A Girl In A Pub (OPEN TO ANYONE)

[bermuda]

Henry listened to her and then nodded. "Alright, the Inn sounds like as good a place to start as any." With a friendly grin he plodded off after her, letting her lead on whereever she so pleased to go to. He fell silent, listening to her talk about herself. She seemed like an interesting an intellegent young woman, more educated than most men he knew. He listened to her mention Lovi, her friend, as well, but was a little struck by curiosity when she trailed off about mentioning him. He felt a pit form in his stomach, but it went away when she asked about him.

He smiled before responding with "Well to start off, I'm twenty five years of age, although people often say I look much younger than that....I can speak English and Portugese, but I'm not as good at the Portugese. I was born in Bermuda, and my father always talked about me having brothers, but I've never met any of them, so I don't know if I really have them or not. I am a map maker, an explorer, a treasure hunter and a lover of legends. I collect shells, and I like to write about my travels, and sketch out the wildlife of the places I go, although I especially like to draw birds and flowers, because there's so many of them to see." He paused before going on "I've traveled to quite a lot of the world on seafaring pirate ships and other such ocean vessles, but I've always wondered what it's like to fly." He loved the ocean, but he was fascinated with the air.

The man fell silent before asking quietly "So...this Lovi fellow, is he your boyfriend?" The question sort of slipped out, although he didn't know quite where it came from. Instantly he blushed again, feeling ashamed for prying so deeply into her personal life. It was really none of his buisness and he quickly added a shaky "I-I mean if you don't want to answer that it's ok. Forgive me for prying."

[Andorra]

Anaïs couldn't help but gape when she learned Henry's age. She waited until he finished talking about himself, then she began to tease him, in a friendly way. "Twenty five!? Really!" She giggled, and poked him on the cheek. "Haha, you look so young though! Life must have been good for you~" Although, soon after she realized again that she had invaded his space, and she hoped he didn't find it rude. I must be more cautious!

Her ears perked up at one piece of information. Henry...has been with pirates before? And better yet, he wants to experience the skies? Perhaps she could ask him to join the Madre Maria? Although, Anaïs doubted she had any authority to obtain new crew members, so she decided to hold this information until she found Lovi. He would be able to make this decision.

"You are so interesting Henry~ Especially your interest in legends! Maybe you haven't heard of this one? It's called the legend of Meritxell. The legend is about the discovery of 'Our Lady of Meritxell', a statue of Andorra's patron saint. This legend began in the late 12th century, on the feast of the Magi. While attending the mass, a group of villagers found a wild rose bloom. What was strange about it was that it was no where near the season for roses to grow! Stranger yet, it grew from the base of a statue of the virgin and child. Enchanted by it, the villagers placed the statue in the Canillo church. However, the statue was found under the same rose the next day. The statue was taken to the church of Encamp. But again, the statue was found under the rose the next day. And the villagers witnessed something even more amazing. As they searched for the disappearing statue, it had began to snow. But once they found it, in an area as large as a chapel, no snow could be found, as if the weather had completely avoided it! The villagers understood that the statue wanted to stay there, and they built a chapel right there instead. Eventually, the statue was proclaimed as the virgin of Meritxell. At least, that's how I learned the legend! A nice story from my home~"

When she finished telling the legend, she noticed a few minutes later that Henry seemed troubled. About to ask what was wrong, she was interrupted by a very...unexpected question.

Anaïs' cheeks once again glowed a deep red. "A-ah! Nono, he isn't my b-boyfriend! He's my crew mate! I don't even have a boyfriend!!" She clapped her hand on her mouth, blushing a deeper red, not believing what she just said. Although it embarrassed her, she kinda liked the fact that Henry now knew she didn't have a significant other. W-what am I thinking?! She silently scolded herself. I'm being so silly! In her confusion and embarrassment she couldn't help but blurt out "W-what about you? D-do you have a girlfriend? O-or a wife?" She didn't know why she dreaded the answer.

[bermuda]

Somehow he didn't mind when she touched him, although often he flinched away from physical contact from someone he didn't know well. It was a strange and unexplained habit of his, he seemed to trust easy, but trusting someone enough to feel comfortable touching them was totally different. Except apparantly with this woman. He stayed quiet when she told her story, absorbing every little detail into his mind so he could write it down later. It certainly was an interesting tale. Then something far more interesting happened.

