinion, in fact the more money he acquired the better. Not to mention placing those fliers through the town might speed up the process of getting new shipmates... which would have been a welcomed relief.

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- Jacques Desmarais - In ze Kitchen

Jacques's eyes boggled at the sight of the Pine Marten's kitchen. Everything was in its place and there was plenty of room to work. He waddled over to the stove and caressed it slowly with his swift, elongated fingers. "Magnifique!" he said passionately as he stared down at the many hotplates. " I can't wait to prepare a fine meal with you ma beauté!".

He stepped away from it suddenly, overcome with the desire to cook. He started to sweat as many tiny globules dripped down his face. "I must resist ze temptation." he blurted out as he furiously wiped his face upon apron.

Jacques stepped away from the stove and headed towards the exit, managing to regain his composure. He never expected a pirate ship to be so well designed. The rooms were an even bigger surprise to him. Even though he wasn't on a five star luxury cruise ship, he felt happy, comfortable and secure aboard the Pine Marten. He made his way to the deck, having removed his apron he was now sporting his usual attire. He stepped out onto the deck wearing his sleek black trousers and fancy white shirt with puffy sleeves. His rapier dangled silently at his side within its sheaf as his wobbly arms swung to-and-fro. He marched towards Leo, who had just finished taking notes and had asked the captain about handing out fliers.

Jacques looked up in the direction Leo had tipped his cap and saw her sitting happily upon the main mast. He twisted his moustache, " Ah Mademoiselle! This is a fine vessel, the finest ship I've ever had ze pleasure to be aboard" he said in a suave manner.

He bowed smoothly."I would also be happy to hand out some fliers...and perhaps procure a few necessary ingredients. I promise you won't be disappointed"

He grinned up at her and awaited for her answer.

- Morgan -

"Mmm, I guess that makes a spot 'o sense," replied the first mate, taking a swig from his beaten hip flask. "An' since these un's seem so eager, I recommend we let 'em." He finished with a grin.

Morgan was leaning against the gunwales just below where Akaine was perched, on the port side. The First Mate looked every bit the part of the scallywag he was renowned for being. Beaten tricorn hat, braided beard, leather bucket boots, and belts bristling with weapons. He still didn't quite trust either of the other two men, if the frog could be called a man. Neither of them had given him reason to lack faith, but Morgan was naturally wary. He was gonna send out the other two regardless, so it was nice he didn't have to order them ashore. Akaine had rescued him, so he trusted her as far as a pirate trusted anyone.

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-Regah-

"Is there something you're in need of my little green friend? There are a few supplies which I'll need to acquire anyways, particularly if we're going to have more bodies on board." A guttural voice came from below the deck. A few moments behind it was the hairiest crew member of the Pine Marten; today wearing a brilliant yellow robe a large bush of white hair hanging from the open neck. He seemed to be surrounded with paper work, as he checked between the several different lists pinched at the end of his tentacles, a free limb with a pen in it's grip making occasional notes as he worked. He needed to make sure to replace the foodstuffs and materials that had been used on the trip here, which wasn't very much due to the very few people on board. However making sure there were adequate supplies for any added crew was a bit more time consuming and he was basically guessing at how many people would join them.

Somehow in his hectic morning he'd managed to find time to make fliers and he held a small stack of them in between his last three tentacles down by his waist. He looked away from his papers for a moment looking up towards the captain, squinting due to the glare of the sun. "Actually if I your approval on these we can start handing them out immediately." He then returned his attention to his paper work.

~Marfan Babayev~

A large, hairy woman was on the prowl on board the Pine Martin. If you listened hard enough you could hear the thumps of her hard leather boots, stomping from one room to another, stopping only to inspect a dusty corner. The voyage to Cyrill was long, rough, and greatly unpleasant, just the way she liked it. For the most part, the promise of a new area to discover and explorer was a promise that ran dry a long time ago. If anything, it was always the chance to clean the ship up while the others went out for supplies that lightened the domovoi's mood during docking. Everyone else probably saw the ship as the most magnificent vessel in all the seas, but she knew for the fact that even the most beautiful of things have their imperfections, something she took great care to find and fix before it became a problem. She likes to think that it's because of her that the Pine Martin remains superior from all the rest, a job best taken seriously. Compared to her, the rest of the crew might as well be a bunch of buffoons, especially that green thing. She heard stories of the dreadful mucus that frogs give off. Thinking about such things filled her stomach with complete repulsion. How anyone could stand having such a creature around was beyond her.

