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#1
Old 08-20-2015, 06:44 AM

"I've got it." Khadri smirked into his tea late one night. He had since swapped out control of the helm with the other full-time spell caster on the ship, La'iel, so the ship would never have to stop moving. For two hours on either side of his twelve hour shift, he could do as he pleased, preparing his spells and relaxing on the main deck before being confined to the helm. It was the largest room on the ship besides the hold with plenty of room to keep his slowly growing stacks of books, but it was still a monotonous time for such an extroverted intellectual.

"A name for this damned ship." Khadri paused, making sure his companion was not simply spacing out. Khadri thought the name would be quite clever, but he was unsure if he could deliver it in such a way twice without the effect being lost. He quite liked the ship he had 'acquired'. His skeleton crew rode aboard a small scout class ship, a Dragonfly if the documentation was correct. It was shaped after its namesake, with two sets of long, solar wings that powered the internal functions. Still, between the solar sails, more power was necessary for the ship to get off planets and go. It did not matter which kind of spellcaster powered the ship. Khadri drew on the arcane ley-lines that criss-crossed the crystal sphere in which they floated. La'iel drew on something far more mysterious. It was a kind of connection to a lesser god or ancestral spirit that fuelled her magic. Khadri didn't ask. La'iel wasn't his favored conversation partner after all.

Last edited by shatteredarchivist; 08-20-2015 at 06:53 AM..

Lathrine
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#2
Old 08-20-2015, 07:14 AM

Keeping watch over Khadri while he took his shifts at the helm was boring, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as sitting at the helm itself. It gave him companionship and moral support, and gave Kalia time to keep her journal up to date. Sometimes she finished during Khadri's shift, sometimes it carried over into his decompress period after the fact, and either way it didn't much bother her. Tonight it carried over into after Khadri's shift, and Kalia had felt a twinge of guilt at leaving La'iel-- but one of the others could take up the job of keeping her company. Kalia couldn't stay in that room forever. She needed rest just as much as the rest of them.

The pause dragged on for a moment before Kalia looked up, pen still poised above the paper. "Oh? What've you got in mind?"

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#3
Old 08-20-2015, 09:18 AM

"Pteroquility." Khadri smirked, shooting a sidelong glance at Kalia. "As in 'Wings of Tranquility'. It's a spin off this ancient language I looked into not long ago. Or... rather..." He paused for a long moment, debating. "Pteranquility.It's a bit closer to the Common wording." Khadri set his cup down and folded his fingers in front of his face, elbows on his thighs. "Oh now I've started it. This ship needs a pun." His bright eyes darted up at Kalia. "Got any suggestions or am I on my own here? Preferably something the goblin won't get. Mystra knows he needs more things to talk about knowing over and over."

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#4
Old 08-21-2015, 12:32 AM

Kalia smiled, then looked briefly back down to scribble something in her journal. Ancient languages were well outside her area of expertise, particularly the off-world ones, but Khadri was certainly excited about it and The Pteranquility had a nice sort of ring to it. "You're on your own, I'm afraid-- I'm no good with puns. But on the bright side, you would be hard pressed to make a pun the goblin could get. Maybe if you named the ship 'Disregards Authority'..."

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#5
Old 08-21-2015, 12:39 AM

Khadri let Kalia tail off just in case the paladin was heading somewhere. He struck up a response shortly. "But that assumes the captain indeed does disregard authority. Thusfar, no one on Bral has any reason to distrust us at least. As for the rest of the crew..." Khadri exhaled sharply and shook his head. "I don't know what La'iel did on Bral, but she seemed all too proud of herself. The goblin came back... looking like he did. At least he got himself some clothes. But... The halfling came back with a bucket of raw meat scraps. Uncovered. Unsalted." He winced was time he named a lacking aspect of the meat. "I know he needs to feed his wolf, but... at port, can't he keep it off the ship? I mean, I like animals as much as the next magus, but... Familiars are small. Smart. And wolves are just... too big."

Last edited by shatteredarchivist; 08-21-2015 at 05:19 AM..

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#6
Old 08-21-2015, 04:03 AM

"It's less than ideal," Kalia agreed with a wince at the memory, setting aside the pen and gently placing her open journal on the table to dry. "However, I'm just grateful he's feeding the wolf. I was concerned that expense would get dumped on the ship. The halfling's reasonable enough. If you ask him, he might agree to stable his wolf while we're at port. It might be a bit more expensive then keeping the mount here and feeding it himself, but I'm willing to help cover the difference if needed."

