Crimson Threads ♡Sinbad X Oc♡

Chapter fifteen: The Pure Kingdom

Standing at the edge of the deck, Yunalesca listened to the soft crashing of waves against the ship, moonlight dancing between the tides. The quill in her hand felt light as she scribbled down the thoughts in her head. Leaning into the wind's chill, she closed her eyes, reflecting on her time spent in Narpolia.
"It's been a while since you've been on this ship with us, hasn't it?" Sinbads says as he emerges from below deck. Humming a response, Yunalesca turns to him. She noticed this before, but he looked different. Instead of a cropped vest and fabric belts, he wore a swallow-tail jacket, a shade deeper than his previous vest, paired with black trousers and knee-high boots. The fluffy feather dangling from his vest made the whole outfit feel more lively. His hair, however, was windblown and wild, his usual ponytail losing the fight to keep the hair out of his face. "I guess he outgrew his old clothes." She mused to herself.

"What's with that smile?" Sinbad stepped closer, his signature grin on his face. "Nothing, just remembering the old days." Yunalesca smiled, closing her book and turning back to face the water. "Old days? It's barely been a full year?" Sinbad chuckled as he stood beside her, elbows resting on the gunwale. "Yeah, I guess it hasn't been as long as I thought." Yunalesca giggled. Silence fell between them, and Yunalesca couldn't help but fidget with the bangle on her wrist.
"Your hair's gotten pretty long. It suits you." Sinbad spoke up, trying to break the awkward atmosphere. "Thanks... it seems your hair's grown too." Yunalesca cringed the moment the words left her mouth.
"You think so?" Sinbad ran his hand through his hair, swiping the strands away from his face. The motion was smooth, and Yunalesca felt her heart skip a beat. "It gets in the way a lot when the wind acts up if I'm honest." He chuckles. "I could braid it for you. Like my hair?" Yunalesca offers, already gesturing for Sinbad to sit on a wooden crate. "That would be appreciated." He smiled.

The two were silent as Yunalesca gently ran her fingers through Sinbad's hair, separating the strands before weaving them back together in three separate braids. Listening to the soft ocean waves, Sinbad basked in the feeling of Yunalesca braiding his hair. It was a feeling he didn't know he craved until that moment.
"Why did you choose to come along?" The words fell from Sinbad's mouth, breaking the silence. He felt Yunalesca's hands stop for a moment. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you're here, it's just... You had a pretty good life in Narpolia." Sinbad found himself overexplaining. "Why did I even ask that?" Sinbad mentally hit himself.

"Narpolia was...nice. And I did get to see a lot of Reim while I was performing, but..." She trailed off, her voice softer. "It was lonely. I missed you guys."

Sinbad felt a tug in his chest, like a rope tied to his heart had been plucked gently. As he opened his mouth to answer, Yunalesca stepped in front of him. "All done. Now the wind can try as it might, your hair won't budge." She had a proud smile on her face, the moonlight dancing on her hair. Sinbad's breath caught in his throat. She looked so much like the first night they met, and yet she looked so different. More sure, more alive.
A small smile crawled its way onto Sinbad's face, and he reached out a hand to tuck a stray hair behind Yunalesca's ear. "I missed you too, Yuna."

For a moment, Yunalesca just stared at him, his eyes dazzling in the starlight. She couldn't stop the smile from blooming on her face so she forced herself to look away. "It's pretty late." She pushed the words off her tongue as a gentle breeze swept between them. "I'm going to head to bed now. We have a pretty long day ahead tomorrow." Yunalesca felt her heart tear with each word she dragged from her own lips. She didn't dare look at Sinbad as she grabbed her book and shuffled toward the cabin. She still felt his eyes on her as she closed the door behind her, the skin where his fingers brushed against her ear, on fire.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"And we've arrived!" Yunalesca exclaims as she jumps from the plank onto the rocky Sasan soil. Throwing her hands in the air, she took a deep breath, savouring the mountain air, before spinning around to face the others. "Come on you guys!" Yunalesca laughed as she bounced on the balls of her feet, waving for the others to join her.
"Hold on, Yuna! We're coming." Sinbad called back with a laugh.
"The air feels so clean here," Yunalesca comments as she slings her satchel over her shoulder. "That's because Sasan is situated deep in the mountains. It's also a treasure trove of minerals." Jafar explains as he joins her, a map unfurled in his hands. "The metal produced by Sasan has been noted to be of the highest quality and best purity in the world. Just recently this country became a trading partner of Reim, so for the fledgling Sindria trading company, we have to secure a trading route through Sasan to secure our future."
Yunalesca stared at the boy next to her. "Wow... he's really grown up a lot." Yunalesca felt her chest swell with pride.

"Yeah, but the capital can only be reached on foot." Hinahoho sighs as he takes the map from Jafar's hands, inspecting it. "But that's the adventure of it all!" Yunalesca laughs, snatching the map from his hands. "Right... but while we're here, is it really ok to leave the company in Vittel and Mahad's hands? I mean Rurumus there too, but she'll be too busy looking after our son." Hinahoho said with a frown. Yunalesca knew he didn't mean anything bad, but she could feel his unease.

"It'll be fine!" Sinbad's self-assured voice rang across the cove where they docked. Jumping down from the ship, Sinbad joins his companions. He had this look on his face that kept his friends from looking away. Vittels is working hard to become the company accountant, and Mahad may be quiet, but he observes people well and takes good care of the employees, so I'm not worried one bit. Besides..." Yunalesca could see the beginnings of that smile she admired so much and she began to grin.
"This is our first time in this country, so as the head of the company I have to go, right?" Sinbad beamed, his eyes sparkling with that grand sense of adventure. Yunalesca glanced at Hinahoho, whose doubts seemed to have been burned away by Sinbad's assurance.

"You say that, but you really just wanted to go on an adventure, didn't you?" Hinahoho laughs as he pats Sinbad's hair, ruffling it roughly. "What? A new country makes me really excited!" Sinbad joins Hinahoho in his laughter, trying to push his friend's hand off his head. Watching the other playful bantering, Jafar just sighs. "Geez... what a kid." But Yunalesca could see the faint smile on his face.
With a hearty laugh, Yunalesca flung her arms around Jafar and Sinbad's shoulders, her bangle clinking playfully against Sinbad's earrings and pulled them along toward the stairs leading to the Sasan capital.