[Kevas is standing outside his room looking entirely unamused, still covered in the dried bile and sludge that the humming man puked all over him. Half of his room has up and vanished. His bed, his drawers, just about everything are gone. All that's survived is a lonely table and his pack. At least he has that small blessing.]My room be missin'.
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She arches a brow as he continues, shaking her head although he can't see it. Her tone is gently reproving.]
Love, if you've been through even half of what I think you've been through, I will not take a bed from you. To say you won't be needing it, after returning from Carnival in any fashion .. nay, love.
[She has eased her shields since hearing from him, and she knows that his intentions are good. She smiles gently, and none of her words are mean or angry, a wave of compassion and appreciation threading through their bond. This also lets her pick up on just how tired he really is.]
The intent is appreciated, my love, but you will be in need of a good nights' rest as much as any of us if any of this is an indication of what is coming.
[She has been avoiding the elevators, so it's five floors up that she's got to take. Thankfully a few stairs won't kill the Herald and she's making good time. She continues speaking as she walks.]
Have you been told about the decks that are missing, Kevas?
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[Kevas remains waiting outside the room for her, with the key card Yuna gave him. He feels her through the bond and smiles, even if it is a tired one. Hearing her voice is making him quickly forget about that horrid humming in that tunnel. By the loa does he want to see her right now.]
Trust me, I be nor worse off den I was when dem birds attacked.
[He's doing his best to keep her from worrying. After all, he's relatively untouched from the journey into Carnival. Nothing like at the party when he was almost dead on his feet.]
Yeah, deck nine be gone...
[Along with half of Sergei's. All that alcohol gone just like that. Here's hoping deck eight is still intact, but it won't be the same. Sergei's was like a second home.]
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She won't feel better until she has him in her sites and under her hands; seeing was believing, after all.]
We shall figure out the details when I get there. I cannot believe that I will be much interested in remaining stationary while things are going to hell around us.
[Her foot comes down on a stair and it gives out beneath her. With a curse, she grabs for the railing, stabilizing herself while looking down at the open view to the level beneath her through the rotted hole in the floor. That .. would have been most unfortunate. When she speaks, her voice is tight, but she is quick to move again.]
Deck nine, eighteen and twenty are gone entirely. It is as if they have never been there to begin with. I was in Sergei's when the upper level simply .. vanished. Other parts of the ship are falling apart. Be wary of the stairs .. this section has begun to rot.
[She reaches deck eleven, getting off the stairs as quickly as she can to avoid a repeat performance. A quick glance up and down the hall shows no sign of Kevas, so she moves to the other side, spotting him several yards down the way. She is moving again, tension giving way to profound relief at the sight of him.
When she reaches his side, her hands move to his face, irregardless of any much that might be coating him. Her hands move over him as quickly as her eyes, reassuring herself that he is whole, if not weary and a mess all over. Only then does she find his red eyes with her hazel, holding them as relief fills their bond. Had Talia been worried? Hell yes she had.]
You found Mother?
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Aye, found her and saved her. Fuh all da good it did anyway.
[But as more of the boat seems to fall apart around them Kevas can't help but wonder if that's such a good thing. He's starting to worry that all he's done is help doom them all. Hopefully as Mother recovers the boat will too. If she recovers anyway.]
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She listens and tssks softly, fingers caressing his cheek lovingly.]
Beloved, you did all that you could and she is free from that place. This .. [She gestures around herself at the ship in general, encompassing all of it in the motion.] .. could have happened with or without your rescuing Mother. We have no way to know, so there is no sense in beating yourself up over it.
[Her thumb moves across his cheek again and she lifts on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. Her voice is soft when she speaks again.]
We will overcome this, Kevas. Mother will recover and we will safely reach our destination.
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Maybe joo be right.
[He returns her kiss before opening his eyes again and smiling at her. His love for her knows no bounds.]
Aye, we will. I'll not let dis be da end. We'll need to be more careful aftah dis.
[The fact that Sergei's disappeared and nearly took her with it worries him. All the alcohol in the world couldn't replace his Talia.]
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Amazing though her beloved is, she knows he is terribly stubborn and does not like to admit to his weaknesses. In this case, it is within her power to help him and so she shall, without any hesitation.
She makes a soft sound of ascent at his agreement, nodding once in return and smiling at him gently once his eyes open again. She'd not ask him about specifics he encountered in Carnival, knowing full well after the brief mental touch that it had not been a walk in the park. She gives a short nod as he comments that they will have to be more careful.]
Agreed .. I hate to say what many of us are thinking at this point, but we must prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
[One of her hands finds one of his and she squeezes it softly.]
