((Might need a Mod in this one, as I would expect NPCs and such for ship crew))

Seth sat silently on the docks in Haverton Pier, watching as the waves crashed to the shore, taking in the last scenes he would be seeing in Old Rose as he awaited his boat back to Vienda. Smiling, he recalled all that he had gone through in his very short time there; near-death experiences, losing at drinking games (though he still thought he could take Murmur on), cross dressing, being molested by drunken pirates, and of course finding unexpected beauties such a rough place could hide. He was now clean, and in his own clothing, and his wounds he'd received in the past few days were mostly healed, though his foot was still sore, as he'd found upon further inspection that a bone had broken in it, and was now bound quite tightly in a dirty rag of a bandage. He found it mildly ironic that his first sight of the Pier was a beautiful sunset, and among his last would be the sunrise he was experiencing now.

"I know," He absently pet the small tabby who perched on his shoulder, "I'll miss it, too." He smirked, "Yes, even that nutter of a woman..." He sniffed, nose wrinkling. "Oh... Hi, Murmur. Come to say goodbye, have you?"

"Oh, We was jus' passin' through," shrugged Murmur pointing to the chicken at her ankles, which couldn't have been very old as in the space of a few days the darn thing had imprinted on her like a chick on it's mother.

The honest, Mugrobi part of her however was unable to keep up the charade much further as she bit her lip, sank to the floor besides Seth and said rather awkwardly, "Yeh, I 'ave. It's been fun, ye know? An' umm..." she hugged him very quickly indeed before leaping up as though she'd been scalded- still not very comfortable with physical comfort outside of her family but feeling as though it were somehow appropriate. "Sorry." she mumbled of the hug before spitting on the ground, signaling a return to her comfort zone.

"Ye stay safe, Kitten," she said with a wry smile, "try not te get into anymore bar fights; ye'll end up with yer head kicked in an I wont be there te drag yer sorry erse up a staircase. An', good luck with them, for Rita's sake," she added more seriously than before, "who'd give 'er whiskey if ye, ye know," she mimed being hung from the neck.

She looked over at the docks, at the boat which would take Seth back to Vienda, back home. Soon this, not altogether unpleasant little interlude would be over and Murmur didn't know what to do; it seemed that she had lost all of her heart, all of her courage and spirit on the journey over to Old Rosie, stuck in some stupid antelife festering in the home of a dead man, growing stale with the stink of her old fish shop.

"That's that then," she said, trying to be nonchalant and failing.

Seth blinked, tensing only in shock as she threw her arms around him and before he knew it the touch was gone and she was apologizing for some reason beyond his understanding. "It's... ok..." He smiled uncertainly at her, attempting at comfort.



"Of course..." He smirked, "Wouldn't want you getting the news of my death, one day. You'd be all weepy and who would be there willing to hug you and give you any form of comfort? He'd be dead and buried in an unmarked grave." He said it as though the prospect of his own death were some joke, as if the prospect of Rita being on her own would be worse. Perhaps in his view, this would be. He gave the cat a fond scratch under the chin, smiling as a purr rumbled beneath his fingers.



He looked her over carefully, considering, then got up and- despite having just recently bathed- took her in a hearty embrace. "You sure you don't want to come along, then?" He offered in what he knew to be one last, vain attempt at persuasion. He had been trying the last day or so to get her to come along- but to no avail.

Murmur smiled, Seth had been asking her non-stop, something which she had found vaguely flattering, very few people actually voluntarily spent more time with Murmur than they had to .

"Don't take no fer an answer do ye? I reckon I'll be alright, maybe I'll start my own crime ring, or get trained up proper and come back te Vienda like some pointy stick weildin' warrior," she made a flicking motion with her wrist as though fencing "or jus' settle down wi' that fish gutter..." she pulled a comically horrified look, "ye can imagine what our kids would smell like," trying to keep it light whilst screaming deep down,Oh Vita, that isn't the life I want

"Now, get," she said making a fond little shooing motion, still smiling, "no more sappy stuff; this is Old Rosie not a bloomin' golly tea party. An' someone as unlucky as ye is bound te miss the boat or 'ave somethin' else 'orrible 'appen to 'im."

