Aboard the Rum Cask

[wingfeather]

''I...see,'' said Eldor reaching out to grab Kastron but missing unfortunately.

[Chloriosus]

Kastron climbed up the rope all the way and walked on the top mast of the sail, then slid down a rope on the other side of it. "Do you do this on land for fun too?", he asked switching ropes once again.

[wingfeather]

"sort of, except we climb trees,'' Eldor answered looking about him at the watery expanse.

[Chloriosus]

"Ah I see." Kastron slowed down on the ropes and looked at Eldor, who was still staring at the sea. "Ye don't like bein' off land, do ye?", he asked bluntly

[wingfeather]

Eldor looked back at Kastron, he definatly admired the boy for his frankness of speech, ''it's not that,'' Eldor said, ''it's a different experience.'' Abruptly changing the subject he asked, ''so, is this all you do for fun climb around on ropes?''

[Chloriosus]

"Well, no, not exactly..." ,was Kastrons reply, that for the first time in this whole trip was not fast. "I do a whole lot of..how dye' say it.. different things. Like maybe play jokes on the crewmen, or things like that. And I have a project I'm working on at the moment. I also like to spar. What is it you do?"

[wingfeather]

''Really, and what is that?'' Eldor asked.

[Chloriosus]

"Come down, I'll show ye.", said Kastron, starting to slide down the rope he was on. "But if I do-", he slid to a stop halfway down,"if ye go 'round and tell anyone the only ones' thatll' see ye again will be the fish, and they won't have the pleasure of meeting you alive, at that."

[wingfeather]

Eldor smiled to himself at Kastron's threat, ''Sure, and to make it fair I can show you something I'm working on as well,'' he said sliding down the rope after Kastron.

[Chloriosus]

Kastron nodded. "Fair.", he said. "Now come one.", and he slid down the rest of the rope, landing on his feet on the deck. After Eldor had come down, they both walked to the cabin they were sharing. Kastron went over to the bed and went under it,where he messed around and emerged a few seconds later, holding a rolled up piece of parchment. He unrolled it, revealing a colorful map with drawings of the coast different lands, and various interesting monsters doodled into the oceans.

[wingfeather]

Eldor watched curiously as Kastron dug under the bed remerging with a yellowed piece of parchment, upon examining it he realized it was a map. This interested Eldor greatly for he loved maps and spent a lot of time studying them. He was also very surprised at how detailed the drawings were one thing that struck him as strange though was that there was no names on it of what places and landmarks were, ''This is amazing,'' Eldor said truthfully, ''but why are there not any names of places?''

[Chloriosus]

Kastron's face reddened barely perceptibly. "Uh..I know all the places without having to write their names down", he said rather quickly. "That and the fact that I can't actually... uh.. read them, that's the word." He wasn't really embarrassed about that fact. None of the crewmen could read, and the captain only read the images on maps, whenever he used them, which he rarely did. The last map that they had had on that ship had been mistaken as firestarter by Weedsworth, so that was that.

[wingfeather]

Eldor looked up at Kastron, no wonder he was such rock headed potato. ''Well, that is a very well done map, would you like to see what I'm working on?'' he asked digging through his belongings.

[Chloriosus]

"Of course", said Kastron, rolling up his map and putting it back under the bed. "What do you have?"

[wingfeather]

Finding what he was looking for Eldor took out a half finished dagger, ''found this piece of black wood in the forest, thought it would make a good knife,'' he said handing Kastron the half finished hilt, ''and this is the blade I'm sharpening.''