In the end the boarding ended with a total victory over the demon hunters, who, after being captured, were piled onto a single lifeboat and dumped in the middle of the sea. Or at least, that's what Salty's crew had done to them; however, bad luck (or karma) would have it that the demon hunters had captured quite a few sea monsters a few days earlier, including a large swimming worm with pincers next to its mouth, and obviously Viney had freed them all... and apparently such monsters they were not only intelligent enough to understand that they shouldn't attack their saviors, but also resentful enough to immediately set out in pursuit of those who had hunted and imprisoned them. The demon hunters thus found themselves rowing like madmen in an attempt to escape the sea monsters, and very soon they vanished on the horizon and nothing was heard of them again.
As promised, Captain Salty had let his men plunder the entire demon hunters' ship, inside which they had found not only a large quantity of doubloons, jewels and rare artifacts, but also (to the delight of practically the entire crew, who finally could eat something other than a two-month-old sperm whale meat) an enormous amount of foodstuffs of all kinds, from sweets to spices to meat and the finest vegetables. The pirates had loaded everything onto their ship, and then they had also dismantled the cannons and harpoons and everything that could be useful and had taken that too, and finally they had finished everything by splitting the hull of the demon hunters' ship in two and letting the ocean claim another wreck in its depths. Oh, and then of course they had also demanded 'just compensation' from the merchant ship they had just rescued, and the sailors realizing it was best to avoid bargaining had handed over half their cargo to them as requested. At least they still had a ship that would take them safely to land and they had been left with half the goods; it was more than they could ask for if they was unlucky enough to met pirates.
Salty's crew had spent the rest of the day cataloging and arranging all their loot in their hold, and obviously Luz, Vee and Masha had to help despite the protests of the puppet (who had quickly given up on the prospect of doing again a jump into the sea); even Gus and Willow helped out by carrying some very small and fragile crystals. When they had finished the sun was setting, but the pirates were far from stopping: now they had to party... and strangely, when Luz heard that word she had completely recovered from all the aches and pains, the aching arms, the tiredness and the lack of breath that she had complained was hurting her all the time.
And so even after the stars had begun to appear in the sky and the moon rose brightly, making the ocean shine with its white rays, the deck of the ship was still a riot of singing, dancing, food cooked in every possible way and alcohol in rivers (which however had been strictly forbidden by Captain Salty not only to Luz, Masha and Vee, but also to Jerbo, Barcus and Viney, since he stated that they were not yet old enough to drink, and nor even the ferocious Viney's protests had been able to move him about it). Luz was finally able to have fun, and discovered that pirates were really good at partying: she found herself dancing with Viney and Jerbo, playing skipping rope or darts, she even found herself taking part in a wrestling match in which Barcus had given her a hard time despite the fact that she had chosen him as an opponent precisely because she thought that a dog couldn't compete in terms of physical strength with a wooden puppet. Around midnight she was so exhausted that she abandoned the party for a moment and went to sit near to the helm to catch her breath. "Wow... I wish every day was like this... the party part I mean, not the boarding part"
Willow, who was munching on an enormous lettuce leaf (a lettuce that she understood was part of a rarity from the far east, and which was also seasoned with very fine vinegar and salt; Willow couldn't say she appreciate the way in which that food had been obtained, but... since they now had it, they might as well enjoy it, right?) on the puppet's shoulder, for once agreed with her. "Yes, I admit I had fun. Did you see Jerbo's face when I beat him at arm wrestling?"
Luz and Gus found themselves giggling so much their stomachs hurt. Poor Jerbo had taken the challenge lightly given that it came from a cricket not even ten centimeters tall, and instead he found himself defeated in front of the whole crew, who had teased him for at least half an hour because of it. Barcus had even immortalized the moment in a very stylized drawing, in which Jerbo's total defeat and devastated expression were clearly shown, and when his friend tried to take it from him to destroy it, he handed it over to Viney, who immediately escaped to the mainmast and swore to guard it jealously. "Technically you cheated. You hit him with your pincers right on the nerve blocking his movement" Luz said.
"Yeah. By the way, how did you know where the right nerve was?" Gus asked curiously. Sure, it could have been a coincidence that Willow had hit Jerbo right there on his hand, but given the confidence with which the cricket had challenged the boy it was quite obvious that she already knew where to hit.
"Oh, Hunter taught me that" Willow replied, then she blushed and put her hand over her mouth.
"Really? It was him?" Luz was surprised. "When did it happen?"
"Yeah, Willow... when did it happen? And... did anything else happen?" Gus asked with a very inquisitive voice and a mocking smile on his face.
