#so we have nonbinary pirate and nonbinary pronoun using diety

[sparrowwritings]

Day Three: Green

Day Two -- Masterpost -- Day Four

Three years after Rain

It had been a long and agonizing three years, but now Cevonnis Torrent finally could say goodbye to the island he had once called home. 

He waved at Rosallo and Saga until his arm started to hurt, then continued to wave until they were specks against the brown backdrop of the port. Even after they were out of his sight he continued to stay at the aft of the ship, staring as Kiteltera’s greenery became smaller and smaller on the horizon.

Absently, he ran a hand through his hair and was once again surprised when his fingers found air after only a moment. Cutting his blonde locks hadn’t been necessary, or so he was assured by his brother and cousin, but Cevo had wanted to be sure that his desires would be taken seriously. Whether or not he’d be accepted as a Queensman. Non-islander boys tended to keep their hair short. So, he’d look a little like them until he felt it was safe to grow his hair out again. Whenever that would be.

He’d just have to get used to the odd feeling of the wind on the back of his neck more often. That’s all. He could do that.

“Feelin’ homesick already, boy?” A voice called from just behind him. He started and whipped around to face the speaker in a panic. His reaction brought a hearty chuckle to the crew member that Cevo identified as Jolly. They were a stout, sturdy foreigner with a wild set of black curls and a wide mouth that was often in a gap-toothed smile. The sleeves of their blue-and-orange striped shirt and the legs of their patchwork trousers were rolled up and tied in place, revealing the uneven tan on their naturally pale skin. 

More importantly, the showing of their skin revealed the location of the prominent tattoo on their left forearm. His eyes locked onto the symbol, following the braided rope with passing glances at the flowers surrounding all sides but the top of the crown in the center. An urge to touch it filled him, and it took everything Cevo had to turn his gaze back to Jolly’s face and reply. “I’m not quite so lily-livered as all that.” Feeling a swell of emotion, he turned back towards the horizon. “I’m making sure that this is real. That I’m actually leaving.”

A sudden elbow to his right set of ribs was the only indication that Jolly had moved to join him at the railing. Somehow, Cevo hadn’t been able to hear them walking over. Maybe it was because they weren’t wearing shoes? They did stay up in the Crow’s Nest more often than the rest of the crew, after all. His observations were interrupted again by the crew member talking. “Oh aye, ‘twas a tease. Leavin’ home ain’t easy fer anyone, no matter the whys of it.” Without turning from the ocean themself, they looked at him with a gray eye and a gentle smile. “Time makes it easier t’ sort things out.”

“If you say so.” Cevo’s own eyes were back on the tattoo, now that it was so close to him. “Being a Queensman should help, right?”

Jolly laughed and held their arm towards him. “Touch it if’n ya like. Jus’ don’t go askin’ if it’s real or th’ cap’n might keelhaul ya. Can’t tell ya how many board th’ ship an’ ask stupid questions like if we’re actual Queensmen.” 

“Then those people deserve to be keelhauled. Your sails have the Queen’s symbol as well as your bodies.” He responded as he gently pressed the tips of two of his fingers against the ink. This close, he could observe details such as the braided rope’s fibers and the veins of the flower petals. It shimmered under his touch as if it were made of gold, but all he felt was leathery skin. “Can I ask how long ago you joined? Would that trigger anything?”

They blinked for a moment before chuckling again. “Smart. Not many think t’question what questions to ask b’fore they’re askin’ them. Yes yeh can ask that. Direct, even. ‘Twil be eight years next month.”

Eight years...that was more than half of his life that this person had been out at sea in the Queen’s name. Cevo felt both wonder and envy at once. “You look good for it, Jolly” came out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Hah! And here I’d thought I’d gone crusty with age.” They reached over with their other hand and mussed with his hair. “Always knew you were a good kid.”

Ignoring the odd feeling of having shorter hair for others to ruin, some things were starting to piece together in his mind. The quiet way that Jolly moved. The laughter at practically everything he said. The fact that Jolly should have been up in the crow’s nest to look out for newly arisen islands…

Jolly also had gray eyes. He knew this. The person with their hand on his head sported only one gray eye. The other was a deep, dark green. 

“You’re...not Jolly.” It was almost as if his words were weighed down by lead as realization overtook him.

Magic was abundant in Carégarn, but only one set of stories involved someone with unnaturally mismatched eyes.

The voice that now came out of the imposter held a higher pitch and a quick pace. “An appropriate name, all things considered, but it’s true that your crewmate and I, alas, do not share it.” They grinned. “You’re allowed to take a guess at my true one, though I can see you already know it.”

“Kitchren,” Cevo spoke in a whisper that somehow could be heard over the waves.

The person’s smile widened impossibly further than Jolly’s ever did and they winked their gray eye at him. Before him, the familiar round shape of the Spotter’s body lengthened into a tall, lithe figure. Blonde overtook the black curls until their hair was the color of straw. The clothes didn’t change, only shaped themselves to have a more snug fit. The uneven tan seemed to vanish in favor of a more olive shade. “Smart indeed.” The God/dess of Trickery mused as they leaned into Cevo’s personal space. “I’ve already had my eye on you, but it’s good to know that it’s started to pay off.”

He had no words. He could have blamed it on them cursing him into silence, but it was his own body that betrayed him here. Kitchren tutted as he continued to say nothing, and gently tugged on a lock of his hair. “What a shame. I do so enjoy seeing you with long hair.” 

“What are you doing here?” Again, his mouth moved before he could stop himself. He instantly regretted saying anything. Out of all of the gods, Kitchren’s whims could never be predicted. He could just as easily walk away unharmed as he could leave this interaction only speaking in riddles for the rest of his life.

They paused for a moment. Then, they took their hand away from his hair and gave a wide, unnerving grin. “Coincidentally, I was here to visit the captain. It just so happens that you boarded at just the right time.”

He didn’t want to believe Kitchren. They were known to be the origin of lying. And yet, Cevo could detect no untruth in their words. He wasn’t sure if he could, even if he somehow got to know them for years. “‘Just so happens’ that someone you blessed from a young age found this ship you ‘so happened’ to want to visit.”

They laughed a jolly belly laugh that would have made him want to join if he wasn’t so anxious. “Oh I’m so going to enjoy seeing you act on all of that potential of yours.” Kitchren mussed with his hair one more time. “Dream well, live well, learn as much as you can, and show those who doubt you how wrong they are. Be who you’ve always wished to be, and I will be nearby when you need me.”

Cevo wasn’t sure he really wanted to have the God/dess of Trickery near him at all times. “I-if you say so…”

“It’s about time to wake up. I hope you’ll remember some of this later. Teren says that it’s for the best that dreams such as this one fade, though, so perhaps we’ll have another introduction later.” 

“Wait, what--” Before he could say anything else, a bell appeared in Kitchren’s unoccupied hand. As they rang it, Cevo became more and more aware of netting around him, as well as movement and shouting. 

His eyes opened to the inside of the ship as his shift awoke for duty. He rubbed at his eyes before attempting to safely extract himself from his hammock. There wasn’t any time to muse on dreams and what they meant. Cevonnis Torrent had a long day ahead of him.

It wasn’t until the other crew members had started laughing that he realized that not only had his hair grown a couple of inches overnight, but he’d gained several streaks of green among his blonde. Cevo concluded that someone must have dyed his hair in the night. The mystery of the growth he decided to leave unsolved.