Ever since the Athena incident at the tavern, Jax had been worried. What seemed like ages ago, Adeline had offered to test the Jewel for them. Now that they were so close to potentially learning how to actually use it, Jax knew he had to make a decision. He could either let Adeline test the jewel as offered...or he could let everyone vote.
It seemed, he thought, that someone who fully understood the risks involved should be the first person to use it. If it went well, everyone could. His conscience couldn’t handle anyone else getting hurt or dazed because of the damn thing.
“Hey,” Jax stuck his head into the crew’s quarters, then waved a bottle of rum in Adeline’s direction. “Care to have a drink with me?” // @adelinedrxke
The click of her booted heels against the wooden floor echoed across the empty basement. All of the plants that had once dominated the entire room like a miniature world away were now gone. She’d sold them or given them away and now the room had little else to give it character save for a bedroll, a minuscule dresser, a few boxes and some dents in the walls.
Her apothecary had been returned to Vincint or rather, the building and land that she had borrowed in his name were now his again. His shocked expression hadn’t surprised her, but the undercurrent of anger was palpable. He knew Ket’s name now and attributed a lot of the changes towards him or the incident. Incidents? It blurred together sometimes. She knew he was mistaken and even more so, it simply didn’t matter at all. None of it truly did. She’d trapped herself in a cage and then slipped through only to create a new one in the Beds. The old greenery still had the front floor masquerading as some sort of florist’s haven, but the basement she planned to make into a home.
It wouldn’t be grand by any nature given the age of the building and how small or downgraded it would be compared to the shop in Shirogane. She couldn’t stand to look at the apothecary now though or the ocean that she both loved and hated through its windows. It had always mocked her with the sweet song of the waves that she dearly enjoyed and some part of her ached to dance along the beach in the early or late hours when there weren’t eyes about. Maybe she wouldn't be able to stay away for long. That's how such dangers and past habits were for her. For now though, she had to abandon it.
In truth, the peace of the Lavender Beds was a surprise. She had expected to be found even in her new little hideaway. A demanding pounding on the door or the cocky, smug voice of the cat she hated just as much as the ocean. The memory of him blathering out her personal secrets in front of the other woman still made her teeth clench and her blood go hot. He had been different and while she was loathe to speak about anything intimate in front of a stranger, she had picked up on it in silence. It was more than just the hair- he was swaying like the tides themselves again. Otherwise he would have known that such a demand would never work on her. It was enough to almost make Mana laugh. As weak and pathetic as she was, somehow the Raen still clung to a semblance of strength in her own stubbornness. He was far from an idiot too- something had been off. Just like after their return from Ishgard or maybe it was just another broken fragment. Did he even remember Tsuki's room? Mana still remembered her words and-
“Not that it matters now.”
Mana commented out loud as she marched across the floor. The footsteps echoed louder than she would have liked because they punctuated the isolation. She reached the faded ivory dresser- the first piece of furniture for her basement. Opening the drawer there were two envelopes sealed with blue wax sitting atop of the organized mess of vials, jars, trinkets and stones. Two envelopes meant for the same man, but containing two different messages entirely. One with a bullet and one with a piece of broken wood. Mana’s watery hues stared at them dispassionately before she cracked and dipped her head down to laugh underneath her breath. I want to see you break. You’re interesting.
“Idiot.” Mana's melodic laughter ended with a quick suck of breath as she took the envelopes and then ripped them both in half. What good did words ever do? She tucked them into the back pocket of the worn leather pants and instead plucked up one of her snowy white sea-worn rocks. Her eyes scrutinized over it and then she nodded, clutching it between her fingers. Mana couldn't help but let out a defeated sigh while she walked towards the stairs with a natural sway of her hips.
“I don’t hate you.” The whispered words fumbled past her lips before she realized what exactly she'd been thinking, which only made the Raen shake her head at herself. I would have helped. She sighed, but there was a weight upon her shoulders that dug claws into the knots that had built up inside. She had been leery about her trip because of it, but when the only obstacles were her hired hands and looters? An epiphany had struck her. One that she knew should have made her happy, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. The weight doubled until she forced herself to lump all the experiences and memories in with the rest.
