Quote from FrandalSilvereyes >>

Seeing Vaken looking at something Dekket joins him and look at the dolphins in silence. When they finally break he says. 

"You know, an old sailor told me once that it was a good omen to have those around the ship. And that they even rescue some sailors from beign drown when they fall to the sea or the ship sinks." 

"I've been told the same. But today is my first time seeing them in person. They are majestic." Looking over to Dekket, "I'm sorry, I can't recall if we'd been properly introduced. I'm Vakken, ships cook"

Kestrell jumps in shock when the blunt arrow connects with his butt.  He quickly pulls his pants back up and fastens them as he turns to look at the Foam Runner and see who scored the bulls-eye.

Wiping the tears from his eyes he raises a salute to the tall black-haired woman with the longbow, then he turns and casts Cure Wounds on himself for 5 healing.

Kestrell grins at Unne, "Glad you enjoyed that."  He rubs his backside some more, "I bet that's the first time she's ever hit the moon with an arrow."

As the race comes to a close and Complement 2 starts going about their off-duty business, Kestrell checks in on the Navigation Room to make sure everything is returned to it's place, then goes to his bed.  He'll pull a book out of his backpack that he's had for awhile but hasn't had time to read yet.  It was written by a Ranger and has a lot of dry details on tracking wild game, hunting, guiding, predicting weather patterns and tides.

OOC: Kestrell will read for an hour or so, and if nothing else gets his attention, fall asleep for a long rest before his shift.

Kay holds tight to the foremast a while after the Shark's victory, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead, smiling cheek to cheek. She pats her belt pouch as Rudd rolls over inside it, "A good day, hey, Rudd? A good day..." She watches the dolphins gleefully from atop the mast and looks over her new friends and crewmates below.

After a short while reveling by herself, she climbs slowly down the fore onto the deck. Too excited to relax, she goes down to the galley to see if she can find a snack for Rudd, before looking for Petey, or someone of similar station to her own to spar with. 

Quote from KestrellKestrell >>

 

Kestrell grins at Unne, "Glad you enjoyed that."  He rubs his backside some more, "I bet that's the first time she's ever hit the moon with an arrow."

As the race comes to a close and Complement 2 starts going about their off-duty business, Kestrell checks in on the Navigation Room to make sure everything is returned to it's place, then goes to his bed.  He'll pull a book out of his backpack that he's had for awhile but hasn't had time to read yet.  It was written by a Ranger and has a lot of dry details on tracking wild game, hunting, guiding, predicting weather patterns and tides.

OOC: Kestrell will read for an hour or so, and if nothing else gets his attention, fall asleep for a long rest before his shift.

 
Unne grins back and laughs uproariously at Kestrell's joke. A long strand of spittle hangs from the end of the large warrior's bushy moustache and his rusty hook hand leaves noticible scratches in the polished wood of the ships wheel, but the Northman looks content to the point of happiness as he mans the Shark's helm.

Returning to the cool, well-furnished interior of the Navigation Room, Kestrell finds everything in order. The set of navigators tools are all accounted for inside their ornate box. Even the brass spyglass has been returned to the set. 

Retiring to his small, but private cabin below deck, the bard-come-officer reclines on his hammock to enjoy his book while being rocked by the motion of the ship undersail.

A’ro just smiles as they beat out the other ship. He just moves over to the edge as he begins to look at the sky. He just smiles closing his eyes as he feels the wind run across his face calling to his blood as the freedom begins to surge through him. The words just slip from his mouth in primordial as if talking to the wind and only the wind, not worried about who is around. He just opens his eyes as he turns around his eyes a little lighter today than usual, catching the dolphins he just smiles enjoying the show of their freedom.  

After a minute of watching them he turns to the members of the sail crew and shouts “Great job lads and lasses! Wouldn’t have been able to beat them without such a great crew taking care of the sails!” he just walks over to the first mate "Do you or the Capt'n need anything from the officers right now?"

Ferris merrily goes on about his business after reporting what he saw to the First mate. He spends most of his first off shift on the ship standing near the bow, leaning on the railing just taking in the air and sights. His face shows a pleasant smile and he sometimes even shuts his eyes in contentment.

