Taking the pot from Melida's hands, Ridania smirked ruefully at Rict. Melida looked excited but uncertain. Taking the moment of distraction, while everyone stared at Ridania, she shifted back to her normal self. The small verdant sphere that hung around her neck was a shade darker then before, its green smudging into something different.
"Well, she's her mother's daughter, that's for sure." Ridania said, smiling, although her eyes showed slight discontent. Rict raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding. "Oh come on Brighteyes, don't act stupid. Look at her… Look at this!" She said, holding the small pot higher, its tendrils swinging lazily. They swayed from side to side in the sea breeze, but Rict still didn't seem to understand.
"Miss Rida says she's going to give me druid training!" Melida said, her eyes showing the excitement behind her thoughtful guise. She was trying to act nonchalant about it, but even Rict could tell that she was barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
"Now hold on child. I can't train anything until you get a recommendation first. I told you that." Ridania said, giving the girl a playful bump of the hip. Melida's expression remained thoughtful, but her eyes looked a little crestfallen. "Relax. All you'd need to do would be to demonstrate your ability to another druid, or and Alliance Military officer, and-"
"And you can train me!" She said, practically hoping with excitement again. Rict was taken aback by her schizophrenic shifts in mood. Hormone, thy name is teenager. "What about the captain? Could I get a recommendation from him?" She asked, now actually bobbing back and forth from her heels to the tips of her toes. Ridania sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"No child. The captain is far too busy, and besides, he wouldn't know a thing about druid training anyway. Can you picture a dwarf communing with the primal forces of nature?" She asked, placing both hands on her hips and starring at Melida.
"If nature drank, then yes." Geoffrey put in. This brought a raucous laugh from Rict and a sour look from Ridania.
"Not funny." She growled. Turning back on Melida, she continued, "But no. You'd need someone who commands or commanded a military detachment. Someone who's been in the field and seen us at work. A lot." She finished, looking thoughtfully over the side of the ship. There was a small popping sound, and the soft padding of leather. Maiev's head appeared over the top of the railing.
"Child, I hope you still have that note I wrote for you those days ago." She said, leaning against the railing, her upper body hanging over the edge. She was wearing a tight leather Jerkin, with a woollen shirt underneath. She was sweating, probably from working in the sails, and it beaded at her forehead and nose. Her hair was tied back in a tight knot, silver strands hanging lightly down the side of her head. In the light it was hard to discern the purple in her hair, as it shone brightly, reflecting the sun off it weakly.
"I uh… I don't know…" Melida dug through the pockets of her tattered dress. After a moment, she pulled a snub of paper along with some lint and a copper coin, from one of the more damaged pockets. A large corner was ripped off, but the writing was more or less intact. "Is that what this was?" She said wondrously. She passed the slip of paper to Ridania, who brought it close to her face.
"This is Darnassian. Hmmm…" She read the note quickly, going over the words. "It's cut off here… does that say blade training?" She asked, peering up at Maiev. Nobody was there. Instead, Maiev answered from face level, several feet away. She was now leaning against the door frame.
"Yes. It does." She said. Ridania looked at her a moment.
"Druids can't use blades. Not made of metal anyway." She said, casting a doubtful look at the recommendation. "I… I don't think you know enough about druids for your recommendation to be valid Maiev. I know you lead the watchers and all, but that's a big mistake…"
"Druid's can't use metal blades because they can't shape shift while carrying them. Anything on a druid's person must be made of living material, like the buckles to your armour. Darnassian ash, if I'm correct." She said, giving Ridania a hard look. Ridania threw her hands up in front of her.
"Okay, okay. You know your druids. I guess this is valid then…" She said. Melida hopped up and down once. "Well, I guess we could have bone knives fashioned for her… But I couldn't train her to use them." She said, her voice trailing off. There was silence, and then a collective growl from Rict's and Maiev's stomachs. Geoffrey wiped his nose.
"Well, I'm sure you guys can continue this conversation over lunch." He glanced at Melida, and gave her a knowing wink. She grinned at him. "What say we get some grub?" He asked. He turned and began walking towards the kitchens. Melida mouthed the word grub to Rict, who simply shrugged.
