Tales of the Island Symphony

by Light Onthemayo

With Cunimincus and his demonic crew gone, the search is on again for Irleen's home. The following stories have NOTHING to do with that search. This is a series featuring the crew of the Island Symphony at their looniest (mostly), detailing events that may or may not have happened during and after Sky Lines.

18. In My Eyes, Part 2

NOTICE: The following is an in-canon day in the life of Layna. Assassin. Airman. Adventurer. And pervert (when she has to be).

…

Tale #18: In My Eyes, Part 2

Layna awoke bleary-eyed from yet another dream of staring up at Master Nway'an from about two stories into the ground. It had been a recurring dream ever since she was five, but she was sure that, at the time, she had been above her master's knees in height. She had thought those dreams gone until a few days ago, when a bad encounter in the market at Skyrider Port had left her intimidated by airmen from another company. As much in jest as Biluf's comment at the time had been, she might have to assert herself with a blade the next time a Hylian used his height to appeal to her meekness.

More were the days lately that she woke up feeling so groggy. While she was grateful for the comfort afforded by the simple lifestyle as a crewmember of a Hylian airship, there were times when she actually missed Nway'an ambushing her on a whim. She had her fair share of events requiring her to wake almost instantly, the main one being to catch Line trying to sneak past her by tip-toeing on the board she had loosened near her berth. For the past week, though, his reluctance to raid the women's berths had allowed her to awaken slowly. It was a disturbing feeling for her. Although she found it less stressful to wake like this, the associated grogginess would often be mitigated by her killer personality brushing it aside if she woke on alert. To simply come into consciousness day after day, she actually felt some misery at having to acknowledge the morning. On the other hand, ever since she had joined the Island Symphony's crew, she found that she had an astounding clarity of thought on days that did not demand she respond to a crisis or a hormone-driven Hylian scrub.

Clarity of thought would have to wait, though. The bitter cold of the sky kingdom was a struggle to overcome when waking. And the Hylians in the sky made very good blankets. By desert heritage, she, along with the rest of her Gelto sisters, preferred to sleep in as little clothing as possible (Dholit frequently preferring nudity under her covers). Layna kept her black unitard under her body as she slept, not only allowing her to grab weapons in case of attack but because it gave her the ability to pull it on without having to expose her body to the cold air. Recently, because of the constant need to keep warm on-deck, she had also incorporated a Hylian undersuit into her unitard. She dressed under the covers and then slid out from the hammock onto the deck, feeling the cold wood floor through her unitard's feet. She blinked the last remaining blotches of sleep from her eyes so that she could see her work gear on the floor under the hammock. She picked out a red shirt with short sleeves and a pair of baggy slacks. The slacks afforded her the ability to reach for weaponry hidden on her hips or thighs; anyone who put a hand in the pockets would discover that the bottoms of the pockets had been cut through. With the shirt, she rolled up the sleeves of her unitard. While she could not reach the pouches or wires hidden in the wrists, one particular motion with her shoulder would dislodge a shuriken from concealment. As much as she hated the idea that she had to accommodate her assassin upbringing into even dressing, sometimes it was the only way she could feel comfortable.

She left her boots off as she did her morning stretching. She timed herself through each stretch using Biluf's light snoring. No one was really sure when Biluf started doing it, but she had developed a rattle at the back of her throat unlike any other form of snoring the Gelto were familiar with. She rattled for about half a second before breathing out. In truth, it was no different from hearing the ship's timbers groaning, which made it easy to ignore while sleeping. Still, it was an odd sound for her best friend to make.

Regardless, once she was done with her stretching, she reached for the hammock next to her berth and shook the blanket. "Biluf," she said in a careful tone. "Biluf, it's time to wake up."

Biluf gave a pig-like snort and slowly pulled the blanket down her face. "Does it have to be morning?" she asked Layna with a croak in her voice. "I was having a dream about blowing open a hole in the sand and building a new home under a cold spring. I wasn't really gonna ask how a spring in the desert would be cold."

Layna gave her a concerned look. "Why do you dream about blowing things up so often? Is this healthy?"

"I like it. How bad could it be?"

"Possibly not at all," Dholit cooed, one hand swinging back and forth out of her berth to call attention to herself.

"Do you have dreams of explosions, Sister Dholit?" Layna asked.

"Actually, I have a preference for eruptions."

Layna blinked in confusion. She recognized Dholit's tone as the one she used when she was teasing someone, but the teasing itself simply eluded her. So she asked Biluf, "Are those not the same thing?"

"Only if you're Dholit," Biluf replied in a flat tone. She reached to the pile of laundry beneath her. Biluf by far was the most disorganized of the female crew. Twali and Lwamm used to complain about her possessions being in the narrow passage between berths. Although she was certain to keep her things where they belonged, it unfortunately meant that Biluf kept them in a pile. She picked out a dark blue undersuit and dressed beneath the comfort of her blanket.

Layna heard more shifting down the row and looked up just as Dholit slid out of her hammock dressed in a bright red leotard over black leggings (although Layna suspected the leggings to actually be an undersuit). She stretched toward the deckhead and gave a moan, shaking her hips side to side. "So how are my darling sisters this morning?" she asked.

"I am well," Layna replied.

"So-so," Biluf answered as she next grabbed for a pair of khaki harem trousers. She had to drop two other pairs of trousers before finding the ones she wanted.