Quote from Whitehart79 >>

Ferris loosely bats his coat, letting the air in as he slow rolls across the deck. He took a few moments here and there to clap the on duty sailors on the back in recognition of their hard work. The older sailor moved across the ship in search of the first mate. Once sighted he approached the woman with a pleasant smile, "Master Estrue, a word? Now I'm not saying that Archer on the Foamrunner did not deserve a poke back, retaliation is part of the game, but someone got in to my barrel and shot back. I don't know who but I feel that it may have done more damage than was originally dishes out. Just wanted to report it is all.

"Other than that, I am about to do some fishing if you feel like staring at the sea with an old grump like me."

Quote from Whitehart79 >>

Ferris merrily goes on about his business after reporting what he saw to the First mate. He spends most of his first off shift on the ship standing near the bow, leaning on the railing just taking in the air and sights. His face shows a pleasant smile and he sometimes even shuts his eyes in contentment.

 
The First Mate stops to listen to Ferris report, squinting up at the now empty crows nest before looking around to scan the crew on deck. At first chuckling to herself as she stoops to pick up the fowling arrow, the senior officer's face tightens a little when the lookout mentions the likelihood of disproportionate retaliation, 

"Ye're right to report this, sailor. Good work... Ferris, isn't it? I'll ask around to see if we can't identify the archer and I'll get Bosun Drannick to do the same with his complement. Captain Aundrey is happy to have won his wager, no doubt, but he'd never condone needless bloodshed. That just ain't in our Captain's nature. 

Fish away, Ferris, just make sure that ye get plenty of rest for when our shift comes around. I might take ye up on yer offer to stare at those beautiful waves one day... but today I've got too much on me plate."

Quote from abunny >>

Kay holds tight to the foremast a while after the Shark's victory, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead, smiling cheek to cheek. She pats her belt pouch as Rudd rolls over inside it, "A good day, hey, Rudd? A good day..." She watches the dolphins gleefully from atop the mast and looks over her new friends and crewmates below.

After a short while reveling by herself, she climbs slowly down the fore onto the deck. Too excited to relax, she goes down to the galley to see if she can find a snack for Rudd, before looking for Petey, or someone of similar station to her own to spar with. 

 
In the galley, Kay finds the portly and heavily tattooed half-orc Nibs munching away on a carrot. Favouring the sail monkey with a wide, tusky smile, the bald headed sailor reaches out a finger towards Rudd while making a rough approximation of a *cooing* sound. Pleased that the rat neither recoils from nor bites him, the jovial cook's assistant procures another carrot and a small handful of grain which he hands to Kay with a wink as he makes a *shushing* signal with his finger over his thick-lipped mouth. 

Returning to the deck, Kay spots the now thoroughly sunburned Petey scampering high in the rigging of the mainmast. Seeing Kay wave, the youngest sailor aboard ship begins to eagerly climb down, but is halted and returned to his work by a stern looking tanned, half-elven man wearing a breastplate and an open-faced, helm. Not knowing the stern sailor or wanting to get the younger sail monkey in trouble, Kay is contemplating her next action when a perky, lilting voice speaks up from behind her,

"I think Petey might be sweet on you, Kay. Mind you, being as young as he is, he's probably sweet on every woman aboard *hehehehe*.

And don't mind Balinor none. Fill and I sailed with him briefly aboard the Red Robin. He's a bit gruff, but most of its just for show. That's how he impresses officers and gets appointed senior sailor. I hear he wants to be an officer himself one day."

Kay turns to see the still-bandaged form of Freya behind her, the young halfling woman's distinctive silver eye and ear piercings catching the late morning sun, as her long, midnight black hair gets touseled by the wind. Placing her hand on the nearby starboard side railing to steady herself, the mostly recovered rigging rat gives Kay a warm smile.

Quote from Hambergler >>

A’ro just smiles as they beat out the other ship. He just moves over to the edge as he begins to look at the sky. He just smiles closing his eyes as he feels the wind run across his face calling to his blood as the freedom begins to surge through him. The words just slip from his mouth in primordial as if talking to the wind and only the wind, not worried about who is around. He just opens his eyes as he turns around his eyes a little lighter today than usual, catching the dolphins he just smiles enjoying the show of their freedom.  

