The next morning, the stowaway had finally woke up. Surprisingly, despite what Elijah told the crew of what had happened the previous day, she wasn't that spooked about it when she woke up. Instead, she was more worried about how to face everyone now that she had shown everyone who she really was.
A woman.
Waking up with the doctor standing close to her was something that almost gave her a heart attack. She wasn't expecting anyone, and clearly she never wanted to meet a pirate who had just discovered she was a woman.
However, Zeki told her everything. From the time Elijah brought her unconscious and confirmed to everyone that she was in fact a woman. Although some were shocked upon knowing, Zeki had assured her that there was nothing for her to be afraid of. Uncertainty was the only thing that always followed whenever assurance was given to her.
And furthermore, she had just learnt that Zeki knew from the start.
She couldn't fathom what made Zeki hide the truth from the rest just like how she never understood Calev's reason. But as the sun shined so beautifully that morning, was also the way she finally embraced what lay ahead her decision of trusting the combatant and the rest of the crew.
The galley was nothing but noisy when she sat down and had her first meal that day. The voices that spoke of a certain mission rendered her confused but had no intention to comprehend. She clearly remembered that they also had a mission yesterday, and wondered if they weren't done yet.
From what she had been told, the ships were anchored along the leeward coast of Azura. From what she could see from the galley's portholes, they weren't that far from the island. Instead, over the tall and terrifying cliff, the mad treasure stayed as if being hidden.
She remained seated in one of the empty tables near the windows throughout the morning. As the galley filled in and out of people to dine in, she took herself away from the crowd by having herself mesmerized by the ocean waves. She no longer felt sick with the repetitive motion, yet there were times when the waves got too much stronger that she felt like all that nausea was coming back. However, calm days like this that made her appreciate the ocean sparked a little confidence in her heart about her improvement around the ship and these people.
"Strumpet?"
One of the pirates called her attention. The crew gasped, murmurs and utterances were heard throughout the ship. Everyone has something to say, whispering it to their nearby mates who stand next to them
She looked around typing to search for that someone, only to find the uncertain eyes of the people inside the galley.
"Don't call her that, Calev might hear you."
Draco suggested across the room, the tone in his voice proved his annoyance over the name.
When he got no response he looked at the woman for the first time, taking her appearance in.
A subtle laugh was heard from him when he took a hold of her face. Draco's stout cheeks turned red when he remembered what he once saw underneath her disguise.
[ That bondage on her chest. ]
His cheeks turned into a darker shade of red.
"Master Draco, err have no name to call thy wench." The pirate reasoned.
The boatswain frowned upon it, glaring at the man.
"You're lucky I am not Calev. Belay from calling her presumptuous names."
Draco firmly stated.
They all shivered with the thought of the combatant, but she looked rather confused.
"Y...you can…call me…j..just sto..waway."
Suddenly, she felt anxious with all the stares on her, but regardless of how she started to fidget on her seat she flashed them a nervous smile.
A smile that took everyone's breath, even Draco himself. The noise was back again, with their voices in the air. Draco walked closer to her, inviting himself to sit in the vacant chair just across her. Her smile twitched unsurely while she examined Draco's actions.
His fiery red hair matched the shade on his cheeks when their eyes met for a split second, before Draco looked away.
"Ye we be so weak, yet ye carry those magazine 'n powder like a real scallywag, I thought ye we be! A strumpet! Ye been showin' no signs in actions but now I look at it ye ne'er look like one." Someone in the crowd said.
"Aye! The stowaway can carry those boxes like real scallywag, it doesn't make sense!" Another butted in earning a laugh from everyone.
"Arr, maybe be in it some lands be sayin' the truth, strumpets can be strong when they wants t'" Laughter echoed at the galley, as they all think back to the time where the stowaway despite everyone thinks, managed to do the heavy task the quartermaster had put her in.
"Hush it! You're making her uncomfortable." Draco bellowed, shutting everyone.
"So you're really a woman. I knew I was right." He then stated, fixing his attention to her who remained shut.
His words come off as bragging to everyone, he felt as if he was ahead of everyone else.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled timidly..
"What for?" Draco asked her genuinely, she sighed.
"For pretending."
