Chapter Text
"You know, I'm kinda regretting not just raiding this place," Archie mumbled around the sucker he was half-chewing on in his mouth. "I mean, look at this shit. They have some good silver and it's too fucking expensive. We'd be doing a service."
Shelly laughed beside him, nudging him. "Yeah. To us. Let's make sure we can at least come back to a couple ports, alright Captain?" Ugh, the title near always made him wince.
"It's their fault for not being prepared for pirates, now isn't it?" Archie shot back, cracking down on the sucker and splitting it in two, still absently chewing on the stick. "'Sides, this place would be fine. They're fucking rich."
"Yeah, but we couldn't come back. They'd chase us out. You're the one that said 'lie low' in the first place."
"Even if Shelly can't really do that," Matt pointed out to them.
Ignoring the two as they started yet another argument, Archie sighed as they walked away from the silver shop. It'd be fun to just steal a few things and then run off, but he couldn't do that anymore. He was 'Captain'. He had to be all responsible and shit just as he had been doing for the past nine months . He was really starting to get sick of being Captain. At first it sounded fun, but now it just seemed like more work than it was worth. Maybe he could pass the Captaincy off to Shelly...
She, at least, was dressed the part. Dramatic coat that she had stolen off a noble in one of the cities they had visited, a feathered hat she had won from a pirate in a bar, and a sword that she had brought from home that was sharp as her words. Yeah. She'd be a great Captain, but she didn't want it. She wanted her freedom way too badly to give it up for that. And she wasn't exactly the most responsible... Maybe Matt? He was good with responsibility and taking care of his family. Archie thought it over before finally shaking his head. Matt was definitely better at going with the flow than giving orders.
Jeez, that didn't leave anyone else, really. Most of the crew they had picked up were teenagers running away to the sea. They were good kids, but they didn't know enough to lead someone. The older ones, like the cooks and the blacksmith, were too in love with their passions to ever give it up for something like Captain. No... As much as he didn't want it, Archie was the only one on the ship who could do it. But jeez, sometimes he wished they'd pick up someone else who was just right-
"Oh, sorry." Archie steadied the older man he had run into, waving off Shelly and Matt's looks. "Wasn't payin' attention. Hey, quick question, what's the next port after this one if we head north?"
"Head north? That'd be Meadowing Shore but- But you're goin' 'round the Spades, right?"
"Nah, we're just gonna cut right through."
"Ye must be joking! No ships these days pass through the Spades and live to tell the tale! Talk of a creature lies in the depths, waiting to sink anyone that sails in."
"A creature?" Shelly crossed her arms, her eyebrows raising. "Like what, a pokemon of some sort? That just sounds interesting!"
As the old man sputtered, Archie felt a grin form on his own face. "A mysterious creature and ships that never go near it? Sounds like an adventure to me."
"T'aint no pokemon! Word is spreading that a mer has taken up the Spades as home." A mer, huh? Doubtful. Archie had heard all the tales before and they never changed.
"Or it's a pokemon who's pissed off by you humans messing with its territory," Archie waved off. Far less interesting. "Don't worry, we'll steer clear of any tails and blonde hair."
"C'mon, Cap'n," Shelly said with a roll of her eyes, nudging him. "It's already a three day journey to the next port. Going around the Spades would add another day."
"We'll just skim it." They could at least keep an eye out for anything weird. "C'mon, we have a few more things to stock up on- Hey, old man, are there any shops that sell silver here that aren't so fucking expensive?" But the man was already walking away, glancing back at them and shaking his head, muttering to himself. Honestly, he looked at him like they were on their way to Dratini Jones'. "Think we're about to die at sea, then?"
"No way," Shelly laughed. "Just another tall tale."
"We'll be fine, Cap'n," Matt waved off, Archie just barely hiding his wince. "We've handled worse, after all!"
"Yeah we have! Alright, mates! All aboard!"
"Yeah," Archie mumbled, sighing as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "All aboard."
