Chapter Text
It was night on the ship leading the brotherhood to the Crimson Claw. They had all just finished a particularly tiring adventure about monkeys..
Eva and Dally were alone together on the deck of the ship, standing idly by the railing which was the only thing keeping Dally from drowning. Eva glanced at the Iop, there had been some things gnawing on her mind since they’d had to deal with finding her sister, Cleom.
Dally noticed the glance and looked at her, smiling. She smiled back, starting a small conversation to ease into the main topic she wanted to bring up,
“So uh.. you’re managing this sea sickness pretty well, huh?” She knew she’s brought this up already, but it was the easiest starter she could think of.
He nodded and looked back out to sea, leaning forward as he folded his arms over the rail, his cape-like scarf flowing slightly behind him, “Yeah.. I mean, what knight can’t handle a little sailing, y’know?”
She chuckled, “Right right. My valiant knight can’t be scared of a little salt water.” she spoke with clear endearment in her voice.
Dally continued, “Yes exactly, how am I meant to save my favorite damsel from her distress if I can’t even step foot on a ship without painting it the color of my insides?”
Eva laughed, letting out a small “gross” as she did so. Dally chuckled along with her, smiling fondly as he watched.
He would never get over how beautiful she looked in the light of the moon. To be fair she’s pretty regardless, but small moments like this make the beauty just seem more intimate to him. Not that he’d understand that, intimate is a word he doesn’t even know. He looked back out to the water, his tail swaying behind him gently.
There was another moment of silence, to Dally it was calm and in a way romantic, but to Eva it was all but that. If anything it was awkward, only because she knew she had something to say, stuff to get off her chest.
Eva opened her mouth to finally just get it out but was immediately cut off my Dally speaking, “Do you ever wonder what other people do at night? Like, most of us sleep but what about the people who aren’t on this ship? Like the people in our cities or the people we’ve met so far? Like, the puddlies for example. Do you ever wonder what they’re doing in the moment? I don’t think about it often, but sometimes my mind wanders when I think about what my master could be doing. Like, he’s probably off on a grand adventure and I’m here getting sick on a ship! But then When I think about the people he saves, I start to REALLY think about the people he saves. Why were they in danger? What led the bad guys to be bad to them? Not that I really care why assholes do what they do, i’ll beat them senseless regardless, it’s just a thought I have sometimes.”
Eva paused her mouth slightly open as she was taken aback by the whole statement. She opened and closed her mouth for a second, “I-“ she starts before she cuts herself off. There’s a pause, “That was.. surprisingly insightful and.. smart, Dally.”
Dally frowned turning his head to the side as he mumbled, “‘Surprisingly’” quoting the other. There was a clear hint of negativity in his voice, though if it were irritation, frustration, or sadness Eva couldn’t quite tell.
“..Did I say something wrong?” she asked tilting her head and leaning forward to try and see his face from the other side
Dally frowned, “It’s pretty dumb that you don’t realize that you say something wrong.. a lot.”
Eva frowned also, but it was more mild irritation, “What are you talking about, Iop brain?”
He turned to look at her, “THAT! That is what I’m talking about!”
Eva paused, frustration and confusion clear on her face as she tried to understand what he meant.
Dally sighed, “Let me- start over, that didn’t make sense. You say things that are mean to me, a lot. Like Iop brain or openly belittling my intelligence. I can be smart! I just used both belittling and intelligence in the same sentence for Iops sake.”
She huffed, “Well I don’t see why it’s that big of a deal. It’s not like I’m being a heartless aggressor. Being called Iop brain once in a while shouldn’t hurt your pride that much”
He frowned, “You say it’s not that big of a deal because Iops are known to be stupid, right? I know I’m not the brightest and there’s a lot of things I don’t know or understand but I’ve proven time and time again that I am more capable than you give me credit for.”
Eva paused. He was right, he was the one who get them out of several situations like the pig one, for instance. But that doesn’t change his ignorant behavior, like rushing into fights and getting hurt. She was defiant and wasn’t yet ready to accept she was fully in the wrong, “Ok, but what about when you rush into fights? Like when you joined Cleom and then just decided to fight by her side the rest of the night?”
He huffed, “Well if you were paying attention to the lesson I’d given her you’d know that regardless of the fight I make sure to know or learn an opponent’s weaknesses and disadvantages. When’s the last time you saw me lose a fight? Never. There’s more on my mind than just fight and punch.”
She sighed, “Ok fine, let’s say I am truly a horrible girlfriend-“
“I never said that-“ Dally cut her off, but Eva cut him off right back,
“Let’s say hypothetically I am truly a horrible girlfriend. Why didn’t you tell me? Instead you went and.. rubbed it in my face by spending time with Cleom!”
He paused, “What do you mean? I did tell you! At least twice. Like the day I found out about Cleom. Like I said, sometimes I wonder what you’re doing with a Iop brain like me. I’m stupid, I’m an idiot, etc. etc. Never really recognized for the things I do just known as the dumb one to all of my friends. Even earlier today you called us idiots and we didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, our decision ended up being idiotic but regardless”
She paused, “Oh. You’re serious..” her expression dropped quickly, from frustration to guilt, “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re not appreciated.”
He huffed, looking forward with a frown, “Yeah well it’s hard to accept your apology when you spent this whole fight mocking me.”
She frowned, “I wasn’t-“ she paused. Maybe to her she wasn’t mocking him, but she realized that she definitely wasn’t listening either. Dally was venting his genuine frustrations with her behavior and she was dismissing him as if it was no big deal. Maybe to her it means nothing but to him it clearly meant a lot.
She sighed and looked at him, “I’m sorry Dally. I never meant to upset you like that I- I didn’t even really realize. I guess.. mocking you is just a habit. You did tell me before that you were upset and I did what I always do and dismissed it. I’m sorry, Percedal.”
He didn’t respond, not exactly sure what to say now that he technically got what he wanted
Eva turned to face him, putting a hand on Dally’s cheek to guide his attention back to her, “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more mindful of your thoughts. And I’ll try to stop calling you Iop brain if you really want..”
He smiled at her, “Ok, fine I forgive you. It’s hard to stay upset at such a pretty face like yours”
She chuckled, rolling her eyes, “And all it took was a little flattery”
Dally also chuckled, “Apologies aren’t flattery, honey” he placed his hands on her waist, leaning closer to her
Eva smirked, “To a Iop brain like you they might as well be”
Dally scoffed, smiling, “What did we just talk about?” he spoke in a somewhat teasing tone
Eva smiled, “Right right, sorry”
Dally smiled more relaxed and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist
After a moment like that, he pulled away to kiss her gently, having her chuckle as she kissed back.
They figured to move where they usually slept, since Dally was beginning to feel nauseous. They also decided to spend more of the night doing the best they could being civil as they talked about more problems. They figured since they’re young they need to somewhat understand communication if they want any if this to work out in the future.