ic Dead Men Tell No Tales (IC)

[Thevshi]

Veronica

                               

Veronica had been about to answer Davyd's questions about the wreck, or at least as much as she could, when Lulu focused in on his comment about once wearing a corset. The teenage Danger turned to Davyd as well to hear the story. Once it was over, Pan did not take long to turn things back to the question of what they might find on the wreck and in particular whether their might or might not be treasure.

 

"Well, it could be possible." She replied to start as she looked back to Pan for a moment. "Ships from the period this one appears to be from were typically carrying a variety of cargo on their journeys."

 

"As for your questions Davyd," Veronica continued as she looked back at the teen between her and Pan, "The pictures taken were from too high of a depth to get a good look at any name and did not catch anything else that could identify the vessel. Once we get down there and have a look that might change. And I would not worry too much about there being something dangerous aboard. While there are certainly things that could still be dangerous even after lying on the ocean floor for hundreds of years, the majority of things that might cause a wreck, such as gunpowder, are not going to be a problem after so long."

 

It was about this time that the waitress began to deliver the teens' food.

[RocketLord]

It had been a long time since Pan had been out looking for treasure. To tell the truth, he did not care much for the treasure itself, but rather the adventure, and yet, there was something in him that seemed to wake up at that thought. He wasn't really showing it, or at least trying not to, but it was there. 

 

Happily accepting his chicken roti, he gave the waitress a "Thanks!", along with a wide grin, before diving into the food. It was interesting. Not something he had tried before, at least. As usual, he seemed to be almost inhaling the food, though he did pause and come up for air to ask Veronica a few more questions. "What kind of dangerous things might be aboard the ship, then? Ghosts? Pirates? Pirate ghosts?" If he sounded excited at the thought, then that was because he was.

[Dr Archeville]

"Well, uh," Davyd began, eyes darting back and forth at the illusion only he & Lulu could see, "I could do a better Desdemona than I could, yeah, but I think I'd rather portray Caliban, from The Tempest, or Nick Bottom, the guy in A Midsummer Night's Dream who gets his head turned into an ass.  Er, that is, into a donkey."

 

Wow, Lulu!  You're really good at these!  Too bad they're only mental, and can't be recorded by camera.  Oh, but that means we could do special live shows!  

 

He dug in to his plate of conch fritters as Veronica and Pan discussed treasures and pirates.  He liked the Neverlander's enthusiasm and charming naiveté, and had enjoyed telling his fellow student about cinematic masterpieces of this world -- it gave Davyd a chance to practice speaking and Pan a chance to practice active listening.  "Oh, and what about around the vicinity of the ship," he asked before trying a forkful of the jerk fish.  "Are there sharks in these waters?  Jellyfish?"

Edited August 16, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

Veronica could not help but smile at Pan's questions about what other sorts of dangers might be awaiting them aboard the sunken ship. "Well, ghosts could always be a possibility I suppose, including pirate ghosts, but I rather doubt any living pirates would be around after being at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years. There is also a fair chance this is not a pirate vessel, but we will not know for sure until we get down there and take a closer look at it." The teenage Danger responded. "I mean, just entering sunken wreckage of a ship poses a number of hazards that can vary depending on the condition of the vessel and numerous other factors."

 

She then turned back toward Davyd to answer his questions. "There are some sharks and jellyfish that are common in the area, but my understanding is they are not the most dangerous of their species. The team aboard the Horizon can certainly provide much more information about them once we are aboard."

[Heritage]

Finally focusing on the whole reason they were down here, Lulu allowed her shared illusion to fade away. "So how we gettin' down there, Ronnie? Are we usin' some kind of mini-sub, or are we scuba divin'? 'Cause ah never done any ocean divin' before."

 

The young redhead was excited by the thought of seeing the sunken ship, but she wanted to be safe, too.

[RocketLord]

Pan nodded eagerly at Veronica's descriptions. Maybe not pirates? That was kind of a letdown, but alright, that was fine! They would manage! Adventure awaited! And unknown, potential hazards, too? Brilliant! 

 

"Davyd, how about your abilities? Could you shift into a larger shark or jellyfish to scare them away, if they should come?" Of course, they could probably wrangle any critters they met. Between them, the little group had some quite formidable and varied abilities, after all. He grinned over at Lulu and her question. "As long as you can keep air in your lungs, it is not too bad. Almost like flying, just a bit heavier."

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

Veronica took a sip of water before she turned to answer Lulu's question. "No, no submersible for this expedition." She replied with a shake of her head. "While it would allow us to get down there and get a closer look at the wreck and possible identify it, it would not allow us much opportunity to explore the interior."

