spicy bread ,,

[spicyskeleton]

kai smirked lightly, glad that sebastian hadnt taken his statement to seriously. yes, he was bitter and still had anger stored up for the pirate for leaving him twice and both departures ending in bad ways, but he wanted to shove all of that aside as much as he could; his happiness for simple=y being around the pirate overwhelmed any other emotion he might have felt at the time. kai wasnt complaining at his sudden burst of joy, something he hadnt experienced in full for some time now, in fact he welcomed it- seeing sebastian again had ignited a fire inside of him that continued to burn and smoke out all bad feelings and replaced them with the good. there was always the question in the back of the mermans mind of whether or not seb would be staying here again, but kai couldnt muster up the courage to find out, as much as he hated to admit it- he was scared of losing him again. he rolled his eyes and scoffed at the other, locking eyes with him as he spoke. "alright, alright. maybe a little more than might have, dare i say that it was possible i would miss you?" kai chuckled at himself, wandering around the others gaze with his own eyes. he had never realized how different the twos dialects were from each other- sebastian had a very distinct sound and way of saying things, and so did kai except on what seemed like an opposite spectrum. he, himself sounded much more proper in the way he spoke as merfolk are very picky with how they speak, and sebastian sounded much more loose with his words. it made him wonder where the pirate was from, and if he had picked up this dialect before or after joining a pirate crew.

once the story started, sebastian seemed to go off into his own little world, his eyes glazing over as if he were looking strait through kai. this gave him a perfect opportunity to study the others features once more, something he seemed to never get enough of- he was just so fascinated with the pirate and how he, out of all humans, seemed to be the most attractive to kai; once again, he wasnt complaining- he could even say that it was a great thing. he zoned in and out of the story, not particularly interested in pirate shenanigans and meaningless violence between their own kind. kai held some sort of grudge against humans for harming one another, but he supposed that their numbers far beat merfolks and they had plenty to spare. at xebel, it was considered unspeakable to kill another merfolk because of how low their numbers have gotten these days, so every time kai heard of another human killing another he assumed the worst for them and thought to shame them. he wondered why the two crews were fighting in the first place. sure they were rivals, but the ocean was vast enough for the two of them- they didnt even have a right to call the sea their home yet they did. kai's finger twitched slightly as bitterness crept up his spine towards pirates, sebastian feeding him more reasons to despise them; but he said nothing, gently nodding every now and then as the other told his story.

kai smirked at the thought of sebastian fending off three other pirates, finding it hard to believe considering the other was crippled not months before. the thought also excited him, recalling the sparring match the other had promised between the two- it would be nice to have a challenge, especially on land so he could better himself here. kai doubted the other could beat him, and even if he could it would only be cause to the difference in fighting on land versus underwater. as the story came to an end he smirked and lifted his head so that he was sitting up strait and cocked his head, deciding whether or not he should speak his mind. "theres so much i want to say but im also not trying to offend your kind." he muttered, trying to work his way around all of the bitter thoughts that had entered his head. "but i will say it sounds like you had an adventure while you were gone." kai said with a small smile, even more bitterness seeping into his mind at the thought that sebastian ran around having a fun time while kai made himself an underwater cave for three months.

[breadstick]

Sebastian was not wholly convinced that the other had entirely meant what he had said. Although a nice sentiment he certainly didn’t put it past Kai to have gone on his own expeditions whole he had been away, finding other things to do and other people to meet; he could barely let himself believe that Kai would really dwell inside a cave for three months straight, only to finally check the surface on the day Sebastian was conveniently on that island. He could we timed it better, certainly, but there was nothing to say that the pirate wasn’t glad that he had turned up. After all, he couldn’t deny that he would have missed Kai, too. But nonetheless, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more that Kai had done in that time; Sebastian wasn’t the best at reading people, or at least interpreting what things meant, but he could tell that there were oddities in Kai’s story that did not add up. Kai never waited for anyone (except him, it seemed - the thought almost made him smirk a little), but he couldn’t bring himself to see Kai sulking in a cave for the rest of his days. Surely he would have done something to occupy his time? He narrowed his eyes a little as he mulled over the topic, realisations that Kai might be hiding something from him coming to the forefront of his mind. He couldn’t have guessed that there would be anything in particular - his knowledge of merfolk was so limited he wasn’t able to name a single thing they didn’t other than what Kai day told him (and if he was leading him on with that, well, Sebastian knew nothing). He could have been doing anything in that time, and Sebastian wouldn’t have known it; and such things did concern him.

