𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑺」ateez au

𝐍𝐨. 𝟎𝟔

"T- Tests? What. . . does that mean?"

The sinister grin on Yeosang's pretty face had filled Seonghwa with a sense of nervousness that said that he didn't really want to know what it meant but he somehow felt as though he was at the mercy of the young magic user.

"Are ye curious?" Yeosang asked lightly, a hint of mischievousness in his tone. Seonghwa could only nod, feeling a bit anxious of what would happen next. "If I tell ye, I think ye might just up and run away. We can't have that, can we? Lie down on yer back, Hwa."

It had been no more than three days and two nights since Seonghwa was able to meet the crew and their captain. The interaction was. . . well, Seonghwa could only describe it as one of the most terrifying moments of his entire life. He had seen war, he had known torture, yet nothing could compare to how it felt to sit in a kitchen full of strong and confident pirates that watched his every move, as if studying him like one of Yeosang's many books on magic and healing. They were quite a strange bunch, perhaps Seonghwa should've expected that much seeing as they were San's people and San was rather strange himself from the moment they had met— even before then when he was forcibly brought onto Seonghwa's old ship.

Wooyoung, aside from their captain, stood out the most in Seonghwa's opinion. The last he had properly interacted with everyone was on that day in the kitchen, Yeosang had immediately demanded that he stay in bed until his wounds were fully healed after all was said and done so he wasn't even given the chance to meet with anyone other than Yeosang and San who visited every chance he got. He hadn't even gotten to explore the ship yet, he wondered if that was something they would allow him to do. Since there wasn't much to go off of other than first impressions, he couldn't help but feel that Wooyoung was the most memorable. He was like a foreigner, the way he dressed was unusual to Seonghwa who was so used to the normal pirate attire that every pirate wore, yet he still very much looked like a pirate.

He spoke like Seonghwa and the others but he was loud, his voice could reach throughout the entire ship if he allowed it to, and his words and actions seeped with an immeasurable sense of confidence that made Seonghwa feel very small and timid. Seonghwa had met plenty of pirates that were similar, they were often headstrong and overly confident, but he had never met anyone quite like Wooyoung. Maybe it was the added kindness that he had shown Seonghwa or the way his confident movements were also very respectful and considerate. Whatever it was really separated him from the rest.

Mingi was also a bit unusual for Seonghwa. His height alone was already quite amazing but he truly had not expected someone as large as Mingi, who had introduced himself as the ship's boatswain, would be quite possibly the sweetest person in the entire world. The time Seonghwa had spent with the crew was not very long, the food there and gone within minutes and not many words shared between Seonghwa and the others, yet Mingi was so sweet and caring that he almost wondered out loud if he was truly a pirate or if he was a farmer's son or something like that. It was strange, Mingi's first words had made Seonghwa uncomfortable and had even planted a seed of doubt in his mind that left him feeling a bit more anxious than he already was, but it had taken no time at all to realize that the gentle giant was actually expressing his concerns for Seonghwa who, in his eyes, was unhealthily small and frail. Yeosang told Seonghwa that after their little gathering and Seonghwa was left speechless to say the least.

Then there was Jongho, not as strange as Wooyoung or Mingi but also not the kind of pirate Seonghwa was used to. Jongho was apparently their navigator, something Seonghwa had not expected from someone who appeared to be so. . . young. Jongho's body was built like one most would expect from a pirate, his arms were big, his shoulders broad. He looked strong, capable of splitting a man's head in two, so it came as a great surprise to Seonghwa when he learned that Jongho was not their weapons master.