By the Smell of Salt Air

[Nav]

"A Yanna, huh?"

They had stories like the Yanna back home, though Eric had never seen one. They were just old tales meant to scare children to prevent them from wandering off too far from the village and getting lost. "I've heard stories like that before," he said, "But we call them different things. I've never heard something like it called Yanna before." A shrug rippled through the line of his shoulders as he rose, leaving his dirty plate where it was as he wasn't sure what he should do with it. They had gone into the dining hall twice now and both times it had been set and prepared, though he hadn't seen a single soul in the house besides Rani and Li… not a maid, not a butler, not anyone.

Dusting off his hands on the silky thighs of his trousers, he gave an affirming nod of agreement. "Sure, anything we can do to help but… hey, aren't you worried someone will see me and think I'm also a demon?" he caught a sight of the skin along his hands, frowning at the dusty tan colour of them. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, and bleeding, to have both Rani and Li realize he wasn't a threat to either of them, but a whole village? A town? A city? He feared they'd try and kill him before he even had an opportunity to explain himself. Regardless of where he ended up in the universe, he could still bleed, which meant he could probably still die.

Homesick or not, Eric didn't want to die.

"As long as you're OK with me going." He looked back out the window and blinked a few times as the intensity of the sunlight caused his pupils to contract and burn for a moment. The sun that was orange only an hour ago, shining warmly upon the night-chilled soil, had become a yellow inferno. There was no more softness to the world, no more hint of night. He could feel the warmth of it all through the glass as he blinked a few times and looked away. Heat licked at his tan face and coiled around his limbs like a great, hot-blooded serpent. It was going to be a warm day, it already was, but he couldn't even imagine what sweltering temperatures the day would reach at noon, or after noon.

"The Yanna only has children follow it, does it? How strange. I wonder why."

 

[Ethys]

Rani nodded and gestured for him to follow, leaving her plate next to his. There was a doorway nearby the led to the kitchens, which were very clean and also very empty. No servants or cooks about. The tops of the counters were made of shining metal, which they had learned years ago was much more sanitary and easy to keep clean than porous wood. There were ovens along one wall, and iceboxes along another. She took him toward the back and opened a large door, which had a winding stairway downward.

"We'll go through the wine cellar. There is a tunnel to the front gate. Not only is it faster than going through the streets, it is also more convenient, as nobody will see you. I still don't have a plan for making everybody know you at once, but I will think of something. Perhaps at the festival.. Hm. I will think on it," she murmured absently, half talking to herself and half to him as she started off down the stairs. Small orbs of light along the walls automatically came on when they came near, lighting the way.

The wine cellar was nice and cool, filled with thousands of bottles of wine. She ignored all of them, walking instead to the rear of the room where there was yet another door. It opened with ease, despite the fact that it was dusty and hadn't been used in quite some time. The tunnel that was revealed to them had more of the orb lights, and was paved with smooth stones along the bottom.

"I'm not sure about the Yanna. I've only seen her myself two times. I know that she's a demon, but.. Well, to be honest, she always looked rather sad to me. I can't help but wonder if perhaps Yanna is the spirit of a grieving mother. It would explain the children and why they're unharmed.. Well, except the one that went missing.."

 

[Nav]

"Festival?" he visibly perked at the prospect, following her at a brisk pace. He looked in her direction but their gaze didn't meet. Instead, he found his eyes settling on the crystal around her neck that pulsed with light every-time she spoke. What a strange invention, he thought quietly to himself once more, his mind beginning to wander off in to its own thoughts for just a beat of time. "Hmm, yes, a festival," he blinked, realizing he was quickly getting lost in his own thoughts, "What sort of festival do you speak about?"

They moved with haste, descending a staircase that transitioned them from the well-lit upper half of the house down into the basement. The stone staircase wound up in a tight spiral, so the inner part of each step was so narrow and pointed it was impossible to use. It curled around to the right with no hand rail and only the narrowest of windows to provide light, which crept in gingerly as if unsure if it was welcome. The stones were cold and through his clothes he could feel his body heat leaching out. Each step echoed around but fell quiet once they immediately stepped off the last stair and into the stone wine cellar. It looked like a closet, only much larger. The walls were covered in shelves and, wherever he looked, he could see it.

