Thar Shaddin

It was hard to tell just what time of day it was when below deck. When Shann finally awoke and sat up on his cot for his morning yawn, stretch, reaffirming his manhood was still intact routine, he noticed that the crew seemed to be missing and unlike when he had awoken in the middle of the night to look for a place to urinate, there was much more light down there even if it was still somewhat dark.

He stretched his toes and placed his boots on his feet once more. With another stretch and a crack of his back, he got up and made his way up above deck. The back of his throat felt dry and scratchy, the salt in the air only made it worse. He could really go for a drink right about now, something hard that a burn on the way down.

He was sure if he asked around that at least a few of the crew would have something along that line but he knew enough about sailors and dealing with sailors as to not bother them when they were hard at work. He might have known nothing about ships or sailing but he had encountered enough sailors living in a coastal city to know that sailors were a strange breed that both worked and partied hard. You never got in their way or up in their face and if they were drunk and rowdy, you humored them as much as possible.

Sitting alone, Shann found the human Ko busily working on stitching up the sail. It looked like incredibly boring, tedious work but he said nothing about about it. Instead, he leaned with his back against the rail and fished through his pocket for a smoke.

"Morning."

Vexako turned his head at Shann's morning-heavy words, deep and throaty with his early waking. He was caught by surprise, for Shann's form was framed just so by the rising sun. Light cascaded over Shann's trim form, highlighting his neck and arms and slim legs. His clothes were rumpled, loosely laced so a triangle of skin peeked invitingly from shoulders to chest, the point of it facing downwards. Ko's eyes followed that promised path, rewarded handsomely by a slight promise of bulge.

Forget his dreams, it was daytime and his nightmarish fantasies could be easily banished by the artful sight before him. He pressed his fingers harder to the sailcloth, for an urge to touch Shann's colorbones had taken him whole. Lead me a merry chase, elf.

"Oy. Morning, that it is." He said, voice deceptively mild. He was thinking of his pursuit of Shann, delightlyfully pressed against his duty to work on the ship as part of his passage. Ko enjoyed being a bad boy. He intended to seek out all the hidden corners on board. Corners where someone might be caught off guard, beyond the sight of any needlessly prying eyes. Not that Ko didn't enjoy being beheld at his finest.

He showed off his most deceptively innocent grin, the one that made his eyes crinkle just so at the corners.

"What'll I owe fer this sweet visit?" He asked with a coy tone.

The sun beat down viciously upon his brow. It was starting to get hot.

Ceallach wiped a hand across his face. The youth had come. Training would begin.

It had been many years since he’d had a pupil, but he no doubt to his assessment of the child. The boy had a raw talent.

Where to start?

The big warrior rubbed his chin. He knew.

He pulled the small buckler out and thrust it toward the boy.

“This is now yours.’

‘The greatest crime you could ever commit is to drop it. It is to abandon your brothers, to betray your country.’

‘The strength of shield wall is in the men. They must hold the line. They must be strong.”

Ceallach brought up his shield and pushed up close beside Zain.

“Like this. If you hold your shield up, we are unbeatable. If you let it drop...”

“We die.”

The mercenary stepped away from the boy.

“But that’s not to say that the shield is a purely defensive weapon.”

He dropped back into a crouch and brought the shield up in a savage arc, dropped it back into position, then rammed forward with it.

“It can crack a man’s skull, break a man’s neck... But it can also save your hide.’

‘Understand?”

He thought Zain nodded. He’d accept it for now. The kid was bright enough to comprehend his lessons.

“So, pick up your shield, bring it up to cover yourself, and hold steady.’

‘Then...”

He rammed outward with the shield again.

“Knock them back.”
“Alright, agori. Try it.”

Ceallach turned to look at Zain and leaned against the railing as he waited for the boy to complete the maneuver.

