By the Smell of Salt Air

[Nav]

"You have a beheading stone?"

That didn't do much to ease his worries, naturally. Still, he could only numbly nod at her assurance he wouldn't be visiting it. He really did wish she hadn't brought it up in the first place, though, because it was all he could think about. Now the time her father lifted a finger, he wondered if he'd be dragged off into the night and brought to this supposed beheading stone… what a terrible way to die. He'd rather take his chances with the demons. She kept him distracted with her hand symbols though, following them with his own hands. It took some effort to get them into the correct positions, but he managed after a few fumbles.

"So, this means respect and this means 'will you dance with me?'" he showed both of them to her as he memorized them. Nothing would be more terrible than inadvertently expressing romantic interest to her father at their dinner. Another question was on the tip of his tongue when Li bust in through the door again in her usual style. He quickly dropped his hands to his sides.

He was as ready as he'd ever be, he decided. In his head, he kept chanting over and over everything Rani had said to him to do, and not to do. It was a lot to take in, but 'keeping his mouth shut' and 'no using the wrong hand sign' seemed to be at the top of his lists. "I am," he agreed to Rani's question, nodding slowly and hesitantly, "I hope. I truly hope no one else drops dishes on my account though." He just hoped that everyone would be calm by the time Rani's father arrived. If everyone else was still in shock, Eric knew he'd be on edge himself. Smiling dryly, he offered his arm to Rani as he did before, as it was second nature for him now.

Leaning over, he pressed in close to Rani and whispered quietly in her ear, "Please don't let him send me to the beheading stone," he teased gently, playfulness tugging at his tone. "I would not look very nice headless."

 

[Ethys]

Rani took his arm and looked up at him as he whispered, his words making her start to giggle. What she didn't notice was how Li stared at the pair of them, as though suddenly realizing something important. By the time Rani began to respond to Eric, Li was already walking down the hall ahead of them to go into the dining hall.

"Don't worry. If he tries, he'll have to drag me along too. I won't let him take you away," she promised him quietly.

She walked with him down the hall, her free hand holding her skirt up out of her way. It had been quite a while since she had to dress this way. She almost missed it. Even her fun festival clothes weren't as 'dressy' as this. And she figured Eric probably liked it since it covered more of her body. That was a dangerous line of thought, though. She didn't want to be distracted by thoughts of being a bad wife now. Not when there was more to focus on.

As they approached the dining hall, Rani noticed Li was standing off to the side, trying to get her attention. Her expression was.. odd. It didn't take her long to figure out why. Apparently, her father had decided to reschedule the faction leader meeting for tonight. Now. Over dinner. She glanced at Eric, inwardly cringing. The poor man. Instead of letting it show, she released his arm and approached the waiting group with a smile, making the respect hand sign that she had just shown him upstairs.

"Good evening. How are you all? I'm so glad you could make it," she cooed, her political voice much different than her normal chatting voice. "Please, allow me to introduce my guest. His name is Eric," she added, gesturing to him. Oddly enough, other than a bit of staring, nobody seemed alarmed. Perhaps they had been warned, or perhaps it was the fact that he looked so damn handsome right now.

No, probably not, Rani. That's just you thinking that. Stop it.

The group before them was made up of eight people. Five men and three women. They all, of course, looked similar to Rani. Silver hair, blue eyes. There were small differences here and there - one of the men was rather short, while one of the women was quite curvy and clearly had an eye for sweets. None were armed, and all were dressed in a similar style to Rani and Eric. As one, they all made the sign of respect back to her. One of the men walked over, about to speak personally with her, but then he stopped and retreated to the group quickly.

Her father was here.

The room was entirely silent as the Kyn stepped in. He was easily the tallest man in the room, his frame thin but not fragile. His hair was long, to his waist, but it was thin and held back with a tie at his neck. Somehow, he made the style look dignified. His tunic and trousers were embroidered with gold, though he wore no other symbol of status. Not that he needed to - his expression was enough to command a room. He eyed them all, then went and sat at the head of the long table.

