Private Tales What the Sea Holds

[Inina]

An impulse? She frowned slightly. It was a very deadly impulse. He hadn't faltered, hadn't even flinched as he ended the man's life as though it'd been nothing. Yes, she was grateful that he'd done it to protect her, but it had come way too easily for him. He was used to it, it seemed.

Her violet eyes drew over his face as he wrapped up her wound, her brow furrowed deeply as he told her that he wasn't a good man. She wasn't sure if it was a casual piece of information or a warning, but she followed his gaze back toward the corpse and swallowed as she shot a glance toward the door.

"What now? They'll kill us both.. You should run." her head shook at him.

 

[Bastian]

A chuckle escaped him, though it was devoid of all humor.

"Run?" Bastian glanced out the window. There was nothing to see, the darkness of the storm having taken any light. The ship rocked violently from side to side, rain slashing down and pattering onto the deck above.

"Where would I run?" He frowned. "I don't have..."

Bastian gestured to her tail. "I'd drown before I made it two miles."

There was no running. Not for him. He was stuck on this ship, with this corpse, with those that would condemn him. Fingers tightened for a moment and he took in a deep breath to try and steady himself.

"The truth might help me...say that he tried to kill you..." Would that work? Would they even care? Bastian didn't know, but he wasn't like her. He couldn't just jump off the side of the ship and hope for the best.

 

[Inina]

"Oh..Right." Nina mumbled. Though jumping overboard might have been her idea of freedom, she supposed it would more than likely have meant death for a human. Her tail flopped on the floor as he gestured to it and she chewed on her lip, considering what he was asking her to do.

"I will.." she nodded. It wasn't a lie, either. Though, if she had to face the others anyway, part of her wished that Bastian hadn't bothered stopping him. He'd saved her from death, but nothing would save her from being picked apart.

There were hurried footsteps and when the door wouldn't open, a fist pounded against it. Nina flinched and shuddered, still cowering on the floor behind the tub. She offered a small smile to Bastian, and a silent nod in thanks..

"Best open the door.." she whispered and dropped her gaze.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian glanced towards the door for a moment, still somewhat weary. He took a slow step back from Inina, drawing his eyes onto the body of the First Mate before he slowly moved towards the door.

Should have just cut her throat on the gangplank. A quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind.

It was the insidious little tone, the one that harked for self preservation above any sense of decency or justice. Bastian closed his eyes, shaking his head before he slowly stepped over towards the door and pulled the wooden dowel free.

Before he could even open the panel three soldiers burst through the doorway, all of them holding weapons. The Dreadlord stood behind them, her gaze flickering around the room in an instant.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO YOU BASTERD!"

One of the soldiers shouted as Bastian took quick steps back, his hands raising into the air. "I did what the Captain ordered and def-"

"Shuttup!"

A strike landed across his face, and in an instant Bastian lashed out.

He grappled the man that had slapped him, grasping his grip and quickly jerking it to the side. A loud snap echoed in the room, but before he could take it further another soldier struck him in the ribs with the butt of his blade.

Bastian buckled, letting the other man go as a kick was thrown into his side. He was sent onto the ground, crashing against the floor before a loud voice boomed through the tiny room.

"STOP!"​

The Dreadlord's voice hissed.

"What happened here?"​

 

[Inina]

It all happened so quickly, but as she saw Bastian go down she reached out.. "No, wait! Stop!" she pleaded, her entire body going rigid at the sound of the Dreadlord's voice.

She gestured to the dead man with her wounded arm.. "He..tried to kill me..The captain told him" she nodded toward Bastian "To watch over me and that's what he did. He wouldn't listen to reason.." she frowned, her breathing heavy as she looked between the soldiers and Bastian.

 

[Bastian]

The soldiers seemed to freeze, though not because of Inina.

One of them was peering back at the Dreadlord, the other clutching his now broken wrist, while the third stared down at Bastian as though he were less than scum.