Then again, the captain was an odd one indeed. She might even be crazy. But it wasn't Marfan's place to question their leader or her unique quirks. So far she proved to be unlike all the other pirates the domovoi had heard about; sloppy and mean spirited. Yet, she could not bring herself to trust her or any other members of the crew, not just yet. Instead, she simply did her job, barking at anyone foolish enough to be in her way. She was very good at it, which seemed to be enough to grant her some solitude.

Today, was to be the day where no one would bother her. She planned on sweeping and mopping and dusting the ship until it was spotless. Not one corner will be left untouched, not one bed unmade. It was time for the ship's spring cleaning.

So when the captain gathered round the crew for the day's first task, the domovoi dragged her feet up the stairs towards deck, taking her time. She had no reason to visit the city, but she would rather inform the captain straight away of her plans before some nitwit decided to drag her along for the ride. Why anyone would do that is another story... but she seriously doubted any merchant or trader would sell any of their goods to something as ugly as a domovoi. Besides, she didn't like people, or the sun, or crowded cities like the Cyrill port. The weather outside was definitely not Marfan weather.

She snuffed her nose after Morgan spoke. The man was a scallywag, but she liked his way of thinking. Send out the frog and the well dressed man into the port, they wouldn't get in her way that way. "I vill be staying and cleaning ze ship." she informed the captain, placing a heavy palm on the tip of her broom, glaring at the bright sun above. The fact that the captain wanted them to hand out fliers to strangers only strengthened her resolve more.

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Akaine Omorrow: Onboard the Pine Marten

As Akaine’s eyes wandered back to her ship, eyes lingering on the lovely wood of the fine vessel, she realized that she was being talked to. Looking at the gentleman who was calling for her attention, she blinked gently and looked at the navigator. “Well, Mr. Caravaggi,” Akaine began, as she leisurely slipped off of the mast and landed on the deck of the ship lightly with a little bend to her knees. “, Since you, Monsieur Desmarais and Mr. Zelrinch are so inclined to explore, well then, by all means, please do so.” She strolled over to Regah and gently took the flier from his ‘hand’ and looked it over. “It seems quite passable, I approve. “ She looked as though she was very pleased with the fliers, despite the terms she used to describe them and gave everyone a nod. “I think that’s a good idea Morgan!” She gave a particularly large smile of her own, canines showing and all. She seemed impervious to good looks, frog limbs and tentacles as she talked over to Marfan and gave her a little chuckle. “I don’t think I could get you to leave the ship unattended by your cleaning prowess even if I begged or bribed you.”She looked thoughtful for a moment and added, “I’ll try to make your job a bit easier and keep my shedding to a minimum.” She rubbed her furry white ear with her left hand, and her tail twitched a little bit, as if it felt the need to shed its fur like a pine tree it’s nettles. Her long hair could also pose a challenge for the domovoi, as it seemed to get into hard-to-get-at places and the white strands seemed to get interwoven in most of the kitsune's clothing and even the sails ov this very ship.

She knew that her crew was an odd one, but it was her crew, and that was what made it not only bearable, but enjoyable. She liked meeting unusual people and learning things from strange lands…it was one of the reasons why she had left her virgin island, so that she could explore the world, that the ships brought to her in tidbits, in full force. It had almost become like an obsession to see and learn all that she could. Seeing what she could had changed her from a mild, inquisitive child to an eccentric young kitsune with a taste for adventure and excitement.

All she needed now was a full crew.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Regah-

The We smiled as best he could, his small mouth buried in fur wasn't very well built for such expressions, at Akaine's approval of the fliers. It made him happy that she approved but it also made him happy that he wouldn't need to draw up more. He was a bit less pleased with where the conversation went after that and he eyed the housekeep as though every hair in his body was about to fall out. There were a great many things he could control but his shedding was no one of them, a long hair from his chest flitted through his sight on the sea breeze as he thought about it. What bothered him more though was the idea that she might try to sort some of his paper work and he carefully reassured himself that he hadn't left any of it out for her to mess with.

