Two days later, the mad treasure was once again docked at a relatively smaller island.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the docking port, they arrived at the small yet well-developed town. With business on their minds, they extended an olive branch of peace as they ventured in.
Contrasted to the previous island they had visited, this one was not governed by a former pirate lord, nor was it a place where pirates could roam unchecked. Hence, the town's mayor had established rules for any pirates who were seeking accommodation on their island, ensuring a sense of order and civility.
"I won't be serving meals for tonight! Go search for your supper through the taverns, make sure to pay!"
Elijah's voice reached to everyone, even at the two people at the forecastle admiring the dark skies and stars.
"I was craving Elijah's stew."
Draco groaned loudly, hating the fact that he had to spend his money over his dinner tonight.
The boatswain had been a great company to her for the last two days. Together with Hakim and Argus, they would visit her in the sickbay or take her across the ship and spend their break time with her. They would often converse with her and she could tell that they were just trying to distract her from what happened last time.
After that night, she had concluded that due to the suspicious identity that she couldn't even remember, she would be back being treated like before. However none of that happened, even with the absence of Calev, nobody treated her differently–at least they had never shown any signs at all.
The captain however was hostile of her, she could tell that. Not once did he ever come to see her–not that she was hoping for it. The stowaway could just feel that animosity of her presence in the ship, she knew Axel despite telling her that day that she was safe in the ship, had taken his own words by his actions.
[ And I can feel eyes on me wherever I am in the ship. ]
She couldn't blame him. If he was suspicious of her, no one could ever amount how much suspicion she had for herself.
She wasn't sure when it started, but she felt like someone had been mysteriously keeping their eyes on her. Uncertain of their identity or if they existed, but she couldn't help but wonder if those feelings were a product of these three specific men who would spend their time with her.
[ Are they keeping their eyes on me? ]
Or was it the captain, who didn't like her presence.
Nevertheless, she had been feeling someone was watching her.
Draco continued to groan and the stowaway beside him did not utter a single word, just a timid nod as she started to think of ways to feed herself.
She was the only person in the ship who was broke, and these people have forgotten about that.
"I heard from the other crew there is a good place that cooks well known dishes. I should try that tonight."
Draco felt a twinge of annoyance on having to part with his hard-earned money, but his eyes sparkled with delight at the thought of savoring the delectable dishes he longed to taste.
"What about you, any preferences?"
She glanced at him, unsure what to say but gave him a small and awkward smile instead. Forcefully trying to hide the disappointment of literally having nothing in her pockets.
"I like pastries." She whispered, embarrassed about it.
Out of all of the things she could figure out about her suspicious self, that was the only thing she had deemed to discover. She loved pastries.
Now she wasn't sure how she had come to acquire that notion, but it was when they had docked in Azura and she was lucky enough to have the quartermaster buy her some.
[ Maybe, I did loved pastries before. ]
Draco couldn't help but be captivated by the expression on her face, which brought a genuine smile to his lips and even elicited a hearty laughter. However, his amusement only deepened her embarrassment, as she didn't quite understand what had struck him as funny.
Her innocence radiated a pure and youthful aura, to the extent that if Draco didn't know her age, (not that he knew, but he reckoned she was older), he might have guessed she was younger than him. It wasn't that she appeared significantly older; rather, it was clear that their ages didn't quite align.
Her way of observing everyone and everything with the same curiosity and uncertainty gave her the air of a child who was just beginning to explore the world, knowing very little about it.
" Why are you laughing at me?" She asked quietly.
" I'm sorry." Draco said in between his laugh, flashing her a reassuring smile. " I'm not making fun of you."
" Then why?" Shyly, she glanced at him meekly trying to avoid his gaze.
" Nothing."
The night was cold, the wind was breezing through the air yet the way he provided comfort to her made her feel at ease at least everything.
"Then should I get you some bread for dinner or maybe more?"
Draco suggested, his eyes focusing towards the few crewmates leaving the ship and venturing through the town.
"I have no money."
She whispered again, this time more embarrassed of her situation. Draco averted his eyes to her, shocked and confusion visible in his brown eyes.
" Oh right!" Draco exclaimed.
He strolled away from the railings connecting to the bowstrip and headed towards the stern, eventually pausing at the stairs. His eyes roved across the main deck, searching for a familiar face. The stowaway followed him reluctantly, stopping beside him while maintaining a reasonable distance between them.
"Hakim!"
He called when he saw the silver hair almost going to Jacob's ladder on his way to the town.
"Aye!"
He shouted back, sounding annoyed but smiled eventually when he noticed the timid woman behind Draco. He didn't want to scare her.
"Stowaway has no doubloons yet. Elijah already left!"
He informed, making the woman's cheeks flushed red.
Realization flashed into Hakim's face, smirking at her situation and an idea popped into his head. Instead of leaving the ship, he decided to take the opportunity to get closer to the woman.
His intentions varied, but surely he had a lot of motives.
"Ah, I see." Hakim stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Then why won't you join me for dinner, beauty." He smiled at her.