That was their cue. Rani discreetly grabbed Eric's sleeve with a gentle tug to get him to follow. She sat in the chair to her father's right, while Li sat to his left. The chair right next to each sister was purposely left empty in case they had a guest. Rani's was, of course, Eric. Li hadn't brought a guest tonight.

 

[Nav]

No one seemed startled and when they arrived, that was huge for Eric. For once, he wanted to blend in and not be the center of a ruckus, which was funny considering he had spent his entire life hoping he'd stand out in some way. Now that he was standing out, he immediately regretted those wishes. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay him any more mind than they had given anyone else, and that helped a lot to get him to relax. His shoulders eased and didn't show the same tension they had even fifteen minutes prior. Still, the number of people was surprising to him. He had expected something a little more intimate—the two daughters, the father, and himself—but he was actually relieved to see more faces.

Perhaps then less attention would be paid unto him for some of the meal. He didn't know who anyone was, but he didn't need to know to think them important. The way they moved and held themselves seemed to indicate that they were important, or at least believed themselves to be. He was introduced to the crowd and that was that. No one went on to say a damn word to him; he was glad for it. Instead, he just politely watched the scene, deciding to live by Rani's suggestion of 'don't talk unless spoken to.' It was easier that way and it made it so he was less likely to make a fool of himself. Then, they scattered like mice who had just seen a cat.

The man strolling into the room felt important down to the marrow of his bones and Eric knew. He was refined and elegant, but not overly so. Instead, he just carried himself simply his reputation clearly proceeding him. It had grown so quiet in the room, every step the man made seemed louder than it ought to be, as if the heels of his shoes were reverberating in his very brain and causing him to grimace as the anxiety began to creep up through his chest once more.

It was with some gratitude to Rani that Eric was ushered to his sheet properly and on time. None of the cues or nuances of the room meant a damn thing to him and he felt like he was a blind man attempting to navigate a maze. Rani was there to guide him and while it helped, he didn't feel confident with any of his actions. All he think was how relieved he was to be sitting down so he could begin to anxiously bounce his leg below the table without it being seen.

 

[Ethys]

Once they were all seated, servants appeared and put a small plate in front of each of them. The first course was an apple which had been hollowed out and filled with raspberries. It also came with a tall glass of wine. As soon as they had food, the other attendants of the dinner started quietly speaking to each other. Li even joined in, keeping one of the visiting leaders busy with chatter while Rani waited for her father's inevitable questioning.

"So, Raniash'i," he finally said after taking a drink of wine. "It has come to my attention that you are keeping a man from outside our shores."

"Yes, Father," Rani confirmed with a nod. "He washed up on the beach."

"I see," her father mused. His eyes turned to Eric, the cold blue irises piercing through him. "Your name is Eric, correct? Tell me something, Eric. Why is it that none of your people have come to us before now? Why you?"

Rani glanced at Eric worriedly, having no idea how to help him. He was on his own now, and she had no idea what he would say.

 

[Nav]

The first course was served and all praise the alcohol with it. Eric could have wept over the site of the wine, and did his best not to hurry through his glass too quickly in fear of disgusting the guests with his rampant alcohol drinking, though every fiber of his being wished to wash it all down as quickly as possible. The food was nice, at least. It was simple and sweet, tangy, and he had no trouble eating it contentedly, though he realized just how lacking of hunger he was. The bites settled heavily on his already full stomach and he began to quickly wonder how he'd make it through a number of additional courses.

Naturally, against his wishes, the conversation turned to him almost immediately and his almond brown eyes quickly met Rani's father's blue ones. He remained silent as Rani spoke with him, maintaining his manners. Unfortunately, he didn't get to remain silent throughout the conversation for long before he was roped into the conversation with a question—a hard one, to boot. He didn't know the answer to either questions, really, and he wasn't even sure where to begin attempting to answer it. "Uhm…" he mumbled incoherently, his brain ransacking his thoughts for an answer… any answer. "Yes, it's Eric," he started, "And I don't know… sir." He quickly tacked on sir to the end of his sentence, averting his eyes for a second to take in a deep breath and compose himself.

