Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ephrym smirked as he noticed one of the new members of the crew watching the ocean. His friend had encouraged him to pick up the sniper since there were so many unknown factors about Kahikina and it would be better to have the extra manpower just in case of emergencies. Ephrym had a variety of people on his crew, including a Matori navigator, but he had not been expecting another foreigner with such strange traits. Not that they were that biased against hybrids, especially considering how many mixed families existed in Belrea, but it was still shocking to see a foreigner with such unique traits. It was a bit too easy to notice her and a lot of the crew had taken to calling Chrysanthe the golden princess or the golden spark who could shoot you within a few seconds if you dared to underestimate her. She was good at attacking though and had proven it to several of the more masculine members that she truly could hold her own as promised. Ephrym had been on the receiving end of a couple of her shots within the first few days until she had started to adapt to his more playful nature while he had learned to usually give her some space, admittedly something he was not accustomed to doing with many of his crew.

[Ephrym 1]

A soft chuckle left Ephrym’s lips as he cautiously moved forward to lean against the railing a couple of feet away from Chrysanthe. “It’s not the only thing that’s beautiful and dangerous out here.” He teased with a grin towards the hybrid. “Did you leave a trail of bodies before coming over to Belrea? That would explain your willingness to quickly join our crew.” Can’t really arrest anyone on open waters, right? Even if Chrysanthe was notorious for her short temper and feisty actions Ephrym always felt daring enough to try and push his limits with the woman. Not that he meant any harm by it, but it was nice to see some sort of emotion dancing across that delicate face instead of that constant melancholy expression. Even when faced with Telios back in Belrea she had kept her resolve which was impressive, but at the same time he didn’t like it when she was so reserved. Before she had snapped at him a few times, but since setting sail when they were constantly surrounded by crew she seemed much more reserved. It made him miss those moments alone like when they were dealing with merchants or even that day they went swimming together after a long week of negotiations.

[Ephrym 2]

“Oh.” Ephrym took a step backwards though his expression was completely playful. “As captain it is my responsibility to check on every member of my crew, dangerous or not, and as it is we’re sailing smoothly so I can take a bit of time to wander around.” He gestured towards the ocean that completely surrounded the misty maiden, no land in sight even on the far horizon, “I doubt we’ll be needing to dock any time soon so why not have a bit of fun?” Emiyn had already given him the go ahead for the day since the weather was clear and no one else had needed him. It had almost been a bit too boring, especially since he had already been chased from the galley and every other corner of the ship, and seeing Chrysanthe had given him a spark of hope for some entertainment. It helped that there wasn’t anyone nearby at the moment and he could see some of her personality flaring back to life.

[Ephrym 3]

Ephrym chuckled at the threat as he watched Chrysanthe walking around the crates, his spirits rising at the sound of her laughter. “Only if I have your help.” He teased playfully, his emerald gaze bright as she slowly dragged a finger across a rope. “I would gladly cut the ropes myself in that situation.” Chrysanthe almost looked like a sunbeam with the way the sun made everything about her shine, her golden hair even with the pink dyed tips seemed lovely and her whole appearance was bright. It was a shame that the golden spark preferred to be grumpy over embracing happiness and playing around a bit more. Strange how Sulien had talked about Chrys before Ephrym had ever met her and his friend’s description had already captivated him, but seeing the real thing had sealed the deal. Ephrym hadn’t been lying when he said that the ocean wasn’t the only beautiful thing around the ship. It was just hard to approach someone who would rather shoot you with a bolt instead of opening up to conversation and potential relationships. Ephrym had even had her at his side before they left Belrea just to get a feel for his new crewmate and despite her prickly exterior he couldn’t be more pleased with the addition of her presence in his life. He just hoped that somehow he could break through to her, let her know that she was safe with the crew and that there was no need for such barriers.

[Ephrym 4]

“You think so?” Ephrym always rose to accept a challenge and today was no different as he approached the ropes himself. Reaching out to grab one, his hand brushing against Chrysanthe’s own, the hybrid made certain it was firm before reaching for the dagger hanging from his hip. His free hand expertly freed the extra blade and he held it above the rope, the metal inching closer to the material. “I think I’ll just go ahead and take that as an offer to help me once I cut these ropes.” He was not simply jesting around and already the rope was fraying from where the sharp edge of the blade was slowly sinking in.

[Ephrym 5]

His gaze widened at the sudden touch, but a smile quickly crossed his lips as Ephrym turned to look triumphantly at Chrysanthe. He had managed to get the golden spark to backstep instead of going forward with attacking for once. I’ll take that win. Ephrym raised his arm slightly and pointedly looked at where Chrysanthe’s fingers were still curled around his wrist. “Fine, but we’ll have to go get some sealant to reinforce where I did cut a bit of the rope. Yokka will murder me for any mishaps.”

[Ephrym 6]

“You’ll get lost in storage.” Ephrym replied as he walked past Chrysanthe. “I’ll go with you.” The hybrid didn’t wait for a response and started walking across the deck, his easy gait a sign of his familiarity with the Misty Maiden and the ocean. This was where he was the most comfortable and his spirit was bright as he made his way down to the lower levels of the ship. Taking a key from his necklace, Ephrym fiddled with the lock before opening the wider door and gesturing for Chrysanthe to follow him inside. Even if he trusted his crew it was still best to keep certain areas under lock and key, including the storage area of some of their more volatile and rarer components.

“There should be a ceramic jar on one of these shelves.” He mused as he started searching about, his gaze looking about the dim lighting given to them from a port window.

[Ephrym 7]