The two of them walks up to the weather deck, marching her steps as Calev strides longer than hers. Trying to keep up, she ignores all the stares she get and fights off the strong wind crashing onto her slim body.
Covering mostly her chest, careful not to show anyone her figure. The stares from everyone makes her uncomfortable, their eyes feels like piercing knives in her skin. The crawling feeling creeps into her, shivering at the lingering anxiety
Calev's words still lingers in her mind. When they arrived at the destination, a huge room that is filled with the aroma of alcohol and fruits, papers and pistols were seen on the table, books are piled on the floor questionably next to some sacks labeled "explosives".
Her breathing hitches, fully aware of what is waiting for her inside as she watches nine men inside.
" We're supposed to rendezvous towards the armory." Someone with a very deep voice said, his tone dominating the room with how powerful he sounds.
He is sitting on one of the sacks, as if it the most comfortable chair he knows. He looks scary, just like everyone else.
However his striking eyes separates him from the rest. Those icy gray eyes strongly captivating her with the allure of danger.
" We will only need a few men, Argus and Calev are enough at the front."
Another deep voice answered, his tone however higher for a small difference than the first man.
He is standing next to the unknown icy man. He gives off the opposite of the man next to him. Despite having the same physique, he feels more softer.
" Calev is more than enough."
Argus this time answered, rolling his gray purple eyes. The fact that he found himself stuck in the new plan for this mission is incredibly annoying, especially he was not part of it in the first place, until the plan changed.
" Oi, ain't I was supposed to lay back. I was planning to roam the island town." He whined.
" You got the bestest ability to steal the compass, mate. I want this mission to be as quiet, and as sane. No unnecessary bloodshed."
The man that she realizes the captain interjected Argus' whinning.
" But I'm killing anyone who will stop me."
The first man she heard spoke again, her eyes widening upon his words and how he plays with the pistol in his hands.
" No bloodshed and Calev does not work together at all. He always ends up killing everyone. No spare-"
"S-He's here."
Calev announces their presence in the room.
All of them turns their attention towards the door, their eyes falling right into her standing figure. She tenses up, meekly keeping herself small, outwardly hiding from their observation.
She feels like a prey amongst her predators. She wants to leave, she can't handle all their eyes and the presence of these men are is something she would never get used to. Every move she makes is being watch, even her breathe feels like incriminating herself further.
Is it even alright to breath in front of them?
However, by looking at no one else but the man beside her who she sees as the safest place she can be; she feel somehow safe.
[ I am safe with Calev, right? ]
She hopes.
The conversation she overheard runs to her head in a quick trance. Her mind wanders through the visions of what Calev could be as a pirate.
The man who she feels comfortable with, the man who is by her side ever since she has found herself with no memories and stuck in a ship that can easily end her. She looks at the black haired man, feeling the curiosity seeping in.
[ I am safe right, even with a pirate like him? ]
She silently hopes.
" Sit." The captain ordered pointing at the velvety couch at the side of the room.
The two days of torment are remember when her eyes lands on the man sitting in front of a long table, scatters with maps, broken compass, and other things recognizable for navigation. The captain eyes her down, motioning her to come forward.
Under the gaze of the captain, she feels something underneath it. Not only the observing manner of how his gaze follows her move, but the way his emerald eyes feels electrifying to her soul. She hugs her body closer before stepping in to step next to the combatant.
The only person she recognized as a safe place at least.
He sitting comfortably in front of his mahogany desk. Hands intertwines, his elbows resting on the table as his chin does on his hands. He looks exactly as what she has burned in her mind, the enigma of a ruler—that personification of authority.
Beside the captain is the other two men with them who are hastily picking up the papers and maps from the table. Both of them walks out to leave the room, dismissing the meeting and leaving the higher ups with the captain inside as she comes further into the office.
She notices how tense those men are despite being part of the crew, as if the room is also suffocating them.
[ If those men are even scared of these people despite knowing them for so long, how bad will it ever go for me? ]
The stowaway wants to cry, and not leave Calev's side. Regardless of how she secretly tries to reach out for Calev's arm, her actions halted when she realizes she is being watch.
The combatant left her sitting in the couch, visibly shaking in fear. Her eyes desperately following Calev who went to sit next to stern window behind the captain. He looks uninterested about what is about to happen, looking outside the while he comfortably leans to the pane, yet his ears attentive.
She feels restless.
Eight, she counted the men inside the room. Half of them she recognizes. She spots Draco standing in the other side of the room, close to the door with the man she met at the galley, Argus.
