|
Post by Ladorak on Jun 22, 2012 15:00:11 GMT -5
What Carrow said was indeed true. There did exist captains who isolated themselves for various reasons from their crew. The delineation of authority was quite clear for all to see on those types of ships, but Ladorak never tried to build up walls between himself and his crew. It was important that they all trusted and understood one another in his eyes.
As for being loved by more than he realized... he could see that... but as for others off the ship... that was hard to see. A few here and there perhaps, but as far as he knew, he never really made any particularly deep impressions on others outside of the Welkinite Navy.
"Oh, it's my home you're wondering about now, is it?" the stoat inquired. "Well that's right... I suppose you would, as you've never been there. It's easy enough to forget that you come from Muggidrear and I of course hail from Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk. Well... it's a very small village that's close to the sea. I could never live very far from the ocean, after all." he commented, smiling here.
"As it stands, there's not much to it. My father's castle is on the outskirts, as is my own house, though my place is rather further east of my father's. It's kind of rolling countryside there until you get to the sea, and we do have beaches that run along the shoreline. That's were Jal Luxe Calone set up shop as well, and how I came to recruit him as ship's armorer. It's a very bucolic existence, you could say. Nothing like the hustle and bustle of Muggidrear at all." the stoat informed Carrow.
"Pretty much a single main road runs through town, and you can walk to the seaside if you so choose. My house is situated roughly halfway beween the town and the sea, but it's a Burnham Thorpe address. There's a single church and a single tavern, and the latter is where I gathered all the jacks in the town for supper the night before I left to take command of Agamemnon."The stoat remembered such times with fondness, and it brought another smile to his face as he gazed out into the distance for a minute or so, recalling the events of that far off night. The hum of the tavern, the warmth of the fire, and the laughter and voices all around him as the steaming, delicious food (all local game) was delivered to the guests. It was surely a night he wouldn't forget.
"It can get nice breezes from the sea as well, and the fact we're on hilly terrain helps with that. So yes, it's very different from Muggidrear. My own house is somewhat large, but that's because I used part of Ublaz's fortune to construct it. I have a large plot of land behind it too, and that's where I've maintained a garden for the years I was on land... though that's something I'll have to revive once I get back on shore." He chuckled. It was dead by now, of course, but he could always replant and regrow whenever he returned. "So that's about it, I think. Quiet, peaceful... the very definition of bucolic, as I think I said. Lots of farmland and local fishers. It might surprise you if you visited, depending on how often you've made travels to the Welkinite countryside." Ladorak told Carrow. "Oh yes!" he added, remembering now. "Name partly comes from the River Burn, which winds its way through the land to the sea."
"Thank you, thank you." the albino said, getting a wide eyed look from Ocean as well as the ermine too applauded the marten's efforts. "As if by magic, Selvis's card seemingly passed through solid glass and became stuck on the other side of the window!" he exclaimed. He blushed at being given a stage name as well, and figured he had it coming, from how he'd given Selvis one last year.
"Well I HAVE practiced in front of you, Selvis, but this is my first time performing before an 'audience' I guess you could say." Caden pointed out. "Ocean's the first one besides you to actually see my tricks at work." he told the weasel.
Caden next pondered everything Selvis told him, and a brief gleam appeared in his pink eyes as he thought it over. "Ah yes... I can see that now..." he said softly, picturing all three of them performing on stage together and taking bows to an applauding audience. Oh they would HAVE to try this out in their next port of call! Well... provided that port of call wasn't on Personza, as he doubted the inhabitants there would care, seeing as how they were being occupied by Welkin after all. But yes... they could be the Agamemnon's Amazing Magic Troupe! Or something like that. He'd have to run potential names by everyone first. But still... this was something extra they could look forward to during their down time in ports.
"Yes! We'll need to discuss potentially forming our own act every time we stop in a port." he said, smiling widely at this thought. "I'm all for that idea! Hmmm yes... I suppose I can share my tricks with you, in return for an exchange of your information." he chuckled here, winking. "We should swap notes and see what can both do."
"Very impressive, Caden!" Ocean spoke up now. "Just how DID you get that card to pass through the glass? It can't possibly be 'magic', right?" Ocean asked, smirking.
