Sexy flotsam (Chyril 27th Late Morningtide)

[Elvira Rodriguez]

Elvira spent a few more burns fussing over Aislinn's wounds more for the sake of the girl's ego than out of any real need, the injuries superficial at best and certainly nothing a bit of rest and a good night's sleep would not remedy. Especially if they were preceded by a nice long soaking bath and a cold stiff drink. Or a bottle of Roque Red chilled to such an extent that a mere sip would cause her heart to skip a beat or two before making goose bumps cover her skin. "You'll be fine, luv. Watch your head and drink plenty of water and ye won't have a problem. Eatin' some fruits won't hurt either."

She pushed herself up and offered the other girl a hand up, glancing towards the path into the jungle and smiling innocently. With that same innocent smile she reached and gave Gerrard's butt a nice squeeze, curling her lips into a grin. "Come on, sweet cheeks. Lets go buy you a new pair of pants and then I'll buy the lot of you a few drinks." She winked and took a deep, relaxing breath, seemingly unaware of the fact her bosom filled the corset she wore, her eyes closed, face turned up. "As Nelly used to say. We are alive and have some change in our pockets, so why don't we see what trouble we can get ourselves into. I am sure the locals will have some need for people like us."

[Guest]

Chau stood back as El Wai Ra checked on the red-haired girl's injuries. She appeared to be a healer of some sort, judging from the manner in which she examined the redhead. The injuries did not look pretty, but they were probably light and would heal in a short time. Looking about for any further survivors, Chau noted the elder fishermen were pointing towards the jungle.

Picking up the stick Aislinn discarded a few moments before, she tried to get the attention of the three outlanders and explain to them where they were heading. She drew a line in the sand, and added some stylised waves on one side of the line. Four stick figures were drawn on the other side, a forest of simplified trees a bit lower, and an assortment of what appeared to be houses and boats some ways away from the jungle.

"This is me.", she told the foreigners and pointed first to one of the stick figures and then to herself.

"These are the three of you.", she continued as she pointed in turn to the rest of the figures and to each of the foreigners.

"This is the jungle.", she said, pointing to the trees, and then pointed at the settlement across it, "And this is Long Danh. We will go there."

She pulled lines from the stick figures to Long Danh and moved off towards the elders, urging the outlanders to follow.

"I told them we are going to the city, Kim oang. Whether they understood me or not, I cannot say.", she told Kim with a shrug, "Let us go."

[Gerrard MacKaree]

Gerrard concentrated on the drawings of Chau, who made them quite simple to understand. He did not understand Chau's words, but her pointing out pieces of the drawing as she was speaking simplified things for him. Every time she pointed at a figure, he would wait for her to speak, and then say his version of the word. So as she pointed to the single stick figure, he said "Chau", the threesome became "strangers", the tree became "forest" and the houses he named "city". That seemed neutral enough, and maybe the girl would learn some of their language this way. He would try to learn theirs in due time if he would be here for long, but for now the easy words and phrases would have to do.

As he followed Chau and the people who had scavenged their belongings, for which Gerrard couldn't blame them, he chuckled when Elvira squeezed his butt. "Really, sweetheart, I love you too, but I think it's just not meant to be." he said playfully, a smile adorning his face. A few flickers later, he said "No, she is not into me. Bugger off, will you?" Soon after that he started again. "Yes, I saw that. I might be a man, but there's more to life than lust, alright? I am not going to do that!". The young man seemed rather unaware of his surroundings at that, looking sideways, away from the group, as he spoke.

[Aislinn O`Conaill]

OOC: Sorry for my recent quietness - work's been beastly busy.

IC: It had been a long time since anyone had taken two moments to fuss, and while her wounds may have been superficial at best, her rattled brains left her words slurred and her stomach revolting. Before accepting Elvira's hand, she fumbled with the swollen leather straps of her satchel for a good long burn, the soaking having tightened the knots. If'n I c'n jes' get a spot 'o somethin'... settle things... The thought of eating anything at the moment was far from pleasing.

Fighting the flap free of it's bindings, she flipped it open, one hand splayed against the hot white sand to balance her as she dug through the muddled mess within it. Most of the contents resembled shredded grass at the moment, soggy and damp. Tilting it to one side, a puddle of water tarnished by salt and ruined sprigs of herbs. Yet not all was lost, a few of the herbal tinctures she had mixed at the Abbey remained intact, little vials tightly corked... and... aye, th' root shouldna be bad...

