high_seas | New friends, new catastrophes

Entry tags:

New friends, new catastrophes

Who: The crew of the Katabami
Where: At sea, Manila Island
When: After departing Isla Empieza after the battle and covering events until the end of the month
What: Catch-all log
Warnings: Foul language, excessive dumb
Style: Any
Status: Closed to crew

Itinerary
- Meet and greet for new crew
- MANLY STORIES
- Visiting Manila so our more studious crew can get their research on and your esteemed captain can piss the moths off
- THIS COLD CURSE THING

EDIT: The turkey is now officially named Lord Buffalo Toritaro Stuffington, "Twitchy" for short. Feel free to make use of this.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's less pride than embarrassment that makes Xun Yu hesitate -- she's a woman, and where she comes from that complicates matters. Though she tries, she's never been entirely successful at separating that part of herself.]

There may not be a need for you to make any demand.

I could mention the solution to the others. You are the tallest and broadest man aboard and everyone has made a connection with you, otherwise they wouldn't be on your ship. That makes you an obvious choice to approach.

[While she's fairly small, her own advantage is that she's an ordinary woman, and therefore not particularly threatening to anyone's bravado.]

Though it's pointless if the rumour is an empty one...

[She lowers her eyes, averting her gaze as she makes a decision. Someone must make the first request or no one will overcome their pride, and the theory at least needs to be tested. A touch of awkward shyness enters her demeanour; she lifts her frozen hands between them.]

Captain, will you please condescend to warm my hands?

[A trace of her embarrassment carries in her beseeching words. She cannot quite contain it all.]

Uh...

[Motochika stares dumbly at her for a few seconds before reaching out and taking her hands in his.]

Can't hurt to try, I suppose.

[Almost immediately, it feels like his hands are thawing out. If anyone has a smart comment to make about the situation, he's just going to have to point that part out to them.]

Well, what do you know...

Oh!

[The warmth surprises her -- she doesn't really expect it to work, but the proof is undeniable, and, well, wonderful.]

It works...

[She lifts her gaze, relief on her face. After a moment she wiggles her fingers, and her mouth gently curls into a faint smile.]

Well found, Captain.

Yes, well, it's why I keep an eye on that book, after all! Sometimes other crews figure out a useful thing or two.

[It's quite nice to be able to feel his arms again. He supposes they should go tell everyone else, but he'd like to thaw out a bit more and he's certainly not making the announcement while holding hands with a crew member. Gintoki may not be here to heckle him anymore, but that doesn't mean that no one else will step up and take his place.]

Mostly they just write nonsense, though. A wasteful pastime, that thing.

[Someone's latest entry hasn't gotten the fawning attention he thinks it deserves...]

[Xun Yu is definitely in no hurry to lose the source of heat, however this looks to an outsider -- and most certainly not before she's had her share. If anything, she's visibly contemplating if there's a way to get greater warmth without being horribly inappropriate. She's already been a bit untoward making this request, but pragmatism comes before all else.]

Still, it's an incredible tool. [She says with wonder.] The impact its instant communication would have on waging battle... or any campaign, for that matter.

[You can take the strategist out of the military, but you cannot take the military out of the strategist.]

Yes, it was quite useful when we were planning the assault on Isla Empieza. Not so much during the assault itself, though, as there wasn't so much time to be writing or speaking into the books. We probably would have risked having them taken by the Navy as well if we were captured.

[Not that he really put much thought into the strategy end of things. He just sort of listened in and then went and did his own thing. It worked, too, which doesn't bode well for the Katabami's future role in any sort of organized effort.]

I didn't even take mine with me when I went, come to think of it.

It was the right choice for a raid.

[A marked pause hangs in the air before Xun Yu speaks again, hesitant but committed to voicing her thoughts.]

Captain. [She sighs.] This is barely sufficient. Please understand that what I say next is not... [her words briefly falter] ...not meant as a proposition [and the atmosphere's already at twice as uncomfortable] but as an entirely practical request.

[There's no concealing her embarrassment now, but it's too late to retreat, so Xun Yu presses on. Whether any of her dignity can survive remains to be seen, but to be properly warm again... it's a sacrifice she's willing to risk.]

Can you... hold me?

A--ah, w-well, that is to say...I'm not--

[Well, she did say it was purely a practical request and it's not like he's not freezing to death, but...

Ah, hang it all.

He lets go of her hands and pulls her into an awkward sort of hug.]

This should do...

