To the Sea

Athena / 25 / Navigator aboard the Serpent. 

[athena-thadd]

Athena stood on a stool, reaching back into the cupboard of the infirmary to grab a glass bottle. Thadd was below her, also taking stock of everything the infirmary had and had lost during the storm. Hidden between the bottles and boxes was plenty of broken glass, leaking oils, and scattered herbs. Why Athena was saddled with the higher up portions she did not know-- but as she examined the old bottle she was grateful for it. It would make this confession easier. “Thadd,” she said her voice hollow. She did not look up from the bottle. “I have something I need to tell you...” @doctor-durant​

[athena-thadd]

The navigator walked to the edge of the boat, standing beside the master gunner. She said nothing, only resting her arms and then her head on the rail and sighed. It was as if she were letting go a large weight and tossing it overboard. There was a few moments of silence before Athena sighed again, more exasperated this time. Her eyes also lingered over to Billie, looking at her with a puppy like expression. Athena sighed again, this time finally speaking “Billie have you ever questioned... if you’re doing the right thing?” @billie-cassidy​

[athena-thadd]

cleptaar·:

.

The symbols, no the magic, felt almost forbidden to Magni’s eyes as if he was the last person who should be allowed to see them, as if he wasn’t worthy of seeing them. His fingers trailed over them, they felt unreal, like they were nothing more than just some scribbles on a paper, but Magni knew better. He had seen what sorcerers were capable of doing with them, and he had seen what Athena had done to Charles. Magni inhaled sharply as he broke his gaze away from the symbols and closed the book with one quick movement. “ I still can’t believe you let him teach you magic, especially magic that hurts people, but I am glad you used it when you did. I’m not sure if any of us would still be alive if it weren’t for you. “ He admitted reluctantly, as he handed over the book to her. Magni knew she was a pirate, which meant that her life was full of violence, just as much as his own was, but he still had hoped she would never have to kill another man. “ Have you tried the rest of the spells? “

Magni sharp breath felt like a stab in the side. A feeling Athena was most familiar with, the gash from Charles now properly scarred over. “If he had taught me to use a sword would that have been as deplorable?” she asked, pointed. Athena sighed, “I’m sorry...” her voice was much more gentile now. “It’s just so confusing. Yes, I shouldn’t have trusted Charles, but I gained more from him then he gained from me. But he was terrible and wicked and I should have seen that-- but what if--” she was starting to get frantic now. “What if that’s just how sorcerers are? What if magic only leaves behind destruction? What if I’m just like Charles?” Magni handed her the book. Feeling the thin leather of her sketchbook settled her nerves some. When it was just words on a page magic didn’t seem so threatening. “Absolutely not,” she responded. “I haven’t used magic since I cast that spell on myself, the one that made me so ill.”

[athena-thadd]

kalixus·:

·  ·  ·  · 

     No , she said — No.  Of all the people on this god awful ship , he had to spend the majority of his time with the one human being who knew how to stand up to him.  A miniature woman who had a voice six times her size and a mind like no other —— a beautiful one that often pissed Kalix the hell off by asking all the wrong questions in the right times and all the right questions in the wrong times.  She’d glare at him and roll her eyes at him , she’d laugh at him and she’d snap at him.  Though sometimes , she’d look at him with a soft gaze and she’d smile or she’d laugh with him and she’d reach up and fix his hair.

     No.  Kalix shook his head as he felt the wet towel drag down his face and then watched it fall down to the floor.  He lifted his head and met her gaze —— one that he’s never seen before.  This was all unfamiliar to him.  Usually , he’d wake from this nightmares and torment through them alone.  Hugging himself , throwing himself at the wall , screaming until his voice bled the pain he felt inside.  It’s all he knew , nothing was ever simple.  He’d wake up wondering if today was the day , where he could take his blade to  that  man’s neck — and a stake to his heart so that Kalix could finally free his own. 

