Pink Skies
Chapter 8: The Flying Boar
2 WEEKS LATER
The firenation had treated them well, but since Lin's training had come to a conclusion, so had their stay. She was going to miss sharing a bed with Kya every night, but she'd get used to it.
"Thank you, for everything," Lin said, bowing before her hosts.
"Anytime. A friend of my daughter is a friend of mine," Zuko said, returning the gesture.
"Just promise me you'll make use of those," Mai said, in reference to the throwables she had given Lin. She could feel the weight of the knives, stars, and pins in her belt, and it brought her a sense of security.
"Absolutely, I'll send proof back with Izumi." Mai dipped her head, parting to the side to let Iroh through.
"Mommy I want to come with you." He said outstretching his arms. Izumi crouched to meet him, wrapping him in one last hug.
"I know sweetie, but I'll be back before you know it, and I'll stay much longer."
Iroh leaned into her ear whispering something. They smiled at his antics, but Lin couldn't help her curiosity when Izumi blushed.
"I don't know," the fire Princess replied, "I hope so." Iroh smiled, directing his attention to Lin and Kya.
"Take care of mom,' he directed.
"Yes sir," she replied with a bow.
"Smooth sailing," Zuko said, "may Davy Jones protect you."
It was nostalgic being back on the ship. The repairs from the encounter with Bataar's frigate had been completed, and the hull looked good as new. Lin detected a fresh coat of paint with her nose, and a refill in supplies with her eyes.
"Captain, it's good to see ya," Shin and Ping said, along with the other crew members.
"Here we were thinking you decided to stay."
"Stay? And leave my gold to you bastards? Ha! The day I decide to "stay" is the day the Ozai's Revenge is taken to Davy Jones!" The crew cheered, and Lin joined in.
She hadn't chosen the Pirate Life, but damn had it chosen her.
"What are we waiting for? Undock the ship and head south, it's time the Revenge had its meeting with the Boar!"
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Kya had done some thinking, well, she had done more than that. She was certain Izumi had picked up on her innuendo at the restaurant, yet nothing had happened. Or if it did, it was between Lin and Izumi and Kya was left out of it.
She kept meaning to talk to Lin but they were always put enjoying the crowds, or with the Royalty, or doing other things... that it never felt like the right time. And with Lin training she didn't want to distract her. But now they would be sailing until whenever they ran into Suyin, so the time was nearing.
She sank back into old routines, pulling on sail ropes, helping out with the capstan. She even took the liberty of loading the second floor cannons just in case. When she was done, and covered in sweat she pulled out her flintlocks, and head to the back of the ship for some target practice.
She had gotten better since making port, the military had a training ground near the temple Izumi had invited her too a few times, and she had fired real ammunition at moving targets.
"You'll be hell of a marksman when this is over." Izumi remarked.
"Thats marks-woman to you."
"My bad, hell of a shooter." Kya smiled, turning to face her.
"Why don't you try?"
"Dont need to, I trust you can carry enough guns to cover the both of us."
"Thats a lot of pressure."
"I've seen how you operate under pressure, you can handle it."
Kya remembered distinctly how turned on she had been in that in moment. If the Captain wasn't so hard to read she would've been able to tell if she felt it to.
"Hey!" Kya turned around, seeing Ping running up to her.
"You want a shoot off?" He asked. Kya looked him up and down.
"Whats in it for me?"
"My days fruit, for you."
"What about you?" She asked.
"A night, with you." She widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Excuse me? We were just docked couldn't you have found some place to... make port while we were there?"
"Heh, not everyone gotta go roamin' around the palace with the Captain." He explained, "someone had to clean the ship."
She didn't know what came over her. Perhaps it was her newfound love of shooting, or a deeply buried competitive nature, but she agreed.
"Fine, but make it your fruit plus ten Yen."
"Deal." She raised her chin, loading the copper rounds into her flintlocks, locking in the ammo.
She took a breath and aimed. She remembered how she used to recoil at the sound of the fire, but she was used to it now. She had hit both targets, not quite a bullseye, but close enough. If Ping wanted to make it another round he would have to make some pretty tough shots.
"Do your worst," Kya said stepping away from the firing line. Ping sneered, stepping up to the scratch in the floorboard that marked the distance to the target. He took aim, and Kya relaxed he was clearly drunken, his stupor slow and posture weak.
The extra apple was going to taste good. His shots rang out, but as she expected he was no where near her accuracy.
