Seeing is Believing (35 page)

"Oh?" Lenol encouraged, smiling roguishly and wrapping an arm around Kinsu's shoulders.

"Kell doesn't blame any of you. Or
The Spirit
." Kinsu offered, shifting closer to Lenol's warmth.

"But?" Lenol prompted, and Kinsu shut his eyes, fighting tears again. He didn't want to leave
The Spirit
or her crew behind.

"He thinks I'm bad luck. He's keeping me land bound," Kinsu muttered, unsurprised when Lenol's grip tightened.

"You're not." Lenol stated angrily. "He can't do that—"

"He did." Kinsu interrupted. "Don't go against him Lenol. It'll be worth your commission."

"No one's going to like this." Lenol promised darkly. "So we haven't had a successful trip in awhile. It happens, and he has no reason to yank you away from us."

"Five freak storms? In a row?" Kinsu tried to convince himself, because Kell had likely had this in mind for ages and wouldn't be swayed back from it. He probably had other plans too. Kinsu sighed. "Did you know we haven't had a profitable run since I came onboard?"

Kinsu pulled away from Lenol's embrace, tearing a hand through his tangled curls. Wincing when his fingers caught on a snag, he paced across the room, yanking his hand free irritably.

"You're not bad luck." Lenol repeated, staring at Kinsu thoughtfully. "You've managed to avert a fair number of crises on your own—"

"It doesn't matter." Kinsu turned, turned, staring at him bleakly. "Kell won't change his mind."

"I'll talk to him." Lenol decided, standing up.

"No!" Kinsu's eyes widened. "That won't help."

"Kinsu—" Lenol paced across the room to where Kinsu stood, resting a warm, broad hand on Kinsu's shoulder. "We won't leave without you."

Kinsu shook his head—Lenol might mean that now, but he didn't own the ship, and he could be fired. As could the rest of the crew.

"I'll try again," Kinsu decided, letting Lenol pull him into a hug. Lenol smelled of sea and sweat, and Kinsu breathed deep because for all he knew this would be the last time he saw Lenol—
The Spirit
was due to leave port the day after tomorrow.

*~*~*

Kinsu hid in the attic for three days as
The Spirit
left port reluctantly. He hadn't meant to—he'd gone up early in the day to watch the ships pull from port, and the trapdoor had lost its propping. It only opened from below, which was stupid, as it had taken a servant on some random errand to find him and let him out.

"Kinsu, you really need to stop sulking." Kell reprimanded, looking immaculate as he sat, perched on Kinsu's bedside.

"Not sulking." Kinsu mumbled, sneezing into his pillow. It wasn't his fault that being stuck in the drafty attic for three days without food or water had made him sick. Kell sighed, brushing his hand against Kinsu's forehead.

"Do you really not feel well?" Kell asked gently, and Kinsu blinked blearily at him. He was tired, aching, and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "I'll call a doctor."

"I got stuck, I wasn't sulking." Kinsu insisted, sneezing again. Kell smiled, looking faintly amused.

"Alright, Kinsu. Just rest for now." Kell leaned down, kissing him lightly on the forehead. Kinsu made a face, earning a smile from Kell as he stood. Kinsu watched with mostly closed eyes as Kell left, and then drew the blankets over his head to have a good sulk.

He wanted more than anything to be out at sea now. He never got sick out there, be it luck or just the wonders of fresh air. Kell had forbid him from leaving the house, afraid he'd sneak onboard
The Spirit
or something, so Kinsu had had to hope that Lenol would let everyone know what was happening. Kinsu sneezed miserably—he missed
The Spirit
already.

*~*~*

Lenol stared steadily across the table at his drinking opponent. Six empty flagons sat between them, and another six sat before both of them. Lenol smirked, because he was going to win this contest,
and
get smashed out of his mind. Lifting one of the full flagons in salute, Lenol downed the ale quickly.

