Well, since everyone demanded it...
---
Lawerance could feel the bridge of the Delphinus shudder as the wind jostled it. His own body was trained to sail the high skies, though many of his crewmates were not so adequately accustomed. He had left the kitchen on Vyse's call, though he was inwardly relieved because Osman's whining was beginning to get irritating -- not to mention the restlessness of Belle and her companions. Khazim was still boasting and Entrique was still airsick. This, perhaps, was why Lawerance did not bother with people unless he was paid too.
The mercenary leaned over wheel, waiting intently on his Captain's return. Vyse had left with a grave look on his face, accompanied by both Aika and Fina, who followed him like trained puppies. It was one of the first times that Lawerance had witnessed their Captain with such a solemn expression. Vyse was normally overly confident, almost cocky, and he was never graced with anything less than a smile. Lawerance supposed that it was necessary to keep up the morale of the crew, and thus Vyse always beamed and chirped about just about everything, even though they had sometimes been thrown into impossible situations. His lips were always quirked up, his eyes bright, always looking toward their destination, and never back to the path that they had once flown. Lawerance could see how the desperation of the Dark Rift had affected all of their senses. It was a little discouraging to see it seep into the mind of their captain.
The shudders trembled, threatening the cabin with a metallic shriek. Lawerance kept them adrift, just as Vyse had asked. Even though the Delphinus was drifting perfectly still, awaiting the return of its Captain, Lawerance was intent on keeping it perfectly balanced in the morbid stillness of the Dark Rift. There was a sunken ship that was spotted through the telescope, and Vyse had insisted on stopping and making sure it was unmanned. Dyne had told them stories of how Sailors would fly into the Dark Rift -- and how confident that they had been. He had told them that they were sure that they would be able to sail through to the other side; how they were sure that they were going to be able to walk onto the continent beneath the blue moon. The elder Sailor was hopelessly adrift, completely contrasting Vyse's bright personality. He had warn them, told them that no one had gotten out, and that no one had been able to sail through to the other side.
It was a gamble to everyone except Vyse, who seemed sure that they'd be able to sail to the other side. He gave the crew an hour speech to boost their confidence. Though it was hard not to get caught up in Vyse's enthusiasm, the crew's morale seemed to be diminishing by the second. With their Captain gone, and the Dark Rift breathing around them, it seemed to be getting increasingly hopeless. Lawerance found that neither the compass nor their map was of any value here, and even the octant was of little use.
"They have not returned yet?" Lawerance glanced over his shoulder at the young Prince that had stepped up beside him, staring toward the metallic shutters, as if he was looking through them for any perils that his comrades might have encountered. Enrique still looked a little green, and his regalia was wrinkled and scuffed from battle and sleepless nights. The Prince of Valua stood perfectly straight, though it was simple to see that his belly was still bothering him.
Lawerance inspected Enrique's expression before following his gaze through the metal curtains. "No," he said simply. Enrique was another who had trusted Vyse perfectly. Enough to allow him full custody and responsibility for "kidnapping" him. That's what Lawerance heard, and that's how this began. In Vyse's second escape from Valua, the young Prince of the Valuan Empire had asked for them to kidnap him -- along with the best ship in the Valuan fleet. The ship was built around a weapon called the "Moonstone Canon". The "Moonstone Canon" took out everything within a ten mile radius of sky. It was fired, when needed, on Vyse's order; who was now their Captain. Who was outstandingly elected as Captain of Delphinus when it was stolen.
To think that the mercenary was now piloting a Valuan Warship.
"You have been sure to keep look out for them?" Enrique's voice raised through the nausea, glancing over at the hired man to his right. His fingers twitched, as if he was tempted to raise it to his belly; though he was sure that it would be a sign of weakness. The feather hung limply from the royal garment about his head, almost brushing against the nape of his neck. They had barely left Cape Victory and were already in need of another rest.
Lawerance kept his trained expression, his eyes never averting from the metal curtains. Enrique was not a threat to him. "On our Captain's orders," he replied firmly. He was paid to do his job, and he would never do anything less than his job.
There was a hesitant pause in the Prince's voice, as though he was rethinking his words. "Please pardon my tones, I..." The whirl of the wind touched the shudders through the silence, "...I apologize. You must understand that this is a nerve wrecking process. I have put so much on the line to be stopped here, and..." He licked his lips, ignoring his etiquette in his moment of confession. "...I did not mean to question Vyse's faith in you." The Prince quieted, his eyelids falling heavily over his eyes. He looked tired. Tired of being sick, perhaps, or tired of being hopeless, tired of being in the Dark Rift, or beginning to feel the burden of being completely independent.
