11:
Dear Diary,
Urala made those things again! She called them pot stickers, but I think that's a funny name. She didn't even put them in a pot, she used a wok. I ate them anyway because they're tasty. I shared them with Pow too, I just hope all the ginger she put in them doesn't upset his stomach.
Vyse missed dinner again. He likes to pretend that he's busy and important, I guess he is, being Captain of the Delphinus and all. But I'm sure that the most likely scenario is that he fell asleep with his face in an atlas book, his head full of amazing dreams.
Sometimes I wonder what Vyse dreams about. When we were younger, we'd climb the lookout at Pirates Isle and talk about things as the sun set. Back then, Vyse wanted to be the captain of his own ship and find out what's beyond the sunset. Now he's the captain of the Delphinus and we all know the world is round.
What happens when you've experienced your dream after wishing for it so long? It would be pretty loony to continue to wish for it. Maybe Vyse found a new dream to work for, or maybe there's just a bored emptiness where the old one was.
I don't know. I've never been able to achieve any of my dreams. It's probably because a lot of my dreams are silly. I remember having one years ago where all the islands and continents were connected by bodies of water instead of air. That sounds so dippy, even just writing it down!
Oh boy, I'm getting sidetracked. Here I was writing about aspirations and I ended up talking about an actual dream I had one night. I hope Vyse still has some goals to dream about.
I don't talk to him anymore like I used to. He still sits in the lookout as the sun sets, but Fina's there with him now. I'm always welcome to join, I know, but I don't want to. When she's there, I'm not going to join my best friend in a nightly ritual, I'm intruding on something.
It's not her fault, I doubt Fina even realizes what's happening. That's part of what makes Fina so wonderful. I had to explain to her the idea behind earning money, for goodness sake!
They're meant for each other. I think that must be what it is. I don't regret rescuing Fina from Alfonso and Valua, that's not it. I'd never regret that, Fina's my friend just as much as she is Vyse's. I guess it's just that I'm sad that things had to change.
Well, I'm sick of butting in. I don't know if they're too stupid to realize what's going on between the two of them, or if they're trying to pretend that nothing's happening for my sake. All I know is that they need to decide whether they are or they aren't. The only way that that's going to happen is probably if I leave.
So I made a little checklist of things that I'll definitely need. I'll pack them up, so I'll be ready when it comes time. I feel bad about not telling Vyse about what I'm planning, but at the same time I know he'd try and stop me. I did confide in a couple people though, so I feel better. Alright, so it was two koketa, but I just wanted to make sure that no one would find out.
Anyway, Enrique and Moegi are coming to visit in about a week, so I should get planning on a surprise gift for them. Fina sounds really excited about making a gift too, so I think I'll let her in on it. It'll be nice to see everyone again before I run away.
-Aika
Vyse shook his head as he thumbed through the leather bound book. Aika had had it for years and contained in the yellowing pages everything from smeared words that she had cried over and fingerprints coated in jam from when she had tried to multi-task; to memories and nightmares.
He felt like he was holding his best friends' heart. Aika's prose would sometimes meander around the point she was trying to make before rambling on about it for three pages and oftentimes she would lose sight of what she had begun to discuss in order to write about something completely irrelevant. But her voice one the page was clear and true to the very end. She was honest with herself even when she didn't want to be.
Vyse had read through the entries from beginning to end seven times already. She had swiped the Captain's log from his father, Dyne when she was nine and turned it into a diary. Initially, all she wrote about was her parents, but slowly Vyse's name appeared more and more into the texts and the words circling his name evolved from "jerk-head" to "handsome."
He was amazed at how little he actually knew about Aika. For instance, the morning she nearly burnt the tavern down she had been trying to bake a birthday cake for him. Vyse had simply accepted that she had accidentally tripped over Pow and broke an oil lamp over the floor. Aika went on to write that she should have just gotten him flowers like Fina did.
