Logs:Falling On Dead Bodies
| |
|---|
| |
| RL Date: 5 February, 2012 |
| Who: Emme, Mielline |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr, Tillek Hold |
| Type: Log |
| What: A shipwreck has been found. Tillek and High Reaches investigate, with potentially tragic results. |
| Where: Desolate Coastline, Western Islands |
| When: Day 26, Month 2, Turn 28 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Ardis/Mentions, Edeline/Mentions, Hypatia/Mentions, M'vel/Mentions, Thedrin/Mentions |
| Storyteller: K'del/ST |
  |
| The call went out first thing this morning: a ship just arrived in at Port, at Tillek, reporting that they'd seen a shipwreck just off the nearest of the western islands. It's standard procedure to send a crew to salvage, and that's what Tillek has done-- now, late in the cold, windy afternoon, that ship is arriving on site, and so too are a small group of riders dispatched to assist. Relations between High Reaches and Tillek are still cool, but polite; even so, as the riders arrive, the sailors on that rescue vessel are not exactly effusive in their greeting. "Wingleader," greets the captain, to Snowdrift's Mielline. "Tillek's duties." There's room on the cliffs above for the dragons to land, and that's where Mielline directs her small group of riders. It'll be a difficult clamber down to the rocks where the ship has run aground, but it's the easiest way to get near. Grateful that she doesn't have to deal with the sailors herself after the -last- run-in she had with them, Emme just rolls her eyes at their borderline rude greeting. But she's still quick to begin the descent down the rocks; an advantage that all those years living in similarly desolate and dangerous terrain has provided. One of the few! "We looking for anything in particular here, ma'am?" she wonders, directing the question towards Mielline during the reverse climb. Rhazekth, ever curious, projects warm eddies of desert wind out at the same time. Questing, and seeking. « Can we go down there to look around to?? » « If you keep out of people's way, » assents blue Corobith after a few moments of consultation with his rider. « Let us know if you see anything of interest. » Mielline is a fit woman, as are all the riders she's brought with her, but she clearly finds the rocks a challenge - one foot after another until she's safely on the rocky shoreline. "Anything we can find, really," she reports, shading her eyes with her hand as she considers the partially submerged vessel. "Ardis, M'vel, I want you to do a sweep of the area. Look for survivors, or any hint that there were any. The rest of you-- we're going to board the ship, with Lady Tillek's men. Be careful: we don't know how long this has been here, or how much damage there is inside." The ship is at a lean, making it relatively easy to climb aboard via some boulders on the beach - though, of course, the deck is tilted to make it difficult to walk upon. « I will! » Eagerly, the brown takes flight so that he can make criss-crossing sweeps over the beached ship, waiting patiently for people to swarm the wreckage before he takes it upon himself to try and get closer. He's content just to be looking at it from different vantage points. "I've been aboard a ship recently. But never had to contend with one that could be damaged. Can you tell me what sort of things to look out for? I imagine debris, and dangerously sharp wood spikes. But... " Emme is obviously not afraid to admit her own cluelesness here, even if she is apparently without fear when it comes to exploring the deck. Each plank is tested with a foot before she walks on it in case it's weak, but otherwise her attention is caught up in looking for anything out of place. "All of those things," agrees Mielline. "And rot. From the looks of it - this may have been here a while." One of the sailors, walking nearby, glances up to agree: "Since the beginning of winter, from the looks of it. Months, now. Don't fall through." Although there's a big hole in the side of the ship, where it impacted the rocks, the deck is largely still in one piece. There's a cabin at one end, as well as a ladder leading down below. It's similar - but not exactly the same as - the ship Emme boarded last time. There's not much to see on the deck: debris, certainly, but no bodies, and no cargo. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be one of our more unpleasant excursions." The words are kept quiet, but Emme glances sidelong at her Wingleader anyway when speaking them. Rubbing her arms despite not really feeling a chill from the weather, the young brownrider heads for the ladder that leads below. Not before reaching into the pouch attached to her belt for a couple of glows to hold and light her way though. "Alright. I'm going in." Mielline's expression is tired, but almost - /almost/ - amused. Unfortunately, the very moment when Emme says she's going in, the board she steps on gives way-- and the previously un-broken deck cracks... And falls. There's water, below, pooled deep. Which at least means a softer-than-otherwise landing (unless, of course, Emme manages to grab onto something before she falls). Below that water, though? There's, well... Something... /squishy/? One day Emme will look back on this and be amused. ONE DAY. But for now, her eyes go saucer-wide and a shriek of surprise escapes before she can help herself and she falls, fall, falls, *splash*! "OH UGH." she exclaimsm trying to sit up and finding that her bottom is in contact with something suspiciously... soft. Is it fortunate or not that she has those glows clenched tightly in her hand? She's about to find ut, because she springs up so fast that someone might legitimately wonder if she'd fallen on something sharp instead of grossly squishy. "Please let it not be somthing gross, please let it not be something gross, please let it not be something gross..." she laments, cracking her eyes open a little at a time to see what the light of glows reveal to have been her landing cushion. The sailors, Mielline, and the other riders on deck all hurry to the edges of the hole, attempting to look down at Emme without falling in themselves or causing further damage to the ship. "Emme?" asks the Wingleader. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Unfortunately, Emme's lament falls on deaf ears: her landing cushion is /very/ gross. Waterlogged, nearly frozen (the water is, after all, /very cold/) - but unmistakably the shape of a body. A small, child-shaped body. The first shriek was surprise. -This- one is a flat out scream, with the brownrider's hands clapping oer her mouth to muffle the sound when she sees the child-size body laying there in the water. "No, noooooooooooo." Emme cries, the glows having dropped into the cold water to illuminate her 'find', most likely enough for everyone to kind of make out the general shape. She doesn't even recognize that she's cold, or shivering, or that her lips are probably going to stat turning blue anytime now. "M-Mielline. I found... I found... I think... I..." Nope, she cannot say it! Not even after a deep glping breath. -Maybe- after two. Fortunately, she has Rhaz to help her out! « It appears to be the body of a child. » The normally ebullient mindvoice is heavily subdued, as if speaking from under a mountain of sand. "Emme!" No sooner has the brownrider started to scream, her Wingleader is calling out to her again-- but she, too, stops short. One of the sailors murmurs something beneath his breath, and everyone-- every single one of them-- goes quite still. It's Corobith who speaks next, though, of course, most of the others cannot hear: « Mielline will help her get out. But the body... » There's an image to share, not quite solid around the edges but a definite impression: small, inky-dark hair, freckles. A question, unasked. Even with the glow, however, the water is murky, and the hold is dark - it'll be hard to pick any features out in particular. "Emme? I've got a rope. And a blanket. Can you... We need to get you back up." Unspoken, but perhaps not entirely unimplied: and the body. « We are sorry. But it's too dark to tell if it's him. » The silence below deck and the eerie stillness of Rhazekth's mind suggests that the two are quite deep in communion. Likely trying to help the human half of the pair to keep calm. For her part, after another interminable moment, a shaken but less hysterical voice calls back up to the riders and sailors above. "Toss down the blanket and I'll get it around the body so I can bring it up with me." she relays, answering the unspoken question with a shudder in both body and tone. "Now I know why our gift chests come with a bottle of liquor. This is... it's... something Hypatia will probably have a field day with." Corobith has nothing to say to that, though it's understood in his touch; he, too, is a pillar of support, offering his strength to support the brown - and through him, his rider. Mielline's voice is quiet. "After this, Emme, I'll pay for you to get as drunk as you need to." The end of the rope is tossed down a moment later, with