darkSpyro

Angora headed to the kitchen without waiting for any reply, and prepared Veris' usual meal, no double ration this time. She had so much to ponder, but she tried very hard to keep those thoughts aside. Today was going to be about Shade, but she still had a responsibility, so she was going to bring Veris up the main deck in order to keep an eye on him but also so he could enjoy the fresh air while she spend some time with the dragolet.

Once the meal was prepared, Angora headed to the wyvern's enclosure, giving him a usual greeting.
"Hey Veris. Guess what? I can talk to Shade again. But don't worry. I won't overlook you." she assured, not wanting Veris to feel jealous for whatever attention she gave her larger friend. As was routine, she stayed far away from the whirlwind of teeth while she changed his water.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“I’m sure she’ll be alright. She has been through a lot so I’m sure this is a way to amend?” Shade said.

"Well amend or not, it's still too much work for her. And to tell you the truth, I'm not... extremely fond of her taking care of Veris. I've seen him eat, and... well, I'm just afraid he might accidentally hurt her in one of his wild impulses." Maverick confessed, never having agreed on such responsibility, but it gave Angora something to do and that she seemed to like at the very least. Plus Sere finally looked like he was recognizing how useful she was.

Veris predictably assaulted his food, ad in mere moments there was no trace of it ever existing. Once done, he returned to his previous spot and laid down - giving Angora somewhat of a longing look, and a soft groan. He knew how attached she was to Shade, after all...

"Don't get too comfy in here Veris. Let's go. You're going to the main deck with me. It will be a nice change of pace to make digestion breathing the fresh air of outside. Plus, we've arrived on an island, so we will be able to do some exercise." Angora said, signaling him to follow her. He wasn't as full as that morning, so he could still walk, or at least Angora hoped he wasn't feeling too lazy to walk.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“She is tough like you and me. She faced sea monsters and Darkmatter. You think Veris would hurt her? I think not! It’s gonna take a lot more than that.” Shade said.

"Of course. I'm not saying that he would hurt her on purpose... but, well, he can get a little wild." Maverick expressed, knowing it was silly to be this worried when absolutely nothing has happened to Angora when taking care of Veris, but he couldn't help himself.

Digi commented "Mischief, if you'd like, I can try and help you learn some Moves. That is, teach you special fighting methods specific to Pokemon as a whole... Including a talent only your kind and a singular Legendary share."
Mischief looked up at him. The screen had been facing her, and in fact Digi was propped up with what was effectively a miniature kickstand. "Well, I don't see a reason not to. But will it involve a zap?"
Digi seemed sheepish. Mareepish, according to the image on the screen. "Sorry. I've got no other way to send data to you. And with you having so little of what you'd have learned had you been raised among your own species... Anyway. Point is, do you want to learn the skills?"
Hesitating briefly, Mischief placed a paw on the screen. A sharp squeak indicated she'd felt it. Digi whirred a bit. Meanwhile Mischief made a little whine and sucked on her paw. "Ow... Can you make it less painful?"
Digi became indignant. "I'm being as gentle as possible with you! And that ought to be the last upload you need until you're a Zoroark. Which according to my calculations, will be quite soon!" Mischief tilted her head, still sucking on her paw. Digi warned her "Careful that paw-sucking doesn't become a habit. It's not good for your fur and skin."
He began coaching her on using her claws for various simple moves. After a bit she notes "A lot of these I've learned to do already, but with daggers. I'd never have thought to use claws."
Digi shows a smiley face. "Claws are primitive, but effective. Star told me that once."

As Maverick talked to Shade, he would watch Mischief from time to time in case she decided to wander off. She was still very entertained with the thingamajig, so she was very easy to babysit. At least this way, he was helping Angora with some of the responsibility that was bestowed upon her.

Veris stood up and perked up, ready to follow. Angora wasn't going to abandon him to hang out with Shade, like he had thought. He wondered what this new place would be like - if he would be allowed to fly over the island.

With Sere still on the main deck, the scouting team returend before long. One of the older sailors from among them located Sere, and brought the report to him.
"The immediate area is secure," the scout said. "Nothing notably threatening, at least within a few miles of our landing zone. At the very edge of the perimeter we established, we noticed a sign - pointing down what is apparently 'King's Road.'"
"That's good to know," Sere answered. "Anyone or anything of value here will likely be deeper within. Perhaps there is a better water source there? The foliage would make it difficult to see from above - with the immediate area secure, however, I'll take a few others with me and proceed down this King's Road. We know this place is inhabited, because of the lighthouse - keep a watch around, and let me know if you encounter any locals."
"Aye aye, sir," the sailor answered dutifully, before returning to the rest of his fellow sailors.

