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*Corin and Ralatar arrive from Sulking in a Tavern.*
Corin and Ralatar had warmed up to each other a bit during the walk across Termina Field, but Ral was still the one stuck towing the mule. Corin led the way a few yards ahead with a leisurely swagger, and as as they passed through the gate to the beach he flung what remained of his carrot into a nearby bush. He would remove his tricorn every now and then to run his hand through his hair, almost as if showing off the blonde mane he had grown out during the voyage across the ocean.
“Just wait til ya see her,” Corin said as they walked, glorifying the White Wolf as he believed she deserved. “She’s the most beautiful thing ye’d ever seen. Not monstrous like some o’ those ****ed warships Rhykim’s got, but she doesn’t need to be. We got nothin’ to compensate for. And Cap’s real good at weavin’ her in and outta trouble.”
“You never really told me about this Rhykim.”
“I’ll be honest with ye, I don’t know much about the man myself,” Corin told Ral. “What I do know is that he’s been scummin’ up the seas with his stupid navy the past few years. We always gotta be workin’ around them when we’re trying to get jobs done.”
Ralatar almost asked about what these jobs were like, but he remained silent when they reached open beach and the White Wolf was revealed, swaying in the distant waves.
“There she is,” Corin said, smiling to see the ship again. His footsteps paused for a moment and he planted his hands on his hips, admiring the vessel.
“Wow,” Ral began. “I’ve never really seen a ship before.”
“Well now ye certainly have, mate,” Corin said proudly. “And a beautiful one at that. But don’t let yerself be mistaken, she’s got quite a bit of bite to her.”
Corin rambled on about the Wolf as they drew nearer until they were finally walking down the dock and up a ramp to the deck. He had Ralatar tie the mule to a post on the dock because he didn’t want any crap getting on the deck. Then Ral took trips up and down the ramp to bring up the new supplies. Corin leaned back on the ship’s central mast in a relaxed manner as he observed Ral transporting all the bags, taking note that the boy was not getting tired out from the lifting. He pondered what job within the crew would best suit Ral. There was a good chance he would learn to help Corin with carpentry aboard the ship, as a second set of hands would certainly be appreciated. Corin wasn’t sure of the boy’s combat skill, but the sword he carried was a good sign. In a crew like the White Wolf, it was preferable that everyone had at least an ounce of fighting experience in them. Perhaps Corin would spar with him later to see how he was with that sword. He smiled to Ral as the boy set down the last bag on deck and returned to Corin.
“You got any more left in ya?” Corin asked, referring to Ral’s strength.
“Of course I do.”
“Well then, come with me lad.” Corin led the way towards the door to get below deck, without bothering to pick up anything himself. He was letting Ral do all the carrying to make sure the boy could handle a little work, and also to show that Corin still held some dominance even though he had reverted to being more friendly. He cracked open the door and went inside where he showed Ral the proper places for all the supplies.
“What’s next?” Ralatar asked once they had returned above deck now that all the bags were stored.
“That’s it for now,” Corin told him. At that moment, a gentle thump resounded from the deck as the Ritos touched down aboard the Wolf. “Looks like the birds have returned!”
*Zaria and Zulo arrive from Landfall.*
Ralatar was standing in the spot where he had been storing the supplies and looked out at the returning crewmembers. Once he laid eyes on the two bird-folk, he couldn’t help staring in fascination. He realized that there was a lot about the world he didn’t know about, but how could it be that there was an entire race that he didn’t know existed? For his whole life, he had been for the most part content with his life within Clocktown’s walls, but now he was beginning to get the feeling that he was missing out on something. He felt more excited to embark on this journey now that he had gotten a taste of discovery.
“Weren’t you guys looking for water or something?” Corin asked the Ritos as he stepped back outside. “How did that go?”
“It was fine,” Zaria answered promptly. “We did get attacked by a psycho zora, but my knives did him in. And we found some fresh water if we need it.” She didn’t bother to mention the primates for now. She noticed the newbie’s brown eyes locked on herself and Zulo. “What’s with the ginger?”
“Oh, this is Raltar,” Corin said as he pulled the boy with him onto the deck. He didn’t realize his mispronunciation of the boys name, and Ralatar didn’t say anything about it. “Ral, this is our navigator Zaria, and Zulo, her assistant I guess.”
Zulo gave the newcomer a friendly handshake, but Zaria didn’t warm up so easily. “So what’s he gonna do for us?” she asked.
“We haven’t figured that bit out yet,” Corin told her. “Would probably be best to let Tyra decide.”
“Well don’t expect to do any sittin’ around on the White Wolf, boy,” Zaria sneered. “We’re a busy crew. Hope you can handle it.” She returned her attention to Corin. “Any idea when the others will be getting back?”
“They should be here soon,” Corin answered. “They must be on their way back by now.” Without another word, Zaria flapped her wings to sit in the crow’s nest. “So when do I get to hear about this zora attack?” Corin asked Zulo, eager to hear the story. He knew it had to be a good one.
“Oh, it wasn’t that big a deal,” Zulo said, even though he was still a bit shaken up by the events at the spring. “I’ll tell you tonight.”
