S:3 PLEASE CAPTAIN, PLEEEEEAAASE!!

The wind ran quickly through the boughs and sails of the ship as the group spoke and reviewed the plan for the massive floating city full of merchants. The young Demi-Human leaned into the wind between her horns while she cuddled and scratched the large behemoth of a dog who reveled in her affection. Without the aid of hands the massive animal bumped and leaned into Morrigan, letting his tongue smack against her peach fuzzed cheek. She faked a wince and scratched his ears to "retaliate", the conversation everyone was having breezed past them, only receiving small pieces of information. ".....merchants.....Undine........something something.....fighting outlawed.." The captains words broke though with the last phrase. Artemis nuzzled into Morrigan's neck as she heard the captain say no fighting, she rolled her eyes and immediately looked dejected, "Ugggh so dumb.." The words escaped the flashy dressed gazelle like human, which brought her some attention. Anaxa, who towered over Orri's crouched form, while the Captain met her eye to eye. The dark green of the Captain's skin seemed to take on a harder hue as her eyes looked deep into Orri's, "Something to add QuarterMaster....It's the fact fighting is not allowed isn't it? You know the drill, I need not remind you to control your urges?" Anaxa giggled at the stern yet affectionate tone the Captain directed toward Orri, "No, I know..... I'm excited for all the new fabrics and colors that man might have!" The excitement bubbled up into Morrigan's entire body, as her mind filled with future dresses and clothes she could craft with Amarabi's wares! The Demi-Human's expression lit up as her mind wandered far away again, the Captain shook her head realizing that Orri had mentally left and was going to be fine.
 
The group looked to the far off shadow growing in the distance, finally the floating city was in view. They all fell silent looking on for a moment, then Calliope approached the Captain, "Captain, there is fabric and many distractions for Orri to focus on. I have even heard there is a Barnacle and Noble there! We can all find some books and scrolls." The Captain nodded appreciatively.
 
The screeching of hundreds of birds knocked out most other noise as the ship bumped into the wooden dock, a few dock hands jumped into action by throwing and catching ropes. A younger tanned and toned apprentice dockhand was nearly scared off his position at the edge of the dock by the instant presence of Morrigan. She had jumped from her crow's nest and landed right behind him so softly that he didn't notice at all. He turned and found her right in front of him, "WHOA!! LADY!" He yelled to himself. As he was about to recover, a massive four legged creature manifested out of thin air beside her and barked happily to him. He grabbed his chest and immediately fell backwards into the seas. "Oh, he was cute...must have been warm and had to jump into the water to cool off." She said calmly as Artemis let out a series of barks. Morrigan looked at him blushing a little, "He thought I was so cute he jumped in?! Come on Artemis." Her face still a little pink, she followed behind the group as they walked toward the city proper.
 
The crew of the mighty Hive follows a direct course to Amarabi's shop. Yet again, Morrigan's ears muffled whatever conversation was happening that did not involve the endless rolls of fabric and chi stones for sale. Then again, before all that she was swallowed by a whirlwind of fascination at what the sun kissed merchant was wearing. Gaia holds vast, if not endless, types of knowledge and areas of study, and in that head bursting list of study, Orri has a strong hold of maybe about two things on that list. Fighting and fabric seem far away in relevance but that not many choose what interests them, usually an interest chooses you. Naturally a better fighter, Orri was also a skilled and knowledgeable seamstress. She knew right away that people who can wear the colour purple have an uncountable amount of drachma.....well Orri thought many things were uncountable. As her faithful and loving puppy Artemis haggled and dealed with the crafty merchant while Orri greedily grabbed at all the fabric she could get her hands on. The merchant stood no chance of winning against the cunning pooch, thank god Artemis was clever and smart for Orri's sake. After all he was the one who counted out her coins into separate bags and amounts so all she had to do was grab a bag and hand it over.
 
Years ago in their home town Morrigan would often just grab a random handful of coin and hand it over in hopes it was the right amount. Never was this more evident than on a rare cool day in the island village of Talon, a wily trader came to town with silks and fabric rolls. Orri was excited to work with new materials and the trader saw a sucker right away. Artemis was young and inexperienced, and the trader knew to get them out of ear shot of the rest of the village, "Now my dear you are interested in silks, eh?"
Orri looked on with joy and excitedly exclaimed, "Oh yes of course, it's hard to get this far inland sometimes!"
"Since you seem so keen, if you purchase all the silk for about a hundred twenty gauld, and this roll for maybe sixty gauld, I can give you...." He pondered for a moments as Morrigan swiftly jotted the numbers down in her sketchbooks and attempted to add the sums.
"Hmmm ok a hundred and twenty pluuuuuuus sixty..." She trailed off so he could continue, he saw she was young and excited, so he turned off his cut throat trader attitude and decided to be generous. She seemed sweet and had an aura about her.
"Alright young lady how about I take about forty gauld off of everything." Raising his hands with the joy of doing something just and good. The act invigorated him and he felt one with his fellow man, a do gooder!.
Orri's face lit up and it gave the trader a sense of pride knowing how it made her feel.
"REALLY?! You're so nice!!" She started writing with her finger into the sketchbook doing the math, "Ok, one hundred forty.....sixty......plus this....minus that...HA! Here you go!" The young and....special demi-human handed the man, who now felt as though he had done something good for someone else, roughly four hundred gauld.........
"Thanks for the discount!" She said happily as the trader stood in stunned silence for what seemed like hours. His mind was first hit with her misunderstanding, then with his feeling of good, then his hand grabbing the four hundred, packing his cart up and heading immediately to the next village. With more haste than he thought he was capable of.
 
