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"Are you enjoying our date Pirate Princess?" Joe asked as he walked away from the captain's area.
"Y-yes," Katherine stammered, "this is a nice change of pace from receiving gifts."
Pirate Joe hummed and took a mental note of his girlfriend's words. Why hadn't he thought of sailing with her before? She's just as much a pirate as he is. Of course she would enjoy getting out on the seas. The wonderful ocean breeze whipping through your hair and the taste of salt on your tongue. Not to mention the undeniable freedom the whole experience makes one feel when there's nothing but milky, blue waters all around.
Yes! Pirate Joe would go sailing with Katherine again. Maybe next time they could go on an adventure. Joe does have a few treasure maps he has yet to use after all. It would be a thrilling date that is sure to further strengthen the pair's bond. Not to mention they would both get a portion of the loot they're bound to find on the expedition.
"Another boat date it is," Joe thought as he smiled.
It was then that an all too familiar feeling washed over Joe. That sixth sense that most pirates had to recognize when danger was imminent. His eyes darted around to find the source as quickly as possible so as to not ruin his date. When Joe spotted the creature in the water, his eyes widened and his blood ran cold. In a split second, he found himself pulling Katherine towards himself and holding onto her tightly. A trident flying past the spot she was previously stood.
"Wow," Katherine said as she took quick breaths, staring at the drowned's trident now lodged in the deck a tad behind the spot where she once was, "You have really good reflexes."
The princess received no reply. She only heard the shaky, shallow breaths of the man holding onto her. His grip just shy of painful. Katherine tilted her head upwards and gave the pirate a worried look. His expression was one of complete and utter fear. Blue-green eyes blown wide and glazed over as if he weren't there in the present. Rather, it looked like he was transported to some moment in the past. A very scary moment if his haunted appearance was anything to go by.
"Joe?" Katherine asked, her voice just above a whisper.
Pirate Joe blinked twice and whipped his head around a few times. Seemingly taking in his surroundings and reminding himself where he was. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. His frame shaking slightly less with each one. Finally, Joe angled his head downwards to meet Katherine's eyes. Fear still visible in them.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine," Joe interrupted, "Let's... let's just get you home."
With that, pirate Joe released Katherine from his grip. Stalking off to the captain's area again and taking the helm in his hands. He kept his eyes on the tide as he changed the ship's course to Glimmer Grove. Katherine observed him carefully as he did this. Her mouth quickly falling into a frown. It was obvious that the trident nearly impaling her had shaken him up severely. It was also obvious that pirate Joe had no intention of sharing why that was the case. At least not right now. A sigh left Katherine's lips and she decided to resign to the captain's quarter's until they arrived at her empire.
Pirate Joe shakily sighed in relief as he watched her go below deck. As soon as the door clicked shut, his hastily put up walls collapsed. The semi-calm demeanour he put on to assure his princess that he was fine fell apart with a broken sob. Tears streamed down his face and his breaths were quick and shallow once more. It took everything in him to keep a firm grip on the wheel so as to not veer the ship off course and cause a shipwreck.
Joe kept sniveling as memories of his younger self that had barely even earned his sea legs swam before his very eyes. The emotions that had stricken him the night he lost his closest pirate buddy the same way he nearly lost Katherine a few minutes ago came bubbling to the surface. Making Joe feel just as small and helpless as he was back then. Similar tears falling from his eyes as he could only watch Alek slowly, painfully, bleed out from the wound inflicted by the trident that had impaled him in the chest. A trident Joe's sixth sense had been too undeveloped to sense coming.
"At least I could sense it this time," Joe thought as he looked at the trident stuck in the deck, another sob wracking his body.