Water Heart | P.Sh

| 12 |

Minor warning: Brief hinting at SA

At the dawn of another day Jiyeon had helped me get dressed once again, helping me into a dull red skirt along with a new chemise that was at least a bit warmer than the cold and drenched one we had hung up to dry over night, meanwhile the rest of the crew had hung up their wet clothes in the rigging.

"When will we be at that town?" I questioned carefully as she tightened my belt for me once again. 

I had noticed how Jiyeon had seemed slightly quiet and less energetic this morning, causing for me to suspect it having something to do with the job Jay had assigned to her two nights prior.

"Either by midday or evening," Jiyeon murmured calmly and I just stared down at her, "why?" she questioned as she turned back to the chest and managed to find a pair of boots for me before pulling out a dark blue skirt for herself.

"You seem odd," I excused and bent down to slip my feet into the boots. They were about a size too big, but rather too big than too small.

"Jungwon won't let it be," she murmured quietly as she tied the backstring of her skirt around her waist in the front.

"But he isn't your boyfriend, he can't be mad about it," I reminded her and she only glanced at me.

Despite the oil lamp giving minimal light it seemed that her gaze screamed of more stories laying behind the reason why Jungwon wasn't happy with the decision.

"He's the only one I can trust on this ship," Jiyeon whispered quietly, "and... last time I did a job like this it didn't go too well."

"What do you mean?" I questioned and Jiyeon immediately pursed her lips and sighed as she looked off, still not having tied up the front of her skirt.

"I've been used to seduce the crew of the Flottante for four years," she quietly whispered and I only nodded and buttoned up both my boots, crouching down on the ground to do so, "First their captain Youngho, then later the co-captain Heeseung, and now their Quartermaster Kitae," Jiyeon listed quietly, "out of those three Kitae has been the worst. He knows the older boys have been seduced by me in the past, so he's not gving me an easy time whenever I do the job."

"But if you've done it so much... and they know it's to steal from them each time, how come they let you keep doing it?" I questioned in confusion and she only shook her head with a small smile.

"They don't remember that I steal," she replied, "they only remember that I've gone to bed with each of them multiple times. They think I'm betraying the Bloody Jack," she excused and I frowned at her, "this ship."

"Oh..." I murmured in realization. I had never thought of how this ship actually had a name as well.

"They think I do it to betray this ship, and... they find it funny I guess," Jiyeon murmured with a small shrug as she finally picked up the front of her skirt and tied it around her waist, "Kitae is very mean about it... VERY mean," she remarked and I slowly nodded, "Sunghoon was on the watch duty last time, and it was the first time anyone actually had to intervene."

"But why?" I kept on pressing, despite seeing how Jiyeon was very hesitant and uncomfortable with answering, but I needed to know. I wanted to know.

"I usually do it for payment, a small reward for myself for doing the job," Jiyeon admitted with a small shrug, "use it to buy myself nice things when we are in good harbours... usually the agreement is always for me to get a set amount of money for them to just do whatever they want to as long as it is safe and painless. As I said Kitae is very mean about the whole thing."

"What did he do?" I murmured and fell back on my butt, giving her a small frown as I felt worry grow over me.

"He broke the agreement of the payment," Jiyeon quietly spoke, "he has this dagger that uhm... yeah... anyways. Sunghoon heard my screams and came to help me. I refused to eat in a week after that incident, I didn't sleep, I didn't work, and that's why Jungwon don't want me to do the job. And now he won't let me hear the end of it. Keeps mentioning what happened last time these days, as if it'll make me let you do the job... and that's also why he insists on being on the watch duty with you."

"I'll make sure he doesn't intervene before we hear you scream," I nodded, feeling slightly nauseous that literally anything could happen to her and we would have to let it happen if we don't hear her screams.

What if that Kitae dude holds a pillow over her face or something to keep her quiet? How would we know she needs help?

"He won't blow it like that," Jiyeon shook her head with a small smile as she secured her belt as well, "he will just... be very pissy and moody all evening, and I feel bad that you have to sit by his side while he gets all mad while watching me. He's not that kind to anyone around him when he gets like that."

"Jiyeon?" I questioned and she hummed down at me, "can I call you Yeon?"

"Of course," she smiled slightly as she slipped into her boots, which probably still was slightly wet and moist.

"Can I say something else?" I questioned and she just nodded at me, "I am so terribly impressed by you," I admitted and she just gave me a funny look, "you know none of the crew likes you and that you can't trust them. They pimp you out for their own good whenever it is convenient, wish death upon you the moment a storm passes by. Yet... you still... you still stay happy and energetic up on that deck. You always skip around, but you don't... you surely don't hesitate to scold Jungwon," I listed and she let out a small laugh at me, "I don't get how you do it."

"You want to know my secret?" she questioned and I nodded at her.

With a small flick of the wrist she was suddenly holding a card between two fingers, smiling slightly at it. Holding it closer to the oil lamp I could see a funny illustration of geometric shapes and a sun in the middle. The card was dark, but was drawn over with golden lines to create the shapes and sun.

"What?" I questioned her in amusement.

"It's my secret," she whispered and held a finger up to her lips, "and this is my second secret," she continued and pulled out a small leather string from underneath her skirt, at the end of it hung a very small wax-sealed jar, filled with flakes of different colors and a clear, perfectly round stone laying in the middle of it.

"You're a funny girl, aren't you?" I questioned and she only shrugged and stuffed the leather string and jar back into her skirt, hiding it perfectly. It was first now I realized the card from before was gone.

"I have my secrets," she casually shrugged and buttoned up her boots, "now let's go."

I followed after her back through the ship and up onto the deck, looking at her with curiousity. Noticing how the oil lamp both turned off and disappeared around the same time.