Zuri carefully removed the bandage from Adrian’s arm. A horrific, marred scar waited beneath, but other than that, the wound had completely healed up.

“I think you’ve finally graduated from the splint,” they said encouragingly. “Does it hurt at all? Try moving it around.”

Adrian extended the arm out slowly, then moved it around in careful circles. “It feels great, though, does it look a bit crooked?” He stretched it out, eyeing the way it abnormally curved slightly to one side.

They examined it. “Hm, guess it healed a little funny, huh? That’s pretty normal. You can still use it just fine, right?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’m just glad I can use it at all. It feels so nice to have it out of the splint.”

“Oh, I bet.” They stood from their kneeling position. “You coming into town with us? Jacques and Andre will pick up the food and bedding, if you want to come with me to buy some supplies for my projects and we can get you some clothes.”

His face brightened at the last one. “Yeah, I’ll come.”

 

 

Adrian bought two new outfits for himself that were similar in fashion to the old ones. He was especially excited to try on the rusty orange crossover shirt that Zuri told him would bring out the blue in his eyes. Something about being royalty made him especially vain when it came to his appearance. He had always liked to see a sharp, well-dressed image staring back at him in his reflection, and now was no exception. 

There was a spring in his step as he walked down the busy street of Hauteland, wanting more than anything to get back to the ship to change. He soon found himself standing in a parts shop that was heaven for Zuri as they skirted about the place stopping at each new, exciting thing they found and touching everything they came into contact with.

“Ian, look at this!” They held up some kind of steel hinge. “We can buy some of these, right? They’re the best quality for my little water drills.”

He came over and looked at the pieces. “Why are you asking me? The money is everyone’s now, remember? Buy whatever you need for your inventions.”

A splitting grin crossed their face. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m gonna get a fucking steel hinge and no one can say anything about it.”

He laughed.

“Zuri, you’re the heaviest spender of all of us.” It was Jacques who spoke, and they both turned to see him and Andre entering the shop. “How’d I know you’d be in here?”

“Oh, Jacques!” The inventor bounded over to him excitedly. “Hauteland has such a wide selection of stuff! I was able to get all the chemicals I need to clean the ship and a bunch of other stuff to make some inventions that should make us better prepared to fight Carnadine if we have to confront her again.”

“Great. Did you restock our medical supplies as well?”

“I sure did! I’m probably going to be in here for a while though.” Their eyes darted around excitedly as they said it. “There’s so much to look at.”

“What’d you get, Ian?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as his eyes fell on the small bag Adrian was carrying. “Clothes?”

He nodded proudly. “Was getting a bit tired of the ripped, bloody ones.”

“Hey, Jacques,” Andre cut in, placing a hand on the leader’s shoulder, “I really should get all the food back to the ship and get started on lunch. D’you get everything you needed?”

He looked up at him. “We still need bedding for the bedframes, but you go ahead and start lunch.”

“I’ll come with you, Andre,” Adrian said enthusiastically, wanting any excuse to change. “I can help you put everything away.”

Jacques raised an eyebrow. “You sure? What about your arm?”

Adrian moved it around with a grin. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m ready to do some heavy lifting again.”

Andre came and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “That’s great news!” he boomed. “There is quite a bit to unload, so that’ll really help me get started cooking earlier.”

“Well, we’ll see you at the ship later then,” Jacques said as Andre was leading Adrian away with his arm still around him.

“See you later, Ian!” Zuri yelled a bit too loudly as they searched through a crate of parts.

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

Adrian stepped out into the hallway, having finished putting away all the supplies. The sunlight from a nearby window gleamed off the beautiful orange shirt now on his body. It was paired with pine green pants and a beige sash around his waist. His hair was tied in its usual half ponytail with a green ribbon.

Sniffing the air and detecting grilled onions, he made his way to the kitchen. He poked his head in to see Andre swirling a pan over the stove while adding some spices to it. The large man spied him out of the corner of his eye and grinned. 

“You’re looking good!” he exclaimed, then gestured to himself. “Look, I also got myself new things and they actually fit me properly for once.” He showed off a smart looking green vest over a white shirt with cuffed sleeves and loose brown pants; all of which fit him perfectly.

Adrian was so used to seeing clothes pinch the man’s sides and biceps, he was impressed by the striking profile. He nodded in approval. “Must feel nice. They look great on you.”

He grinned. “Never had clothes tailored for me before. Always had hand-me-downs. By the way, the food will be ready in an hour or so.”

