Open Log: Big Blue Wet Thing

[goingtobeunwell]

Terrors waking that morning will find a few things amiss with the ship: 1. it's hot and humid inside their cabins, and 2. the ship itself is rocking.  Swaying, in fact, as though the ice beneath them has melted and the ship is moving. Which it is, actually, and quite quickly too. 

The holes in the side of Terror have been repaired, the rigging put up on the masts, the dual wheels of the helm moving as the ship races through the waves on its own. Up above the sun is shining brightly. 
H.M.S. Terror is sailing once more, destination unknown.

Comments

[kingsroads]

When Strange sees Harry run to the bow, his first thought is oh good God, someone fell overboard. As he sees Harry almost fall overboard, his eyes widen and he picks up the pace as he makes his way to the bow as well. Strange only stops when he sees the dolphins. His eyes widen with excitement as he stops and watches them for a moment, grinning all the while.

"I've never actually seen dolphins before," he admits, not at all bothering to hide the joy in his voice. "They're wonderful."

[bestsir]

"They are a delight," Harry agrees. "Look—do you see the variations of colour on their bodies? Light below and dark above—to make them more difficult to see."

One of the dolphins, apparently deciding that it's time to show off for the observers, leaps out of the water and corkscrews through the air before splashing back down again.

[kingsroads]

Strange just lets out a laugh of absolute delight as he watches the dolphin leap in the air.

"Do they always do that?" Which he knows is a stupid question right after he says it but this is legitimately the first time the man's seen a dolphin, he has no idea how the hell they work.

[bestsir]

"They often play like that alongside ships—although I've never seen one leap and spin like that before. The Greeks believed they were sacred—messengers of the gods and so on." Another one leaps high out of the water, apparently trying to outdo its friend. "We saw some in the North Atlantic, but none so playful as these."

[kingsroads]

Strange is just taking in all this information, nodding and watching in an absolutely enthralled manner.

"I'm nowhere near a sailor as you and some of the crew are—there might have been some en route to the continent, but truth be told I was too focused on my study and on battling an errant bout of seasickness to notice."

An errant bout of seasickness that Strange is just straight up overlooking the fact that it's not happening now! He's been on boats like twice in his life, surely that is enough to cure seasickness and make him used to boat travel, that's totally how it works.

"Perhaps our friends simply enjoy the company and wish to show off! I can't say that I blame them for that desire."

[bestsir]

"I'm no sailor," Harry protests with a laugh. "And I was dreadfully seasick for a week out of Woolwich when we first sailed. But I grew up in a fishing village. My brothers and I would sometimes take a little boat out onto the water and watch the porpoises and seals."

[kingsroads]

"That sounds absolutely delightful—certainly more delightful than where I grew up. Shropshire is lovely, though I suspect porpoises and seals are more entertaining than cows and bogs." There's a wry smile on Strange's face as he continues the conversation.

"I'm certain they can feel that way but I have to admit, I've never seen a cow as happy or joyous as these dolphins are."

[bestsir]

"You've never seen a cow gallop," Harry says. "But I do believe dolphins are much cleverer than cows. All of the Cetacea seem to be. Quite remarkable, really."

[kingsroads]

"Perhaps they're the reason why we're here! I know that dogs and cats dream. Perhaps dolphins do as well and our location has adapted to their arrival in the dream space."

It's a very silly train of thought and Strange knows it. But, it's a silly train of thought that he's halfway tempted to extend out into an actual theory that he can test or research.

[bestsir]

Harry, in fact, is more than happy to follow Strange on this silliness, as it entirely suits his temperament.

"I wonder how a dolphin experiences a dream," he muses. "For I don't believe they sleep precisely as we do—they must remain close to the surface to breathe and they cannot make themselves vulnerable to predators in the open ocean."

[kingsroads]

Strange pauses for a moment, mulling things over before he continues his theories.

"It sounds like they must be light sleepers. If that is the case, perhaps their dreams are not complex? I rarely remember my dreams to begin with but I certainly do not remember the ones I had when I laid down for a small nap."

[bestsir]

"Echoes of their waking lives, perhaps," Harry says. "Much as you see a dog's legs moving in its sleep as if it were pursuing something. It would be reasonable, then, to imagine that a dolphin's dream is an extension of the leaps and play it would undertake in waking."

[kingsroads]

"I wonder, would a dolphin twitch when they dreamed? Obviously they do not actually jump as one would have seen it happen if that were the case, but perhaps a small twitching or a thrash of their tail is their version of what happens with a dog's legs."

[bestsir]

"I imagine that must be the case. And the same must be true of the larger whales as well. What a thing to see—imagine."

[kingsroads]

"Who knows! Maybe we shall see one of them here!" Strange is bursting at the seams with happiness and optimism as he gives Goodsir a wide grin. "I dare say we're overdue something light and fun for the dream. Whales would be just the antidote!"

[bestsir]

"I shall be sure to tell you when I see some, then," Harry replies. Strange's enthusiasm cheers him immensely, and has cemented his friendship firmly in Harry's mind. Which, to his mind, is a welcome change from some of their earlier disagreements.

[kingsroads]

"I would greatly appreciate that," Strange says, with a grin. He turns to look back out at the ocean, eyes watching the dolphins as he talks. "I suspect I'll end up working soon, crafting sea winds or ocean squalls to push the Terror where Crozier desires it. It would be lovely to have a break and simply appreciate our surroundings every once in a while."