Her response to the question that he had certainly embarrassed himself with was somehow heartening in more ways than one. This Lovi fellow wasn't her boyfriend, he was her crew mate. That meant she was probably a pirate, which was somehow good news. He could possibly ask her to take him to her captain so he might join on with the crew, at least for a good long adventure. Then she said something else, about not having a boyfriend, and his heart seemed to pick up it's pace excitedly at that news. He blushed bright red again at her question though.

So he wasn't the only one who sometimes asked questions when they popped into his head. Nervously he responded with "N-no, neither. I've never r-really had a relationshup like that. It's hard to when you're always on the move." Not that the ladies he had met didn't try to coax him into it. He couldn't be tempted from his adventures though, and wanderlust kept him moving from place to place, and there were never women on the ships he had been on. It was bad luck for a woman to be on a ship, to sailors anyways. He wondered if perhaps her Captain wasn't superstitious, or if by luck he had found his ticket onto an airship.

He had heard tale that the airship captains weren't nearly as superstitious, and didn't share the same fears as ocean-faring captains. The sky was far different than the sea afterall, right?

[Andorra]

Unknowingly, Anaïs sighed in relief and whispered a "Good.", after hearing that Henry was not in a relationship. Although a few seconds later, after realizing what she said, of course her blush flared up again. Honestly, what on earth is the matter with me today? So embarrassing...

Since Henry was smart enough to figure it out, Anaïs realized that he probably knew she was a pirate. She wondered what he thought about that, nervous that he might think less about her now. Pirates didn't exactly have the best reputation. However, Henry had been a pirate too. Like most of her crew, she refused to believe that Henry was anything like the blood thirsty criminals pirates were so often associated with. It was impossible. But she couldn't fight the sinking anxiety that Henry would feel less about her.

She hesitated before asking. "...You don't want to ask? Why I'm a...pirate? Normally when people find out that I am, they usually run away, or get angry." She gave a small laugh. "I too was afraid of myself when I joined my crew." She looked at him with determined eyes. "But it was something I had to do, and I do not regret it in the slightest." She smiled. "They are my second family, after all." It would be even better if you joined my family, Henry. She didn't say that out loud however.

[bermuda]

Lucky for Anais, he didn't hear her whispered response. He felt odd when she asked why he hadn't wondered about her being a pirate. He wasn'y angry or afraid, he knew better than to assume all pirates were like the stuff of legends, ruthless and mean. They weren't, he knew this more than anyone else perhaps. He noted that she mentioned being scared when she had joined, but then mentioned her own bravery and acceptance of it, and that they were family. He smiled to her.

"I have lived among pirates for much of my life, and I know better than to assume all pirates are bad guys. Some of the greatest of men I have had the pleasure of meeting have been pirates." He looked confident in his words. "Pirates do what they do to survive, as we all try our hardest to survive from day to day. Much of the reputation pirates have, I am begining to believe is simply lies made up by the Navy, and a false image created by those few that fit the sterotype." Of course, he knew he could be wrong about that. "Tell me, what is your captain like, is he kind?"

He was struck by curiosity, and he wanted to know how she felt about her captain. He wanted desperately to find another crew to be with, perhaps for longer than the others, and he would be delighted to serve with this woman. She seemed so kind and caring, and it was perfect. If her captain was kind and could understand his ways, it could be beneficial to him in the long run.

[Andorra]

Anaïs's smile grew when Henry asked what her captain was like. "Ah~ My captain~ Let me tell you, a lot of my worries went away when I met him! He is someone you can depend on and trust, that's for sure! I think of him as my older brother! I've always been the oldest with my real siblings, so I can't help but see him like that!"

Although she happily talked about Antonio, a guilty, heart wrenching realization came to her. Thinking about her siblings made her remember just how much she missed them. And there was something she was always afraid of. What her family would do if they found out she was a pirate. She had considered sending them letters, telling them how she was and what she was up to. But she wasn't sure what to say, because she refused to lie to them. The last thing she wanted was her family worrying about her because she was a pirate of all things. Her smile soon faded off her face.

