Marching to a Different Tune

[Ladorak]

"Hm... yes." Caden said, nodding at Carrow's agreeing that it would be good for him. As for keeping up appearances... he couldn't state why Ladorak wished to do so, or his motivations. He had to admit, Carrow came off a little... superior there, with how he mentioned he never had a need for such a thing, and Caden's protective instincts kicked in, as his eyes opened, his brow furrowed, and he briefly considered saying something to the mouse in defense of Ladorak, but held off, simply keeping that deeply thoughtful look on his face as he stared directly ahead at the gun across from him.

The marten wondered now on Ladorak's reasoning. He looked perfeclty fine with his spectacles after all, as you couldn't tell his eye was sightless. But perhaps it was as the mouse said... the stoat HAD seemed more depressed than usual as of late... more restless as well. The albino hated to admit it, but Ladorak was suffering. His injury, his lack of credit for what had essentially been HIS operation to take Personza, and the upcoming marriage stress he was probably under... it must have been working to undermine him.

Caden had heard from Ladorak that his name hadn't even been on the list of commendations that General Stuart had drafted up. Once again... the Army had stolen all the credit. Ladorak Fugate was a nobody as far as the Army was concerned, or so it seemed. It was only Army officers and those under Stuart's direct command who had received recognition for the siege in the General's official dispatch. Such a thing must have stung the stoat deeply, as Caden knew he thirsted for personal glory and recognition, and even if he didn't, not even being named in the official dispatch must've hurt enough as it was. That whole operation had basically been Ladorak's plan from start to finish, so to not receive even a slight bit of credit where credit was due...

That's why Caden had found Carrow's words odd. He wasn't usually one to put on airs like that, especially saying something along those lines when they just didn't seem necessary... as if he were better. Though of course, the marten gave no indication of this. He simply looked ahead, turning things over in his mind. He was probably being overprotective, as usual. Ladorak was the one thing he had in this world akin to a father, and his current mental and emotional state had probably caused Caden to kick into this type of mode, but he dropped it. Carrow was family too... as was most of the ship. It wouldn't be worth getting into his usual defenses over something like this.

He nodded, smiling now as the mouse commented on whether or not Ladorak knew how they saw him. "I think he knows... and I make sure he does when I speak with him. I think he knows exactly how to run a ship, and I'm glad he's our Captain. Compared to many others, he just sets such a higher standard."

The albino did not really notice Selvis at first, as the weasel was coming from behind him, Caden having been leaning against a gun facing forward, and Selvis was coming from aft. It became apparent that Carrow noticed someone approaching them though, and turned to let his pink eyes take in the view of the approaching weasel.

"Ah... Selvis. There you are. Ah... have some packages, do you?" it was then of course that Caden realized they were probably for Carrow... and that he had to quickly come up with something for the mouse. The marten was unfortunately terrible at figuring surprise gifts out on his own, and got frustrated more often than not when he tried to think of what to get others for special occasions. He bit his lip, seeing that Selvis was, as usual, on the ball with things. Lucky weasel. Some mustelids had all the luck. Others... simply did not.

He ran his claws through his white furred forehead, pushing his hat up a little and pursing his lips a little as he looked off to the side, struggling with trying to come up with something as quickly as he could. Best see what had been gotten first, and he could try and go from there. He was starting to get a little afraid of what Carrow might say if Caden had to explain that he couldn't exactly think of what to give him this year... that probably wouldn't sit well after all.

[Carrow]

Selvis smiled at Caden. "Yes, indeed I do. One's for me, and the other's for Carrow," he responded. "There is something else there, though... something I didn't exactly bargain for. Carrow," he turned to address the mouse. "It would appear there's a letter for you here as well. When I received it, I studied the paw on the envelope and didn't recognise it. Perhaps you could do better with it?"

He pawed the letter over to his rodent companion, and Carrow took it in a curious manner, tilting his head, and scratching it as well. Nothing was coming to him. He racked his brains for a moment before giving up, shrugging his shoulders before holding the letter out for Caden to have a look at. He was slightly confused by all this. There was no other creature he could think of that would ever write to him, and that certainly wasn't Archie's paw-writing; it was too rough for that.

