The Galloping Gourmet (Cinza)

[athis]

There was something inherently soothing about the sea; the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull of the ship, the steady rocking, the endless horizon… She could certainly see how such a thing could make people ill though, even if she was thankfully immune. It had been something she had been worried about at first- how could she be expected to fulfill her new purpose if she’d found herself succumbing to sea sickness? There had been some lingering queasiness at first, accompanied with an inability to walk a straight line without clutching to something, but it was all under control now. In possession of her own sea-legs, she now thrived on the ship as much as the next person and settled into her new life easily.

Mariana had needed a cook and she was more than happy to oblige; in both of her previous lives she’d been expected to prepare food and so she had taken to it like a duck to water. Pirates were decidedly less picky than her master had been, and so it was a welcome change to prepare food for people who wouldn’t strike her if she overindulged with the salt. Of course she didn’t have as many ingredients to work with but that was fine too; the Kossith weren’t exactly known for their exquisite tastes and complicated recipes, not like her master… He demanded the very best and she would always have to deliver… it was nice to return to her roots.

She wasn’t cooking now though, having managed to sneak away from the galley in order to better enjoy the lovely day. It was far too nice a day to spend holed up in a dark cabin! Satisfied that her stew would survive awhile unsupervised, she’d found her way up onto the deck, feeling much like a child in a sweet’s shop as she flitted to and fro. The breeze tousled her light hair gently and she closed her eyes in appreciation of the sun and soothing wind; it could almost make her forget about all the things weighing heavy on her heart and her mind. Her little bare feet picked a less traveled route across the deck, avoiding the notice of most of those working as she made her way to the bow.

Her hands grabbing the railing tightly, she leaned over as far as she dared, peering down into the blue depths and sighing contentedly.

She could almost get used to this.

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

It was a beautiful day on the high seas and the ship was heading toward Kirkwall to pick up refreshments, a planned destination by the Captain and King Alistair. Still it was a busy day aboard the ship, as Cinza was responsible for the discipline and the order of the crew. As usual he was walking around on deck with his whip in hand, with a gaze that followed every man and woman at work. He kept the ship safe and he would tell if there was something that was not as it should be, either with his strong and deep voice or with the lashes of his whip.

As the sun shone down upon the ship and the crew, the bare gray skin of Cinza glanced and showed of his muscles as he was taller and stronger than any person aboard, clear visible to all who gazed across the ship. Even he was a Tal Vashoth, his horns was not cut, but remained intact and awe looking. To most people on the ship he was a scary quartermaster, but to those who knew him quite well he was more of a huge cuddly bear. The clothes which he now had on were only his leather trousers as he often walked bare feet and without a shirt.

The sails was driving the ship fast across the sea, as on this day the wind was in their favor, the crew walked around doing their business and they all made sure it went as it should. Arisha, the first mate was steering the ship and Mariana was most likely in her cabin talking to the King or doing other business. Varus and Acteon was both working with the rigging ropes in the tall masts, and the dwarven arms master Vengest was walking around the ship with a barrel on his shoulder, most likely heading to the room where all the equipment was stored beneath the deck.

As Cinza looked across the ship, his gaze fell upon Athis, the new female cook whom he knew considered herself as a Qunari. Since the day Mariana had got her ship in Ferelden as a gift from King Alistair, most of the crew was new to Cinza. He had served on the ship that once had belonged to Mariana`s father and he had grown up knowing her, and he was one of the few survivors that had survived when the Antivan Navy had attacked. Luckly he had again found Mariana and since then he had sworn to be her quartermaster, as he had served her father just the same. With a firm look upon Athis that was leaning against the railing, Cinza approached with a few heavy steps and he stopped behind her, standing over her like a dark shadow and in a deep and a dark voice he spoke. "I see that you enjoy your free time, Qunari."

