A Web of Pride and Misfortune [Hunter X Hunter]

1- depart, and take flight!

ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ!

Rule 1: Remember your roots.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ Whale Island, Jan 3

In retrospect, Lin should've known that there would be a passenger limit on a ship. Unfortunately, she realized that far too late, when right before boarding, a crewmate told the crowd that the ship had reached it's quota and would not be accepting any more people.

So, when you refuse to wait for the next Exam, there's two options. One, argue with the captain. Two, sneak on board in a crate of durians.

This stinks. Literally. I despise durians.

Hands lifted the crate up and started clumsily making their way through the crowd towards the boat. Her spider, Anne, started crawling agitatedly around in her pocket. As much as she wished she could take it out, it would most likely end up with her little pal being squashed into a pulp. The bat she carried around pressed against her back uncomfortably and she winced.

Passenger limits are such a pain. I mean, this is the 287th Hunter Exam, you'd think there'd be more ships!

Heavy stomps making contact with the wooden gangplank. Lin heard the person carrying her grumbling under his breath, furious as he moved across the deck and down what seemed to be a flight of steep stairs.

'I hate this job. I hate fresh produce. Are durians supposed to be this heavy? Oh, to be a Hunter! These lucky sons of a--'

'Put 'em down here, sonny. Drop that crate and I dropkick you, you hear me?' A gruff voice snapped. 'We don't have all day, pick up the pace!'

I like this guy. He's pretty funny. The first guy would definitely get obliterated in the Exam if he joined. Correction: I'd obliterate him if he joined. He sounds annoying.

Once the footsteps faded, Lin wound up her arm and elbowed a panel open, tumbling out onto dusty floorboards. A look around told her that she was on the lower deck, in what seemed to be a relatively small, square-shaped storage area. It also told her the crewmates' disability to clean properly-- cobwebs hung lazily around the room, and beer cans littered a corner of the room.

Perfect!

Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off and perched on a random crate. Rummaging through the carefully packed items, she came up with a can of tomato soup, three packs of dried fruits and a bag of salt. Lin stored them away carefully in her bag.

I'm sure they wouldn't notice.

Speaking of which, she could hear shuffling on board and a relative rowdiness that tended to accompany a large group of people. Normally, she would go up and take in some air-- that'd certainly do her well, instead of staying inside this confinement with a pathetic excuse of a window. But, she technically was a stowaway, which sadly required her to be as plain as possible and avoid being around crew members. Yet around an hour in, Lin made the smart decision to go on deck due to a sudden and violent urge to throw up, leaving behind her bat and pulling up her hood.

How pathetic. I train like hell for the Exam and get knocked over by seasickness.

Almost immediately, she wished she hadn't. Standing a few feet away was Gon Freecs, the talk of the town. Abandoned by his deadbeat dad, he was raised by his Aunt Mito and his grandma, and he had just recently caught the Master of the Swamp. She knew who he was, but they had never officially gotten to know each other, just a few glances at the local market.

Hurriedly, she walked away, taking a big gulp of fresh air. A wave abruptly crashed against the hull and Lin stumbled. If it weren't for a man in a suit who caught her by the arms, she would've landed on the ground. She thanked him, embarrassed, and took a firm hold of the railing.