Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Ten - Trust

Tommy

Tommy wanted to be distrustful. He knew that it would be naive to believe that Captain Puffy had pure intentions. At any moment, she could turn on them. She could hand them over to Oceania, or she could abandon them in her pursuits for her son. Not only did she once work for Oceania, but she was also a pirate. They were not the most trustworthy of creatures, and Tommy knew it would be foolish to expect the acclaimed Queen of Pirates to forgo her nature in order to help two kids that she didn't have any ties to.

The problem came when Captain Puffy revealed how nice and motherly she was. Tommy always thought that the Captain of the Maelstrom was a terrifying force of nature, merciless and powerful. The woman traveling with him and his sister was also a force of nature, but more like a warm breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers and the salty seas. Tommy and Kristin would have kept walking without a break, but Captain Puffy forced them to lay down and rest. She would take most of the watches during the night. She would venture into the wilderness with her cutlass, only returning when she had enough game for all three of them to eat. She even took the time to teach Tommy and Kristin how to cook various animals over a fire. While that didn't seem important, Tommy knew that it was. If Captain Puffy didn't teach them anything about survival, they would be dependent on her. This would guarantee she had power over them. She didn't want power over them, it seemed. She wanted them to survive, and Tommy could hardly understand why.

He could believe the bullshit about them reminding Captain Puffy of her son. That was fair, and honestly, he knew that people did some strange things when they saw someone they knew in a stranger. Usually, people move on when they realize that the person they see is not the person they knew. Captain Puffy had spent enough time around them for her to know that they were not her son, but she continued to act like they were. Well, it was more like she continued to act like a caring parent. Tommy didn't know what to do with that. The closest thing he had to a parent was Kristin. He knew that Kristin remembered her father, but Kristin had never had a mother or someone who was like a mother to her. The two of them were at a loss.

Tommy decided the best course of action was to test Captain Puffy at every turn. He would do his absolute best to annoy her, to make her get angry, but she always responded with fondness that would make him so confused he backed off. Kristin was in the camp of ignoring Captain Puffy, but that plan would fall apart when Captain Puffy proved that she wasn't going to ignore Kristin. The captain would talk to Kristin while they walked, and she would sprinkle in survival lessons. One time, Captain Puffy brushed Kristin's hair, styling it into a braid. Tommy had watched, keeping close in case Captain Puffy accidently touched a part of Kristin's skin for too long.

Captain Puffy wasn't immune to their power, but she did have a higher resistance than normal people. She didn't immediately die when she touched Kristin. In fact, she didn't show any symptoms until a few minutes had passed. This was the longest Kristin had ever touched someone other than Tommy, and she had cried when she realized that her touch didn't kill Captain Puffy. The captain had been confused when Kristin broke down into tears, and Tommy separated them to bring his sister into a comforting hug. Later that night, when Captain Puffy woke Tommy up to change their shifts, she asked what happened. Tommy decided that he could tell Captain Puffy, so he informed her that Kristin's 'power' didn't let her touch any living thing other than Tommy. So, when the captain seemed unaffected, Kristin must have gone through shock. Captain Puffy frowned at the words. The next day, Kristin continued to ignore Captain Puffy, but sometimes, Kristin would touch Captain Puffy's skin with a hesitant smile.

Captain Puffy would tell them stories about her time out at sea. Tommy was fascinated by the stories about sea monsters, and Kristin's eyes would widen when Captain Puffy explained the flora and fauna unique to some of the islands she discovered with her crew. Captain Puffy never seemed to tire of telling them stories. This left Tommy feeling weird. He had never met someone he couldn't annoy. Only Kristin and Deo seemed to never grow weary of him, so it was refreshing to have someone who never turned him away.