The sun bored down upon Arthur as he leaned against the side of the wooden deskside table. It was nice, being out on the open ocean like this. There was nothing to disturb them aside from the occasional turbulence. Currently, the paladin was playing a round of cards with Terrence as the rest of the crew attended to their duties. it had only been a few days since he had boarded the ship and they set sail, but it was lon enough for him to get well-acquainted with their general schedule and habits. In the morning, Terrence was the first to rise, checking the status of the ship alongside their locations and course of direction. Magical instruments helped with that, allowing them to see exactly where they were and where they'd be going next. It was because of this magically enhanced navigation equipment that allowed the ship's captain to be playing a game with their newest higher instead of well- steering and controlling the ship. Everything was sort of magically infused nowadays, the highest of tech was anyway. Looking at the hand of cards he had been dealt, Arthur was suddenly sure he'd be leaving this place with fewer jewels than he had boarded with. It's not as if they were actually competing for jewels, but these seafarers would have definitely given him a run for his money if this was a real competition for real money with real stakes and odds. To start the game, the two of them had decided between strip poker and just a regular round. Terrence was awfully found of getting to play strip poker with him, but Arthur was not so certain. Instead, he had commented, that he'd rather play that in the residence room if Terrence knew what he meant. The captain had smirked wickedly at that with a desiring look in his eyes, and so that confirmed that the man was, in fact, playing for the same team. Again, this was a good thing considering the fact that they'd be stuck out at sea with each other for a few more days at least. When Terrence splayed out his cards against the cool wooden table, Arthur couldn't help but groan as once again, he found himself losing, badly. It was to the point that he didn't particularly want to play anymore, but he wanted to amuse the captain. Obviously, terrence was having fun whooping ass so who was he to take that away from him? Scratching at his beard, the paladin let his connection to Helios flourish in the summer mid-day sun. He could feel it gathering on his skin and warming his bones, it was one of the sensations he found himself most drawn to across most of the things he knew. Its like the sun itself put his soul at rest. It was for this reason that he didn't particularly mind losing, mostly because he knew that there would be no consequence, and that he was both making Terrence and himself happy at the same time. Tossing his hand back onto the table, Arthur leaned back into his chair and pondered how he had gotten himself into this situation. The paladin had a knack for this type of thing, where he'd end up doing something unexpected because he had no sense of maturity or just caution in general. The last time he had gone on an adventure like this hadn't ended particularly well in any regard of the word. "I win again, are you sure you're up for another round? I'd love to go down to the galley and get us a nicee breakfast. What do you think?" Arthur nodded, getting himself up from the table and allowing his rusty joints to pop as the muscles in his legs and hips stretched out from their once-cramped position. Gripping the rail, Arthur looked out at the endless expanse of cerulean sea. It was so pretty, in a way, how the ocean just stretched out for as far as the eye could see. It was like an infinite source of wisdom and astonishment, and he just wondered what could be lurking beyond its surface. For once, Arthur felt a little scared at the idea, the idea that something huge could be lurking just beyond sight, ready to swallow their ship and all of its inhabitants whole. And he knew there were monsters capable of such things, if his run in with the cave parasite was anything to go by. This was the reason why he was on the ship in the first place, to be honest, in order for him to prevent such an event from occuring. He probably could actually do that in all honesty, quickly casting a shield to cover the entirety of the boat and all of the people residing on it. It reassured him to know that he'd be at least able to somewhat fend off what would amount to be a one hit k-o from a hidden sea monster. "Breakfast? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Here, let's just wrap this game up because the outcome is fixed anyway, I'll clean up since I'm the loser. It's only fair, you know. Did Reyes tell you what we were having for breakfast, or same type of thing as yesterday? Either way, his food is fucking good so I'm just dandy having whatever it is he manages to serve up to us today." Following the captain down across the side deck of the vessel, Arthur ran his hand along the wooden beam railing. it was smoothened down with wax, so he was unlikely to get a splinter or anything. And if he did get a splinter? Easy fix with his healing magic, in fact, his healing magic would probably just take care of it for him as if second nature in nature. It was getting to that point, in all honesty, where his own everyday minor wounds such as paper cuts or bruises would heal rapidly as soon as they repaired without the use of his