Tell No Tales

[MK Kilmarnock]

Even with his mind as clouded as it had become, Gray's words punctured him. From where they struck, alternating waves of anger and weakness flowed through him. What he previously sought as the only reasonable exit from this dead, stagnant sea had been closed off, slammed in his face and wrapped in a barrier of doubt.

The barrel pressed to his temple offered no comfort. It offered none before, but now even its deceitful promises of release had been silenced. Slowly, but surely, the glorious wooden deck of his ship faded to rusted steel; his flag tattered to nothingness, his battle scars replaced with disgraceful tears streaming down his cheek. Sean could only stare back at Gray, pleading in an empty wish that he take it all back.

His mind replayed the events of the last half hour. The announcements played not too long after waking up. Just then, directly before that moment, everything was fine. Then the mere mention of a na me, and his new happy crew mutinied. No... no, that's not what happened. They were upset, Ami and Ruby, because they said Sean was a killer.

Sean was a killer. They were right. Panic had overcome him in the moment, and he nearly killed again. Instead, fate would have Sara be the victim. Maybe it wasn't by his hands, but they remained stained with her blood. Aria... it was Aria who rested more directly on his conscience. Direct or not, it was the event that led to everything. Because of one stupid squabble, Aria died. Because he died, Ruby threatened him. Because he was threatened he fought and, finally, because he fought, Sara died.

Everything started with something that was entirely his fault.

If only an apology would have made everything better. Sean would apologize a thousand times over to have things go back to the way they were when they were in school, before this little game began... before Sean started to play his own game when the first bothered him. Wishing for things to be so was ultimately pointless, however, and the truth in knowing this was becoming too much to bear.

"Gray..." Sean said, his voice weak and cracking. "I'm not a pirate... I'm a coward." He collapsed into sobs, both hands striking the deck. The pistol clattered and clinked away from him and his lost dream, stopping somewhere between himself and the doorway where Gray and Corey were. Not only was he a coward, he thought of himself, but he was too weak to even take what Gray called the coward's way out. So there Sean lay, a pathetic, leaned-over mass curled up on the deck of a useless ship that would never again float.

How fitting it was that the skies opened up to rain.

[Deamon]

Sean fell to his knees.

The gun clattered to the floor.

The clouds opened and the rain began.

Gray slowly stepped forward and crouched down, carefully picking up Sean's gun. He turned back to see Corey on the deck of the ship clutching his head. He hadn't noticed that happen, he had been too zoned in on Sean to notice. He put Sean's gun into his bag and put his bag down gently. He could give it back to Sean later, but only if he was sure Sean was trustworthy and from what he'd seen that trust would take a long time to build back up.

For what felt like an age Gray stood there between the two debating what to do. In the end he settled on looking after Sean, the other issue was, how was he going to do that? Gray rubbed his neck, well aware of how awkward the situation was. Eventually he settled on stepping forward and crouching in front of his former friend. Slowly he raised his right hand and placed it on Sean's shoulder.

He lowered his gaze and waited. Not saying anything. He knew better than that. When Sean wanted to speak he'd speak. Until then Gray waited.

[CondorTalon]

"Listen guys..." he said, still sitting on the floor. The blood had begun flowing back into his brain, and he found himself able to stand again. "I-I... need to collect my thoughts. This is way too much for me to handle right now."

"I'm... just going down below for a bit..."

He made his way to the stairs leading down, looking at the other two for a bit.

"I'll be right back..." he lied.

Then, he made his way away from the ship.

((Corey Esposito continued in Something Something Movie Reference.))

[MK Kilmarnock]

Though he felt the rain grow in strength and strike his back, it was only when he was soaked to the bone when Sean finally stood up. Water had run down his neck and around his face to drench the sides, and his bandana only served to waterlog his hair. Brushing the headwear off when he clumsily pushed himself to his feet, his eyes stayed locked to the deck.

How long he had stayed there, wallowing in his own misery and feeling sorry for himself while the rain beat him, was something he could not allow himself to comprehend at all. It felt like a long time. That was all he needed to know. Even looking down at his feet, too ashamed to look at anything else, Sean still knew Gray was right there. He had half-expected him to walk off and leave him there to die, but when it became clear that he wasn't going anywhere, that was what had given him the urge to stand.

"Um..." Sean said quietly, his voice cracking almost immediately. The next few seconds were spent coughing, then continuing to avert looking at Gray at all. "I want to see her. Then... then we can get out of here."

One foot shuffling after the other, Sean moved to head below deck, retracing the steps he had made not so long ago - the steps in the moments just after everything had been changed and ruined. No, it had been further back than that, hadn't it? When everything began to fall apart was back at the airport. He tried to justify it then. Now, with his fantasy shattered, he had to face the crushing dilemma of being responsible for two people dead when before all of this, the largest thing he ever killed was a particularly large spider hiding behind the shower head.

When he saw Sara's body, he had to cover his mouth for a moment to stop whatever was going to come out. Whatever he thought it would be, either a scream, vomit, or maybe just more crying, never came. He was weary, tired of crying, incapable of fear. He just wanted to see her.

He needed to see her, now having acknowledged just how much he was responsible for everything.

"L..."

"Let's go."

((Sean Mulcahy, continued elsewhere))

[Deamon]

"Yeah sure man." Gray said over his shoulder to Corey. It'd be easier if everyone felt comfortable, so if Corey needed to get some space and privacy than fair enough. He lost track of how long he crouched in front of Sean with his hand on his shoulder. But eventually Sean took his bandanna off and stood up. Gray following him up; he kept his beanie on though. If he took it off it would just become more uncomfortable when he put it back on. Plus he liked it and felt better with it on. He'd been wearing a beanie on his head for as long as he could remember. Some people were surprised he even had actual hair whenever he took one off. Then again, most people didn't travel down to the beach with him and Kyran.

Gray didn't force anything; Sean had effectively had a mental break in front of him so he'd get to dictate a speed that was comfortable for him. He said he wanted to see Sara's body. Gray simply nodded.

"Sure thing man."

Gray let Sean past him and waited until he heard the other boy's footsteps on the stairs before he walked over to the railing of the ship. He laid his arms over it and rested his head on them. Letting out a long sigh he looked up and out to sea. He raised one of his hands in front of his face and watched it shake.

"Got a bit of a rush going." He muttered as he turned his hand over and clenched his fingers. Then he turned, picked up his bag and followed Sean down below deck.

He found him looking at Sara's body. Gray stayed quiet and let Sean have his time, then once Sean spoke he nodded.

"Ok."

((Gray Emerson continued elsewhere...))