“Fair enough,” Corin sighed. “I’d hope you didn’t let the girl do all the fighting.”
“No, she didn’t do all the fighting…” Zulo looked at the floorboards. “I threw some rocks at it.”
“Rocks?” Corin asked, somewhat disappointedly. “Maybe rocks will get a zora to go away, but they mean nothing out on the sea.” Corin directed Zulo to look out at the open ocean. “Do you see any rocks out there? And do you think rocks will do anything against a pirate? Or one of Rhykim’s men? Heck, didn’t I tell you about the sea monsters lurkin’ around out there? They could swim up to get us at any time, and I suppose for dealin’ with sea monsters I’m gonna be doing most of the work on the cannon, but yer still gonna want a blade of some sort at least. Y’know what… I’ll be right back.” Corin swiftly went below deck and to his room where he grabbed a spare rapier from under his bed. He didn’t quite remember how he had acquired it, but it had always been there and since he always used his golden cutlass, he never used it. He brought the rapier back upstairs, clanging it against the railing to release a cloud of dust that had been accumulated from sitting under the bed for years. “Here’s yer first blade, Zulo. Thought the lightness of it would suit ya well with flying and whatnot.” He tossed the blade to the Rito somewhat recklessly, but Zulo was able to catch it without stabbing himself. “Ye ready to learn the basics of swordplay? We got nothin’ better to do.”
“Uh, I guess so,” Zulo said uneasily, not seeing any way out of it.
Corin got to work with teaching Zulo, and this would last almost an hour. He did his best to emulate his sister back when she was teaching him to fight. Zulo was certainly not a natural fighter and showed little to no aggression, so it wasn’t easy for Corin to teach him. The Rito still showed some progress, however.
For most of this, Ralatar sat at the edge of the deck watching them spar, judging them the whole time. He was clearly a better fighter than the Rito, who had probably never even touched a sword before. He couldn’t tell if he was better than Corin since he was clearly going very easy, but he noted that the boy wasn’t doing too great a job instructing. With all the time he had spent in the Swordsman’s School back home, he had a good idea of how to efficiently train someone. There were a few times when he was assigned to help out a younger child with training. At this moment, however, he had no interest in helping out. He grew interested in sparring with Corin and decided that later he would. Corin may have had more firsthand experience, but Ral had a feeling that with all his own intensive training, he would have to be the better swordsman.
Besides Corin’s efforts to teach Zulo, there was nothing really going on aboard the White Wolf and for the most part, everyone kept to themselves. It was a rather humid and lazy afternoon as those on the ship awaited Tyra’s group’s return. For now, the wolf laid in wait to seize the waves once again.
Corin and Ralatar had warmed up to each other a bit during the walk across Termina Field, but Ral was still the one stuck towing the mule. Corin led the way a few yards ahead with a leisurely swagger, and as as they passed through the gate to the beach he flung what remained of his carrot into a nearby bush. He would remove his tricorn every now and then to run his hand through his hair, almost as if showing off the blonde mane he had grown out during the voyage across the ocean.
“Just wait til ya see her,” Corin said as they walked, glorifying the White Wolf as he believed she deserved. “She’s the most beautiful thing ye’d ever seen. Not monstrous like some o’ those ****ed warships Rhykim’s got, but she doesn’t need to be. We got nothin’ to compensate for. And Cap’s real good at weavin’ her in and outta trouble.”
“You never really told me about this Rhykim.”
“I’ll be honest with ye, I don’t know much about the man myself,” Corin told Ral. “What I do know is that he’s been scummin’ up the seas with his stupid navy the past few years. We always gotta be workin’ around them when we’re trying to get jobs done.”
Ralatar almost asked about what these jobs were like, but he remained silent when they reached open beach and the White Wolf was revealed, swaying in the distant waves.
“There she is,” Corin said, smiling to see the ship again. His footsteps paused for a moment and he planted his hands on his hips, admiring the vessel.
“Wow,” Ral began. “I’ve never really seen a ship before.”
“Well now ye certainly have, mate,” Corin said proudly. “And a beautiful one at that. But don’t let yerself be mistaken, she’s got quite a bit of bite to her.”
Corin rambled on about the Wolf as they drew nearer until they were finally walking down the dock and up a ramp to the deck. He had Ralatar tie the mule to a post on the dock because he didn’t want any crap getting on the deck. Then Ral took trips up and down the ramp to bring up the new supplies. Corin leaned back on the ship’s central mast in a relaxed manner as he observed Ral transporting all the bags, taking note that the boy was not getting tired out from the lifting. He pondered what job within the crew would best suit Ral. There was a good chance he would learn to help Corin with carpentry aboard the ship, as a second set of hands would certainly be appreciated. Corin wasn’t sure of the boy’s combat skill, but the sword he carried was a good sign. In a crew like the White Wolf, it was preferable that everyone had at least an ounce of fighting experience in them. Perhaps Corin would spar with him later to see how he was with that sword. He smiled to Ral as the boy set down the last bag on deck and returned to Corin.
“You got any more left in ya?” Corin asked, referring to Ral’s strength.
“Of course I do.”
