A Crash Course in Shipwrecking?!

[Vio]

^{“Tch! Of course I know what I’d doing,” Arelya said sharply:
“And no, it’s not a bug boat — it doesn’t need wings!”}

There it was. The trademark aggressive response to even the slightest bit of skepticism. To be entirely frank, no, she did not fully understand the task she was about to undertake. She understood the basics of how it all worked, but the White Sea and the Blue Sea were so drastically different that she was uncertain as to whether or not her design would even float down here. With what knowledge she had, Gaille Arelya had done what she deemed to be her best in such a short space of time, but was that enough? She began to doubt.

“Just. Just… I don’t know,” she mumbled. Perhaps that was a bit too harsh. The sense of mild camaraderie she had with Bee Bee — two people of similarly isolated lives for reasons far beyond their immediate control — triggered a feeling of self-loathing at her reaction. Come to think of it, it did actually look like some sort of bug, legs outstretched to balance upon the waves. Green eyes looked to the boy, analysing his reaction as she tried and failed to rationalise her response to an innocent query and subsequently humorous suggestion.

“It does, kinda, look like a bug… I guess,” the Skypiean agreed, doing her utmost to avoid hurting the boy’s feelings any more than she might have already. So far, it wasn’t boding too well. Maybe a little information on the purpose of the boat’s various parts might have helped. Nodding in agreement with herself about things unspoken, Arelya pointed to the drawing — specifically the protrusions. “You said your rafts always break or flip. If those waves are always like that,” she said, glancing to the half-finished projects, “then a flat hull is always gonna end up flipping over. We don’t have rafts up in Skypiea, because the Wavers need a raised hull or else they’ll just sink below the Sea Cloud. The principle is the same. If the waves flip a boat, the same thing happens, so the bits on the side of our boat will help counter that. If a wave flips it one way, the arms will want to float and push back up.”

Arelya looked about.

^{“I’m… probably gonna,” she assessed:
“Need to take apart some of your rafts…”}

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

Bee Bee flinched when Arelya snapped at him, half expecting a raised hand to smack him or something. But after it became clear that she wasn’t going to hit him, his fear vanished instantly and was replaced by confusion. But it did look like a bug! She mumbled something to herself, which only made Bee Bee more confused. When she finally did look back at him and admit it looked like a bug, his previous smile returned easily.

“Yeah! See? These are the legs… maybe this bit is the horn? So it’s like a rhino beetle!” Bee Bee pointed to the leg like protrusions and then the bow. He quieted down pretty immediately once Arelya started talking again, explaining the purpose of the legs and stuff. Wow! He had just thought that those were decorations! He could see the point of them now though. Hm. Some of the stuff about Sea Cloud was a little lost on him, but he got the general feeling that things didn’t float as well up there. He wondered if you fell into Sea Cloud, would you get wet? Could you drown in Sea Cloud? Questions bubbled up in his mind until Arelya dropped a bit of a bombshell on him.

“Wh-wha?! My rafts? But… I worked really hard on them… Mm…” To be honest, some of them were failed attempts that he had managed to salvage. Others were fresh designs that were very very minor variations on the one that had just wrecked. He bit his lip as he looked around at them all. Well… he couldn’t force Arelya to go looking for her own materials… It took him ages to get all the stuff he needed just to make one. Frowning, Bee Bee sighed and took one last good look at his collection.

“Okay…”

[Vio]

“You don’t sound too happy about it,” Arelya commented as the boy gave her the OK. She could see the frown upon his face — a sure sign of his disappointment. He had to understand, whether he wanted to or not, that moments like these came around every once in a while. You had to be prepared to make sacrifices. Sacrificing a few shoddy rafts was an easy choice, at least in her mind. Then again, these were one of the few things that Bee Bee had — one of the few things he could take pride in.

She appreciated that.

^{“Alright,” Arelya said:
“Time to get to work!”}

Hands grabbed the edge of one of the nearest rafts, pulling it across the ground. It was lightweight, as she had expected considering its creator was just a child, but rolled surprisingly smoothly across the Vearth. This one had yet to experience the water. That much she could tell just at a glance. She reckoned that this would have been the next one to brave the waves in the wake of the latter, had the youngster survived. A horrid thought. She shook her head, dismissing a pessimistic view of reality in favour of working out what could be useful and what could be scrapped.