 

"No, we will be relying on scuba equipment to dive down to the wreck." The teenage Danger continued. "Not sure if you noticed the air tanks marked with green and yellow bands that the crew were loading aboard the larger tender? Well those are NITROX tanks, which have a greater percentage of oxygen than normal air, which allows for extended bottom time and helps reduce the risk of problems that can occur on deeper dives."

 

"And I wouldn't worry too much Louise, I learned to dive when I was twelve in sunken ruins in the Aegean. There will be several experienced divers on hand to make sure everyone is safe. We will be doing a shallower practice dive before we go down to the wreck."

[Dr Archeville]

He chewed his last conch fritter especially thoroughly as he pondered Pan's question.  "I've had some trouble turning into just one thing," he admitted, "at least one non-human things.  I can mimic humanoid appearances pretty well, most of the time," he recalled the time he accidentally mimicked an entire group of Claremonters at once, "but when I try to turn into an animal, things get a bit... jumbled.  So I might not be able to be a shark, but I could probably become a sharktopus!"

 

He started digging his fork into the jerk fish, "they're not sure if it's physiological or psychological," he shrugged, "but I'm keeping at it.  Hybrids and mashups may be good for combat, or intimidation, but not infiltration."

Edited August 16, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[RocketLord]

"A sharktopus!" Pan marvelled at the word, pronouncing it slowly and with great appreciation of every single letter. "Yes. Yes, you must do that!" He waved with his hand in an effort to dismiss Davyd's concern. "Infiltration I can handle, if it comes to it." He waved his hand back and forth a bit, until it was suddenly just gone, just a black hole where his lower arm ended. "For all of us, if necessary." His hand reappeared, wriggling his fingers.

 

"But now, a sharktopus! That would be a sight to see!" His attention had been diverted from the plans ahead once again.

[Thunder King]

"It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to learn something, to look into something seldom seen." Adam said, thinking. He wondered how long he could truly hold his breath if he needed to. He imagined, however, that he could probably get back out of the water in an emergency, with anyone that needed assistance. 

 

"One of the things I've loved about school is all the fascinating abilities people have. Sometimes I feel positively average compared to some. Which, I suppose, is it's own advantage." 

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

Veronica gave Pan a small smile at his reaction to Davyd's statement that he might be able to manage turning into a "sharktopus." Pan never lacked for enthusiasm and it was certainly a bit contagious. The teenage Danger looked back to Davyd and gave him a smile as well. "I am sure you will eventually get better at mimicking a single animal with practice. But now you are going to have to try to become a sharktopus, or Pan will be disappointed."

 

The group of teens continued with their meal, with a bit more discussion about the upcoming investigation of the wreck. Once finished, they made their way back out into the streets of Road Town, Veronica leading them back toward where the small tender from the Horizon was waiting. But she did not take a direct route, instead, taking her friends along a route that would allow them a chance to visit some of the many shops that filled the section of the town closest to the harbor.

 

Eventually, the group was back at the docks and where climbing onto the tender, the boat rocking slightly as they did, but still remaining stable. Once the others had gotten aboard, Veronica took the seat behind the wheel and prepared to set off. If any of her friends opted for the seats toward the front, she gave them fair warning those were where you were most likely to get a bit wet. She then had whomever was closest untie the two moorings and push them off from the dock as she started up the motor.

 

To start Veronica kept the power level low, so as not to kick up a wake as they moved through the tight harbor and the numerous moored boats. By the time they began approaching where the cruise ship was tied up at the main pier, she began to increase the tender’s speed as they moved into more open water. As they passed by, the massive vessel towered over them.

 

Now that they were out over the open water, the wind was blowing stronger, carrying the salt water smell of the ocean. A wide smile came to the teenager's face as she continued to steer the small boat towards the mouth of the harbor.

 

It was not long before the boat was passing out of the harbor and out to the open water of the channel. The wind had picked up even more and the water had rougher as a result. The water stretched out in all directions, with a number of islands visible in the distance as well.

 

"You might want to hold on a bit tighter." Veronica stated with a slight grin as the wind whipped her long brown hair around more. The teenage Danger then began accelerating to full throttle, the boat greatly increasing in speed as it began skimming over the waves, water splashing up over the front as it went. She then made a wide turn slightly to the west, as the boat sped off across the open water of the channel between the islands.

[RocketLord]

Pan had nodded eagerly along with Veronica's encouragement and request of Davyd. Yes. He would have to try and become a sharktopus! Spread out through the meal, and while walking through the streets, he would occasionally mouth "sharktopus!" to Davyd or any of the others with a wide grin, but of course, he was distracted by so many things along the way, in the shops or on the streets. So many new things.

