"Look at him… your twin."
"My twin?"
After cutting the rope with a swing of his pocket knife, Axel freed Lapsus from the little trap and walked him out of the forest all the way to a beach.
As they walked, Lapsus caught glimpses of the surroundings — the golden sand and the serene sound of the waves were truly captivating, but his eyes couldn't care less… stuck on the ship that was parked right there.
He had many questions earlier about Axel and the others with their pistols, and the ship only acted as fuel for the small burning fire of curiosity… well, that was until Axel pointed at something, calling it Lapsus's twin, making Lapsus avert his gaze from the ship and follow Axel's extended finger.
At the end of it, surrounded by those who had previously pointed their pistols at Lapsus, was a man wearing nothing but a weird-looking hat, holding nothing but a rum bottle in his hand and a lousy shirt… dancing and jumping between the dazzling clear water and the golden sand while the others shouted and laughed.
"A twin? We look nothing alike… at best it would be our long brown hair."
"I know, but both of you are naked… so nude twins."
With a small laugh and a bright smile, Axel pointed at their crotches to drive his point home.
I really need some clothes now… I'm already being mistaken for a pervert, Lapsus thought helplessly, shoulders falling.
"Come on… don't be sad. I'll lend you some clothes when we reach the office."Noticing the little drop in Lapsus's mood, Axel tried to cheer him, which worked well enough.
"Thanks… but it's already too late. I already lost my dignity."
"Hehe… it's okay… sigh."
Then they reached the ship and stood facing the stairs leading inside. Axel heaved a deep sigh, staring at those stairs before asking Lapsus:
"I have a lot of questions to ask… and I bet you want some answers too, little lad?"
"Umm…" Lapsus nodded.
"But first, you never told me your name…"
"My name…"
For a moment, Lapsus hesitated. Should he tell him his full name? Should he tell a pseudonym?
But why should I lie? Is there any problem with telling him the truth? Maybe… I don't know… is it safe to come up with a pseudonym right this moment? I don't think so…
"Lapsus… just Lapsus."He decided to neither tell the full truth nor lie. He neither said his full name, Lapsus Siderus, nor came up with some cheap pseudonym… he simply told the necessary half.
At that, Axel stared at Lapsus for a moment — and for that moment, his jovial features vanished. Solemn eyes stared sharply, as if trying to find something invisible, before snapping back into a warm smile.
"Well, Lapsus is a name not so common… to tell the truth, you're the first one I've met."
"Really… I really don't know much…"
"Just leave it. Say, Lapsus, I'll give you a pair of my clothes, and for the food, would a chicken leg suffice?"
"Please, it would be more than enough… I really appreciate it."
"Hehe… don't drag it. After all, you might be our new crewmate."With a laugh, Axel walked up the stairs, and Lapsus followed as he muttered:
"A new crewmate…?"
----
He is taking too long…
Lapsus complained, sitting alone in a small office room that was messy to say the least. Many papers — some crumpled, some just thrown around the room — and many books piling up. And one thing stood out:
The smell is suffocating… why no ventilation?The strong smell of cigars mixed with coffee and alcohol clearly came from the many bottles of rum scattered over the little desk.
"..?"
Suddenly Lapsus spotted a little thing shining among the bottles over the desk… a weird-looking ornament stood there.. A bracelet? Lapsus thought, but he quickly dismissed that idea because at the end of it was a tiny box attached.
A small silver box that shone with the faint sunlight passing through the small office windows. It was attractive to say the least — something that would drive anyone with a hint of curiosity to wonder what was inside, and Lapsus was curious enough.
He grabbed the ornament and reached for the tiny box, trying to get a hold of it and open it.
"...!!?"
Suddenly a hand snatched the ornament from him, followed by a sarcastic voice tainted with a little solemnity:
"No no no… a very bad start, little lad."
"Sorry, it took me some time to get the captain ready…" Axel said as he entered the room.
Lapsus' gaze followed the hand holding the ornament to its owner.. A pale man stood there, tying the little ornament to a strand of his brownish, neck-long hair.
