(Rei) Its only been several days since they departed, and Pat already regrets the decision to go.
The Orm'del Sea is an ocean that separates Eastern and Western Idalos. It is said to have many horrors awaiting those that wish to travel through its waters.
He felt his heart race as he tried to find himself comfortable in the hammock he'd been sleeping in, another restless night found in dealing with the remnants of his nightmares. In truth he'd easily been able to sleep something like this off if he had enough alcohol to spare, but that seemed to be the problem with the voyage here... no alcohol to spare as it was either part of a shipment or rations. Bloody good it did him these past few days, and what with his shoulder being rested in an awkward position due to the hammock, and the way the ship seemed to creak and waver through the ocean... He wasn't having the best of times crossing this Immortals forsaken ocean, and to top it off he only missed home the longer he spent watching water.
Patrick turned as he mumbled in his sleep with sweat covering his forehead, his mind raced with flashes of the night he'd nearly met his end. Kar. He haunted Patrick even in dreams it seems, and without anything to combat the dreams, he was more vulnerable than ever to the terrors of insanity found in sleep. Another creak that made the ship roll. He felt his insides twist for a minute and in turn he turned over, hopeful he'd find himself comfortable enough to sleep all of this away. He didn't want to drift anymore, he wanted to rest on solid firm land. Gods forsaken land. His twist onto his right side caused the hammock to sway, turning out to drop him on the floor as he felt his right shoulder and forehead smash onto the plank below. "Ow! Fek!" His wake up call followed with a sudden roll in his stomach as he tried to gain his bearings, a sudden awareness of what was to come next if he didn't get topside soon.
He scrambled to his feet with a stagger while the ship seemed to tilt, slamming him into the wall before he could reach the stairs. A roll seemed to lurch under his gut and he felt a gag coming on, and time became of the essence as he scurried to the deck above. Almost there, almost there, almost there- Nope. Too late. His muscles contracted and he felt his insides heave, a strong lurch of his stomach led to release the contents of last nights meal as it protruded into the water below. What a miserable waist. Patrick clung to the rail tightly as he felt both head and stomach had fallen into a whirl, another inescapable heave followed as he felt what was left spout from within. After a few coughs he looked from the water out to the horizon, the distant colors of the sun as it set painted just above the line that separated water from sky.
A glance was shot as he heard a couple of crew members laughing, the intent to gesture an insult put off as he rested his arms on the rail, and used them to pillow his head as he buried his face in their warmth.
Last edited by Patrick on Thu Nov 03, 2016 10:51 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 529
Rei never liked being confined to any place, preferring to be free to go run barefooted through the plains surrounding the city she was staying in if she so chose. Even keeping her job with its hard hours in the Infirmary was a strain of her longing for the outdoors but at least then she always had work to keep her busy. On a ship at sea there was not much to do but sit and stare and talk. She had brought her book on plants but had already finished reading it. She had debated going through it a second time when she had a better idea.
It took her a little time and several times running into the wrong room to find where the supplies had been stored. She still hadn’t gained her ‘sea legs’ as the crew called them and was frequently bumping into the walls as the boat lurched along and cut through the waves. When she finally found the supplies, she looked for something to serve her purpose. There was a pile of grain sacks off the one side. She pushed against them, testing their give. It was firm enough to practice again but soft enough not to split her hand open.
She had forgone her shoes when she got up this morning, her bare feet enjoying the feeling of cool and smooth wood beneath the soles. The cold air was much nippier on the open ocean, so she had dressed in her thick wools that she had picked up especially for the coming cold season. Thick black woolen pants and a long sleeve pale blue woolen shirt kept her skin protected from the bite in the air. Her feet began to feel numb, and she thought that she might pick up her boots soon.
Rei spent much of the day throwing punches into the grain sacks, occasionally gaining enough balance to swing a kick with her leg or a blow with her knee. She tried to remember all of the basic forms Wendell has taught her and attempted to expound upon those and increase her agility and the power behind her swing. When she was sweating and finished, there were several thin scratches on the backs of her knuckles that bled only slightly. With a sigh she wandered back to her room and slipped on her fur-lined boots before walking up to the deck.
