Chapter 2: The Sentiments of a Heart and Azaleas (Ch. 2 of 5)
Tony follows after her silently watching as she expertly climb over fallen trees and navigate through the dense woods.
"So...you have legs."
"Uh-huh," she replies as she briefly glance back to him.
She was well aware of where he was going to try to direct the conversation to. She sighs with a soft smile as she looks back ahead.
"Am I allowed to ask?"
Another glance behind herself and she smiles playfully at him.
"I'd prefer if you didn't."
He moves quickly to walk beside you, leaning in close with a teasing smirk.
"But you know I'm going to anyway, right?"
He winks and she can't help but laugh. This human is so very strange. Not once has he mentioned anything about the flesh of a mermaid and its supposed gift of immortality. Instead he seems rather enraptured with the presence of her legs. She could hardly fathom why. Perhaps she had simply failed in all her prior journeys to recognize just how fond humans were of their legs.
"So honestly, love, how in the seven seas did you manage that and why only you?"
She gives him a sidelong glance before smiling tiredly at him.
"It really isn't my place to say."
"Is that so?"
She nods as she climbs over a large tree trunk, carefully sliding down its rotting bark. The leaves crunch pleasantly beneath her toes and she smiles at the sound.
"Do you go there often? The village I mean."
"No. I've only ever been to Amore four times in my life, this being the fourth."
"Is their navy fairly large or is it pretty mediocre?"
"A navy?" She stops herself to look at him with perplexed eyes.
"You know, authority, to serve and protect, long live Amore!"
She eyes the brunette man as though he'd lost his mind before bursting into a fit of laughter, arms wrapping about her waist as tears sprung into her eyes. Tony feigns to be wounded and it only serves to make her laugh harder. He chuckles alongside her giggles and they both have to seek a tree to obtain bodily support.
"I never realized I was so humorous."
She nods happily as she wipes the tears from her eyes, "I've never met a human quite so amusing!"
Tony smiles as he watches her struggle to get her bearings and catch her breath. He's found that he's quite taken with her. An unexplainable walking phenomenon. Her voice is melodic to his ears—the sweetest of songs—and Tony begins to wonder if it'd really be all that bad to dragged to the bottom of the sea at the mercy of her hands. Perhaps that is what all his fellow seamen thought before they reached their untimely demise.
"There! There it is! Just a little further!"
Tony isn't sure when she managed to move so far ahead, but he sees her now standing on a fallen tree, waving her hands wildly in an effort to garner his attention before pointing to the small village in the distance.
Amore is pleasant village, with children bounding across the streets chasing one another and friendly street vendors, not to mention boutiques in which Tony could acquire Saffron as well as himself some clothes because they both were bound to draw much too much attention dressed as they were—the cunning pirate always kept gold coins in his boots and lucky they were still put even after having been washed ashore.
Everyone greets Saffron as she passes by—a tip of a hat, a nod, or a curtsey. She loved it. To them she was just another human, nothing out of place, not a dark creature from the depths of the ocean. Just another girl and that made it all the more wondrous. Tony watched her as she practically made it her personal mission to touch and observe as much as she could. For a mermaid with legs, Saffron certainly didn't get out much.
"Oh, Anthony! Look at this!"
Saffron swiftly snatches up his hand and drags him to a small and quaint cart bursting and flourishing with colorful florae. She bends close to inhale the sweet scents and sighs as the fragrance rose.
"It must be nice to have these all the time!"
Tony looks to the flowers with a raised brow and thinned lips. Honestly he didn't care. He was a man of the water. Flowers weren't exactly an aspect of the equation. Still, the innocent and sparkling gaze in her eyes all but forced him to nod and agree with a smile. Saffron nods ecstatically and the elderly couple who owned the cart chuckle.
"How sweet! You two must be newlyweds," the elderly woman says with a genuine and soft smile.
"What?" Saffron asks startled, taking a slight step back and turning to look at Tony, "No, we're—!"