She broke a piece from a twiglike root, popping the bitter remedy into her mouth and gnashing it slightly in her teeth to get the juices flowing.

Only know, this accomplished, did she brace her left foot heavily in the sand, and accept the hand Elvira had offered (if it was still available), her own grip callused and firm. She relied on Elvira's strength, favoring her right leg, but stood on her own once released. Her eyes were still not cooperating, leaving the little lines in the sand a bit of a mystery, and the little foreigner's babble, though potentially informative did not become clear until Gerrard spoke.

She did, however, stretch a hand towards Chau, her fingers sliding into a point as they focused on the long support she had used earlier, an auburn eyebrow twitched questioningly upwards. Gerrard's comments weren't making sense to her, but despite the thought she'd missed something, she wasn't gritting her teeth and standing there to try and figure it out.

She too was ready to follow, though her steps would be slow and measured, and she would stubbornly accept only the stick as support, spirit a trifle refreshed by the water she had imbibed.

"Dinnae fash y'sel' waitin'," she began off-handedly, green eyes bleary as they focused unevenly on whomever they rested. Though she had been about to speak further, her lips clapped closed. While the Captain's Lass might feel this a bonny hey-day and adventrue, Aislinn knew herself to be a burden. Without a clear mind and the accouterments of the little healing she knew, the young woman wasn't sure what she might accomplish here in this strange new world.

[Maeve]

Onwards they went, however slowly. The small path took them through a thick patch of jungle running alongside a river bank, that was just one of many. A mountain towered high above them, upon which they could see several buildings and a spectacular waterfall falling down.

To Chau it was of course very familiar terrain. The Delta of the Long Song stretched below and around the Long Hang Mountain, creating endless small channels and waterways. It took them straight hto Fishermen's Field which was located between the Floating Market and the Mangrove Forest of the Eternal Tide. The houses were small and simple. Some were not even houses, but simply larger boats with roofs. Simple wooden bridges and causeways connected the diverse buildings. The salty air was filled with the soft cries of sea gulls and cormorants, the dark pots and fishing nets waving in the end, attached to the poles next to the houses, left out to dry. Fish not immediately sold on the market was left to dry on large racks to the side.

Here lived the fiercely independent and proud community of fishermen of the Eastern Empire, their lives close to poverty level, rugged and hard, yet their freedom was their own. Tiny shrines dedicated to their own Kami in the privacy of their homes gave their hearts and souls rest and during festivals the water would be filled with many floating candles sending a glow all through town.

Upon seeing the small parade that followed the old fisherman Kim, people, of which there were many both on the streets and in the boats, stopped to stare at the spectacle for this was a sight they had never seen. Most folks wore simple tunics, black, brown, white, though occasionally something in red or yellow. Many of them wore yellow cone shaped hats protecting them from the heat of the Sun. Invariably they wore wooden sandals. Nobody approached the strangers, simply standing and staring, till finally Kim halted near Chau's boat, just short of traversing the two other boats that would have to be crossed to reach hers. Way of passage was a carefully measured right in the Floating City.

[Elvira Rodriguez]

Elvira was about to chuckle at Gerrard’s words, finding it really cute that he already loved her, and was preparing a nasty retort when the admittedly cute man went on to talk to himself, or perhaps some imaginary people. She moved Aislin’s to Chau’s side and gave the girl to the local girl’s care and then slowly sidled closer to the former pirate prisoner and hooked her arm around his, reaching up and gently caressing his hair, smoothing his bangs down and then away from his forehead. “You need to lay down, darlin’. We’ll find us a nice inn and get you to bed and then I’ll go shopping. Find you a pair of pants and maybe a nice shirt.” She had seen what a day in the sun could do to a man, and truth be told Gerrard frightened her a bit like this. Crazy people were unpredictable and she had no desire to see if there was perhaps a button she could push that would make him violent. “Now, you tell me what kinds of shirts do you prefer? Simple ones, or the fancy ones, with frilly lace at the throat?”

