The Hearts of Men (1x1 with Eternal Chronicler)

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

"Adeska," Calypso said fondly with a smile. "Fairest of the dawn," She chuckled lightly, maternal love coming into her eyes as she looked down at the girl. Jack's hurried steps, followed by a fall, a loud curse, and then more steps announced his arrival. He looked to Ilyia and then to Calypso before blurting out, "Thomas is gone," Calypso's eyes narrowed and she dropped her gaze to Adeska, fearing the worst. Jack touched her shoulder before moving on with a troubled smile, before entering the captain's quarters.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

--<._.-'--.__Tessa Cortez__.--'-._.>--

So cold...

All the same, all about me.

The wit, the wisdom.

Here I stand,

Here I live...

The truth of a revelation, frozen in fear.

Slowly dying...

Tessa stood silently at the rear balcony, presumably having been there for quite some time looking out over the waves. As she heard Jack coming through the door she did not even turn to greet him, though her frame appeared entirely at ease propped against the railing. Enough imaged flitted through her mind and vision that she could not even comprehend their meaning, nor even grasp the view of several of them, and yet still she held her undivided attention to it, to the point of being oblivious to all else.

Obliteration On Cheetos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

Jack stepped to behind Tessa, to the side of her a bit, and kissed her shoulder gently, his fingers tracing where his lips left. Soon this stopped though as he saw the depth of Tessa's thought. He leaned on the balcony next to her and patiently watched her, his own troublesome thoughts coming into his mind.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

--<._.-'--.__Tessa Cortez__.--'-._.>--

So cold...

All the same, all about me.

The wit, the wisdom.

Here I stand,

Here I live...

The truth of a revelation, frozen in fear.

Slowly dying...

Tessa blinked after several moments, and after a moment realized Jack had been beside her for an as-yet unknown amount of time, to which her blush was hidden only by her shame. Still she seemed quite worried, and her downcast look betrayed the extent of such pain.
"They're alive, Jack..." she whispered, "the Sisterhood is alive again. I can't say for sure what it means, or if it is for the good or ill of the rest of us, but I can't say this is sitting well with me... they deserve their peace..."

Obliteration On Cheetos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

"Alive?" Jack asked curiously, looking towards her and breaking out of his thoughts. He looked down to the railing in silent deliberation, brow furrowed together. Why? Or more to the point, how? It seemed many confusing events were descending upon the world, and they were caught up deeply with them. "How?" He asked, looking back up at Tessa, his troubled gaze searching her face.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

--<._.-'--.__Tessa Cortez__.--'-._.>--

So cold...

All the same, all about me.

The wit, the wisdom.

Here I stand,

Here I live...

The truth of a revelation, frozen in fear.

Slowly dying...

Tessa shook her head, utterly at a loss for an answer. She looked down to her blade and back into the cabin for several moments as a thought struck her.
"I don't know... and unfortunately to find out would leave me unconscious for nearly a week."
She looked back to Jack and pondered her options for several moments. To put herself under for a week while Jack was so prone to irritation would be among the worst things she could do, but she had to find out somehow...
"I think I might ask Erathis and the others if they know something."

Obliteration On Cheetos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

Jack nodded before pausing. "I believe they left, for a time at least. Ilyia ordered them back," He said quietly, resolving his gaze to the horizon, the doldrum having not been lifted. "Perhaps she would know something?" He asked, running a hand through his hair slowly.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

--<._.-'--.__Tessa Cortez__.--'-._.>--

So cold...

All the same, all about me.

The wit, the wisdom.

Here I stand,

Here I live...

The truth of a revelation, frozen in fear.

Slowly dying...

Tessa nodded thoughtfully and turned to the cabin before pausing for a moment in thought. After a few seconds she shook her head of her doubts and walked back out on deck.

Ilyia's cry of "They're what?" was of little assurance to the Half-Elf, but still she went on for several minutes of conversation. Tessa returned some time later and dropped against the bed, thoroughly confused.



Obliteration On Cheetos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

Rubbing his forehead, Jack stayed out on the balcony for significantly longer than it took for Tessa to return, attempting to puzzle out the events that had occurred recently. The only conclusion he could reach was that something significant was going to happen, though how soon he could not tell. Then the troubling notion that Thomas had disappeared, along with the return of his mother's daughter. His sister, or half. He didn't know, but was going to find out soon enough.

Returning into the cabin, Jack took the rum bottle by the neck and drank from it, the beverage dulling his mind slightly. He sat in his chair and studied the bottle blankly, turning it from time to time slightly, before drinking from it again.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

--<._.-'--.__Tessa Cortez__.--'-._.>--

So cold...

All the same, all about me.

The wit, the wisdom.

Here I stand,

Here I live...

The truth of a revelation, frozen in fear.

