Spirits of the Earth

@Paladienne

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"Oh they never come, never come, never come
Oh they never come sailing home again..."

The voice echoed hauntingly off the damp, rocky walls of the cave and out toward the wider ocean beyond, rebounding and magnifying out over the calm swells. It was approaching nightfall, and at the mouth of the cave the singing could just barely make out the reflection of the first few stars brave enough to begin shining just as the sun set.

"When the waves call from the horizon
And lead you all away
Take care, remember my son,
Please come sailing home again."

Morgana leaned back against the rocky outcrop where she rested, her tail flicking lightly back and forth through the water in front of her. One hand stroked the amulet at her throat while the other fished absently through the stack of bedraggled, soaked clothing and assorted knicknacks she scavenged from that recent wreck.

Hmm... Seemed there was nothing all that interesting except the amulet. Well, and the sailor she'd found. A little gamy, but filling enough. The siren sighed and tossed her head, snow hair hair cascading out over the surface of the water.

Still singing softly, she lifted the amulet up from her chest to let it twist and turn in the air in front of her face, eyes narrowed as she examined it. It was old, that much was obvious. Possibly enchanted, as despite the very slight wear and tear around the edges of the enamel, the metal itself and gemstones set around the center were as pristine as though it had just been smelted.

Well, it was pretty enough. She'd keep it for a while.

"Let the stars guide you 'cross the water,
Now matter how the winds may bend
When you reach that distant harbor
Please come sailing home again."

"You're going to get yourself into a lot of trouble one day. What will you do when your wit and charm no longer allow you to escape certain death?"

"Then I guess I'll have to rely on my roguish good looks, the swiftness of my hand, and the sharpness of my blade."

"You and your smart tongue. You ought to be wary of it, my son, for it may lead you somewhere you can't return from."

Kasim opened his eyes as his mother's voice faded from his ears. The memory was still fresh in his mind, from when he and his crew had put into shore not too long ago to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation. He had gone, as he always did when he was nearby, to visit his mother and regale her with his latest adventure, as she used to do for him when he was much smaller. He wished he could tell her that she had been right, at least in part - his smart tongue had indeed gotten him into a somewhat inescapable situation, not two weeks after he and his crew had left port for the open seas to return to their life of pirating.

One of the ships they'd come across - and had subsequently relieved of their cargo and other valuables - had been carrying a rather interesting individual who had upon their person a rather interesting map. And in order to have the map, Kasim had promised the man a place on his ship until such time as the treasure was found. And in order to get the man off his ship after the treasure was found, he'd promised the man a cut of said treasure. His crew had looked at him like he was insane, and maybe he was, but after a bit of grumbling and making rather lewd gestures, they came around and were set to follow him to whatever end.

Kasim let his hands leave the helm and he plucked the map from the waistband of his pants and unfurled the parchment. The markings on the map were clear enough, and he'd already translated the first clue. Even now, they were on their way toward the indicated island, or at least what Kasim believed to be an island. There, he was certain he would find the next step. But if, for some reason, he didn't, it would be a severe disappointment to all, especially to him and his crew, for the sole reason that they wouldn't be able to get rid of their "guest" without resorting to drastic means, and possibly sharks.

Kasim lifted his eyes from the map and considered that for a moment.

No, definitely sharks.

He rolled up the map and returned it to his waistband, and returned his hands to the helm. Well, he'd figure it out soon enough. Where was the fun in an adventure if everything happened too quickly?

The soft sigh of the wind filled the sails for a moment, and filled his ears with the sound of an ethereal voice, alluring and sensual. Kasim blinked, tightening his hands on the helm until the wood cut into his skin. Oh, he knew the legends well enough, and he would be a fool to go chasing that particular one. But...

But he'd also never really seen that legend up close and personal.

And it was on the way...

Kasim spun the helm and steadily changed course, following the sound of that voice.

The familiar creak and groan of a wooden hull caught the siren's attention, snapping her out of her bored reverie.

Hmmm... Well, she had just eaten. But where was the harm in stocking up a little?

Smiling slightly to herself, sharp canines flashing, Morgana let the amulet drop back against her breast and slipped fully into the water, drifting near the surface several yards back from the mouth of the cave.

The space wasn't large enough for an entire ship to fit through the entrance, but a rowboat or two would do so just fine. As long as her song was convincing enough to lure a curious soul toward her.

Tilting her head slightly to the side, she let her tail swirl gently through the water below her, keeping her bobbing just at the surface, and began to sing again. This time it was no known song, no ballad or shanty, just a wordless, haunting melody that rose and fell and echoed off the stony walls around her, curling out over the open ocean like a warm, comforting breeze.

Kasim smiled as he heard the song begin again. And he wasn't the only one who heard this time, his crew emerging onto the deck to try and figure out the sound's origin. And then, all eyes turned to him, as if they knew what he intended to do and why he was sailing toward the voice rather than away.

"Sirens are dangerous business, captain." said one man, his weathered face betraying the fact that he was being affected by the song and only just barely holding onto his own will.

"They are if you don't know how to handle them." Kasim answered. "Just plug your ears and don't worry about me."

They plugged their ears with bits of cloth, but they kept sneaking glances at him, not worried about his person, but more about his sanity.

Kasim had his crew drop anchor just beyond the large cave that loomed in the growing darkness ahead of him. It was with a smile that he listened to them complain about his adventurousness, but since they were helping prepare for the side trip, the complaining was half-hearted at best. They were too used to him doing things like this, especially for reasons known only to him.

As he lowered the small dingy into the water, he called up to the crew, "I won't be gone long. Just make sure she's ready to sail when I get back, and let's make sure our guest stays put."

He received the affirmative and then the tiny craft was touching the waves, and Kasim released the ropes attaching the dingy to the larger ship. Then, he picked up the oars and began to row himself toward the cave, following the sound of that ethereal voice.

A single rowboat, and it looked like just the one sailor.

That'd do.

Morgana smiled slightly to herself and kept singing, waiting until the sailor in the dingy could catch a glimpse of silver hair and rippling black scales before she ducked beneath the water abruptly.

She swam a little closer to the boat and surfaced once again, tilting her head slightly to the side as she looked the man up and down curiously. She was still humming gently, eyes almost glittering in the light that reflected off the surface of the water.

Then she was gone, disappearing beneath the swell again. When she surfaced a second time, she was further away, deeper into the cave. She giggled, the sound chiming and musical, echoing off the walls of the cave. One webbed hand reached toward him, beckoning, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

Inviting him to play.

Kasim spotted the movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked, he was alone. Despite himself, a smile spread across his face. So, it was going to be a game of cat and mouse, was it? He continued to row the little boat toward the cave, seemingly entranced by the sound of the song and then, when he finally spotted her, her beauty. He continued following after her, studying her glittering eyes and her scaled tail and that webbed hand she held out to him.

His eyes focused on her face, seeing that playful smirk and offering her one of his own. He stopped rowing for just a moment, allowing the waves to carry him further into the cave and closer to her. Kasim had never seen one of her kind up close before, and he was wondering how far he could actually go before he needed to put a stop to whatever design she had for him.

For he wasn't as entranced as he was pretending to be. He wasn't as taken with her as he was pretending to be. Yes, she was beautiful, and beautiful in an exotic sort of way, but Kasim had seen exotic beauty, and he had had his scrapes with enchantresses. The entire reason he was doing this was just to be able to say he had. Yet, he didn't want to hurt her if he could keep from it.

Kasim was willing to play for as long as she wanted to play. And he started to row again, once again chasing her.

Morgana waited a few moments, until the boat was far enough into the cave that she was reasonably sure he wouldn't be able to get back out-- not before she could catch him.

But she didn't want to, not yet. She'd just eaten, after all, and sometimes the game was more fun than the hunt.

She laughed again, surfacing just feet from the little dingy. She bobbed easily in the water, head and shoulders above the water, her tail a glimmering shadow that flickered beneath her. "Hello." Her voice, even when simply speaking, was musical, with a thick accent unlike anything on land.

Kasim pulled the oars into the little boat and leaned forward at her appearance, his lips splitting into a wide grin. Certainly, he was fascinated by her, and it was so much more than her beauty. He was honestly captivated by her voice, for he'd heard nothing like it, but he wasn't as enchanted as he was seeming to be. He folded his arms across his knees and leaned toward her, leaving just enough distance between them that he could defend himself. But, to the untrained eye, it seemed as if he was only hesitating on the idea of getting close to her. After all, they were strangers to each other, and she was a strange being to him.

"Hello," he replied, grinning even wider. "What's such a pretty girl doing in a dismal place like this?"

"Dismal?" She smiled again, tilting her head the other way. "Perhaps you just haven't seen what it has to offer," she giggled, tossing her hair through the water. "Come."

She held her hand out again, backpedaling slightly toward a rocky outcropping that jutted from the cave wall.

"Perhaps I haven't." Kasim replied, moving to slide the oars back into the water and follow her deeper into the cave. He was ready for whatever she had planned for him, or so he hoped, but he was rather enjoying the little game of cat and mouse they were playing. "I'm certain there's quite a bit of treasure in this cave."

"Well, that may depend on how you see treasure." Her smile turned a little softer at the edges, eyes falling half closed as she beckoned him forward again.

Reaching the outcropping, she gracefully pulled herself up, half out of the water. Her tail flicked gently back and forth as she tilted her head again, a silver curtain of hair tumbling around her shoulders.

"Not many of your kind would venture forth so boldly," she commented, leaning back on one arm as she watched him through half-lidded eyes.

Kasim watched from the boat as she hauled herself up onto the outcropping, giving an appreciative whistle of her form. She was exquisitely beautiful, just as the legends and stories all described her kind to be. Yet beauty could easily hide poison, and Kasim was fully aware that she was quite dangerous. He wouldn't have ventured this far in if he wasn't prepared for the worst. It was kind of his motto - expect the best, prepare for the worst - and it had seen him, his crew, and his ship through worse scrapes than this.

He guided the boat up to the outcropping and tossed out the mooring rope, hopping out a second later to secure the boat to the outcropping so it wouldn't float away. The entire time his hands worked to secure the slipknot, his eyes were on her, starting from her hair and slowly traveling down to the tip of her tail. He wasn't shy in the least bit about oggling her, studying her form as he might study a piece of art.

"Oh, I see treasure everywhere." His eyes traveled from her tail up her body again, until he met her eyes. He rose then, and stood with his hands braced on his hips. "I mean, take you for example. Quite a rare and beautiful creature, all alone in this cave? It's little wonder someone hasn't gotten here before me and captured the treasure I see before me for his own."

He took a step closer to her, grinning widely. "And I'm not like anyone else. Only men who know what they want, and dare to do the impossible to get it, venture forth boldly."

Morgana was hardly some naive waif, and his obvious gaze brought a just slightly self satisfied smirk playing to her lips. She tossed her hair again, tilting her head to the side in a way that artfully drew attention to the gentle arc of her body, silver hair cascading down over her shoulder.

"And what makes you think such a treasure can be captured, bold one?" she asked softly, dark eyes glinting like moonlight off deep waters.

He studied the line of her hair as it settled against her shoulder, his eyes shamelessly roaming her body before he returned his gaze to her eyes. He caught that glinting look in her eyes, and felt vaguely satisfied that he knew enough to keep his distance from her.

"Anything can be bought for a price, yes?" he asked, holding up his hands as if in surrender. "Not that I'm saying you can be bought. Only a fool would try to capture such a treasure as yourself. Something as exquisite as you is meant to be free, to live as she pleases. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I believe I would." She smiled, revealing just the barest flash of razor sharp canines. "But that begs the question-- why did you come? You can see there is no treasure here, none of the metallic kind humans seem to so adore, at any rate."

The siren flicked her tail gently, arcing droplets of water up in a graceful crescent. "I am not sure there is much here to claim your attention...save myself." Her smile turned suddenly sad and she looked away. "Though I suppose that will not last long. It never does."

Kasim's smile faltered at the sight of the sadness on the pretty creature's face. He knew better than to get close, but he took a step closer anyway, crouching down near her and balancing on the balls of his feet. He tilted his head slightly so he could gaze upon her face, his expression serious.

"Well," he began, his tone kind but firm, "I've never seen one of your kind up close before. I know the legends and the stories - the old men love to bandy them about when they get drunk - but I've never had first-hand experience. So, I came because I wanted to see you for myself."

He grinned then, rocking back onto his heels for a moment before he once again balanced upon the balls of his feet. "Besides, I see a perfect treasure here before me. Gold and jewels are nice, but they're fleeting. They're meant to be spent, not kept. Real treasures are the things that are forever." He winked at her then, his grin growing wider. "Real treasures aren't 'things', anyway."

"Is that so?" Morgana leaned toward him slightly, her body language open and swaying gently, as though she was almost unable to help herself. Her dark eyes glittered with a sudden curiosity.

"What exactly have you heard about my sisters?" she asked softly, leaning toward him just a bit more. Her hair swung forward over her shoulders, tails swirling through the water in lazy circles. A glint of light from the setting sun caught on her scales and traced a shimmering line up the length of her body-- revealing that even the pale flesh tone of her upper body even seemed to be scaled, glinting silver and gold for the briefest instant in the flash of light.

Kasim grinned widely, enjoying the way she was moving toward him, especially since she seemed to glitter even more when the sun hit her just right. Certainly, he'd never seen anything like her before. He was completely fascinated, even though he knew that she was dangerous. After all, myths existed for a reason, and most of those reasons came from the experience of people that had lived them.

"That's certainly so," Kasim replied. "Real treasures are the memories you make upon an adventure, or the friends you make, or the family you find. Those things make life worth living. And as for your sisters... well, there are lots of stories to tell, aren't there? Singing men right off their ships and into the waters to drown. Or luring them close just to have them smash upon hidden reefs. Or eating their innards while they're still alive."

He tilted his head to the side, his grin becoming a smile. "But they were weak-minded men who only wanted one thing, and they got what they deserved, didn't they?"

Hmmm...

Morgana smiled again, the darkness of her eyes seeming to deepen just slightly. "Are there no happy stories of my kind then? Are we merely pretty sharks to you humans?"

One webbed hand slid carefully toward him over the rocks, as though she wanted to reach out but was making an effort to restrain herself for his comfort.

Kasim rocked back on his heels at her question, a pondering look overcoming his face. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes moving off her for the briefest of moments before returning. "Happy stories? Not that I recall. Pretty much all doom and gloom. Although, considering your reputation, there's a very legitimate reason why there might not be happy stories."

His gaze dropped to her hand where it was moving toward him, hesitantly and unsure. For a moment, Kasim actually considered reaching out himself, to touch her and feel if her skin was indeed scaly, or if it was as soft as his own flesh. But he reminded himself how dangerous that was. Already he was pushing his luck by being this close to her. He was ready to spring into movement at the slightest hint of danger. He hadn't forgotten what she was, nor had he forgotten that he was there to learn and not there to be eaten.

"To most humans, you might be pretty sharks. Dangerous creatures to be avoided at all costs, lest someone might lose their life." Kasim shrugged. "But to this human? This human only sees a beautiful creature. An intelligent and eloquent woman who seems to know what she wants and knows how to get it. I don't think you're a pretty shark." He winked at her then. "But that doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

More's the pity.

Still, it was rare she had the chance to actually speak with a human, and this one was at least a match for her own wit.

Interesting.

She smiled, and sharp canines flashed in the light. "Of course not. A man clever and bold enough to follow a siren's song is certainly no common lout."

Another smile and she leaned just a bit closer, her eyes sparkling like the surface of the sea in moonlight. "There are other stories, you know," she murmured, lashes half lowered. "I won't deny most of what you say is true-- or can be-- but we are more than sharks." She paused a moment, then glanced away. "And less..."

Kasim knew he had a decision to make in this moment. He could either stay and listen to the siren's stories and learn more than just stories about her kind, thus putting himself and his crew in slightly more danger, or he could abandon her, head back to his ship, and continue on his journey. But physical treasure just didn't have the same lure as the treasure before him. After all, how many humans could claim that they had not only talked with a living, breathing siren, but also learned from her?

So he settled down on the rock, letting his legs dangle over the side, closer to her but not close enough where he couldn't react if she tried to lunge at him to eat him, or whatever it is she might try to do.

"So, teach me," Kasim said, grinning. "Tell me what I don't know. I've got until sunrise. I can stay until then, but afterward, I have to return to my ship and crew. Whole and sound, if you get me. We're on a mission of sorts, looking for a treasure of some kind. It's a rather fun mystery, trying to figure out the clues and go where we need to go."

He leaned back on his hands then, his grin lessening to a more genuine smile. "But for now, I'm all yours, my darling lady. Beguile me with your stories."

"Ah." Morgana smirked and leaned back on her own hands, swishing her tail back and forth through the water. "Where shall I start, bold one? Would you hear the stories my sisters tell one another? Or would you rather the tales of sirens who did not claim the lives of sailors they beguiled, but rather had...other purposes?"

"Well, we could start wherever you wish to start." Kasim smiled, meeting her gaze without any sign of fear. "I will listen to anything you have to say. I'm yours until dawn."

He leaned forward then, winking at her. "But perhaps we should start with the beginning of all things. If we're going to be friends, you and I, perhaps we should know each other's names."

He knew he was taking a risk, but he figured one good turn was worth another, and she was about to trust him with her own stories, stories that, if he actually survived this encounter somehow, he could tell himself. While no one would really believe him, it didn't matter. He believed, and that was all that mattered to him.

He offered his hand to her then, like the beginnings of a peace offering. "My name is Kasim."

Another fang-tipped smile, though this one was somehow a bit softer. She reached out to take his hand delicately, careful of her sharp nails-- and intrigued to see what his reaction would be to the webbing between her wingers.

"Morgana," she murmured. "I am called Morgana."

She drew her hand back after a moment-- she wasn't foolish enough to attempt to drag him into the water at this first sign of trust-- and shifted slightly so she slipped a little further into the water. Her long, sinuous tail curved back and forth just beneath the surface.

"Not all a siren's victims are prey, you know," she said after a moment. "At least, not in a traditional sense."

Kasim's eyes widened at the sight of the webbing between her fingers, and despite himself, he gripped her hand tight so he could inspect her fingers even closer. He looked a little disappointed when she drew her hand back, and he met her eyes without fear.

"Morgana." Kasim said, tasting the syllables of her name. "A lovely name for a lovely lady."

He watched her sink into the water, very aware that she could, at any time attempt to pull him in with her. But he kept his eyes on her face, his lips curled in a small smile.

"Well, that's not what the stories say. They say that you eat the hearts of men, once they've become useless to you."