Willow arched her eyebrows so much she nearly frowned. "Don't get any weird ideas! I just followed him when he went to talk to Vee so that she could explain the weak points of a greater basilisk. I wanted to make sure he wasn't trying to do something to her, that's it. And when they finished I was curious about many of the things they had said to each other, especially the one regarding the fact that hitting certain nerves is enough to block a part of the body... you know, that trick he used against the greater basilisk during the battle. So I went to talk with him and he explained to me where to hit in case I had need to block someone... although it's much easier to do so in a fake arm wrestling match than in a real duel. I mean, it's one thing to have a guy with his hand open waiting for you to hit him, it's another thing to be able to hit someone's hand while they make a fist and move it continuously, preventing you from concentrating on your aim"
"Seriously, that's all?" Gus asked in a mock disappointed voice, but without losing his grin. "Didn't anything else happen? Didn't you comment fascinated on his extraordinary knowledge, and didn't he praise you for your learning abilities? Didn't you even tell him anything about those fascinating pecs...?"
Willow was now so red she looked more like a cochineal than a cricket. "I told you no! And stop living in a fantasy!"
"What fantasy?" Luz muttered, then she finally put the pieces together and her eyes lit up: "Wait... Willow, do you perhaps...?"
"Absolutely not! Don't start with that you too!" Willow snapped. "There is nothing between me and Hunter and there never will be"
"Really?" Luz looked somewhat disappointed, but then a mischievous grin formed on her face. "So, if we ever meet him again... wouldn't you mind if I hit on him? He's not a bad guy after all..."
Willow's body shuddered. The cricket suddenly widened her eyes and turned quickly towards the puppet, then she seemed to have a change of heart and pretended nothing had happened: "Uhm... well... whatever! After all, if you like him..."
"AH! Too late, Willow! I clearly saw you didn't like what I said!" Luz exclaimed triumphantly. "Don't worry, that blond guy isn't my type and I'm not interested. But now I want the details!"
Luz was honest about Hunter: she thought he was a beautiful guy (after all, someone had to not have the eyes to think otherwise), but otherwise she felt absolutely nothing for him. At most their relationship could reach mutual complicity; she wasn't even sure that was enough to call him her friend. So if Willow wanted to hit on him, she was ready to cheer for them, and with fervor too.
Willow shook her head in disappointment. "That's enough. Listen to me carefully, both of you. There is nothing between me and Hunter, and even if I, hypothetically speaking, perhaps, one day will develop a slight crush on him, nothing will happen anyway. I don't know if you noticed, but he's a human and I'm a cricket"
"So what? Masha is also human and Vee is a basilisk, and yet look at them!" Luz said pointing to the people concerned, who had secluded themselves in a corner of the ship's deck and were huddled together. Vee had wrapped her tail around Masha's legs and they had taken the opportunity to sit on it. And their lips were not moving away from each other in the slightest, so much so that it seemed impossible that they could breathe. They had been like this for over ten minutes now and neither of them seemed intent on ending any time soon.
Willow snorted. "It's different. There would be a certain size difference between me and Hunter that would make any relationship impossible"
"Barcus and Jerbo didn't seem to care about size when they hit on us this morning" Gus reminded her.
"Barcus and Jerbo are two desperate people. I bet they would be willing to date a kraken if it were female" Willow replied. "And neither Hunter nor I are desperate people. He will certainly have valid alternatives, I mean... you said it too, Luz, he's a beautiful guy, he won't struggle to find a human woman"
"With that pompous character he has? Tsk! Poor woman the one who will agree to let him into her life" Luz commented with a certain disdain. In fact, although she hoped that Willow would be able to get what she wanted, even thinking about it she couldn't understand what she saw in Hunter. What person would want to spend their time with a monster hunter who was taciturn half the time and an asshole the other half? "Well, anyway, you're giving me good reasons, Willow, but the heart rarely follows reason. So, do you have something in mind or…?"
"Do you realize you just said that any woman would be unlucky to date Hunter, and then proceeded to encourage me to do so!?" Willow exclaimed, shocked once again by the puppet's total lack of coherence and sense of opportunity, while Gus was rolling with laughter. "Seriously, sometimes I wonder if Camila forgot to put a brain in that head when she built you, or if Eda's magic forgot to activate some..."
She immediately regretted speaking when she saw a shadow cross Luz's face at the mere mention of the fairy. She mentally called herself an idiot and she felt the urge to bite her tongue. "Uh... sorry..."