The blond stepped further into the kitchen, leaning on the small black countertop. “Can I help?”

Andre considered him. “If you want to, though, I’ll warn you right now I have a very specific way of doing things.”

He chuckled “Yeah, so Zuri’s told me. I’m pretty new to cooking myself, so I was hoping more to learn from you than anything else.”

He blinked in surprise. “Oh?”

“If that’s alright with you.”

A wide smile spread over ebony lips. “I wouldn’t mind taking on an apprentice. Come here. I’ll show you how to caramelize the onions in a way that leaves the senses longing.”

He suppressed a grin, stepping around the counter to stand by his side. “Sounds inviting.”

“Trust me, when I’m in the kitchen, food is more than a necessity. Now, you want a medium heat like this and always use a wooden spoon with these kinds of pans. One scratch on my babies and you’re out immediately. You understand?”

 

 

After the onions were ready, Andre moved onto cooking the meat while he directed Adrian on how to prepare the filo pastry dough.

“This process requires precision and diligence,” he said. “You’ll need to knead it.”

“Knead?”

“Here let me show you.” He stepped away from the pan for a moment to take up the dough on the floured countertop and pressed down on it with his hands. “Everyone has their own technique, but this is the one I use. You try.” Adrian imitated the motion on the dough. “Put a little more elbow into it. You don’t need to be so gentle. That’s right.”

“How did you learn all of this?”

Andre went back to his pan. “Taught myself mostly. I found myself in the kitchen a lot back when we were living with Jacques’s parents. It was one of the few things I was allowed to do, and I’ve always loved it.”

“Oh, right.” His face sank slightly. “Jacques told me your parents didn’t allow you to do much. That’s really such a shame.”

“Eh.” He shrugged. “We don’t live there anymore and I’m a much better chef than I was back then.” He shivered before adding, “I used to cook without oil. Can you imagine?” He breathed out a laugh, shaking his head.

Adrian chuckled in response. “A cardinal sin. Isn’t that what you told me earlier?”

He nodded seriously. “That’s right. For the most part, we always cook with oil. Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.” There was a pause as he continued kneading and Andre flicked the pan up, briefly flinging the contents into the air before catching them again. 

“Do you think you’ll stay with us after you’ve completed your quest?”

Adrian blinked up from the dough in surprise. “Huh?”

“Will you go back to your homeland after you open the Totrium?”

He searched his face for a moment before looking to the side. “I’d really like to remain with you three, but I told my brother I would return home once the journey was finished, so I will.”

He nodded slowly. “That makes sense. You know, ever since you joined our group, we’ve felt more complete as a team. Imagining you not being a part of it seems wrong, like something’s missing. Of course, you do what you must, but we all enjoy your company.”

There it was again. That considerateness that absolutely melted Adrian’s heart. He bit his lip, then quickly exhaled. “It feels like that for me too, like I just belong here, like I always have.” The expression fell. “I… don’t think I have much choice in the matter though.”

“Why not?”

“It would be chaos if I did not return, if not but to show I’m well and safe.”

“Would it be enough if you just visit occasionally?”

“Uh,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I don’t know. It would cause a lot of unnecessary drama that I don’t wish to be responsible for.”

He gave an understanding expression. “Well, you have some time to think about it, and don’t feel any pressure to stay with us.”

“Oh, believe me, I want to, I do.” His own words surprised him as he realized the truth of them. “It’s just, things are…”

“Complicated?”

He gave an affirmative hum.

There was a loud creak as the door to the lower deck flew open and footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.

“Smells good, Andre!” came Zuri’s voice. “What are you making today—” They stopped dead in their tracks at the threshold when they saw Adrian handling the dough. “Holy shit.” They rubbed their eyes with both hands, blinking. “What’s going on right now?”

“Hey, Zuri,” Adrian said kindly.

“We’re making stuffed pastries,” Andre said, flicking the pan up again. “Ian’s a quick study.”

Their jaw dropped. “I don’t believe this… You never let me help.” They directed their furious words to Andre.

“Because you always try to change my recipes.”

“Only because there’s always a more efficient way to do things and you Sir, do not take the efficient route.”

“Cooking isn’t about efficiency. It’s about finesse.” 

“Whatever.” They folded their arms.

 

 

An hour or so later, the four group members found themselves sitting in the kitchen at the small dining table and chairs Andre had purchased in town.  

Adrian reached for the stuffed pastries they’d prepared as he read from the Alchemist journal in his lap. They were just as delicious as the first day he had them.