[athis]

As oblivious as Athis could sometimes be, even she could not ignore the looming presence behind her, shrouding her completely in shadow. Even before he spoke she knew it could be no one but the Kossith inhabitant of the ship; even the tallest of humans tended to have to look up at even short Kossith, and being a short human she looked more a child then ever. If this perturbed her she did not show it, instead opting to let her eyes linger on the sea for a few moments before she addressed him. The Qunari did not mince words, and as such, Athis preferred to say only things that needed to be said; she failed miserably at idle chit chat, despite it being such a simple thing she had yet to establish an adequate grasp of the concept. So she chewed her bottom lip while caught up in her idle concentration, deciding what just to say to him.

“It is a foreign concept.” Soft spoken, she could scarcely be heard over the lapping water, and yet she knew that he would have no difficulty understanding her. A part of her objected to speaking with him at all, he was no Qunari himself, not anymore at least; the Tal-Vashoth were something else entirely, yet he was the closest thing she had to home and so she felt herself naturally gravitating towards him. Was that so wrong? “It still feels wrong to be idle. My hands twitch.” She struggled a bit with those sentences, scrunching up her brow in frustration; why was it so difficult to find the proper words to say? “I expected you to reprimand me.” Was that not his job? It was certainly a task well suited to a Kossith, who were bred to honor and respect strict discipline.

Finally she eased herself off the railing, brushing off her dress and glancing up at his dark features, entirely unnerved by a sight known to terrify many. Instead she found comfort in the familiar features, letting her eyes wander over his face for a few moments before they dropped down to her feet. Sustained eye contact was still something she had problems with; it was a great achievement that she could manage to look at him at all without flinching, and she would take her victories, no matter how small. “You are Tal-Vashoth.” It was stating the obvious, even she knew that, but she wanted to clear the air regardless; she would show him the respect that he was due despite their differences. “They call you something else, do they not?”

Bas had an extreme aversion to the Qunari habit of referring to individuals by their titles rather than some personal name and she would never understand why.

“I have not managed to learn it.” Still she was undecided as to whether she would refer to him in the proper Qunari way or adopt the bas manner and call him by whatever they named him. She supposed he was Qunari no longer and so the rules did not apply, but she would ask him first; she would never intentionally offend him, Tal-Vashoth or not, Mariana trusted him and so she would as well.

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

Standing tall above the young woman, Cinza looked at her with a fixed glare, listening to the words she spoke which reminded him a lot of the way his kin spoke among themselves. If she grew up on Par Vollen there was no wonder why she acted this way, but still he found it curious that she had wanted to join Mariana crew while still serving as a part of the Qun. What role did she play, had the Triumvirate sent her to spy on the southern lands, or what was she actually doing on the ship rather than being a cook? It made Cinza wonder, but instead of asking, he replied to answer her question with a firm and a deep voice. "I am a Tal Vashoth, yet the pirates have given me another name, Cinza."

Of course Cinza could explain what the name meant, but he was not asked about it so he left it as it was. As he focused on the woman in front of him he thought she was small for a human, even for those who used to live on Par Vollen. If she had been selected to be part of the breeding program to the Qunari, she would most certainly have broken by the share strength of the Qunari men. Oh yes, Cinza had seen what happened to those who could not handle such things, gruesome it was, but the Qunari thought it was necessary for their people to remain strong and many, at least since they had been in war with the Tevinter Imperium for ages.

“If you are looking for work, I suggest you make a list for what food and drink we need, won`t be long now before we reach Kirkwall. “ Cinza suggested as he always found things for the crew to do when they were not working, as he believed that taking time off was not the way a crewman should work, even though his Captain often allowed them to relax sometimes.

[athis]

“Cinza.” She parroted, frowning at the unfamiliar word; what did it mean? It was not Qunari, or the common language either; it had to be another silly bas language; Why did they all speak so differently? Each land had it’s own language, sometimes even two- didn’t they realize how much easier it would be if they would all speak the same? “Do you approve?” Did he merely tolerate the name as she suspected, or was he fond of it at all? Qunari had names of course, but the Tamarassan kept records of all that, and they were less names and more genealogical records used for the breeding program. Athis still considered her name more a title than anything else; master had just grown tired of calling her “girl” and opted for Athis instead, there was no personal or emotional attachment to it, it was just a word.

