Mariel stirred. Her body felt sore from sleeping in a hammock, her body not adjusted to lie in such a way. After some struggling, she got out of it, to find that the sea had calmed down. She put on her clothes and made her way up on deck. The slight bout of bad weather had passed and the sun had appeared from behind the clouds. The temperature was still chilly, but it looked to be a fine day at sea.

A curious sight stood leading against the railing. Siravin, who had remained largely unseen, and immediately secluded himself upon boarding, was watching the sea while fishing. He made an occasional jerk of the fishing rod, and seemed to be relaxed. Next to him was a small wooden bucket nearly filled to the brim with fish. He turned his head and noticed her.

“Morning! You’re fishing?” She went over to him, and he tried to somehow disguise the fishing rod.

“Morning Mariel… Yeah, I’m fishing.”

“Hmm, you’re really good at that, I mean your bucket is already full!”

He nodded. Suddenly, his rod began tugging. Immediately, he began to reel in his catch, the rod bending dangerously. He kept on fighting, and soon, a large silvery fish laid flapping on the deck.

“I’ve been thinking. I know that the others think I’m suspicious… And I guess I’ve also been rather cold and elusive… I thought we could… Prepare a meal for the others.”

She flashed him an enthusiastic smile. “Great idea! There’s… Someone we should celebrate too!”

“Oh?”

“Tizare. Saya told me that his day was coming a while ago…”

“That’s nice. I was sort of thinking about him, since I think we’re not on good terms…”

“Let’s do It, this evening! I’ll go look for Cassy, she can help us out!”

She headed below deck and made for Casindire’s room. She had almost reached her room, when a voice made her stop and listen. The voice belonged to Tizare, and she decided to visit him. Before she could open the door, she heard another voice which made her stop.

“Tell me… Why are you here?”

“Oh, come on now Tizare… I’ve told you that all I want to do is make sure this war won’t happen.”

“And why, pray tell, would you want that? You’ve probably forgotten, but I haven’t…”

“Hm?”

“A small roadside inn… run by a typical father, his wife and young daughter. He was accused of hiding demonkin… You signed the hunt order. We responded. It was murder… A ruthless slaughter, and in the end, he hid nothing…”

“Yes Tizare. And from what I understand, you slashed the girl, regretted it, went rogue, killed your teammates and abducted the daughter. But she seems to have gotten over her troubles…”

“Shut it. I want you away from us as soon as we dock. I won’t let you manipulate her.”

“Look. I hate what I’ve done, and I’m looking to make amends… You don’t have to believe me. I’ve told you the whole picture, and I expect you to handle the knowledge with your usual care… So are we done?”

She quickly snuck away. What she had just heard sent shivers down her spine. Conflicted feelings began to take hold within her. She felt confused. Both had an agenda, and both had a past which was somehow connected. Then there was Saya, nearly killed at the hands of the man she now entrusted her life to. It was with a guilty grimace she walked into Casindire’s room. Her friend was sitting on a chair, within reach of a recently emptied bucket, the stains of orange visible along the metal bracing.

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“Good morning Mariel.”

“I still don’t really get how you can tell…”

“Hmm… It’s the sound of your footsteps. They sound a little heavy today, are you sleeping well?”

Despite knowing she was unable to see her, Mariel could not help but look away.

“A-ah, that’s what I should be asking you! Last time wasn’t so good on you…”

“I… Keep the bucket close, and I suppose I do look a little pale. Nourishment has a way of not staying within my body for long while the boat rocks as it does… I’ll manage, I’m sure… So what can I do for you today?”

“Siravin intends to fish a lake’s worth of fish for a bit of a party this evening… I was wondering if I could call upon your skills…”

“Of course! Without question! I’d be happy to help you out!” She tried to stand, but seemed so weak in her knees she could not remain upright, and slumped back on the chair. “I’ll be ready for later, if you’ll grant me a little time to, prepare.”

