~bellatrix~ (reboot)

Vixie, noticing the note that Karma had left, followed him with her eyes...at first.
She picked up the note and read it. She tilted her head slightly, then walked over to where she had placed her bow and quiver, and picked them up. Then, silently followed Karma through the trees...a habit she picked up before being given to the temple to become a priestess.
Vixie found a sturdy branch to perch on, and kneeled down, as she watched Karma 'Practice.'

 

Truth be told, I do feel a little guilty when I see Karma walk away. Was I a little too harsh on him? I mean, I wanted to get my point across but maybe I should've have thrown down the gauntlet like that. Here's hoping he's not too mad at me for that.

I turn back to Donavan and give him a firm nod.
"Aye, couldn't agree with ye more! We'll take our time gettin' back so the crew's got enough time ta get everythin' ready."
Then I let out a hearty laugh and flash them a confident smile!
"Ye ain't ever known hospitality until ye've stepped into the home of a Dragonfang, that be certain! This'll be a night ye ain't ever gonna forget. Or maybe ye will if ya drink enough! Ha ha!"
I proudly lead the way back to the ship. We're gonna have a pair of fierce, gritty, battle-tested pirates on the boat tonight! This is huge! I just hope Leif has everything covered...ah, who am I kidding, he's got this.

When Lorena walked past them, the pirate she gave the most attention to-- who stared blankly with mouth agape while she was flirting with him-- gave his friends the biggest smile you've ever seen.
"Did...did ye see that?!"
"She be totally into ye, lad!"
"That be amazin'! Play yer cards right 'n' ye might even..."
"Are ye...talkin' about..."
"Aye, lad. Exactly that. Ye be the luckiest man alive!"
They could hardly contain themselves, trying their absolute hardest not to yell, shout, whoop or maybe even squee. They gave each other high fives, made random pirate-sounding noises and finally composed themselves enough to follow along. Though they were still grinning like idiots all the way back, of course.

Mordred gave a slight nod, his face showing a sense of tranquility rather than his usual cold and stoic expression.
"I am pleased that you chose to stay as well. You possess such a uniquely kind soul, Trinity. You may not think as much about yourself, but you truly are an inspiration in your own way."
He raised his arm, holding it just behind Trinity's back. Seeming a little unsure of himself, he hesitated slightly before finally wrapping his arm around Trinity, pulling her in a little closer. Still seeming a little unsure, he cleared his throat, averting his eyes slightly.
"You'll have to forgive me, I am...inexperienced in situations like this. Even when I was in the village, I spent most of my time delving into my studies and practicing my swordsmanship, so I never really had time for...moments like this, if you catch my meaning."
Trinity was seeing a very different side of Mordred now. It was rare to see him out of his element in any given situation, but right now he probably seemed...endearingly awkward. It was fortunate both for him and for everyone else that the crew is some distance away and that they're too busy making preparations to see him like this. It probably wouldn't have ended well.

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When we get back to the Dragon, a few of my crewmates are looking out from the deck of the ship and when they see us, they cheer and wave us aboard. Perfect! I was hoping some of them would be here to greet us properly. I wave back to them and call out.
"Ahoy there, lads! Is everythin' ready?!"
"Aye, captain! First mate Leif be waitin' for ye inside!"
"Good to hear! Now back to yer posts, all of ye!"
"Aye aye, captain Leon!"
As they scurry back inside the ship, I turn to Donavan and Lorena with folded arms and a proud smile.
"Here she be, the Sea Dragon! It be a beaut, ain't it? Surely every captain feels this way, but me...I get to feelin' like she's the finest ship that ever been built. She's my pride and joy, that be fer certain!"

OOT: Since Leon is a little biased, I'll give a short description of the ship here. Donavan and Lorena are looking at a really big ship, much larger than an average pirate vessel, in fact it's more like a full-sized battleship. It's very well-designed; tough enough to survive through just about anything but also fast enough to keep up with much smaller ships. Also, that pirate from earlier wasn't kidding when he said it's got a lot of cannons, it's definitely armed to the teeth. Pretty good so far, but it's also very...flashy in its own way, almost as much as the crew that runs it. It has some gold trim around different parts of the ship, there seems to be some jewels decorating the masts and on the front of the boat sits a gold-plated mermaid (they decided that solid gold would be too heavy) with rubies for eyes. In other words, this boat is blinged-out.