Angora was glad she didn't have to beg Veris to come, and that instead looked very glad. She beckoned him to follow, arriving to the main deck in a couple of minutes. Shade and Maverick where in the same spot where they were earlier.
"Hey boys. Look who I brought with me." Angora greeted, knowing Veris was going to love spending time in the main deck instead of that closed pen he was kept in. She just had to make sure he didn't get too exited and flew away without a rider. Once she arrived, she made sure Veris didn't look at Mischief since she didn't believe the fox made a good first impression earlier.

Maverick was a little bit surprised by Angora bringing Veris, but then again, she probably told him before leaving and didn't listen.
"Hey Veris." Maverick greeted, with not as much nervousness as other times. Perhaps because Shade was there? Even so, he he wanted to be friendly. He couldn't talk the same way as many of them, and his stomach was something to be afraid of, but he was one of Angora's dear friends, and no incidents meant that he really cared for her, and that his concern was him overreacting.

Veris gave Maverick an intrigued look before lowering his head down, to allow Maverick to pet him if he so desired. Though he was tempted to give Maverick a quick lick, he knew that Maverick wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with him, and such a gesture would likely intimidate the hybrid.
Sere looked on as Angora brought Veris out of the pen. The wyvern seemed as happy as ever - it seemed his confidence in Angora had been well-placed. H would leave her to the task, and perhaps see what he could do when he got back. FOr now, he looked around for Latnok and Risar. Maybe one of the more agile types, like Kasidra or Laszur, would come in handy as well - Sere would strongly prefer Kasidra, as Laszur would naturally be sleeping by now.

Maverick gave a nervous smile to the wyvern, clearly not ready to be so close to him.
"Oh come on Maverick. You think he's going to bite your arm? He is trying to be friendly you know. You can touch Shade who is bigger and you can't touch one who was born among humans?" Angora scolded, not being able to understand why Maverick felt more comfortable with Shade, who was bigger and still technically wild, than Veris, who was domesticated from birth. While Maverick understood, and knew by the look of his belly that he has already eaten, he still felt nervous around him.
"I know Angorita. I know it's horrible to feel that way, but..." he started to say, when he decided to take a leap of faith and touch his snout. If anything ever went wrong, he knew Shade could interfere, though he doubted his reflexes would be fast enough to avoid harm. Angora could only shook her head in how pathetic Maverick could be with all of his concerns. She was almost tempted to let him know she spent quite a long time in his mouth cleaning his teeth, but knew that would only cause him a mini heart attack. She was glad that at least Maverick had the iniciative to touch his snout, even if it was with some skepticism. She didn't realize Sere was watching her, otherwise she would've taken this chance to show off and demonstrate how much of a great job she has been doing with his gluttonous mount.

Mischief had visibly pulled away from Veris. Not only was the wyvern huge compared to her, but judging by what Angora said she was effectively a bite-size snack to the beast. She was good at making herself seem smaller and less significant, and if she had to she could go for a scare tactic, but for now she went with her usual tactic for staying out of trouble: keeping out of the way. Digi whirred and scanned the area again. He detected so many lifeforms to collect data on!

After the assembly and breakfast, Kasidra had simply gone back to her room, as she had no further business to attend to on the main deck. Unlike many of the others, she didn't really have any daily tasks to complete, so she mostly spent her free time in her room. Kasidra wouldn't have minded work, if she were needed, but it seemed that wasn't often the case so far. So she settled for studying the books she had bought, which were mostly spell books, along with books on various poisons and antidotes.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“Oh! Angora! You brought Veris.” He then noticed how nervous Maverick was and decided to playfully knock him against Veris snout. He looked away innocently like nothing happened. Though a playful grin soon formed.

Maverick immediately pulled away, glaring at Shade, who was suppose to be protecting and supporting him. Angora was visibly amused.
"Well that was precipitated, but necessary." Angora stated, knowing that it was about time Maverick felt comfortable around Veris, who meant him no harm at all.
"Go ahead Veris. He's all yours." she then said, the hybrid shaking his head. If the wyvern played with him for a while, not only will that likely help them bond at last, but it would give Angora some time to catch up with Shade. She noticed Mischief at the distance, who was understandably trying not to draw attention. While she didn't make the best of impressions the first time, Angora believed Veris would get used to her too eventually.