"None of my people know this place exists," he explain, "It's not on any maps I've ever seen. I assume no one has come here because no one knows it exists. As for why me, again, I don't know what kept me alive in the ocean. I was overboard and I washed up here unconscious. Something must have guided me here; it's the only way I can explain it." For all intensive purposes, the oceans should have killed him… or the water demon that had emerged only a few minutes after he had come up from the water and on to the beach. There was nothing special about him, he knew. He didn't come to the island for some kind of grand mission or purposes—how could he? He had always been Eric… just Eric.

It had just been luck, really… nothing more, nothing less.

He brought his wine glass up to his lips and took a sip, as if to punctuate his thoughts.

 

[Ethys]

Rani's father frowned at first, his disapproval clear as Eric gave a meek answer of not knowing. That was entirely unacceptable. However, he soon kept going, and the older man's expression smoothed out. He listened with interest, occasionally munching on his food, though it was obvious he had no real interest in the course. When Eric finished what he was saying, the servants stepped in and took their plates, replacing them with small bowls filled with a chilled lemon soup topped with coconut shavings.

"Well. You are Eric, who knows not where he is, or how he came to be there. I am Nerrik, Kyn of this faction and Kyn-al of the others. My word is, essentially, law," he said seriously, then he shook his head a little. "However, that does not mean that I know everything. In fact, there is much in this world I do not know or understand. I know this. I also know that the gods do not make mistakes. If you are here, Eric, it is because the gods wished you to be. For what purpose, I do not know, but I suspect we will find out together."

"I would also like it noted," he went on, raising his voice to silence the others at the table. All focus returned to him and he gestured to Eric. "This man is just as much a person as you or I. The outside matters little compared to what is within. As Kyns, we all know this. I expect the knowledge to be passed along to the people of all factions. Let it be known that if harm befalls this man for any reason relating to him being an outsider, I will not be merciful."

Satisfied, the Kyn went silent once more, focusing on his soup. Rani leaned close to Eric with a smile, sneaking a gentle squeeze of his hand under the table.

"Good job. Relax," she whispered to him before straightening up.

 

[Nav]

The beat of silence between when Eric finished and before the Kyn started was the longest moment of his life. He squirmed in his seat, his leg still bouncing anxiously as he picked at his food… eating, but not really with any interest. Naturally, he began to fear the worse: refusal, banishment, the beheading stone. All those things came to mind with such force it nearly made him sick, and the sound of the Kyn speaking only made it worse. His stomach crunched and he had to force himself to relax, though the tension in his face was palpable. It came, with great surprise, to hear the Kyn's response.

Finally, Eric relaxed earnestly.

Though the Kyn spoke again of Gods, Eric just accepted it. He cared not for the man's reasoning to treat him so kindly, but Eric thought not to question it. He only nodded graciously and offered something of a smile. It would still take some getting used to from the people, he supposed, when they first saw him… but it was comforting to know there was more people in his corner. Rani was a delight and had done everything she could, and a great job she had done, but the Kyn's words of warning breathed over him like a cool breeze in August heat. He was certain people would still stare or be shocked when they first encountered him, but perhaps less so… if they heard about his presence prior to seeing him for the first time. He could only hope that as time went on, people would stop looking at him with any odd or perplexed glances. Perhaps eventually he'd just be another person.

The soup was served and a hand snuck into his own. Their continued touch was distracting and his thoughts snapped as Rani's breath tickled his neck and caused the hair along the nape of his neck to rise. His thoughts were all in disarray again, though not as a result of worry this time. "Thank you," he murmured back in a hushed voice, tuning his nose to face her, their faces only centimeters apart… so close, in fact, he could feel the warmth coming off of her skin.