Draco searched for something in her eyes for a moment, analyzing the emotions that can be portrayed by those hazel eyes. All he saw was the softness and genuine feeling that only her could pull, an innocent looking eyes that would affect anyone including him.
"T'was nothing." Draco shrugged it off,
When he showed his smile, she felt warm. The way his eyes shined, and the corner of his eyes crinkled with how his smile radiated an atmosphere that welcomed her. That friendly and inviting demeanor he always had ever since despite looking suggestively dangerous, Draco just like the first time she met him-had the charisma of someone she can lean on.
"But Master Draco, isn't it bad luck?"
Someone asked anyway regardless of the welcoming they gave, ruined was the moment between the two right away.
Draco glared at the person.
"You ought to shut that mouth if you have nothing to say."
The familiar voice, which made everyone shudder dangerously threatened everyone. Without even looking at the direction of where he came from, they can already feel his strong gaze on their backs. Regardless of who had said such nonsense, they all felt like they all were responsible for the awful question.
She looked at the galley's door. The brooding combatant made her gasp, a reaction she wasn't meant to do. It just came out naturally, with the way how Calev looked like he was ready for a bloody combat. His eyes were dark enough for her to get swallowed by it, the way how tense he stood, she tried to erase all the words she had heard about this man.
Because despite how many tales she will hear from all the people of mad treasure about the combatant, fierce and strong enough to be labeled as a one man army. Whenever she sees him, the man who helped her through will always be the version of him that she wants to remember.
She had to admit it at one point, she was scared of Calev ever since but not to the point where she won't be able to be around him.
So she smiled.
She felt all her worries and fear leave her, only to be replaced with relief and assurance whenever Calev was around.
"You are overreacting."
Zeki commented, rolling his eyes and walking past his assistant to approach her.
"One more word about how she–"
"Mate, if you don't calm down I will let Axel handle you. Consider yourself lucky that I asked him to let you off the brig to see her."
Calev shut his mouth, finding Zeki's threat effective. Everyone saw how he momentarily gulped, the very first time they had seen him appeared nervous. Although they did not say anything, they were all taken aback.
Calev's eyes softened when he averted his gaze to the stowaway. He felt every tension inside him flushed away just with one look at her. He has been suffering with how his chest was aching since yesterday, worried about her and feeling the unexplainable wrath around him. Although he seemingly calmed down due to Axel's decision of taming him forcefully last night, it was still lingering.
The demon.
It felt like something was filling up the bottling emotions inside him. He knew what he was capable of, what that demon was capable of if he was able to take full control. That was why he gave his captain to tame him that way, control him that way. And even at the moment of their mission, a pent up surge of anger was boiling upon him. He couldn't handle it, unlike before where one word from his captain, without the use of that spell bound in Axel's necklace-he was able to tame.
"Are you alright?"
He asked the stowaway, the tone of anger from earlier was gone and replaced by the pure sincerity of his question.
No one knew at that moment what was really between him and the stowaway. Not even with the power of the sorcerer, Zeki.
But when her hazel bore in his, the shining specter of light radiating every emotion in their gazes. The smile that she was never able to give anyone but Calev, the familiarity of the feeling around them.
His demon recognized her, more than Calev ever will.
And there, at the corner of the galley, beside the porthole where the morning sunlight cascaded the place. Illuminated in her beautiful face was the soft touch of the sun, transforming her hazel eyes into something more beautiful. Both Calev and his demon drowned with her presence. Even with the noise of the people inside, the loud conversation of Draco and Zeki that overlapped the whole claymore.
Erupted was the noise of the usual dining place filled with hungry pirates. The stowaway and the combatant long forgotten by everyone as they all get into their own businesses. Only after a moment later the silence had fallen over them when Zeki averted his attention to the both after a realization struck him.
He has been wondering all this time why Calev hid the truth and let the stowaway play pretend. He was certain the stowaway perhaps had begged the combatant, but something completely took his whole mind. With one single statement by him, everyone dropped their food, their mouth agape, their mind buzzed all together.
The cozy atmosphere between the two had been interrupted by the seriousness of his voice, the words coming out of his mouth have shocked everyone.
