Xara watches from the edge of the group, he doesn't like being so close to others, physically contact was also out of the question. He wasn't a germaphobe by any means, but growing up in way that never normalized contact with others has left him feeling uncomfortable about to this day.
He strategically decided to introduce later, and he's happy he did so. With his father a disgraced General, he often just sees it as easier to lie about his heritage to strangers, rather than deal with the ramifications. Not here though, Ashley herself will point out that his family name isn't real.

Speaking of her, her introduction was the only one he didn't mentally shut out. {She reverses curses? Maybe I could learn a thing or too from her during our trip...}
After some awkward silence, he decides to break it hismelf.
"Hello everyone, I'm glad you all got my message. You may know me as Table Hopper, but my real name is Xara Travendour. Yes, that Travendour. Anyway, let's all pray we don't drown on our way there, ok?"
Xara says that last sentence with a gleeful irony. He even winks and raises 2 fingers in a V shape. In all honestly he couldn't really care what backgrounds everyone has as long as it sparked his curiosity, but he feels the need to front his fun casual attitude anyway.

Ashley stifled the urge to fake a giggle as she watched Mikhail squirm. "I look forward to seeing more," she says as innocently and sincerely as she can, trying to keep the gag between them. Then, she approaches him, and turns deadly serious. "I mean it, though. If I'm taken down, you're in charge here. If anyone has a problem with that, tell them they can fight me." Leaning in to him, she covers her mouth and whispers one last thing. "I trust Aleria and Troe. Xara's a wildcard. Margot's harmless. Tonka is dangerous. Give me time on the other two, but if the chips fall, we can take them." She slaps his arm lightly, snickering, as though she'd merely been flirting with him again.

Yes, if the chips fell. If they did, the group would probably be divided by class. No noble would want to be done in by a commoner. In this, they could at least temporarily be united. Commoners, on the other hand, would eat each other, she thought. But despite their low birth, some of them were like that ugly bastard at the tavern, with their stupid barbarian's pride. Despite looking down on him, Ashley thought that Tonka had some of that same energy. She's probably waiting for an opportunity to get back at me for 'mouthing off,' or some nonsense. Still, given her attitude with that guy, at least she would probably just kill me and leave it at that.

Then there was Sam. For some inexplicable—even frustrating—reason, Ashley felt inclined to trust Sam, and she had no rational explanation for it. Indeed, she had no reason at all to trust her, and every reason not to. Was it because she was so plainspoken about her motives? Was it because her interest in money would make her easier to control? No, that was decidedly not it. But, it had to be that, because otherwise, what was it? Was it because she said Ashley looked like "better prospects?" Could she be so vain? No. Compliments from strangers meant nothing to Ashley. They were empty words used to garner favors—nothing more. But then, what? Ugh, I'm getting nowhere. How vexing.

Kavius was friendly. Way, way too friendly. Ashley could only remind herself so many times that this level of friendliness was to be expected from someone who didn't know her family history. His friendliness wasn't necessarily fake like that of the nobility. She'd almost have to fight the urge to distrust him, while trying to decide if he could be trusted. How awkward. Whether she could trust him or not would largely depend on Sam, since they seemed to be together. For now, all she really knew was that he had a tendency to find trouble, which could make him a liability. On the other hand, one must never underestimate the craftiness of street kids.

Then, there was Margot. By the Goddess would she be easy to control. The girl was an open book lying atop an unlocked toolbox. Ashley pitied her a bit. Such a waste. She has such great potential. Perhaps, if this mission doesn't break her resolve, I can convince her to be my student.

Xara was an unknown, and that bothered Ashley. The power he held right now as the friend of this gruff and tough captain—the situation couldn't possibly end fast enough. She certainly had better odds against him and the captain than against a group of thirty mercenaries, but that wasn't setting the bar very high. If Mikhail hadn't been here, Ashley wouldn't have even considered getting on this ship. If over half the crew hadn't left at the captain's mention of a "change of plans," she still would have looked for another ship.

Troe was a respectable scholar, at least in her eyes; perhaps Ashley could even consider him a colleague. As soon as possible, she needed to pull him aside for a strategy meeting regarding their mysterious enemy, but it could wait until after the first leg of their journey, when any members who had second thoughts—or were spies—could be dropped off at their first destination. If Troe had such second thoughts, she might have to get a little desperate while trying to convince him to stay. His cooperation would be crucial.

Aleria's arrival was a huge boon. Ashley was a specialist, and by no means a replacement for a dedicated healer. Having one easily doubled their odds of success, and if the group split, a girl from the church would never side with commoners against the nobility, Ashley thought. She was also the only other noblewoman in this ragtag group. If they had to share sleeping quarters, it was a given that they'd be together. A holy woman of the church sharing a room with a former holy woman turned to the dark arts—there was certainly potential for friction—but with friction came opportunities for such things as "healing" and "bonding." I'll be 'relying' on you, 'sister.' Heh.

Finally, there was Mikhail. If Ashley had to truly rely on someone, she'd prefer it to be him. To put it plainly, he didn't play the noble "game." He was honest, forthright, and bold. Even if he did seem to be a bit of a meathead—picking fights at the bar just because he can—at least he wasn't sleazy like all the other noble "gentlemen." Mikhail was sharp-witted enough to catch an innuendo, fun enough to let her have the joke, and—if she could use the word properly for once—noble enough to not take it as an invitation, even if he appeared to have a bit of a weakness for aggressive women. Ashley didn't hate this... much to her chagrin. I'll have to keep an eye on him, but I was planning on doing that anyway.

_{Day of the ships departure – Several minutes before departure}

---

The day had passed rather unremarkably compared to the day prior. Xaru had pulled off a rather successful scam and was enjoying the meager fruits of his labor. A simple dowry of simple people wouldn’t bring much for long but a cup of ale would be a good start. His mind wandered off to his people back on Airi and wondered about his father’s health and if they were safe from the thieves and bandits that plague the island, which caused an audible chuckle to escape his lips. His father taught him all he knew about swordsmanship, he couldn’t possibly be beaten.

“Must be quite the joke if you laugh to yourself “

The barkeeps voice roused his thoughts of home and father,

”Hah, yes tis a funny joke indeed. Say friend, what’s all this commotion going on by the docks, seems like a rather big gathering for such a small town?”

“OH you haven’t heard? An expedition is setting out today for some big job or whatever. People been saying there’s a lot of loot to be had, 250,000 crowns to be had.”

His eyes widened at the sound of so much money. That may crowns could do wonders for his pockets and his caravan. The wheels in his mind already began spending that gold when another, more harsh sound, broke his thoughts,

”YOU, FORIGEN FELLA!!! STAY RIGHT THERE!!”

A large portly gentleman busted through the doors of the pub practically foaming at the mouth in rage. The man had to be in his middle fifties wearing fisherman’s clothes and topped with a balding crown or hair. He was accompanied by a couple of his friends and a rather petite looking young woman around Xaru’s age who couldn’t look at him without turning red from blushing. This was going to be a problem.

”Ah hello my friends what can I…”

”Don’t ‘My friends' me. Why’s my daughter say you promised to marry her if she’d give you her dowry to go find a place to live.”

This was problematic. He hadn’t expected his con to catch him that fast. The present company was a rather intimidating crew, two larger men with improvised weapons flanked him on either side while daddy dearest stood in front of him with his daughter behind. By now the pub had began to crowd around them in anticipation of the inevitable fight cutting off most of his escape routes. He had to think of something fast or this was going to be dicey.

”BEAT MY MONEY OUT OF ‘EM BOYS!!

A series of wild blows were launched from the two on his flanks which he easily dodged. They were big and slow and their swings reflected as such, although their power could be felt in the wind as they passed. If one would happen to connect then he may have something to worry about. Another blow was aimed at his head which he deftly grabbed and redirected into the bar and as he turned back to the other gentleman his cloak flared to show that he had instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. In that moment when the fear had set in his opponents eyes, when the realization that this was to be his last moment, Xaru faltered. The sudden strong grasp upon his shoulders was his moment of instant regret. Facing his “father-in-law" with the world watching the question was posed to him,

”Ya got any last words boy?”

Staring at the crowd around them and feeling his coin purse with one hand a flash of inspiration struck him…and he didn’t like the idea.

”FREE MONEY FOR EVERYONE!!”

Taking his purse and slamming it to the ground causing the coins within to scatter, Xaru threw his elbow into the man’s stomach and ran out the pub. Now where is that ship he thought

_{Current Time – On the ship}

---

As the group introduced themselves to one another Xaru kept to himself favoring silence and observation. They seemed rather capable fighters and certainly better than the company he had left the pub. The one calling herself Knight Captain was scary but the one that caught his attention the most was the gorilla sized woman missing an arm, he would most certainly have to steer clear of her.

The boat creaked loudly as it came to a stop in the port of Santorini. The normal hordes of tourists departing and re-embarking on boats were replaced by adventurers and sailors resupplying and taking a bit to enjoy dry land before they began the last leg of the journey to Irinoth Island. As was custom in the kingdom of Molto, scantily clad island 'natives' tried as hard as they could to coax people into spending more time and money on the island. Naturally the occasional adventurer was dissuaded from the dangerous mission, abandoning their teams to enjoy a bit of a vacation instead. The pristine white sand of the beach and swaying palms were inviting of course, but it seemed doubtful that any of the adventurers aboard the smelly ship that a few of them had dubbed 'Stinkboat' would be taking an extended leave here.

The seas had been rough so far, as though they were rejecting the sheer number of vessels going in the same direction...It was likely that Troe's earlier statement about many of the adventurers not making it far had already come true. The boat had been tossed and turned and damn near capsized a few times throughout the voyage, but it held strong still. Perhaps the Stinkboat's crew was as hardened as they appeared, though it almost felt like fate had helped the vessel stay afloat in the storms that seemed to hit the ocean every night they had been at sea.



Troe looked over the bow of the fishing ship with a book and quill in hand. He had requested and paid for a few tomes to use to find what spells Tonka would resonate with. She didn't take to wind, though she could certainly read it. The current consensus was that something like Fire or Thunder would probably be more her speed. Whatever doubts Troe may have had about Tonka's magical aptitude had melted away after their first day of study. She seemed to greedily absorb every bit of information she could, exhausting the admittedly limited reading material he had brought along in hours much to Troe's amazement.

He had taken notes on her growth in such a short period. While she wasn't able to cast anything just yet, the fact that she had been able to grasp the concepts around magic with pretty much no prior education pointed to a real chance that this was the birth of a prodigy...It was almost baffling, though despite her interest in magic, Troe believed Tonka's objective wasn't simply the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. He had already realized that his role in this situation wasn't that of a teacher, but a tutor...he didn't delude himself with any sense of authority over the woman that could casually crush his head with her bicep. Even so, he was rather happy to see such potential in one that he'd have normally written off as a brute.

As the strong willed but sorely shaken boat made port at Santorini, which as far as Kavius knew was an adventurer trap. Kavius loved to read and times he would come across reading material containing information on other places in the world. One such document he had read was a personal retelling of a mans own time spent on Santorini. People of all color and taste chose to make this island their home as they lured pit stop making sailors and adventurers into staying for a much longer period of time than intended. Many a men and women have spent all their coin on the pleasures of this place, but Kavius was like sixty percent sure that wouldn't happen now. The group he belonged too has way too black ducks to get lost in something so base. Their last three days together had taught Kavius that. The journey had been arduous to say the least. Not impossible by any means but by no means did Kav believe the last three days had been totally enjoyable. Kav heaved himself up, while holding the railing of the boat with two hands, and flipped onto the railing. Kavius raised an arm and sniffed and immediately turned his head. No way spending three days on a fishing boat wasn't gonna make you stink at least a little. Jumping off the boat, Kavius landed on the wooden plank that their boat had docked at and began walking away. As he did Kav thought back to the last three days.

