He glanced away, and when he glanced back his eyes were calm and detached. "If she turns me in again, can you all promise to just leave me alone? I'll find a way out, or I won't. I don't want you in danger because I've made stupid mistakes."
Leah opened her mouth to disagree or protest, but she couldn't go against what Daso wanted, could she? Pursing her lips in thought, she finally nodded, though she honestly doubted that she could keep that promise in the end. If anything were to go wrong with anyone on the crew, she would be one of the first to help no matter what.
At Leah's nod, relief course through his veins. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as the crew was safe. He couldn't bear any more guilt on his conscience. He managed a smile. "See, things are so much easier when you listen to me, Cap."
Cicada paused for a moment before slowly nodding. It pained her to promise that. She tried to prevent anything from happening to anyone. If something did happen, she wanted to be one of the first responders.
Luis didn't do anything. He hated making promises, especially to people he barely knew.
At Leah's nod, relief course through his veins. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as the crew was safe. He couldn't bear any more guilt on his conscience. He managed a smile. "See, things are so much easier when you listen to me, Cap."
"Easier…yes, I suppose," Leah answered, unable to share the same smile, though she forced a faint one to tug the corners of her lips up. She couldn't let Daso get hurt and run away like she had done with her family. She turned away, instead focusing her thoughts on the figures ahead in order to distract herself.
Daso turned towards the dock as well, his eyes squinting as he gazed at Dara's face. She looked…good. Calm, even. A hint of a smile was on her face as she talked to the girl next to her. As though she hadn't a care in the world. Daso had always envied her ability to not care. It was inconvenient to feel everything.
Leah let out a small sigh, releasing her usual calm expression drop for a few moments to reveal faded eyes heavy with stress and grief. The ship finally docked next to the city and she began her way towards the small opening in the ship that led towards a sloping, wooden panel in order to get down to the docks. Leah mustered a calm look on her face, not even bothering to get her hat as she let her ginger locks hang loosely across her shoulders.
Daso trailed behind Leah, his hands clasped behind his back as he wandered down the slope. He kept his head down, his teeth clenching together.
On the far side of the deck, Dara looked up, spotting him in an instant. She glanced at Zanna. "There's my brother," she said.
Leah narrowed her eyes faintly as she studied Daso's sister, a curious look on her face. The two both looked alike, with dark skin and hair, though there were many differences between them of course. She glanced over towards Daso in concern, her gaze softening a bit as she hoped that seeing his sister wasn't affecting him too much.
(I'm back! How should I jump in?)
(Welcome back! Probably just on the docks with the rest of the crew.)
(I have to go soon as well)
Daso glanced at the rest of the group. "Any idea who the other girl is?" he asked, his voice subdued.
Zanna spotted the boy then pointed to the redhead with short hair next to, "And the one giving me the stink eye is my friend Cicada."
Cicada was giving her a stink eye as she responded, "That's Zanna. No ifs ands or buts. Except she died. How is she standing there with your twin?"
"Zanna, as in your dead former crew Zanna?" Daso repeated, eyes widening.
Dara smirked. "Oh, yeah, that's the idiot who got arrested. Wow. I wonder who the girl in front is. She looks a lot like Cicada."
Cicada nodded, "No one else would have purple and black hair. I'm positive."
Zanna squinted her eye, "Maybe the captain? I've heard rumors she has red hair."
Daso started to respond, but the bells on the church rang and suddenly he couldn't speak. God, would there ever be a time when he'd be able to hear church bells without freezing up? Probably not. With a muffled sigh, he approached his sister.
The church bells chimed noon. Dara glanced at Daso, noting his pained expression, and rolled her eyes. "I guess we should go say hello," she said.
Yeon had hung back towards the rear of the group, watching the two females with a skeptical gaze. “This seems like a bad idea,” he said to no one in particular.
Luis nodded, not turning around to see who had spoken. He was super confused, but none of this seemed like normal pirate stuff. "Who are they?" He asked, only half-listening to the conversation.
(normal pirate stuff
I laughed harder than I should've. •-•)
"Are you going to continue to stand there and whisper?" Leah called out towards the two figures, glancing over towards her sister for a few moments in thought when she mentioned the purple haired girl. Zanna must be a friend of Cicada's, so she assumed they were alright…but Dara. Dara had almost killed Daso.