"Flirting does not suit you." Draco insulted which made the man laugh, before walking past him as he motioned the woman to follow them.
Quietly, she descended the stairs with Hakim's assistance, though her uncertainty lingered due to the vivid memories of that fateful night. Despite this, she couldn't ignore the gentle touch of Hakim's hands as he aided her in leaving the ship. Nor could she deny the sense of safety she experienced when spending time with Draco after that incident.
To her, the crew remained a fascinating enigma.
Duality.
No matter how dangerous and terrifying the crew of Mad treasure, something would always set them different from others.
She couldn't help but wonder how this group of pirates could be both brutal and gentle at the same time. As well as she couldn't fathom if one of the sides of these crew was too observing people whom they deemed as hostile.
[ There it goes again. Someone is watching me. ]
In the crowded market night, she felt like someone had been following the three of them. She was certain that the two people knew. With the way they were trying to distract her, she could tell these two knew she was being watched. Yet they did nothing, and as she scanned the area trying to find the wandering eyes, she couldn't find anything but the sheer doubt she had now for the moment.
"Are you really sure you're just eating pastries?"
Draco asked while they walked to a still busy town despite the night that covered the sky.
[ Am I… ]
"There are plenty of foods to try, you know."
[ Am I truly safe here? Can I trust them, despite of all? ]
"Come on, try something more delicious."
Draco had mentioned that the island was renowned for its culinary delights, which piqued her interest. She hadn't really sampled anything beyond the quartermaster's menu. While Elijah's cooking was exceptional, and she wouldn't deny the exquisite taste it offered, she began to wonder about the diverse dishes she had yet to try, or at the very least, couldn't recall ever experiencing.
But, as always her uneasy self would stop her from speaking her mind.
" Yes, pastries." She answered, keeping all her thoughts closed.
The tavern was bustling with noise as they entered, filled with crews from various pirate ships, some inebriated and others not. The place was filled with tables laden with a variety of dishes, each one exuding an enticing aroma. Before them, dishes she had never laid eyes on were set. The presentation of each meal was so appealing that it made her mouth water with anticipation. She couldn't help but swallow hard, her gaze irresistibly drawn to the seafood and meat that lay before her.
"You are not going to eat just bread, beauty. Aren't you?" Hakim chuckled when he noticed the internal battle in her eyes.
Draco could not help but tease her again, making her cheek blush.
"My treat, beauty. You see, I'm rather well-off,"
Hakim was boisterous as he showed his bag of coins. Her eyes widened when she saw the glistening color of golds inside it.
"You'll get rob if you show 'em off here dumb fuck." Draco rolled his eyes.
"Who would even dare to rob the vice-captain of Mad Treasure?" Hakim boasted with a smug smirk, clearly intending to get under the other man's skin.
"I would."
Draco deadpanned, causing Hakim to backpedal and carefully tucked away his bag of coins.
Hakim might be taller than this youngster, but he knew Draco was stronger than him.
"Alright beauty. Have your meal, I will pay for it." Hakim hesitantly smiled, trying to scoot away from the boatswain. " And Draco, you have your own money so don't you even try to steal mine."
The stowaway felt unsure about accepting the man's offer to pay for her. In her mind, her stay, meals, and other necessities on the ship had all been provided in exchange for the demanding tasks she had performed for the quartermaster. She was uncertain whether the concept of complimentary meals existed in the lexicon and code of conduct of pirates.
After all, Calev was the sole individual who hadn't demanded any further payment for looking after her.
She ate her meal with them with wandering thoughts in her head.
As always.
However, despite the questions and concerns that swirled in her mind, she observed the two men savoring their meal with genuine enjoyment. It brought her a sense of relief, knowing that, even after all that had occurred, she was still welcomed by these fellow crew members, despite their captain's initial reservations about her.
[ Maybe, pirates do have other sides. ]
In which each side utterly confused her equally.
The next morning was quiet.
The sea was still and hushed beneath a dense blanket of cold, foggy air. The sun had yet to make its appearance, obscured by the heavy gray clouds. Soft whispers of the wind gently brushed against the sails as the stowaway stood silently on the stern deck, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
In her mind, there was nothing but questions.
[ What should I do? Am I really safe here? ]
Questions about which side to trust.
[ Was my decision wrong? Should I have just taken the helping hand of the woman and stayed on that island? Please, which God that I believed that I couldn't remember, I am begging you. ]
" It's early, why are you here?"
Elijah, who had been awake since dawn decided that it was time for him to start his day. He did not expect what he would see right outside his cabin was the stowaway. Standing against the railings of the deck, eerily fitting to the sight of the thick fog and the gray clouds.
She turned around to see who had asked her.
"Just to clear my mind."
Disappointment lingered in Elijah's gaze, and the shame etched across his features was impossible to overlook. Something was troubling him, and it was her.
Ever since that night when Axel had exhibited his distrust of her, Elijah had been tormented by guilt. He had never witnessed his captain lose his composure in such a manner, never seen that look of suspicion and distrust in his eyes, filled with hatred, confusion, and fear.