Both of them having their own world, conversing with each other that she can't catch. Few feet from them is the man who is staring at her with piercing eyes, still sitting in one of those sacks while the other tall man next to him is more interested with the map that was handed to him earlier by those two unknown men who left the room.
On the left side of the captain, just few steps from where Calev sits, stands the man that she has the most traumatic events with. The quartermaster does not even hide the way he looks at her. He doesn't hold back nor makes it less obvious that he is keen on watching her like a total creep. She feels small under his observant eyes, his fixation taking all her anxiety rising up to its pinnacle.
Although no longer bearing the daggers in his eyes, or a cutlass in his hands, the image of the first time she saw him upon waking up in the ship could never be shaken off her mind.
There is no denying that she fears everyone here, without her memories everything just makes it worse. But Elijah's dark blue eyes hold different kind of fear for her. Like a criminal fixing to be summoned for the harsh punishment, she felt her body shakes in fear.
All while all the nerve wracking emotions rushing into her all at once, the man who is sitting next to her appears to be the only one in this ship who has no predicaments. This unknown man smiles at her sweetly, a weird situation she must admit.
His smile almost blinding her with how shining he looks in the room full of rugged men. He stood different from everyone else. His golden luscious wavy hair falls softly and delicately at the back of his neck, the strands of his hair almost covering half of his face. Carefully swept to the side, a good amount of locks tucked in his ear. His green eyes shining with his smile, the light reflecting under those orbs making it twinkle like the stars she sees in the night sky.
He looks ethereal.
[ Are pirates suppose to look like this? ]
She finds how his kind and sweet aura unnatural to the ship. Something not belonging, unusual and unfitting. It's weird because for the first time, she feels no fear in the presence of another pirate that she just met.
She continues to examine the room, scanning every man she see. The man who she recognizes as Argus flashes her a teasing smile. The other men did nothing but glance back and forth from her and the captain, almost brooding as everyone, with the exception of the man beside her.
She fidgets in her seat. Her clammy hands nervously rubbing each other, the scene in front of her almost making her cry. With all of these eyes in her figure, she feels the most helpless.
Praying to any God that can hear her, that if she miraculously regain her memories, she is not their enemies.
" How are you feelin, aye."
The captain greeted her, expression very far from what she fears.
[ What? ]
She is taken aback by the question, wondering how he can ask that to someone he just tied down for days.
Yet, what is she even ought to think about? They are pirates, they probably never thought of how much trauma they had given her.
" G--good, sir."
She quietly responded, not wanting to pissed the pirate off. She is scared, shitless but she is not going to say that.
"My apologies for our first encounter, it's all courtesy to this hasty paranoid quartermaster himself."
The captain muses, glancing at the man beside her as he forces a smile unto himself.
She notices the shiny glint of hope in the captain's eyes as he looks at the man next to her. While the quartermaster eyes their captain dangerously not believing that he is throwing another blame to him again.
With the exception of the lone combatant in the windowsill, everyone laugh at the misery of the pissed quartermaster and the desperate effort of their captain to leave a good impression, not only to her but to the man beside her.
" Quit laughing, or I'll let you all join Calev and eating up those barnacles."
Their laughter dies down with the words of the quartermaster, who threatened them. The disappointed eyes of the man with golden hair worsened.
" I'm utterly disappointed."
She heard him mutter. Her eyes snaps to the man, catching him giving Elijah a frown. The once light and kindness she saw in him long gone.
She feels like crying more than ever.
"I am Axel, Captain of the ship Mad Treasure."
The man who carries the whole authority that moves the ship, the one that makes the ships operate into an organization of high class wanted criminals, introduced himself.
"And the pirate king."
Someone followed up from across the room, she spots the man sitting in one of those sacks, playing with his pistols in his fingers.
[ Pirate king? ]
She wondered what it meant.
[ Does it mean he is the strongest? ]
The word pirate king gave another set of questions in her mind. Taking up all she can see from the man himself, trying to understand the value of the title.
From the way he looks, he is indeed intimidating. An aura of leader or worse is felt when he is around. His emerald eyes swallows anyone by just looking at them, that scar in his left eye. The thin line of evidence of his battle, does that prove he is the king or he is the strongest?