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He squeezes back on her hand before leaning in and kissing her gently.]
I say fuh now dat be ouh best bet. Right now howevah, I just be hopin' fuh a bath and some clean clothes love.
[By now he's sure to have covered her with his grim as well.]
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However, the opportunity to soak with Kevas is one she will not pass up on. She tilts her head back and smiles up at him, nodding.]
Do you have any clothes in your pack, or shall I go and find you something appropriate?
[She'll walk to the ends of the earth for you, Kevas, a short trip to deck 12 is hardly any effort.]
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What I be wearin' be all I have.
[And it's all heavily coated with the humming man's bile. In fact the only thing that remains clean is his hat, which he went through pain staking efforts to keep clean. His quite proud of that to be honest.
He does not look forward to searching through those suitcases for something to wear. Being the only troll on the boat, he doesn't imagine that many of the clothes here and tailored to fit him.]
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Alright then .. let us get you and I tidied up and I'll take care of the rest. These hands have seen more than their share of washing in my lifetime.
[She picks up on just how much he'd rather avoid searching for suitable clothing and her thoughts brush his lightly. It's clear that she doesn't consider this at all a problem and no bother in the least.]
It would be far easier for me to take care of these than spend the next several hours looking for something that will fit you. AND, you will be far more comfortable in your own clothing than in anything we might happen to dig up in a search.
[She gives his hand a tug towards the room, intent on getting the both of them into a hot bath.]
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Talia my love, joo truly be my everytin'.
[There's no need for her to urge him as he happily follows her into the bathroom. Suddenly, everything he's been through now feels completely worth it.]
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She makes certain he's wrapped up warmly and gets their clothes hung up and drying before joining him. She curls up under the blankets, leaning in against his chest comfortably.
As he managed to keep his hat clean, he was lucky in that she wasn't forced to clean it with everything else. Her own had been safely stowed beneath the back of her shirt, luckily not lost to the disappearing room epidemic. Weapons propped near enough to reach at the bedside, she feels safe in relaxing just the slightest.
Her shields are loosened and and traces a finger along his chest, taking solace in his company and touch.]
Do you believe her recovery will heal the ship, Kevas?
[Her voice is soft and it's the first doubt she's voiced aloud, her gaze rising to meet his.]
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Kevas thinks about the question she asks him. It's not like that thought hasn't crossed his own mind. In fact, since they saved her, he's been thinking about it quite a bit. More and more he believes that she's the key to what's going on.]
I do. She will recovuh, dis boat will suhvive, and we will reach da Golden Shore.
[He looks into those hazel eyes and smiles.]
I'll fight tooth and nail to see dat we do, fuh joo and fuh dis family.
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The explanation made sense and she was certain there was some truth to it all. She was uncertain who had Mother now, but more than likely it was the crew and Captain. She was likely in the best hands she could be in, although clearly in poor shape if the ship was any indication.]
I pray we find her healed quickly, then ..
[She then smiles, the warmth returning in full as Kevas' own expression warms. She nods again, her hand pausing in the mindless tracing along his chest. She leans in against him, her head pillowed against his chest. She is silent for several seconds, taking comfort in the steady beat of his pulse beneath her cheek.]
And I will be right beside you, my blade and bow as much yours as mine. This place .. these people .. they are my family, too.
[By Haven if it didn't feel strange to say that about this damnable ship, but it was true. She'd have never met Vanyel or Remy .. Marco or Sarea or the others she'd befriended here. She'd have never met Kevas and found in him the match that saw her whole.
The thought brings a soft smile to her face and her tone is wry and bemused when she speaks.]
It feels strange to thank this damnable ship and its crew for anything, but I do ..
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She will. Dis boat may be run by fools and madmons but dey care 'bout dis boat.
[And that's all the good he's willing to say about them. Though it's not like he isn't thankful for his experiences. Even with all the bad, Kevas has all his sisters, a dear and trusted friend in Nel, and of course his Talia. He could not be more thankful for finding her. Feeling her warmth, he let's her feel his as well.]
I will not complain 'bout dat. My place be fuhevah by joor side. Where joo lay joor head be where I call home.
[The troll smiles happily at Talia. Unfortunately he can't bring himself to agree with her. He'll never thank the crew, only curse them. They took his daughter and brother from him. Kevas knows full well that he's done many horrible things, and if he's a monster, then these people are far worse. But Kevas quickly stops this dark train of thought, seeing it taking him places that he doesn't want to go. Instead he'll focus on what's right in front of him: a beautiful ladymon and the love of his life. That's something far more enjoyable to think about.]
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