Omiron Sea was the name of the shallow water body directly north of the eastern coast of Cape of Narl. Adjacent to the coast of Lamiron, the southernmost Renaari Kingdom, Omiron was known for its calm waters and beautiful coral reefs. Sailing through this region was slow since the lack of strong currents required the vessel to be pushed forward by oarsmen.
About a week had passed since Avi's Fortune departed from Ilnanar. A couple of days back, they had stopped at Uranok, the capital of Lamiron and the only significant port in the region. Their next stop would be directly at Kanark, where they would presumably arrive in three more days if they didn't make any more halts at nearby ports.
Fortunately, the portion of the coastline they were passing today had no settlements built on it and hence, no other vessels were in sight. This would allow them to travel in speed and cover more distance.
Eranae walked up the narrow passage below the deck, making her way to the trapdoor that led above. It was still early morning and several members of the crew were preparing for the day in their quarters. They nodded reverently on seeing Eranae pass, who responded by returning the gesture. The crew always seem to react that way around her, but not Pearl for some reason. Was it because of her tall stature, Eranae wondered. Well, she wasn't much taller than most crew members, whose heights were similar to that of Pearl. Back in the Nydekar and the Estate, she was rather average heighted.
It must be due to her hair instead, she concluded, since usually they were tied in a Warrior's honor knot, but not that morning. It was at least one of the many reasons. The current reason might be the fact that she was walking with two longswords in her hand, which although made of wood, still looked real in the shadows. Eranae climbed up the open trapdoor, getting to the deck which was now shrouded with slight morning mist. It was mostly empty, with only one sailor eating his breakfast sitting beside an oarsman, who was doing the same.
At the end of the deck stood Pearl and, as Eranae had anticipated, Jarine. The captain's sister spent most of her free time chatting with Pearl and also made it a point to see him exercise and meditate in the morning. It was visibly vexing, but Pearl didn't mind it. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy talking and spending with her. This fact made Eranae feel an emotion that she never felt before. It was a kind of envy that she knew was unwarranted for some reason. Was she jealous of them, a part of her mind wondered.
What a ridiculous notion, another part of her mind reassured. Pearl enjoys talking to her because he wants to know more about the Skysong, there wasn't anything more to it. And even if there was, Eranae shouldn't be concerned. Pearl was his own person, with his own free will. If he felt attracted towards Jarine, that should be of no concern to Eranae.
"Good Morning," Eranae greeted them, "I hope I am not interrupting anything important?"
"No, no, you are not." Jarine replied, her light tan face turning red with a blush. Now that Eranae looked at her this closely, Jarine was very beautiful. A round face with a well defined nose, her golden hair tied into a single thin braid. Her light brown eyes, however, were something she shared with Eranae.
"Actually, you are." Pearl spoke up, "Jarine was teaching me how to concentrate air into a sphere. Like this."
He strained his fingers, as if he were holding an invisible bowl, and began breathing in. The air around his hand got sucked into the area over his palm and formed an irregular shape. This shape, after staying stable for a moment, burst into a miniature wind that blowed against Eranae's face.
"That seems like a fun trick to show off with at parties." Eranae replied, "I know one too."
She raised the index finger of her right hand and focused her lifesong at the tip of the finger. After accumulating a significant amount, she attuned Skysong and caused the lifesong to manifest as small strands of air. These strands of air spiralled towards Pearl, entering his nose and causing him to sneeze hard.
"What was that?!" He coughed.
"A pretty useless move," Eranae said, "But not as useless since it got your attention."
"Will you teach me how to do that?" Pearl asked.
"Yes," Eranae walked back a little to create some empty space between them. Then she tossed a practising sword at Pearl, which he reflexively caught by the hilt with one hand. Sun dawned over the horizon, clearing the air off mist. Eranae, stopping after walking back far enough, positioned her body into a one-handed sword stance.
"But first, we will have a sparring session."