"Are we still in port?" Dholit asked as she twisted her torso left and right a few times.

Layna took a moment to examine the ship. In a Sky Line, she could hear the harsh winds against the hull. There also tended to be a bit more pressure inside the berth deck from the wind wandering into the nearby stairwells. Neither of these were present, so she felt herself slowly wobble with the ship. The Island Symphony was a lot stiller than an ocean-going vessel whether it was docked or not. There was no obvious pull in any direction to indicate that the ship was in motion, nor could she recall feeling anything since waking. "Yes," she answered.

"That's a little odd, isn't it?" Biluf asked. She paused to slip out of her hammock. "We've been in port for almost a week. Didn't My Captain tell you that a still ship earns no bread or something?"

"Yes, but I think that was to justify shouting at me for using his charts as a thong," Dholit replied.

"Does he really need justification for that?" Biluf asked, giving Dholit a sleepy glare.

"I should expect it," Dholit told her, looking offended as she crossed her arms. "I made sure his home island was closest to my love."

"Aaaand I'm done talking to this pervert," Biluf said as she snagged her blue, wool poncho off her hammock. She gave Layna's arm a tug as she squeezed past on her way out. "C'mon, Layna, let's go before she corrupts us anymore."

"But you did not hear where I positioned the Undying Storm!" Dholit called after them.

Layna glanced over her shoulder before rounding the corner. Then she leaned forward to ask Biluf, "Should I ask?"

"No." Biluf's crassness when dealing with Dholit often left Layna confused, especially since very little used to be able to extract more than an irate word from her friend. However, Layna was learning to live with it, especially since Biluf's responses to Dholit made her laugh once in a great while.

They stepped into the cargo hold and immediately took off all clothing except for their undersuits (and, in Layna's case, her unitard). They began with shuttle runs using the empty hold's length, then they switched to a light jog along the deck's perimeter. While the open air of the weather deck would have been preferable, both of them had been warned that their form of exercise interfered with the ship's operation. Biluf then explained that the male crew could not stop staring at them running and sweating in little more than their skin-tight clothing. They had previously agreed to run in the hold as long as the hold was mostly empty, and Layna had license to kill anyone caught spying on them. Naturally, My Captain had negotiated them down to only drugging peeping toms. On-deck, however, they were quite vulnerable, but the crew had already learned to ignore them. Especially Line, who was often chided for being found unconscious when he had not been relieved of his shift. Other airship crews were handled differently; they took their lives into their own hands when Layna caught them. So far, My Captain had yet to voice complaints from the crews Layna had had to put to sleep.

The exercise helped them build up a sweat, probably the closest they would ever feel to being back in the Sand Realm for some time. They took their clothes down to the galley, where some of their crewmates were already eating breakfast. They dumped their clothes at the near end of the table and crossed the galley into the kitchen to retrieve their plates. Lilly greeted them with a smile, and Biluf smiled back. Layna tried to copy her, but she always found it difficult to smile for the sake of politeness. She had once caught Flower commenting that her weak attempt made her look sick. Even Biluf would occasionally tease her for not being used to smiling this way.

Lilly was nicer about it. "Well, I feel ya got the shape right today," she said in her strange dialect of Hylian. "You don't gotta show your teeth. Just a thin line will do." Layna dropped the smile and busied herself with gathering breakfast. Although she never spoke Hylian to the crew, the crew had already established that she probably understood them just fine. They were not wrong; part of Layna's training was to be able to listen to and follow both Hylian and Goron languages in all their subtleties. However, Master Nway'an emphasized that even friends did not need to know that she comprehended these languages. Keeping this secret lured people into the false security that they could speak in front of her in their own tongue, which made information gathering easier. Not that there was much on the ship she did not know even without acknowledging to others that she understood Hylian; the Island Symphony was not an enemy camp, and the crew were not targets. They were horrible at keeping secrets, but they rarely had anything they needed to keep secret in the first place.

Boiled eggs, hash browns, grapefruit slices, and coffee. Layna skipped the coffee out of habit, simply because her first and last cup had led to a whole stash of bomb disappearing and the entirety of Master Nway'an's wardrobe being sold to women in Library Town. Her master had actually praised her for getting away with it; her only gripe was the lack of reason behind it all. Layna did not touch coffee again because she could not remember the rest of her antics that day; two skiffs had been disassembled and used as signs indicating a pool of Malgyorg that had been dug up near the camp, an event that Layna could connect to the other incidents tangentially at best. The fact that it had all been done while she had been naked was one fact that she was sure to be taking to her final grave.

They sat down, and Biluf gave her plate a cross look. "Do you want my egg?" she asked.

"Can you still not eat it?" Layna asked, not at all confused by her friend's dislike of boiled egg.

"I can't stand trying to eat something that looks like it could hatch at any moment," Biluf said as she used her spoon to scoop up the egg and deposit it on Layna's plate.

"You know," Dholit said as she slid next to Layna, her presence having been ignored up until now, "according to the Hylians, even human women bear eggs."

"Do we need to be grossed out by that Hylian science stuff again?" Biluf complained as she stabbed her spoon into her grapefruit. "We're trying to eat."

"I find it all fascinating," Dholit said, her usual smile decorating her face. "Could you imagine watching Hylian and Gilto women carrying their young around as eggs?"

"I don't want to, Dholit," Biluf said before taking a bite of grapefruit. "Please. Stop."

