Quest When Ships Don't Come Home

[Gossamer]

Timestamp 50th of Summer, 518 AV

Juli had called the meeting at The Tidepool. The bar set out over the water seemed to be more and more settling itself up into a main events center for Syka, though it was small and certainly wouldn’t function as such for much longer. With the addition of a dozen more residents, Syka was quickly growing past the capacity for the bar to function as it was. However, until they had an actual community center, The Tidepool had to do.

The meeting wasn’t a spur of the moment emergency kind of situation either. This one had been well thought out with the Founders being in attendance and word being passed resident to resident that Juli had requested everyone’s presence at The Tidepool at noon to discuss the disappearance of her Father and The Veronica. After so many successful trips, the large modified two-masted war sloop was overdue by about twice as long as necessary and everyone was concerned.

Hopped up on the counter, visible but barely, was the transparent ghost of a little girl, about six or seven years old. In her arms she clutched a ghostly kitten that while seemingly more real than the girl, had transparent qualities to itself as well. The girl and the kitten watched as the crowd gathered, both human and Verusk, slowly filling up the bar to hear what Juli had to say.

Mathias and Randal were there as well, with Buraga and Stu in attendance also. Several of the cities full time leaders in other areas… Jansen and Rainmere as well as Tony Swiftwater was also present. Surprisingly though, so was Duncan Maelstrom.

Duncan stood next to Juli opposite of the ghostly child, quietly waiting until the group had quieted enough before he spoke.

“Can I have your attention? As you know, Juli’s father Captain James Chalvia is missing. He is vital to this settlement’s survival because it’s via The Veronica we get resupplied until we can provide our own goods and services. He’s overdue, by about twice the length of time he should have been gone and now we are starting to worry. We’ve had messenger birds that we’ve often been able to contact him with or send messages back and forth to Riverfall and truthfully, he never showed up on his last run. That’s doubly worrying because that means he’s been gone longer than we expected. That means he could have been in trouble the moment he set sail just before our expedition set out last season.” Duncan said, worried.

“We don’t know what happened to him, but luckily the Maelstrom Pod, my family, has stopped into Syka for a visit and has offered to help look for him. We are currently seeking volunteers to try to form a plan to find out what happened to The Veronica and James and see if we can’t get our people back home safely. This is absolutely vital because as of right now we have no other way to get the goods and services we need from Riverfall to Syka. And we have no other vessel dedicated to our support.” He said, laying it all out.

Duncan took a breath, linked his blind eyes, and gestured to a tall female Svefra that stood nearbye. She looked an awful lot like Duncan. She stepped forward. “I am Lia Diamond Maelstrom. I’m here to offer the services of my pod and our tavan to your cause. Is there any among you that would volunteer to help us form a plan and look for James?” She asked, looking thoughtfully skeptical, like she didn’t expect volunteers nor that if they did find James they’d find him alive.

Still they had to ask. Without James, no one was quite sure what Syka was going to do for supplies.

[Ialari Pythone]

When Ialari received word that Juli had requested a gathering of the settlers, she made it a point to attend. It was rare, at least rare since Ialari's arrival in Syka, that Juli ever called any real sort of gathering. Most gatherings were called were celebratory or informational and were usually called by Matthias.

As she arrived at the Tidepool and just before entering, the mark on Ialari's left palm began to throb; the mark of Dira, the mark of Death. Upon entering, Ialari's mark drew her to the source of alarm as if the palm of her hand were tugging her in a specific direction; that of the little girl with the kitten sitting on the counter. While Ialari had seen death, felt and smelled it many times in the past, this was one of the few times; perhaps the only time she could remember, that she'd been so near the ghost of a child. When it came to the unliving, Ialari felt a mix of emotions. During her time among the nuit of Sahova, she felt disgust and the desire to send every last rotting corpse to Dira. When it came to ghosts however, she felt a profound sadness; reflective of the that which the ghosts themselves often felt. This time was no different.

Clenching her fist as if to sooth the throbbing in her palm, she tried to split her attention between the ghost and Juli. She kept the ethereal form in her periphery as she observed the rest of the those gathered.