"Caden, maybe you might have seen that before? I haven't the foggiest about who could have written that letter. I'm going to open it later on, so I'll find out eventually, but do you reckon you could possibly shed some light on who might have written to me? I wonder what the letter might be about, as well... have to say I wasn't expecting this at all, but I'll deal with it later on. I think we should all enjoy our time together first before getting down to those matters. As said though, if you've any idea who sent me that, let me know."

As Carrow spoke to Selvis, the weasel realised that he had not in fact checked the mouse's package. He'd investigated the paw, sure, but as for actually checking what lay within, the thought had not crossed his mind. He gently probed it, smiling as he found the expected letter - no doubt that was the sheet of paper he could feel.

However, the longtail's smile faltered slightly as he checked the whole thing and discovered there was nothing else there. Odd... if this had been sent by some creature close to Archie, or with her blessing, then there surely would have been some sort of present in there. Selvis was certain that the weasel would not have forgotten her charge's birthday. However, aside from the letter, there was nothing else enclosed.

The mustelid wondered briefly if he should tell the mouse, but didn't want to risk upsetting him with the news, so he decided to alter his plan slightly. "Heheh, a bit of mystery and intrigue for us, it seems! I simply can't wait any more, though, so how about we don't go through these deliveries until later? After all, Caden," he told the albino marten, his eyes sparkling, "I don't want to keep you in suspense about my magic show any longer! Where do you think I should set up? You said the lower gun deck suited earlier for that, so I just want to make sure, does that still work?," he enquired.

Carrow nodded when Selvis put his suggestion to him. "I'm all for that - I want to see this display of yours as soon as I possibly can! You'll have two very eager audience members, that's for sure!" The issue of the mysterious letter could wait. Even though he enjoyed a little mystery, at the same time he was slightly worried about this unexpected turn of events, and wondered what his marten friend would make of the script, if he could make anything at all out of it. The rodent was completely stumped.

[Ladorak]

Caden took the letter now, and frowned as he read the script. It most certainly wasn't Ladorak's writing... and Ladorak was the only Welkinite he knew for sure when it came to writing. "Can't say I can really make this out, mate." He said, shaking his head and pawing the letter back over to the mouse. "Keep in mind... you've lived in Welkin far longer than I ever have... and Ladorak is really the only beast whose writing I know inside and out. And since it's not his... I'm afraid I can't be of much use to you." He felt certain that it probably wasn't Archie's, either.

Nodding, the marten looked about the gun deck, eager to get started. The gun training with Warwick had wound down. It seemed it hadn't gone very far in the first place. The gun was discharged with a mighty roar, the bang reverberating throughout the gun deck, and Caden was glad that they were well aft of it. As it was, it seemed like there would be no more training for today.

Walking over to the hull, Caden put his back to it and slid downward, taking a seated position in between two of the guns. "Alright... I'm all set up to go. Now that that gun training seems to be over with, let's just rest it here and watch you work. I'll be eager to see your magic in action, after all."

He raised his knees in front of him, and rested his forearms upon the caps. With a nice breeze at his back, the marten found his spirits lifted from what they had been, as the prospect of seeing the weasel's magic show and the combination of the brisk fall weather combined to create a very old nostalgic feeling within him. He'd loved this season as a kit growing up, and now, all those memories came flooding back to him. He'd be thinking about what to get Carrow though, all the same. That wouldn't be straying far from his mind throughout this, but he was starting to feel a little better for it, all the same.

[Carrow]

Carrow nodded as he took the letter back from Caden, stashing it in his pocket. "I'm glad you had a look at it, all the same. At least we now know for sure. Hmm," he murmured, furrowing his brows a little. "I've got nothing on that, neither does Selvis, and neither do you. This is slightly strange, but I'm quite certain that I'm at least known to the creature who sent me that letter. We'll find out later on, though."

There was no point in worrying about it - realistically there was as much chance of that letter containing good news as there was of it harbouring bad tidings, so the mouse put it out of his mind for now. Thinking of the situation made him curious about something else, however. "Er, Selvis? By any chance do you recognise the writing on that package?," he asked his companion, wanting to put the matter to bed for now.

