Chapter Text
Raven admired the glittering waves that tossed the sea…and hummed a little ditty that Patty had taught Karol and he.
“Now we are ready to head for the horn… weigh hey, Roll and go…”
There wasn’t much to watch around him, he could see…
Still, he won’t forget this journey east-south of Hypionia free.
“Our boots and our clothes… Boys, are all in the pawn to me...”
Having finished the promised adventure pirate, they were…
So now North did they sail with their plunder.
“Rollickin', Randy Dandy-O...”
Raven smirked to himself. Ok, maybe he was enjoying this a bit too much, but Patty’s enthusiasm to find the long lost treasure of Captain Red Rolly, menace of the high seas, was contagious! Sure, he’d started off the week-long adventure with a bit of a head cold, but after seven days of salty air and adventure, he was having the time of his life! Plus, to make matters even better, he got to spend it all with his son and Patty, completely uninterrupted as they tracked down the mystery of the Red Rolly’s treasure, and now! They have!
Even now Patty was digging through the small wood chest they’d found with glee. Raven snickered as the clatter of gold against wood floated his way against the gust of the wind and he stepped down from the starboard railing. “Heh, so I’m guessin’ that what they say about pirates and treasure ain’t an exaggeration?”
Patty looked up from the treasure and nodded, “Aye! Though I really oughta thank you boys.” She said with a wink and a smile. “I wouldn’t have gone on this trip if you two hadn’t wanted to go sailing!”
“Well, we couldn’t just pass up the chance to explore with the great pirate queen herself, could we? Still, seriously, thanks for indulgin’ our, well, my request. This was fun,” he said, letting himself be sincere for a moment longer before donning a gleeful smirk and waggling his fingers in the air. “Now, let’s see what that ol’ legend left us. Karol, come ‘ere! Ain’t every day ya get ta look at real pirate treasure!”
Near the bow of the Fiertia Karol was just finishing up charting the course they’d taken, having finally had a chance to put Estelle and Patty’s birthday gifts to good use. “Coming, Dad!” he called back as he carefully rolled up the parchment in his hands.
A flash of a smile and Raven huddled over chest next to Patty. "So, what do we got?"
“Well, for starters-” Patty moved to the side as Karol approached so that the boys could see, “-there’s lots of gald and gems-” she sifted through the coins for emphasis while she unearthed a small blueish orb and held it up, the delicate glass glinting in the sunlight, “-and this adorable bauble here.” Carefully so, she placed it in Karol’s hands and the boy rolled it in his palm to get a better look at the treasure.
It was grapefruit-sized, though looked larger in both Patty and Karol’s small hands, and the boy gasped in surprise at how intricate the interior of the orb was; housed within the glass orb were waves, clear as day, and a very detailed dolphin depicted mid-jump. “Dad, you gotta see this!”
Raven loosed a low whistle. "Damn, that's some gorgeous work right there. Does it got a guild emblem on the bottom?"
Karol carefully turned the orb over in his hands and caught sight of a small emblem etched into the glass. “Yeah! But…” his brow furrowed as he looked it over, “I don’t recognize this one.” The etching was of a flower… and the petals were made up of flames, the small image surrounded by a hexagon. “It might be an older version of a guild emblem, too.”
Patty hummed before carefully reaching for the orb and inspecting the insignia. Recognition glinted in her eyes instantly. “Right you are, Karol! I haven’t seen this version since my days as Aifread.” She lightly tapped the etching with her fingertip. “This is the work of Silica’s Fancy.”
Interest twitched along Raven’s eyebrows and he leaned in closer."That far back, huh? I'm impressed that they've lasted as long as they have. Not too long ago, after a meeting between the 5 master guilds, I overheard Kaufman complaining about how hard it is to ship all the sand they use." It seriously was phenomenal work, though, so it wasn't any wonder for how they'd managed to stay in business for so long...maybe he can stop by and take a look, perhaps find a gift for a certain princess. After all, her birthday wasn't too far in the future. "I guess ol' Red Rolly knew his stuff, huh? How long ago did he live again, Patty?"
