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Post by ivory on Jun 20, 2009 18:44:48 GMT -5
Ivory opened her eyes at the sound of Malphorius' voice. She wasn't a male, but she was stronger than many thought and rose to her feet to help. She spent a majority of her time outside and new well how to make a shelter, especially if she had the wood they were to take from the ship. Straight, smooth, and perfect for building.
She was the last in line, thus the last one to retreive the boards, and she went about laying them in piles of nine. She liked that number.
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Angel's group came back to find a line of workers with boards and after a few shared glances, they looked around for somewhere to put their gourds of water. Many of them were rounded so they couldn't go on the ground and they didn't find anyone with buckets yet. More work it seemed, was inevitable. Angel called a few people over and had them start to dig seperate holes in the sand, placing one gourd in each. The water would be warm, but there wasn't anything she could do about that. After a short rest, she led them back to the spring.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 20, 2009 20:54:53 GMT -5
"I am going to go check out my cabin, see if it is still intact." Rick said to Rip and slipped out of the galley. He made his way carefully to his cabin. There was a gaping hole in the outer hull and the contents of the cabin had been largely destroyed. The cabinet on the inner side was still intact, though, and that was where he had stowed his pack. It was still there and he slung it over his back.
His arrows and bow were floating in the water. He retrieved them, but scowled at their condition. The water would surely warp the wood. He would be able to use them in the immediate future, but would have to make new ones to replace them.
He went back to the galley. Rick hauled the net full of food and pots and utensils up to the deck and looked to the back of the ship. The dingy was hanging from one pully, dangling over the water. Rick sat the net down and climbed over the debris to the dingy. It looked intact. They had a boat. It wasn't large and would never last in the open ocean, but it was something.
Rick saw that Malphorius had organized some men to start dismantling the ship. The mast had been shattered in the storm and the sail ripped, but it was still attached to the ship. The sail would probably make decent tents. At least some shelter for the night. It woudl take them longer to build huts and they probably were going to have to scout out a good location for them. The beach would not be the best place for permanent shelters.
Rick wrestled the dingy down to the water and watched to make sure it was not sinking. He climbed down and waded it around to the front of the ship and tied it to a jagged board from the hull and then climbed back up to where he left the net full of stuff and dropped it into the boat. He went back for another load, grabbing another hunk of fishnet as he went. They would need that netting too.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 21, 2009 19:23:08 GMT -5
Rip picked out a few more pots for water and some pans for cooking.
"No, I haven't been to the stern yet," he replied to Rick's question.
While the Ranger was away in his cabin, Cannon also took time to retrieve his personal items. Fortunately, most of his equipment was untouched. The assassin dropped his bag into the dingy. Suddenly, a question popped into his mind.
"Where's your horse?"
Everyone knew Rangers were usually never far from their mounts, but Rip had yet to see Rick's horse.
Assisting Rick with the recovered supplies, Rip lowered himself into the small boat. Once everything was aboard, he picked up the oars and heaved, propelling the craft over the crashing waves toward the beach. As soon as they hit the bottom, Rip leaped out to drag the dingy onto the sand. He could see that someone had already brought water back from the spring. A group was also attempting to construct a shelter out of planks from the ship. At least they were cooperating and trying to accomplish something, he thought. Yet, if they were going to have an organized society, they would need a leader.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 21, 2009 20:27:37 GMT -5
Rick answered Rip, "Domingo is back home. Probably giving himself a stomach ache on green apples at Ole' Bob's place." Rick laughed. "I miss him though. Doesn't feel right without him."
Rick helped pull the dingy up onto the beach and noticed the semi chaos going on around them. At least most people were helping out.
"I suppose we are going to have to figure out who is in charge here, aren't we?" He started unloading their stuff and hauling it up to the fire by the old man. Once there he stopped and drank some water from one of the gourds. Just enough to wet his parched throat and mouth. Hopefully none of them would get sick from the water.
