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15th Day in the 4th of Ründ’s Months, Dry Season, in the 29th Year of King Bornidin the Young’s Reign, 126th Reckoned Year
Will you meet with me,
Below the deep blue sea,
Down where the tower vine grow?
Yea, I will meet with you,
Deep under the ocean blue,
Down where the light cannot go.
Find me carried there,
To the forests oh so fair,
Down amongst the tall tower vine.
Yea, I will find you, love,
And carry you to stars above,
Up into the light oh so divine.
“Funeral Dirge”, From Church of the Deep Liturgy, Written by Saint Delód in the Unreckoned Years
First Mate Mavis has one eyebrow cocked like a muzzleloader as he stares at the strange creature crawling the decks of the Painful Lady.
“What is it?” He says to no one in particular.
The Big Man makes a mirthful chuckle then says, “Why, it’s a garpus, Mavis. You’ve never seen one then?”
“Seen one? I’ve never even heard of it. What’s it for?”
“Oh, aye? They’re from the Slick Rock Shores back home in the Keep. I owed Cheese a garpus from an old game of Runny. She picked the pot cause she never thought I’d get one,” Now he turns to a disbelieving Cheese and says, “but I did!”
Now he bellows out a deep and uproarious laugh that everyone finds contagious. The garpus has four stout legs covered in fine fur, each limb sticking out of the impenetrable round shell that encases its body. It is currently walking in circles sniffing Bungle, while Bungle sniffs it. Cheese says offhand to Benafield, “Ya might’ve found that thing, but that jus’ means I’ll have to pick somethin’ harder next time.” The Big Man’s mirth seems imperturbable as he watches the pig-nosed creature amble about.
Sprig says from somewhere unseen,
“Why’s it look like that?”
Rather than anyone trying to find Sprig, The Big Man simply answers, “Like what?”
“Like a furry pig got stuck in a turtle shell.”
Petsune laughs aloud at this, along with Shushilah and Cheese. Bor has even emerged from his aromatic cave, a cup of steaming coffee in hand, as black as the Strange Sea. Bor looks to see what all the fuss is about. He stares at the garpus with a faint interest and The Big Man shoos him away, saying, “No, no. Don’t even think of it. Tussle’s not for eating.”
Mavis’s eyebrow seems to reach even more perilous angles. “Tussle?”
“Aye,” says Benafield, “she’s crew now.”
Mavis levels out his eyebrows, throws up his hands in exasperation, and walks away from the creature. They all laugh at the Big Man, who is down in the face of Tussle, insisting that she is in fact a very good garpus. Tussle makes no objections to the conclusion.
The Big Man turns and points to Petsune and Cheese. “Now I’ve paid up. You two don’t forget what you’re owing. Ya both owe me a feather, don’t think I forgot, ‘cause I’ve not.”
Petsune raises his hands in mock placation, inwardly deciding that he really would get that feather, somehow. The Captain comes crawling up over the railing of the side of the boat, having been hanging on for an unknown amount of time. Petsune is about to inquire when Chapel holds up a solitary finger over his lips. The Captain points to a barrel with a small hole in it, and proceeds to sneak toward it. Chapel flings the lid off and yells out, “Got you!” But inside the barrel is only a tin cup. The tin cup proceeds to laugh with a thin echoed version of Sprig’s laughter. Chapel picks up the cup and finds a thin reed attached to the bottom of it. Petsune watches the Captain as he follows the thin blueish-black reed out of the barrel and to a crate behind it. Just then, Sprig pops up out of the crate laughing uncontrollably now.
Chapel appears impressed and Petsune is baffled. The Captain commends Sprig on another round won. “Not bad, Sprig. I can’t seem to win at all lately.”
Petsune walks over and asks, “How did you manage that?”
Sprig grins a childish and wholesome smile. “Sharksbane! The man said it were good for keeping away sharks, on account of it makin’ noise seem louder, but I found a better use!” Sprig looks very proud as he shows off his tin cup and bucket connected by a reed of sharksbane. He climbs out of the crate and skampers off. Petsune is constantly amazed at the boy, which brings something to the forefront of his mind. Petsune approaches the Captain’s raised posterior as he reaches for something in the bottom of the barrel.
Petsune speaks to the Captain's trousers, “May I talk to you? Privately?”
