My chapter titles are getting worse and worse. You never appreciate how difficult they are to make until you suddenly have to create a plethora of them. I mean, just look at the ultimate chapter of Harry Potter, Book 7: The Flaw in the Plan. REALLY? THAT'S WHAT SHE CAME UP WITH? It's hard to make them witty and true to the chapter's content.
I'll stop ranting about chapter titles, and say one thing of importance; for the flashbacks, they are not supposed to be from one of the character's perspectives. They are still in the form of third person omniscient narrator, which is why when Himi thinks of a flashback you still get Eoleo's perspective. So, without further ado, here's the story :P
Chapter 3: Quite the Charmer
As Eoleo marched down the gangplank, he sighed. There was a very good chance that his arrival would not go well, as evident by his initial party being captured. In retrospect, NOT alerting Himi that he would be arriving was fairly moronic. Actually, he had a feeling she would call it very moronic.
At the least, though, he had his good luck charm. Eoleo smiled and brought his hand to the golden piece of metal hanging from a thin metal cord around his neck. It laid comfortably on his chest, and brought a certain sense of serenity to him. Himi had given it to him all those years ago, and he had not taken it off since she had placed it around his neck.
Not even to shower. Not even when he was in a dark place where he feared it might get lost. Not even when he would find a nice girl at a bar and take her back to the ship to rock the boat, and that was always embarrassing; for some reason, the ladies had no appreciation for pirates that sported necklaces. Mars forbid what they would have said if he had told them it was a good luck charm from a fourteen-year-old priestess in training.
At first he had believed the charm's blessing to be complete and utter hogwash, but he could not deny that it had seemed to increase his general fortunes mightily, and he could recall numerous scenarios where it seemed that his life was about to come to an end, only for some stroke of luck or amazing bit of quick thinking to save him. Hopefully it would serve him well today, he thought as he walked into the town's main square.
"…Real ghost town," Eoleo dryly observed, scanning the empty streets of Yamata. An eerie silence hung in the air, and he had a fairly overwhelming theory that he was being watched. He shrugged it off, and walked down the street, eyeing a few fruit stands. Stopping at one, he picked up an apple (knowing from basic trade information that Yamata had some of the world's most delicious apples) and tossed down enough gold pieces so that there was absolutely no way he had underpaid on the stand's counter.
He walked another foot, taking a bite out of the juicy fruit, and then came to a halt as suddenly four soldiers burst out of two houses on the street. Two pointed spears at him, while two held swords and shields. Only one of them showed a fair amount of resolve; the other three were decidedly shaking, one so much so that his sword and shield kept clanging together.
Eoleo regarded them with a blank face, and then took another bite out of his apple. The one soldier's clanging became so annoying that the stoic soldier out of the bunch (Eoleo could only imagine that he was the leader), whacked him in his back with the dull wooden end of his spear.
Eoleo couldn't help himself; the scene in front of him was too comical. "So, the cavalry has arrived," He said, expending a good deal of energy to keep himself from chuckling. He couldn't let this get out of hand.
"Quiet, pirate!" Shouted the leader, thrusting his spear warningly. Eoleo had half a mind to rip it out of his hands, but he refrained from doing so. Dealing with these dumbasses was going to be more trying than he had assumed. "We saw you take something from the stand; that apple. How dare you steal from the proud nation of Yamata!"
"I paid for it," Eoleo replied dryly, pointing to the gold pieces he had left on the stand's counter. The leader of the four narrowed his eyes, and turned his head to send an order to the still frightened soldier. He hesitated, thought better of it, and asked the soldier to the right of him something under his breath. The soldier nodded, and quickly entered a nearby house, returning after a moment with a middle-aged man who looked incredibly nervous.
Without saying a word, the middle-aged man walked by Eoleo very quickly, and swiped the gold coins off the counter. He retreated as such as well, and then quickly counted the pieces in his hands.
"H-He actually overpaid by double, sir," The man (who Eoleo assumed was the merchant who owned the stand) muttered. "U-Um… would you like half back?" The man, to Eoleo's surprise, held out his hand, with half of the coins Eoleo had given to him in his palm, shining in the sun.
