Yes, I know I've been gone a while. Life's busy. Anyways, this is the part 2 from my one-shot "Out to Sea" that I wrote like a thousand years ago. If you want to be caught up, go read that first. If you don't care, cool. Jump right in.
--
Perrie found Jade standing at the railing few feet away, looking over the sea. The wind was blowing softly, making her curly brown hair swirl around her. The captain turned as she approached, her gaze softening when she realized who it was.
"How are you feeling?" Jade asked by way of greeting.
Perrie shrugged. "Physically, okay, I guess," she replied, joining Jade at the railing. "Mentally, I don't even know."
She glanced over to see Jade looking at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she said, before frowning. "God, I'm sure you're tired of hearing the words, I'm sorry by now."
"Yeah," Perrie admitted. "It's okay, though. I guess my situation does warrant more than a few apologies."
Jade sighed, returning her attention to the horizon. "Yeah, but apologizing doesn't do anything," she responded. "They're just words, not even always well intended."
Perrie caught onto the bitterness that infiltrated Jade's tone at the end of the sentence but chose to ignore it. "So, this is the S.S. Thirlwall," she said instead, turning to take in the ship. It was impressive, large and expertly crafted. It had sustained damage due to the storm, but even now it looked majestic.
Jade nodded, her eyes distant. "Yeah, it was my father's ship before it was mine," she replied softly. "I inherited the ship and the legacy of the Thirlwall name."
Perrie nodded, not knowing what else to say. Instead of adding anything else, she changed the topic again. "So, are we settling on land for repairs soon?" She asked.
Jade nodded again. "We're less than a day's journey away from an island that will have the supplies necessary to help fix the ship," she said. "Some of the residents owe me, and some fear me. Either way, we'll get what we need there; supplies, and a solid night's sleep." She turned slightly so that her back was facing Perrie, signaling the end of the discussion.
After a few minutes of standing next to Jade and staring at the ocean, Perrie began to feel light headed. It was only normal, she supposed, to feel unwell the day after you almost died. Accompanying her light-headedness was fear, deep in the pit of her stomach. Every time she glanced at the ocean, the feeling returned. Before, the ocean had been her favorite place, home to her fondest memories. Now, it served as a reminder of all she'd lost, of the bodies it had claimed in the destruction of the S.S. Edwards.
Feeling overwhelmed, she decided to go back down to the cot she'd been assigned. She barely made it there before she collapsed onto the mattress, the world spinning before going dark.
The next time she opened her eyes, there was considerably less light streaming down from above deck. Perrie sat up gingerly, wincing as her side protested. She'd fainted in a rather ungraceful position. She was simultaneously relieved and disappointed that Jade hadn't come to check on her and found her passed out like that.
She took a minute to stretch then slowly rose and tottered up to the deck, gripping the railing for support. When she emerged the first thing she noticed was that she was looking right at a tree.
"Welcome back," a voice from behind her said, making her jump. She turned to find a woman walking toward her with long, dark dreadlocks and a warm smile. "You disappeared below deck for quite some time."
"Hi," Perrie replied hesitantly. Usually, she'd be gruffer in this situation and demand what was going on, but given the circumstances, she barely had the mental energy to talk to anyone. Strangely enough, she found herself missing Jade's presence. "What's going on?"
"We're docked at this island to make repairs," she responded. "Jade tasked me with keeping an eye on you, then showing you around the island once you reappeared. I'm Leigh Anne, by the way."
Perrie nodded, accepting Leigh Anne's handshake. "Perrie," she said after a minute. "But, you probably already knew that."
"Yeah," Leigh Anne admitted. "But it's all good. Want me to give you the island tour?"
Even though Perrie would have much rather gone back to sleep, she reluctantly allowed Leigh Anne to lead her onto land. The feeling shocked her, for she was used to the gentle bobbing of the waves as they sailed.
"I know, it caught me off guard when I landed, too," Leigh Anne said, walking off the small beach and onto a crudely paved path. "Come on, this is the way into town."
As they walked, Perrie learned more about the island they were on. Named Amber Island, the private beach beyond the hills outside of the main town produces large amounts of amber. Because of the island's main source of income being selling said amber, the island was named after it.
"How long do you think we'll stay here?" Perrie asked, looking around at the lively town in appreciation. She noticed, with a frown, that more than a few people shrunk away or threw her and Leigh Anne dirty looks. Despite Johnny always teasing her for being too soft to be a pirate, she couldn't help but try to get along with everyone.
Johnny. Oh, Caitlin.
Perrie felt a wave of grief surge up inside of her, so strong it threatened to sweep her into its tide. Rather than allow herself to be overcome she swallowed and focused on the horizon for a moment, counting backward from 10.
"Perrie?"
She blinked then registered Leigh Anne a few feet ahead of her. "Sorry," she said, hurrying to catch up. "Was thinking about my crew."
Leigh Anne's expression immediately fell, and Perrie regretted voicing her thoughts.
"Anyways, how long do you think we'll stay here?" She asked, effectively cutting off any apology or otherwise sympathetic sentiments Leigh Anne was going to say. She started walking again, Leigh Anne hastening to follow.
"Well, we always stay longer than expected," Leigh Anne said, snorting. "Jade likes to say we'll only be docked here for one night, but it's usually closer to a week. Especially with all the repairs, we could be looking at almost a month here."
Perrie nodded. "Jade did mention something about getting a good night's sleep," she mused. "I suppose we'll be getting more than one good nights' sleep."