The sentence, the wordings, making an epiphany of realization to everyone's mind. Answering all their curiosity and confusion towards the combatant's unordinary actions.
Slowly, piece by piece they finished the puzzle, from Calev's actions, to his unusual self, his decisions, all raising to one conclusion that makes everyone shut their mouth and keep the silence once again. All due to Zeki's straightforward statement.
"You…took her to your cabin."
He sounded so horrified behind those whispers. He looked like he was knocked out while his mind played countless memories of Calev forcing his presence wherever she was.
That silence was nerve wracking, even the stowaway gulped with how it almost deafened her. Zeki's green eyes turned its glinting shine to pure disgust and disappointment. No one ever said a thing, anyone could bet that nobody had breathed in those moments. Only the brave man in the shape of a doctor was able to say something, but this time they are not sure if he's going to make it out alive of Calev's possible reaction.
"Calev. You're a pervert."
Silence.
But the sound of Argus' laughter coming from the galley's door he had just entered, echoed throughout the place. He laughed so loud that even the creatures under the sea could hear him.
The same statement that almost had the combatant attack Argus upon hearing Zeki's words came back to him. Having remembered how he also mistakenly thought that Calev used the opportunity to take advantage of a woman.
He continued to laugh, as everyone held their breath.
Well, Zeki might make it out alive, but Argus probably won't.
…
Argus died.
That could have been his fate if the stowaway did not stop the raging combatant.
Zeki on the other hand didn't need any sort of protection under the danger of the combatant. In fact, Calev himself immediately cleared his name to the doctor.
In the ship, all men would rather take any harsh criticism from anyone but never from the doctor.
That man, although he shared the same traits of what pirates are, he was naturally pure. And being under Zeki's good people list was a privilege.
Calev wouldn't risk such a thing.
Zeki of course apologized for the accusation after the stowaway herself cleared the situation for Calev's sake, who kept landing himself in these sudden conclusions. He, who only wanted to help, became a psycho perverted maniac, who presumably had lure the poor stowaway into his bedroom, taking advantage of her under the guise of playing doctor
Rumors spread like wildfire in a matter of hours on the ship, the crew eagerly listened to those who had heard the commotion on the galley. The combatant was deemed to be a real demon for doing such unthinkable things. Some were even saying that they couldn't really blame the combatant cause that stowaway was irresistibly beautiful and they would think and do the same things.
These were circulated in the galley, the upper deck, gundeck, the starboard and larboard, and each corner of the ship. Draco, who had loaded the necessities of the doctor to the sickbay heard one of these nasty comments. Especially the disgusting statements about the stowaway.
Each word carried perverted thoughts from them, but ending in a conclusion that they could never do anything even if they would try, or at least get too close to her because the combatant would definitely end them due to these lewd thoughts of his woman.
Draco had warned them about their loose mouths, the youngest scolded each and everyone of them. Telling them that they were children of god, for he was the one around to hear them. If it was Calev all of them would have been gone.
These groups started to cease their gossiping, actually listening to the boatswain himself. However the rumors still stayed afloat in the ship, only in a mere whisper of everyone's mouth. Careful around this time, hoping that a certain demon wouldn't hear their obsession of talking about anyone's life and their sudden crush on the beautiful lady who was on board with them.
That was why Argus almost died.
" Mate, you have to admit it. No matter what you say, everyone will always have the same thought."
Argus laughed, shrugging his point as if it was the most casual statement.
" You made things worse you fuck."
The combatant anger was all due to the loud laughter that never ceased to tease him whenever they ran into each other. Whilst the rest of the crew were all busy with their jobs, these two spent their time chasing around.
" If I fucking catch you, you're going to wish you had never open your mouth once."
" Fucking try mate."
Calev tried to catch the said man, while he excused himself sheepishly with the reason of having to attend to one of the captain's orders.
" You two fucking stop. Calev, come here 'n assist me on these sails"
Even at the constraints of his duty, mostly assisting Felix with the sails, he found time to chase his hunt.
" I will fucking get to you later!"
Calev reminded Argus. In which the latter only laughed before heading somewhere far from the combatant, but making sure he will be back to annoy him once again.
" I told you to stop and man these sails!"
Felix called once again to the preoccupied combatant.