Voyage Pt. I

 As the entire crew gathered, they were asked to introduce themselves. The crew was the same as always, Avis already knew them, but what interested him were the adventurers.

 "Mccoy." One of them said, he was a slightly uninteresting-looking man, he was tall, with a bald head, wearing a leather suit with metal patches at seemingly random places, and a sword slightly larger than the one Avis took from instructor Milan.

 Speaking of the swords, only the big one remained, sitting on Maizy's back as she didn't have time to give it to Avis.

 One of the other adventurers spoke, a woman in her twenties, her long black hair, neatly kept in a ponytail wrapped around itself just screamed nobility. There was also a big red scar on her left cheek, making her look somewhat menacing, but her beauty was evident.

 "My name is Peregrine, nice to meet you all."

 "And I am Thorne Eamon, this woman's husband and protector."

 The young man who spoke was the same one with white hair from earlier, he seemed a little too young for the woman, but as they assumed he was a noble, it was possible, but just in case the point didn't come across, he flashed his daggers in a way that couldn't be taken as a direct threat, truly he acted like someone from the upper class.

 Now it was the last arrival's time for introductions.

 "My name is Maizy Leokadia, I hope we can get along."

 It was now Avis' turn to speak.

 "The crew already knows me, but I will still introduce myself. I am Avis."

 "..." No one spoke, from his first sentence it felt like he was about to list out his titles or proclaim himself the new captain, but that combined with the fact that all he was wearing were wet pants and a shabby shirt took everyone by surprise.

 "We already knew you're weird, thanks for reminding us."

 "No problem. But I shouldn't have to say that anyone who even looks at Maizy wrong will have their legs cut off, right?"

 "I could read it between the lines." 

 "Good."

 Maizy looked at him strangely, not knowing what to say, but having the protection of a friend who defeated her so easily and saved her from an evolved monster was somewhat reassuring.

 "I will now give out the duties, you don't do em', yo'r not getting fed, is what my pa' used to say, understood? They will be assigned in twelve-hour shifts, in two rotations, everyone will get to do every job so no complaints."

 "Aye." The men said.

 …

 After getting their jobs, Avis was surprised to see that he was supposed to sit in the crow's nest, while the girl's job was to clean the deck.

 "This is not right, let's switch jobs." He said.

 "No, you need rest, it can do this at least, don't underestimate me!" 

 "I'm not… Agh… Have it your way, but don't blame me if you get sore hands, it's not an easy job."

 "Of course, I know, I'll see you later, dumbass."

 "Dumbass, did I do something wrong?"

 As they both left for their duties, up in the crow's nest, the salty breeze of the ocean tugged at Avis' hair, the view was incredible as the sun disappeared behind the ship, thankfully he wouldn't have to endure the scorching sun blasting his bare chest, for today at least.

 Meanwhile, Maizy moved with quiet determination as she scrubbed the salt off the planks, frequently taking breaks as splinters or small cuts appeared on her fingers.

 Avis couldn't help but steal glances at her, the girl might have just lost her parents, yet she refused to show any trace of weakness.

 "Avis, you rascal, do your job and stop staring at the poor girl's ass!" One of the crew members shouted, and every person on deck turned to look at him, including Maizy.

 *GULP* "I-I wasn't… Staring…"

 "Who' you foolin' with that? Keep your eyes on the damn sea if you don't want us all to crash n' die!"

 With a last look at Maizy, who now wore a frown on her face, Avis sat back in the nest, wanting to make himself disappear.

 'She's going to kill me, isn't she?' With no way of talking to her, he could only wait until his shift ended and try to explain himself.

 The second he saw the next worker about to climb the pole, he slid down and ran to their room. The rooms were divided into three or four beds, sometimes hammocks, but the boat was much under capacity, and even with the captain having his own room, they got a room all to themselves. Just as he expected, Maizy was already there, arm crossed and looking angry, demanding an apology on the spot.

 Avis threw himself to his knees and put his hands together.

 "I swear this is a misunderstanding, I was only admiring how strong you are, if I were in your position I would have probably just curled up and let myself be eaten by some monster! I swear!"

 "... Are you sure you weren't admiring something else?"

 "I'm not a pervert! I have a righteous heart!"

 "My father told me to be most weary of people who are only nice to me because they expect something in return. It's all the more true as you know I'm the daughter of a duke, seducing to gain access to a noble's riches is against the law, you know?"

 "I give you my word, and I'm being completely honest, that my intentions toward you are pure!"

 "Again with you sounding so mature! Do you think you're better than me? And even if what you say is true, how am I supposed to feel when one moment you threaten to kill for me and the next you're caught staring at my body? I don't want to speak to you right now, leave me be…"

 "I… I-I… Fine, I'm sorry, I will let you calm down."

 "Wait a second, I have some more questions for you."