[Music=Pirates Afoot]



There was a gloomy air about the docks on this particular day. The clouds blotted out the sun overhead, and it looked as if it would rain soon. The tension in the Zora was high as he awaited his new crew. The docks were not as populated today. The only ship that was anchored in the port sailed under a feared flag. Skull and bones; Pirates were taking a break at the Parapa Village Tavern. It wouldn't be long before they'd be back to the ship. He stood there waiting behind a large rock, often glancing at the Tavern down by the docks.

C'mon, c'mon...

He was so nervous that he had to pee. He gritted his teeth in anticipation, and often wiped his clammy palms on his pants. He began pacing as he waited for his crew, slowly beginning to fear that nobody had been devoted enough to actually travel to Parapa.

Whatever fears Cap'n might've had, he would soon discover that at least one member of his crew was happy ta journey through the desert in a single night. Fierce desert winds and sandy shores were no match fer an old Deku's hard skin - for those who weren't familiar with their race, this fact might seem a bit odd, but Deku were like trees: the older they got, the stronger their bark became. At a hundred-'n-six, Yukie's exterior might's well've been rock, and nothin' would be stoppin' him from arrivin' on time.

So it was that the first member of the crew to sign up also became the first one to show up at the appointed rendezvous point. Carryin' only two bags o' supplies - one with essentials like clothes and potions, the other with fun little toys that . . . eh, screw da long, hint-filled description. It was his Bomb Bag, and it was filled ta da brim with explosives.

He went ta the docks first thing, admiring the waves and the grandness of the ocean. T'would be quite interesting ta get back out on the water; been ages since he'd needed ta stretch some of them "sea legs" sailors always raved about havin'. The oncoming storm sure wouldn't be helpin' them any, though; he had ta worry about whether er not today was da best day ta be embarking on a sea voyage.

Not only that, but a quick glance about da place revealed that there weren't no sign o' Cap'n Taint either. Yukie glanced at the sun - or what little of it could be seen through them there clouds - and shook his head; had he jist gotten here a bit too early? Had he beaten even da Cap'n ta their destination?

A bit disappointed at the apparent lack of expedition takin place 'round here, he was about ta head out ta one o' them there taverns when a flash of blue skin caught his eyes. Excitement returning to him, the Deku hopped on over 'n jumped directly over the top of the boulder to come face ta face with Taint.

"Hoy, Cap'n!"

If Raven hadn't been doing this to keep herself occupied for the next day or so, she would have made sure Taint knew not to back out on the deal he made earlier. She wasn't especially interested in striking it rich at the moment, and she knew the Zora might not give her and everyone else all that he promised in the end. Had he hired her to kill someone, things would have been different. Her mother always told her how important it was that the client paid what he or she promised. If a client goes back on a deal, kill them, she would always say. The world was full stingy, dishonest people, but with a knife to their throats most of them could be quite reasonable. Indeed, a few threats of violence here and there could make a potentially bad client a good client.

"I'm here," she announced as she approached Taint. "And I came prepared." She gestured to the knife on her belt, as well as a few specially made bombs and her garrote.

Delivering tomatoes was really becoming a pain in the ass. Granted, Sabertache was used to desert travel, but a wooden cart's wheels just didn't get much friction in sand. Then he had to load it on to a boat and no doubt deal with all sorts of paperwork that he would have to pretend to be able to read...he almost missed killing things.

Oh, look, a giant ship at the docks. That must be the one, right? Skull and crossbones...must be a morgue ship, taking the dead out to sea. What would they need with tomatoes, though? Preserving the bodies?

The thought of business approaching made him a little queasy. Never would he work as a tomato representative again. He hunkered down by a boulder, letting the cart support its own weight for a while. Sprawling out and yawning, he turned his head to find himself facing Taint. (OOC: I've never written a dirtier sentence.)

"Oh, Taint. What are you doing here?"