The longtail was ready with his answer. "It's not Archie's, Carrow. I know you've been expecting something from her, but it doesn't seem like she could have sent it herself." The mouse merely nodded. The mustelid was heartened by his friend's reaction; he seemed to be taking it relatively well. "Could easily be from somebeast she knows, though, so don't worry about it. Pretty sure there's a letter in there, now I think about it."

He nodded as Caden told him where he was going to sit down. "That's fine by me. You and Carrow can get yourselves comfortable wherever you fancy, and I'll be over in a moment. Need to fetch my things, you see. They're over where my hammock usually is. I like having everything set up in the one place, after all." Smiling at the pair, he headed off to get the magic kit that Carrow had given him last Christmas. He hadn't done this in quite some time, so was going to go all out.

The mouse accompanied his marten friend over to the hull, finding there was plenty of space for them to sit down beside each other. Carrow relaxed visibly, letting himself rest against the hull before sliding down to a sitting position. "It's been quite some time since I've seen any kind of magic show, y'know. A few years at this rate. I was invited up on stage and put under, would you believe!," he told his albino companion with a small chuckle. "No surprise really, considering how susceptible I am. Did you ever get to see one, mate?," he asked gently, wondering what his friend had to say on the matter.

Selvis was bursting with excitement as he located the magic kit and opened it, eyes gleaming as he spotted the cape and top hat that were included. A magician always had to look the part, right? He affixed the cape to the back of his shirt, swishing it to and fro a little and smiling. The top hat was soon fitting snugly on his head as well, and he scanned the options he had available to him. Sleight-of-paw tricks, card tricks, mind reading... there was even a little bit on hypnotism here too. Carrow was susceptible, they both knew that.

He'd never tried putting anybeast under before, so if he was going to start with any creature, it would probably be Carrow, if the longtail decided on an induction at all. It'd certainly help the mustelid's confidence. The pearl that he wore around his neck would be perfect... but he'd decide on that later. For now, it was best to stick with what he knew he was good at. He took out the deck of cards and the small folding table that came with the kit, before closing the box and stowing it - it was time to start the show.

He was with his companions again within a moment. He set up the table, a small smile playing about his features as he studied his two friends from beneath the black top hat he wore. "Are you two ready then?," he asked gently, blue eyes sparkling. "I'm deciding to keep things simple for the moment, but I may try something else later on. For now, though... Caden, could you come up here, please?," he asked. "I'll start with you."

[Ladorak]

Caden's eyes shone a little as Selvis approached them. Wow! He had the whole get up! Black hat, cape, and a table. This was certainly going to be quite the show! Or at least, he'd like to think so.

He watched patiently as Selvis set up, though shifted a little where he sat, as it was clear he was eager for the show to start. As a 14 year old, he probably shouldn't be getting so excited by a magic show, but he had to admit... he'd always been mystified by such things, and rather liked being dazzled and trying to figure out how the magicians pulled off their tricks whenever they took the stage.

It was with some glee that he almost hopped to standing, practically racing over to the table to become the volunteer for the start of this show. "Alright! So what do I have to do?" he asked, shifting his weight from one paw to the other, hardly able to contain himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ladorak sank into the chair behind his desk, having managed to excuse himself for a little while. He picked the quill out of the ink well, and began recording the daily happenings into the ship's log. He'd have to make copies as well, and then work on various other forms of paperwork that had been piling up on his desk. Running a ship was no easy task after all.

There were things on his mind of course. His upcoming marriage... he intended to write to the cathedral soon enough, to petition them for the right to wed Molly Serra there in a month or two.

There was of course the matter of Personza as well. He'd failed to gain even a small thanks from General Stuart. Well the General probably HAD thanked him, but he had never done it in any official capacity, and Ladorak could not honestly remember receiving a personal thanks. Hood had congratulated him of course, and had assured him that he'd try and set the record straight, but as it stood, there was little he could do about it now. It had hurt him deeply. He'd planned BOTH of those sieges and carried them out for the most part with HIS sailors. The Welkinite Army was just too greedy for its own good.

It had left a bad taste in his mouth, and had gotten him seriously questioning his current path in life. Maybe he'd made a mistake... maybe the Navy wasn't the path to glory and recognition. Then too, it hadn't done much for him so far. He was thirsting for action, and for receiving his due credit. It was the same old story. Someone always seemed to be out to block him and steal his work.