Eoleo smiled, and reached out. The man flinched slightly as Eoleo's rough hands grazed his, and then his face lit up with shock as Eoleo wrapped his hand around the man's, closing it. "Keep the change; it was a delicious apple," Eoleo said, patting the merchant's hand as he spoke. The merchant stared at Eoleo for a few more seconds, a look of mixed emotions upon his face, before turning and entering the house he had come from without another word.
The leader of the party watched the man walk back, his eyes trailing him like a hawk. Indeed, that was a fit term to describe them, as Eoleo had rarely seen more precise and omniscient eyes. He felt no fear for the soldier in front of him however, only respect. The warriors of Yamata (save the boy who was quaking in his greaves) seemed to be quite fit and battle ready. Eoleo made a note to compliment Susa of this; if he ever made it to the king, that was.
"So… I apologize for that," The leader said gravely, dipping his head ever so slightly. "But we must know: are you the pirate Eoleo?"
"Yes, son of Briggs," Eoleo responded quickly and clearly, very happy to finally be getting somewhere.
"…You are wanted for many acts of piracy. Based on our foreign ties, upon positive identification we must execute you on sight," The soldier said militarily, and Eoleo sighed. Back to square one. "Since I see no reason to delay, it shall be done now."
Eoleo frowned, readying his Djinn and mentally preparing to cast whatever Psynergy was needed. This was going to get messy, the exact opposite of what he had wanted. "Quick question," He asked, stalling for time. "What of my crew?"
The leader, who had been prepared to advance, halted, and replied stoically, "They are held in our prison… we are under the impression that cutting off the head of the beast, so to speak, is most important. So, if you are executed, they will be released." He began to move forward, and Eoleo tried to quickly think of something to buy more time.
"Er… may I at least know the name of the man about to take my life?" Eoleo asked, causing pause once again in the soldier.
"Fine, if you must," He replied, clearly not wanting to delay much longer. "I am known as Kato. Now, I shall—"
Eoleo drew Mars Psynergy into his hands, and was about to knock all four of the soldiers in front of him out, when one of the other three soldiers suddenly shouted, "Wait! Look at that charm around his neck!" The other three followed the soldier's outstretched finger, until all eyes landed on the charm Himi had made for Eoleo three years ago.
"…Where did you get that, Eoleo?" Kato asked after a few moments of silence. The demeanor of all of the soldiers had become much less fearful, and more intrigued; even the soldier who had been entertaining them with his constant clanging now seemed somewhat relaxed.
Eoleo, slightly pleased that Kato had been respectful enough to call him by his name rather than refer to his past-piracy, took the charm in his hand. "I received it from a young girl named Himi, around three years ago. She is the reason I am here, I should mention."
"…Wait," Kato whispered, his eyes lingering on the charm. "Are you the pirate who accompanied the princess on her journey three years ago?" Eoleo nodded, and Kato began to stroke his thin cut beard, clearly reconsidering the situation.
"Sir… he may have stole it," the nervous soldier supplied, but Kato shook his head.
"I doubt it; my son has spoken to Himi of her journey to some extent, and she mentioned the pirate she travelled with had red hair; not exactly a common hair coloring," Kato responded, lowering his spear into a non-attacking stance. "Finally, it's very unlikely the charm would have been stolen by him; Himi is a powerful priestess, possibly more so than Lady Kushinada. Taking it from its owner would be hard enough, but wearing it would spell almost certain doom for anyone who stole it and had the nerve to wear it."
"…Then what do we do?" The lone soldier who had not spoken asked, and Kato frowned.
"…I don't mean to be rude, but I just wanted to highlight a few things; we all agree I'm Eoleo, correct?" Eoleo asked, and all four nodded. "So, we also agree I travelled with Himi, and know her to an extent?" More nods. "And you are all aware of Himi's power especially in regards to her Psynergy and Djinn?" More nods, and a cough. Eoleo raised an eyebrow at the soldier who had coughed.
"Er…" He muttered, seemingly embarrassed. "She's grown to be quite good with a blade; I asked her to teach me how to fight, and just about every one of our sessions has left me bruised and battered, while she is constantly unscathed. And I don't exactly hold back, either."
