Private Tales Mind the Swells

[Kestrel]

Well get to it was Gavin’s response, and the dark-haired woman just grinned in response to him, giving him a light cuff on his shoulder before pushing to her feet. Despite his instructions, however, Kes didn’t immediately spring to readying the ship. They were well enough where they were, and she was curious enough to want to be on hand for this part…

At first, there wasn’t much to see. Gavin concentrating, and Faleru seeming mixed with intense concentration and pain… and then the air around him began to shiver in what looked like heat but felt like the sky during a lightning storm. The feeling of sheer power was familiar and unnerving, and Kes took a subconscious step back… but that was where the similarities ended. The energy was warm, tingling, with a cool undercurrent to it -- not icy and sticky, like it’d been the last time. When it swelled out of Gavin, instead of an empty, sucking feeling, it seemed to settle inside of Faleru.

As Gavin slumped, the half-elf was there, catching him by the upper arm before easing him to the worn deck of the ship, kneeling at his side to check and make sure he was still breathing, still alive. He was hot to the touch, like a fire had burned across his skin, and still smoldered underneath it, and her heart skipped hard in her chest until she felt the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat under her fingers. Take care of him, the fiery figure directed, to her, and Kes stared up at him with wide amethyst eyes. Her hand curled in the captain’s coat, and then the ghost -- or whatever it was -- was gone.

Whatever Gavin had done, it seemed to have worked, because Faleru got to her feet. This time, without her back ripping open, though she certainly didn’t seem too reliable on her feet.

“Careful --” Kes began, but Faleru stroked Gavin’s hair, then made it to the side of the boat, thankfully not over it. It was still the half-elf’s duty to care for the other female, so she reached for the fur that had been thrown from the hammock earlier. Carefully transferring Gavin to it, Kes made sure he was comfortable, tucking the blanket underneath his head, before getting to her feet.

“Well that’s good to hear. Because sailing and fending off pirates is at least lesson three or four, and I’ve only completed lesson one,” Kes quipped, jerking her thumb over her shoulder to where the slumbering captain was to indicate who her teacher had been. With her other hand, she offered the waterskin to Faleru once again. She didn’t know what strange humanoid-but-definitely-not-human sea creatures ate, but Faleru had said that fresh water would work, so that’s what she offered.

“You should sleep,” the half-elf nodded to the one remaining hammock and its comfy looking fur piled on top. Gavin’s, but she doubted he’d object to Faleru making use of it. “I’ll get us clear of here, not much for you to do except try and recover. If your fishy friend gets back and needs you, we can wake you. And if we hit something and sink, that’ll do a pretty good job of waking you up, too.” A off-kilter grin tugged at the corner of the thief’s lips, her tone light and easy. Totally not unnerved by what she’d just seen or the fact that she was now in the middle of a literal sea and about to be solely responsible for not killing two very important people. Nope, not at all.

 

[Kestrel]

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Four days later...
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The next few days passed with an almost idyllic speed -- for the most part, both Faleru and Gavin slept or rested, recovering while Kes sailed them along the coast. Within the first day they’d left behind the wreckage and debris of the attack on the pirate ship, and both Gavin and Kes seemed much more relaxed with that behind them. At night, they dropped anchor and the ship floated serenely with only the flickering lantern on their bow to compete with the light from the star-studded sky above.

Whenever Faleru stirred, within a moment or two the dark-haired half-elf was at her side, offering water and food from their hold, though it was, mostly, hard-tack. They had been equipped for a long sail upriver without stopping except when necessary, after all. Kes didn’t seem too driven to pester the other woman with questions, though it was obvious she had a ton, if that curiosity in those bright amethyst eyes of hers was any indication. Still, Faleru was healing, and that was the most important thing, so Kes mostly just left her to it. Though… not without a smart remark or two… or twenty.

Especially when it came to the siren following them. The first time the aquatic Fae splashed water onto the boat (and Faleru) without warning Kes, the half-elf had nearly abandoned the steering wheel to investigate, hollering, "OI! Water stays outside the boat! Outside!"

It'd take a bit of explanation from both the siren (Ithyk, Kes learned her name was) and Faleru to explain that, yes, Ithyk understood the purpose of a boat and, no, she wasn't intentionally making Kes's job harder and, yes, it was going to happen again. Like... four times a day again. Something about Faleru drying out, which Kes had decided to not investigate further. Instead, the half-elf had done what she could to make it less of a mess by shifting Faleru's hammock a bit closer to the side of the boat so Ithyk didn't have to splash so far and soak more of the ship.

Kes, for her part, would have expected to find herself terribly and inordinately bored on the small ship, even with Ithyk's interruptions and how entertaining it was to teach the siren some city-slang. It was, after all, her least favorite thing to be trapped in a confined space without things to do… but she didn’t find that to be the case at all. She was, in the long and short of it, learning in a trial-by-fire manner how to sail a ship by herself. Every so often she had to prod Gavin awake to answer a question or tell her how to fix a problem -- once, their anchor got tangled on something and required both her and the captain to wrest it free so they could continue on their way. But he had started their little journey already wounded, not to mention the little trick that he’d pulled with Faleru, so he mostly slept as well and Kes tried not to interrupt that too much.

And Kes managed not to sink them. Not only that, but she was having fun. It wasn’t easy, rather one of the most challenging things she’d ever done.. But there was something really satisfying about the sails filling with the wind and pulling the ship forward, especially when the current wanted to pull them back the opposite direction… Very contrary in its nature, and Kes enjoyed that.

