JENNA: * Jo spends much longer above deck than she intended to, enjoying the breeze and bantering occasionally with the sailors. She runs through a few dagger routines, feeling she's been a little out of practice lately, and the rolling of the ship provides an interesting counterpoint. It's only when the sun is dipping below the horizon and the crew is making preparations for a shift change that she heads below to find herself a meal.

JUSTIN: * Shane is fast asleep, and any call for dinner goes completely and blissfully unheard. Zonked out on his back, one arm dangling down to the floor, one might mistake him for dead he's so far gone. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, however, colorful dreams are spinning.

JENNA: * Jo arrives in the mess hall in just enough time to catch a meal and a seat before the crowds start coming in. She eats quickly, having temporarily forgotten her traveling companion -- it was such a good day, after all. When she's finished, she deposits her dishes with the crew, making a mental note to take the pile accumulating in the cabin out sometime soon. The stares are fewer now, and she doesn't much notice the whispering, her mood chipper as she trots back to the cabin and pulls open the door.

JUSTIN: * Inside Shane's mind, an odd display of overly vibrant colors and disproportionate figures is playing, taking place deep in a shaded forest. He's chasing something, what might be a person, though they are hard to make out as they flit from tree to tree. Just then, however, he's cut off from his target when a pair of giant rabbits come roaring out of the underbrush, sharpened teeth glistening with fresh blood. One of them points a stained, clawed finger at him and screams an oath of blood for the death of its children.

JENNA: * Jo pokes her head in the room, but the lamp has long since guttered, leaving them completely in the dark. She shrugs, sliding her pack to a corner and stretching lazily as she makes for the bed. She sets one knee on the edge of the frame (which she nearly rams into, having misjudged the distance slightly), then lowers herself lazily into it, halfway through with the motion before she realizes the bed's not empty. Her attempt to backpedal, punctuated by a startled yelp, is largely unsuccessful, causing her mostly to lose her balance and tumble down yet farther.

JUSTIN: * In Shane's head, his fearful flight has left him with his back to a wall of rock, and one of the mighty rabbits throws him bodily to the ground. It rears up with a blood-chilling cry, before launching itself at his chest -- and as fate would have it, something else has just connected with the chest of his sleeping body. Shane's eyes fly open wide as the started yelp of his assailant reaches his ears, and the pressure of new weight crosses half his body. A terrified wail escapes him as he tries to escape, arms flailing about and legs kicking, but the monster is already upon him!

JENNA: * Jo manages to push herself upright, dodging Shane's wild flailing with considerable effort, though she's unable to avoid a couple of glancing blows to her torso. Once she manages to catch her balance, swearing at him, she grabs hold of his flailing arms and pins them to the bed, glaring. "STOP that," she snarls, barely able to figure out where his face is by the light seeping in under the door.

JUSTIN: * For a moment his panic only increases, before his slowly waking brain manages to filter the killer bunny sound out of Jo's voice enough for him to realize who it is. "Wha... what happened?! What are you doing on top of me?!" His face goes red, thankfully hidden by the lack of light. But at least he stops struggling.

JENNA: "I forgot you were there!" Jo snaps in return, the darkness hiding her own blush quite handily. "I was going to get off, but you started flailing --" She stops sharply, releasing his arms and leaning back, only to jerk away again when she finds herself nearly sitting on him.

JUSTIN: * Shane attempts to wiggle himself back from under her, but the cot won't give him enough balance or leverage to move without flipping it. He huffs, settling for sitting up. This doesn't leave him feeling much better, and his blush only deepens. "Well I'm not flailing now!"

JENNA: * Jo scoots hurriedly back, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible -- in spite of the fact she's still on top of him. "Hold still," she mutters, finally managing to get enough purchase that she can lever herself off of him and the cot, though she stumbles, nearly falling on her rump in the process. Recovering her balance, she backs hurriedly away from the cot, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the door.