mana. It made him wonder, then, what else his body would be able to quickly regenerate from, and not in the exciting way that Arthur probably wanted. He was thinking about his regeneration in terms of combat and his ability to stay alive during a fight. If he could hone in on and focus this newfound ability of his, it would be an excellent asset if he were to ever go on any of those larger monster hunts. it was thrilling, in a way, for him to get to fight those huge hulking and monstrous creatures of the night. It felt like he was making a difference in the world when he killed them, namely that huge interdimensional parasite. Nobody would be digested by that thing any time soon, nobody else would lose their lives to something so tragic and sinister. It was not in his nature to let people die like that, and so of course the parasite had to die. There were no iffs ands or butts about it. Because to be honest, hesitation like that is what got the innocent people he was trying to protect killed. And that would never do, not when he was still alive and kicking. The smells of cooking food wafted into Arthur's nose as he made his way down into the galley on Terrence's trail. This morning, it smelt like the man was cooking eggs, bacon and maybe pancakes or waffles? Arthur could smell the cooking pastries alongside the reassuring scent of maple syrup, something he knew for a fact would taste awesome slathered over everything else the cook was doing up for their first group meal of the day. From what he knew of his crewmates, they usually all got up around the same time to eat together, but some of them usually slept in, there were always a few stragglers that Reyes left food on the hot plates for when they would eventually come out from hibernating in their residential dorm room. Nothing unexpected, not at all in the slightest sense of the word. Arthur watched as the ship's captain began setting out plates and cutlery around the table. The man was preparing for the intense and rowdy meal that he knew was soon to come. Arthur blinked a few times before coming to his sense, and with a sharp inhale, he began helping the man in his endeavor to prepare the dining room for this morning's meal. Sticking his head out of the kitchen's window, Reyes waved at the two of them before saying. "Oi! Thank ya for setting me table, I loves when its done for when i get the food ready, less time waiting for you folks to start eating, I think. You're acclimating rather quickly Arthur, we're all glad to have you on board. Can't imagine the new guy is helping set the table when none of the other lazy bastards ever get off their fat asses to help me with my meals. So, in general, I appreciate your help kind sir." Making a difference always felt good, especially when he saw the result almost immediately. Taking a handful of plates from the man in the window, Arthur began setting them out on the opposite side of the cafeteria as Terrence. If they started on seperate sides, they would eventually converge down upon each other as the plates were set. Humming a morning tune to himself, Arthur listened to the cheery voice of Terrence as he responded to his cook. "Oh go way witchya bucko, ya knows we was having a hoot last night, sure you was too, only difference was that you didn't have a lick of booze in ya. So don't be talking about all around as if y'are on some high horse just because y'ar not hungover. You'd be in the same sorry state as me men if you had taken a sip of that strong stuff we had taken out last night. And it was some good too, bud, luh, wasn't it Arthur?" Suddenly finding himself dragged intot he conversation, he chuckled while putting the last of his stack of plates down. Walking back to the kitchen window for me, he said. "Oh yeah, that stuff last night was wicked. How much alcohol was in that rum? It tasted pretty good as well, not going to lie. I got absolutely sloshed, which is really rare for me given my magically enhanced tolerance for drugs and toxins in my system. The fact that I got drunk at all had surprised me actually, so I totally understand if the guys are still in bed, I don't blame them not one bit." Terrance smiled at him then, in a way that showed he was starting to fit in with their crew. While he might not have understood the exact culture the crewmen had, he could appreciate it and attempt to participate in it as well. THis was just an example of that extention. The captain was poking fun at the chef and he had joined in on the matter. It was all in light fun, of course, as Reyes laughed and continued to flip what appeared to be sizzling bacon and sausage patties. Arthur's mouth watered at this sight, his stomach growled in response to the stimuli. Having caught the aforementioned sound, Reyes chuckled and tossed him a slice of toast. "There, go chew on that if you're starved. Can't stand for someone to be hungry in my neck of the woods. No more though, you're waiting until breakfast." Terrence turned to him with a grin. "That means he likes you, you know. He bakes that bread for us every morning, it's some good I'll tell you that." It made Arthur feel good to know that he was liked by the chef. Being generally appreciated by a cook was a good thing for many reasons, as he knew then that his food would probably taste very good and that the guy probably wouldn't kill him with food poisoning. Arthur had learned better than to eat at places he had made enemies previously. Not the kind of thing he had ever wanted to experience ever again. Now that they were at sea, and this man was his only access to good food, it was really a great thing that they were getting along rather well.