When Juli began to speak, Ialari's attention was only somewhat drawn away from the ghostly girl and her kitten. Half listening at first, Ialari forced her attention to the living girl addressing the crowd. The founders were all there which meant that the meeting involved something important.

It wasn't Juli or even Matthias who spoke up; it was someone else whom Ialari wasn't familiar with. His announcement, that James and the Veronica were missing were troubling. Ialari realized quickly the significance of such an event just as Duncan voiced it aloud. Even in Ialari's short time in Syka, she'd seen and felt James' importance to the settlers. When the female Svefra, Lia, called for volunteers to help find James, Ialari, turning her gaze, which had drifted back to the ghost, back to Lia and Duncan, stepped forward and said slowly, keeping her accent as controlled as possible, "James puts his life on the line every time he and his ship leaves us. Without him, there is no Syka. I hope I can be of assistance in helping find him." Her offer was genuine as Ialari never made an offer without the intent to follow through. The disappearance of James was a logistical disaster. He and his ship formed Syka's lifeline. Without the trade he engaged in, survival in Syka would not last, at least not in any semblance of the way it currently did.

As for the personal aspect of his absence, Ialari didn't know James terribly well. She knew of his importance to the settlement as well as knew him to be a kind man but other than that she didn't know all that much about him. Despite that, she couldn't shake the sadness that was slowly falling upon her; a sadness she somehow knew was related to his disappearance. Her palm continued to throb. She considered the possibility that she was feeling the sadness due to her extremely close proximity to the ghostly child. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling yet it was annoying.

Ialari maintained a bit of distance from the little girl. Ghosts were unpredictable in their reaction to her due to her mark of Death. Sometimes they were uneasy around her or even repelled. Other times, they were drawn to her. She never was quite sure which it would be at any particular time or why. Her experience with ghosts in the past had left her with some knowledge of how to deal with them. Ialari had been possessed by more than a few ghosts in her life, seldom was it ever entirely pleasant. She had a good amount of knowledge of ghosts in general yet possessed only a tiny amount of skill in the actual discipline of magic that related to them. The fact that there was one present, manifested enough to be seen must be significant to what was going on with James.

Although she didn't know exactly why the ghost was there, she didn't want to seem threatening to it. Tapping in to her mark of Dira, Ialari let go of the annoying throbbing in her palm and instead embraced the feeling of ease and calm that the mark brought her in the presence of death. While she didn't know if it would work, she tried to will that feeling outward in hopes that the calming effects would somehow be felt be the little girl and keep her at ease; revealing Ialari to be someone who could be trusted and helpful.

Before the meeting progressed much further, Ialari couldn't help but speak up once more to Duncan, Lia and Juli, "If I may, would it be possible for you to introduce the young lady sitting there on the counter?" Ialari looked to the ghostly girl as she spoke. While she couldn't identify the details of the feeling she was having, she knew that somehow, the little girl was connected to what was happening, at least in some way. "We've had a number of special individuals bless us with their presence here in Syka. However, I'm not sure we've had the pleasure of someone as special as her."

[Alexandra Gainsborough]

