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Jay slid her tongue over her lips, sinking deeper into the water until her chin touched the warm steam. Her eyes slipped closed for a second as her hair fanned out around her face. The sweet smell of soap filled the air and Jay took a moment to relish in it, compared to the weird agglomeration of soaps that they had back on the Albatross.
Dirt that had been clinging to her skin since earlier this morning flaked off and spread into the water. Jay ran her fingers over her arm, tracing the scars and bumps that freckled her skin, picking off stubborn flakes of grime and scrubbing at her limbs.
Jay let herself relax for the first time all day as she relished in the warmth of the bathwater. It wasn’t often that she got a warm bath like this and there was no way that Jay wasn’t going to enjoy every second of it that she could. The baths on the ship were usually cold and relatively unpleasant with little comfort to come from them besides getting the sweat and grime off. And many of the inns that they had stayed at previously didn’t have a way to heat water.
She sucked in a deep breath, pulling her knees up to her chest and watching droplets of water run down her legs. Jay’s eyelids fluttered and she didn’t even realize how exhausted she had been. Sailing was an almost exhaustingly boring process, with very little to see and the slight hint of anxiety just enough that she was unable to relax on days like today.
Whenever the weather was unpredictable, Jay got nervous. Her spyglass gave no helpful information of the day but managed to point them in the right direction of the nearest island in case the weather did turn sour. But the clear skies held up all day and they docked at the island anyway just for some supplies and to see if there were any interesting adventures to be had.
They somehow managed to always find a lick of trouble when it came to islands. They had gotten stuck wrestling with a creature that had tried to take over one of the pastures on the far side of the island, leaving Jay filthy and beyond tired. At least they had gotten a bit of a reward, some gold, and a room for each of them at the nearby inn.
Jay dragged a washrag over her arms, extending her legs and tracing the lines of her skin with the rough patch of fabric. She let out a sigh, bubbles forming on the surface of the water when the soap spread into the bathtub. She hung the washrag over the edge of the tub, watching steam lick from the gray towel.
She yawned, bringing her free hand up to cover her mouth out of habit. She went back to rubbing the dirt off of her skin, feeling the scars on the tips of her fingers rub against her arm. The callouses on her hands were rough, and no matter how much she tried to soften her hands with oils and lotions, her hands were always dry and rough.
Jay frowned slightly, listening to water dripping from the closed tap, it had been dripping when Jay had got into her room and still hadn’t stopped. It would annoy her later.
But right now the sound was almost soothing. It was something to fill the silence apart from the splashing of water whenever Jay moved. She sucked in a deep breath, holding it for a second before deflating further into the bathtub. Her body was sore, muscles aching from their fight earlier.
She had sustained a pretty bad hit to the shoulder, and since then it had been throbbing profusely. The water helped a little bit with the pain, but she could still feel it faintly. Jay tilted her head back in the water, soaking her hair and sitting back up when the water sloshed over her forehead.
Water ran down her head, dripping back into the bathtub and causing ripples to form. Jay sighed through her nose. She dragged her nails over her skin, scratching an itch that had formed.
There was a knock on the door to her room which startled her out of the stupor that she had fallen into. Jay blinked, her eyes widening as she wrapped an arm around her chest, sitting up some as water spilled off her form. There was a moment of silence where she tried to decide if she should shout something, or just pretend that she wasn’t in the room at all.
“Jay?” Came a shout from the other side of the door, and Jay sighed through her nose, “You in there?”
Of course, it was Chip. Gillion never usually came to her room when they were staying at an inn. Jay sighed once again, knowing that if she remained quiet, Chip would just find a way inside anyway.
She gripped the edge of the bathtub, pulling herself up and grabbing the towel that was hanging off a hook on the wall. She wrapped it around her torso, stepping out of the bath, not caring at the moment about the water that she was dripping on the floor. Her long hair ran down her back, the tips of her curls stopping at the back of her thighs.
