No Poultry, Guaranteed [Doc Genzo]

Ruairi sat down next to Eve, though he started to eye her rather suspiciously as she shared her story. Could it all be true? That this child was actually not a child and had a past of… Smuggling, of all things. Smuggling! The Rito rubbed his forehead, careful to not smudge any of his makeup on his face. Of all the things he got involved with, why did it have to be some crimelord kid…
"Seriously? He asked, though it was hard to say if his voice was that of disbelief or just exasperation, his eyes looking at the girl beside him through his fingers,
"Should I even be here? The whole set-up got shady very fast and I don't want to be involved in anything like that," Ruairi continued, his brow furrowed. The last thing he wanted to do was to be arrested.

Not that he really had all that much time to get out before the anchor already was pulled up and the ship started to move. That motion did soften the Rito's expression, his attention pulled towards the fact that he was on a moving ship for the first time in his life. He stared at the buildings of Darunia that started to slowly but surely move further away… No, it was them that were moving, sliding further out into the open sea, leaving the land behind.

One of the sailors approached them, speaking up to get their attention. Ruairi looked the man up and down, listening to what he had to say, and inspected the relationship he and the girl seemed to have. With a sigh, he crossed his legs.
"More like she did not explain anything. I can't say I know this Captain… Surcoat or whatever, either," the Rito crossed his arms as well and gave a little wave of his hand in a nonchalant manner. He certainly was not the kind of a person anyone else usually wished would protect a friend of theirs, but… He supposed he at the very least was bigger than Eve, physically.
"I suppose our destination has been decided, then?"

Ruairi looked at Eve with a raised eyebrow. He had hoped she would at the very least have some sort of idea as to where they were going – surely if she had arranged for a deal like this, she would have told the sailors where they wanted them to ferry her, right? But no, of course not. That would be too sane, wouldn't it. With a slow blink, he turned towards the bearded man, his only source of information. The Rito's posture seemed to ease up and open a bit.
"An evil spirit, huh," he mused, switching his crossed legs the other way around. Perhaps this trip wasn't as shady as he first thought, then, if they actually seemed to care about helping other people. No, listening to what the man had to say, it seemed like Eve was the weird one out, the one who had caused the most problems…

Still, he had no idea what one would even do with an evil spirit. He wasn't exactly experienced with things like that – and as destructive as Eve sounded like, he didn't know if that would be of any help against a spirit.

Ruairi looked back at the kid and sighed as she seemed to try and mangle his name. He probably shouldn't even bother anymore…
"Did he put you in the guard or did you just pretend you were a part of it?" The Rito asked, sounding rather defeated at this point. Honestly, he didn't even really care for the answer, but looking at all these stupid documents the unhinged girl had made herself… Well, he was doubting if anything actually was official. Still, for once, it seemed like the mission they were set up for was a benign one. Ruairi stood up.
"Well, I'm going to enjoy my day off vacation trip on this ship, then. It sounds there will be no time to relax once we actually get to our destination."

He did still look forward to that, after all! The Rito started to walk towards the front deck, stopping every so often to peek over the edge and into the water below. There was so much of it, crashing against the sides of the hull and sending over waves that continued behind them. It was a whole new experience that seemed to excite the young man, a smile appearing on his lips as he allowed himself to be taken in by sea travel. The wind had picked up once they started moving, blowing across his face and tossing his hair, but Ruairi just kept going to the front where he'd have the best look of the sea, even if that also meant braving the elements head on. It was impossible to understand just how large the sea was when one was stuck on land, but now an infinite amount of blue glistening and sparkling in the sun was spread ahead of him, watery mist occasionally splashing against him.

Ruairi liked the sea. That was the conclusion he had come to after his short time of sailing on a ship on calm waters and in pleasant weather. He liked watching the waves – and sometimes he could swear he could see fish swimming close to the surface, if he looked hard enough. The water was dark and deep, so it was hard to tell – but that mystery was also a part of the charm for him. An early morning was never to his liking, but the way the sun had started to creep up in the sky was a pleasant enough feeling, allowing the Rito to bathe in its glow and warmth. He leaned against the wooden railing, his eyes closing as he just took it all in and enjoyed himself.

He could feel the gaze of someone after a moment of just listening to the sounds of the waves and the shrieks of seagulls. Ruairi wasn't alerted, just calmly opening his eyes and looking over his shoulder. It was the kid. Eve. Surprisingly quiet and calm, after everything he had witnessed. He didn't say anything at first either, just making eye contact with the girl, his expression rather neutral.

Perhaps he had been a bit harsh. True, she was annoying and possibly leading him into something much more dangerous than he ever expected. But she was a fan of his. Could someone with taste like that truly be awful?
"…Is something the matter?" The Rito asked, just in case. She had approached him herself, after all. At least, so he thought, seeing that she was just standing there nearby, not saying anything.