“This… This could take a few days, Bee Bee,” Miss Gaille announced. Without much in the way of concern for the child’s curiosity, she picked a handsaw from her sprawl of tools and soon began to strip the craft down. Untying lashes that were perhaps a little too insecure to reinforce stability, she allowed the body of the raft itself to naturally collapse into component lengths of lumber before picking one of decent thickness and symmetry to start sawing the ends off. This would make a decent keel segment. It would just likely be the rest of the day’s work alone.

Eyes glanced to the lashings she’d untangled.

“You’re decent with ropes. Could you untie all the others? We’ll need a lot of them,” the Skypiean requested. Kneeling down, she took the toothed blade to the timbers, but not before saying: “You should probably get some rest, too. You’ve been through a lot today!”

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

Hopping to his feet, Bee Bee nodded with the determined look of a kid who had made up his mind - at least for now. He moved out of Arelya’s way as she grabbed the Mark 15 - his newest design - and struggled to keep himself from tugging the boat away from her. He had put a lot of work into that one! Well, he put a lot of work into all of them… but still! He had already made up his mind. Letting out a bottled up sigh, he poured a fiery amount of zeal into watching and learning from Arelya as she did her work.

“Mm.. that’s okay. I’m not in a rush really, but um… If you want, you can stay with me. There are some rooms in the village though… if you want,” Bee Bee mumbled almost grudgingly. He didn’t want to share Arelya, but it wasn’t like she was some toy that he could keep to himself. And… he knew his little shack wasn’t the coziest place in the world. He had been taught proper hospitality from his father. “Just, if you do go to the village, um… maybe don’t mention me.”

Watching her work with her weird tools, Bee Bee simply looked on curiously. He didn’t want to bother her with too many questions. She was deconstructing the Mark 15 for the wood, it seemed like? He followed her eyes to the lashings that he’d made from plant fibers. A smile tugged at his lips as she mentioned his ropes were good. “Yeah! Er, I mean, yes, miss! You can count on me! I’ll be really helpful.”

Hurrying over to some of the older models, Bee Bee fiddled with the knots. He hadn’t exactly made them to be untied, so it was a little tough. He glanced back at her curious as she suggested he get some rest. “Huh? Oh. Um. Thanks. I will after this.” With a little careful tugging at the knots and some time, he did start accumulating a small pile of makeshift rope. “Um… Arelya? Why did you leave the sky? Wasn’t it cool up there? Did you not like it?”

[Vio]

Bee Bee’s offering of board was welcome, but Arelya’s mind was elsewhere. A little more focused on her work as she sawed timbers and silently assessed what she would need to make a secure hull, the Skypiean paid little mind to the boy’s mention of being mentioned. She had no intention on heading to the village — no intention of trying to socialise with people she had little understanding of. Besides that, even an inkling of what this boy had been through suggested to her that she would only come to hate the people anyway.

His eagerness to impress was amusing.

^{“Um… Arelya?” the youth asked:
“Why did you leave the sky…?”}

I knew he’d ask that question… Squaring off a piece of timber, Miss Gaille cast emerald eyes to Bee Bee’s own black ones. An eyebrow was raised, but unexpected the query was not. Like any child — like her he was a bundle of curiosities, and rightfully so. He was enjoying her company, the chance to interact with another person, and it was made more and more obvious with every minute she spent with him. It tugged at her heartstrings a tad, that somebody was so willing to try and break the ice with a complete stranger such as her.

A sigh escaped her lips.

“It’s alright,” the green-haired girl shrugged, looking up to the clouds above. A mist still lingered around the isle, but winds had pushed it away enough for one’s eyes to witness the silhouettes of other clouds overhead.

^{So, the fallen angel did think:
That’s what it looks like from below?}

“It’s a lot better now than it was,” Arelya continued, but still focusing on the task at hand. “I didn’t really get along with a lot of the people there, though. I think they thought I was a bit of a troublemaker. Truth is, I just like making things, and what’s up there doesn’t give me a lot to work with. So, I came down here. I’d always heard tales of the Blue Sea and wanted to see it for myself. But, just one island isn’t enough for me. I’ve been told there’s so much more to it, and I’d like to learn about it, and maybe one day revolutionise the way people — both down here and up in Skypiea — think about technology!”

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

Arelya’s reaction to his question made Bee Bee wish he had a shell like a snail so that he could curl up into it. Was it bad? His mind flashed back to his father raising a hand to him whenever he had asked about his mother. Despite his initial knee jerk reaction of flinching away slightly, Arelya didn’t move or raise her voice. She just sighed, which earned her a little tilt of Bee Bee’s head. If she didn’t want to talk about it, he understood that. He had things that he didn’t really want to talk about. But after a moment, she gave him a little reassurance that let him relax and made his uncertain smile return to his face.