Morgana laughed, tossing her head back and letting the chiming sound echo off the walls of the cavern. "Well...I suppose that is true, after a sense," she chuckled, glancing sidelong at the sailor. "You use that term to describe your own kind sometimes, do you not? Heart-eater. It is not a...strictly literal term, no?"

She turned onto her stomach, holding herself up just barely out of the water, and folded her arms to rest her hands on them, still looking up at him. Her tail flicked up behind her, the thinner membrane of her fins like thin black silk.

"I will not deny we hunt humans," she said with a shrug. "We must eat, and it is in our nature. But there are other uses for your kind-- males, mostly, I believe. Men of my kind don't usually much care for humans females."

"I wouldn't know about 'heart-eater', but definitely 'heartless'." Kasim shrugged, as if to silently say he wasn't trying to argue with her, but rather give her a different term that he'd heard more often. "Ah, and 'heart-breaker'. I get that one sometimes. But I do try not to break hearts. It's a rather messy business, without being actually messy business."

He leaned forward, his eyes riveted to her face but distracted by her tail and her hair, floating through the water as they were. He was fascinated by her tail, watching it sluice through the water without effort for some time. Then, almost reluctantly, he dragged his eyes back to Morgana's face.

"Everything has to eat, and everything acts according to its nature. Or nurture. It depends on what you believe. Personally, I think it's a little of both." He grinned, his head canting to one side. "Other uses, huh? I can imagine what. And I doubt the men would be interested in human females, since I would assume they rarely see human females. Most captains view women on a boat as bad luck, but not me. I've a few women on my crew, and they're scarier than the men sometimes."

"Oh, as it should be," Morgana responded easily-- and it was entirely unclear if she was being facetious or not. "But it is more than that, when it comes to merfolk courting landwalkers. Mothers are more important."

She shrugged unapologetically. "A mermaid's children will always be merfolk, no matter their fathers. But a landwalker woman's children may be either-- born to land or sea."

She fell quiet a moment, then suddenly chuckled and leaned back onto her hands, letting her head lull as she glanced at Kasim. "Of course, that means a siren could simply...use a landwalker as was needed, then let him drown. But some of my sisters keep their prey." She shrugged. "They tell interesting stories, apparently."

"I suppose being kept is better than being killed once the deed is done." Kasim replied, folding his arms across his thighs and leaning on them. "But what your people do doesn't seem that much different from what humans to do each other. Once we outlive our usefulness, we're thrown away." He shrugged, his shoulders lifting and falling in a quick, jerky movement.

"Who tells interesting stories? The men your sisters keep or your sisters? Either way, I'm sure they're all entertaining." He focused on her eyes, holding her gaze for a while. Then he blinked and looked away. "Sorry, I meant no offense. It's rare one such as I gets the opportunity to speak with one such as you."

Morgana tossed her hair and shrugged carelessly. "Oh, some merfolk are fascinated with the stories of landwalkers' travels." She smiled at him. "And I'm not offended. You said you wanted to talk, to learn. That requires asking questions, no?"

Carefully, she turned onto her side, propping herself up on one arm. "You haven't asked the obvious question though," she noted with a small, sly smile. "If you were in my place-- a siren with an easy meal within arm's reach-- why wouldn't you have attacked by now?"

Kasim grinned. "Oh, that's easy. Either you've already eaten and therefore you're not hungry right now, or I'm just too fascinating to make a meal. At least until you've learned all you can from me and I no longer have a use for you."

He shifted, drawing one leg up so he could wrap his arm around it and rest his chin on his knee. His grin lessened into a smile. "Unfortunately, see, that's where we're going to have our differences. I can't let you eat me. I'm on an important mission right now. A treasure hunt. I have a treasure map and everything. And don't think I'm about to make a deal with you, Morgana. Trade my life for that of one of my crew or something."

Kasim paused then, an idea flashing through his mind. He blinked slowly. Did he dare make a deal with her to trade his life for that of the unwanted passenger? Sure, he didn't like the guy - no one on his ship did - but that didn't give him the right to choose whether the man lived or became a siren's meal. But, of course, he'd thought about it.

He focused on Morgana, realizing he'd been ignoring her in favor of his own little train of thought. "It's something I have to do, so I can't let anything stop me. Including you."

Morgana laughed once again, her smirk back in place. Firmly. "Oh, bold one." She leaned toward him and lowered her voice. "Just what makes you think you could stop me?"

She let the threat hang in the air for a moment, then leaned back again carelessly. "Treasure, hm? What kind of treasure do you refer to this time?"

Kasim's lips quirked at her obvious threat. What could he do to stop her? Plenty. He wasn't helpless and he wasn't unarmed. If she chose to attack him, he could very well defend himself. But he said nothing to refute her, instead leaning back with his weight on one side so he could easily spring to his feet if he needed to.

But he could answer her second question without too much of a problem. "Ah, see, that's the thing. I don't know what kind of treasure. I'm just following the map. I'll know when I get there."

"Oh of course, a map." She flicked her tail again, lazy. Bored.

Bored was dangerous.

Reaching up to fiddle absently with the amulet she'd so recently acquired, Morgana sighed quietly as she watched the water droplets sparkle through the air. "You humans are always so concerned with the proper path, aren't you?"

For a moment, Kasim was absolutely silent. Then, laughter bubbled up from his belly to his throat, and even though he knew it was stupid and dangerous, he began to laugh, loud and long. He laughed until he ran out of breath, then sucked in air and laughed some more. When he finally, finally sobered, he grinned at her, showing far more teeth than an amused grin ought to.

"Morgana," Kasim said, "if I was so concerned with the proper path, I wouldn't be here talking to you. I would have sailed on, ignoring your little song. But life isn't about following the proper path. Life is about experiencing all it has to offer, making mistakes and learning from them, and not having regrets."

His eyes dropped to the amulet she was playing with, and his smile lessened into more of a smirk. Where had he seen that before? He was certain he'd seen a similar shape and style somewhere, but he couldn't quite place it. Yet, the amulet was familiar. And that bothered him, because usually he could remember where he'd seen things before.

"May I see that?" he asked, pointing to her amulet.

The laughter actually startled her, enough that she eyed him a little warily and for a few moments thought about trying to shift away.

But then he was asking about the amulet, and they were back in familiar territory, or at least she assumed. She tilted her head the other way, tracing two fingers almost teasingly around the outer edge of the pendant.

"Oh? Perhaps you are intrigued by traditional treasure then?" she baited playfully, lifting the amulet from her chest, closer for him to see-- though she made no move to take it off. "Be my guest...if you dare move so close to a siren as to examine it."

He watched the way her fingers trailed over the amulet, and his mind began turning, even as she lifted the jewelry to his view. Her words reached his ears, and he knew that he was starting to tread into dangerous territory. If he got closer to her, she was bound to try something. It wasn't like he couldn't defend himself, but he was in her domain, and home turf advantage usually meant that he would be hard pressed to figure a way out of this. Especially because he didn't want to die, and he really didn't want to hurt her. After all, she was only doing as her nature dictated. He wasn't a fool as to believe he was special. To her, he was intelligent food.

"It's only that I've seen something like this before," Kasim answered truthfully. He saw no sense in lying to her. Sure, he was intrigued by traditional treasure just as much as the next man or woman, but there was more to life than just treasure. "It's fresh in my memory, even though it feels like a dream."

What was it his father used to say? Opportunities are lost if chances are not taken. Kasim disliked his old man greatly, but he'd had sound advice. Here was an opportunity, which he would lose if he didn't take that chance. It was a dangerous chance, a chance that he would end up drowned and Morgana would use his bones to pick her teeth, but a chance nonetheless.

So he shifted, moving closer to her, reaching for her amulet to get a better look.

It would have been so easy. They were so close to the water, he was leaning in, off balance if not off guard. It would have been so easy.

But she didn't do it.

Rather than grab the intrepid sailor and drag him into the water with her, she lifted the pendant slightly higher and tilted her head back so he could observe it better.

"Has your memory returned to you?" she asked after a moment, eyes flicking over his face.

Honestly she wasn't sure herself why she didn't simply drown him. Perhaps she was simply full, or perhaps it was...something else.

Kasim reached out, carefully wrapping his fingers around the amulet and putting his face as close to it - and to her - as he dared. He was certain that at any moment, she would yank him into the water and try to drown him, but he was giving her a measure of a doubt. Still, he didn't want to tempt her any more than was necessary. So, to that end, Kasim quickly studied the amulet.

Yes, he'd seen this somewhere before.

There had been a faint drawing in one corner of the treasure map he'd acquired, as if someone had tried to erase the sketch after inking it on the parchment. Anyone else might have written it off as a mistake, but in Kasim's experience, rarely did anyone make a mistake when drawing a treasure map. The whole point of it was for one to be able to find the treasure again, and anyway, most people who hid treasure laid traps and snares for those foolish enough to go looking for what wasn't theirs. There was no need to put red herrings on a treasure map.

It couldn't be coincidence.

He looked up from the amulet to Morgana's eyes. "This amulet is drawn on my treasure map."

The wheels in his mind started turning.

"Well." Kasim said at last, after a long pregnant pause. "What would it take to get you to part with this?"

Ah. Leverage.

Marvelous.

Morgana tsked and leaned back from him, letting the amulet drop back to her chest. "What do you have to offer, brave one? A meal? A song? Treasure of your own? What do you think would strike my fancy?"

Kasim paused to ponder her words. What did he have to offer? The thought of giving her a meal had crossed his mind before and it crossed his mind again. He could offer her his unwanted guest on his ship, the original owner of the map, but that would be a trade he would feel guilty about. He didn't like the guy, but that didn't justify handing him over to a siren to get him eaten. But, other than the trade he couldn't make, he didn't have much to really offer her.

So he lifted his hands in surrender.

"I've got nothing. Unless you want to come with me and experience the adventure. You would get a share in whatever we found, and I wouldn't argue if you found a meal somewhere. But you can't eat anyone who's part of my crew, if you do."

Morgana's eyes widened. "Go...with you?"

Her mind began whirling, weighing the benefits of such a situation against the obvious drawbacks. Her tail flicked back and forth through the water, fingers tracing absent circles around the amulet.

She narrowed her eyes at the sailor. "And what guarantee do I have that this is not some elaborate plot on your part? I am not as naive in the ways of the world above our oceans as some of my sisters-- I know a mermaid can fetch a fine price. Alive or in pieces."

Kasim blinked, a flare of anger rushing through him. He felt insulted, incredibly so. Never before in his life had he sold another soul, no matter how rich it might make him. Never before had he taken a life for reasons other than self-defense. But that flare of anger and the insult soon faded in the wake of understanding. Here she was, a rare creature, just trying to survive in the only way she knew how, and what could be a potential meal was offering to take her away from everything she'd ever known for something unknown. He could make her no promises. She had to trust his word, if she agreed, and she knew nothing about him in order to warrant such trust.

So Kasim took a deep breath and said, "I can't guarantee you anything, but if you choose to believe me, believe that I will never allow any harm to come to you. No one will hurt you. I won't allow them to. But I swear to you, Morgana, this isn't some scheme to sell you. Or pieces of you."

He focused on her eyes, his own unblinking. If she didn't believe him and chose to stay behind, he would take that amulet somehow - something he hadn't figured out how to do just yet - but he didn't want to fight her over something that was, ultimately, hers.

"And if anyone tries," he said with the utmost sincerity and conviction, "I will kill them before they touch you."

She considered that a moment, tilting her head from side to side. Abruptly, she straightened up and flicked her hair back over her shoulder.

"Very well then. I will go with you."

Kasim blinked, surprised by her answer. "You will? I mean... Great! Perfect!"

He drew back with a wide grin. He couldn't have imagined this going any easier and less violent than it had, and he wasn't about to question his good luck. He hadn't wanted to fight her and he definitely didn't want to hurt her. That she was coming willingly was the best outcome he could've hoped for.

"You'll like my crew. They're good people. The only guy you gotta watch out for is... well... you'll see him. He's the only one that stands out. It's his map we're following." Kasim moved to get back in his boat, pleased. "And he might be the only one who gives you trouble."

Morgana chuckled a bit at his clear surprise, unable to help herself. "I suppose I will take your word for that," she murmured, slipping back into the water.

The siren circled the little rowboat he'd used to enter her cavern, waiting for him to board. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she added with a bright smile, "I make a vow not to harm your crew-- so long as they don't attempt to harm me."

Kasim picked up the oars as he settled into the small seat of his craft and slid the paddles out into the waters. Yet he didn't start rowing. Instead, he looked toward Morgana and smiled.

"My crew won't hurt you. I swear on my life they won't. But I'll warn you, the one you'll have to watch out for is the guy who owns the map. If he bothers you, well, you can do what you please with him."

Then he began to row, pushing his boat out toward the entrance of the cave and back toward his ship, and his crew waiting there for his return. He could only imagine how they would react when they discovered his new companion. He grinned at that thought and could already imagine the lectures about to come his way.

"Come on, then, my Lady Morgana, lets go on an adventure."

The siren grinned, fully flashing her sharp, serrated canines. "I'm no lady, bold one. Morgana will do just fine."

She ducked below the water again, following his dinghy at a careful distance.

Kasim rowed back to the ship, grinning at the relieved shouts that came from the deck. Of course his crew thought he'd be dead, why didn't that surprise him? And yet they'd stuck around on the hope that maybe he'd come back to them.

He caught the ropes as they were thrown down to him and tethered the dinghy to the larger craft. Then he shifted, looking out over the water for his newest companion. Since he didn't see her, he leaned over the edge of the rowboat and spoke directly to the water.

"Morgana? Do you need something special to get you up onto the ship, or are you just going to follow us from the sea?"

Hovering just beneath the surface of the water, Morgana hesitated, debating.

She could simply leave now. Not take the risk. No human vessel could catch a siren out on the open sea, not if she didn't want to be caught.

But that just wasn't in her nature.

Smirking to herself, Morgana sank a few lengths further under the water, then abruptly propelled herself forward, out of the water, up the side of the ship, latching onto the rail with webbed, clawed fingers to pull herself up.

She tossed her hair, curling her tail up over the rail even as the ebony scales began to shimmer into salt water and drip away, sluicing off until she had two rather surprisingly human legs-- save for the faint webbing between her toes.

She tilted her head to one side as she looked over Kasim's crew. Her hair was the only thing affording her any amount of modesty; she didn't seem to care much, but luckily the silvery curtain was enough to cover most of her body.

"I do just fine on my own, sailor bold," she said to Kasim with a smirk.

Kasim grinned at her, knowing that her nakedness wouldn't bother him or his crew. They were too used to each other, too used to being naked around each other on the ship. There wasn't one person aboard this ship that had qualms about being naked around the opposite sex, or being naked with the opposite sex, except perhaps their unwanted guest.

"Everyone," Kasim said, turning to face his crew even as he gestured to Morgana, "meet the Lady Morgana. Yes, she's a siren. No, she won't eat you. Not unless you give her reason to, anyway. She's going to be joining us for our adventure."

The crew eyed Kasim as if he'd grown a second head, but no one protested. Still, their eyes shifted from their captain to their newest guest, as if each man and woman was sizing up Morgana.

"Okay," Kasim called, clapping his hands, "let's get moving. We've already lost quite a bit of time."

"Yeah, because of you, captain!"

Kasim grinned wide. "But it was such a good use of that lost time!"

The crew burst out laughing before heading to their stations to get the ship moving. Kasim, however, turned to Morgana and offered her his hand. "Shall I show you around the ship? And would you like something to cover yourself up with?"

The siren tilted her head, considering that. After a few moments, she nodded-- much as she normally detested coverings of any kind, she wasn't so proud that she would pretend she didn't feel the chill of the sea air when she was above the surface.

"Yes, thank you. To both." She grinned, flashing her sharp teeth again, and jerked her head beyond the captain's shoulder. "Shall we, then?"

Kasim laughed and led her toward his personal cabin, which was near the aft of the ship, and currently occupied by their unwanted guest. But it was an accommodation that Kasim didn't mind giving. He didn't keep his precious things out where just anyone could see them to take them, and if anyone decided to steal from him, they'd be lucky not to become shark bait once he caught them. Thankfully, the cabin was empty when he arrived, so he didn't have to do introductions just yet, and he was more than willing to kick the man out of the cabin in the event Morgana wanted it as her own.

"Explore as you please," Kasim told her as he opened the door to the closet in his cabin. Within were a number of silks and satins, linens and cottons, sheers and opaques, that Kasim had either been gifted with, taken, or discovered at some bazaar and bought. He hadn't thought half of them would come in handy for a situation such as this, but he was glad he'd kept a majority of the things. Normally, he would've given them to an orphanage to clothe the children or sell as the proprietors pleased. "Whatever you want, you can have."

The siren quirked one eyebrow and wrinkled her nose as she looked around. "I... I'm not exactly well-versed in landwalker fashion," she said after a moment with a careless shrug. "Whatever you think is best, I suppose."

"Whatever I think is best, huh?"

Well, that was a first. Kasim was honestly shocked. Morgana had been so confident about herself before that he'd just assumed she'd dive headfirst into the wardrobe and start picking and choosing whatever pleased her the best. He certainly didn't know anything about dressing females. And he didn't know anything about what she might like. He scratched his head and studied the closet, before he began to pick through the garments.

He pulled out a sleeveless blouse and several short-sleeved shirts, a pair of silk pants, two skirts, several wraps, and a few other choice pieces that he thought she might like, and strove to put together an outfit for her. He was rather uncertain as he set the outfits out for her to choose from, stepping back to allow her closer to the clothes.

"Well..." Kasim started, his voice fading for a moment. He tilted his head to one side, studying her. "You can't go wrong with one of these. They're suitable for the kind of weather we'll be encountering and for life upon a ship. I mean..." He trailed off again, again uncertain. "If you want to wear these, that is."

Morgana paced almost warily around the fabrics he'd laid out, eyes flickering over them with a combination of curiosity and caution.

Carefully, she reached out to run her hands over a pair of loose breeches, humming softly at the feel of the fabric. And suddenly her attention began darting from one piece of clothing to the next, eagerly pressing her webbed hands to any she could reach, smiling slightly to herself.

Eventually, she settled on a simple enough skirt and blouse that were easy to pull on and, she hoped, wouldn't hinder her shifting back to her tail should the need arise.

"Alright." She turned to face Kasim again, fidgeting a bit at the alien feel of fabric against her skin. "Where to now?"

Kasim grinned. She really was quite beautiful, even when she was attempting to dress like a human. He eyed her from head to toe and nodded. "Not bad, if I do say so myself."