Their first day at sea had been the best by far out of their journey so far. Starting off their first few hours were calm and tranquil, with only the smell of rotting fish fouling the air being considered the bad part of their voyage so far. Kav noted his new companions each seemed to be involved in their own activities amongst the start of their voyage. He had wanted to go over the boat and to check its knots, any cracks, etc.., but Sam came first. Her sea sickness was worse than he had hoped but not as bad it seemed, Sam being able to avoid dying to death in between throwing up. It was not as if she was constantly sea sick, but a sudden wave or bumpy motion of the boat was enough to make Sam turn at least a little pale. Kav was able to obtain clean drinking water aboard from one of the crew and and a bread roll and sat by Sam's side as thy sat in silence. That was not something so unusual but most of the time talking was unnecessary between them. Kavius would try to say a funny quip or one liner at times, making fun of BTTM (blonde table top man) softly to Sam, or really anything to distract her from her own current misery since this was the nice leg of their journey. That was the first few hours. Nighttime brought fresh hell.

The storm did not hit without warning but neither was most of the sea fairing crew aboard the fishing boat were prepared. Several other ships of multiple varieties had set sail and were in close proximity of Kavius and his group, which may or may not have been a blessing for him. The wind hit hard, faster than any man or women Kavius had raced or any animal he had ever seen, which at times pierced Kavius skin like needles. The cold speeding air showed no mercy to his fellow companions, but his first priority was Samara. Kav found the least smelly and dirty tarp he could see aboard the ship and wrapped it around Sam but not so that she couldn't move freely but just protect her skin. He kept his arm around her as he held on to the boat with his right arm and hand. When ships around them started to sink Kavius became nervous about their situation a serious way for the first time. Brigands and such he could handle, friggin mother nature could suck it but would win in the end. Kavius would get distracted trying to think of a way to help more, especially when he saw one of the boat crew having trouble or especially if they were hurt. The adventurers in their group all seemed to fare in their own way, but Kav was mainly only concerned with one person. Kav ended moving Sam inside and downwards the boat into the cargo hold, making her promise to stay down here till the storm lessens. In her condition she would only be hinderance and Kavius told her a such.

"Look just stay down here and try to hold yourself down best you can. I will come back down and stay here in a bit but if your up top I cant focus on helping the crew make sure the ship stays intact because I will be too buys being worried about if your safe or not. Your sick as hell in a storm the likes you've not seen well....im not sure ever. Its completely expected Sea trouble isn't your specialty in solving and mother nature is really giving it to us right now," Kav said to Samara with concern but speaking truthfully and without thinking about what to say before he said it. "So please, save your strength for the enemies that dont make you dizzy and sick."

After that, kav returned top deck and did what he could to help. Multiple people were shouting, some were trying to give orders as well as some were trying to relay something to another, and it was chaos. Luckily their ship had not received severe damage but the sea was unforgiving with her intense bashing and rocking. The rain would end up falling faster and getting pelted by the rain would come to feel like a wall of pressure trying to push you back. Kavius retied sail knots and scooped water off the boat as fast as he could, giving instructions to others on proper emergency boat care for those who did not know what to do. The night was long and the storming was brutal, with the first night ending with half of the original amount of ships at sea. That next morning Kavius walked with Sam up the stairs and to the top of the main deck. putting an arm around Sams waist, Kavius kicked the rope attached lever he and Sam were standing in front of with his right heel and grabbed a long strand of hanging rope next to them. Kavius and Sam rapidly ascended and landed on their feet in the eagles nest. The sun had risen mostly and the seas were calm.

"You know Sam, this is why I do what I do. Why, even before I met you, I acted on impulses. Because the view here and now," Kavius spoke with a gleam in his eyes, "with the right person by my side makes me forget about all the issues in the world and I feel at peace."

Kavius then spotted a piece of drift wood in the distance with a dead adventurer floating in the water on top of it, hanging over it as if he had been clutching it for dear life. Kavius coughed into his hand and chuckled.

"Well......maybe not as at peace as drowny there."

The others in the group filled their days with their own humdrum activites, at times conversing with Kav or Sam and at times Kavius and Samara would do their own thing trying to keep Sam from throwing up more. The smell had gotten pretty bad at this point and a temper had risen here or there as their living conditions were not great for this ships voyage. When night would come again more storms would appear, taking the lives of even more adventurers on other ships. The storm had been much worse the second night than the third, and it felt as if time had slowed during the natural carnage that was this sea storm. On the third day at some point, Kavius could tell if he looked for the position of the sun or watched for the activities of any airborne creature, they arrived at Santorini. Multiple times Kavius had been approached already for his somehow surprisingly useful tidbits that would help on the voyage, but now that they had docked he could buuy some supplies for Sam and some things for himself that would further aid in this job.

Back in the present time on that same third day, Kavius had headed out after saying to Sam he was gonna go see what type of stuff he could get on the island. Kav knew Santorini had zero military, and a nearly zero rate of crime. Sam would be having the time of her life here if she had started feeling better is what Kavius thought. Easy marks and horrible security. I mean...... surely the reason why there was such a low rate of crime is because people here are just so nice right? Kavius reminded himself they would only be docked for a short bit as they were nearing the end of the voyage to the island of Irinoth. Taking the time to keep his surroundings in mind Kavius admired the craftmanship and architecture that he walked past. This place was popular for a reason it was very bautiful. It was also lively with people selling their wares and street performers around here and there. Many signs for so called "famous" hotsprings were advertised, and he had really hoped Sam was feeling good enough to have left the boat after he had and that she would go to one of these hot springs. Get some of that stick that's in the place the sun don't shine out. Kavius pressed onwards passed the hotspring determined to find what he was looking for. Some basic small food items for the sea sick, some exotic candy, and possibly a shirt. Kavius touched his eye that once held a shiner, since none of the mages on board had offered Kavius had not asked for a healing spell for himself, that now only held its traces. His eye was healing at a great rate, which was not unusual for Kav. Seeing a colorful store that had multiple clothes on display Kavius smiled and walked inside the store.

Kavius was nearly immediately greeted by a man who appeared to work for the store. He wore a white and orange suite was intricate designs in certain parts of the suit. Kavius could instantly tell by the material that it had to be very expensive. " Hello good Sir", The employee said to Kav, "My name is Jvohn devierre and I will be assisting you this evening." The man eyed Kavius up and down and for some reason Kav got the distinct impression that the man was not impressed with what he saw, a shirtless musclular man with a fading shiner and cheap clothes was not the ideal customer.

Kavius sighed and fished through the pouch on his waist, pulling out one dozen shiny and clinky coins. "Soooo....what can I get that you recommend for someone on a life or death mission John my goodman."

Jvohn flinched but kept his smile towards Kavius. "My good sir, my name is Jvohn by the way, we have several outfits available for those limited to......your type of budget. Please follow and do not tarry."

Kavius could see the store was of moderate size, but with no other customers currently occupying the store. Only two other employees and this man. Kav smiled and followed Jvohn to the near back of the store.

Kavius tried on a few different clothing items but ended up choosing to do away with his old rags for something more useful. Kavius had chosen a baggy, black, cotton shirt with blue rolled up at the bottom pants, with gray leather shoes. Kav also bought for right arm a wrist brace that on the bottom of it had a small hook catcher. Supposedly you could wrap a small wire or rope around the hilt of your weapon and to the brace and it would help you with not being disarmed as easily. As Kavius left the store, his wallet lighter than it already was, he smiled to himself. Thankfully, Kav thought, the employee saw him as someone low class and abhorrent so he only kept his eyes on Kav for as long as he had too and did not even see him out of the store. That made it easier for Kavius to be able to walk out with something hidden underneath his shirt, also Kavius was appreciative he was allowed to keep the clothed on after he tried them on. He was told his old clothes had been burned relatively quickly. Kavius withdrew the item underneath his shirt revealing a small pouch that clinked with coins inside. While the man Jvohn had moments where he pretended to be busy with something when Kavius would pretend to have a question about a certain clothing item, Kavius would quietly walk away and talk to the other store workers. Little by little without raising anyone's mental alarm, Kav used every lesson Sam drilled into him against his will and was able to snatch away coins bit by bit during his time spent in the store.

After the clothing store Kavius walked until he found a metalsmith shop. Unfortunately since the island had zero military presence there was little reason to open a business where making weapons or armor was greatly needed. But if you were a smith that would take requests on any type of repair or metal work you were in business. The metal smith was a medium sized burly man who seemed to not want to deal with him as well. When Kavius walked up to the silversmith at work at his anvil, the smith groaned. "And what, pray ye, could ya possibly want with me. Need a picture frame mended? Is it a cool jeweled two handed sword to impress your friends?"

Kav smirked and put his hands behind his head and leaned back in place. "Nah I think I would prefer an actual decent one handed sword, and I am gonna need something else custom made." Kavius reached into his pouch and handed over a small note. The metalsmith read the note and laughed loudly.

"Aye I can manage to have this done in an hour do doubt. Lucky for you I just need to adjust a few things on something I was working on previously for a customer that needed up tryin not to pay. But its gonna cost ya", The smith said as he wrote down a number on the other side of the note and handed it back to Kav. Kavius sighed, pulled out his entire money pouch, took out a few coins, and poured the rest of the pouch on the counter. The smith smiled and laughed heartily. "Up front eh? I like you! Be back in an hour and you can pick up the most reliable sword you have probably held in awhile, as well as your other thing.

Kavius gave the smith a two handed salute and walked out of the store.



Kavius found a shady spot near a local hotspot that the natives seemed to enjoy and sat down. He would pop a piece of candy in his mouth eventually, taking a sip of a drink in a coconut he wasn't sure at all when he was handed. The natives seemed to really like involving tourists looking people in their activties. Multiple time Kavius had to fight the urge to slap a native once or twice, it did not matter how scantily dressed these people are or how nice they seem Kavius was starting to believe this is an island he would never return to if given a choice.

Ashley rose to the task of sailing like a champ—and that's what Ted's crew took to calling her when she was out of earshot: "little champ." Immediately making herself available as an additional hand on deck, she listened to everything Kavius had to say about seafaring with rapt attention, and it quickly became clear that she wasn't afraid to work up a sweat. When she wasn't working, it seemed like she was always thinking about something; mostly, she seemed to be thinking about ways to contribute.

"Would a hammock alleviate her motion sickness at all?" she'd eventually ask Kavius, considering Sam. "Might I bother you to spar with me? The way you move around on deck seems so natural—if I can't match your dexterity, I'll be a liability if we're boarded."

"I remember you said you were a healer, but are you comfortable defending yourself?" she'd later ask Aleria privately. "I'm not much of a healer, but I have supervised medical in mass casualty events before. We may be walking into one, so please, don't hesitate to ask me anything."

Ashley watched Nitonka try to learn magic with mild interest. If she's hoping that learning magic will give her an edge against me, she's wasting her time, she thought smugly at first. As Nitonka made progress, though, Ashley's opinion of the boisterous woman improved a lot, and she eventually began giving pointers herself. As a lady knight, she felt something of an obligation to halfheartedly protest Nitonka's crass way of speaking whenever Aleria was present, but she otherwise didn't seem to care much.

