Out of the rain (Open)

[tariala]

(OOC: Concurrent with the other thread, for anyone (the girls?) not already up on deck.)

Unlike most of the expedition’s other males, Shantor was riding out the storm inside. He frankly had no wish to be up top and watch the forces that were making the ship pitch and roll… though his mind was doing just fine imagining it from here. He’d rather be down here, in an enclosed space he could persuade himself was safe and familiar, than up on a deck surrounded by water and *know* there was nowhere to run to.

It wasn’t like the sailors needed a land-bound miner mucking about up there anyway when they were trying to keep the ship intact. Shantor was heavily in favor of not adding to the number of potential distractions to the nice men who could get them safely to the southern continent.

The miner didn’t really care if his fellows thought it unmanly or not to stay down here with the girls, either. More fools they if they did. It would be stupid to go too far with anyone in a group like this, when they had a job to do and nowhere to go if things went bad, but Shantor wouldn’t be averse to being around to offer a strong shoulder to cry on if one of the girls did get upset by the storm.

Distracted by pleasant thoughts in this direction, Shantor was caught unprepared when the ship rolled again and pitched him toward the nearest wall. He hit the side of the hallway with a sharp, fervent curse, staying where he’d stumbled and fallen until he got his bearings back.

[firethorne]

Phaerie had done well enough the first few days of the journey. Though not exactly thrilled with the constant swaying motion of the ship and the endless blue surrounding her, the girl had spent her life outdoors as a trader and didn't mind the weather and conditions. However, she was rather used to wandering as she pleased, and doing what she wanted, when she wanted. The ship was a restricting place, and one thing Phae hated to feel was tied down to one thing for too long.

So it was that the 'adventure' she was expecting was turning out to be more of a dull nightmare, with barely any room to move and nothing to really do. However, it was in the girl's nature to be more on the bright side, and so tried to make the most out of what she did have. Phaerie had tried to make amends with Koldyn, the holder's son that had brought her on this quest to start with, but he would have none of it. It seemed like he was going to hold a grudge against her forever.

But she did find that some of the sailors were interesting people, and they had been kind enough to share their stories of travel on the high seas when they had time. Although they were usually very busy keeping the ship together, occasionally they did take breaks and Phaerie always took advantage when she could. She had spoken briefly with her fellow expedition members, but most of them seemed caught up in their own minds for the most part, either concentrating wholly on the mission, or trying to get over the seasickness. That was unpleasant.

Yet this night was by far the worst Phaerie had experienced, the storm crashing against the boat and drawing the most frightening noises out of the wood. Even though the trader wasn't a coward, she was becoming more and more nervous as the storm grew in ferocity and the ship rocked more and more violently. Holding tightly to a bunk built straight into the hull of the vessel, the girl squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the holds tightly, her knuckles almost turning white with the intensity of her grasp. The other women seemed as worried as she for the most part, but there were always exceptions. Grey-blue eyes flying open at a loud curse, Phae saw one of her fellow expedition members thrown against the hull, and gasped.

"Are you--" She started, but her voice cracked, and Phaerie had to clear her throat to be able to speak, "Are you ok?" The girl was pretty certain he was the minor they brought. He had hit pretty hard, she hoped he wasn't injured.

[dreamer]

Nashati, after carefully considering the weather had given up on the idea of cooking anything in the storm. Instead, she'd found some hardtack(for those were experiencing seasickness), some cheese, and a little bit of wherry jerky. It wasn't fancy, and Nashati couldn't wait to see the expression on the Lord's and Lady's faces when they bit into hardtack, since most them wouldn't have a clue what it was.

Not that the people who knew what hardtack(style of bread that could literally break teeth) would be any more excited, but storms did mean an end of good food.

Wandering out of the galley, keeping a firm grip on the ropes strung up for exactly this kind of situation, and into the hold where most of the women on the trip were covering, Nashati caught the tail end of one of the men falling into the wall.