JUSTIN: * Shane is quick to remove himself from the cot, as well, as if separating himself from it will separate him from what just happened. He gives Jo a very accusing look, arms crossing his chest the same as her. "One would think you'd check the bed, after offering it to me before taking your leave."

JENNA: "It was dark," Jo grates, outraged at being accused and humiliated at likely deserving it.. "It was dark, and I forgot." She turns her stare to where he can barely be seen, scowling. "I'm sorry, all right? It's not like I would have done it on purpose."

JUSTIN: "I certainly shouldn't think so." Though his voice still holds an edge of disgust and agitation, he does find his uncomfortable, rickety chair and reseat himself. His legs cross, uncross, and he stands back up again, unable to sit still. "Your apology is accepted, I suppose." He says roughly, almost muttering.

JENNA: "Well, good," she mutters, not sure why she really cares. She turns her glare to the bed, as if it is somehow at fault, then she draws in a short breath, pressing her hand to her forehead. "There's food," she says shortly. "The dinner bell rang a half-hour ago."

JUSTIN: "I'm not very hungry." Shane says snappishly, his own glare favoring the wall opposite where she's standing. He turns to walk across the cabin, away from her, though he's not sure what he intends to do there. "You can sleep if you want. I'll find something to do."

JENNA: * Jo bites down on the impulse to retort that she's not tired, even though it's mostly true. She instead stalks over to her belongings and finds her weaving again, rapidly unraveling all the work she's done so that she can start a new pattern. "Do whatever you want."

JUSTIN: "I intend to." Shane says, turning to give her a brief look of annoyance. "Perhaps I'll go see what the locals are gossiping about now." He grabs the door and opens it sharply, stepping out into the hall and closing it behind him without much gentleness. Once in the hall, he takes a deep breath to try calming himself, and heads down the hall to the mess, fixing his hair as he goes.

JENNA: * Jo, realizing she won't get much weaving done in the dark, flings the hoop down on her bag and stalks over to lie down on the bed, curling up and rolling to face the wall. She tries to sleep, but for a long time she's unable to escape her angry thoughts. The dining hall is full by now, teeming with life and chatter. Someone else is on serving duty today, so at least there won't be questions from that source.

JUSTIN: * Despite his comment about not being hungry, Shane finds himself immediately getting into line. He casually looks about, checking for the usual stares and whispers to judge if he's old news yet, until he reaches the head of the line.

JENNA: * There are a few stares and murmurs, but it's clear their latest escapade didn't make enough noise for the rumor mill to take note. The woman serving tosses her hair, giving him an interested once-over before handing him his food, then waves him on down the line.

JUSTIN: * Shane manages an obviously faked smile, barely enough to turn the corners of his lips. He takes his plate of food without comment, moving to the nearest table with space for him and sitting to enjoy his meal.

JENNA: * The table is mostly empty, save for a young sailor who is picking boredly at his food, clearly discontent about something. He takes a bite, pauses to glance at Shane, then grunts and washes it down with some water. "Enjoyin' the trip?"

JUSTIN: "I'm not much for travel." Shane says without much interest, peering at his plate for a moment before deciding to eat what's on it. "And my travel companion isn't much for me."

JENNA: * The sailor's expression becomes momentarily puzzled. "You're the one with the wife, right? Havin' a spat?" He turns back to his food with more interest, watching Shane for his response.

JUSTIN: * The hair on the back of Shane's neck rises as he realizes what he just bumbled himself into, and a long, aching sigh escapes him. "Yes. Yes, I'm the one with the wife." He stabs a piece of meat and shovels it into his mouth, chewing at it viciously. "I'm not sure 'spat' would be the correct term."

JENNA: * This only makes the sailor more interested, but he pauses to take a few bites of food before firing of his next comment. "Fights like a wildcat, I bet." He doesn't expand on this, though it's clear he's tempted to. "Nearly took my head off the other day."

JUSTIN: * This causes Shane to take at least a little more interest in the conversation, himself. He arches a brow, looking up from his plate to eye the man. "Did she? What happened there?"

