The captains of the sunset wind.

Jays Pov

"Chip, yeah. H-how did you know that...? Nevermind- Have you seen our friend Gillion? Gil? He's somewhere underwater-"
"Ggggggillllll."
I couldn't believe it. Chip fell for some cheap mimicry of a sea monster. He turned back toward me and gave me a thumbs-up. I almost lowered my gun till Chip turned back around and the beast lunged at him, teeth gnashing until they sunk into Chip's shoulder. I fired twice as the beast knocked Chip to the deck again. One hit its leg, grazing it. It let go of Chip, glared at me, then started running toward the side of the ship. I aimed and shot again with Hunter's Mark, and it froze with a huff and growl. It turned its very scary gaze toward me again, its eyes blazing. Lightning flashed in its eyes, black being replaced by a bright blue.
"Stay back! Don't move." I tried to hold my hand steady. It looked toward the unconscious, or playing-dead-very-well Chip, and took a step toward him. "I said don't move!" I fake-fired the gun, the gunpowder popping angrily. It froze again, midstep. It bit back its own magic and sizzled out, staring at me with resentment and also... restraint. It might not just be mindless after all.
"Gun. Ssssssssss-" I blinked. It- it can really talk- "Jay has gun." It burst forward toward Chip with unexpected speed, grabbed his leg, and tried to drag him toward the edge. Chip winced in pain, eyes squinting but remained shut. His blood gushed, and I watched him in horror before I shook my gun, letting the sound rattle as a warning.
"Hey! Drop him! If you know the word gun, then you should know that I won't miss again." I prayed it could understand and wasn't just mimicking what it heard.
"Gun. Ssssshhhhhhh-" Then it clicked like a gun firing, electricity zapping between its fangs. It looked like it was accepting the challenge, and it would come for me next after it was finished with Chip. Sheesh, that's scary. I cocked my gun and took aim. I reached for my magic, feeling wind build up behind this next shot. I kept my eyes trained to the monster, focusing squarely on its chest where its heart was.
"Leave Chip there. Go, leave. I'll let you go this time." I resolved myself for it to jump out at any moment, waiting for it to leap at me. It stopped dragging Chip, but didn't let go of his ankle. "Leave Chip... this time. Jay..." I tried not to be shaken. It sounded suddenly conflicted, an unbearably human expression crossing its face. It looked down at Chip again, and then slowly lowered his leg back to the floor. Its voice sounds familiar... "Leave... Leave Jay... Chip. Gil." It paused on the last word, a hint of a memory riding its tongue. Maybe it was about to say something else, but It crooked its head sharply to the side as I heard the small steps of Ollie as he ran onto the deck.
"Hey! Is everyone okay? I'm sorry I wasn't out earlier! I was stuck in my hammock- Miss Jay? -Whoa! What is that thing?!" Ollie screamed as the thing ran toward him with another burst of speed. Whatever humanity and restraint it had was scared out of it when Ollie showed up, the monster bared its fangs and once again was the animalistic malice back in its eyes. I aimed and shot, tricked just like Chip. I missed as the monster lunged at Ollie, a blast of air blowing my hair back as my shot whiffed and soared out into the ocean. "Ollie!" There was no way I could catch up in time. Ollie threw his hands up in defense, small and unguarded. In a flash, I heard a loud CRASH as a barrel came falling from nowhere and splintered into the beast. A small puff cloud came and went, and the scene was coated in half a barrel's worth of flour. Ollie blinked, eyes opening to a monster knocked out in front of him.
"W-what just happened?!" Ollie shrieked, grabbing at his chest like his heart would fly away. "That thing was gonna eat ya! Ol' man Earl saved your gosh darn life!" I heard old man Earl yell from somewhere, the sound of him patting himself on the back was omnipotent. "Earl? Where are you?" I yelled, looking around the deck, the old man unseen. I hadn't noticed he'd left until just now.
"I'm up here, idiot! Look up!" I looked up and saw him dangling by his waist upside down from the crow's nest, a knife in one hand and a frayed rope in the other. A huge grin was on his face, something that told me he was going to hold this over my head forever.
"How did you get up there?" I called, ushering Ollie over and preparing to climb up the mast to help him, he held his hand up for me to stop, and flipped over to stand in the crowsnest. Dang, he's more agile than we give him credit for. "I've been up here the whole time! I was going to throw the barrel at the first monster, but Gil killed it too fast." I shook my head as I hauled him up and cut the rope. I felt myself frown. "Gil didn't kill it- both of them disappeared."
