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Spools of moonlight spill over the deck like a blanket, softly wrapping the ship with a faint glow, long, slender shadows stretching over the wood. It gently rocks with the slow dance of the Mariana Waters (as dubbed by Aphmau while she happily bit into sliced filet Aaron had brought back after a quick stop at Cinderfall Sands, the bone fork carved with intricate and floral patterns shaking between her fingers with her barely contained excitement), waves languid and quiet enough to lull him to slumber.
His hands clumsily slip off of the wheel, lightly beginning to steer the boat a different direction. Aaron blinks away the sleep pulling at his eyes, one of his hands landing back onto its place on the wheel, the other habitually swinging up to clutch at the crook of his neck, his fingers catching onto thin string. He reaches behind his collar to fish out the violet scale tucked behind and into his shirt.
I can't believe there was a time I didn't know you, he thinks to himself, a weird, bubbly warmth rushing to swell in his chest, it feels like you're all my life has been.
His gaze snaps to the general direction the sea is beginning to unsteadily lap at, and he slides the scale back into its spot over his heart. I want to be near you, regardless of how you feel about me. I want to see you happy, and this is what makes you that way.
A blotch of deep purple launches into the air, wind whistling where it projects, spinning mid-air before landing in the center of the main deck with a pant.
"You're getting better at that," Aaron chuckles, watching as she pouts, unclips the shell from the side of her head and runs both of her hands through her thick, uncannily dry curls with thinly veiled amusement.
"I try."
Aphmau rolls her eyes, sliding the clam back into her hair. She hoists herself up onto one of the barrels etched with an A and she stretches, her arms flying up, up, up and meeting at her wrists before they drop in time with a satisfied sigh.
"You have fun?" He flexes his fingers off of the helm, pressing his palms flat against the wheel, "anybody give you any problems?"
"No, no, the people of Mariana are still really nice," she chirps, her hands balling in the way they do when she's eager to talk about something, "it was great to see them again! Princess Katelyn and Teony haven't changed one bit," she laughs to herself, the soothing sound authentic and melodious and refreshing, like water to a shriveling throat, "they gave me a pouch of coins on my way out and insisted I brung it back. Don't tell Zane!"
Aphmau reels her arm back in an overhanded throwing motion and tosses it in Aaron's direction, and it lands just within his grasp. He takes a moment to inspect it, strangely soft leather knotted shut with seaweed, then tucks it into his belt and makes a mental note to hide it somewhere later.
Aaron fondly smiles at her content expression as she continues to ramble about her visit, remarking societal and educational improvements to their kingdom, as well as additions to it she couldn't help but be awed at. She sways with her cadence, her elation brimming from her every pore.
"---Ooh, they had also tipped me off to a few areas they knew of that exotic flowers naturally grew at this time of year! I have no clue how they had figured any of it out, but they sounded really cool!"
He catches himself staring and shakes his head, steeling his expression. "I'm glad you had a good time, Aph. I was worried our escapades took away the enjoyment you got from home."
"What? Mariana? Never!" She scans his face, and she tilts her head. "I love it and the people there, I could never just stop liking it. Besides," she pauses to softly smile at him, his heart stupidly fluttering in his chest, "this is my home. As much as I love Mariana, traveling with you is worth way more to me than any life staying there could ever be."
Aaron's mouth falls open as he tries to think of a reply--- something heartfelt, something meaningful, something--- literally anything--- and absolutely nothing surfaces.
He clears his throat, refocusing on where he was steering. "Alright," he firmly nods, releasing a breath he didn't remember holding, "okay."
Aphmau gives him a bigger smile before it falls away to a contemplative gaze. She wrings her hands, her eyes casted to the planks of the deck, weakly pressing her thumbs together.
"Thank you," she lowly murmurs, and shyly looks back up at him. "For taking me back here. You didn't need to. Nor have you needed to keep me around, but, still," she humorlessly laughs, "thank you."
He lets himself smile a little back at her. "It's the least I can do. Why don't you head in and rest? We'll be somewhere near Black Iron by morning."
"Aye aye, Cap'n," she laughs, and with as much grace as someone without legs can have, wedges open the door to her cabin.
I'm sure she'll be fine, he fondly rolls his eyes to no one in particular, she's survived this long somehow.