Mischief restrained a giggle at Shade's action. It was funny to her, partly because she'd seen that sort of grin in a mirror, and partly because the last thing she expected from a big powerful dragon was the playful attitude of a puppy. Or was it more like her own? It had a mischievous feel. Digi was amused for a simple reason. Shade seemed like what you'd get if you took a typical Zoroark's playful and mischievous but incredibly loyal personality and transplanted it into a dragon's body. Come to think of it, the name sounded familiar. Digi checked his database to be certain. He was right. There were indeed files on a Zorua named Shade. He'd been tucked away so long he missed out on Star's return, but he would remedy his missing data on what happened to the Zorua since. Or had Star Evolved? He'd have to ask Angora to fill him in on his creator. In the meantime, he debated whether or not this Shade was possibly an alternate dimension version of the Zorua in his database. Any differences he identified seemed to be explainable through the fact it was, well, a different dimension. One that Nightmare, thankfully, had left untouched. But other vile forces were manipulating events here, Digi could tell. Finally he realized only data from even more parts of the multiverse would answer the question and made a note to ask Star should they ever meet again.

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FOr now, he looked around for Latnok and Risar. Maybe one of the more agile types, like Kasidra or Laszur, would come in handy as well - Sere would strongly prefer Kasidra, as Laszur would naturally be sleeping by now.

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Latnok was visibly pleased with the end result of the fireball this time. "That worked out just fine, didn't it?" he asked his close friend Raclaw. With how comfortable he felt around Raclaw, he started thinking again - what did he really want? Did he really want the life he was currently living? Or did he want to be... something else?

Risar wouldn't be that hard to find-- the Minotaur keeping an eye on the crew and on Raclaw's training session. "Yes-- I believe it did.," Raclaw said with a smile as Chester soon caught up to them. "Hey Buddy. How's Dahlia doing?," he would ask partaking in some brief conversation before resuming the training. The next few shots had varying degrees of success-- with some missing the target entirely and others ranging from fair to excellent. Without a mental 'target' behind the fake dummy, Raclaw was relying almost entirely on his own flame and on his own dragon instincts.

During a lull in the training, Sere approached Latnok - briefly summarizing the mission. "With any luck, this person we are looking for will not be too hard to find," he said. "We were supposed to find some answers here."
"Whatever it is, I'm ready for it," Latnok said - his bag wasn't very far away, and he was ready to leave at a moment's notice. "So do you want me to find Kasidra now?"
"Yes, please do so. Laszur needs sleep. Once she is here, we will set out."

After a brief trip through the cabins, Latnok found Kasidra's own room. Coming up to the door, he gave it a sturdy knock, waiting for a response - hoping she was actually there, and wouldn't take too much effort to find. He was curious to see how she would perform in another mission - the first one they were involved in was a success.

Veris was unsure of how to proceed with the human who seemed to fear him. Maverick was at least able to approach him of his own accord - before Shade pushed him in, anyway. As a gesture of appreciation, he gave Maverick a rub with his snout while producing a low rumbling sound. Hopefully, the human would be more comfortable once he realized Veris meant no harm.

Maverick was still rather upset by Shade's little prank. Veris could've been yawning and he would've pushed him right in his jaws. He calmed down just slightly after seeing how friendly Veris wanted to be.
"See Maverick? You're making Veris feel bad. Look how much he's trying. Don't worry about his appetite. He already ate. But even if he didn't, he wouldn't want to eat you. Who want to spend the rest of the day coughing up hairballs?" Angora joked, with Maverick giving her a playful glare. He really wanted to be friends with the wyvern, but for some reason he was still skeptical, something he knew was unecessary, so he was willing to try to leave the feeling behind.

"Listen, you already talked with Shady, haven't you? Why don't you go show Veris some of your toys? Maybe he'll want one. You can play with him, or you can read him one of your books. You can understand him, no Shady? If he has requests, you can translate. Don't worry. We will be here watching." Angora suggested, knowing this was the perfect moment for Maverick and Veris to bond while she talked with Shade. He and Maverick probably already had their own conversation while she was away, so now it was her turn. Since it was going to be under supervision, Maverick went with Veris, willing to leave all the nervousness behind.

Veris gave Maverick one of his classic big, toothy grins, before looking at Shade curiously. If the dragon could translate for him, then perhaps...
"Tell the furry human I don't want to eat him, please!" Veris beseeched Shade. "Though I would like a belly massage! And some more of his food if possible!" Veris got down and laid on his side in order to facilitate his request.