Wine.

The shelves were covered in wine bottles, arranged neatly, while the floor was covered in barrels, mostly filled with wine as was obvious from the little taps on the side. Rani didn't dilly-dally though and quickly ushered him to the passageway. It was dingy, dark, and damp, and he could hear water dripping from somewhere. There were orb lights, unlike anything Eric had ever seen (he decided not to contemplate them anymore, as his brain was already on overload), but it still didn't feel like true enough light to travel. Hesitantly, he put one foot in front of another.

"Maybe, but why only keep one child? Perhaps that child wasn't a victim of the Yanna… perhaps that child fell victim to something else?" He thought aloud, but quickly shrugged it off. It would be hard to say what happened to the child without discovering a body. "I suppose if demons came from the sea, why couldn't they also come from grief? In Spain, we call them ghosts," he explained, wondering if they had a similar term, "Those are different from demons. We don't have demons in everyday life, but some people say they've seen ghosts. I never have though."

 

[Ethys]

"Ghosts," Rani repeated thoughtfully. "I've heard that word before, once, in an old book. I believe we used to use it as well. Now we have demons and spirits. Spirits are what ghosts were - shadows of the departed. Most of them stay out of sight or live up on the mountain. That is what our festival is about - celebrating life and giving thanks to the dead for keeping us safe. Their spirits bless our crops and our people."

She frowned a bit to herself, knowing that for most, the festival was a time of great joy. There was food, dancing, decorations. The entire city would be a colorful explosion for an entire week. For her, however, the festival would be awful and she knew it. She hated thinking of the dead, hated knowing that they would never come back. It was too much to bear. All she wanted was to pretend that everything was as it had been, but it was not allowed. The time for mourning was passed. She sighed quietly and shook her head a little.

"It is entirely possible that the child fell to another demon instead of Yanna. I suppose we will never know. He has been gone for several months now. Obviously, if he was alive, he would have returned or been located by now. We can only assume that he was eaten or lies below the waves of the sea," she murmured. "I apologize. I know that isn't a cheerful thought. This island may have very dark bits, but we have bright spots as well. You'll see."

Or would he? She didn't know. He was stuck here until he died, so if he disliked it, it would be all the more difficult for him. She didn't know how to make it any better. He came from a place where there were more factions, more people. A place where there was no love, by the sound of it. He seemed constantly uneasy and upset, which she did not blame him for.

Still, she longed to help him somehow.

The tunnel soon came to an end, with another door marking their passage. As it swung open, it revealed that they were within sight of the gate. Just a short walk, and they were standing right outside. The gate was wide open, as it was not evening and people tended to go out and harvest fruit or wander the island when the sun shone. Nobody was about now. They had all heard the bells and were staying closer to the heart of the city, just in case.

 

[Nav]

"Mmm," Eric replied, "I've heard them called spirits, too." At least in English. Spanish had their own terminology, but they were different words for the same definition. "We have a festival like that back home." He didn't bother elaborating any further than that, though. There was no point. It wasn't a festival he could ever go back to, and there were things he missed worse than some silly festival. Still, there was a small part of him that did look forward to seeing the festival on the Island. With all the things he had seen and food he had tasted, he could only assume the festival would be a pleasure on the senses. Plus, if Rani could find a way to get him accepted by the population, that would be nice.

It was unfortunate feeling like a fugitive… having to sneak around like a criminal so no one encountered him. "Is it always demons? Do you have anything else? Angels? God?" he looked to her suspiciously from the corner of his eyes. Everything on the island seemed threatening—even the people—so he wondered if maybe they had good forces, too. Before she had a chance to answer, they arrived at the end of the tunnel. Pushing open the door, it swung open with a creak and in fled a fresh wave of sunshine. His eyes, adjusted to the darkness, blinked back painfully as he used a hand to shield his vision from the searing heat of daylight.

