Trans-Coastal Sapphic

Setting Sail

*CURTAIN OPEN*

     Valkyrie slept restlessly that night. Like the rest of her trusted crew, they were all barely able to contain their excitement for the next day, but the thought of leaving the city and getting back out to sea after months away in preparation was what got the young woman through the time she had to spend back on land. Sailing held a special place in her heart like nothing ever had before. The crew that she had helped shape after years of sailing were her family, in one way or another they had all helped each other forget their pasts and look towards a shimmering future.

     Even before the sun had begun to shine through her window, Valkyrie had long since packed her belongings and locked down her dwelling to prevent any unwelcome visitors who might interrupt her morning preparations or bother her for a fraction of the treasures they'd accrued to exchange for money. There would be no distractions between her and the open sea any longer.

     "Jan come ON!" Val shouted up the stairs to her older brother, rapping her fingers against the wall leading up the stairs. "Everyone else must be out at the dock by now readying The Folly and if you don't hurry it up one of the rookies is gonna fall off the ropes! It takes forever to load and set up, so don't make me leave you behind again!"

     "I'm comin' sis, gods! I swear you're the only other one who's even AWAKE yet!" He yelled back, rushing down the stairs to meet her, half awake and half dressed, slinging his own travel bag over his shoulder. The young captain gave him a satisfied smile and tossed over his boots and the breakfast she had long since packed earlier that morning.

     "Now HURRY, I don't wanna waste a second more on land!" She stated Jan grinned back at her as he tugged his boots on. Both of them knew that even though he didn't quite have his captains' morning energy, he was just as excited to get out on the water. As Valkyrie stepped outside the soft early morning breeze slicked back rust coloured hair. She rushed off towards the port, leaving her brother to try and race after her. Laughing gleefully as she reached the dock and saw her beloved ship, she took a deep breath of salted sea air into her lungs and let out a contented sigh. Jan's own shock of red hair caught up with her a few minutes later, panting and dropping his bag at his feet.

     Another voice rang out from across the dock, female, harsher than Valkyrie's. "Hey now you two! Careful with those crates or you'll be sleepin' in them in the goddamn store room!" She  barked at two of the newer members of the crew as they hauled cargo onto the ship. As soon as she noticed Valkyrie and Jan at the dock she ran to greet them, harshness melting away instantly. "G'mornin' Cap, hey Jan!" She greeted cheerfully, nodding towards the two of them. Val returned the gesture and chuckled before going to clasp her hand, the two pulling each other close.

     "Ferran hey, mornin'!" Val exclaimed with a grin, giving her best friend a quick, goofy salute before breaking into laughter again, leading her back to where the woman had been commanding the crew once they'd both regained their composure. Ferran had been the captain's first mate since the very beginning of her career, and her fondest and closest friend for years before even that, ever since they had first met. They sat themselves down together on a nearby crate where Val started carefully unrolling the aged map that plotted their course. "So! By the look of it we'll be running a pretty straightforward course right down to Dalia's Crash over here," Valkyrie said as she gently trailed a finger along the map. "Then once we go dig up that treasure it'll be all ours!" Both girls' eyes lit up at the thought of what kind of fortune they would discover.

     "Gold! Coins, rubies..pearls!" Ferran daydreamed aloud, she looked to the map and pointed to a humble island a third of the way on their route. "Right there Val, we gotta be careful, Teal Crest." she pestered, smiling at her, "they say it's mermaid territory." At the mere mention of the word 'mermaid' Jan hurried over, making Ferran laugh knowingly.

     "C'mon, you know it too, mermaids are dangerous! They'd come up an' drag a woman right overboard and eat 'em." Val scolded gently, "at least we've got new oracles on board this route. They'll be more helpful than the last guys we had, we'll finally get the new sonar set up, who knows, maybe we'll catch somethin' of real value." She glanced over at Jan whose excitement failed to wain during her lecture.

     "We HAVE to pass by there, it's MERMAIDS Val! Yeah yeah there's a chance that they miiight dangerous, but like you said, we've got the sonar, and a new oracle to guide us AND even if nothin' else keeps us safe you know how good of a shot I am! We've already faced worse than a rogue fish." He insisted, laying his true intentions right out on the table. The thought of having a real chance at seeing the eternal youth and beauty of a fair young maiden of the sea drove Jan more than simply reading about the myth in books and seeing it in paintings. The young gunner's passion for the creatures were nothing if not somewhat admirable to the girls..under a certain sort of light. Val held to her soft hesitation but couldn't rightfully deny him his wishes, either way trying to avoid the island and go around it would only set them back behind schedule by several days. At her defeated sigh and vague nod of approval, Jan giggled giddily and went off on his way to help the rest of the crew set up, leaving the captain and her first mate to their work.

     Within a few hours time the final preparations were just being made to shove off. Valkyrie's sharp brown eyes glinted in the sun as she paced the deck of her beloved ship, taking in the familiar sights and sounds she had missed so dearly. "Alright crew let's move this ship outta here already!" She called out with an eager grin after making her finals rounds and checks to ensure nothing short of absolute perfection and security for her beloved crew. Quickly they pulled away from the dock and before they knew it the crew of the Maiden's Folly were out on open waters, due eastward towards the cursed treasure of Dalia's Crash.

{Thanks a ton for reading! The next part is soon to come!}