Warning: Anti-Elminster stuff ahead!

"So, what was up with the left-over bread crusts in his beard?" Laska muttered.

"They must have been a millenium old," Viconia chuckled. "But I was thinking more of the left-over pea-soup"

"Yeecch," Dynaheir shuddered. "And did any of thee notice that smell hovering over his person?"

"Oh, yes!" Laska snickered. The three women were chatting happily. Sadly, they could not find a café so they headed towards the dock to check out the strange deed instead. "Barnyard city!"

"He smells like a goat!" Viconia chuckled.

"He sounds like a goat," Dynaheir agreed.

"He talks like a goat," Laska grinned.

"And that pipe!" Dynaheir shook her head. "He smokes like a chimney! He smells like a tobacco-ship and all his teeth have gone yellow!"

"And that horrible pointy hat!" Viconia grinned. "And that ridiculous cloak! Do you suppose his mother still dresses him each morning."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Laska said. "Heh, she'd be dressing him up from the afterlife each morning. Hey, have you noticed how broad that robe makes him look? I bet there's a scrawny skeleton with some skin over it when the robe comes off!"

"Speaking of robes coming off," Viconia chuckled, "I have heard this male gained his power by sleeping with the goddess of magic! Go figure... there is a certain... parallel with my own society here. One could say that he is a... gigolo. Though, in my language, he'd be called a Ssins d'aerth. A professional entertainer."

"Oh, I know what that means," Dynaheir shook her head. "Us 'normal' mages slave and study our fingers to the bone, while that hussy gets power thrown in his lap."

"I've heard he sleeps with his maid," Viconia said. "

"I've heard he sleeps with his adoptive daughter," Laska shook her head. "Dirty old codger."

"Hmm, some rumors said he went to hell once," Dynaheir said. "Couldn't he have stayed there?"

"What woman would willingly shag that man?" Laska snarled. "Who'd willingly sleep with Elminster, I ask you? Hey, I bet he charms the women he jumps into the sack with! Girls, we have to watch each other's back when we meet up with him again. He can't charm all of us at once!"

Finally, the three friends reached their destination : The docks. Ever since Viconia had returned two days ago, she had been mysteriously content, though she would not say why she had taken up worship of Tymora. When asked, Keldorn would simply smile warmly and tell them it was Viconia's private decision. So far, not-knowing was driving several party-members bonkers.

"So, what's this deed, then?" Laska said, referring to the piece of parchment that she had won from the blow-hard Hercule. She had no time to check out 'legalities' contained within it, but apparently Rose had read it, and she had some experience with contracts, seeing she ran a business in Athkatla. Apparently, the deed entitled Laska to some property, currently on hold by one 'Stan'.

But when the three women spotted... the multi-colored flags, the flashy sign, and the man wearing the checkered tux and white pirate-hat, they had the overwhelming urge to flee.

"What is this place?" Dynaheir asked.

"'Honest Stan's Used Nautical Vehicles'," Viconia read from the sign.

"Boats?!" Laska shouted. "Ah, I knew this thing was a dud!" she said and moved to toss away the scroll.

"No!" Viconia said, taking the deed from Laska's hands. "Here comes the owner. Let's hear what he has to say before you do anything rash!"

"When was the last time I did anything rash?!" Laska retorted a bit indignantly.

"Well, there was the time thou didst kick a brigand in the butt... when fifty of his friends were standing next to him," Dynaheir spoke.

"And then there was the time you accidentally drank your inkwell because you were chatting with Imoen and didn't notice you grabbed the wrong bottle. And you only found out after you drained the damn thing," Viconia snickered.

"Well, there is that," Laska grimaced.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" the forced-friendly voice of the salesbeast Stan sounded as he flailed his arms about. "Welcome to Honest Stan's Used Nautical Vehicles! How may I help you today! I've got charming ocean liners! Rustic fishing ships! An old Rowboat owned by a little old Kobold who used it once every Sunday to go to the temple of Helm!"

