darkSpyro

Angora looked rather unenthusiastically at the new island.
"I swear if there is another ugly, giant beast there..." Angora stated, not entirely to Icestorm. She needed to get the sentiment off her chest. She was clearly too traumatized by that last battle.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“I’ll be fine you two. I just want to enjoy the view.” Crystal said.

Sand Dune and Random left her alone, but didn't go too far. They made sure she was comfortable before taking a look at the island. At least it looked more pleasant than the last one...

Quote: darknessdawn

Mischief shifted her stance, somewhat anxious and almost overflowing with a palpable nervous energy. "All right, it's almost time. Collect the clay, ensure purity, and then form and animate our newest ally..."

Maverick could sense Mischief's eager exitement.
"Vamos entonces Mischief." he said, making sure he would keep a close eye on her. It was great that she was so exited, but if she wanted to make a spell, she had to be focused.

Around the island, the more telepathically inclined could perhaps pick up on the faint presence of a mastermind - but that was to be expected, with Ishulgites having a fortification on the island. Besides that, there was no indication that the Ishulgites were anywhere near the landing zone.
Sere didn't ring the bell, instead settling for a quick call-out to all around. "If you're not part of tonight's crew, you're free to go to bed," he declared. "Tomorrow will likely be a busy day, so make sure you're ready. It al depends on how our preparations go."

Latnok took a quick look around. Everything seemed to be in order. Perhaps he would make some food for Raclaw and Chester before heading to bed. There was some construction to be done tomorrow - apparently a golem? He was interested to see how that would play out. Hopefully they would be ready before the enemy was.

With the announcement, Ilasi was ready to head back to bed. Today was relatively slow, but she could still use some more rest for tomorrow, which could potentially be a lot more hectic. "We should be heading to bed now, dear", she urged Maverick, as she began to leave herself. She wouldn't want him to be too tired with whatever may go on tomorrow, of course.

Mischief looked down at the collection of stones and then rushed to inspect them from closer up. Then she started sniffing at them for the scent of blood or vile magic. She didn't smell that, and ended up recoiling from the salty smell. Coughing briefly, she noted "No blood that I can... Smell... Lots of salt though... As could be expected." Rubbing her nose to get the strongest of the scent out, she decided "They'll do nicely. Now we just need clay in sufficient quantities. Now where to find that..?"

Maverick was about to say something to Mischief when he noticed Ilasi leaving. While she was distracted with the inspection, he ran to his girlfriend.
"Ilasi! Ilasi querida. I'll go with you soon. Going to spend some time with Mischief here, alright? Need to make sure that... she doesn't get into any trouble." he said with a wink, whispering those last words. Mischief was technically under Angora's care, but his poor little friend had too much on her hands with Veris alone. The wyvern did looked like quite a handful.

Quote: A Guy

Around the island, the more telepathically inclined could perhaps pick up on the faint presence of a mastermind - but that was to be expected, with Ishulgites having a fortification on the island. Besides that, there was no indication that the Ishulgites were anywhere near the landing zone.
Sere didn't ring the bell, instead settling for a quick call-out to all around. "If you're not part of tonight's crew, you're free to go to bed," he declared. "Tomorrow will likely be a busy day, so make sure you're ready. It al depends on how our preparations go.

"Tonight's crew?" Angora asked herself, telling Icestorm that she'll be back. She then headed to where Sere was, which was fortunately not too far away.
"Sir? Captain. Apologies, but, who is tonight's crew? The same ones who did the last island's battle?" Angora asked, not certain who Sere meant. She could use a very long rest, so she really hoped she wasn't part of the night crew. Trolls were mostly nocturnal, but the exception to that was yet another reason Angora was so different from them.

As Angora made her request, she suddenly felt very uneasy. She didn't know the master was around, but she did have an eerie feeling. Then again, everything about this archipelago was creepy with the Ishulgites and their beastly creations around.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“Ok guys can you help me back inside?” Crystal said.

Per her request, Sand Dune and Random proceeded to take Crystal back to the infirmary. It was late, and Opium probably didn't want to be alone.

"The night crew naturally has Laszur, as well as any sailor who was randomly selected for it," Sere answered. "If you were on it, you would know. Unless you're told you will be on the night crew, you can assume you aren't."
Sere looked out at the other sailors finishing their duties. "Here's hoping that everything goes right tomorrow. We will be moving inland to secure some clay, and we should be able to finish the golem from there."

