the fire * WITHIN

“It’s not urgent,” he said, letting the words come slow, like he was still shaping them. “No blood this time. No fire at my heels, no bounty hunter with a grudge and a long memory... far as I know.” A pause, then a faint huff of breath that might have been a laugh. “Feels wrong, showing up without trouble tucked under my arm. But it’s just… I’m lookin’ ahead. Trying to be smart.” His hand gestured vaguely, as if toward the horizon. Or the future. Or something just out of reach. “Storm’s Eye won’t outrun the world forever. And when the tides shift, I’d rather be the one steering.” His eyes flicked toward her again. This time there was something steadier there. Less banter, more weight. “You know the island. The people. What moves, what keeps quiet. I was hopin’ maybe you’d talk to me. Help me see the parts I’m not trained to look for. What a man like me might not notice ‘til it’s too late. Help me know about new rocks or shoals that may have appeared in the last two weeks that I need to keep an eye out for.”

Another pause. Then wry, but with a thread of sincerity beneath it: “And if you’ve still got that tea that smells like it’s judging your choices before you drink it. I wouldn’t turn it down.”

she listened with patience at his request and chuckled. "well, i'm glad you're not in any sort of trouble." sure, nya had plenty of connections and people who could help if doone was truly in trouble but none of them would do it for the kindness of their own hearts. "you're thinking about what comes after, that's smart." she stalled, of course nya new things - people talked to her and whispers were plenty around the place but still, she had an image to maintain. "if you're looking for the island's secrets, there's a person i can recommend to you but i highly doubt he'll give that information for free." sure, she could ask dorian to do it as a favor for her but given what doone was requesting, a single favor won't cover it all. "i can only point you to the people that might give you what you seek, i'm only a physician- i treat people, not secrets." she chuckled, her innocent demeanor shinning through.

but there was curiosity as to what exactly doone was looking for, just information? "may i ask if there's something specific you're looking for?" she tilted her head, maybe he was simply a person that was looking for any sort of advantage and in tortuga, nya could understand it.

she approached in silence, coming to stand right beside vidar. she let her arm brush his side, let her head rest against his arm. for a few moments, that was all — just the two of them, the soft lull of the shoreline lapping close enough to their feet, the distant occasional sound of townsfolk that hadn't quite made their bed yet. eventually hanna spoke, though she knew she didn't need to. "we will leave this place." she offered it as a comfort, though there wasn't much more she could promise. instead she smiled and nudged his arm with her shoulder. "even if it's just you and me on a raft."

vidar did not bother turning around when he heard her footsteps, he knew it was her, he would recognize hanna's walk anywhere. he continued smoking his pipe as he felt her head on his arm, he was not one for physical contact but their connection was always different than others. the silence was comfortable and easy, despite the heavy burden he was carrying on his shoulders just standing there together seemed to help. "and leave them all behind? you're tired of the harbinger after all these years?" he said quietly, the smoke dancing through the air before disappearing into the night.

"It’s a funny thing, you know. I can't tell you when others started to matter over self-preservation,” she murmured, the words tumbling from her lips before she could stop them. “But I guess this whole situation…” Her hand gestured vaguely toward the gallows in the distance, flickering in the dark like some godforsaken altar. “Taught me that I do.” Her throat felt dry, tight. 

The stormborn shook her head when he said he should have come to her. Resolute in her reply “No, you shouldn’t have. Or at least, shouldn’t feel obliged to,” she added after a moment, voice quieter still. “It’s just all these things that my mind conjures these days that make me worry. It's like… since the barricade lifted, the curse now lives in me instead of just beyond the horizon.” Her gaze followed the smoke that coiled from his pipe, dancing skyward, only to be scattered by the warm island breeze. “No, I drink to forget. To drown out.”  Her lips twitched in a mockery of a smile. “Unfortunately, it’s hardly working.”

self-preservation. he hasn't felt that way in a long time. long ago he cared about nobody but keeping himself alive. nowadays, vidar had many responsibilities. "some say it's a weakness." he said quietly, the type of weakness he tries to not let it consume him, which shows over the fact that he has no patience for crew members who do not share what the harbinger stands for, nor for those rogues or fellow pirates from different crew that might betray him. vidar did not know how he felt about theia yet, trust had to be earned even that there were unanswered questions between them; pirates finding their ends in the gallows reminded him of the importance of not being a fool when giving trust to somebody.

vidar nodded slowly and looked at the ocean, it was quiet. a stark contrast to how the island was feeling, depending on who you ask that is. from the tide, the blockade and now the gallows. truth to be told, vidar couldn't wait to leave at this point and get back into sea just to get away from it all. "drinking won't erase anything." he said quietly, he could understand the type of curse she was feeling. they were practically sharing it. somewhat. the question he wanted to ask was stuck in his throat and it took vidar a few quiet moments to find the voice to speak. "anything new?" did theia remember something else or still flashes of things neither of them could truly decipher?

one of dorian's hands moved from the wall to brush the hair from her face, then smooth over her skin as he cupped her jaw. "i think this little mouth has been running off..." he murmured, his hand moving along her jaw so his thumb could catch her bottom lip. he watched the way his thumb met her mouth, the way he exposed the flesh of it as he pulled it down slightly. "i think it's been whispering names in the dark. i think you and i are far beyond the guise of herbs and fruits, nya. i see exactly what you are."

she sighed, raising her her own hand to rest it upon dorian's but not to pull him off of her, just to have it there. "what do you care? it worked, the information i provided didn't hurt anybody we knew. they hurt my patients, they deserved their end." nya looked into dorian's eyes, hoping that he would find reason in her words. because why else he would demand answers. "if you know who i am, then none of this should've been a surprise for you, dorian." her voice returned to her soft nature.

elias had just enough coin on him to pick up a few mangos — the kind he’d been dreaming of for weeks. as he neared the stall, he flashed a friendly grin at the owner, eyes scanning the fruit with barely restrained hunger. but his gaze soon landed on someone else who seemed to share his craving. a smile tugged at his lips as he threw an arm over nya’s shoulder — only to feel her flinch beneath his touch. elias quickly pulled back, hands raised in surrender. “oh, gods, i’m so sorry,” he apologized, eyes wide with concern. “didn’t mean to startle you, i promise.” he let out a soft chuckle. “i vow to never sneak up on you again, nya.” his head tilted to the side as he eyed the fruit in her hand, a few strands of hair falling into his face as the early morning wind swept through his hair. “what treats have caught your eye this morning?”

"how are you? it's been quite a while since we've seen each other." at her line of work and given everything that has happened, she was glad to have not seen more people that she knew, that meant that they were alive and well. "i mean that's a good sign, you didn't need sawbone." and honestly, that was far more important than seeing old friends. nya wasn't going to deny that she missed it; sure, she loved her work in sawbone but getting to see her friends and the people she cared about, even going to see her father for some tea was missing from her life during this whole ordeal. hopefully now things will truly go back to normal. "how did you get through it all, if you don't mind me asking?"

as nico let his feet carry him through tortuga, he didn't think. he just continued to move. he knew these streets like the back of his hand and that was what he was hoping would be for his benefit. after a near miss with the crown - the gallows seemingly had his name on them - nico was trying to put as much distance between him and them as he possibly could.

as he stopped to rest a moment, his eye caught that of someone else. stranger or friend? he could hardly focus enough to figure that part out. "you did not see me." nico spoke, quiet but firm. he was ready to run, if needed, but he prayed that it would not come to that.

but he should've realized that his close friends were in danger as well so walking around in tortuga for the purpose of finding said person was key, sure he could've sent someone but he needed to see that nico was alright with his own two eyes. "if you were any other person, i would say secrets cost coin." julius said dryly, a master of wearing a mask that showed nothing. "nico, i see the gallows didn't take you."

the damp, sour stench of the brig clung to sebastián cardenas like a second skin as he leaned against the rough-hewn wall, one leg propped lazily against the iron bars. his cell, little more than a stone box beneath the crumbling tortuga grounds, was lit by a single sputtering torch that cast flickering shadows across the mildew-slicked floor. there was a window that was too far for him to reach, but he could see his beloved raven from time to time sitting there trying to keep him company as much as it could. his dark hair fell in tousled waves over his brow, and his brown eyes, ever glinting with mischief, scanned the room for anything, or anyone, that might turn this mess into an opportunity. his wrists, bound loosely with frayed rope, bore the marks of a hasty arrest, but his lopsided grin suggested he was more amused than worried. death was the greatest adventure, was it not?

“well, this is cozy,” he muttered to himself, his voice low and laced with a chuckle. he tugged at the ropes, testing their give, and glanced at the dozing guard slouched by the brig’s entrance, a half-empty bottle of grog at his feet. how long had he been in here for? a day? two? he couldn’t remember anymore, everything became blurred in the darkness. his mind spun with a whirlwind of different ideas on how to escape, the moment he could, but each one of them seemed to falter at the realization that his weapons were next to the the sleeping guard. for a split second he thinks he hears some movement but he can see nothing. he figured it was just another round of pirates getting brought in, at least he’d soon have some more company.

but that wasn’t the case, not tonight. what emerged from the darkness was someone who made his heart feel full and then quickly fill with dread. deimos is quick to fly to his cell, then back to settle on vidar’s shoulder. “vidar, what are you doing here?” it was a rhetorical question, the reason was obvious, the question more displayed the concern and fear in his voice. sebsatian never showed fear but right now he was more scared than the idea of meeting the gallows. “you’re mad,” he whispered, standing up to press against the bars of the cell, “if you’re caught, you’re going to be worse off.” his voice was barely above a whisper, quick and soft.

vidar was hiding near a corner of the beach that nobody visited and yet the damned raven still managed to find him. he looked at it for a few silent moments as it flapped its wings and screaming at him. there was only one reason why it would do that and leave the owner its so much cared for. "show me." vidar got up and followed deimos. the more he followed it, the more his heart filled with dread as he saw the gallows. "go back." it was a simple commend, and the raven did as he said; knowing fully well that once vidar was here, sebastian would be rescued. and as much as he wanted to bust in there and save the man, vidar looked around, trying to study the area before going head first. how did sebastian get captured in the first place? whoever made that happen was going to pay.

it was almost embarrassing how easy it was to get into the gallows without any guard noticing, despite the chaos that was happening with more and more pirates being taken away. his blade was ready to attack whoever would try to stop him from getting the man he- thankfully he saw sebastian in the cell before his mind managed to finish that sentence. he didn't bother replying to him, looking around the room for the key and noticing the sleeping guard, vidar made the kill quick and painless and took the keys in his hand and walked back towards the cell so he can release sebastian. of course, he felt beyond relieved that he was alright but at the same time he felt anger he hasn't felt in a long, long time. as vidar released the man's hands, he looked at their bruises and brushed them gently, a trip to sawbone is needed. "let's go." his voice was tight. serious.

Something about Vidar made Mary flinch. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Mary's gut told her to not trust him. She could sense Vidar glancing back at her. Mary stopped sneaking around him. It was pointless to try and avoid Vidar now.

"Good evening" Mary greeted awkwardly. Mary hoped a large commotion would break out and it would allow her to stealthily disappear, but nobody was ever that lucky. Especially in these parts.

it was not surprising that she tried sneaking up on him, he was always aware of his surroundings, like a trick he couldn't quite let go of. it has saved his life more times than he could count, but he doubted that mad mare was here for anything harmful. he nodded at her greeting, continuing to smoke his pipe in comfortable silence.

"holding up?" he asked quietly, out of curiousty. as a captain he had his crew behind him but what did a rogue had? a bunch of pirates they had no elegance to? maybe she preferred it like that, either way the only way he could find out is by asking said questions.

They hadn't come together, simply met here by coincidence, but Alexander couldn't be more thankful to the gods. He had a couple of restless nights and the distraction Ryker brought was needed. "That one." He nodded towards the open table that had one man, a couple of people starting to gather, waiting for a soul brave enough to enter the match against an undefeated champion. The game was a knife game in which player had to quickly stab the knife between the spaces of their finger, getting quicker with each turn, without wounding yourself. Alexander wasn't a fan of the game but settled on it because he could not remember if he knew how to play any of the other games. "Come with me. I should like you on my lap as I play, with your arms around my neck, being my lucky little gem. I'll even split the winnings with you."

ryker smirked. "being in your lap is payment enough but i won't say no to some coin." he took alexander's hand in his own and they went together to the table, he wasn't squimish about violence, usually. ryker sometimes like to watch the fights in the pit and played in dead man's bluff at least once a week if he had the time. though not many would try their hand at the gamble to see if they were good enough in the knife trick as to not cute or lose their fingers, that game isn't one that ryker would play as he's better at other things. but, sitting here in alexander's lap, making himself comfortable, he couldn't wait to watch the other man win. but, just for fun and a tease, he leaned against his ear. "i promise not to distract you, i wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." ryker whispered.

The dirt crunched below his leather boots as he walked along the uneven cobblestone street. Coming across the other man had been unplanned but not unwelcomed. He walked up beside him, pipe in one hand, lighting a match, and takes a big drag of his pipe. The smoke instantly relaxing his muscles as it coursed through his veins. "Hope I'm not interruptin' anything, mate." He reassured, slowly exhaling the thick cloud of smoke.

There was a weird feeling about the man next to him, not bad, but Alexnder couldn't put his finger on it. He turned to look at him, trying to see if he could pinpoint his face from where he might know him, but nothing came to mind. The man was just another blank canvas amongst many faceless paintings in his mind. "I'll be quick."

losing a crewmember was never a good feeling, espcially when he became captain to the harbinger and his goal was keep them all safe despite the life they've signed themselves up for. so he soon accepted that loss was just part of their lives, vidar just didn't expect to see a real ghost in front of his very eyes. "how're you alive?" vidar wanted to reach out to the man but his body was frozen and the thought of reaching out only to touch nothing worried him.

it was the only way to explain why the other man had no reaction to seeing vidar again, someone who used to be his captain. surely this is just a hallucinations that could be explained by his pipe.

Up ahead he noticed a woman looking at some herbs. From the side of her face her fair features seemed familiar to Alexander, almost as if he'd already met this woman before, yet not a single name to come to place with her face. His feet were guiding him in her direction before he could stop to think, reaching out to tap her shoulder. "I do apologize, miss. I believe the sun has begun to get to me," Alexander chuckled, "I have confused you with someone I knew." Or so he thinks, as is the life of someone with shadows and blurred images floating in his head. He wouldn't remember even if he had known her before this moment. "I did not mean to startle you. I'm just glad your first instinct isn't to swing."

the thought of her swinging at anybody made her chuckle. "no, i am a physician over at sawbone, i don't swing. i treat people who get swung on." her smile was still bright as her heart finally calmed down from being startled. "i promise it's okay, are you already though? i don't want the sun to get to you too much. it's my day off but i could help you to sawbone if you're feeling unwell." she offered. it didn't matter if it was her day off or not, whenever someone needed her medically she will always be there. it wouldn't be the first time that she lost day off because someone needed help and she isn't sorry about it.

She came to stand beside him, glancing in the same direction he had been before and feeling her stomach twisting. The sharp scent of smoke curled around her nose was however strangely comforting. Like old memories. Half-formed, half-lost. Her eyes trailed the gallows far off in the distance, barely visible but present all the same. Her throat tightened. “I saw it, Vidar. The noose still swings in my mind even when the wind is dead.” She turned her head to her gaze on him then, a flicker of something fragile behind storm-tossed eyes. “I had to come check if it hadn't been you... The whispers can be vague these days." Her hand trembled slightly as she reached into her coat and pulled out a small flask. The rum inside sloshed like a wave refusing to settle. Theia took a sip before speaking again, this time quieter, as if afraid the night would swallow the words whole. “But you weren’t hangin’ there. Thank God, you weren't hanging there."

vidar turned to face her, it truly didn't cross his mind that she would be worried about him ending up in gallows. the thought of it was so far fetched for vidar, that he didn't think to consider that theia didn't know that. "it will never happen." he said quietly, it might sound egotistical to someone but for him? he was realistic. the only way for him to get caught is if he wanted to be, and so far that hasn't happened it. "i should've came." to her sooner, he should've realized that their connection obviously deeper than just two people that knew each other. what that connection was still partly a mystery but their past was connected, that was for damn sure. he wanted to reach out to her, out of instinct he didn't quite understand but held himself back from doing so, instead busying himself with smoking his pipe. "is that why the drink?"

he approached casually, reaching a hand up to touch her shoulder. her reaction drew a laugh out of him, but he didn't stop there. he ran his hand down her arm, the rough pads of his fingers contrasting her smooth skin, and gripped her wrist. he shot one glance over each shoulder as he dragged her into an alleyway nearby, letting go of her but keeping her trapped between his hands as he caged them either side of her head. "nya." he greeted, low and dangerous. "i need you to tell me if you've been bad."

nya smiled softly, letting herself lean back more comfortably against the wall, her head tilting. she felt more relaxed than she has felt ever since the blockade ended. nya didn't care how dorian found out, it was clear that he did but in the slight chance that they weren't talking about that nya took her chance. "and why is it that you think i've been bad this time? would you like to see what i've been buying? it's only herbs and fruits." she shrugged her shoulders.