The Sea Adventure

[Dzrg]

OOC
It has been a week since the last post, time to go to sea.
Sakura can catch up with us.

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The Deck Force was scurrying about, battening down the hatches, securing gear adrift and completing the titivation of topside. The anchor detail took another turn on the capstan to ensure that the anchor was housed firmly. A few seamen were singling up the mooring lines.

The Master of the Tops had his crew climbing up and through the rigging, ensuring that masts and spars were clear for the sails. The lashings on the furled sails were loosened in preparation for getting underway.

Some of the hands eyed the brow now and then, sizing up the newcomers, wondering what sort they were. Those who looked too long were given a swift kick in the butt by the Bosun or the Master at Arms. This caused their shipmates to laugh heartily.

The Ship's Clerk stood at the head of the brow with the Sailing List, checking off the new sailors as they came aboard. The breeze was beginning to freshen and the slack high tide was just beginning to ebb. Soon would be the ideal time to get underway.

Most of the sailors had spent all their money and were ready to put to sea in the hopes of filling their purses.

[Uta O'Fuarain]

Uta looked at the ship as she approached. It looked sea worthy. It looked good. Certainly it looked better than the bucket she had arrived from Prime in. Her sea bag was slung over her shoulder. It didn't contain much - a change of clothes, a few personal items, she had little to her name at this point in her life.

As she walked aboard she gave her name to the man with the sailing list and waited for instructions. She had only sailed the once, and while she could follow orders, she supposed that things were done a little differently on each ship, depending on the whims and quirks of the Captain and his Mates.

[Josiah Bones]

The sea calls. It has a voice of its own, a will defined through its tempest and gales. Shouldering what little he had, the burly man known as Josiah Bones walked in slow, thin strides towards the vessel. Had he still had The Triskel, it would've outran any ship in this port, and looking at the bobbing mass of flotsam before him forced him to reconsider his decision multiple times.

But The Triskel was his no longer. Buried beneath a forty stone drop in the waves lost in the harbors of the forgotten seas. He had not forgotten how he had survived. Had not forgotten that despite all his years and decades of hard work, he was now reduced to a common man.

That was the lot of his life. A poor soul on a fools errand.

But the captain is always called to the sea. A seafaring man fared no better on land, and Bones missed the gentle rock of the waves, and the seducing scents of the sea spray lashed mercilessly against the rocks. The sea was his home, the ship was merely a vessel for it.

Stepping onto the ship, Bones surveyed his surroundings with a surly eye. Not one to make his presence known he just sat there, tongue behind his teeth as he watched the sailors scurry to and fro across the deck.

[Sakura D'aron]

OOC: Dzrg, have I told you you're an angel? A scary one, but an angel none the less. Thank you kindly for making things move along in my absense. I can only hope you continue to be around in case I take another long leave. X_X you never know... babies are complicated ya know? :P

IC:

Sakura had been staring out to sea lost in thought. She was happy to be finally setting out again, even if it was in a silly search for some lost and unknown treasure. Her crew was happy too, and that put her mind at ease, if only a little.

Old Tom approached her then with his big goofy smile and she blinked turning her gaze to him. "What?" She asked blankly. "Oh nothing lass, just wanted to say thank you for doing this old man a favor. Not many would have done what you have." He said unusually sober.

Sakura was speechless for a moment then smirked. "Whatever, but you had better pray to the gods that nothing happens to my crew... or my ship. Anything happens to my ship and I shall skin you alive old man." She said with a smile but did not disguise the seriousness of her voice. It was no secret that she loved the Evening Star with a vengence, and she did not like the idea of losing her ship to some old crazy man's tale.

With that she turned her back to the old man and made her way to her first mate. "Victor, how much longer is this going to take? We need to hurry up." She said impatiently though why she couldn't tell. "I don't want to see a single pair of hands idle until we're underway." She said to Victor who only nodded for he was all too used to her quick mood changes.

