The looking glass collapses easily in her hands as Linh finishes scanning the horizon. Still not another ship in sight, which is fortunate. They have been enjoying a slow night since undocking, with not much going on but the odd flickers of stars and the gentle undulations of a calm sea. The wooden hull hardly even creaks underfoot, and the winds fill their sails with such delicate care, it is as if they are standing on land. Even the moons have hidden themselves for the time being.
Linh jots down in her logs the calculations and makes notes for tomorrow. Tonight, however, everything is perfect.
“‘S a little colder than expected, isn’t it?”
Jack knocks their shoulders together in lieu of a greeting as she comes to rest her elbows on the rail. She carries with her a bottle of spiced whiskey, which she offers to her charge after a hearty sip. The younger woman accepts it with a tip of her hat.
“At least the weather is clear,” Says Linh, “Shouldn’t be too windy tonight, either.”
“The cook wanted to tell you that we’re out of cod, by the way.” A brief pause, followed by a wry leer. “Couldn’t exactly reach you earlier, what’s with the ruckus we heard from your room.”
The jab rolls off Linh harmlessly, stirring not even the familiar annoyance that comes with being teased. She merely gives Jack a crooked smile in response.
“Aye, and I’d be pissed if they did.”
They do not discuss her uncharacteristically graceful mood. Rather, they stand and watch as The Baroness’ alchemical lights cut through the surrounding darkness, smooth as a knife to lard. A couple of minutes pass in companionable silence before Linh feels the changes in the air, how it goes sharp and dry, stinging her nose.
“Is it time?” Her First Mate asks, to which she simply nods. “Go get your lass, then. We’ll be at the helm.”
Linh can’t argue with that, and so she leaves for her quarter. Raiders usually don’t make exceptions for anyone but the Captain; most officers can (and will) share their space with at least three others. But under Cloudburst colors, especially for Major, officers mostly bunk down in pairs; Linh, being Sìomon’s daughter, has a single quarter all to herself, not far from her ba’s cabin.
She takes care not to knock, but to slide in quietly so as not to disturb her bedmate. The woman in question is still on her side, just as when she left, curling around the blanket in sleep. Linh takes a moment to just watch- how the light casts shadows on her face, the soft shapes and curves beneath her woolen sheet- and then she eases herself down, lying next to her.
Araceli doesn’t even open her eyes to talk. “Where did you go?” Her voice is thick, sleep-hoarse. She hums when she stretches, and her nose scrunches up while doing so. “Is something the matter?”
That part was murmured between them, with her hand groping blindly for Linh. Her heart does a silly somersault at the sight.
“It’s nothing, love.” She replies, pressing her lips against the blonde’s forehead. “I want to show you something.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
There are soft chuckles against her mouth, and a hand stroking the sliver of skin on her hips, where her shirt has risen up. “What a tease,” Araceli murmurs, grinning. Her skin is warm, and soft, and Linh doesn’t fight the urge to roll on top and takes her time waking the Warden completely.
When they emerge, Linh has fastened Araceli’s scarf over her face, in a way that hides her eyes. She guides her by the hand to the deck, then up the stairs, towards the bow of the ship.
“I do hope your surprise isn’t a midnight swim,” Araceli says when they reach the deck and the smell of brine envelopes them, “Because it’s really, really not the weather for it.”
“We can do that later, if you want,” Linh says, smiling in spite of herself. She puts a hand on the blonde’s smaller back. “Okay. Scarf off.”
Araceli does as she’s told. With a squeak, her hand shoots to her chest and her mouth opens in a soft inhale. Linh doesn’t dare look away for even a second, drinking in the minute shifts and changes of her expression. Despite all her planning, all her careful preparations, her hands tremble, just the slightest bit, against Araceli’s form.
“What do you think?” She asks. Her voice does not strain like she worried it might, but it is a near thing.
The alchemical lanterns cast a warm glow on Araceli, lighting her hair like a halo. She turns this way and that to look at everything beneath the tent, from the pillows that they are sitting on and the quilts pooling at their hips, to the plates of food and mulled wine on the other side, kept in runed buckets and hot water baths to ward off the cold. She runs her hand along the oiled canvas above- bronto skin, by far not the most elegant, but the best the crew could offer on short notice- and a smile blooms on her face.
“You did all of this…” She laughs, covers her mouth, and laughs some more. Her eyes land on the dishes. “Is that battered fishes?”
“And spiced skewers.” Simple dishes that she hopes will suit Araceli’s palate. Linh tentatively places her hand on her back again. She becomes acutely aware of the smile overtaking her own lips when the blonde pauses her curious quest to sweep her gaze down, towards her mouth. She reigns it back, with effort. “You’re missing the point, though.”
“What?”
Linh pinches her chin slightly and turns her head to the side. “That.”
This time, with Araceli pressing against her, she can physically feel her grasp. A breeze picks up at that exact moment, blowing puffs of white into their tent.
The sky outside is a liquid black, dark as blood, but the snow glows silver when it is caught in the lanterns’ light. From beneath, the cascading flakes looks like rain, twirling and dancing in mid-air. The crew has ceased their maintenance for tonight, just as she instructed, so the stillness of silence feels almost jarring against the wild shower of falling snow.
Linh feels a twinge of pride when a snowflake lands in her hand. Just as she predicted. She opens her mouth to say- something- when Araceli jumps her and smothers her in kisses. The hot press of their lips melts into grins, then giggles, and Linh is so damn lost she doesn’t even know who begins laughing first.
“Thank you,” Araceli says, the look in her eyes softer than snow, and her smile, like sunshine. Linh burns under their open affection.
“Anytime,” She says, and surprises herself with how much she means it. She presses her face against the feverish heat of Araceli’s palm and hopes that it says everything she can’t put into words. “Anytime.”
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Inspired by that one video of snowing at sea ( fat-rolls-frictions()tumblr(.)com/post/181668631876 )
Araceli belongs to @pandora-roleplays <3
(also umm we have more info of these two on the rp server ( starsareblind(.)jcink(.)net ), drop by if you wanna)