"Elijah?" She called his attention, the sound of her voice restraining her emotions.
"Why does the captain suddenly hate me?"
The quartermaster had no answer.
He found himself unable to say anything to her, as he, too, was grappling with numerous unanswered questions..
"He does not hate you, Axel is just confused."
He said, in some way it felt like his answer was not to convince her but rather to convince himself.
"He is just confused." He repeated in a whisper.
As silent as the morning, with no noise from the rising sun hidden behind the clouds, the woman continued to gaze ahead. His response hadn't alleviated her concerns. Instead, she felt the weight of remaining on a ship whose captain harbored doubts about her identity, which she couldn't even recall.
"But that night." She heaved a sigh, no longer carrying the will to keep anything at bay.
"He looked at me like I was his worst nightmare."
Her tears flowed in silence, gently tracing their path down her cheeks in the chilly morning air. She wept at the weight of her pain and the turmoil in her thoughts, the first time someone had witnessed her distress.
"Maybe, the person who I was is not a good person. Maybe that pirate is right, maybe I betrayed them," She concluded for herself.
Elijah could have offered comforting words, something to ease her worries and make her feel better. But who was he to do that?
He knew nothing.
Yet, the magical essence trapped in the small vial, hanging around his neck, held knowledge. As the dark liquid slowly transformed into a clear, transparent water, it hinted at secrets waiting to be unveiled.
Zeki's magic felt her.
But Elijah failed to do so.
Throughout the afternoon, her silence persisted. She only spoke when directly addressed, as had become her habit. However, it was evident in her responses that she had no desire to engage in conversation.
The woman that Axel was searching for continued to weigh on her mind. Due to her memory loss, she couldn't determine whether she truly was the woman that Axel believed her to be. The uncertainty gnawed at her, leaving her in a state of inner turmoil. The worst end that she could think of was that she was indeed her.
[ Who am I? Who could this person be, to bring such bad omen in this ship. What kind of we…wench was I? ]
But how could she know the truth when she couldn't even recall her own name?
Nevertheless, it continued to haunt her throughout the quiet day. The hostility in Axel's eyes that night, as he regarded her as if she were his greatest adversary, remained a source of concern.
Axel's eyes had held various emotions, and he had always shown consideration in his emerald gaze when looking at her.
What troubled her the most was the persistent feeling that it was all her fault. She felt responsible for the catastrophe that had unfolded on the deck of the Mad Treasure, unleashing the demon's rage and leaving the entire crew unrecognizable. All she could think of was the bad luck she brought as a "wench" aboard the ship
A wench.
She couldn't help but wonder if the old saying was true after all:
"Women on board bring nothing but catastrophe."
"Elijah, I need you to come with me. We have business to attend!"
Axel's voice rang through the empty galley. His fierce trance magnificently stands at the doorstep while his intense gaze and serious expression met the quartermaster. She held her breath at his sight. The event that night completely played in her mind. Axel eyes burned to her, the emerald color icy with hatred and doubt as his gaze met her hazel ones.
Unlike before, where his playful smile would always greet her it was blankness that greeted her.
The stowaway could not help but avoid his intense eyes and wished he would not say anything.
" Take Felix with you, I need to finish these for supper."
Elijah groaned, the idea of leaving the unprepared ingredients for the rest of the afternoon bothered him.
"I wouldn't like working double time later."
" Felix is taking care of the combatant." Axel glanced at the woman upon mentioning the man that she has allegedly had control over his demon. "Don't want him escaping the brig."
Elijah only shrugged, not even sparing his captain a look as he continued to chop some carrots while the stowaway cleaned after him.
"Argus?" He mentioned, hunting over his Axel.
"With Zeki, Hakim and Draco are out."
There was a trace of annoyance in Axel's response, not even letting the elder man ask the whereabouts of the other men but instead answering right away.
"I need to get these pearls checked, and I need a few more wines."
Axel continued, making the quartermaster drop his kitchen knife with a sigh.
"Alright, but we better hurry, I have to attend our supper." Elijah said, while cleaning his hands ready to leave the ship.
"Make use of her, this ship is not for freeloaders."
Axel glared at her direction, making her gulp and hide behind Elijah. The quartermaster sighed at the obvious tension between the two. He rolled his eyes at the mere effort of the captain to assert his dominance over the terrified stowaway.
"She'll come with us." Elijah surprised Axel with his unexpected response.
"Get Tyke to watch her!"
But Elijah did not move.
Axel eyed him challengingly, as if trying to see if Elijah was doing it on purpose to annoy him or was he just seriously concerned about her. But the way Elijah took her hand, and pulled her closer to his side just confirmed what he thought.
"Suit yourself."
Axel's voice gave a shiver down her spine, no matter how hard she tried to forget how he looked at her it was all that she could think of. The days that seemed to be long gone, in which she was welcomed with warmth by the captain felt so long ago.
[ When did this become a turn of event? ]
Not long ago, he had felt safer around Axel than Elijah. However, today, she clung to his hand for support, and while his warm hands provided comfort, his smile momentarily reassured her that everything would be alright.