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Post by Ladorak on Jul 4, 2011 14:52:59 GMT -5
The spritsail was being set, and it seemed as if the Rosferians were indeed trying to make their escape. A good number of their ships ahead of them were already wearing out of line and starting to head back east. In order to stay in touch with them and not get isolated, the Northumberland was attempting to do the same. Wearing without any masts was a tricky proposition, and the Orion would be faster, with her fore and mizzenmasts still completely intact.
"She's not getting away!" Caden exclaimed, and sure enough, they were already starting to bear down on her. The Northumberland couldn't wear in her present condition, and the Orion wasn't going to let her get away either. Duckworth ordered his ship to stay with her, and the Orion bore down closer, not wanting to let that warship slip out of her grasp.
"LOAD WITH CARTRIDGE!" Ladorak held out his sweaty pawpads, and received the cartridge from the powder carrier, who immediately skirted away from the stoat and started running back down toward the companionway for another one.
Shoving the canvas cylinder down the barrel, Ladorak took a wad from his Assistant Loader, and soon that too was heading down the barrel mouth. The Northumberland's sides once more emitted puffs of smoke and she sent her next few shots over towards the Orion, but it seemed to be much less in number now. The hammering she was taking to her larboard side was telling, and her fire was diminishing as well, though her shots still struck where they could, but it didn't feel anywhere near as bad as it had not twenty minutes ago.
At that moment, just as Ladorak was stepping back to allow Carrow to get his ramming done and Ocean was about to paw the rammer over to him, Caden squinted to see out the gun port and through the smoke. "Hold!" he called, despite not having received orders from the Lieutenants. Sure enough, through the white "fog" that lay between them and the enemy vessel, Caden's sharp pink eyes, strained though they were, could see a new flag going up at the taffrail of the Northumberland. "Belay!" he said again, holding up a paw.
"What's the meaning, Midshipjack Fugate?" the Lieutenant closest to him asked.
"Sir, I think they might be striking!" the albino shouted, and pointed.
Ladorak whipped his head down to the gun port to see, and sure enough, the Rosferian colors were coming down, and the white flag was being raised in their place. "They're striking, sir! It's true!" he exclaimed, passing the word back towards the Lieutenant. A few moments later came the shouted orders from above.
CEASE FIRING! CEASE FIRING!"
"CEASE FIRING!" the Lieutenants shouted, cupping their paws around their mouths to shout the orders forward and aft. "CEASE FIRING!"
"Remove the wad and cartridge." Caden instructed, and Ladorak did just that, pulling both of them out, and thankful that Carrow hadn't rammed them in just yet.
Keeping the cartridge firm in his arms until the powder carrier rushed back to take it from him, the entire deck erupted in cheering, the gun crews throwing their paws and arms up and whooping, hollering and yelling in exaltation. As soon as the powder was out of his arms, Ladorak began cheering as well, removing his shirt from around his head and waving it around like a streamer.
Caden too removed his hat at the sight of the white flag and began belting his lungs out in happy exclamation. "Woooo! Take that Rosferians! WE GOT 'EM!" he shouted, heading over to Selvis in his excitement and clapping his paws on the weasel's shoulders. The Orion was closing the distance now, more than capable of taking possession of her new prize.
The marten was simply overcome with emotion, as he had never gotten to experience the capture of a ship before, much less one the size of the Northumberland. It would mean quite a lot of prize money, and better yet, they would get their names proudly written along with the rest of this crew for all of those famous Welkinite ships that had effected captures in the past.
"We did it Selvis!" he spoke into the weasel's ear, as he was pretty certain that the weasel couldn't hear much with all the yelling and cries of joy, but it was a grand celebration on this ship, and it was sweeping the decks. Everywhere, they could hear it. Despite the battle still raging around them, the crew of this 74 had gotten their capture, and it may in fact not be their last, but already things were being observed on the upper decks as well, as the 100 gun flagship Queen Charlotte was signalling for all ships to either secure prizes or gather around her to regroup and reform the line.