::
Swearing as he near slipped - again - Archie clung onto one of the railings and watched his crew slide around the soaked deck of the S.S. Aqua. As much as he loved his ship, it was hell when sailing during stormy weather just as this. The storm had been going for hours, now, and it showed no signs of breaking. The wind slashed at them and the rain felt like hail as it pelted them from all sides. And then, in the midst of all the chaos and thundering, Archie heard a... A song. Like an angel.
No... No, that wasn't right, though. No one on his ship would be singing during weather like this, so why was he hearing... It sounded so beautiful. Archie moved towards the front of the ship, looking out over the waters and trying to locate the source of the music. It sounded like the ocean come to life. He couldn't find where it was coming from but- But he had to. He had to find it- "Captain. Hear that?"
"Yeah- Yeah, I hear it." Archie climbed onto the figure head, clutching onto the wood tightly with blunt nails as he scanned the waters. "Gotta be around here somewhere." Everyone had just about stopped what they were doing to listen.
"Hang on- It's getting quieter," Shelly called, panic lacing into her voice. "Captain! We have to find it!"
"It's going into the rocks," Matt called, voice loud as it could be over the storm from where he was at the wall. "Orders, Cap'n!"
"We-" Rocks. The storm was raging and his ship was shaking and Archie was captain and he had to protect them and the song was calling to him as if to say come home, come home, but his ship- "No. No, the rocks would- They'd tear us apart."
Shelly whipped around to him and Matt gave him those awful Deerling eyes like he was being torn apart from the inside out. "But- Captain!"
"Captain, we can't lose track of it!"
"I know, but-" Too dangerous. He wanted to go home, too, but not yet. "Turn the ship around, we need to get out of here."
"Turn the ship around?!"
"We have to go through the Spades!"
"We don't have enough-"
"Turn this damn ship around now ! That's an order!" No sooner did the words leave his lips, a horrifying, hellish screech tore through the air, causing them all to quickly cover their ears, wincing at the pain of the ringing. Cracking his eyes open, Archie saw a flash of red from beneath the churning black waves. Night had fallen long ago and Archie was realizing just how dangerous this area now was. "Get us out of here, Matt, now!"
"On it, Archie!" The thing continued to screech and scream, and for one moment that had Archie's heart beating out of his chest, it was silent. That wasn't good. That could never- Archie and a good deal of the others screamed or yelled as the ship suddenly lurched to the side. It was only Shelly grabbing him and pulling him backwards that saved him from falling into the waters.
"Archie, what the hell?! What's going on?" Oh gosh... Shelly looked terrified, and he couldn't blame her. Another screech and the ship was tipping again, but not enough to go over.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Grabbing Shelly by her coat, Archie dragged her over towards Matt, pushing her towards him before taking the wheel and sharply turning it straight towards the rocks. As the boat evened out, he quickly turned the opposite way from whatever had hit them, hoping the sudden changes in direction threw it off.
" Meal, " he heard. He heard the damn thing. It wanted to make a meal out of them?! Fuck, that didn't mean it was some type of pokemon. Fuck . They needed to get out of here.
"Brace yourselves!" Okay, maybe if they went through the gap in the cliffs over there they could throw it off their tracks. Whatever it was had to be big to be pushing the ship around like that. Was... Were all the tales of the mer really true? Could they be? He'd spent years on the sea and never seen one, but he'd never come across something like this.
No. No, there was no way- Focus, Archie, focus. He was Captain. He was Captain , and right now his crew was scared. He had to keep them safe. Fuck, he hoped this worked. More screeching followed as Archie steered them into the cliffs. Just barely fit, but that meant they couldn't be tipped. He thought he felt something pull the ship, but then... Nothing. Silence. Nothing pushing or pulling the ship. Like it was just gone.
"I don't like this." Even with the storm still raging, Archie could hear Shelly's scared whisper over it all. "It's not just me, right? It feels like it's still there." Yeah... Yeah, not just her.