JENNA: * The sailor lurches back a little, rubbing the back of his neck with apparent unease. "Well, she's buyin' her ticket, see, and I was just havin' a little fun with her -- didn't take so kindly to it." He takes another gulp of his drink. It's unclear whether this is actually water.

JUSTIN: "A little fun?" Shane's face turns slightly uneasy, himself, but with an edge of something almost like concern. Probably more apparent to everyone else than to himself. "What kind of fun would that be?"

JENNA: * The sailor looks uneasier still, shuffling away slightly as if he's about to make his excuses, then a loud, angry voice bellows from above. "MARCUS, get your arse back up here! You've had enough time to damn well eat!" The sailor jumps, swears under his breath, and gets to his feet, waving a hurried farewell at Shane -- and clearly relieved he doesn't have to answer the question.

JUSTIN: * Shane glares at the retreating man, stabbing at his food dangerously before turning his attention back to it. He's suddenly very agitated -- almost like he's angry, but he's not completely sure why. He eats his meal in silence, eyes not leaving the plate to share their stern glare with the rest of those present.

JENNA: * The rest of the mess hall is content to leave him alone, some of them noting his angry stare and the sailor's hurried leave-taking. Back in the cabin, Jo has finally dozed off, the adrenaline-filled moments from earlier giving way to weary sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane finishes his meal shortly, grabbing the empty dishes and bringing them to the counter to deposit for cleaning. He ignores any spoken words or looks, and starts back down the hall toward his room before realizing he isn't sure he wants to go in. He leans against the wall and sighs, wondering how he's going to waste time to make it look like he doesn't keep crawling back whenever he claims he's going out.

JENNA: * From up the hall a bit comes a rattle of idle chatter. The two gossiping women from earlier are railing against god and creation because their oil lamp has gone and burned out. "You don't remember where they said to get more, do you?

JUSTIN: * Shane's ears perk at the sound of voices nearby, and despite himself, he's the one eavesdropping this time. He steps over to where the woman are chattering and clears his throat. "What seems to be the problem, madams?"

JENNA: * The pair startles at his appearance, one tittering in what she probably thinks is a becoming way. "Well," her companion begins, elbowing her, "we ran out of oil earlier .. not sure where to get more. I don't suppose you caught that when they were explaining?"

JUSTIN: "I am afraid I was not present at that time." Shane admits, standing at his professional best. It has been a while since he's been able to act the part of the friendly officer. "But I could inquire and fetch some for you, if you are in need."

JENNA: "Oh, would you?" the first one trills, earning her another elbow from her companion, who nods. "That would be very kind of you -- we wanted to get a meal before the mess hall closes ..."

JUSTIN: "Not a problem in the least, madams." Shane bows curtly, wishing he had his hat so he could tip it. He always likes doing that. "I'll have it back to you before your meal is even finished." He nods shortly and turns on his heal, marching briskly back down the corridor from whence he came.

JENNA: * None of the other inhabitants of mess hall look inclined to be particularly helpful, though the workers might be a good place to stop. The server looks tired, running one arm over her forehead and sighing, but her replacement appears to be on his way.

JUSTIN: * A brief once-over of the room is all Shane needs before singling out the arriving shifter, marching toward the counter with a pleasantly crisp clip to his boots. "Pardon me, sir." He bows briefly, setting a hand on the countertop. "I am afraid I am in need of lamp oil, and I was not present for instruction regarding the matter -- could you point me in the right direction?"

JENNA: * The sailor, for a moment, stares at him, taken aback by this display, then he blinks and shakes his head, nodding quickly. "Yeh, uh --" He jerks a thumb over his shoulder, toward the door he came thought. "Ask Merle in the storage room. He might get cranky with you, but he'll give you what you need."

JUSTIN: * Shane gives a half-bow, heading toward the indicated door with a thank you. Upon arriving, he straightens his shirt and gives the door a couple sharp knocks before easing it open, peeking inside.

