Chapter Text
Lace found herself on a wooden floor; the scent of sea salt had never been so intense. As usual, she reached out to find her pin, but it was nowhere to be found. She tried to get up and look around; the wooden floor was a disaster, and her entire body was covered in sand. Looking more closely, she realized her leg was chained to a metal bar.
Given that no light was visible other than that of a few lanterns, it was clear she was in a basement.
" Look who's finally awake."
Lace looked around to find the sound's source, someone was leaning to the walls , while playing with her pin.
Lace lunged forward angrily to snatch her pin from her grasp, but thanks to the chain around her ankle, all that happened was that she stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Don't struggle too much; at least as long as you're on my ship, I'm not about to hand your weapon back to you so easily."
Then, she swung her needle and stepped closer to continue what she was saying.
" I'm Hornet ,This is my ship, and you are my pretty captive. You ran away from your mother, and she’s put a handsome price for bringing you back . What better prize for a pirate like me?"
Lace knew that sooner or later someone would track her down, yet she had been so consumed with caring for Phantom that she had all but forgotten to devise a plan to cover her tracks.
She would rather die than return to Pharloom's capital; her mother certainly did not know that Lace had betrayed her and refused to remain under her thumb. Had she known, she would undoubtedly have placed a bounty on Lace's head rather than seeking to bring her back.
"The accent you have isn't from pharloom. Why should a foreigner obey her orders? Let me go, or else I’ll cut your head off. "
Lace hissed and rose to meet her gaze; Hornet didn't appear frightened, but it was clear that Lace's question had bothered her.
"We’ll be at sea for a few weeks; I’ll bring you something to eat."
Then, she gave her red cloak a slight shake and headed toward the deck, but before she could leave the hold, Lace shouted.
" Wait ! You don't expect me to stay here for weeks, do you?"
Upon hearing this, Hornet tilted her head slightly and turned toward her. The ship's planks creaked with every step she took; she moved a little closer to cast a searching glance around her.
"Crew, a few of you get below deck as fast as possible."
Lace clutched her head, overwhelmed by the sheer depth of Hornet's voice, and glared at her; immediately, several others silently joined Hornet and stood beside her.
The one that was significantly taller than the rest; stooped slightly so their head wouldn't hit the roof.
" Hollow , Please give me the key to her shackles and chains; I also want you to take our prisoner's pin somewhere she can't reach it. Can I entrust this task to you?"
Hollow bowed and nodded, then placed the key in Hornet's hands and left them. Hornet turned to the rest of the crew; they bowed their heads and awaited her next command.
" Prepare a temporary room for this young lady. Make sure there are no sharp objects in her room, and leave a few of my old sets of clothes for her as well."
After ensuring that everyone had clearly understood her orders, Hornet approached Lace to unchain her; seizing the moment, Lace attempted to deliver a powerful kick and escape the instant she was partially freed.
Hornet dodged the blow, but the escape attempt succeeded; Lace scrambled onto the deck and began to run.
The midday sun was scorching hot, burning her skin; she quickly scanned the surroundings for land so she could jump off the ship and swim toward it, but to her astonishment, there was nothing in sight. As far as the eye could see, there was only ocean.
"Escape is futile. though if you’re keen on becoming shark food, I won’t stop you."
The moment Lace heard Hornet’s voice, she stomped her foot hard and spun around to attack; despite the close quarters , having closed the distance to within ten paces Hornet dodged every single blow without even drawing her sword, her evasive maneuvers only fueling Lace's rage. Lace let out a roar and attempted another punch, but Hornet sent her crashing to the ground with a simple kick to the leg.
"If you want to go back underground that badly, just say so."
Hornet hoisted her up from the ground; Lace gritted her teeth and tried to attack her again, but unaware of how many days she had spent unconscious and unfed , she lacked the strength to harm her, even had she wanted to.
" Where is Phantom? I want to go back to them and live a simple life . You deranged lunatic beast leave me alone!"
" I never once saw that "phantom" you mentioned; you were just lying in the corner of the room, so I picked you up and brought you onto the ship.