"Well, we're gonna get out of these waters and go around, and avoid whatever that thing was." Keeping the ship steady, Archie finally eased up a little. "Matt, take over, keep us straight on course and get us out of this fucking place." With that, he was letting the wheel go and moving to the front of the ship. He didn't trust this.
"Aye aye," Matt said seriously, keeping them on track as Archie climbed onto the railing to peer into the waters below. Not a thing. As though there wasn't anything to begin with. With the way they were tucked into the cliffs, it was like the storm had even lost sight of them. Archie didn't trust it - didn't trust it, didn't like it, didn't believe it. Something was very, very wrong.
"I know you're out there." What had the power to sing a song that would make them like that and then want to eat them? Archie heard the stories of sirens, of course, but... How could they ever be true? Some half-fish half-human singing creature that ate humans and fish? When he was young, it seemed like some story he was told so he wouldn't wander out too far.
There was no way it was true, but... Whatever it was pushed their whole ship, ensnared all of them with a single song, and could speak. It could speak English. It wasn't friendly, either. "Get those sails out! I want us out of this area an hour ago!"
"Yes sir!"
"Aye aye, Captain!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Eugh. Right, just, put up with it for nwo, Archie, you had to get them all to safety. It was his responsibility. His. No one else. It was up to him and dozens of lives rested on his shoulders- Focus. For now, he just needed to… focus.
::
Ridiculous. It had been hours, and it looked like they got away scot-free. Archie didn't like it. "Storm's clearing up, Cap'n," Matt said, nudging him from where they were at the front of the bow. "You could probably go and get some rest before Shelly raises a mutiny."
"I'd rather keep an eye on everything, Matt."
And then, almost like an echo, " Matt, " he just barely heard. But it couldn't have been an echo. Not the way the voice seemed to crack from too much salt and gargle in the water.
"Please tell me you heard that," Archie said softly, staring down at the water and he heard it. He had heard it. Someone had said Matt's name.
Matt frowned at him. "Heard what? Bro, you really need sleep."
"You- You didn't hear someone else saying your name?" Archie looked to Matt almost desperately and no- No, there had to have been- There had been a voice.
"No?" Matt shook his head as he took up Archie's position at the railing. "Just you. Why?"
"Nothing. No reason. I guess I'm just more tired than I thought." It had followed them. How did Archie say that without raising the whole ship into a panic, though? He'd have to tell them below deck. Better chance of the thing not hearing them. But Archie knew for a fact that they were being followed. "Hey, will you and Shells come with me for a second, actually? I wanted your opinion on something."
"Uh... Yeah. Shelly?"
" Shelly, " he heard again.
"Comin', bro!"
Archie snatched Matt's shirt and dragged him towards the entrance to the lower deck, grabbing Shelly's hand as they passed. "Keep quiet and keep calm, I need to tell you both something."
Shelly frowned at him. "Arch, hey, what's up? You're not normally so-"
"Crazy." Waiting until they were down in the hold and protected from behind overheard, Archie looked at them carefully.
"Whatever attacked us a few hours ago? I don't think we left it behind. I think it followed us."
"Archie, come on. It's been hours and nothing. We're fine. We got out-"
"I heard something repeating the names we said from the water. It was the same voice I heard when we were in the Spades."
"You- You think that thing - whatever it was - not only followed us miles out of its territory but is also learning our names?"
"I know, it sounds crazy, but that's what it is." It was learning their names quick, too. "I don't know what it's planning, but keep an eye out and be careful, okay? I don't want the crew knowing yet, either."
"...Alright. Since you're so sure about this. Go get some sleep though, yeah? We can handle ourselves." As much as he didn't want to, Archie sighed and nodded, heading further down the ship to his room. That was one good thing about being Captain, he supposed. Private rooms.
From his porthole, he could hear Matt whistling. Huh. Glad he got... Better...