He gestured for her to follow him. "Now," Kasim said, "I'll show you around the ship, so you can get used to it. And I'll introduce you to everyone. Once we do that, we'll take a look at this treasure map of ours and see how your pendant comes into play."

He led her from the cabin and began to walk with her all around the ship, heading belowdecks to show her the galley, the hold, and the crew's quarters. He showed her how to navigate from one end of the ship and to the other without getting lost. And he introduced her to the crew, from his lookout high up in the crow's nest to the cook and her assistant. He even pointed out their unwanted guest, being as casual as possible as he gestured toward the man in the expensive robes.

Finally, he led her to a small table set up by the helm, upon which were several instruments and a tightly rolled scroll settled in a wooden chest so it couldn't blow away in the wind. Kasim carefully lifted the scroll out of the box and unwound it, anchoring the corners with heavy stones. Once that was done, he stepped back to allow Morgana to look at the map with him.

"See?" he said, pointing at a symbol on the map that was similar to her pendant. "I told you I'd seen that image somewhere before."

The siren kept her distance from most of the crew-- not noticeably, necessarily, just being cautious. She followed Kasim without complaint, though when one of the sailors gave her a curious look that lasted a bit too long, she grinned her sharp-toothed grin and licked her lips.

The map was intriguing, in a way. She leaned low over it, pulling the pendant off over her head. "Mm." She tilted her head, then the amulet in her hand, twisting her wrist so the stones caught the light. "It may be a coincidence," she said with a little shrug, unconvinced.

"I doubt it's a coincidence." Kasim said, folding his arms over his chest. "Treasure maps are notoriously misleading, sure, but they also have clues hidden in them so that treasure seekers can actually find the treasure. There wouldn't be a point to having maps if just everyone could follow it to the treasure, you know?"

His eyes went from Morgana to the map, studying the drawings on it, especially the drawing that looked like her amulet. The way the drawing was situated was odd compared to the rest of the map. And, Kasim noticed, it was upside down, as if the mapmaker had been drawing the amulet's likeness from a mirror.

Kasim studied that image for a minute longer, then shifted to hold his hand out for the pendant. "May I?"

"Mm...that's true enough." The siren tilted her head this way and that, trying to look at the map from different angles, as though that might help her decipher these clues.

When Kasim asked for the amulet, she snapped her eyes to him, tension settling into her body. Her hand tightened on the pendant; that pretty bit of sparkle was her insurance, her lifeline. While she didn't really think Kasim or anyone on his crew would hurt her, it paid to be cautious.

If she gave him the amulet, he wouldn't need her anymore.

A dozen thoughts spiraled behind her eyes, an internal war. Then, slowly, she extended her hand and let the necklace fall into his open palm.

Kasim waited for her to release the pendant before he drew it closer to him. He understood her reluctance; this piece of jewelry was hers, rightfully found - or taken - and he would be loathe to give up something that could very well mean her life. But he'd made her a promise, and he would never go back on his word. He'd offered her his protection, and that meant he would protect her, even from himself.

So, in full view of Morgana, Kasim shifted to set the pendant on the map and began to line it up with the drawing. As soon as he had it set, the puzzle piece seemed to fit into his mind as his eyes picked up the subtle nuances of the drawing and the necklace together.

"Look," he said, pointing to the amulet and the drawing, "see how they compliment each other? They're mirror images of each other. So if I do this..." Reaching out, Kasim turned the pendant until the two images matched each other, forming a pointing compass northeast, along with matching the gemstones of the amulet to the drawings of what, before, had seemed like innocuous decorations but now were clearly islands. "Now we have a direction!"

Grinning, Kasim pushed away from the map and slid the amulet back over to Morgana. He quickly bounded over to the helm and called out, "We're away, boys and girls! Full speed ahead!"

The siren's eyes widened slightly, impressed despite herself. Then Kasim was racing for the helm and she found herself following after, throwing the amulet back around her neck.

"Where exactly are we going?" she demanded, unthinkingly grabbing for his arm. She'd gotten a good enough look at the map to know their general heading was "northeast", but she hadn't really seen more than that.

He laughed at her question, not caring in the slightest that she grabbed for him. Her touch sobered his enthusiasm, though, and he looked at her, still smiling, his eyes still sparkling with excitement. "That's the adventure, isn't it? Following the map and the clues, whether you know what's lying ahead or not? The unknown is exciting and challenging, and you never know what you'll encounter when you're roving around."

He sobered though, because he understood her fear and uncertainty. His crew was used to his sudden flights of fancy and went along with him, knowing that he wouldn't lead them into danger or put their lives at risk, but Morgana didn't know him from an albatross. So, he reached to place his hand over hers, giving her wrist a quick, tight squeeze.

"Northeast, toward the Three Sisters. They're small islands, and the waters between them are shallow and filled with sharp rocks, so most ships avoid them or go around them. There are only a few times a year that the waters are high enough that ships can sail between them without fear of being grounded or having the rocks scrape out the hull. I'm not sure yet if we're going to have to deal with the Ladies, but we'll find out when we get there."

He released her and turned his attention back to the helm, his eyes drifting toward the sails that his crew were unfurling to full sail, increasing their speed as the wind caught in the giant triangles of canvas.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Morgana, I promise."

She stared up into his face for a few moments, eerily silent. Then her hand drew back and she tossed her hair, looking out over the bow of the ship toward the horizon.

"I can take care of myself," she replied primly, sharp teeth flashing in a dangerous smirk. But then her expression softened slightly and she added, "Though...the gesture is appreciated, Bold One."

Kasim smirked but he didn't refute her words. He didn't doubt that she could take care of herself, just as he didn't doubt that she would do whatever it took to make sure that she got the better end of this deal. He didn't mind that so much. He'd rather have the adventure than the riches, although the riches did help pay for things that he needed to go on the aforementioned adventure. But the riches weren't important.

He returned his hand to the helm and his attention to the open waters rather than on the beautiful siren standing beside him. "You know, if you want to, you can go explore the ship on your own. You know where all the important things are if you need them."

Kasim lifted an arm and pointed, high into the air where the crow's nest was. "You could go up there and see around for miles. Not that there's much to see. Anyone up there, though, has the responsibility of calling out approaching ships or land. It's a very important task."

Morgana tilted her head back to where he was pointing, narrowing her eyes with a soft hiss against the brightness of moon and starlight unfiltered by the ocean's depths.

"How do you get up there?" she inquired, one eyebrow creeping up toward her hairline. "Do landwalkers truly climb like monkeys? I thought that was just a story."

Kasim laughed. "Landwalkers can do all sorts of things. But we don't actually climb like monkeys. They're much more skilled at that than we are. Here, I'll show you."

Calling for one of his crew, he handed the helm and the heading off to the woman that joined them. She gave Morgana a cursory stare, examining her from head to toe, but she said nothing as she took over for Kasim. Once he was free of the helm, he led Morgana down to the middle deck of the ship and to the rigging there. Reaching up, he curled his fingers around the netting of thick rope and turned his attention back to her.

"It's pretty easy," Kasim said. "But it takes some getting used to. Because the ship itself is moving, you have to compensate for your own movements and the movements of the ocean. You don't want to accidentally get thrown off, right?"

He took hold of the rope with both hands and swung himself up onto the rail, balancing there as he turned his body over onto the rigging. Then, hand over hand, he began to climb, pausing halfway to look down at Morgana. "Did you want to come up?"

Morgana gave the sailor looking her over a stare of her own, raising an eyebrow. She didn't pay it much more attention than that though, turning to follow Kasim.

Her eyes widened just slightly as she watched him swing up into the rigging. "Um..."

Um. Did she really just say um?! Stars!

Glowering, the siren gritted her teeth and nodded firmly, marching up to grab ahold of the ropes and starting to climb hand over hand. There was really no comparable activity in the sea, and she felt, for perhaps the first time in her life...awkward.

Kasim did his best not to laugh at the look on Morgana's face. He wouldn't say that she looked terrified, but that she looked uncertain. That was his fault, really. He was the one pushing her into experiences that she had never had before, and that wasn't really fair. Yet, how did one entertain a siren? Especially on a ship that contained the very things that were her favorite food? He didn't know. But he also didn't want to come right out and ask her and seem nosy about it all. She had secrets that she wanted to keep, and it wasn't his place to bring them out of her.

Kasim gave her a gentle smile and reached back to help her climb up the rope. He grasped her wrist and gently pulled her up to him, hooking his arm in the rope to stabilize himself while he helped her. As soon as she was beside him, he grinned at her, proud that she had come so far despite her uneasiness.

"See? Not so bad." Kasim said. "You keep going. I'll be right behind you. I promise, I won't let you fall."

Despite every instinct and really who she was, when Kasim grabbed her hand to help her up the rigging and practically flung herself into his grip, trembling slightly as she looked down at the water far, far below.

When he told her to go on ahead, she quickly tried to school any of the fear out of her expression. "Right. Of course."

You'd better not let me fall, or your crew will be watching me pick you out of my teeth. She kept that particular thought to herself and kept climbing, brow set with determination.

Kasim smiled, knowing that she was quite irate with him. He would be too, if someone had dragged him into something that frightened him and then encouraged him to keep going. But he meant what he'd said; he wouldn't let her fall. So as she climbed, so did he, behind her and close enough that he could catch her if she slipped or seemed like she was going to fall. He would catch her and keep her steady and safe until she could regain her grip.

Finally, they reached the crow's nest, and Kasim followed her through the opening into the round basket made of solid wood and netting. Once there, Kasim nodded to the lookout, and the boy quickly left them, sliding down the ropes with envious ease.

Alone with Morgana, he picked up a rope and tied it around her waist. "This is so you don't get tossed out if the ship hits a rough patch of water or gets broadsided by a wave."

Finishing tying the knot and showing her how to release the knot and tie it back on herself, Kasim wrapped another rope around his own waist to hold him in place. Then he stepped to the edge of the basket, gripped it with his hands, and stared out over the night-lit waters, smiling.

"Look around." he said. "This is my world. There's no where else I'd rather be, than out on the open water, under the stars and moon."

Morana held very still as Kasim tied the rope around her waist, not quite sure how she felt about him being so close to her when she was decidedly not in control of the situation.

She did her best not to let that show in her face, and tossed her hair when he backed away, fiddling idly with the knot. Her head tilted slightly as he stood at the edge of the basket, and after a long moment of consideration she moved forward to stand beside him.

"It's lovely," she admitted quietly after a long moment, looking out over the water. Glancing at him sidelong, she added slowly, "But...don't you ever wish you could experience just that? Just sea and stars, for miles. No ship. No crew. Just...open water. Silver moonlight."

He smiled at her, his head canting to one side. "I have, once. Before I had this ship and before I had this crew. But I was alone. And being alone was a terrible thing, because I had no one I could trust, no one I could turn to. I was on my own. I don't know a single person alive who could go through life without some kind of connection to another being."

Kasim looked out onto the rippling, dark waters, watching the waves roll under the moonlight. His smile became more melancholy, and he seemed to become sad. He certainly didn't seem to have qualms about revealing his emotions and thoughts to Morgana, nor did he seem to want to hide anything from her. He wanted her to trust him, even a little bit, despite knowing she could turn on him at any second and devour him.

"I..." Kasim started. He paused, just breathing for a moment, and then he started again. "I was on my own at a young age. I had thought I knew the world, that I knew what I was going to face, that I could handle it with vim and vigor and grace and skill. I was wrong. I was terribly wrong. But I learned the lessons life taught me, and became what life shaped me to be. That doesn't mean I'm not still learning, because I am. But there are answers I have now that I didn't have before, and answers I can give when questions are asked about my future."

He turned his attention to her. "I don't know much about sirens, nor much about you. But, Morgana, do you actually like being alone?"

Her mouth opened, an automatic answer on the tip of her tongue. "Of course--"

The siren paused. Her brow furrowed. Slowly, she looked out over the ocean, lips pursed. Carefully, almost hesitantly, she spoke again. "I do not...dislike it. Being alone. Most of my kind do better on our own, until we find our lifemate." She shrugged, bracing her hands against the edge of the crows' nest and leaning into it slightly. "I sometimes find others, sisters in song. We can travel together for a while. Sing, hunt, laugh, play, protect one another. But sirens are not meant to be together. Not those of my line anyway."

She shrugged again and closed her eyes, just focusing on the feeling of the wind on her face.

Kasim smiled a little and watched her as she spoke. When she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to feel the wind, he turned his attention back to the ocean. "No one can really go through life alone," he said softly, "even if we find ourselves alone for the majority of life. But I would think that it would be incredibly hard to be by yourself all the time, with no one and nothing to talk to. Perhaps it's different for you, but I think most humans would go mad."

He leaned back against the center pole in the crow's nest, sinking down to sit against it, and then cast his gaze toward the starry night sky, tracking their progress by the light of the stars.

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my crew. They're my family. Like you and your sisters, we rely on each other for laughter, for playing, and for protection. If I didn't have them, I probably wouldn't even be alive today. They go along with my insanity, but if they think it's dangerous or that we shouldn't be doing it, they dig their heels in. Nothing I could say or do would change their minds. Most of my crew is older and more experienced than I am, so... there are times I just have to defer to them."

He fell quiet, his eyes still on the skies above. After a moment, he turned his gaze to Morgana again, an easy smile on his face. "Perhaps you just haven't found the place you're meant to be yet."

Morgana glanced at him, turning his words over in her mind. Rather abruptly, she twisted to pull down her sleeve, baring her shoulder and showing the vicious scar that ravaged the back of it, usually hidden by her hair. It...almost looked like a bite mark.

"I got that from my younger sister when I entered her territory without permission," she explained calmly. She twisted again, baring her waist to reveal another scar that dragged down her ribs and over her hip, this one distinctly made by claws. Claws like her own. "That one is from another siren I used to sing with. We fought over prey. I won, but she left her mark."

She sat beside him against the mast, tipping her head back to look at the stars. "My body is littered with these scars, Bold One. And I do not begrudge a single one of them. There are as many different kinds of merfolk as there are landwalkers, but my sisters-- those of my line by blood and by magic-- we are not like others, as I understand it. We are proud, and vicious, and beautiful."

She tilted her head to smile at him gently. "Our lifemates are the only ones we can be close to, really. All others...well. Eventually a fight will arise." She shrugged. "I love my sisters, and I can spend almost a full month with some of them. But I am under no illusions about just who and what I am."

"I see."

Kasim fell silent for a while, his eyes having trailed over her scars with appreciation and understanding. He had scars as well, though he wasn't about to show them all to her. And, moreover, most of his scars weren't on his body but on his soul. After a moment of thinking, Kasim shifted and turned his back to her, lifting his shirt so she could see the white stripes that criss-crossed his back.

"My father gave me these. Where I come from, the manner in which I was born made me a bastard. I had no standing. Still don't. He allowed me to learn how to become a merchant on his ship, and how to care for a ship, but if I did something he didn't like, he'd take out his whip. Or he'd have someone else do it."

He dropped his shirt and turned to look back at her. "Even if we end up fighting, Morgana, I gave you my word that I wouldn't hurt you, and no one on my crew would hurt you. And no one is keeping you here, either. You can leave at any time you wish. It'd be disappointing, don't get me wrong, but I'd deal with it."

Morgana looked away, expression unreadable. "You landwalkers are strange," she decided after several long moments.

With a sharp breath she got to her feet, moving to stand at the edge of the crow's nest again and leaning as far out as she could comfortably manage. She closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air.

Kasim laughed. "I suppose we are. But then, from our perspective, the denizens of the oceans are just as strange."

He watched her, content to let her do as she pleased. So long as she didn't suddenly decide to fall out of the crow's nest or decide to attempt to fly. His gaze turned up to the stars then, able to tell where the ship was going just based on those fiery lights alone.

"We are different from each other," he said somewhat absently, "but we have more in common than each of our kinds care to think."

"Mmm?" The siren glanced back over her shoulder at him. "You think so? In what way?"

There was a hint of amusement to her tone. She found this sailor quaint, in a way, and while she wasn't sure she would put any stock in what he said, she was still curious.

"Oh, well," Kasim shrugged. "We both have loyalty to family, in certain ways. We both love our families, whether they're our blood or they're chosen by us. We both have honor. We both have likes and dislikes. We are violently passionate and passionately violent. We fight, we heal, we care, and we live as best we can."

He met her eyes, smiling at her. Kasim hadn't moved from where he sat, his form shadowed by the basket of the crow's nest and yet illuminated by the light of the stars and moon. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and yet his face was completely serious as he spoke.

"The obvious aside, what makes you think we're completely different from each other?" he asked. "What makes you think that we can't find any common ground between us? Certainly we have before, else you wouldn't be here and I'd be your meal."

Ah. She supposed he had her there.

"You may have a point," Morgana conceded with a nod in his direction. "I won't say it is impossible to find common ground between us." Her lips quirked up on one side in amusement. "But...what was it you said? violently passionate and passionately violent?" She tilted her head. "What makes you think those traits will not cause a conflict between us?"

"Oh, they very well might," Kasim said, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "Or they may be what allow us to find that common ground. But if we have conflict between us, Morgana, I would hope that we could discuss our differences and come to a reasonable decision that benefits the both of us. I kind of like living, and I don't really want stories told about how I ended up in the belly of a siren because I irritated her."

He smiled at her, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. "But I'm not one to just allow stuff to happen, Morgana. I'm going to fight, and I will fight to survive. That's why humans fight in the first place, after all. It isn't to win. It's to survive. And, as I'm sure you can agree, surviving is what we both want to do."

He surged to his feet, but he didn't approach her, didn't crowd her, and did his best to remain as non-threatening as possible. His eyes were deadly serious as he met hers, but his expression was calm and relaxed. "And I made you a promise, remember? I promised you that I wouldn't let any harm come to you, whether from myself, from my crew, or this mad venture we've embarked on together. I don't go back on my word. I'm asking for your trust, Morgana. If you cannot give me that, then we will never get anywhere, and suspicion and fear will drive us until we finally, inevitably, attack one another."

Kasim's expression became more pleasant then, and his eyes once more grew warm. "And I don't particularly want to do that. I'm pretty sure you can kick my ass, and then you'd snack on it."

The siren watched him placidly all the while, but for those who knew the language of a predator it was clear that she hadn't truly let down her guard.

Still, when he finished speaking she just shrugged and looked out over the ocean again. A part of her was genuinely fascinated by the view, the reflection of the stars on the water, the way the swells lapped against the hull of the ship.

But she would never admit that, of course.

"Well of course I could defeat you," she replied blithely with a short toss of her hair. "But I gave my word as well. I will not harm you or your crew, so long as no attempt to harm me is made. Beyond that...I suppose we'll just have to see, won't we?"

