IceAndWave/RocksAndShoals

Rocks and Shoals

In which the sea is braved once more, an impromptu show is put on, and a cold swim is necessary...

The 5th Day of Descending Wood, Realm Year 763

When Asura first suggested the alliance it probably wasn't in the forefront of anyone's mind that three days later they would all be on a leaky, creaky barge headed west along the coast for a town on the end of a storm-wracked peninsula that no-one has ever heard of. The weather, while calmer within sight of the coast, definitely provides anything but smooth sailing.

The town, going by the inauspicious name of Broken Back, is, according to Asura, a place of special interest to certain parts of the Realm, and she is at least as interested in finding out what they are up to as they are in doing whatever it is they are doing.

Cassia isn't throwing up. Quite. She is wondering why ever she agreed to come on this forsaken voyage though. It's even worse than the last. She curls up out of the rain, mostly dry anyway thanks to the necklace she wears, and wills the journey to be over. An hour ago for preference.

With a loud *boom!* another wave crashes over the side of the barge, its flat bottom meaning that it rolls far more than an ocean-going ship would in the same weather. The crew seem innured to the conditions, wrapped up in thick sealskin jackets the saltwater seems to run off them as they stagger to their duty-posts.

Cassia wraps herself tighter into a ball, and shivers slightly. No Fire aspect should ever have to be this cold... and its not like the ship could catch fire, so wet it is. Though the crew probably wouldn't appreciate this or understand her logic..

Sian finds himself amused, but not surprised, by the whole thing, apparently unnoticing of the weather. He should have guessed that an alliance with Asura would mean doing all the hard work. Ah well... not like I'm doing anything in Tideholme other than moping. He walks easily through the rain to check on Cassia. "You okay?"

Cassia looks up at him uncurling herself slightly, her hair looking a little bedraggled despite the necklace. She nods a little, "...How much longer?"

"Not too long, hopefully." He smiles faintly. "Bit different from Tideholme, isn't it?"

Cassia nods several times. Her expression suggests this is a most unwelcome change. "It's only the third time I've ever been on a ship... " thought you were joking when you said it got worse..." she screws up her face a little.

"Heh." He sits down next to her, leaning back against the railing. "Even this isn't as bad as it gets. We're near the coast here... it provides a sort of anchor. Out on the open sea, in the West, you've got no such protection."

Cassia shivers slightly and makes a really bad face. "...Remind me never to go sailing in the West then. How do you take it so well?"

"Water aspect, remember? I hardly notice it." He stretches a bit. "Feels sorta good, even."

"Oh. Water Aspect," she shakes her head at his second statement and thinks of warm fires and lying down in front of them.

Sian is annoyingly casual, humming quietly to himself whilst the rain beats down around them.

Cassia curls back up into a ball again, shivering a little and thinking warm thoughts. She tries to tune out the humming.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Mhmm." She makes a vague nodding motion, "Or I will be when we get ashore and stop this rocking... I hate the rocking most of all."

"I'd suggest joining Venia in the cabin, but the smell of vomit is rarely helpful."

Cassia shakes her head, "She's even worse with ships than me it seems...I'll be ok." As long as we dock soon.

Sian nods at this. "Yeah. Won't be too long."

The crackling sound of canvas rings out across the deck of the barge, and the land, which had so assiduously clung just within sight over the starboard side begins to swing around slowly to the bow. Turning against the wind, the barge begins to head inland.

Cassia looks up hopefully at the change of noise.

"See? There you go." He stands, looking over the rail.

"Don't getcha hopes up," a sailor hanging from the rigging says, "There's a bad blow comin', and the cap'n decided to head inland and sit it out. Better'n having the hull crack an' everyone drown, f'you ask me." He gets back to working the ropes, furling one of the three large square sails that catch the wind for the barge.

Cassia doesn't quite feel up to standing yet, though she does peer between the rails at the land, then back down when she hears the sailor's comment. Ungh.

"Ah well." Sian shrugs, still as yet unaffected by the water.

The rolling gets worse before it gets better, the waves picking up as the barge approaches a rocky inlet. With only one sail up, the going is tortuously slow as the ponderous ship weaves through the shoals based on the directions given by a sailor out on the pulpit, almost thirty feet out from the prow proper.

A horrible grinding, tearing sound suddenly resounds throughout the ship! The crew instantly stop whatever they were doing and everyone who was on the ropes slides down and, within seconds, every members of the barge's complement is below decks.

Sian blinks at that, then quickly catches Cassia's hand, hauling her to her feet. "Come on."

Cassia looks up at him as she is pulled to her feet "...What just happened?"

"I think we've hit something." He drags her with him, "Let's see if we can help."

Cassia pulls her hand back so she can run a little easier than being dragged, swaying a little but keeping pace with him.

Sian heads after the crew! Naturally.

The grinding sound continues for far too long, before finally stopping, together with the barge. It rocks gently, apparently and obviously atop a shoal that managed to remain unseen before the flat wooden hull collided with it. Belowdecks, in the cargo hold, is a scene of chaos, as sailors try to run through cold water while carrying large sections of wood to repair whatever damage has been done.

Sian beholds it all, and asks if there is anything he can do, given that he can work outside the ship.

The large sailor who has been yelling at the sailors to get it fixed turns to Sian, "You can? Oh, of course you can..." he blinks taking in the aspect markings, "It would probably save the ship, my Lord, if you could."