"What's that?" Dynaheir asked as Stan led them past a collection of berths. The dark Rashemi mage had noticed one berth where the tips of two masts emerged from the water.

"It's a fixer-upper," Stan smiled. "Interested?"

"Well," Viconia said, noticing that Laska was cringing and staying as far away from the waterfront as possible, "we have won this coupon and..." Immediately, Stan grabbed it from her hands and let his eyes roam across the paper.

"Finally!" Stan grinned like a shark. "I thought I'd never get rid of that tub... errr, I mean, fine sea-worthy, sailing-vessel, of course! Follow that path to the berth at the end, enjoy!" that said, he left... as quickly as he came.

"Strange man," Dynaheir shook her head. "Shall we go? I must admit I am rather curious..."

"Look, guys," Laska said as the three women moved towards the berth. "You know how I feel about water, and you know I won't get on any bloody ships! So, I..." But Laska gasped as she rounded about the corner and noticed the ship resting in the last berth. Before her lay an image only seen in her dreams.

"AN ELVEN DESTROYER!" Laska all but shouted. "I've only seen these in pictures!"

Long and sleek, the elven destroyer made a majestic appearance. It was a narrow ship, with a long upper deck and an even longer stern, containing sickbay and the captain's quarters. These vessels had three lowers decks. The tactical deck, containing the cannon and armory, the Crew deck, containing the crew quarters and the cargo-deck. The cargo-deck was below the waterline, to ensure coolness so that the food supplies would not spoil. The crew deck, in turn, was just above the waterline. The destroyer was built for speed and maneuverability. Its sleek and narrow form sliced through the waves as the sails spun between the duo of masts which propelled the craft. To stabilize it, a floater, roughly measuring one quarter of the ships's length, was connected to each side to the main hull from the aft section of the ship. The destroyer was fitted and sized to accommodate a small crew of a maximum of twelve individual elves. It was the main escort-class vessel of Evermeet's prestigious fleet, constructed from finest of oak. How it came to be in Stan's possession, was beyond everyone.

Unfortunately, this particular destroyer was in a sorry state of disrepair. Its cannons were removed, and it was obvious that part of the wooden deck, upper hull and railings had been cannibalized, possibly to repair other ships, while the helm appeared to be gone altogether. The ropes were rotting, and the ship's colors seemed to have lost their flair. One of the pontoons had sprung a leak and was slowly filling with water, making the ship hang to one side slightly. The ship's name could barely be made out because of the loss of color. 'Sularauka'... Swiftwind.

"Wow," Laska gasped, almost star struck. "It's OURS!"

"What a garbage scow," Dynaheir snorted. "I've seen seaworthier bathtubs!"

"Oh, believe me," Viconia told Dynaheir. "With just a little work, this finely crafted vessel will take us everywhere..."

"Didn't Imoen write that she was on an Island? In that case, we're going to need a ship!" Dynaheir replied.

"A... ship," Laska gulped. "And it goes over water?"

"I've never heard of a land-ship, Laska," Viconia chuckled.

Laska felt her stomach contract.

And work there would be done. The next day, the Swiftwind was moved to a repair-birth near the drydock to facilitate the repair of the sleek vessel. A crane had been used to load a fresh supply of oaken boards and beams onto the cannibalized deck, and Laska's party was hard at work at repairing the Swiftwind.

Viconia was deemed the overseer of the project, seeing how she had experience with sailing vessels and ship repair. She stood on top of the stern, overlooking the deck while checking a list with supplies. Keldorn and Jan were busy sawing boards to their perspective sizes, while Minsc and Korgan were busy hammering the boards into the wooden skeleton of the deck. The kids, Risa and Becky, were constantly running back and forth with nails.

"Remember to apply tar to the bottom-side of the new board when we're done repairing the deck," Viconia said. "It's a quick fix, but it'll do for now. I'll go down in a moment to check for any holes in the hull."

"Oy, when does this elven tub be movin'?" Korgan yelled up.

"Not anytime soon," Viconia sighed. "Some fool male took the helm!"

"How did you know he was a male?" Keldorn asked.