Adjusting to the change, he stepped out and felt immediate warmth spread across his skin and seep into the very marrow of his bones. It felt good after being in the damp cellar passageway. "I don't see anything," he squinted as he murmured. In fact, no one was out and about causing him to wonder if that was normal or if it was a result of the demon. Stepping out, he rested both of his hands on his sides and looked out across the tangled forest opposite of the gates. There was probably more life there per square metre than anywhere else he had ever been. The noise was incredible, so many insects, birds, and mammals. The heat he could live without, but the scenery was stunning.

No wonder people were hesitant to be out when the bell was tolled, out in the forest, he imagined people couldn't see more than a few feet in front of them with all the foliage… it would be a prime hunting ground for a top predator like demons.

"How do you kill demons, anyways?" he asked, "I feel like that may be something important for me to know."

 

[Ethys]

"Every demon has a different method that ensures they stay dead, unfortunately. We stopped keeping track. People were getting confused about which method worked, and it resulted in many unnecessary deaths. See, demons have a tendency to 'come back' if they aren't disposed of properly. We've come up with a simple enough system: Gouge out the eyes, slice their throats, and stab them in the heart. It's a bloody mess, but it's effective on every single one that we've tried... Which is nearly every demon that we know of."

Rani paused and looked over at him with a bit of a smile.

"Angels are just stories for children, but.. I thought I saw one once, a long time ago. It was the day my mother died. We were all just standing around her bed, waiting. It was awful, but she had been sick for so long, it was only a matter of time. We wanted to be there for her. When she finally passed, I swore that I saw a woman made of light standing by the window, but my brother said it was just the result of too much starfruit."

She laughed a little and shrugged. Imaginings of a child. She had never seen such a thing again, but there had been rumors here and there. Never anything by a person over the age of twelve. It was obviously just a myth that made children laugh. Anything was better than the demonic realities of their world.

"What about you? Any stories like that?"

 

[Nav]

"Except the Yanna…"

It was easier to learn and keep his brain occupied instead of worrying about his life back home and all that he was missing so desperately. He knew the night would be the hardest. Now that he wasn't exhausted to a point where he'd fall asleep at a moment's notice, he knew that he'd struggle to convince himself to sleep with the churning in his gut. It was easier during the day when he was more worried about demons and gouging eyes than anything else. Standing by the gate, Eric let his eyes blink slowly, suddenly enjoying the warmth of the sun against his sweat-laden neck. There was a playful breeze, cool enough just to prevent him from overheating.

Her story felt raw and honest, causing him to glance over and catch her gaze. It surprised him to hear her tell such a story, seeing as she had threatened him with a knife and threw a banana at him just a day prior. Ah, how quickly things changed. "I'm sorry about your mother," Eric replied with solemnness playing a note in his tune, "I lost my mother, too, though not when I was super little. She passed when I was a little older—fifteen. She also got very sick." Though it was expected, she had been at that age when people in Europe grew old and died. His father, who was still alive last he knew, was a bit of an oddity in how long he had lived and continued to live.

"What? Yes, we have stories like that. I'm a Christian," he explained, "It's a religion. We have a holy book we follow—virtues, morals—and we pray to God. We believe in angels and demons, just…" he shrugged and looked out through the forest though there wasn't anything abnormal to be seen or heard, just the continued bandstand of nature, "Not in flesh like this. We don't have demons just running amuck like you have here. I always believed it was more metaphorical in this world, but when you die, you go to either heaven or hell depending on how you lived your life, whether you were virtuous and dutiful, or not. There are other stories though, yea, like ghosts and fairies and the whole like."

He hadn't really thought about it. They were stories he had believed as a kid, but hadn't thought about them in many years. "We also have a lot of lore about the sea, like the kraken and mermaids, but those are all just old tales, too."

 

[Ethys]

Rani was absolutely fascinated by his story. She had no idea what 'religion' was, but it sounded interesting, especially since it had demons and angels in it. Virtues and morals seemed good, though he said God as though there were only one. That was very confusing. She also didn't understand what he meant by metaphorical. It wasn't that she didn't understand the word, she simply did not see how it could be a metaphor if demons had quite literally already tried to kill him more than once. What was more real than something that wanted to tear your still-beating heart from your body just to hear you scream?