Maiev however, nodded her approval, as did Ridania, practically jumping for the distraction. Rict grinned, and they moved towards the mess hall. Ridania pulled on the edge of Rict's robes, though he barely felt it.
"We'll catch up to you guys in a second." She said, pulling Rict to the edge of the boat. Melida and Geoffrey continued, but Maiev gave a wary glance back at the too before following them. Ridania waited until they were gone before speaking.
"Alright, I want some answers. How do you know her?" She asked, looking at Rict seriously. Rict hesitated,
"Ah well. I was invited for dinner…" He said, going over the last few days he spent in Stormwind. He didn't mention Melida's breakdown, or the fact that he knew she was half elven. Ridania cut him off.
'She's a half elf, Rict'thiel." She said quietly. Rict was beginning to piece the picture together.
"So?" He replied, strangely more protectively then he'd meant to. Ridania sighed.
"So, she doesn't have pure blood." She said, looking out over the edge of the boat.
"What the hell does having pure blood have to with anything?" He said tightly, anger rising in his voice. Ridania looked at him a moment, then continued,
"Don't misunderstand me smartass. I had more half raced friends then you would think. No, the fact that she isn't pure blood could pose a problem from her training." She said. Rict looked confused.
"How do you mean?" He asked.
"I mean there have been… There have been accidents." She said quietly. "I don't know for sure, because there have been half elven druids before, but not all half elves can become them. I'm sure it's nothing, but… We'll… I'll need to be careful training her." She said quietly. Rict shook his head, trying to sort this new development out. He gave up, and simply shuffled it to the back of his mind.
"Alright." Was all he managed to reply. Something was wrong here. This didn't have to do with just Melida, but he couldn't find it in him to pry. "Well… let's get some food." He said, trying to lead her towards the door.
"Hold on. There's one more thing." She said, "I repressed the memory of the attack from her mind. She's too young to go through something like that. Anyway, magically repressed memories can't be repaired magically," She said, as Rict opened his mouth to ask that same question, "But they can be triggered by events that cause the person to relate to their unknown past. An old piece of clothing, a place they knew intimately, a person they knew during the repressed memory cycle. Anyway, just be careful around her. Don't mention the undead." She said rubbing the bridge of her nose. She let out a groan of pent up tension, shook her head a few times, and then looked at Rict, the smile returning to her features.
Rict nodded, patting his stomach, "Okay. Gotcha, now let's get something to eat." He said. She nodded, and the two of them began jogging to catch up the others.
----------oOo----------
Time seemed to trickle by as Shandris soared through the air. She'd misjudged the distance, and the boat was likely a good fifteen to twenty feet away. The gods were with her though, as she slammed into the side of the boat. Without thinking, one of her hands managed to find a hold, and she gripped the rope hanging off the edge. It took her a moment to recover from her stunning hit, and she managed to find a second hand hold. She began struggling her way up when an arm appeared over the edge of the ship. Groaning gratefully, Shandris grabbed the hand, and was promptly hauled to the deck. A few grunts later, she pushed off the side and went careening over railing and landing on something dense and firm.
"Oof, mind getting off me miss?" A voice said underneath her. She'd shut her eyes from the impact, but now she opened them. A wincing man with bright red hair greeted her. She glanced down and saw the scabbard of her blade jabbing into his abdomen. He grunted again, trying to push her off, and she promptly leapt off. She cried out in pain as she landed on her bruised butt. "You alright?" The man asked, rolling over and trying to get up.
"Yeah… Yeah, I just had a little spill. That's all." She said, although she winced again as she tried to get up. The man laughed at her,
"I saw. I watched you jump off the cliff. You're fucking insane." He said offering a hand. Shandris glared at him a moment, before taking the hand. Something shiny glinted in her vision, and she tried to look at it, but she immediately felt noxious. The man adjusted quickly, and she was now being supported by his arm and shoulder.
"Thanks," she muttered darkly, "I think I-" She winced again, effectively silencing her.