"I can't say, Ocean. Sure seems like magic to me." Caden winked again.
"Oh come on!" Ocean retorted. "That's impossible! There's no way cards can move through glass like that! You have to tell us!"
"A true magician never reveals his secrets... as Selvis taught me." the marten explained, smiling at Selvis now. "If I told you, it'd lose its fun and mystery. That's the whole point of magic after all."
Ocean of course knew this, but he was feeling rather flabbergasted at what he had seen. Such things seemed impossible to him, but he knew there was a trick behind it. There just HAD to be. Still... he knew the marten was right. If the trick were ruined for him, he'd probably not want to see it again.
The albino glanced at the card again. "Well... I'll be right back..." he moved through the marine guards to retrieve the card from the wardroom, and rejoined them presently, pawing the card to Selvis and bending down to start collecting the scattered deck. Fortunately, there were no gun ports opened around them, so the cards wouldn't be blown about by the wind.
"Yeah that's uh... the disadvantage of this trick. It's messy cause the cards go everywhere when they hit the window." the white furred marten stated, shaking his head as he started to pick them up. Ocean knelt down to help him now. "Still though... I'd be more than happy to show you... or rather exchange trade secrets with you." Caden nodded, looking up at Selvis as he continued picking up the deck of cards.
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Jun 23, 2012 11:54:41 GMT -5
Carrow couldn't help but smile as Ladorak remarked upon how easy it was to forget that they had come from different places. "Yes, it is indeed - we've been part of each others' lives for almost two-and-a-half-years at this stage, and it's long since passed the point where I wouldn't be able to imagine life without you or any of my friends. All this..." He twirled his paw as he gestured around him. "It's such a large part of who I am now that my life in Muggidrear sometimes seems like I used to live in another world entirely," he admitted.
Once again, the mouse found himself awed by Ladorak's descriptive powers. By the stoat's own admission, there may not have been much to it, but the way he described it, once more painting a picture with words, captivated the rodent anew. "Well, from what you're saying about it, this bucolic existence does sound rather good. I know that if Archie and I had ever been able to set up some kind of home there, it would have been quite a nice chance of scenery," the field mouse mused. "Some creatures are entirely suited to city life, whilst others aren't, and I'm still not sure where we stand on that."
He continued to listen as Ladorak described the layout of the town; there was a single main road, and it wasn't far from the seaside. Hearing a tavern mentioned, the rodent's ears perked up slightly. He'd never felt brave enough to consider visiting such places in Muggidrear, as the atmosphere in certain ones could get rather heated at times - not like he would have been able to afford many kinds of drinks in there, anyway - alcoholic or otherwise. Seeing the look the crossed the stoat Captain's face as he recalled what he had done for the town's jacks before he'd taken command of the Agamemnon made him smile; that was a great thing to have done for them.
"It certainly sounds quite different from Muggidrear," Carrow commented when Ladorak finished describing his home town. "I would have been rather surprised if you HADN'T taken advantage of the fortune you had been left to construct that house. I would think you probably owed it to yourself now you were starting to settle down," the rodent told the stoat with a small smile. "It certainly sounds like such investment was worth it. Hmmm...," he said thoughtfully. "Quiet... peaceful... I must admit, it sounds delightful," he said dreamily, smile widening.
The mouse was quite taken with the idea of a place such as that, and it showed. "I figure it'll surprise me anyway, sir!," he said, chuckling. "Archie and I were only ever able to travel so far, as we didn't have anywhere near enough money to get as far as Norfolk, and you've said it's four or so days by stage, so it'd be expensive even now, but I'm sure my pay will be able to cover some of it, if I ever get the chance to go. I know I'd love to, certainly. I've been to the countryside a few times, but never as far as a place like Burnham Thorpe! I'm looking forward to it already!," the mouse exclaimed eagerly.
"It'd certainly be different to what I'd become used to in Muggidrear. Looking back on it now, I almost felt like..." He wrung his paws a little as he tried to find the right words. "...that maybe I was moving at a different pace to the rest of the city. It got particularly bad in Poppyville at times, and that sort of hustle and bustle never really suited me. I'd have to ask Archie what she thinks of it now, but she knows I was never really happy there. I think we both felt stuck. Maybe she needs a fresh start. I know I've been given one, but I don't know yet if she'd have the means for one herself. That's something I'll need to ask her about," he told Ladorak. "What are your thoughts on that, sir?"
