It seemed Caerys could not catch a break in her journeys back to her people. As soon as she had set sail from Noxus and chartered a ship to chase down her ‘people’, the trail would lead them to the pirate haven of Bilgewater, then, to the open sea, heading to Ionia...
The rickety ship rocked and heaved greatly in the open sea, much to the distress of the land dwelling former gladiatrix. Weeks had gone by and her dyed hair had grown out, making her locks now mostly bleached white with vermilion tips. She returned to the mess hall after heaving on deck and overboard, slumping at the nook of the boat’s chef, burying her face in her forearms. She groaned for nourishment, anything to make the nausea go away. She was met with a slow, droning Ionian song sung by a gravely, baritone voice, which prompted her to look up at the cook.
The ship’s cook was a massive... figure, his round belly making him almost as wide as he was eight feet tall, wearing a straw hat and expertly filling a bowl of hot soup with a serving of noodles, with short chubby limbs hidden by voluminous robes. He almost seemed to dance as he mixed in herbs and strong spices, bumping his kitchen equipment a few times but not knocking any over in this storm. At that point, she felt ashamed to call herself a graceful dancer.
“Nothing quite like the combination of a cold, stormy night, a wet bunk and the heaving of an empty stomach... Ah, but I have just the remedy for you my dear! Feng Bo’s special secret herbs soup, guaranteed to cure all ailments and keep you warm through a Frejlordian blizzard!” The enthusiastic and large chef ducks and weaves through his cramped kitchen and serves Caerys a bowl.
The white haired Gladiatrix blinked as the scent of the food met her senses. She sipped from the bowl, holding it weakly with both hands. “...Did you put mint in this?” She asked, fumbling with the two pieces of wood called... chopsticks.
“Ahaha, maybe. Does the lady find mint to her dislike?” The chef asked, slicing up ingredients for a rich, boiling hotpot- carrots, cabbages, pork, shrimps, beans...
“No... no... It reminds of a recipe from my family.” She said, smirking slightly, drinking it up with greater enthusiasm.
“Ah, the warmth of nostalgia, an ingredient I am always eager to stock, but can never find.” The chef remarked, each gesture of his shaking the hanging pots. He steadies them, and sniffs at the size of his allotted kitchen, muttering something in Ionian that sounded like disdain.
“How much longer until we reach Ionia, master chef?” Caerys asked, focusing on her mission.
“I do not know... I am a humble wandering chef, and it is my job to make sure the journey is as enjoyable as the destination. Patience, child. Sit back... and enjoy a complimentary refill of my soup. Don’t be shy. Drink up.”
Lightning cracked, and a peal of thunder roared outside. Caerys’s heart sank, as she’d never been on the water before all her life, let alone in a raging storm out at sea. Non-crew were encouraged to stay below at all times, and the passengers on this cruise was scarce, as few from Bilgewater would come to Ionia, save for the Free islands outside the mainland.
Lavin stumbled into the mess hall. While he wasn't often accustomed to ships in general - he'd always hated airships, which was what he often saw in inland Zaun - he knew he had to stomach this ride so that he could at least make it to Ionia. Any of his traveling compadres had opted for a later ride, but always in a rush, he'd taken the first boat out of Bilgewater.
Early on in the cruise, he'd decided it may be a good idea to crack open one of his souvenirs from Bilgewater. Namely, a cask of rum. About right now, he decided that had been a bad idea. A bad bad, bad bad bad, BAD idea. As if he wasn't sick enough from the rocking, the Rum had fermented a bit more in the few days on his vacation, and was strong enough to make his stomach extra volatile.
"Oi, chef!" he called...or more, groaned. "Have anything ta set me straight? My stomach feels like one of Singed's experiments." He then sat there a moment, clutching his head, before noticing the form of Caerys nearby. He slid himself closer to her, still a bit buzzed, but by no means drunk. "Hey, what's a nice thing like you doing out here?" He cracked a grin, but with some unsettling in his stomach, it switched to a slight frown. "Blegh...nevermind, not gonna chance it."
He turned aside, giving her a bit of room. "Name's Lavin. Lavin Hastighed. We're both stuck here, so may as well talk a bit. Mind?" He asked, giving her a fleeting glance.
The big, round chef turns his head towards Lavin and nods, humming cheerfully as he took out a tea pot from the stove and sprinkled the insides with some kind of crushed herbs. He then pours him a serving in a green, ceramic tea cup... the tea is dark, piping hot, and gave off a powerful, bitter smell that could put Twitch to shame.