Lawerance's eyes moved from the rumbling shudders to the face of Prince Enrique. "Whether our Captain has faith in me or not doesn't make any difference," Lawerance's expression never flinched, "I was paid to do my job." The words came coldly, a little more distant than he was used to. These people were threatening his very way of being. The way the Prince was asking him for reassurance, the way that Vyse had smiled grimly at him before he left the helm and out into the depths of the Dark Rift. Before it was simple, he did his job, and then he left with the money. The crew of the Delphinus was asking him for things that couldn't be paid for.
There was another unsure silence between them, as this was the first time that the helmsman and the prince had interacted. Enrique seemed unsure how to gauge Lawerance's reaction, though he remained perfectly elegant in his pose. "Some part of you must ask why Vyse choose you," Enrique's brow furrowed in question as he kept his azure eyes trained on the mercenary. "A Captain must trust his crew, correct?"
Lawerance snorted through his teeth, "It doesn't matter if it's coincidence or---"
"Come now." Enrique hissed, demanding Lawerance's attention. The helmsman looked surprised, for the first time, turning to examine Enrique's hardened expression, "Vyse trusts you. That is why he paid you, all of us on this ship have our own personal quests; and he understands that. If you want to continue deceiving yourself into thinking that the only reason that you are here is because you were paid, then I feel sorry for you. You can at least have the decency to admit that you trust him too."
Perhaps it was the pressure bearing down on them from the Dark Rift, or maybe it was the stale scent of the recirculated air; but Lawerance found that he couldn't force himself away from the Prince's words. Not that he hadn't heard them before, but that Enrique sounded honestly concerned about a man that he had just met -- all because of the boy that had been dubbed "Vyse the Valiant". Lawerance fell silent, for once, at a loss to repeat the same words that he always had.
I'm here because that's what I'm paid to do.
Lawerance could have brushed it off as naivete, but there was some truth that rung in his words. Did he trust Vyse? Or was it something that he didn't want to admit? Or, perhaps, it was easier to brush it off and act like it didn't matter. There had been so many people that he left, and so many jobs that he had done. People that he had killed because he was paid to. Had it always been like this? What about these people made him suddenly question his lifestyle? He had been fine before they had invaded his life. He wondered, if he had always felt this lonely.
It was Polly's voice that came through from the kitchen, and both Lawerance and Enrique turned their attentions toward it, "Open th' door fer god's sake, Robinson is down there!"
---
Lawerance could feel the bridge of the Delphinus shudder as the wind jostled it. His own body was trained to sail the high skies, though many of his crewmates were not so adequately accustomed. He had left the kitchen on Vyse's call, though he was inwardly relieved because Osman's whining was beginning to get irritating -- not to mention the restlessness of Belle and her companions. Khazim was still boasting and Entrique was still airsick. This, perhaps, was why Lawerance did not bother with people unless he was paid too.
The mercenary leaned over wheel, waiting intently on his Captain's return. Vyse had left with a grave look on his face, accompanied by both Aika and Fina, who followed him like trained puppies. It was one of the first times that Lawerance had witnessed their Captain with such a solemn expression. Vyse was normally overly confident, almost cocky, and he was never graced with anything less than a smile. Lawerance supposed that it was necessary to keep up the morale of the crew, and thus Vyse always beamed and chirped about just about everything, even though they had sometimes been thrown into impossible situations. His lips were always quirked up, his eyes bright, always looking toward their destination, and never back to the path that they had once flown. Lawerance could see how the desperation of the Dark Rift had affected all of their senses. It was a little discouraging to see it seep into the mind of their captain.
The shudders trembled, threatening the cabin with a metallic shriek. Lawerance kept them adrift, just as Vyse had asked. Even though the Delphinus was drifting perfectly still, awaiting the return of its Captain, Lawerance was intent on keeping it perfectly balanced in the morbid stillness of the Dark Rift. There was a sunken ship that was spotted through the telescope, and Vyse had insisted on stopping and making sure it was unmanned. Dyne had told them stories of how Sailors would fly into the Dark Rift -- and how confident that they had been. He had told them that they were sure that they would be able to sail through to the other side; how they were sure that they were going to be able to walk onto the continent beneath the blue moon. The elder Sailor was hopelessly adrift, completely contrasting Vyse's bright personality. He had warn them, told them that no one had gotten out, and that no one had been able to sail through to the other side.
It was a gamble to everyone except Vyse, who seemed sure that they'd be able to sail to the other side. He gave the crew an hour speech to boost their confidence. Though it was hard not to get caught up in Vyse's enthusiasm, the crew's morale seemed to be diminishing by the second. With their Captain gone, and the Dark Rift breathing around them, it seemed to be getting increasingly hopeless. Lawerance found that neither the compass nor their map was of any value here, and even the octant was of little use.
