On to Spain, On to Italy

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya looked back at Titus. She had to try and not blush again. She smiled then looked back out to the sea as a wave hit the side of the deck, and water splashed onto her face.

"I bet you are looking forward to going back to land" She said knowing the answer. She wished the sun wasn't as hot and that it would be a longer amount of time before they reached the shore. "How are you doing working for the cook?"

[Titus Cortez]

Titus smiled. "Yes, Spain will be lovely, or so I've read. I've never been off our own land." He looked up at the sky. The sun was terrible. He closed his eyes. Then opened them again, turning to her.

"Work is fine." he answered. "Your cook seems kind enough." For a pirate. Titus walked around to her other side, and turned again to look at her. "What shall we do in Spain?" he asked her happily. The cook had said that it wasn't all work. There would be time. Time to spend and burn by the sun. Time for fun and adventure. Titus fully intended on spending it with Alaya.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya shrugged. The free time the crew had didn't apply to her. Someone had to stay on the ship. The only reason she was out at Cutlass was because she was ordered to take a break. She hated the dry land, and would do whatever she could to stay on the ship. "I really am not looking forward to the land. I tend to stay on the ship as much as I can" She knew he would understand why. "It is good you are getting along with the chef now you have the rest of the crew to work with" She teased yet at the same time it was true. It didn't matter if there were a couple of people that wouldn't like him but you should know who they were.

[Titus Cortez]

He shrugged at her comment about the crew. "I'm not one much for pirates, you know that." he said. "But come on," he insisted. "You must see Spain. It's legendary. The bulls, the fighting rings! Gold!" He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear persuasively, his fingers lightly tracing her cheek. He knew he may be pushing his luck, even if she did kiss him. "You'll come with me, won't you? Come with me. It'll be an adventure."

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya thought about it for a moment, maybe she would go see Spain. "It depends" She said wishing his had was still touching her face. She didn't know what was wrong with her but he was different. "You should at least make some friends on the ship in case anything happens" She didn't want him to stay an outcast. There was a gentile breeze and it felt good on the skin, however Alaya would have preferred a wave to have hit the deck. A loud eruption of sound came from bellow deck. "Looks like someone won a game"

[Titus Cortez]

"I've already got you for a friend." he told her. That was all he needed.
"And what's it depend on? I promise you, I can be lots of fun." Titus smiled brightly, mischievously. He had plans for Spain. But he wouldn't tell her yet. He only winked.

The noisy shouts from the men below deck did signal a victor had emerged from the pile of dogs around the poker table. Titus laughed. "I'll take all their money some time tomorrow." He promised. Then they would have some extra change for land. He already had some coin from work, but not enough for a women. He knew from experience. Some poker was certainly in his future.

He looked back to Alaya. "Tell me something." he told her. "Anything. Tell me." It was sudden, but he wondered what she'd say.

[Alaya Seawitch]

She was touched slightly when he mentioned her as his friend, but that still wouldn't help him later on. She wouldn't push the issue, he needed to learn to get used to the others on his own.

Alaya didn't know what to say to Titus. In truth she had a question to ask. It was one she was unsure if it was alright to ask. "Can I ask you something?" She whispered. Alaya decided to wait for a response before she asked. She needed to figure out how she was to phrase her question.

[Titus Cortez]

"Of course, anything." he answered, also whispering. He inclined his head as to better hear what she would ask. And he waited patiently, allowing her all the time she needed. He was a patient man. He didn't mind waiting, unless of course it was for months at a time, which was part of the reason why he had come on this voyage. To be with her. He could hear the men murmuring their bids down below. It seemed the game had changed from poker to dice. Another popular game. But Titus put his attention on Alaya.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya took a deep breath gathering her thoughts. "From what I have noticed humans tend to search their whole lives trying to figure out where they belong. And when they believe they have found it they stop searching even if it is not the right place for them. Like those who have decided their place is on the sea they will never venture back to the land even if that is their place" Alaya started off stating her observation hoping to make her question make more sense. "Did you believe your place was on land? And what if you were wrong? Do you know where you belong? Land or Sea?" She asked the question wondering what the answer would be.

