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Fantasy 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣. - [1𝙭1]

you look stupid with those on.
sybil.
Sybil was hyper aware of every movement Knox dared to make in her presence. When his jaw worked itself in a gaped position, she only narrowed her eyes and worked a frown upon her lips. A moment later, and the flush red hue she had become accustomed to seeing on his ears made its signature appearance once more. Her arms remained crossed as she continued to balance his blade on her lap, though she had grown bored of the weight in the few short minutes of holding. Letting out a slight huff as Knox worked his jaw shut and stuttered out a few curse words, she carelessly let the blade slide to the side and clatter to the floor. As long as it didn't cut her, she didn’t care about the condition of his weapon.

"I mean, of course it's nothing but scribbles to you. I shouldn't have assumed you could read our language just because you speak it so well... My complacency is to blame."

The frown that had been resting on her visage deepened even further, and her narrowed eyes turned to a sharp glare. What did he mean by of course? A loud ‘tsk’ sounded as she uncrossed her arms, half-tempted to grab a fistful of his hair to give it a good yank. The tongue on this man was audacious and impudent. He was clearly being sarcastic with her, giving just how clunky she spoke his language. It would be far easier to slip back into her native tongue, but it seemed unwise to speak it anywhere on this cursed ship.

Though her lips parted to snap back a harsh rebuttal, she quickly worked them shut as the journal was once more opened and slid towards her. A noise akin to a growl began to rumble in her throat, convinced that Knox was simply doing this to mock her. However, the noise soon died out as he dragged his chair closer to her own. He slid...something onto his face, though Sybil was unsure of their purpose. She had seen humans wear them before, but she never exactly cared about them either. Before she could even ask what he was doing, her attention was drawn back to the journal as he began to trace over the scribbles with a pen.

Oh good. He was going to read to her.

Like she was a child.

Letting out a loud huff that was more than obvious, Sybil opted to remain silent and to re-cross her arms in contempt. She knew was being childish about the entire situation, but she didn’t exactly have the bandwidth to react appropriately. They weren’t scribbles on the pages; They were the actual written words of his language that she had failed to learn. She was no better than a common villager on land, forced to rely on those more educated for basic needs. Making a moment of brief eye-contact with him when he glanced up at her, she just widened her gaze a bit and motioned for him to continue reading. The last thing she needed at the moment was for him to pay more attention to her than needed.

Her attitude quickly vanished as he began to speak of attack patterns, however. In an instant, the pissy look on her face had shifted into something far more intrigued, and she leaned forward to peer a bit more closely at the pages. It hadn’t exactly dawned on her that humans would track their attack patterns. They rarely managed to kill sirens, so why would it matter where they showed up?

Tilting her head a bit to the side, Sybil only scoffed and waved one hand dismissively. Without missing a beat, she reached out to snatch his glasses, her lips already moving as she did.
“Vopreli royals are not exactly good at secrets. Scea Mryai is a fishing town that no one cares for. Vopreli thinks that the way to defeat the sirens involves sacrifice for the greater good. They send out bait ships to lure sirens in hopes of catching one for research, but it never works. You would have heard about it by now if it did,” she said casually, holding up the glasses to one eye to peer through the glass. A snort of laughter followed soon after, the woman clearly entertained by his spectacles. The information she had just divulged seemed obvious. Weaker sirens often traveled to Scea Mryai for easy pickings, taking a sick joy in the bait boats.

“If I were the Captain of a ship dedicated to killing sirens,” she continued, holding the glasses up above her head and to the light as she spoke. “I would look to where no sirens attack. To wear sirens can not attack. You best hope your contact in Jiuy Isles knows much about the secrets of Glaesia.”

Finally lowering her hands to place the glasses upon her face, another bout of laughter slipped out as she widened her eyes and squinted them. She looked over to Knox, leaning back a bit as she tried to adjust her gaze to her new accessory. “I have heard of the Jiuy Isles and their stupid festivals. I am not surprised you seem excited for them,” she quipped, before waving her hand near his face to try and gauge how distance worked with the frames.

“These are terrible for vision. Why would you wear such a stupid item?”
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coded by reveriee.
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i'm sure she'll change her tune soon...
knox.
knox slightly flinched when sybil leaned forward into his space to get a closer look at the journal, surprised by the sudden movement given her volatile past, but tried his best not to let the momentary discomfort interrupt his train of thought. she didn't seem to care at all either way, hooked on his words once he began to detail the findings of his research thus far.

she certainly had a valid point about the vopreli royals' unconventional methods of handling the sirens' aggression in their waters, but that tidbit wasn't much of a secret to the captain either given his information network. that particular royal family was notorious for weaponizing the local faith to carry out their own wily designs, so he didn't doubt for a second that some sort of deeper, darker secret was motivating them to act so callously, one he hardly wished to become involved with himself— what did come as a surprise, however, was the cursory mention of glaesia amidst this discussion with no further clarification as to why such a desolate, uninvolved location might hold the answers to his questions.