The Siren. Ultimately that was a fate she would never escape. Those along her path had been ruined if they hadn’t fled, and they had been good people and far better than herself. Maybe that’s why she had consorted to dancing with devils and demons? Monsters and wolves? Mana reached the outside door and found her nails digging into the handle for a moment as she clenched her teeth.
Even the monsters leave you. Just like everything else.
“I’m far too busy for stupid thoughts!” Mana lied to herself, speaking aloud to the air when she stepped through the doorway of her home and all but slammed it behind her.
The night air of the Lavender Beds greeted her with the fresh scent of a past rain and a chorus of bugs chirping their pleasantries. Naturally she stood up straighter and walked with forced purpose, ducking under the archway and across the path towards a large river. It wasn’t until she reached the edge where the boat had dropped her off that she stopped just before stepping into the waters themselves. A dark, almost black wooden box was waiting for her where she had set it down beneath the shadow of a tree teetering upon the edge of the shoreline.
What was inside of the box had been found by accident. Mana had heard rumors of a shipwreck among one of the uninhabited islands in the tropical waters of La Noscea. The wreck itself had been described in such a way that it bore into her mind as incredibly similar to the old ship that belonged to her father. The very ship that had been stolen from her in the wake of the storm. It had driven her into urgency and turbulence.
She had gone out of her way, shrouded in a cloak, to hire Landrenel Triluveux. His rumored reputation she had overheard in Ishgard, ironically enough, and while she hardly trusted mercenaries, let alone those in the Mist, she knew she had to push herself out of her comforts. He was a fighter- a survivor- that she had no true connections or sympathies towards. A perfect individual to take with as insurance in case a vengeful party came to make true on their threats and perhaps, deep down, she was hoping for future business.
Mana had also ventured to hire Noah Kelten, the very man who entangled her into a deeper mess of misunderstandings and problems. At least she had the satisfaction of being let into his home while he was away and drinking his tea. Yet there was no denying his expertise with investigations and who better to bring along that someone you can trust to be completely blunt without care for your feelings? Then of course there had been Yuti Kyis for her healing expertise, because Mana wanted to be prepared for the worst and Vincint Venator because he’d already promised to shoot anyone who’d come around for trouble. Although they had been reluctantly brought with, but in her haste she couldn't afford to find more distant connections.
She had tried to keep the entire venture rather business-like and without any feelings, which was easier to do when they discovered the ship wasn’t her father’s at all. That had been an utter disappointment and on top of it, they’d merely been attacked by a few looters. The thought made Mana laugh- she’d been disappointed it was only them that awaited her party. Although, an ill-timed explosion had Vincint shooting it off near Noah, who in turn seemed to retaliate with a fire spell that was close enough to burn the gunner. As if the irritable pair needed another reason to dislike each other. Thankfully Yuti’s healing and Landrenel's cool head kept things from spiraling into an actual brawl, although Mana tried to keep things diplomatic by tending to Noah while Miss Kyis treated Vincint’s wounds. That only pissed off Mister Venator and she never heard the end of that along with many choking-filled comments on the return trip.
Despite it all though, a surprise came from Yuti's discovery that led them to the pair of old chakrams. They had been stowed away deep enough within the ship that the weapons washed ashore with the debris. They'd nearly given Noah a shock when he had tried to handle them and even Vincint felt an eerie sensation that was enough to give them a respectable berth.
Still at the edge of the water, Mana drew in a slow breath as she crouched down and picked up the smooth wooden box. It stored the pair of weapons currently. The inside had a crystal interior that she had used before to handle volatile goods that were sensitive to aetherical surroundings. It perhaps did nothing, but it didn't hurt to try to be a bit safer.
