"The Queen's Assassin" (closed)

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Dead Coast
About 14 hours from Survival Bay

Well after dark:

Andrea flinched at the knock upon the door to Hugo's cabin, quickly pulling the bedding up to hide her previously uncovered bosom; she covered her face as well, as if doing so would conceal her identity from the First Mate as he opened the door, found her lying next to his sleeping Captain, and smirked knowingly. She looked to her lover, found him soundly asleep, and held a finger up to her lips to quiet the other man; his name was Goran, Andrea had learned during his many hours of being her task master.

She anxiously gestured him to spin away from her, and once he very chivalrously had, she rose from the bed, grabbed one of the fine, soft, cotton sheets that she had gleaned from a trunk earlier in the day that was part of the pirate ship's bounty, wrapped it around her otherwise naked body, and approached the First Mate on tippy toes. Once near, she growled in whisper, "What is it? He's sleeping."

Goran began to turn to Andrea, but she used a free hand to prevent him, growling in continuing whispers, "You don't need to see me to speak to me."

He responded with his own whispered, growl, "And you are not my Captain ... swabbie. You're only fucking him."

Andrea clenched her teeth together at the description ... then couldn't help but giggle softly before admitting, "No, you're right. I'm sorry, Master."

During the day's work, Andrea had learned which crew members -- Officers -- she, as a swabbie, was to show respect by referring to as Master: the Captain, the First Mate -- who was often otherwise referred to as the Quartermaster -- the Sailing Master, the Boatswain, and even the fucking Cook.

The Surgeon was also to be referred to as Master, but Hugo's ship was small and had never had one. In between the energetic and repeating quests for orgasms, Andrea had promised Hugo that she would hire him a Surgeon, As soon as I get to some of my father's coin. That was another thing she'd promised her lover; that she would get him the ransom for which he'd asked after taking her.

"And more," she'd told him as she'd again mounted his long, thick cock. "I'm going to get you ever coin and every silver candlestick and every golden bobble he owns ... the fucking bastard." It had turned out that hating her father was quickly becoming an aphrodisiac for Andrea.

She continued in whisper to Goran, "With all due respect, Master ... would I be permitted to hear what you need to tell the Captain ... to see if perhaps--"

"There is a boat nearby," Goran interrupted. "It is within intercept distance."

He again turned to head to look to Andrea but this time -- as she contemplated what he was saying -- not being stopped from doing so. As his gaze fell to her bosom, the delicious curvature of one breast and its hardened nipple conspicuously displayed through the thin fabric -- she smiled, reached up, and forced his face away again. "Go! Go away. I will wake him, immediately. Do what you think he will want you to do until he comes to you."

Goran stepped back into the passageway beyond the door, again looking back to Andrea's sheet-wrapped body as he smirked and whispered, "Will that be today ... or tomorrow ... swabbie?"

She raised her outstretched middle finger to him -- a universal sign across the Known World to the best of her knowledge -- then closed the door as quietly as she could. Turning, though, she found Hugo sitting up in bed, his feet over the side, bare toes avoiding the cold, wooden deck.

"Hello, lover," she purred as she started his way. Reaching Hugo, she let the sheet drop, crawled into his lap, grasped his cock, and began massaging it toward hardness as she casually informed him, "Goran came to report that there is a boat out there somewhere in the dark..." She lowered herself onto Hugo's cock as she groaned and finished, "I suggested that he do what he thought was right ... while you do to me what is right."

 

[HumanBean]

(OOC: I am just repeating what my writing partner said about the underage character mentioned below. There is no sexual content WHATSOEVER. This roleplay has a lot of non-sexual content. Sometimes it is for those >18, and sometimes it is for those <18. Thus its inclusion in the Online Role Play forum, not the Sexual Role Play forum.)

(This post continues from my partner's two-part post that starts here, I believe.)


Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

Smuggler's Village
On the beach

Sundown (now the day before Morrow's timeline):

Rolph couldn't help but notice that Paulina was being cagey with her response to what her next orders were. He didn't know of the conspiracy between the now-deceased Admiral Greta, Philip (who wasn't actually a Lord, yet), Viscount Morrow and Queen Luna.

Their conspiracy, of course, was to put Lady Imogen in line for the Thone of the Frenkish Empire. He knew that something was going on. The question was whether or not that may or may not continue now with Greta's death.

Paulina spoke of her orders to provide Morrow with supplies. She added, "You are his representative here ... therefore, I am at your service, m'lord."

"Thank you, m'lady," Rolph said. He smiled, correcting, "Captain. Or, is it now Admiral?"

Paulina didn't respond. It was too early to be thinking about such things, obviously. He quickly added, "Sorry. That was inappropriate."

They spoke some more before she asked, "Could you point me to the Surgeons tent, m'lord?"

He did, and soon they were both checking on their injured men and women. There were a couple of children who'd been harmed as well.

Rolph was checking on Philip when he caught the strange conversation taking place in a corner. Paulina and a young, frightened girl practically hiding in a corner of the tent were quietly talking. Others were gathering.