Her fingers fumbled with the hem of her dress as she studied him some more, anxious to do so carefully. It would be horribly shameful if he caught her staring at him! Of course she would never admit to doing so, she was merely observing him! Qunari didn’t stare, at least not intentionally. He still had his horns which she found to be quite the pleasant surprise; many Tal-Vashoth filed theirs down, sometimes cutting them off entirely. This was not a practice that she entirely understood to be completely honest. Were they ashamed, were they simply trying to distance themselves from their roots as much as possible, or was it something else entirely? She supposed that she might not ever know the answer.

…leave it to a Kossith to find her more work to do.

“Of course.” She nodded quickly, able to take a hint when it was offered up so plainly. He had obviously grown weary of speaking with her and she couldn’t blame him; she didn’t have anything interesting to say, and even on her best days her conversational skills seemed stiff and forced. Not many people sought out Qunari for idle chit chats, perhaps she should have remembered this before she tried to strike up a conversation with him. “I will return to my duties.” A brief nod was all she offered as a farewell, making a beeline back for the safety of the lower decks and unfortunately not watching where she was going…

She ran straight into a crew member and it was like hitting a brick wall, causing her to stumble backwards and nearly lose her balance. “My apolog-”

“Watch where you goin’ ya dumb girl!” He shouted at her and she immediately flinched and shied away, taking a few steps back and keeping her eyes focused on the ground. She tried to apologize yet again but the words died on her tongue as she was drowned out yet again by his yelling. “Useless is what you are. Only good for one thing…” His beady eyes leered at her, looking her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl. “Well, too scrawny to be much good, but I ain’t opposed to givin’ you a try…” He took a few steps towards her, a grubby hand closing tightly around her upper arm. “Whaddya say princess?”

A world of no.

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

"I do....approve, yes." Cinza answered firmly as he kept his gaze on the small human, wondering what she thought of him as he noticed the way she looked upon him. Did she approve of him, or did she hate the fact that he was a Tal Vashoth. He knew that many of the Qunari despised those who had abandoned the Qun, but did she despise him, it seemed not, but Cinza was not completely sure. She was a mysterious woman and it intrigued him, and she was beautiful to be merely a human. The reason why Cinza had not filed off his horn was because he had not wanted to leave the Qun in the first place, but had to do so as he had failed his brethren and lost his sword. To a Qunari a sword was once life, if one lost it and could not find it one would forever be disgraced.

Cinza knew that his sword lay on the bottom of the sea with the rest of his brethren and ship, and because of that it had been impossible for him to retrieve it. Instead he had become a pirate and he had joined Mariana`s father as a quartermaster of his ship, having grown up among pirates he had learned the ways of humans and throughout the life he had lived he had explored many new things he did not know even existed.

Hearing Athis approve Cinza`s suggestion, he watched her as she moved passed him and began walking to prepare a list for what they needed, but as he looked he noticed she bumped into another crew member, who he knew would cause trouble by what just happened. That certain crew member always caused trouble on the ship, either because he was rude or because he did things he was not supposed to do. Seeing the scene play out in front of him, Cinza tightened his grip around his whip and thought about if he should interact or not.

Then as he noticed the pirate hitting on the new cook, Cinza thought it would be good for him to interact before it developed into something more which the woman would most likely deny the man. With a few heavy steps he approached and with a raised arm, he hit the man in the face with the handle of the whip, scarring his face, causing him to bleed. “Remember your place!” Cinza spoke in a deep and angry tone, glaring at the man.

(PS: If you can write the reaction of the other pirate that would also be nice, perhaps he attacks Cinza. )

[athis]

Athis faltered like a deer, all wide eyes and taut body; she was poised to escape, she wanted to escape, but she was trapped, held into place by the crushing grip on her arm. He squeezed her and she bit her lip to fend off the pain; she would bruise, of that she was certain, from experience she knew that her pale skin was very easily marred. Protests started and died on her lips as she tried to tug her arm away, tried to tell the man that he was hurting her; would it have many any difference though? Would he even care? Her heart hammered in her chest, the situation bringing to mind many unpleasant memories… damn this man for doing this to her!