"Alright, so she's a powerful warrior as well," Eoleo replied with a nod. "Now; considering all of that, this means I am probably just as powerful as her if not more so as I have as many Djinn as her and more experience fighting. That being said, do you honestly think any of you could take me, even all at once? There's a reason I've never been caught or defeated in battle." With these words, Mr. Clangsy reignited the percussion that no one had missed, and Kato and the other two soldiers lowered into defensive stances.
"Now, now!" Eoleo said calmly, raising his hands. "Don't worry; I don't want any fighting whatsoever. Which is why I sent my men weaponless and why I do not a weapon myself." All four of them exchanged looks among themselves, no doubt having wondered why a gang of pirates had decided to march into a town without weaponry.
"I am simply here to see my friend Himi, and greet her for her birthday," Eoleo continued, lowering his hands.
"…Why did she not mention this to anyone, then? That you would be coming? You told her, correct?" One of the soldiers questioned, and Eoleo sighed.
"My fault; I wanted it to be a surprise, but in retrospect it was probably a stupid idea to not let her know I was coming. My apologies," Eoleo replied, and the four shared glances once more. "Also worth nothing," Eoleo continued, trying his best to sound as charming and peaceful as possible. "Is that I have renounced piracy, and have begun giving back wealth the Champa have taken over the years. There is no Jolly Roger flying on my ship." He pointed toward the mast, and indeed there was no black pirate flag flapping in the wind.
"I've tried to change my country and myself. It hasn't been easy, but it needed to be done. I can understand your hesitancy to let me in, but I have ties to your princess, and I helped save the world those three years ago. I have come to your shores weaponless, in the daytime, and peacefully. If I REALLY wanted to plunder, would I really be doing all this? Please… at least let me see Himi and Lord Susa."
Kato's gaze pierced his eyes then, and Eoleo met the soldier's keen eyes with his own steely gaze. A brief war of wills emerged, as the soldier tried to discern Eoleo's true intentions. After a few moments passed, the soldier smiled, and gave a hand command to his fellow warriors, before saying, "He seems to speak the truth, and at the least speaks well; he bears the charm of our princess, and truly has done nothing to make us fear him. I cannot really recall Champa ever raiding our city either, to be honest; in fact, if I believe there used to be trade between us. We shall take him to the king."
"S-Should we bind him?" The nervous soldier yelped, clearly not pleased that they were escorting the pirate rather than killing him on the spot.
"Fire," Eoleo dully noted, snapping his fingers and sparking the air around him. "I would burn ropes, and I could possibly rip steel off of me. Furthermore, I refuse to be bound, and as already discussed you cannot defeat me in a fight. So, in other words, let's get going."
"I don't like this, Captain Kato," one of the soldiers whispered, and Kato sighed and shrugged.
"Do we really look like we have a choice? He probably could defeat us, and possibly our entire army, by himself," Kato said slowly. "And he has a good deal of combat trained sailors on that ship, I imagine. We will take him to Lord Susa. That's an order — let's head out."
Eoleo began to walk, and the other three soldiers gave Kato a look before beginning to move as well. Eoleo spared a glance at the still shaking and still clanging soldier, who had the unfortunate luck of being right next to the pirate. "Hey, you," Eoleo said, tapping the soldier on the shoulder, nearly causing him to jump out of his armor. "You got a name?"
"J-J-J-Jun!" The young man shouted after much stuttering, pointing his near-vibrating sword toward Eoleo. His sweat then caused it to slip out of his hands, and he grappled for it in the air before pulling it back down.
Eoleo shook his head, and muttered, "Word of advice; you need to calm the fuck down."
"W-What?" Jun replied, and ahead of both of them Eoleo could have sworn he heard Kato chuckle. A thin smile on his face, Eoleo glanced down at the charm on his chest, stroking it once more with his hands. He would have to thank Himi for all the good luck when he finally got to see her today. As he continued down the road, his thoughts drifted back to the day where he had received the charm; much like this day, it had not gone over too smoothly.
"…Tyrell?" Came a voice from behind the Mars Adept, who was on his way to tie Matthew's boots together. He turned to see Himi in front of him.
"Hey Himi, what's up?" Tyrell asked, smiling brightly. Himi smiled as well; even if he was a bit of a buffoon, Tyrell was one of the more cheery members of the party, which certainly helped keep morale up, especially when they were within the shadow of the Eclipse.