Paulina had already confirmed that the girl hadn't been violated by the slavers. That was a relief to Rolph, obviously. She couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 years of age. He was astounded that such a tiny, vulnerable thing had even survived out here in the wilds alone. How had she also retained her innocence through all this?

They attempted to learn of the girl's origins, leading to her exploding energetically in a language. A woman recognized the language, though she didn't understand it. "She's from The Nurva."

Just the mention of The Nurva sent a chill up Rolph's spine. It was a frightening and mysterious land said to be the home of ghosts, ghouls, and the undead.

Rolph didn't believe any of that, of course. But he still wouldn't intentionally visit that the mysterious land.

Philip had joined the gathering just as the girl suddenly said in very clear Common, "Greta!"

Everyone went silent. How did this girl know Greta? They'd never met. Or had they? Greta had saved several of the captives during the battle earlier today. Had this girl been one of them?

She rose and surprisingly made her way toward Philip. He just stared at her as she reached out a hand to his chest. Again, she was speaking in her strange language.

Her gaze was set on Philip's own eyes. And she was smiling. It was a smile of familiarity, Philip thought. Like she'd known him for all her life.

Then, she took his face in her hands and, in clear Common, said, "Greta lives ... in you ... Philipinasto Ruiz'alto Wyk."

And then, like that, she was in his lap and sound asleep. It wasn't as if she'd passed out. She'd simply sat down in Philip's lap and fell asleep.

Paulina looked shocked. She asked, "Philip ... what the fuck was that?"

He only shrugged. Rolph jumped in. "What was that name? Philipina...?" He couldn't remember it. And he'd never heard it elsewhere before.

Philip was hesitant to answer. He looked for an open place to lay the girl. Someone cleared a space and laid out several blankets for her comfort.

Rolph knew that Philip was still injured. He took the girl from him and laid her on the makeshift bed. Then, looking to Philip, he repeated Paulina's question, "What the fuck?"

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Dead Coast
About 14 hours from Survival Bay

Well after dark:

Hugo had awoken amidst Andrea's conversation with Goran at the door of his cabin. He watched and listened to them.

Listened to Andrea trying to simultaneously play the part of swabbie and Captain's lover. And watching Andrea clutch a sheet to her body in a vain attempt to hide her sexiness.
Hugo couldn't believe how beautiful Andrea was. How sexy. He hadn't seen it before. He didn't understand how he hadn't seen it.

She'd come to him dressed for deck duty, dressed like a sailor, a pirate. Before that, he hadn't seen and appreciated any of her but her tits, ass, and pussy.

Now, he saw all of her. And he loved her. He had no doubt.

"There is a boat nearby," Goran said. "It is within intercept distance."

That caused Hugo to sit up. His new position afforded him a better view of Goran's face. He caught the man ogling his lover's bosom. Surprisingly, it made Hugo smile.

"Go! Go away," Andrea told Goran. She told him she'd wake Hugo and send him out.

Goran stepped out, looking back to ogle Andrea more fully. Then he found Hugo looking at him. Goran initially felt panic.

But then Hugo smiled wide, held his hands out before him, and gestured an hourglass shape. Hugo smirked. Goran managed to contain his. Mostly.

Hugo jabbed a finger in the air to port. It was meant to represent the vessel Goran had spotted. Then, he reached out and grasped the air. Again, about the boat. He wanted it seized.

"Will that be today?" Goran asked Andrea about waking the awoken man. "Or tomorrow ... swabbie?"

Andrea flipped Goran off before closing the door. She turned to find Hugo smiling to her. "Hello, lover."

She crossed to Hugo, dropped the sheet, and crawled into his lap. She reported what Goran has reported as she mounted him.

Hugo couldn't take his eyes off Andrea's body. He was simply enthralled with her. As they began seriously fucking, he told her, "I won't ever return you to your father, m'lady. If you don't want to go back to him."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Dead Coast
About 11 hours from Survival Bay

After midnight:

The two of them were fucking hard and fast, with Andrea bouncing energetically in Hugo's lap, taking nearly every bit of him fully in and fully out, when he suddenly said to her, "I won't ever return you to your father, m'lady."

She went suddenly still, leaning back to better focus on her lover's face, asking with surprise, "What?"

Hugo added, "If you don't want to go back to him."

"I don't want to go back," Andrea responded without hesitation. "I want to stay with you ... always ... forever."

She felt the same way he did, and yet Andrea still sat there motionless for a long moment, just staring into Hugo's eyes, wondering why he'd chosen this very moment to say this to her. Then, a thought came to Andrea that she felt she had to share with him. "When we're done with this thing that you're doing ... at Survival Bay..."

Andrea saw the reaction in Hugo's face and explained, "Your sailors like to talk, and I like to listen. I hear things." She smiled, kissed him, then continued, "When we're done ... you have to take me back to my father."

She smiled to him as she waited for his answer -- she knew there'd be something he would want to say -- then explained, "The only way you're going to get your ransom for me is if I go back."