"They have not returned yet?" Lawerance glanced over his shoulder at the young Prince that had stepped up beside him, staring toward the metallic shutters, as if he was looking through them for any perils that his comrades might have encountered. Enrique still looked a little green, and his regalia was wrinkled and scuffed from battle and sleepless nights. The Prince of Valua stood perfectly straight, though it was simple to see that his belly was still bothering him.
Lawerance inspected Enrique's expression before following his gaze through the metal curtains. "No," he said simply. Enrique was another who had trusted Vyse perfectly. Enough to allow him full custody and responsibility for "kidnapping" him. That's what Lawerance heard, and that's how this began. In Vyse's second escape from Valua, the young Prince of the Valuan Empire had asked for them to kidnap him -- along with the best ship in the Valuan fleet. The ship was built around a weapon called the "Moonstone Canon". The "Moonstone Canon" took out everything within a ten mile radius of sky. It was fired, when needed, on Vyse's order; who was now their Captain. Who was outstandingly elected as Captain of Delphinus when it was stolen.
To think that the mercenary was now piloting a Valuan Warship.
"You have been sure to keep look out for them?" Enrique's voice raised through the nausea, glancing over at the hired man to his right. His fingers twitched, as if he was tempted to raise it to his belly; though he was sure that it would be a sign of weakness. The feather hung limply from the royal garment about his head, almost brushing against the nape of his neck. They had barely left Cape Victory and were already in need of another rest.
Lawerance kept his trained expression, his eyes never averting from the metal curtains. Enrique was not a threat to him. "On our Captain's orders," he replied firmly. He was paid to do his job, and he would never do anything less than his job.
There was a hesitant pause in the Prince's voice, as though he was rethinking his words. "Please pardon my tones, I..." The whirl of the wind touched the shudders through the silence, "...I apologize. You must understand that this is a nerve wrecking process. I have put so much on the line to be stopped here, and..." He licked his lips, ignoring his etiquette in his moment of confession. "...I did not mean to question Vyse's faith in you." The Prince quieted, his eyelids falling heavily over his eyes. He looked tired. Tired of being sick, perhaps, or tired of being hopeless, tired of being in the Dark Rift, or beginning to feel the burden of being completely independent.
Lawerance's eyes moved from the rumbling shudders to the face of Prince Enrique. "Whether our Captain has faith in me or not doesn't make any difference," Lawerance's expression never flinched, "I was paid to do my job." The words came coldly, a little more distant than he was used to. These people were threatening his very way of being. The way the Prince was asking him for reassurance, the way that Vyse had smiled grimly at him before he left the helm and out into the depths of the Dark Rift. Before it was simple, he did his job, and then he left with the money. The crew of the Delphinus was asking him for things that couldn't be paid for.
There was another unsure silence between them, as this was the first time that the helmsman and the prince had interacted. Enrique seemed unsure how to gauge Lawerance's reaction, though he remained perfectly elegant in his pose. "Some part of you must ask why Vyse choose you," Enrique's brow furrowed in question as he kept his azure eyes trained on the mercenary. "A Captain must trust his crew, correct?"
Lawerance snorted through his teeth, "It doesn't matter if it's coincidence or---"
"Come now." Enrique hissed, demanding Lawerance's attention. The helmsman looked surprised, for the first time, turning to examine Enrique's hardened expression, "Vyse trusts you. That is why he paid you, all of us on this ship have our own personal quests; and he understands that. If you want to continue deceiving yourself into thinking that the only reason that you are here is because you were paid, then I feel sorry for you. You can at least have the decency to admit that you trust him too."
Perhaps it was the pressure bearing down on them from the Dark Rift, or maybe it was the stale scent of the recirculated air; but Lawerance found that he couldn't force himself away from the Prince's words. Not that he hadn't heard them before, but that Enrique sounded honestly concerned about a man that he had just met -- all because of the boy that had been dubbed "Vyse the Valiant". Lawerance fell silent, for once, at a loss to repeat the same words that he always had.
I'm here because that's what I'm paid to do.
Lawerance could have brushed it off as naivete, but there was some truth that rung in his words. Did he trust Vyse? Or was it something that he didn't want to admit? Or, perhaps, it was easier to brush it off and act like it didn't matter. There had been so many people that he left, and so many jobs that he had done. People that he had killed because he was paid to. Had it always been like this? What about these people made him suddenly question his lifestyle? He had been fine before they had invaded his life. He wondered, if he had always felt this lonely.
It was Polly's voice that came through from the kitchen, and both Lawerance and Enrique turned their attentions toward it, "Open th' door fer god's sake, Robinson is down there!"