Feeling warmth on his face after a few moments, Archie frowned and what? Was Shelly trying to drip candle wax on him again? He told her last time- Sunlight. Why was there- He had just laid down? He had barely even closed his eyes a few seconds ago! There was no way he could have slept through the night and into morning. Everyone in the ship knew he was the lightest sleeper of them.
There was a harsh rapping at his door. "Captain! You're gonna want a look at this!" Fuck, what else could go wrong, then. Stumbling out of bed and still dressed from the night before, Archie only took the time to right his bandana before opening the door.
"What happened? I swear to Arceus if Matt fell overboard again-"
"No, Captain." Shelly wasn't even trying to joke around. It had to be bad. "We tried fishing, this morning, and our crew says it was heavy, going to bring in a big haul."
"Was? Going to?" Archie really didn't like the sound of that. "Did the lines break?"
"I'm thinking you were right about what you told us last night." The two walked out to the nets. The lines still seemed sturdy, but there was only a single fish caught within the net.
"The fuck," Archie breathed quietly, moving to inspect the net. There were no tears in it, no way for them to get out or escape. The only way would be if someone were to open the net from underwater. Fuck. "Talk to the cooks, half rations until we reach the next port."
Shelly gave him a nod. "Yes sir. What are we gonna do at port? The plan was to sell any extra fish we caught."
"Yeah, that was the plan, wasn't it?" Debating for a moment, Archie shook his head. "I'll let you know soon." With that, he was climbing up towards the crow's nest. He needed to think because there was always the option of pillaging, but that was a last resort plan for a reason. They had a fucking mermaid on their tails, no chance of losing it, and-
He saw red. Literally, in the water, he'd seen something bright and fiery red. Like... Like hair. It was getting cocky. Gritting his teeth, Archie felt himself shake for a moment because there was some mythical monster stalking them and it was getting cocky . It thought it could tease him and starve his crew and nothing would come of it? It was making a big fucking mistake.
Fingering the pokeballs on his belt, Archie carefully took one off and stared at it. While he had always been a bit impulsive, would this be going a little too far to call Drago out? He knew Drago could take care of himself most days, but this thing was formidable... It'd only be to scare it a little. Not a real fight. Drago would have fun, too. Would think it was all a big game. Another flash of red had him making up his mind, pressing the button and aiming it for the water.
As usual, Drago emerged with a roar that near cracked the air, diving into the water and rocking the ship on the waves it caused. Archie couldn't stop his smile at the behavior. Drago roared and snarled, all his usual behavior as he dove underwater... And he didn't come back up. That- That wasn't right. Grabbing a rope, Archie took a moment ot make sure it was taunt before he was throwing himself out of the crow's nest and rappling down to land on the railing, scanning the waters the second he caught his balance.
It took a few minutes, but Drago surfaced again and...purring. Drago, his giant fearsome Gyarados he had sent to deal with the siren wreaking havoc on his ship was purring and acting like a pleased Skitty. Archie stared for a long time before giving a sharp whistle and getting Drago's attention. "Drago. The fuck?" Why was he purring? He never purred! He heard a whistle echoed back from behind Drago. He couldn't see the source but Drago was quickly turning and dove underwater again, splashing as he went and hiding the creature.
Archie couldn't help but mutter a few more swears under his breath because had his fearsome and ferocious and fucking awesome Gyarados just been charmed by a fucking siren? Judging by the delighted calls, he'd have to give that one a yes. Useless. Fuck, okay, he could fix this. What other pokemon did he gave that could scare of a siren? He... Nothing. Fuck. They were all royally fucked and there wasn't a thing Archie could do about it.
No, no, he couldn't think like that. There had to be something . Maybe if he could get Drago to lure the thing up they could shoot it with the canons? Mm. They could empty the icebox and hope it was satisfied with the fish? No, the empty nets proved that wouldn't work. Or maybe... Maybe it was working. It had sounded hungry yesterday, but here they were, middle of the wide open sea sailing along like there wasn't a creature of death following them.
