The Amethyst Pirate

The Sea.
There's nothing more terrifying, more beautiful, or more awe inspiring than the sea. Sumire was lucky enough to be born in close proximity to it, living in a fishing village of the Yamato Isles. For as long as she could remember, the sea was her truest friend and greatest rival.

It was Sumire's dream to conquer that vast expanse of cerulean waves, almost as much as she dreamed to be like them. But these were dreams threatened to be lost forever when her illness started. It shot through her left eye like lightning, searing her cornea and spreading like spider-cracks throughout every nerve. The whole ordeal left Sumire paralyzed for several days, suffering an unspeakable agony as her afflicted cornea and iris inexplicably crystallized.

As one could imagine, a 12 year old girl falling ill without warning was quite concerning for a humble fishing village. Many villagers were wary of Sumire and her bejeweled eye, keeping their distance until they could discern the nature of her afflictions. When Sumire began to conjure electrical currents from will alone, many called it a blessing from the gods and drew themselves closer to her. However, when her body began to show signs of weakness — nerve pains, or arthritis — and when she became so ill from her body rejecting her new eye that it left her bedridden, those same peers retreated farther than before.

An Ayurva healer was invited to the village, one of the best medical practitioners in all of the Yamato Isles, who performed a thorough examination of Sumire. Thanks to their healing rituals and medicines, Sumire was able to survive the bodily rejection and stabilize. To her, it felt like a true miracle…

The healer diagnosed Sumire with a rare disease called Prismachromia — an enigmatic ailment that leaves the body surging with elemental energy at the price of a crystalized eye.
Once they understood that Sumire had an incurable disease, the villagers no longer avoided her like a plague. Yet, they also would not allow her to participate in any of the sailing responsibilities out of fear for the potential liabilities her disease caused.

For reasons only the gods knew, Sumire was bestowed tremendous power and subsequently landlocked for it. Her dreams were practically on life support.

Craaasshh!

Sumire's memories of the past faded, as if swept away by the crashing waves on the shore. The sounds of the busy port town once again roared in her ears, filling her with excitement. She could only imagine these memories from nearly a decade ago were resurfacing now because she faced the moment she'd always dreamed of.

Today was the day Sumire would finally get her own ship.

She was standing amidst the docks of Kojin City, the epicenter of the Mako Clan territory and largest port in all the Yamato Isles. All around her, sailors were shouting at their crews, merchants were onloading and offloading cargo, and fishermen were performing their final checks before setting out to sea. But by far the most interesting among the din were the pirates.
Sumire always admired the pirates, with their proverbial patchwork crews, emboldened free spirits, and brazen taste for adventure. They did whatever they wanted and appreciated each other for their unique qualities, free from all sense of oppression.

To the mainland, these pirates were fearsome criminals; to the Mako Clan, they were legitimate business partners; and to the rest of the Yamato Isles they were the unsung heroes of trade. Ever since Sumire was kept from her village’s business she'd decided — nothing would be better than being a pirate.

As the young woman was admiring her soon-to-be peers, a sharp whistle cut through the roar of mariners.

“Oi, Sumire! Hurry it up!”
A middle-aged sailor called out to Sumire from a bit farther up the docks. Brimming with excitement, she trotted up to meet him, savoring the sea breeze as it billowed through her long chestnut hair.

“Uncle Nanami, you made it!”
Sumire beamed at her relative with dazzling amethyst eyes. One of them, anyway; the actually amethyst eye was safely hidden behind a black eye patch. As soon as he was within range, Sumire threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

“Course I did, kiddo,” Uncle Nanami returned her hug, as much as he could while leaning on a cane. “Not every day I get a visitor. C'mon, let me treat you to a meal while we catch up.”

As promised, Nanami treated Sumire to a local izakaya as reward for her journey across the isle. For a while they shared stories about sailing, family memories, and the many legends about the shark yokai who infested the waters around Kojin City. It was a warm reunion between the nearly estranged uncle and niece, eating and drinking together merrily.