Zain had emerged from his solitude early that morning as he had been told. Though he had locked himself in a dark room where he had no indication of either night or day, something inside of him just sort of knew. He couldn't explain it, even if he had the words to or the desire to put his thoughts into words, but there was some part of him that just knew it was morning. It was as if he had some sort of internal clock. He could feel it ticking away inside of his head. Morning it ticked away in his head, it was morning above deck and he was needed.

As he had uncurled himself from the ball his body had formed into during the night, his mind seemed to drift away from the childhood memories that haunted his dreams and they took in his surroundings in greater detail. There were ten barrels in the room, three different cities printed on them, the barrels had wine in them from what was probably the area North of Corezo, yet most likely inland of Trelhan. The barrels were stacked against the wall that would face the front of the ship and on top of them were shelves with smaller boxes on them with the more names printed on them. In the poor lighting of the room the boy could barely make out the names of each but still his mind tried to take note of them.

That was what the waking hours of each day entailed, from the moment he woke up until the moment he fell into a deep sleep each night he passed through life counting and categorizing every little thing that passed before his eyes. Each step from his little corner to the door, along the pathway, up the stairs and top of the deck were counted. Each step on the stairs would be jogged into his memory so that at any given time if he were asked how many steps were there between the deck and the floor below he could answer twelve, two more than the barrels in the second storage room he passed on the left side of the hall.

Thanmorion was happier than Zain to once again see the light of day and presence of people. While the boy followed directions and took to the instructions of the human that had taken it upon himself to teach the boy what he claimed to be the necessary skill of using a weapon and learning how to fight like a man, the dog to it it as yet another game if one somewhat less interesting than the one they had played the night before. Unlike the quick trusting and jabbing movements Zain had made with his sword, the man taught him of shields and how to use one and the importance of one.

It was an awkward heavy thing in Zain's opinion. He understood what the man said about the need to protect himself, but the man spoke of battles and wars and of men fighting each other. It wasn't the first time he had heard the older man speak of such things but still the concept seemed so alien to him. He had spent his life sheltered away in a small rural village where the only time he ever saw somebody take up a weapon was when his father took to the woods to bring home meat for the dinner table and furs for blankets or animal hides to turn to leather for boots and other such useful purposes. he understood the need for hunting, of tool making, of farming and of fishing, but this need to fight against one another for reasons that he couldn't comprehend were beyond him.

However, he did not speak his opinions aloud. He held the piece of wood as he was instructed. He swung it forward and brought it before him and did just as the other man showed him to do. In a way it was almost relaxing taking part in the instruction. he spent so much of his energy just trying to follow his directions and keep up with the trained warrior that he had little time to focus on the sailors busy at work. For once he was able to concentrate his mind on that that was before him and the other things around him, well not all of them, but some of them seemed to calm themselves. he didn't feel the pressing need to give all his attention to everything around him and he was able to focus.
__________________________________________________________________

Shann only wished he could be as chipper as his friend, Friend?, appeared to be. He took a moment to further evaluate his relationship with the human that sat mending the sail before him. Though they had spent over a week now traveling together and Shann felt that he could at least trust the other man not to stab him in the back and rob him blind in the middle of the night, he had to admit that he didn't really know much about the other guy. Most of their conversations had been light and kept to subjects such as traveling, drinking, women and the like. A part of him wanted to call the guy a friend but he still felt at a distance that put him more in the acquaintance position.

"I thought I'd come up for a smoke, they say they're better enjoyed with company than alone."

He wasn't really one to go around giving away his tobacco when he really didn't have all that much of it to begin with but if nothing else it was a conversation starter and gave him something to talk about rather than just standing there feeling awkward as he didn't feel at home enough on the ship to try to befriend any of the crew, not yet at least.

"You smoke?" He pinched his cigarette between his thumb and index finger and pulled it out of the corner of his mouth, holding it out for Vexako. The curve of his palm protected the lit end from being blown out by the sea breeze.

Ko eyed the smoke with longing, but he knew better. He shook his head. "Patchin' sail, mate. First'll have me head fer slackin'. No issues with gabbin' though." His dialect had changed to something a little more at home on the water, though it didn't seem to be made with conscious intent.

