[PRP] Trouble on the Horizon (Caliban & T'sal)

[DruidTigeress]

Masterharper

"Sorry.." he said again. And again, to all T'sal's complaints, kissing the side of his jaw, his cheek, his neck, more teasing than genuine now. "Though I'm sure you'll find some way to get me back." he added, almost a challenge. He certainly didn't mind being pulled down onto the bed along with him. For a moment, things were so good. Intoxicating, seemed to be the word to use. Just like wine.. But 'a moment' was too often all they had together.. And this one seemed determined to end too soon.


At the sound of thunder, Cal froze, listening. It could just be some distant heat lightning, perhaps, or a passing rainfall. But the second clap of thunder made it clear. His hand, looped around the other's neck, fell to the bed with a sigh. He sat up once T'sal had moved away, pulling his shirt back on. Storms and siblings -his sister used to joke- always had the worst timing. Disappointed though he was, his mind went straight to his ship, and to Zayinth who they'd left up there on the deck. "We better go check it out." he agreed. He didn't like the sound of that thunder, or how quickly the winds had changed, although this area was known for its unpredictable weather.

Meanwhile up above, with the first roll of thunder, the small firelizard squeaked anxiously and dove under the green dragon's large wing, shaking like a leaf. Big as a cave to someone her size, it seemed like the safest place for her to be right now. From here she could wait out the weather until her human arrived. He always seemed to know what to do. He could sort this nasty business out, surely...

Fortunately, he was never one to keep her waiting long. Emerging from the deck below, skilled eyes took in the situation quickly, from the darkening clouds to the wind-torn sails to the water lapping at the side of his ship. "This is bad." he concluded, not one to mince words. "This ship wasn't designed to be sailed by two." And T'sal barely counted as one. Granted, Cal did tend to keep his crew fairly sparse; only a ten or so on a ship usually sailed by twenty. But ten was still a far cry from two. Still, it's not like it had never been done before. There was a record of two men sailing a ship like this from Tillek to Ista by themselves, the other nineteen having died from illness. They only needed to sail it a few hundred yards. And besides.. they were two men and a dragon.

In any case, he wasn't resigning himself to anything yet. "Can Zayinth fly in this weather?" he asked. They needed to get to harbor, where the crescent shaped cliff edge protected the ships from the worst of the storm. But that was no small task on a windward shore. More immediately, the ship, now parallel to the incoming waves, was at risk of being capsized. He pointed towards the front of the deck. "If you drop the anchor, it'll right the ship with the wind." he explained. He would do it himself, but right now, he needed to furl these sails. And with heavy winds and treacherous ropes, that wasn't something he could ask T'sal to help with.

 

[Masterharper]

DruidTigeress

Feel free to assume both rider and dragon do whatever Cal needs in your next post. Pose 'em as necessary or desired.
T'sal will go drop that anchor -- hopfully it's straightforward enough to do--
and Zayinth is ready and able for anything.

The curses that ran through T'sal's head were both colorful and creative. He couldn't believe that after all this time apart, when he finally had the man alone, they would be interrupted by inclement weather. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and T'sal was not happy by the turn of events.

Stupid rain.
Stupid waves.
Stupid wind.

Ah, but this was Cal's livelihood, and the ship was in need of saving. He could curse the weather and his missed moment later. For now, he'd need to focus entirely on saving Caliban's baby. The Captain might not have been a dragonrider, but T'sal knew that this ship, along with its crew, was the most important thing to the seaman. That fact alone ebbed T'sal's annoyance and aggravation.

"Zayinth can fly in this," he confirmed. T'sal glanced at the ship, and almost winced as the rain started pelting the ship hard. It wasn't ideal, no, but the green was stronger than she looked. Dragons were capable of dealing with rougher winds higher up in the atmosphere, and T'sal was confident in his green's abilities. For now. He wouldn't be quite as sure if the storm's winds continued to increase.

The green dragon kept a protective wing partially unfurled for her smaller kin. Her eyes were still mostly blue, but the edges were stained yellow with worry. I will do what needs to be done. What do you need from me? The green spoke both to T'sal as well as Cal. While it was rare for the green to speak to others, she would take orders from T'sal's friend. He was a trustworthy man, and she believed he would not steer her wrong.

All the while she craned her neck down to give the little green fire-lizard a small nuzzle and croon of assurance. Surely, the small creature would find a more sturdy place to hide.

