(OOC) Fri Apr 17 1998 04:08 PM by "Greywolf2" at -->

Having recently departed from Rephidim, the Eastern Flower starts its journey toward Half Valley, with its first stop along the way to be at Safar, Jewel of the Nagai Empire (and home to many tourist attractions).

The incident with the loading of cargo, of course, is long past, and some of the passengers take advantage of the opportunity to get some fresh air abovedecks.

A Khatta couple stands at the railing. The wife, a pretty calico, leans on the shoulder of the taller male, both of their tails swishing leisurely as they watch the Savan pass below.

Wandering about the ship, Jynx leisurely talks a walk, keeping an eye out for Eve, and also for the Aelfin. He seems like a nice guy, but the Khatta doesn't want to go into a conversation induced coma anytime soon.

A black Vartan slowly walks up the steps leading to the deck above. A small spotted cub dozes in his arms while an older one chases around at his heels. "Make sure she keep away from the rails, Star." he scrawks to a Savanite behind him.

The dark-haired Savanite nods to her master, keeping her hands free and a wary gaze on the rambunctious cub.

Jynx looks over at his parents. He hasn't seen them like this in a long time, maybe the trip will do them some good after all, despite Dominic's misgivings. His ears perk up as a familiar voice is carried on the wind, and he looks about for its source.

The aforementioned Aelfin comes abovedecks – a short Cervani-esque humanoid who could easily pass for a child, dressed in the robes of a Temple healer. He adjusts his cowl, but before he pulls it up to shield from the crisp cool air, four doe-like ears can be seen. He doesn't seem to notice Jynx at all, but instead notices the large black Vartan. "Ah! Baron!" He lifts up a small hand to wave at the large hippogryph.

Zoltan shakes his feathers out and takes a deep breath. For some reason the air out away from Rephidim has always smelled much sweeter to him. His eyes catch on the Aelfin, "Healer… Healer Gavriel?"

The Aelfin nods as he pads up to Zoltan. "Yes. Now that the war with Babel is finally over, with all my off-time I've accumulated, I decided to take a break from one airship by travelling on another." He smiles, the skin below his eyes crinkling in a fashion that subtly hints at his true age.

Uh oh, the little guy again. Oh well, at least Zoltan will be around to share the pain. Jynx walks over towards the hippogryph, "So, you going for a cruise too?"

Star smiles upon seeing Jynx, and sneaks a quick wave to him … before returning her attentions to Pouncer.

"Anyplace you plans to go? Or just travel for awhiles… " Zoltan scrawks, then spies Jynx. "Feli! Hello Feli… I sorts of here for cruise… but no staying for whole trip."

Jynx didn't notice Star before, and shyly returns the wave. "Are you two going you-know-where for you-know-what?" He grins somewhat knowingly.

"I gettings off in Safar… and then going to visits some friends." the Vartan replies, winking.

The black Khatta grins in return, "Yeah, we're out for a 'family excursion' too." He looks to the Aelfin, "So you two have already met?"

Zoltan squints at something off in the distance. "Healer Gavriel look at me after what happen over Himar."

Gavriel nods. "Baron Cambio was caught in the … effect, for lack of a more concise term … of the weapon that devastated the Himar regions."

Jynx just nods along. He still isn't sure exactly what happened in Himar, but his question has been answered.

The Vartan rubs at the stripe across his chest. "Effect sound like best way to phrase it. Sure had effect on me."

A couple of Kavi crewmembers, seizing an excuse to halt in their 'busywork', stop and point up in the distance … a distance that is slowly decreasing between the ship and the object of their interest – another airship, of curious shape, flying at a higher altitude, on a course that almost matches that of the Eastern Flower.

Jynx notices the Kavi, and looks to where they're pointing. "Looks like this cruise route must be popular. They're sure in a hurry though." The Khatta squints at the ship.

Zoltan continues studying the ship as well. "I hope it just a cruise ship. No looks like one though."

The other ship looks much like the Intimidator, actually, though shaped more like a cigar than a melon, as the other might be compared to. It's hard to tell for certain, but it appears that it might be significantly smaller, too. In any case, it is marked prominently with a large Star emblem in relief on the side, with filigrees that fill it out to form the Bounded Star and Anchor.

"Knights Templar?" the hippogryph wonders, adjusting the cub in his arms. "Well, they was invited… "

"They invited temple members too?" Jynx looks quizzically to Zoltan, "Kinda weird when you consider-" The cat cuts himself short. He had forgotten that a Temple member was standing right next to him.

The Aelfin looks up at the ship, not acknowledging the strange conversation between Jynx and Zoltan. "Ah. The Indomitable. I wonder what brings them out this way?"

Zoltan looks down at the healer. "Is it another battleship?"

The Aelfin says, "Not really. It is simply the most heavily armored transport ship in the Temple's fleet, and the largest vessel in the use of the Knights Templar. It hasn't enough room to house a compliment of battle mages, and doesn't have any thunder-crackers."

Jynx's hart slows at the talk, he had been worried that the Templar's might have other plans. "Well, that's good then. I guess they're just going along to see the show too." The Khatta clasps a paw to his mouth, he keeps forgetting about the Aelfin.

The reply seems to relax Zoltan a bit. "I see. So, Feli… how you end up here? Fall out of sky again, or get mistaken for one of shiphands?"

The Aelfin raises an eyebrow. "What sort of 'show' are you referring to?" the Aelfin asks. "I was under the impression that this voyage was to be delightfully uneventful."