Ilasi smiled and nodded. "I'll see you later, then," she called out, as she headed back to her cabin. As she did, she recalled that she saw Leoquin out dragging the rocks to the shore. He was rather stubborn. She just hoped he didn't have to pay for it anytime soon.

Maverick remained with Mischief for a while, willing to give her his full support. He didn't know if this golem was going to be built tonight or tomorrow, but if it was the former, he wasn't so sleepy anyway.

After Sere answered, Angora didn't think he was angry, just mildly annoyed.
"Just wanted to be completely certain. Good night captain." Angora said politely, accepting annoyed over angry any day. She then approached Maverick and Mischief, bidding them good night as well. Maverick gave her a hug in return, promising he would keep an eye on Mischief for her so she would have things easier. It was the least he could do after neglecting her so much.

Pleased with the evening, Angora disappeared below the stairs, looking forward for a good night's sleep... but she couldn't do that just yet. She still had to give Veris his dinner. So she headed to the kitchen once more, grabbing a snack for herself for later consumption and grabbing Veris' tray, filling it with beef and a few sardines. She then headed to his enclosure, announcing her presence before entering. Veris ate three times a day with snacks in between sometimes, so since there was still one meal missing, she doubted the wyvern was asleep.
"Dinner is ready. And try not to bite your tongue." Angora said with a mix of seriousness and joke, but then starting to wonder if such incident has ever happened given Veris' gluttonous nature. There wasn't anything resembling a scar when he licked her, but then again, his healing was impressive.

As Angora waited for Veris to do his violent disappearing act to take the tray, she suddenly remembered she left Icestorm alone, and even forgot to bid him good night. She felt quite guilty about it and was thinking of going back to the main deck to talk. Sand Dune did put her up with him in order to help him socialize, so that was a lousy move of her part. She wanted to make it up to him... but it was getting late, plus she was very tired. Perhaps tomorrow? She wasn't the only one in that ship, so she was certain Icestorm could be with someone tonight while she could calmly plan what to do with him tomorrow.

In the most predictable fashion, Veris pounced on his food as if it were a wild animal getting ready to escape, and not already dead and preserved. Though he never savored his food, he always appreciated a bit of variety - naturally, though, said variety was more of a bonus, and anyone who knew him well enough knew he would never get tired of food, no matter how many times the same dish was fed to him.
Now satisfied with his meal, Veris heaed back to his previous spot, except this time he would be lying down in preparation for sleep. He lied on his side invitingly for Angora. "You must be very busy. You should rest!" he strongly suggested, figuring that Angora must have been occupied since she didn't stop to see him as often. That was usually what kept his human away, anyhow. "Come join me!"

Angora was somewhat relieved that Veris associated her longer absences with her being busy rather than her trying to avoid him. At least that part wasn't obvious. She was picking up the tray and was ready to leave and bid Veris good night when he suggested the stay. She was hoping he would let her go like he has done the last few times.
"Oh. Alright. Of course." she said meekly and with a small smile, deciding to oblige with his request. She was too aware that the more time she spent with him, the harder it would be yo make him change his mind about her staying, but it's been a while since she stayed there, so she was going to accept his request this once. Also because she couldn't think of a good excuse to leave. She wanted to sleep on a soft bed tonight, but that would have to wait.

Angora rested her head on Veris' belly, which was nowhere near as nice as a pillow, but it was softer than Shade, and even more so now that he was full. The wyvern looked more than ready to sleep, but she felt like she was going to have trouble sleeping. There was too much in her head. Just when did this happen? Veris was nothing more than a mount who was initially hostile towards her, but somewhere along the way, they bonded. Even long before this voyage, but now, it was far stronger, at least from Veris' perspective. Although the more she pondered about it, the more she believed this was the best possible outcome she could've faced. If it wasn't for Veris, Sere would probably has seen her as useless, and maybe even gone along with her execution. But worse yet, if she had gone to the Ishulgites in the first place, she probably would be in a cold prison right now, tortured or likely dead. Yeah, things could be much worse, but this was still a bit of a predicament...

In the meantime, Maverick stayed with Mischief, keeping her company until she could go with Angora. Speaking of which, he hasn't seen the two of them together as often as before. He wanted to ask what was going on, but he didn't want to spoil the quiet, and rather beautiful evening.

Mischief mumbled a blatantly distracted "Good night" to Angora, getting out her notebook and double checking the information on golem creation. Somewhat nervous, she estimated the amount of clay they'd need, and gently nudged the stones to get a better idea of their size and mass. Her name bounced slightly as she nodded. "Yes, these will do nicely. Clay is the only thing left to acquire... Where to look, though?"