With introductions out of the way, it seemed as if Ashley was no longer interested in talking about herself; it was as if she'd already covered just about every piece of information she was willing to share, and had abruptly become utterly withdrawn and unsociable outside of anything that involved the task at hand. In fact, she even removed the arm band that she had been wholeheartedly showing off before. "It's poor manners to wear one's rank while off-duty," she claimed. The most anyone was able to pry out of her after that was that she was 28 and had no children, siblings or extended family "worth talking about." When asked about "Auntie," she would say only that she was "just a live-in attendant."

When it came to curses, however, she could talk an ear off, as Xara would find out. "It's a misnomer to say that a curse has been 'broken.' Truly destroying a well-designed curse like that would take mythical amounts of magic power that almost no human could handle. It's truly easier to reverse-engineer it, make the necessary changes to reverse its original effects, then re-activate it. It often takes multiple days and is ninety percent boring work—studying the runes, writing them down, double checking, triple checking—you can't afford to make mistakes when it comes to curses. Any cursemaker who's good at the craft will design a curse to be passed on to anyone who tries to mess with it. From the moment you first touch anything, you have about sixty seconds before that happens. That's the exciting part of the job. Sixty seconds of pure adrenaline, and hopefully hours of basking in dopamine for a job well done. There's no feeling like it on this earth."

She stuck to Mikhail like glue throughout the whole journey. Much to his relief, she relented on the teasing, but whether she did so out of consideration for his dignity or because she was simply too busy thinking about more important matters to find the time for it, one could only guess. Strangely, though, she didn't even look at him most of the time. She just followed him around as though she were his own shadow, hovering around him like a buzzard around a carcass, while keeping her eyes on everyone else but him. Though her behavior was unsettling, her reasons for doing so were not nearly so nefarious. Out of everyone on the ship, Mikhail was the only one she completely trusted as of now—he was her anchor—though she suspected the feeling was not mutual, and thus, never said so openly.

When Mikhail was not available, she buddied up with Aleria. "It feels safer with two of us here, doesn't it?" she'd remarked once, when it was just the two of them. She seemed a bit more open around her than everyone else, and a bit more considerate of her, too. Of course, it wasn't as though she was completely inconsiderate of everyone but Aleria and Mikhail—she'd spent a good half an hour on the hammock idea for Sam after all—falling over more than twice as she did, while the ship tossed and turned. But with Aleria, who she immediately took to calling by the nickname "Sister," Ashley was just noticeably friendlier, in a "I've just decided that we're going to be best friends" kind of way.

For the first day, first night, and second day of the trip, Ashley seemed invincible. She worked nearly constantly, taking only short breaks, and didn't even sleep the first night, as she was used to working for about 36 hours—sustained on coffee—then sleeping for about 12. By the second night, though, the withdrawal was becoming truly wretched. Her head ached like no part of her body had ever ached before, and not from lack of coffee, but rather, lack of good coffee. Trying to delicately boil a pot of coffee just right while the ship tossed and turned, using cheap equipment and cheap coffee grounds, was like trying to wash women's delicates using a waterfall of runoff from a cattle farm. She attempted to help during the second stormy night, but despite the chaos she somehow managed to pass out while standing up and would have fallen overboard if Mikhail and one of Ted's crew hadn't caught her. At least, she thought the other guy was one of Ted's crew, but for some reason, someone called him Xaru. Wait, wasn't his name Xara, not Xaru? Ashley couldn't be bothered to think anymore. She only caught a few choice words out of the choice words Mikhail had for her after that as she stumbled her way below decks and collapsed into her bunk, exhausted.

Now, after almost an entire day of lying in bed with a killer headache, micro-sleeping betwixt the ocean's waves and idle thoughts about dulling the pain with mushrooms—and a night full of sleep so deep it might have been mistaken for death—Ashley rose from her "coffin locker" with only two things on her mind. First, she needed coffee. Not just any coffee would do—she wanted the strongest, blackest coffee Santorini had to offer. Second, she wasn't about to drink it in some tourist trap, surrounded by chatty locals with thick accents, thick heads, and thick... well, anyway, she didn't want to be harassed by these women. She wanted room service. Coffee, and a damned bath.

Ashley shuffles out of bed, forgets to bring along either of her "escorts," and in no time at all is surrounded by giggling local girls looking for a dull-eyed mark—and though Ashley was just about the furthest thing from it, Ashley fit the physical description perfectly. She was short, which theoretically made her easier to isolate from the crowd and pressure into something, her fancy clothes set her apart as someone with money to spend, and most of all, Ashley just looked like a guy who was desperately in need of a good time. I'm a woman, though... she thought irritably.

"Come on! You'll love the hot springs! All your stress will just melt away~" the tallest girl coos suggestively, leaning in toward Ashley.

"I'm not interested," Ashley says flatly. Unable to find a girl her own height to look at instead, she just closes her eyes stubbornly.

"Aw, are you shy? Don't be! You're so handsome~" another girl says sweetly, stroking Ashley's hair. "Broody boys like you are popular, y'know?"

"Communal bathing is out of the question for me. Just tell me where I can find a hotel," Ashley barks, frustrated.

"Ooh! I do love a man who knows what he wants!" she says as she covers her non-existent blush, while the other girls giggle even more.

"Oi, you! That's not what I—unhand me!" Ashley twists her arm, trying to slip free of the girl's grasp—but her vice-like grip doesn't give. Ashley was astonished. She'd been forcefully grabbed by the hand many times, but never like this. Yeah, no crime my ass! These prices are criminal, and so are these girls! Isn't this a kidnapping?!

---

Nitonka loved traveling by sea, the constant feeling of the ocean trying to rip a boat from the surface, was almost intoxicating to her. If she had both her hands, she'd consider taking up the sea life, but it felt she was at a disadvantage with one hand. The ships crew however felt different, almost immediately putting her to work and taking advantage of her size. When she wasn't with Troe learning magic, she would be on the top deck, her strength proving her to be more than adequate as a ship hand. She had noticed others had taken to also helping out as well, Ashley specifically surprising Tonka. Despite her size, she seemed to want to help out the most, and it reassured Tonka that she was putting her trust in her as a leader for the group. The first day seemed to blow by, as Nitonka was beginning her lessons with Troe. The crew hadn't yet built the courage to ask Nitonka for help, giving Nitonka the day and some of the night to learn from Troe. The man was a good teacher, though he had said he hadn't thought of taking on a student. He was able to connect with Nitonka's surprisingly receptive mind, and it helped her in picking up concepts she had never encountered before. She felt herself falling deeper and deeper into wanting to master magic, the feeling of reading the small number of books Troe had on him, made her feel more connected to her Mother. She had learned to read and write from a young age, before the training with her father. Her mother couldn't have known what it would allow her to become, but she had always said that it was going to become important one day.

With this thirst for more knowledge, came her becoming closer to Troe in a more friendly way. She really didn't have to many friends on Airi, if any, more village neighbors more then anything. She had always been bigger than the other kids, and being the Chieftain's daughter, meant she had to uphold herself to higher standards then the other kids. She wasn't afforded time to go play, she had to learn how to fight, to protect herself and the village she cared about. So this feeling to comfort was weird to say the least the first day. Troe and her seemed to have similar paths and secrets in their history, and it made her feel more at ease than with the others. He also didn't seem uncomfortable with the fact she was much taller and stronger then him physically either. This too was an unfamiliar feeling, as he didn't seem to find himself lower than her, or higher, but as an equal.

The second day, the crew finally found the legs to ask for her help, despite her disability. The captain seemed to believe she was capable, and it further ignited a fire under her to prove him right, even if it seemed like she didn't care. With in half the day, she had become well acquainted with the ship and its crew, learning how to do the heavy lifting jobs easily. Helping the crew, and coupled with the Captains praises, made her feel sailing was definitely something she might take up one day. It felt like it was something she was meant to do, and it also gave her time to observe some of the others. Kav and Sam seemed to be living up to her prior assessment of them being an inseparable duo, as did Ashley and Mikhail. Ashley also seemed to get closer with Aleria, attaching herself to her or Mikhail when she wasn't helping the crew. She even had given Nitonka some pointers with her lessons, the girl thanking the woman in the kindest matter she could. She had lost track of where Xara and Margot seemed to be, though she wasn't too concerned, not much they could do to get in trouble out on the ocean. There also was another man she hadn't noticed until now, which made her a tad uneasy. Someone who was capable of stowing away and seeming to blend in enough for her not to notice them, was someone to look out for. It seemed that Nitonka wasn't as intimating as she thought she was, and she began feeling some connection with the group as a whole. She also seemed to be excelling in learning from Troe, or so he and Ashley commented on. She didn't feel like she was doing anything special, magic seemed to have easy enough concepts to grasp. It was the actually doing magic part she wasn't feeling the most confident on, if losing confidence was a thing for her.

By the third day, she had finished reading most of what Troe had to offer, instead asking him questions she had on certain lessons to get a better idea of what she wasn't to sure on. She felt she had learned most of the basic things needed to actually preform magic, and Troe had mentioned something about getting things to help her find what she was good at. She was almost buzzing with excitement, until they ported in Santorini. Her father never really said what would happen if they ever went back there, and their family had been exiled almost twenty years ago, what were the odds that anyone would recognize her. She would make sure not to mention her last name, just in the off chance it would draw any unnecessary attention. "I'm gunna go grab a beer, maybe get into another barfight and then find a bookstore. Im sure there's some things there that would be good for more lessons on the way to Irinoth" she said toward Troe on the top deck overlooking the resort like town. Giving a wave, she saw that some others had already left, and one in particular seemed to draw some attention. Surrounded by much taller women, was Ashley at the center seeming to get overwhelmed almost. She had never seen girls flock to something like this before and it would have been hilarious if not for Ashley seeming to be uncomfortable. Nitonka walked to the edge of the group, looking down on all the girls and glared intensely "If you dont unhand my fucking party leader, you all are going in the water, starting with this one" she effortlessly picked up a girl around the outside of the swarming circle. Holding her by the collar, she lifted her over the wooden fencing around the dock, hanging her over the water. "Get a god damn hold of your senses, and see when someone is uncomfortable" her energy seemed to shake all the girls swarming Ashley. Quickly moving away from the woman, Nitonka brought the girl back over the fence and placed her down lightly "scafuckingdaddle." the girl almost jumping out of her skin, turned and ran away quickly. Nitonka walked back over to Ashley "you should probably be walking around with Mikhail or Aleria, better to seem like your taken otherwise more girls are going to swarm you later" she nodded towards further down the dock the same group of girls seemed to be pulling the same thing on another man. "I'm going to the tavern, you know where to find me if you find another pack of rabid girls" she joked walking away from Ashley, with a wave, towards the closest Tavern to the docks.

To be honest, for Mikhail the last few days were more troublesome and annoying then they were difficult. He wasn’t intent on helping out around the boat but when he saw their wonderful leader Ashley working her butt off he sighed and put himself to work. It wasn’t too bad thankfully. With the amount of physical training he put himself through it wasn’t too bad and he managed to impress a couple of the crew members. Not nearly as well as Tonka but he didn’t expect to be able to compare to that beast of a woman.

For the most part on the journey he just tried to keep himself busy while keeping an eye on everyone. The first day he specifically kept an eye on the one who had shown up shortly before leaving without any of them realizing. He had to make sure this stranger wasn’t dangerous. Other than that the party could see him with Ashley almost exclusively, not really of his own volition but he didn’t really care all that much. When he wasn’t suspiciously watching the stranger from afar to make sure he wasn’t a bastard he could be seen randomly assisting the others without a single word. If someone was struggling he would help them with their task and move on without a single word or waiting for a thank you. He also almost walked into Tonka’s magic lessons while trying to find Ashley once or twice but he’d always leave awkwardly without saying anything. He tried to steer away from that stuff, he learned the hard way that he had no talent for that stuff and it brought along some bad memories.