The man—a crewman from
The Gallant
—saluted back and drank his down just as quickly. Lenol snagged the next, because he wanted to get as drunk as he could, as fast as he could, and that would take a
lot
of ale. More than what he had in front of him, and probably more than one inn.

There were few things stupider than signing off your commission. Signing off your commission as first mate because of a merchant brat who'd been kept home was worse. And of course, doing that, and
then
finding out that said merchant brat had been 'missing' for the last three days …

The Spirit
had left port three days back. Lenol thunked down his mug and went for the next one, pausing only long enough to let his drinking partner finish his. Kinsu was such a sneaky little brat—he'd had Lenol all convinced he was staying behind because of his brother. And then he'd snuck right back on board
The eliSpirit
anyway.

"—hear?" A voice from right behind him caught Lenol's attention momentarily, distracting him from the alcohol before him.

"
What
, Wree?" A second voice asked, exasperated.

"Lord Tendell's brother was found. Apparently the whelp got locked in the attic and no one found him for three days!"

"You can't be—"

The voices faded into the background of the tavern again, and Lenol slowly unwrapped his fingers from the next mug of ale. If that was true, and Kinsu hadn't actually left—

"Hey—"

"Here." Lenol tossed the winnings at the man. "Buy yourself some better ale." Standing, Lenol pushed his way out of the tavern. He had a merchant whelp to see.

*~*~*

Kinsu was half-asleep, warm and comfortably befuddled from the strange-smelling doctor's medicine. Drowsing pleasantly, it took him a moment to realize the window was open, and another moment to take in the fact that someone was in his room.

It was dark though, so Kinsu was having trouble making out who it was. It
looked
like Lenol, but Lenol had left days ago. Kinsu mumbled something to that effect into his pillow, drawing the Lenol look-alike's attention.

"So you
are
here." He said, crossing the room to Kinsu's bedside. He looked even more like Lenol from this close.

"You're not," Kinsu mumbled, sniffing before snot started to dribble out his nose. Lenol dropped to his knees next to Kinsu's bed, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" Lenol pressed a cool hand against Kinsu's forehead, his eyes widening. "You're burning up."

"I'm sick," Kinsu told him solemnly, letting his eyes shut.

"No shit," Lenol muttered, moving his hand away and pulling the covers up around Kinsu's shoulders. "Want something to drink?"

"Yes, please." Kinsu decided, because now that Lenol mentioned it, his throat was rather dry. Not that Lenol was here. He was probably having fever dreams or something, because Lenol was on
The Spirit
, halfway across the world by now.

"Everyone thought you'd stowed away." Lenol told him, a strong hand tilting his head up to meet cool glass. The water tasted funny, but Kinsu drank it anyway because Lenol would be upset if he didn't.

"I would've." Kinsu admitted as soon as he'd swallowed the last of what Lenol would let him have. "Kell wouldn't let me leave the house though. I got locked in the attic watching you leave, so you're not here."

"I didn't leave, Kinsu." Lenol smiled wryly. "I thought you were still here."

"So?" Kinsu yawned, burrowing into his pillow. "Tired."

"It's okay. Sleep." Lenol soothed, cool fingers smoothing the sweat-damp curls from his forehead.

"But—"

Lenol tensed, and stood. "I wasn't here," Lenol told him, and Kinsu watched in confusion as Lenol disappeared out the window, shutting it behind him.

A moment later the door to Kinsu's room opened and Kell stared suspiciously around the room. Kinsu was fast asleep, though, and everything else seemed to be in order. Lingering a moment more, Kell turned away slowly, shutting the door with a quiet click.

*~*~*

Kinsu woke up with a headache throbbing in his temples. His cold was gone, oddly enough, and after an extended period of time where he tried to smother the headache with his pillow, Kinsu gave up and stumbled from bed in search of a headache tonic.

Yawning, Kinsu crossed the room to the dresser, half-remembering snatches of a dream. With Lenol, no less. Kinsu flushed—well, dreams with Lenol weren't that uncommon. Shaking it off, Kinsu applied himself to mixing the headache powder in a little glass of water. Swallowing it quickly, he made a face at the taste and turned back around.

