chasing eden

     Kalix blinked.  The memory jewel?  The rocks they’ve been looking around for?  She wanted him to use a magic rock?  Granted , none of this made sense.  But at the same time , he saw their captain fix a broken rope in midair with a simple wave of his fingers —— so , he couldn’t expect anything else from her suggestion.  

     He turned away simply from not knowing what to say.  “  Listen ,  Maeve.  I appreciate it , I really do.  I’ll never teach you another knot again , I swear.  But —  ”  Kalix shook his head and shrugged.  “  How do you expect me to do that after what happened to Adeline?  Wh — Who would even do that for me?  ”

Maeve wasn’t sure what flared up inside her, but it was hot and uncomfortable. She jumped up, refusing to look at him. “What happened with Adeline isn’t what usually happens when you use a Jewel! I told everyone that if we were interrupted, it would get messy. Then what happens? Charles burst into the damn room and caused chaos.” It wasn’t as if Kalix had blamed Maeve outright for what happened to Adeline, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was implied. Finally, she spun around, her eyes blazing. 

“Atta girl,” Thaddeus encouraged, a grin on their face now as opposed to their typical smirk. They may enjoy teasing Maeve often, but she was finding ways to soften their cold and sarcastic edges in times like this. “Most people onboard have made more of a fuss about it than they ought to. Bottoms up!” Nodding in response to her, they turned back to their subtle tidying efforts. “This is practice just like anything else. You’ll get more used to it than you’d suspect.”

“I hope so,” Maeve answered, swallowing the rest of the concoction as Thadd had indicated she should. She set the empty vile down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.” It was one of the only thanks she’d given since she stepped foot on the ship, and she wasn’t sure when she’d give another one. “I should get back out there and see if I can be of some use.”

Magni pushed himself away from the tree, walking closer to her without making a sound. The feeling of guilt beginning to build up within his chest. He knew they had to hunt it if they wanted to eat, but the mere thought of having to kill an innocent rabbit was too much for him to bear. “ You know how much I want a feast but- “ He was a hypocrite. He had no problem killing people if he had to, but hunting a rabbit made him feel bad? “ But what if it has a family? Or what if it’s cute? “

     He smirked and simply took in a deep breath to release the tension in his neck.  Needless to say , it didn’t work.  Out of all his guests that decided to show him pity ,  Maeve seemed to be the only one that wanted to bring something constructive to the table.  Even if it was ridiculous , he appreciated the adorable thought of using magic to help him get some sleep. 

     But the more he looked at her , the more serious she seemed to be.  After his conversation with the captain , he simply kept his quandaries to himself.

     At first he was smiling , but it soon dissipated into a visual of disbelief.  He knew about the captain , but Maeve too?   “  Are you —— ?  Wh — okay , what exactly are you suggesting?  ”

Billie laughed softly, “aye, you can be sure of that. It’s really not my style. If I truly did have a problem with a captain that I felt warranted some kind of punishment, I’d probably just shoot them.” She shrugged, though it wasn’t entirely untrue. There had been that one first mate. “Besides that I think Harper is well suited to the job. I did consider stepping in temporarily after Bradway passed, but only because I knew I could keep things running efficiently until someone else took over. Gald I didn’t have to, though.”

Magni took a step back, a grin playing on his lips while he watched Maeve get ready to hunt whatever was moving around in the bushes. They didn’t exactly have any proper weapons to hunt, oh how he wished he had a bow and arrows or even a gun, but knives would have to do. Magni pulled out one his knives from his boots, absentmindedly playing with it, while he focused on Maeve. “ What do you think it is? “ He whispered. “ If it’s a snake or a turtle, I will cry. No matter how good of a cook Lance is, I doubt he will be able to make a feast out of a snake. “ He joked with a light chuckle.

Billie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I’m quite happy as the master gunner.” She assured Maeve, “and I don’t have the people skills necessary to make a good captain. I’m quite happy with the control I have. Besides, I’ve been part of many a crew and I know well that if I’m not satisfied with the way things are being run it is far more convinient and fun to just… Leave, find a new ship to join.”

“Yes… I suppose that is the only option. I do want to help my brother too, though. He maybe headstrong, but I know he wants the best for the colony, I just do not know if he knows what that truly looks like.” As much as he disagreed with his brother’s actions, he still cared for him and knew any obvious opposition to him would only make things worse. “But, yes, I will have to support my mother in the ways I can.” 

