Setting Sail: Choosing a Ship (Part One)
Characters: Aikuen and Amethyst
Location: Moledeep
Moledeep: Mole Hall
Does anybody remember what happened to Tillim? Aik does. He was the last beast to see him before he left a few weeks ago. It was a bit after midnight and both are near the entrance, the mouse getting ready to go.
Three Weeks Ago
Aikuen says, "Thank you once again for saving my little one..."
Tillim says, "Stop thanking me. I did what I needed too."
Aikuen says, "Still. It was nice having a real healer here."
Tillim says, "You should probably have that looked in too."
Aik nods."Right."
"If you ever need me again, I'll be at the abbey..." the mouse grumbles.
Aik chuckles, "Right. See yah Tillim... OH! Before I forget. While at the abbey, can you give any one this note to Hallow, or one of the otters from camp willow?. It should explain what I need."
The mouse takes the note and eyes it, "Okay? You do know that Camp willow is barely a march from here" "I know. But... I can't leave..." he sighs.
Tillim eyes him before nodding, "Fine... See you Aikuen..." He hefts his pack before heading out the door and leaving from Moledeep.
Aik smiles before heading back into his room.
End flashback
It's been a few weeks from that night. And the older otter has forgotten all about it. Too many other things to worry about. The otter sits in the main hall reading over a book when there is a knock at the door. He blinks and gets up, "Who's there?"
"Hello. I'm from Camp willow. I have a package for... 'Ike-koo-in'? The name is Gruff." a voice answers.
Aikuen asks, "What? A package?"
Gruff says, "Aye. Well it's more like a pack. Come on mate! let me in. I'm freezing my rudder off!"
Aik opens the door and lets the otter in.
Gruff wears CW uniform, "Hello! You must be Ike-koo-in."
Aikuen says, "Oh, Aye"
"Tillim said you were a big thing. Well. Here yah go. I need to get back to camp. Skipper Hallow gives her regards..." he salute before heading out the door.
Aikuen blinks at the pack and takes it to the table. Wondering what it is.
"Are you going to open it?" Amy asks standing by the door to the study.
Aikuen places the pack on the table and eyes it. He shrugs looking over to Amy, "I don't know what it is... unless..." he hrms. He takes the top and removes the string. Inside the pack are scroll after scroll after scroll. Aik ohs and chuckles, "Wow. Didn't think i get this many choices!" he laughs and pulls out one, taking the seal off and unrolling it on the table, "Wow..."
Amethyst asks, "So many choices for what? Come on Aik tell me. What did you get?"
Aikuen looks over the scroll and grins, "Choices for ships! I sent out a note asking for boat receipts at nearby harbors... I thought there would only be a few... There is whole pack of them! At least twenty of them!" he snorts.
Amethyst says knowingly, "Ah ships. The salty sea air, sailing wherever the winds and fates take you. Gone for seasons at a time. Any one strike your fancy yet?"
Aikuen takes out a few more and spreads them out across the table, "There is just so much too... Ooo... A frigate..." he shakes his head and continues to spread them all out, "Not yet. Cant get carried away. Have to pick one that's right for us..." he them hrms.
Amethyst nods walking over to join him at the table though she can't really be of much help as she can't read the scrolls. "I'm sure you have plenty of time to decide. When were you thinking of leaving?"
Aikuen scratches his chin, "Hmmm. Well. Sometime after all the snow has melted. So we can make the journey to the ocean a bit easier. No likey the cold. And i refuse to move while snow is still out... Early spring...." he looks up, "Of course after the wedding... But still early..." He hrms and rolls up a scroll, putting it to one side. The no pile, "Its on the eastern shore...So... no."
Amethyst says, "After the season changes would be best and before summer since you'd have to walk to western shore from the sound of things. Who all are going?"
Aikuen hums as he picks through the west vs east coast ships, "Who all is going? Well. Everyone. Me. Fira. The twins. And anyone else who wants to go. Will of course. Because we have been planing this thing since way back. When we first met. Just everyone...." he nods and chuckles, "And you, oh soon to be daughter-in-law!" he snorts.
Amethyst smiles mischievously. "Is that so? Should be interesting to see how that works out as I'll be staying at Redwall while you are off at sea."
Aikuen stops sorting and blink at the rat, "Wait... What?" he scratches his chin, "That was. Unexpected... But not surprising really. But. Why. I mean. Its a little odd. I bet Will disapproves of that..." He knows he would. Especially after they get married and everything.
Amethyst says, "Not really. My staying at Redwall as opposed to simply staying here was his idea. I'm not partial to boats or ships or being on such as /have/ said before."
Aikuen shakes his head, "Not. Not what I meant. I meant that you guys being apart. If I just married. I wouldst leave my wife for nothin. Just seems odd to get married. Then not see each other for a season, Season and a half or so." Just seems odd really.
Amethyst shrugs, "Had I been able to have a normal life I'd be worse off by your reckoning. My father I was been told was often gone for many seasons at sea. Of course that was long before I was born."
Aikuen points out, "Yes. But that was his job. And was understandable. If he didn't do it. Your family would have starved to death. Im more or less doing this as something fun to do. A hobby. And Will does have a choice if we wants to go or not."
Amethyst says, "I don't travel well over water."