But right now, it was jubilation on the decks of the Orion, and everyone was most certainly filled with this electric, jolting sense of accomplishment and victory.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 4, 2011 17:35:07 GMT -5
Carrow wasn't exactly sure why, but he had been expecting a little stubbornness from the crew of the Northumberland, so the mouse had been preparing himself for one last round of action against the enemy vessel. However, even though he was ready to accept the rammer from Ocean, and even had his paw out to take it, Caden suddenly asked the crew to cease their action.
The mouse had a good idea of what was coming. He looked over at Selvis, and together they watched as the Northumberland raised the white flag. A jolt of excitement ran through both creatures as the order to cease firing was given, and it cut through both Carrow's weariness and Selvis's troubled state of mind. The mouse watched, as though hypnotised, as Ladorak removed the wad and cartridge. On the one paw, he'd known the writing was on the wall for the enemy, but on the other, he could scarcely have believed they would cave in so relatively quickly.
He was slightly dazed by it all, but snapped out of it as soon as an explosion of jubilation sound out from the deck. Everywhere he could see smiling and expressions of sheer joy, unable to suppress a smile upon seeing Ladorak's reaction. He cheered and roared with the rest of them, feeling immensely proud of himself for his role in capturing the ship.
There weren't very many creatures on board who were moved to tears by their victory, but Selvis was unable to stop himself from bursting out crying. These were tears of joy as much as sorrow. Of course, they were on the verge of taking the enemy ship as their own, and that was enough to instil joy in the heart of anybeast, but it was offset slightly by what he had been going through ever since Caden had asked to speak to him and he'd felt his world begin to fall apart.
When it came down to it, he wasn't sure where he could possibly go from here, but he was certain that what he was doing now - hell, even who he was, full stop - wasn't working. It would be a case of 'back to the drawing board'. Carrow had made some changes in his life because he'd wanted to; his longtailed companion was doing it because he'd left himself with no other choice. It was either this or be miserable, and Selvis had already made his choice... but he wasn't sure of much right now, and even less so of where to start.
He looked a mess, and inside, he was all over the place, having cried more in the last hour and a half than he could honestly remember ever doing. He'd held himself together for so long, but had needed another release. This was why, when Caden came over to him and spoke directly into his ear, the weasel said nothing in response: he couldn't.
Overcome by his emotions, yet with a broad smile on his face, the weasel embraced his pine marten friend, hugging him, though not too tightly, as tears streamed down his face. He wasn't sure what to do with himself, but he was so incredibly glad for Caden's presence at this moment that he couldn't even begin to express it. Instead, when he spoke, he sounded terribly choked up: "Y-yeah... we did it, Caden... Great work! You should be proud."
He released him after a short while, still sobbing. Carrow came over to his companions, and he went first to Caden, putting his arms around him and gently hugging him. He was quite proud of his Midshipjack companion. "Nice work, Caden! It's like I've been saying: you're extremely well-suited to your new position! Your first time overseeing things in a battle, eh? If I didn't know better I would have thought otherwise! That was impressive! Congrats!"
He went over to Selvis then, and saw the weasel swaying on his paws, barely able to support himself. He looked exhausted, and was crying still, though more softly this time, as the mouse reached him and tried to steady him, wrapping his paws around his longtailed companion and speaking soothingly to him. "Well done, Selvis! You did a great job, and should be proud of yourself for it... but here now, what's all this? Why are you crying?," he asked.
Selvis had returned the rodent's hug, but could scarcely speak when addressed. "Th... thanks, Carrow... you did well too... don't mind me, really... I'm just... dealing with a few things right now. Don't really want to talk about them... you understand, right?" The mouse nodded; he did indeed, all too well in fact. "I'll... I'll be alright soon, don't worry..." Selvis was hoping he would be, at least, and sighed wearily as Carrow took his paw and guided him into a sitting position. "Oh, I'm so tired... I'll be along soon, alright?," he murmured, before falling silent, too worn out to speak more for the moment.