"You should probably go to the sick bay. There's a medic down there. Probably have a look at you." Piped one of the sailors cluttered on deck. Unbeknownst to her, she'd managed to attract a small crowd with her jumping fiasco. The sailor, his hair a dark brown, glanced over his shoulder, "You need any help?" he asked the man. He laughed, but shook his head.
"Nah, I've got this. She is very heavy. Although that damn bow of hers… No, I'm fine." He said. The sailor nodded, pointing across the deck.
"Sick bays that way, second door on your left." He called after the man.
As they moved, Shandris felt the need to protest. She opened her mouth, but that action seemingly drained all the energy from her body, and the man slumped a little to support her.
"Okay, I lied. You're not light. Goddamn bow. You really need all this equipment for a boat ride?" He grunted. Shandris was quiet a moment. She didn't know how to react. She had literally no experience in dealing with humans, with the exception of the small detachment she'd met during the battle of mount Hyjal. And they'd been quite serious and grim. She hadn't expected quite so much… sass from one of them. She sighed,
"Thanks." The words flew tiredly from her mouth, and the man simply grunted his welcome.
----------oOo----------
Maiev and Ridania sat happily at a table, enjoying each a cup of ail and a quiet conversation. Ridania hadn't quite been her bubbly self ever since she'd received Melida's recommendation. Still, she was engaged in quiet conversation with the warden, telling her of the changes in Darnassus. Apparently Maiev still hadn't returned home yet since the time she'd escaped. And if she had, she wasn't rude enough to interrupt Ridania.
Rict, on the other hand, was grumbling while wiping down a counter. Several indiscernible curses, most of then in highborne, floated up from the counter he was polishing. Ridania laughed, looking over to him.
"I'm sorry Brighteyes. Just this once. I'll spot you the money for food next time, but this is just too great." She giggled. Maiev looked amused, but if she felt like laughing, she didn't know it. Rict'thiel cursed a little louder, but managed to mumble out a thank you. "No problem. Consider it pay back for… services rendered. No but seriously, you'll need to pay me back later." She said, holding a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles.
Geoffrey came out of the kitchen with the woman's food, each having ordered an onion soup. For a military ship, the paying customers sure did get their money's worth. He returned to the kitchen, but not before swatting Rict in the head with a dish cloth. "Quit you're gripping boy. You wanna eat without paying? Then you work for it." He said. Muttering something about being over worked as it was, he returned through the double doors to the kitchen. The ship swayed merrily, knocking over Rict's tub of water, seeming to be enjoying his suffering as well.
Now Rict began swearing in fluid common, his anger quiet evident as the water on his face began to steam. Ridania tapped him lightly on the head, "No fire spells in here Rict." She said. He muttered more incoherent curses, and was struck a second time, this time more solidly, "And stop swearing. There are children about." She said, gesturing at Melida who's appeared through the double doors carrying a large tray leaden with different kinds of food.
"Where you off to Melida?" She asked, now turning Rict's head in circles with her staff. Rict swore a little more before sending his arms flying round his head to rid him of the staff. He got a faceful of water in turn as the ship rocked, sending him flying into the bucket.
"I uh…" She said, glancing at Rict, "Geoffrey asked me to bring the captain his…" Rict swore again, swiping at the water, "His food." She finished. Ridania nodded, and Melida flowed out the door. Moving slowly under the weight of the tray, she carefully made her way to the captain quarters. Geoffrey had been explicit in his directions, and Melida found them more then easy to follow. She pondered a moment before knocking on the door with her foot.
"Eh? Oh, ye', come in." The voice replied, muffled by the sturdy oak of the door. Melida paused a moment, then gave the door a kick. It swung open heavily, and made a loud thudding noise as it crashed against the wall. The captain didn't even look up, and Melida felt something flutter past her head. She followed it with her eyes, but couldn't figure out what it was. "Damn blood elves. Always sendin' them bloody dragon hawks… they better return tha' pigeon."
