Canaan could feel the wind buffet against her, curling around her face as she turned in the air. She couldn't see, but she knew she should be feeling cold. And yet when she reached out, only warmth greeted her against her skin, warm loving hands that touched her and carried her away from the dreamlike existence she found herself in.
She called out Alphard's name but heard no reply. Everything seemed so far away. She whipped her arms up to clutch at the strands of colours that were drifting away from her even now, and managed to snag one of them. She was used to tracking the bright yellow colour that was Maria, maybe because she had had to save her so many times. But now wasn't the time for that. Now Canaan was the one who needed saving.
The whiteness came in across her body all at once and she realised what they were. Bedsheets. Fresh, clean bedsheets.
Canaan eyes opened as light poured in all at once, sitting up in her bed. Bed? What was she doing in someone else's bed? This wasn't her bed...
Where am I?
She blinked several times, trying to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was blabbering nonsensically at Alphard when...when they'd almost been blown up. And then darkness. What had happened to Alphard? Was she in Alphard's bed now?
Canaan yelped and almost hit her head on the top bunk. All right. She wasn't in anyone's bedroom. She was in a bunk bed, in a small...cabin, of some sort. But where exactly was this?
She checked her watch, alarmed. It was nearly midday. At least she'd managed to sleep okay. The room she was in was pretty empty. In the rush to escape last night, Canaan realised she hadn't had time to take anything with her. No money, no belongings, no ammunition...at least she still had her trusty Beretta at her waist, at least for a little while.
The room was threadbare aside from the two simple beds. Canaan recognised Alphard's jacket on the top bunk. So they had been sleeping together in this room. Now, if she could just find out where -
Suddenly the entire room moved with a jolt, and Canaan fell over to one side with a cry, barely able to keep her footing. Her instincts kicked in and she quickly recovered. What was going on?
She flung open the door at the end of the cabin, hearing voices above and sounds and smells which told her that she was no longer anywhere near Shanghai. Brusque laughter, a salty tang in the air, the sound of seagulls...
Seagulls?
Canaan raced all the way up to the top of the stairs before her, rushing past the groups of people leaning against the railing who glanced at her in surprise. She ignored her, seeing the blue cloudless sky stretch up above her. The birds circling round, nestling on the bow as people fed them scrap pieces of bread. The water which spread around them for miles and miles in every direction.
Water. The ocean. The engines of a ship, taking them towards harbour.
She was in the middle of the ocean, on a ship. She had no idea how she had even got here. What's more, she was completely stranded without her belongings. Not even a phone to contact Maria or anyone else.
There was only one person who might know how to explain this to her, Canaan thought. And she had better do a lot of explaining.
She spent about half an hour trying to find Alphard. It wasn't a very large ship at all. From her enquiries with the sailors and workers on board, Canaan discovered that she was on a ferry not very far out from Shanghai at all. If this was Alphard's doing, surely a helicopter could have made the same journey many hours ago. They could be even further out by now. Instead, she was stuck on a ship, which was apparently on a round trip all the way up to the coastline. It would take a few more hours for them to reach harbour. Canaan hoped Alphard had at least paid for her ticket somehow.
Alphard had a lot to answer for when she got her hands on her.
Unfortunately, in the thirty minutes that ensued, she didn't find the attractive terrorist anywhere. She found someone else instead.
"Excuse me," Canaan began, tapping on the shoulder of a young sailor who was embroiled in deep conversation with another, "could you tell me - "
The sailor turned around, boasting low hanging pigtails and a bright mischievous grin.
"Hi Canaan!" Yun-Yun said happily, all clad in a blue and white sailor's uniform. She even had the beret. "Fancy meeting you here on your holiday!"
Canaan opened and shut her mouth wordlessly.
"Yun-Yun, what are you doing here?" she asked, her mind spiralling in confusion. "Are you following me again? Has Maria put you up to this?"
The Borner shook her head very definitely. "Nope! As you see, I'm just working here part-time! I always work here!"
"You do?" Canaan said sceptically. "Yun-Yun, you're not a sailor."