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#7
Old 08-21-2015, 05:09 AM

"I mean, sanitation aside... no, no, you wouldn't have to do that. It would be at my expense. The difference, that is. Anything that I complain about will be fixed by my purse, of course. But, eh, with how close they are, we'd undoubtedly lose the halfling to the stables as well. No use removing a rider from his mount. I stay with my ship whenever I can, but..." Khadri trailed off in thought for a moment. "It's not that big of a deal. He takes care of it and it stays out of the way, for the most part. But the untreated meat has to stop. That's how you get rats." Khadri stated matter-of-factly, arching both eyebrows as he took another sip of tea.

Last edited by shatteredarchivist; 08-21-2015 at 05:22 AM..

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#8
Old 08-21-2015, 05:28 AM

Kalia smiled wryly. "It certainly is. Though, in theory we could then feed the rats to the wolf... but with the sort of diseases rats tend to carry, best to not go that route." She tapped the tabletop, idly fiddling with her pen. Staying at port to care for a sick wolf would cost more in the long run, and likely upset the halfling. Lose-lose scenario, all around. "At least the halfling is more cooperative than the goblin. If you ask the halfling to treat the meat, he'll like listen. The goblin, on the other hand..." Kalia closed her eyes, largely to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. "... At least he's trying to be better than his kin." Or at least. So she'd gathered. Goblins didn't exist on her native world, but they had been informed their companion was Different and Better Behaved Than His Kin. This seemed unlikely.

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#9
Old 08-21-2015, 07:41 AM

"Yes. Rats and their diseases." Khadri idly rubbed at his sleeve, picking at the bandaging that bound his arm, covering the eerily large rat's bite mark. "Goblin would likely spread the meat around because he has no understanding of decency, tact, or proper conduct. I can't believe I ever listened to that beholder. 'Different' and 'better' don't always mean 'tolerable'." Khadri snorted, finishing the last of his cup. "I, for one, cannot deny his... prowess in combat thus far, but I also cannot deny that I try to take the peaceful route. You saw what happened to that ranger and her... her friends. That was their rogue being a braggart too. I don't want anyone to end up like that. If I need to, I will cut losses where need be. I'm sure La'iel will agree, with how she treats the goblin. We would only need one more vote to have majority... Should the time come that we needed to remove him from our ranks. Not saying that time is now, but should it... when it comes..." Khadri trailed off, pouring himself another tea.

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#10
Old 08-21-2015, 07:49 AM

"Should that time come, I will support whatever decision you make," she replied softly. "If at that point you feel the goblin is a risk and he must go, then so be it. He has proven himself to be an adept killer so far, yes, but I'm hesitant to believe he can deal with problems any other way. The fewer lives lost, the better." Kalia glanced at the bandages, frowning lightly. The injury wasn't as bad as it could've been thankfully, but that didn't make it better. She'd need to stick more closely to Khadri in the future. "How's your arm doing?"

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#11
Old 08-21-2015, 08:07 AM

"Glad to hear I have your support. But you need to retain your decision until the time comes. I might not always be in my right mind. Even the most stable and clever of us make terrible, snap decisions sometimes." Khadri watched as he carefully poured tea. The ship's internal gravity plane was more or less stable, but there was no point in not being careful. Not making a mess meant not having to clean one up. "But, enh." He shrugged and grimaced slightly. "Filth fever. Aches here and there, nothing new. I simply have to ride it out. We're tenacious. If it gets bad enough, no one needs to know about a scroll of remove disease. I have a bit of gold stowed away for an occasion such as this. I had hoped that it might last a bit longer though. Well, except La'iel. She'd be the best one to actually use it. Unless you know how to cast such spells and have been holding out on me." Khadri teased, smirking as he sat back in his chair, hands wrapped around his cup.

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#12
Old 08-21-2015, 08:24 AM

Kalia thought for a moment, then nodded in Khadri's direction. "Fair point. How about a compromise?" She sat back, drawing a leg up to rest her ankle on the opposite knee. "You still hold my support in such matters, as you are the captain, but I reserve the right to change my stance if I doubt your clarity of mind." Khadri's gentle teasing coaxed a smirk from Kalia in reply. She shook her head. "I only wish I was holding out on you; they don't teach Paladins how to treat diseases, but with a little practice I could identify that filth fever for you." The smirk grew, then faded down to a smile. "If it gets bad enough we need to pick up a scroll for you, let me know, alright? I'll pitch in for it."

