(Okay, well, since people aren't responding, I'm going to move on.) Natalia stood on the deck, her arms on her hips as she gazed out across the flat water. It reminded her of obsidian glass, and in the back of her mind she vaguely wondered if there was any volcanoes in the area. Crossing the deck in three steps, she pulled herself up the stairs to get to the wheel. Rhys stood there, waiting for her, and reading a faded piece of parchment. "We need to get the ship oriented for the turning sequence," he said, his eyes flicking up to her as she arrived. She pulled out her compass, a simple but reliable little thing, and she squinted at it as the needle went haywire, spinning round and round in frantic circles. She frowned, and closed her eyes in thought, placing the compass back within her cloak. "When we entered the dome," she said, drumming her fingers on the wood grain, "we were approaching at 322°. So, unless we were drastically thrown off course when we entered the fog, I believe North should be right about..." She trailed off, pointing her hand off towards the right. She took a moment to adjust, and then settled on a point. "Right about here." She took the wheel in her hands, and turned it to match her hand. Although there was no wind, the boat glided as smoothly as ever, and it almost purred under her hands. It sailed to the very center of the dome, and then stopped. Natalia nodded to herself. There was definitely some magic here. She turned back to Rhys. "What next?" He consulted the parchment, squinting in the dim light. "Turn to 45°," he said. She calculated, and then turned the wheel, her hands steady, and her eyes focused. The ship remained in the same place, but turned slowly in the water, spinning like a top about to collapse. "What's next?" Natalia called over he shoulder. "Uhh," he said, scrabbling through his notes as she waited. "Next turn is 90°." Once again, she turned the ship, and almost like a gear mechanism, the ship shifted into place. "The final turn is back to North. 0°." Natalia nodded, and had to go hand over hand to return the ship to its original position. She grunted slightly; the wheel was resisting her. Like a horse that was urged to cross a stream, even the Calypso's Shame seemed to resist what they were about to do. With one final click, the wheel was secured in place, and below them, the inky black water began churning. It began to climb up the sides of the ship, and it thickened, turning the consistency of bubble gum. Natalia pulled out her sword, but she hesitated. The material didn't seem to be attacking. In fact, Natalia quickly realized that the ship was beginning to descend into the water, and the material seemed to be encasing them in a giant bubble, one that would cover the ship entirely while they sank. A rare shot of panic hit Natalia as she watched her ship sink. As the material reached the top of the crows nest and sealed them in, her eyes strained for one last shot of the sky. And then they sank. *** The ship was surrounded by darkness, but inside the bubble, the air was clean, and the ship was unharmed. Almost in pitch blackness, Natalia called out. "We need to light lanterns," she commanded, her voice strong and sure. "Stay with your partner, and let's get a move on."
Jared hopped off the last few steps on the ladder and looked around. "My God... This is definitely not a natural occurrence..." He said. He then thought about Natalia's order. "Lanterns. Right... Okay. Ellia? Where are you? I can hardly see anyone."
"Over here," came her voice, and he felt a hand on his arm. "Is this you?" Ellia asked, patting his arm and trying to squint through the darkness.
Jared tensed as she put her hand on his arm but then relaxed. "Yes. That's me. Where are the lanterns?"
"I believe they are on each post around the ship," she said, and Jared would hear her footsteps pad away from him as she walked in bare feet towards the edge of the boat. She pulled the top off of the post, and she pulled out a metal lantern, as well as a box of matches. She lit one, the flame illuminating her face briefly as she placed the match into the lantern.
Avice awoke, and began turning violently, looking around for any light. "Have I gone blind?! Was it that bad?!" She cried, feeling around for the lantern and matches on the bedside table. Once she felt them she lit it on and gave a sigh of relief when color came back. She took it in her hand and made her way to the door. Opening it, she walked to the deck.
"Jade! Can you hear me?" Cobiah called out, while feeling around in the darkness. He felt the distinct shape of a lantern against the wall, and struck his flint inside of it, illuminating his surroundings. He lifted the lantern high, and examined the deck. They were surrounded by an inky blackness. Almost as if they were in space, but with no stars in sight.
Jack walked along the edge of the deck, lighting various lanterns and carrying one in his spare hand. His eyes darted over the deck as he worked, and his nimble fingers lit match after match. His brow was furrowed, and he kept a cautious eye on the material the covered the whole boat. *** The darkness swept over her once again, and Jade glared into the empty blackness. Fear, she had found, disappeared in the face of anger. Almost, anyway. With a trembling hand, she lit a match and she lit the lantern. Her eyes, the color of springtime, drank in the light, and she gave herself a moment to revel in the light. Safe. She was safe. She heard a familiar voice calling her name, and she looked up, squinting in the darkness to scan the deck for him. "Cobiah?" she called out. "I'm over here! On the steps!"
Avice held up the lantern and roamed, looking at people until she reached the bow of a ship, confused at what she saw.
Jack noticed Avice standing at the bow of the ship, and his worry lightened. At least she was doing well enough to walk around. He walked over to her, pausing only to pick up a fallen lantern, and then stood by her. "You doing okay?" he asked as he approached her.
Cobiah made his way to Jade. "Are you alright?" He asked, unsure if his partner had been injured or not.
"Yeah, I'm good," she said, standing up. "I don't like this at all, though." She seemed anxious, her fingers tapping her thigh as if playing an invisible fiddle. She paused, and gave him a once over with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"
Avice jumped. Once she saw it was him she gave a sigh of relief. "I'm feeling a bit better, thanks. My mind is still a bit murky. Is this real?" She asked, smiling nervously.
"Just making sure my partner doesn't get her back cut open again." He said with a chuckle. "I'm fine, though. Physically at least. You bet I'm confused as hell." Cobiah gazed at the bubble around them. Curious, he took a coin out of his pouch, and tossed it at the wall of the bubble. It stuck to the surface and slowly inched downward, as if in a slow moving cascade of tar. "That stuff is like oil!" Cobiah remarked, closing his coinpurse.
He smiled at her, but there was obvious worry across his features. "I think so," he said, poking the material. "It's really weird though, Avice. I don't really know what to do. I'm lighting lanterns right now, if you want to come with me." He paused, and then glanced at her. "Although, I'm worried about your head. Maybe you shouldn't be walking around too much." *** "I don't like it at all," Jade repeated. She glared at it, and then shook her head with a sigh. She turned to him with a grin and shoved him goodnaturedly. "And besides, I don't plan on getting stabbed in the back again anytime soon. I feel like that's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Avice waved it off, turning her head. "I'll be fine for now, I'm sure. Especially since I took the pain killers." She touched his arm reassuringly, and walked past him. "Let's go light the lanterns, then?"
"Haha, right." Cobiah said. "Let's get to work then. Hopefully it will keep our minds off the looming potential drowning, some sort of magic asphyxiation, or the like."
He still worried, Avice would be able to tell, but he nodded. "If you're sure," he said hesitantly, striking another match to light up a nearby lantern. *** "Aren't you jolly?" Jade muttered under her breath as she followed him. She held a lantern as she walked and with every match that was struck, she felt warmer and more present. "Despite impending doom, these lanterns actually do make the area quite lovely."
"I second that." He said, lighting another lantern. "There's a certain ambiance that comes with a few lanterns being all that stands between you and well... the void, I suppose."
