71 Spring 512 AV
Things were finally beginning to get back to normal. The wind off the bay was cold and Hannelora paused to enjoy it's soft caress. It was cold now, causing her to shiver. Tugging her cloak tight around her, she smile, truly happy for the first time in a long time. It would not take her long to get back use to the cold temperature. “Maybe now we can reclaim our home.” She said wishfully as she looked across the bay. “It would be nice to have a room again.”
There was a small cough form above her, and Hannelora looked up at captain Belrattom. “Its a pity I have such a good for nothing apprentice. I guess I will just have to l will just have throw these bags overboard, though I will probably throw out my back again.” He said as if talking to himself though looking down meaningfully at Hannelora.
He was an elderly man who looked in his late fifties. His hair had turned white with age and stress, though his body still looked strong. Currently his eyes where as blue as the water though perhaps a yellow speck broke trough. Despite his calm exterior he was excited about getting back on the ocean. His clothing was nothing special save for a craved bone necklace he wore around his neck and a similar bracelet. Supposedly they were for good luck. He had always teased Hannelora, that he had to start wearing two since he started to train her.
Hannelora blushed, at being caught daydreaming and her eyes turned yellow with pink specks. Despite her embarrassment, she was still very excited about getting back to sea. Not wasting anymore time, she went back to loading supplies into the ship. The fishing boat had already been loaded the day before with previsions and supplies, so there was not that much left to do. Hannelora just had to finish bringing on her and captain Belrattom's supplies to the captains quarters.
The rest of the eight man crew was tending to the basic needs of the ship, making sure all the ropes where properly tied and nothing was in danger of breaking. Hannelora quickly joined them after dropping off the bags. The predawn light made it harder to work, but if they wanted to catch the morning tide then it had done now. It was the last chance to replace something for the next week. Everything had been checked before this, but it never hurt to check again.
When the breeze and the tide where finally on their side, the ship began to pull out of the harbor. Hannelora was beaming with happiness as they pulled out of the bay, her eyes focused on the horizon. Not for the first time, she wandered what it would be like to sail beyond the coast and into the open sea. From what she has read, both terrifying and invigorating. Hannelora felt herself longing for the day that she could finally set sail on her own. After the Djed storms, she had been set back even further.
Hannelora first task on the ship was to make sure the sails stayed properly adjusted to the winds. It was never a simple task, but today it was made easier by steady winds. Still she had to constantly pay attention, making minute adjustments as the sailed. While she was doing this, there was no much time for anything else. It was midday when she was finally relieved from that duty.
After a small lunch of water and bread, she was back to work. This time she was working at the helm. The Captain was watching, though he seemed fairly confident in her abilities. They where heading out to where the last school of fish had been seen, but there was not much hope that they would find the fish there. A lot of the fishing ships had been damaged in the Djed storms, so the locations of the schools had no doubt changed. When they had gotten to the place the fish where suppose to be, then they would consult last years records for where the school might be now.
With the coast in view, it was fairly easy to keep track of where they were yet. Still guiding the ship was not easy. If it where possible, it was more physically demanding than trimming the sails. The winds did not necessarily want to push the ship in the same direction as they wanted to go. In fact most of the time it felt that either the tides or the wind wanted to smash the ship upon the rocks. Still the real challenge lied in not missing any important landmarks. It was very important to know where they were at any given time.
Many uneventful hours passes and it was growing dark. The crew began to reduce sail and bring the ship to a stop. It was dangerous to travel at night, especially with a small crew. It was harder to see chunks of ice or other obstacles, and after the Djed Storms, there was no telling what might be in the way. Plus seeing the shore was next to impossible. It was best to pull out to sea, so that the coast was barely in view and then way anchor.
Despite being very tired, Hannelora's work for the day was not done. After eating a small meal and listening to the crew talk, she retired to the captain's quarters. Her and Belrattom shared the room. Since he was still busy talking with the crew, Hannelora took over his desk. Pulling out maps, she began to compare them to the course they took today. She was looking for anything that seemed off or had changed. accurate maps where very important. There where few changes she could notice by just sailing by, but she liked to make sure they were accurate.
After having verified that they where correct, she began to make copies of them. They would need new maps for the recorders and she wanted to have the work done. It also gave her an excuse to leave the table. Hannelora did not really care for group situations. It was a pity, because there was not much time outside of dinner to get to know the rest of the crew. It was nothing personal, just that she did not like people.
“You really have to stop this.” Belrattom said with a sigh looking down at her, as he entered the room. “Eating with the crew helps you form bonds of trust with them you know?” He was clearly disappointed with her, though he was trying not to let it show to much. “its not as important here as it will be at other times, but you should work on your social skills.”
Hannelora did not look up from the map she was working on. She just let out a hmmp and continued to work on coping her map. That particular coastline had received dark blot of land that now jutted out into the ocean. She did not notice the the new landmark she had created though and just threw herself at her work, ignoring the captain.
“Fine, have it your way.” Belrattom said getting undressed and heading to bed. His voice did no sound angry, just slightly sad. Hannelora was not a very talkative girl, though he had heard about her family problems. He kind of hoped that she might open up about them. He knew she could not possibly be happy at the situation, but she was very closed mouth about everything in her life. Patting her on the head, he want to bed.
Hannelora did not stay up much longer. It had been a long day and she was very tired. After maybe a hour of trying to copy the map, she retired to bed herself.