After a minute of watching them he turns to the members of the sail crew and shouts “Great job lads and lasses! Wouldn’t have been able to beat them without such a great crew taking care of the sails!” he just walks over to the first mate "Do you or the Capt'n need anything from the officers right now?"

 
A'ro looks up to notice complement one's sail monkeys and rigging rats all busily at work - the shirtless young Petey, the cap-wearing veteran Ol' Jart, the orange and gold stripped tabaxi Calipso and the bald, leather clad Zaretta. As Kay and the new lookout, Ferris, are absent, A'ro figures that they're already taking their ease. The sail monkeys and rigging rats above nod, wave or call out thanks at the white haired officer's praise.

At one stage, young Petey looked like he was about to abandon his post above until a stern word from a nearby half-elf sent him back to work. The tanned sailor in breatplate and helm that look to be of a Maztican-style sees the genasi officer watching and approaches to shake the Master of Sail's hand with a strong grip, saying in a matter of fact tone,

"Name's Balinor. Don't think we've met. I'm one of the senior sailors with crew one. Seeing as you are on the other shift, Bosun Drannick asked me to keep an eye topside for him if you weren't around. I worked in the rigging myself when I first started out. Hope that's alright with you?"

Approaching the First Mate, A'ro is given a nod of acknowledgement by the new lookout Ferris as he walks away. At the sorcerer's enquiry, E'strue responds, 

"The Captain has his complement of officers on hand and if he needs the rest of us, he'll send word. I'm going to take care of a few things and then get some rest in my cabin until our shift begins. I suggest that you do the same thing, Master of Sail... ohh, but I would like you to ask your crew if any of them saw an archer in the crows nest during the race. Let me know if you find out anything."

The weathered senior officer pats the Master of Sail on the shoulder as looks up at Captain Aundrey and Unne at the helm, before E'strue leaves the deck to head below.

In the galley, Kay nods to Nibs returning his smile and acknowledging her understanding of the need to be covert with her bilge rat companion. 

Above decks her cheeks turn red at Freya suggestion, "As he well might, though he'd be barkin' up th'wrong tree if y'catch my meanin'. As fer Balinor, makes sense well enough. A'times men be all bluster, but I'll not take my chances. Just keep m'head low an do what's asked, an' with any luck collect my pay." She gives Freya a gentle shove. "It's good t'see you up and about Freya, best tell that Fillian t'watch his step. Next time he tries t'show off, I'll be killin' him meself if he survives the fall." She says, a mock-stern look on her face, her orange eyes mischievous.

Kay pulls herself up so that she is seated on the railing, swinging her legs to an fro. Her black hood hangs loose and her mouse brown hair free being tousled by the sea breeze. She chuckles gently, "An' what of you? Y'fancy yerself senior sailor material do ye? Or is't another kind of life you envision?"

Freya's piercings accentuate the arching of her left eyebrow at Kay's words, but the halfling's smile never wavers and she mock groans at Kay's gentle shove, before chuckling as she says, 

"Ha! The poor lad will be crushed if he finds out, I'm sure... for about twenty hearbeats. Then he'll be off bothering Zaretta, or me, heaven's forbid! It probably won't surprise you to hear that Fill may be a little smitten as well, least it seems so the way he was harping on about your "amazing" crossbow and sword skills after our training run atop that hill. Boys, eh? Besides, I think he's already imagining you as the next legendary pirate scourge after you killed that bully in the..."

Seeing Kay wince a little, Freya lets the rest of her statement go unsaid. After a brief, slightly awkward semi-silence between them, the halfling gingerly hops up onto the rail to sit along side the taller sail monkey, 

"If it's okay with you, I'll definitely tell that damned fool brother of mine that you're off the menu though, if for no other reason than it might stop him from killing himself with his next moronicly daring feat. I promised Ma I'd look out for him when we left home and I'd hate to have to write her about failing in that task. And, you know... the mess would be a pain to clean up as well."

