QUEST #2 [Jason, Tere & Quinn]

It was early morning and Accalia had just finished getting all the final details for borrowing a sea vessel taken care of. She was there about twenty minutes before she had asked everyone else to show up. She had invited Quinn, of course, her best friend and housemate. The other person she had invited was Jason and he said he was going to be bringing someone along too... but after what happened between them the other day, she really didn't think he would be showing up. She and Quinn could handle it, though. She was an experienced sailor, even though it had been a good seven years since she had gone on a journey like this one.

Quinn should be arriving any minute and then the two could get going. They really could have used a third or even a fourth person... but Accalia couldn't bear to ask anyone else. She had seen Geoff last night but... yeah right. She didn't trust him on another quest and Quinn would probably have thrown him overboard. Yeah, that would have been a bad idea.

Accalia had recently recieved a clue that she needed to head toward South America. She wasn't sure exactly where to go but that was all she had to go off of. Now all she had to do what wait for Quinn, and see if Jason and his friend would show...


@quinn @calloway @tere


NOTES:
So! They need to get all the way to Cuba, so it's going to be a long trip. But I say they're only gone for maybe two weeks or so. I may do some posts that say things like 'and after three days... etc.' so don't be alarmed if that happens. Also, feel free to send me ideas for the outline of certain points we want to hit so we can write them down here! Of course we'll elaborate but I wanted to give ya'll a little idea. We can also wing it at times, of course!

QUEST OUTLINE (wip):
-Leave the Docks on the ship Everest.
-Land in Mexico for a while...
-Jason uses his water abilities to help, secretly of course, locate that her father is near Cuba
-Monster attack in Mexico
-Leave Mexico
-Come up on Cuba
-Quinn hears the Sirens and suggests that we follow the sound.
-Once upon the Sirens, we find that they are a stranger species of them that dwell both on land and in the sea, living in a strange alcove.
-Fight off the Sirens for a bit.
-Find Accalias father in their little dwelling, gone completely mad and get him out somehow.
-Time Jump back to Concordia
-Arrive in Concordia and drop people off whileAccalia leaves again with her father to take him to his parents in Oregon.

Jason crouched, govering his sword and shield with a small blanket. He didn't know what kind of missions this place dispatched people on, but he wasn't taking any chances. He had told his sister they would be leaving this morning, though he knew the others wouldn't know she was such. Best it stay that way- with things that happened in the past, if someone like that reporter lady caught wind...it would probably be the end of their family's prestige and he just couldn't handle that.

He walked out his front door, weapons wrapped under his arm, and head out. He had brought a large pack filled with unperishable foods and some clothes, enough for a week or two for three people. He didn't know that Accalia was bringing a fourth, though she probably brought he own foodstuffs. He would get there about ten minutes before the arrival time, eyes on Accalia as he approached the dock.

If her back was to him, he would call out.

"I assume I'm still invited...?"

He would grin and start walking down the dock towards her.

Tere and the crew had been quite busy, planning, cleaning, checking on rations and such for a long journey. She also had to make sure that one room especially in the Siren's Song was locked up tight. Making sure that the key was hidden where only she and she alone could find it. And then, after that she was back to her job. She had been sitting at her desk, planning things, the girls had been running back and forth, supplies, setting room aside for the three guests.

She had set one room for the girls and one room for her brother, who she knew to keep from calling that. Of course, in her mind she was more than able to think of him any way she wanted, after all, who would know? She sighed softly and made her way up to the deck of the Song and leaned over the railing just in time to see her brother speaking to a woman, as it was the same girl that he had been speaking with at the party, she had to assume this was the girl he had said was 'complicated'. She closed her eyes and shook her head before heading for the gangplank onto the deck.

"You know, you didn't have to go about getting another ship, no ship in this port is as fast as the Siren's Song. None of them, plus, Jason here already knows how to help with her as I recently found out." She said glancing to her brother and smirking before looking back to the girl. "And she is totally at your disposal. I even already have rooms planned for everyone in the party." She added, glancing to Jason one more time before turning her teal eyes, almost a bit harder in gaze, to the girl once more.

"Where is your friend?" She asked, curious as to who else would be aboard the Song.

"I assume I'm still invited...?"

Accalia whipped around when she heard Jasons voice. "Jason!" she breathed, almost out of breath at the sight of him walking toward her. She walked up to him and stood in front of him for a moment, not saying anything... then she lifted her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "I am so so happy you're here. Of course you're invited," she said, her face buried against him for a moment.

