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Fireworks of a multitude of colors showered over the night sky of Skull Island. Avery’s Court was abuzz with noise. Laughter, cheers, and music. A celebration, the likes of which had never been seen before. Pirates of all shapes and sizes, alongside anyone who had come to call Skull Island home, had all joined together to celebrate this day.
Kane was dead.
The commander of the Armada had fallen. The Armada itself, while still technically in existence, was at least knocked off its pedestal of power with its leader gone. Clockworks were sent back to Valencia, and the grip the seemingly imperious Armada had held on a multitude of lands, colonies, and governments slipped away in a fortnight.
It was a joyous occasion.
Yet the woman who was at the center of it all was nowhere to be seen.
Rather, she stood at the top of the balcony overlooking the rest of Avery’s Court. A humid yet cool breeze blowing a stray piece of black hair into her face.
Erin had never been one for parties. Small ones, she could handle. One’s on her ship, with her crew, and a limited number of guests if any. But larger ones? No. Certainly not. While she could often manage, in the aftermath of the fight with Kane, she found herself lacking the energy or capacity of effort to deal with the endless charade of smiles and pleasantries. She knew at some point she had to make an appearance, but she could hold out for a bit longer.
Her fingers, manicured and sans her gloves for this once, thrummed against the stone she leaned against, her other hand holding a glass of yum she had been nursing for about an hour now.
She watched her crew below her with a soft smile. Ophelia was busy fussing over a whining Isis, in an attempt to fix the young girl's dress, only for Isis to bolt off the moment Ophelia turned away, hunting down Mariana for a dance. Erin mourned for both of their feet in advance, mentally noting to give neither any taxing duties the next day. Juniper shook their head once Ophelia realized Isis had gone, before kissing their partner on the forehead when Ophelia leaned against them with a heavy sigh. Erin swore she could hear it from where she was. Meanwhile, Delphi was off to the side as she usually was, but for once not alone. Rather, she sat near the witchdoctor’s sanctum, head resting on the shoulder of a female wizard with deep brown hair, nestled into the wizard's side.
They were all happy. They were all safe. They were all alive.
But where was-
“Do you plan on staying up here all night, or just until half of these people are too drunk to recognize you?”
A sharp and witty, notably Marleybonean, voice made Erin jump just a little as the person approached her from behind.
Only a little of course, Erin recovered quickly enough and chuckled, taking a sip from her drink. “Not quite,” she turned to where the voice had come from, coming face to face with the woman who had startled her. “I had only planned to stay up here until I was guaranteed you would miss me.”
Helena’s grey eyes rolled, crossing her arms, sending Erin a rather unimpressed but humorous look. “Ah, well, I suppose your wish is granted. Should I grovel and ask you to join me, or would that be too much?”
Erin gave another laugh, setting her glass down on the stone. She mocked a thoughtful face, tapping her chin. “Hm…No, not today, I don’t think.”
”Good, I didn’t wear the right shoes for that,” Helena responded in kind, faking a sigh of relief before joining Erin where she stood. She placed her hand over the one against the stone. “But truly, don’t you think it’s about time you joined the rest of us?”
Erin didn’t answer that, but she smiled nonetheless. She took one glance down at the crowd again before she looked back at her partner.
Helena’s grey eyes were lined and, for one of the few times, had shadow applied to them. The bags that usually were under her eyes were covered up for the night. Blush graced her cheeks, and a deep red gloss shone on her lips. Her brown hair was down and curled in a way that framed her face perfectly. She wore a dark blue dress, one with silver accents along the ends, which shimmered when the light hit it just right. Her arms were bare, spare for a few bracelets and the rings on her fingers.
One of which served as a reminder of a very recent promise the two had made to one another. One the rest of their crew didn’t know about yet. It was something that belonged to them, and them alone.
At least until Isis would inevitably go snooping again and find the paperwork hidden in Erin’s desk. But that was a later issue.
Erin smiled, giving the hand Helena had placed on one of her own a squeeze. “Perhaps,” before Helena could respond, she cut her off by placing her lips upon the other woman’s.
Helena didn’t protest, only letting out a small noise of surprise as Erin did so.
Erin smirked despite it. Even after knowing her for all these years, it was good to know she could still surprise the woman she held most dear.
The two stay together for a moment, lips gently pressed against each other. It was a peaceful moment, a happy one. Intimate and gentle; something that could only be shared by a unique type of love, one that the two had.
Despite their flaws. Despite their differences. Despite all they had been through and all they had endured. They still loved one another, thoroughly and deeply.
Erin pulled away first, seeing the flush of the other woman’s face, one she was sure her own matched. “Now I’m ready.”
Helena laughed; it was a bright and joyous sound. Music to Erin’s ears. She had the pleasure of hearing it more and more often recently. When she had first met the woman, she hardly smiled, let alone laughed. “Well, good, otherwise I was going to have to explain to Avery that the photomancer he hired would have to wait.”
”Oh, how horrifying,” Erin rolled her eyes, and sarcasm dripped from her mouth with her words. “I’m sure he would be beside himself.”
The two shared a smile before finally descending to join the party down below, where Erin was promptly accosted by Isis, who was jubilantly jumping up and down, followed quickly by the rest of the crew.
The poor photomancer Captain Avery had hired quickly scurried over to the group, positioning them as he saw fit, albeit nervously, giving suggestions rather than true demands.
Erin and Helena stood beside one another, with the rest falling in.
It was odd, Erin thought, to feel this content to simply exist. It felt slightly disconcerting; she had lived so long hunting down the machine, the monster, who had destroyed her life, or whatever life she might have had. She had lived so long fueled by a hope for revenge, a revenge so hostile that she cared not if she perished from its repercussions. She wondered when, along the line, she shifted from that, when she wanted to survive?
Was it when she had first met Helena?
When she had first formed her crew?
Was it when she had seen the pained look on the faces of those who cared for her when she sacrificed years of her memory just for the answer to one simple question?
Or was it later? Was it when they had docked in Valencia? Was it when she lay dying, blood pooling around her onto the marble black and white floors of the Machine that she finally wished to survive?
It didn’t matter, she supposed. She lived.
All the pains in her life, all of the torment, the agony, only for her to survive it in the end. To be surrounded by those who loved her, and those whom she loved.
”Smile!” The photomancer called.
Quickly, Erin snuck a kiss behind Helena’s ear before the camera flashed. The blush on the other woman’s face made it worth it.
Perhaps existing content was something she could manage after all.