The sun was high in the sky by the time Jae-ha woke up. Although every muscle of his body seemed to scream in protest, he stood up and looked around. He felt there were too many things to do to laze around. As he made his way through the sleeping pirates, wondering what the something that needed to be done was, he noticed Sen with her back propped up against the wall, staring into the distance with philosophical resignation. The moment she noticed him, her face lit up and she reached towards him. Faced with Sen's smile and outstretched arms, Jae-ha thought, She wants something from me.

"Jae-ha, the person I wanted to see most!" she said joyfully. He nodded seriously. She definitely wants something from me.

"These last few hours I've been waiting for you in vain," she went on dramatically. "My poor heart has been aching and, even worse, my poor leg. I have never known just how important legs were until an arrow injured it last night. Now here I am, wanting to drink but unable to walk to the water barrels. The former glorious me being reduced to such a state, isn't it sorrowful, reminiscent of the better, more beautiful past... That being said, could you help me?"

Aha. There it is.

"You want me to carry you?" he asked. Sen stared at him aghast.

"Absolutely not!" she protested. "Have you looked in a mirror today? I suppose not. You resemble a ghost—a very attractive ghost, mind you, but not a very strong one. I'm afraid of squishing you to death. Just lend me a shoulder—ah, perfect, thank you."

Even though he was carrying only half her weight, Jae-ha found her very light and could only laugh when imagining a world where she could squish him to death, as she put it. The two hobbled to the empty kitchen. Jae-ha set Sen down comfortably before bringing her a jug of water and sitting down beside her.

"I'd ask you how you're feeling," he said,"but judging by the way you speak, you have no problems whatsoever other than your leg injury."

"Ah, that's cold," she said after drinking her fill. "Do I look that healthy?"

He took a look at the dark circles under her blood-shot eyes and her haggard face. Although she was not as skinny as before, she still looked nothing near well-fed. Her slouching posture, her once dark, now grayish skin, her messy, torn hair—looking at them all carefully, Jae-ha shook his head with great certainty.

"I never said you looked healthy," he told her. "You sound it."

"My voice has never changed these last ten years," she said. "Ever since Si Yao told me my voice is as screeching as a strangled cat, I've been practicing to make it sound low and pretty."

"I can't imagine your screeching voice," Jae-ha laughed. Although the sound felt strange and strangled in his throat, he decided to ignore it. Sen seemed to do the same.

"Right?" she asked, her smile only slightly forced. "My voice is sweet and melodious, very much unlike a strangled cat. One of these days, I'll bring you to him so you can tell him the truth."

"I'll do you justice, dear lady. Who's Si Yao, anyway?"

"A neighbour of mine who I had a crush on for exactly one week," Sen snickered. "Or more precisely, he was our neighbour's son, my age. He compared me to the aforementioned feline after I confessed to him, so I said I'd find a better husband than him with my screeching voice and dared him to find a better wife than me. And you know what happened? The little devil went on and he did. The audacity of his! He married his childhood sweetheart yet here I am with no one to boast of, even though my screech is gone."

"You make the strangest dares."

"I won't believe you if you say you never did stupid things in your lifetime because of a rejection or jealousy, Dragon God."

"Well," he began, then paused. He laughed helplessly and covered his eyes. "Poor Ya-young..."

"What? What happened?" she asked eagerly. A spark of interest appeared in her dull eyes.

"I wrote her poems, you see. They were even worse than yours."

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes," Jae-ha said with a sigh. "Then I found out she was engaged and I called her out on it in broad daylight, in the crowded streets..."

"Did the fiancée beat you up?"

"Why do you sound so hopeful...? No, he didn't. He didn't say a word. Ya-young had to tell me off. Poor girl, I hope she's doing okay."

"Let us pray she found a better husband," Sen agreed. "In all honesty, I consider myself lucky to have met the current you instead of the poetic you."

"You're being a little hurtful, you know that?"

"It's nothing personal. I've got nothing against poets," she explained, "except endless prejudice. I once knew this sickly poet (why are the best of them sickly?) who was pestering his wife over and over because he wanted to make sure she would be his forever even after "death do us part" or something. Of course she got sick of it and remarried the year he died. The whole town was outraged. I think someone even read a collection of his "Wifey, don't leave me" poems at her wedding and the new husband beat him until he promised to shut up..."

Subconsciously avoiding the topic of the battle the night before, the two chatted peacefully, forgetting temporarily about the injuries they had suffered. Pirates hurried through the kitchen every few minutes, acknowledging Jae-ha with a nod and ignoring Sen completely. They seemed to be in a hurry, they left as soon as they came, stacked with jugs of water, wine, and food items. Once dusk fell, pirates came no more. They were probably all asleep, still tired from the day before. Jae-ha brought some wine for Sen and himself. He hoped it would numb both physical and emotional pain if for only a little while longer. After drinking her share, Sen dropped her head on his shoulder.

"Jae-ha, ah, Jae-ha," she sighed, "you're so good to me."

"Of course," he replied softly. "A beautiful lady must be treated well, or so Gi-gan taught me when I first arrived on this ship thirteen years ago. I believed her then and believe her now."

"I'm not beautiful, nor am I a lady," Sen pointed out. "Is your kindness an act of charity?"

"Not beautiful?... I could argue with that," he said with a smile. Sen rolled her eyes and Jae-ha added, "And if you're not a lady, what are you?"

"Many things, I suppose."

"Dear, I'm not one to be roped in by mystery."

"Oh, I'd have a much easier job if you were," she sighed. "Even more so if I were a lady as you so sweetly call me, although I'm nothing but a wanderer."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm cursed to travel until I die," she said, her voice laced with a rare hint of sadness. "The friends and lovers I have I must leave behind, for I can't stop for long, I must keep moving on and on... it gets terribly lonely sometimes." She paused for a moment. "Does it show?"

"Hmm?"

"Do I look lonely?"

There really was a touch of emptiness and longing in those fox-like eyes of hers that were usually either indifferent or brimming with mischief. Jae-ha smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms.

"Not at all," he said. "If you didn't read such bizarre books, we'd all think you're perfectly normal."

"There you go, saying all that to make me feel better," Sen sighed. "I can only hope you will not regret your kindness."

"How could I regret it?" he told her quietly, gently stroking her hair. "I'll only meet a woman like you once in this lifetime, how could I treat you coldly?"

"Such a sweet tongue you have," Sen muttered. "Would you mind lying a bit more? It makes me feel better."

"Not possible. I'm a very honest person."

"Ah, what a pity," she sighed again, closing her eyes. "Quite the pity."

They sat there silently for a long, long time. The sky grew dark and the noise of raindrops on the deck could be heard. The water flowed to the low kitchen window and dripped to the cracks onto Jae-ha's sleeve. He shifted uncomfortably. Sen wrapped her arms around his waist and murmured something incomprehensible.

"Sen?" he called out softly, but got no response other than the faint sound of even breathing. Sen had fallen asleep in his arms. Jae-ha looked down at the strands of hair resting on her dark neck, having fallen from the tight bun on her head that she had never been seen to undo. As he gently tried to tuck them back in, his fingers lingered on the nape of her neck. Her skin felt cool but soft to the touch as he let his hand slide down her back to her waist, back to where it had been earlier and pulled her closer into his chest. Sen tightened her arms around him, subconsciously seeking his warmth.

Above them, gray clouds towered and the rain fell like tears of the Heavens, washing away whatever blood remained on the deck. Under them lay the sea, its creatures ravenous for the corpses of their companions. A cold wind swirled around them, tearing at the skin of those who ventured outside. But inside the kitchen, for once, those two people felt happy, even if briefly.