Carrow nodded again. He could sympathise with the weasel's predicament, but wanted to talk to the others himself. He'd let Selvis come back into things at his own pace - the irony of course being that Selvis was planning to do that but in a completely different context. He returned to Caden, ears twitching a little as he stifled a yawn. He was tired too, but only slightly. "So, then. I'm curious: how'd you find all that, mate?," he asked, knowing it had been an even bigger occasion for his marten companion than it had for him - before raising his voice and calling to Ocean and Ladorak. "Ocean! Jal Fugate! Get over here! Want to talk to both of you!," he called cheerfully, waving at them.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 4, 2011 22:07:18 GMT -5
Caden wasn't an idiot. He could see that something was amiss was Selvis, though he suspected what it was. It appears that even more than an hour later, Selvis was still effected by this. Caden smiled, standing rather upright, and gave the weasel a smile. "Well thanks. I think it hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I know I played a part... and there will be many more like this in our future... somehow I just know that." he said, taking Selvis's congratulations with a twinkle in his eye.
He wanted to help him, but Carrow came over then, and like the weasel before him, offered his congratulations to the marten. "Hah! Well it's my first time commanding a battery, that's for sure! I'm sure looking forward to doing it again, since I think I did A LOT better than I initially would have given myself credit for, heheh." he chuckled now, and allowed the mouse to move over to Selvis. It seemed though, much to Caden's surprise, that Selvis was going to turn down the offer of assistance.
Well... this was new. But perhaps he didn't wish to come off as "hogging" Carrow, and as far as Caden was concerned, it was fine for now. He did wish to give him help though, but there would be time for that later. Right now, they had a ship to take possession of, or at least, in a few minutes they would.
The butcher's bill was not quite as horrendous as one might initially think. The Orion had taken two killed, and twenty-four wounded. Out of a crew of 500, that wasn't very bad at all. Not even a quarter were casualties in this fight. It was a different story for the Rosferian ship however. Thanks to Caden and the other battery commanders, the Rosferian vessel's larboard side was smashed in, splintered, and her gun deck was littered with dead and wounded, as the Welkinite crew would find out later on.
All told, Northumberland had suffered 180 casualties out of a crew of 500. That was a rather nerve wracking 36% of their ship completely wiped out and unable to fight. Compared to Orion's barely over 5% casualties, Northumberland had been battered. It was no wonder the Rosferian Captain had ordered his vessel to strike, as 70 more beasts down and he would have had half his ship out of the fight. Striking when he did was the prudent thing to do given the circumstances.
Ladorak went over to Selvis, the long tail sitting off by himself against the hull of the ship. "Alright, stay alert everyone!" Caden was saying. "We need to stay sharp just in case they start firing again!" it was a known Rosferian tactic to seemingly surrender, and then suddenly reopen fire. The Northumberland seemed done at this point however, and would probably be secured with minimal incident.
As the stoat was about to speak, he heard Carrow calling him over. Ocean's ears (still ringing a bit), perked up when he heard his name being called, and he began to trot over, along with Ladorak, who gave one last look to Selvis Frenata. "Congratulations, Midshipjack Fugate. You most certainly did a fantastic job as battery commander. Couldn't have done it better, myself." the stoat said, clapping the albino on the back as he arrived.
"Well thanks, si... uh, Jal Fugate!" Caden quickly corrected himself, and received a wink from the bespectacled stoat in the meantime. "So, what did you call us over here for, Carrow?" the mustelid asked, offering his paw for the rodent to shake. "By the way, nicely done. Everyone. We're all an integral team for this battle, and that's why I love it. The army certainly isn't like this. So! Congratulations to EVERYONE!" he exclaimed, and spread his arms wide. Looking down at the mouse, Ocean had just pulled up now to hear what Carrow had to say, and the gathered mustelids all listened up, Caden with rather a large smile upon his features.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 5, 2011 12:52:37 GMT -5
Selvis wasn't himself anymore, but then again, at this stage he didn't know who he was, or even who he was supposed to be. He was too tired to start figuring these things out right now in any case. He was emotionally drained, and Carrow, who glanced at him as Ocean and Ladorak came over, and realised that he had never seen him quite so tired. Whatever it was that was bothering him, it seemed serious.