"hm, is that so..."
glaesia. his father had mentioned that frigid land in passing a number of times throughout his youth, but it wasn't until he attented the academy and studied its ecology that he understood why no one dared colonize that corner of the world— between the unforgiving weather conditions, hostile wildlife, and lack of fertile soil, it simply wasn't worth it no matter how much gold they invested in terraforming the region. if what they were searching for truly resided in such a land, then they'd certainly need to return to salona to prepare for the brutal climate before taking on that leg of the journey.

knox found himself so invested in the shift in conversation that he hardly even noticed sybil snatching the glasses clean off his face until she held them up to her own eyes, her amused snort interrupting the tense topic. meanwhile, his gaze followed the sloping planes of her neck as she leaned back to observe his glasses in the light, intrigued and impressed by the ease with which she seamlessly pieced together her pre-existing knowledge with the intel he'd just provided. maybe taking her in as a consultant would prove fruitful after all...

“these are terrible for vision. why would you wear such a stupid item?”


a small grin returned to his lips as sybil's hands hovered in the air in front of her face, evidently baffled by the odd contraption that had no chance of working on her no matter how she adjusted it.
"probably because they're custom made for my eyes to help me read smaller text, though they give me a headache if i wear them too long."
he paused for a moment as he wondered whether it would be considered overstepping to call a physician to assess sybil's vision before shaking the thought from the forefront of his mind and moving on to her unfounded yet apparent distaste for festivals.

“i have heard of the jiuy isles and their stupid festivals. i am not surprised you seem excited for them."


"what a harsh judgment for something you haven't experienced for yourself,"
knox mused with a raised eyebrow, leaning back in his chair at long last with an uninvested shrug,
"but if you really would rather stay on the ship by yourself than fill your belly with local delicacies and party on the beach, then suit yourself. i won't make you do anything stupid if you don't want to."
his words were obviously bait, no less than a provocation of her ability to remain open-minded in the face of a new challenge, but he wasn't actually all that invested in coercing her to join him for the festivities if she wasn't interested— given their interactions until then, she would probably become an added source of stress more than anything if she did choose to tag along.
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coded by reveriee.
 
you look stupid with those on.
sybil.
Letting out a scoff at the mention of his eye device being custom made, she opted to remove the glasses and haphazardly dangle them back over to Knox. She equally didn’t bother to confirm if he had actually gotten a hold on the spectacles before she let go, her attention already drawn elsewhere as she rolled her gaze away with a rather loud yawn. Though it would have admittedly been funny to see the two glass frames smash on the floor, she wasn’t willing to put in the effort to be purposefully antagonistic at the moment. She’d have to save her energy for a more opportune moment. Still, her eyes rolled back over to Knox, squinting a bit before parting her lips to finally speak.

“I see what you are trying to do. I never said I was not going to the festival with you, just that I find it stupid and mindless. Partying on the beach on an isle…” She scoffed, tilting her head a bit to observe Knox as she continued on. “Why would anyone want to party on a beach when sirens are lurking right beneath the waves? I already question why you sail on this ship in an asinine quest, but at least you have some sort of purpose. Others have no purpose in life. No worries,” she huffed out, uncrossing her arms to push herself into a standing position. Another yawn threatened to overtake her body, and she moved her hand over her mouth to cover it. Once the yawn had been stifled, Sybil twisted her back a bit and stretched her arms above her head. While she stretched often under the waves, it was always a weightless movement. A low groan left her lips as a satisfying pop sounded from her back, before she turned away from the table the two had just been seated at.

Without another word, she began to walk towards Knox’s bed. Her hands were making quick work of unbuttoning the top she wore, hardly batting an eyelash at the situation she was putting herself in. It was still amusing how quickly the red overtook Knox’s face whenever she undressed.

“We will go to the isle and meet with your informant. Hopefully we are not wasting precious time on this trip,” she said as she stripped, her back facing Knox. The top dropped unceremoniously to the floor, leaving her bare skin exposed to the world once more. A visible shiver moved down her spine at the brush of cold air, her body having grown used to the garments in such a short period of wearing them. Still, she couldn’t deny how nice it felt to take it all off again. The plush covers of his bed were calling to her, and she didn’t much care about the opinion of the man sitting behind her as she practically dove under the thick blankets.

Turning to face Knox once again, Sybil simply blinked slowly at the Captain. Heavy lashes brushed against her cheeks, and a small smirk seemed to grace her lips before she flipped over in the bed and left her back to Knox. Seems like she was comfortable for the night.

---

The next week or so of travel were odd to say the least. Although Sybil mostly kept to herself when possible, it was hard to deny how often she seemed to shadow behind the Captain as he went about his duties. Though she often refused conversation with the other members of the crew, there was a rare occasion when she’d grace their ears with a snarky remark off to the side.

When the ship finally docked at the Isles, there was a wave of relief that seemed to wash over the crew. To finally put their feet back on solid ground and enjoy a fresh meal. Perhaps they’d even find themselves entertained for the evening, if they were lucky.

Of course, this feeling was mutual for everyone but Sybil.

Staring down the plank of the ship, Sybil could only screw her lips in a frown. Near the bottom, Knox was attempting to coax her off the ship, though his words were falling on deaf ears. She was deaf to the outside world, only able to hear the thoughts racing through her mind.

The last time she had dragged herself onto land, it was to rip out Knox’s heart. She had been staring down at him, so close to her goal. And yet…she had failed. A failure that followed her years later as she rotted away as a human, staring down at the man who she had intended to kill.

A scoff visibly left her lips, before the woman began her light jog down the plank. Picking up a bit of momentum unintentionally, she barreled past Knox and straight off the deck into the sandy beach a foot or so below. A loud ‘oomf’ sounded, but it seemed she had survived.