"…Er, I was wondering if you could help me with something. You're the only person who has the ability to help, in fact," Himi said, feeling slightly awkward about asking for his assistance.
"Uh, I guess so," Tyrell replied, curious as to what she was talking about. "Can I get more info?"
"Oh, of course!" Himi hastily replied. "But… would you mind if I discussed it with you in my room?"
"Er… is Karis in there?" Tyrell asked nervously, and Himi raised an eyebrow.
"Possibly, why would that matter?" She replied, and he gulped.
"I kind of accidentally set her ponytail on fire earlier, and she didn't seem too pleased," Tyrell revealed with a shaky laugh.
"…You set her hair on fire?" Himi asked solemnly with wide eyes, stroking her beloved pigtails in slight fear.
"Accidently!" I was practicing my fireballs and one got caught in a draft and… I need to be more careful. I hope she's not too mad," He replied fearfully, and Himi shook her head.
"She'll get over it, I think," Himi replied slowly, well aware that it might take a little while for Karis to forgive such an offense. "At the least, she's told me you've done worse, and she's still friends with you even though you've had some bad fights in the past, right?" Tyrell winced.
"Done worse?" He questioned, and she coughed, wishing she had not brought that up. "…Never mind. Well, could we go to my room instead? Matthew's not in there, so we should be alone."
"That sounds fine… where is Matthew, though?" Himi asked, causing Tyrell to chuckle.
"Where else? With Sveta," He replied, and then turned and began walking toward his room. Himi, smiling slightly at the thought of the couple and how inseparable they were, followed him.
After Tyrell closed the door, Himi sat down on the bed, her knees bobbing against each other anxiously. "So… to begin with, what I'm about to ask will take quite some time, and will use your Psynergy to a great degree. Do you… happen to have any Psy Crystals?" Himi explained, and Tyrell nodded.
"Yep! I've got two; I buy them whenever I can, because sometimes I burn through my Psynergy Points without realizing it," Tyrell replied, pulling said crystals out of his pack. "So… specifically, what do you need me to do?"
"Well…" Himi began, pulling a few objects out of a bag she had been carrying, and laying them down on the bed, "I would like your help in creating a good luck charm for Eoleo."
"Uh…" Tyrell responded after a few seconds of silence. "Isn't that kind of a waste of time?"
Himi frowned, and asked, "And what would you mean by that?"
Tyrell shrugged, replying, "Well, aren't good luck charms and all that a bunch of crap?"
"N-NO! They are very real! And an important part of Yamatain culture!" Himi retorted, offended. "It is the sacred rite of Yamatain Priestesses to craft sacred charms for those they care for!"
"Oh… sorry," Tyrell replied, still slightly skeptical. "So… you must really like Eoleo if you're making this for him."
"…Y-Yes," Himi whispered with a blush, and Tyrell smiled.
"Aww! He'll like it, I'm sure. What's it made out of, by the way?" Tyrell asked.
"Gold," Himi replied simply, and Tyrell snickered.
"Yep! He'll love it!" The fire Adept joked, and then grinned at Himi's resulting glare. "What? He's a pirate? I'm not judging, I've actually been meaning to ask him about joining up. Anyway, how are we making this thing?"
"Ugh," Himi replied, picturing Tyrell wearing an eye-patch and drunkenly hitting on young women in bars. "I'm going to ignore that thought. In order to make it, I must apply a special powder into gold melted by Mars Psynergy, then apply a lock of my hair along with the hair of the person the charm is meant for, all while blessing it with the ancient magic of my people. It's a long process, which is why I waited till after dinner to ask you. It can take anywhere from four to six hours, and must not be rushed; if it is, the charm may do the opposite of what it is intended to."
"Oh, wow," Tyrell muttered; six hours in Tyrell-time was a long while. That was worth at least twelve pranks, a nice nap, or the bliss of hanging around Karis (minus the arguing, that was).
"…You do not have to, if you do not want to," Himi replied, sensing Tyrell's apprehension. "You didn't know how large of a task it would be, as I only just told you now. It's just that you are best handled for the task, as you are a Mars Adept. I could ask someone else to borrow your Mars Djinn to help, but…"
"No, it's fine, I'll do it; but on one condition," Tyrell interrupted, realizing how much this charm meant to Himi.
