Chapter Text
the salty air tore at Meenah’s long braids, whipping in the wind. sure, she may be a captain and all, and have lesser men doing her every command, but she still got conscious about the way she looked. she simply scowled and slicked her hair back with water, receiving a judging look from her first mate.
“Meenah, doll!” he exclaimed, cigarette clamped between his lips, “if you need hair gel, you can just ask me!” the captain hissed, “i don’t n-E-Ed your stupid )(air s)(it, Cronus.” she replied. Cronus Ampora, the first mate of The Moon’s Lover, was the complete opposite of his captain. he was frivolous, and seemed to care too much about his own appearance. “just g-Et m-E my )(at.” she ordered, to which he obliged. as if by magic, he pulled her signature bandana out and have it to her. “tc)(, took ya long -Enoug)(.” she teased, which he gave a quiet chuckle to.
walking down the steps to the main deck, Meenah inspected her domain. before her, several geeky trolls worked. not exactly pirate material, but you take what you can get.
amongst the cleaning and organizing, a thinner, scrawnier troll came running up from below deck. “1V3 M4D3 50M371NG 4M4Z1NG F0R LUNCH!” he yelled, carrying a pot of stew. before he could notice, however, the chef stepped into an unbeknownst puddle of soapy water, and subsequently fell on his ass. grisly chunks of meat and poorly cut vegetables littered the wood floor around him, as sickly orange broth coated himself. “Mituna!” Cronus drawled out, as he stood staring at the mess. “H3Y! D0N7 4C7 L1K3 17 W45 MY F4UL7 7H47 50M30N3 W45 CL34N1NG Y0UR PR3C10U5 D3CK!” the smaller figure yelled back.
Meenah held back her own anger, and attempted to resolve the issue. “Cronus, stop. it was a g-Enuin-E mistak-E, and i know t)(at Mituna would not
d-Eli-Erat-Ely try to mak-E a m-Ess of t)(-E plac-E.” she butted in, before the twos glares could turn into anything physical. “fine, whatever.” Cronus huffed, crossing his arms.” looking back at the scene, another troll had come to help Mituna with the cleanup.
Kurloz Makara and Mituna Captor were the oddest morails that Meenah had ever seen. however, that was only on the surface. the two had much more in common than meets the eye, especially regarding their disabilities. Mituna was hatched with his disability, while Kurloz gained his deafness and eventually his muteness later in life. even the caste gap between the two didn’t stop each other.
Kurloz helped mop the sickly stew up, as Mituna sat on his knees and calmed himself down. he couldn’t help that with the way that his brain worked, it took a bit longer for him to process dangers and his surroundings. “CR0NU5 5H0ULD KN0W 7H47!” Mituna muttered to himself, his finger anxiously tapping. “he chooses not to. he is such a kiss ass, why would he unintentionally forget?” Kurloz spoke to Mituna. another thing that bonded them was their powers. Kurloz had channeled all of the miracles of his past, present, and future, to be able to telepathically communicate with the ones he was close to. Mituna on the other hand, being a goldblood and all…it just came naturally.
after the mess was cleaned up, and everyone had pitched in to make a new lunch, the crew sat down to eat. sat down on the floor, because they didn’t have a table. “wow, m1tuna…th1s 1s BANGER!” one of the cleaners remarked, his pearly white teeth shining as he grinned. one of the weapons smiths clapped his hands, a pair of goggles and a dark blue bandana covering the rest of his face. “8=D < by g*lly, Rufioh! You truly are right!” he exclaimed, cheering on the chef. “0H 5HU7 UP.” Mituna replied, still butt hurt over Cronus’ earlier remark. “1 KN0W Y0UR3 JU57 7RY1NG 70 M4K3 M3 F33L 83773R 480U7 FUCK1NG 17 UP 34RL13R.” the rest laughed, and quickly reassured him that that was not their intention. all except Cronus. Meenah shot him a glance, cocking her eyebrow and motioning towards the crowd.
he rolled his eyes, before heading to the crowd and patting Mituna’s shoulder. “yeah, Mituna. it’s okay, evwen if you did mess it up earlier.” he said, with a cold laugh before walking away. Kurloz glared at Cronus, as he stood and smiled smugly. The smith, Horuss, placed a hand on Kurloz’s clenched fists, catching his attention. “8=D < please don’t.” he said, plainly, making sure to take his bandana off so that Kurloz could read his lips. Kurloz took a deep breath, calming himself down.