The chef opened the door to the kitchen and began walking out with tubs of hot food. Laying them out on what looked like a cart, it was as if the chef was setting up what amounted to a buffet. Those were always Arthur's favorite type of restaurant anyway, and so he was completely fine with it being done for such an event. Mouth watering at the idea of filing his mouth up with food, Arthur glanced at the large stack of pancakes. While no syrup had been poured on them, instead put into a pitcher on the side, Arthur could see that the cakes were absolutely slathered in butter. It ran and dripped down the sides of the fluffy carbs, enticing him to walk towards the tray of food. A bowl of fluffy scrambled eggs rested next to them, seasoned to perfection with a few little bits of hot pepper and flaky salt. Sat next to those two bowls, in the deepest dish, was a hot tray absolutely filled to the brim with cooked sausages. Sure, they looked a little greasy, but they'd still definitely be delish on the way down. It didn't matter if they were particularly healthy anyway, even though as a medic it was probably in his best interest to care. The game of poker had worked up his appetite, and so naturally he found himself staring a bit too intensely at the prepared food on the wheelable cart. Reyes put his hands on his hips. The cook was quite handsome, dark skin with even darker hair and beard. His eyebrows were bushy with a scar sliced through one of them, framing his eyes in a way that was admittedly pretty badass to be honest. Reyes' body was large and muscular, a bit taller than him but not by a noticeable amount. The chef definitely won in terms of sheer muscle mass though, from the way his biceps flexed with regular movement and highlighted his veins. Arthur wondered what the chef had been through in his life to leave him with scars but also lead him to working as a chef on a marine ship. Maybe it would be too far into his personal business, but the paladin was interested in learning more about the people he was spending time with. At this point now, Arthur wasn't quite sure which dish in front of him was the most alluring, so when the time came he'd probably just end up taking some of everything. The chef held up a single finger as the paladin approached the table in his advanced. "No, you have to wait for everyone else, you can't start eating without them. For a knight, you sure need to learn your manners." The way the chef scolded made him feel somewhat embarrassed, a pink hue threatening to break out across his face. He wouldn't do that though, instead offering to show a pouty expression as he slowly backed away from the irresistible portions and instead towards an empty foldable table. Scratching his hair with his armored hands, Arthur offered his meek apology. "Sorry about that, I'm just really hungry you see. I can't help it that your food looks so good, that's on you. But seriously though, how do you get that stuff to smell so amazing, what's your secret." Seemingly unaffected by his charms, the chef scoffed playfully and rolled his eyes. "You know, while flattery will get you other places with me, it will not get you any closer to eating your food. And yes, I do have a secret to making my food so irrisistable, but since it's a secret, I couldn't possibly tell you, could I amigo? If you're standing around idle in my cafeteria, what you can do for me is get the drinks poured for this morning's breakfast. You already have that toast there so you can chew on that since you finished up setting the table. How does that sound?" Nodding, Arthur took a bit of the buttered toast he had been given. The crust of the toast was surprisingly buttery and flaky. It didn't even have that bad taste Arthur commonly associated with crusts on bread. And the actual meat of the bread was quite remarkable as well. Fluffy and white, it was the perfect balance between salty and sweat, the added butter giving it a lactic kick. It was everything that Arthur wanted in bread and then some, this was so much better than anything he could have gotten in any of the Amber Island bakeries. Perhaps it was a cultural or familial recipe? While he was not much of a baker of chef himself, the paladin fancied himself the said sweets just as much as a child would. Perhaps, then, it was time for him to learn how to cook and bake. Learning a life skill such as that could never be a bad thing, so he though to himself as he shoved the last piece of the salty snack into his mouth. Swallowing the last bite, he disappeared into the kitchen as the chef called out to him. "The juice, water and coffee jugs are in the fridge. Don't snack on anything because I take inventory and I'll know if you do. Don't spill anything either, in fact don't touch anything aside from the refrigerator door and the jugs I told you about before." Nodding at the man's stern words, the paladin carefully entered into the galley-style kitchen. The first things he noticed was how hot and humid the place really was. Sweat formed on his skin as he made his way to the refrigerator door. Opening it, he was met with a blast of cold air that found itself to be rather refreshing in comparison to the sweltering