#Sea Shanty ♡ Drabble

[captain-pattycakes]

An oldish Drabble I wrote for Yuki. I really like it so I’m reposting it here with a few changes. It has heavy spoilers about Patty and two other characters so don’t read if you plan playing Definitive Edition when it comes out.

Five Winters Prompt

Maybe it had been because of when she turned sixteen and Raven remarked how she hadn’t grown at all. Karol and Rita had grown, going through puberty, and here she was standing at four feet and four measly inches. 16 candles littered on her cake, marking the supposed birth of Patty Fleur. If they wanted to be accurate, that cake would need a ton more candles on it. Everyone had tried to make it happy since last year they were all to busy to do anything with her. And since this day was also the day after the anniversary of the Black Hope Incident.

All of it started when Raven had noted the little marks against the pillar of wood in her room in the lighthouse, where the party was taking place with the allowance of her foster parents. One side marked her foster sister Lei’s growth and the other side marked Patty’s. Lei had steady growth, having already grown taller than the pirate. On Patty’s side, few lines in extremely close proximity.

“Patty, I’m sure you’ll grow eventually,” was Estelle’s soothing words. The pirate simply smiled brightly at that, nodding her head thankfully and hiding her doubts behind it. Smiles could all sorts of things behind them, lies, fears, doubts, and even sadness.

“I highly doubt that. It’s likely she’ll be stuck like this due to the side effects of Amrita,” the mage stated not even looking up from her book. The pirate’s eyes widened slightly as the room grew a bit more silent. Rita finally looked up. “What? It’s true. The entire time we’ve known her, she hasn’t grown a single inch or shown any signs of going through puberty. The only logical answer is that a side effect was stunted growth.”

“Rita darlin’” Raven started before Patty stood to her feet. Yuri watched her as she simply smiled at everyone.

“So what, nano ja? Let’s just play games, nano ja! Come on Karol! I got a pinata and filled it with gels! I’ll go set it up with Gramp’s help so you all wait here~” she chirped as she headed down the ladder to set up the pinata outside with the help of the lighthouse keeper.

But she didn’t. After ten minutes of waiting, they come to find out that Patty had headed off to get something from the market. But no one could find her and her ship was gone.

It was childish, running away like that. But. It hurt. She felt like a freak for once, having seen everyone growing older around her, while she was stuck looking like a child. It hurt. It hurt so much.

A sigh as she walked around the city of Dahngrest. She hoped no one would recognize her. She did make sure to stick to back alleys, oden hanging from her mouth as she walked in the shadows. All she had planned to do was see Don’s grave and chat before she headed to Seifer’s.

“Patty?” a voice called out. The oden in her mouth fell to the ground. She could hear the footsteps pick up slightly as she stood there frozen in dread and fear. Slowly she turned to Yuri and smiled.

He was 28 now. He looked so much older and more mature. She still looked like a ten-year-old child, like she did when they met seven years ago. She was supposed to be 21, she was supposed to be an adult, she was supposed to be aging.

“Ahoy Yuri~ You have gotten handsome since last I saw you, nano ja~” she chirped, there was a lump growing in her throat. 'Please don’t reject me. Please don’t reject me for being like this. Please let me run.'

Her legs felt like lead as Yuri looked down at her, a bit of anger in his eyes before he sighed. Slowly he kneeled down to her level, patting her head slightly.

“Why’d you run away, Patty?” the man asked hands on her shoulders to keep her from running off all over again. The pirate remained silent as she looked at her feet. “Patty. Answer me. Is it because of what Rita said?”

“Nay. It doesn’t matter, nano ja,” she answered, her voice shaking slightly. Yuri’s eyes narrowed, making the girl stiffen under the look. That was right, lying to Yuri was useless.

“It hurts, nano ja… Everyone is going to grow up… You’re all going to leave me behind, nano ja!” Five years of negative emotion bubbling in her voice as she looked up at him. They were peeking up in her facial expressions. “I haven’t grown at all, nano ja! You’re all going to grow up and grow old and die and I’ll be alone all over again!” Tears were pooling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Yuri frowned, not knowing how to really comfort the girl that seemed to be on the verge of balling.  He sighed and patted her head again, not knowing what else to do other than hug her.

“I’m sure we can find a way to get you growing again, Patty. Have some faith in us,” he said, trying to reassure the girl. This conversation was five years overdue. Dark eyes, aged and mature, looked at the youthful girl. “If you want to cry, then cry. No need to hold it in and bottle it up.”

“Nay…” she mumbled grabbing on her sleeves as her voice wavered, her eyes pooling with tears so close to falling. Her hands anxiously yanked on her sleeves as she tried to keep her composure. Another sigh as he pulled the girl into his arms awkwardly, not really good or comfortable with physical affection, but Patty needed it.

It wasn’t long before his shirt was soaked with tears and the blonde asleep in his arms, having cried herself until she couldn’t even stay awake. Yuri only stood to his feet and walked back to the guild headquarters. She had a lot of explaining in the morning after everyone gathered.

[captain-pattycakes]

Kenophobia

Kenophobia- fear of voids or empty spaces

Eyes closed as she looked over the vastness of the deep and empty sea, there was nothing around, no clouds in the sky, no birds. It was lonely despite this being the place she loved the most in the word. Despite the warmth of the sun heating up the dark coat she wore, she felt so cold and lonely. Slowly eyes closed as looked down.

She didn't love the sea. She didn't love the waves. They were a home that had gone cold. Lacking the warmth of the people that once had shared this vast and open sea. The girl closed her eyes and released a breath. This place, it was no longer her home. There were no welcoming smiles or hugs to cheer her up.

The only sound was the waves colliding with the wood of her ship, and the thoughts that ran through her head. Blue hues opened as she smiled, watching the waves.

Even if she was alone out here and her comrades all gone, she smiled. Even out in the empty vast sea, their memories lingered. 

And wasn't that enough?