[Quest] Dead in the Water

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Sable stared at Liandra for long moments, head cocked to the side as though she knew something wasn’t quite right but didn’t know exactly how to go about solving it. Before she had formulated anything, Aluria popped back up with the baby otter. A grin cracked and she ruffled the pup between her ears. “Tha—” The deck rocked beneath them, energy rolling through planks in dead reverberation. Sable shared an ominous glance with her companions before snatching up the saber and leading the way aft. With the strength of steel in her fist, finding its sharp edge a surprising boost, she threw a hasty line over the railing of Sydar’s gutted ship before following it. A cold sweat had slickened the grip in her palm by the time they made it over the alien ship to the lone body. Somewhat repulsed by the giant snake body, Sable prodded it for a moment to check for life. Swallowing convulsively, the lanky woman turned to or sought out her companions. “We can’t split up. I—listen, I’m not in charge here, but I think we should go after Kelzia together. The other ships—this ship—should have been able to take care of themselves. Let’s go haul that overdramatic redhead out of the water and then look for survivors.” Sable struggled for a moment, tapping her insole with the sword. “I don’t want to be sailing away from you if you need me,” she said to Liandra, throwing a hand across the battered, empty deck. “When you came aboard my ship, you became my first priority. Not Alvide or the other volunteers or some staff. You, and you, and Kelzia before anyone or anything else.” She would exert every influence over and fully expect Aluria to fall in line with her, there were just no other options when it came to the shy young woman. Liandra, on the other hand, was fully capable of taking care of herself, was not Svefra, and had no reason to trust and follow Sable’s instincts.

[Liandra]

Liandra wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to stay with her new found friends, but her mind kept telling her that her choice was the right one to take. She nearly laughed when Aluria arrived with Sib, glad to see he was okay. She went to speak, when the boat rocked, and she fell on her rump, much to her annoyance. Liandra watched Sable through a line over to the other boat and hop on over. It was now or never. As soon as Sable began her speech, Liandra's mind was made up. She listened to the rousing speech, and bent down to Aluria and whispered, "I'm sorry, you two please go after the others. I'll get Kelzia. Please forgive me." Liandra whistled shrilly through her fingers, then ran toward the edge of the ship, in the middle of Sable's words. She leapt over the side in a near perfect dive, and disappeared beneath the surface. Her emotions were mixed, but she felt like she needed to do this. It was suited perfectly for her, and she thought that she could do this better without them. There was a healthy amount of guilt in there as well. Kylayia was there, waiting for her, and she quickly slipped into the saddle. She started him forward, her ears picking up the poorly patterned splashes of a person not meant to be in the sea. She could also smell the musk of a land dweller, pungent in this sea. She squeezed her knees into Kylayia's sides, urging him to go faster. She was determined to catch the red headed woman. If she was going to abandon her friends, Laviku help her, she was coming back with good results!

[Aluria]

"Huh? What?" Aluria turned around and saw Liandra running towards the rails, and then gracefully jumped. Jumped. She jumped. Of course, Liandra was a Charoda, and Charoda are from the sea, but Aluria didn't know much about the outside world. She wasn't able to think anything other than:

What the heck was she doing?

The world was much too complicated for a girl of her age to understand, but many would say that a child's simple look on the world was invaluable.

"Wait, Liandra! It's dangerous to go alone! What if you get hurt? There would be nobody there to help you!"

But her warning was probably not heard, for Liandra was already deep under the water. She ran over to the rails and helplessly watched as she went farther and father, until she couldn't see her any more. After she disappeared from sight, Aluria turned to Sable.

"Well? She's gone now. And there's nothing we can do about it," she sighed, trying very hard to show how upset she was.

She paused to think.

"Liandra would most likely want us to listen to her and find the other ships. All we can do now is listen to her, right?" pressed Sable, trying to somehow persuade her to do as she said. "Come on, Sable. Lets go find the others."