"You bet'cha!" Tony says with a wink as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close, "She always gets a little embarrassed when ever people mention it though."
The elderly couple laughs alongside Tony and Saffron twists in his arms in an effort to get a better look at him, inadvertently pushing her body closer against his.
"Which bouquet is the best for my gal?"
The old man chuckles deeply before gesturing to a modest posy of purple azaleas.
"Most gents want to buy their ladies roses, but roses aren't for every girl," he moves to pick up the bouquet and hands it to his wife who holds it out for Saffron and Tony to better see, "Every woman is different."
"Azaleas symbolize temperance, passion and fragility. They also mean 'please take care of yourself for me.'"
The mermaid eyes the spectacular mauve plants, gently running a finger down the clipped stems. The man leans in close to Tony, both watching as Saffron and the elderly woman conversed about the flowers.
"From what I can tell, that one is almost too good to be true," the old man whispers and Tony snorts.
"You have no idea," he replies, eyes still on Saffron.
"She's gentle, but there's something fierce about her."
Tony nods. She'd been nothing but helpful—after all she did save his life—but she had been more than ready to fight him if he'd decided to harm her. Gentle and fierce indeed.
"I'll take 'em," Tony says firmly to the other man, handing him a silver coin.
The man chuckles softly as he gives Tony an almost fatherly smile, "She's really got you, doesn't she?"
Tony hums in thought before he moves again, "Saffron, let's go. We do have things to do."
His words seem to snap the pale red haired mermaid out of her daydreaming and fawning over the flowers and she steps back turning to follow after Tony who has already begun to leave.
"Don't forget your flowers, honey," the elderly woman says sweetly as she carefully places the posy in Saffron's arms.
"I think there's been some mistake. I don't—"
"No mistake, sweetheart. That charming husband of yours has already taken care of everything."
"Anthony?"
She eyes the woman dazedly before looking down to the bouquet and then to Tony's retreating back. He stops and turns to look back at her, gesturing with a jerk of his head for her to catch up.
"Uh…coming! Um…have a lovely day!"
"You too, sweetheart!"
With that Saffron quickly races after Tony, only slowing down when she's reached his side.
"Uh…thank you…for the flowers I mean."
He doesn't look to her, instead keeping his eyes forwards, almost as though he couldn't find it in himself to look at his new companion.
"Don't mention it."
"Okay…" Saffron nods slowly before looking ahead and a silence falls as they both walk.
Saffron attempts to entertain herself by drinking in the sights—so much has changed since her last visit—but her eyes always manage to veer back to Tony, who seems to be searching for something.
"What are you looking for exactly? Perhaps I could help you locate it."
"A tavern."
"A tavern?"
He nods once before he continues, "But not just any tavern. A tavern that would appeal to my mates."
She nods firmly and determined and begins to look around before she finally works up the courage and decide to ask.
"What's a tavern?"
Tony stops and looks to Saffron before laughing. He places a hand on her head, ruffling the slightly curling locks upon her head. Saffron pauses at the gesture, looking up to him inquisitively and he shakes his head as he continues to walk once more and she follows suit.
"It's just that you've been nothing but helpful. A far cry from all the things I've heard about you…well mermaids-sirens."
She looks to him with impressed wide eyes and he continues before she can ask.
"My father used to tell me that mermaids and sirens were one in the same, contrary to popular belief. That there was no difference between the two. Is that true?"
Saffron nods, "We are. Siren is just a name for the darkness that has consumed us…at least that's what I feel."
She turns her eyes down to the brick pavement and sighs softly before biting on her bottom lip.
"My sisters…"
Tony glances to her, but he says nothing not daring to speak lest he frighten her from the subject.
"My sisters mean well…it's just that times have been so cruel and it's become instinctual to…well you know."