The moment was fleeting, ending as quickly as it had arrived. Rani's hand slipped free of his own and she turned away to straighten herself so he could no longer feel the gentle exhalations against his throat. Knowing he was expected to continue eating, Eric turned to his own food and tucked into the soup. He didn't find the taste appealing in any regarding and had to force down every spoonful, focusing on making sure his face remained neutral and didn't twist up in disgust like it wanted

 

[Ethys]

Rani felt like she was going to faint.

She couldn't even force herself to eat. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults inside of her skin. She stared at her soup, trying to will herself to pick up the spoon, but her mind was elsewhere. His face had been so, so close to hers. It was unintentional, but.. She definitely wouldn't mind it happening again. On purpose. But those kinds of thoughts were dangerous, especially since she barely knew anything about him. They could be completely incompatible.

She looked up, only to meet her sister's eyes across the table. Li was grinning, her expression one that clearly stated she knew all too well what was going on. Rani's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink and she quickly looked away. Oh, dear. If Li knew.. No, it was fine. She probably just suspected. Rani could tell her it was all in her head later.

"Rani, Li. I'm afraid I'm going to be cutting our time together short. The Kyns and I have important matters to discuss. You're excused. Take your guest with you," Rani's father said, cutting into her thoughts. "It was a pleasure to meet you in person, Eric. If you're still hungry, you can take your food up in the bedrooms."

Li and Rani immediately stood, making the sign of respect before walking out.

"I knew it," Li whispered the second they were alone.

"Knew what?" Rani muttered, not looking at her as she took a full wine bottle from a passing servant. All she wanted was to sit, relax, and drink. She had a feeling that Eric would be on board with that plan.

"Oh.. Nothing.."

 

[Nav]

And just like that, it was over.

No more rounds of food to try and stuff down his over-full gullet, no more uncomfortable chatter, no more uncertainty about every action he made. It was over and a visible sigh of relief rippled through his shoulder. He was so wrapped up in his own relief that the meeting was over and had gone well, he didn't notice the blush rising through Rani's cheeks. He found himself smiling warmly and thankfully as he rose from his seat and, doing the best imitation he could, gave the sign of respect (and, thankfully, not the one for romantic interest). It was a clumsy maneuver of his hands, but the product was all the same at the end. His head nodded deeply one last time in gratitude and he was ushered away by the sisters.

In the hall, Eric was much more relaxed. His stride was unhurried and his eyes were warm, his facial expressions receptive and showing reprieve. There wasn't a single bad thought in his head—not the beheading block, not missing home, not homesickness—nothing but the static electricity of excitement piping through his veins. Maybe he could fit in here. Maybe the island could be home.

"Wait, what?" he asked, cutting into the conversation the girls were having, "What are you talking about?" he asked, rising his brows curiously at them both. His hair was still damp, but was beginning to dry and curl, falling across his forehead in perfect ringlets. He was pleased to see, at very least, that Rani had half a mind to grab a bottle of wine. He could use some… to celebrate, to relax, all of the above.

A smile wormed its way on to his face as they exited the dining hall. "So, all those people? They're leaders of different cities? But your father is the head leader?" he asked, trying to get a grasp of their social structure. "Does that mean someday you will be the head leader? Or is it only for men?" He had seen women in attendance, which felt strange for him… women were very rarely aloud to participate in such activities back home, but the women here seemed stronger than he was used to—both physically and emotionally.

 

[Ethys]

"Yes. As the eldest child, the responsibility will fall to me, which is why I normally attend the meetings with my father. Tonight is an obvious exception, as I have you here as a guest. I'm sure they aren't discussing anything important. If the heir to the Kyn is undesirable, the faction has the option to vote for somebody else, but that is not something that frequently happens," Rani explained, completely avoiding his earlier question, which made Li grin more.

"Well, I'm exhausted," Li announced as they got to the top of the stairs. "I'm going to go to bed. Have a good night, you too."

"Goodnight," Rani said quickly, glad to get rid of her sister before she could make some remark that would embarrass her. Now she could focus her full attention on Eric. She went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind him once he was inside as well.