 

And of course he was the first to be at the front of the tender. He had to be, he would accept no other seat. The smell of the ocean was intoxicating. It reminded him of home and adventure. Grinning widely, he eagerly pointed out any interesting ships they saw on the way. He could feel the wind and the rough water, but he only met it with a laugh as Veronica accelerated. 

 

He only laughed as the water splashed over him. "Come now, Veronica! You can do better than that!" he shouted back at her.

[Dr Archeville]

Davyd laughed nervously at Pan & Veronica's remarks.  Okay, okay, I can do that.  Shark half up front, octopus half in back?  Yeah, I think I can work that.  But the size, though.  I know Grue can assume bigger forms, I've seen it -- why can't I?  I'll have to be sure to bring it up next time I see my 'aunts'.

 

He enjoyed the post-meal walk, and Pan's subtle (and not-so-subtle) reminders.  When he thought no one was looking, he'd flash him a very toothy grin, or wiggle some tentacle-fingers his way.  It was fun, and a pleasant distraction from his feelings towards Lulu.

 

He took a seat behind Pan.  He'd been on a few boats before -- mostly trips with the family, also a few late night jaunts with his uncle -- but never in one with a group of kids his age, and never this far out into open waters.  He closed his eyes to concentrate on the smells and sensations, the salty breeze whipping about him.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[Heritage]

Lulu loved the water; she'd spent many a summer visiting the 'Redneck Rivera' on the Florida Panhandle, as well as water parks of all kinds. You don't grow up in the South and not know how to cool off! True, there were always concerns about sunburn, which she most certainly didn't like, but she felt decently protected today. So she'd eagerly taken a place as far forward as she could get, excited at the thought of getting a good wet on, not even bothering to take a seat as she clung firmly to the rail.

 

And sure enough, she was thoroughly drenched in no time, her sunhat cast aside as her hair became slick with seawater, and her clothes dripping wet. Nevertheless, she whooped with excitement the whole time.

 

"Punch it, Veronica, punch it! Wooooooo-hoo!"

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

The shouts of encouragement from Lulu and Pan were more than enough for Veronica, as she opened up to full throttle and the small tender accelerated over the small waves of the channel. The waves really started to come over the front of the tender, but thankfully Adam, sitting toward the back, helped stabilize the vessel some.

 

As the tender continued across the channel, the teens aboard could see a smaller island out ahead of them to the south. Veronica had them on a course to pass the wester end of the island, but as they drew closer several buildings could be seen on the eastern end.

 

Soon enough, they passed the western end of the island, and while another, somewhat smaller island could be seen further to the south about two miles away, Veronica was steering them toward another, smaller island that was a bit closer and slightly to the southwest. As they drew closer to the small island, they passed a couple of sailboats some forty to fifty feet in length sailing back toward the eastern end of the British Virgin Islands. If any aboard were paying particular attention as they approached the island, they would have noticed what appeared to be the tip of a mast that rouse up somewhere on the other side of the island.

 

Veronica once again steered the tender around the western side of the island, and as they began to move around it, the teens aboard could see a number of rocks jutting out of the water around which were gathered a handful of sailboats and small yachts. However, their attention was quickly drawn away from those rocks and the boats gathered around them, instead focusing on a massive catamaran that was moored past the rocks to the south.

 

The huge sailing vessel dwarfed the other boats that were near the group of rocks, and as Veronica began to continue on that would swing west of those rocks, she decelerated to a more leisurely cruising speed. "There she is, the Horizon" the teenage Danger stated, indicating the catamaran.

[RocketLord]

The water splashed everywhere, but Pan honestly didn't care that he was soon soaked. The salty smell and taste of the water reminded him of home, and adventures across the seas. He laughed as he held on while Veronica masterfully steered them towards the other island. It was curious, in a way. Much of what he saw reminded him further of home, and the smaller islands hidden across the seas of Neverworld. Maybe there was even more to the mirror between the worlds than just books and stories?

 

Before he could think further on the subject, Pan's attention was drawn to the next exciting thing: The Horizon! It was huge! It was amazing! And the design! Pan had never seen a catamaran before, and something of that size? Amazing! He laughed and pointed it out as Veronica introduced the ship, turning back to the others. "That is amazing!"

[Thunder King]

Adam, objectively, knew not to be afraid of the water. Even if he sank like a stone, his prodigious strength and constitution gave him a solid chance of rescuing himself. Nevertheless, he had never been on a boat like this, so he was a little bit nervous. He was also very grateful that he had a good quality wig.