She could defeat him, eh? Kasim wasn't too sure about that, but he wasn't going to say that. He didn't want to inadvertently turn her against him, after all. He needed her amulet until it was clear that its purpose had been served, and if he had to be honest with himself, he enjoyed having her as company. She had a view of the world that wasn't one Kasim was used to, and he wanted to learn more about it.

But he hadn't forgotten that she was a siren, and she could leave the ship at any time she pleased. She didn't need a port of call to disembark the ship, after all. So long as she had the ocean surrounding her, she was more at home here than he was.

"I suppose we will." Kasim shrugged and smiled. "Right now, we just have to focus on getting to our destination and safely as possible and make sure nothing terrible befalls us in the meantime. After that, well, will come after that."

He started for the edge of the crow's nest where they had climbed in. "Shall we go down, now? We could bother Cook and see if he'll give us something to eat."

"Mm." Morgana pulled her eyes away from the horizon. "I suppose we should." She shrugged. "I'm not terribly hungry though, I ate just yesterday."

She pushed herself away from the edge of the crows' nest. "I won't object to a descent though. And I'm sure you have work to be doing. You can't simply entertain me all this while, Captain."

"I suppose you're right, but I can try, now can't I?" Kasim grinned at her, then shifted to offer her his hand.

He untied the rope from around both their waists and carefully guided her back over the crow's nest and down onto the netting, then shifted to follow her. Once down safely upon the deck, he gestured.

"Go ahead, make the ship your home. Explore it to your heart's content. If you need me, I'll be at the helm."

The siren paused a moment, then nodded. "I will. Thank you, Captain."

She smiled slightly, keeping her teeth covered, then turned to make her way out over the deck, following along the rail of the ship.

It was...strange, to see the ocean from above. She paused near the bow, looking out over the water placidly.

Kasim watched her go, even as he headed toward the helm, taking back the wheel from his crew member. The woman stood beside him for some time, her arms folded over her chest in a way he knew didn't bode well for him. He just wasn't sure if she were about to cuff him or lecture him, so he settled for giving her an arch look.

"I am the captain of this ship, right?" he asked her, earning a sharp scowl in return. "So I can do what I want, right?"

"You're the captain and you can do what you want," the woman replied slowly, "but you're still young enough that I can take you over my knee and paddle your behind until you can't sit for a week. Are you sure you can trust her?"

"I can trust her to be what she is," Kasim replied, his eyes focusing on Morgana at the bow of the ship, "and I can trust that she'll defend herself if she has to."

"That's not what I mean."

Kasim lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "It doesn't matter now, does it? She's here, we're on our way, and she's our guest, not a prisoner or a pet or anything else. She's free to come and go as she pleases."

The woman was silent for a moment, and then her eyes focused on a figure emerging from belowdecks, a figure that was completely out of place on the ship, dressed in fine robes of silk and adorned in jewels and pearls. Her lip curled in disgust at the sight of the man, but he didn't seem to take notice of her or her captain. So she looked to Kasim and made a sharp gesture instead of speaking.

Kasim nodded, his own face an emotionless mask. The woman by his side would keep an eye on the merchant and Morgana for him, in case the man took a rather inappropriate liking to their new beautiful guest. If the man wanted to be an idiot and take on a Siren, then Morgana could eat him for all Kasim cared. Kasim wouldn't interfere and neither would any of his crew, unless, of course, Morgana decided to have dessert. He knew she wouldn't appreciate any form of rescue, and he'd already warned her about their unwanted guest. As much as he didn't want blood spilled on the deck of his ship, Kasim knew better than to get between a Siren and what she wanted.

Morgana froze, sensing the tension on the ship as this new human came up from belowdecks. She eyed him warily, though she didn't move from her spot by the rail.

She knew these humans were wary of her, she could practically smell it on them. Best not to make any sudden moves for the moment...

The man was Essyrni by birth, with sun-kissed skin and black hair under a turban. His robes were of the finest materials of silk and satin, and jewels encrusted his fingers and ears. Even the belt holding closed his inner robe was inlaid with precious jewels. The fortune such as he wore could feed a village for years, and everyone on board - including the man himself - knew it. Kasim had hated him on sight, but the man hadn't given up the parchment bearing the map without assurances that he would be spared, and if he wasn't allowed to take a portion of the treasure for himself, then he would ensure that Kasim and his crew would be arrested at the next port they put in to. If he died, he claimed that there was a contingency in place to ensure that his killer would be found, even if his body wasn't, and his killer - or killers - would be brought to swift justice. Kasim wasn't sure if he believed the man, but he didn't want to risk it.

He didn't want to risk it if only because, if Kasim chose to toss the man overboard for a long swim to the bottom of the ocean, the man would be tossed naked into the water, and his expensive clothes and jewels would be sold. And those expensive clothes and jewels would be recognized, unless Kasim tried to sell them in a place where he wouldn't get the proper value for them.

The man stalked closer to Morgana, studying her with the same intensity a hawk might study a mouse. He took in her hair, the shape of her face, the shape of her body, the texture of her skin. Everything that made up the Siren, he studied. Except he didn't understand Morgana's true nature, and that would be his downfall.

Kasim wondered if he should stop the man from poking Morgana's temper. Except if Morgana was the one who ended him, then his threats wouldn't hold substance, would they?

"So," said the man, his voice carrying back to Kasim as he addressed Morgana, "what's such a beautiful treasure doing in an awful place like this?"

The siren tilted her head with a slow smirk, staring at the man through half-lidded eyes. "Treasure?"

She laughed, giving a little toss of her hair that sent the silver cascade rippling down her body, drawing attention to the curves of her form. "That is a word I have heard much in these last few hours. I wonder if any of you truly knows what it means?"

The merchant laughed. "Aren't you a clever girl with words?" He approached her slowly, as one might do to a strange dog. His eyes roamed her form, from head to toe and back again, lingering here and there. "There are all kinds of treasures in this world. Physical treasures, spiritual treasures, mental treasures. It all depends on the meaning to the individual."

He stopped within arm's reach of her, his lips curling in a toothy smile. "And I think you're quite the treasure. You're beautiful, a sight to behold after being surrounded by these... urchins... for so long. Truly the gods smile upon me to gift me with such a vision."

He took her hand then, lifted it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Pleased I am to meet you."

Oh, this was just too good.

Morgana smiled, careful to keep her sharp teeth covered as she did. She allowed the merchant to hold her hand longer than she would have normally, tilting her head and letting her eyes flutter to half-mast.

"A reciprocal sentiment, I assure you," she murmured. Nodding her head gently, she practically purred, "My name is Morgana. Who, exactly, are you?"

He was smitten with her, that much was clear. Kasim narrowed his eyes as he watched the exchange, wondering if he should intervene. He knew if he did, though, it might just be worth his life. Morgana could take care of herself, and it wasn't like they were anything to each other. She held the key to his treasure, that was all. Besides that, she wasn't some helpless damsel who needed rescuing from every situation she found herself in. She wouldn't appreciate being treated as such, especially when she possessed the ability and wherewithal to defend her own person and her own interests. If she didn't like where this was heading, Kasim figured she'd just eat the man.

The man, who knew nothing of what the captain was thinking, merely smiled again and pressed his lips to her knuckles again before releasing her hand.

"Morgana." The merchant laughed. "What a beautiful name. It suits a beautiful lady such as yourself. I am Raman Adyiih, merchant prince of a small town you've probably never heard of, but in my country, I'm quite famous. What brings you onto this ship of ruffians and brutes? I dare say, they didn't capture you, did they? I can't believe someone like you would be part of a crew such as this."

"Why thank you, sir. You're too kind." Morgana tilted her head again, a briefest flash of danger behind her eyes. "And I appreciate your concern, but I am no captive. I was..." She considered, then settled on, "Stranded, you might say. The captain happened upon me and offered a ride. How could I refuse?"

She chuckled quietly, silver in her voice. "And what exactly brings you here? If you think so little of them, I am surprised that this crew has not simply...left you somewhere."

"Ah, well, that is quite a story."

He approached her, though he was careful to keep at least a proper amount of distance between them, although it was clear he was eyeing her from head to toe and back again, and lingering on certain assets that Morgana possessed. He was quite careful not to do anything that might give her offense, and he smiled at her as if he was happy to indulge her with a tale.

"This captain, as you call him, attacked my ship. He plundered it and killed my crew. If it weren't for the fact that I possessed something he wanted, I might not be alive today." He winked at her, as if he had some grand plan that he was holding onto. "In my travels I came across a treasure map. And I traded this map for my life, and insisted upon being there for its discovery. After all, I deserve it, do I not?"

He shifted to look at the wheel, where Kasim stood watching the exchange. Raman lifted a brow in response to the boy's stare and flashed a bit of his teeth, as if he were enjoying his victory over the captain. Then he turned his attention back to Morgana. "And therefore, here I am. I intend to get my just desserts. If the captain decided to throw me overboard, then he'd never be able to figure out his map, now would he? And if he just left me somewhere, why, I'd ensure that he'd never be able to put in to dock again. I'd ensure that he'd never be able to show his face in populated lands or in any city without a price on his head. I intend to get what I'm due, one way or another."

"A map?" She widened her eyes and leaned forward, casting a glance back over her shoulder as though worried they might be overheard. "A treasure map? My, that is interesting! Are you quite sure that's what it is?"

It was easy enough to tilt her head so she was looking up at him through thick white lashes, leaning forward artfully against the rail so that her new garments clung to her frame. It was just too easy, it almost wasn't fun.

Almost. 

The man grinned, moving closer to Morgana. He wasn't shy about letting his eyes roam her form in the least, ranging from head to toe and back again, lingering on choice spots that would have any other woman blushing and turning from him in shame. That she did not, especially when he was being so obvious about it, made Raman eager to impress her. Clearly the brat captain of this leaky vessel had no claim on this woman, or if he did, he hadn't bothered to take it yet, and so he was free to pursue her as he pleased. She also seemed quite interested in him and in what he had to say, which was something he didn't get from the women on this boat, the few that there were. They looked at him like he was dirt caked on the bottom of their naked feet, but this one, this beauty right here, she clung to his every word with interest. And her beauty certainly helped.

"Oh, I'm quite sure." Raman replied, giving Morgana a conspiratorial wink. "Otherwise the captain would have fed me to the sharks as he did the rest of my crew."

Kasim rolled his eyes and glanced back at the table beside the helm where the treasure map was laid out with his marks from Morgana's necklace. It was true that they'd dumped the dead overboard - why let them rot and bloat in the sun when the denizens of the deep could use the easy meal? - but the rest of the crew that had surrendered had remained on the ship and had sailed it home. It was only this fool who'd elected to stay with the map, claiming that the only way they could find the treasure was if he was with them.

Perhaps Kasim had been a little hasty in his decision. He usually was, when it came to adventure and the chance of seeing and experiencing something he might not ever see or experience in his life. But a promise was a promise and Kasim had promised. Never before had he gone back on his word, even when every fiber in his being screamed for him to, and he wasn't about to start now.

Raman, for his part, was skillfully ignoring the captain, all his attention on the white-haired beauty before him. He had launched into the story of how this dreaded pirate and his crew had attacked his merchant vessel, how they had boarded and killed his crew, and had plundered through his merchandise and riches that he'd worked so hard for until they'd found the map. "At the time, I thought it was just some old mariner's fantasy," Raman said, tapping the side of his nose and grinning, "but I realized that the treasure had to exist. And so I convinced the captain to spare the rest of my crew, and myself, and that I would give him the treasure map only if he split the treasure with me, so that I could recoup my losses. It was only fair."

He reached out then and stroked Morgana's shoulder, his teeth bright in the moonlight as he smiled. "And it seems I have no reason to regret my decision any longer, for you have appeared before my eyes, a veritable goddess."

The siren glanced to her shoulder where his fingers skimmed over her skin. "A goddess, am I?" she mused, her lips twitched up on one side in a small, crooked smile. She looked back to Raman, her dark eyes reflecting the starlight like a calm ocean. Her smile inched its way toward a smirk. "I suppose that means I must find a proper place for mere mortals to pay me worship."

She winked, and turned with a whirl of silver hair, picking her way delicately back across the deck toward the helm. As she left him, she added playfully over her shoulder, "You should come find my new temple once I've established it. Perhaps then I will put you on your knees."

Eyes forward again, she had to raise a hand to hide a laugh. Stars, humans are just so easy. Men in particular, at least in her experience.

As she approached the wheel she raised a hand in greeting to Kasim, stepping up to look over the map he'd laid out. Her fingers drifted down to stroke the amulet beneath the collar of her shirt. "How attached are you to the pompous treasure-hunter?" she asked blithely, tilting her head at the captain.

Kasim nodded to Morgana as she approached, taking one hand off the helm to let it fall idle by his side. He watched Raman stare after her, but to the merchant's credit, he didn't run after her like Kasim thought he would. Perhaps he was smarter than he seemed. Or perhaps he didn't want to get close to Kasim. Either way, he was out of earshot of their conversation and couldn't approach without them seeing him do so. Anything Kasim might say to Morgana about Raman would quickly become something different, or he would fall silent. Or Kasim might just continue speaking, because it was clear, at least to the merchant and the crew, that the captain didn't like the man at all, and if it weren't for a promise made, Kasim would have dropped Raman into the ocean or would have left him marooned on some forsaken island in the middle of nowhere.

Kasim's eyes dropped to Morgana's hidden amulet as she caressed it, then raised his eyes to hers. He canted his head to the side slightly, then lifted his shoulders. "How attached would you like me to be? On a scale of 'can I live without it', it'd be a definite and resounding 'yes'. But I'm a man of my word, you know. I swore I'd leave him alive and give him a portion of the treasure, if treasure there is, in return for the map. But if you really feel like you need to snack on his liver, I can pretend I hear and see nothing."

Kasim turned back to the helm and returned his hand to the wheel, gripping the wood until his knuckles turned white. Then he relaxed and angled his head upward to look at the stars for a while before he looked back at Morgana. "Believe me, none of us will be put out if he suddenly went missing." He gave her a smirk. "But he might give you indigestion."

The siren chuckled, a little surprised that he'd managed to get such a reaction before. "Fair enough," she murmured, brushing a lock of hair back behind one finned ear. Her eyes were still flickering over the map, a strangely open curiosity glittering in their depths.

"I've no intention of eating him for the moment," she told Kasim after a brief lull. "But he is rather...grating. If my needs are not met in other ways, he will be the first on the menu." She tilted her head, finally raising her eyes to meet the captain's. "I tell you as a courtesy, you understand, yes?"

Kasim felt a brief flash of disappointment that she wasn't going to eat the merchant in that moment. To be fair, he actually didn't want to see her chow down on a man's tender meaty bits, nor did he want to hear it, so he decided her choice was prudent. Or, really, and perhaps more in keeping with her nature, she simply wasn't hungry. Kasim could understand that. Besides, he meant it when he'd told her the merchant might give her indigestion. The man was barely palatable on an 'on sight' basis; Kasim couldn't even begin to imagine what Raman might do if he were to become someone's meal. That wasn't a fate he'd wish on anyone, let alone Morgana.

"Believe me, you're not the first to feel that way about that bastard and you aren't going to be the last." Kasim said. "That rat-faced jerk just has an uncanny ability of rubbing everyone the wrong way but being polite about it. That's the worst; when they're polite about making you feel uncomfortable, and they do it in a way that makes you feel uncertain about how you should make them stop, because outwardly, it isn't like they're being rude."

He shifted to take the helm with just one hand while he stood closer to the map to check his coordinates and match them with what he'd seen in the stars. Then he returned to his two-handed grip on the helm and carefully made an adjustment, subtlety changing their course so that they were now following a more easterly heading and taking advantage of the gentle breeze that filled the sails.

Kasim gave Morgana a glancing look, catching the way she eyed the map before focusing on him. "If you'd like, I can teach you how to read a map. This one, in particular. And show you how the stars help me navigate at night. When the sun rises, I'll be retiring to get some sleep. You're free to do whatever you please, you know. Except eating me. And my crew. But-" Kasim held up a finger, as if to make a point, "-even if your needs are being met, you could eat him anyway."

Kasim said this in an off-hand tone that he hoped she took to mean he was joking but in reality, the captain was completely serious. "And I understand that you're telling me as a courtesy, Morgana. Thank you for that. But unless he suddenly gets tossed overboard or we maroon him on some uncharted, unnamed island, you'd probably be my first guess as to where he's gone."

The siren chuckled quietly and tilted her head at Kasim. "Darling, I know very well how to read the stars," she assured him with a quick, sharp smile. "Though I don't suppose I'd say no to this more...conventional method of navigation." She tapped three sharp nails against the map, the barest webbing between her fingers that remained from her change still visible.

She turned away from the helm and moved toward the deck rail, looking out over the water again in silence. Almost to herself, she asked, "How much do you know about sirens? Beyond stories that sailors tell one another."

Kasim watched her move, his eyes moving from the lines of her body to her face. He took in her expression and decided that it seemed almost melancholy. As if she were suffering from a profound loneliness that was inescapable, no matter how many others she surrounded herself with. He remembered that she'd told him the life of a siren was a lonely one, unless she chose to be around another. But eventually even that relationship would sour, and one siren would drive the other off.

Or kill her.

Kasim couldn't put human aspects to the life of a very non-human being. No matter how Morgana looked at the moment, she wasn't human. She could never be human. She was a daughter of the sea, not a child of the land, and to forget that fact - which could be easily done, considering Morgana acted very much human - would mean the life of him and his crew. He couldn't treat her as he would a human girl, which, admittedly, he'd probably been doing since he'd met her, despite knowing what she was and what she could do. If she wanted to, Morgana could turn on him and devour his innards before he'd even had a chance to scream. To think that he could overpower her, that he could defeat her, was foolish and stupid. He respected her, and had to respect her power, her nature, and everything that made Morgana Morgana.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but see the human aspects in her actions and words, in the way she carried and held herself. She might not be human, Kasim knew, but that didn't mean she was some sort of soulless monster bent on survival alone.

Finally, Kasim said, "Beyond those stories, what I've observed with my own two eyes, and what you've told me? Not much that wouldn't make your lip curl in disgust or laugh out loud at the audacity and ridiculousness of it."

He turned to face her, one hand on the helm to keep the ship steady. "It isn't like I've had much opportunity to talk with a siren. Humans tend to try and steer clear of most dangers. Call it survival, I guess. I'm the idiot who runs toward the danger, rather than away from it."

"Oh, but sirens don't have to be dangerous," Morgana laughed, and it was unclear if the glint in her eyes was playful or malicious. "We are just as likely to guide a lost ship into safer waters as we are to lure them off course. A sailor who comes across one of my sister may find that she takes a fancy to him and will choose him for a mate rather than a meal."

She shrugged and tilted her head to the side, her hair rippling down her back. "A man once described me as a shark with a pretty face. I suppose he was right, in a way-- a shark only hunts when he is hungry, otherwise they are quite peaceful creatures, content to live and let live." Her eyes flickered back to Kasim for a moment, the barest flicker of a smile curving her lips. "Humans just tend to get...shall we say jumpy when they realize that they are also a viable food source."

She pushed away from the rail and crossed back to the helm, trailing her fingers lightly, curiously, over the polished wood of the ship's wheel. "But we are more than sharks, in some ways. Less, in others, I suppose. But we do read the stars. We have done so from time immemorial. Legend says that the oldest of my foremothers were the ones who taught human sailors to do the same. We read the wind and the tide, the sun's position in the sky-- we were the first to do so."

Morgana lifted those jet black eyes to his face, expression inscrutable. "You offered to teach me, Kasim. To read your map, to travel the sea as you do. I tell you things so that you know I do not need your tutelage. At least, not in this."

The smallest ripple of expression passed over her face. Something a little like curiosity, perhaps. "But...I believe I can learn from you, and your crew. Just what I will learn I am not yet sure. But it is the possibility that keeps me here."

"Humans always react badly when they find themselves on the menu," Kasim quipped, his eyes never leaving Morgana's face. He watched her move form the rail and cross towards him, his eyes on her fingers as they caressed the wood of the wheel and then stopped, frozen, upon the glossy wood. Then his eyes met hers, and held them, captivated by her expression. "Humans tend to act badly when they find themselves in a position that isn't in their favor, as well. Although when that happens, they tend to be more sneaky in their dealings with the one who has them in that position, and they try to ensure that they'll come out on top, no matter what happens."

He studied her for a moment then, his eyes roaming over her face as if committing all her features to his memory. He studied her dark eyes, the expression they now held, that small flicker of curiosity and perhaps consternation that there was something she might not know. He wasn't sure. He certainly wasn't going to ask or call her out on it. Instead, Kasim turned toward the wheel and focused on the horizon.

"Well, whatever you want to learn from me, Morgana," Kasim said, "I'll be more than happy to teach you. So will the crew, if you ask nicely and promise not to eat them. And just so you know, one doesn't learn if one doesn't ask, so... I appreciate you telling me things, Morgana. I really do."

Kasim looked toward the map and smiled softly. "Reading a map isn't difficult. And sailing isn't difficult. There's just a lot of work that goes into it."

Morgana smiled, flashing fangs, but for the first time it seemed that the expression was not meant to be a threat. She stepped closer to Kasim and reached up to trail her fingers across his cheek, almost with the same mixture of curiosity and wistfulness with which she'd stroked the helm.

"What need have I of maps when I have the stars?" she murmured, dark eyes holding his gaze. "What use is a ship to me, when the sea itself is my home? No, bold one." She let her fingertips trail to his jaw, claws just barely scraping against his skin. "No. I have no need for knowledge of these things."

His hand drifted to his neck, eyes flickering down to watch the pulse of his throat. She stared for several long moments, eyes suddenly flat and pitiless. A predator.

Then she suddenly stepped away, smiling again. "But I think I shall let you teach me anyway."

With a soft dip of her head, she turned and glided away back over the deck, trailing one hand along the rail as she looked out over the sea.

Kasim couldn't help the shiver that sped down his spine as she touched him. The sensation of her claws - deadly things, those - scraping against his skin with the same kind of gentleness a lover might caress him with made him both terrified and incredibly curious about what it would be like to be with her in that capacity. He wouldn't dare pitch the invitation to her; he liked living too much, and he had promised her that he'd treat her with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity. She was a guest aboard his ship, not some idle amusement. He listened to her speak, trying to focus on her words rather than her actions. When he saw her eyes drop to his throat, he realized that she was considering closing the distance between him and her, and it wasn't to give him a kiss.

She was considering tearing his throat out and watching his blood pulse out onto the deck of his ship.

Then Morgana pulled back, as if she had suddenly remembered that she was going to let him amuse her, not be her dinner. Kasim didn't answer her as she slipped away over the deck, following the rail and her attention out to sea.

He lifted his hand and placed it to his throat, as if to check and see if his heart was still beating. He could feel the steady ba-thump ba-thump under the palm of his hand, and he didn't feel any wetness that could indicate she'd slit his throat when he was too mesmerized by her predatory stare to notice.

He needed to get some rest if he was going to deal with Morgana.

Kasim watched her go, though, studying every line of her body and committing to memory that, while he could treat her like a human girl and assume things about her as if she were human, she wasn't. He would have to tread carefully.

So he would have to find something to teach her that she didn't already know. But in order to do that, he would have to talk with her, and he no longer felt quite stable enough to do so.

Kasim let out a sharp whistle then, high-pitched and quick. Up from belowdecks came a man a little older than Kasim himself, but more weathered and beaten. He joined Kasim at the helm and gave the younger man a two-fingered salute, then reached for the wheel. Kasim lightly touched his shoulder.

"Try not to let Morgana throw you one," Kasim said, keeping his voice low. He tilted his head to indicate the silver-haired beauty wandering the rail. "We don't want her deciding that she wants to eat your liver."

"Gotcha, Cap'n." the man said, his eyes focusing on Morgana before drifting to the dark sea beyond.

Kasim clapped him on the shoulder, then headed down belowdecks to his room. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him, then threw himself onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow.

Morgana was content to roam the deck the rest of the night, giving Kasim's crew cursory nods or-- rarely-- a smile, but otherwise mostly keeping to herself.

She kept turning the captain's reactions to her over in her mind. A small smirk slipped across her lips and she chuckled quietly, pausing near the bow of the ship to lean out over the rail and feel the wind stroking against her face, the spray of the water so far below reminding her of just where and what she was.

Bold one, she'd called him, and despite the fear she could practically smell from him with her claws at his throat, she thought it fit. Humans were curious creatures, even some of the ones she saw more as food than as potential entertainment. Kasim and his crew her curious in a...a new way, and that was rather exciting. Enticing, almost.

It seemed this would be a very interesting trip. Morgana closed her eyes as she leaned further out over the rail, one hand reaching up to caress her fingertips over the amulet that rested just below her collar.

Most of the crew gave Morgana as wide a berth as they could without seeming rude. Word spread quickly among those who were just waking up to take their shifts from those who were going to bed to beware the beautiful jewel their captain seemed to have picked up. Give her respect, they said. Don't do anything you don't want to be eaten for. And if Raman got eaten, well... turn a blind eye.

Kasim eventually woke as well, feeling well-rested and ready to see what the day held in store for him. The sun was already halfway through its morning rise when he rolled out of bed and dressed, heading for the deck of the ship. His bare feet were silent against the wood as he walked the length of the rail, breathing deep of the wind as it washed in from the sea and closing his eyes to bask in the warmth of the sun. Then he turned to find Morgana, wondering if she had gotten any sleep during the night. Odd hours weren't unusual to him, and he doubted they were to her. But everything needed to sleep, he knew. Even sirens.

As it happened, Morgana did not sleep that night. Something about the energy on board this ship kept her up, helped her buzz with light and life as she wandered the upper decks, acclimating herself to the dip and sway of the ship beneath her feet.

Strange, to be a part of the ocean and yet still so distinctly not. It was fascinating, in a way.

By the time dawn came, she had managed to learn how to climb the rigging, and was perched quite happily on the boom, her feet drawn up and her knees pressed to her chest as she looked out over the ocean.

The crew left her alone, and she returned the favor, simply hovering like a ghost above the deck as life pattered on below her.

Kasim tilted his head back so he could see her sitting upon the boom, shielding his eyes from the morning sun with his hand. He smiled, glad that she'd been able to figure out how to climb the rigging with the gentle swaying of the ship and had found somewhere she could sit comfortably without being in anyone's way. Or in anyone's line of sight. There was something about her that set his crew on edge, and it wasn't just because she was a siren. He recognized the danger she possessed, the danger she was, but with his usual tact, Kasim threw himself at the danger without much regard for himself. He liked seeing whether or not the world would catch him if he jumped toward the unknown without looking to see what was beneath his feet. His mother often told him he'd be killed by his own hand rather than anyone else's. Kasim just laughed her off, but somewhere deep inside, he knew that it would undoubtably be true.

The god of death was a fickle bastard. The more you tried to find him, the less he showed himself. It was only when one stopped looking for death that death found them.

Kasim contemplated the wisdom of climbing the rigging himself to join Morgana, but then decided that he'd just call up to her. He didn't want to disturb her personal space if he could keep from it, and he wasn't sure if she would welcome his presence so close this early in the morning.

"Morgana!" Kasim called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Would you like some breakfast?"

The siren pulled her eyes away from the horizon to look down at him, her expression distant and almost confused for a few moments before she seemed to really hear his question.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose that would be acceptable." With the same ease possessed by one who had grown up on the buck and sway of a ship, she got to her feet and tripped lightly to the end of the boom, then swung her way down through the rigging to land lightly on the deck.

"Am I to eat with the crew? Or did you finally tire of that painted pigeon bellow deck?" she asked with a crooked smile. She seemed to be joking, but considering her naturally rather sardonic tone it was...perhaps unclear.

Kasim watched as she clambered down with more grace and ease than he'd ever seen anyone move, even the performers that he'd seen as a child. When she reached him, he gave her a slight smile and moved to lead her back into the ship, toward the galley. "I mean, if you want to eat him, please feel free. Just don't let anyone see you. As for eating with the crew, I suppose that's a given, but they follow their own rhythms, like the sea. So we might have the place to ourselves, other than the cook, of course."

He climbed down the stairs into the ship's hull, then turned to wait for her. When she reached him, he smiled, and led her down the hall to the ship's kitchen. There, the wide room was filled with six small tables with benches, and at the far end was a galley kitchen, where there was a fire burning in a small hearth behind a long, low counter. Behind that counter also stood a rather rotund man, stirring a pot that was hanging on a hook over that fire. Beside him was a small boy sitting on a low stool, carefully peeling potatoes and dropping them in a bucket of brine.

Kasim gestured to a table. "Go ahead. Have a seat. I'll get us something."

Morgana sat as he indicated, peering around the galley curiously all the while. She had, if not met, at least seen most of the crew by this point, but the cook was a stranger to her, and she gave him that efficient, calculating look with which she seemed to size everyone up upon first meeting them.

Her attention gradually turned to the boy, head tilting as she watched him work.

"How old is the youngling?" she asked abruptly. It wasn't entirely clear just who she was asking-- Kasim or the cook might have been a good bet, but her eyes never moved from the boy.

Kasim retrieved bowls for them and held them out to the cook to fill with some hot stew, the soup loaded with badly cut vegetables and meat. He brought the bowls back over to Morgana and set one in front of her, along with a carved wooden spoon. At her question, Kasim looked over to the boy and gave a brief smile.

"Him? Probably about six or seven." Kasim answered. "Picked him up not long ago. He was in a bad way. Still doesn't talk much, so don't feel bad if he doesn't look at you or say anything to you. He's still warming up to most of us."

He turned his attention to his bowl and picked up his own spoon, using it to stir the contents of his bowl around a little to dissipate the heat. "Most of my crew are made up of those who don't have family, who have no place else to go, or who simply want to escape their past lives. Everyone's got a different story, and on this ship, I don't press for everyone's tale. All I care about is that I can trust them to watch my back as I watch theirs."

Six or seven? By human standards, she thought that was rather young. Almost absentmindedly, Morgana scooped up a spoon of the soup and swallowed it quickly, hardly seeming to care for the near scalding temperature.

"Humans do no keep their young in the nest then?" she asked after a few moments. Aside from the map itself and perhaps the pompous nobleman, the child seemed to hold more interest for her than almost anything else on the ship. "Your kind must be hardier than I thought, if the younglings may fend for themselves so soon."

"Oh, most humans keep their young for a long time." Kasim answered. "But things happen - the parents are killed and the children are forced to survive on their own, or the parents are slaves, and the children are slaves themselves, chattel to be sold and bought as whim dictates, parents are cruel to the children so the children run away." He shrugged. "Humans are a resilient race. We will do anything to survive, and survival doesn't have an age in which it begins."

He turned his head to follow Morgana's gaze to the boy, who seemed absorbed in his task of peeling potato after potato, his knife moving with extreme care through the potato's skin. It was a slower pace than Kasim knew Cook liked, but Cook hadn't yet reprimanded the boy or urged him to move faster, so Kasim wasn't going to say anything either. He might be captain of the ship, but the galley was Cook's domain, and if Kasim wanted to keep eating, he knew well enough to keep his mouth shut.

"That boy was little more than skin and bones when I came across him," Kasim said, his voice low. "He was starving. He'd been wounded, perhaps physically, but definitely in his heart. He didn't trust. It was like trying to tame a wild animal. But I made him an offer, and he accepted it."

Kasim watched the boy, though, his chin propped on his fist. The boy had put on weight, and he'd become a little more trusting, but he still hadn't spoken, and he still hadn't told anyone his name. The only one he tolerated being around was Cook, and sometimes Kasim, but only at a respectful distance. Kasim angled his head to look toward Morgana, watching her watch the boy. If anything, she was the more fascinating one to watch.

"Hmm..."

Quite abruptly, Morgana got to her feet and moved away from the table, crossing to stand before the Cook and the cabin boy. Moving slowly, as though she was approaching a wild animal that she didn't want to startle, she knelt to bring herself on the child's level and tilted her head at him curiously.

A hint of a smile curved at her lips, a real, genuine smile, nothing like the mysterious beckoning or wry smirks she had shown Kasim and the rest of his crew. Keeping her voice low and even, she murmured, "Hello, youngling."

It was not difficult to thread just the barest hint of magic into her voice-- not enough to bewitch or beguile, just enough to lower one's defenses, to plant the idea in their head that the person that voiced belonged to was safe.

Kasim shifted in his seat as Morgana abruptly rose, reacting to her sudden movement with a defensive move of his own. But when she didn't come flying toward him ready to tear out his throat, he blinked in confusion. It was a short-lived feeling as he saw her head toward Cook and the boy, but he was out of his seat in a heartbeat and a half step behind Morgana. When she stopped and knelt before the boy, Kasim froze, his hand going up to stop Cook from doing something stupid.

The boy paused in cutting the skin off his potato and lifted his head to look straight into Morgana's eyes. What was written there on the boy's face, even Kasim couldn't fathom. It looked as if the boy had seen the one thing in the world he desired most, and yet still couldn't trust that it was right there in front of him. The boy's head tilted up and back until Kasim found himself looking into those haunted, terrified eyes of the boy.

Kasim smiled, a gentle thing that was more encouraging than anything else, and dipped his head once in a nod. If Morgana had wanted to hurt the boy, she would have done so already, and there would have been nothing Kasim or Cook could do to stop her. But there was something about her demeanor, something about the way Morgana held herself to the boy's level, that made her seem less threatening than she really was.

Slowly, the boy's lips parted and he croaked out a greeting in a voice rusty from disuse. "Hello," his eyes darted toward Kasim again, who mouthed Morgana, "Mor... Morgana."

She smiled again, dark eyes glittering almost fondly. She tilted her head at the boy and asked evenly, "Do you like it here?"

Children were honest, when they could be. It seemed she had just inadvertently stumbled upon the perfect test of these sailors' character, and she wasn't going to pass the chance up.

The boy leaned back from Morgana, uncertain about her. To Kasim, he saw the boy's action for what it was - wariness born from betrayal by adults, and perhaps a little fear of the unknown creature in front of him - and he wondered if the kid was going to be fine talking with Morgana. He didn't want to interfere, knowing Morgana wouldn't hurt the child. The boy ducked his head and stared at the potato in his hands, his tiny fingers rubbing the skin of the tuber as if it could bring him some comfort.

Finally, the boy said, "Yeah."

There was a heartbeat of silence before the boy raised his head and looked at Morgana, offering her a small smile that showed missing teeth. "Yeah. I like it. I can eat whatever I want. I can sleep whenever I want. I'm too little for most stuff, but everyone teaches me. They don't yell at me when I wanna do something. At least..." he fell quiet and his cheeks stained pink, his eyes drifting to Kasim for a moment. "At least when I won't get hurt."

Morgana hummed softly in the back of her throat, the barest thread of magic once more working its way into the sound: meant to soothe, to calm and comfort.

"Good," she murmured, and reached out slowly, carefully, to smooth the boy's head back from his forehead. A bit startlingly perhaps, she leaned in to press a soft kiss to his forehead. Invisible to the human eye, a spark of magic jumped from her lips and sank beneath his skin-- poor protection, all things considered, but all that she could do for now.

At least if the child somehow fell overboard, he need not fear drowning, for a time.

Abruptly, the siren got to her feet again. With another small smile for the boy, she murmured, "Blessed be, little one," then turned and made her way back toward the upper deck, her swaying movements almost ethereal.

The boy flinched when she kissed his forehead, his eyes closing tight and his shoulders jumping up toward his ears. When she pulled away, the boy cracked open one eye and lifted his hand to rub at his forehead, uncertain of what just happened. Both Kasim and Cook stared at the boy, unsure of what they were expecting.

Then Kasim's attention was drawn to Morgana as she rose and flowed away from the small gathering, heading back to the upper deck. Kasim watched her sway, his lips curling into a slight frown. He let her go, turning back to the boy, who was looking up at him with a stricken look. Kasim moved to crouch in front of the boy and lifted his hand to lightly push back the boy's hair to reveal his forehead.

"Nope." Kasim said with a smile. "Nothing there. She didn't drool on you."

"But... people always drool when they kiss." the boy protested, still shocked. Out of the corner of his eye, Kasim saw Cook's lips twitch as he fought to keep from smiling. The boy touched his forehead in wonder.

"Apparently not all people," Kasim replied, rising. "What do you think of her?"

"She didn't drool. She's nice." The boy said, his tone a little subdued. He kicked his little feet, then picked up another potato and rolled it over in his hands. "Is she staying?"

"For the time being, I think so." Kasim winked at the boy. "Make sure dinner is something special for her, eh?"

The boy smiled shyly. "Okay."

Nodding, Kasim moved back to the table to grab their bowls and followed after Morgana. When he caught up to her, he offered her the bowl she'd been eating from. "I wasn't sure if you were still hungry, and I consider it an insult to eat in front of people if I'm the only one eating something."