     Athena thought she knew what was good for him , as if going to bed would be of any help.  He couldn’t explain it to Thadd or to Maeve or to anyone , he couldn’t sleep — he was afraid to wake up.  Amongst all the pain that was welled up inside of him , his anger began to dissipate into a strange kind of emotion.  His body began to slump and the tight lump in his throat began to swell.   “  Athena ,  ”  He whimpered , knowing full and well how badly he wanted to release it all  —  of all people , she’d be the only one who’d care enough to understand.  “  — don’t.  ”

     Kalix closed his eyes and dropped his head as he leaned forward , pressing his head against hers and sighing softly.  “  Don’t ——  ”   In his mind , he spoke to the demons that began to strangle him —— shoving the dark down his throat.  All while his body slowly began to lean towards Athena’s.  He just wanted her to glare at him , to treat it like any other day.  And perhaps , he craved those rare moments of affection.  

     “  —— don’t go.  ”  He felt his defenses crumble.  Who was he speaking to —— Athena? Johanna? His father?  His knees buckled and he desperately grasped her arms.

Athena continued to stare at him, her lips in a hard line and brows furrowed-- trying to intimidate him back into bed. The compress on his head fell to the floor and an annoyed “hrmp” pushed against her closed lips. He wasn’t well. She wondered about this side of him, if it was just a symptom of the sickness or a darker part of him. The later was more likely... he was a pirate after all. A pirate with a past she knew nothing about. She could look past that, as she had for the whole of the crew, but what about Kalix? Was there something in his past that haunted him? Made him act like a feral cat who had lost it’s claws, hissing and hoping she would back away? Well it wasn’t happening. 

Kalix looked like he was about to crumble-- hopefully onto the bed. He spoke her name and her expression softened. Don’t-- don’t what? Next thing Athena knew he was pressed against her, his head atop her’s. She lifted her head so her forehead was pressed against his nose and lips. He was heavy, but somehow Athena managed to keep them both standing. Don’t-- he said again. Athena reached up and touched his cheek. “I won’t,” she told him even though she still did not know what he meant. Finally he finished his sentence and Athena understood. He wanted her here... despite everything, he wanted her. 

Then Kalix fell and Athena thought she was going to be crushed, pinned down to the floor. That was certainly one way to keep her from leaving. Grunting, she managed to grab his shoulder and shift both their weights so they fell back onto the bed with a thump. Athena panted, her heart racing and reeling from almost being smushed. “Really, Kalix?” she asked him with a raised brow. “I told you, you need rest and what do you do?” She reached forward to push strands of hair out of his sweaty face. “Stand around till you literally can’t stand anymore. Here I thought you were a smart man.”

Deep in her chastising Athena didn’t notice that she was on top of him, her legs straddling his waist. “You really think I would just leave you like this?” her voice was soft but clearly frustrated. “You have me so worried I’m going to end up sick-- again.” How odd that they were back here, the roles now reversed. 

[modern-austen]

“whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god.” —Plato, Protag..I 337

[athena-thadd]

cleptaar·:

.

Magni watched as Athena seemed to grow shyer with each word she said while she recounted what had happened between her and Kalix. A smile made its way on his lips when Athena began to hide her face with the palm of her hands, most likely trying to hide the flush that coloured her cheeks. He was happy for her. If anyone deserved to feel desired, it was her. “ And do you want to finish whatever was about to happen between you? ” He asked Athena, but when she told him what the strange symbols were, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Magic? Charles’ magic? Magni swallowed down dryly as he studied them, even though he would never be able to understand them, no matter how much he would try. “ What can you do with them? ”

.

“Of course,” she replied simply. “If I didn’t I would just tell Kalix to piss off. He’s got thick skin, he can handle a bit of rejection. Might be good for his ego actually,” she said though she knew Kalix didn’t really have an ego when it came to sex. Though perhaps that was because she knew better than anyone how long it had been since he’d properly been with someone. So Kalix had no ego and Athena had no experience. What a pair they would make. At Magni’s question Athena began to shrink, a different kind of deflation than what she had experienced when talking about Kalix. “There is a spell that lets you become shadow... and a spell that can remove poison from food and drink.” She drew her knees up to her chest, “but there are also spells meant to hurt people... like the one Charles taught me...” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Magni.

