PotHN: Goats and schemes

Starbird. 

A familiar name, but called out by another.

Alys' gaze rose from her lap; where in one hand, she held a piece of driftwood she'd taken from the beach in Allegria, and in the other, a small knife she'd nicked off a fellow crew mate. It wasn't the best knife for whittling, but it was small yet sturdy enough to get the job done. Thank the gods she'd brought her newest project along, else she'd have gone back to bed by now. Even then, it was a miracle she had stayed and waited this long, sitting in the near darkness among the livestock. She couldn't wait to hear his bullshit excuse, especially since during their last conversation, she had directly asked him if he thought she enjoyed wasting her own time. Apparently she did. 

"Only Leo calls me that," she deadpanned quietly, after one of the goats had given him a more cheerful greeting. "Did you get lost on the way? Or are your injuries treating you well?" 

Unlike their previous meeting, she had taken a seat in the very spot the quartermaster had occupied last time; with her back to the chickens, facing the goats. A lantern sat beside her, on the side further away from the door - to minimize the amount of escaping light. 

A scoff escaped her lips. Close. There was certainly a meaning behind the name, something Leo had shared with her, so maybe Caleb was right. Maybe they were close. But it didn't matter much anyway, not when someone could steal it and make it their own.

"That sounds an awful lot like an excuse to me."

Forcing the emotion to roll off of her, like small, salty waves on the coastline, Alys leaned back and exhaled quietly, watching him. The fae didn't waver, not when she placed the piece of wood gently beside her, while her other hand fiddled with the knife. The pad of her thumb ran against the side of the blade, tempting fate. After he'd sat down, extending his legs toward her, somehow managing to make the space even smaller, Alys met his gaze. For a couple of seconds, they simply stared at each other in silence. Who would be the one to break first? More time passed, she pursed her lips, waiting. Then finally.

"Your manners are getting better."

"Smart man," Alys retorted quietly, tilting her head slightly to the side, away from the flickering light. 

Silence engulfed them, and she felt the mood shift away from what it was, to something a little more serious. It'd only been a day, but she'd thought about nothing else, only about Leo and his secret. And here she was, ready to reveal it to another. Not without thought, of course. The decision weighed heavily on her mind until her wings had twitched when she'd known that he would be watching. 

Alys didn't want to be the only one who knew; she wanted someone to confide in, someone who would understand. And who better than the only other person on this ship with wings like hers? Wings like the ones Leo had plucked. It was almost poetic though, that he was also the person who she wanted to build trust with. As his eyes and ears, working together towards a greater goal. 

Her gaze had lowered to her hands, which continued to fidget around with the carving knife. Forcing them to go still, she placed the blade on her knee and folded her hands together instead. "A little birdie told me something interesting last night..." she began, eyes meeting his. "I'm trusting you with this. Because Leo trusted me." 

And so she told him. Starting with what had happened in Allegria, at the crepe stall, and ending with the conversation they had last night. About Leo's time with the aristocratic fae family, about his mistreatment, about the horrible details, about Sylvael and the babe - all of it. And when Alys was done, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. 

Her throat was dry, thirsty, from talking so much. Looking back down, she swallowed, then dragged her tongue against her lower lip. That's when she realized that at some point her hands had started fidgeting again. She was still nervous. "Sorry for unloading on you. Just... please don't say anything." To anyone else. 

His reaction, his words... they were unexpected. Unexpected despite not knowing what to expect. Perhaps that's why Alys' anxiety dissipated as other emotions clouded her mind, replacing that awful fear of vulnerability. Now, was it disappointment? Or merely anger? She felt anger the strongest of all, though not directed at him. No, she was angry with herself for giving in and expecting something else in return. But even as it bubbled within her, the faerie kept it contained to nothing more than a momentary tension in her jaw. Her breath left through her nose, quietly, calmly, and she found herself reaching for the piece of driftwood beside her. Her blade edged itself into the surface and she flicked a sliver off wordlessly. "What the fuck are you talking about?" She asked, voice quiet yet firm. 


 

That's right - eyes and ears, eyes and ears only. Alys clutched onto the reminder and buried everything else. 

Disclosing someone else's secret had earned her enough trust for Caleb to share his plans. At some point she'd abandoned her project and found herself intently listening to the quartermaster, desperate to try to make sense of his plans, to make sense of how she'd gotten here. Once he was done, she tilted her head back and exhaled deeply. 

"A million things can go wrong. Are you sure about this?" This was more than just watching and listening, it was more than just putting herself in danger. "I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can tell her," She said honestly, dipping her gaze down to her lap. It was a gamble on someone else's life. 

Alys scoffed, barely able to suppress the desire to roll her eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to make me promises you can't keep?" This was just the beginning; she knew that, why didn't he? Had her part been anything short of invaluable? Did he really think that if the plan went just they wanted, that he'd be set? Without her? It was desperation - nothing else. 

And for him to think that she'd just carry on as if nothing happened? As though he hadn't just waved a carrot in front of her, given her hope and desire for something more? 

"You know Sinead better than anyone. So I'll trust your judgement when it comes to her. But Leo? I'll just be another faerie who's fucked him over." 

But she knew he was going to go ahead with the plan with or without her. And their shot of success would be higher if she agreed. 

With a defeated groan, Alys run a hand through her dirty blonde hair before meeting his gaze. "It'll need to be perfect. Because if you think you're going to leave me alone with them after I play my part, you're delusional." She could see it now; Caleb dead, leaving her alone with a Captain who can't stand what she was and an angry human with a history of wing mutilation. She'd be alone, the only fae. Alone with her guilt.