"I want to show you something," she said with a smile, going over to her window. She pushed it all the way open, then climbed up on the sill. Outside, thick vines were growing up the wall. Rani didn't hesitate to start climbing up, the bottle of wine tucked safely under her arm.

Once Eric followed - if he did - he would be greeted with a real treat. From the roof, one could see the entire city around them, and the forests beyond. But, far more importantly, it was a safe and unobstructed view of the stars. Rani already had a blanket laid out on the roof. It was obvious she came up here often. She sat on the blanket, opening the bottle of wine and offering it to him with a smile.

"Stargaze with me?"

 

[Nav]

Eric let the question go, deciding it wasn't worth pursuing. "Hm, that's interesting," he mused when she commented. Voting? The concept was lost on him. Kingdoms had Kings and Queens, though blood and God, not a vote, designated them. He mulled this thought over for a moment, though his brain felt more like marbles being shaken in a tin can—confused, loud, and ear shattering. The more he learned about the island, the more he felt he understood, but like all things he just let it go. This was his new way of life and he had to accept it, no matter how strange and unusual he found it.

Plus, all he wanted to do was spend the evening relaxing and enjoying the fact that the Kyn had accepted him as one of their own. It felt good; it was a huge weight off his shoulders. "Good night, Li," he called to her as she bounced away towards her own room. He had been expecting to follow suit and go enjoy some wine and eventually retire to bed, but Rani had other plans.

"Show me something? Oh…" Well, there she went… right out the window. He blinked and looked out, both hands on the sill. "You want me to… climb out a window?" Their culture certainly was strange. Isn't that what they had doors for? Coming in and out of buildings? Ah well, women could be in power and voting happened and windows were doors… it really shouldn't have surprised him. Pushing off the window sill, he lifted his feet off the floor and crawled through, landing on the roof opposite. He scrambled up behind her, plopping down on the blanket and only then realizing why she had invited him.

The eerie darkness of the night would never escape his memory. He could see clearly the pitch-black curtain draped over the sky and the twisted warped shapes that the stars made against it. The milky speckles twirled and danced along in various patterns, tugging at the corners of his lips in a way that made him almost smile. It was suddenly very easy to shove the worries corrupting his mind, but eventually, he just… stopped thinking. They were alone. Nothing from life could touch them—not people, not demons, not anything. I stared up at the sky and studied the silver glow of the moon, realizing very quickly that the constellations were the same constellations he looked at from home.

"Yes, I will," he agreed, reaching out to take the bottle of wine and drinking straight from the bottle's neck before offering it back to her. "Thank you."

 

[Ethys]

Rani smiled to herself, laying back on the blanket. This was her happy place. Not even Li knew it was here. It had been her greatest secret until now, one that she had thought she would take to her grave. Yet, sharing it didn't make her feel as bad as she had thought it would. She didn't feel as if she had lost something special to her, but rather that she had gained something even more special than before. Having Eric here just made all of the stars seem brighter, somehow.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile, accepting the bottle and sitting up on her elbow to take a drink as he had. Oh, that was good. Why was wine straight from the bottle always better? Or maybe it was better because it was in this place, or with this company. So many variables working in favor of the sweet liquid. She took another drink, then set the bottle aside where either of them could easily reach it but not knock it over.

"I started coming up here years ago, when I noticed the vines out my window. My plan was just to stand up here and freak my father out because I was angry over some stupid thing, but then I saw the sun setting on the sea. It completely changed me. I've been coming up every night since, other than last night," she explained quietly.

"There's just.. something about the stars. I don't know what it is, but I love them so much. Have you ever seen anything as beautiful?"

