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Post by Ladorak on Jan 7, 2009 1:26:25 GMT -5
((I'm just putting this in Galdea because Ladorak's from Galdea )) Ladorak Fugate was at sea again! He could feel the rhythm of the currents and swells beneath his footpaws, despite them being firmly planted on the deck of the Red Lotus, his personal yacht that he had taken from that beastly slaver Tomas Reddel. It was a lateen rigged vessel, giving it a very eastern look, and the sails were dyed a very deep and vibrant red, resembling the color of a setting sun on certain nights. She was a fast craft, capable of running to shallow areas and cutting out again, probably perfect for illegal deals that that scum of a slaver had conducted. Roomy enough for the owner to travel in luxury, the back cabin was furnished opulently, and Ladorak had just kept most of the wicked stoat's possessions out of nothing more than not having to refurnish the place after he'd taken the craft. But Ladorak wasn't below, he was out on deck, holding on to one of the lines of the sails and standing quite close to the bow, savoring the feel of the wind in his face as they made their way towards Sampetra. He was smiling...smiling, beaming even. It was still pretty cold out, but the ermine didn't care. He was dressed warmly and had his thick winter fur for protection. When it came to the sea, Ladorak seemed to possess a sort of oceanic savoire faire. He could improvise literally on the fly in command positions, and was fearless to the last. He just seemed to "know" what to do in any nautical situation, as if it were a gift of his. He was really in his prime on the sea after all. He was sure Jayd was close by, but had his eyes closed at the moment to feel the wind as the bow of the Lotus knifed through the sea at a terrific speed. The wind was good today, and pushed them along at a great pace. It was the perfect albeit cold day to be out on the water.
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Travels
Jan 7, 2009 10:47:15 GMT -5
Post by jaydjasmyn on Jan 7, 2009 10:47:15 GMT -5
Jayd was still down below getting ready to receive the day in a beautiful fashion. In other words... She was grooming herself until she was in peak condition. The female wished to look her best, for herself, but mostly for a certain male that was slowly capturing her affections and her heart.
Soon she emerged with a shining face, a smile that seemed brighter then the sun. In truth she was happy to be back out on the sea. It certainly was a welcomed feeling, a free feeling that she didn't realize just how much she had missed. This was simply quenching her thirst and wetting her appetite for the sea life.
Jayd immediately located Ladorak and was soon by his side. "Good morning! What would you like me to do Ladorak? Do you need any help?" Indeed she was 'very' excited and eager, overjoyed with being on this trip with this male stoat. Such was evident by her radiant smile. Her aura was contagious and her body seemed to have a glow about it.
Perhaps there were also other things stirring within the female. Things that were out of her control...
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Travels
Jan 7, 2009 13:14:14 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jan 7, 2009 13:14:14 GMT -5
Upon hearing her voice, Ladorak's eyes opened and his gaze swept down from its perch to where she was standing slightly below him on the deck, as he was in fact perched on the gunwale. His eyes seemed to seek her out, as if inviting her to come to him so that he could embrace her or some such thing, and he ALMOST felt tempted to do so. Mostly out of elation at being at sea again mind you, as he didn't of course want to move THAT fast with this female.
Smiling, his whiskers shifting upwards a bit as his mouth showed off his happiness, he soon jumped down to land right in front of her. He was resisting the urge to reach out and grab her shoulders. Indeed, he really DID feel like getting closer to her, but his caution was holding him back.
"Well no, I do have a small crew working with me after all, they'll take care of my of my needs." Yep, he'd actually managed to keep his hired crew that he'd had with him when he left the Imperium, and they still agreed to serve him....so long as the pay came in of course.
"Tell me though Jayd, have you ever heard of Sampetra, the fierce island of corsairs that was at one time ruled by the mighty Emperor Ublaz? It's nothing like that anymore, primarily thanks to an expedition from an abbey on the western continent. Abandoned and forgotten, it briefly served as a military base until that too was relinquished. Now no one owns it anymore, and it mostly hosts...." Ladorak paused for effect, sweeping a paw out towards the bow of the ship, where an island could be seen off in the distance, small, but growing steadily in their vision. Several vessels swarmed around it, like ants on a small hill. They flew the flag of pink orb with a silver crescent moon off to the left of the orb.
"To the Empiret Magenta Mining Consortium nowadays. There isn't MUCH of value on Sampetra admittedly, though many still try to find the riches and loot of Ublaz himself, but so far none have been successful. Empiret mostly mines ore from the island, but rumors are they seek Ublaz's gold on the side, but I doubt they'll ever find it." There was now a VERY strange but excited look in Ladorak's eyes. Truth be told...he KNEW where the gold was, knew very well in fact, but he wasn't about to spoil half of the surprises he was still keeping about himself to her.
