Skyrun

Chapter 39; Asleep beneath a blanket of stars.

The rest of the day passed without incident and, for the most part, it may have been due to the fact that Liam slept through most of it.

One or twice, however, Tophsy or Spyglass brought him news of the happenings of the ship and how Sinclair was making progress in the repairs when they had last gone to see him. Yet other than that, they left Liam alone in the gentle silence of his room.

But when the moon flitted its slender fingers through his window, its face peering into his room, Liam found that sleep would not come. And while perhaps it could have been due to the ache in his muscles from the fight or the fact that he suddenly felt a strange longing for his family to comfort him, he could not sleep no matter how hard he tried.

Thus, with only the silver light of the moon and stars to light his way, Liam quietly slipped on his trousers and shirt and left the comfort of his room in search of the one thing that would always be familiar to him regardless of where he wandered.

The night sky.

Opening the door of the tavern and wincing slightly as it groaned on its hinges, he stepped out into the frigid autumn twilight, shivering as it bit into his skin and burned with every breath, yet not wishing to go back inside just then.

Instead, he took in huge lungfuls of air, ignoring the way it made the wounds on his chest ache and focusing on the coldness of it-- of the way it smelled of the night.

Walking about the tavern, Liam found a small lawn at the back of it and promptly plopped down upon the grass, feeling its brittle form poke him through the legs of his trousers, tickling the surface of his skin. 

Yet despite the fact that the ground was cold, hard, and not at all comfortable, it held the familiar sense of home-- though perhaps, Liam thought, this was simply because all grass felt relatively the same no matter where one was.

Nevertheless, as he tilted his head back to gaze up at the expanse of stars before him, he could not help but feel slightly closer to his family, wherever they were.

Vaguely, he thought of his sister and of the broach he had given her-- wondering now if some other boy had given her many more pieces of jewelry, showering her with gifts in a way Liam knew she deserved.

As for Phillip, Liam had no doubt that he must have a girl by now for, as insufferable as he was, there surely must have been someone in their town who could stand him.

And the twins... Well, the twins were no doubt wreaking havoc on all the neighbors and giving Liam's mum and da a force to reckon with.

It was a pleasant thought.

Shifting on the ground slightly, Liam thought he would nearly fall asleep when he suddenly heard a noise behind him-- something akin to a girl clearing her throat.

"Valentine?" he whispered, "Is that you?"

Yet instead of the captain, Margaery stepped forth from the shadows, making him leap to his feet in turn, his heart hammering despite him fiercely telling it not to.

But despite his overreaction, Margaery simply smiled in her sweet way and replied, "Sorry to disappoint. In any case, were you expecting your captain to be lurking about in the shadows?"

"It seems like the sort of thing she would do, yes."

"Hm, quite fascinating." And with that, she flopped down upon the grass and bade him to sit beside her, saying in the meantime, "Right then, what brings you out here in the middle of the night?"

"I ought to ask you the same thing."

"Oh, I've got plenty of reason for being here-- one of them being you."

Liam grinned then. "Really? I'm the reason you're here?"

"I said one of the reasons. The other would be that I share a room with my sisters and they all happen to snore. It's quite tragic. I can't get any sleep, you know."

Glancing over at her, Liam watched as she lifted her gaze toward the night sky, the moonlight giving her skin a near silver sheen, her tips quirked up slightly as she attempted to hide a smile, eyes shining.

"You made that up, didn't you? The bit about your sisters, I mean."

"Why in the name of cogs would I do that? They sound like an airship taking to the skies. By the gods, its a wonder I sleep at all. In any case, you still haven't told me why you're here."

For a moment, Liam said nothing, wondering over whether he ought to say some sort of witty reply and eventually deciding on telling the truth for whatever reason.

"I'm thinking about my family."

Margaery raised a brow at this, "You mean your family isn't on your ship with you?"

"Why on earth would they be?"

"That's how they do it here; several families will run a pirate ship and when one generation dies off, the next takes over." she paused then, "What happened to them then?"

Liam shrugged, looking up once more at the stars. "I like to think they're happy-- better off without me."

"Don't say such things."

"Whyever not? I was not exactly the epitome of good behavior... blimey, it's what got me on Valentine's ship in the first place. It's the reason I'm gone from my citadel."

"Did you like your citadel?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Well, there you are then; a silver lining."

Despite the horribleness of that statement, Liam laughed. "You're awful, you know that?"

"You would not be the first to say so. After all, what sort of girl tells a strange boy that her sisters snore obnoxiously loud?" Turning to him then, Margaery's expression brightened even more so and she added, "Tell me more about your homeland-- I want to hear it all."

He chuckled, his heart warming at the child-like excitement on her face. "All of it? We could be here all night."

"Pshh! Have you heard nothing I've said of my sisters? Besides, I never get to hear good stories from boys who don't want something from me afterward."

"And what makes you think I'm not one of those boys?"

"It's because you know I'll break your bloody arm if you try anything, that's why."

Any flirtatious tendency he had mustered from his previous comment was wiped away suddenly at the blaze in her eyes and he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, muttering, "Right, sorry. You wanted to hear about it all, then?"

Immediately, Margaery's face brightened once more and she leaned toward him, her lips pulled in a wide smile, nodding eagerly.

Leaning back, Liam glanced once more at the night sky, wondering if his family was looking up at it now, thinking of him and where he was. He thought of his home and his room he shared with Phillip. Of the crowded streets filled with rich gentlemen and aviators. Of the airship docks, the market place where stealing wallets was as simple as reaching out one's hand.

And then, he began to tell his story.

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