Just when she feared she could take no more, Cinza surprisingly intervened, catching both her and her attacker extremely off guard. He released her as if she had burned him and she fell to the deck with a thud, wincing as a shockwave ran through her tailbone and up her back. That was just a little bit unpleasant. From her new vantage point she saw Cinza strike the man in the face with his whip, creating a laceration on his forehead that immediately began bleeding. The crewmember gaped up at Cinza as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened, his mouth opening and closing like a gulping fish.

Immediately he went from shock to rage, his bloody face curling into a snarl; in Athis’ opinion he looked positively terrifying, like some sort of demon! But then again, looking at Cinza’s face she was forced to rethink that, as there was nothing quite as frightening as an angry Kossith. It wasn’t something that many people would see and get to walk away from, and if the sailor was smart he would simply count his blessings and move on…

Unfortunately the damage to his ego had been irreparable, he’d been made fun of, in front of a woman, and that was simply something he was not going to tolerate.

“Damn ox!” He swore under his breath and wiped his brow, spitting on the deck and clearly in Athis’ general direction. “If I’d known she was your bitch, I might not’ve even bothered…”

…his bitch? Athis would never belong to anyone, ever again! Of course no such words were ever uttered, instead she remained silent; was she a coward for not speaking up? Disrespect was not something that the Qunari suffered quietly, and by all rights she should have retaliated, even when defeat was the obvious outcome.

“Still, I ain’t picky. And I know my place, just tryin’ to teach her hers… you’re sort of a man, I’m a man… so why don’t you just give me and the missus some privacy and I might forget all about you bustin’ my face up…”

He sneered up at Cinza, flashing him bloodied and blackened teeth. “I’d hate to have to teach you your place ox.”

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

Obviously hitting the man in the face was not enough, what Cinza now just had done was simply to hurt the man`s pride in front of the woman and he knew this could not end well. With an angry and a frustrated glare, Cinza watched the man as he spoke and called the woman Cinza`s bitch. With arms folded, Cinza arched his eyebrow as his gaze turned on Athis, thinking she was not his bitch, but a simple woman who he barely knew. The word bitch did not offend Cinza as it would do to others, but he knew it was a word that often offended women in certain situations. He knew however that Mariana often called herself Cinza`s bitch, and she liked being called that, which was strange he thought. However what Athis thought when the pirate calling her Cinza`s bitch he did not know, on Par Vollen respect was common among the Qunari, even the men and females job was often distinguished from birth, but perhaps Athis would like to be Cinza`s bitch?...it was a thought that made Cinza wonder, but then again as he looked upon the man as spoke on, it started to bother the mighty Tal Vashoth.

Again Cinza raised his arm and stroke the man with the handle of his whip, but this time on the other side of his face. Then in abrupt anger he grabbed the man by his neck and pulled him down toward a bucket of water, which was often used to keep the deck clean. As Cinza squeezed his neck, he placed the man`s head below water, almost drowning him. “I have had enough of your disrespect human!” Cinza spoke out load in a deep and dark voice, pulling the man`s head even deeper down, almost not realizing he was about to kill the man. Then as his arms stopped wavering out of desperation, he pulled the man back out of the bucket and threw him on his back on the deck. With the whip ready to hit the man once again, Cinza leaned over the man and said. “If you cannot do your job and stay focused, I will have to throw you to the sharks.”

[athis]

Well this situation was definitely only going to go from bad to worse…

She could only hope that Cinza could keep his calm; killing this fool might bring him momentary satisfaction but in the end it would not be beneficial, they would be down a man. No, the wisest course of action would be to wait until they made berth and simply replace the man, that way they would be rid of him and would not be inconveniencing themselves at the same time. Still, she knew that he would not be able to tolerate his insubordination for much longer, it spoke highly of Cinza’s character that he’d been able to restrain himself for this long! Kossith were not the mindless beasts that everyone thought them to be and Cinza was a perfect example.