"Oh, and make sure everyone that's supposed to be here is here will ya. Wouldn't want to be leaving anyone behind." She said sternly, her crew was small enough as it was, she wanted all the hands she could get.

OOC: Sorry if it's short and crappy... hopefully... i'll get better ^_^

[Dzrg]

Sailors/Pirates belong on ships and ships belong at sea. As ordered by the Bosun, the line handlers singled up all mooring lines and the Master of the Tops ordered the appropriate sails to be unfurled. The Special Sea Detail was ready to put to sea and the ship seemed to quiver in anticipation of getting underway. Before the mooring lines became taut, the Bosun called out, "Bring in the Bow Line. Bring in the Midships Line. Bring in the After Line." With the ship free of the pier, the bow eased seaward and forward. They were underway.

At the Quarterdeck, the Helmsman turned the Ship's Wheel as ordered by the Officer of the Deck and the ship was soon in the Main Channel and headed out to sea. Once the ship responded to gentle swells, the old salts felt at home but some of the crew who were new to the sea were beginning to feel a tad light headed and even dizzy. Balance was not a matter to take for granted and for some there was even question of whether the previous meal would remain where it was.

[Uta O'Fuarain]

Uta watched as the lines were pulled in and as the land began to slip away into the distance. The shipped rocked on the sea and she knew she'd have to find her sea legs. The spray hit her and she tasted the salt. She was glad to see the land fade and glad to feel the ocean swells.

She went to the crews quarters and stowed her gear - the little of it that she had - and then came back top side, waiting for orders.

[Sakura D'aron]

OOC: lol, I had honestly considered this thread long dead! Leave it to Dzrg to bring things back to life ^_^, mind you, I'm quite greatful. And Uta, ^_^ thanks for still sticking around as it is.

IC:

Sakura sighed with relief seeing they were finally on their way. Though it was only a small consolation, for she did not like being in control of where they were going and what they where doing. As it was, she was not sure where they were going, what they were to face, and worst of all, she had no idea what they were after. Foolish old man!

But at least they were doing something, and that was much better than doing nothing. Turning around she walked over to her first mate, Victor and smiled. "Alright, our own crew know their place aboard so I will not have to bother them for the time being. Though you know we are wise to keep an dedicated eye on Elmer, he is sure to start trouble any moment now and wont stop until this is over." She said shaking her head. "So, have the new hands gather around so that we may assing them something to do. At least I won't have to do our dreaded speech about how we're actually pirates, since they're all well aware we are to begin with. Though I'm not entirely sure it's a wise thing. So, have all new hands gather around. I'm not entirely sure how many actually showed up in the end." She said to Victor then waited as he did as he was told.

Victor of course, simply took a few steps forward and with his great bellowing voice said, "All new hands on deck now if you please!" then turned around and grinned at Sak. "What? I don't think we have many new hands if any to be honest." He said amused.

Sakura shook her head dissaprovingly. "I could've done that myself ya know?" She said darkly then waited to see who had showed up in the end. She hadn't noticed anyone but her regular crew so far.

OOC: I know it's crappy, but @_@ I've forgotten half of what I had meant to do with this adventure, but dun worry, I'm naturally forgetful and it will come back to me soon enough. And if not, Dzrg is always full of great ideas ^_^

[Uta O'Fuarain]

Uta was slightly jolted out of dark thoughts by a bellowing voice for "All new hands". She supposed that meant her. She turned for one last look at the point she had been looking toward and then briskly walked to the source of the voice - the first mate, she took a chance at guessing. No doubt he had orders to pass on from the Captain. Uta was curious. The old salts were going about their business with an efficiency that spoke of a familiarity with both the ship, the sea and one another. An efficiency that she knew she could not hope to match at this point.

OOC: No apologies needed. I'm glad the thread hasn't completely flat-lined yet.