Kuro hadn't wasted a whole heck of a lot of time preparing. He had brought essentials: water, some food, more water, and a surprisingly heavy cloak that he wore around his clothing to help keep sand out of his armor and other clothing. He had learned from past experiences how uncomfortable and itchy that was, and didn't desire to experience that again.

The cloak was a actually keeping the sand out for the most part, as simple as it may be. It was just an old, slightly worn, brown cloak. Yes, it was keeping the sand out of his clothing, but there was one specific thing that sand kept getting into: his dang beard.

Kuro scratched it again, feeling several grains of sand that were blown into his face by the breezes. He thought he would get used to it, and maybe even start to like it, but since his trek into the desert, he had settled on shaving it the first chance he got, but right now, he had a Zora to find, and in a desert, that shouldn't be very hard.

He had been walking and watching for a very long time, and ever once in a while he began to concern himself with why the desert had so little change in landscape. He scratched his beard and pondered this again. Kuro looked around at the redundant landscape. Just sand and some nearby water.

Wait, was that a rock?

Kuro breathed a sigh of relief that there was finally something different. As he got closer, he realized that the docks were also close, and knowing he was near the meeting place, an overwhelming flood of relief overcame him. As Kuro got closer to the rock, he noticed yet another relieving sight: people.

As he got closer, he was able to recognize them. Taint was there with the Deku, one of the girls, and Saber, who had brought a cart-full of tomatoes, apparently. Kuro couldn't help but wonder why, what with tomatoes being disgusting and all, but he couldn't question it.

Wait a minute, yes, he could. "What's with the cart of Tomatoes?" he asked as he had got to the group.

OOC: I hate you so much Saber

Alpha wrote:"Hoy, Cap'n!"

Taint jumped so high in the air that he was afraid to land. He landed flat on his back before looking up at the Deku with mixed emotions. He was angry about the surprise for a brief second before he was happy that someone had showed up. His expression turned from complete shock to a warm smile. He was happy that the Deku came along for the trip, happy that the pirates were having to good of a time to hear the Deku, and happy that he was able to control his bladder.

"Ohh, Din. You scared me... Yukie was it?"

The Zora let out a deep breath as he got to his feet. "Glad you could make it. Keep your voice down, I'm kind of gathering you all here in secret. I'll explain once more arrive- if any arrive." He leaned against the rock and watched for more of his crew. A figure appeared over the sandy horizon as yet another adventurer arrived. It looked to be the woman that had joined. He felt bad that he couldn't recall her name, so he instead waited for her to address him.

"I'm here, and I came prepared."

She still didn't seem to be the sociable type. In fact she seemed annoyed about the whole journey. Either way, she showed up and that was what really mattered. "Good to see you. I'll explain soon, let's just wait for about two more. I don't expect that everyone will have had full intent to travel across the great plains, through the forest, and across the desert just for a rumor of treasure." He only expected about one more to show; and that's just what one more did.

"Oh, Taint. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, bonehead!" He smiled as he extended a hand to help the mercenary up off the sand. After all, getting sand out of your hair was difficult work- not that the Zora would know. "Glad to have you aboard. But why did you bring your tomato cart? That must have been hell, are you alright?" The cart did look rather heavy and wheels didn't work well in sand. "Good thing it's cloudy today or you might have died of heat exhaustion!" He added as the next member of the crew arrived before another word was spoken.

"What's with the cart of Tomatoes?"

"That's what I said!"

The Zora answered as he extended a hand. "Great to see you, thanks for coming!" He turned and looked at his crew. He'd never been so proud in all his life. And a few of them even calling him captain instead of Taint. He decided that it was time to explain- after they got a ship of course.

"Alright listen to me and listen good. This is going to be dangerous. So dangerous in fact that I had to drop my dearest friend off at her home before setting out on this expedition." He was hoping everyone would take him seriously. This wouldn't be like any adventure they'd ever been on. "Most people seriously underestimate the sea. The ocean is a cruel and powerful force that wishes only to devour your vessel and consume your soul. If we're all ready, then let's begin. Follow my lead, and stay close!"

