Adventure on the High Seas

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 days, 8 hours ago

 The hum of the magitech engines is inaudible over the whistling of the wind and the swelling of the waves as the Romancing SaGa skims over the sea like a slim stone expertly skipped atop the water's surface. Ivo, tousled dark hair rippling, keeps a steady hand on the tiller as the small and swift vessel passes by the islands that dapple the Zel'rik Archipelago, en route south to Isla Sacro, the ancestral meeting place of the great cities of the beastkin golden age.
 "I've heard tell that the sacred isle's ruins are breathtaking," he is gamely saying, "and a revelation to those fortunate enough to visit. There was recent talk in Granse of seeking to promote tourism, but it seems that Korotus is escalating their incursions into the Azure Expanse, ostensibly to hunt pirates... doubtless to seek further confrontation with Castia, in reality. I look forward to being one of the lucky few humans to witness them!"
 His lively words are met with silence from his returning guests, the Catgirl Mafia. The slender Flechette lounges on the deck as though sunbathing, shading her face with a slim book emblazoned with the title "Tips for Managing Difficult People," while the brawny Zuna is crouching and petting an actual cat, a torn-eared tortoiseshell that is affectionately rubbing against her hand. Ivo blinks before realizing that it is the random cat he saw scampering down the alley whence the Catgirl Mafia emerged to ambush them before, which seems to have invited itself onboard for the journey without him noticing.
 "I don't suppose you're privy to intel about pirate activity in the region, Roseline," Ivo continues, undeterred. "It'd be best if we could avoid any encounters one way or the other on our way to Isla Sacro. How well do you two know it?"
 He glances over his shoulder at Tulip, smiling. Despite the now significant number of scrapes they've been in together, he doesn't yet know especially much about her. Now that their quest has the blessing of Roseline's regal mother, Ivo might as well get to know both of them better.

• Character: Laineth
• 6 days, 7 hours ago

  Roseline is on the deck of the SaGa, now dressed for the occasion in her typical pirate-y getup seen previously. Red hair in a ponytail and being tousled by the wind as she looks out at the sea from the deck. ...Being a passenger on another ship instead of captaining her own kind of hurts her pride, but her mom refuses to give her another one. Said 'it'll build some character for you to join another 'crew' for a while'.

  ...The crew being Ivo, Tulip, and present company. Her men were taken back and split up to other crews, so RIP. No more boss lady for now.

  She sighs at Ivo's question, partly distracted, so it takes her a moment to register. "Huh? Oh, right. Korotus...?" We've been seeing other ships distantly now and then for a while now in these waters, but they never had the gall to come close. ...Always made it seem like they were just doing some sea exercise or something..." She shrugs her shoulders. "Obviously, we didn't chase them down to engage. That'd be trouble too. So it's just been the odd sighting. Mom figures they've got eyes beyond us though..."

• Character: Tulip
• 6 days, 7 hours ago

  Tulip lets out a long, lingering yawn as she stretches her arms up high in the air. The beastkin girl is lounging with her back resting against the edge of their little vessel, seeming quite content to laze around on their journey. She's not doing absolutely nothing, however! From her position she can keep an eye on the feline duo.. or perhaps they should be called a trio? Whatever the case, she's flicking the occasional glance in their direction.

  When someone tries to stuff you in a bag to kidnap you, it tends to make one just a little bit suspicious about them. Besides, there's something she'd like to ask them when she gets the chance!

  "Ehhh...I'm kind of a landlubber, really. Getting on a ship is just about going somewhere, so all I really know about pirates is from when they try something." she explains as she runs her fingers through her hair. Then she's silent for a handful of seconds, looking away from Ivo and Roseline both. It's just a little bit awkward, actually!

  "I, uh. I've been there before, so I guess I might know a couple people there, so we might meet someone.." she says after that long pause. She's really rather hoping they don't. But that's not how these things usually go, is it?

