The Gossip Train

Yolande always enjoyed her early mornings. In a ship crowded with people, peace and quiet was a luxury. Waking up early let her start her work for the day without any distractions, and – better yet – she no longer had to avoid tripping on hammocks and be as silent as a mouse to avoid waking the others. When fixing up parts of the ship below deck, a few modifications were made since they had the funds to spare and more people to house. The crew’s and her own personal favorite were the private cabins. Not completely private, in the sense that most people had bunk mates, but it sure beat sleeping in the middle of the common area. She was surprised that she had gotten one to herself, but she was appreciative that the captain had ordered one for her first mate. She was about to pass by the hall leading to the cabins when she heard a door open. No one was usually up at this time, so she peered her head around the corner curiously. “Garl seems to have gotten up early,” she thought, pulling her head back, “but wait.” She did a double take. Her eyes widened as she realized what she saw. “Why was he coming out of THE CAPTAIN’S ROOM!?” She hid behind the corner, feeling gross for seeing something she definitely shouldn’t have. “That can’t be right though. There’s no way-” The sound of a door gently shutting snapped her from her thoughts. She quickly checked the hallway to see that Garl was no longer there, presumably having gone back to his room. As quickly as they had left the disturbing thoughts returned. She went to get started on her chores for today to distract herself. Busy work was just what she needed to help with a shocking and unwanted revelation, but in the end, it hardly helped at best and did the exact opposite at worst. “But why?” she thought, “I wouldn’t think Captain to be the type for that.” Yolande took a second to wipe the sweat off her brow. “And I mean – no offense to the guy – but why Garl?” She sighed, leaning against her newly relocated barrels. She already finished her tasks for the day, and not another soul was in sight. Garl would normally be up by now, but for once she was thankful that he wasn’t. No shot she could hide her awkwardness about things in a one-on-one. “He’d probably need the rest after- No. No!” Yolande mentally shouted at herself. It doesn’t involve her and is thus none of her business. She especially shouldn’t be focusing on it as much as she is. Mentally exhausted, she wished she had never found out, and hardly any time had passed. “Mornin’, Yolande!” She nearly jumped at how close the captain had managed to get to her without her noticing. She feigned the best smile she could. “Mornin’, Captain.”  Yolande could tell that she didn’t buy it for a second, but Captain Klee'shaë decided not to pry. “Did you eat breakfast already?” she asked, with a demeanor that seemed cheerier than usual.  “Well of course she’d be happy after- no! Stop it!” “No, I haven’t,” Yolande answered after some consideration. Normally Garl would whip something up for everyone – sometimes with her assistance - and she would eat her breakfast with him. “I think Garl’s sleeping in today.”  “Ah, alright then,” Captain Klee'shaë said with what Yolande could have sworn was a twinge of nervousness. “How about we make breakfast instead?”  “You can cook?” she blurted out without thinking.  The captain was taken aback for a moment before laughing. “Wow, good to see how highly you think of me. I can cook.” She briefly paused before continuing. “Sometimes.”  Yolande laughed as she led Captain Klee'shaë by the hand towards the kitchen. “Just remember that I’m in charge. I’d prefer we make it out alive.”  She scoffed in mock offense as she followed Yolande’s lead.  The two decided to make omelets for everyone and began the needed prep-work. Yolande could hear the clanging of Captain Klee'shaë’s wooden necklace alongside the cabinets opening and closing as she grabbed the needed supplies. Yolande wanted to make plain omelets, but Captain wanted to be extra and add veggies and ham to them.   “Trying to impress-” Yolande slammed the pantry door harder than she meant to. “Cut it out. It’s none of your business. This shouldn’t be bothering you so much.”  She laid the acquired vegetables on the counter before leaving again to grab the meat. “Why is it bothering me so much?” she queried. She felt hurt at the prospect of the captain hooking up with someone. “I know I don’t like her like that, so why do I feel... jealous?” The sinking feeling in her chest remained when she returned.  “I know that you’re such a busy woman, but thank you for taking the time to embellish our omelets a bit,” Captain Klee'shaë said, her tone a blend of sarcasm and genuine gratitude.   The captain’s behavior only made the feeling worse. It was as if nothing had ever happened, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Captain Klee'shaë’s expression briefly tensed before she snapped back to normal. Yolande wasn’t very good at hiding things, was she?  “Sorry,” she started, “I’m not feeling the best today.”  “I can cook myself if you need me to,” Captain Klee'shaë replied. Yolande felt like she was being pitied.  “No, it’s fine,” she weakly responded. “Let’s just get started.”  The two worked quietly in the kitchen as they prepared the group’s breakfast, only making comments and requests when needed. As Yolande was cooking the third of their fancy omelets, it dawned on her. She felt excluded. Not that she wanted to join – oh, definitely not! But it was like she had seen a side of Captain Klee'shaë that was kept hidden from her. She had no right to demand the captain tell her every little thing she did, but they were friends. “Shouldn’t she want to tell me these sorts of things? Maybe not details, but a bit of hinting at a crush or fling would’ve been nice. Isn’t that what friends do?”  “Oh, wow,” a cheery voice snapped Yolande out of her depressing thoughts, only to make them much worse.  “Not now.”  “I’m surprised to see you two making breakfast,” Garl said, stepping into the kitchen. “Well, not you,” he said looking at Yolande before turning to Captain Klee'shaë, “but definitely you.” “Does everyone think I can’t cook?” she asked, a soft chuckle escaping her.  “I know you can cook, I just wasn’t expecting you to.”  Yolande had few doubts about what she saw this morning, but she realized she had the perfect chance to try and get more information.  “Did you just feel like sleeping in today, Garl?” she asked, turning to see him leaning against the counter next to the captain.  “Yeah, sorry, I was up late last night so I wanted the extra shuteye,” he answered, scratching the back of his head, “I’m a bit late to the party, but would you guys like some help with breakfast?”  “There’s not much left to do, but I guess you could help divide the rest of the veggies into portions for each omelet,” Captain Klee'shaë said, stepping to the side for him to see her cutting job.   “Sure, I can do that!” he cheered, moving closer to her and diverting his attention to the food.  Yolande almost instantly lost her chance at gathering intel and resigned herself back to omelet cooking. She was surprised the one she neglected during the conversation hadn’t burnt. The room fell silent save for the sound of eggs frying and the scraping of fingers on cutting boards. About to doze off into her own mind, Yolande was startled back to reality by an oddly familiar yet different clinking noise.  “Looking good, Captain.”  It was a soft whisper, but Yolande had heard it loud and clear. Was Garl really going to try flirting with her right there? “You’re not getting away with that.”  “What was that?” she asked, turning to look at the two of them.  “Oh, nothing,” Garl quickly blurted out, failing to hide his embarrassment.  His reaction made Yolande almost feel bad for calling him out like that, but at least it fully confirmed what was going on for her.   A moment later, the captain spun around to face Yolande, carrying small bowls full of the diced vegetables.   “We finished sorting everything,” she said nonchalantly, either unaware of the current confrontation or choosing to ignore it.  “You can leave them next to the eggs if you'd like. I can take care of things from here.”  “Are you sure, Yolande?” Captain Klee'shaë questioned. “I don’t mind doing the cooking, and you said you weren’t feeling well.”  Her concern brought a smile to her face. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”  “Wait, you’re not feeling well?” Garl said, surprised. “I can finish breakfast. I don’t want you working if you’re not feeling well.”  “I said I’m fine,” Yolande reiterated with a mix of laughter and exasperation.  Garl didn’t respond, but he also didn’t move. Yolande sighed. “I said I’m fine, now scram!” she playfully shouted.  “Alright, alright,” he chuckled, walking backwards towards the dining room with his hands up.   Captain Klee'shaë soon joined him at the table, and they began chatting about various things. Yolande was listening in, but nothing stood out to her. “Well, yeah, they’re not dumb enough to blatantly talk about-” She really needed to stop fretting over this. All it did was make her head spin and heart ache. She wanted to get these feelings out her mind and off her chest but felt trapped not knowing how to do so. Telling them what she knew might work, but it could make them uncomfortable realizing someone knew what they were up to. Yolande resigned herself to secrecy as she plated the last of the omelets.  “I'm cleaning up,” Garl said, grabbing the pan from her hand. “You’ve been up much longer than we have, so you must be starving.”  Brushing past his apparent teleportation to her side, Yolande decided to let him clean. Garl was the type of person who always needed to be helpful, sometimes to his own detriment, but this obviously wasn’t one of those times. She sat at her usual spot next to the head of the dining table with a plate of omelet in hand. She began eating, and was impressed with how good it tasted. Sure, it was hard to mess up an omelet, but she was still proud of the result. As she was finishing up her breakfast, Valere entered the dining room.  “You’re up early,” Captain Klee'shaë plainly stated.   “Yeah. Honestly, I’m not sure why,” Valere said with a small shrug, “Good morning, everyone.”   “Morning!” Garl shouted from the kitchen.  “Mornin’,” Yolande said, “You’re welcome to grab an omelet.”  “Sweet!” Valere cheered as she took a plate off the counter. ”Thanks.”  “Of course,” Yolande replied. “All three of us made them.”  “You two did,” Garl chimed in. “I’m just cleaning.”  “And you helped with the vegetables,” Captain Klee'shaë quickly added. “We all made them.”  “Well, thanks you guys,” Valere said, taking her seat at the table.  Garl finished cleaning up and made his leave shortly before the captain left to eat her own breakfast. Yolande had gotten up to wash her own plate when an idea struck her. “Could I tell Valere about it? No, that would be even worse. But-” Yolande argued with herself over this. If anyone deserved to know, it would be the captain and Garl, but she had already ruled out that idea. Valere didn’t need to know, and the thought of gossiping about the captain made her feel disgusted. But she really needed this off her chest.   “Uh, Valere,” she started, her tongue already feeling bitter. “Yeah?” she answered, giving Yolande her full attention.  Words were dying on her tongue, but she did what she could to share her thoughts. “I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see, and it's been weighing on me. I really want to talk about it to get it off my chest, but doing so also feels wrong.”  