Private Tales No Jackets

[Lucius]

"I've been finding a course." Lucius wasn't a navigator, not by a long shot, and he would still need Peyton to actually figure out how they could get there...but he at least now knew where they needed to go.

At least he thought he did.

Things were moving a bit faster than he had intended them to, but that was alright. They had the ship, they had the crew, and they had the supplies that they needed. For a few weeks at least they would sail again, and on the sea was where he felt most at home.

Even in this strange tides. "Well, a destination."

He told her softly.

"Need you to plot the course." Though they were already under way.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton frowned in confusion and pressed her fingertips to her temples.. "A course? To where? When?.." she grumbled at him, pulling the sheets tightly around her, trying to find the warmth that she'd lost..

She felt awful. Her bronzed skin was at least three shades paler than usual, her eyes dark and weary. Slowly, the memory of the previous night seeped back into her mind and she felt sick all over again. It had been such a huge revelation about her life that she'd lost track of who she was entirely. She still wasn't sure. Her mind had shut down from it leaving nothing but numbness and confusion.

"What's going on, Luc?...." she asked. Her voice had been damaged by the orc's bite, she'd been much quieter since then, but now she was quieter still, tired and defeated.

 

[Lucius]

For a few seconds he hesitated, then slowly he made his way over to her. His hand gently settled on the small of her back.

"This." He gestured vaguely. "All of this...it's like a great big hole Peyt. Something you've fallen into and gotten yourself lost in. We keep getting bits and pieces, parts, and it...it just makes it worse every time."

Everyone told them something different, something else.

Nothing seemed to make it better. "So you...we need the truth."

A breath filled him.

"What happened. Why." His fingers tightened on her for a second. "If we don't it's just...it's just gonna keep going like this."

Who knew what would drop on them next? Would that sea witch come for Peyton? Would another Kraken try to kill them? Would a ghost come to haunt them? Lucius didn't know, but he knew that he wasn't going to wait.

Not when Peyton could be in danger.

 

[Peyton]

Her head simply shook, and didn't stop shaking as panic rose in her chest, tightening her breaths.. "No.. no no no, Luc.." she pushed at him.

"I don't want any more truths. I don't want to know any more. I want to forget!" her voice cracked painfully as she tried to raise it and she clutched at her throat with a grimace.

"There are mages, Luc. Mages that can do that.. They can just, take it away, and things can just go back to how they were, and we can sail together, wherever we want... I don't want to look for any more answers." her eyes teared up.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius felt pain lance through his chest, but he knew exactly where Peyton was coming from. "Baby, I know."

He wasn't a fool.

The Captain didn't want her to hurt, he didn't want her to endure any of this. The pain she felt made his chest ache, but he also knew that they couldn't ignore it. His heart raced slightly, and he took a deep breath as he moved towards her again.

"I know." Forgetting would have been easier. "But we...we can't."

The only way they could stop is if they stopped sailing. "We don't know what else is waiting for us, what will fall on us, what might be around the corner."

His head shook.

"I'm not going to risk something happening to you." Not ever. "I can't."

She was the only thing he had.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's eyes were wide with fear as she looked back at him, her head still shaking slowly from side to side as he refused to listen to her and tears slowly dripped from her lashes and trickled down her cheeks..

"Luc.. Please.." she croaked feebly at him, tensing as he approached. "I can't handle this. I can't take any more." she frowned, feeling sick all over again and unsure whether it was the panic or the alcohol.

"I need you. I need you to help me forget about this before I lose my fucking mind." she whispered, her voice trembling behind her tears.

 

[Lucius]

His heart ached at the fact that he was the one that had to do this. Lucius did not want her to hate him, did not want her to hate him, but he knew that forgetting simply wasn't an option for them. It wouldn't work, not with everything there.

"Forgetting...won't make it better." Not when it could come back.

Not when whatever her father had done could still haunt them. His fingers tightened for a brief moment, a breath filling his lungs as he continued. "We have get to the bottom."

Lucius said as he stepped forward, his arms wrapping around her.

"If we just walk away...if we ignore it." He frowned. "Peyt, it'll just come back."

 

[Peyton]

Peyton held her face in her hands as she listened to him, her shoulders shaking with every silent sob.. “It will…” she argued. Of course forgetting would make it better, if she didn’t know she wouldn’t feel like this.

She tensed as arms wrapped around her shivering body, her brow furrowing as she considered pushing him away again, but it would have been out of spite, and she had to remind herself that it wasn’t his fault and although she felt a rage, there was nobody to blame which only made it more difficult to deal with. She melted into his arms and held on to him, leeching his warmth, letting him comfort and protect her as she focused on his breathing and tried to calm herself.

“Where are we going?...” she rasped out after a time. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and so she’d hear him out at least, but she couldn’t promise she’d go willingly.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius didn't really know how to put it easily so he just decided to come out with it. "That old ship your father was on before he got the Concordant."

