Strangers on the Ironbell

The blue sea. It was as large as the sky, stretching endlessly in every direction. No one knows where the sea ends, or where it even starts. It's still one of the many mysterious of this world which certain Seekers hope to solve one day.

On this sea, a certain ship by the name of 'Ironbell' was sailing, heading north.

The Ironbell got its name from the iron bell mounted at its prow, it was a squat, ugly thing, black with age and salt, that had been bolted to the ship long enough that nobody currently alive could say with certainty who had put it there or why. The only thing people on the ship currently know for certain is that the first day of the 10 day journey north towards Port Calden had just begun not too long ago.

And on this ship, the one leading it was none other than a man by the name of Captain Gaff.

Captain Gaff was a broad, weathered man in his late 40s, with a beard that had given up trying to look intentional and hands that had spent so long on rope and wheel. He stood at the helm with a pipe between his teeth that had gone out some time ago and hadn't been relit, looking out at the open water.

He and the Ironbell go long way back. He almost thinks of this ship as a child of his, despite the ship being much older than he is. It was given to him by his father, who got it from his own father before him, and so on.

A crewman appeared at his elbow, a wooden tablet with paper in hand, slightly out of breath.

"Captain! Final count's in." He reported. "227 aboard. All exam candidates, minus crew."

Gaff took the pipe out of his mouth, looked at it, and then put it back.

"227...?" He repeated, unsure if his ears are playing tricks on him.

"Yes sir!" The crewman answered.

He was quiet for a moment. Then a sound came out of him that was technically a laugh, though it contained very little warmth and considerable contempt.

"So we have 227 people who think they've got what it takes to become Seekers, huh?" He shook his head slowly. "And how many of that number do you suppose actually make it to Port Calden still standing?" He asked, a twisted smile on his face.

The crewman wisely said nothing. Whenever the captain had that smile, it was always better to say nothing.

"Get back to work!" Gaff shouted, already looking back at the water. "We have a long trip ahead of us!"

The crewman did as he was asked too right away.

Gaff put the unlit pipe back between his teeth and said nothing further.

Meanwhile, below deck, a different kind of argument was already in progress.

The crew member responsible for room assignments was a short, permanently irritated man named by his shipmates as Cord, who had been doing this job for 11 years and had developed over that time a complete and total immunity to complaints, objections, appeals, and what he privately categorized as creative whining.

And today? He was being tested.

"What do you MEAN we can't share a room?!" Mika's voice bounced off the low wooden ceiling of the corridor with impressive volume for someone his size.

"I mean exactly what I said, you brat!" Cord didn't look up from his clipboard. "Ship's at capacity. To fit everyone we've split the berths. Men on the port side to the left, women on the starboard to the right. No exceptions!"

"She's my SISTER—" Mika opened his mouth, ready to repeat what he already told the poor man before countless times. If he was counting, he would have lost count by now.

"Don't care." Cord simply stated.

"We've shared a room our entire LIVES—"

"Still don't care. Also that's kind of sad."

Maya, watching all this take place, couldn't help but feel awkward. She understood where Mika's concern was coming from, but on the other hand.... "He's humiliating us!!!" She thought, not so quietly inside her mind, feeling her cheeks blush from all the gazes they were getting.

"What if something happens to her in the night?! What if—" Mika's protest was cut short as Cord finally looked up, his patience snapping like a frayed rope.

"Boy, if you don't shut your mouth, I'll shut it for you!" His expression made it clear he had approximately no patience left and had in fact been running a deficit for several years. "Even IF something happened, then it happens on the starboard side and it's not my problem. I don't make the rules, I just enforce them, and right now the rule is that you sleep on the port side and she—" He jabbed a finger at Maya, a disgusted look on his face, "Sleeps on the starboard side, and if you don't like it you're welcome to sleep on the deck with the seabirds. Are we done?"

"We are absolutely NOT done—" Mika was ready to start the argument all over the again, but Maya has had enough.

"Mika!" Maya spoke finally. Her brother turned to look at her. "Enough. Rules are rules. We can't just demand he break them for us..."

She gave him a look. THE look. The one that meant 'this battle is not worth fighting and you know it.'