[Titus Cortez]

He chuckled a little. "We search when we have the opportunity to search." he said. "All my life I have only known the land. I have worked it and it grew crops for me. I have planted and harvested the fields, I have tamed its beasts and taught them to work. The land has been my life for as long as I can remember. And now I am at sea." he looked out over the waters. "I like it here, too. It's still very unfamiliar to me, but I do like it." Titus sighed. "You can never belong to a place." he explained. "My farm was burned and destroyed. There was nothing left there. But I didn't burn with it. I moved on. Sad, yes, but now I am happy again. The sea could dry up, and would you belong to that barren bed? No. You would follow the water, wouldn't you? Or anything else that pleased you. It's not where we belong, Alaya, but what. And even that is only for a short while. You can never belong to one thing, like land or water. You belong to your heart, and whatever your heart belongs to, so do you." Titus paused a moment, thinking. "Your heart doesn't ever really belong to an object." he said. "It's the who your heart belongs to that tells you where you belong. I could have all the gold and land and sea in the world, but it would mean nothing if I was alone." Then he went on with her last question. "Do I know where I belong? No. No one really does. A person can be so close and so oblivious, but they'll never really know until it jumps up and smacks 'em across the face. Sometimes gently, sometimes violently." he laughed a little, leaning back against the rail. "Why do you ask?" He looked at her, eyes blinking a little in the sun. "Do you know with whom you belong, pretty girl?" He gave her a little wink. He still loved the nickname he had given her.

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya listened. His answer made sense even if she still didn't quite understand it at that moment. She knew where she belonged but she didn't know who whom. "I know where I belong. The only thing is I don't know who I belong with. It is as if I am torn in half when it comes to that. There are my kind and then this pirate group. Sirens or Humans? I haven't quite found witch one was for me yet" She somehow believed that Titus would understand her answer.

[Titus Cortez]

"Well, humans, maybe, but not pirates." he told her. "A beautiful lass like you doesn't belong with a pirate. Sirens are only women, aren't they? Or are there males? I don't know. I've only read about them, and so far, you've contradicted every word." Titus smiled at her. "You do well with humans." he said. "But only you can answer that." He looked up at the sky, as if he could force the sun to go down. He couldn't. "What makes you ask?" he inquired. "What's on your mind?"

[Alaya Seawitch]

Alaya took a deep breath of salt air. "For a short time I could do fin around humans but now that patients is dwindling and I seem to becoming more and more distant" Her voice was a whisper and she wondered why she would say that. It was true but there was no reason she should tell a human that. "I was only curious. Wanted to see if you were like the others" Her face felt hot from the sun and her skin was irritating her. She wished it would be night soon, then at least it would be cooler.

[Titus Cortez]

"Like the others?" he questioned, leaning in as she whispered again. He didn't understand why they were whispering, with everyone below deck. But at the same time, he did. It was difficult topics they were discussing. Secret things. He kept himself from chuckling at the thought. Sitting here on a pirate ship, trading secrets with a siren with no tail who was pretending to be a boy, enveloped in the heat of the sun's rays and whispering. But he liked her. He liked her a lot. Secretly, he wished she would take off the bandanna so that she would look more like the woman he was trying to win the heart of. The whole look-like-a-boy thing wasn't his favorite appearance of hers, obviously. But it was still the same girl under that silly little cloth, and that silly little cloth kept her from getting keel-hauled.

[Alaya Seawitch]

"Like other people" Alaya looked up in the general direction of where the sun was. She turned around so her back was leaning against the rail. It was to hot and dry to do anything and really she needed something to do. Alaya noticed Seeker flying around the crows nest. Usually when no one was up there Seeker would take the post and inform Alaya if there was land close by. It was interesting at first but the crew soon became used to the black bird keeping a sharp eye out. "I am going to go bellow deck before this sun cooks me alive" Alaya said with a slight chuckle.