#thonflonshade

Standing near the railing of his ship, Marius watched with a a lazy smile as they pulled even with the one currently serving as Thon's flagship.  On the horizon, he could make out the shapes of other galleys, getting larger and larger as he watched -- no time to waste, then.  Boarding the other ship went quick enough; they'd only need a couple of minutes, anyway, and a gangplank as useless in this situation as a full-blown greeting.  Instead, Marius greeted his fellow captain with small wave and a big grin.  "Lord and Lady, did you scour the wrecking yards for your new ship? How's it even staying afloat?"  

Pleasantries aside, though, it was good to see Thon again -- and fighting alongside him?  Even better.  Due to the fact that they'd first been teacher and student, the two of them were well-versed in working with the other, and in a three-way battle like this, it'd give them an edge the other sides would soon find themselves to be sorely lacking.  Two heads were better than one, after all, even if, at times, it was difficult to resist the urge to throw Thon overboard.  They'd beat the pirates, leave the Knights' fleet crippled, and then they'd have a liberated city to congratulate themselves on.  

The room was only dimly lit, a few lanterns hanging from the walls, a single one standing on the table located in the middle of the room.  The table itself was covered with maps, unrolled ones along with many more bound-up scrolls.

Maps.  There were quite a few things Marius hated about being captain of the Western fleet -- the food soaring high at the top of the list -- and the need to read maps before coming up with a strategy was most certainly among them.  For Marius, strategies were something you either came up with in the midst of battle, when you were acting and reacting to the things happening around you, or not at all.  Maps, either way, were completely useless and he saw no need for them whatsoever.

Suffice to say, not many agreed with him.  Thus maps were needed whenever discussing strategies -- even though Marius had only brought them in for this particular meeting at the last minute.  After all, Thon knew full well that his former teacher abhorred maps.  But formalities were formalities, and so the maps were taking up entirely too much space on the table.

Marius gave a quick glance to the only door in the room -- closed.  He should have a few more minutes before his fellow captain arrived, then.  Good.  Just enough time to have a drink--

Leaning over the cluttered table, he eyed the wooden tankard standing precariously near the edge.  After a moment of indecision, he reached out and nudged it a bit further, then watched as it fell and hit the ground with a hollow thunk.

Empty.  When exactly did that happen?