The Khatta's ears blush, "No, not this time. We we're invited to the, uh, 'show' as well." Jynx looks down to the Aelfin, "Oh, just a stopover for a play in Safar, not too eventful." The Khatta hopes he masked his mistake good enough.

The Aelfin gives Jynx a distinctly dubious look. "I doubt the Knights Templar are going sight-seeing. If they're taking the Temple Scouts on a field trip, there are far less … overblown means of transportation available to them."

"We?" Zoltan looks around the deck of the ship.

"Well, uh, that is to say… " The Khatta's mouth goes dry, and he looks to Zoltan for a save.

Gavriel looks to Zoltan, explaining, "The young Khatta is on this ship with his parents." He smiles. "As much as I'm sure a young man would like to boast to be on his own, I saw him chasing his sister. His mistook my tail, I believe, for that of his sister's. She's still at large." He winks.

Jynx smiles and nods, glad to have a subject change. "Yeah, she's still missing. And by 'we' I meant my family, we're all going."

"Hmm… my daughter is arounds. I bet they make good friends." the bird grins, then catches Feli's look of desperation. "Hrr. Is sort of a diplomatic thing that Feli is helpings me with… parts of Baron thing I still trying to get used to. Feli helpings me."

Jynx nods like an idiot, "Yeah, I like to do the politics stuff."

The Aelfin nods. "Oh, really? Well, well!" He pats Feli's shoulder. "May the First Ones smile upon you, with your attempts at diplomacy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I've been standing in one place too long. I'm just about to stretch my legs again."

"Nice to talk to you again!" The Khatta fibs, heaving a quick sigh of relief.

Zoltan grins. "Goodbye, Healer. Hope you haves a good vacation."

The Aelfin waves, smiling, and pads along the deck, leaving the Vartan and Khatta alone. Well, alone, save for two spotted cubs and a spotted slave.

The Vartan quickly looks back up at the higher airship. "I hopes they just along for ceremony. I would no think they be planning to attacks since there been no hostile action against them yets."

The black Khatta nods along, "I hope so too. You wouldn't think they were planning anything, but they don't have the best track record." He turns back to the Vartan, grinning a bit, "So, Are you ready for this?"

Jynx seems to have acquired a little white shadow. A little white fluffy shadow in a sky blue dress, with a rumpled brown cloak that's a few sizes too big for her. She peeks out from behind Jynx, silently smiling up at Zoltan.

Chuckling, Zoltan shakes his head. "No, but if we all waits until we ready then we never gets anything done." He gives the little cloaked figure a quick wink.

Meanwhile, the Khatta couple by the rails strolls along, neither of the Khattas saying a word to each other. But they DO seem to be in a quiet, romantic mood. Maybe Jynx is right about this being good for his parents after all…

The cloaked kitten covers her mouth. If she were a Savanite, her ears would probably be wiggling fiercely right now. She pantomimes grabbing Jynx's tail, but doesn't actually do so … yet.

Zoltan suddenly finds something very interesting to look at off to his side, as if there were something MUCH more interesting to see over there than the boring area behind Jynx. "So who all come here with you, Feli?"

Pouncer SQUEALS … and dashes toward Jynx!

Jynx nods, "True, but I'm ready. It'll be fun to be back there again." He notices his parents and motions towards them, "That's my mom and Dad, and my sister is around here some- ack!"

Eve lets out a kittenish squeal, and patters off, with Pouncer in hot pursuit!

The black Khatta dodges the duo, and watches them run off. "And, unfortunately, that's my sister."

Dominic's ears shoot back in alarm as the kitten and cub shoot past his feet, and Lylia fakes a squeak of alarm, though her expression is one of bemusement. Her motherly instincts take over long enough, though, to call after Eve, "No running topside! I won't have you falling overboard like your big brother!"

"I think Pouncer rescue you from a tail yanking, Feli." Zoltan grins, then adds his own voice to Lylia's, "Yah… I no be there to catch you this time!"

Jynx's ears turn bright red at his mother's words. "But anyway, Third-Eye invited my whole family. Er, Jezebel that is." He remembers not to use he real name only too late.

Some rakhtors fly high over the airship – five of them, to be exact – prompting a few gasps and sounds of awe, as they soar past, climbing toward the other airship.

"Jezebel is probably safest name to use… although that not entirely safe. You should be carefuls using Savanite's real name in public… " the Vartan's voice trails off as the Rakhtors fly past. He follows them with his eyes, trying to spot any riders.

Jynx watches the Rakhtors fly overhead as well, "What do they need those for?"

Zoltan suddenly whistles loudly and waves a hand at the birds. It's doubtful they can see him, but it doesn't hurt to try. "They riding birds… for Templars."

Alas, the eyesight of the bird-riders is probably not as keen as Zoltan's. There is no response to indicate that his greeting has been acknowledged, especially since the envelope of this more conventional airship does much to block easy view of the passengers on deck from those at high altitudes.

The black Khatta tries to peer up at the birds, "Yeah, but why do they need them at the ceremony?"

"They make for better travel. Rakhtors can go places airship can't." the Vartan replies, trying to catch a glimpse at the ground below and trying to figure out where the birds came up from.

The ground below does not look particularly noteworthy. The open plains are giving way to hills and jungles. By nightfall, the airship should easily be within the poorly-defined borders of the jungle-covered lands of Xenea, part of the widely-spread and loosely-controlled outer reaches of the Nagai Empire of the Savan Territories.

The rakhtors disappear as they reach the Indomitable. It continues its trek onward, slowly outpacing the Eastern Flower, leaving the passenger liner to make its leisurely way toward Safar and the Half Valley…