Author: Liz Luthor (AKA Kiwi)
Disclaimer: I- DON'T- OWN- SOA!! ...Or anything, for that matter (although presents would be greatly appreciated!).
Author's Notes: Welcome back! Last time, on Black Merchant: ...Just kidding. I'm feeling humorous at the moment. ;) Anyway, this chapter's a happier one, so I hope you enjoy it! As always- review!!
I'm still not sure how it happened, but when I was finally fully conscious and aware of my surroundings, I was in a shower, routinely shampooing my hair. I knew I was on Raine's ship, but everything up until that point since I had passed out was pretty much just blank. It didn't matter, however. I was happy to be alive and conscious, and the warm water felt good against my skin.
At this point, common sense began running through my brain, and I wondered, 'What the heck am I doing?! I left my home, my shop, my job... All to protect Vyse the Legend from some Black Pirate who thinks he can kill him?' There didn't seem to be a problem, but I still had an inexplicable drive to resolve it.
After my shower, I wrapped my cloak around me (I couldn't find a towel), and went to ask Raine if she had washed the blood out of my clothes or if she had anything else I could wear. I entered the bridge and started, "Hey, Raine, I was wondering-..." She turned around and raised an eyebrow at me. "I thought- your hair was... red..." I stated confusedly. She pulled a strand of silver hair in front of her eyes and looked at it absently.
"...Oh," she said simply. "My hair changes color depending on what Moon I'm under. Didn't you notice when we were in Valua?" I couldn't even remember being in Valua. I shook my head slowly, surprised. "Well, it does." Raine smiled at my naiveté.
Thinking about it, I realized I'd never traveled anywhere with Raine, so I'd always thought her hair was naturally red. I chuckled and said, "Have you ever been to Ixa-taka? Your hair would be green!" She glared at me and I quickly dropped it, but not before letting out a few more laughs. Now settled down, I asked, "So why does it do that?" Raine shrugged.
"All I know is that it changes color. It's kinda weird, but I got used to it." She was done with this conversation. She turned back around to face the window and the skies ahead.
"So..." I began gracefully. I wanted to talk, even if she didn't want to hear it. "Thank you for healing me. Y'know the... back thing," I said appreciatively. Raine nodded and gave a short yet sincere, "No problem." There was a momentary silence. Finally, I decided I had to know if she was thinking the same thing I was. "Why are we doing this?" I asked openly.
She turned back around to look up at me and leaned against the wall of the bridge, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't know, either," she replied. "...Maybe it's one of those things you just have to do. That's how I feel, anyway. What do you think?"
"I guess I feel like there's something more to this than just some uninformed Air Pirates." She seemed to agree. What we were dealing with felt like a big problem, even if it didn't look like one. "Oh, umm... I wanted to ask you where my clothes are..." I asked sheepishly, indicating the bloody, sweaty cloak currently serving as my towel. She laughed again and walked past me through the bridge door.
Aika yawned and entered the overcrowded bridge, where Vyse still stood at the helm. "We're still not there?" she asked expectantly. Vyse shook his head but continued his stare toward the world ahead of him. Aika walked over and stood beside him, nudging him slightly. "...Wake up, Vyse. Don't get yourself lost in thought while you're flying," she advised him gently. Vyse turned and half-smiled at her. She knew what he was thinking: 'There's no sunset for me to explore...'
"Would you mind taking the wheel for a little while? I think I need to get some rest." Vyse yawned to prove his point. Aika nodded comfortingly and watched with sympathy as Vyse walked slowly out of the room. The burden of which he had yet rid himself would haunt him in his dreams.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Raine asked once I reentered the room after changing into my clean clothes. I sat on a stool a few feet away and looked up at her. She clarified by saying, "How the heck are we gonna find Vyse?" I searched my memory for the location of his home-the home my father had visited so many times...
"...It's a small island called 'Pirate Isle'. Know where it is?" Raine only took a moment to think, then nodded happily.
"That's a relief," she replied. "We're actually pretty close." The rest of the trip went by fairly smoothly: Raine and I took turns flying and the weather was nice, but there was this awkward silence every now and then that made me want to scream. I think she wanted me to realize that this was the second time being the black merchant had gotten me seriously injured. I was a little too thick-headed for such common sense.
"Vyse!" Aika shouted gleefully. "We're here!" She ran back into the cramped living quarters and shook Vyse to wake him up, then signaled him to follow her.
"I just woke up, Aika, could you possibly- Wow..." Vyse paused and looked at his home. The island was looking as bright as ever, but things seemed busier than usual. There was a Valuan ship leaving from the dock and a different one entering.
"...The place looks so welcoming, doesn't it?" said Aika admiringly. "Is that a Nasrean ship? I think this is the first time I've seen one come all the way to Pirate Isle! I wonder what they're here for?" Excitement shined in her amber eyes as they approached their home.
I was nervous beyond explanation. I hadn't actually seen Vyse in ten years, and still only once throughout my entire life. After all he'd been through, all he'd seen, who's to say he'd remember a one-day playmate from his childhood? I suppose whether or not he remembered me didn't have much to do with our current purpose, but it troubled me nonetheless.