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coded by reveriee.
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don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh—
knox.
the first time a young cecil had set his sights on jiuy isles' famed coastlines came a week into a trip with amelia on their way to attend their cousin's wedding celebrations in arlind, an upscale gala out west hosted by the burke prince and his newly unveiled fiancé that kicked off the social season among salona's elite class. still only a devious schoolboy with a meandering problem, he had been staunchly prohibited from straying too far from the flock back then and thus hadn't gotten the chance to immerse himself in the culture; since then, however, the esteemed captain "knox foreman" had returned plenty of times to make up for his disappointing first impression, a welcome face among their taverns after spending a good share of his vacation days sampling the local brews and dancing in the square.

and while this trip was technically of the work variety, a clear mission in mind and objectives to carry out, the captain had no intention of letting a perfectly good reprieve from the tension slip through his weary fingers as a first-time attendee to this particular festival. even if he hadn't been feeling fatigued after the tumultuous turns their journey had taken until then, his crew still deserved a break of some sort for their stellar efforts thus far.

"it's not that far down, sybil,"
knox assured his hesitant, yet somehow still haughty companion. constant bed-hogging and occasional teeth-baring aside, sybil had remained relatively docile throughout the week leading up to the isles, so much so to the point that she'd even begun socializing with the crew little by little. perhaps she could bring herself to enjoy the festivities despite her initial disdain for the culture, he wondered, if she continued to make progress this quickly.

still, knox knew full well that this trip couldn't be easy for her, a vip hostage forced to take countless new experiences in stride, tossed into a constantly changing climate she was forced to adapt to for the sake of her own survival. truly, he understood— he had been in those shoes, beaten down and tired, never able to rest for even a day lest that be his last, and it had changed him fundamentally as a person.

when he extended a helping hand to support sybil's balance on her way down, however, she instead scoffed, gained some momentum, and audibly collided with the sand below on her own two feet. knox instantly ducked his face out of her line of vision as he bit back the laughter that threatened to spill over his lips if he wasn't careful. as worrying as her descent sounded upon impact, she seemed altogether alright by the looks of it, and though he ultimately opted to not fret so to spare her any further embarrassment, his barely-concealed amusement could still be detected in the curve of his lips and the lilt to his voice.

"if your ankles are still intact, there's a couple shops i recommend we check out first before exploring the island,"
knox began, mirth twinkling in his eyes at the opportunity to poke a little fun at sybil as he strode past her towards the lively town that lie beyond the beach.
"a tailor, to start— we need to get you some new clothes before you sweat yourself to death out here."


while he wished he was kidding, salona was much chillier than anywhere this far south and their fabric selections reflected that; if she pranced about in the snug layers that leena had altered from her own outfits, dehydration could very well take her out before an enemy sword ever got the chance to.

"besides..."
knox paused in his tracks, eyes narrowing as he observed the exuberant attire donned by locals and tourists alike as they exited the bustling shops along the coast, unfamiliar to him from his past off-season visits,
"it looks like there may be a dress code we need to brush up on— ready?"



coded by reveriee.
 
you look stupid with those on.
sybil.
Face planting directly into the sand had not been part of Sybil's’ agenda for the day, or any day really. The moment she felt the wind knocked out of her, a wheeze sounded that was immediately overtaken by a cough from inhaling sand. Despite her hacking coughs that were akin more to breathy gasps, she could immediately clock the shit eating grin that had likely spread over Knox’s features. She wasn’t actually looking at him, but it would be a miracle if he wasn’t reveling in her eating shit. She’d certainly be losing her mind if he had fallen like she had.

Rolling over and spitting out some of the sand that had managed to make its way into her mouth, Sybil shot a pointed glare up at Knox, the smile curving upwards on his lips causing a scowl to form on hers. Without saying a word, Sybil instead opted to kick sand towards him in hopes it might get somewhere rather unfortunate. No such luck was to be had, but it was better than the alternative of her launching herself directly at the Captain with a shriek. She was mostly past that phase.

Mostly.

As Knox blabbered on about clothing and sweating, Sybil just out a low grumble in annoyance and pushed herself back onto her feet. Although they still threatened to wobble and collapse the moment she put weight on them, she refused to go back down once again. She had already learned to walk once as a human, what could possibly be so hard about it now that she was on land? Taking a moment to catch up to Knox as he stopped and observed the humans in the distance, Sybil took a free hand to shake out the sand that had gathered in her hair.


“A dress code?” She scoffed as she squinted against the sunlight, raising a hand up to shield her eyes of the rays. Truthfully, she had no idea what most humans dressed like. She had made the safe assumption that the pirates and princes she encountered were unique exceptions to the average attire. Even now, Knox and her stood out like sore thumbs against the flowing fabrics she could pick up in the distance.

“These clothes you make me wear have been rather restricting and hot,” she added on, waving him off as she began to march onwards towards the storefronts. Though she wouldn’t admit it to Knox, the warm sand on her toes was a bit of a delight. She had never felt sand when it was dry, even when she lugged herself onto land. Going that far up the beach would be an idiotic choice, even for her. However, the sand was soon replaced with the wooden planks of the dock, and the two were soon faced with a pair of armored guards.

Although Sybil made quick work to brush past them, one extended his spear with an over-enthusiastic smile to the duo, despite the frown that was quickly overtaking Sybil’s lips.