Melida looked at him quizzically. A moment later he glanced up, "Damn Geoffrey. Yer' a trite smaller then last time eh?" He said. In response, Melida re-adjusted her hold on the heavy tray. "Ye' well… Hold on a moment. I'll get this cleared in a sec." He said, pulling a knife from his desk. He cut the parchment off the dragon hawk's leg. It fluttered out the door while he examined the letter. As he read it, he slumped into his chair, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Damn finally." He said to himself. Melida's quizzical look grew even more intrigued, as she moved to the desk. She placed the tray in the cleared area on the desk.
"Good news?" She asked, backing away from the desk. He looked at her, the faint trace of suspicion hovering on his features before he answered.
"Aye. Them Shattered Sun elves have agreed teh' let us re-supply in their harbour. Damn good news, since we're running… Never ye' mind youngin'." He said, "The Isle of Quel'Danas isn't the most homely place in the world, but they have plenty of supplies there. This could work…" He muttered to himself. He turned away from her and wiped a red feather from his desk, muttering something about damn elves Melida took that as her cue to leave, and did so promptly. Shuffling out, she clicked the door softly closed, and watched as the small diminutive dragon hawk flapped its way down the corridor in front of her.
----------oOo----------
The man carried Shandris into the sick bay. Staggering over to the closest bed, he let her down harder then she'd have liked, and she winced as a sharp pain raced through her body. Biting her lip, she adjusted herself until she was as comfortable as she could be. The man walked away, and returned with a stool for himself. Placing it beside the bed, he went to the back of the room, looking for the medic the sailor had mentioned. After a minute of talking, which Shandris couldn't quite discern, he returned. And he was alone. Or at least she thought he was alone. As he passed the final bed, she realised he was accompanied by a rather fat, yet buxom goblin. She carried a bag with a bright green cross sown into the front.
Shandris stared at the goblin, which promptly jumped onto the stool the man had brought for himself. Shandris smirked at the frowning man, who ventured off to get another one. She looked pensively at Shandris, who shrunk away from her. She'd never really had this much exposure to different races before, and this was in fact her first brush with Goblins. You don't meet a lot of new people patrolling the borders of Feralas with the other Shadowleaves. Stubby fingers began to poke her sides, to which she winced, but managed to contain any whimpers she might have wanted to voice.
"So… What did you do?" The goblin asked. Shandris hesitated before answering.
"I… I jump off a cliff onto a market stand…" She said, blushing at how stupid she sounded now. As if reading her mind, the goblin continued,
"That was stupid," She said, looking Shandris up and down once more, "But funny as hell." Opening her bag, which she'd placed on the stand beside Shandris' bed, she pulled a small knife out. Before Shandris could protest, she made a small cut in her arm, and collected the tiny amount of blood that leaked out in a vial. "Don't look so disgusted." She said, placing the vial on the desk, only to be joined by a mortar and pestle. She pulled out a pair of glasses then continued, "The names Rupy by the way. Rupy Peekoboil…" She said, looking expectantly at Shandris. Shandris didn't know how to respond to this goblin. Night elves had a lot more respect for personal space, or at least their supposed to, then Rupy. The man had returned, and sat down beside Rupy. She ploughed on, "This is the part where you tell me you're name." She pushed her hand into Shandris' side, causing Shandris' to flinch in pain again.
"Shandris… Shan-" She flinched as Rupy pressed again, a little lower, "Shandris Feathermoon." She finished. The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Shandris sighed inside, "I- I guess I sho- should say thank you…" She paused.
"Vladimir Stolski." The man finished. Shandris nodded, but the curious expression didn't leave the mans face. A moment passed before Rupy spoke up,
"This prick is Venst Hearthflame." She said. The man laughed, rubbing his head.
"Damnit Rupy. Just because you're friends with Melida doesn't mean you can ruin my fun." He said before snorting. He took a moment to compose himself, and the quietly amused expression returned to his face. "So… Not much to do but talk I guess." He said, grinning a little through his small beard.
"Shut up and help me Venst." Rupy replied, hitting him with the back of the knife she'd just picked up.
"Alright alright. But seriously, why are you here. I thought civilian transports had priest or certified medics handle the sick bays." He said, moving a little closer to the goblin. She snorted.