"Ah...my siblings..." She said sadly. "Perhaps what I said before wasn't true. If there is one thing I regret, it's that I had to leave my family behind. My journey will take a long time. This is something I have to accept. I can't help but think of all the things I will miss, you know? My baby sister Anya growing up, speaking her first words. My brothers getting into more trouble, but growing more mature and protective of everyone. The younger one's first day of school." She smiled sadly. "I miss them a lot. And...I...I'm afraid to write to them. What would I say? Telling them I'm a pirate would only worry them too much! And I refuse to lie to them!" Her eyes widened. "Ah! I'm sorry Henry! I don't mean to bore you with my problems!" She grinned, and looked around to figure out where they were. It seemed the inn was not too far away. "Ah look! I can see the inn in the distance! We're almost there~" Unfortunately, this was a fake happiness, a mask she had learned to use.

[bermuda]

Henry listened cheerfully as she explained her captain, and he could tell from her words that she liked her Captain a lot. She seemed sincere about it, and every word felt spoken from the heart. This was good, he knew he could trust her, and he could already feel that perhaps he could come to like and trust her Captain. Of course, Henry trusted easily. His optimism made it almost impossible for him to think that anyone COULD do anything bad to him. Even if he knew they could, and would.

She seemed sad when she recalled her family though, and he felt sorry for her. She seemed to close to her family, something he had never been. He didn't know his brothers, and he probably never would. Heck, he had barely known his mother. Yet, he was content with his life, and she seemed to mour her mistakes. Maybe he was better off not knowing his family if this was how it could make him. Still...he felt bad for her, and reached out a hand to rest it comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Trust me Anais, you're not boring me at all." He sighed "Maybe you should write to them, I'm sure no matter what you are doing, they are worrying even now. Besides, they're your family, so long as you're happy, they should be happy, right?" Reasoning wasn't always a skill of his, but he did try from time to time. He was happy that the inn was nearby, maybe they could find her friend, but he would be happier if she was truely happy.

[Andorra]

Anaïs smiled warmly at Henry. His words had a wonderful power over her, the power to make her feel a thousand times better. She had to use all her strength to not burst into tears at that moment. She nodded, and squeezed his hand that was on her shoulder. "Thank you, Henry. You're right! I bet I worry them more when I don't write to them!" Her face brightened. "C'mon~ To the inn~" She didn't realize she didn't let go of his hand as she dragged him along. If Henry had any protests, Anaïs was too lost in her own cheerful world to hear him.

The inn was a quaint little building, very welcoming and pleasant. The complete opposite of the shady pub they had been in. As Anaïs opened the door, a lovely warmth tickled her skin. "Hello?" She called.

A nice-looking old lady answered. "Oh! Hello! Looking for a place to stay the night, dears? We have a lovely honeymoon suite open~" The lady smiled.

"Eh???" Anaïs blushed, not knowing what the lady was talking about. She looked at Henry, and the fact that she was still holding his hand. She finally let go. "Ah! Sorry Henry!!" She turned to the woman. "A-ah, that's not...I'm not looking for a room. I'm looking for a friend of mine that I lost...and I was wondering if you may have seen him? He's tall, has short black hair, and he's quite tanned and muscular. Boris is his name." Anaïs averted her eyes from Henry. Too embarrassed.

"Hmm..." The lady rubbed her chin. "I cannot say for sure that I have...I may have seen a young man that matches your description. He was heading towards the forest, I believe!"

"The...forest?" Anaïs said. "Why would he go there, I wonder..." She smiled at the lady. "Thank you for the help!" The lady laughed and smiled back. "Good luck dears! With everything~"

Anaïs missed the entire point of what the lady meant by that.

[bermuda]

Herny would have said more to comfort her, but she chose that time to yank him along towards the inn. His only thoughts were man this girl's strong. Then again, he wasn't exactly the heaviest of men, a strong breeze probably could have lifted him off his feet if nature tried hard enough. His bravery far outmatched his strength. Soon enough though they reached the inn, and were inside, Anais still holding on to his hand.

