The Drunk Elf Pirates and the Quest for the Wine-thieves

[Willow Oran]

Willow is still vaguely suspicious of the not-cream fruit stuff. But since vaguely suspicious is her default state of mind, she attempts to eat it anyhow reasoning that it has to be better than roast bird...

[klatukatt]

Avery: Now if you want real cream, the ice cream should be ready by now.

*Many apprehensive looks crossed the galley as Avery crossed to a bottom cubbord which, when opened, turned out to be where Bob was napping, with a large mixing bowl full of ice cream nestled in her arms. Avery set it on the table.*

Willow: *After sticking a finger in* Mm, frosty!

Exk: Where did you get the milk for this?

Avery: It's coconut milk!

Earniel: Coconut milk, eh? Young coconuts must love it.

[Butterbeer]

Jack suddenly threw down his food in disgust, lobbing the ladel at Avery

and glaring at Kor, he stood - his whistle now fastened on a chain around his neck ...

his precious ...


hand hovering almost imperciably by his neck, jack seemed distracted. His nose twitched.

*A Gull screamed*

"I scents death on the sea air" muttered jack

Jack: "Who's master of arms on this rig?"

[Grey_Wolf]

Avery:
"I saw that Jack's gull had a special golden ring around it's left leg and therefore Jack has, for the THIRD time, no need to worry about his precious gull. Now here comes the icecream - and I hope you are not as picky with the food as you have appeared to have been so far."

[Elfmaster XK]

EXK sighed, glancing at Avery poncing around the table like some waiter. Some waiter in the kind of restaurant that needs 9 courses because the portions are so small. And she shook her head at Jack, whose eyes seemed incapable of remaining on one thing for more than a second. She wondered if there might be a tad more in his particular bottle of rum than he let up. She stood up.

XK: CREW! Half an hour. I'm relieving Rana of the helm so she can come to eat. Then I want you all up on deck working your sorry asses off or you'll have me to answer to.

She walked away, eyes down and muttered...

XK: We have much work to do.

[Grey_Wolf]

Avery:

"Ill keep to my appointed chores. But if you need a warrior of excellent abilities you call upon me too."

[Acalewia]

*Rana is at the helm when EXK approches*

Rana: Captain.

EXK: Head below for some chow. I'll take over for now. Ye got a half hour.

Rana: Aye aye, Captain.

*Rana hands the helm over to the captian and heads to the mess hall. She is met by Sharkbait.*

Sharkbait: Getting there late too, huh?

Rana: Yeah. *They enter the mess hall and is waved over by Eresse and Enelya. They sit as Avery sets down two bowls of orange...gunk... in front of them* I don't want to know. *Megil struts over and sits next to them.* oh now you think you're a peacock, Sea monkey.

Megil: Will you quit calling me sea monkey?

Rana: Nope *Megil scoops up a spoonful of orange stuff and looks in Rana's direction* Do it and you'll be licking it off the floor.

*Megil frowns and lessens the load before dumping it in her lap. Rana then preceeds to plant Megil's face into his bowl and holds it there.*

[Grey_Wolf]

Avery admonished them:

"Look, I just spent hours getting this place in order - would you mind not messing it up again."

[Butterbeer]

*suddenly Avery, the alleged mild-mannered 'Chef', lost it - and in a momment of fuey-like speed he floored both Megil and Rana - without even a cat in sight - *

*Massive sharp butchers cleaver in hand* Avery (Loudly) : "any other sea-dog got any complaints about me grub?"

Silence fell, and the Cap'n woulda been proud just how quick the crew ate up and got on deck!

[Willow Oran]

*Edges stealthily away from the sharp objects wielded by Avery*

Willow: *in a whisper* Wonder if the kitchen is cursed or something? This sort of thing always seems to happen to the cooks... first, anyway.

[Grey_Wolf]

Avery, after having seen to it, very ably (I would say!) that his grub was appreciated and eaten. Relaxed and slipped the massive butcher knives back in the block especially made for that purpose.

Good, now everyone knows that they can't mess with me or my cooking. And that, at need, Im very able at handling myself in fighting too, Avery thought.