"I'll take my Yen now, and the fruit at dinner." The others laughed while Ping reluctantly gave up his gold. Kya pocketed it with a smile, leaving them to their own games. She wasn't much of a gambler, but she did know to quit when she was ahead.
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Lin stared at the compass next to the wheel, and then the one in her hand, sighing when she realized one of them was wrong. She hoped, for her sake, her pocket one was wrong as she had been using the ship's compass to sail south. The sun was high in the sky and she tried to picture what direction it had been shining earlier, but she had been below deck and couldn't remember.
Defeated, she left the wheel, tying it steady upright to maintain course while she recieved another compass. She searched the crews personaly belongings, so long as they weren't looking, but she ended up on the third level, rummaging through the barrels and crates. The last thing she wanted to do was go to Izumi and tell her she made a mistake this early into their next heading.
The crew wouldn't let her forget it. She glanced to left, pausing. Something was off. She worked her way to the back of the ship, pushing past the inventory mess until she got to brig, only to find that it was empty.
"Captain! The prisoner has escaped!" Lin announced, drawing Izumi's attention from the map.
"What? What prisoner?"
"Bataar, Suyin's first mate."
"Oh, no I let him go." Lin paused. What? She had seen this Captain behead multiple Pirates in a minute, and she let him go?
"Why?" Lin asked, dumbfounded.
"He didn't serve any use to us. And I figured if he manages to find a way back to Su he can deliver our message."
"What message?"
"That we are coming for her." Lin sighed, leaning against the wall.
"You could've asked me." Lin said.
"Oh sorry, I forgot you're the Captain of this ship." Izumi replied, turning her attention back to the map.
"Thats not... what I meant. I just thought as... Captain and first mate we could have a little coordination? You lied to me the whole time, you gave me your word you wouldn't do it again." Lin crossed her arms.
"Did I? I try not to make such promises because they always come back to bite me, as it is with you know. I don't know what you want me to do, Lin, he's gone."
"Fine." Lin answered bluntly
"Fine. And for Jones' sake, use a compass we've been sailing west for four hours."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I figured you were smart enough to figure it out. Besides, it's not like we are in a hurry, whether the Boar sinks tomorrow or next week is indifferent to me."
"Right."
"One last thing," Izumi said, standing up, "you should talk to Kya."
"Why?" Izumi just looked at her and Lin shrugged.
Why was she being so difficult?
After Lin had readjusted their course, and released some of her anger yelling at the crew, she waved down Kya, summoning her to wheel.
"Wow, is this what you liked like when you were Captain?" Kya asked, "cause I could get used to it." Kya kissed her on the cheek, but Lin's brows were furrowed.
"Captain said I should talk to you," Lin explained. "Is there something you need to tell me?" Lin was looking at her now. Kya seemed uneasy, but not nervous.
"She, uh... she told me you kissed her."
"Oh." Lin deadpanned. "I meant to tell you but then we- and you know."
"I do. That's not all." Lin crossed her arms, despite the position being uncomfortable with the blades up her sleeves.
"I may have alluded to the idea that the three of us could..."
"Could what?" Kya looked around, before motioning her hands, she stuck two fingers up on each hand, like rabbit ears before interlocking them.
"Kya!" Lin exclaimed.
"Whaatttt? Is it that bad of an idea? I mean I already did her, and you said she was hot. Plus you kissed her." Lin scoffed placing her hands back on the wheel.
"No, it's not that bad of an idea." She replied. Kya smirked, bumping her shoulder against Lin's.
"I knew you'd be on board."
"I didn't say anything." Lin corrected, albeit half heartedly.
"You didn't need to." Kya smiled, before prancing away. It was long before she had the mop, and Lin was watching her dance with it while cleaning the deck.
If she was being honest, it wasn't a bad idea. In fact, she thought it was a great one.
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A full day had gone past since Kya's conversation with Lin, and she was feeling pretty good. There was no wind today, or very little so they were more or less relying on the waves of the ocean to take them south. It was a hopeless endeavor, but there wasn't much they could do about it. She found herself in the crows nest, keeping her eye on the horizon through a tinted spyglass. She sighed, the horizon was grey, as usual, mist from the splashing waves and the occasional Whale tail being the only things of interest, that is until something surfaced from the sea. She squinted back into the spyglass, watching in awe as the Ship of the Dead surfaced. It had an ethereal glow about, a faint blue-green as it accepted souls. She tried to zoom closer, perhaps even get a name on the back of the ship, but it was too far. She could make out the color of the sails, though, the orange top sail standing out against the others. The sails were a navy blue, and full of rips, but she didn't suppose it mattered as it traveled under the sea. The bright orange one at the top resonated with her, like she had seen it before. She smiled, waving in hopes one of its crew members would see her and return the gesture. She wasn't prepared when someone did.
