Kalliope couldn’t help but smile some as Sjan-dehk told her to just come as she was, that they wouldn’t want Izahn to not recognize her. She didn’t voice her worries that he may not recognize her anyways as she’d truly changed quite a bit in the last two years. She was no longer this scrawny little thing who was clearly underfed. Her skin was no longer as jaundiced as it once was either and she actually looked healthy.
She quietly followed him as he had them move, listening to his words.
”Could always make their heads explode…” She said with a slight smirk and then busted up laughing.
”Of course I only jest, but sometimes you really wish with people like that.”After exploring more of the ship and Sjan-dehk pointing out more things, he asked about the use of the beach.
”It’s a public beach so I wouldn’t imagine you’d need permission. If anyone wants to cause trouble, however, just leave them to me. I’ll sort them out real quick.” She said with a kind smile which caused Sjan-dehk to chuckle and glance sideways at Kalliope with a grin. She neglected to mention that there may be some that could throw a hissy fit.
“I’ll hold you to that if it comes to it,” he said a little teasingly. Then, he let out a little sigh, though his face never lost its mirth and mischief.
“I’d honestly love to do it myself, but I don’t think it’ll do my people any favours if I start roughing up the locals. First impressions and all that.” Either way, it likely was late enough that people wouldn’t be around the beach much anyways. Kali wasn’t lying either about taking care of it, she could be very
persuasive.
"Trust me, some in this city need some roughing up and I'd be more than happy to do so." She said with a giggle before glancing back out over the water.
He returned his gaze to the water as well. The first of the Sudah’s boats was already ferrying pinpricks of light towards the beach, and the second didn’t look like it would be far behind. Sjan-dehk guessed that the same thing was happening on the other side of the massive ship, which meant two boats heading for shore and another two still boarding. That didn’t leave him with as much time as he would’ve liked to show Kalliope the Sada Kurau in her full glory, but then again, it wasn’t as if his ship was at its best as things stood.
“They’ll be ready soon,” Sjan-dehk said and pushed himself away from the railing. Kalliope watched the small twinkling lights moving across the water for a moment longer before following suit.
“Assuming they don’t mess up ferrying themselves across calm waters, that is. There’s not much to the ritual, to be honest. Usually, it’s just starting a small fire on the beach and reciting our words.” He looked at Kalliope with a little smile.
“But if there’s anything different, I’ll let you know. Just follow my lead and everything will be fine.” Kali briefly wondered if it would be inappropriate to offer a song after the ritual, but she figured she could ask later if anything. She could also wait till they began clearing out before offering up her own song alone.
There was just one more thing Sjan-dehk needed to do before they could go. As much as he detested fussing over minor details of stuffy rites and rituals, he supposed he could make an exception for this particular occasion. Sjan-dehk knew nothing about Izahn’s life, but he knew that he died true to the Way. For that alone, he deserved to be sent off properly.
“I’ve to get some things from my quarters down below. I won’t take long, but you can follow me if you prefer.”"Oh, well if you don't mind me following. Keep me from sticking my nose anywhere else I shouldn't be then." She said with a mischievous smirk as she motioned for him to lead the way.
Sjan-dehk grinned and beckoned for Kalliope to follow.
“Well, like I said, Sada Kurau isn’t a big ship. You’d be found out eventually if you go snooping around,” he started as he walked back down the steps. Slower this time; despite the glow of the lanterns, it was still difficult to see much.
“Then I’d have to come find you to get you out of trouble again, and I think we’ve had enough of that for one day.”"I suppose I can save you from getting me out of trouble until another day." She'd joked with a giggle while following him.
His quarters wasn’t far from the quarterdeck. It was directly beneath it, in fact. Not exactly the place most captains would’ve had their rooms, but this was just one of the many changes Sjan-dehk had carried out during the refitting of his Sada Kurau all those years ago. By her original design, his quarters would have been on the gundeck like any other ship, but Sjan-dehk chose to have it moved up to the main deck to make space for four more broadside guns and two chasers.