“Let’s see…” The blonde clicked her tongue while she thought it over, “he was past his prime when the Don and I were in ours, so… golly, almost two centuries ago now?”
"Two centuries… nothin' like hearing a number like that to make you feel small," Raven said weakly. A sudden gust of wind quickly reminded him of the fact that they were still sitting in the middle of the deck, however, and a shiver ran down his spine as he straightened. "Hey, but how about we finish lookin' at this stuff inside? It's gettin' chilly and we don't wanna conclude our adventure by gettin' a cold now, do we? You could even tell us some more about Ol' Rolly and what it was like ta live at the same time as him."
“Aye, we’re losing daylight, anyway.” Patty agreed, shutting the chest and motioning for them to go inside the cabin.
Dad must really be sensitive to the cold, Karol noted. While the end of summer was approaching and nightfall was upon them in the southern seas… it wasn’t all that cold. But, history had proven that Raven didn’t do well in colder temperatures.
Regardless, Karol moved to help Patty carry the treasure chest. Their similar sizes would make the task easier, anyway. Another gust of wind swept over them and Karol gave an involuntary shudder. “Wow, it is getting pretty cold.”
"Toldja," Raven said, swooping down to snatch the chest from their hands and clomping his way downstairs.
This action was met with an incredulous response of “Hey!” from Patty and Karol, both of whom pouted.
Karol was just about to let Raven have a piece of his mind—and Patty was doing so —when another strong gust of wind caught the sails and the two shivered again.
“Hey, Patty,” Karol pointed to the horizon, “doesn’t that look like storm clouds?”
Adamant tirade about why she should carry the treasure now interrupted by Karol's observation of the dark clouds rolling in from the east, she said "Aye it does. Raven! Looks like the chill you felt was because of a storm!"
"Oh yeah?" he called up, a heavy thump punctuating his sentence before popping back into view. "Well, guess we better start tyin' things down then..." With a sigh, he shivered, slogged himself up the stairs, and set to work, muttering complaints about his achin' ol' bones and how they were gonna freeze to death all the while.
Patty flashed the man a mischievous smirk once he reached the deck, “Don’t tell me a youngin like you is already complaining about aches and pains?”
Karol stifled a laugh, already busying himself on securing the knots on some supplies. “Yeah, Dad, 36 is nothing . But if you’re aching that much, Patty and I can take care of tying things down.”
“Aye! Don’t go underestimating us just because we’re small, Raven.”
"Underestimatin'? Says who?" He finished off a knot and shrugged innocently to them. "All I was doin' was tryin' ta keep two of the greatest people I know from havin' to dirty their hands. Pattyfried, the greatest pirate queen to sail the central sea! Karol Capel, leader of the guild that saved the world! And here yall are, complainin' about ol' Raven's efforts ta be nice. Even as my bones break and grind ta dust, oh they wound me so!" he said, absolutely wracked with heartbreak before suddenly smirking. "It was all that diggin' ya made me do, I bet, Patty."
In truth, he was feeling a bit achy and tired, or at least more than usual, but that was the natural byproduct of their epic week-long adventure across the sea, and he did in fact have to dig 6 feet down to gain their plunder. This was nothing. Besides, soon he could lay down in his hammock and let the storm sway him to sleep. Just… maybe with a few extra blankets, he thought, another shiver rattling down his spine as he pulled a line in.
“I never said being a pirate was easy.” Patty teased before sobering up and securing another set of supplies. The sails caught another surge of chilled wind and the dark clouds seemed to roll faster toward them. Patty frowned at the boys. “The water’s going to get a choppy soon, so be careful on deck.”
Karol nodded in understanding. As a group, they’d encountered some storms before Ba’ul had been able to carry the Fiertia and he remembered the sometimes violent rocking of the ship all too vividly.
The next few minutes were spent with the three of them performing their due diligence of securing the ship for the impending storm.