"Only way I could get free transport. Geezle is supposed to be down in the engine room. And I am a certified medic you little twit." She replied, jumping down off the stool and moving around to Shandris' other side.
"Yes of course. How could I forget," he said, tracing his thumb along a scar the started at the back of his hand and ran all the way up his forearm. Shandris couldn't be sure, but the scar ran underneath on the opposite side of his arm as well. "I appreciate what you did for Melida, by the way. I know I've told you before, but seriously, thank you."
"Yeah, whatever. Actually wait. Where is Melida?" She asked, looking up at Venst. He hesitated, "Don't even think of lying to me Venst." She said, turning her body towards him. He looked down at the floor, his smile gone. He sighed quietly.
"I… I don't know." He said, looking back up her. Where Shandris expected to find sadness or even glum helplessness, she found a strange grim determination that reminded her of Tyrande. "I was gone during the attack, and Melida…" His voice choked off for a moment, "Melida got caught in the middle. I think she was carried on the ship that had fled, the one Check's friend Kevin was assigned to. It's heading for Valgarde, like this one."
"If she's on the same ship as that elf, I think she'll be in good hands." Rupy said quietly. Venst looked at her confused. "She said she was going to see an elf off. Came by that morning to pick up the necklace that Geezle had finished for her, and mentioned it." Venst nodded his head, "Tall elf with long black hair. Seemed a mage judging by his aura. We'd invited him in for a bath a few days earlier. Seemed like a good person." She said, turning back to Shandris. Shandris winced as she began poking her again. "So I guess I don't need to ask why you're on this boat in the first place." She finished.
Venst nodded, his brow furrowed in thought. He glanced at Shandris, then at Rupy. "Why are you here Rupy?" He asked. She froze mid prod, before leaning back. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bottle of what looked like goblin alcohol. For all intents and purposes, it also doubled as fuel. Taking a swig, she looked ahead.
"Bath house burnt down during the attack. Don't have the money to rebuild, so we're heading north. Figure we can make a decent living up at K3 with Ricket. Damn adventurers always need something or other, eh?" She said, glancing at Venst. She passed him the bottle, and he took a quick swig. Coughing, he passed it to Shandris, who simply stared at it suspiciously.
"Damn, I'll never get used to that stuff." He said coughing. Shandris held the bottle out to Rupy and was about to say no thank you, when Rupy cut her off.
"Drink some. It'll numb the pain."
"She's right. Believe me, she's right." Venst said, managing to laugh. Rupy sighed,
"Why did you have to be such a fucking lightweight Venst?" She said. Shandris laughed nervously, and took a carefully measured swig. It burned going down her throat, and her eyes watered, but after a few moments, the sharp pain from Rupy's prodding subsided a little. Venst grinned in reply to Rupy complaint,
"So… You know our stories. I figure you can pay be back for saving you by telling me why you're heading to Northrend." He said, gesturing to Shandris. Shandris looked hesitant a moment, before responding.
"I can't tell you. You might be an informant sent to figure out my mission's goal." She said tightly. It was the standard night elf response for members of different races who tried to pry out information. Venst laughed at this.
"Yes, yes. Nice work. I made you jump off the side of a cliff, then helped you on board so my friend and I could interrogate you in the sick bay. Damn, guess we're caught eh Rupy?" He said. Rupy didn't look up from Shandris' side.
"Have I mentioned you're an asshole Venst?" She said. He grinned at her, whilst Shandris glared at him,
"Yes, many time in fact. But in all seriousness, my lady… Feathermoon, why have you decided to join us on our way to Valgarde." He said, taking a slight bow. Shandris glared at him, then huffed a sigh.
"I guess there isn't much harm in telling you." She said, "I was tasked to join up with a group. We're off to complete an objective I can't tell you about. It was supposed to be me, a dwarf, and… oh Elune. A high elf." She said quietly. Venst snorted, looking up at her from the floor he'd been examining a minute ago. "Well… I guess our elf is one in the same then…" She said. "I know there aren't many high elves in Stormwind, so I guess we're after the same guy."
