Sypherkhode822

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hanahbaptiste felt the attention of the entire ship shift towards her. Despite the chilly predawn air, Hana began to sweat. "Aye- I mean, yes, Captain."

She turned and went to her cabin, opening the massive trunk that held the materials she needed. Rummaging through the chest, she withdrew a small sachet of cloves, dried figs, and most importantly, rose petals grown on an island in the Sea of Bariz. She had bags like this for every cardinal direction, each with different materials in them. A proper weather mage would have been able to manipulate the winds without needing props, but Hana would take all the help she could get. Standing in the doorway, she wondered briefly in a rapid fire checklist of why she felt wrong. notshoesnothairnotsachetnotwordsnotbladdernotnosenotha-Its Hands what?

She needed her staff, it balanced gave her something to do with her other hand while holding the sachet. Rushing the stairs with frantic haste, she stopped and slowed down just before she emerges, feigning bored practicality. She'd done this for real before. Totally.

Making her way to the stern, she turned her back to the ship and faced the sea. Here goes.

She began by scanning the sky, deducing what fancies the wind had taken up today. It seemed promising. They had already been taking the trade winds past this point anyway, so it wasn't like she would have to struggle to bring the wind together. The westerly would have started blowing sooner rather than later. She was just speeding up the timeline. It was at this moment, as she brusquely untied the sachet to bring out a palmful of the contents to burn, that she realized how relaxed and unstressful this was. What the hell, she had been faking it! Jerking her head back, she looked frantically behind her, trying to see what the rest of the crew was doing. She was alone. The rest of the crew trusted her to do her job. So she'd do it.

She turned back to the sea. Closing her fist tightly, she pressed herself and a spark ignited the magical supplies clutched in her hand. The smoke started to trickle out, wisps at first.
As it burned, the smoke lifted from Hana's hand, and an intense aroma settled across the entire ship- all smells brought by the Westerly winds. To smell it was to have false memories of life in other lands. For a few moments it held sway, the crew felt like they were looking at a strangers ship, and that they had been transported to a different land. It shortly passed, and Pieter felt a strange shudder of recognition as he seemed to realize that he had been looking at the mundanity of the Borealis.

"Damn, that one had me knockin." He croaked, his throat dry and his eyes inexplicably watering.

There was a long silence after. Everyone stayed at their posts, hesitating, not sure. They strained their ears, trying to hear the first rustle of wind over the creaking of the sails. Hana's heart thudded so loudly in her chest she swore that it'd drown out all sounds of the wind.

It started gently, at first. But soon the almost unnoticeable tugging at the sails had become a steady breeze pushing the ship. It was lined up near perfectly, and their speed would put them in by sunrise. After some brief adjustments to the sails, there was a temporary pause in the work of the crew. And though they hadn't slept, Berlin decided they would have breakfast.

In Dark Seas We Sail

The boy tried to hide his dismay, and Hanabaptiste could tell that it was time to wrap up tonight's lessons. Undil Thraddish wasn't built in a day- it was silly to think the boy would be quoting from Conversations by the fortnight. Still, it was a little disheartening to find out he didn't know the entire alphabet. She had her work cut out.

"Te,... Miss Seuville"

The boy certainly knew how to lay the charm on thick, though, as he looked up at her with his big blue eyes, curly mop of hair framing his cherubic face. If she didn't know he was liable to bite a finger off, she'd pinch his cheek.

"Rheoann." The Captain's voice wasn't loud, but Hana felt the deep rumble from where she rested on the railing. Before she had realized what was going on, the boy was jumping over the railing and flying off as a cyradan. A knot of panic formed in her breast. What was going on?

---

Pieter took a hearty swig, feeling the bloom of warmth fill his chest. Ah. Nothing better. Well, maybe good bacco' for the pipe. He liked the finer things in life. "There's prolly a priest in every damn port in the world, since it's not like there's someone handing out certificates. Most of the ones you meet calling themselves Sea Priests or Priests of the Salt are idiots who'd get you an them killed by a damn selkie. The one's who actually know what they're doing? Less of us, but more than you'd think. Most people ignore us even if they know we exist, thinking it's just sailor supr'stitin or something. Which is fine, don't matter to me what a lan' lubber thinks of the Salt." He fell silent, puffing on his pipe before passing it to Uban.

