9 / 2 / 2008 Finn and Esperanza

Introduction
Characters: Captain Finn Hawkins Esperanza Adana

Location: Belladonna's Cove

Plot summary: Finn and Esperanza reunite.

Logs:
(Amendments Note: These logs have been spell checked prior to addition to this site.)

''Finn Hawkins stood at the wheel of his vessel, Neptune's Wrath he had been in the Mediterranean for a week looking for the fabled Belladonna's Cove, hunting down leads and clues, using all methods spare torture and murder to find the haven and to explore it. Finn was, after all, perhaps the greatest explorer this world had ever known, making voyages before and alongside many of the great ventures to the New World, to the Antarctic and island hopping the globe over his immortal life. As both anonymous deckhand, first mate, or captain, it mattered not to him his rank, for he knew that the sea already claimed his as the captain of this vessel, and in doing so he ruled the sea no matter where his feet stood. Finn swirled the wheel to starboard and snapped out his telescope from his deep coat pocket, "Ah... there 'tis perhaps... blessed be the sea God, he's guided me true." Finn closed the collapsible telescope and dropped it heavily into his deep pocket and looked at his skeleton crew of mortals that both respected and feared him. Men he had saved from drowning and shipwrecks, "Mind the ship lads, I doubt even I could navigate through that reef and the wrecks... dun go touchin' me wheel." He gave a wicked little grin and wink and dove off of the deck straight into the crystal clear water, with a solid stroke now and then he moved swiftly and unnaturally smoothly through the water, he extended his hand and grabbed hold of a dark winged shape in the water that passed by under him. A gorgeous male manta ray slid under him and obliged him a ride to the cove's entrance, "My thanks friend." Finn said, his voice was not lost to gargles and bubbles of underwater speech but rang out true with an odd, eerie humming to it that sounded almost like whispers of whale songs. Finn and the ray passed by the towers of shipwrecks, he narrowed his eyes at the various craft and the fools that came before him to this place, he had been here once before and was sure that one of the fool mortals on his ship betrayed the location, birthing the myth. He felt responsible for the deaths of all of these men, but did not pity them long, his eyes locked to the underwater entrance to the cove.''

''&#9810; Esperanza, perched on the limestone wall away from the shipwreck, stared out over Belladonna's Cove. It made her coo with delight. A place without the hassle of the cold, the ice, the horridly dense forests. She almost didn't know what to do with herself. Instead of being indecisive, her eyes narrowed on a small group of fish that swam just under the water's surface. Her talons gripped at the limestone and wings spread while she adjusted. Hopping down, she dove towards the choppy water, eyes always on the fish. The splash of water and squirming didn't phase her as she carried it over to the shipwrecked area, if anything, the jutted out ships made for a cleaner eating place than the sandy beach. Something under the water stirred, and the darkened shape caught her attention. It was a quick debate on whether she should eat her catch, or see what was about the Cove. A dollop of a drop and splash of water followed by her soft chirp, "You get to live another day, fishy." Esperanza left the fish to swim off as she caught an updraft for a better perspective into the water of Belladonna's Cove.''

'' The good Captain Hawkins moved his hands from the great manta's wings to a single hand just near the head of the fish, he dropped to a knee and had his torso upright as he lifted a bit on the manta's head to guide it to the surface. Like the proud prow of a ship raising from the sea, Finn's head broke the surface at speed, water rushing on either side of his face, he was grinning almost savagely. It was a strange but brilliant sight, the manta rose just shy of the surface and in a matter of moments Finn Hawkins raised from his knee to stand on the great fish's back and appear to be gliding across the water, one arm at his hip, the other wiping the water from his face. A close observer would notice he was drinking and spitting out a fair bit out, it was his adapted lungs, like internal gills filtering the oxygen from the water. His keen eyes noticed a flash of red in the sky near the limestone cliffs, even whilst moving, Finn knelt down and patted the manta's back, "Thank ye friend. I can swim from here, he leaned down and kissed the back of the manta ray, "Be blessed in these waters and others ye may find. Know of a long full life. And avoid the hooks and nets of foolhardy men that would wish to tame ye or drag you from yer home." With a dive, much like a swimmer from a platform, Finn hit the water and began to swim awkwardly on the surface in full gear, it was much easier to do below the water, he thought.''