"All fools are males, Keldorn," Viconia chuckled. "In any case, I've sent Laska to buy various odds and ends we still need. An anchor, a helm, furniture, some supplies...."

Jan looked up, and said nothing... he couldn't say anything. When the starboard pontoon had been fixed, Jan had volunteered to remove the seawater from it... and had the brainy idea to suck it out through a tube. Unfortunately, the salty brine had worked on his vocal cords, making him lose his voice. The silence was unsettling, but nobody doubted the gnome would be back with a vengeance soon.

"I really enjoy do-it-yourself," Keldorn smiled. "There's something very wholesome about building something with your own two hands."

"Indeed," Dynaheir looked at Keldorn, who had removed all clothing from his upper body and was sweating from the efforts. She blushed a little and quickly looked away, concentrating on replacing a rotten rope.

"She thinks you're manly, Keldorn," Viconia grinned.

"Shut thy trap!"

But finally, the last partymember arrived. Laska slowly and reluctantly walked towards the docks. Fortunately for her, the cart she was pulling, which contained the new anchor and the new helm, slowed her down a bit. But eventually, she could not avoid the inevitable. Attaching the cart to the crane to have the objects loaded on board, she stood staring at the gangplank. Even though her friends were encouraging her loudly, she did not hear them... In her mind, the battle between fear and her stubborn determination raged openly. Eventually, her iron will won out, under the influence of racial pride.

Suddenly, Laska sprinted forward and ended up standing on deck, panting violently. Rose, who had been inside the pantry with Lasalla, fixing lunch for the hard workers, emerged and embraced Laska. "I'm so proud of you," Rose smiled.

"I had to step on board," Laska said, but she was still very nervous. "I built this ship and put it in a bottle when I was just a snip of a girl. Gorion used to say it was the first thing that I was completely focused on... the first thing I've actually finished."

"Will you be alright?" Minsc asked. "Boo will be here to take your mind off things, if you like."

"Thanks Minsc, but I'll be fine as long as I keep away from the railings," Laska gulped.

"Okay, get her downstairs and put her to work on the cabins," Viconia shouted. "Minsc, Korgan! I need to you to put the anchor in place, the deck can wait! Dynaheir, Jan! I need your help with repairing the hull!"

On the Crew deck were no less than ten stately cabins. Seeing as how this ship only required a minimal crew, there was plenty of room for comfort. The cabins were high and large. Five were on the starboard-side, five on the port side, with a large guest-quarters in the fore-section of the vessel and a broad hallway connecting all.

Laska got to work on the cabins alone while the rest of her party worked on deck. Though still nervous, the first thing she built were several curtains in front of the portholes to lessen her fear. Then, she got to work on her and Rose's own cabin first. The shipments she asked for had already been loaded and she only needed to haul them up from the cargo-deck. A few moments later, she was hard at work in laying the carpet in her room. When that was finished, she got to work on the 'assemble it yourself furniture', an invention made by an dwarf from Icewind Dale called McIkea. After assembling the bed, which took three tries before she could make sense of the instructions, Laska knew for certain that McIkea must have been evil to the core. What sane person could devise such an elaborate schematic for such a simple thing? And she decided she'd rather forget about the strange screws with which the furniture was to be assembled in the first place. Good ole hammer and nails helped her out fine.

She had more success with the dresser. Finally, she hauled up the mattress and the linnen and put those up on the bed. One last touch was the addition of plants, for which holders were actually built into the hull.

Pleased, Laska looked at her handiwork in satisfaction. 'Only nine more to go!'

While preparing to build up the second room, Laska reflection on how Viconia had 'confiscated' the Captain's quarters in the upper stern. Of course, it was logical, since she was the only one with nautical experience, but still... Plus, the quarters had an almost 270 degree open-window view of the sea... so Laska was more than happy that she wouldn't be sleeping there. She hoped Rose wouldn't be disappointed though.

"Be proud, people," Viconia spoke to her friends while standing on the stern in the evening sun. "Never have I heard of a derelict becoming seaworthy again so quickly as we have today!"

