otter

IC: I stopped, turning slowly to look back at both of them with a raised eyebrow. Then I, with a wink and a smirk, turned back around and kept walking.

IC: "Yer habberin', laddie. Ye've gat tae git a haunnle on that if we're tae gang awa on aventur. Bis, thare's nocht tae be afeart of wi' me tae gaird ye!"

IC: "I meant for both of you to come. Sorry for thinking you'd figured out how I think over the years."

IC: I gave Dorian a small smile as a punched my shoulder, bending down to pick up the bag before he could even think of protesting any more. "Alright," I said, hefting it up over my own shoulder, disk launcher in the other hand. "Follow me to my office. I'll overlook Skyra's broken circuits for the time being, and I'll take the fall for letting non-crew take such a close look at everything, too." I could already think of just the bottle to dig out.

IC: Well, at least the immediate crisis I was worried about was averted. Now just to hope things could go smoothly for the rest of it. Oh, hey, Kale already was on deck! Okay, that's one other worry already taken care of. I stole a glance at Skyra to my side, squeezing her shoulder once and letting my hand drop as I turned my eyes full on to Dorian. I still wasn't entirely sure what to think, seeing him again, but I knew I'd figure it out soon enough anyways. "Hand me the bag, Dor, and follow along to my space. Recently-dead men have no business carrying such a heavy load. Doctor's orders."

IC: "Ow - Skyra, not so hard now," I began, before her sudden change in temperament grew obvious. "Breathe, Skyra," I counseled, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder even as I looked out at who she'd seen. Sure enough, we were looking at a ghost. And an altogether...Nicer one to see than Jaron? Worse? Both? I wasn't sure myself. I was shocked, seeing him down there, but I didn't know what that slackwit melt-brain from Ta-Koro had to do with things. I pulled out my own earplugs a moment later, glad I'd left them in. "Luten, could you go inside and grab Kale? Let him know we've got an extra visitor at the plank," I said, gesturing with my free hand over towards the other one on the docks. "Skyra and I have some catching up to do with this other gentleman, if you don't mind."

IC: "Adorable."

IC: Ga-Koro was a nice place. Not quite as much hustle and bustle as Oki, which was nice, and the fields and hills inland of the bay reminded her of Odaiba. Or, at least, it had been quieter and more relaxed before all the Dasaka had shown up. She'd taken to walks around the outside of the Koro. Today, however, she was in the center of it, right at the docks, sitting down with a glass and a bottle of wine from the peculiar place outside the town to keep her company. Not that she particularly needed it after she saw the number of others that started congregating around...though it was very nice wine. Sinshi looked absolutely adorable in that marine jacket. So it was that Sato stood—taking the wine and glass along with her, of course, she wouldn't just leave them—and made her way up to the group. "Toa Leah," she said, giving a respectful bow to the Toa Maru of Water, and extending it to the others in the group...stopping just short of Sinshi. For Sinshi, she straightened, giving her friend the slowest, laziest possible salute she could manage. "I think we finally managed that trading places I mentioned so long ago!" OOC: @Krayzikk@Vezok's Friend@TL01 NUVA@Void Emissary

IC: "Blind's a guid wird for him, too, efter th' joskin tried me patience a wee bit too thin, trying tae yank off me arm! Bonesie there wouldnae let me hae any meat for an ook efter I dug me claws intae his skull." He turned, glancing down at Vena again. "I thocht I told ye tae quit tauntin' th' lad."

IC: "Aye, an' Bonesie too! Now we're all thegither an' ready tae gang away, then." G. Lenfiddich turned and beamed his grin at Dinsmokk. "An ye say that, lad, but I'm sure ye can mind th' time I drug that misert predecessor o' Sho'Gakk's, Gerrack;dii, yon time I drug him on oot o' th' fortress when he thocht he could yank me shackle an' hold me doon below. Sun were mighty nice, that morn."