[ How did he get such scar? ]
The darkness of his brown hair that has enough red strands in side adds the reflection of obscurity. He dresses himself flamboyantly however, but the dark colors still remains in his chosen fabrics. His dark red tunic, lavishly showing his chest. The ruffles around the v—cut neck accentuates the small and beautiful pink seashell that hangs around a thin golden chain.
The necklace somehow makes her think of the jade necklace she has.
Something she notices from Axel is that despite the roughness in his exterior demeanor, his movements are flashily and with grace, the fluidity of his actions somehow reminds her of the waves.
[ This is the pirate king? ]
She is still uncertain what is a pirate king.
"That, that is Hakim. Our master gunner, he looks intimidating but he is friendly so don't worry lad."
The captain feels her anxiety as she glance to take Hakim's appearance.
He is the man sitting in one of those sacks, playing with his pistols in his hands. This man that she sees as a different kind of intimidation from others. Hakim dresses aggressively in form, a black jerkin that showcases his big chest and muscular arms.
Completely wrap by his his bandolier, filled with different kind of pistols and bullets. His dark trousers is also wrap by straps and hoisters that she concluded that is filled with another set of armory.
His physique helps him build his reputation of intimidation. He is big, both in height and muscle. A man to be feared if you cross paths with him, someone not to be messed with.
By just the way he looks at her, his gray icy eyes piercing right into her whole being. She feels coldness within those gaze, feeling a nonexistent wind blows her body. Those almond shape eyes paralyzes her, naturally holding into her with an expressive looks.
His intense and captivating allure is hard to avoid, she just feels like a prisoner under his eyes. For her, the visualization of Hakim seems like a might wolf who can attack her anytime.
[ They can all attack me, anytime. ]
The stowaway reminded herself.
"The vice captain."
He spoke again, which earns a lot of groans from everyone. Hakim is quick to react, his deep voice going higher as he called everyone one.
From the look of it, no one seems to agrees with him or agree with his position. After all he is a self proclaimed one, claiming that he has the same capabilities and skills as their captain, and he's been with him for so long. She can't deny that him and Axel does emit the same aura, scary.
"Alright, aye, aye. Whatever hooligan. By the way, this small one."
Axel rolled his eyes at the master gunner who only pouted in response, hurt by all their reactions.
" This small lad is Argus."
"Oi, I am not small!"
He countered, earning a laugh, a very loud laugh from everyone especially with the tall man who stood next to Calev.
"Aye lemme show you lots."
He challenges, grabbing his belt and almost undoing it. The laughter from Hakim and other tall man next to him got louder, while Draco immediately kicks him in the back of his knee.
" Oi, that fucking hurts!"
"It's not that idiot."
Calev muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Pointing out the fact that what Argus was about to do, is not what his captain intended.
She looks at Argus, the flirty one she had encountered at the galley. He is indeed small compared to them, maybe he even have the same height as his captain. Yet he is also huge enough next to her.
She fights back a reaction, not wanting to join the contagious laughter of Hakim while she watches Argus argue with anyone who laughed.
"This is Draco, the youngest here and also our trusty boatswain."
A rather bigger man waves to her with a smile, far from what he look like. A young face yet the body screams the experiences it endures.
She remembers him, that fiery red hair and big arms under that useless fabric called tunic is not easy to forget. He is probably the biggest amongst them when it comes to body type.
But what is striking the most about him is his younger face and his cheeky smile that she remembers from the first day she met him.
She nods slightly at Draco, wanting to acknowledge him.
"This one is our navigator."
The captain motioned to the tall man beside Hakim. He walks closer to her, extending a hand with a smile.
"The name is Felix, mate." He's friendly gesture and light voice despite a little hint of deepness of it surprises her.
Hesitantly, she raises her hands to shake his. The smile grew wider upon her acceptance, liking the fact that the stowaway doesn't feel any hostility of fear towards the smiling navigator.
Unbeknownst to him however, she is shitless scared. Even at the sight of his smile, the bright blue hair color that makes him seem approachable. Those amber eyes shining against the light, illuminated the genuine actions of his.
The delicate way of dressing himself, far from being intimidating. Unlike the rest, he wears soft and simple clothing, paired with friendly colors, no weapons dangling around him. But a small compass, hanging around the chain in his hips. Yet she is still scared.
In a room full of these men that can easily end her, she is uneasily forcing herself to tolerate the animosity. She is scared to look at everyone but she is also scared not to look at them. Fearing that they might find the lack of attention gloating and snap at her.
She doesn't know what to really do, she is clueless of everything else and only reacts the way she thought they might want her to. Careful with every move with what she does, not wanting to create unnecessary actions.