It was too late. Layna was already imagining a world where women carried eggs around until they hatched into babies. She pictured them large so that a mother would have to carry them in a sling or in the crook of their arm. She was not sure if human mothers needed to sit on the eggs, so she imagined leaving a cradle next to a fire to warm it for hatching. Of course, these thoughts overrode what she already knew about birthing, which she had discovered while spying on a yabbid in the process while she was nine. That had resulted in a battery of questions that Master Nway'an had forbidden her to ask. Layna looked at the pair of boiled eggs on her plate. Then she carefully pushed them away from the rest of her breakfast.

This caused Biluf to snap, "Layna, would you stop giving her credence!" This caused Layna to start. She snatched up one egg and shoved it into her mouth.

"Oh, Layna…" Dholit cooed. She sliced apart her own egg and skewered it on her fork. Layna (as well as Line and Lawrence, who were sitting nearby) became entranced as Dholit slowly brushed her thick lips against the egg, as if kissing it, before taking a bite. Line, sitting on the opposite side of the table, fell backward onto the floor, having fainted once again. Dholit swallowed and told Layna, "It must feel so confusing to be such a sheltered woman."

"She, like anyone else in the tribe, has had her individual training," Biluf argued. "She should not be teased just because she does not know the ten major positions for sleeping with a male like you."

"There are twelve, actually," Dholit replied, her wicked smile growing. "And, being the apprentice of a bomb maker, I wonder why it is that you should know about sex while your assassin friend doesn't." Layna's expression turned into a flat look. Dholit caught the change in the corner of her eye and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? So you know which one begets pregnancy? Which—"

"Stop!" Biluf snapped, holding up a hand. "Let's just say that Layna's knowledge is just technical and leave it at that. I wanna eat in peace."

"Technical?" Dholit said, her voice still carrying her mischievous tone. Layna directed her attention to the stairs as she perceived a familiar set of footfalls descending to the galley. "I am interested in technical things. Perhaps we should share notes."

"Shut up, Dholit," Biluf told her, her voice restrained. Dholit opened her mouth again.

"Dholit, whatever it is, let it go."

Dholit gave a confused look and glanced over her shoulder in search of the Hylian speaker. My Captain had just walked past, one hand tapping her shoulder to get her attention. She spun around on the bench. "Good mohning, My Captain," she said with a delightful tone. "I think you should like to join ouh convehsation. You could leahn something."

"Not while Biluf looks like she's gonna beat you to a pulp," My Captain called across the galley. Then he leaned to the other side when he saw Line on the floor. "Line, what are you doing?"

"Checking for flies," Line replied.

"We don't get flies here," My Captain told him in a flat tone.

"So nothing to worry about then," Line said as he stood up.

"'Less Dholit eats 'nother egg," Lawrence joked.

"That's about as much as I wanna know," My Captain said.

"I don't know why he is so reluctant," Dholit told Layna and Biluf in Geltoan. "You two at least thought me eating that egg was alluring, right?"

"Only because you won't let our hormones settle down," Biluf replied. "Now will you please stop it? Let us eat one meal in peace."

"Shall I save it for your after-meal entertainment?" Dholit suggested.

"Save it for My Captain," Biluf told her. "He might appreciate it, although I'd rather he threw you overboard."

"Do you think he would enjoy that?" Layna asked.

This caused both Biluf and Dholit to freeze and look at her. Layna immediately felt their staring eyes putting pressure on her and shrunk into her seat a little. Dholit shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Oh, Layna, how subtle your affections are…" she teased.

"Just forget it, Layna," Biluf told her. "There is nothing erotic about eating."

"Well," Dholit huffed. "That all depends on what is being eaten."

"Oh, stop it."

…

Layna eventually agreed that there did not seem to be much sexual appeal to eating, although she had long ago determined that Dholit could make anything look erotic. This only made it more difficult to pin down My Captain's interests.

After breakfast, they dressed and relieved the deck crew. Their first duty after taking over the shift was to inspect the ship's rigging as Dubbl had instructed them. This was something they did often during the day, although this first inspection was much more thorough. Layna made notes which lines were taut, which were loose, and which ones would be able to hold her should she need to pull herself into the rigging. Admittedly, this last one was for her own information and was not frequently shared with her crewmates. Today, only one shroud was showing signs of wear, although Dubbl had already noted it and said it would be good for a little longer.

Other than that, and unless ordered otherwise, the three Gelto had deck patrol. It mainly meant that their duty was to walk the deck and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary while also being on-hand for other tasks, such as changing the rigging, hauling in the mooring lines, or operating one of the three capstans on the main deck. Should someone come aboard, they had to inform My Captain or Leynne or whoever had been left in charge. For Biluf and Dholit, this was dull and a waste of time.

For Layna, though, it was a chance to relax. Even sleeping brought its own tension, what with needing to be on alert should an emergency (or thievery) arise. On-duty, it was as if she was given a reprieve from being an assassin for half the day. She would not allow this to leave her completely vulnerable, though. She would spend the first two hours walking about the deck and enjoying the sights along the port in her own way. Then she would put herself on alert, studying the different sounds and smells she could detect from the ship. She had familiarized herself with most of the other islands in the sky kingdom in this way, so if she ever found herself forced from the Island Symphony, she would at least know her location. Skyrider Port was easy; being the home of the Skyrider Airship Company, this was one of My Captain's frequent destinations. She would repeat relaxing and studying throughout her shift, a routine within a routine that kept her occupied with her job while satisfying her training.

