Complete Ilmea's Lament Welcome aboard, head engineer!

[Lily]

"Wouldn't be entirely surprised..."

Charlotte mumbled to herself at the idea of Ronja not planning to use her drones from the very beginning. FRom what she had already seen in this game, some players were... quite light-headed, so to speak? Not very intellectually enlightened? Plain dumb, yes, that was the phrase. The magia did not square fit into that category, obviously - she was quite capable of fixing the ship and that took both skill and some knowledge. BUt she did give off the aura of an air-head, for starters.

The revelation that her solution could have done more damage than help was also rather surprising. Sure, the fox thought about that possibility in her mind just mere moments ago, but she didn't expect that to be a real possibility! It nearly made her stumble as she hanged by the rope still, suddenly growing a tiny bit more weary of what Ronja would be trying in order to fix the other issues the ship had.

"Y-you mean to say that you didn't know with absolute certainty what you would produce with your ability..?"

The question was there really just to re-affirm that her vulpine ears heard the magia correctly. Well, at least it didn't take too long for the ship to be squeaky clean afterward, so it worked out in the end. But there was still much work to be done, so it would not be wise to take too long of a break.

"Mm, the ship should be structurally sound for the most part... I think there were some wooden planks that could be used to repair the holes, at least temporarily!"

Scrambling around, it took Charlotte a few minutes, but she eventually found what she was talking about. The pirates that previously owned the ship probably did not bother with these repairs because those planks themselves were rotten to hell and back. But with the alchemical treatment, it was possible to use them again.

"Gimme a hand with these!"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"No, Ronja did not, which is why she used in a small surface first. This way, if something went wrong, she would be able to figure out what she needed to change and then fix the whole ship properly, instead of just... Ruining a whole ship only to try to desperately fix all of it." Ronja explained, raising a finger and gesturing for emphasis.

Her eyes then shifted to the planks Charlotte suggested to be used, moving closer to help her to pick it up and tilting her head.

"Ronja thinks those are going to be perfect! She can actually use her arcanamancy to try and change it a bit so it will fit perfectly... Then we can do the finishing with some alchemy, and it will look so natural that it will ba barely noticeable that it used to have an issue right there!" Ronja beamed, already considering the possibilities of what they could do with the materials they had in hands.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Somehow, Charlotte just felt that it maybe wasn't the best that Ronja wasn't exactly sure what she was going to make with her alchemy. Sure, her first attempt worked out so clearly she knew what she was doing to some degree, but the idea that she could 'accidentally' create a concoction that did the opposite of what it was supposed to do. What if that happened when she had to create something super quickly, like in the middle of a fight? The idea made the fox shudder.

But that aside, it seemed that the other girl really knew how to utilize her masteries. Sure, Charlotte was able to use hydromancy to get the water outside of the vessel, but that was about it. She doubted that her adept control of slash weapons would be of any help and pyromancy would set the ship ablaze before fixing it any. As such, she could only watch as the magia got to work with her arcanamancy, fusing the wood with the rest of the structure like it was nothing at all.

"Sure seems useful. I can see why captains usually just watch other work and never do anything themselves if the crew members got abilities this useful."

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja looked at Charlotte with a confused expression at first, then leaned in to nudge the captain with a small smile. "So you plan to be this kind of person, Captain?" She giggled, taking the plank and approaching a hole, analyzing the wood and slowly making the plank glow in pure arcane magic, allowing Ronja to start shaping it as she wished as if it was playing dough.

"Captains have to do a lot of things themselves." Ronja said, starting to try and fill the holes with the planks, using the magic to do the finishing so it would be brand new before moving to another hole.

"They have to keep the morale of the crew high. They need to care for them. They need to administrate the whole ship. They need to know a little of everything, so they can fill the gaps in case a member can't do something. They bear a lot of responsibilities... If a member is down, the Captain is down, and the Captain is the one that needs to raise both of them! A good captain, at least!" Ronja finished another hole, turning to face Charlotte with her hands on her hips.

"To simply watch their crew members to do everything? It is all down to the Captain if they want to be a boss, or if they want to be a leader." Ronja smiled at Charlotte.

"Captain Charlotte. What do you want to be?"

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

"Hah?"