IC: Wait, there were...sights? I glanced down the length of the launcher. Sure enough, it took me a moment, but there were, indeed, some sights that flipped up at my touch. Karzahni. "Alright, well, thanks for pointing that out to me, Luten." I took aim—down the sights, this time, which were designed to account just for what Luten had been telling me—just to hear Skyra's words of "encouragement" come forth. "Well, how could I ever miss with you cheering me on, dear?" I concentrated, squeezing both triggers down carefully and deliberately. Sure enough, the disk flew—well, not exactly straight, there was some wind and it was spinning after all, but as straight as disks ever really do—and impacted the target I'd set squarely, shattering through the ice, skipping once—twice—thrice on the water, before floating simply out in the bay. I was actually surprised I'd managed to do it, only for, a moment later, the realization to set in... "I'm going to have to go get that, aren't I?"

IC: "Quit torturin' th' poor lad, witch!" It was an impressive thing, a voice being able to ring out so profoundly clearly over the din of the forging going on nearby, but ring out it did. It took a moment for the owner of the voice to come into view, though—not only did he have quite a bit to move around to join with the small group, he also had to get around Arms just to be seen. He gave an appreciative nod up at the hulking warlord of the fortress. "Armsie," he said by way of greeting, a toothy grin beaming out under the nose of his mask. Then, raising the oversized mechanical claw that was his right arm, he clapped down hard on Verak's shoulder. "Verak, boy, I've told ye once an' I'll tell ye again, ye dinnae need tae humour her like this. Yoor time is yoors, laddie, an' ye can dee wi' it as ye sees fit tae." He turned, grin falling as he looked at Vana—neither hostile nor afraid, but certainly not impressed. "An' ye need tae quit smokin' them reefers o' yoors. Makes ye right bloody impossible tae unnerstand, lass." Grin returning, he looked back around at the group he was standing with. "Now, it's I hae got tae make a run doon tae th' stills tonicht, an' get me cuts for th' bottlin'. Wha's th' body wha'll gang doon wi' me? Verak, lad, I hope ye ain't afeart tae help me cairie some jaurs an' bottles, richt? Wha else'll help me?" He looked up at the massive warlord, with a small nod. "'Ceptin you's, acourse, Armsie."

IC: Alright, here goes nothing. I lifted the disk launcher up, bracing the stock securely against my shoulder as I turned towards one of the targets I'd made, lazily floating in the bay. Unfortunately, I quickly noticed that this thing didn't have any proper sights. Of course, it really is like a crossbow. I'm terrible with those things. Two triggers, too, which was an odd design that I couldn't entirely figure out. Why couldn't they just make a singular trigger mechanism that would apply to both limbs? I knew I should've grabbed one of the pistols instead. I leaned my head down, bracing my chin against the stock of the weapon and using the cocking piece as a makeshift sight to line up my shot, adjusting for the wind and the movement of the target... "Alright, ready to fire. Just tell me when."

i love you too fam

Imagine claiming credit for a slug's work. [scoffs in railgun sniper rifle]

IC: I hefted up the disk launcher I'd grabbed while below decks, pulling back the cocking piece and putting one of the metal disks up between its mandibles. It was almost like an absolutely gigantic crossbow, the way it was designed. Sure, I could've used the blunderbuss, but I don't remember if that requires Skyra to charge it (in which case my training with it is somewhat pointless) or if it just pulls anybody's elemental energy to work, so why not practice with one I might get to use more often? "Here, Luten, hop up on this," I said to the smallest member of the crew. "You can help me aim so that I don't embarrass myself in front of Skyra, or any of the other crew members up here now." Of course, I didn't really know Rynekk, so the most I gave him in greeting was a small nod. "Just make sure I'm pointing the right direction and tell me when to fire. I'll try not to pull it off the mark."

