[split] [SE] give me succor

Hold that thought for a moment Maeve, would you?

The world stops for a moment, like those tense seconds before you know you're about to have a hiccup, and so you're merely waiting for it.

And then it comes.

RONIN

Ronin begs to differ.

Maeve must be a good explorer, because no sooner is she saying she isn't and they're talking about botany when hey presto, the world hiccups and they're elsewhere. Well, here. But here is elsewhere, and it's all rather ridiculous the more he thinks about it.

So Ronin doesn't. He merely glances from Maeve to the world around them, to the overgrown tangle that is apparently meant to be a path, to the skeletons of ships in the near distance against the shoreline. "Oh," he says.

Because what else is there to say when something bullshitty like this happens? Oh. "I don't suppose this looks anything like that place where you were before?" he asks. He doubts it, and already he's trying hard to get his bearings.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

Again? Seriously? Is she just doomed to never be able to be outside of Torchline for more than an hour before she's spat out somewhere else? At least this time she isn't up to her tits in tar. Still, the feeling of dread sinks into her stomach as she stands there staring out into the distance. A laugh of pure disbelief bubbles up in her chest and she just let's it out because if she doesn't she's probably going to cry. This can't be happening. Seriously. It just can't. Except it is. It very much is.

Maeve runs a hand through her newly cropped mane, displacing the curls, "No... This isn't where I ended up last time. I have no idea where we are." She breathes, drawing in a shaky breath and squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "Why the fuck does this keep happening to me?" The temptation to curse the gods is strong because what else could be the cause of this besides their bullshit that's leaked out into the world? Whether or not that's true doesn't really matter because she's borderline hysterical and she needs to blame something.

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

Maeve panics - Ronin gets busy. He's already found the position of the sun in the sky so he can figure out their location relative to where they were when they entered the Oerwoud, and he's walking a few paces ahead and then back again, trying to track where the path ("path" being a loose term) goes and how far it stretches either side. He has no idea that they're at the Boondocks, but the shipwrecks are a source, at least, of inspiration.

"I guess the Wilds are... wild," he says with a lopsided smile. "It's going to be okay. We can look through those wrecks over there - might be something we can use to get in the water and sail. Or we can follow the path and figure out where we might be able to go." Itching at the stubble on his chin, Ronin is already headed out into shallow water.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

It helps that he seems so calm. Whether or not he actually is doesn't matter because on the outside he's cool and collected. It does wonders to help her center herself. Maeve takes one more breath, willing her heart to slow and her head to clear. It's going to be fine. Right? She doesn't return his smile right away, but he seems so confident and unphased that she's able to. It's small and a little nervous, but a smile nonetheless.

"I'm following your lead," she hurries forward, sloshing through the water with a few awkward steps before she catches up enough to hold onto his arm like a child clinging to their parent in a strange place. Maeve can't find it in herself to be embarrassed about it. Given the situation she doesn't think he'll fault her too much. He doesn't seem the type.

"I'll be honest, I don't know how to sail. So whether or not that's the best call is up to you. I- I'm a quick learner though and good at following directions." It's not an innuendo. It really isn't, but the fact that it would be suggestive in any other context is blatantly obvious to her. Nothing to be done for it now. The words are already out there.

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

She comes to join him and Ronin offers his arm freely so they can splash through the shallow water to the nearest wreckage. "It's alright - I only learned very recently," he says, forcing himself not to think about the reason behind his learning (it was for a very belated honeymoon - a honeymoon for a marriage that he's not sure exists anymore). "I'll brush up on my skills and I'll teach you at the same time. That being said... pretty sure we won't find much more than a rowboat with this lot..."

Wading out further and leaving Maeve in the safety of more shallow water, Ronin grapples with one of the shipwrecks - one of the smaller, more manageable looking pieces, anyway - and drags it back towards them. "I wonder how all of these got out here," he mutters, squinting out into the distance where he thinks he sees a river spilling into the sea here.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

With his help she was able to move through the water more easily, maintaining her balance with some effort. "Glad to know I'm not the only one. You'd think with living in Torchline for so long I'd pick it up." Maeve offers with a slight shrug, wrinkling her nose as they get deep enough for the water to go in through the tops of her boots. It's better than tar, at least. "A row boat, huh? Guess that's something at least." It'll help them get somewhere and that's the main part. If they could get closer to some sort of civilization then they'd have a better idea of where they were.

Maeve waits, fidgeting with the strap on her small bag as she chews on her bottom lip. Soon he's back by her side with what he's managed to procure and Maeve shifts her attention to helping him drag it back towards shore so they can take better stock. "I don't know. I haven't been out of Torchline until this season. Maybe they got washed up here or something? This area could have been flooded before." There's no telling. The gods seem to have changed the landscape in all sorts of ways.

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

"You would think, but then again almost everyone else in Torchline knows how to sail, and they're usually a lot better at it." Ronin manages to flash her a grin over his shoulder as he drags the wreck he's obtained over to Maeve. With her help they manage to pull it to shore, back onto the strange and tangled pathway and its lazy bending towards the river he spotted earlier.

