RP:Repossesssing the Airship Volary

From HollowWiki

Alice's Seaside Cottage

The cottage, and the small shack next to it placed here seems to be perfectly placed, between the smells of the bakery to the west, and the ocean to the east. The shack leans against the cottage lazily, made of basic wood, without much care given to decoration. The door to this shack has a heavy lock, but there is a window in the side. If peeked into, it can be seen that work tools, wood, metal, and various odd contraptions can be seen. A small path leads around the shack, surrounded by white daisies and clovers. Following this path will lead to a back door to the cottage. Stepping in, the smell of pie can be smelt in the home, which appears relatively cozy. To the right there right there are two rooms, what appears to be a guest room, left untouched, and what must be the owner's room. The owner's room is much messier than the rest of the house, which seems clean, and well kept. The home's overall decor seems to have a woman's touch, which may seem... unusual, knowing who lives here. Then again, the decor itself is slightly odd. On the walls are several swords, shields, and battleaxes. A few trophies of the tenant's exploits sit on a fireplace mantle. The kitchen to the left of this living room is warm, and the smell of pie seems strongest here, but only the empty pie glass is left. Oh well. Someone must have enjoyed it.



Ranok Once more found himself in Cenril. Did there seem to be an air of fear? Less people then usual out at night. Such times were typically void of anyone going their business...unless you knew where to look, and Ranok did. Well, the sorts of places. Cenril's haunts weren't his territory. Either way, the darkness didn't hold threat to him. Warnings of werewolves or not, he was gonna get through the city. Anything that jumped him would regret it in a number of creative and interesting ways. A little asking around got him his destination, which was a certain other smith's abode. "Nice place." was muttered, though it was hard to tell whether he meant it or was being sarcastic. At least it wasn't covered in soot or dirt. A moment was taken before the door to check the address he had written down on a scrap of paper. Darkness didn't mean much to him, it seemed. Folding the scrap and stuffing it into a pocket seemed to mean he'd confirmed it, which was done doubly so by the raising of his left fist and knocking metal digits to the wooden door.


Alice 's voice rang out from somewhere deep in the house. "Hold yer bloody horses. If'n there's a wolf out there now it'll still be there once me knickers'r back on!" She certainly wasn't shy. In any case, the sounds of shuffling could be heard, and then what sounded like pots and pans clanking around for abit. Then the sound of something heavy being moved... and then... the door to the home finally opened. There she stood, clad in armor. Apparently, she may have been joking about her knickers, since it would have been incredibly difficult to take on and off her armor at a moment's notice like that. Strapped to her back was a silver weapon of some sort, probably a sword. It was sheathed; only the hilt was visible. Whatever it was, it certainly would take two hands to swing. The redhead then stilled in her tracks. "...Ranok." Hey, she remembered the name this time. "I've no' had time ter send ye word, what with all the killin's n' wolves n' shyte. Plus startin' up the plans for the search o' the catacombs..." She scratched the back of her neck, looking a bit ashamed of herself. "Yer swords'r ready. They're in the shed, tucked safe." In an attempt to gain his forgiveness, she offered one of her trademark grins. Hopefully that'd do the trick.


Ranok waited for Alice to put herself together by immediately flipping around and leaning on the frame near the door. Exposing his back to an empty street made his neck itch as it slammed against his instincts something awful. It was the same reason that he suppressed the urge to light his pipe. Nothing like being the only source of light on the street for getting yourself noticed. When the door was finally opened, he casts a single brow upwards, "Expecting visitors? It must be hell every night if you're fully armored waiting for attacks, which I presume you're doing. Either that or I'm about to interrupt something." A hand reaches up to scratch his chin. He knew all about how uncomfortable armor got. As a matter of fact, he was wearing his own. Though that was the norm anyways. "Swords, eh? I admit, I'd forgotten about them. Sould have written myself a note, I know it. I suppose I assume you'd have them arranged to be delivered to Rynvale. I'll have some boys pick them up. Unless you suddenly have need of so many weapons yourself, hm? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were gearing up for a war...or an invasion."


