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Jay Ferin is a lightweight.
Well, not really. one could say that it just depends on who she's with, or what's the occasion.
But right then and there, with Lizzie, in some tavern she's never been to, she thinks that she's a lightweight. because what else would cause her to suddenly be filled with thoughts of how the Grandberry captain looked beautiful under the dingy lights of the tavern. Why would she think that the flush on Lizzie's cheeks should be kissed if it weren't for the alcohol muddling her brain?
And, okay, maybe Jay should shut up and stop telling Lizzie stuff she wouldn't even tell her own crew; maybe Jay should close her eyes so that she doesn't swoon over the small drunken smile the other was trying to hide.
She feels the tiny hairs on her arms rise under her coat, and she pushes away all thoughts in favour of just attempting to have a good day. Jay doesn't know if she and Lizzie would ever truly be friends, so she doesn't let herself indulge in the idea of being even more than that.
In her drunken stupor, she doesn't notice how close she's gotten to Lizzie's face. It's not until the other woman tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear that the distance registers in her brain.
Jay rests her forehead against Lizzie's. She thinks that with one wrong move, they'll be out of the tavern and in each other's arms. It's not until the other pulls away does Chip's voice register in her mind. Jay feels herself flush, but she ignores it in favour of watching Chip and Lizzie argue, remembering their commonality of thinking that the man was like a younger brother.
Barely anything registers in her inebriated mind, and before she knows it, Gillion was walking into the tavern. She was followed by Caspian and someone wearing a teal cloak. The Water Genasi man whispers to the cloaked figure, which makes them take their hood off and—
Oh.
There, in the energetic tavern with its odd smell and dingy lanterns, stood the most beautiful Triton woman Jay has ever seen.
She looked like a feminine version of Gillion; softer features graced her, skin brighter and hair shorter than Jay's co-captain. The lady makes eye contact with her, and when she's met with a shy smile, Jay's brain short circuits and she immediately stands up to dote on the girl.
"Oh my god, she's so cute!" Jay drunkenly slurs out, grabbing a hold of the woman's shoulders. "Gillion, why didn't you tell me you had such a cute sister?", she pouts, gently booping the Triton woman's nose.
"'Cause I didn't know if I'd ever see her again.", Gillion answers.
"That's stupid", Jay giggles out, grinning at the woman.
She hears Chip try to brush off Lizzie wanting to beat him up, but when she turns to look at them, Lizzie was glaring at her. Jay tilts her head a little in curiosity, only for the Grandberry captain to ignore her and focus on Chip again.
Jay ignores Lizzie brushing her off, and turns her gaze back to face Edyn.
"Lizzie's gonna beat the fuck out of Chip", she states, feeling oddly proud of the incredibly strong woman. Jay doesn't immediately notice but she wraps her arms around Edyn, who freezes up in surprise. When she notices the Triton's stiff pose, she boops her on the nose again to ease the tension— and it must've worked because Edyn smiles faintly.
Jay follows the rest of her friends down the spiral staircase that leads to what seems to be the gambling area of the tavern. She focuses on the enormous pit in the corner, watching Lizzie dragging Chip towards the area.
She watches as Lizzie rolls her sleeves up, feeling her cheeks get warmer. Leaning down to Edyn's ear, she giggles, whispering a drunken "isn't she so pretty?" as the captain loudly reserves the next pit fight to be against her and Chip. Jay hears Edyn chuckle, and her heart swells in excitement.
"— winner gets the other person's ship!", she catches Lizzie saying.
"No, no— I don't know if—", Chip stutters out.
"Chip, don't be a fucking pussy!"
"Don't be a fucking pussy, Chip!" Jay agrees, getting a wide grin from Lizzie.
"You wouldn't be fighting for honour if there was nothing at stake, Chip! Go!", Gillion yells out. Jay yells some more, pulling away from Edyn to have some semblance of politeness and respect for personal space.
Gillion introduces Lizzie to Edyn, which makes Chip try to introduce himself as well by saying that he's awesome-er than Lizzie. Jay only laughs, smiling at Ollie who praises him.
"Hey Ollie, you wanna watch your uncle get fuckin' beat up?", she slurs out, grinning widely at the boy. She picks up Ollie and puts him on her shoulders— it must've caught Lizzie's attention because they make eye contact once more as the woman smiles wildly at her.
"Your Uncle Chip's gonna get the shit beaten out of him, watch", she says, maintaining eye contact with Lizzie. Jay doesn't know if she heard her, but Lizzie's smile somehow gets bigger, before turning away to face Chip.