Drawing most of his arms into his robe, he tucked away the various lists into some pockets hidden within freeing up enough arms to hand out the fliers with. Splitting the stack up he walked over to the Jacques and then to Leo giving each their share of the stack. "Happy hunting gentlemen I think I'll run ahead." He said as he got off the ship as made his way into town.

-Leo-
=Onboard the Pine Martin > > Cyrill Docks=

The polite smile and expression upon Leo's face stayed strong as the other members of the crew inquired about going to shore for their own purposes. Each of them seemed eager to post up the fliers around town, to the point where Leo didn't doubt that they just genuinely wanted to help out with the chore. It was such a dreadful though to him, actually wanting to do something of the sort. However Leo continued with his facade, acting as if it were an honor to carry out such a duty. As of yet there was not a single person upon the ship in which he trusted, it was far too soon for that. None of them seemed threatening, however Morgan's attitude towards having him do simpleminded tasks such as this was a bit worrisome. Hopefully that changed once others got hired onto the ship, he simply couldn't tolerate this kind of work for much longer.

Leo looked down at the stack of fliers that was handed to him, his eye twitched slightly at the weight.
"Ah... thank you kindly..." The man said politely and with a pleasant smile upon his face, inwardly cursing at the fact that there were so many fliers. The man then turned towards the captain, still a vibrant smile stuck upon his face.
"I bid good day to you captain, I expect to be back before nightfall..." The man took a few steps and then paused, looking back at the captain once again.
"Also, there's no need for such formality captain... you can call me 'Leo' if you so wish." he said, tilting his hat towards the woman once again before he walked off the ship.

> >

The well dressed gentleman walked down the edge of a wooden dock quite the distance away from the Pine Martin, completely out of view of the ship that he had rode in upon. He was all alone upon the dock, save for one fisherman sitting at the end of it. The fisherman wore a large straw hat with a small black star woven into the center and was dressed in simple commoner clothes. Leo walked up to the edge of the dock, looking out towards the sea and drank in the sights with a deep, satisfied breath.
"On a fine day like this, do you suppose there will be any stars out tonight?" Leo said outloud.
"With the way the wind blows you can never tell, but I'd say the black star is always visible..." the old looking fisherman responded almost immediately.
"The black star certainly is a reliable one... isn't it?" Leo said to the man with a slight chuckle, looking down at him for the first time.
"So, do you have everything that I asked for?" Leo said as he leaned down towards the man, his expression much darker than it was before while he was aboard the Pine Martin. The old fisherman slid a tackle box over to Leo's feet, not speaking a word until the man knelt down to open the container.

"Your savings on this island, minus our fee is in the pouch... as for that notebook it contains the information you requested about those names, though the facts are a bit sketchy... it'll take some more time before we have any clear background information about them. Also we've listed the locations and dates of our agents for the next few months if you wish to contact us again." the old fisherman didn't even turn to meet the eyes of the well dressed man, he simply stared out at his fishing rod as he spoke. Leo's expression brightened up a bit as he opened the box, pulling out the sizeable money pouch and slipping it into the inside of his coat. The man also drew out the notebook from the box, an exact copy of the one he had been carrying around earlier and replaced it with the dummy he was using before.

"Your services are always appreciated... I shall require new information on several new names sometime soon... also, could you handle placing these around town... it would be such a hassle for me to do it." Leo said cheerfully as he dropped the stack of fliers next to the man and walked away, flipping through the pages of his new notebook.

_________________

- Morgan -

The pirate shuddered and shook his head as Regah scampered off the ship. He took another pull from his flask. "Too many bloody arms…" he mumbled, climbing the steps to the quarter deck. He still didn't quite understand how these new fangled floating ships worked, and this was the position he would have occupied on a normal vessel. Hooking his thumbs behind his belt, he sighed looking out over the fantastic blue water of the bay. Morgan caught sight of a fisherman who had careened his ship, the coarse grating sound barely reaching his ear. Some of the ships Morgan had sailed on weren't much bigger than that fishing vessel, but they'd hauled in booty all the same. He longed to feel gold between his fingers once more.