For a moment, Angora thought she understood some of his words, but then she dismissed it as nothing more than wishful desire. Neo hasn't tell anything about giving her the ability back, so she doubted what she heard. She didn't need words or translation to know what he wanted though.
"He wants a belly rub Maverick. Heh, after a meal like that, it always does the trick." Angora said with a smile, wanting to see them bond already without any of Maverick's ridiculous skepticism. The faun man obliged, approaching Veris with some little hesitation. She just tried to pretend he was Shade. He cautiously climbed his belly and started rubbing it, feeling now more ridiculous than afraid.

Angora could only shake her head at Maverick's hesitation, though proud that he was willing to try to eliminate such unnecessary caution. She then addressed to Shade.
"Yeah, funny." she said in response to his comment, wondering what was Maverick's deal. Was it because of Veris behaving more like an animal? Or his appetite?

As Maverick gradually approached him, Veris tried to stay as calm as possible, to give him as little reason to fear as he could. Finally, the human mustered up the courage to give him a belly rub, despite the potential for Veris to crush him. Veris closed his eyes and gave a soft, low rumbling sound in pleasure and approval. This was working... it was actually working!

Maverick felt like he was standing on a hill and that a small earthquake was happening. It actually felt nice. Quite relaxing. He knew his fear was misplaced, but he couldn't help it. But he hoped that bonding with him would change everything.

Now that finally Maverick had the will to spend some time with Veris one or one, Angora spent some time with Shade.
"Well, it was about time. The can bond, and in the meantime we can talk for a while. How have you been Shady? They treat you well, don't they?" she asked, not wanting to believe he was mistrated in the training. He hasn't acted out in a while, which made her believe they could be using force.

Angora was glad to hear it. At least Shade was being treated kindly, and as she suspected, nice got better results than the harsh treatment in Redwater. She then chuckled when Shade translated.
"Sure. Belly rub AND food. That last one is never missing." Angora stated, not surprised that Veris wouldn't waste the opportunity to ask for more meals, especially Maverick's. His food was probably the only one the wyvern ever bothered to enjoy instead of just swallowing it as if somebody was going to steal it from him.
"Anyway, it's nice we finally get some progress Shady. They treat you well, they let you play, and now they finally let you talk with us. Things are finally working out." Angora commented happily, wanting to return to the life she once had with him and Maverick... but Shade had a mother somewhere out there, and Maverick had a girlfriend. Things weren't going to be the same anymore. Still, she didn't change her expression so that Shade wouldn't worry about what she was pondering.

Maverick continued with the rubbing, feeling so silly. He looked around to see if Ilasi was around. She would probably make fun of him for seeing himself as so foolish. At least Veris has eaten, which was shown by his bloated belly, so he couldn't believe Veris still wanted more food when he just ate. Clearly his appetite was legendary.

Kasidra was studying her spellbooks, when she heard a knock at the door. She closed her book and left it on the bed, while she got up to answer the door. "Oh, Latnok. Do you need something, sir?" While Kasidra figured it could possibly be just a visit, she figured it was more likely that she was needed for something. The tiefling didn't mind either way, somewhat eager for something to do.


Meanwhile, Tyraika laid her head down and started to take a nap. She was still recovering from her wounds and could use all the rest she could get. Besides, Shade was obviously busy with his family today, and she didn't really have anything to do otherwise. At least, there was likely nothing Tyraika could do that the humans would allow.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade nuzzled Angora. “I told you things will always get better.”

Shade's affection was something Angora expected, so she let him do it as much as he liked. Still, she was uncertain of what the future was going to be for all of them. Maverick had a girlfriend and the potential for a family of his own. Shade's mother was alive and well, so where would that leave her? Shepherd. If Shade and Maverick went on with their potential lives, she was going to be standing in the way, so this man with the mysterious powers will be the only way she could go to. There was also Veris who adored her, but she didn't want a life where she was going to attend a mount whose master and protégée she still believed hated her yet.

Ilasi was, in fact, looking for Maverick, having finished her daily chores and with no one needing immediate medical attention. Jedde was still recovering well - he complained that his thoughts and memories all felt rather hazy, but his headache had gone down and his injuries had closed up reasonably well. Tyraika might need some checking up on, but that could be done later (and ideally with someone present to keep her in check.)
Ilasi did manage to find Maverick - she came over to Veris, figuring that Angora would be nearby and know his whereabouts, but was greeted by the sight of Maverick giving the wyvern a belly rub. The scene brought an adoring smile to Ilasi's face. "It's good to see you finally get along with Veris!" Ilasi called out. Truly, Maverick was an easy person to love.

