darkSpyro

From not that far away, Risar watched alongside Latnok. The Minotaur would only intervene if absolutely necessary, but would otherwise let Maverick prove his worth as a leader-- just as he has with his handling of both the crew and the prisoners themselves. Raclaw and Chester remained closeby, the former thinking about the water and the training he had agreed to. This journey as well as the last had certainly pushed him past his comfort zone, which was a good thing. He had started his main development very late in life, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that he had yet to find his true limits. The Guardians, Damon awakening, Latnok, Chester... Only time would tell what other surprises life threw his way.

The prisoner gave Maverick a shrug. "I guess I'll get started..." he said reluctantly. Grabbing the cart, he began wheeling it through the ship, to the scullery.
Once there, he began to set the dishes out - he soon grew bored, however, and befan lounging around. Eventually, he crawled into a corner and began to sleep.

Leoquin, in the meantime, was enjoying the food that Maverick had prepared. "You know, this guy actually has some pretty decent cooking," he complimented. "Maybe he should do this sort of thing more often. Make himself more useful around here."
"Well, he is a navigator..." Ilasi offered.
"Yeah, but what else does he do? I navigate AND fight! He just looks pretty when we're not moving."

Risar watched both Maverick and the prisoner very closely-- folding his arms in and giving a slight huff at the sight of the prisoner seemingly successfully sleeping on the job. His glance changed from the prisoner to Maverick himself, as if waiting to see what the hybrid would do. If Maverick couldn't the prisoner to step in line, both he and the prisoner would have hell pay from his part. Although it wasn't necessarily a matter of if he was capable of doing it, but rather if he was willing to do what had to be done. Would Maverick be able to successfully command the prisoner back to working-- and keep the respect he had successfully earned thus far? It was only a matter time and they wouldn't have too long to wait...

Meanwhile, Raclaw was playing with Chester-- keeping the excitable Beagle entertained and making up for lost time. He played a similar game to before-- causing the artifact to form a dangling ring ample for the little dog to jump through, only this time with a twist. In order to further challenge Chester; the ring now started out larger and strunk in real time as if to time him on a successful jump. Even if he wasn't directly fighting anyone or swimming across an ocean-- the activity would at least keep his senses sharp and he seemed to be enjoying the challenge. Furthermore, the activity was also helping Raclaw himself learn how to manipulate the artifact in real time; something that would prove useful when it came to certain other uses of the golden tail band. "Come on focus-- you almost had. Just pay attention and time your jumps.," Raclaw gently encouraged via dogspeak with a smile. Chester looked up at the fur dragon with a smirk, as if accepting the challenge, and proceeded to just barely make it through the loop in time. With each jump, the little dog would get more accurate. The two occasionally barked something back-and-forth enjoying their private banter.

Quote: A Guy

The prisoner gave Maverick a shrug. "I guess I'll get started..." he said reluctantly. Grabbing the cart, he began wheeling it through the ship, to the scullery.
Once there, he began to set the dishes out - he soon grew bored, however, and befan lounging around. Eventually, he crawled into a corner and began to sleep.

"Señor? Señor!" Maverick began to call, having followed the prisoner to the scullery. He knew too well he didn't have an ounce of respect for him, so he would have to somehow make the prisoner finish his chores. Risar being there inspecting him certainly didn't help his confidence. It was just the dishes this time, which was easy enough compared to other chores of the ship. Knowing that a simple shake wouldn't probably be enough, Maverick grabbed a cleaned cup, filled it with water, and splashed the mustached prisoner in the face. It was a tactic his father used often with him, except the water was cold and was always from a bucket!

"Señor! You still haven't done the dishes! You won't be able to sleep until they're done! You don't want to wake up sleepy tomorrow and have a harder day, do you?" Maverick said with raised hair again, almost looking like a porcupine about to attack. He really hated doing this. The water was out of pure desperation and something that brought him bad memories, yet he still filled the cup with water again in case the prisoner dared to ignore him once more. Maverick wasn't going to accept this task lasting longer than usual just because the prisoner didn't want to do something as simple enough as cleaning the dishes. Compared to others, Maverick imagined he was far more kinder than the others, and he would've thought the prisoner would take advantage of this to obey him and be assigned the nicer boss and avoid the strict law of Risar and the Guardians.

The prisoner had absolutely no respect for Maverick - and was rather irate when Maverick splashed him with water. Before he could even think about it, he grabbed a cup which had some leftover rum in it and splashed it at Maverick. "Okay, furball, how the hell do you like it?!" he said indignantly. It was only then that he noticed that Risar had followed them; gulping, he tried to get back to his task of cleaning the dishes as if nothing had happened.

Maverick didn't reacted to the splash at all. He simply cleaned his face with a napkin and carried on as if absolutely nothing happened. He knew Risar was the only reason why he was being obedient at the moment, but it didn't matter to Maverick. He was still doing thing his way.
"You know, shame you don't want to do something as simple as doing the dishes. You'd rather return to the dirty, sinful pirate life? I was there before, but I managed to turn over a new leaf, and that was without even being influenced by the Guardians or an intimidating minotaur. They have... quite nasty methods you know. And they also have a wyvern who is always hungry. You'd rather let them do the punishment than doing a simple chore?" Maverick lectured, wanting to implant some fear on the rude little man, but also wanting to let the prisoner know he too was a pirate once too. He knew how that life was, and even though Maverick was a pacifist, even he had his dark side, courtesy of that merciless previous life, but one he never wanted to use.

The prideful prisoner was not very open to Maverick's attempts to sympathize. "Save your sob story for someone who care, little girl," he said derisively. "We've heard about you. I know you don't have the guts to do anything to anyone." As the prisoner spoke, he continued to clean the dishes, though his pace was lethargic, to say the least. Regardless of the practicality of Maverick's suggestion, he couldn't stomach being bossed around by some furball.

