All the while everything had happened, the stowaway was sitting at the top of the aftercastle's stairs. Sighing through the scene that she couldn't stop. She doesn't like the rumors about her and Calev, however what could she do anyways.
Besides just sitting there and letting it all happen. She was too scared to interfere-and it was even scarier for her to see the outcomes of Argus' effort on annoying the combatant.
And in the window of the front door in the navigation room, there stood someone who had been watching the whole commotion set in the middle of the weather deck.
A quartermaster with curious eyes as he examined the eyes of his captain. Never so ever, delayed was the look set to the figure of the first woman in the ship. The glint in his eyes never ceased, he stare completely. Axel observed the woman, wondering how despite the obvious features she has she had managed to keep everything hidden. A great feat, he must admit.
Axel pondered on the time he had also noticed the unmanliness in anything about her. Having missed such beauty was a foolishness of a man.
A smile spread in his face, a low yet amusing chuckle made Elijah knitted his brows in both disgust and confusion. Unable to comprehend such expression from the captain, while reminiscing about how his expression was technically similar to what he usually emitted when he was facing abundant treasures.
Only this time he was looking at her.
"Ahem."
Elijah coughed, wanting to earn the attention of the man and snapped him out of his daze.
Axel quickly came back to his senses, his eyes returned to his usual emerald eyes as he finally gave his attention to somebody instead of the woman outside.
He waited for the man to speak, looking at him with questions eyes awaiting for the words. Elijah was unable to keep his mouth shut about the scene he witnessed.
"Captain, I know she is beautiful. A surprising one but I advise you to stop ogling' your eyes on her like a beast."
Axel was taken aback, not expecting that someone had been observing him. Dumbfounded was the correct way to say it.
" Well, bucko! What could that tone I recognize, aye?" Axel mused. "Perhaps I sense an interest in that woman from you?. Was it just' weeks where you only glare at the stowaway's direction, and now what? A beauty in your eyes." He laughed, trying to switch the whole focus of the interaction.
Noting on how his quartermaster has already switched his attitude towards the lady; perhaps already bewitched by her beauty.
" Elijah, my mate. I didn't know you can be charmed by beauties."
" This is just me, trying to stop you from being a fool on anything that Calev had clearly put on a mark."
He said in gritted teeth, not liking how the captain teases him—because he knew for himself he was enchanted by her.
[ Goddess. ]
Elijah shook the thoughts out of his head.
"Mark? Do you believe in them? The stupid rumors"
The captain sincerely asked, referring to the funny rumors about his combatant's sudden interest in the woman.
He rewinded the latter's sentence, he thought back to the times Calev had indeed been too protective of her.
" No." He curtly said.
" I'm far more convinced of the rumor months ago about how Hakim sleeps with his pistol beside him like a lover." Elijah rolled his eyes, cringing at the image of the gun master and his overloved pistol.
Axel laughed loudly, remembering the funny rumors that circulated months ago. With Hakim's obsession with guns, pistols, and canons, one might think he was a psycho.
" Beside Calev won't do such things, he is more interested in killing people than actually getting a woman."
Elijah finished his sentence, stepping in next to the captain to look at the scene outside.
Outside, a scenario in which Calev sat beside the mizzenmast after carrying out the sails. While Argus came back and stood a few meters away from him; a tall silver haired man looked serious as he scolded the two men.
Elijah couldn't help but roll his eyes as he heard the man used his self—proclaimed authority as the vice captain against them. He could hear their voices from where he was.
" I'm saying this as your vice-"
" No you're not my vice captain."
" Shut up dumb fuck."
The two men groaned in annoyance of the repeated proclamations, making Hakim offended once again.
" Excuse me?" Hakim gasped, whining at how he was worthy of such a title and he was next in line.
" Stop dreaming, mate. Elijah is much more capable, and everyone agrees."
Argus smirked, laughing at his own words. Hakim however did not take any of that lightly, the hurt in his eyes was visible, which Argus regretted.
" Look mate, as a friend I advice-"
" Oh belay that motherfucker, you just have nothing nice to say." Calev retorted, glaring at his so-called best friend.
A pretty slapstick comedy kind of a scene, if someone was to describe what Elijah witnessed.