Andrea repositioned herself, causing Hugo's cock to somehow find even more depth in her; she drew a deep, excited breath at the intrusion upon her deepest depths, then continued, "When you return me, my father isn't going to give you a thin Half Copper for my safe return. But...!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, repositioned yet again, and started fucking him deep but slow as she continued, "...I'll be able to find where he's hiding his money ... and then ... we'll steal every ... fucking ... copper piece, silver piece, and gold piece he's got."

Andrea began bouncing wildly in Hugo's lap again, finishing, "And ... then ... I'm gonna ... put a dagger ... through ... his heart."

She wouldn't stop her movement in his lap until he exploded, whether that was before or after she herself had. Then, she'd let him escape to go deal with the boat that had so interested Goran.

 

[HumanBean]

2 OOC Notes:

• First, this post continues where I left off my last post for these characters, found here. It repeats a little. Forgive me. Or don't. I don't care.
• Second, I just learned that the Imgur links that work when I'm using my laptop won't always work when I'm on my phone. If you are suffering that same issue, just PM me. I will send you the links or the images to fill that empty space in your imagination.

.....................................................​

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread


Smuggler's Village
In a Medical Tent

After dark, and after the Girl from The Nurva went to sleep:

Philip thought back to what the girl had said to him: Greta lives ... in you ... Philipinasto Ruiz'alto Wyk. His mind simply couldn't grasp the words. That name! No one had called him that since his age was still in single digits.

Paulina looked to him with shock. "Philip ... what the fuck was that?"

Rolph asked about that name. Philip was hesitant to give them any information about it. It harkened back to a time that he'd tried hard to forget.

Rolph repeated and added to Paulina's question, "What the fuck? Philip, explain to us what just happened. Please!"

"Not here," Philip said. He looked about himself at the injured. This wasn't the place for telling stories. "Not now."

He headed out to the big fire burning in the middle of the circle of tents. He hadn't actually invited or encouraged the others to follow him outside. But then again, he hadn't not done so either.

Philip was soon joined by Rolph, Paulina, and a trio of others who'd taken an interest. One of them was the woman who'd recognized the language as being from The Nurva. She was a stunning beauty who Philip would learn was named Olianda.

Rolph urged Philip to tell them what he knew about the girl. He contemplated her herself, her unknown and baffling language, and then what she'd said to him in the most perfect Common Tongue. He thought it was best to start with what he knew for certain.

"My full name is Philipinasto Ruiz'alto Wyk," Philip began. "As the girl said. Exactly as the girl said."

"I've never heard anything like that, Philip," Rolph said. "Not around here."

"That's because I'm not from around here," Philip explained. He looked between the others, drew a deep, calming breath, then confessed, "I'm from The Nurva."

There were shocked looks and even a gasp and a murmured profanity. He continued, "My parents were River Runners. They lived in a small village on the road between Ras Rufna and Lentfrenk. It also sat on the shores of West Lake. It connected to River Nurva via West River.

"They, my parents," he continued, "They bought things from teamsters using the Ras Rufna-Lentfrenk Road. Then they sailed, rowed, and poled a River Barge down the West and Nurva to The Small Sea and ultimately to the docks at Vint. They would sell their goods there, buy other things they or their neighbors needed, and return. The river was very level there, with barely a current, so getting back up it, except during the rainy season, was easy enough for just the two of them."

Rolph was interested in Philip's tale. But he wanted to hear about The Nurva and how it related to his parents. He gave the man an impatient, urging hand signal.

"One year, there was an unexpected, out-of-season downpour in the east," Philip explained. "My parents had left our village expecting no problems. But as they left the West River and entered the Nurva, a massive flash flood caught them. It destroyed their barge, tossing them overboard. They drowned."

Again, Rolph showed his impatience, asking harshly, "How does this relate to you and the girl and--"

"I was with them," Philip interrupted. He looked to Rolph, explaining, "I went with them. I was turning 4 years old. It was traditional to take 4-year-olds to have their souls purified by the Priests of the the Church of Un. The nearest Priest and Church was in Vint."

"But you obviously didn't drown," someone asked. "How--"

Again, Philip interrupted, continuing his story. "I was rescued by a woman named Duch matky."

"Wait, I know those words," Olianda said. "I don't know much Nurva. But I know those two words. Together, they mean Ghost Mother."

"Yes," Philip confirmed. "She rescued me from the river. She raised me in her home, alone and apart from others."
"There were others, though," Rolph asked. "Living in The Nurva."

"Yes," Philip again confirmed. "But they didn't live together. In villages. Hamlets. Not even together in huts. Each of them lived on their own. For their entire life."

"What about children?" someone asked. "Did they have children?"

"Yes," Philip told them.

Someone with a skeptical tone asked, "How the fuck did they have children if they lived apart their entire lives? No men with the women, no women with the men. Did they run around from hut to hut on the full moon fucking and hoping that maybe they'd end up with child?"

"The Duchovní otec," Philip said. He looked to Olianda for her translation. She only shrugged. Philip explained, "It means Ghost Fathers. They visited the Duch matky, the Ghost Mothers, on, yes, the full moon. Sometimes, the visits resulted in a child being born. Sometimes it didn't."