Ladorak had looked like he'd wanted to come over and speak with the weasel, but the stoat was a creature in demand, and Carrow had got his attention first. This suited Selvis just fine for the moment. In all honesty, the longtail needed a little time to himself: maybe only a moment or two, until he found the strength to get back up on his paws and go over to his companions. He certainly wouldn't complain if anybeast approached him first, however.
The only thing that he was worried about right now was his stress levels. They needed to decrease, and soon, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep - and he'd seen, at first paw, what high stress levels and lack of sleep could do to a creature. Carrow had been there plenty of times in the last year or so, after all.
He wanted to talk with his friends, rather a lot in fact, but he was literally too tired to move. He sat where he was, looking on as Ladorak et al gathered around Carrow. The weasel had ceased crying at this stage. He didn't think it was possible for him to weep any more than he had done at this point. His fur was soaked, and his head hurt when he tried to think about things.
So he tried to keep his mind off what had happened, and think instead of how he had done in the battle.Maybe he would have done better if he hadn't had all those problems hanging over him. Who could say? Selvis certainly wasn't about to start worrying about yet more what-ifs and maybes. He had enough of those on his plate right now.
A short distance away, Carrow was smiling at the gathered group of mustelids, shaking Caden's proffered paw and looking pleased as Punch. He reckoned he'd done his best for once, and even though he still only had a little self-confidence, at least there was some there now. "Thanks, Caden. You're right, you know: we make a great team, all five of us - well, six, technically, but that other pawspiker seems to be exhausted."
He gestured back at the run-down-looking zorilla and shook his head. The striped mustelid was sitting down, another short distance away from Selvis, his eyes were almost completely closed, and he looked ready to drop off then and there. "Selvis is a little too tired to join us right now, though thankfully not as bad as that... but I digress. I wanted a word with you three because was wondering what you all thought of how things went," he asked.
"There's no doubt in my mind: it was certainly a different sort of battle than the one we experienced last October - I didn't think it'd be quite like that, somehow, but I did alright, especially under the circumstances - the heat, I mean. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Even Selvis was struggling, and he's more used to that than any of us - though we picked you up in Crittenden as well, Ocean, and you didn't seem too fussed by the weather, if I recall! I'm quite glad things are a tad more tolerable now," he told his three shipmates, shaking himself slightly in an energetic manner.
The mouse addressed Ladorak next, flexing his bruised shoulder a little and grimacing slightly before meeting the stoat's eyes. His injury would have to be seen to, as it was a tad more painful than it had been even five minutes ago. "From what I saw, you did a great job, Jal Fugate! Fifteen years, eh? Much as I was saying to Caden here about his own performance, if I hadn't known better I'd have thought you did quite a lot more often. What was it like for you?," he queried, before turning to Ocean and patting the ermine's side.
"And as for my Assistant Sponger? I know we paired up well, but how do you think we did overall? Oh, also, I would offer to switch positions with you the next time we get involved in one of these, whenever that might occur, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I s'pose... unless you wanted to, i don't know, set up a sort of rota system or something," he told the ermine, winking at him, his eyes sparkling as he waited for his friends' responses.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 5, 2011 23:08:22 GMT -5
"You really want to switch?" Ocean asked, giving the mouse a bewildered look. "Wow, you were doing pretty well there yourself, though. And I don't mind hotter climates. I can tolerate them as I've traveled all over. It was hot, yes, but hard to believe it's been a year since that time already. Well how about it?" the ermine asked. "What do you feel more comfortable doing?" he noticed that he wasn't quite as nervous or needing to watch his beautiful fire at the moment. Funny... as it seemed to always happen after a battle. Maybe the company was distracting him, though he found thinking about it to be not a good idea.
Already his mind was starting to wander, but he quickly shook his head and refocused on the conversation. "Was it difficult being Sponger? I mean this was a pretty short battle. A lot of battles could last up to six hours... or longer." he said, looking right at the mouse. "Just imagine that. And we might not even be done yet!" he exclaimed, motioning all around them. "The battle is still going on after all... we just have to secure our prize. Afterward, we might have to do some more fighting."
