Work Text:
It's Ishmaels turn for Night Duty on the bus. After the harsh waves of the events on the great lake and being inside that whale… it all finally subsided. Ocean crash into the helm of the crimson coffin. She moves to and fro outside the deck. An all too familiar feeling, looking straight at her reflection once more.
Looking at her blurry reflection, yet her face is as clear as ever to her. The air weighs heavily with the salty stench of the lake. She can taste it. Despite the laws that's ever so foreboding, her eyes reach far to see the other lakes at the horizon. Whalermen dealing with its own harsh waves, boats idle to rest as well. Though this lake is much calmer, much more tame, and its law won't get them anytime soon. It's enough to take a full night's rest, but you'll never know if mermaids or any other ships decide to hijack your vessel…
Night Duty at the lake…
…Never thought I’d be doing this again.
Resting her arms at its walls, hands dangling outside the crimson coffin, the cold air greets her skin.The skin of her hair stands up and her orange sails dance with it. She plays with her calloused fingers. Intertwining them , thumbs circling around her nails, then she sighs.
She has found her compass yet one thing still weighs in her heart.
The waves flow their peaceful rhythm, then suddenly she hears the rhythm of-
“B.O.O.M.”
-A familiar voice suddenly enters her ears, a voice she knows all too well. Her head jerks, slacked shoulders stiffen.
The rhythm of the shoes meets the deck, a walk sounding composed yet also reckless, she makes her way forward. The sailor wonders why that swordswoman could be up and about this hour.
“Bothered… Orange-”
But before she can continue with her thoughts she finds the swordswoman already by her side.
“-Oblivious Maiden.”
“I was getting to that…Wait oblivious?”
“Heh. Proves my point.”
The night sky looks beautiful. In the Great Lake you get to actually see stars due to being so far out of city lights you are. Or the nearest ports at times. It's always something Ishmael greatly appreciates. The moons full tonight too. Looking at them all makes her feel so small, but it calms her.
It's a secret, her favorite thing to do.
“BORED? Might see you with a smoke pipe again?” Ryoshu, already holding a cigarette between her fingers, places them on her chapped,dry lips.
“Not gonna happen.” brows dig deep in the creases of her skin at the comment yet her head and gaze lays anchored at the sky, the unending abyss does have its comfort at times.
“Hmph, perfect for a smoke. Warmth in harsh coldness.” A clink of a lighter, the smell of nicotine weaves itself in the damp cold air of the lake.
The sailor takes it all in deep in her lungs.
“... I'm good, thanks.”
The shivering breeze passes inside her orange mane then dances its way towards the strands of the charcoal hair of the swordswoman.
“W.O.T. Nothing ever happens during these. Don't blame you.” Intaking the ash , welcoming the fire in her being. “More fun seeing Sinclair choke on his own spit when getting scared, fufu.”
A chuckle “You're horrible.” escaping her gaze from the sky to finally look at her company by her side.
“Hooh, you laughed, you're just as bad.”
“Guess we’re both horrible people, huh?”
“Hmm.”
Gray smoke escapes her lips , her voice follow suite that sounded like a coo, she hangs the cigarette between her gloved hands fingers.
“B.I.T.S. isn't so bad.”
Looking up into the abyss. Her crimson eyes pierce the stars, their starlight envelopes her iris and retinas, they glimmer and pop like rubies the more Ishmael stares, the more Ishmael stares…
“Oh…”
“Hmm?” her head faintly lean to where Ishmael is, Her eyes are the only one who moves fully to take a look at the sailor.
It makes Ishmaels heart stop.
“Oh- B-beautiful aren't they? The stars? You can barely see them inside the city or wherever we go, so…”
An exhale, a blink then her gaze returns to the stars. She answers.
“S.A.D. Could use some color.”
A sigh, from catching herself and Ryoshus usual gibberish, but she's in a mood to entertain her.
“What would you color it then?”
“VERMILLION.”
“What? Just wait till sunset for that, go rest so It'll come faster…” She laughs but soon her face forms a solemn look, with a hint of melancholy.
“What are you doing out here anyway…? Hah, to bother me?”
Another drag of her cigarettes, her eyes remain shut when she lets out its ashend smoke.
“...To keep you company.”
“Oh, Thats….awfully unlike you”
“BAH.”
How earnest, she hasn't seen her this honest, is she even being true? Why is she even so caught up in this? How childish, how stupid.
“...I think the stars look pretty tonight.” Breaking her thoughts to focus back on what she was here for. “I do wish we could see more of the universe's hues, the stars are nice but…” toying with her fingers, she cocks her head to the side. “I guess thats what the moon is for.”
