Shay led Ushanti towards the mess hall.
"What about your sister?" Ushanti asked
Shay sighed. "I tried to get her, but she said she wasn't hungry"
"Oh?"
"Don't worry too much, it's pretty normal for most of us to go several days without food" Shay said. "Same goes for sleep, but I would advise against it. Taking good care of yourself is just as important as training, you got that?"
Ushanti nodded.
By now they had arrived at the doors that led to the mess hall. Even closed, she could hear the chatter from behind it. Shay paused for a moment, then she pushed the door inward.
Silence rolled as the two Ushari entered the room.
Shay and Ushanti lingered at the door for a moment as the crew members stopped what they were doing to look at them. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. It always happened whenever they were around. The mainlanders didn't seem to like their company much.
'The queen wishes for our people and the mainlanders to be on friendly terms but with both sides wary of one another...it's going to be a rough road' Shay thought but it was at that moment that one of the crew members rose from his seat and walked towards her.
Shay observed him. It was the man from before, the one with a grey beard. He looked well aged and seasoned. What was his name again?
"Glad you could join us" the man smiled as he stood in front of her.
Shay didn't know how to respond to that. The man seemed to have noticed which only caused him to smile more.
"Name's Grey" he offered his hand. Shay observed it for a second. She was a little bit familiar with the customs of the mainland.
"I am Shay" she shook it.
"Well then..." taking her hand Grey raised it up in the air. "TO SHAY!"
"HOORAH!" the crew cheered and raised their cups. Some banged the tables, and some jumped to their feet.
Honestly, Shay found it a little strange but seeing the broad smiles on their faces brought a sense of warmth into her heart. Seeing her expression, Grey said:
"They're a little rowdy, but they are an honest bunch."
"I can see that" she said, a smile finding its way to her lips.
Grey laughed. "Come on, sit with us" he tugged at her hand.
Shay belatedly realized that she still had her hand in his. She didn't pull away though...in fact, Grey's hand felt warm and pleasant to the touch, so she let him bring her towards the table where the crew was eating.
They moved to make room for her.
***
Ushanti watched with a surprised expression as Shay was practically dragged from her side by the crew of the ship. They were all smiles and laughter and quite merry as Shay sat among them.
'Aren't you supposed to be by my side?' Ushanti found herself smiling despite herself.
Ah well, seeing as I am practically invisible, Ushanti grabbed a plate and headed towards the counter. The chef there smiled and handed her a filled tray... the food in her plate even looked a little much?
Maybe she was overthinking it, but her exhausted mind didn't think much of it, anyway. Tray in hand, the Ushari princess navigated the maze of tables that was the mess hall. Careful with every step, she didn't want to be tripping and falling over herself.
Her first meeting with Liam had been embarrassing enough.
It wasn't until she was further in the mess, surrounded by tables and the laughter of the rowdy crew was well behind her, that she saw Liam seated at a table with another boy.
She paused, then made purposeful strides. A moment later she set her tray down on their table, prompting the boys to look up from their food.
"What?" Ushanti glared.
"Uh..." the other boy turned an eye to Liam. Liam shrugged. "...you're quite welcome to join us"
Ushanti had already been seated by the time he looked away. She sat across the table, facing them. She took a spoonful of the food, and her eyes widened.
"Taste good?" the other boy smiled knowingly. She could only nod. "Rodrick's the best"
Ushanti tilted her head a bit. "Rodrick?"
The boy gave her a strange look. "... the cook?"
"Oh" she realized before shooting Liam a heated gaze. His shoulders trembled. "What's up with you?"
"I'm sorry" Liam chuckled, his shoulders trembling more. "...it's just...you've been here longer than me and I can tell you barely know anyone"
"Shut up!" she leaned back and crossed her arms. "It's not my fault... they're just difficult to talk to is all"
"Uh, huh. Sure" Liam bobbed his head repeatedly. He couldn't hide the smile on his face, though.
Ushanti released a breath and faced the other boy.
"Who are you, anyway?"
"Name's Lad" the boy said. He silently took another spoonful of the food. Liam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. For someone who barely stopped talking for most of how long he knew him, the boy seemed unusually timid.
'Wonder what that's all about' Liam allowed himself the distraction.
"You look tired" Liam said.
Ushanti lingered. "Been up all night"
"How did it go?"
Ushanti gave a sigh.
"Not well, I presume," Liam said.
"Yeah...it's like no matter how hard I try, it just won't listen" she shook her head. She felt a bit dejected, but it hurt a little less than before.
Liam remained silent. There was nothing he could tell her that wouldn't sound like everything she hadn't already heard.
"What are you guys talking about?" Lad asked, puzzled.
"Uh..." she looked towards Liam, unsure how to reply. Liam gave a shrug. "...well, it's like this..."
She ended up explaining to him how she couldn't control her vast amounts of Aether no matter how hard she tried.
"So technically you have large free flowing energy inside you that can't be controlled because it's...well, large," Lad muttered to her annoyance, though she tried not to show it. She turned to speak to Liam once more when Lad said something that took her attention. "I mean, if you can't control the entire thing, why not try for a small piece instead? "
She froze. Liam too.
"What...do you mean by that?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Uh well. Say you wanted to have water in your house, you definitely can't just take the entire lake and expect it to become yours. Instead, you take pipes that will draw the water and direct it towards the... house?"
Ushanti shot to her feet.
Lad stopped talking. His expression puzzled as he watched Ushanti walk away from the table. She rushed towards the doors of the mess hall.
He gave Liam a troubled look. "Did I say something wrong?"
Liam shook his head. "The opposite, really. You might have said the smartest thing today. Come on"
Liam followed after her.
For a short while Lad sat on his own. "The smartest thing I've said today?" he grumbled. Why did that rub him the wrong way? He too got up and followed after them.