T'sal gave a nod and grunt when Cal ordered him over to the anchor. "Got it. Work with Zayinth if you need to, or communicate through her if necessary. She's more than willing to help, Cap'n. Between the three of us, what could possibly go wrong?" The man couldn't help but let his usual cheeky grin cross his features. He knew all to well the danger that they were in, but he wasn't going to let it bring them down. Nope. They'd get through this all right. It was just a little drop of rain, right?

The howling wind, and crack of thunder begged to differ.
 

[DruidTigeress]

Masterharper

As both men hurried across the deck, Darling made a break for Cal's arm, bolstered by the comforting nuzzle of the larger dragon. "You go on below deck now." he told the lizard, picturing the room in his mind. He'd have to trust that if things got any worse, she would make a break for it and take herself to shore. With another worried chirp, Darling turned her eyes around the deck, then disappeared between, allowing Cal to turn his attention back to the task at hand.

Thank you Zayinth. he replied, warmed by the thought that she trusted him enough to reach out in that way. "If you're up for it, we could use a tow later." he said, outlining the crux of his plan to both of them. Once the sails were furled, and the ship facing the right direction, it would be easier to have a dragon pull them into harbor.

Despite the situation, he couldn't help a smirk when T'sal called him 'Captain'. He clapped a hand on T'sal's arm briefly before the two of them broke apart, heading in different directions, a vague gesture of both comfort and gratitude. Perhaps only he knew how dangerous this situation might really be, but he was glad again that T'sal was a dragonrider and had the means to take themselves out danger if need be. While the other headed for the front of the ship, Cal started climbing the ropes up to the sails. Though he acted confident, the truth was it had been many turns since he'd done this sort of work himself. And a day like this wasn't exactly a good place to start. Moving slowly across the yardarm, he began to furl in the lower sail. The wind wasn't really a problem now, but it would be once the ship was facing the right direction. Which they would be just as soon as T'sal dropped the anchor..

It took a minute or two after the anchor was dropped to feel the effect. Though it was hard to tell from here, the wind had been slowly blowing the small ship out to sea. That was no real threat.. The bigger issue was that with the wind at their side, with each breaking wave, the ship was at risk of capsizing. But now that the anchor was stuck fast on the sea floor, once the line was taut, the same force pushed the ship around in an arc, until it was facing the wind. "Hold on!" Cal shouted over to T'sal, though he almost forgot to heed his own advice. The wood creaked as the ship began to turn and Cal had to grab onto the yardarm to keep from being thrown from the rigging.

A few minutes later and he managed to get the rest of the last sail furled. Only one was left, which he would need to steer in case his first plan didn't pan out. He dropped down onto the soaking deck, going over to join T'sal at the bow of the ship, who hopefully wasn't too freaked out by this point. His eyes moved from the coil of rope across the deck, to the hawsehole, to the dark waters far below it. Hmm.. This could be a problem

The anchor took three men and possibly a capstan in order to lift it. There was no way they would be able to pull it up in time. But he'd known that from the start, and it was no great loss. Anchors had to be cut all the time, when they got stuck on a reef or couldn't be retrieved in time. He could get Neri to bring a spare next time he saw her, or possibly recover it in calmer weather. The bigger issue was the rope. If they cut it off from here, they'd have to retie the line, and he didn't know if he had enough cable. Or enough time..

He already had an idea of how to fix the problem, but he had a feeling T'sal wouldn't like it. He started to chuckle as he shook his head. He really shouldn't be laughing.. This wasn't funny. But once he realized what he had to do, he couldn't help but find the whole thing kind of amusing. Grabbing the front of T'sal's shirt, he pulled the man in for another kiss. "Don't get mad if I do something crazy, okay?" he warned, shouting over the roar of the storm, just before vaulting the side of the ship and diving into the dark stormy water below.

This was, objectively, a terrible idea. He knew better than anyone how quick a stormy sea could whisk a man away. Still, it wasn't entirely mental either. He just had to keep hold of the rope. And pray that T'sal could pull him back up. When the momentum stopped carrying him further into the water, he righted himself and pulled out his knife. It was nearly impossible to see anything in this weather, but he fumbled around blindly until he found what he was looking for. Fortunately he hadn't drifted too far away. He sawed at the rope with his knife until he felt it break through to the other side. Then, keeping a hand by the line to orient himself, he started swimming upwards. Breaking through the surface of the water, he took a deep breath. Though he was slammed against the side of the ship by the waves, he managed to grab ahold of the rope again and started to pull himself back out of the water.
 