Morgana glanced at Kasim for a moment, considering, then nodded and took the offered bowl. She wasn't actually hungry-- she'd had quite a large meal just before the captain had found her, after all-- but she didn't see the need to reject what was clearly an attempt to be polite or friendly out of hand.

Strange, that. Normally such a notion wouldn't bother her, but considering the current situation...perhaps she would do well to attempt to ingratiate herself to Kasim somewhat, even in the odd ways that humans did.

"Thank you." She nodded to him once before turning to continue on her way, gliding gracefully over the deck, adjusting easily to the pitch and rock of the ship beneath her feet as she moved toward the outer rail.

Kasim studied Morgana for a while, carefully spooning his meal into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. She was an enigma, certainly. A puzzle to figure out. A puzzle with teeth. And since Kasim didn't want to have his throat ripped out and his innards feasted upon, he knew he had to tread carefully around her.

"He's hoping you'll stay, you know," Kasim called after her, his eyes upon the glowing waters as he followed almost languidly behind her. "You're one of the only people who's ever been kind to him in his lifetime, the crew of this ship notwithstanding."

Kasim scraped his bowl clean, then lifted it to his mouth to lick up the remnants that his spoon couldn't quite reach. It was completely inappropriate and inhuman and impolite, but he didn't think Morgana would care. He knew better than to waste food, even if it didn't seem like it was wasting. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and offered Morgana an impish smile.

"Feel free to do whatever you want today. We'll be doing our own stuff, too."

Then he turned to head back belowdecks to return his bowl and spoon to the kitchen, reemerging onto the deck to head to the helm and take back over. The rest of the crew went about their day as usual - washing the deck, mending torn sails, coiling rope, and otherwise maintaining the ship - though they were always polite to Morgana when they came across her, and never once complained about her being in their way, whether she was or not.

Morgana inclined her head once, almost regally, in recognition of Kasim's words, but otherwise she offered no reaction.

He's hoping you'll stay.

Would she? For how long? She at least planned to see through this intrigue with Kasim's map and her pilfered amulet. Her fingers moved up to trace the edges of the pendant as she thought of it; it was oddly soothing, the repetitive motion of her fingers against the metal, feeling the way the silver warmed to her touch.

She meandered her way about the deck, easily sidestepping sailors as they went about their duties, though she would occasionally nod in response to their greetings. She eventually found herself on the bow of the ship, arms folded over the rail as she leaned out into the sea wind, eyes closed.

The sea was calling her. She had just over a day left before she needed to return, even briefly, but the pull of the water below was strong. She swayed just slightly over the rail, leaning out as far as she reasonably could without risking unintentionally plunging into the ocean.

Kasim, for his part, mostly ignored Morgana while she wandered the deck. The crew, taking the hint from their captain, gave her mostly a wide but respectable berth, treating her like an honored guest instead of a pest, which they considered their truly unwanted guest and made it quite clear when he came above deck and wandered around. They didn't do anything ostensibly evil to him, of course, but the crew kept their distance and Kasim, for his part, watched the merchant like a hawk.

They continued to sail for some time, with nothing but the sunlit sky above them and the azure sea gently rolling beneath and around them. The occasional breeze that blew over the deck brought the smell of saltwater, and Kasim closed his eyes and breathed deep of it. When he opened them, he stared out on the horizon, watching as the waves glittered in the sunlight, waiting for the call of land or something else equally interesting.

He looked down at the map and the lines he'd drawn on it, thanks to Morgana's pendant. Judging by where they were, even in this landmark-less expanse, Kasim figured they probably had another day or three before they were able to see anything resembling a destination. He would check the stars tonight, he decided, and make sure that they were still on the right course. It would be foolish to have come this far and not make sure they were on the proper course. They had limited supplies, after all. Even if they were able to fish for food as they traveled, they would still need fresh water, and for that, they needed to find an island or coastline that offered a river or spring.

He looked up from the map toward Morgana, watching her sway along the rail. She was leaning out quite far, but she seemed to have a steady hold of herself. He frowned, studying her. Perhaps they would drop anchor tonight. If they did, everyone could rest a little and Morgana could do whatever it was she needed to do.

The siren rather abruptly turned from the bow and made her way back around the edge of the deck, one hand resting lightly on the rail all the while as her eyes remained on the swells of water surrounding them.

What exactly was she doing here?

Morgana sighed and found her hand moving up to the pendant once again, fingertips tracing softly over the metal. Her face rather suddenly set in a frown and she turned to make her way back toward the captain.

"What will you do with it?" she asked sharply once she was within earshot of Kasim. "This treasure. You have said why you want it, but you have not said what will be done with it."

Kasim watched the siren approach, noting her stride and the seriousness with which she stepped. He admired her long strides, her confidence and the rigidness with which she held her body, and he could tell before she even reached him that she intended to speak with him. And that whatever it was that she wished to speak about was something serious, and he ought not joke with her, nor even try to give her a hint of a lie. She wanted a straightforward answer, and it would be worth Kasim's life if he didn't give her what she wanted.

Morgana had shown him that quick enough during their first meeting, and Kasim didn't think he'd read her wrong. Of course, he knew the old adage about assuming, and while he could be an ass on the best of days, he certainly didn't want those best days being his last days.

He lifted an eyebrow at her question. What did he want to do with the treasure? Why did he have to answer that? Wasn't it obvious? Hadn't the sailors she'd tempted into her lair to be her dinner regale her with stories of their great exploits? Hadn't she learned what humans do with treasures that they had obtained? Of course, she was asking him, and not anyone else, and what he wanted to do with the treasure was certainly far different from what anyone else would do with the treasure.

"Well," Kasim began, speaking slowly as he ordered his thoughts, "I supposed it depends on what the treasure is, exactly. Because it could be gold, silver, jewels, silk, a magical item, or any number of expensive and wondrous things. Or it could be just an old pot, or an oil lamp, or a batt of wool." He shrugged. "One man's treasure is another man's trash. It's all in how you look at it, I suppose. But no matter what it is, the treasure will be split equally between myself and my crew, and you, if you wish for a share, and even that bastard in all the finery. Then you can do whatever you want with it."

He caught himself then with a soft breath, and after a second's hesitation, continued, "As for me, my portion will go back into the ship." He reached out and patted the wheel. "It's expensive keeping her seaworthy. Barnacles have to be scraped off her hull, her sails need to be repaired, and sometimes planks need to be replaced. And any frayed ropes need to be replaced as well. If there's anything left over from that, then food, potable water, wine, beer. Staples that won't go bad on long journeys. And if I have anything left from that," Kasim trailed off, turning his head to look out over the dimpled water, watching it glitter in the light. "If I have anything left over, I give it away to those who need it more than myself."

"Mm." The siren looked away again. There was the barest hint of tension released from her shoulders--evidently she was satisfied with his answer. She didn't say anything else though, simply turned to rest her palms against the upper deck rail and leaned out slightly, as she had when she was standing at the bow.

"There is an awful lot of effort humans seem to exert in an effort to exist where they are not meant to be," she noted almost blithely into the sudden quiet. "Have you ever considered that perhaps your kind was simply not meant to live upon the sea?"

"It's been my experience that my kind," Kasim began, his voice as dry as the salted pork in the hold, "do a lot of things that they aren't "meant" to do."

He took a moment to consult the map, then made a slight adjustment to their course, glancing toward the sky as if to confirm that his slight adjustment was correct. Then he returned his attention to Morgana, studying her with dark eyes that held no light, no amusement, just a full serious expression. He wasn't angry with her, nor was he upset. But he knew that her words were spoken with a serious gravity, and he was respecting them as such.

"But then, if we all did what we were "meant" to do, the world would be a boring place, wouldn't it?" Kasim continued. "You and your sisters would never know what it was like to meet a human, to learn from them, to be with them. You wouldn't know anything about the land that begins at the shores of the oceans. People wouldn't live, learn, and grow. People would stagnate. And not just humans, but all the peoples that exist in this world, both above the water and below it."

He fell quiet for a moment, ordering his thoughts before he continued on to answer the question she had really asked. Finally, Kasim began speaking again, his words measured and careful. "As for whether or not I've ever considered that humans aren't supposed to live upon the sea, not really. I've grown up on the sea. She is as much my home as she is my parent. I may not understand all of her quirks, her moods, but I know when she's upset, when she's happy, when she's sad. I know when it's a good day to sail, when we should find a sheltered cove and drop anchor for a few hours or a few days. I respect her, and I know that if she so chooses, she could destroy me." He lifted his shoulders. "It isn't something I consciously think about, but I know what awaits me. I don't know when it'll come, and I prefer that, but that's what makes life worth living. The not knowing."

Kasim turned his eyes away from Morgana then, back onto the waves of the glittering sapphire waters. He smiled, some warmth returning to his eyes. "And whether I really do belong upon the sea or not doesn't really matter, does it?"

Morgana blinked at him. "Have I offended you?" she asked, rather blandly, as though she was simply observing. There was perhaps the barest flicker of interest behind her eyes however, slightly belying the even tone.

She looked away again. "I did not mean my words to be an insult to your species, bold one. If anything, I...am impressed," she admitted, almost reluctant, after a long moment. "It is a very...human trait, I suppose. To never be quite content unless you are turning the laws of our world inside out."

"Insult me?" Kasim shrugged. He didn't honestly know how to respond to her. Yes, he did feel insulted, but that was only his own emotions getting the better of him. He couldn't judge her by human standards for she wasn't human. "I guess, a little. But it's not like I can't understand where you're coming from. And for me to feel insulted by your words is a little foolish, I think."

He looked toward the wheel, studying the grains of wood along its polished surface. "Humans are... one of the most amazing and the most dangerous and most stupid species to exist. We're never satisfied with what we have and always want more, but when we get that more, we regret it. We never appreciate what we have until it's gone."

Kasim raised his eyes to the sky and smiled. "Maybe that's why I do what I do, I don't know. I rarely have reason to do much of anything, other than because I want to. So long as I'm alive, I can learn and grow and become something I wasn't yesterday."

Finally he looked at her, his smile still in place and finally reaching his eyes, making them light up as if there were an inner fire contained inside them. "Besides, life would be dreadfully boring if we all did what we were meant to do, don't you think?"

The siren stared at him in silence for several long moments-- so long, in fact, that it began to be unclear if she intended to respond at all.

When she did, it was perhaps the least expected response she could have given: "I think my sister would like speaking with you, bold one," she mused lightly, tilting her head at him like a curious bird of prey.

"Your sister, huh?" Kasim frowned slightly, studying Morgana for a minute. "You sure you wanna share, just like that?" He shook his head. "Well, whatever. Just so long as she doesn't decide to do... you know... anything untoward."

He returned to the wheel and reached to take hold of it. His fingers had just closed around one of the spokes when a sharp whistle rang out from the crow's nest. Kasim immediately jerked his head up, his gaze focusing on the young man in the basket atop the mast. The young man was leaning partway out of the basket, keeping his grip on the rim and saved from tumbling out only because of the rope tied tightly around his waist. His arm was pointing straight out toward the left, using his spyglass to indicate something behind their ship. Kasim felt his heart begin to pound, knowing there were few things that could have his lookout give a signal whistle. Rarely would anyone charged with lookout duty give a false alarm, so Kasim immediately had shifted to survival mode, his hand tightening on the wheel as he waited for the lookout's clarification.

"Captain!" the young man shouted, his voice causing everyone above deck to stop what they were doing and turn to face the crow's nest. "Colors of the port side!"

Kasim quickly spun about and searched the horizon in the direction his lookout was pointing, but he couldn't see anything for the longest time. But then he saw it, a silhouette far off to their left and gaining fast. Kasim twisted at the waist to grab his own spyglass, extending it quickly and putting it to his eye. Magnified, he saw the ship - a large galleon meant for battle, slow but efficient - quickly closing the distance between them, having gained the advantage by coming up on their blind side. He directed the spyglass toward the highest point on the largest mast of the ship, focusing on the colors flapping in the wind above the half-full sails. A large black flag snapped back and forth, folding onto itself and out again. Kasim was able to make out a white stylized skull and crossbones on the otherwise black field. The skull was wearing a tricorn hat and had fangs where its canines were supposed to be.

"Shit!"

Kasim didn't need to scan the deck of the galleon to know that it was full of men who were armed to teeth for a takeover. The flag flying proud told him everything he needed to know, mostly because he recognized it. While Kasim dabbled in piracy himself, he made a point of avoiding the territories and preferred prey of other pirates. He held true the Pirate's Code of Honor, and for that, most other pirates that sailed these seas left him alone. Others would make an exploratory pass by his smaller ship, causing Kasim to offer to pay tribute to the larger ship's captain to preserve the integrity of his own crew and his ship. But there were a few who didn't care. A few who were only out for themselves and had various shades of honor that were always skewed in their favor. And this was one of them. One Kasim had insulted before, but hadn't believed the man would take such offense as to attack him so blatantly.

Of course, he wasn't sure that his enemy knew who he was yet. There was one way to find out.

"Raise colors!" Kasim shouted, his voice booming out loud with authority. "I want those bastards to know we're not afraid of them!" He didn't bother to look to see if his orders were being followed. He knew they would be, the moment he shouted them. Within minutes his ship's flag, a dark blue trident on a grey field, was snapping in the wind above their heads. He lifted the spyglass again, focusing on the deck of the ship. "What are you going to do now, eh?"

His answer came when the sails unfurled to their full length, bowing out as they filled with the wind. He saw the shadows of cannons as they were pushed out portholes, and knew there was no escaping. They'd lost that chance before they'd even known they'd had it.

Kasim cursed again and snapped the spyglass closed, turning his attention to Morgana. His eyes burned with a strange fire, and his face seemed to lose its boyish charm, becoming dangerous.

"Morgana, I won't ask you to fight for us. And I won't hold it against you if you abandon ship to save yourself, either." Kasim's voice was hard, and held a razor sharp edge. "But if you stay, you might get involved in this, and this doesn't concern you."

Then his attention was off her and given to his crew. "All hands to stations! Full sail! Let's try to outrun these bastards!"

There was a raucous cheer from the men and women on the deck.

And a heartbeat later there was a flurry of activity as they armed themselves, pulled the long guns into place and began to load them, and sent the sails snapping out to full to catch the wind. Kasim spun the wheel to change course, using the wind and his smaller ship to advantage. Yet he knew, somehow, it wasn't going to make much of a difference.

And it didn't.

But his quick movement of changing his ship's course prevented that first cannonball from ripping a hole into the hull of his ship.

Morgana chuckled to herself at Kasim's response. "My sister is...unorthodox, for our kind," she murmured, the barest hint of something like a fond smile on her lips. "I highly doubt she would attempt to take what is mine. She's never had much backbone. No, bold one, I do truly think she would simply enjoy speaking with you..."

The words were barely out of her mouth when the whistle sounded from the crow's nest. The siren suddenly snapped to attention, feeling the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

She may be new to the workings of the ship, but she could sense approaching danger as well as any other creature of the hunt.

There was a flurry of movement and shouting, and try as she might she couldn't quite track it all, did not entirely understand what was happening. She did see the approaching ship, and her lips curled back in a silent snarl as the other vessel grew ever nearer.

Hunters.

Humans could call themselves "pirates" all they wanted, but she knew the difference.

She spared just a glance for Kasim when he warned her what was coming. Her eyes had gone flat and dark, that glimmer of starlight in their depths utterly hidden behind a shark's cold stare. Her hands braced against the rail of the upper deck, claws digging almost half an inch into the wood as a growl rose in her chest, her whole body leaning slightly toward the other ship as though subject to a magnetic pull.

Her mind was racing. She could... She could actually do something, but it was risky. Not to herself, of course, but to Kasim and his people.

To her surprise, that actually mattered to her. Just a bit.

"Kasim." She turned to face him, mouth drawn in a tight line. "Tell your crew to remember what they love. What the sea can never give them. Tell them to hold the thought tight-- or they may be lost."

She hesitated a moment, actually hesitated, then very abruptly wrapped her fingers around his upper arm and jerked him toward her, pressing his chest against hers and sealing her lips to his in a brief but fierce kiss.

That should be enough for now. Kasim and the cabin boy, at least, would be safe from the siren's song. For a time. If the captain did as she suggested, and the crew were strong enough of will, they should also be able to fight off the spell of her voice.

She supposed it would have to be enough.

Breaking away from Kasim, she smiled slightly and lifted a hand to cup his cheek, the touch surprisingly gentle considering what her sharp nails had just done to the railing. Then, without a word, she turned and sprinted to the side of the ship, shedding her borrowed clothes as she did.

With an easy grace that belied the sudden tension in her chest, she threw herself over the port rail, toward the approaching ship, and her body entered the water in a graceful arc with barely a splash to mark her passing.

When she said his name, Kasim was about to tell her to find somewhere better than on deck to stand if she wasn't going to get involved, but the words died in his throat as he felt her lips press against his. His brain fizzled to a stop as he felt her soft flesh against his own, her body pressed against his in all the right ways. He stared, wide-eyed, even as she pulled away from him and started toward the rail of the ship.

When his brain caught up to his eyes, Kasim started to shout for her to wait, but she was already gone by then, sliding smoothly into the water and vanishing beneath the rolling waves. Cursing, Kasim turned to his crew and quickly relayed the siren's orders. Then, he added a few of his own.

"Get those sails down and pray to the gods of the wind to give us some speed!" he shouted. "Tie yourselves to the rails, to the mast, to the cannons, and plug your ears with whatever you can!"

There were a few questions, but Kasim flung his hand in the air and cut them off midsentence. His crew quieted instantly, knowing their captain wouldn't shout out random orders just to please himself, and there had to be an explanation for it. So they obeyed, as fast as they could. Kasim took his own advice, tying himself to the post the wheel was on, and ripped fabric from the cuffs of his pants to stuff in his ears. He didn't know what Morgana was planning, or what she was going to do, but he wasn't going to ignore her warning.

Even with the cloth stuffed in his ears, Kasim still heard the cries of his crew and the distant boom of the cannon from the other ship, and he spun the wheel, trying avoid the cannonball roaring in for them. He managed to avoid it, but only glancing; the iron ball crashed into the railing near the fore of the ship but missed tearing a hole through the hull. Kasim cursed and looked toward the sails, seeing them filled with wind and stretched taut. But it wasn't enough. It wouldn't be enough.

Kasim looked behind him to look for Morgana, to try and find where she was, but all he saw was the wake of his own ship, the wings of water flying from the front of the galleon, and the looming shadow of battle.