His jaw worked silently for a moment. "...Fine," He said, through his teeth. "FINE!" He wasn't happy about it, not one bit, but even he could see this was going nowhere at this point.

Cord had already looked back down at his clipboard. "Port side, third door. Starboard side, fourth door. Meals are at dawn and dusk. Don't be late." He turned and walked away down the corridor with the energy of a man who had already forgotten this conversation entirely.

Mika stared after him.

"I don't like this ship..." Mika muttered under his breath as Maya took his arm, steering him toward their separate quarters.

"I know." Maya spoke, her voice quiet.

"I don't like anyone on this ship." Mika added darkly. "10 days is a very long time to be spending with them."

"...Which is why we must try to avoid causing problems, Mika." Maya whispered, feeling a little embarrassed at the lingering stares.

She sometimes forgets how her brother's protective side comes off to people who are strangers. Back on Dolphin Island, everyone is used to it, but here? In a place full of strangers left and right? People didn't know what to make of him.

He looked at her. She looked back at him.

"...You'll be okay?" He said finally, quieter now. "You'd call for me if anything happened?"

"I'll be okay." She assured him. "I promise. It's not like we won't be seeing each other at all, silly! It'll only be when we need to sleep or change clothes!" Maya poked his forehead playfully. "We'll be spending the rest of the time together!"

He didn't look entirely convinced, and yet he picked up his bag.

"Let's each go check our rooms first." Maya suggested, feeling now was a good time. "Meet back on deck in an hour?"

"Alright, deal." Mika nodded.

And so, each of the twins went their own way. Maya went to the right, where the starboard is, while Mika went left, where the port side is.

The starboard corridor was narrow, and the fourth door on the right was smaller than Maya expected, which was saying something because she hadn't expected much. Clearly the Ironbell wasn't set on offering a five-star experience to its passengers.

She wasn't expecting luxury, but as this was her first time leaving Dolphin Island, a small part of the girl did hope that the first ship which will take her to new places would at least offer a little more than this.

"This should be the right door, I believe...I kind of hope no one is inside." She thought to herself. She hesitated a little before she finally opened the door and walked in.

Her blue eyes took a glance around the room, giving it a quick sweep.

It was modest to a fault. Six low bunks built into the walls, three on each side, with a single porthole the size of a dinner plate letting in the sunlight, and a smell that was mostly salt with a hint of old wood.

The first thing she noticed that were already two other girls there beside her. Maya felt a little nervous for a second, but then relaxed once she saw the girls looked to be closer to her age than not.

One of the girls looked up the moment Maya stepped in. "Oh! Hello! Are you our new roommate?" She announced this like this was the first good news she heard in a while.

"I... think so." Maya responded, surprised by the enthusiasm, but she didn't hate it. "My name is Maya. Hello."

"Bina!" The girl announced, pointing at herself with both thumbs. " I saw you on deck earlier, I think? You're the one with the loud boy, right?"

Maya couldn't help but blush a little bit.

"Y-Yeah, that's my twin brother... Sorry about him." Maya rubbed the back of her neck, and during that, she took a good look at Bina.

The girl looked to be 14. She was a cute girl with dark auburn hair, which was pinned up loosely, her boots kicked off under one of the bunk. It was then Maya also realized this was the same girl that boy she found cute who played the harp was flirting with earlier.

"A little!" Bina laughed loudly, causing the third girl in the room to give them a quick glare. "He's funny! AND cute!"

"O-Oh..." Maya opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

It was then Maya's attention turned towards the third girl, who looked to be 17 years old.

She had rose pink hair, loose around her exposed shoulders. Pale green eyes, which were cast downward. She was as pretty as a doll, and was sitting with her back straight against the wall, a small worn book open across her knees, one hand resting flat against the page and the other curled lightly around the thin chain at her neck, the cross. Her lips moved without sound.

"...Who is she?" Maya asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't know, but I'm just happy you seem more normal, unlike her!" Bina clearly wasn't a fan of whoever the girl was, judging by how she rolled her eyes. "If I got another weirdo for a roommate, I'd had been furious!"

Maya watched the older girl for a moment. She recognized the particular stillness of someone mid-prayer. She waited for her to finish, not wanting to interrupt.