And soon enough, things looked like they were just about finished. Luckily, it looked like Patty had determined the ground depth and distance from shore was suitable enough to drop anchor safely, a task she did herself while Raven and Karol closed the sails for reefing.
"Alright then," Raven said, jumping off the starboard side sails and stumbling onto the deck, "you figure thats everything, Cap'n Patty?"
“Aye, that’s all we can do to prepare for it.” Patty confirmed, a small shrug rocking her small shoulders. “We’ll just have to wait it out.”
A quick nod and Raven lightly pat Karol's back to usher them to the cabin, only to stumble a bit at a random wave of dizziness. Weird... , he thought, holding a hand to his forehead before dismissing it the next second and continuing downstairs. It was probably just the barometric pressure; things did always get a little bit achy and screwy with him when it was about to rain.
Karol turned to see Raven take the final step and noticed something seemed just the slightest bit off. “Are you feeling ok, Dad?”
"Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?"
Karol shrugged in response. “I dunno, you just a little off, is all.” He frowned. “Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re pretty quiet tonight?”
Me, quiet? Wouldn't figure anyone would call me that someday. Raven snickered to himself, but not at Karol's concern. Nah, he appreciated Karol trying to look after him more than the boy knew. "I'm ok, promise," he said with a small smile. "A lil tired, but mostly just happy that we got to do this trip. That said, I think I'll turn in for the night after we finish going through the chest. That way, I can just peacefully sleep on through the storm."
“That’s not a bad idea.” Karol replied, feeling tired himself after a week at sea on a pirate adventure with Patty.
The girl in question entered the cabin and hopped down the steps, touched her index fingers to her cheeks and beamed at the boys, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. “Ready to see more of the treasure we found?”
"You know it. Set it right here on the table for ya, Patty," Raven said, lightly tapping the lid with a knuckle before heavily sliding onto the bench.
Karol climbed onto the bench next to Raven while Patty stood on the opposite bench and flipped the lid open again. “Ok, so, aside from your standard gald, gems, and baubles-” she tapped the glass orb from earlier, “-we also found this!” She rifled through the gald and pulled out a journal. “We found a Captain’s log!”
“Whoa! What?” Karol asked, eyes sparkling just as much as Patty’s. “Seriously?!”
"Patty...ya gotta read it." Raven looked intently at her. "You gotta. By law." The law of ' Holy fuck an actual pirate relic! This is the shit! This is the best day ever. ' Of course, Raven was going to keep that to himself but man did he yearn.
Patty started flipping through the journal, blue eyes positively shimmering with excitement with each page she turned until finally, “Oh! This one!”
“Ahem! Today, I discovered what would have been an attempted mutiny on my ship. I’d suspected this for quite some time, considering our frequent encounters with the Empire as of late. It took some work, however, thanks to the cunning and skill of me most loyal crew members, we were able to identify the would-be traitors. ”
Patty gasped suddenly, startling the bejeezus out of Karol, “Oh! I heard about that!! It was such a scandal—all the port towns were talking about it!”
"You lived through that?" Raven marveled to himself. "Damn… what was it like? Who were the traitors?"
“Well, I was pretty young when it happened! Younger than how old I look now.” Patty hummed to herself. “Buuuut, if memory serves me correctly, the traitors were turncoats that wanted to make it in good with the Empire! They were tired of the uncertainties that came with life on the sea and were willing to sabotage Rolly for the bounty money.”
“That makes sense, the Empire had a much stronger influence in the past.” Karol chimed in. “Still… why would anybody want to get in the Empire after being free to make their own choices like that?”
“Oh! That’s because the Union and Dahngrest didn’t exist yet. If you left the Empire, you had no protection whatsoever. It was a lot scarier to defect back when I was a girl.”