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#13
Old 08-21-2015, 08:37 AM

Khadri continued smirking behind his teacup. "You're just insistent on spending gold on me, aren't you? Don't tell me I accidentally picked up a smuggler in a ship that happened to be fitted for smuggling. That's... that's far too convenient." Khadri's teasing nature wavered just a little. He had heard of some places where paladins could revere any kind of god, not just those dedicated to good and protection.

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#14
Old 08-21-2015, 08:48 AM

That elicited a hearty chuckle from Kalia, and she couldn't help but grin. "If I was a smuggler, I might have money!" She shook her head and leaned forward to check the ink in her journal. "No, honestly, I just want to help where I can. I don't have much gold, but right now I don't really have a need for any. It might as well do some good-- like room and board for people, or a scroll for you." Drats-- the ink was still a little damp in places. With nothing else to busy herself with, Kalia sat back with a shrug. "Besides, I feel bad you got injured. Things happen, of course, but it's my duty to protect you and our companions. It shouldn't have happened."

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#15
Old 08-21-2015, 08:57 AM

"Ah, right you are. But I have money stashed away. Thus far-" Khadri knocked on the wooden rail of the ship for good luck "-even the goblin has not found it. I can cover my own expenses for now, but pooling resources has never been, in a stable crew, a bad idea. As for the bite, I am not, and likely will never be, a battle mage. The front lines are never a place for arcanists. But I underestimated the rats. Assumed that your charging into their midst would confound them and make them easy pickings for my snowballs. One of the few directly dangerous spells I know. Simple, childish, yet effective. Like you said, things happen. Plans made up on the fly often fall through when the 'what-ifs' turn into 'what-nows'. I was right, but... I can't cast that quickly." Khadri paused, exhaled, and smiled. "But I know the risks. Even after seeing what happened to that ranger, I press on. I fly my stolen ship into the dragon's proverbial maw and can only hope to sail away again. My naivety and goodwill toward men has once again taken a severe blow, but, what can I say? You exist here and now because there is evil in the world." Khadri couldn't help but laugh. "And there is hope because there are people who strive to eradicate it... Oh look at me, rambling on like some old crone."

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#16
Old 08-21-2015, 09:16 AM

"There's nothing wrong with rambling," Kalia said with a soft smile, "Just as there's nothing wrong with harboring goodwill towards others. There are always lowlives who will try to prove you wrong, but more people are likely to prove you right. The worst people yell the loudest, after all. I will do my best to keep the front line as far from you as I can, and if we are surprised or the tides of battle changes-- I will not let a repeat of the ranger's party to happen to our own." Kalia spread her hands in a vague gesture, then threaded her fingers and rested her hands on her leg. "I can't promise you no injuries, but deaths are not acceptable."

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#17
Old 08-21-2015, 09:30 AM

"If all they're doing is yelling, let nothing stand between me and a good debate. If they start throwing things-- bottles, punches, that's when I don't mind a wall of sanctified... what is that, half-plate, between me and them. But until then... my physical..." Khadri sneered, spitting out his next word like a bad taste, "'disability' has done nothing to dull my mind and senses. As soon as they think they can take advantage of a lame leg," Khadri gestured behind himself briefly, indicating his staff resting against some of the rigging. "I'd be glad to not have to waste the power of the ley-lines on them if you could just pop out of nowhere for a bit of intimidation. And, as an added bonus, you'd be--" Khadri's tone sharply veered into the snide and mocking, "--protecting the 'weak and defenseless' and 'the injured'."

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#18
Old 08-21-2015, 09:45 AM

The smile dropped away and was replaced with a look of sympathy. Kalia leaned forward again-- this time, to gently touch Khadri's arm. "You are anything but weak and defenseless. I need you to know that I know that. You spellcaster types are frightening, even when you chose the path of pacifist. I protect you because I can, and because, yes, I am more physically powerful than you. But I could never think you're weaker than me." She pulled her hand back, resting it on her leg once more, and offered Khadri a small smile. "I'm fine with standing in the background and being an unspoken promise. If they think I'm the threat, they won't see you coming."