Maverick continued to be unresponsive to the prisoner's attempt to offend him, having experience as recent as Leoquin. He was nothing compared to others.
"Fine, be that way. Let's see how far you go in life with an attitude like that. But in the meantime I suggest you pick up the pace with those dishes. You don't want to be here all night, do you?" Maverick said in a calm yet stern voice, not wanting to lose his temper. What many people didn't know is that he has killed plenty in the past, and even though he never wanted to do that ever again, he knew that violence was something that may be unavoidable in his life later on. He almost lost his life at the hands of some lowlife mugger before, prompting him to be rescued by Shade and Angora. Later on, he was easily kidnapped by some giant lizard. Maverick was getting sick and tired of always being a target and everybody taking advantage of his sweet nature. He still hated violence, but he knew he had to fathom the idea of using it if he wanted some respect in life from smart alecs like this prisoner.

"Heh. The local errand monkey, lecturing someone on going far in life," the prisoner said sarcastically. "Stop bothering me, you running your mouth is distracting." The prisoner's failed to change at all.

Back on the deck, Leoquin, somewhat bored, decided to find Raclaw, to discuss his swimming lessons. Raclaw wasn't hard to find, being a relatively big creature, and rather unique. "Hey, Raclaw. Had fun today?" Leoquin asked sincerely. "Not bad swimming - it could be better, however. Remember, just let me know whenever I'm free and I'll be glad to help you."

Angora nervously restrained Shade from going after the prisoner. If he had to punish him, she would rather had the Guardians' permission. Even if Shade couldn't use his powers, he could still damage the ship with his tail and claws.
"Easy Shady. If he goes too far, I'm sure if we ask nice enough, they'll let you have him." Angora assured, knowing Shade too well to know he was running out of patience. She silently wished Maverick good luck as he disappeared below the stairs with his current burden, knowing how hard this was on him. Even with his father's influence, it has always been hard to Maverick to be bossy to anybody.

Quote: A Guy

"Heh. The local errand monkey, lecturing someone on going far in life," the prisoner said sarcastically. "Stop bothering me, you running your mouth is distracting." The prisoner's failed to change at all.

"Being an errand monkey is still better than being a filthy pirate." Maverick said challengingly, wanting to demonstrate he wasn't going to let this rude criminal get the better of him. He was in charge of him for tonight, and whether any of them liked it or not, they both had to tolerate this tedious task until the dishes were done.

Risar watched as Maverick and the pirate exchanged verbal insults-- pleased to see that the leader-in-training wasn't taking it to heart at least. Still, the prisoner could've been more productive and would've been more productive under his orders. He wasn't entirely losing hope for Mav, however, and hadn't forgotten about his delicious meals. If he could learn to eventually be as good as a leader as he was a chef.. there was hope yet.

Meanwhile...
Quote: A Guy

Back on the deck, Leoquin, somewhat bored, decided to find Raclaw, to discuss his swimming lessons. Raclaw wasn't hard to find, being a relatively big creature, and rather unique. "Hey, Raclaw. Had fun today?" Leoquin asked sincerely. "Not bad swimming - it could be better, however. Remember, just let me know whenever I'm free and I'll be glad to help you."

"Oh hey Leoquin!.," Raclaw said with a gentle smile briefly interrupting the ongoing game/training he had going with Chester. The little Beagle looked slightly disappointed, but vastly less so when he saw the reason for the interruption-- barking something to Raclaw and glancing at the merman. "Hehe... Chester here says he looks forward to my training. I think he wants to see me go in the water again.," Raclaw quickly translated on the little dog's behalf. "Anyway-- I honestly had fun despite the water. And if anything will help me fully get over it, learning to successfully maneuver through it ought to do the trick.," he said pausing the thinking about his past encounters with water with a slight shudder. 'Perhaps not knowing how to swim was one of the reasons I had developed a fear for it?,' he thought to himself. Raclaw then glanced around the deck and at Latnok practising his magic not that far away. The entire crew, prisoners excluded, seemed to have nothing but downtime at the moment. "I'm.. I'm free now if you would be interested.," the fur dragon then said trying to show a brave face and attempting to conquer his fears. Chester seemed to like the fur dragon's response and was more than happy to interrupt their 'game' just to see Raclaw get back into the water. "You have to learn sometime, less you get swept away.," Damon said in his head.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“Hehe you hear that punk!? Keep doing that and the guardians will let me at ya!” He said laughing. Even if they did he wasn’t going to kill the prisoner just scare him like he did with the robber.

Angora pulled her ears when Shade started to yell. She immediately coiled herself around his snout to shut him off.
"Keep it down Shady! Don't make a scene! Have you forgotten what happened with those galuds? You couldn't just attacked them out of nowhere, did you? You had to insult them as well and make things worse for us! I know it's just some vulgar prisoner this time, but don't make your reputation worse than it already is! Damn it Shady! What does it take for you to control yourself?" Angora scolded heavily, grasping his snout tightly as her frustration grew. Shade yelling like that, even if it was directed only to a lowlife like that, could send a wrong image to the rest of the sailors, something that Angora wanted to avoid at all costs. She felt like her training was being for nothing.

"Screw off," the prisoner said dismissively to Maverick. The prisoner's pace slowed ever so slightly, in defiance to this creature he had absolutely no respect for. He would, at the very least, find out just how much he would be able to get away with.

"Well, excellent! Just hop overboard and into the water when you're ready!" Leoquin said, happy to get the training started. "Though I'll be transforming to my aquatic form after hitting the water, I know the mechanics of swimming - I'll be able to guide you. I've taught many people how to swim!" Leoquin hadn't actually taught a dragon how to swim - but it couldn't be too different from a human or galud, could it?
In the meantime, Latnok was actually experimenting with water magic. Being that he was teaching Ilasi magic, he didn't want her to show him up on anything magic-related - even her own element. After all, that would cause her to lose respect for him, which would make teaching somewhat more difficult.

