[Eremiel]

Ever since Eremiel had joined Tortuga, years ago, he had found comfort by the side of many waterfalls within their changing territories. Now was not any different, deep within the forests of the pack, the Quartermaster once again silently praised the falling waters for the wonderful white noise they made. The perfect environment to think, to relax, and meditate. One some occasions, he even came here to pray, more often on nights where the stars were not visible in the sky, so being covered by the trees would not mean so much.

Tonight was just a night for thinking, reflecting. The father sat by the falls and listened to their soft roaring, though he did not miss the sound of approaching footsteps. His ears swiveled to the side first, followed by his eyepatched eye and then his seeing one. Once he had sight of whoever came to enjoy the nature with him, he would smile.

"Hello, child-" whoever it was could have been a damn grown adult, but tonight was that kind of night. He was there to teach, to nurture - It was in the core of who he was. "Have you come to enjoy the falls?" he would turn his head away to watch the water again, eye now falling to the soft foam it created by repeatedly mixing with itself. After a few beats of silence, he spoke again,

"There's beauty in simplicity, isn't there? The water falls, it is simple, beautiful. You do not think much of it." he began, glancing back up at his company. "But it is rarely that simple, is it not?" no, it was not. Black and white decisions were hardly ever truly black and white, even the simplest thing had complicated roots.

"Tell me," his voice was gentle, but his eye mischievous, though more playful. "Would you trade your freedom in for safety? To live in simplicity?" he wanted to know what kind of hearts his crew had. There was no wrong answer, of course, not really.

[Tide]

speech ♚ thoughts

He wasn't the only one attracted to the waterfalls.

The white noise Tide heard, though, was different. It was more muffled, due to the fact that the hellion was underwater. Floating deep beneath the base of the waterfall, he could feel the vibrations of the water pounding constantly into the lagoon. There was something soothing about the ripples floating over his elongated body. With his eyes closed, Tide could almost lose himself in the lagoon, floating there forever as he contemplated nothing in particular. There was, however, one slight problem -- he still required breathing.

Sharp eyes opened as Tide felt the beginning of the burning in his lungs that indicated it was time to replenish the oxygen. There was no rush, but still his powerful legs propelled him towards the surface with swift strokes. Right before he breached the surface he slowed, allowing for a gentle rising out of the water. Nostrils flared open, drinking in the oxygen that his body required. Droplets dripped gently off his head as he tread the water looking around. He spotted the male wolf sitting by the waterfall, calmly taking in the view. Tide had not met the Quartermaster before, not in person at least, but he could see the authoritative figure for who he was. Curious, he swam towards the shore to interact.

"Hello, child-" Tide chuckled, it had been a while since he was called a child. "Have you come to enjoy the falls?" An interesting question for a hellion who lived in the water. "I always do, sir," he answered, turning his head to look up at the waterfall in question. "It provides me with a home." A place to go to be at peace. As it fell silent once more, Tide did not feel the need to breach it. It was a nice silence.

The Quartermaster broke it first. "There's beauty in simplicity, isn't there? The water falls, it is simple, beautiful. You do not think much of it. But it is rarely that simple, is it not?" Tide listened, taking in the heavy words. "Rarely," Tide said in agreement, nodding his great head. "The surface of water itself holds a lot beneath it that few ever see." In that sense he felt privileged to be able to breach that surface and explore. "It is a beautiful thing." Perhaps he had found someone who understood how he viewed things. Among the violence some of the pirates seemed so eager to wield, this was a nice change.

"Tell me. Would you trade your freedom in for safety? To live in simplicity?" The questioned lingered in Tide's mind, and the dragon remained silence for a minute or two. Eventually though, he answered. "Not for my own safety," he said gently, thinking of his family. This new family that he had willingly taken on. "I value my freedom. Freedom is something truly priceless, with a heavy burden if it's taken away. If it's for my family, though... their safety... I would trade my freedom. Ensure they continue to live freely, even if I may not." The conviction was clear in his voice. Tide wasn't here to impress anyone; he was merely stating fact.