After Mikhail’s antisocial boat ride finally arrived at its first pit stop he sat on the deck and looked over the island. It wasn’t his first trip to Santorini. He and his brother came years ago. It was Casimir’s 18th birthday so the brothers got some of their fathers money and used it for a fun vacation. Of course their dad wasn’t able to come, he was too busy as always but that didn’t stop them from having a good time. He still remembered how flustered Cas was as a few women tried to pull him away and was forced to use his 14 year old brother as an excuse. It brought a smile to Mikhail’s face for the first time this entire boat ride.

He watched as Ashley left, stumbling off the boat and pondered for a few moments about whether or not he should follow. He also saw Kavius and Nitonka leave as well and figured he should make sure the poor girl is okay. She had no authority here and was coffee deprived so the likelihood of her getting bothered was extremely high. Of course, for similar reasons as Ashley, several girls tried to essentially surround Mikhail. Whether they were here for a good time, to rob him, or entice him into spending money he didn’t really care.

“Come on big boy, I can help you wield that lance of yours.” One of the women offered. Maybe it was the similarity to Ashley’s joke but it definitely annoyed him.

“Move I’m gay.” He said and forced his way through them without remorse. He wasn’t about to try and be nice to the people here, he wasn’t staying after all. As he walked away a guy walked up with a flirtatious smile, clearly having heard his proclamation. “Move I’m straight.” He called in response. Within earshot of the women. The funny thing is neither of these statements were true but it got him left alone at the very least. Leaving several confused people in his wake.

He managed to find Ashley’s situation at the tail end as Tonka finished shooing away the women that had surrounded Ashley. Made him feel good that at least he wasn’t the only victim but he approached her casually afterwards. “Seems like you’re having fun, getting the classic Santorini greeting. Would you like an escort?” He said and offered his hand out with a smirk on his face.

Kavius stood with Sam at the bow of the ship, looking out towards the sea and chatting. He knew he did not need to mother Sam, she was a badass that could more than handle herself even with something as trivial as sea sickness. Unfortunately even though Sam protested, Kavius would keep his eye on Sam and while he felt helping the crew was important his first priority was making sure his partner in crime was.....well Kav didn't know what he could do besides make sure Sam was fed and her thirst slated. She appeared to be alright for now but the paleness in her face concerned him slightly. His presence undeniable, but Kavius did not speak his worries as much as he thought them. He would rather enjoy the voyage with Sam than to be badgering her with worry. That want their style. Everyone on the ship seemed to be busy with their own thing, helping around or cleaning, conversing and such. Kavius did not want to be in the splotlight but nether did he care what others thought so his display earlier made him sigh to himself. He expressed to Sam how it was such a spur of the moment thing to do, he just wanted to meet everyone. One of those people, who walked with confidence and power, appeared behind Kavius and Sam.

"Would a hammock alleviate her motion sickness at all?" she'd eventually ask Kavius, considering Sam. "Might I bother you to spar with me? The way you move around on deck seems so natural—if I can't match your dexterity, I'll be a liability if we're boarded."

Kavius looked towards Ashley as he turned around in disbelief. Spar? With him? Who gave her the right......wait he was no one so no one needed to give her that right. Also quit being a dick, Kav thought to himself, Your a regular clown. Kavius almost chuckled but held it in, he had a decision to make. He looked at Sam, who had her thoughts on the matter, and Kavius sighed in disbelief. He really had not expected anyone to notice him with all the bright flashy wizards casting about. Not that anyone was casting about currently besides that nerd with the fierce looking women whose name alluded Kav at the moment.

"Fine, sounds like it could be interesting and a way to stretch the old sea legs," Kavius said with a smile.

He knew just by looking at Ashley from the steady wobble that would appear every few moments. She probably did not have much experience fighting as sea, but little did she know neither did he! In fact Kavius was very grateful that while it had been awhile since he was last on the boat that the last time he was he had spent a fair amount of time at sea. There was no cure for sea legs, just adjusting your footing to the way the boat is rocking. Also being so nimble did not hurt as he was already light footed and used to unstable surfaces. Kavius gave Sam a two finger salute, after listening to what she had to say, and walked with Ashley to the middle of the bow of the ship. Ashley quickly turned, drawing her sword which was common but was unsheathed with style, and elegantly flicked her wrist making her sword suddenly face upwards towards Kavius. Kavius hopped back slightly at this, fumbling to draw his own sword for a moment. Kavius unsheathed his sword, common and bottom tier as it was since Kavius lost his previous sword some time back, and raised it so that it mirrored Ashleys sword with two feet apart from the tips of their blades. Ashley stood with both feet firmly planted, her sword arm raised and her other arm back her back. Kav had seen people fight like that before, but not personally faced against this style. Kav made his limbs somewhat relaxed and limber but with a firm strength behind his grip. Kavius kept both hands on his sword.

"I like a good old fashioned countdown so I will start us off.....One..Tw-", Kav started to say as he quit speaking mid word. Just as quickly as he stopped speaking Kavius hit Ashleys sword with his own while taking a step forward. Ashley gripped her sword tighter and was able to bring her arm back up to meet Kavs blade while taking a single step backwards, albeit it was a shaky step. Ashley reafirmed her footing and bounced her sword back off Kavs and brought her sword around and down towards Kav in one quick dazzling motion. Surprisingly, Kav smiled at Ashleys battle face. Even more surprisingly, only a moment after their swords clashed together next as Kav met Ashleys blade mid swing. Kav used most of his strength to push their swords upward as he let go of the handle of his sword. Kav dropped to his back, keeping his hands pressed to the floor of the boat for support, and kicked upwards at Ashley. Aiming for her waist and not aiming to bruise Kavius kicked Ashley back which gave him the momentum to flip himself up onto his feet. He had no isses finding his balance, whereas Ashley took several shaky steps backwards which almost ended with her falling. She remained vigil and quickly assumed her battle stance as her legs started to shake a little less. Kavius grinned a spun his sword in his hand. Kav finally noticed however how his hands stung quite a bit. Eyes widened for a moment he realized that clashing with this knight seemed to be a a bad idea, or was this just how it felt fighting someone as trained as her. Her movements, while limited due to their environment, were swift and precise. She knew exactly when to apply most of her strength and knew her own weaknesses. Kav shuddered to have to clash with her again, this was the part of fighting he hated more anything. Inexplicibly Kavius seemed to get lost in thought which gave Ashley ehr chance. Seeing her opportunity and not wasting it by any means she quickly lunged forward with her sword pointed the same direction. Kav barely had time to react when he noticed by chance due to blinking. Kav raised his sword up to defend himself as quick as he could managing to deflect the incoming attack, which while Kave was able to keep his sword in his grasp his arm was sent leftward. Ashley followed up with two quick slashes from her blade, which Kav was able to avoid as he threw himself towards the direction his arm was sent in the previous clash. This sent him in a single spin to his left, falling to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground Kavius jumped back up into the fight, bringing his sword up with him. Kav gripped his sword with his right hand and feinted at Ashley, taking a step backwards. Ashley pressed her attack, following Kav as he stepped back. Once they were close to the side of the boat Kav jumped back a step, kicked off the side of the boat wth both feet, and flipped over Ashley. Ash spun her sword and with a single wrist motion as she spun around to face Kav she made an attempt as inducing a flesh wound on her opponent. As soon as his feet hit the ground Kavius had ducked, stepped forward, placed his right leg around her right leg, and bumped into Ashley avoiding her sword strike. This caused Ashley to once again stumble backwards, seemingly still not used to fighting in such a unstable environment.

Kavius made an attempt to strike Ashleys wrist with a slightly upwards sideways swip of his sword when Ashley showed her plan. Her legs suddenly stood firm as she brought her sword upwards avoiding Kav and his sword, then quick as can be struck Kavs wrist in a similar fashion making him drop his sword. With her victory in hand Ashley started to bring her sword up to Kav to be pointed at his chest but Kavius was not done yet. Kav stepped into Ashleys personal space bubble as she brought her sword up, wrapped his left arm around Ashleys sword arm and attempted to disarm her through force. Ashley swung her first at Kav, who responded by swerving his head around her thrown fist and wrapping his right leg around her left leg. Kavius applied pressure with his right arm to disarm her, kicked the back of her leg to ground her, then jumped back a foot as Ashley was able to quickly rise and do the same. Kav noticed she had left her sword in-between them, as did he, and eyed them both before returning his haze to Ashley who had already began to take action. Ash sprinted forward, scooping up her sword but almost losing her balance, and elegantly charged at Kav. He thought to himself how she seemed to understand he didn't need his sword to fight. Hopefully she didn't know he really really wanted it back since she was charging him. Kav had no idea what to do at this point so he did the only thing left to do. He had an ace up his sleeve that she possibly knew about but could do nothing about. His legs were in great condition while Ashleys were sill adjusting. Kav smiled.......and started quickly stepping backwards. When Ashley was close in proximity Kav performed a duck and roll and began running away, avoiding every slash from Ashley. Kav jumped off the walls of crates aboard and the pole connecting to the eagles nest, rolled sideways and retrieved his sword just in time to catch Ashleys blade with his own. On his knees and options limited, Kav brushed back Ashleys strike and parried with his own.

Ashley locked with swords with Kavius again, then began to display a strange face to Kav. Kavius believed she was.....starting to get angry possibly? With another strike and parry from Kavius and another wrist flick and jab at Kav, he jumped back and raised his empty hand. "Alright I'm good for now," Kavius said with a smirk, "Honestly if we had been on land that would have ended with way more bruises for me. You're great, even without your sea legs fully in yet."

"Hmph. You're quick, little mouse," Ashley said with a slight frown, the spark of life returning to her eyes as their duel ended. "Next time, don't stop me right when I'm starting to have fun."

Ashley knew she would have to keep her eyes on this boy. Someone like her couldn't afford to fight fair, so she was always looking for new tricks to hide up her sleeve. That get-up kick was something she was definitely going to practice, for a start. If all she had was a sword, she would be forced to reconsider her remark to Mikhail about how she could "take him." I only get one shot at the usual sneak attack. After that, who can say? He's a credible threat. If he remains loyal, he'll be useful, she thought as she wiped her sweat with a kerchief and sheathed her sword—only after Kavius had put his away.

Her unsuccessful attempts at grappling hand-to-hand with Kavius still fresh in her mind, Ashley silently cursed at herself for being so weak. Where had all of her strength gone? Wait a minute, had she eaten anything at all aside from that swamp water she'd tried to turn into coffee? Oh, of course she hadn't! When she got into a working mode, Aunt Alma would often have to force her to eat. As if her body were suddenly reacting to this "new" information, Ashley noticed that her hands were shaking—not out of fear of what these girls might to do her in the hotel room bath, but out of hunger.

Change of plans. The bath could wait; what she needed more than anything right now was some food.

As Ashley began thinking of what she might say to the girls to get them to change course, Nitonka saved her the trouble—in a truly dramatic fashion that even left Ashley a little stunned. She was certainly awake now. This woman... was kind of a badass, huh. I wonder if she realizes that they were only after my money... or does she actually think I'm worth a second glance? Ashley wondered, a little bemused. Before Ashley could offer to buy her a drink, though, she walks away and another familiar face approaches.

"Would you like an escort?" came the slightly sarcastic, faux-gentleman voice. Forgetting her manners, Ashley snickered.

