Luch coughed over the bin, the smell of sweat and the sea breeze mixing with the rising cyan fumes rising like steam from his skin; the sky moved like the waters below, churning and swirling like a fluid painting, adding nausea to his exhaustion. He collapsed against the side of the bound crate to keep from falling to the ground. Thankfully, everyone else was busy with the sight of land and so didn't notice him among the crates that hid him from most of the deck's view during this episode.
 [i]We're nearly there.Thank the gods[/i], he thought. [i]I can't keep hiding this on this tiny little boat.[/i]
And he didn't know how much time he had now. He inhaled deeply, rasping, willing the cyan-colored vapor to cease. As far as anyone else knew, he had just been seasick. Best to keep it that way.

A whistle made Yvaine start, sharply pulling her away from dazed thoughts of their future endeavors in the ancient lands. There was a giddy sort of excitement that filled her from head to toe as she took in the sound of the captain's booming voice and peered into the distance. For a moment, she wondered whether there was a limit to one's excitement. She had yet to recover from her elation over first stepping foot on the [i]Verrus-Mund[/i] (ships were so much larger than she thought), or the sheer delight from seeing the ocean in person (it was not at all like how it seemed in her books!), and now thoughts of endless possibilities stirred an even stronger sense of yearning and eagerness in her. If there was indeed a limit, then she must be nearing the end of hers!

A wide smile broke across her face as she returned to where Luch was. He hadn't been in the best of moods since boarding the ship, and she hoped the sight of Ialdia would help remedy that. 
"Lu," she called out happily. "Come see, we've almost reached the coast! Lu--"
The sight of Luched, sallow and devoid of the usual litheness with which he carried himself, made her gasp. Her brows furrowed in worry as she hurriedly approached him, reaching out a hand to check for signs of malady. She thought he had been merely uncomfortable with the uneven swaying of the ship against the tides, but his symptoms seemed a bit severe for seasickness... or so she read. Not knowing how else to help, Yvaine turned to her magic.

"Shall I do [i]Revivifier[/i]?" she asked, referring to the soothing spell she so oft-sang for him when they were children. It had a slow and gentle melody, like a lullaby a mother would sing, and although it did not heal injuries, it relieved pain and soothed body, mind, and spirit.
Luch swallowed and shook his head. If the last times were any indication, the spell would only incite it further, it did feed on magic, after all. While the spell didn't bother him outside of his episodes, during them he gravely needed to avoid contact with any magical energy as much as possible.
"No. Thank you, though," he said, grimacing before looking at her. Damn those pretty blue eyes gaping at him like a child; he wasn't sure whether he despised her noble look or found her demeanor cute. In either case, they were boring far too much into him, his mind instinctively muddled itself under her feminine gaze.
"I'm fine now," he half-lied, standing up and breathing deeply. "Just another seasickness episode." He turned his head to the side, looking at the hazy shape edging closer from the horizon. "We're in sight."

Yvaine cast one last worried glance, noting the relative unsteadiness of his bearing, but said nothing more about it. If Luched said he was feeling better, then there was no point in her incessantly worrying. Instead, she smiled at him as she followed his gaze to the side, regaining the giddiness she had moment before. "Yes, we are! Isn't it exciting?"
She stepped closer to the railings and leaned against them, enjoying the sea breeze that whipped at her hair as she watched the once endless expanse of sparkling blue waters reach an end. Wistfully, she thought of how the ocean connected many of Veruulis' lands together. These waters had even traversed Ialdia, and had done so since the time of the Ancients. It was amazing and-- Yvaine caught herself before she completely drifted away into another bout of her distracted daydreaming. 

She turned back to Luch. "Have you any questions before we disembark? The kind sir Shri-Rah is open for any, or so the lady Vriis-Nar says." Yvaine chuckled, remembering her infectious energy when they spoke earlier about her brand of magic.
"Yeah," Luch replied, still looking at the ever-closening landmass. "Do you know where he is?"
"I believe he just came down to the deck," Yvaine said, beckoning to where she saw him last before leading him there. The Scael archeologist was just stepping off the last step onto the deck when the pair approached him. The sudden sight of people made him fidget a moment before he remembered his position of authority and managed to calm his nerves. 
"Ah, you must be Yvaine Rinaldi." Shri-Rah said as he fidgeted with the parchment in his claws. "Vriis-Nar and I met your mother when we stopped by Khloris for the flower festival a couple cycles back. It is nice to finally put a face to all the fame your mother gives you." 
The mention of her mother made Yvaine flinch noticeably. "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, sir Shri-Rah," she said with a slightly shaky smile, lowering her head a beat longer than required in a curtsy to blink away the sudden stinging sensation in her eyes. "M-mother spoke very fondly of you and lady Vriis-Nar."
Shri-Rah smiled and gave a shallow bow to show his respect. Then he turned to the rather sick looking gentlemen being led along by Yvaine. "And you, Yvaine's bonded, I presume? Luched, was it? You don't look very well." 