"Maybe he ran off with that thing back to where he came from. Crazy fishy man..." Earl muttered angrily. I sighed. "Gil wouldn't do that Earl." Even from this distance, I could see the precise movement of his thick eyebrow raising. "You already know he's tried that." I opened my mouth to argue, but found no words to combat that, thinking of a certain sea serpent we met on our travels.
"Uh, guys?" Ollie interrupted our argument, both of us turning to face the small half-elf. "I think I found Gil." Earl huffed, clambering down the rope ladder to join us. Ollie was pointing, and I followed his direction as he pointed at the monster. "What makes you say that?" I rolled my eyes, thinking it was just more childish imagination. Ollie kicked a few bigger pieces off its face and nudged it till it rolled on its back. I climbed down and looked closer. Animal-like face, sharp claws, long almost reptilian tail. There's no way that's him.
"I saw the mark when he was running at me..." Ollie backed up as I got closer, bashful and scared and confused all at the same time. My eyes went wide at that. If it's really Gil, then... I hesitantly grabbed the beast's left wrist and looked at it. Oh gosh- Oh this can't be happening- There, just under the palm, was the dark crescent, distorted but still there. I dropped his hand. Oh gosh oh gosh-
"Gil!" I yelled, looking at all the bullet wounds I created. Three bullet holes... and one grazed calf. "Ollie, can you get something? Bandages, potions, something?" I blubbered, unsure what exactly I should do to help him.
"I'll get a rope." Earl said, shuffling away. He sounded completely unbothered, but his tensed shoulders revealed shock and a bit of... worry? From Earl? No way. "Why?" I whipped my head to face him as he started hobbling towards a stack of crates and barrels, searching for a rope. He paused, not turning around, and said simply, "If he IS our fish man, HE doesn't know that." He pointed with his thumb behind him at Gillion, which I couldn't help but follow and lock stare a bit too long at the monster-eques build. Oh, Gil... What happened? "So-" Earl kept walking. "I'm getting a rope. You should wake this idiot up."
"CHIP!" Ollie rushed over to the unconscious captain, sliding down on his knees and gripping Chip's hand perhaps a bit too tightly. I mentally slapped my forehead in forgetfulness. Chip! That's right!
I jogged over to Chip, kneeling down with glowing green hands. "He's going to be okay." I pressed my palm into his wound, watching the blood stop gushing and the wound seal up. I waved my hands over his body for a moment, trying to heal any other injuries before letting my magic rest again. I wiped his blood off my hands and waited for that faithful cough that told me he was healed.
"Urgh..." Chip rolled to the side, eyes meeting Ollie's and then mine. "That... That was stupid. I'll admit that. But it's gone now, right?" He was pretty used to fainting in the middle of a battle and coming too at the end of it, so seeing my face or Gil's became routine for him. I looked away from his gaze, and that's when real worry crossed his face. "What is it? Did Gil come back?"
He groaned more to himself, propping himself up on his hand. He surveyed the situation with those judging bronze eyes, ready to get the truth for himself regardless of if I was about to tell him or not. His eyes stopped on the mess behind me, scanning over Gil with two or three passes before looking back at me. "It... Looks dead?" He offered, his tone reassuring but I knew he was just gauging my reaction. It's difficult to hide anything from you, huh?
I slumped my shoulders, feeling the drain of adrenaline after every battle. He could definitely tell something was wrong. "...What is it?" He finally asked, unable to really tell what was wrong. With a slam, Earl closed the lid of a barrel, and waddled over with a pretty thick rope in his arms. He noticed Chip, but just snorted to himself and continued walking. Chip watched breathlessly as Earl looked Gil up and down, giving an exasperated sigh.
Chip stood up at that, piecing together some of the picture. "Why is it alive- Why is Earl tying it up?" Earl grunted, having dropped the rope, and was now trying to lift Gil's left arm. After a moment of exhaustion, he dropped it with a heavy THUD. "Why don't you help and then I'll explain?" Earl pouted, backing away from the tangle of wood and monster. Chip tensed, and only then did I notice his hand on his sword. He furrowed his eyebrows and took another look around at everyone.
Eventually, he broke down his wariness, letting go of his sword and helping Earl. With what exactly, he didn't really know, and Earl had fun bossing him around for a bit. Eventually, Gil was tied up amateurly around the central mast, arms and tail wrapped tightly with rope while his legs were sprawled out. On any other occasion, he would've looked like he fell asleep sitting down, on guard duty or something.