 

"That is...that's a heck of a vessel." Adam said, blinking at the catamaran. He was happy to be sharing this experience with his friends, especially Lulu, whom he spent most of the boat trip watching. Her joy and excitement only made him happier to watch.

[Heritage]

For maybe the one thousandth time since she'd come to Freedom and fallen into this new amazing life, Lulu thanked God that she had so many cool friends. Never in her wildest dreams could little Lulu back in podunk Columbia have imagined the sights she was lucky enough to see nowadays, seemingly on a daily basis! Every once in a while, good things happened to good people.

 

Happily accepting an oversized towel from Veronica, which she wrapped around herself, Lulu's jaw dropped at the sheer size of the vessel in question. "Holy s###, y'all! That sumbitch is huge!" She turned to look back at Adam, spreading her arms wide, which made her look like she was playing a bat. "Huge!"

[Dr Archeville]

Davyd had been trying not to stare at Lulu.  He'd been looking at Pan and Veronica, the boat they were on & the ones they passed, the islands, and the birds and fish in the area.  As the Horizon came into view, he did a double take.  He'd seen a few catamarans before, serving as passenger ferries, but this was a much more impressive vessel.  "Wow!  Veronica, you said these-" he'd turned to ask her something, but the sight of a water-drenched Lulu temporarily shorted his adolescent brain.  "you... you said... you, uh..."  He coughed nervously, "you said these researchers worked on projects funded by your family, yes?  Did they pay for that ship, too?"

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

Now that the boat had slowed down to a more leisurely speed it was easier to hear one another as the wind was not as heavy and the motor was much quieter.  Veronica gave a small nod to Davyd's question. "Yes, the Danger Institute, one of the companies under the Danger International umbrella owns the Horizon and the researchers currently working on her are institute employees." As they continued to approach the massive catamaran, the teens could see people moving about on the main deck toward the rear of the vessel.

 

A platform was extended out from the rear of the left hull, creating a pier of sorts at the back of the vessel. A man in the khaki short and white polo shirt they had seen the crew wearing back in Road Town was standing out of the platform, apparently waiting for them.

 

As Veronica guided the tender up alongside the platform, the crewman helped guide it in, taking the front line and pulling the tender to a stop as Veronica killed the engine. The group of teens was then able to climb off the tender and onto the platform. Now up close, the Horizon was no less amazing than it had been at a distance.

 

Veronica led the way over towards the stairs leading up the aft of the left hull, Prudence standing on the landing halfway up the stairs with another woman who appeared to be in her late thirties and was wearing a wetsuit. "Veronica, may I introduce Dr. Durant." Prudence stated, indicating the woman beside her.

 

"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Danger." Dr. Durant stated as she shook the teenage Danger's hand with a French accent that was far more pronounced than the hint of an accent Veronica had.

 

"An honor Doctor Durant." Veronica replied before she again introduced her classmates. "We are looking forward to talking with you and your team and planning out the investigation of this wreck you found. But first let us just stop by our cabins and get situated."

[RocketLord]

Pan was already gone by the time they reached the Horizon, leaving little but a cloud of Pixie Dust behind as he flew to the top of the sail, then down around the boat, and coming up from under the middle of the catamaran, a wide grin on his lips as he came to hover by the rest of the group, quickly waving at Prudence and Dr. Durant. 

 

"This ship is amazing!" He could hardly contain his excitement. "How fast can it go?" He flew past Dr. Durant and Prudence, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. "I wonder if it could go between Trader's Haven and the Wish Isle in a week..." He was lost in his musings for the moment.

[Dr Archeville]

Pan's flight and excitement (temporarily) drew Davyd's attention, and he laughed at his classmate's antics.  "Heh, look at him go.  I bet he'd love to take this out and hunt down some pi-"

 

Davyd's eyes went a bit wide, and a lopsided grin spread across his face.  "Ooh, this would be the perfect... she told me shrinking is easier than growing, though she couldn't tell me why... okay, okay, I can do this."  He bobbed up and down a bit, flexing his knees, swinging his arms back and forth, "I can do this I can do this I can do this."  He leaped into the air, "I can do this!"

 

And quickly shrank down and morphed into a colorful red and green hook-billed bird, and flew up to Pan!

 

Spoiler

Macaw Form: Flight 2 (25mph; Drawback: Power Loss 2 [Wings]) + Shrinking 8 (Tiny)  {2+8 = 10/10}

 

Any ornithologist would tell right away something was off about the bird, as his form had a strange conglomeration of macaw and parrot traits.  But to a layperson, it was exactly the kind of bird one would expect to see perched on a pirate's shoulder.

