Berlin nodded thoughtfully. "Aye. I'll have him do that. The work would be good for him with things as they are. Busier the better. Aye..." he said this to himself, then his eyes came back to Pieter. "We'll be here waiting for you." He eyed the barrels of rum as Wheel hauled them up and wondered quietly to himself if they had any left. He hoped they did. If not, he would have to sack the next ship he saw just to get some, because they would need it for their upcoming battle, either for celebration or to ease old pains not yet worn away. He looked up and watched Rohaan in the rigging with Uban and a twist of anxiety wormed its way into his chest, though he made no sign of it. He always felt responsible for the lad, and though he'd weathered many fights just fine, this was going to be different in a lot of ways. He just hoped it wouldn't turn out to be a disaster. It was then that he noticed the water on the deck. It beaded and pooled on the wood instead of soaking it through, and as the ship rocked slowly and gently the little droplets rolled down and away. That was new. The captain stared at it, blinking, then turned to find Hana. Ah, of course. Why he hadn't taken up with a mage sooner, Berlin never knew. He caught her eye and, gesturing to the deck, gave an approving nod. [I]Good work.[/I] -- Uban climbed and swung down to the deck with his trademark smile. "Gonna have us a chat with the locals eh? Alright, yeah, let's--oi, hey, the locals?" The strangeness of that, being in the middle of the ocean and a good distance from land, suddenly dawned on him. He stared at his mentor for a moment, then his eyes widened in a kind of half recognition. He had a guess, but couldn't say for certain what 'locals' really meant. "Aye...the locals. Um...I'll get the rope." He didn't know if they were going to meet mermaids, but if they were, he wanted to be a little more prepared this time than he was before. A look of fear was on his face, but not a deep fear. It was mingled with excitement, like the nerves of someone riding a horse for the first time. But he joined Pieter in the rowboat all the same. "A'right, so we got rum...what's it for? Not for drinking, I assume?" Uban paddled dutifully, allowing his elder to simply sit and direct him. His mousey brown hair was tied back in a knot behind his head, but the few loose curls that strayed out of it swayed back and forth in the wind as his body lurched forward and back with each stroke. -- Rohaan stood dangling from one of the shrouds as Wheel called up to him. He didn't move at first and instead kept his bare toes curled around the rope they rested on with all the skill and ease of a bat. The lad looked over at Berlin, who was at the helm and from his expression had obviously heard Wheel...Rohaan waited to see if he'd intervene. After what happened last time, he was sure there was bound to be something from Berlin, but all he got was a warning glance that he understood with ringing clarity. [I]Behave.[/I] A little grin sparkled in his lapis eyes and he simply dropped from the shroud, plunging down towards the deck like a lead ball except he changed to a bird at the last moment, swooped over to Wheel and presented himself to him as a sleek, silken ocelot. The blue of his eyes seemed to clash against his black and golden coat, but it made them stand out all the more for it. The svelte cat crouched low in a readied position like he would either bolt or pounce at any moment and his tail twitched sharply behind him. But his ears were forward, his eyes bright and locked on his teacher. All together, he had a playful look, but no less dangerous. Rohaan gave a single swipe at Wheel's ankles like a little cat playing with a string before returning to his natural form. The boy was grinning. "Gimmie a blade, I'm ready, [I]estahan[/I]!" He held a hand out to his teacher, grasping at the air with his fingers impatiently. "I'll stick you this time!" That wasn't likely, but he liked the idea anyway. "Do I get to shift? Or do I have to do it without?"