Alice ran a and through her hair. Things were a little bit messier in Cenril right now than the smith would have liked to admit, but, she was ready to face whatever challenges came her way no matter what. "Visitors... Suppose ye could say tha'." She shook her head in response to his second guess. "Jes been wearin' it in case any more trouble shows up. Bastard had the whole town up'n afraid." The hand in her hair now made its way to her neck, which was rubbed rather tiredly. "First them snakes, then them wolves, now hysterical womenfolk." A dismissive wave of the hand was given. "...No' tha' I don' believe there's no danger. Just no' enough fer there ter be such a panic." A glance out at the streets was given. "An' I reckon ye noticed 'ow quiet it is round 'ere lately. And I kin 'ave 'em delivered, if ye need." Her attention was now returned to him. Suddenly something clicked in her brain, and her eyes narrowed slightly, more out of confusion than mistrust. "I do wonder, though. What brings ye here if no' fer the swords?"


Ranok cocks an eyebrow, "Why would a man like me visit a lovely lass like you in the dead of night with no one around to see? I want your mind. You've skills that I can't find too much elsewhere." It was too dark to see his expression, but his voice sounded almost amused at first, declining into the businesslike candor he typically used. "We can discuss the swords later. I'd prefer to get off the streets to talk this over. You might want to take some of that armor off too, unless you're used to sitting around in it. Personal recomendation. I'll help you if need be."


Alice 's brows raised. Lovely lass? Well howdy diddle. She could get used to compliments like that. Then again, she wasn't entirely used to them, so there was a moment of slightly flustered silence, accompanined by a good dose of preteneding that she didn't hear it. "Er... aye. Swords later. An' off the streets. Der ye want te step inside?" She stepped back from the door, quirking a brow. "Come on in, there's pie on the table." Another moment of hesitation. "Only, don' go tellin' no one ye saw pie here. Don' need nobody thinkin' I do lady work." She scrunched up her nose slightly.


Ranok moves inside, shuffling past Alice. Despite the pretty interior, he doesn't take his boots off, though hopefully he wasn't tracking anything. "Right then. To business." An eye cast onto the pie for a lingering moment before ultimately, "No thanks, best not to eat for what I have in mind." A moment taken to scratch his chin, then, "How do you feel about heights? Or airships in general?"

Alice squeezed behind him, and the sound of the door closing came next, followed quickly by the sound of several bolts and locks being used. Either this town really was dangerous, she had something valuable, or she was just a good old case of paranoid. Either way, she finally strutted back over, her back facing him. "Help, then. Latches'r on the back. An' don' be scared o' no skin showin', I'll keep my goods covered." She snickered. It was good someone had offered to help... sure she could do it, but she was sore as all hell. "...Airships, ye say? I set foot in one long time ago." She laughed a little. "Me brothers'n I, back when we were still at Thoantal." She hesitated. "Tha's the name o' the isle we were at after we left home." She didn't elaborate much about where home was. "Davie 'ad it in is 'ead we'd try'n buy it someday."


Ranok flicks off the straps for her with deftness. Didn't even need to double check where they were. Of course, that was to be expected, given his history and former profession, "Aye. They're rare, even in these lands. They largely operate off something called Elerium. Negates weight. Handy stuff. Here, look." A ring was popped off a hand and given to Alice. A simple golden band with a circle of refined elerium around it. It weighed nothing, even if put on a scale, since the elerium was negating its weight. Ranok continues his explaination and removing Alice's armor, "Or it would be, if it was easy to find. It really isn't, and that's even just the raw material. In its refined and actually useful version, only a few know how to do it. I've tried to reverse engineer the process, tried looking in Armantium for any secrets, nothing. So I'm out of options, and they're too damn useful to give up. Can't buy enough refined material to build a ship and Vhys doesn't want to sell. Luckily there are a few around...and I've found one that's seemingly abandoned. So, finders keepers."


Alice moves about, to make it easier for the armor to come off. Once it does, the smith s hair falls down, covering her back quickly, but perhaps not quickly enough to hide a certain scar there, from her right shoulder to her left hip. She then moves off to her room, leaving him with that top piece of armor. The sound of more armor being removed, then silence comes, of course, other than her cheery voice. "Stealin ships, eh? Won' lie ter ye an' say I don' know nothin' bout tha'." After a while she stepped back out, once again in her usual attire. "In other words, I do in fact, know a thing er two 'bout ship stealin'."