Elijah's gaze then traveled to the woman standing next to Hakim, her face drawn was real purity as she watched over the scene in front of her. Her eyes darted to the three men in sequence, following those who spoke. The look of innocence could never be missed by anyone. She stood there with her white dress and her hair flew gracefully against the wind, her skin glowed at the sun rays.
" This is just me, trying to stop you on anything that Calev had clearly put on a mark."
Axel mockingly said, repeating the quartermaster's dialogue.
Elijah's eyes widened upon hearing his friend's voice, venomous yet teasing laughter followed from him. He couldn't help but glare at the man as he tried his best to hide the red tint on his cheeks that is getting redder and redder.
" Calev would hunt you too." Axel playfully whispered to his ears.
" Belay that! It's completely nothing!"
He declared, stepping away from his captain and the window glass so he could stop himself from showing such admiration.
" Ha, look at you red as a tomato, savvy?" He continued to tease his quartermaster, pointing at his obvious flushed cheeks.
"You clearly admire her, I mean if such beauty be presented to me, not admiring should be a crime. I don't blame you, but I do judge you." Axel said, his eyes following the man who sat himself on the couch.
Elijah only responded to him by throwing him a pillow that almost hit him. The captain laughed, and picked up the pillow on the floor as he tossed it back.
" You made the woman scared shitless, got her into heavy duty, forced her to only seek the vicinity of the combatant. Probably, the only place she sees as the safest one away from you. Threatened her, accused her of being an enemy, and now admiring her. Gracious, me lord! How fast can you switch, Elijah. Beauty is a privilege, and I bet you understand."
A mocking smile plastered for the quartermaster. Daring the man to respond to his words, knowing full well he had hit something.
" You think of me with such cruelty." Elijah sighed.
" Hit ye, aye." Axel laughed towards the defeat of the eldest.
The pillows once again flew across the room, hitting the target this time around.
" Stop shaming me, will you, would you rather have me act the same way. And besides, " He protested towards the man, catching his full attention as his laugh subsided.
He gave him a look to continue his words, taking a hint of seriousness to whatever was coming out next.
" I think I'm wrong." He admitted, clutching the tiny vial that was hanging on his neck.
"She's not an enemy, or a marine. Perhaps, she's a kidnapped one. A governor's daughter I must say. That explains."
He started, counting all the possibilities to explain her worth as a kidnapped person, interesting to the pirates list.
" As I explained yesterday, she saw a man and although she does not recognized, her body does. She was shaking in fear, as if a prey had recognized her predators, she might have not remembered her memories but I bet her bodies remember such abuse she must have taken."
The quartermaster recounted softly, careful with his words to make the man in front of him understand thoroughly.
Axel, who listened intently, did not miss the real personality of the quartermaster coming out the surface. Amidst his facade of being tough, the situation he must've witnessed crack his distrust. He looked distraught and worried, the quartermaster aura suddenly wearing down.
[ What a soft hearted you are. ]
The captain thought as he watched the facade slowly cease.
" You do care, such paranoia really hinders your kindness, Elijah."
Axel did not forget to remind him, which only resulted in him completely going back to whatever mask he had always been wearing. .
The captain sighed.
" At least we now have an idea of how she came to be here on the ship. She must have run away from them, do you at least recognize such bastards?"
Axel erased the disappointment in his eyes when Elijah had returned to his usual self.
Focusing more on the main issue that he had set aside from last night, this was an important issue. They must be attentive because she had already become a member of the crew.
" Familiar, I should say but no means of knowing." He responded.
" Was she really scared?"
"More than how she fears us." Elijah slowly answered.
Both men fell silent, their minds went back to the first day she had ever entered the ship. Scared and vulnerable, Elijah could not fight back the guilt that slowly crept into his enclosed heart.
He remembered how he had been scaring and probably traumatized the woman even at her worst state. No one knew what she had been through, and yet she endured all of it.
What he did to her was not fair at any sort of measurement. Indeed he was only cautious, too much if one must put a description for him.
The quartermaster, although tough and rough, bore similar trauma that caused his paranoia and trust issues to people who he barely knows.
The stowaway had the unfortunate fate of being a target for that, and he was guilty for that.
Axel left the man in the quarters; having watched how he had started to drift from what was in front of him and be consumed by his thoughts. He could read what those thoughts are; acknowledging that he too thought of the same thing about the stowaway.
