Scar's POV
"Scar... we need to talk about what just happened."
I turn around when I hear the seriousness in BDubs's voice, knowing I can't avoid this for long.
"This whole thing was a bit unexpected BDubs, I didn't mean for it to-"
"How long were you gonna lie to me about it?
I can see how hurt he looks, and it makes me feel guiltier than I have in a long time. I sigh, trying to choose the right words, before looking back up at him.
"I don't know... all of this came out of nowhere, I didn't really know what to do and..."
I trail off, running out of things to say.
"Grian seems like a really nice person... you're lucky he didn't hurt you."
"I know, if you think I should stop being friends with him I-"
"I don't." BDubs admits. "I think something good might come out of this... and maybe we can stop living in constant fear of pirates if it works."
Not the answer I was expecting, but I let him continue.
"Maybe if we can trust Grian and you guys can be friends... maybe we can convince Xisuma that they aren't bad."
He notices my concern when he mentions Xisuma, and sighs.
"I'm... I'm not gonna tell X. For now."
I have to admit, his words give me a lot of relief. I love Xisuma, but he can be scary as heck when he thinks we might be in danger. If we told him now, this little plan wouldn't work at all.
"It can be our secret." I tell BDubs.
"Our secret." He agrees.
"What's a secret?!"
Ezra's voice scares the crap out of the two of us, and I turn around to see my other best friend. He's grinning, almost innocently, not aware of how terrifying that was.
"Jeez Ezra, you sound way too much like your brother..." I admit, trying to regain my breath.
"Oooh, are we talking about things Xisuma isn't supposed to know?" He asks, eyes lighting up at the idea of knowing something his twin doesn't.
"No! Well... yes, but there isn't a 'we' in this conversation!" BDubs replies. "So we're just gonna patiently wait here for you to leave so that we can continue."
Ezra doesn't budge.
"Is this about that human you saw?" He asks me.
"Human?' BDubs repeats, turning to me. "Does he mean Grian?"
"BDUBS!" I snap. "You can't just-"
"HIS NAME'S GRIAN?! YOU SPOKE TO HIM?!" Ezra gasps, getting extremely excited now. We might as well just explain it all to him, or he'll bother us until we do.
"Yes, I spoke to him... he fell off of his ship during the storm and almost drowned, so I rescued him. Now we're... friends? I guess?"
"Aww, how romantic! You saved his life!" Our friend teases, a stupid smile on his face. My own face goes red, and I scoff.
"It's not romantic! I literally just said that we're friends!" I insist.
"Mm-Hmm, ok. Whatever you say Scar." He snickers.
"Look, it doesn't matter." BDubs tells Ezra. "The important thing is, Xisuma can't know about ANY of this."
"What can I not know?"
Now it's Ezra's turn to have the crap scared out of him, and poor BDubs and I have it happen to us a second time. The 3 of us turn around to see Xisuma himself, frowning a little with his arms crossed.
"They're planning your birthday presents." Ezra immediately tells him, and the deadpan tone he usually uses when talking to his brother sounds pretty convincing.
"Hey!" BDubs snaps, playing along. "I just said he can't know about it!"
I just nod, knowing that it's probably best if I stay quiet. I'm a horrible liar anyway, best leave it to the people who are good at it. Unfortunately, Xisuma knows this too, and turns to me.
"Why was Ezra so much?" He asks me. BDubs starts to talk, but X stops him. "Shush, I wanna hear it from Scar."
"I- uh... he was... just suggesting really... stupid gifts." I lie, probably stuttering more than I'm actually talking.
I hate how he knows exactly how to catch us out when we're lying, especially me. Well, he can just tell when I'm lying, but it always gives the whole group away.
"Like what?" Xisuma then asks me, but before I can either do a horrible job at lying or panic and tell the truth, Ezra intervenes.
"We can't tell you, that completely defeats the point of a birthday present!" He explains, pushing his sibling away. "Which is why you should leave. Right now."
X frowns, but sighs.
"Fine, I trust you guys not to do anything I wouldn't want you to."
Did he really have to say that? I feel guilty enough about going behind his back, and he isn't making it much better.
