𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐊 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐑 || 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 [ II ]

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

Yet, the boy moved to stand at his side, resting his back against the railing as his scrutanizing gaze lingered on Killian's work.

"That isn't horrible," Eustace grumbled, his voice dripping with a begrudging tone as if complimenting Killian's work pained him.

Killian fought back a smile, not entirely sure if he was more amused by the unexpected compliment or the boy's obvious discomfort. From his position on the deck, he could barely see Eustace's face, but he swore he caught a flicker of genuine interest. Leaning back against the wood, Killian patted the ground beside him.

He was surprised at himself for even inviting the boy to join him. But Killian felt a pang of sympathy for Eustace, who so clearly seemed out of place on this voyage. As the boy hesitated, Killian gestured to the spot next to him again, and after a moment's hesitation, Eustace sat down with great reluctance.

"That certainly is a compliment coming from you," Killian chuckled. He had noticed Eustace would sometimes retreat too, and scribble away in that small book of his. Killian noticed he was holding it now too, clutching it tightly in one hand, along with a strange writing device he had never seen before. "What's that?"

Eustace looked down at the pen in his hand, a gift from his father, Harold—a present meant for school. For a moment, Eustace wondered if these people were so uncivilized that they didn't even know what a pen was. However, he held back the remark, unsure how Killian would react to such a comment. The man had been surprisingly nice to him so far, and Eustace didn't want to risk alienating one of the few friendly faces aboard.

"This is a pen," he simply stated instead, holding it up for Killian to see. "You know, with ink."

Killian's brows knotted together in curiousity as he leaned in closer to examine the pen. "I know about ink," he mumbled, tilting his head, "but," he hesitated, "where do you keep it?"

Eustace stared at him in disbelief, momentarily forgetting his annoyance. "Inside," Eustace said, his tone incredulous as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He handed the pen to Killian instinctively. "You twist the tip off, but don't do it now," he quickly interrupted Killian's movements before he could unscrew it, "you'll break it!"

Killian muttered an apology, not sounding particularly sincere, as he turned the pen over in his hands, marveling at its design. "That is handy."

Eustace couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride, seeing the wonder in Killian's eyes. For a brief moment, the gap between their worlds seemed to close just a little, and Eustace felt something he hadn't felt much on this voyage: a bit of connection.

Still, Eustace found that the man, who was so entranced in observing such a simple object, almost reminded him of the apes he had once seen in the zoo with Alberta, his mother. It made him want to laugh at him, but seeing him so genuinely interested in something of his while no one else had taken him seriously so far, Eustace decided it wouldn't hurt to offer him a empty page of his journal.

"Can you—" he began to ask, "I mean, would you like to draw something with it in my journal?"

Killian looked at him in surprise, he hadn't expected the arrogant boy to show some kindness. He was quick to accept though, wanting to try out this wondrous 'pen' for himself. He carefully took the journal from his hand. "Alright," he nodded, before passing him his own drawings, "only if you write a little something on one of these."

Killian handed Eustace a piece of parchment and a charcoal stick to write with. As Eustace looked down, he realized that Killian had drawn a sketch of him on the page. The boy stared at the drawing, noting the exaggerated features and slightly tousled hair that seemed more unruly than his own. Eustace scoffed softly at the depiction, shaking his head in disbelief. "This doesn't look like me at all," he muttered under his breath, holding back a smirk.