Chapter 17 – Pirate Ship

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"Down there. That has to be their leader." Rei told Florina, pointing down towards the helm at the stern of one of the enemy ships – she was now convinced that they were Black Fang. They had split their forces as soon as they had seen the Kanhi girl aboard the Davros, half going after the injured Ninian, spirited away below decks for doctoring, the other half focussing their assault on Rei until Florina had taken her above the battlefield and out of range.

The occasional spell hurtled past them regardless, but Florina's dwindling supply of javelins were put to good use discouraging any archers or mages from poking their heads above decks. The enemy commander had been one of them, a dark-magic wielding Shaman who was only just showing his face.

"I see him." Florina replied. "Should we take him out?"

"In one strike out of the sun." Rei confirmed. "He's probably their strongest spell caster. Don't let him see you coming."

"With how much they hate you?" The pegasus knight gave her a little grin over her shoulder. "I won't even register. Maybe I should just drop you on him?"

"Very funny." Rei gave the back of her head a little glare, then squeaked as Huey banked into the dive, swooping down upon the dark mage, into his blind-spot. Florina set her lance under her shoulder, crouching low against her mount's back. Rei leaned down as well, just holding herself off the smaller girls' back as the deck span up to meet them.

The shaman looked up at the last moment, taking the iron tip of Florina's weapon between the eyes. She was forced to release the lance on the downbeat of Huey's great wings lest it be torn from her hand, leaving the shaman-commander's body to fall as they skimmed the deck away from him, before dipping over the gunwale to climb again, avoiding the angles covered by the re-emerging Fang archers.

The second ship broke off as her skipper decided to cut his losses and run. A cheer went up from the Davros as Erk's anima magic finished regrowing the hull where the Fang ships' rams had stove her in. The other Fang ship was already falling away, her boarding lines cut and her rigging aflame courtesy of Fargus' pirates and their firebombs.

Even as Florina brought them around to land aboard the Davros, the tar caulking on the assassins' ship caught, lines of fire spreading across her deck before expanding to cover the rest of the ship.

"She'll burn to the waterline now." Florina commented as they came to rest. "Ships burn like nothing else, once you get them going."

"Really?" Rei asked, dismounting. "I never figured you to be one to know sailing, I have to admit."

"Ilia has one of the largest trade fleets in the whole of Elibe," Florina replied, almost impishly. "we have to trade for what we can because of the difficulty growing anything. It's why so many of us are mercenaries."

"I guess that makes sense." Rei nodded.

"Florina, Rei!" Lyn called, jogging up to them. "You're alright?" She asked, checking them over.

"Not a scratch on either of us," The tactician smiled back.

"How's Ninian?" Florina asked, concerned.

"She'll be fine." Lyn replied. "Serra had a look at her before joining the fight. She's got mild exposure sickness, but that's all. No sign of a cold or anything more life-threatening."

"Thank Barigan," Florina sighed, "do you think this means they caught them?" She worried.

"It seems likely," Rei nodded, "they probably still have Nils, or he'd be here."

"Good thing we're going after them, then." Lyn gave Florina a quick hug. "We'll rescue Nils and find Lord Elbert at the same time."

"Alright." Florina nodded, decisively. "We'll get them back. No-one messes with Lyndis Legion!" The diminutive knight pounded her fist into her hand, making her taller companions grin.

"Right." Rei nodded, sagely. "We'll get your boyfriend back."

"Rei!" Florina glowered at her indignantly, making Lyn laugh aloud at the scene.

"Right, come on you land-lovers, get that pegasus stowed!" Dart, the bald pirate swabbie Fargus had assigned as their guide told them, coming over. "Stop clutterin' up my deck."

"Aye-aye." Lyn grinned back at him in high spirits as Florina obeyed, leading Huey below to stable him with the horses.

"Think yer funny, do ya, wench?" Dart smirked, getting up in Lyn's face. "Ya wanna go Pirate, ya need more'n a pretty sword."

"I have no wish to join you," Lyn scowled back, reminded where she was, "or do anything else." She added coldly at his mocking, lustful leer.

"Maybe yer pretty friend then? I seem ta recall the Captain offerin' 'er a go iffen she was still all tight-wound." The pirate added, lustily, then guffawed as Lyn fingered her sword. "Oh! Think ya can go a round with ol' Dart, do ya, pretty lady?

"Yes." Lyn was almost growling. "I think I can. You're just another bandit!" She stepped towards him.

"Lyn, don't..." Rei put her hand on her arm, making her pause. "He's trying to provoke you."

"It's working." The half-sacaean replied, shaking her off. "I've had enough of them looking down on us because we're women, because you and Florina are she'chorne, because-"

"Enough talk, pretty lady." Dark smirked, unshipping his axes. The gathering crew and Pheraean troops backed away to form a circle. Matthew began moving among the crew and soldiers, taking bets.