kitchen heat. Looking for the aforementioned jugs, Arthur looked through the refrigerators contents. Ketchup, sauces, milk, vegetables, there was so much food in the fridge. And there wasn't even only one fridge either, multiple rows of fridges ran along the walls of the kitchen. This would definitely take a while, then, to find the right jugs. combing through the first rows, Arthur's eyes scanned the various jugs and bottles for one containing the requested drinks. Finding one behind a few unopened bottles of soda, Arthur retrieved the jug of dark brown liquid and set it on the counter. Coffee found, Arthur wiped sweat from his brow and continued his search for the rest of the two. In the second fridge, Arthur found most of the meat, thawing out so that it could be used in the future for other meals or dishes. And from the looks of it, the crew went through a lot of meats. He guessed it made sense though, from how a large group of actively-working men would need protein after their hard days at work. Obviously, the juice wasn't in this fridge. Scuffling over slightly, Arthur opened the third fridge and came upon rows of bottles of juices alongside multiple vegetables, fruits, that kind of thing. Finding the larger jug in an identical shape to the one holding the coffee, the paladin removed it from the fridge and put it down next tot he first bottle. Now, to find the last jug of juice. A voice interrupted his search. "How long are you taking, are you eating all the desert or what?" Reyes peered in at them through the cafeteria window. Holding up his hands to prove that they were empty, Arthur beamed at the chef. "Nope, just looking for the jugs! I've got two of them here now, just need to grab the third. Wouldn't happen to know where it is would you?" The chef smirked to himself and opened his hand in a beckoning motion. With all the charm the cook could muster, Reyes offered. "Well, yes I do know where it is." And with that being said, the chef left the window and continued plating up a few dishes and straightening out the cafeteria room for breakfast to be served. It took a moment for the paladin to catch on, but when he did, he couldn't help himself but laugh a little. So Reyes definitely knew where the last jug actually was, but had no intention of actually helping him find it. That would mean Reyes couldn't complain about how long it took then, if he wasn't willing to help at all in his search. Since there were only two jugs left though, it wouldn't be too difficult to find where the last one was actually hiding. And he didn't even have to open the last fridge because the jug he was looking for was found in the second to last one, nestled between a few other ingredients that he wasn't quite sure of. Now that he had all three of the required item, he came out into the cafeteria are and towards the serving table. Meeting him at its edge, Reyes took the jugs and sent them up so their spigots were facing away from the table and down towards the ground. Taking a package of Styrofoam cups out of the cabinet, Arthur set them up along the dispensing jugs, with the help of the chef of course. Terrence had since left the cafateria, leaving it so that it was only the two of them. "That food actually does smell divine. I will say that. How much longer do you think it'll take for everyone to wake up and come on down?" Reyes chuckled, setting up the final touches on everything. "When they're here, obviously. But nah, they usually get up around this time so I'd expect them any second. The wait will be worth it, I promise that to you."
Nodding, Arthur heart took a leap as a group of men suddenly burst into the cafeteria. Now he could eat, and so for that his stomach was thankful. They all seemed so cheerful, honestly, from how they were playing and roughhousing around and throwing arms around eachother. The chef gave him a look, one that meant Arthur was free to dig into the food in front of him. This was a good thing, considering the fact that his stomach was hungry enough to devour an entire whale. He was definitely hungry enough to maybe even have two. With this in mind, Arthur grabbed the largest serving plate and began down the line of food trays. At the tray of eggs, Arthur scooped himself up a large serving of the fluffy white protein. Moving down the line, he picked himself up a generous amount of the fluffy stacks before dousing them and his eggs in syrup. The paladin licked his lips as he went down further into the line and got himself a few servings of sausages and a couple slices of toast. Taking himself up a cup of tea, Arthur smiled down at his trey and went to take a seat at one of the tables. Arthur watched as the other sailors piled into line and pretty much fought over the food. He could understand fighting over food of this quality, as he would have done the same in the same situation. Forking some eggs into his mouth, he held back a moan at the exquisite taste. The eggs were well-salted and soft enough for his tongue to cleave through. When he topped his toast with the eggs, it was even better because of the butter spread over the bread. The sausages were just as good- if not better- than the eggs. Made with some kind of spices, the tingling sensation went well with the strong flavor of the sausage. He wondered, though, what kind of meat had been used in the making of these sausages. it was almost gamy in a way, where the strong protein