JENNA: "Whatcha want?" rasps an irritable voice, and a heavyset man with a scraggly beard peers around the edge of a stack of boxes. "Not more damn lamp oil, is it? I allus said passengers is a bad idea, they use up too much -- but they don't listen to Merle, does they?"

JUSTIN: "My apologies, sir." Shane straightens, looking somewhat surprised at the tone in which he's been greeted. He enters the storage room, closing the door behind him and folding one arm behind him. "I am afraid lamp oil is what I am seeking, however."

JENNA: * Merle scowls slightly, shuffling over to a large, recently-opened crate with a lot of loud, derogatory muttering. "How much you want? Merle, he ain't got an endless supply, not that they cares."

JUSTIN: "Ah -- Just... two shares, sir." Shane shifts uncomfortably on his feet, wondering to himself why such a simple request seems to garner such bitterness. "Might I ask, sir, why supplying your passengers is a problem?"

JENNA: * Merle has already turned back with the two supplies in hand, but at this last question, his beady eyes bulge with rage. "My passengers!? They isn't Merle's passengers, no how, no WAY. Merle remembers when ship was for merchanting, and stowaways we threw for shark food, but no -- times change they tells Merle!" He thrusts the oil into Shane's arms, voice reaching a bellow. "But Merle, he still works! He still listen to stupid questions! Requests! Helps!"

JUSTIN: * Shane decides this is a battle best left unfought, and he quickly retreats out the door with his prize. Shutting the door roughly behind him, he leans against it for a moment to let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Composing himself again, he shakes it off and makes his way back to his hall.

JENNA: * The sailor just coming on shift glances over at him apologetically from where he's serving up another dish. "Sorry -- he's a little hard to deal with. Didn't hurt you, did he?" He turns back to the person he's serving before the question gets an answer, but it's clear he wants to hear one.

JUSTIN: * Shane shakes his head, looking like he's recovering from a stun anyway. "N-no. He was simply very... forwardly opinionated, but I am unharmed." He reaches to tip a hat that isn't there, looks at his hand disappointedly, and turns to continue on his mission.

JENNA: * The server nods, apologizing again, before returning his full attention to his customers. The mess hall is beginning to empty, slowly, but the two women can be seen at one of the tables, chatting animatedly.

JUSTIN: * Shane grinds his march to a halt upon spotting the two, almost having forgotten what he'd acquired the oil for in the first place, aside from lighting his own cabin. He changes his course and heads for their table, stopping beside and bowing politely. "Madams, I have your lamp oil."

JENNA: * They greet him with another trill, the second trying to look patient as she offers a smile. "Thanks so much, sir. We really didn't know what we were going to do." The first nods her head so rapidly it looks as if it's about to come loose.

JUSTIN: * Shane sets the cask of oil on the table for them, bowing even deeper before rising again. "It was no trouble, I assure you. I am always happy to help."

JENNA: * The second woman nods, sending a repressive stare in the direction of her companion before she can do anything else embarrassing. "Thanks again," she says, grinning, and turns back to her meal. "Let us know if we can do anything to repay you," volunteers the first, smiling cheerily.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes a quick step back, followed by an equally quick bow. "Thanks is its own reward. Just doing my job." He turns on his heel and marches back toward his own cabin, cask of oil in hand, and his spirits somewhat lifted. He almost feels normal again -- except that he's currently sharing a room with a criminal, but there's always something out of place.

JENNA: * The hall, at least, is quiet again, most people in one place or the other, instead of on their way. For her part, Jo has finally relaxed, no longer curled into a tight, pent-up ball. Dozing, she's rolled over on her back, one hand resting behind her head while the other, resting against her belly, is curled around the note that she can't seem to stop looking at.

JUSTIN: * Shane cracks the door open as quietly as he can, peering in to see if Jo is awake or asleep. Not seeing any movement, nor hearing any noise of disgust, he assumes the latter and enters soundlessly. The door clicks behind him as it latches, and his boots clomp softly as he crosses the room to set the oil near the lamp for later use. No longer sure what to do with himself, he sighs and retires to the chair, staring into the dark and pondering over some of the many things on his mind.

