Sham of the Sea

Chapter 36

"The Precious has sunken."

Y/N's mother gasped softly, where she was sitting opposite of them next to Tikki, who kept sticking her tongue out and making faces at Y/N. Her daughter reciprocated the teasing whenever she could, making the old woman smile at them fondly. Jennie just slurped her soup in peace.

Jennie felt Y/N reach out to pull up the blanket around her shoulders whenever Y/N noticed it slipping down, brushing her fingers through the soft hair on the back of the pirate's head. Jennie always just hummed appreciatively. She could get used to the attention.

"What are you planning to do now then? Where will you get a new ship?"

"I will search for a friend of mine a few towns over, she is a carpenter. Until she is done, I'll search the mainland and the close islands for my crew. We got split up by the storm."

The storm had been about a week ago if Jennie calculated it correctly. Her crew could have ended up anywhere, badly hurt, and she needed to check on them as soon as possible even if she just wanted to stay in Y/N's warm house forever and let her care for her. Seeing Tikki again also lifted her mood considerably.

Y/N exchanged a glance with her mother. Tikki quietly played with her plush doll now.

"Can I join you? I want to see the others and spend some time with you..." Y/N murmured softly, and Jennie lifted her head to watch the way the candles in their midst cast gentle highlights in Y/N's dark hair. Tikki made Coco dance with the shadows the flames created.

Jennie looked up at Y/N's mother, searching for approval on her face. She was the boss right now, and as happy as Jennie's heart was at the question, it was still a risky thing to ask.

To everyone's surprise, the old woman just shrugged, scooping more soup into Jennie's bowl. "Who am I to defy you? Y/N has been glowing for the whole evening now, and I know she came back the last two times too. Go and start another adventure. You're still young."

Y/N nearly jumped up from her chair at her mother'swords, nodding quickly. Jennie just grinned into her bowl mysteriously, continuously eating.

"I will join you too!" Tikki then declared loudly, already standing up to go pack a bag when Y/N's mother gently caught her around the waist, pulling her back.

"I don't think so, young lady. We have to stay here and care for them when they come back all bruised up!"

Tikki critically looked Y/N up and down as if having to decide first whether she was worth the hassle. Jennie got her approval quite quickly.

"Then, we will go next time, and those two can stay here and wait!" The little girl flipped her hair back, making Jennie nearly spit her soup out in her desperate attempts not to laugh out loud. Tikki truly was one sassy child. Maybe even more so now that she and Y/N's mother brought her up.

Jennie straightened when she felt Y/N slip both of her legs around one of her, sharing their warmth. She wanted to reach out her hand and take Y/N's pretty fingers in hers too, but she was unsure of how far she could go with that large gap of time they had spent apart between them. It was much more time than they had initially spent together, and Jennie was unsure where her heart lay (even though it could not be that far after those kisses they shared.)

So instead, Jennie just wrapped her other leg around Y/N's in the middle, copying her. She heard the other woman make a happy little noise, feeling content.

"Alright, sweetie. Should I get you my friend who lives close by maybe? She is quite confident in her healing abilities." Y/N's mother addressed Jennie again, nodding towards her ears with a worried expression. As if reminded by that, a sudden pain throbbed through Jennie's ears, making her hand flinch upwards to cover them protectively.