“Your food is good as always, Andre,” Jacques complimented with his mouth full.

“Didn’t make it alone,” he replied, beaming over at his new apprentice, slapping a hand down on his shoulder. “Ian and I did.”

The leader stared at the blond from across the table, clearly in shock. “What?”

Adrian looked up from the journal. “I just helped.” He smiled up at the large man. “Andre’s a great teacher.”

Andre returned the gesture. “And you’re an attentive learner.”

Zuri shook their head, arms folded. “I still can’t believe you let him in your kitchen and allowed him to touch your pans. Jacques and I aren’t allowed anywhere near any of that.”

He frowned. “We’ve been over this. You get in the way and Jacques burns everything he touches.” 

“Hey!”

Adrian snickered at that, his eyes back on his journal.

“Ian, have you learned anything new?” Zuri asked, leaning over to look at the page he was on. “Anything else about magic users?”

“Yes, actually. I think I found some coordinates to a supposed ancient power plant.”

“Oh fuck, for real?” They watched him with wide eyes.

“We’re heading there after we leave this town,” Jacques said, a hand under his chin, and the inventor looked over at him in surprise.

“I suppose we have gotten closer to the Incendio Dunes,” Adrian said thoughtfully. “Don’t we have to cross a mountain range though?”

Jacques nodded. “Yeah, but that shouldn’t be a problem with our new ship. It’s not a very tall mountain range and we should be able to just sail right over it.”

“Will we be able to make the journey with our current supplies?”

“Yeah. It’d be best if we resupply in Venwi town afterwards—”

“Wait, wait,” Zuri cut in, their hands held out. “Back the fuck up. We’re going to an Alchemist power generator now?”

“Power plant,” Adrian corrected. “I’m not sure what we’ll find there, but it could be promising.”

“Ian and I discussed it a few days ago,” Jacques said calmly. “It’ll throw Carnadine off if we go there. She’ll never expect us way out in the dunes, and we’ll be able to put quite a bit of distance between her. We have everything ready basically except for our water reserves. I’m planning on going after lunch to the water port.”

“I’ll go with you, Jacques,” Andre said, and the leader nodded.

“I’ll come too,” Adrian chimed in but was met with a head shake.

“I need you here with Zuri to watch over the ship,” Jacques insisted.

“Yes, I’ll also need some help restoring it to its former dirt-free glory,” the inventor added, grinning. “My chemical compound is working wonders already. Shouldn’t be long before she glistens under the sun.”

“It may take a few hours to retrieve water,” Jacques went on, “so keep a sharp eye out for looters.”

“Got it.”

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

The sun beat down overhead as Adrian wiped down the helm. Zuri was on the other side of the ship, cleaning the hand railings.

It’d been more than a few hours since Andre and Jacques had left, and Adrian was starting to get worried. He set down his rag and crossed the deck over to the inventor.

“Shouldn’t they be back by now?”

They shrugged. “These things can take forever sometimes, even if you have enough money to pay for it.”

He let out a breath. “Well, at least the ship will be spotless by the time they come back.”

“I know, right? The bedroom is so nice now with the fluffy beds, curtains, and even rugs... and it’s all so clean! I think the ancient Alchemists would be proud of the restoration we’ve achieved if they were around to see it.”

He nodded. “We just have the crow’s nest left to tidy up.”

“Shall we head up there now? I’m basically done with this railing.”

“Yeah. I already finished the helm as well.”

They both walked over to the main mast, then made their way up the tall ladder. As he climbed, that’s when Adrian spotted something out in the direction of the town, and he froze. It was the unmistakable green flash of Jacques’s magic coming in and out of one of the streets. 

“Zuri!” he shouted. “I think we’ve got company.” From his vantage point, he could now see Andre and Jacques sprinting towards the ship with the donkeys in tow. Behind them was a large group of men and a woman with distinct red hair carrying a crimson mace. 

“Shit!” Zuri gasped.

They were quickly descending the ladder, Adrian subconsciously grabbing his left arm, remembering the way that same mace had torn through the flesh and bone. He swallowed.

“Time to see if my new inventions actually work,” they said, sprinting for the door leading below deck. “Lower the ramp for them while I grab the stuff!”

Adrian quickly obeyed, getting the platform down by the time a heaving Jacques and Andre were approaching it. Thankfully, Tulipe had not been taken out and the two donkeys carrying water on their backs quickly followed up the ramp.