He handed a chunk of cheese to Malphorius and popped a small chunk into his own mouth. Then he handed the rest of the wheel of cheese to one of the women, "Better distribute this as evenly as possible among everyone. Tide us over until we can get some more food ready to eat." He had saved a chunk and handed it to Rip.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 21, 2009 22:11:58 GMT -5
Malphorius took the cheese and ate it quickly. He nodded in thanks. He thought for a moment before saying to Rick, "You're a ranger. Why not go hunting?" It seemed perfectly logical to him. Wasn't that the kind of thing ranger's were good at?
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 22, 2009 8:49:52 GMT -5
Rick pulled out his wet bow and arrows and hung them in a branch of the tree so they could dry. "I intend to, but my bow got soaked along with the arrows. I would hate to string it right now because it would warp it as it dries."
He hoped that by hanging it completely vertical by its wet string, the wood would dry evenly. He would have to turn it every so often so the fire warmed all sides of it. "'Fraid it will be morning before I can really use it and likely I am going to have to make a new one and new arrows too, though I am less concerned about them."
Rick saw Kira return with a rabbit this time. "Meanwhile my cat is getting a good start on food and we found some stuff in the galley." He hung the rabbit next to the two birds. At least they had something. "Maybe a couple of those sailors could try for some fish. It is getting on towards evening and the fish should be biting soon." Rick suggested, looking a couple of the crew members who were sitting down by the other fire sipping from a small cask.
"I am going back for the rest of the stuff in the dingy." Rick said and walked back over to the small boat and got another load of stuff. Kira sat down about three feet from the tiger and studied Rift intently.
When Rick got back he took the two grouse and the rabbit and moved on down the beach to clean them. Kira jumped up and followed him, knowing she would get the 'juicy' bits.
Soon there was rice cooking in a pot and meat roasting on sticks over the fire. It was not enough meat to feed everyone though. "I hope this is a big island or we are going to quickly run out of small game if we aren't rescued soon." Rick muttered to no one in particular as he tended the meat.
He had stretched the rabbit skin on a makeshift wooden frame cobbled together from some sappling. It was now drying in the sun with some salt spread on it after he had spent several minutes scraping the skin side.
The feathers and down he saved also, storing them in his pack after cleaning them off. He would need the feathers for fletches for his arrows. He even kept one of the wing bones and carved it into a needle. He hardened it in the fire which also burned the marrow out, making it hallow. Now he had a needle he could sew leather with. When it cooled after its short dousing in the coals, he put it in the pouch with his fire kit he had retrieved from the men who had started the other fire when he had handed them a net and asked if they thought they could catch some fish.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 22, 2009 9:08:49 GMT -5
Rip thanked the Ranger for the piece of cheese and chewed it slowly, savoring the taste. Pouring the water from the gourds into a large pot, Rip began to boil the liquid over the fire Malphorius had built. He was sure that plenty of the survivors were thirsty, and the water would take a while to cool off. The assassin thought about helping with the construction effort, but he knew little about building structures and felt that he would just get in the way.
"Perhaps we should have a gathering this evening to vote on a leader and establish some rules," Rip suggested. "I think it would be better if we were organized and had some guidelines for rationing food and such."
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 22, 2009 11:55:25 GMT -5
Malphorius nodded. Without knowing if they would be rescued, they had to assume that they were stuck here forever. They would have to live as a civil society with rules and learn how to use the island to their advantage. "Start gathering people. We'll commence as soon as the fishermen return," he said quietly. It was getting cold. He moved closer to the fire.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 22, 2009 12:33:18 GMT -5
Rick agreed. "Sounds like a good idea to me." A while later he heard a shout and turned around and saw the sailors returning with a decent haul of fish. "I hope they plan on cleaning them." Rick turned back to the rabbit and rolled it over again to cook the other side. It was starting to get a nice golden brown and the juices kept dropping into the fire making a sizzling sound and sending up a heavenly aroma that made his mouth water in anticipation.
Then he smelled the newly caught fish and sighed. "Nice catch." he said to Rip and Malphorius. "I hate fish." Then he grinned at them both, "guess I am going to get used to eating it though." More like he was going to be mightly sick of fish by the end of the week, but it was better than starving to death.