The diary lay open on the last entry. Vyse couldn't look away from the jarring letters, sloppy with haste.
Dear Diary,
I can't wait anymore. I have to leave.
And that was it. The bottom line was that she left for him. Because he had been too stupid to realize that the friendships swirling around him were just waiting to blossom into something else. Well, even though it wasn't her decision to make, Aika chose for Vyse. It was a final selfless act on his best friend's part so that he could be happy with a single woman.
Vyse chuckled softly. He had given up on raging and screaming about how Aika had no right to make the choice for him the third time he had read the diary. The fourth time through, Vyse admitted that the only thing he was arguing with was a wall, the fifth time it dawned on him the amount of compassion it would have taken for Aika to reach that conclusion and by the time he read her words the sixth time, Vyse had forgiven her.
"If I could see you just one more time, Aika, I'd hug you." Vyse announced. "Then I'd throttle you. Maybe I'd throttle you first, then hug you."
He giggled. "At least you've got Pow with you wherever you are." Vyse laughed again. "What kind of an addlebrained dingbat doesn't have the sense to use the lifeboats?"
Between his uncontrollable guffawing, Vyse fiercely pinched the bridge of his nose. No, he was done with tears; he'd laugh, even if it began to sound slightly maniacal.
How many days had he stayed alone in his Captain's Quarters? Fina would be outside his door soon with dinner, he could count on that. His sides began to ache from all his laughter.
Vyse continued to chuckle as he stood and stretched his legs. His backside had begun to numb from sitting in the seat for the past two hours straight. He decided that it was time to end his self-induced seclusion.
With a final glance at the diary, Vyse shut the leather book. He secured a yellow ribbon around the text and tucked it safely into a drawer in his desk.
Vyse opened the door to his Captain's Quarters and let the sun beam down on him. He came out just in time to spot Fina as she climbed to the lookout with a tray of food in her hands. She stopped abruptly as she realized that she held his dark brown gaze.
Fina cleared her throat. "I thought you might be hungry." She lifted the tray towards him.
Vyse glanced at the simple sushi dishes before him and set the tray on the railing. He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Fina's waist. The Silvite girl gasped as her captain buried his face in her stomach.
"I've been an idiot." His words were muffled by her dress. "Sorry."
Fina ran her fingers absently through Vyse's mop of hair. "I'm glad that you've finally come out of that room." she whispered.
"Me too." He gave her a squeeze before he stood back up. "What have you got to eat?"
"Left over sushi from lunch." Fina pointed to the tray on the railing.
Vyse picked up the tray and sat on the floor of the lookout. With the tray in his lap he began to peruse the variety of vinegared rice.
"Is there any wasabi?" he asked.
"I didn't know that you liked it." Fina joined Vyse on the floor and giggled. "It burns my nose."
"Of course it will if you use too much of it." Vyse laughed. "You're supposed to mix it with the soy sauce."
"Oh."
Vyse plucked up a norimaki with his fingers and dipped it into the cup of soy sauce. His western taste buds appreciated the crunch of the cucumber and the fact that the salmon middle was smoked. Soy sauce drizzled down his chin.
"Would you like some?" he offered.
"No thank you." Fina replied.
Vyse shrugged and continued to eat. Fina stayed by his side and watched him quietly. As he soaked up the last bit of soy sauce with the rice and cleaned his face with the back of his hand, Vyse looked at the green eyed girl and smiled.
"Thanks for putting up with me." he said. "You didn't have to."
"But I did." Fina tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I talked it over with Enrique. I think I understand."
Vyse licked his fingertips clean and then dried them on the front of his blue jacket. "I think I'm ready to face my crew." he told her solemnly.
"Good." Fina smiled.
They're meant for each other. Aika's written word reaffirmed the decision that Vyse had been mulling over for the past two days. Alright, Aika, he thought, I'll do this for you. Vyse reached over the tray and took Fina's hand in his.
"Will you face them with me?" he asked.
"Of course." Fina replied.