Sean calmed down as the hours ticked by. How long had Nate been gone? He wasn't sure. He focused on trying to twist his wrists free of the ropes, but it was only burning his wrist to try. Whoever tied it knew what they were doing. Sean thrashed in frustration, thinking he could make the fake anchor smash the container he was in... but the chain that attached the anchor to the floor made that impossible. Wearing himself out, Sean rested a bit and tried to think rationally. His gifts were mostly in illusion or water manipulation. Nothing that could help him get free. He was just starting to think about flooding the stupid cabin with the water from the tank, when the door burst open. Nate looked exhausted as he stormed through the room to drop into a large throne chair in the corner. Nate shifted in the chair to hang his legs off one of the gold armrests and rested his shoulders against the other armrest. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, Nate closed his eyes before letting out a frustrated groan.

Sean watched him in silence as another man in a naval uniform marched into the open door to ask Nate curiously. "Captain, if I may?" Nate didn't change his posturing as he growled out. "What do you want now, Dorian?" Dorian straightened up, folding his hands back against his lower back as he told Nate clearly. "If you can't get him to talk... Maybe we should change tactics. I can get a gallows set up within a day. We could start by hanging every member of his crew until he talks." Sean whacked his tail against the container, shouting out. "NO! You don't have to do that! Please?! I can-" Nate jerked up in his seat, cutting him off to shout out angrily. "SHUT UP!" Sean fell silence, staring at Nate with mercy in his eyes. Nate's own eyes didn't reflect it. His eyes looked as cold as ice as he told Dorian sternly. "Fine. Prepare the gallows. Maybe a few less crew members will loosen his tongue. And have my meal brought in." Dorian gave him a deep bow, closing the door as he quickly left the room.

Once he was gone, Sean told Nate in a shaky voice. "I understand that you're upset... but killing innocent men-" Nate cut him off with a sudden harsh laugh, before stating out bitterly. "Innocent men? You're defending murderers and thieves! Liars and rapists! They attacked your kind at the lagoon. How can you turn a blind eye to that?!" Sean puffed himself up, glaring back at Nate as he retorted defensively. "Are we so different from them? As I recall, our own history tells of our people drowning sailors. To them we are the monsters. I don't turn I blind eye. I just choose to understand the differences of our worlds... and how we are all monsters and we create monsters through our ignorance." Nate snorted as a small smirk pulled at his lips. He removed a bottle off a table by his chair, popping the cork out as he muttered out with a chuckle. "You sound like one of their damn politicians. Quick to state the obvious, but not a solution." Nate took a long hard swig from his bottle, then told him bluntly.

"You need to swim out of this fantasy of yours. It's a kill or be killed world. You can tell a shark to go vegan, but a predator is a predator for a reason. They clean out the wounded and dying to keep the oceans clear of diseases. And humanity is a fucking disease." Sean wanted to be mad, but seeing the depressed look on Nate's face, he decided to try something different. Calming himself, he told Nate very softly. "They are a young species. They are lost. We could help them. If Atlanteans unite, we could rise again and show them a better way." Nate huffed doubtfully, muttering out before he took another swig. "Atlantis is an ancient relic of a forgotten past. It won't save anyone. As you put it in so many useless words... We will all live by the sword and die by it. So, why bother changing that now? Let's just live it up, before we meet the inevitable end." Sean kept his soft eyes on Nate, answering seriously. "You don't believe that." Nate rose up in the chair, adjusting in it to face him with a burning glare.

Nate leaned on his knees, snapping back sourly. "Don't pretend to know me. You can't imagine what I've seen. I've been among them far longer than you have. I've seen this 'lost humanity' you're so curious about. I'm telling you... It's lost for a reason. Not even a united Atlantis could save them." Sean stayed firm to his cause, telling Nate seriously. "Humans have always been cruel. It's the reason Atlantis was built in the first place. Remember? Atlanteans showed them a paradise. We can do it again. We can save them and ourselves." Nate took a longer swig, then lowered his eyes to the floor as he grumbled out. "Some of us can't be saved. Without my soul... I am nothing. I'm an empty shell drifting in shadows. And the longer he takes to give it back... the more he will feel my pain." Sean blinked confused, changing the subject as he asked. "What do you mean? What is your curse doing to him exactly?" Nate's eyes rose to meet his, his voice going numb as he stated out bluntly.

