Chapter Text
The wind whipped around my head, my orange hair blinding my vision as I waited on the dock. My hands fiddled with the ends of my cloak, while my tail tightened it's hold on the piece of luggage next to my feet. Strangers moved past me, shoving each other to find a room within the town behind me. Once the crowd passed an older man stepped forward smoking a pipe as he squinted at the list in his hand.
"Alright travelers, you'll form a line and check in with me," he coughed out a bit of smoke and cleared his throat before continuing, "If your name is not on my list then you won't be allowed on." The crowd waiting started to murmur. "I am aware that seems unlucky, but sometimes names don't get transferred to me correctly depending on who you booked passage through." He lifted the paper in the air as he stood next to the ramp that led onto the ship. "Now, line up!"
The people around me rushed to get in line. My tail unwrapped from the case and was replaced with my hand as I joined the line. A few groans could be made out as a few people stepped out of line. My hand pulled down the cloak hood as I approached the sailor.
"Name?" The man glanced up at me, his eyes scanned my form and stopped when they reached my head noticing the two purple horns that grew from my head.
"Zai-"
"Sorry, not on the list." he interrupted with a scoff, "next!"
"I'm sorry, I have to be on the list I double checked with the bookers, they are some of your-"
"You must be mistaken, please move out of the line."
"Please just look again, my name is Zaililth. I booked weeks in advance." The man glared at me.
"Your name's not on the list, plus my ship doesn't deal with fiends." His words felt like venom, my tail retracted into my cloak as I took notice of the hush that had fallen over the crowd. I was glad my hood hadn't blown off.
"Right," the word got caught in my throat, "must have booked with another ship." My knuckles became a lighter purple as they tighten around the case. My shoulder hit a few of the strangers in line as I rushed off the dock. I could feel a few of the strangers eyes on me and could not bear going back into the town. How did I possibly end up in a town that has a grudge with Tieflings. I took a deep breath, finally noticing I had walked along the ports coastline away from town until my boats kicked up the sand on the beach.
The sunset caught my eyes. The white ball of light falling into the ocean, lighting up the sky above the ocean in colors of orange and red, leaving the rest of the sky to be swallowed into darkness. It's been awhile since the star's in the sky had twinkled, there was talk in the town of the goddess of the sky being upset and had taken away the comfort of the night. The waves crashed against the shore carrying white foam with it before pulling back into it's body. A sigh escaped my lips as I kicked my case over and took a seat on it. I'm not going back into that town, perhaps I can find a ride to somewhere farther inland or I could just walk. I pulled my hood off taking in the incoming darkness.
"What to-" my thought was interrupted by the shouting of a young man.
"Rowan, come on. Where did you go!" and with that yelling another cloaked figure dived into the dunes behind me. When watching her run across the sand, she made sure to step in each of my own shoe prints in order to disappear without a trace.
That same young man who had been calling for Rowan stepped onto the beach, holding a lantern by his face. I was able to catch the green glow of his eyes as he scan the beach. Instead of finding his friend his eyes landed on me. He took a few steps towards me and I was able to make out his dark skin and long black hair, that had been tied out of his face.
"Excuse me," he paused, "stranger, did you happen to see someone run through this beach here or well by it?" I stared up at him for a moment before shaking my head.
"I'm sorry, it's only been me on the beach here." the stranger sighed and looked back towards the lit up town.
"Well thank you anyways." he turned and started walking back towards the town mumbling something in another language. Once he was completely out of my sight I stood up and looked towards the dunes.
"He's gone, if you wanted to know." Within a second a head popped up from the sand. A young woman stood up, brushing the sand from her black cloak and shaking it out of her short cut light blonde hair.
"Thanks for covering for me." She stepped out of the dune and towards me without hesitation.
"If you don't mind me asking, who was-"
"My captain, well the captain of the Crimson Pearl."
I scanned the woman in front of me. In the dark I could make out the freckles on her pale skin and her eyes that looked me up and down curiously.
"You shouldn't be out here. Odd things can happen on the shore, especially when there's no light of the stars."
"I could say the same for you."
"True but I have people looking out for me."
"Maybe I do too-"
"Then you shouldn't have a suitcase with you, that would mean you were leaving." She paused glancing at the suit case then back at me. "Perhaps you were leaving, but doesn't look like it worked out." Her voice softened. I looked away from her.
"Perhaps you are right, you should go home before you're casted out for talking to me."
"Home, well that's very far away. So I'd rather not." Her eyes widened, "Oh no! I'm not from this town, like I said. Or well implied," she smiled. "I'm a part of the Crimson Pearl."
I raised an eyebrow looking at her.
"The Crimson Pearl is a ship," she added.
"A ship?" I glanced at the ship that I was supposed to be on. It was leaving port, without the stars to guide them.
"You were traveling?"
"Anywhere but here." I looked back at the woman in front of me.
"Perhaps I can get you a ride," she paused looking at me with her mouth open. She wants your name.
"Zaililth."
"Well, Zaililth. I'm sure my captain would be generous enough to give you a ride if you led one of his crew members back to the ship." She winked, before turning on her heels and heading back towards town.
"Which crew member exactly," I picked up my case and started after her.
"Rowan."