“Greetings, travelers! We are proud to welcome you to the Jiuy Isles during our most delightful of festivals. As I am sure you may have heard, our lovely inner port is reserved for those appropriately dressed for the celebrations. Please kindly see yourselves to one of our own many local storefronts located along the pier,” the guard chortled out, his cheeks rosy from the sun. The other guard looked less than enthused, but he held out his spear to block their path all the less.

Before Sybil could spit and hiss on the two like an enraged cat, she instead inhaled deeply and pivoted on her feet. This was fine. She was fine. As idiotic as it all was, she’d rather not get into an argument with Knox over something as simple as an outfit. She had far better things to do in this city.

Without a word to her companion, Sybil began to march in the direction of one of the aforementioned shops that lined the dock like sitting ducks. However, each and every one had already flipped their signs to ‘sold out.’ An exasperated noise left her lips once the duo had passed their sixth shop, her hands thrown up into the air.


“This is ridiculous! Of course every shop is sold out of these inane costumes that they require to enter the city,” she hissed out, pivoting on her heels to point accusingly at Knox, as if he was responsible for their dilemma. As her lips parted to sling out a slew of insults, a loud whistle sounded from across the way followed by a squawk of laughter.

“Darlings! No need to have a lover's quarrel over such a small thing! Come, come! My shop isn’t sold out!” A portly older woman called out, waving over the two enthusiastically. A gasp of offense sounded from Sybil at the mere thought of a lover’s quarrel with Knox, and she shot him a venomous glance before stalking over to the shop owner. Before she could even insult the older woman, a yelp of surprise sounded from Sybil. The store owner had opted to grad her wrist and yanked her inside the shop, immediately blabbering on about the ‘perfect’ look. Not even a word of protest made it from Sybil's lips, and the two were gone in an instant behind a curtain, leaving Knox alone to sort through the remaining festival costumes.

Idle minutes ticked on as silence overtook the shop, allowing Knox to browse the rather…little selection they had left. Although there were several outfits of varying sizes all left for potential patrons to peruse through, they all seemed to be missing a large quantity of fabric. Perhaps there’s a reason this store wasn’t sold out…

The silence was soon broken by a shout of protest that sounded distinctly Sybil-like, followed by the chiding of the shop owner as the curtains were thrust aside to the changing room. A moment later, Sybil stumbled out and nearly crashed into the wall. For once in her life, a pair of short heels were strapped to her feet, leading the former siren to buckle her knees and nearly collapse on the floor.

However, the shoes were the least concerning matter at bay. Gone were Leena’s tailored clothes, instead leaving what could only be described as an impression of an outfit on Sybil. White strips of fabric were delicately and deliberately draped across Sybil's’ frame, leaving little to the imagination, least a gust of wind blew by. Ripped fishing net adorned her legs and arms, though it was hardly the main event. Instead, Sybil seemed to be absolutely dripping in pearls. Strings wrapped around her stomach and shoulders to dangle precariously, while tighter collections garnished her neck and wrist. Several had been braided in her hair, and she even seemed to have managed one glued to her cheek.

Gripping the wall tightly to prevent herself from collapsing, Sybil finally looked at Knox with an unreadable expression. Though it was leaning a bit towards murderous rage.


"Do not say a word."
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she continues to captivate me...
knox.
with knox's assumptions all but confirmed with the guard's instructions regarding the attire necessary to enter the inner festivities, he hummed in acknowledgment and was more than content with letting sybil drag him around wherever she so pleased. he'd already scoured a good number of these shops when they weren't in festival lockdown and deemed them safe for the average adventurer, so letting her feel out the town on her own couldn't pose too much of a risk so long as no drunkards dared to pick a fight.

“darlings! no need to have a lover's quarrel over such a small thing! come, come! my shop isn’t sold out!”


just when their last-minute shopping outlook was beginning to seem rather grim and he feared they'd have to scrap together something on their own, knox's ears perked up at the heroic shop owner's beckoning call, more than grateful for her hospitality despite sybil's offensive remarks about their culture. sybil was quickly whisked away into the dressing rooms before the captain could get another word in, but he trusted she'd be able to handle herself as he browsed the racks patiently in wait. the shop seemed to have been thoroughly wiped out for the most part, save for a few rather scandalous costumes that left little to the imagination. he didn't mind such liberal fashion choices himself, per se, but the idea of sybil willingly donning this style brought a slight smirk to his lips.

the amusement quickly dissipated off his face, however, when sybil stumbled out of the dressing room in even less fabric than he'd pictured, the strings of pearls draped across her body working overtime to resemble proper clothing. she looked nothing like her former self, harsh leathers and bloodied nails replaced by soft curves and unblemished skin, a true imitation of the divine lady of folktales. a woman, brave and committed to her role in spite of her pride or discomfort. his fingers twitched as his side as the brief thought of something unbecoming of his station flashed across his mind.

"do not say a word,"
she warned, as though he might make fun of her for entertaining the nonsensical garb the shopkeeper had thrust upon her small frame.

no such sarcastic quips rolled off his tongue, however, as he instead bit his tongue to hold back a compliment she probably wouldn't appreciate just before it slipped past the filter.
"not even ones of praise?"
he murmured, gaze still boring into her alluring figure for a moment longer and then flicking back up towards her eyes with a mildly glazed expression. she was objectively beautiful, a sight to behold even with the scowl etched into the lines of her face, and he quietly wondered how he was meant to keep himself composed with her occupying his sheets from here on out.