Then too, there was the matter of Hood's possible departure. His recall seemed imminent, and every Admiral in the fleet under him seemed to think it was about to happen. How would he fare without his mentor and his greatest advocate? Hood had his back long before he had his own... so how would he keep himself afloat amidst a sea of Admirals of the likes of William Hotham and... Hyde Parker.

Ocean Sleet... he was a matter that needed to be dealt with as well. Ladorak had a choice to make. He could bar Ocean from becoming a Midshipjack, but what would that leave him with? He could potentially recommend he pursue a career as a Master's Mate, and he could always try for Lieutenant that way, once he was on some other Captain's ship. Of course, he could become a Master as well, though that was more of a dead end career than anything.

The proper thing to do was discharge him. A pyromaniac was not a safe thing to have aboard a warship. He found it disheartening to know that the ermine had carried his mother's tendencies with him, but did that deserve a discharge?

This was one of the few times Ladorak hated his profession.... both because of the difficult choices he had to make, and because he was feeling more as if he'd hit a dead end with his career.

Frustrated, the stoat tore open a book that lay next to his elbow. His claw flew down the list of Post Captains. Where was he? Where was he... aha! He tapped his own name and sighed. February of 1797. He wasn't due for promotion to Admiral until February of '97. Another two years from now. What would he even be doing by then? Would the war still be on? As much as Ladorak hated to admit it, he actually yearned for peace. Yet at the same time, he didn't want peace before he'd gotten a chance to prove himself. He certainly felt like he was chasing his tail with this conundrum.

He briefly wondered which three decker he'd choose for his own. What fleet would he partially command? That would bear a big part of it as well. He tapped the ticklish quill on his chin, and turned the names of a few ships over in his mind. He'd love to be on the Victory, as it was faster than Hotham's flagship, the Welkania. They hadn't taken any Rosferian three deckers yet, save for the Commerce de Marseille so that was out. He thought of the three deckers currently in their squadron. There was the Princess Royal, which was Sam Goodall's flagship, and the Victory and Welkania, as well as the Windsor Castle and Hyde Parker's flagship, the St. Pompom, named after some heroic weasel from long ago.

Closing the book slowly, the Captain leaned back in his chair, and continued writing down the daily events, pushing those thoughts from his mind for now.

[Carrow]

Carrow watched as his companion got to his paws and practically hopped over to the table. It seemed even the mouse had underestimated his friend's eagerness about the upcoming show. The pine marten was so excited by the prospect of being dazzled by Selvis's magic (something which neither creature had previously seen) that he was scarcely able to contain himself. It was nice to see that, even at his age, Caden's sense of wonder hadn't diminished even one jot.

The rodent, meanwhile, hadn't seen any performances like this for four years or so. When he'd met Selvis, the weasel had opted for a simple juggling display. He was excited too, and sat back, studying the scene. Selvis had placed the various deliveries under the table, and a mischievous look could be seen on his features. He was looking forward to Caden's reaction to his first trick.

It was a surprisingly simple prestidigitation exercise, but nonetheless had the power to mystify and delight those who volunteered to take part in it. The mustelid hadn't done this in quite a while; coincidentally, he had been the warm-up act for a more experienced Ferlusanian hedgehog magician on the same day Carrow had attended a similar performance in Muggidrear, and this had been one of his last performances. He'd stopped for a few years, turning his attention to juggling and mimicry, but this was almost indiscernible.

To look at Selvis now, one would have to assume he had been practicing for years without much of a break, much less a four-year hiatus. He watched as Caden shifted his weight from paw to paw, before responding in a sonorous voice that certainly suited the occasion. He produced the deck of cards from his pocket, his long tail swaying gently from side to side as he spoke.

"What you see before you is a simple deck of cards. However, we magicians can do WONDERFUL things with even the simplest of objects. I would like you to listen closely now, and follow my instructions," he told his pine marten friend, ears twitching softly. There was not even one spot of rust on Selvis Frenata, and even though he would, if asked, modestly rate himself as a 'decent' entertainer, there was no doubt that the weasel was in his element.