"That's right." Ladorak nodded, giving the crew a solemn look. "It's not just about one ship vs. one ship after all. We're fighting a whole fleet, and we might still be needed after we take our prize." the stoat explained. "For now though, I'm going to enjoy a bit of this down time. As for how it was for me, I'd say I did fine. I don't think I've fought in an action this big, and only practiced firing the guns back then. This was the real deal... and I can say I finally got a chance to do it. Now... if you'll excuse me a moment." he said, heading away from the group and over to where Selvis sat.
Caden watched his guardian go, and felt mixed feelings towards the long tail. The albino felt sorry for him of course, and even worse that he had to say those things right before the battle. The thunderous gunfire did not diminish from around them. Queen was still locked in combat with Jemappes, as was Valiant with Achille.
Caden looked over at the mouse. "So how did you find your Sponger job? Think you could go a full six hours if we ever did get into a fight like that?" the Midshipjack asked, eyes twinkling yet again. "I have to say... I can't even picture that. We had a long running fight last year, but this was an all out brawl. Oh and... also wanted to ask, would you want to be a part of the boarding crew? A certain amount of the gun crew has to serve as boarders as well, if we... well ever did get into a boarding action. It's something to think about, and I'm not sure we fully settled on who would do what just yet. As a Midshipjack, I'd have to be present to lead, as we typically have that as our responsibility. The Captain can't do it, after all." he stated, giving the mouse a wink as he looked over in Ladorak's direction.
The stoat was currently sliding down against the hull, until he came to a sitting position next to the weasel. "So... that's not the typical face you'd see after capturing a ship. Is something on your mind?" he asked, wiping his head and neck down a bit with his shirt, using it to soak up all the sweat in his fur.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 6, 2011 10:13:39 GMT -5
Carrow smiled at Ocean's compliment before shaking his head a little. "Thank you, mate. I think I didn't make myself clear, because if you mean switching in a more permanent kind of sense, that's not what I was suggesting. We've both spent some time in both positions, y'see, so I was thinking that we could perhaps. I don't know, take turns? To be quite honest, I'm comfortable with either." He watched as Ocean shook his head and tried to refocus on the conversation. He seemed a little distracted, though the mouse didn't particularly know why.
The ermine picked up from where he had left off, and once again his words received a shake of the head from the rodent. "It wasn't difficult - I mean, not particularly. As I said, the worst thing for me was the heat - it was far more uncomfortable for me than it was back in October so I reckon I'll just have to get used to it... particularly so if we ever get into a six-hour stretch of combat, which is perfectly possible of course. I have no trouble imagining it, thanks very much," he responded, returning Ocean's look, smiling a bit.
Ladorak spoke up then. Carrow was well aware of the fact that they could be back in action in a few minutes, but much like deciing on his Sponger position, he was planning to cross that bridge if - and his time, not when - they came to it. It was no problem for him at this stage, since the mouse was quite used to things and could resume his duties at a drop of a hat if need be, regardless of how tired he felt.
The same couldn't exactly be said for Selvis. Dripping wet (from his tears and sweat) and clearly depressed, he considered the idea that he would need to resume fighting soon with a sort of sense of dread that he'd never experienced before. It wasn't that he wouldn't enjoy it, it was that he was quite unsure how long he could last in his current state. Both mentally and physically he felt as though he were on his last legs: too weak to stand, almost too tired to talk, and unable to hide the stress he felt. He saw Ladorak approaching and brightened up a bit - as much as he could in his current circumstances. He was always glad for the stoat's company. He needed to talk to somebeast, and it wasn't that Carrow was unwelcome company at the moment, it was just that he could never really tell the mouse what was on his mind, at least not right now because Carrow would probably end up crying as well.
The mouse had watched the mustelid 'seajack' leave, and he soon realised it was so he could have a word with Selvis. He hoped Ladorak could figure out the cause of his longtailed companion's melancholy. Selvis hadn't wanted to speak to him, but the rodent understood that he'd probably needed a moment to gather his thoughts. He couldn't blame Selvis anyway: he looked completely devastated for some unknown but worrying reason.