The hug was interrupted however when she heard a voice beside them on a nearby ship. Accalia whipped toward the sound, stepping away from Jason as she did so. So, this must be Jasons friend. She had seen her at the party the other night, of course. She was unbelievably pretty which made Accalias stomach flip a little. Accalia took in everything she was saying, eyeing the ship with wide eyes.

Soon, she started to shake her head, "Thank you... I mean, she's beautiful but... I don't want it," she said with a quiet voice. Then she realized she probably had to speak up. "I'd prefer a smaller crew. Just us. The four of us... oh," she turned to look back toward the city, raising an eyebrow. Where was Quinn? Well, she wasn't late yet. She still had at least five minutes or so before the scheduled meeting time. She was probably just collecting the other things she needed and the food Accalia asked her to grab.

"I think this ship will work fine, actually. I mean, I know what I'm doing," she was a little more confident now, though the crew of the larger ship beside them looked well practiced and excited... Accalia was not comfortable with the idea at all. She stepped off the docks, back into the ship that she had chosen.

"So, will you still join us?" she asked the girl, not looking back at Jason for fear that he might be upset with her for turning down The Siren Song....

@tere @quinn @calloway

He grinned. Of course she was happy. He was there. And he was all dashing and suave and showing up when she didn't ask him too. Only the most charming of men did that, right? Right. He'd treat himself to a cookie or something later. His eyes came up as he prepped to answer to the Sirens Song, and as Accalia turn down the offer, Jason would wave Tere down.

"C'mon! Dock the ship and lets roll!"

It was Accalias mission- if she didn't want the ship she didn't have to take it. Still, there would be a lot more food, equipment, beds, etc if they DID take the big ship. Jason would crouch by her.

"You SURE you don't want to take it? We'd have beds and plenty of food....the girls on the ship aren't that bad, and they would absolutely take the help for manning rigging and stuff!"

Quinn dropped her back pack on the ground at her feet, "No way I'm getting on that death trap." She snapped, looking at Jason Calloway. This was not going to be fun, "Lia dear, you did bring wine, right? I couldn't find any at the house." She said, looking directly at her friend with a bright smile. Even though she didn't like Jason, and she didn't know that girl, she was excited to do this with Accalia. If it was important to Lia, Quinn would sit through anything. She stretched, her hoodie lifting slightly to reveal her flat stomach, before she bent over and threw her bag back over her shoulder, "So where's the bathroom?"

Tere arched her brow, she would prefer to take a tiny thing that would barely have room for them, let alone food and other provisions, She would prefer to take something that would take a month just to reach the mainland let alone anywhere else. All because she wanted to control things, all because she thought she knew what she was doing. Oh yes... this would be fun.

But then Jason spoke in favor of the song, something that made her feel marginally better, but really, she didn't see how this girl would know how to sail better than a daughter of the sea god himself as well as others who had been at sea for several years and could sail blind if need be. "If you fear the privacy of the mission because of my girls, I can tell you now, they speak to NO ONE without my permission about any place that we go. When on that ship I rule with an iron fist, as Jason knows. He has seen how I and that ship work. But if you rather we all be jammed together in that little thing and do not care how long it takes us to do whatever it is we need to do, than sure... fine... I shall join you. I just hope your quest isn't time sensitive." She said curtly before they where joined by a girl that called hopefully the ship that this girl who thought she knew better than children of Poseidon how best to sail was a death trap instead of the Siren's Song that she knew for a fact could take on hurricanes and still survive.

Jason would turn to Tere. He gave a gentle smile- he ignored serene entirely. He had no idea this woman would be along and, quite frankly, this trip was getting less and less fun the longer he heard her voice. He also had no clue what she meant by "death trap". He would speak now, however, in defense of Accalia to Tere. He knew, or thought he knew, what was running through Accalias mind.

"I don't think it's stubborness, Tere. Everything you just said is the problem, I think. It's...a personal deal for her, and I think she wants to make sure she is sorta top dog on this mission, y'know? It would be like you going to find your father and someone offering to take you but they are in command...I don't think you would want that, and neither would I. And I can understand that."

Maybe...if Tere would offer her command of the vessel, even temporarily? Or co-command? That...might help.

Quinn shook her head, unhappy that she had been ignored by both Mr. Calloway and his friend. She felt an unpleasant feeling creep up her spine and she just knew that she would be hard pressed to keep her promise to Lia about playing nice. She kept her mouth shut and walked over to her friend, "Lia, dear, the ship is so cute!" She gushed, hugging her best friend's arm, "Please tell me we are sharing a cabin?" Her eyes sparkled as she intentionally avoided looking at Jason and his friend.

