The Nature of the Serpent

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The kiss startled her. After all she had gone over to comfort him, but his words had started to confuse her as he seemed to take too much blame upon himself. Still she did not resist the kiss, and only regretted that it wasn't longer. As he walked off she sighed and shook her head. It half felt like he was running away, but Musetta scolded herself. Indeed Aias needed some time alone, but she just hoped he wouldn't choose to keep going alone.

Moving over to the fish, she started to cut into it's flesh. Focusing on cooking and trying not to go back to the thoughts of how she should have prevented the disaster. It was over, and it was time to move on. "After breakfast I'll start back to work," she told herself as she waited for Aias to return.
 
He didn't enter the sea, instead he stayed on the beach and pulled the useful warts of the debris further up the beach where it wouldn't be washes away. Then he was lifting and carrying a couple of big pieces back to cam, avoiding the fire area and using then to chalk up the back of the shelter to make it more secure against future storms. He glanced over the top of the boat at her and sighed. How could he explain that she should stop trying to get off the island?

He shook his head and circled back around the shelter to where she was.

"There are no bodies." he said without sitting. "No bones, no torn clothes, nothing in the shark cave, no broken boats. Your crew made it away."
 
Musetta glanced over when she heard his footsteps. It had sounded like he had been moving stuff around. If he was feeling restless she couldn't blame him, she was too, but she had a job to do right now, cook breakfast. Her eyes back on the flesh so that she didn't over cook any of it she listened as he moved around some more.

When he spoke, she looked up. For a moment she was completely confussed. For a moment she thought he was talking about the current storm, that he had worried someone had smashed upon the reef. Then she caught the last part. He was talking about her crew. Quickly she looked away from Aias, her hands were shaking slightly and she wasn't sure why. "Even if they did...."

Turning the fish, she tried to think. If her crew survived, then what? She wasn't sure. She should be happy, surely. Closing her eyes for a moment she recalled the storm. It was like nothing she'd sailed through before. Then her ship ran aground, everyone went to the boats to get away. Everyone was off the ship. She saw to that personally. Every single one. But then she saw that thing, the serpent's head come out of the water between the crashes of lightening before she fell.

Opening her eyes, for she didn't want to think about what happened next, she looked back over at Aias. "I want to believe you. It's just very difficult to do so."
 
"All I can tell you is what I have and haven't seen." he said falling silent and letting the subject drop. "I Do not believe in destiny, but I believe everyone has a role to play and that there are things that need to be done for the better of everything. I hope in time you'll understand..." he couldn't say any more. "We all walk our paths. I hope yours is one you've chosen, if is is I will do everything I can to help you get back to your life. What is your life?"

He was looking at her with a sudden intensity that clashed with his previous demeanor. "What do you life for. Why do you fight? Why do you want to go back? If the island is to let your leave you need to answer."
 
Musetta felt a chill. This was not the first time he spoke of the island as something more then a piece of land, as though it held a will of its own. That was a very frightening concept, and she wished she could believe that it wasn't true, but her options were to believe the island was indeed cursed, or Aias was mad, and she wasn't willing to admit that.

No words left her mouth as she wanted to shoot back exactly what her life was about, because it wasn't that simple of a question. She frowned and looked away, back at the fire. The fish was nearly done, though she didn't have an appetite for it any longer.

"I don't think I chose my life," she finally said as she pulled the fish away. She glanced up at him, her expression not easy to discern. "After all, any other choice would have had me stuck on land." She motioned for him to sit as she stood up. "Eat some breakfast."
 
"We all have choices all the time." he said "I could point myself at the horizon and start swimming if I chose, but there would be consequences, I could take that boat." he pointed at the shelter, replace the plank with one from one of the broken ones on the ship, chalk the seams with a mixture of sand and sap and be out of here in a month, but I'm standing here in front of you. Why do you think that is? Because I chose to not let you die, I'm still choosing that..."

He stopped yelling and as if he had run out of energy fell down to land in a sitting position his head feeling woozy and he knew why. Too much lime on land and not enough in the sea, the fishing trips were not enough to remain connected with his element, and her being here meant the island had to stay up too.
 
