New Purpose

Year 765 Manuk Soulstone

It is not hard to find the captain; he is just at the door of his cabin watching the comings and goings of his ship with crossing arms. He is dress down, a perfect sign that he is just about to take over the helm. He is waiting for her, clearly, based on the way his right brow hitches up at the first sight of her. The intense copper pools of his eyes no longer scan the deck; they are only train on her. They are the very eyes of a Starpecco again, daring her to try to run from him. The only thing he is missing is the head crest of a Starpecco.

I will not run. Truly, the anxiety she might have felt yesterday evaporates after all the assumptions that brews behind her eyeballs. His alleged partnering with slavers just ruins any respect she may have had for him. Maybe this is one of the many failures in testing for trust.

“Rhea!”

How long have I been standing here?! “Aye!” Rhea bounds towards the captain, keeping the challenge in her posture by crossing her arms to match his front. A fine, confident stance, despite being so short that her head cranes up to glare. She didn’t want him to think he can throw his authority around. He must earn her respect now that he is a potential slave owner sympathizer.

“Hmph. You took your time.” He rolls his gaze over her. It might be because she is wearing new clothes. Except he made it clear what he is looking for, “Save your gripes with me once your task is over.”

Great! Already he put a wall up. “Oh! But of course. Now clarify to me when you told me the start of my shift?” Rhea is too annoyed to save it for later, like he so demands. The way his amazing jawline clenches is a hint that he is ready to bite back. Instead…

“Whenever I steer, you will post at the Gullian’s roost. Is that clear?” Connor relays to her now what he should have mention last night. She can tell that he isn’t going to apologize for retaining the information, but at least each part of him releases a fraction of his intense aura. It made him less imposing, maybe even approachable.

“Aye…” Rhea lost some of the edge of her fire since he didn’t feed into her pettiness, his regard for her changes somewhere in their conversation. Somehow…what was it?

Captain Connor chooses to end their interaction by thudding up the steps to take on the helm as he intends to. If she keeps watching his broad back any longer, she will surely get yelled at. The next best thing this mage can do is do exactly as he commands. Which is to take over for the barrelman before her.

There are only two reasons why he gave her this job in the first place.

Mana . It powers the bearer with more energy than the average mortal; Manuk’s throne pumps more energy to the user. They aren’t weak against heat and have a higher resistance to skin burns. When they do get injuries, they heal from them, continuing to receive this overbearing love from Manuk.

Then there are her eyes. A hereditary skill that skips a few generations- or so her mother claimed -and gave her the ability to see far as well as aid her photographic memory. These eyes help her learn ten different languages in written form and she can match her father’s calligraphy. The skill keeps her arrow shots exact every time. There is no other person perfect for the job. That captain is surely going to take advantage of such a person. He already did that!

Rhea sticks her tongue out at the captain’s direction, slinking away before he notices. Today, Anukrin lets her have this tiny victory. The small mage finds the mast she had to climb up on, the largest one on this ship, and the ladder tied taut around the girth of this giant pole. It looks sturdy enough and she had already tested its integrity many times before. This time is no different, besides having finally earning a job excites her. However, she is still full of suspicion.

Rhea reaches the top. A wooden platform is where she stands. It is big enough for two people to walk around the mast in the center. This is where she is greeted by a man that looks oddly familiar. She isn’t sure where from at first.

“Oie! If it isn’t me fated savior!” This man is young, probably the same age as Cid, because his face is still soft from the brunt of aging. Thin even on his face, a very naïve deposition brightens his scruffy features. His brown hair brushed into a bun while hazel eyes smile with the grin that reaches one ear to the next. She saw the two scimitars attach to his lanky hip and her memories floods in finally.

“You are the barrelman that fainted!”

“Aye, lass t’ very same! Though I do have a name. Jakobe.” The young man blushes, rubbing his freckly cheek. It is obvious that he is embarrassed. “I owe yer me life for that.”

“Oh! Anyone would have done the same. I just saw you first.” Rhea receives the compliment uncomfortably, eyelids gaping and trying hard to giggle it away. It is so easy to receive hatred. When she’s hit with a compliment from a practical stranger, it always makes her uncertain and nervous. She always expects the worst of people. Her heart can’t handle the pain of being tricked again. At least, that is how she used to handle things before she met Vicar Jal and Grace Risa. There are good people in this world.

“But Lass. Yer were the one t’ save me, so yer received me gratitude and me loyalty t’ boot.” This young man is so chipper it is hard to imagine that he was so listless the other day. Now he is leaning into her bubble, being friendly with that smile on his face. She still tries to edge along the platform to increase space between them. “Well lass! Are ye me replacement?”

Rhea blinks, the smile on his face nearly addicting, matching it with her own. She is excited to have a job after a week's worth of Connor’s strict training. “Yes!”