still, the words stuck in Mituna’s mind. he had tried to do something about it previously…but he just wasn’t as strong as his mates. he’d need Kurloz to do something, if things were to change.
the next day, all was normal again. Rufioh was cleaning, Mituna was cooking, Horuss was fixing things, etc. etc. Cronus was looking through a spyglass, around at the surrounding ocean. his captain approached behind him, asking, “w)(at in t)(-E )(-Ell do you t)(ink you’ll find? -Exc-Ept for mor-E wat-Er, of cours-E.” Cronus waved her off, whining. “shut up!” he said, “im just inspectin.” Meenah rolled her eyes to that, his stupid human romantic antics were probably telling him to look for babes.
“wvait! Meenah! i see somethin!” he exclaimed in surprise, turning back to the captain. Meenah stopped dead in her tracks, and looked back. her expression was a mix of curiousity, and “you better not be joking me.”
Cronus pointed to a mix of rocks, where several ladies sat. each looked different, but you could tell that they were all the same species. however, the one that caught Meenah’s eye was the heavier one, sitting alone. her torso came out of the thorax of a spider, and her jet black bob cut was adorned with pearls and abalone shells. Cronus goggled at them all, and turned to the captain and whisper yelled, “8OO8S!” to which he slapped him.
the rest of the crew seemed to catch wind of them as well. one with a teal, scaly tail waved to Mituna, smiling confidently. a heavy yellow blush had coated his face, as he ducked down and flapped his hands in excitement. still, despite the presentation of rambunctious, and cute, girls, Meenah was fixed on the one sitting all alone. one of the others, a slick, green, serpent like creature, touched her hand affectionately, and got her attention. she turned to see what the other had wanted, as she pointed to the staring Captain. Cronus laughed, as Meenah’s face quickly flushed to a deep pink, and she tried to act as if she hadn’t been staring.
Rufioh had made quick conversation with a girl who resembled an eel. despite the wrap that eels may get, she seemed rather innocent and nice. Rufioh was, quite obviously (and poorly), flirting. “M155 M33N4H!” Mituna asked, coming up to his captain. “C4N W3 SP3ND S0M3 71M3 W17H 7H3M?” he pointed to the nearby island, which miraculously happened to have a dock.
she had to stop and think for a moment. it was suspicious that there just so happened to be a dock. and if she squinted her eyes, she could vaguely make out a cabin tucked away in the flora. “…alrig)(t.” she finally sighed out, as both Cronus AND Mituna were giving her puppy dog eyes.
once they had docked and set the anchor down, the 6 of them made their way onto the island. however, before they could begin talking to the girls, they had to sit down. vertigo had struck them, from being on the ship for so long. but after that, they quickly continued on their adventure.
Meenah and the others were quite shocked when their entourage stepped onto the sand, and their tails shifted into legs. they were also shocked because they had no pants on. “quit actin stupid!” Meenah yelled at the yelling, blushing men behind her. “i’m sorry about t)(-Em.” she began, turning back to the others in front of her. “i can g-Et my guys to go and g-Et you all som-E pants, if you want t)(at.” the tallest shook their head, their shaggy black hair rustling in the wind. “We thank y9u f9r the 9ffer, 6ut we have cl9thes st9red away f9r us already.” Cronus made a…pained, and attracted expression? it was hard to tell.
after they had all dressed, and were all in the cabin together, they threw a small party. Cronus had attracted the prior serpentine, who’s name ended up being Porrim. the crabby spokes person was also being corralled in by her, and their name was Kankri. differently from the girls around them, they chose to wear something completely unflattering of their body. an oversized button up red shirt and a broad pair of khaki shorts covered their lanky body.
Meenah stood alone, surveying the others. Mituna had paired himself up with the Latula girl. she was similar to how he was with Kurloz, because she too was disabled. her nose had caved in when she was a wriggler, and thus she couldn’t smell. amongst all the pairings, only one other stood alone. Aranea. she had introduced herself with a kind, formal tone, but none of her companions seemed to want to talk to her.
eventually, Meenah willed up the courage, and began to walk towards Aranea. “)(i.” she said, her normal stand offish tone poking through. she stared at the hand that Meenah presented, before daintily shaking it. “Hello, Captain Meenah!” her smile shone through the darkness of the dimly lit cabin. “how do you like it so far?” she asked, adjusting the thin red frames of her glasses. “it’s…nic-E.” Meenah replied, sounding somewhat unsure. “ah, that’s good.” the nerdy girl replied, going back to leaning against the wall and being quiet.