"Heh, as for the tattoos, lad, ye won't believe what a merchants dau-"

"All Hands."

Without a word between them, Uban tapped out the pipe over the side and Pieter corked the flask. They passed back their respective vices and turned, going in separate directions. They knew what they needed to do.
---
Wheel hadn't waited after the Captain dismissed him, he had gone straight belowdecks to fetch his cutlass and pistol brace. The curse made itself known that it was happy. That suited Wheel fine, the thought of violence was putting him in a good mood too. He ducked his head as he pushed open the door to the weapons locker, reaching to take his sword without needing to look. Strapping the sheath to his belt, he took the musket that was kept on the wall, slinging it over his shoulder. He was ready, now for the others. Moving with startling quickness, Wheel retrieved a brace of pistols along with shot and powder for them and the musket, in his other hand he held a pair of sheathed daggers.
Bounding up the stairs two at a time, Wheel met Uban first and held out the weapons silently, letting him take a dagger and pistol as they exchanged a nod. Wheel went to the cannon, where Pieter had already begun to ready the weapon. Placing the remaining pistol and dagger next to the sailor, Wheel began a slow patrol on the deck, eyes and ears straining the darkness.

---
"Captain, what do I do?" Berlin eyed Hana steadily for a moment, then nodded his head towards the stairs. "Go to your quarters for now, we can discuss what to do in this situation later."
As Hana clattered down the stairs, her thinking only caught up to her when she realized the implications of Berlin's words. These situations weren't uncommon. She had begun to forget that this was a pirate ship. Sage's grace, what had she gotten herself into?

In Dark Seas We Sail

The boy leaping to his feet cried out, "MASTER JA'AISEN!" his face had such an intense look of feral pride on it that Hana thought he'd transform into a lion and roar. Instead, he became calm again and sat down, studying the paper and carefully sounding out each letter on the parchment. Every time Hana felt that she had a clear grasp on the boy, he did something that completely surprised her. He certainly wasn't the sullen child who had practically refused to serve her food. She didn't know quite what he was, but at the very least, he wanted to learn. And she could work with that.

"You do know a good deal of the letters, which is good. May I?" Taking back the parchment, she traced a spiral on both sides with a finger, then lightly blew on it. The charcoal which had been smudged onto the paper floated away on the wind. "That's a trick I learned early on, nice parchment is too expensive to waste on practice work." Shaking out her wrist, Hana carefully wrote out the alphabet, writing upper and lower cases. "Let's start from the top, shall we?" She smiled, "Letters will have different sounds in words based on where they're located, but we'll get to that in a bit. Normally though, letters will make one or two sounds, and all you have to do to read is memorize those sounds and figure out how to sound them out. So we're going to work our way through the alphabet, and when we're done, I can maybe read a bit and show you just how it'll sound once you've got it all. Deal?"

--

Pieter smile came easily this time as he slapped Uban on the back. "Don' even worry, lad! I was dumber than a block of wood, and I came out the other side alright. He had his apprentice. His legacy was secure, and everything would work out like it should. Maria had been right when he told him not to be concerned about finding an apprentice. Now he just had to keep him alive. Hmm. "Aye, most of my tattoos come from the profession- which is what we call priest-ing work around those outside the ke-ack!" A cloud of dust had floated directly inside Pieter's open mouth, and he bent over coughing. When he straightened, he resumed in a subdued tone, "Er, anyways. If you follow me as an apprentice, you'll get your tattoos. And those'll open doors in places you've never heard of. All this talk has made me thirsty, ye got rum on yah lad?" Pieter propped himself up on the banister, drawing his pouch of tobacco and contemplatively packing a bowl into his pipe.