Chapel removes himself from the barrel and turns around. He seems to find the idea of privacy aboard a small ship funny, but he shrugs and steps away with Petsune. The two of them walk up the steps to the helm where Mavis retreated to. Once at the stern of the ship, Petsune says, “I’ve been wanting to talk about Sprig’s propensity for, uh, borrowing things. I heard him say that he was practicing. Is this really something we should be encouraging?”
Chapel looks out over the receding water behind the ship and says, “Oh, absolutely. I’m the one that told him to practice.”
Petsune appears scandalized by the idea, until Chapel looks over at him with a wink, “Sprig isn’t practicing stealing, exactly, he wants to become a Finger Weaver - that’s his lifelong dream. I tell him to practice using his hands every chance he gets. Plus, he returns whatever he takes. I think. It’s been a while since I was in the Tapestry.”
At this, Petsune feels somewhat abashed. He hadn’t realized Chapel would take such an interest in the personal lives of his crew. Pet knows that Chapel is kind and caring, but he didn’t consider whether that extended beyond ship life. Chapel wanders off while the rest of the crew dote on Tussle. The Captain has a knack for circumventing his expectations, and once again he got the better of Pet.
Petsune rejoins the crew surrounding the garpus. Bungle yaps at Tussle and receives nasally snorts in return. Petsune wonders aloud, “What are the odds that a passing ship would have one of these things…”
Shushilah responds, despite Petsune thinking he hadn’t spoken aloud. “Is not so hard to find. We are close to the Border of the Keep. The real question is, what did you give them for it Big Man, is the real question?”
The Big Man doesn’t avert his attention from the all-consuming gaze of Tussle. “Didn’t have to give anything. It was the Bowsun’s garpus, an he loved shanty’s. A song for a garpus, aye? Hah!” Tussle doesn’t even wince or cower at Benafield’s mountainous laugh. Shushilah remarks to the whole group, “We should stop and trade with more passing ships. Is a good idea, I’m thinking. We wouldn’t have to make port so much.”
Chapel appears again and enters the conversation as though he never left. “Speaking of making port so much, we’ll be arriving at Misty Shoals Mass in about a day. shallowback’s graze all throughout the Green Sea. But we’re heading to the border waters, and shallowback’s love the Misty Shoals most, so be on the lookout.” The only kind of whale Petsune has ever seen is a pin whale, which are predominantly found in the Sea of Saints where Thune Mass is. He has no idea what a shallowback even looks like. Petsune walks up to the foredeck, hearing and smelling the work of Bor below. He approaches Pickett and asks him without any preamble, “Why do shallowback’s love the Misty Shoals so much?”
Picket stares down over the portside prow. “Shallowback’s are algae eaters, and they typically eat the algae that grows on the tower vines. The Misty Shoals are warm enough however that algae grows on the surface of the water, making it a favorite grazing pasture for them.”
Petsune appears thoughtful and says, “Thanks, Pickett.” Before he walks away. Pickett doesn’t look up from the water rolling off the bow in mesmerizing patterns. As Petsune walks toward the steps however, he hears Pickett softly speak. “Did you… want to know anything else?”
Petsune is glad they are both facing away from each other, because his face plainly shows the shock of the question. He walks back over to where Pickett is leaning over the gunnel and casually says, “What’s the biggest thing in the entire ocean?”
“Well do you mean a living thing, or anything, because there are very large underwater rock formations in both the Slick Sea and the Broad Sea.”
“Oh, um, living thing, I guess.”
“The Thünadín, also called the deepfoot, are by far the largest of creatures living in any sea.”
“I thought they were just a myth?”
Pickett doesn’t respond this time, and Pet doesn’t prod him. Petsune has learned better how to converse with him. This is the first time, however, that Pickett has initiated a conversation. Petsune feels honored but doesn’t want to spoil the moment, so he says thanks again and then descends onto the main deck. He doesn’t see as he descends the steps, but Pickett turns and watches him go briefly. He turns back to watching the Lady carve its way through the Green Sea. As he watches the hull of the ship below the greenish blue water, he sees several wakefolders swimming along under the boat. The ten foot fish swims about, flipping over onto its back as if in enjoyment. Pickett smiles as he watches.
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