"She still looks a bit colorless, though," Dynaheir said.

"That's not a problem," Viconia said. "The Swiftwind still has to be drydocked to check for rotten wood and to have the barnacles scraped from her hull. When that's done, the ship will receive a lick of paint and varnish... It should be done in a week or two if we pay or threaten the dockworkers well enough."

"Viconia," Keldorn asked, "I must admit I am uncharacteristically anxious to see our handy work put to the test. Perhaps," Keldorn nodded eagerly, "we could take her for a brief sail?"

"HAR! That why ye be bein' so bloody giddy all day," Korgan roared. "Ye be wantin' to ride the lass out of port!"

"Something like that, Korgan," Keldorn smiled. "Ah, I have to say that the idea of sailing over the ocean, exploring the unknown is a very alluring one."

"Maybe you have missed your calling, Keldorn," Rose smiled.

"Aye, perhaps he be more into piracy! HAR HAR!"

"Certainly not!" Keldorn retorted.

Minsc said nothing. He, instead, tried not to laugh as he struggled with the mental image of Keldorn... with an eyepatch... a pegleg... a Maztican Blue parrot on his shoulder... saying ARRRRRR a lot.

"Art thou certain we can pilot this craft on our own, Viconia?"

"If this Darthyrri craft is anything like a Drow ship, a couple of trained monkeys can work it. Docking, raising and lowering the sails and departing is handled magically. The compass and the magical devices operating these features are integrated in the ship, so they were never taken."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Keldorn smiled eagerly.

"Very well," Viconia said and walked back to the helm, where a row of crystals was located. Immediately, her hands moved over them, activating their magics. Suddenly, the ship was moving slowly... The gangplank was suddenly retracted, as well as the ropes keeping the Swiftwind moored. Another crystal extended the navigational sails, slowly sending the Swiftwind and its elated crew from the harbor towards the sea. Once at sea, the Swiftwind took up the pace when Viconia extended the mains. It became obvious that the Swiftwind was made for speed as it cleaved itself through the waves. For the first time since three decades... the Swiftwind was at sea.

"We should be alright as long as we travel along the shoreline," Viconia said.

"Say, where's Laska?" Rose asked. "I haven't seen her on deck."

"LASKA!" Rose shouted. She had decided to investigate and had entered their designated cabin. Only to find her beloved lying on the floor, on her side curled up in a fetal position. She was shivering violently and seemed to be gasping for air.

Immediately, Rose was by her side and fell to her knees. She carefully took the grateful elf and rolled her on her side. Laska clutched onto Rose with all her might, almost knocking the wind out of the hapless half-elf. Laska laid her head on Rose's bosom, while Rose raked her fingers through Laska's dark hair.

"I thought I could handle it," Laska whispered softly, only to shudder violently afterwards. "But water is all around me... All under me... I hear it against the hull... I FEEL it... It feel it... It wants to drag me down... To drag me to my death... I... I can't see the bottom, Rose, I... I'm so scared... It's an enemy I can't fight... I can't cut or stab or punch bloody water!"

"Sssssh," Rose whispered and kissed the top of Laska's head. "It's okay... It can't hurt you. It can't hurt you..." she whispered as she felt hot salty tears fall on her skin.

"Laska, you keep away from that pond," her father Gorion told her with a kind, yet stern voice. "And don't run off chasing butterflies again, while I talk to Ulraunt. Try to keep in on place for a change. For me?"

"Okay," the tiny moon-elven girl giggled, but from the corner of her eyes, she already noticed another yellow butterfly. She was sorry that she hadn't been able bring along her butterfly-net from her old home, but some bad men had chased them away from the village, because of some stupid Ball-sparks, or something like that. Now, they had been staying at the cool castle. Too bad there weren't any other kids and the place was so boring.