The morning of the fourth day after encountering Faleru was no different; the sun shone overhead as the sails snapped and swelled with the captured breeze, the half-elf keeping a watchful eye on it all from her position at the wheel. She was dressed simply, the only piece of armor she still wore being the molded leather breastplate that she seemed to even sleep in, her dagger sheaths attached to the back of it. Her dark hair was loose in the wind, every so often brushed away with an impatient hand, bright purple eyes resting on the horizon. This morning she'd gotten the sails up and ready the fastest yet; she hadn't even had to wake Gavin up to help her, the first time that had happened.

Lovely day for sailing, she thought happily.

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

She's a natural... The thought drifted through his mind as he watched Kes from his makeshift bed, a bemused look upon his face. When he first had the notion of teaching her how to sail, it was for the benefit of providing himself with a break during their journey up north. Through his detailed explanation on the inner workings of their sloop, he was aware of the glazed expression she provided, though it seems her faux sense of being uninterested had finally shattered and he dared to think she actually loved every moment of it.

While she readied the ship in what seemed to be a hurried but still precise fashion, he feigned sleep to see if she would rouse him from his slumber to help. When she didn't, he was delighted to see that his lessons truly seeped in and not only where they ready to sail but she had adjusted the sails to catch the most wind possible, a technique he had explained but not showed her. If this was a coincidence or not, he would ask later, but for now, he would allow her to enjoy the moment.

Rising from his "bed" he hurried along himself to go through his morning routine. In the days that past, Gavin had went from terribly tired and drained to feeling usually energized. If it had something to do with Faleru's power flowing through him, that theory had been left unanswered as he chose not to pursue it. Despite having a pretty good idea of who she truly was, Gavin had yet to ask, choosing to remain in blissful ignorance. It wasn't that he lack the courage to ask or was not curious... It was more along the lines of asking and her answer proving his idea to be wrong. The idea of being next to a being many thought to be a high tale, well there was something special about that.

Washed up and ready to start the day, Gavin had bound his hair back and was tempted with the thought of wrestling the wheel from Kes. He was beginning to realize he may never need to sail the rest of the way up, or until they reached some of the rougher areas of the river. Instead, he settled on going through their provisions and taking a piece of jerky for breakfast. Using a small dagger he kept on himself near all times, he cut the dried meat in half and began to gnaw before crossing the small deck to damn near shove the other piece into Kes' mouth. "Eat, I know you skipped breakfast."

 

[Falerumasa]

Time passed, and Falerumasa concentrated on healing while observing the people. Kes, as the female was called, seemed delighted to be able to smoothly work the vessel. And it was pleasing to see someone so content with their own abilities. A few times in the past few days, Faleru would compliment Kes on her sailing, even if the dragon had no idea what she was doing. Boats were always on her waters, but other than watching Dumont, the creatures here had never truly understood how the things worked.

A little time was spent truly watching her, to understand the purpose of her movements, of the sails and all of the rope involved. It was terribly confusing at first, but continued watching shed a bit of light here and there on the whole thing. Mortals were certainly a creative bunch, even if their things were terrifically complicated to use.

The first bath of water to keep her from drying out had alarmed Kes, and brought a hearty laugh from Faleru. Had Ithyk been left to explain, the siren would have likely started off mad before actually broaching the subject. The other two siren's had been cautious about leaving Faleru with mortals, but after being told the crew had made an offering, it seemed to ease enough of the tension for them to allow Ithyk to follow.

The siren was never far from the boat, receiving odd looks from the few fae they came across before their presence was ignored. The young fae was curious, and given the opportunity to speak with the mortal woman, took every opportunity. Caution from her elders had warned her off from approaching strange boats to watch the crews, but Faleru was here and this boat had her blessing. Surely they couldn't be that harmful? So questions and explanations were abound when Ithyk and Kes spoke.

The fourth sunrise, Gavin rose and went about what seemed to be a routine for himself. Faleru carefully stretched after standing, testing just how much of her back had healed as she stifled a laugh at the forceful poke of food that Kes received. The man had a good idea though. Faleru called for Ithyk in the faerie tongue, a short exchange happening in their language as the siren dove out of sight and seemed to disappear.

"You should eat Kes. Magic consumes energy and whatever else it decides to take at the time." The woman smiled softly, turning and watching off the side for Ithyk likely. A moment later, a curiosity had her turning back to the woman. "What kind of magic do you use, if I may ask?" The question was sudden, but it was something that had been nagging at the dragon for several days now. She could catch a small hint of what a person was aligned to unless it was wind. Each element was unique, and each person added their own scent to the elemental draft about them. It was akin to smelling one's clothes after tending a fire, or digging through the earth. A residual smell of just what they called upon.

Gavin had mentioned drawing from her magic, and being that he was aligned with fire, it made sense for her magic to be aligned with the air if that was truly the case. But air was always a fickle one to sniff out.

 

[Kestrel]

Ooh, not only did Kes have a great, snapping wind filling the sails and sending the boat skimming over the water, but then Gavin brought her food -- well, sort of shoved it at her mouth so the half-elf had to hurriedly bite down on it before it tumbled to the deck, since she was mid-course-adjustment. She laughed around it, freeing one hand to grab the jerky and actually start eating, even as Faleru chimed in her support of Gavin’s statement.