"There's no legal ownership over the island anymore, and Empiret mostly keeps to itself, so we'll be able to explore at our leisure." there was almost a bounce in him, like a kit ready to go out in to the backyard and play. "So yes...have you ever heard any stories about the place?" he asked her, keeping his arms at his side even though they ached to reach out and touch her.
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Travels
Jan 8, 2009 10:01:27 GMT -5
Post by jaydjasmyn on Jan 8, 2009 10:01:27 GMT -5
Jayd smiled even more so once Ladorak was standing right before her. She was happy when he stated that she wouldn't need to do anything, not that she wouldn't if she were needed but it meant that now she could enjoy the trip even more so. Her eyes could take in everything in sight, including the male that she found so pleasant to gaze at.
The femme shook her head 'no'. "I can't say that I've ever been to Sampetra or even heard of the tales. This will be a first for me. I am assuming that you've been there before?" Jayd moved toward the bow of the ship. The island was in sight. "Is that it?"
She felt the excitement surge through her veins, not to mention that Ladorak's actions were very contagious. He was like a child that had a new toy. Jayd could see that his love for the sea and sailing was very great. Part of her envied that. Part of her wanted to wrap her arms around him but she refrained, mostly due to the fact that when they met he seemed rather insistent that they be 'friends'.
Her paws held tightly to the railing as the wind blew back her hair. She breathed deeply of the salty air as she recalled just how exhilarating sailing on a ship really was. The femme expected Ladorak to come up and stand beside her and so her eyes darted back to see if it were true.
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Travels
Jan 8, 2009 12:41:41 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jan 8, 2009 12:41:41 GMT -5
Her suspicion was confirmed, and he had moved right there with her, beside her, his own claws resting on the gunwale as he looked out at the approaching island. "Yes....I was born there actually....raised there too. I didn't really leave until I was in my late 20s." he explained to her. "It wasn't.....a good time in my life but....it was really the only home I had back then...and despite being forced to do work that......was far from savory, I WAS raised by a beast who took the place of my father all the same I guess."
It seemed he was struggling, but not too badly. He had come to accept his past a lot easier now. It was mostly the last few years that hurt the most now. "Ublaz, the marten emperor......pretty much raised me. I used to hate his guts but....back then I guess in a way he was really the closest thing to a father I had. Are you surprised?" he asked, looking over at her by turning his head, not realizing that he had gotten a bit too close and his whiskers brushed against hers. "Surprised that I was raised in a place like this, surrounded by pirates?"
A sudden blush came to his face as he realized what he'd done, but fortunately he hoped his fur concealed most of it and that his fellow ermine wouldn't be able to see.
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Travels
Jan 8, 2009 12:54:17 GMT -5
Post by jaydjasmyn on Jan 8, 2009 12:54:17 GMT -5
Jayd's whiskers twitched when his intermingled with her own. Softly she chuckled because it 'did' tickle, so much so that her head tilted toward him slightly and her lithesome shoulder lifted toward her jawline. She knew though that he didn't do it on purpose.
The femme listened to him talk. It seems as though he was opening up to her. She wondered if he realized that. "Oh some pirates aren't that bad. Some are just doing what they need to in order to survive. They're not all as evil as most would think." She looked up at him smiling, still holding her secret near her heart and from coming passed her lips.
Jayd sighed and then looked back out at the island that was approaching, much more slowly then she would have liked it to even though she 'was' enjoying being so near to Ladorak. "You must be excited to see your home again then. You'll have to show me where you played as a kit." Her eyes turned up and gazed at him.
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Travels
Jan 9, 2009 12:36:39 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jan 9, 2009 12:36:39 GMT -5
"Eh....pirates.....not a great environment to grow up in. They don't HAVE to resort to a life like that after all." he said in response to her first statement. He believed that unless one was under the sort of coercion he'd been put through, that a beast ALWAYS had a choice to turn his or her life around.
The place where he played as a kit? He stood there, the thoughts beginning to form i his mind. Yes.....yes...he could remember most of those places clearly, succinctly within his mind. "Oh yes....I certainly had those...when I was allowed to wander around that is." he said, muttering a bit on that last part. "It can get a little hot there, so don't be surprised if your fur starts to change back to its summer coat." he told her, backing up just a little in case she felt uncomfortable by his proximity.
The Red Lotus drew past the fleet of anchored mining vessels, the crews paying them little heed as his vessel wound its way in towards the natural harbor where the old pier used to be. It was rebuilt from those days, with a new series of huts and dwellings replacing the taverns that used to host wild pirate parties.