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-Regah; In Town-

The port of Cyrill was busy last time Regah had visited it but even more so now with all the recent construction. Citizens and travelers a like hustled about their business, the crowds growing denser the farther from the piers one got. For the most part everyone minded their own business, only a few gave a glance at the creature making his was through the crowds but quickly directed their attention else where. It seemed like a person could get away with anything so long as they stayed quiet about it. Never the less Regah had a task to complete and any place he could find to tack up a flier he did so, aiming for high traffic areas to get the most views. He'd gone through about half of the fliers when he shifted gears and decided to see about taking care of his shopping list.

He knew a few merchants that used to set up shop on this island and he was steadily making his way towards the last places he'd seen them.

Akaine Omorrow: Pine Marten Deck: A pirate's life for meee~

As Akaine continued musing on the past and how she had changed so much, she sauntered over to the main mast again, but this time she leaned against it and took the time to leisurely observe the crew members as they went about their business. She noticed Regah leave and gave him a nod, "Ciao", and Leo asked that she call him by his first name and gave a shrug, "As you wish, Leo." She looked at him for a moment or two longer than necessary, as he seemed absurdly cheerful, and she had a feeling that there were some odd things about the crew members that she had recruited so far...but if the crew had other motives for being on the ship than a pirate's life, who was she to judge? Giving herself a slight shrug, she gave Leo a nod as he left and heard a slight crunch with her large ears.

Head quickly turning to the sound, her eyes narrowed slightly and she dismissed it, taking in Morgan's body language that signaled that nothing was wrong...yet. They were in Cyrill, but she still felt the need to be a little cautious. Once they gained a larger crew, she would be itching to get some loot! She looked out at the sky, and saw some storm clouds sneaking up on the horizon. They seemed to be moving pretty quickly on the warm breeze, almost unnaturally fast.

Raindrops smacked Akaine on the nose and she twitched, blinking and looking up at the sky. "It's sunny..." she said, a little redundantly, as she felt the tip of her nose and gently wiped off the rain drop. The sun was still out, but it was still beginning to rain, how odd. She looked out at the town and frowned as she saw some villagers rushing inside as the downpour began to steadily get stronger and stronger. Most people would head to the pub, or an inn and have a meal while they waited out the storm. She, however, would stay outside for a bit longer, there was something unusual with how quickly this storm was settling in, and she didn't like it.

Meanwhile...
Wave 2: enter.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

- Morgan -

Morgan felt a tap on his hat, he looked up and a raindrop almost hit him in the eye. He looked toward Akaine, frowning worriedly before disappearing below deck to get his jacket. Morgan reappeared walking over to lean against the mast Akaine was perched on. He regarded the rain and the how heavy it was becoming " T'aint natural, Cap'n. There was no sign offa storm, no squall, nothin'." Water started cascading off of his hat, making him look a bit like he had wings of water as the hat did its job and spouted the water over his shoulders. Something wasn't right here, and most of the crew was ashore, Morgan studied the horizon

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Dol'ior
Outside The Splintered Stave

"Ahaha! Finally!"

All around, the people scurried to and fro to find shelter in the midst the unexpected downpour. Dol, however, was having a rather jolly time making somewhat of a fool of himself. Running along the tops of crates and careening over other various obstacles peppering the narrow alleyway that joined the entrance of The Splintered Stave to the main road, Dol was acting uncharacteristically energetic and unreserved. Rain is a wonderful thing he thought, splashing through puddles that had already begun collecting at the corners of buildings and depressions in the roadway. Something like millions of tiny drops of water falling from the sky was a novel experience for one who had lived his entire life underground, after all.

Dol stopped to adjust the second aspect of his appearance that prompted strangers to shy away from him; the thick, incredibly dark goggles that covered the upper half of his face from the bridge of his nose to his hairline. He wiped the moisture from the outside of the goggles and quickly pocketed the handkerchief to keep it dry. Feeling somewhat more levelheaded, he decided it might be a good idea to enjoy the rain later, when he didn't have an important document scrolled up and tucked under his arm. Dol had found the flier on the signboard of The Splintered Stave, and had just walked outside of the tavern to examine the job opportunity further when the surprise storm had started.