flavor complemented the strong spices just as good. Terrence took a seat down next to him as the captain took a long sip of his coffee. "Hey, food's great by the way, just like you said it'd be. Oh god, can I go back for seconds? I'm not even done but I still want seconds. Holy shit this is so great.' Terrence's smile rivaled his own as he grinned with delight. Forking a few sausages onto his toast, the ginger made a sort of sandwich before stuffing it into his mouth. Speaking around the food in his mouth, Terrence managed to mutter and more like grumble out around the food in his mouth. "I told you, this dude is great at cooking, I'd kiss the man if he were into that." Swallowing the large bite of his food, the sailor took another swig of his coffee. Arthur had to give it to the man, he was pretty fast at getting his food down into his stomach. If Arthur ate at that speed, he'd surely give himself a stomach ache. As they ate, the two of them were soon joined by a third, fourth, and then a fifth as their table was crowded by the rest of the crew. He didn't mind, truly, because all that meant was that there was plenty of discussion around and plenty to discuss amongst them. They talked politics, weather, food, current plans, and eventually even what they were even transporting in the first place. Terrence didn't seem to mind the speculation, as it seemed like he was just as curious as the rest of his crew. In all fairness, it was a completely valid concern for everybody on the ship. Though he had contemplated most of this earlier, it was still something unsettling that was creeping under his skin not unlike a parasitic anxiety. Arthur removed the thought from his mind. He was doing a legal job with legal intentions, if the business man was corrupt, that had nothing to do with him, there was no way he could be implicated in whatever the fuck it was they were transporting. But still, he desperately did want to actually check what the item was. Would he though? Arthur could do it with his blink teleport, but if there were any wards inside they'd definitely be tripped from his magical aura. It wasn't his job to snoop around though, if anything, his job would be to do the exact opposite, to keep people away from the damned thing. And there's no way Arthur could ever risk disturbing the pretty smile that was almost permanently set upon the captain's face. Nothing to risk that joyous demeanor. It would have been really awkward too, to be stuck with a crew that hated him. Sipping at his earl-grey tea, the paladin cleared his throat and spoke up, asking a question to the group in large. "Soo uhh, what's it like being a marine, out at sea for longer than being on land?" It was a pretty standard question in all honesty, but it was actually a question that he was interested in knowing the answer to. Sure, Arthur had been out at sea for a few days, but not nearly long enough to know what it was like to practically have your life on one of these vessels. It seemed so different from his own life of adventure and magic and fighting. It was almost surreal to the degree in how their lives deferred. If not for the fact that there were dangerous monsters the seafarers were unable to kill themselves, Arthur would likely have never been sailing on a boat like this. Arthur could honestly get used to a life like this, sitting on the side of a boat fishing while the waves gently rocked his boat. Whenever it came time for him to retire, this is what he would eventually end up doing, that's for damn sure. He needed to get more peaceful moments of self-reflection in his life, he was sure it would be good for both his magic alongside the other aspects of his life as well. Arthur finished his meal and excused himself from the table. It was a bit stuffy in the hull and so he'd be taking a short breather to get some fresh air. Eating a huge meal and then being in a hot stuffy room was a recipe for all kinds of disasters. "I'm just goin on top deck to get myself some fresh air. Any of you guys are free to join me." Cleaning of his plate with his fork and knife, the captain nodded and agreed. "Yeah sure, I'll come out with you, there were a few things I wanted to discuss anyway." Nodding, Arthur climbed the short staircase out of the cafeteria and out onto the deck. The fresh cool air hit him like a brick, and so did the comforting embrace of sunlight. Even though the food was amazing, that room had been just a little stuffy for his tastes. He just wasn't used to the living conditions of a ship yet, he'd make do and adjust sooner or later. For now though, he leaned up against the railing as the captain did the same, sliding in next to him and propping his chin up with his palm with an elbow planted onto the railing. "Soo, what type of magic do you use?" And Arthur was surprised, then, because none of the crew had said anything about his status as a mage. They were aware, sure, but not even one of them had said anything or even asked about his magic. In all honesty, he had forgotten that it was even a relevant fact at this point, assuming them to know that much about him given how close they had grown over the few days at sea. Arthur tapped at the railing with a gloved finger. "Oh, nothing crazy. I just use a lot of healing magic and I also use the power of light offensively. I'm the person to have at your side for protection though, as most of my magic is actually rather supportive in nature. I'm not the type that just flings fireballs until something explodes, not my style to be honest."
