Oskar tapped his foot anxiously, glancing up at the clock with worry. Come on, come on, kid! The ship as going to leave any minute now! How could somebody be so late, huh? Especially for the most important boat of a century! He looked up at the glares of the ship master nervously, smiling weakly. Damn, he had half a mind to ditch the kid right then and there, but they had already given him the first week's pay, and they wouldn't have the money to hire another Cleanser who would also qualify as a mechanic.
The bright Icelandic sky was unusually clear this time of year, the air crisp and cool. The sea breeze carried the strong scent of salt, almost overpowers the smell of coffee and pastries from the nearby oceanfront cafes. Oskar could feel his stomach growling and contorting horribly, he hadn't eaten in almost a day! Money was too tight to afford any of the nice food here in the capital! Well, there was free food on the ships, assuming the Cleanser kid ever got here in time.
Then, someone came up onto the dock, it was him! Oskar's face brightened and he looked up to the ship master with a look of relief.
"That's him! He's here! Please wait, I'll get him!" he called, before jogging over to the approaching boy, smiling widely and clasping his hand in a handshake.
"Otto! There you are, what took you so long? Name's Oskar Heimirsson, I'm part of the crew, the support crew, mind you, I'm a civilian, not a military man like yourself. Come on, Come on, the boat's waiting, I swear, the guard there is going to leave without us just for spite if we're not quick! I already paid for your ticket, so don't worry about that!" he called, Dragging the boy along by his wrist.
The small island of Bornholm wasn't exactly an urbanized center of wealth. In fact, the only parts of it that looked out of the dark ages were the military bases, one of which where Hedvig sat. She was a surprising sight to see, long blonde hair, shrouded in black clothing, a long black peacoat and black hat with lace, like a most elegant raven. She was sitting alone at a table, legs kicked up and resting on the countertop, a shot glass of unidentified alcohol in one hand, and a cigarette in the next. He posture was in stark contrast to her clothes, and her cold and mean face kept anyone who might approach at bay.
She took a long puff from her cigarette, blowing out the smoke through her nose. She had finally seen off their cargo, the slow ship heading towards Finland. It would be going by a different route, the tank was far too big to travel through the Keuruu-Pori waterway, it would have to be delivered to Saimaa through the Gulf of Finland. With any luck, it would make it there before they did, they did have a long journey ahead of them, all the zigzagging and turn arounds. It would all be better in a few decades, though, one more of the Silent world was cleansed and the beasts, trolls, and monsters pushed back away from settlements. They were at lower levels now than they had been in years, the Cleansing program had really broke through. Population levels were at record highs, and they hadn't had a massacre of more than a hundred in seven years. The optimistic atmosphere even got to Hedvig, though she never showed it, and she longed to be back in the military. Once her children were grown up and didn't need her, she told herself, then she could return to battle.
Like Oskar miles away in Iceland, Hedvig was also waiting for someone. Mari Vinter, their Skarl, was supposed to be there soon. Though, unlike Oskar, Hedvig was in no hurry. They weren't supposed to leave until Oskar and the boy got there, then they would take the train up to Mora, where her niece and nephew waited. Babysitting her own little monsters. She smirked when she thought of all the trouble they would be causing their cousins. The two could use it, especially that Leif, gods knew he needed to be knocked down a peg or two. Lise was a good girl though, strong, obedient, spunky. Why her brother never let his daughter out where she could actually be useful, she would never know. The girl should be burning forests and hunting trolls instead of training kittens and new recruits. Like the no doubt fresh Skarl Hedvig herself would be guiding.
Suvi hurried in from the cold, shuddering violently from the change in temperature. How was it snowing so early in the season? She had been in Iceland just a few weeks before, and it was nothing like this! Perhaps she had been abroad for so long that she had forgotten about her beloved homeland, and this snow storm was it's way of reminding her.
She pulled down the hood of her parka, looking around the crowded canteen. Let's see, where were the other crew members? She had met them a few times before, briefly to sell them on the pitch, and separately from one another. They had the longest wait, so it was best to meet up quickly and get to know each other before the other group got there.
"Lennart? Lennart Korhonen? Arto Estenam? Naemi Väyrynen? Are you all here? Lennart? Arto? Naemi?" she called out, trying to stand out, waving her arms to be seen over the crowd. Things weren't easy for the short Finnish woman, who had only shrunk with age, a fact she was none too pleased about. Still, she had the excitement and fire of a woman many years her junior, and she pulled out one of the stools, hopping on top of it and cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Expedition members, please come over here, Nordic Council Expedition members, over here please!" she bellowed loudly, causing a short silence in the room. But the sounds of laughing and conversation quickly resumed, and Suvi, satisfied that she had been heard, hopped down from the stool, waiting for a result.