--

Wheel stretched, glad that the cannon was finally clean. If that stupid witch hadn't decided to tag along he'd have been in a better mood. He could hear her now chatting away at Rohaan, trying to fill the scamps head with reading. Wheel couldn't read, and all the better for it. Who wanted to waste time bent over a book anyway, when you could be doing so many other things? The night was calm, and outside of the noise and light of the small ship, the sea was empty and quiet. But. Without knowing why, Wheel felt the curse kick itself up, pushing him to fight. Balling his fists, he surveyed everything around him. Nothing had changed aboard. Straining his cursed eyes, Wheel could make out a faint shadow moving against the black. It was a ship, coming from the opposite direction of the Borealis. Pirates? Navy? They were far out of cannon shot, and Wheel doubted the other ship knew they were there.

Still, it was something to tell the Cap'n about. Wheel turned and strode quickly to Berlin, who was still watching Rohaan and the idiot girl play school.

In a soft voice that told Berlin everything, Wheel muttered into the captains ear. His eyes widened, then narrowed. He didn't move, but his grip on his pipe tightened ever so slightly.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana watched the boy react and adjust to the light. He was very aware of the space around him, and she wondered if she'd be able to sneak up on him. Probably not. Once he understood what the light was, however, he accepted and ignored it. He wasn't an idiot, he just hadn't had a chance to learn. He had a very rudimentary understanding of the Common alphabet, and a willingness to learn. The boy studied the letter's Hanabaptiste had written, furrowing his brow.

"Does that mean you call me Miss Ja’aisen when you teach?" He asked, looking up at her. Hana stifled a small smile and replied, "If you'd like, I can call you Master Ja'aisen. In Elbar, students call their teachers by their last name, and if they're an unmarried woman, Miss, and Missus for a married woman. Boys and men are called Master. People do this to be polite to one another, and to show respect to their betters. Since I'm your teacher, it's polite to address me by my title of Miss. If the Captain didn't have a ship, he'd be called Master too. If you meet an ordained mage, you would address them as Magister. In Elbar, it's very important to follow these rules."

Hana clicked her tongue when she saw the boy struggling. It's not very fair of me to start throwing a book at him right away! "Don't worry about not figuring out how to put the letters together right away, that word's a tricky one. And you were close, it's scene." Flipping the paper over, she handed him the charcoal again, "How about you show me all the letters you know, and what sounds they make. Take as much time as you need, it's not a race."

--

Pieter winced when the discordant note twanged. Mmph. Well, it had been a shock to him too when he had been asked. Pieter let Uban stammer a few questions before falling awkwardly falling silent.

"Ha! Don't worry lad, I'm not asking you to cut off your balls or shave your head and pray ten times a day. The name priest's kinda stuck to the profession, and while there are some who're devout to the Salt and the gods, I'm not one of them. You've been at sea for some time now, and you've seen some of the strange happenings that go on far from shore. And we, the priests. Well, we're the ones who make sure those happenings don't sink the ship. Berlin knows a little about what we do, but not much. Men have been Priests of the Salt since the first fishermen went onto the water. You have a love for the sea, and you're relatively quick, too. I'm not asking you to sign your whole life away, I'd just like to introduce you to the role, and see if you're cut out for it. I've thought on this for a long time, now."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana smiled tightly as the boy pretended to think through her offer. The slow rhythm of these things needed to be respected- she needed to make him want to learn, or else he wouldn't stick with it. And since she doubted she'd be able to force him to do anything, this would have to come from him. Oh well, it wasn't like she had much else to do to keep her entertained on the trip.

When he transformed into a bird and flew away, the shock had begun to wear away. Yes, he was a boy. Yes, he could transform into near any living thing. The fact that he couldn't read was more of a concern to her than the fact that he had the power to raze cities. Hm. Well, he was returning anyway, the bird becoming a boy scampering over, ignoring the rumbling admonishments of the Captain. The boy had a certain flair for ignoring authority figures when it suited him. Well.

