<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/8e/C25bahk.jpg)</div><br/><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Name:</strong> Lifa Canary (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=300519.msg14696106#msg14696106)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Position:</strong> Seaman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Location:</strong> Esperanza, Top Deck</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Time &amp; Date</strong>: Day 1| Morning</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Tagging:</strong> Captain Rose, Open</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Content:</strong> Lifa pulls herself together</div><hr/><br/>As the Captain spoke, the Duchess spared a glance about her, taking in the bustling forms of her new shipmates who were busy in their respective tasks. She could feel the pull of her old self, yearning to form bonds with all these new comrades. But would it be possible? Could she put her trust in them? Would she be able to?<br/><br/>Ultimately, Lifa was well aware that a certain level of mutual trust was as essential to the smooth operation of a ship as was the condition of the ship itself. But her recent trauma aboard the Crescent Lark had strained her capacity for clemency and had shrouded her in suspicion. It would be difficult to traverse the fine line between her old and new inclinations. However, she concluded that it would be crucial to do so. She had to be on good terms with this new crew, and, of course, her new captain, if she had any expectation of success in the future. She would have to be able to count on them, and she needed for them to come to know that she, too, could be counted on during times of strife. Lifa held back a mirthless snicker at Rosette’s choice of words.<br/><br/>‘<em>My heart?</em>’ she thought bitterly, seeing the blood streaked face of her dear husband in her mind’s eye. ‘<em>My heart is at the bottom of the sea. There’s nothing behind my ribs now but a glowing ember of wrath.</em>’<br/><br/>Lifa cast her eyes toward the giant mute, who stood looming behind them placidly scanning the deck with his dull, meticulous gaze. She lingered on him a moment, wondering, not for the first time, what he might be thinking, before returning her attention to Rose.<br/><br/>“Of course, Captain,” she replied almost apologetically.<br/><br/>“My companion is unable to speak,” she explained, “But he goes by the name Nefsonne. We’ve crewed together in the past. He’s a very capable smith and has a gift for forging bladed weaponry."<br/><br/>"He’s no stranger to hard labor either," she added unnecessarily.<br/><br/>Lifa debated how to answer Captain Courtenay’s next few questions. She wanted to be honest, but remained fearful of hidden enemies. She chose to answer truthfully, but vaguely enough to satisfy her need to be clandestine.<br/><br/>“I was born in a small fishing village on an island off the southwestern coast of Greece. My father was a humble fisherman,” she smiled softly, “You might say that my cradle was rocked by the tides and the sea breeze sang me lullabies. I’ve always been close to the ocean. But I learned to sail aboard a privateering ship with a homeport in the largest of a cluster of islands, north of Spain. I spent just a few years shy of a decade on that ship and learned a great deal in that time.”<br/><br/>Lifa shuffled her feet, uncertainty flooding her thoughts. Had she divulged too much? She wondered just how much she would be willing to share with the captain. As Lifa observed Rose’s carefully nonchalant posture, and the purposeful ease of her mannerisms, she wondered if perhaps there was more to Rose than meets the eye. There was an undercurrent there, but of what, Lifa could not tell.