Expedition Open Voyage to Croper's Cove: Hang the Treasure!

[Vihmastaja]

@Corporal Sarra Piper

It’d been a long time. A long time since she was first put on the track that had brought her here, since she’d first been sent to the Hide. Dark days and cold winds, Vulpinists and cannibals, she’d faced it all, and somehow she was still alive.

The captain spoke, and Vihma’s spine stiffened, first for obligation, and then, as his words passed over her, a sense of pride still unfamiliar after all the years. She raised her muzzle in recognition, letting the feeling fill her heart, wearing it like the green and white she longed to wear, those colors that had distinguished themselves so well on Urk’s shores.

Henceforth, she was a marine. She thought to say something back to Gyles, to the officer she’d fought with twice now, who’d even helped to save her life in Urk’s chilling waters. The moment passed before she could, before she could find something worth saying.

She felt different in a way she still couldn’t quite place, even as the gathering began to disperse. She thought to find Morgan, to steal away with her someplace, so she could express herself to someone she trusted to listen, to help her figure herself out. The captain had wanted Morgan to stay, however, and so Vihma found herself somewhat alone, stuck with herself and her thoughts. Alone, but only for the moment.

Piper’s calling her by her new rank snapped her back to her senses, new reality forming up behind the other weasel’s words. She wasn’t alone at all anymore – the marines were her own.

Vihma smiled, throwing up a quick, casual salute for the corporal.

“I’d be ‘onored, mate. T’tell ye the truth, I liked it a tad better than me bow. Bit surprised ye’d want t’part with it, even considerin’…”

The weasel cut herself off, smile faltering into something of a wince. She’d hardly even known Piper before the fighting back on the island, before her injury, but it still got to her sometimes, still made her pause, slip up. Still made her think of what they'd been through together.

She raised her muzzle again, carrying herself with a little more of the pride she'd felt earlier, letting it push other thoughts away. The ease with which it did so pushed something of a smile back into her features, enough to spread to her eyes.

“I’ll make ye ‘n Tultow proud, I promise ‘at much. If I manage t’shoot even ‘alf as good as ye, I think I can make good on it.”

 

[Amatis Moontail]

While Amatis' expression didn't change much from the stern look that he naturally wore (even when happy), his ears perked up at the engineer's words. His tail rose slightly from its low and still position, quivering slightly.

Intellectual discussion... Now that was something he could do!

Let my work shine as it hid the shadowed dullness of the rest of me, he thought

He nodded to the engineer

"That I can do, Engineer Nashirou. I must admit that I know little of engineering, although I certainly dot not have an unwillingness to learn. Among the natural sciences I specialise in things that grow, although I also have some knowledge of earth and insect, among other things."

"Hopefully I will be provided with a space to set out the tools of my trade."

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

At the feline's words, Kaii shook his head gently and presented his tool bag. "I am afraid Doctor Moontail that you will have little luck with that. The only beast with a proper room on this ship is the captain himself. Rest is delegated to cots and hammocks wherever they can fit them and a bit of storage. There is a reason for me carrying all my tools with me, only leaving in storage the tube with blueprints and spare clothes. Though I do have to seek if being an officer would not change this situation..."

Considering it for a moment, Kaii came to the conclusion that ultimately, he would rather stay sleeping at the compartment he was at, for sleeping along other foskateers, in a traditional foxpile, was after all cathartic. With their general rank-ups, he simply hoped they wouldn't all decide to ditch the comfort of the group for the comfort of the larger bed. Kaii was used to rough living conditions, considering his housing situation for the majority of his life was very ascetic, but he knew from the few years lived as a noble that luxuries known were not that easy to give up on. Speaking of...

"And also please, while I do respect the scientific honorifics added to my name, Simply calling me by name is sufficient. Especially as I am technically of high nobility, not that it matters upon this ship, which would supercede the usage of the title of an engineer. And with full honesty I cannot say I have finished any recognized university in order to attain it. I can only defend it by my skills, knowledge and experience."

@Amatis Moontail

 

[Alwyn Ryalor]

Alwyn maintained a professional silence, posture, and expression as he stood a bit off to the side during Gyles’s speech, dressed not in his Stoatorian Guard armor or uniform, but in the more practical for the sea leather armor that a marine might wear. He wore only his longsword at his side, eschewing the poleaxe-while he had brought it, along with his proper armor, for whatever land expeditions might require it just in the event they expected extremely heavy combat, it was not quite as suited to ship combat should it come to that. It had taken quite a bit of effort to dress up properly and maintain himself today, though, due to Finnian’s antics the night before-and the fact that he had continued his usual routine of drilling every day as well, with extra emphasis on his blade and paw-to-paw techniques at the very crack of dawn, but he was handling it well all things considered. He had been drilled since he was nine into doing such after all such that it had become natural to him. Maybe he was here because of straight up nepotism and twisting the paws of his parents and a special coded letter to Amarone to be close to Finnian, though of course he did not state that as the reason-but that did not mean he was not capable as well.

His posture did break slightly, for the briefest of moments, when his son was promoted for his efforts, and a slight smile cracked across his lips. Finnian had achieved much on his own during Urk, with no meddling from either him or his family, and he was already clearly being groomed into officer material.