He dodged explaining the adventure yet again. He quickly moved around the bend and towards the ship. He was running as fast as he could while remaining crouched as he made his way out onto the docks. He quickly boarded the ship on the boards that connected the boat to the docks. Moving towards the anchor crank, he motioned for Yukie to raise the front sail. It was the smallest sail, and easiest to raise. Kuro would have to raise the main sail, or Taint with the help of another. But that had to wait until they raised anchor. He quickly began working on the crank, raising the anchor little by little. Tension floated in the air as the Zora cranked the anchor as fast as he could. Finally he could feel the weight of the anchor; it had lifted off the ocean floor, and was heavier than he thought. His muscles bulged as he cranked with all of his might. It would be a slow process but he could do it if he kept strong. Come on you son of a gun... Then a sound came like stinging death to his ears: "OYE!! WHAT-EYEW THINK YER DOIN?!"

[Music=Death is Approaching]

Taint looked over his shoulder and found that a few of the pirates had noticed their sails being raised from the pub. A few of them exiting the doors noticed as well, and called to the captain inside. "OH DIN, NO TIME!" He cried as he pointed to the main sail. "Raise it! The anchor is far enough up that it won't snag on the ocean floor!" He called out as he watched the pirates hurry down the docks. If the pirates boarded the ship then there would surely be bloodshed- which the Zora hoped to avoid. Wait. If the board! BOARD! He turned his head to the woman who hadn't introduced herself yet. "HEY! KNOCK DOWN THE BOARDING PLANKS!" He dearly hoped she would just accept his orders and not question him. If he'd tried this by himself, he would have surely failed.

OOC: To Kasei and Arrika, if you don't post by the time I post next, I'll just assume that your characters boarded with us.

"Ohh, Din. You scared me... Yukie was it?"

Yukie smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed but mostly humored by the Zora's reaction to his stunt. 'Boy oughta learn ta pay better attention! If he's gonna be leadin' us inta danger, he'll be needin' ta keep his wits about 'im!' But he said none of this, letting his scolding be lost to his mind while the Zora explained a tiny bit more about the situation they was in. Tryin' to keep it a secret? A bit odd o' him . . .

But, then again, it weren't like his crew wasn't odd as well . . . to match the ancient Deku, next arrived the child Hylian from the day before - he'd not expected her to show up, what with havin' to cross an entire desert ta git here. This one was worth keepin' an eye on - she was somethin' special, of that he had no doubt! Next was young Sabertache . . . with his tomato cart (that got even the Deku ta raise an eyeleaf in bewildarment). The last one he noticed was one o' the last arrivals from the day before, who appeared ta also be an acquaintance of Sabertache's.

Whether er not the other sign-ups appeared weren't his concern, though. Throughout these arrivals and all subsequent others, he kept his orange eyes starin' out over that there horizon, wonderin' if the others he'd told about this little mission would be appearin'. He didn't see 'em anywhere, though . . .

That was when Cap'n finally decided to have another word with 'em all . . . and it didn't pass by the Deku's notice when he escaped explainin' their plan o' action once again. They were just to climb aboard the ship, right? A ship bearin' skull 'n bones . . .

The Deku paused on the gangplank, sudden realization strikin' him.

'This ain't . . . ah . . .

. . .
. . .
. . .

'Oh, this is gonna be FUN!'

Bounding up the ramp, he raced over to his assignment, graspin' the sails and yankin' as hard as he could . . . only to find himself climbin' the rope instead o' pullin' it down. He sighed, cursin' his race's lightweight frames; he had strength aplenty, but that meant nothin' if gravity didn't hold 'im ta the ground. "Um, Cap'n? This ain't lookin' like my area o' expertise . . ."

"OYE!! WHAT-EYEW THINK YER DOIN?!"

'Now that be my expertise!'