Layna generally did not like talking during her shift. It was mostly because the only ones she could talk to were Biluf and Dholit. While she meant no offense to either of them, she was used to the idea of not speaking unless necessary while she was working, whether as an assassin or an airman. This also saved her from Dholit's teasing as a bonus, although Dholit was often busy harassing others during the shift.

Only about an hour into the shift, long after the rigging inspection had been done, Layna perceived someone on the boarding plank nearby. She glanced down to see Captain Alfonzo, My Captain's father, approaching. Fully aware of nautical courtesy, Layna quickly stiffened her stance and offered a salute once the captain set foot on the deck.

This left Alfonzo a little confused, still not used to his son's mixed crew. He dismissed the salute and added with a hint of uncertainty, "Thank you? Airman? Is your captain aboard?"

"Yes, My Lord," Layna replied.

"Oh," Alfonzo grunted. "You're one of the ones that doesn't speak Hylian."

"Aah," Dholit said as she approached. "The lovely Captain Alfonzo. An uncommon pleasuah."

"Oh, great," Alfonzo said. "The one that does."

"At youh sahvice, as always, saah," Dholit told him with a bow.

"I need to speak with your captain," Alfonzo said. "Is he around?"

"I believe… ah, yes, theah he is, rushing to youh defense." Layna had already heard My Captain hustling across the deck and only looked over her shoulder just to appear unaware.

"Dholit, go back to your duty," My Captain snapped, one hand indicating that she should leave.

"Yes, My Captain," Dholit said as she slowly slid away.

"Welcome aboard, sir," My Captain said as he gave Alfonzo a salute.

"Can it, Link," Alfonzo said in a harsh tone. "We need to talk."

My Captain gave a sigh and dropped the salute. "Yes, sir…"

"Link, your ship has been docked here for nearly a week. I've been to Rake Island and back twice, and you're still sitting here."

"Sir, Rake Island is barely a few hours away," My Captain argued.

"You're supposed to be taking on jobs, Link. What's going on?"

"That's the thing, sir. I can't get a job. For some reason, none of the local vendors have cargo to transport."

"Rake Island and back. Twice."

My Captain sighed. "None of the vendors want us to transport for them. I can't figure out why. I had two vendors pull out once they heard who I was, and no one else I go to wants to deal with me."

"Did you file grievances through the company?"

"Of course I did, but it doesn't do much for the ones who claim they don't have jobs. I've tried every posting on this side of the island. I was gonna try looking at some of the other vendors."

"You do that, and I'll have some of my boys look into this issue for you. I'd think that the crew that saved the kingdom could at least get a job or two around here."

"Doesn't seem to be a selling point."

Alfonzo slapped My Captain's shoulder, causing him to wince. Layna had learned months ago that, although he caused physical pain, he did not mean it as an attack, so she did not need to jump on him and hold a knife to his throat. Again. She still wished he would not do that. "Don't worry, Link," Alfonzo told him. "We'll get you a job if I have to squeeze it out of them."

"I really hope it doesn't come to that," My Captain groaned to himself as Alfonzo turned and walked back down the plank. He turned and looked up at Layna. "How would you like to have your dad butt in while you're at work?" Layna blinked in confusion. Was he talking about her job as an airman or her life-long occupation as an assassin? Not that she could give a feasible answer in the first place; she never knew either of her parents. As a Gelto, she was lucky if she ever met her father. As an assassin, she had to be separated from her mother and any other family at a young age. Being unsure of her family history had long left Layna with the impression that she had popped into existence just so Master Nway'an had someone to torture. My Captain did not wait for an answer anyway; he slowly walked away with his eyes cast down to the deck.

Layna finished watching the deck and mounted the port mizzen-mast another hour later. Being on the south shore of Skyrider Port offered only a faint hint of a nearby lake to the scant scents in the air. She could hear airmen conversing, laughing, and cussing from the nearby vessels and along the port. Four fights broke out with fellow airmen egging the competitors on. She caught Flower watching the closest fight from the poop deck. Although the lack of attention was ideal should Layna need to take Flower down, My Captain had recently complained about the crew being distracted by one thing or another that just happened to be occurring ashore, causing his crew to pause their vigil. The most recent episode had caused a collision with a pier, so My Captain had told Layna to do something if she ever saw one of the crew letting their concentration wander. After having been told that drugging and stashing an offender in the boat deck was not an option, Layna had taken Biluf's alternative idea and interpreted it as My Captain's standing order. She pulled a pebble from a pocket and flicked it. The pebble struck the back of Flower's head, its impact just enough to startle Flower and cause him to turn around. Of course, by the time he tried to find her, Layna had dropped in front of the mast with her fingers wrapped around the line connecting the main- and mizzen-masts. She waited until the pressure of his wandering gaze lifted, and then she peered out of seclusion to see that he had returned to his patrol.

