RP:Untimely Interruptions
Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc
Summary: Just trying to chat with a Captain about various things, from mermaid hunting plans (or how there is probably a lack of a plan) to ships. Meri's timing is bad, but she told Onyx she would come back later. THNXRUDE.
On The SS Tranquility
Meri had not really been explicitly invited to Brand's ship, maybe in a round about way via Khitti through a request to try and feed Meri to all of the sea critters found in Rynvale. Wait no, that's not it. Khitti would never try and do that, would she? She just needs a little help, doesn't she? Hmph. Women. Yes, that is right. Meri thought it, but you can't read her thoughts so shhhh. So regardless of her lack of formal invitation in the present moment, Meri has absolutely zero shame in just walking right up the gangplank and onto the deck of Brand's ship. Except neither a Khitti or a Brand is within immediate sight, at least that Meri notices, and so the first member of Brand's crew that Meri spies is greeted with a, "Oi. Khitti around? Brand around? One? The other? Yes? No? Maybe so?"
Khitti would like to interject that she would -never- try to get her friends killed, and that she is deeply offended by this. She’d like to interject, but she’s not psychic. She’s also not here at the moment, so there’s that. And neither is Brand. The person who Meri has hit with her barrage of questions is none other than Onyx, pale child of indeterminate gender and also the first mate. And it may be noted that they were in fact holding watch on that gangplank, thank you very much. Wouldn’t want any old riff-raff strolling on board while the newest cargo’s being hauled on and such. But Meri is a known entity and doesn’t fit that description -- lucky for her, or she might have taken an arrow to the knee. Onyx only shoots the woman with a look, dark eyes full of disdain. Or maybe that’s just what their face always looks like. “They’re preoccupied belowdecks.” Onyx doesn’t need to say doing what; now there’s some disgust mixed in with the rest of their sour expression. “Can I take a message, or is this a matter of some urgency?” Their tone suggests that Meri should say it’s urgent, even if it isn’t. It seems they’d take some glee in interrupting the couple’s… er, private time.
Meri would like to think that she might have been able to defend against an arrow to the knee, in an ideal situation. Granted she is neither armed nor armored at the moment, though she is a psion, and one might hope that sometimes she is not an entirely helpless one! Maybe more of an asset than a liability? Sometimes? Possibly? A little? When she is sober, at least. This was not even close to a matter of urgency as far as Meri was concerned, she was just breezing through to try and check in and see when they might need her. This is something that could also be very easily accomplished by them summoning her with a note at this point. So while Meri has just only made her way only to the deck of the ship, she smoothly pivots about to take her leave and head right back the way she came. "Nope. Bad timing. My bad. Just tell 'em Meri dropped in." Meri clearly is either missing the suggestion in the tone or just flat out ignoring it, somethings are even too cruel to do by Meri's standards? Get you some, Khitti?
Ugh. How long does this nonsense even -take-? It’s already been two hours, and Onyx is getting restless over what they see as a colossal waste of time. (It’s somewhat difficult to conceptualize enjoying pastimes of the flesh when one’s soul has been retrieved from the nether and ever so impolitely crammed into a tiny, ill-fitting body. It’s no wonder why this undead kid’s gonna take their grudge against necromancers to the grave -- figuratively, of course.) “Oh, -Meri-. You must be -that- Meri. In that case, I’m sure they’ll want to hear from you immediately.” Onyx’s tone is all cheerful servitude, but it clashes horribly with that expression which is no less inhospitable than it was a moment ago. They also didn’t have to be told who Meri was -- she’s been around here with the Warrior’s Guild, after all. But sometimes it is useful to feign ignorance. “Stay put. I’ll return with the Captain momentarily.” And then Onyx is gone, almost as if they’d just plain teleported off the deck. That’s not quite true, of course, but it’s a rather convincing trick. So is the illusion of a sort of heaviness that settles around Meri’s feet, if her mind is not sufficiently guarded against such magic.
Meri said no! Dammit Onyx, what the hell! But before Meri can even huff, puff and fuss about this issue, Onyx is gone. Internally, Meri is cursing up a storm, it's best to keep this dialogue private. The mouth on this woman. Meri's ability to detect illusions was rather hit or miss, if Onyx were throwing up an image of...I don't know, Brand and Khitti making out on deck, she might have a hope of detecting that by rationalizing through the fact that what was before her was not actually a thing of a mass or substance. This illusion was more complicated, a feeling was not an object that she should be able to move, and her mind is not sufficiently guarded, so she falls for the trickery fairly easily in this case. Those feet feel heavy in her mind and Meri stays put....Not that she'd try to escape to begin with. What is worse? Having your sexytimes interrupted? Or having them interrupted only to find that the person who interrupted them has left? What is this, ding, dong, ditch? That would be rude. Meri's just going to stand there and agonize over things until someone appears. Maybe Onyx? If it is Onyx, Meri is going to be a-glarin'. If it is Brand? He'll be greeted with the outburst of, "I told the kid to leave you guys alone! I said I would be back later!"