Latnok had the look of pure business on his face. "Yes - we need you. We will be moving further into the island, following one of the roads," he explained. "The captain believes he will find the contact we are looking for there. Get your stuff ready, we will be leaving shortly." Latnok waited for any more questions from Kasidra before he would move on.

Maverick was hoping Ilasi wouldn't see him in this... situation, but they were in a very public part of the ship, so it had been unavoidable.
"Hola Ilasi..." he said with an intense shade of red, blushing so hard it also extended to his ears. Angora sat back and enjoyed the show, giving occasional glances at the distracted Mischief, but mostly enjoying the spectacle. It was nice to have a little fun in a ship where mostly everything was serious.

It wasn't hard for Ilasi to pick up on Maverick's discomfort - she didn't think it was well-founded, but she could somewhat understand, or at least guess, why he felt that way. Perhaps he felt it made him look... soft? Ilasi didn't see it that way, though - she found it both brave and endearing.
"Maverick! How are you doing?" she asked excitedly, with a quick wave. "Veris isn't giving you too hard a time, is he?" Ilasi was used to seeing wyverns by now - but understood that some like Maverick would not be so comfortable around them.

Maverick felt quite embarrased in his position, but he didn't stop the rubbing. If Veris was anything like Shade, he could use his tail as an extremity to grab him and make him continue, though with how weapon like his tail was, it was going to be painful.
"Well, the good thing is I'm doing this here outside rather than... in there. That's always a good sign." Maverick said as he pointed to the wyvern's bloated belly, trying to joke about the matter to ease up his embarrassment. Angora could only shook his head at Maverick's silly behavior, believing he was suppose to be proud of his achievement and bonding rather than fearful and embarrassed for getting caught in this scenario. If Ilasi was anything like Angora was expecting her to be, she was feeling proud and happy that Maverick could finally touch Veris, and of course show that someone with a bigger heart than his probably didn't exist. She had been so distracted by the spectacle that she almost forgot about what Shade asked.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade could sense something was wrong with Angora. “Angora is there something wrong?”

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing Shady. It's... nothing. Let's just enjoy the show." she replied, not wanting Shade to know anything about her concerns to avoid ruining the moment for him.

"It's nothing Shady. Come on!" Angora stated, starting to get frustrated by Shade's insistence. She didn't want to ruin the moment, especially not by her negative thoughts. She couldn't understand why Shade would want to know whatever she had in mind instead of simply enjoying the break he was given.

Angora was already a little frustrated with the line of questioning, so while she was tolerating head rubs, she wasn't very keen on the licks now.
"Must you do that?" she asked as she cleaned her face, already having enough with Veris' own licks. After giving another glance at Mischief, she finally noticed Sere nearby. She wondered what she was doing, but she knew she would find out soon enough. She wanted so badly to explore the island, so she hoped it was deemed safe soon so they could go already and have a rest from that accursed ship. At least for now, this quality time was all that was needed, even if Shade could be annoying with too much affection.

Ilasi gave a brief chuckle at Maverick's attempt at humor. He was very out of his element - and yet he was trying his hardest to make things work. "See, Maverick? Veris really appreciates you!"
Maverick would soon find he wasn't alone on the wyvern for long. Ilasi would soon scramble up Veris' belly herself, to where Maverick was. Veris could feel her presence, but didn't mind it.
Ilasi got herself settled by Maverick before she continued. "It's very brave of you to challenge yourself like that, Maverick. And as you can see, it's very hard for anyone to not love you."[/i] Ilasi wanted to give Maverick a hug, but didn't want to interrupt him, instead settling for waiting nearby.

Angora rolled her eyes, knowing it was a matter of time before Shade got teasing mode as old times.
"You know I'm stronger than before. Keep annoying me and I'll pull one of those ugly fangs from your gums and use it as a necklace." Angora threatened, though the comment soon brought bad memories with the time Sere confiscated one of those from her. It was back when she and Shade weren't on the most friendliest of terms and she had to keep him awake to avoid his evil self from taking over. That felt like such a far away memory now, though many of them still stung.

Quote: A Guy

Ilasi gave a brief chuckle at Maverick's attempt at humor. He was very out of his element - and yet he was trying his hardest to make things work. "See, Maverick? Veris really appreciates you!"
Maverick would soon find he wasn't alone on the wyvern for long. Ilasi would soon scramble up Veris' belly herself, to where Maverick was. Veris could feel her presence, but didn't mind it.
Ilasi got herself settled by Maverick before she continued. "It's very brave of you to challenge yourself like that, Maverick. And as you can see, it's very hard for anyone to not love you."[/i] Ilasi wanted to give Maverick a hug, but didn't want to interrupt him, instead settling for waiting nearby.