Ranok gives the armor a habituatory inspection, mostly because it was in his hands at the time. Everything must have passed muster because he makes no comment about it, "I like to think of it as repurposing, but not to mince words. Yes, it is stealing. For the greater good, I might add. Rynvale can use a good warship in the skies as much as the seas more then whoever left that beauty there to rot. No guards, and all the moorings are against the waterfall. So if you can't fly, you're outta luck. Luckily, I have ways around that. I want you because you know how to sail and can handle yourself. Most airships function like the sky is an ocean, so the skills translate. Don't ask me why it works. Magic, I assume. Can't offer you much in reward...except the chance to help me overhaul it and improve it. You in?"


Alice heads on over to that table where that pie is, and breaks a tiny piece of crust off, before shoving it in her mouth. "...I can do that." Her lips spread into her trademark grin. "I'm in. But what's yer master plan ter get up there, eh?" Her brow quirked up slightly.


Ranok smirks. "I have managed to get my hands on an amount of elerium in its refined state. Took quite a bit of effort, too." To whit, he stole it also, this time from Vhys. And then promptly crashed it into Vuryal's castle. Good times, good times. "But not really quite enough to lift another ship. So I've been experimenting. What works on a large scale should also on a smaller scale. I've finally got a version that doesn't want to crash so much. It should do for a short trip to the ship proper. Once we get onto the ship, we make sure there are no traps or alarms, magical or otherwise, and disable them if so. Then we simply sail her to Rynvale and tuck the wee lass into a hanger I have cut into a mountain. Simple, no?"


Alice gave a laugh. "Ye've had some time ter think o' this. I like it. But 'ow the devil d'ye plan on cuttin a damn whole in a mountain? Ye got some sort o' contraption up yer sleeve I don' know about?" She had a little twinkle in her eye. Leaning up against the table with the pie on it, she gave him a good look. She was honestly a little suprised that the other had chosen her for this adventure... though, at the same time, she was pleased he had.


Ranok waves a hand, "The hanger is prepped and ready. I've had it awhile and use it as a large enclosed workspace. Handy when I need to stretch out. All I need...is a ship."


Alice gave a nod, and gave herself another piece of pie crust. "Alright. An' when are ye plannin' ter do all this?"


Ranok gives a grin, "No time like the present, sweetheart."


Alice snickered lightly. "Sweetheart, eh? I'm down. So, are ye implyin' we should get to it?"


Ranok goes to the door, as if that was his answer, "I'll be on the fringes of Cenril, near the edge of the forest. That's where I stashed my amazing flying engine. I assume you're going to need to get dressed proper. If not you can walk with me. The sooner it is done, the sooner we can all go to bed."


Alice hopped on down from her perch, moved to the coathanger near the door, and in a swift motion, donned that ever-so-important looking Captainny coat. "Now I'm ready." She smirked, and unlatched those locks. Never could be too safe, she thought, as her hand moved to her side, retrieving a fairly large keyring.



Somewhere in the Sage Forest

Ranok leads Alice through the streets and out across the bridge swiftly and surely, recalling the exact position he'd left his so called 'amazing flying machine'. It was covered by a tarp with leaves sewn into it and whatnot to disguise it. This was swept off and folded up to be put into a sidepouch. The machine itself was still in prototyping, which meant it was fairly ugly. Made of wood, it was roughly cylindrical in shape, with fins attached by cords running from back to front. Panels of elerium secured to wood paneling which were in turn bolted to the overall frame of the thing could be seen. A basic windscreen was up front and not much else, beyond the controls. "I suppose it needs a name, though I can't come up with a decent one. Perhaps when it's finished and I need to make more of them for some reason. Fairly simply. Normal airships have their weight negated by the elerium. How much is being negated fluxuates on the energy coursing through the elerium itself, so you can control it roughly. Heat, electricity, and magic can all do this, though I find electricity does it the best. Heat has diffusion problems and I'm no mage. So I find myself using runic batteries to store it and dole it out. Still having problems when it starts to arc. I think I got the kinks worked out enough that we won't crash. Regardless...air is then funneled through these fans and provides push. Lighter then air, and can be controlled. Kinda." He pulls out some goggles and offers them to Alice, "So I suppose you're going to have to trust me on this."