“This wind’s too good to miss. Yesterday it died down mid-morning and I could barely get us going,” she said by way of explanation as to why she’d neglected to eat before getting them going. She’d woken up to the wind tugging at her hair and begging to go-- hard to make the case that that’d been the wrong choice when they were gliding along the waves at a good pace currently, the spray kicking up from the bow in a steady fan of lace heralding their path forward. She hoped the pace didn’t make it difficult for Ithyk, but she trusted Faleru to let her know if that was the case.

Kes was almost done with her jerky when Faleru prompted another question about the half-elf’s magic, the thief visibly taken aback at the question. The fact that Gavin knew about Kes’s ability had never been part of the plan, but rather a by-product of him being so damn clever and her being scared for her own life. She hadn’t exactly expressed it to him but no one else really knew about what she could do, at least no one in the Family aside from Drendor himself. It was better that way… Where she came from, mages were looked upon with suspicion and distrust. If the others knew what she could do, that magic flowed through her, they’d look at her differently. A very, very bad differently.

“I… uh…” She looked to Gavin for reassurance, before clearing her throat. “It’s… probably easier if I show you. I don’t know how to… To describe it.”

She stepped back from the wheel, only one hand steadying it until Gavin could take her place at the helm. Seemed a terrible idea to split her concentration between steering and hiding, especially when he was right there and more than capable.

Sliding into it was easy. Second nature. Like a muscle that she’d always known how to flex. One moment she was standing on the deck, clear as could be… and then the next blink, she was simply gone. There wasn’t even her shadow to be seen, not a ripple in the air, just complete nothing where Kes had been. Even more than that, her magic seemed to shift somehow. Like she wasn’t quite there; it was easy to imagine that any sort of spell or energy flung at her would somehow slide off of her…

After a moment or two, Kes released the hiding and reappeared, right where she’d been when she went invisible. Adjusting her breastplate self-consciously, she shrugged one shoulder.

“So.. uh. Yeah. That’s about it. Nothing really special… I don’t summon fire all over my body or anything ostentatious and flashy like that.” She tossed that last little bit towards Gavin, her voice holding this playful note that kept that comment from being even remotely barbed.

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

It was a amazing how a few days spent close to each cause the pair to form a bit of a routine, the constant back and forth and attempts to one up each other in terms of witty banter accompanied with lessons which proved to stick, as far as sailing went. Gavin and Kes had found a comfortable balance, however that comfort had yet to be truly tested, so there was no telling how strong this quick bond that either one would be likely to deny, truly was.

Responding to her need of his aid, Gavin happily took up the wheel, missing the feel of commanding a ship being that Kes had proved that she wasn't the sharing sort, hogging the responsibility of leading them north, and slipped into the familiar skin of sailing a ship. Of course, despite their heading being blessed with strong winds and calling for his attention, he trusted in his ability and years of sailing to afford him a moment to divide his attention. No matter how strong his love for being on a ship, it was something known to him intimately. Kes and her abilities were new however, and as such, he couldn't help but peek over as she showed Faleru her use of magic. His eyes, both real and fake, went wide in wonder, one pupil dilating and the false one remaining as is, giving him a strange appearance as his watched Kes simply blinked out of existence. Sure his ability to manipulate fire could be described as flashy, but he felt it didn't compare to what he just witness.

His attention called forth as a spray of water peppered the deck, it was timed perfectly with the comment regarding his flashy fire magic. He chuckled and shook his head in his own response. "Don't sell yourself short...We each have own on strengths and uses and I think yours is particular useful.... It's not as eye catching as my fire of course.. But isn't that the point?"

Gavin then nervously looked to Faleru before attempting to prod a bit. "If you want to talk about flashy however... Her power... Is something entirely on a different level."

 

[Falerumasa]

Faleru's expression when Kes vanished was surprise and confusion. The woman hadn't even left any sign of her existence behind, not a shadow or ripple in the space she had stood or even the slight glimmer of magick that the fae could use to hide themselves. Beign as old as she was, Faleru was impressed thoroughly that there was a magic that could hide someone better than a faerie glamour.

A small whistle of approval came from the dragon as she watched the woman reappear, listening briefly to the trade between her and Gavin before giving the man a knowing smirk.

"You are kind with your words captain. Though flashy is hardly the word I would have used. If it would please you, I would show you one thing I can do since we are sharing." Faleru chuckled, she waited for their answers before stepping perilously close to the side of the boat.

She hadn't planned on showing off, and the magick she was about to do would likely bring Ithyk back in a hurry. The shock on her current companies face however would likely be well worth the alarm of the young siren.

Hands folded and waved in small motions at her sides, her magick taking hold as the ripples from their passing faded away on one side of the boat as the water there began to slowly crawl up the hull and onto the woman. Slowly, it encased her body until all that remained free of water was her head, some black strands of her hair freely flowing in the shell of water at her back. Still it crept upwards until it touched her mouth, which opened slightly as a great gasp came from her.

With her gasp, the water looked as though it were spinning through a funnel as it entered her mouth, drawn in as the shell of liquid began to drain away as she inhaled all of it. The final few drops fell away when her mouth closed, her belly uncomfortably distended while focusing on a large rock adorning the opposite shoreline.

Her neck craned a bit as she blew the water out in a small point, the space between the boat and shoreline being ripped apart as the jet of water crossed it before meeting the rock and at first holding. The vessel rocked at the sudden force, being held in place with Faleru's display. It was not enough to dip the other side into the water, though it was close to crossing rough seas just before a storm hit.

