The problem with waves is that they kept moving! “Well that’s just rude. Keep still.” Xasan frowned at them as they continued shifting outside his window. “Or at least give me another one like the first. No. No. No. Almost!” He turned back to his painting and added some color. Sure, he was working on the sunset bit, but the placid ocean didn’t have to mock him like it was. 

He sighed dramatically when there was a knock at his door. “I’m busy!” He wasn't in the mood this morning, and besides that he was pretty sure it was too early for there to be any problems.

“No, you’re not!” Deelah’s voice came through, so he knew he only had a few seconds to come up with a good excuse.

“I’m naked!”

“No, you’re not.” The door opened, but he couldn’t see her yet. The partition he’d commissioned was doing its job, keeping his bedroom area moderately private from where he worked.

“I knew I should have said I was sick.”

He finished up with the orange he’d mixed while Deelah came to join him. “I still would have come to get you. Oh, look at that. You are naked.”

“I told you.” He shuffled his things off to the side where they weren’t in danger of falling. “Sometimes I like to paint nude portraits.”

“I don’t think that’s what that means.” Deelah leaned against the wall, making no effort to avert her gaze, but not paying particular attention either. She’d seen him naked before, and besides, he didn’t have all those swinging bits like many. All of his parts were well contained and safe within his body. It was more hygienic that way. 

“Nonsense. Who is the artist here?” He gave her his full attention once his painting supplies were put away. “What is it? Did you bring breakfast?”

“No,” she extended the sound. She always said no that way when she was delightedly bringing him an issue. It meant there was something that wasn’t an emergency, but that he wasn’t going to like. “You have a problem on deck, and I think you’d better put on some clothes and go deal with it, Captain.”

Xasan’s face wasn’t structured well to pout, but he tried his best. “ I thought that’s what I paid you for.”

“No, you pay me to help run your bloody ship, and I do that very, very well.”

He nodded. “You do do that very well.”

“Very, very well.”

“Very, very, very well.”

“Thank you. So you get to go fix the problems with your sailors.” 

That didn’t make sense. His sailors always got along quite well. Sometimes too well. “What’s wrong with my sailors?”

“Why don’t you go have a look.”

He stood and dressed, just something that he could put on quickly, but still gave him the appropriate gravatas. Deelah remained leaned up against the wall, far too amused by the situation she’d put him in to risk missing his reaction.

He selected a shirt that tied at each side, crossing over one another in the front to leave a deep plunge in the collar. It was still halfway open when he stormed out of his room and out onto the upper decks. He hadn’t bothered with shoes, but his clawed feet were more than capable of keeping their footing on the wooden hull. Used to be that everyone went barefoot on ships, until some clever prick started smashing glass along their floors. Now shoes were standard, but it felt good to get back to his roots in bare feet.

But he was getting distracted. He needed to find the problem Deelah mentioned. She strolled up behind him as he was looking around. Things seemed normal at a glance. “Check the stern.”

“What? Here? In public?”

He could practically hear her eyes rolling. “Go to the back of the boat, you daft bastard.”

Xasan went in the correct direction. Despite wanting to tease Deelah, he did have a vested interest in his crew being happy and performing at their best. He only got paid if they worked well. 

Nothing seemed amiss. They were working as normal. Brysys was sitting on a crate chatting with them. “What’s wrong?” He spared Deelah a confused glance. She wasn’t one to bring him problems erroneously.

“Why don’t you join the conversation they’re having?”

Xasan decided he would, but Deelah remained where she was, watching from a distance. He tried to walk up casually, like he was just enjoying a morning stroll on deck. Although, now he was noticing that the sun was quite high in the sky. When did that happen?

“Has anyone told you that you’re really irritating?”

“Well, yes.” Brysys leaned forward, her hands between her knees, to inspect the work Phillip had done. “But you haven’t answered my question. Do you not know the answer? You really should. This is your job, isn’t it?”

“Good morning!” Xasan stepped in, injecting a cheerier atmosphere to the situation. Phillip was steaming, and he wasn’t the most stable personality on board. “Phillip, I think the chef was asking for suggestions on dinner. You should give him a few and come back to this later.”

“Aye, Captain.” Phillip dropped the ropes he’d been- roping and stalked off.

Once he was gone Xasan turned his charm on Brysys. “Brysys? Have you been trying to help again?”

“I didn’t touch anything!” She sounded like an accused child. “I was just asking him questions. He really wasn’t very knowledgeable. I thought your crew was supposed to be competent?”

His smile widened slightly. Brysys had mostly kept to herself in the few weeks she’d been on his ship, but there had been a several fires to put out when she decided she needed to socialize. “Being knowledgeable doesn’t make a person a good teacher.” He offered his arm and she stood to accept it. Xasan continued speaking as he started escorting Brysys in a meandering path around the ship. As they passed Deelah he gave her a grateful nod, which she pretended not to see as she turned to return to her own tasks. “Are you that interested in ships? There are better teachers in Trove.”

“I’m just so bored! Ordinarily I have a whole forest of entertainment. Normally I have responsibilities! The ocean just goes on forever and ever!” 

He nodded sympathetically. No one knew they’d be taking her on board, otherwise he would have arranged for something for her to do. It was important to keep your druids stimulated. “You sound like Deelah on her first journey, although admittedly less seasick. What are your interests? Maybe we can think of something to keep you entertained.”