"Okay- I've been patient and listened to all of Earl's dumb commands. Now why are we keeping it? Does it know where Gil is?" Chip pulled up a barrel to sit down on the main deck, still far away from Gil but close enough to keep an eye on him. "You just spent the last few minutes tying him up, how did you not notice it was him? Honestly..." Earl patted him on the back, which was a sign that I had to tell him. He walked away, closing the door behind him.
"...What? -What?! Earl-" Chip whipped his head back, and then to Gil, and then to me. "That was a joke... right?" He threw up a grin in an attempt to hide his shock. I hugged myself, rubbing my arms to comfort myself. "I... Don't think it is." I couldn't look at Gil anymore, but Chip narrowed his eyes. Once you knew it was him, it was hard not to notice the similarities. The coral, although much longer and more tangled like an unkempt tree left to die, was still a crown that I had only seen on one person. The tangled mess of green hair was the same, albeit darker and unable to hide the much larger fin-like ears. I only realize now that those eyes flashed with the same lightning, although the black cloudiness was certainly... new.
"Oooookay..." Chip ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit of his, and started tapping his leg anxiously. "H-how did this happen? Was it that other monster?" I turned to face the waters where the leviathan had swam away. It was long gone by now, scared off by whatever was in the water with it. Maybe it really was scared off by Gillion...
"I-I don't think that's what happened..." Ollie pulled up his own barrel and was wondering whether to pat Chip on the back or let him stew a bit more. "What if it's just a fish thing? M-maybe turning into a monstrous version of yourself is like- a normal thing?" He stood upright as Ollie had decided to comfort him, and started pacing. "O-or a normal 'chosen one' thing? He's already got that crazy lightning that other people don't... Maybe it's like that?" He mumbled this and that, some of it coherent and some of it just 'Chip talk'. "I don't know..." I squeezed my left arm, my brain racing just as much as his.
"Do you think he knew about this? Or was it an accident that he can't control? Maybe he really didn't know or-"
"If you're so desperate for answers why don't you ask him?" I threw my hands up in the air in defeat. He paused, locking eyes with me. We stared in silence for a moment, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling both of us out of irrationality before we became senseless and started screaming at each other.
"Jay..." His voice was quieter than before. "You saw him... Do you think... We even can?" We both turned to Gil at this, watching him with a combined sense of unease and uncertainty. I had repaired some of the damage with what little healing magic I had, and he'd been breathing quietly since then. It didn't seem like he was going to wake up any time soon, at least until morning.
"Well, if there's a way he became that, then there's a way to make him Gil again. There has to be." I reasoned more with myself than with him. He nodded his head, his eyes clouded with dark possibilities. He switched that gaze to the side of the boat, noticing Ollie there. In an instant, Chip cleared up and shook himself. This time, his smile did hide his emotions. "No use worrying about that now. I feel like I'm about to pass out! What say we hit the hay until morning, huh?" He walked over to Ollie, grabbing his clenched hand.
"Is Gillion gonna be okay?" Ollie looked up at him, to which Chip paused for a moment. The confident smile refused to disappear. "Of course he is. He's awesome, we're awesome, everyone is awesome. But we're all also tired. So head to bed, okay?" He watched until Ollie let up, and ran into the crew's quarters. Chip watched the door open and close, staring at it for a moment before turning back to me.
"I wasn't just saying that to calm Ollie down- I really don't think there's anything we can do right now. Let's just sleep, and maybe we can come up with something when we're less tired." He looked like he wanted to say more, but just sighed and put his hands on his hips.
I stole another glance at our tied-up friend, thinking back to the events of the day. "I don't know if I want to... Leave him here. What if something happens?"
He rolled his eyes. He looked about as upset and frustrated as I felt- his eyes looking very tired. "Alright, if you want to have a sleepover on the deck, then be my guest. I just think that your bed is probably more comfortable than the floor." He waved his hand, leaving me alone on the deck. I hesitated for a moment. "Won't you... Ugh, never mind."
"What, Jay?" He turned back around sharply, his hand gesturing around in the air.
"I just... have you seen Pretzel since the attack? What if she also..." His face went slack.