It takes a lot to hold back the liquid pride in my eyes, but I manage to do so. Practically beaming at them, I make a grand gesture towards the Dragon!
"So, what do ye think?"

 

Donavan's jaw nearly dropped upon actually seeing the Dragon, he used the treasure ship more as a mock of a ship full of gold, bu this ship was actually plated with gold. He lead over to Lorena and spoke so only he could hear
"if ye don't have the same amount as the quartermaster by the end of the night, I'll strip outta me briefs, bend down on one knee and propose to ye with the regal boar as ye ring in front of both crews" Donavan bet just showed how much he believed they had. The damn thing as jewels in it! Ye don't put jewels on a man'o war!!
Coughing slightly to clear his throat he answered. "Well ye weren't kidding about the cannons, she's as armed as me old ship" He avoided mentioning anything about the gold to keep his composer.
"Now Leon ye say everything is ready shall we board ye vessel? And what be on the plate this evening, oh course i know ye have rum to drink"

 

Karma kept on practicing. He was able to create a large portal now, but it was too small to be of any use. And once anything half the size of his body entered the portal, it would collapse with the object within, meaning that he could not simply tunnel through something. As Vixie watched, he created another large portal overhead, the largest one he was able to accomplish, having a diameter of roughly sixty feet. The portal created a powerful vacuum that sucked lightweight objects into its maw, his clothes whipping around as he did so. His arms growing tired, he stopped playing his violin, ending the portal by reducing it down to a thread and lashing it out as a finish. Without the vacuum, the small debris fell to the ground.
When he had killed the portal, he did not care where he had lashed it out at. Coincidentally, the whole void thread lashed through dozens of trees, cutting down Vixie's hiding tree.
I need to make it bigger. Much bigger.

 

Vixie held firm to the tree's branch, even as the arrows in her quiver were sucked up.
Suddenly it all went quiet, just before she felt the tree sway.
'Damn,' Vixie thought to herself, knowing if she was to attempt to leave a falling tree, Karma would be alerted to her presence...however the alternative would possibly injure herself, or worse. 'Time to take a chance.' She thought as she pulled herself closer to the tree's trunk. She carefully moved her weight to its center, as the tree creeked, announcing that it was going to fall. She moved to her left, shifting the tree's probable landing slightly...away from Karma. She clung to the trunk, as it fell to the ground with a wooden THUD!

 

Ha ha! He's so awestruck by the majesty of my ship, he needs some time to find his words. Not that I can blame him! It is a great work of art, after all. When he's asks about what we're having, I'm all to happy to reply.
"Well, 'course we got rum-- only the finest brands'll do, which ye'll see for yerself. We've also got whiskey, vodka, mead, ale, appletinis, daiquiris, sex on the beach, cosmopolitans, pina coladas...I might be fergettin' a few, but I'm sure ye get the gist of it. As for food, it all depends on what the crew caught when they was out huntin' and fishin', along with whatever we've still got in the ol' storehouse. I'm sure they'll be whippin' up somethin' good, no worries there."

The pirates were almost literally tripping over each other to volunteer. It quickly descended into chaos, with each of the pirates talking over each other while trying to convince Lorena to choose them.
"I know this ship like the back o' me hand! I'd be the best choice fer sure!"
"Bein' a tour guide ain't just about knowin' where yer goin', ye gotta give it some flair!"
One of the pirates who'd been standing behind all the others watching it all happen finally spoke up.
"Guys, is it really that big of a deal?"
The other men immediately stopped bickering at stared daggers at him. They spoke up, voicing their...fervent disapproval.
"By the gods, what are ye on about, Phil?!"
"Ye don't even 'ave an accent, how can ye call yerself a pirate?!"
"Why do ye gots ta ruin everythin', Phil?!"
"Ye sound so stupid without an accent, Phil!"