He continued to turn the birds and the rabbit over and let Rip take care of gathering people around. Once the fish were on spits and cooking and the sun was starting to sink towards teh horizon people naturally gathered at the fire, trickling over singly or in pairs to await the anticipated meal.
Rick turned to Malphorius, "how many survivors do you reckon we have anyway?" Rick wasn't even sure how many had been on the ship in he first place. He had personally seen several people swept over the side as he was trying to keep Kira on the deck along with himself. When the storm hit he had taken her out of the cage, afraid that she would drown if she were caged up.
The Captain had argued with him briefly, but was too busy to force the issue during the storm. Rick was glad, otherwise she might have drowned because she would have been in his cabin in the cage when the hull was breached.
Rick shook himself back to the present and turned the meat over again. It was pretty much done. "Looks like the food is ready." He peeled off one of the grouse's wings and gave it to Kira. "First piece goes to the hunter." It was a tradition of his tribe that he grew up in and he never thought to question it. Then he started passing out portions to those already gathered around the fire.
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Post by ivory on Jun 22, 2009 14:04:56 GMT -5
Angel wiped the sweat off her brow after coming back for the third time that evening while she waited for the final two holes to be dug so she could free her hands. The aroma of fresh meat and fish hung heavily in the air and her stomach grumbled in demand, dragging the wait into the eternal. She swallowed, licked her lips, and finally placed the gourds in the ground before making her way over to those by the fire.
She picked out the two men from before as she did a quick scan of those around her. She wasn't completely comfortable in crowds and scanning them had become a habit. After searching the faces once, her gaze stayed on the hands. One may be able to tell the good from the bad through the eyes, but it was the hands that did the evil bidding as she'd learned all too long ago.
She was one of the last to receive any food and as hungry as she was, she didn't even care when there wasn't any meat left. Within a couple of minutes, she finished off her meal. She'd always been a quick eater, a trait given to her because of her father. He'd starve her for days at a time and had the wicked idea to taunt her with pieces of food, giving it to her for only a minute before snatching it back. She'd fought back once and ended up with three cracked rips, a colored torso, and a week in the celler. She'd never done so again.
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Ivory had the same unease of crowds, but where Angel had learned to control it Ivory never had. She ignored her growling stomach - after all the sensation wasn't new to her - as she sat with her knees tucked in to her chest, her arms around them, and her back braced up against the trunk of a tree outside of the fire's light. She was used to keeping in the shadows, especially those of the woods. Disliked people, were suspsicious of all, and so was comfortable where she was despite her hunger. She could go for a long time without food as long as she had water, and often did.
Besides, tomorrow would come soon enough and then she'd eat. Having already made up her mind to leave the main group to scout out the island for herself tomorrow, she was certain she'd come across something edible. Unfortunately she'd have to come back, not for shelter but the chance of rescue. If they left without her who knew how long she'd be stuck here? How long her family's revenge would be left unsated. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 22, 2009 19:06:21 GMT -5
Malphorius stood, making sure every person was here. People were rationing food around, but they were paying enough attention to hear him. "Alright," he said, making sure focus was on him. "Here we are. We can't say for sure, but just looking at this group, I would estimate that only half of everyone on that ship survived the storm and subsequent crash. This is a terrible loss and I'm sure some of you have loved ones that were lost in the waters during the storm. However, as heavy as our hearts may be, there are still matters at hand that must be attended to. No one knows that we've gone missing.... At least, not yet. Seacliff is expecting us, after all. So, soon enough people will start to wonder and send ships to look for us. However, we don't know where we are or how far away from land we are. We could be stuck here for the rest of our lives and we need to prepare for that eventuality. It's been pointed out to me that if we are to survive here, we should have a leader. I'll open the floor to anyone who would like to volunteer themselves or someone else. We're all civilized here. I think we can vote on a leader." He sat back down, watching the crowd who was still watching him. Someone would have to stand up eventually.
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Post by ivory on Jun 22, 2009 19:21:05 GMT -5
Angel started to speak for herself before remembering that she was a simple dressmaker and instead changed her words to, "I think we should have more than one. Or a group of councils like the King has." She bit her lip as if nervous to be speaking in front of a large group, but kept the defiance in her eyes. She was a peasant, but one with a mind she wished to share, especially in a situation like this.
