un: lady of the willow tree | video

[aprescoup]

( Fortune favours the bold, or those who have never crossed paths with the witch Karsa. She has been biding her time aboard the Queen Zanyra, manning the new recruits — and appears in good health, but for how half of her face sometimes catches the light strangely, nearly silvered. A flicker of oddity, and it's gone.

She addresses the group in whispers now, from an ill-lit quarter — days before the ships enter the Crossing. )

Hasten. Wash the silt and stale water from your ears. You fools. What are you doing? Sleeping, when they tell you to sleep? Rubbing their decks? A little polish? Is that what you are for? On your knees, and saying 'please'? And 'thank you'?

( Tch. But she seems too rushed to scold:) ...in any case, you are alive. That is surprising. But good. Now, let us keep it so. They have not told you much. They never tell you much. You are for the Crossing — old stories say it is... where things that should not be find their brothers. Things that lived and died. Things that died before they ever breathed. Things that should not be born. It is a turbulence. On merchant routes, they avoid this sea by a distance of several days of sailing.

( A creak, as if steps. She stops, searches each way, before trusting enough to continue: ) Why do they take this path? Luck does not love them? Women do not love them? No one would cry for them? I do not cry for them. I spit on them. But we can't spit from the grave. They believe, these captains, and the stupid animals and bundles of bones that man their ships, they believe they can survive.

I do not know why. But we must learn, if we are to be protected. Ask carefully: they do not like questions. Quicksilver, he is mad. Not in the way of men's madness, which is natural to them. They are fools of the blood. This is the different. He is mad of the mind. And the other one, the Rope... he seems mad of the heart.

But we must know what they know, else they might be fools, but we are even more foolish. Go. Be swift and careful.


( ooc: threadjack away, and feel free to share any information your character's unearthed about the voyage here, or in your own posts o/ )

Comments

un: white pawn; video

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin catches that odd flicker of light off the side of Karsa's face. Perhaps mostly because he is looking for it. He has been... Concerned for her, since that night in Taravast. When she had fled the city, and there had been talk of an injury. Anduin had not had to stretch that hard to put the pieces together, between his failed mission and what had happened to her.

He cannot help but feel guilt for that, and thus a wariness at her reappearance, as though she may hold some grudge against him. He feels as though she is not an enemy he wishes to have, any more so than the Merchant. And yet... Somehow he feels as though he can trust her more than him.

Does this make him a fool? Considering the pair of them still seem to be working together, in some way...?]

It is... Good to see you again, Karsa. And you are right, of course. We cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent, especially not while we are out here on the open seas.

Where I am from, it is not uncommon to sail with a priest on the ship. They are called Tidesages, sea priests if you will, who aid in controlling the weather and the tides in the ship's favor. Those that the captain has brought along... It is different. I have heard murmurings that even the crew is questioning that choice.

[aprescoup]

...oh. It's you. The little man with the little ambition, who will never father sons.

un: ut malum pluvia | video

[somebadnews]

[ There's a face he never expected to see again, but something seems... different. Way back when, he never was able to nail down her motives, and it bothers him that he still can't. ]

Karsa. Have you been waiting all this time? [ He looks closer at the image of her and frowns. ] I would have thought you'd given up on us.

[aprescoup]

Oh. It is the half man. It is good we are at sea, maybe we water you, and you grow.

[somebadnews]

[ Oh right. That's why he didn't miss her. ]

That's funny. Earlier it sounded like you were asking for help. Something you need at the Crossing, or are you just in a hurry to get to what's on the other side?

[aprescoup]

We have ears. All of us. Some even work. We should listen, so we can live.

[somebadnews]

I was listening. You think they have some kind of secret immunity? If they've already lost their minds, how can you trust what they know?

[aprescoup]

Precisely. They might have something. Or they might have nothing.

...no. I lie. They have small boats. They have this boat. We steal the boat, we leave. But we must know.

[somebadnews]

[ He'd ask why they can't just steal the boat and leave now, if he didn't expect her to repeat herself. He's not opposed to spying, but it's what she's not saying. ]

What if they don't have anything? You remember how hard we are to kill, what makes you so worried?

[aprescoup]

I knew, before. What to expect. You are fools. But you were surrounded by fools. You had good odds! And sharp things in your hands.

But I have not been to the Crossing. Noooooo, not Karsa.

[somebadnews]

You're really afraid to it.

[ She's fought an entire undead army with them, so what the hell is that about? ]

What are our odds this time? Has it been done?

[aprescoup]

Someone came back with horror stories.

[somebadnews]

Great. Really too bad you didn’t know about the route before we were heading into it.

[aprescoup]

Me? Not know? What am I? A little boy in ugly clothes?

I knew. But no one else would take you. Why does no one else take you? What do you do everywhere, that no one else takes you?

[somebadnews]

[ Nope. He’s convinced they do this intentionally out of spite. ]

Have we not caught up yet? We’ve been making quite a name for ourselves.

[aprescoup]

Why must you be like little dog who barks loud?

Why can you not be little dog who is silent?

[somebadnews]

Ask my brother. [ Or don’t. Knowing Diego, he’d fall in love with her and Five will have to deal with that. ]

How loyal is the crew around here anyway? They all buy into the stories?

[aprescoup]

You tell me. We are on the same ships.

[somebadnews]

[ Sigh. She really doesn’t know more than this vague warning, does she? ]

Fine. I guess we’ll find out.

[aprescoup]

Be careful. There is... strangeness. In men who go to death this easily. Something missing. Maybe sense. Or more.

[somebadnews]

… [ He’ll have to ask Winnie. Maybe Wrath. They’d be able to tell, depending. ]

Someone should tell them they’re doing that the hard way. [ If death is their goal. He debates saying what follows, but she didn’t have to tell him that. ]

Thanks. I’ll look into it.

[aprescoup]

You try to start a mutiny?

( A pause, then: ) ...not the most foolish thing you've done.

[somebadnews]

[ Unexpected compliment. ]

I didn’t say that. [ He didn’t not-say that either. ] But it’s good to know we have your approval.

[aprescoup]

Am I mother to you?

[somebadnews]

Not quite. I haven’t figured out your strange obsession with us, but as long as you stay out of our way.

[aprescoup]

You understand... what it means to work?

[somebadnews]

That depends. Did they decide to start paying you?

[aprescoup]

Starved, am I? I look it? Feed me, then.

[somebadnews]

No, you seem perfectly content with this arrangement. Far be it for me to question it.

[aprescoup]

...what do you want, little boy? Other than ladder.

[somebadnews]

[ There are more pressing issues, but he's been called that one too many times. ]

You surprised me when you weren't dead. Just thought we'd get reacquainted.

[aprescoup]

Why would I die? To spit on hell too? I do not have that much water in my mouth.

[somebadnews]

You can't blame me for jumping to conclusions, considering when you left. How close was it?

[aprescoup]

If it were close, would I tell you?

[somebadnews]

[ That all but confirms it. ]

You look good, in either case. I wouldn't have noticed.

[aprescoup]

You look small. Like the manhood of Unhalad's followers in the cold.

[somebadnews]

Sensitive subject, I understand. I'm just glad you don't hold any grudges.

un: stormborn; video

[song_of_fire]

Do you think they are in pursuit of something? Or is the Crossing itself responsible for madness?

[aprescoup]

I do not know. But you go to a sea of death, armed with nothing of death, you must know something. You must know everything. Or maybe it is tiring, to be a pirate. Maybe death is a nap.

[song_of_fire]

There is a chance that death can be battled with light.

[aprescoup]

Do these look like heroes to you, ah? Is this a pretty story?