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Liliac tried to hide the desperation from her face as she watched them mull over the idea. Straightening up she put her hands on her hips and sighed as if super bored. "well...?" She asked her eye brows arching.. " Do you think you could handle such a thrill? Or are you going to go back to beating the posts?" She smirked, driving the nail in that what they were previously were doing was just childs play, and she was offering them some real fun.

The bigger of the two boys frowned and dropped his stick. "We AINT scared lady.." He stated sticking out his lip. "Gimme that bag and I'll prove it to you.." He reached out and snagged the bag from Liliac's shoulder then pushing his smaller friend he growled "common..you gotta help too" The second boy seemed more reluctant but he went jogging down the pier after his friend.

Liliac watched and only when they were far enough away did she breath a little steadier. "oh man.." she whispered to herself as she crept closer to the ship. "I really hope they don't dunk it in a barrel with liquid.. or steal anything.." Her heart pounding she knew she couldn't watch them the whole time, she had to sneak on too. Turning she studied the ship and looked for ways in. As the crew moved barrels in on the ship she glanced around the pier - she needed a diversion... and the two little boys were already gone - probably back up the road to look for her to boast of their success.

Standing in a shadowed doorway of an old warehouse she decided it'd be best to sneak on at the last minute.She stood there watching, getting tired as each minute ticked by. She unfolded the letter from Gui and Lutrena and sighed What kind of quest are you sending me on? And why to such a cold place Liliac looked up at the skies knowing that on top of the building watching her was her small owl companion. She had no idea if Silver would follow her on this quest, but she figured that the owl would make up her own mind when the time came on to sneak onto the ship.

She felt a low rumbling and scraping as the boat pulled away from the dock, the noises as if protesting the very fact that it was leaving port. The ship seemed to dislike the journey ahead as much as Liliac did. She slowly stood up in the dark hold, feeling her way around and stopping occasionally to listen for sounds of anyone else there as she searched for her bag. She pried open the barrels and did a sniff test before sticking her hand in.. no need for her to stick her hand quickly into a barrel that smelled of dead fish. The barrels that she couldn't open she figured her bag was not in because the boys wouldn't have been able to open them either.

Finally after what felt like an hour of searching she found a barrel that smelled like dirt and a faint musty smell. Reaching carefully in she was rewarded with the feel of the stuffed fabric that was her bag surrounded by a large quantity of potatoes. She wouldn't be able to check through all her supplies until later when she had more light, but at least she had her things and could fish around for food if she got hungry or whatever. Specifically now she wanted the blanket that she had packed to pull around her to give her more warmth and protection from the animals that were also in the hold. She closed the lid of the barrel but counted them as she went back to another corner to hide so that she would know where they were in case she wanted to nick some from the ship.

Wrapping the blanket around her she closed her eyes again, trying to get a few minutes of sleep. It was only after an hour or so of sleep that she awoke because she had to pee. Crap.. what am i supposed to do about that hiding down here in this miserable hole.. There was no way that she was going to pee in a corner only to accidentally sit in it again later. Its not like it smelled nice down there anyway.

Liliac hadn't heard anything "unusual" - if you call, cursing and laughter and thunking around normal that is - so she decided to make her way towards the port hole on the side of the ship. She could barely make out the faint line of the light that was creeping through higher up on the wall. She felt around the edges of the window but was unable to find a sort of release. She couldn't quite reach the top of it and she thought maybe there would be some sort of latch. She rotated a barrel closer to the wall and crawled on top of it feeling around again, her fingers felt the latch as the ship took a large "roll" as it hit a wave on that side, she tumbled off the barrel with a screech. [s**t!/i] She thought as she hit the ground of the hold with a loud thump. She felt a little dampness under her hand and backside oh please let that be sea water and not pee she made a face as she struggled up but froze as she heard some thumping coming towards the hold and starting down the steps to the door that led to her area. She clamped her hand over her mouth, forgetting of course the previous dampness, and cursed herself she had forgotten not to scream because of the crew members oh god oh god don't let them find me.. what is that smell? yep.. smelled very.... off, it was likely she either landed in some of her sloshed around pee or that there were some even grosser things on the floor of the hold than she realized. She removed her trembling hand and tried to squeeze back behind some barrels once more.

"Captain! Somethin's amiss down here - these barrels have been moved about!" the shout came from the far side. Liliac didn't know how anyone could expect "order" when the barrels seemed to have no set way they were lugged down there and placed up against the wall. She froze hoping they'd leave and not find her. "Samson, sam! Com'ere boy! What kind of crap is this! Next time secure the hold barrels better and dont let them roll about when the ship moves! When we get to port you better set this right or else you know the drill!"

Liliac breathed a little easier as she heard the clunking of heavy men walking away, she almost laughed as she heard a giant burp erupt from one of them. She thought to herself as a smile played on her lips I hope that means they already ate. She stayed still a while longer before getting back up on the barrel trying to steady herself carefully as she felt for the latch once more, releasing the mechanism she breathed happily as the cool cripsy salty air hit her face. It was definately better than the musty smell of the hold. She shivered though as she moved away from the window trying to figure a way to call Silver down.

Thinking of the of the burp from earlier she could feel her own stomach clench with hunger. She had eaten before she trekked down the pier, but that was hours ago - possibly 10 or more - she had waited over two hours before even sneaking on, and with the nap.. she had no idea how long she had been down in the hold. Finding her bag, she reached around looking for one of the chocolate chip protein bars and started to munch on that while sipping on her container of water.

