Lunar Cycles
XI. Late
The Falling Moon doesn't arrive at Tacticia in time for a performance; they arrive instead to flames and broken wood. While Jetter and James discuss on whether or not to bother even landing, Tuna leans against the bow and stares into the flames Through gold and orange, a figure weaves and leaps through burnt black. When they bring the young girl with the scarred face on board, Tuna smiles.
On time after all.
XII. Morning
Fire has never scared her. It has burned her, stolen away her things and life, but never has she feared it. The colors are even what decorate her clothes, what give the sun it's strength.
It's what bathes Lexaeus' skin in a pleasant glow as he sleeps besides her in the crow's next.
Fire, Corazon knows as she traces letters on his muscular arms, is not as bad as one thinks.
XIII. Noise; Scene
They're an odd group, a rag-tag circus with the ruins of a ship at their feet, a stranded gaggle of performers on an empty beach. Last night's nightmare may as well never happened. Like every other day, they chat, laugh, reminisce. Eventually, they finish setting up their little orchestra, smile one last time...
And then they play.
XIV. Poison
"Bad luck for you," she rasps to the other crew trying to board their Moon, eyes far too bright above her gray gas mask and through smoke. "You don't sail this long without learning a trick or two."
XV. Renewal; reset
The sea knows the moon better than any astronomer can claim. To human eyes, it disappears, but to the sea, it never leaves. Human sight notices how the moon wears itself down from full to new; the sea would be quick to point out it builds itself up again.
Moons fall...
But moons always rise again, too.
XVI Royalty
They cluster in the cabin, around a desk, a rainbow of a crew. The clothes they wear range from exotic to plain, always fine in design. Drawing in deep from his pipe, James blows a lungful of smoke into the merchant's face. "What makes you think we be needing that we'd sell the Moon for even a country?"
XVII Truth
It had been a subject of idle debate among the Orapro Nobis crew of just how James and Seven could possibly be related, let alone twins. One dark night, Xemnas finds out, eyes locked onto the lithe and glowing shapes which twist about the mast. The next morning, he tries to tell his crew when one of the twins is brought up.
"Last night-" A finger across the room draws itself sharply across plump lips, and the captain finds his own locked together. Ignoring his comrades' confused blinks, he glares coldly at a certain succubus.
Ana just winks. "What kind of circus would we be if we let people give away our secrets?"
XVIII Violence
"I told you not to go fight at that pub!" Tuna complains, even as she and Corazon wipe up the blood away from James' nose. Close by, Amber just grins in a darkly vicious manner, her lips more red than orange.
"Who cares? Ale wasn't even good at Forgotten Memories anyway."
"So that's what the name was!" Sev exclaims, arms looped around her sibling's shoulders as she hovers in midair. "I couldn't read that shodding font. So, Jaamesy-" She grins at her brother's calculating red gaze. "Should I go carry out a nefarious scheme and kick their asses for picking a fight with the Falling Moon?"
From across the moon, Ana just mutters something about 'make the moon fall right into their faces', but it mostly goes unheard at James' mad, diabolical grin. "Don't worry, Sev, I have the perfect plan." He stands up suddenly, stomping a hoof into the planks of the Moon and ignoring Tuna's fond eyeroll, declares, "Remember that pretty chick in lavender? Klarissa? I'm going to sweep her off her feet and kidnap her away from those two harpies who dare have her in their foul grip!"
Kaiya pokes her head into the room. "What's going on?"
Sev beams. "Jamesy is off to woo a beautiful damsel and piss of the locals!" It's almost possible to hear the heart in her voice. Jetter's voice comes from further within the Moon.
"Don't almost get lynched like last time!"
XX. Year
Vexen comes to dinner that night twitching. "Your 'captain' and those bizarre 'twins' just molested me."
Jetter is not as surprised as he might have been some years ago. He just hums around his spoonful of soup. "Must be their anniversary."
Tuna perks up considerably and drags Kaiya out of her seat. "It'll be our anniversary soon, too!"
"Time to get preemptively drunk!" Beaming, the pair pull each other out of the cramped dining area. Already, they're calling into the halls. "Save some for us, Amber!"
Xigbar turns begging eyes to Xemnas. "Booze and hot women, Xemnas. Booze[ and hot women. You have to let me go."
XXI. Simple
"Aren't you scared of falling?"
A silent shake of the head.
"Why not?"
She points. No safety harnesses. No net. Them.
"Oh. It's that simple?"
XXII. Clean
In a fit of bizarre 'fatherly concern', the orange-woman named Amber bathes and scrubs her til her skin is sore and the water blood and ash-filled. She sits through it all patiently, unable to say anything even if she wanted to. Eventually, she's left alone in a room, bare form covered in a long wrap of gold-orange silk. Gingerly, she sits up with silk draped over her shoulders and stares into a mirror.
The old ways said fire cleanses, Corazon muses, but she feels no cleaner.
XXIII Sanctuary
The Moon, like its namesake, shines down on everyone. Anyone who needs shelter just has to ask. Yet just like the moon's cycles, they never stay for long.
The crew is the exception because every moon needs a glow to reflect and cherish.
XXIV Light
Depending on that heavenly orb, the Falling Moon glows just as bright. Some might see this as a folly in design.
The crew would happen to disagree.
"It's kind of entertaining when pirates underestimate us," Jetter admits as Corazon lounges ont he large, very richly filled treasure chest they've stolen.
"Glad you think so," Amber comments, watching as two glowing figures prance about high in the air, arms full of gold as they cackle maniacally. "We kind of do this a lot."
XXV. Passion
Corazon leaves the docks rather out of breath, with more than a little bruising around her mouth. The entire female crew of the Moon is right there, leering. "Was he good?" Seven teases, obviously thinking of more than a simple kiss. When Corazon just nods blankly and stumbles off with a flushed face, they all blink. There's a moment of quiet as they look at each other. Technically, Corazn's always silent, but she always has something to say regardless.
"The Orapro Nobis hasn't left yet," Tuna finally says.
"They won't miss him," Seven points out, completely serious.
"We just need a distraction and lots of drugs," Kaiya muses.
"I thought we agreed not to start any trouble in this town," Kiba moans, covering her face with her hands while Amber offers to get smoke bombs.
