Magic Madness™️

Chapter Twenty Five: The Adira

Word Count: 2,127

    So Alejandro and Evalyn waited. They dried off as much as they could in the wind and direct sunlight, and Evalyn was trying to identify as many details on the ship as possible just to make sure it wasn't a pirate ship.
   
The canyon they were in felt quite hopeless, and though Alejandro liked most beaches, he was backed up far away from the water. Occasionally he heard an extremely distant shout, but as badly as he wanted to return to the rest of their group, he was not inclined to repeat any of his previous attempts of getting across the water.
The wind picked up, and sand blew absolutely everywhere. Still slightly damp, the sand stuck to every bit of Alex and Eva. Irritated in every way, they grumbled about how stupid this game was.

"Okay," Evalyn sighed eventually, "We each have one more minute to be as angry as we want and then we have to figure out what we're gonna do to get that crew to let us on their ship."
Both agreeing on this tactic, they each spent a full minute throwing rocks and shells and kicking stuff around and complaining to their heart's content. At the end of the minute, they both took some calming breaths and did some plotting.
"I don't think it's a pirate boat. It looks pretty average. There's a mermaid on the front, their sails don't have any unusual markings, and it just looks...average. Which could be a trap, but I don't even think we were supposed to run into this boat. It's most likely full of NPCs," Evalyn informed.
"Okay...so then our best bet is to be upfront, I guess? Tell them the truth and hope they're here to help game players?" Alejandro asked, though he didn't sound very convinced with his own plan.
"I'd say so. If we trick them or sound too desperate or something, they might think we're trying to sabotage them. We'll just tell them what happened. Fingers crossed that they're nice," Evalyn nodded.

The boat was beached and a woman in a red and black dress and big captain's hat got off the boat and approached the two.
"Does one of ye fly?" She asked, in the most stereotypical pirate-y accent one could have. Her heeled black boots dug into the sand. A lace-gloved hand rested on her hip.
"Um. That would be me, ma'am," Alejandro raised his hand awkwardly.
"Wonderful! Yer just who I came to see, then. And who's the lady?" She said excitedly. Maybe it was just the excessive smeared eyeliner, but her eyes looked very big.
"I'm Evalyn," Eva extended her hand, and the woman shook it. (Well...in this world, they shook hands differently. They aimed above the hand and shook wrists, so to speak.)
"Evalyn! Yer quite the catch, and you've got a firm grip. I think I like you already. The young man is very lucky," she nodded toward Alex.
"Oh, thank you! But me and him are just friends," Eva clarified, letting go of the woman's wrist. The woman looked mildly bewildered.
"Of course, dear, what did you think I meant? It's rude to assume," she scoffed.
"Um...I-"
"Anyway, I heard of a flying man from one of my crewmates, but when she looked again, she said he was gone, and I came to check it out myself. Can I ask what happened? You two both look like you've seen better days," she asked, and though the words sounded teasing, her tone was genuine.
"I'm so glad you asked! We have three other friends, Amber, Elijah, and Joan, but we've been separated. We needed to get across the canyon, so we sent Alejandro, here, to fly across. But he's new to flying, so he fell. And I have water powers, so I jumped in with him to save him from drowning, but we both ended up here, on this beach, way too far away from our group to get back on our own. And then we saw your ship, and we were wondering if...maybe we could get a ride? We just need to get our friends back and to the other side of the canyon, that's all," Evalyn explained. Alejandro was beginning to notice just how naturally charming Eva was. The captain noticed it even more.
"Evalyn, you are quite the people person. Because I like you so much, and because yer so polite, and because you both look like you've seen the Salseavus himself, I'll help you. Hop aboard, my friends," the captain said kindly, "And you may call me Captain Cordelia."
She showed Evalyn and Alejandro how to board the boat, and they both made it up rather easily.
"New recruits! Very temporary, but more company all the same," Captain Cordelia announced loudly, met by many cheers.
"That's Ophelia, the quartermaster, Vivian, the sailingmaster, Theodosia, the boatswain, Marissa, the master gunner, Lucy, the nurse and carpenter, Jane, the fill-in, Maggie, the cabin-girl, and Melody, Zoe, Sally, Molly, and Avery, all mates," Cordelia introduced, pointing out each one as she said their names.
"Everyone! This is Evalyn of the water and Alejandro of the air. They need to be reunited with their crew and taken to the next checkpoint. You will show them nothing but hospitality and kindness, and that is an order. Understood?" Cordelia ordered. The authority in her voice left absolutely no room for argument.
"Yes, Captain," everyone echoed enthusiastically.
"Welcome aboard the Adira! Now point us to yer friends, and we'll be on our way," Cordelia said.
"Yes ma'am," Alejandro nodded, and crossed the ship to point to the boulder they needed to get back to.