Maybe he'd go for a ride today. Kell had no reason to keep him inside any longer, and Kinsu missed seeing the sea. Stripping off his shirt, Kinsu made a face. Maybe he'd bathe first. Tossing the shirt towards the door for the servants to pick up, Kinsu crossed the room to the wardrobe and flung open the doors.

"No, don't stop there," Lenol teased, and Kinsu flushed, turning with a scowl.

"Lenol?" Kinsu hesitated, staring because Lenol was lounging on his bed again, like he'd been there all night, which he so hadn't been, which wasn't really helping the flush.

"Yes?" Lenol grinned as though there was absolutely no reason for him to not be there.

"But—
The Spirit
—" Kinsu started, before remembering he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I resigned my commission." Lenol shrugged, watching him too carefully.

"But why?" Kinsu grabbed a shirt at random and tugged it on. One of Kell's, because it was far too big. How it had made its way into Kinsu's closet was a mystery, though.

"I didn't think it right to sail on without you." Lenol replied casually, and Kinsu damned the part of him that wanted to cry because of that.

"You should've." Kinsu frowned, slumping down on the bed next to him and resisting the urge to slump
against
him. "You're … you won't find first mate on any other ship."

"Eh." Lenol ruffled his curls. "Doesn't matter. What are your plans?"

"My plans?" Kinsu echoed, flattening his hair down.

"Yes. Your plans." Lenol repeated, grinning at him, and Kinsu really wished he'd stop doing that.

"Wait, were you here last night?" Kinsu demanded, confused. "I thought—"

"I was," Lenol confirmed, pressing his hand against Kinsu's forehead. "You seem better."

"I feel better," Kinsu agreed, smiling when Lenol dropped a casual arm on his shoulders.

"That's good. So. Your plans?" Lenol steered the conversation back around.

"I want to sail again." Kinsu sighed, tangling his fingers in the hem of Kell's too-large shirt. "But Kell owns all the ships in port and they'd laugh at me anyway. I'm not exactly—I don't have a sailor's physique."

"You're a good sailor though," Lenol mused. "We could go to another port."

"Kell would probably send someone after me." Kinsu paused. "Wait, we?"

"I find myself in need of employment," Lenol told him gravely, and Kinsu nodded.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault." Lenol grinned, winking. "And you have no obligation to stay here, so your brother can't force you back—"

"He can. I'm not—I'm only seventeen." Kinsu made a face, and Lenol stared.

"You're kidding me."

"No?" Kinsu peered at Lenol curiously. "You didn't know that?"

"No." Lenol kept staring at him, and Kinsu shifted nervously. "You look young. Just… not that young." Kinsu laughed. "Well, how long until you're eighteen?"

Kinsu flushed a little. "Uh, two months. Give or take a week."

"That's not too long," Lenol decided. "So we wait two months and then run off."

"I don't know." Kinsu frowned, letting his head fall heavily against Lenol's shoulder. "I think Kell wants to send me inland. To learn about the merchanting side of things."

"You'll go mad," Lenol protested, hugging him closer. "You need the sea."

Kinsu laughed, smiling at Lenol with amusement. "It'll only be two months. And I'll stall as long as I can."

Lenol sighed. "No hope for it then. I'll have to kidnap you."

Kinsu laughed again, pleased that Lenol was here, even if he shouldn't have given up his commission for this.

"Meet me tonight, down by the Rusty Warthog." Lenol ordered, pressing his lips to Kinsu's cheek lightly before standing. Kinsu blinked at him wonderingly, because he couldn't quite tell if Lenol was serious. Lenol was out the window before he could ask though, and someone was knocking at the door.

Kinsu straightened his shirt distractedly. "Come in."

Lenol had never kissed him before. He was friendly and overly generous with his touching, but he'd never kissed anyone that Kinsu could remember.