--
Selvis chuckled as he saw Caden blush at being given a stage name. He'd been saving that one for a while, and he was rather glad to see that his albino marten friend was making progress. It could be rather heard to get the hang of things such as this, as the longtail was well aware of, but Caden was improving at quite an impressive pace. While there was the small matter of the six-year head start Selvis had over his friend, there was no question about how quickly his fellow mustelid was making progress.
"Yes, you've shown me things in private, but like I said, never anything quite like this. If you can pull off such things in front of one or two creatures, then it tells me you're confident enough to tackle larger audiences. That trick was quite different to anything else you have previously shown me, after all, and seeing as you're more or less my apprentice, I'd be able to pass on some similarly impressive feats to you if you were thinking of expanding your repertoire," the longtail told him.
Selvis preferred performing tricks that were less physical than this, but he knew he would have been able to pull off that throw if he'd practiced enough. He and Caden had strong enough arms to accomplish things like this; Carrow, not so much, but then again, the mouse didn't dabble in such things. He had his own field of expertise. "Now I think about it, we could take turns in being the other's assistant. I volunteered for such things every now and then when I attended magic shows in Crittenden, so I'd certainly have the experience!"
His eyes gleamed as Caden supported his idea to form a small troupe of performers. "The more I think about it now, the more I like it! We really should try and make something out of that the next time we're ashore. It would certainly be something new for all of us," he said with a grin. "Of course, it would also be a way for us to earn some extra money, but that's not really something I'm worried about right now, as we're continuing to receive our pay," he commented, still grinning.
Sometimes an idea just came along like that and took hold of a creature, and this was what was happening to Selvis now. The longtail chuckled as he heard the rather exasperated-sounding Ocean try and get Caden to tell him how he'd managed to pull off the trick. "You wouldn't want the fun taken out of it, I'm sure," he told the ermine, winking. "The appeal of tricks such as that is due to the air of mystery surrounding them; surely you're not going to deny yourself that?"
He was smiling as he said it; the weasel still had his sense of wonder, and it was things like that that made magic shows all the more appealing for him. He chuckled as Caden briefly entered the wardroom to retrieve the card, and was still smiling as the albino returned to paw him the card. He shook his head again. "Wow...," he murmured, kneeling down along with Ocean to help collect the cards. "It may be a messy trick, but it had quite the impressive payoff, didn't it?," he asked his albino companion, tail swaying cheerfully behind him as he worked.
|
|
|
Post by Ladorak on Jun 24, 2012 8:40:55 GMT -5
Ladorak definitely caught the relaxed look on Carrow's face, almost as if he were there in the countryside now. He frowned thoughtfully. Was he really that good of a storyteller? Perhaps, and it certainly seemed to be having the effect on the mouse. It was something he'd have to keep in mind from now on whenever he related events about his life to others.
"What are my thoughts on her... needing a fresh start?" Ladorak asked, not sure he fully understood the question, but fairly certain that's what the mouse was asking him. "Well... I think she lives in the city out of necessity, Carrow. If you live out in the countryside, you're either a farmer, a fisherjack, or a wealthy land owner and/or ennobled." he explained. "I do own some land myself, and hence my rather rural home, but many live in the city because it's far easier to make an income, even if that income isn't all the best. It can be wide ranging in the city."
He thought about this a moment. "I think if Archie were to move out into the countryside, her business would drop dramatically, and that's only because there's less population outside the cities. Living in a place like Muggidrear or Cambridge at least allows one like her to gain a large clientele. So I'd think she does it out of necessity, and if she moved out into the country, she'd obviously need to take up a different profession, because I don't think she'd be able to make a living on just her trade alone."