Ruairi straightened his back and turned to face Eve more after her words – much faster than one would have expected, surely, considering how relaxed he had been a moment ago.
"No no no. You never say those words, no matter what. Even if it's a nice day, even if nothing is happening, even if it's – I don't even dare to say the q-word… You can't say it. The words themselves invite disaster," he lectured the girl and seemed to be completely serious in his own way, though he clearly liked spicing up his speeches with some theatrical poses and stops for drama. As a child of theater, the Rito of course grew up with many superstitions around him – and not all theater-related. Silly it may have been, but he could attest that there was truth in those words. In his mind, at least.

He did looked around, as if he was waiting for something, suspecting the worst. Nothing seemed to be happening, so it looked like Ruairi's tenseness started to melt away. Perhaps those thoughtless words weren't heard by whatever it was that made sure to cause chaos. He looked back at the girl.
"Always remember that."

Ruairi stared at the girl, just deflating as he lost his posture and his shoulders hung with great disappointment.
"And you said it," he said, his voice barely audible. He couldn't believe how fast that happened, almost in a state of disbelief – and he almost seemed defeated, in a way, like everything he could have done had been done and it wasn't good enough. Like everything was lost now. The Rito was glad that the ship didn't immediately hit something that caused it to sink. Nothing had attacked them, either, but he still glanced around him just in case he could see the incoming disaster before it struck. He was so on edge, that a splash his ears hadn't gotten used to caused Ruairi to immediately dart to look over the side, expecting the worst.

It was just fish. Lots of fish, yes, but they were small and very nonthreatening. Strange-looking, though, with their absurdly long fins and how they jumped out of the water for such a long time. Ruairi didn't know too much about fish, so he couldn't say what kind of fish they were. He was pretty sure he had never seen any of them cooked in front of him, either – surely he would have remembered those odd fins! The fish proved to be distracting enough for him to forget his worries.
"Ah. Are those edible?"

Ruairi raised an eyebrow at the way the girl's eyes looked at him when she mentioned seagulls – he certainly would have had a lot to say if she was going to say what he at first assumed she would say, but luckily for her, she didn't.
"I am of the impression that seagulls eat anything," he replied, before turning his gaze back at the sea. There were so many little fishes down there. With a fishing rod, it would be really annoying to catch enough of them for a meal, but if one brought down a net and caught a whole bunch at once… Surely that could would be enough.

The Rito was leaning against the railing, wistfully peering below, though he gave Eve a glance once she mentioned she wanted to go bother someone else. Off she went, and he would occasionally look back at her and the man with the telescope, but he didn't care enough to actually follow her. Ruairi didn't have to, as soon the kid ran back to him, alerting him of a monster. Immediately, he stood up, his eyes wide.
"A… Monster?" He couldn't believe what he had heard. Was this a joke of hers? Eve didn't seem like she was joking, and as he looked at the sea… Well, he couldn't see it. He did lack a telescope, however. Why a monster on his day off, of all things!
"Why… Why haven't they raised an alarm, or something!" The Rito cried out, very unaware of what one was even supposed to do on a ship in cases like these. Alerting everyone would be important, yet it was the two of them in charge of that?

Nevertheless, even if the situation confused him, he was following Eve to the captain.

Ruairi rushed over to the captain, of course convinced that this was now a very serious and dangerous situation for them all to be in. It had been enough of a shock for his breath to grow ragged, forced to catch it once they stopped. He had expected the bearded man to react in a similar way and be worried, but… No. He was calm, just like the rest of the ship – and he thought that was only happening because the rest didn't know! Perhaps they did know. Perhaps they weren't worried. The captain looked so certain, with no hint of hesitation or even the slightest smallest thought that perhaps they couldn't do it. The Rito's chest heaved in a more noticeable manner until the took a big inhale to stabilize his breathing, his gaze looking towards the sea and the seagulls. It almost seemed like there were tentacles rising from the water.

A smile appeared on Ruairi's lips as he stood up straight, looking awfully confident himself as well. He had been silly rushing after Eve – she was a weirdo! Literally everyone else on the ship was completely fine, so obviously, it was going to be safe. If anything, it started to seem like he was getting quite excited, his eyes sparkling as he looked back.
"Well then! That sounds like a show that should not be missed," his smile was now showing white teeth, a flash of light in the middle of his darker feathers,
"Where should I sit? Close to the front? That would be exciting! But perhaps I could be hit by a splash of water that would ruin my hair – or worse, some monster spillage! That would be horrid, that won't do," Ruairi pondered, perhaps thinking out loud to himself towards the end. Still, he felt it to be important that he could see the spectacle in all its glory.
"Full speed ahead, Captain!"