He was proud of him for that, and even more so that he had already made so many comrades and friends that he could rely on-and no wonder. He was bright, kind, and pure of heart, just like his mother had been. Unmarred by the collective generational trauma of House Ryalor. He understood, more and more, why Anabelle had run away back then-to give their son a chance that he himself never had. And it had worked.

But he has to get stronger, and soon. I can shield him from the worst aspects of our family, but I cannot shield him at all times from our enemies, or those of the Imperium. It’s why I’m so hard on him and his training, and so insistent that he eat well and become strong. So that he can weather any storm...and hopefully become better than me.

He had told his son to keep the revelation close to him for now and to keep using Annabelle’s last name, though he suspected it would get out at some point on the trip, at least to those closest to him. And he would quietly let Lorcan and Kinza know, as they were family as well. But he had to still position and strategize for the formal public revelation in the future, and to trap his parents into allowing their grandson to continue his service on the Hide with his friends. He had several ideas, all of which would cost him dearly in the future, but his life was no longer just about him. It was about Finnian now. And he would do anything to keep his son safe and happy.

Speaking of which…

Still keeping an eye on Finnian, he spotted both his cousins, Lorcan looking a little shocked by the size of the ship, and while Kinza seemed to be adapting a little bit better. He decided to go and greet them, starting with the first, and maybe call in a favor with Swifttail to have them go and look at the engine if that was their desire.

Besides, I need to talk with Lorcan later about learning to shoot a bow. On land with my squad, it was never as much of a problem due to our armor and more specialized roles, but out here, I need to finally finish learning what Alexei could never teach me.

Slowly, and keeping mind not to get in the way of any other beast, he made his way to Lorcan and gave him a gruff nod.

“Hello cousin, how are you holding up? What do you think of the Hide so far?”

@Lorcan Rainclaw @FinnianBrightfur @SwifttailTheFox @Kinza Rainclaw

 

[Cricket]

The potential for a freebie was not merely exciting for the gecko, but most of the lower-income beasts in the city. Cricket had watched Finnian prepare to throw the parcel with both excitement and a tinge of panic, elbowing and scrambling to ensure that she both caught and kept the gift which was clutched to her chest.

Indignation – “How’m I supposed to wait that long?! Proper vermin don’t wait!” - warred with sorrow to see him leave and a growing warmth in her chest. She couldn’t remember feeling affection for anybeast save herself since the Newhaven had left; here Finn was leaving her, but…perhaps she could trust he’d be back.

Nah, he had to come back. Santapaws be damned, she’d hunt that little fox to Urk itself if he thought he could run from her.

Scales brightened with a flush she couldn’t articulate. Scrubbing at her cheeks with her tail, paws indisposed as they were, Cricket watched the impressive bulk of the Hide begin to pull away from the safety of port. “I’ll open it once you come back, so there! G’wan then, go be all important and show all those newbies how it’s done!” You’ll be amazing, idiot.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn's ears perked. She had a point... a proper vermin wouldn't wait. He hadn't accounted for this in his planning, and the clever retort left him speechless.

The fox snuffed for a moment, scrambling for words to say. The mere foot or so the Hide moved felt like a mile. Finn swallowed firmly, and forced a nervous smile.

"~aWoBulL?~" he asked. A grimace. The voice crack came at a particularly inopportune time, but it forced a laugh out of him at his own expense.

"...keep warm, ok?" he blurted out. "H-hey, I uh... I gotta go now. Silvie's a Lieutenant now, I think, and..." Finn gestured vaguely towards something on the deck, and took half a step back from the railing, while doing his best to keep a brave smile on his face.

 

[Amnesty Greysoul]

The surgeon had been a frighteningly perceptive beast even while drunk and injured. He was hardly less so now. And for a heart-stopping moment, she was terribly, horribly afraid that he was going to ask about her past right here in front of the entire crew. Her relief when he did not must have been palpable.

"Oh, certainly. Anybeast might have gotten themselves into a similar predicament. It would hardly be helping to patch them back together just to leave their reputation open to injury by beasts who weren't there and might be prone to idiotic assumptions."

She had schooled her expression into one that gave nothing away. No knowing smirk. No sly glance that might be construed as a threat. Given the fact that the marten had recommended her to the position she now occupied it seemed unlikely that he was worried about that from her, but it couldn't hurt to be too cautious, too full of discretion. And so she hesitated before asking her next question.

"Have you heard how our anonymous patient's injuries have been healing?"

@Arthur Barrett

 

[Till Dupré]

Till put their paw over their mouth and chuckled at Darragh’s misconception. There was the temptation not to correct him, but Till did not want to put the fear of Boar into everyone they met.

“Sacreforêt. Oh hoho, thank you, sir, but I am in fact ze new chef, and before you ask, I do not boil stoats unless zey are very, very naughty.”

@Darragh Harper

 

[Arthur Barrett]

Arthur was like a gleeful little school boy making jokes behind the teacher's back. The marten cleared his throat with a slight flush, and found something innocuous to study on the deck.

"Yes! Well! Ermherm... The patient is rather... ...incorrigible, I'm afraid. Quite the lost cause. He ended up..." -- and suddenly realizing how ridiculous his antics were for someone his age, coughed. "...nnneeeded a few stitches replaced. But otherwise, on the mend I suspect!"

Switching the subject, he looked over to where the foskaterrs had been standing moments ago. "You should make sure to come on deck later tonight. Those todds are full of energy at the moment, and I suspect it will be quite the show."