Quote: A Guy

"Screw off," the prisoner said dismissively to Maverick. The prisoner's pace slowed ever so slightly, in defiance to this creature he had absolutely no respect for. He would, at the very least, find out just how much he would be able to get away with.

Maverick was really losing his patience with this guy. He was defiantly slowing down his pace just so he could annoy him. In a flash, Maverick did what nobody that knew him for a while could even imagine he was capable of, something that was very out of character of him. When the prisoner put his hand near the dishwasher in an attempt to slow down, in a fraction of a second, Maverick took a curved knife from his hyperspace bag and stabbed it on the table, exactly between the pirate's index and middle fingers. It was an aim so perfect, he didn't even touched the skin.
"Listen... señor! I don't like this any more than you do, so I suggest you por favor wash those dishes quicker. The faster you're done, the sooner you won't have to see my face tonight, and me yours!" Maverick said with a deep frown, this pirate testing his temper. He wondered if he should've chosen another prisoner for the task or if it would've been the same or worse. He then removed the knife, once belonging to the mugger that almost killed him, and put it in the hyperspace bag, continuing his lame prisoner surveillance task.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“But Angora!” He said muffled. But then nodded. “Fine I’ll do it for you both.”

Angora was calmer now, so she let go and instead sat on his snout to be on eye level with Shade. She believed a severe heart to heart talk was in order.

"Look Shady, I know you want to protect us, but you're really overdoing it. Look at me. I spent years all by myself, and look at me, alive and well. And Maverick may be a passive idiot, but he spent most of his life as a pirate, and a few years as a lone traveling merchant. And he is alive and well also. Why do you need to use violence to protect us? Don't you trust us that we can find other solutions to save ourselves? Don't you trust yourself? Or your mind? Common sense perhaps? If you want to protect us, there are other ways you know. Why Shady? Why do you need to use insults and violence always? Huh? Back when those galuds were pointing their spears at me, couldn't you just grab the net and fly me away from there? With your speed and the dark of the night, they wouldn't have known what made me disappear. With luck, they may even had thought that some giant predator snatched me away and they would've left us alone. But no, you chose to attack them out of nowhere and even insult them! You caused them to think that Maverick was the mastermind, and because of that, an innocent man was captured and imprisoned for an entire week! Don't you see Shady? Don't you see how this pattern of violence and overprotectiveness is causing us trouble? Why? Why can't you control those severe impulses? Why can't you find other solutions?" Angora lectured heavily, wanting Shade to realize how he was causing this long chain of trouble and imlrisonment. If he couldn't control his impulses, Angora knew too well he may never be released if he was deemed too dangerous to roam free.

The prisoner gave Maverick a venomous glare, being absolutely furious with his little display - he knew better than to start trouble with Risar around, however. He reluctantly conceded, and returned to washing the dishes, though he just moved at his previous slow pace.
"Real tough guy when daddy's around to help you," the prisoner said mockingly. "Let's see you try that without him."

Maverick realized this prisoner had no idea just who he was, or rather, whom he used to be. This scenario was painfully similar to his previous life. Most of his previous respect in the past was from his real father, and this pirate captive opened up that internal flesh would. He wasn't dumb. He knew this man with the ridiculous mustache didn't have an ounce of respect for him and was only intimidated by the humongous figure that was Risar.
"And what would YOU try without him?" Maverick commented, practically entering a battle of wits with this man. Maverick was losing his patience with this guy, but his calm and collected demeanor remained mostly intact. He's faced far worse than this before, and this puny excuse of a man wasn't going to make him lose his cool.

Quote: A Guy

"Well, excellent! Just hop overboard and into the water when you're ready!" Leoquin said, happy to get the training started. "Though I'll be transforming to my aquatic form after hitting the water, I know the mechanics of swimming - I'll be able to guide you. I've taught many people how to swim!" Leoquin hadn't actually taught a dragon how to swim - but it couldn't be too different from a human or galud, could it?

Raclaw gave Leoquin a nod, before approaching the railing and hesitantly looking over the edge. It was more than a little ironic-- a dragon ,to whom the sky was literally the limit, being afraid of water. And despite being in the water mere hours priors, this fur dragon wasn't entirely comfortable with the prospect of so soon jumping back in. He knew he had to do it though and that his life might one day depend on getting over this this stupid fear, rather it be a strong storm or something worse. Memories of the previous incident in the rain flashed back to him and despite his better judgement-- he jumped in. At first he formed a cannonball similar to before, but ended in a smooth glide and gently landed into the water. Once in the water, he waited for the 'training' to start and for Chester to enjoy his continued suffering. Chester had merely been forced to take a bath -- he was going into the water for a second time and mere hours apart.

Leoquin jumped into the water right after Raclaw, eager to begin the training. He landed with a splash, not caring too much about how he got in. "Okay, we'll start with the fundamentals: floating. When you're swimming, you want your natural buoyancy to keep you up as much as possible.
"To that end, when you're swimming, you need to hold your breath as much as possible - sounds odd, but bear with me. What you do, is you take a deep breath; hold it; then, when you need to breathe, sharply exhale before taking another deep breath, very quickly. This maximizes the time you have air in your lungs, which helps you float. Give it a try - see how well you float while doing it."

"The prisoner gave Maverick a low growl. "I wouldn't need to try anything, because you wouldn't do anything. Just like how you were all cozy on the ship, off to the side, while your buddies brought us in. Now stop bothering me." The prisoner's pace picked up - only slightly, though, not anywhere near reasonable.

When the man finally accelerated his chore, Maverick fell silent as he kept watching him from the sides, not even bothering to explain that he did wanted to fight back then, and even keeping a secret that the big, scary black dragon outside was his friend. It could be a great form of imtimidation, but Maverick didn't find the attempt worth it. He serenely waited for the captive to finish up the dishes so he could be free of him. He was so upset with this task that he nearly forgotten about his meeting with Ilasi later that night, something that he remembered as soon as he stopped talking with this rude little man.

