Blue Seas, Dark Skies

The Beginning

A/N: Enjoy, I think this will be the last slow-paced chapter, we're about to really get into the meat of it all!

...

They found Laurent on the top deck at the stern, near the ship's wheel. He was standing next to an intense young man with a shock of slicked back red hair and a black mask over his eyes who was manning the wheel. Two others stood nearby, a slight young girl with braided green hair and pointed ears, and the guy from the night before, Inigo.

"I thought you said a mask would make me stand out, but you've already got a crew member wearing one. " Lucina whispered furiously to Owain, staring at the helmsman.

"Gerome's a special case!" Owain replied, and Lucina crossed her arms, giving him the best death glare she could manage with only her right eye. As they approached, the one called Gerome perked up, and glanced in their direction. Laurent followed his line of sight.

"Oh, you must be the newest member. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Laurent said in a clipped manner, adjusting his glasses and stepping forward to offer Lucina his hand. "No doubt Kjelle sent you to me to evaluate which position would best suit you."

"Oh, um, I suppose she did. It's nice to meet you as well." Lucina replied, taking the proffered hand. Gerome said nothing, but Lucina could tell he was staring her down from behind his mask. Laurent then stood back, looking her over. Lucina felt herself shiver a little under his discerning gaze.

"Owain, you know her best. What can you tell me of her skills?" Laurent asked, rubbing his chin in thought. He seemed determined to hit every stereotype for the classic intellectual.

"Why, she is peerless when it comes to the blade! Unmatched in stamina and strength! Smiled upon by the fates and good fortune when it comes to battle sense! My sword hand hungers with a blazing admiration for her skill on the battlefield, though I fear she is quite lacking in any knowledge of the sea or sailing whatsoever." Owain said, patting Lucina on the back. She bit her lip and looked at the deck. As much as she loved Owain, his praise was always way over the top.

"Hm. Well I shall definitely be putting that strength of yours to good use. And I do hope that you rely solely on your actual skill as opposed to... good fortune ," Laurent shot a glance at Owain. "For now, as you are new to sailing, I'll simply assign you to helping with the sails and cleaning the decks-"

"Swab! It's called swabbing the decks, Laurent!" Inigo butted in. Laurent turned to glare at him.

"Don't be insufferable, Inigo." Gerome grunted. Inigo looked appropriately cowed, and Laurent cleared his throat.

"As I was saying; for now I'll let Nah show you the ropes. Both literally and figuratively, I suppose." Laurent chuckled at his own joke. Gerome smiled encouragingly. Owain coughed awkwardly, and nobody else made a sound.

"Alright, sounds good. I'll take young Lucina here. Catch you later, boys." The girl with the green braids said, stepping up to sweep a grateful Lucina away. Lucina gave Nah a once-over. She wasn't sure where she got off calling her 'young,' as Nah looked much younger than herself, but decided against pointing that out. Lucina kept pace with Nah as the two walked amidships, pleased to find that she was able to keep her balance despite the swaying motion of the ship. A huge improvement from when she woke up.

"To put it bluntly, you're the fresh meat." Nah suddenly turned to face Lucina.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucina said, taking a step backwards at Nah's alarming turn of phrase.

"Well, you're new and don't know what you're doing. Naturally, everyone's going to take advantage of that. They'll want to 'break you in,' and all that bolonge. I mean, I suppose there's some sense to it. The more work they have you do, the faster you get the hang of it, and all that. But I just thought I should warn you, is all. You seem like a good kid." Nah shrugged, and gave Lucina a small smile.