"Wrong. I'm after my daughter. The elf seemed like a nice guy, but I'm getting Melida out before anything else." He said. Shandris' eyes went wide.
"You didn't mention that she was your daughter…" She said tightly. Venst raised an eyebrow, but Shandris managed to wave his hand away. "Nothing, nothing." If the girl was Venst daughter, she could be in a lot of potential danger with Maiev around.
Rupy seemed to be content with her prodding and motioned Venst over to him. She hoped down, and moved over to his side. Opening her bag again, she began placing various herbs into the pestle. "Venst, could you mix that please?" She asked tartly. Venst glared at her for making him move to the other side of the bed for no reason. Still, he nodded and began grinding the herbs in the pestle, without waiting for Rupy to tell him the measurements. Rupy turned to Shandris.
"Are you decent under this?" She asked, tugging on Shandris' leather and mail shirt. Shandris nodded hesitantly, and faster then she could believe, Rupy undid the buckles that fastened it on and pulled it over her head. Apparently Shandris' definition and Venst's definitions of decent didn't coincide, because he whistled when he looked up from his herbs. Shandris' chest was wrapped in a layer of linen cloth, which while covering most of her small breasts, didn't quite reach the bottom or the top. Turning scarlet, Shandris brought her arms up to cover her chest.
"Thought you said you were decent under this…" Rupy said, glancing up at her. Shandris looked away. She'd been stuck in the jungle with the other Shadowleaves for far too long. Rupy glanced down at her pants. "What about there?" She asked, gesturing to the chain mail pants that Shandris wore. "Are you decent there?" She asked again.
Shandris turned a deeper shade of scarlet, and the colour clashed with her purple skin to make it even darker. "Wh- why is that important?" She asked. Rupy, her patience apparently thinned, ploughed on.
"Are you decent or not child?" She asked, taking the ointment Venst had made from him. She began to swill her hand in it, a pale blue light sliding into the depths of the mortar.
"Excuse me. But I don't see why I should need to take my pants off. And further more." She winced as she shifted her position to sit upright. Venst was grinning, watching the two of them, Further more, stop calling me child. I'm over ten millennia old thank you!" She said, glaring at Rupy.
"Yeah, well did you ever stop to study any first aid during those ten fucking millennia?" Rupy asked, glaring back at Shandris. Shandris opened her mouth to protest when Venst cut in.
"I'm only thirty seven and even I know first aid." He said, sitting back the moment he'd said it. Shandris glared at him, but Rupy barrelled on.
"As I thought. If you had done any first aid training, you'd realise this ointment is for internal bleeding. I.E Bruises, which you ass is covered in. So shut up and tell me," She said tartly, "Are you decent."
Shandris opened her mouth to protest several times, and Venst looked at her, eyebrow raised again. She managed to turn an even deeper shade of scarlet, before Venst decided to be gentlemanly, "Right, well. I'll take this as my cue to leave." He said getting up.
"Damn right." Rupy growled at him. Venst laughed, and made his way towards the door. With her free hand, Rupy grabbed a wad of bandages from her bag. She tossed it over her shoulders, and it hit something with a dull thump. "You too Geezle," She said.
"Yeah, yeah…" A goblin grumbled from where it had just appeared from beside a bed a few beds down. He rubbed his head, muttering things one ought to not mutter, but left anyway. Shandris turned a deeper shade of scarlet, and would have turned purple if she hadn't already been purple.
----------oOo----------
Melida returned to find everyone, including Rict'thiel, eating. While Maiev and Ridania were enjoying their onion soups, Rict was tearing savagely into a steak. Geoffrey's plate lay as empty as the rest of the mess hall. Melida approached the table, and reached for the plate that'd been left out for her. She smirked when she realised they were pancakes. Geoffrey grinned at her,
"Didn't know what else you liked kid." He said, sitting back and taking a deep swig from a bottle of what Melida guessed was ail. "But seriously, don't get used to this food guys. We aren't going to have enough to reach Valgarde if I keep dolling it out like this." He said.
Rict grumbled audibly into his steak, but sat up. Melida smiled when she realised he'd been exaggerating, since he no longer looked mad like he had earlier. He grinned at her, and wiped the juices from around his mouth. Melida took a bite of her pancake before talking.