The Deku hopped down from his rope and raced to the side, eyeing the pirates - and, no doubt, the proper owners o' this here mighty fine vessel - and watched them run towards the ship. "Belay that there order, missy!" He called to young Raven. "Git that sail up - I got this mess covered!" It was unfortunate that he had ta argue with Cap'n's orders, but the Zora didn't yet know what he was capable of. Didn't know who could best handle which task.

He himself ran up to the main gangplank and, makin' sure no one else needed ta board, thrust it over the side o' the ship 'n into the water. 'They could still try ta climb up the side o' da ship, though . . .' He leapt on top of the railing, crouchin' low as he continued watchin' the pirate's. If any o' them kept comin', well . . . he might hafta use some o' skills a bit sooner than he'd expected.

OOC: Sorry, ZV, but I noticed a flaw in your choice of assignments. Besides, this way Yukie's skills might get to be shown early - and unlike the Deku, I'd be rather pleased about that! 8D

"Waiting for you, bonehead!"

Saber's brow furrowed as Taint hurried him along. "Are-are you the one who ordered the shipment?" But as everyone began boarding the ship questioning his choice in equipment, he started to get the inkling he had forgotten a previous engagement of some sort. "Well, I'm supposed to deliver these tomatoes...I hope this is the ship."

He set the cart down on the deck. He seemed to remember running into Taint recently...had he made some sort of promise then? He never did bother remembering much pertaining to the Zora. The fact he could still attach the name to the face was astounding.

It seemed like Taint was taking everyone out for a ride on the ship. But he really had to pay for the tomatoes first, so Sabertache sauntered over to the makeshift Cap'n with a piece of parchment. "So...could you sign--"

"OYE!! WHAT-EYEW THINK YER DOIN?!"

And suddenly, pirates.

Things got all crazy, and the deku was going into what appeared to be his version of a combat mode. Sabertache himself entered a heightened sense of awareness. This is what he existed for. This poor Zora was being bullied by pirates, and it was his duty to stop them. He drew his blade, hair blowing in the wind that rushed across the scorching desert. Throwing a bomb towards the approaching mob, the mercenary roared in the face of tyranny.

"Don't worry, they won't hijack your ship before you purchase these tomatoes!"

"Great to see you, thanks for coming!"

Kuro shook the hand that was extended to him, and was about to ask who the owners of the fine ship were, but it didn't take long for that question to be answered without any words.

"OYE!! WHAT-EYEW THINK YER DOIN?!"

Oh, crap.

Kuro sprinted from his location to the ship, dropping his cloak for ease of movement to reveal his clothing: a shot-sleeved shirt beneath a leather jerkin, a two-handed Deku sword on his back, a brown leather belt that his two regular Deku swords were located, and simple black pants.

He ran with an urgency that he hadn't had in a long time, and it felt good to Kuro to be back in action again, like the good old days. However, it wasn't time to think about the good old days; it was time to raise the main sail.

Kuro got to the rope and reached out for it, grabbing it tightly, left hand over right, and pulling as hard as he could. He smiled a little when the sail came down and he looked around. The Deku had knocked off the boarding plank and stood ready in case the pirates got on the ship, and if they did, it wouldn't be good.

Kuro pulled out his dual swords and ran on the side of the ship, closer to the back than Yukie, in case the pirates tried to leap over or climb up. His eyes watched the pirates carefully, but he noticed Saber and his cart full of tomatoes. He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't got on the boat yet, or whether or not he knew to get on the boat in the first place. Surely he did, right? After all he had signed up to do this, and the crew couldn't afford any less people, especially if a storm came, which seemed likely. Kuro didn't know much about ships, but he knew that they can sink easily in storms, and that was bad.

Either way, Kuro was prepare to defend Captain Taint's brand new ship at all costs.

OOC: What I've been doing so far has worked, so I'm going to keep it up. After at least four people post and nobody else does after an entire day, I'm moving forward. What kills topics is waiting for people to reply. The momentum is lost and sometimes even the inspiration goes under with it. Again, I'm going to assume that both Ryss and Denkou are both with us. Moving forward now.