Alice followed after Ranok like it was no big deal, occasionaly making jokes here or there, and even more so occasionally looking at his butt when he'd walk ahead of her. What? She was a single lady, she'd do what she wanted, and if that entialed butt-loking, by golly, she'd butt-look. When it came time for her to see this amazing flying machine, she didn't seem to think of it as ugly, instead curiously walking round it (where it was safe to, of course), keen eyes marvelling at the work done here. "Electricity and Elerium, eh?" She fiddled with the two words, repeating them under her breath for a few times. Her eyes then snapped back to look at him. "Trust?" She rubbed her chin a moment, in silence, befor continuing. "Do I trust ye, the man who all but fell out o' the sky?" She nodded, grabbing the goggles, and placing them on her head for now. "Suppose I kin trust ye by now, aye? After all, ye did nearly save my arse back there in Cenril the other day."


Ranok gives a dry chuckle, "I haven't fallen out of the sky in awhile...that anyone knows of. And jumped off Armantium, for your information. Anyways, get on. I'll need to calibrate our weight and we can be off." With that, he plunks himself onto his AFM and reached for the controls. A spark flies between his left hand and the metal grip, which might answer where a majority of the raw electricity might be coming from. Alice would have room to sit behind him and hold on for dear life, and hopefully she would, because as soon as she was on and Ranok was sure that they were neutrally bouyent or less, he'd squeeze and a gust of wind would shoot out from the back and the AFM leaps into the air with a woosh and crackle of arcs flying.


Alice would then let out a small tone of surprise. Lord knows she'd not expected that, but luckily for everyone involved, Al was not the kind to be afraid of heights. She held on for dear life though, she wasn't stupid. Looking around herself slightly, the redhead took in everything around her. This was just /cool/. The machine itself was cool. The fact that flying was a thing humans could do was cool. Everything was just cool.


Volary Airship

As the cool mists surrounding the waterfall of the Xalious mountains part, a form of eloquent shape comes slowly through, merely a shadow at first until the name 'Airship Volary' emblazoned upon the deep wood appears and the glory of the airship is fully revealed to any onlookers. The body of the ship is a rather slim shape, a knife among the roiling clouds with an outer hull a shade of rich cherry so deep it's nearly ebony in hue, furthering the contrast between vessel and mist. The plumes of the great sails dance to and fro in the cool winds, their pristine coloring only matched by the ivory shading of the surrounding clouds. The sails themselves were covered in various designs of birds, obviously added on through time by many hands, as paints, designs, methods of application, and wear vary greatly.

Once on board, one can see the main deck is a rich mahogany, elegant and of superior craftsmanship. There is an elevated platform for the helm, each handle of the wheel adorned with various bird types in the same theme as the sails, and once more instilling that theme of an aviary. The wheel itself is an ebony wood, accented with polished golden clasps to decorate it, giving it a rich and almost decadent appearance. To the back of the elevated platform are the rich, ebony double doors leading into the captain's chambers. The carving on the door is reminiscent with that of the giant eagle that can be found also on the doors to the hold in the floor. The difference in the hold doors to those of the captain’s is the carved dance between eagle and dragon, which seems to remind those aboard of certain loyalties. The deck itself is of a fine wood that is but a shade lighter than the rest of the hull. Loose ropes, barrels of sorts and crates can be found stacked in certain areas of the ship.




Ranok wasn't so impressed...but then, a lot of things were old hat to him. By flying standards, the whole thing was mundane. No impressive swoops or acrobatics that any normal flying creature could do. That would have probably made them crash, given the simple characteristics of the things make. It floated thanks to stolen elerium and the directed wind pushed it. The course was set towards the Xalious range, and all in all, the trip was short, cold, and just a little bit wet thanks to a passing cloud. But they'd get there without an eventful anything and soon they were circling the airship. It was a thing of beauty, really. Compared to the little wooden runabout they were on, it was the floating Taj Mahal. Ranok didn't bother shouting back to Alice, the air streams snatched away anything that could be said. In he closes, nice and easy, slowly coaxing his beast to the hull of the placid airship so he could throw a rope on something. Then he could speak, "The words on the side say Volary. Dunno if that's her name or the nation she hails from, but it hardly matters since I'll rename it first opportunity. Alright, over you go and don't move much on the other side. Keep an eye out for any traps."