The continued stream of high pressure water pushed the rock into the ground at first, the splash of water sent high into the air before the concentrated point bored clean through and up, splitting the entirety of it in two.

The display lasted for a brief time, the span of three breaths. Her stomach returning to normal as the last bit of water fell harmlessly over the edge and the gentle rock of the vessel eased back to its steady course. She stood easily while the boat rocked on the edge, the rocking a small comfort to her as she smirked before burping as the last bit of her display came forth.

Forcing air and water into this forms stomach was a bit more daunting a task, compared to doing that as a dragon at least. Her hands went to her hips as she stepped away from the edge and turned to them, watching both of them as she still smirked.

 

[Kestrel]

For a moment after her invisibility fell away, the half-elf had stood with this squared-shoulder stance, as if holding herself ready to fend off accusations or anger or… well, worse. It was a stiff look that only seemed to ease once both Gavin and then Faleru seemed impressed, of all things. With her, and her little trick, as small and unassuming as it was. A smile, small and slightly awkward, hovered on her lips, as she shrugged one shoulder.

“Well… It’s saved my life a couple times, so not too shabby.”

Then the issue of Faleru’s powers came up and the thief perked up, curiosity bright in those amethyst eyes. It was obvious that there was something more to Faleru than just a grey-skinned mer-Fae; after all she merited a guard in the way of an overprotective siren (that Kes was growing rather fond of, even if she was sort of a pain in the butt) not to mention the several times Gavin had started to say what he thought she was before cutting himself off… What that was Kes was sure she didn’t know. As of a week ago, she’d thought Fae were just tall tales and hallucinations. Certainly not beings that she would only a few days later be sharing a boat and jokes with.

Faleru, however, was volunteering to show her abilities…

… and show, she did.

Kes watched the display with what could only be classified as ‘shock’ and ‘awe’ and a very healthy dose of fear mixed in there. That much raw power, that much sheer strength… it was beyond anything she would have ever considered even possible, beyond what Kes would have ever imagined she’d see with her own eyes.

Faleru turned back towards them, smiling so proud of herself, and Kes just couldn’t help herself -- she burst into a very inventive, extremely colorful laundry list of cusswords. It just sort of… slid out, without her meaning to, regardless of any desire to maintain propriety around company or what.

Finally, she ended with “-- was that?! That was --” she sort of floundered for a word before ending on, “unreal!"

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

Gavin was all smiles, at first. That ended quickly as Faleru showed them, what they very well may come to learn, a snippet of her power. It was hard enough sharing attention with steering their ship with Kes showed them her ability but once Faleru decided to chime in, the captain of the ship found his gaze was held in place.

The fact she was able to call upon the water and manipulate it was astonishing... But then literallty taking it with in her body and then projecting it into a steady stream so powerful it cut a rock just off shore in two... Now that was.... Well.. he didn't know how to put it. He did know how to express his feelings of their ship shuddering under the weight of her power thought. A stream of swears to match Kes and her own. Once the ship was under control once more, Gavin stood there, wide eye as if he was unsure of what he witness.

"I... Told you.. She's something else." Gavin finally blurted out as if he had an idea of what to have expected.

 

[Falerumasa]

Faleru could not contain the small bit of laughter that came out, their surprise not unfounded but welcome compared to fear.

"It is less impressive given I am injured at the moment. I will have to show you something truly impressive once I am well." Faleru decided to inform them. That little trick was typically reserved for hunting though, the targets varying from whales to mortal vessels that earned her enmity. A splash behind her drew her attention as Ithyk popped into view.

"Did something happen?" She chirped from below, prompting Faleru to turn and smile to her.

"Merely a show of ability. There is no trouble." She replied, her head tilting a little as she switched to faerie. "Did your sisters have any news?"

"None have departed from either place. The waters should be calm for some time." Ithyk informed her in kind. The other two sirens had been kind enough to swim in either direction and keep an eye on the ports in case of any further pirates or merchants.

Faleru turned back to her companions with her own curiosity now at the front. The captain had always been sure to make offerings when he traveled, though this was not his usual means of sailing. The wonder of what had happened to prompt this tiny craft gnawing at her for some time.

"Might I ask what has become of your ship captain? This is a drastic change from your usual vessel." She asked carefully. It was one thing for her to be in trouble, an entirely other thing for her rescuers to be deep into their own trouble while attending to her.

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

Though his his gaze was locked forward and his attention kept on guiding their vessel, the neutral expression Gavin tried to keep was broken and a look of surprise washing over his face. Faleru knew much it seemed. Not wishing to keep his reply waiting, Gavin chanced a glance over his shoulder.

"Either she is still at port in Alliria, or out in sea, touring the southern waters. She's in good hands however." He answered truthfully. Depending on Drendor, the man who was hunting down Kes, his ship the Rocinante would either be docked at the merchant city or making it's way south and away from the reach of the crime lord.

"Clever of you to have noticed the change of ship." Though in truth, the two ships looked drastically different, the sloop they were currently on drastically smaller then his warship."We were forced to leave Alliria in haste and I believed it would bring unnessary attention and trouble to the Rocinante if she was to take up this task...A smaller vessel seemed like a wiser course."