“do you want to go outsid-E?” Meenah blurted out, motioning to the door. “oh, um. alright?” Aranea replied, her brows furrowing in confusion. the two made their way out onto the patio of the cabin, and they sat at the edge. lightning bugs danced around them as they looked to the sky. “so lik-E…not to b-E lik-E, invasiv-E, but w)(y don’t any of your
fri-Ends talk to you?” Meenah asked, breaking the silence.
“oh,” Aranea began, “well, it’s not that anything happened. i just talk, a lot.” she said, laughing softly. “i don’t t)(ink you talk a lot,” Meenah replied, trying to gutter her up, “CRONUS,
)(ow-Ev-Er…” she began, which received a more hearty laugh from Aranea. the two chatted idly about this and that, as the party inside intensified. Kurloz was showing off to Meulin and Mituna with chucklevoodoo party tricks, as Rufioh sloppily made out with Damara.
once everyone had calmed down and went to sleep, Meenah and Aranea went back inside. they shared a bunk, cuddling together for warmth.
late in the night, past two am, Cronus awoke. Porrim laid next to him, still fast asleep. after a minute of trying to fall back asleep, he got up. walking past the living room to the kitchen, he noticed a figure outside. he gingerly opened the blinds a bit, to see who was outside.
bathing in the moonlight, sat Kankri Vantas. in their vulnerable state, they had taken their baggy shirt off. and to Cronus’ surprise, their crossed arms pushed their small breasts together, creating the smallest amount of cleavage. he gasped, his unlit cigarette falling from his mouth. “oh no, i don’t think i should be seeing this.” he whispered to himself, slapping his hands over his eyes before walking back to his room.
the next day, everyone poured back onto the beach. meulin and mituna had built a small sandcastle, before horuss joined and helped them build a MIGHTY sandcastle. sitting on the sandy shore, kankri sat and let the waves wash over their legs. Cronus slumped into the spot next to them, waving. they acted as if he weren’t there, glancing at him and then back at the ocean. “oh come on, don’t be such a sourpuss.” Cronus whined. “i’m n9t, i’m simply ch99sing n9t t9 listen to whatever ludicr9us, lewd remarks y9u will make.” Kankri stated plainly. Cronus gripped at his shirt, directly over his heart. “oh, youvwe hurt me, Kanny!” he exclaimed, a playfully pained expression on his face. “tch, whatever.” they replied. still, Cronus could swear that he saw a repressed smile on their face.
under the cold water, Meenah took long, languid strokes. she filtered through the loose sand, hoping to find an unbroken sea shell for Aranea. next to her, a small group of tropical fish swam by. the variety of colors caught Meenah’s attention, as they flittered through the coral reef. after a couple of minutes of searching, she picked up a pale pink conch shell.
walking out of the water, she immediately spotted Porrim on top of Cronus. she rolled her eyes, and locked eyes with him. he smiled crudely, practically saying “sorry! i’m a vwirgin and i’m getting laid! this is momentous for me! (i wvill still be a vwirgin after this)”. she couldn’t give a damn though, as she went to join aranea on the dock.
sitting down, she showed the shell off. as Aranea looked in awe, she added, “i’ll )(ave to bl-Ec)( it first, to g-Et any animal insid-E of it out.”
later in the day, all the sand stuck to their bodies had managed to get on the carpet of the cabin. Porrim helped Kankri dry off their hair, taking care to go around their horns. “p9rrim, there is n9 need t9 act as if y9u are my lusus-“ they began, before getting smothered by a kiss to their cheek. “but kanny, i’m yo+ur mo+rail.” she whined, pinching their cheeks, “+ i can do+ what i want.”
Mituna was helping Latula comb her long hair. “TH4NKS, TUN4!!!!” she said, hitting the double peace signs. he bit his lip and giggled maniacally, as Kurloz shot him a thumbs up from across the room.
later in the night, everyone ate…whatever it was that Mituna had managed to concoct (with Porrim’s assistance). as Cronus held his nose and took another bite of the sickly substance, he scanned his eyes around the room. typical stuff, make outs, talking, dirty looks. but, one person was not there. Kankri Vantas.
he recalled on how they did not go into the bathroom to shower with the rest of the girls, and how he seemed to have disappeared as soon as dinner started. so, it was quite easy to assume where he was. Cronus excused himself, and then began to climb the stairs. a light steam carried into the hallway from the bathroom, as the floor seemed to sway beneath him from the thick aroma of scents. as he rounded the corner and peeked in, he could see Kankri in the reflection of the mirror. their skin was soapy, as they massaged the soap into their head. they furrowed their brows for a moment, before opening his eyes, and looking shocked.