When Jason crouched beside her, she listened to what he had to say but shook her head. "Listen, I understand what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it," she placed a hand on his arm, "but I want The Everest. We've already bonded, I slept here last night and it's the type of ship I'm used to. I'm not getting on that," she spoke softly, so only Jason would hear as she squoze his arm once, standing up just in time to see Quinn arrive.

The sight of her best friend made her heart skip a beat. She rushed over to her, clasping hands with her as she asked about the wine, "Yes there's some here if we need it," Accalia said, not really paying attention to the words she was saying as happiness spilled out of her voice. She chuckled as Q asked where the bathroom was. "Downstairs, first door on the left," but she didn't release her hand yet. Because Tere starting talking once more.

Her girls aren't allowed to speak? She rules with an iron fist? Sadly, the daughter of Poseidon couldn't know that all of those things made Accalia even more unlikely to get on the song. She could tell that Tere was upset, and who wouldn't be if their ship was rejected? Accalia wasn't stupid, she could see that Jason and Tere had both not even addressed Quinn. This made Accalia clench up a little bit. Her best friend and Jason wouldn't even say hello to her? As Jason went on trying to defend Accalias purposes for not wanting the ship, Accalia relaxed a little, but she still knew this quest would be a tough one with this group. When he was finished speaking, she looked back at Tere. "Thank you for coming with us, Tere. I really have a feeling we'll need you on this quest. Seriously," she nodded with a big smile, being completely honest.

Accalia turned back to Quinn as she asked if they were sharing a cabin. She was happy for the subject change. "Yep! Though, there are only two cabins, so Tere you can stay with us if you want or one of you can sleep in a cot somewhere." Accalia said, her confidence building. She was on the water. She was in her element. That scared little girl would disappear once they set sail... which is exactly what they were about to do.

"All right! Let's get this thing moving!" Accalia released Quinns hand, finally, and started getting to work on setting sail out off the docks. She gave Quinn directions to work beside her and didn't bother telling Jason and Tere what to do at this point in time, they would know.

But before they could go, Mac ran up to the boat, jumping on for a moment. "Hey! I'm so sorry I slept in! I love you guys," the upbeat daughter of Victoria ran over to Accalia and Quinn, pulling them into a tight hug. Then she pulled back to address Jason and Tere. "You two take care of my girls, all right?" she gave them a mock look of intimidation before jumping off the boat. "Go on, then." her voice broke a little as she helped them kick off.

Soon, the ship was pushing off the dock and the small crew of four was pushing away. Accalia took one last look back at Concordia. Thinking about what she was leaving behind... possibly for good. No, she would be back, of course. As she looked back at the docks she saw another ship coming home, one of the ships used for missions to the mainland. The figures started to get smaller but... "Esme," Accalia whispered, "ESME!" she grabbed Quinns arm and ran to the edge of the boat.

The two began calling out as loud as they could, trying to get Esme to turn around. Another girl was with her, Accalia couldn't tell who it was from this distance. Once it was clear Esme wasn't hearing them, they started gesturing for Mac to turn around. The blonde did, pulling out her sword which caused Accalia to let out a broken laugh, almost a sob as Mac dropped her sword and pulled Esme into her arms. (this is macs point of view of this moment)

Accalia stepped back, putting her arm around Quinn, "She's alive, Q. She's alive," she stood there for a moment before sighing, releasing the thought of Esme and moving back to take control of steering the ship.

---

It was smooth sailing for the first day, and with the help of some certain nameless individual with hyrdokenisis, they were able to move quite quickly. Before they knew it they were nearing the coast of Mexico.



(Feel free to elaborate before AND after the time jump line there! <3)

Jason would turn back toward Serena and Accalia. He was thinking to himself for a moment- trying to figure the best way to make sure they didn't fight or argue. He wasn't going to apologize for what he said- he meant it. Perhaps he could, however, apologize for how it was perceived, and start anew? He would walk over and pause in front of Serena, giving a small smile.

"Hey. Sorry- I was just responding to Tere, I didn't mean to be rude."

He would wait for her response before continuing.

"In any case, I wanted to say that I am sorry for how I came across the other day- I realize how insulted I would be if it felt like someone was criticizing something that I love, how seeming to insult me for doing it. That wasn't my intention- and as we have a long voyage ahead, I want to make it clear I don't bear you any ill will, and I hope for the same from you. Perhaps....a fresh start, ignoring the interactions of a wrong foot?"

Everything he said was true besides not bearing her ill will. While he would ignore his own disdain at his rude treatment by her words and actions (speaking and then walking away without caring about his response) he couldn't help but....generally dislike her attitude and how she saw the world. He would turn to get on the boat with Accalia and grin as she started off, quite excited.