As they came closer to a floating village, Elvira raised her voice a bit from the gentle tone she used around Gerrard, calling out to Aislin. “Same goes for you missy. You settle down in an inn with the pretty-by over here and tell me if you need anything from the village. I’ll do some shopping and get us some new clothes, because we look like mess right now.” The village also meant that she would need to try and communicate with the locals and she really, really hoped that someone in this odd and strangely calm and proper place could understand her. “Now, how do you explain in signs that we need to find an inn? Knowing my luck, I’ll end up asking for a religious tattoo, or offer myself as a willing sacrifice to whatever gods they worship in this place. Any ideas you two?”

[Gerrard MacKaree]

A shiver ran along the young man's spine as Elvira caressed his hair. He turned his head towards her, blinking his eyes once. "You were saying? Ah yes, clothing, right? Frilly can be nice, depends on the occasion. Seeing the state of these people, I'd rather go with simple for now. Or would you rather see me with the frilly ones?" he asked her, his eyes set on her face, giving a wink as he finished. "I like you better this way, friendly and all. No hostilities or anything between us. And," he said, his eyes moving towards their entwined arms, "are you trying to hook up with me? Nothing against you, but I'd rather wait before we hit that stage until we settle down a bit or get to know each other better." Gerrard chuckled and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm being a bit of an ass. Probably by all that has happened recently." he said, but all this time he had ignored her mentioning him getting into bed while she's out having all the fun.

Looking the other way again, he said "No! Sometimes even I can be nice and yes, I tend to make a joke now and then, and if she doesn't like it, so be it. I only hope she'll tell me in my face if she doesn't.". He breathed deep for a moment and continued "And you know what, I hope she isn't misinterpreting either. It happens in situations like these, and I hope I can make the best out of it. If you don't like it, bugger off. You've helped a lot in the past, but recently, really, the only thing I've seen was trouble. A friend, huh? What a friend you are... what a friend you are indeed...". He shook his head before facing the way they were walking again.

It wasn't until they came to the village that he saw a way to escape his bed rest for a while at least. "Look, you need help communicating, and while I don't really speak their language, I am crazy enough to help you on that." he said, looking at her, noticing for the first time how beautiful he thought she was, even just after being washed ashore. He smiled sheepishly and went silent. After a few flickers he quickly continued "First of all, I feel good enough to be on my legs for yet another while. Don't need the bedrest yet. A bit bruised maybe, but not any life threatening stuff, right? I can help you... want to help you even. As long as I won't be tied to a bed. As for the second point I was gonna blabber about... I kind of forgot that."

[Aislinn O`Conaill]

Lips flattened, teeth gritted as she focused on an even tread - and though her steps were slow, she almost managed it, barring the slight hesitation in her right leg. As such, the scenery passed in a blur of sand and rock, the thick, vibrant green of jungle drawing the first of a few spare glances. The second glance of her emerald orbs attempted to solidify the things beneath their vision, as the party's progress stalled briefly and she found the locals curiosity beginning to accumulate.

The way Elvira and Gerrard were fawning over each other, she had allowed them to move on ahead, exertion leaving her cheeks flushed enough without the added warmth of embarrassment. She was just beyond conversational earshot, and it was only by the grace of Elvira's raised voice that she caught the comments regarding the inn. Though her head was ringing faintly still, copious sips of fresh water along their short journey had loosened the thickness of her tongue enough, hopefully, to be more intelligible.

"I dinnae 'ave much tae be spendin', bu' I wouldna take i' amiss if ye do so. An' I don' doubt tha' they'll offer a spot o' a place tae be restin'." At this she looked directly to the more familiar Chau, face knit with uncertainty and weariness. Lifting her free palm up next to her head, horizontally, she mimed laying the side of her face in it, eyes closing briefly. She didn't bother offering her attempts for the approval of the other two, instead, she looked to the slight woman, and waited, having already decided she'd follow the stranger's lead.

After receiving some direction from Chau, she glanced to her to erstwhile companions, "Dinnae s'pose them'd get the idea if'n ye flashed a coin? I 'spect that be eas'ly..." her voice trailed off, as if her tongue were weighted down by trying to speak more clearly.

[Maeve]

It was rather difficult to see which of the buildings they passed would be an Inn, or a shop for that matter. They all looked alike to foreign eyes, most made of wood with dried leaves made into straw as roofs. They were now standing at a boardwalk that went nowhere, just an endless row of boats tied together. Now those boats were filled with all kinds of wares, fruits, animal skins, fish. Some had coverings, a roof spanning over the latter half of the vessel. Bedrolls and small personal items suggested people living there.

