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Marvelous breathes in a deep breath of his ship’s faux atmosphere, looking out at the stars reflected by it.
He doesn’t actually need the faux atmosphere, not really, but it’s worth it to see the stars moving past as the ship flies onwards.
His world had been without atmosphere, a factor merger with the slightly higher gravity which combined had resulted in dense, powerful life forms who remained even still as members of the Human umbrella term. The people of his home world had never been particularly interested in space travel. He’d always been the odd one, not that he’d cared, and he’d taken the first ship off when he was close enough to of age to pass.
The fact that the aforementioned first ship was a pirate ship might have determined his current path, but he doubts it. He was always meant to travel the stars in search of treasures. He likes it, even still.
Even if it meant he wasn’t there when the Zangyack came to his planet and deemed it worthless.
(He would never deem it worthless, just not where he belonged.)
Even now that AkaRed is dead, and Basco had…
Well, He still tries not to think too much about that.
“The view is great out here.”
He’s turned with his sword to the ex-soldier and swordsman’s throat. Joe Gibken, who he really wishes he knew why he found interesting enough to pick up. Maybe it was a coincidence. He wouldn’t completely have minded dying taking that collar of, but here they are.
“I’ve been told it’s a great place to think,” he replies, lowering his sword as his brain recognizes the other man as a non-enemy.
That’ll take some getting used to, having someone beside Navi around again.
Joe, thankfully, doesn’t bother to ask who had told, just hmms and walks to stand beside him.
“I can see why,” he says. “The endless, empty sky in space.”
“Makes you think?” Marvelous asks. “But it’s not empty. Every star has planets circling it, and every world has treasures.”
“Truly the words of a pirate,” Joe snarks, and Marvelous, he can’t help it, he laughs .
One thing he had taken from his world was his species’ social nature. At this moment, it’s nearly a curse. He’d been alone for months.
This naturally flowing banter makes him far happier than it should.
“You’ll be thinking like that soon enough,” he says. “Assuming you still wanna stay aboard.”
Joe looks away, subtly.
“Don’t really have anywhere else to go,” he says. “Besides, you saved my life.”
It’s too much emotion for Marvelous to hear, after months with just Navi, so all he can muster as a response is a hum of acknowledgement.
It’s too much trust when Marvelous is still wondering if he can.
Why, he thinks, what instinct or insanity (because it certainly wasn’t a full idea) had him happily welcoming this soldier turned runaway into his ship?
He doesn’t really think he has one. He’s always been one to take high risk for high rewards, and it hadn’t taken much to realize someone who could escape the Zangyack and keep going was, well, impressive.
“Think you’re up for a pirate’s life?” He asks, instead of dwelling on his thoughts.
“Doesn’t seem that hard.”
It’s a challenge, but Marvelous can hear the small smirk.
Yeah, this will turn out fine.
“A hammock.”
Marvelous shrugs.
“This is a pirate ship,” he says. “All fifteen rooms ‘cept the captain’s chambers have hammocks.”
“Your chambers,” Joe says, and…
He probably has no idea. Definitely. How could he know Marvelous hasn’t actually managed to stay in there yet?
It is his, of course. He’s the Galleon’s Captain, and now he even seems to have picked up a crewmate. And yet…
Well, fake it till you make it, right?
“Of course,” he says. “Feel free to come by, if you want something.”
Joe cocks his head.
“Is that a proposition?” He asks.
“If you want it to be,” Marvelous replies. Joe hmms before turning.
“Maybe another night, Captain,” he says.
Marvelous smirks.
“Of course,” he says. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
(From there, he thinks he finally does become the Captain in his own mind, as well.)