Rather than taking his hand, Ashley took the whole arm. Now he'd done it. He'd given her an inch, and she was going to take a mile... or so it seemed. Rather than feigning bashfulness and cracking some joke about how she'd scored her Santorini dream date with Mikhail exactly as planned, she simply leaned into him like someone who genuinely needed the help. "I need food, coffee, and a bath, and I don't care where, as long as it's me and you, no locals, and no ocean," she says as she slightly struggles to re-adjust to walking on solid ground.

Her veneer of "noble lady knight" charisma had been chipped away little by little over the past few days, at least around Mikhail. Was it because she was finally away from her mountain of duties back on Faroth-En, and felt no need to wear a mask in front of him? Had the camaraderie of the crew, cheering on their "little champ" lowered her guard a little? Or perhaps it was the cynical option: just a lack of coffee. Whatever the reason, she was acting unusually vulnerable today.

"Thanks... for catching me back there. Though I'm supposed to be protecting you, it ended up like this."

"Flame."

A small flame lit up the white joint of time weed. Margot laid her back on her bunk, crossed her legs, and put one end of the joint to her mouth, then sucked on it. The smell was delicious. She kept the smoke in her lungs for over 10 seconds, then exhaled upward. The smoke gushed out of her mouth and moved in the direction of the wooden ceiling.

Wow! It's as amazing as the first time I inhaled this stuff!

Well... these few days have been some amazing moments of my life. It was also undeniable. She was a weed-head. She was born to be a weed-head. She had no doubt that she smelled of acrid weed smoke, which was apparent to anyone she encountered -- not that she had visited many parts of the ship.

What can I do? The world on a ship is so boring. Nothing happens. Luckily, I know exactly what to do to pass the time.

The first day at sea, she had ate and smoked time weed.
And... on the 2nd day, she had also ate and smoked time weed.
On the third day? Well... anyone could figure that out.

Yet, these three days had been some of the best moments in her life. The trips just keep getting better and better!
In all these mental adventures, she dreamed of so many different places and experiences. They were all happy trips. Her childhood at her hometown... the school... her parents... and her best friend. She had visited them all.
Time weed is awesome! She could explore different areas of her life, both past and future. She had amazing mental experiences. Every time she lit one up, it felt like she could leap out of her body and into the past or into the future or different timelines altogether.

Sometimes she wondered if she should give up on her real life dreams and just smoke time weed for the rest of her life until she died as an old woman. Should I even go after the money, or just the time weed? Difficult question. Both are equally great.
Naturally, she didn't care about the rest of the world. Monsters are invading? Whoooo cares if monsters are invading? I just want my money, so i can buy a boatload of time weed. This is greeeaat. Life is greeeat. I would rather have a boatload of time weed than a boatload of husbands.

The real world is so boring. I'd rather explore the world of my imagination. And I have the best way to do that, don't I?

When she opened her eyes, she saw that her joint had dwindled to nothing. She tossed the depleted joint away. Then, she sat up on her bunk. She grabbed a mushroom from her bag, grounded it into powder with her hands, slid the powder onto a piece of paper, and rolled the paper up into a joint.

"Flame."

She laid back, inserted the new joint into her mouth, and took another puff. She closed her eyes. Forget the past! Time to explore the future! This time, she dreamed about her future husband, the king of Faroth-En, and the sex -- the amazing sex.

The few days Aleria spent on the accurately dubbed “Stinkboat” were absolutely miserable. Never had she been out so far from the pristine, albeit lonely monastery walls. At first it was the smell. She couldn’t handle the stench and subsequently hid away from the others due to it. She couldn’t handle feeling dirty, hygiene to her was of utmost importance. She liked looking clean and light and she felt so very far from that. Then came the sea sickness. She could barely stand for a bit until she also slowly adjusted. She didn’t have much of a choice of course, she was stuck here. There was no turning back from this adventure and she was here for the long run. And this was only the first few hours of their journey.

After adjusting a bit, at least enough to function on her own she started writing in her pocket book she carried. She hid it in the layers and layers of dress she had on. Mostly she scribbled poetry into the pages, just to fill the loneliness she felt. She felt homesick, very homesick. Ashley was a nice solution for her though. She found herself bumping into her and then eventually Aleria just naturally followed her around. Time spent together felt less empty, and she felt very comfortable around her. Maybe it was because of her nobility, maybe it was because she felt this inexplicable draw towards her. Either way it helped.

"I remember you said you were a healer, but are you comfortable defending yourself? I'm not much of a healer, but I have supervised medical in mass casualty events before. We may be walking into one, so please, don't hesitate to ask me anything." Ashley asked, one of the times they were alone together.

Aleria blinked, unsure how to respond for a second. She hadn’t given that aspect too much thought. The thought of war..she just did what she was told. The reality of this all was very humbling and grounding for her.

Coming back she responded, “I’ve practiced and worked with offensive spells but I must admit I’m more talented with helping others then hurting. I’d appreciate the help, of course. I would never decline an opportunity to learn from such a talented mage.” She smiled softly, staring down at the floor.

The times Aleria left Ashleys side she quietly observed the others. She wanted to know the others but the side they show when they think no one is looking. It says more about the person than words could ever. Actions are everything to a person's character of course. Kavius and Sam seemed conjoined at the hip, a partnership that couldn’t be separated. She thought it was sweet, how much he tried to help Sam out. She didn’t quite know how to help, and the usual herbs she kept for salves and medical uses were back at the church. That’s the first thing I’m finding when I get off this wretched boat. Then there was Tonka and Troe who seemed to be studying magic. She almost asked to join but then decided it would be best to not interfere and quickly retreated off to be alone again. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was stupidly shy. She felt a burst of confidence due to her backing and abilities when she first talked with everyone but now? The nausea and the sudden realization of just exactly what she was doing made her want to hide. At least for now.

She tried helping above deck but was quickly denied. Perhaps due to the way she looked like a small porcelain doll, ready to break at the smallest bit of pressure. She tried to insist but it seemed as if they already had all the hands they needed. Instead she opted to watch over the others, offering food and water where needed and fetching small things. Just enough to help but out of the way.

However Ashley was the exception for the shyness she felt."It feels safer with two of us here, doesn't it?" She had remarked during a time in which they enjoyed each other’s company. She nodded in agreement with her statement. It felt peaceful, Aleria felt no pressure to push herself or assert her place around Ashley.

“I appreciate the company. It certainly does feel safer just with us. Quiet, peaceful.”

She tried to savor those small moments, especially as they came to shore. She was in unfamiliar territory and had no idea how to react. Curious though, she followed the others off, watching first. Aleria watched as Ashley was swarmed by a mass of women. Honestly she couldn’t help but laugh at first before how invasive these women were. Before she could run out she saw Nitonka approach. It was amazing how quickly she swatted off all the unwanted women. Being menacing has its perks she supposed.

Aleria swallowed, and looked around. First of all she had no idea really where they were. Secondly she was afraid of being tugged around like Ashley was. She had barely any patience from the last three days and all she wanted was a shower, and some plants to play with. And a good drink maybe.

She quickly chased off after Tonka, attaching herself close enough that she would be shielded from any onlookers. Trying to keep up she piped up “Where are we going? And please don’t turn me away. I don’t know this area very well and you seem very capable.” She smugly smiled, knowing full well she would follow anyway. She would be quiet, she just wanted an escort to find things. And she heard Tonka mention a bookstore, that would be a good place to start.

Xara had this idea in his head that it was gonna be like he wasn't even there. Despite being the one to organize the whole travel arrangement, he ultimately decided to stick to his books than handle the new environment at all. He occasionally made small talk, doing a rare "Hey" to one of the crewman he recognized or making unimportant dialogue to Ted. He was surprisingly prepared, his books were all wrapped in waterproof leathers, and he had means of writing with him at all times. Being an extremely visual learning person, Xara's notes would often consistent of diagrams or data graphs, he's a surprisingly good artist, having years to practice his penmanship. However, his curious mind grew bored of sitting around reading his own crazy magic theories. He started wandering the ship, making notes of structural integrities and potential issues. But even this didn't fill the gap, he begrudgingly admitted he couldn't hermit out anymore and that he'll have to talk to someone. He tried out Ashley first, having the most compulsion to hear what she knew. He didn't regret it either, she clearly had expertise in the topic. "What about in the rare occasion in that they have to reverse their own curse? Isn't it unnecessarily risky to accidently curse yourself?"

He decided to bother Troe next, being the only person who actually talked to him prior to the trip and being a clear scholar himself. "Listen, I know you're busy tutoring fighter girl, but do you happen to have any knowledge you can pass down to a much more advanced caster?" He says that with clear implication that he means himself. After all, the kid saw him saw a table in half. Imagine what that could do to a real target.

He finally decided to investigate Aleria, he reminds her very similarly of an old healer girl he knew as a kid, unfortunately it's not her, she had red hair, this one is blonde.
"I'm going to assume by your attire that you're fullblooded cleric? Does your magic work on plants at all? You see.."
Xara pulls out a musty old jar with algae inside
"I'm trying to make a potion, but this algae seems to be sickly, and I didn't bring a way to put it in clean freshwater. would you possibly be able to heal it? I know it's a super odd request, but it's also just because I want to know if it's possible without risking killing it"

As they reach the docks, Xara quickly wanders off on his own, far away from the tourists attractions, just like choosing his 3 selective friends, if he can call them that, he always has an idea in his head on the spot and rarely gives care to common distractions that could attract less composed psyches, such as Margot. He thinks that girl is walking trouble, but he's not sure, it's just his intuition.

After plenty hours of wondering, he finds some less than stellar buildings, run down, abandoned, and pushed to the side for the flashy stuff near the shore. He quickly pulls wind tome and starts to systematically destroy the house for resources. Who's gonna stop him, the owner? Ted will definitely appreciate the ship parts it can provide.

At first, Mikhail was taken aback and red slightly tinged his face as Ashley took his arm. He instantly assumed she was going to go straight into teasing him again and was almost ready to shake her off until she just leaned into him. He sighed, smiled a bit, and started leading her around. “Seems like the ocean’s been giving you trouble.” He said with a slight bit of actual concern in his voice. “Come on, I’ll show you where the best coffee in this damned tourist trap is. Took us forever the first time we came here.” Luckily Casimir was quite the avid fan of coffee. Mikhail remembered in great detail their search for the best coffee he could find. And then going back about ten times on their week long trip.

Who’s ‘we?’ Ashley thought, but didn’t ask. She knew well that she had no intention of talking about her own past, so she wasn’t about to ask Mikhail about his, no matter how curious she was. There was almost nothing Ashley hated more than hypocrites.

"Thanks... for catching me back there. Though I'm supposed to be protecting you, it ended up like this."

“It’s not like it was any issue. The sea is rough and unforgiving even if you’re careful. And who said you’re supposed to be protecting me? That’s supposed to be my job. I already vowed that I’d keep all of you alive.” Despite not knowing any of these people besides Ashley he made a personal vow. He was not going to let anyone die unless he gave and risked everything he had.

”So reliable,” Ashley said, the words coming out sounding more sarcastic than they did in her head. ”No, I mean it,” she says emphatically, sounding a bit frustrated. Ashley could easily fake any voice she needed, but when the time came for her to convey her sincere thoughts, she often struggled to get them to sound genuine. ”I thought you’d get sick of me tailing you and tell me to walk the plank, but you even sought me out yourself once or twice. You thought I wouldn’t notice,” she asserts in her prideful “lady knight” voice.

“Sure I am.” He teased as he led her along, making fun of her accidentally sarcastic tone. “Oh of course not. I wouldn’t have sought you out if I thought I’d get sick of you. If I was tired of you I wouldn’t have tried so hard to catch you when you fell.” He almost instantly regretted that joke as it came off a bit more messed up than he intended. “My bad. It’s just on a boat of unknowns that I don’t fully trust, I'd rather stick with someone I do.”

