The wind blew gently across the deck of the Imyrian, filling her sails just enough so that the grand ship was gliding through the waves at a safe clip. Outside of the protective sphere which was maintained by the windkeepers, there was a howling sound, signs that a storm was brewing, yet for now the Imyrian would feel none of it. There was more activity than usual across the deck, with the windkeepers moving about to work in unison to maintain the magical shielding, and the deck hands scurrying to follow orders to shift the sails as needed.

"You are distracted, Aurre, how are we supposed to acomplish anything if you will not focus?" Mia'mielle had a frustrated look settled over her usually calm features, though even she felt the disturbance of the forces beyond the protective shell of magic. "Perhaps this isn't the best time to be working on forms, though you must learn to focus, as a Protector cannot chose when they must fight." Mia'mielle gestured about the deck, pointing to each of the women who stood at a ready, each one looking over their given domain. The Imyrian was a merchant ship, carrying the fine craftwork of the master artisans of the Quendi who inhabited the many islands Eastern Ocean. Every couple of months, the Imyrian would make her journey across the ocean, guided by the windkeepers and guarded by the Protectors, to bring exotic goods to Eä, giving the elves a rare chance to see the grand city of Lómëdor.

Given that pirates were a known danger when transporting the fine linens, tapestries, pottery and hand carved goods of wood and bone, amongst other things, the Imyrian was the perfect setting on which to train those who would one day become windkeepers and Protectors for other ships. Every couple of years, a Protector would take on an Initiate, allowing them to travel and learn in the setting they would soon find themselves in, should they be deemed worthy of the title of Protector themself. Aurre'lisha was Mia'mielle's first charge, and so far she'd proven to be a handful, though she definitely had begun to make progress.

"Go below to your quarters, take some time to yourself and get whatever is on your mind off of it, and return this evening to me to stand watch with..." Mia's words were washed away by the sound of crashing water, and a horrible sound that definitely meant trouble.

"KRAKEN!" The cry came from the Mistress of Winds, and instantly the magical energy that had protected the Imyrian from the wind was shifted to try to fend off the monstrous squid-like creature. Strong, stormy gusts of wind suddenly began to assault the Imyrian, nearly knocking about the crew of the ship, and blowing about anything that wasn't securely fastenened. "Initiates below, Protectors to your guard, windkeepers get this under control! For the Imyrian!"

Aurre'lisha looked to Mia as the older, elven woman waved her away, though she had no intentions of abandoning her mentor at a time like this. Aurre was trained with the twin blades, ready to advance, and in her own unseasoned mind, saw this as her big chance. She made a move to turn towards the stairs that would lead to the belly of the Imyrian, waiting for Mia to head to her post, and then Aurre turned back, drawing blth blades free of their places at her sides. Her left blade glittered with the blue gems that attuned her senses to the wind, while the right one, a slightly more curved weapon, glinted as lightning crashed through the sky overhead.

"Stand steady! We have incoming!" The shout was just enough of a warning for the Protectors and windkeepers to avoid the massive slimey limb. Kian'rielle stood at the center of the Protectors, as their leader, calling for the band to work in unison to attempt to defend the Imyrian from the monster's attacks. "Spears, on my call! Now! On her words, a wave of finely carved wooden spears, tipped in hardened bone flew forward at the great beast, striking it in a number of places, causing the great beast to rise in rage. "Down! Down NOW!"

The world suddenly spun. blue-gray eyes saw the sea, then the sky, over and over again the world rotated between water and stormy clouds. Aurre felt herself flying, the Imyrian fading off into the distance, the water coming closer rapidly. There was a loud splash, coupled with the crash of water all about her body, the salty flavor filling her mouth and invading her nose. She wanted to fight, her arms and legs fighting to pull herself back to the surface as the angry waters threatened to drag her below. Whens he did break the surface, it was just in time to hear a crash, screams and the sounds of wood splintering in many places. The Imyrian would not see the shores of Eä, and many of those on board would never see Lómëdor or their home again.