"No, it's okay" the puppet reassured her, but although she was still smiling, her eyes seemed to have lost their classic light. "You're right... I'm not very good at thinking"
"Oh, it's safe to say you're not good at thinking" a voice said behind her, and Luz found a familiar hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "But this is precisely one of the traits that make you adorable and unique"
"Ugh! Viney, stop it!" Luz exclaimed trying to move away. "And by the way, thanks for just calling me stupid"
"I didn't say you're stupid, I said you're not good at thinking. It's a good thing... sometimes. There are situations in which instinct must prevail, in which you have to decide with your body and your heart and not with the mind" Viney said as she sat down next to her. "Like today, for example. Vee told me about how you threw yourself on that stupid pirate to save her. If you hadn't done it, that dagger could have caused a serious wound to your sister"
"Uh… that" Luz felt both embarrassed and flattered. "It was nothing, really… anyone would have done it"
"And yet YOU did it. There were five of you in that room, and yet you were the one who jumped in right away" Viney told her. "You didn't hesitate for an instant. You didn't think, you didn't reason, you just acted. It's in moments like those that the true nature of a person comes out... and yours is that of a person who helps others"
"Me? Tsk! You're completely off track" Luz replied with a grimace. "I never do anything right"
"I'm pretty sure your friends and even your sister who's tasting her girlfriend's spit over there would have a lot to disagree about that" Viney said, then she looked at the two arthropods on her shoulders: "Strong cricket, illusionist spider, what do you think? Is Luz someone who helps others?"
Luz expected both Willow and Gus to completely deny that, calling her a reckless and troublemaking puppet like they always did, but instead they both nodded at Viney's words: "Luz has a million flaws, many of which often cause problems... but the absence of altruism isn't definitely part of it" Willow answered.
"Are you kidding me?" the puppet asked with irritated voice, not believing a single word and expecting that they were just trying to make her feel better.
But both Willow and Gus looked at her as if what she was saying was totally stupid. "Luz, for as long as we've known you every time someone was in trouble you stepped up to help them, even at the cost of your life if necessary" Gus pointed out. "As Willow said, we can blame you for many things, for example being listless, naughty, arrogant, capricious, excessively impulsive, naive, lazy, with your head perpetually in the clouds, with no sense of opportunity, stubborn, spiteful..."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Luz stopped him feeling shame forming in her heart as she heard her friend list all of her flaws.
"...but we certainly can't say that you aren't selfless, sweet and bring joy to everyone around you" Gus concluded. "When you speak from the heart, you are like a little sun. You managed to warm Vee's heart, Masha, your mother, ours, even Hunter's at some point. And every time someone is in danger in front of you , you immediately throw yourself into the fray to save him. You did it with your mother, with Adeghast, with us several times, with Vee. You help people, it's in your nature"
Luz felt moved to hear those words from her friends; it was as if sweet honey was dancing on her tongue... but it also had a bitter aftertaste. "Then why did I hurt Eda so badly?" she whispered.
Willow and Gus fell silent, not knowing what to say. But Viney instead put her arm around her neck. "Luz... bad things happen, it's part of life. I won't sugarcoat you by telling you it wasn't your fault, because I don't know the story and I know you wouldn't believe me anyway. But like I told you today, you don't have to let it affect you... and cloud your judgment of yourself". She pointed Masha and Vee in the distance, who had finally separated their lips and were embracing each other, laughing in amusement at something one of them had said. "Maybe you ruined one person's life, but you made many others' lives better. And now, you need to move on and focus on continuing to make their lives better. Your sister, her girlfriend, your friends... and your mom too. They are the ones you have to worry about now. They are part of your life now; whatever happened in the past, it doesn't matter anymore. It's the present what's important, and in the present, you stopped Vee to get really hurt... and to kiss her girlfriend tonight. Was it their first time, by the way? Because if that were the case... they really couldn't hold back anymore"
Luz giggled. "Yes, they had their first kiss after we knocked out that pirate" she answered, then she looked at Viney with some affection in her eyes. "Did you carry on this way too? Have you made your crew's lives better?"
"Yes! And I don't regret a thing" Viney replied. "Or rather... I regret what I lost through my arrogance, but I don't regret everything I gained by following my heart. This crew is my family. I have my best friends here, and I know each one of them as if it were a part of me. Every time I see them smile, I feel happy and want to strive to make them even happier. As they say... love today, and seize all tomorrows. And my today it's my crew and my tomorrow is another day of fun and boarding in the middle of the sea, just like good pirates"
"Wise words, first officer"
The two turned and saw Captain Salty approaching with two mugs of beer in his hands. "What do you need, my captain?" Viney asked standing up immediately waiting for orders.
"Rest, first officer. I just came to bring you this" Salty told her handing her one of the two mugs of beer. "Here's to you. I'd say it's time for your first drink"
Viney's eyes lit up. It was the first time the captain had allowed her to drink beer or anything alcoholic; since she had first come on board he had always strictly forbidden this. "Really?"
"Yes. You're old enough now" Salty replied with a smile.