All ruminations over such meaningless things aside, Sebastian looked up at Kai when he heard his voice once more, raising an eyebrow in his amusement and tilting his head to the side teasingly, aware of how mischievous he might look in that moment. He couldn’t deny that he did feel, indeed, heartwarmed to see the merman admitting that he would genuinely miss Sebastian had he not have decided to investigate the island - whether it be for the purpose of finding the pirate or not, he didn’t care to know. If he was pushed, he would have readily admitted that he too would have missed Kai; he had missed him through the past few months, from the moments they had left the island and the gravity of the words they exchanged had begun to settle on his conscience. He could assume that the same did not exactly apply to Kai; he wouldn’t have assumed the other would have regretted his words immediately if at all; but nonetheless, they were here now, and Sebastian’s smile that seemed to shine through all doubt made a welcome change to his facial muscles. He had barely smiled , genuinely, in the time he had been away from Kai - and now he could comfortably call home that smile, as he watched the other with eyes that seemed to soften from their usual cold hardness whenever they landed on Kai in particular. “Awh, are you bein’ shy?” He teased, leaning forwards a little so his elbow was now resting on one knee. “Glad you finally admitted how much you really want me.” His voice became low and took on a tone that was akin to some kind of flirtation or seductiveness, and he promptly sat back up again, the smile more like a ghost on his features now as he watched the other carefully.

The pirate had come back to reality just a few moments later, having been so lost in the story that he had almost forgotten Kai was even there; it was like he was telling a story to his crew, except he felt more comfortable, more expressive, and just more himself than he had ever been when telling a story to the people who he had called his friends and family. Blinking as he watched Kai’s expression with the sudden realisation that he was still there, and he looked somewhat invested in what he had said (perhaps not the contents of the story, but more the way Sebastian was saying it, perhaps, considering that Kai had still harboured some hatred for humans ... and pirates in particular). He raised an eyebrow at Kai’s comment, smirking gently once more as he leaned forwards again, looking rather intrigued this time around. “Oh?” He murmured, curiously, as though he was inviting those comments. “So I haven’t managed to persuade you to take a more liberal stance on us pirates, eh?” His murmur was taut with amusement pulling at it from every direction as he allowed the smirk to flourish into a smile, almost genuinely curious as to what the other had to say. “I’ve had more fun in the past, but it made things less monotonous, so I ain’t complainin’.” He murmured after a moment, taking on a more sincere and genuine tone, but his eyes still glittered with curiousity at the words that had gone unsaid. He doubted he would be personally offended by any of the things he had to say - he had probably heard them all before, from people who barely even knew what it was like to be a pirate, so he doubted there would really be anything Kai could say that was affect him directly. But now, he knew he was basically walking into a trap of which he was to be insulted; although this time he was sure that the majority of it, at least, was in good jest.

[spicyskeleton]

kai tapped his finger against his cheek as he watched seb, a mischievous look crossing his features at his mention of missing him. at the others words, kai promptly sat up in shock and arched an eyebrow. a light blush crossed his cheeks as the thought crossed his mind- he did want sebastian, obviously- but he would never admit that to him. he opened his mouth to speak and then quickly shut it, contemplating his next words. "whoa whoa whoa," he said, laughing a little. "i wouldnt go that far, at all." he said with a smile. he wondered why the sudden implication that he would want sebastian popped in the others head and coming out of his mouth in a sudden flirtatious manner. "i think your the one who wants me." he raised his eyebrows and leaned back on his palms, squeezing the sand softly as he did so. kai now somewhat knew that he liked the other, if not more than like, though he refused to face these feelings until he learned that the pirate felt the same; he couldnt possibly mess up whatever friendship they had at the moment, for it was all he had. he noted that his best bet would be to keep his mouth shut and avoid talking about it unless the other brought it up.

kai noticed the others curiosity about his insults he had built up, and possibly even a challenging tone. he tilted his head as if asking a silent question to the other, if he truly was challenging him to say his own thoughts; but if he was going to be honest with anyone, it should be sebastian right? he bit his lip, realizing that he had been only partly honest with the pirate ever since they had met earlier in the day- he had failed to tell him of xebel and his recently covered up soulmate mark. he crinkled his nose at the thought of opening his mind up to the point of accepting all pirates, the only pirate he wished to conversant with was the one before him. "i think thats impossible." kai said carefully, hoping that the ground he was treading wasnt as fragile as he thought it was. "i do have problems with your kind, as you know- but your story brought some of those problems to light again. like, you guys kill each other? i guess humans have enough to spare a few deaths, but at xebel that is one of the highest offenses- shouldnt you stick together with your kind? pirates are impossibly violent, its like you all think with your.. violent tendencies rather than your brains, letting your pride get in the way of an obvious bond." his voice was in no way harsh, instead curious and spaced out. he didnt want to offend the other in any way, he was only speaking his mind. kai narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought even more and now that he was on a roll there was almost no stopping him. "and how pirates claim the ocean as their home- i mean, you only live on top of it and not inside of it. you cant breathe underwater, much less can the human body survive the harsh conditions under there. it bothers me how pirates claim the sea as their own, like territory, when its ours and all the other creatures of the ocean." he crinkled his nose in thought, running through all of the problems he had with pirates in his mind that were more profound than simply calling them bastards- which they were. he thought that his little rant was rather polite compared to the things he was thinking in his head.

