Tricks and Treats

19 - A Trip Across The Waves

Tommy was actually 17 now. It was odd realizing that he had turned a year older in prison of all places. It was even odder to figure out he was alive at age 17 despite everything. Tommy relished in what little joys he had, hoping to make his seventeenth year of life better than the previous 16.

This prompted Tommy to venture with Captain Puffy to a distant shore. Puffy was relaxed, basking in the sun while holding her shoes so she could feel the sand between her feet. She wasn't wearing her coat or hat, opting for the shirt and pants combo only. She hadn't brought her sword, the scabbard missing from her waistline. Tommy was just as calm. He was wearing shorts and a thin sleeveless shirt with his wings stretching out behind him. He kept his eyes closed so he could focus on his other senses: the rough but soft sand brushing against the soles of his feet, the salty wind wafting from the rolling waves that splashed playfully against the shore with quiet sound.

"What's that?" Puffy asked with a tilt of her head. Tommy let his eyes open, adjusting to the bright sunlight as he saw what she was looking at. A wooden ship with huge white sails with a black sheep outline across its surface was beached on the store. It didn't seem like it had wrecked, but it was pretty far inland for a boat. Tommy thought it was poggers, but Puffy was more reserved when she saw it.

"Why don't we go look? Maybe it's a pirate ship with some booty," Tommy replied, flapping his wings in anticipation as he picked up his pace. Puffy seemed like she didn't want to investigate. She gave up when she saw Tommy's smile, deciding that some deja vu would be worth Tommy's happiness. It was very difficult to keep him in a state of mind where he didn't think he was worthless, where he wasn't panicking, and where he wasn't obsessively planning Dream's death. Different people could solve each of the problems. Puffy, for instance, could solve his self deprecation and panic attacks, but her words meant nothing when he went berserk. Tubbo could calm him down, but did nothing beneficial for the other two. Sam was probably the one that could keep Tommy in a relatively okay state of mind for the longest time no matter what happened.

Tommy and Puffy looked around the boat. She knew that the ship had been there for some time because of the wood being sanded during erosion processes and seaweed clinging to the starboard. Maybe a few months, up to a year, at most. Tommy found the rope ladder hanging down to the ocean. He pulled himself onto it with ease, his scars flushing red as his arm muscles bulged. Puffy followed suit, her own muscles hidden underneath her shirt.

The main deck of the ship was empty, devoid of ropes or personal touches. Puffy didn't expect people to be on the ship, but she hadn't imagined it would be lifeless. Puffy thought some remnant of the past crew would remain.

"Look at this!" Tommy called opening a door to what Puffy assumed was the Captain's quarters. She was right when she saw the bed in the back of the room. Tommy was busy looking through the bookshelf, randomly pulling out books with his remarks following along. Puffy peered over his shoulder to see maps sketched on the thick paper along with detailed notes about the places.

Tommy set the books away, continuing his look around. He stopped in front a mannequin wearing a captain's uniform, something similar but different from Puffy's usual attire. Tommy let his fingers trail the edge of the jacket collar, hand pressing against initials sown into the fabric. Tommy pulled it back to see gold thread against the red, spelling out: Puffy

"What is this?" Puffy muttered from her side of the cabin, hand flipping through a journal she found. It was signed by her, but that was impossible. How did someone get a book from her to stash in this place? Or, could it be that she was the captain the book was implied to be written by? It talked about a captain- Puffy- facing a storm unlike any other while worrying about whether or not they would see their mother again. Puffy didn't remember her mother. Or past, for that matter. Not before a specific day.

November 15th

The book read what Puffy had thought. That was the last day she remembered of her past. Before that, it was a blank space vaguely filled with other sensory details. Puffy never questioned it before, accepting that she may never know what happened November 14th or the time before. Now, Puffy had a book prompting her to find answers.

Tommy was holding the captain's uniform to her with a furrowed brow. Tommy undid the jacket, tossing it to Puffy without an explanation. Puffy pulled the jacket on. It was a little tight in some areas, but it otherwise had fit her perfectly. Puffy noticed her name sown into the inner collar. "I thought 'Captain' was a nickname."

"What happened?" Tommy asked as he took a hat with a dark feather attached. Tommy placed it on Puffy's head, pushing down her rainbow curls.

"I don't know," Puffy admitted.

Back at it with a short chapter :p