Stepping under the slate overhang of a local tailor's shop, Dol unrolled the parchment and began reading it again. He didn't understand some of the jargon and slang, but what he did understand was that a seafaring tradesman of some sort was hiring extra hands to be employed upon their vessel. Dol had not read about "booty" in any of his Overworld history books, but the captain seemed intent on gathering quite a large amount of it as soon as a crew was put together. Well, can't hurt to check the place out. Finding the ship in this rain could be a problem though. The Pine Marten... Hmm...

- Jacques Desmarais - Hopping in the Rain~

Jacques's already large eyes seemed to dilate and expand into an unnerving glare. He stared at the creature before him known as Regah. He frowned as the words "little green friend" seemed to burrow their way out of his mess of white hair.

"Eh...I'm fine Monsieur Zelrinch" He managed to say as he took a stack of fliers from his...umm bony digit.

Jacques then looked back up at the captain who had just given them the go ahead to explore the mainland. He shook his wobbly head to break his glare and grinned at her positive response.

"T-Thank you Mademoiselle!" he bowed once more and moved away from the hairy squid, making a mental note to himself to not allow it near his clean kitchen.

he waited for the charming, note making scoundrel, called Leo, and Regah to disembark the vessel before him. He didn't wish to be followed or be forced to engage in pleasantries again.

Just as he was about to leave, rain started to strangely fall from the sunny sky above. Jacques looked up and quickly the hot, sun filled day was transforming into a whirling stormy torrent of rain. He watched first mate Morgan spring below deck as the heavy rain began to splash and crash loudly upon the Pine Marten. In seconds Jacques was soaked, his long moustache hanging heavily over his mouth no longer twisty and springy.

He beamed happily and spun crazily on one leg while the other kicked waves of water in all directed.
"Bwahahahhaha!"
He embraced the wet, cool and cleansing gift from the heavens.
He then dropped the completely drenched fliers in a wet clump and ecstatically leapt off the ship.
"Au revoir mwhahahaha!" he said maniacally as he hopped merrily into town.

❀Yuuki Whitefang - In Cyrill❀

Glass beads began to tinkle as the wind picked up. White ears flicked back and forth as they caught the first raindrops on them. Ice blue eyes looked up to watch the clouds roll swiftly in as Yuuki made no move to hide from the rain. Here in Cyrill, the rain felt nice. Yuuki had only been in the luscious port town for a few weeks, enjoying the sandy beaches, warm waters and good food after removing herself from the lists of the last ship she had been on. She enjoyed the work on a ship, but the previous crew had been terrible, treating her like a slave when it came to working on board. It wasn't her fault that she was stronger than they were, and they had resented her for it. So she was on board for less than two months before they had reached Cyrill and she had left. She hadn't been paid well, so she had been sleeping on the beach, waiting for a new ship to come in so she could move on to the next thing.

For her, constantly moving was all she knew. She couldn't remember a home, or a family, just constantly travelling, so she moved from place to place, from ship to ship, no matter what kind it was. She'd been on pirate crews and merchant vessels, but never military ones. She kicked the sand in front of her boot a little, thinking about the ships she could remember being on. A protector on some, a raider on others, but never with any for an extended period of time. She had no idea how many ships she had been on either, but she supposed it didn't matter, since she was still alive.

But a faint rumble from her stomach brought her out of her thoughts. It was pouring heavily now, and she was completely drenched. Fishing the last of her pay out of it's hiding place, she headed towards the port town from her secluded stretch of beach. She could fend for herself if she needed to, but the way they prepared the fish around here was just too good for her to resist. And if she had any luck, there might be a new ship at anchor today. It didn't take her long to get back into town, where the streets were mostly deserted due to the rain. She stood for a while in the square, trying to decide what shop she should go to for lunch. Normally she would just follow her nose, but now all she could smell was the rain.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

Akaine Omorrow: A Little Rain

"Why, you're welcome!" She chuckled as she saw Jacques's sudden change in emotion, and was glad that some people on the crew were a little more lighthearted than others. She was hoping that this crew wouldn't become a bunch of old-timers that were far too grouchy for their own good. That was never any fun. She noted his bow and was slightly touched. Not too many people still bowed these days, and even when they did, it was sometimes done as an insult, or in an even more rare turn of events, there was still a form of chivalry out there. She could tell that Jacques was a ladies man, and she was quite happy about it. At least the food would be good!(if not excellent!)

