Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-One - Scratch That

I had four General skill slots to fill, and a lot more than four options. Really, the moment I was done with my list, I kinda wanted to sit down and think about it, but I also had some work to do, so I folded it up, stuffed it in my pocket, then did my captain-ing duties for a few hours.

That mostly meant double-checking our heading, making sure that the few repairs we'd done were in good order, and ensuring that everyone was doing their job. That wasn't too hard, I had the best crew ever and they were all very responsible and didn't slack off when it was their turn to do something.

It wasn't until well after supper that I had time to think about the list again. I told Clive to take the night off, I had so much energy at the moment that I was sure I could stay behind the wheel until the early hours of the morning, and the old bird deserved a few hours of rest for putting up with me and my friends.

So, as the sun set, I found myself behind the ship's wheel. The Beaver's engine rumbled beneath me, but it wasn't being pushed at all. There was a slight wind from the east, one that was surprisingly warm... or maybe not so surprisingly warm if it had come from over the Ostri desert.

I locked the ship's wheel in place using a little metal latch that Awen had tinkered up. This way the rudder would keep pointing us ahead and slightly to the left, to counteract the easterly wind. I was keeping an eye on the compass too, in case I had to make some minute adjustments as we went.

Fortunately, it was a pretty clear evening, with only a few puffball clouds overhead, and the stars were plainly visible already. It was easy to pick a constellation out ahead and with a squint I could have the duck figureheads at the front lined up with a particular star.

I pulled out the list from my pocket and unfolded it. There were... twenty-four potential skills on the list. I had room for four general skills, and a single spot for a Wonderlander skill. So I had to chop the list down by quite a bit.

Pinching my tongue between my lips, I ran through the list and crossed out a few skills that I was pretty sure weren't super suitable for me. I started with Amaryllis' skills, since they were at the top.

Meditation got the chop. It wasn't that I couldn't picture myself meditating, it was just that I had such a busy life that finding the time to do it would be hard. Plus, it seemed like something that went counter to my goals of having as much fun with my friends as possible. Unless we did group meditation? Hmm, no, I couldn't picture everyone being into that.

Mana Regeneration, however, was staying on the list. It was the kind of thing that was just handy to have, really.

Danger Sense could stay on there too. There was a lot of utility there, not just for fighting, but for everyday stuff too. Maybe it would warn me if something I was about to eat would upset my tummy, or maybe it would let me know about a dangerous person that I had to be careful while befriending?

Common Sense was nice and all, but I was worried that it might interfere with my Wonderlander abilities. Besides, if I wanted some sort of sense, then I probably didn't want it to be common. At least uncommon would be alright, but I'd settle for rare or legendary a lot faster.

Next to be crossed out was Time Management. It wasn't that bad of a skill, really, but I didn't see a practical use for it. If I was ever going to be late for something then Amaryllis would let me know... at length and with great gusto. Caprica and Awen were also very punctual people, and it wasn't like I was all that bad with stuff either. Sure, I got distracted sometimes, but not always.

So that was one more crossed off the list.

Orange's suggestions were... well... Sunbathing was nice and all, and it was true that sitting down on a porch on a day where it was just a bit chilly outside, maybe with a thin blanket on while the sun warmed you up, was one of the nicest, comfiest feelings--but I wasn't sure I needed an entire skill for it.

Murder as a skill was also not something I was too keen to have. It was something I hoped that I would always be very reluctant to even consider, and definitely not something I wanted to be good at.

Petting... alright, that could stay for now. I wasn't sure if it would make it to the shortlist, but being better at it couldn't hurt! Imagine how happy the next dog I met would be if I had supernatural ear-scritching abilities?

Next were Calamity's suggestions. Laugh in the Face of Death actually got an underline. I didn't know how I would even start to get that skill, but it seemed like it would be a fun one. Would it stop me from being afraid? Would it make me stronger when I was in danger? I didn't know, but I wanted to know more about it, and I was willing to do a pinch of research to find out!

Getting the skill might be the trickiest part with this one, but I didn't mind overly much. Plus Calamity might be able to help!

Swashbuckling was a nice second contender. I wasn't sure what the skill did exactly, but I imagined it would help me fight on an airship, maybe give me some skills with a cutlass or help me strut around like a fearsome sky pirate!

Never Miss was a third great skill from Calamity. I wasn't sure if it was a great skill for me in particular since I wasn't a dedicated ranged fighter, but it might help me in those cases where I did have to fight from afar. I tended to use a scatter approach with my fireballs. This might help me use stronger ones without having to worry about wasting as much mana.

And Never Miss seemed like a skill that had uses outside of fights or near-death situations.

Caprica only had one skill on her list, but it was a doozy. Thick Skin looked like something that would probably be fairly easy to unlock, and it had so many uses! I could imagine being impervious to insults and people making fun of me! That would be so incredibly powerful.

Also, having skin that was literally thicker might be nice too. I tended to not get hurt too often, but scrapes and bruises and boo-boos happened. I'd gotten some rope burn the other day, and a cut on my shin. Not to mention a few scrapes here and there. Those were the price I paid for an active lifestyle, and it would be nice if I could just... not have those.

I did worry about the skill making my skin less soft. What if it became all calloused and leathery? One of the great pleasures in life was smushing your cheek against someone else's in the middle of a hug, and would I lose that if my cheeks weren't as soft and smooth?

I still really liked the skill. It got an underline too!

Desiree's Grace Under Pressure got underlined right after. It seemed like a neat skill to have, and again, there were uses in and out of combat. I wasn't one to fumble over my words when worried or stressed, but having an extra boost for that kind of situation wouldn't hurt. And I suspected that it also made me a bit more flexible, or at least graceful, during fights too, at least when they got tough.

Unfortunately, Etiquette and Tail Maintenance got the cross-out-of-doom. I didn't really think I needed a skill for etiquette. The best etiquette was just being nice. And my floofball of a tail was kept clean and properly floofy already.

Booksie had given me a heap of skills to pick from, but a few felt a little wrong. Harebrained, Buns of Steel, and Hopping Mad didn't call out to me. Bun in the Oven was neat if it helped with baking, but we didn't even have an oven on the Beaver. That left Haredevil, which did sound pretty neat.

Would it help me pull off cool stunts? If so, then it was totally worth considering, at the very least.

That left Rhawrexdee's skills, and all three of them were actually super-duper good. Hoarding would help me make and keep more friends. Flight was flight. Draconic Confidence... well, I probably didn't need the confidence to be draconic but it was still nice to feel certain in yourself.

I nodded and looked at my list again.

Amaryllis
- Meditation
- Mana Regeneration
- Danger Sense
- Common Sense

Awen
- Time Management
- Basic Mechanics

Orange
- Sunbathing
- Murder
- Petting

Calamity
- Laugh in the Face of Death
- Swashbuckling
- Never Miss

Caprica
- Thick Skin

Desiree
- Graceful Under Pressure
- Etiquette
- Tail Maintenance

Booksie
- Harebrained
- Haredevil
- Buns of Steel
- Hopping Mad
- Bun in the Oven

Rhawrexdee
- Hoarding
- Flight
- Draconic Confidence

... Well, thirteen was less than what I started with, at least?

***