He knew that much was true. For a very specialized business such as hers, you needed a lot of beasts in your vicinity, and Muggidrear definitely provided that. It would be a different story outside of a city, and Ladorak knew it. He himself didn't really work while on land, after all, and lived off his ample earnings to support himself during the years of shore leave. "So I think the countryside is nice for those who were born there and either can afford it or have no choice due to their profession being situated there, but it's difficult for city-dwellers to move out there without some cash or a desired change of profession." he smiled here. "That, or accepting they'll be making far less if they brought their profession with them, such as a blacksmith, like Jal Calone was. He came to Burnham Thorpe to open up a shop, but he wasn't really there long enough for me to know if his business was profitable or not, because by that time, I was already making plans to ask him to join the Agamemnon. I guess..." he paused here, trying to think of the length of time. "About... a year maybe. He seemed to do all right for himself, but then again, a blacksmith can be a fairly high paying profession." Ladorak pointed out. "Even with a small client base, as it's a trade often in high demand."
"No, no... of course not." Ocean said, shaking his head. "I'd rather not... I just... want to figure out how things work." He said, smirking now as he helped Caden retrieve the cards. "I understand of course that that is part of the mystery, and ruining it for myself wouldn't be doing me any favors. Perhaps I'll learn it someday."
"Yes... I'll tell you at some point... but I think I'll be keeping that little secret close to my chest for now." the albino responded. "As for starting a troupe, I was thinking we could call ourselves the Agamemnon's Amazing Magic Troupe or something like that, playing off the name of our ship, which we've been on for over two years now." he said, smiling. "Yes, side money is always nice, though I find I currently make more than enough money to sustain myself during every shore leave." Caden responded, knowing of course that midshipjacks drew a higher pay than seajacks as it stood. "But pocket money is always good too, I have to admit. We'll be renowned throughout the Mediterranean before long." he winked here, still thinking about it.
"And yes... messy trick, but rather the impressive payoff. Has to be perfectly timed. It's one I've been focusing on for awhile now, much to the detriment of my other tricks." Caden chuckled. "I feel that so long as I can get a tough one down first, the others will fall into place with time." he said, collecting the cards from Selvis and Ocean, and beginning to shuffle them again. "You care to have a go then? Dazzle Ocean with one of yours, Selvis?" he asked, holding the cards out for his friend to take with a smile. "Selvis the Stupendous, or whatever I had called you back then?" His smile became a grin here as he stood back up.
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Jun 24, 2012 17:03:13 GMT -5
"The atmosphere in Poppyville can be somewhat oppressive, though. I'm wondering now if she'd be better off in a different area of Muggidrear. I never really felt settled there, as I think I've always been a country mouse at heart," Carrow said, chuckling. "From what I'm told, though, she gets a steady stream of customers. One thing that can be said about how stressful city life can be is that, well, she makes a living out of trying to alleviate others' stress, so it's good for her. She likes being able to help out, after all."
The mouse continued to listen as Ladorak elaborated on what he thought of Archie's current situation. It was always nice to ask for outside advice, of course, and more often than not it could be helpful. The stoat was raising a few questions that the rodent hadn't thought about himself, and he appeared quite grateful to have the mustelid's ear. "Hmm, yes, things would certainly change for her if she upped sticks, and I'm not sure I can see her taking on two jobs for the sake of a fresh start. As things stand, she's much better off than she was two years ago.
"Even if she DID want to move, that's something that I'm not sure Archie would have the means to do at the moment, as she's only been back working a few months since she returned from her continental trip, but yes, I can see what you mean. Now, maybe that'd be something for her to consider if she were thinking about changing profession. I don't believe I've told you this before, but she used to paint in her spare time, while she was taking care of me, but when she faced the choice between going professional with that or getting back to her old job, she chose the latter," the mouse explained, smiling.
The smile remained on his face as Jal Calone was brought up. He hadn't seen all that much of him in the years he'd spent aboard the Agamemnon, but he remembered enjoying the stoat's company. "Oh, yes, I can certainly imagine so. Now I think about it, I haven't actually asked Archie about how her job's been going, but I haven't needed to, as she's been telling me herself. Business has been good, and yes, I'm sure she would have to take a cut if she moved away. Oh, and of course, she has to take care of Pastreus too; the pay's still being split between the two of them."