[breadstick]

It warmed Sebastian’s heart to see Kai relaxing further the more they conversed, and the more time they spent in one another’s company. He was doing the same, of course; his posture relaxing slightly as he slouched a little further, captivated in the other’s gaze as they teased back and forth. He had never achieved anything of this nature with any single member of his crew, not even Daniel, who had been his best friend since the moment he had joined, and the figure he had come to see as his younger brother for the past two years. They joked, sure, and he had a good time - but nothing quite rivalled the way the two of them did things, the way they just seemed to fit together in one another’s company, the way they seemed to bounce off from one another and insult one another while they still maintained the cheerful air amongst them. It felt like a natural arrangement, something he would not dare change even if he had the means to. It felt *right*; something felt like it clicked into place for the first time in his life. The roll of his eyes that he gave in response to the other man's actions was more or less an instinctive reaction borne from the other's calculated response. "Oh?" He smirked, his eyes trailing down Kai's body, taking almost a flirtatious tint to his expression. He had shamelessly flirted with Kai even as he had bled out before his eyes, before he had even gained consciousness; and it was only now that he grew the confidence to truly appreciate Kai enough to return to that demeanour. Yes, he was attractive, incredibly so; but the fact that he was a merman on top of all of that had only served to distract Sebastian from that matter. But now ... it barely seemed to matter. He accepted Kai for who he was, and the pirate could only hope he could manage to do the same for him, to open up the possibility of a longer term relationship between them; because if their time away from one another had taught him anything, it would have been that this was what he wanted, now. He could barely deny it anymore.

Leaning forwards onto his palms and tilting his head to look up at Kai once more from where he was sat, he confronted him with an innocent, disbelieving expression. “What, so you’re saying we can’t want each other?” The flirting seemed to roll off his tongue so seamlessly with very little thought spared for the gravity of the implications it might have for the merman. It seemed to come so easily to him, flirting with other men, and it always had been; but this time he felt that there was some weight behind it, with emotions constricting his heart as he began to realise what he had said; and, specifically, what it implied. He felt himself blush lightly, his cheeks heating up and he quickly removed his gaze with the turn of this new revelation. He knew better than to try and expect a reciprocation of these emotions; he was sure that Kai would not return such a directly flirtatious remark. He shrugged to himself gently as he came to that conclusion, bringing his hands forwards to trace shapes into the sand mindlessly, becoming lost briefly in the activity, preventing himself from pondering on his mistakes any further.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow suddenly as he realised that the merman had forgone all pretence of censoring his issues with pirates in general, at this point; and he could not complain, considering that he had genuinely asked for him to elaborate, but it did not prevent him from rolling his eyes a little. All in good humour, he supposed; he couldn’t blame him entirely for holding those opinions about humanity - or, specifically, pirates - since much the same thoughts would have once crossed his mind, a very, very long time ago. Propping himself upright once more, he listened to the other with what appeared to be idle interest, but what was actually interest that extended beyond what he was willing to exhibit. When Kai’s rather carefully worded rant came to a close, he sighed deeply, knowing that there was still more that he had wanted to say, but was nonetheless confined to his own predetermined politeness. There was so much he could say in that moment that would put all of Kai’s assumptions to shame - but he would not have lied so easily to him, especially considering how highly he was beginning to regard him. “I can’t lie - humanity sounds horrible when compared to how you described merfolk.” He muttered, beginning his response in a thoughtful tone, watching Kai carefully through a veiled gaze, watching for a reaction that was particularly noteworthy. “People kill each other more than they’ll have you admit. For us pirates, it’s just a fact of life.” He paused for a moment, choosing to move his gaze to overlook the sea they sat before. “But we’re different. There’s a lot’a reasons why we hate each other - we’re always competin’ for resources, claim over the ocean, that kind of thing. And ... we call the ocean our home because we got nowhere else to go.” He admitted after another pause, seeming to consider what he was saying next with great depth, pausing to swallow a lump in his throat briefly before continuing. “Sure, some of us do, but we ain’t just born pirates, yknow? There’s always somethin’ that means someone can’t live in one specific place anymore, and being out at sea is the only way we can escape that. We’re wanted folk in a lot of places, and it ain’t safe to settle anywhere, for us.” His mutters became somewhat distant the more he talked, his position shifting slightly as he blinked himself back to reality. “I’ve never really seen it as an issue - who owns the ocean, I mean. We don’t own it. It’s just our home.” He explained, knowing that much that he was saying would go disregarded or misinterpreted; and although his tone was light and casual, he was terse and aware that the topic of who the ocean belonged to was a touchy one for Kai.