IC: "Certainly, just give me a minute..." As Luten went to check with Kale, I quickly ducked down below the deck myself, making a quick jog off to my quarters. Right next to the medbay, so that I could more easily keep track of all of my charges if they hurt themselves...assuming I could convince them to stay in one place, even when hurt. I didn't rate my chances too high on that front. Thankfully, I was keeping everything better organized here than in that hut I had on the outskirts of Le-Koro, so I was quick to find the earplugs I'd made and pull out two of the pairs that were specifically meant for dealing with gunfire, rather than just general loud noises. "Luten shouldn't need any, right? Being just a...projection from a mask?" I pursed my lips, and after a moment pulled out a nub of beeswax. It wouldn't be the best, but if Luten wanted to plug her ears it'd at least help. Then another quick jog - thankfully I wasn't as out-of-breath as when I'd first started exercising in this ungodly heat - and I was back on deck, and with a wave of my hand set out a few targets floating in the bay. Just wide bases, standing posts, and a big circular piece to aim at, nothing fancy today. "Alright, Skyra, Luten, ears and then you can shoot."

IC: "It's not about the shooting, it's about what inevitably comes out of our mou—" As expected, she just bustled right on before I could even finish my protestations. I shook my head, resigning myself to my fate. "Alright, but like I said: hearing protection first. I don't want your brain getting any more rattled than it already has been."

IC: Definitely adorable. Alas... "Luten, I think if you were to do shooting practice with me and Skyra, we might finally see Kale decide to forget the code."

IC: "Skyra, please, my delicate complexion could never recover from getting shot, that's a terrible idea." It seemed, though, my retort blew away in the wind, as it were; Luten came up to pay a visit as Skyra ran through introductions, and Kale not long after. I fell silent—as was often my custom, around those not named Skyra Daring, at least—and let the storm of social interaction pass me by while just observing. I should, however, admit: There was one thing I did agree with Skyra on. Luten was adorable. As Kale led Tirokk into the ship to meet with the others, I turned back to Skyra. "So. Earplugs and target practice, pin-the-stick-on-the-ice-Toa, or should I grab something from my stash, rejoin the others, and celebrate the first crew meeting and impending shake-down of the ship?" I wasn't exactly fond of the second option, but I wouldn't put it past her to suggest it on her own anyways with that naginata she was so enjoying practicing with, so I might as well have included it before she could. Besides, I'm not averse to making some jokes at my own expense from time to time. "I'm definitely not letting you shoot without hearing protection, though." @Snelly

IC: "See? You're getting better every day. You actually questioned the idea rather than just saying 'okay!' and going through with it."

IC: "You know I'm not good with that thing," came my quick reply. "And after Ko-Koro, and as often as you seem to be rubbing at the side of your head, I'm not exactly sure that a large concussive blast happening that close to your eardrums is a good idea in general." I paused for a moment, letting the official, medical doctor disapproval set in. "But, yes. I've got ear plugs in my quarters. Do you have any targets in mind, or—" I glanced out at the new person walking up towards the ship, who just cut me off with their greeting. Then, turning back to Skyra... "Target acquired."

IC: "I'm not that helpless!" I protested, though whether it was in response to Skyra's comment or Krayn stepping in before I could say anything, even I wasn't sure. "Kale's been helping me train, and even if all else fails with the weapons, I know at least some of you have seen what I can do with my element." Besides, if worst came to worst, I'd just trade masks with Kale for a moment and walk him through how to fix me. "When are we set to head out, anyways? Much as it's been nice having clear skies every day for the last two weeks, I have been melting just a bit more day by day."

IC: I leaned over to Skyra as Kale started making his way away, and with a conspiratorial whisper, said: "Nice save." Just in time for Dehkaz to show up and start hollering at Krayn. "Well, Skyra, Luten, want to join them as we find Krayn a place on the ship?" I paused, turning back to Skyra. "Or, I suppose, you could get more practice in with that blade-on-a-stick, but if you pull anything, I'm making you heal the old fashioned way."

IC: "Kale, don't blunt her blade out of spite. These questions are going to come up out in the world no matter what."