Fall 48th, 482 AV
The wind whistled through Lacerta’s ears, practically deafening her. They’d had a combination of bad wind and tides, slowing their progress abnormally. Normally, they could have been in Syliras by then, with good weather… but right now they weren’t even past Kenash… which was irritating. They might have to stop in the city for supplies, if the wind kept up. And she hated that city… all its slaves and Dynasties and the like… she simply despised it. The first time she’d visited, she’d left almost immediately, fleeing the prejudiced city within days. All the slaves simply disgusted her… she preferred free cities, and though she couldn’t entirely complain… she hated it anyways.
Apus had steadily become more and more irritable and grumpy at their delays, and at the moment he was hiding beneath deck, probably scowling at the wall. The isolation could get to some people, and he probably just really wanted to get to Syliras… but it didn’t feel like that. She couldn’t figure out his problem. If he loved the sea so much, why did he care about being late? Still, over the past two days, at the news that they were nearing Kenash, he’d become a little more excited than before. She preferred being alone on deck, however, and she could handle this herself. Though she needed to tack every so often, she could do that easily on her own. She missed the music her companion provided, the sweet notes his ceramic ocarina created. It was a little sad that he hid himself so deeply in the cabin, but… he was allowed to do his own thing. She didn’t know if he was sea sick, nor did she know if it was possible in their celestial forms… so left the man in solitude again.
She stared at the clouds, worried. They were darker than they should be, and filling the sky. She could swear a storm was coming on… and that was something she honestly didn’t feel like dealing with. There was no choice in the matter, however, and she called on the younger Eth. “Apus. There’s a storm coming… can you get on deck and help me?” She wriggled her fingers as a small drop of cold rain hit them, and winced as another splashed on her skull. They began to speed up, until it was a quick pattering that sounded almost deafening on the deck. The horned man crawled out of the cabin, glaring at the rain. “Ugh” he grumbled, his original happy demeanor gone. “More delays? Ah well…” He almost whined when he said this, but Lacerta stubbornly ignored it.
“We’re tacking to the left. Get the rope please” she said tonelessly, directing him to said cord. Without another word her companion agreed, and together, they moved the foresail from the right to the left side of the deck. Tightening it, the composer angled the ship to get the best speed possible. The annoying wind patterns would probably get worse, meaning that they would have a crazy time simply trying to go straight… great. How she wished they were near a dock, or a beach… then she could set the boat there, and wait out the rain. But she couldn’t see anything at the moment… but that wasn’t saying much, since her eyes were full of water and hair. She contemplated using her gnosis, but decided that the clouds would make it useless… she needed sun for it to work. Sighing irritably, she heaved on the wheel, adjusting the boat to stop the foresail flapping.
Apus himself was staring around at sea, a little too intense for his own good. He was probably just keeping an eye on the storm, or looking for some kind of land though. “Lacerta! Lacerta!” he shouted, pulling himself up to point. There, in the distance, was the hint of a boat… a disturbance in the rough ocean. She frowned at the shape, surprised that her friend had spotted it. “A boat…” she muttered, eyeing the vessel suspiciously. She wasn’t sure if she welcomed it though… you didn’t know who or what could be on the sea, especially so close to Kenash. She honestly didn’t trust the city. Her frown turned into a scowl, as she tried to decide… but ended up giving the decision to Zulrav. Wherever the wind took them, they would go. She shrugged, informing Apus of her decision. “We’ll just head in whatever direction we go… and see if it takes us nearby.”
After several chimes, and one more tack, they eventually neared the boat enough to glance some of the passengers. It was big, and bulky… probably sixty or even ninety feet from the length. However, what they did spot was… a person. They were standing on the bow, waving wildly at the smaller ship. “They want… help?” Apus guessed, his voice confused. Lacerta was in a similar situation. Well… if they were in trouble, she guessed they needed to help. “Let’s head over there. Tacking to the left.” They enacted the movement, pointing more towards the other ship. Lacerta leaned on the wheel, trying to get a good look at exactly where they were going. She honestly didn’t trust the ship… but she got the sense that the other Eth wanted to help… so off they went. But what two people and a tiny boat could do for such a big vessel, she didn’t know.
“Hello” was a call, faint because of the roaring wind. They could now see the waver’s face, it was full of excitement and relief. They slowly drew nearer to the other boat, and soon enough they were able to throw ropes up to its much higher deck. “You guys okay?” the musician asked, face full of worry. She watched the man tie the two boats together, before coming over to the edge. “Thank Laviku you’re here. There’s a hole in our hull… and we’re out of stuff to patch it up with. Do you happen to have any spare materials? Or someone skilled in ship repair?” The man – probably a Svefra, from his expression and eyes – sounded stressed and worried, and that emotion was reflected in his eyes. Feeling slightly useless, the older Ethaefal shrugged, but Apus quickly answered “I do! I’m a little bit of a hoppy carpenter… let us on board”
Enjoyable read - thanks!