Zanna nodded. Cicada lept off the boats side onto the dock screaming, "YOUR DEAD ZANNA!"
"NO, YOUR DEAD!" Zanna shouted back before realizing what Cicada meant, "WAIT NO DON'T!"
Both girls went barreling into the water from Cicada launching herself at Zanna.
Dara headed over to the captain and Daso, her eyes on the ground. "Uh. Three words, wasn't it? You asked for three words in your letter?" She paused. "I swear I rehearsed saying this to you a thousand times in my head. She is, um, dead." She fell quiet, refusing to meet his gaze, her hands folded and her mouth frozen in an awkward grimace.
Daso took a step back, his entire cool demeanor crumbling away. He looked smaller, suddenly, smaller and younger. "What? That's…that's all you're going to say?"
She shrugged, picking at the corner of her fingernail. "No? Yes? I don't know what to say to you. I planned to just say it and leave, then I decided to run away last minute." She brightened up a little. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. I want to join you."
"What?" he said again, his voice cracking. "You try to kill me, you say you hate me, you tell me our mom's dead like you're reporting the weather, then you try to join me? I…Dara, I don't understand. I don't understand." He felt like he was losing his mind. What the hell was wrong with his sister?
Leah watched the two, her faded green eyes taking on an almost stormy color as she listened to the conversation. There was no way that she was going to let someone like Daso's sister join the crew. Dara could be rich, or a genius, or anything, but after attempting to kill her own brother, there was no going back on that. She crossed her arms over her chest, deciding not to comment on the conversation until it got too extreme.
Cicada and Zanna got back to the others. Both were drenched in water. Zanna glanced at Cicada, "Are we even now?"
"No," Cicada responded walking towards Leah.
"Oh come on," Zanna groaned. She walked up beside Cicada, "What if I joined you new crew? You wouldn't mind that right?"
"Not my desicion. Talk to the captain," Cicada kept walking.
"I will."
"That's why I'm the smart one," Dara shot back, rolling her eyes. "Can't you at least appreciate the fact that I bothered to talk to you? You abandoned me, ran off with some pirates," she paused, glaring at the captain with a sneer, "apparently killed people on your illegal streak, and finally, just to add more, you're the reason our mom's dead. Not that I care, because she was a bitch."
Daso found himself subconsciously reaching for his pistol. He stopped himself, his teeth grating together as he regarded Dara. For someone whose features were so like his, she looked nothing like him. She wasn't even angry, not as she pretended to be. She almost looked…bored. Indifferent. "What do you mean?" he snarled.
"She never stopped looking for you," she replied, studying her nails. "She neglected her own health for you. And of course, she cursed your name with every breath she took. You sent her to an early grave. I guess I should thank you."
He couldn't find any words to say. He tried to speak and faltered. Finally, he managed, "How dare you?" his hands clenching so tightly his nails drew blood from his palms. "How dare you? I –I loved her, unlike you. You never even pretended to love her. You…you never even…" but he couldn't say anymore. Deep down, he knew it was his fault. Just another life stolen by his hands coated in red.
Dara looked smug.
Leah released a small, angry breathe as she listened to what Dara said, an almost churning anger beginning to grow in her chest. She felt her fingers brush against the hilt of her sword, but immediately stopped herself before she would do anything that she would regret, instead clutching the cold metal in a way to calm herself down. What was wrong with Dara? How could she speak like that about her own mother…playing their death off as if it were fine? Leah would give anything just to see her mother before she had passed away.
"Daso had every right to run off with us. It almost seems that we gave him more of a family than you did," she shot back, not bearing to see Daso at such a loss for words at Dara's comments. "You practically tried to kill him."
Dara's gaze snapped to the captain's face before dropping back to her hands. "I didn't practically try to kill him. I did try." Then she tapped the side of her mouth. "Well, actually, I didn't think he'd be killed. Just imprisoned. My dad's mental state wasn't the best at the time. Still isn't. Which is why I'm running away." She smiled. "What's your name again?"
(I am low-key scared of Dara.)
"That's it. You can't forgive someone like this, Daso," Leah answered, still glaring at Dara for a few moments and brushing off their question before she glanced back towards Daso, her gaze softening faintly. She couldn't let someone like Dara come onto their ship.