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Feb 21, 2021 19:49:37 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 21, 2021 19:49:37 GMT -5
flor c:
Rose was settling nicely into life on Mars's ship. She was aware that she had stirred up some mystery and allure to herself among the other sailors, which she enjoyed. Not many pirate's ships had a tall, cloudy-eyed blind fairy who responded to things that were thought rather than said.
She was also aware she was sort of Mars's collectible play thing, a strong mind fairy with powers that could potentially be strengthened through training with another of her kind. She was his lie detector, his occasionally deadpan and often amused assistant.
Now there was a new mind on the ship. Mars introduced him to the group as Wes, a former friend who would be joining them. Apparently Mars had not told Wes that Rose could read thoughts, as she noticed that he checked out both herself and the other woman aboard, Elise, with no reserve. It was pretty funny, actually, and she didn't expect it to take long for him to approach her.
It didn't. Rose was by herself that evening, sitting on a spare box near the edge of the ship as they set out. She couldn't see the waves, but she enjoyed the wind and the smell of salt and the opportunity to be alone. She could sense Wes approaching, hear the unique cadence of his thoughts as he drew close, but she didn't say anything. If he didn't know she could read minds, it would be fun to mess with him. It wasn't until he made an audible noise that she turned to him, blinking her unseeing eyes in his direction. "Mars?" She asked, faux innocence coloring her tone.
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Feb 21, 2021 21:24:36 GMT -5
Post by flor on Feb 21, 2021 21:24:36 GMT -5
Mars was spoiling him. Westerly's last crew had been all men, which hadn't been without its own fun, but he missed the company of women when he was at sea nevertheless. This ship, however, brought a welcome change of having not one but two ladies aboard. It really had been a stroke of luck for him to run into his old friend in Musa.
"Nah, love, not Mars," said Wes, flashing her one of his trademark devilish grins, never mind that she wouldn't be able to appreciate it. "I'm Wes. Mars brought me on to be the ship's resident hottie, but I guess you'll have to take my word for that," he said, almost punctuating his line with a wink before remembering that it would be lost on her.
Grasping the neck of a half-empty bottle of wine that he had procured from somewhere loosely in his hand, he leant against the railing of the ship, feeling the salt-laden breeze whisper through his hair. It felt good to be back at sea. He had spent so much of his lifetime on the waves that it felt unnatural to walk on solid land, where the ground stayed still rather than swaying with every wave they passed over like the decks of a boat did.
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Feb 21, 2021 22:11:14 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 21, 2021 22:11:14 GMT -5
Rose was used to the thoughts of men- often lewd, usually superficial in nature. She didn't really mind what they thought about her- though she was quick to rebuff them if they approached her- but something irked her when they thought of Elise that way. That was the general consensus in the thoughts of the pirates; they thought both girls were attractive, but they more often oogled Elise, even if she was a mother chasing after a rambunctious ten year old child.
Ranking below Elise in appearance didn't bother Rose, since she had no time for petty things like physical attraction, but she knew the inner workings of Elise's mind- that she was a burdened, lonely mother concerned for her son and for his future. Rose felt the flash of annoyance when any man looked in her direction and did not see the soul beneath the appearance.
At least Wes was approaching her, and not the overworked woman. "Resident hottie, huh?" She asked, mouth twitching in amusement. "I will have to take your word for that. I've no concept of what people find attractive. Comes with the territory of never seeing anyone." She motioned towards her foggy eyes absently. "Glad to be back on the open ocean?" She asked coyly, referencing his thoughts in such a way that it would come off as coincidence.
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Feb 21, 2021 22:53:07 GMT -5
Post by flor on Feb 21, 2021 22:53:07 GMT -5
Wes liked instant gratification. There were few things he cared enough to chase when they did not yield immediate results, and romance was very rarely one of them. He might try it on with Elise if he ever found himself alone with her, but he wasn't going to chase a woman who clearly had other things on her mind. Besides, he had dated a woman with kids before and it hadn't ended very well, although to be fair that had more to do with her husband than the children.
"Well trust me, I am very attractive," Wes assured her. "No matter what Mars says. He's just jealous," he said, his tone light and playful. "As are you, of course."
His gaze flitted over her and then back to the ocean, his flirtatious grin replaced with a less manufactured smile as he surveyed the waves. "I'm always glad to be at sea," he said. "Ain't a man or woman alive who can hold a candle to the beauty of the waves. Shame you can't see them."
He moved to take a drag of his wine, and then paused midway. "Where are my manners? Would you like a drink, darlin'?" he asked, offering her the bottle.
