While the helmsman steered through rough waters of the Fineas Sea, with nothing but the light of bright lanterns, a pale blonde in her night attire stood with her arms crossed on the bow of the ship.
Sotis the seawater would splash onto her skin and she would flinch, only to realize how warm it was. She lifted her eyepatch and peered ahead—nothing.
The sea was dark all around, the stars overhead were nowhere to be found while the storm clouds lood; the nearby lanterns only made anywhere around even darker by comparison.
Tiffany let out soft echoes, however saw nothing but the waves of water in return. Sowhere across the vast distance, Beauregard was there... Even her titanic form was lost in the void afore them.
"It’s midnight you know."
The pale blonde recognized the voice and flipped her eyepatch back down before turning to et it. "One such as myself had found mine slumber to co to a halt at this pertinent hour. However, one deems it moderately sufficient. What ails thou?"
"I’m not a heavy sleeper and I’ve never slept on a ship before," Fuko shrugged and approached the bow of the ship to stand next to Tiffany. "Co to think of it, I’ve never been on a ship before."
Tiffany set her arms back down on the ship’s edge and leaned her chest onto it, "I partook in the riding of recreational vessels which stride upon the sea’s surface on many an occasion."
The brunette set her elbows on the ship’s bow and let the rest of her arms dangle against the wind. "Really? Where to?"
"Oh just up north in Dolpool; there’s a port in Erigeron that has a lot of passenger ships going to and from Ursinia Borough. I did it for fun after finding out about it on a school trip when we were a lot younger."
"Anything fun up there?"
"Nothing in particular other than being old. Furthest from the fires so it didn’t get hit as hard. My family was from there."
Fuko turned to look at her, "I thought you said you never knew them?"
"I don’t think I ever said that, I’ve just never t them; all I rember is the orphanage. Anyhow, knowing them and knowing of them are two different things."
"And what did you know of them?" the brunette glanced back at the sea.
"They didn’t die in the great fire, just shortly after it. They were soldiers—the both of them. So, they died fighting for their country," Tiffany stared into the void ahead. "And here I am, about to fight in the sa war they did."
"Are you scared?"
Tiffany’s head slowly turned with her lips sealed tight and a half-shut-eye.
Fuko took notice and shrugged one shoulder. It seed her ga of twenty questions had t its end after that obvious query. She rolled her eyes as the blonde stopped staring at her. "You could’ve told Jotou you didn’t want to co; she would’ve listened."
At the ntion of Jotou, Tiffany’s shoulders rose, "The maiden of gold is quite exceptional."
"Back off."
Tiffany scoffed, "I’m not interested in her like I’m interested in you."
Fuko kept looking towards the sea. Her cheeks blushed before she audibly cleared her throat, her expression never changing.
"As I was saying... When soone like her asks sothing of you, it’s hard to simply walk away from it."
"I wouldn’t put that paranoiac on a pedestal... not anymore at least."
"Perhaps. But I am still an adventurer and I still want to be one. I just wasn’t expecting to go to war and to fight things at this scale."
"Yeah, it’s not like we warned you about it or anything," the brunette’s eyes glazed over.
"My own choice. However, I suppose when you’re an adventurer everything’s a possible enemy. I’d still rather be here than hunting scholarships and applying for loans."
"Glad your heart’s in it then."
They both ca to a lull. Sounds of the waves and the ship’s engine washed over them while a strong breeze made them feel a chill along their ears and nose.
...
"Fuko."
She turned to the call of her na.
"I uhm, h-have to admit- uhm..."
"What?"
"N-never mind, forget it. Do you think she can do it? The Thundering Blade I an, against the new god?" Tiffany shied away and faced the sea.
Fuko examined the pale blonde’s expression for a mont, but let it go for now. She then answered, "Absolutely not."
"Hmh," a stressed whimper ca from the pale blonde.
Fuko tipped her head to the side, "But do I believe she could do it? Yeah," shadows glimred in her eyes. "She always tries to do the most difficult things, hoping she’ll succeed and when it doesn’t, she complains that the world has it out for her.
But... she always picks herself back up and keeps doing it and in the end, by so miracle she’ll succeed. Maybe it’s her tenacity, but things always work out for her in the long term, even if it’s not in the way she wanted. Logically speaking, she’s insane," she smirked.
"I see. She reminds of that serpent at the Burntish Navy then."
Fuko furrowed her brows, "Jotou’s never felt like a snake to , she’s more like a cat if anything."
"A tiny beast clashing against those of superior stature, hoping to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat though it seems unattainable—one maiden of gold against a creature of titanic proportions, hoping success bends to her whims."
"Well, it’s not just her," the brunette replied. "You should go get so more sleep; your affinity’s gonna be a lot more useful than mine."