A few of those she'd taken with her to fetch water started to mumble in agreement that she should be in charge, but she quickly refused.
"I don't know a thing about leading or politics or anything else." She averted her eyes from Malphorous as she said it and hung her head afterwards, willing them to look over her. "I'm but a dressmaker."
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 22, 2009 19:51:20 GMT -5
Malphorius mulled it over for a few seconds before saying, "A council wouldn't be a bad idea, but there will undoubtedly be times when we need a quick adamant decision and won't have time to debate it. One person must lead. They can pick advisers if they wish." He resumed his silence, almost jealous that he hadn't thought of that idea before.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 23, 2009 8:38:55 GMT -5
Cannon gestured toward Rick.
"I nominate Ranger Rick. He has much-needed knowledge of wilderness survival and we can rest assured that he is capable of making good, quick decisions. Besides, he serves the king, and I see it fitting that he be a representative of the government."
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Post by ivory on Jun 23, 2009 9:15:01 GMT -5
[OOC: *grin* Don't feel so bad J, Angel's a master at manuevering people. Heck, if she could do that to Dougal - grouchy old soul that he is *eyes twinkle* - then no one else stands a chance. lol. :-)]
Angel nodded enthusiastically at the man's next words even as she studied him. He was the man with the tiger she'd seen earlier and anyone who could 'tame' an animal like that had dangerous potential. Her proof - the ranger had a lynx.
Then of course, there was the way he held himself, as if he'd not only seen more than his share of danger, but lived it. And she should know the stance since it mimicked her own despite his own personal attributes.
There were just some things one could never hide and the experience of combat was one of them. They scanned repeatedly through habit as they tried to spot possible threats. They were hardly ever relaxed, especially in a crowd, double so if there were people behind them. They kept their hands close to places where their weapons lie. Her own were bent at the elbow so her hands rested on her stomach though her weapons were no longer at her waste.
And why did he look familiar? Or was that just the light? Or her mind's crazy unconscious going haywire on her because of the crash?
Regardless, he was a possible threat. She scanned the crowd again, looking for more. She hid the frown as she found more than she would've liked. Sheesh, what was it about this boat? It seemed like more than a fifth of the people here knew how to handle themselves and she wasn't talking about the regular tavern brawler. Whoever was appointed very well neeeded to know how to settle harsh disagreements. She doubted it'd take much for violence to break out if it wasn't dealt with probably.
Thinking so, she turned her assessing eyes to the candidate ranger. A ranger held mystery to the people and though they did work for the king as the man had pointed out, would the commoners be too frightened to get close to him? She guessed it wouldn't really matter if he was outcast as long as they listened to him. Fear was a good thing to use in some situations, but in more delicate situations it had more of a tendency to split the house and this was indeed a delicate situation.
Hunger was still gnawing at many of them despite the meal they'd just eaten and its mere precious made people more than a little cranky, especially those that weren't used to going hungry. And naturally, they'd try to blame someone else for their problems - those in power. She'd seen it happen too many times to think that it wouldn't here just because they were stuck on an island and needed to rely on each other. So someone they placed into a sorcerer's shoes was a very good candidate. They'd be lest likely to strike up a mutiny if they feared the man.
He was good looking too with his long black hair, high cheekbones, and lithe frame, another plus for his vote. His smile would probably work wonders, that is, if he ever used it and with the bickering women he should, along with a few soothing words. She wondered briefly, if he was a gentlemen, at least on the surface, but quickly dismissed it. Rangers had to deal with the nobles occasionally, so he no doubt was. Yet another plus for his vote.
All in all, a good candidate - if that was, he was up for the job. Most rangers had the fortune, or misfortune depending on how you looked at it, to keep to themselves. Would he even want to take the role? And if he immediately accepted it, did that make him powercrazy and a possible threat to the throne? She didn't doubt the power would go to his head, it always did, rather it was the question of him being able to control it.
It looked like her time here would be more job worthy than she thought.
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