"Savages," someone mumbled just loud enough for Philip to hear.

He looked to the man, saying, "No, not at all. There's no hatred. No war. No slavery. No kidnapping or rape."

Philip gestured a hand toward the camp. The whole reason the visitors to the Village were here was because of kidnapping, rape, and slavery. "They never fought with one another. Never argued. Hell, they never talked, except during the Duchovní otec visits.

"They had a system, sticks crossed above their huts," he continued, "for signaling each other when something was wrong. Sickness. Starvation. Injury. Imminent birth, when one or more Duch matky would come to help birth a child. Is a child could not be supported, another Duch matky would take it in and raise it."

"How did you end up in Yalla," Rolph asked, "speaking Common and working for Viscount Ulronni?"

"When I was about 9 years old," Philip told them, "I fell into the river during a flash flood. It was sort of full circle, I guess. I was washed down kilometers of River Nurva, finally washing ashore close to the coast of the Small Sea. I was injured and exhausted. I was taken in by a Fisher, but he couldn't afford to raise a weak child. He sold me.

"I worked on a fishing boat," he said, smiling for the first time since mentioning his Ghost Mother the first time. "I liked fishing. We sailed for Yalla with a full load, only to get caught up in a storm. It destroyed our boat within spitting distance of the Yalla docks.

"My Master sold me to the Standing Army of the Republic of Yalla," he said, grimacing. "I was with them until I joined Viscount Ulronni."

"My wife's father," Rolph said, speaking of Betty with a smile. He gave Philip a hard look, reminding him, "Where you kidnapped girls like this one and sold them to slavers."

Philip stared into the flames a long moment. More to himself than to Rolph, he mused, "I'm doing my best to make up for that."

"I know you are," Rolph said. He sounded regretful for what he'd said. He moved to Philip, clasped their right hands together, and pulled them to one another for a hug. He said with a sincere tone, "I'm sorry, friend. That was uncalled for."

Someone impatiently demanded, "What about the girl? Where does she fit into all this? How did she know who you were?"

Rolph looked to Philip, asking the question that needed to be answered, "If you were only four when you were first lost into that river, how did you remember your full name?" He tried to repeat the name but failed horribly.

"Philipinasto Ruiz'alto Wyk," Philip said correctly. This time, he used a West Frenkish accent that Rolph recognized. "It means The boy who walks on the brown water. The brown water was the flash flood."

"And you remembered it?" Rolph asked. "How?"

"Actually, I didn't remember it," Philip responded. "It was given to me by my Ghost Mother when she found me. I'd forgotten about it. She only used it once. The day she named me. After that, she called me Syn. It means Son."

Philip looked back toward the tent. He said, "I have no idea how that girl knew it. Or knows me. Or why she would think that Greta lives in me."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: continues from here.)

The Dead Coast
Sunrise, about 6 hours from Survival Bay:

It had taken more than 5 hours to catch the merchant boat they'd taken chase after. It had been traveling southwest until Hugo's boat turned directly its way. Logically fearing piracy, the boat immediately turned northeast. The wind was better for that course. Plus Survival Bay was much closer than The Mouth of the Eastern Yall, the next port where they might be safe.

But Hugo's boat and crew were made for this. And by the time the sun was rising, the chase was over. Hugo used a megaphone to give the other boat's captain a choice: be boarded with bloodshed or without. The boat's captain chosen the former and dropped his sails.

"I want information today, Captain," Hugo told the man when he mentioned the word piracy. "I am here in the legal service of Queen Luna of the Republic of Yalla. Tell me what I want to know, and you will depart here with all of your freight and crew. Well, most of it. And them."

The Merchant Captain's expression showed his doubt. Hugo, with bared chested, bared feet, war scars and tattoos, and an abundance of weapons, didn't exactly look like a representative of any Royal Ruler, let alone Queen Luna. Still, he bowed to Hugo, showing his respect. "Ask away, Captain."

Hugo laughed, saying, "No, it doesn't quite work that way."

He picked three other members of the crew (the First Mate, the Sailing Master, and the newest Hand) and had all four men taken as far from one another as possible: to the bows and sterns of each boat. Hugo told the Captain, "I'm going to go ask your newest man 7 questions."

He raised fingers as he continued, "About you, your destination, your boat, its home port, and your Patron. The other two questions I'll make up as I go. He's going to answer them. Then I'm going to come back here and ask the same questions of you. If those answers don't match, I'm going to execute one of you."

"Which one of us?" the Merchant Captain asked with obvious concern.

"Don't know," Hugo said honestly. "I'll figure that out."

He turned and strode to the other end of the boat. He asked the questions of the crewman, whose name was Daniel. Then, Hugo returned to the Captain. He asked the same questions of him. The answers didn't match precisely. Some of them didn't match at all. The Captain accused Daniel of being young, ignorant, and not a very good sailor, untrustworthy.

Hugo considered what he wanted to do next. He didn't like the way that the Captain had spoken down Daniel's contribution. He asked, "What's his name? The new kid I questioned."