"You think that she also... went monster mode?" He looked toward the captain's quarters. "Okay, uhhh... I'll see if she... if she's still a pink frogtapus." He stepped forward slowly, hand on his sword, and opened the door. "I don't see- AHHHHHHHH I SEE HER." Chip screamed. I darted forward, but stopped, then started laughing. Pretzel latched herself onto Chip's face and seemed to be hugging him. "JAY! SHE'S EATING MY FACE!! GET HER OFF!" He shouted again, sword CLANG-ed to the deck. Chip wrestled with Pretzel for a second till I walked over and pried her from his eye.
"Shhh, Pretzel, it's okay." I cooed, trying to see if any of the baby talk Gil used to talk to her helped at all.
"Oh sure, be concerned when I'M THE ONE WHO NEARLY GOT HIS EYE CHEWED OUT." I waved him away, letting Pretzel hide under my hair.
"You're fine. She was just scared. She didn't hurt you at all, you big baby." Chip was holding his face like something was broken. He rolled his eyes and stormed away but shut the door to the quarters quietly for Ollie.
"I guess it's you and me, girl. Wanna keep watch with me?" Pretzel cowered under the hair on my shoulder. I'll leave her alone. She must think Gil left her. I let myself lean against the wall of the quarters then slid down and stretched. Time to keep watch, I guess. I sighed, starting my watch.
---
Chip was right, I really did need sleep. Before I knew it, I was curled up on the side of the ship, snoring away with Pretzel. At some point Chip must've come outside, because when I opened my eyes I had my blanket thrown loosely onto me. I heard grunts and the sound of ropes snapping. I bolted upright, ready to fight again, but Gil, our Gil, was sitting, tied to the mast. He struggled with the ropes, a few of them on the verge of snapping.
"G-Gil?" I called, hand on my bow. Pretzel yawned, wrapped around my neck, and opened her giant marble eyes and let out an adorable frogtopus gasp. I gauged her reaction, suddenly remembering how she reacted yesterday, and after a minute decided that he must be back to normal.
"Wha- Jay! Why am I tied up? Is this one of Chip's pranks?" Gil looked up at me, blue eyes normal and intense. It felt like a giant weight lifted off my shoulders, and I stumbled forward, my knees weak.
"Gil- what do you remember from last night? Do you remember anything?" He doesn't sound like the monster mimicry anymore, but just to be sure-
"...I don't know Jay. I don't... I remember a dark feeling, then angry dolphins, then- THE SEA MONSTER! DID YOU KILL IT, JAY?" I flinched. Yep... that's Gil... he's okay. I knelt down and started untying the ropes. He waited patiently for me to finish, then grabbed his wrists and looked around.
"No... we didn't kill it. You stabbed its eye and it swam away- with your sword." I felt Gil sigh. "...so, you didn't kill it... but what happened? Why was I tied up?" He stood up and stretched, then flinched as he finally felt the still healing bullet wounds. "...Jay-?" I tossed the rope away and stood up quickly.
"I'll explain in a minute- stay here for a second. I have to go and get Chip. If you can, heal yourself more. I... did the best I could." I hurried down the stairs to the captain's quarters and shut the door behind me. "Chip-" I walked toward his bed and shook him a bit. "Chip!" I whispered loudly. Chip groaned and swatted me away. Now's not the time Chip! "Wake up! Chip! It's Gil!" Chip half sat up and leaned against his arm.
"...Gil...? Is he-" He yawned. "Is he okay now?"
"Yes- technically... but he doesn't remember anything. Someone has to tell him." I said, trying to imply that he should explain what happened. I don't want to be there when one of us has to explain why he got shot three times, once point blank. Chip nodded slowly, then fell backward onto his bed, snoring softly again. No!
"EARL!" I hear Gil shout. I darted back up and saw Earl holding a tiny kitchen knife and the frayed rope. "Earl- what- can someone tell me what's going on?" Gil still looked like his normal self, but he seemed just as frantic as he was before the monsterification. Monsterification? Gosh Jay, you need to get better at naming things. Before he became a beast. I rushed in front of Earl and held up my hand.
"It's okay, Gil, Earl. I'll explain- Earl, put that knife down." I raised an eyebrow at the old man, who raised one back at me. "What? No. It's my only protection if fishman here decides I'm sushi." Earl huffed, using the knife to gesture at Gil, who looked more confused. "He's obviously fine now, and so are you! Just put it down. I promise if anything happens I'll make sure you both are safe." That was apparently enough for him to give in, lowering the knife. "I'm up! I'M UP!" Chip suddenly bounded up the stairs from the captain's quarters, hair even more unkempt than usual. He paused, becoming instantly aware of the situation. "D-did you tell him yet?" He coughed, straightened his posture, and pretended that didn't just happen. I rolled my eyes, grateful for Chip's... Chipness.