[spicyskeleton]

kai's light blush across his cheeks slightly reddened even more at sebastians comment. he raised his eyebrows and scoffed lightly, having assumed that the pirate hadnt any thoughts like that, if anything he was suddenly proven wrong. he bit his lip and watched the other carefully who had been not so stealthily looking him over seem to realize what he had said. kai could come to the conclusion that seb was a natural flirt and didnt even realize he was doing it as proven by the waitress in their earlier encounters; but somehow he got the feeling that when sebastian harmlessly flirted with him it felt more than harmless- it felt like it meant something. he squeezed the sand under his palms and narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the other and then sat up strait with a small smirk pulling at his face. he pondered whether or not if he should reciprocate these small comments or leave the other to wonder if kai really did want him in any way. "i didnt say that.." the merman spoke carefully but his tone held a devious undertone, giving off the implication that he intended to bounce the flirtatious manners back but in a more subtle way. kai tilted his head slightly and decided to leave it there, open to interpretation. the sudden flirting made him wonder if the feelings he was currently experiencing were being felt by the other- he could only hope so. he also began to ponder on why he suddenly felt impacted so much by someones flirtatious words- every merperson he had ever engaged in flirting with always led to the same thing, but for some reason it was different with sebastian; his words seemed to hit kai directly in ways that he wanted to hear- what the hell is he doing to me?

after finishing his small rant, he prepared himself to listen to the pirates points he was evidently going to make- after all he had just turned only some of his opinions to light. kai wrapped his fingers around a rock that he found buried in the sand and turned 90 degrees, gently laying down in the sand with his knees sticking in the air. he threw the rock in the air and caught it as it hurled its self down towards his face and then turned his head to look at sebastian who began to speak. he smirked and nodded, clearly agreeing that merfolk were much better than humanity from what he had seen; they were much more proper and although they were uptight, it all paid off in the end- such as their strict rules, it may seem bad until you really think about it. kai had many problems with humans and wouldnt even know where to start if he were to explain himself. he turned his head so that he was staring back up at the sky, the sun blinding him and causing him to squint. claim the ocean. the words rang through kai's head and he narrowed his eyes, scoffing quietly as he let the other finish his statement. there was no 'claiming' the ocean, hell, merfolk could barely claim it themselves- they claimed a section of floor as their territory but the ocean belonged to nobody but the earth its self. something else bothered kai that sebastian said- that they had nowhere else to go. surely they had all of land to themselves? kai propped his head up on one elbow to address the other directly, "i dont understand that- you have all this land yet you chose to stay somewhere you werent meant to be." he raised his eyebrows and stopped, suddenly coming up with another thought. "so how did you come along to be a pirate anyways?" kai asked, dismissing his want to continue to bash on pirates.

[breadstick]

Sebastian was only barely paying attention to the merman as his comments began to take effect on the target of his flirting, only letting his gaze stray halfway across the area in order to capture the other in his vague, peripheral vision. It was true, he was a natural flirt - such observations were not uncommon for Sebastian to make, and half of the time, apparently, he barely knew he was engaging in behaviour that could be considered flirting, as evidenced by the encounter with that waitress so long ago. He turned his gaze to face Kai's own expression, finding it mildly suspicious how he was now sitting bolt upright in light of his comments, and had muttered something that echoed the flirtatious remarks Sebastian himself had made in those moments prior. He was now the one feeling his cheeks heat up in slight embarrassment, or even just at the feeling of having his flirting supposedly being reciprocated; a consequence he had not quite been anticipating, but was now nonetheless faced with. He blinked a little, sitting back against his palms once more, not appearing to be physically able to sit still whereas the other shifted positions to lay on his front, with his legs in the air. He tilted his head a little, hoping for some elaboration to the other's remark, about not exactly saying that they couldn't want each other - but when he was met with nothing else after a substantial pause, he sighed and attempted to press back any other flirtatious remarks. There was undoubtedly an undercurrent of mischevious flirtation there, in the other's tone; he could have had to have been tone deaf in order to not recognise that - but there he was, raising an eyebrow and expecting an elaboration where there was none. He shrugged his shoulders gently to himself and moved his gaze casually to the sea once more, finding his posture relaxing, sinking against the wall he had propped himself up against. "Well, you were the one denyin' havin' any sentiment towards me." He commented with a huff of a laugh, his eyes glittering with amusement that seemed to shine through his whole personality. It really was something to think that they had come so far - that they were not only at a stage where they could joke with one another, but where they were flirting with one another, too; and whether that was a product of the teasing that had become so commonplace between the two, or whether it was a mark of the start of something new entirely, he could not say for certain.

