The Nature of the Serpent

He was talking mysteriously again. She didn't like it. Musetta knew there were secrets that were best left unknown. That ignorance was bliss, and she had been doing a good job despite everything on the island.

with Aias standing she reached up and grabbed his wrist. "Would you do me a favor? When you come back that is?" She just wanted this night to be enjoyable. The next few days were going to be a lot of work, and that was if everything went well. Musetta was pragmatic enough to know something would go wrong, she just hoped they were well enough prepared to deal with it. She looked at him hopefully. "Singing might be nice. If that isn't too much to ask."
 
He actually smiled. So she had liked that. "I will." he said leaning down and kissing her forehead and then standing up again. "Maybe get a blanket for us tonight?" he was still smiling softly as he turned and headed the other way down the beach as the campsite disappearing into the trees.

He choose a spot and sat down, crossing his legs and sitting down. He wanted to talk to the island, not the island itself but the creature it hid. The serpent Musetta hunted and her father had been trying to protect. Direct communication was impossible but if he calmed his mind he could feel what it was feeling, and vice versa.

He thought about Musetta and a warm feeling spread inside him along with a tinge if fear and dread. His own feelings. Then there came a reply, the same warmness but different, like family along with sadness and protectiveness.

The serpent liked her and approved of his need to protect her, but the sadness was hard to place and when he focused on it it melted away and was replaced with another feeling. A need to talk, a need for her to know something and that confused Aias further, enough for him to accidentally beak the link.

He looked back and took a deep breath before thinking of the trip. Determination and at the same time hopelessness boiled in the pit of his stomach and the reply was sympathy and a feeling of understanding. That was what he wanted. The serpent knew what he was going to do and approved of it's necessity.

It was a vague and slow way to communicate but he didn't know how to talk to it directly alone or even if that was possible. He knew the ancient priests had, but when he had come here there had been no one to teach him, and he feared he might never know.

He stood and after offering a feeling of gratitude turned back to the cliff and started walking slowly back not sure if it helped or not, but he had to do it. The serpent felt strongly for Musetta, and he did not know why.
 
As Aias walked away, Musetta watched his form go back into the trees and brush. She smiled to herself, the resettled, lying on her stomach to watch the water. The sun was in a different position then it had been the last time they had come up to the cliff to watch the sunset. In fact Musetta had seen the sun in varying places at the same time of day, but she tried to ignore it. On this evening though, alone of the cliff to watch the sun set, it was harder to ignore.

With a sigh she rolled over onto her back and covered her eyes with her arm. This island was odd, but after tomorrow she could finally forget about it. Forget about the strange fruit, forget about the cavern she wasn't suppose to look into, forget about the tide never advancing or retreating, forget all the weirdness. They would be gone, and the island could be weird for someone else!

That last thought startled Musetta enough to make her sit up. She didn't want anyone else to have to be marooned on this island, did she? No, being trapped was a horrible feeling. What was it then? It had to have been something Aias had said, about how someone needed to be here to apparent the island, or some such thing.

Then, as she was seriously starring to get bothered by the whole concept, Aias reappeared. Without much thought she got up and sprinted over to his side. She would distract herself from such thoughts, because the alternative was curiosity that couldn't bring her any happiness, and so she smiled at the man.
 
He hadn't expected for her to come out to meet him and stopped when he saw her coming, only to start walking again when she got close and returned her smile. "We're all set for tomorrow no storms, I think there will be good wind in the morning blowing away from the beach. That's good right?" he was smiling too and walking with her onto the moss to find a place to sit.

"Are you excited to leave?" he asked, partly because she thought she was and partly because he knew she would be back. He would make her come back to wait for her crew and she would be disappointed. But he would help her keep hope, and then she would be gone. It was the safest way. And maybe having her that little bit longer you be nice. "We should watch the sunset."
 
"A good morning wind would be nice," she said grinning as she walked with Aias back to a nice soft spot, then sitting down. "Though if you keep being right about the weather I might have to try to draft you onto my crew once I have a ship." While the smile was a bit impish, her words having been a joking threat, she wondered if he would want that. She really had no idea what he wanted with his life off the island. Tonight wasn't the night for such serious discussion, but Musetta promised herself, for Aias benifit at least, to be sure he had at least thought about it. He didn't have to tell her, but it would be something to discuss while they were on the small boat.

That was for a different day. Tonight was for relaxation and enjoyment. "I suppose I am, but I'm always excited to get back to sea. At least for all it's problems, I could smell the sea air every morning here." She wasn't going to miss the island, it was a trap, a prison, but it was much nicer then the garbage filled ports she had been to far too often. That was the best explanation at least, her feelings on the matter were slightly more murky, but she was sure of one thing, she wanted to sail.

