Call of Curuwen

Alone on the Limbo....

The crew has left the Limbo, leaving Ceridwen alone....or so she thought. It seems she's been left alone with someone else... Dustrian, the stranger from a neighbouring land. As usual, Ceridwen isn't entirely happy with this but has decided to indugle ther Captain and their strange passenger.....

What mayhem will come of this situation?

Ceridwen Elwood:

I scowled, looking down at the man standing at the bow of the ship. We were at port in a little coastal town in Melnar by the name of Melos. Why the Cap'n had to stop here was anybodies guess...but even more bizare? He'd left me and our little passaenger alone on the ship. I had no idea why.... But at the moment, I was hiding up in the rigging, hoping the stanger wouldn't notice me.

Well, at least he didn't appear to be watchnig me. After that incident before, when we picked up those stragglers... Well, I don't know. He was just....a lot quieter... Odd. Yes, he was one odd man. I mean, he saw my ears and didn't flip out. I know of at least a dozen crew members who would stare if they ever saw my ears... Not that I was a full-blooded Elf or anything...but yeah, one tends to get the idea here.

I sighed, shifting my weight. Well, no time like the present to catch up on some sleep. Just as I was drifting off, someoen started singing. It sounded like a lullaby...but it wasn't any language I knew. The tune drifting up over the deck of the ship, echoing eerily through the rigging and the fog that had been rolling in for the past hour.

Seiae, cilseet baia,

Hil't bevesslo teol niam.....

I shot upright, startled and looked down at the man standing at the bow of the ship. The only other person on it. He was singing. I stared at him. What the hell was he singing? It definitely wasn't Elvish, and it wasn't anything I'd heard in Curuwen or Melnar either.

"Hey," I called out and the singing abruptly stopped. "What is that? What are you singing?"

Dustrian

Dustrian cringed at the voice, hand moving to his face slowly. He inhaled deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger for a few seconds before turning and craning his neck to see Ceridwen.

"I thought you were off the ship!" he shouted up at her, ignoring the slight heat in his cheeks.

"What were you singing?" the half-blood repeated.

Dustrian sighed, turning again to stare out at the ocean. He kept his back to Ceridwen as he answered. There was absolutely no need for her to see that his face was flushing. "An Azzian lullaby. Gensitum-Lassen Vamns. Why?" 

He looked back up at Ceridwen, wishing he could tell what the girl was thinking. Not that it mattered, mind you. If she wanted to scoff, let her scoff. Most pirates would, wouldn't they? A grown man singing some sweet-sounded lullaby to rolling waves was a bit... odd, after all. 

Ceridwen:

I chuckled for a moment, then forced it down. A lullaby, huh? An Azzian lullaby? I frowned. Alright...why was he singing it then? I was....confused, I guess. Slowly, I climbed down a little and stared at him again.

"Why were you singing it?" I asked. He seemed to be...embarrassed by it. And I wanted to know why. "Are you missing your home?" I sighed, climbing down further and then dropping lightly onto the deck. "I know what that feeling... I miss my home too...." I let the sentence trail off and sat down, staring up into the rigging. After a little while, I felt his eyes on me.

"Home for you is...?"

I dropped my gaze, frowning at him. Was that a blush I saw? I smiled. "Losthurin, home of the Elves. Also known as the Elven Realm.....though the Runewood's known as that too." I looked away, suddenly shy. My cheeks felt hot. I was not blushing in front of this man.

Dustrian

One corner of Dustrian's mouth pulled up in a sort of lop-sided, half smile. It felt almost strange to smile, even if it was only slight. He didn't say anything for a few moments, just stared at the water, and then at Melos. Or, what he could see of it anyways. 

He sighed quietly, what little of a smile he had been capable of fading. Dustrian had no idea what the Runewood was, or really what Melos was. Obviously a port, and Runewood was obviously a forest, but the names didn't cary back any wandering memories.

It took him a while to realize that Ceridwen had looked away for a reason that evaded him. He glanced her out of the corner of his eye, careful not to turn his head and had to bite back a chuckle. The bit of her face that he could see was pink. Well, at least he hadn't been the only one to blush.

"Strange," he muttered, returning his gaze to where it had been before. 

"What?" 

Dustrian smirked and crossed his arms, leaning back a ways.  "We've gone a whole ten minutes without bickering, that's what. And I haven't called you Stubby, either." The tiniest of chuckles made it past his lips. The urge to add something about the colour of the half-blood's cheeks was tempting, and normally he wouldn't have held back, but the last thing he needed was a blade through the chest. "Strange indeed." 

Ceridwen:

I scowled at him. He was right, though.We had been sitting here for a whole ten minutes....and no bickering. My scowl turned into a frown. Alright, that was...interesting, I guess. I sighed and got up, brushing non-existant dust from my rear.

"Strange," I muttered, moving to stand beside him, leaving about two feet of space between us. I was glad that the heat in my cheeks had died down some. "So, what're you starin' at?"