Above at the main deck, Angora waited for Shade to say something, wanting him to think long and hard about what she just told him. She was tired of always being a captive alongside him just because he refused to take a more calmer approach on things. His growing lowers weren't even an excuse. She believed that if he couldn't control his own powers, he was weak of will, and that just won't do.

Quote: A Guy

Leoquin jumped into the water right after Raclaw, eager to begin the training. He landed with a splash, not caring too much about how he got in. "Okay, we'll start with the fundamentals: floating. When you're swimming, you want your natural buoyancy to keep you up as much as possible.
"To that end, when you're swimming, you need to hold your breath as much as possible - sounds odd, but bear with me. What you do, is you take a deep breath; hold it; then, when you need to breathe, sharply exhale before taking another deep breath, very quickly. This maximizes the time you have air in your lungs, which helps you float. Give it a try - see how well you float while doing it."

"Hold my breath-- got it.," Raclaw said with a nod as he carefully listened to Leoquin's instructions. He promptly inhaled and took a brief breath-- before holding it in trying to imagine himself as buoyant as possible. At first, he started to sink and fear started to set it. 'Come on-- you can do it.,' he desperately thought to himself as he tried to trend water. "Raclaw--.," the voice of Damon briefly spoke in his head before stopping. Remembering the merman's instructions, he quickly took another deep breath and started to float back up. He proceeded to take another breath and another-- and was actually starting to float, although not as much as someone with such a light frame should've been able to. His heart beat rapidly and he was fighting both the unknown and the fear of the unknown at the same time. Chester watched from the sidelines, worried but having faith in the merman's guidance.

Angora could only sigh at his response. He excused his instincts, but she knew impulsiveness and temper had more to do with it.
"Listen Shady, you are a creature capable of speech and value something as deep as family, so stop creating excuses! You need to have willpower! You can't go through life blaming your instincts for your mistakes when you can overcome them. And your powers, they're yours! You own them! It doesn't own you. What happened in Redwater Shady? You claim somebody controlled you, but even if that's the truth, you let this individual get the best of you. Look at how many times you have been imprisoned Shady, because you are deemed too dangerous, and every time you do, Maverick and I get dragged along trying to bail you out. Look at the death and destruction you caused in that city. What if Maverick or I were near you when it happened? What if we would've been among the dead because you couldn't control your powers, or worse still, because you let someone else manipulate you?" Angora scolded, wanting Shade to understand the gravity of the situation.
"You want to protect us Shady. You want to have a family, but look what you're doing to us! Because you couldn't control yourself, we nearly got fed to that dastard behemoth, and the innocent Maverick was treated like a wanted criminal. And right now, we're in this ship where everyone hate us! Tell me, how is that protection? What else can we do Shady? What can I do to stop you from being this violent and rude all the time? Why is it so hard for you to control your impulses?" Angora asked teary eyed, knowing that their family, as well as their freedom could never be theirs as long as Shade kept acting the way he was.

Angora's own teary eyes disappeared when Shade started to cry. She wanted him to think and improve himself, not to feel bad. Now she was at a loss on what to do. She was good with lectures, but knew too little about consolation. She tried the best she could after letting Shade vent for a while.
"Shady? Shady stop it. Remember who you were before? You were this evil dragon bent on destroying the world and imprison Orion, but then you were shown the right way, and now you are someone good who just wants a family. That's a huge improvement. If you could overcome your previous life, you can overcome anything. You just have to trust yourself. And trust us. We can be a family again, if you just control your temper, and those instinct of yours. I'm a troll, a creature who is seen as nothing but a bloodthirsty beast who wants to kill and conquer, and you don't see me being that way, do you? I left behind those dastard ways that give us such a lousy reputation, and if I could do it, then you can do it better." Angora expressed quietly to keep the conversation just between them, using herself as an example to give Shade the motivation and inspiration to improve himself. He wasn't having faith in himself, and let depression overcome his attempts to change, which was holding him back severely. Somehow, Angora had to make him try to change for the better.

Leoquin patiently watched from the side as Raclaw executed the controlled breathing has he had just been taught. "Yes - just like that!" he said. "Now, with that knowledge, try a bit of swimming as you had done before - you should find it a bit easier, since you won't be fighting the water as mich. The worst thing you can do in the water is to start panicking and losing control - controlled movements, controlled breathing, they're the key to maneuvering in the water. Always remember that."

Latnok was rather curious - the task at hand had taken a while so far. How was Maverick doing? He decided that he would take a look himself.
Heading to the scullery, he waited by the door, listening in briefly, before opening it and giving a quick peek. He saw the prisoner washing dishes under Maverick's supervision - rather slowly, however. Without any further word, Latnok brought his head back in before shutting the door. It would seem that Maverick was being rather lenient with the prisoner, and work wouldn't really get done at a good rate.
Though Latnok tried to be surreptitious, the prisoner caught a brief glimpse of green, and knew - or at least, strongly suspected - Latnok was there. He picked up his pace a bit more.

Angora nearly choked with the hug. Even if Shade wasn't using his whole strength, it wasn't easy being hugged by a dragon his size.
"Alright alright, knock it off." Angora demanded, somewhat returning to the same, bitter and hardcore personality she was so well known for.
"Try and succeed Shady, that's all we need. Maverick, as well as I, we're here for you. You know how hard it was for him to convince that Guardian to let us come with you? If you won't try hard enough for yourself, then at least do it for us... for him." Angora said, calming down after Shade released her. She wanted him to get out of that despair that made him think he could never change, and if he wasn't going to do it for his own sake, at least he could do it for her and Maverick, the two beings he has grown to care so much about and that have gone through all kinds of hell to get him out of trouble.

