NightinKites

Chapter 3.1: Apo Stands Up

A/N 
This chapter is formatted a little different because it isn't polished or finished and it likely won't be. See next chapter for details on that. 

Apo:

Apo wasn't panicking. He wasn't upset. He was fine. He pulled his ship into the nightingale dock, avoiding the main area where he'd see anyone else. If he was lucky, there wouldn't be anyone else here-

"Welcome back!" he heard Graecie call from above. She was on the cliff, sprinting down the stairs. "How did your trip go?"

Apo paused, took a half a step back without realizing it, then arranged his face. "Uneventful," he grunted. Apo looked down, turning his head, and tried to walk past her.

"Apo, welcome back!" Acho called, sticking his head over the bannister and following at a more sedate pace.

Graecie reached Apo, grabbing him and pressing him into a firm but gentle hug. "I'm glad you're back! We missed you. I was thinking we could do some Nightingale quests together? Just the three of us, since Ros is off on her own quest- Oh," Graecie paused when Apo pushed her off him. "Apo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, okay!?" Apo tore past her, past Acho who dodged out of his way, up through his treehouse that they'd all helped to build, and into the upper branches of the ancient tree.

Graecie followed him. "Apo-"

"What happened?" he heard Acho ask from below.

Graecie made a noncommittal sound.

Apo couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand being near them. They cared too much. He looked out over the horizon. Where could he go to train for being a Kite?

"He just got back from a quest, I think-" Graecie explained to Acho.

That's it, Apo thought. Perhaps he could do some of those extreme difficulty boss quests. Then Red would see. They would all see how bloodthirsty he was. How good a fighter. Apo leaped off the tree into the ocean. He thought he heard a startled "Oh" from Acho on the way down, but there was no way to be sure.

Will:

Will was glad to be home. Not relieved, not precisely - he always longed for the open ocean. There was something he missed about the Nightingale Faction home, and the Pirate Isles, that wasn't to be found out there. He spotted Graecie. The wind shifted and Will breathed in, at peace. It was the other pirates. It would always be them. "Ahoy!" Will called out as he pulled his ship in to port.

Graecie turned to face him, a wide eyed look on her face. "Will!" Graecie cried. Another pirate glided after her, hesitating when star saw Will notice star.

Will's peaceful mood vanished. "What's wrong?" he asked, knowing that if something panicked Graecie, it was worth looking into.

"It's Apo, one of our new recruits- he's gone missing. We have to find him! We've got to help him."

Will frowned, thinking. "Isn't he a pirate though? He can find his way home on his own, like I did-"

The tall grey haired one shook stars head. "No, this is... he was upset when he left. He didn't tell us what was wrong. He didn't even stop for food. He might not come back, is what I'm saying."

Will looked into the new recruit's pale grey eyes, figuring out what star was trying to say. Either this Apo would leave the pirate life and go back to his family, or... Will shook his head. Nightingales didn't usually have a place to go back to. "You don't think he'd take on a quest meant for a group, do you?"

"He might," Graecie fretted. "He's as reckless as you are."

Will chuckled, then nodded. "Graecie, and... what was your name again?" He turned towards the tall grey recruit.