Akaine tilted her sopping ears at Morgan and frowned slightly, giving him a look that said 'Really?' in a humorous tone. "Of course it is!" She exclaimed, not quite sure if she was excited for this unusual turn of events or not. She watched Morgan walk away and come back with his hat on, and held in a slight smirk. She found it funny that the guy insisted on wearing a hat..but then again, maybe his parts needed to be kept out of the water.

She almost burst into good-natured laughter as she saw Jacques thoroughly enjoying the rainy weather. Her own ears, long hair and tail were now soaked, and she almost looked like a cat that had been shoved in the bathtub. She didn't look like she really minded it. She was thinking over the fliers that were finding their way into possible crew members' hands. It had tomorrow, noon as the meeting time, and the place was the Pine Marten. She hoped that there weren't too many creepers. She didn't want to have to throw people off the ship this early in the crew-collecting.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Aki Lightingfall, In Cyrill: Rain, rain...-

Underneath the canopy of a hastily erected shelter sat Aki Lightingfall. The market seller was just about to hand her a pile of jerky into her bag when the rain started falling. With nowhere else to go and holding an increasingly damp bag of jerky she sat inside the empty stall. Pulling one out she started chewing, shifting her pack and cloth covered sword backwards a bit to get more comfortable.
For a port town, it was surprisingly lacking in notable events. Rain was the most excitement she had experience since her arrival two days ago. Though stares and points directed at her were common as she toured the town, she was nonetheless rather comfortable, feeling good about her fifteen minutes of fame. Still it was rather boring. There was hope of something exciting or dangerous that could come. A feeling that was building up with each passing moment.

She liked danger. That was the most fun part of anything in the world.

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- Join the HUMP LEGION. Leading the Humping and Bumping since time began...*humpa humpa humpa* -

Note to self. Pg541

- Jacques Desmarais - Hoppin' and Shoppin'

Within a hop, skip and a jump Jacques was in the centre of the empty town square. Everyone had dashed inside shops, saloons and homes in order to escape the stormy weather, but Jacques revelled in all its splendour. He childishly jumped in the odd puddle, laughing as he waddled towards the local merchant stores.

This particular port was known to him as he was, after all, a renowned chef in Cyrill. He pushed open the door and the bell above jingled, alerting the sage-like aardvark who sat behind his array of exotic spices.

Jacques’s lips wobbled in delight at the sight of the display. He engaged in a polite conversation with the merchant, showing off his vast culinary knowledge. There were spices, plants and herbs from all over.

There was an orange pot of healthy copper cacti from the deserts of Aetherius (The tangy juices within would go great in a rich salad). There was a rare branch, covered in multicoloured leaves, from the glades of Eioyui (The leaves, when crushed, add a multitude of tastes and smells to any stew). Nestled between trays of spice powder was a ornate bottle of crystal clear glacier water from the frozen tundra’s of Umbar. This water remained ice cold, even within summer (the water can be used to make a rich tea or nutritious fruit juice that cleanses and detoxes the body)

Jacques eyes sparkled with desire. He haggled with the merchant, using his renown and offering to also give him some helpful tips when using certain items in his store. In the end, Jacques was able to procure a few tiny bags of assorted spices, herbs, an Aetheriusian Cactus , as well as a flask of clear Umberian water.

He grinned at the merchant, waved goodbye and stepped once more into the pouring rain, happily making his way back to the ship.

-Regah; In Town-

Fortune was with Regah, he'd only just ducked into a shop when the rain began to fall. He himself didn't mind getting a little wet but it made dealing with people harder he'd found. Most importantly his lists were completely unharmed and he quickly drew them out of his pockets. Haggling was always a bit like a battle of wills, Regah's intimidating appearance and excellent intuition usually lent him a great advantage. Some might even say he was picking on the frail looking yet always smiling old man tending to his wares, but the walls lined with an assortment of masks, from the mundane to the bizarre, always seemingly eyeing customers would say otherwise.

