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Laws of Attraction

[3]

The other travellers had long since turned in for the night, hiding indoors to escape the chill upon the deck as dusk turned into nightfall. Pyrrha had stuck around, though, basking in this new silence. It was comforting to have a moment of peace without others around, watching her constantly.

Leaning over the handrail upon the deck, she found that watching the waters was soothing. The waves rocked the boat gently as the ship travelled to the port on the Sanus continent. The depths below were dark, with the swirling foam, the breeze and the gentle rumble of the engine the only indications that they were still moving forward.

"Excuse me miss- you're Miss Nikos, correct?" a voice called, startling her out of her reverie.

Instinctively, she tensed up, dropping her center of gravity low to face this newcomer. However, her mind quickly reminded her of where she was, and the likelihood of having to fight someone hand-to-hand on a passenger ship was practically zero.

With that in mind, Pyrrha forced her panicked body to relax, turning to face the speaker with as casual of an expression as she could muster. Suddenly, she was extremely thankful for the dim lighting from the lanterns upon the deck- it hid her now-flushed face, red with embarrassment.

"Yes, that's me," she responded mildly, putting on a casual smile. However, she couldn't help but give away the hesitation in her tone as she tucked some hair behind her ear, taking a proper look at the speaker. "May I help you?"

Standing behind her was a deckhand, dressed simply in the standard sailor's striped uniform. He looked young, awkward, and likely around her age. The shyness was evident as he sheepishly awaited her invitation. The same stance had been repeated by countless other passengers that day- for her, it was tiring to even look at.

She gestured for him to join her. With a smile, the young man complied, leaning upon the railing beside the young warrior. Looking over the darkness of the water, he stated quietly, "Y'know, miss, I just got off my shift."

She raised a brow. "That must be nice!" she said politely, her confusion evident. "I guess you are finally free for the evening."

"Indeed I am, miss. It's pretty nice to not be on Cap'n's watch," the man admitted, smiling widely, eyes still fixated off in the distance.

Pyrrha watched the shadows play across the young man's calm face out of the corner of her eye, keeping her expression kind despite her jumbled thoughts. Why are you talking to me? her mind screamed as the man kept his silence. It was clear that he was a bit uncomfortable in her presence, just as most people were- he seemed to be trying to find the right words to say. She sighed internally, practically watching the man's thought process plainly appearing on his face.

However, it seemed like he was destined to surprise her this night. After a few minutes of nothing but the rumbling engine to fill the silence, the deckhand finally asked, "Miss Nikos, are you travelling alone?"

She frowned, unsure whether to feel uncomfortable or not with this stranger. "Why, yes," she admitted. Quickly, she realized how defeated she sounded. Unfortunately, Pyrrha Nikos was not allowed to sound defeated. Almost reflexively, she backtracked, "Well, no- I mean, there are lots of other people here I know! A few of us are all heading to school together, so-"

"Beacon Academy, right miss?"

She paused, then deflated slightly. Of course he knew about it- didn't everyone, by this point? "Yeah," she murmured, turning back to face the waters. "It's… going to be amazing."

"And yet," he commented slowly, casting a sidelong glance at her, "you don't seem the least bit excited."

"What?" she spluttered, shaking her head feverishly. "Of course I'm excited! I mean, think about it- I'm going to get to meet so many amazing people! The training program at Beacon is first-class, too. It'll definitely help me in achieving my dream!"

The deckhand smiled, albeit a little sadly, as he watched her try to recover her composure. "I see," he said, amused. "And what dream might that be, miss?"

"Well," she said, a dreamy smile lighting her face, "I want to be a Huntress. I want to help people- to give them hope." She grinned goofily, looking into her hands. "Yeah. More than anything."

"Isn't that what you're already doing, though? So many people think you're a hero, right? I know I do, miss- I saw the Mistral Regionals last year. Woowee, were they exciting!" he laughed.

The joy immediately drained out of her, hearing those familiar words replay in her mind once more. "You are Pyrrha Nikos. You have won fame, you have won prestige… you are their hero." She clenched her fists tightly, as if to crush those empty words. However, she kept her smile in place and her tone light as she said, "Why, thank you! I'm honoured that you'd remember my match."

The deckhand sighed. "You say that, miss," he murmured, "but with all due respect- you don't seem that satisfied with it, even though it's your dream. And that's a darn shame, ain't it?" He straightened up, stretching towards the sky. When he finally relaxed, it seemed like all his previous nervousness was gone, leaving behind a more confident figure. "I hope you find something that makes it all worthwhile for you, too, Miss Nikos. I'll be rooting for you!" With that, the young man pushed off the railing, stepped back, and gave her a little salute before sauntered off to the crew quarters.

She sighed as he left, slumping over the railing. Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing, focusing solely upon the vibration of the engine through her feet from below the deck, and the rhythmic rolling of the current. He was right, and she couldn't even deny it. In a way, she had achieved the first part of her dream- bringing hope to people.

But there was so much work in the world that needed to be done, and so many people that she wanted to help. Whether her fame would help or hinder her work in the future was yet to be seen- but with the skills of a Huntress, she knew she could make it work. She always made it work, after all.

She had to admit, though- it had been a long, long time since she had had such a genuine encounter. "Twelve more hours until I'm at Beacon. I've got to improve my poker face," she said ruefully to herself, a wistful smile playing on her lips. That conversation had been refreshing in its own way, despite it being very one-sided on the deckhand's part.

And here's to many more conversations like that. Although, she hoped that next time, her partner wouldn't be so awkward. That would be nice.