”It’s the same for me,” Ashley replies simply, seeming satisfied about something.

Eventually the two of them arrived at the coffee shop and compared to the rest of this town it was far more serene. A small local place with only one other patron at the moment who sat quietly to the side. It was like a small haven in this tourist trap city. As soon as they entered Mikhail sat his companion down and went up to order. If he had to assume what kind of coffee she liked he would assume black. Or at the very least it seemed like that’s what she needed right now. He also made sure to order some pastries to go with it after having seen her wolf down the ones back on Faroth-En. It seemed that she liked them. “We’ll get an actual meal too if you’d like, this just seemed like a good pairing.” He said as he stuffed his mouth with one of the pastries.

”No, this is fine,” Ashley says as she grabs one of the pastries and wolfs it down greedily. ”Alma will lecture me if I bring back any of that pemmican,” she says with her mouth full of pastry.

Raising an eyebrow at his companion’s table manners, Mikhail almost couldn’t believe this was the same person for a moment. Back on Faroth-En Ashley was the knight captain. Always serious, never letting down her guard. But now… he really couldn’t tell why or what happened but she was totally different. Is this how she truly was and she was both comfortable enough with him and far enough away from her responsibilities to let it show? Or was this the act and she wanted to make him let his guard down? He didn’t believe it was the latter, she seemed different enough from most nobles at least. In fact he had actually come to trust her in these past few days. So he allowed himself to crack a smile as he watched her eat like she hadn’t eaten in several days.

Noticing that Mikhail was smirking again in reaction to her manners, Ashley swallows her food and starts on her coffee. ”Look, if I wanted to spend the rest of my life worrying about what a man thinks of my manners, I’d get married,” she says, completely deadpan. ”Even if I retired from the knights, I have enough to worry about at the clinic. Can’t tell you much about it—patient confidentiality—” she takes a sip of her coffee. ”—but curses are complex problems that usually take multiple days to solve. I’m already lying awake in bed thinking about that. I don’t need to also worry about what my husband would think if I fall asleep first, or what he’ll do if he wakes up and finds his wife still in bed, hair and makeup not done, sweaty clothes still on the floor—” she pauses for a moment, as if realizing that the picture she was painting might be a bit too vivid. ”Anyway, I’m always wearing some kind of mask in front of people at work. At home, I want to let my hair down, not walk on eggshells, you know?”

Mikhail smiled as she went on about that, content to just sip his coffee and listen to her ramble. He didn’t respond to most of it. Didn’t feel the need to respond to the talks about her future husband and after she stopped herself he didn’t want to accidentally embarrass her. He just nodded at the end. “Well with how busy you sound I don’t blame you. I didn’t pay much attention before but I’ve heard about your unhealthy sleeping habits from Clive. Sounds like both your jobs put you under a lot of stress.”

Ashley nods. ”Most people don’t know a thing about what I do. They watch me stare at runes for hours and wonder if I’m actually working, but they’ll take me seriously if I do it this way. Clive’s a worrywart, so he’ll say it’s unhealthy, but so is working with dark magic. It can’t be helped.”

Ashley’s eyes looked just a bit less lifeless after finishing her coffee. ”This stuff is sinfully good… but we can’t stay here all day,” she says regretfully, thinking of the Santa Lyrica which would surely catch up to them within hours. She sighs as she looks back up at Mikhail. ”Alright, look. I’m a lady. I’m not taking a bath in the ocean, or in front of strangers in a locker room at the hot springs. So unless you’ve got a better idea, you’re taking me to a hotel,” she says, averting her eyes awkwardly at the last part.

Did he hear her right? A hotel? He tried to calm himself. It’s not like she was brazenly asking him to take her to a hotel for something weird right? It was just for her to take a bath. That’s right, nothing weird at all. He was thankful that she looked away as he calmed himself from his original surprise. “Right, let’s go.” He said flatly to cover up his reaction.

As the pair slowly approach reception, Ashley is struck with sudden inspiration. ”E-Excuse me,” Ashley begins with a tone of awkward shyness, hiding a bit behind Mikhail. ”C-Could we maybe… get a room… high up, with an ocean view?” she asks the old lady at the counter, turning her eyes up at Mikhail as if she needed his permission.

“Why yes, we do have one of those available,” the old lady says pleasantly.

”Isn’t that great?” Ashley replies as excitedly as she can, quietly slipping her coin pouch into one of Mikhail’s pockets. ”I’ll go ahead and check it out while you handle the boring stuff, okay sweetie? Don’t be late♪” she says as she takes the key from the receptionist and scampers off toward the stairs.

“Your boyfriend’s a real cutie,” the old lady whispers to Mikhail, giving him a sly look like she understood something that most other old ladies her age wouldn’t.

Luckily for Mikhail he felt Ashley slip some money into his pocket otherwise he wouldn’t have had nearly enough to pay for this. He honestly felt a little bad making her pay like this in so many situations but it couldn’t be helped. He was kept on a tight leash as far as money went so that he’d stay on the island. “Uh, yeah… h-he is…” He couldn’t tell what got to him and caught him off guard more. The fact that she mistook Ashley for a boy or the fact she assumed the two were dating. Well their actions didn’t help the dating assumption at all but it still bothered him a bit. The old lady only giggled in response as she took his payment, assuming she embarrassed him rather than confused him. After paying he followed after Ashley to their room.

Entering the couple’s suite on the top floor, Ashley is immediately struck with the strong smell of perfume. Resisting the urge to gag, she makes her way to the ocean window and throws it wide open… and is struck with the strong smell of fish. This is fine. I’m desperate, so it’s fine, she tells herself as Mikhail enters the room shortly after her.

”Well? What do you think? Got ourselves a nice little vantage point, and an excuse to be left alone, all without drawing any suspicion,” she says with a proud smile. ”Are you not impressed?”

After locking the door behind him Mikhail took a look around, scrunching his nose up at the smell of perfume permeating the room. Only to be hit by a smell of fish as he neared the window and Ashley. “Oh we can smell the boat from here.” He joked flatly. “Impressed? Well that depends, why did we get this room in the first place?”

Ashley blinks. ”Why..? Oh! Because, I want you to keep a lookout for the Santa Lyrica. It’s got the best crew money can buy,” she says, her voice dripping with disdain. ”so it’s probably still following us.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “I still don’t understand why I need to watch for it though.”

”Well, like I said, there are dangerous criminals aboard—high class, of course, not like Lord Clive could just arrest them—” she adds, stalling for time so she could think. She really didn’t want to drag Mikhail into her personal affairs, especially not one that involved a whopping thirty assassins. ”Look, the reality is only slightly more complicated than that, but now isn’t the time. Just keep an eye out, and if you see them approaching, call me back out here and I can handle it easily enough. I already have a plan,” she says as she opens the door to the bath. ”No peeping, okay, ‘darling?’” she teases before shutting the door.

Dangerous criminals? It was starting to make a bit more sense, and was explaining her weird behavior back in the capital. Someone was after her and she didn’t want to explain anymore than that. Which was all he needed to hear. “Got it, I’ll keep an eye out.” He sat by the window and looked out at the docks. Thankfully he was far more used to the smell of fish than the perfume. Mik waved off her teasing as she went into the bathroom. “Yeah, yeah. Just take your damn bath.”

(Back during the voyage)

"Listen, I know you're busy tutoring fighter girl, but do you happen to have any knowledge you can pass down to a much more advanced caster?"

Troe mulled it over for a moment before turning back towards Tonka who was working at her studies. "Honestly that's too vague a question, unlike Tonka I don't know what you do or don't know so anything I say could just end in a zero sum. You're best off studying on your own unless something comes up that my explanation might actually be effective." Troe said and waved the blonde tablehopper off.

(Current Day)

Troe stood impatiently on the boat as he waited for the books he had ordered to show up. When Tonka left and outright said she'd be looking for a barfight...he wasn't surprised but it just furthered her resemblance to women he knew from Irinoth. She spoke about her father before, perhaps he'd have to speak with him eventually about their lineage.

With a sigh, Troe walked off of the boat and walked towards where he assumed the bookstore was located...and not but a few paces away from the boat he found the list he had sent the dockworker with crumpled up and on the ground. The small pouch of coins he had sent said worker with was likely never going to be seen again. He shook his head and uncrumpled the parchment and continued his walk thinking about what other potential resources Tonka could use in her training.

Along his way a few of the locals attempted to harass the young man into coming with them to some restaurant or the occasional brothel only to be met with total silence as Troe gracefully weaved through the crowds without even batting an eye. One woman in particular attempted multiple times to put her hand on his shoulder to slow him down only to inexplicably miss each time. Unfortunately she was rather persistent and eventually resorted to attempting to tackle Troe only to land face first on the street with him none the wiser about her existence.

Eventually he found his way to the bookstore in question only to be greeted by shelves upon shelves of vacation reading material. Pamphlets, posters, and the occasional popular fiction story seemed to be all this place wanted to pedal. He had to rather desperately beg the attendant to show him to the back storage where the more useful books and tomes were held. Troe had hoped that these things being less marketable on the island would have made them cheaper but alas, the bookkeeper would only sell them packaged with a litany of brochures on the local hotspots. Troe ended up buying the materials he needed along with a few other books that he intended to study during the rest of the voyage and the return journey. As he walked out the door he turned and looked the bookkeeper in the eyes before holding the large stack of brochures in his free hand and casting wind to blow them all over the street. While he wasn't usually the petty type...Well, this experience had kind of warranted such a response.

Troe tucked his paper bag filled with books and scrolls under his arm and began his walk back towards the boat while dodging some of the same women and men he had avoided before. Just before reaching the boat however he caught sight of Tonka and Aleria at the tavern by the docks and considered walking in to make sure she wasn't about to involve the holy woman in a brawl. He stood there for a moment before entering the establishment and sitting down near the door. He figured he could take a moment to rest on dry land before hopping back aboard the boat. He cracked open one of the books he had picked up before and began to idly read it at the table.

Ashley locked the door to the bath and sighed. Finally, something resembling privacy. Although... her newfound solitude left her feeling somehow... unsatisfied. Why, though? Propping up her swords in a handy location near the bath, the emotionally stunted dark mage tried to reason with the restless feeling in her heart as she slowly removed her garments one by one.

Did she... want company? No—even if she were suddenly struck with the odd desire to share a bath with someone—something she'd never done before, nor did she want to try—she'd obviously have invited Aleria first. Actually, why did she drag Mikhail along, anyway? Even if it was spur of the moment, it would have been easier to attach herself to Tonka, and going to a hotel with her would have been less awkward. Still, out of everyone in the group, Mikhail was most worthy of her rarely-given trust. It wasn't as though she expected a man like him to make a move on her. Did she... actually want him to make a move? No, surely she didn't. It wasn't as though she intended to bed a man she had no intention of marrying. Not that she wouldn't marry him, if she could—like, if he asked her—but there was no way she was going to ask him. She was beneath him, and that would be inappropriate—well, it was a bit too late to worry about propriety—but there was certainly, absolutely no way he would ever ask her, even if he didn't care about the difference in their social status—for a multitude of reasons Ashley promised herself she wouldn't dwell on anymore.