Arelya looked up and Bee Bee followed her gaze up to the clouds in the sky. He could still hardly believe that there were islands up there with their own seas and people. He wondered what it looked like. Did they have grass and trees? Or was everything fluffy and white? Were there animals? Bee Bee wanted to show Arelya some stuff from his island. Stuff from the blue sea and figure out what all was different.

He glanced back at her when she spoke up again, curious. Hm! She was a lot like him then! The villagers treated him like a troublemaker too! Bee Bee was a little excited to have met someone who knew what that was like. He nodded and listened intently with all the burning curiosity of a child.

“There are! There’s a lot more islands! I’ve read about them in some books! I’ve heard there are islands where it’s always snowy and cold, and islands where huuuuuuge crazy animals live! Um! There’s also places where there’s like… a sea of sand! For miles and miles! I think they’re called desserts! Like what you have after supper.”

Bee Bee smiled, the passion in his eyes like a roaring flame.

“A-And I think that’s a really cool dream! I bet you can do it.”

It did make Bee Bee think about things though. What was his dream? He hadn’t really thought any further ahead than getting off the island. He rubbed his chin to make a display like he was deep in thought. It was then that it occurred to him that he had stopped getting the ropes. Hastily, he turned back to his task, hoping Arelya hadn’t noticed. He could think about a dream later. He’d figure it out.

[Vio]

The boy’s explanations of lands he’d read about in books were fascinating. Cold and snowy landscapes didn’t sound too appealing to her, nor did lands chock full of massive animals. A sea of sand? Arelya blinked. She was sure she had never heard such a word before, nor did she have any concept of what such a thing was. Used to firm but soft Island Cloud and crumbly, moist Vearth, the word that had just escaped the youth’s mouth prompted a state of befuddlement. In fact, she was rendered almost entirely oblivious to Bee Bee’s vote of confidence.

“Uhm,” Arelya grunted, looking to her company as he frantically gathered ropes from his multitude of rafts. Curiosity had gotten the better of her and, though she didn’t want to admit that there was something he knew that she didn’t, the question just had to be asked. “Bee Bee? What’s… Sand?”

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

Hm-hm! There! All done. Maybe this would be enough? Bee Bee glanced down at the pile of salvaged lashings that he had accumulated. He wondered if she wanted the wood too. Unsure, he just scooped it all up and brought it over to Arelya, setting down with a little heft beside her. He smiled at her, wanting some form of praise for a job well done, but was surprised to see her looking very confused. Her question escaped her lips a short moment later and a mischievous smile slowly crept onto Bee Bee’s face.

“You… you don’t know?”

She really was from the sky! Bee Bee held back a snicker - poorly - and thought about how best to answer it.

“Well, um… here! Wait one second!”

Running past her down back down to the beach, Bee Bee scooped up some of the sand in his hands. Maybe he ought to get a lot? He could use his gi to carry more… he probably would only get a handful back if he didn’t. Dropping to his knees, flattened out his gi onto the sand and scooped some onto it getting more and more once it was sufficiently weighed down. He hummed happily while he gathered up a bunch, excited to show Arelya. He definitely needed enough to make a sand castle. He wanted to show her one!

“What are you doing?”

Bee Bee froze. He lifted his head up to look at what was almost a mirror image of himself, though cleaner and less scruffy. His brother. Bee Bee glanced around apprehensively, but he didn’t spot their father anywhere. Standing up with his haul of sand, Bee Bee looked away and harrumphed.

“None of your business, James. Go home. Leave me alone,” He said with a sidelong glance at James, measuring his reaction. James, for his part, sneered, which only told Bee Bee that this was going to be very difficult. James stepped forward suddenly, which set Bee Bee off balance immediately, and reached out to shove him down to the ground.

Bee Bee fell backwards, sand flying out of his gi and into his face and hair. He coughed and dusted himself off, spitting out some sand that had somehow worked its way into his mouth. Puffing out his cheeks as heat rose up in them, he jabbed a finger into James’s chest.

“What’s wrong with you?!”

James looked down at Bee Bee’s finger pressed into his chest. He smiled. And then, James opened his mouth and screamed.

“HELP! HELP ME!”