Brysys didn’t need to consider her answer. “I like animals, and plants. Sex. I have a flute, but I’m not very good at it?”

“Well, at least two of those things you can do on board!”

She sighed. “I can’t! All of the animals and plants are under the water, and we’re moving too quickly for me to leave the ship. I can’t have sex because- well, it will be awkward afterwards, won’t it? And half your crew hates me. The flute I just threw in because it sounded sad to not have any hobbies.”

He chuckled, genuinely amused, although he knew he shouldn’t have been. What an odd and charming girl. “There are animals on board. Who says there isn’t?”

She perked up at that. “What? Are there?”

He nodded. “Mmm, and it’s only half the crew, so you still have the other half to choose from!”

“Optimistic, are you?” The sarcasm was light enough to be nearly undetectable.

“Always! And the flute- Well, there’s only one way to get better! But plants,” he took a look around and nodded to himself, “we could use some of those around, I think. Especially if they’re useful to us.”

“There are plenty of useful plants. Herbs, both for medicine and cooking, I thought I might put some in my room if we find any at port.”

“Mm, yes, your room, but why not scout a few locations on deck? I’m sure the crew wouldn’t mind having some plants to look at too.” He chuckled and added, “And I’m sure you’ll be able to find them in Trove. We keep a bit of everything there.”

She lit up, her arm tightening pleasantly around his. “Really? What sorts of places? What sorts of plants?”

Xasan shook his head. This was already out of his wheelhouse. He just wanted to make sure she had a project. “You’re the person who knows plants. Have a look around and bring me your ideas. We can discuss them together and start the- dirt? Boxes?

“Beds.”

“Nice. I knew I liked plants. We can get the beds built in port.”

Brysys nodded, her eyes already darting around. Xasan could tell he’d done well. This had to keep her busy for a while, and she probably wouldn’t do much harm just wandering the ship and dreaming.

“And once I’ve finished this you can show me to your animals. What sorts are they?”

He chuckled again. “I wouldn’t call them mine. Every ship has some cats to keep the rats at bay. They’re usually near the hull, but sometimes they come out to lay on deck. Completely feral, so none of us touch them.”

“They’re only here to eat the rats?” Brysys clarified.

“To my knowledge. I didn’t put them here, but someone did. They’d know better than me.”

She frowned at him. “Do you do anything aboard this ship?”

He flashed her a smile and a wink. “I employ experts. Speaking of experts, I need to meet with my researcher. Are you feeling better now?” Brysys nodded. He could tell that she was eager to start working on her designs. “Enjoy yourself.”

He released her arm and they began to walk in different directions, but he paused and called her name, entreating her to turn back to him. “You know, you don’t have to like a person to have sex with them. Trust me, the process is pretty similar even if they hate you.” Brysys smiled despite her attempt not to. She shook her head and turned without response, off to scout the ship.

Xasan strolled over to a set of stairs and rubbed at his eyes before plunging into the depths of his boat to find Hazel. She hadn’t reported in recently, and it was always hard to tell if that meant she hadn’t found anything, or if she’d gotten trapped too deep in a rabbit hole of knowledge. He might as well check in, so long as he was putting out fires anyway.

She was deep in study when he found her, so much so that she hadn’t answered his knocking, but her familiar hooted twice, an indication that he could enter. The owl was sitting in its little house up in the corner of the room, looking out with huge eyes from the shadows. Xasan nodded at it. It wasn't actually a bird, but he hadn’t ever paid enough attention to figure out if it was fey or something else. It was smart, he knew that much, and he wasn’t going to piss it off. Never annoy anything that could poop on your head. 

Hazel was in her window seat, pouring over a journal with scrolls and individual pieces of parchment scattered around her. Xasan went to her desk and pulled out the chair for himself. She would speak to him once she’d reached a stopping point. 

The halfling’s hair was down, obscuring her face entirely, but her ears poked out cutely from beneath the waves. She wore the same plain clothing he was used to, despite her elevated status among his crew. Honestly, he’d given all his friends a life of luxury and they had no concept of how to properly abuse it. She spent all her money on books and ink, claiming that the ink would just stain her clothes anyway. He pointed out that she could just buy more clothes, but she hadn’t approved of the concept.  It was difficult to argue with her, not in the least because she hardly spoke. 

He picked up one of the scrolls from beside her and began to look it over while she waited. It appeared to be a list of names, but he couldn’t make sense of them all together. He didn’t recognize them from anywhere.

Eventually she lifted her head, eyes still fixed in focus, despite no longer looking at the page. She blinked several times to release herself from the daze and stared blankly at him. 

He smiled, giving her a brief wave while she placed where she was and who she was talking to. “Hello, I’ve come to check on you.”

“Oh, umm, hi.” She blinked a few more times and then looked down at the scroll in his hand. “You’ve come to ask about the research?”

“And you.” She was still his friend. He desperately wanted her to finish her task, but he didn’t want her to kill herself doing it. It was important that she didn’t get too invested in the reading and neglect herself. “Have you eaten today?”

She glanced at the desk and frowned. “They brought me tea this morning.” There was still toast on the plate. “I ate the bacon.”

Xasan nodded along with her answer. “I’ll have another pot sent with lunch.”

Hazel mimicked his nod but refused. “I should stretch my legs anyway. I’ll go get lunch myself. Thank you though.”

“Of course.” He indicated the book with a slight tilt of his chin. “What have you found?”