At the cutlery, Maverick was still keeping a close eye on the rude prisoner. By this time he would usually get sleepy, but he was so upset and frustrated he wasn't even flinching. More than half of the dishes were done by now, but it was still some time before he would be free of this mangy task. He concentrated on the prisoner, end a fly started to bother him buzzing him on the ears. Shockingly enough, using the same curved knife he threatened the pirate with before, he swung it at the fly... and the insect fell on the floor, completely cut in half. As much of a gentle pacifist Maverick was, or at least wanted to be, his father ruthlessly trained him to have deadly aim with guns and stabbing weapons, a skill that was hard to forget when you spent most of your lifetime practicing with someone who didn't tolerate mistakes.

The prisoner continued to work away at the dishes, having returned to a bit of a slower pace. After a bit of time, he had cleaned the last one and put it away.
"There. Now get me back into my cell so I can get some sleep, boy," the prisoner demanded.

Meanwhile, Latnok and Ilasi both waited patiently on the deck for Maverick to finish. The speed - or rather, the lack of speed - at which the task was done had told Latnok all he needed to know about Maverick's capabilities as a leader, and he would be briefed about as much once he was done.

Maverick was unamused, and with knife still grasped tightly in his hand, he lead the prisoner back to the ship's dungeon, always under the watchful eye of Risar, who had the keys to the prison.
"I hope you don't wobble of sleep tomorrow." Maverick said, almost in a mocking tone. He knew the prisoners were always awaken very early in the morning for structure and chores, so if somebody was going to have a lousy time tomorrow, it was that prisoner, for taking his precious time in something as simple as washing dishes.

With the task finished at long last and Risar locking up the pirate, Maverick could finally breathe and sigh of relief. He put away the knife, not wanting to use it hopefully in a very long time. With the prisoner away, he felt like he could finally be himself again, but he was still upset. He felt like throwing a tantrum. Angora felt so much better after one, so Maverick wondered if it could help him as well. However, the minotaur was nearby, so he left it for another day. Finally, he returned to the main deck.
"Dishes done." he said to Latnok rather bluntly, so upset that he failed to notice Ilasi just behind him. Maverick looked almost nothing like his father, but the resemblance could be seen when he frowned.

Latnok gave Maverick a blank look for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment. "So... It took you this long to have a man do a task as simple as washing dishes... What did you do? Give him a back massage? Read him a bedtime story? Why did it take so long?
"Wait. Don't answer. I'm not going to entertain your excuses. I'll tell you - because you're not man enough to lead. Your idea of "be nice to everyone and everything will work out" isn't actually practical. Now suppose that had been a more pressing task - do you think I would trust that sort of leadership to get the job done?
"Maybe, before coming to me with your trash about how my leadership is wrong, you should understand why I treat some people the way I do. When you have someone who doesn't like you, qnd doesn't want to cooperate with you, do you think just rolling over and letting them do whatever they want will work? Hell no. Now why don't you think about that?"

Maverick's hair on his arms standed up again, but like always, he managed to keep his anger from manifesting.
"So? What if I'm not man enough to lead? Is that really so terrible? There is more in life than being a harsh leader you know. Not everyone is born with your talents or ideals señor Latnok. The prisoner took his time to do a simple chore to defy me, even though I warned him that the longer he took, the less he would sleep and the longer he would have to look at my face, but he still didn't listen. What did you want me to do about it? Put a knife around his throat and threaten to slice it if he didn't hurry up like my monster of a father used to do? Not everyone has your... ability to lead señor Latnok. The little girl I showed around the ship... do you think she likes me for being a strict, military person? And what about Angora? Have you seen her punching me or being mean to me like before? I went the mile extra with her, and it was worth it. She's trying really hard to change for the better, but you, and now even señor Sere himself are making it impossible for her. What's worse, you let others on this ship bully and insult her. You say you don't dwell on the past, but you refuse to see the kinder being she has become. She scraped those barnacles today under her own, free will. Nobody ordered her around, and yet you still thought the worse of her. Why are you that way señor Latnok?" Maverick asked, but didn't let him answer, not wanting to hear the response. Instead, he spoke again.
"But you know what? You be your own way, and I'll be mine. You may know about leading, order and structure, but what do you know about compassion? About kindness? About... love?" Maverick said with a broken voice, holding on the tears. Surprisingly, he wasn't looking at Angora. He was looking at Ilasi, whom he noticed when saying that last sentence. He imagined he looked so pathetic saying those words, but he worked very hard to leave behind the cruel behavior he had to adapt to please his father, and wasn't going to let Latnok make him take out that dark side of his personality just so he could surprise him about leadership.

Quote: A Guy

Leoquin patiently watched from the side as Raclaw executed the controlled breathing has he had just been taught. "Yes - just like that!" he said. "Now, with that knowledge, try a bit of swimming as you had done before - you should find it a bit easier, since you won't be fighting the water as mich. The worst thing you can do in the water is to start panicking and losing control - controlled movements, controlled breathing, they're the key to maneuvering in the water. Always remember that."

Raclaw nodded and proceeded to do so, continuing the previous exercise with the controlled breathing. As he swam forward-- he did so slightly more elegantly than before, indeed finding that the water (the unknown) fought him the less he fought it. He tried to keep himself calm and tried his best to remain in control; control being the key. His swimming was by no means perfect, but was at least an improvement over what it had been before-- so long as he retained his breathing and remembered what Leoquin has just taught him. It was progress to say the least and progress was a good thing.

Meanwhile, Risar had locked up the prisoner and was returning to the main deck, contemplating the leadership skills (or lack therefore of) that Maverick has displayed. On paper-- he had technically gotten the job done. However, it was clear that the prisoners (or most of the crew for that matter) has absolutely no respect for the hybrid and it was clear why. While the prisoner did eventually obey him, albeit very very slowly, he only did so out of sheer boredom and because others were watching. If Maverick had been truly alone; the prisoner could've escaped or started a cue or worse. Maverick had shown that he was least somewhat capable, but had no true desire to display or reflect any sign of authority. The prisoner had been lucky but tomorrow-- tomorrow he was going to regret his actions. As he stepped foot back on the upper deck, he could already see that Maverick was being debriefed; Latnok being no doubt just as disappointed he had been. There was potential, but potential was only good so long as someone wanted to use it.