Latnok had taken the time to whip up a quick snack for Raclaw and Chester - some cooked beef, nothing too fancy but enough to do the job. He spent a little more time outside enjoying their companionship before he moved back to his quarters to retire for the night.
Leoquin was satisfied with the work he had done for the day. Hopefully, his arm would be all ready the next day. He couldn't afford to stop doing his job - at least as far as he was concerned. If there was some hope that all of his efforts would pay off, and he would find his brother after all, he had to take it - and he couldn't afford to slack off.

That night, over the outskirts of Aelinon, dark clouds could be seen blocking out what light came from the moon, as the temperature declined. The population of the farther out places (consisting almost exclusively of humans) had, for the most part, evacuated to storm shelters. Meanwhile, inland, storm walls were raised to oppose the violent squalls. The cities would stand - as they always had. It was always the outer land that had the most issues.
Storm shelters were filled with humans retreating from these lands. Someone, somewhere, had begun disseminating accusations of favoritism for the other species - forcing humans to toil endlessly in such harsh conditions while they reaped the rewards and lived in safety. The Scepter of Storms was an artifact created by merfolk, after all - how much control did they have over the monarchy?

Sere was already on the deck by the time the first light arrived. He needed to have a talk with the islanders in order to coordinate the plan of attack, especially with the possibility of a golem being thrown into the mix. He would set off to do that, trusting in the others to maintain order while he was gone.

At Veris' enclosure, Angora had a lousy night. She kept thinking and sometimes dreaming about the Ishulgites and how they were still out to capture her. Somewhere around, Shepherd was calling her an ungrateful traitor and an idiot for missing the opportunity of a better life, but also mocking her for being a wyvern's pet, and how Veris would eventually devour her once he grew bored of her presence or she became useless to him. Angora only managed to conceal two hours of deep sleep, and woke up with noticeable bags under her eyes. She didn't know what time it was, but Veris still looked deeply asleep, so she was hoping it was still night. Since Veris was still asleep, Angora tried to slip away so that she could try to conceal more sleep in her much softer bed, but she was pinned between his tail and belly. She proceeded to wriggle her way out of his grasp as best as she could, but the spikes on his tail weren't making things easy. This was going to take a while...

Last night, Maverick stayed with Mischief for a while as she examined the collected ingredients for her spells, looking with happiness how eager she looked. Mischief was finally feeling like she could be useful and fit in, which made him very glad for her. The spell would have to wait though since not all the ingredients were accounted for, so after a while, Maverick escorted Mischief back to the cabin. Angora wasn't there, but he didn't worry. He helped Mischief get on her bed and bid her good night. He took a quick detour to Dahlia's enclosure to see how she was before returning to Ilasi's cabin. The mermaid was already asleep, so he entered quietly, very pleased with how the day went by, and really hoping this island was far better than the last ones they visited. They weren't out of the woods yet. The Ishulgite threat was still very real, but he wasn't going to have any gain being worried, so Maverick made sure he got a good night's sleep. He was still asleep when morning came...

As Raclaw slept-- he dreamt of living in a big (farm?)house along with both Darkheart and Chester. Latnok was nearby making dinner when he woke up; the Fur Dragon began to wake as Chester shifted positions still seemingly asleep under one of his wings. Some sounds could be heard out of Chester, as if the little dog was chasing something or perhaps playing.

Veris remained content in sleep, occasionally opening his mouth for a second before shutting it, or licking his snout. Whatever he was dreaming of, it would likely have his attention for some time. Angora was best off leaving now if she wanted to do so without disturbing him.

Latnok was, in typical fashion, up early in the morning. Gently, he put his typical equipment on before he headed out to the deck to see how the morning was shaping up. Though a few sparring session would be okay, he wouldn't want to tire anyone out today before whatever might happen.

As Sere stepped forward into the island, he remained on high alert. Whatever hostile presence was here, they appeared to be quite withdrawn for the moment. Nevertheless, he maintained his combat prescience as he moved forward. If the Ishulgites weren't keeping a strong presence in this area, it was likely true that their forces - for the moment, at least - were exhausted. All the more reason to strike as soon as possible.

Chester didn't immediately awake upon Latnok's leaving; nor did Raclaw do anything to immediately awake his smaller canine companion. As Chester shifted positions and leaned into him, Raclaw responded by placing his head down next to him and even leaning into the Beagle. It wouldn't hurt to let the small dog rest a little longer...

