S: 8 Speed Kills

The Triremes glided across the blue ocean in tandem, a budding fleet forming to the delight of now crowned Admiral. The Flag ship now dubbed The Scarlet Web lead the formation, a surprisingly well manned vessel littered with goblins performing endless tasks. Admiral Squeenifer watching over her crew as they made sure everything ran without a hitch. Quietly flitting beside the flag ship was the newest addition to the fleet, Captain Anaxa's ship The Python's Scale. Already fitting her personality, it was a model of order. Her new crew setting to their tasks, each with a coiled serpent around them in some fashion, they all looked ready to strike at any moment. Anaxa's military history coming into the forefront and bringing the vessel into a well oiled machine. Both Anaxa and Squeenifer stood proudly toward the bows of their trireme's nodding to each other in the understanding of command and being a captain. This moment of pride and understanding was shattered by the increasingly loud ruckus coming from the opposite side of the Scarlet Web.
 
Upon the starboard side of the Hive's flagship came a small bolt of lightning and increasing rhythmic noise. A familiar set of fingers plucked with magical speed across a stringed instrument, a kithar under the hands of a normal mortal could never produce such a cacophonous music. Combined with the serene novice voice of another captain, the second ship added to the Hive came into ear shot in a big way. Anaxa and Squeenifer shared a look and glanced over at the approaching Blazing Chariot, they both sighed at a floating den of chaos and disorder. A ship that stood out from the fleet in a boisterous and loud fashion. The deck was littered with movement, music, and merriment. Crates and barrels stacked up for people to sit and for the captain to jump and dance upon. One crate held Edea and Calliope, the former strumming with feeling upon her instrument as the latter danced will encouraging the spirits to form lightning to dance in the air above them. The crew stomping their feet and singing along to their captain as she made every attempt to endear herself to them.
 
From a distance the Admiral and Anaxa could not help but stare at a young woman dressed dramatically in bright red singing her heart out, "..nds blew up, her bow dipped down Oh blow, my bully boys, blow!" Her voice rang out into the air and her face lit up as the crew in unison sang out ,"HUH" in response to her verse. "Soon may the Wellerman come To bring us sugar and tea and rum One day, when the tonguing is done We'll take our leave and go!" She delighted as they all joined together for the verse as the young Captain danced around them, encouraging them to join her. She wanted to make them feel at home and to like her, and was happy that they knew this shanty. They grew louder and louder as they rolled in tandem with the fleet, only noticing toward the end of the song that her fellow captains were looking her way. She jumped back and forth on the deck looking over toward them smiling huge and waving with enthusiasm. Her joy and child like enjoyment of it all seemed infectious enough, Anaxa and Squeenifer wanted so much to be annoyed, but couldn't help but shake their heads and smile at her.
 
They were on their way to what was apparently Zephyra's old hideout, and after setting the course Morrigan's excitement for visiting her dear friend's old life, she set about ingratiating herself to her crew. Their first expedition as a fleet was a fun prospect and what fun things Zephyra might have in her old home made Orri's imagination race. A candy witch should have some amazing things lying around, all the wonderful type of things that Morrigan's parents did not give her a lot of. The captain of the Blazing Chariot had an accomplished chef of a mother and did not experience a lot of sweets. She usually preferred meat and savory dishes anyway, or was that mainly what she was forced to eat. The last few months is the most sugar she has had in years.
 
The crashes and sounds of things breaking echoed through the halls of their home, it had been going on for just over an hour. High pitched screams of joy and chaos reaching every hallway and room. Paintings broken and scattered across the floor, trophies of past adventures knocked over, decorations and memories in danger from the tempest. "Stop looking at that like it wasn't already broken!" A woman with lavender hair says in a firm voice to her blonde counterpart. The blonde woman looks up slowly to her and locks eyes, "As if that matters!! Completely Irrelevant. Look what you have done!" Her arms stretch out and she points with her entire wingspan at the destruction before them, the noises continuing in the background. A vibration resonated through the wall as yet another piece of debris falls from the ceiling in front of them. The woman with lavender hair grips the handle of her weapon tightly as he eyes waver and return to her wife's, "What I've done?! How would I have known thi.." Suddenly a blur flashes past them, faster than the eye could see. It sped past them toward a mug on the edge of a large wooden table, the mug and the blur vanished down the expansive hallway. "...this...would...happen....Oh shit she took the mug!!" Her eyes went wide as she noticed. The blonde woman looked irate and grabbed her love by the collar, "YOU LEFT IT ON THE TABLE!!?? You only let her have a sip and it caused this much damage!!" She stood up to be taller than the lavender haired woman, who now looked quite sheepish. "So not only did you let her have her first BAG of sweets! You let her take a sip of your coffee!?" She spoke down to her wife still crouched against the wall holding her weapon. The crouched woman stood slowly, her purplish hair getting in her eyes, "Alright, yes I did all those things, but she was being so sweet and cute, I thought just a sip. She said she wanted to be just like mommy!" She made her excuse and waited for the response. The blonde woman looked her up and down, her face softening a little at the idea, "YOU'RE supposed to be the strict one, but I can understand that, she has that effect on me all the time....BUT LOOK AT THIS!! How could she have this much energy and speed?! After this, she can never EVER have coffee again! Or even sugar for that matter." The woman with the lavender hair nodded and held her make shift sword made from scraps of wood, "Alright, agreed. Now let's subdue our daughter....Oh Orrrrriiiiii! Come over here and play."
 
The deck of the Blazing Chariot slowly calmed down as Orri looked over at the short island jutting out of the water and looked over toward her friend Zephyra, "Is that it?! Is that your sugary hideout?" With a nod from Zephyra Morrigan looked on excited and imagined the delicious fun that was soon to come.