The pirate could see the cogs working internally within Kai's mind, as he mulled over the words he had spoken upon his own experience being a pirate - how he viewed the world so differently to Kai, who seemed to believe that because there was so much land, they would all be welcomed onto it just as equally as they welcomed one another as pirates. The thought was almost enough to make Sebastian laugh; if life was that simple, he would be living anywhere else other than the sea. Although he loved the ocean, he did occasionally miss the security of land - the increased chances of a good nights rest, the stability on the ground, and the lessened risk of death when the sky threatened to bring storms upon them. They had received their fair share of close calls with such dangerous storms, which were always more violent out at sea; and the stability and reassurance that land would offer him was more than ideal when it was compared to what he had to endure when he was in the middle of nowhere. He glanced out casually towards the sea, remembering vaguely hearing stories of entire ships, decimated by violent turns of weather, with no survivors. Such stories were the worst case scenarios - but they still happened, and there were times where the crew had barely evaded such conditions themselves, just by the skin of their teeth. He shuddered a little, shaking the thoughts from his mind; it barely warranted thinking about when he was on dry land, at that point.

The words that left the other's mouth next were words he had expected, but had nonetheless groaned internally at hearing them genuinely spoken. He hadn't told anyone the story, exactly, of how he had joined the crew - only those who had actually been there to witness it and lived to this day really knew what had happened, since they had witnessed it with their own eyes. It hadn't been the most explosive, or the most interesting, but it was something he very barely spoke on - and the further he left speaking about it, the more difficult it was to formulate the right words. He avoided Kai's gaze for a moment; he had known that this question had to come at some point, it was inevitable, given their situations; but it bothered him nonetheless, not something he had been particularly looking forwards to answering any time soon. He heaved a deep sigh, before falling into the same state he had as he had talked about his adventures in the past month - but he had no plans to linger upon it any longer than he had to. "From my very first memory, I can remember stealin' things. My father used to make me do his dirty work, and I jus' assumed it was the norm for people my age to go about thieving everywhere they went. So, in short, I was a criminal's kid, from the start - that didn't really put me in good stead 'n all, in the first place." A rough sound, almost akin to a chuckle, ripped itself from the pirate's throat as he stared out to see, as though lost in observing the motions of the waves. "I must've been thirteen or fourteen when I joined the crew. It was an accident, actually; I was stealin' something that escapes me now, and I got caught for the first time in years. So I panicked and hid in the nearest place they wouldn't dare set foot on - a ship. Thing is, I thought I'd only be there for a few minutes and I could just leave, and it'd all be fine." Another chuckle came from the pirate, and he turned his gaze back to Kai, smirking a little, although there was no emotion weighing it. "No such luck. The pirates came back and warded off any and all people within a mile of them, and they set off with me on their ship. They didn't realise until about twenty-four hours afterwards - and it was too late to go back." He concluded, folding his arms across his chest and averting his gaze awkwardly. Opening up about something he had barely spoken about for one reason or another to someone who he was always supposed to hate was surely a feeling that was unrivalled by no other; but there was an air about the merman who lay before him that just made him feel completely at ease, like he could tell him anything he wanted to. He leaned his head back against the wall, letting it hit it gently with a small noise. "They think I'm dead. I've never been back, 'n I never want to - but I know people who have been there since then." He added, his voice becoming a little sullen as he concluded the short-lived tale, keeping his gaze trained on whatever was above him at that moment as he mulled over his early memories.