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Feb 22, 2021 7:51:06 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 22, 2021 7:51:06 GMT -5
Rose was not placated by his compliment- she never was, when judged by a standard she could not even comprehend. Still, there seemed to be a more genuine edge to his thoughts when he spoke of the sea, and that caught her interest. She accepted the bottle, taking a long swig, before holding it back out for him to take.
"What draws you out to the ocean?" She asked, turning back to where the wind blew the strongest scent of salt. Rose could not see it, but she could sense it's vastness, and she had waded in the water before. "It can't just be the beauty."
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Feb 25, 2021 21:16:30 GMT -5
Post by flor on Feb 25, 2021 21:16:30 GMT -5
"A better question would be what draws me to dry land, and the answer is nothin'" said Wes truthfully. The ocean was home, and it always had been, ever since he was old enough to earn a place on his first ship, which had felt like heaven compared to what had passed for a home before. His childhood in Maline had been fractured with strife between what little family he had, and he had spent most of his time there finding every way to be as far from them as possible, but he could only walk so far. The sea could be unforgiving, and had taken its fair share from him over the years, but it still represented freedom.
He took the bottle back from Rose and took his own swig of the contents. "Besides, lot more pesky authorities on land. What's a girl like you doin' on a ship with the likes of us, anyway?" he asked, looking at her with curiosity. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to women sailin', but they tend to be a little rougher around the edges than you are."
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Feb 26, 2021 8:48:24 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 26, 2021 8:48:24 GMT -5
"I'm heading to Nyre with Mars," she said. "To look for a mentor. My powers are strong enough, but I never had any kind of training. It's all been intuitive with me."
Rose sensed the strife in his childhood, and could relate to it somewhat. The desire for freedom was also understandable. Underneath the jovial and flirtatious exterior, she found she didn't dislike Wes that much. It would still be fun to play with him, a little. "Do you have any powers?"
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Feb 28, 2021 23:41:42 GMT -5
Post by flor on Feb 28, 2021 23:41:42 GMT -5
"Just a humble air fairy," said Wes, raising his free hand to wave over a gentle breeze by way of demonstration. The salty air lifted Rose's hair for a brief second before he let it fall, the air he had coaxed into his will rejoining the gentle winds blowing of their own free will around them. "Can be pretty useful when you're on a ship that's at the mercy of a sail, though," he said.
"So you're looking for a mentor, huh?" he said, instinctively looking her over for signs of her powers that might have manifested physically. There were no charred lines stretching up her forearms to indicate a fire fairy, no webbed fingers that might indicate water, and she seemed too opaque to be a powerful air fairy - then again, not everyone presented with strong secondary characteristics. "Mind me askin' what powers you're lookin' to hone?"
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Mar 1, 2021 9:18:40 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Mar 1, 2021 9:18:40 GMT -5
"That does sound useful for a sailor." Rose enjoyed the brief breeze before tuning back into Wes's thoughts. "And no webbed fingers here- but don't lump me in with fire fairies like Ezra," Rose responded, though he hadn't spoken those thoughts aloud.
She turned her hazy gray eyes towards his direction, grinning faintly. The jolt of surprise others got when they realized she could hear their thoughts always amused her.
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Mar 2, 2021 0:51:40 GMT -5
Post by flor on Mar 2, 2021 0:51:40 GMT -5
"Okay, so not fire or water," he said, and then in an instant it clicked that she had responded to things he hadn't said out loud. "Oh, spirits, don't tell me you're a mind fairy," he said, feeling a flush rise in his cheeks as he immediately tried to clear of his mind of all thoughts that might be construed as disrespectful and suddenly found it impossible do anything except imagine what Rose looked like naked.
"Well, I apologize for anything distasteful you might've overheard," said Wes, the very distasteful, although actually quite pleasing as far as he was concerned - oh spirits, she can hear that too - thoughts he was having about Rose getting stronger every time he tried to quell them. Maybe I should save her the trouble and just jump overboard now, he thought, contemplating the waves so he didn't have to look at her and feed his imagination further.
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Mar 2, 2021 6:37:44 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Mar 2, 2021 6:37:44 GMT -5
Rose actually laughed, amused by the fluster he was in. "I'm quite used to it, actually. I should be the one apologizing. The mind is supposed to be a private place, and yet I'm unable to stop invading everyone's. And don't worry- you're far from the worst I've met."
Wes wasn't actually that bad, since he had the decency to be embarrassed. Not every man did. "It's actually not as bad as you might think," Rose said, taking the bottle back and taking another swig. "I can't visualize anything- my theory is that because I've never been able to see my brain can't comprehend images. So when you think about me naked, all I hear are words- 'Rose naked' or 'tit' or 'ass'- and although it makes you sound like a caveman, I can't see what you're thinking about."
Rose grinned up at him again, holding out the bottle. "Need another drink?"
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