Yet, no matter how much she didn't want to dwell on it, one of those reasons was now staring right at her from the mirror next to the bath. It stared at Ashley with the narrowed, tired eyes of a caffeine addict. Stripped of her rank as a knight captain, her sorcerer's garb, and the semi-formal men's clothing she wore underneath, she was now both undeniably a woman, and one who looked almost ten years younger—and she hated it. She was shorter even than most women—not helped by the fact that she refused to wear heels. Bandages covered her forearms, calves, and "inadequate" bust, concealing scars which, had she been born a man, she figured she could wear proudly—but on a woman, she thought they were unsightly. Those muscles, though modest enough for a lady knight, would be more fitting on a man, too, she concluded. No feminine charm whatsoever, she thought bitterly, reminiscing on the few noblemen who had attempted to court her over the nearly three years she'd been a knight. This immature body... but once they learn that I'm 28 and self-sufficient, they lose interest! Scum like them should just jump off a cliff, right into a trash fire! Ashley splashed a handful of water onto the mirror, distorting the image. She sighed again, and began unwrapping her bandages. She needed to focus on the task at hand, not wallow in her regrets and bitterness. Ashley inhaled sharply as she stuck her bare legs into the bath. The pain from her scars wasn't unbearable, but it was enough discomfort to serve as a reminder of her past mistakes. She takes a moment to allow the pain to subside before sitting down. As she did, she suddenly realized why she felt so unsatisfied by Mikhail's underwhelming reactions to her antics—unlike the other men in her life, she couldn't place him.

Noble, commoner. Man, woman. Teacher, student. Knight, civilian. Leader, subordinate. Ashley's mother had ingrained in her the need to follow particular social conducts around different types of people. Ashley only thrived in social situations with people she could categorize, and with roles she could play—but Mikhail defied any kind of expectations she could use to find out what "script" she should use when interacting with him. He was not a typical noble, nor a typical man—and though he was still a squire, he didn't act like a typical knight, either. At a loss for how to handle him, she'd just defaulted to saying whatever came to her mind, and doing whatever she felt like doing. No matter what she said or did, though, Mikhail seemed to just blithely accept it. What was he really thinking, underneath all that indifference? Was Mikhail the kind of man who could accept her faults? Or did he really not care at all? No, rather, why should he care? It's true that she felt pretty close to him lately, but they'd hardly said a word to each other before the last three days. Sure, a detail-oriented dark mage like her could learn a lot about a person from very few interactions—such skill was a tool of the trade—but Mikhail was a pretty ordinary guy. He barely knew her at all, and had no real motive to get to know her more. He also vowed to protect everyone, not just her. She really did just kind of casually ignore that part, didn't she?

How... depressing.

Ashley rubs her temples furiously with her palms. You're just being selfish. You haven't taken his feelings into account even once. You're flirting with him, even though you know it'd never work, and you're getting disappointed when you don't get something you never asked for, and wouldn't accept even if he was unreasonable enough to offer it. You ridiculous mess of a woman. Go find a hole to crawl into and die of embarrassment already.

Dunking her head into the bath, she lets out a silent scream of self-directed frustration before begrudgingly bringing herself back to a sitting position so she could breathe again. Why do I need coffee and a bath to get rid of the cobwebs in my brain, so I can think through such simple problems? I must have the emotional awareness of a spider.

Looking around the room for something to distract herself from how pathetic she felt, her uninterested gaze glanced from perfume to perfume before turning full circle back to the corner where she had propped up her sword, which she had dueled Kavius with—and another sword, which she had kept concealed and shown to no one. My secret weapon. I wonder what kind of face that worrywart would make if he knew I'd spent most of my last bonus on a cursed sword, Ashley thought, smirking as she imagined Lord Clive trying to lecture her about something she understood better than he did. Rather than the Devil Sword, she had opted to show Clive the other thing she'd bought: a Prayer Ring. She'd bought it early, expecting that she'd have to offset the lack of support from her team of combat medics somehow, but with Aleria coming along, it would hopefully be a redundant measure.

Suddenly, she remembered something about Prayer Rings. They were commonly bought by love-struck maidens, and gifted to gallant knights on their way to the battlefield, as a promise to be reunited. Now, she found herself wondering what kind of message Clive must have thought she'd been trying to convey, buying her own ring and showing it to him. Suddenly, Ashley's head found itself submerged in the bath again.

Eventually, Ashley would realize that she'd been clean some time ago, and begin the slow and tedious process of drying herself with a towel, re-wrapping nearly her entire body in clean bandages, and putting her clothes back on over those bandages without disturbing them too much. The arduous process was a small price to pay for an extra layer of defense against the elements, the cut-purse's knife, and most importantly of all, the prying eyes of the curious. She would show her body to no one—but her shameful scars, above all, must remain a secret—even from the healers, if such a thing were conceivable.

Ashley emerged from the door to the bath, looking as sharp as she did on the day of departure—sans her cape and arm band, which she had left on the boat when she'd stumbled out of bed. "All right, your turn," she says to Mikhail, tying her hair up. Now with her mild bedhead sorted, she looked... a bit like a butler. It was kind of amusing how removing one piece of clothing could have such an effect. "Is there something on my face?" Ashley said sternly, having seemingly fully returned to "lady knight" mode. "Get a move on. If you hadn't noticed, you stink too."

Thoughts of Sam never strayed too far from the back of the mind of Kavius even as the natives of the island had pulled him into their festivities. He was somewhat worried about Sam, not because she could not take care of herself, her sea sickness had to be annoying for her to deal with and he had only left the boat for a supply run. Now, drink in hand and feet moving to the rhythm of the music, Kavius could only be on with the rest and enjoy the party for a bit. He still needed find some more money lying around in peoples pockets, the small sum he already aquired was not enough for everything on his mental list, and still needed to pickup his sword. Only a short amount of time was necessary for his weapon to be finished, and he had paid extra for a rush order, but Kav was still slightly surprised he had been able to find a blacksmith so quickly after arriving to the supposed vacation island of the world. Kav shrugged at the thought and assumed everyone needs a blacksmith for something eventually of course one would be here. After another swig of whatever was in his cup at the behest of a native he was dancing next to Kavius could feel the heat rise to his cheeks imagining how red they must be. Kav stopped dancing and steadied himself, then cursed himself for being a lightweight. That is when the odor hit him. It took awhile after departing from his foul smelling companions and vessel, but now Kav could smell himself more clearly and almost gagged. How in the world did others around him not throw up? Kav looked around and came to the realization that the booze here must be saving him for the most part, everyone being mostly drunk was fortunate turn of events. A few people would notice Kavius and his smell, he now realized, and react but keep their distance. With a sigh Kav dropped his nearly empty cup to the ground and began walking away from the scene the best he could. A few times an attempt was made by a random native to get him to drink or dance with them but even in his inebriated state, or maybe because he was inebriated, he leaned away and would step around anyone that came up to him or tried to touch him. He had not realized it before but now that he was leaving the party Kav was surprised by how big it was. It almost seemed like it stretched for multiple blocks ahead or at least did not have an end in sight. Kavius laughed and thought how insane you would have to be or become if you lived on the island. This was fun, but if he ever had to stay here overnight he would be sleeping someplace much farther than where they docked. It was a vacation place so surely they had to have calming and soothing areas as well away from the unruly ones?

Kavius would not have to wander far from where he had departed when he would find what he was looking for. Kavius saw the public bathhouse and wondered if that had been placed there because people knew where parties would take place or was it because parties took place so close by? Kav stepped through the front doors, paid the fee required, disrobed and toweled himself in the mens locker room, then went to the shower area of the bathhouse. The water was so warm and clean looking, with soap provided complimentary that smelled amazing. Kavius took more than a few extra moments, allowing the hot water to pour from the faucets and down his face and body. Even with the soap and amazing water Kavius could still detect bits of nasty emanating from his body. Kavius tried his best to get rid of all traces of shit ship stink then went to the relaxation area of the bathhouse. Kavius was surprised to see a gender divided hot spring, especially in an unassuming bathhouse, but Kavius was glad for a chance to sit down and relax. The water was hot to the touch but Kavius became accustomed to sittinf in quickly. Thoughts of Sam once again rose to the front of Kavs mind. He knew she hate it if she missed the chance to enjoy this, so Kavius laughed heartily and enjoyed himself some more. He would still get the food and items he wanted to get for her, but a pang of guilt shouldered itself onto Kavius. He rolled his shoulders back and lowered himself deeper into the water, uneasy. He did not know why she followed him around, or what made her want to in the first place, and it was something they never discussed. Kavius mistrusted easily and did not take a lot of stock in words spewed by people who were only out for themselves which was most people, so when he had left that diner so many years ago and realized that Sam had followed him he did not question it. Then, that night, she had said her goodnights and went to bed, then the next morning she stayed still. Kavius smiled thinking back on how he had spent a decent coin on accommodations that night for them since she had followed him, with meals to boot, then the next few days spent sleeping on the grass since he spent most of his money. She got him up and moving when he was being lazy to make money which led them being able to afford beds and fresh meals more often than before. So Kavius kept with the no question gimmick but it did not take long before Kavius came to expect to see Samara standing next to him. If she decided to leave him, he guessed he would be ok with it since it was not like they agreed to anything. She was her own person and so was he, it might not even change too much. Kavius could not help but feel a surge or sadness as he thought of Sam not being there anymore, which made Kavius rise up from the water and shake his face.

"You're an idiot Kavius."

With Kavius rising so suddenly he happened to startle the other occupant to the hot spring, a male who had stay quiet the entire time. Kavius looked over to the divider wall and saw the toweled man pressing his back against the divider. He looked startled, like he had something to hide. Kavius looked at the man quizically then realized what the mans intentions were. He began to speak as he slowly walked over to the stranger.

"Listen guy, I love naked ladies as much....well ok not as much as you clearly but still," Kavius said as he reached the man and placed a hand on the guys shoulder. With a determined look Kavius gave the mans a thumbs up and said, "Real men recieve consent before seeing a women naked."

Kavius began pulling the man away from the wall when the stranger suddenly spoke up. "Dont! Dont pull me-", The man would yell before stumbling forward from being unable to resist being pulled away from divider and a small circle in the lower part of the wall would fall out from it. Kavius opened his eyes wide in shock as the man began to wimper then run away as he yelled, "I tried to warn you." Through the hole was umistakenably both heaven and hell while Kavius stood frozen in place with both fear and intrigue. So the stranger had at some point found or carved a small hole in the wall and accidently let it fall out and land loudly when he pulled him away. In these thoughts the women on the other side began to notice Kavius through the hole and began shrieking about how there was a pervert here. This snapped Kavius out of his head, taking off out of the water and to the locker room. Clothing himself faster than he had ever before, Kavius dressed himself and snuck calmly but quickly walked out of the bathhouse. As he walked out of the bathhouse door he spotted a guard restraining the toweled man from before who was wailing how he was innocent. Kavius how maybe he should have put on real clothes and not kept only his towel on then. Kavius strode away from the scen, eager to leave it behind.

After the bath fiasco Kavius went to retrieve his new weapon. At the blacksmith store, the shop owner presented it to Kavius with pride. He handed Kavius his new Silver Sword, with an elegant light brown and dark black handle. Double sided and balanced in his hand, Kavius took a few practice swings and found it to be well worth his money. Kavius thanked the blacksmith once again, then spotted something small and square out of the corner of his eye. Kavius bought the small item as well with what remained of his funds and walked out of the store satisfied. The small item was a gift for Sam, not a useful one he guessed since she was sea si- Kavius froze midstep realizing his error. He had meant to spend that money on other things but now........That's when he train of thought again was interrupted by a squeal nearby. One of the women from the bathhouse incident recognized him and began calling her women in arms nearby to get the pervert. Kavius sighed and took off, running as fast as he could. Kavius found a way to easily get to the roof of a nearby building and ran away roof hopping after that. Kavius would eventually leap down from the rooftop and leave the more inhabited part of where they had docked. Kavius walked for what seemed like forever when he spotted a familiar looking spell slinger destroying some abandoned houses. Picking up a small stone and throwing it at Xara, Kavius yelled at him.

