Flashback [Anchorage Flotilla] Shenanigans

[Karin]

57th Summer, 502 AV

Karin's bright-red sunburnt face was the first to peep above the helm that early summer morning. The light of Syna was bright and clear, with the sunlight reflecting and bouncing off the calm and gentle sea. The little girl, dressed in a lightweight, hessian-coloured dress, was running up and down the deck, her little feet pitter-pattering and waking up the other residents of the ship, bleary eyed apart from her father, who had been manning the helm.

Blonde hair in raggedy pigtails, sleep still in her eyes, she was too excited. Because it was her pods first time visiting the Anchorage Flotilla, and the little girl was dying to explore the rickety wooden boat city of the Suvan Sea. With a finger gesturing, Karin's excited voice piped up, "Da! Loo'! All the boa's!"

"I know, hon, it's really big isn't it?" Karin's father gave her tousled head an affectionate ruffle, and lifted her up next to the wheel, placing her small hands next to his as they steered the boat alongside the other boats of the flotilla. Karin was in her own little world as she made little noises, immersed in her own world as her father chatted with the boat that they were docking next to.

"C'mon girly, it's time to go explore, meet some old friends and make new ones. Do you want to explore with your big oaf of a father or do you want to go by yourself?" As Karin looked up at her father, her vision was blinded by the light of Syna shining behind the man, but she could still see the big smile plastering his face.

"By myse'f! I'ma big girl now!" She beamed with an equally bright smile up at her father, and he gave her another ruffle to the top of her head, pushing her forwards slightly as he set up the boards to allow the family to cross onto the other ship. "Off you go then, I'll find you later rascal!" But the girl had already run off, drinking in the colourful, loud, smelly but glorious experience of the Anchorage Flotilla.

It was about half a bell later that the little girl had found herself dangling over the side of a rowing boat, her feet, legs and lower torso submerged in the water as she played with a newfound friend in the shape of a minnow, which unfortunately didn't want to be friends with her.

"FIN'E then little fishy, you don' wanna be friends, I'ma go swimmin' instead!" The girl pushed off from the boat as the boats owners brandished their fists at her for letting the boat drift from the rest of its pod. She was comfortable in the sea, and as she was close by to the flotilla there would always be someone to rescue her in case she came to any trouble. Also, the waters were busy with other swimmers, tavans and fishermen alike, so she was in safe company.

[Karin]

The little girl swam eagerly, chasing after fishies that just wouldn't stay still! To the Svefra, the water was alive and it was the perfect playground. She had never seen so many people all at once! She waved her hand at a wizened man in a fishing boat, and he waved back good naturedly.

Doing a little dive, the girl flopped her feet backwards noisily, splashing salt-water up into the air in a fountain. This made her giggle, and in doing so she got salt-water in her mouth, making her promptly bob to the surface and spit it out with a scrunched-up face.

The fisherman in his little boat was regarding her balefully, probably because she was disturbing his fishing, but the little blonde-haired girl was oblivious, in her own little world. Someone from the boat waved at her with a shout, and the girl waved back.

So, she had the day to herself to explore. The boat of a nearby Svefran family was nearby, but Karin didn't know them, so she didn't approach. That is, until she smelled food. The delicious smell of charns drifted on the air towards her, and she sniffed deeply.

The source of the charns was the Svefran family, who appeared to be gathering nearby families with an impromptu party. Karin wasn't shy, but nor was she extremely extroverted. However, she'd never been able to resist the potatoey, seaweedy pancakes and so she swam over to the boat, happily.

A boy, about five years older than her noticed her coming and helped her up the side of the boat by means of a rope. The girl pulled herself up, and pushed herself clumsily onto the deck. "Heyo!" She announced herself, and was soon recognised by one of her mother's relatives and was invited into the party.

Their ship was large, and brightly decorated. As she explored, the boy with his tousled brown hair showed her around, delighting in the little girl's curiosity. "Here's the wheel, and this is the mainsail, and this is..-" "The mast! I know that one!" There were a lot of people on the boat, and the air was rich with the sounds of laughter, gea'tar music and roars of joyful greeting as more people joined.

[Raylan Ramsey]

57th Summer, 502 AV

“Ray, tense the main sheet!”

A svefra woman's voice called out brazenly while she prepared to turn her casinor broadside towards another ship docked with the Flotilla. Raylan had been sitting on the port side of the ship, only wearing a pair of brown pants, and playing his mandolin when his aunt Coral gave the command. He immediately stood up, letting the mandolin hang across his back by its strap, then made his way towards the mast of the ship. He hesitated once he found himself in front of the rigging. "Aye, I've no clue how to do this, which line should be drawn?" He called back to her in a broken mix of common and fratava.

"The clew line near the aft, not the mast. T'is the line leading from the main sheet to the aft. Just loosen it and the sail will eat the slack. Don't let it pull too tight." Coral chuckled back in a tone that conveyed false annoyance. "You've done this before, why do you always forget!" Raylan began to untie the rope with a smirk before speaking in common. "I'm an entertainer, not a sailor."

