Helllllooooo, sorry for the long wait! Life has caught up to me and frankly it's trying to put my neck in a noose.
Anyways, hope you like the chapter. Enjoy.
Days began to go by, Jack and Alastia continued their silence toward each other. Days of sailing would go by as they would avoid each other by being on opposite ends of the ship. Days exploring towns or uncharted forests began with one of them keeping watch of the ship, while the other goes to explore.
They wouldn't even give each other a passing glance during those rare occasions of walking past each other, let alone sitting close at the dinner table in the ship. But at the same time, all they would think about is each other, and how they wish they can be close again.
Teague, the crew, and Jack who was coming along this time, finished venturing through a lush jungle and a channel of underground ruins, only to find red herrings and empty chests.
After a few loud swears from Teague and his men, they all returned to the ship, with the sky darkening and dinner being on everyone's mind. Back on the ship, the food began to cook, and plates were served.
Jack had grabbed his plate and went to go eat at the deck, followed by some crew men that had ship duty during today's search.
With the bunch circled around, and the oil lamp lit in the middle, Jack began his tales of the adventure.
"There was bats everwhere I tell ya. Those lil' bloodsuckers were swarmin' around us." Jack said with over exaggeration, some of them believing him with surprise.
"Aye, that ain't even the worst of it. Just when I had scared them off, single handedly I might add, a fearsome 8-legged monster came out of the shadows! Fangs dripping only the deadliest poison, and too-many to count bloody red eyes looking at us." Jack said with wide eyes, barely touching his boiled fish stew.
"Oi, a giant spider?!" One of the men gasps.
"That'd be the tallest tale yet, Jack..." Another says in disbelief.
"Aye mate, but it wasn't." Jack takes a quick chug of his mug.
"Everyone was shakin' like a group of pansies, 'cept me o' course. Sumone had ta stand up against it! I stood in front of the beast and looked'em directly at its eyes, each one of them, separately." A confident grin is drawn on Jack's face.
"What'd ya do then?" One of the asks, eagerly and excited.
Jack continued his story, with only the few constant questions stopping him. "And it stood there…."
Alastia had been in her room all day, scribbling away in a journal while on her hammock. She finally walks out to grab dinner and walks out to the deck, seeing that the night sky looked too good to let pass by. She sees Jack's group to the side, or at least hears him with some men blocking her view. She ignores it though, making her way to the front of the ship to go eat.
Minutes pass by, Jack is still going on with his tales, while the crew acts as his audience, and Alastia occasionally eavesdropping, as loud as they are. The group eventually bursts into laughter, Jack at the center of it all. Alastia looks over slightly, just to get a face of depression from how she feels left out.
"Wish ya were there, aye?" A man says over Alastia's shoulder.
"Ra'ahet!" Alastia jumps up shock from being caught off guard.
"Who else ya tink it'd beh? Er'y one else is ova there." Ra'ahet chuckles from the sight of her, sitting down next to her.
"You try that again an we'll see who'll be laughin'." Alastia quietly threatens.
"Well, wouldn't ya already be laughin' if you was over there?" Ra'ahet signals with a dirty hand toward Jack and the group. Alastia sadly looks down, remaining quiet.
"C'mon now, lass, what'd be the problem? You an Jackie have been actin' stranger than what's normal of ya."
Alastia continues her silence, only taking a sigh. She knows its would he obvious to anyone that things aren't like what they used to be.
"Ya don't havta talk, but that be meaning I'd stick around longer and pester you some more." He says playfully with a smirk, but knowing he's just genuinely concerned.
Alastia looks up and at the group, spotting Jack, biting off a piece of hardtack bread and laughing. She shows a small smile, but then it turns into a painful expression as she looks the other way.
"Things are stranger... It's like we're strangers. I don't even know if he thinks of me the same..." She says quietly.
She knows she shouldn't talk to Ra'ahet about this, but at this point even Ra'ahet is a reliable ear.
Ra'ahet, being slightly confused, looks at Jack for a moment, then back to Alastia.
"Do ya know that for sure? Have ya asked 'em?" Alastia doesn't answer and looks away.
"Dead man tells no tales, lass. And since neither one of ya are dead, it'd be time to tell what needs ta be told." Ra'ahet says to her.
Even though he has no idea what went on between her and Jack, or how weirdly worded that was, what he said made sense to her. She looks over at Jack thinking on how she loved and hated him at the same time.
After finally settling down, the group surrounding Jack began to separate as they say their last comments and take their last drink.
Jack satisfyingly looks around, until he spots Alastia looking at him in the distance, in which he quickly looks the other way nervously. She easily notices his reaction and starts to feel a mixture of sadness and anger.
' How dare he avoid me like that, but how I wish we could at least look at each other.'
With another painful look, Alastia walks back to lock herself in her quarters. Ra'ahet walks off in his own direction towards the sails.
Jack turns over to notice her walking off, only to give off a sigh. He almost wants to stop her, but reluctantly stops himself. He can't even enjoy some good adventuring without her there; he only makes up those stories to hide that fact from the others. What was he to do to get her back by his side, let alone even get her attention.
"Oi, Jackie, that be one heck ova story. I was there an even I belived it!" Creed exclaimed as he lightly slapped Jack's shoulder.
"Well mate, that'd be all she wrote..." Jack said, almost with a sad tone.
"Somethin amiss? What's wit you soundin' like that?" Creed questions, curious to Jack's sudden change after he story telling.
"Nothin' mate..." Jack is lost in his own thoughts. Creed shrugs it off, but begins to wonder. Creed decides to guess and take a poke about the obvious avoidance of the youth towards each other.
"What's been up wit you and the young lass? She'd always stop ya halfway an' take over. Can't even remembers when ya even exchanged greetin's."
"Neither do I, mate... not quite sure how to put it into words either." The look of resentment is on Jack's face, thinking about how Alastia probably hates him.
"Aye, ya can't be a real man if ya fear women like dat. It's always good to tell'em what ya want, whether ya can't think right, or take a good blow to the kisser in the end." Although Creed only gets smacked around by countless women just for being Creed, Jack took it to heart, but only continued to think harder.
Jack laid his chin on his arm on the table staring at the oil lamp placed here, looking into its flame as he ponders. Creed takes that as a signal to leave him be for now, patting Jack's head as he passes by.
The night slowly continues to pass by, and the two young pirates once again have each other on their minds.
Alastia laying in her hammock, the porthole shining moonlight down on her, illuminating her tanned olive skin into a beautiful paler shade. The light reminds her of thenights she spent as a homeless thief as a child, then her memories flashed upon the red apple, all those years ago, the apple she stole for Jack.
Jack.
More memories of them together whether in the seas, bearing hot backs towards the sun as they resewed the sails, causing mischief for officers in Port Royal, or looking up at the sky in the night splayed out upon the deck, talking about the sea stars
And then there was Jack, keeping his concentration on the bright flame of the lamp, resembling the burning flame that grows in his heart when Alastia's with him. They eventually doze off, with the only thing that knows their true feelings are the stars that gaze above.
Hoped you enjoyed the chapter!
Emotions are revealed next chapter!
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