Smiling at Aias, she then looked out at the ocean. "The clouds tonight should give it some nice variance." The sun, the ocean and only puffy white clouds in between as it would slowly put on a show for them. "I just realized," she said looking back at Aias, "we're the only two people that will get to enjoy this view."
 
He thought he could do one better and even though she had him grinning he cleared away some of the moss and with his finger started drawing in the thin layer of dirt underneath while there was still light. He drew a few curves and squiggles punctuated by dots but never containing a strait line and while there were intersections no two lines crossed over each other. It was clearly a series of letters but none that any human has seen in centuries, except maybe one man.

"Musetta." he said pointing at the transliterated name. "you and I are the only people who will ever see it written like that." he said waiting a full minute before erasing it with his hand. "Or as close to it as it can be written. It has some tricky sounds." he looked as the now bare patch of rock. "Now it is gone forever, living only in our memory. Like the sunset will be."
 
Musetta watched as Aias drew, or rather wrote, on the ground. It was a pretty writing, though nothing she had scene before. It reminded her that what little he was willing to say about what his life before the island was like was very strange. She glanced from the word that was her name up to the man that wrote it and smiled. "Never thought my name was all that tricky."

Lying down on her side, she watched him erase the name. "Always the philosopher," she noted with a grin. It would have been very easy to keep watching him. In fact she would have except he had mentioned the sunset. "Something I'm not likely to forget. I'm thinking though," she said as she moved her position to look out across the cliff and into the sky and sea, her hand going to his, "It's the company that makes it so noteworthy."
 
She was complimenting him and although this wasn't the first time he glowed and hugged himself sitting and looking at the sunset looking like a child who had just need told they could have the last piece of cake as his mouth tried to bite his lip and grin at the same time. He rescued himself be squeezing her hand and leaning against her. Or that was meant to rescue him but he just felt more flustered and he leaned away again but didn't pull his hand away form hers. "I will miss moments like this."
 
"We will make different moments," she said. It was a presumption of course, thinking he'd stay with her, but for now she was willing to make them. What happened once they left the island was anyone's guess, but she didn't want to think of this evening as the end of something.

As they sat together watching the sky and the sea, Musetta would occasionally look over at Aias and either smile or squeeze his hand. She wasn't sure when being with a single person made her so happy. That Aias seemed happy with her made the feeling all that much enjoyable. It was there last night on the island, the last chance to relax, and so as the sun continued to sink slowly she leaned over and kissed him. There wasn't any underlining motive behind it at that moment. She just wanted to express what she couldn't in words and then rest her cheek on his shoulder.
 
He flushed and glanced at her before snaking an arm around her waist and looking out to sea. He was relaxed but his mind couldn't hold the same thought for more than two seconds. "Umm...." he said before swallowing and glancing at her again. Then he started to hum, both to keep him mind from skipping from thought to thought and to anchor himself in this moment with her.

The humming grew steadily louder as he turned his head to nuzzle gently against her hair. She smelled like the sea, and the island itself. She had stayed here longer than it was safe for her to already, but he knew the island wouldn't claim her. With his mouth close to her ear he started to sing in a voice that was barely a whisper, it's what she had asked for, wasn't it?
 
Being close to Aias like this was all she could ask for, and surprisingly she actually believed this for a moment as she looked out at the sea with his arm around her. As he started to hum, she smiled to herself. She had caught him humming usually when he was happy and it was a lovely sound. When she felt his breath on her ear her eyes went wide for a moment in surprised, but then they half closed. Not because she was tired like the last time he sung for her though. Then it had been to put her at ease, to relax her.

Now though, whatever else it was, it was much more intimate.

Her hand went down his leg and gave a soft squeeze on his knee in appreation of what he was doing. Except as pleasant as it was, it was also hard to just listen. Slowly she moved her head away so she could look at him, her body shifting so she was half against him. Musetta lightly placed her hand on his cheek. As much as she wanted him to continue singing softly to her, she wanted something else more. She watched him, watched his lips moving to sing the words she did not understand and finally the urge was too much and she kissed him, deeply, with little regret that the song was ended, for she found a better use for his lips now.
 
He kiss wasn't a surprise this time and he responded his hand traveling up her arm to tighten on her shoulder and taking the lead he pushed her back rolling with her to push down on her and ravage her lips with his before he pulled back to smile down at her, there was no hiding the fact that his skin was glowing with happiness, then he has kissing her again as his hands wondered and started pulling on her shirt...

*​

Morning, the sky already blue and shining down on scattered clothes and the entwined couple. He rolled onto his back and stretched turning his head to look at Musetta slowly running his hands down her cheek and moving closer to push his lips against hers softly. "It's morning." he said softly beofre sitting up and looking around. It was still early but they had to get going, today was the day.
 