When she returned to the main deck, she found Siravin fighting with a sizeable fish. Several of the deckhands had begun gathering around him. A few had got out their own fishing rods and had lined up on both sides of him, trying for a good catch themselves. The rest were cheering and encouraging him in the struggle. To her surprise, he seemed not the slightest put off by the sudden attention, but focused so hard on the fight that any other concern seemed insignificant. With a final heave, a fish easily a grown man’s arm in length, flew over his head and landed on the deck with a wet splash. Three deckhands immediately secured the fish. To a round of applause, he held his catch up and seemed unusually happy. Upon seeing her, his smile faltered and he returned to his normal stoic self.

Before any questions could be asked by the sailors, one of their friends got a bite, and the cheering started again as the sailor was nearly thrown overboard. Two others immediately grabbed his legs, and more soon joined in. She watched as teamwork eventually overcame what turned out to be a monstrosity of a fish: A man’s length, which was hauled up the side of the ship using hooks and nets.

“Hmm? Fishing huh? I’d love to try it myself.” She nearly jumped as Daristan had snuck up behind her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“N-no! It’s completely fine… Don’t worry about it… You like fishing too huh?”

“I’ve seen it on occasion, but I’ve never tried it.”

“Try it then.”

He nodded and walked over. She used the opportunity to leave the scene. Her first stop was in the hold of the ship, where the cooks were sharing stories and taking stock of the supplies. After some convincing, they agreed to prepare fresh loaves of bread and some jars of preserved vegetables. Next, she visited what the sailors referred to as the ‘cage’: A metal box in the depths of the ship where the cooking took place. The metal kept the wood of the ship safe, and the inside had been fitted with tubes along the roof where seawater could be used to douse fires if one should get out of control. One of the cabin boys helped her clean the cage and set up the spits and prepared the wood for the fires. Excess heat and smoke was vented through pipes. The evening soon approached, and like clockwork, the sailors, cooks and servers began preparing the feast.

Mariel was relaxing up on deck, her clothes sooty and dirty from her efforts. Songs and merrymaking filled the silence of the calm sea. Out beyond the darkness was the elven lands, a place so unfamiliar she could only imagine what it would be like. Her thoughts soon drifted, and caught on to the thorn which was the conversation between Daristan and Tizare. It filled her with unease to think that cracks had existed between them. And neither of them wanted to share it with her. Though they had their reasons, she felt powerless as she could not come up with some way to please both parties. Her unease only grew, thinking that she might have to make a stand sometime.

“Hm? Mariel? Not interested in enjoying your work?” Tizare appeared, looking over the top and carrying a slice of cake on a plate.

“Ah, it’s not that… I just started thinking of home.”

“I see. Listen Mariel. Home isn’t going anywhere, it’ll stay perfectly still until you return.”

“What about you then?”

Tizare smiled while taking a bite from his cake. “That’s the great thing about being a vagabond and semi-outlaw. Home is where you are. So I could say that home is right here.”

“But don’t you have a home, home?”

“Sure. I used to. The long story is that it was attacked and burned by your kind.”

“I’m sorry…” She gave him an apologetic bow, to which he merely laughed and waved away.

“It’s not your fault. But you bet my kid self didn’t see it that way.”

“So… You and Daristan know each other?”

Tizare momentarily froze, but did not drop his smile. Immediately, he began to buy time by looking thoughtful. After some thinking and nodded.

“We, used to have the same job. He was the big boss I never really got to see, and I was the lowly grunt that got the job done.” His nostalgic expression was soon replaced by an outwardly friendly, but chillingly sinister one.

“Mariel. Keep him at arm’s length. He’s a devious trickster that is no doubt using us all for his little game.”

“O, kay?”

“Good. Now. It’s cold up here, warm down there, and cake. So, you’re coming back down with me to celebrate me!” He grinned and began pulling her towards the hatch. She allowed him to, but now before throwing one last glance out into the darkness.