JENNA: * Jo stirs faintly at the brief light and sound, but she doesn't wake entirely, instead rolling to face the room, arm falling loosely to dangle over the edge of the bed. She murmurs something, but it's difficult to hear, and probably wouldn't make much sense anyway.

JUSTIN: * Shane's eyes are drawn to the body on the bed, as the movement is outlined in the dim light slipping under the door. Her arm, in particular, seems to nag at him as he watches it hanging, fingers grazing the wooden deck. For some reason, it continues to bother him, and finally -- after much fidgeting -- he stands, stepping silently over and crouching down beside the cot. As gingerly as he can, and with some nervousness about rousing her, he moves her arm with gentle care back onto the bed. Staring at her face for a moment, he's struck with a conflicting feeling of bitterness and accomplishment, and the memory of his earlier conversation with the sailor brings a sudden, nauseous feeling to his gut. He decides it best to move back to his chair before he makes himself ill with silly thoughts.

JENNA: * Jo murmurs again -- equally incomprehensible, but sounding very oddly affectionate. It's clear she has no idea what just happened. She curls up a little bit, but before much else can happen, a thunderous boom cracks the air, and the ship rocks violently. Jo sits up with a violent start, nearly tumbling to the floor, and swallows a scream of panic in her disorientation.

JUSTIN: * Shane isn't quite as successful at stopping his own scream, perhaps because the chair he's relaxing is suddenly upended, sending him sprawling backwards into the wall. "What in the bloody Hell was that?!" He scrambles back to his feet, the ship deciding to rock at a dangerous angle back the other direction and forcing him to grab hold of something for support.

JENNA: * Jo narrowly avoids being tossed to and fro by the violent motion of the sea. Another cracking boom rends the air, and she stuffs the note rapidly away, scrambling almost on all fours for her pack. "Storm --" She sounds as if she's going to be ill. "Doesn't sound natural --" This is punctuated by another boom, and the ship heaves sharply, sending her skidding headfirst into the door.

JUSTIN: * Shane makes an unsuccessful attempt to reach for her, instead falling flat on his face and sliding into the wall beside her. "Storm?!" His voice is lost in another peel of thunder, and this time he does manage to grab her, and reaching up, the handle to the door as well. "But it was perfectly calm just a minute ago!"

JENNA: * Jo's head strikes the door with a resounding crack, but she manages to recover with only a few shouted swearwords, levering herself up by clinging to the handle. "Not normal. Might be monsters," she grates, struggling to open the door. "They like to PLAY --"

JUSTIN: "I do not think this is a fair game!" Shane helps throw the door open, grabbing hold of the frame and struggling to his feet again. Getting most of his body out, he pauses to survey the chaos. Several of the other doors are open, and people are everywhere in various levels of disarray. The screaming is fairly constant. "What are we going to do about all these people?!"

JENNA: * Jocasta struggles through the door, though another pitch sends her careening into Shane. "They can take care of themselves," she growls. Several sailors are now in the crowd, attempting to calm people and get them back in their cabins. Most of them will have none of it.

JUSTIN: * Shane almost falls to the floor of the hall, one arm wrapping around Jo instinctively, then instantly removing itself as though it touched a hot plate. He steadies himself against the wall and looks about with eyes wide. "Take care of themselves?! They're helpless! There must be something we can do."

JENNA: * Jo grits her teeth, shoving away from him and making an effort to maintain her balance. "Get to the deck," she snaps. "They're attacking from below -- I don't want to be down HERE when the water starts coming in." She takes a snatch at the wall for support. "You can try telling them if you want."

JUSTIN: * Shane's face looks like he's caught in a struggle -- a struggle to stand, or a struggle to decide what to do, it's hard to determine. He pushes Jo in the direction of the exit she's intent to get to and snarls. "Fine! I'll do everything myself, go save yourself." He dives back into the cabin for a moment to snatch his scattered belongings, and is back out into the hall before another large blow can rock the ship again. Finding one of the nearby sailors, he pulls them aside and stares them down with an almost fanatical glare. "Did you hear what she said?! Monsters attacking the ship from below, everyone needs to move up!"