Hana watched as Rio dutifully scrawled out his names. He had his letters right, and she'd met Grand Mages with worse hand writing than his. After he had finished writing his name, and giving a crack at hers, she gently took the parchment and charcoal from him. "Goodness, it's dark out here." She remarked. Breaking a piece of charcoal, she rubbed it between her fingers and a ball of light the size of an apple guttered into existence, producing a soft warm light.

"That was very good, Rio. It's good to know that you can start spelling things out that you don't know the words too." Hana began writing with the charcoal, and Rio tilted his head to watch the paper.

HANA

HANABAPTISTE SEUVILLE

MISS SEUVILLE

"The first one is the nickname you gave me, the second is my full name. Seuville is my family name. When I'm instructing you on how to read and write, I'd like you to call me Miss Seuville, as that's what children call teachers in Elbar. Is that alright with you?" Taking the playbook from her vest pocket, Hana handed it to Rio, who studied the slim book's cover before carefully opening it.

"This is a script for a play I once saw. It's a comedy about a carpenter who falls in love with a noblewoman, and pretends to be a knight to win her hand. The names on the side show which character is talking, and the rest of the words show what they're saying. Afterwards, I can read to you from the Midengarium. That's an old story that used to be told aloud like how Vokurians still do. It's about a group of heroes who try and save the world from the forces of evil."

Focusing her gaze on Rio, she saw his mouth slightly agape, brain rushing to process everything she'd said and make sense of it. Perhaps she shouldn't overwhelm him like that. He blinked, focused on Hana and beamed at her.

---

Pieter listened to the soft notes float around the tired girl. The soothing melodies vibrated against the polished wood. But even as Pieter sauntered across the deck, pipe in his mouth, he felt a small knot settle in his chest. He didn't know just how Uban would react to Pieter's request. Although Pieter probably had children all over the world, none of them could be his heir. Not really. A man needed someone to carry on his legacy, and the only one who could do that would have to be a sailor. And Uban, well, he hadn't been a sailor long. Frankly, Pieter worried that life at sea was only temporary for Uban. He knew plenty of folk who returned from bouts of piracy to live relatively peaceful lives on land. Uban's eyes were closed, and he soundlessly mouthed words to himself as he plucked the strings. Pieter recognized the tune. It was a nice one, coming from a place not too far from where they were. A place of lush green grass and gentle summers. It was a popular song, and he'd heard it played in taverns and markets since he was a lad. But Uban played it kinder than most, he gave the almost tired tune a touch of love to it, giving meaning to the performance. Pieter tapped out his pipe on the railing, letting the ash fall into the sea. The embers winked out without a sound as they hit the water. The music stopped, then began again, softer and slower, letting time hang before each note and chord. Uban was listening.

"Uban... I.." Pieter began, pausing. He said, "Uban I ask if you will become my apprentice and if you will enter the service of the Gods of the Sea. I ask this of you as the Borealis' minister and as a Priest of the Salt."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana rubbed her scalp, wondering when she should shave again. It didn't seem exactly safe to try and shave with the rocking boat, but she could ask Uban or Pieter later how they managed it. The boy transformed into a man, and she reflected on what it must be like to know how you'd look as you aged. When she had been Rio's age, she had stood in front of the mirror, turning and twisting and trying to figure what would change and what would stay the same. Too much and very little, at the end of the day.

The man was gone and replaced by a Cyradan, and Hana stopped contemplating age and instead marveled at the small dragon that was preening in front of her. She laughed in delight at the glowing stripes, taken by the clean geometry of the dragon. She'd never come so close to one in the wild, and the illustrations she'd seen in books didn't do justice to the proud animal that stood before her.

Then the dragon was gone and the boy stood in it's place, grinning. When she was his age, she'd try and impress adults with fairyfire and memorized quips of poetry. Hm. Rio didn't have any peers in his life, and his social circle was obviously restricted to whatever happened to be the Borealis' crew. Which would have been the rougher sort. Not to mention the fact, she realized, as the boy looked soberly at his shirt, that his life has had so much violence and pain in it already. She inhaled deeply. She needed to help this boy.