"Oh?" Himi questioned, and Tyrell smiled sheepishly.
"Could you help me make one for Karis later?" Tyrell asked with mild embarrassment, and Himi smiled; she had long wondered if there was more to Karis and Tyrell than constant bickering.
"Of course! What stone would you like to make it with?" Himi asked, more than happy to return the favor.
"Err… would Amethyst be alright? You know, like her eyes…" Tyrell suggested, and Himi bit her lip.
"Well… truth be told it's terribly difficult to melt," Himi replied, but to her surprise Tyrell simply laughed.
"Oh, don't worry about that," He said with a great grin. "If it can melt, I can melt it – just wait till you see what I do to this gold!"
Himi smiled in reply, and began to sort her equipment out, highlighting which each was used for. "This is the casing for the charm," She began, holding up two hollowed square blocks. "They are reinforced with fire-proof Psynergy, so they cannot melt." She then held up the gold they would use, the two locks of hair ("How did you get his hair, Himi?" Tyrell asked teasingly. "…It was while he was sleeping," She whispered embarrassedly), fireproof mitts to meld the shape of the charm and finally the magical powder she had referred to.
Within a few minutes of more in detail explanation, they were ready to begin. First, Tyrell had to molt the gold until it fit roughly into the oval base of the first casting. This was difficult, because he had to heat it enough so that it slid in, but not so much so that it became liquid and lost its solidity. Himi wore the mitts, slowly shaping the charm. Eventually, they fit it in the casting, and, chanting slowly, Himi sprinkled in the powder and the hair.
Then, with a satisfied smile, despite the fact that they were just starting, she placed the other casting on top, latching them together. "Okay! Now is your true task, Tyrell; heat it until it melts," Himi directed, and with a crack of his knuckles, Tyrell held his hands out. Within a moment they began to glow red, and his brow became laced with focus.
After ten minutes, his sweat drenched face formed a smile, and he nodded briefly. She returned the nod, and placed her hand on the top of the casting. He gave her an inquiring eyebrow, and she said, "I forgot to mention my part; along with the spells I must cast, I need to move the contents within so everything is spread out evenly. It is a difficult process, as it requires the utmost concentration." He nodded, leaving her to it.
Himi had only made one charm before, and it had been with the guidance of her mother, but she had assumed she would be able to perform the process adequately. She bit her lip as she realized she may be over her head… no, she could do it. She just needed focus.
Himi regulated her breathing to be slow in between the spells she cast, which were numerous and could last ten minutes at most. Her eyes did not blink or move from her hand, as she slowly swirled the contents Tyrell kept heated. After what felt like forever, she saw out of the corner of her eyes a brief purple light. Realizing Tyrell had used one of his crystals, she renewed her focus; she was near halfway done, and approaching the most dangerous and trying stretch of the process.
She was tasked to string long lines of spells together, which were incredibly complex to pronounce, and afforded for second long respites for breath only every minute. She felt her hand start to shake as time waned on, and her concentration slowly began to wane. Why had she decided to craft the most difficult-to-form charm? Suddenly, an image of Eoleo flashed in her mind, and she smiled. It was because Eoleo deserved it, and had been nothing but kind to her since their meeting.
She closed her eyes for the first time with renewed confidence, and felt her spirituality flow directly from her body into the golden charm in the casting. Suddenly, she felt the Third Eye grow white-hot… but she felt no pain. Instead, her focus grew even greater, and she felt the Third Eye radiate power within her. She expected fear, but instead she felt an overwhelming calm… and then there was darkness.
Himi opened her eyes, and blinked. Her legs felt quite wea — Himi felt her legs fail her, but as she tripped a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, and then she felt the warm comfort of the bed engulf her. She laid face down for a few moments as she tried to flip over, hearing heavy panting behind her. After some struggle, she managed to turn her body, and found Tyrell leaning his hands on his legs and breathing in deeply.
"Well, I don't know what the hell that was, but you sure finished up in a hurry," He panted, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?" She asked, the feeling of weakness quickly evaporating from her body.