"One has found adversity in said endeavour," Tiffany turned and tucked her blonde locks behind her ear as it kept fluttering with the wind; the transparent rollers locked her longer strands in place. "If you’re gonna keep leering at them, you can touch them if you w-want."
"What?" Fuko’s heart beat a little faster. She was caught stealing glances at the blonde’s cleavage, partially visible from the attire she wore. "N-no- I’m sorry," the brunette covered her face.
"Tis fine," Tiffany muttered.
Fuko unintentionally side-eyed the blonde again and noticed Tiffany had not shifted away in the slightest.
...
...
She removed the hand from her face and turned towards the blonde with her eyes lowered to the deck of the ship. She coyishly reached a hand out...
Tiffany made a light whisper of an echo as Fuko’s thumb grazed along the skin of her chest. The blonde inhaled and then exhaled satisfyingly as the breast above her heart was cupped in Fuko’s hand.
The brunette took her ti to let her thumb run back and forth over the exposed skin, while the rest of her fingers kneaded the flesh through the clothing.
Fuko stepped closer and leaned in towards Tiffany’s face; Tiffany obliged without hesitation at the proposal of a kiss. Their lips t for a soft peck, but before their lips could part for sothing deeper, Fuko practically yanked herself away.
Suddenly Tiffany felt an absence of pressure on her chest and furrowed her brows. Soon, only the sea’s waves and the ship’s engine was leftover to fill the space.
Fuko guiltily looked at the pale blonde, who grew less frustrated by the second. She checked around to see if anyone had spotted them.
The helmsman was at the wheel, but would only turn his head over to the front every so often—it was not like there was much to see in the distance.
Beyond that, most of the awake crew would be sat inside and their view of the bow of the ship itself would be limited, especially given both of their heights.
With her assessnt complete, she turned back to Tiffany, "I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t do that."
Tiffany blushed in awkward silence, her fingers fidgeting with one another.
"Must just be the adrenaline... of everything’s that’s gonna happen in a few hours and, just sothing ca over," Fuko attempted to make sense of her lapse in judgent.
"I’m sure it was for you," Tiffany murmured audibly.
"Sorry..."
"It’s fine. C-could you leave alone?" the pale blonde uttered and went back to resting her arms and chest on the bow of the ship.
"Yeah..." averting her gaze, Fuko blinked away, slamming her forehead with her palm as she did.
With the opportunity for the warmth of another’s body under blankets now abandoned as quickly as the thought occurred, it seed neither one of them were going to be sleeping peacefully tonight...
_
"You’re safe to do so Thundering Blade. We estimate about three or so hours before the target will be in sight."
"So by sunrise," Jotou kept a yawn at bay. Her hair was tousled and bangs a ss as she was up in the early hours of the morning to check in on their status.
All of the navy agents had slept in shifts and had a full rest by the ti she was up and about, exchanging mugs of coffee with one another.
"Communications with ho base has gotten unclear. We’re now in enemy waters, but we’ll do our best to navigate with stealth in mind."
Jotou stood upright and looked out the window of the command centre. Even in the darkness, lightning flashes from far away displayed the storm they were approaching; the rumble of thunder had not reached them yet...
With that, the blonde made her way back to her quarters while fishing out a potion bottle from her coat pocket. Once again she examined the vial of dark pink, syrupy liquid.
The rest of her companions were in various states. Fuko was lying in bed, reading so pamphlet about the ship’s engine. Tiffany was not present, probably in the loo; and Hotaru was fast asleep, arms splayed out—the sway of the ship feeling like the rocking of a crib to her.
"Planning on staying up till the fight detective?"
Fuko dangled her head back from an upper bunk to et the blonde’s gaze, "Pretty much."
"They have coffee up there, you should go get so then."
"Probably for the best."
Jotou walked over to the sleeping redhead and simply observed. Gently, she stroked her crimson strands and parted them away from her forehead.
Hotaru’s folded ears jittered as a small hum escaped her partially open lips. Jotou leaned down, planted a kiss on her forehead and patted her head a couple of tis.
Fuko from above leered before looking back to her pamphlet, "D’you always do that to her unconscious body?"
"No, I just find her adorable while asleep," Jotou swished the potion and went over to sit in the bunk beneath the brunette. "Speaking of unconscious bodies, d’you mind looking after mine?"
Fuko shut the pamphlet and slanted her head down, "You’ve had more than eight hours of sleep, you sure you wanna drink that?"
’Potions are dangerous according to Aru. That’d include sleeping draught.’ "I’ll need everything in my corner if I wanna win," she popped the vial open and cheered it into the air, before she downed it.
It was thick, like sli down her throat. It had the taste of bitter chocolate that made her face grimace. She gulped down the sludge and stuck her tongue out, "Bleh.
That was disgusting... How long does it take d’you think? Sothing like a latonin gummy or-" her vision faded near-instantly and her body fell limp into the bunk and against the wall of the ship with a light thud.
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