Berlin looked up with his stormy eyes at Wheel, studying his expression for a moment before looking wordlessly back down at Rohaan. The lad knew that look and quickly shuffled stiffly away to perch himself on the barrel Pieter was sitting on, though the lad turned into a little black cat that shoved his little head under Pieter's calloused hand to demand pets. Rohaan was never particularly good at articulating feelings and verbal affection was no exception. He did, however, have other ways of showing he liked someone's company, and it came out in different ways with different people. He liked to share silence with Pieter, though he did occasionally ask for old legends or for some of his own sea-tales, knot-tying lessons, or to ask him about the patterns of the stars and how to use them to navigate. 

Berlin watched Rohaan go and, when the two were alone, the captain inclined his head. "Yes, Wheel?" Whether it was obvious to all or just some character of Berlin's innate magic, the captain could see the berserker was a little more tense and knew the curse was dogging him, gnawing at him. Berlin had educated himself a bit about the berserker curse either from written accounts of others or from asking Wheel directly. He had a vague, basic understanding of its effects, or at least enough to read Wheel when the curse was particularly restless in him. Berlin said nothing of this though, as was his way. He just silently watched and listened.

--

Uban chuckled and listened to Hana's idea. It was a good one. A wild, mischievous grin spread on his lips without really meaning to; he always got excited about trying new things with his lightning. He plucked one of the balls from her hand, turning it over a few times before experimentally tossing it a foot or two in the air and letting a thin little tendril of purple-blue lightning leap up towards it. Like the medallion from their practice, he could feel the object as though he could reach out with his mind and 'touch' it. Another toss--higher this time--and another jet of lighting, and as he caught the ball again, his green eyes seemed to have a slightly lighter, more yellowish hue though they hadn't turned completely. 

"I think this could work. I mean, in theory. I've obviously never done it and I don't know how fast I can be. But let's say chasing a fired ball doesn't work, say it is too fast. If I'm the one holding the gun then the answer is easy, I just electrify the pistol and then fire. But if I'm on an enemy ship, say, or up aloft, and Pieter's the one holding the gun, then he runs the risk of getting zapped. Unless we made new handles with--wait! Hana, you did something that protected you from it when we practiced, a mark or something. Can Pieter do that before a battle?" He grinned toothily. "But I wanna try the first way though. Here, let me see that pistol..." 

Uban took the weapon and, after rubbing the ball between his fingers for good measure as if to 'feel' it more strongly, he loaded it, cocked it, and fired straight up. With his right hand he sent a melon sized ball of lighting after the bullet, turning his eyes full golden. The lighting moved blindingly fast, almost like natural storm lighting, to seek its enchanted target. It found it with perfect accuracy and faster than Uban ever thought possible, and at his unspoken command the energy lingered around the ball as it streaked upward, arced a little, and then plummeted back down. Both ball and lighting struck the ocean's surface with a steaming pop, then both were gone. 

Uban was laughing. "That...that was amazing. I've never seen it go that fast. Not even when we were practicing--then it just kinda, like, streaked across instead of literally jumping to it." And then Uban realized in a flash it had done so now because he had [I]wanted[/I] it to. He looked down at his hands with a new appreciation. Just how much control did he really have...? "The only thing is though, with that way, I've got to be ready for it. If Pieter fired off a shot, I'd have to be watching him and wait for a given signal or else I'd miss it. So maybe you give him that enchantment to protect him and I try the method where I pre-zap it?" 

He wondered with a surge of wild glee just how much lightning he could infuse a ball with at one time. She could enchant the cannonballs too, now that he was thinking about it. And if water conducted, what kind of damage could he do if they could ensure the deck of an enemy ship was thoroughly wet? Would he need a puddle? Or would soaked wood suffice? He didn't know, but he wanted to and his anticipation seemed to be boiling over. He got that way when he summoned lighting. Physically more drained the more he used it, perhaps, but was otherwise invigorated. A little more enthusiastic, a little more eager, a little more jubilant. It made him feel incredible like a jolt of adrenaline, and like he was tapping into something outside himself and yet a part of himself at the same time.