"Drink this, and you will feel better. hehe." He slides the cup closer to Lavin, much to the misfortune of his nose... but Ionian teas were renowned for their powerful effects. If it was genuine, of course.
Caerys, focused on her food, barely noticed Lavin making a pass at her, and ignored it given how badly the sea was rocking the boat and her stomach. "His noodles are good." was all she would say, timid and withdrawn in her personality, after the exposure she had in Noxus. The top of her hand still bore the brand of slavery, and she covered it with her sleeve.
Lavin nodded. "Right...noodles...I like noodles." He looked at the tea for a moment before grabbing it and sipping it quickly. If there was one benefit to being Zaunite, it was that bad smells bothered you less. Instantly, his stomach began to recover, if only partially. "Damn good tea too, if I say so myself."
As Caerys moved to cover her brand, Lavin caught but a glimpse of it. Obviously a sensitive subject, so one to stay away from. "So, uh...nice hair." He motioned passively to her locks, pointing to his own a moment later; bright blonde tipped with chartreuse. "Guess I wasn't the first there then, eh?" This hopefully wouldn't elicit more silence from her. Lavin loved to talk, even when sick.
Post by Scorn of the Moon on Jul 30, 2013 2:47:10 GMT -5
The long weeks of being upon the ship has shown some wear and tear within Diana's ancient armor, as the salted air has made it grow quite dim. Within the sunlight, the streaks of sand that covered the armors base would show, as Diana's hair frizzed slightly at the tip, as her other sword stayed planted next to her hip at all times. She had a tired expression upon her face during the following day had shown that she was also tiring of the shipride, as they usually do not take this long.
Diana herself would be glaring out into the open sea within the rain. The stormy weather did not bother the Lunar warrior in the slightest, as she watched the waves torrent and splash the crew working desperately within the rain. It would come to Diana's thoughts that perhaps this was not a typical storm, but she was still here to help Caerys find her people...and to bring her into the Lunari fold.
"Tsk, will this storm ever end?!" Diana growled out, finding a small place to stand under with some cover within the Rain finally.
The Deck was no place to be, as the crew were tied and harnessed to the ship as they worked. The helmsman clung for dear life to ride with the storm, shouting instructions over the maelstrom. The storm had hit suddenly, and the crew raced to hoist the sails.
A Gale force wind blows across the deck, causing everyone to immediately hit the deck- an unfortunate soul is blown away out to sea, his rope entangling around his neck for a brief second as it snapped... the man would be spared the agony of drowning at least.
"WAAAAVE!" A moderately sized wave, one the ship would feel but not capsize to (yet), hits the deck afterwards, sending a great wall of water onboard. Diana was in a prime position to be struck by the massive torrent, and to feel what it was like to hit the deck door face first if she was not somehow braced...
Below Deck
That last wave filled half the messhall with a large puddle of water, and a few passengers onboard begin to heed the call to head to their bunks for the night.
Caerys remained at the Ionian's Stand, her conversation with Lavin interrupted by the wave. She peered out the window and felt her heart sink- everywhere she went on this journey, there was some form of misfortune or carnage around her, and it wore down on her soul. At times she truly wanted to simply lay down and die... and then resolved that she did not have the luxury to.
She noticed Lavin's hair similar to hers, and shrugged it as coincidence. "Not my choice." She remarked about the hair. She gave her bowl to the rotund Ionian chef. "More meat this time, please."
The Chef meanwhile chuckled at the exchange happening between his two customers (so far). "Such a frail girl, you need more meat on your bones!" He took out a large tube- a very thick section of bamboo, slightly darkened because of exposure to flame- and poured some of its contents into Caerys's bowl. Out came a thick, sweet smelling coconut-based soup with generous chunks of chicken and pork off the bone in it, fragrant with herbs and spices and colorful with beans, cabbage and carrots. The normally morose girl's eyes went wide at the sight of the food. She tries it enthusiastically. "This is delicious." She begins to eat with an appetite, helping herself to the noodles from the common noodle bowl, dousing them in the bamboo-coconut smelling soup before slurping them up.
She looked around and wondered where Diana was. She was missing out on this amazing dish.
He offered some of the bamboo stew to Lavin. The Chef was quite the boisterous fellow indeed. "Great weather for food and company, wouldn't you agree? haha. Where are you from, stranger?" He sighs, while beginning to chew on a small bamboo shoot.
