Star Beings: Dawn

Hypocrite

I wander through the halls, waiting for a guard to stop me. But no one does.
I eventually make my way into the infirmary, waving at Leigh.
She looks surprised to see me.
"Anaideia?" "I've been temporarily pardoned. The others need my help." I try not to scowl, but fail miserably. "I wish they didn't."
Leigh watches me, silently.
"A-anyways, I came here with a bit of an offer. Do you want to get off this island?"
The medic's eyebrows jump up her forehead in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"You said we were friends, and by the gods I'm gonna need a friend for this."

Leigh packed up her few belongings and a guard escorted us to the docks, where DJ was waiting. Her face stays neutral, the green eye staring through my skin and into my soul. Something about that green eye was off. Maybe it was that the pupil wasn't pure black. Maybe it was because it was far too bright to just be... green. No, DJ's eye is not just green. It is far too bright. It's strange hue doesn't change when she steps into the shadows. And that eye... that eye seems far older than it should. Her brown eye is warm, and kind, and looks like the eye of a twenty year old. But the green eye? The green eye looks like it has seen countless wars and deaths. That eye is older than both DJ and I combined.
DJ motions for us to follow her, and we walk aboard a huge Galleon.
"Beds are downstairs, throw your shit wherever you want as long as it ain't inconvenient. Anaideia, there's fresh clothes waiting for you."
With that, DJ retreats to the captains quarters, not bothering to knock before entering.
Leigh and I look at each other, shrug, and then we both head below deck.
The beds aren't hard to find, though each passing second on this ship makes me wonder where the hell DJ hired these people.
I change quickly, glad to be in something other than my prison uniform. I feel Leigh's eyes on me as I change.
"You're staring..." I say, my voice sounding more melodic than not. I hear Leigh shift, likely averting her eyes.
"N-no! I just... You have a lot of scars for someone with infinite abilities."
I chuckle to myself as I pull on my shirt.
"That's because they aren't infinite. I can't heal myself. I can't manipulate light, only shadow. And I can't create matter out of thin air, like Damien."
As I look back at Leigh, she quickly turns her head away from me.
I smirk as I silently walk over and grab her shoulder.
She stiffens.
"Something wrong?"
Leigh silently shakes her head and gets up off the cot.
"We better go find DJ. or the rest of the crew for that matter." She says, hurrying towards the stairs.
I shrug and follow her, walking into the bright light above. I hadn't even realized we had left port. Yet, the island is slowly becoming a smaller and smaller dot on the horizon.
I hear a door creak open.
"What are you two doin?" I hear DJ ask. I look over at the captains quarters.
DJ stands in the doorway, holding a glass of what looks like whiskey.
Leigh and I both stare at her.
"Jesus, have y'all never been on a ship before? Gods..."
DJ takes our silence as a definite "no"
"W-well, I technically have. But I wasn't conscious so I don't really think that counts."
The green haired woman nods, then opens up the door all the way.
"Want to meet some of my- Beck, get that damned look off your face- some of my friends?"
I shrug and walk towards the captain's quarters. Leigh follows.
I enter the lavish room, glancing around at the oak paneling and the comfy looking bed in the corner.
A man in a red coat sits at a desk, looking extremely grumpy. Another man sits on the desk, staring at the other with annoyance.
"Dearest," he says through gritted teeth, "please be nice to our guests."
"I'll be nice when one of them isn't a dictator."
"Ex-dictator." I correct.
The man in the red coat stops and glares at me.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, I am aware that my past actions were harmful and, trust me, I want to be back in the prison as much as you want me to. But, the Star Beings need me and I am being forced to comply. I do implore you though, captain Beckham, to remember that you are not without your own sins. You are, at the end of the day, a pirate who has murdered and robbed countless people to become the "hero" many believe you to be today. We both know that, don't we?"
Beckham is taken aback, and looks to his husband for support. But his first mate, Mako, avoids his eyes.
"We did meet after you caught me in a fishing net, which you admitted wasn't an accident."
"Ok, maybe, but I did that because people at home were struggling and I thought I could... I could help by kidnapping a mermaid to see if they really had elevated healing abilities." He sighs.
"Yeah, I hear how fucked that sounds now."
Beckham looks back up at me.
"But I wasn't part of a colonizing, ruthless empire who killed billions of people over the span of 200 years."
"I am not proud of my heritage, Beckham. I know now I never should have been. But," I say, making beckham snap his mouth shut, "that fixes nothing, and I know that too. So please forgive me if I seem frustrated with the hostility, but I've been dealing with far worse for months and coming from you it just seems a tad..."
I stare the pirate dead in the eyes.
Emeralds and gold, bashing against each other in an attempt to break one another.
"Hypocritical."

Quite a few things happen at once.
Beckham leaps from his chair, yelling.
Mako grabs him by the arm.
Leigh grabs me and attempts to pull me back out the door.
Oh, and the gunshots start too.

We all freeze, staring at each other, unsure how to react.
Then Beckham stands, throws his head back, and yells at the top of his lungs.
"GET OFF MY FUCKIN SHIP!!!"
He then darts out the door. Mako follows behind, drawing a dagger from his belt.
"Hooo boy. You two stay here. This is 'bouta get messy."
With that, DJ leaves.
Leigh and I crowd around the door, peaking out onto the deck.
More pirates.
Great.
Beck walks out shooting, a very annoyed look on his face.
"I need to help them." I whisper to Leigh.
"What? No you don't! If anything, that'll just piss the other pirates off!"
I make direct eye contact with the one fighting Beckham, their eyes igniting with fury.
"Might be too late for that. Hide in the wardrobe." I command my friend. Leigh does as I say, almost forcefully.
I search the room for a weapon, and my eyes land on two, small, throwing knives.
That'll work.
The moment the pirate walks through the door, I send the knives flying, then take the moment of shock induced hesitation to throw myself at them, fists flying.
"MOTHERFU-"
"Jesus christ." I hear DJ say, sounding shocked and slightly horrified.
I don't stop when the pirate underneath me starts fighting back. I don't stop when they clock me right across the jaw. I don't stop when they try to claw my face off. I don't stop until the Pirate underneath me stops moving. Then, I look up at the others, chest heaving, blood dripping from a cut on my cheek, a bruise forming on the right side of my jaw.
I stand, crack my neck, and then look at the remaining enemies.
"Anyone else?"

A single brave, stupid soul steps forward.
With a flick of my wrist, a wave of shadow sends them flying right over the railing and into the sea below. It's almost comedic.
"Well?"
The remaining pirates retreat, scrambling in every way they can to get back to their own ship.
I turn, grab the one I beat the shit out of, and drag them over to Beck, dumping the unconscious body at his feet.
The captain looks down at them, up at me, then over at DJ.
"Why the fuck did you think releasing... that was a good idea?"
But it isn't Beck that speaks.
It's Mako, who I had originally taken as the more... not soft spoken.. Disciplined? Well mannered?
Yes, well mannered. I had taken him as the more well mannered of the two.
But, obviously, I was wrong.
"Gods Fluffball." "Am I wrong, captain?"
Beckham flinches at the formality.
"Listen, as long as you don't kill me, my husband, or any of my crew; you're fine. But I'm still gonna get us back to base as fast as possible."
With that, Beck leaves and Mako follows.
Moments later, I hear a loud groan from the captain's quarters.
"Oh god, Not again!" I hear the captain shout.
Leigh is shoved outside by Beck, who slams the door behind her.
"You hid in  the wardrobe?"
"She told me to."
DJ just shakes her head, a look of nostalgia crossing her face.
"That brings back memories..."