As the man pushed his luck, Athis studied the Kossith, reading his face for the precise moment when his patience would give out. His features betrayed nothing, and when Cinza struck out at the man again Athis jumped in surprise. The handle made a satisfying noise as it collided with the man’s cheekbone, and although no blood was spilt this time it was certain to bruise quite spectacularly. But the punishment was far from over it seemed, as the protesting man was grabbed about the neck and dragged towards another part of the deck. Athis could only watch as the man’s head disappeared into a bucket filled with water, his flailing limbs very telling.

Did he intend to drown him? Athis certainly had no intentions of stopping him.

Just when it seemed as if the life had faded from the man, Cinza flung him across the deck, sending him coughing and spluttering. Athis’ eyes fixed him with a look of vague disinterest as he lay there gasping for breath, either not daring to move or simply lacking the strength. The Kossith stalked towards the man and leant close to him; Athis couldn’t hear what Cinza said to him, but she would certainly bet that it was nothing pleasant from the way the man’s face paled. The crewman said nothing but quickly scrambled off and Athis was hopeful that he would leave her alone from now on.

She got to her feet, slowly approaching Cinza and avoiding direct eye contact as she spoke to him. “I am grateful.” This entire situation was infinitely embarrassing, and while she appreciated what he had done, part of her wished that he hadn’t bothered. “Your interference was… unexpected.” To say the least. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, gnawing on her bottom lip. “But unnecessary.” True, she couldn’t protect herself, but that was her cross to bear. “I was deserving of his fury and too weak to defend myself against it.” She braved a look up at him, furrowing her eyes in confusion.

“Why did you intervene?”

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

Seeing the man scrambling off proved to Cinza what he had thought all the long, the man was a coward who tried playing tough, using women to prove it, but when the man met another man he sure weren`t that tough, at least when facing a Kossith. In an angry shout as he watched the man run, Cinza spoke out loud. "Grab him and put him in chains! He`ll get what every disobedient man deserves later!" He ordered and as soon it was commanded, two other crew members went to catch the man who had showed disrespect. What Cinza meant by those words, were simply that he would lock the man to the mast and scar his back open with his whip later. A common way to learn the crew discipline when they weren`t acting as they should, of course when a whipping happened the crew always had to watch it, and it was often that the captain was the one who gave the order to begin and finish it, and also how many whip lashes the person deserved to get, depending on how severe the crime was. If one was committed to a strong crime, the whip lashes one could get would most likely kill a person from bleeding out, which Cinza had acted out and seen happen in the past.

Turning his gaze away from the man who ran out of fear, Cinza looked upon Athis who was standing up after having fallen backwards on the deck. It made Cinza worry if she was hurt, but she seemed fine once she managed to stand properly. Looking her he noticed she did not keep her eyes on him as she used before, maybe it was a sign she was afraid of him…or perhaps she was embarrassed or maybe attracted by him. One could speculate, but Cinza listened carefully to what she said as she spoke to him and with a firm and a serious look on his face he answered in a deep and dark voice. “A man must learn his place in this world or see it falter. Disrespect is never tolerated.”

What Cinza said sounded very much alike what a Qunari would speak on Par Vollen, after all he was a Kossith who had been forced to abandon the Qun against his will, but still he regarded their wisdom highly and wherever he went he took the parts he had learned with him. With Cinza`s eyes fixed upon the short human in front of him, he grew curious on what she thought about all that had happened, but still he believed she should not blame herself for not being able to act against the man. She was a woman, she was not supposed to fight or reject a man`s will, even though he had seen her resist when the man tried to force himself on her. The weakness she had may have come from her human side, which he knew was weak among the Qun, much like the converted Elves and Dwarves. There was however some women among the Qunari who could fight, but those were mostly members of the Ben-Hassrath, the heart of the many, the protectors of their faith and the women who served as such were often placed to become Tallis, assassins.