Winking sideways as she brushes her flailing hair out of her face, the suddenly reflective little sailor looks down at the waves crashing against the Shark's hull beneath her dangling legs and admits,

"Me? A senior sailor? Ha! Never much gave it any thought, truth be told. Maybe I should though... if for no other reason than it would drive Fill mad as a kuo-toa to have to take orders from me!  As for this life... yeah, it's the one I'd always hoped to live. Out here I feel alive and free. Maybe I could find something like that feeling on land, but I doubt it.

What about you, Kay. Is the sailor's lot the life for you? Any wild aspirations... I mean, you're already a senior sailor and have the ear of the Captain and his officers."

Kay has a laugh as Freya asks permission to tell Fillian not to bother chasing her attentions, "See that you do, I've no stomach for heartbreakin'. Nor cleanin' bit's o' sailor off th'deck." 

"It's certainly a boon t'know yer callin'. 've had no such luck in that department though." She looks off into the distance, idly spinning the ring on her necklace between her fingers, the plain metal reflecting bright bands of light onto her collarbone, "'was a homeless wretch back in Fireshear, t'would be nice if I could return someday havin' made somethin' of meself. M'proud t'have made it this far t'be honest, and surprised as any besides. 've heard plenty o' stories of the open sea, an' I can feel the freedom and the life that the wind and the salt air inspire. I can say with all honesty, that th'Shark already feels more a home t'me than I've had... mebbe ever." 

She shakes her self from her reverie, "bah, ye've got me talkin' all sob and sap," she pushes Freya's shoulder again, "let's have a drink and a game perhaps? Need t'come down off the thrill 'f our victory 'fore I can catch shut-eye."

Quote from abunny >>

Kay has a laugh as Freya asks permission to tell Fillian not to bother chasing her attentions, "See that you do, I've no stomach for heartbreakin'. Nor cleanin' bit's o' sailor off th'deck." 

"It's certainly a boon t'know yer callin'. 've had no such luck in that department though." She looks off into the distance, idly spinning the ring on her necklace between her fingers, the plain metal reflecting bright bands of light onto her collarbone, "'was a homeless wretch back in Fireshear, t'would be nice if I could return someday havin' made somethin' of meself. M'proud t'have made it this far t'be honest, and surprised as any besides. 've heard plenty o' stories of the open sea, an' I can feel the freedom and the life that the wind and the salt air inspire. I can say with all honesty, that th'Shark already feels more a home t'me than I've had... mebbe ever." 

She shakes her self from her reverie, "bah, ye've got me talkin' all sob and sap," she pushes Freya's shoulder again, "let's have a drink and a game perhaps? Need t'come down off the thrill 'f our victory 'fore I can catch shut-eye."

 
Chuckling good naturedly, Freya swings her legs back over the rail and hops down onto the deck, grimacing only a little at the impact. Holding her side gingerly, the dark haired halfling waves a hand in the negative, saying almost apologetically,

"Sorry, Kay. Maybe next time. I just popped up to grab some fresh air and a bite for Fill and me from the galley. Besides, I want to be fit enough for duty when it comes, especially since I doubt Fill will be. Don't want to hear no grumbles about halflings who don't pull their weight.

I'm going to head back down, check on my no-good brother and then hit the hammock. It was good talking though. Let's do it again soon, eh?"

The halfling sail monkey smiles and clasps Kay's hand briefly by way of farewell, then heads below to check on her brother.

After watching her new friend descend below decks, Kay takes a brief jaunt around the deck of the ship, running her fingers gently along the railing. With all of the hardships of her past, and the difficulties of her time in Rumbottom she feels that the day's victories and pleasantries needed to be appreciated. The smooth rail under her fingertips, the sea air in her lungs, the billowing sails, the sparkling light on the water out on the horizon, even the sight of her crewmates hard at work. She looks over it all and for the first time in a long while feels truly at peace. 

After making her way round the ship, she descends to the crew quarters, kicks off her boots and overclothes, and curls up in her hammock with Rudd's satchel resting gently on her stomach.