"And." BDubs sighs. "That is exactly what I mean. We really need to be more subtle about this."
Ezra nods, before turning back to me.
"Can I come with you the next time you see Grian?"
"I- I don't know... maybe it's not the best idea to..."
"Pleeeeease? Xisuma will be less suspicious if he thinks you're with me!"
"Or way more suspicious, considering the trouble you get yourselves into when you're together." BDubs mumbles.
"Which is why you should come too!" Ezra prompts. "X knows you're responsible! He won't worry about any of this if you're there!"
"No! I'm not gonna let you guys drag me into this! You're lucky I didn't tell Xisuma the moment he came up to us!"
"B, you heard Grian! He said maybe you guys can be friends too!" I remind my friend. "And Ezra's right, X does trust you! So maybe if you can help us prove that these humans aren't bad, he'll listen!"
I watch BDubs consider, thinking it over long and hard, before he sighs.
"Fine, but the second things start to look dangerous, I'm out."
"I'm sure it'll be fine!" I insist. "It'll be fun too! Maybe you might get along with one of Grian's friends!"
"Wait, you never said his friends might get involved!" My friend exclaims. "That's not fair, you can't-"
"Too late, you're already in!" Ezra laughs, playfully pushing BDubs. Soon I start laughing too, and eventually so does he.
"Alright, alright, I trust you guys!" He admits. "Grian seems like a nice person anyway, what's the worst that could happen?"
Grian's POV
"You surprise me sometimes." Doc remarks with a grin, as I head back onto the ship.
"Oh really? Why?" I ask, taking a seat on one of the supply crates.
"That sea almost killed you, and the first thing you do once you're alright again is wander right back to it." He points out.
"You're saying that as if I haven't had... accidents in the past." I shrug, remembering how I'd cut my arm up pretty bad a few years ago on a particularly sharp coral reef. I still have the scar.
"Nothing as bad as that though... I guess I just expected you to want to stay away from it after what happened the other day."
"If I wanted to stay away from the sea I wouldn't be on this boat." I remind him, before spotting someone out on the beach.
It's Hels, and he looks pretty miserable. He's holding the necklace I saw him wearing yesterday in his hands.
"Is he alright?" I ask, looking back up at Doc.
"Yeah... just having a bad day I guess." He admits. "You know him, he just needs his space sometimes. Maybe you should talk to him."
"But you just said he needed space...?" I repeat.
"Yeah, I know. But you're good at cheering him up."
He has a point. So I stand up, just saying 'ok' to Doc before leaving.
"You alright Hels?"
I sit down next to my friend, who doesn't respond. He's still got that necklace in his hands, and without thinking I ask about it.
"Where'd you get that?"
"I've always had it." He responds. "My... my twin had the other half."
Hels has never mentioned a twin before, and I'm about to ask about that too when I realize he'd said 'had'. I suddenly feel really bad for him. Losing a sibling must be so painful, but a twin? I can't even imagine how horrible that would be.
"He was... killed... about 16 years ago. He was an annoying dumbass, but I loved him. Doc came across me a few days later, and that's how I ended up here."
I'd known Hels's parents abandoned him as a child, kind of like how Scar's did now that I think about it, but I hadn't realized he'd been through so much more than that. It makes me question what else I don't know about my friend.
"But I can't sit and feel sad about it all day." Hels then sighs, standing up and then helping me to my feet. "We have things to do anyway and I-"
He's cut off when I hug him, wrapping my arms around his chest and squeezing him as tightly as I can. He pauses for a second, before hugging me back.
"You know... I think Doc has a point when he says you cheer me up." He admits after a moment.
"I try my best." I reply, smiling at him. Then he glances back at where the others are working on the first of the little houses, the first one being for medical needs instead of the makeshift sickroom on the ship.
"We really need to get going... but thank you. I appreciate that."
"Anytime for you Hels." I promise, before following him back to help the others.
Sorry for the little break between updates, I just wanted a bit of a break, and my motivation ran short for a while. I might update tomorrow or Tuesday, don't count on it though.
- Xan