"I am," Yun-Yun retorted. "In fact, I'm a sergeant-at-arms in the Navy. I've obviously been a sailor for many many years. Ask anyone."
Canaan looked at her with long-suffering apathy. Somehow, she had the feeling that spending another half hour asking around if Yun-Yun really was a legitimate sailor upon this ship was going to be thirty minutes of her life that she would never get back again.
"Yun-Yun, you are not a sailor, not are you a member of the Navy," she said emphatically. "You somehow happen to be on the exact same ship that I mysteriously wake up on."
"Yes!"
"Just like how yesterday you somehow were working in exactly the same café as me and Alphard were standing in."
"Exactly!"
Canaan shook her head. "Well, if you're such a top-notch sailor, tell me some of your brilliant sailing knowledge."
"Um..." Yun-Yun raised her eyes towards the sun. "I can catch a fish."
She avoided the synesthete's gaze very definitely.
"Yun-Yun," Canaan said at last, "catching fish is not the same as sailing. Catching fish is the same as fishing."
"So? Sailors can fish too." The Borner refused to budge. "They're like the improved version of fishing. I don't need to sail a ship to grab a fish."
"You mean you can't sail a ship yourself then."
Yun-Yun paused. "Well..."
"Which means you're not really a sailor."
"I'm a sailor in training," Yun-Yun argued. "We don't get to sail the ship yet. That wouldn't be fair."
Canaan had a brief vision of a scenario where Yun-Yun was given sole responsibility of sailing an entire sea vessel. It was not the prettiest of sights. She quickly blocked it from her mind.
"Let me get this straight," she said. "You're apparently a sergeant-at-arms in the Navy and somehow a sailor-in-training in one."
"I just got a bit rusty."
"Even thought sergeant-at-arms is really a land-based title which has nothing to do with the naval forces whatsoever?" Canaan said.
Yun-Yun squinted at her and adjusted her sailor's beret.
"So?" she said sulkily.
Canaan sighed. "You," she said, "are the worst liar ever. The next time Maria tells you to come after me, you just need to tell her no."
"I wasn't lying about that!" Yun-Yun protested, eyes wide and innocent. "Maria doesn't even know anything about this! I'm here because of someone else!"
She clamped her hand over her mouth too late. Canaan's eyes narrowed as she advanced on the Borner.
"Who?"
"No one!" Yun-Yun said quickly. "No one at all! I'm sworn to take my secret to the grave!"
Canaan grabbed hold of her arm. "I'm just curious."
"No telling! No telling!" Yun-Yun backed away to the railing. "And if you pressure me anymore I'll just throw myself into the sea and perish!"
The synesthete looked deep into her petrified eyes for a second, and then let go.
"Fine," she grumbled. "No need to be like that. You don't have to tell me."
"Good, because I'll never tell you! Ever!"
"It's fine."
"I'll never ever tell you that it's really your obsessive girlfriend who's been staring at you from the other side of the ship over there!"
Canaan looked sharply at her just as Yun-Yun clamped both hands over her mouth again in embarrassment.
"I did it again," the Borner moaned. "I feel terrible now. Promise her you won't tell her that I accidentally told you."
"Whatever," Canaan said loosely, striding away from her and towards where the dark-haired figure stood waiting for her at the other deck. Dark penetrating eyes, gloved hands and torched smile all for no-one but her. She was going to give her a piece of her mind. And hell, did she want answers.
(I meant to put Alphard's bit in here, but I thought I can leave that til next chapter otherwise it'll be hugely long :p Also, aiee, nanowrimo quota is behind on here but I think it should still be okay. It's like, I can write more, and I really want to though, but then it might be too long. Plus I get more chapters too. Damn Yun-Yun for mucking up my word quota :c
Also, just finished watching the end of El Cazador de la Bruja yesterday...*sob*...for some reason I ship Nadie with Blue-Eyes in that one, and I don't know why but Blue-Eyes reminds me a bit of a gentler version of Alphard. And Canaan isn't Nadie, but still. It's there.)