Seth cocked a brow at this; surely this wasn't something the young woman wanted for her life. Surely she had some form of ambition under that smelly, dirty exterior. He could swear he heard some form of disgust behind her words, as if she didn't believe them herself. "Right... well, I guess I won't be persuading you, any time soon..." The lighthearted smile returned to his features, though it wasn't his most sincere. "Enjoy life with the fishgutter, then."



He chuckled, "You're probably right." He started for the ship, coin in hand- he had more than enough to pay for Murmur, as well, but she obviously didn't want to come along. Heaving a sigh, he gave her one last look over his shoulder before turning to board the ship.

The ship was an old but sturdy beast. It would have been quite pretty in its day, though the wood on the hull was bleached and mottled now. Bored looking sailors bustled about, getting ready for another short and boring trip up the river.

"Ye got a ticket?" Asked a boy at the top of the gang plank, apparently appearing out of nowhere. "Can't letcha on wi'out a ticket."

The boy sniffled, snorted and then spat over the side of the ship. He looked to be all of thirteen and already growing angry with the world and his lot in it. He caught sight of Murmur and looked to be considering whether or not to ignore her.

"She comin' too? I can't recollect us havin' too many passengers due today." He said, rubbing his nose and glaring at the water beneath them.

One of the sailors walked by, shrugged at Seth and gave the kid a pat on the head. The boy bristled like an angry cat.

"Er..." Seth stared blankly at the kid for a moment, then offered a smile; the boy he saw before him was not dissimilar to himself, about eight years back. A youth who felt like he was offered the small, half-rotten pickle slice out of the turkey club sandwich of life. "Got money, does that count?" He dished out the proper amount, and a little more, holding it under the boy's nose in a tempting manner.



Seth glanced over his shoulder at Murmur, uncertain, then sighed. "No, just me."

The boy fidgeted, as though thinking about it for a while.

"What do I care? Yeah, money's fine." He said, kicking at the ground and looking surly. "It's two shills."

Another burly looking sailor walked up behind the boy again and smacked the back of his head. He gave the boy a dark look. His muscles flexed as he crossed his arms and he looked quite intimidating with his square jaw set.

"Ow! Clock you, you clocking fuck!" The kid swore, clutching the back of his head. "OW! Ow, fine, it's one shill and you can bite me, you tumbleson piece of chrove crap."

The sailor looked up into the sky as though asking for divine intervention. None came. He ran a hand over his brown eyes.

"I'm Hawking, the first mate on this ship. This is my nephew, Dan, he's our cabin boy." Hawking waved for the boy to go down below and Dan stalked off, glaring still. "He's going through a... difficult age. Where are you headed today, good Sir?"

Hawking looked tired and underwhelmed, though friendly enough.

Seth raised a brow, considering humoring the boy when a sailor interrupted them.



"Haha, maybe next time, kid." Seth said with a wink, handing over the money.



"I'm headed home, to Vienda." He said, giving Murmur a quick glance. He wondered how long she would be standing there.

As the exchange between Seth and the sailors continued, Murmur looked up at the boat; she used to go out on the river all the time when she was a girl, and as a result her sea legs- while not that of any sailors- were fairly sturdy. However now, the unsafe way the boat swayed and creaked on the waters seemed terrifying, as though the entire thing would keel over at any moment.



"Right, well, goodbye, Kitten," she said faintly, slapping Seth on the back and turning round, before thinking better of it and turning back, before turning round again almost as though she were dancing. Murmur giggled at the absurdity of it- that and it was the only thing she could do.

It's not too late, though, said a sly voice in the back of her mind, what are you, a Muck or a mouse?

"We're about to head off, Miss." Hawking called out to Murmur. "If you want on you'll have to come now."