To her surprise Rei had stepped out just in time to see Patrick heaving up last night’s dinner over the edge of the boat. It didn’t stop there and he heaved one more time before catching his breath. He looked horribly pale. He must have been seasick. Without saying a word, she hopped back down the stairs and fished a bit of ginger out of her pack before going back up. Quietly she came up behind him and nudged his shoulder. “Chew and suck on this. It’ll help soothe your stomach.” She smiled softly and placed a hand on his back, running her palm gently up and down it. “Talk to me. I have noticed you haven’t been sleeping well. What’s bothering you? Is it Kar?”
Since he'd been so caught up in trying to relieve his stomach of last nights dinner, he hadn't been aware of just how cold and crisp the morning air felt until now. With his head covered in a sheen of sweat, one would think he were burning with a fever instead, but he actually felt cold as he clung to the rail for dear life. He hadn't expected the trip to be such a miserable experience when he'd first boarded the ship, but now that he shivered with aches and pains in various places, all he could honestly think about was going back home.
Home. Where solid land was always guaranteed to be under your feet, where you could easily stoke the fire in your home for more heat... where you had an actual comfy bed instead of the dangling shyte fest down below deck. Another roll churned in his stomach and he feared the chance of being sick once more, his entire body trembled as he closed his eyes to overcome the feeling. He had to relax, calm his nerves without thinking about... Nope. The last and final heave brought up just the last bit of whatever was left, a hot and horrid burning sensation caught in his throat from the residual traces of bile he'd dumped into the water. Shit... Now he hadn't any food in his system and didn't feel like eating, and whats worse was the fact water had to be rationed among the people aboard evenly.
He felt a nudge on his shoulder that brought him to glance over, a soft smile presented as she offered him something to help with the sickness. "Thanks." He murmured with a spit out to the sea before he took whatever it was, when he bit down a pungent spice seemed to well within the confines of his mouth. Definitely a spicy sort of herb, one he didn't take to well to enjoy. Still she was tending to him and that was something to consider, granted the beginning of their journey started with a few rough spots. "Somethin' like that." He responded as his eyes diverted from the horizon down to the water below. "Ever since that night I've... I couldn't ever go back home, just couldn't face the idea of bein' there alone. These days anytime I try t' sleep, all I can see is Kar tryin' t' kill me just like he did the first time... only in the dreams he succeeds."
It shouldn't have been so surprising granted it was ultimately a stressful situation, one that would likely haunt Patrick for a long time to come. He continued to chew the piece of herb Rei had given him, a soft scowl on his face as the spice nearly brought an itch to his throat. "This shit's nasty, what is it?" He remarked with a curious look to Rei, one eyebrow raised as he waited to hear what she'd exactly have to say.
Patrick took the ginger from her without any question- a sure sign that he trusted her a lot more than he probably should have. Not that she would ever hurt him intentionally, that was from her personality. Just that his feelings and emotions weren’t at the top of the priority list. Hell, hers weren’t even the top of the list. Ever since she had met Wendell, he had been the top of her priorities even if she never admitted it aloud. If she had to rank them in a list it would be Wendell, Patrick, and then her own feelings.
It seemed that Kar was bothering him, and Rei couldn’t say she was surprised or that she blamed him. It had been a tragic and traumatizing ordeal. From what she understood of the story, she couldn’t say for sure that she knew the whole thing, Kar had been someone he trusted. He was the man who was investigating Dom’s death for Patrick and no telling what kind of camaraderie they had shared over the investigation and details. This was a man Pat had trusted to solve the greatest mystery in his life… and he had betrayed him. Horribly. Not only by trying to kill Pat but admitting to being the murderer of Dom.
“I understand,” she commented lightly, casting her own eyes to the sea just as Patrick was doing. She didn’t want to meet his gaze, because what she was thinking of saying she hadn’t told anyone- not even Wendell. “I understand because… well, I go through something similar. When I got stabbed… I. It was really hard for me to go back to the Infirmary. At first when I did my chest would seize up. It felt like I couldn’t breathe… like I was going to pass out. I started off with just being in the building but not the room.”
Pat’s face seemed to scrunch up in disgust. Rei had to admit that ginger wasn’t for everyone, but it did work wonders for soothing the stomach if you could stand it. She would have laughed about it if he hadn’t looked so miserable. “It’s ginger. It’s very good at soothing the stomach, might keep you from heaving again.” Her hand ran up from his back to the back of his neck, the pads of her fingers caressing his skin there and lightly massaging the muscle. “Maybe when we get back to Rharne you can just… try to go on the street area and work up to going inside. I’ll… do it with you.” She wasn’t sure if she should even be offering.