Risar was already awake and doing some sparring himself, almost breaking a dummy in half with a rather effective move. "Ah-- nothing like some sparring to wake you up, although most can't handle my blows...," Risar said with a eager grin upon seeing Latnok emerge onto the deck. He did sometimes wish he had a sparring partner equal to himself.

Maverick opened his eyes at last, and was relieved to see Ilasi still there. It was always embarrassing when she woke up first. He wasn't in a big mood to cook for everyone today, but he knew how fond everybody were of his meals, and if there were future battles ahead of them, they might as well eat well. After clothing himself with his normal attire, Maverick left the cabin. Before heading to the kitchen, he took care of Dahlia, bringing her food and water. She didn't want him to leave, but he had stuff to do.
"No te preocupes mi Dahlia. I'll spend a lot of time with you in the afternoon. I can give you a walk around the deck if you want, but remember, you have to face your fears." Maverick said, knowing top well how panicked Dahlia still was of dragons. Raclaw wasn't even dangerous, yet not even he was safe of her cautiousness, though understandably, it wasn't as much as with Shade or Veris.

Quote: A Guy

Veris remained content in sleep, occasionally opening his mouth for a second before shutting it, or licking his snout. Whatever he was dreaming of, it would likely have his attention for some time. Angora was best off leaving now if she wanted to do so without disturbing him.

Angora would sometimes look at Veris, and was somewhat grateful that his head was facing another way. At first she thought he was yawning, but looking at him better, he looked like he was... eating something? It didn't surprise Angora, since food was almost always the only thing he ever thought about. She figured that dreaming about food could be dangerous, but it seemed that Veris was at least careful enough with her. She then remembered the time where her hood got stuck on the wyvern's teeth, but it looked more like it moved there rather than Veris biting it. Even today, she still didn't know the suffering she caused him back then.

Angora continued her struggle, and similar to the last time, she had to tear part of her clothes to get free, although instead of the teeth, it was the spikes on Veris' back the culprit. It ripped a bit of the fabric, though this time, nothing was stuck. Her struggle didn't seem to have awakened the mighty mount. His belly looked slightly smaller than yesterday, meaning that was going to be one hungry wyvern once he woke up. Proceeding with her daily duty, Angora left the enclosure quietly and headed to the kitchen, hoping Maverick would cook today. She could use one of his meals right about now, and the higher in calories, the better.

Latnok offered Risar a handshake as the two met. "Hey, Risar. Yeah, I can see why that would be the case - but fortunately, the men seem to be managing just fine," he noted. "Though we can have a bit of a sparring session later, if you want - I would at least be able to take a hit or two."
Leoquin was already up and about - though he didn't look particularly rested - and he approached Latnok and Risar carefully. "Good morning, gentlemen. We need some clay for the golem. Likely we'll find some inland," he informed the others. "Might need a pickaxe or the like to break some free."
Latnok looked at the pile of rocks outside the ship. "Sounds like something I can take care of," he said. "The captain will likely be able to pinpoint any particular reservoirs if he gets an aerial view while riding Veris. We can wait until then. Say, Leoquin, you are remembering to get enough sleep, right?"
Leoquin nodded. "Of course. Have to make sure I can do my job, after all." Though he wasn't being completely truthful, the last thing Leoquin wanted was to be considered a slacker in any sense.

Angora reached the kitchen first, craving crab. Fortunately the fridge has some, so after heating it up a bit, she had a couple of them as a snack. She didn't want to get too full to leave room for a real breakfast. When she was about to grab Veris' food, she remembered she left the tray in the enclosure. But she didn't want to return there without his meal. So she chose another tray closer in size, and as she checked what kinds of meats she could serve Veris this time, Maverick entered.
"Angorita? Hola! Buenos dias!" he said, very glad to see her so early in the morning.
"Hey Maverick. You're cooking today, right? I could use one of your meals." she said, still surveilling the meats.
"Well you're in luck. I did plan on cooking today..." he said, looking at what Angora was doing.
"...and I can cook for Veris too if it'll make things easier for you." he offered, but Angora shook her head.
"Don't worry. He doesn't care if it's cooked or raw. Besides, your food is supposed to be enjoyed. Veris is more interested in getting it in his stomach than tasting it." Angora commented, with Maverick chuckling. She was so right about that.
"Heh, can't argue with that..." he said with a laugh, before finally noticing her eyes.
"Did you sleep well Angorita? You look... tired." he observed, but Angora assured him.
"It's alright Maverick. Nothing that a little nap won't solve later." she said, finally choosing the meats for Veris. Maverick decided to trust her, but he was still worried. He didn't know if it was because of the Ishulgites (which would be understandable), but having to take care of someone who constantly ate so much didn't help matters for sure.