This was clearly true. The men around Hawking were beginning to yell things about sails and anchors. Something was shouted about the tide. Hawking himself now looked anxious to get away, as though being on land was boring him and he was trying to be polite in hiding it.

"Vienda, ah yes, that old bean." Hawking said, now looking at Seth again. "Aye, we'll get you there soon enough, don't know why you'd want to go there though."

Seth might have noticed that a sizable portion of the crew were wicks. A young woman with green hair walked up to Hawking and gave a lazy sort of salute. She spat over the side of the ship at the mention of Vienda. There was no love lost between Vienda and the people it had evicted, these days.

"Sir, I've checked the scullery, we're good for about a 'nother week then we'll need to restock on th'essentials." She gave Seth the once over. "We've got a room, it's real comfy like, fer trav'lers. Ye can watch from the deck if'n ye like but ye have to stay out o' the way o' the crew. I can show ye where."

Hawking glanced back to Murmur again, clearly giving her one last chance to run on if she so wished.

The woman tugged at her skirt nervously, watching as the sailors prepared themselves for the voyage.

The opportunity lost was like a fish gut slipping through her fingers, though perhaps not such a disgusting image. It was just one boat after all, one trip, and then she'd be home for good, she could endure it- she wasn't weak, or at least she hoped she wasn't and, well, wasn't this more important than her fears.



Because it's home, and it needs fixin'

"Well ye can clockin' well wait fer me!" she said hurriedly, quite without thinking, scooping the chicken into her arms and running in the direction of the ship. It might be something she'd regret very soon, like when she was sleeping with the fishes.

"Thanks" she said to Hawking, stumbling up the gankplank "Me ma always said it's a woman's preroga -wotsit te change 'er mind. I changed mine. An' now I'm on a clockin boat." she said with some level of shock, looking down at her feet as though they had marched onto the vessel completely of their own volition.

“Alright.” Seth gave Murmur one last glance before opting to follow the woman. “So long, Murmur.” He called over his shoulder.



“Whaa…?” He paused in his footsteps, turning to watch as the woman ambled onto the ship after him.



Seth laughed, both in shock and delight at Murmur’s decision. “That you are! ‘Bout time you decided to come along. Thought you’d made up your mind for sure!”

The first mate seemed glad that Murmur had decided to go aboard. As soon as she and Seth were on deck, the gang plank was hauled on board and the boat was released from her moorings. Hawking disappeared to perform his sailory duties, striding about as though the rickety ship were stable earth. Dan was nowhere to be seen, probably sulking.

"Oi, at'll be a shill." The scullery witch said to Murmur, tugging on her sleeve. "Youse lot want to stay up here or down below? Either's fine."

The witch tugged her short shirt up a little and scratched her slightly rounded belly. Delicate, she was not.

"It were all yer talk about what would happen te Rita that changed me mind," she joked, "hard luck though, just when ye thought ye were rid of me fer good."



"Right," Murmur dug into her dress and pulled out a rather warm, battered shill and tossed it to the witch.

As the ship began to sway, she blanched a little and peaked down over the side at the waters, which lapped at the side of the boat as though trying to grab it and pull it down. Where was the best place to stay? Murmur wondered; she certainly didn't like the sound of down below , even if she had managed to get on the river, she was desperate to stay very firmly above it.

"I'll stay up 'ere, I reckon," she said scanning the river as it crept past them, before spitting overboard "I won't, get in yer way or nothin'." She hitched the chicken up in her arms as it began to wriggle a little; the last thing the crew needed was a chicken running about deck tripping up sailors and flapping all over the place. She turned her head slightly in order to watch Old Rosie, the distance between them growing very slowly larger.

"And ye, Kitten?" she asked Seth "ye stayin up? It ent a bad mornin' fer it."

