• Graded • Running a Line

[Bronik]

44 Vhalar 716

The advertisement hadn't been up for long and already Bronik had received a handful of replies, most of which were from people with little to no experience fishing. He was happy to house whoever he took on for the job, as the ship was more than big enough for the current pair that resided, made up of Bronik and his sister Lacey.
Bronik stood at the helm, the wheel in hand. “Tighten the jib!” He called to Lacey. “The one at the very front,” he smirked when she looked about, perplexed. “Come on, your father is a boat builder!”
“And for all we know yours is a lion tamer,” came her quick retort, “that doesn't make you an expert on big cats does it?”
Bronik laughed, “you got me there.”
He locked the wheel to keep them on course and jogged down the stairs before crossing the deck to help with the jib and take the fisherman sail down.”
“Is that the boat?”
Bronik looked straight ahead. “Aye, that's the one. Her reply said she had a small boat in Blackbrine, but was sailing with the crew from her last job.”
“They aren't going to rob us are they?” Lacey frowned.
Bronik snorted, “good luck finding anything worth taking.”
“Will we be traveling to Blackbrine then?”
“I suspect all going well she will probably want to sell her little boat and put the gold towards something bigger once we pay her.”
“Or maybe she will stick with us and help invest in something larger,” Lacey smiled.
Bronik perked a brow. “Let's just see how the meeting goes first.”
They pulled up alongside the bigger vessel and a rope ladder was dropped down. Lacey stayed behind to keep the boat steady while Bronik climbed aboard the bigger boat, papers in hand. “I'm looking for this woman,” he handed the papers to the captain of the vessel.”
“Zyanya!” the man bellowed.
Bronik stuck and finger in his ear, brow knotted, he hadn't expect the man to yell like that. “Is this a fishing boat?” he asked.
“That it is, lad,” the captain told him, “we hunt for crab in the far south, but my crew seems to think we’ll had more luck in the north next season, so that is where we are heading.”
“North of Rynmere?” Bronik inquired.
“Where we find ice, we find deep sea crab,” he beamed. “Ah here she is, have you got everything you need, lass? I'll see you off after young---, I didn't catch your name,” the man scratched his head.
“Nik,” Bronik replied without so much as a smile, his sharp, biting gaze fixed on Zyanya. She didn't look like much of a fisher, but then Lacey didn't look anything like one might imagine a boatbuilder to, and she did just fine at that. “After you,” Bronik gestured to the rope ladder that led down onto the deck of his a rocking schooner.

[Zyanya]

There had been an advertisement sent out for some fishing work, some work that she desperately needed. The ship she was currently working for, a vessel that mainly trolled for crabs, was heading to the Northern sea. They were heading towards ice and a territory that was none to friendly to the Brineborn. That’s what she was and would always be. She couldn’t stray too far from her home. She needed to be able to be in sailing distance. Her father was there and so was her life. She couldn’t drop everything and leave it.

“Looks like your new boss is coming ‘round.” She heard the rugged voice of the captain of the crabbing vessel. She smiled at him and shook her head, shouldering her pack onto her back. It was the bare essentials.

“I see it. But you will always be my favorite boss.” She spared him a slight wink as her eyes scanned the vessel approaching. It was rather standard for a fishing vessel and there appeared to be two people manning the rigging- a man at the wheel and a woman adjusting the sails. Her eyes were a deep blue, reflecting the calm serenity of her inner self as she smelled and felt the spray of saltwater.

“I’ve got everything I need. Thanks, Cap.” She clasped him strongly on the shoulder and walked over to the rope ladder, given the courtesy of first dibs by her new boss, Nik. Supple tanned skin shimmered in the sun on the sea as she climbed over the ledge and made quick work of the rope ladder. Obviously it wasn’t her first time climbing ropes. Her brown boots thudded on the deck as she made impact and set her pack over towards the railing. She waited for Nik to make his way down and gave the crew one last wave.

“So, Nik is it? Zyanya and this is?” Her eyes flitted over the other woman aboard. “What type of fish is it that you’re after. This doesn’t seem… or smell like a crabbing ship.” It was true. There was distinct odor of crab on vessels that brought it in as a main haul. “And I don’t much care for where you put me up. I can sleep just about anywhere. I’m not hard to please.” A bit of red began to leak into the calm blue of her eyes.

[Bronik]

Bronik agreed with a nod, “just Nik, and this is my sister, Lacey,” he pointed out. At first glance the two of them looked as if they could have been related. Both about the same height, lean of limb, and light of eye. But upon closer inspection, one might notice the things that made them different. The shape of their noses, the shade of their skin, Lacey’s hair was a lot darker than Bronik’s, and unlike his eyes, which seemed to change colour in different lights, her’s remained the same shade of blue.
Lacey offered a kind, warm smile, and took Zyanya’s bag to the cabin, leaving it just inside the door. “Unfortunately we all have to share the same cabin until we can dock,” she explained. “Nik here has plans to add a second once we reach Blackbrine, but until then you'll be all right in a hammock won't you?”
Bronik pulled up the foresail and straightened the stay in order to catch more wind now that they were out of the shadow of the much bigger trolling vessel. The holding cell of the boat was packed with ice, unlike the ship Zyanya came off which held a tank of saltwater to keep the baitfish and crabs they caught, alive. The fish Bronik hunted weren't the kind that would survive long on a boat, thus he slaughtered them fresh from the sea and left their parts on ice to keep them fresh until they would dock.
“I hope you don't mind teeth,” Bronik smiled, “I'm about to run a line.”
The hooks Bronik baited were about the length of his hand, and looked big enough to stick a full grown man. He cut up the bait fish, quartering all of it. Whatever they were trying to hook, was big, fast, and hungry.
Lacey tied down the fisherman sail so that it wasn't flapping in the wind against the mast, and looked over at Zyanya. “So, what do we call you? Want to help me untangle from lines?”
Bronik threw the baited hooks out over the back of the boat and returned to the helm to steer the boat so that the wind was behind them, powering the boat along with little effort from her crew. “You know we never named her,” he called out to Lacey.
“Named what?” his sister called back as she got to work untangling one of the lines they had pulled in the day before.
“The schooner, we never gave her a name when I finished building it. All good boats have a name.”
“On!” Lacey smiled, there were so many options. “Don't worry, we’ll think of something, maybe Zyanya here can help us?”
Bronik locked the wheel and ran to the back of the boat when he heard the whiz of the line pulling overhead. “I think we've got one!” he beamed, “quickly now! Wind in that pulley and let's catch us another mako!”

[Zyanya]

“Lacey.” She extended her hand and shook the woman’s. She didn’t look like much of a fisherman to her, but Zyanya knew that people often thought the same of her. They were usually even more surprised to find out that she worked with leather goods. “Well, pleased to be making both of your acquaintances, though we will have plenty of time to get to know each other.” And it seemed that they would have plenty of time, indeed, as they would all be sharing the same cabin. “No. I don’t mind a hammock. That’s about what crew quarters are on most ships these days.”

Zyanya didn’t mind teeth. She didn’t mind blood. She didn’t mind guts. Pretty much anything that went with the profession was something that she didn’t mind. She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t mind much of anything. I think I can handle it. I was once on a Brinefish vessel. And they have some long and sharp teeth. Big mouths.” She smiled, indicating the size of the average mouth of the fish. The teeth were thin but very long. They should easily shred the skin of your hand when you were pulling them off the line.

Nik was working on putting quartered bait onto some very sizable hooks, and Lacey was working on untangling the lines that had been used in the last haul. Her boots thudded on the wooden deck as she moved over by lacey and started untangling lines. “Zyanya,” she answered plainly. “Though you can use Zy or Zya if you prefer.” After Nik had thrown out the baited lines, he took back up at the wheel. They were discussing the fact that they had never named the schooner where there was the sound of the reel unraveling as a fish caught on a hook.

Nik leapt into action and ran to the back of the boat, ordering for the winding of the pulley. Zyanya dropped a tangle of lines and ran over to the pulley and caught the spinning handle, the weight jerking against her hand. Her arms flexed as she pushed the pulley and wound it up, driving the hook deeper into the fish and pulling it towards the boat. When it had wound almost all the way up, a weighty and large mako with a mouth full of teeth was lodged on the line and wriggling.

[Bronik]

Zyanya, or Zya as she was happy for them to call her, helped wind in the line until the shark’s head stuck up out of the water, causing the creature to thrash around on the water’s surface. Bronik pulled the line around to the side of the schooner were the belly of the boat was closed to the water, remembering to pull on his gloves first, knowing how the fishing line could cut with the ease of a knife when put under enough strain.
He grabbed the pole-hook and opened the half door along the rail of the boat, wrestling with the line in order to get the shark closer. He had experienced a near miss with one of these animals before, and didn't intend to make the same mistake. “Pull ‘er in a bit!” he ordered.
The long, heavy hook went into the Mako’s gills and Bronik pulled with all his might, dragging the shark up into the deck where it continued to thrash about. He locked the gate to keep it from escaping and took a blade from his belt, approaching the creature from behind to use the blade like an iki-spike, stabbing the point of the knife in behind the eye to see that the shark didn't suffer any longer than it had to.
Bronik wiped his brow as the shark stopped moving. “That was fast,” he smiled, “we didn't even have to use any chum to attract him. You must be good luck,” he looked over at Zyanya.
Lacey held one of the ropes to slow the boat, putting tension on the mainsail. “That's a nice Mako, she added, maybe that's what you should call the boat?” she grinned.
“The Mako?” Bronik laugh. “Captain Nik of the Mako… doesn't have much of a ring to it,” he teased, and worked the hook free from the fish. “Used one of these before?” the man asked Zyanya. “You probably used a lot of J hooks before, those tend to get stuck in a shark’s stomach, and can be near impossible to remove, so we use circle hooks. They are a little wider and harder for the fish to swallow, but curve back on themselves a little more.”
“Like a circle,” Lacey winked.
“Oh well, let's get this fish down onto the ice, and once we dock, I'll show you how to cut it up.”
Bronik tried a rope around the shark’s tail, it was the best way he knew to move a fish of its size without having to risk putting his hands or any other limbs anywhere near the mouth and all of those sharp teeth. He dragged the Mako across the desk and pushed it through a trapdoor into the hold, before bringing up some seawater in a bucket to wash the blood from the deck. With everything cleaned up and ready to go again, he watched Zyanya bait the next lot of hooks, offering guidance when and where he felt is was necessary, and let her lead the next catch, waiting by the handle of the pulley for her order.