It’s none of my business what your reason for living is as if 'we' had normal lives ourselves, anyway, to be able to understand you.
No one here has the faintest idea what this "simple life" of yours is."
But Lace remembered clearly: she was the one caring for Phantom. Without Lace's care, they would have died; the moment Phantom fell ill, their mother had cast them aside and replaced them with Lace.
Her mother had sent Phantom to a remote island to die and rot away unaware that Lace wouldn't let such a thing happen so easily.
Lace knew that if she were to contract the same illness, a replacement would eventually be found for her, too. If she hadn’t looked after Phantom, they would have died or perhaps... wait, were they already dead?
Knowing there was little chance Lace could cause any more trouble in her current state, Hornet let her go and motioned for her to follow. But Lace remained dazed, staring out at the ocean; what would happen to Phantom now?
Lace felt nauseous and the world spinning around her; she grabbed a pillar and collapsed to the deck, then staggered toward the ship's railing and retched up everything in her stomach.
"Seasickness happens a lot; you'll get used to it.
Sherma, mix a little medicine into this young lady's food."
Hornet was moving her hand in circles against the small of her back; Lace wanted to tear her to pieces.
Lace grabbed the railings and pulled herself up. She was faint with hunger and was feeling terrible, but that didn't stop her from grumbling.
"I don't want your pity."
" Well, don't want it."
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Hornet stared at the woman sitting before her; never before had she seen such a depth of hatred in anyone's eyes. Eyes filled with anger, yet simultaneously filled with beauty.
" This food... Looks poisonous."
Says Lace.
" Like it or not, if you don't eat, you'll die. Eat your food, or I'll force-feed you."
Hornet threatened , but fortunately, there was no need for her to intervene; Lace put the first spoonful of food into her mouth.
The changes Hornet noticed in her expression revealed that she liked the food but didn't want to show it. So, Hornet decided to give her some space; she rose from her chair and called out to Sherma by whistling.
The young one quickly made his way there.
"Did you have something to do captain?"
"Make sure to give her whatever she needs , except for a knife and fork. Her wooden cup is enough; just serve her whatever drink she wants in it. You need to eat, too; you’ve grown weak."
Hornet pulled her cloak over her head to leave the dining room, but paused for a moment to say something to Lace.
" Don't you dare to hurt him also don't even think about escaping.
Shakra, who is one of my strongest warriors is waiting for you right at the door."
Then, she strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Hornet exchanged a glance with Shakra. Shakra was a fit and agile woman, possessing keen eyes for scouting and sharp rings in her hands for combat.
" Hornet weilding needle, If I may ask, don't you think it's dangerous to leave Sharma alone with ... ?"
"That little boy is too calm for her to feel threatened by him; let her stress subside. Now , Explain the coordinates to me."
Shakra coughed to clear her throat, then explained.
"We are in the northeast of the area and heading southwest; the wind is blowing from the north, the chance of a storm is very low, and no one has been tailing us so far."
Hornet nodded , then placed her hand under her chin to think.
Based on Shakra's calculations, they might have arrived even later than a few weeks. Stopping at least three times along the way seemed sufficient.
"Very well , thanks for the details.
Make sure Lace doesn't run off; I'm going to go check on Hollow. Also, when she has finished her meal, please direct her to my room. "
Hornet gave a respectful nod to Shakra and headed straight for the highest part of the ship , Hollow’s room. Since escaping the confines of their father's grip , Hollow had developed something akin to the ability to make decisions.
One such choice had been to have a room of their own, the location of which they had personally selected. Hornet considered this a significant step forward; ever since their father’s death and their subsequent abandonment, she had been waiting ,hoping for them to make even greater decisions. Yet, to this day, this was the extent of the agency they had shown.
She knocked the door.
Then heard the sound of familiar footsteps, and the door opened. Hollow stepped aside to let Hornet enter the room.
" Just came here to check if there is anything you need ."
Hornet waited for Hollow's response; Hollow scratched their head a bit and showed her the cover of the archaeology book they had just found.
"That's interesting. how much of it have you read?"
Hollow did not answer immidietly,first they carefully placed the book on their table again .
