I Am The Sea || Choi San

talks

It takes the sailors upon the Inception a few days to cope with what they saw, most of them whispering with each other when the Captain's men weren't listening. Some even avoid Theo's eyes as she nears and avoid sitting by her when lunch and dinner are served.

Only when Yunho and Mingi threaten them with five weeks of scrubbing duty do they slowly start to loosen up again. Theo tries to ignore it all, but the situation gnaws at her.

The Captain and Jongho have come to the conclusion that it's best to make port in Santiana before the Inception sets sail to the Pearl. The moon-shaped island is so far out in the ocean, there won't be any other mainland around it for hundreds of miles. Santiana is a good opportunity to load up on weapons and food. And, Theo knows, it could be the last time any of the crew will step foot on land - ever.

Santiana is a small seaside town, hidden away between cliffs and woods, clinging to the mainland like a dewdrop on a flower's petal. Its cobblestone streets wind themselves like a spiral through the sandstone buildings, leading to the market place in its middle. Theo can see the tall, slender oil streetlights and smell a farm that is probably hidden behind one of the hills from the ship, when it docks at the harbor.

There is a certain buzz in the air, and people rush around the port with their hands wrapped around barrels worth of food, produce, spices, and freshly caught fish. Theo watches as a young girl, barely her own age, skips past with a row of cut, blossoming flowers twisted into a long circle. Her hands grip the railing as Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San step up beside her.

"The Captain is sending us to run errands in town," Wooyoung says and wraps his hand round Yeosang's waist, "Do you want anything? Strawberries?"

Theo smiles, the warmth of being known spreading from deep within her body to the tips of her fingers.

"Strawberries would be great," she says then, "Can I come?"

"Oh, the Captain wants you to go with San and Yunho to grab some more herbs for your apothecary and stock up on bandages and cloth." Yeosang leans into Wooyoung as Theo turns to look at San, whose eyes are warm and glinting friendly. He cocks his head and his face turns into something boyish and youthful.

His fingers twitch, like he's about to reach out and brush his hands against hers, perhaps. But he doesn't, instead he simply follows his crew mates off the ships, his Captain calling instructions after them from atop the plank.

"Be back before nightfall," Hongjoong's voice echoes after them, "We are not spending more than a night in this town."

Finding the right shops for Theo is not hard at all, but even when both San and Yunho carry bags full of herbs and bandages and cloth and cremes and salves and oils, and the three of them are ready to return to the Inception, Theo hovers at the market place entrance gate.

The market place is a wide space, completely copplestoned in a circular pattern. There are a few trees growing out of the ground around the marketplace and benches build around their trunks. Taverns to the east and west have placed tables and benches in front of their doors and windows, families and couples, friends and colleagues, all sit and share meals, laughing and chattering. There are a few workers, as well, knitting paper lanterns and garlands together, hoisting them up between walls and lantern posts.

Towards the back, a few men are rolling in pots and bouquets of flowers by the wheelbarrow, leaving a trail of scattered flower petals in their wake. Theo watches as they're setting up the flowers around the market square, when San and Yunho finally lean against a wall next to her, both of them holding a vanilla creme pastry.

"Man, I wish we could stay out tonight," Yunho sighs as he follows Theo's eyes across the square, "I'd love to witness all this tonight."

"What's tonight?"