Chapter 41.8 Three Days Before the Mast

 
The next three days on the ship were... odd. It wasn't as bad as the first time I found myself with very little to do on the ship. It was also mostly smooth sailing, er, flying I guess. I didn't have much to do except help the crew of the Garfunkel where I could but I was not much. If a rope needed hauled or something heavy moved I helped out, but that was a rare occasion. While no where near a sailor, I knew how to get out of the way if orders were given so I wasn't keeping people from doing their jobs.
What did help with the few days we had was watching To'Li. Bellia was taking care of her for the most part, which I felt bad about, but I think it was making up for the absence at hatching. I of course still stayed close to play with her, but Bellia was holding, feeding her at meal time and minding her if I had to step away. Bellia was also trying to teach her some things about life.
Meditation for the little Dragonborn was not going to happen. But I found out that Bellia did have a way to train To'Li, even if the smaller one couldn't talk. The only problem was Bellia didn't tell the rest of us, and the first night it happened, the whole ship wasn't too pleased. Before bed, Bellia took To'Li up to the back of the ship, and took the ornaments off her crest. To'Li, resting of Bellia's hip had been looking around sleepily, but the moment the ornaments came off, she perked up a bit. Looking oddly at her mother, her mouth opened and closed a few times. Bellia had closed her eyes, and taken a few deep breaths like she was simply enjoying the fresh night air. Eyes snapping open, head head shot forward and with purely elemental rage, a great bolt of Lightning blasted off into the clouds.
An immediate earsplitting thunder-crack emanated from the light, and the whole ship shook. Crew members and passengers alike ran about, trying to figure out what was going on. To'Li sat in Bellia's arms, opening her mouth a few times then closing it with a happy little chirping sound. With no more exciting things happening she nestled against her mother's chest and closed her eyes, ready for bed.
Bellia did the same practice the next night, and while it made a few people jump, none of the crew went scurrying about. To'Li once again opened her mouth, a few times, seemingly enjoying the experience. The third night something changed. Bellia once again closed her eyes, concentrating to bring about her lightning, and To'Li did the same. Not sure what to expect, I stood back, apprehensive. When her mother opened her mouth, my daughter did the same, and while lightning shot out of her mouth, she clearly could feel the energy being produced.
I asked her if we needed to worry about To'Li doing the same, and Bellia explained what was going on. Those Dragonborn that could breathe lightning could always feel that energy around them, and the ornaments they wore helped keep that energy contained, keeping others from being shocked. Meditating helped Bellia control all of that power coming from both of them and unleash it, she was simply trying to get To'Li to notice that energy so she could start to learn about it. “To'Li doesn't need to speak to be able to learn,” Bellia had said. I'm all for her learning to control her element. My early days had been rough according to my parents. I had set fire to the wood pile my father had so carefully collected over several months. My neighbors had called it a Wondrous Inferno. My parents had like the name.
Spending time with Leona and Max was great too. During the evening meals we always ended up telling stories of our legion days, trying to guess who we may see in Davenport. The conversations always sounded more like we were going to a reuinion instead of a probable fight. Still. It was nice to reminisce, and we were all having a good time together.
Melfina also spent a good bit of time with my Daughter, and while Bellia found her a bit odd, I had no problem with it. No divine rituals were happening there, and I”m almost certain Melfina would ask fist anyway. While still early for my daughter to learn anything from anyone, I planned on keeping these people in my life, and I wanted To'Li to be comfortable with them. Playing with Melfina a couple hours a day also let Bellia and I take a break, where I could relax, and Bellia would tend to the ship should they need anything. Melfina said it was to make up for a different life, but didn't elaborate much farther
When not playing with my daughter, Melfina was often found praying, mediating, and writing in a small journal. More pensive, she was obvious trying to figure some sort of problem out, and this seemed like the best time to do so. Not much to do otherwise. She wasn't withdrawn, and I didn't worry much about her. If she needed us, we were available, and I'm sure she and Marda talked during the voyage.
Yun was enjoying the voyage as much as possible. Enjoying the fresh air and the view, I found them sitting by the rail, fishing rod in hand whistling an aimless tune. When asked what they were fishing for while we were this high in the sky, a simple answer was, whatever may be silly enough to bite. When not fishing for birds Yun was playing the violin. The problem was, it wasn't a tune anyone was familiar with, and when asked, the response was, “It is an old song that has yet to be written.”
The crew liked having nightly entertainment, and Yun was happy to provide it. Everyone wanted to talk to the friendly musician, and Yun was happy to collect the bits of information they would grant. Yun of course took some personal time as well, maybe to think up performance ideas or simply ease the mind. I do know that the music played after dinner was ease of mind for everyone on the ship.
Geno of course acted very similar to when he was on the train. Asking questions, making sketches and practically prying up the decking to find all the secrets he could, he was even showing anyone who was sitting still long enough for him to finish explaining it. To'Li of course found the goblin entertaining, as they were both about the same height, so when Geno was talking to anyone withing earshot, To'Li was sitting there, staring at him with a small blank look on her face, mouth slightly open. I think it was the eyebrows she found most fascinating. They would waggle up and down when Geno was excited.
Marda stayed the busiest out of all of us. She specifically asked what chores could be done around the ship. Taking care of Mittens, making sure all the weapons on the ship were ready, and keeping an eye on Vern were some of the things she did. I saw her sometimes staring off into nothing in the middle of a task, hands still in the air over the blade, whetstone hovering over the blade.
I did see her Talking with Vern on several occasions, and while I wasn't worried for her safety, I was still cautious of the Elf. There was nothing wrong with him, but he had spent over one hundred years by himself, and that would probably do some strange things to a person. They were talking of the soul stone that was needed to help her mostly, although other topics were of course covered.
Mostly, When Vern wasn't engaged, I saw him muttering to himself about destines, and his impressive library that was now in ruins. While he seemed mostly bored, he would sometimes get startled by people approaching him, as if he forgot we were here. That happened mostly in the morning, and soon after lunch, and I was suspecting it was because he needed a nap after eating. At lunch he would remark about not having salted fish, which he had decided twenty five years ago was the only thing to eat for midday meal. When Marda did ask him about the soul stone, he would perk up, saying how much he looked forward to having it back, and complaining about it's previous owner. Vern claimed he borrowed it from the wizard that had owned it before him, but it seemed the Elf had never had intention of returning it.
I'm sure he will be happy to get his artifact back, but we will have to reach Davenport first. On the third night, we can see the lights of Davenport in the distance. With the desire to keep the Garfunkel a secret, the captain orders the crew to find a place to land, and as the ship starts to descend, all the nerves we had collectively been ignoring come back. How much of the Legion will be here? How powerful has the Othertoe become? Will we have support from anyone, or are we going to be alone? With nothing more to do, we gather our gear to disembark, and prepare to enter the city, full of unknowns and untold danger.