From what the bastard at the tavern had told them that was where it had all started. The Captain and found something and then made a leap to get his own ship. He'd come back with the Concordant, but only after that other vessel had already run aground.

Something that and apparently been seen as impossible before it had actually happened.

"I think we can find something there." Lucius gestured to the table. "I think I managed to piece together where it is."

Not exactly his strong point, but Lucius was confident that he'd gotten it right. Peyt would have to double check though.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's jaw tightened and her teeth ground in her mouth, her forehead pressing into his shoulder with a frown before she looked up at him and followed his gaze to the table.

"Where is it?... What do you think you're going to find on an old ship?.." she frowned as she looked back at him, and her mind drifted back to the journal they'd found. That was where this whole mess had started. Had she only chosen another ship to commandeer, they wouldn't be in this mess. She'd give it all back just to go back to believing her father was a good man who'd saved her.

"Wait, you've been reading his journal?.." she asked slowly and sat back a little.

 

[Lucius]

"I read it all." Lucius said as he gestured towards the papers on the desk, a slight frown touching his features.

"Didn't understand it all, mind." Lucius wasn't all that smart when it came to this stuff, but he did his best. "I want to connect all the dots Peyton, and I think this ship will help us do that."

His head shook. "There's mention of a log, something about finding a new ship, it's not really in detail but it involves his old Captain."

Lucius frowned.

"I figure that ship...that ship is a good place to look." It was the only lead they had.

 

[Peyton]

Her brow knit, her eyes still looked like she'd had no sleep in weeks, her skin still pale and clammy from the alcohol she'd drank and the nausea that came in waves. Her gaze narrowed slightly and her head shook.. "You didn't tell me that you were reading it.." her head tilted.. "Why?.." she asked, an edge of annoyance to her tone.

"I don't want to look. I don't want anything to do with it. Burn the journal. We don't speak about it, about him any more. He's dead, all of that can die with him." she waved a hand dismissively and pulled herself to her feet, pulling on her robe and rummaging through the drinks cabinet.

 

[Lucius]

"It can't." There were few times that Lucius put his foot down with her.

Actually, one could probably count the occasions on one hand. Half a hand really. He did not like to argue with her, and he liked shouting even less. The last few days had been...well had been all but impossible. More turmoil than they'd had in years.

Still, he needed to push this issue. "All of it is hanging over us Peyt, following us."

His fingers tightened.

"I don't know how, I don't know why..." Lucius trailed off. "But it's there."

He was so sure of that. "Do you think it's a coincidence we found this ship?"

 

[Peyton]

Peyton turned to look at him with a frown as he argued with her, and there was an edge to his tone that made it clear it wasn’t up for debate. She huffed and slammed a glass down on the desk which she promptly filled with rum. She listened until he stopped speaking and she shrugged defiantly, like a spoiled child who wasn’t used to not getting her own way.

“You’re going to do what you want anyway.” Her head shook and she lifted the glass to take a long drink of it. She grimaced and dragged the back of her hand across her lips with a quiet cough.. “I don’t care, Luc. I’m not leaving this cabin, you can do as you please.” She lifted her glass to him as though to toast him good luck and took another drink.

 

[Lucius]

She wasn't technically wrong. He was going to do this, because he knew that it was what they needed to do. A frown touched his lips for a brief moment, and then he nodded his head as if something was set into his mind. "You wanted me to be a Captain."

There was a firmness to his tone, he still spoke with the same soft voice that he usually addressed her with, but there was something stronger to it.

More self assured.

"So that's what I'm doing." His eyes lingered on her, glancing towards the papers on the desk. Lucius wasn't sure if he could do this without her, but he hoped in time she would see that he was doing the right thing. "This is what's best for the Crew, for this ship, for us."

They had to know. They had to get to the bottom of this so they didn't end up on the floor of the sea again.

Whatever his magic was, whatever had been chasing the Captain, him and Peyton. All of it had to be tied together somehow. Lucius was sure of it. "You may not care, but I do. I love you. What you've done for me, and I'm not going to let any of it slip away because of something I don't see coming."

Never.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton stared at him for a moment. She knew she was being stubborn and guarded, she knew that he loved her and obviously thought what he was doing was best for all of them. But she couldn't take any more surprises and her sanity was hanging on by a thread as it was.

Her jaw clenched and she wandered over to sit up on the cushioned sill by the window, throwing it open to let the sea air hit her face as she drank a little more. Her gaze narrowed on the horizon.

"As you wish, Captain." she answered finally in quiet resignation.

"I love you too." she sighed.

 

[Lucius]

He lingered for a moment, then slowly crossed the room to come up besides her.