The crowd was silent, staring at them, and softly giggling behind their hands. Kim gave them an expectant look. "Chau" he said, pointing to one of the furthest boats.

[Guest]

"Oh... Yes, Kim oang.", Chau replied with a quick bow to Kim, stirred from her thoughts. She had walked towards town without a word, pondering the situation, and paid little heed to the chattering of the strangers in their gruff Moon language. Worries piled up in her mind along the way. Was she being overly trusting of these people? Would she have enough to support their stay? There was an unspoken rule in Fishermen's Field - he who does not work, does not eat. The outlanders needed to rest first, but afterwards they would surely be able to provide for themselves.

Turning to the group of foreigners, who had attracted much attention from the townsfolk, she pointed towards her sailboat, a large and spacious houseboat with a junk sail that seemed like it could comfortably accomodate all four of them.

"This is my boat. Come with me.", she told the foreigners and motioned them to follow as she deftly hopped across the other boats.

[Elvira Rodriguez]

The impish curl to her lips returned, as Gerrard asked her for preferance, Elvira looking aside as if pondering, a fingertip tapping her luscious lips for a flicker. "Well, that would be telling, and where is fun in that? You'll just have to find out what I like the hard way. Trial and error, my dear." His next words had her pouting, though it was mostly for tease, for while she might have been living with pirates for two yahren, Elvira was still pretty much a girl she had been before meeting Joseph. "Now, a girl has a right to be worried and defensive, doesn't she? I had no idea how you were going to react." Then with a wry smile she added. "Now, would it be just peachy if I happened to jump into your arms and then in your bed?" She poked his side playfully and shifted herself so their bodies did not touch as much. "You're lucky to be injured otherwise I would have whacked you upside the head. Cheeky bastard, ain't ya?" She looked away from him with a proper pout, but flashed him a grin and a wink a flicker later, merely teasing.

Then came the suggestions on how to conduct a trade in a foreign country and Elvira simply had to chuckle, thinking both of them silly beyond measure. "Darlings, I've been traveling all around Tazlure for close to two yahren now. I think I know how to charm a trader and get what I need without a word." She sighed and shook her head. "It was a joke, alright. I don't mind if you want to come along and I'll appreciate the company even, but you do look like you were washed ashore after a stormy night. So, it's your choice." As they talked, she cast a glance at Chau and with a nod followed the strange girl, unsteady footing not really a problem for her. She was quite curious to see what the girls house looked like.

[Gerrard MacKaree]

Gerrard raised an eyebrow. "Ow!" he said, rubbing where she poked his side. "It's not like I'm bruised or anything, you know." he continued and pouted. The forger shrugged. "Milady Elvira, maybe you should surprise me indeed, I'd like to get to know the maze that is your mind. As for it being peachy, certainly, I wouldn't mind a lovely young lady like you to jump into my arms and bed, but I'd rather have you fall in love prior to doing that. I might not look like it, but I am more of a romantic then one to have flings all the time. Maybe we should get to know each other sometime. You have good looks, so far you've been making me smile in these dark times... Can't see any cons to getting to know you. So, what do you say, can I take you out for dinner when we arrive in the Citadel? Or prior to that if we have the chance?" Gerrard asked the girl after a few flickers of silence. She wasn't much younger, and Gerrard could see chances for a relationship to work in his favor. Maybe not here, since he didn't know the culture, but certainly it could back at home. A small spin doctor in his mind was doing overtime at maximum speed already.

He looked around, frowned, hissed something under his breath and turned to Elvira again. "I apologise for that, I'd like to explain sometime, but rather in private. Some things you should know before things... escalate. You catch my drift?" he said. "I'd love to accompany you into town sometime, but maybe you are right. I could use a little bit of rest. At least until you get me a new hose."

He followed Chau to wherever she led them, unsure why he saw so many boats. Maybe fishing was their main profession? If he could just see if the fish here were different from those in the Seven Isles, because if they were, opening a new fish restaurant could be very lucrative. One where only exotic fish would be served. Well, he shouldn't put it into a small niche as that. Just a fish restaurant and then with exotic fish as their specialty. Fish no one had ever seen before.