Moonlight basks on both of them but her company's glow is much greater, how they kiss her skin and clothes, her eyes hang heavy but not from the weight of her woes…
It's a sight truly breathtaking. She could compare the thrill of setting out on her first voyage, but something differentiates it, it's different enough that she knows what it is. Maybe she should…
“...Ryoshu.”
“Hmph.”
Her mouth runs dry , her throat slowly feels like it's caving in herself, a pit in her stomach starts to form.
“Do you see me any different…? From what you had to see…?” Her tongue pokes out to lick the base of her lips, biting its bottom drying from anxiety.
“Hoh?”
She chuckles, her shoulders shrug , looking at the sailor that asked her such questions,
such entertaining questions.
An ocean of orange rise, a sudden evoking storm riles up at the center of a sea, lighting and thunder rule over the sky.
“And how you- you stopped me time and time again from doing something stupid, but in turn YOU do something COMPLETELY idiotic. You- Haah…”
“...You honestly REALLY piss me off.”
“...”
Pinching her creased nose bridge, massaging it slightly with her calloused fingers. then puffs out her breath.
“...But I seem to always chase it.”
Crimsons eyes extend, curtain of her eyes flutter, ears jerk slightly at the words she just heard leave the sailors mouth. Her mind raise but stands still…
and she takes another huff of her cigarette.
Ishmael gets more restless, hands roll up to a fist “And- You're a huge piece of SHIT. I still remember how your damn sword sliced through my throat!“ Her brows surrender themselves to anger. “Youre the second person to ever fucking kill me! To give me a full taste of death!”
Green sparks bask their glare on her “The first time was already horrifying enough against those three, and you wouldn't even let me catch a break for me to die AGAIN? Over something so damn MINISCULE?”
Ryoshu stands still as ash plummets off her cigarette and on the damp deck, the smoke waves at her face.
A step.
“Your grotesque view on ‘Art’? Your insufferable pride I have to always deal with?”
A gasp.
“How even in your violence, you have your own fucked up way of showing you care?”
A jitter.
“That this ‘stoic swordswoman feared with a strength so unimaginable-”
“-Actually gives a fuck?”
The space between them grows smaller, her tenacity rises. Ishmaels eyes start to sting.
“and I KNOW what I'm feeling. This– this ache deep within my ribs-”
And another.
“My chest-“
Drag it.
“That no matter how much I deny, no matter how long I lie to myself-”
Drag it up.
“I know what this is. I understand too well what this is-”
Drag it up whole.
“She helped me… She helped me understand what it's like… To have fun… To live life.”
With your entire might lift it back,
“It made me feel guilty to have that feeling she taught me to be felt for someone else, it felt like I was betraying her. Leaving her.”
“But I've learned to move on forward- to live my life no matter where it takes me-”
“So Ryoshu I… So I…!”
And pull it back home.
“ I LOVE YOU !”
Harsh, rough and coarse. All the words that you could describe it as. But the epitome of what you could call it is pure . Pure emotion straight from one's heart since time immemorial.
Her heart.
“I love you…”
Her words trail off, out of breath, heaving, the walls of her throat collapse. Clamming up and receding back in on herself. Air escapes her lungs but she pulls them back in deeply with an inhale so jittery but it reaches every tunnel of her lungs, pulling back with her diaphragm.
Eyes finally faltered and the well finally overflowed. Tears burst and trail down her freckled flushed round cheeks , reuniting at her chin where they hold hands to fall to the floorboards to splatter.
Waves crash the boat again tossing them making ishmael lose her balance, but she catches herself,
or someone catches her.
Glancing up she spots the woman she just revealed her heaviest emotions weighing deep in her heart.
The moon gives her the spotlight.
The swordswoman sighs.
“I'll only answer your question, Sailor.” Perching her back up slowly , grabbing Ishmaels staggered hands to lead her back up to stand. Her eyes darted away from Ishmaels olive eyes.
“I don't see you any different. Much more interesting now than ever, really.” Soles of her shoes twist and extinguish her cigarette.
“Seeing how you'll handle moving on forward is an ART I want to see.”
Peeking through her ashened hair, pinnacle of her ears burn red.
“...But I guess I'm a part of this story too. Hm..”
The air intertwines with Ishmael's sobs and cries. Gasping, eyes shut tight. Trying to fix herself. But she can't, she really can't. Not this time.