At first, the fox didn't know what Ronja even meant. But then she realized it was referring to her own words from before. But before she could say anything, the magia would quickly start sounding off about what all responsibilities an ideal captain would have. It almost felt like she would not shut up ever, yet an end did arrive eventually. Charlotte stared at her with a somewhat blank expression, head slightly tilted to the side as if her own spirit was slowly leaving her body.

"Bah, this will be a pirate vessel! How could it possibly be fun if the captain didn't get to feel like the lord of the world from time to time?!"

Maybe it was how she lived her life up until now, being a bully that always got what she wanted out of others, but the girl certainly liked the idea of being on top and enforcing her will, at least to some regard. She was trying to turn over a new leaf, so she wasn't exactly planning on being mean to her crew mates or anything, but she still figured that if she was the captain, she should live in biggest luxury!

"Don't underestimate my abilities, either! I am plenty capable, you will see in the future! Right now I am also plenty capable of telling that you are doing a good job and should keep at it~"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Charlotte's answers were self-explanatory, making Ronja's wide smile slowly fade away. Yes, it seemed like Charlotte would be a boss-ish sort of captain, which was something that was a bit of a slap on Ronja's more romantic view of it. But eh! It didn't matter, after all, Ronja wasn't the captain!

"Ronja supposes you are right. If you want to feel like a boss, you should." She shrugged. If anything, the experience would probably teach Charlotte that she should be more of a leader, some things needed to be learned the hard way.

That didn't mean Ronja would just let Charlotte get screwed, however. Instead, she would do her best to support her whenever the winds of change would come!

Or at least, that was what her romantic and fantastical mind thought.

"Heh, Ronja practiced a lot to get all of this going." Ronja puffed her chest, confident and proud of her work. "Still, it may take a bit, but Ronja hopes to get this ship well and done by later tonight or tomorrow morning... It won't be impeccable, but at least we will be able to sail it."

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Nodding a few times, Charlotte was quite satisfied with Ronja's estimation. She originally figured that it would take days if not weeks to get the ship back to an operational shape. A long-time process that would keep her busy for probably longer than she had time for. But if her newly recruited engineer could do it in just a day, then all the better! It meant they could set sails fairly soon and start having their own adventures - the whole point of playing this game!

"Very good, very good! Hehe, the captain is very pleased~"

That said, she wasn't just going to stand there and watch someone else work for hours and hours. No, there was something else she could do in the meantime. Leaving Ronja to do her own thing for now, the white fox would move across various rooms and start cleaning them. Moving stuff to where it was supposed to be, pushing some furniture around to better position, that kind of thing. Hardly something one would expect from a captain, but there was no one else that count take the position of a janitor at the moment.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja continued to tackle the work, cleaning and varnishing everything with the potent alchemicals, bringing life and color back to the ship that was so ill treated by the old owners. Every hole closed with a plank was another step to bring the ship to its former glory.

There was care at every touch Ronja gave to the ship, and the automatons were really helping her out.

Eventually, as she was crossing to another room, she could peek the captain doing a bunch of work herself, making Ronja smile warmly. The other girl maybe would be a bit bossy, but perhaps she would be a leader after all.

As time passed, sun was starting to sink to the horizon, and the ship's structure was pretty much recovered. There were details to be done, but the essential for it to work smoothly was ready to go.

"Phew-" Ronja wiped her forehead, and her slightly glowy eyes flickered. "That was tough, but it is almost done, Captain." She tried to warn the beastfolk.

"Now it is a matter of details. Which is where you give your identity to the ship." Ronja explained.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

After a while, things finally started looking how they should. Not only from the outside, but from inside as well. The ship wasn't that big, so it wasn't like they had that much work once the hardest part was finished. The living condition of the pirates that occupied this thing before must have been horrendous. There wasn't even enough space to accommodate all that many people. Perhaps the whole ship could get upgraded later on, somehow? Well, that was something for the future, not right now.

After putting all the furniture where it was supposed to be, tossing all that was beyond recovery, and cleaning up all the bloodstains left behind, one could actually believe that someone once used to occupy the vessel. Hearing Ronja's voice also signaled that the structural integrity was restored! If they tried to sail, they would no longer sink like a sack of potatoes, that was good.