Slowly dying...

"Jack..."
Tessa looked up after a moment's further contemplation with a look of genuine worry on her face. Her decision had been made, but her course still unclear.
"I have to figure out what happened here, and the information I'm given is minimal at best. The thing is though... I don't want anything to happen to you while I'm gone. Promise me you'll be okay?"

Obliteration On Cheetos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

Looking up at Tessa, Jack tilted his head with a chuckle. "Since when haven't I turned out ok?" He asked with a smile. "Don't worry yourself about me, and do what you need to do. Perhaps what you find can help all of us," This said, he stood and went over to Tessa, pressing his lips to her forehead and making his way over towards the door. "I should probably talk to my mother, there is some explaining that is needed to be done," He said opening the door.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia paced nervously across the deck, taking care not to disrupt any activities on board while muttering to herself about potential ramifications. Still at the sight of Jack she paused and took a step forward to him, but paused again seeing his pointedly direct choice of movement and decided against disturbing him for the time being. Instead she leaned against the wall of the captain's cabin - her unofficial place of wait by her judgement - and waited for a more opportune time to signal the man.

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

Jack knelt next to Calypso and remained there silently for a moment.

"How?" He asked quietly, looking over Adeska. Calypso quietly regarded him, commending him silently at his apparent ability to mask his confusion.

"I'll start from the beginning, as most stories go. During my time prisoner of the company, Lord Nessin made no attempt to hide his...fascination of me. His, lust if you would, towards me. In his capturing of me, each night I would be wounded fatally, my powers intending on only keeping me alive, providing no chance for freedom. I was weak, and I couldn't...I couldn't..." She paused there for a moment, rebuking her emotions. "He came to me one night, and I had no power to resist him. I knew I was with child as the days went on but resolved to keep her. It was of no fault to her that I came to be her mother, but Nessin's.

"It was when she was born, and I felt her power, that I truly understood why Nessin wanted her. She had my power buried deep within her, as you have so recently discovered, and became a target of the demon Isobel.

"She was taken when she was eleven, three months before I escaped. The last time I saw her, she was just a child, and now, she is a beautiful woman." Calypso's voice was hushed throughout but fell into a near impossible to hear whisper. Jack thought about what she had told him and looked down.

"I am sorry, for everything that has happened," Jack said with a frown. The girl in front of him looked no more than eighteen, not eleven. Still, he figured it must have been the demon's choice, to freeze her at eighteen. Calypso touched his hand softly and smiled.

"Please, the seas have their ways of releasing sorrow," She said before tilting her head slightly towards Ilyia. "I have suspicion you are needed elsewhere. Go, you have matters of your own to attend to," She said with a weak smile. Jack nodded and stood, looking towards Ilyia before making his way towards the railing near her.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]
 

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_Ilyia Nerian_,.-~*'`'*~-.,_

I may be the hand of Mystriel...

I may be her instrument of justice.

I realize I am forever her servant.

I will still stand for what I believe.

If there are those who will oppose her,

They must stand against me.

I will not give in.

Ilyia listened intently, though could only catch snippets of the conversation and carefully pieced together what she could. Her lips curled downwards the slightest bit as her pity for the girl and her mother rose substantially. Still she had matters to discuss, and in everyone's best interests they had to be discussed sooner than later.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Jack but Crystal is likely to be only one of several substantial worries to lash out at this ship in pursuit of Tessa's unique capacities. Any one of them I could handle in a one-to-one fight, but by now they have to know the Order is looking out for Tessa, which gives them enough incentive to strike in larger numbers." She paused for a moment further in thought, before adding, "Caly... your mother, also mentioned there being a discreet possibility that this Isobel and Despair might be crossing paths on similar assaults. It may be best we plan for such a catastrophe, Jack. Already two attacks, end-to-end and neither of them are defeated with any measure of permanence. With Tessa parted from herself in search of answers now is the ideal time for them to lash out. I thought perhaps we could discuss our options."

Order Of Chaos:
 

[The_Scarlet_Lark]

Jack------------------------------------------
------------------- Cortez

Of Blood and Gold I know,
of the freedom of a ship,
and only the wind holding you back.

"Of course," Jack said, mulling over possibilities. Several struck him, but the most unpleasant for him, and yet most useful stood out. "We could easily reach the Pirate Courts within a few days, and although they are an...unsavory bunch, with the threat of the Company over their heads, it may make their greedy minds a bit more pliable," Jack said, tossing a glance over at Calypso with a small smile. "The proper leverage, perhaps, to convince them I have the protection they need," He said. "There are a few mages among them, and of course for sheer amount of men it would be helpful, no?" He asked, turning his gaze to Ilyia.

This is what I loved...And lost.
[OutrageousObliviousCats: ---]