Aikuen nods, "Aye, you get sea sick. That I knew...But...But..." he sighs and rubs his head. He cant deal much with 'Amy-isiums' nowadays. So he is just going to leave it alone for now. He takes a deep cleansing breath, before continuing, "Fine. I will have to talk to Will about this later." And back to the sorting he goes.
Amethyst leaves the table to go into the kitchen. "Go ahead. It wont change anything. I'm /not/ going. I'm actually doing you a favor. I'd be very poor company if I went."
Aikuen sits down, picks up a receipt, and starts to read it, "That's not what I'm going to talk to him about..." he shakes his head and sighs.
Amethyst returns with a large mug of tea, a plate of honey covered oatcakes and a cup of mint tea all on a tray. She sets the tray down at an empty space on the table and takes the mint tea for herself. "Fira was in the kitchen" is the only explanation given as the maid sits back down.
Aikuen continues to pour over the receipts, and the 'no' pile continues to grow. About half of them already. Aik peers at a particularly old dusty one when the maid comes back, "I know she is... Oh-ho!" he chuckles and leans over to knick one of the cakes, "She always knows what's best! Mmm" he laughs and stuffs the whole thing down his mouth, wiping the honey on his habit. He licks his chops before looking back at the scroll, "Three decks... four private cabins... thirty-five hundred square feet... Four hundred thousand..." he hums and scratches his head.
"Find a good one?" Amethyst asks around her own oatcake.
Aikuen shrugs, and rolls up the scroll, "Nah. It sounds good. Lots an lots of space, and cabins. But it's a little expensive. And, it has seen quite some action. It's an antique.... The keel has been repaired four times. It's nice. But I bet there is something better here..." He places it in the new 'maybe' pile. And pulls up another one, "One Deck. One private cabin. Five thousand Sqft. Hmm... A merchant trawler..." he places it in the no pile, "I don't want to deal with pirates if I can..."
"Little late for that some would say," Amy comments sipping her tea.
Aikuen snorts, "Heh. Kluna would disagree I bet." And another one. This one actually came with a drawing of the ship itself, "Ooo. This looks good. Two decks... Three private cabins... two thousand sqft. ... Only one-hundred and fifty thousand... Nice..." he moves his paw down the list, "A war clipper.... Hmm... Interesting. There is a note here, 'The Golden Pike was built during the time of upheaval' I don't know what that is, 'And was only used once. Where the mast, tore through the side during a storm. Mast deck and keel, completely Rebuilt and refurbished. Price to match. -Sampetra guard" he taps his teeth.
Amethyst says, "Sounds nice except you'd need a ship to get to the ship unless they have it docked at another harbor. Don't know why they would."
Aikuen rolls the scroll and puts it in the 'Yes' pile, "I told them to get the receipts to the ships in close harbors. Unless they just got anything they could get their paws on..." he hmms, "Hopefully it's docked near here. It sounds good. And it's pretty cheap. Though I'm not sure why..." They usually go for more. He rubs his chin, "Okay. Let's see... Trawler... Trawler..." And two more are off to the no pile. He takes a deep breath and stretches his back with a pop, "All this reading. Hrm... Schooner..."
Amethyst says, "They might want to get rid of it for some reason. I don't know anymore about an 'upheaval' then you do. Might be something to look into if you want that one."
Aikuen nods, "That's what I'm thinking. I'll just have to check it out. And then find out what 'upheaval' means. And if it looks like the picture. It might have a new owner coming up..." he chuckles and places one in the yes pile. Then right after that another in the maybe pile. There are only a few scrolls left. But before he unseals the next one. He rubs his eyes, "Mmmm. This is all. Just a lot...." he he places his head in his palms.
Amethyst asks, "Something wrong, Aik?"
Aikuen takes a deep breath, "It's just. I haven't been on a ship in such a long time. Yet. I remember everything about it. At least I hope. And that's what's bothering me. What if I'm looking for the wrong thing... I don't know." he starts to packs up the 'no' back into the pack, "Or maybe I'm just old and stupid. Second guessing myself like that..." he nods a bit and snorts.
Amethyst sets her tea down. "Well having a good ship is important and you're more likely to know what makes a good ship more than any beast at Moledeep. What /did/ you have in mind?"
Aikuen nods, "Well Aye. Kentar might know some about it. Have to ask him later..." he leans back in his chair and counts things off, "At least two private cabins... two decks. And no trawlers..." he hrms, "More is, of course, better. As I don't really want to use it for anything than for seafaring... I guess I don't have to be to picky then..." He chuckles.
Amethyst hmms, "Thought I heard you were going to have some beasts use it whenever you aren't. Should make sure it's useful for fishing or something if you're still going to do that."
Aikuen ohs, "Oh yeah. Thanks..." he hrms placing the pack on his back, picking up the rest of scrolls in his paw, there isn't that many to carry anyway. "Well. I'll see yah Amy. I need to go watch the twins. And continue to pour over these scrolls. Bye..." He nods before heading into the sleeping hall.
After a few minutes or so Fira comes from the kitchen looking for Aik. Not seeing him, she goes to the sleeping hall.
Amy sets her teacup down the abandoned tray and slides it closer to herself. No use letting good vittles go to waste. His own fault if the otter doesn't want them.
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