The memory passed through Artemis' brain as he vowed that day, it would never happen again. He learned the way of the merchant and spent his days protecting Morrigan's life and more importantly her money, something she had little care for.
 
He haggled with good old Amarabi, and watched like a hawk as he counted out Morrigan's separated bags of drachma for all the fabric she purchased. Satisfied with this, he lovingly returned to her side and then wandered into the city proper, where upon Callipoe saw Barnacle and Noble at the end of the block, "Hey guys the book store is.." Before the sorcerer could finish the sentence Morrigan sped like the wind and was already at the door and inside. Her mind frantic in finding new stories of love and romance. She grabbed an arm full of scrolls and purchased them hastily, Artemis right behind her as he reached into his saddle bags and gave the store owner a small bag of drachma, Morrigan was walking toward the door with a scroll half open before Artemis was finished. The owner looked skeptical as she placed some smaller coins back into the bag and handed it to a large dog with a look of resignation on his furry face.
 
The scroll took up most of Morrigan's vision while she lost herself in a compelling tale of love, a young man named Orpheus who played the most beautiful music, music he learned from the gods! Orri sighed to herelf as she read on when the man named Orpheus met an enchanting beauty named Eurydice. As their beautiful tale of love captivated the Quartermaster, she reached out for Calliope's long flowing sleeve and was lead like a child as they continued into the city. The next few hours were a blur of love and romance as Morrigan was following along with whatever the crew of the Hive was doing. Muffled and familiar voices occasionally reached her ears but the words never met their mark, as Orri continued to read.
 
She and Calliope found themselves, Morrigan found herself there, Calliope had lead them to the docks. The conversations became less muffled as the "Blade of Ifrit" was mentioned. Orri was thrust from the spell of a musical love story, "The strong guy?!" Orri exclaimed. Calliope was surprised as Morrigan came back to reality. "Where is he? Can we fight him?" She bombarded the dockhand from earlier with questions, and he eventually let it slip where their target is rumored to be, "He should be about twenty leagues that way North, in the Serpents Row, and treacherous archipelago of rapids and dangers. You.." He tried to finish when Orri interrupted, "YES! Can we go!! I gotta find the Captain! We can set sail NOW!! I mean the ship is like..RIGHT THERE!" She points quickly. Calliope opens her mouth to remind Morrigan she might be able to ask the Captain, as she turns she sees Orri visage waver slightly and she slowly vanishes. Orri sped away with all her ability and was long gone back into the city.
 
"I have something REALLY important to ask you!" Morrigan tried her best to stay calm as she pleaded with the Captain. "...Captain? is it you?" She peered closer. The poor rat looked back into the demi-humans eyes with shock, as she held the little creature in both hands. She sighs and puts the little rat back down, "It's not you is it? Oh maybe there!!" Suddenly Morrigan leaps up into the sky and approaches a seagull in mid air, "Captain listen I just want to ask....." Her voice trails off as she descends mid jump. She gently touches down on the ground and repeats her leap action and comes face to face with the gull once again, "...ask you I found out where the crazy......." She lands again and leaps once more, as she reaches the flying creature it stares at her in fear and then notices some jerky sticking out of her blouse, "....You're not the Captain are you...HEY!! MY EMERGENCY JERKY!!!" The gull snatches it away as Morrigan descends once more. She gently lands and drops to her knees, "NOOOO! oooo wait!" She notices a larger furry creature standing in front of a shop, speeding across the way to meet it head on, "CAPTAIN, I've been looking for you." The large creature stands stoic, it seems to be completely still. "Captain? Is it not you?" Still no movement. A passing woman carrying a basket stares at her as she walks by, "Nice stuffed bear, right?" She says nervously at the apparent crazy person, "Are you ok sweety?" Orri met the woman's gaze, "A stuffed bea....oh. Yeah I'm ok... THAT DOG!!" Orri points with excitement and dashes off after the dog down the street. Anaxa looks on in astonishment at the spectacle that is her speedy companion.
 
The next few hours animal after animal are interrogated and accosted by the well meaning, simple, fighting addict. Time is running out, they had to get to the Serpents Row to catch this strong opponent so Morrigan could challenge him and see how she has progressed, to get out of this fighting prohibitionist hell!
 
She will have to come up with a plan....or learn to drive the ship herself.