Another chill ran down Raven's back. Frankly, imagining the Empire having that much empire unnerved Raven more than he'd like to think. "Damn… so back then it really was a choice between two evils. One where you're safe but completely held to the whim of the government or one where every day is a danger but you're free… I didn't think it possible but I think I respect you even more now, Patty." That sort of choice still had to be made even today by those that wished to leave the empire but these days the stakes were far lower, especially with the finalization of the treaty. "Wait, but if yall didn't have Dahngrest then where did yall call your home base?"
“Oh! Well, that’s part of why I became a pirate. My ship was home to myself and my crew.”
"Makes sense," he nodded to himself. Then, his eyes lit up. "Hey, what did make ya leave the Empire anyway? Like, specifically."
“I suppose the same kind of thing that made the Don and Yuri decide to leave the Empire.” Patty replied, “All that talk of power and security… and that same influence allowed so many injustices. At least with my crew, I knew I could count on them and them on me.”
Karol nodded, feeling increasingly inspired by Patty and her past conviction to make her own way in life. “So… where were you from, anyway, Patty?”
Patty smiled wistfully at the boy’s question, seemingly reminiscing on the place of her birth, and replied, “A little port town called Farryheid.”
"F-Farryheid… huh?" Raven's voice quieted as something strange tugged at his heart. Had it really been more than a decade since he last heard that name? More than a decade since he last walked the boardwalk, since he last watched the sun set pink and shimmering over the waves, since he last heard the particularly loud cry of a man selling fresh mutton...even though the loss was bitter, the memories were sweet and he could smile at the fact that at least one other person knew its name. "I hear that used to be a pretty nice place."
“Aye, it was.” Patty agreed nostalgically.
Karol raised an eyebrow. “Was? What happened to it…?”
Patty answered. “Totally wiped out during the Great War. There’s nothing left of it now.”
"Mhm. That one, along with about half a dozen others," Raven nodded, leaning back in his chair with a cross of his arms and a sigh.
Patty gave a similar sigh and Karol frowned. The war had done so much damage—to the world, entire cities, soldiers and civilians alike as well as the Entelexia—and for what? Nothing.
But before he could say anything further, a loud clap of thunder was heard overhead and the boat rocked as a wave rolled against the hull. “That’s enough reminiscing for now.” Patty said decidedly. “Hopefully you boys don’t get seasick.”
"Yeah, it's time for some shut eye. You wanna go get ready first, Karol?" Raven said with a purposeful look.
Sensing that Raven wasn’t asking, Karol dropped any idea of arguing for five more minutes and instead nodded. “Yeah, sure. But you’re next, then, ok?”
"Promise." And with that, Raven crossed his arms on the table, laid his head down, and waited, releasing a sigh that settled him further into the wood and brought how his joints ground against each other to the forefront. Man, he didn't think that he'd be this achy after all that digging… he really must be getting old.
While Karol was busy getting ready for bed, Patty stayed behind and gathered the items back into the treasure chest while stealing glances at Raven every now and then. She pursed her lips in thought before finally just saying, “Tired yourself out pretty good between our pirate adventure and parenting, huh, Raven?”
"Mhm, sure did," he rumbled out, voice low as he closed his eyes. "Still, lotsa fun. Maybe we can do this again in a year or two."
Joy, expressed utterly perfect, found its place on Patty’s face with a soft smile. “Aye! Karol and I will be taller then, too. It’ll make it easier on you. I’m not all surprised that you’re this tired, being the only adult-sized person on hand this week.”
He wheezed out a small laugh. "Yeah, that was a lot of hands on experience… I got to learn a lot about the Fiertia though, about takin' care of a ship and stuff. You're a good teacher, Patty."
“Ha, I’m glad.” Patty giggled in response. “I gotta live up to my own reputation as Pirate Queen, don’t I?” A small click alerted them to Karol’s return and Patty winked at Raven. “And you have a promise to keep, don’tcha? We can talk more in the morning.”
"Heh, aye aye, Cap'n." And with that, he slowly rose and clomped his way to the back, patting Karol's shoulder on the way, and closed the door behind him, paying the small catch in his lungs no heed as he grabbed his bag to get ready for bed.