Alice didn't mind the cold or the wet, it was all impressive and exciting to her. Then again, as pointed out, things may have been an old hat to him. On the other hand, Al had never been up in the sky before. Anyone who knew anything would know that she was the kind to adore adventure. In her humble opinion... this certainly classified as an adventure. Her real attention was caught, however, as they drew closer to the airship in question. Her jaw nearly dropped. Holy crud. It was beautiful. At Ranok's bidding, she began to make her way to the other side, and with no problem, made it to the deck of the ship. She looked thrilled, but stayed still, as instructed. Hey, he was the boss here.


Ranok crosses over soon himself, leaving his AFM floating after adjusting for the lack of weight on it. Careful bootsteps on it and he casts an eye around for anything that might resemble a trap, be it runological or merely mundane. Nothing seems to crop up, however, "I'm eager to explore the ship, too, but who would leave something like this lying around? I suppose they thought the floating bit and the fact that it's hidden in the mountains covers it up. Or it's not so abandoned. Who knows. Let's get this thing moving, shall we? Check the sails and stuff, I'll go poke at the helm."


Alice nodded, and made her way to the sails, making sure her steps were well watched. He was right, it was strange, and quite a bit out of place that such a magnificent ship would be just... abandoned like this. She wasn't sure she liked it one bit. She also wasn't sure what she disliked more... the fact that the ship had been left here, or the fact that she hadn't known it was here in the first place. She kept her eyes peeled for traps, or anything wrong with the ship in general. So far, she didn't see much wrong.


Ranok had taken a position at the helm. It all seemed to be in place. Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh well. Their loss was his gain. "Alice! Think we can get this thing all the way to Rynvale with fair weather? I have some control over the wind but it'll kick my ass if I use it too much. If we can't, we'll have to stop midway."


Alice looked back at him from where she stood. "I dinnae if I see nothin' wrong with it on this end either." She responded, and motioned around. "All I see is a damn good ship left here fer no damn reason I kin think of. And aye, if'n ye steer it right, she'd make it back safe. Don' see nothin' obstructin' the way out or nothin'." She put her hands on her hips and let out a little laugh. "Ye were right, this was an easy grab!"


Ranok looks grim for a moment, "My instincts are tingling, but what could be out here? If there was a trap to be sprung, it'd have been done. No one is aboard, and as soon as we start moving...no one will be able to get aboard. Easily, anyways. ...feh. No use overthinking it. Alice, get her moving. I'll steer us home."


Alice grinned at him. "Quit yer worryin'." With that the lass made about doing what she knew best. She searched around, and eventually found what was keeping them held down. She grabbed onto this anchor of sorts, though clearly it was different, as it was clinging to mountain instead of sea. Once this was aboard, she searched once more, and once she'd discovered the correct ropes, pulled them, so that the wind could catch the sails. Eventually they'd be afloat, which of course, came with a cheer from Al. She continued her job directing the sails, as Ranok steered, all the way back to Rynvale, where she finally let him take command again, now that it was a matter of parking the damn thing.