"Tere can have the room- I'll sleep on deck. Someone should be there as a lookout anyway."

Quinn nodded, smiling even though her mind was spitting thoughts of disdain and anger his way. There was no way she was going to believe that he meant what he was saying. He was so rude before, not even introducing himself before telling her she was a mean, vindictive writer who didn't know a thing about journalism. And after a few conversations with Lia she learned he had only been on the island for, what? Five minutes? Pretending like he knows so much about Concordia and Ember Lynn. Serena doubted that he had even met the woman, or at least met her more than once.

Despite these thoughts, she smiled and nodded again, "I can do my best." Her voice was more stern than she meant for it to be, "For Lia." She said before sitting down and watching Concordia shrink away. She reached into her back pack and pulled out her notebook. Unfortunately laptops and phones were off limits in the real world so Serena started to scribble out what she was seeing in her spiral. If she didn't get some sort of story out of this, she would probably die. Lia knew how Serena felt about her work.

Tere rolled her eyes, shaking her head for a moment at everyone. She still refused to acknowledge the little girl's friend and turned towards the song.

"Scarlet!" She called out... the woman approached the railing and looked out, responding with haste.

"Yes, Cap'n?"

"Stand down... apparently The Siren's Song isn't required..." She said as she basically ignored everyone at this point, turning to walk towards the Song.

"But...?"

"I said stand down..." She said in a tone that was both apologetic and commanding. "It's her quest..." She said tossing a nod in the child's direction before she stopped next to her right hand woman and said in a softer voice "She apparently doesn't trust any of you..." She said in a whisper just for her second in command, glancing over to the girl then calling out "Aquata!" She called.

"Get my pack and then tell the other girls to stand down, you won't be needed." She said in her commanding tone. "Tere...?"

"Now please... apparently we don't have time to doddle." Aquata nodded and then disappeared. Tere glanced to Scarlet and said softly "Take her out anyways... stretch her legs... lets keep her in shape at least. And please be gentle with her... this is the only gift I ever got from my father." Scarlet gave her a sage nod and a light pat on the back. Aquata returned with a pack for Tere and a very large bottle of rum. Tere smiled, placed a light kiss on her sister's cheek and then turned to walk back off the song. This was the first time ever that she was not only forced to be at sea without the song, and her sisters... but to be out of control. She did not like this at all.

She approached the group again and looked to Jase first. "I'll take the deck, someone who knows what trouble looks like should be the one looking out. You take the room." She huffed and then looked to the girl that had stolen her brother's affection from her with an icy stare. "At your service... captain." She gritted out.

It was an awkward ride as they neared Mexico.

She glanced over to Quinn, feeling incredibly relieved that her best friend had come along. She knew that hearing of hers would come in handy, as would her determination and loyalty. She hoped Tere was going to eventually be okay with coming on this quest, but she wasn't going to force her to. She was just glad to have people with her. For years she planned on doing this alone... But things were different now. She wasn't alone, and that was new.

They had only been on the ship for about two days, but they were traveling fast toward South America. The only problem was, that was the only clue Accalia had. She needed to ask Jason if he sensed anything. Until she knew if they were close, she needed to stop. She stood, "we should stop here, gather our wits a bit until we know where to go from here," she said, her voice firm and decisive. Soon the crew had docked the ship.

As they stepped off the Everest, Accalia approached Jason, pulling him aside from the others. Now, Quinn had super human hearing so Accalia had another idea. She wrote a quick note down on a paper, passing it to Jason. She felt weird writing notes, but Jason's secret wasn't hers to give away. The note said: Any luck with your dad? Are we sensing my father's ship anywhere?

She turned back to the group, "we should head into town and get some supplies. Who's coming?" She smiled, gesturing toward the little coastal town. It was close enough that they could leave the ship alone and still be able to see it, the town was small after all.

Quinn was laying on a bench...chair...step thing with her eyes closed. It was already too hard to her to be trapped on this ship. It was more quiet than she would have liked and she hated the sound of fish swimming, especially when she knew there were sharks or some other big creature nearby. It was completely unnerving. An sound besides the watery noise of fishy scales lapping against water was more than welcome. Without opening her eyes, she yelled out, "I can hear you passing note over there, Lia." She smiled a little, teasing her best friend. Finally, she jumped up and grinned, "Please take me with you! I need an enchilada and a solid surface to walk on for a while." She sighed and grabbed Lia's arm, "Bye, guys!" She ahd hoped this would inspire Lia to leave the others at the ship so Quinn could get away.