Lightning flashed and blinded the storage room with light, fast followed by a low loud peal of reverberating thunder that shook the very timbers of the ship and Raven startled awake.
Light, bright, loud, hot … his brain drudged through sensation after sensation as he caught the sway of his hammock amongst lined and tied shelves and the not-so distant avalanche of waves against the hull. That’s right… the storm. So that’s the reason for the air tossing itself in front of him…
Goosebumps and sweat lined his skin as exhaustion pulled him back into his hammock and he once more closed his eyes to return to sleep only to jolt back awake.
Something was wrong.
But what?
...Sails. Sails flapping in the wind.
“Shit,” he bit out, quickly tumbling himself out of his hammock, thankfully avoiding entanglement, and landing with a hollow thump on the wood as his legs collapsed under him and he swayed with the wave of force that rolled through the ship, rolling back with it the other way to grab a shelf and pull himself up.
In this weather, having open sails was asking to capsize and he was the only one on the crew that wouldn’t fall under threat of immediately being blown away… he had to hurry. Thus, he began his perilous journey through the shelves to twist and push the storage room doorknob as he stepped into the cabin.
Let’s make this quick
, he thought, and he mentally prepared himself for the rain.
The sound of the cabin door opening and closing brought Patty from the depths of sleep. She sat up in her hammock and looked around the room. Dark as it was, she was able to make sense of the even darker splotches and fuzzy shapes of the cabin. Karol was still asleep, thankfully, as she had worried about the boy’s small stature—and her own—when it came to high winds. But then that meant…
Yep. A glance at Raven’s hammock proved it to be empty and Patty sighed. She was thankful Raven had taken it upon himself to inspect the deck—she could hear the sails flapping in the undoubtedly strong gusts of wind. Still, she should help—
CA-CRACK
A loud clap of thunder boomed overhead and shook the walls, followed quickly by a flash of lightning and allowing Patty a clear view of Karol startling awake. “Easy, sailor.” Patty soothed in a gentle voice as Karol looked around the room with a panic-stricken expression. “It’s the storm.” The light provided by the lightning went as quickly as it has come, but Patty could tell Karol had given a quiet sigh of relief from the way his silhouette moved.
“…Wh-where’s Dad?”
Ah, he noticed right away, too. “My guess is he’s on deck.”
Karol gasped and started to maneuver himself out of his hammock. “In this weather? Alone?!”
While Karol had freed himself, Patty had done the same and she met the worried boy on the floor. “That’s why we’re both awake, right? To help him out?”
Another bright flash of lightning and Patty saw a determined expression on Karol’s face, his fear having subsided enough for him to act. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Raven stepped into the rain in a blur.
Caught flashes of light, cold, dagger force pellets of rain stinging his skin as he peered into the darkness for the rope. He slipped, skidded, slid on the slippery shifting deck but eventually scrambled his way to the sails. The heavy wooden supports nearly bowled into his stomach and threw him back against the cabin wall but he held on. And pulled. And tugged. And tied. The rough rope pulled in and through his fingers as he fought the wind with his grip and scaled his palms raw, but… the job was done.
That’s all he remembered as he staggered back through the door and shivered, water dripping from his hair and clothes and splattering as he managed a shamble down the stairs. He didn't know how much time had passed, but did know he needed to get warm. Where… where was a… the stove? Is it lit? No… he continued his stagger around the cabin blindly before falling halfway into a cot and pulling the blanket towards him.
Their timing couldn’t have been better; they had just stepped through the door and into the main area of the Fiertia’s cabin—the section that housed the table, cots, and weapons racks—just as Raven stepped in from outside.
“Dad!” Karol called out to him as he descended the stairs, only to receive… no response.
Patty and Karol exchanged confused looks as they instead watched Raven stumble around before eventually taking up residence in the lowest cot and attempting to wrap himself in a blanket.
“Dad!” The boy ran up to the bedside and pushed at Raven’s shoulder before continuing, “You can’t sleep in wet clothes!”
