Treasure | Ateez

| 18 |

"Littera scripta manet"

- The written letter lasts

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Wooyoung had many ideas on what would go on when the captain and Aeris disappeared into his cabin. 

Most of it wild imaginations of assassination and pictures of the two poring over maps and books that he had seen when he had gone to steal some wine from the captain's cellar.

And other things that he would rather not mention. For his sanity and peace of mind, ofcourse. 

Hongjoong had told him about what she had done the night before. So had he told the crew. Secrets were something the older boy despised. A crew was built on trust, trust was earned. Wooyoung believed that he had managed to do it, surpassing through various emotional walls - and physical islands - to get what he liked to call, ATEEZ. 

A fictitious name. But a well known one. 

Not to boast

He watched the lazy crest of the waves, imitating the high pitched shrieks of the dolphins that swam at his side. It was a peaceful scene, unperturbed by the violence and bloodshed of the land. Too peaceful for his taste. 

"San!" the boy shrieked, latching himself around the others arm with a bright smile. The blonde, now used to it just sighed, letting free his hands and stretching his back before meeting eyes with the lilac. "Let's check the weaponry, I need to sharpen my knives"

"No" the blonde scowled, "I listen to you way to much for me to keep my job." 

"Its a ship," Wooyoung crossed his arms in defiance, "whats the punishment? A swim?" 

"Do you really want to know?"

"No" 

"Thought so" 

"Say, Aeris and Captain have been gone way too long now" Yeosang joined the duo, smelling faintly of dirt and rain making Wooyoung's nose wrinkle. Yeosang's hair was growing out now, falling over his neck in lairs of silver that made the lilac want to pull it off and hide it in his pockets. 

Silver was silver, a thief was a thief. 

"Should we be worried?" Jongho stood uncertainty, fiddling with his feet and raising his doe eyes at the elders. "I mean-"

"Why are we straggling?" Seonghwa walked slowly, his limp prominent as the ship titled to the side once again, with a force that rivalled Mingi's massages. But that was a talk for later. Wooyoung's back still ached. 

"Captain and Aeris-" 

"I noticed Yunho" the raven haired scrutinised the gathering. It would be a lie to say he was not worried. The talk he had had with the boy had not been comforting. His motives seemed shrouded under the influence of what he wanted to reach. 

Seonghwa knew it could lead to problems in their relationship with the girl. It was - after all - a delicate situation they were in. Time ran out for the both of them, the ever enclosing hands of the hourglass threatened to catch up to their hurried pace. 

Delicate yet strong. 

"Should I go?" 

Yeosang had bonded with the girl much faster than the rest. Their long talks late at night and understanding of herbs and literature had gotten the two far. The silver haired was no stranger to being unknown, having survived the first years of his life disappearing and appearing like a light turned on and off at the manors he had seen around his village. 

He had noticed her unease at being where she had ended up, he had tried his hardest to make it easier. Her attacks late at night had raised his concern, relying on his limited knowledge of poultices to calm her down. Waiting to see the tightness of her forehead relax, waiting for her fingers to once again collapse to her sides as the tears across her face dried to nothing and her eyes seemed peaceful once again. Dreams and nightmares, they pulled her into their embrace.

He had not told her, nor the rest of the crew. 

"No"

Yunho did not speak much. His conversations stayed limited to his activities and interests while ignoring most other bases for small talk. Aeris came for their practises often, he had seen the way she threw and aimed. 

Royal training. There was no other way to describe it. He had worked for a lot of the rich, watching the very basis of where they put their foot, where they angled their head. He did not mention it, after all, it might turn out to be a fluke. He had heard women soldiers were becoming a popular thing now. He helped her, hiding his happiness as she showed improvement every time. 

She was no stranger to the skill of weaponry and warcraft, nor was she a ruffian like the rest of them. 

"Why not?" 

Jongho was wary. There was something strange about her. His skin prickled every time she came close, the warning bells tolling in his head every time their conversation shifted to her life before. Her answers were carefully framed, revealing less answers that arising questions that made his head crowd. She was no commoner. Her posture did not show it. The poise of a noble, the accent of a villager. The walk of a princess, the stride of a farmer. 

No, he did not what to make of it.

"Yeah, why not?"

Wooyoung was a friend. He was everyone friend. He joked with the girl, staring at the sunsets and jumping as she jumped behind his back with surprising stealth for a commoner. She watched him sharpen his knives, eyes widening as the sparks fell across the stone. It was something so common yet something so new for her. He had never made a friend so fast, he had never gotten close to someone so fast. It messed up with his head. 

Was that good?

"I'll go" 

Seonghwa sighed, running a hand across his forehead. Tilting his head as the earrings flashed in the sun earning a crooked grin from Wooyoung. He walked towards the doorway, the others following close behind as he made his way to the last door. No sound could be heard, eliciting confusion from the gathered party. 

This was highly unusual. 

Seonghwa walked with grace, the poise of a person ready for anything as his hand touched the handle. Doubt flickered through his head before it fluttered away. Scratches and scribbles. Hollows and depths.

The door clicked open.

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A u t h o r s  N o t e

Im so sorry if this is a boring chapter. I have to get the impressions out before we get to the reactions, so buckle in for the next chapter as its going to be - as Mark says - a long ass ride.