[Jaykobell]

"Are you actually suggesting," Sergio spoke after a moment, "that we use Heulog's powers to get a boat by moving one of them away from the rental business?" Never would he be on board with such a thing, but surely, surely, that couldn't be Hark's actual idea?

"Sometimes boats get... misplaced," Hark replied with a nonchalant twirl of his hand. "The rope snaps, or some pesky marine wildlife knocks it away into the ocean." All unlikely scenarios, but surely they happened sometimes, right?

[Jaykobell]

"I wasn't actually serious when I said we should steal a boat, you idiot," Clovis groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Surely Hark must have known he had been sarcastic. Right?

"It's not stealing if we bring it back and put it right back where we found it," Hark said as a counterargument. "And if it's for the sake of those people, does it really matter?" Pun unintended, of course, but internally, it did make him chuckle a little.

[Jaykobell]

"Of course it matters!" Sergio gasped at Hark's words. "What you're suggesting we do is a crime, Hark. A felony!" This particular deity truly had a bizarre moral compass at times. Although he had gotten better, it was always startling to hear Hark suggest underhanded solutions to their problems.

Hark tilted his head to the side, and he looked almost disappointed. "It's not really stealing," he repeated again. "Besides." He looked at Sergio with a curious look. "I thought you, out of everyone, would've been on board, Sergio."

[Jaykobell]

Clovis glanced at Sergio. He saw the other's expression turn to shock when Hark spoke. "Excuse me?" Sergio said in response, too dumbfounded to say anything else. "What is that supposed to mean?" He was giving Hark the benefit of the doubt, but he had a feeling he knew exactly what Hark was making reference to.

"Well, you know," Hark replied. "The whole..." He paused for a split second. "Gang member thing," he finally said. "You probably stole a car or two in those days, right? A boat can't be that different."

[Jaykobell]

A rare expression flashed across Sergio's face. "How dare you," he responded, the rage hidden in the quiet tone of his voice. "I'm not a criminal!" But even his calm demeanor couldn't keep all the upset inside. "What I did back then—"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm just saying!" Hark said calmly, once again putting his hands over his chest. "You have a certain past, and from it, you have a certain set of skills!" He cupped his hands together. "If Heulog doesn't wanna move a boat, I bet you'd know how to start one."

[Jaykobell]

Hark spoke as if nothing of what he had just said could be interpreted negatively. Beyond that, what he had said had been in complete disregard of the trauma Sergio had experienced during the so-called "gang member thing", as Hark had so awkwardly put it.

And Clovis could see it in Sergio's face. The usually calm and collected priest was struggling to hold himself back from giving Hark a piece of his mind. And considering the stupidities the deity had blurted out, he definitely deserved it.

[Jaykobell]

Seeing that Sergio wasn't answering him, Hark made the poor decision of continuing the conversation. "If we're careful about it, no one's gonna notice if a boat goes missing," he pointed out to the group. "All we have to do—"

His words were abruptly interrupted. Clovis and Sergio were shocked when they saw Hark's mouth literally disappear from his face; but ultimately, none of them was more shocked than Hark himself. His eyes widened, and he brought his hands to his face, trying to find his mouth.

[Jaykobell]

Despite the questions hanging in the air, none of them had any time to ask. They had stood up when this whole mess of a conversation had started; feeling something behind them, both Clovis and Sergio looked around to see Heulog standing up, her eyes, markings, and orbs glowing with power. It didn't take them much time to put two and two together.

Perhaps, Hark, Heulog spoke, her voice echoing powerfully in their minds, it is your mouth that ought to be 'displaced'.

[Jaykobell]

Somehow, despite his predicament, Hark still had the courage to look at the Fenling with a defiant look in his eyes. Had his mouth not been taken away, it was certain that he would have continued to speak.

Not wanting the situation to degenerate, Sergio took a few steps towards Heulog. "Heulog, don't," he said simply, though his voice was still strained from what Hark had brought back to the surface. "Now's not the time for infighting." They still had a lot to do, but this wasn't going to accomplish anything.

[Jaykobell]

This fool ought to be taught a lesson, Sergio, Heulog countered, facing the priest. Perhaps the lack of a mouth will teach this bottle a sliver of morality. The word "bottle" had been spoken with clear disdain, so much so that the whole group was taken aback by it.

You shall not use my powers for such a ridiculous purpose, Heulog went on to say. Should you also speak ill of Sergio again... She paused, but when she spoke again, her voice carried more emotion into it than usual, I will do more than simply 'displace' your mouth.

[Hunt Complete]

[Jaykobell]

The two supernatural beings looked at each other for a hot minute. Hark couldn't say anything considering the circumstances, but it seemed like Heulog had nothing more to say, either. She simply stared back, a certain intensity despite her blank eyes.

In the meantime, Clovis and Sergio looked at each other. Sergio had already tried to calm Heulog down, and he didn't seem willing to try again. As for Clovis, it wasn't his place to challenge a God that could "displace" something of his away in the blink of an eye.

[Jaykobell]

After a while, Heulog spoke again. We do not have time to waste here, she pointed out. Her voice had calmed down ever so slightly from her outburst. So, perhaps...

As suddenly as it had disappeared, Hark's mouth came back. May you put it to good use moving forward, Heulog said upon giving him his mouth back. She then turned around, giving the group a flick of her tails. Perhaps you may help Clovis with it while Sergio and I go our separate ways to find a boat.

[Jaykobell]

"Wait," Sergio said with confusion, "why go out separate ways?" As soon as he had asked, he figured out that maybe Heulog was right. If they split up, they might find a boat rental much faster by covering different parts of town. "Well, I guess it makes sense..." he added shortly afterwards, after having given it some thought.

It does, Heulog confirmed simply, looking over her shoulder to look back at Sergio. Once a group finds an affordable boat, we need only find each other.

[Jaykobell]

"Well..." Sergio turned to look at Clovis. "Does that work with you?"

Clovis gave it a bit of thought. "Well, either way, I don't think I'm in a position to disagree with a God right now," he pointed out, tilting his head towards Heulog. "But it does make sense, I guess. We'll cover more ground that way."

With Clovis's approval, Sergio turned to Hark. Regardless of what had happened and what he had said, it was important that they all agreed. "Hark?"

[Jaykobell]

Hark was usually the relaxed one in the group; the one who didn't really take things seriously. When his expression turned so sour, then, it was a little jarring to witness. Even more so was the fact he didn't answer right away, and that when he did say something, his tone was nothing like it usually was. "Fine," was his answer, spoken in a quiet, cold tone.

"All right, well..." Sergio looked between the two of them. "See you later, then. Good luck!"