“Maybe… share the bottom hammock with me tonight? We can make it work.” Although Rei wasn’t really losing sleep over her occasional nightmares anymore, she thought it might help Patrick to have a body sleeping next to him, something that could help ground him.
When Rei had remarked upon understanding his situation he knew all too well, because he'd been there the moment her own brief run in with death occurred. Right in front of it all no less, the memory of the dagger being plunged into her back still haunted him too. Still she shared her perspective of it and in doing so, gave Patrick the better view on how she started to cope with the reality of it. He watched her briefly when she told him what would happen, and how she first managed to just remain in the building, avoiding the scene of the event for the most part.
When she told him that it had been ginger he'd started to ingest, his face scrunched a little with a nod of understanding. Indeed his stomach had started to feel a little better, now that the herb seemed to be delivering its effect. He gave it a few more chews as the ginger crunched sharply between his teeth, a hard swallow helped ease it down before he had to clear his throat. Now he just needed water; water and perhaps a light meal that would remain in stomach this time. He felt her hand brush up the side of his back and onto the muscles of his neck, a soft sigh released the moment he felt her fingers trace and press into his skin. Rei suggested rather than going back to his apartment, just merely going back to where it was located. She even offered to be there with him when he'd go to do it, her words pulled a rather soft grin at the corner of his lips.
"I think I'd like that actually." He responded as he looked from the sea to her once more, the finger of his left hand used to draw hair behind her ear just like before. "You'd be doin' me a favor if ya did."
Then came another suggestion, or rather an offer to share the same hammock. Something that brought a soft amount of mirth out of Patrick, a glance shot down to the deck before he returned his eyes on Rei. "You sure? They're not very comfy as is, last I wanna do is throw ya out became I'm havin' more night terrors." He'd figured it would be a convincing argument contradictory towards what Rei likely intended, as he honestly didn't think he'd find sleep any easier with Rei so close to him. It was bad enough he still had feelings for her, but to share the same 'bed' in this case? While she wanted to find Wendell? Honestly it could've helped make this trip easier for her too, granted they were in this together of course. He just didn't want Rei to come to the conclusion he'd wake up in the middle of the night, and feel hornier than two rabbits brought together by the Rebirth Cycle... because of her.
Patrick seemed to be taking the ginger better. Likely the juice was making its way to his stomach and working on soothing it. Rei glanced down to her waist, realizing she had her water skin hooked on the band of her pants. It was half full. She had drunk heavily earlier when she was training with the grain sacks. She pulled it off and popped the stopper, offering it up to him. “It’s ok, you should have it. You’re sick and I don’t want you to get dehydrated. At least drink a little of it.” Hopefully it wouldn’t be making him throw up again.
Rei felt a little guilty for the affection she was showing him. It wasn’t that she felt she was betraying Wendell, she certainly wasn’t, it was just that she worried about leading him on. Would he perceive a neck rub as something more than it was? When he grinned at her, her automatic response was to smile back, even if she was currently wrestling with herself over how much attention she should really be giving him. At least he was starting to look better. A little bit of pink color was starting to creep back into his previously pale skin.
He didn’t seem so sure about the suggestion of sharing the hammock, putting it off on some silly argument that he didn’t want to kick her out of it because of his night terrors. Without much thought, her eyes rolled knowing that he was hiding whatever his real reason was for not wanting to share the hammock with her. Rei had a feeling it had to do either with his emotional feelings for her or his physical feelings. Perhaps both. “I’m sure. Perhaps if you had something to… ground you as it were, your terrors would, at the very least, be less intense. It’s just a thought. If it bothers you so much…”
Her hand slid from his neck and her other slid from the railing. The sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon, and she was tired from her little combat training session below deck. “I’m going to go grab some rations and probably go ahead and lie down. See you down below. Feel free to snatch some more ginger from my bag if you need it.” With a light shrug, she walked away and went down the stairs below deck.
After grabbing some rations and eating most of them, her little exercise had worked up an appetite, she went to their little bunk. She slipped off her boots and pulled some stockings on her feet. While at home she would change into a nightdress to sleep, the ship was cold and so she stayed in her woolen pants and shirt. With a chorus of creaking, she situated herself in the hammock and pulled the heavy red blanket up to her neck.