By now, Ruairi had pushed all of Eve's protests aside, just growing more and more excited with the rest of the crew as they cheered and hollered. With such a cheery atmosphere, he couldn't feel scared or even a little worried, finding himself a good place nearby so he could peer to the front of the ship and see all the action and cheer everyone on. He almost felt like a young child again, his eyes sparkling with wonder as he waited with bated breath. He could see some kind of strange… Eye-thing flopping on the surface of the water, looking like it could easily be taken down by just ramming the ship into it. But no, the crew had something better in mind, Ruairi grinning when he saw the cannon being readied.

The loud boom was surprising enough for him to flinch and close his eyes, despite having readied himself for it. The scent of gunpowder mixed with the smell of the sea. Ruairi forced his eyes open, having missed the exact moment of the cannonball shooting out, but luckily he had been fast enough to see the hit! He too cheered, feeling so powerful as he watched the weird eye-plant thing flop around lifelessly in the air.

But if it was dead, shouldn't it be falling into the–

That was as far as the Rito's thoughts got, before something rose from the sea. Something much, much larger, with an odd body and… What seemed like a large mouth. There were eyes too, he believed? He didn't manage to get a very good look. Ruairi's own mouth had opened by now as well, though no sound managed to escape until the waves started to crash against the ship, causing it to be thrown rather violently into so many directions. Up and down, side to side, he was forced to grab onto the first thing he could to try to keep his balance… But even that wasn't enough and he eventually found himself against the deck with a surprised squeal, the impact hard enough to force the air out of his lungs.

It almost felt like the monster had gotten the ship, grabbing it and throwing it around. Perhaps hitting it with something and causing them damage? Ruairi couldn't get up as the ship shook, sliding and rolling where the force of the momentum pushed him. He couldn't see what was happening, of course assuming that they were under attack as he heard the crewmates yell, the ship creak and groan, and the water splash onto the deck over the edges, but it didn't take long until the movements started to wind down, growing slower and more gentle. Almost like… Like they weren't in danger anymore. Calming silence.

The Rito was still lying on the deck face down, a bit confused about which way was up at the moment.

"Ugh," came a response from the Rito still sprawled on the deck, slowly stirring but not yet getting up. His head was spinning, and even when he finally managed to sit up, he wasn't entirely sure if he really was sitting or still lying down. Ruairi rubbed his face, slowly opening his eyes to give them some time to get used to seeing again – but it did help a bit in him starting to get his bearings again, staring at the wooden railing of the ship.
"What even… Happened."

Ruairi started to slowly get up, propping himself onto his feet with the aid of his hands. Finally, he could see the sea again – and there was no sign of the strange monster they had just run into a moment earlier. The sailors were talking loudly, perhaps just as confused, but it became quite obvious that there was no danger at the moment. Surely, if the hull had suffered some sort of a hit that had caused a hole, everyone would be a lot more worried right about now.

And his hair had come undone, too. The Rito frowned once he saw the loose locks on his shoulders, forced to go through them with his fingers to try to roll and stuff them back into form. It was such a difficult thing to do without a mirror, too! He was pouting as he started to walk towards the stairs, pushing aside some frou-frou sailor on the way down with an annoyed not today, as he strode towards the bow of the ship, still fixing his hair.

It was where Eve had gone, too. She was a fast one, that much was certain. It was rather strange how she had been the only one objecting to ramming the monster, but… Well, surely that was nothing! They had survived, so it wasn't a bad idea, or anything! Ruairi's gaze did eventually find the shore that was peeking over the horizon, his mood instantly lifted as he rushed the rest of the way, stopped only by the railing.
"Are we going there?" He asked, clearly excited as he stared towards land so eagerly. It seemed like a quaint little village with such wonderful beaches…

Ruairi tilted his head, looking at the village that was approaching them, slowly but surely. A small place, perhaps, he could admit that. But was that even a bad thing? It would be quiet. There wouldn't be too many people around. Perhaps he could have the whole beach to himself! Now that would be something – especially if there was a place for good food and drinks nearby! He couldn't help but smile widely at such thoughts.

As excited as he had been about the ocean trip, the Rito seemed to be quite happy once the ship started its docking preparations, clearly looking forward to getting back on land. Perhaps it had been the appearance of the monster that made sailing less fun… Or perhaps he was just interested in the new experience dangled in front of him. As soon as the ship had come to a stop and the gangplank connected the ship with the docks, Ruairi already leaped onto it with impressive speed and the agility of a cat, enjoying the feel of the bounce underneath his feet. He took another big inhale of the new island smell, his eyes closing for a moment as he felt the pleasant warmth of the sun… Yes, this would be a good little vacation.

Though he started to feel like he had forgotten something. Something… Important…

"…Was there supposed to be a dungeon here?"