He could sense a sort of reluctance in the other man that unconsciously affected his own ease at that particular moment. He didn't quite realize what it was, but it kept him from being too outwardly obtuse in the chase the other man lead him. He jacked his chin in the direction of the middle of the deck, where enough open space afforded Hal to jump about with shield, kid, and dog. "Hard workin' sod, eh?"

It was a breezy, guileless attempt at conversation, while Ko's eyes travelled up the nearby masts with the practiced knowledge of a man whom has known a particular woman's body, and enjoys it past reason. He used to scramble rigging with the best of them, adjusting sail and checking the mast for imperfections. He'd been on watch, hoisted sail, done some basic jury-rigged repairs on spars during bad storms when they could not afford to replace them when the winds were roaring. He'd done it all.

Now he'd be set to mending sail, scraping barnacles, cleaning decks. . . the tar-boy's duties. Back to the basics. He almost chuckled to himself, but remembered last second that Shann was still standing there.

Ceallach nodded in approval. The boy was sweating and heaving. The dog had long since tired of their games and was now watching with detached amusement as the child was put through his paces.

When the youth was shaking and barely able to support his shield anymore, he called a stop to the lessons.

“You get changed and clean yourself up.”

As the boy started to walk away, Ceallach called after him. “Listen, I have something important to tell you.”

He kneeled a bit to better facilitate eye contact. “A warrior, a true warrior, and a free man will always look his best for he never knows when he may die. How shameful would it be to go to the gods looking like a disheveled mess?”

“They would frown upon it, and rightly so. You would be insulting their hospitality.”

“Additionally, there is no more frightening sight on the battlefield than a proud man, a man sure of himself.”

“And that is why you should carry this shield everywhere with you. Get used to its weight. Let it become familiar, like a part of you, so that your motion flows around it.”

“That is all for today. Get food and rest. Tomorrow morning, we start at the same time.”

Having spoken, the big man gave the boy an encouraging pat on the shoulder and turned away to make his way across the deck. Looking out onto the gently rolling seas, he cracked his knuckles and leaned against the forward mast.

He began to hum a familiar tune to himself and to rock back and forth a little. Never would he admit it to anyone, but the slight swaying motion was comforting. It made him feel at peace, or at least as at peace that a man who had spent his entire life murdering other men could feel.

The more frail his psyche became under the constant strain of his conscience, the more often he had to seek out such simple comforts. Somehow, there had to be an escape from the monster he had become.

Thus far, he had only found one and it had proven to be temporary indeed. He removed from the pouch on his belt the small figures he had carved of his wife and son.

He rubbed his callused thumb over their intricately detailed faces and considered his life. Would he want them to see him in his current state?

A broken warrior? A hired killer? A common murderer?

No. He would rather they remember him as the gladiator who fought his way to glorious freedom, as the proud soldier that would rather die than kneel.

His thoughts were shattered as a splinter pricked his thumb. The pain was just a distraction, as the scars and tattoos that crisscrossed his massive form attested. He was used to it.

Slowly, he put the figurine back into his pocket and removed a small dagger from one of the many stowage places in his armor and set to removing the splinter.

Shann returned his cigarette to his mouth before looking after Zain again. The boy was covered in sweat and breathing heavy, even from his distance Shann could see that the workout the other man had put the boy through had pushed him to his limits. If he knew Zian at all, Shann guessed that the boy would likely follow such a bout of exertion by curling up in a ball somewhere and disappearing for hours.

"He's going to get himself killed is what he's going to do." Part of him considered stepping in and stopping the whole ordeal but then he thought about it and came to the conclusion that the boy was getting old enough that he should be held responsible to make his own decisions. Shann would not really let him kill himself, but if the boy found himself stiff and sore in the morning due to all this swordplay, well he would only have himself to blame.

Shann had spent years looking after the boy and his best interests. He made sure the kid always had access to a warm meal, a comfy bed when they could find them, good clothes. He kept the out of harms ways and introduced him to the finer points of life that he would have never experienced if he had stayed in that oppressive home of his.