Jay stepped out of the bathroom, holding the towel up as she unbolted the door, pulling it open slightly. As she peered through the crack she saw Chip standing on the other side, a baggy shirt hanging off his form and his hair slightly damp. He was fishing something out of his pockets and Jay figured she had an idea of what it was.
“What do you want?” She asked, lowering her voice. Chip quirked an eyebrow up.
“Can I come in?” he tilted his head to the side, pulling his hands out of his pockets and dropping his arms to his side. He chewed on the inside of his mouth as he tried to peer through the small crack in the door.
Jay weighed her options for a few seconds, sucking in a sharp breath as she took a step back, opening the door far enough for Chip to slip inside. He did, pressing the door shut behind himself.
“Were you in the bath?”
Chip sat down on the edge of the small bed in the middle of the room, reaching up to swipe his bangs out of his face.
“Yes,” Jay began to make her way back to the bathroom where she could dry herself off in peace and dress, “stay there.”
“I said that we should go down to the tavern nearby for dinner and something to drink,” Chip continued to speak, even after Jay had shut the bathroom door, “And Gillion agreed with me, so it's a two against one if you want to raise any complaints.”
Jay didn’t respond, but hummed mostly to herself, knowing that Chip couldn’t hear. She patted her skin down with the towel, catching the droplets of water that ran down her skin as Chip continued talking.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry and always down for some drinks,” he said and Jay chewed on the inside of her mouth. She brought the towel up to scrub at her hair, wringing out the red curls.
“So what do you think?” Chip finished, and Jay had a feeling she didn’t have much of a choice. Chip was only asking to be polite about it, she would get dragged along whether she wanted to or not. That was the thing with being a crew, they were a package deal in things like that.
“Sure,” she said, stepping over the puddle of water that she had gotten on the floor to where her clothes were, “I could eat.”
She got dressed, buttoning up her shirt and pulling her hair out from underneath it. Jay grimaced at the wetness on her back and resigned to her fate of having a wet shirt for the rest of the night.
She slipped her jacket on, fastening her eagle pin to her collar (since her hair was too wet to put in a ponytail). When she opened the bathroom door, Jay found Chip in the same place that she had told him to stay in and she found slight amusement in the fact that he had actually listened.
“So you ready to go?” he asked, eyes lighting up as he stood, his boots slid over the wooden floor and he grabbed the bedpost for balance.
“Where is Gill?” Jay raised one eyebrow, tugging on the buttons of her jacket and adjusting her sleeves. Chip stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“I told him to wait in the lobby.”
Jay chewed on the inside of her mouth, huffing out a small laugh as she shook her head slightly, “I think you’re just asking for chaos.”
“He’s fine,” Chip insisted, saddling up to Jay and slinging an arm around her shoulder. Jay sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Let’s go then, don’t want to keep him waiting.”
Chip waved his hand dismissively but stepped away from Jay to take the lead, swinging open the door to Jay’s room. Jay caught the edge of the door and stepped into the hall after Chip. Her boots thumped against the floor, heels clicking with a steady rhythm as she followed Chip down the stairs.
The inn that they were staying at was small, and the lobby was even smaller. A few people were sitting in the chairs around a couple tables and the receptionist still sat at the desk near the front door. But besides that, it was mostly empty. Chip squinted, scanning the room for a sign of the other member of their crew.
Jay spotted Gillion first, who was sitting at one of the tables, his back turned to the stairs and his tail wagging back and forth. At the table along with him, was a bird-like person with raven-colored feathers and a pointed beak. They tilted their head to the side and brought a feathered hand to their face.
“My, you must have been traveling for quite a long time to end up here,” they said, voice sweet and smooth, “I don’t think I could possibly stand to be so far from home.”
“Me and my crew have been sailing over the ocean for a while,” Gillion explained, spreading his hands as his ears twitched, “We’ve gone on many adventures.”
“Oh, you’re a captain?” they giggled softly and their feathers ruffled, “do you have a ship?” They reached their hand out, placing it over Gillion’s who didn’t seem to react.
“We are all captains,” Gillion insisted, nodding his head, “our ship is the Albatross.” The bird-person made a noise of confusion but quickly shook it off with a small click of their beak.