Shaking her head, Musetta frowned as she looked now down at him. "I don't understand. I don't understand you at all!" She took a couple of paces away from him, then turned and looked at him once more. "Don't act like I'm some burden. I was under the impression we were helping each other out! If you think you have other choices, go ahead. I have not asked for your pity or mercy. Just your...." Musetta stopped short and shook her head again and turned and walked away from the camp.

The pirate didn't stop until her feet touched the ocean, and once she did, she sighed. "Great, you just lost your temper for no good reason. The hell though!" Scowling, she waded out to her knees and looked out at the greater expanse of the ocean.

~~~​

The sun awoke Musetta the next morning. She didn't recall when she finally fell asleep, but she had been staring at the ceiling of the shelter. It wouldn't be all that difficult to repair this boat after all, just time consuming.

Glancing around, she didn't see Aias, and she sighed. Not that she had expected to see him, he hadn't returned to the shelter during the night. Not feeling nearly as hopeful as she had been the last several days, she got out of the shelter and headed for the beach.
 
He was out there, in the water. He had been all night, searching, sleeping, eating. Right now though he was swimming out past the reef and looking basking in the sun. He was much further out than any human would consider sane and is was only when he jumped out of the water that he was clearly visible. He would bee to do this regularly as long as Musetta stayed.

When he returned he didn't swim strait to shore but gathered up a few pearls and shiny prices of corral he had gathered and then swam with them clasped in both hands, somehow able to do so propelling himself with just his feet before he reached the shore and held out his hands for her to teke them. "To never forget me."
 
Musetta squinted out at the sun drenched water. Reason told her he shouldn't be out that far, but she wasn't worried about Aias in the water and she didn't want to reason out the why of that. Instead she smiled as he started to head back to shore.

Walking over to Aias, when he finally made it to the beach, she was surprised by the gift he pressed onto her. Looking down, she could only guess at what others would see as a small fortune. Her eyes did not linger on the pearls and bits of coral though, but looked up at Aias. "I hardly think its possible I could." Smiling she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
 
He smiled and then looked back out to sea. "Did you eat? he asked, he had but she was semi-dependent on him for food and he would feel bad if his recharge had deprived her of food, or water, or anything. "Sorry about not coming back to sleep, I needed to be close to the sea. It happens." if she had looked for him at the spot on the cliff she wouldn't have found him, if she hadn't he'd let her assume he had been there. "Habit of living alone I guess."

Though her words when they had first met were stuck in his head now, or were they his.... is this really living? Someone had to be here and he was the only one who could be. But what was he giving up and never having the chance to experience?
 
"No," she told him as she shook her head, though she smiled. "I had just woken, and came out here." She didn't need to tell him how out of sorts she was upon waking. "And there's no need to apologize. Just... Nevermind." She wanted to tell him to let her know when he wanted to wander off, that she worried, but that sort of request, demand even, indicated she had some right to know his business. Musetta wasn't ready to be told no this morning.

"I'll need to find someplace to put these. Maybe there's something in camp I can use," she started back to the camp. Wanting to put the treasures Aias found for her someplace safe. Though really the whole island was. "I think I'd like to take a swim later today."
 
Has she saying no to breakfast, or dinner as well. "I'll get something to eat." he turned back towards the sea and waded out, he had had raw fish again so he knew cooked would taste strange. He would never get used to it. He dove under the surface and moved quickly to snake a fish big enough for both of them her and a little extra, since he had eaten. Then in under ten minutes was walking up the shore again the still wriggling morsel in his arms.

With a finger he stroked down it's side calming it and then followed Musetta to camp the placing the fish in the pot as she stored his peace offering. "what do you plan to do now?"
 
Musetta glanced over at Aias and gave a little shrug. "Not sure. Never tried to make jewelery before," she grinned then. She enjoyed these little teasings.

Kneeling down she thought about his question more soberly as she got the fire going. "As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Your idea of using that boat has some merit, but if another storm comes this way we will be out of a shelter." There was an option for that of course. Musetta looked up at Aias, tempted to ask about the little cave she found two nights prior.

"Unless..." Musetta stopped herself, as she remembered his warning.
 