[The stiffness in the way that she holds herself slowly eases as warmth sinks back into her bones; his awkward hug is perfect, under the circumstances. Still, she cannot help but feel a pang of guilt for putting him on the spot.]

Forgive me for flustering you, Captain.

Don't worry yourself over it. We'll all have a laugh about this later when we aren't freezing our-- well...freezing.

[He'd not hesitate to say exactly what he was thinking if it was, say, Sayaka, but he doesn't think Xun Yu will appreciate commentary on his freezing ass.]

If that day ever comes...

I sincerely hope so.

[It's easier to endure, just knowing that a reprieve exists within reach. Motochika has been more gracious towards her than she perhaps expected -- it leaves her wondering.]

...How long have you been called the Sea Devil of the West?

[The real question there is "How long have other people been calling you that?" He's been calling himself by that name for as long as he's had the idea in his head to be a pirate. It took a little longer for it to catch on with everyone else...]

For as long as I've been sailing. Those who looked upon my sails learned quite quickly what sort of man they were up against. It wasn't so long after that that my name and reputation spread throughout the land. Why do you ask?

To learn more about you, Captain.

[Understanding makes it easier to serve effectively. Right now she knows only a little of him -- it doesn't hurt to make the most of his presence while they're in this position.]

Ah...is that so?

[She's just so damn earnest about everything. He appreciates it, certainly, but he'd appreciate it more with the proper distance between them.]

I suppose I could answer a few more questions.

[While studiously inspecting the sails.]

[Just a litle more warmth, and then she'll retreat.]

When did you start sailing? [She asks.] Why piracy?

Shikoku's not so large an island, so it's only reasonable for a man with ambition in his heart and adventure in his soul to turn to the sea. One day I just decided that there wasn't enough for me on land and that was it. As for piracy...well, I can't help but want to take the treasure I find! What point is there in going forth if there's nothing to bring back to show for it?

[His idea of piracy isn't exactly what anyone in this world considers it to be. There's no terrorizing the weak or disrupting trade, only challenging powerful opponents and cleaning out their coffers when he wins. Really, Motochika's ideas of most things are a bit different...]

[Xun Yu certainly knows the benefits and drawbacks of serving ambitious men. It's a trait that she's always admired in Cao Cao, even through the whole awful mess revolving around the Imperial Seal. But boundless freedom, chasing adventure, a desire to possess for the sake of possessing -- those she struggles to understand. To her own detriment, she fears.]

Was there nothing that bound you to land? Did you have anything to lose?

Nothing to bind me to the land, but much to lose, I'm afraid. Were I a bit wiser of a man, I might have known that before much of it was lost to me.

[It's difficult to speak of it still. The loss of his men, his own foolishness that allowed him to be turned against his most trusted friend, the emptiness behind the eyes of the man who had orchestrated it all...all of it is still painful to recall.]

But that's neither here nor there. Nothing can be done for it until I return.

[Xun Yu isn't sure how to respond to personal regret so clearly off-limits; without details it's impossible to navigate, and she's too polite to press.

When she speaks it is with care.]

No one is infallible, Captain.

You're right of course, but no man wishes to hear that, let alone have it proven to him.

[He shakes his head.]

Enough of this talk. The temperature is low enough already, no need to lower our spirits as well.

Yes, Captain.

[He is right, of course. After a moment she sighs.]

If Himiko were here, perhaps her power would have been enough to break this curse. [...] Now that I think on it, you must be countrymen.

Himiko...? I'm not sure I've heard the name before.

[Either not that important a historical figure or one he'd learned about and since forgotten. Either was quite possible.]

Himiko...hm. It sounds like she should be, at least...

Are Ieyasu and Kodai also from your country?

[The syllables of their names fit to her ears.]

We name it Wō in our records.

Ieyasu is for certain. I've known the lad since he was half that size. Still not quite sure when the other half happened... [That will befuddle him for the rest of his days.] As for Kodai, I'm not quite as certain. The name fits, but when we met he was speaking of Iscawhatsit and Gamsomething, so I'm a bit in the dark as to his actual background.

[He hasn't really had the time to ask. Kodai has been making himself quite busy since joining the crew and he's not about to tell him to stop to chat.]

[It doesn't particularly matter, of course -- there's no real relevance it will bring to the present, other than perhaps small pieces of shared culture for her to observe. Not that she's done yet.]

You've known Ieyasu since childhood? Or... since his childhood?

[Well, she's too polite to ask his age, but not above parsing. It may well be that Ieyasu can tell her more of Motochika too, depending.]

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