Post by Ladorak on Oct 3, 2012 11:30:59 GMT -5
Caden smiled bashfully now, and took the presents in order they had been presented. He moved to open up Carrow's first, as they had gone back further than anyone else in the room, save for Ladorak of course. Removing the gift wrapping that had been placed around it, Caden could see it was in a box.
Throwing the flaps on top back and opening the lid, Caden could see the model was some kind of frigate, though he couldn't tell from the top just what it was. Reaching in, he pulled the model gingerly out, and studied it now, not recognizing it at first. It didn't look like a Welkinite design at all, but it wasn't Ferlusanian either, because Caden was familiar with Ferlusanian designs. So that left... Rosferian? It certainly seemed to resemble the numerous Rosferian frigates they had encountered over the years.
"Huh... is this... wait!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Melpomene? HMS Melpomene now! How did you ever find this? I wouldn't think we'd have had models made of her so soon... or maybe we did? Where DID this come from?" he asked, grinning now as he moved to set the model down and out of the way on the floor, but not before taking several minutes to openly admire her and the design and detail the model contained. "Our first battle... didn't win it, but we almost DID sink her! Quite the coincidence that we later trapped her at Calvi when we took the town last year." the marten commented. Melpomene had since been commissioned as a frigate in the Welkinte Navy.
He moved to Selvis's present next, noting it did seem to be a book of sorts. The wrapping came away, and Caden's pink eyes widened again as he glanced at the book's contents. "Huh... a dictionary of ships is it?" he asked. "Or an... encyclopedia maybe? How recent is it?" he enquired, wondering if it had some of the more recent additions to the Ferlusanian Navy. He smiled and thanked the weasel, giving him a grin as Evi's present was next.
It was small, being produced the marten noted from the hedgehog's pocket. Taking the box in his paws, the marten proceeded to unwrap it, and open it up. Once more his eyes widened at the sight of the peridot contained within. "Oh look... another thing I can wear on my neck." he joked, taking it out and holding it up. It must've cost the hedgehog a small fortune, and Caden kind of felt bad that Evi had spent so much money on him, but he admired the stone all the same. It matched the size of the peridot on Ladorak's sword, which Caden glanced over at now.
He took hold of the green collar around his neck , and rattled the various things it held. There were the golden name tags, the "star" that Ladorak had gotten him, and the locket as well. "I can add this to the growing collection, though I may reserve THIS for shore leave, as I don't want to risk damaging or losing it... nor parading around the ship with it on." he said, chuckling. THAT would certainly draw some jealous stares after all, even if he was an officer. MIdshipjacks weren't supposed to be ostentatious after all, and were the most mundane in appearance of the ship's officers. Because of that, he'd taken to wearing only the name tags and his star whilst on duty, and saved everything else for his time on shore. Regardless, since they were in privacy, Caden slid the chain around his neck and shook Evi's paw, thanking him as well.
From Ocean came a modest but useful present... a blank journal to replace the one that Caden currently had, as believe it or not, the albino's current one was nearly complete. He'd chronicled all of his exploits since joining Agamemnon two years ago, but was now almost out of room. This would last him another two years, or so the marten figured. Caden had been meticulous in recording details almost every day, even if most days the entry simply read "worked as usual" and the type of work done. He wanted to remember his time on the ship for every day they'd been at sea or in port, as these were memories too precious to forget.
Ladorak was next up, and the stoat moved into his sleeping quarters, pushing a large box along the floor, and Caden noted that it was around the same size as Carrow's. Another model!
"Now this I had managed to pick up before we left Calgary." he explained. Caden's other models were sitting in Ladorak's cabin on a table, being of course the one of Agamemnon and the large Santisima Trinidad that Carrow and Selvis had gotten him last year. Ladorak had not wanted to risk shipping them home, so had left them in his cabin for safe keeping. Melpomene could now join them, and so too could this one, whatever it was.
"I know how much you like the Ferlusanian ships." Ladorak continued as Caden worked to open the box. "Since your friends got you the Santisima Trinidad, I was able to call in an order from a master model maker in Ferlusan who was more than happy to assist an erstwhile ally in crafting one of Romero Landa's fine vessels. I did this much earlier in the year to give him time... before Ferlusan signed the peace treaty, though that didn't effect shipment or anything. It was waiting for me in Livorno before we left fortunately, and he did a remarkable job on it... but then again he would... considering who he is." Ladorak didn't elaborate on this just yet however.
Caden could only picture it, as Carrow's had looked to be well made as well, and the albino knew that once again, Carrow had forked over a bit of money for his present. Caden would have to repay the mouse in kind... and only hoped they'd be on shore BEFORE Carrow celebrated his birthday.
Pulling the box lid open, Caden gasped at the model within. "Wow! This is..."