"No, actually. She didn't." Gil had his arms crossed now, looking back between the both of us. "Gil! Hey, how are you feeling?" Chip's brow furrowed with worry, which I could tell was genuine despite his best efforts at it sounding like a joke. Gil sighed. A single, exasperated motion which told us he was not doing fine. "You two won't tell me what happened, and I've got this major headache..." Chip gave me the side-eye, to which Gil threw his pointer finger out. "And that! Stop doing that! Stop with the looks! I don't know what they mean- Why is everyone-"
Chip, as per usual, bounced away with that weightlessness of his that allowed him to escape the worst situations. "Woah there- Gil- last night... You weren't yourself. We thought you were some lunatic werewolf fish with rabies and Jay shot you. For good reason. You tried to eat me."
"And you thought I was crazy for holding a knife." Earl piped in, gesturing to Chip's bandaged shoulder then to Gil with a huff. Gil looked at all three of us, eyes wide and scared.
"So I- I attacked you guys? Why would..." Gil flinched and held his head with one hand then his wounds with the other. Pretzel, who has been silently observing this whole time, pointed one tentacle toward Gil, gesturing that she wanted to be with him. I offered my hand, and she sat there as I held her out toward Gil.
"Pretzel- '' The little frogtapus jumped from my hand onto Gil's and sat there, all tentacles wrapped around his arm like a hug. We all stood there for a minute and watched Pretzel coo happily. "She seems grateful to have you back, bud." Chip wearily approached Gil, worried he would snap at him or something. Gil's eyes didn't falter from Pretzel, who was making it known through purrs and burbles how much she missed him.
"Do you... Know what happened?" Chip stopped in front of him, arms crossed in a 'You can trust me, honestly' kind of way. Gil finally ripped his gaze away from Pretzel, and I could see his breath quicken. "No... I woke up yesterday feeling... Off. I thought it was nothing but then... If I really-" He cut himself off, frowning down at the deck, which had giant visible marks from his own claws.
"Great leviathans..." He crumpled a bit, as if he was about to fall over then and there. His eyes darted to anything even slightly out of place, wondering and trying to remember if that was caused by him. "I-I'm sorry, Chip... Jay... I have no idea what happened I-" He took a step away from Chip, then winced from his wounds and supposed headache.
"Hey hey! It's okay. Freaking out is the last thing we should be doing right now." Chip was quick to try and calm Gil down.
"Then what should I do then?! I attacked you guys, and I don't even remember!" Chip's efforts only seemed to make Gil more stressed, which definitely did not help when Earl pipped up, "It wasn't just that! You were feral, and went after Ollie. You'd better thank me that I stopped you before you ate him-"
"Earl, stop it. That's not helping." I looked toward where Ollie was, hopefully, still sleeping. "We should try to figure out what happened before we keep arguing." Gil did nothing but look at the deck, one hand gently petting Pretzel, the other holding her. I looked at Chip, who also stood motionless and looked out at the sea, calm and cloudless. We have to try to find out what caused this- I really hope this won't become a nightly battle...
"What do we do then, Jay? Since you have all the answers now, how do we research something when we're days away from any land?" Chip asked, gesturing to the blue ocean surrounding us, then crossed his arms tightly.
"I don't know everything, Chip! I'm trying to figure this out before we all lose our minds and tear each other apart!" I yelled, then looked toward the quarters. The door looked slightly ajar. Oh gosh- I rushed over to the door and opened it wide, and Ollie fell forward, eyes still sleepy.
"Sorry, Ms. Jay- I didn't mean to listen, but I woke up and-"
"It's okay, Ollie. Good job eavesdropping." Chip was behind me in a moment and ushered Ollie back to the kitchen. "How about you and Earl make breakfast so us adults can figure this out-?"
"Hey. Are you saying I'm not an adult, you idiot?!" Earl grumbled. "If I had a cane, I'd whack you with it." Earl still went into the kitchen with Ollie after he made his point. That left us three to figure out whatever this was. We stood in silence for another moment before I had an idea.
"What if we called Ry or Dallas? They might be closer to shore than us, or already know what this is." Chip thought for a second while Gil stood, trying to slow his breathing and calm down.