Lunch had been timed to coincide with the switch in Layna's routine. However, while the deck crew were dismissed one by one according to Leynne's schedule, Layna had different lunch plans. As another method to keeping her skills sharp, Biluf had made an arrangement with the night crew. Layna was only allowed to go below deck during the lunch rotation (lasting a whole hour). Her plate, set up by Lilly and left on the dining table in the galley, was being guarded by Gold, Twali, Lwamm, and Harley. Layna had to get to the plate and eat at least half of it without any of the night shift seeing her. She was not allowed to drug them, and they were not allowed to hide her plate (having been warned that she might forego knocking them out and kill whoever tried). Biluf offered up a standing pool of two-weeks' pay to the person who caught Layna. Layna's reward was just her own lunch, which she would be without if she was seen. So far, Layna had only lost one day when My Captain had called for her in the cargo hold, where Twali had been waiting. Layna had not debated this; if she had anticipated My Captain calling her, she might have made her attempt earlier.

She used the boat deck to change and stash her outer clothing. Even though the day crew was not part of the activity, Layna knew better than to trust people the rules did not mention. Dholit was the first to go below for lunch, and Layna crossed the deck atop the starboard masts and dropped behind the stairs. After Biluf's attention was away from it, she slipped toward the doors behind the forecastle. The latch had not been repaired since the fight with Cunimincus' crew at Autumn Island, so Layna just slid through the door and descended to the narrow space that she had heard Leynne call the "machine deck". Sandwiched between the weather deck and the hold, the machine deck housed the mechanical wonders that made the Island Symphony unique. The controls for the helm took up most of the space below due to their complicated workings, having to turn all six masts at the same time with the ease of adjusting only one. Just behind the forecastle was an additional set of gears which disengaged the wheel from the masts and allowed the capstan to open the sails outward for travel in the Sky Lines. Sidled up between these and the hull were two ballast tanks with pipes sharing hot Loft Steam between them and the fore and aft tanks. Further back, towards about where the rear bulkhead of the cargo hold should be, were the machines used to open and close the outboard spars with the aft capstans. Their complex, crisscrossing members made sliding through the deck much harder due to taking up more space between the decks. Layna knew she had to be very careful climbing through the machines; even though no one was actually manning the helm or the capstans, some of the larger devices still moved. Her arm could be crushed by a pair of gears, her leg could be caught in a line, or she could burn herself on one of the ballast's extremely hot pipes. No one knew she was down here, so no one would know for a while if one of these machines snagged her.

Naturally, there was an advantage to this. At the back of the machine deck were the hot elements of the ship's engine. None of these could be allowed to touch the hull lest they set fire to the ship, nor could their metal supporting members block off airflow and become too hot themselves to mount to the ship's structure. This allowed Layna the freedom to slip past the aft ballast tank and its heating element into the engine room itself. Here, she had affixed a spare metal wire thick enough to hold her weight and loose enough that, as she fit her hands through it, it pulled itself out of the gap between deck planks. She used one of the wires hidden in her sleeve to control herself as she dropped to the catwalk above the engine room's main deck. This was a tricky process; if she did not time her fall right, the heavier wire would rebound into the deckhead and catch the weight attached to her sleeve wire, causing the smaller wire to snap and drop her to the floor. Not only would she lose stealth, she could hurt herself on any one of the bottles or open crates left by the drunk engineer. However, it was precisely those kinds of odds Layna had been trained to beat, and she smoothly landed on the catwalk with little sound. The weight retracted into her sleeve, and she slid over to the galley door with the engine room crew none the wiser.

She had lubricated the door a while back, allowing her to slowly push it open and peer inside. Lilly and Cale were seated at the table in the middle of the galley. They sat at the nearer end to the kitchen, and they shared the table with Dholit and Twali, who both sat at the middle of the table. Between Dholit and Twali was an extra plate. Dholit was talking, but Layna could tell that Twali kept her attention focused on the plate. Instead, she could hear Lwamm providing retorts to Dholit's comments from her seat at the foot of the starboard stairs. Layna had suspected that they had not changed tactics even though they were not succeeding. She could have easily gotten past Lwamm and Twali in this arrangement without having to traverse the machine deck. The only issue was that they had left Gold and Harley to watch both sets of stairs from the cargo hold, and she could have easily passed them by waiting until the two were bored enough to start a conversation. Had the Gelto and Hylians switched positions, Layna would have to use the machine deck anyway since Twali and Lwamm were not stupid or sympathetic enough to let her slip by otherwise. She would have to remember this arrangement; the less she had to use the machine deck, the less she had to worry about My Captain scolding her for doing something so dangerous.

THERE!

Layna slid through the door and let it shut quietly. Then she dashed across the deck, her footfalls silenced by technique and bare feet. Taking advantage of the fact that the table was wider than necessary, she ducked into the gap at the end of the table, careful to not touch either Cale's or Lilly's legs. She had to wait a moment for Lilly to stop sliding the sole of one bare foot up and down Cale's leg from under his trouser leg. Then she crawled past them toward the middle of the table.

Layna then paused to listen to the conversation above her. Dholit was relating the same story about human eggs to Lwamm and Twali (with Lwamm providing skepticism). Although Twali was not talking, Layna knew that Twali would not look under the table unless she suspected that Layna was already in the galley. Unfortunately, it also meant that Twali was still watching at Layna's plate, staring hard enough that Layna could swear feeling Twali's eyes boring a hole through the table. There was a reason Twali was still the poop deck lookout after almost a year; nothing escaped her attention. Layna tried hard to think of a way of distracting Twali, but anything she could think of immediately would tip Twali off.

"Dholit, we're trying to catch Layna here," Lwamm snapped, causing Layna to tense at the sound of her name. "Twali doesn't wanna listen to you, and I don't wanna listen to you. Just shut up."