[Acalewia]

*Megil finished his meal and was the first back on deck. Before returning to deck, Rana stops by Avery*

Rana: Looks like you do have some pirate in ya. *she gives him a wink and returns to the helm.*

EXK: *looking down at the stain on Rana's pants* Do I want to know?

Rana: If you do, ask Megil how he liked his grub. *EXK shakes her head and walks away muttering something under her breath*

[Elfmaster XK]

Taking the helm XK looks out to sea. She couldn't see anything, but she was sure there was trouble lurking there. It was usual for there to be something. She squinted, but all she saw was waves, and a small, but very long spit of land to port. She sighed.

XK: Everyone! Keep yer eyes open. Now lets bring her up to speed, I want every sail we have catching that wind! Move!

Meanwhile, the Wraak drifted greyly towards the spit. It's sails were grey, and its planks were grey. Perhaps there was some kind of colour devouring fiend about. The crew did not know. What they did know was they could see land. And beyond that land, they saw sails. Captain Harrow smiled, tapping his shillelagh on the deck. He watched the ship through his spyglass. He knew those sails. They were the sails of his enemy. He snapped the spyglass shut, and frowned. There was a piece of paper attached to the end.

Harrow: Splinter! What the hell is this rubbish!

Splinter: oh. That cap'n. Well, some of the crew thought it might be wise...you see. What with our lack of progress catching the Nal...we stuck a picture on the end of your spyglass sir.

Harrow: Whacks Splinter round the head with the spyglass and rips the paper off the end. Fools. One more foolish move from you, and yer for the sharks. Now get back to work. I want that ship!

Harrow watches Splinter skulk away, and raisies his spyglass again. there is a ship out there. And it is raising more sail. Harrow grinned again. He would catch them.

[Willow Oran]

Meanwhile, on the thrid ship approaching the barren spit of land, Maeve closes her spyglass, frowning. She recognizes the gray ship, wishes she had insisted on bringing the Sea Flame. It'd be more than a match for the Wraack. This one she's on might have some trouble. She swings down from the rigging and lands on the deck next to Cera.

Maeve: Get this ship ready for a fight. There are two unfriendly ships headed for that spit and something's up with the nastier looking of the two. *she pauses, getting an idea, and hands the spyglass to Cera, positioning her to look in the direction of the Wraack* Look there.

Cera: *looks, then turns to Maeve* What are you on about? There's nothing out that way!

Maeve: Not so as you can see it seems. It's heading straight for the Nal. Nal'll beach first though, they'll have some time to prepare so long as they see it coming.


Back on the Nal the usual chaos reigned, or rather, rained, as Bob had manifested herself into a small raincloud which was hovering above people's heads as they worked and being annoyingly damp.
Willow had retreated down to the hold, to get away from Bob, to think, and to busy herself by attempting to repair some of the damage done by Jack in his search for a whistle.
It was slow going. Her absence hadn't stopped inventory from acumulating but organization had definitely been neglected. Food stores were piled haphazardly along one wall, bolts of random fabric spilled across the floor piled high with random trinkets, tools and weapons that hadn't made it to the armory. The only orderly things in the entire hold were the casks of wine, rum and other such liquids. Shaking her head, Willow hesitated, then drew her wings in completely. They melted into her back, nearly doubling her usual height as her body stretched to accomadate the relocated mass. Willow let down her tunic to fit the new height and then waded into the mess. That glaive sticking out of the biggest pile looked to be still usable...

[Willow Oran]

OOC: Since no one else seems inclined to post...

... But just as she was reaching for it Avery appeared in the doorway, knocking to get her attention.

Willow: *sighs pointedly* What?

Avery: The Captain requests your presence on deck, Miss. You needn't worry though, I'll take care of the inventory for you.

Willow: *having a sudden and vivid vision of a 'heroized' hold* No! No... I'm not worried. You needn't do anything down here. Please don't feel the need to help with anything down here. Come along, Captain probably wants us both on deck right now. Sailing towards a probable fight and all that...

She laughs nervously and drags Avery back up the stairs, letting him go only when he is safely away from the hold, and approaching the Captain, who is peering suspciously in the direction of their destination.

Willow: You needed me for something.

XK: *turns around* Not exactly... are you taller? Nevermind. How good of eyesight would you say you have? Better than an elf's?