Valere pondered for a moment before responding, “Well, whatever it is, it’s not good to keep things bottled up.”  “It’s not just that,” Yolande stammered, “It has to do with other people, so I feel like I’d be a gossip or traitor.”  “If that’s the case,” Valere slowly started, “I don’t know what the best option is.” She gave an empathetic smile. “But if you choose to talk about it, know that you can always trust me.”  Yolande smiled. After a war within her head, and though her stomach filled with gall, she decided to spill the beans. She sat down across from Valere and started her story barely above a whisper.  “This morning, as I was passing by the cabins,” she hesitated for a moment before fully committing, “I saw Garl leaving the captain’s room.” Valere looked shocked, and Yolande felt the pressure in her chest lighten, so she continued, “And when making breakfast this morning, I heard Garl flirting with her.”  Valere sat shellshocked before muttering a simple “wow.”  “It sounds crazy, but it’s true, and it’s been weighing on me all morning. Please don’t tell anyone.” The heaviness in Yolande's heart and mind was replaced by a twinge of guilt, but she found that far more manageable. “Thanks for listening,” she added, showing a genuine smile.  “Of course,” Valere replied, though her smile looked fake. “Anytime.”  Yolande left as more crew members filed into the dining room. Good thing she shared the news when she did. Letting out a heavy sigh, she felt rejuvenated and ready for the rest of the day.                 “Look out!” Zale shouted, letting Valere dodge a Prapra that dove at her.  He shot off a Sunball at the foe, grazing its feet as it flew back up. Two nearby Skullpions heard the commotion and were closing in on the two of them. They each turned to face one, confident in their own abilities. Valere was about to stab at her Skullpion, but got knocked to the ground by Garl.  “Wha-”  Her thought was immediately cut off as she saw him block the Prapra which made another attempt on her life. A hissing noise reminded her of the still approaching Skullpion, only for her to witness Seraï stab it in the back, killing it instantly. Garl had managed to bash the Prapra a few times but was struggling to land the final blow. Valere started to get up to help, but Seraï teleported in and slashed the bird straight down its back, killing it. Valere relaxed on the ground, feeling defeated despite her team winning.   “You alright?” Garl asked, looking down at her quizzically.   Seraï walked over and offered her hand, which Valere took. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled. “You’ve been off your game for a while now,” Seraï said tactlessly. “No, you’re not fine.”  “We can take a day off or head back to the Vespertine if you’re sick or something,” Garl added. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”  “I’m fine,” Valere insisted, her annoyance starting to show.   Zale returned from his fight with the second Skullpion, as energetic as ever. “How are things over here?” he asked, keeping his enthusiasm, but he quickly sensed something was wrong.  “Everything’s fine,” Valere spat out. “We should keep moving. Let’s go.”  Valere walked further into the jungle blinded by her rage. She was off her game, and it was all thanks to two of her own teammates. Ever since she found out about their relationship of sorts, she’s been distracted. Every interaction between the two of them had been recontextualized for her. Garl’s eagerness to chat with Seraï and her actually engaging in conversation with him instead of brushing him off like she does with everyone else, Seraï always checking on him first and sticking closer to him in combat, and their general closeness to each other compared to everyone else messed with her head. Garl was friendly to everyone, so there wasn’t a big surprise there, but Seraï on the other hand...   Valere stopped to catch her breath. She's been running herself ragged since she found out about them. “Why can’t I just be normal about this?” she pleaded with herself. She felt sick thinking about them together like that. There was nothing inherently wrong with them being a thing, but it didn’t sit right with her. “What does he see in her anyway?” Garl always saw the best in people, and there had to be something that interested him, but she struggled to think of what. Seraï was very reserved, so he couldn’t know too much about her, right? And on the outside, she was blunt and serious, showing only snippets of joy and excitement. Well, she’s a bit laxer as Captain Klee'shaë, so maybe it was something with that?   “There you are.”  “Speak of the devil.”  “Why in the world did you decide to run off like that?” Seraï sternly asked, having finally caught up to her.  Valere sighed, “I don’t want to deal with this.” She began to walk away before she was grabbed by Seraï.  “You’re not leaving without answering.” There was a bitterness in her voice that made Valere feel guilty.  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said dejectedly.  “Then we’re not going anywhere,” Seraï stated matter-of-factly.  Valere tried to free herself from her grasp but failed to make any leeway.  “If you don’t calm down, I’m not afraid to make you,” Seraï said, brandishing one of her blades.  “Is that a threat?” Valere scoffed.  “If you choose to see it that way,” she answered. “You’ve been off ever since we started this trip. What’s gotten into you?” She paused for bit before softly saying, “The boys won’t get here for a while. You can talk to me you know.”  “I said I don’t want to talk about it,” Valere huffed.  “Fine. Then you better figure things out on your own cause you can’t go on like this.”  The two stood in silence, though it was far from a comfortable one. Seraï had let go of Valere, but she was keeping an eye on her and eventually broke the silence.  “It’s getting late. Let’s set up what we can of camp for the night.”  