“Good. Let me show ye how it’s done on the Gullian’s roost.” He is oddly a nice young pirate, already removing the spyglass strap to his side and offering it to her. “Ye need this.”

“Nope!”

“What do yer mean lass?” The barrel-man quirks his brow.

“I mean!” She takes the spyglass from him, trying to shake away from her accidental admission. Rhea can’t catch a break today. “Show me what must be done.”

“Aye Aye, matey!”

Jakobe taught her all she needs to know when it came to being the barrel man. Being the eyes of this ship meant the crew relies on the barrel man as their first line of defense. Jakobe sounds like he is very good at it. That other day was exceptionally hot, and Jakobe didn’t catch on to the signs of the heat exhaustion fast enough.

“I put the Nightmare Maiden in jeopardy fer lettin' meself get so weak,” Jakobe comments, the excitable energy in his body darken to guilt. “Cap’n was really unhappy that I didn’t find help sooner.”

That man is unhappy even if he gets something perfect. Rhea blows out her cheeks and forces an exhale to dissipate her annoyance. Besides, Jakobe needs some cheering up. “You did your best. You are already doing great explaining my position.”

That burns his face up.

Is he sick!? “Jakobe. Your face is all red! You should go see Sabol…” Rhea moves closer, studying his evading face. It looks like it is getting worse.

“Nay, matey! Just going to go rest!” Jakobe shakes his head and bids her farewell, descending the ladder with a hasty goodbye.

Weird. She tries not to think much of it, shrugging away the uncertainty and tucking the spyglass in her pocket. Time to start her new job. This watch post is high up the beam, just before the Nightmare Maiden's glorious black flag, which is even higher up. She swears she can see the details where the blue sky and sea greet each other, this horizon line shimmers. This woman also imagines crushing every bone in her body if she ever fell from her post.

Thank you Manuk…for gifting me mana to heal.

Rhea loves being up there, despite the sinking feeling that Captain Connor only assign it to her to give him a break from her trouble making. Angoran seas’s watery pathways connect all beautifully. She especially likes seeing the specks of shadowy frames swimming beneath the surface of water. She can even see dots in the distance of other ships, lazily sailing. The Nightmare Maiden is always cutting through water at double the speed. She watches those ships then too, till they vanish into the watery mirage after a few breaths. It is a sight to behold, and she isn’t getting bored of it!

At the halfway point of her shift, someone came up to replenish her water and provide her more rations. It is way more than she usually gets on a non-workday, but she won’t complain, chowing down the dried-up meats as soon as possible. Though the sight of her now full water skin causes her to worry about someone. She peers over to check on the captain. He is still at the helm, just as he promised. Gash provides the captain with water and food. The Quartermaster stands by the captain's side right away. They look to be having a conversation. By the way their attention points to her location, it most definitely involves her. The mage sneaks away from their line of sight with a shake of her head. Why was I even worried?

The throne drifts to the horizon behind the Nightmare Maiden, sliding past the beautiful clear blue water and the Trail of souls dot the blacken skies once more. The two moons are coming up in front of them glowing with this silvery white light, casting a healthy radiance on them.

There is almost no need for the lit torches around the deck of the ship. She enjoys the sights of the crew moving to end their shifts for the night. The only ones to stay above deck are the security that post for the night, the helmsman, and another barrel man. Everyone else sleeps throughout the night, even supposedly the captain. Though that isn’t what it looks like based on the darkness around his eye when she saw him earlier. There I go again worrying about him!

Rhea shakes her curly head, tired of these weak, worried thoughts. She didn’t know when it all start. Maybe when Rhea last saw him at the helm needing water? Or is it the time he left his hiding spot to distract the mercenaries? That is beyond reckless, even for her who lives so carefree of rules. Rhea taking on the bullet saves his life. Yet why did she even bother in the first place?

It is time to stop worrying about this jerk , she still needs answers. Rhea snorts to herself, clearing away any further thoughts on the matter. Besides, Trevor is moving towards the bow strip end of this ship. Her eyes homes in on him, his next move is to descend into a different hatch. She’s never been below that side of the ship which increases her natural curiosity.

What is Trevor doing? She hadn’t seen him around at all during the day, intrigued to witness him now when everyone else is asleep.

“Ahoy. Lass. I am here to take over.” Her ears fill with the sounds of this other pirate’s voice. She didn’t care to look away from the hatch.

“That is lovely. Take this.” Rhea offers up the spyglass to the individual. She can feel the weight of the contraption being taken. This didn’t matter; she edges the platform looking for a quick way to get down.

“L-Lass. What are you doing?”

She finds netting that reaches to the next mast and a few ropes to propel her down easily. Up here there are an abundance of climbing opportunities. This mage picks one path down; the curl of a smile forms on her face.

“ Chathalic-wrenris . May your shift be uneventful!” Rhea leans forward, to let the gravity take her.

“Lass!?” The calls grew smaller as the fall blocks all the sounds from her ears...