While Enkidu preened at the attention, Benji pouted and flattened his ears once more in distaste, but listened to the conversation anyway. The purebred ignored the pout in favor of grinning at Li. "Alright, getting yelled at for asking questions, but alright." At the specific call-out, the hybrid rolled his eyes. Well, eye to most, as the other was hidden behind his patch and couldn't be seen by others. Enkidu pointedly ignored this in favor of talking to Li. "I'm not really surprised that my parents haven't said anything in regard to my capture. They probably think I'm dead and won't bother looking. I'm just happy that Miss Amira is letting me roam free on the ship."
Well, that didn’t take long.
Removing himself from the position of the door Ark unfolded his arms, but didn’t walk any further into the kitchen. He gave his head a slight shake as he inhaled, then exhaled. “Ah,” he mumbled, after a moment, eyes surveying the room. Although he was well aware he did tend to have a rather threatening or uneasy appearance, Ark made an attempt to come off as calm and non threatening as possible. It was easy enough with his voice, which he spoke evenly and smoothly.
“Hello there. Mind telling me what ship I’m on?”
"Some questions are better left un-asked, especially aboard a pirate ship." Li pointed out, nodding as she listened to the 'captive' talk. They hadn't had many interactions, but had briefly gotten to talk on occasions when she'd been bored or wandering. He was a nice enough guy. It made sense, why Benji seemed to have a small thing for him. What type of thing was up for grabs, but who knew.
"The captain is a kind woman, even if she's scary as fuck sometimes. Should your parents decide they don't want to be parents, there's a likely chance you'll find a home aboard the ship." Her voice had taken a softer tone, even though her expression was visibly not a match. "Have you done much while roaming? I've found the engine room has a nice warmth, on the really cold nights. Long as Nich doesn't mind you hanging around."
"Um… w-why do you want to know, sir…?" Nathaniel asked tentatively, wrapping his wings around himself, though the crumpled feathers could do little to protect him now. "Are you alone? Are you trying to attack us? I-I'm warning you, I— … I-I'm armed!" He pulled a dagger out of his pocket and pointed it at Ark, his hand trembling along with the rest of his form.
“Oh, if I wanted to attack this place, I would’ve done so when I got here..” Ark pulled his left arm towards his face, peering down at a non-existent watch. “..I would’ve done so ten or so minutes ago when I first arrived.”
Ark glanced back up, looking towards the dagger. He fell silent. But within a few moments, Ark raised his right arm - the metal, prosthetic arm - and brought it up to his face, moving it into a ‘shh’ motion. “No need, no need for that,” he said, referring to the dagger. Though his tone still kept calm. “I just need the name of the ship, that’s all, really. Would it help if I told you my name?”
Nathaniel kept his eyes on Ark, still very pale with fear. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he nodded shakily. "W-Who are you? Why do you need the name of the ship? Why are you here?" He asked weakly, hesitantly lowering his dagger and curling up a bit tighter up against the cabinets. His wings were puffed up with fear and he seemed very antsy.
“Calm, calm, calm,” Ark says, lowering himself a bit. “There’s no need to be scared around me. I won’t harm or hurt anyone.” Yet, anyways, Ark added, within his mind.
“My name is Ark.” He gestures to himself, planting a hand on his chest. “I’m just curious, is all. It would be nice to know where I am.” He didn’t bother on asking for the child’s name. He leans down to the point where his knees are touching the ground; essentially, kneeling down.
Nathaniel fidgeted nervously with his dagger, his heart pounding in his chest. He seemed to be holding his breath. "U-Um… you… you're on the BC Orion, sir…" He replied weakly, his voice wavering. He clutched the hilt of the dagger tightly in one small fist, but kept the weapon lowered for now. "H-How did you even get in here?"
“BC Orion..” He repeated, pondering on if he had or hadn’t heard that name somewhere. Probably. Maybe not.
Upon hearing the question, he adjusted his posture so that he was leaning against the wall slightly. “Quite simple, really.” Ark begins. “I just teleported onto here is all.” Even though he’d been speaking for some time, his voice never changes at all. He’s still calm, evenly speaking.