He too was guilty along with his hidden sympathy that was widening as he stepped outside the room. Greeted by the scene of her real beauty as she laughed awkwardly along with the boatswain as they watched the unstopped provocation of Argus to a now tired and more pissed combatant.
Hakim had already given up his volunteer role to stop these two as he was deeply offended by Argus' comments earlier. And despite the stowaway effort to stop him so he can stop the two, he left regardless with her worries that Argus might end up dead in the hands of the combatant.
Until Draco came along and assured her no one was dying unless Calev was serious; which to her eyes he was.
However she decided that it was better to stop as it would only be served as a wasted effort considering how the teasing purple haired man continued to attempt suicide in the hands of a combatant, a battlemaster, master of kills.
Axel stared at her for a while, a few feet away from the two who sat at the edge of the stairs that lead to the quarterdeck where he stood across the helm. He admired her this time, the luxury of uninterrupted business allowed him to fully register the stowaway's features.
Wondering how no one ever realized that a woman was before them despite such gorgeous hallmarks being issued to them since the start. Yet he failed to know. In a spur of a moment as he continued to admire from afar, he was reminded by Elijah's words. The events from earlier that lead to the crumbling of Elijah's distrust.
Axel wondered about the woman's value and identity. She could be; as the quartermaster said, a governor's daughter. But he must admit he could not buy that, there was just something about the woman that didn't put her in any less.
He felt that she was more.
He decided to walk closer to her, snatching the attention of not only the man beside her who laughed at the sight of the two men in the ground but also the attention of both men in the ground themselves. When she noticed the captain's presence standing above her, one step of a stair clearly at her proximity.
She stood up abruptly and greeted him in a manner of recognizing an authority that governed above her. Never wanted to stare too much at his eyes but glanced at it from time to time. She caught the curiosity in his face as his head tilted to the left side, eyes darting at her figure.
She swallowed hard, nervously.
Calev, who had Argus in a chokehold let go harshly and immediately stood next to her like a protective loyal dog he had been acting since. He did not challenge the authority, no signs of threat or disobedience in him as he stood across the man that held him to govern.
Axel of course recognized that, and he never really thought of anyone in his crew that would willingly challenge him. Yet Calev stood not as a challenge, but as a guard, a knight of some sort.
Axel could not help chuckling at the sight, noting how Draco snickered as he too stood up, the voice of Argus ringing. The brave soul that has been hunted by the combatant for the past hour did not fail his purpose as Calev's mate; to tease him to death.
Again, he gave out another joke about Calev being a dog; willingly becoming a bitch of a stowaway.
" Fast and alert, I see. Loyal dog."
The boatswain laughed at Calev's conflicted face, wanting to punch a certain mate but not wanting to leave a now confused and scared stowaway at the face of the captain.
"When are you really going to stop?" Draco asked Argus, referring to his suicides attempts.
"And you, when are you going to stop acting like that, that's the exact reason why the people in the ship have been saying you have become a bitch."
He looked at Calev this time, although his voice was offensive and straight, the look of innocent curiosity of questions was visible.
" And you, stop with that authoritative aura, you are scaring her."
He turned his attention to the captain who was taken aback by his sudden involvement.
" I did nothing." He quickly surrendered to the youngest, putting his arms up. " Savvy?" He glanced at her for confirmation.
Calev slowly lessened the tension he held, he stepped back a little to give her space which rendered useless as she only stepped in near to his physique. She was no longer that scared of them if she was being honest, but the captain's authority that emitted from his dark emerald eyes as he looked at her made her feet wobbly.
She seeked safety from the man that has been saving her since.
" Oi! You have taken her successfully, aye!." Argus impressively said.
The three men present who saw what she did and how Calev did not stop her also agreed at how impressive the man was to keep a woman in just a small amount of time.
"I'm sorry."
She suddenly spoke, finally gaining the attention away from what seems to be a main topic of the ship.
" I.... Just to pro—properly confirm."
Her voice was small, as if not sure if her words will mean something or she has the right to be heard.
" Calev." She cleared her throat, she hesitated on stepping away from the man to prove a point.
" Calev never did anything, he is a great help and I... I would appreciate it if whatever is being spoken about him will stop." She had gained her courage to finally speak.
Axel, who was listening, got surprised that the stowaway had finally decided to speak longer sentences rather than just responding in short cues. He longed for hope that a certain combatant would get into such progress in his speech as well.