Water and sky began to fade into one big swirl of nothingness, and then the world simply went fuzzy and grew dark. Aurre'lisha simply floated along on the violent surface of the water, perhaps she too would never see home, never become a Protector, never serve aboard a ship. Perhaps if it weren't for whatever came up from below her and pushed her across the open water, that would have been true, but as it was, she soon found herself being woken by the sound of squeeks and chitters and the nudging of a small sea creature, who instantly bolted for the open sea once Aurre gave the first sign of being concious. Somewhere, not too far beneath her feet, there was sand, the sky was calm and blue, and the winds were long since left behind. North or south, she wasnt sure, but all guesses led her to believe she had somehow reached the Eastern Coast, and some semblance of safety.

The waves rolled and crashed and smashed, as waves in a storm tend to do. Coalescing, forming, tumbling, breaking. A perfect cycle. And amid it all was a small barrel. As each wave formed the barrel rose up higher and higher onto the crest, before tumbling amid the thunderous tumult down, down and back into the body of water below; the sea. Above the howling of the wind and the crashing of the waves and the patter of the rain was another sound. It went a little like this;

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We extort, we pilfer, we filch, and sack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Maraud and embezzle, and even high-jack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We burn up the city, we're really a fright,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

We're rascals, scoundrels, villans, and knaves,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho."

For a barrel to be making this racket is rather curious indeed. A curious barrel. The said barrel continued on its journey through the waves and the storm, with each rise and all coming a little nearer until eventually, as all flotsam and jetsam will, it drifted ashore.

Then the curious barrel did something that made it positively queer. It began to roll. Not back into the water, but sideways, along the beach. Until it hit a rock, that is.

"Ow!" said the barrel.

In actual fact the barrel said a lot more than just 'Ow', but there'd be no sense in writing that. Back to the barrel. From inside the barrel came the muffled sounds of movement. The barrel shuddered a moment, then lay still. A sword blade appeared in the lid of the barrel, cutting the edge of the sealed lid. It completed a full circle, then returned inside. A few more muffled sounds later, the lid fell away and man appeared, revealing that it was not such a queer barrel after all.

The mans name was Jack, or 'Captain' Jack if you please. In one hand he held an empty bottle, in the other, his sword. He wore and odd assortment of garments and a hat atop his hair. Hair which contained several dreadlocks and a ponytail. Captain Jack smiled. He had arrived.

Again.

Blast.

Muscles ached as Aurre'lisha struggled to right herself, putting the sand below her and trudging through the last length of salty water to bring herself to the shore. Without the support of the water, she simply collapsed, soaking wet clothes hanging on to skin, cloak tangled about her small frame. One hand moved from hip to hip, a frown forming on her face, as she realized her prized long sword had somehow been stolen by the sea. A gentle breeze blew in from the sea, and she could only feel it in a physical sense, causing a look of sadness to mask the features of the elf. On her other hip, the simple scimitar that her father had given her when she went off to study for acceptance as an Initiate still hung. Blue-gray eyes searched the surface of the water, as if she might miraculously catch sight of the gemmed blade, though she knew it was a futile effort.

Suddenly, as if the thought had struck her physically, Aurre'lisha was painfully reminded that she had lost much more than the gemmed long sword. She had lost her mentor, her classmates, and the crew that had just adopted her aboard the Imyrian for her first journey. With things in a different perspective, the thoughts of the lost blade faded away, leaving her feeling almost guilty for having thought of things in such a way. The other Initiates who had come aboard the Imyrian were much like the brothers and sisters Aurre had never grown up with. Through all of their training and hard work, bonds had been formed that would have remained in place even as they all made the rank of Protector and were assigned off to their own ships. Now they were gone, as was Mia'mielle, Kian'rielle and the quite possibly the entire crew of the Imyrian."Gods and Goddesses, please allow those who no longer walk with us to pass safely into their new home, guide them on their voyage." A tear or two slid slowly down the cheek of the elf, though she quickly willed them to stop as she realized that it was now her time to act. She couldn't remain on the shore forever, as her stomach reminded her, and she had only a rough idea of where she might go to find the grand city of Lómëdor.