[Dzrg]

Even though Billy Bob Bierce served onboard Black Dolphin when Sakura was Captain, he was one of the new hands on this ship so he walked over toward the First Mate. Billy Bob, a fairly young mature human, had hanging from his belt a cutlass, dagger and a hickory bludgeon, the end of which was loaded with lead. Tucked in his belt were metal belaying pins that were lethal weapons when they hit the mark smartly. He stood close to Uta. No point in mingling with the fellows when there was a trim and chic lass with whom to get better acquainted. Billy Bob had seen her aboard Black Dolphin but not yet had the pleasure of checking her out.

He was not one the superstitious lot who thought that women aboard ship were bad luck. In fact he thought that a tad of congeniality with a pert lass was just what was needed to brighten up an otherwise dull social life at sea.

Billy Bob looked toward the Captain and "Best o' the brightening to ya, skipper", and nodded, then he nodded at the First Mate. That done, he stood close to Uta, winked at her, cast a friendly smile and said, "Billy Bob's the name in case you missed it. I hail from Black Dolphin as well."

[Uta O'Fuarain]

Uta noticed the man approaching, but said nothing. He had a sailors range of weapons hung on him and he had an air that he was competent with all of them. He greeted the Captain and the mate and then gave her a wink and a smile. She channeled the several rude comments she had slipping through her mind into a slightly less unfriendly and somewhat less belligerent raise of an eyebrow and nod of her head. She wasn't much for conversation or small talk. She preferred to listen. You learned more with your mouth shut, she thought, and there was plenty for her to learn here.

[Sakura D'aron]

Sakura watched the two newcomers carefully. Billy of course, was as charming as ever, if you could call that charming, and in a lot of ways, as far as live at sea was concern, he was in fact, charming though a bit bold. She almost smiled at Uta's reaction to the man. Normally, she was always concerned when she hired on female hands, for it was no secret that the Evening Star (and most other ships for that fact) was mostly occupied by men, and the presence of women aboard were few and far between. Though she sorely missed both Kaidy and Xera but she had to admit they had moved on, and the better for them.

"You must be Uta, if memory serves me right." Sakura said pleasantly to the girl. "I'm most glad you were able to make it aboard." She said then turned her attention to Billy. "It's comforting to see another familiar face aboard, I hope you find The Evening Star to your liking." She said politely then was thoughtful for a moment.

"Uta, I'm not sure how familiar you are with a ship. If I'm not mistaken I think you mentioned you did not have much experience in sailing. If that is so, that's ok, not to worry. Depending or your skills you can either be just a regular sailor and join the crew with their chores, they're not complicated mind you. It mainly consists of keeping the ship in an orederly fashion." She said then smiled with a hint of mischief. "Men, I'm sure you've noticed, tend to be a bit... unkept if left to their own devices." She said with a chuckle then turned to Billy. "Not that I mean any offence to it. As for you Mr. Bierce, I of course, know you from Terra but would you be so kind as to remind me of your skills? I'd hate to missplace you when you could be put to better use." She said thoughtfully.

[Uta O'Fuarain]

Uta turned to the Captain. She had an air of straight forward competence and command that one would expect from a good ship's Captain. Uta replied to the woman's words, "Indeed, my ships skills are minimal. I worked my way to Imperia on a ship, doing basic ship's chores, but that is the extent of my on board knowledge. I'd like to learn more and to help where I'm needed." She had added the qualifier of "ship's chores" so that the other woman wouldn't get the impression that she had worked her way over laying on her back, indeed, had Uta been her mother that's the most likely way she would have worked her passage out.

The Captain and Billy Bierce seemed to know one another and it appeared that the Captain respected the man. That was good to know. The captain also appeared to have a sense of humor, which was good as well.

[Dzrg]

It seemed that Uta did not have all that much enthusiasm to cultivate a cozy friendship, so Billy Bob said no more to her.

When the Captain addressed him, he replied, "No offense taken Captain. On previous ships I've worked the Tops, been on the Deck Force, and tried my hand as an Artificer. I didn't care much for the working with mechanical contraptions so now I avoid that sort of work. I've served on Boarding Parties and I kind of like that. A bit of action and getting first look at the loot is to my liking.