Once she was in the water the siren was quick to be about her work. She cut through the waves like an arrow from a bow, easily covering the distance between the two ships in a matter of moments. Her long, sinuous black tail flickered, breaking the surface in an arc for just an instant before she dove down, curving up under the galleon to surface on the far side.

She looked up to the enemy ship and saw one of the sailors had caught sight of her, his eyes going wide and his mouth opening as he raised a finger to point, seemingly trying to grab for the shoulder of the woman beside him.

Morgana smiled. Her scales glinted as she swished her tail back and forth to keep her head and shoulders above water and began to sing. It was a wordless melody that dipped and wove and spiraled through the air, haunting an ethereal. The music wrapped around the startled sailor and she saw his jaw go slack, eyes glazing over.

Perfect.

Hoping that Kasim and his crew had done what she'd said, she raised her voice slightly and poured an extra thread of magic into her voice, then another, and another. At least half a dozen humans on the deck of the ship had gone still now, just listening. Slowly, they staggered, turned, and began to move for the rail of the ship.

Even through the cotton stuffed in his ears, Kasim could hear her voice. It was haunting and lilting, beautiful and terrifying. It called to a part of his soul that wanted nothing more than to obey, but somehow even that part of his soul resisted. He didn't know how or why that was, but he wasn't going to argue. He looked over his crew, seeing that some were clinging to the railing as if their lives depended on it, their eyes screwed shut and their teeth bared in grimaces he'd never seen before, and others were being kept from diving into the ocean by the ropes tied around their waists, keeping them to the ship. They were getting further away from both Morgana and the other ship, for the wind kept blowing hard enough to fill the sails and push them along, but the notes of the siren's voice reached across that distance, even when her voice began to fade.

Kasim dared to look back to see the other ship slowing, watching its sailors wobble toward the railing, ready to throw themselves over and give themselves up to the woman singing above the bobbing water.

And then -

A loud thunder, coming from the fore of the ship, and a cloud rising into the air.

"Morgana!" Kasim screamed. "Get away!"

He didn't know if she'd heard him - they were too far away from each other for his voice to carry, he was sure - and he didn't know if his shout had come too late. All he knew was that there was a cannonball heading right toward her, and he saw the great fan of water that erupted as the iron ball hit the water. The men that had been under her spell seemed to recover then, their heads turning to angle back toward the back deck, where their captain no doubt stood. Then he saw movement as the men on the galleon started moving almost frantically, and Kasim cursed as he saw the twin wings of water from the bow of the ship increase in size.

He prayed that Morgana was all right, that she'd managed to dodge the cannonball, but he couldn't spare a thought to her right now. He turned his attention back to his own ship, willing her to move as fast as she could. He heard the thunder of the cannons again, and flinched as a wave of salty water crashed over him. Kasim spun the wheel, clenching his teeth as hard as he dared. On the open waters, there was no way he could outrun their pursuit. If there were islands or something of the sort, he could take the channels between and potentially lose the galleon among the chaos. Instead, he needed to rely on his ship's agility, the wind, and, eventually, his own strength of arms.

He glanced back behind them and cursed again. "We're gonna have to take a stand, one way or another..."

The siren dove, just barely in time to avoid the cannonball as it crashed into the water.

Though she didn't manage to avoid it completely. The iron ball clipped her tail as she dove under and she felt something crack.

Morgana screamed, the sound almost more of shock than it was pain. With her magic still heavy in her voice, the scream carried, slicing through the water and echoing up through the hulls of both ships. She clenched her teeth and hissed, curving in on herself, before forcing her injured tail to work and propelling herself further under the water, diving down down down into the safety of the darkness.

Kasim spun the wheel, managing to avoid another volley of cannonballs. Few hit close to his ship, driving great wings of water high into the sky. His crew shouted and cursed, rushing to ensure that their cannons were locked into place and loaded. As soon as they were, Kasim prayed to every god and goddess he knew, hoping hey would listen, and then cut the wheel hard, forcing his ship to turn as much as it could as suddenly as it could. It put them directly in the path of the galleon for a split second, but that was all they needed.

"Fire!" Kasim screamed.

Before the last syllable was even out of his mouth, the cannons on his ship barked and spat fire, and twin cannonballs sliced through the air. A shower of wood burst into the air as the cannonballs impacted, and then Kasim and his crew were out of ramming range, their smaller ship easily avoiding the galleon as it tore through the water toward them.

Kasim looked up onto the galleon's deck as they passed each other, the larger ship trying to turn to catch up to the smaller, and saw looks of anger and hate on the faces of the sailors. They hadn't been expecting his move, and so hadn't been able to prepare a boarding party. But Kasim knew they'd be more prepared next time, and even as Kasim's crew reloaded their cannons and prepared to fire the second set, he could see men preparing to swing across the distance between them and board.

Morgana had nearly reached the seafloor as the battle raged between the two ships above her. Her tail was stiff, every movement painful. And a slow, creeping panic had begun to crawl its way into her heart.

A siren who couldn't swim was, quite literally, dead in the water.

I have to get back up. She didn't have a choice; she could die down here, or take a chance that Kasim's crew would win the battle and she could take refuge for the three days she'd be allowed her legs.

...Fuck.

Gritting her teeth, Morgana forced her tail to move, just the barest flicker back and forth through the water; she had to rely mostly on her arms and webbed hands to stroke toward the surface--much faster than any human would have been capable of, though still painfully slow for what she was used to.

She felt the ship tremble in the water above her just as she reached the underside of the hull and she flinched back, then hissed in pain. Slowly, painfully slowly, she sank her nails into the wood and managed to drag herself up the side of the ship until she reached the rail, then dragged herself through a gap in two beams, collapsing onto her side with a shallow gasp.

Her scales shimmered, shifted, and liquefied, pattering away into salt water that soaked the deck beneath her.

With a tiny whimper, the siren curled in on herself. From her left hip and stretching down her thigh a massive, mottled bruise was blooming over her skin. She could feel bones shifting and crunching unpleasantly and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she fought the urge to cry out again.

Kasim cut the wheel again in order to throw his ship out of range of the ropes that swung across the gap between the two ships, but he was too slow. He heard the thuds as heavy bodies landed on the deck of his ship and heard the cries of his men as they engaged in battle with their enemy. Kasim lurched away from the wheel seconds before another man landed on the deck nearby, putting distance between him and the newcomer.

Kasim fell into a crouch and drew his scimitar from its sheath at the same time, facing his enemy. The man was tall, taller than Kasim, and broader. His body rippled with muscles, gained from fighting the sea his entire life. His hair was salt and pepper and a thick beard made stiff by the sea's salt covered his face. A scar lined the man's face from left temple to right jaw, a scar Kasim knew well.

He'd put it there, after all.

Seder loomed over Kasim, his own massive scimitar drawn and ready for use. His lips split into a wide grin, insanity clear in his eyes, tinged with hate. Kasim didn't bother to exchange words with the older man; he simply engaged him in combat.

Their swords clashed with a terrible clamor, and Kasim found himself sliding back across his deck as Seder's sheer physical strength overpowered him. He shifted his weight and attacked again, this time going for a piercing thrust that would have sliced a deep line in Seder's waist if the man hadn't moved quickly to avoid it. As it was, Kasim still scored first blood, but the larger man quickly scored the second blow, cutting Kasim's shoulder when the young man couldn't evade fast enough. Kasim cursed and backed away, sparing a glance at the battle raging on deck. Blood was quickly soaking into the wood, both from his crew and the enemy's, and it looked like his side was coming out on top. It was one thing to fight to defend themselves; another to fight to defend their home.

Kasim focused on Seder again and bared his teeth in a growl, but he still spoke no words. There didn't need to be an exchange of meaningless prattle between the two of them; each knew that this time only one would walk away.

Kasim charged again, slashing left and right with his scimitar and finding himself blocked each time. He parried and Seder counterattacked, their blades flashing in the sunlight. How many blows they exchanged, Kasim didn't know, but then a loud report sounded in the air, and the deck beneath his feet shuddered as a cannonball from the galleon tore a hole in the side of his ship, and he heard screams from those below. Incensed, Kasim attacked harder, driving Seder back to the rail, but instead of going over, the man braced himself against the thick wood and lashed out with his leg, catching Kasim in the ribs and sending him flying down the short staircase to the larger deck.

"I once told you that you would bend the knee to me, boy," Seder growled, his deep voice ringing in Kasim's ears like thunder. "I once told you that I would take your head from your shoulders."

Kasim spat out blood and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing hold of another sword's hilt and pulling it free from the wood it had been lodged in. He set his stance, balanced for a two-handed sword style. It was one he hadn't used in some time, and one he used only when he was desperate to survive. And since he could feel that Seder was here to kill him and send him to the briny deep, he knew he needed to pull out all the stops to survive. He sent a prayer to any god who would listen, then charged Seder, blades flashing in the sunlight.

Morgana could do little more than lurch sideways behind a barrel on deck as the two ships' crews crashed together. Gritting her teeth against the pain, the siren dared to peer out around the edge of her rather pathetic hiding spot as individual battles raged across the deck.

She couldn't do anything. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly helpless.

No.

The siren narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. No. No, she would not wait here, naked and hurting and afraid. She would not sit and wait for the fate of the battle around her to be decided. No no no no no!

Gripping the rail behind her, Morgana forced herself to her feet with a wordless scream. The sound echoed out away from her, reverberating through the air in a way that no human voice could or should. For a moment those fighting closest to her froze, sensing the unspoken command in the magic of her voice: Stop, surrender, lay down arms.

It didn't last long, but it bought her enough time to stagger toward the upper deck, toward the wheel of the ship. Pain shocked through her body with every step, pulsing up her leg and into her shattered hip. She was panting after only a few steps, clutching desperately at the rail as her eyes flickered, near frantic, over the scene in front of her.

"I once told you that you would bend the knee to me, boy."

"I once told you that I would take your head from your shoulders."

No. I will not let you take him. Kasim was hers now, she had marked him. From the captain to the cabin boy, every last soul on this ship was hers, and generations of instinct overrode whatever caution she held.

"NO!"

Moving almost entirely on instinct, Morgana threw herself forward into the enemy captain's back, screaming again as her body protested with another thunderous pulse of agony.

"NO!"

Kasim jerked as he heard that cry, recognizing the voice immediately. He was torn between feeling relieved that she was alive and she was unharmed and feeling shocked that she was suddenly launching herself onto Seder, grabbing onto his back with such savagery Kasim had never seen before. Before he could cry out to keep her back, Morgana was already on Seder, making the man stagger forward under her sudden weight. But her attack wasn't successful.

Seder grabbed her by her hair and swung her around before him, grabbing her throat and lifting her up into the air. Seder grinned, leveling his sword at Morgana's belly, his eyes on Kasim.

"Is this your woman, boy?" Seder growled, casting a lecherous eye over Morgana. "She's absolutely stunning. I wouldn't mind taking this piece for myself."

Kasim froze, his position tense and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. "I wouldn't say such things about her," he replied, his voice tight. "She bites."

Kasim wasn't sure how to proceed at the moment, but his mind was racing. With the sword held to Morgana's belly, he couldn't attack without risking her life. But Seder would choke the life out of her if Kasim gave him the chance, and it would all be to get back at him. If Kasim moved too soon, Morgana was dead. If he moved too slow, Morgana was dead. What was he going to do?

Morgana choked, gasping for air. Pain flared from her hip, shooting down her leg and up to her ribs now, which hadn't hurt before. Wonderful. She must have made it worse.

Sharp teeth bared, she locked her eyes on the enemy captain's and clutched at his wrist wrapped around her throat. Her claws dug into the skin and she twisted, gouging at his tendons. She felt his grip loosen automatically and she writhed in a desperate effort to free herself.

She managed to get her feet on the ground before Seder's instincts kicked in and he thrust forward with the blade. The siren twisted, but the sword still cut a long, deep gash along her side. She cried out and staggered back, managing a few steps before her wounded leg gave out and she collapsed again, panting raggedly.

Her vision flickered. She thought she saw the stranger moving, or maybe it was Kasim? They were just shapes and colors now, blurry and jumbled.

Kasim saw the blood fountain from the siren's side and everything in his mind shut down. Doors slammed on his emotions, his fears, his wants, his desires, his hopes and dreams. Locks clicked into place, leaving only pure instinct and animal strength. Was he human in that moment? He didn't know. He didn't care. All he saw was blood and all he heard was Morgana's scream. His muscles bunched, tensed, and then-

He launched forward faster than he could remember ever moved in his life.

His blades were a silvery flash as he swung them toward Seder, and the surprise was palpable in the air when the man barely moved his own blade in time to block. The rapport of their clashing blades echoed across the deck, but Kasim could only hear the blood pounding in his own ears. His muscles strained against Seder's superior physical strength, but his agility and speed allowed him to swing his sword quickly enough that the enemy captain was forced to go on the defensive. Kasim seemed to know where to place his feet and where to strike without even thinking, the dance of blades around him completely ignored as he forced the other man to give way and retreat. He scored the first blood as his sword bit into Seder's side and drew a deep red line in the man's waist.

Kasim didn't stop after that. He pressed his advantage, his two blades flashing through the air with a force and intensity that he'd never used against someone like Seder before. This wasn't how he was - a killing machine that looked only for survival, not winning - but this was what he became when the lives he promised to protect were in danger.

He was a monster.

He was a killer.

The world was bleached of all color, of all happiness, of all sadness.

It simply was what it was. Kasim didn't need any of those things to do what he needed to do to survive.

Her vision flickered, almost failing. Try as she might, it was all Morgana could do to keep herself conscious, one forearm braced against the deck as she struggled to push herself up, skin made slippery by the ever-widening pool of blood that had began to form beneath her.

The clang of steel against steel was almost louder than the weakening drum of her own heartbeat. She tried desperately to focus on the fight, but her vision had begun to fade to black around the edges, red spots dancing before her eyes. She shook her head and gritted her teeth with a low snarl, trying to drag herself further back, out of the way.

Another flare of pain, this time from the fresh wound in her side, and the world went black around her for a long, terrifying moment. She gasped, curling her uninjured leg toward her chest, and felt what little strength remained in her arm give way. She collapsed, and her head smacked against the wood of the deck.

Darkness.

Kasim paid no attention to the plight of Morgana, for all his attention was focused on his opponent. Beating him. Making him regret attacking. Killing him. Any number of these things Kasim would be fine with.

The air shimmered with a shower of sparks each time their blades collided, the vibrations of clashing metal ringing in their ears. There wasn't time to think, only to react and act, each one seeking an advantage over the other. Kasim's left arm was a bloody mess, as was his right thigh and his hip. Seder fared no better, littered with dozens of cuts from Kasim's blades when he failed to stop the weapons. But Kasim had succeeded in pushing Seder back, in regaining ground, and the man was backed up against the hull of his own ship, threatened with either retreating or falling into the ocean.

Behind Kasim, his crew had succeeded in driving off or killing their enemies. They were busy tossing bodies overboard, and rescuing their own friends by binding wounds and firing the cannons at the enemy galleon, hoping to sink it. The smell of gunpowder, blood, and burning wood was thick in the air. Kasim ignored all of it, knowing that his crew would do what they needed to do to ensure their survival.

Kasim lunged forward, his blade catching Seder's as it came toward his head. His other sword howled in toward Seder's side, and it bit deep. It cut through flesh and muscle and into the man's guts. There his sword stuck, but only for a moment. With a heave, Kasim ripped the blade out, taking with it several ropy strands of the man's innards. Seder howled with pain and stumbled backwards, releasing his own sword as he did so. Then he retreated, even bleeding heavily as he was. He grabbed a rope and allowed himself to fall backwards until he was off Kasim's ship but dangling against the side of his galleon.

Kasim stared coldly down at him before he lifted his arm and pointed at the galleon. His lips moved, but to his own ears, heard nothing.

A cannon barked with noise and fire, sending a cannonball directly into the galleon's hull, narrowly missing Seder. The smaller ship's sails unfurled to their full length and filled with air, taking them further and further away from the galleon.

Only then did Kasim seem to come back to himself, and only then did he seem to breathe. He whirled around then, dropping his blades as he did so, and launched himself across the deck of his ship to Morgana. He gingerly picked her up and held her gently, relieved to find she was still breathing.

"Don't worry, Morgana," Kasim whispered. "I'll take care of you."

He lifted her fully into his arms then and headed down into the belly of the ship, to where the rest of the wounded had gone to. There, Kasim cleaned and bandaged Morgana's wounds and then carefully settled her into a soft bed, covering her with a blanket to keep her warm. He watched her for a while, then rose to take stock of the damage to his ship and crew, checking on Morgana now and then to ensure she was still sleeping and still breathing.

The chaos of the fight was only distant noise as Morgana hovered just beneath the surface of consciousness. Her vision was almost entire black, only occasionally filtering into something she could actually see--shapes and shadows upon shadows.

Her sense of smell was not dulled at all, however, and the coppery tang of blood threatened to overwhelm her.

A small whimper was drawn up from her throat when Kasim lifted her and she dipped deeper into unconsciousness for a few moments. When she struggled to surface again, trying to force herself to open her eyes with sheer force of will.

It wasn't working.

She tried to speak, her lips forming the words, Protect them and Kasim, though she had no way of knowing if she managed to actually get any sound out. She struggled valiantly a few moments longer, but then the darkness claimed her entirely.

---

She wasn't sure how much time time had passed when she next opened her eyes, but she found herself lying on a small cot, the gash to her side bandaged with another, firmer bandaging job done to her injured him. It felt like the strips of linen were all that was holding her together.

With a low groan, Morgana attempted to push herself up onto her good side, hissing as her wounds protested. The cut from Seder's blade started just at the back of her waist, traveling around to deep just over her hip before slashing downward on a sharp slant to end just at the opposite dip of her pelvis.

Her hip where the cannonball had struck her was another matter entirely. Most of the main portion of the injury was covered in bandaging, but a mottled bruise spread up toward the bandaging that covered her gash and down almost to the middle of her thigh.

The siren glared down at herself, annoyed. "Ow."

There was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, and after a moment, Kasim rounded the corner holding a tray of broth and a piece of bread without the crust on it. He blinked as he saw Morgana sitting up, and approached with a smile. He too was bandaged and bruised, though he looked to be a little less worn than she. He set the tray down on a table beside the cot, then settled on a nearby stool, watching her.

"Nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?" He gestured to the tray. "I brought something for you, in case you were hungry."

"I feel like I just got keel-hulled," Morgana replied snappishly, then winced as she struggled to sit up again and her battered body protested. Loudly. With a sharp exhale, she eyed the offered food, then relented and reached out for the tray, her movements slow and careful. 