The Runaway on the floor breathed heavily, clutching his ribs and letting out a quiet groan. One hand gently moved to the small of his back, fingers flickering over the hilt of his knife. Rage boiled inside of him, slowly rolling through him as he fought for control.

"Is that so?"​

The Dreadlord's voice was a purr, musing on Inina's words as she peered down at Bastian. Her gaze flickered towards the mermaid for a brief moment, and then she let out a dry chuckle.

"Then he should be commended. Pick him up."​

One of the soldiers looked like he was about to open his mouth and object, but lips quickly sealed as the Dreadlord stared daggers at him. One man reached down, threading a hand under Bastian's arm as he wrenched him off the ground.

"Fuck." The Runaway swore quietly as he realized his rib had been shattered.

The Dreadlord stepped forward, her face coming inches from Bastians. She glanced briefly towards the First Mate.

"Well done, boy. Protecting the Prize, though I suspect you've made no friends tonight."​

Bastian grimaced as her words hung in the air, his eyes trailing to the soldiers who were staring at him with hatred the likes of which he'd never seen before.

 

[Inina]

She looked between the woman and Bastian as he groaned on the floor, her fingers fidgeting anxiously with the urge to help him, the offer on the tip of her tongue. It was either let him deal with the pain he was so obviously in, or reveal one of the gifts these people wanted from her. She swallowed and looked away shamefully when he was picked up, her hands squeezing into fists.

The 'prize'..

Nina's brow knit and she cast a look up at the woman, not daring to speak a word of what she was thinking, but to Bastian she whispered into his mind as she cast a glance in his direction.

'Are you alright?..'

 

[Bastian]

I'm fine. He wasn't.

His rib had been cracked and pain lanced through him as he stood there. The Dreadlord seemed to shift for a moment, letting her gaze flicker between the First Mate and then Bastian. A sigh escaped her, head shaking for a few seconds before she turned towards the Runaway.

"Good thing you're already in the infirmary."​

The woman seemed almost smug as she spoke.

"Toss him onto the slab, I'll see the surgeon gets to him."​

"I don't ne-aaghhh." One of the soldiers jammed his hand into his rib, pain lancing through the entirety of his body. "Fuck!"

The Dreadlord raised an eyebrow, staring daggers at the men.

 

[Inina]

She didn't believe him.

Nina's attention drifted between Bastian, the soldiers, the dread lord and the dead first mate, confusion drawing her brow into a frown. Weren't they all supposed to be on the same side? They sailed in the same ship, they had attacked those slavers together. Nina didn't understand why they were disagreeing, why they were killing and beating one another, and who was really in charge..

The mer grimaced as she attempted to pull herself back into the half empty tub, though she stopped as Bastian cried out in pain and she snapped at the men.

"Stop it!" Already she wished she could claw those words back into her mouth. There was little that she could do, of course, but whether it was for good intentions or otherwise, Bastian had stopped the first mate from killing her, and so she couldn't help but at least try to stop them hurting him for it.

 

[Bastian]

"Yes. Stop it. Lest you want to be turned to a fine paste."

The Dreadlord spoke in that icy voice, gesturing towards the soldiers. The two of them glanced towards her, then at Inina, then slowly at Bastian. There was a moment of hesitation, a breath, then they slowly stepped away from the Runaway.

They seemed to longer for a moment, as if gauging whether or not they could get away with more. After a second more they stepped out and passed the Dreadlord. Both of them were scowling, casting a glance back at Bastian that spoke volumes to their intent.

As soon as they had the opportunity they would kill him. "Thanks."

Bastian said with a quiet groan, not quite knowing whom he was actually thanking. His head lulled slightly, and the Dreadlord looked back at the mermaid for a moment. Her lips pursed.

"Stay put."

She said, turning on her heel and heading out the door, leaving only Bastian, Inina, and a corpse.

"I need to get the fuck off this ship." The Runaway said quietly.