Brand’s trousers are missing a belt, and he hasn’t bothered putting a shirt back on. It’s okay, we all know what (who) he was doing. And despite Khitti’s constant assertions that the man is ‘hot’, it’s evident that he doesn’t fit the standard definition. He’s toned enough to accomplish the tasks captaining requires of him, but his torso and arms are far more nasty scars than muscle. (Maybe she’s into that. She has plenty, herself.) Onyx might earn some scars of their own, from the scowl the Catalian gives the child at Meri’s declaration. The kid has a knack for finding these interruptions, and Brand is -starting- to suspect it’s on purpose. But that’s something to deal with later. “Dismissed,” Brand says to the child, and Meri would find the illusion equally dismissed as Onyx departs. “What’s this about?” As in, why seek out Brand specifically? They’re not exactly BFFs, right? Meri isn’t here to chit-chat over tea.
As a tattoo artist, the body was really not something that Meri was shy about. The woman frankly has probably seen more T&A as a result of her job than most people in this lands, with the expectation that she is supposed to be professional. No one wants their artist creeping on them. Okay, sometimes, some of her clients wish that Meri would creep on them....Which Meri usually finds to be off-putting herself. The scars are definitely noticed, but out of respect for her friend and fellow bridesmaid at Alvina's wedding, Meri's baby blues immediately settle on Brand's face, where they will remain. You do know the true story about redheads, don't you, Brand? It's scary. They're scary. A brow is lifted at the greeting she is given with Meri sucking in a sharp breath to still her tongue and keep herself from flying off the handle with a knee-jerk reaction. As the breath is released a smile is formed across red lips, trying to turn the tone of the conversation around. "Hi, Brand. It's good to see you too. I hope things are going well for you." Jerk. No, snark, Meri. No snark. Ah hell. Fail. "I just happened to see your ship out here in Rynvale. Since Khitti wants me to go sticking my neck out on the line for her again, I thought I would drop in and say hello. See what the hell the damn plan is. When we're doing this whole shindig. Excuse the hell out of me."
Brand seems immune to Meri’s snark. Or at any rate, all she gets for it is a raised brow of his own and a hint of a smirk. “It’s Khitti. What makes you think there’s a plan?” He waves a hand at his own statement. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll come up with -something-, but it’ll be half-baked and entirely at the last frakkin' minute, and then she’ll discard it halfway through, anyway.” This is his experience of the woman. From leaping out of tavern windows to spending her entire savings on last-minute Yule presents, she tends to be impulsive and change things up on the fly. His tone doesn’t suggest he views this is a problem, per se -- a quirk that is less than optimal, perhaps, and one that’s caused him many a headache, but not necessarily a flaw. It keeps things interesting. It keeps things unpredictable. Maybe that’s how she’s managed to capture the attentions of someone as flighty as Brand. (Or maybe she’s just really good in bed. It’s anyone’s guess, really.)
Honestly Meri never spent too much time wondering why Brand was with Khitti or why Khitti was with Brand, some people just seemed to fit together and that always struck her as the case with this dastardly duo. Where is Khitti anyway? How come she is not here to advise Meri on how to deal with this prickly thing in front of her? Meri has brought neither offering of whiskey or strawberry cheesecake, though it would be kind of weird of she brought Brand cheesecake wouldn't it? Meri's blue eyes shift from Brand's face and up to the sky. Perhaps because she is contemplating just what to say next, perhaps because she is dreading the fact that there is very likely absolutely no plan in place. "Right, right. Joyous." That is really all she has to say about the lack of plan. Meri is not silent for long, for after slight contemplation she hones in on a subject that might actually get Brand talking, just a bit. Maybe. She'd try. "So. Looks like you've been putting quite a bit of time and effort into fixin' up your new baby." The ship, Brand, the ship. Just in case it is not clear what she is talking about, she taps the deck with the toe of her boot a couple of times to indicate what 'new baby' she was talking about. "She turning out to be everything you could hope for?"
Brand could really go for some strawberry cheesecake with a side of whiskey right now. It gets harder every year to convince the cheesecake not to hang out on his gut for months afterward, though. Damn aging. So Brand is craving cheesecake, but maybe it’s for the best that Meri hasn’t brought any. One of these days Brand will be too weighed down by Khitti’s cooking, and he’ll be too slow to dodge in some battle somewhere, and this is how he will die. And it will all be Khitti’s fault and definitely not Brand’s fault at all. She didn’t -have- to make it, you see, but he had to eat it once it was in front of him.