"Be careful, Lyn..." Rei warned, backing out of the way as Lyn slid into her Iai stance.

Lyn took in the uneven deck, the coils of rope and the raised vent-hatches. She saw Dart step back, setting himself for a charge. Fargus came out onto the sterncastle to watch, folding him arms impassively across his chest. The wind blew in from the east, tossing her bangs in front of her face and filling the square sails with a snap.

Everything snapped into focus, returning to normal speed as Dart came in swinging. She ducked under his first swing, bringing Mani-katti's hilt up into his sternum in a partial draw, knocking him back. She returned the blade to the sheath with a clack, then slid it free again to strike into the opened-out space between them. The tip of the blade whistled past Dart's chest, cutting only air as he turned his stumble into an evasion, finding his footing before lunging back in with a downward chop from his off-hand.

Lyn sidestepped the blow, misreading the feint and stepping into an axe-handle strike from his main weapon. The blow caught her in the side, above her flank and sending her reeling back. Lyn collapsed onto one knee as she fought for breath, supporting herself on Mani-katti, point resting on the deck. Her ribs were bruised, probably cracked, and every breath hurt even as her body demanded more air.

She forced herself up as Dart showed off for the crowd, lifting his axes over his head and cat-calling.

"I'm not... done yet..." She growled, setting her feet. She took her sword in a two-handed grip before her, a defensive stance. She couldn't afford to over-reach herself.

Dart turned back, before launching another strike. He led with his main hand this time, sweeping in horizontally in an attempt to batter his way past her guard. Lyn stepped back, then struck at his axe with the main part of her blade, twisting it as she did to send the axe spinning away to clatter to the deck at Hector's feet.

The pirate just grinned at her, fiercely. The sudden loss of advantage didn't seem to worry him at all as he grabbed at her arm with his now free hand.

Lyn avoided the grapple, going for another hilt-strike at Dart's chin. The pirate parried with his remaining axe-haft, then heaved her back again. Wrong-footed, she was pushed back across the deck by a series of desperately parried swings until she stumbled over a coiled sheet. She fell back in front of horrified gazes as Dart's next blow knocked her down.

The pirate stepped over her, planting one foot either side of her hips as his breathing returned to normal. He looked down at her with a grin, before offering her a hand.

"Ye've got a long way to go, Lyn," he told her, resting his remaining axe on his shoulder, "but that was the best fight I've had in ages. You aint so bad."

She just stared up at him, confused.

"Come on, girl. Yer alright. Just like the Captain said, ye'r a bit high-strung is all." He grinned down at her.

"I couldn't even touch you." Lyn replied, finally accepting his hand up uncertainly. He hauled her to her feet easily, then shook his head with a chuckle.

"I got bruises. That sword o'yours is wicked. Ya didn't cut me, but the near misses were like bein' punched by a jealous fishwife." The pirate grinned. "Relax, pretty lady. We've got blue sky, bluer sea, and a favourable wind. Life's good."

"If you say so..." She eyed him, warily.

"Ah, fine." He clapped her on the back. "Be off with ya. Get those ribs seen to." He turned away from the gasping swordswoman, looking somehow disappointed.

Rei met Lyn part way, putting her arm around her waist to help support her friend and pulling her arm over her shoulders as they made their way towards Serra's commandeered surgery-cabin.

"Sorry." Lyn mumbled. "I screwed up..."

"I forgive you," Rei replied softly. "I was wrong too. Thank you for trying... I think he respects you a little more now. He won't be so offensive."

"I didn't do it for his respect." Lyn told her. "I just wanted to-" She stopped as Rei put a finger to her lips. It tickled.

"Sh. I know what you were trying to do. Thank you, Lyn." She smiled up at her, softly.

"Alright." Lyn sighed, then regretted it with a wince. Rei helped her sit down with her back against the bulkhead just inside Serra's temporary surgery. The ink-haired Elimane was busy washing instruments in boiling water next to where Florina sat over the sleeping Ninian, but Priscilla had followed them down. She knelt beside them to examine Lyn's ribs, helping her remove her top with efficient, if gentle, insistence.

"So," Rei started, averting her eyes. "What does it mean? That word you used..."

"Um, which one?" Lyn asked, a little too innocently. She hissed as Priscilla bound her ribs while pretending to ignore their conversation, then cast a soft spell to accelerate the healing.

"She'chorne." Rei repeated it, carefully. She didn't notice Florina's sudden interest, or Serra leaning in less subtly to eavesdrop.

"Oh. It's... about your... 'condition'." Lyn told her, apprehensively.

"Who told you?" Rei asked, sitting back on her heels suddenly.

"No-one did. I finally figured it out this morning. You were almost in tears because you were lying to me... even friends don't get that cut up." She replied, then looked down at her bound chest. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want me to know."

"I was afraid." Rei admitted. "I thought- no. I should have trusted you more. I just..." She stared at her hands as she realised she was wringing them together, forcing herself to stop.

"You thought I would hate you, like the islanders did." Lyn finished for her, softly. "It's alright. You're allowed to be afraid. You've only had people you can trust for the last year or so. That's why Sain refused to tell me, why Florina never brought it up... I know they both knew since last year." She paused as Priscilla finished up, helping her put her top back on before stepping back. "You can trust us, Rei, even though I know its hard. We are she'enedra, remember? You, Florina and I... we're all that's left of the Lorca."

"It's... not just that." Rei admitted, quietly. "Last year, when I was saying good-bye... I didn't mean to, but-"

"You were going to kiss me, weren't you?" Lyn asked.

"Yes," Rei sighed, glancing up at her to try and see her reaction before losing her nerve and looking away. "I-I'm sorry. I know you aren't..."

"Who says I'm not?" The barbarian asked, catching her chin and making her look back.

"You're..? But..." Rei started, stammering.

"I'm sorry," Lyn replied, tenderly. "The truth is I just don't know. I've never thought about it seriously. Florina is like a little sister to me, and she's the only one I might have... well."

"We're close." Florina murmured, without getting up. "But our relationship isn't like that. Thankfully." She smiled at them, realising they'd forgotten she was there. "I had a crush when I was twelve." She admitted.

"You never told me." Lyn sounded surprised.

"Lyn, I was twelve." The pegasus knight smiled, sheepishly. "I had no idea what you'd think. Probably that I was just some silly little girl... which I was."

"Lyn?" Rei asked, hesitantly, when they stopped. She waited for the teal-haired girl to look back at her. "Do you... think I'm attractive? Do you... want to kiss me?"

Lyn hesitated, before nodding wordlessly, pink tingeing her cheeks in an uncommon display of shyness.

"Then... may I kiss you?" Rei pressed on, her mouth going try as the two healers and one knight errant watched. Serra looked confused, while Priscilla appeared to be having some kind of revelation and Florina just watched with a small smile.

Lyn nodded again, shyly. Now that the moment had come, Rei's hesitation seemed to melt away. She leaned forward, kneeling up until she could reach to put her arms loosely around Lyn's neck, before brushing her lips gently against the taller girl's.

When Lyn didn't push her away, she moulded her body against her, careful of the sacaean's ribs. She pressed her lips against Lyn's. The teal-haired girl's lips pressed back, a soft, almost insistent warmth against her. Lyn's arms went around Rei' shoulders slowly, pulling her in as her lips parted invitingly, her breathing shallow.

The two girls broke apart gently after a few moments, aqua eyes gazing into black.

"Wow." Lyn whispered, making Rei giggle softly in agreement. "Is it..?"

"I don't know." The kanhi girl admitted, just as softly. "That was... my first real kiss too. I- I don't count Kojiro."

"Rei," Florina's voice broke the moment, cutting through them like an Ilian sea breeze despite the smile in her eyes. "That's my sister you're corrupting. If you make her regret it, you'd better look to the skies."

"Well, I think it's disgraceful." Serra scowled, apparently coming to a decision. Her face was unreadable as she continued, "I won't have any.. canoodling in my surgery. If Priss has finished tending your ribs, take your... familiarity elsewhere." It was impossible to tell if the Elimane was annoyed by their choice of location, their choice of partners... or even if she was really annoyed at all.

"I will." Rei promised Florina with a smile, before drawing Lyn to her feet by their interlaced fingers.

"Remember," Priscilla interrupted. "Those ribs need a night or so to heal, so no... heavy exertion until then." She warned them with a wink.

"Thanks." Lyn smiled at the redhead. "I'll bear that in mind." She nodded to the others before leading Rei from the cabin and back to their steerage berth. She sat on the edge of the low bunk, drawing the kanhi girl down to sit next to her.

"So..." She started with a small smile. "The kanhi word... is there one?"

"Josei dousei aisharin." Rei replied with a little shrug. "It's an insult, but no-one uses it unless they're really laying into someone."

"Oh, well." Lyn smiled. "It doesn't really matter. Will you favour me with another kiss, Lady Rei?"

"Any time... Lady Lyn." Rei smiled back. "Aishiteru."

"Aishiteru?" Lyn breathed as she leaned in.

"I'll tell you later," Rei murmured, kissing her gently.

A/N: A Beginner's Guide to Shin'a'in, continued:

She'chorne - "One whose love is like oneself", homosexual.