Musetta's eyes fluttered open upon the kiss and before she could get them to focus, she reached over to Aias, her hand resting on his. Yawning, she moved her hand and stretched out. The night had been, amazing, and she was sure this time it had been no dream. Smiling she sat up, looking at the sky and the water. She was purposely avoiding looking at Aias, for no other reason then she was sure everything else would pale against him. So she soaked up the bright morning for a moment before turning to look at Aias.

Not a word passed her lips until she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "And what a morning to wake to," she then giggled. She felt light and free and couldn't really contain it and gave him a second kiss, deeper this time. "We don't have time for this!" Her scolding was mostly for herself even if she seemed to be directing it at Aias. Standing up she collected her shirt and put it on. "We don't want to lose the wind," she said aloud, reminding herself why she didn't have time. Really she would have rather stayed in Aias' arms the entire morning, but they were to be out to sea today and as she started to remember that a new excitement grew inside of her.
 
He was getting up too and pulling his pants on. "I think the wind will stay like this until the afternoon." he said but they should get this over with. Picking up his shirt he looked at her... she had scolded him for wasting time so he would take the shortcut. Without a word more he raced for the edge of the cliff before leaping int the void in a graceful arc. It would be his last chance to do this for days.

The sea raced up to embrace him and he trailed bubbles at he reached the bottom and started swimming forwards the beach where the boat may idle and wading up. Yes he would have preferred to walk down with her but he this was he was already pulling the rope and incing it towards the water. There would be plenty of time to be together after the launch.
 
"Aias?" She couldn't believe it, except it really was like him. She couldn't be mad at him, though she shook her head. There was little else to do, but to walk the trail back to the beach. As she made her way down she smiled. She was going to be sailing again and that alone always made her feel good when she'd been trapped on land too long. That wasn't what made her really smile though.

Absently she hummed as she made her way down. If she hadn't been worried about roots and rocks she might have ran, but as it was she was making good time. She didn't think about the melody she was imitating, but the man that sang to her last night. Twice now she hadn't gotten to hear him finish his song, but there would be time for that again.

As she reached the sand, she took a moment to soak in the view. Then she jogged over to the boat. "Are we ready?" She called out.
 
"We should be." he said thankful the boat was easier to move once the bows hit the water. "Get in I'll push." he walked to the back and pushed off until the boat floated free and then hopped over the gunnel and moved forwards checking the supplies as he passed. Now it was all up to her. All he could do was sit and be bemused by these things that humans did to stop getting wet.

"The reef..." he looked forwards and looked for the gap, surely Musetta had a plan. Not that was was worried, he could save her from almost anything. Maybe it would be a good thing to have them wreck.
 
Getting in, Musetta found herself a bundle of energy waiting to be released, like a tight coil. All their hard work was finally paying off. "It's a good thing you're as strong as you are," she told him, well aware of the work it took to push off a boat filled with supplies. Aias was much stronger then he appeared, something she really hadn't thought too much before about.

"The reef shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as we take it nice and slow." The water was clear enough that she was hopeful the wouldn't run into any surprises. She could have spent an additional week floating around and charting the reef, but all she needed was to get them out. "Once we get to open sea then the real fun begins!"
 
Open sea, fun... Maybe seeing Musetta out in the ocean wouldn't be so bad. It was her supposed element after all even if she couldn't swim of placate sharks very well. He looked out to sea and pointed. "The widest gap is over there where the waves peak but do not break." he said before looking back at her with a smile. "You do this all the time? With boats?" there was a lot her could ask her but he didn't want to break her concentration. If boating was to her what swimming was to him then it would be fun to watch her... yes, got to know her when she is free. Even if she knew her in ecsta... not thinking about that now would be dangerous and was makign him blush, even if it was difficult to look away from her.
 
Musetta looked out to where Aias pointed and nodded. That was exactly what they needed and started to get the boat going in that direction. "Not exactly. I'm much more use to the workings of a big ship. It takes a lot more people, but I suppose ita about the same amount of work. This though is more dangerous," she was grinning despite the mention of danger. She knew the risk, but there was a reward beyond just freeing themselves of the island, and that was the freedom of the ocean itself.

As they got closer to the reef she became more serious. She knew this boat could make it, but she didn't want to be overconfident and a little caution right now was more then worth it. Riding the waves, breathing in the salty mist, Musetta missed all of it and as they cleared the barrier that was the reef she cried out in joy, "Yes!"

All around them was sky and sea and Musetta couldn't be happier, but the work had only just begun.
 
They had cleared the reef and now he was looking back at the island. He knew he would see it again, it would come and find him, it would follow out of sight, protecting them. He was still confused by the feeling he got from it about his companion. Then he was turning to look forwards... the winds would hold and they would make good progress.

"Are you happy to be gone from there?" he asked settling down in the bottom of the boat to rest and be ready to take his shift like Musetta had explained to him. "Happy that I've come with you, even if we were to meet your crew?" It could happen, he couldn't see the future and he was entirely unsure what he would do if they did.
 
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