"your turn, handsome!"


before he could dig his grave any deeper, the shopkeeper clapped his shoulder in approval and dragged him off for the same treatment, picking out various accessories and fabrics to layer for his own custom godly look. content with whatever was chosen for him so long as it didn't leave him indecently exposed, she settled on a loose, cream-toned shimmery fabric that extended past his knees paired with a matching scarf draped over his chest. to spruce up the elegance, she clasped a number of pearl and emerald adornments around his neck, biceps, and hands, likely sourced from their own local mines judging by the cut of the gems.

"these are beautiful, thank you,"
a pleased knox thanked the lady as he examined himself in the mirror, already feeling much better now that the stuffy heat wasn't suffocating him through his salonian garb. gaining a nod of approval in return, he emerged from the dressing room and immediately returned his gaze to sybil's eye-catching attire as he reached for his wallet, drinking her in a bit more as he got ready to pay for their costumes before remembering to show his own outfit off to his uneasy companion.

"how hungry are you, sybil?"
he asked her at long last, only looking away to count and pocket his change before extending an arm for her to latch onto lest she trip on the heels she was clearly unaccustomed to as they exited the shop.
"the restaurants here are severely underrated, in my humble, well-traveled opinion, especially if you're still an avid fan of seafood like when we first met."
'plus, sitting might be the safer route for now before you tumble and take both of us down with you—' he didn't dare voice that sentiment aloud.


coded by reveriee.
 
i can't believe i hate a place more than the ship.
sybil.
Hanging her head low, Sybil could only focus on controlling her own breath in an attempt to not rip off every and any pearl that clung to her frame. Her knees were still threatening to wobble and buckle, but the support of the door had prevented any collapse for the time being. Although she had worn pearl strings in her life before beneath the waves, it was never something as intense as…this. She felt like an over-decorated fork at best, and she wasn’t exactly looking forward to the snide remark that would certainly roll off the Captain’s tongue in a matter of seconds.

However, when she finally peaked out from behind her own curtain of hair, it wasn’t a taunting grin slipping across his visage as expected. Instead, his dark eyes were trailing slowly down her form with an unreadable expression. A muttered phrase slipped past his lips as he met her gaze, but she didn’t hear a word of what he was saying. Never in her life had someone dared to gaze upon her in the way Knox was. Much less…a man. For a few moments of antagonizing silence, Sybil simply returned Knox’s stare.

What seemed like hours was finally broken when the shopkeeper enthusiastically whisked Knox away to a similar fate, leaving Sybil to lean against the wall completely by herself now. One hand raised shakily to her own face as heat began to rise to her cheeks, and she let out a weak exhale and slumped further against the wall.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Making no attempt to push herself off her comfortable corner, Sybil could only stare at her feet as the minutes ticked on. The occasional snippet of conversation floated by her ears from the changing rooms, but she hardly tried to listen in. If her mother was able to see what she was up to at the moment, she’d have her flayed and tied to a rock for the rest of the sirens to jeer at. To think that humans willingly paraded themselves around like this to celebrate false deities was mind boggling to Sybil, but it was hardly the most idiotic things humans tended to do.

Finally looking back up from her new pair of shoes when she heard the sound of returning footsteps, Sybil quickly flicked her gaze across Knox. Gone were the heavy straps and leathers of his Captain’s attire, and he instead was adorned in a loose fitting garment that was apt to show off a few of his tattoos. Although Knox didn't hesitate to pull his shirt off at a moments notice upon the ship, she had barely payed attention to the ink that covered his skin. In-fact, she had barely attention to his physique in general. Had he always been this...well built? Her head barely tilted to the side as she continued to watch him, but aptly looked away when his gaze found its way back to her.

Why did he keep looking at her like that?

Letting him speak to the store owner once more, Sybil only returned her gaze to the Captain when he directly spoke to her. A sneer of annoyance crossed over her lips as she noticed his extended arm, clearly in belief that she needed assistance to get out of the shop. His question of hunger was ignored as Sybil pushed herself off the wall to begin her confident march onward and out the shop, only to immediately trip over her own ankle and slam into a display of outfits with a yelp of surprise. Her hands instantly flew up to grip at anything to prevent her face from smashing into the floor, and soon found herself in the arms of Knox once more. *Of course* he had managed to stop her from falling, and a quick glare sent back at him soon had the Captain releasing her with no hesitation.

However, she kept her grip on his arm as she slowly steadied herself off, refusing to comment on her inability to walk on her own as they began their shuffle out of the store.

“I am very hungry because you insisted we did not eat breakfast on the ship today,” she grumbled out, refusing to look at Knox as the two began to make their way towards the actual festival. Although their pace was slow, her gaze continued to wander over all the different shops plastered on the pier strip.

“We shall get food, and then we can discuss actually locating your informant,” she declared, turning to glance up at Knox as she gripped his arm a bit tighter over a particularly nasty section of stones. A small stumble nearly sent her flying, though she managed to stay upright for the time being. The blush on her face, however, quickly became apparent.
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coded by reveriee.
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don't laugh! she's trying! (lol)
knox.
“we shall get food, and then we can discuss actually locating your informant.”