[athena-thadd]

pxndemonium·:

-

“Merchant ships?” He wasn’t majorly surprised, though Alistair knew it’d be worlds away from what she knew now, the way the Cursed Serpent operated in comparison. Her suggesting she teach him a few things about fishing took him back to the conversation he’d had with Tobias; about how he could really use a few more skills, some tricks up his metaphorical sleeve. “So you’re bestowing me with both literate and fishing knowledge? I’m honored.”

.

"Yes. The Serpent is actually the first pirate ship I’ve been on...” Even after two years it was still a bit of an embarrassing admission. She was happy when the subject shifted back to fishing and books. “Well, you should be-- I’m quite knowledgeable in both subjects.” She bounced on her toes. “Not to mention they pair together well! You can read while you wait for the fish to take a bite. Do you swim? Free diving was always my favorite but you need a good breath to actually catch anything.”

[athena-thadd]

shiftingseas:

they tilted their head to look up at the woman who had stopped to help them. blushing slightly, the quickly turned their head back around and swallowed. the ship was full of competent women, which was incredibly distracting. the chilly front they put up was too often tested by their ability to be a bisexual fool. schooling themselves, they attempted to appear nonchalant. “just pull it down a bit so I can touch the deck, I’ll be able to figure it out from there. ” they wiggled their outstretched fingers, hanging just above the wooden floor. “don’t worry about the fall, I’m used to taking a tumble now and then.” Bloom gave a little smile, all the blood rushing to their head making them dizzy. “it’s a part of the job. collecting head injuries is just another aspect of it.”

Athena got up on her toes and tried to crane her head to get a better look at the new rigger’s face. They must have been hanging there for some time since their face was so red. “Oh-- um, alright.” Athena obliged, grabbing the rope and giving it a pull. It hardly budged and she grabbed it tighter, now trying to use her body weight to shift the rope. “Well, I’d like to avoid injuries if I can,” she said, still huffing as she tangled with the rope. “Not like Thadd needs more on their plate.” She continued to struggle, practically dangling from the rope now as her weight changed little. 

[athena-thadd]

howlingargent·:

~

Jaina was quiet, she’d been backed into a corner and she knew it. But despite this, her mind was racing to find an excuse, something that could save her. But she had nothing. The panic didn’t really set in until Athena turned, as if to leave. If Jax investigated the armband, she had no doubt he’d know what it was—what she was.

“Wait!” She grabbed Athena’s arm, her body reacting before her mind had caught up with what was going on. And as soon as it did, she flinched. She’d outed herself. Letting her hand fall to the side, Jaina seemed to fold in on herself. The thought that someone had beat her at her own game was crushing. But here she was. And she had no choice. “I know what it does. It isn’t a threat to anyone on board, I promise. I–just…don’t tell Jax.”

.

Jaina grabbed her arm and Athena bit her lip to hide a self satisfied grin. Lying wasn’t her strong suit. She wasn’t very good at being intimidating. But she was clever, and finally that had netted her some value. She turned to Jaina with big eyes, feigning innocence but mostly just curious as to what she would say. Athena cocked her head to the side, “you know what it does?” Her voice was soft as she looked back and forth between Jaina and the arm band. Of course there were dozens of things the arm band could do but if it was made for Jaina and it wouldn’t hurt the crew then the magic was probably only affecting her. Jaina was obviously hiding something much bigger than just a piece of jewelry.

“Jaina... you know I should tell him.” Her brows furrowed, “he’s still upset about the grimoire I stole, imagine how upset he’ll be if he finds out I hid this from him.” She pulled her arm away, crossing both over her chest and looking at Jaina expectantly. Jaina might have felt backed into a corner but Athena was right there with her. If Jax did find out about this they would both be in trouble, and Athena had a much longer list of grievances than Jaina. “Why should I keep this a secret? Besides our friendship?”

[athena-thadd]

howlingargent·:

~

“Oh, please do.” If there was one thing she loved to do on this ship, it was mess with Alistair. Even she didn’t fully understand why, maybe it was because he was so…serious all the time. But she couldn’t deny that he might actually look good with a piercing or two, the thought bringing a smirk to her face. 