"Rio, would you like me to teach you to read?"

In Dark Seas We Sail

"I ken, Cap'n." Bastard. Wheel left Berlin fuming, a small rage burning in him. A part of him was ready to fling off the Captains orders and tell him to fuck himself, but that was how Wheel felt whenever anyone asked him to do something. But what stung was how the captain was siding with some useless schoolgirl! Fuck them. He stalked away to check the traps.

---

The waves lapped against the side of the Borealis as Hana looked out at the moon rising above the water. When she stared straight out it felt like she was the only living thing in a thousand miles, surrounded by water. But, all she had to do was turn her head, and she'd see the ship. As well as the little blond boy walking up to her, saying something she didn't make out. Then, "I stole some cookies from the stores. Don't tell Ca-mm." He looked as pleased as a cat who'd gotten into the cream, then said, "I guess you can have one." Taking the proffered treat, she took a small bite of the cookie, wishing she had water.

The pinkish looking boy was abruptly replaced with a spitting image of herself. Exclaiming, "Oh!" She stepped away, again confronted with a boy now scratching his golden locks and asking her why she didn't have hair.

"I'm, um, not allowed to have long hair. Highwaymen don't go after bald people traveling cheaply. It's how I let everyone know that I'm a hedgemage. Sort of how the beer girls always wear pointy hats. Brand recognition, and all." She looked quizzically at the boy and said, "Just what exactly can't you turn into?"

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hanabaptiste was taken by how collected the Captain was, ordering his crew with a practiced air that expressed courtesy and brooked no disagreement. It wasn't anything like the other sea captains she'd known, who were taciturn men prone to vice. Well, he was comfortable with silence, and it wasn't like he was a saint. Still, she thought, the man had something about him.

Uban, meanwhile, had a way with words. While conversing with him, she found herself laughing and enjoying herself. Most of her time traveling as a hedge mage had been in solitude- traveling alone was generally safer for those with a shaved scalp on the continent. Petty highwaymen would rarely target mages without the incentive of great wealth. So the only dangers Hana faced on the road was her own inexperience as she adapted to a lifestyle on the road. Consequently, it meant the long stretches of empty road dragged on in silence. Hanabaptiste rarely stayed long enough in a single town to put down roots, and she never felt safe in the rowdy taverns. Friendly company was welcome, and even if slightly rough, it was sincere.

The man with the propped feet languidly stood up, moving with the relaxed grace of a lionhawk. "I'll check the traps, Cap'n. Maybe when the hedge mage is done with her pet projects, she could curse the fucking rats off this ship." He left the room, leaving a palpable chill.

It was in this chill that Rio huskily asked her, "So...do you have any books that are.....Interesting?" The first thought was the strict governess she'd had that taught her how to read High Thasyne- rote memorization and a switch to the inside of the knee for every grammar mistake in the essays she was forced to write.

"Let's start with Militie Huns. It's a new comedy that came out, and it should be easy to learn from. Find me after you're finished with your chores."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hanabaptiste's eye widened as she saw the arc of lightening flare between Uban's hands. The bright, guttering light lit the galley, throwing the grilled fish on her plate into harsh relief. "No, that's very unusual, I've never seen anything like that before. If you'd like, we could arrange to have some tests, figure out what exactly you're capable of. We'd start with something small and work our way up," she glanced at the Captains unreadable face, "With the Captain's permission, of course."

Hana saw the boys restrain the feral look in his eyes, and a slight chill settled on the back of Hanabaptistes neck. He was, she reminded herself, an incredibly dangerous and powerful creature whose kind had been kept from Elbar for over a decade. But the split second of icy fear faded and she was left looking at a boy admitting he couldn't read. Clearing her throat politely, Hana turned back to her meal.

Wheel watched the crew interact and sweet talk the girl. Yeah, she was fine enough and had a good backside, but her fancy manners she showed off to everyone was starting to piss him off. She was a pirate now, but she was still acting like she was a godamn noble. She should have pissed off somewhere else, and the Cap'n had been an idiot when he took her on. He rocked back in his chair, propping his feet on the table, drinking deeply from his rum and ignoring her. Even her voice was annoying, fucks sake. Even Uban was trying to charm his way into her pants, it was driving him up the wall.