At first when she presented him her waterskin he merely shook his head, a polite refusal on his behalf though she'd given a rebuttal in return. Sure he was sick but he didn't need to mooch off other people, not when it costed them more than enough on his behalf. Still he knew there wasn't any point in turning Rei down, either she'd be nice and let him drink or simply force him to if he didn't. So with yet another soft smile he accepted it, a small drink taken from the skin as he felt the relief of hydration soothe his throat. "Thanks." He finally said after a couple of quiet coughs to himself, the waterskin held out for Rei to take back as she resumed her affections.
He didn't mind quite honestly. It fed him a little fantasy as to what life with her would've been like, if she'd found herself in love with him instead of Wendell. Yet even if he entertained such a fantasy his hesitation towards her offering to share a hammock surely crushed it, as Rei seemed to drop what she was doing and her remark on how being grounded could possibly help him. A thought would've derailed him there if not to entertain another notion, or rather bad intention he certainly would've appreciated. How long had they been at sea again? Only three days? And Pat certainly didn't have much fun before that thanks to his injuries, as well as the run in with Kar to ruin the moods as well. He watched her after she'd mentioned returning below deck, curious eyes locked on her form as the sun's light highlighted her frame.
He'd never noticed how vividly bright her blond hair looked in such direct sunlight, a sort of orange tint seemed present to it from the colors of the sun. He looked back out to the sea once more when she'd gone below, a shuddered sigh to follow as he shook his head a couple of times. "Shit." He nearly wanted to slap himself in the face for what good he was doing, shooting down Rei's ideas all because he didn't want to make things awkward for her. He had a habit of doing that anyway it seems, all because he wasn't sure how to act appropriate with her wanting Wendell over him. He looked to the water once more and then at the horizon, convinced that now would be the 'appropriate' time to smooth things back over with her. Thus he went down the stairs with a moment of pause, the shift in the boat nearly threw him off, and then resumed his trek down below carefully with balance intact. He hated sailing. Officially. He was never going to do anything like this again, at least not without a good reason to anyways.
He'd reached their little domain where the hammocks were, eyes softly narrowed on Rei as she'd covered herself with a big red blanket. "Hey," He spoke lowly for her to hear with a finger tap to her nose, "maybe you should share a hammock with me. It'd help give me peace o' mind knowin' I have you close." He presented his left hand to help Rei up so he could ease in with her, a couple of shifts with his back allowed for him to relax a little easier with her on his right side, and his arm rested as a pillow for her head if necessary. When the two found themselves comfortable Patrick helped with the effort of the blanket, though his shoulder didn't make even distribution of coverage easier on his behalf. Finally with a sigh he allowed himself to actually relax, as he somehow felt a little happier to just be able to share this sort of space with Rei. Personal as it was, it made him feel better. She provided a better sense of comfort than he gave her credit for, and he honestly didn't know if he felt ready to sleep or still wanted to speak with her.
"Thank you Rei, for takin' care o' me." He displayed his own appreciation with a bit of affection in turn, a soft kiss placed in her hair as his right hand rubbed along her arm.
There was the creak of the hinges on the door and the wood of the floor planks as the door swung open. It was almost drowned out by the eternal groaning of the boat as it rolled across the ocean. Patrick’s voice sounded in the dark as his shadow was cast over her. There was a portcullis in there room that allowed the dying light to shine. Soon, the moon would be bathing them in silver. Her eyes were hooded slits as she looked at him from her curled up spot within the confines of the rope.
He had decided after all that he was going to share a hammock with her. His hand was offered to her to help her make room for him. Rei slid her slender hand into his and planted her feet on the cold wooden floor. Patrick nestled down in the spot she had previously taken up, and she slid into the hammock beside him. His arm supported her head like a pillow and the blanket was large enough to cover them comfortably. “Decided to take me up on my offer. I hope I don’t end up regretting it if you punch me in the face or something.”