Oh! And to Alpha: You've realized that Taint isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. That's step one to becoming my co-captain
If you disagree with something, feel free to do as you wish. If it's the smarter move, your reputation with my characters will improve for sure.
This adventure is pretty open ended, guys. Feel free to do what you want (rationally of course(I'm looking at you Saber)).

IC:

[Music=We're off!!]

The main sails flapped forward as the wind filled them with much needed propulsion! The boat left the docks, leaving the pirates screaming curses and waving their weapons in the air. The Zora ran to the bow of the boat smiling widely as he leaned off the front, throwing his arms into the air. The clouds parted and the sun shined on the adventurers as a cool breeze took them far away from the pirates. The threat of the pirates ended as quickly as that of the storm!

"We did it! We got the boat!" He cheered as he ran across the deck happily. He watched the pirates grow smaller as distance was quickly put between them. He whirled around smiling at his crew. "I couldn't have done it without you guys! This whole thing has started off far more successful than I ever thought it would have! This calls for a feast!" He was so happy that he'd nearly forgotten about a promised explanation. "I'll explain the details of the trip over dinner! Meal hall is this way! These guys are always stocked!"!" He threw open the cabin doors and proceeded down the small staircase. He instantly hung a right down a small hallway, and then a left followed by another quick right. He tossed open the double doors that led to the massive mess hall and held one of the doors open for everyone to enter. The mess hall was vast, with many small round tables dotting the room around a large elongated table. It was mighty tidy for being owned by a gang of pirates. The wood was all polished and clean, and candles sat at each table.

Strangely, Taint seemed to know his way around the boat suspiciously well. "I'll get to cooking right away!" When everyone was in the mess hall he walked through a pair of saloon style doors right next to the doors they walked in through. Sure enough they were stocked to the brim, and before long the Zora had cooked up a feast suitable for a crew of hungry giants! A couple of Cooked Cucco's, two massive steaks, and a giant salad bowl (being sensitive to any healthy eaters or vegetarians on board). The Zora had obviously been a cook before; he never would have thought twice about vegetarians if he hadn't made that mistake before. He also seemed to know his way around the boat rather well. He laid the feast out on the large table. Taint stood before them before eating and opened his arms. "This is for showing up for the voyage. Honest to Din, I'd never have been able to take that boat alone. They can't make a Zora walk the plank, so I'd have been straight up done for!" He chuckled and continued. "We have a decision to make, however!" He was finally getting around to the promised explanation. "I'm sure a few of you have heard of the mysterious Gossip Isle!" He announced, getting right to the subject.



"Gossip Isle is a mysterious and enigmatic place that sits about 300 miles off the coast of Parapa. The ruins there hold hints of Sheikahn architecture, and are most likely links to the ancient tribes of old. There are many statues and carvings all around the island, and they're all scribbled on in a dead language. The ruins hold some kind of secret- that fact itself is not a secret. Everyone knows there's got to be something of great significance there! Many big shot archeologists have paid the island a visit or two trying to understand the meaning of the island. They've all given up in frustration though." He pulled a piece of parchment from hammer space and unrolled it. "I happen to know a few people. One of them a scholar, he knows all about the history of the island itself. The other, a complete genius in many categories. He's of Sheikan descent, and happened to have a few classified royal files about their ancient language. The third is a shadowy fella. He delves in the arts of the ancient, and belonging to a secret organization, he was able to fill in the blanks."

He looked around the room as he placed a finger on the paper. "This here is the alphabet of the ancient Sheikah! Thanks to a few friends of mine, I was able to have them decode nearly every bit of it. It took all my savings, but their work was superb! They were only unable to decipher about three characters- but they assured me that I'd have next to no trouble filling in the small blanks." The Zora couldn't quit beaming. "We here, have an advantage that no explorer before us has had! I believe that being able to decipher the written codes on the statues of the island put us miles ahead of the other archeologists." Taint sat down in the chair at the end of the table and folded his arms. "Even if we don't find a 'treasure' we'll still be famous for uncovering the ancient texts! It's a win win for us ladies and gents!" He put a hand up and closed his eyes. "Before I go into details about the journey- everyone feel free to dig in! I'm open to any questions or concerns you have!"