 

[Nav]

Relaxing back, Eric propped himself up on his elbows and let his head fall back so he could gaze skywards. He could point out all the constellations he knew, and chose to do so in his own head. "I guess we really are from the same world," he thought aloud, not particularly to Rani, but making her privy to his thoughts anyways, "We have the same stars." It proved his theory that maybe he had never come from the universe Rani was apart of, because he figured had they been in different universes, their skies would have been different. They were the same though, and that brought him comfort. Somewhere else on the planet was his brother and father, hopefully looking to the same sky he was. There was a connection there.

Maybe he and his family would never see each other again, but they were at least connected through the heavens. Reaching for the bottle of wine, he took another swig. He drank it down like cheap whiskey, not savoring it like good wine ought to be but he was drinking for enjoyment so much as he was for the sensation of tingling toes. A smile caressed his features as the warmth slid down his throat and to his belly, warm and churning as he hummed in contentment.

Have you ever seen anything as beautiful?

It took every fiber of his being no to compulsively say 'yes.' He had seen many things equally as beautiful: a child holding hands with his mother as they bounced down the busy streets of London, pride in a man's eyes as he watched his bride go down the aisle, watching the sun melt into the ocean from the deck of a ship, Rani… his thoughts were jarred by the realization and he inhaled sharply through his nostrils, immediately gulping down another few mouthfuls of wine to remove the thoughts from his head. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he agreed, pointing skyward, "See those three stars in a row? The bright ones? We call that Orion's Belt," he explained, pointing towards the constellation.

"That one there is one we call the big dipper. See how it's kind of the shape of a spoon? A dipper is another word for a ladle… or spoon," he chuckled softly, "There is also a little dipper, too. Do you have constellations here? Shapes in the stars?"

 

[Ethys]

"Of course. We call them star stories."

Rani scooted closer to him until she was against his side, to ensure he could see the stars she was pointing to. She stretched her hand up, tracing shapes with her fingers as she smiled.

"The mother bear, and here is her cub. She protects her baby from all the evils in the world," she explained, then her fingers traced another pattern. "Here we have the sailor. His ship is here, and if you look close over here, there is the sea god watching over him. That one is old, obviously. But here is the dancer. She dances through the stars every night, just looking for a partner. The story says that she'll dance forever without finding one."

She paused then, thoughtful. The dancer had always been her personal favorite because the thought it was a relatable story. A woman who was on her own but danced anyway, moving through the world without a partner at her side. She had always thought it was a story of independence and strength, but now it struck her as a tale of loneliness. Was that what she was doomed to do? Wander alone? Probably. She would be taking over her father's job. That left little time for romance. Li would need to have enough for the pair of them.

But, Eric..

"Over there is the great whale. The story with that is kind of silly," she explained, doing anything to get her mind off of where it was headed. "Apparently, there was once a whale so large that it accidentally swallowed an entire boat with a man on it, and the stomach of the whale was so spacious that the man lived inside for years."

 

[Nav]

"Star stories? How odd."

But it made sense. He wasn't even sure where the word for constellation had come from, but he supposed that's what they were: stories. Most of the stories he wasn't familiar with, though he had met many navigators who would talk his ear off about stars if he would have let them. As she scooted closet, she began to point out her own, some that were the same… some that were different. "We have the bear and the cub, too," he chimed it, "We call them Ursa major and Ursa minor. And that there is the hunter." Though he was quickly running out of constellations he knew.

Most of the time he could just appreciate looking at the stars. He didn't actually believe they had mystical powers, or anything of the sort. They just were what they were, and they shifted without the seasons. As for her story about the dancer, he could only shrug and reach for the wine, his face lighting up with the pale pulses of light given off by her necklace everytime she spoke. "Well, maybe it's both," he sipped the sweet nectar and purred contentedly at the happiness pooling in his stomach, "Maybe it's a story about loneliness and being independent. Maybe if you're too independent, you're lonely. Maybe it's just trying to remind people that it's okay to rely on help from others when you need it."