[spicyskeleton]

kai appreciated sebastian in ways that he didnt even know he could- even just sitting in his presence put him in a state of contentedness. he was normally very fidgety, but when he was around the pirate he felt so relaxed he didnt feel any need to fidget or continue to move- without being self aware at least. kai smirked and rolled his eyes, recalling his earlier take of having no emotional connection to the other, or at least he claimed. it was quite obvious to him that his own little denials he spoke out loud were false and only served as a boundary for himself so that he didnt exactly have to tell the other how he really felt. why was he so shy about it? kai was normally very out there when it came to relationships, jumping back and forth into things without a second thought but when it came to sebastian he couldnt do that; he had no explanation as to why, it was an instinct that told him to back away and await the right time- if there ever was one- to confront these feelings. kai flipped the rock over in his hand as he glanced towards the ocean and away from the pirate, realizing he had been staring without notice. "got me there." he said with amusement lacing his tone. "damn, using my own words against me." kai turned back towards sebastian and smiled, recognizing how the two could easily joke and flirt and even just talk.

kai listened carefully and turned his head away so that he was staring back up at the sky. there were a few clouds in the sky, something kai had never seen before until coming onto land. he studied them carefully while trying to avoid looking at the sun that had began to slowly sink down from its peak and towards the ground. it didnt come to a shock to him to know that sebastian had been a thief since a young age, in all reality he couldnt see the other any differently- it wasnt a bad take to have on him but first impressions sure do last for a long time. it did rub him the wrong way to know that his father was the one who forced him into that life and that the other was most likely to young to know that it was wrong. kai set his jaw and slightly narrowed his eyes, his hatred for humans slowly growing by the minute. he smirked at the thought of a small sebastian sneaking on a lonely looking ship only to be surprised by an entire crew of pirates, it much reminded him of his first time attacking on a ship. it would have been a smart plan for a young human to come up with had the crew not come back, but that was inevitable therefore his plan had a major flaw in it- though he coudnt judge him for it, after all he was just a young human. the thought of sebastian unwillingly becoming a pirate was a shock to kai, he had always assumed that the other had chosen this life simply out of a want for adventure. his story raised more questions, but kai continued to stay silent and focus on tossing his rock up and down while he listened. he grunted slightly at the part where sebastian mentioned his family thinking he was dead. "now thats something i can relate to." he muttered to himself, barely audible and he doubted the pirate heard him. his entire population, besides the few friends he had visited, thought he was dead- and he guessed it was for the better assuming he died as a hero rather than lived as a traitor. kai's heart almost burst from his chest at the thought of what he was doing right now was considered him being a traitor; he pushed the thoughts aside as quick as he could in order to save himself from second thoughts about sebastian- this is where he wanted to be. "i always assumed you chose to be a pirate." kai said in order to distract himself from those awful thoughts. "why dont you want to go back? i mean- your father sounds awful but you could find the rest of your family?" he asked, possibly prying to much on the others life but if he were to truly love the other then he needed to know more about him, whether he liked it or not.

[breadstick]

Sebastian could not help but smirk as he watched the other contemplate his own words, the way he seemed to act around him now being so far removed from how he had reacted towards him, especially in their first meetings. It was clear the two were beginning to open up to one another, to trust each other further than either of them had ever really thought possible at their friendship's beginning; so much so that Sebastian would even consider his feelings towards Kai more than simply confined to the bonds of friendship. He had experienced that, and he knew what it felt like; a simple bond that depended on mutual interest to exchange the support for one another. This ... this felt so much more. There was a pull towards Kai from every moment of the day, every second he was more than three feet away from him at any one point, that was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He realised, the more time he had spent with Kai, the less time he wanted to spend away from him, especially considering that the two were soulmates; that, in itself, should have said something to Sebastian, but apparently he was worse at reading his own emotions and the impact it would have upon him than he was reading other's emotions and actually understanding the implications of those emotions. He reasoned, all too often, with himself, that he could have simply been tied to the other in a way that was entirely platonic - he had heard of such things happening before, and at this moment, he was more than happy to accept such a thing, too. And yet, even if he could possibly be happy in that scenario, there was still an undercurrent to his own authentic emotions that were not generated specifically by the bond brought about by his soulmate. These emotions were genuine; things that had developed purely of their own volition, with very little to show for it. That was what truly tipped his thoughts in favour of perhaps a more romantic pursuit; there was no way he could have ever submitted entirely to the soulmate bond, but his soulmate was there, and there were genuine emotions behind every word he spoke towards the other; emotions he spoke in ways he could never express fully to anyone but Kai.

He rolled his eyes in response to the merman's response, shaking all thoughts depending upon those deliberations from his mind entirely, focusing on Kai in that moment, and letting the rest of the world and his problems fall away into the wind. "Well, what did you expect?" He said with a smirk, his tone retaining the challenging and teasing air about it as he watched the merman; how he had lapsed into some semblance of a comfortable position in front of him, how he was more than happy to lay there, still, looking completely contented in that state. It was a rarity that Sebastian had not been graced with until that moment; and seeing him like that, so relaxed before him, of all people, was enough to bring about a genuine smile to Sebastian's expression, if only for a few brief moments, before he ripped his gaze away once more, well aware that if he was caught staring it would only emphasise Kai's teasing even further than he was prepared to let it go.