The Merchant Captain looked toward the other end of the boat. "I'll be honest. I don't know his name."

"You don't know the name of one of your crew members?" Hugo asked with surprise.

The Merchant Captain snorted derisively. "Do you know the name of every member of your crew?"

Without hesitation and proceeding in the order of having joined the crew, Hugo rapidly named each crewman by given name, surname, any location or origin in their name, or nicknames when that was all that applied. Then, pausing, he said, "And the last person to join my crew was Lady Andrea of Franzvale."

The Merchant Captain's expression showed his surprise. He laughed, asking, "Lady Andrea of Franzvale? Duke Warren's daughter. She is aboard your vessel? As a crew member? I highly doubt that."

Hugo looked over his shoulder and signaled a crew member. The man opened the door to the lower decks of Hugo's boat. A moment later, Andrea stepped out onto the Main Deck. She was once again dressed in her Deck Hand clothing. Hugo looked her over for a moment, letting the Merchant Captain see his hungry expression and hear his hungry growl.

"She looks good in those clothes, doesn't she?" he said to the Merchant Captain. With a suggestive tone, Hugo said, "You should see her out of those clothes. She looks better still. Last night, when we were naked together, fucking like rabbits and talking about our upcoming wedding--"

"Savage!" the Merchant Captain exclaimed. Quieter, so others wouldn't hear what he was saying about Andrea, the man chastised, "She, my good man, is a Lady! She would no sooner willingly lie with a man like you, let alone marry you of her own, free accord--"

That was all the farther he got. Hugo crouched a bit, grabbed the Merchant Captain's clothing at his crotch and chest, and lifted him into the air over him. As Hugo cried out animalistically and the Captain cried out in fear and shock, Hugo tossed him overboard. A loud splash followed yet more screams.

Hugo's entire crew erupted in laughter and cheers. The man in the water flailed in panic as his clothes became progressively heavier as they soaked up the sea water.

Hugo looked to a pair of the Merchant crew members. He gestured toward a skiff, saying, "Cut it loose. I don't want him to drown quite yet."

The men hurriedly cut loose the boat and dropped it overboard. But as they themselves began to go over to help, Hugo ordered, "No! He'll figure it out. If he doesn't, he shouldn't be in command of a boat full of real sailors."

Hugo leapt over the railing back to his own boat and went forward to join the Sailing Master. He told him, "Your Captain lied to me. I asked him seven questions, the same I asked the new guy."

Testing the Sailing Master, he asked, "What's the name of the new guy?"

"Daniel, m'lord," the Sailing Master said quickly. "Daniel Fairweather, I believe. Of the Fairweather Islands, m'lord."

"Good, that's one correct answer," Hugo said. "Let's see how you do on the rest, shall we?"



An hour later:

Hugo had taxed the Merchant vessel half of its water, half of its fresh food, all of its salted meat, and a quarter of its treasury's coinage. He then distributed half of what remained of the coins to the crew as pre-payment of services rendered. He told the Quartermaster, who controlled the ship's coinage, "If I hear in the days, weeks, or months to come that you took any action to retrieve these coins, I will hunt you down, cut off your cock, feed it to you raw, and then maybe end your life by stabbing you a thousand times with a broken sea shell. Do I make myself clear?"

The man's eyes were as big as saucers by the time Hugo finished. "I understand, m'lord. Captain. No such action will be taken by me or any other officer of the boat."

Hugo turned to the Merchant boat's crew, announcing, "The port you sailed from, Survival Bay, has for years been a major trafficking point for girls and boys, men and women, who have been taken against their will to be sold at slave markets, flesh markets, across the Known World.

"That ends today!" he stressed. "I will end it!"

A cheer arose from the main deck of Hugo's ship. He looked to the Merchant crew. "If you want to be part of this, if you want to do what's right." He pointed an extended finger toward the main deck of his own boat. "Join us."

Hugo had been working on his motivational speech during the hours-long boat chase. Suddenly, he couldn't remember anything that he'd said. He looked to Andrea with a big of a panicked look. He mouthed, Help me.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: I hate that I can't easily write "Olianda" when I use Swipe on my phone; it was a mistake meant to sound exotic, and I apologize. I have changed "Olianda" to "Olivia".

Smuggler's Village
By the fire, outside a Medical Tent

After dark, and after the Girl from The Nurva went to sleep:

Philip began telling the tale of his upbringing in The Nurva, with the others gathered -- Rolph, Paulina, Olivia, and more hanging on every word; they had come out here to learn about the connection between Philip and the girl from The Nurva, but he either couldn't or wouldn't come up with one any time during his recollections of his youth.

Olive understood what Philip had told them about the life of River Runners as her mother's family had floated barges up and down River Abad in the eastern extreme of The Fenwater for generations. During the summertime, when the river to the north was fully thawed and the threat of dying in sudden snow and ice storms didn't exist, they sometimes took their cargo north to the Cloudy Sound for delivery to the City of Sipriot to the west or to the City of Nolk to the east. These runs were very profitable, but -- because of bandits who preyed on the few landing sites for nighttime rest -- they were sometimes very dangerous as well.