He had told himself early on that he was not going to shelter the boy from life. It's what his parents has done. In all their claims of well-meaningfulness, they had selfishly hid the boys from experiencing life and ever having a chance to fit in or live as others did. They had seen their children as having some sort of problem and in such they had kept the boys separated from the outside world where their differences must have grown.

Shann believed that by letting the boy experience life for himself that he would eventually learn for himself what it was like to really live. If the boy was treated as this fragile infant his whole life, he would never be able to survive on his own.

Zain had ended his lesson much as he had begun, by crawling into a dark place and passing out. Never had he worked so hard in his life. His whole body ached and the only thing he could think of was sleep.

"Doubt it." Ko snorted, as he watched the man move to the for'd mast. Ceallach was enough out of the way that the sailors wouldn't bother him as he fondled an object pulled from his pocket, and Ko found himself to be oddly curious of what the other man was doing. Even then, though, he found himself wary of the other man. Die? Huh, yeah, that wasn't likely to happen at all. Ceallach seemed the sort of nightmare warrior that bards raved on about for years after, and while it might seem romantic to the ladies it was downright scary in Ko's very important opinion.

It didn't occur to Ko to think of Zain; kids weren't his problem, and they wouldn't ever be, so acknowledging one was an alien concept. The fact that Shann looked after the boy made no imprint on Ko's expectations as he swung his gaze from the hardened warrior to the softer elf.

"Y'know, it would be worth it t'get on 'is good side." He said, returning his concentration to the stiff canvas in his lap. "I don't trust that gnome."

It was also dangerous to attempt to coax the man out of his taciturn silences, broken only when he spent time with the boy in some warlike game Ko didn't particularly like to think about. War was bad news, bad business, and it made him uneasy to think the man was so familiar with it. The scene from the inn still occasionally played behind his eyeballs. Some kinda crazy man, to treat death so lightly. Well, death happened all the time but . . . sane people didn't do tricks like that. Ko didn't like to think the man was a few threads away from having torn sails, but, maybe he only needed a firm hand at the wheel.

His internal use of sailing metaphors was something he was only just conscious of, and it made him smile wryly. He had been away from ships too long, if it made him think such stupid things.

The sun had begun to dip and a chill had crept into the air. Ceallach, being an infantryman, had always seen ships as little more than a form of troop transport but even he had to admit, the sea was undeniably beautiful.

The violet sky was reflected in the shifting, swirling mass of water beneath it as if they were skimming along a giant mirror and the wood of the treated planks creaked in a way that was strangely soothing.

He shook his head and spat over the side of the vessel. He could never be a seafaring man. His place was on land and a death by drowning was most unappealing.

Such thoughts were just mere distractions. He had no time for them. If he was ever to find his wife and son, he had to become the greatest fighter the world had ever seen. He could feel his own skills sharpening as he taught the boy, but he required more to hone himself.

The warrior shrugged off his coat of scale mail, exposing his heavily tattooed and scarred torso to the winds. There was a slight chill to the breeze but he would endure. It was nothing compared to the rough years of his boyhood, if he’d ever had such a thing. He had always been a warrior, had always been a man.

After the shield, he would teach the boy of spears. It had been some time since he’d worked with a sufficient number of warriors to justify the use of a spear, but it’d help to teach the boy some discipline and build up some more strength. Between the shield routines and the spear training, he would soon have the stature and endurance as well. Then, the boy’s arm could be strengthened through use of his sword.

For now, though, he needed a spear. He knew there were probably a couple amongst the ship’s armament, but he was not going to rob these men of needed supplies. Instead, he had acquired an extra mop stick. With some decent carving work and the addition of a throwing knife attached via the medium of a rawhide strap, it had become an acceptable training weapon.

But Ceallach was a perfectionist. He was not the kind of man to allow his pupil to use something that he himself wasn’t thoroughly intimate with. So, tonight, he would acquaint himself with this implement.

