His hands gripped the edge of the boat as he leaned forward; arms crossing against the polished wood. Around him were people, some of them other passengers, some part of the crew. All of them going towards the same destination. And in the middle of it all he was incredibly, undeniably, uncomfortable. The gentle sway and lift of the vessel going over cresting waves was all that comforted him. It was the people he couldn’t stand, and he drew his hood more over his head despite the heat of the midday sun. The ship was large enough to avoid them were he to try, but he enjoyed being on deck. It wasn’t often he got to be in the middle of the ocean like this, and he was going to revel in it while he could.

In the far distance he saw a dark line against the horizon, and it didn’t take someone well versed in ways of travel by boat to know what that meant. Likely it was a summer squall; the wind wasn’t right for it to be coming towards them and no movement had been made to change their course. If there were any danger then the man in the crow’s nest would be without a job by the end of this journey. Either way he didn’t have fear, he was more than capable to be safe against surging waters…but that didn’t mean he wanted to deal with it. For a brief moment his fingers gripped tighter against the wood, a flash of lightning going off in his head that he had to close his eyes against.

No time to dally down that trail of thought. He opened his eyes and watched the waves below, listened to the stretch of the sails that urged them faster through the water. He had the surmounting urge to climb up and dive into Nyella, but held himself back. Maybe being so close wasn’t a good idea, but if he was being completely honest with himself, this was likened to a young child being set loose in a sweets shop. His thoughts briefly went to Kuval, and he narrowed his eyes against the dark waters, wondering if in some way the two of them were touching from a great distance. He frowned at such a sentimental thought and felt disgusted with himself. This is what the ocean did to him when he was surrounded by it; drunk from its power.

Instead, he pushed away from the railing and walked along the deck. It would be a few days before they reached their destination and he was surveying what he could of the other passengers. Realizing how conspicuous he might seem -a figure in dark sea weathered clothing with a drawn up hood- he decided to pull his hood down after all. The dark vein like lines that snaked up the sides of his neck along with his sea tangled hair didn’t really help as much as he would have liked, but he pulled his hair back and tied it into a messy bun. That was a little better at least. Before the day was finished he’d need blood, someone else’s blood, just enough to power his circle: it wasn’t wise to go around killing people on a ship in the middle of the ocean where everyone was trapped with each other. Too obvious. There had to be a prime candidate somewhere. Women were easy, but men with certain appetites were better: they were eager to hide, which made it all the easier for him.

As if on queue of his wandering mind, he seemed to bump into a solid wall of feminine flesh. Which, of course, would be Hakon Kilandre. The young paladin had paused upon the deck of the ship, Sun Kissed shield and sword slung over her back, a backpack strapped over both assorted items that clanged with the promise of armor within. She had bought this satchel specifically for this trip, as it had been guarnteed to keep water from touching the precious armor within. Perhaps she had wasted 25 silver on a shame of a backpack that was just dipped in lard, or perhaps she had gotten a steal of a deal with such a prize that could serve her for years to come. Only time would tell.

As platinum blonde hair whipped about her face, she struggled to see - reaching up to push her bangs back as suddenly a man ran into her. The weight of her entire life's current supplies caused her to tip back more unsteadily then perhaps otherwise, causing the woman to gasp before righting herself. Having to splay her arms in order to stay upright upon the steadily swaying deck. Quickly her eyes snap to the man who jad caused her center of gravity to be knocked askew- her eyes taking in the black veins before traveling to his face.

"…" She didn't speak for a moment, biting her lip before forcing a tiny smile, reaching out but pausing before steadying him," Are you quite alright?"

He sighed as he continued to walk, the idea of drawing a person in was more mentally exhausting than he wanted to admit. The circle needed to be cast tonight though, and blood was necessary. Thankfully only a vial’s amount was what he sought, but still. The deck steadily swayed with the boat’s journey over the cresting waves, but he was always able to keep a smooth pace. To be honest he did better on deck than he did on packed land. Sand and sea: his most perfect footing. But on a ship with all sorts of people aboard, that meant children. Children meant throwing caution to the wind, which was exactly what happened.

Two small ones were darting on the deck, giggling in excitement from their impromptu game of tag and his nose wrinkled. Children. Small sticky hands with no control or dexterity. Needless to say he wasn’t a fan, and tried to keep a watch out for them. The sun was hot against his dark hair, and he slowly raked his fingers through the salty tresses, careful not to pull the tie out of his hair. His scalp was warm and he closed his eyes for just a moment, reveling in the sensitivity of it as his fingernails gently moved there.

Quick tiny feet slammed on the wooden floorboards, much too close for his liking, and he opened his eyes in time to see the pair running in his direction. His jaw locked, the lines on his skin flared dangerously and he took an instinctive step back to try and avoid them. No use, they were paying no mind to him and as he tried to get to the edge of the ship they ran in a quick circle around him as if he were some other obstacle to be used in their game. Energy surged to his fingertips and a hex was on the tip of his tongue. Just before he could utter it, the boy ran quickly passed his back, close enough to brush against him and he jerked out of the way.

His feet tangled underneath him from it, infuriated more by their incessant giggling as it faded with their running in the distance. He turned quickly to regain his balance only to collide with a strong figure. That was even worse, too much contact, he hated it and roughly pushed away from them, eyes wide and furious. It was a woman, but his eyes instantly caught sight of the shield on her back. His jaw locked, recognizing that wretched god’s gift and he had the urge to spit in her direction. Luckily, despite his rage, he was not stupid and did nothing of the sort. Her hands reached to steady him and he stepped away from her, trying hard not to roughly jerk out of her grasp.

Though he did dust off his arms when he was far enough away from her. A curt smile came to his lips, he attempted tact but social interactions were not his strongest suit, “Of course I’m all right.” Too angry, he tried again, “Thank you.” Much better. He exhaled slowly, but the burning desire to inflict pain on the closest living thing was still alive in his veins. “Children, playful little things.” The irritation was clear in his eyes despite himself.

“A follower of light, are you?” He was about to be cooped on this ship with the likes of her, best to know now if she was one of The Light’s many followers. They were the most insufferable bunch, but he was no fool to the ways of holy magick and how much damage it could do to him. That shield on her back for instance…he knew casting towards her would only result in more harm to himself than her.

Retracts her hands quickly, folding them upon her stomach as she furrows her brow, Follower of the Light? Was she? She had received this shield by doing good for a God yes, but she did't consider herself a devout follower, just a good Samaritan," Not that I am aware of, just a… Hm-" she shoulders the shield more firmly and flashes a gentle smile,"- collector of good equipment, sir,"

As she watches the children trundle off, she focuses back upon him, tilting her head and offering a tiny smile," From the look in your eye, I'd say you rather dislike the preachy type, yes?" she jokes lightly. He seemed to be on edge and ready to bite heads off, maybe he just needed to relax? Dodging toddlers certainly wasn't the most tranquil activity in the world.