Ranok kept the course while Alice handled the specifics. The air was nice and calm, though he was helping it keep that way. A steady trickle of his own stamina was eeking down into his vambrace to divert any errant breezes that would throw them horribly off course. For guidence, he did not use the stars or something similarly old fashioned, but a specialized compass that pointed not to north, but to another piece of itself that was stowed safely in his home. This was all the direction that was needed as he need only head in the rough direction before he'd be back into familiar grounds. Of course, night time did not make that easy but they had time. It also meant there wasn't much to see, so high up, everything darkness lit by the moons. The mountains faded to the Sage, with lights from Kelay nestled in, which then turned to Cenril, which was brighter. And then only the reflection of the ocean, calmly moving underneath the sails of the magical ship. All in all, pretty boring, all things considered, though there were tasks to keep the ship moving of course. Salty air would then eventually give to the breeze of the tropics, with the hunk of Rynvale sitting on the horizon. A light trawls across the landscape, Rynvale's lighthouse at work. Rather then floating over that sleeping city, Ranok hooks to the west, drifting over to the more volcanic and rugged terrain. That was where his mainse lie. So close to the target, he was having to work harder and harder to keep the course. Mountains shuffle underneath the hull of the ship, which eventually gave to a flat area that stuck out like a sore thumb. A building was errected in the middle of it, with a wall around. His home. Slowly, then, he'd bleed speed off and the moons allowed a glimpse of two enormous metal doors slowly opening at a command, yanked by oiled wheels and weights. Big enough to put the airship right in, and that was what he did. Nearly scrapping the name off the side in the process, though, as so close to the mountain things got tricky and he poured more effort into the winds to keep it on course. And then a bump and she was done, nestled against padded piers of sorts. "We are here, if you could not tell. Do me one last favor and moor the ship, will you? I need to catch my breath." It was too dark to see, but he was pale, pushed too hard to get his prize home.


Alice didn't care that it was hard to see out, to her, everything was still beautiful. Her attention stayed focused, however on her job, only shifting slightly as they sailed over Cenril, the place that had stolen her heart. She was smiling, a real smile. That's not something most people got to see, but then again, she'd not been on a ship in ages. Her own ship currently sat at Cenril's docks, in the process of being rebuilt, just as it had when she had been in Rynvale. It had taken a good amount of bargaining to get it to her new home. Once the smells of Rynvale hit her nostrils, she grinned. Yet another little piece of home. Sure, she couldn't see it too perfectly, but that wasn't much of a problem to her. It was the fact that she was even there that mattered to her the most. Sapphire eyes continued to sparkle, and she kept at work, focused as ever as they pulled the airship into its makeshift dock. Once he had requested her to do so, she began working on getting the ship to stay in place, anchors being attatched. The lady was definitely used to such activities, for it wasn't very long before she was leaning up against the side of their treasure, a little merry laugh leaving her lips. "Cor, we did it. We up an' stole that ship with no problems!"


Ranok rubs his face a little, looking haggard, "It seems we did. I could guess as to why they left it so, but...truly, who steals airships? I could not sell this on the market. If I wasn't going to immediately tear it apart to rebuild it I would hesitate to even take it out of this hanger. Well, success. Thank you for your help, Alice. I could not have done this alone." He stands up a little more straight, then, recovered slightly, "Now, as it's the dead of night and the only ferries across to Cenril are the ones that are done by smugglers, I am obligated to give you a room. I have plenty of room, here, so you are free to pick. I think we both deserve a rest after this, yes? Maybe some tea or something. Walking over to a lever, he throws his weight against it, making a grinding noise. The doors to the hanger slowly close shut, darkening the place even further. This was solved by lighting a lamp that cast a warm glow over the floor. "Ready when you are."


Alice grins, turning her eyes, and looking over at him. "Aye. An' thank ye fer roomin' me. Tea... sounds good." She trudged over, rolling her shoulders as she always seemed to do, the familiar popping leaving her. It must have hurt... but she never seemed to complain about it. "Ready as I'll ever be. Lead the way."


Ranok gives a faint smile and opens a side door, leading out into the garden. Just like it might have been strange that Alice bakes, it seems strange that the man has so much invested in a garden full of roses and other things. Of course, now wasn't the time to sight see, though the fragrences were thick and heady. Right up to the front door, which was opened seemingly without a key. All Ranok did was reach his left hand around the knob and it turned...though if Alice was paying attention, the flash of runes on both hand and knob would have been seen. "Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. The kitchen is this way. I'll set the water boiling and change. This armor is weighing heavy on me." The inside was astere and devoid of much in the ways of decoration. Just hewn stone and gas lights, which were lighting up one by one as the gas worked its way up the line. When entering the kitchen, it was about the same, only a little more high end. Marble and wood, with all the necessities that one could possibly ask for. Though none of it looked very used, really. Not much of a cook was Ranok. True to his word he sets a kettle to boiling, "Alright, wait here. I'll be back. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime." With that, he departs, extinguishing the lamp he was holding as he goes.


