Seeing Kemal arrive just now strikes a nerve.
It was hard to pinpoint what he's been feeling ever since that day. "Well? He's not in here."
"He's sick." There wasn't an ounce of care behind that statement.
Kemal only stops once they're mere steps apart. Since Kier's displeasure has become priority.
"Do you not trust my men to take care of him?" His tail coils around Kemal, lifting him just high enough to be able to reposition them. "Or is that how you treat anyone in that kind of condition."
"I just thought we could spend time together alone if he isn't here." Kemal hums, allowing himself to be whisked into their room.
His hand lifts, preparing to stroke the beasts scales only for it to pull away much faster than usual. With the door shutting behind them Kemal's eyes carefully follow its impatient whip.
"Something must be on your mind." "Must?" Kier scoffs, an empty growl getting past his teeth. "Why worry? Prince Kioshi isn't capable of taking me from you."
Those words earned Kemal another irritated tail flick. Since Kier isn't exactly facing him that's all he can go off of.
"Are you interested in my brother?"
Kemal tilts his head, already determined that he wasn't worth the effort. "No, I much rather be with you." Kier's voice instantly cuts through. "More than Azul?"
Genuine confusion flickers through his usually composed eyes. "Of course. why would you consider that?"
The room falls silent. Kemal's eyes begin to wander as more seconds pass.
"So you'd choose me over Prince Kioshi."
That sentence alone earns Kier an annoyed glare, he can feel it, so his back stays turned. "Now why would you assume I wouldn't?"
"He seems quite faithful. It made me wonder if there's more."
His heavy body turns slowly, a glare so powerful he could feel, vanishes without a trace.
Kemal nods, seeming content. "He is, isn't he?"
"Although I wouldn't exactly consider his loyalty romantic." He adds.
Their eyes meet. Kemal looks and feels much smaller in comparison to Kier, so why did he feel so out of control.
'Azul...' His thought's were racing. 'He should be bringing back Mikel by now.'
"I won't leave you. Unless you personally kick me off of our ship." Kemal's head sways a little with his words.
"So I could ask you to stay here without leaving? There shouldn't be anything else you must be doing." "Yes."
Kier has never received such a quick answer before, let alone with this much confidence. "Hm?" "Yes."
And then again.
"If that's what you want, I can and will." Kemal's head tilts, eyes still focused on Kier's unchanging expression. "Within reason of course."
"Within reason." Kier repeats, those words hanging heavy in the air, after all, this wasn't the expected outcome.
What is he thinking?
"So you're really not interested in my brother, only me?" Kier questions.
For the first time he broke eye contact first. He saw a familiar face standing behind his mate, sticking their tongue out at him.
'I told you not to touch me.' Those memeories that grind his gears. This troublesome Prince has been acting all sorts of disrespectful since arriving here.
This kind of confidence must come from somewhere.
Their conversation eventually led elsewhere.
Kier follows Kemal into the kitchen, noting two Beastmen who were clearly cooking up something for their feline friends. His eyes flick back to Kemal who is more focused on finding the furthest seat than anything.
"Captain!"
"Evening, sir!"
Both waved, looking rather festive.
Kier nods back before glancing at his mate one last time. "I came to guide Pal here. Remember to clean up after yourselves." That name tastes bitter.
"Always do!" "Yeah right."
Their captain leaves through the door, leaving Kemal behind.
"So? Did you come here to cook?" One of the men hoots towards an unresposnive body.
He made no effort to answer, his head hung low, already gone. The beastmen glance at one another before shrugging it off.
"Isn't this much excessive?" "Oh trust me, they will be all over you!" Their conversation continues as if nothing happened. "Yeah? And if they pass out?" "I'll take the blame! Just trust me on this."
The horned herbivore sighs, not looking too well. "Are you sure I'll fit in? Even if we're all beastmen, I came from too far."
"Oh please!" Another loud hoot cuts through. "Our Prince is a hybrid. Everyone stopped looking a while ago. You'd probably be the one he talks to first! Birds of a feather!" "Aish!"
While one huffs the other is cackling to himself. "Belive me, anyone is welcome. You could be a merman and they'd act as if you're one of their own."
"When I tell you, we'll get there, everyone will be too busy celebrating and making friends. isn't that what our festival is all about?" "I wouldn't know." "Oh, right!"
After a few more light kicking and contained chuckles one of them turns around to find the captain's mate in another position.
"Come on, let's go pack it, it'll need a few days to let the flavour stretch its legs." His feathered friend marches ahead.
The herbivore couldn't help but look a little longer before shaking it off. If that man really did move he would have heard it.
Once the last person leaves Kemal gets up with slumped shoulders. After watching them for this long he's got a pretty good grasp of where everything is. He kicks open a cupboard where their barrel is hidden inside as his arms move to snatch a fresh bowl.
He fills it up with enough water to create wide surface before covering his tracks and scooting back to his corner. The reflection was already tempting him to take a look even while going back.
Everything Kemal did was uncomfortably silent, as if nobody were inside at all.
After soundlessly placing the bowl down his eyes finally focus on the reflection he assumes is his own despite it looking nothing like him.
Carefully, he pokes at it, shaking the bowl and swirling what's inside, evreything he couldn't have done to the ocean. Eventually, one hand breaks free, feeling his features and hair.
It was all in perfect sync, until he reached out to touch the false hairstrands. Fingers were going through as if an illusion, but anything that did exist moved along with him.
Did his friends think he's stupid? or is there more to it. Ever since they started acting strangely Kemal couldn't help but notice that his behaviour felt unnatural. It made no sense for him to act this distrusting or aggressive.
'It must be my memories.'
Or was it a piece of him. Did he lose something after losing those memories?
That reflection, it feels right, even that vacant look in its eyes. Every finger he dips into the water vanishes as his unobstructed reflection moves closer.