"Ow!"

Aurre had just made it to her feet when she saw a peculiar looking barrel, and swore her mind was playing with her when she thought she heard it call out in discomfort. What came after the exclamation made Aurre tilt her head to the side slightly, but that was nothing compared to the fact that the blade of a sword them appeared, moving in a circular motion about the edge of the lid. Aurre's hand moved to her own curved blade, ready to draw it depending on what emerged with the removal of the lid. Once said lid was removed, the air was filled with quite the scent, perhaps alcohol mixed with a hint of grunge, and a man emerged. It was quite possible that he would find himself following the same line of thought, but she found the man to look quite... odd. His hair was in a style she had never seen, looking quite unclean at best description, and his clothes looked like, well, like he had been trapped in a barrel for quite the voyage. Still, Aurre knew she too probably looked like quite the drowned rat, given that she had just somehow pulled herself from the sea with nothing but her clothes, a drenched cloak and a blade.

So there they were, two strangers who ended up at the same point by different means, both looking like they had seen many a better day. What else was there to do when such circumstances presented themselves? Aurre slid her hand away from the hilt of the curved blade, mustering up a bit of a smile, and spoke up, "Hello?"

((Sorry for the shortness, but my computer ate my work :bite: ))

Jack’s body froze, every muscle locked exactly as it was. There was someone else there. He himself wasn’t supposed to be there, for pirates were not looked upon kindly by the coastguards and mercenaries that patrolled the shores near Lormedor. He turned quickly, his wet hair slapping him in the face as he did so and began to stagger toward the sound of the voice.

“’Ello luv.” He said, hoping that the voice was as female as he had guessed, “Tell me, what would one such as yourself, being none other than you are, unless you are other, in which case your disposition may be one in which if you are not as you are, be doing none other than the patrolling of some such beach as one might find, unless they could not find it, in this way?”

He wiped the hair from his eyes and face, taking a proper look at the bedraggled spectacle before him, gazing at every inch of her soaked body.

“Or perhaps you would prefer a nice chat?”

It was almost like a dream, or a nightmare, or a comedy playing out in her half hazed mind, as the man of sorts turned towards her. He looked as if he had spent days, or perhaps even weeks kept within the barrel from which he had just emerged, and drank more than his fair share along the way.

“’Ello luv.” Aurre tilted her head slightly at the odd sort of introduction, seeing as she had just met the man, though she was no longer amongst her own people, so perhaps this was simply common. “Tell me, what would one such as yourself, being none other than you are, unless you are other, in which case your disposition may be one in which if you are not as you are, be doing none other than the patrolling of some such beach as one might find, unless they could not find it, in this way?”

"I... ummm, yeah. There was a storm, and a kraken, the Imyrian, she... I don't believe she made it. I was thrown into the sea, and I'm not sure quite how I made it here, but I'm not.. patrolling." One hand crossed over to the other shoulder, rubbing it softly as if to try to dull the ache, and in some ways attempt to give a slight pinch to assure her mind that she really was having this conversation. It almost seemed unreal that she had just stated the loss of the Imyrian and the subsequent loss of her crew and all that was aboard it. Somehow stating those facts made the thought that this might possibly be a dream, or even a nightmare fade away, and caused reality to sink in, like a heavy anchor drawing her down into reality. What a harsh reality this new world was, seeing as these shores were possibly the start towards the discovery of her new home.