She feels her eyelashes meet something, a texture of something smooth meets her eyelids that wipes her tears away, and the other a rugged touch, almost like its practiced. Unusually gentle with how it moves, too.
Ishmaels heart pounds in an intensity it rivals against the growing ferocity of the waves bashing themselves on the hulls. Morsels of it spilling unto the decks.
Collecting her courage to finally let her vision come back and see what lies before her, what greets her is a concerned look full of remorse, wrinkles on her nose bridge, brows and lips that cradles a frown. But theres a hint of peace in there. Well… She hopes.
“I…Hah…” Laughing at herself , wiping her own tears and snot from her face with her wrist. Ryoshus hand now rest by Ishmaels cheeks, but shooed away with the back of he hands once she moves back to compose herself. Ryoshu obediently complies.
“I dont… I dont know what to do now, but, It feels nice to finally… Let it all out, haha- …hah.” Emotions well up in her chest again , her puffy eyes already feel like repeating to tear up. Sniffling, through hiccups she lets out: “I don't expect for you to reciprocate , I don't expect for you to say anything… but…”
“If I want to move forward, I'll have to be true to myself, and to you, someone I… Someone I have admired for some time now.”
Ushering out her woes with a sigh. Intertwining her fingers and fiddling with the base of her thumbs.
Her eyes reach out towards the distance, to the east she sees the sun peek through. The stars and moon dissipate. Vermillion envelopes the far reaches of the horizon as far as the eye can see, and soon her olive eyes showered in hints of an orange and red glow.
Orange sails that dance with the cold, early morning wind. Always a comforting sight at the end of a voyage.
Well she suppouses her voyage hasn't ended yet.
Shame grows inside her stomach that climbs up to her chest and makes its way up to her face. Already flushed but its red tint grows even brighter, like the bright break of dawn.
Both stand still in silence, inches apart, their faces mask in its morning glow. Seagulls fly above their heads but some stars remain and still peeks through the blanket of colors that wraps the sky. Noises of the waves flow with ease with the vessel that cradles them.
Maybe it's time to say something.
“Ishmael.”
Coming closer, closing the already small gap they have.
“...A piece I've admired for a while. The brightest piece of collages of hues and raw humanity manifested.”
Standing so close they can hear each other's breaths despite the noise that surrounds them.
“Embodied, Incarnate.”
Crimson irises that burn like the indistinguishable flames of inferno. A look with such sincerity it's unlike anything Ishmael has ever seen before on her. It's foreign, unfamiliar, but she wants more of it, not just a taste.
Unravel yourself.
“I know all the city has to offer, ecstasies and anguish, birth and decay. Humanity and how it can lead itself to prosperity or plunge itself deeper into hell. Hah, usually the latter.”
“...But you taught me something.”
Ishmaels gaze is fixed, her heart pounding out of her chest like they are begging for escape, but she will see through whatever this moment offers. It's what she promised herself.
“S.C.R.A.W.L.”
Expiring like letting out smoke, she looks towards the horizon. Her eyes dare not shut with the brightness that overwhelms it.
Basking in its entirety.
“Slumbering Carcass Resurrected Anew With Light.
Turning to look at the sailor by her side, brows meet and crease but they fail to connect with Ryoshus lips, they form a crooked smile.
“You've taught this master something she long denied to understand.”
“The only time I admit defeat…Tsk. Aren't you lucky, Orange hair.”
Her body trembles and lips desperate to make a noise, something, anything to reply to all of that, but all she manages to let out is a:
“S-so… Does that mean…?”
“Hoh. Need I spell it out for you?”
Clenched fists pounds at Ryoshus chest with frustration and pleaded.
“Ryoshu!”
“...”
Hands touch Ishmaels back, the tender rhythms of a caress, fingers comb the golden sea.
“I do…”
“EMBER. lighting me up and making me feel… Alive.”
“A melting candle given a chance to live by a light.”
A sigh, red tint paints her face, beads of sweat form and trail from her forehead traveling down to her cheeks then meeting at her chin to drop on the floorboards.
“Smart enough to conclude?”
She collapses into her embrace, breaking the final dam of her heart and letting out all its contents, her wrath, her cries, her happiness .
A weight has been lifted.
She bursts out laughing, tears streaming down her face, hugging Ryoshu so tightly that if she lets go the woman she adores would disappear right before her.
“You make me completely sick.”
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, continuing to comb through her newfound favorite color.
“Fufu, Me too.”
Seagulls flock towards the rising sun, shadows of figures locked together in an embrace, a new day has started again.
A voyage ends and one starts anew.