Shattered Moonstone

Hecatolite, after settling Wolf and his new bride down in a private cabin, had gathered the rest of the crew. standing atop a barrel she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention, “first off, let me say good job everyone. Today’s attack had gone very well, though,” she paused scanning the crowd, she would have liked to have the whole crew here, but someone had to drive the ship and a party of pirates was no place for a pregnant woman, “We still have a lot of things we could improve on, like appropriate behavior when boarding another ship, and who exactly should board and when. But all things considered, not a bad job!” her tail slapped the barrel she stood on soliciting a tentative cheer from the crew. “Now, let us celebrate!” 

She jumped from the barrel with a little more flourish than necessary and ripped the lid off revealing a dark pungent liquid. She produced a large silver cup from her bag and scooped a cupful out of it, holding it high she yelled, “Cheers!” tipping the cup back in one large gulp before letting out a cough. The room exploded into cheers as the men all lined up cups in hand, some even pulling out other bottles they had… acquired, during the raid.

Amethyst shook her head slightly as she took a drink that was thrust into her hands. Not needing to worry about potential poisons she took a sip of the surprisingly sweet wine, though it did still burned her throat slightly.

“Hey,” Hecatolite nearly pushed her over as she investigated Amethyst's cup with a scowl. “You’re a little young…”

“We are the same age,” Amethyst chuckled while taking another drink.

Hecatolite narrowed her eyes, “Just… be careful, ok?” She turned her gaze to the men around, causing several to stumble back as her tail lashed around them creating a small clearing around them. “These guys are kind of shifty. If anyone bothers you let me know ok, and don’t leave your cup anywhere. And be sure to take small sips… and…” Hecatolite continued to warn Amethyst of the “dangers” of drinking.

Amethyst couldn’t help but giggle, not wanting to ruin the mood by telling Hecatolite she doubted the two of them could even get drunk given their gluttony skill. “Ok,” she finally said with a smile, pulling away from her sister. “But you gotta be careful too, would hate for someone to try and grab your tail.”

Hecatolite immediately stiffened, her eyes going wide, “Who would dare!” her voice was nearly a shriek as her tail wrapped around her body defensively. “I would kill them!” she yelled loud enough for the entire room to hear.

Amethyst, against her better judgment, laughed. “I’m sure a whole lot of guys would like it, it’s so,” she ran a hand across Hecatolite’s tail that was wrapped around her waist, her hand pushing away the short fur as she petted it. “Soft, and warm.”

Hecatolite seemed to relax, her tail uncoiling before it snaked around Amethyst's hand. “What, are you jealous?”

“Of your tail?” Amethyst asked, shaking her head. “No, I am quite alright with mine.”

“I bet you're happy you match your kitty cat girlfriend.” 

Amethyst cheeks flushed, “She isn’t my girlfriend!” she shouted a little louder than she meant to causing Hecatolite to laugh as she downed another cup.

“And who’s fault is that?” Hecatolite chortled as she stole a bottle from a passing man. “I bet if you asked, she’d let you pet her a whole lot. You could compare tails…” Amethyst swatted Hecatolite who dodged, jumping back into the dense crowd and vanishing before Amethyst could retort.

“I swear.” Amethyst huffed, annoyed that somehow, she was the one getting teased in the end. She rolled her eyes before moving to a somewhat secluded bench on the far side of the room.

Himari joined her after a short while. Amethyst slid her cup to the woman, “So, how was the examination?” She asked as the saint took the cup, much to Amethyst's surprise. 

“Well, Saris is definitely pregnant.” Himari sighed, “And… well she is stable at the moment.” She took a long drink from the cup before producing a flask of her own. “And despite what Hecatolite believes, it is definitely not Wolf’s child.”

“That was pretty obvious.” Amethyst glowered at the memory of Saris’s terrified face when she saw Jacks.  

“She will be fine, Amethyst.” Himari said handing the flask to her, “It will take some time, but she seems… I don’t think she will harm herself or the baby at least.”  

Amethyst took a drink, unable to think of anything to say as she thought of the woman, Saris. What the woman had gone through was something she herself knew nothing about, a situation so far out of her realm… she wanted to help the woman but how? What do you say to someone like that, what could you say? Nothing would make it better, and now she has to live with it… “Do… do you think she will keep the baby once it is born?”

Himari shrugged, “It’s hard to tell. It’s possible, though if Hecatolite has her way, Saris won’t be alone when the time comes.”

Despite herself Amethyst laughed. “Yeah, she seems determined to make Wolf take responsibility.”

Himari managed a dry chuckle, “I can’t say it would be a bad thing. Saris seems to trust Wolf though; in her mind he is a savior.”

“Why though? It’s not like he did anything besides hide with her in a closet.”

Himari shook her head, “It's not uncommon in her situation really. After examining her it's clear she was likely abused several times in the last few months… Then along comes a handsome man who treats her kindly, talks to her like a person, knowing Wolf, he probably offered to protect her or something and, in her state, she latched onto that.” Himari took another drink from the flask, “I am not a psychiatrist, but it could be something like “knight in shining armor” syndrome… I think it is called “Transference”. “

“Going to need you to use words from this world, Himari.” Amethyst shook her head as Himari took another drink.