 

[Kestrel]

Kes just sort of stared, flabbergasted, at Faleru, when the other woman said she’d be able to do something more impressive later when she was better. More impressive than that?! Kes wasn’t even going to ask. She wasn’t sure her brain would be able to actually process any more than what she’d just seen. Up until last week, she hadn’t even really believed in magic being more than just a passing tool…

Though, as if determined to remind her of the cost of magic, Faleru asked about the ship… and Kes’s eyes shifted to Gavin, a bit of wariness edging into that amethyst gaze of hers. It would have been too obvious to interrupt the question or try and throw a comment in to derail or change the flow of conversation, so she just waited and, for lack of a better word, trusted that Gavin would know what to say. Not that she trusted anyone who didn’t bear the same brand as her. Not really. She just knew he knew not to endanger them needlessly by flapping his mouth. Or whatever one wanted to call that.

Since Gavin seemed to be happy to be back at the wheel, Kes moved forward along the deck, catching a stray bit of sail that wasn’t tacked down as well as it should have been and readjusting the tie… It was a knot that Gavin hadn’t shown her, not specifically, but he’d used a couple of times around her.

“This ship, just like the Rocinante, is definitely not a pirate ship,” she couldn’t help but quip, winking playfully at Faleru. Hinting at the fact that this was a common topic that she liked to, ahem, 'disagree' with Gavin about. She'd said she'd keep the 'pirate' talk underwraps, but this hardly counted since Faleru already seemed to have a good idea as to who Gavin was. “Despite any reputation that he might have gotten beforehand. A fine upstanding, definitely law-abiding citizen, this one…” She threw a grin at Gavin, even as she ducked the boom to move to the other side of the ship, moving to readjust the sails to catch the slightly shifting wind.

 

[Falerumasa]

The captains answer was met with a slight chuckle. It seemed everyone was in trouble somehow. "A shame to not see it this time, it is a pretty thing." Faleru admitted, glancing about the little boat they were on.

In truth, she had only seen the Rocinante a handful of times. Gavin and his lot had always observed the old ways, and her disbelief at the possibility had made her curious early on. When he had continued to impress her however, Faleru had made herself remember to return the kindness if it was needed.

The woman moved about, busying herself with the rigging before winking at the dragon. A brow shot up as the woman continued to tease Gavin it seemed. Faleru looked back to Gavin with a knowing smile. The man was nothing like other pirates, always careful about what he did and did not do. One of the reasons he had been successful at avoiding the gaze of those that called the water home for so long.

"I'm sure the boats of the cities would agree with you Kes." Faleru smiled a little wider at the captain, the mention of the navy vessels hopefully understood well enough. "Though, they also throw pretty gems into the water." She spoke as she looked back to Kes. Her mind dissected what Gavin had told her, and added that Kes was teasing him, and she drew on a conclusion that seemed likely in her mind.

"We?" Faleru made a motion with her hands toward the two of them. "Did you secretly wed and make someone angry?"

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

A tight smile and and quizzical expression marked his face as he listen to Faleru. Though he observed the old traditions and superstitions, he wasn't entirely sure if they worked. Gavin didn't talk much about it but he did spend a lot of his free time in libraries reading. He had been taught early on in life that knowledge was indeed power no matter how trite. And so he read... And read and read.

Apparently, somewhere along the line he read something usual for that garnished the attention and praise from their newest crew member. However it would not be those words that he would reply to, but the question of a secret marriage being asked. He blinked in surprised, trying to make sense of the question and his mouth slowly opened to answer but no words came out at first. It was at this point that it hit him. "M.. Marriage? Me.. And Kes? No... No.. Ha... She surely angered someone... I'm just making sure she's safe...." He cleared his throat and tried to hide the red tinge that befell his face. "Not that there is anything wrong.. With the idea.... I mean I'm not looking to marry anyone right now.. Maybe someday...... Kes.. help... Say something."

Well, it seemed for as much as a smooth talker he could be, Gavin could be tripped up. He now focused on sailing forward.

 

[Kestrel]

Kes was in the middle of tightening down one of the sails, folding it carefully, when Faleru guessed that they had married and that was the reason for their exodus, and the half-elf nearly dropped the sail completely in her surprise and astonishment. The wind tugged at the sail from her loosened grasp, making it snap and flutter wildly in the breeze, the thief having to grab at it to get it back under a modicum of control, cursing softly under her breath. Still, despite her obvious irritation, a very small part of her was glad for the distraction, because maybe it would make it less obvious how red the tips of her pointed ears had gotten.

Of course, by then, Gavin had oh so convincingly denied any possibility of them being a couple and urged her to say something. Which, of course, she had tons to say. Because, obviously not. Obviously.

“Pfft, no way I’d marry Gavin,” Kes declared, the very epitome of confidence. “He’s not even my type. I like clean-shaven, dumb, and very, very rich. Which… he is none of. Well, he might be an idiot. He did agree to help a thief who stole from one of the most powerful gangs in Alliria, effectively putting a death mark on both our heads and causing us to flee the city on a tiny rinkydink ship, so, that’s... pretty dumb. But neither of the other things. And he has a fiancee. Sort of… former… fiancee. But. Still!”

There. Nailed it.

“Anyway, isn’t the more important question -- where’s this Dumonte fellow and how do we know that he’s not tracking you down to finish the job?” Kes nodded at Faleru, as if to indicate the wound that she was still recovering from. It was, perhaps, a bit of a tell that the half-elf had been paying more attention to the conversation around her than she’d let on, and even more so, a great change of topic. To something much more relevant. Other than potential romantic entanglements with scruffy definitely-not-a-pirate captains.