Fear struck Bee Bee like thunder. His eyes went wide. He backed away, scuttling back as far as the fear would let him. His skin was pale, and his breathing short and ragged. James grinned down at him, basking in the power that he had over Bee Bee.

“D-Don’t… please.”

“Tell me what you’re doing,” James demanded again, crouching down and leaning into Bee Bee’s face. “Or I’ll do it again.”

Bee Bee bit his lip. He didn’t want to tell James about Arelya. He would try to take her away from him. She was the first person that had given him any attention since his dad had exiled him - aside from James’s unwanted attention. He didn’t want… he didn’t want that taken away. Plus, it wouldn’t be good if Arelya went to the village and was associated with him. She’d be treated bad, and she was nice. He looked down and away and smiled weakly.

“I-I, uh… wanted to make a sand fort…”

[Vio]

Bee Bee seemed rather confused by her question — confused and amused. Nonetheless, he quickly volunteered himself to fetch some of this mysterious material called sand, and hurried off from treeline shelter towards the beach proper. While admittedly curious, Arelya just blinked, shook her head, and got back to work. The sooner she could figure all this out, the better, and without his presence or pestering, she was left in comfortable solitude.

Popping headphones over her ears, she clicked the Tone Dials to life, drowning out the sounds of sea and forest and labour with the melodies of one of her homeland’s own talented musicians. Clarity of thought was much welcome as she continued to carve and connect pieces of wood. It was only as the music hit a high crescendo — only as she hammered one timber firmly into another that something caught her attention.

^{“Huh…?” She listened:
“Bee Bee…?”}

A quick look around revealed nothing.

Must’ve been imagining things… The air does seem a lot richer down here… The scientist within her serving to rationalise what she would have otherwise sworn to be a voice, the Skypiean shipwright resumed her work. She could not afford distractions. More precisely, she did not want any, and at least the boy had been making himself useful. Lashings and lumber would serve a good starting point for what was admittedly rather simple framework, but at least she didn’t have to do all the work herself.

Minutes passed.

^{“Okay,” Miss Gaille murmured, doffing headphones:
“How rare is this sand that he’s not back yet…?”}

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

“I wanna make one too,” James said, moving around to Bee Bee’s side, “Gimme that!”

Abruptly, James lunged at Bee Bee, grabbing his gi and tugging on it, trying to tear it away. Bee Bee let out a surprised yelp before a white hot lance of anger went through him. He jerked back, pulling away, but James didn’t let go, sending them both tumbling into the sand. “No! Let go! It’s mine!” Bee Bee growled, trying to crawl away from his brother as James dug his knees into the sand, making it harder for Bee Bee to get away.

“Just gimme it! We can use it to carry the sand!”

“Use your own!”

“No! I don’t want it to get sandy!”

Fed up, Bee Bee started kicking at James, trying to get him off of him. James yelped and screamed, slamming his little fists down into Bee Bee’s legs. Eventually, Bee Bee managed to wriggle free even if his legs were a little beaten up. He scrambled to his feet and bounced away. James’s face flushed red with anger. Uh oh. Bee Bee knew that look. He turned and ran off toward the bushes. He could probably lose James there. But before he could reach them, something slammed into his back and sent him crashing face first into the ground. He felt fists on his back and covered the back of his head with hands to protect himself as James let out an angry scream.

“Aaaaaah! Just giiiive me it!”

“Noooo!! Leave me alone!”

Bee Bee wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t let James find Arelya! She was his friend! The only one that he had. He tried to wriggle and buck James off of him, but James was heavy. Really heavy! Bee Bee bet he was sneaking red bean buns from the kitchen when their father wasn’t looking. “Fatso!” Bee Bee growled. That only made James angrier. He felt James’s hands wrap around his horns. His head jerked back as James pulled him back.

“Stop it! Let go!”

“Take it back!”

[Vio]

Arelya sighed — a worried sigh if anything. The absence of the youngster’s questions and hospitality and assistance was somehow sorely missed despite knowing him for only a few hours at best. Furthermore, sharing some sense of kindred with him and his tumult, the Skypiean couldn’t help but feel as if she were betraying her own by ignoring the situation. Discarding tools, minus the shell-loaded weapon at her flank, she meandered down the path that Bee Bee had skipped merrily down just minutes before.