 

"WRAWK!  Blow me down and shiver me timbers!  WRAWK!"

 

He did not notice that his sandals, navy blue shorts, and a rainbow tie-dyed tee shirt were still on the boat...

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[Heritage]

Now standing on the deck of the Horizon, Lulu could only gape in wonder at both its size and beauty of the craft. Watching Pan and Dayvd frolic up in the air gave her a twinge of jealousy; it must be so cool to fly! But now she was starting to feel a little chilly as the wind whipped around her wet towel. "This is all lovely, Veronica, but can ah get below decks and dry off a bit? The breeze is goin' right through me!"

Edited September 25, 2019 by Heritage

[Thevshi]

Veronica

 

Dr. Durant seemed initially surprised when Pan came flying up to where the group was standing after flying underneath the central hull of the massive catamaran. She barely could be being to try to respond to his questions before he was flying up higher and away from the group, soon to be followed by Davyd, who had transformed into a macaw.

 

"I believe you can see why Danger International felt that Ms. Danger and her friends would be able to help with the exploration of the wreck." Prudence offered calmly to help the scientist get over her shock. The Frenchwoman recovered and gave an understanding nod.

 

"Oh, of course Louise, sorry about that." Veronica replied when Lulu mentioned being a bit cold due to having gotten so wet. "Prudence, have someone show Adam, and the others if they come back down soon, to their cabin." The teenage Danger stated to her assistant before turning back to Lulu. "We are this way."

 

Veronica then led the redhead up to the main deck of the vessel, where there was a large open area, partially covered by the large fly bridge above, where several cushioned seats were arranged. They continued on through one of two open sliding doors into a large interior salon, again set up with several seating areas and tables, including a curved bar with several seats to the right.

 

On either side of the salon were stairwells that led down to the lower section of the main hulls on either side, but Veronica led Lulu straight forward toward another set of stairs towards the front of the vessel that led down into the front section of the middle hull. To either side of that stairwell was a slightly raised area, the one of the left consisting of a large curved sofa that wrapped around the area, a pair of leather chairs set across from the sofa. To the right was what was clearly the interior bridge of the vessel, with multiple screens showing various maps, radar images and the like, as well as a wheel and other controls.

 

The middle stairwell led down to a small hallway that connected the two main hulls. Veronica moved through a doorway just to the right and led Lulu into a large bedroom with a king sized bed just against the inner wall. Windows ran along the far wall, giving a view towards the front of the vessel and the water beyond. "You can have the bed, I will just hang a hammock over in this corner." Veronica stated, gesturing to the bed. "We have our own bathroom through there." She added, pointing towards a door along the right hand wall. Lulu found her bag was waiting in the cabin near what appeared to be a closet.

 

Meanwhile, shortly after Veronica had led Lulu toward their cabin, a crew member had come over to lead Adam, as well as Pan and Davyd if they had come back down yet, to where they would be staying. From the exterior deck, they took a stairwell down into the left hull, where they came to a small landing with doors on either side. Their room was the door on the left, towards the aft of the vessel, and was a fairly spacious cabin with a pair of bunkbeds, a closet and desk. Their luggage had already been placed in the room at the foot of the bunkbeds, and the crew member identified the door on the opposite wall (between the bunkbeds) as leading toward a bathroom before excusing himself and heading back up the stairs to the main deck.

[Heritage]

Lulu resisted the temptation to say something like 'OMG this is so AMAZING!' for the ten thousandth time, because after a while there was just no point in commenting on it. Veronica grew up wealthy and was totally used to this level of luxury, and Lulu just freaking out about it constantly just made her sound like a hillbilly swamp rat. She would still be polite and appreciative and say 'thank you' to all the staff, but she made a solemn vow to herself to stop gawking.

 

"Are you sure," she asked, looking over the sleeping arrangements. "This here's a pretty big bed; plenty of room for two." Taking her bag into the shower, Lulu opted to take a quick shower and get some of the salt water out of her hair, which was probably pretty silly on a boat, but whatever. She came out in a fluffy white robe, toweling her hair dry. "Damn, that's a nice shower." Okay, so one last superlative. She quickly dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt over a sea green tube top, and a loose white split skirt that billowed around her legs; apparently she was opting to go barefoot for now. The eclectic look contrasted nicely with her pale skin and red hair as it cascaded over one shoulder. "Hot damn, do I feel pretty," said Lulu with a laugh; clearly having access to some nicer clothes was allowing her develop her own sense of style.