"It takes his love away from him. He had to find love. Which he did. Now just like me, his love will wear him down to nothing. When the heart turns black, it will leave him blind and he'll forever feel the crushing feeling of loss. He'll be as empty as I am with no way to end his pain." Sean felt his tear mix with the water as he told Nate in a strained voice. "That's cruel... You're not just punishing him... You're punishing me for loving him..." Nate took a smaller swig from his bottle, telling him in a softer voice. "I am sorry about that. I may have put the curse on him, but I have no control over who triggers it. But trust me... I'm doing you a favor. You can do better than him." Sean shook his head, mumbling out. "That's not for you to decide. You don't know what he's been through... Why he is the way he is." Nate lowered his bottle from his lips to answer in a stinging tone of voice. "Wanna bet?" Sean stiffened in silence, watching Nate rise to his feet to say aloud in an emotional voice. "I know all about him. I was the one helped him become what he is! He was a broken mess when I found him. Chained in some pleasure tent on the beach for the sailors to enjoy by the light of a bonfire. I saved his life!"

Sean thought about it, before replying swiftly. "But he told me that a pirate saved his life..." Nate pointed to himself, snapping out. "I saved his life. The 'Scavenger' is MY ship! I took him in, and I showed him what being a pirate was. My mistake was falling for him and watching him take EVERYTHING from me! He led a mutiny against me with that crew you don't want me to hang! His men butchered my friends and then sailed back to my home and opened fire on innocents out of greed! I begged him to kill me and instead he made me watch! He used me! And I have no one to blame but myself! I was blind and he'll know how that feels! He'll feel my pain every day... and when he begs me to kill him... I'm going to laugh." Sean stared into Nate's pained eyes, seeing him so broken and in pain tore at Sean's heart strings. Nate averted his eyes like he could see the pity on his face and smashed the bottle against the nearest wall. The red alcohol streaked down the wall and Nate let out a bloodcurdling scream that sparked purple static from his body and made his eyes blaze a bright purple.

Sean cringed watching the sparks dance across the carpet, leaving black burns that smoked but didn't catch fire. When Nate stopped screaming, he shouted to the wall aggressively. "I didn't ask for this! I was a good person! Now I can't feel anything!" Sean gasped as Nate brushed his coat away from his side to unsheathe a beautiful katana sword. The hilt was made from beautiful pearl in the design of what looked like a dragon with bright blue eyes that matched the sea blue sheathe. The blade itself glinted as light reflected off the shiny steel, the strange Atlantean writing on it lighting up in a soft purple color as purple sparks rippled along the blade. Sean held his breath, watching Nate grip the hilt tight and swing it over his head to strike the container he was in. Sean screamed as the blade cut through it like soft flesh and the water in the tank burst into a thick steamy fog. When the fog drifted away to settle around the room, Sean finally let out the breath he'd been holding. All the water was gone from the container and shattered glass was scattered all around him.

Nate's boots crunched over the glass as he casually moved to stand in front of him. The fact that Nate was still holding his sword worried him, but he stayed as calm as he could. Nate didn't look at him, keeping his sword pointed to the ground as he mumbled out in a weary voice. "I can't live like this... I can't feel anything... I'm afraid..." Sean felt a tear run down his cheek upon watching a few silent tears fall from Nate's eyes. Feeling deeply for him, he told him honestly. "Nate... Let me help you. Please?" Nate shook his head, whispering out so softly. "I can't trust you. I can't trust anyone." Sean tapped Nate with his tail lightly, just enough to draw his attention, before he whispered to him warmly. "You don't trust humans... but I'm not human. Let me help you?" Nate stood frozen to the spot for a time, then he moved away without a word. Sean was going to try again, when the ropes on him went slack. Sean yelped as he slipped off the anchor, but Nate caught him before he landed on the glass.

Nate hefted him up better in his arms, carrying him over to the bed to lay him down. Sean jerked up, feeling like the bed was the worst place to be. However, jerking up brought him face to face with Nate. Sean swallowed nervously. He didn't mean to get so close to him, but now that he was... He couldn't help noticing something. Nate looked exhausted. It was as if he hadn't slept in days. Nate eyed him for a moment, then when he realized Sean wasn't going to do anything, he removed the amulet necklace from around his neck. Sean's eyes lit up when he saw his necklace. Nate draped it over Sean's head, then backed away from the bed to sheathe his sword. The cabin door burst open as Dorian and a few other soldiers asked him in worried voices. "Captain! Are you alright?" Nate rolled his eyes, grumbling back. "It's fine. Leave us." Dorian took in the room a bit longer, until Nate shouted over his shoulder. "I said LEAVE!" Dorian slammed the door in his fright and Nate's voice took on a more normal tone as he told Sean bluntly. "Don't give me a reason to hurt you too."

Sean sat up on the bed, putting his bare feet on the floor as he told Nate sincerely. "I won't... but there is something I have to know first." Nate glared at him out of the corner of his eyes, causing Sean to tread lightly when he asked. "If I get your ring back... Can you remove your curse from him?" Nate took a moment, then answered in a dark tone of voice. "I can." Sean rose very slowly to his feet, telling Nate confidently. "Take me to him." Nate's eyes drifted down Sean's body, before he locked eyes back up with him and said with a small chuckle. "Don't you want to put something on first?" To Be Continued...