Nathaniel whimpered quietly and pressed himself closer to the cabinets, trying to stay away from Ark. He clearly still didn't trust the man and he was terrified. "W-Why are you here?" He asked tentatively. His stomach growled angrily and he crossed his arms over it, flushing a bit. His food was obviously right above his head, but he didn't feel safe enough to grab it at the moment.
Jax stepped in front of Nathaniel, grabbing a knife from the counter and pointing it at the man. "If you teleported here," the girl said in a surprisingly calm voice, "you can teleport away. And I'd recommend you do that, or I'll call for help."
A grin spread across Jax's scarred face, a contrast to the menacing glint in her gray eyes. "Okay?"
“Well, I’m here because-“ But Ark did not explain, because he stopped upon Jax’s entrance to the situation. Although he did not produce any visible reaction - his voice remained in the same tone as before, as he stood up from his spot. “Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect that to happen at some point,” he murmured.
“Alright.” He accepted, after a moment. “I’ll leave. I’ll teleport. Away from here.” There was a tone to his voice, one different to his calmer one from before - almost mischievous. He fell silent again, looking at them in silence before quickly vanishing as he teleported to yet another location on the ship.
Nathaniel breathed a shaky sigh of relief and tightly hugged one of Jax's legs, noticeably trembling. His stomach growled again, but he tried to ignore it, still not really feeling safe enough to come out from his 'hiding space'. "Thanks…" He whispered, closing his eyes and holding tighter to Jax.
"He's still somewhere on the ship," Jax guessed, setting the knife on the table. "Amira or someone'll find him sooner or later, then you won't have to worry about him anymore, alright? If he comes back, I'll protect you." She helped the boy back to his seat, and refilled his glass of chocolate milk.
Nathaniel nodded weakly and allowed Jax to help him up, still quite shaky once he was on the stool again. He took a bite of one of the chicken nuggets, biting back the tears that were stinging his eyes. He was too upset to really be able to enjoy the food much.
"After you're done eating, we can go check on how the cactus is coming along," Jax suggested, "unless you wanna stay here, which is fine, too." The doctor sat next to Nathaniel, ruffling the boy's hair. "Somebody else will catch that man, alright? My bet's on Peregrine or Amira."
Nathaniel nodded again, relaxing slightly when Jax touched his hair. "W-Why is he here, though…?" He asked weakly, shoving another chicken nugget into his mouth and wrapping his wings tightly around himself to feel more secure.
(yo where is Lysander right now? Because he's got James)
"We don't know, yet," the girl admitted, "but we'll probably find out soon." Jax swung her legs back and forth. "You want a cookie?"
"Sure…" Nathaniel sighed softly, continuing to eat his chicken nuggets. He tapped one foot on a bar of the stool he was sitting on, still seeming very nervous.
(yo where is Lysander right now? Because he's got James)
(He's going to the cells with Neige I think)
((amira, after hearing about the kitchen incident: sir who are you and why are you scaring my children))
"Some questions are better left un-asked, especially aboard a pirate ship." Li pointed out, nodding as she listened to the 'captive' talk. They hadn't had many interactions, but had briefly gotten to talk on occasions when she'd been bored or wandering. He was a nice enough guy. It made sense, why Benji seemed to have a small thing for him. What type of thing was up for grabs, but who knew.
"The captain is a kind woman, even if she's scary as fuck sometimes. Should your parents decide they don't want to be parents, there's a likely chance you'll find a home aboard the ship." Her voice had taken a softer tone, even though her expression was visibly not a match. "Have you done much while roaming? I've found the engine room has a nice warmth, on the really cold nights. Long as Nich doesn't mind you hanging around."
"I was just asking about his eye and fins…" Enkidu grumbled childishly, his scaled wings curling around his shoulders as he, too, pouted. Benji shot a canine-filled snarl in the noble's direction, who returned it with a childish gesture of his own—sticking his tongue out at him. Benji looked stricken at the gesture, which granted a triumphant Enkidu the opportunity to address Li.
"I haven't really explored much. I don't want to invade too much into the crew's space. Plus," he added with a slight quirk to his lips, wings fluttering just slightly, "I'm afraid I'll get lost. It's a very nice ship you have, if a bit large for my horrendous sense of direction."
(yo where is Lysander right now? Because he's got James)
(He's going to the cells with Neige I think)
(yee. I'll get a response up soon lmao)