“what in the l9rds name are y9u d9ing!?” Kankri yelled at Cronus, as he stumbled back. they quickly hopped out of the shower, water dripping onto the tile flooring, and grabbed Cronus by the collar of his shirt. “what we’re y9u d9ing spying 9n me?” they said through gritted teeth. he tried to respond, but instead just stammered. “are y9u g9ing t9 resp9nd, smart ass?”
Cronus still just stood there, shocked. in front of him, was Kankri naked. tentabuldge out and everything. he must not have realized how long he was quiet, as the other raised their eye in suspicion. “ah, i’m SO sorry, doll.” Cronus began, backing up to the door, “i didn’t mean to see ya, i wvas just wvalking by!” he said, trying to make up an excuse. sensing what he was trying to do, Kankri dashed to the door and closed it. “i’m s9rry, 6ut i cann9t let y9u leave n9w.” they said, coldly. all the color left his face, as Cronus stammered out “you’re going to kill me???”
“what.” Kankri responded, taken aback. “why w9uld i kill you? we just need t9 talk.” Cronus let out a sigh of relief, before relaxing. “wvell, if that’s wvhat you wvant, i’m an excellent talker!” he said, pulling at his suspenders, letting them slap back against his chest. “n9, y9u pervert! it’s n9t that kind 9f talk, you m9r9n!” kankri yelled, a hot red blush taking over their face. “wvell howv wvas i supposed to knowv that!” he protested, motioning to their body, “i mean, you’re ass naked!” apparently in the heat of the moment, it hadn’t gone completely through Kankri’s mind that they were naked, as they looked down at their own body, back at Cronus, and yelled “get 9ut!”, before slamming the door in his face.
after they finished their shower and had put on clothes, Kankri met up with Cronus back on the beach. the wind whipped his hair around, as he hadn’t put any gel back in. “so, i’m transgender.” Kankri began, preparing themself for a rant, “this means that i d9 n9t align with the gender i was given at 6irth-“ Cronus put his hand over their mouth, their eyes widening in surprise. “yeah, yeah i could kinda piece that together-“ Cronus began, also getting cut off by a slap to his hand. “y9u sh9uldnt interrupt 9thers! that c9uld, and w9uld, seri9usly irritate them!” they snapped back, which Cronus smirked and rolled his eyes at. Kankri then began to rant on about how being talked over is a massive trigger for most people, but Cronus couldn’t give two shits about any of it.
“are you like, done yet?” Cronus interrupted, yet again, “not to intentionally be rude, but for such a pretty face, you talk a ton.” hearing the words come out of his mouth, they took a couple of steps back and tried to cover the blush on their face. “alright, fine! i’m d9ne! it’s n9t like i make c9mments a69ut h9w y9u l99k A-MAZING with y9ur hair d9wn t9 get y9u t9 shut up and quit talking a69ut y9urself!”
Cronus seemed to drop his defense, appearing vulnerable for the first time. “you think i look nice with my hair dowvn?” he asked, not believing what he had heard. “yes, y9u idi9t. it l99ks amazing.” Kankri admitted, locking eyes with the troll that stood before him. Cronus broke the glare, and turned towards the ocean, kneading at the back of his neck. “maybe wve should just go back inside,” he offered, motioning his head towards the cabin. “9h, uhm, alright.” Kankri replied, before they walked back to the cabin in silence.
meanwhile at the cabin, Aranea helped Meenah with a bucket of white vinegar. “so how long do we have to wait for it?” she asked, peering into the bucket. Meenah shrugged her shoulders and estimated, “ ‘bout a day, i gu-Ess.” the conch and the other shells they had picked out together sat in the bucket, brewing away the bacteria on them. “may8e we could have oysters tomorrow?” Aranea suggested, looking to Meenah. “t)(at’d b-E nic-E, but i t)(ink if w-E at-E Mituna’s w-E’d bot)(h di-E of food poisoning.” Aranea laughed, then shook her head and continued. “no, silly, i want to have dinner with just you!” she asked, cheerily.