The rodent shrugged slightly, smiling sheepishly. "I'm only really speculating at the moment, but I guess this is all still up in the air, and I don't even know if it's been on her mind. There are both pros and cons to each scenario. It's something I'm curious about more than anything. For all I know, she could be just fine in Muggidrear, because her priorities changed once I left. Of course, she still misses me, and I miss her, but.." He stroked his chin for a moment. "Things are different for both of us now, and they're not how they used to be. So you never know, she could have finally settled," the field mouse told the stoat with a smile.
--
"I completely understand, Ocean," Selvis responded, chuckling. "There's something quite thrilling about knowing how things like that work, and I must admit that I felt the exact same way when I was younger. I attended about as many magic shows as I could afford back then; I believe my first one was for my 7th birthday, so that was quite some time ago. I loved the feeling of being dazzled by the feats that I saw on stage, and it got to the point where I wanted to be able to do these things myself.
"When I asked for a magic kit for my next birthday, Mum wasn't that surprised. Even then, she knew that I got a kick out of being able to perform in front of others, so she got one for me, and I spent a little while honing my skills before going out onto the street and trying to make some money from my talents. I started with simple tricks that I picked up quickly, but the point of all this is that this hobby of mine was born as much out of a desire to entertain others as to figure out how these things worked. I enjoyed the mystery, but once I got into doing such things myself, I looked at things from more of a magician's standpoint than anything else."
He chuckled as Caden told him he'd be keeping some of his secrets to himself. "Very well, then; I shall do the same. After all, it's no fun if both of us put all our cards on the table, so to speak," he said with a smile; this grew into a grin as Caden voiced his ideas about naming the troupe he and Selvis were thinking about forming with Carrow. "'The Agamemnon's Amazing Magic Troupe'? Hmm, yes, I like the sound of that, actually! I think we now owe it to ourselves to give something like this a go," he told his albino companion.
"Indeed, pocket money is always good, and it's been a while since I've actually performed publicly. The last time I did that was in fact on the day you, Carrow and Elle met me in Crittenden," he told the pine marten, sighing happily as he thought of it. "It'd be good to get back into that again!" He was still smiling as Caden told him how much he'd been concentrating on getting the trick right. "Well, there's no harm in that! Like I said, it builds up confidence, and I'm sure you'll be able to add more tricks to your repertoire now that you've mastered something like that!"
The weasel's blue eyes shone as Caden asked him if he wanted to have a go at performing one of his other tricks. "I would very much like to, yes! Just give me a moment..." A pensive look crossed the mustelid's face as he thought about which trick he could show them, before he brightened up again, snapping his claws. "Aha! Got one!," he exclaimed, finally taking the deck of cards from Caden. "It was Selvis the Sensational, just by the way," he pointed out, chuckling again. "I remember being extremely flattered by it," he said modestly. "Now, if you both follow me back over to Caden's table, we can get started," he told them.
Pocketing the cards, Selvis strolled over to the table, retrieving the top hat that the pine marten's magic kit contained. When Caden and Ocean joined him, he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Heh, you know what they say about old habits! I figure I can do without the cape this time, as it's already warm enough. Ocean, I think I would like to involve you in this one," the longtail told the ermine. "OK, to start with, I would like you to take this deck of cards, remove the four kings and four queens, and lay them down on the table, face up," he instructed his friend. "I shall be working with just those cards, this time," he told them mysteriously, smiling.
|
|
|
Post by Ladorak on Jun 25, 2012 10:10:03 GMT -5
"Yes, supporting another employee would be next to impossible if you took a profession like that into the countryside." Ladorak commented with a nod. "As said, a tradesbeast is far more suited to life outside a city. Their talents are almost always in demand due to the weather being a major factor in wearing things down." Preventative maintenance was the job the crew on the Agamemnon undertook most often, whether it was under the boatswain, the carpenter, the armorer, the caulker, or the sailmaker, they were almost always pulling jobs for these warrants officers in terms of making repairs.