Labin graciously tucked into the coconut stew. "Well," he said, eating some more, "I'm from Zaun. Used to drive cycles and stuff. And before you assume anything," he stated, holding up his hand, "no. I think that Zaun screwed up in helping Noxus, and I wish there was anything I was capable of to make up for it."
Turning back to Caerys, he thought of something to say. "So, uh...what's your name again? I don't think I caught it the first time." He then continued eating his soup, offering his bowl for seconds when it was empty. "Delicious. Any more?"
Post by Thomas Greenfield on Jul 30, 2013 5:17:38 GMT -5
Thomas was finding ways to entertain himself during the journey, mainly helping out the crew with chores or asking the other crew mates for any entertaining stories. But at the moment he was just holding his newest treasure he purchased while they were in Bilgewater: a "guaranteed exotic creature" egg out in some spare cover outside with his bird Lucas, happy that the ships journey to Bilgewater had given him something to show his friends and Ahri once he got back to Ionia.
He gave it a wide grin before wrapping it up and placing it carefully back into his backpack and looked around on the deck and noticed someone else was out with him during the rain, he shrugged and looked out at the sea wondering how much longer it would take them to reach Ionia when the wave was upon them with Lucas squawking urgently to get his friends attention.
"LOOK OUT!"
Thomas had looked to the bird in curiosity and spoke "What's wrong?! I know it's bad out but.." was all he managed to get out before being struck and sent to the floor of the deck with a thud with Lucas standing in front of him unsure of what to do.
Post by Scorn of the Moon on Jul 30, 2013 22:53:22 GMT -5
Diana would continue watching the crew members scurry about, holding upon their ropes as one loses his footing and flies off the ship, a hopeless situation as the cry for the "WAVE" happened. Diana's head would turn immediately towards the direction of it... but it was to late to brace herself. She would be hit head on by the wave, and thrown down through the doors to the lower deck by its sheer force... if not for her armor and blade's slashing against some of the frame, she would have been seriously injured.
"........I think I'll stay down here for a while..." She groaned out, feeling no need to move from her fallen spot.
Once everything once secured, all non-essential crew on deck began going below. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, the boat was rocking more heavily now, and people clung to the railings when the boat tilted at the deepest angles, holding on for dear life. One man notice Thomas, bewildered and confused, grabbing him by the sleeve and shouting at him over the wind of the RAGING THUNDERSTORM, completely ignoring his belongings and bird companion. "Oi! you daft?! Passengers stay below! We have to ride out the storm!" He lets go of Thomas and proceeds inside.
Below Deck, Mess Hall
The chef served Lavin some more of the bamboo cooked stew. It was a complimentary part of his fare for getting on the boat. His humming was cut short by the very loud creaking and groaning sounds of the ship's hull being stressed to their limits.
"I am... Caerys. Caerys the Vermilion." Caerys responded with a partial alias, after a long moment of silence as she balanced herself against a railing inside the mess hall. The tables leaned with the ship, though thankfully these were empty. The chef absently got some hot, delicious soup on Lavin's shirt.
Caerys slowly moved to the base of the stairs and slowly assisted Diana, pulling her out of the crew's way as they descended the stairs. "...You are powerful, milady but I don't think it to be prudent to challenge a hurricane."
"Caerys? Caerys the Vermillion?" Lavin chuckled. "Boy, wish I had a middle name as cool as 'the.' Actually, wish I had a middle name. But good to meetcha." He began to eat his soup, but was interrupted by the cook's missing. He winced in pain, unable to stop himself from rolling onto the floor. As he dragged himself up, he saw Caerys approach none other than Diana.
He tried to get back up but failed multiple times. "H-hey!" He called out to the two warriors, "Think one of you could give me a hand?" He tried again, this time only succeeding in grabbing his bowl and dumping the contents on himself, causing a body-wide scald.
Post by Thomas Greenfield on Aug 1, 2013 22:34:48 GMT -5
Thomas quickly got to his feet and followed the man inside, taking a moment to check his backpack "Still intact, good" he said to himself. Lucas flew up to his shoulder and perched, tilting his head and wondering what to do next.
A few seconds of sitting in the hall he sniffed and smelled something simply delectable... it smelled like food from home, deciding to investigate he casually made his way to the mess hall to find out exactly what was so good and had him thinking of home.
Post by Scorn of the Moon on Aug 3, 2013 17:11:22 GMT -5
As Caerys arrives to help the Lunar warrior up, another violent shake of the ship would shift her slightly, pulling them both to the bottom of the stairs rather quickly. The others comment about a hurricane was unheard of, since she was not used to such storms due to always being on the mainland.