"I just thought I would add my usual personality to the situation," Dholit replied. "After all, are you two not fooling yourselves just waiting to catch a shadow? I can think of better things to do."

"Yeah, we know, Dholit," Lwamm said. "This isn't just about us. Biluf says it's good for Layna, too."

"Perhaps," Dholit said, "but does Twali have to stare at the plate?"

"Layna can't win if Twali's watching her plate."

"Can I at least gift her with a foot game?"

"Touch me and die, Dholit," Twali finally spoke up.

"Wanna indulge me, then?" Dholit asked.

Layna glanced back to see that Lilly and Cale had returned to their own foot game. This gave Layna a rather unique idea, although she had to admit that she would prefer to simply drug everyone in the galley instead of following through. As it was against the rules, Layna understood that she would now have to live by Master Nway'an's most despicable maxim: "Finish the job regardless".

Cringing in the slightest way possible, Layna balanced herself on one leg while pressing her stomach against the bottom of the table. She glanced down her side as she carefully reached her left foot toward Twali's calf. She had to angle it as best as possible in order to make her think that Dholit was taking the liberty of teasing her. If this worked, Twali would be tense enough that she would get away from Dholit as soon as possible. She hoped that Twali would make the assumption, or else she might look under the table and find Layna. She still had to work up the courage to touch Twali; she did not quite understand what was erotic about touching another under a table with one's feet, but the idea still left her feeling quite disgusted with herself. After taking a slow, deep breath to steel herself, she hooked her foot around Twali's leg and gently rubbed her calf.

Twali was quick to react, and Layna pulled herself under the table's surface using the legs to keep herself suspended. Twali jumped to her feet, causing Lilly to cry out when the bench jerked. One breath, two breaths, and no one said a word.

"Switch with me," Twali said.

"Huh?" Lwamm asked.

"Switch with me," Twali repeated in a harsher voice. Layna watched Twali's legs disappear from her side of the table. "I'm sick of her."

"Twali," Lwamm said in a calm voice, "she's only down here for a few minutes, and then someone else will relieve her." Layna alighted on the floor and, knowing where her plate was, hooked her arm up through the position where Twali had been sitting. "Hurry and sit back down; Layna could be here any minute."

Lilly had chosen to make grilled cucco strips and assorted steamed greens, both finger food perfect for eating on the run. Layna shoveled half of the vegetables into her mouth and, after nearly swallowing them whole, put two of the cucco strips between her lips. Then she put the plate on Twali's seat and slid back toward Lilly and Cale. Eating on the run was another part of Nway'an's training; she openly denied Layna food and punished Layna for eating from her own plate until Layna learned how to steal from the plate and eat before Nway'an could catch her. The cucco strips were gone by the time she pressed herself to the underside of the table near Cale and Lilly.

"Oh, you're kidding me!" Twali snapped. She picked up Layna's plate and showed it to Dholit. "Thanks a lot, Dholit! She beat us again!" Layna heard the plate fall onto the table. "C'mon, Lwamm! Let's get out of here. You can tell the men you lost us the game."

"I can be a consolation prize!" Dholit called after them.

"Go away!" Lwamm hollered as Dholit chased them toward the stairs. Layna waited for a moment. Then, once she felt that Cale and Lilly were no longer looking at the stairs, she slipped into Twali's seat and proceeded to finish her plate at a comfortable pace. After all, no one said she could not eat the whole plate once her targets had stormed off. Cale and Lilly only noticed her sitting there when more noise from above caught their attention, and they cried out in surprise at seeing her.

Afterwards, Layna was not worried about stealth as she rejoined the deck crew for the afternoon. She dressed and performed her usual patrol on-deck with very little to actually do. Later, she climbed up the port mizzen-mast for her usual observations. She watched Cale handle arrangements for their usual supplies and foodstuffs. It was not a large exchange; most of the crates Flower and Biluf subsequently took below were small enough for each of them to carry. It was probably another result of not taking a job recently, as she could not remember ever seeing such a small supply.

The sun hung low on the western horizon, not close enough to color the sky red yet, when someone boarded the ship. He was a fat man with a full, black beard. The red shirt stretched over his belly made him look like a toy ball to Layna. His slacks, being khaki and well-pressed, were a common sign of a business owner.

As Leynne was nearby, he was the first to approach the man. "Can I help you, sih?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Captain Link," the man said in a gravelly voice, his tone quite far from friendly. "I've got a bone to pick with him."

Layna felt something in her stomach clench. She moved to the shroud holding up the port mizzen-mast and climbed a little lower.

"Captain!" Leynne called toward the forecastle.

From where Layna was, she did not have a clear view of the forecastle, but she heard My Captain jogging across the deck in response. "Yeah, Leynne?" he asked.

"Are you responsible for this?" the man asked, holding up a sheet of parchment.

"Aaaah," My Captain droned. "Yeah, I filed that with the company this morning."

"What the hell is this crap?" the man snapped. "One of your airmen showed me this and said I'm 'on notice'! What does that mean?!"

"Denial of service, I think," My Captain replied. "It means that, because you pulled a job from us multiple times, your name will go on the register for local businesses not allowed to contact the Skyriders for further transport needs."

"You are denying me?! I keep half of your company employed! I didn't have any trouble with this until you showed up!" Layna's grip on the shroud tightened; she did not like the man pointing a finger in My Captain's face.