"I think that's quite enough out of you, gentlemen."
Leif spoke up in a voice that was loud, clear and stern, but not to the point of shouting. It got the attention of the pirates and they stopped immediately, quietly parting to make room for the first mate, though there were a few disappointed grumbles from the group. Leif approached Donavan and Lorena wearing a calm smile and carrying himself like a professional. He gave a quick glance to Lorena in particular.
"I can already tell she's going to be trouble. Of course, Leon probably has no clue at all...seriously, I don't get paid enough for this. Note to self, I'll have to have a talk with Leon once this is all over but In the meantime, I'll be keeping an eye on her..."
He didn't let his reservations about her show in any way; he knew it would just cause trouble right now and they were already on thin ice with these two. He bowed to the two pirates and greeted them courteously.
"Welcome aboard, it's our pleasure to have you with us today. We hope that you enjoy your time aboard the Dragon and by all means, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to talk to me or anyone else onboard."
He gestured towards the ship, leading the two pirates, Leon and the rest of the crew inside the ship.

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When the group made their way inside, they were greeted with an entrance fit for royalty, right down to a modestly-sized but delicious-looking feast on a large table in the center of the room, which was surely fit for a king. The interior of the Dragon was just as luxurious as the outside, if not moreso, and some of the "pirates" in Leon's crew were excellent decorators, so they made the every inch of the very large dining hall look exquisite. On the smaller round tables surrounding the large, rectangular table in the center, some of the crew had already sat down with drinks in hand and food on the table. When they saw captain Leon and his guests enter, they all turned and gave loud shouts and hearty welcomes; the rest of the crew soon joined in.

Ahh, perfect! I was hoping that Leif would work fast and it looks like he's really outdone himself. I walk in front of captain Donavan and Lorena and turn to them with open arms, joining in on my crew's very warm welcome!
"Aye, welcome aboard! Ye look a little thirsty if ye don't mind my sayin' so. I'm sure ye'll be wantin' to take a look right over there soon enough."
I point out our fully-stocked bar which, in true pirate fashion, is a personal favorite place for us to spend our time. Well, more the crew than myself, I only grab a drink or two here and there. Wouldn't want to get tipsy while I'm on duty and I'm always on duty, even when I'm not!"
When I point out the bar, the barmaids all stop what they're doing, turn to us and give us a nice greeting, waving us over for drinks.

OOT: Speaking of barmaids, now that most of the crew is in one room, Lorena would probably notice at this point that a fair amount of the overall crew-- about a third, if someone's keeping track-- are female. Just wanted to point this out because Lorena might not have as many opportunities as she thinks...but she'll probably still get a huge payday out of it.

I turn back to Donavan and Lorena with a wide smile.
"Don't let me stop ye, go right ahead, eat and drink to yer heart's content!"

Leif, who was following behind the group, waited to speak up until up after the noise died down and Leon finished talking.
"I know there's not a great deal of food out right now, but it should make a fine appetizer at least. The main course will be out momentarily."



OOT: It's late and I'm pretty tired, so I'll catch up with Mordred and Trinity next post.

 

"Won't have to tell me twice, now join us Leon and Leif! It's only fitting ye join in the revelry you ship after all!" Donavan gave a grin while heading over to one of the barmaids.
"Thank ye kindly dear" Donavan grabbed the mug and chugged it down in one go, as the bar miad went to grab the mug Donavan gently grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"Such exquisite hands, only rivaled by such a perfect face...care to get me a refill dear?" Donavan had a devilish charm smile on as he winked at the maid. Flustered she turned around and began filling the mug again, as she did Donavan whistled. Grabbing his mug he began walking around the room grabbing food and eating. After a few bites he noticed there wasn't any song or singing, it was too much like a royal dinner.
"Where's ye Bard, ain't he suppose to lighten thing ah? Ah well lads join in if ye know it if not sing along after!" Donavan began pounding on the table creating a ryhmitc beat while singing loud as he could
"Seaward winds a wild a wild, Seward winds a wild!
Carry us on the tide the tide,Conquer the hills and isles!
Oars in the morn and a tankard in the eve, Shores ever churn and the anchors ever heave!
Oars in the morn, On the weather to weave!
Seaward winds a wild a wild, Seward winds a wild!
Up on the seas unite, unite, Tether and reconcile!
Borne through the storms, grant the rudders and oars relief!
Forever warm pass the mutton & pour the mead!
Borne through the storms, On the weather to weave
Waves a’roaring, Kindred on the sea! Sails a’soaring free!
Waves a'roaring, War & revelry! Sails a'soaring free!"
At this point most of the crew had taken over, some knowing the song and others going with it while drink. There we go with the crew occupied and this noise no one should be able to hear much...
He turned to Leif and Leon and began asking questions while sipping from his mug.
"Now lads let's talk man to men, what's a bunch like ye doing on Levia, Or rather what should be levia? This place makes even the most brave caution it's shallows let alone drop anchor."

