Date: 10-23-796, noon ------- Location: The Greenest Dolphin, Quarterdeck
It's been a few days of mild sailing, with sunny southern-Adelantean weather, save for some fog one night. The deck is freshly swabbed of shark blood, thanks to the efforts of a darkly-tanned crewmate.
(Paldeo): The captain is up on the quarterdeck, standing manfully at the wheel. His sharkskin captain's hat is set at a jaunty angle, and he seems to be in good spirits. One hand rests comfortably on an uppermost wooden spoke as he glances over at the darkly-tanned crewmate and comments something in offhand Elukoi, a low mumble followed by a chuckle.
Sea wind gusts across the deck in a pleasant breeze, and a gull dips between the sails above with a screech before wheeling off over the surface of the calm waves off the stern.
(Rostam): Rostam mounts to the Quarterdeck and smiles as he approaches the wheel. He speaks in broken Ruvic as he greets the Captain, his whole body suffused with goodwill. "Good day, Captain! Is lovely weather!" Apparently sure of his welcome, or at least uncaring if he elicits an unpleasant reaction, the tall man plants himself there, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing out toward the figurehead. It's as though he were actually at home on the quarterdeck, rather than a blatant intruder.
(Paldeo): "Ahaa, Murzuni!" is how the captain hails Rostam, with a big toothy grin. One hand readjusts his hat, the other taps a finger thrice against the wooden wheel. "Have you found that heqet yet?" There's a laugh, but Paldeo's voice has the uncomfortable hint of charming teeth in it when he adds, "What's Etennay paying you for?!"
(Rostam): "Aha, Captain! Is not in bilge! Have now waded through filth twice. Is not in hold, that I can find. Is not in quarters. Is a great mystery." Rostam spreads his hands and says, good-naturedly, "For pay -- am not actually being paid, Captain. Just am given fishing rod." There's a faint trace of 'you get what you pay for' in his voice as he smiles. "Am pursuing all inquiries."
(Paldeo): The Captain gives a bit of a sour grumble, but his good nature doesn't appear to have entirely vanished. "A fishing rod..?" he asks with amusement, and then shakes his head wryly. "Oh, Etennay," he tells the wheel in soft dismay, and gives it a friendly pat under his hand as a pleasant burst of wind billows out the sail above tightly for a moment.
"Such a good wind, eh, Murzuni?"
(Rostam): Glancing back over his shoulder in the direction of the wind, and then up at the bellied-out sails, Rostam inclines his head once. "From where do you think your shark-meat and haddock come, Captain? Yes, is gift from Etennay Tekra in return for seeking out heqet." He seems imperviously cheerful. After a length of silence, he says "Captain, what cargo we haul?"
(Illi): Illi spots Rostam and the Captain from across the deck, and steps over to join them, speaking in slightly-less broken Ruvic. "The weather is pleasant enough for a chat, and questions? This is good." "If Rostam does not find this heqet, I will be shocked; or else believe it to all have been swiftly consumed. Too swiftly; heqet is of Amunat." "...I had a question or two, as well, to join Rostam's," he admits to both men. "We pass by Amunat, and the great city, Kneph-Nabhet. It is a beauty; will we stop there, or travel past?"
(Paldeo): Paldeo nods over at Illi as the coppery young man approaches, and offers a grin and a, "Afternoon," spoken in easy Elukoi.
Then he purses his lips and hums thoughtfully at the question. "Might do, might do," he concedes in Ruvic, gaze slipping briefly to Rostam before giving Illi a wink. "Might be we can pick up some fresh heqet, then." The captain seems brightened by this thought, and proceeds to whistle a short but happy tune through his teeth while focusing briefly towards the bow of the ship.
A couple seconds later, though, that whistle stops mid-note. "Only..." His brow wrinkles. "Etennay seems to be in a hurry. Might not have time to change course." That carefree expression turns grim from inward mulling over some evidently darker thought.
Above, the wind stays strong and even in the sails under a beautiful clear blue sky.
(Rostam): His question unanswered, Rostam doesn't seem terribly bothered. He grins to Illi Idir as the other man greets him, then glances about for a moment before venturing to Paldeo, "Etennay seem worried about weather." The way he phrases it is slightly uneasy; he glances aft, toward the sky behind the ship. To Illi, he adds, "I should like to visit Amunat," almost shyly. "If not now, perhaps sometime soon. See great cities of your land."