"Ah, good job! Identity, huh... I don't think it would be good to rush a name for the ship. It'll stay for good, after all."

Maybe the wannabe-pirate just wanted to mask the fact she was really bad at naming things. Or perhaps she didn't want to decide something that big alone. Either way, she was most pleased with how things were progressing! Though, that brought along a different kind of problem.

"Huh... what now?"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

At Charlotte's words, Ronja simply shrugged slightly. There was indeed no rush on trying to make a ship have more 'identity', but at the same time, it was the first step one needed to make it more recognizable.

Ronja then looked at Charlotte with a puzzled expression, with her eyes clicking twice as she wondered. "What do you mean 'what now', Captain?" She giggled, tilting her head with a small frown. "Now we just need to finish the details, like giving it more decoration, and try to resupply the ship and actually get a crew, don't you think?" She said, with a small nod.

"And of course, a mission! A ship needs a mission to be used." Ronja said, raising her finger for emphasis, followed by a wide smile.

"You have a place to resupply, right? And a mission for the ship too, yes?" Ronja asked, wondering what the captain had to offer for them.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Ah, so that was what was next! Charlotte slammed a fist into her palm as she nodded. Although some of those 'details' were pretty big tasks that would not be completed very easily. Especially given the girl's lack of interaction with this world so far. She might have been a captain now, but she was still very, very new.

"Hmm, some of those will take a good while, though. I don't know what kinds of decorations would help the ship much right now. As for re-supplying, There is a bar that serves pirates not too far from here, maybe it'd be a good place to try. Getting a crew, though... might be a bit of a long-term process..."

Aside from her victim friend, Dalice, Charlotte didn't really know anyone. At least not enough to ask them if they just wanted to become part of her crew. If anything, she kinda hoped she would casually run into willing individuals on her journey. And, in a way, it was working. It was how she met Ronja, after all.

"As for a mission... to be free. Free like an ocean's breeze! But, uh... maybe we'll get our hands on a treasure map somewhere?"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"Decorations help a lot!" Ronja said firmly. "It makes your ship more unique, anyone who sees it will instantly know this is Captain Charlotte Ann Marie's ship!" She beamed, raising her hands and then rubbing her chin at the options they had. "Hmm, a bar that serves pirates, huh? Honestly, Ronja had a few issues with pirates in the past..." She sighed, hoping she wouldn't see them in the spot Charlotte wanted to go for the supplies.

For the mission, Ronja crossed her arms, pondering about it. "Free like Ocean's breeze sounds nice. A treasure map would be good too. But we can just find those laying around?" She asked, frowning.

"Most of treasure maps that are sold are frauds, and finding a treasure map is a great act of luck-" Ronja paused, looking at Charlotte and tilting her head. "Are you a lucky person, Captain? Ronja isn't a lucky person in general." She wondered.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

As the new captain pondered just what kinds of improvements could be made for the ship beyond what the two girls had already done, Ronja's clarification did manage ot help with a more precise mental image. Something that even those on the outside of the ship could see as the vessel approached them in the open sea.

"I see, something on the outside that would make the ship stand out... like some ships put a wooden statue of a kraken or a mermaid at the front, or a unique pattern on the side, hm? Well, not like we have materials to spare for that right now anyway, it'll all come in time~!"

She simply exclaimed, not too worried about it right now. First things first, they would need to make sure that the ship would indeed sail without sinking like a bag of stones. Recognition wouldn't come easy either, so they obviously were in no hurry as far as becoming 'recognizable' went.

"You do remember that you work for a pirate right now, yeah..? And luck is just a myth! There is no need for it as long as one is determined to create chances for themselves and then grasp them with a steel grip! We're in a fantastical world now so I'm sure things that could never exist out there in the original world could very well be found here!"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja giggled at Charlotte's words, shaking her head. "But you are different, Captain. You are nice to Ronja." She said. Certainly, their very first second of interaction was a bit alarming, and Ronja thought she would be tossed at sea, but now? Now Ronja knew she was a friend! Or at least Ronja hoped it was the case.

"But if the Captain can secure Ronja's safety, Ronja has no excuse to disagree on the idea." She said with a firm smile. "Let's do it then. Ronja is sure this ship can take a sail at this condition. Unless... You want to call it a day and do it another time?" The Magia wondered if the Captain wished to keep going.