WC: 5087
The chef opened the door to the kitchen and began walking out with tubs of hot food. Laying them out on what looked like a cart, it was as if the chef was setting up what amounted to a buffet. Those were always Arthur's favorite type of restaurant anyway, and so he was completely fine with it being done for such an event. Mouth watering at the idea of filing his mouth up with food, Arthur glanced at the large stack of pancakes. While no syrup had been poured on them, instead put into a pitcher on the side, Arthur could see that the cakes were absolutely slathered in butter. It ran and dripped down the sides of the fluffy carbs, enticing him to walk towards the tray of food. A bowl of fluffy scrambled eggs rested next to them, seasoned to perfection with a few little bits of hot pepper and flaky salt. Sat next to those two bowls, in the deepest dish, was a hot tray absolutely filled to the brim with cooked sausages. Sure, they looked a little greasy, but they'd still definitely be delish on the way down. It didn't matter if they were particularly healthy anyway, even though as a medic it was probably in his best interest to care. The game of poker had worked up his appetite, and so naturally he found himself staring a bit too intensely at the prepared food on the wheelable cart. Reyes put his hands on his hips. The cook was quite handsome, dark skin with even darker hair and beard. His eyebrows were bushy with a scar sliced through one of them, framing his eyes in a way that was admittedly pretty badass to be honest. Reyes' body was large and muscular, a bit taller than him but not by a noticeable amount. The chef definitely won in terms of sheer muscle mass though, from the way his biceps flexed with regular movement and highlighted his veins. Arthur wondered what the chef had been through in his life to leave him with scars but also lead him to working as a chef on a marine ship. Maybe it would be too far into his personal business, but the paladin was interested in learning more about the people he was spending time with. At this point now, Arthur wasn't quite sure which dish in front of him was the most alluring, so when the time came he'd probably just end up taking some of everything. The chef held up a single finger as the paladin approached the table in his advanced. "No, you have to wait for everyone else, you can't start eating without them. For a knight, you sure need to learn your manners." The way the chef scolded made him feel somewhat embarrassed, a pink hue threatening to break out across his face. He wouldn't do that though, instead offering to show a pouty expression as he slowly backed away from the irresistible portions and instead towards an empty foldable table. Scratching his hair with his armored hands, Arthur offered his meek apology. "Sorry about that, I'm just really hungry you see. I can't help it that your food looks so good, that's on you. But seriously though, how do you get that stuff to smell so amazing, what's your secret." Seemingly unaffected by his charms, the chef scoffed playfully and rolled his eyes. "You know, while flattery will get you other places with me, it will not get you any closer to eating your food. And yes, I do have a secret to making my food so irrisistable, but since it's a secret, I couldn't possibly tell you, could I amigo? If you're standing around idle in my cafeteria, what you can do for me is get the drinks poured for this morning's breakfast. You already have that toast there so you can chew on that since you finished up setting the table. How does that sound?" Nodding, Arthur took a bit of the buttered toast he had been given. The crust of the toast was surprisingly buttery and flaky. It didn't even have that bad taste Arthur commonly associated with crusts on bread. And the actual meat of the bread was quite remarkable as well. Fluffy and white, it was the perfect balance between salty and sweat, the added butter giving it a lactic kick. It was everything that Arthur wanted in bread and then some, this was so much better than anything he could have gotten in any of the Amber Island bakeries. Perhaps it was a cultural or familial recipe? While he was not much of a baker of chef himself, the paladin fancied himself the said sweets just as much as a child would. Perhaps, then, it was time for him to learn how to cook and bake. Learning a life skill such as that could never be a bad thing, so he though to himself as he shoved the last piece of the salty snack into his mouth. Swallowing the last bite, he disappeared into the kitchen as the chef called out to him. "The juice, water and coffee jugs are in the fridge. Don't snack on anything because I take inventory and I'll know if you do. Don't spill anything either, in fact don't touch anything aside from the refrigerator door and the jugs I told you about before." Nodding at the man's stern words, the paladin carefully entered into the galley-style kitchen. The first things he noticed was how hot and humid the place really was. Sweat formed on his skin as he made his way to the refrigerator door. Opening it, he was met with a blast of cold air that found itself to be rather refreshing in comparison to the sweltering kitchen heat. Looking for the aforementioned jugs, Arthur looked through the refrigerators