"My last billet was as Leading Seaman. That said, I'm not Mr. Bierce, never been a Ship's Officer, not looking to be. The fo'csul is good enough for me. I'm just Billy Bob."

[Uta O'Fuarain]

At the mention of boarding parties Uta narrowed her eyes. There was something that interested her. "Captain, I do have a bit of experience with shortswords, if there's a call." She said the last fully aware that there most likely would be a call for such on a ship like this. Her two blades were in sheaths across her back, rigged to allow her movement and to hold them securely until needed.

[Sakura D'aron]

Sakura smiled brightly as she listened to Billy. She could certainly understand his staying away from being an officer or any such sort. She herself didn't exactly like being in a leading position. Had it not been for Dzrg naming her captain of the Black Dolphin so long ago, she would've been more than perfectly happy being just a regular sailor. But alas, things did not always go the way she wanted, and now here she was, not only a pirate, but a captain to boot. She didn't exactly consider herself lucky in her position. But Dzrg had meant well (as far as she was concern), and like Billy, he'd been happier not being in direct control of a ship, though he'd proven to be very helpful none-the-less. Espeicially when it came to killing dreadful captains...

"The Fo'castle for you it is then Billy. I know I can trust you to keep yourself busy and useful." She said with a smile though she had very much noticed the belaying pins he carried. While she knew they could be very useful, she had come to dislike them since her time aboard the Black Dolphin. She could still clearly remember Redbeard and how severely injured he ended up. She only hoped Billy would not use them in such a bloody way.

Sakura then turned to Uta and studied her with an arched brow for a moment. The girl was not helpless after all. "I'm very pleased to hear you have some experience with a blade. It means you can defend yourself more likely than not, if need be." She said with a smile.

"And while I hope there won't be need for blades in this particular expedition, I'm sure there will likely be. Now, I'm not sure where exactly you'd like to work Uta. If you've any skill with cooking, you could work with our cook Cutty... err... Nigel Cutty as we call him." She said with a chuckle. "Or you can go and work with Sam, Jim and Ian, they're regular sailors, they particularly enjoy deck duty. They're the only three that actually ENJOY cleaning." She said with a small laugh. "Or if there's any other position you think would suit you better let me know and I'll do my best to accomodate you."

Victor had been standing by Sak's side silently listening. "I'd like to give you a word of advise to da both of ya..." He now said in a calm voice. "While most of our regular crew and usually civilized men, and dun much bother n'one else, there is one or two that particularly enjoy making people's lives misserable. One such person to be weary of is our Elmer. He's quite the sour ol' dog and he may not take well to your... friendly personallity Billy Bob, and Miss Uta, being a lady and all, he'll prol'y bother you sooner than later. While our Captain preffers no violens while we're aboard the ship, she does understand the needed use of force when it comes to defending yourselves. And of course, should our little weasel bother you, he'll be punished of course. So you've only to tell use." He said clearly then turned to Sak. "Didn't mean to interrupt you Azul but they should be aware of such trouble makers, especially Uta here. You know how Elmer bothered our Xera and Kaidy..." He said then nodded. "Well, if y'all excuse me, I've got errands to do and what not." And with tha he walked away from them.

Sakura sighed looking at Billy and Uta. "He's right you know? Elmer is well... a bitter creature to say the least. He's also quite opposed to having females aboard... let alone to Captain a ship. And I can tell you from experience he's got a mean fist." She said with a cold smile. "Anyhow, we shouldn't waste too much time dallying around and such. Billy, I'm sure we'll get plenty of action so you shall not be bored for too long a suspect. For if we find no treasure the boys here will make sure we don't return empty handed. And if that means relieving a few merchant ships of their burden well then so be it." She said with a chuckle then turned to Uta. "Now Uta, where would you like to work?"