The hairs on his skin stood to attention. The wind in their surroundings was chilling, no matter how high up the sun had gone, refreshingly so. But the cold wind wasn't the reason why Faine was in a state of unease, unable to sit down and stay seated. No, as he looked out the window of Elias' makeshift cabin, he couldn't help but cycle the same thought through his head over and over again—there was something seriously wrong about this place.
Gone were the days when Querencia Island had been famously known as a staple of new love, the perfect place to ask the god of love for blessings. Now, it was bitter, frosty, and filled with unspoken terrors.
Faine was filled with grief. For what exactly? He didn't want to think about it.
The grass was certainly greener there. The trees stood as tall as he remembered. The gentle flowing of a nearby stream lulled him to a false sense of safety.
Despite the serenity of it all, his instincts were flaring. Just looking out the window had him wanting to move away from it, so he did exactly that, feet scurrying to approach the table Calixto and Elias had gathered around. He looked at the two, a sense of urgency overtaking him, "We can't stay here any longer."
Other than the unsettling environment, Faine didn't even want to start imagining the chaos that had ensued on the ship. Were they searching for their captain right now? Had Crane and Rinus fallen victim to those persistent vines as well? Or had they already given up on their leader, declared him dead, and were currently butchering each other up for the position of captain? He'd rather not imagine the bloodshed that would occur if that thought were true.
Elias, the uncaring bastard that he is, only rolled his eyes. "Oh no, please do intrude on my space any longer."
Who hurt him? Faine wanted so desperately to ask. But he wasn't usually that quick-witted under an immense amount of stress, so instead, what came out was, "You're a brat."
"Compared to you? I'm quite tame."
Yeah, the courtesan didn't have time to deal with the white-haired bastard's antagonism. If Elias wanted so badly to act like a bitter old man, he shouldn't have accepted the path to ascension. The half-blood with the physical capabilities of a senior citizen certainly would've been more tolerable. He would've been much cuter, too.
Deciding he had much better things to do with his time, Faine turned to the pirate accompanying them, arms crossed in front of his chest out of annoyance.
"What can we do, though? The newbie isn't showing any signs of waking up soon." Calixto said. The sigh that left his lips resonated with Faine on ungodly levels.
Things shouldn't have been this complicated. They shouldn't have had to face such great difficulties. He felt his guilt return, his previous meal climbing up his throat. He shouldn't have requested the journey when they were clearly so unprepared. He wasn't even aware of the island's dreadful state. Now, complete innocents were suffering for his negligence.
The courtesan shook his head. Self-loathing did nothing to aid them in their situation. He needed to focus on formulating a plan, on weighing the elements involved in their predicament, like Calixto's injuries, for example. "You're not doing any better, captain."
"I can carry my weight."
"Funny." The two heard Elias snicker from where he was seated. His long limbs awkwardly splayed over his chair.
They shared a look, the pirate and the courtesan absolutely done with the immortal's conceited nature. Had it been any other circumstance where he didn't just save the three of them from their agonizing deaths, the half-blood would've been walking down a plank by now, fed to starved sharks.
They needed him, though, no matter how intolerable he was. And Faine was set on using him to his heart's content.
"What's waiting for us out there, Eli?" He asked, unable to stop himself from mimicking the god of death's rather endearing habits.
The red that formed on Elias' pale ears was startling, to say the least. Even Calixto went silent, interested in watching the scene unfold. The tension between the courtesan and the pirate's savior was subtle moments ago, but now it was unbearably obvious.
"Don't call me that." The violet-eyed male snarled.
Faine's eyes were about to fall off from the number of times he's rolled them. He sauntered over to where Elias had been sitting, hand meeting with the chair's head as his body leaned towards the other's flushed face. "Are you going to tell me or not?"
Elias did his best to look anywhere else but the courtesan's piercing gaze. Suddenly, the cup in his hands was the most interesting thing in the room. He tried his best to sound offended, repulsed, but he could barely even maintain his voice's stability. "Impatient."
The half-blood was way too easy to tease, something Faine learned when they were first introduced courtesy of Yvnir, Elias' master. His reactivity was the only semblance of his actual age. The courtesan often took advantage of it because, try and try again, he couldn't seem to find any other way to get the brat to tone down his obnoxiousness.
Elias coughed awkwardly, slamming his cup onto the table to redirect the attention from his red face. "A few years ago, master purged the island. Claimed mortals were no longer worthy of basking in its beauty. Now, there are bloodthirsty beasts roaming around with their only goal being to devour. They're impossible to kill and even harder to control."
"The wall..." Faine whispered, the realization hitting him like a swinging sledgehammer.
"It's not there to keep pesky humans out. It's there to keep the monsters in." And as if it hadn't been obvious enough, Elias just confirmed it for him.
The courtesan inhaled deeply. With another variable in the equation and a rather unpredictable one, he was forced to rethink his initial approach. He couldn't risk any more lives than he already had.
His eyes widened, his mind's lamplight finally turning on. He turned to Elias, their faces closer than ever, and the other's redder than ever.
"It has to be us."
In all his years working as a courtesan, he never expected to be shoved so hard by a frail-looking immortal to the point that the firm table behind him was driven back a good two meters away from where it had been standing. He was too stunned to process the pain in his lower back, his breaths coming off sharp and short.