He led Kalliope through a pair of doors behind the ship’s wheel.
“There’s not much to see. Feel free to look around, all the same.” He stood aside to let her enter first before quietly shutting the door behind them. As far as quarters went, Sjan-dehk’s was rather austere. A desk stood in the centre, in front of a wall of large windows. Ledgers and maps were piled high on the plain, wooden surface, and more crowded the shelves on either side of the room. Sextants, compasses, and other tools of navigation acted as weights to keep them in place.
Once Kalliope had stepped through into his quarters, she'd done just as he suggested and began looking around. Her fingers trailed over some of the stuff on his desk, picking up a compass at one point and examining it before continuing on.
“Sorry for the mess,” Sjan-dehk said a little sheepishly as he walked over to his bed. It was more of a cot, if he had to be quite honest. A step up from the hammocks issued to a regular sailor, to be sure, but not at all luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. He picked up a woven, conical hat from it. This one, unlike the plain one he’d been wearing for most of the day, had elaborate patterns painted across the surface. A swirl here, a pictograph there; it looked simply, yet elegant at the same time.
"If you consider this a mess then I suppose I should never let you see my room." Kalliope laughed, thinking of the books and often clothes discarded all around her room. She knew servants would have likely attempted to tidy up her things, but she had faith that if her friend Riona caught wind of it then she'd have put a stop to it. Kali could always rely on her and in turn she tried to make sure Riona could rely on Kali.
He gestured to a roughly-shaped crate in the corner of the room. Swords of all sorts – as well as a handful of firearms – laid inside with no real care.
“Don’t suppose you’re looking for a weapon? I’ve collected more prizes than I’ve any need for. Feel free to take anything that catches your eye. You can think of it as a gift, or an apology for the trouble you faced earlier. Either would work.” None of them looked as if they had been maintained at all, and to be honest, Sjan-dehk hadn’t really given them much attention since the day he plucked them from the cold, dead hands of their former owners.
She’d noticed the weapons and lingered there, casually looking through them until Sjan-dehk suggested she take one. It was only then she began looking through them more like a giddy child in a toy store. She did eventually settle on an interesting weapon, a falchion with an oddly black colored blade. It wasn't anything fancy and certainly needed some love, but it drew Kalliope in almost like a siren lures sailors to their deaths.
After placing the hat on his head, he grabbed a yellow sash embroidered with red patterns from the same cot and tied it high on his waist. Then, he pushed it down, tucking it behind the belt supporting the various pouches and weapons he kept on his person.
“Symbol of office,” he explained.
His voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she found herself glancing at him, taking him in for a moment.
"Oh my, it seems I've got quite the handsome date tonight. I'm certainly underdressed now," she teased. She wasn't lying, however, when she'd called him handsome as he truly was quite handsome. She wasn't afraid to admit that even if others often found her too bold for saying such things.
Kalliope’s compliment had come as a complete surprise. A welcome one, granted, but Sjan-dehk couldn’t fight the light flush that came over his cheeks, all the same. Thankfully, he’d been looking away at the time as he searched for the sword that he’d left behind. He cleared his throat as he picked it up and slotted it into the empty frog on his belt.
“You flatter me,” he said as he stood back up and turned to face her, grin on face and eyes looking her up and down.
“But I think you’re pretty enough the way you are.”Much as he’d said it to tease her, it wasn’t entirely a lie. It wasn’t one at all, actually. Kalliope truly was a beautiful sight to behold – even if he’d never actually seen anyone with hair as red as hers before – and in the short time that he’d known her, she seemed like a decent enough person. There was more of her that he knew nothing about, of course, but for now, Sjan-dehk could at least call her ‘pretty’. Even if he did look a little impish when he did so.
“Let’s go,” he said and led her back onto the main deck.
Once she'd strapped her new weapon to herself, they left for the beach. Kalliope had been right about not many being down there currently, only a small handful of people exploring for shells and other fun things as the ride slowly made its way out.
"Looks like it's going to be a perfect night for this," she said with a soft smile.
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