[Masterharper]

DruidTigeress

I assume this is what he's meant to do, haha.
My seafaring knowledge is pretty much 0 though I probably should do some research as you do.

T'sal was entirely out of his element. The rain was coming down hard in buckets, and the wind blew water and the spray of the ocean every direction. He had trouble seeing, and wasn't entirely sure what Cal was doing -- unfurling the sails, yes, but he didn't like the idea of the man scrambling at such heights in such weather. While this storm might be typical of the ocean, it wasn't normal for T'sal. He wasn't a sailor but a trader. Sure, he could handle roughing it on the mainland -- he'd spent Turns on the road before he Impressed, travelling all over Pern with a trader caravan. Sometimes he'd traveled via ship, but as a passenger only. He was not a seasoned sailor, and didn't know much about the waters, or the work that went into keeping the vessel afloat. He preferred the comforts of dry land, without risk of ones home sinking, or drowning.

This sudden storm reminded T'sal just how green he really was, and he might have cursed himself for it. Maybe he'd do better learning the ropes, but that wasn't going to help him now.

Thankfully, he had enough sense and knowledge to get the anchor dropped. Once it had, he turned back to try to see where Cal had gotten himself. There wasn't much to see, really, especially with the wind and rain. Faranth help him, he hadn't expected the weather to turn so quickly! While there had been darker clouds on the horizon, they hadn't looked particularly fierce. And yet, here they now were, in the middle of some gale!

T'sal barely heard Cal's call when the anchor seemed to finally do its bidding. The turn of the ship, along with the wet everything, did cause the man to slip a step, but he quickly grabbed the nearest support, and managed to keep himself right. Thunder and lightning continued to bellow its rage, and T'sal couldn't help but grimace. This was not the sort of date he'd had in mind when he'd come to pay Caliban a visit.

Standing in the wind and rain, T'sal's brows were knit as Cal returned. Zayinth's eyes glowed from where she remained in the center of the ship, unwilling to move in case her weight might trouble the ship further. The man was going to ask what next to do, when Cal began to laugh. This caused T'sal's brows to knit even further as he wondered what was so funny. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to ask. He was pulled into a sudden kiss, and before he had time to fully appreciate it, or even respond, Cal told him not to get mad and jumped overboard

Zayinth bellowed in alarm, her eyes suddenly tinged with white of terror, and the dragon had to keep herself from diving in after. T'sal ran to the side of the ship, trying to spot where the man might have gone. What was he thinking!? While T'sal trusted that Cal knew what he was doing -- he obviously wouldn't have jumped in without due cause -- the green rider felt his heart jump to his throat. Shaffit all!! "I think you and I have a different idea of crazy!" He shouted to the wind, glaring down at the water. For a few minutes he saw nothing, though Zayinth assured T'sal that she still felt him. That was good. It meant he was alive.

If he doesn't surface---

Do not worry mine. I will find him if I must. The green said with conviction. The dragon was a grand swimmer, and was certain that she could fish up the man even in such rough waters. Still, she was anxious for Cal's sake, despite trying to hide her alarm.

Thankfully, Cal did resurface. He was difficult to see amid the waves and water and spray, but T'sal could see him crawling up the rope. Leaning over, he gripped onto the rope, and heaved back, hoping to help pull the rope and Cal with it. Cal was too far down for him to grab him, though he wouldn't hesitate to send Zayinth after if he slipped. The green rider dug his boots in, and put himself to work, heaving back amid the storm, and hoping up on hope that Cal wouldn't slip or be washed away by the waves.

Strength, don't fail either of them now.
 

[DruidTigeress]

Masterharper

Lolol, who knows? I'm just winging it too xD I are not a real sailor.

Though the raging winds threw him against the hull several times, Cal was somehow able to keep a hold of the rope. While struggling to find a grip on the rain-slicked wood with his feet, putting one hand over the other on the rope with T’sal pulling him up from above, he was nonetheless able to get a hand up on the deck and scramble over the side of the ship. He fell onto his knees, exhausted, and took a moment to catch his breath. What little of his clothes weren't already soaked through from the rain were now dripping wet. "There. See? Nothing to worry about." he said between ragged breaths.

T’sal still seemed to be out of sorts, so he tried not to let it show, but there was a part of him that was loving this. As much as he enjoyed calm weather, sometimes it took a storm to make you really feel alive. With a crew of people whose lives he was responsible for, he'd forgotten how invigorating that used to be. When it was just you against the sea (he wasn’t too worried about T’sal, who had a dragon and could escape at any time) there was a kind of clarity in that. Adrenaline and endorphins fought for supremacy in his bloodstream. The high of doing something so dangerous and making it out alright made him giddy. But they weren’t out of the woods just yet..