Brand is so caught up in thoughts of cheesecake that it’s only the word ‘baby’ that brings him back. Oh gods. Babies? Where?! Maybe there’s still time for him to run away before they suck away his soul with those innocent frakkin’ eyeballs, and -- oh? Oh. The ship. Right. Yes. Got it.
“Yeeeeeeep, pretty much.” Brand shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs, all in one movement. It’s a very Dominic thing to do, but telling Brand this would likely send him into another momentary panic spiral, so let’s not. “And fixed the top deck, yeah, but you should see the inside. Did some remodelin’. Cleared a bit of room to spar down in the cargo hold, and got us a spiffy new situation room. Whiskey?” Abruptly, he’s turning and walking away from the tattooed blonde, making for the double doors that lead to the aft belowdecks. It seems that was meant to be an invitation, but Brand is rather lacking in manners and departs for within without looking to see if his guest is following.
It is called the gym, Brand. Do you want a gym buddy, because Hudson definitely hits the gym up. Oh you mean you do not want to be a dudebro? No? Hm. Maybe just run around and burn all of the gyms in existence and then perhaps, maybe if you manage to create a world where 'working out' is not a thing, just maybe it can be Khitti's fault. Dudebro. This minor freak out Brand is having is entirely lost on Meri, she may have a few wild speculations... Actually she is not coming up with possibly scenarios at all, she is just staring at Brand with judging eyes. What a weirdo (like she can really judge).
The invitation that is thrown out may have been lost to a good number of individuals, like those who actually have manners or are civilized. It is perfectly acceptable in Meri's eyes, it is also one of the less grumbly moments from Brand. Plus the promise of whiskey? Put all of this together and Meri would follow the guy belowdecks. "Yeah, I am game for a bit of a tour and some whiskey." It would be awkward if she didn't, just stayed up on the main deck of the ship. Any time she has been in the Tranquility, she has stayed on the upper level. This is the first time the woman has really actually roamed through any other part of the ship and her eyes were roaming to take in the details. Too bad she did not have a before and after to compare it to. "So Captain Brand. How much time have you spent out at sea? I have to imagine that you have quite a few years under your belt if you are taking on the title of Captain."
The Tranquility is nothing too special, inside or out. But the work that’s been done on her is truly a labor of love, and that love shines through in the way Brand’s fingers graze against the freshly polished wood of the interior. It shines through, too, in the faces of crewmates who pass the two blondes by. There are several salutes for the mister, and polite nods or faint smiles for the miss. A red-haired dwarf claps Brand just above the elbow -- for he can’t reach the man’s shoulder -- and congratulates him on having “almost” won a game of cards the night prior. “I can’t win -every- time, laddie. You’ll best me eventually.” He won’t. The dwarf cheats.
In between these interruptions, Meri gets her tour. Galley. Crew’s quarters and leisure room. A sparring room, magically enhanced to be bigger on the inside. Guest rooms, for those who can pay or who are somehow involved in one of the ship’s contracts. (“This one’s Khitti’s,” Brand says with a smirk, “but I’m afraid she’s still a bit tied up at the moment.” Oh my.) There’s a brig and a cargo hold on the lowermost decks, but the Catalian merely gestures to the ladder that leads that way before taking them up a separate set of rungs. Brand’s cabin is at the top, as is Onyx’s. Brand slips into his quarters and returns a moment later as he’s buttoning up a fresh shirt. The situation room is on the opposite side of the hall, and it’s here that the tour ends. There would be a door to unlock here normally, but -someone- recently blew the door off its hinges in what they thought was an emergency. Thanks, Onyx.
“Your question, it’s… a difficult one to answer,” muses Brand as he pours them both a glass of whiskey from the liquor cabinet at the far end. He conjures ice to go in his glass, and hers too if she wants it -- handy, that elemental magic. “Long enough, n’ several years at the least, but I don’t quite have a count of ‘em.” She never met Dominic before he vanished, did she? Explaining would only complicate matters, he thinks, but if his theory is right it throws his reckoning of almost all his years before Lithrydel into question. Too bad the Sunderia’s manifest probably burned up with the rest of the ship, or he could get some answers. But it's gone, along with almost everyone else who was on it, save for a handful of fellow slaves. (Right?) “Why do you ask?”