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 days, 7 hours ago

 Ivo's gaze slowly shifts to regard Tulip, his amiable expression momentarily going carefully still. The bunnykin brawler is exceptionally subtle, to be sure, but Ivo's very keen social perception can detect just the slightest hint of obfuscation in her words. A rowdy beastkin on the roam with unknown origins-- whom did Tulip beat up in Isla Sacro and how important were they? The corners of his lips quirk upwards briefly.
 "How exciting," he remarks. "Anyone in particular?" Ivo's tone is light and his query sounds idle, but he is watching Tulip's expression as he asks, even as he addresses Roseline. "I would certainly like to avoid them myself. Even as Cosmopolitan magitech spreads in the wake of its unsealing, vessels like the SaGa are rare and recognizable. I would prefer not to be known by sight by... Hm?"
 Only now, as Ivo's interrogative gaze moves at last from studying Tulip's face, does he espy in the distance, rounding an island, an unfamiliar ship, sizable but in questionable condition, sails unfurled to travel at top speed.
 "That's an Ashaldi merchant vessel but a *Lomphan* flag," he murmurs. "How unusual, after the invasion. And a... white flag of surrender, beneath it? But..."
 A loud report is audible. Some impact has struck the cliffside around which the ship is sharply turning. (Even Flechette peeks up from under her book at the sound.) And there, emerging into view in pursuit, is a military frigate, flying a most ominous flag, known to pirates everywhere.
 "Korotus!"

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeVrHjPs-CY

 Ivo's amiable expression melts like the dew in the high sun, replaced by an uninhibited grimace. Speak of the devil, indeed. If Lomphans in a borrowed ship are fleeing the Korotean navy...
 "I can't imagine that pirates would pretend to be Lomphan refugees and expect anyone to show consideration," he says, rather bitterly. "Korotus does as it pleases, I see." Of those on this vessel, other than perhaps the stray cat, Ivo might be the least inclined to pick a fight. But such a brutish display of domination offends him in every way. He looks to Roseline sharply, aim to exchange a meaningful look with the seasoned young captain. "If we're going to deter them, we'll want to be extremely cautious about it. Any recommendations?"
 "Eh?" Flechette speaks up. "Why would we do that?"
 Ivo ignores her.

• Character: Laineth
• 6 days, 7 hours ago

  Roseline glances at Tulip, not quite as savvy as Ivo when it comes to spotting subtle social cues, but more just curious. When they think about it, they know surprisingly little about this rabbitkin, huh? She just showed up out of nowhere punching people and that was that. Huh. Funny that.

  But there's no more time to think about that particular angle as a ship is spotted in the distance. Roseline squints at the vessel, noticing the same peculiarty that Ivo does. "That's.... unusual, to say the least." She murmurs, a hand to her chin. But wait, is that a flag of surrender? An impact of something striking a cliffside follows, along with the revelation that the vessel is being chased. By a Korotean military frigate.

  ..........

  Roseline facepalms. "Should have kept my damn mouth shut..." What a way to jinx it. Who could have known? Sighing inwardly, she glances at Ivo, his meaningful look not lost on her. She looks back at the situation developing and crosses her arms. "Getting into a direct fight is a no-go....In which case, we've got to somehow rescue the refugees and escape..."

  There's also the possibility of some of them boarding the Korotean frigate and causing a ruckus. Maybe with a disguise... But that's extremely reckless, so she doesn't voice it.

• Character: Tulip
• 6 days, 6 hours ago

  Though it would be considered a problem for most, Tulip is rather glad to see the vessel and the other in pursuit of it. A distraction suits her just fine right now, especially if it's one that comes with the prospect of violence. She pulls her gaze from the catgirls, watching the ships instead as she gets to her feet and goes into a series of stretches to limber herself up.

  "Hey, uh. Y'know, if this thing we're on is so unique, d'you really wanna get all that involved?" she says midway through rotating her arm to ease out any kinks from sitting around so much. "Looks kinda big, too. Can this dinky thing even do much to it?"