And Olivia understood about flashfloods as well as she'd lost both a brother and an uncle to separate storms, four years apart. One such flashflood when she was 10 or 11 had fully uprooted their lives, tearing through and destroying their village, as well as sending the entire fleet of barges and dugouts down to the Inner Sea. Desperate, the family pulled up stakes and moved first to the City of Virta, then the City of Vint.

It was in that second city where Olivia learned of the Duch matky: the Ghost Mothers. As with most people who had never dealt with The Nurva firsthand, she'd initially believed that all the haunted tales of The Nurva were fantasy; many people believed they'd been created to keep out those who would exploit the area for its riches in timber, ore, and grazing land.

But repeated stories of what people faced when they got close to -- let alone went into the area -- had convinced Olivia that she had no reason to ever go there herself. When Philip mentioned his adoptive mother, Olivia cut into the tale, "Wait, I know those words. I don't know much Nurva. But I know those two words. Together, they mean Ghost Mother."

"Yes," Philip confirmed. "She rescued me from the river. She raised me in her home, alone and apart from others."

Philip explained about how the people of The Nurva lived the entirety of their lives except for the brief moments of breeding apart from one another. Olivia had, of course, heard these stories, so hearing Philip explain his upbringing didn't surprise her at all. The others, though, found it unbelievable and just didn't seem capable of accepting that people could live that way.

"Savages," the man standing next to Olivia said softly when Philip spoke of the strange way that the Ghost People lived.

But Philip disagreed, speaking of how there was no hatred, no war, no slavery, no kidnapping, and no rape amongst the culture.
"They had a system ... for signaling each other when something was wrong. Sickness. Starvation. Injury. Imminent birth, when one or more Duch matky would come to help birth a child. If a child could not be supported, another Duch matky would take it in and raise it."

Olivia had heard some of this in the past, but she'd never known whether any of it was true. Now, hearing Philip speak of it, describing it almost exactly as she'd heard it so many years ago, made her believe that perhaps it was accurate ... and possibly even a much better way to live one's life.

As they spoke of how Philip had ended up working in Yalla for Viscount Ulronni, Olivia lost interest and headed back inside to check on the girl. She sat on the canvas floor of the tent next to the girl, who almost immediately opened her eyes, smiled, and said, "Olive'astantia Ska'opal Vyak."

Olivia smiled, intrigued by the girl's words; even though she had no idea what it meant, she knew that it was more of the girl's native tongue and -- she thought -- it was some of the most beautiful non-Common Tongue words she'd ever heard. Olivia asked, "What does that mean?"

In perfect Common, the girl said, "It means the beautiful girl who flies in pink water on the land."

Olivia hesitated before asking, "Are you ... are you saying that ... that that is my name? Or--"

The girl began rambling on in her own language again, but then switched to the shared language and said, "When you were young ... younger--" She tapped her fingers to her chest intending to indicate that she meant younger than me. "--you play in a field ... a field of flowers ... pink flowers ... blooms of pink as far as the eye could see."

Olivia's face was aglow with memories that were suddenly flooding back to into her head. "After we moved to Virta. West of the City ... they grew ... oh, Gods, what were they called--"

"Dianthus," the girl said. Olivia's expression showed doubt, leading the girl to give the name more commonly used in the Kingdom of Vint, "Carnations."

"Yes, carnations!" Olivia confirmed. "They were everywhere, as far as the eye could see."

"Grow for, um ..." the girl said, rubbing a hand over her stomach before saying, "Make bad tummy feel better." Then chuckling, she added, "Make beer and food better taste."

Olivia reminisced, "I would run through the fields with my arms out, pretending that I was bird flying over--" She stopped suddenly, looking to the girl with a shocked expression; the girl in turn was looking to Olivia with a wide smile and a knowing expression. Olivia continued with awe in her voice, "Pretending ... to be a bird ... flying over the sea at sunset ... when the water was turning pink and red from the setting sun."

The girl giggled at the older female's sudden realization. Olivia repeated what the younger woman had said, "The beautiful girl ... who flies in pink water on the land. The pink water ... that was my ocean of carnations."

"Yes," the girl confirmed.

"How do you know this about me?" Olivia asked. "You don't know me. We've never met. How can you know this about me...? About Philip? I don't understand."

The girl laid back down and closed her eyes, leading Olivia to hold her arms out in a surprised gesture, asking, "What the fuck?"

A moment passed with Olivia simply staring at the girl with a dumbfounded expression. Then, a question that had been bouncing around in her head returned to her: what was this girl's name. But before she could ask, the girl -- eyes still closed as she pulled a blanket over herself again the cold of the tent -- said softly, "You may call me Kim."

And then, Kim was as out as she'd been before Olivia had come inside.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

(OOC: continues from here.)

The Dead Coast
About 6 hours from Survival Bay:

Hugo had suggested that Andrea remain below deck after the Merchant Ship gave up its attempt to flee, something that she had agreed to reluctantly. "Why do I need to hide? I'm a member of your crew, aren't I? I did help, didn't I?"