Himari sighed, “In simple terms, she thinks Wolf saved her. she was in a very bad place and along came Wolf and suddenly things… seemed better. She was rescued from her abuser, given a safe place to rest… honestly, it’s hard to explain. The human mind is a fragile, strange thing…” she paused, her brow furrowing in thought as Amethyst stole another drink of the flask.

“That's… not too hard to explain.” Amethyst replied watching her sister arm wrestle several men. “I understand that the mind can be… dangerous. I did share a body with Hecatolite for years.”

That solicited a small chuckle from Himari, “Your sister is hardly a good example of the human mind.” 

They both laughed at that statement as Hecatolite moved to using her tail to arm wrestle people, apparently freeing her hands to hold two cups at once. 

After hours of loud celebration Hecatolite jumped onto a table, nearly falling as she staggered back and forth with a bottle, her tail thrashing frantically as it tried to balance her though it slammed into the table several times. “Listen up you scallywags!” Hecatolite slurred her words as she lifted the empty bottle to her lips, hissing as she threw it aside. “Bring me another!” 

“Oh no.” Himari whispered, a green light flaring from her hands as she purified herself. She had been carefully keeping herself from getting too drunk by purifying her bloodstream periodically in case she was needed. “I didn’t think she could get drunk.” Himari looked worriedly at Amethyst who was looking at her own empty cup.

“Neither did I.” Amethyst replied, noticing she herself felt fine. She swallowed hard, Amethyst was not afraid of her sister; knowing Hecatolite would never harm her or cause too much damage… but an out-of-control Hecatolite? That was a different story. 

After being handed another bottle, she started again. “You lot are…. Pathetic. Weak!” she growled, biting the top off the bottle with a loud crunch. “You all need to learn how to do… stuff.” She stammered taking a drink from the broken bottle, spilling a considerable amount onto her already soaked shirt. “But you are in luck! I, the great Me, will teach you!” she held her arms up wide as silence filled the room… “Clap.” She hissed, slapping her tail against the table causing the room to erupt into confused clapping and cheering.

“Should we… stop her?” Himari panicked as Amethyst giggled beside her.

“How? Are you going to run over there and purify her?” Amethyst chuckled, waving a hand lazily in front of her. “No, let’s see where this goes. If she gets too rowdy, I will stop her.”

“Ok enough!” Hecatolite dropped her arms, nearly stumbling off the table again. “Now…” she paused for a long time, looking off into space before jolting up right. Taking another drink from the broken bottle as if remembering she was holding it. “What was I doing up here again?”

“You were going to teach us.” An older man from the crowd said with a laugh, clearly amused by her antics. 

“Teach you… Oh,” Hecatolite scratched her head, falling when her fingers got tangled in her hair. She let out a surprised yell before jumping back up and kicking the table. “Dumb table, all wobbly and stuff… anyway…. What do you want to know about?” 

There was a long pause before someone called out, “What are you?”

Hecatolite nodded, “I… am a people. Next question!” 

Another pause before someone asked, “How does your tail work?”

Hecatolite looked at her tail that was again, wiggling about as she spun in a circle several times. “Bones… I think… Next!”

“We should really stop her.” Himari said frantically, her eyes darting to Amethyst who was now laughing. In her mind tempting fate by flirting with disaster like this was a very bad idea, “It’s only a matter of time until someone asks something…”

“Oh, it's harmless Himari. Let her have her fun.” She chortled in excitement as one of the few female crew members called out another question. 

“How did you beat the hero on the other ship?”

“Broke his legs,” Hecatolite shrugged, “Then his hands… then I ate his eyes… they did not taste good either. Kinda bitter. Which is strange because wind magic normally tastes light and fluffy.”

There was a long pause after that before someone gathered enough courage to ask. “Do… Do you eat people?”

“Sometimes.” Hecatolite answered nonchalantly, “I ate a priest once… though his body was left after. He tasted like lava. Then there was the one invisible guy's eye, he was smokey… then ate the taser guy’s head… then the knock off pirate’s eyes… I mean, I don’t “eat-eat” people. Just sometimes while fighting parts of people end up in my mouth and one thing leads to another and boom the dumb box is calling me a cannibal! So rude! Sure I “ate”,” she did air quotes as she said the word ate, a somewhat cute gesture as her tail mimicked her hands. “Some people. But only parts of them!... next!”

“Are you a mon…” the man did not finish as Amethyst appeared beside him causing him to jump as she grabbed onto the man’s shoulder. 

She pulled the man aside, “Do not ask that.” She hissed in a low whisper, knowing her sister had an aversion to the word she did not want to know how Hecatolite would react in such a state.

“Hey! Why did you do that?” Hecatolite yelled, pointing at her.

Amethyst shrugged, returning to her seat beside a pail Himari. “You already answered that question, didn’t you? You are a people, remember?”

Hecatolite paused for a moment before nodding. “I did?.. I mean yes. Yes, I did. No repeat questions!” she glowered at the man who only nodded in a daze.

Back and forth they went, the crew asking several questions and Hecatolite giving… “answers”. It was clear that the crew was amused by Hecatolite, though it may have been genuine curiosity given she was a strangely powerful unknown. Some even asked questions about Amethyst and Himari, before a young man raised his hand. Hecatolite cocked an eyebrow as she looked at him, his face flush red though either from embarrassment or booze.

Hecatolite took a deep breath, Amethyst noticing a slight change as the metal bands on Hecatolite’s forearms flared a solid color for the first time since the party started. A slight pink glow illuminating the area around her before Hecatolite spoke. “No.” The bands returned to their pulsating blue and red. 

The young man looked confused as he dropped his arm, the unasked question dying in his throat as Hecatolite went to the next person, though by now the crowd had died down considerably. 

Nearly an hour later Hecatolite sat with Amethyst and Himari, her tail flicking happily behind her as she gnawed on a half full cup. “This was fun.” Her words still slurred as she looked up blurry eyed, “Good… team building.” Nodding to herself she downed the contents of her cup.

“I guess that is what it could be called.” Himari replied, nodding. “Though it would be better if you asked questions of your own if that was your goal.”

Hecatolite rolled her eyes, “Everyone’s a critic.” She giggled to herself before frowning into her cup. “Need… more.” Before she could stand up the young man from earlier placed a cup beside her. She grinned wildly as she grabbed the cup, “Why thank you good sir!” she squealed, opening her mouth and dumping the entire cup into her mouth before biting into it with a loud crunch.

The man smiled, nodding with a faint blush.

Amethyst eyed the poor man, he was handsome, in a rugged sort of way. A few years older than them with scraggly hair and a patchy beard that looked like it needed grooming. She sighed as his dark eyes fixed on Hecatolite with a look of glimmering admiration as she finished eating the cup.

“Wait… where did my cup go?” She looked at her empty hands, searching for her drink, even looking under the table before grumbling about thieves and stealing Himari’s long empty flask from the table. 

Himari did not protest as Hecatolite began chewing on the metal container. 

“Umm... Hecatolite.” The man stammered, stepping back as she looked up to him. Amethyst had to give him this, he was brave to say the least. “I was wondering if maybe you would like to…”

Hecatolite rolled her eyes, biting into the flask with reckless abandon. “You’re doing it wrong.” She sighed, using a piece of the metal to pick at her teeth. 

“What?” The man asked, looking at the other two women, clearly looking for some answer that neither of them had.

Hecatolite grumbled, slowly standing up and walking behind Amethyst. Slamming her hands onto Amethyst shoulders with more force than necessary. “Take my lovely sister here as an example. What do you think she wants in a guy?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“What do you know about her?” Her question was only answered with a puzzled expression, causing her to let out an exasperated groan. “She’s young, and a noble. But you can also guess that she has a bit of a wild side by how she fights. With that said, she would probably like a more “interesting” guy. A guy who is confident and would be willing to go on adventures with her. like most young girls she’s looking for a good time not necessarily a commitment or anything so grandiose.” 

Hecatolite burped as Amethyst rolled her eyes, not exactly liking her sister sharing so much about her but not stopping her either. She patted Himari’s shoulder with her tail. “Now, Himari here… Wow, your name is weird.” She laughed before clearing her throat, ignoring the glare from Himari who had been lying to herself that Hecatolite simply couldn't remember her name.. “Fish eggs are a bit more tame. She’s a healer but she’s got mad mother vibes going on. Always trying to take care of people but she’s smart. She wants someone she can take care of, but they must be engaging, unlike the young Amethyst, she would want someone to settle down with. Long nights drinking tea and talking.”

“How… how do you know all that?” He asked, looking at her with wide eyes. 

Hecatolite shrugged, “See, that’s why you did it wrong. You don’t pay attention. If you’re trying to woo a girl, you have to pay attention. Learn about her, what she likes… don’t be creepy about it, remember that she is a people, treat her like she is a person. But the only person in the world.” She nodded as she rambled on.

“And you?” he asked bluntly, before turning beet red again.

“Me, I like women.” Hecatolite shrugged, “Beautiful intelligent women. With good souls. That’s a must…”

“Like Eryl.” Amethyst said with a sly smile causing Hecatolite to nod. “If you're so insightful on everyone, what about her, what does Eryl want in a lover?” 

Hecatolite froze for a moment, her drunken wavering stopping as her eyes became clear for a moment. “I… huh… I’m not… I should find out.” She said spinning on her heels before darting from the room.

“That is going to be a problem.” Himari sighed as Amethyst stood up.

“Better than the two of them fighting… I will go be sure she doesn’t try kicking her off the ship.” Amethyst tentatively followed her sister before looking back at the stunned man, “Don’t take it too hard, I’m not going to say you didn’t have a chance, but she is married to a succubus. Probably better for everyone this way.” She gave him a weak smile leaving Himari to deal with the dejected man who slumped into the chair.