The two exchanged pleasantries, studying the other carefully before beginning the duel. There was no item which wasn't subject to scrutiny. However the price wasn't the only topic, it was often possible to get a bargain or get ripped off by asking for different amounts of goods at different price. Inevitably this battle also tested the participant's awareness of the world as events around the various trading points influenced prices. One could quickly learn a lot about things which had seemingly nothing to do with trading, just by listening in on these sorts of exchanges.

Sometimes one could wrap up their shopping in a matter of minutes but this would not be one of those times, as minutes started to become hours of conversation. The battle was over as abruptly as it started though, Regah coming out a little better than he'd thought he would. Time worked in his favor this time, as other customers had arrived during the duel each of them a potential lost sale if not attended to. After arranging the delivery Regah began to make his way back through town.

[Eward: At a restaurant in town.]

Eward sat relaxed as he took a sip from the drink that he had ordered from the richly tanned looking waitress that has served him. Even though the sun was shining brightly on this tropical looking places Eward was wearing all black, he wore a turtleneck sweater, fingerless gloves and a pair of leg hugging trousers. This was because he was playing his favourite role; food critic. Pretend to be one of them well enough and you get all the free food you want, mainly because if you didn't you could make a comments about giving a bad review, that certainly put the fear of 'god' in them him in this case being the figure of god. Well in a metaphorical sense anway, he had ordered Seared White Sturgeon with Caviar Beurre Blanc as he felt like having something in white sauce, something rich and creamy to help him wet his lips. He had also ordered blood orange cocktail, just to appease his lust while playing 'Mr. Nice Vampire'. The waitress soon came back with his meal, she bowed curteously after placing the meal in front of him. "Ah vank very madam, it looks delicioso." Eward placed his napkin in his lap and picked up his fork, he'd been given a reasonable portion compared to most michelin style orders that other people were recieving.

He plucked a boiled new potato from the small pile that lay next to some asparagus and a small mound of cabbage, the new potato look nicely done and was covered in white sauce that covered the seared sturgeom. He placed the new potato in his mouth and the flavour instantly hit him, it was delicious, rich and flavoursome. It was soft and moist as he ate, he had forgotten how good true food could be as it'd been a while since he'd had a holiday or even been away from his house. The sun bounced off his parasol he'd placed behind him so the rays would not scorch his skin but he could enjoy the pleasent warmth and the fresh sea breeze. The only dampner on this pleasant day was...the rain? How could it be raining and still beautifully sunny, breezy and warm? This confused Eward, even through his many years of travelling and having seen quite a few things he'd never seen or known anything like this before. He moved his parasol slightly so that rain didn't fall on him or his food while still trying to block the sun from scorching him.

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As Aki was in the empty Jerky stall, munching on jerky, the rain continued to fall, and as the sky quickly grew dark and cloudy and the wind started picking up, one particularly large raindrop fell to the ground and splattered. The noise was hidden from anyone outside in the rain because the rainfall had increased exponentially. In the splatter behind the stall, something grew. As the small droplets resulting from the raindrop fell to the ground, the dark grey matter began to increase in size but not shape. This creature was of no shape, rather, it took on the shape of others. Quickly it grew to the size of a 'medium' human, it flattened itself into the rain on the ground, almost becoming the rain itself. It began to hunger. It saw warmth in the stall and began to crawl into the stall through cracks in the flimsy wooden construct, its black eyes glowing very softly as it concentrated on it's first meal.

All over Cyrill, these creatures were beginning to grow from raindrops, but they remained in the dark. Wherever there were lights, they did not go near, for they were of the dark.

Akaine Omorrow: Ship
Akaine kept to the deck for the next hour or so, but left a lamp out on the deck. She left the lamp on the deck, protected from the rain by thick glass panes arranged in a way that kept the rain outside of the lamp. Hopefully her existing crew members would find their way back to the ship with this light. If others flocked to the light, she wouldn't turn them away, because it was quite dark and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. It would be dangerous to travel now.