Meri seemed interested enough in the tour, though again she did not have the before and afters to compare it to. It looked like things were coming along smoothly with both ship and crew. In truth despite all the grumbliness of Brand, Meri was not surprised to see that he seemed to be respected by his crew. Social pleasantries were not exactly high on the list of things a crew might want from their Captain. The dwarf's comment that one day Brand will win at cards because he can't win every time. That sets off a red flag or two in Meri's mind, one of those 'it takes one to know one' situations....but no offer from Meri to offer a few pointers that may get him that win. The tour continues, Khitti's room is pointed out. He is going to get her two cents on that issue, the temptation is just too much to resist. "You're not supposed to leave your woman tied up while you run off and hang out with some other dame. For the record. Rude. Her poor wrists." Meri did not bring this topic up first, she is just running with the subject matter. "And separate rooms too? Damn." There were no doubt a few more sentiments that she could express there but she sufficiently bites her tongue. For now.
The peanut gallery is going to manage to still her comments for a brief time, long enough to climb the ladder and meander her way to the situation room -- as she was not going to gawk at Brand while he was trying to make himself more presentable. The whiskey is accepted once poured by that question is met with a loft of a brow. "Why do I ask? I have to have a reason to ask a question? All this considered? Sorry but how many things have we killed together? It is called getting to know a person." Meri's tone is not an angry one, but there is definitely some sass to it and she is smirking like she is proud of schooling Brand. Meri had indeed never met Dominic, or really heard much about him for that matter, maybe bringing him up in any explanation would complicate things. Who knows! Meri goes on with her own justification for her question for Mr. Paranoid. "Honestly it just struck me as odd I guess. You were some dude I met up in Frostmaw, living in the tavern with a certain redhead. I sort of had the impression you guys had roots there. But kill a few bugs, end up in Rynvale, and wham-bam, you have a damn ship. And you seem to know how to run it. I was curious." Yes. She is curious. Just not for that reason.
Khitti is fine! She’s fiiiine. Besides, she did this to Brand the other day, so what’s the harm in a little payback? She’s comfortable enough. She can just lay there all naked-like and shiver in antici…
“...pation,” Brand finishes, but he’s not talking about Khitti. No, he’s droning on, something entirely too detailed about running his ship and it being a hazardous and time-consuming -- but enjoyable -- occupation. Meri hit his chatterbox button, apparently. “Not to mention the time these people spend away from their family, if they have any. We’re lucky to find enough work around Lithrydel to keep us all afloat and fed and never too far from wherever ‘home’ is, but plenty of ships you spend several months to a year on before they give you any shore leave.” What was the question? Oh, right. He got off topic. That happens sometimes. Especially when you get him going about his ship-baby. “Anyway, all of that’s to say Frostmaw made sense for a while, but with the prior captain puttin’ the Tranquility in my hands and Khitti off runnin’ around collectin’ ingredients for her cure spell and the both of us gettin’ good and sick of winter, it was past time for a move. I imagine this’ll be home for a while, near as anything ever is.” His whiskey is gone. Why is his whiskey gone? Probably because he’s been taking sips in between talking poor Meri’s ear off. The Catalian pours himself a second glass -- his last for now, he promises himself -- and offers to do the same for Meri if it’s needed.
Believe it or not! ....Meri is actually going to wave off that refill. A sober psion is frankly the best sort of psion to have when embarking on any sort of dangerous mission and if they were going to go mermaid hunting...Well. Anyway, Meri does not seem to at all mind Brand's droning on about his ship. She was actually looking to find that chatterbox button and she is doing a good job and pretending to be interested! I mean, who knows, maybe she really is. How many sea-related tattoos does she have? The mermaid sleeve, the kraken sleeve, the nautical stars, the swallow on the inside of her wrist. There is a high probability she is not actually bored out of her skull. The woman tries to keep the chattering going. "Yeah, it is was to bloody freaking cold up in Frostmaw. I don't think I could ever claim full time residence there." Actually after her recent meeting with Balgruuf she may very well do her damnedest to keep well out of Frostmaw. "I suppose having a ship is probably pretty damn useful if you two are having to travel around to find these ingredients for her." Red lips are pressed together for a split second as she mulls over...? Actually she is not going to keep her thoughts a secret (okay some of them, yes) but she is not going to reveal her next question until her glance of whiskey is drained. "So I have been on a hunt for a ship myself." Wording might suggest she wants it for herself (and in part she would probably love nothing more) but this is not the case. She was just leading the conversation in the direction she was hoping it might so. "So it sounds like you have spent a pretty amount of time at sea. Probably seen and encountered a lot of ships as you were sailing around, no? Have you ever encountered a ship called the Eternity? I am trying to get my hands on her."
