Drifters

Inti's Watcher

"This week, before everyone forgets how to climb, we're running an ice climbing race in Antarctica!" Nop announced, putting a picture on the wall. "The goal will be to get down this wall of ice, across the water, and up this one. Everything needed to achieve that will be provided." The picture changed. "You will start here, at the top of the glacier, where each person will arrange their climbing gear themselves. We will hang ropes for everyone on both cliffs. Take note! All four people in the group must agree to join. The final score will be the average of all your times. Let us know by tonight if you're joining."

"We're joining," Sophie said, practically drooling at the picture.

"There's one vote in favor," Marie said slowly. "What do the rest of us think?"

Sophie looked at her, eyes wide. She had to join this contest. The ice looked so beautiful and easy to climb! Especially with ropes and harnesses.

Razan looked at Nop. "Will we be climbing together, or alone?"

"Either," the raven said. "We space the rope anchors so everyone is just out of reach of each other, but you may tie yourselves together if you wish."

"I think it might be good," Peter said slowly. "I don't have a lot of experience climbing, but apparently it's an important skill here. Learning for this contest would improve our odds in future contests."

Sophie smiled. Two votes for climbing.

Marie was frowning at the picture. "The goal is to get from Point A to Point B, aye?"

"Yes," Nop said.

Marie nodded slowly. "Is going straight across prohibited?"

Nop paused. "It's… impossible."

"Meaning it's not considered cheating if we reach the end goal without reaching the bottom of the cliff?"

The raven was still for a few seconds, then shook her head. "No. There are no rules saying you must reach the water."

"And must we climb using our own ropes?" Marie asked.

"There… are no rules that say that."

"Perfect. We're joining," Marie decided, getting to her feet. "Sophie, you've been free climbing this whole time, aye?"

"Yes," Sophie answered.

The pirate grinned. "Today I'm going to teach you about rope."

Peter knocked on Sophie's door. She'd been in her room with Marie all morning, and curiosity was getting the better of him.

The door slid open. Marie was standing on a chair, holding Sophie's feet. Sophie herself was hanging from a rope which was somehow tied inside her ceiling vent.

"Everything… going well?" he asked, walking inside.

"Watch this!" Sophie said, and pushed herself away from Marie. She swung out, suddenly dropping. She stopped falling as the rope swung her back, and Marie caught her feet again. "I have the timing down fairly well now."

She started pulling herself back up the rope as Marie smirked at Peter.

"You're dropping on purpose?" he asked, still alarmed from seeing her fall.

"Sliding; it's controlled," Marie corrected.

"So Sophie is going to slide down to the bottom," Peter said, watching her fiddle with a metal thing on her climbing harness. "What will we do?"

"Wait for her to climb back up," Marie shrugged. "You have no training in this, Razan has a fear of heights, and I'm old. The less time we spend climbing, the faster our group will be. So I'll send the thief to do it all herself, and when she gets tired she can tie the ropes from one side and the other together. All we'll have to do is cross a ravine."

"So we'll all attach ourselves to a rope that's only meant to hold one person and climb across a lethal drop?" Peter asked.

Marie grinned. "Precisely."

"Not all at once," Sophie said. "And it'll be at an angle, so you'll be sliding more than climbing. After I tie the ropes together I'll switch to another one, so there isn't too much weight anywhere."

"Don't worry, we have it all planned out," Marie said, climbing off the chair. "But it's not like any of us will die even if the rope comes loose. We can take risks. I'd ask you to bring your crossbow and shoot a line to the other side, but that would be considered cheating."

"Still…" Peter looked at Sophie, who was slowly spinning in the middle of the room.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said cheerfully. "I can go fast enough we'll win."

Peter sighed. "What would you say if I asked you to go at a reasonable speed?"

"I'd have to ask what you consider reasonable."

Before he could come up with an answer, Marie cleared her throat. She motioned for him to follow her out the door, but he hesitated.

"Do you need help getting down?" he asked Sophie.

She giggled. "No."

Slightly annoyed, he nodded and left.

Marie was waiting for him in the kitchen, filling up the kettle. She watched him for a few seconds, and he waited for her to speak first. Finally she turned her back on him, preparing coffee.

"Would you say you're in love with Sophie?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered.

"I wouldn't," she countered.

He glared at the coffee pot, not sure how to respond.

"Infatuated, yes," Marie continued. "She has big eyes and a lovely smile, and a personality that doesn't work well with yours at all."

"That's not…"

"Name one interest you two share."

"We haven't… had time to find anything."

Marie scoffed. "Peter, we play cribbage most days after lunch. We put hot sauce on about everything, and have a growing collection of the stuff. We have somehow figured out that neither of us likes harmonicas. Now tell me again how there hasn't been time for you and Sophie to find common interests."

Peter rubbed his face. "What should I do?"

"Break it off with her. There was an instant mutual attraction when you met, but now that you know each other better, your personalities simply don't align. It happens." Marie leaned against the counter, watching him. "She's a thief. She stole your heart, but now she doesn't know what to do with it. Tell her to give it back, and you'll both be happier."

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"It's not that simple," Peter said, looking down.

"Why not?"

He adjusted his poncho. "It… I've…"

Marie waited, one eyebrow raised.

"You wouldn't understand, you're a pirate," he finally managed.

"Aye, and as such I learned how humans think and feel. I don't understand the morality of churches." She patted his shoulder. "Forget what you were taught as a child. You want Sophie to be someone she can't be. If your relationship continues as it is, neither of you will be happy."

"Should I try to change?" he asked. "Try to accept her as she is?"

Marie shook her head. "It won't end well. You need someone calmer. More mature. Someone who notices when you're panicking, and stays with you when you're hurt."

Peter realized who she was referring to and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the advice."

"Peter."

He looked at her. "Yes, Captain?"

"Roll your eyes at me again, and I'll have Sophie bring me both of your ponchos."

"She wouldn't."

"That girl will do anything I tell her to."

He couldn't argue with that. Instead, he turned away, touching the brim of his hat. "Understood."

Razan blocked Keiko's naginata with his knife, trying to find an opening to get closer.

The group in the sparring room was practicing with weapons they weren't perfectly familiar with. Swords were well and good, but they were used by a minority. Being able to attack with and defend against a variety of weapons was vital.

It was also annoying. Razan had been trying to tag Keiko for a good ten minutes, with no success. He, on the other hand, was bleeding from five cuts. He was also starting to understand why Marie complained every time something damaged her jacket; fixing the holes in his clothes was going to be annoying.

Finally Keiko jabbed him lightly in the chest, and he moved back before bowing.

"Well done," he said. "I cannot defeat you."

"Thank you," she said, bowing as well.

Razan moved to stand against the wall next to Ujinao and Iesue, telling the watching hawk he was fine. Ariharu took his place on the mat, preparing to fight Keiko with a mace.

As they bowed, Innoka came in. Razan's day immediately became better. She bowed to the group, then lifted the hatchet in her hand.

"Is anyone available for a fight?" she asked.

Razan looked at Iesue; it was his turn to spar next. Iesue glanced at Razan, and stepped forward after a few exchanged nods and hand waves. Razan didn't mind just watching, especially since he wasn't entirely certain he could beat her.

"Today I am practicing with a simple iron staff," Iesue told her, holding his weapon up. "I apologize that I will be attacking you with a weapon I'm not completely proficient with yet."

"Don't worry, I take no offense," Innoka said diplomatically. She flashed him a smile, then moved into a fighting stance.

Their weapons clashed as the door opened again, and Antoni stormed into the room. The four fighters paid him no mind. Ujinao smirked at Razan, then pushed himself off the wall.

"Looking for a fight?" the Bee called.

Antoni glared at Razan, clearly annoyed that Innoka wasn't flirting with him. "No, I'm just here to watch."

Innoka was briefly distracted when she heard his voice, and Iesue took the opportunity to hit the side of her knee. She yelped, stumbling, but quickly recovered.

"Spectators are only allowed if you offer constructive criticism after each fight," Ujinao told Antoni. "If you can provide nothing helpful to say, either spar or leave."

Antoni pointed at Razan. "I want to fight him."

"That's not possible," Razan said smoothly. "For one thing, it is Ujinao's turn to spar, and taking his place would be rude. For another, if harm comes to either of us, it could be said we were sabotaging tomorrow's duel."

"The duel I was tricked into," Antoni spat.

Ujinao shrugged. "You were trapped by the witch's lapdog; it's not the first time he's demanded a duel over something stupid just to get attention."

Razan frowned. "Really?"

The Bee nodded. "He dueled me over-"

"It's not stupid!" Antoni snapped, glaring at Razan. "You got your group's leader to convince Louis to call me out so you can win Innoka."

At this point everyone in the room was listening. Innoka gripped her hatchet, stepping towards Antoni.

"It's not about any of you at all," Ariharu said. "From what I hear, Mr. Louis is just using the duel as an excuse to get Captain Marie to agree to marry him."

Antoni pointed at Razan. "Then why is he joining?"

"Because my captain asked me to," Razan answered. "I couldn't say no without a very good reason."