OOC:

Whew. I need to slow down and give y'all a chance to actually do something.

OOC: What the kriff?! I checked on here several times yesterday for new posts (or at least I think I did) but the board didn't put the shinny yellow sword by the topic title to say there were new posts!!!!!!!!!!oneoneone That's why I overlooked the new posts. I didn't even notice them until this morning, right before class, when I actually looked at the date of the last post in this thread. In conclusion I have lost my faith in the shiny yellow sword and will from hereon look at the date and time of the latest reply.



300 miles?! They would be gone much longer than Raven was anticipating. She was having some serious reservations about coming along, but she dare not show her shock to the others. There better be a damn good payoff for this, she thought.

Something else had been bothering her. They kept the pirates from boarding the ship, but they didn't make sure there weren't any already on the ship before they boarded. Sure, it didn't seem very likely, but what if one or several pirates decided they wanted to get some extra shut-eye, then woke up to discover that the ship has been taken over? She was really hungry right now, and that steak looked better than anything she had eaten in a long time, but she knew they couldn't take the risk. They had to be 100% certain that there were no hostiles on board. Before anyone dove into the food, she said, "I'm going to search the ship for any pirates that might have, for whatever reason, stayed on the ship, starting with the living quarters. I need someone to come with me."

Taint nodded in the girl's direction. "No worries. I watched them leave the ship. Everyone was accounted for." He loaded his plate up and shoved some food in his mouth. "I knew everyone on the boat. We're all shet." He spoke with his mouth full yet again. "I ushed to roll with theshe guysh!"

OOC: Yeah that sword thing isn't that reliable. I keep an eye on the post count.

OoC: AAAAH I'M SORRY I'M LATE. ...band practice got me again. heheh, not surprised, I'm sure.

I'll write what I planned to introduce Arrika into this and then catch up to you.

ALPHA! Is Alpha coming?

IC:

"Are you sure you don't want to come along?" Arrika asks again.

"...this place," murmurs Seth, looking at the Parapa port in wonder.

"What are you talking about?"

"Here... Rebecca... this is the port she left Hyrule from," the psychic clarifies. He closes his eyes, but the visions of a pleading Kobas and an angry Rebecca remain, as if he were watching the past repeat itself before him.

"...I see," Arrika says simply. "So, is Rhyss letting you go with me?"

"Of course not. It doesn't mean I couldn't try."

"Then let's-"

The green-haired boy hands the leather satchel he was carrying to Arrika, and the girl stares at it dumbly before realizing his intent. "-I have nothing to gain from that place."

"Oh, come on. You're a thief, and you're going to pass up an island full of treasure?" Arrika says incredulously. "Aren't you even just a little bit curious? Aren't you interested in going somewhere that isn't Hyrule? You've been stuck in this country all your life, and you're going to pass up a chance to see something new?"

"Like I said- I have nothing to gain. ...you'll understand soon enough, trust me," he assures her, his eyes glinting with Sight.

She sighs. "Be careful, Seth. Farore watch over you."

"And you. ...hurry up and find that Zora. Things are going to get messy. Good luck out there."

Arrika holds her hand out to shake his, but his hand's already up, having Seen her actions days ago. She smiles wrly and playfully smacks his hand instead of gripping it, and just like that, they part.

There's a commotion at the docks just as Seth predicted; an angry group of pirates are running out of a pub, after a ship manned by an animated Zora and frantic, familiar adventurers.