She glanced out at the trees absently, but there was no movement. If the Yanna had been about, she was obviously gone now. It was nearing midday and the sun was going to get stronger. She wasn't so foolish as to stand around in it for no reason. Instead, she gestured for him to follow as she opened the tunnel back up.

"I have questions," she announced. It was the only real warning she gave.

"What's a Christian? Is that another word for man? Also, how is it possible to have only one god when we have seen several and know them to be true? Has Spain angered the other gods and is being punished with only one? Is that why the demons have abandoned you as well? What are mermaids? And the kraken? And what are fairies? How can demons be metaphorical when they attack you?"

She kept glancing at him as she asked the questions, obviously expecting them to be answered just as rapidly as she was firing them at him.

 

[Nav]

Nothing had happened, though Eric couldn't decide if he was thrilled or disappointed. The curious half of his brain wanted to see more of these demons that he had seen and heard about, but the self-preservation part of his brain was shouting at him to run very far away, very fast. With one last lingering look deep into the woods and watching as the woods seemed to stare back at him, Eric turned away and receded back into the cool tunnel. Immediately, he felt a coolness breathe across his skin when it was out of the sun and the sweat began to wick away from his body. He hadn't realized how hot he had been outside until he was in the tunnelway going back towards the cellar.

"Hm?" his eyes looked her way, though the sudden shift from light to darkness made her a mere shadow slipping alongside of him as his eyes adjusted. He blinked forcefully a few times to try and clear up the murkiness lingering in his pupils. "Oh, well," he shrugged a little, not quite sure how to explain 'Christian.' He wondered if these people were religious or even had religions at all. According to the Bible, that would make them heathens, but Rani and Li had shown him both immense kindness and consideration by taking him in and caring for him, so he couldn't condemn them. "Well," he rolled his thoughts around in his brain to try and come up with a satisfying answer.

"A Christian is a person who follows Christianity… a person who believes in God and follows the Bible. There is only one God," he confirmed with a nod, keeping his convictions close in his mind, "Howdo you know there is more than one?" the comment caused his interest to peak, "Do you speak to them? Pray to them? That can't be right… We have not angered our God. Our God is what gives us everything—food on our tables, family, wealth." he frowned deeply. There were too many questions, so he had no time to ponder between each one, so he scrambled to do his best and answer them all.

"Mermaids are half-human half fish women that are very beautiful and the kraken is a giant squid that eats ships whole… fairies are… magical little beings that cause mischief like stealing socks and undergarments…" he paused to inhale sharply, "We have no demons in Spain or Europe. That's why I had always thought the Bible discussing demons was metaphorical, but apparently they are very real here, anyways. Perhaps your people have angered God and he has given you demons?"

That seemed most reasonable. After all, if God wished to punish Spain with demons, he would have done so. Alas, he had never knowingly met a demon in all of his days.

 

[Ethys]

"The God of the Sea called the demons upon us, yes, I told you that," she reminded him, nodding once. "But there is obviously more than one. We have seen them, met them. The Goddess of Fire will likely show up during the Festival. She usually does. I think she likes the fireworks that we set off in her honor. She can be a bit temperamental, though," she mused, shrugging a bit.

She took him back to the cellar, closing the tunnel door behind her. On their way through the cellar, she plucked up a random bottle of wine and carried it with her back upstairs. Thanks to the open architecture of the home, the inside stayed cool during the scorching midday hours. Still, it was nice to relax with some wine and wait for the sun to settle back down where it belonged. Hard work was best done when one wasn't at risk for collapse.

"We have mermaids here, I think. Judging by your description of them, anyway. They are demons that look similar to the one you saw on the beach, though that one changes shape. The 'mermaids' do not. They sit on rocks and wait for prey to come close enough to drag under the water. Most water demons employ the same methods."

"As for the kraken," she continued, shrugging. "I have never seen anything large enough to swallow a ship whole, but such a thing would likely not live close to shore. It probably lives deep in the sea."

She took him back up to her bedroom, keeping the door open, as well as the window. There was a nice breeze, and her room was lovely in the sun. A perfect place to relax on one of the cushions that were scattered on the floor.