So she took Felix's hands. Her soft hands touching his rough ones, feeling pain from the grip of this huge man. Yet she endures it.
To her surprise no one has noticed her femininity, even if Calev has assured her that no one will ever care she can't stop but overthinks. The eight men doesn't care about any superstitions, at least that's what Calev have said. For her however, she can't think of anything else but fear for her life.
"And of course, this barbaric man is the quartermaster, Elijah." He introduced the grumpy man beside him.
He doesn't spare her a glance which she is silently thanking the Gods for. No one knows what kind of fear brings those scary eyes that are owned by that man.
Elijah can't stop his hostility that is obvious from the way he looks. His dark blue eyes got deeper in its colors, however he doesn't mistake himself to lay those eyes under her figure.
A certain man with golden hair, and green eyes is observing him after all-and he can't let his reputation go down any further.
There is no hiding that Elijah has his own paranoia. The very thing that makes it hard for him to let anyone get into the ship without his further investigation. He is meticulous, organized, well planned and knows his priorities.
Basically he is the man who is calm and collected, the best man to be around in an organization, the most responsible one, someone to be trusted. His logical and tactical judgements made the captain trust him, however his paranoia does hinder him.
Something that has always bothered the doctor.
"And beside you is Zeki, our doctor."
Axel pointed at the man, with a sly smile in his lips
[ He doesn't look like he belongs here. No pirate would ever look so angelic. ]
The man beside her offers her another warm smile when she turns around and look at him. Her eyes shining at the sight of his appearance, even nearly blinding her.
[ Or am I exaggerating? But who is this man and why does he looks weirdly different in my eyes? ]
He is a man of beauty, no one can ever look that gorgeous. She could have sworn that this man is more beautiful than her, not that she thinks she is. The sweet and angelic smile that he doesn't dare to drop, the way his eyes magnetized to hers as if locking her in a different dimension.
The green eyes took her further, a hypnotizing gaze that she can't look away. It reminded her a place in which she doesn't even remember, but the greenery of his eyes feels home.
And all the while she was abducted by the beautiful eyes of the ship's doctor, in his sweet eyes and welcoming gaze hides the curious mind of a man that wants to know everything in this world.
In Zeki's observation, the lack of memories is far from being a facade. With the help of his magic, tapping into her subconsciousness. Zeki learned that she really knows nothing in this world but the common grounds of what was fortunately left for her to remember.
She doesn't have memory of her past life indeed. She is no threat to them, not even an ounce of danger she can be for him or for anyone in here. However there is one thing that perplexes him.
Zeki's magic allows him to tap into someone's mind if he wishes to. He can find every secret and ever desire that a person hides. However, even with the use of his power he didn't find anything further than knowing she lost her memories.
The phenomena of losing memories is sometimes easy to understand. One who losses the ability to remember their past have met a traumatic even that made their mind hide certain part of their life from them. Sometimes, even magic can do the bidding for it, forcing someone to forget everything.
However the forgotten memories, the unrecalled past are just safely hidden underneath the confusion and uncertainty that their mind is giving them. if the right time and fortunate opportunity comes, these hidden memories might come back to these patients.
However, he feels something different from her.
The mind that he secretly tapped in, intruding the secrecy of her identity and help her regain those memories feels like it never existed in the first place. As if she never had any past at all to remember.
[ Or, suspiciously it feels like it was holding me back from knowing ].
That could be one of the case. Zeki feels like something is stopping him from knowing, as if those memories are hidden for protection, not allowing this sorcerer to know who she really is.
[ Now, is this a bad omen worth to be reported to Axel or not? Does the nature of this unusuality along her lack of knowledge about it makes her suspicious or not? ]
Zeki can't help but want to know further.
After all, he feels something else ever since he meet the unconscious stowaway in the sickbay. From the sudden curious feelings of wrath in Calev's demon, the doubtful synergy between her, and the fact that she is hiding her real identity, a woman.
There is also magic that he feels that renders him curious. The slight feeling of a weak magic from this person seems to be unmoved, likely to be dormant and willingly keeping itself together.
The energy inside her doesn't feel like threat, but the mere fact that this person has an existing magic and can't remember anything about herself. Her real identity is indeed suspicious.
Who was she?
It is not the only thing that attracted the attention of the doctor, in the innocent looking face of this stowaway hides something in her eyes. Nothing to be concluded, but something to be conspired.
[ Who is she? ]