Calixto stood from his seat, chair flying backward. He looked about ready to jump Elias, but Faine held him back. With a single glance at Faine's expression, the captain instantly understood. He nodded, stalking towards a further corner of the room.
Elias looked thoroughly pissed, bearing his teeth. "And why the hell would I agree to help you?"
Faine approached the other fiercely, eyes burning with determination. "You understand why the captain stood down, right?"
He attempted again the action that got him shoved in the first place, his lips barely a breath away from pale, chapped ones. He stared into Elias' eyes, diluted, dazed, but pleasantly so. Faine had an inkling of a feeling that the rascal held some sort of attraction for him. Seeing him now, eyes closed in anticipation, lips puckered like an inexperienced maiden. It seems like Faine's hunch had been somewhat accurate.
Good, because attraction was the only weapon the courtesan wielded.
"I knew it. Simple as any man." Faine smirked before pulling away, and those violet eyes blinked open from his abrupt movement, the disappointment on Elias' face as visible as a full moon on a cloudless night.
If the courtesan really thought about it, Elias really did hold a semblance to the moon, and Faine—he was the tide, pushing and pulling, but never within reach. They both enjoyed it, however, just like with every other client he had.
"What— what are you—"
"Listen. If you do this for me," He put his arms around Elias' neck, trying his hardest to hide the chuckle threatening to bounce out of his throat. He should be threading carefully. The half-blood had quite the brittle pride, after all. "I'll put in a good word for you or, you know, do it old school. Repay you with my services." He winked.
"I don't want anything to do with you—" Elias retorted, but the way he didn't bother to move away from Faine's touch spoke volumes. He and his master were all the same—glass onions—layered, but quite transparent.
"Oh, yeah?" The courtesan caressed the other's bottom lip, the look in his eyes sultry and enticing.
His hand was quickly snatched by a wrist, the glare on Elias' face hardly convincing. Even when he tried to feign annoyance, his blush could deceive no one, not even the pair of young gingers Faine missed dearly.
Still, Elias remained stubborn. "I'm not that easy."
"Name your conditions, then." Faine replied, getting off the other's lap. His weapon didn't seem to work as well this time.
Calixto and Faine shared a look, both of wariness and worry, as Elias sorted through the possibilities in his head.
"A pair of glasses, I want them." Elias snapped his fingers as if he had found the answer he had been searching for so long.
"Glasses? Any pair of glasses?"
"No, the ones master gave you."
"He never gave me a pair of glasses. I don't need them to begin with."
Elias was quiet in thought, hand rubbing his chin as if there had been a stubble there. His focused expression was somewhat charming. The half-blood was somehow the most vicious yet innocent Faine knew. It made the courtesan long for Saeger's wholehearted kindness and enthusiasm. Bruefly, he wondered when he'd see him awake again.
"What about a fur coat? Your master gave it to me as well."
"Fur? What color?"
"Black."
He shook his head and the gesture was much too serious for Faine to comprehend. "No, that'd be useless to me in addition to being shameful."
"Shameful? Why?" He was quick to inquire.
"Master won the fur through a duel. It's not for me to claim."
"And the glasses you're looking for? How'd he get that?"
"Through a wager." A vague answer. Faine expected nothing less, nothing more. The god of death worked in mysterious, unpredictable way. Everyone working around him respected that, and the courtesan found it quite attractive, even. Yvnir was a mist of his own.
Still, he decided to probe, if only a little.
"How are those two any different?"
"You wouldn't understand." Elias answered, and Faine agreed. He truly didn't understand the customs of immortals. "It's a matter of honor."
"I'm surprised the bastard still has any." Faine joked, earning him a rather mean-spirited glare from the half-blood. As indifferent as he made himself appear, he was really no better than the next person who was either wholly terrified or wholly enamored with the god of death.
He decided to change the topic. "You really aren't tempted by my offer of a mind-blowing, life-altering experience with yours truly?"
His amusement only grew when Elias responded with a snarl.
Calixto, after observing without delivering any comments, finally budged from his place on the corner of the shack. He moved towards Faine, sincerity reflecting in those golden eyes. "There's no used to this, dove. The kid won't budge."
Elias watched the two interact. The affection in their voices, the longing in their gazes, the shameless familiarity buzzing in the air—it made him feel wronged on behalf of his master. He was aware of the nature of Faine's job, but having this level of intimacy and closeness with someone else, was it allowed under the god of death's watch?
Not that it mattered. Elias snapped out of his thoughts. He was creeped out by himself in moments like this when he exhibited such a weak-minded master complex. He wasn't Yvnir's slave, even though he was often treated like one.
He couldn't deny that he was curious, though. Beyond physical desire, beyond sensual touches, and empty flirtation, what exactly had drawn so many people to the courtesan?
Perhaps it was the fact that everyone else wanted him. In that case, Elias wanted to remain on top.
"Fine," He drawled out rather manipulatively. Fingers gently swirling the cup in hand, the liquid sloshes around in a satisfactory manner. If he had Faine by a collar and a leash, then it'd probably mean establishing control over their current love predicament and soon enough, everybody would only be water in a cup. "But it means I can take you any time, anywhere I want."
The courtesan only grinned, ready to take the challenge.
"I didn't expect any less from you, Eli."