"...How are you?" Her fingers closed cautiously around the edges of the tray and she looked up at Kasim's face. There was a very slight softening to her expression, at the corners of her mouth and eyes, despite the pain that pulsed through her leg, hip, and ribs whenever she moved.

"Me?" Kasim smirked, spreading his arms to reveal the bandages wrapped around his waist and chest. "Like I narrowly escaped being filleted like a fish."

He lowered his arms and rested them on his knees before he shifted to help her with the tray of food, balancing it carefully on the edge of the bed so that she wouldn't have to strain to get at it. Kasim's gaze dropped to the ground for a second, then he looked up toward her through his bangs, his expression sorrowful. "Morgana, I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't want you getting hurt. I didn't want you getting involved in my problems. The bright side, I guess, is that it's over for now."

He tried to smile, but it seemed forced, and his gaze dropped again. "But seriously... I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen to you."

The siren's eyes narrowed as she looked him over, but otherwise she just listened, expression mostly blank.

Then, slowly, she shifted, her movements careful as she tried to be wary of her injuries. She wasn't used to being hurt, she wasn't entirely sure how to handle it. A little stiff and awkward, she allowed herself to slide sideways on the bed slightly so she could shift the tray of food out of her way, then braced one hand on the cot and reached up with the other to brush Kasim's bangs away from his face.

Holding his gaze, Morgana let her hand trace down to cup the edge of his jaw and tilted his face up just slightly. Her voice was soft, but stern as she murmured, "Captain. Listen to me."

She dropped her hand, but kept her eyes locked on his. "You do not need to apologize for this. The choice to act was my choice. I am not your responsibility, and so my the consequences of my actions are not yours to bare."

She held his eyes a moment longer, then dropped her gaze with a soft exhale and reached over to pick at the offered food consideringly. "How fares your crew, bold one?"

He stared at Morgana for the longest time, then pulled back once she dropped her hand and avoided looking at her until he was sure that his cheeks were no longer warm and red. Kasim lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Still, you're my responsibility, being part of my crew, for however long you want to stay. But I don't expect you to get involved in my problems. I'm a big boy. I can handle them, for the most part."

His eyes flicked toward her fingers as she started to pick at the food. "The crew? They're fine. Minimal injuries. Nothing that a few days' rest can't handle." Kasim settled back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. "We've actually put in at a small cove. We've been here for a couple of days, exploring the island and the waters. So we've been taking a little break, doing repairs to the ship and such things."

Morgana continued to nibble at the food--pain had a way of making one lose their appetite, but she knew she should eat--but then he mentioned they'd been in the cove for "a couple of days" and she froze, every muscle going tense.

Her head snapped up and she tried to jump to her feet, then gave a sharp cry of pain as her injured leg gave out and she collapsed against the cot, grabbing for the edge in an attempt to hold herself semi-upright.

"How long?" she demanded, eyes on his face, wide and...scared. She looked scared. "How long, Kasim?!"

Kasim jerked back as Morgana suddenly tried to jump out of bed, her face a mask of pure horror. When she collapsed, he reached for her, but hesitated, unsure on whether or not he should touch her. With that look on her face, she might tear him apart with her bare hands - or gouge out his eyes with her nails. He didn't know what had caused her so much panic, for he didn't know what "a couple of days" meant for her. Clearly it was enough to send her into a conniption, and she looked about to kill, if he was reading her face correctly. Not kill out of anger, but out of fear.

"Two or three days," Kasim finally answered, moving to stand. He looked down at her, uncertain of what he should do. "The full moon has yet to rise. The tide stands low still."

Would it be enough of an answer? Would it be what she wanted to hear? He didn't know, but he hadn't lied. Whatever she wanted to hear, wanted to know, he'd laid bare for her. All he could do was wait, and hope that he hadn't just doomed himself and his crew to the siren's wrath.

The color drained from her already pale skin, dark eyes going blank and dull. "I need to get to the water."

Once more she tried to get to her feet, slower this time and with more care, though still with that shivering tension tight in her whole body. She managed to at least hold herself upright, but her legs still shook and every step sent pain lancing through her body.

She ignored it, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to take one step after the other toward the stairs that led up onto the deck.

Kasim watched her for a moment before he slowly moved to help her. He pulled one of her arms over his shoulder and wrapped his around her waist. Bearing most of her weight on his own body, Kasim half-walked, half-carried Morgana out of the room and to the stairs. Still half carrying her, he climbed with her up the stairs to the deck. Those on deck looked at the two curiously, but whatever expression Kasim had on his face warned them not to ask questions. They went about their tasks with a solemn slowness, all watching their captain and the siren.

Kasim paused for a moment under the sunlight, allowing Morgana to see the verdant island where they had put anchor, and the crystalline waters that gently lapped at the ship's hull and the beach that was some distance away. He didn't know what she needed to do, but he brought her to the opening in the rail where there was a rope ladder leading down to a small dinghy tied to the ship's rail to keep it from floating off. He let go of her then, moving to pull on the mooring rope to move the dinghy out of her way, so she wouldn't hit it when she jumped off.

He didn't know what to say, what to tell her, so he simply watched her. Then, softly, "We aren't going anywhere for a while. I hope you find what you're looking for."

If she had not been in a state of quiet panic, Morgana may have actually taken a moment to appreciate the scenery. She didn't bother to travel beyond her own territory much, and consequently rarely saw anything truly new. And the island was certainly beautiful, as far as landlocked vistas were concerned.

But she didn't have the time or the focus to even really consider that. Technically she should have until moondown to get into the water, but she'd never actually gone even this long without her tail before. She had no idea if the pain gripping her body was solely from the injuries she'd sustained during the battle or from something more sinister.

She had to grip the deck rail when Kasim moved away to lower the dinghy, and she found herself simply watching him for several long moments, an unfortunate realization dawning on her even as a potential solution presented itself.

A solution she did not like. But she couldn't think of anything else.

"Kasim..." She licked her lips, looked longingly to the sea below, then back up to the young captain. "I--I need you to come with me."

Jaw clenched, she cast her eyes down, a combination of shame and desperation burning hot through her core. Through gritted teeth, as though each word was dragged from her throat, she muttered, "I...hurt my tail. In the fight. I can't--I can't swim properly without...help." Her stomach clenched. She'd never felt so helpless and humiliated. "...Please."

Kasim blinked at her request, uncertain if he should accept. After all, it could be a ploy to bring him into her element, where she could devour him and regain whatever energy it was she had lost. But at the same time, those pleading eyes and that pain weren't fake. They weren't the symptoms a liar displayed when trying to convince someone to do as they wanted. Morgana was truly in pain, and she truly needed help. And, moreover, Kasim was plagued by a sense of guilt, because if she hadn't joined up with him for this stupid adventure for a treasure neither of them really knew existed, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. So, if anything, it was his fault she'd been injured, his fault she couldn't swim on her own, his fault she was in pain and plagued with whatever nightmare was first and foremost in her mind about not being in the water.

"Sure." Kasim said after a moment, his voice subdued.

He wasn't sure how she wanted to do this, but it didn't look like she was going to get in the water without help. Kasim pulled off his shirt and hung it across the rail, then pulled the dinghy further out of the way before he secured it. After a moment of searching, he found the rope ladder he and the crew used to get into and out of the dinghy, and slung it over the side of the ship, allowing the tail end of the rope ladder to trail in the water as he secured the top half to the rail's legs.

Then he moved toward Morgana, presenting her his back for her to grab onto. "Come on. We'll go down together, and then you can do what you need to do. I'll swim right alongside you. Is that okay?"

Morgana visibly sagged with relief when he agreed. She'd been a little bit afraid that he would assume she was only trying to lure him into the water as yet another simple piece of prey--a thought that strangely hadn't even crossed her mind until that moment--and that she would be forced to resort to truly begging.

She wasn't sure she could have survived the humiliation of that. It might have been less painful to just let her absence from the sea kill her.

"Thank you," she whispered, eyes still downcast. "That...that should be fine."

She did glance up when he put his back to her, and realized he wanted her to climb on. She swallowed down yet another surge of shame and gritted her teeth, then shuffled forward and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck.

Turning her face into his shoulder, she let out a sharp breath and gripped as tight as she dared. "...Ready."

Kasim nodded, and he hefted her up a little higher on his back before he hooked one arm under her leg and move to turn around to climb down the rope ladder to the ocean. It felt strange having her on his back, strange in the fact that she could easily kill him if she had a mind to. He'd carried plenty of people on his back like this before, men and women, so it wasn't that fact that bothered him. Rather, it was the fact that Morgana wasn't human. But somehow he remained relaxed as he climbed down, and as his feet touched the surface of the water, then sank below, Kasim eased Morgana into the water first before he jumped in, both holding on to her and the rope ladder for a moment.

Then he released the ladder and pushed off, swimming into the deeper water and putting some distance between himself and the ship. He still held onto Morgana's wrist, not letting her go for fear she might sink below the gentle waves and drown. But the other reason was that he wanted to see her transformation, for he'd never seen her regain her tail before. He'd seen her tail become her legs, but never the reverse. Still, he knew that she likely wouldn't enjoy an audience, so he slightly turned his back to her, treading water the entire time to keep his head above the undulating surface. However, he still kept a firm hold of her wrist the entire time.

"Do what you need to do," Kasim said gently. "I won't let go. I promise."

Morgana's jaw tensed even further as he secured a grip on her leg and began to climb down. Shivers wracked her frame, and with every inch closer to the water they became more intense, until she was practically shuddering against his back. She couldn't really tell if the shivers were entirely due to the stress on her body, or if they were from the deep-set fear that had settled into her breast the moment she learned how long she'd been kept from the water.

Probably both.

Luckily, Kasim need not have worried about her drowning; even though she couldn't swim on her own, the sea would never be the death of her. No, if her injury was going to kill her, it would be from starvation, preventing her from hunting. Or because another, stronger siren would happen upon her and kill her for her territory.

Regardless, the moment she was in the water and twisted herself off of Kasim's back, though she turned her hand in his grip so that she could hold his wrist as he held hers.

It only took a few seconds once her legs were submerged in the water for the transformation to take hold. First they seemed to lock together at the knees, forcing her to stroke more firmly with her free hand to keep herself above water. A soft, strangled cry forced itself passed her lips as her legs fused together in a matter of moments, feeling her injured side protest vehemently. In a gentle wave, lines of dark scales rippled down her skin, and at the same time her legs stretched and twisted into one long, sinuous finned tail. Midnight scales glinted in the water, easily visible through the crystal clear water.

Morgana was left panting and shaking, barely able to move her tail at all without sending arcs of pain shooting through her body. She had to clutch at Kasim's hand tighter, the webbing between the fingers of her free hand just barely helping her tread water to keep afloat.

"I--I just...need a few moments," she finally managed to gasp, eyes clenched tight shut. She would have liked to spend more time in the water, but it was just...it was too painful to be here and be all but crippled, unable to support herself, let alone swim or hunt. 

The moment Morgana launched herself off Kasim's back, his attention was pulled toward her like a magnet. He treaded the water, his eyes on her face, studying her expression of pain. It bothered him that she hurt because of him, that because of his own choices, someone had gotten hurt, someone that shouldn't have. He put distance between them, only as far as their outstretched arms, and he made sure to tense his muscles so that Morgana could keep her head above water with his help. Then, when her transformation started, Kasim watched with obvious interest, his eyes going wide as he watched her legs begin to fuse together, as her skin rippled and changed from human skin to scales.

The midnight color of her tail glinted in the clear blue waters, rippling with the sun's rays like a thousand black diamonds. It was absolutely mesmerizing, watching her legs become a singular appendage, as her skin shifted and changed, and as she resumed her natural form. Kasim was forced to look away lest he try to reach for her while she was transforming, and risk losing an arm to her. Probably would be worth it for the five seconds it would take to reach across the space between them and worth it for the sensation of flesh touching scale, but probably wasn't really worth the risk of bleeding out or becoming Morgana's meal.

Rather, Kasim shifted to float on his back in the water, bobbing up and down with the waves. He nodded when she said she needed a moment, not trusting himself to speak. He was certain he'd say something insensitive or insulting, and then she really would eat him, injured or not.

He still held tight to her wrist, not letting her sink below the surface of the water. He was certain that if he let go of her, she would drown, and that wouldn't bode well. He stared at the azure sky, waiting for her signal to let him know that he could look, that he could actually begin to swim with her. He didn't want to push her before she was ready, after all.

They were still close enough to the ship that Morgana could bob a little closer and reach out with her free hand to grasp the ladder. It felt marginally more acceptable to be able to support herself in such a way, but not by much.

And if she wanted to get more than an arm's length from the ship, she would certainly need Kasim's help.

Damnit all.

Letting out a short, low breath, Morgana tilted her head and watched Kasim where he floated, slightly confused. What was he waiting for?

Lips twitched up slightly on one side, she snipped sardonically--though perhaps with less venom than if she'd been at full health--"Afraid to look upon a sea witch, Bold One? I'd thought better of you."

It wasn't as though she could try to drown him or something, not in her current state...or even his, for that matter. Head tilted, she considered what she'd done before the attack, that kiss to protect him from the sea's embrace.

Did he even know?

Kasim snorted at her question, finally moving to tread water so he could watch her. There was an amused light in his eyes as he regarded her, his lips quirking up at the edges in a sardonic little smile. "Afraid? Maybe a little. You never know. You look upon a sea witch, as you call yourself, and you might just get turned to stone. Or your eyes will melt out of your head."

His expression offered her the ability to join in on the little joke. He wasn't sincere at all about his words, meaning them to be nothing more than air passing between his lips. Kasim treaded water for a while, then swam closer to Morgana, gently breaststroking his way through the crystalline waters toward her. When he was within arm's reach, he stopped and began treading water again, watching her.

"Of course, should I be afraid of you? I'm fairly certain if you wanted to, you would've killed me already."

"Mm. It is far more likely you will be beguiled than turned to stone," Morgana noted with a quirked brow, smirking slightly.

The expression softened though, just a bit, as she realized he genuinely didn't seem to understand what she'd done before the fighting started. Or, apparently, just how injured she really was.

Well. One of those things she was happy to keep him in the dark about. But the other...

That didn't seem entirely fair.

Shaking her head slowly, Morgana kept her eyes on his face, almost curious to the point of a strange intensity. "Perhaps," she conceded slowly. "But you would be much more difficult for me to kill in your current state, Bold One." Slowly, almost hesitantly, she reached out to brush her first two fingers across his lips, just for a moment.

Her lips twitched up in another small smile, sardonic and close to self-deprecating. "Have you never heard that a mermaid's kiss can save a man from drowning?"

Kasim blinked, treading water and studying her. "Have I heard that? Once in a while a story about that crops up, but I've never believed them. What use would you have for a man beyond the obvious? Why would you want to keep him around once you've gotten what you wanted from him? I wouldn't think that you'd want one of my kind surviving long enough to tell the story, and that those who did were out of their minds, baked too long in the sun or driven to madness by drinking too much sea water."

He drifted closer, then reached out and grabbed hold of the ladder, curling his arm and leg in the rope to keep him from dipping beneath the waves. He studied her face for a while before he turned his attention toward the island and their small cove, his fingers of his free hand idly trailing through the water as the waves undulated against his body. "But then, you know, I don't know much about you or your kind. What we have, they're just stories, after all. Stories might have a basis in truth, but who's really going to take the time to venture back to the origin of those stories, if the origin can even be found?"

Kasim returned his gaze to Morgana, meeting her eyes without fear or hesitation. "But I suppose I have it from the siren's lips, don't I? And you've never given me a reason to distrust you."

The question was now, did he trust her enough to put her words to the test? Kasim didn't know. While he was crazy enough to risk his life hunting down lost treasure or braving the stormy seas when no one else dared sail, he still had a healthy attitude of self-preservation. Fighting for his life, knowing there was the possibility that he wouldn't come out whole or even alive at the end of that fight, that was a different animal entirely. But giving himself over to the unknown, when he only had the word of a woman - well, she wasn't really a woman, was she? - to trust?

The irony wasn't lost on Kasim at all.

"Perhaps," Kasim began slowly, his eyes never leaving Morgana's face, "I'm not as bold as you ascribe me to be. Perhaps I'm not yet willing to experiment to see if what you say is true."

"Oh, it's not indefinite," Morgana replied carelessly, hooking her own arm through one of the lower rungs of the ladder so she could simply float in the water without use of her injured tail. "A few days at most. To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not entirely certain of the specifics. I've never actually tried it before."

She tilted her head back, letting her eyes flicker over to eye him sidelong. A flicker of a challenge shimmered in the depths of her gaze.

But she didn't seem all that invested in pushing the matter too hard, turning her eyes away from him again with a quick flip of her hair. "...I can leave the water now, if you wish to return," she said simply after a few more moments of silence.

Kasim tilted his head slightly to indicate that he'd heard Morgana's words. Despite that, he still didn't seem inclined to test her gift, rather staring at the crystalline waters that refracted the light of the sun onto the shifting sands below them. He knew she was challenging him, and perhaps he was a coward for not rising to it, but after the few days he'd had, he didn't really want to tempt fate. He'd thumbed his nose at fate a little too much and too often lately, and he knew that the debt would be called in sooner or later. No sense in giving that an opportunity to be called in now.

He looked at Morgana then as she spoke, and he raised a brow. "The real question is, do you want to return? I'm perfectly fine as I am. And we're not heading back out to sea for a little while longer."

Still, if she wanted to get out, he wouldn't argue. He knew that she was already feeling better if she had the wherewithal to act snarky. Still, he wasn't sure how much of that 'better' was because she was actually in the water or because she was starting to heal. Moreover, the water was warm from the tropical heat and the sun's rays, and it wasn't often that Kasim simply got to relax in the water like this. She was giving him that excuse, and he was glad to have it.

Morgana pursed her lips, debating how she wanted to answer that. After a few moments of silence, she let out a long, slow breath and turned her face away from him, closing her eyes as she allowed the sun to wash over her face.

"...I cannot swim, Kasim," she murmured after another taught moment. "I did not simply need your aid to get myself into the water--something is broken inside me. It will take a while to heal. I cannot drown as you could, but to be unable to swim is as sure a death sentence for a siren as it is a human."

She tilted her head toward him slightly and open her eyes. Flat black. Shark's eyes. "To answer your question: no. I do not wish to return. If I had my way, I would disappear back beneath these waves. Perhaps I would return to your ship eventually, perhaps not. But as it stands, my only option is to return. To find my legs while I allow myself to heal. And to be within the sea and yet still apart from it is...painful."

She looked away again. "...And I cannot climb the ladder on my own."