He passed the deck, fifty-two cards in all, to his volunteer. "Shuffle these, please; then, spread them out on the table, face down. You must then pick a card. It can be any card you like," he said, rubbing his paws slightly in anticipation as he prepared himself. "Look at it, memorise it, and then place it back into the deck, if you would." Selvis sounded confident, and considering this had been one of his favourite tricks to use in his act, it was no wonder.

Carrow noted that his long-tailed friend was adding a touch of gravitas to the occasion, and it certainly helped the atmosphere. The impromptu show already had the field mouse enthralled. He wondered briefly if he and his companions could put on a performance of their talents sometime. He could maybe even ask Ladorak and see if the stoat was interested in taking part. For now, though, he watched with rapt attention, wondering where Selvis was going with his display of legerdemain.

[Ladorak]

Caden nodded, listening with attention that would probably astound even the valedictorian at Oxford University were that particular fellow present here on the Agamemnon. The marten nodded at the instructions, and folded the cards up amongst each other, eagerly beginning to shuffle them.

The dull slapping sound of the shuffling cards as Caden struck them together sounded invigorating to his large ears, and he soon found himself completely wrapped up in the task.

Placing them on the small table, the albino marten roughly cut the deck in half, and stiffly let the two decks spill downward from his claws, bringing the two decks together into one. He was no master shuffler, but he did a passable job, even if it was a little clumsy. The marten finished, and spread them out, making sure not to have them topple over each other.

When they were spread upon the table with some semblance of a line, the marten carefully chose one. It was the 10 of diamonds. Easy enough to remember. He placed it back upon the table face down, and gave the weasel a nod. "Got it. Memorized and all." he explained, taking one step back to see what Selvis would do next.

[Carrow]

Selvis studied Caden's reactions to what he was saying, and it was abundantly clear to the longtail that he had his companion in the palms of his paws. He couldn't honestly say he was surprised - fates knew that if HE were the one volunteering for any kind of magic trick, he would be just as excited about it. He watched as the marten shuffled the deck, noting that while his fellow mustelid was still a passable shuffler, he made up what for what he lacked in experience with sheer enthusiasm.

The deck was cut, and the cards spread upon the table in a line that was certainly good enough for the weasel to work with, although, owing to his experience, he could have done better if asked. He had been something of an expert shuffler back in the day, and while he hadn't so much as touched a deck of cards in a while, he clearly remembered the techniques he had been taught, and he was hoping to go out with a flourish, with something simple yet nonetheless impressive.

Caden chose a card, and Selvis nodded when the albino told him he'd memorised it. It was placed back into its position in the deck, and, smiling, the weasel flexed his paws. "Good. You won't need to do anything else from here, Caden," he told his friend. "All you'll have to do is watch." Tidying up the deck, the longtail scooped the cards into paws, settled them and then shuffled the deck at an impressive speed, while at the same time being able to maintain enough control over the cards that he could make this trick work under any circumstances.

The mustelid was quite a dextrous creature, and he displayed this ability to full effect, with two claws of his paw placed on the bottom edge of the deck. He proceeded from there, without any support, to riffle half the deck onto those same claws before gripping the two packets of cards and turning them over. He gently pressed the edge of the cards, riffling the deck together before bending the cards and releasing the pressure on them.

The result was a cascade finish. The entire set of actions had held Carrow completely spellbound. He struggled with even a basic shuffle at times, so to see this whole manoeuvre performed was something that greatly impressed him. He clapped softly, his tail swaying behind him in an appreciative manner. Selvis's sharp ears picked up the light applause, and he smiled modestly. He wasn't done yet, after all. "It's amazing how old things like this can come back to a creature so quickly," he said softly, blushing a little beneath his hat. He hadn't been expecting that riffle shuffle to go THAT well!

He cleared his throat and then spoke once again, his voice deep and mysterious. "Now then, I want you to pay attention. Your birthday is the 12th of May, isn't that right? It's not exactly something I could ever forget after the birthday you had earlier this year," he quipped, chuckling. "So May is the fifth month... so that's 5... plus 1... plus 2... right. Turn over the eighth card in the deck, and tell me what you come up with," he instructed, his blue eyes as bright as diamonds now.

[Ladorak]

Caden was simply astounded that the weasel was attempting to use his Birthday to find the correct card. That was impossible... wasn't it? Was it a shuffling trick? A memorization trick? Either way, Selvis was telling him to take the fifth month of the year, and add three to it for the combination of 1 and 2.