 

Karma sensed an oddity with one of the trees that fell. He scanned the destruction of the trees that surrounded him within a fifty yard radius, his eyes glowing violet in the darkness.
That was not normal.
He decided to walk to the fallen trees, ready for anything to pop out. Walking towards Vixie's tree, he noticed a tail. After acting like he couldn't figure out she was there, he sat down on one of the branches and started playing a soft tune, slowly putting a hum in and then softly adding words.
"Alone. I wanted to be... alone. I only wish to cut down some trees, and play my violin... alone. I like slicing trees... and people... and watch them slowly slide off themselves... so I can be... alone. Next time, I wish to know if someone furry is nearby, so I don't accidentally slice furry foxes tails off. I am very unsafe, that is why I wanted to be... alone."
Karma looked out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for Vixie to make a reaction.

 

Vixie sighed softly, as she pulled twigs and leaves off her. "I'm sorry." She spoke, as her ears lowered slightly. "I just wanted to be sure that nothing bad was going to happen." She added, as she climbed out of the fallen tree.
Vixie moved her eyes towards Karma, with an apologetic expression on her face. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy. I hope you can forgive me."

 

Karma stopped playing and rubbed his eyes before resuming.
"It's not that I mind someone being here, I just don't want to cut anyone down. Saw what happened to those trees? If that were you, your top half would have slid off your bottom half and hit the ground before you would have realized what just happened. It was for your own safety, I left a note behind."
He stopped, and looked towards the direct of the shore, where everyone had gathered.
"You did sneak up well on me, though. Except for the part you did not fall with the tree. But then again, that is understandable. But was there any other reason you followed me? One that would keep you away from the festivities?"

 

Vixie looked towards the shore, then back to Karma. "To be honest, I didn't even know that we were having a gathering." She sat down on the fallen tree. "Truth be told, large gatherings are overwhelming for me...well, mostly for my senses." She looked back to the tree. "Well, I did have only two choices," she looked back to Karma; "go down with the tree, or leap." She removed her quiver. "It appears I need to make more arrows." She said, as she placed it on her lap.
Vixie looked back at the shore, and smiled gently. "I don't know the others too well, maybe a little more than you," she looked at Karma, then rose to her feet; "if it were not for them exploring the elven ship, I'd still be a prisoner." She turned slightly. "I pray you find the strength and control you're looking for out here." She smiled gently.

OOT: sorry for the short post

 

"You don't need to leave. I needed a break anyway. I'll help you with those arrows."
Karma grabbed a stick and set it down, and after playing his violin a little bit, sheared the stick into a nice and round shaft.
"Do you make your own arrows? If so, it might not take too long to do if I help."
Tossing the shaft aside, Karma started off another question.
"And you were prisoner on the elves' ships? Sounds like people aren't on good terms with them."

 

Leif brushes off Lorena's advances and shakes his head when she passes by.
"Tempting offer, but I've seen her type before and I know for a fact she's nothing but trouble."

This party is getting a little out of hand. Just a little. It's perfectly fine...wait, why does that guy have his shirt off? And how many drinks did they have over at that table over there? Are those guys getting in a fight?!

In a corner of the room, surrounded by a raucous crowd, two men with glorious mustaches stared each other down. One of them spoke up, pointing his finger at the other.
"Good sir, I challenge you to fisticuffs!"
"I say, I shall accept your challenge posthaste!"
"Then let us have a fair and gentlemanly duel!"
"Why, that sounds absolutely splendid, good chap! Shall we commence said duel?"
"We shall!"
"Then have at thee!"
"Have at thee, sir!"

...I've gotta admit, those mustaches are pretty sweet. I turn back to Donavan.
"I oughta make sure they don't start takin' things too far. We still be in enemy territory, after all! If we start slackin' too much, we'll be leavin' ourselves open to attack."
I give a quick glance over to Lorena. She's really getting into this...I wonder if I should do something about that. Ah, what am I thinking, it'll be fine. She's a professional and I'm sure she won't let things get too out of control. Maybe. I think. Are pirates known for partying hard? Well, I can't worry about that now, I need to make sure nobody gets hurt in that fistfight.