"Where's the Isle of Quel'Danas?" She asked. As by luck or cruel fate, Ridania and Maiev both chose that time to choke on their soup. Rict glanced at them, but they signalled that they were alright. Geoffrey looked at Melida a moment.
"Well, about four days good weather from here. We're off the coast of Ironforge at the moment. I recognised Menethil Harbour as we passed it. Early this morning. Why?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and boring into Melida with his eyes. She averted her gaze but continued.
"Well, you won't have to worry about food then. The captain said we'd be re-supplying there."
If Geoffrey hadn't been sitting he probably would have been whooping with joy. As the conversation continued, he mentioned that because the ship had left early, they hadn't gotten all the supplies on, and food was what was to be loaded on last. The conversation continued, and it revolved mostly around Melida asking Geoffrey what he knew about Quel'Danas.
Later, Rict rubbed the bridge of his nose, wincing from a sharp headache. He look at Ridania, who didn't notice.
"Hey, Ridania, do you think you could look at my head." He said, rubbing his eyes.
Ridania looked at him. Her expression was pensive, but she replaced it with a smirk. Raising an eyebrow, she managed to get Rict to glare at her.
"No, I'm serious. I've had this headache since the start of dinner." He said tartly. Ridania smiled, but got up. Rict followed her, and the pair of them walked out the door and onto the deck. Geoffrey's eyes followed them, and Melida looked at him confused. He simply smiled at her and passed her Ridania's half eaten soup.
As Rict crossed the deck to the sick bay, he couldn't but help glance off into the sea. He felt drawn to the horizon that faced of the north eastern side of the boat. The feeling passed after a moment though, and he shrugged, moving to catch up to Ridania.
----------oOo----------
Venst sat beside Geezle as the stars glided by over head. They'd been sitting there for a few hours. Rupy had come up to tell Geezle to go eat, which he promptly ignored. They both took turns taking small sips from Geezle's flask of goblin liquor.
"Seems kind of coincidental eh?" Venst said, passing the bottle back to Geezle. Geezle sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"I don't really believe in coincidences anymore kid. Didn't believe in it when I found Melida, and didn't believe it when you found me. Still, it is kind of like old times." He said. Venst nodded, "Still got those blades eh?" Geezle asked. Venst nodded again. That was the trick to getting Geezle drunk. You needed to wait until the right moment, and then the conversation would flow out of him. He'd been like this back in his bath house too.
"I'm sorry about your home." He said, taking the flask from Geezle again. The goblin sighed, letting out a small cough.
"Just an un lucky coincidence I guess." He said, taking the bottle back from Venst. He took a deep drink, and wiped his mouth.
"Thought you didn't believe in coincidences." Venst said, sitting back against the railing. A sailor with a lantern passed by them, but they didn't pay much attention to the bobbing light he brought.
"Thought you weren't going to be a smartass anymore." Geezle replied. Venst chuckled, shifting his position a little. Geezle fastened the stopped on the flask, then un did it, repeating a few times.
"So… I heard you started forging again. Made a necklace for Melida." Venst said, rubbing his head.
"No, I'm not. Only did it because she's your daughter, and she had a bloody verdant sphere. Can't have something like that sit uselessly in her pocket." He muttered. Venst nodded, accepting it quietly. He was quiet a moment.
"You ever think maybe more of us could have gotten out?" He asked. The Goblin shuddered visibly, but answered.
"No, I don't. We got us and the others out. Couldn't save the rest." He said quietly. He rummaged through his pockets for a cigar, but came back empty handed.
"Still, I wish we could talk to the others everyone once in a while."
"You know why we can't do that." Geezle said sharply. Venst sighed, watching the moon rise a little higher into the sky.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Oo----------oO
Well, new chapter up. Pretty prompt update time in my opinion. And Canis, sorry for fucking up your name. In case anyone didn't notice, Venst and the Peekoboils have a little history. I'm going to write that story when I finish this one, but this story is going to be long, so don't expect anything for another year.
Anyway, til next time.
