Island Time

Alexia spits up water gaining consciousness.

“G’d to see you’re alive.”

The sun sits low in the sky as the inventor, still stunned, looks about the small shore until her blurry vision focuses on a stout dwarf.

“What ya doing out in woop woop?” The dwarf sits down next to the woman gently patting her back. Alexia continues coughing for a time before finally realizing what he asked her.

“I- a kraken destroyed the boat.”

“Fair dinkum!?” He runs his fingers through his furled beard as the inventor looks dumbfounded at the man.

“Roden!” Alexia sits up and frantically looks around “Where is he?”

“I don’t know who that is.” The dwarf puts his hands on the inventor’s shoulders “You’re the only one I found mate.”

“He is my friend.” Alexia lies down on her back. She quickly sits back up “Where did my armor go?”

“Armor? You mean that heavy cube on your back?” The dwarf points a thumb a bit up the shore “First thing I did was get that off ya.”

“Thank the gods!”

The dwarf draws the balato from his hip and cuts open a coconut nearby.

“Drink this.” He hands the coconut to Alexia “It’ll help.” She takes a sip as he continues “A kraken sunk your boat and ya floated all the way to Coralbeard territory, fair dinkum?”

“I am in dwarf territory!?”

“Well soon to be.” The dwarf wipes his nose “I’m scoutin’ this li’l chain of islands.”

The dwarf walks over to the low tide and removes the trident from his back.

“Gonna fish up so brekkie.”

“I am Alexia.” The woman says between sips of coconut milk.

“Well Alexia,” The dwarf tosses a fish up onto shore near the woman “You can jus’ call me Lakie.” He stabs another fish “Feeling well enough to start a fire?”

“Not sure I could collect the wood.” She checks her tool belt to find that the contents in the pouches are still dry “I can definitely light the fire though.”

“That’ll have to do.” Lakie sets the other caught fish next to Alexia before walking further into the island.

The dwarf returns in short order with a pile of leaves and a few sticks as a deep squawk echoes from the sky. Alexia looks up to see a massive creature she has never seen before. The creature appears like a featherless bird with skin wings.

“There you are!” Lakie sets the materials down near Alexia “Time for brekkie!”

“That yours?” Alexia looks at Lakie with wide eyes.

“Never seen a quetzalcoatlus before I take it?” The dwarf walks over to the large creature and puts a hand to its head “Grab some fish or something nearby.” He points at the pile of kindling that Alexia is beginning to assemble “We’re eating a few ourselves.”

The quetzalcoatlus screeches before walking into the shallow waters. Alexia grabs a matchstick from a belt pouch quickly igniting the small twig.

“What is that thing?”

“I call it a matchstick.” The woman sets it against a leaf spreading the small flame to it. Her tone changes from defeat and exhaustion to pride “It starts fires much faster than even flint and steel.”

“Quite a handy little thing.” Lakie stabs the two fish with a stick and begins to roast them over the fire.

The only sounds between the two for a time are the crackling of flames and the screeching of the quetzalcoatlus.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Lakie takes a bite of his cooked fish “No problem.”

The two quickly finish eating in silence.

“I need to find Roden.” Alexia huddles her legs against her chest “I got him into this mess...”

“I can help with that.” Lakie tosses the fish bones and sticks into the fire “Gotta head back and pick up my boat though.” He scratches the membrane of the quetzalcoatlus’s wing and the creature screeches happily. “A’ight mate, time to fly home.”

The large animal lifts itself into the air and with a practiced leap Lakie jumps up onto the triangular bar his steed is holding and glides off into the distance.

Before Alexia can fully process what happened the dwarf has already glided away leaving the inventor with her thoughts.

“I hate the sea.” She mutters whilst opening the cube the scent of oiled metal fills her nostrils “At least the armor seems alright.” She sets the arms and legs of her suit to the side and unfolds the cube back into its original chest plate shape “I need to distract myself.”

The inventor opens a hidden compartment of the chest plate and grabs out a handheld adze. She plunges the small tool into the sand, dragging a bit of the soft material as Alexia slides the adze back towards herself.

-- -- --

The sun is setting in the sky as Lakie paddles a canoe up to the small island. Alexia looks at the dwarf with a dropped jaw.

“Oy mate!” The canoe dips downward as it slides onto shore “What the-!?”

“I was not sure if you were actually going to come back and I needed to distract myself.” Alexia looks down at the shoreline showing the long shallow trench she dug.

“Fair enough.” Lakie hops out of the canoe.

“Are we leaving now?” Alexia looks at the horizon as Lakie readjusts the canoe.

“Better to wait until the mornin’.” Lakie looks over at Alexia “Could you help me with pushin’ this further up shore so it doesn’t float away?”

“Oh ye-yes.” Alexia steps behind the canoe and begins to push it.

The sun fully set and with the work done the duo sits in the canoe.

“Oh! I got some damper.” Lakie smiles at Alexia as he opens a basket to reveal a round loaf of bread. The dwarf breaks a piece off and takes a bite. “Iz goo’.” He adds whilst chewing. The woman grabs a piece for herself and takes an experimental bite.

“This is good!” Alexia quickly scarfs down the rest of her piece before grabbing another.

“Aye.” The dwarf nods his head as he grabs another piece of bread “So this Rodey-”

“Roden.”

“Yeah, that guy. So he’s a friend, but is he anything more than that?”

“Not romantically.” Alexia barely lets the dwarf finish his question before she replies. She clears her throat “He is just an old friend.” The human sighs “Almost like a brother to me honestly.”

“Fair enough.”

“I notice you have said that before. What is so fair about any of this?” The inventor huffs while crossing her arms.

“It’s just a turn of phrase.” The dwarf runs his fingers through his beard “I meant no offense.”

“No, I am just on edge.” Alexia sighs once more the tension in her body visibly escaping with her breath.

Once the duo is finished eating Lakie hops out of the canoe.

“Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”