Kes very resolutely didn’t even look at Gavin.

 

[Falerumasa]

The mixed reactions she received did nothing to rid her face of the now growing smile. They had not married, but they were in trouble at Kes's admittance. Whether she had intended to share that bit of information was beside the point, since both seemed terrifically, bothered, troubled? Flustered. Flustered was the word she was looking for. Neither party seemed intent on looking at one another suddenly, so she decided to allow the topic to change for now.

"Dumont's ship is no more. Along with most of his crew." Faleru explained, the smile lilting slightly before turning malicious. "As for where the captain is now, I could not say. I would guess he is headed for his safe place around Elbion." She gave an irritated sigh at the admittance.

Dumont had been difficult to track down in the first place, and now that he was on foot. It would be even harder, given that there would be no boats to follow and no clear signs of his presence anywhere. It was troublesome to stay in this form on land for too long, as drying out was always an issue that perplexed her.

"At least, that is where his boat was when he touched land. A problem for me since I cannot stay on land for long. Besides that, he does not know this face...." The end of her sentence trailed off as she gave a look to Gavin. A nod to what he had likely seen when he had healed her.

The last few words of Kes's caught the dragon's attention however, in regards to their marital status, as she rounded on Gavin with confusion plainly visible. Mortals were not Faleru's favored study unlike some around her, and this was a new word. "What is a, fian-say? A type of, mate?"

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

"I'm standing right here...." Gavin left out as Kes went through the various reasons why she wouldn't be with him. By the end of her rant, he found himself scratching at his scruff. Clean shaven? Ha!

He felt fortunate to the conversation switched over to Dumont and Gavin went to grumbling to listening. Perhaps when he dropped Kes off, he could see to this man, as it was something he had intended to do. Of course, he would have to move quietly as to not draw any more attention to his half elven companion. Gavin was lost in his thoughts on who he would contact in Elbion to inquire about the pirate when Faleru asked him what a fiance was. Great, the conversation had steered back into turbulent wants once more and he could stare daggers into Kes for having brought it up. He asked her for help, not to further muddle the situation.

"A fiance is someone you are promised to wed.... In this instance, we are no longer promised to one another." So ha! Is what he wanted to add. Of course he didn't... because.. Well.. he didn't.

 

[Kestrel]

Kes was left frowning slightly in contemplation of the ‘Dumont’ situation -- he was somewhere on land, which was good, because that meant that he wouldn’t find them while they were sailing (hopefully). However, he’d headed towards Elbion, which was bad, because that was where they were going, and she wasn't alive after living on the streets for all her life by thinking it was a good plan to head into someone else’s territory and fight them there.

Which, judging by the contemplative scowl on Gavin’s face, was likely exactly what he was considering.

The thief considered very keenly pointing out to Faleru that maybe tangling with the man who’d almost killed her yet again was perhaps not the best of ideas and to Gavin that he’d come to help Kes stay out of trouble not get into more trouble…. When Faleru turned towards Gavin and prompted him more about his fiancee. Former fiancee. The half-elf’s eyebrows arched slightly in amusement at the expression on Gavin’s face, unable to help but hide the grin that his obvious discomfort with having to explain his personal situation had caused.

Especially since it got the heat off of Kes, which was perfect in her books.

Grinning from ear to ear, she couldn’t help herself: “You see, Faleru -- normally, in such a situation, going from promised to be wed to not results in both parties splitting up. Usually with some screaming and throwing of heavy objects at each other. But instead, with Gavin, she still brings him food and tends to him like a wife -- a mate -- would. Very weird.”

Oh, if that didn’t get her tossed off the ship she’d be shocked. She almost -- almost -- left it there, intentionally putting Gavin in the proverbial hotseat… but, no, she did so like seeing him get all flustered and stumbly but only really when she was the one who got to enjoy it. So, instead, she folded her arms, leaning back against the mast and fixing her gaze on Faleru instead.

“What about you, Faleru? Is there someone we should reach out to, to let them know what happened to you, that you’re safe or where to find you? After all, we did sort of just scoop you up and sail off into the sunset with you pretty much unconscious on our boat…” She didn’t know if that was one of Ithyk’s jobs or if the siren was just there to splash Faleru and make a mess of Kes’s boat multiple times a day…

 

[Falerumasa]

Promised to wed? Faleru thought to herself, her brow knit together at the thought. Mortals had such facetious additions to simple things. To be wed was a matter to not be taken lightly among the fae, as in the magick world it was an act that truly bound ones soul to another. Something that was hard to undo, but not impossible. Kes added to the explanation, and it only muddled things more.

"That sounds-" Faleru stumbled for a description. "Complicated and troublesome. Why a promise?" Mortals were a perplexing bunch. The attention from Kes now fell onto her though, and both could see the woman physically tense. Caught between the sharing of personal details and their hospitality, she was loath to betray their good will. They had after all healed her, and kept her on board even with all the strange features about her. Her body relaxed as she decided to share.

"My mate is a good ways away, I believe. Visiting our son most likely. The daughters of the water will likely let him know where and how I am when he returns. We should not have to worry about him." Faleru sighed, hoping what she had told them the truth. If Haratsu held to his pattern, he would be near the storm waters, and no where near them right now. While she was fond of him, he could be a right pain with his concern. Her eyes went to Kes after she was done speaking.

"So you two are not together then?" Faleru followed up her earlier question. It seemed Gavin had been with someone other than the Kes.