"Just tell me what to do." He shrugs off his bulky jacket, handing it to Cassia.

Cassia takes his jacket, eying the chaos in the hold and wondering how this will all be fixed.

Venia wanders out to see what all the yelling was about, forgetting for the moment this is not a Cynis ship where wearing a nightgown is more than enough.

"We need to get the ship off the rock. That means levering it up. But the water's too deep already and we're taking on more, sailors can't take it or they freeze to d... woah!" The man's eyes bug out at the sudden appearance of the nearly-naked Dragon-blood.

Activity across the whole area ceases within moments.

Cassia turns to see... Venia. She can't help but stare a little... just a little.

Sian turns back as well, naturally. And though he spent a night with it wrapped in his arms, he still can't ignore Venia's body.

Venia yawns a bit, stretching. "We're stuck on a rock?"

Sian lifts an eyebrow at this. "A shoal, yes."

The proreus regains his senses quickly, "Get that woman clothed or get her in her room! Now!" then he turns back to his crew, "Do you fuckwits want to drown with hard cocks, or do you want to get back to sailing before the storm cracks us in two? MOVE IT!"

Venia shrugs, and leaves. Sigh. Unpacking already.

Sian likewise returns to aiding the crew, sliding through the hole in the base of the ship and starting to work beneath the water.

Cassia watches her go, then considers the crew at work, before following after her. It's not like she could do anything here.

The water is cold, no freezing, cutting into Sian's body & sapping his warmth as he levers the large wooden beams up under the torn hull of the ship.

Venia does indeed begin to unpack, finding something more covering that she didn't wear yesterday and holding it up to her chest in consideration.

Cassia slips in and sits on the bed, setting Sian's coat down and watching her quietly.

The wood creaks and groans beneath the weight, sailors pushing against the rock and Sian levering up from underneath cause the ship to move up just enough that a sailor can jam a large beam between the hull and the offending stone.

Sian works hard! Much effort is applied.

Venia turns to look at Cassia. "Oh, hello. Sorry about that... Used to Cynis ships."

"I didn't mind the... show," she smiles, "It was rather distracting though..."

"Mhm. Though I'm not sure there's ever a bad time to have everyone stop and stare at you in awe." Her lips quirk up in a smile.

The ship creaks and groans as the sailors and Sian work to move it off the rock. Eventually, it is freed, and floating on the, by now, very choppy waters of the bay. This, of course, means that the hole in the bottom of the barge is letting in water much faster, but at least it is able to move.

Sian lets out a breath underwater as the pressure goes, floating along with the ship and occasionally reaching inside for a new piece of wood to set into place.

She and Asura are so alike sometimes. Not that Cassia voices this. She contents herself with watching. "I think I'd like to do that, too. Make everyone just stop and stare," she smiles softly.

A hand reaches down into the water beckoning Sian to come up out of the water, and staying open to provide something to hold.

"You mean you don't now?"

"I've spent most of my life trying not to be noticed."

Sian takes the hand, hauling himself up and standing inside, dripping wet. He smiles slightly. "Well, that was an enjoyable swim."

"We're going to beach her," the proreus says, "Easier to fix that way, plus we can pump it out." He shakes Sian's hand, "Thank you, my Lord, we're in your debt. I'd suggest you get some new clothes on, though, those'll freeze on you if you're not careful."

Sian nods at this, tugging off the shirt as he goes. "Will do." He heads to the cabin!

A few minutes after the hubbub quiets down there is another, much longer, rumbling noise that resonates throughout the barge. This one sounds far less dangerous, and soon the vessel comes to a stop once more. As a side-issue of this, the rocking of the waves no longer causes anything more than minor movements in the stern of the barge.

"Hrm... well, I think you're going to have to get used to the awe thing, Cassia."

"I always managed to slip into the background before..." she shrugs, then looks much happier as the rocking stops.

"Apparently, we are no longer stuck on a rock."

"That would be correct." Sian says as he wanders in, soaking wet and shirtless. "Got a towel?"

Cassia nods to Venia, then leans off the bed to throw him one.

Sian catches it easily, working on getting himself mostly dry.

Venia leans out far enough to see him. "Sorry about that, earlier."

"Hrm? What, earlier?" Sian towels off his hair and looks at her.

"The nearly naked thing. I can see where it was a bit distracting at a bad time."

"Oh, that. No, no, it was... very inspirational." He grins. "You should have joined us. Nice, chilly water."

There's a knock at the door to the cabin and the voice of Captain Rook is heard through it, "May I come in?"

Sian turns back, and opens it for him. "Yeah... what is it?"

"First, thank you for your actions earlier. My proreus just told me that you may very well have saved my ship. Second, we're going to be here for a while, a couple of days at least, until we can patch the hole. We have food enough, but it's sailors fare, so we'll be sending out parties to gather something more interesting," Rook smiles, "The storm looks bad, though, and we may take some damage overnight, but we're safe on the beach."

Sian nods at this. "I'll join the hunt, if that's okay."

"Any help would be most appreciated," he peers over Sian's shoulder into the cabin, "And the ladies, and yourself of course, are welcome to join me at my table for meals, should you wish."

"We'll be delighted." Venia smiles winningly.

Sian nods again.

Cassia smiles "Thank you."

Venia wanders over, still in nightgown, to tap Sian on the shoulder. "I expect nothing but the best out of your hunting skills, you realize."

"Anything for a beautiful lady, and everything for two." He grins. "I'll see what's available."