Characters: Baltic (pre-obelisk transformation, so she's a guardian here), Caronia
Warnings: none
Feedback is always appreciated!
Baltic had taken part in numerous sea rescues over the course of her career, but this, she realized, was the first time she was doing so while on a return trip with no mail in her bag. It was a strangely liberating feeling, not having to worry about getting her scrolls and packages all wet, and it was handy, too: she could bound through the water inside the sinking boat without having to find a safe place for her bag first. That was fortunate, seeing as no other rescuers were present despite the boat's close proximity to Churnscar Wharf.
Most of the dragons on the boat - all experienced fishermen who had simply gotten unlucky, according to the skipper - had already escaped with as many tools and charts as they could fit in one of the two small lifeboats, but the captain had run back into the sinking vessel in search of their youngest crewmate, an Arcane dragon who had joined the crew fairly recently, and neither dragon had returned. Baltic, being much taller than the all-bogsneak crew, had to duck her head to get inside, and once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light she made her way through the darkened interior. It smelled strongly of fish, of course, and a couple inches of water lapped at Baltic's talons, but she kept going regardless, hurrying down a steeply-slanted, half-flooded hallway that was barely wide enough for her shoulders. Tiny cabins and chartrooms sat abandoned on either side of her, and she briefly glanced into each room as she passed.
The dragons she was looking for, it turned out, were down in the hold, surrounded by crates of fresh fish. An old green bogsneak was trying to reach for a much younger one, who was pinned between a wall and several crates that were piled up due to the boat's severe list.
"I- can't reach," the young dragon gasped, extending a stubby arm toward the older one. "Please-"
The captain, who was simultaneously trying to push the crates aside and grasp the young dragon's talons, turned his head as Baltic approached. "You," he barked. "Guardian! Help me move these crates!"
Baltic, being much larger and more muscular, had a considerably easier time with the crates, and the captain was finally able to pull the young dragon to safety. The trio rushed back outside, and as Baltic blinked in the bright sunlight she realized that more dragons had arrived. Standing before her was a breathtakingly beautiful pearlcatcher, clearly about to head inside, although the stranger seemed to immediately change course when she noticed the young bogsneak.
"Your wing," she gasped, and Baltic noted that her voice was just as lovely as her face. "It's broken. Here, come get in the lifeboat. We'll take you back to Churnscar and get that fixed up, okay?" Then she turned to Baltic and the captain, eyes wide. "Is everyone out? Nobody's still in there?"
"That's everyone, miss," one of the fishermen called from the lifeboat. "Those were the last two."
The pearlcatcher nodded. "Okay. Is anyone else hurt?" When everyone besides the young bogsneak answered no, she nodded again, this time at one of the other dragons who'd arrived with her, and then she nudged Baltic, who realized she'd been staring.
"Oh, uh, yes?" Baltic replied, snapping out of her daze. "Do you need me to do something?"
"Well, assuming you don't want to go down with the ship, I need you to get off too," the pearlcatcher replied with a grin. "I mean, unless it's standard protocol for rescuers to stay on the ship after they've saved anyone, you should probably do something. It'd be a shame for someone so pretty to just sink with the boat," she added, and Baltic's heart skipped a beat.
"Uh- thank you," she stammered, and the pearlcatcher laughed. Then she frowned again, looking at where some of the other dragons were guiding the lifeboat off toward Churnscar Wharf.
"What do you do once everyone's off the ship?" she asked. "Are my friends over there doing the right thing, leading the boat off like that?"
"Well, yes, technically," Baltic replied. "Although I kind of feel like that's not necessary, seeing as Churnscar's right over there." She motioned with a talon to where the little town was just visible on the horizon. "But usually, yeah, that's what we do."
"You rescue dragons often? Sounds like you've got a bit of experience with that sort of thing."
"Well, I mean, it's not my job or anything, but yeah, I help out whenever I'm needed. I'm actually a courier," she added. "Flying over the Sea of a Thousand Currents so often practically guarantees you'll run into a shipwreck once in a while."
"Ah, I see. Well, speaking of shipwrecks, the boat'll sink out from under our feet if we don't get out of here. Are you headed to Churnscar?"
"I am. That's my base of operations at the moment." She took to the sky with a single beat of her powerful wings, and the pearlcatcher followed suit. "By the way," she added, glancing over at her new companion, "my name's Baltic."
The pearlcatcher smiled, her pale blue eyes crinkling up at the corners. "That's a lovely name," she mused. "For some reason it reminds me of the Southern Icefield. I'm Caronia, by the way," she added. "I work for a ferry company. You know, weather predictions so the tourists can have nice trips and all." She laughed again, and Baltic found herself hoping they'd be able to talk more in the future, even just for a little while.
After all, who wouldn't want to talk to someone so charming?