[Aislinn O`Conaill]

Far from nimble-footed, Aislinn followed in Chau's wake, a bit befuddled by the thought of climbing across other boats. Dinnae they ever 'ear o' piers? A grimace tugged at eyes and lips as the swaying of the boats on the water reminded her unpleasantly She felt the weight of eyes upon her departing shoulder-blades, whether imagined or not, and felt the flame of embarrassment rising up the far too transparent skin of her cheekbones. To make matters worse, her garments were rough with the dried remnants of sea, the fabric stiff where dry, and uncomfortably damp when not.

Hopefully managing the boats without difficulty, Aislinn would quickly try to claim the nearest flat surface upon which to fling herself. Her eyes searched out their surroundings, wondering if Chau was intending on taking them somewhere else, or if the boat itself was their destination.

[Maeve]

Thankfully, the foreigners were used to ships and so they had no trouble maintaining their balance as they moved over all the little ships, hopping over small gaps with water in between, till finally they arrived at Chau's boat.

It wasn't a large boat, but it wasn't small either and it would provide room for all of them. Of course it did in no way compare to a pirate ship, but if truth was known most pirates only had their hammocks and so a bedroll wasn't that bad a deal.

On the way there Gerrard would catch several examples of the exotic fish for sail. Just about every board contained something else. Lobster. Fish. Crabs. Shells. Seastars. Large tons of seaweed, hoarded like a delicacy.

Back at the boardwalk the crowd dissipated after the last one had reach Chau's boat, as if they had been waiting for someone to interfere, or perhaps for one of them to land into the Long Song river. The entertainment was gone however and so they departed. Kim looked after them till the last one disappeared and then went to inform his wife and consult her on the best way forward.

[Aislinn O`Conaill]

While Aislinn had grown accustomed to the erratic nature of ships, it was certainly not with pleasure that she found herself upon one again so soon. If only it were going home...

Exhausted as she was, Aislinn would quickly doze off if there were an appropriate place to curl up, sleep claiming her, and darkness fending off the persistent aches and pains.

[Exeunt until she wakes up 28th MT?]

[Gerrard MacKaree]

Gerrard was not a fan of boats and ships at all and would only travel on them when there were no other means available to him. As they traversed the wooden floaters he cursed under his breath, making sure no one would hear it.

When everyone had left them, he made sure Aislinn slept and then looked at Chau. "Chau?" he asked "Could you come over?" and he gestured with his hand to follow him, somewhat away from Aislinn as not to wake her up.
When they were a bit away from her, he drew his ink and quill from his satchel and, knowing it wouldn't do good to the quill, he drew the forms of the strange fish, lobster and what else fish-like he saw on a ripped piece of his doublet. "These," he said, and pointed to each one of them, "You eat?" and then pointed to Chau and made, mouth open, a motion of bringing something invisible with his hand to his mouth, hoping the girl would understand.

[Elvira Rodriguez]

Elvira’s smile turned impish when Gerrard promised her a dinner when they got to Citadel, the girl’s brow arching as she hummed for a flicker. “You asking me out for a date, hun?” The smile grew into wicked, but she resisted the urge to tease more. “You’ve got yourself a deal, boy, but it has to be a proper dinner. Waiters, fancy clothes and all.” The she could not resist anymore. “And a frilly shirt for you. I insist.” She gave him a smile and a look that was both pleading and defiant, asking him to accept ad daring him to refuse so she could poke and tease him more. Then in a calmer voice she added. “And I did not quite plan on simply jumping into your arms, silly. You’ll have to work for that to happen. Kind of like you said. Show me a bit about yourself. Get to know me and let me know you.” Then the finger went up as the smirk returned. “You are still taking me to dinner. I’ll let you help me pick a dress for it.”

With the other three safely in the boat/home, Elvira explored the room a bit, careful not to touch anything just yet. She was used to both better and worse and supposed it would do nicely, until she could find a way to make some money and improve her status. Seeing that Aislinn drifted to sleep, and Gerrard had got himself busy with Chau, she slipped back to the door and called back. “I’ll be out shopping. See you in a mark or so.”

[Maeve]

As Elvira left, the rest of the afternoon continued for the group in the boat with eating, drinking and sleeping. Gerrard was allowed many glimpses of of possible trade. Everywhere he looked there was something new. Whether it would all sell remained to be seen. Half of the fish that Chau offered him was salt, very salt indeed. Was that seaweed he was eating?

OOC: I'm closing this thread and suggest you all start new threads from here on forward

[Maeve]

Gerrard and Elvira skilled. Will do the rest on request.