She had, too. After they'd finished fucking and she'd cleaned up and dressed like a sailor again, Andrea had demonstrated her excellent night vision by spending most of the chase atop the main mast, keeping an eye on their prey and calling down changes in its course. She was shocked to find that she loved being up here, particularly under the stars and the moon during a chase. She was becoming reluctant that Hugo had decided to give up being a pirate to serve as what he would later describe as a legal representative of Queen Luna.

But once the Merchant Ship had dropped its sails, she'd did as her Captain ordered and went below. She was tickled pink then when she was called to the main deck again. She searched for and found Hugo on the other boat, tipping the hat that she'd added to her sailor's wardrobe to him out of respect ... and a bit of playfulness. She could see her lover smiling wide to her while taking to a man who was surely the Merchant boat's Captain.

Andrea couldn't hear Hugo's words; she didn't know that he was complimenting her appearance in sailor's garb, let alone that he was describing how good she looked out of those clothes while they'd been fucking. What Andrea did hear was the other Captain suddenly bursting out, "Savage!"

The man went on with his outrage, the cause of which Andrea could only assume seeing how she didn't know how much Hugo had told the man about her. That all ended, though, when Hugo made a great display of his strength by grasping and lifting the other man over his head and tossing him into the sea. A loud splash was followed by Hugo's entire crew -- and even a few men from the other ship -- bursting into laughter.

Hugo ordered the man saved from drowning, then leapt back onto his own boat to question yet another Merchant Officer. Andrea casually checked on the flailing Merchant Captain; he'd reached the skiff but was restricted to simply hanging onto one edge because each time he tried to pull himself into the little boat, it threatened to roll over, swamp, and likely sink.

An hour later:

Andrea helped Hugo tax the Merchant vessel of some of its supplies, impressed that her lover didn't take everything as he would have done if he were still a pirate. He'd shown mercy to the Merchant Captain by allowing his men to pull him into the skiff, only to then tell the man he had to remain there until the business at hand was completed.

Hugo distributed a good portion of the Merchant Ship's Treasury to its crew, then began his monologue about his own boat and crew's mission. Speaking about the slavery that partially drove the economy of Survival Bay and places like through their flesh markets, Hugo stressed, "That ends today! I will end it!"

A cheer arose; Andrea -- who had, of course, once treated Hugo as a sex slave, only to then be treated the same way by him -- cheered, too. Her feelings toward Hugo -- first of lust, and now progressively more of love -- had changed her and were still changing her in ways that she'd never expected before.

"If you want to be part of this," Hugo continued, "if you want to do what's right ... join us."

Hugo suddenly went silent and still, with the members of the two crews just stare at him as if they were expecting more. Then, surprising her immensely, Hugo turned to Andrea and mouthed the words, Help me.

Andrea's eyes widened in panic; she hadn't expected to even be up here on the main deck, let alone speaking to the crews. But then, even before she knew what she was about to say, she leapt up into the boat's railing to be more readily seen by both crews. She looked about herself, turning skillfully on the inches-wide railing despite the constant movement of the boat, then began in a loud voice meant for all, "How many of you began your lives at sea involuntarily?"

She paused a moment, then clarified, "How many of you were forced to become sailors? Taken against your will. Slavery ... indentured servitude ... maybe a Judge or Noble who sentenced you to service at sea for some little infraction ... or even a father who handed you over to captain because he thought it would be good for you ... because he couldn't afford both food for the bellies of the rest of the family and ale for his own?"

Andrea looked around at the silent and still sailors of both boats and started to think, Well, that didn't go anywhere. Then, a hand went up, and another, and before she knew it, she was looking at the raised hands of over half of the crew of the Merchant ship and even a handful of members of Hugo's. She looked to him for his reaction to seeing some of his own men answer her question in that way; she wondered if it had been Hugo or some other person who had been the initial cause of these men becoming sailors reluctantly or even entirely against their will.

"How many of you know a girl ... or a boy ... who was taken away from their family against their will," Andrea continued, "forced into slavery ... forced to work in the mines or the forestry camps ... or the beds of rich, powerful Nobles and Sheriffs?"

Some of the hands already up remained up while others lowered and were replaced by new, fresh signs of confirmation of Andrea's question. She had to suppress a smile threatening to spread as a sign of pride; her last question was about the enslavement of girls and young women -- boys, too -- for sexual purposes, which made this the very wrong time to be smiling wide.

Looking to the crew of the Merchant Ship specifically now, Andrea asked, "How many of you think that this sort of business is wrong...?" Nearly every hand rose as the sailors also began to respond verbally, showing their appreciation for Andrea's monologue and message. She quickly added, "...and how many of you will join Captain Hugo in his quest to bring an end to the slavery trafficking taking place in Survival Bay?"

Hands were now waving wildly in the air on both boats as cheers became even louder and more raucous. Andrea saw an opportunity and began chanting, "Hugo! Hugo! Hugo!"

