[UNDER EDITING] ᗷEIᗪOᑌ→ OᑎE ᑭIEᑕE

Chp 1: Her beginning

The ocean glittered in greens and golds with each gentle roll, a bright turquoise under a cloudless blue sky, and Beidou tipped her face up into a salty breeze as it rolled along the sail of her little boat, rocking gently side to side.

Long dark hair tangled over her shoulders, Beidou has long, waist-length dark brown hair. The top of her hair is tied up with an intricate gold hairpin with a pale blue tassel hanging from one end. Her fringe parts around her right eye, slightly covering her left. Her right eye is a deep ruby-colored hue melting into gold. Her left eye is covered by a red eyepatch.

She dons a black leotard underneath a bright red sleeveless qipao dress, with side slits going up to her hips and the chest area cut out. In stark contrast to the rest of her primarily red ensemble. Beidou also wears an imposing fur-lined red shawl around her shoulders. Additionally, she wears a pair of fingerless, elbow-length black gloves. as her Blackcliff Slasher hung on her back nicely.

Pulling out a compass, her red eye flicked up to check the placement of her rigging before scanning the horizon on all sides.

'Can never be too safe', she reasoned, shielding her face with one hand. 'He could have-'

A dark shape caught her eye, almost hidden in the glare of the water, and Beidou squinted.

'Is that...?'

Well, it certainly was too small to be a ship, even at such a significant distance, and if she looked closer, it seemed to be missing a sail...

A frown pulled at her mouth as the Brunette adjusted her course, gaze riveted on that dark spot as it slowly grew larger and more defined.

Bobbing aimlessly, the rowboat drifted up on her port side, no mast or rudder in sight and only an empty barrel within, a boy sprawled over it.

He was roughly Beidou 's age, perhaps a touch younger, with messy dark hair under an old straw hat and a scar curving under a closed eye, barely protected from the elements by a red vest and rolled-up jeans and sandals.

"Shit." She cursed when he failed to so much as twitch at her approach, throwing a rope to lash their small crafts together and vaulting over. "Hey kid, are you okay? Come on, please just be sleeping..."

Pressing a hand to his throat, Beidou closed her eyes in relief at a steady pulse under her fingertips, rocking back on the balls of her feet with a sigh.

'Probably passed out,' she reasoned, taking in the effectively empty little vessel. 'No food, no water...He's lucky I came along before he starved to death.'

Grabbing under both arms, the brunette hauled him over and into the tiny cabin of her own boat, where a simple cot was stationed for what short naps she allowed herself while out at sea alone.

With a pause at the reminder, and very aware that even the 'weakest' of the four Blues had plenty of pirates, Beidou pulled one of a pair of leather-bound steel handles off the back of her belt, a smooth metal length telescoping out to a wickedly-sharp point with a flick of the wrist.

They rang back in high, clear notes of reassurance as Beidou turned to grab a cloth from her pack on the floor, carefully wetting it from a canteen to blot the boy's forehead-

Beidou gasped when her supposed patient suddenly jackknifed upright, nearly toppling backward to avoid smashing foreheads, and he rubbed at both eyes with a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Mm...Oh, hi!"

"Hi." She parroted back, one hand her hip and the other falling away with her claymore in confusion. "Are you...okay kid?"

"Of course I am!" He replied, grinning wide enough the burnette was amazed his cheeks failed to tear. "That was a great nap! Hey, is this your ship?"

"It's a boat." Beidou corrected in a deadpan, and he just chuckled.