“So, ya never did tell me. What brings you all the way out here?” Nanami eventually asked Sumire, a voice oddly reminiscent of rock-salt. “Finally decided to get outta the boonies?”

“Well… Heard from Pops that you were retiring from the black,” Sumire answered smoothly, setting down her sake cup. The atmosphere began to sober up a bit. “And you've got a ship retiring with you. I figured, what better time for ya to pass on the torch to another aspiring pirate?”

Nanami nodded thoughtfully. He was a man weathered by all manner of scars, yet he still smiled with a light unmatched that refused to dim.

“Ahh, so ya want to be a pirate…” he rounded the topic wisely, sizing up his niece for any hint of waver. “Haven't ya caught a husband yet? A woman with your beauty and skill should be beatin’ lads off by now.”

Sumire chuckled good-naturedly, despite focusing her gaze on the cask of liquor on their table.
“You know what they say — nothing scares a man like an emboldened woman. Seems I'm a bit too hard to handle.”

In this moment, the young woman sitting across from the old pirate was strong and kind, with good humor and better values. But, considering an 8 year old version of that woman once tried to sword fight him for a shark steak, he could understand the dilemma.
“Alright, how ‘bout a quartermaster, then?”

“I… uhm… What?”

“Ya know — a quartermaster,” Nanami continued. “Your second in command. Don't tell me ya expect me to pass down my ship when you don't even have a quartermaster.”

Sumire puffed out her reddening cheeks stubbornly, trying to hide her encroaching embarrassment.
“Please! I'm a strong enough captain that I don't even need a quartermaster!”

“That so, dear?”

“Of course! And once I have a ship, I can start gathering a crew, and—”

Nanami suddenly uttered a loud, bellowing laugh. It was the way a parent would laugh at their child's whimsical ideas.

“Ya don't even have a crew…” he remarked, almost fondly, as his laughter petered out. “You’ve got a lot of spunk, kid, I'll give ya that. But you're too naive. I can't in any right mind give my ship to a captain without a crew. Then she'd just stay bobbin’ in the dock for who knows how long ‘til ya finally decide ya’d rather be wife or a wage-worker instead of a pirate.”

“I won't!”

Sumire slammed her hands down on the table, frustration and passion pulling her to her feet. It was enough of an outburst to capture Nanami’s attention, as well as the rest of the izakaya. Noticing this, Sumire tried to compose herself again.

“I won't, Uncle Nanami,” she continued after a deep breath. “I've never wanted anything more in my life. I'm serious about this! It's my dream to be a pirate!”

Sumire stared at her uncle with every ounce of determination that she had in her body. He appeared to be searching her expression for any signs of wavering, but she refused to falter. Resolute strength always paid off.

A moment that felt like an hour passed between them, but it ended in Nanami's worn face breaking into a smile. If Sumire didn't know better, she'd swear she saw the light of adventure reignite in his eyes. As the rest of the izakaya returned to their own private conversations, the old pirate chuckled lowly and placed a small sack on the table between him and his niece. It rested on the wood with a dull but rhythmic jangle.

“A’right, then, Sumi. Consider this my investment in ya. Use it to getcha a crew and some good weapons. Once ya've done that, I'll consider passing on my ship.”

Sumire stared down at the sack with awe. To think something so small could hold her entire future… Her dreams, right there, able to fit in the palm of her hand… Then something else about her uncle's words registered in her brain.

“Wait… What's wrong with the weapon I have now?!”

“Ya mean that?”

Nanami pointed beside Sumire, and her gaze followed his finger to the object hanging from her chair by a strap — a very large, thick wooden oar.

Sumire stared at it. Her uncle stared at her, practically able to see her chaotic brain wipe blank. The only sounds were that of cooking and clanking dishes around them.

“....I fail to see your point.”