 

[Nav]

Eric scratched a hand through his hair… meet them? Surely, they couldn't be real Gods and Goddess, but what if the Bible was wrong? His mind became a surging perplexity as a creeping sense of crisis dripped into his brain. Always in life there were more paths than clues and, for once, Eric just wanted an answer. All his life, he had grown under the holy word… he had believed every verse with all of his heart, his soul. He lived by the text, he practiced his faith because he believed it would bring him goodness in futurity. His body slumped, hands finding his pockets. Everything felt questioned—his entire life felt questioned—and for once, he was actually beginning to wish he would have drowned in the sea instead of washing up on the island.

They moved through the cellar, slower than before, mostly because Eric seemed to be dragging his feet. At some point, his eyes had glazed over and the perkiness he had been carrying earlier dissipated faster than summer rain on the earth.

"You have mermaids, do you?" He lost his need for surprise. "Hm, and so what do you call them here? Oh, no, the ones we have are not like the demon I saw on the beach. They are beautiful temptresses that beckon men out to sea and drown them. They aren't supposed to change shapes or anything… they just are what they are. They are just stories though, same with the kraken. I've never seen any sort of creature… not until I came up on the island. I doubt such a creature exists—then again…" Eric just sort of trailed off. In the new light, out of the wine cellar and into the main level of the house, his eyes reflect a profound distress. Into the room, Eric collapsed onto the bed he had slept in the previous night.

The weather was gorgeous that day, he noted as he turned his nose to the open window. Blue skies, little wind, ambient temperature—it was more like an absence of weather, really. "What is this place, anyways? This Island? What do you call it… where is it? Have you maps?" He wondered how far from traditional trade routes, crosswinds, and currents he had been swept off of. For a while, he had believed he had fallen through a wormhole and into an alternative world, of sorts, and while he couldn't entirely rule it out—he could confirm or deny his hunch. If he was still on the planet he knew and was familiar with, perhaps there would someday be a chance a ship would pass by in exploration.

Unlikely as it seemed, it was a shred of hope to which he could cling.

 

[Ethys]

Rani glanced over at Eric, a bit concerned with how he was acting. He seemed.. a bit disconnected when he was speaking to her, and his steps were not as quick as they once were. She wondered if she had perhaps offended him or said something that hurt his feelings. Nothing that she had said struck her as horrible, but then, he was an entirely different person with a unique background. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He didn't seem inclined to reveal it on his own, either.

She watched him flop onto his makeshift bed from the night before, frowning slightly. Hopefully he would be alright. She shifted her cushion closer to him and poured them each a glass of the chilled wine. Once she had set his next to him, she leaned back against the wall and sipped her own.

"The island is called Nyarrah. It's kind of a funny name, really - it just means 'home'," she explained, hoping that speaking to him would make him feel better. "We have old maps in the libraries, yes. Our people loved to explore before the demons came along. Of course, those maps are very outdated now, but they may be of some use to you."

She paused, looking down at her wine thoughtfully. Did he think that he could leave? Was that why he wanted a map? To figure out how close he was to his home, to see if he could make it? She frowned worriedly. There was no way that he would make it. The demons would tear him apart. It was a miracle as it was that he had survived long enough to get here and not be devoured along the way. She couldn't allow him to even try to go anywhere.

Not if she valued his life, anyway.

 

[Nav]

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn't remember his brother's face.

He could close his eyes and pick out the big details—brown hair, brown eyes, dark skin—but he couldn't remember the smaller details. Did he have a large nose? Did he have freckles? A deep voice? All those little memories were just slipping between the gaps of his fingers and no matter how tightly he tried to hold on to them, they kept escaping, like he was trying to grasp liquid water. His faith was being challenged, his memories were fading, and he was lost in a terrible cycle that he couldn't seem to break from. Someday, he hoped it would get better, but for now the homesickness kept creeping deeper and deeper into him—curling through every limb, every organ, all the way down to the marrow of his bones.