''&#9810; Esperanza blinked a few times, she didn't know of any men to survive coming to Belladonna's Cove via the water. She almost swore as she swooped down over to the beach, in such a hurry for a shift change that she tripped instead of walking. Her hand covered her eyes and kept the sun from spoiling her vision, she stood where the waves broke against the shore. It couldn't be. She wasn't sure anymore, it'd been too long. The tips of her hair flared with excitement and with an anxious nerve about them. Esperanza had met many people throughout her lives, but none she expected to see for more than a few times at most. None that actually lived through the various wars that passed. Also none that loved the sea as much as this creature, if it was who she thought it was.''

'' Finn dove under water for the last stretch, grabbing hold of the reef rock and propelling himself like a climber on horizontal instead of vertical ground. He was laughing all the while, he burst through the living cloud that was a school of Spanish Mackerel and scattered the fish in an explosion of silver from their moving scales. With a second propulsion, Finn found the water get dramatically shallow and he stood, he began again, to walk on the bottom of the water and slowly emerge, headfirst looking directly at the beach and the form of a beautiful woman to greet him, "What's this? Populated?" Finn worried, still blinking the water out of his eyes and trying to see clearer who the lass was.''

''&#9810; She grinned, her eyes squinting at the blueish skin. She walked further into the water to meet him at least half way. "Why, my, my, my. If it isn't Mister Hawkins, or was that Captain, last I heard of you?" He was wearing far too much to swim in comfortably and Esperanza's memory fluttered back to days when she was younger, looking for others like herself. When she'd wished and hoped there were more Phoenixes. Skirt swirling in the waves, her hands went to her hips and she held back from poking his stomach playfully. She may have had warm and fond memories of him, but she knew time changed people and that he might not be so receptive to her.''

'' Finn plucked a strand of seaweed out of the tangled hair that was pressed flat against the side of his face by his three-cornered hat, "That voice... always with the tone of music to it, it cannae be," Finn looked up and blinked repeatedly, after each blink there was a hint of a hybrid nictating membrane that protected his eyes while underwater, "Esperanza... the firefly." Finn grinned and dropped to a knee in the shallows, so he was chest-deep in water, he sweeped off his hat in a grandiose bow and reached out his hand, gently taking hers and kissing the back of it, "It is a warm and welcome pleasure lass, I've missed your song." This was an unexpected gift from fate, the gods and goddesses had blessed him this day.''

''&#9810; Esperanza squeezed his hand gently, "Finn, it's been so long. The sea's treated you well since our last meet?" She stifled a giggle at his mention of song and the sweet nickname he'd had for her way back when. Her skin warmed and flushed as she started picking through his pockets, taking some seaweed out of the pocket at his chest. Her eyes wandering over him, to see what new scars and battle tales he might have. Her eyes sparkled as she really took him in. Flesh. Not just a memory long past, but flesh again.''

'' Finn stood tall and smiled at Esperanza's aid at grooming him, "The sea always treats me... fairly, with justice. I reap what I sow with the sea. That is to say lass, it treats me well." Finn hosted many scars, violent ones on his torso wrought by shark teeth, long, jagged cuts from other blades that sought to end his long life but failed, like all the others had. He was carrying only his cutlasses in terms of weaponry, he rarely dressed further for battle if he was not expecting one. "You are as lovely as ever lass, you glow still." Finn smiled, squeezing her hand too before releasing it to shake his hands of the droplets of water and aid the last bits of weed off of his form, "I shan't say this often m'lady, but must we stand in the water?" He grinned widely and gestured towards the gorgeous sand of the cove.''