"You made business arrangements with me, and then you backed out," My Captain explained in an even voice. "I had a duty to report the action."

"We had no arrangement!" the man argued.

"You'll recall that I was at youh office yestehday, Misteh Brook," Leynne spoke up.

"Because I thought you were the captain!" Brook replied. Layna could hear the tension rising in his voice and started rolling down the sleeve of the hand still holding the shroud. "You made an arrangement under false pretenses!"

"You broke an ahrangement made in good faith," Leynne argued with a level tone. "I cleahly identified my captain by name. I made no false pretenses."

"This won't hold up in a court!" Brook hollered.

"Ah, I see," Leynne said. "So, ratheh than admit that you'h an idiot, you would prefeh to allow the company to exclude youh business from regulah operations and then ahgue the legality in couht. While still admitting that you'h an idiot."

"It's your word against mine," Brook replied, one finger just barely touching Leynne's nose. "You have nothing."

"I think you'll find youhself in a similah position if you touch eitheh of us," Leynne said. "If youh intention is to take the matteh to couht, I believe you've made youh notice. You should leave."

"Ooooh, no," Brook replied. "Not until you apologize. And you!" He turned the hand back to My Captain. "You'd better remove me from that list, or I'll own your ship."

CONTACT! Brook punctuated his statement by jabbing his finger into My Captain's chest. With every fiber of her being crying out with wrath in that single moment, Layna leapt from the shroud.

Then her other personality took over. The personality that lived for the kill. The personality that pushed aside every concern, every emotion to ensure the kill. The personality that knew to change her trajectory using a sleeve wire before accidentally crushing the man under her fall. Hooking the wire to the backstay gave her a curve to slow her descent and angle her attack. Her opposite hand already gripping a shuriken dropped from the sleeve she had left rolled up, she slammed into the man's back hard just as Leynne was taking a step backward. Whump! The man toppled with a cry of surprise that was immediately choked off when Layna, latched to his back, slipped the shuriken under his beard.

"LAYNA, NO!" My Captain screamed at her.

"H-hey, what's goin—hup!" Brook tried to say before Layna increased pressure on his jugular vein.

My Captain was about to say more, but Leynne held up a hand. "Well, well, Misteh Brook," Leynne said with a hint of amusement. "I see you've met ouh resident assassin. Oh, don't talk; she may rip out youh throat."

"Are you k—hak!" Layna increased pressure again to make Leynne sound more credible. Realistically, she could only effectively rip out the man's throat after he was dead. She would bleed him from the neck first to ensure his death. However, as Nway'an had pointed out, no one really needed to know the specifics of her methods.

"I said not to talk," Leynne told him. "It seems we have a dilemma, don't we? You want the Skyridehs to disregahd the insult you've made towahd theih favorite captain on the wohd that you weh duped into making a business ahrangement. Ouh little killeh would like to slay you foh putting youh hand on the same captain. Shall we listen to that captain befoh we have a tragedy?" Brook did not respond. "Excellent! Captain?"

"Right," My Captain replied, his tone sporting ire. He cleared his throat and tugged his tunic into place. "Mister Brook, when the company decides to deny someone airship services, it's because they already have complaints filed against them. Mine may have put you on the list, but I'm pretty sure you earned your way there. You'll be cleared for service in four months; I believe that's the usual wait period. If you don't want this to happen again, then I suggest you turn my company down before you make another arrangement, or else you'll go right back on that list. Do you understand?"

"Uh huh," Brook replied with a weak voice.

"Now," Leynne spoke up. "Technically, you've assaulted my captain in front of witnesses. I suggest that you drop youh intentions of dragging the matteh into couht befoh the events of this evening ah used in ouh defense. Afteh all, it's youh wohd against ouhs." Both Brook and Layna looked up to see that most of the deck crew had surrounded them in response to the commotion. "Undehstood?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Layna, get off him," My Captain said. Layna did as she was told. Brook bumbled back to his feet and turned to glance at her. "You're done here, Mister Brook. Don't expect to see any of my crew ever again. Get off my ship."

Brook, after Layna moved out of his way, took two steps toward the gangplank. Then he turned and said, "You know, technically, your 'assassin' assaulted me. What's keeping me from bringing that up in court?"

"Like my captain said," Leynne answered just as My Captain opened his mouth. "You won't see any of this crew eveh again. Sleep well, Misteh Brook."

Brook gave Leynne a confused look. Then he met Layna's gaze. What he found was an empty stare, eyes completely void of emotion to the point that they seemed to consume another's feelings. Brook paled. Had it not been for his gelatinous girth, he might have gotten away with hiding the shiver that scrambled up his spine. He turned again to take two steps down the gangplank.

Someone nearby snapped their fingers. It was not a loud sound, but Layna had already learned to equate it with the need for her to disappear from sight again. She took a step back so that she was out of everyone's immediate line of sight. Then she jumped at the shroud behind her and used her arms to lunge straight for the top of the mast. By the time Brook thought to glance back at them, she was holding the stay between the mizzen-masts and hiding from his sight behind the sail. She still had a view from between the mast and the sail, so she also had the opportunity to watch him run down the gangplank and up the dock in a manner his large body should not have been capable of. It was only after he disappeared into the crowd that the Hylian members of the crew broke out into laughter.