It was just using them to get food. After seeing the place it had been, Archie wasn't surprised. It would probably follow them, steal their fish to regain strength, and then settle down at the next island for a while. As long as no one went overboard or was too much of an idiot, they would be fine. They would be... Fine.
::
"Land, ho!" Arceus, finally. Excusing himself from the cook that was throwing a hissy fit, Archie quickly went back up to deck and grinned at the chaos that surrounded him. Throwing himself into the docking procedures, he made sure to call out orders to those who needed it, keeping a careful eye on the water, as well. Everything had been quiet - except for Matt whistling the past couple nights and knocking Archie out instantly. But he knew without a doubt that the creature had followed them to Meadowing Shores. Hopefully now it would- It would eat and leave them alone.
"Alright, you lot, you know the rules! Twenty-four hours of shore leave and if you're not back I will leave you behind!" Half of them were already laughing and playing and heading for the plank to get off. They were kind of adorable. Hearing whistling, he turned with a grin towards Matt - he really had gotten better. But... But Matt's mouth was closed. He wasn't whistling. Then who... Whistling. That- Oh, Arceus, don't tell him. Scrambling up towards the railing, Archie quickly scanned the waters, looking for any sign of red.
Archie finally got a good look at the creature that had been tailing them since the Spades. It... It wasn't big and monstrous. It looked human. It looked like a guy, actually. Albeit, a guy with kinda long bright red hair, and eyes to match. Then the creature bared fangs and Archie saw nothing but a monster that was very, very hungry. "Shelly, Matt," Archie called back, trying to keep his voice even. "Tell everyone to stay away from the water."
"On it, Captain!"
"You got it." He watched as the creature glanced to the shore where his crew was already starting to enjoy themselves. The creature turned to stare back up at him.
"I know you can understand me." Archie met its gaze, trying not to show his discomfort. "I don't give a fuck if you eat every human on this island, but you stay away from my crew."
The beast hissed and seemed to swim closer. "I hunger." Arceus fuck Archie was very much in the mood to run the fuck away then and there.
"Do I look like I give a shit? Avoid mine. I don't care what else you do." That... He saw its eyes gleam. It was planning something. Archie only glared back, refusing to turn away first. It looked back to the island and shot Archie a wicked sharp grin and... It was gone. "Fuck."
Heading towards the plank, Archie kept a hand close to his pokemon. While he was going to keep his crew away from the shore, he was definitely going to be keeping an eye out for that damn monster. Aside from his loud ass crew, there wasn't a damn sound, and that was almost worse. Hopefully that thing actually stayed and listened to him. He may not have wanted to be captain, but he would go down fighting for his crew.
Taking a calming breath - or at least trying to - Archie headed towards the town. There was shopping to do, after all, and regrettably he wouldn't be able to go for a swim until they were well away from this place. This place and that thing .
::
He couldn't be upset that some of his crew were enjoying the night at the local pub. They had been given twenty-four hours, but dammit, they couldn't properly sail a ship hungover! Archie was walking along the shoreline to get a few crewmates to the ship, at least, when he heard it. That gorgeous beautiful voice as though the Heavens parted for Meloetta herself.
The song itself didn't have words to explain how beautiful it truly was, and Archie was helpless to do anything but follow along after it and hope he could hear more. There was a passing thought spared to his crew, but they were all safe in the pub or on the ship. So it was fine for him to explore. It was only when he saw the moonlight gleaming on bright red hair that he was snapped out of the daze and quickly scrambling backwards, but... The mer wasn't even sparing him a glance.
That- That was good, right? That it wasn't looking at him? If the mer hadn't been trying to lure him over, though, then who... Another glance showed a young, rowdy looking couple who had to have heard the song from one of the pubs close to the docks. They were both obviously smashed, holding hands as they stumbled towards the water, and Archie watched the creature grin menacingly at the two of them before singing louder, the sound even more sweet. It was only because Archie knew what that thing was that he wasn't enchanted by the song. He was still startled by the way he took a few steps closer before he managed to stop himself and skitter behind a rock. Should... Should he stop this? When he looked, the... The thing looked kinda sick. If it were a human, it'd definitely be sick. Its skin was pale and sallow, its cheeks looking hollowed in- Arceus, did that thing have some cheekbones.