Once he’d gotten his breath back, Cal pulled the rest of the rope up onto the boat and passed it to T'sal, climbing to his feet again. "Here. You know how to tie a rope?" he asked. He wasn't being facetious. Sailors made a study of knots, but he knew not every profession required the same. Unfortunately, he didn’t know dragons well enough to know what kind of thing would be easy or hard for them to hold onto. "Tie a loop that she can hold, but make sure she's able to let go of it it if needs be." The last thing he wanted was for Zayinth to get dragged down along with the ship if things went awry. He put a hand on T'sal's shoulder, back to serious for a second, "And listen to me; If you ever feel like it's too dangerous, or the weather gets to be too much, you two go between. A ship isn't worth a dragon. And I can steer her back to shore myself if I have to."
 

[Masterharper]

DruidTigeress

Go ahead and pose them however you need if you need to set them up for the next bit or whatever. xD

With Caliban back on the ship, T'sal was able to breathe a small sigh of relief. Perhaps later, when they weren't in the middle of a storm, he could consider how shaffing bad-a** Cal happened to be, and how fearless. The risk the man took was both sexy and appalling, and the poor man honestly wasn't sure if he should be impressed or not. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to consider it -- they were still right in the thick of things, and there was still much to do.

"Easy as bubbly pie, right," he replied, smirking at the man's smart-a** comment. Nothing to worry about... Well, he figured Cal knew what he was doing. Desperate times called for desperate measures He only wished he could be of more use. "Just a fair bit more wet."

Thankfully, T'sal did know how to tie a rope. Between his meetings with Cal both on and off the ship, his weyrling training actually came in handy for a change; he had learned to tie ropes and various knots back in is old classes. They had learned how to tie some different types for various tasks, and T'sal, as a trader, and sometimes entertainer, had also learned some rope work. He had a good idea of what Zayinth was gong to need to do to help them out here "Got it!" He wiped some rain out of his face and got to work in tying the loop. "Nothing like a bit of fun on the water, eh?" He spoke to now one in particular, bracing himself as another wave crashed against the side of he ship.

Looks like you're going to get to show off, my lady! He thought to Zayinth, who was still standing within the middle of the ship. She didn't dare move, not wanting to tip the ship one way or the other. Her eyes were a mix of blue-yellow; she was worried for heir situation, but not yet panicked. She was also quite certain that the sea Captain knew what hew as doing, and trusted him and her rider implicitly.

We will get through this. I am not afraid. She spoke calmly. For being in the midst of some trouble, she certain was keeping a cool head.

"We'll be fine." He did wish the bloody gale would sweep through already. But a glance at the skies showed that the storm was not going to cease anytime soon. The man had wished he'd paid more attention to the cloud coverage upon his arrival; maybe he would have noticed something. Alas, his focus had been on the sea and any passing ships. "Let's get this ship to safety, eh, Captain?" He'd finished tying the knot, prepared for whatever next needed to be done.  

[DruidTigeress]

Masterharper

Same to you!

Still breathing heavily, Cal was glad that T'sal was able to take control of things for a moment. He felt better now that they had a plan. He'd feel even better once T'sal and Zayinth were in the air and could jump to safety at a moment's notice. He took a second to take in their surroundings, the dark sky around them and the hammering rain, and to breathe in the scent of the churning sea. "I do love a summer storm." he confessed. "Though I generally prefer to enjoy them from the safety of the shore." He looked back at T'sal with a wry sympathetic smile. "Sorry. I know this isn't exactly your idea of a fun time."

Certainly it couldn't be what he imagined when he stopped by for a social call. Cal tended to downplay any danger he faced at sea once he returned home, not wanting to dwell on the negative or worry his friends. Though he imagined after this, that was going to be a lot harder.

By the time he caught his breath, T'sal had finished with the rope. He nodded to the dragon and rider gratefully. Though their presence on the ship caused him concern, he wasn't sure how he would have gotten through this without them. The fact that they had stuck around spoke volumes in itself. "Thank you Zayinth. You're very brave." he told the green with a smile, before turning to her rider. "Be careful." he said. He hated to even ask, knowing how precious Zayinth was to him, but he could really use their help.