Ulraunt was a man always wearing an angry face to her. She didn't know why. Now, he was talking to Gorion. "Gorion, your package has arrived, they need you to sign for it," Laska heard the old crow-man say. "Do I have to?" her father said back, "Can't you see I am taking my ward for a nature-walk?". The Ulraunt talked back : "The Harper messenger said the information was vital... pertaining to your ward. He will only give it to you... Do not worry. I will watch your brat for you.". Laska saw Gorion scowl at Ulraunt, but then he bent to one knee. "Laska? I'll be back soon. Now, you stay in one place!"

"Little girl," Ulraunt said in a strangely un-meant friendly way. "Take a look at that beautiful pond!"

"Nuh-uh!" Laska replied. "I can't. Daddy said I can't swim yet, whatever that is..."

"Since when do little girls do what their fathers tell them to do?" Ulraunt grinned strangely and guided Laska towards the pond. "Just take a look at those fish inside!"

"Fish?" Laska said as she bent forward. "I don't see any f...." Suddenly, the little elf found herself being roughly shoved into the water.

It was a fun experience at first, she felt like she was floating, and finally, her belly hit the muddy bottom of the pond. Laska mused briefly that daddy might be angry at her for making her clothes dirty... but panic came as Laska tried to breathe. Pain exploded in her chest as her lungs filled with water. Pain and fear ruled her as she thrashed about at the bottom of the pond. Eventually, she ended up lying on her back, staring up into the light of the sun shining through the water. She desperately wanted to get to that light, tried to grab for it, but to no avail... eventually, terror made way for quiet euphoria. The image of the light faded to black slowly, and images of beautiful trees entered her mind. Those beautiful trees... tall, strong, eternal! And there were elves there! Dozens of elves! Smiling at her, beckoning her to join them.

Suddenly, she was vaguely aware of two strong hands grabbing her and hauling her to the surface. Still seeing the beautiful trees and the friendly elves, she felt a strong pressure on her chest... followed by someone blowing air into her lungs... followed by pressure again. The beautiful trees faded, and the elves smiled a farewell... It was not yet her time to pass into Arvandor...

Instead, she saw the smiling face of Gorion, looking very relieved... just before she fell into a violent fit of coughing. Gorion picked up the little girl and took her into a fierce hug... all the while directing a look of pure murder towards Ulraunt.

"I had to do it," Ulraunt shot back. "For the good of Candlekeep!"

Laska didn't see what happened next. Something fast lashed out and connected to Ulraunt's nose. There was a sharp crack and red stuff spat about. The nasty man ended up sprawled over the floor.

"I'll have you both banished for this!" Ulraunt snarled.

"NO!" the panting voice of Tethoril sounded as he came running. "You will not Ulraunt! I was in the highest tower and saw... everything."

"What?! You..."

Laska liked Tethoril. The man always gave her sweets and did silly impressions, especially about some man called Al-mister. Now, Tethoril was shouting at the bad man. "We'll see who gets banished if you push this through, Ulraunt," Tethoril threatened.

"FINE!" Ulraunt shouted. "Keep the brat here! AND BE DAMNED!"

"Sssshhhh," Rose said as Laska continued crying. "It's normal to be scared."

"I'm not always so afraid," Laska sobbed. "I... WHY am I so afraid of something so stupid!! I could have escaped from Irenicus a dozen times over, but the bugger hung my cage over a pool! A gods-be-damned POOL!"

"Let is all out," Rose whispered. "Keep nothing back."

"I... I miss Imoen," Laska sobbed. "I... I... miss Gorion... I miss them both so much..."

"I'll hold on to you tonight, Laska," Rose whispered and kissed the tip of her lover's ear. "This time, I'll keep you safe tonight."

"I... love you," Laska replied.

"Well," Viconia said as she activated another crystal, which switched on the ship's lighting system. Night had fallen, and the ship lay anchored before the shore, "we should be safe here. We'll spend the night on board and sail back to port in the morning. Laska's calmed down now, at least, Rose make sure of that," Viconia smirked. "Who knows, a night at sea actually might be good for her."

"This is grand, isn't it?" Keldorn smiled. "Sailing the seas, exploring the unknown. When I was younger, I read books about the exploits of the great elven explorer Tiberiul Kirf."