''&#9810; Esperanza took the initiative and walked before him back to the beach, her toes stretched in the warm sand and she cooed. It wasn't cold like near the Tavern, she wasn't uncomfortable in any way, Belladonna's Cove held more than what she needed to live on her own and now, here she had the oldest of friends. "You never were much for the sand, Finn." A smirk brushed her lips as the faint memory of his old ship came to mind. The sun was bright, but not overly so and the cove's water was peaceful enough that this moment, was one of the few she'd want to cherish from her life.''

'' Finn looked playfully hurt, "The sand? It and I are always at odds lass. But it is the carpet of my realm, the foundation and for that it is my roots, I just dislike the way it can cling to my person when I leave the water I love so much. Especially fully clothed. Ha!" Finn chuckled, thinking of how easily the sand could fill the nooks and crannies of him in nearly full gear and how miserable that might feel, but here in the Cove all was well and he didn't dwell on it long, "I nearly forgot... how beautiful this cove is..." That statement said much, for Finn new the world and had dedicated his life to exploring it, he was a true explorer and traveler. "A place like this, no other waters in the world can claim, 'tis precious." He mused, stepping out of the shallow water and letting his feet sink and patter on the hard wet sand. "Indeed, it's been too long Firefly. Tell me, has the ash and flame, the sky and wind kept you well?"''

'' &#9810; Esperanza smiled, eyes going to the few scattered cirrus and cumulus clouds drifting about the sky. "Other than losing my myrrh egg, I've been well. Met a few people I've taken a liking to, even though they seem to prefer the cold areas to the warm..." Her sentence trailed and she sang a soft lullaby she'd learned from a woman many years ago. It'd been one of her favorites to sing to Finn when he was unsettled. He talked of the cove's beauty, she simply wanted to enhance that.''

'' Finn closed his eyes and let his ears drink in the song, "You get me drunk of memories lass of the flame. And I thank you for it, for last we were together it was paradise." Finn rolled his neck on his shoulders and flicked the brim of his three-point hat, the hole from a bullet that threatened to take his life letting the warm sunlight shine through it, in his profile Finn was certainly a handsome man, his skin had a curious blue color to it, his eyes were intense, dark blue and swimming with the rage and beauty of thunderstorms. "Your egg lass... that cannae bode well aye?" Finn said with a tinge of worry, "And what d'ye mean it's found itself lost? Was it taken?" Finn looked directly at Esperanza, even though she still sang.''

'' &#9810; She let the song fade. "It was taken. I don't know if you were ever aware of the war with the Lycanthropes and the Vampyres, since you spend all of your time out at sea. Vampyres had wanted to, 'recruit' me onto their side. Of course I said no, you know how I dislike confrontation. I've been looking for a substitute for my egg, mayhap even someone to hold it safe when I need to regenerate. To keep this from happening again." Her fingers twined together while she talked, the stress and worry in her voice evident.''

'' Finn looked at her and placed his hands on Esperanza's shoulders, "I, lass, do not fear confrontation, nor does the sea. It laughs at it and swallows the fools that betray friends of the sea. Say the word and I'll bring back yer egg, or my full coffin, I swear it... until then you know well that you can nest in the safety of my company, I'll dismiss the crew from Wrath (short for Neptune's Wrath) and manage the vessel myself, I've done it before, keeps me limber." He smiled comfortingly to Esperanza, not liking to see her hurting even slightly.''

''&#9810; Esperanza blushed, her eyes looking up into his, "You always were too good to me, even when we first met. So much kinder than all those other Immortals. I wouldn't ask that you dismiss your crew, they need work. I can manage within the crows nest, if your crew doesn't mind terribly. Keeps me out of their hair for the most part and still leaves the freedom of being able to go where and when I need to, without disturbing anyone." Her finger lightly tapped the end of his nose, "Is that okay?"''