Feeling inadequate Alex kept her distance from the city. She wanted to provide for the community as much as she felt it could provide for her, but without her tools and access to proper supplies she knew she could make nothing of quality. Good enough was always something hard for her to swallow but here in Syka she may just have to settle for better then nothing. Building a proper kiln would take time, she was alright with that. Access to proper materials was going to be something very different. Beach sand just was not the same. She had however gotten wind of the meeting at the Tidepool and could not refuse a chance to make herself useful, the details from word of mouth were vague at best. Perhaps someone was building a house and needed help, Maybe someone wanted to go explore the jungle and bring back some food or new supplies. Either way she had something to prove to herself. Getting to the Tidepool quickly proved that something was amiss. The other citizens gathered here did not seem to be in the best of moods. She glanced around at everyone scanning faces looking for anyone she might have spent time with. The ghost girl was the first one to catch and hold her attention for more then a couple of seconds. She did not know this girl but for a moment sadness filled her heart and she decided to quietly slip into the room. The only thing that might make her stand out in the room was her red hair. It would not take long for the room to quiet down and the meeting to start. Looking back over at the ghost child Alex was caught off guard when Duncan began to speak. Listening her eyes grew larger when she realized just how long this James had been missing. The jungle provided many things to the settlement but he was right, if they could not get resupplied with some items this whole settlement would be in trouble. Finding a source of even just metal would be critical. It was kind of these people to help but Alex wondered why. In her experience help never came without a price and it was always need based. What was in it for this Pod? A few thoughts ran through her head but she decided on these people hoping to establish a relationship before anyone else. If nothing else it made her feel better. When Lia asked for volunteers Alex looked around the room and waited to see how people would respond. Seeing a women be the first person to step forward was unexpected but brought a smile to her face. Pushing her way past a few people in the crowd she made her way towards the front. Stopping next to the Isuran she spoke up. “I would like to help. I do not know this man James but I can see how important he is to everyone.” Making no attempt to cover up her Inarta roots.

[Tailyn]

“Are you sure you don’t mind looking after the parrots? I’m not sure what this meeting is about. I could be gone for a while.”

Tai looked dubiously towards her Verusk friend, who was feeding Sisi and Nobody a ripe mango. Abanath smiled at Tai and shrugged his thin shoulders as he turned towards her. “I may not live here anymore, but I can still watch parrots for a friend.”

Tai felt a surge of warmth for Abanath. The two had grown companionable over their season together, and Tai was grateful for his friendship.

“You know how to do everything by now. I leave them in your experienced care.” Tai’s voice took on a somber, formal tone and Abanath grinned through it. “Don’t worry about it. You and Blue be good. Let me know how it goes.”

Feeling considerably cheered, Tai left her friend and made her way down the winding pathway that lead from her abode to the Tidepool Bar where the meeting was to take place. She was dressed in her usual Wind Reach garb, which was exceedingly comfortable in Syka’s heat. As per usual, Blue perched on her shoulder, yellow eyes carefully taking in her surroundings as she preened her feathers.

As Tai entered the bar, she was startled by how packed it was. The air was thick with body heat, mumbled conversation, and anxiety. Just about every member of Syka might be here. Tai did her best to make a bit of space for Blue, who was fluffing her feathers nervously at the close quarters. Tai’s eyes roamed the room. Eventually, they connected with Stu, who she gave a brief nod to, then her eyes fell curiously on the glowing figure on the counter.

Tai raised an eyebrow instinctively. She didn’t have any sort of aversion to ghosts, but she wasn’t used to seeing them out in the open like this either. The girl seemed to be well enough behaved but Tai couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing here. There hadn’t been any deaths in Syka… had there? Well regardless, Tai wasn’t uncomfortable with the girl but she wouldn’t bother her either. A simple visual note was all that was needed, then Tai moved on.

Further examination of the packed room eventually brought Tai’s attention upon the Founders, or at least those who were still on Syka at the moment. Tai’s eyes eventually found Randal. Well. Now she found a heat working its way into her cheeks unbidden. She hadn’t been avoiding him exactly. She’d been busy. He’d been busy. It had been a mutual business that was definitely not her fault. Of course, if she avoided him now she couldn’t pretend to not be avoiding him anymore. It was time to put on her big girl bryda and say hello.

So Tai caught Randal’s eye, gave him a small wave, then immediately dove back into the crowd. Tai caught sight of another red haired girl about her age, and made for her instantly.

“Hi, I’m Tailyn. Big crowd huh? I’m pretending to know you so I don’t have to talk to someone.”

There was hardly more than a moment for Tai to pretend to converse with her fellow inarta before a man she wasn’t familiar with began speaking. As Tai turned to listen as he spoke, she felt her eyebrows furrow with worry. She knew that the situation with James had been serious, but she supposed she hadn’t fully understood the ramifications. He had been gone a long time. Could he still be okay? When Tai had first come to Syka, she had done so on the Veronica. Although she hadn’t spoken with James personally, she had been impressed at a distance by the man’s hardworking nature. And even if she didn’t know him well, it was impossible to miss the worry the other two Founders had on their faces over their missing friend.

Tai watched as an isur woman she didn’t recognize volunteered, and smiled as the inarta she had placed herself beside volunteered as well. Tai moved forward with the inarta, and stood beside the pair as well.

“I’ll volunteer,” Tai said, speaking almost before she knew what she was saying. “Blue can scout a bit and um… well every extra body helps, right?”

As the isur spoke of the ghost, Tai turned her blue eyes towards the girl once more with an intent curiosity. The isur was right; in a settlement of unique individuals, she really was one of a kind.

[Okara]

Long, pale legs clothed in green linen passed quickly over the wooden slats of the pier as Okara approached the group of people gathered beneath the roof of the Tidepool bar. Word had passed from mouth to mouth and back again to ensure each citizen of the small settlement knew to show up at the appointed time. Since the request had come from Juli and not Stu, the typical organizer of social gatherings, Okara had an inkling that what awaited them would not be as light hearted as the settlers might wish. The Konti’s steps slowed until she joined the edge of the group and slowly mingled her delicate shape into the press of bodies gathered around the bar. A visual sweep of those who stood facing the crowd showed a mix of well-known individuals from around the town, both expected and unexpected ones. A haze beside Juli, no, a ghostly child. Okara begged herself not to stare but could not help but fix her gaze on the small apparition. That none of the individuals near her seem interested or bothered by her presence meant that either she was an expected guest or that only Okara could see her. And she very much doubted the latter. A pool of pity and sadness slithered up her chest and tightened her throat as she gazed softly at the small soul. She forced her eyes to look away and grasped the snakes that twisted up the back of her arm with her other hand, wondering if a healer that had more blessings from Rak’keli would be capable of soothing the trauma that kept the child from departing this life. Okara continued her sweep of those gathered and briefly caught the gaze of Jansen, her mentor and boss. She gave him a small smile in silent greeting but her attention was quickly captured by the sound of a voice speaking above the crowd. Duncan bluntly laid out the problem that had necessitated the gathering and Okara could feel the tension rising from the crowd around her. She understood the fear and felt worried as well. The healers at the Panacea foraged for medicinal plants as they could but the jungle did not give up it’s treasures easily. Okara and the other healers relied on James’ ship to supplement their stocks and if the supplies stopped it could leave them at great risk of being unable to deal with a sudden outbreak or disaster. The call for volunteers came and Okara’s heart swelled with relief as one woman after another offered themselves up for whatever may come. Scales glittered softly in the subdued light beneath the Tidepool roof as Okara raised her hand to draw Lia’s attention amongst the murmuring of the crowd and the declarations of the volunteers. They all understood the fragile network that allowed them to survive and she would not see others take risks for her while she sheltered herself in comparative safety. James had supported their small community and he deserved their support in return. ”I would like to help and assist in any way I might. Have we truly no more information than the Veronica’s bearing and James’ expected timeline?” The young Konti woman called out her question and lowered her hand when she knew she had been heard. Her head swiveled and an eyebrow arched as the presence of the ghostly child was called out with such polite directness. With an investigation before them Okara did not doubt that directness would serve her group of potential companions well.

[Gossamer]

Duncan and Diamond nodded their approvals at Ialari’s words. But it was Duncan that lifted an eyebrow surprisingly at Ialari’s request to introduce the little girl. He glanced blindly around, curious, then tapped Juli on the shoulder. She touched his arm and said .. .”It’s alright. I got this.” And stepped forward.

“As you know, my father’s ship is called The Veronica. He named it for his youngest daughter. This is Veronica Chalvia… my little sister. She usually stays with the ship but this time for some reason she did not.” Juli said, glancing at the ghostly girl.

“I couldn’t go. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t go.” The little ghost child said abruptly. The ghost kitten hissed, climbed up on her shoulder, and hid in the back of her hair. “Snowball and I couldn’t leave with it. It was very upsetting. I tried to tell Juli but she couldn’t see me at the time.” The girl said, as if trying to defend her inability to go. She also almost sounded like it was her fault.

The crowd perked up and everyone started to comment until Duncan held up his hands for quiet. A few people seemed rather unnerved by the girls presence as well. As for Duncan, he couldn’t see her so she actually wasn’t that upsetting.

When Alex pushed forward and said she would help, Juli offered her a smile and Diamond nodded. She agreed with Alex. “James is very important to us. He’s given a lot to the cause of this settlement and has contributed a great deal to its success.” Juli said, both Duncan and Diamond nodding.

When Tailyn volunteered herself and Blue’s services, Randal Zor smiled from across the room. He hadn’t been actively looking for the redhead but he hadn’t failed to note when she’d walked in. The menace on her shoulder often gave her away and he wondered if she was ever without her companion.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the bird. It was simply that the bird didn’t like him and well… the beast was ill behaved at best even though Tailyn thought the bird hung the moon. It was just his luck. He’d have to compete with a parrot for a woman’s affection if he cared to pursue her. He wasn’t sure his ego could take the blow it would be dealt if there was ever a ‘him or Blue’ situation because he knew which one the woman would choose.

Now the Konti, on the other hand, there was a smart one. She’d immediately volunteered and had questions which no one else had asked.

Duncan spoke for the group. “James made runs three times a season to Riverfall. It is a simple three day crossing, but hes a season late and there’s been no word from him. We need to decide how to look for him and appeal to anyone here that might have some more precise way than actually physically searching the whole of the Suvan to locate The Veronica. We were hoping for one of Avalis’ followers in the crowd or some sort of magic or locating sight that might help.” He added, thoughtfully glancing around.

“Because if we can not find anything, we’ll have to do a physical search and oddly since there’s been no sightings or rumors of The Veronica in some weird place or even being seen, we don’t actually know where to begin.” He added, glancing around.

Then Diamond stepped forward. “We Svefra have Avikki gulls out with messages. We’ve passed the description of The Veronica and James who is actually well known and accepted among the Svefra – even an honorary member of the Maelstrom Pod – around and have received lots of replies of folks who have not seen him nor The Veronica. As time grows longer, its less and less possible we will get a sighting and a gull back to us with its location. We need to pursue other means.” She said firmly, worried.

“Even our prayers to Lavuki have gone unanswered. We are all but out of ideas. So if you have any, please step forward. We’d be grateful beyond what you can know for someone with Sight or a gift or even a skill that might help.” She added, looking pleadingly at the crowd. “And we thank you for the volunteerism. We need all the help we can get.” She said. The rest of the tavern, most of the leadership of Syka, and its business owners nodded in unison. To each and every one of them, James was a friend.

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari listened and watched as others volunteered their services in helping to find James. While there were a few who stepped up to the challenge, there still seemed to be little to no ideas as to how to find the lost ship or its captain. As was her gift, or maybe her curse, depending on how she felt and how she perceived it at any given point, her mind began racing through the possible courses of action and how they may provide results. Piece by piece she felt the various pieces of the puzzle come together only to fall apart moments later.

James was very late in his return. Nobody had seen any signs of him or the ship. Those who knew the sea had no idea where he was or what could have happened to delay him. Even Laviku was either unwilling or unable to offer any answers. With every possibility she considered; a storm, pirates, sea monsters, none of them made any sense because someone, somewhere, mortal or divine should have had some answers. That left but one piece that could fit yet she couldn't find a place to put it.

Her gaze fell once more upon Veronica and an idea popped into her head. Speaking up so as to be heard above the crowd, she spoke, as she often did, slowly and deliberately as to dull her heavy isurian accent that, at least in her mind, made communication sometimes difficult. "If I may, I have an idea."

She looked to Veronica as and said, "Veronica, you say you wanted to go with James but couldn't. I am guessing that you are bound to him and/or the ship; you share a connection. Something is blocking that connection and you don't have the strength to challenge whatever that is." Ialari refocused her words to include everyone assembled. "I have a unique understanding of the connection between all things." She left out the why and how as it was too difficult to explain in such an environment. "I am also a servant of Dira, Goddess of Death." She looked at the palm of her hand; to the sickle-shaped mark of the goddess. "Perhaps, if Veronica is willing, she can join with me and together, with my senses and ties to Dira, strengthen the connection she shares with James and maybe act as something of a compass that could lead us in the right direction. It's but a theory yet, in the absence of any other options, I think it may be worth a try." She then looked back to Veronica. "I can feel your love for James. I know you want to help him. I offer myself to you, to possess and share yourself with me and I with you. Together I think we will be strong enough to find him. I know you are scared and to be honest, I am scared as well. Something is keeping you from your father and I want to find out what it is and stop it. I want your father to come home to us. Will you help me?"

Ialari was indeed scared of what she was proposing. Although she'd spent some time among the unliving and had even invited ghosts to possess her, never was it a good experience. The ghosts of the mad wizard Amir Berliotz had shared her body, violated her mind and even her soul. The ghost of the sea captain, Birewell had possessed her and shared his life and final moments with her. Both encounters had left her with nightmares and memories not her own that continued to the present. Despite the risk of assimilating even more traumatic memories from a ghost; their existence being the epitome of trauma, she could see no other way.

"If anyone has a better idea as to how to find James, do speak up. Regardless, my offer stands." Ialari then uttered a silent prayer to Izurdin for strength and to Dira in hopes of gaining the goddess' blessing.

[Tailyn]

Tai listened with rapt attention to the little girl’s statement. Something strange about what the ghost girl said struck a chord with her.

“Listen um, I don’t know much about ghosts,” Tai said hesitantly, when there was enough of a lull in the conversation for her to feel comfortable speaking up. “But that’s kind of strange right? Veronica, you normally go with the ship? But then for some reason you couldn’t?”

Tai chewed her lip. “Now I could be totally off base here, considering I don’t know much about it. But...is it just me or does that suggest that there was something going on before James even left? I mean, it’d be one thing if Veronica’s connection with the ship was severed and she got booted off the ship while all of you were still sailing. But whatever it was happened before or around the time it left. Weird right? What would even cause that? I wouldn’t know what that would be. Maybe one of you guys who knows more about ghosts might have a better idea?”

Tai glanced around the crowd, waiting to see if someone would speak up. Her eyes, in particular, fell on the isur woman. Tai may have never met her before, but she seemed to know her shyke when it came to ghosts, for whatever reason.

When the woman suggested her own reason for the child ghost to not be able to make a connection with the ship, Tai found herself nodding along. She didn’t know enough about the situation to be able to make any sort of real educated guess on how to get around the problem, but the isur seemed to know what she was talking about and her suggestion sounded reasonable enough. When the woman mentioned that she served the goddess of death, Tai’s red eyebrows shot up for a brief moment before she brought them back under control. Well, she did seem to have a comradery with ghosts. Makes sense, right?

“I was just going to suggest something stupid, like us sending out more of those gulls or going out to look. Your idea sounds a lot better. It’ll give us a much better base for what to go off of.”

[Okara]