They have, in their possession, most of a rowboat from a much larger ship. It isn't in great condition and it could use some drying out, but now it's out of the shallows they can probably give it some TLC. "Maybe..." Ronin agrees, furrowing his brow and moving to sit on the rowboat, as if to take a load off his feet for a moment. "If we use the boat to follow the river, maybe we'll get lucky. We might be in the Oerwoud still, just a bit downriver from where we started."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

"This is very true. There's not really a reason for me to learn." Maeve puts her hands on her hips, head cocking to the side as she looks over the rowboat. It's definitely wanting. She climbs into the boat, sitting down next to him with a sigh. Maeve digs into her bag, pulling out a canteen and offering it to him. "That would be preferable, but I've not had the best of luck lately if I'm being honest." Between what happened with Rigby, the thing with Locke, and now this? She was considering herself pretty unlucky.

"So.. if the boat doesn't work we'll walk?" She's a bit at a loss of what to talk about besides their situation. It was the most pressing after all. Maeve glances over at him, giving herself a moment to study his features. He's handsome. If not a bit rough around the edges. A hard LongNight will do that to people. "So what were you doing in Torchline or is that some secret?" She teases, bumping his shoulder with hers as she takes the cateen back, sipping from it slowly.

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

"Well, if I teach you what I know down to rowboat standards, at least you'll come away with a good story and a new skill, mm?" Ronin smiles across at her, raising a brow at the canteen but accepting it with a grateful nod nonetheless. He doesn't know what's going to be in there - water or booze - but he doesn't care either way, taking a careful sip and handing it back to Maeve.

Looking around at their new vessel, once it's dried out and perhaps lined with something (some broad leaves from nearby trees might do well for the journey they're looking to make), it might just take them up the river. Maybe. Probably. Whatever, they'll try it and figure out the rest later. "We'll have to," he says of walking if the boat fails. "It'll be slow going, but who knows - maybe we'll find a town, somewhere to get horses."

She bumps his shoulder and he scoffs out a laugh, shaking his head. "Not a secret," she says. "Someone close to me got hurt, and the Governor was being accused of it. That doesn't help either, given that he's a close friend of mine."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

"It'll definitely be a story." She laughs, shaking her head at the thought. The girls will at least get a kick out of it. Maybe a few of her clients. At least this time doesn't seem to be as dangerous. She's grateful for that. When he finally takes a sip he's met with the taste of water. Maeve might work at the Halenani, but she doesn't drink nearly as much as some of the other girls. Plus, she was trying to actually be prepared on this particular outing.

It's not a terrible answer. She was expecting that to be the case. Hopefully their little boat will be able to do its job. "Fair enough... Well, I guess there isn't much to do besides let this dry and find some things to patch it up. Maeve tucks the canteen back into her bag before working on taking her boots off so she can dump the excess water from them.

Ah, yes. She's heard about that mess. The whole ordeal with the governor and Torchline was in a precarious position at the moment. Maeve hums softly, pursing her lips, "Ah yes... That is a bit of a mess. Sorry about your friend. i can't say I've kept up with it too much myself. I hear talk, though."

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

It might not be booze but Ronin is nonetheless appreciative of the water, and as Maeve speaks and takes more of a rest, the Star is already on his feet to stretch and look around. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he says softly, clambering out of the boat so he can circle it slowly and check it for any obvious leaks or other rot or damage. "I'll find something to patch the bottom of the boat, if you can find some branches or something that we can improvise for oars?"

She doesn't even have to break the branches - just pointing them out will be useful enough for Ronin, and once his perimeter of the boat is complete, he stretches and glances around just one last time, in case Torchline leaps out at them at random. "Count yourself lucky that you don't keep up with it. Torchline is a rumour mill at the best of times, and things have certainly gotten out of hand where the Governor is concerned."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

I don't trust nobody

Maeve stands shortly after him, having dumped the water from her boots and putting them back on. She dons her bag once more and climbs from the rowboat carefully. "Branches. Got it. I think I can manage that." She doesn't move away just yet, letting her eyes rove over their surroundings to consider her best options.

"I hear plenty about it. People talk when they come to warm my bed. The girls talk to. I keep up with it that way, but I admittedly don't do much digging or put much stock into what they say." She shrugs her shoulders, taking a deep breath. "I'll, uh, call if I need you." Maeve gives him a little grin and moves away from the boat towards the nearby tree line. She can still see him and it doesn't take her long to locate a few branches that are long enough to serve their purpose. It takes her maybe ten minutes in all. Maeve makes a mental note of them before heading back to join him one more time.

"I found some that can work. They're just down the way." She motions towards their left, "Anything else I can do?"

and nobody trusts me
 

Maeve

RONIN

"Taking anything people say with a pinch of salt is perhaps one of the wisest things you could do." Ronin grins. Not just in Torchline - anywhere at all. Together they approach the trees that canopy part of the pathway, splitting up to do their respective tasks. And by the time Maeve approaches Ronin again, the Star has managed to gather up some broad leaves to line the bottom of the boat, smiling to hear her approach.

He offers out the leaves with a somewhat cheeky grin. "I'll go and fetch those branches now. Could you take these back to the boat and put them along the bottom? I don't know how much integrity the wood has, and I'd prefer us not to sink before we get started. I'll try and find some food as well." Not that there's much about, but who knows what might tumble out of the trees if he starts digging around.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl