The sun slowly and lazily broke through the clouds that painted the sky as the early morning started to rouse most people from their slumber.

Some, however, were already up and running, doing their absolute best to pack everything as their voyage would start again soon.

Opal Beifong was one of those people. She wasn't carrying big boxes of food and other supplies around, but she did carry a small bag filled with clothes towards the massive boat that lay in the harbor. Today would be her first time boarding it, despite having stared at it for a couple of days now. Usually a boat like that would've never stayed this long, as it always carried a crew with a mission, but apparently this crew decided to take a break for a couple of days.

That was how Opal had met them.

Her mother owed the local tavern that kept travelers from dying of thirst and the citizens occupied. It also attracted the pirates that boarded the enormous ship that immediately captivated Opal. As a child she had always loved the stories about pirates, so seeing a pirate ship up close was like a dream come true.

Moreover, the crew, or at least the important figures, had taken a liking to her mother's tavern. They also enjoyed Opal's company, telling her the amazing adventures that the four of them had lived through already. Despite their young age, they all had to deal with situations that varied from dangerous to incredibly deadly.

Luckily most of them were benders. All but the captain, miss Asami Sato. Asami, however, had swiftly demonstrated that she wasn't one to mess with when one of the other occupants was looking for a hook-up with her.

The man quickly learned that she wasn't fond of that sort of attention, although Opal was pretty sure that Korra, whom she later learned to be the Avatar, would've kicked the man out if Asami hadn't.

Korra and Asami had a lively relationship with each other. Not just because Asami was the captain of the ship and Korra basically her right hand in the matter, but they were also dating each other. Opal listened to the story as to how they exactly became a couple and was quickly intrigued.

The story itself wasn't all that romantic. Something about having to fight other pirates to find a hidden treasure and almost being swallowed alive by a kraken – leading to Asami confessing her feelings and Korra immediately returning them.

By the end of it all, it wasn't Opal who had responded to the cheesy lines, but one of the two brothers that always stayed close by their captain and Avatar. Bolin apparently loved cheesy romance stories, and although Korra's and Asami's wasn't exactly romantic, he kept saying that was his favorite.

The same boy was the one who had asked Opal to come with them. She had let it slip that she had always dreamed of sailing the seas when she was a little girl, and Bolin was the first to invite her on the ship. Asami and Korra quickly joined in, telling her she should at least have a look around. Mako, Bolin's brother, wasn't as talkative as the rest, but he didn't seem to be too against the idea.

Opal sighed as she opened her eyes again, only realizing she had closed them when the memory faded. It felt so weird and foreign to her, but at the same time, she trusted Bolin and the rest of the crew as if she had known them for years. As the days had passed, Opal felt the need to go with them grow stronger. It started at the pit of her stomach, but she felt it with her entire heart now.

It belonged to the sea. To the ship. To the lively crew that she had gotten to know in the past few days.

Her mother hadn't liked her idea at first, but she relented, even if it was just a rebellious phase of Opal. The girl had never asked for much, and Bolin and Korra had practically begged Sue for Opal to be able to travel with them. The woman couldn't refuse, knowing full well that her daughter would have gone anyway.

"Opal!"

The familiar voice of a certain energetic boy captured her attention, and she swiftly looked up to see Bolin waving to her from the side of the ship. His smile was evident on his face and although there was a lot of distance between them, Opal could still see it. He smiled so bright that she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging upwards, as she lifted her hand to give a small wave back.

Bolin saw that as a sign to jump over the railing of the boat, bending the earth underneath him upwards so he wouldn't break his legs. He then brought the small platform down again so he could face Opal on the ground.

"You came!" he began again, his eyes lighting up and his smile turning into a wide grin, as if he was a small child who had gotten candy for behaving so well.

"Of course," Opal responded. He was so adorable. "I can't have you guys starving to death, can I?"

Bolin's smile faltered a little as he suddenly remembered something again. "Oh that's right. You're going to be our cook from now on," he spoke out loud, causing Opal to giggle. He gave her a questioning look.

"I thought that was decided just yesterday?" the girl chuckled. Bolin sheepishly grinned at her and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you know… A lot of things get decided on a lot of days," he meekly replied.

Before Opal could say even more, she heard Asami's strong voice call out from the deck of her ship. It was admirable, really. "Alright fellas, everything's packed, so we're leaving in five! If you're not on board, we're leaving you behind!"

Bolin looked at Opal and she glanced back at him. Despite only knowing him for just a few days, she already knew what he was about to ask, so she nodded without even hearing the unspoken question. "Alright, hang on tight," he said, before widening his stance and moving his arms up.

The earth around them began to shift and a new platform was made. Bolin brought them so far up they only had to jump slightly to get on deck, and when they were, he carefully brought down the platform again. Opal was surprised to see him do that, to which he only responded with,"Can't leave a mess, we probably want to get back here again someday."

Korra noticed the both of them and quickly came over, greeting Opal like she was an old friend. Her arm was slung over the girl's shoulder and a smile was present. "Didn't get wet feet yet, eh?" Korra's smile turned into a grin.

Mako found his way over as well, crossing his arms as he looked down on the Avatar. "Don't scare her off now. It's just her first day," the boy said, earning a glare from Korra.

"Who said I'm scaring her off, pointy brows? You look scarier than I do," she jabbed at him, letting Opal go as she, too, crossed her arms.

Bolin laughed awkwardly as he walked past the two and grabbed Opal by the arm. "I'm gonna show her around, see ya later!" he said to his brother and friend, dragging a confused Opal along as he went to the stairs that led into the ship. Once they were down, he gestured towards one of the empty hammocks and looked at his companion.

"This will be your bed from now on. It only looks uncomfortable, but trust me, you'll get used to it soon," he stated.

Opal eyed it skeptically, but she didn't speak up about it. This was the best she could get, so she just had to live with the fact that she would sleep hanging onto the ceiling. The girl dropped her bag to the ground next to her hammock and sighed a small sigh.

Bolin eyed her worriedly, a frown forming on his forehead. "I mean it – you'll eventually turn to love it, I'm sure!" he quickly said.

His friend shook her head and smiled, looking up into his eyes. "Bolin," she started.

He snapped his mouth shut and caught her gaze.

"I already love it."

A/N: Hey guys! Mod Cecille here again. I entered a writing tournament a week ago, and this is the first one-shot that came out of it. This is the first installment of many more to come, so if you're interested, buckle up and enjoy the ride! I will post all the other one-shots regarding this tournament as new chapters to this story.

I used the following prompts: (word) Voyage, (character) Opal, and (AU) pirates. My final word count, excluding the authors note, is 1409.