JENNA: * The sailor stares at Shane like he's gone barking mad. "It's storming up there, sir -- just get back to your cabin, it'll blow over --" Jo, meanwhile, shoves her way sharply through the crowd, skidding and cursing as she goes, until she reaches the stairs to the deck. Scrambling up them almost on all fours, she shoves the door open sharply and nearly sprawls into the arms of Griff, who looks at her blankly before demanding. "Where is everyone? The crew's waiting --" Jo pushes past him, growling, "They're being told to go back to their rooms." Griff stares at her. "Bloody /hell/." Then he dashes below, leaving her in the wind and storm above.

JUSTIN: * Shane growls and hauls the man aside, barging past and trying to get the attention of anyone who isn't too busy screaming to hear him. He settles for raising his voice as loud as he can and banging on nearby cabin doors. "Anyone who wants a chance to survive this, get yourselves to the top deck! The ship is being torn apart from the underside!" He grabs one of the woman he recognizes from before, and slams his hat onto his head. "Why is nobody listening, are you all mad?!"

JENNA: * The woman stares at him, unrecognizing, and utters a strangled sob. Before much more can happen, however, Griff appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs Shane by the arm. "Your girl's above -- go. We'll handle things here." It would appear that word has spread, however slowly, and more of the sailors are coming below to direct people to the deck. Another sharp crack rings out, follows by a few screams.

JUSTIN: "Hopefully you'll have better luck than me." Shane snarls, handing the woman over to the sailor and swimming through the crowd toward the stairs. He moves as fast as he can, flying out of the hatch onto the deck and looking frantically for "his girl". He grabs hold of a nearby rope as the wind hits him, and holds his hat to his head with his free hand. "Jocasta?!"

JENNA: * The wind tears his voice away, but as very few people have made it up top, she isn't hard to spot, standing braced against the railing and staring out at the ocean. The sea itself seems shockingly calm, aside from the downpour of rain and the boat's pitching and rocking. Above, clouds are roiling through the sky, but they appear concentrated above the boat -- only a little way away the air is clear. And as if to make the final point that this storm is no natural occurrence, a bolt of lightning tears into the air -- but its origin seems to be beneath the ocean waves.

JUSTIN: * Shane's face twists in astonishment, but he shakes it off quickly as the situation is far too dangerous to sit and stare. He pushes from his spot of safety and flings himself toward Jo's location, hoping to get there before another jolt sends him sprawling with nothing to grab hold of. He reaches her railing, and latches onto it, his coat already drenched in the concentrated rainfall. "Thanks for the help, I'm sure everyone appreciates your selfish attitude!" He growls, but his face looks more relieved that she hasn't been thrown overboard yet -- as much as she'd deserve it, he tells himself.

JENNA: "I notice you managed to save the world single-handedly," is her curt response, but there isn't much heart in it, as her attention seems mostly taken by the storm on the ocean. "I hope they get bored soon." Her face, illuminated by the sporadic flashes of lightning, appears drawn and pained.

JUSTIN: "Well you don't need to stand here, staring -- you're going to make yourself ill!" Shane ignores her harsh retort, looking about to grab her, to move her -- but his arm hangs in the air. He instead moves it to point back toward the middle of the ship. "And the last thing we need is for you to be thrown overboard. We should stay low."

JENNA: "It doesn't matter," she says dully, gaze still fixed on the water, but she does unclench her grip on the railing, making to push away and go somewhere slightly safer. Before she can, however, a series of roaring booms ring out, and there's a distinct cracking noise -- this one more like snapping timbers. The boat pitches violently, flinging her completely off balance, and she clutches at something -- well, anything -- to keep from falling over. Unfortunately, the two nearest things are Shane and the rail.

