Dream loved the wind.
He loved the sound it made on a particularly chilly day, as if it had its own song. The song was different each day, too, and for hours if he really wanted to, he could stand upon the deck of his ship, listening, and listening, and listening, until the wind wouldn't play any more.
The problem was, the wind didn't always play loud enough to be heard over the sea. Waves lapping against each other, the sounds of gulls soaring overhead, it was overpowering, and while he loved the smell of the saltwater he saw all the time, he preferred the wind. It was...calmer. It could float on top of the sea, instead of with it, like his ship did.
His ship floated with the sea, not on it. He felt as though it were attached to the water, and therefore, so was he. In that way, the sea was simply a vast expansion of himself. An expansion of what he and his crew did. He controlled the sea, and yet the sea and him were equals. As with any pirate, that bond was something rivaled only by the companionship of their fellow crewmates.
Dream smiled suddenly as his first mate showed up next to him. The white ceramic mask that separated his smile from his friend was the same mask that portrayed a very different one. A smile familiar to any sailor, any ruler, and any warrior; a smile that could strike fear into the worst hearts.
Dream turned to Sapnap, letting out a sigh. Things were good right now, but he knew the man would have news. Tensions had been high the past few months, and it was unlikely a solution had been formed as of late.
"Any word from them?" He pushed first, hoping to get the conversation out of the way for the day.
Sapnap returned a short shake of his head. "No, nothing. Unfortunately we won't be docking for several weeks, so I doubt we're gonna get any surprise messengers sailing around these waters to deliver some news for a while."
Dream bit his lip, nodding a bit. A beat of silence passed, before he let out a defeated grunt, running a hand through his hair. "We're so screwed, Sap." The younger man didn't bother replying, unable to deny the truth, and unwilling to stoke the fire that Dream had burning.
The two had nothing more to speak about for now, business-wise, so the blond leaned over the rail once again and stared out at the endless blue surrounding them. "Do you ever wonder what life is like on land?"
Of course, mainland wasn't a foreign concept to them, they'd set foot on the earth countless times, but after spending nearly their whole lives aboard this ship, both Dream and Sapnap could easily consider it their home. They'd never known life on land, free from bounties on their head and government naval vessels chasing after them if any pirate came so much as near the borders of their kingdom.
"Of course, don't we all?" He replied after a moment.
Dream hummed a little, finding something amusing. "I don't. I mean, I never have..until recent."
"Recent?" The other man inquired, interest peaked.
"I don't know, the past few months, when things all went to shit I suppose. Maybe it's me wishing we were wherever he is...maybe it's me wishing I could forget this whole thing, live like a normal human... but I've never wished it before, yaknow?"
Sapnap hesitated, and Dream could sense he was unsure of how to respond. "Nevermind. Maybe I've just been on the ship for too long. After tonight we'll stop at Dry Waters, take a swim in the island's lagoon. We could all use a swim, if you ask me."
The brunet nodded in response. "You want me to tell the crew, or should you?"
"You go ahead, I have some things to attend to. Oh, and let Fundy take the wheel for today, I'm sure he'll be excited about stopping at Dry Waters, of course."
After Sapnap had left, Dream was the sole admirer of the waves once again, besides Sam who was, of course, tending to all the ships needs at the moment, and currently above as well. He readjusted the mask covering his face, before turning and finding his way to the floors below.
Descending the stairs, he headed down to the lowest deck. Reaching the last step he peered in front of him, at the countless large, glass tanks that filled the room, each inside a wooden cell, making the overall feel of this room to be a prison. Well, that's what it was, wasn't it?
Looking towards the figure in the tank closest to him, he gave a small, malicious grin.
"Let's catch another mermaid today, shall we?"
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Word Count: 809
Date: 03/05/21
Ello, author again. Got two chapters done in a day hehe 😎 unfortunately they're both shorter than I would have liked, but oh well. If you're one of the few to read this, feel free to leave a vote and a comment :D