“Fair enough, I suppose. Hadn’t really thought of it that way.” But she bristled slightly at the mention of a werewolf, hopefully covering it up by shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Did she know? It was unlikely…unless it wasn’t. In truth, Jaina wasn’t sure what to make of her, which frustrated her. Her usually logical line of thinking was giving way to emotion as she began to panic slightly. “Take it off? You kidding? I’ll never be able to get it back on again.” She attempted a joke, but there was an edge to her tone that wasn’t there previously. “Besides, I’d be afraid I’d lose it or something. I don’t have the best of luck, I’ll have you know.”

.

Athena furrowed her brows, “magic is extremely dangerous Jaina.” Though she was looking for information she had to accept the slight possibility that Jaina knew as much about the armband as she did. And if that were the case Jaina could be in real danger. “What if the armband lets your friend find you-- or someone else entirely find you?” Jaina hadn’t been on the ship long but what if someone was using her to get to the Serpent? “What if the armband itself is the reason you have such poor luck?”

It felt cruel, especially when Athena had doubts that Jaina knew anything at all, but she had to put more pressure on the woman. “I’ll grab Jax, maybe he’ll know what to do with it.” She turned as if she were about to head below deck to find the captain. 

[shiftingseas-deactivated2021090]

they had set sail mere hours ago, with the high noon sun painting metal bits of the ship bright like diamonds. Bloom found themselves hung upside-down from the interlocking mesh that scaled the main mast, weaving together a complicated knot to salvage a broken rope.finishing their task, keen eyes swiveled away from the rigging and down towards the deck. with calves and feet tangled up purposefully in the net to stop them from falling, they reached for the deck of the ship, planning to use their grip on the wood to pull themselves free. they immediately discovered that they had miscalculated, their fingers only had the ability to reach inches above floor, leaving them unable to pull themselves free. still hanging there, blood rushing to their head, they scowled and folded their arms petulantly. they looked remarkably like a grumpy bat.  what a truly embarrassing mistake to make mere weeks into a new job. humbling themselves, they looked around for another crew member to give them a hand. “hey, uh,” they swallowed their pride once more, “mind lending a hand?”

[athena-thadd]

Athena thought she was seeing things. The new rigger was hanging upside down, like the figure drawn on tarot cards. Having fallen ill and then been distracted on the island she hadn’t had much a chance to speak to the new rigger. Though she had imagined their meeting would be a bit less... well, she imagined them standing upright for one. Athena looked up, following the rope to the mast then looking back down to meet Bloom’s face. “Should... should I just cut it?” she asked. Stepping forward even on her toes she wasn’t sure she’d be able to reach the rope. “I could climb up and untie you-- but I feel like either way you’re about to take a nasty tumble.”

[athena-thadd]

pxndemonium·:

-

Alistair was dangerously close to reminiscing, now, on the toys that his father crafted for him a long time ago. Part of him wished he’d kept one, but sentiment wouldn’t do him much good in the life he lived now. “Learned from the best. It was all my father knew how to do, so - it was what I learned, too. I, uh - I was on another ship with him for a while, before the Serpent picked me up. I learned a lot on that ship, too.” Mostly survival skills, if he was honest. How to defend himself in a fight; he was young at the time, and being pitted against older, stronger and more experienced crewmates in friendly duels definitely had helped to up his skillset very quickly. Still; he preferred his daggers over the swords that used to be put in his hands for those duels. “I’ve always been a bit shit at fishing, though.” Alistair admitted with a small shrug, managing another smile in response to her laughter. “I wouldn’t dare lie to you about the books. Don’t you worry about that.”

.

Athena nodded, feeling a sort of kinship with Alistair. Had she stayed on the island she would have been a fisherman like her grandfather, it was only her running away that gave her an opportunity to rise above that and be a navigator. Though she didn’t think she would be as skilled as she was today without the teachings of her grandfather. “I’m sure he was very skilled if he taught you. I was on a lot of ships before the Serpent. Uh... merchant ships,” she admitted a bit sheepish. “But yes, I learned a lot. I think I learned something new on every ship I boarded.” She laughed, “well I could teach you a few things. We mostly used nets of course, and free diving. It’s a lot of waiting to be honest.” A grin spread across her face, “I’ll hold you to that. Thank you.”