There'd be time enough to sort that out later, but right now Carrow was being asked a question by Caden, and he didn't hesitate to respond. "I'm quite happy with being Sponger, yes; I suppose you could say I waited until the time was right before taking that position. I had a lot on my mind last October. It was as much to do with the timing of the conflict" - here, a pained look briefly crossed his features - "as anything else.
"I might not have been able to pawdle it back then, so I'm thankful I was able to be Assistant Sponger for that battle, as a kind of precautionary measure. It was much less stressful this time around, so I felt myself able to take that extra step," he admitted, smiling at his marten companion. "I'd do my best to survive a six-hour conflict, of course, though I'd never really know if I could until I tried it I suppose. As said, I'd just do the best I could, in whatever position. I wouldn't mind being part of the boarding team either. It'd be an experience for me, and that sounds exciting enough as it is, so I probably would put myself forward for that if the opportunity ever arose."
He too looked over at Ladorak, who was currently in conversation with Selvis. The weasel smiled slightly upon seeing the stoat sit down next to him, but that was all he could do - he just wasn't in smiling form. "I should d-d-definitely say so, J-Jal Fugate," he stammered out in response, something that was most unlike him. He had to be honest with Ladorak but didn't feel like going into specifics as thinking of his predicament made him feel as though he might faint. It was possible Ladorak already knew what he was talking about anyway.
"J-Jal Fugate...," he began, sighing regretfully as he met the stoat's eyes, "what would you do if you felt you were getting in the way of a great friendship, one that you didn't realise you were interfering with until it was far too late? I feel like I am... I didn't before, but I am now, and I h-h- have to a-admit i-it's m-making me..." He broke off, trembling fitfully, before picking up where'd he stopped. "m-making me q-q-question... e-everything a-a-about myself... I f-feel like I should s-step back and give it a ch-chance to be b-b-built up again... but I can't h-help b-but feel as though I w-went about it all wrong...," he finished, leaning against Ladorak a little to support himself and trying his best to maintain eye contact with him.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 6, 2011 22:55:04 GMT -5
"Hmmm, take turns, eh?" Ocean crossed his arms over his bare furred chest. "Well alright." he said, his shirt still bound around his head, though he seemed hardly to notice. He had loosened it a little bit, in order to hear better after the firing had ended.
Already, his paws were starting to twitch a little inside of his folded arms, as the urge was starting to hit him again. He tightened his arms against his chest. No! He would NOT let this win! He would fight this off! He couldn't let Ladorak see him this way! He wasn't weak like this! He had to prove himself after all! Practically squeezing his arms against himself, the ermine felt the tremors start to subside a bit.
Breathing an inward sigh of relief, the ermine nodded. "OK. 'I'll go with whatever you feel like doing, mate. That sounds like a good idea to me. You picked it first after all. So you should naturally get first choice every time." he said, flashing the mouse a small smile.
Caden raised his brows as Carrow spoke. Was this the same Carrow from last year? Or had someone gone and replaced him with a brand new mouse? "Really?" he said in an impressed voice. "You actually WANT to be on the boarding party?" he asked. "Well... what did you do with Carrow?" he asked playfully. "Is this a different mouse I hear talking?" he inquired, smiling widely now as he teased the rodent. "How incredible you sound right now. So self-assured and at ease with yourself!" he exclaimed, giving Carrow a pat on the back.
Ladorak was meanwhile listening to Selvis's stammering speech. He had his eyes on him the whole time, looking at his profile, and nodding as he took in what the weasel was saying, a very small smile on his face. "Ahhh I see... so you're coming in between a friendship, are you?" he asked softly, having his suspicions, but not going to name any names. "Well... first of all, I wonder how you found this out, because you'd have to be very observant to see that in the first place... but I'd say... if it was accidental... because you yourself said you didn't notice it, then I'd say you can't blame yourself for it. I mean unless someone told you... or you somehow caught yourself... you weren't even aware you were doing this." he stretched his arms out in front of him after lacing his fingers together. "Therefore, it's a simple accident, and accidents happen. We can be forgiven for accidents and mistakes." he reminded the weasel gently.