She recoiled, remembering how Izumi had told her the vessel only appeared when it didn't mind the people who saw it. So what would it mean if a dead sailor had returned her gesture?
Maybe they weren't waving at you, could have been waving to someone on board.
It was a logical answer, perhaps more believable than her first conclusion.
But yet, something told her that it was wrong. Someone on board the Ship of Davy Jones had waved at her, and she needed to find out who.
Kya could die, that would certainly get her an audience with Davy Jones, but she didn't know the requirements for getting a ferried soul. Did she have to die in battle? In the water?
She hadn't even taken into account yet how she couldn't die because she didn't want to. She started the climb down the crows nest when it hit her.
Davy Jones ferried the dead, if he was here at the surface, that must mean someone died.
If someone died, then there must be another ship nearby. She pulled put her spyglass, hanging onto the ladder with one arm, searching the horizon again. Low and behold, she saw something, heading straight for them. She blinked, trying to make out the figurehead at the front of the green ship. It was a bright silver, the same silver that composed Bataar's medallion. The ship turned slightly and she was able to see around the glare from the sun, revealing the figurehead to be a large, winged Boar.
"Its here!" She shouted, "the Flying Boar!!! Prepare the cannons!" She wrapped her hand in her sleeve, holding onto the side rope of the ladder and sliding down the rest of the way, landing on her rear with a thud. She pushed herself up, soon accompanied by Lin who had a stark look.
"Lin," Kya said, "you can do this."
"I know I can. I just don't know if I want to." Kya frowned, but the moment was short lived, as the doors to the Captain's quarters were shoved open, and the bell was rung.
"All hands on deck! I want accuracy with those cannons! The Revenge will not sink today, and if it does I will personally see that Davy Jones leaves your souls here. Lower the sails, we don't have wind, but neither do they! Give us speed, make every shot count!" Izumi turned her attention to Lin, giving a nod.
"This is it, Beifong, I need you to end this." Lin gulped, but nodded.
Kya felt sick to her stomach. Lin would kill her sister today, all because they didn't want a war with the Earth Kingdom. Suyin was a pirate, she had no association with anyone, yet she would be used an excuse for violence.
That alone made Kya want to kill Suyin herself.
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"Prepare to ram!" Lin hollered, turning the wheel directly to the right. The Revenge had the size advantage to the Boar, and they needed to use it. A proper ram could be enough to un-man half the Boar's cannons, and then they'd gain an advantage in fire power.
"Brace!" She shouted in a follow up, she ducked behind the wheel, out of time to strap herself in.
The ship's collided, and it hit hard. She rolled out of the way of a wooden shrapnel, a piece of a broken mast. She gasped, looking over to find Kya anywhere. Her vision was obstructed by debris and she heard the cracking of more wood. She looked up in time to see a mast, one with white sails, falling overhead. She covered her face,.preparing herself, but it never came. She opened on eye, her heart relaxing just a bit when she saw it caught on the mast of the Revenge. She smiled briefly, Jones was looking put for her today.
She shook her head, standing up and drawing a cutlass.
She had a job to do.
She raced down the stairs into more of the chaos. The rope ladder tot the Crows nest had become free, but she began to climb anyway, until she was high enough to reach the lowest sail. She gulped, taking a deep breath as she stretched a foot onto it. She could sneak onto the Boar, and end this in seconds. Before she could transfer her weight a cannon sounded, shaking the ship again. She grunted, holding onto the rope.
Pursing her lips, she let out a cuss, and began to swing it back and forth, building momentum. She'd never make it across the sail, not with the cannons still in use. She'd have to swing over, and make a true entrance. She gained enough momentum to be above the deck of the Boar, releasing one last breath, before sliding down the rope and leaping.
She had landed in a total war zone, swords clashed on every side, and flintlocks firing in every direction. She made for cover next to some stairs, trying to get a bearing of her surroundings. Izumi and Kya were nowhere in sight, and she prayed they had stayed on the Revenge. She almost missed a man charging at her, but she pulled a knife from her boot, piercing his throat in one throw.
Pulling her sword from her hip, and adjusting her hat, she entered the battle.