Another sigh as she gazes wistfully at the flowers in her arms, "They just don't know what's up here. They've all forgotten that there's so much more to this world than our waters and I'm afraid they may never recall."
"Forgotten? You mean because they can't see what you see? " Tony asks softly, eyes briefly glancing down to Saffron's legs.
She hugs the bouquet close to her chest and shakes her head before nodding, "Yes and no. Ugh! It's complicated."
"I get it, trust me. I'm all too familiar with complicated."
The two both carry on walking down the street, keeping an eye out for the perfect tavern—Saffron still having no idea what a tavern was—but the silence is comfortable and she finds herself walking a lot closer beside Tony, silently slipping a her hand into one of his and if the man has any problem with it he certainly doesn't say anything.
The evening sun was beginning to fade, allowing the night in to take its place. They'd been wandering for quite some but no such luck. Saffron's legs were exhausted having been unaccustomed to being used for such long durations of time. But she'd found that she honestly didn't mind. The warmth of Tony's hand in hers was enough to keep her mind from the thought of exhaustion.
The sudden crash in the distance forces her to let out a muffled scream and quickly she turns her gaze to Tony, who only smirks in kind. He pats her lightly on her head before he pulls her along by her hand to the source of the noise, through a darkened alley. Saffron draws close to the pirate, the ominous aura of the area setting her nerves on edge. Tony tightens his grip around her hands, wordlessly calming her anxieties, as he led the way.
There's a man sitting before a wooden door, yellow light streaming out from beneath it. Tony immediately recognizes the man as harmless, simply drunkard who had obviously become too much trouble for the night. He then moves to the door and as he does so Saffron moves behind him.
"Don't worry, (y/n). This is the place we've been searching for."
Saffron nods uncertainly and Tony gives her his usual smirk, "Would I lie to you?"
"I don't know. Would you?" Her tone is playful, but there's an underlying hint of questioning, as though she were unconsciously seeking to know if he would indeed lead her astray.
Tony hasn't been around someone, other than his crew, who was quite so honest as Saffron. But the honesty of his crew was different. There was a genuine sincerity and innocence when it came to this girl. He'd traveled all seven seas and traversed just about every country and island, but never had he come across a mermaid, and even if he had Tony is certain she would never come close to being like Saffron. He moves laying a hand on the back of her neck , pulling her close to lay a kiss on her forehead.
"I would never lie to you."
Relief is evident on Saffron's face as she sighs, a smile slipping onto her lips, "Alright. I'll trust you then."
With that Tony pushes the door open the yellow light swallows them both whole. There is a slight aroma of smoke in the air, but it's mostly consumed by the scent of alcohol and the sound of lively chatter and off key chanting. Saffron quickly reaches out her free hand to grab onto Tony's coat, just in case.
Tony spots them almost instantly—loud: Thor, obnoxious: Clint, mediator: Bruce, and uncomfortable: Steve. The feeling of relief that washes over Tony is overwhelming, but he makes sure not to show any of it. Still he can't help the swiftness in his feet as heads over to the table. But Saffron stays put, instead opting to watch. As much as Tony didn't show his emotions, she could still feel them starting to rise up, feeling them in her fingers and her toes. It's poignant this sensation and her heart skips a beat. Surely he couldn't be…
Tony snatches up chair spinning it around to face the table. He sits in it backwards, legs spread out and arms resting on the back of the chair.
"So who wants to buy my drink?"
"Captain!"
The all exclaim at once, genuinely relieved to see their captain alive and well.
"What'd I tell ya! No way our Capt'n wasn't going drag his sorry ass to the safety of the shore!"
Tony politely offers Clint his middle finger with a smirk and the other man wastes no time to move and wrap a rough arm around Tony's neck.
"Captain. It is good to see you alive and well!" Thor relays as he slams a gleeful fist upon the table.
The drinks wobble and Bruce sighs and he looks from his drink that almost spilled to Thor, holing the mug tightly in his hand.