"Yes! I'm going to start getting you a collection of Jose Romero y Fernandez de Landa's 112 gun series of ships. Some of the finest in existence... although, I have to admit, the Purisima Concepcion and San Jose were not made by him... but the rest were!"
Purisima Concepcion... Caden regretted NOT having dined on her that night, though they'd still gotten a tour, which had simply blown Caden away at the sheer size of the vessel. She was a poor sailer however compared to her sister, San Jose, which was the superior ship in the class.
However, Landa's ships were all fine vessels, and some of the fastest three deckers in existence. "This is his first one, from 1784. You were four when she was made, and she was built in Ferrol, one of three out of his eight 112 gunners that were constructed in Ferrol, the rest being built in Havana. May I present... of the Royal Ferlusanian Navy... the 112 gun Santa Ana. Each of his ships has a unique figurehead, and you can probably guess what this particular ship has."
Caden pulled the model out, and showed off the yellow and black hulled vessel to his friends, beaming. The figurehead was of course a carving of St. Anne, and the ship itself was beautifully constructed, the master paw work being evident everywhere. Little did they know, but Santa Ana would in fact be one of their opponents in the largest naval battle they would ever fight in ten years.
"That model was designed by the very same architect who does the models for Landa's offices, believe it or not, and though he found the request a little odd, especially since he doesn't usually receive requests from civilians... and WELKINITE civilians at that... he agreed to make it for me and I promised I would be a regular customer. And look! What's this?" Ladorak asked, reaching into the box and producing a note on fine paper as he pawed it over to Caden.
Caden's heart raced as he took it and looked it over. It was in Ferlusanian, and thus he couldn't read it, but he could see plain as day who it was signed by. The signature was clearly Landa's, and Caden almost fainted. "Jeez..." he said, shaking his head. "You GOT him to write me something?" The marten's paws trembled, and he nearly dropped the note, but he managed to hold onto it despite the shaking.
Ladorak only smiled and nodded.
"Selvis... could you help me with this?" he asked, moving as if in a trance over to the weasel, and pawing him the note in disbelief.
"Thank you everyone!" he exclaimed. He hugged Selvis, shook Evi's paw again, did the same for Ocean, and hugged Carrow, though Carrow in particular got a bit of a longer hug. "Thanks mate." Caden said softly in Carrow's ear. "I can tell how much you're spending... I'll try and get you something really good if I can in a month or so."
Patting Carrow on the back, he moved over and hugged Ladorak, then turned to face his friends. "Well Selvis! What's the note say?" he asked, grinning. "And thanks again everyone! You've all helped make this birthday a memorable one, and I think I won't soon forget my 15th! This was just... wow... this was great!" he said, still grinning and looking at them all.
Throwing the flaps on top back and opening the lid, Caden could see the model was some kind of frigate, though he couldn't tell from the top just what it was. Reaching in, he pulled the model gingerly out, and studied it now, not recognizing it at first. It didn't look like a Welkinite design at all, but it wasn't Ferlusanian either, because Caden was familiar with Ferlusanian designs. So that left... Rosferian? It certainly seemed to resemble the numerous Rosferian frigates they had encountered over the years.
"Huh... is this... wait!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Melpomene? HMS Melpomene now! How did you ever find this? I wouldn't think we'd have had models made of her so soon... or maybe we did? Where DID this come from?" he asked, grinning now as he moved to set the model down and out of the way on the floor, but not before taking several minutes to openly admire her and the design and detail the model contained. "Our first battle... didn't win it, but we almost DID sink her! Quite the coincidence that we later trapped her at Calvi when we took the town last year." the marten commented. Melpomene had since been commissioned as a frigate in the Welkinte Navy.
He moved to Selvis's present next, noting it did seem to be a book of sorts. The wrapping came away, and Caden's pink eyes widened again as he glanced at the book's contents. "Huh... a dictionary of ships is it?" he asked. "Or an... encyclopedia maybe? How recent is it?" he enquired, wondering if it had some of the more recent additions to the Ferlusanian Navy. He smiled and thanked the weasel, giving him a grin as Evi's present was next.
It was small, being produced the marten noted from the hedgehog's pocket. Taking the box in his paws, the marten proceeded to unwrap it, and open it up. Once more his eyes widened at the sight of the peridot contained within. "Oh look... another thing I can wear on my neck." he joked, taking it out and holding it up. It must've cost the hedgehog a small fortune, and Caden kind of felt bad that Evi had spent so much money on him, but he admired the stone all the same. It matched the size of the peridot on Ladorak's sword, which Caden glanced over at now.
He took hold of the green collar around his neck , and rattled the various things it held. There were the golden name tags, the "star" that Ladorak had gotten him, and the locket as well. "I can add this to the growing collection, though I may reserve THIS for shore leave, as I don't want to risk damaging or losing it... nor parading around the ship with it on." he said, chuckling. THAT would certainly draw some jealous stares after all, even if he was an officer. MIdshipjacks weren't supposed to be ostentatious after all, and were the most mundane in appearance of the ship's officers. Because of that, he'd taken to wearing only the name tags and his star whilst on duty, and saved everything else for his time on shore. Regardless, since they were in privacy, Caden slid the chain around his neck and shook Evi's paw, thanking him as well.