 

[Inina]

Inina watched silently until the others left, her body rigid with tension having half expected the dreadlord to have reprimanded her. Her violet eyes shifted to Bastian as the door closed and she found herself scowling at his words.

"That makes two of us. Though I can see now that you're in danger of being gutted that it's an urgency." she huffed at him, turning her back to him and leaning against the tub, her arms folding tightly across her chest.

"Don't worry about me. Every man for themselves, I suppose." she muttered bitterly, her hand squeezing at the moonstone in her palm as she fought the urge to cry.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian grimaced, holding his ribs slightly as he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

He wouldn't...couldn't deny being a selfish bastard. Most of his life had been spent trying to do what was best for him. Stealing what he could, beating those who stood in his way. Just...just doing his best day by day to survive.

Even now he couldn't really deny that.

Despite that though Inina's words stung. For some strange reason it hit him somewhere. They were both trapped, collars around their throats and iron bars surrounding them.

He took in a breath, hissing at the pain that spiked through his ribs. "I'll toss you in the ocean before I go."

Bastian said quietly.

Maybe they would chase her instead of him.

"But." He said quietly. "I need a port first."

Unlike her, he couldn't just jump into the ocean.

 

[Inina]

"You're too kind.." she commented dryly. As though she had time to get to a port, as though they wouldn't have already torn her apart by then. She snorted and her head shook. If he could toss her in the ocean by a port, he could do it here, now, but he couldn't have cared less about her.. Why should he?

She didn't believe she'd ever get off of this ship, and so she fell to silence, staring at the cabin wall as she waited for their 'studies' to commence.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian tried a few more times to strike up a conversation with Inina. Attempted to prod her or ask something, but each time he was met with a huff or simple silence.

After a time he gave up, drawing himself against the wooden plank and trying to ignore the throbbing pain that lingered in his side. Above them the storm raged, the sound of it drowning out all other noise upon the ship. Loud enough to silence even the commotion that was raging atop the deck.

The Runaway was practically drifting off to sleep by the time the door to the infirmary was pulled open.

Through it stepped not the surgeon, but another member of the crew. A knife was cradled in his hand, a broad grin on his face.

"I like Den. He was a good man. Always paid well, 'specially for side gigs. You should'na kilt him."​

Bastian's gaze flickered up, eyes snapping open as the man spoke. Tension filled him instantly. "You don't want to hurt me."

His hand reached back towards his own blade.

"The Dreadlord wi-" The man smirked wide and interrupted him.

"Dreadlord ain't gonna do shit no more."​

 

[Inina]

The storm didn't bother her. It was more a friend to her than anyone aboard this ship or the last. She sat in her pitiful little tub, letting the water slosh over her tail with every bob and sway of the ship, her eyes closed as she listened to the sound of thunder and of rain lashing on the deck above, praying that the tempest would bring this ship to the ocean floor.

She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't registered that the door had opened until the voice dragged her back into the room and she blinked, gazing up at the man, the steel housed in his palm glinting in the dim light. Inina sat up straight, gripping hold of the bath tub, her heart stepping up a gear.

If Bastian really was going to try and free her, then her only hope was for him to live long enough to get the chance.

'No, but I will.. Drop the blade.' Nina frowned, staring at the man who's mind she was speaking into.

 

[Bastian]

"What the fuck?"

The sailor turned his attention away from Bastian and towards Inina, his eyes wild with a strange sort of confusion and rage.

Bastian tightened his fingers around his Karambit, shifting slightly as soon as the man was looking away from him. Pain lanced up his side, but his teeth grit and pushed himself just slightly towards the edge of the wooden slab.

"Did you just talk in my head you fish bitch?"

Lips thinned as the man stepped forward.

"Dreadlords ded, Captain's gonna be walkin the plank."

Oh shit. Bastian thought to himself. Shit shit shit.

He knew what this was. Knew what had happened. Was it planned? Had that been what they had been whispering of a few days ago? Mutiny.