She laughed. It was, to be fair, one of the funniest things she'd seen in days, being stuck in the kitchen on this death trap, and besides one of the other girls(Pha-something) was doing the whole mothering woman thing. Nashati certainly didn't have too. Besides, no blood, no screaming, he was probably fine.

"Is he going to need a bandage?" She called over, her deep voice vibrating with suppressed laughter.

[tariala]

Shantor reached up to massage his head and shoulder, the parts of his body that had sent up flares of pain when striking the hard surface. They still throbbed uncomfortably, but the soreness was fading even as the women nearby inquired after his health. Well, as one asked if he was alright and the other laughed at him.

"I'm fine." He reassured the light-eyed girl -Phae-something? his memory supplied- with a thankful smile for the question. Even after having the shelter of his crafthall for turns now, Shantor never under appreciated the marvel of someone showing concern for his well-being. "Miners have hard heads." He added dryly, this time flicking a glance at Nashati to share the joke. He may not find his fall as funny as the woman did, but he wasn't going to make a fuss over it.

The sentiment was true enough. The miners didn't coddle their apprentices and Shantor was used to picking himself up and getting on with things. "I'll certainly be glad to get off this boat once we get to the South, though." No matter what awaited them there.

[dreamer]

"A hard head won't do you much good when the boat sinks." Nashati said cheerfully, relaxing a little further now that she was sure she wasn't going to have to help save someone's life, or some ridiculous thing like that. It wouldn't do to have people get the wrong impression.

"I hope miners also learn how to swim." Which, Nashati was fairly sure, they didn't. Perhaps miners who might end up spelunking did, but it would certainly be news to her.

"Though, in this weather, it probably wouldn't do you any good. Maybe, when the boat sinks, we'll get washed up to the South." Her dark eyes took on a dreamy cast, and the girl smiled, fidgeting with her sensible skirt. If her memory of the estimated travel time was correct, then they were certainly too far away from the South to survive. But the apprentice cook could appreciate the irony of reaching the South anyway.

[firethorne]

For a moment, the trader didn’t realize exactly what the noise was, since she was doing her best to keep her last meal down, but when she realized it was laughter, Phaerie straightened a bit to see who was finding this so funny. It seemed a little rude to her to laugh at the poor man, but then again, it was humorous…in a way. She doubted the miner found it all that funny, though. As he straightened, the girl sat up on the bunk, still holding tightly to it and looking a little green. She was far more used to being outdoors than cramped inside like this, but at the same time, the rocking of the ship unsteadied her and her stomach. Phae would have liked to spend more time on deck and enjoying the sun, but in the middle of the storm that was the absolute last place she wanted to be.

“That is good.” She said, watching the man smile. At least he didn’t seem to be hurt, although he was rubbing his shoulder and scalp, and so the trader relaxed. The last thing they needed was a bloody mess down here with the healer above deck and doing Faranth knew what. Tilting her head to the side, sweeping her grey eyes to the side to regard the other woman when the miner did, Phaerie smiled a bit at his joke, unable to do much else. If she hadn’t felt so sick, she would have shared in their dry laughter, but the weather and tossing motions of the ship had the normally bright and energetic girl subdued and ill.

Attention back on the miner as he spoke, the trader nodded enthusiastically. “As will I. I’d rather face any beast on the ground than face the ocean on this ship.” She was sick of endless blue, sick of being stuck in the same place for days on end, and even sicker of always being…well, sick! As the other woman spoke again, Phaerie felt herself stiffen when she mentioned the boat sinking. Oh shards and shells, that was not funny. Blinking, the trader wondered what sort of macabre joy she found in such dismal reflections. “I don’t think we are going to sink.” The girl said forcibly, swallowing her sickness and forcing her voice to be stronger than the hoarse croak it had been. She had been ill for too long, and her throat was starting to get raw. “I’m sure the sailors are skilled in their profession. Besides, what do we gain from worrying about the worst happening?”