Pieter listened to the girl and Uban talk. That boy was able to make friends with damn near anyone he met, and the Elbari girl was no exception. He had been to the girls homeland before, and he was curious when Uban would figure out that he was talking to someone whose nation had been at war with his until fifteen years ago. Pieter'd been a pirate long enough that he didn't even pretend to have a shred of national attachment. A mark was a mark, didn't matter if they were your countryman or some other bastard. While Berlin was distracted, Pieter tapped Rohaan's foot with his shoe. At the same time he slid his cup across the table so it was within Rohaan's reach. The boy looked up with an eager, expactant look, giving him a wide grin as he took a massive swallow of rum.

Uban was toying with an apple when he asked Hana bout music. She had finished her meal and was now sipping a cup of rum. She wasn't able to put away as much as the pirates did, and was already a little tipsy. She was glad that her dark skin and the dim lighting hid the blush on her cheeks as she turned slightly away pretending to look out the porthole. She imagined her mother watching her play harp with a Telorian pirate. She'd probably have died of shock, the impropriety of it! The thought of it made her uncomfortable as well, but it wouldn't do to be rude. "Well, I've always enjoyed going to the operas and the singing plays, since I was a girl. I like to sing as well. I haven't had a need to play the harp for a while, now. Tell me, how did you learn to play lute? I once met a man in Gabelburg that had lost both his arms fighting during the civil war. He had been a harpsichordist, so he'd taught himself to play with only his feet! He sat in a tavern and played songs with his feet all day! He was rather good, too."

A small hand tapped roughly on Hana's arm. Turning, She saw Rio, gaze fixed down, saying, "Maybe...could you teach me to read? And...um...what do I call you? Do I call you Hana?... Or?" She smiled sweetly, speaking softly, "Hana works just find. And yes, I'd be honored to help you learn to read. We can start whenever you'd like."

In Dark Seas We Sail

The flood of relief Hana felt with the Captains words told her she made the right choice. And so, like all reasonable people facing a major change in life, she went shopping.

First Hanabaptiste visited the apothecaries and magical supply shops- This was her first time serving as a Weather Mage on a real ship, and she needed to make sure that it went as smoothly as possible. She bought all the fundamentals she could think of- Moss Island turtle shell, dried punuuy bark, ehtrigs imported from Corf (the lemony smell gave Hana a twinge of homesickness,) olive oil (this she bought from the apothecary. The oil merchant was a fool who didn't know what elemental neutrality was if it bit him in the ass,) and countless other ingredients and supplies she'd be able to use while casting. And, realizing that she'd also be serving as the ships medic, bought a dog eared copy of The Yonnin Navy's Official Chiurgeon Manuael from the apothecary, as well as medical supplies that let her be prepared for anything, from shot wounds to snake venom to cures for the clap (they were pirates, after all.)

When she presented her supplies to the Captain to be loaded aboard ship, asking if there was anything else he thought they might need, the big man just laughed, "I'm starting to wonder how we managed to survive this long without a Mage aboard, but I think you should concern yourself about being comfortable aboard ship." Nodding to the drab gown she was wearing, he said, "Get a new wardrobe, what works on land doesn't always translate to being at sea."

So she went out again, this time in a different part of town. She purchased linen knee breeches, clean white poets shirts, and a pair of ankle boots she enchanted to be waterproof. Admiring herself in the mirror at the tailors, she thought she looked like a gallant straight from one of the plays. Maybe the pirates life is for me.