Maeve scrunched her nose. “It doesn’t sound to me like he wants what’s best for the colony. It sounds like he wants what’s best for him.” Maybe there was some overlap there, but her gut told her there wasn’t. “You’re lucky to still have your parents. I hope everything works out.”

“ I don’t think it’s possible not to have any opinion when it comes to your family. “ How would he know? He had known nothing about being part of a family until he joined the Cursed Serpent. “ I’m sure she will be fine. She knows she has us, her chosen family, and we will support her no matter what. “ Magni stopped walking when he heard some quiet movement a few meters away from them. “ Do you think you can get it? “ Magni questioned Maeve with his brow arched as if he was daring her to try.

     Hanging his head and closing his eyes , Kalix found Maeve’s company more comforting than otherwise —— which was new , and partially relieving.  At her question , he simply grunted in agreement.  But the more she tried to clarify , the more he realized that she seemed to be thinking of something while speaking. 

     Kalix looked over at Maeve quizzically , no longer judgmental and soft in his facial expression.  “ You don’t think I know what a memory is?  ”  He asked sarcastically , finding it somewhat humorous that he still had the energy to giver her some shit.  

     He looked back down at his hand and sighed , wincing at the exhaustive feeling of his bruised torso being pushed to the limits.  “  I can’t forget something like that , nor do I want to.  I just —  ”  He knew he was about to start blabbering , so he simply stopped speaking.  There wasn’t anything she or anyone could do , anyway.

Magni shook his head. “ No, he didn’t tell me about his colony. “ Magni admitted, following Maeve deeper into the jungle. He wasn’t quite sure what they were supposed to do. Should they walk around the island and cross their fingers and hope that they’re the only people on it, and a boar will appear so they can throw a feast? Maybe this only served as a moment of peace for them, and Magni was glad for it. “ Did Arroyo tell you what he was going to do? Who he’s going to side with? “

Thaddeus practically snorted in laughter, certainly coughing a bit as the laughs fell from their lips. “Fucking hell, you’re genuinely trying to pull the victim card now? You don’t exactly look like you’re in a spot of suffering now, Maeve, so I don’t know who would listen to that tune.”

He weighed the two in his head for what felt like forever. There were so many factors in who he thought would be best to rule, and, at the end of it, all the options still felt less than ideal. “They both have their flaws, glaring ones in many aspects. Nevertheless, my mother knows how to rule, she knows how to compromise and put the needs of the colony before her own desires. My brother on the other hand, I fear he is far too dangerous in nearly every way that matters. He is aggressive, impatient, and obstinate, but perhaps the thing I fear most is how incredibly resourceful he is. When he wants something he takes it, consequences be damned.” He shook his head, thinking about the havoc Ayden had already wreaked and how much more was sure to come, “I struggle to see someone like that ever making a good leader.”

“So, you’ll help your mom keep control?” That seemed like the obvious choice if what Arroyo was saying was true. “If your brother is so...well, everything you said, then you have to help your mother.” It didn’t even seem like a choice to Maeve when the answer was so obvious. 

“Ah, yes, more often than not.” Billie clears her throat and shrugs, “I’ve seen captains merciful or egotistical enough to keep around a crew that tried to overthrow them, but that’s a very risky move, of course. S’why I never saw the point myself, I’m not interested in a grab for power and the potential consequences far outweigh any possible reward for me.”

Adeline tried to search Maeve’s expression for some sort of sign of recognition, maybe even comfort, but to no avail. Instead she felt far colder now under the gaze of her friend. “Right. Why pull any stops? I’ll just sleep in the stores, chained up like some sort of prisoner then,” she replied, brow furrowed in frustration. “I get it. I just need to keep my head down and stay out of everyone’s way.”

“Oh, you mean the way you kept me when I wasn’t even a danger to the crew?” she snapped back, more afraid for Adeline than actually angry. She wanted to slap some sense into her friend, but she wasn’t sure it would do any good. “I just want you to be safe. Once the storm is over, I can help you figure this out.” 

Magni nodded, remembering his conversation with Lyra’s brother. He didn’t seem dangerous, but he was clueless. Even so, Arroyo was useful, and he could potentially help them and give them more information about his colony. “ I talked to him earlier as well. I agree with you, he doesn’t seem dangerous, but his colony sure does. “ The way Lyra had described how they attacked ships still haunted him.