After a moment of silence, the pink haired girl's lips stilled. Her eyes dropped fully to the page for a breath, then closed briefly before she looked towards Maya.

She found Maya watching her and said nothing. Her expression didn't shift in any particular direction.

"I'm sorry!" Maya blurted out instinctively, feeling a bit of guilt. "I hope we didn't interrupt you! We were talking pretty loudly, weren't we? I didn't notice you were praying."

The girl gave a small nod that acknowledged the apology without quite accepting or dismissing it, what did capture her attention for a second, however, was the feeling she got from Maya.

"I'm Maya." The young girl offered, since it felt strange not to. "Maya Ashren." If she will be living with these girls for 10 days, she'd rather leave a good first impression with all of them.

"Sera." Came the reply, flat as a blade. It felt almost strange for such a pretty, soft looking girl, to speak with such a cold tone.

Bina, now standing behind Maya, did not bother lowering her voice. "She's been like that since she got here few days ago. Don't take it personally!" She whispered helpfully, at full volume. "She clearly thinks she's too important to smile at anyone."

Sera did not react to Bina's comment. She found Bina to be what polite society might refer to as 'exhausting'. She didn't want to waste her time or energy with someone such as that.

Maya took a small step closer to Sera. Up close, the book across her knees looked old and well used, its spine soft from handling, its pages thin. It was a bible. Something about the way Sera held it, and the cross chain wrapped loosely around her fingers, made Maya think of the church pastor back on Dolphin Island.

He was a kind man, who would often ask her for help to heal those in need around the island.

"Are you a healer by any chance?" Maya asked, genuinely curious. She was sure Sera and Bina will find this question random, but she couldn't help but imagine Sera to be a healer, for some reason.

Perhaps Sera gave off that vibe, though it was also perhaps Maya's way of hoping she had something in common with the girl.

Something shifted almost imperceptibly in Sera's expression. Not warmth exactly, but a flicker of something, surprise perhaps, or the faint shadow of an old irony.

"A healer? No... I'm the opposite." Sera said simply. Then she looked back down at her book.

Maya blinked. "The... opposite?"

Sera didn't elaborate. She turned a page.

Maya stood there for a moment, genuinely unsure what to do with that answer. Part of her felt she might have asked something better left unvoiced.

"Right!" Bina appeared at Maya's shoulder, having apparently decided this particular conversational thread was going nowhere worth following. "Sooo, Maya! Which bunk do you want? I already called the top one on the left, obviously, because I am not sleeping on the bottom like some kind of peasant." She jerked a thumb at Sera.

"T-The middle is fine." Maya answered. She didn't have any preference really. All she knew in that moment is that she was stuck in a room with roommates who didn't like each other.

The girl began unpacking her bag, listening to Bina chatter about something to do with the exam, about how her older brother had passed it on his first attempt and how she fully intended to do the same so it'll make her more famous back home, her voice filling the small cabin the way water fills a container, finding every available space.

"She sure is a talker..." Maya thought to herself.

Meanwhile, somewhere else on the ship...

The port side corridor was identical to the starboard one in every way that mattered, which was to say narrow, low ceilinged, and smelling strongly of salt and old wood.

"Third door on the left." Mika repeated over and over inside his head as he finally spotted the correct door.

He pushed it open without knocking, because it hadn't occurred to him to knock, and stepped inside.

The cabin was the size as he'd expected, which was small. Six bunks, three on each side. One porthole. The smell of the sea coming through the gap around its edges.

What immediately struck him as odd, however, was the number of bags already scattered across the floor. He counted them quickly. Way more than six. Almost ten, but he wasn't sure.

"...Why are there so many bags?!" Mika asked, to nobody in particular.

"Two to a bunk!" A familiar boy, the same boy with silver hair and gold eyes from earlier, announced from where he was lying on his back, arms folded behind his head, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle. His harp leaned against the pillow beside him. He was staring at the ceiling. "The ship is near capacity apparently, so they've doubled us boys up. Can you believe it?!"

He then turned his gold eyes toward Mika the moment the door opened fully.

"Ah!" He said, with genuine delight, as if Mika's arrival was the best thing that had happened to him all day. "I think I remember you! You were that loud boy!"

"...Loud boy? And I don't want to hear that from you of all people!" Mika spoke back as he stared at him. He was sure of it now.

This was the harp boy. The one Maya found 'Cute'.

"Do you know of me? You speak as if you do, which is strange as I don't remember ever introducing myself to you! I'm Percy!" The silver haired boy grinned. He was older than Mika, but his behavior somehow would fool someone to think that wasn't the case. Percy pointed finger guns at him. "That's me! And you are?"

"Mika." He said flatly, looking around for an unclaimed bunk. "Mika Ashren." As the boy searched, he saw that every lower bunk had a two bags on it. He looked up. Only one top bunk remained, and it happened to be Percy's.

"...You're kidding me..." Mika said, feeling his stomach drop as Percy grinned wider and patted the empty space beside him.

"Fate works in mysterious ways!" Percy said, sounding genuinely delighted. He shifted toward the wall with a theatrical sweep of his arm. "Welcome, roommate. I hope you don't snore."

"I don't snore!" Mika answered back, through his teeth, climbing up anyway because there was quite literally no other option.

"Wonderful! I do, apparently, though I personally find it hard to believe. I'm told it's quite musical." He winked.

Mika stared at the ceiling six inches from his face.

10 days, he reminded himself. Just 10 days.

Suddenly, the door to their room opened again. It was another familiar face. A man in his early 20s.

The man who stepped through it had to duck.. He had a scar running along his chin and brown eyes that moved across the room in one quick sweep.

Those eyes landed on Mika briefly, but only for a second, followed by him shutting the door.

"Well..." He began, sounding pleasant as he started stepping inside. "Looks like we're neighbors. I was wondering who the last person to join this room will be. Didn't think it would be you."

He smiled. It was a perfectly reasonable smile. Mika didn't like it, however.

This man was one of the men who messed with him and Maya when they first got onto the Ironbell. While the man in question wasn't the worst of the bunch, Mika still hated him just the same.

"Don't tell me he also sleeps here..." Mika looked at Percy, hoping that somehow this was all a mistake.

"Sadly, he does. You two know each other, Mika?" Percy asked, a little interested in whatever this is. He was never taught NOT to stick his nose in other people's business.

"So you're called Mika? I'm Drav." He introduced himself. "I was just coming here to pick something up, didn't think I'd run into you here."

"Oh, you could have fooled me after the way you were staring at my sister." Mika's fingers curled into the thin mattress beneath him.

He didn't want to start a fight, he really, really, didn't. But he wasn't sure how he'll handle himself if Drav started suddenly laughing at him like the rest of his friends did back on deck. Frankly, the fact Drav was hanging out with such men told Mika all he wanted to know about this guy.

Drav took his eyes off of Mika and instead looked at his spear, and then at Mika. His expression remained easy and pleasant.

"You fight with a spear I take it?" He asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. "For one so young, that's an unusual weapon. Isn't it a bit heavy for you?"

"I'm not THAT young, I'm 12!" Mika snapped, though even as he said it, he knew how childish it sounded. "And yeah, I do use a spear. Got a problem with that?"

Drav nodded slowly, as if this was simply information he was cataloguing rather than anything worth commenting on further. "No, not really."

He then went and sat down on his bunk and leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, the picture of a man completely at ease.

"10 days is a long time." He said, to nobody in particular. "Plenty of time to get to know each other."

Mika glared at him.

Around them the rest of the cabin's occupants were filtering in gradually, dropping bags, claiming whatever space remained, filling the small room with the noise and smell of too many people in too little space.

The Ironbell groaned around them. The iron bell at its prow shifted faintly with the movement of the waves, its low resonant sound working its way down through the hull and into the walls and floor and the air itself.

Mika lay on his back staring at the six inches of ceiling above his face.

Percy, beside him, had already grabbed his harp and was plucking at it softly, apparently finding this both appropriate and entirely welcome.

"Do you mind?" Mika asked, hoping Percy will get the hint.

"Not at all!" Percy said warmly, missing the hint entirely.

Mika closed his eyes.

Across the cabin, Drav said nothing at all. But Mika could feel those brown eyes moving around the room the way you feel a draft from a door that's been left open somewhere — Not quite locatable, not quite ignorable.

Something told him 10 days was going to feel considerably longer than it sounded.