JUSTIN: * Shane, already off-balance by the sudden surge and flailing to catch hold of something, is suddenly tugged even further off by Jo's grabbing hand. He clutches onto her as the ship continues to shudder and quake, but quickly moves one hand to the railing. The railing, however, is shuddering so badly that it is almost of no use.

JENNA: * A litany of terrified curses spills from Jo's lips as she hangs on to Shane and the rail, and she squeezes her eyes shut as another series of shattering sounds rings out, each one punctuated by more breaking wood. The deck heaves underneath them, then with shocking suddenness gives way entirely, snapping crookedly in two.

JUSTIN: * The sudden split in the deck causes the wood beneath their feet to turn upward at a sheer angle, and Shane simply can't keep a grip on the slick railing. His hands grab onto Jo as he cries out in surprise at his sudden plunge, but that too doesn't give him much purchase, and his hands slip down her leg before leaving her completely. His right leg catches in a rung of the rail further down, and his fall is cut short as he is twisted about. He cries out this time in pain, and he watches with dismay as his hat falls into the ocean water that is creeping up below him.

JENNA: * Jo pitches forward, this time unable to stop a scream as she backpedals against the deck's sudden tilt. Her method is less than successful, for even as she flails for a grip on the railing, her legs slip out from under her, and she cracks the back of her head fairly hard on the sloping deck. Her vision slurs, and no amount of half-hearted floundering is able to save her from tumbling down past Shane and toward the rising waters.

JUSTIN: * Shane attempts to reach out for her as she tumbles past him, but his position only allows his arms to stretch so far. He curses in an unusual break from tradition, and struggles with his leg until he finally wrenches it free. He immediately begins to fall again, fingers groping uselessly at the wet wooden boards, and within seconds he connects with the icy water.

JENNA: * Jo strikes the water with a hard splash, and it's just enough to drag her back into consciousness, if only momentarily. She flails wildly, gulping a mouthful of the salty water and spluttering, then a violent wash of water throws her up against the deck again, and she sees stars, this time falling completely into unconscious darkness.

JUSTIN: * Shane spends an uncomfortable amount of time under the water, trapped by some fallen debris and struggling to push himself through it. His face eventually breaks the surface, and he gasps for air, getting a mix of rain and splashing foam with it. Attempting to see through stinging eyes, he spies Jo's form lying against the beaten, snapped remains of their half of the deck, and paddles through the water to her side. "Jo, are you--" He cuts himself short when he can clearly see she's unconscious. Forcing down rising panic, he looks about hurriedly for anything he can use to help keep her above water.

JENNA: * The deck heaves once more, clearly still in the process of sinking, and suddenly a thunderous series of cracks rings out, culminating in dozens of bolts of lightning tearing up through the water, scorching and shattering the deck further. The violent upheaval flings the pair out into the water, but with the ship's disintegration, more than one scrap of wood is lying on the water. There's one more, violent thunderclap, and the water suddenly goes calm, the skies above clearing to reveal a blanket of stars. Shortly, the only sign there was a storm at all is the wreckage still floating in the general area.

JUSTIN: * Shane thrashes in the water for a moment as he tries to right himself, then his eyes widen and the panic he was holding back flares as he searches for Jo's unconscious body. He's relieved when he spots her with her face safely above water, and he snags her before that luck can change. Somewhat swimming, but mostly struggling, he manages to get them both up onto the largest, most sturdy piece of drifting deck he can find. Pausing only to catch his breath, he soon sets about repositioning Jo on her back, and checks her own breathing.

JENNA: * Her breathing is shallow, but steady, though she shows no sign whatsoever of waking. There's a trickle of blood running down the side of her face, however -- apparently one of those blows was just right for a cut.

JUSTIN: * Shane heaves a sigh of relief that she's at least breathing, and that relief is soon followed by further worry. Breathing for how long? And to what end, they're in the middle of the ocean! He can't find anything dry on him, but he uses the sleeve of his coat to attempt to stop her bleeding anyway. Cleaning it will have to wait... or not matter at all.