Leigh Anne snorted again. "That's for sure," she replied. "Jade will be sleeping very well, I bet."
Perrie wrinkled her brow in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"Well, Jade has a certain reputation with the men and women on this island," Leigh Anne responded. "If you catch my drift."
Perrie immediately nodded, falling silent. She chose to ignore the way her stomach dropped at Leigh Anne's last statement. After all, she'd only known Jade for like, a day. Besides, Jade was a grown woman. She was free to do whatever she pleased.
Still, it didn't stop the pit in her stomach from growing when she noticed Jade flirting with a girl a few feet away in the town square.
--
The days passed slowly. Most mornings found Perrie waking violently from a nightmare, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. After a few nights of trying to sleep aboard the ship, she gave into Jade's persistent begging and moved into the room next to the captain's in the inn. After a few nights of being kept up by Jade's rather loud ... companions, Perrie requested a room change, one that the innkeeper immediately obliged with. Perrie didn't miss the way his hand shook as he wrote out her new room assignment, so she made sure to pay him a generous thank-you.
The morning after a rather horrible night of sleep found Perrie perusing the farmer's market in the center of town, looking for anything to aid her in sleeping.
"I wouldn't have pegged you for a shopper, Edwards."
Perrie turned around to find Jade, messy-haired and grinning. "I don't shop much," she replied, turning back to face the stall she was looking at. "I only do when I really want something."
"Oh? So then, what's the item of the day?" Jade questioned, walking up to lean on a wooden beam, fixing Perrie with a flirty smirk.
"Something to help me sleep," Perrie responded, refusing to allow herself to get worked up by Jade's antics. Her reasoning was, even if something were to happen between them, it would mean astronomically more to her than to Jade, and she didn't think she could bear being tossed aside like one of Jade's many late-night guests.
"You should try my method," Jade said, adopting a playful tone as she leaned closer. "It sure tires me out."
Perrie blew out a breath, hating the way her stomach fluttered. "I don't think your method will help with the nightmares," she shot back, eyes widening at how sharp her tone was. She turned toward Jade in time to see her eyes widen.
She immediately took a step back, remorse darkening her caramel eyes. "I apologize," she said. "I was being thoughtless, and didn't even consider what would be keeping you up at night."
Perrie merely nodded, unable to find the words to respond. She settled for continuing to peruse the various herbs laid out in front of her.
"This one is helpful for people with trouble sleeping," Jade remarked, reaching around Perrie and pointing to a skinny plant with a long stem and small flowers. "Valerian."
"Thank you," Perrie said softly, picking it up and paying the woman behind the stall. She trudged back to the inn, Jade trailing behind her. After a minute she stopped, turning to face the captain. "Any particular reason you're still following me?"
Jade hesitated, her unsure expression so foreign from everything Perrie had heard of her. "I was ... just going to ask how you're doing," she said after a minute. "I suppose that's a stupid question, considering."
Perrie rolled her eyes, trying, and failing, to tone down the way her stomach turned from Jade's concern. "You think?" She said. "Every night, they're taken from me again. My family, my crew. Every night, I see them fall into the raging sea, and no matter what I do, I can't save them." She began to feel very far away, as if even now, she was being transported back to the storm.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a small, calloused hand sliding into hers. She looked up to see Jade standing there, her face grim. "Let's get you back to bed and that Valerian into you, yeah?" Was all she said.
Stunned by the kindness she was being shown, Perrie allowed Jade to lead her back to the inn and up to her room. There, Jade instructed Perrie to sit down, vanished, then reappeared with a cup of boiling water. Perrie watched wordlessly as Jade crushed a small amount of the Valerian root and stirred it into the water.
"Here," Jade said softly, handing the cup to Perrie. She obediently took it and drank, the earthy liquid warming her insides as it went down. After the cup was finished Perrie set it down on the side table and leaned back against the headboard, her eyes on Jade.
"Why are you doing all this?" She asked, already starting to feel woozy. She couldn't quite make out Jade's reply, but as she slid down under the covers she felt the bed dip beside her and the same warm, calloused hand find hers once again.
When Perrie awoke, it was dark, and Jade was gone. She sat up and stretched, feeling surprisingly well. She realized, as she slipped out of bed, that she had no nightmares she could recall.
I need to find Jade and thank her. And ask her why she's acting like this to me, Perrie decided, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. She'd barely made it two feet out of the room before a pair of women rounded the corner, stopping to make out against the wall.
Ugh. Perrie was about to go back into her room when the pair separated and she could see who one of the pair was.
It was Jade. Hair messy, lips swollen, and cheeks flushed, she moved to open the door to her room. Just before she entered she looked up, meeting Perrie's gaze. She froze for a moment, taking Perrie in, before entering the room with the female behind her and shutting the door.
Seeing Jade with someone hurt more than Perrie thought it would. As she always knew Jade taking care of her meant more to her than it did to the pirate captain. She swiped at tears threatening to roll down her cheeks, hearing Johnny's voice in her head, taunting her for being too soft.
She stumbled back into her room, collapsing onto her bed and curling into a ball. She fell into a fitful sleep, feeling achingly alone.
--
Well I didn't think this would be more than a two part one-shot but I guess now it's going to be a three part one-shot, so yeah, you lucky readers
Stay tuned for part 3, it should be out either in a couple days or a couple months. There's really no way of knowing tbh