“Take them!” Jacques shouted, thrusting the reins into Adrian’s hands. “I’ll handle this.” He raised his arms out against the group of ruffians that were now climbing the ramp. His eyes flashed green and anyone not already on the ship was now flying several feet backwards into the air.

Adrian pulled on the reins, leading the animals to their stalls as the ramp lifted back up. By the time he was sprinting back to the trapdoor, the ship lurched as a thunder strike rang out.

He was quickly getting up after being thrown to the ground, making his way back outside where the sky was filled with green storm clouds. There were several men on the ship that Andre and Jacques were engaged in combat with. Andre swung his battle axe while Jacques thrust one of his dual swords into someone and shot magic through it, electrocuting them. Adrian began drawing his own sword when Zuri ran over, grabbing his arm.

“Stay out of the fight,” they shouted. “Help me with the bombs!” They thrust something into his hands.

He took it and followed them as they made it to the upper deck of the ship by the helm. 

“Pull the lever on the side and toss it over the edge like this!” They lifted a latch on the homemade bomb and threw it over the ship onto a group of ruffians below. An explosion rang out.

“Got it!” He dropped his own bomb after lifting the latch, watching it explode.

“That’s it! Keep it up—”

The boat was thrown again, but not by Jacques’s magic this time. Red plumes of smoke burst around the entire ship, temporarily blinding Adrian’s vision as a cloud of crimson consumed everything. It would seem Carnadine had her own tricks to match.

Adrian was lifting himself from the ground, blinking as Zuri came back into view beyond the red haze. “Good thing the ship is indestructible, or we might have gone up in that explosion,” they said, standing. “Don’t stop now!” 

They were putting a different device into his hands, but he was distracted by what he saw on deck. During the red out, someone had placed a collar around Jacques’s neck, similar to the one he’d worn in the prison cell, and the sides were glowing. Jacques threw his arm out, attempting to use his magic when the faint glimmer died in his eyes and he was left clutching his insides, stumbling slightly.

Andre covered him while he continued to struggle against the collar.

“Ian! Stay with me!” Zuri shouted, and his head snapped back in their direction. “This time, press the red button and toss it!”

He followed their example again, tossing the thing over the side. This time the device burst open and sent regular electricity through anyone it touched.

“Keep throwing them!”

As he tossed the next device, he spotted Carnadine at the bottom, holding a device in her hand with a button and a dial on it. She hit the button, and he furrowed his eyebrows. That’s when he heard a cry of pain coming from the deck.

He dared a glance and to his horror, Jacques was the one crying out as the now active collar seemed to have amped up in intensity. He fell to his knees, barely blocking the incoming blow from an oncoming ruffian and groaned, putting a hand up to the collar, dropping one of his swords. 

Andre was occupied with a dozen or so other men, unable to come to Jacques’s aid.

“Zuri, Jacques needs help,” Adrian shouted as he made to dart forward when they took his arm.

“Ian, no! We can’t afford you freaking out again over the blood. You need to stay back.”

He hesitated. Jacques trembled under the sword pressed against his own, clearly still fighting the collar.

Before he could make any sense of what he was doing, Adrian ripped his arm out of Zuri’s grasp and drew his sword. A moment later, the man holding Jacques was cleaved in half by Adrian’s blade, blood and other unpleasant fluids spraying them both. Adrian barely registered the body, sickeningly falling to the ground as he knelt over Jacques who had passed out. 

He found a weak spot on the collar that he could wrench his sword into and plunged it downward. The collar broke and fell off his neck. That’s when he was met with two charging men. He blocked one then plunged his sword into the other. He ducked under the second’s next blow then kicked them back. He took his sword out of the now limp corpse and decapitated the remaining foe. 

He stole a glance at the fallen man he was protecting, concerned that Jacques hadn’t woken yet. Determination filled his body as he fought the next wave of opponents, nothing mattering more than protecting his friend.

It was a blur of swords, blood, and heavy breathing as he did all he could to keep them away. That’s when Andre was by his side.

“Andre, cover me!” he shouted and there was no hesitation as the black man swung his massive hammer, taking out a row of four people in one blow. 

Adrian knelt, seeing that Jacques’s eyes were beginning to open. He shook the dazed man’s shoulder with his free hand. “Jacques, Jacques!” The leader let out a small groan, his eyes blinking into focus. Adrian shook him again. “Hey, come back!”

“Ian?” The eyes locked onto his then moved to the chaos happening around them.

“Jacques.” Adrian placed the hand on his cheek, making him look back at him. “We need you right you.”