From Ocean came a modest but useful present... a blank journal to replace the one that Caden currently had, as believe it or not, the albino's current one was nearly complete. He'd chronicled all of his exploits since joining Agamemnon two years ago, but was now almost out of room. This would last him another two years, or so the marten figured. Caden had been meticulous in recording details almost every day, even if most days the entry simply read "worked as usual" and the type of work done. He wanted to remember his time on the ship for every day they'd been at sea or in port, as these were memories too precious to forget.
Ladorak was next up, and the stoat moved into his sleeping quarters, pushing a large box along the floor, and Caden noted that it was around the same size as Carrow's. Another model!
"Now this I had managed to pick up before we left Calgary." he explained. Caden's other models were sitting in Ladorak's cabin on a table, being of course the one of Agamemnon and the large Santisima Trinidad that Carrow and Selvis had gotten him last year. Ladorak had not wanted to risk shipping them home, so had left them in his cabin for safe keeping. Melpomene could now join them, and so too could this one, whatever it was.
"I know how much you like the Ferlusanian ships." Ladorak continued as Caden worked to open the box. "Since your friends got you the Santisima Trinidad, I was able to call in an order from a master model maker in Ferlusan who was more than happy to assist an erstwhile ally in crafting one of Romero Landa's fine vessels. I did this much earlier in the year to give him time... before Ferlusan signed the peace treaty, though that didn't effect shipment or anything. It was waiting for me in Livorno before we left fortunately, and he did a remarkable job on it... but then again he would... considering who he is." Ladorak didn't elaborate on this just yet however.
Caden could only picture it, as Carrow's had looked to be well made as well, and the albino knew that once again, Carrow had forked over a bit of money for his present. Caden would have to repay the mouse in kind... and only hoped they'd be on shore BEFORE Carrow celebrated his birthday.
Pulling the box lid open, Caden gasped at the model within. "Wow! This is..."
"Yes! I'm going to start getting you a collection of Jose Romero y Fernandez de Landa's 112 gun series of ships. Some of the finest in existence... although, I have to admit, the Purisima Concepcion and San Jose were not made by him... but the rest were!"
Purisima Concepcion... Caden regretted NOT having dined on her that night, though they'd still gotten a tour, which had simply blown Caden away at the sheer size of the vessel. She was a poor sailer however compared to her sister, San Jose, which was the superior ship in the class.
However, Landa's ships were all fine vessels, and some of the fastest three deckers in existence. "This is his first one, from 1784. You were four when she was made, and she was built in Ferrol, one of three out of his eight 112 gunners that were constructed in Ferrol, the rest being built in Havana. May I present... of the Royal Ferlusanian Navy... the 112 gun Santa Ana. Each of his ships has a unique figurehead, and you can probably guess what this particular ship has."
Caden pulled the model out, and showed off the yellow and black hulled vessel to his friends, beaming. The figurehead was of course a carving of St. Anne, and the ship itself was beautifully constructed, the master paw work being evident everywhere. Little did they know, but Santa Ana would in fact be one of their opponents in the largest naval battle they would ever fight in ten years.
"That model was designed by the very same architect who does the models for Landa's offices, believe it or not, and though he found the request a little odd, especially since he doesn't usually receive requests from civilians... and WELKINITE civilians at that... he agreed to make it for me and I promised I would be a regular customer. And look! What's this?" Ladorak asked, reaching into the box and producing a note on fine paper as he pawed it over to Caden.
Caden's heart raced as he took it and looked it over. It was in Ferlusanian, and thus he couldn't read it, but he could see plain as day who it was signed by. The signature was clearly Landa's, and Caden almost fainted. "Jeez..." he said, shaking his head. "You GOT him to write me something?" The marten's paws trembled, and he nearly dropped the note, but he managed to hold onto it despite the shaking.
Ladorak only smiled and nodded.
"Selvis... could you help me with this?" he asked, moving as if in a trance over to the weasel, and pawing him the note in disbelief.
"Thank you everyone!" he exclaimed. He hugged Selvis, shook Evi's paw again, did the same for Ocean, and hugged Carrow, though Carrow in particular got a bit of a longer hug. "Thanks mate." Caden said softly in Carrow's ear. "I can tell how much you're spending... I'll try and get you something really good if I can in a month or so."
Patting Carrow on the back, he moved over and hugged Ladorak, then turned to face his friends. "Well Selvis! What's the note say?" he asked, grinning. "And thanks again everyone! You've all helped make this birthday a memorable one, and I think I won't soon forget my 15th! This was just... wow... this was great!" he said, still grinning and looking at them all.