"So much excitement already, and we haven't even started..." Arrika mutters to herself, hoping it wasn't a bad omen. The anchor is raised and the ship begins to leave the docks. She sprints through the crowds expertly, ducking under raised arms, squeezing through passersby, and even leaping over a passing cart loaded with kegs. She keeps running all the way down the wooden boardwalk, and at the very last second, leaps off the edge without missing a beat.

Her hand snags the rigging and for a few seconds she dangles there, exhaling in relief. It only seems to infuriate the mob of pirates even further, but she ignores them and hauls herself up and over the side.

For some reason there's a cart of tomatoes on board that looks strangely familiar, but she shakes off the feeling.

She arrives just in time to hear the details of the journey to a place called Gossip Isle. Seth was right on the money again, as usual- he "didn't have anything to gain" because she was the Sheikah, not him.

She follows the Zora to the meal hall, but does not allow herself to become too swayed by the impressive dinner. What kind of a "Captain" has to steal his own boat? Not that she saw anything wrong with it, naturally, but who was to say this entire trip wasn't just a fraud, and it was really a slaver ship, or something of that nature? Saber was here, though, and he had a good head on his shoulders. If there was trouble, she felt comfortable having someone she knew around.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain," she says, waving to the Zora.

"I'm going to search the ship for any pirates that might have, for whatever reason, stayed on the ship, starting with the living quarters. I need someone to come with me."

Arrika did a double take. Now she was young, couldn't be older than ten or so... and she was a thief, judging by the garotte she had. Another thief on board might spell trouble, but then again, it was just a kid... "I'll go with you," she offers brightly, although normally she wouldn't have volunteered, nor spoken that cheerfully. Here was an opportunity to find a bit of plunder in the ship itself, so she wouldn't have to come home completely emptyhanded (Rhyss wanted 50% of whatever she earned, and she fully intended to keep a few assets of her own hidden). She also saw this as an opportunity to get to know Raven better, and the girl would most likely be more talkative alone.

OOC:
Saber: your post made me crack up so much. Thank you for that.

ZV: always a pleasure to be given room to point out mistakes. Prepare yourself for another one.~

SL13: I've noticed that too, sometimes. I think what the system does is only keep track of posts that have been made since you last logged on - so if you visit HA2 (while signed in to your account, of course) and don't check this area for posts, then unless a post is made in between your current visit and your next one, HA2 will forget that you have unread posts and not show it. Regardless, ZV's method of keeping an eye on the post count is probably a better choice, and signing up for notifications isn't a bad idea either.

Arrika: answer incoming.

IC:
Yukie's change in assignments didn't appear to have had any negative outcomes; he breathed a sigh o' relief. If Taint was gonna be the Cap'n here, it wouldn't be good to be second-guessin' his orders . . . but the Zora hardly seemed to care. With a shrug, the Deku turned to leave his perch - but turned back as he spotted a person flying through the crowd and leapin' out to catch hold o' the ship. 'Aww, Din's Fire! Don't be tellin' me one o' 'em's actu'lly atheletic - oh, no, wait just a secund.' Just in time to stave off a fatal strike from above, the target flipped onto the deck . . . and he saw it weren't one of them pirates. No, he recognized this little lady in particular - her wink to the Deku the previous day had remained in his mind. She was the one who thought he needed protectin'.

'Well, she needs some lessons in punct'ality!'

But before he could deliver a scoldin' on just such a topic, Cap'n started his celebratin' with the announcement of a feast! The Deku's ill-wills instantly vanished, happily leaping forward to follow the Zora . . . but just as quickly, he came to a halt. Now would actually be a good time . . .

The others were all quick to file in after Taint, but Yukie lingered a few seconds longer. It wouldn't have appeared that way to anyone else - he busied himself with checkin' knots 'n coilin' a length of rope from one of the sails. Busybody work, really, but things that anyone would have to acknowledge was necessary. Only when the last person had disappeared inside did he calmly set aside his work and skip over to the doorway . . . only to stop beside it. "Ya showed up afta all, eh?" he asked, seemingly to a darkly shadowed, empty space off to one side.