Layna pulled herself on top of the mast and stood up. She let her other personality, her "normal" personality, return to the surface and take a relieved breath. Very little ever seemed to provoke her like the scene a moment ago, but, when it did, her killer personality took over so fast that her immediate actions were pure instinct. It was more evidence that Layna was no longer the assassin she had trained all her life to be; her personality should have switched the moment she suspected a confrontation. However, she assured herself that she still had enough control to not kill automatically. And at least Leynne was used to her ambushing people; she realized that he had anticipated her actions and even warned Brook.

Layna spent the last two hours of her shift patrolling the deck. This included a few minutes of checking that the running rigging was secure since they still had not taken up a job for the day. About the only issue to arise before the end of her shift was a young airman boarding on the mistaken presumption that the Island Symphony was his assigned vessel. It was one of the few times Layna had actually resisted jumping an intruder, although Dholit felt the need to point out that the airman might have been happier if she had.

Dubbl and Lwamm relieved Layna, Biluf, and Dholit at dinnertime, and they subsequently went below to the galley. The plate was pasta with sliced tomatoes and cheese sauce. She did not like tomatoes, so she sat next to Cale and, when he turned away to talk to Lilly, slipped her tomatoes onto Cale's plate. She could still taste the tomatoes in her food, but she found it at least tolerable. Cale started to get suspicious about all the tomatoes he was eating, so Layna had to ditch one slice onto Biluf's plate and threw one down the table onto Line's plate.

Biluf finally spoke up after watching the throw, clueless regarding the extra on her own plate. "Layna, wouldn't it be easier to just put the tomatoes on the side?" she asked with a hint of irritation. "Or at least tell Lilly you don't like them?"

"Hmm," Layna said as she looked down at her half-finished plate. "I never considered it."

"Never con—how long have you been doing that?!" Biluf snapped.

Layna just blinked at her for a moment, surprised by the rise in her voice. "I have done it since Lilly joined the crew," she answered. "That was when I discovered tomatoes."

"She cuts them smaller than this," Biluf pointed out. "How have you been ditching those?"

"When I cannot hide them on another's plate, I throw them in a person's mouth whenever the eater prepares for a bite."

Biluf glared at her for a moment. "Including me?"

"I know better," Layna told her before taking a bite.

"Good," Biluf said, although her tone indicated that she was not completely convinced. Layna did not think she should be, either, because, sometimes, Biluf was the most convenient mouth to throw chopped tomatoes into. Talking with Dholit during dinner usually left her vulnerable enough to simply flick a bit of tomato inside before Biluf could close her mouth.

It was not as if this was a weakness, however. While Layna would eat them if necessary, she found more value in trying to ditch tomatoes on others. After all, she could not actually poison the crew without someone objecting or dying.

After dinner, Biluf and Layna each took a water ration and used it to wash the day's sweat out of their hair; the Gelto only had one sponge, and tonight was Dholit's turn to bathe with it. Since this took place in the berth deck, they stripped down to their undersuits and went to bed after they were done. However, Layna stayed awake until Lilly finished her own routine and came to sleep. She still could not go to sleep because Flower and Line had started an argument on the men's side. She had to be the last to go to sleep as a matter of her training. It was the only way she actually would go to sleep; she had spent nights resisting sleep in a disturbed contest with Nway'an, a contest which she would be beaten for if she went to sleep before Nway'an. What had made it more difficult was not being able to see others nearby, so she had had to learn to listen to people's breathing to tell once they were sleeping. She was even good enough to tell when someone was faking being asleep.

Which seemed to have been Line's intention this evening. With the lights turned out in their row of berths, Line had probably assumed it was a sign that Layna, Dholit, Biluf, and Lilly had fallen asleep. Layna had to admit that he was smart enough to know that he should wait a little longer after the light went out to invade their space. However, his stealth was still so sloppy that Nway'an would have probably written him off as useless and cast him into the desert just to be rid of him. He allowed his shadow to show before he appeared at the head of the row. He only hunched low, not trying to hide as he snuck through the electric light cast from before the berthing deck's doorway. And he stepped on the loose board just as he was passing her berth. Yet he persisted, completely in spite of having already given himself away.

Layna carefully flipped over to face the outside of her berth. She slid a single needle out and flicked it at him from under her covers. Line jerked to a stop when he felt the needle in his lower back through his undersuit. He slowly turned around, but Layna had already slipped into the corner of her berth not visible to him. He gave an almost inaudible groan, and Layna felt the intensity of his eyesight lift from her berth. So she lunged out into the row and caught him in one arm before he could fall to the deck. She carefully sat him on the deck.

Then she glanced down at herself, her copper skin covered by shadow, scars, and plain, black bikini briefs. She felt her cheeks grow hot as her irritation with Line worsened.

His antics had forced her to expose herself to the cold air.

So she picked him up using his undersuit for handholds and dragged him out of the women's row. She walked down one of the empty rows and pulled open the storage closet at the end. She set him in the closet and left the door open just enough that light from the far end of the row would show him where to get out once he woke up. He would make a racket when he woke, which would serve to scare him and earn him the ire of the rest of the crew; this was not the first time she stashed him in the closet.

She could not stand her goose flesh any longer and returned to her hammock as soon as possible. With the rest of the crew finally sleeping, she allowed herself to drift out of consciousness.

…

Tale #18 of the Island Symphony – END

NOTICE: This is an in-canon story. And pretty much evidence that Layna is about as innocent as you expected.