The last day she spent in the book stores, she'd be at sea for a while, and didn't expect there to be many books on a pirate ship. She found an old textbook from the Schools; it had been printed before the Green Grass Fallacy had been disproven, but since she didn't plan on working sophisticated thaumaturgy, it was still useful to her needs. There was a folio of popular songs for the harp which she purchased on a whim, maybe they'd steal a harp for her to play (How quickly she adapted to piracy!) She also found a collection of Vhilliers plays which she couldn't resist, some thought that he pandered to the base crowd, but she always enjoyed the witticisms Vhilliesrs excelled at. There was a travelogue by the explorer Des Enrolo which promised to be exciting. Finally, she purchased a complete set of the Midengarium, the ancient epic that had been recently translated and had been the favorite of the courts when she left. She wasn't willing to pay the outrageous amount the book merchant had been asking for it, so she agreed to ward the book store from mildew in exchange.
Berlin and another sailor, a cheerful man missing a finger, helped load her supplies onboard. Hanabaptiste was committed now, she'd sold her furniture, settled rent, and had moved all her possessions onto the pirate ship. Better or worse, this was her life now.

---

Pieter kissed Maria on the cheek one last time as he swung his bag over his shoulder.
"I half wish I could come with you. Give up on trying to corral these idiots and go back out to sea. It'd be nice."
Pieter laughed, stepping out of the dirty entryway to the temple,
"Darling, you'd draw a kraken onto us before we left the port. Stay here, it's not many priests who live this long. Show the young curs how to treat with the gods, and enjoy that four poster bed of yours. Trust me, the bunk isn't as pleasant as you remember it."

She sniffed, glared at the sea dog with contempt, then shook her head and hugged him again. "It's just rare to see old friends like you now. Don't make me come cut you down from a gibbet, you hear?"

He mocked a courtly bow which was only ruined by his canvas bag hitting the splintery wood of the dock, throwing him off balance. Maria returned with a curtsy and a rude gesture, and returned to the temple. Pieter looked up at the sun shining brightly, and turned to walk back to the Borealis. He'd had a pleasant leave, but he'd feel better back out at sea. And Maria had helped him with how he planned on teaching Uban the ways of the Salt. No more hemming or hawing, he knew what he had to do.

---

Wheel didn't remember much of his leave, but his crotch itched in a way it hadn't before. That wasn't unusual, so he returned to the ship on time for once, carrying a barrel of rum under one arm and a new cutlass in the other. The curse was starting to mutter again, and he planned on letting it out in a place he wouldn't be arrested. He was surprised when he found out the Cap'n had hired a mage for the ship, although he was less impressed when he found out she didn't seem to be the fighting type.

---

Hanabaptiste adjusted to the ship, the pitch of the waves still made her a little queasy, but she welcomed the call for dinner all the same. Sitting in the galley next to the boy, Rio, she tried to ignore his slights. So when Uban- the friendly one- asked her about the Schools, she replied,

"Yes, I studied for awhile at Cleaup School. That was the institution that taught weather magic. Summonining lightening? Well, I certainly wouldn't do it in here!" Pieter, the old sailor who had shown Hana how to fit everything into her sea chest, chuckled. "My instructors could summon lighting, as could any fully trained mage. It's incredibly dangerous, however, to directly control weather in such a way. If I tried to, I'd probably be burnt to a crisp as well as the rest of the ship." Seeing the slight disapointment on the mans face, she continued, "I can, however, do this." Taking a pinch of salt, Hana made the bumbo in Uban's cup freeze solid as he was about to take a drink. Smiling at his surprise, she waved her hand and the spell reversed itself, returning the drink to it's liquid state. Relieved, Uban sipped it, it was pleasantly chilled, but otherwise the same.
Watching intently, Rio blurted out, "What's school?" breadcrumbs spilling onto the table. The complete breach of etiquite was so startling that Hana answered simply after Berlin had rebuked the boy,
"Yes, school is a place where boys and girls go to learn about the world to become upstanding young men and ladies. Well, when I was your age, I was reading my grammar books and arithmetic. When I was older I attended Cleaup School, which was founded by other Elbari five hundred years ago. When I was there, I read a lot of different things, but mostly books about magic. And since I was becoming a weather mage, I read a lot about how the weather works. If I had stayed, I would have started practicing what I'd learned. What kind of books do you read, Ro- umm, Rio?"