"That's a small dock, don't you think?" Raine interrupted my worried thoughts and pointed out what looked to be a plank of wood sticking out of the island compared to Nasrad's docks.
"...They don't get visitors often, I guess," I replied with a distant tone. I thought, 'Raine doesn't even know I ever met him! She's probably wondering how I know where he lives...' I noted the surroundings of the island I was born on; I'd never lived there, but my father grew up on it. He'd left home as soon as possible to gather up his crew and begin his life as an Air Pirate. Although this island was my birthplace, I was rarely seen here. I watched a rather elaborate Valuan ship leave and a relatively small ship turn in on the other side of the island. It didn't have native designs from any other country, so I figured it was from around here. I tried not to show how afraid I was of meeting these people after ten years of hiding from them as we finally docked the StarWing.
"Wow. It's been awhile since we've been in here, huh?" Aika said thoughtfully as she jumped off the dock of the Fina and onto the floor of Dyne's underground base. Vyse followed absent-mindedly through the entrance to the outside world and stood there for a minute, preparing to see his parents once again. They walked into the house to find Vyse's mother and father seated at the table in an anxious atmosphere.
We walked down the familiar wooden path that lead almost directly to the door of Dyne's home, which now stood open to us. I almost gasped as I saw the backs of Vyse and Aika's heads. I hadn't even imagined what it would feel like to actually see them again...
"Oh, Vyse! Aika!" Vyse's mother exclaimed.
Dyne turned around in his seat and said sternly, "You're late, son. You just missed-..." he was unable to continue his sentence as he stared at me in awe. "...Dremond...?" he asked softly. Vyse and Aika turned around and saw us standing right behind them, but they didn't seem to recognize me.
"Who are you?" Vyse asked, respectively reaching out his hand to greet us.
"You don't remember him?" Dyne inquired as he stood up and walked to the doorway. "I thought you were..."
"...No," I answered timidly. "Just my dad... I- I wasn't with him at the time..." He could see that he had awaken a bad memory, so he quickly continued.
"Vyse, this is Caleb Dremond's boy. What is it again- Talis?" I nodded my head slowly, my gaze fixed with Vyse's. We stared at one another in silence for another minute as that memory continuously flashed through my mind... I wondered if he remembered me yet.
Aika gasped and said, "I know! You're the kid who's dad was friends with Dyne! You came with him every time he visited because you had nowhere else to go! Vyse, he played with us one afternoon, don't you remember?"
Vyse was still too stunned to speak. He hadn't been expecting this at all. Then again, I wasn't muttering a word, either.
"...Um, hi," Raine said, apparently still standing next to me. "I'm Raine, and, yes, this is Talis Dremond. We need to talk to Vyse for a minute about-"
"Well wait a minute, I've got something to tell him, too," Dyne interrupted. He turned to Vyse. "You just missed King Enrique, son. I've got some bad news." My face went pale at the mention of the Valuan king.
"Give him a minute, Cap'n," Aika said genuinely. "He doesn't even remember who Talis is." I felt inclined to speak suddenly, amazed at the fact that Aika remembered me-and well enough to refer to me by my first name. I continued to stare at Vyse hopefully.
"...You played with me once..." I began softly. "We played pirates... Remember? You teased me because I was so much smaller than you two... And you kept saying how some day you'd explore new worlds... I guess you really went after that dream, didn't you?" The house was silent. "...You've really accomplished it... Amazing."
Raine looked at Vyse's mother. The two of them were excluded from this conversation, so Raine squeezed past us and walked over to her. "I'm sorry we're barging in like this-I mean, I didn't even know Talis knew all of you. But there's a very important matter that needs to be solved as soon as possible, and-"
"How important could it be that you should interrupt this reunion?" Aika asked forcefully. 'Uh-oh,' I thought instinctively.
Raine replied, "Important enough that we traveled all the way from Valua to Nasrad to here to tell you about it! The least you could do is hear me out!" Here it came: the cat-fight.
"We will, if you'll just wait a minute, you impatient little brat!"
Vyse and I exchanged knowing glances and decided to cut this one short. "Aika, chill down a minute. They did come a long way."
"Raine, don't scream at them, we're their guests. Okay?" I walked inside and stood next to Raine, nodding politely to Vyse's mother. I recognized all of them so much... As a child, I had always thought of Dyne and my father as brothers, so they were like my aunt and uncle and my cousins... Well, Aika wasn't actually related to them, but she was close enough.
"...Talis," Vyse's mother began from behind me, "how has everything been? Are you two hungry? We haven't eaten dinner yet, why don't I get something started and we can all talk over some food?"
Vyse smiled, happy to see his mother still as kind as ever. "Thanks, Mom."
"...Alright, I guess we should introduce ourselves to this young lady," Dyne said, indicating Raine, who's expression read, 'Finally!'. Dyne outstretched his hand and said, "I'm Dyne. Talis' father was my best friend, until he... passed away. This is my wife and our son, Vyse. I'm sure you've heard of him and Aika." Raine nodded her head and shook hands with all of them.
"Sorry I screamed at you," Aika smiled, "I guess I have a short temper sometimes."
"Sometimes..." I heard Vyse mumble lightheartedly.
Raine laughed and replied, "I screamed at you, too. I guess we're even."
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