Latnok glowered at Maverick. His naivety knew no bounds, apparently. "Does your 'love' keep people safe? Did your 'love' stop the pirate attack? Did your 'love' stop Shade from murdering hundreds at Redwater? No - the only thing that worked, or would have worked, in those scenarios was action.
"But, if even a practical application test wasn't enough for you to realizethe importance of what I do, then you have no place here. Out of all of the regular crew, only two of you seem to have a problem - you and Angora. I want a crew that I know has my back, shares my values. And you, right now - I can't trust you to do any of that. From your attempt to subvert your orders with that pathetic excuse of checking on your mount, to your unwillingness to actually put your foot down, to challenging me again - you have shown yourself to be rather defiant yourself. Get off the ship and find some way home, or whatever - I don't care."
Ilasi could only look on, as her heart stopped - was it really coming to this? Was there anything that could get Latnok to change his mind? She could only feel a horrible, crushing disappointment.

Maverick knew, as always, that Latnok wouldn't understand his position. Has he forgotten that he wasn't in Redwater?
"What happened in Redwater señor Latnok... I wasn't there when it happened. We were kidnapped by this blue dragon with freaky water powers that forced us to separate or be killed. How can you explain that after months of traveling together without anything bad happening? When we set foot in Aelinon, or at least a terrain that was forcefully being conquered by them, it's when our troubles began. We have left Shade many times alone before, and such destruction never happened. Why Redwater of all places? How can we know if this individual that supposedly controlled Shade, if it exists, was another one wrongfully imprisoned and wanted revenge? Or maybe it was another Aelinonian wanting to find an excuse to slander him. Or maybe it was Shade's powers growing. But why there if that's really the case? I really don't know what happened, but we still end up paying the price. And to make matters worse, this blue dragon appears out of nowhere to make us even more miserable. He's still at large señor Latnok doing who knows how many horrible deeds out there..." Maverick said, knees trembling. He was on the verge of collapsing to the floor.

"Yet we are here, and you're scolding me because I took longer to make a prisoner to do a simple chore. Why is that so important to you? The job was done in the end, isn't that enough? I don't have your abilities or your structure señor Latnok. You know that. Don't you think I tried to make him finish faster? I'm not intimidating or hard like you señor Latnok! What more do you want from me?" Maverick begged to know. His knees stopped trembling, but now his lips were, plus he started to sweat. Why did Latnok had such a hardened heart? Why didn't he want to give love and kindness a try? He wasn't being defiant. He just expressed himself, just like Angora had, yet Latnok's response was to throw them away, as cruel as ever. Latnok had a horrible life, but so did he and Angora. Why couldn't he see things his way for once in his life? Nobody knew it, but Latnok was reminding Maverick more and more of his father, which was hurting him in a way nobody, not even Angora, imagined.

Latnok crossed his arms. "I want the same thing I've always wanted," he explained. "I want reliable allies. I don't want allies who will hesitate to do a job, and do it without really putting effort into it, just because they don't like it. I want to accomplish the mission. If you're here, more worried about your 'compassion' than actually getting the job done, what use are you to us when the going gets rough, and you may have to make hard choices?
"As for Angora - you don't think I've noticed that she's been good today? If you were paying attention, you would know that I've let her be. Simple enough concept - if she doesn't need to be corrected, then I don't need to waste my time correcting her.
"I don't like excuses. What Shade did - all excuses. This bogeyman mage - you expect me to believe that some mage in a faraway place set Shade up to go berserk upon approaching Redwall? Even then, Shade couldn't be exploited if he wasn't exploitable. This is not to mention how he violated a court order in his complete selfishness - all of the innocent people he could kill - he did kill - were all secondary to his... obsession. Funny, her 'love' didn't seem to fix any problems there. But it's too late - hundreds are dead, and we're stuck with him as a load so that he can be trained enough to actually atone for his crimes, unless he wants to be with executed.
"I think I've made it quite clear what I'm expecting. Now - keeping in mind what I want and expect from my allies - can you give me a good reason as to why you should stay, despite your reluctance to do what you need to?"
Latnok let his arms down, having spoken at length. Ilasi watched with trepidation - what could Maverick say? Latnok was clearly running out of patience...

As Raclaw swam, Leoquin followed behind, ready to lend a hand should he need to. "Great job, Raclaw! Wonderful! Now, here's something to keep in mind." Leoquin lowered himself into the water to demonstrate, hands out forward. "When swimming to cover ground your whole body should be into it - with each stroke, you should be using not only your arms and legs - er, your forelegs and hind legs - but your abdominal muscles as well. Also, try to deny the water a chance to resist you as much as possible - when getting a limb in position for the next stroke, most likely your forelimbs, keep them as close to your body as possible when you move them. This way, you have less surface area for the water to push against."

Maverick went pale with despair, knowing Latnok would never understand. Shade violated the court order for a very good reason, and whether his destruction was caused by his own powers or something else, it was too much coincidence that it just happened in a very populated place, Aelinon territory no less, when nothing like that ever happened before. However, Maverick wasn't going to waste any more time with the subject, and instead focused on what seemed to matter to him the most. He prayed to his mother, all his ancestors and the heavens, to give him the strength and the right words to say, and to crack some of Latnok's stoned heart.
"Señor Latnok, I chose a prisoner and he did the chore. Wasn't that the task? What are you so upset about? I even had to resort to splashing his face with water and even scare him with a knife, yet he still showed too little respect. What else would you have wanted me to do? I'm not scary or intimidating, but even so, he did the chore. Isn't that what's important in the end? Isn't a complete job more important than the speed in which it is done?" Maverick asked calmly, Latnok claiming that he was upset about the job not being done when it actually was. He was upset with the speed. He was beginning to think Angora was right and that there was no pleasing this cruel man. Just what else did he wanted him to do to be pleased? Maverick already told him what he had to resort to in order to have the prisoner to obey, and thankfully, he had Risar as a witness.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade saw this and started to get up but stopped himself. He layed back down remembering what Angora said.