OOC: Sorry, haven't had internet since my last post. Also, there's a fridge? Eh, I'll just attribute it to magic. Magic can explain ANYTHING.

Mischief woke up and stretched. Slowly but surely she was adapting to the ship schedule. Climbing out of bed, she stretched some more. Then as was typical for her, she went down to the kitchen. Her stomach was completely empty, and she had to amend that issue before she'd be able to do much. Of course, she noticed Angora, as could be expected. "Morning, Angora, Maverick!" She managed an affectionate churring noise.

Darkheart stretched and forced herself to get up. She hated mornings, but she needed to adapt. Grumbling, she stretched some more, her extraordinarily long and lean build making it hard to ensure she had the necessary space.

OOC: Not exactly a fridge. More like a food storage. I just mistakenly refer it to a fridge sometimes

"Oh! Buenos dias Mischief." Maverick said, giving her a hug. Angora rolled her eyes, doubting he and Mischief had bonded this much in so little time, but it was Maverick. He was overly affectionate.
"Good morning. Good to see you again Mischief." Angora greeted, though later starting to feel guilty for leaving her alone. Maverick was sleeping with Ilasi, so it was just her and Mischief on the cabin, so she likely had only Digi for company, and a machine wasn't exactly the best companion.
"We can do something later if you want. Gotta go now. Veris is probably awake by now. Can't be too late with his food or he'll pout." Angora said jokingly, carrying the tray and exiting the kitchen.

Maverick waved his hand in farewell, giving a small sigh as she left.
"Well, there she goes. That wyvern is no easy maintenance for sure. But at least he loves her very much. I have seen it." Maverick stated, figuring Mischief likely didn't know much about the wyvern given she was still relatively new to the crew. Maverick, while worried at first, was glad Angora had Veris. Since she couldn't talk with Shade most of the time, his company did her good. Plus this was the captain's mount. Slowly but surely, Angora was accumulating points with the big boss.
"Anyway, I'm about to cook right now. Anything in particular you would like?" Maverick then asked Mischief, preferring to surprise the crew with the foods he brought, but since Mischief was already here and he still wasn't familiar with much of her diet, he might as well ask...

Mischief waved a farewell as Angora left. In response to Maverick's question she responded "I especially enjoy sweet things, like berries and many fruits. I also like savory things."

Maverick knew, but believed Mischief would've wanted something else. Since her request was the easiest to follow, he started cooking the rest of the meals.
"Muy bien then. Just need to wait a little while, alright? Have to make sure everyone eats. And afterwards, we can see about your little golem project, shall we? You got me curious about that." Maverick said with a smile, believing she would do better if he was there with her. Angora too, but he didn't know how busy she was going to be today.

The troll made he way to Veris' enclosure, opening the door very quietly. The wyvern looked as if he was still asleep, but it was hard to tell since his face was facing another way. He could be just dozing off, or maybe just faking it to surprise her? Whatever the case, she entered. She removed the old tray from there and left the one with food, proceeding to leave quietly. But before she left, she took one look at the (sleeping?) wyvern.
"Heh, you know Neo? I am going to miss him when the journey is finally over. I know he wants me to stay with him... but, well, the chance of that are too low for many reasons." Angora said in her mind to her spirit guard, one of those reasons being her unable to see herself doing this same feeding, playing and grooming routine for the rest of her life. She didn't know if Veris meant forever, but it wasn't out of place to think he did. It wouldn't make sense if it was just for a little while longer, otherwise he would've specified it.

Veris, though still a bit groggy, was slowly waking himself up - a process that was certainly lped by the presentation of food.
It didn't take long for him to realize it was feeding time before he sprang to life. A quick scan of the area allowed him to locate his prey - the tray of food Angora had taken the effort of assembling for him. Without a moment to lose, he lunged at it, erasing all of the food within moments and leaving the tray.
"Good morning!" Veris greeted, eager to see if Angora had anything else to say to him.

"Morning Veris. Sheesh you're a savage!" Angora said with a raised eyebrow, for a moment thinking the tray was a goner too. Since he already finished the food, she took the time to take the second, drooling tray as well.
"Well, my turn to have breakfast. I'll return later. Better think on what activities you want to do Veris. You can't spend too much time without exercise." Angora suggested, not wanting to bond too much with Veris, but that didn't mean she should let him go lax. Sere needed him in good condition for whatever happens, like the last battle showed, so she always wanted to make sure she did a good job so that Sere will continue seeing how useful she could be, and maybe even make him regret greatly the moment he even dared to think about executing her.