[athena-thadd]

adelinedrxke·:

Adeline’s grip lessened only slightly after Athena took her hands, but it was nearly impossible to lighten up beyond that point. But I could… I could… The thought ran rampant through her mind, and she was half convinced it would stay that way for the foreseeable future. “It’s not something that anyone should have to deal with apart from me. Athena, don’t you get that? I don’t want to bring down problems on you all for something I chose to do.”

“I’ll just rigger knot myself to a post or something, I suppose. Like cattle,” Adeline half-joked, a very dry laugh passing through her lips just then. She stood up, almost tripping over the skirts that Athena had given her. “It wasn’t a sacrifice, and I’m no lamb. I’m not going to let this dominate my life if I have any say in it.” She turned back to Athena and mustered a small smile. “Grin and bare it, hmm?”

.

“I chose to deal with it-- because I care about you, Adeline.” She pulled Adeline into a sudden hug. “You’re my dear friend and friends carry each other, burdens and all. But you’re not a burden.” She pulled out of the hug, looking at Adeline with a soft smile. “Tell you what? I’ll help you with this, and someday, you can help me with something I chose to do. Fair?” 

Even though she had been the one to suggest it the idea of Adeline tied up in rigging was upsetting. But if it kept her safe then it would be worth it. Athena nodded, “grin and bear it. You’re strong. I know you can handle it on your own... but for my sake... I’ll still be by your side.” She shifted so they would shoulder to shoulder, and Athena rested her head on Adeline. “We don’t have to talk... It’s nice being out of the cold...” She continued to hold Adeline’s hand.

[athena-thadd]

howlingargent·:

~

“It would certainly be a look. For either of them.” Jaina had tried earrings once, quickly decided they weren’t for her. They always seemed to get tangled in her hair. “You should offer to let Alistair try them on, and then tell me his reaction.” She chuckled at the mental image, but had to say…Alistair might look good with earrings.

Jaina’s heart stopped for a moment. Shit. But she was quick to recover, her head tilted to the side, a confused expression on her face–as if it were the first time she heard this information. “Really? That’s odd. ‘Fraid I don’t know much about magic or spells and the like.” She admitted with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. This was bad. Very bad. “An old friend. Helped him out of a sticky situation once, it was their way of paying me back. They didn’t strike me as the…sorcerer type, though.”

.

“I just might,” she said with a grin. Alistair didn’t really intimidate her. Maybe he should but the quiet carpenter was just that, a quite man. She much preferred that to men who talked all the damn time, usually about nothing of real importance. “If he agrees to wear them, I’ll be sure to grab you. We will need another witness after all.”

This little dance of theirs wasn’t easy. After all, if Athena somehow revealed herself to be a sorcerer she’d be the suspicious one and already eyes were on her as some sort of traitor. Alright-- so she had done traitorous things but the intent was never to harm the crew. “Sorcerers look like all sorts. Just think of Westburgh-- or even that werewolf that was on the crew not long ago. They was with us for a while and no one suspected a thing... Not to mention Lyra.” She cocked her head to the side, “maybe you should refrain from wearing it? Who knows what sort of magic it holds...” Seeing how tense Jaina was Athena thought maybe, finally, she had backed her into a corner. 

[athena-thadd]

cleptaar·:

.

A flush coloured Magni’s cheek, and he refused to look away from one of her drawings when she asked him how he would have liked it if she had convinced Thadd to sleep with him. “ I guess I wouldn’t have liked it. “ Magni mumbled. No, he wouldn’t have liked it if she had asked someone to sleep with him to get his mind off Tobias because it wouldn’t have worked. He was about to apologise to her when she answered his question. “ Arrangement? “ Magni questioned her, with his brow raised and his grin practically dripping with mischief when he noticed her blush. “ I told you! I told you, you would be great together. “ Magni exclaimed triumphantly. “ So you’ve kissed? Was that the only thing you did? What kind of an arrangement did you make? “ Magni realised he was bombarding her with endless questions, so he took a deep breath, turning the page of the book to give her a moment to answer his questions, and that’s when he saw it. It looked nothing like any of her other sketches. “ What’s that? “

.