"I beg your pardon, but if I might ask in return, how is it that you've suddenly appeared on these same shores, and that you've done so from the insides of a barrel?" One eye was open a bit more than the other, giving her a mask of curiosity. Was it odd to ask such? For as many sea faring vessels as Aurre had seen, growing up on an island of elves who spent their lives coming and going on the water, she had never seen something as simple as a barrel used for travel, and honestly, it would be hard to imagine a barrel out on the open seas. Her mind was suddenly racing over the possibilities of such a simple mode of travel, and how one might direct it on the open seas, unless there were others with the powers of the windkeepers, males even, who could direct such a simple craft to do what the great vessels did.

Jack wiped his sodden, dripping hair from his eyes and face, willing it to lay back and out of his face. But as usual, it refused, blown about by the wind it whipped against the side of his face, sneaking into his mouth and eyes. Eventually he became tired of this, and turned to face the wind with his hair blowing out behind him. He vaguely registered the fact that the girl was talking. Ah yes, the girl. He turned to look at her and immediately received a mouthful of hair as a reward. As he spat it out he looked up and down her figure, taking in the slender, pale body, the dark hair and the gray-blue eyes.

"I... ummm, yeah. There was a storm, and a kraken, the Imyrian, she... I don't believe she made it. I was thrown into the sea, and I'm not sure quite how I made it here, but I'm not.. patrolling. I beg your pardon, but if I might ask in return, how is it that you've suddenly appeared on these same shores, and that you've done so from the insides of a barrel?"

Jack stood and considered the bedraggled woman for a moment, trying to discern any ill-intent. Quite clearly he failed to find any, as the next moment he was happily chatting.

"A Kraken says you? An ill fate says I. These are treacherous waters, be sure, but Kraken attacks are rare. Perchance there was a reason you were singled out by the wee beastie?" he paused for a moment, apparently lost in thought. The he remembered the question about the barrel. He considered that for a moment.

"Ah yes, the barrel. Well, a sorry tale to be sure, and not an easy voyage have I aboard it. Or, inside it, whichever. There was no suddenness about it though, this be the third time I've arrived on this same stretch of land. It seems to me to be impossible to escape the pull of this place, such as it is. Though a better craft may come in handy" he said, shooting the barrel a look of pure malice, "'tis not the most reliable of flotation or transportation devices."

Reason? Aurre stood there for a moment, probably with that slightly confused, and blank look that one would get when they are asked a question that could have a million and one, or simply no answer all at the same time. Her mind suddenly conjured up the image of the Imyrian as it was moving along through the waters, the wall of wind magic protecting her as she made her way in from the high seas. There it was again, a monster of great size, rising up over the side of the grand ship, threatening to take it under. Just as she had at that moment, she winced, as if struck again by the massive creature, her head even spinning ever so slightly before she shook it to free her mind of the image. "I can't say I would have any idea why a mindless monstrosity such as that would single out a ship. Perhaps it simply came after the first thing moving across its space, which sadly, happened to be the Imyrian."

She gave a soft sigh, her mind then registering just what sort of man was standing before her. Oh, what a sweet fruit the grand Imyrian might have been to him, a scruffy looking critter such as he who was standing there, having just emerged from a barrel. She'd only heard of such people, and now she was quite possible looking straight at one. "Yes, I'm sure it was purely the fact that we were invading the waters of the 'wee beastie'." Needless to say, there was a bit of sarcasm on her voice as she repeated his description of the monsterous thing that split the grand ship into pieces and sent her crew flying about.

"And no, I honestly could not see how you would figure a... vessel such as that would take you anywhere but floating on the waves back to the shore." That statement made, she simply chuckled a bit, any tension from the prior bit of conversation fading as the tables turned towards mocking his foolishness, rather than her inability to figure why a random sea creature would attack a vessel such as the one she had been aboard. "If I may ask though, just why are you so eager to be away from this shoreline? While it is not home for me, I see nothing quite so wrong about it." Elven curiosity, it was bound to show sooner or later, in large quantities, and she wasn't even going to bother with attempting to reign it in. Perhaps she could learn something by posing such a question to this new acquaintance.