Everything about him screamed eccentric — the way he walked to the desk and sat facing Lapsus, as if the earth was tilting under him, hips flexible and moving with the wind.
He sat down, facing Lapsus with brown tired eyes— no, they weren't tired… the man was clearly using eyeliner. His clothes didn't make sense to Lapsus: an old trench coat, so worn it was tearing apart, covered by many layers of torn shirts and torn pants, as if each layer was covering a tear in the one beneath it.
And then there was the true selling point for Lapsus: the odd hat that pushed him to speak his thoughts aloud.
"Are you a pirate?"
"Sigh…"Standing next to the man, Axel sighed at the childish question, but the man wore a great smile and laughed.
"Hahaha… not bad, little lad. You fixed your bad start."
"So you are a pirate or not?"
"I told you, you need to stop dressing like a homeless…"
"Come on, Axel, we are pirates. Let us live it to the fullest."
So he is a pirate…
"I love it when people tell from the first glance… I work hard on it. I'm flattered, little lad."
"Heh…" Lapsus smiled awkwardly.
Wait… isn't this the guy from earlier!? You don't mean to tell me the pervert is actually the head of the crew!?
"Alright… let's start our little interview."Adjusting his posture, the captain declared.
"Interview?"
"But first, we'll use a little trick. Axel, can you bring me the timer please."
"I am not your servant, do it yourself."
"Come on, don't break the character… please?"With teary eyes, the captain begged. With a sigh, Axel opened the closet filled with papers and took out a small timer.
"What trick requires a timer?" Lapsus asked.
"Oh, it is a long story…"
"Then don't tell it."
"Come on Axel, let me entertain the little lad…"
"I doubt he'll be entertained."
Why do they keep arguing…?
"Fine, I'll make it succinct. The thing is, I once met a stubborn blind merchant. Instead of having long conversations, she usually put a timer of 60 seconds."
"I see… but isn't 60 seconds too short?"
"I told her so, but she said that being stressed by time moves your thoughts faster."
"So our conversation will last only 60 seconds?"
"Yes. I ask a question, you answer. Then you ask a question, and I answer. Back and forth. Easy to understand, right?"
"Yes…" Lapsus nodded at the brief explanation as the captain set the timer.
"Good — and we start now."
Wait what!!?
"What is your name?"
"ea— Lapsus!"Lapsus was startled by the sudden start. He even struggled to say his name, thus couldn't think of any optimal question.
"What is your name?"
"Iack. Not Jack — but Iack. How old are you?"
"I don't know… I don't even know what day it is."
"That is a question. 15th of February, 1007 of the Third Era. Where are you from?"
Lapsus froze, his heartbeats rose, and his thoughts spiraled
It's been almost 7 years!!? I'm only 15 days away from reaching 16… but Father was killed yesterday. Did I sleep that long!? what happened to Luna? are they looking for me? did they stop? — no, I'm wasting time… I need to know where I am and how to get back to my hometown… to Luna and the others—
"From the kingdom of Eirenthal."
"Eirenthal, the northern continent… are you a vessel?"
"Wait, I haven't asked my question yet."
"You wasted too much time thinking — a penalty you get. Now answer: are you a vessel, and if so, what god does your wyrm align with?"
"Yes, I am a vessel. I don't know about the god thing… Are you a vessel?"
Wait— no, I got swept away. Not the question I wanted to ask!!Lapsus's leg started moving fast; for a moment he couldn't gather his thoughts or filter them, losing time and possibly the opportunity to ask the necessary questions.
"Yes, I am. What are you looking for on this island?"
Island?
"Nothing. I just want to go back to my homeland. Is there a way?"
Not again… I messed up the order. I should've asked this after knowing where I am…
"There is a way, but first you have to work a little. Would you like to join our crew for a bit? We can get you back to Eirenthal — it's one of our stops anyway…"
"I… would like to, but first — where exactly am I?"
And with that question, the timer rang, ending the 60 seconds and depriving Lapsus of the answer he craved…or so he thought.
"Axel, can you please bring the two maps over there…?"
"But the timer rang? No need to answer anything, Iack?"
"I know — but we need the trust of the little lad."