Firstly, he wielded it like a barbarian. He held it in both hands, and spinning, jumping, and somersaulting about, he was like an arc of death bouncing about the empty decks of the ship as it swayed calmly in the seas.

He stopped for a second, and took a pull of water from one of his waterskins.

Then, with the makeshit weapon in one hand and his shield gripped tightly in his other hand, he used it like a real warrior. He warmed up with a couple of overhand thrusts. Then, he attacked with a shove of the shield, then an underhand stab.

The balance was off. He’d not want to ever throw it, but he was sure it’d make its mark if he had to. That was due more to his competency and years of experience than craftsmanship. He’d be sure to explain that to the boy later.

He sat down, balanced the spear across his crossed legs, and took another pull of water. He closed his eyes for a second and cracked his neck. He could hear the gently whispering wind, a few birds in the distance, the water lapping against the side of the hull, and the creaking of the ship itself. If he could only allow himself to relax in such an open position, he would go to sleep here tonight.

The mercenary opened his eyes and cracked his neck. If only the heavens would open up and tell him where to go, what to do. But the gods did not care enough to help him. They only cared to torture him. They made him relive every kill, every screaming face, every burning village, every split skull and slit throat every time he went to sleep. They made him sick when he killed and they made him doubt his sanity.

Could there be no justice? Could there be no revenge? Could he not just finally have peace?

He exhaled forcefully and let his head down. His chin rested on his breast and he growled through gritted teeth, “Why?”

His hands began to shake visibly. He grasped the shaft of the spear until his knuckles were white.

Ceallach focused. He clamped his eyes shut breathed slowly. He had to snap out of this. This affliction could be beaten. Even curses had a cure. But how was he to cure it when he didn’t even know why he had it?

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that Shann and Vexako had been watching him for some time from across the deck. He took another sip of water.

Perhaps it was time to have a real conversation with someone other than boy, after all.

Shann took Ko's words to heart. Other than the man's seemingly lack of any respect for life, or at least that was the conclusion Shann had gained from the experience outside the tavern, Shann really didn't have anything to hold against him. The man seemed to be good with the boy. He worked him hard, but as of yet Shann had not seen the man strike the boy or preform any action that would result in some kind of injury.

So he took the incentive and approached the other man, leaving what he assessed to be a safe distance between the two of them. "So what's your angle? What interest do you have in the child and this swordplay of yours? If you wish simply to prove your dominance over the boy and his condition, I want you to know that I won't allow it to continue. I look out for the boy and his well being and I can't allow you endanger his life and I am hoping you can understand that, and respect it."

Shann didn't want to create tension between the two of them but he felt that he needed to state his stance on the matter. In this situation, he felt that the more open he was the better the chances that conflict would not need to arise.

~ It has been months since the murder of her parents. Selena could never forget their faces, even if they were not her real parents. She knew deep in her heart, that her real parents would never come in contact with her, but as she thought deeply about that….She was wrong. Her step parents were her real parents. They had sheltered her, cared for her, loved her since she was a babe. She would never disgrace their name by thinking of them in vain. Selena felt the sway of the boat moving back and forth. Sometimes it made her queasy but she mastered that by taking deep breaths and remaining calm. “I still have far yet to go.” Selena whispered to herself as she rose from her cot. She looked down at her coin purse and nodded. She managed to find money in her parent’s house. To be honest, she had enough to purchase her ticket and enough to get her where she needed to go once she found a suitable place to stop. Honesty was the key here. Selena thought to herself. Honestly, she did not know where she was going, but she would follow her destiny regardless where it takes her. She grinned as well. She had learned a lesson of bargaining from this trip. You see, when she approached the ship, they had wanted almost all of her money, however, by showing them she was actually attuned with magic, preferably the wind, they had seen her quite valuable and that was her bargaining chip. If for some reason the winds were to stop, she could summon them up again, to help sail the ship, or if they ran into trouble, she could help speed up the boat with her assistance. So she wasn’t in too bad of arrangements here. However, if they had known that she was actually just a novice Sorceress, her bargaining chip would have crumbled. So that little secret she intended to keep to herself. She had boarded the boat in Corezo and didn’t bothered to ask where it was going. She was alone, and she saw it better to go where ever she might end up. Selena looked down at a thick book. It was a book of her mother’s possessions. A book of the five elements. It was a mixture of spells her mother had researched on her own journey. Most of the spells were locked by magic that she could not understand. It would take a true wizard or sorceress to unlock it, which was one of the reasons why she left on the voyage. However the lower spells were not locked and she knew she would began to train as soon as she got off this boat.(Hopefully) Her pale features almost created a frown as she thought of the past. A tear began to form, only to be shunned away, as she stood up. Tears were for a woman who could not fight any longer. She had chosen a different path. She would not cause trouble, but she would no longer sit there and let others think of her as weak. She would fight.