Athena let out a heavy sigh. He question felt a tad unfair, seeing as Magni had feelings for Tobias long before she was ever on the ship. Still-- she wondered if Kalix thought she’d ask Magni to make the arrangement or if Kalix just assumed Magni liked to play matchmaker. Perhaps she’d ask him sometime... She opened her mouth to explain the arrangement when Magni continued to speak, animated and clearly pleased. Athena laughed, a bit awkward. “Yes, we only kissed. I think uh... we might have done more...” she was finding it harder and harder to look directly at Magni. “But I was still injured and Kalix said we should wait. But we agreed to... finish sometime.” In a moment of weakness she covered her face, her palms pressed against her hot cheeks. Magni’s question made her peek between her fingers. The blood that had rushed to her cheeks dissipated as she now felt sick. “It’s magic. I took some spells from Charles’ grimoire before...” She didn’t have to say it. “I’m not sure what to do with them anymore.”

[athena-thadd]

howlingargent·:

~

Jaina slowly arched a brow at Athena’s response, chuckling lightly. “That’s a shame.” But her usually flirtatious tone didn’t carry as well as it usually did, suspicion creeping in. 

She was content to let Athena simply talk, if she was talking, she wasn’t asking questions–Jaina didn’t have to pick her words so carefully. Just a conversation among…not quite friends, were they? “You sure about that? Bet Magni could pull them off. I’d suggest something simpler for Alistair but, well, he’d just ignore me.” It was part of the fun, she hid a laugh behind her hand. And the walls were back up as quickly as she had let them down, a hand moving to trace along the armband as it was mentioned again. “Are they? I don’t really know what they mean, I just thought they were pretty.”

.

“I think Magni would prefer a stud earring. Less likely to get caught up in something and you know he’s always running about,” she spoke in earnest, well aware Magni wasn’t squeamish about wearing feminine things. He’d even asked her to take him skirt shopping some time, the only thing standing in their way being the absolute messes the crew always found themselves in. “Alistair... he might look nice in the smaller pair of hoops I have.” She smiled at Jaina’s coy laugh. As much as this conversation was about information Athena didn’t just want to back the boatswain into a corner. Jaina seemed like a kind woman... same as her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have skeletons in her closet. 

“You know that sorcerer we met in Westburgh? Well, I got my hands on his book of spells. The writing on your armband...” She turned to face Jaina, looking up at her with big eyes that demanded to be gazed into. “The writing on your armband looks a lot like the writing in that book.” She cocked her head to the side, “who did you say gifted you this again?”

[athena-thadd]

pxndemonium·:

-

“She… makes figures? Like toys?” Alistair figured the crew all had their own hobbies, ways to pass the time, especially when they were stuck someplace like this; but he was intrigued to see what one of these little figures looked like. “I’ve… I don’t know, I’ve been smashing wood with hammers for most of my life.” That was true enough. There’d been a few intervals of chaos and drama in between, but it was the first skill he’d learnt; it had also become the most important.

“Okay. Maybe not hit me, but you could definitely throw it at my head.” He shrugged, smiling a little at her demonstration of their immense size difference. “I, uh - try my best not to crease the pages. Promise.”

.

“A bit more like trinkets I think,” Athena explained. “But... they did remind me of the toys I had as a child.” It was certainly odd to think of the gunner making toys but then again everyone had their hobbies. Why should pirates have to only be interested in blood, guts, and gold? “Really? A family affair?” She inquired. “I grew up on the ocean all my life. Stated fishing when I was around five and started working on ships proper when I was fifteen.” She smiled, a touch proud of herself.

Athena laughed, “I suppose that’s true. Could always lob a book at you from the upper deck. I appreciate it-- though I will check and then you won’t have to lie about me assaulting you with a book,” she teased.