He looked behind him to where the helm stood on a raised part of the deck. "I still need to steer the ship." he said. The pull of the rope could cause the ship to drift one direction or another, but for more precise steering he needed to be at the wheel. "You two provide the force and I'll do the rest. We'll be alright." he echoed. He didn't mean to be cocky. He knew more than anyone how quickly things could turn bad. But there was a reason he'd been doing this for nearly twenty turns now.

It shouldn't be too hard with Zayinth providing the thrust though. Not as hard as it would have been without her, anyway, where he have to come in from the side to catch the wind. Not that the bay's narrow opening provided easy sailing in a storm either way.. "Easy as pie." he repeated to himself when he was at the wheel, just waiting for the two to take off.  

[Masterharper]

DruidTigeress

T'sal was feeling a bit better now that Cal wasn't in the water. While he had no doubt the sea captain knew what he was doing, men going overboard was risky business. Even a land lubber like himself knew that! But, with Cal back on the ship, even with the storm clamoring around them, T'sal felt immensely better. His adrenaline was pumping, and he knew that Zayinth would have no trouble towing the boat. The water was rough, but his green was strong, and flying in bad weather wouldn't be an issue.

"Nothing to apologize for, s'just a bit of rain. Besides," he smirked at Cal, "You've yet to disappoint on that front. You're always good fun, even in the midst of a rainstorm. Thankfully, love, the nights not over yet."

With that,

Zayinth crooned kindly at Cal, and waited for her rider to mount. It didn't take more than a moment, and she made sure to grip the tow line tight. Her eyes were tinged with yellow, but she wasn't afraid. She could conquer this storm with her wings and her strength. With T'sal mounted, she gave a fighting dragon's bugle, and launched into the storm.

The howling wind and gusts did caused the green to fight; she didn't want to be whipped around or cause the boat harm. So it was, she did her best to fly as smoothly as she could. It wasn't as easy when she was towing the ship; the waves smacking the vessel one way or another, along with the win tryin to blow her off course, did demand her focus. T'sal, for his part, could only try to encourage his beloved to stay on course. It wasn't easy to see amid the bluster of sea foam and spray, but slowly, against the fight of the storm, they did make their way.

That's right, pet. You've got this. We've flown through worse! He assured. He could feel the strain on her wings, and the bite of the rope into her paws, but she didn't object or complain. No, she was focused; she could, and would do this, weather be damned. She was a fighting dragon, and if she could burn down Thread, she could surely fight a gale and tow in a ship. And she would!  

[DruidTigeress]

Masterharper

"Keep him safe.." Cal said to Zayinth as she took off, though he wasn't sure if the green could even hear him.

As Cal moved towards the helm, Darling darted out of the cabins below, diving under his shirt to escape the rain. She clung to his shoulder, her little head popping out of his shirt near his collar. She'd stayed below deck before to keep from getting in the way, but she wanted to make sure her human was alright. It just wouldn't do if he were to get hurt! "Hey there, little darling." Cal cooed to her, glad for the company now that he was alone again. She was a sweetheart.

Though Zayinth and T'sal were towing the boat, he still needed to steer the ship between the rocks that formed the narrow passage into the bay. It was a simple enough procedure in good weather, but the rain and the wind and the darkening sky did complicate things. Still, with Zayinth providing the forward momentum, it wasn't as hard a maneuver as it would have if he was alone. Or with a full crew even.. We make a good team. he thought, smiling frvilously. Of course, the idea that T'sal would ever join them on a mission was pure fantasy. But it was one that he was surprised to find himself having. Don't be silly. he reminded himself chidingly. He'd be lucky if he even got the city-dwelling trader back on a ship again after this.

Anyway, this was no time for daydreaming. The narrow passage into the bay was lined with sharp rocks that could impale a ship in better weather than this. With Zayinth and T'sal moving the ship in broad strokes, Cal focused on controlling the finer grain motion, steering clear of the shallow rocks that jutted out at various points. It was a tense few minutes, but after a short (that, granted, felt like hours), they were already past the worst of it. As they moved into the bay, the difference in weather was immediately noticeable, though not terribly dramatic. Rain still hammered the deck and the ship still swayed dangerously in the gale... But the waves were no longer battering the side of the ship, threatening it with capsizing. The wind was less here too, not pulling or pushing on them quite so hard.

Cal pushed his wet bangs back from his eyes, his attention going immediately to the dragon-rider pair. They didn't have an anchor or a line to moor the ship with, but he could always run it aground if he had to. It wasn't ideal, but a ship this size was small enough that he could get away with it. They would be alright... Just as long as Zayinth and T'sal were.