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

"It is not weird we are just mature enough to know we aren't good together that way. We work perfectly as friends... So ha." Gavin said though he felt as if he was simply talking into the wind. Faleru didn't understand their odd human ways and Kes… Well Kes looked to tease. Oh how he would find a way to pay her back.

That would come later however as Faleru mentioned she had a mate. Which Gaivn found both interesting and frightening. To think he would come across someone of her nature in his life... And to possible be able to run into something similar to her was frightening. It had a way of made him how truly small he was in this world. And then like everything in the past few moments the conversation rounded back to him and Kes.

"Me and her together? Ha! She's made it painfully clear I am not her type." It almost came off as if he was angry at that. "She's into pampered baby face rich merchants who lack any semblance of what it takes to be a real man..." He couldn't outright attack Kes… So he instead attacked her supposed choice in man. And this had his mumbling to himself because he didn't know... Or rather didn't want to admit why he felt the way he did at this moment. It looked like some where along the way the ship captain took a fancy to the half elf. Who could have guessed? Everyone apparently.

 

[Kestrel]

Kes just chuckled at Faleru’s description of betrothal as ‘complicated and troublesome’ though she offered no explanation as to why. Honestly, Kes didn’t even know how she would even start explaining all of the insanity that went into dating, relationships, and marriage, especially when it came to the upper echelons of society.

She didn't even know what to do with the fact that Faleru had a mate who was potentially nearby which didn’t seem to excite the magical woman... Kes was somewhat waylaid by that because she couldn’t imagine others who could literally split a rock by spitting out water but of course there’d be others, that’d just be silly if Faleru was the only one of her kind which Kes didn’t even know what “kind” that was but there were certainly others, like, apparently, Faleru’s mate and son --

-- then Faleru was asking her if she and Gavin were together, which made the half-elf’s ears get hot once more. Before the flustered thief could formulate words, however, or even really begin to assess why that was quite so unfathomable Gavin was volunteering his commentary. And he was… not exactly the cheerful Gavin she'd come to expect. Angry, even. At her, it seemed.

Kes’s brow furrowed as Gavin grumbled to himself; he’d never been angry with her, before, even after she stole stuff from him and teased him and ate all of his food and hogged the single fur they had left to sleep on… In fact, he had been fine until she’d brought Jaenessa up, which… Well, that made sense. She didn’t *really* know what all had happened there, but it made sense for it to be a sensitive subject. Likely one that he didn’t really appreciate being dragged out in front of an almost-stranger, she thought, glancing at Faleru.

“Hokay, trim the sails on that one, there, captain.” She held her hands up as if to admit surrender, adopting an apologetic half-smile. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t bring up Jaenessa again, if you promise to not sail us into a typhoon.” Stepping towards the wheel, she produced a small brown box from, well, somewhere on her body, tossing it to the captain lightly. He’d recognize the box as his very own compass, which, earlier that morning, had been in his coat pocket and certainly not in the possession of the dark-haired woman. Effectively offering him a whole point in their little game as a peace treaty, which would totally work, because she had this aaaaall figured out.

She even gave Faleru a little wink as if to say ‘don’t worry, I got this…’

 

[Falerumasa]

Faleru blinked at the anger in his voice. A baby face? Real man? All terms that seemed to further muddle the understanding of what they were explaining as Kes cut in. A name danced between them, the woman who had been promised to the captain apparently and the offer of not mentioning her again. Something that the dragon would have to remind herself to not do as well.

Even with the back and forth the two had, she considered how they had acted when she had first asked the question and forming a new route to go down.

"If he got rid of the hair on his face, you would be attracted to him then? That would give him this, baby face you like? Is this a common thing to like or-?" Faleru asked of Kes, arms crossing as she watched the two. It seemed their guest was not about to let the issue drop, and her watchful eye on both of them now. The wink had been entirely lost on the woman as she continued through murky waters.

 

[Gavin Blackfyre]

He had snapped at her and once she pointed it out, he immediately felt flustered. Where had that come from? He was conscious enough to realize the little shameful out was in truth silly. And then Kes was there asking to make a deal. Of course it was her words before hand that really caught his attention and she somehow managed to tease forth a small smile form him.

"Nice use of sailing terms..." He complimented her as he took the small box from her and sighed. "You won this round."

With that said, he playfully tapped the box against the top of her forehead. If he intended to win the little game they had agreed to, he was going to have to be more mindful of his belongings. "Sorry... I suppose the last few days have cause more of a strain upon me then I realized.. I should be fine now however."

Slipping the compass case into his pocket he took hold the wheel once more. Thanks to pinning down the sail, Kes had gotten rid of the drag he felt. Now they were moving along at a fine pace. Of course it wouldn't be a quiet one as their passenger continued to pick at the topic on hand. "Faleru... I believe what Kes was trying to relay is how complicated relationships can be. At the root of it all, it's barely been a week since we first met and we are stilling getting to know one another... Even if I were to shave my face or become a wealthy merchant doesn't guarantee she would be attracted to me. Us land dwellers can be picky like that. Sometimes all it requires is a spark and you know if you are meant to be with someone... Other times it takes a little persuading. And sometimes.. Sometimes you aren't looking to pair up and mate with anyone.... Right now I think Kes is focused on surviving... Back home there are a few... Perhaps a lot, of people who aren't happy with her and mean to do her harm.. I aim to keep her safe and bring her to Elbion where she can rest easy..."