"You mean…?" Tyrell began, his mouth agape. "That freaking eye is SPOOKY. It started glowing after you closed your eyes, then shot directly though the casting," He pointed to the whole it had made, "And then you started chanting faster than I could understand. Then, after a minute, you fainted. I'm sorry I let go of the heating, but I had to catch you."
Himi sat dumbfounded, believing his story but still amazed that it had happened. She placed her hand on the casting, and checked inside with her Search Psynergy. The charm was definitely complete… in fact, it was the strongest charm she had ever felt. Protective magic radiated from it, and her jaw dropped at what she had created.
…With the help of the Third Eye. Slowly she reached up and touched the bizarre marking; perhaps it held some good in it after all.
"Well, that was my excitement for the day," Tyrell said, stretching with a yawn. "I'm beat… how about you?"
Himi tried to stand, but despite feeling much less nauseous, found herself unable to. "I can't get up," She whispered pitifully, and he nodded.
"I can't blame you; here, you know what, take my bed. For all I know you cursed (or blessed) it with some weird magic. I'll sleep on Matthew's," Tyrell said, making his way to the Venus Adept's bed.
"He won't mind?" Himi asked, as she closed her eyes and sunk deeper into the covers.
"Hell if I know," Tyrell replied with a yawn, and Himi smiled before sinking off to sleep.
"I'll see you later Sveta, I'm going to head in early," Matthew said in front of his door, giving the beastgirl a hug. While it was light and brief, it was the first he had given her, and Sveta blushed deeply. Her blush was only hidden by the cloak of night and her soft fur and she turned to give her one last smile before opening and closing his door. She let out a small and very content sigh before strolling on down the hallway.
"Sveta, have you seen Himi?" came Karis's voice from her right, and she turned to see the green-haired Jupiter Adept walking toward her.
"No, Karis. Why?" Sveta asked, still a bit lightheaded.
"Just wondering; haven't seen her for awhile," Karis replied with a shrug.
"That's odd… I'm sure she's around somewhere," Sveta replied, staring at Karis. Something about her seemed… off. Was… her hair… blackened? "Karis, what happened to your hair?"
Karis's back grew rigid, and Sveta could see the anger glow in her eyes as the purple-eyed girl seethed, "Tyrell. Fireballs."
"Oh my… perhaps I could help?" Sveta supplied, and Karis raised an eyebrow.
"With my hair?" She asked, and Sveta nodded.
"Yes! Beastman healing is more oriented in nature, and we can often heal injured hair… it's important when you're covered in it from head to toe," Sveta said, and Karis smiled and nodded.
"Sure, thanks Sveta!" She replied, and they walked to their room to work on the poor girl's singed hair.
"Time for a nice – oh Gods no," Matthew whispered as he viewed Tyrell spread out on his bed. He was about to smack him with the flat of his sword and tell him to get up when he noticed a flare of red in Tyrell's bed, and squinted to see Himi engulfed in its covers.
"…I'm not even going to ask," The Venus Adept muttered, taking a deep sigh before stripping down to his undergarments and undershirt and slowly crawling next to Tyrell. It wasn't that bad, he supposed; they had slept in the same bed when they had been younger. Granted, he would have greatly preferred if Tyrell was female… and perhaps a little more furry. His thoughts became lost in a sea of Sveta's face, scent, and soft fur, and he quickly fell asleep.
Himi awoke with a yawn, experiencing a brief spell of confusion before realizing she was in Tyrell's bed. She quickly gathered her materials and placed them in her bag (after taking the cooled charm out of the casting), all the while wondering where Tyrell was. As she made her way to the door quietly, she glanced to Matthew's bed and giggled. The Venus and Mars Adept were tangled in each others' arms and wearing very satisfied smiles. She made a note to bring it up around both Sveta and Karis the next day as she left the room.
Not wanting to disturb Karis and Sveta, who judging by the darkness surrounding her would be asleep or getting close to heading to bed, Himi went to the main cabin to finish the charm. When she arrived, she found a table, spread out her materials, and began to work. She encrusted numerous tiny gems into the front of the charm, using a special Yamatain ceremonial glue and digging out the slots for the sparkly stones with a small scalpel like instrument.