"As Thor was saying, we're all pleased to see you're alive," Bruce says calmly, but the smile on his lips lets Tony know just how reassured the other man is to see that he hadn't suffered at the hands of the sea.
Tony looks to Steve and he only nods with a slight smirk, "Welcome back, Captain."
Tony thanks Steve just as the busty 'waitress' leaves him with a fresh mug of brew and a saucy wink. Tony, who usually lived on such feminine temptations, paid her no mind instead searching the pub for his mermaid. He finds her and gestures for her to come over. Saffron chews lightly on her bottom lip before shaking her head. Tony rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers before pointing to the space in front of him, blatantly demanding that she do as she'd been told. Saffron shifts awkwardly before reluctantly drawing near, wary of running into or touching anyone. When she's within arm's reach, Tony stretches out a hand and tugs her close so that she's standing right at his side.
"Boys, I want you all to meet Saffron! Saffron, this here is my crew."
"Oh…uh…a pleasure to meet you," she all but mumbles.
"So this is what took you so long. And here I thought you were searching high and low for us, but instead you were picking up dames! Tony, you sly dog you!"
Saffron looks to Clint with puzzled eyes. It's apparent in his tone that whatever he's just said about her wasn't exactly endearing, but she doesn't quite understand his intended implication. Tony shakes his head as he stands to his feet and ruffles her pale red hair.
"Mind your tongue, Clint. Saffron isn't like that. She's a lady and a special one at that."
Saffron looks up to him with a sweet smile and the brunette can't help but smile back in kind.
As the two gaze at one another, Steve and Bruce notice the small bouquet of flowers in Saffron's hand before they look to one another. A ladies man their captain is indeed and he'd spend his riches on buying whatever would make women swoon, but he certainly did not buy flowers. Tony always claimed flowers were too personal, that they said a little too much, more than he was willing to offer.
Thor stands to his feet and takes Saffron's free hand, kissing it lightly. She flushed at the gesture but still managed a smile.
"A pleasure to meet you Milady. My name is Thor."
"It's nice to meet you, Thor."
He nods pleasantly before moving to acquire a chair for her, placing it beside Tony's chair and with a soft 'thank you', Saffron sits placing the flowers in her lap. Tony too sits back down as does Thor.
"So how exactly did you meet Saffron here?"
Saffron hurriedly looks to Tony, eyes silently pleading for his silence. But there's no need to do so, her honor is his bidding.
"She saved my life. Found me meandering through the water and made sure she dragged my dead weight to shore."
Tony pokes Saffron lightly in her side and she laughs twisting away for his touch. He smirks and his eyes seem to playfully ask if he'd done something. Saffron rolls her eyes with a smile.
"That was very kind of you, Miss. Allow me to be the first to thank you for saving his life."
Bruce words force up another bout of blushing, "There's no need to thank me! Anyone would've done the same."
" 'fraid not," Clint says with a grin and the shake of his head.
"True," Steve says with the nod of his head, " I suppose it explains why the Captain sees you as special."
"Oh, it gets better. Not only did she save my 'sorry ass'—as Clint so elegantly put it—dragging me from the jaws of death," Tony overacts his words and everyone laughs, "She also led me straight to you all and for that I am grateful."
"Honest, it was nothing," Saffron mumbles as she looks to the flowers in her lap.
"Indeed it was not 'nothing.' It means much to us and we all thank you," Thor adds.
Saffron could understand why Tony seemed so keen on finding his crew. They were all delightful humans—no—delightful people. Species had nothing to do with it. These men were simply nice people. She glances over to Tony, who's chatting animatedly with his men, and smiles. She really liked them all, but nowhere near as much as she liked Tony. It was such a shame that it was all to end soon. He no longer needed her. She had stayed true to her word and he had his men. It was a sorrowful thought to be parted from him so soon.
If only things were different. If only her sisters understood. If only she had been born human and so very mortal. Then perhaps…perhaps not.