“Oh,” they made another small noise from the back of their throat, one similar to the gurgles that Gillion made, “were you one of the group that had fought the monster on the island earlier?”
“It went down with a fight,” Gillion responded, not really giving much of an answer, but it was good enough implied. The bird-person looked up as they noticed Chip and Jay approaching and their eyes widened.
“Oh, ho?” they fanned their face, “are these your crew?”
Gillion’s ear twitched and he looked over his shoulder to notice Jay and Chip approaching. His face lit up with a bright smile.
“Oh Chip! Jay!” His fins splayed out around his face and he tapped his feet against the legs of the stool.
“Hey, Gill,” Chip huffed out a small laugh, glancing up at the person that he had been talking with. They glanced away some, feathers fluffing up around their face and neck.
“You ready to go?” Jay asked, moving her wet bangs out of her face. Gillion gave a nod, beginning to push the stool out.
“Thank you for our conversation,” Gillion said to the bird-person that he had been talking to, “perhaps we can talk again sometime?”
“Oh, yeah!” they nodded, “I’m staying here for a few days, so if you’ll be in town…”
Gillion smiled, baring his teeth in the way that usually made strangers uncomfortable. But they just laughed softly and fanned their face once more.
Jay slipped her hand into Gillion’s palm, steadying him as he jumped down from the stool and stumbled slightly. She didn’t miss the way that the bird person's eyes widened minutely upon seeing Jay’s action. Their feathers ruffled and they looked away embarrassed. Chip made eye contact with Jay and raised an eyebrow, she just shrugged.
“Why is your hair wet?” Gillion asked, turning to face Jay as he squeezed her hand.
“I took a bath,” Jay explained, following Chip out of the tavern, not really trusting where he was taking them but figuring he knew the way, “after we got all muddy from that monster.”
“Oh,” Gillion licked his lips, he made a noise from the back of his throat, almost like an amused huff. His ears twitched and Jay could feel the end of his tail hitting against the back of her legs as they wove through the still crowded streets.
Chip hummed under his breath, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked. The wind blew his hair in front of his face which he swept away with the back of his hand.
The tavern was only a few minutes away, so within a short amount of time, they managed to get in and get a spot at one of the tables in the corner of the room. Jay settled their spot and Chip dragged Gillion towards the bar to get some food and drinks.
“You know what I like?” Jay called after Chip, who didn’t give any response more than a thumbs up over his shoulder. She smiled softly to herself.
While they got food, Jay leaned back in her chair, eyes scanning around the room as she tried to see if there might be anyone to cause issues. The tavern wasn’t as busy as Jay figured it might’ve been, especially considering how many people she could still see walking the streets. But the tavern was kind of quiet, not anywhere near empty, but not busy either.
It was a nice in-between that Jay remembered enjoying a lot when she still worked at her mother’s tavern. Just enough people to be entertaining enough to keep the boredom away, but not enough that it would become stressful.
Jay leaned her chin on her hand, she could see Chip and Gillion at the bar, talking with one of the workers behind the counter. Chip had one elbow on the surface, gesturing widely as he often did. Gillion held back some, mostly letting Chip speak on their behalf.
It was almost a little entertaining how they did that. One of them would take turns speaking and they both spoke so loudly and had wild gestures with their words. Chip more so than Gillion, but it was still amusing nonetheless. Jay let out a small huff, smiling to herself.
They returned several minutes later, Gillion with tankards of alcohol and Chip with their food. Chip sat down heavily on one of the chairs, placing the plates on the table around them as Gillion perched on the remaining chair as well. Some of the alcohol sloshed over the sides of the cups as he placed them down.
“Thank you,” Jay said, accepting the plate Chip pushed towards her. They had both gotten a sandwich while Gillion had gotten… something. Jay had a small feeling that it was some sort of fish but it was hard to tell what it really was.
As they ate, they discussed what they would be doing tomorrow after a night of rest and what they should need for supplies. They mainly talked about what their next plan was after this. Sail around until they find the next island? Try to focus on somewhere or just go where the ocean (destiny) takes them.
Jay picked at her sandwich, eating the toppings off of the bread separately and picking apart the bread into smaller bites. Chip wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes at the way she ate, shoveling another bite into his mouth. Jay stuck her tongue out at him.
“Perhaps we should leave tomorrow afternoon after gathering supplies then,” Gillion suggested, “it is getting late.”
Jay glanced over her shoulder out the window that she had placed her back to. Gillion was right, the sun was beginning to set and she was sure that any shops around here would be getting near closing time. If they wanted to get supplies, they’d have to do so tomorrow morning when there was more time. She hummed and nodded, picking off the pickles from her sandwich that were immediately snatched by Chip.
“Sounds like a plan,” Chip mumbled, taking a swig of his alcohol. He had finished his sandwich a while ago, eating faster than both Gillion and Jay by a decent margin, and was just sipping on his drink. Jay nodded again in agreement but ultimately had nothing else to add to their plan.
Jay’s hair had dried some more in the time that they had been out and about and her curls frizzed and poofed up around her face. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes which she shoved away with the back of her hand, she yawned, looking out the window again at the fading light.
It was weird to have her hair out of the ponytail, especially when they were out in public. The back of her neck tingled and she refastened her pin to move her bangs out of her eyes. She could feel Chip watching her, his eyes darting across her face, tracing the lines of his curls with an almost fond stare.
Jay could feel herself blush as she looked away. Gillion brought a hand up to his face, scrubbing at the scales dotting across his cheekbones.
“Tired?” Chip asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked over at Gillion.
“I’m beginning to shed,” Gillion explained with a small sigh, his chest rattling. He rubbed his face again with a small wrinkle of his nose.
“Shed?” Jay raised an eyebrow, picking at the remaining bits of her sandwich.
“My scales,” Gillion said, like that answered all her questions.
“Oh?”
“My scales shed,” Gillion continued, “like teeth.”
More questions were being brought up than answers, so Jay let the subject drop. She didn’t want another explanation on how many teeth Gillion had.
After a bit more conversation and a couple minutes, the three of them finished their food and drink. Chip yawned and stretched his arms above his head until his shoulders gave a satisfying pop. Jay stood up, intertwining her and Chip’s pinkies together as he walked around to the other side of the table. He smiled, almost a hint of smugness in his expression and Jay rolled her eyes.
Gillion’s ears flicked, he pressed himself against Jay’s side as the three of them wove their way out of the tavern and into the streets. The streets were almost completely empty by the time that they had left, the sun dipping below the horizon to make room for the moon which now took up the sky. The scales and marks on Gillion’s skin glowed faintly, it was difficult to see in the lantern light of the tavern, but now that they were outside, Jay could see him practically glowing.
The Triton hummed softly, tail wagging behind him as he walked and pressed himself against Jay’s side, who wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
Jay yawned, knowing that she would be able to tuck herself into bed soon, hopefully warding off any nightmares that threatened her good night’s rest. A part of her wished that they had gotten a room for the three of them to share, those nights were always some of the best. When they were squished together on a bed that was much too small, buried against each other and sleeping soundly.
Those were the nights that Jay’s nightmares lessened significantly. But she also liked the rare privacy of having her own room when they stayed at inns. It was a conflicting feeling, one that Jay didn’t linger on as they approached the inn.
The bird person that Gillion had been talking to earlier was no longer in the lobby. Gillion didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t point it out. Jay slid her tongue over her lips, following them up the stairs, leaning against the railing.
She bid them goodnight, a kiss to both Chip and Gillion’s cheek before Jay slipped into her room. Barely bothering to slip out of her jacket, Jay burrowed herself under the covers of the small rickety bed. She covered her face with her arm, listening to the sounds of the inn.
Gillion and Chip were talking just outside in the hallway. She could make out their voices over the sound of the wind hissing against the window, but she had no idea what they were saying.
The voices faded off and Jay was left in silence to slowly drift off to sleep.