"Now I'm not saying it's impossible, but she'd probably need a change of profession if she wanted to make it work." Ladorak told the mouse. "As said, I think it's more out of necessity than anything else that she's made her home in Poppyville, and yes, as you mentioned, she DID recently make a trip across the continent, and that can be draining on anyone's finances, regardless of what job they hold. I wouldn't be surprised if that cost her half a year to a year's worth of salary that she may have put away for just such an excursion." the stoat pointed out. "We're extremely fortunate in that we get to travel the world for 'free.'" he chuckled, smiling once again. That was one perk to being in the navy, after all. While you couldn't choose where to go, your transportation was all free.
"As for me, I would think that yes, Poppyville itself is not the most ideal of neighborhoods in Muggidrear. My friend lives in Gusted Manor, and it was one place I was considering for myself, if feasible, though it is higher end, and I'd have to see what I could afford and could not afford. Plus it's a traditionally stoat neighborhood, which suits me just fine." he added.
"I wouldn't worry so much about moving if I were you, unless it was to a slightly better neighborhood in Muggidrear. It's an expense that your guardian probably doesn't need at the moment. She was a painter, though?" he asked, raising a brow. An artist or a house painter? He didn't ask that aloud, only wondered inwardly, but he made it sound as if she were a house painter. A most unusual profession for a jill, but then again, you didn't find many famous jill artists either.
Ladorak had nothing against it personally, he just found it odd. "That's a profession that's certainly going to earn you more money than a hypnotist." he pointed out, smiling. "It's a trade in constant demand, depending on how skilled you are and just what exactly she specializes in. Still... it sounds like she did make the change for a reason, after she got you. She'd probably want to stick with this then, as it seems to make her happy and it suits her best." he commented, from what little he knew of Archie to begin with. It wasn't much... admittedly, but he was making the guess based off of that.
"Either way, I think it boils down to necessity, and what one can afford. I'm fortunate to have my house in Burnham Thorpe, but it's not the case for everyone. You can of course build your own house in the country, but that takes a lot of work, and you'd probably be working the land around it for the rest of your life as well. To me, gardening is more of a pastime, as my real calling is right here." He tapped the deck of the ship underneath him with his boot, and once again gave the mouse a firm smile.
"Well I think you misunderstood, Selvis." Caden brought up as they began heading back to the gun carriage that Caden had set up his kit at. "I meant I'd be keeping it from my close friends in the audience." He said, motioning to Ocean with his head. "You however I can share that particular trick with. I have no qualms with that."
Selvis was leading them forward now, back to about where the trunk of the mainmast split the deck amidships. Caden had set his things up precariously on one of the gun carrages, as there were no real tables on the upper gun deck, only the occasional barrel one could use as a substitute.
"I'm glad to hear that you like the idea of performing in the ports, though!" the marten exclaimed happily. "It would certainly suit us well, I think! Now then..." he glanced at Ocean, who took the deck, and studied it. He glanced at the gun carriage, Caden happening to smile at this moment as Selvis took the hat and stuck it on his head. "The Sensational! That's right!" Caden said, smacking his forehead lightly as he shook his head.
"Um..." Ocean was trying to figure out how best to spread the four kings and queens out on the admittedly narrow flat spaces that the gun carriage had to offer.
"Why don't we just use the deck instead, Selvis?" Caden suggested now. "The gun carriage isn't really a 'table' so to speak, or at least it can't act as one big enough to suit this trick I'm sure." he proceed to sit himself down on the deck and leaned his back against the gun carriage, helping Ocean find the kings and queens and laying them out face up as the weasel had instructed on the deck. He crossed his legs, and Ocean sat the same way, sitting next to Caden on his right, using the gun carriage for support in the same fashion.
That placed them squarely in between two 18 pounders. More than enough room to work with, however. "OK... so what comes next?" Ocean asked, waving his paw over the face up kings and queens once they were all laid out.
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Jun 28, 2012 10:33:02 GMT -5
Carrow nodded, smiling a little. "Yes, I don't think Pastreus would be too happy with a move as big as that. From what Archie's told me, she quite likes Muggidrear. I ended up being the opposite; I gradually grew tired of it, and if I hadn't left to join the Agamemnon, I would probably have tried to make my living doing something else... though I couldn't tell you what that might have been if I tried. Back then I was unsure what my skills were, or even if I had any..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly; he hadn't admitted this before. "I think something like this suits me better."