Jay could feel her heart pick up a bit and her mind fuzz over— since when did Lizzie get that beautiful?
The fight was chaotic, but Jay's mind was still too dazed and her vision a bit blurry as she tries to focus on the fight. At some point, she lets Ollie down and she stares at Lizzie, as the eye beneath her eyepatch glows a beautiful purple; in the back of her mind, she realizes that she should've asked Lizzie about it when she had the chance.
Then, the match was over before Jay knew it. She gets a bit of mud on her pants as Chip cannonballs into the mud, but she couldn't bring herself to focus on it because she was busy staring at Lizzie (though even in her drunken stupor, she wouldn't admit that). The Grandberry captain, all covered in mud, still grinning as she chuckles and says something that her mind barely catches. She wants to blame the butterflies in her stomach on the alcohol, but the intoxication she got had mellowed down into something less bubbly.
They go back upstairs and sit at a bigger table. Lizzie immediately passes out, her head landing on the table. Jay only rests her head on her hands, quietly eyeing the sleeping girl.
It was odd, really. How someone who looked eternally pissed could look so soft. There's traces of a permanent scowl etched on her face, and Jay wanted nothing more but to kiss the furrowed brows away. But Lizzie was drunk, so was she; and despite really wanting to, she wasn't gonna kiss a girl that barely tolerated her.
Jay tries her best to focus on what Chip was talking about, but her gaze inevitably kept going back to Lizzie's sleeping figure.
Why is she so beautiful?
"You know I find it strange that your name is Jay", Gillion states, catching her attention.
"What?", she asks— and before she knows it, she's jumped outside in a drunken attempt of flying; it was a miracle that she didn't hurt herself at all.
The night ended after Jay attempt of flying, and then getting dragged by Chip to get a tattoo. They wait until Chip's tattoo is finished, falling asleep while waiting.
If ever asked about it, Jay would deny dreaming about going on a date with Lizzie.
Jay has sobered up for the most part and when it was time for them to leave, she offered to help with accompanying Lizzie back to the inn the Grandberry pirates were staying in. She gets a look from Chip that she simply brushes off as she picks up Lizzie in a newlywed position.
They walk under a couple of lampposts, and Jay tries her best to cover Lizzie's eyes so as to not bother the woman's sleep; keyword: tries, because the curly-haired woman inevitably wakes up while they're under one, and Jay is met with a lazy smile that makes her hold her breath a bit.
"You're pretty", Lizzie whispers.
"No, you", Jay's mind supplies. Before she could even muster up a response, however, Lizzie nuzzles her face on her chest and goes back to sleep. Jay stops functioning for a bit, and then she hears Caspian chuckle in front of her.
She glares at the Water Genasi, and the man only raises his hands up in surrender.
"Hey, my lips are shut."
"They better be."
When they reach the inn, Caspian opens the door to Lizzie's room. Before exiting, however, he smiles at Jay.
"Don't tell the captain I said this, but this isn't the first time she's mentioned something about you being pretty."
Jay flushes as the door shuts, and she gently settles Lizzie down on the bed. When she hears the woman giggle, she instructs her to get changed as she gets a glass of water; Lizzie only pouts, giving her puppy eyes.
"Help me get changed, please?"
"No."
"Help me change, pussy.", Lizzie whines, grabbing Jay's hand and shaking her. "I bet if I were Gillion's sister, you'd help her immediately!"
"What?"
"Don't act like you weren't flirting with her."
"I was?"
Before Jay could even brace herself, Lizzie jumps up and holds her face. The Grandberry captain kisses her— the woman waging a war against the Navy is kissing her. She kisses back gently; not as passionate or powerful as Lizzie's. Jay pulls away when she remembers that the woman was still a bit inebriated.
She eyes Lizzie, staring at the cute blush that sits on her olive skin. The woman rests her head on Jay's shoulder, and the redhead couldn't help but place a soft kiss atop the curly-haired girl's head.
"Stay, just for tonight."
"Won't you freak out if you see me tomorrow?"
"No… you're… Jay. And I like Jay… Don't tell her I said that though."
Jay does her best to take off Lizzie's shoes as the woman clings to her, before taking off her corset and settling down next to her. If she thought Lizzie looked beautiful under the tavern's lights, then she looks absolutely enchanting with the moon shining from the inn's dirty window.
Just for tonight.