The woman that came to help them obviously thought their relationship was more than it was, and if he had been red earlier, he was absolutely crimson now. Even when Anais let go of his hand and went on about their actual mission, not the one that involved them dating. Did they really look that much like a young couple? Ok, yeah they did. There was no denying that at all, but really, when the mind wasn't on that sort of thing he couldn't see it.

He stayed quiet, mostly staring down at his feet as she sorted things out, asking the questions. He did catch mention of the forest though. An idea hit him when Anais mused about why he would head to the forest. He gave a polite nod to the woman saying a quiet "Thanks for the help" before he grasped Anais' hand and led her back to the streets, flushing again at the woman's words. Once they were outside he turned to her.

"I think I might know why he would have snuck off to the forest..." He stated it calmly, just to get her mind off of what had been being said.

[Andorra]

It took Anaïs by surprise when Henry took her hand. Mostly because it was so sudden. But, it was true to say that she felt guilty that she had brazenly taken his before, but him doing the same thing probably meant that she did not offend him. But, she liked to hold it because it was warm and soft. She felt so comfortable holding it.

Her cheeks flushed red for only a moment, and quickly shot the woman a friendly smile and wave before they shut the door.

Now for this Boris business. She couldn't think of a good reason of why he would be in the forest, perhaps he thought she was there? But it made no sense to her. She had no reason to be there.

She instantly perked up to what Henry said. "Really?! You do?! Why?"

[bermuda]

Henry nodded. "Probably the same thing that brought me to this place." A warm smile spread across his face "There's rumored to be an ancient treasure in those woods, though the exact location is left pretty vague in the legends about it." Lucky he was a skilled treasurehunter, and knew how to really get around the vagueness of legends and rumors. "I don't think he's done the research into the treasure that I have, so chances are he's probably gotten himself lost in the forest." Of course, that meant they would have a hard time finding him.

He sighed "The way I see it, we have two options...We could go in looking for him ourselves, and hope we get lucky and find him, or wait it out, and hope he finds his own way back." He frowned "I would say we have a better chance of finding him if we went looking, we still have plenty of sunlight left. I'm familiar with the legends and rumors, so I might be able to figure out places he could have gone..."

Vaguely he noted that he had just made it clear to a pirate that he had a grand idea of where there was a vast treasure. It seemed a little risky, but he trusted Anais not to turn cutthroat on him just because he knew how to find some old objects that could actually not be worth much at all. The legends were also quite vague on what exactly the treasure was, but he was sure it was something he at least could enjoy. He liked old things because they were old, and he liked old artifacts. They had such character than modern items tended to lack.

[Andorra]

Anaïs's face changed from a curious stare to an enthusiastic daze. "Uwoooh! Treasure! How exciting!!" Her arms literally shook with anticipation, and her face began to beam. "I've never had the chance to go on a treasure hunt before!! Not yet anyway!" She instantly fantasized what the treasure might be, and looked up to Henry. "Waaah, you're so lucky Henry! You get to treasure hunt all the time, don't you?! I think that's so cool!"

Although, she remembered it wasn't exactly the point of the trip. The point was finding Boris. But a girl could dream, right?

Gosh, she hoped her crew mate was alright. He probably heard about the treasure from a local while looking for her, and assumed that the story would lure her into the forest. Which it would have. Also, he was a pirate. Searching for treasure was programmed into their instincts.

Therefore, she assumed it must have been programmed into Henry too. She wondered if he was looking for another ship to join. Or maybe be liked being solo. It would have been a shame if that was the case. But even still, she would not forgive herself if she didn't ask the question that popped into her mind.

"Hey, Henry? Are you...are you looking for another ship to join? I mean, I don't have the authority to officially join you, but. I could bring you back to my ship when we find Boris!" She blushed a little. "I-I would love it if you joined the crew. I would definitely put in a good word or two for you!" She smiled at him.

[bermuda]

He chuckled a little hesitantly. "Not all the time, and...It's not all fun and games you know. Sometimes it gets really dangerous, you have to be careful or you could end up hurt or worse, and that would be awful to see happen to you." The worry in his voice was clear. Of course, if finding her crewmate involved some risk and treasure hunting, he would be happy to do it. Still, he didn't want her to get hurt, because she was really nice, and she was pretty, and he was starting to like her.