He glanced towards me, then away. And said nothing. I frowned at him. Alright, if he wasn't gonig to talk to me..... "The water, I guess." Finally, he spoke. My frown deepened at his words.

Eventually, I just shrugged. Alright. Whatever he was doing was his business. I turned to go below deck or something...anywhere away from here, when he asked me a question.

Dustrian

The very idea of being alone on a pirate ship was suddenly very unappealing to him. What if there were other crew members on-board? He hadn't thought that Ceridwen was on the ship until she had interupted his song, and there were a few crew members who hadn't taken a liking to him by any means.

The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it, all an attempt to keep Ceridwen in-sight.

"Why did you turn to piracy in the first place?"

He almost regretted the question as soon as it was out, and half-expected a dagger to be flung into his throat. From what he understood, pirates didn't particularly enjoy sharing their stories with others-- especially outsiders. Then again, Dustrian doubted that he could trust his own judgement on much of anything. After all, his memories were a mess, and what little information he had locked away probably wasn't very reliable.

Still, he doubted that asking a pirate such a personal question had been a good idea. Must be the sea air and the sun. He told himself, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited for the half-blood's answer.

Ceridwen:

I stared at him. He wanted to know that of all things? He shifted from one foot to the other, seemingly uncomfortable. Finally, I sighed. "Alright, I spose I'll tell you," I muttered, shaking my hair back and moving around him to lean on the railing.

"I was fourteen and living with my mother in a Nahlele camp in the Plains of Velusa.... Their way of life bored me. I wanted...I don't know. Adventure, I guess..." I picked at the wooden railing with a fingernail, eyes downcast. "One day, I saw a ship sailing past. It stopped off shore and a small group of men rowed in." I didn't look at him as I spoke, wary of what he might say or do....how he might react.

"They came right into the village, looking for supplies. And more crew. None of the Nahlele would go, instead, it was me. I've been on this ship ever since...." I let my sentence trail off, letting out a breathy little sigh. Yes, that was me. Ceridwen, the pirate.

Dustrian

It was an awkward silence that followed. Dustrian hadn't the slightest clue of what he should say in response. Should he tell what little he remembered of his past, remain quiet, ask appropriate questions? This was something he was majorly lacking in; the art of speaking to another being, be they elf, man, or any of the Azzian races.

Finally, he muttered a quiet: "Interesting story;" and struggled to find more questions. Normally, he wouldn't have even made the effort, but there was something almost unnerving about being alone on the decks of a pirate ship. For reasons Dustrian couldn't figure, being at port only added to his discomfort.

"Do you like it?" he asked quietly, averting his gaze to anywhere else, hands casually stuffing themselves into his pockets.

"Like what?"

He glanced back to see Ceridwen staring at him questioningly. "Like being a pirate." He shrugged. "It's never really been my choice of occupation - not that I have very many choices as it is." It was true, now that he thought about it. Once he was back home, chances were that he'd have to use all of his left over money to find a place to stay, and then start small...

Dustrian sighed, shoving the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't handle thinking about what he'd do upon returning to Aquariazzi at the moment - he was too exhausted for such things. He waited silently for Ceri's answer.

Ceridwen:

I shrugged. "It has its ups and downs like any profession would," I muttered, pushing away from the railing. I felt him watching me but ignored it. Instead of heading below deck, I headed back to the rigging and hooked a foot into one of the low loops. "What about you? Why are you on a pirate ship?"

Before he could reply, I was off up the rigging and high into the sails. Let him wonder why I'd asked that. Because honestly? I had no idea why.

Dustrian:

Dustrian frowned, blinking up at the halfling. That had been a bit of a ... pointless question, hadn't it been? He sighed, turning back to stare at the water again. He didn't want to tell her anyways - he would have to explain why he didn't know, where the jewels and the money came from... how much he missed Aquariazzi.

Then again, telling somebody might have been a good idea, contrary to his prior beliefs. Wasn't that an Azzian teaching? Spill your very guts to whoever might be able to help you? Dustrian snorted at himself. No, no it wasn't. That would have been ridiculous. But still, what if the puny elf could help him? Or... at least offer some form of advice.

Now the only question was would she? Probably not... but just in case... He turned, staring up at the sails.

"'Eh Stubby! If you really want to know, come down here and I'll tell you!" he shouted, only half surprised when Ceridwen appeared halfway down - hardly within earshot.

"If you really must know, I have no bloody idea why I'm on this ship. Thought it might take me back to Aquriazzi, I s'pose, but the more I think about it, the more I doubt I'm getting any closer." He sighed, watching his newfound confidant closely. She was too far away for Dustrian to see her face, though he wasn't sure that he wanted to.

"Anyways. Before this, I was stuck in a dungeon. Not exactly a palace or anything, I'll tell you that, but they fed me at least. And made me work my arslin off, but that's all beside the point. I woke up one day in the middle of nowhere, I can't remember much of anything, and now I'm a passenger on the Limbo. Not much else to it."

He leaned back against the railing, letting out a slow breath. At least he had avoided details.