^{Should’ve just kept working, she thought to herself:
Getting off this island’s more important…}

Voices reached her ears, altering her to the presence of not one, but two individuals. One was easily discernible as Bee Bee — his vocalisations already something she had grown surprisingly accustomed to. The other was similar, to say the least, but unfamiliar. A child’s voice, that much was certain. She didn’t pick up the pace. She didn’t see a reason to do so. It was only when she drew closer that she realised the intent of such cries.

Emerald eyes soon settled upon a truly disgruntling sight. Two boys, similar in both voice and looks, scrapping upon the shores of the isle. It was clear as to the second’s identity; a sibling of Bee Bee, no doubt, who carried a distinctly greater bulk about his person. Yet, he lacked the horns of the smaller, more malnourished soul, and seemed to be making a big deal over being called out on his size.

Eyes rolled.

^{“Oi,” she called, breaking the treeline:
“Are you two finished squabbling?”}

Still she questioned why on Vearth she was bothering to get involved. Nonetheless, there Miss Gaille stood with knuckles on hips and a furrowed brow, posture speaking loud of her annoyance at this whole ordeal — an ordeal whose origins remained a mystery to her.

---

Gaille Arelya (50c878)
Bee Bee

[Fox]

The boys both froze when Arelya called out from the tree line. Their eyes both locked into her. James was the first to break the stare and glance around the beach suspiciously, his grip on Bee Bee’s horns loosening. Bee Bee took advantage of the situation by freeing his head and rubbed his horns with a frown. He didn’t like them getting grabbed and pulled on. He glanced back at James who was still on top of him and looking back and forth between Arelya and the beach. It only took him a second to get it. He was looking for a boat. There wasn’t going to be one, given just where Arelya was from. To stop James from thinking about it too much, Bee Bee bucked James off of him and clambered back to his feet.

“O-Oh! Hey, Arel-“

Bee Bee cut himself off abruptly as he realized that James was staring daggers into him. Dang! He should have played dumb. Well… too late for that. In spite of myself, he grinned sheepishly as James picked himself up off the beach and dusted himself off, folding his arms over his chest. Bee Bee tried not to panic. First things, first. He had to protect Arelya by lying really good. He could do this. This was fine.

“Ah… She’s, uh, she shipwrecked! Here. And… I… found her. And welcomed her. T-to the island.”

James glanced out at the beach again, this time presumably for some signs of the wreckage. Fortunately! Bee Bee had an explanation for that too! He almost blurted it out without prompting but managed to control himself. He glanced over to Arelya, wishing badly that she would have just waited back at his hut for him. It was when James spoke again that Bee Bee felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.

“Well, she should come to the village. Dad has to know about all strangers that arrive on the island,” he said in a bit of a know-it-all time before looking at Arelya curiously, “Dad makes great red bean buns too. They’re really good. Come on, lady, let’s go.”

James walked away a few steps before turning back to check if Arelya was following him and to give Bee Bee a rather smug look. Who would pass up free food and actual lodgings? Bee Bee bit his lip and kicked the sand dejectedly. If Dad knew about Arelya, it was only a matter of time before he came looking. Bee Bee didn’t… he didn’t want to see his Dad again. Not with the way he looked at him. He looked up at Arelya like a pleasing lost puppy.

“Um… you can go… if you want… but…” He didn’t want her to go. “I’ll be here.”

[Vio]

He’s a terrible liar… Stepping forth as the scene unfurled, Gaille Arelya noticed Bee Bee’s attempt at covering for her presence. If anything, that was further indication of the peoples’ unscrupulous ways. All the while, the other boy’s gaze kept shifting about, first from her, then to the sibling, then to the coastline, almost as if he was searching for signs to corroborate the horned child’s story. But perhaps what stirred her most was not the look this brat gave, but the heartfelt pleading glistening within her company’s eyes.

^{“Well,” the chubby boy said:
“Come on, lady, let’s go!”}

That kid’s way worse… Stuck-up little chump! As James turned to lead her away, Miss Gaille’s eyes narrowed before glancing to her disheartened comrade. Any normal person unknowing of the situation might’ve taken the boy’s offer — the prospect of settlement and civilisation would have enticed the average folk. But, even amongst her kindred spirits in the White Seas above, this woman was anything but average.

^{“Um… You can go,” Bee Bee said solemnly:
“I’ll be here.”}

“No thanks, kid,” Arelya replied, meeting the gaze of the smug little dumpling who awaited her. “I’ve got things to do and places to be,” she elaborated, testing the edge of his attitude against her own admittedly shaky shell of will. “And here isn’t one of them.” She wanted to say more — to say something that could truly manifest her scorn. But she resisted. If she was going to brandish that knife against anyone, it would be the man who ruled this forsaken isle.