"Couldn't hurt to try. But just ask them if they've heard of weird werewolf fish transformations. Don't... don't tell them about what happened." He looked at Gil, who seemed like he hadn't blinked once. I rolled my eyes at this.
"Why not? They could be able to help if we tell them the whole story!"
"All I'm saying is that they shouldn't know that it happened to us unless they ask directly."
"Again, why? Because of your pride?" I retorted. Chip sighed heavily and wiped his face.
"No, Jay. My pride isn't a part of this. I have a heart, you know, and I don't want them to think differently of Gil because of this." We both look at him. Gil looks so... hollow. I immediately felt bad. Gil is still a victim. Gil shook himself, emotion returning to his eyes as he looked up to me and Chip. "I believe you should tell them." He said with assurance.
After a pause, he set his jaw and continued. "They'll understand. This probably isn't the first time they've had to deal with curses." Chip looked weary. "...And if this isn't a curse? If this is just... something we have to deal with? We still don't know why it happened. It could've been that monster, or it could've been because it was night or- whatever. This cannot have been a one-off thing. It's going to happen again."
Gil gave an unreadable expression. Determination and grit along with a hundred other things I couldn't decipher. "Whatever it is, I don't think it's going to happen again tonight. I woke up yesterday with that... feeling already there. I still feel it, but not as intense. When the feeling gets stronger, I'll tell you. I'm not saying I expect it to go away... but before, when the monster attacked, I felt like I had no organs left inside me. I felt... empty, and I was sure it was the beast, but..."
"Empty? That's... odd for you." I muttered.
"It didn't feel good, that's for sure. I don't like that feeling guys." Gil started sounding more like himself, but still was looking around anxiously.
"Alright, if you're sure, I'll go call Ry or Dallas. Gil, if you want, do you want to call Caspian? See if he knows anything as well?" Gil nodded, and shuffled down toward the Captain's Quarters. I looked at Chip, who started walking into the kitchen. I could hear the sound of pots and pans crashing together, and decided to climb to the crows nest for a little more quiet. I held the small shell wrapped in twine and thought of the Sunset Pirates, and after a moment I heard Dallas pick up.
"Hello? Are you guys okay?"
"Ah, Dallas. We're okay, mostly. Sorry we haven't been in contact- but I have a question." He was silent, so I continued. "Our friend, Gil, might have a curse, but we're not sure what it is."
"Can you describe any symptoms? Any changes? If it is a curse, we need to narrow down what it is before we find an anti-spell or cure." Dallas already jumped straight to finding a cure, or something. I'm not even sure if it is a curse, or a spell-
I took the next few minutes to explain the situation, going into detail whenever he asked a question and spared no expense. I started off shaky, but his no-nonsense tone made me feel more confident, although it did feel like an interrogation at the end.
After I had finished, I heard him sigh and the creak of a chair as if he were leaning back. "That's... Unlike anything I've ever heard of before. And when did you say this occurred?"
I pressed my lips together into a tight line. "Last night. It started the moment the sun went down." I heard him hum to himself before a chair creaked again, and I heard a few thumps, like he was pacing around.
"I'm gonna ask Rea if she knows anything. I'll contact you later if we have anything. Sorry, but this seems more complicated than just a curse." I stopped hearing anything, and assumed he ended the call. I sighed, and slowly went back down to the deck. This really isn't good... I stopped a few feet away from the kitchen as the door exploded outward and a plume of smoke erupted out.
"What the- Are you guys okay?!" I shouted as Chip ran out, followed by Earl holding Ollie like a basket.
"Yeah, no, we're fine. I don't know-"
"This idiot burned my soup! I say we throw him off the ship! This is the fourth time he set something on fire!!" Earl shouted as he set Ollie on his feet. Ollie has a comical smear of soot on his cheek and Earl looked to be covered in ash. Chip looked relatively fine, but more disheveled, which was normal for him.
"I didn't mean to, Earl! I just thought the soup should have more-"
"No! Shut it, idiot. This is the last straw. I oughta-"
"Hold on guys- what exactly happened?" I interrupted. Both Chip and Earl started to shout at each other, and I had the thought to shoot a warning fire in the air to get their attention when Ollie shouted, "That was so cool! Can we do it again?"
"Oh so you were involved, eh?" Earl shunned the young boy, to which Ollie shrugged it off and hopped to where Chip was. "I don't know how you keep doing it, but that was awesome!" He vigorously whipped away the soot stain on his cheek, pumping his hands up and down in excited fists.