He took another sip of the wine and set it back in its neutral place, settling back against his elbow and tipping his head back again as she transitioned from the dancer to the whale. The story was absurd, she was right, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Before he knew it, between chit-chat and laughter, the moon was well above them—hanging bright and solitary. "It's getting late," he said, realizing just how much wine they had gone through when his head grew fuzzy as he moved to sit up. "Perhaps we should consider heading to bed." He didn't know what the next day had in store for them, or him… knowing Rani may very well leave him to his own devices after some time and go back to her usual routine, but he figured rest would be vital regardless.

"You know, I never asked, but what were you doing out by the beach when you found me? You and your sister?"

 

[Ethys]

Rani nodded and sat up, blinking as she felt the ground tipping from side to side under her. Oh, dear. Apparently drinking while laying down was not a good idea at all. She giggled and flopped back down on the blanket, giving up for now as she waited for her vision to settle. At least she was warm and happy. They had been up there for so long already, and she loved every second. She yawned and rubbed her face, smiling to herself.

"Hmm..? Oh, the beach," she murmured, nodding a little. "Well, there's a cove near you washed up that usually catches some debris after storms. We were going to go check to see if there was anything useful. It was on the way to the temple, which was where we were supposed to be going in the first place. I guess it's a good thing we got sidetracked, since then we found you."

She finished off the bottle of wine, which only had two swallows left in it. Well, that explained why she felt like the world was rocking when she tried to get up. They had finished a bottle between them. That meant it was tasty, right? She smiled to herself and set the bottle aside, tempted to just curl up and go to sleep right there. Improper? Probably, but who cared?

"Maybe something else washed up from your ship," she murmured sleepily, watching him. The way the moon played on his curls and reflected in his eyes was really quite unfair. She had always loved how the moon and stars made her own silver hair practically glow, but that was boring in comparison to his dark locks. It just made the effect so much stronger. She almost wanted to reach out and play with the little curls, but she resisted. "We can go look tomorrow, if you want."

 

[Nav]

Rani made a grand effort to get up, but ultimately ended up not so much sitting, as flopping, down again. He couldn't resist but laugh at her. Back home, a drunk woman was considered a very unappealing and unladylike thing, but it seemed suited on the island. For whatever reason, the culture here was more laidback and less refined; Eric knew it should have disgusted him—a drunk woman, a nearly unclothed woman, a woman seeing him nearly naked… it was everything that had been taught to him as being bad and immoral and he had believed it, but it didn't feel bad and amoral anymore. It felt natural and normal.

"Sit down before you fall down, would you?" he teased as she took her seat and he gave her a playful nudge in the side with his elbow. Thankfully, the wine had been finished so there was no more alcohol left to tempt them with. Probably for the best, he knew, but he was a little sad they had reached the bottom of the bottle. "I…" the beach comment hit him hard in the chest and nearly knocked the wind from his little sails, "Nothing else will show up from the ship," he explained, shaking his head, "The ship wasn't wrecked."

But the whole story of how he ended up on the island was convoluted. "I Uhm…" this hadn't been a story he had been intending to share with Rani, or anyone, but the alcohol was wreaking sweet havoc on his neurons and he knew his thoughts weren't straight. "I jumped overboard, actually, because I was being chased. I was on a ship and the captain accused me of stealing. Going overboard was a better way to die than facing his wrath." Eric knew he hadn't been the culprit of the theft, but there was no telling the captain that.

His fingers laced together and he looked down at them, picking the dirt idly from under his nails because it gave him something to do. "He would have killed me, almost certainly, but not in any way that was nice. It would have been slow and painful, so I decided I'd rather drown. So… no, nothing will wash ashore."

A breath expelled through his nostrils as he sighed heavily, peeking over to Rani to judge her reaction.

 

[Ethys]

Giggling, Rani made a face at Eric as he nudged her. This was fun. They were both feeling good and having a wonderful time. It made her feel like everything was headed in the right direction. She sighed contentedly, then glanced at him as he started explaining why the cove was likely empty. There was hesitation in his story. Obviously he didn't really want to tell her, but he did anyway. She considered that, her eyes turning to the stars as she listened.