"Well I'll make a sailor out of you if it's the last thing I do!"

Raylan moved to the back of the ship to grab the rope tight in his right hand, and loosened the knot with his left. The rope pulled at his arm when he became the only thing keeping the line grounded. His muscles contracted when he started gripping the rope in each hand, keeping control of it. The more slack he removed from the line the more the main sheet stretched to reduce the amount of wind caught by the sails.

The amount of work needed to control the main sheet caused a light sheen of sweat to gather around Raylan's brow. He gritted his teeth near the end. Pulling the end of the rope back to where he untied it, and wrapped the end of the rope around the rigging, then tied it with a knot. "Sheet tensed!"

"Good job, toss the buns." She said with a smile once the ship turned broadside. “Comin' in!" Raylan called out to get the people on the other ship's attention; the tone of relief in his voice clearly expressed how eagerly he wished to get away from the watchful eyes of his guardian. He loved Coral dearly, but a teen aged boy of fifteen years old needed his freedom.

Raylan rushed from the mast to the side of the casinor to start pick up heavy set bundles of ropes that were tied together, tossing the bundles over the side of the ship to hang from the railing. He did it so that the rope bundles would act as fenders to prevent the hauls of either ship from crashing against each other. One Coral was satisfied that all had gone well, she dropped anchor. A male svefra on the other ship connected the two casinors together with a board to officially make the ship apart of the Flotilla. Raylan wasted no time, immediately crossing over to the other ship and towards the sounds of a party.

He pulled his mandolin into a playing position while he walked. He begun to strum a soft tone together, strumming his fingers against the strings. It was a simple melody that he had learned when he first started playing as a young child. It was harder for him to play as he walked and it caused him to mistakenly strum the wrong notes on every other step. His fingers stumbled through the song until he managed to find the correct strings, correcting himself with constant repetition.

Raylan smiled when he boarded the party ship, continuing to play the melody on his mandolin as he nodded towards people as he walked passed them. Even though there were far more talented musicians playing, he was just glad to be in the middle of a party.

[Karin]

The girl looked up at a man, or indeed lad (but he was a man in her eyes- so tall!) that was playing an instrument. She didn't know him, but that didn't matter, everyone was friends here! Besides, she was curious- "What's you playing?"

The girl was active, excitable from the surroundings and this first contact with the Flotilla. She jigged from foot to foot, not staying still for a moment as her bright blonde hair flapped up and down on her back. But as she caught scent of something cooking, the girl tugged on the hand insistently, whether he was using it to play or not. "Come with me!"

If he didn't follow her away, the girl would double back and make him, insistently. She'd tug him until they reached the source of the cooking, fillets of delicious fish sizzling with oil, salt and seaweed seasoning on a barbecue. It didn't matter who they were for, Karin wanted some for her and her new friend.

Helpfully, and with a suddenly shy smile, the little girl would proffer the wooden plate with its freshly steaming fish to the boy. "Here!"

OOC :

I am so sorry about the length, both of how long its taken to get to you and how short the post is! O.O I'll try and do better next time.

[Karin]

Only to find, as she turned around, that the man was nowhere to be found! She sulked, grumpily, but picked up the fish and juggled it in her hands until it cooled down sufficiently enough for her to take a bite. The poor fish didn't stand a chance (although of course it was already long dead.) With a few short, savage bites the girl had devoured the creature leaving nothing but a few bones and half a tail.

"Thanks!" She grinned toothily up at the kind lady who'd served her, and then skipped off in search of the musical man she'd just lost. He really was nowhere to be found, though. That made her sad, and with wobbly steps she made her way towards the rigging of the ship she was currently on.

Caring little for her own safety, because she was a child after all, little Karin grabbed a hold of the lowest rungs of the rigging. The spacing was almost too much for her, but she was quite determined to reach the top of the sails so that she could see her friend... or see the surrounding ships. She couldn't really remember her goal to be honest.

Yet, she was a determined little tyke. Hand over hand, up the rigging, climbing climbing climbing... until firm hands grabbed her and lifted her down with laughter. "Hey little miss, didn't anyone ever tell you that climbing the riggin' was a difficult, dangerous task?"

She frowned, and shook her head seriously. "Why's it dangerous?"
The man pointed up at the crow's nest, metres above. "Well, look up there. That's a pretty long way. If you fell off, well... you'd probably get hurt, and your mother wouldn't want that. Right?"

She craned her head upwards, and her mouth fell open distractedly. Then with a bright grin, she said, "But, I wouldn't fall off! I climb all the time." This, of course, was an exaggeration. In fact, she hardly ever had the chance to, and had never had the idea to before. Either way though, the stranger gave her a pat on the head and ushered her off with a chuckle. "Get on with ya, go terrorise some other folks."