---

Gaille Arelya | #50c878
Bee Bee | #eeeeee
James | #555555

[Fox]

Arelya’s proclamation got two very different reactions from the twins. James’s face twisted first into confusion and disbelief like he wasn’t sure of what he had just heard. Bee Bee’s whole face lit up as realization slowly dawned on him. He ran hastily over to Arelya’s side and nodded as if to confirm her statement with his own assurance, which only made James angry. His face turned a strange shade of red as he stomped one of his feet.

“I’m telling dad!” he said to Bee Bee, which made Bee Bee’s brave expression waver a little. James looked at Arelya, some of the red fading from his cheeks as he turned up his nose. “If you ever get tired of him and his curse, come to the village!”

With that, James angrily stomped away toward the river and out of sight. Bee Bee figured it wouldn’t take him all that long to get back if he followed the path along the riverside. Letting out a deep sigh, Bee Bee flopped onto the sand of the beach with a weak smile. He won! Well, kind of. He looked up at Arelya and smiled.

“Hehe, thanks for that. Sorry about James. He’s reeeeeeal annoying. Oh! Right,” Bee Bee hastily scooped up some of the sand off the beach and held it up to her. “Sand! You can make castles out of it or even tunnels! It’s really fun, but it kind of gets everywhere.”

As if to make his point, Bee Bee shook his head, unleashing a spray of sand out of his hair. He did his best to dust himself off, but he knew from experience that he would probably have to wash both his clothes and his body to completely get rid of it. It was getting kind of late. Bee Bee glanced over to the horizon line. An orange sun was just about touching the horizon line.

“It’s getting kind of late… We should get back before dark! I’m gonna take a bath.”

Marching off through the sand back toward where his little hut was nestled, Bee Bee took off his gi, sand raining down from it, and tucked it under one of his arms. He shook out even more sand from the shirt that he was wearing underneath it. He definitely felt some in his pants too. Every step he took chafed uncomfortably. He tried shaking some out of one of his pants legs.

“Are you gonna stay up and work on the boat tonight?”

---

[Vio]

The boy stormed off, bested. Whatever power that kid thought he held over his brother and those on the island had been stripped of him entirely by Arelya’s own decisions. She couldn’t help but smirk as she watched him, now searing red of face, as he left them to their own devices. He had mentioned something of a curse, though what that meant was something she didn’t feel comfortable asking of her company just yet.

^{“Sand,” Bee Bee announced:
“You can make castles out of it!”}

“Oh… This is what sand is…?” Miss Gaille sounded somewhat disappointed as she scooped some into her hand. It was just a variant form of Vearth — the kind found around the bodies of water of Upper Yard. This was slightly different, however, though not by much. She had believed it to be a rarer substance, perhaps even some sort of prime raw material she could have exploited for its construction values. Instead, she was presented with something coarse and rough, but at least somewhat familiar.

“It’s getting kind of late,” Bee Bee informed her, and sure enough it was. Before her eyes, the distant horizon was turning a glorious shade of orange as the sun seemingly began to dip its toes into the ocean. This was a sight no normal Skypiean would even see. The sun dipping beyond the clouds of the White Sea was one thing, but this was an entirely different spectacle. The rays of that star seemed to ignite the turquoise waves, glimmering like fire.

^{“Y— Yeah,” she replied:
“We should…”}

Finally it was beginning to sink in. Though their worlds were very much different, in the end the two came from strikingly similar existences. Still, Arelya found herself questioned again by Bee Bee as he shook the sand from his garb. She pondered the answer. It had been a rough day, for both of them in fact, but there was no rest for the wicked.

^{“Yeah, I am,” the shipwright nodded:
“This boat’s not gonna build itself.”}

^{… … …}

Besides, if that brat does tell his old man, there’s a good chance they’ll come here again in the morning, Arelya noted, though not daring to speak such words aloud. After everything he’d been through, putting any sense of dread in Bee Bee’s mind was the last thing she wanted. Even then, she was sure the thought had crossed his mind, perhaps dismissed out of naivete, or even just optimism. If I can finish this by sunrise, we should be able to get out of here, then he won’t have to worry about James, his father, or this island ever again… While he went to bathe, she resumed her craft, this time with an additional spark of determination — a greater drive.

---

Gaille Arelya | #50c878
Bee Bee | #eeeeee
James | #555555