Soon the sound of the sailors from both boats were washing over the gentle waves of the Dead Coast. Andrea leapt down, walked to Hugo, and quietly told him, "Get this shit under control ... and get us on our way to Survival Bay ... because I have never wanted your cock inside me more than I do right now ... but I'm not going to wait down there forever."

Then, smiling, she just turned and headed for the door down to the hold, joining the chanting again before she headed down the ladder. Her work here was done; now, she wanted to fuck again.

 

[HumanBean]

(OOC: I hate that I can't easily write "Olianda" when I use Swipe on my phone; it was a mistake meant to sound exotic, and I apologize. I have changed "Olianda" to "Olivia".

I fully understand. Why do you think I shed the name "Ulronni"?

........................................
........................................​

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread


Smuggler's Village
By the fire, outside a Medical Tent

After dark, and after Olivia went inside to check on "the Girl from The Nurva" went to sleep:

Philip's thinking was so set upon his story. He failed to notice that Olivia departed to go check on the girl from The Nurva. He'd learn tomorrow morning that she wanted to be called Kim. Rolph asked the man again about his connection to her. "I don't understand, m'lord. I've never met her. I left The Nurva before she was born, surely. And her comment that Greta lives in me? I can't explain that, m'lord."

The conversation suffered a lull. That ended with the rapidly approaching sounds of hooves up the road from the south. Soon the light of a torch came over a rise. The mounted messenger arrived to report on Lord Morrow. He had left Morrow while the Force had still been at the House of Reed. He'd left before the fight that had ended with the Count and most of his men dead and his wife, Countess Victoria, the new ruler of the Keep. But he passed on what he knew.

They spoke for a moment more about what Morrow had been up to. Then, Rolph suggested, "We should all get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we head south, to deliver the supplies."

They broke up, heading for tents, huts, boats, and anywhere else that they could lay their heads. Philip returned to the Medical Tent. He'd been told to change his bandage before bedtime. But he also wanted to check on Kim. The girl was asleep, either still or again. Olivia was still sitting over the girl. Philip smiled to her before lying down to sleep. The Surgeon was too busy with other injured people to tend to him.

Rolph wandered about for a while. He spoke with some of his men, some of the villagers, and even a couple of Greta's crew members. Paulina's crew, Rolph thought to himself. He wondered how the death of the Admiral would change things. For him, for Morrow, for Luna. For the mission and the Republic.

He found his bedding in a tent occupied mostly by his own men. He was asleep before he could even think of sleeping.

 

[HumanBean]

Post deleted. Going a different way.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Flier, Paulina's boat
Anchor off Smuggler's Village
The next morning:

Paulina was awoken before sunrise by a crew member reporting that they had a visitor. She dressed and went topside to find Olivia climbing the ladder from a small boat rowed out from the shore. She greeted the woman, only to peek past her to see the girl from The Nurva, Kim.

"What's this?" Paulina asked curiously. "It's kind of early for breakfast. And honestly, our cook isn't really--"

"We need you to take us to The Nurva," Olivia cut in.

Paulina laughed, saying, "The Nurva? We're not going to The Nurva. We're going to--"

She stopped short of naming their destination once they departed Smugglers Village. To her knowledge, the were only five living people who knew about the plot to ensure that Lady Imogen became the Heir Apparent to the Throne of the Frenkish Empire: Lady Imogen herself; Queen Luna, who'd initiated the plot; Lord Morrow, who would be the one getting his hands bloody, from what Paulina had learned of him; Lord Rolph, whose part in the conspiracy was unknown to Paulina, and Philip, who wasn't a Noble but -- in Paulina's opinion -- deserved the title of Lord and had apparently befriended Lady Imogen enough to earn a place at her side as her personal Bodyguard once this mission was concluded.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Flier, Paulina's boat
Anchor off Smuggler's Village

Sunrise:



Rolph Morrow Greta

Philip.

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Flier, Paulina's boat
Anchor off Smuggler's Village
The next morning:

Philip was just arriving at the top of the ladder from the skiff to The Flier as Paulina was laughing and saying to Olivia, "The Nurva? We're not going to The Nurva. We're going to--"

"We're hoping that you will be willing to accept a new destination, Captain Paulina," Philip said as she caught sight of him nearing her. "I've discussed this with Lord Rolph, and he agrees that we should return Kim to The Nurva."

Philip gestured Paulina to turn away from the other two women. He told her quietly, "They are not aware of why we were heading for Frenkish territory. Lord Rolph and I feel that it would be better to keep that to as few people as are absolutely necessary. But Lord Rolph agrees with me that it is important to return Kim to her homeland."

They spoke more about the spooky way Kim was able to identify Philip and then speak of Greta after she'd already been killed. There were simply too many questions that needed answers. Plus, Philip felt somewhat responsible for the girl, having come from his adopted homeland.

"I can't make you do this, Captain," Philip said. "But I feel that it could be important to the Republic if this girl was returned home as soon as possible.

They spoke some more, particularly about payment for the survice of the boat or boats and the payment required.