Maverick had a drop of sweat falling from his temple, unable to believe Ilasi's boldness. He didn't know if she was a stranger to Veris or if they've had their interactions before, but it was clear the wyvern didn't care about the new presence. Either too lazy or too caring?
"Heh, love, right. Not only does he wants a belly rub. He's also expecting me to cook something for him. He ate just minutes ago. Just where does he put it all?" Maverick wondered, not knowing whether it was fast digestion or simple greed. Veris was clear a high maintenance mount if he needed so much food to feel happy. As his arms began to tire, he was starting to feel sorry for Angora. Taking care of Veris and keeping him happy must not be easy, and on top of that she had another creature to take care of, though hopefully, Mischief was nowhere near as hard to take care of as Veris. Digi seemed to be doing a terrific job keeping her occupied and happy.

It was about now Mischief ran out of energy. Briefly teetering, she drops to all fours before undoing her robe and curling up. After a moment she grabs her staff and pulls it under the robe with her for safekeeping. A moment later her eyes slide shut. Softly sighing as she relaxes completely, she quickly falls asleep. She'd wake up and hopefully find a snack before resuming her training. Digi continues monitoring the area.

"Well," Ilasi noted, ash she felt Veris' belly, "he had to get as big as he did somehow. You can't always feed creatures as much as they would like to eat, unfortunately... but I think he'll manage." It didn't take an expert to be able to identify that Veris had already had a good meal, and was not really in need of another one soon.

Kasidra nodded. "Yes, sir." She quickly put her books back on the shelf, in no particular order. She could worry about organizing them later. Kasidra would possibly have taken them with her, but she didn't have a convenient way to carry them that wouldn't get in the way, so they would have to stay in her room. Afterwards, Kasidra grabbed her daggers and throwing knives, and concealed them on her person. She didn't have much in the way of supplies, so it didn't take her long at all to get ready. While Kasidra was curious about the details of the mission, she figured she didn't really need to know everything, or else they probably would have told her already.

As Angora threatened Shade, she was feeling extremely happy for this break. It felt as if this was the first time shd was truly happy ever since getting on that ship. Veris made her happy too, but not in the same way.

Quote: A Guy

"Well," Ilasi noted, ash she felt Veris' belly, "he had to get as big as he did somehow. You can't always feed creatures as much as they would like to eat, unfortunately... but I think he'll manage." It didn't take an expert to be able to identify that Veris had already had a good meal, and was not really in need of another one soon.

Maverick looked behind him to make sure neither Angora or Shade heard him.
"You really have to admire Angora for taking care of someone like him. I admit however that I'm sometimes a little worried about her, but Veris clearly must love her if nothing bad has ever happened." Maverick stated, knowing that even long before the troll was his caretaker, they already had many other interactions in the past, and a clear strong bond. Maverick knew very well it did wonders for Angora, someone who has felt little love by so few. The faun man was thinking of adding Veris' meal in his cooking once in a while, even though he doubted he bothered enjoying it.

With Kasidra geared up and ready to go, Latnok could return to Sere. It didn't take him long to reach the main deck.
Sere waited for everyone coming with him to be ready before continuing with his briefing. "We will be headed down this 'King's Road'", he began, pointing to a barely visible road somewhere in the distance from the shore. "From there, the foliage is rather dense, and we do not know if any part of the path is underground. Scouting will be essential - which is where you come in, Kasidra. We should meet our contact from there. Is everyone ready?"
"I'm good to go," Latnok reported, already being ready to move.

"Ready.," Raclaw reported with a nod standing alongside Latnok. "Mmm.," Risar said with his usual nod. Chester watched knowing that he would be asked to stay behind again.

Knowing Shade wouldn't stop, Angora gave him a soft kick to one of his front claws as revenge.
"There, not very amusing, is it?" she said, wanting to make him feel the same. She finally noticed Sere when he gave instructions to the chosen scouts, wondering if he had been standing there the entire time seeing everything and she didn't noticed. No scold or punishments for anything, not even for bringing Veris there and practically have Maverick entertain him. Perhaps prison has really soften him? But after her bad experience with Latnok, she didn't want to take that chance. She just wanted him to leave and finally deem the island safe enough for everyone to leave the ship for a while.