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#19
Old 08-21-2015, 09:58 AM

"And vice versa. I mean..." Khadri patted his leg, jaw tensing so as not to grimace again. "Nothing too wrong. I can stand on it if I need to I just... prefer not to. Pain is not inability. I don't get why people don't understand that. Yes, there are injuries that render some races unable to perform menial tasks, but... that is no way to define a person. By their... their shortcomings." Khadri paused. "I think I owe you at least an explanation. In Thay, back on Abeir-Toril, that's how it worked. You weren't the peak of perfection in all places, no, raw intelligence was prized over all, but everything else was second-best. You showed no weakness, you had no flaw. That's why they put me in the 'jamming helm. To keep me out of the way. I had the arcane gift. I could power a ship. Not much other use."

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#20
Old 08-22-2015, 09:52 AM

Before Kalia could interject and assure Khadri that, no, he owed her nothing of the sort-- he had begun talking. Once he had started, Kalia wasn't inclined to interrupt him. So instead she listened, hands on her knees and eyes trained on Khadri as he talked briefly about Abeir-Toril and the sort of people he'd worked with. And what had been expected of them. Kalia frowned, leaning forward slightly. "That's inhumane. You can't expect people to function at a hundred percent all the time-- it reaches a point where they have no choice but to crumble. Imperfections don't make people useless, it makes them people." Kalia pulled a disgusted face, then banished it with a shake of her head. "You're clearly not with them anymore. Assuming they don't just let people walk away... How did you get out?"

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#21
Old 08-22-2015, 10:05 AM

Khadri split into a wide, dangerous smile for only a moment. He shrugged, expression switching back to his usual haughty-yet-inquisitive one. "They put me on a 'jamming helm. They didn't expect that my elven blood... the taint, as it were, would drive me to such extremes. Undoubtedly, they doubted my ability to work past the pain of running four helms from one conduit. That's why you found me in the state you did. I hadn't had time to clean myself up between stealing the Thayan ship and... well, obtaining this one. But... Inhumane expectations. That's Thay for you. That's... one of the reasons I refuse to back down and simply 'be protected'. Why should I put myself in danger if I can't fight back and be useful when push comes to shove comes to fireball."

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#22
Old 08-22-2015, 10:36 AM

"Well, that explains that, then." Kalia shook her head again, but this time it was accompanied with a wry smile. She bowed her head slightly, raising a hand to her temple and rubbing at her brow with a huff of a laugh. "While I distinctly dislike the Thay, I'm not surprised they didn't expect you to withstand that much strain. You gave me such a scare when I found you. I'd never seen someone wear themselves so thin from 'jamming before. Thought for sure I'd lose you." He'd been in... real bad shape. Not the worst shape, looking back at it, but enough to keep Kalia on edge until he'd rested up.

Without lifting her head, she looked up at Khadri. "I'm counting on that fireball, when push comes to shove-- just give me time to get clear. But I suppose... I hadn't looked at things from any perspective but my own. Given your past experiences, small wonder you work so hard to be involved."

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#23
Old 08-22-2015, 10:42 AM

"First time in a position of power." Khadri noted. "First I was 'that weird kid that aged too slow', then I was 'hey look at my kid, he's good at magic', then I was 'Helmsman Number Three'... never Captain or even Khadri, just... things, not a person. But hey, that time's past. I live because of my past, not in it, am I right?" Khadri paused. "Why did you get so attached? I was just a vagabond with a ship, barely awake enough to pay dock fees. Why so suddenly and so strongly? Some prophecy or connection you felt?" Khadri half-teased.

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#24
Old 08-22-2015, 11:14 AM

"Fair enough," she said, "I imagine the shift from being treated as a thing to being treated as a person might take a bit of adapting." Kalia paused then, lifting her head and dropping her hand to below her chin. "I worship two deities: A god of protection, and a god of life. Dimandrix and Kirechk, respectively. As such, when we crossed paths I felt very strongly that I had to help you. Worshippers of Kirechk are encouraged to assist others and preserve life wherever we can." She took a long, slow breath, and let it out in a huff. Then, Kalia smiled."It's not just you, you know. I feel very strongly towards all our companions-- Even the goblin. I've been given the opportunity to ensure the protection of a small number of people, and of those we come across. It's very reaffirming."

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#25
Old 08-22-2015, 11:22 AM

"But there are a thousand other people out there, hurting far more than I was. In more danger than I still am. Barring what the question might sound like, I have to ask: Am I... convenient? I mean, yeah, I have no real goal in mind so I can be practically used as a taxi service, but... You-- you don't have to answer any of these questions. I'm just curious." Khadri held his cup in both hands, feeling the tea warm his palms in the cool, magically-conditioned 'night' air.

 


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