Starring:
Date: July 31, 2013
Summary:
Sakuryu makes a sacrifice to the sea to calm her (the sea) down so they can continue their journey.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Journey of the Unproven Princess - Sacrifice"
Frozen North Sea (north of Kirigakure)
The sea was calm the day the ship was finally fixed and pushed back into the water. All hands were on deck to get the vessel floating again. As you might imagine, heaving a huuuge amount of wood into the ocean, whose waves only push the buoyant ship back onto the land mind you, isn't exactly easy. Still, the crew prevailed and the ship actually stayed afloat.
The sea has changed though. It is no longer calm. In fact, the Captain can be heard saying, "The booming swells are 10 meters (30 feetish) high," making the boat rock back and forth a sizeable amount. The Captain turns to the crew and says, "Non-essential crew, get below deck. And get Sakuryu out here…she needs to experience this." Even some of the veteran crew members are getting sick below deck. What fun.
Sakuryu has her eyes closed and got the brilliant idea to balance herself with waterwalking to try and keep herself somewhat more stable. As she hears the captains bark she sighs and goes above deck, calming her breathing as she climbs out. "I thought I was to stay below deck so I don't get spotted?" She asks with little blehs and ughs when the ship pitches and yaws.
Sakuryu looks around with a casting eye. "Are you sure we're heading towards them? The rumors stated they're based in the high north seas… are they supposed to be so tumulous?" She asks before gripping firmly against the mast.
With the waters as choppy as they are, the horizon gets obscured with each wave valley. Waters splash all over the place, and the sky is dark. It isn't raining yet…yet. The Captain laughs a bit at Saku's question about being 'spotted', "With the sea this rough, few will be out here, and even fewer will be above deck." The Captain points down to the compass as it points to North and leaves it at that. "The sea doesn't give a ship about what it is supposed to be. She is what she is…and right now she seems tided off at something."
As the Captain says this much, a gust of water comes up over the side of the boat and smashes into the Captain and Sakuryu. The Captain holds fast to the rail, not only a veteran, but a veteran of veterans…and looks back to see if Sakuryu is still there. "We normally give a sacrifice to the sea in times like this. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. Seeing as this is your quest, maybe she's waved that you haven't sacrificed anything to her yet. What do you have to sacrifice?"
Sakuryu scowls to the captain as she has to quickly tie herself into the mooring. "I see that, maybe she's angry about those who abuse and try to usurp the noble name of the shirayuki clan!" She huffs and takes on the next wave with a sigh, shaking out the heavy sea water with a splutter. "I brought nothing with me beyond my heritage, name and skill."
The Captain laughs, "The sea cares not for clans. She'll swallow a Shirayuki just as likely as she would a Hozuki." The Captain eyes the mooring but says nothing about it. Instead, he continues to talk, "And what exactly do you think the original sea-farers had with them? Treasure? No, that was all earned over time. They had only their crew, no name…and their skills, but you forgot one thing…their blood." The Captain has a salty gleam in his eyes, "Blood is the only true sacrifice anyway."
Sakuryu looks up at the captain. "You're a madman, You expect me to bleed myself to this twisted ocean in a place with no medicine or wary traveler with antiseptic?" She asks as she holds the ropes, feeling the next wave crash over her. "Just get us through this story, I know the history of the sea, it's passed down among our clan to let us know its power!"
The Captain shakes his head, "I've been called many a thing in my time…madman quite often in fact. Still, I am here, as the Captain of this ship, while many who called me names are fish food." The man shrugs his shoulders before stating, "It is okay if you are afraid. You wouldn't be the first to be afraid of dealing with life out on the sea. It is one thing to have heard the stories, but an incredibly different thing to live out here away from land, away from safety nets. You can do whatever you want, but if the sea takes you with these swells, then you only have yourself to blame. I'll get you through this, but feel free to head below deck."
Sakuryu sighs and looks around in the crashing swells as she debates his word. "What do you want me to do?" She decides she might as well ask, she still had the option of going below deck even after he makes a mad proclamation
The Captain produces a harpoon from somewhere (it is big so where he had it…who knows), but he throws it down on the deck. "Cut your arm, feed the sea your blood, wrap your arm up. Give her however much you think you can afford. We'll see if she is happy with it. Like I said though, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." He doesn't say that when the sacrifice doesn't work, the Captain usually blames the sacrificee for not giving enough blood.
The Captain smirks, "Normally we try to get the blood into the water…not across the deck, but I'm sure the waves will wash it over-board." The man picks up the harpoon and places it back wherever he found it before looking back at the wheel. The water dips in front of the boat as the Captain turns the ship into the waves some more to make sure the waves do indeed sweep over the deck. He calls out, "Hold on," and here comes the water…swooosh.
Sakuryu looks like a soaked cat at this point, her eyes are drooping her hair is slack and soaked, her clothes though already a drab merchants outfit still covered in sea salt and wretched air. "When will we arrive there? How did you even find the directions?" She asks in a quite annoyed tone, her body swaying as her light weight doesn't quite work with the body anchor the more heavy sailors do with their waist moored to the decks.
The Captain laughs, "We'll get there when we get there. If your sacrifice worked, we'll hopefully get there sooner rather than later…but it all depends on how angry the sea remains." Directions? What directions. The Captain blinks at that question and says, "You think navigating the sea is like navigating on land. Those we seek don't remain in one place, so we simply try to go where they were last seen. I got the directions from others who feared my name. If they were wise, they'll have spoken true, if not, I'll take their tongues next time I see them. I have a lovely tongue collection in my quarters if you care to see it." That is said very matter of factly.
Sakuryu peers at the captain…. he seems to have become a little…touched in the head since their last altercation…and he seems a bit more….on the pirate side. "Captain. Can you recite your rank and mooring title again?" She asks just to make sure this is the same man that was hired on by asking for nonsense.
The Captain is feeling salty with the sea as rough as it is. Taking too many waves to the head will do that. When she asks her questions, he eyes her and states, "Get below deck or shut yer sea-hole. I'm about to turn this boat into the wave and steer us out of this as much as I can." And so he does and thinks calm down a little except for the going up and down the watery mountains…
A little while later, the seas start to get more calm (we're talking an hour or two time skip), and the Captain eyes Sakuryu, "I guess maybe the sea accepted your sacrifice to a degree." Was that approval in his voice?
The Captain is feeling salty with the sea as rough as it is. Taking too many waves to the head will do that. When she asks her questions, he eyes her and states, "Get below deck or shut yer sea-hole. I'm about to turn this boat into the wave and steer us out of this as much as I can." And so he does and thinks calm down a little except for the going up and down the watery mountains…
A little while later, the seas start to get more calm (we're talking an hour or two time skip), and the Captain eyes Sakuryu, "I guess maybe the sea accepted your sacrifice to a degree." Was that approval in his voice?
Saku goes below deck to dry out and clean herself the best she can on this ship as she waits for the captains call of land or ship. "Well i hope it likes it if i get an infection" she says and recleans her wounds"
