Welcome to Gaia! ::

The harsh sea wind tossed Aeglin's dark hair about him and into his face. It obscured his vision slightly, but he paid no attention to it. He didn't need to see perfectly in order to know where they were headed. Aeglin had been sailing the same seas for centuries. He knew them well, from wind and sea currents to weather patterns and each island. He knew where and how to find everything he and his crew needed.

It was getting harder, though. Aeglin's ship had become legend among the communities that now lived on the islands. He had to hide his identity and send only his crew to land to collect supplies. He had to pay for those supplies now. He could not longer make landfall to hunt and gather water and wood for repairs.

The captain turned around, wind wiping his hair out of his face and kicking it out behind him. Far behind his own ship he could see the smaller, darker form of another. He was certain no one else on his crew could see the ship, with how far it was. It was for this reason he had not mentioned it as of yet. But if that other ship continued to follow him them, staying just out of sight, as it had for the past few days he would be forced to tell the others. That other ship might even catch up to them at this next island. Aeglin would have skipped this stop, but he didn't have much choice. They were running out of water and food. They needed to restock, and Aeglin just hoped they could do so before the other ship caught up with them.

Frowning to himself, he turned away before any of his crew could catch his backward stare and grow suspicious. He did not want them to get worried for now reason, especially if this turned out to be nothing. Still, he would stay on guard, in case it was something after all.

Aeglin's ship and crew had become something of a legend over the years. It started because their ship had no name, and so could not be tracked easily from port to port. Other legends had sprung up out of rumors. Rumors that Aeglin himself was immortal, that the ship was cursed; a ghost ship. Of course, none were true, but that didn't stop the treasure and bounty hunters from following them relentlessly.

As Aeglin turned back to his crew his hair was pushed back into his face again and he pushed it away in annoyance only to have the wind throw it back again. Those of his crew who were closer to him often asked him why he kept his hair so long. None of them truly understood the significance of the braids and beads that decorated his long locks. Only another of his kind would understand the meaning, but that did not matter to him. Besides, it was rather amusing to watch some of the crew attempt to copy him.

The captain left his place at the aft of the ship and hopped back down onto the main deck. Everywhere his crew were going about their chores with no idea that anything might be wrong. That was good.

As he walked through the men his eyes fell on the newest member. Krei, he though his name was. It was clear the man did not have any experience on a ship before, which meant he had lied his way aboard. Aeglin's first mate knew better than to hire anyone inexperienced. And from what he had heard the new deckhand had spent most of the morning every morning below deck being ill.

Aeglin would give him until the next major port to prove himself before throwing him off the ship.

((Don't take this the wrong way, but it feels like you just wrote about something taking place over a long time, but there are rather pressing matters going on in the present that can't be skipped. ie: possible pursuers, needing more supplies. It's hard to address these matters if you've just fast forwarded us.))

(Ah, alright. I was just confused. It doesn't sound as though you are speaking in the past, that's all. You might want to make it a little more clear. Little things like 'Krei had worked hard...' make a world of difference. They turn present into past.)

Aeglin was not blind to the stares sent his way by the new crewman. Being one of the last of his kind in this realm he was not unused to such looks. After all he was a rare breed. And he was confident that they would fade over time.

Taking his eyes off the deckhand as he passed he continued on his way toward the helm. He would have to keep an eye on that new crewman and the ship on the horizon. It would be just his luck that they ended up being connected.

Relieving the helmsman, Aeglin took hold of the wheel himself and adjusted their course a tiny bit so they would reach that island sooner. Maybe only by a matter of hours, but in some cases that was all that was needed.

(It's alright.)

The wind was in their favor at least, Aeglin thought to himself as he stared ahead, straining to see the shape of that island on the horizon. He knew there was no way even he could see it right now, but it would have made him feel better about that ship on their tail if he knew they were almost at their destination.

But there was no sign of it, only ocean as far as the eye could see. With a sigh he handed the wheel back over to the helmsman, likely the only other person on board who understood what his small adjustment meant, and returned to his post astern to keep an eye on their pursuers.

Aeglin swung himself up onto the railing at the back of the ship. He perched there with the perfect balance that only an Elf could have, one hand on the rigging the other on the railing beside him as he sat. Anyone else would risk falling if they were to sit like this in wind as strong as they were in right now.

Krei watched as the First Mate walked passed him. He made sure that the pirate officer wouldn't slip or trip due to the water and bucket near the stow-away prince. He sighed and glared at the stain. This thing's never coming out! he thought incrediously to himself. He didn't state that though, that could be bad.

As Solaris walked towards the captain and started to speak to him, Krei couldn't help himself but try to over hear. The wind was in his favor at least, even though they weren't talking all that loud. He heard the words, so that was all that mattered.