Then she spoke again and he was instantly struck with happiness. He didn't let himself get too excited over the prospect, knowing her Captain would have the last say on things, but still. This was his chance to fly.

He smiled at her excitedly "I would love that Anais! I've been kind of wandering on my own, it would be fun to spend time with a crew again." Plus, he didn't want to have to say goodbye to her so soon. "We should get looking though, before it gets dark. I think I know a good place in the forest we could look first." One of the locations mentioned in the legends wasn't too far from where they were. With a strange sort of cheerful boldness he took her hand once more and started to lead her towards it "Just follow me!"

How childish he must have seen, trotting along the city streets with the pretty Anais behind him, holding her hand so confidently. Even once they were out of town and into the woods he still felt bold, yet childishly silly. He stopped after awhile, and let go of her hand, fishing around in his bag until he found the map he was after and pulled it out. He spread the hand-drawn map out between his two hands and looked at it, figuring out the best way to carry on to their destination. "Well there's two ways to get there from here, we could head off the path and into the deep woods, it's quicker, but trickier. There's a stream to cross that way. The other way is to follow the path further down until we get to the bridge over the stream, then fork off into the woods, but it would take longer.." The choice was hers.

[Andorra]

"Hmm, that's true. But I suppose I have to get used to the idea that I might get hurt." She smiled. "I am a pirate after all. But I feel much safer with you Henry!" This was completely true. It didn't matter that she had just met him, Henry was already considered a very close friend to her. And deeper still, she started to feel like maybe he was even more than just a friend, or at least she wanted him to be more. She wasn't exactly sure what that feeling was.

But even deeper, so deep that she couldn't remember, there was a feeling of disappointment. Stashed away inside her mind were distant memories of a boy just like Henry and a girl just like her. The girl knew about him, but she was not that close to him at all. They were merely acquaintances, nothing more. Even though the girl wanted to be friends with everyone she met. But, she never had the chance to meet him again. Because she-

Anaïs twitched slightly. Her mind still held onto that horror, but Anaïs herself still could not completely grasp it. But soon her slight confusion was forgotten by what Henry had said next.

Anaïs couldn't stop beaming at Henry. "Ah! That's wonderful!" She giggled like a child. "I can't wait for you to meet the crew!" She stopped laughing, and nodded. "Yes that's true, we should- Oh!" It was a pleasant surprise for Henry to take her hand again, and she did not complain. She smiled at his back as he led her towards the forest. She said nothing, and neither did he, but she hummed a quiet tune. It was the song about sunshine and love that she learned from Artista. It was such a pretty song, but sometimes she felt a little sadness when she sang it. This time, however, she only felt happiness.

They stopped after a while. She watched him dig out a map and look over it. Then he gave her the choice. "Hmmm. I..." Which was the better option? The faster way seemed the most logical, especially if Boris was hurt. But the longer option was great too, not just because it was safer, but because she could spend more time with Henry. But she frowned at that. She shouldn't be selfish like that; her crew mate needed her. "I think we should go the short way."

[bermuda]

Henry smiled at her choice. "Alright...the short way it is then." He gestured to her to follow him, leading on through the woods. He picked out a small path through the trees and brush, leading her in the direction he felt was right. Every now and again he would stop to consult his map and his compass to keep on track, but mostly he kept moving as if he were a native to the forest and knew exactly where he was headed.

He would pause sometimes and make sure she was keeping up, and smile as he would offer her some water from his canteen. It didn't take too long to get to the stream. By luck, the water was shallow, and there were dry stones revealed that they could use to hop over. "Think you can make it over?" He asked her warmly, surveying the rocks. "They're not too far apart, you could step from stone to stone and be fine..." A casual observation, and even more wonderous was the fact the rocks were flat on top.

Quickly he stepped out onto one, and then another, looking back and waiting for her to join him. Once she did, he would take another step, and wait for her, ready to brace her if she lost her balance. Then again, and again, until finally they were across. He waited on the bank for her with a smile, chuckling that they were across. "Not so hard was it?"

They still had a ways to go though, but it was mostly through flat terrain.