sailors and riders both at the other end of it, holding tight. Then, the blanket. Mielline stays where she is, hovering beside the gaping hole so that she can try to make eye contact with the brownrider. "You're doing fine," she says, encouragingly. "You're doing so well. We're nearly there." "You'll be happy to know I'm a cheap a drunk, then." Emme replies, pushing back disgust and hysteria with completely inappropriate humor of course. "Alright, ok. I've got the rope. And the blanket." Which at first gets thrown across her shoulder while she wraps the rope around both legs and her waist before tying off a knot. "Guess we'll find out if those knot tying lessons worked. I won't be able to really hold the rope if I'm holding on to the... uhm, the blanket." Which is then rather gingerly wrapped around the decaying remains and then scooped up. "I'm babbling. I know I am, really. But I'm ready to come up now. I've got what we need." Pleeeeeeease just make it fast! "What a relief!" says Mielline, attempting to sound jovial though right now, she's not doing as well as she could. "You're doine fine, Emme. Hold on. We'll pull you up, now." She turns back behind her, nodding to someone unseen beyond the hole, and a moment later, the rope begins to tighten, and slowly, carefully, Emme is heaved up towards the desk. It's a delicate operation: they don't want to make the hole any bigger, and they definitely don't want anyone else to fall through it. But eventually, they deposit Emme back onto the deck, and another blanket is wrapped promptly around her shoulders. "You did so well," says Mielline. "Thank you, Emme." "Not to worry; I'm certainly not going anywhere." Emme smiles thinly at the jovial attempt, a bit of a nod showing that she hears and appreciates the notion that she's doing fine. She's pretty quiet on the way up, understandably. She doesn't look down. And, when she's back on solid ground she can't hand over the blanket-wrapped body fast enough for her tastes. Really. "Did I do well? I feel like maybe I shouldn't have screamed like a toddler. But oherwise, you know, just glad to do my part. Even if that part happens to have been thoroughly disgusting." Pause. "Are we going to be able to tell if that's... you know." Gulp. It's not one of the riders who takes the blanket-wrapped body from Emme - it's one of the sailors. And he looks terribly serious about it, and absolutely determined to take it away. He scowls at all of the riders, turning away from them as soon as he's got the bundle within his grasp. Mielline avoids looking at him, focusing her attention on Emme as she squats down to stay close. "I don't know," she admits. "You said it was a child, though." Also, "You did as well as anyone could, under the circumstances. Don't ever think otherwise. Are you hurt at all?" Emme glances up at the sailor when he relieves her of her charge, and then away once he's turned his back. She also scowls right back at him. "It had to be. I mean, it was small." Pulling the blanket that was draped on her shoulders more tightly around her, she gives Mielline a grateful smile. "I don't think so. Cold, which may be masking any bruises. But nothing broken or scratched. A hot bath and a strong drink should be all I need." she confirms. Mielline sucks in a long breath, looking concerned, but not unduly so. "Let's get you home, then. Going Between wet isn't ideal, but neither is hanging around here," in the cold, cold wind, "and I'd rather have you safe and sound. I believe Lady Edeline's men will prefer to deal with the body on their own." She rises, offering a hand to the brownrider, and smiling, ruefully. Emme bobs her head in agreement, her eyes seeking out he very welcome and familiar brown form of her lifemate; already crooning a soothing tune while he waits for her arrival. "You won't hear any argument from me. Will you tell me if you find anything out? Please? I'd like... I'd like to know. I remember finding that ring, too. I wish there were more we could do." Her shoulders look to slump for a moment, but she returns the rueful smile and takes Mielline's offered hand. "Let's go home, then." "Definitely," agrees Mielline, sounding sympathetic. "Whatever we find out." It's only as they're halfway back up towards the dragons that voices from down on the ship begin carrying up towards them. Something about Crom? Something about goods in the hold? Something-- that the other riders will have to report back on, later, because right now? It's time to get a wet, cold, shaken Emme safely home. |
Leave A Comment