A lot has happened recently! Maybe I can organize my thoughts by pretending to write a journal. I wonder how that would go?

‘Hello! Ali, here. I’m on my way to the port to check whether I can negotiate sea passage out from Fort Breslow. I only arrived yesterday, yet I am already trying to skip town. Ah, my life sure is unlucky! 

Why is a demon girl like me in a human city at all?

I came here because I blindly answered a summons; I was in a bit of a bind back on the demon world, and it seemed like a good way out at the time. So far, I don’t even regret it! As stressful as I find it trying to fit in while talking to people here, being beaten, being stabbed, being chased, and being abandoned, I do also enjoy the view, weather, and local food culture. I even met a couple humans who didn’t trick me, take advantage of me or try to kill me, so it’s really not all bad.

Right now, I have severe internal injuries with my meridians, so my cultivation is crippled almost back to zero. But I heard I’ll be okay with a bit of feeding and recovery time, if I don’t die first.

Why do I think I would die soon?

There’s this clan of humans called military police and they’re hunting for me in the city. If I leave the city, I’m liable to get slaughtered by monster hunters or ferocious animals. Sure is tough being weak. That’s why I’m headed to port; I figure I can get out of here by sea and find a less hostile place to start my peaceful everyday life on Terra.

Ah, now I’m in a bit of a hurry. I think I was just recognized, and the suspicious human who was looking at me only to suddenly bolt off actually went to grab his friends to give me another beating.’

Enough journaling. I sped off down an ally, vaulted over a short wall, and clambered up some windows to reach roof level. Now I was in my element, easily building distance from my pursuers by changing directions often and crossing roofs wherever street traffic couldn’t readily follow. After I figured I’d lost them, I hopped down behind some containers and walked out to blend in with the humans near the port. ‘A big thank you to the man from the ditch for giving me the energy to heal my leg.’ I started checking out the ships.

I’d never seen more than a trickle of water before, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous about going and floating around in a whole ocean of it. ‘Well, I don’t have much of a choice, so I’ll just have to be brave and bear it.’

I bet the biggest one was the sturdiest, so I went there first. I approached the nearest human working by the ship and asked him for information, “Hello! I’m Ali. Does this big ship leave soon?”

A strong tattooed man glanced at me and spat, “Saint Rose is bound for the old country tomorrow morning. Now shove off and go bother someone else.” He then moved on with his task. Rude, but good deal he told me a lot. I went to talk to another crew member who looked less busy; she was either lazy or a leader, I hoped for the latter.

“Excuse me, miss!” I approached her, “How can I get passage on the ship Saint Rose?”

She told me to speak to a person called chief mate and pointed toward him. ‘Hehe, I’ve become so powerful at getting what I want by talking to humans!’ I praised myself internally and scurried over.

I put on my friendliest appearance, smiled warmly (probably), and told him, “Good evening chief mate! I’m Ali. I hope to get passage on the ship Saint Rose.”

He looked me up and down briefly before nodding and responding, “trying to book at this late time before the departure, you’re sure fortunate there’s still cabin space available. Passage to Oestland will run you four pounds.”

That cost even more than getting meridians healed! I tried to look pathetic to appeal with my apparently pretty appearance, “ah, Sir I don’t have quite that much. Isn’t there another way? I’m not afraid to work!”

“Do you have any sailing experience or any maritime skills?”

“No.” I looked down.

He grunted and was about to turn away, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Wait! I really can work! I can fight, and I used to run errands, I’m good at climbing, and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty! I don’t even need much to eat. Please! I hate being in this city. I just want to leave.” Somehow I even managed to start crying at the end. ‘Who needs to go to acting school? I’m gifted.’

He pushed me off him, but ended up relenting.

“I suppose I can hire you as a cabin girl.”

I nodded.

“But you won’t get any pay! You’ll sleep with the crew. And you’ll be cleaning and mending clothes and doing any kind of chores passengers or crew ask from you, except don’t even think about trying to help sail. I will make you regret your entire life if you break something or if I find anything off that you touched.”

I gulped. Humans were so threatening.

“Okay, I agree. Thank you mister chief mate.”

“Call me chief,” he corrected, while beckoning another crew member over, “This is, what’s your name?”

I wanted to remind him that I had just told him moments before, but restrained myself.

“Ali.”

“This is Ali, she’s a new cabin girl. Show her around and put her to work, alright?”

“Sure thing chief,” she replied, before pulling me toward the ship.

Sarah, as my guide called herself, explained briefly what I should do and showed me around. When she finished, she patted my shoulder, “you got all that, Ali?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, ask for me if you need anything,” she said.

“I will!” I promised her.

She grabbed my hand, “glad to have you with us,” then released me and left to do her own job.

I ran errands for the crew until past dark, then went to a place called the mess and got food, though I only liked the meat portion.

I went to my bunk in the female quarters. As I sat on my hammock, I noticed Sarah lying in the next bunk over; she was playing with something in her hands. She had let down her light brown hair, allowing it to fall over her slim shoulders. She kept her dark eyes fixed on her busy hands. I realized I was staring at her and spoke.