Alice noticed that smile, and she seemed to be... happy. Her eyes then turned, focusing on the garden, with no small hint of curiosity. She hadn't pegged him the gardening type, though, at the same time, she wasn't sure she was entirely surprised. She seemed impressed, if anything. Taking in the sight, the woman took in a deep breath. She'd always loved the smell of a garden. There was a look on her face for a moment, as if she was recalling a fond memory. It was strange; the lady rarely mentioned her past, and when she did, it was only in little snippets that didn't really give a person much insight. She wasn't exactly mysterious... but she wasn't much of an open book either. It was with that sort of information that at the times that she -did- show some other emotion besides her default mischievous jolly nature, it was something to be said about the trust for whomever it was she was displaying it to. Her attention suddenly turned back to Ranok. Humble her arse, this place was enormous. "Certainly is lovely, tha's fer damn sure." She leaned against one of the counters, and gave a nod. "Aye, I'll be here." She'd then wait patiently... but inside her head, she was casually thinking about him... and his lack of armor.


Ranok returns just as the water had really begun to boil, sans his typical wear. Instead, he wore loose fitting clothing made of high quality cottens. He sure did know how to live, even if maybe not how to decorate. This also included his hat and duster being hung up, along with nearly every one of his weapons. All he had was a worn old dagger on his hip, which never seemed to part from his person. "Most of it is underground. I'd be pleased to show you, but that's more for another time. Far too late and I'm tired as it is. As it is now, there's a few sensitive constructions going on so it'd be best to leave them be. Besides, I would be loath to tear you away from your beloved Cenril." He gets a faint smirk and approaches the opposide side of where Alice was sitting. "I'd offer you to get dressed yourself, but all I have are things in my size. You're free to lock your door and get comfortable how you will, however."


Alice nodded after he had finished speaking, a little playful glint in her eyes at his teasing. "Ye should still show me sometime... and aye." She then went ahead and nudged him lightly. "Thanks fer bringin' me along." With that, she wandered off for a while, presumably to get comfortable, as he had advised. Some time went by, and she ended up returning wearing one of his shirts, even if it was too big on her. Her pants had disappeared, leaving behind wrappings that reached to mid-thigh, either fortunately (or unfortunately) for his viewing pleasure. She didn't seem embarassed or ashamed about borrowing his clothing by any means, and made no move to explain herself, instead returning to where she had been previously. She was rubbing at her hands, her brow slightly furrowed. "Tea ready? An' ye wouldn' believe what me hands look like either. Them ropes tore clean through me gloves... time ter get a new pair."


Ranok had made the tea in the meantime, pouring the water over the leaves, adding a bit of milk and some snowbee honey to sweeten the taste. He'd learned these things from Yerrel, who was a tea fiend. Two cups were steaming and Ranok looking a little bit droopy. It seems that his expenditure of his stamina was more then he let on. His defenses go right back up as Alice reappears wearing his things. A long moment was taken to eye her, though he offers no comment...and his expression was hard to read. Finally, he says, "It might be a bit nippy with that. It gets a little cold up in the mountains. I'll be sure to give you something warm." Sliding a cup to her, he nods in response to her question. And then he reaches to take her hand, "Chewed through your gloves? Here, let me see. I might have something for it. Hopefully there aren't any rope fragments buried in your flesh. I'm surprised. I figured you would have a pair of gloves that could last through kingdom come, what with your lifestyle."


Alice payed no mind to his staring, only taking in a breath, enjoying the scent of the tea in the room. When he questions her about the gloves she nods. "Aye, I usually do keep good ones around, only, it's been a while since I replaced 'em. Suppose I just got busy with all tha's been goin' on out there lately." She allowed him to take her hand. On the palm was a rope burn, right across. She showed the other hand, to let him know that that one was perfectly fine, other than a light line across it. "Don't hurt much, just burns a tad." Or at least, that's what she was saying for the sake of her ego. Her free hand took up the cup, and she brought it to her lips, enjoying the warmth of the tea.