"Thank you Caerys..." Diana softly said, although now overlooking her armor and blade as Lavin called out to them both. Her attention, while leaning against the wall would now turn to the man.
"I cannot help you with such a...spill? Remove your shirt and apply some cold water of some sorts...I suppose."
Afterwards, Diana would slowly walk towards the mess hall tables and take a seat nearby, inspecting her blade and armor further... not truly wanting to eat anything right now due to a weird feeling within her stomach.
((Diana's not been on a severely rocking boat. Soooo I'm gona give her a first time experience with Sea Sickness >.>))
Lavin rolled his eyes, cringing in pain immediately afterwards. "Sheesh, yea, whatever." He finally managed to stand up, taking off his shirt with a swift motion and standing there in all his shirtless glory. His body was red where the soup had spilled on him, but everywhere else, it was just slightly tanned, his body rather well-chiseled.
He gave the pair a quick, slightly angry glance. He brushed it away, though, going back to disgruntled and seasick. Leaning on the bar with the chef, he sighed. "If I ever take this boat again, remind me to not drink booze the moment I get on." With that, he put his head on the bar and groaned vocally.
Post by Piltover Medical Corps on Aug 7, 2013 23:30:44 GMT -5
It had been a long time since he took a boat leaving his homeland, but he certainly didn't remember such a trip being this bad; with the stormy weather all about them, it was only thanks to the intolerable training he got that he didn't already start barfing all over the place.
The promise of being able to go back home was too great to resist, and on top of it he learned his sister had now enrolled in studies. While the announcement that he was 'going home' did surprise a good number, it was normal to him. Having business-parents who lived abroad seemed to do that to someone who was a child of such people.
1stSgt. Wallcroft simply kept to himself on a fringe table in the mess hall, already a bit concerned over deciding to use his permitted 2-week leave from work so soon; he already gave up any chance for a promotion - and with it, an increase in pay - by taking a vacation far earlier than is usual, and that a friend who seemingly risked even more by joining him didn't assuage his mind.
And it wasn't just any friend: it was his best friend. SSgt. Faucon, who convinced him to join the force he served in to the present day. Bernard looked worried at Wallcroft, but shook his head and offered a smile.
"Ay, don't be worried, my friend: whatever we'll have to endure here can't be as bad as what we encountered in Freljord, no?"
"Right, but, I wish I didn't have to put you through this. When I left Ionia I didn't recall such a trip being so rough." Wallcroft was then reminded of the situation: they were off-duty, but knowing that they wanted to not spend too much, they took a cheaper detour from Piltover to Bilgewater, and then from there go to Ionia.
In spite of this being a vacation, the two men brought along some of their gear, just to be sure that no pirate or inhabitant of Bilgewater would get any thoughts about trying to attack them.
It was definitely not as much as they normally carried: just their carbines, some ammunition, and their travel backpacks. While their clothing clearly identified who they were, it was certainly far more casual; just their basic shirt/pant fatigue combos and their general-issued boots (they did bring their helmets though, as the cross on it made a good warning sign to people who were tempted to not try anything funny on them). Being Corpsmen, they - naturally - also had first aid kits.
This also meant at the very least they weren't bored out of their minds; with their medical experience, they decided to volunteer in the ship's ward, which though it was at times disgusting - naval medicine was still woefully behind abilities developed on land - it at least gave them something to do.
Faucon looked over across the hall, and saw some oddities - including a champion - interacting with each other. He turned to Wallcroft.
"Say, you think we should go and meet them? It'd alleviate the dullness right now."
"Eh, I don't recognize any of them aside from the champion, and that's only because we have to be aware of who they are and what they stand for as a champion."
"Well, wouldn't hurt to make an acquaintance, no?"
"It's not just that; I haven't heard many good stories about that champion either. And, quite frankly, the people here don't seem so nice."
"Well, I guess; ah well, we'll be bound to talk to some of them anyways along the trip."
Before Faucon finished speaking, Wallcroft took out a pack of cards, and soon the two became focused on a rather intensive game.
"We serve those that need help, because we're Medics: that's our job." -Major Lewis
"Sometimes, ordinary people can do extraordinary things: Medics need to do that everyday." -Captain Winters
"In this world, we're a team. There is no I in team, simple as that. We either work as one, or we all fail, all seperate from each other." -Lieutenant Hixon
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