Angora saw what Shade did and smiled, feeling very proud of him. However, she still overheard the conversation, and couldn't help feeling a very deep sorrow. Hugging his elbow, she began crying silently, believing that if Maverick couldn't mellow down Latnok, they'll soon they'll be separated. Maverick did nothing wrong. He was just stating an observation, but as always, Latnok saw the worse in the scenario. Was he really that heartless? Was his solution to everything was banish those who didn't see things his way? Men like Maverick were one in a million. Was his objective make a sweet man like him as dastard as himself? And didn't the idiot know that the only reason why Shade violated the court order was because they were both injured and Shade wanted Aelinon's help? Angora wanted to do something, but knew that even if she took a calm approach, it would make things worse, so she had faith in Maverick and the heavens, that somehow, things would be alright soon...

Quote:

As Raclaw swam, Leoquin followed behind, ready to lend a hand should he need to. "Great job, Raclaw! Wonderful! Now, here's something to keep in mind." Leoquin lowered himself into the water to demonstrate, hands out forward. "When swimming to cover ground your whole body should be into it - with each stroke, you should be using not only your arms and legs - er, your forelegs and hind legs - but your abdominal muscles as well. Also, try to deny the water a chance to resist you as much as possible - when getting a limb in position for the next stroke, most likely your forelimbs, keep them as close to your body as possible when you move them. This way, you have less surface area for the water to push against."

"Thank-you.," Raclaw said appreciating the encouragement. As Leoquin then demonstrated, he watched and listened closely-- giving a slight smile at the Merman's good concerning what to call his fore and hind legs. As he swam forward using the new knowledge, he used his whole foreleg to project himself forward; he prepared his other limb to get in position at the same time at same time. And although it was less of a concern for a quadrupedal such as himself, he also kept Leoquin's second tip in mind and made sure that the limb getting into position remained close to the side of his body. He applied the same principles to his hind legs as well and thanks in part to his thicker hind abdominal muscles-- and was able to project himself further than he had been able to before. He was actually enjoying himself somewhat and rather it be due to Leoquin's presence or his new skills-- was less worried about the water itself. As the two got further away from the ship, Chester laid down-- the others likely too distracted with Latnok to notice or care. Risar also remained on deck, thinking of the extra chores he would have to make the prisoner do the next day to keep them compliant.

"Maverick. Let me explain something to you," Latnok said. "Time is a resource. Time spent doing one task is time not spent doing another. Everything has an opportunity cost. Time that prisoner spent cleaning dishes, for example, could have been spent doing something else if he finished more quickly.
"This is especially important for men of my occupation, or regular soldiers. To be slow is to be unprepared when you need to be prepared. To be unprepared is to die."
Latnok's term changed to something a little lighter. "I see that maybe this is a concept that could be foreign to you - so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. If you did actually use water and a knife, then it seems like you at least tried - but you made a crucial mistake. The way you approached the prisoner initially - you approached him like a friend. That tells him that he doesn't have to respect you. If you had approached him and immediately let him know that you mean business, then you would have established that you were not to be trifled with. From that base, you can ease up and be friendly - but you have to establish the respect before doing that. Trying to do that later, when you've established that you're his friend, is difficult.
"You know what I expect now. I've spelled it out in no uncertain terms. Now go to bed or do whatever, unless you have anything to ask me."

Though Raclaw was swimming better and better, Leoquin didn't want to stray too far from the shore. "We should start heading back now," he suggested. "Swimming will be especially taxing on a beginner, since it takes some practice to use your muscles efficiently. Let's swim back, and then we can call it a day and keep practicing tomorrow." Regardless, Leoquin was greatly pleased by how quickly Raclaw seemed to be taking in and applying his advice.

Maverick was both surprised and relieved by Latnok's suddenly calm demeanor. His prayers were answered. But he still believed Latnok was asking too much of him.
"Nothing... señor." Maverick answered gloomingly, upset with today's events. How can such a day of fun turn into such an awful experience? He was never the bossy or the leader type, so it was indeed a foreign territory to him like Latnok said. The respect he had in the past was due to his father's influence, but that respect was always out of fear. He didn't want people to fear him. Even less hate him. He didn't want to risk opening that can of worms that connected him to that awful man that was once his father. Maverick was much more like his mother both physically and in personality, but it still didn't change the fact that he was still connected to him. He had his genes. He was afraid that, deep inside, he could be the same monster he was if pushed too far.

Angora stopped crying when she heard Latnok being gentle for once. She knew that if Maverick went as far as to splash someone in the face or threaten that person with a knife, then he has indeed tired. It was too unlike Maverick to threaten anybody. Even when he was a pirate, he never wanted to hurt anybody. She looked at Shade happily, very glad that he managed to resist himself. If he had acted up, she knew too well this scenario could be way too different. His rebelliousness could have even caused Latnok to reinforce his original decision. She patted his elbow in gratitude and pride, wanting him to know he did the right thing.

Quote: A Guy

Though Raclaw was swimming better and better, Leoquin didn't want to stray too far from the shore. "We should start heading back now," he suggested. "Swimming will be especially taxing on a beginner, since it takes some practice to use your muscles efficiently. Let's swim back, and then we can call it a day and keep practicing tomorrow." Regardless, Leoquin was greatly pleased by how quickly Raclaw seemed to be taking in and applying his advice.

"Perhaps.. perhaps you're right." Raclaw said slowing down and turning around to head back towards the shore. Too distracted by conquering his fear-- he hadn't realised just how far his hind muscles had projected him. He didn't know if fur dragons normally swam or not, but at least he seemed capable of doing so. As his muscles burnt up and they got closer to shore, Raclaw happily lifted himself out of the water and looked back at it-- reflecting on the day. "Thanks-- thanks again for doing this for me.," he gratefully said to Leoquin. He had certainly gotten his fair share of water for the day, more so than he ever had before. And thanks to Leoquin, he was at least somewhat capable of maneuvering through it. The unknown was no longer entirely unknown.