It didn't help that Rani explained that the word 'Nyarrah' meant 'home.' The only sparkle of hope that was revealed to him was that maps did exist. Even if they were old maps, he realized he might be able to identify some land masses… and if he could, that meant he was still on the Earth he knew. He perked up a little at this. As a child, he could remember that he used to throw pence into a well by his house. There must have been a hundred of them sitting at the bottom now, some green with age and other still shiny brown, but that was how he was… all he needed was a little hope, even if it was just a map or pennies in a well. "Could you show me them sometime, perhaps?" he inquired, reaching out for his wine and bringing the chilled glass up to his lips.

It was a tasty, sharp beverage—similar to the wine that he remembered from Spain and France—very soft, rich, and beautiful. Most importantly, it went down easily.

"I fear I might be from another world entirely. I'm not quite sure how it happened but… all of this? All of this on this island is very different from everything I have ever seen or heard back home. We have some things in common… fruits, for example, and wine, but so many things are different. Demons… Gods… Goddesses… I fear I'm not even from here at all. Not just this island, but this whole…" there wasn't even a word in English he could use to describe it. "It's like I have fallen through a hole and emerged somewhere entirely new- not in the same place I am from." Universe would have been an acceptable term to use, but he didn't know that word.

Though he still couldn't entirely write off the idea that he had died and this entire event was purgatory—a test of his faith deemed by God, but it didn't sit right with him in his gut. He had lived a good life as a good man, and while he was accused of crimes, he had not committed them. He had been honest, faithful, and pure… everything the Bible said he should have been, why test him further? No, Nyarrah was real, just perhaps not in the universe he had known.

 

[Ethys]

One rule that Rani lived by was that anything was possible, to some extent. So when Eric mentioned that he may be from an entirely different place, as if he was not part of this world at all, Rani didn't really question it. The revelation was certainly a surprise, but once she considered it, it almost made sense. However, even if that were the case, it wasn't exactly good news. It made the idea of him going back to where he had come from even less of a possibility. She couldn't just let him go wandering for worlds that did not exist.

"I don't know," she admitted, shaking her head. "Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. Either way.. You must stay here. You must. I can't allow you to try and go back to your home."

It sounded cruel, and she knew it. She was silent for a long minute, staring at the wine left in her glass. He was essentially a prisoner here. How quickly would he run to the sea if he saw a ship on the horizon? How long would he survive? Seconds? Minutes, perhaps, if he was lucky. She couldn't live through that again.

"I had an older brother," she finally said, not looking at him. Her expression was wracked with pain, but she forced herself to keep talking. "He was fascinated by the idea of there being more. More beyond the horizon. More than just this island. More to see. He grew obsessed. There was nothing that we could say or do to keep him from the sea. We even locked him in his room, pleading with him to stop. It did nothing. He made a boat of his own and left the beach before we could grab him."

Rani swallowed, her body shaking.

"I watched my brother die. I won't do the same with you."

 

[Nav]

He was a prisoner.

For a split second, that realization branded into his brain and he wondered if something worse was going to happen. Was he going to be locked up? It seemed silly to think after Rani had treated him so well—she certainly hadn't kept him in a ball and shackles, but it was hard to not see that image in his head when she said those words: you must stay here. Before she had a chance to explain, his mind was reeling with ideas and the shock was palpable on his face and in the air around him. Sadness sat an inch below Eric's face, eyes remaining dry, expression impassive. He knew that if he lets a fraction out that the rest will follow, a never ending torrent of grief.

He was so focused on his own grief, selfish but expected, he hadn't noticed the expression of pain twisted Rani's face until she began to speak again. The grief came in waves once she began to speak, threatening to consume him entirely. It was his master, for now, and he realized he was a prisoner to the island—not just physically, but emotionally. He was at the mercy of his grief's whims and at time, it bit into him with such ferocity he feared it would leave him an empty shell.

When she finished her story, all he could do was tip his wine glass back and swallow the whole thing down in a few large gulps.