While she could not directly manipulate solid metal, being a Venus Adept allowed her to easily cut through and shape the golden charm to her liking. After merely ten minutes, she had placed numerous small emeralds and rubies in a ring around the charm's front, and a somewhat large ruby in the middle. She smiled as she glanced down at her work; she was immensely proud of what she had accomplished.
So much so that Himi decided to throw sense to the wind, jumped off the bench after placing all but the charm back in the bag, and ran straight to Eoleo's room. She figured he of all people would be up, after all. When she arrived, she knocked twice, only to hear silence. Thinking he would probably be in the galley, she opened the door to leave it on his desk along with a note explaining what it was.
However, as she entered the room, she realized from the faint sound of snoring and a large lump in the bed that Eoleo was indeed in the room, and asleep. Yawning at the sight of the sleeping behemoth, Himi walked over to the bed. With a smile, she gently fastened the charm's necklace around the pirate's neck. After she finished, she rubbed his head gently, and then turned to leave.
At that very moment, Eoleo reached his hand out on his sleep, and brushed against Himi's. She turned back to him in shock, assuming he had awakened, but then realized she was mistaken; he was still fast asleep.
"Well," Himi whispered, her hand drifting toward the covers. "Karis is a light sleeper, so I may wake her up if I go back to our room… I might as well just stay here." Ignoring the obvious issues with the idea, Himi hoisted herself up unto the bed, and dug leaned against Eoleo. While his skin was leathery, it also held a certain softness to it, which Himi felt made for a fine pillow.
To preserve some modesty, she did not pull the covers over herself, but rather lied on top of them. It took her no time at all to fall asleep once more, a smile across her young face. She stayed that way for an hour, until a draft blew in from the open window, and wafted over her. She did not wake, but her body grew cold, and she began to shiver in her sleep.
Eoleo found himself among very pleasant dreams; some of the most pleasant he had experienced in quite some time, actually. However, he slowly fell out of them as he felt a light shaking on his side. Regaining slight consciousness, he first imagined it was his side shaking from the cold, but then realized it was something next to him. Wait. Next to him?
Eoleo opened his eyes slowly and squinted. Whatever it was, it was small. He was almost positive it was a person. Was that… black hair… and those robes…
"HIMI!" Eoleo shouted, bolting upright. As he did so, he catapulted Himi, whose head had been lying on his arm. With a gulp he quickly reached out and grabbed her with his hands, letting go just as quickly as he realized he had grabbed her by the chest. She fell delicately onto the bed as he panted heavily, then began to stir as he held his head in his hands and whispered, "How drunk did I get last night? What the hell is going on?"
"E-Eoleo?" Himi questioned sleepily, slowly rising to a sitting position. She quickly realized what had occurred, and gulped, then sputtered, "Oh, it's not what it looks like! I came to give you a charm I made you, but you were asleep, and I was tired, so I lied down and accidentally drifted off to sleep." Himi bit her lip; she didn't want to lie, but she didn't want him to think badly of her either.
"Oh… okay," He whispered, still confused as all hell. Piracy was one thing; being in bed with fourteen-year-old girls was another. "Ummm… this be the charm, then?" He held up the gold piece, and she nodded. "…Wow. Himi, you made this yourself?" His eyes began to light up as he observed the detail and quality of the charm.
"W-With Tyrell's help," She whispered. "I added the spiritual aspects, and the jewels and such."
"This is amazing!" He exclaimed, examining every aspect of the charm as Himi blushed at his praise. "I mean, if there's one thing I know, it's treasure, and this is priceless! And not because it's so well made, but because you made it for me." He beamed at her, and she smiled back. It was hard for her to say just how much it meant to her, that he liked it this much.
"What does it do as a charm?" Eoleo asked; he was a firm non-believer in these sorts of things, but had grown to understand the importance of respecting other people's customs and beliefs. Besides, the important thing was the work and passion she had put into it.
"Oh… it is actually very powerful, one of the most powerful I have ever seen," She replied, staring at the charm fondly. "It gives you great luck and fortune, and should shield you from dangers to a certain extent. I hope it serves you well."
"I'm sure it will. Thank you," He replied kindly, placing it back around his neck. "So… you should probably go back to your room then…"
"Oh… right…" Himi responded, before biting her lip. "Would… it be alright if I stayed?"