Maverick continued cooking, once again making sure Mischief didn't sneak a bite. Still, he was really happy to have some company there.

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Latnok offered Risar a handshake as the two met. "Hey, Risar. Yeah, I can see why that would be the case - but fortunately, the men seem to be managing just fine," he noted. "Though we can have a bit of a sparring session later, if you want - I would at least be able to take a hit or two."

Risar offered a nod, curious as to the Guardian's claims. Meanwhile-- Chester soon awoke stretching as Raclaw offered a morning greeting. "Come on, let's go see what the others are up to.," the larger Fur Dragon companion then said as he opened the door and led the little Canine out to the main deck. The little Beagle always envied how Raclaw could open doors...

Veris gave a simple nod, watching as Angora left, and considering what else he wanted to do today. He wasn't sure what things would be available to do, though - he would need Angora's help for that. For now, he would wait patiently, or as patiently as he could, anyhow.

Ilasi herself started to wake up from sleep. She had a good night's rest - hopefully a representation of the day to come. Maverick wasn't around - perhaps he was out making food? The idea made Ilasi's mouth water, though she was a lot better at containing herself than Veris was.
Instead, she would while away the time by practicing the violin for a bit. She was slowly improving - she was, at the very least, bearable to listen to now. After Maverick had gotten it for her, she couldn't just give up on the violin.

Mischief couldn't help but salivate, knowing the quality of Maverick's cooking. It didn't help she'd gone a while without eating, since she had focused so hard on the golem. She leaned against a wall to watch, adjusting her bag slightly. Her mind went back and forth between focusing on food and focusing on the project she'd soon return to work on. Crossing her arms as she waited, she couldn't truly hide her anticipation for either.

Maverick looked at Mischief and rolled his eyes, already having expected her reaction.
"You going to enter a drooling contest with Veris?" he asked jokingly, not hard to imagine the two legged dragon doing the same whenever Angora brought his food, though he figured it looked more scary than funny when a wyvern did it.
"Here. You can have this as an appetizer. It will kill some of the hunger while you wait." Maverick said, offering Mischief a small platter of blueberries. That would at least distract her until he could finally give her a real meal.

Quote: A Guy

Veris gave a simple nod, watching as Angora left, and considering what else he wanted to do today. He wasn't sure what things would be available to do, though - he would need Angora's help for that. For now, he would wait patiently, or as patiently as he could, anyhow.

Angora left him alone, surprised but also glad with how patient he was. If it was up to her, she would leave him loose on the main deck without supervision, but he could be easily distracted, especially with food, and if Maverick was about to cook, he could cause quite the chaos there. Better to leave him locked up. Heading to main deck, and she could already sniff the food being cooked through the hallways.
"Ah that Maverick. He cooks the closest thing to heaven." Angora said, sniffing the air. Like wyverns, trolls didn't care much about whether the food was cooked or raw, but she was certain that if her clan had tasted her friend's cooking, they would've kidnapped him just to have him cook.

She wanted to visit Maverick in the kitchen, but didn't want to distract him, so she proceeded to the main deck. The two Guardians and their companions were already awake and there, although things looked calm enough. It was going to be a busy day still she suspected. As she received the first rays of the sun, she waved at Raclaw and a few of the sailors around, who were already familiarized with her and were treating her much better than before. She waved at Latnok as well, though with much hesitation. She still believed he hated her.

"Uh-- sure. What is it?," Raclaw said with a gentle smile although he knew that the Dragolet was under severe restrictions. Any request regarding him and Angora would have to go through Latnok directly and Latnok would have reason to question him over whatever request the technically prisoner would have. He didn't sense any negative intentions from the interaction, but also knew that Latnok would not tolerate him being used to bypass Shade's own restrictions.

After waving at a few, Angora looked at Shade. He was talking to Raclaw? She didn't know how frequent that was, but she was glad that he could talk to others, even if it couldn't be his two best friends. At least he could still interact with others, and Raclaw was quite pleasant to talk to. She only hoped Latnok didn't ruin that too. She didn't want to see that if it turned out to be the case, so she continued to look around, she looked at Icestorm, and while he looked like he wanted to be alone, she decided to approach him, doing what Shade was suggesting not so far from there.
"Hey. Good morning." she greeted, not knowing what else to say to start up a real conversation. It must've been so hard to have been banished by the people you try to find support in, only to be taken in by other people that likely made promises, only to turn out they were going to sacrifice you. Angora has been through a similar feeling, so she could understand what Icestorm was going through.