He looked at him for only a moment before an urgency seized him. He stood quickly, forgetting his swords on the ground. Closing his eyes for a second, he thrust his arms out, his eyes glowing green as he cried out.

Earsplitting lightning struck and the sound alone caused Adrian to stumble. The ship trembled, and the flashing light was blinding. There were several strikes that took out any remaining ruffians on the ship.

“Cover me!” the leader yelled, sprinting for the helm.

He was most likely talking to Andre, but Adrian followed him instead. Quickly ascending the stairs, Jacques was at the helm, thrusting his hand over the green center, starting up the ship.

With a roaring hum, it began to slowly lift off the ground, the bottom fins extending. One of Carnadine’s men had managed to cling onto the side of the railing behind Jacques and was now climbing on deck, lifting his weapon as he approached.

Adrian swung his already crimson-stained sword and drove the tip into the man’s neck. Heaving, he retrieved his weapon from the body and turned to see if there were others to face, but now that they were reaching up into the clouds, anyone left was down on the ground, staring up at them.

He looked over the side to see an infuriated Carnadine scowling up at them, her face murderous. She was shouting something, but she was too far away to hear. Jacques left the helm to look as well, and a mad grin spread over his face as he lifted his middle finger to the sky. He made direct eye contact with the red-headed assassin while laughing maniacally. 

Adrian joined with his own laughter, adrenaline continuing to surge through him like electricity. “So glad we found this thing, aren’t you?” he exclaimed. “We really showed them, huh?” He hit Jacques on the arm excitedly with his free hand, his other still grasping the gruesome sword.

“You were wild back there!” Jacques shouted too loudly, hitting him back, his face nearly splitting with a grin. “You saved my ass!”

“Hell yeah, I did!” 

As quickly as the elation had arrived, Jacques’s face fell almost immediately as he examined his companion’s appearance. He placed both hands on Adrian’s soldiers, speaking very seriously then. “Ian, don’t look down, okay? Come with me and we’ll clean you off.”

Adrian blinked at him in surprise, the other man’s face very close to his own. He exhaled a laugh, taking the hands off him. “I’m fine.” He dared a glance down, taking in the absolute devastation his wonderful new outfit had been through. Not an inch of him was not in some way grisly and bloodied. He was even feeling bold enough to look over at the body he had just lacerated.

He stared at the gruesome tissues in the severed neck then glanced up, finding Jacques’s weary eyes again. “See?” he said, grinning again, taking a step forward, his chest still heaving up and down. “I think maybe... I think I might finally be getting used to this!”

Jacques considered his beaming face in bewilderment, then very calmly said, “Ian, you’re just high on excitement right now. You literally were hyperventilating last time you saw blood and the time before that, you passed out. I’m going to need you to clean up before this goes badly for you.”

Adrian breathed out, sheathing his sword as he said, “No, I really am fine. Look.” He closed his eyes, taking long deep breaths for a few moments before opening his eyes again. “Perfectly fine.” As if to prove his point, he wiped a hand over the mess on his chest and gave it a few sniffs in front of his nose before holding out the now wet and dirtied palm to the shorter man. 

Jacques made a face, saying, “Ian, that’s disgusting,” but looked impressed all the same. “Why are you suddenly so okay with this?”

He shrugged, wiping the hand on his pants. “I don’t know. I was a little preoccupied trying to make sure you were okay, Jacques. Nothing else mattered, and that... fixed it, I suppose.”

“Oh.” The soft expression along with the rouging cheeks was not the kind of reaction he was expecting.

There was a pause. Adrian noticed him rubbing at his neck where the collar had been.

He got closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Brown eyes searched blue, then Jacques smiled, patting the top of Adrian’s hand with his own. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad.”

That blush was still there, along with the hand over Adrian’s. The taller man could feel a similar heat in his own cheeks as they considered each other silently for a moment. He searched the face and when he caught a glimpse of the plush lips, a longing tugged at his chest.

A shot of panic filled his lungs, and he quickly pulled away, removing his hand.

What had he even been thinking just now? His eyes darted away, and he found it impossible to meet that brown-eyed gaze again. “Well, I’m going to clean off this blood,” he said with feigned ease, giving Jacques a half-hearted pat on the arm.

“Yeah, you’re a real mess,” Jacques replied good naturedly, not seeming to catch onto the other’s uncertainty.

Giving a strained smile, Adrian walked past him and quickly made his way below deck, the warmth spreading to his ears as anxiety reached his heart. What had he been thinking just now?