  It's then that a worrying expression appears on her face. It's a thoughtful expression, one of a girl who's rubbing two brain cells together.

  "Say..what if a couple of us hopped on their ship, started throwing our weight around? I bet we'd do a lot more that way." she says as though she's just read Roseline's mind. Then she jerks her thumb towards the catgirls. "The skinny one, she looks like she'd have some ideas about getting on board too. She's pretty sneaky, right?"

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 days, 6 hours ago

 Ivo's grimace deepens. If even Tulip is pointing out how dangerous it would be to intervene, it *must* be a bad idea. He's accustomed to having Reize here to compel him into recklessness against his better judgment. In Reize's absence, he has no choice but to admit that he simply cannot stand by and watch innocents be potentially massacred right in front of him.
 "Of course I'd be able to pull it off," Flechette is saying to Tulip, "if I *had* to." She sounds reluctant, but she's pulled her book away to reveal that her cheeks are slightly flushed. Is she unused to being praised? Rather, is she so unused to being praised that she takes 'sneaky' as a compliment? "I'd overheat the engines and zip around the island to approach them from behind. They won't expect a boarding party under these circumstances. Detonate the ammunition for the cannons to slow them down, take some trophies, and get out of there."
 "Sounds fun," Zuna says, straightening. "Let's go."
 "I was speaking hypothetically!" Flechette shouts, but she's glancing around now, her expression becoming ambivalent as she sizes up everyone else, as though to make sure she wouldn't be the one sticking her neck out. At the end of the day, she's a punk too.
 "Roseline, if we got on board," Ivo says, his own tone so even as to be grave, "do you think you could conjure winds to propel the Lomphan vessel further on? If we try to both slow the navy and speed up their victims, at least one ploy might succeed before we flee."
 He's already turning the SaGa away from their planned trajectory and towards the island where one ship pursues the other as a second report rings out, the party now able to see a front-facing cannon firing on the frigate. This shot seems to strike the fleeing vessel along the side, likely causing it to begin taking on water, if it wasn't already.
 "Let's disguise ourselves however we can," Ivo is saying, maneuvering the SaGa to try to hide its movements in the wake of great swelling waves as he approaches the island. "All the outfits we found and made during our time stranded on the island are in that sea chest by the main cabin."
 This includes salvaged luxury goods, various patched together accoutrements... and, of course, a lot of swimsuits. Battle swimsuits, surely.

• Character: Laineth
• 6 days, 6 hours ago

  ...Leave it to Tulip to voice her thoughts deemed too reckless to possibly succeed.

  Roseline can already tell that this isn't going to be stopped by one dissenting voice, so she rubs the side of her head and sighs. "...I'm not as strong on my mom, but I can manage that much." She says to Ivo, shaking her head. Oh whatever. This is happening, huh?

  She heads towards the sea chest in the main cabin to browse the leftover garments.... "........" Curiously, she picks up a green and yellow bikini, holding it up. ...Whoever wore this had to be at least the size of her mom... Who on Rithera...?

  She shakes her head and puts it back down. No time for that. Instead, she digs up something else. Ah yes. A head wrap to hide her hair and a cloth she can use as a mask. ...There doesn't seem to be enough cloth to go around for a cloak, so she decides this is enough.

  "This'll have to do. Let's get this over with."

• Character: Tulip
• 6 days, 6 hours ago

  Tulip balls one hand into a fist and presses it into the palm of the other, creating the distinct POPPING sound of knuckles cracking. "I'm down to jump 'em!" she says cheerfully as she repeats the process with her other hand. "Uh. I don't know anything about cannons, though. How would we even go about blowing it all up?" she then admits as she rubs the back of her head. "So, someone'll have to help with that stuff. I can smash anyone who gets in the way though!

