"YARRRR, matey, that be the place!" Captain confirmed enthusiastically. His voice softened with a new, fond note of nostalgia as he went on to answer Astraea's question. "Why, nothing can compare! Nothin' like schlorpin' through the mud on a hot day, cooling down and givin' the stink-eye--" Captain nearly cracked up at his own pun, here, and had to take a moment to regain his composure-- "HEEHEEHEE, to them UGLY FLAPPY SCURVY DOGS flappin' 'round the sky! AHAHAHA, I'd like ta see them eat THIS mud!"
He continued, recovering from his momentary lapse into self-satisfied glee: "AYE, me heartie, and goin' to the dunes to watch the first light cast them darlin' rays o'er the high seas, or lookin' down into a ravine and gettin' that dizzin' high! LITERALLY high, AHAHAHAHA, MATEY! But I see what ya mean about bein' careful. Never know if one of them flappy scurvy dogs, flashy leggy bastards, or them leviathans goin' ta come 'round and eat ya one day!" Captain shook his head sadly. Many a day had been ruined by the aforementioned scurvy dogs--but that he'd fought enough of them off to survive before finally taking a vacation away from the cave was his own triumph, and a source of pride.
Amusing.
"It is dangerous," he agreed. "But if you are familiar enough with it, perhaps you'll agree to help us. We," he went on (which was a blatant lie, because Astraea'd come up with this plan himself and hadn't actually discussed it with anyone else--so it was 'I,' really)--"intend to tame Hydra. It will still be used for Trials--do you know what those are?" he asked, pausing.
Well--it didn't matter, perhaps. "-But its environment would be better-suited to moulding useful Gembounds when it is not in active use."
Astraea paused, and reflected that he hadn't actually understood half of what Captain had even said. What if Captain did not understand him, in turn? Therefore: "We are going to make it safer," he simplified. "Would you like to help me?"
@Captain
Captain stared at Astraea as he spoke, unsure of how to feel about this. Tame Hydra? There was no way. Hydra was untamable; that was part of its charm! But... if it were, then maybe fewer flashy leggy bastards running around trying to hypnotize and eat him would be a good thing?
"No," he responded blankly when asked about Trials. Every bit of him exuded 'clueless muscled buffalo' energy. "... err, mouldin' useful Gembounds?" Clearly, he didn't know what that meant either. Then an epiphany. "Oh! Safer! YARRRRRR, matey! I be likin' to do anythin' to get rid of them flashy leggy and flappy flappy scurvy dogs! It be the time for my REVENGE, hahahahaha! Tell me, me HEARTIEST of hearties! What do I be needin' to do!"
This, at least, he was good at. Doing something when given clear instructions, that was. As long as Astraea didn't use more complicated terms when giving those instructions.
He likely looked very stoic and noble, but really he was trying to figure out half of what the Gembound had said.
Well, he got the gist of it, anyway; and that would be enough. He was-... fairly sure that Captain was explaining, in his outlandish speech, that he did not like the Eyehook vultures-?
Hm.
"Well, then--you might lead the forces. Assemble a-" Astraea paused just short of saying 'army.' No; he'd need to speak this one's language to make him understand, and he rolled the idea around in his mind for a moment. "Assemble a crew to take back your sea of sands. Meet me at the entrance of Hydra when you are ready; I will visit now and then. We will need numbers," he warned. "The-... 'scurvy dogs' are very dangerous, this time of year."
@Captain
"AYE-AYE, MATEY!" Captain all but yelled, eyes practically glowing at the thought of storming into Hydra with his crew and taking it back from those scurvy dogs. It was too bad that he didn't have any arms, or he surely would have slapped Astraea (possibly with excessive force, too) heartily on the shoulder.
He would have been off, then, on his way to collecting his very own pirate crew and considering the bellowed agreement a most sensible goodbye (needless to say, the buffalo was rather unpractised with manners and sophistication compared to the deer), but Astraea said something else that caught his attention. Captain paused, putting a lifted hoof back down where it had been. "This time of year?" he echoed, a vaguely confused expression wrinkling his face. Why would those scurvy dogs be more dangerous at a particular time of year?
Oh, well. It didn't really matter--Captain wasn't going to let any of his future sea dog comrades get killed anyway! Or himself! "Well, I'll be darn careful of them sons of biscuit eaters! You take care, me heartie!"
And with that, he really was off. To gather an army impressive crew of seasoned pirates, presumably.
exit?
"We are coming up on the time when the caves grow hottest. In Hydra, that is... oppressive," he explained, dropping any attempt to mimic Captain's speech. "They tend to be more active just before and after, more aggressive. If it is the Eyehooks that you mean," he finished. "In any case... I will see you soon, perhaps. Oh--bring only the strong. The weak are unlikely to survive."
By necessity.
By design.
Astraea flicked one ear, and turned away; let the Gembounds gather for him, and once again, choose who they wished to risk in Hydra.
What a luxury they had--and they didn't even know it.
@Captain (for visibility)