Since Leon left to try to calm things down a little, Leif was left alone with the pirate captain when he asked what they were doing there. He turned towards Donavan, noticeably dropping all of his formal mannerisms from earlier.
"Well, from what I've been told, we're here looking for a princess and some magical sword. Apparently, the king's willing to pay handsomely for their return. Not to mention if those elves get a chance to unlock that sword's power somehow, it's gonna mean trouble for everyone."
He chuckled a little.
"So Leon gets to play the hero, the crew gets a nice payday and I get some payback on those blasted elves for locking me away in that dungeon. Everybody wins. All we have to do now if figure out how, exactly, we're gonna pull it off. Oh yeah, funny story about that."
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"I was out on a job when I ran into some elven scouts in the woods. They were chasing down some poor girl from a nearby village who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I couldn't just sit back and watch, so I took them down and let her get away. Of course, I couldn't help wondering what the elves were doing all the way out there...but I never imagined that they were the lookout for a small army that was heading for the isle. Long story short, I tried to fight them off too but obviously, it didn't end well. They took me prisoner and dragged me along with them to the island, where they locked me up until Leon and his crew busted me out."
He took a swig of rum and let out a content sigh.
"But hey, enough of my life story, what brings you guys to the island?"

 

Vixie nodded her head. "I've made them since I was a child." She replied as she sat back down. "The family I lived with before I was given to the temple, made them to hunt." She added, as she pulled out extra arrowheads from a small bag she wore. She looked at Karma and her ears lowered slightly. "The elves are truly formidable." She replied. "I cannot remember how long I was their prisoner; but I went with them willingly, in hopes they wouldn't kill every person in the town I lived in." As she said this she pulled out a small bundle of leather strips, and began to attach an arrowhead to the shaft that Karma had handed her. "I fear what will happen if they get their way." She added in a soft tone.

 

Karma had made more shafts while she spoke, absentmindedly making more than shafts than what was probably needed. When she finished speaking, he set down the bundle of shafts and rubbed her on the head before taking up his violin again. For whatever reason, the fox ears made him feel like that was one way of comforting her.
"That was brave of you, letting them take you to spare others. The elves aren't here now, and it will be a bad day for them should they run into us while I am around."
He started to make another shaft, but then realized he had already made too many. Looking at the shafts brought another topic to mind.
"So, you've made arrows since you were a child? Must mean you have had a lost of practice with the bow. I personally prefer the use of a crossbow, but it's a pain to reload 300 pounds of force, which is probably why I prefer something more explosive."

 

So they are after the treasure on the princess as well, for a far nobler reason than ours, too bad. Donavan took a sip before speaking.
"Well I had hear rumors of other famed pirates planting their gold here. Namely a large sum, the size of a king's coffer lays here. We intend to find it, course will take us time venturing in land." After finishing his second mug he got up grabbed a third and began to smile. Turning to Leif he spoke.
"Good to see we won't be in each others way and Leif, keep up the work lad, seems ye have the makings of a scholar in ye. Reminds me of myself" He then turned and began walking toward Lorena.

Pirate private dancing eh, I'll remember that trick of yours for our crew...and if ye ever get back in that dress! Donavan watched as she ran her hands over the man and a small motion caught his eye. She picked his pocket while dancing and no one had noticed. He walked up to the table putting one boot on the table while yanking the member down by his collar and taking his place. The crew of the dragon just stared as Donavan had a wide grin on his face,
"Come on lads, a lass as fine as mine brings ye up to dance and all ye do is stand there? Let me show ye how it's done!" Donavan threw this free arm around her and lightly smacked her butt before starting their dance. Donavan then leaned and spoke softly.
"No need to torment a broke lad, especially because ye made him broke. Now to more important matters since when can ye dance like that?"

 

Vixie smiled warmly, as she continued putting arrows together and then placing them in her quiver. "I didn't take up the bow until I was 9." She spoke softly, then her expression became more somber. "It wasn't long after that, that I was given to the temple to become a priestess." As she said this, she placed the remaining arrows in her quiver, then placed her hand on the leftover shafts. "The family that took me in became afraid of me after my first transformation." She lifted her gaze towards the stars. "Back then, I didn't know how to control myself when I transform into my Demon Fire Fox form." She looked at Karma. "That's not the title I would've chosen; but at the time it seemed to fit." She lowered her gaze once again. "I felt like a demon then."