Patty, meanwhile, had lit a fire in the belly of the stove, casting a warm glow across the room. “Karol’s right, matey. You’ll catch a cold if you do that.”
"H-huh? What?" Another roll of shivers shook through Raven's body and clattered his teeth, more violent than before as he blinked and… Karol? Karol was there, and Patty too… when did… a cough caught in his chest, sending him into a half hunch, until he finally noticed the stove now had a flame burning within. It wasn't like that a second ago… but he moved towards it regardless, bringing the blanket with him as he clumsily wrapped it around his shoulders. "R-right, c-cold..."
Raven’s movements were carefully tracked by both Patty and Karol, with the latter anxiously following behind Raven. Patty stoked the fire once again, the once dim flames brightening and growing stronger from the action. “I’ll be right back.”
Once Patty had disappeared behind the door, Karol gingerly touched Raven’s shoulder and said, “Remember what you told me in the Weasand a few months ago? ‘ You’ll warm up faster if you take off your wet clothes ’.”
Karol’s words slowly tumbled into Raven's ears and through his brain until he shook his head and managed a stuttered "N-no..."
Karol released an annoyed huff of air upward so that it rustled his hair. That… didn’t make any sense, “Why not? C’mon, we both know you don’t do well when you’re cold.”
Another round of deep shudders rattled through Raven, perfectly proving Karol's point, but he only shook his head once again pulled his limbs closer to himself as he moved closer to the fire. "My b-back… my back, can't let you see..."
Brown eyes widened in understanding. That’s why… Karol bit his lower lip and looked around the cabin. “What if I go in the other room and you use the blanket to cover up?”
A short nod. "That's ok, just d-don't let Patty..."
Karol returned Raven’s nod. “Ok, just let us know when you’re finished.”
With a final goodbye pat on the shoulder, Karol stepped around Raven and exited into the adjacent room… only to nearly bump into Patty.
“Oh!” came the girl’s surprised voice. Then she smiled and held up a kettle. “Whatcha need, Karol? I was gonna start some tea for Raven.”
When she took a step toward the door, Karol moved and blocked her way with a shake of his head. “No!” Patty raised an eyebrow and Karol rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before clarifying. “He’s changing and wanted some privacy.”
“Ohhhhh,” Patty peered around Karol to look at the door then met the boy’s gaze. “That makes sense.”
A couple of minutes ticked by, just enough to make them start to wonder if everything was going ok, when a muffled voice and a cough reverberated from behind the door.
Karol cracked the door open and peered into the room, sighed and rolled his eyes as affectionately as possible, before pushing the door open further and motioning for Patty to follow.
The scene they stumbled into was Raven, huddled in a blanket and sitting as closely to the stove as possible while still shivering up a storm. Thankfully, though, he had opted to remove his sopping wet shirt and the garment lay in a haphazard heap on the floor not too far from him.
“Do you need another blanket, Dad?”
"P-p-please..."
"Sure thing." Karol turned on his heel and disappeared once again into the adjacent room while Patty skipped over to the stove and busied herself with bringing the kettle of water to the right temperature for the tea she'd selected, humming all the while.
It didn't take Karol long to return with a second blanket in tow, his only greeting the orange glow and warmth of the fire while the other two were otherwise preoccupied; Patty, with transferring the kettle off of the heat and Raven, attempting to soak up as much of said heat as possible. The man's shoulders were still hunched and Karol swore he could see him shivering as he stopped at Raven's side. With one quick motion, Karol draped the second blanket atop the first and ran a gentle hand against Raven's back and... yep, still shivering.
Poor Dad.