At the kitchen, Maverick was taking out the platters he was going to use, filling them one by one with the food that was already ready. He asked Mischief to take out the cart they were going to use to distribute the meals, after of course, she was done with the blueberries. As he served the meals, he carefully prepared Ilasi's breakfast, as always, wanting to surprise her with something delicious.

Angora didn't know how else to interact with him. She felt there wasn't an appropriate subject of conversation. She couldn't talk about the current situation, nor asking how he was since the answer was obvious and she could make things worse. It was only after some pondering she could come up with something.
"Say now, have you met Sand Dune, Opium and Random? Those three men were pirates before they practically became doctors here on the ship. Maverick was also once a pirate, and look at him now. Can you believe some of the best people out there come from a very bad circumstances?" Angora expressed, not sure how well that went, but she loved Maverick and those three silly men, so perhaps knowing about them and how they turned out would make Icestorm feel better.

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“You see Icestorm over there? You think you can help cheer him up? He seems down ever sense the rescue.” Shade said. “I would talk to him but I’m not sure what to say.”

"I can certainly try. You know it's has been some time since Icestorm and I have caught up.," Raclaw said noticing how Angora already seemed to be approaching the dwarf Keiju. Perhaps he and Latnok could better help to make him feel welcomed; the the two had once shared a room so as to make Tyraika feel more welcome.

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“Try to make him feel better. He seems to lost trust in others.” Shade said. “Perhaps a good dream come night time you can give him? You know the good dreams you gave me when I lost control.”

"The last time I did that-- I almost trapped both of us in a coma.," Raclaw noted with some concern. He recalled how he and Shade had had to play out the memory in full, although he had managed to mentially place a backdoor in after the fact.

"Hmm-- perhaps I could try.," Raclaw said wondering if Icestorm had been given a room. He and Chester usually shared the same bed anyway, so Chester's bed could even perhaps serve to provide Icestorm some degree of additional comfort. 'Something to bring up.,' Raclaw thought as he offered a nod.

The food was finally done. Maverick placed everything in each platter, decorating them slightly different, though his decorations were a little more simpler than before so that he wouldn't take so long with the food. He did decorated Angora and Ilasi's platters very carefully, wanting his girls to have the best. And now with everything done, he first headed to Ilasi's cabin, pushing the cart with Mischief's help.
"Let's greet Ilasi. I'm certain she'll be glad to see you." he said, inviting the tall fox to the cabin. He had the warmest smile as he headed to his girlfriend's place...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“Yah I have. They are pleasant to talk to.” Icestorm said. “At least they and you are more trusting.” Icestorm said.

"There are people here to talk to. It's just a little hard to find them. I have seen Maverick sometimes talking with this guy that almost got eaten by this giant chameleon thing we found in one of the islands? Never talked with him, but he looks like a nice man. At least Maverick seems to enjoy talking to him." Angora explained, having seen Maverick a couple of times talking with this man, and the two of them always looked so engaged in whatever conversation they were having. But then again, it was Maverick they were talking about. He could be friends with almost anybody.

Though Ilasi was playing a few notes, she was able to hear the distinct sound of the cart rolling across the deck, before coming to a stop by the door. Setting the violin down, she came over to open the door.
At the door, she found Maverick with Mischief, distributing food. "Good morning, dear," she greetd Maverick, before giving Mischief enough attention for a greeting. "Good morning, Mischief. Certainly busy this morning!" The delectable smell of the cooked food began to fill the room, though Ilasi would patiently wait until her food was offered to her. She moved aside to alow the others in.

Meanwhile, with the sun coming up a bit more, dawn was passing into morning. Sere could be seen approaching the shore, returning from his short meeting with the islanders.

"Buenos días Ilasi." Maverick greeted back with a kiss, giving her breakfast, a beautiful platter decorated with a single egg whose yolk looked like a sunrise, while the broccoli looked like a forest and bacon that looks like a river. He did a similar design once, but it's been a while since he did so and Ilasi always seemed to enjoy it.
"Going to the main deck now querida. Today is likely going to be busy for all of us, so I want to make sure everyone eats." he then expressed, leaving Ilasi to eat in peace. He loved it when he brought breakfast to her room, but he couldn't wait for the Ishulgite threat to be over already and be far away from that ship and settled someplace where he, his girlfriend and their friends could finally be happy.