Gavin chose to go with the facts and put to rest that sudden burst of grumpiness that over came him earlier.The truth was even though he had enjoyed her company more so then he had other people he had helped before in similar situations, he knew full well that would end once they arrived in Elbion.

"Here, take the wheel. You need more practice than I do." He offered Kes, stepping her away and not really affording her a chance to say no.

 

[Kestrel]

Amethyst eyes rested on Gavin lightly, but attentively, watching the expressions on his face… and then he smiled and playfully ‘bopped’ her on the forehead with the box and her smile was wide and equal parts happy and relieved. She didn’t like the thought of him upset, but especially not if it was because of her. Thankfully, it seemed she’d made amends, and he even complimented her on her terminology…

And, then, giving her far too much credit as far as her intentions had been when it came to explaining relationships. Or, at least, explaining her and Gavin’s. Not that it was a “relationship” relationship, just an interaction. A mutually beneficial arrangement. Until Elbion, as he’d reminded them both. Where she’d have to figure out the next step without him. Her lips pressed together in a thin line at that reality. With everything else that had happened, she hadn’t really thought about arriving, because just the act of getting there had taken all of her attention so far…

Any brooding she might have done, however, was waylaid by Gavin’s sudden abandonment of the wheel in favor of her taking it, and she quickly grabbed it so the wind didn’t spin them around and cost them all of their momentum. Eyeing Gavin, a little annoyed at that trick, she could only keep that look for a beat or two before the feeling of the ship underneath her hands, the warm spokes of the wheel practically thrumming with the ship’s excitement and speed, drew another little smile of satisfaction from her.

Oh, she really did like this. And even with Faleru’s questioning and her own discomfort with the topic of conversation and the looming spectre of what was waiting for them -- her -- in Elbion, she couldn’t help but be in a good mood.

“Gavin doesn’t have a baby face, anyway,” she added, helpfully. “A baby face is like… those that ride on the ships that cross these waters but don’t actually do any of the work. Probably sitting on cushions on the deck, in the way. They’re rich, so they get to just sit back, get fat. Like a baby’s face! No way Gavin has a baby face, even if he’s shaved up.” She glanced at Faleru, as if to make sure that had made sense, but her mouth was still flapping, because really there was the other matter to address -- “Not that he’s not attractive now -- I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see -- if that’s your type… Not mine. Obviously. But. Someone else. Other. Person. Available woman type -- I’m sorry, do you hear that?”

She sort of tilted her head, sure for a second that she’d heard something… but there was only the wind, snapping in the sails. At least, at first.

“There, that…?” she said, shifting to look over her shoulder at the sound she’d heard, like the fluttering of wings, only without the corresponding cacophony of calls that she would have expected. The first glint of sunlight on metal was just barely visible through the clouds in the azure sky, until suddenly the ‘flock’ burst through into the clear air beyond.

It was a tight grouping of arrows -- about a dozen long shafted, dark wood arrows easily the width of a person’s armspan, with red and white fletching and blood red runes etched into their barbed silver arrowheads. They glowed as they flew, though with an inky touch to the light of them, like a smudge on the sky. And they were honing in on the ship, adjusting as surely as if there was a line attached to the ship that was drawing the arrows towards them -- or, rather, a magical spell bound into their very shafts, sending them coursing towards the hearts of their targets.

Which, judging from the way the arrows adjusted as they flew, seemed to be both Kes and Gavin -- even if they had to go through Faleru to get there.

 

[Falerumasa]

Falerumasa listened intently to Gavin, her face showing the moments where things clicked into place about the two and their situation. She had drawn conclusions and assumed without catching the signs that they had laid out. She gave the captain a small nod as he finished, a frown appearing as she spoke.

"I spoke out of turn and regret putting you both in such a spot. Courting is not an unfamiliar thing to my kind, and I guessed wrongly that you two had known each other for some time by your interactions." Faleru explained before turning to Kes. Her explanation made a little more sense at the term she used, the fattened men that did nothing for a boat but whine and complain for their journeys on the water. The mention of a sound caught her attention however, and the dragon listened. The sound akin to the birds that swam through the air above, yet different. Eyes narrowed and her frown changed to a grimace as she saw the glint in the sky.

The water around the boat began to shift, the whole vessel shifting forward as a wave began to form behind them. It reached toward the sky slowly as the arrows came close, closer, deathly close until the wall sprang up and spun violently as it engulfed the volley.

Spinning with enough force to rip a boat to shreds, if the elf or even the human paid enough attention, what resembled Faleru's hands formed around each arrowhead. The silver wasn't her bane thankfully, and the magic imbued into each arrow was snuffed out as the wood splintered and the arrowhead crumpled beneath the water hands, turning to little lumps in the turbulent water. A pair of arrows on the other hand gave her a bit more trouble. It seemed the duller of the glints were made of iron and were resisting the hands but not the water.

Her disgust at the metal however was plain as the water shot each lump toward shore. The blackwood shafts that had broken showered the water below and she turned to her attention to the two remaining arrows. Each seemed focused on one of the two beside her as a smile appeared. The two were slowly passing through the sphere and she let go of the magick that held it there.

The two arrows sang and her webbed hands both before they met their targets. The vibration of each making her body ache with the proximity to iron. She examined them closely, unwilling to let them go as each tried to pull free from her grasp.

"Someone has a keen eye on you two." Faleru chuckled.