The alcohol settled deep into his gut. It was hardly enough to get him drunk, but he knew it'd ease the tension. "I…" What could one even say to a story like that? "I'm sorry for your loss. No one deserves to lose a loved one like that." He looked into the empty bottom of his wine glass, squinting as the last few droplets of burnt scarlet liquid swirled around and stained the otherwise clear surface. "I feel like I have just lost a brother myself," he admitted, his voice finally beginning to betray the soft quiver that had been building in his chest she he had first realized he was stuck on the island the day prior, "I will never see him again, or my father. They could both be dead and I wouldn't know," he shook his head, squinting so he wouldn't well up with tears. He didn't cry; men weren't supposed to cry. "I wonder if they think me dead, as well."

He reached up and rubbed a frustrated hand through his hair, pushing back the curled locks of black hair, though they only flopped down in front of his forehead again right back to where they had been before. "I'm not sure why you care so much about me. Just yesterday, you threw a banana at me," he reminded her gently, his tone lifting as he tried to make a half-hearted attempt at a joke. He wasn't sure how much more of their current conversation he could take for the time being.

 

[Ethys]

Rani was silent. In all likelihood, his family did think him dead, if they knew already that he had fallen off his boat. Then again, he had said something odd about how he had left under strange circumstances, so she wasn't sure. Perhaps they had thought him dead long before he fell. She wasn't about to pry now. He had every right to be upset. His life as he had known it was over and he was forced to embrace a new one.

That, or take his own life.

She frowned more and refilled her glass, only to drink it down in two swallows and refill it again. Reaching over, she also refilled his own when she saw it was nearly empty. Alcohol may not have been the best bandage to the situation, but it was something.

Her brother had loved wine. She recalled the first time he had given her a glass, just wanting to see her face pucker up. Oh, he had laughed at her for days after that. She could still remember how her mother had scolded him so fiercely. It wasn't long after her death that he had run off to the sea. Perhaps it was the loss that finally drove him over the edge. She didn't know.

Turning, she set her wine glass down and curled both arms around Eric, hugging him tight. Right now, she didn't care if he thought it was appropriate or not. She just needed somebody to cling to, and she suspected that he might too. Her head tucked down against his shoulder and she cried quietly, unable to hold it back anymore.

"I'm sorry.."

 

[Nav]

He had been hugged before, but not since his mother had passed and he had been young. As one might imagine, there wasn't much hugging that went on aboard a pirate ship, and even if there had been, Eric knew better than to let any of those men within a few feet of himself, as they would see to it they stuck a knife in his belly and stole his belongings. When Rani reached out and coiled her arms around him, his body went stiff for a moment before beginning to relax again. After that, it was only a matter of brick by brick before all of her walls came crumbling down. When she cried, there was a rawness to it, like the pain was still an open wound. Setting his glass of wine safely aside, Eric brought his arms around her shoulders.

It wasn't appropriate for him to be touching a woman who was not his wife in such a way, but after everything he had suffered through, he deserved a moment's reprieve. His muscles began to relax, one by one, and while he didn't cry, he let the grief take ahold of him entirely. There was no more energy left to fight it or try and squash it down deeper into his chest. It consumed him entirely, the grief, but somehow that almost made it feel a little bit better. The beads of tears dripping from Rani's eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder collected into a damp spot on his shirt, but he wasn't bothered by it.

"You don't need to be sorry."

He found some comfort in knowing that his family likely wasn't going through the same pain he was. They probably thought him dead long ago, and even if they didn't, they would probably never find out about his mishap going overboard. They hadn't even known he was employed by pirates, and few pirates were noble enough to inform a family of someone's passing. His disappearance was bound to always be a mysterious for his father and brother, whom he hoped had done their grieving and had since long moved on. It was just easier that way, especially for him. Forcing himself to try and feel a twinge of optimism, he considered what it meant to be on the island.

He had food and wine… a bed… warm weather. He had made a friend that had already saved his life on a couple of occasions, and while he would have to go about the arduous process of proving to the whole village he wasn't a demon… perhaps life here wouldn't be so bad after all. He wouldn't have to work for pirates anymore, but his strength and health could mean he could find some kind of work to keep his anxious hands busy. Maybe the island wasn't home, Nyarrah, yet, but maybe it could be if he was willing to give it a fair chance, if the people were willing to give him a fair chance.