Okara’s eyebrows furrowed as the sisters, one living and one dead, answered the Isur woman’s question. This was beyond just a ship lost at sea, something was happening here. Veronica’s connection to the ship was unusual but her inability to join the ship was more unusual still. Okara felt deeply suspicious about the slowly unfolding circumstances, the full picture was far from clear. She had only questions and no solutions. The details that emerged from Duncan and Diamond only created further questions for the Konti. The searching that had already been done was extensive. No one had seen the Veronica, at least no one willing to come forward with the information. Even Laviku had been silent, which meant either the ship was no longer at sea or something powerful enough to block the sight of a god was at work. Neither option was particularly appealing to Okara. The crowded area around the bar was getting hot and the air stifling. As the other women that volunteered began to speak Okara walked a few steps to lean against a thick, wooden pillar that support the roof of the bar. The ocean breeze cooled her back as her gaze drifted from concerned face to concerned face. Her webbed fingers caressed the smooth wood of the pillar, then came in contact with a stub of metal. Distracted, her eyes darted to look, and she noticed the head of a small nail sticking out of the wood. The Svefra prayers to Laviku had gone unanswered but another prayer never hurt as long as it was heard by the right divine ears. Standing at the edge of the crowd that was distracted with Ialari and Tailyn, Okara cupped her hand to muffle the noise and quickly slapped it against the solid pillar. She peeled it back to see a small gash in her palm from the head of the nail and gripped her hand into a fist, letting a few drops of red, Konti blood drip onto the deck. Perhaps a little blood offered in sacrifice would demonstrate the seriousness of her prayer and get their attention. Then again, perhaps her prayer too would go unanswered and she had just slashed her hand on a rusty nail for nothing. Mother Avalis…. Beloved Rak’keli… grant us guidance in our task. Our path is murky indeed. Okara mouthed the prayer soundlessly, she was not a flashy woman and she desired to draw no further attention to what she was doing then she already might have. She considered it was likely that the sister goddesses could not help them, but a small cut on her hand was at least worth the attempt. She tucked her hand behind her back as her attention returned to the conversation that was finishing up. The Isur was brave indeed to suggest what she had but it made Okara nervous. If it went badly would both the Isur and the ghost, their one connection to James and his ship, be lost? The Inarta seemed to be in the same position as Okara, with little knowledge of ghosts to offer. She disliked feeling ignorant but she did not envy the choice the Isur was prepare to make either. ”What you are suggesting sounds dangerous. Perhaps it is my ignorance of possessions but the act of two souls sharing one body must surely come with risks. However, I do agree that there seem to be few viable options and if you are comfortable taking on this risk then I will not object. If there is anyway I or anyone else can assist you towards success, do not hesitate to say.” Okara said, directing her words primarily towards the woman who would be taking on the risk. ”I must ask though, Veronica, did you frequently appear to your father on his voyages? Would your absence have seemed….. strange to him, do you think?” Okara turned her question towards the ghostly child with the tiny kitten hiding on her shoulder. The question had been turning in Okara’s mind so much she couldn’t help but ask it. She worried for James’ safety, but she felt a reluctance at the back of her mind. Had he noticed Veronica missing from the ship? Would he have questioned that or simply sailed on? Did he have plans of his own, plans he did not wish a child, even the ghost of a child, to be present for? Okara had arrived at the settlement after James had left on his last trip so she had no personal insight to the man but from what she had picked up from the other settlers he was devoted to the settlement. However, she could not help but wonder if he was truly a victim of the capricious nature of fate or if he had been caught up in secrets of his own.

[Alexandra Gainsborough]

It seemed everyone was on a similar path. Something odd was happening and this child would hopefully lead then in the right direction. This brought up many more questions. Playing with her hair she lost herself in thought running through any of the information she currently had. She lost and gained attention as people spoke, blinking quickly and refocusing when the Isuran women spoke. She clearly had more experience with ghosts and death. Alex felt a little more comfortable to speak when the redhead in the room spoke. Moving to speak she stopped when she heard the Konti's words. She nodded along with her comments about that being dangerous. While she knowledge of ghosts was very limited her craft taught her not to change anything drastic without understanding what might come of it. This seemed like something big and demanding of both parties. Standing on tip toe she spoke up. “Veronica do you know if you were being kept from the ship itself or the dock? If...” She paused for a moment trying to think of the proper way to phrase things. “If you went to the same place the ship had been docked now could you board? If another ship was in the same place?” Shaking her head she was unsure if she was being clear. “I do not know very much about Djed or ghosts but any time in the past when I saw something strange it was tired to a location. I wonder if it is the ship itself or maybe the dock.” Her time in Alvada taught her to never trust her eyes. Everything was kept within the city walls so perhaps something similar is going on here. Perhaps whatever it was that kept the girl from the ship is still here. Alex bit her lower lip running though all of her thoughts. “Have you been unable to leave before? Was anyone on the ship acting differently before leaving? Is it possible someone knew something out of the normal was going to happen and did not wish you to go?” She said her voice a little unease and her accent getting thicker with every word. She knew it would not be a popular idea to imply that this girl was willed to stay here while the ship was going to do something secretive.