An idea struck him as he stood there, biting his lip in uncertainty before deciding to follow through with it. He moved to kneel at Raven's side before carefully maneuvering himself in closer, finally settling on the floor in front of Raven, slightly off to the side. Another quick movement, the action made easy by Raven not being aware enough of his surroundings to realize what he was doing, and Karol had managed to wriggle his way into the blanket cocoon with Raven and snuggle against his side in a position reminiscent of when he'd fallen asleep against Raven in the Weasand a few months ago. Hopefully this helps…
And luckily, as if on sheer instinct instead of awareness, Raven wrapped an arm around Karol's shoulders and pulled him close, suppressing another round of coughs the next moment.
Karol blinked in surprise at how quickly Raven had moved—he had seemed so sluggish—but quickly relaxed into the touch. He felt the vibration of Raven's chest as the man suppressed a coughing fit and before Karol could ask if Raven was ok, Patty's sudden squeal of delight caused the both of them to startle.
"Aww!" She cooed, having turned to offer Raven a mug of freshly made tea. "Yuri wasn't kidding when he said the two of you could be cuddly. You remind me of sea otters, all snuggled up like that."
Raven wheezed a small weak chuckle. "I-I know…we’re adorable…b’y’know… Karol, you're c-c-cold too...should get more blankets...m-maybe make a camp around the stove..." he said, pulling Karol closer still, only to slump and close his eyes as another round of shakes rolled through him. Damn, he must have been more tired than he thought…
"Huh?" Karol asked, thoroughly confused by that particular observation. If nothing else, he felt warm , too warm, in fact. The doubled-up blankets and the close proximity to the now vibrant, crackling fire left him wanting to fan himself off, not bundle up more. "But... I'm not cold."
A long moment passed before Raven finally responded, too quiet and swaying as his eyes tracked the swimming wooden boards in front of him. "Yer… yer freezing..."
Karol and Patty exchanged looks before Karol moved to tug a glove off of one of his hands and pressed the back of his now-ungloved hand to Raven's forehead, the contact lasting a split second before Karol pulled away and declared, urgently. "Dad, you're burning up!"
"Huuuuh...?"
Patty stepped forward, having set down the drink she'd made to press a hand to Raven's forehead as well. She recoiled just as quickly as Karol had and said, "Aye, matey, your son's right. That's one heck of a fever."
Raven blinked owlishly at her. "So you're...sayin' I'm hot...?"
Blue eyes glinted mischievously in response and she grinned. "Aye, you could say that~!"
A goofy, distant grin teased its way onto Raven's face. "Awwww, Patty...that’s sweet… and h-here I thought ya only had eyes f-for—"
His shoulders suddenly tensed then began heaving as he coughed and hacked and gasped, leaning over and away from Karol as tears slowly beaded from his eyes when they didn't stop .
"Dad!" Karol cried out, wriggling his way free of Raven's grasp and stumbling into a stand. A gentle hand on his shoulder and Karol turned to see Patty pantomiming helping Raven up and helping him over to the lowermost cot. The boy nodded in understanding. But before Patty could step forward, Karol nodded towards the blankets. "Those have to stay on. At least until he's in bed, ok?"
"Aye, aye, Captain Karol." Patty said with a smile. With the matter resolved and their course decided, the two stepped forward and hooked their arms around Raven, and the blankets, and steadily helped him into a stand once his coughing fit subsided.
"Wait, wait, where are we..." Another quick round of coughs as Raven attempted to balance himself between the two, knees aching and weak at having to stand but holding all the same as he made a feeble effort to turn back to the stove. Raven’s movements, and the rocking of the ship, were more than enough to make the two stumble, though Patty was able to catch herself by widening her stance and Karol by bracing himself against Raven. "Where're we… g-goin'...? Fire's… it's cold ..."
“ You ,” started Karol, steadying himself and taking another step toward the bunk beds, “are going to bed.”
"But… cold..." Raven said plaintively, stumbling after them.
“You only feel cold because of the fever,” Patty explained gently as they took the final stumble step toward the cot.
Karol nodded while the two of them shifted Raven’s weight off of their shoulders and onto the bed. He kept a steady hand on the blankets so they didn’t fall and reassured Raven, “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll take care of you, ok?”