Then, they began looking for a pen to write with.
Forty .
Hornet smiled warmly and started to say something, but the shouting from the deck signaled that it was not the right time to talk.
Hollow drew their sword, ready to attack, but Hornet placed her hand over theirs; after dissuading them, she stepped out of the room to see what was happening.
Lace had gotten into a fight with Shakra , she was expecting her to end up like this but not this soon.
Hornet let out a roar and leapt down from that very floor all the way to the deck ,skipping the stairs entirely and landing right between Lace and Shakra, then shouted.
" Enough!"
Lace stepped back, shocked by how someone had dropped right in front of her out of nowhere, but Hornet followed her and tugged at her sleeve to keep her close.
" You. My room, now ."
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"Put me down."
" Last time that I trusted you, ،it didn't go well ."
After the brawl Lace had picked with Shakra on the deck ,leaving the place in total disarray , Hornet had pinned her arms behind her back and hoisted her onto her shoulder to carry her to her room.
From this angle, Lace could see nothing but the deck's floor and Hornet’s cloak; whenever she tried to move or break free, Hornet would only hold her tighter. Hornet closed the door behind them and gently laid her down on the bed, then shrugged her shoulders a few times to ease the pain.
" Listen Lace, I gave you the freedom to roam the deck as you pleased instead of being stuck in that storeroom all the time and what did you do? You started a war. "
Lace shouted back at Hornet in anger.
" Let me go back to that abandoned church; Phantom needs me."
Hornet ran a hand over her head and drove her pocketknife firmly into the table.
"There wasn't a single living thing on that island but you; you were hallucinating. "
Lace rolled angrily on the bed and stared at her, her gaze filled with pain.
" Huh?"
Hornet ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath to steady her voice; then, she went to one of her desk drawers and held out something wrapped in cloth to Lace.
" I found this left alone beside you."
Then, she sat beside Lace and pulled back the cloth to reveal the object inside. A face mask.
Lace recognized the mask instantly, and a part of her urged her to lunge at Hornet.
Hornet sprawled onto the bed, and Lace with her hands bound but her teeth free , began biting her neck like a rabid dog.
Hornet roared in pain and shoved her away; then, having broken free from the bite, she pinned Lace down, forcing her face into the pillows. Lace struggled to throw her off, but Hornet sat firmly atop her, pressing her head down hard.
" You psycho, What is this crazy behavior? "
Lace began to struggle, trying to lunge at her again, but Hornet placed her free hand over her's shackled hands and pressed her harder against the bed.
Lace shouted madly at her .
" YOU KILLED PHANTOM!"
Tears were streaming from her eyes, soaking the pillowcase; her voice trembled and was filled with hatred.
"Neither I nor the crew killed anyone on that island. There was absolutely no one there but you."
" Liar liar liar...."
Before Lace could continue speaking, the door opened.
It was Sherma, Hollow, and Shakra; but the moment they saw Hornet and Lace in that situation, Shakra shielded Sherma’s eyes to prevent him from seeing anything and quickly led him away.
Hollow stood there, staring at them in astonishment. Hornet, equally surprised by Shakra’s sudden reaction, was about to ask a question, but Shakra’s words that were addressed to Hollow made everything clear.
"Hollow, close the door on them, let your sister be at ease with her."
Hollow, who seemed to have just realized what was going on ,quickly closed the door.
"Are you satisfied now? You’ve ruined both our reputations."
Hornet angrily pressed down on her head once more and got up; Lace stopped crying for a moment to roll over on the bed and sit up.
After rising from the bed, Hornet reached into her pocket and pulled out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe Lace's tear-streaked face.
Then, she removed her own blood-soaked neckerchief and pressed a dressing against her neck.
"Whoever this "Phantom" is , if I track them down, will you stop with your crazy antics? Then I’ll hand you over to your mother, trussed up and ready for delivery."
Lace nodded in agreement.
" Let's make a deal. At the islands where we stop, I'll take you along to search for the person you're talking about. But if you step out of line or start acting crazy again while you're on deck, the deal is off. "
" Deal."