"Really?" Viconia asked. "You know, I've heard he wears a toupee."

"That's a rumor!" Keldorn said with inappropriate fierceness. "A foul rumor spread by followers of that upstart Luciul Picarl!"

"Sorry I mentioned it," Viconia chuckled as the last two on deck moved down-below, unaware of the dark figure moving across the bow.

Appropriately magically cloaked against sound and visibility, Yoshimo, who had waited for a second change to kidnap the elf, finally slipped inside her cabin. He was happy that mistress Bodhi had given him a second chance. Second chances were only rarely given by the vampiress, so he knew he had to succeed this time or he would be stuck with tedious work yet again.

He found both Laska and her new lover lying in their bed. The first difficulty presented itself as the two lovers seemed to be intertwined. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled the covers from the two lovers. A cursory inspection revealed that they were both quite naked. Think un-sexy thoughts, think un-sexy thoughts, think un-sexy thoughts, was the phrase most on his mind as he saw them lying there. The elf and the half-elf lay on their sides, facing each other and holding on to each other in a tight embrace.

Yoshimo had an idea. He decided to tickle Rose in the neck... it had the desired effect. Knowing nobody liked to be tickled in their sleep, he was right in predicting Rose shifted a little, throwing the arm around Laska away from the sleeping elf. A second tickle and Rose's legs flailed away as well.

After blowing a numbing powder in Laska's face, so the elf would not wake up from the sudden movement, he lifted her out of the embrace, and silently carrier her away.

With a naked elf in his arms, he arrived on deck in the cover of night. His plan was to take the Swiftwind's long-boat to shore with a neatly tied-up elf to deliver to Bodhi. He did, however, realize too late that he should have wrapped Laska in a warm blanket first.

A cold wind blew across Laska's bare flesh, making the tattooed elf shiver and grimace in her sleep... and she flailed. Her elbow connected sharply with Yoshimo's nose, breaking it for a second time. Startled, Yoshimo let go of his prize... and Laska fell overboard.

Laska was instantly awake and instantly realized where she was... beside the ship... in the water. She tried to swim but terror numbed her completely. The last thing she did was to release a final, anguished and high-pitched shriek of sheer terror as the sea claimed her.

She was dragged down... towards the bottom. She looked up... and saw the moonlight shine through surface of the water... that same un-reachable light... Her lungs were once again aching for air.

No...

No! NOT AGAIN!

I am STRONGER! I can SWIM!! I will SURVIVE!

Immediately, Laska forced herself to take control of her body. She started to trash... she was suddenly in full control of her body. Her legs thrashed, her arms lashed out as the drowning elf fought for her life.

Imoen, Rose, my friends... I will LIVE!!

Finally, to her own surprise, she reached the light... her lungs welcomed the air as Laska gasped and coughed. Utterly exhausted, the elf grabbed hold of the port pontoon and clutched to it, coming to rest while holding on it for dear life.

Already, her friends were rushing to the deck to help her... but just how the hell did she end up in the bloody sea?!

"I'm still nervous," Laska smiled. "And a bit scared."

"But not mortified," Rose smiled in return as she stood next to her lower on the stern, looking back at the sea as Viconia steered the Swiftwind back towards the harbor.

"Oh, believe me, I'll be happy to have land below my feet again," the elf smiled and pulled Rose a little closer to her. "But at least I know water can be defeated."

"It's a beginning," Rose smiled as the two lovers embraced.

"That fool Yoshimo," Irenicus shook his head as he oversaw the finally recharge-cycle of the Great Machine. "Or rather, I was the fool for trusting him. Well, if your lackeys can't do their jobs properly, I simply have to find a way to get Laska here myself. A new tactic..."

Irenicus surveyed the large empty room. "Any more exposure to incompetence and I am sure to end up talking to myself."

The empty room did not answer.

"Ah, home sweet home," Laska smiled as she unlocked the door and entered the house... but she soon found out someone else was already there. A woman... with pink hair, looking very confused and disorientated.

Laska gasped and took a few steps back. "I... Imoen?" she whispered. "Is that you?"