Lucius reached up and softly stroked Peyton's hair. His touch was gentle, barely noticeable as he stared out at the sea with her. His eyes closed for just a few moments, a breath of fresh air filling him as he considered what lay before them.

"That's all that matters in the end." He told her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

He was sure of that at least.

No matter what, as long as that remained true they would overcome any obstacle in their path. Whatever it was that they encountered.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's eyes closed for a short moment as he stroked her hair and she let out a long sigh as she considered his words and felt his kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry... I don't mean to take this out on you, or make you worry. I just wish I knew how to process it.. I'm terrified of what else I find if we keep prying." she huffed and rubbed at her brow and leaned back against him.

"Thank you for being so patient with me." she chewed on her lip, fully aware of how insufferable she could be.

 

[Lucius]

"I know." Lucius said calmly. "I'm scared too."

He did not want to lie to her. Saying that he was doing all of this bravely and without reservation would have been just that. Lucius knew that there was a danger to all of this, that what they might find could be worse than everything else already revealed.

Yet now knowing was even worse.

Whatever was lurking could come out any time, blindside them, catch them off guard and completely screw over everything that they'd built. Lucius couldn't allow that. "I'll be whatever you need."

He said softly, though he distinctly did not say want.

Sometimes, sometimes the two weren't the same.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton turned her head to look up at him as he admitted his fears and she suddenly felt a little less alone. Jon Sullivan had been her father, but he'd been Lucius' captain and it wasn't all about her. She was hurting, the news that her father had sold her into servitude for those first, important years of her life had rocked her to her core and her stomach still churned with nausea at the thought. Then there was the heartache as she considered her mother, who had never wanted to give her up at all. Her mother had always been a bitter thought in Peyton's mind, but that had changed now too. It was a lot to process.

She reached for Luc's wrists and pulled his arms around her, letting her head fall back against his shoulder as she looked out at the blushed horizon. "I just need you never to leave me." she answered simply and pulled in a deep breath.

"I'll draw up a map..." she frowned.

 

[Lucius]

"There's not a chance of that." Lucius told her softly.

His fingers ran over her slowly, drawing in a deep breath as he held her close. Anyone trying to take him from her would meet with a swift end. Lucius knew that, he could feel it in his chest, his heart, his entire and whole being.

The Captain would never leave her. "When you feel up to it."

Lucius said as he reached down and kissed the top of her head. For now they were still headed for Elbion. It would take another week or so before they could actually reach that. Only then would they need that map.

At least if they were to going to find that ship.

His fingers slowly stroked over Peyton's skin, Lucius' eyes closing as he simply enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him.

 

[Peyton]

Her head tilted back and she looked up at him.. "I know.." she smiled softly despite the sadness in her eyes. She knew he meant it, and she believed him. His arms were like a weighted blanket around her, soothing and comforting.

"Do you think she's still alive?.." she asked as she looked back out to sea, her cheek nuzzling against his arm. It felt like a false hope even considering that she might ever meet her mother, even if she were still alive, and yet she'd had enough surprises recently not to rule it out entirely. "Did he mention her in his journal?"

 

[Lucius]

"It's possible." Lucius said softly, meaning it.

He knew nothing of the woman, but from everything he'd heard Lucius had concluded that she was...well from tough stock. She had left the desert on her own in search of Peyton, likely breaking more than a few contracts and doing her best to find her daughter.

"He did." He said with a nod. "Though only briefly."[/color

A breath filled his lungs. "I think he was ashamed."

As he should have been, really. What the Captain had done was...well Lucius could never imagine doing such a thing to his daughter, to...well anyone at all. It had been unbelievably cruel, and he couldn't help but wonder if there had been some other reason for it.

 

[Peyton]

Her lips curled for a brief moment, but she frowned and forced it back as she tried to refrain from having any sort of hopes on the matter. The last thing she needed was more disappointment, and so it was probably best just to expect the worst. "Oh?." her brow arched.

Peyton's jaw clenched and she sneered "And so he should have been. Even in death I hope he's ashamed." she growled to herself. It was an odd thing, to feel such a strong hatred toward the man who'd cared for her, whom had treated her well and loved her and she'd loved back. It had all been undone by one unthinkable action, and it was one she could never forgive.

"Mh...My head." she groaned as she rubbed at her forehead. "We need to make sure there's enough good rum aboard, Gods know what these men of yours are drinking." she muttered.

 

[Lucius]

"Or water." Lucius said with a frown, looking down at her for a moment as he considered if they did in fact take rum aboard before they left. He was pretty sure that they had, but telling Peyton that in the moment might not be the best.

His fingers floated slowly over her skin, a breath filling his lungs as he strokes her hair.

"We'll figure it out." Lucius said softly. "First we drop off the crime lords daughter, then we find that ship."

They had enough coin to keep the men sated, and that was really the only other concern. Pirates operated on coin, it just so happened that they had more coin than any other pirate ship in history.