'' Finn shook his head sweetly, "The crew are in debt to me for saving their lives, they get no pay, only a home and a vessel and are released when the world outside presents a chance for them to find a comfortable life lass. If they need be all sent off, they can be. But I'll hold onto the lads for now, aye." Finn wrinkled up his nose and playfully snapped his teeth at Esperanza's finger. "Do not provoke the shark Firefly, they bite." He chuckled and kicked off his boots, sitting on the wet sand and up-turning them of sea water and small crustaceans, "That mole crab had been inbetween me toes for a week... fancy that! He lives. Bless him." Finn smiled and his voice went soft and almost back to humanity watching the mole crab burrow into the white sand.''

 &#9810; 'Esperanza'' smiled, her hands scooping up sand while she got down on her knees. She pointed out a few things around the cove to Finn before playfully dropping sand over his lap. Her hair flaring up into sparks while she enjoyed his company, the ocean and a sense of peace she hadn't had in a while. "Would you allot me a cabin on the Wrath if I needed for a few nights, somewhere to sleep, get dressed, bathe. You know I can handle myself on deck, probably better than any you've got on as crew." Her fingers sifted through more sand, drizzling it in little patterns over her own lap, his thighs and knee. Eyes curious to see his reaction.''

'' Finn paid nearly no heed to the drip-castles of wet sand on his lap, "You may have my quarters, I do not mind bunking with th'lads. I still enjoy a good game of cards with them." He stood and let the wet sand fall messily off of his lap and made a broad, sweeping gesture with his hand, the next wave that kissed the shore gently surged up further than it ought to have and slapped against his body, taking away all of the wet sand and splashing across Esperanza's front. "Still as playful as ever Firefly?" Finn grinned widely.''

''&#9810; Esperanza laughed, "Still manipulating the water yourself it seems." She picked a couple of shells from the sand, dusting them off before letting one slide down Finn's back, "It's not often I have such good company." She whistled innocently and held out her own shell to him, "Isn't it pretty?" The shell was cracked, and nearly broken in half and most of the coloration had faded.''

'' Finn lofted a brow, his left eye opened a bit wider than his right, it's tattoo stretching wide with the skin, "'Tis flawed lass, but yes, 'tis gorgeous, the one down me trousers at present I am sure has lost it's elegance." Finn laughed and let the water in the wet sand at their feet begin to suck in the feet of Esperanza rapidly so she was up to her shins in wet sand in moments.''

''&#9810; Esperanza's hair and fingertips flared out, "That's not fair Finn, don't make me boil you alive!" She tugged at her feet, the sloshy water and sand mix startled her and she held flamed hands against his forearms, no intention to burn him more than to steady herself. She gave a playfully grumpy pout, "I was just playing around."''

'' Finn grinned and let the sand harden again under her feet, ridding water from it and dragged her out with his arms, "If I was a villain I'd have you fish out the shell you slipped down me back, sadly I'm but an anti-hero. Come, show me the cove a bit more, you seem to remember it and have been here longer than I lass, where are your manners for guests?" He smiled and stomped his feet back into his boots.''

''&#9810; Esperanza wasn't sure whether she wanted to show him the water or the cliffs more. "If you can handle a bit of air, want to see the limestone cliffs? They're gorgeous and the air's fresh. Unless you'd rather see the water side of the cove, I'd never pass up a swim." She waggled her brows and grinned, "Where do you want to go?"''

 'Finn took her hand in his, "A swim yes, but how about we first sort out your new abode until the day ye find another one lass, care to join me for a swim back to the Wrath?" He waded back into the water, "I take it you are fair game for a race there?" Finn grinned cheekily and gestured to the water.''

''&#9810; Esperanza bit her lip, "A race in the water with you isn't a race at all." Her hand squeezed his, "It'd be like me asking you to go for a race on air." She tickled his side best she could before racing to the waves, even with his advantage in the water, she'd still at least give a try to beat him to the Wrath.''