"Yea, I think I'll stay up here." Seth grinned, "Last time I was on a ship, I was cramped up in a tiny cabin, and didn't get to see many of the sights." Let alone that last time he was on a ship he was a stowaway and had to jump overboard halfway through the journey. He was certain this little trip would be far more enjoyable. He pulled Rita off his shoulder and held her close to his chest, where it was easier to rub the cat all over. She purred.

Murmur wrinkled up her nose. "I can see a sailor pissin' in the river," she pointed to the aforementioned man, before waving at him- though the sailor's hands were obviously too busy to wave back, "That the kind of sight ye meant?" she giggled, "I'm gonna miss Old Rosie, not fer that but ye know, for the spirit of that."

She gripped the side of the boat and looked at the direction they were headed, "It'll be weird goin' 'ome. I got some people I can stay with," she said turning to Seth, letting him know that she had no intention of mooching off him, but also wondering if Seth had a place to stay in Vienda, "I'll get back in te the fish business too, I reckon, workin' fer someone else, on the side, like." Just until she found her feet with the resistance though, unless a fishmonger was useful to them, which it could be- even the most high class galdor needed fish, and gutting them was mostly a job for humans.

"Bet it'll be nice to see yer girl," she added to seth, remembering the pretty wick that Seth had mentioned, "she'll have a writ, then, bein' a wick in Vienda an' all."

Seth blinked, then placed a palm over his face, then chuckled, “No, Murmur, that’s not what I meant…” He looked out into the water, the sun glinting off of every little wave or bump like a thousand bright stars twinkling at him. “That’s what I meant.”



Silence. Yes, it would be nice to see her again, but, “I’ve, um… not… She kinda disappeared when the wicks were run from Vienda. I’ve not seen her since.” He shrugged, trying not to be a downer on the current situation. “I expect she’s still out there. She might just not be ready to come back, yet, ye know?” She'll be back... He reassured himself, Just needs time...

"That is nice," said Murmur lazily, wondering how something that looked so still and peaceful could be so destructive. "Defintley better than some drunken sailor's dingle."


"Ahhh,yes" said Murmur wisely despite knowing as much about relationships as she did about personal hygiene. She looked at Seth, sadness playing around the corner of his mouth and she placed a reassuring hand in his arm. "She'll come back te ye and ye've been keepin' busy, th' time'll just fly by! Think of the stories ye'll be able te tell 'er!"

Murmur grinned, she'd have enough stories to tell the people waiting for her back in Vienda. Somehow, Murmur had gone from frightened to excited, of returning home and finally joining the resistance.

"Mmph..." For about three more seconds he internally angsted over Minke's absence, then, unable to stay down for long, bounced back and was grinning broadly, "Yea, that I will. I'll tell her of my unexpected voyage to Old Rose, my failed attempt at settling down, our drinking contest... which I could have won, if I hadn't been knocked out by outside forces." He smirked. "We'll have to have a rematch, some day... but next time there'll be no dress-wearing, or baths involved. Just for fun, ye know?" He winked.

The scullery witch nodded at the pair's decision to stay above deck. She approved of sea legs. It was a sign of a stalwart person, in her mind.

"Keep out'ta way of the crew." She said, pointing to an area that was a little out of the way and had some benches for sitting on. "Brekkies in an hour, if you're hungry."

She bustled off down below, leaving Murmur and Seth to talk.

"On home turf," said Murmur confidently, "there's no way I won't win, but yeah- no bets, its bad enough te walk around Old Rosie in a dress but Vienda- where people know ye," she laughed.



"Oh good," said Murmur happily, sitting at the bench, "I'm starvin- this food 'ad better be worth that shill I'm payin'," she looked around at the crew, not expecting much- though Murmur was hardly one for fine dining; some bread would do her just fine. "So Seth, ye know my plans fer Vienda, what about ye? Plannin' te take each day as it comes?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He grinned, sitting down beside her, "'S kinda what I've been doing all along, you know? 'S how I wound up here. And that turned out just fine."

((Sorry for taking so long to get to this. Also SFSR))