contents. Ketchup, sauces, milk, vegetables, there was so much food in the fridge. And there wasn't even only one fridge either, multiple rows of fridges ran along the walls of the kitchen. This would definitely take a while, then, to find the right jugs. combing through the first rows, Arthur's eyes scanned the various jugs and bottles for one containing the requested drinks. Finding one behind a few unopened bottles of soda, Arthur retrieved the jug of dark brown liquid and set it on the counter. Coffee found, Arthur wiped sweat from his brow and continued his search for the rest of the two. In the second fridge, Arthur found most of the meat, thawing out so that it could be used in the future for other meals or dishes. And from the looks of it, the crew went through a lot of meats. He guessed it made sense though, from how a large group of actively-working men would need protein after their hard days at work. Obviously, the juice wasn't in this fridge. Scuffling over slightly, Arthur opened the third fridge and came upon rows of bottles of juices alongside multiple vegetables, fruits, that kind of thing. Finding the larger jug in an identical shape to the one holding the coffee, the paladin removed it from the fridge and put it down next tot he first bottle. Now, to find the last jug of juice. A voice interrupted his search. "How long are you taking, are you eating all the desert or what?" Reyes peered in at them through the cafeteria window. Holding up his hands to prove that they were empty, Arthur beamed at the chef. "Nope, just looking for the jugs! I've got two of them here now, just need to grab the third. Wouldn't happen to know where it is would you?" The chef smirked to himself and opened his hand in a beckoning motion. With all the charm the cook could muster, Reyes offered. "Well, yes I do know where it is." And with that being said, the chef left the window and continued plating up a few dishes and straightening out the cafeteria room for breakfast to be served. It took a moment for the paladin to catch on, but when he did, he couldn't help himself but laugh a little. So Reyes definitely knew where the last jug actually was, but had no intention of actually helping him find it. That would mean Reyes couldn't complain about how long it took then, if he wasn't willing to help at all in his search. Since there were only two jugs left though, it wouldn't be too difficult to find where the last one was actually hiding. And he didn't even have to open the last fridge because the jug he was looking for was found in the second to last one, nestled between a few other ingredients that he wasn't quite sure of. Now that he had all three of the required item, he came out into the cafeteria are and towards the serving table. Meeting him at its edge, Reyes took the jugs and sent them up so their spigots were facing away from the table and down towards the ground. Taking a package of Styrofoam cups out of the cabinet, Arthur set them up along the dispensing jugs, with the help of the chef of course. Terrence had since left the cafateria, leaving it so that it was only the two of them. "That food actually does smell divine. I will say that. How much longer do you think it'll take for everyone to wake up and come on down?" Reyes chuckled, setting up the final touches on everything. "When they're here, obviously. But nah, they usually get up around this time so I'd expect them any second. The wait will be worth it, I promise that to you."
Nodding, Arthur heart took a leap as a group of men suddenly burst into the cafeteria. Now he could eat, and so for that his stomach was thankful. They all seemed so cheerful, honestly, from how they were playing and roughhousing around and throwing arms around eachother. The chef gave him a look, one that meant Arthur was free to dig into the food in front of him. This was a good thing, considering the fact that his stomach was hungry enough to devour an entire whale. He was definitely hungry enough to maybe even have two. With this in mind, Arthur grabbed the largest serving plate and began down the line of food trays. At the tray of eggs, Arthur scooped himself up a large serving of the fluffy white protein. Moving down the line, he picked himself up a generous amount of the fluffy stacks before dousing them and his eggs in syrup. The paladin licked his lips as he went down further into the line and got himself a few servings of sausages and a couple slices of toast. Taking himself up a cup of tea, Arthur smiled down at his trey and went to take a seat at one of the tables. Arthur watched as the other sailors piled into line and pretty much fought over the food. He could understand fighting over food of this quality, as he would have done the same in the same situation. Forking some eggs into his mouth, he held back a moan at the exquisite taste. The eggs were well-salted and soft enough for his tongue to cleave through. When he topped his toast with the eggs, it was even better because of the butter spread over the bread. The sausages were just as good- if not better- than the eggs. Made with some kind of spices, the tingling sensation went well with the strong flavor of the sausage. He wondered, though, what kind of meat had been used in the making of these sausages. it was almost gamy in a way, where the strong protein flavor complemented the strong spices just as good. Terrence took a seat down next to him as the captain took a long sip of his coffee. "Hey, food's great by the way, just like you said it'd be. Oh god, can I go back for seconds? I'm not even done but I still want seconds. Holy shit this is so great.' Terrence's smile rivaled his own as he grinned with delight. Forking a few sausages onto his toast, the ginger made a sort of sandwich before stuffing it into his mouth. Speaking around the food in his mouth, Terrence managed to mutter and more like grumble out around the food in his mouth. "I told you, this dude is great at cooking, I'd kiss the man if he were into that." Swallowing the large bite of his food, the sailor took another swig of his coffee. Arthur had to give it to the man, he was pretty fast at getting his food down into his stomach. If Arthur ate at that speed, he'd surely give himself a stomach ache. As they ate, the two of them were soon joined by a third, fourth, and then a fifth as their table was crowded by the rest of the crew. He didn't mind, truly, because all that meant was that there was plenty of discussion around and plenty to discuss amongst them. They talked politics, weather, food, current plans, and eventually even what they were even transporting in the first place. Terrence didn't seem to mind the speculation, as it seemed like he was just as curious as the rest of his crew. In all fairness, it was a completely valid concern for everybody on the ship. Though he had contemplated most of this earlier, it was still something unsettling that was creeping under his skin not unlike a parasitic anxiety. Arthur removed the thought from his mind. He was doing a legal job with legal intentions, if the business man was corrupt, that had nothing to do with him, there was no way he could be implicated in whatever the fuck it was they were transporting. But still, he desperately did want to actually check what the item was. Would he though? Arthur could do it with his blink teleport, but if there were any wards inside they'd definitely be tripped from his magical aura. It wasn't his job to snoop around though, if anything, his job would be to do the exact opposite, to keep people away from the damned thing. And there's no way Arthur could ever risk disturbing the pretty smile that was almost permanently set upon the captain's face. Nothing to risk that joyous demeanor. It would have been really awkward too, to be stuck with a crew that hated him. Sipping at his earl-grey tea, the paladin cleared his throat and spoke up, asking a question to the group in large. "Soo uhh, what's it like being a marine, out at sea for longer than being on land?" It was a pretty standard question in all honesty, but it was actually a question that he was interested in knowing the answer to. Sure, Arthur had been out at sea for a few days, but not nearly long enough to know what it was like to practically have your life on one of these vessels. It seemed so different from his own life of adventure and magic and fighting. It was almost surreal to the degree in how their lives deferred. If not for the fact that there were dangerous monsters the seafarers were unable to kill themselves, Arthur would likely have never been sailing on a boat like this. Arthur could honestly get used to a life like this, sitting on the side of a boat fishing while the waves gently rocked his boat. Whenever it came time for him to retire, this is what he would eventually end up doing, that's for damn sure. He needed to get more peaceful moments of self-reflection in his life, he was sure it would be good for both his magic alongside the other aspects of his life as well. Arthur finished his meal and excused himself from the table. It was a bit stuffy in the hull and so he'd be taking a short breather to get some fresh air. Eating a huge meal and then being in a hot stuffy room was a recipe for all kinds of disasters. "I'm just goin on top deck to get myself some fresh air. Any of you guys are free to join me." Cleaning of his plate with his fork and knife, the captain nodded and agreed. "Yeah sure, I'll come out with you, there were a few things I wanted to discuss anyway." Nodding, Arthur climbed the short staircase out of the cafeteria and out onto the deck. The fresh cool air hit him like a brick, and so did the comforting embrace of sunlight. Even though the food was amazing, that room had been just a little stuffy for his tastes. He just wasn't used to the living conditions of a ship yet, he'd make do and adjust sooner or later. For now though, he leaned up against the railing as the captain did the same, sliding in next to him and propping his chin up with his palm with an elbow planted onto the railing. "Soo, what type of magic do you use?" And Arthur was surprised, then, because none of the crew had said anything about his status as a mage. They were aware, sure, but not even one of them had said anything or even asked about his magic. In all honesty, he had forgotten that it was even a relevant fact at this point, assuming them to know that much about him given how close they had grown over the few days at sea. Arthur tapped at the railing with a gloved finger. "Oh, nothing crazy. I just use a lot of healing magic and I also use the power of light offensively. I'm the person to have at your side for protection though, as most of my magic is actually rather supportive in nature. I'm not the type that just flings fireballs until something explodes, not my style to be honest."
WC: 5087