(Illi): "A good one; pretty." Illi speaks in Elukoi briefly, but warmly, and he suggests, as an answer to Rostam, back to Ruvic: "I thought -we- were the cargo."
"Great and ancient--it would be something of a diversion...up some miles of delta, but it is a beautiful journey. Incredible. It will be a shame if we miss it...but if we travel in great speed, that is not the way. It is great and ancient...but sometimes, it is crowded and slow," the coppery young man reminisces.
Illi takes a few moments to breath in deep of the sea, and only after does he admit: "I am not sure I have met Etennay. At first, I thought Etennay was the -last- cook."
(Paldeo): Paldeo barks a laugh and shakes his head, that one hand resting on the wheel shifting to lazily curl around a spoke. "You are cargo," he agrees with Illi, and looks to Rostam with a mirthful wink. "And aye. Etennay's worried for a storm, but the shipwitch doesn't say a thing to me. Idiot boy." He seems more scornfully amused than truly angry, though, and simply shrugs one shoulder with a sigh of feigned long-suffering. "Look at these beautiful skies."
A pause. "Still, the Adelantean is unpredictable, so..." Grinning again, the captain finishes, "I'll listen to Etennay. That's what my gut tells me to do, this time."
(GM): OOC: Paldeo just rolled magnetism and dissembling, coming up with 63.
(Rostam): "I see," ventures Rostam after a few thoughtful moments. He scratches at the back of his neck, just beneath his turban as he smiles over at the other two gentlemen. After a few moments, he says, "I see, yes. We passengers and our goods is all cargo, yes." He sniffs absently, thumbing his nose after a moment and looks out to sea. "Sea-witch is good boy, seems to me. And First Mate Etennay Tekra --" a glance to Illi Idir as he drops the hint, "--very wise person."
He glances sidelong again at Captain Paldeo, measuringly, but says no more.
(GM): OOC: Rostam just rolled acuity and dissembling, coming up with 49.
(Illi): "When it comes to mysticism, in my limited experience...I have found patience goes a long way." Illi suggests this neutrally, of the seawitch, He'll smile to Rostam at the helpful name-dropping, and nod.
"Well, if Etennay Tekra says to sail, I can make no argument otherwise. This is my first time on a boat not on the Tamarat. It is...an experience."
(GM): OOC: Illi just rolled intuition by itself, coming up with 20.
(Paldeo): "Hmm-mm," the Captain agrees smoothly with Rostam, and glances to Illi with a grin. "First time, ey? Well, you're doing better than those silken landlubbers horking all over the deck..." He snorts and gives a wry headshake, then glances up at the sky. A cautious squint, along with a growing frown, twists his features. "Hmm. Dust. Not good to see, so far out from shore..."
(Rostam): Turning to watch the sky as it shifts to a strange coppery hue, Rostam purses his lips for a moment. The wind, beginning to back to the stern of the ship and pick up, brings a foreboding streamer of dust forward. "It does happen though, sometimes. Yes, Captain?" His Ruvic slips in his concern -- not growing worse, but growing a touch better. Perhaps all his practice aboardship is paying off.
"Is there anything that we, the passengers, should do?"
(Paldeo): "Aye," replies Paldeo, his carefree demeanor beginning to tighten into exactly the sort of confident determination that a sailor might want to see in a captain facing hazardous conditions. "Stay below decks or in the forecastle. We'll take care of this."
Sure enough, the first mate's shouting can already be heard as sailors hurry to cut the sails and secure ropes in preparation for the seawind-swept sandstorm. Maybe those predictions had some weight after all. After the sandstorm, though, will the danger be past?
(Illi): Illi Idir, of great Amunat, as he often introduces himself knows sandstorms. And he knows when to trust others to do a job he's incapable of, it seems; he doesn't ask, and doesn't need to be told twice. He suggests to Rostam: "The galley; perhaps there is more bread," in Sirdabi, tells Paleo, "God and the Saints look over you," in Elukoi--and he swiftly heads for the galley, to get out of the way. No arguing, no waiting.
(Rostam): Rostam looks to Paldeo with a simple nod, accepting the instructions without question. He seems to trust this confident persona, and he also seems unsurprised to see it -- as though he has already gleaned something of the sea captain's inner life. He raises fist to heart, an echo of his own past life, and says, laconically, "Enjoy the work, Captain," before hurrying toward the foredeck. Along the way, he tries to encourage fellow passengers to go below as well.
(GM): OOC: The scene fades to black.