[athis]

The man didn’t make it very far before two crewmembers had restrained him, dragging him off into the bowels of the ship. Curious, Athis turned towards Cinza, her expression betraying her thoughts regarding the matter. “What will be done with him?” She truly believed that he needed to be reprimanded for his actions, but wasn’t entirely what the punishment would be. With Mariana also being female, she could at least expect that captain would take the matter seriously. A man might not care so much, especially given the fact that she consorted with “ox-men”; many people had assumed her a traitor without knowing that she had never really been a true human to begin with, she had always been Qunari.

His words made her lips twitch as if she were fending off a smile; it was very ironic. “For Tal-Vashoth you speak much like a Qunari.” She mused, eyes still fixed anywhere but at him, currently occupying herself by watching the rise and fall of the ocean. Still, his words rang true and she took comfort in them; how these savages could survive without the wisdom and order the Qun presented she’d never know. To never question one’s place, to never flounder about blindly in life? It was a blessing! “And while it is true I exist merely to serve, it is not in the capacity he wishes, nor do my duties extend to him.”

She served Mariana because honor dictated that she must, her life had been spared, and she would serve Mariana until the woman no longer had need of her. And only then would she be permitted to return to Par Vollen and her true place under the Qun. It was a day that couldn’t come soon enough and yet she’d never tell her Captain that; Mariana might insist she return home and she simply could not, not yet.

She touseled her short hair with a sigh, finally risking a glance at Cinza. “Perhaps it is best I return to my duties at last.” Athis was certain that she had caused quite enough commotion for one afternoon; in the future perhaps it would be wiser for her to simply remain in the galley instead of wandering about the ship…

Inclining her head at him she once more turned to leave, making it halfway across the deck before turning back to face him yet again. “I am Athlok, but here I am called Athis.” She would leave it up to him to decide what he preferred to call her; like his name it held more meaning than just a title, and if asked she would explain, otherwise, she’d take her leave.

[Tal Vashoth (Cinza)]

Listening to what Athis asked when she spoke curious on what would happen to the man; Cinza looked at her firm and decisive as he replied with his deep and dark voice. "The man will receive his payment for his disrespect; the Captain will decide his fate." Cinza explained as the man was being dragged down below deck by two other strong crew members, which most likely knew the man well, but who certainly did not dear to disrespect their quartermaster, as they feared Cinza more than anyone else aboard.

Seeing the smile upon Athis face amused Cinza and he listened curiously to what further she had to say, and when she said he sounded like those on Par Vollen he certainly could not deny it. He had in fact grown up there and he had been taught the Qun ever since he was just a child. Had he not failed on the sea among his brethren he would probably still have served as one of their Karasten, but fate had changed that and instead he had become pirate, serving as a quartermaster. The way Athis avoided looking at Cinza made him wonder, but when she suddenly looked at him with a glance he could not stop but to feel a warm feeling inside of him as he for a moment felt a strong connection to the woman, either because she was one of Qunari or because she was a woman who made his lustful desires grow. Cinza did not understand it, but he knew he had the same feelings for his captain Mariana, which he thought was strange. Love among the Kossith was rare, nor was it needed among their kin, when two Kossith shared something it was only when the Tamassran ordered them to share, nothing else.

Once Athis began to step away from Cinza, he glanced back at her, but remained silent where he stood. Hearing that she was an Athlok, confirmed that she among the Qunari had served as a common worker, but on the ship and among the crew her name was Athis. In reply Cinza had nothing to say, because to him all that mattered was that she served the Captain and the ship, that she fed those that were in need for it. Miraculously a Kossith could go days without eating, but even after a few weeks Cinza would starve if he had not something to eat. With a slight smile on his face, he watched Athis take her leave.

(PS: I believe we can end the thread here, but continue some other time. Anyway there are others who wants to post with you, Elissa for once, Mari also maybe…and Iggy, you and Luna Wulf would have an interesting thread I am sure. )