His friends all agreed that was proper.

Antoni glared. "How do none of you see-"

Keiko held up her hand, cutting him off. "Sir, this is the sparring room, not the arguing room. Produce a weapon or leave."

Ujinao grinned, popping his knuckles. "Fight me, Fox."

Antoni ground his teeth. After debating it quite a while, he turned and left.

Innoka sighed. "Sorry about him."

"He isn't your responsibility," Iesue told her. "Frankly, he's doing a terrible job of being a group leader. I hope he loses his position due to the duel tomorrow."

Everyone agreed, making Innoka smile. She had such a perfect smile.

"Well, this is the sparring room," Innoka said, looking at Iesue. "Shall we continue?"

He bowed, and everyone returned to their places.

Marie watched Innoka and Chimeg come out of the climbing room. She walked up to them, wanting to talk to Innoka. The two girls said hello, then Chimeg continued on her way.

"I'd just like to confirm, you do know why Louis called Antoni out, aye?" Marie asked.

Innoka avoided eye contact. "I don't know the details of how Louis was convinced to do it, but I told Razan why Antoni thinks I'm his soulmate, and Razan said he'd ask if duels existed here."

"Right," Marie said. "Louis called Antoni out without mentioning you, but it is about you."

Innoka adjusted a bracelet on her wrist. "I know."

That wasn't the reaction Marie had expected. It wasn't a good reaction. Part of her soul stirred, latching on to this girl, insisting Marie fix whatever was wrong. Marie, as she often had, tried telling that part of her that this person was a woman, able to take care of herself; it would be polite to not meddle. And then Innoka gave Marie a smile that covered worry, and her resolve vanished. This was a child who needed help.

Marie put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the girl said, like they always did. "It's not… important."

Marie pulled Innoka over to a wall, away from other people. "Child. What's wrong?"

Innoka looked at her defiantly, but Marie had patience born of decades at sea. She held Innoka's gaze, watching cracks form in the mask of self-sufficiency.

"I want to leave," the girl finally blurted out. "No, I wanted to. I'm good at the fighting contests, but terrible at all the others, and I miss my family, and I hate Antoni, and I thought if I left I'd be better from this experience. I've grown as a person being here, I've learned my limits in many situations, but it's time I go home, go back to real life, but with the duel, it… wouldn't be right. Razan is going to fight for me, so I… have to stay. For him."

"To hell with him," Marie said gently. "And Antoni. You, Innoka, are a person. You aren't a prize; you don't belong to anyone. After the duel, you still won't belong to anyone. If you want to leave, you may leave."

"But Razan… I don't want to leave him. I want to go home, but if I did, I'd miss him."

"More than you miss your family right now?"

Innoka closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "No."

"Will Razan miss you more than your family misses you?"

The girl winced. "I doubt it. He would miss me, but… We haven't known each other long enough."

"On the other hand, Chimeg would also miss you. Along with your other friends. And there are things here that make life quite easy," Marie said. "There are many things to consider when deciding to stay or leave. Ultimately, though, the choice is yours, and yours alone. Everyone will respect what you decide."

Innoka was silent for a while, playing with her bracelet again. Finally she looked Marie in the eye and gave a faint smile. "Thank you."

Marie patted her on the shoulder. "You'll choose well, child, I know you'll choose well."

She stepped away, clearing her throat. "Right. Thank you, I'll… go think. Thanks." She gave Marie an awkward parting smile and walked quickly off towards her group's area.

Marie sighed, hoping everything would turn out all right for the girl. It probably would.

She sensed someone behind her and smiled. "Yes?"

"I'm simply overcome with curiosity," Louis said. "What was that about?"

Marie turned to face him. "Just talking about the future."

"I would also like to talk about that," he said, taking her hand. "If I ask you to marry me tomorrow, will I make a fool of myself?"

"Perhaps."

"No, I need an answer."

She tried to speak, but her thoughts were a confused mess of hopes and fears.

His fingers tightened around hers. "Marie, do you want me to ask?"

"Yes," she admitted.

Louis smiled. "Then why say no when I asked last week?"

"It's simple, really," Marie said, forcing confidence back into her voice. "You've never offered me anything when you ask. All you asked was if I wanted to marry a penniless ship's cook. A poor fisherman. A man who isn't even group leader here. What incentive do I have to marry you, James Fleming? Not once have you so much as held out a ring." She dropped his hand and crossed her arms.

"A very good point," Louis said. He put his hand over his heart and bowed. "On my soul, I shall not repeat that mistake again."

She brushed past him, heading to her room. "See that you don't."