"No way..." he said, shaking his head. "Impossible." but somehow, his excitement was only mounting and not diminishing as he reached for the eighth card in the deck, making certain it WAS the eighth card as he retrieved it. He tentatively turned it over, and probably felt his heart stop as he saw it to be the 10 of diamonds. "That's not even possible." he breathed, though he had of course the biggest smile on his face, as he knew that what he was looking at wasn't fake.

Shaking his head, he placed the card face up on the table. "Yes... that was my card. But I don't... get it. How on earth did you tie my Birthday into picking my card?" he asked, beaming from ear to ear. "Memorization of where it was in the deck? Shuffling it to your favor? I mean that just seems so... incredible." he said, having known what he was in for from the start, but not expecting it to be so... bewildering.

He had seen tricks like this before, but not in reference to his Birthday. He turned his pink eyes over to Carrow, and showed him the card with a nod of his head. "Pretty good, huh? What else can you do?" he asked eagerly, figuring Selvis probably wouldn't reveal the secret behind the trick... as a good magician never did tell, and this way, Caden could enjoy these acts over and over again.

[Carrow]

Selvis didn't say anything as Caden marvelled at his methods, taking it all in his stride. The longtail knew that by rights he should have been more experienced than he was at this stage, but he'd had to stop for a while when he'd been seized by an intense bout of depression around his own tenth birthday, acting out of character and worrying about the wellbeing of his father and watching as his mother had struggled with the possibility that something had happened to Trelio. No news had come for years, and no news had become bad news for the two of them.

The longtail had pulled himself out of his dark mood, but once he had done so, (having taken a break from all sorts of performances for two months), he'd found himself unable to get back into the practice. So he'd left it alone entirely until last year, and this was his first display in quite a long time. He felt a sense of vindication, revelling in the reaction that his trick received. Responses like this were the lifeblood of a magician, and the longtail had never quite managed to come to terms with seeing his volunteers react to his skills in this way.

It still had as profound an effect on him as he had when he'd started small-scale performances at the age of eight. He smiled modestly as Caden turned over the card to reveal the 10 of diamonds, his tail whipping back and forth behind him in an extremely pleased manner. He'd missed this kind of thing and was hopeful that he would be able to do it more often from now on. He'd lost that spark a few years ago, but had definitely found it again.

The weasel shook his head as Caden asked him how he pulled the trick off. "As I'm sure you know Caden, a good magician never reveals the secrets of the tricks they perform. Besides, looking at you now, I can tell you would much rather be impressed by what I can do instead without knowing the how and why. I'm glad you enjoyed that trick, mate - I was scared there for a moment I'd mess it up somehow, I have to admit. I've been out of practice for so long I wasn't sure how this would go, but I enjoyed performing it as much as you have witnessing it."

Carrow's brown eyes widened to saucer-like proportions as Caden showed him the card. As his first glimpse into Selvis's methods, this was rather impressive stuff, he had to admit. He applauded the display, matching his pine marten companion's ear-to-ear grin. "Yes, that was quite something, I agree! Well done, Selvis," he called to his weasel friend. The magician merely nodded in response, blushing slightly again as, in truth, he wasn't really used to this.

He smiled as Caden asked him what else he could do. "That's a rather broad question, Caden. I've learned a good number of tricks, and while I'll admit that I'm far from confident about some of them... I do have another few I could show you. Like this for instance." he retrieved the 10 of diamonds from Caden's paw, placing it back into the deck, gathering it up and shuffling it before spreading the cards out again.

"OK, now, I would like you to pick another card. Remember its numerical value: in the suit are cards from 2 to 10; also, the ace is 1, the jack is 11, the queen is 12, and the king is 13. So pick any card you like. Remember the number it stands for, and also remember the suit it belongs to. Listen closely now: once you have your value, double it. Then add three to it, multiplying the complete total by five once you have done so.

"When you have done this, concentrate on the suit a moment. If the card is a diamond you must add one; if the card is a club you must add two; If the card is a heart you must add three; and if the card is a spade you must add four. Tell me the final total once you have it," he explained, smiling slightly, knowing he would be immediately able to tell Caden his card once he was given the number.