"very well,"
knox hummed in agreement of her decision, holding back a smug grin at her resignation to holding onto his arm for support as they approached the festival grounds at long last. though easily misconstrued for disdain, the smile touching his lips as he gazed upon her stubbornness held nothing but endearment for her efforts, a testament to her sheer willpower in the face of the unknown yet again.

when she stumbled yet again, however, an embarrassed flush coating her cheeks at the repeated blunder, knox immediately ditched his plans of finding the best restaurant on the strip in favor of something closer in proximity, his sights eventually landing on a humble family diner that served an impressive array of local dishes. while words of reassurance danced on the tip of his tongue amidst the stifled chuckles in his throat, belated consolation that he likely wouldn't have bade much better in her shoes, he cut them short before they could take form as he preemptvely idetermined she wouldn't appreciate such remarks at the moment.

"this way,"
he beckoned instead, gently tugging her in the direction of the nearby restaurant until the young hostess took notice of them and sprang forward to assign them some available seats. she led the pair to an outdoors table nestled in the shade, an ideal location given the splintering heat of the sun that threatened to cook them alive if they lingered under its lens for too long, and she made sure the wobbly sybil was safely situated before handing them their menus, tossing a subtle wink in knox's direction, and rushing away to attend to the other guests.

finally seated at long last, the captain lazily browsed the diner's selection as his gaze flickered between the menu in his hands (luckily with plenty of pictures depicting their selection for tourists who might not have been familiar with the local script— 'what a relief' ) and the disgruntled yet curious sybil seated across from him.

"looks like this place mostly sells fish and rice dishes— oh, uh, rice is a nutritious grain, that white stuff you see in that bowl over there,"
he explained, jerking his chin towards a nearby table enjoying a meal in content silence, a bowl of steaming rice front and center in their line of sight.
"it says the swordfish is their signature dish, but if there are others that look appealing to you, we can always order more than one. i'm rather fond of everything the jiuy isles has to offer, so..."


he trailed off as his eyes scoured the menu once more, faint pangs of pain in his stomach reminding him that they had, indeed, opted to skip breakfast at his request— one could only maximize their enjoyment of new foods by maximizing their hunger first, after all. hopefully sybil wouldn't hold this grudge against him much longer once their meal arrived and she tasted the island's cuisine for herself.


coded by reveriee.
 
these people clearly don't understand what a swordfish is.
sybil.
Despite her best attempts to keep a firm distance between the two, Sybil had somehow managed to come into contact with Knox more than she had ever imagined. From the moment he threw her over his shoulder to her current pisspoor attempt to walk in heels, she seemed fated to constantly hang off the Captain’s frame in some capacity. It was only weeks ago that Sybil would have been able to break every limb on Knox without so much of a blink, and yet now…Now she was reduced to clinging to his arms lest she wanted to slam face first into the stone road below.

The worst part of it was being able to fill the muscles that defined every inch of Knox. Though she never used to care about such a thing, she was now painfully aware of how easily he could overpower her. He had already shown her once his ability to turn her into a ragdoll, and the thought left a sour taste on her tongue. Despite his cloyingly princely demeanor towards her since that night, it still left her uneasy. It was the same type of strength that only her mother had possessed under the waves.

Shooting a cursory glance up at Knox once again as he lightly tugged her towards their new destination, she simply scoffed and tossed her hair back. Even if she wanted to rip her own feet off to get these blasted heels off, she refused to look incompetent in the presence of Knox. She didn’t need others to assume she was some bumbling village girl, stuck relying on the newest manwhore to roll into town. Though to be fair, she had no clue what woman would actually be interested in Knox in any capacity.

A low growl left her throat, an impressive sound given her now human nature. How long was she to be humiliated like this? Forced to go wherever the Prince himself declared? It wasn’t just because of the heels; It was every day of her new life since she lost her tail. Whatever Knox declared on the ship, his crew nearly ran into each other to complete. And they seemed happy to do it. No siren had ever seemed happy to even be in the presence of Sybil, and yet this bumbling idiot had an entire cohort of admirers.

Watching the woman who sat them wink at Knox and scramble away to do Gods knows what, Sybil affixed a firm frown over her lips. Apparently that was the type of woman who was interested in the man seated in front of her. Rolling her eyes over slowly to Knox as she fiddled with a string of pearls hanging from her headpiece, Sybil just let out another low scoff and waved a hand dismissively.


“I do not need you to explain food to me like I am some child, Captain. You already get the unfortunate pleasure of keeping me upright in these horrendous shoes, so do not push your luck. I am already worn thin by this experience so far,” she mused out, snapping a pearl clean off the string that held it to her head. Holding it up in front of her eyes, she squinted for a moment before unceremoniously flicking it directly into Knox’s face. She then leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she shrugged.

“Get us the swordfish. I have eaten it many times before in my life, it is not a hard catch,” she said dismissively, though she could already feel the saliva building in her mouth from hunger. It had been a while since she had last caught herself a swordfish to consume, and she often took her time ripping through the raw flesh to actually somewhat savor her meal. It was one of the better tasting fish she could find, though their habitats were often swarmed with human fishing boats.

As Knox ordered for them, Sybil just let out a loud huff of air and dropped her chin into her palms as her elbows rested against the table. Although the area wasn’t too crowded yet, more and more costumed folk were starting to slowly appear behind the two as they made their way deeper into the city. Sybil’s gaze silently wandered over them as they marched on, a curiosity that she didn’t seem to hide from Knox. Truthfully, she wasn’t used to curbing any of her emotions around other sirens, given she normally only felt anger and contempt. Now that an odd calmness had washed over her life, it was easy to read any and all emotions that dared to cross her visage. As she continued to watch the crowds saunter by, she didn’t make any eye contact with Knox, though her lips did eventually part.