The pirate's story, on the other hand, had left Sebastian in a rather fragile emotional state. It wasn't as though the story had been particularly traumatic - in fact, he would rather call it a blessing that he had been accepted onto the crew and liberated from his life with his family - but the fact that he had not uttered a single word of this to anyone directly, since it had happened, was something that had taken its toll on him relatively quickly. He suddenly felt the weight of what he was placing on Kai - all the trust he placed on him so suddenly in his attempts to answer Kai's harmless question seemed to weigh so heavily on him as he realised that he had told Kai what he had never been able to tell a single member of his crew in over ten years. He wasn't particularly surprised by the feat; after all, he was more or less placing more faith in Kai than he had ever placed in anyone before. When the other's voice piped up once more after a mere moment's pause between the two, his words were more or less what he had been expecting; a small wake-up call, he supposed, as he considered what he had said. "Well, that too, I s'pose." He added, a slightly mischievous glint dwelling in his gaze. "Turns out, I like danger n' adventure an awful lot, too." It wasn't a lie; he certainly did like his fair share of adrenaline-boosting adventures, and being pushed into high pressure situations along with his crew was something he flourished in - but he had never set out in life to seek out such things. Instead, he had rather preferred to stay in the confines of his house, when he could; barely daring to venture out and make new friends. Maybe this was why he fiercely defended his crew as he did; before all the friends he had made on the ship, past and present, he had been subject to only his family. He turned his gaze back to Kai after another moment, and cleared his throat. "There's no way I'd do that. I don't think I could ever do that." He murmured simply, swiftly removing his gaze once more and squinting in the face of the sun as he attempted to occupy himself with something other to distract himself from the topic of his family.

[spicyskeleton]

as kai lay there, he became more self aware of his surroundings and himself; the unnatural feeling of laying on land began to sink in as he felt oddly light yet at the same time he was being forced down by gravity- his body refused to conform to land completely, making him feel a little more odd than he would like. he didnt shift though, instead lay still and analyze it; this was his first time laying down on land, besides him bleeding out on the ground many months ago, and he wanted to experience it for sebastians sake. even if he was the most uncomfortable he had ever been, he remembered that the entire reason he had stayed on land was to conform to human standards and experience things first hand that might not seem as important to humans like it did him. kai began to recognize his comfort level becoming more out of line but he still somehow felt so relaxed- more relaxed than he has ever felt, actually; being here with his soulmate a few feet next to him, the sun casting its warm rays, the oceans waves in the background- it was all there, and though it was different and he didnt like it, he was going to go through it for sebastian.

kai smirked and allowed a chuckle to escape his throat as he gently turned his head to face the pirate. "i dont know, that you would forget i said that or something." he said, not having a reasonable explanation for the unknown; perhaps thats why kai was so intrigued by the other and what land had to offer. it was a vast unknown for the merman in every single aspect- he had never in his entire life thought of having a soulmate, and here he was plain as day with one sitting beside of him. it was a scary yet exciting thing that got his mind thinking about other merfolk and their possible human soulmates, how the entire ordeal worked, and tons of other questions. kai had always thought of pirates as disgusting creatures (he still does for the most part), but here he was sitting with one who he actually liked. the unknown roped kai in and allowed him to experience things he never would have if he didnt meet sebastian- perhaps that is the reasoning behind his feelings. as much as he wanted to believe that his emotions were completely controlled by being excited over the unknown, a part of him knew it wasnt true- his feelings were genuine, driven by nothing but his own want for the pirate. kai felt a certain warmness spread over him as he glanced over towards seb and grinned for no reason at all other than the fact that he was here, with him.

the weight of the pirates words began to slowly settle in and kai studied the others face to quickly realize the seriousness of the subject. he hadnt thought that this might be a touchy or sensitive subject for the other up until this moment and he sighed quietly, realizing his own displacement in the situation- he needed to pay more attention to what he was prying on. he couldnt help but feel somewhat grateful too at the fact that seb would trust him with such knowledge that was obviously so tender with him. he smiled softly at the other, nodding in agreement to his adventure statement. kai felt the same way, danger and adventure were his thing even though it definitely fit the pirate more than him. he looked up more when the others voice dropped slightly in volume, the sudden mention of his family causing the others eyes to avert. kai chewed on his cheek and wondered if he should continue to ask questions or just shut up- his curiosity chose the latter. "why?" he asked gently, his tone softer. he didnt know if seb would respond, but it was always worth asking.