Liliac was colder now than before, ever since she opened up that window porthole thing. She shivered in her sleep even though she was wrapped up in the blanket. Her mind was plagued by horrible dreams, of what would happen if she failed the quest. She hated the fact that all of this was hanging on the unknown, only being told what was to be expected next by a letter from a crazy person. She was fighting to stay asleep when she felt a sudden jab that awoke her from her sleeping mind fog.

" 'ey lookie what I found men!" A deep booming voice suddenly said. Liliac's mind was still confused and she struggled to sit up as she felt another jab, and then Silver burst forth from her chest area to escape. "Agh! what was that" Liliac opened her eyes as she heard the man's voice again and felt like her whole world just dropped out. They had found her and now the big burly man infront of her was swinging a stick at her owl, who already was having a hard time flying from the lost feathers from before.

"STOP THAT" She screamed as she stood up, "You'll hurt her!" The pain was evident in her voice as she lunged at the man her hand raised to strike him. However she didn't get far because he caught her wrist as she lunged, his powerful grip not only holding her too far away but also so tight that she almost fell limp with the pain. Silver flew up into the rafters of the hold escaping the man but her angry hoots could be heard from above.

"Looks like we got a fiesty one.. the captain's gonna wanna see you and yer' bird there'. The burly man said as he dragged her up the stairs. Liliac started struggling again as she was pulled along. s**t s**t s**t s**t.. the letter said not to be caught! And I only made it two days before I was caught. her mind raced before she was blinded by light when brought up in the sunlight on deck. Blinking rapidly she felt like she had been disarmed once more, not only was she still in the man's grip but now she was having a hard time seeing and her eyes were watering from the sudden change from the mostly dark hold to the bright sun on the deck.

The captain rubbed his beard as he took in Liliac's words. "A test eh? do you think you could hold yer own against one of my men in a fight?" He stated in that booming voice of his, and Liliac could tell that he didn't think that she could stand a chance. Liliac smirked, little did the captain know that she had been in plenty of scraps before, especially when the town had that dry season and all the looting, she was able to help defend the clinic.

"I accept your challenge... now who here will step up to fight a woman?" She said, holding her head high as she looked around at the gathering crew. Finally one stepped forth who was a dirty looking man with a greasy red jacket and dark stained and torn jeans. "Alright then, are you ready sir?" She asked as she took off her parka, wanting some more moving ability even though when the wind brushed over the ship causing the sails to shake and snap she had to resist shivering. The men started to cheer as the two circled each other, trying to gauge each other's strength and movement. The captain looked amused that Liliac was actually going through it. The man in front of her threw the first punch, lunging at her with the speed and agility of a man who was long used to the rolling movements of the sea and ship.

Liliac tried to side step but her ankle turned as the ship rolled again and she felt the hit land on her shoulder as she tried to catch herself and duck under the man's arm. As she passed under she took a cheap shot and aimed a hit at his side, managing to hit him, but not with as much energy as she hoped since he was so close to her she had little room for a wind up. Her eyes flashed, and to those watching they looked almost 'animal like' as she darted again to the other side of him. "Is that it?" she stated not wanting to show how much the blow actually hurt. The man chuckled and cracked his knuckles as if to show that he wasn't going to 'play nice anymore'.

Liliac rushed at him and had her fists raised as if she was about to punch him but at the last minute she used the roll o f the ship to be able to duck down and take a kick at the man's legs from a crouched position. For her movement she received a smack in the face as she made connection with the man's knees causing him to loose balance slightly. She took that moment to stand up and wipe her nose, already feeling a trickle of blood starting.

The fight continued as such for several more minutes before the captain raised his hands. "Enough. I don't need two people working for me injured enough so that they can't work" Liliac paused, her sides heaving as she tried to breath sweat dripping off her face. "What? Does that mean you accept me at least until we reach the Isle?" The man nodded and Liliac slumped to the deck as the crew turned grumbling away from them. "thank you" she said as she closed her eyes trying to steady her heartbeat.

'Don't think this is gonna be some picnic" The captain stated as he came to stand over her. "You've got kitchen duty first, scrub all them pots and then get working on that floor, and keep doing all the floors till I'm happy." He chuckled and walked away from her.After several minutes of rest Liliac got up then trumped to go off and find where the kitchen was on the ship. Her face was still scratched up and a dried crust of blood was under her nose and under her split lip. She knew she had bruises all over, but so did the man she fought, so she thought she made it out pretty ok, especially if she could get free food for the rest of the trip.

Liliac found another note, this one even weirder than the last. It was going to burn by the time she read it, totally "spy like". She rolled her eyes thinking it was a little over the top but still she read the note slowly trying to commit the words to memory. Two weeks on this ship? Then more walking in the wilderness.. possibly up to a week? She had to find that jewel, then travel at least 4 days on foot. Liliac dropped the letter because already the edges were starting to burn. She watched as it curled up and turned while burning, still able to read the line "for ghosts are watching you" through the red flare of the paper.

Liliac sighed, she had made it this far and now.. possibly death awaited her? And what with these Ghosts.. She hoped that they would be helpful and not the hellish kind. Liliac heard someone approaching so she turned back to the work she was set to in the kitchen, peeling potatoes then helping make dinner for the crew. Of course, after she battles some gross man that she's most seen as being helpful in a kitchen.. typical sexism - put the women in the kitchen where she stays out of trouble and only makes food and cleans.

When she had gone into the hold to get the potatoes she was able to get Silver to follow her, and now the owl was happily up in the rafters of the small cramped kitchen space, enjoying the warmth from the stoves as food cooked, sleeping. Liliac tossed her owls an angry glance, "Well at least you get to rest it up, I'm sweating down here working a way just so we weren't thrown overboard.."