He continued letting Mischief help, who looked content enough after the blueberry appetizer. Even though she was still technically Angora's responsibility, he was going to make that duty his own if necessary. Taking care of Veris was more than enough hard work for the poor troll.

Ilasi gratefully accepted her food, nodding. "I'll see you later, dear," she said, before closing the door. As she ate the meal he put so much care into assembling for her, she thought about their current predicament - these crazy people, led by someone who seemed to hvae lost his way somewhere. Why did things have to be like this? Once this was all done, and the Ishulgites were stopped there would be more time for other personal matters...

With Sere's return, Leoquin immediately came forward - though he was still somewhat tired, he was ready to get along with the rest of the day. "I'm ready, captain," he anxiously declared. "Clay will likely be further inland. I can keep us mapped so we have our directions."
"Sounds like a plan," Sere concurred. "Latnok can use his earth sense to detect potential reservoirs. I'll let him know to get a scouting team together. Ideally not too many, since we never know what might happen here, but enough to be able to engage any small patrols."
"I'll get ready, then, Captain," Leoquin acknowledged, before setting off to get some of his tools. Navigation wasn't only a useful skill at sea, after all.

Please with his girlfriend's happiness, Maverick made his way to the main deck with Mischief's help, curious and somewhat exited about what and how she was going to do the golem project. After they both carried the heavy cart up the stairs, Maverick gave Mischief her platter, fruits and berries just like she wanted.
"Muchas gracias Mischief. Go eat in peace. I can take it from here." he said with gratitude, continuing to pull the cart alone and ringing the small bell attached to it, greeting everyone that came to take a platter.

Angora gave a brief nod to Sere as greeting, but staying with Icestorm. She still resented him for thinking about executing her after she took the brave step of finally being honest with him. She saw it as a dirty betrayal and disgusting ingratitude. The grudge quickly mellowed down when she sniffed the food from the cart. All he resentment vanished, but Maverick and his food had that magic.
"Come on Icestorm. Let's grab a bite." Angora invited, firmly believing that one of Maverick's meals would cheer up Icestorm, even if just a little bit. Maverick greeted them both warmly, giving them a brief hug. He gave Angora her usual platter while he let Icestorm choose whatever he wanted. He was actually very happy to have the strange little dragon (kaiju) back with them again.

OOC: Sorry I was away all day... I completely forgot to log in, I was distracted playing DragonFable. And my writer's block is threatening to return. Anyway, I'll try to do better.

Mischief was all too happy to help, she did enjoy lending a paw. However, she was somewhat distracted by what she'd have to start work on soon. There was a golem to build and raise... And she wasn't entirely certain. Sure, she was a magickal prodigy... But golems were extraordinarily hard to make. And if she failed... Well, she just couldn't afford to leave any room for error. She mentally rehearsed as she assisted Maverick. She managed an audibly distracted greeting to Ilasi, managing to sound cheerful despite her straining nerves. The encouragement and friendly attitude of those around her was helping a lot. But she couldn't stop worrying. When Maverick handed her her platter, she gratefully accepted, and wandered over to a quiet area on deck to eat. Her mind remained elsewhere as she ate, her focus locked on the task ahead.

OOC: Ah yes, when you're distracted with a game. And remember that if you have writer's block, I can help

As he waited for Icestorm to make a decision, other sailors made their way to pick some food. It made Maverick very glad that people enjoyed the results so much. He was a cook and a navigator, while Angora was the caretaker of the captain's beloved mount, and by the looks of it, a counselor as well, something he should be more frequently for her. Despite being a troll, Angora was beloved by many. Not by everyone obviously, but in her young life, she had far more achieve to than many other trolls did in centuries, and also many humans themselves. He owed much to her.

As Raclaw's conversation with Shade concluded and Leoquin/others showed up-- the Fur Dragon returned to Latnok's side, where Chester had also been waiting. "Latnok.," Raclaw said said looking up at the Guardian and glancing at the dwarf Keiju. "I think we need to do something about Icestorm. According to Shade-- he feels out of place and has seemed to have lost trust in others. I worry about him; and I wonder if perhaps a good bed and good roof might cheer him up. Chester and I share a bed anyway now days and he's certainly small enough. Do.. do you think he could stay in our room even if just for a little while?," he then asked his thoughts revealing what he had discussed if Latnok cared to dwell into them. Chester looked at Latnok, curious how he would respond. Meanwhile, Risar welcomed Sere and Leoquin back with a nod.