Ranok hms, rubbing his thumb over her hand. His left one, that was. The digit was cool to the touch and slightly rough, to replicate the absence of fingerprints. "Doesn't look too bad, but that probably smarts like hell. I think I have some salve somewhere. Hold on a second." He gets up, poking around. "Always handy to have something in case you burn yourself. Here." A small pot was taken out and he brings it to the counter, popping open the cork. "Let me put it on for you. The stuff stinks as it is." It smelled potent, minty and sharp. A dab is taken out and he'd put it on her burns if she'd let him.


Alice watched his thumb run over her hand. She gave a small pout, however, when he called her out on it smarting. "...Yeah well..." she protested, quickly to be interrupted by his request to put it on. She hesitated, but then nodded, and allowed him to put the stuff on. She was clearly not used to having anyone but herself take care of her. "...Thanks." Hey, at least she still knew how to manners.


Ranok finishes his task. "There. It won't heal it up instantly, but it'll stop the smarting and make it heal faster." He wipes his hands on a nearby towel thoroughly so as to get the smell off and then takes a sip of his tea. The air would go quiet, as he wasn't contributing much in the ways of conversation. But he was content in the silence, if Alice was. Though this was probably the longest they'd actually sat down together and didn't have business in between them, a fact which he mulls over for a moment.


Alice enjoyed the silence for a little, taking a sip of her tea as well. After a while, she glanced over. "So... why'd ye build yer home way out here, anyhow?"


Ranok gives a dry chuckle, wrapping fingers around the handle of his mug, "Well, for starters, I like my own company. And I've invested into Rynvale, so I build out here. Plenty of air, all the space I could want, and it's far away from anyone in case I build something that goes bad. Plus the view is nice and I don't get bothered by people trying to sell me Rynvale Scout cookies." Another sort of smirk. "I never really thought I'd tie myself down like this. Once had an interest in Cenril, did you know? But I decided it was a lost cause. I guess I was wrong there, huh?"


Alice nodded. She understood the liking of one's own company fairly well. "How about that... we have more in common than I would o' thought." She laughed softly. "Innerestin' thing that... seems more an' more people've been gettin' interested in that town lately. Faces from the past all jumpin' up now that it's startin' ter clean up a little. Funny how those sorts o' things happen..." She hums. "I'm no' sure ye remember, but I used ter live here in Rynvale. Fact, it's where I first washed up on shore." There was a tone of laughter in her voice as she remembered how undignified that moment in her life had been.


Ranok speaks a matter of factly, "Any number have always had an interest in the city. It's a port town, rivaled only by Rynvale. A lot of money to be made in the right position. And then there's the people with their ideals. They see anarchy and think that it's for molding. Or for beliefs. Strong stuff. Still. Like I said, I'm pleased to see the city having some sort of direction. You're certainly having more success then I am here with Rynvale. Did you know that they draw cartoons of me in the papers? I even have some of my favorites." His tea had been drained and cup empty. Rather then refill it he stands, "As much as I would enjoy chatting the night away, I do know better. You'll need your sleep to get onto the ferry back to Cenril tomorrow, lest you fall asleep on it. You know where a room is. You can keep the shirt if you don't see me in the morning." A bit of a glint was in his eyes as he says, "If you don't get up early enough I may have to come in and wake you and that'll just stall us both." Turning away, he sticks his cup into a sink to be washed later, "Alright, come on then. Much as I trust you, I don't want you walking around the house in the dark so you don't trip and fall. I'll show you to your room."


Alice hummed lightly. She'd heard as much in the tavern, when she'd asked around, but his perspective was certainly more educated than what she'd gotten from the sailors. She appreciated that. Behind the seaworker's slang and rough exterior was a sharp mind who appreciated intelligence just as much as the next person. "Cartoons, eh?" A soft yawn left her lips, revealing that she was, in fact, a little more tired than she'd been letting on. The tea was relaxing. "And aye... I'm a morning person, so ye'll see me." She then stood, grinning as always, ready for him to lead the way.


Ranok would show her to her room, waiting with a lantern in hand. He'd wait by the door until she shut it and continue on his way.