Warnings: none
Feedback is always appreciated!
December 30 2021 wrote:
"I—can't reach," they gasped out. "Please—"
Baltic had taken part in numerous sea rescues over the course of her career, but this, she realized, was the first time she was doing so while on a return trip with no mail in her bag. It was a strangely liberating feeling, not having to worry about getting her scrolls and packages all wet, and it was handy, too: she could bound through the water inside the sinking boat without having to find a safe place for her bag first. That was fortunate, seeing as no other rescuers were present despite the boat's close proximity to Churnscar Wharf.
Most of the dragons on the boat - all experienced fishermen who had simply gotten unlucky, according to the skipper - had already escaped with as many tools and charts as they could fit in one of the two small lifeboats, but the captain had run back into the sinking vessel in search of their youngest crewmate, an Arcane dragon who had joined the crew fairly recently, and neither dragon had returned. Baltic, being much taller than the all-bogsneak crew, had to duck her head to get inside, and once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light she made her way through the darkened interior. It smelled strongly of fish, of course, and a couple inches of water lapped at Baltic's talons, but she kept going regardless, hurrying down a steeply-slanted, half-flooded hallway that was barely wide enough for her shoulders. Tiny cabins and chartrooms sat abandoned on either side of her, and she briefly glanced into each room as she passed.
The dragons she was looking for, it turned out, were down in the hold, surrounded by crates of fresh fish. An old green bogsneak was trying to reach for a much younger one, who was pinned between a wall and several crates that were piled up due to the boat's severe list.
"I- can't reach," the young dragon gasped, extending a stubby arm toward the older one. "Please-"
The captain, who was simultaneously trying to push the crates aside and grasp the young dragon's talons, turned his head as Baltic approached. "You," he barked. "Guardian! Help me move these crates!"
Baltic, being much larger and more muscular, had a considerably easier time with the crates, and the captain was finally able to pull the young dragon to safety. The trio rushed back outside, and as Baltic blinked in the bright sunlight she realized that more dragons had arrived. Standing before her was a breathtakingly beautiful pearlcatcher, clearly about to head inside, although the stranger seemed to immediately change course when she noticed the young bogsneak.
"Your wing," she gasped, and Baltic noted that her voice was just as lovely as her face. "It's broken. Here, come get in the lifeboat. We'll take you back to Churnscar and get that fixed up, okay?" Then she turned to Baltic and the captain, eyes wide. "Is everyone out? Nobody's still in there?"
"That's everyone, miss," one of the fishermen called from the lifeboat. "Those were the last two."
The pearlcatcher nodded. "Okay. Is anyone else hurt?" When everyone besides the young bogsneak answered no, she nodded again, this time at one of the other dragons who'd arrived with her, and then she nudged Baltic, who realized she'd been staring.
"Oh, uh, yes?" Baltic replied, snapping out of her daze. "Do you need me to do something?"
"Well, assuming you don't want to go down with the ship, I need you to get off too," the pearlcatcher replied with a grin. "I mean, unless it's standard protocol for rescuers to stay on the ship after they've saved anyone, you should probably do something. It'd be a shame for someone so pretty to just sink with the boat," she added, and Baltic's heart skipped a beat.
"Uh- thank you," she stammered, and the pearlcatcher laughed. Then she frowned again, looking at where some of the other dragons were guiding the lifeboat off toward Churnscar Wharf.
"What do you do once everyone's off the ship?" she asked. "Are my friends over there doing the right thing, leading the boat off like that?"
"Well, yes, technically," Baltic replied. "Although I kind of feel like that's not necessary, seeing as Churnscar's right over there." She motioned with a talon to where the little town was just visible on the horizon. "But usually, yeah, that's what we do."
"You rescue dragons often? Sounds like you've got a bit of experience with that sort of thing."
"Well, I mean, it's not my job or anything, but yeah, I help out whenever I'm needed. I'm actually a courier," she added. "Flying over the Sea of a Thousand Currents so often practically guarantees you'll run into a shipwreck once in a while."
"Ah, I see. Well, speaking of shipwrecks, the boat'll sink out from under our feet if we don't get out of here. Are you headed to Churnscar?"
"I am. That's my base of operations at the moment." She took to the sky with a single beat of her powerful wings, and the pearlcatcher followed suit. "By the way," she added, glancing over at her new companion, "my name's Baltic."
The pearlcatcher smiled, her pale blue eyes crinkling up at the corners. "That's a lovely name," she mused. "For some reason it reminds me of the Southern Icefield. I'm Caronia, by the way," she added. "I work for a ferry company. You know, weather predictions so the tourists can have nice trips and all." She laughed again, and Baltic found herself hoping they'd be able to talk more in the future, even just for a little while.
After all, who wouldn't want to talk to someone so charming?