He glanced down at her with a frown, and weighed his options. If he said no, she would be quite sad, but it was probably the right thing to do. But… what harm would come of it? Nothing would happen, and they would be separated by the covers. Eoleo then stared at Himi and realized how cold she truly was; even now she was shaking.
"Alright," He replied, and her face lit up. "But only on one condition; you sleep under the covers, while I sleep over them."
"Oh, no, Eoleo, I'm not that cold, and it's your bed! I'll be—" She tried to deny his request, but he held up his hand and shook his head.
"Nope. That's how it's going to be. Here," He replied, pulling up the covers. "You can have them all, and wrap yourself in them, like a little Himi burrito!"
"…Burrito?" Himi questioned, having never heard the term before.
"Oh… it's a nice type of food… like a wrap… I'll get you one sometime," Eoleo responded, realizing that someone who had lived in one place for their life would have little knowledge of the rest of the world. He then began to wrap her in the covers, much to her dismay and vocal objections.
"Now hush! I'll be fine!" He assured her as he finished. "I'm a Mars Adept, I'll stay plenty warm. Now, get some sleep."
"…Fine. Thank you, Eol," Himi replied, smiling warmly as she closed her eyes.
"Of course. Thank you for the charm, Himi," He replied, rubbing her head, drawing out another smile as she began to grow sleepy. Eoleo waited until he was sure she was indeed asleep before going to sleep himself, and was happy to find his dreams just as pleasant as before.
Himi, meanwhile, having feigned sleep, smiled as she peaked an eye open and noticed Eoleo had finally become lost to his dreams. With a frown, she realized he was shivering slightly. Slowly and quietly, she undid the covers around her, and pulled them over both her and Eoleo. She smiled as she leaned back into him, his arm her pillow, and fell asleep.
"We've arrived at the palace!" Came a shout from behind Eoleo, breaking him from his fond memories.
"Well, here goes nothing," The pirate muttered; if he recalled correctly, Susa hadn't been too hard on him during their first meeting. Then again, he was fairly sure Susa hadn't known him to be a pirate.
"Eoleo," Said Kato, turning to him. "…Good luck. Watch your mouth around our King, as he is not a fan of off-color remarks, regardless of whether or not they're made in good humor." Eoleo smiled at the captain, and nodded.
"Thank you for the advice… and for letting me keep my head," Eoleo replied with a light bow. To his surprise, Kato returned it.
"Thank you for not ripping my spear out of my hands," The captain replied with a wry smile, as they began to move up the palace steps.
Eoleo spared another quick glance at his precious charm; it had never failed him before, so he had every reason to believe that it would protect him now. Rather than protection though, he would appreciate nothing more than a little dash of luck. It was with these thoughts that he brought his gaze forward once more, and stepped through the palace doors.
Loooong. I did not expect this chapter to be this long, but it happens. Which is also my lame-ass excuse for it being so late :D .
I feel like Eoleo is probably the most stable Mars Adept we see in the games; while he had a bit of a wild-streak, he also understands what the difference between living and dying is, and how the two can be so small. As such, when things go south, as they did here, he's all business, and on his toes. I love writing Eoleo as a badass, if that wasn't evident. I mean, I don't know how else you write him, but there it is.
I worry that the pacing kind of exploded here and there, which is always an issue in larger chapters. Tyrell and Himi got more screen time together than I had expected, and I worry that section was a bit dull. Still, fun way to bring in the Third Eye. Imagine if it cursed Eoleo. Gosh, that would suck.
The ending with them sleeping in the same bed is kind of pushing it… I'd figure more so if it was romantic in the slightest, which it really isn't. I mean, you see the seeds, and understand they probably have those feelings, but there's a big difference between having them (here they're still being developed) and acting on them. IE, making out in the bed. I'M NOT WRITING FOURTEEN YEAR OLD HIMI AND EOLEO KISSING SCENES. Okay, had to get that out of the way.
Oh, and you can BET the charm comes back into play. In cool ways, too! So, I'm going to leave off for now. Happy with his, even if it is a day late. I can stand that, I guess, but I need to cut out the crap and get my writing done. Thanks for reading, expect an update maybe quicker than you usually would! :P