Valere looked to the sky and noted the faint orange hue. “Yeah, we should."   The two worked independently to set up camp for everyone. Garl carried most of their supplies, so they couldn’t do a whole lot, but they could definitely whip up a firepit and logs for everyone to sit on. Valere looked for sticks suitable for a fire, venturing a bit farther from their impromptu campsite than she should.   “Why her?” she thought, still ruminating on their recent interaction. There were times she could barely tolerate Seraï’s presence. She couldn’t imagine how someone could find her rudeness and brashness attractive. “Was Garl into that?” She recoiled at the thought. He deserved far better than that - than her - but it wasn’t her decision. Based on what Yolande saw, it was pretty clear that he made his choice.   Still, the more she dwelt on it, the angrier she felt. She wasn’t sure if she wished she had never found out or was glad that it was no longer hiding right under her nose. “To live in ignorant bliss or know the weird, disgusting truth: that is the question,” she pondered, bringing her big bundle of sticks back towards camp.  As she approached, she heard Seraï, Zale, and Garl talking amongst themselves. “They must be waiting for me.” Valere picked up pace, bursting through the tree line into the still-under-construction campsite.   “Hey, there you are!” Zale shouted, pausing to wave at her as he was unrolling his sleeping bag.  “Hey, Valere,” Garl smiled. Her firewood caught his attention shortly afterwards. “Could you start the fire when you get the chance?”  “Sure thing,” she replied, immediately getting to work at it.  Valere carefully stacked the wood how she knew Garl preferred it. She had to keep herself from laughing out loud when she remembered him complaining about the horrendous campfire Zale once made as he fixed it himself. After making sure the fire would be big enough to properly cook food over, she called on Garl to check her work.  “Your fires are always fine, Valere. You don’t need me to double check them,” he sighed as he approached her.  “But the main log Seraï grabbed is kind of weird so I’m not sure how well it’s going to work, and...” she animatedly explained, crouched down as she pointed to the various sticks.   Garl bent over to watch her performance, already accepting that she wouldn’t feel affirmed until he listened to her whole spiel.   “Looks nice,” Seraï called out from behind them.  Valere stopped her ramblings to look at her, surprised by her comment, and Garl did the same. Seraï’s eyes darted to meet Valere’s gaze, as if her head was elsewhere when she said that.   She glanced at the firepit, before awkwardly stating, “Uh, yeah, that too.”  The two were left confused as she walked towards where Zale had finished the sleeping arrangements.   “See! The fire’s fine!” Garl shouted, taking this as his out. “Let’s just get started with dinner.”  Making dinner was a breeze for the four of them ever since they found out who was best at what. The group did their parts like clockwork, awarding them with a delicious meat stew. Huddled around the campfire, they all began devouring their meal. Well, almost all of them. Seraï would sit with them while they ate but would save her portion to eat privately later. “What normal person does that?” Valere thought for the hundredth time. She learned to live with most of the strange things Seraï did, but that one continued to bother her. “She can’t have anything that freaky under her mask to where she can’t even enjoy a meal with everyone.”   Valere looked up from her nearly empty bowl. Zale was pressed up against Garl, trying to see what his new whittling project was. She forgot that he had gotten into that, but hey, it was a simple hobby he could take on the road with him. She glanced back at her bowl, running her fingers along the sides of it. He had already replaced their old dinnerware with his creations and was picking the skill up fast. His most recent work was actually an ornate handle for her bo. A smile crept up her face as she thought about all the different things he’s made. “He always tries to make things for other people, huh?”   The sound of fabric shifting stole her attention from her meal and brought it back to her friends. Seraï had gotten up from the far side of the fire and left with her bowl. Valere looked towards the others to see the boys still chatting up a storm. “Talk about a contrast.” She could never get a grip on her. Every time she thought she had figured her out, she would do something strange or contradictory. The worst of it came from her most recent revelation. She would be lying if she said she was perfectly happy to have been an ear for Yolande to talk to - regret had set in long ago. Their relationship would never make sense to her. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the plethora of things Seraï wanted to keep secret. That was probably why she hadn’t caught them doing anything romantic herself. Or had she? Seraï’s campfire comment popped into her head. “What was she complimenting the first time? It was just me and Garl bending o-”  Valere nearly choked on the last of the soup she was chugging. “Yolande did say she heard them flirt.” A shiver ran down her spine as she put her bowl down.  “Done eating?” Garl asked, reaching his hand out to take her bowl.  “Yeah, thanks,” she answered, sounding far more exasperated than she should.  Garl disappeared into the trees, heading the same way Seraï went. He had mentioned her helping with the dishes before, but Valere never thought much of it until now. Was this their private time to hang out? Contradictions came flooding in, her mind desperate to start an endless debate with itself. Seraï might not eat by the water source, and if she was, what if she hadn’t finished when Garl arrived? “He’s already seen far more than that,” her brain had to remind herself. She winced, digging her nails into her thighs.   “You sure you’re feeling alright?” Zale tentatively asked.  Valere looked up at him, noting the worry in his eyes. “Not really, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.”  “That’s unlikely,” he said, getting up to sit closer to her.  “All taking would do is make things worse for the other person,” she stated.   “And how do you know that?”   “I’ve been on the receiving end before.”  “Is that what started all this?” he exclaimed.  A slight chuckle escaped Valere. “Yeah. Have I really made it that obvious?”  “Yeah,” Zale trailed off, glancing to the side. “It’s like your head’s all foggy, you’ve been kind of moody, and really snippy – especially towards Seraï,” he explained as he shot her a sympathetic smile.  Valere’s intestines felt like they were twisting into a ball as she listened. “I can’t believe I let it get to me this much.” She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them.  “Sorry,” she muttered, its sincerity getting buried by her exhaustion. “It’s fine. To be honest, I just thought you were on your period till I realized it had been it going on way too long for that.”  Valere immediately straightened herself and gave him a horrified look. “Is that what I’m like on my period?” she shouted louder than she meant to.  Zale shot his hands up defensively, and stammered, “Well, kind of.”  Her intestines tightened further. She was about to return to her self-hug, but she felt a comforting hand land on her shoulder and decided to follow it as it guided her to lay on Zale’s shoulder.  “Hey,” he started, in a much softer tone, “don’t worry about it. We all know that’s not really you. We just want to help you feel like yourself again.”  Valere grabbed onto his shirt, taking his words in. She isn’t herself. She needs to find a way to be herself again.  “And if that isn’t possible,” he continued, “we can help you manage whatever it is you’re dealing with. You just have to let us.”  He tilted his head, pressing it against hers, creating a welcome addition to the physical comfort. Valere stayed silent, taking this moment in, before her brain’s inevitable debate would start. “Do I tell him?” Her immediate answer was no, thinking of how bad things would be if they both started acting like her. “He might take things better, but is giving him any of this mess to deal with worth whatever sanity I might save myself?” Any pain given to him unnecessarily would make her feel horribly guilty. Her jaw clenched as a war raged in her head, but the gentle rubbing on her shoulder kept her from losing herself in it.   “I didn’t want to talk about it because it involves people here,” she weakly sounded.  “If any of us are doing something that bothers you, you can tell us and we’ll stop,” Zale assured her.  “It’s not that simple,” she sighed. “No one’s at fault.”  “If it has to do with me, please tell me. I want to help you,” he pleaded.  “It’s not you,” Valere whined, sounding somewhat desperate. Now she was feeling guilty for not saying anything. It was a lose-lose situation, but there had to be a lesser of two evils. Either split this negative amalgamation of feelings with Zale or let him and presumably the others stay worried over her well-being. “I’m afraid that it'll bother you like bothers me,” she admitted. “Then we can help each other get through it,” he cheerily replied, “Diffusion of stress!”  She giggled a bit at his proclamation. “He’s right. We can work through this together – like we always have.”  “Garl and Seraï are hooking up.”  She felt Zale stiffen as he remained silent.  “Seriously?” he loudly blurted out.  Laughter came in full force as Valere freed herself from his cuddles. “Yeah,” was all she could get out through her hysterics.  His face frozen in bewilderment did nothing to calm her down.  “They’re probably also-”  “What did I miss?” Garl asked, sounding dejected as he breached the tree line.  “O-oh, nothing,” Valere said, struggling to swallow her laughter.  “Doesn’t sound like nothing,” Seraï said, stepping out from behind Garl.  “So they were together.”  “It was just the best joke of the century,” Zale winked at her. “Garl said my last stew was too watery, too salty, and had a metallic aftertaste.” He paused for comedic effect. “Well, yeah, I put my blood, sweat, and tears into that thing!”  He got a chuckle from Garl, but Seraï remained stone-faced.  “I don’t buy that for a second, but sure,” she said, sitting down on the farthest log from them.  “Well, yeah, it’s just a joke,” Valere explained.  “I know that. I just don’t buy your laughter. I like to believe you have some standards.”  “Hey!” Zale complained, “My jokes are great!”  “I gotta throw him a bone sometimes,” Valere teased.  “Excuse you!” Zale shouted as Garl and Valere went into hysterics. Valere could have sworn Seraï smiled too, even if she couldn’t see her mouth.  The group got ready for bed, and Valere felt happier than she ever had since she heard the news from Yolande. Something was still tugging at the back of her brain, but it didn’t feel as strong or all-consuming. Maybe she could get some proper sleep for the first time in who-knows-how-long.          Zale woke up to the rustling and chatter of busy mornings. He tried to plug his ears and fall back asleep, but to no avail. Refusing to leave his cocoon, he jumped and hobbled his way to the campfire and sat next to Garl. He was already packed and ready to go, so he was whittling the same project as last night.   “Good morning, Zale,” he smiled, amused at his antics.  “Hey,” he flatly replied, still groggy.  Garl offered him a granola bar. “You know we should try to head out soon. You ought to start packing.”  “I know,” he sighed, slipping a hand out his shelter to accept his breakfast. “But I don’t want to,” he whined, stretching himself out into Garl’s lap.  “Zale, you do this every morning,” Garl said, pushing him to the ground.  “Ow! Hey!” He looked up to see Garl giggling at his own actions.   “You better hurry because I’m not helping you this time.”  He begrudgingly unzipped his sleeping bag and started to roll it up. It was warm and humid since they were in the middle of a jungle, but the loss of his insulation made him feel chilly.    “Wow, he’s awake,” Seraï said, feigning her surprise.  “Yeah, yeah,” Zale grumbled, struggling to force the elastic bands around his sleeping bag.  “Chop chop,” she teased before plopping down next to Garl.  Hissing under his breath, he finally finished packing up his sleeping bag. “Are you just gonna watch me?” he asked grumpily once he realized her eyes never left him.  “What? It’s my morning entertainment.” Seraï leaned forward, perching her elbows on her knees and head in her hands. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t contemplating violence to wipe that smug look off her face. Zale grabbed his hygiene bag and made his way towards the water source.  “Morning, Zale,” Valere beamed, completely oblivious to his plights as she passed him.   “Morning,” he said dryly, not even bothering to look at her.  “Um, don’t forget to filter any water first,” she awkwardly called out to him as he continued walking.  “I know. Thanks.”  Zale got to work filtering his own water. While he was very impatient using the tiny filters they had, he didn’t have much of a choice with his iodine allergy. At least squeezing the filtration bag made for a nice stress ball.   “What’s got you mad today?” he asked himself aloud. “Normally I like mornings like this. Nothing’s changed.” He noticed the trickle of clean water thin, so he stopped to refill the pouch before continuing. “Sure, Garl isn’t helping today, but that’s never been a given. Seraï was as annoying as ever,” he smiled, “but that’s what makes her her.”  He gazed up at the trees, trying to get a better look at the sky peeking through. “I’m not making us leave super late I don’t think.” He stopped to think about his attitude for a moment before exclaiming, “Please don’t say I’m turning into Valere now.” Laughing at himself always made him feel better. While it still helped some, it fell short of its usual effectiveness. “I’m really off today.”   He refilled his bag for the second time. “It’s not what Valere told me last night.” After doing a quick scan of the place, he continued a bit quieter. “Yeah, it’s weird that Garl and Seraï of all people would be hooking up, but it’s not like it’s a problem. Considering both me and Valere only know about it from other people, I’d say they’re doing a good job hiding it.”  He forcefully threw a rock into the stream once he saw that his flask was just short of being full when his filtration pouch ran out yet again. “Why can’t we just get bigger ones?” he complained to no one. He got back to his previous train of thought after dunking his filtration bag in frustration.   “Why are they hiding it? They know we wouldn’t judge, right?” he hesitated as he remembered how Valere was acting. “Okay, I wouldn’t judge. I just want to know how in the world that came to be.” Zale became amused by his own ideas as to how they would have gotten together. “Though I think Valere said it was more of a hook up thing,” he muttered shyly, embarrassed how carried away he got in his own imagination. “I guess that’s why they haven’t said anything. It'd be weird to expect Garl to announce, ‘By the way, I’ve started railing Seraï-” Zale’s hand flew to cover his own mouth, as his face turned red from both laughter and embarrassment.  “I think I’ve done enough talking for today,” he said, still recovering from his previous quip. He squeezed some clean water onto his toothbrush, using it to shut himself up.  Freshened up and ready for adventure, Zale made his way back to camp. The group was sitting on the campfire logs, engaged in their own conversation and watching Garl whittle. Valere perked up when she noticed Zale’s approach.  “You ready to go?” she asked enthusiastically.  “Yep, all set.”  “Then let’s go!” she cheered, pointing forward as she marched into the brush.  The walk was pretty quiet, but that’s how things usually went in the morning. Garl didn’t talk a lot on the road, often preferring to pay attention to his footing, Seraï kept her peace unless prompted or a witty quip came to her mind, and Valere was always too focused on navigation to keep up a conversation. Zale felt a tad neglected, having a pent-up chatty energy that they had the privilege of letting out while he was stuck choking those wretched filtration bags.  “What to talk about?” he asked himself. A question would be the best way to guarantee someone else’s response, but how could he make sure it continues past that. Too many follow-up questions would make them irritated, and if he led them to start a story, they might tell him to wait until that night’s campfire. After some deep thought, Zale had an epiphany. “What if I also get them to ask questions?” With a concept of a plan in mind, he decided to go for it.  “Garl,” he called.  “Yeah,” he said, looking up at him a touch out of breath.  “How do you pick up women?” All eyes were on Zale.  “I don’t?” he answered confused.  “But if you did, how would you go about it?” he continued.  “Uh,” Garl started, seeming lost for words. “I wouldn’t really ‘pick up’ women. I’d rather be friends first.”  Valere quickly tuned out the conversation, presuming it would head nowhere. On the other hand, Seraï kept listening, though it's not like she had anything better to do.  “That doesn’t answer the question,” Zale pouted. “If you had to, what would you say and do?”  Garl still had a wince on his face as he tried to come up with an answer. “Ask them how they’re doing and give them a... handshake?”  “Wow, you suck at this,” Zale teased. “And I thought I had horrible social skills.”  “I don’t want to be flirting with random women in the first place. The sooner the rejection the better,” he explained.  Zale was about to unleash a comeback, but something in the back of his brain stopped him. Gears were turning, and a devious idea revealed itself.  “What if they’re not a random woman?” he added to his initial prompt. Valere not-so-subtly tuned back in to their conversation hearing this. Zale hoped she had faith in him to not spill their secret knowledge. “Imagine they’re your favorite woman that you’re close to.”  “I’m not flirting with Gran.”  “Obviously she doesn’t count.”  Garl was lost in thought again. At least it didn’t seem as painful as before. “Hug them, and...” he trailed off, failing to finish his thought.  “But you normally hug everyone,” Zale complained. “Can’t you be more creative?”  “But that’s what I’d want to do,” Garl reasoned.  “But it’s boring.”  “You asked him what he would do and now he’s telling you what he would do,” Seraï butted in. “Stop trying to change his answer.”  Zale sighed. “Fine.”  “As you were saying,” Seraï said, giving the reigns back to Garl.  “Ah, right,” he mumbled. “I would hug them and probably ask them out.”  “Oo! To where?” Zale cheekily asked.  “I don’t know. Why are you so interested in this?”  “Just curious.”  “I don’t buy that for a second,” Seraï stated.  “Well, you don’t have to. Only Garl does, so PPBBBT-” he blew a raspberry at her, earning laughs from the group.  Having picked up what Zale was trying to do and wanting to make sure it didn’t go too far, Valere decided to flip the script on him. “Are you trying to get dating advice from Garl?” she teased.  Taken aback by this, he sputtered, “No, I was just curious. Seriously!”  “You sound awfully defensive about this,” Seraï added.  “Yeah. Was there a ‘favorite woman’ of yours you wanted advice on?” Garl joined in.  “No!” he shouted in frustration, leading everyone to chuckle at his embarrassment.          Aboard the Vespertine, Yolande was checking on the crew during their lunch break. They all seemed fine, so she was about to leave the dining room.  “Yolande!” Valtraid had called to her from the far side of the table.  “Yeah?” she answered.  “Are you alright?” he asked, showing a sympathetic smile.  Taken aback by his question, she paused before responding, “Yeah, I’m alright.”  His smile grew as he waved her farewell. Yolande took her leave and went to the main deck. The salty breeze was refreshing, and the bright sun always lifted her spirits. She peered over the siding of the port and stared into the depths of ocean. It really wasn’t that deep since they were docked at Watcher Island, but looks can be deceiving.  While she had come to accept her captain’s strange relationship, something still tugged at her heart. She knew the feeling all too well but struggled to put it to words. A sad smile tugged at her lips as she recalled an old memory.                   Captain Klee'shaë had been helping her move cargo off the ship at Brisk. Other crew members had offered to help, but they were stubborn and refused. When Yolande was carrying one of the few remaining barrels upstairs, she heard a loud crash and the captain shriek louder than she had ever heard. Quickly setting her barrel on the main deck, Yolande rushed downstairs to check on her. Captain Klee'shaë was pale, holding her hand close to her chest and pointing her hook at the barrel she dropped.  “Are you alright?” Yolande asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.  Captain Klee'shaë snapped out of her focus and looked at her. “I’m fine,” she said weakly with a twinge of blush creeping above her mask.  “What happened?” she asked, moving to inspect the barrel.  The captain flinched. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”  “Didn’t sound like it.”  The captain kept quiet as Yolande investigated the cause herself. Nothing looked wrong with the barrel, and the floorboards here were steady. Suddenly, a second shriek from Captain Klee'shaë as she slammed her hook against the floor broke her concentration.  Yolande whipped her head around to check on her. She was frantically scanning her hook, paying no mind to Yolande.   “What is it?” Yolande impatiently asked.  Captain Klee'shaë’s face grew redder when she glanced at her before returning to her hook. The captain’s eyes appeared to have finally found their resting spot, so Yolande followed them onto her hook. She suppressed her chuckle as best she could when she saw the cause of her captain’s freak out.  “Come here, little guy,” she cooed as she scooped up the spider crawling on the captain’s hook.  She took it out to the dock and set it down on one of the bollards. When she came back on board, Captain Klee'shaë had resumed their duties, as if nothing had just transpired. Yolande stopped her at the top of the stairs, so she set her barrel on top of the one Yolande left initially.   “Are you scared of spiders?”  “No,” she harshly replied, reaching to pick up her barrel again.  “It’s not a problem you know, I just want to know for the future,” Yolande said, grabbing her arm.  “I’m not scared of spiders.” Her tone was growing more annoyed.  “Then why did you scream?”  “It startled me.”  “And the second time?”  “I lost sight of it, so it startled me again,” the captain said, pink returning to her cheeks.  Yolande let herself laugh this time. “We both know that’s not true.”  Captain Klee'shaë fell silent and stared at the ground. Yolande was about to assure her that she wasn’t making fun of her, but the captain spoke first.  “Please don’t tell anyone.”  The feebleness of her voice surprised her. The captain was always stern and confident, so the soft, subdued tone of her request made her feel like a different person.   “Of course. I don’t think it’s something you should feel ashamed about, but if you’d prefer to keep it private, I can keep a secret,” Yolande smiled.  Her smile was returned after a bit of hesitation. Captain Klee'shaë stuck out her hand with her pinkie extended. “Promise me.”  Yolande happily accepted. “Pinkie promise!”                She struggled to think of how long ago that was. It had been years since they met, but exact timelines always escaped her. That memory always stuck out as the first secret the captain told her. Well, she didn’t exactly tell her, nor was it of her own volition that Yolande found out, but she had trusted her to keep it confidential. “And I have,” Yolande thought, “So why not tell me now?” It’s not like that was the only secret she’s been told. Over the years, she’s gathered quite the collection of odd facts about her. To be left out of something so major hurt like a gut punch.   “Doing alright?” a voice rang out. Yolande turned to see Keenathan come up alongside her.   “Kinda,” she meekly responded.  “What’s bothering you?” he asked. “We’ve noticed that you’ve been acting a bit off lately.”  “Who’s ‘we’?” she questioned.  “Mainly just me and Valtraid, but a few other crew members have made comments as well.”  Yolande was embarrassed at how she let her mask slip so much. No one should be worrying about her. However, the last time she shared her thoughts, it did help her feel better. “I feel like the captain doesn’t trust me,” she blurted out.  Keenathan was taken aback by the sudden confession. “You know that she trusts you. Why has this come about?”  “I found out about something she was keeping secret.”  “That’s just Captain for you,” he said. “She’ll always have secrets.”  “But she usually tells me, and I can’t figure out why she wouldn’t with this.”  “Well, try to put yourself in her shoes. What are some reasons to keep it private?”  Yolande thought for a moment. “Maybe she's worried what everyone would think, but she should know that we wouldn’t care.”   “Judgment can often be clouded when worried,” Keenathan chimed in.  “Hey guys!” Valtraid greeted, standing on the other side of Yolande. Their uncomfortable expressions told him he messed up. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?” he asked apologetically.  “It’s fine,” Yolande said.  “Maybe you could help!” Keenathan cheered. “If it’s alright with Yolande.”  “That would be nice,” she replied.  “So, what’s going on?” Valtraid asked.  Yolande looked at Keenathan, but he was already staring at her expectantly. “I feel like Captain doesn’t trust me. Keenathan’s helping me deduce why she wouldn’t tell me something.”  “Doesn’t she normally keep secrets?” he asked.  “Yes, but Yolande found out about something she thinks the captain would have normally told her,” Keenathan answered.  “She might think we wouldn’t accept it,” Yolande continued with her original though train, “or maybe she finds it embarrassing,” she added, the last part sounding like a question.  “Possibly,” Keenathan stated.  “Though I would hope not,” Yolande quickly added.  “Can you tell us what you found out?” Valtraid asked.  “That’s the captain’s business,” Keenathan said with a slightly raised voice. “We shouldn’t be gossiping about the contents of this secret.”  “I’ve already told Valere,” Yolande sheepishly said.  His expression was one of shock and betrayal.  “I doubt it’s that big a deal,” Valtraid said, “and it would be easier to help if we knew.”   Keenathan looked conflicted. “Only if Yolande thinks it’s alright.”  She pondered what to do, weighing the good and bad of both sharing and not sharing. She quickly settled on a sort of middle ground, saying, “She has a boyfriend.”  The two were surprised at the news.  “Really? Who?” Valtraid spat out.  “I don’t know if I want to say who, but we know him.”  “So, Zale or Garl,” Keenathan said matter-of-factly.  Yolande grew nervous at how quickly he deduced it was one of them. “What?” she asked, trying to mask her disbelief.  “I doubt it would be a crew member, so unless Valtraid’s hiding something, it isn’t one of us,” he shot him a joking smirk, “and Zale and Garl are the only other men she spends enough time with to properly develop a relationship.”  Seeing no point in leaving it a fifty-fifty, she came clean. “Yeah, it’s Garl.”  “Huh. Wouldn’t have expected that,” Valtraid said, still processing the information.  “I just don’t know why she’s hiding it,” Yolande said, staring off into the horizon.  “Is she the one who wants to hide it?” Keenathan questioned. “Relationships are a two-way street, you know.”  “I think Garl's far less likely to want it private,” Valtraid answered.  “Yeah,” Yolande agreed, “Of the two of them, it's definitely Captain who would want it kept secret.”  “Maybe she just gets embarrassed when it comes to mushy stuff,” Valtraid suggested. “Captain’s not the kind for PDA or anything.”  “True,” Keenathan said. “Do you know how long they’ve been together, Yolande?”  “No.”  “Then they might’ve not gotten around to saying anything yet.”  “Oh!” Yolande exclaimed, causing the two to face her. “I should probably mention, while I’m confident that they are dating, there is a chance it’s just a hookup situation.”  The two looked almost more surprised at that than the initial revelation.  “What gave you that impression?” Keenathan asked.  “I saw Garl leaving her cabin really early in the morning.”  “Wow,” Valtraid muttered, “Wouldn’t have thought her the type for that either.”  “Me neither, which is why I was so surprised,” Yolande said.  Keenathan stared out to the ocean and sighed. “It’s not like there’s anything for us to do about it. Whatever she does and what she chooses to talk about is her decision.”  “I know,” Yolande said, “But it still feels wrong.”  “It’s alright,” Valtraid assured her, pulling them all into a group hug. “We can find a way to deal with this - together.”