Regardless, this was her new purpose now. The lie wanted her to say it was because they were a mystery and if she unraveled it, then perhaps she could use it to pay off her debts. The truth though was much simpler and selfish. The pair of chakrams, old and tormented by time and sea, could not be touched by anyone that she had found yet. Except for her. The reason was almost laughable too. It was because of her weakness. The accident long ago that led her to give up her magic, her health and many dreams, now was the single reason that she could touch these weapons. Mister Kelten thought it was perhaps by design, but Mana was skeptical. Her gut told her, deep down, that they were like her.
Cursed.
“I'm so tired.” Mana whispered the words to the night air as she hugged the box to her chest. It was rather large and unwieldy in her arms, but even through the wood some part of her felt as if she could feel that familiar sensation that they gave her whenever she took them in hand. Understanding. An inkling of some missing piece being filled. Even the subtlest touch of pleasure and pride. She'd always outwardly portrayed herself a confident creature, but the weapons affirmed the possibility of it being a true reality.
“I'm done trying to hope that these broken pieces will mend and I'm not going to believe that anyone will ever be different. Least of all myself.” She looked up through the canopy and saw the glittering stars attempting to peak through the clouds that had long since cast their rain. Of course it was all still buried inside of her- the loneliness, the sting of disappointments, betrayals, echoes of aches and pains and by the Twelve, the memories too. Her scarred feet itched at the mere thought of it all, but she was done trying to cover it up. She was done pretending that she could overcome it if she simply worked hard and played nice and survived.
They called her the Siren and she had always hated it, denied it and swore at it. They said she was a harbinger of bad luck and she'd cried, refused and kept trying to defy it. They said she was the reason for the storm and the thief and she couldn't clean the bloodstains from her hands. She'd worked so hard to go against all those words and in the end she had... what?
Nothing.
Everything she desperately attempted to grasp fell through her fingers like the very ocean itself. A part of her wondered if this was some sort of breaking point, but that was laughable. One couldn't break something that had never been fixed. No. It was finding something else that was cursed and being told what it was supposed to be that made the picture clearer. It was the empty basement and the audible click of her heels. It was the scars that left traces or the way her throat hurt when she swallowed once and awhile.
She wasn't going to escape these pains. No one is going to help save you.
It was time to stop hoping, stop running and accept it. Accept what you are.
If they believed she was some unlucky Siren bringing forth a storm? Cursed.
Then she'd gladly ruin them all.
“What are you doing?” A familiar voice rang out behind Mana as she blinked and snapped her gaze away from the sky. She whirled around and nearly fell into the water, catching herself by trained grace alone. Her grip on the box tightened a little, knuckles turning white before she drew in a breath and offered them a gentle smile.
“Just saying goodbye.”
“Oh? Goodbye to who?”
Mana paused and turned to look over her shoulder at the water that started to gleam with the growing blanket of stars. Her tail twitched briefly in the air and she caught herself biting her lip, which only brought the gentle curve of a smile with a thought of how she was often scolded for it.
“Just another mask.”
And another me.
[[ Not a huge fan of my writing here, but I had to drabble it out before shifting gears! Mentions to @ketsuchikotetsu , @crystal-high-jinks , @forthepursuitofknowledge , @yutikyis & Vin (no tumblr). You all rock! ]]
Ya’ll I just pictured Harrison (the main character from my NaNo novel) dancing and singing to “Come Go With Me” by the Del-Vikings in his kitchen and it’s so cute I’m cryiiiiing
Weeks ago I had canon balled into a swimming pool of our curiosity.
You were the first out going, friendly, obnoxious personality I truly found interest in.
I always liked them shy, introverted. Maybe that was my problem? A shy guy could feel threatened about my freedom, my need to interact with other people. Then I met you.
Annoying. So fucking annoying. However you blocked out all the white noise that involuntarily played in the back of my head. You pulled me to engage in areas of my personality, that I never wanted to acknowledge.
You helped draw confidence into areas in which I lacked.
I loved that.
After what happened that night a couple days ago, I saw your extroverted demon.
I don’t know if I want to engage with that side of you. Nor do I want to know how often your demons like to dance.