Taking another glance to the drunk couple, Archie took in their appearance quickly. Bruises and scratches showed they had probably been in dozens of fights, and there were no visible pokeballs anywhere on them, so, really, why not? Humans like those were the reason the world was so fucked up to begin with. He watched the siren close its mouth, and the song faded into the quiet night, the creature watching the two with a tilted head. The two humans looked dazed, eyes glazed over. Archie wondered what the thing was waiting for. Toying with them, maybe? Just as they began to regain clarity, Archie saw its eyes sharpen and he snarled, launching himself at the girl of the couple. She barely had time to scream.
Thinking on it, Archie should probably be running away, but there was something... Not- Not enchanting like the song had been, but it was- Ah. Thrilling. Curious. Interesting . It was interesting to watch this creature attack and 'hunt'. Really, it was probably smart of him to go after her first. If he'd gone after the guy, she might have run off and gotten the whole town on his tail. Literally. Ah, that was why he had paused. Considering which to kill first. It was the same as sizing up for any fight, really. Granted, Archie was more used to fighting trainers and pokemon, especially back in his Team Rocket days. Oh, the guy was fighting back now. Idiot. He should've just run. It... It looked like whatever hits he got in on the siren didn't even bother the thing. It just... It killed her. It didn't stop until it was satisfied, then it turned on him.
For as sick and weak as the thing looked, it was ripping bodies apart like they were nothing but paper. Blood and organs spilled onto the sand and Archie watched in... Horror? He was pretty sure there was a bit of horror, but it was like- Like a wreck. A crash. Something so bad he couldn't look away from it. The siren before had looked human, but now, its pupils had contracted, it seemed like it had sprung fangs and claws, and they were giant shiny pink fins fanned out on either side of its head. There was nothing human about this creature. There was nothing remotely human as it tore into flesh and swallowed down chunks of it with ease. This was a monster from the depths of the ocean he had loved ever since he was a child. This was the villain of the stories he'd been told, that had been handed down from generation to generation. This was what nightmares were made of.
So why the fuck wasn't he running away? Why was he just sitting there and watching as if he knew he wouldn't be hurt? He had threatened the damn thing to stay away from his crew, but had said nothing of himself. He was in danger here. So why wasn't he running. The guy wasn't fighting back anymore and Archie watched bits of flesh and splinters of bone bob through the waves as the thing seemed to scarf down every piece he could get close to. Hardly even a few minutes passed and already there was nothing human about them anymore, just a pile of bones and clothes and hardly a scrap of flesh in sight. He was beyond grateful the sea breeze was carrying whatever smell there was /away/ from him. "Hungry?"
Startling, Archie blinked and looked to where the mer was staring at him, slowly shaking his head, "I think we eat different things." Okay, he was talking to a creature who had just devoured two human beings. Right. Great. "Unless that's you saying you're still hungry." Which would be bad. The siren shook its head, grinning at him. Its teeth looked normal, but they were blood-stained red. "Right. Good. Glad to give you a lift here then. So, I'll just, uh, go?"
"A… lift?" Right. Knew English, then, but not certain phrases. That was fine. English was hell, in Archie's opinion.
"It basically means that we gave you a ride? You latched onto our ship, right? Yeah. Just- Yeah."
"...Thou be dismissed."
"Th... Thou?" What the fuck? The siren only rose an eyebrow at him. "Where the fuck did you pick up English, the 1600s?"
"I do not understand."
"Okay, so, it's not 'thou be dismissed' or whatever, it should be 'you're dismissed' or something. Wait, why the fuck are you even 'dismissing' me!"
"Thou cannot see for thineself ye are unwanted."