[Zyanya]

As the line was wound up, first came a stiff dorsal fin protruding from the water and then came the snapping jaws of the mako shark with its rows of razor-like teeth. Water spewed in droplets all over the unnamed ship as the creature thrashed in what Zya could only imagine was a mixture of fright, agony, and anger. The large hook seemed to be imbedded nicely in its gills. The shark would have a hard time breaking free short of completely snapping the line. Even then it would just be a slow death awaiting it as its gills struggled to function and it slowly leaked blood. The best the shark could hope for now was a quick and merciful death. But fish were no different than all other animals. They fought to the death.

Nik demonstrated his strength as he quickly gloved his hands and pulled the line over to the side of the boat. When he hollered for her to reel it in a bit tighter, she obliged and pushed the spinning reel around a few more times. With the weight of the mako pulling against it, the contraption creaked and protested but did its job all the same. The small side door on the schooner that allowed them to drag in larger catches was thrust open and the mako went sprawling on the wood, thrashing about and flaring its gills for the oxygen it wasn’t getting. Nik was kind enough not to let the beast suffer too long and took a knife to the top of its eye, piercing the brain and causing a near instant death.

The mako went limp on the deck and blood pooled out from where Nik had driven the dagger home. “Yes, just call me your new lucky charm,” she teased, using the toe of her boot to gently push against the still beast to be certain it had drawn its last breath. There was no reactionary movement. It was a nice sized mako and Lacey suggested they could call the ship that. Nik didn’t seem all too enthralled by the idea and Zya had to agree. Her nose scrunched up a bit at the name. “Far too ordinary. You need something with a bit of flair. I somehow can’t see the name ‘The Mako’ commanding much respect among the Brineborn.” It didn’t seem dramatic and brutish enough for her people.

Nik showed her a hook that he called a circle hook, which made sense considering the shape. J hooks had been more her forte on most fishing vessels as not all of them were going after large sharks. Even Brinefish, as big as they were, could be caught with a simple J hook. “Seen ‘em. Not used ‘em much. Seem to work pretty well though.” As Nik tied up the dead shark and dropped it down below through a trapdoor, Zya moved to work on baiting the new hooks. There was a sloshing of salt water as it hit the deck and the blood red spot turned pink as the water began to run off the sides of the boat and into the ocean. The bit of blood in the water might be helpful in attracting them another mako.

Taking the circular hook, she utilized the largest pieces of bait and speared the hook through the flesh multiple times until the bait was snuggly wound about the circle hook. After she finished doing the same to the other two hooks she cast them over the side. It didn’t take long for the middle reel to start whizzing as the line let out from being snagged by something. Zya hastily looked around for a pair of gloves and slipped them on to protect her flesh from the line. As Nik reeled it in this time, she went to the edge of the boat and caught the line with her head. Another mako, this one slightly smaller than the last, came thrashing to the surface. Mimicking Nik’s previous display, she tugged the creature over to the side door and pulled it on deck. She grabbed Nik’s knife and made the same killing blow, leaving the rubbery shark lifeless on the deck in another pool of blood. She roped its tail and drug it to the same hatch Nik had deposited his mako and tossed a bucket of water over the blood spot. She slipped the gloves off and handed them back to Nik with a triumphant smile on her face.

[Pegasus]

Bronick

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/ 5
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Seafaring: The jib
Seafaring: Catching the wind
Fishing: Preserving the catch in ice
Fishing: Baiting techniques on the line
Fishing: Mako fishing with a line and pulley
Fishing: J Hooks vs Circle Hooks
Strength: Hauling sharks for upper body strength.
Combat: Knife: Killing blow with stiletto dagger

Loot:

2 x sharks

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

NA

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Zyanya

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/ 5
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Detection: The smell of a crabbing vessel
Fishing: Preserving the catch in ice
Fishing: Mako fishing with a line and pulley
Fishing: Baiting techniques on the line
Fishing: J Hooks vs Circle Hooks
Strength: Winding lines is hard work!
Combat: Knife: Killing blow with stiletto dagger

Loot:

NA

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

NA

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

General comments. One vessel, three people, two sharks. A good read, well written, good pace and cohesive story.
Story Good! I enjoyed the obvious ease with which Zy settled in ~ she seemed very at home. Nice interplay between them ~ a good read!
Structure No issues.

Please do PM me if you think I've missed anything or you have any questions!