He looked at her and tried to read her thoughts. "There will be no more storms." he said sounding very sure of his words. His thoughts had been long and deep and once again he knew what to do. "So you don't have to worry, you should build your boat." She obviously needed the project to stay sane. "We'll get off the island and you will be reunited with your crew. We can sleep under the stars."

He turned his attention food preparations. "There are things I will miss." he didn't state if they were her, or the island, but it was her he'd miss. "It is strange that things you never thought you would get attached to, things you didn't know you could... but it has already been too long and all things must end."
 
"Don't think of it as an ending, but a new beginning." The confident smile she gave him as she told him that was a testament of not only her mistaken belief in his future, but a general optimistic outlook. One that seemed to only peek out from time to time. By all rights she should have been upset about her first boat's destruction, and if she were pressed she would admit she would be happier if they were now a day out from the island. With so few distractions though, Musetta was finally showing signs of who she was without the captain's hat on. She was still driven, and if her purpose was still murky, it at least wasn't a dreaded course of action through life.

"After breakfast, I'll start setting up a new work area," she continued. "Might not get too much done today though." Musetta still wanted to get off the island, but one day where she wasn't pushing herself wouldn't hurt and besides, there were more important things sometimes.
 
"A new beginning?" she had missed what he was talking about but he didn't correct her. If she worked it out later or if she didn't it wouldn't matter. Forcing himself to smile he looked at her. "You could use one of those." he looked at the shelter and then at the sea. "It's a pity the wreck broke up, there might have been something useful." still looking anywhere but at her he wondered how she would prepare it this time.

"What is you life like out there?" he asked. "I have never asked but soon you'll be back and I don't even know what you plan, once your crew finds you."
 
"Or I find them," she said with a smirk. While breakfast preparations were not taking very long, she wished the fish was done already, for she was very hungry. "My plans depend upon how good my resources off ship really are. Before, I knew I could rely on a few other ships. Now there are those I can barging with, but they will try to use a lot of leverage upon me and my crew. I also have some funds hidden away in a few places, and more importantly favors I can call in. I just have to make sure I don't look as desperate as I am when I do so. Pirates are not the most trustworthy lot, but I know where I stand with any of them. Unlike the Royal Navy."

Bringing up the crown, and the betrayal her father was subjected to was never a pleasent topic, but it was what made her who she was. "Once I have my crew, a ship, and resources we go back to what we do best." Musetta was still not completely convinced her crew lived, but every time Aias brought them up, certain that they lived and certain they would be looking for her, she lost a bit of doubt.
 
"They will find you." he said. "When they have a ship. I know this sounds crazy but the island can be found when it wants to be, and can't when it doesn't." Aias didn't know how superstitious people like Musetta were. "There are places that are hard to explain. This is one of them." he could explain it very easily, the island what on the back of the very beast she sought to kill. "I have been here a long time, long enough to know it will let your crew find you."

He stopped talking and lurched forwards to put his arms around her. "I don't believe in destiny, but I do believe that some things will happen because there are people and forces that will not let them not happen. You will meet your crew, you will have a new ship to call home."
 
Skeptical was the best way to describe her thoughts on the topic. Musetta was having a hard time believing all Aias said, but she also didn't think him a liar, so truth and facts had to have some presence even if most was belief. She could have discounted much of what he said if he said he believed such things, but he was talking as if he knew.

Her resistance to Aias' truth melted a great deal as he held her. "Home?" She repeated the word as if it was foreign to her. She then leaned against him and sighed. It was strange for her to allow herself such a weakness. Turning her head, she looked over at him. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you here."
 
He froze. Without him she wouldn't be here. Without his she might not have even lost her ship. Why did she have to always find the exact ting to say that made him wish he hadn't have set into motion the events that lead up to them meeting. He rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. He didn't deserve to have met her, he didn't deserve to feel good holding her.

"I'm sorry." he whispered before pulling away and glancing at the fish. "I think food is done." he said more to distract her than because he thought is was. "We should eat and get started. I'll bring some of the moss from the cliff down here for new bedding and see if the blankets need repairing, we'll be sleeping outside after all."
 
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