"Hey! you know me," Kavius yelled, "What do you say to a friendly spar? I have some aggression to work out at the moment!"

Kavius' stone accidentally lands directly in the path of one of Xara's spells, causing it to get launched into the window of a nearby building. Xara sees all of this happen and winces at the noise. The abandoned house then collapses, completely destroyed by the mage's systematic attacks.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? We could accidentally destroy the materials; something tells me that's not gonna change your mind..."

Putting his hand instinctly on one of the 4 tomes strapped to his side, he proceeds to walk in arc, staring at Kavius until he's a better position.
"Alright, let's do this..."

Xara whispers to himself, which proceeds to make a shield and hand axe of pure ice, quickly showing Kavius that Xara isn't a run of the mill spellslinger type.

Putting his hand instinctively on one of the 4 tomes strapped to his side, he proceeds to walk in an arc, staring at Kavius until he's in a better position.
"Alright, let's do this..."

Xara whispers to himself, which proceeds to make a shield and hand axe of pure ice, quickly showing Kavius that Xara isn't a run of the mill spellslinger type.

Kavius winced slightly at the noise caused by the collapsing building but was more surprised that Xara was so quick to agree. The misinformed womenfolk had caused Kavius to exert more energy than he had preferred to use to escape their wrath which made his innocence even more irritating. Kavius knew better than to let others get to him, and remembered how the real culprit was still caught, so he sighed and relaxed his body. While unsheathing his sword Kavius took a few steps closer to Xara.

Xara glares and tenses up.

“Alright my Table hopping, window smashing, admittedly handsome companion. Glad you're so enthusiastic,” Kavius said with his eyes on Xara.

Xara raises an eyebrow and decides to respond.
"Well, how are we supposed to fight together if we don't know each other's moves? Consider it a learning exercise."
He says this with an unimpressed smile.

Kavius tossed his new silver sword from one hand to the other, stretching his legs for a few moments. After cracking his knuckles Kav measured the distance between them and placed himself with two feet from the tip of his blade from Xara. His fight with the warrior noble was in no way easy, but he did not have the terrain advantage like before. No sealegs, crumbled or nearly destroyed buildings, not the best setting for him but Kavius did not mind. Ok he minded a lot, now that he was more in fight mode and not flight mode. With a sigh Kavius raised his sword and held the tip up and facing Xara.

“Ok so lets make this simple since we are on the job,” Kavius said rolling his shoulders back, “Since you like making things explode with magic, be it yourself through something or your surroundings, lets say first in either a compromising position wins or first to take damage that's more than a scratch…...or giving up is an option!” Kavius added that last part for himself in case he wanted to bail.

Xara is starting to look actually kind of bored as Kavius continues to talk with a weapon pointing at him.
"You gonna swing or…?"

Kavius smiled. “Nah, why would I do that?”

Kavius threw his sword into the air while shouting “GAH”, rolled forward while scooping up sand and dirt and debris, and threw it at Xara.

Xara gets dirt in his eyes, burning them and making him flinch. He jumps back, expecting the sword to land on top of him. Using the same spell as in the tavern, Xara launches forward in an attempt to knock Kavius over while he recovers his sight.

Kavius attempted to dodge Xara as he was propelled forward to little avail, barreling into Kav, sending him to his back. With a flick of his waist and feet Kav pushed himself up and backwards, rolling back a few steps as his sword landed in front of him slicing off a strand of hair as he looked up. Kav looked down for a moment, realizing what almost happened, and reached for his sword.

Xara recovers his sight, quickly doing a wide spin recovery from the ground, he flings the ice axe in Kav's direction and proceeds to start another cast.

Kavius heard the sound of something flying through the air. As Kav looked up he spoke.
“Oh Nooo,” Kav shouted. With a turn of his body Kav rolled sideways, grabbing his swords handle, dodging the axe. As Kav finished his roll and dodge he quickly threw his sword at Xara as if he was throwing a spear, raised two fingers from the hand he used to throw his sword, and spoke. “Just kidding,’ he said with a smile.

Xara blocks the sword with the ice shield, which visibly cracks it, and knocks Xara back. But instead of stumbling, Kav can see ice under Xara's feet, as if he's using it to control his inertia. The hand axe from earlier starts to boomerang back as Xara throws what look like, ice marbles(??) around Kav's feet.

Traveling with Samara taught Kavius a great many things about projectiles since she herself was an archer. With an incoming attack in his direct path, his footing possibly ruined based on whatever these tiny things were, and Kavius had no time to think. Letting his body take over Kavius takes a single step forward, instantly seeing he was correct, and fell backwards almost comically. As he fell Kavius reached upwards and grasped the handle of the ice axe tightly as it passed him, a little too tightly in fact, shattering the handle and causing his right hand to receive several cuts.

Xara is shocked at this entire interaction, what kind of timing tricks did he know to do something like that? Xara touches a different book, his hands now a different color, this time of orange. He then throws both a fireball and the shield like a frisbee towards Kavius, hoping to throw him off his game.

With his weapon close to Xara, little tripping marbles around him, and two incoming attacks, Kavius pretty much wanted to surrender at this point. He put himself in a bad spot, but not a horrible one. Kavius grimaced as he clenched his right hand into a fist and decided he had no choice. Time for an increase in effort. Kav, from his crouched position that he went into after the axe handle broke, rolled forward over the marbles. As he did the fireball flew over his head, leaving the shield trailing but imminent. With a flick of his left wrist and a finger snap, a marble he had discreetly picked up flew from his left hand, hitting the shield, cracking it, and causing it to wobble mid air. With the shield now losing momentum Kav caught the shield in his left hand as it approached his face and threw it back like a frisbee at full strength.

"This is*grunts*yours, I'm keeping it next time."

Xara is taken aback by Kavius' agility, his awe was short lived as the shield struck Xara square in the head and shattered, knocking the lithe mage over and leaving him completely dazed.

Kavius used Xara being dazed as his chance. With a leap and stride Kavius closed the distance between himself and Xara, scooped his sword from the ground, and began to swing his sword but planned to stop it right before his sword reached Xara..

Xara reactively caught the sword with his hand, cutting his fingers despite Kavius' hesitation
"Yah, uh, I think you win. Ow.”

Kavius had stopped his sword as quick as he could before he sliced through Xaras fingers, leaving only deep cuts on the parts of his hand that had touched the swords edge.
“Uh...I can agree its over but did you have to try to catch my sword with your hand? Blades cut human meat pretty well.”

"It's a stall tactic a Laguz taught me, gives you time to thunderbolt them."

“Yea but you could just dodge.”

"And leave myself in a worse position? Mmmnnah."
He puts his hand to his on chin and nods in disagreement

Kavius laughed then patted Xara on his shoulder, leaving blood spots from his cut hand on his shoulder. “You’re alright, by the way we should stop that bleeding oh wait I am also bleeding too, annoying to fight but yea you’re alright.”

Xara takes the same fire he made earlier and proceeds to burn his hand with it, cauterizing the wounds. He winces in pain as he probably regrets the decision to show off.

Kavius winces at the sight of Xara burning himself, then reaches out his hand for the same treatment.

Kavius feels like his hand just touched the bottom of a forest fire. The bleeding stopped, atleast…
Xara didn't realize until it was too late that he caught the debris on fire, it burns something it shouldn't and causes the whole wreckage to explode, sending both the combatants flying and screaming like canaries.
Xara looks visibly annoyed by this.
"Aw man, that was a waste!"

Kavius laughs again as he and Xara sit upright, patting him on the back, while looking at the wreckage Xara caused earlier to burn brightly.

With Mikhail left alone on watch duty things were very silent in the room. The sound of the waves and sea birds being his only company as he remained ever vigilant to the supposed pursuers that could come ashore at any moment. Even still he couldn’t help but allow his mind to wander. One of the first things he thought about was what in the world his dad would say if he figured out he had ran off on some life threatening quest without permission. He’d probably kick Mik’s ass to hell and back without remorse. That’s already how most of the sparring sessions between the two went.

It made him wonder about why he even went on this quest in the first place. He wasn’t originally to be noble and figure out the problem and save everyone. It honestly made him feel a little pathetic, thinking that a grown ass man like him had to resort to these lengths just to get away from his father. And the worst part is this is the most fun he’s had in a long time. Being able to travel, being around such… interesting characters, and even Ashley. It almost sickened him to realize this all happened simply to get away from his father. It made him feel so fake and he hated it.

While he was busy debating whether or not he should be hating himself, his dad or both Ashley finally emerged from the bathroom. Looking and smelling much cleaner than she did before.

"All right, your turn," she says to Mikhail, tying her hair up. Now with her mild bedhead sorted, she looked... a bit like a butler. It was kind of amusing how removing one piece of clothing could have such an effect. "Is there something on my face?" Ashley said sternly, having seemingly fully returned to "lady knight" mode. "Get a move on. If you hadn't noticed, you stink too."

He didn’t respond right away as he didn’t expect to be chastised like that. But after smelling his arm and grimacing he realized he should definitely take a bath for himself too. ”Yeah fine, I guess you’re right.” He didn’t know how to feel about this sudden change in her demeanor yet again. She’s actually changed a lot and shown him many different faces over this trip. From lady knight to seemingly lovestruck maiden and he was for the first time ever struggling to differentiate what was real and what was fake with her. Most nobles had an air about them, you can tell when they’re full of shit when you’ve been around enough. The fake confidence and praise and talking up your own accomplishments. They were all just actors on a grand stage of bullshit in his opinion. But with her he really couldn’t tell anymore. The only thing that truly seemed ‘real’ so far was when she leaned on him while he went to buy her coffee.

Wait, why was he concerned about trying to figure her out? He wondered this to himself as he went into the bathroom and removed his clothes. There was no one he was going to get this attached to someone again. All it would do is lead to pain all over again. There were two many similarities that were causing him to become both too comfortable and very afraid. The love of coffee, the late night (or all night) studying and research, acting prim and proper but being able to let loose in private. It wasn’t the same, he didn’t care about Ashley in the same way, but it was reminding him of his brother. And in the mirror he was reminded of the dangers of caring too much. He saw the scars on his torso and arms from blades and other open wounds. After Casimir was brutally killed he was left for dead on the side of the road. His entire life was uprooted, the only person he cared about taken in an instant and he was left with permanent reminders. He was filled with intense desire to both protect her with his life and separate himself from her at the same time.

As he finally let himself sink into the water he tried to let his troubled mind soothe itself but to no avail. He continued to wonder why he let Ashley bother him so much. He didn’t understand any of her actions. Could she be legitimately flirting with him? But why would she flirt with him of all people? His father’s words echoed in his mind. ‘Worthless. Disgraceful. Disappointment.’ All things he was called after Cas’ death. No, there's no way she could want him. A knight like her, noble in a much truer sense of the word and brave. She seemed so strong to him. Maybe not physically in comparison to him or Tonka but mentally. At least, as far as he had seen. He had started to look up to her after seeing how much effort she put into this group. And what was he? A suicidal disgrace to his family who was ready to give up his life for strangers all in this glorified attempt to evade his dad. He scowled at himself in the mirror before turning away to finish his bath.

After a little bit he was no closer to sorting through his thoughts but at least he was clean. He finally finished getting dressed without his jacket for now, seeing as that was probably most exposed to the fish smell, and left the room. “Anything show up yet?” He asked Ashley without looking at her as he went to sit on the bed.