The mouse continued to listen as Ladorak told him what he thought of what as currently on the rodent's mind. "It sounds to me like you're making a lot of sense. She's well able to support herself as well as another creature these days, but in order to continue making that sort of money out in the country, she'd need to do something different, as her client base would more or less dry up otherwise. For obvious reasons, she hasn't told me just how much she sunk into trying to finance her trip, but I would be surprised if it was anything less than what she'd earned for the six months before she left."
Ladorak's comment caused Carrow to chuckle as well. "We don't get to choose where we go, of course, but that's quite a perk. I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford to travel properly, and well, look at all the places we've been in the last two years!," he exclaimed, beaming. His eyes widened as the stoat mentioned that a friend of his lived in Gusted Manor, a place the field mouse had heard enough about, but had of course never actually been able to visit. "Who's the friend?," he asked, clearly interested in this creature.
"I get what you mean about Archie living in Poppyville out of necessity, but as her circumstances have changed, perhaps she could afford moving to a less... er... run-down area of Muggidrear. She's been running that parlour for almost two years out of a house in which there isn't enough room to swing a cat. She's doing very well for herself, but that house was small enough for the two of us and little else back then, and I can't imagine much has changed. She could start putting money toward a new place, if perhaps I were to suggest it in my next letter," he said thoughtfully.
He smiled up at Ladorak as he mentioned what Archie had been involved in before he'd left for pastures new. "When I said 'painter', I meant 'artist', actually, heheh." He chuckled slightly. "I'm sure she's still working on things like that in the little spare time she gets, but she was rather talented back when she was with me. I know that jill artists are quite rare, but such a thing wouldn't bother her in the slightest if she went back to that. She already works in an unusual profession, after all," he quipped, winking at the stoat Captain.
"I'm sure she'd figure something out, though. She's resourceful like that. She raised me for eight years, after all!" He smiled as Ladorak referred to his being on the ship as a 'calling'. "Oh, I'm sure it is. You've come a long way to get here, after all. I can scarcely believe you've been involved in such things for 25 years! That's some commitment. No matter what's happened, you should be proud of yourself for making it this far," he told the mustelid, smile becoming a grin.
--
Selvis smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Oh, right, that makes a lot more sense! How silly of me, heh. Yes, we haven't shown each other very much what we can do so far, after all. It'll be rather interesting to see what we can come up with between ourselves; and of course, I see you as a possible assistant of mine as well as my protegé, so don't be surprised if, in future, I ask you to lend a paw with some tricks of mine," he told Caden with a chuckle.
"It'd be great for me to get into something like that, yes," the longtail commented, his tail swaying behind him in a rather contented manner as he spoke. "It'd be familiar, of course, but also something new. I've performed to passers-by before, but in a different kind of context, so I think the change would be nice. It doesn't take all that long to get a hang of, either. I practiced my skills at home before venturing out into the street with them, and in a way that's what you'll be able to do as well," he said, smiling as he recalled Caden's reference to the Agamemnnon as his home from a while back.
He nodded as Caden suggested that the cards be laid out on the deck. "Sure, whatever I can best work with will do," he told the pine marten, smiling a little. "I've only ever practiced this with an actual table to use, though, so we'll have to see how things pan out, but hopefully I still have a shot at pulling it off," he said modestly. He smiled at Ocean as asked what was to come next, his blue eyes gleaming slightly as he cleared his throat before speaking again.
He crouched a little, picking up the eight cards. "You can both see the cards with which I'm working, and now, to properly set things in motion, I'm going to make things interesting for the two of you." As he spoke, he paired the cards up; the king was paired with its appropriate queen for each of the four suits - first spades, then hearts, then clubs, and finally the diamonds. He put the cards behind his back, an intense look of concentration on his face as the weasel first cut the cards again, leaving four in each paw, before he appeared to shuffle them.
"The cards... are now mixed," he told them softly, placing the deck of 8 down on the deck and gesturing to it; in reality, they weren't. They were still paired, but the longtail had fortunately spent plenty of time working on his false shuffles. "I wonder what you two would think if I told you that my sense of touch is so finely tuned that I can separate the kings and queens just by feeling them," he said, smiling a little. "I've been lucky enough to continue honing my sense of touch for six years, so let's see, shall we?"