"What?" No, seriously, what the fuck did the thing just say? "Did you just insult me? I think you insulted me. You fucker."
"How darest thee!"
"Hey, you insulted me first!"
"Thy crew be needing its Captain, no, human?"
"Oh? That sounds like a threat." Maybe. It was hard to tell.
"Simply fact. Dismissed."
"Who the fuck gave you the authority to decide what a captain can and can't do?" Okay, so he hated the captain title, but it was working great for him now. The sharp grin he was given made him feel like this siren knew too much and Archie knew far too little. "Just what are you!"
"I am siren."
"Yeah, figured that much out, thanks. I mean how can you- Why- You're so human ."
The thing just nodded at him. "Yes."
"Why! Why can you speak English! Why are you talking to me instead of just- Just eating me!"
"T'was taught. And t'would be rude to eat thine whom fed me." Okay, maybe he was picking this whole language thing up. Sort of? Sort of.
"I didn't feed you. You lured those two idiots here on your own."
"Thou led me to the isle, no?"
"Accidentally. Trust me, I was trying to leave you behind."
"Thy crew was kind to gather a school for me during the journey, as well."
Trying not to insult the giant talking fish again, Archie gave a harsh exhale. "Just stay away from me and my crew and have fun eating everyone on this island." The siren watched him, not answering one way or the other. "Next time we'll use the cannons." With that, Archie was carefully starting to walk away, trying to keep the creature in his sights. The thing didn't seem to care, picking up a nearby bone and scraping bits of meat off as it sucked the marrow.
Okay, just a few more hours and then Archie could get the hell out of here and never come back. He would leave behind this siren, take his crew, sail far away, and continue searching for their dream. Right. Easy.
In the morning, everyone safely abroad and accounted for, Archie grinned. "Alright, let's set sail, mates!" They began to cruise through the waves when their ship seemed to... stutter. The whole thing paused before continuing like nothing happened. No one else seemed to notice it or if they did they passed it off as a rough wave. Suspicious, though, Archie moved around to the railing and no... There would be no reason to follow them. Right?
"Ahoy, Captain! We leave the slimy Eelektrik behind?" Shelly was beaming at him from port side.
"Let's hope," Archie laughed, trying to keep the smile on his face and maybe he was just fearing the worst. Right?
"It feels good," Matt said with a nod. "Felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over the ship."
"Creepy is what it was," Shelly shuddered, acting a bit too dramatic for all her worry to be faked. "I'm glad we won't see it again."
"I never saw it period," Matt laughed. "Probably a good thing. Might make its way into my nightmares."
"Trust me, it will," Archie muttered, remembering last night at the beach. The further away he got, the more he realized just how fucked up it had all been and how he should have been terrified. But that was it. He hadn't been, really at all. He'd just been a bit curious. Weirded out, maybe, but it had all been a bit interesting. Well. He had long ago admitted he was pretty fucked up. "C'mon, let's get the hell away from this place. We have work to do after all, right?" Even as he spoke, he was still scanning the water.
"Aye aye, Captain!"
"On it, Arch!"
" Arch? "
Feeling his heart stutter out and stop, Archie smiled poorly at the two and waited until they were gone to look down at the water. "My name is Archie, not Arch." There. Red.
"Archie?" The... The siren was staring up at him and frowning. Why was it frowning? Hold on, why had it sounded confused, almost?
"Yeah?" Archie stared back and at least he knew he was safe on deck. Relatively. "Got a problem with my name?"
"It is... small." The siren thought his name was small?
"I mean, yeah? It's a nickname. It's short for my real one."
"You allow it?"
"I encourage it," Archie barked a laugh, quieting down as one of the crew members shot him a strange look. "I don't like my full name. Too pretentious."
The siren stared and just before it dived again, Archie could have sworn he heard it scoff, " Humans. " Staring for a moment longer, Archie groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. Looked like they would be dealing with this siren for a while longer.