"Indeed."

The reply came without any motion from within the shadows, but there was definitely a presence there. If one looked closely enough, they could start to make out a few details: namely the pitch-black cape and hood that cloaked the man's entire form. No stretch of the imagination as to who it was; despite his wishes, he'd become well known for the look he refused to alter - it had kinda become his trademark appearance in Hyrule. "Well 'en, what'm I lookin' at?"

Alpha finally stepped forward slightly, enough so that a small portion of his hooded face could be seen. "I'm familiar with several of these people - Taint I've heard of having several exploits in particular. Kuro Rinku is a good man to have on board as well. The young girl I don't know, but if she crossed the desert in a single night she must be quite capable," he said, mirroring Yukie's earlier thoughts. "The other two are ones you can trust: Saber and Arrika are both allies of mine."

The Deku nodded; calling a person an "ally" was about as close as the Sheikah ever got to saying he trusted them completely. That elevated those last two quite highly in Yukie's eyes. He'd hafta see if he could get close 'n earn their trust too then, though in Arrika's case he weren't sure how easily that could be accomplished . . . or even if he wanted to. 'Aw well, too bad for my pride.' "So, what's yer role gonna be in all this?"

His hidden ace-in-the-hole shrugged and leaned back against the dark walls, fading from view. "For now, I'll keep an eye on the sea to make sure we don't hit anything - Taint seems to have forgotten to assign a lookout or helmsman, so I'll take care of those tasks. Also keep an eye behind us in case the proper owners give pursuit." A pause. "I suppose I'll have to reveal myself to everyone eventually - before we reach our destination, at least. But until then . . . I think I'll enjoy some anonymity."

Yukie could almost see the smirk that had appeared on Alpha's face. With a similar expression covering his own, he hurried inside after the others. Arriving just in time to catch the explanation of their voyage, the Deku could only smile at the luck of Alpha's decision to come along. The boy might just learn a few things about his culture, and that weren't never a bad thing!

Before he could dig in, though, the youngster voiced concerns of other pirates being on the ship, a worry that Yukie felt was quite valid - in fact, he grew rather annoyed at himself fer not thinkin' about that before! While he wasn't too keen on the girl going, when Arrika offered to join her he decided to give 'em his support. He'd have gone himself, but 1) after talkin' with Alpha, he figured that Arrika could handle any situations that might arise, and 2) while Deku didn't need much meat, that salad looked far too fine to pass up.

"Ain't a bad idea to be checkin' around anyway," he stated calmly in response to Taint's quick dismissal of the subject. "How long ago was you on this here boat? Could they's have gotten another member er two since you left 'em?" He nodded to the ladies before grabbing a heapin' helpin' of the lettuce. "If they wanna be sure, I say we let 'em be sure."

After fillin' his plate he hurriedly chomped down on it, savoring the taste as the concern of extra pirates on board vanished. If nothin' else, Taint made fer a fine cook!

OOC: Alpha I'd like to clarify that they aren't my mistakes, they're Taint's. You'll notice that when I RP Dogura, I keep all my bases covered. Good to see Alpha along by the by. He may like what he finds on the island.

IC:

Taint thought back to how long it had been. It had been quite a while indeed. It was no miracle that none of them had died. They were all special in their own ways... That's what made it difficult for newcomers. The only reason they'd let the Zora join was because he'd bested the captain in a duel. That and the fact that he could cook better than the chef at the time. He finally nodded to the pair. "Fine, fine, go on and explore the ship. But be careful!" He took another bite of the Cucco and chewed it slowly. "OH!" He called out. "Whatever you find that you want- keep it!" He smiled at them. He knew thieves when he saw them- and while he was sure that they weren't concerned with his permission, he didn't want secrets to be kept.

OOC:

To my two little explorers: Explore the boat as you want- I have no pre-set blueprint of the ship, so don't worry about that. I'll narrate what you find though, if that's alright