"Seasick," Luched sighed, turning to him. Great, someone else who knew Yvaine. He prayed he wouldn't catch on to Yvaine having fled. "And, yes, Luch."
"Nice to make your acquaintance Luch." Shri-Rah said as he extended his hand out to the man. 
Luch took it and shook it in a grip far more gentle and soft than his demeanor and attire would suggest, not squeezing at all, actually. "You as well. You're Shri-Rah, then? Our... researcher?" he guessed, looking for the right term.
"That is correct.." Shri-Rah trailed off, appearently thinking about something. "I will be leading any expeditions that involve the discovery or exploration of any Ancient ruins or derelict cities." He looked the man over again. "Are you sure you're alright? You look as if you're about to collapse. Would you like me to fetch a physician?"
Yvaine had to stop herself from acquiescing on Luch's behalf. She peered up at him diffidently, half a mind ready to say 'yes' to Shri-Rah, but held her tongue in the end. Luch would certainly get cross with her.
"No, I've already seen someone about it. We're near the end of our boat trip, anyways," Luch said, leaning against a crate with his arm and glaring venomously down at the boat. [i]And with any luck, I'll find a cure soon after we arrive[/i]. "So, what sort of things should be we aware of before stepping off of the boat?"

Shri-Rah [i]hmm'd[/i] at that question. "Be aware that the floor will no longer be swaying." he gave a throaty chuckle at his dry humor. "But in the way of people you may encounter, be wary of Thul-tak. He is the dwarf in charge of the mining opperations, and he will take any opportunity to bribe you into long mining expeditions, which tend to be mostly uneventful." Shri-rah clicked his right handed claws against the scales on his left forearm. "The Skarves as well. I have heard they have been raiding the outlying farms and taking the farmers off somewhere." 
"I've read about the Skarves," Yvaine intoned distractedly, remembering the horror story wherein a horde of the fearsome reptilian beings stole children at night and took them to their cave. It still sent chills down her spine every time she thought about it, but even so, a part of her wanted to see them in person at least once. "Do you think we would actually see--" 

The door banged open at the top of the stairs and a vibrant Scael with pearlescent blue-purple scales and a blue flowing robe began walking down toward the deck. Yvaine jumped and held onto Luch's free arm reflexively, regaining her composure only after she realized it was the vivacious Scael.
 "Ah! Vriis-Nar! Meet some of our passangers, Luched and Yvaine." A warmness entered Shri-Rah's voice as he adressed his beloved. 
 The vibrant female Scael gave both the passengers both a cheerful, yet predatory look as she took in their postures and other various body language. 
 "Charmed." Vriis-Nar hissed in a low feminine voice. Then she gave a smile to Yvaine, whom she'd had a lengthy conversation with earlier about the nature of the girl's magical abilities. To the sickly looking man she gave a concerned look. The man smelled [i]odd[/i]. The faint, and she realized, magical smell, reminded her of a pot of water left to boil too long over a campfire. The finned spines down the back of her neck clicked together lightly as she shivered briefly at the stimulus, as if somebody had drawn nails down a chalkboard. 
"Do you require a physician, Luched?" She said as she narrowed her eyes in a curious fashion.
"He's already seen one, darling." Shri-Rah croaked softly. He clicked the scales on his arms against one another as he felt the confusing displeasure of something unknown through his bond with Vriis-Nar. 
"No. I'm just seasick, and we're almost there," Luched lamented. "Besides, this episode is clearing up now, anyways." And, indeed, his breath was less ragged and his skin wasn't [i]quite[/i] so pale.

"Mmmm.." Vriis-Nar hummed. She stared at him for a few heartbeats with a puzzled expression. "Come, Shri, we must prepare the other passengers." She turned back to Luched and Yvaine. "Have your possessions ready for off-loading within the next half hand-span, the captain wants us landside as quickly as possible." Each of the Scael shook hands with Luched and Yvaine and proceeded toward the back of the ship into the crew quarters. 
 
"Are you well, Vriis? I felt something strange from you a moment ago." Shri-Rah whispered to her. 
 "There's something queer about that man, a scent I can't quite place." Vriis-Nar whispered back in a low voice. "We shall have to talk with him more.." She gave a cursory glance back in the direction of Luch and Yvaine before opening up the large oaken door to the crew quarters. Shri-Rah trailed after her into the gloomy lamplit interior of the ship.