“Why do you enjoy things like this? Dressing up, pretending? It seems like such a waste of time when men are dying out at sea to sirens every day. Do you truly not care that much?” She prompted, finally shooting a cautious look over to the Prince across from her. The curiosity had faded from her features, instead replaced with a furrowed brow and somewhat pouty lip. A genuine confusion as to why humans would even consider having a festival when others were out dying at sea. Every day under the waves was war to the sirens. The Queen consistently drilled in them to never let their guard down; They had to win the fight against the humans.

“You just seem so…relaxed. All the time. Are you not stressed by the task at hand? What you have to do?”

At that point, the steaming plate of fish was delivered to the two of them, and Sybil immediately transitioned her confused appearance into one of disgust. This wasn’t a swordfish. This was a slab of…flesh. Her eyes darted between Knox and the plate in an aghast expression, before she hesitantly poked it with her finger.

“This is not a swordfish. It is barely the size of a swordfish's ass.”
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mm, a treat for my eyes and my stomach.
knox.
a fleeting sting of annoyance flared across knox's skull as the offending pearl bounced off of his cheek, landing harmlessly on the ground nearby and subsequently rolling away. he had not been required to act the part of a well-mannered prince for quite some time, and though it came back as naturally as donning a stiff, custom tailored suit, trying moments such as these threatened to hinder his efforts to subdue the foul-mouthed sailor he'd begun morphing into upon taking up a life at sea. how laughable to think that a lifetime of princely etiquette lessons could so easily fall apart in the face of his grim chances of survival on the battlefield all those years ago, he bitterly mused to himself as he took a deep breath to level his mounting blood pressure.

“why do you enjoy things like this? dressing up, pretending? it seems like such a waste of time when men are dying out at sea to sirens every day. do you truly not care that much? you just seem so…relaxed. all the time. are you not stressed by the task at hand? what you have to do?”


leisure. a tricky concept indeed, one that might have been foreign to the weary captain as well had he not taken up his role in the naval fleet at the first opportunity upon returning from war with ascye. he was rather lucky that amelia was more ambitious than himself, as her iron-clad grip on the nobility allowed him to pursue less restrictive ventures at his own pace. still, sybil's quizzical gaze wasn't difficult to fathom given his status as an esteemed prince despite his lax circumstances at the moment— the commoners of salona would likely interrogate him with a similar line of questioning if given the chance.

"i... understand how it looks that way to you,"
he spoke up after a brief moment of silent deliberation as he attempted to string his unorganized thoughts and inherent values together into a coherent justification,
"but what stresses me is not my mission, but the ramifications of returning empty-handed. frankly, i didn't choose this path any more than you chose yours— none of us did."


he leaned back in his chair to drink in the visibly displeased pout on sybil's lips as he explained, prior annoyance rapidly melting away in the face of her admittedly endearing expression at his confusing words.

"this... obsession with purging the sirens... with exterminating their race and killing their queen in the name of vengeance... i don't see how such a mission helps anyone beyond lining the pockets of our weapons manufacturers. there are countless pressing domestic issues eating salona from within, but until the crown is wrenched from that bastard's clutches, my people must continue to send their sons to their deaths beneath the waves..."
a tense pause interrupted his rambling thoughts as a displeased scowl gripped knox's features, unpleasant memories bubbling to the surface before he shook his head and continued,
"so while i detest dealing with that man's dirty work more than anything, i do what i must to stay afloat in the meantime. that's what makes chances like these— where we can escape the fighting, even if it's just for a short while— all the more valuable."


a twinge of melancholy lingered in knox's clouded gaze until the arrival of their aromatic seafood dishes caught their attention, the salivating sight causing the discomfort in his stomach to make its presence known once again and successfully silence the captain's babbling for the time being. much to his famished delight, the swordfish was cooked to savory perfection amidst a tastefully-plated array of roasted vegetables, along with a sizzling bowl of fresh bouillabaisse and crispy, golden yuca fries.

“this is not a swordfish. it is barely the size of a swordfish's ass.”


knox stifled a snort at the disappointed remark that he probably should have expected but took him by surprise nonetheless, prompting him to duck his face to hide the brief flash of amusement illuminating his hazel eyes.
"people usually don't order the whole swordfish at restaurants unless they're malnourished. we can always order more if this portion doesn't satisfy you."


he cared not to wait for sybil's approval before digging into a mussel from the bouillabaisse, the smooth tomato broth rendering a cathartic shock to his senses after weeks of consuming the typical diet. his personal chef aboard the indira was hardly a novice by any stretch of the word, but endlessly consuming the same salonian cuisine quickly proved to be the bane of his existence when embarking on this journey and became one of the primary reasons the crew tended to make so many pit stops in various ports along the way.

with his initial cravings satisfied after scraping out a few mussels to send down the hatch and washing them down with a cold, hoppy lager, knox continued their discussion where he left off prior to the keen waitress' welcome interruption.
"when it comes to dressing up for the sake of partying and pretending to be the folks of legends... well, it's fun, so why not?"
he scooped several of the yuca fries out onto sybil's plate before helping himself to some as well, hardly paying attention to his companion's dietary concerns per her own curt request to not be treated like a child.
"socializing with beautiful people in beautiful clothing is its own class of entertainment, after all, hence why i'm happily putting up with being pelted by pearls in your company instead of getting shit-faced with rafael and the others. your uncomfortable shoes might be overshadowing it right now, but i guarantee you'll understand what i mean soon enough."


the compliments towards her appearance slipped off his tongue as naturally as though stating an objective truth, hardly registering in his brain as anything more than fact despite his usual tendency to grow rather flustered in intimate situations concerning sybil. instead, he continued filling his stomach without a hitch, his relaxed gaze occasionally lingering on her unexpectedly petite form every now and then as he sipped leisurely on his foamy beverage, drinking in the blissful views that surrounded him.


coded by reveriee.
 