A laugh resounded in the quiet room. Rei could feel the muscles of Pat’s body beneath her form, the tightness slowly fading away as he released a breathy sigh into her ear. Good, he was beginning to relax. Hopefully if he could relax his body and mind before he fell asleep, perhaps he could avoid the nightmares. She was surprised to hear Patrick thank her for taking care of him, as if she had done him a favor. Certainly she felt sorry for him, but she wasn’t exactly doing it out of pity. She did care for him and could relate to how such a burden weighed on him.
She thought she felt Patrick press his lips against the back of her, though she definitely felt his skin running along her arm. A twist of guilt seized her gut. Was this too intimate for people who were just supposed to be friends? Rei was frozen in place, unable to pull away from her and not entirely sure she wanted to. “You would do the same for me.” She sighed. He had done the same for her. “Now close your eyes. Imagine you’re in the clouds.”
He had a good laugh with her when she joked about him hitting her by accident, a hint of paranoia made him create a mental note to avoid such a notion of course. "Nah, promise I won't let it go that far." He mused as the blanket embraced the both of them afterwards, along with his previous affections to follow. Rei had found herself comfortable with him and so far, everything that existed between them didn't bother him. Sure he still treated her with the same compassion he would for a lover, but deep down he actually felt there was more to it than just that. Rei had been there for him time and time again, she had shown him what it means to be a good person. A good friend.
That kind of selflessness had been in short supply for Patrick over the years, and he took it upon himself to award such behavior with his own. It had been a long time since he'd ever considered himself compassionate, but in regards to how he treated Rei there was no better suited term. She posed a fact to his appreciative statement, one that made him chuckle only for a moment. He would do the same. No matter how bad things were, no matter how upset he felt, or even how much distance he put between him and her; Patrick would always wind up doing the same. Maybe that's what love was about. Or maybe it all tied into the fact he loved her. "Yeah." He agreed quietly as he took in a deep breath, with a sigh released he listened closely to her words.
Pat rested his eyelids and took in the scent of her hair, the thumb of his right hand still lingered on her arm for a few bits. He could see it just as she told him to, the world as it were now a vast sea of clouds. The groans and creaks of the wood in the ship didn't help much, but as he felt the hammock sway just a little from the ride of the tides, Patrick could literally think himself laying on air in an endless array of clouds. With Rei. Their own private paradise tucked away from the rest of the world, no other soul could imagine this moment but Patrick alone. With that on his mind and the warmth he felt with Rei next to him, it wasn't long before he finally slipped away into a much quieter sleep.
This was really cute and a great read. It's interesting to see the dynamic in their relationship/friendship now that Wendell was out of the picture. Is he the glue that holds everything together? I deducted points off of both reviews as I found some spelling mistakes along the way. Nothing major as we all make them, even me! (Definitely me...) The only other comments I have are regarding your sentences. Patrick, be sure to watch the frequency of a word you use. Reading your threads, sometimes the same words are used multiple times in a paragraph. Though this isn't major, like I said, it's a suggestion to better your quality of writing. Rei, I noticed a few words that didn't make sense the way they were used throughout your posts, however, I sometimes use other words in place of what I'm actually trying to type. Just a little heads up in the future! Great job you both and keep up the great work! Love reading your threads!
Patrick
Story: 5/5 Collaboration: 5/5 Structure: 4/5
Knowledge
Discipline: Remaining Sober
Seafaring: Succumbing To Seasickness
Seafaring: Food and Water Must Be Rationed
Psychology: PTSD – Almost Murdered
Psychology: Coping with PTSD
Medicine: Chewing and Sucking on Ginger Helps Stomachaches
Medicine: Straight Ginger Tastes Disgusting
Rei: Confiding In Her Helps
Rei: Has PTSD of Stabbing
Rei: Caretaker
Rei: Trying Not To Make Things Awkward
Loot: None Injuries: Bruise on right shoulder – 5 trials, Seasickness – 4 trials Fame: None Devotion: None
Rei
Story: 5/5 Collaboration: 5/5 Structure: 4/5
Knowledge
Medicine: Common Plants With Medicinal Uses Found Around The World
Gardening: How To Grow Common Plants With Medicinal Uses Found Around The World
Seafaring: 'Sea Legs'
Seafaring: Overcoming Seasickness
Unarmed Combats: Moving Quicker
Strength: Putting Power Behind a Kick
Patrick: Seasick
Patrick: Nightmares of Death
Patrick: Is Not a Priority
Patrick: Trying Not To Lead Him On
