Prosaic.

Saviour

Felicity stirred in the early, frosty morning as Tati woke Zephyr for his shift in steering. They spoke for a moment, and then Zephyr begrudgingly stood, wrapped in the blanket still, and went to sit in front of the steering wheel. Tati took his place, and Felicity genuinely considered leaning against her in the same manner that she had leaned against Zephyr. Though, the air between Felicity and Tati was tense and awkward; Felicity was indecisive on whether or not their conflict had been settled enough to be friendly. His consideration on the idea was cut short by Tati's voice, which was stiff with stubbornness but softer than usual.

"Zephyr would like it if you sat by him."

"Oh, I would too, trust me. It's just too cold to walk over there." She chuckled gently, and Tati nodded in delicate agreement. The air was progressively tender between them, but still tense with a fake politeness, both walking on eggshells. But Felicity was cold and exhausted still, her breath visible in the muted morning light, and so she leaned against Tati. Tati stiffened beneath her, but did not move nor push Felicity away, and eventually softened, taking to Felicity's tired warmth the way an owner does to a cat on their lap. Tatiana did have maternal instincts, as much as she tried to run from them with her fury, and in her haze of sleepiness they took over her tired body, and she lifted a hand to run through Felicity's messy blonde hair, unthinking. Felicity was overcome with the exhaustion herself; her thoughts were quick and numerous, but jumbled and difficult to sort out.

Felicity finally mumbled, "Did you mean what you said about Zephyr? Earlier?"

"No, of course not," she said it with a familiar harshness rather than understanding, although the aggression of her tone did not hide the fact that she did, in fact, understand. "I was just pissed."

"Seem to get that way a lot."

"I know." It was uncharacteristic of Tati to be so forgiving and admitful; both her and Felicity held massive egos, especially when Zephyr was the competition; and yet, unlike Zephyr, Felicity and Tati both hated themselves as equally as they hated one another. They were the worst of both sides of the spectrum, and Zephyr was the best. They both knew that Zephyr was precious, and despite Tati's harsh words the day before, like Felicity, she would undoubtedly and willingly die for Zephyr if given the opportunity to do so. In their love for Zephyr, the two found a peace, a middle ground, an understanding and familiarity in one another. They despised one another, their personalities clashing in an unformidable way, and yet, their deep ties to Zephyr held Tatiana and Felicity close. It was an era inevitable of change, and for Tatiana, this meant to hopefully finally heal. So, despite her jealousy and insistent rage, she calmed and breathed and held Felicity beside her peacefully, in control at long last, though we all know it would not last long. Felicity drifted back into sleep.

Despite the lazy morning, Felicity did wake up fairly early, before the sun was too high. It was chilly, the wind whipping and biting like a dog at its prey. She stood and yawned though did not stretch, the wind making her muscles and joints too stiff to hardly move. With no foreseeable problems to arise, the journey became more relaxing and peaceful. Felicity felt less on the verge of death, and she was sure the rest of the group felt the same way. Kiui, Marina, and Mareno still slept; Huan sat drowsily, watching over the herd protectively. Tati was awake, though still sitting where Felicity had left her, and Felicity felt something like guilt for standing and leaving her without a word. She walked to the front of the boat to greet Zephyr, who was more awake and upbeat now as he sat in front of the wheel.

"Is it like a car?" Felicity asked.

"This model, yes. I think its been modified to some extent. The seats are way too nice, and controls way too simple."

"Interesting."

"Someone who needed simple travel and often, I'd assume. Fisherman with money."

She chuckled, "That's the life, huh?"