forum [I've got title block]

Started May 05, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

"While I never once claimed to be a lady, I have no intent of stealing anything of yours." Catori said, letting out a definitely un-ladylike snort. "You can rest easy tonight."

“I don’t think I can rest easy as long as we’re at sea.” Damian murmured. “There are lots of voices… all the time.” He muttered to himself, his eyes fixated on the waves. The muffled voices of the millions of fish below kept him up often as of late.

Catori's brows furrowed with a frown, and she stepped away from the railing to dig through one of her pouches. "I might have something for sleep aid…technically works as a sedative, too, but that's beside the point. Ah ha! Valerian root."

“I am perfectly fine without being sedated…” Damian eyed her warily, subtly taking a step back. “I think I ought to return to my cabin anyways.”

Catori looked up, quirking an eyebrow, and then hurried to smooth things over. "It's not a bad thing. I use it fairly often myself, when I've gone too long without sleep." She reached up, tapping the dark shadow under her right eye. "I'm just running a bit low."

“Then it would be cruel of me to take from your supply.” He insisted, still a bit suspicious. “I’m afraid I must bid you goodnight anyhow. Dawn will touch the sky far too soon.” He spun on his heel, his footsteps silent as the gulls soaring overhead.

Catori sighed, placing the small bag back in her pouch. "Try and get some sleep, Damian." She called after him, turning back to the water. Sleep would be evading her for a bit longer, that was for sure.

“I made no promises.” He called back before vanishing under the deck, retreating swiftly to his quarters.

Catori had been right, and was there to watch the sun rise the next morning. A few hours later, she was helping the first mate unfurl the sails once more, preparing to catch the wind from the dark clouds on the horizon. She brushed her hair out of her face, looking out at the water from her perch on the mainstay.

Damian resurfaced as soon as the sun rose, the endless babble of the fish below awakening him as talks of danger ensued beneath the waves.

"You think it'll be a big one?" Catori called down to Eric, not quite wanting to climb back down yet. She was almost debating climbing up instead, heading towards the crow's nest.

"It's lookin' like it." He called back up, a seemingly permanent grin affixed to his face.

Damian didn’t bother to listen to the other voices on deck creeping up to the rails and peering over, listening to the clear voices of the fish below, describing nothing other than a hurricane.

Movement caught Catori's eye, and she swung to look at the source. "Morning, Damian!" She called, and after a moment of hesitation, quickly used the tangle of ropes to drop to the deck.

“Greetings, Catori.” Damian turned his head around just in time to see her drop down to the deck like an acrobat of sorts. An amused smile lit up his face. “Do be careful if you can manage such a task.”

"I'm fairly certain I can't." Catori said, shooting him a smile as she dug through a pouch, pulling out a small bag of something and handing it to Eric before making her way across the deck towards Damian.

Damian rolled his eyes and said nothing, focusing his gaze back down at the water.

"You get any sleep at all last night?" Catori asked, eyes on the nearing clouds. Some gut feeling told her something wasn't right, but she couldn't be too sure.

“A couple hours.” Damian hummed casually. “I take it you sense it too.” He looked over at Catori, following her gaze to the skyline. “You’re a very perceptive lady.”

"Constant perilous situations help you develop a sixth sense." Catori said with a shrug, tilting her head as she studied the clouds. "Something feels off to you, too?"

“There’s a hurricane coming.” Damian didn’t bother to sugarcoat his words. “It’ll be here by late afternoon.”

Catori nodded, shoulders slumping just a bit. "It's too quiet, I figured it had to be bad. There're no birds." She scanned the empty sky, before settling her gaze back on the clouds. "Do you think we can tough it out?"

“I should hope so, but the fish don’t think it’s promising.” He sighed. “But perhaps I’m simply pessimistic.”

"You likely are." She said simply, glancing down at the water. "But the fish know more than us. That's for sure."