A’ro nods shaking Balinor’s hand with a smile “Sounds good mate, sorry just like to walk around and feel the wind at times. Don’t know why, but the feeling of freedom is pretty hard to beat.” He just nods as he begins to walk towards the First Mate, giving a nod towards Ferris.

As he begins to tell him about the archer, he just nods “I’ll begin to ask around see what I can’t find out.” With that he just nods and turns around as he begins to ask through the sailors on shift if this saw an archer in the opposing ships crows nest.

After the dolphins break away from the ship, Vaken makes his way to the galley to make sure everything is ready for him to cook breakfast in the morning. He gives his new assistant some instructions on how he likes to organize the galley and then Vaken turns in for the night. As he drifts off to sleep his mind is full of all the exciting stories his mentor had told him about being on the sea.

Quote from Hambergler >>

A’ro nods shaking Balinor’s hand with a smile “Sounds good mate, sorry just like to walk around and feel the wind at times. Don’t know why, but the feeling of freedom is pretty hard to beat.” He just nods as he begins to walk towards the First Mate, giving a nod towards Ferris.

As he begins to tell him about the archer, he just nods “I’ll begin to ask around see what I can’t find out.” With that he just nods and turns around as he begins to ask through the sailors on shift if this saw an archer in the opposing ships crows nest.

 
None of the nearby crew that A'ro asks are of much help, with a couple pointing towards the crossbow carrying Ferris. The rest mostly shrug or apologise for their inability to assist.

[OOC] Make an investigation check for A'ro and read the spoiler if he beats the DC 14:

A'ro nods thanking the individuals for their information. He just begins to look for Ferris hoping to find him among the crew.

OOC: *messed up should not have added a 3*

investigation check: 23

Quote from WebGambit >>

After the dolphins break away from the ship, Vaken makes his way to the galley to make sure everything is ready for him to cook breakfast in the morning. He gives his new assistant some instructions on how he likes to organize the galley and then Vaken turns in for the night. As he drifts off to sleep his mind is full of all the exciting stories his mentor had told him about being on the sea.

 
Nibs appears to be squeezing vegetables between his two large meaty hands over a pot when Vaken enters. The tattooed half-orc then dips one of his long needles into the juice and smears it onto a scrap of parchment in front of him, closely examining the result. Looking up somewhat guiltily as Vaken enters, the cook's assistant stands upright and nods enthusiastically at his bosses instructions.

Settling into the hammock in his cabin for the first time at sea, the tall goliath enjoys the gentle swaying motion of the ship despite not being able to fully extend his long legs while lying in his berth. 

Quote from abunny >>

After watching her new friend descend below decks, Kay takes a brief jaunt around the deck of the ship, running her fingers gently along the railing. With all of the hardships of her past, and the difficulties of her time in Rumbottom she feels that the day's victories and pleasantries needed to be appreciated. The smooth rail under her fingertips, the sea air in her lungs, the billowing sails, the sparkling light on the water out on the horizon, even the sight of her crewmates hard at work. She looks over it all and for the first time in a long while feels truly at peace. 

After making her way round the ship, she descends to the crew quarters, kicks off her boots and overclothes, and curls up in her hammock with Rudd's satchel resting gently on her stomach.

 
Being short, Kay manages to stretch out a little in her hammock, enjoying the gentle swaying of the ship's motion in the ocean. Before dozing off, the sail monkey notices that the tiefling Dekket is lying on the hammock to her left, while the hammock on her right, which is the only one between her and the stair, remains empty. A number of the other hammocks are likewise occupied by resting sailors awaiting their shift.

Across from Kay on the starboard side of the hold, Kay notices a tiefling woman with a jagged facial scar and crimson coloured skin sitting in a cross-legged pose on her on hammock. The woman appears to be examining something that she keeps concealed within the folds of her cloak, but glances up to briefly make eye contact with the sail monkey, though the horned woman's attention quickly returns to whatever it is that she is scrutinising. Kay eventually drifts off into a light sleep.

[OOC] Ferris, Kay and Dekket's hammocks are mid-ship on the portside of the hold, closest to the stair.