“Well then, come with me lad.” Corin led the way towards the door to get below deck, without bothering to pick up anything himself. He was letting Ral do all the carrying to make sure the boy could handle a little work, and also to show that Corin still held some dominance even though he had reverted to being more friendly. He cracked open the door and went inside where he showed Ral the proper places for all the supplies.
“What’s next?” Ralatar asked once they had returned above deck now that all the bags were stored.
“That’s it for now,” Corin told him. At that moment, a gentle thump resounded from the deck as the Ritos touched down aboard the Wolf. “Looks like the birds have returned!”
*Zaria and Zulo arrive from Landfall.*
Ralatar was standing in the spot where he had been storing the supplies and looked out at the returning crewmembers. Once he laid eyes on the two bird-folk, he couldn’t help staring in fascination. He realized that there was a lot about the world he didn’t know about, but how could it be that there was an entire race that he didn’t know existed? For his whole life, he had been for the most part content with his life within Clocktown’s walls, but now he was beginning to get the feeling that he was missing out on something. He felt more excited to embark on this journey now that he had gotten a taste of discovery.
“Weren’t you guys looking for water or something?” Corin asked the Ritos as he stepped back outside. “How did that go?”
“It was fine,” Zaria answered promptly. “We did get attacked by a psycho zora, but my knives did him in. And we found some fresh water if we need it.” She didn’t bother to mention the primates for now. She noticed the newbie’s brown eyes locked on herself and Zulo. “What’s with the ginger?”
“Oh, this is Raltar,” Corin said as he pulled the boy with him onto the deck. He didn’t realize his mispronunciation of the boys name, and Ralatar didn’t say anything about it. “Ral, this is our navigator Zaria, and Zulo, her assistant I guess.”
Zulo gave the newcomer a friendly handshake, but Zaria didn’t warm up so easily. “So what’s he gonna do for us?” she asked.
“We haven’t figured that bit out yet,” Corin told her. “Would probably be best to let Tyra decide.”
“Well don’t expect to do any sittin’ around on the White Wolf, boy,” Zaria sneered. “We’re a busy crew. Hope you can handle it.” She returned her attention to Corin. “Any idea when the others will be getting back?”
“They should be here soon,” Corin answered. “They must be on their way back by now.” Without another word, Zaria flapped her wings to sit in the crow’s nest. “So when do I get to hear about this zora attack?” Corin asked Zulo, eager to hear the story. He knew it had to be a good one.
“Oh, it wasn’t that big a deal,” Zulo said, even though he was still a bit shaken up by the events at the spring. “I’ll tell you tonight.”
“Fair enough,” Corin sighed. “I’d hope you didn’t let the girl do all the fighting.”
“No, she didn’t do all the fighting…” Zulo looked at the floorboards. “I threw some rocks at it.”
“Rocks?” Corin asked, somewhat disappointedly. “Maybe rocks will get a zora to go away, but they mean nothing out on the sea.” Corin directed Zulo to look out at the open ocean. “Do you see any rocks out there? And do you think rocks will do anything against a pirate? Or one of Rhykim’s men? Heck, didn’t I tell you about the sea monsters lurkin’ around out there? They could swim up to get us at any time, and I suppose for dealin’ with sea monsters I’m gonna be doing most of the work on the cannon, but yer still gonna want a blade of some sort at least. Y’know what… I’ll be right back.” Corin swiftly went below deck and to his room where he grabbed a spare rapier from under his bed. He didn’t quite remember how he had acquired it, but it had always been there and since he always used his golden cutlass, he never used it. He brought the rapier back upstairs, clanging it against the railing to release a cloud of dust that had been accumulated from sitting under the bed for years. “Here’s yer first blade, Zulo. Thought the lightness of it would suit ya well with flying and whatnot.” He tossed the blade to the Rito somewhat recklessly, but Zulo was able to catch it without stabbing himself. “Ye ready to learn the basics of swordplay? We got nothin’ better to do.”
“Uh, I guess so,” Zulo said uneasily, not seeing any way out of it.
Corin got to work with teaching Zulo, and this would last almost an hour. He did his best to emulate his sister back when she was teaching him to fight. Zulo was certainly not a natural fighter and showed little to no aggression, so it wasn’t easy for Corin to teach him. The Rito still showed some progress, however.
For most of this, Ralatar sat at the edge of the deck watching them spar, judging them the whole time. He was clearly a better fighter than the Rito, who had probably never even touched a sword before. He couldn’t tell if he was better than Corin since he was clearly going very easy, but he noted that the boy wasn’t doing too great a job instructing. With all the time he had spent in the Swordsman’s School back home, he had a good idea of how to efficiently train someone. There were a few times when he was assigned to help out a younger child with training. At this moment, however, he had no interest in helping out. He grew interested in sparring with Corin and decided that later he would. Corin may have had more firsthand experience, but Ral had a feeling that with all his own intensive training, he would have to be the better swordsman.
Besides Corin’s efforts to teach Zulo, there was nothing really going on aboard the White Wolf and for the most part, everyone kept to themselves. It was a rather humid and lazy afternoon as those on the ship awaited Tyra’s group’s return. For now, the wolf laid in wait to seize the waves once again.
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