PARAGON

Paragon purposefully set an indirect course to Orche. She sailed straight to Radia, then sailed towards Yniris, skirting the scattered icebergs that floated in the cold northern waters.

Halfway between the two island countries, the liveship activated her mist and quickly sailed south to Orche. Though she had an impressive lead, the black ship continued to follow Paragon. The liveship knew they could be tenacious, but she had never seen the pirates continually chase her when she had an excessive lead. Her fibers quaked as she tried to hide her fears from her crew.

"Paragon?" Marin climbed up the steps onto the foredeck. "Is everything ok?" her tail flicked slightly, nervous. She put her hands on the silver and white railing as if feeling the fibers. "I grew up on a ship. Even if she was not as alive as you, I still feel your emotions like I could hers. Your tense fivers betray your feelings. Is something bothering you?"

Paragon paused. "Am I that readable?"

Marin paused. "Travis had voiced some concerns," she admitted, "but I told him I would come up here. He wanted to, but I insisted."

Paragon paused. Was I so focused on the pirates that I blocked out the feelings and words of my crew? The thought only increased her concern. Usually, I'm better at hearing everything. The liveship briefly tapped her tail against her hull, then sighed. "The Black Reaper is still following us. They don't normally continue to follow us after I get such a far head start."

Marin paused as her lips creased into a thin line. "Maybe they just happen to be sailing in this direction?" Though her heart held a little bit of hope, the ship felt dread swirling around in Marin's mind like a boiling pot of liquid.

Paragon frowned and clamped her fins in stress, "They didn't stop in the small settlements in Roahla, nor did they stop at Hael, the largest port city we've passed..." she fidgeted. "They are hunting us."

The liveship felt Marin's hopes drop. "What can we do?" The Pantherian's voice wavered.

"Hope we lose them," the figurehead answered honestly, "and hope they give up." Paragon pushed herself to sail faster, catching every wisp of wind in her sails and every bit of water current that flowed with her hull. She hoped with all the fibers of her being the pirates were ignorant of her trick. The liveship tried to estimate how long she could continue to make her magical mist. Her energy reserves dwindled, and she hadn't recovered since their last use. Her magic felt drained as if the sun could blow her mist away as if it was nothing. At least flavorful winds helped calm the anxious cloud that invisibly hung over her head.

Marin smiled a bit and stroked the figurehead's head as she stood. "I need to check on lunch. It's no breakfish, and I don't know if you can eat it, but you can still join us."

Paragon managed to grin and chuckled a bit to herself. "Sure, I can join you at the table." She glanced ahead at the vast expanse of water ahead of them. The ocean was empty and peaceful in all directions, at least to the horizon. Soon, they would arrive in Qrow. Paragon knew the waters were full of other ships; they were just out of sight for now.

With a smile on her face, Paragon hopped off of the bowsprit and jumped down onto the main deck. She allowed herself to relax a miniscule amount but still pushed her speed to its maximum. The figurehead dove into the deck, seamlessly traveling through the wood and reforming inside the kitchen.

"Hi, Paragon." Travis gave the figurehead a warm smile. "Do you need a seat?"

"No, the floor is fine," Paragon promised as she sat at the end of the table. Costasiella smiled at the figurehead. The dragoo sat in a nice chair, as her tail made it hard for her to sit in the booth seating.

"Flwoors cahn be cowmfy." Costasiella agreed with a nod.

Marin placed plates on the table, then platters of food in the middle. "Here's lunch." The smell of eggs, salted meat, and fresh biscuits wafted through the room. She also placed a salad for Costasiella and a bowl of fruit for everyone.

"Thanks, Marin!" Myrllen started passing out the plates. He placed one in front of everyone, including Paragon.

Costasiella used one of her tendrils to reach and grab a warm biscuit and an orange and put them on her plate before she picked up a large leaf from her salad and happily munched while the biscuit cooled.

Paragon let her crew fill their plates first, then picked from the leftovers. The figurehead added a slice of ham and a biscuit to her plate, then nibbled on the doughy treat first. She blinked in surprise at the deliciousness, then smiled at Marin. "This is good," she promised, "thank you."

Marin smiled and nodded, her mouth full.

Paragon happily continued to eat her treat. Though she didn't need to eat, the food helped her recover her magic like sugar raised a human's energy. The liveship knew her taste worked differently than her crew's, but she could tell these were much better than the stale crackers and bread she shared with Captain Starport.

He had never been an excellent cook by any measure, but he invented the breakfish. Paragon couldn't fault that culinary masterpiece. Also, the old captain was the king of burnt or stale foods. Even in his seniored age, he would eat anything. The liveship admitted that many of the burning events were her fault. She often accidentally distracted the captain in her younger years. Now, she had his memories and answers to all the questions she could ever ask.

However, the liveship realized those memories were not everything. Recollecting a soft breeze was not the same as feeling it in the present. Further, some of her memories were patchy, faulty, or contained outdated knowledge. The world had changed a lot, and she would live for it.

Author Notes!

So, what do you think of this chapter? What do you think will happen next?