She hoped that her crew was somewhere safe and that the fliers were somewhere dry, because the meeting to recruit new members, was to be tomorrow. She held the door open for everyone that was on the deck to come inside, but remained at the door, deciding if she should stay outside for a watch or not. This weather was really suspicious, and she wished that her eyes were sharper, but there wasn't much that she could see in the dark outside the actual ship and the rain was falling so hard by now that it would be very difficult to see very far even if it wasn't so dark.

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Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

[Eward-Still at the restaurant]

Eward carried on eating his meal, enjoying the great taste while those around him scattered inside to find shelter. The darkness that had suddenly arrived did not bother him, he enjoyed the dark and the gloom that this rain had brought about. Though there was something that irked him as he supped at his drink and dined on his fancy meal, there was intelligence in the rain. Not that any normal being would notice but there was something malevolant that Eward could not put his finger on. Something moved out of the corner of his eye, his keen senses were heightened in this weather than when it was bright and sunny. He could concentrate past the falling raindrops and pick out sounds with his vampiric talents. Some kind of creature or creatures were manifesting in the rain and in the darkness, this did not stop him eating however but put him on edge. If provoked he would respond, however he was not for now so he carried on eating, even ordering a second glass of fine wine from the completely bemused waitress who had to hold a menu over her head to serve him. 'Ah now zis is vhat I call a 'oliday, fine vine, fine food and this pleasant if not a tad sinister weather. Practically like 'ome but better!'.

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-Regah, getting very wet-

Harsh weather like this wasn't really something that phased the robust physiology of the We, still it was shocking how quickly the weather had progressed. Umbar frequently had blizzards that caught the inexperienced off guard but they always had subtle tells if you knew what to look for. This storm had gone from raining in the day to being as dark as night, or close at least, and the ferocity of the wind and rain threatened to rip off anything not firmly held down. Regah was certain the fliers he'd placed were gone now, which meant he'd have to take his time going back to put the rest inside where they'd be safe from the storm.

A little ways ahead of him Regah thought he saw motion in the rain, however there was no recognizable form to be seen. Narrowing his eyes he entered the first store on his right, just to be cautious. It turned out to be a restaurant, a perfect sort of place to wait out a storm. While waiting to be served he noted a figure holding an umbrella already eating and a nearby message board. Fishing a flier from the safety of his inner pockets, it was a little damp still but not nearly ruined, he tacked it up in one corner of the board. Once he'd had a seat he ordered meatloaf and roasted potatoes and waited for the food to arrive, occasionally glancing outside to see if the sudden storm had ended yet.

The clouds high above in the atmosphere roiled and churned, almost seeming to fold in upon themselves in an effort to increase their own density and duskiness. The downpour became a torrent, forming ever-widening rivulets running across the higher roads in an effort to drain off into the wharf. As Dol drew closer to his destination, he found himself splashing through longer and deeper puddles than he had anticipated, thoroughly soaking his unusual shoes and the bottoms of his baggy raiment. The day had grown dark, dark even for Dol with his goggles on, and the rain plastered itself to his eyewear in constant sheets. Gotta take these things off... Dol removed his modified welder's goggles, and instantly the world was as bright to him as if the Oversun was shining clearly above.

The needling pricks of light from uncovered openings that usually plagued him in the darkest hours of a town's night were no longer a worry, as the driving rain had caused everybody to draw their blinds and shutter their windows against the storm. As Dol sloshed along down the ever-narrowing streets approaching the docks proper, he started picking out formless patches of dark on the ground even he couldn't see through. That's odd... It almost seems like they're moving in the rain! I wonder if this is a normal thing to happen during an Overworld storm. He even fancied he saw some sort of many-limbed white-haired humanoid hurry past a couple streets down. Somehow, though, none of the dark patches obstructed Dol's path to the wharf.

Finally arriving at the docks, he stopped to scan the line of ships for any with the name "Pine Marten" engraved on the side.Well I was planning to just walk by and observe the crew of this ship at work, but it seems unlikely that any ship's master would be carousing about the deck in what so many consider undesirable weather. I wonder if the captain would mind me introducing myself today, or if they would see that as improper given the circumstances... But unfortunately this rain is starting to soak into my pack, and the way to my inn is quite a distance from here. It would be nice to have a chance to dry off before trekking back.