"I'd say that's a touchy subject though. I'm not sure how one could come in between a friendship... unless of course there was some... conflict created by it, but as you said, you weren't even aware of it. Must not have been overly serious, then. Or at least, not serious enough to immediately jeopardize anything, but if you feel you need to take a step back, and reassess everything, then by all means, do so. You're the best judge of yourself after all. If it's not too much trouble, I'd recommend talking about your troubles with those you effected at some point as well. That might help get the issues out in the open, and possibly get the door swinging for a solution as well." the stoat offered, not having all the details, but doing his best based on the circumstances and what the weasel had revealed to him.
"If you need to assess things first though, do that. It'll help clear your mind and get you thinking straight again, and seeing things from a better perspective than the cloudy one you're probably viewing things from now." his smile grew a little at the moment. "And if you want to reveal more, feel free to do so. And if you wish to work it out on your own, do that as well. Either way, you have an ear if you want it, and I most certainly know you have the inner strength to work things out for yourself as well." the stoat stated, giving the weasel a nod.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 7, 2011 13:01:47 GMT -5
Selvis nodded too, though his nod was a lot shakier than Ladorak's. The stoat seemed confident about what he was telling the weasel, and it was good advice, but one major problem remained: Selvis was still entirely unsure how he was going to make things right, make things comfortable for both himself and Caden as regarded Carrow's companionship. There was no question about that in the longtail's mind, at least: what had happened today had changed everything for him, and he was scrambling to pick up the pieces of his shattered confidence.
"I kn-know it was an accident... but I d-didn't figure it out on my own. I got called out on it, and it made me realise how much this other c-creature felt m-m-marginalised in that friendship. I feel like I've become too close to one while almost c-c-completely ignoring the other, and that makes me feel a-absolutely terrible. I know I can be forgiven for this... b-but forgiving myself is something that might not happen for a while.
"I almost feel embarrassed over it," he admitted sadly, sighing again. When Selvis spoke next, his words came out more slowly, both as a result of tiredness and because he wanted to get his stammering under control. "I'll need to have another word with that creature I was unconsciously shoving out - but then.... that means I'll have to tell the other friend sometime as well, and... I'm not sure either how I can do that... or... or how they'll take it."
Selvis paused a moment before speaking again, a clear sign this was hard for him no matter how much he tried to cover it up. "He doesn't even know what's been going on after all... I never wanted to feel as though I were competing for his friendship, and now I... I don't feel like I deserve either of them. As hard as it is for me to say it... well, that's the way it is... the way it's become." The drained mustelid felt slightly dizzy when he stood up, but knew he'd most likely be able to rest sooner rather than later. He had a great many things to sleep off, not just his exhaustion. There was some homesickness starting to creep in as well - especially because the weasel had more reason than most to fear not being able to come home.
"I don't feel like going into further detail, Jal Fugate - not right now. I will however keep you updated on how things go, though... and yes, I would like to be able to speak to you about it if at all possible... because I'm... well, not sure who else I could really turn to." Maybe Ocean, if he stuck around, could be of assistance too, Selvis thought. "Thanks, sir," he murmured, sniffling again."Let's get back to Caden and the others," he suggested to the stoat before starting back towards the group.
While all this was going on, Carrow was feeling pleased with Ocean's acceptance of his offer. "Well, I don't quite see it like that - I'll put it this way: it'll keep it interesting for both of us. Since we'll have the opportunity to switch, it'd leave possibilities open for both of us. Next time I may just opt for Assistant Sponger - I don't know for sure yet. Who knows how far off that might be?," he wondered aloud, smiling a little. The future - once it had filled the mouse with fear and anxiety; now it sparked excitement within him.
The rodent was unable to keep from smiling back as Caden gently teased him. However, when he spoke, he couldn't keep the sincerity from his voice. "I look mostly the same as I did a year ago, right? A little taller, sure, but not much has changed otherwise. I feel different from how I used to, though: I know things changed, but I'm not sure when, and I haven't even fully grasped how yet. I'm still working on a few things. I don't scare as easily as I did a year ago - I'd even like to think I'm not as, well, fragile as I used to be," he admitted, his eyes sparkling a little.