"I don't believe you could steal anything, except maybe a heart," she decided with a smile, leaning over and laying her head on his shoulder. So sleepy! She yawned and watched the stars, hoping to see one shoot across the sky. "I'm glad that you jumped off. If you hadn't, the gods wouldn't have brought you here to me. I mean, here to us."

In the back of her mind, Rani was slapping herself across the face, but she wasn't sure why. She giggled and mentally shrugged, dismissing the thoughts. Oh well. Nothing important, probably.

"We probably shouldn't climb down the vines like this," she realized, picturing them both falling off the side of the building and dying in the street below. Not a great mental image at all. She didn't want to spoil her evening by having to concentrate on something dangerous. That was when she saw it - a rapid streak of silver racing across the sky, alive for only a second before it vanished once more.

"Oh!" she gasped. "A flying star! You must make a wish!"

 

[Nav]

The weight of her head fell against his shoulder and he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, I suppose I couldn't steal much, even if I wanted to. But do you remember pirates I was telling you about? I was on a pirate ship," he wasn't sure what the admission would mean. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. His reasons behind being on a pirate ship were a long, tortuous tale that reached well into his childhood. A story that, while drunk, he didn't have the wind nor energy to tell. Without every decision he had ever made, he never would have ended up on the island.

Though he wasn't sure yet whether that was a good or bad thing, he knew that he was content. It was like invisible holes had been poked in his skin during the evening and all his tension leeched out. It was nice to see the world entirely in black and white for once by the light of the moon—the earth below silvered and transformed by the light of which, at full, hung like a great luminous pearl on the radiant breast of heaven. He was so keenly staring at the moon's contrasting dimples that he had missed the shooting star all together until Rani gave him a fervent nudge and an excited squeal.

"A wish?" he ricocheted, though the star was already long gone, "Why wish? I do not understand." His expression transitioned from quizzical to confused. Stars and constellations were built for navigation, not wishing, and he didn't understand what she meant or why one would wish upon a falling star. It seemed entirely illogical to him because everyone knew you wished on pence in a well, not on falling star.

In an attempt to embrace his new life, he shrugged and made a wish inwardly to himself all the same. Perhaps the island didn't have wells, he concluded. Perhaps in place of wells, they used stars, though it seemed a little unfortunate. With wells, you could wish whenever you chose so long as you had a pence to spare. Did they really have to wait and stare at the sky for a falling star every time they wished to make a wish? How unfortunate.

None of his wishes had ever come true though, so maybe wells weren't so lucky after all.

"Mm, you're right, perhaps we shouldn't climb down just yet. Soon, but only once you're a little more in control of yourself!" his tone was all in jest.

 

[Ethys]

"Because that's how wishing is done!" Rani exclaimed with a giggle. His comment about pirates had gone right over her inebriated mind. "You wish upon the star, and it flies right to the gods to let them know what it was. It doesn't always come true, but sometimes the gods are kind and grant the wish. You never know! So you have to send every wish that you can, so that one will stick!"

In her excitement, she hadn't even sent her own wish. It was too late now, of course. Oh well. There would always be more flying stars. If not tonight, then another night. Not like they'd be moving any time soon anyway. She giggled as Eric teased her about not being in control of herself. He was right. Her mind was fuzzy but she was happy. For the first time since her brother had died, she felt as if her heart was at peace, even if it was only for a moment.

"I remember once when Li was very little, I heard her wishing on a star in her bedroom. She was too young to realize she wasn't supposed to say it out loud. All she wanted was this doll that she had seen earlier. Of course, if she had just told our parents, they would have given it to her. I guess she just didn't think to ask, I don't know. But I heard her wishing for it and I decided to help the gods out. I went to the shop, bought the doll, and tucked it in to bed with her while she slept."

"She figured out it was me eventually, but for a long time, she was convinced that the gods were personal friends of hers," Rani said with a bit of a laugh. "It was adorable. Even now she tells me that I should wish on more stars or I'm going to end up an old maid. I think I spoiled her rotten as a child."