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that wasn't a good sign.
sybil.
Staring down at the steaming plate in front of her, the saliva was that pooling in her mouth betrayed the incredulous look on her face. It wasn’t like she wasn’t going to eat it. That would be stupid. But she was mad.

Mad that it was this small and dainty. Mad that Knox seemed so excited to scarf it down. Mad that she didn’t catch it herself, and had to rely on another human to gut and filet it. One hand raised up tentatively towards the plate, before she lowered it back down into her lap. Her gaze darted to the silver utensils sitting next to her meal. Knox had made a point to use them around her in their travels together, but she still opted to simply use her fingers each time. Why bother to make eating more difficult?

Yet, sitting in a space surrounded by other humans all using the cutlery, it felt wrong. Wrong to do what came to her naturally. Her gaze once again flickered up to Knox as she silently reached up from her lap, her fingers haphazardly gripping the fork. It wasn’t elegant or Princely, but she at least was able to hold it. Still, she didn’t make a move to stab her meal yet. She still had to respond to Knox.

"This... obsession with purging the sirens... with exterminating their race and killing their queen in the name of vengeance... I don't see how such a mission helps anyone beyond lining the pockets of our weapons manufacturers. There are countless pressing domestic issues eating Salona from within, but until the crown is wrenched from that bastard's clutches, my people must continue to send their sons to their deaths beneath the waves..."

Pursing her lips into a frown as she stared at him, Sybil seemed to deliberate her words for a moment. The Prince who killed sirens, expressing contempt for his position? For being a killer? It wasn’t exactly…what she had expected. In fact, it was the exact opposite of what she ever expected to hear. What human didn’t want sirens dead? Not a single siren under the waves would show mercy to some idiotic human seeking peace, so what was he implying.

“Perhaps vengeance is not the just motive to you, but the bodies of men that line the seabed are keeping these…festives, safe. For now. Every man pulled under the waves is another casualty in their war. The only thing holding them back from slaughtering every human that strolls down the street is the sea and the fodder between them. If sirens could walk on land…” She trailed off, painfully aware of the irony that only she was privy to. Her fork raised, and stabbed directly into the swordfish piece so she could rip off a chunk for herself.

“There is no winning a war with an enemy that will not compromise. Until the Queen is dead and gone, men will continue to die every time they dare to sail across the sea for a merchant's trade. To visit their families long relocated to another Kingdom. To get away from responsibilities and a heavy burden,” she said, her eyes locked onto Knox as she spoke the last implication. Her lips delicately wrapped around the white flesh of the fish, though she hardly seemed to chew it before she had swallowed the chunk.

“A kind thought like that will end with your heart among the many that are hidden below the shingles of the seabed. Perhaps they will even keep those fancy gold studs in your ears as a memento,” she mused, opting to leave the conversation there for the moment as she fully dug into her meal. It was admittedly far better than any of the raw fish she ripped apart under the sea. Whatever the humans had done to make it taste like this…Perhaps they were good at one thing.

Cooking, and wasting time. Two excellent human pastimes, it seemed.

After wiping her plate clean, she didn’t wait for any confirmation before snatching up the lager that Knox had been happily sipping out. Without much thought, she quickly drained the drink in an attempt to satisfy her thirst. The empty glass was slammed down, followed by a muffled burp from Sybil.

“I need another drink, I am still thirsty,” she commented a moment later, waving a hand dismissively towards his empty glass. Her eyes rolled over to the crowd that continued to steadily increase in size, twisting her lips back and forth for a moment before she rolled her shoulders.

“I hardly see any of your so-called beautiful people. If you wish to actually be pelted with these stupid pearls that woman managed to suffocate me with, that can be arranged. Probably a more enjoyable past time than this,” she assured him, seemingly missing his compliment towards her. Her eyes were instead locked onto the crowd. Although her expression seemed peaceful for the moment, it was clear her eyes seemed to be trailing one individual in particular. There wasn’t anything remarkable about the man or his jester-like attire, the only noticeable thing about him seemed to be the fact that he was walking directly towards him.

Although Sybil didn’t move from her spot, her shoulders visibly tensed as the man looked back drunkenly at his friends and let out a whoop of laughter. However, when the man looked back and made eye contact with Sybil, his face seemed to pale a bit at her expression. He stopped in his tracks, before dejectedly turning back and skittering towards his booing friends. With that, they vanished into the crowd of moving festival goers once again.

A frown continued to etch itself on her face as she turned back to Knox, unsure exactly what had just transpired. It seemed to be a blaring loud warning of what was to come for the two of them once they left the safety of the restaurant.

“How beautiful,” she said coldly, before immediately snatching up the new lager delivered to Knox to down it once more.

Seems like it was about to be a long night.

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