  Not wanting to waste any more time she follows along with Roseline, hurrying along and joining the other girl in rifling through the booty chest.

  "...wow, who the hell is this for? D'you think they got it for your mom? As like, a present or something?" she says when Roseline discards that...interesting garment. "Ugh. Whatever!" she then grumbles. Now's not the time to be talking about Roseline's mom's chest!

  Unlike Roseline, her hair isn't distinctive in colour enough to truly be worth hiding. And besides that, hiding those tall ears.. it's not particularly practical to hide those. So the rabbitkin simply wraps her face in a piece of cloth much like Roseline, winding it around until it seems secure enough.

  Hopefully it won't fall off right in front of the entire enemy crew.

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 days, 6 hours ago

 Ivo is focused on the state of the engines. His magitech is more reliable and less dangerous than Flechette's meddling with fossil fuels, but previously, it was not designed to be pushed to such heights. After the Catgirl Mafia's attempt at Reizenapping and the need to repair and reconstruct the SaGa following the subsequent shipwreck, that changed. Slowly, carefully, he increases their output, attentive to their sound, to the vibrations of the deck. And thus do they cruise around the shadow of the island, the small vessel catching up with the unsuspecting frigate.
 "There," he calls, pointing. It seems that one of the cannon hatches along the side of the ship is open but vacant, perhaps the weapon having been rolled aside for reloading or maintenance. "Ascending won't be easy, but I can at least secure us there...!"
 Locking the tiller in place as the SaGa now cruises alongside of the frigate, perilously hidden in its shadow and all too close to the nearby island's cliffs, Ivo rushes to the edge of the deck and grasps the self-securing rope he had fashioned for convenience in docking, never imagining it would be used in such a way: with a grunt, he heaves it up and towards the opening, where it, driven by some endowed impulse, entangles itself with the opened hatch, securing a line that one might climb, with great effort.
 "There's no time to hesitate," he says, looking back to the party. "It's now or never. Are we--"
 Ivo hesitates, staring. Flechette has draped herself in a cloak of vulture feathers, Reize's prize for becoming the hero of the shamshir vultures of the Isle of Blessed Winds. And Zuna has wrapped her face in what appears to be a green and yellow bikini top, the cups covering her catlike ears. He and the Catgirl Mafia members look at one another, sharing a moment of silence.
 "Looking good," he finally says.
 "Want the bottoms?" Zuna asks, holding up the matching garment.
 "I shouldn't," Ivo prudently replies.

• Character: Laineth
• 6 days, 5 hours ago

  Everyone is assembled. It's now or never. It's-

  What the hell is Zuna wearing on her head- What is Flechette weari-

  No. No. Don't get distracted. They've got to get this done now.

  Gathering up a current of wind aether around herself, Roseline ascends into the air soundlessly, then shoots up towards the opening. She lands and the current dissipates as she hugs a wall and peers through, readying a spell to fire off, depending or if she needs it or not in the next moment when they barge in.

  ....Flying pirates are real, huh?

• Character: Tulip
• 6 days, 5 hours ago

  On the way back to the deck Tulip can't stop herself from staring at the tall, brawny catgirl. Oh, Flechette might be interesting in her feathered cloak, but the sight of someone wearing rather generously sized bikini on her head...well, it's difficult to tear your attention away, right? "Weirdo.." she mutters beneath her breath as they reach the deck and she finally manages to direct her attention away.

  Finally she stands with her arms crossed as she regards the frigate that's now so dangerously close, eyes following the rope upwards to where they'll soon be entering. "Looks pretty rough to climb. Are you sure you're up to it, prin...cess.." she starts, trailing off as Roseline makes it quite clear that it doesn't actually matter if she can climb it or not. She watches the redhead ascend, staring upwards at her before letting out a dismissive "Tch...showoff."

  Not wanting to be left behind she quickly takes the rope in both hands and starts climbing. It's definitely slower than Roseline's method, but it'll get her there in the end!