"I'm comfortable in my own fur now, and I couldn't have said that before. I'm slightly more confident than I used to be," he added with a chuckle, accepting the congratulatory pat on the back with a smile. "So in a few ways, I'm the same, but in as many others, I'm different - I suppose that's the gist of what I'm trying to say! I'd quite like to be on the boarding party if I ever got the chance, just in case you thought you'd misheard me," he told Caden, winking at him, his eyes seeming brighter than ever.
It was at this point that Selvis rejoined the group. He seemed slightly more present than he had been in the last few moments, but was still tired and unable to suppress a yawn. "Hello again everybeast. Sorry I didn't come over here right away - probably would have collapsed. Needed a few moments to myself, sorry. I feel better now."
He wasn't just saying it, either: the weasel DID feel better, even if it was only marginally. He'd caught Carrow's last words, though, and the mustelid, naturally curious, was unable to resist running with them. "Did I hear somebeast say something about a boarding party?," he asked, looking at Caden and smiling. "Are we making plans for one or was this said purely hypothetically?," he asked the pine marten, smiling a little, his eyes, though red-rimmed, gleaming with excitement. "Heheh, tell me more, if you can - but just so we're clear, whenever it does happen, I'd like to be a part of it as well," he told Caden, blinking owlishly.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 7, 2011 23:54:18 GMT -5
Ladorak nodded in understanding, and got up to follow after the weasel. "Of course. Whenever you're ready." he said softly, and followed behind.
Caden turned to greet the returning party, "Ahh yes, you did hear right. Boarding parties all around. Since you know... the Captain" he winked at Ladorak, "can't join those, I'd be leading one, and we were talking if Carrow would like to go on one or not. And this is hypothetical, but something to take note of, as gun crew have to be divided up after all. Some need to stay behind to work the guns, others will be going off to board the enemy ship. So if you want to join... sounds like a plan." he said, grinning in spite of himself.
He knew Selvis was still going through a rough time, but at the moment, Caden had his own things to work out, and he knew there would be plenty of time to catch up with the weasel later.
It was the end of the battle for the most part for the Orion. The Northumberland was secured, and would serve as a nice prize for the Welkin Navy, though her commissioning would have to wait, and she would never join the service, the damage she suffered being too extensive. However, the crew was still awarded the prize money for her all the same.
After securing her, the Orion joined the gathering ships that started to cluster around the Queen Charlotte, and exchanged distant broadsides with the departing Rosferian fleet as it passed them on the opposite tack, heading north. The Rosferian flagship had not been secured, and managed to gather 19 of the original 26 ships it had taken into combat. The overall haul for the Welkinite fleet at the end of the day was six ships captured, and a seventh sunk. The Welkinites had lost not a single ship, though several were completely dismasted. They probably could have pursued the Rosferian fleet as well, but Admiral Howe collapsed of exhaustion after the battle ended, and his second in command ordered no further pursuit, instead choosing to focus on gathering his damaged ships together.
Had Admiral Howe been in his prime (and had several more Captains actually followed his orders to break the enemy line instead of shirking their duties), the victory may have been more complete and crushing, but as it was, six prizes and a seventh sunk weren't all that bad for a day's work. Many of the surviving Rosferian ships were just as damaged as their Welkinite counterparts, and thus it was a clear tactical victory for Welkin. Now the grain convoy had not been intercepted, and thus the Rosferians had succeeded in feeding their nation for another year thanks to that, ergo it might be considered a Welkinite strategic failure, but it most certainly didn't feel like a failure to the victorious crews.
It felt like quite the victory, and was hailed as such back home, propelling Howe to even greater heights and confirming the King's confidence in him. For the striplings and Ladorak however, they would have to miss that celebration, as they were needed back in their own fleet, and departed from the Orion shortly after, not returning to Welkin with the rest of the Channel Fleet. They knew their homeland would greet them again some day, but for now it was back to work, as Personza still needed pacifying. It was their first large battle, and one that would no doubt stay with them come what may in the years ahead.
END
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