Willow: No. Same maybe, but not better. Why?

XK: *scowling at the surrounding waters* Something's off. I doubt we're the only ship around, but I can't see a thing except water and that island. I was hoping your eyes might be sharper or something.

Willow: Sharper, no... I can manage the 'or something' though if you'd like.

XK: *moves over a little to allow Willow room at the prow* Please.

Willow nods and comes to stand next to her. As she focuses her sight in the direction of the island she coaxes her eyes to facet and expand till they take up most of what is normally her forehead giving her a decidedly alien appearance. She holds this change for several minutes and finally allows them to return to their normal, single lensed state.

Willow: You're right. I couldn't see anything specific, but the light reflections off the water over there, and there *she indicates areas across the island from them and to the starboard at approximately 60 degrees* are behaving in ways that they couldn't if there weren't solid, large objects floating in those locations.

XK: Thanks... find Earniel, help her prepare the crew for a confrontation with a pair of somethings.

[Earniel]

*Willow goes off to do just that. She finds Eärniel near the helm.*

Eärniel: So a pair of somethings, she said?

Willow: Yes.

Eärniel: What on earth do we prepare for that?

Willow: I suppose we keep an open mind about it and prepare for a number of events?

Eärniel: So basically we should prepare for a pair of anythings?

Willow: If you put it that way, yes.

Eärniel: You could just have said that in the beginning, you know. A pair of somethings just doesn't give enough indication for what we have to do.

Willow: But-

Eärniel: Whereas anything is far more to the point. We still don't know what it is, but we've dealt with anythings before so...

Willow: Well, but E-

Eärniel: So really, if you had said anythings earlier, we wouldn't have had all this confusion.

Willow: Will you just get on with it?!

Eärniel: Right. Of course. *hollers* Okay crew, somethings up! The orders are to prepare for anything! Anythings usually wants us dead, so arm yourself! Ready the canons! Take positions! And be prepared for anything.

Megil: That's not very helpful, is it? Just saying 'prepare for anything' and arm up.

Eärniel: *grins* You'd be surprised how much we could handle anything with weapons before...

[Willow Oran]

Willow: *dryly* Would it have helped if I'd mentioned that 'anything' was suspected to be more or less ship shaped?

Earniel: *pauses* Yes...

Willow: They are.

Earniel: Ah. Alright *hollers again* Crew! Very likely hostile hostile ships are up! Arm yourselves for rival pirates as well as anything!

*There is a mad scramble for more solid weapons.*

Rana: Pirates and anything? Does that mean we're outnumbered?

Earniel: Thoroughly. But you'd be surprised how well being armed and crazy deals with that.

[Acalewia]

Rana: I can imagine. *Eresse hands her a sword and a rum bottle*

Eresse: You might need these.

Rana: I'll take the sword but I really don't think I'm as good as you in rum bottle weilding. *Eresse shrugs*

Eresse: Suit yourself.

Megil: How is a rum bottle a suitable weapon?

Sharkbait: You'd be surprised.

[Butterbeer]

Jack looked suddenly lost ... had he not been paying attentiion?

His mind did wander off sometimes .. usually trying to keep up with his eyes ... and although the eyes usually took the long distance plaudits ..and the marks for visual impact ...

...his mind knew that push come to shove... it could wander on paths and to places where his eyes could only dream of ... and travel to colours beyond the spectrum of irredescent colour that not even a polarised UV sign saying 'Dragon fly's only' could read.


Jack picked his nose.

................

Somewhere a seagull did what seagull's do.


.........................

[Willow Oran]

*As soon as it is clear that the crew is obeying Earniel and arming themselves (the latter more enthusiastically than the former) Willow returned to the Captain having a rather pressing question to ask her*

Willow: Captain Kerris?

Exk: Is everyone prepared?

Willow: Getting there. Um... about preparing for battle... am I allowed a weapon in this case, and if we're fighting does the flying restriction still stand?

Exk: Can you fight?

Willow: I'd be long dead if I couldn't.

Exk: Do you need to be armed and winged in order to do so?

Willow: No. Exoskeletoned and mandibled will do in a pinch.

Exk: ... I need to think about this.