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.

With a curiousness to his movements, Jack picked up the ring, and could not help but to admire it for a moment, studying the light glinting off of it, before he slipped it on his finger, unused to a ring sitting on the finger that it did. Even then he could not help but to look at it, as if memorizing it, making sure that it was real. Then, he dropped his hand from the scrutinizing gaze of his eyes and instead looked across as Tessa, seeing her again as if in a new light, as his wife, his companion, forever. The thought gladdened him immensely, and he smiled happily.

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...

The amount of time it took for Tessa to nearly fly across the chapel hall and effectively bury Jack in her arms was negligible, and her embrace betrayed the entirety of her withheld excitement over the time, such that Mystriel turned with a look of mild alarm to her sudden movement.

Still the goddess merely laughed and turned the the couple.
"Congratulations," she said calmly, "on a lifelong achievement."



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.

The force of Tessa rocketing into him made Jack rock backwards on his heels. He effectively wrapped his arms around Tessa and kissed her for a long moment, his happiness flowing into the gesture as he worked his hand up, one running through her hair and the other settling on her mid-back, gaining some stability in the movement. After a moment her broke away, his hands resting behind her waist as he sighed happily. "Mrs. Cortez," He said softly with a grin.

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 smiled and looked out over the small crowd of strange outsiders who had watched from the sides and to the exceedingly small congregation, but among them stood a single hidden face she had learned to avoid forgetting.
"Jack, at least we could entertain our guests for the moment?" She said after a moment, "I have something I need to ask Mystriel..."

Meanwhile the same half-face that had caught Tessa's attention kept its eyes fixed upon Jack without wavering for a moment, however the plumed hat and bright crimson attire would have given his identity away under any circumstance.



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.

"Of course," Jack said, following Tessa's gaze before raising an eyebrow and letting go of Tessa. He straightened his sleeves again and walked over to the man in crimson, touching the brim of his hat in acknowledgement. "Well, seeing that you got off that island, how goes it, Erathis, was it?" Jack asked in a cheerful, cordial tone, his eyebrows returning to normal.

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

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

}---Erathis Nekaedhe---{

Through trial, you learn.

Through effort, you improve.

Through struggle, you grow.

That's not life, however.

Life is a series of these and these alone.

I came knowing this, prepared.

And I'm ready to bring it all on.

"Better than I'd expected," Erathis said simply, "and yes, I'm glad to see I haven't been forgotten."
He motioned over to Tessa, who had recently begun making her way out, and the Qedrin chuckled lightly.
"Congratulations, by the way Jack." He lowered his mask to reveal the depth of his contemplation, "Perhaps if I could have a word with you outside?"

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, looking back to Tessa with a smile before heading outside the chapel, fixing his neckcloth this time with a smile, his wedding band again catching his eye. He twisted it as he walked, effectively walking into a person as he wasn't paying attention. He apologized and kept on until he was out, adjusting the brim of his hat.

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

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

}---Erathis Nekaedhe---{

Through trial, you learn.

Through effort, you improve.

Through struggle, you grow.

That's not life, however.

Life is a series of these and these alone.

I came knowing this, prepared.

And I'm ready to bring it all on.

Erathis followed a moment later and leaned against the open doorframe, though he sighed with a mild irritation, whether directed inward or outward could not be openly told.
"If you don't mind, a couple friends of mine and I would like to enlist to travel with you for a time. Rest assured my business with the Shadow Hunters is over and done with, so we need not fear any god-forsaken fleets pursuing us, and to be honest I think this could turn out quite to your benefit. Perhaps if you would be so kind as to meet my comrades, Lucas and Karl?"

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 narrowed his eyes and sighed, rubbing his eyes with his newly ringed hand. "I am afraid that Tessa and I's plans involved leaving the Duchess for a while," He said, taking his hand away, taking off his hat and raking a hand through his hair before replacing the hat. "But fine, let me meet your friends," Jack said after a second, more than slightly irritated that something such as this came up so soon after his wedding. He tried convincing himself that Erathis was not in fact the root cause, that something else indeed may have come up, but his past experiences with the man left a bitter taste in his mouth, and a bruise on his memory.

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

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

_,.-*'`Karl Sikae_,.-*'`

The best course to a solution is usually the easiest one.

You can spend all your time with the magic,

But you can't outrun a sheer show of force.

I'm just another deliverer.

I set things right, and cut down the rest.

Eventually the rest will see how simple it is.

Stand, or fall.

A figure clad in odd mesh wear stepped out of the chapel from among the unfamiliar faces of the crowd and looked momentarily to Erathis before giving a low chuckle.
"You're selling us to this guy?" He asked, though was immediately interrupted.
"Karl," Erathis said sternly, "yes I am, for one and for another, I wasn't the one who made arrangements for us to wander for the next who-knows-how-long."
He dropped his head into his hand and looked around for a moment, "Where's Lucas?"
The boy laughed, "Take a guess. He's browsing the magic stores. It's what he does, remember?"
Erathis sighed and looked over to Jack.
"I do apologize if he's a little unbecoming at first. He's usually a lot more friendly once you get to know him."

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.

"S-Selling?" Jack asked, unsure if he had heard correctly. "I am sorry, but there is no way in the realms of hell that I would be bribed into anything by you again," He moved past the two and into the chapel, pausing on the way to regard both of them. "I wish you luck on your travels, but I must be getting back to my wife," He said with a scowl as he turned his head and moved on through the crowd, moving his hat brim down.

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

[Kares-Eternal Chronicler]

}---Erathis Nekaedhe---{

Through trial, you learn.

Through effort, you improve.

Through struggle, you grow.

That's not life, however.

Life is a series of these and these alone.

I came knowing this, prepared.

And I'm ready to bring it all on.

"Wait!" Erathis held his tongue and dropped his face again. He rushed inside and gripped Jack at the shoulder lightly, tentatively, "Hear me out, Jack. We're not going anywhere specific, and to be strictly honest we've started on more than a little bit of a bad note. I was hoping to make it up to you, honestly. The only mention of payment in any of our prior plans was mostly accommodation for previous idiocies that I still regret having had occur. Haven't you ever heard of a second chance?"

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 froze for a second before turning around and narrowing his eyes. "In fact I do, the problem is that your timing is less than satisfactory in my eyes, and therefore, my willingness to offer said second chance is significantly lower, savvy?" Jack said in a quiet, yet hurried voice.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that the Duchess was relinquished to me for the time being, Jack," Calypso said with a smile, appearing behind Erathis, a key spinning around her finger. "By all means Erathis you may come aboard, as long as you do not make too much of a trouble of it," She said with a smile, catching the key and stowing it in the folds of her dark blue dress, the color of the ocean at sunset. Jack sighed and nodded.

"Very well, but do not make me regret the decision," He said, directed to both his mother and Erathis. He turned to leave then, and walked off towards Tessa.

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 at the far wall, idly watching the movement of blue within her ring with a face so straight and lost in wonder that her emotions were perfectly unreadable. Still when she saw Jack she smiled and leaned away from the wall to walk up to him.
"You look troubled," she said casually, "did something happen?"

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.

Rolling his eyes, Jack gestured back to Erathis with a vague wave of his hand. "I talked to him, of course I am going to look troubled," He said, lacing his fingers with Tessa's with a sigh. "We are to have company on the ship for a while, but I daresay that should we choose, we would be able to leave. My mother still has my ship," Jack said reassuringly. He smiled and kissed Tessa's cheek. "Come now, we shouldn't dwell on such things. It is our wedding day." He said.

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