His sips thinned for a few moments as he slipped off the platform, the sailor grinning wide at Irina.

"You're gonna make a pretty penny, more than the rest of em combi-"

Bastian grabbed the man, his hand covering his mouth, blade biting into his flesh with a quick tearing swipe.

 

[Inina]

Nina shifted uneasily in the tub despite the look of determination she stared at the man with, her tail slapping down into the water. Fish bitch?..

She felt anger rise in her chest as she glared at the mutineer, her violet eyes growing a little brighter. As he walked toward her, the water in the tub started to vibrate along the surface, her hand hovering above it and the swirling water rising to meet it.

Inina flinched as Bastian's blade cut the man's threat short, the water splashing back into the tub and her hand falling back to the edge of it as she watched the man bleed. More blood... Her eyes closed and loosed a tear as she let out a tremble of a breath.

These people, these humans were monsters, but at least one of them was keeping her from harm.

"How are you planning on getting off of this ship?...Who is in charge, if the woman is dead and the captain is being thrown overboard?.."

 

[Bastian]

Bastian wasn't blind.

He had seen the water swirl, shift. Lips thinned for a moment as he watched her, his side pulsing with agony as he grimaced and shook his head. "I don't know."

The Runaway said softly.

"I've been a sailor for like two weeks." That admission was not one that he had really wanted to make to anyone, but now was as good as any to tell her. Lips thinned for a moment and he glanced towards the door. "It's probably someone in the crew. Maybe Gevrin."

That bastard was certainly the toughest of the lot. "I..."

Fuck.

"We need to force them into a port." The storm was already bad, but..."Can you do something?"

He asked with more than a little desperation.

 

[Inina]

The mer's brow knit in confusion. He was new to this?..She swallowed nervously and looked around, her head shaking at his words.. "I..Maybe, I can try.." she offered, though in reality she had no idea if she'd have enough strength to do much. She had been out of the water for weeks, she was malnourished and sleep deprived, not to mention the constant pain she was in..

She dragged in a few deep breaths and let her eyes close, her brow furrowing with concentration. She listened to the waves crashing outside, felt them cause the boat to sway, and sunk her hands into the tub, her fingers splaying by her sides.

The sea would have to be treacherous to force a ship to port..

She felt the currents of water beneath her and clenched her jaw as she pulled at them, causing the waves to slowly rise. The ship rocked more and more with each passing minute, until her body was shaking and the crew were crying demands out above.

Sweat bloomed on her brow and her skin was pale as her energy drained more and more, waves slamming into the sides of the ship over and over, the wood creaking, bottles and instruments falling from tables and smashing on the floor.

Her fists clenched and her eyes squeezed shut as she gave one last push of power, drawing up a tidal wave powerful enough to damage the ship's mast. The entire ship almost capsized at the weight of the wave, water rushed down the stairs and under the door, the men screaming on deck, men were overboard, the rigging broken, and as the ship levelled out again, the mer passed out in the tub.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian had been shoving whatever loose furniture he could find against the door when the tidal wave struck.

It sent him quite literally flying onto his ass. He went thrashing to the ground, pain lancing on his wounded side as he let out a cry of agonizing pain. Lips parted, but he scrambled against the ground and hissed. "What was tha-"

The words died on his tongue as he noticed Inina was passed out.

Her body was half slumped over in the tub, head lulling from side to side as she lay there unconscious. Lips thinned for a moment, and he glanced up towards the ceiling. He could hear nothing through the sounds of the storm, but...

Whatever she had done had worked, Bastian could feel it.

"Fuck." He grimaced, pushing himself up and biting his tongue through the pain. "Alright."

He said as he gently went over to the tub and laid Inina down more completely in the tub of water. "You've done yours, I'll do mine."

No matter what it took.

It was nearly a day later when the sun cast in through the windows of the surgical room. Bastian sat against one of the cabinets he had shoved against the door, his fingers clutched around the hilt of his Karambit. Dark circles sat under his eyes, and there was a tension that bled through his muscles.

The storm had passed hours ago, at least it felt like hours.

He had heard voices up above, the scrambling calls, yells. No one had come below deck, no one had come to check on the Mermaid or the two men that had been sent down here. Instead there had been a scramble, one for survival.

Whatever remained of the crew had done their best to maneuver the ship towards any sort of haven, bring it to an island or reprieve.

"LAND!"

"LAND!"​

It was a muffled cry, only heard through the boards of the decks because it resounded over and over again. Bastian seemed to snap up, his eyes flickering towards the window.

Could it be? A chance?

His heart skipped half a beat as hope trickled into him. Perhaps he'd survive this yet.

 

[Inina]

Nina had slept on and off for the hours following the wave. Her body felt weak and heavy and she struggled to keep her eyes open.. The calls of land from above roused her enough for her to look up at Bastian drowsily.

She had never seen land before. The thought of it made her nauseous with dread and she swallowed, her mouth dry. There was no way she'd have the energy to swim. She needed food and rest and she worried that she wouldn't be able to escape danger if thrown back into the ocean in this state. She could barely push herself up..

"Perhaps they've forgotten about us." she grumbled, her head falling back as she cupped two handfuls of water to pour over her face.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian grimaced, shaking his head slightly in doubt at Inina's words.

Then above were preoccupied now, but there was no way in fuck they wouldn't come looking once the ship was secure. Lips thinned for a moment, and he looked up at Inina who appeared to have been run utterly ragged. Whatever magic she had used had clearly taken it's toll.

Lips thinned for a brief moment. "I'll get you out."

Bastian told her.

Last time the seawater had been like injecting her with a does of Dragon Breath. Her skin had healed, her bruises had gone. Bastian didn't know if it would happen again or if this was different.

"I can...get away from them on land." That wasn't entirely the truth. He was good at disappearing, but there was no telling where they actually were until they got there. One way or another though, he didn't have much choice.

"You look...exhausted though." He frowned. Could she even go on land? "Will the water...help?"

He asked with a frown.

 

[Inina]

Inina stared ahead for a moment, her gaze distant as she thought on his question..In truth she had already accepted that she wasn’t ever going to see her home again, and that she’d most probably die here. After weeks of this, she was finally done. At least the only one who’d helped her now had a chance at escape.

Her lips twitched slightly but she failed to muster a smile.

“As soon as the ship docks, you run. Don’t worry about me.” She assured with a shake of her head.

Back in the ocean, she was lost and alone in strange waters with no idea how to find her way back and no energy to move quickly. And on land? If these past weeks were anything to go by, she wouldn’t last a day, and the last thing she wanted were more humans around her.

“I’ll be fine.” She promised.

 

[Bastian]

The words didn't really inspire much confidence in him. He glanced up towards the window.

It was a small thing, not large enough for him to squeeze through and likely her too. Going out through the deck though wasn't a choice though. They could take half a dozen steps and then they'd find both their throats slit.

Bastian frowned for a moment, taking a breath and slowly pushing himself up and off the ground. "I'm going to chip away that window."

He told her with a gesture.

"We'll get you out first, then me." It was the only thing he could think to do. "You can get out to sea and I'll swim to shore."

Not waiting for an answer Bastian walked over to the window and began to pry it open. There was a crack of metal and, and then he began to practically chop away at the wood with his knife.

It was pathetically ineffective, but it was his own idea.

 

[Inina]

Nina's lips pressed into a thin line as he insisted that she swim out to sea.. "I can't.. Unless there's a safe cavern or shallows that I can rest in I'd be in just as much danger out there as I am on this ship. I'm too weak." she frowned, wincing as she watched him hack away at the window, her shoulders slumping.

"For the record.." she murmured weakly. "You make a really terrible sailor. Why didn't you just.. Do as you were told?" she frowned at him.