Oh gods. They’re making small talk about the weather. Brand’s writer is an introvert and is cringing forever. Brand seems happy enough to keep at it, though. “Yep. Wasn’t so bad at first -- I happen to like the cold -- but snow everywhere all the frakkin' time makes one pine for a change of scenery after a while. Some actual seasons, maybe.” There aren’t really seasons much out at sea, either, but the Tranquility is never far from shore for long. Not like the Sunderia. Man, talk about getting seasick -- as in, sick of looking at nothing but the gorram sea. That brings him to his next thought: -has- he ever seen an Eternity, all that time in the great grey-blue ocean? “Well, with a name like that, I dunno if I’d even remember.” The Catalian shrugs apologetically. All these big fancy names with their heady concepts behind them. Eternity. Tranquility. Serenity. Battlestar Galacti-- okay, we’re getting carried away now. Brand was fond of that one, though. It had some real impressive cannons dotting its hull. Shame the Sunderia tore her to pieces -- but that’s a story for another time. “Maybe? Seen a lotta ships; they all kinda blur together. You know anything about it that’d jog my memory?”
It is true, they briefly delved into a conversation about the weather! It could be more cringe worthy, though. They could be standing on the deck of the ship with a hypothetical conversation that goes like: Nice day. Yup. It looks like tomorrow is going to be nice too, probably though. Probably. Day is kind of hot. I hear it is supposed to rain this weekend though. Eh, I don't know, not a cloud in sight. At least there was other subject matter in the mix! Brand's response is met with a knowing smirk, the names of those ships can easily blend together. One ship could start looking like another, especially with no time spent on that ship or invested interest in that ship. Unfortunately Meri's description is lacking, she had been sent on this hunt ill-equipped with information. What type of ship? Any disguinsihing markings, like decor on the prow of the ship? Alas. No. She had a name and a reputation that was questionable in that two sea/ship living individuals have heard little about this ship. "She is supposed to be a flagstaff of a ship amongst pirates. One feared by your average individual and cautiously respected by those who lead the same lifestyle." Pillaging and plundering. "Her Captain was killed and she has been missing ever since his death? My guess would be the first mate absconded with it and that is why I can't find her, but rumor has it she is supposedly still out here in Rynvale." We would think Meri would be able to see this ship were it true? With how much she is in Rynvale? "Ring any bells yet?"
Brand can only shrug again. “It’s the seaborn and such that are a problem around here, if anything.” The giant shelled creature they fought not so long ago comes to mind. “Can’t say I’ve had issue with any pirate-y types of late. Can’t say they’d have an easy time of it if they tried, either. Onyx alone is scary enough.” Brand cracks a grin at this. Is -that- why he picked the kid for first mate? For the intimidation factor? They do tend to come across as a little creepy. Khitti certainly thinks so, at least -- but then, they’ve not exactly been quiet about their disdain for necromancers. “Maybe it left for more profitable waters,” Brand speculates. “Or maybe we’ve just not had the fortune of meetin’ this Eternity yet. Could always shoot you a letter if I see it? Or just tear off part of the sail and send that as your message.” The Catalian’s awfully confident, considering he’s never even seen the ship or crew Meri’s talking about.
"You sound confident," Is the statement that Meri leads with but she herself was not nearly so much. Of course, this was not really the ship that she was interested in talking about. The tattooed woman just could not come out and bring up the Sunderia, that would just raise questions and suspicion or at least so Meri presumed. "Well. Anyway. Apologies again for my untimely timing." She told Onyx to let them be, she swears. "I believe that I have kept you from Khitti long enough." It was one of those awkward situations, she felt a bit like she was intruding to an extent yet also she did not run away too quickly after Brand had come all the way out and begun the tour. The tour was over and some whiskey was had, perhaps it was best to let them return to their activities. "I will show myself out, no problem. And I guess soon we will be off to hunt some mermaids. If you ever hear anything about that ship? You just let me know."
Brand is oblivious to Meri’s angle. And that’s probably for the best, because questions would indeed be raised. There were other Catalian survivors from that boat -- all prior slaves, as far as Brand is aware -- but as for where they are and what they’re up to now, Brand mostly doesn’t know and hasn’t had enough idle time to get too curious. There are a handful serving under Lionel, and a handful more no doubt making meager livings in Cenril. But with the exception of the two fire-wielders, they largely seem driven into the woodwork. Unseen and unknown. As if they’re afraid Catal’s nightmares could track them all this way. “I’ll keep a lookout,” Brand says with a nod, but he’s only talking about the Eternity. He’ll drain the rest of his glass before following Meri out the door, until their differing destinations necessitate that they part. He -does- have a Khitti to get back to, after all.