“Hello again Sarah.” I greeted her.

She looked up, “oh, hey Ali! Looks like you didn’t get lost somewhere after all, hahaha.”

“Yeah, I did remember what you taught me,” I replied, “I’m glad you’re here, so I can rest near someone familiar.”

“That wasn’t up to chance, you know. Chief had me show you around because you were going to be my neighbor.”

That made sense, “I hadn’t thought about that. Ah, thanks for showing me around earlier.”

“Haha, no problem, no problem, no problem at all!” Sarah put down her toy and shifted on her side to face me, “I was glad to receive you, you know? Agatha is so dour. But I bet we’ll get along splendidly.”

“What makes you say that?” I wondered.

“Hmmmmm,” she put two fingers near her temple and squinted, “easy to look at, I guess?”

“Sure,” I agreed. Even if I didn’t really get it, I wanted to get along too. So I replied the same to her, “Uh, so are you Sarah.”

She rolled back and started laughing and kicking her legs. “Just kidding! just kidding! Sort of,” she coughed, “anyway, you go along with whatever dumb shit I say, and you didn’t argue about your job or anything. Perfection!”

“Why would I argue with you? Don’t you know more than me?”

“Who knows?” she groaned and put her arm over her face in the most exaggerated manner, “New people always think they know everything,” she looked back at me, “especially when they haven’t even been on a ship before.”

I laughed, “I know what you mean! They never respect your experience and just look down on you because you’re young or weak.”

“Yup! For damned sure,” Sarah agreed, ”you sure have good timing joining the crew. We’re sailing tomorrow you know!”

“Yes, that’s what I heard. I’m excited to leave.”

“Oh? Why join the crew last minute anyway? I feel like there’s a good story here.”

“Well, um.” I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Don’t worry~, just a secret between cabin girls. We’ll be living together for the next two months anyway; so let’s get along, okay?”

“Oh,” for some reason I didn’t previously consider the length of the sea passage; two months seemed a long time. I think I liked Sarah, so I didn’t mind sharing. “Well I was sort of… running away from someone who tried to hurt me.” I paused, while she nodded and waited for me to continue.

“I met a strong woman. I thought we would get along, but she left me. When I needed help, another man tricked me into a bad agreement. So much went wrong; I didn’t know anyone, so I wanted to leave.”

Sarah shook her head, “I’m sorry, that’s too bad. I’m happy you were able to find a way out.”

“I just- don’t feel safe there,” I continued, softly.

She reached over and took my hand.

“You’ll be alright here. I promise.”

“Okay, thanks Sarah” I looked up at her and saw she was smiling at me. I managed to copy her gesture. Sarah was so warm and easy-going, I felt at ease around her. If I had to flee Fort Breslow on a strange ship, I was glad to do so with a human like Sarah around.

Realizing I had told her about myself, I was curious about her background too and asked. She squeezed my hand and let go, beginning to talk about herself.

“Listen to this, my stupid parents got themselves sick and died while we were on a voyage together quite a few years back. Still a little girl at the time.  The first mate comes at me with a bunch of documents; and mind you I can’t hardly read then, gets me to put my mark on the whole mess. Now I’m a child working for free to pay off their debt from the passage fees.”

“Ah, I’m-” I started.

“Don’t worry about it! I don’t know much besides sea life now anyway, and I don’t much mind, so it’s all good,” she continued her story, “soon as we gets to port, I snuck into the ship’s office, snatched those papers and ran off.”

She chuckled and raised her brows, “Aren’t I amazing? Tell me I am.”

“You were so clever!” I obliged her.

“Exactly! Of course, I was a lone child in a strange port, so I ended up just signing straight onto another ship since it’s all I knew to do.”

“Right back where you came from, I’m sorry.” I tried to sympathize.

“Yeah, but I didn’t give those bastards the satisfaction of working for free! Besides, now I proved I could make myself useful on Saint Rose instead, I can receive pay like every other sailor. I guess it’s fate, me bound with the eternal waves, yah.”

She sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear.

“Oh, well that’s alright then I guess?” I hoped it was, anyway, “thanks for sharing your story.”

“Yeah sure!”

We chatted a bit more about nothing in particular before going to sleep.

The next morning, we went our separate ways to manage our duties. My work brought me above deck shortly after our vessel departed. I took a momentary break, feeling the ocean breeze, smelling the salt, adjusting to the ship swaying and rolling under me, and I looked back to port. I contemplated the diminishing city where I’d spent all my time on Terra, a cluster of unusual buildings capped on the left by the fortress on a hill, all standing before a background of fields, forest, ocean and sky.

‘Thousands of humans must live there; it doesn’t even begin to compare to the unnumbered demon cities built into the walls of Abyss.’ I turned around and put my back to the rail, ‘Ah, but this ocean goes on forever and ever beyond sight! I wonder what kind of place lies at our destination on the other side.’

After that brief reverie, I busied myself with my assigned business as Fort Breslow shrank behind us.

LilyVictoria

Full disclosure, I don’t know hardly anything about ships or sailors during the age of sail. I’ll do my best, though!