Slipping into her leather clothing, Selena wrapped a black cloak around her small frame. It smelt so good, just like her mother. Where she should have smiled, only a stoic face remained. She had been working on her emotions, almost religiously. Showing emotions were dangerous when you didn’t know who you were dealing with. If she could contain a surprised look, or even that of angry, she knew people would think twice before thinking her a young fool. She placed her bow upon her back with the quiver and fixed her cloak so that it would conceal most of her bow. She laid out her daggers and slowly began to place them in her boots, and sleeves and sheaths in her belt. She was not the strongest in swordplay but she had been working on her skills. She really didn’t like leaving her quarters but she had stayed in her room all day. Truly, she loved looking at the night sky, so if she ever did venture out it was only in the night, or during dawn. Drawing her long hair underneath her hood, she stepped from her room, and made her way to the top of the ship. The sky was beautiful as the sun continued to lower, displaying a haunting violet color. Selena’s emerald eyes flashed as she looked deep into the horizon. She did not care to much for the sea, but this was a sight she knew she would never forget. Her soft hands touched the edge of the boat as she just watched the horizon. She could hear the waves crashing against the boat. She could even hear the howls of the wind sweeping by her. The wind seemed to try to unhinge her hood, but it could not. Her face was hidden by darkness, and only a soft glow of green came from its shadow. She however was not one to ignore the presence of others. Her eyes had noted a rather large man across the deck. That was a killer. Selena knew that without even trying. Once a person has killed, something about their features change, as if they presence becomes a bit darker. Selena looked at her own presence and sighed. They took the lives of my parents. Those men deserved their fate. Selena had recited this in her mind every day since the passing of her parents. Regardless of whether it made Selena feel better or not the saying held meaning. She began to hum to herself a tune she knew from when she was a child. The day was coming to an end soon.

Astral planes and daimon spawn.

Ko watched Shann flop about like some aggressive guppy, mouthing to the killer with an anger Ko hadn't known he held. It wasn't the best way to patch up the stinking tension grown between them, but Ko hadn't expected poppies from the mess. Lookit Shann, bristling like some stuck pig. Ko snorted, but let his hand casually brush the hilt of his cutlass. He hadn't worn the cursed thing for dancing in harmony, by the Changers.

"Fuck me." He muttered through his teeth as passengers started trickling up from the passengers' dining cabin below. He hadn't not expected them to seek the deck after their fine dining, but he had expected them to gabble on about their outwardly pleasant nothings for a good bit or two more. And, too, there was Jinhuff, wandering up after some single lass who went right for the rail to look out over the ocean. Ko eyed them for a space before stepping closer to Shann and putting a restraining hand over the other man's shoulder. He smiled at Ceallach.

At least if they were all going to be tossed overboard or strung up to the main mast, it would be amusing.

Ceallach popped his neck. He considered for a second what the scrawny elf had said.

Slowly, he rose to his feet. The warrior towered over the elf by at least a head, probably more like a head and a half, if not more.

He fixed the smaller man with a burning glare and tdrove the tip of his makeshift spear into the deck with a hollow thunk.