Raven wavered a moment before shifting with their hands and nodding, landing cautiously on the mattress as he clutched the blankets closed in front of his chest. "I know… y-you will… just… sucks… hey, P-Patty?"
“Hmm?” Patty turned to look at him expectantly.
"So it's rainin' a lot… right?"
“Sure is!”
With a touch of delirium, Raven’s voice wavered as he asked "You ever heard of someone.. b-breathin' in the rain?"
She tilted her head and tapped a finger against her chin in thought, “You mean inhaling the rain?”
"Y-yeah, cuz… I don't think I fell overboard but… my chest hurts," he said, placing a hand on his sternum. "S-s-silly, I know, but… figured I'd ask."
Patty frowned at that. “I don’t think you fell overboard, either, but… is it your blastia?”
Karol’s breath hitched and he looked between the two, anxiously awaiting Raven’s own thoughts on the matter.
"I dunno… it's- hard to think… not too bad though," he said, wincing as he suppressed another round of coughs and he moved to make himself more comfortable against the wall. "Think I'll just sleep it off for now..."
“We’re here if you need anything.” Patty told him once more before stepping back from the bedside. She touched Karol’s shoulder and said, “I’m going to check our charts and see what we should do next. We’ll want to bring him to a city.”
“O-ok. Yeah. Thanks.” Karol said, earning him a smile in response, before the girl left the two alone.
A few seconds of silence filled the room until Raven peered over at Karol and a light chuckle came unbidden. "Y'don't gotta looks so worried, Karol… I'll be ok, promise," he said, smiling reassuringly at the boy despite his quiet and accidentally startling the boy in the process.
Karol quickly tried to replace his anxious look with a smile, the resulting expression coming across more strained than anything. “I know, I know.”
Silence fell between them again and Karol idly fidgeted with his glove, feeling the fabric against, rather than around, his ungloved fingers. But if it is his heart, then we’ll need Rita…
Even in his fevered state Raven could tell that his words had little effect, however, and he mentally sighed. What could he do to help reassure Karol? A joke, perhaps? Or would it be better to simply concede to sleep? That way, neither Patty nor Karol would have to worry about his needs and the two could just go back to sleep and get some much deserved-
His thoughts were quickly forgotten as yet another violent chill made him gasp, which then made him fall into a hacking fit, which then left him dizzy and wavering and breathless, which made him gasp even more and tore him into a half hunched lay on his side as Karol’s smile dropped from his lips. When he could finally work past his burning lungs and the blood thumping loudly in his ears, he blearily waved Karol closer.
He needs something! Carefully, Karol moved closer and gently, slowly, eased his way into a sit on the bed near where Raven was resting.
"You 'n Patty...yall sh-should get some sleep, 'kay? I ain't goin' anywhere..."
Karol’s expression dropped into a pout in response. “What if you need something?” he asked, his question coming across as more of a demand. “I can stay up while Patty sleeps and then sleep when she’s awake.”
Raven thought over that for a few seconds before dropping a deadpan "I'll sleep when yall do."
The boy heaved a sigh and gave Raven an equally unimpressed look, “That’s great. You’ll sleep for a while, then, since Patty and I can take turns.”
And thus, they were at an impasse, with the two staring grumpily at each other for several long moments until, finally, Raven wavered and completed his fall down on the mattress.
"Jus' don't want yall tired 'cuz of me," he murmured. But, in truth, he'd exhausted all his energy to fight on the matter. "You win..."
A smile tugged at the corner of Karol’s lips but he managed to keep it at bay. For now. He’d relish in having out-stubborned Raven later, when his father was feeling better. “I’ll take care of myself, too, so you don’t have to worry. Deal?”
Raven sighed, then wheezed. "Deal..."
Satisfied with the outcome of their conversation, Karol leaned down and pressed a kiss into Raven’s hair. “Night, Dad.”
And with that, Raven let himself relax and ease into the escape of sleep, leaving with a soft smile and an appreciative "G'night, lil star..."