Latnok was satisfied with the turn of events - at the very least, it should have hammered home why he does what he does, though the concept is still something Maverick was having some difficulty understanding. All would happen in due time... provided Latnok wasn't bothered enough by Maverick and his actions to have him dismissed from the crew.
With that done, he headed over to the edge of the bow, spotting Raclaw and Leoquin coming from their swimming.

"No problem," Leoquin said. "Just let me know any time you want a bit of help practicing. Swim when you can, and you'll eventually get the hang of it. I know it."
Then, Latnok called out to the duo. "Hey, you two! How'd the swimming go? Had fun?"
"Oh, we had plenty of fun," Leoquin answered. "I think our buddy here would be glad to tell you all about it!"

Meanwhile, Ilasi was at somewhat of a loss as to what to do now. She dared not ask Maverick about what happen, lest she embarrass him. Latnok had probably done enough of that. She instead decided that she would keep company with some others until Maverick had some time to think.

Maverick stood motionless for a while, and then saw Ilasi leaving.
"I'll... I'll just go see... how Dahlia is doing... I'll... be back later." he said to the mermaid as he prepared to leave down the stairs. He didn't even at Shade or Angora as he went by, feeling too humiliated and hurt to look at anybody in the eye. Angora, having been in that position many times before, knew that he needed some time alone, although she couldn't do anything if she wanted to in her condition. She continued hugging Shade's elbow, treating it as a security blanket. From it's sides, she would ocasionally glance disappointedly at Ilasi, upset that she did nothing to help Maverick. Letting such a sweet and innocent man bullied like that was unacceptable, yet Maverick still had feelings for her. Why was he so dumb? Was it her pretty face? His own naivety? Angora firmly believed her gentle friend was too good for her... and yet she wasn't going to interfere in their interactions. Angora didn't want to hurt Maverick any further. She wouldn't try to warn him about Ilasi. He was a grown man. He needed to learn things for himself, even if he had to go over a painful heartbreak...

Quote: A Guy

Latnok was satisfied with the turn of events - at the very least, it should have hammered home why he does what he does, though the concept is still something Maverick was having some difficulty understanding. All would happen in due time... provided Latnok wasn't bothered enough by Maverick and his actions to have him dismissed from the crew.
With that done, he headed over to the edge of the bow, spotting Raclaw and Leoquin coming from their swimming.

"No problem," Leoquin said. "Just let me know any time you want a bit of help practicing. Swim when you can, and you'll eventually get the hang of it. I know it."
Then, Latnok called out to the duo. "Hey, you two! How'd the swimming go? Had fun?"
"Oh, we had plenty of fun," Leoquin answered. "I think our buddy here would be glad to tell you all about it!"

"I had fun-- the water honestly isn't that bad!" Raclaw called out as he shook off some of the water and proceeded back towards the ship alongside his teacher. Raclaw opted to reserve his energy and walk towards the ship along Leoquin, only flying at the last moment and over the plank connecting it to the dock. Once on board, an excited bark could be heard as Chester ran over to the pair. "Hey Chester.," Raclaw said in common looking down at the little Beagle and actually letting him lick his face. "Leoquin taught me the main principles-- I can't say I'll be swimming a marathon anytime soon, but it's a start at least. And Chester-- it's honestly not that bad.," he started to explain giving a smile to both Latnok and the lovable Chester. Elsewhere, Risar watched the waves and observes others' activities on the deck.

Maverick went below deck, right to Dahlia's enclosure. For a moment he thought of visiting Veris to get to know him better, but he didn't have too much trust on the wyvern like Angora, so he decided it was better left for another day.

He opened the dirt buffalo's enclosure to find the bandaged Dahlia feeling better than ever. It was almost as if nothing even happened to her. With a mixture of relief and pain, Maverick fell to his knees, finally feeling free to cry to his heart's desire. Dahlia was no stranger to his sensibility. She immediately went to snuggle her hurt owner, being very careful not to impale him with her large horns, and being as gentle as a kitten. She was grunting and breathing hardly, with Maverick wondering if she was saying something. How he wished Raclaw was there to traduce, but her consolation and patience was more than enough for now. Dahlia was making him feel much better, and her fur was so thick, he could actually submerged his whole head inside. Ironically, the dirt buffalo's fur was arranged in a way that instead of retaining heat, it retained cold, an adaptation very useful for the hot, desert climates they lived in. It was a convenient way to cool off, not to mention it was the perfect way to hide your face when you needed some time alone.
"Gracias Dahlia. That's a good girl." he said to the dirt buffalo, grateful for doing so much for him and for her deep loyalty. His sorrow and pain was nearly completely gone.

Angora was happy for him. He could control himself after all. He tried and succeeded. That's all there was to it.
"See Shady? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Angora said as he patted his paw, congratulating him for his control. She knew he has been desperate to save Maverick from Latnok's berating, but thankfully, he managed to hold back and let the situation run it's course. If he could only keep that up, there was hope.
"Hungry? I can tell Maverick to fetch you something later." Angora said kindly, knowing she couldn't go anywhere anymore, but at least Shade won't be alone in this journey. His yawn was more of sleepiness, but it could be hunger as well. The little troll wanted to make sure he was well taken care of as long as she was there.

Meanwhile, Maverick was already returning to the main deck, feeling much better. His face was beaming again, just the way it was suppose to be. His time with Dahlia certainly did him a world of good. He was very lucky to have found her when he did. The fawn man went up the stairs, and Angora was about to call him, but saw him in such a good mood that she decided to make her request later and let him have this moment. She lied down on Shade's snout as Maverick went to the same side of the ship where he talked to Ilasi yesterday. She wasn't anywhere to be seen, so just like back then, he studied the constellations from his spot while waiting for her, wanting to make this meeting better than the last time and atone for his previous mistakes.