A Land Of Sea

Old Friend of the Sea

Dream stood at the bow of the ship, looking out at the land ahead of them with a mixture of relief and pride. Pride at how he'd kept his crew going for so long, pride at how they finally had a plan, and pride at how damn good he looked today.

It had taken a fair bit of styling his hair at the crack of dawn, but it was worth it.

Looking presentable while meeting a few acquaintances was necessary, after all.

He heard a call from behind him, and raised a brow in question to Sam at the wheel. The other man spared no time inquiring, "We ready to anchor her?"

With a curt nod and a small smile, one which was eagerly returned, he looked back at the harbor.

It was late evening, dusk just beginning to grace the small city with its dark orange glows. As he took in the surroundings further, he noted any changes since they had last been here: a few buildings refurbished here and there while some were left still crumbling to their near demise, a familiar fountain seemingly less full with water (though he doubted that was anything but his imagination), and a much larger crowd of people bustling about the streets.

Dream was glad they wouldn't be staying long, as crowds certainly weren't his thing.

A while later, when the ship was docked and the crew was ready to depart, he turned to Sam and the small group that had gathered behind him, ready for instructions.

"I hate to do this to you guys, but I need Sam, Sapnap, Callahan, and Ant to stay behind. You'll watch the ship, and the rest of you can come along if you wish."

Dream's eyes scanned them again, noticing two presences missing. He nodded to Wilbur, continuing. "Is Fundy staying too, then?"

"He's been sleeping all day, so I'd assume so." Dream then turned to his first mate, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Good luck. Oh, and since he isn't here, make sure Ant knows he's helping out on boar-"

Just then, as if on cue, that man emerged from the lower decks with a determined look on his face. Dream looked his way, sighing quietly with a knowing look.

"Ant, I'm sorry, but I need you to stay here. You're far too valuable in a fight, you'll do much better guarding the mer than in this useless crowd."

"No, I'm coming with you. Bad is my friend, and I'm going to help get him back no matter what it takes. Besides, these three can handle themselves!" Ant slung an arm around Callahan's shoulder, who only looked to Dream with a skeptical expression.

Dream stared blankly for a moment, hesitating, before running a hand through his hair.

"...fine, I suppose. Will you guys be alright?" He directed towards Sapnap again, who rolled his eyes and proceeded to shove his best friend away playfully.

"Of course we'll be fine you idiot. Now go see Phil already!"

—————

George could tell something was off the minute he woke up.

Or maybe it was him waking up that felt off, as it was currently during the hours he'd sleep easily through.

Either way, it didn't take him long to spot the lack of motion coming from the ship he resided on. The gentle lapping of waves kept the boat moving, of course, but it wasn't quite the same as being in an open ocean, letting the currents or the wind take you.

This was..tame.

He didn't know if that worried him or not, but when he realized there was something other than tails and tails of pure blue outside the small window he could strain his neck to see, his uncertainty switched to fear.

Were they at a human town? Was this the end for him? And what about the other three?

George couldn't see any humans—at least not properly—only more ships, less extravagant than this one.

Just then did he realize how overwhelmingly loud the humans were, and soon enough his thoughts had been drowned out by the quiet ocean beneath a sea of clamoring, shouts, and overall commotion.

He focused on these sounds, all of them new and exciting. If he should be afraid, he could be afraid later.

"Minx, do you hear that!?" He asked excitedly, the shrill of mermish an odd sound to add to the mix of human ones.

Apparently the mermaid was only half awake, and by the time she woke herself up completely, she too had trained her ears to pick up the noises. "I certainly hear.. a lot. Where are we? Is this human towns?"

"I think so." George was slightly less excited at that thought, but continued on anyway. "Why are they so loud?"

As if hearing him, a bell began to ring over and over, closer and louder than everything else. George quickly covered his ears, the sudden, deafening noise unwelcome here. It reminded him of thunder, and George was glad when it stopped again.

No longer as excited as he was before, he fell silent, leaving Minx to her own thoughts as he pondered what he could see out the window.

One thing he wondered for sure, was what this ship was doing here. He couldn't feel the presence of most bodies on the ship anymore, which worried him. Where had Dream gone?

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Word Count: 901

Date: 27/06/21

I had two choices when I began this chapter: plot, or dnf. I'm sorry y'all, I had to go plot, I just had this absolutely banger idea I needed to use quickly before it left my brain forever. Expect some fun stuff within the next chapter or two, maybe a few new characters introduced... >:)

BYEEE

Vote? Maybe?