The mustelid put the cards behind his back again, and another focused look crossed his features. As far as the pine marten and ermine were concerned, he didn't need to do so, but the appearance made it all the more believable. As the weasel had the cards lined up correctly, he was able to take all the odd-numbered cards in the pack with one paw, and all the evens in the other - four perfectly-separated pairs of kings and queens. "That... should do it, yes. I can feel it," he said mysteriously, smiling up at his friends.
Placing the cards down in sets of four, he invited them to inspect them as he stood up, beckoning with a claw. "Step forward please, you two!," he exclaimed. "I invite you to each turn up the four cards; Caden, you take the cards on my right." (These were the queens.) "Ocean, you can deal with the ones on my left." (The kings.) "I'm quite sure I've done it correctly," he said, once again unable to keep from being modest about his efforts. "Could you both take a peek and tell me what you come up with?," he asked, keeping his eyes on them.
|
|
|
Post by Ladorak on Jul 1, 2012 0:27:04 GMT -5
"I am rather proud yes... but I won't fully be satisfied until I've made a name for myself... and that others start knowing just who Ladorak Fugate is. So yes, I'm proud I've stuck it out this long, but just wish my career had been a little more... auspicious I guess you could say." he said, frowning with a nod.
"Oh? The one who lives in Gusted Manor? He's actually a weasel by the name of the Right Honorable Montegu Sylver." Ladorak chuckled here. "He's been traveling with us, as you know. He got it passed down to him from his family." Gusted Manor was usually well above the range of those who weren't exceptionally wealthy, but Monty was lucky in that regard.
"Well a less run-down area would be best I think, yes." the stoat nodded here. "So long as she can afford it, I say go for it. Shouldn't limit yourself by your place of residence, after all." he suggested.
It was then that eight bells rung out. "Well, well, supper time already. Time flies when you're having fun." Ladorak stated, smiling. "I enjoyed our talk. I get to do it rarely enough after all. Well then... I hope you enjoy your supper. We shall have to converse again sometime." he said, giving the mouse another smile and a nod before he pushed off from the gunwale and began heading to his cabin for his meal, giving Carrow a wave as he did so.
Ocean and Caden took their respective decks, Ocean taking the ones to Selvis's left while Caden pawdled the ones to Selvis's right. "Here we go... let's see if this sense of touch is as good as you say." the marten stated, smiling.
"OK... so here we go..." Ocean began dealing his cards. King. King. King, and king. Gasping a little, his eyes widened as he saw that Caden did indeed have all queens in his deck.
"Hah! You never fail to amaze, do you Selvis?" Caden asked, beaming now. "Simple yet effective, if I do say so myself. Bravo!" the marten clapped.
"Yes! Well done!" Ocean agreed, also delivering his plaudits to the weasel. "Very well done. I am always one to be amazed by things like this." he paused here, his ears suddenly standing up as he heard from above him the ringing of bells... eight bells to be precise. "Whoops! We've gotta get ready for supper! Time to lower the tables and all that!"
"Aye, and I've got to get down to the cockpit for my meal. Well..." Caden pushed himself up from where he'd been kneeling on the deck. "Time to get all this cleaned up, for as Ocean said, the tables will need to be lowered. Great trick, Selvis! Looking forward to seeing you again tonight for the Second Dog Watch and our second bit of leisure time." he winked here, and started to pack up his kit.
Supper would be good. Already the albino was getting hungry, and though he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight, that was fine with him. Perhaps he could catch up during the Second Dog Watch, in fact. Either way, the tables were starting to be lowered and the cook had long since ignited the fires for the stove. It was meal time, and in a few more weeks they'd be getting substantial reinforcements, and wouldn't have to worry about the Rosferian fleet outnumbering them anymore. Perhaps Hotham sailing off Minorca wasn't so bad, as the Rosferians probably wouldn't suspect the Welkinites of being so far south. At any rate, it was now supper time throughout the ship, and Caden moved off with his kit, bound for the cockpit while Ocean assisted in lowering tables.
Two more months, and they would be in combat yet again... though one far different from their first one this year...
END
|
|