Viney grabbed the mug of beer and downed it quickly, but the acrid taste stung her tongue and made her cough. "Weak throat, huh? Don't worry, you'll get used to it" the captain replied with a laugh, making her turn red with embarrassment
Luz couldn't keep from giggling either. "Um… is that for me?" she then asked, pointing to the other mug.
"Of course not, this is for me. You are still too young. How old do you think you are?" Salty answered her.
"Um..." Luz didn't know what to say. Technically her body and mind were those of a fourteen-year-old girl, but in reality she had only started living a few weeks ago.
Salty didn't wait for her answer. "Too few, then. I don't want to get in trouble with your mother when you meet her again. I've learned that an angry mother is more dangerous than a sea dragon. We'll talk about it again when you're older" he said, and he drank the entire mug of beer in a single gulp.
"Yeah... when I'm older..." Luz felt a little uncomfortable at those words. Did she have the chance to become older, to grow up like other kids? After all, she was made of wood. The puppets didn't grow. Who knows why she had never thought about it before... she felt quite bad thinking that she would remain in that youthful form forever while Viney, Jerbo, Barcus, Hunter, and even Gus and Willow would grow up and become adults.
And then… now that she thought about it, if she couldn't grow up, then that also meant she couldn't grow old? And what did that mean? Could she have died normally like other people, or if she had avoided an incurable disease or a blow from a sword or arrow or any other danger would she have continued to live forever, without her wooden body ever changing? Strangely enough, she didn't like that prospect at all. The thought of always remaining the same while everyone around her became adult, grew old and finally died, perhaps after starting a family and having children, maybe even grandchildren, for a moment made her clench her fists tightly without wanting to, so tightly that she hurted her knuckles.
Her thoughts were cut short when Captain Salty gave her a mighty slap on the shoulder, so hard her nearly made her spit out her wooden lungs. "You surprised me today. You have a lot to improve on, but you did a good job with those cannons, and more importantly you didn't hesitate to defend another member of the crew. Any novice kid would have immediately run away as soon as the enemy was entered the room, and instead you remained loyal... in your own way. That's the most important thing in a pirate crew. You have what you need to become a real buccaneer, shrimp... no, sailor. I'd say you have earned the title"
Luz couldn't help but blush visibly. "Um... thank you. You're... really kind" she said. "But I still don't think I'll pursue a career as a pirate. I'm not suited for a life on a ship, and I have to find my mother. Once we get to Bonesborough we'll say goodbye"
Salty didn't seem disappointed at all, but instead he looked at her with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, I totally understand. Family comes first after all. Bonesborough is the next destination; you'll meet your mother again soon"
He had barely finished speaking when a flash of red light emerged from the boiler and the ship's steam engine began to quiver forcefully. "Yay! I managed to turn it back on!" a Jerbo almost completely covered in coal exclaimed. "And it only took me a single day this time!"
"Great! In that case, let's set the course now!" Salty said grabbing the rudder and turning it violently, causing the whole ship to rock. "Straight towards Bonesborough! We have a lot of things to resell down there! I'm tired of that sperm whale meat too, I admit it!"
As the pirates cheered, Luz looked out at the placid ocean before them, glimmering under the moonlight. "I'm coming. Wait for me, mom" she whispered, and her heart seemed to grow warmer and surer than ever.
In case anyone starts complaining that Captain Salty dared to offer beer to a kid... guys, Viney is between 14 and 16 years old (the right age is not specified, but I personally tend to see her as 16 since she seems older than Luz), and most kids in this world start drinking alcohol at this age. This without taking into account that not only is Viney physically hardened and has (for obvious reasons) a much more complete maturity than her peers, but also that we are talking about a medieval world, and in the Middle Ages it was already a big deal if kids didn't drink alcohol when they were less than ten years old. Obviously I don't condone drunkenness, which is a mistake for both children and adults, but drinking in moderation if you are 14-16 years old is absolutely normal
Also, in case any of you saw some sort of father-daughter relationship between Salty and Viney, that's because I actually wrote their characters that way. Salty in the canon is the classic gruff but fundamentally good captain, and after recognizing Luz's value immediately becomes fond of her to the point of helping her when King goes looking for the Titan Trappers; therefore in my AU I imagined not only that he would not abandon any person in difficulty (in fact not only did he welcome Barcus and Jerbo despite their bad backgrounds, but he also saved Viney even if it meant fighting a sea monster, and he didn't abandon her even after she had fallen into total depression, but in fact he helped her), but also that he would have formed an excellent relationship with a person like Viney (given that in the canon he becomes fond of Luz within an episode, so imagine if Viney, who is a hundred times more enterprising and reckless, had been in her place) to the point of almost treating her like a daughter. I let my imagination run wild with his character, but I try to mantain him as close to canon as possible. I also always regretted that he didn't receive more space in the canon, because I always loved his design; come on, he was an absolute gigachad