“The boy has no condition other than having been unduly sheltered. Would you rather he learn to use a sword and protect his interests as a free man or be pub crawling miscreant, living off the table scraps of his betters?”

Not allowing himself to be interrupted, Ceallach continued, “I know what you say about me. I hear your whispers. Just because I am a ‘murderer,’ and a ‘bloodthirsty bastard’ doesn’t mean that he has to be. All I’ve done is give him tools. It’s his choice to use them as he will.”

He leaned forward a bit more and shrugged his heavily tattooed shoulders.

The elf’s friend had his hand on the hilt of his cutlass but Ceallach was fairly certain that he could snap his arm in at least three places, take it from him, and skewer the elf in about the span of two heartbeats.

He was reluctant to do such a thing, but as a soldier, he was always mentally prepared for the worst.

Shann could do nothing but glare at the other man. His authority was being challenged, his masculinity was being challenged. He was being challenged in the unspoken, primal fashion used by men. neither of them needed to say a word, they could just stand then staring at each other, daring the other to back down.

If Shann were to provoke Ceallach, there was no doubting that the other man could easily take him down, or worse. Shann knew his strengths and, fist fighting was not among them. He could stare down this other man or he could walk away, those were the options he had.

After what seemed like countless minutes had gone by, Shann finally broke eye contact with the man. He was not here to fight. It was Ko's hand on his shoulder that kept him grounded. He remained calm. "I don't want a fight. I just need you to respect that the boy is my responsibility, I will not let him be harmed."

~ Selena could feel tension radiate from the deck of the ship. She had a bad feeling, a strange one at that. She turned around and moved her attention to the two men staring at each other. Selena never understood the workings of men. Could masculinity actually prove that one was better than the other? She chuckled to herself, as she knew she had never really tried to understand men. However that was one of her faults. She could never place herself in the footsteps of a man, but in the same instance, she knew a man could never place his own steps in that of her own. Selena wanted to narrow her eyes at the men, but nothing changed in her face…..”Yes stoic” She thought to herself. Slowly her digits wrapped around the tip of the cloak and withdrew her black hood. Her pale face met the wind’s grasp and she felt the cold sensation with full force. Shivers ran down the core of her body, tickling each nerve one after another. Her steps held no sound as she moved towards the men. Intrigue was her intention though her face would never portray that. She assessed the situation as she walked, her mind working much faster than her steps. She noticed two elves, in which she deeply held a fondness for. Her own parents were elves, even if that blood did not run through her veins. She noticed the man, a beastly man at that, and though it made Selena feel a dark sensation in her heart, she knew the man was dangerous. Perhaps he was a soldier or the child’s bodyguard. No….Bodyguard was not the correct answer. He was far too….Selena paused in her step. “Rebellious” She thought to herself. Selena continued to walk. She calculated the man, and looked at his strengths. Her father always taught her to be analytical of a situation before you jump in. If this man went into a rage, Selena would have been in a horrible position. Her main weapon was a bow, which needed a range for her to be effective, and even though she was agile and fast, she knew the man would probably charge like a bull with very sharp horns. Her magic would aid her slightly, but it wouldn’t hold a man this big. However, she realized that this man would probably assess her the same way she had assessed him and by realizing that she was coming so close would mean possible death if a fight would have broke out, she in turn was submitting to his will. “Somewhat” Selena smiled inside of her mind as she spoke to herself. So how would she approach this situation without dying? Selena actually smiled shredding her stoic gaze.

“Gentlemen. The tension on this ship is overwhelming and to be honest, it frightens me. There is no need to get blood upon the deck, nor to get the captain and fellow workers involved either. Perhaps maybe you both can sit down and discuss it as grown men.” Her eyebrow lifted as she regarded both men, though she showed no lack of respect, but it let it be known that would be a friendly request of a Lady that had boarded a ship. Emerald eyes gazed first at the elf, then settled on the tall man. There was no masculinity check here from Selena, for she was no man, and would not buckle under anyone’s gaze. Or at least so she thought…..