"We're getting close now. I still have mixed feelings about this place, but overall I'm willing to explore some of my old haunts with you." he stated, wishing desperately that he could reach out and cup her adorable features within his paws. "We'll probably stay on the Lotus at night, so you can leave your belongings here." he pointed a claw up at some stone ruins on a bluff far above them, a good hike away. "Up there is Ublaz's old palace, down here at he waterfront are the tavern remnants, and the rest of the island is basically ours to explore. Would you like to see the palace first?" the ermine asked Jayd as a light began dancing within his eyes.
Unknown to them.....others were watching their arrival as well, and one in particular was taking keen interest in these newcomers as they hove in to the harbor and came up alongside the jetty. Out of sight of course, there would be only a slim chance that those on the water would notice them, but a pair of golden eyes blinked slowly in some shadows, highly concealed and next to impossible to see due to the distance and the cover they were under.
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Travels
Jan 12, 2009 9:23:05 GMT -5
Post by jaydjasmyn on Jan 12, 2009 9:23:05 GMT -5
It seems that Ladorak was the one that felt uncomfortable with their closeness, as far as physically. Jayd merely chuckled to herself and allowed for him to get it out of his system. She came to the realization that he would need to adjust his thinking and his feelings in order to allow someone to be close to him and him to them. Really there was little that Jayd could do aside from being herself and really that in itself was quite the force of nature. The she-stoat was like a fresh summer breeze and just as magnetic.
Jayd remained in her place, next to the railing, still gripping a firm hold on it as her eyes scanned the distance from time to time until they fell back upon Ladorak as he spoke. Chills ran up her spine when he mentioned his opinion about pirates. She was living proof that some were simply misunderstood but she could really say nothing unless she wanted to give her secret away, which she didn't. So she allowed that part of the conversation to drift away though she was sure that it would come back to haunt her eventually.
The fem heard every single word that he said, everything from "We're getting close now." to "Would you like to see the Palace first?" Of course she grinned from ear to ear and answered him back with the sweetest voice. "I'd like to see the Palace but where ever you wish to go first is fine with me." This place was his old stomping grounds and Jayd was sure that he was greatly anticipating seeing certain areas before others. Softly she smiled over at him and then turned back to gaze at the shore as she groaned softly, taking in a deep breath of the salty sea air.
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Jan 12, 2009 11:12:23 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Jan 12, 2009 11:12:23 GMT -5
"Very well...in fact I think I'll take you through the story of my kithood...it'll sort of be a guided tour....in a way." Ladorak said, giving her a smile that seemed to say several things in it at once, both unease and expectation. "Come on." He offered her his paw, mostly out of courtesy, as he moved down on to the gangplank.
It was partly just because he was a gentlebeast, and partly because he was concerned for her safety and didn't want her to fall in the water so he could act as a support, and partly.....because he was attracted to her, and wanted to just touch her, it was that intense of a feeling within him, but there was no way he'd let that show on the surface.
As his outstretched paw reached up at the angle towards the deck (he was slightly lower due to the decline of the gangplank) he nodded over his shoulder. "We'll start with the place of my birth, the ruins of those taverns over there. You see my mother was pregnant at me with the time when she had to go on a voyage to return to Corona, where my father was living. However.....she was due at any day, but her ship was delayed by a heavy storm. It wrecked here......and aside from her and a few of her attendants, oh yes, my father was a merchant at the time, so he was a bit well off....but where was I? Oh...right! The survivors....they washed ashore here....probably the worst place imaginable for honest beasts, as it was a corsair haven."
He trailed off here to let her process the story up to this point, and so he could savor the touch of her paw against his when they met.....inwardly of course.
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Travels
Jan 12, 2009 11:33:15 GMT -5
Post by jaydjasmyn on Jan 12, 2009 11:33:15 GMT -5
Jayd was surprised when Ladorak offered a paw to her. Of course she took it immediately and savored it as well. It was warm, caring, tender and protective. His aura said many things about him but she thought that he didn't know that she was so in tuned with her surroundings. And so... comfortably she rested her paw in his, squeezing as she made her way down the gangplank and looking at him rather lovingly as he peered at her over his shoulder. Indeed there was a loving beast in there after all, she thought with a inward smile as well as outward.
In the midst of it all he was telling his story...
Jayd couldn't help but to frown due to his mother's situation. She couldn't imagine being away from her husband while she was pregnant and then on top of it all having a ship wreck on an island that was filled with 'not-so-friendly' beasts. A shiver ran up her back as she thought of such things and perhaps her paw squeezed his a little more tightly when her lithesome frame shuddered.
Now she was really eager to hear of his past...
They were now upon the dock and nonchalantly the female pulled his paw to her stomach where she would use her other paw to trace up the inner of his forearm. Concern etched about her features as she urged him on to tell her more. "Tell me what happened then Ladorak? What happened to your mother then? Was she about to go into labor with you?" Again she squeezed his paw, eagerly expecting his words.
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