"Ronja would understand if that's what you wish!" She said with another nod, saluting the Captain, eager to know what she would order them to do next.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Now, that was finally something that the beast girl could comfortably put herself behind! Folding her hands across her chest, she closed her eyes and nodding while smiling ear to ear. If it were possible, there would probably even be a visible puff from her nose as confidence filled her.

"Fufu, of course I can ensure your safety! After all, this captain is super strong and will not lose to anyone, no matter what! Be it on sea or on land!"

She might have not had much combat experience yet, but she was rather confident that she could pull stuff off. After all, she had plenty of experience from the real world, surely that would count for something? Some silly pirates would stand no chance at all against her! But as for the idea of waiting for the time being, it did have some sense to it.

"Mmm, we have been repairing for a long time now... might be worthwhile to log off for a bit. Make sure Dumbo isn't getting hungry..."

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

"Then, it is settled, Captain!" Ronja grinned and nodded, happy to have such a confident leader before her. There would be no need for her to worry, having someone like Charlotte next to her.

The following words then caught Ronja's attention, and she clasped her hands together. "Dumbo? Is that your dog? Cat?" She paused. "... Elephant?" Probably not, but it would be amazing... and she wouldn't doubt the Captain would be someone capable of owning one.

With a giggle, she nodded. "If you want to log off, that may be good. Ronja can keep a watch on your ship for a bit longer, if you wish. She doesn't need to log off too much." Ronja said.

One of the perks of only truly needing to eat and take a bath. Thankfully one could sleep in the game too, so even that would allow Ronja to keep a good watch on the ship until they had a better alternative to it.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Charlotte nodded along with Ronja. At least until she mentioned owning an elephant. Something that made the girl question just what kind of person the Magia was in the real world if she thought that was something possible for normal people.

"I don't think anyone can legally own an elephant anywhere in the world as a personal pet... anyway, Dumbo is my venomous Mangrove snake!"

After clarifying, she figured that would be the end of oddities. And yet, Ronja kept on surprising. Mainly with the idea that even after spending so long in the game repairing the ship, she was still saying that she could stay longer and watch over the whole vessel. The idea of that becoming rather boring after a few hours aside, could she really stay in the game for this long?

"What, so you're one of them shut-in hikikomori types that never leave their room and just spend all their time playing video games?"

Somewhat amusingly, if that really were the case, then Ronja was just the type of person Charlotte would bully in the real world in the past.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

A gasp slipped from Ronja when a twist suddenly barged in.

"Ronja isn't sure how a venomous Mangrove snake is any better, but it is still cool!" Ronja beamed with sparkly eyes, staring joyfully at the beastfolk captain and only pausing when a foreign word sneaked into the conversation.

"Hikiikomori?" Ronja muttered, looking puzzled when hearing the word. Albeit the description was very intuitive, making the Magia pause and think about it.

"... Well... Yes." Ronja mustered a smile, resting her hands behind her back.

It was easier this way. Far easier than explaining the reasons behind it and sinking the mood.

"So yes. Ronja can take a good care of it." She rested a hand on the ship. "At least until we find a safe place to anchor it, Ronja thinks we should keep a watch on it." Ronja nodded, knowing for sure that the Captain would be very worried about her ship otherwise.

@Charlotte Ann Marie

 

[Lily]

Feeling the amazement from Ronja, Charlotte's ego did soar higher one last time today, it seemed. Even if the idea that her snake was only venomous enough to cause some mild pain and swelling to humans moved through her head, she would still laugh boisterously to herself. Dumbo was a good boy!

"Well, it's fine. You ain't the first or last shut-in I'll ever meet. Who cares, as long as you can do a good job. Guess I'll be counting on you then, try to not go mad from boredom!"

With that, the pirate captain would wave to Ronja before fiddling around to open up the menu. It almost felt like a shame to log off now, given the accomplishments of today... but taking the ship for a spin right now would only keep her here for far too long. Yes, it would be all waiting for her when she got back.

"We'll find a lander who can watch the ship without any other commitments for the next time."

She added one last thing before she would hit the log out button, her body presumably disappearing right in front of the Magia. What an eventful day.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot