Adventurer Sinbad

Ja’far watched Sinbad as they walked towards the water, feeling the soft sand beneath his shoes growing harder and a little more solid from the weight of the water that rolled over them. He also soon followed the other’s lead and went about tugging off his own shoes with he free hand to leave them behind as well. 

The teen’s explanation kind of went over Ja’far’s head at first, so he looked back out at the sea and watched the roaring waves roll and crash upon the shore in varying, but more or less predictable paths. There seemed to be an underlying rhythm, something beneath the very body of water that controlled it’s motions that he couldn’t see. 

"You don't know how to swim yet, right?"

Releasing Ja'far's hand Sinbad waded in until the liquid came up to about halfway up his calfs. Already his pants were growing damp from the waves and it was apparent that they were probably going to be wet by the time they returned to the inn. 

"......"

Ja’far tried to imagine what riding on the sea would be like. How could a ship so big even float on the water? There were so many questions that ran through his mind, but not enough time to say them all at once. Still a little cautious, he grasped Sinbad’s hand that had been offered to him. 

Holding tightly onto Ja'far's hand Sinbad began to guide him a little closer to the water's edge, only pausing as soon as they were near enough for the waves to lap at their feet before the teen stopped to pull his shoes off with one hand.

"Watch them."

After setting his shoes further pack, Sinbad pointed towards the water before beginning to roll his pants up a little ways. The waves continued to crash into each other, following a pattern both predictable and unpredictable for anyone observing.

"Just like when you predict and follow your targets movements you ride the waves they leave behind and push forward."

From the way it sounded, wherever they were going sounded like it was dangerous at night. Ja’far could think of plenty of places that were like that, so it didn’t give him much to go on in terms of guessing. The only solid hint he got was when a ship was mentioned, and the thought made his brows furrow. Was Sinbad taking him to go see the port or ship they were going to the next day? 

Ja’far had honestly never even been on a ship before. In all of his ten years, his feet had never left the solid ground beneath him. Still, Sinbad gave him quite an ear full about ships and sailing on the sea, which was a big, vast body of water that was bigger than any country in the whole world, he had said. Ja’far could hardly imagine it. 

Eventually he felt Sinbad’s grasp on his sides tighten as he was lifted off of his shoulders and placed on a sort of ground that felt quite unstable as it sucked his small feet in, making him stagger back and kick up some sand and a single hand grasp tightly onto the other’s arm. It wasn’t until he was sure this loose earth beneath his feet wasn’t going to give away that he let go. 

“Okay, I’m ready.” 

Anticipation swelled in his chest, knowing he was so close to finally seeing what was beneath his feet, what the cause of this strange breeze that blew in his face was, and the soft but rumbling thunder was that sounded so close by. 

With each number that passed a loop of the bandage fell free from his face, and Ja’far reached up to rub his eyes and let them become accustomed to the setting sun that shimmered brightly in his face. 

But when he finally was able to see again, the boy let out a loud gasp as his eyes widened in pure wonder. 

Miles upon miles of clear blue water stretched out before him for what seemed like an eternity, swallowed up by the sun and the sky in the distance. It wasn’t like any sort of water he had seen in a lake or a pond; this water was moving. It churned back and forth, waves rolling in and tumbling over one another in their race to reach the shore. It looked exactly the same every way he looked, down to the left and down to the right, almost like he had hit some sort of wall in which the world he knew ended and an entirely different one made completely of water began. 

"That is what we'll be riding on tomorrow."

Standing back up and ignoring the sand which fell and now coated his pants' legs Sinbad stretched a hand out and down to Ja'far.

"Lets move closer."

Sensing the young assassin's slight hesitance the adventurer gave one of his more reassuring smiles as soon as their hands touched. 

"I won't let you get swept away. I'm the best at riding waves, y'know."