His hands soothing rubbed up and down Rani's back as her entire body racked with sniffles and breaths.

"Maybe living here won't be terrible." Maybe it was an opportunity to start over.

 

[Ethys]

It had been years since Rani let herself go like this. Showing weakness in front of anybody, much less a stranger.. It was horribly shameful. If her father found out, she would never hear the end of it. But she didn't care. This was something that she needed, and she wasn't about to let go just because it was frowned upon. Neither of them were married and nobody was looking, so who really cared? They were free to do as they wished.

After several minutes, she slowly pulled away and wiped her face with her hands. She felt a little silly, but relieved. A weight had finally been taken off her chest and she was able to relax. She gave him a bit of a smile as he spoke to her.

"I know it won't ever be the same as Spain," she acknowledged. "But I think that you can live here, and live well. We have everything that you could need. You are as free here as you could ever be. After the festival is over and everybody knows you, you will be part of the community. You'll be just a regular person, running his own life. The city is open to you. You can get a job, or start a business, or just relax and do nothing. Maybe one day you can even start a family or travel to the other factions. You might like them better."

Thinking of him going to another faction and not returning upset her for some reason, but she ignored it.

"I promise that I will do whatever I can to make this easier for you."

 

[Nav]

Bittersweet.

That was how it felt at the end. His homesickness was still beginning to freeze in his gut like hardening cement, but maybe she was right… maybe he would like it here, if he ever got to a point where people stopped thinking him a demon. The wine was good, at very least, and that had to count for something. "I don't think I'll ever be a regular person here," he corrected with a mild, amused chuckle, "Just look at me. I look like no one here." Part of the community or not, he'd always stick out like a sore thumb from the crowds with his dark skin and equally dark hair and eyes. No matter how he tried, he knew he'd never be one of them, but perhaps he could be with them. It was all he had left, really, there were no other options as Rani seemed insistent that if he ventured too close to the ocean, he'd be eaten by a demon.

Had he not seen that one on the beach when he first arrived, the one that had given him the whipping discomposure, he wouldn't have believed her. Maybe he could at least have a semi-normal life, after all. All those years spent on the sea was existing, but hardly living. He had always had dreams for himself—marrying, children, a good, honest job, so the things she said did appeal to that side of him. It hurt, realizing how much he had to leave behind and he knew the haunting of his family and missing Spain wasn't about to be over, but it made it a little bit okay. He scratched the side of his neck, sighed, and looked to her again.

Her eyes were threaded with redness from her cry, but she seemed lighter somehow. "Thanks," he smiled at her, "I'm not sure what I did to earn your favour, truly, but I am certainly glad I did. I must say, I enjoy these interactions more than I do having bananas thrown at my head." He sat back a ways so he could reach for his little glass of wine, picking it up and bringing it to his lips. It truly was delicious, indeed, and he swallowed down a good, healthy sip.

"So, about this festival," he probed for a change in conversation, "How do you propose we introduce me to everyone without being a demon?"

 

[Ethys]

"I only threw a banana at you because I thought you were a demon!"

Rani laughed a bit at the thought. Had that really only been yesterday? They had been through so much already. He had been introduced to three different demons, though he hadn't yet seen Yanna. That was a big deal for somebody who thought demons didn't really exist. They had been attacked, he had lost his former life.. Yes, it was safe to say that both of them were quite different than they had been a day prior.

"As far as introducing you, I think that is exactly what I'm going to do," she decided. "My father keeps to himself during the festival. It's my job to keep it up, being the eldest. I kick it off. That means that everybody will be in one place, listening to me, all at the same time. I can explain it to them then. All at once, when everybody is already in a good mood. It'll be easy."

She smiled and nodded to herself. It was an excellent plan. She sipped at her wine, comfortable. After a moment, she glanced over at Eric, pondering what she could do to make him feel better.

"The sun is starting to go down. It'll be cool enough to go outside soon. Is there anything you want to see? We have hot springs that you can relax in like a bath, or libraries full of books and the maps. There are the mountains, which are good for hiking and seeing the entire island at once. We have some cool streams in the forest for swimming or fishing. Anything you want."