Axel nodded his head understanding her request.
Argus apologized once again to her, but never to Calev, well at least he playfully did as he had no means of stopping his teasing and jokes to his mates anytime soon. When all was well, Argus left the circle with the boatswain as they found another task to fill in, while he also dragged Calev out of the circle.
It was clear to the three of them that the captain wants to be alone with the stowaway, the questions in his eyes swarmed too obviously. Even though Calev trusted them, he felt like he must stay but unfortunately to the effort of Argus and strength of Draco he was dragged away and given a new task for a while.
"Come with me."
The captain ushered the woman to step into the quarterdeck; hesitant she followed.
They stopped at the helm station as the captain caressed the wheel. She watched with no words as always, waiting for his start. Her eyes squinted from the rays of brightness flashed before her while she observed the man who stood with the bright skies in his back.
Contrast was showing between the bluest and clearest sky and his darkness not only in his clothing but all above his superior persona. His figure casted a shadow to her face, it gave her a chance to properly open her eyes to examine more of the man that she has been staring at. His brown hair rode the wind, danced with them as it shined with the help of the scorching sunlight that yet imported assistance to his built.
He looked exactly like what a man of power she would think of, but very far from what kind of pirate her mind has put on a concept to. To her he was not far from being what a scary and mighty pirate, but she also saw the difference of what he was.
Aside from his small height and physique, one would even think he has no way of being a captain of the ship if he wouldn't assert such authority that naturally fell out of him. People would think he was just a young man. He just looked so far from it; if all was counted are his physical features. Yet that would just be a foolish mistake to not recognize a pirate king.
He was a man that carries blood in his hands, a man with fears stricken to everyone, a man whose eyes give so much darkness that she would mistake the emerald hue of his eyes into an abyss of black.And that scar, that straight line of healed abrasion in his left eye, added to the grim appearance that his dominant person has.
With the brightness of the sky, the bluest of the horizon, the ever so touching winds, and the careful breeze of sea salt water, a contrast to a man who stood amidst of anything but dark makes him stood out for his contradictory appearance, as if a foreshadow, a metaphor, a foreground.
He was the opposite of what he clearly looked like.
She could not help but think what kind of man he was that made everyone recognize his power as the pirate king. Although it has been weeks since she had stowed away on the ship, curious of course she was. She wanted nothing more than information to satisfy her forgotten memories.
But Calev had only been given her tales of their adventures whenever she would ask for pirate stories. She could have been at fault for the lack of given information considering she never asked a particular, exact topic to lay on and Calev had never been the one to tell with the whole essay.
He would summarize things as if it was enough for her hungry mind. That was why even to this day, slowly she was learning every crew member on her own and the captain however remained a mystery. He was still a man of authority that scared everyone in the ship but not strict like Elijah; and that was what she just knew.
Nothing else.
Her encounter with Axel was always short and cryptic, and now as a woman in front of him she was uncertain of how she must react or what he must have something to say.
Axel, who drifted for a bit, has been thinking about her whilst she was beside him. He was fixated on the mission ever since their visit to the island, a job to be done all at once and leave. However he could not take off the fact that a man in that island could be one of his newest crew's captor. As far as what his concerns were, the best thing that he needed to address as of now was his assurance to the woman.
Acknowledging the fact that the stowaway was still uneasy about his presence regardless of how many days she has been with them; but at least she was no longer that scared of him like how she was shitless to the quartermaster.
He snickered with the thought, feeling as if he had won something.
"I heard what happened." He opened the topic, wanting to know what she thought.
Of course he knew she wouldn't answer truthfully, at least she could not remember any of the truths. But as the captain and as a new member of his ship he demanded to know the said man who triggered her memories resurfacing.
Her eyes widened, realizing immediately what he was referring to. The events started flooding into her as the face of the man started to come to her mind. She fought the shake in her body not wanting to display such fragility to the captain.
" I don't know him," She said honestly.
Of course Axel knew this, after all losing your memory requires you not remembering it; what else could it be.
He did not need any clarifications whether she did or not know such a bastard. All he just wanted to see was confirmation that such the existence of the man rendered her to act like a scared lamb.
" Want me to do something?"
He suddenly asked a question that left her confused of what particularly he was implying. Clearly unsure if his question was still related to the topic or he was referring to another.
She batted her eyes innocently which made him smirk and laugh.