[breadstick]

The longer that Sebastian was subject to Kai's company in that moment, in a serene silence that only stretched a couple of moments, the more he began to appreciate just how much it must have been costing him, even now, to sit with him on land, with someone who he had initially rejected as soon as the information reached him that he had a soulmate; and that soulmate was a pirate. He had to appreciate that the effort of even being there, so relaxed before the pirate, had potentially gone past all of his prior conceptions about humans as a whole, just to make room for an exception for Sebastian. He still seemed so stiff in the presence of other humans, and that was to be expected - but such things would hopefully sink into the past the more time they spent with one another in this town. Sebastian found himself considering the possibility that he could potentially settle here; it wasn't as though he hated this place, but settling down somewhere filled him with a sense of unease, considering he had called no particular space his home, except his occasionally changing ship, since his early years of development. As much as the idea unnerved him, he noticed that he was not as opposed to the concept as he had once been; instead, he recognised suddenly that there was a possibility of the two of them settling down somewhere if Sebastian managed to pluck up the guts to tell his crew that he no longer intended to stay there with them. The thought was quickly pushed away as he stared at Kai directly once more, a small smile pulling at the present frown as he considered what opportunities would open up to the two of them if such things did transpire; if Kai would be willing to spend his time every day with Sebastian, if they would be able to find a place together and move in (he anticipated that Kai would be somewhat adverse to that, considering how he had only lived underwater - but it was physically impossible for the pirate to live under the water without drowning, so that was their only option). He sighed briefly, feeling his hands supporting his body on the sand, his fingers curling into the grains, feeling them sifting through the gaps between them, sticking to his skin with grip that made Sebastian groan.

The way the merman had responded to his earlier comment concerning his expectations served to only extend that smile, the genuine warmth and honesty behind the actions represented in so much authenticity that he could barely contain himself before it spread into a full grin, stretching across his face with so little restraint; the genuine joy borne from the action reaching into his gaze as he watched Kai. Yeah. This felt right. He shifted himself so that he was echoing Kai's position on the sand, shifting now so that he was laying on his stomach, legs up in the air, his elbows propped up and palms holding his face in his hands as the two of them mocked one another. This felt more natural and genuine than anything he had ever experienced before, even with the knowledge that they were naturally mortal enemies; the irony that befell those circumstances was unrivalled by anything else he had experienced in his life. "You should know by now I don't forget a single thing you've said." He teased; although once the words left his mouth, he realised that such a remark would easily lead to a darker turn in the tone of the conversation, considering the insults they had thrown in each other's directions in the light of Sebastian's last departure. He wasn't about to forget those, either; but he recognised, at least, that they had been borne from the adrenaline and anger surging through the other at that time. Understandable, he recognised, but now, looking back, he still felt somewhat bitter about the whole ordeal, especially when he had felt so cornered in that moment - but he only had to remind himself on the way they had reunited with one another to realise that their circumstances had undoubtedly changed somewhat.

Sebastian kept his gaze averted as the small utterance came from the merman, softer this time; it was as though he had noticed that the pirate was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with how personal the conversation was becoming and had rectified his tone in order to generate a more sympathetic and gentle atmosphere between them. The pirate smiled softly upon recognising that, breathing softly through his nose as he composed himself, attempting to string together a response that would suit the question he had been asked without playing into anything too self-pitying. That wasn't his goal here; if Kai wanted to know, he wanted to give him the answers the wanted - and there was nothing there to say that the merman was particularly judging him for anything he was saying. The modifications he had made to his tone were all Sebastian needed to recognise that. He kept his gaze away from Kai, however, unable to force himself to face him directly in the face of vulnerability; Kai had seen him like this before, he was sure, but it did not make the experience any more comfortable in the least. "I'd only have to leave again." He mumbled, his voice significantly less audible the further he spoke, losing most of the conviction and mischief that had been so prevalent in his previous utterances. "I don't think I could face them for the first time in the decade, show them who I am now, and just leave them." He was aware that his murmurs contradicted much of what he had done to Kai in the past, something that he recognised with a slightly wary bitterness; he hadn't left Kai over any sort of malicious intent over the course of the time they had known each other, and it had only become more painful than he had been expecting the more he did it - part of the reason he was now considering simply staying with Kai. He had overstayed his visit with the crew by several years, and he knew it; and even if they hadn't directly recognised it, the crew knew it, too. "I don't think it'd be nice for them to realise they missed me growing up and instead saw I became a pirate, instead. I think it's just better to let them believe I'm dead." He elaborated eventually, resting his arms fully on the sand and propping his chin up on the space where his hands overlapped.