With your light, paint a galaxy on the waves

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

The world was drowning in blue. Above, below, anywhere she looked there was only blue. Even the purple that striped the arc of the heavens seemed bluer than usual, without a cloud to enhance the alien color. The wind had died down after dawn and now the sun cleared away the lingering fog, and the Castaway Exchange appeared sculpted from light in the brilliant morning. Her boat spread ripples scross the mirror still surface, and it was as if the prow sliced through glass, or air, or the very fabric of reality.

The closer the oarman brought her to the market, the more ripples appeared on the surface, scattering rippling reflections of light across every structure. While it was early enoughstill  to discourage all but the most eager visitors, plenty of vendors had already opened for business and called out their wares in clear voices that rang across the watery expanse.

Enamored by this sight that she had never seen before, Maea leaned our over the railing and raked her gaze over the wares. Clothes and jewelry, weapons and armor and animals marketed as companion prospects sailed by, and she saw carpets and boots of cloth of every color and pattern, tools and foodstuff and beverages both sweet and savory, with and without spirits.
Gesturing for the man who rowed her vessel to bring them over to a stall from whence a mouth-watering scent came wafting, she came away with a bag full of steaming hand pies, still scalding hot. Succulent juices burst on her tongue as she bit into one; humming delightedly at the heat and flavor of cooked meat and roasted onions, her stomach churned hungrily. Another pie turned out to be sweet, the enchanting taste of apples and spices reminding her of the fruit harvest back at home.

It was, on the whole, a very charming place, though it was not entirely a whim that brought her here. A dress required some accessories to truly shine, and she had been searching for a new pair of shoes for a while now. Shoes, and a warmer coat, and maybe something to hold back her hair... Munching on her breakfast, it was quite the delightful way to wile away the sunny morning. Roaming between the stalls with a blanket over her knees to stave off the chill of the sea, with food in hand, in no hurry to be anywhere but here.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

Yeah, so here's the thing with the Castaway Exchange and its numerous little vessels bobbing along and haggling and selling and enjoying the sights and so on. It means the boat traffic is in a constant state of motion, and so if someone is trying to get into (or out of, as the case may be) a certain situation, they can quite easily do so by hopping aboard a boat floating by.

Such is the case with Maea's beautifully peaceful morning, and Jack unceremoniously interrupts it by smoothly hopping off the edge of a dock and into her ride. He greets the startled oarsman with an easy smile and a pat on the shoulder - a movement which sees the transfer of something into the man's shirt pocket - and directs him to keep going. Nothing to see, no harm done, off we go.

With that sorted, he settles in the boat opposite Maea, tugging at his rolled shirt sleeves and straightening his waistcoat, before glancing up at the Ancient. "Mornin'," he says, like it's the most ordinary thing in the world.

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

It was not often people dropped in on Maea unannouned, and certainly not in such a literal fashion. The sudden boarding of the small boat had it rocking wildly from side to side, and while the oarsman and the new passenger seemed completely at ease compensating for the rolling motion, it had the Ancient bracing against the sides with a sickly lurch of panic.

Flabbergasted she stared at the intruder. The sound of hurried feet slamming against wooden planks registered somewhere behind them, but any calls drowned in the general din of the marketplace, and the splashing of waves against barnacle covered pillars, and the casual greeting of the man now seated opposite her.

"Uh... good morning." She shot the oarsman a hard look, and he became suddenly very preoccupied with guiding them past a scow laden with crate upon crate of cargo. Having no luck catching his eye, she turned her attention to the intruder instead.

"I believe I hired this boat for the day. Privately." She did a good job of sounding polite despite the startlement, if she said so herself. The lack of bared teeth was a testament to her self-restraint, even if she couldn't do much about the stiffness of the tail.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

Trusting the oarsman to keep his eyes straight and the boat moving, once Jack is convinced that whoever is in hot pursuit (and that's his business, not yours) has either given up or has been unable to get any further, he relaxes and gives his new passenger his full attention. "And now you have company," he drawls to the Ancient, smirking at the prickles of annoyance he feels rolling out of her, the captain all the while patting his pockets for his cigarettes.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," he continues, finding said cigarettes at last and placing one between his lips, before turning to squint out into the open ocean beyond a jumble of floating stalls. "Only need to hop past a few more stops an' I'll be outta your hair."

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Pale eyes narrowed on the stranger. That smirk of his was as infuriating as her inability to catch the attention of the man she had hired to ferry her around. Whatever he had received must be worth a good deal more than what she had paid - which meant he wouldn't be much help at all.

Could she remove this intruder forcibly? Hm.. likely not. Given her discomfort in the boat and the relaxed mannerisms, it would probably end with her in the cold water. That would be humiliating, not to mention dangerous.
Maea put the notion out of her mind and leaned back with a long suffering sigh. "Fine. It better just be a few stops, though."

With that settled, her mood soon shifted from peevishness to curiosity as she scrutinized the rogue passenger. Digging up a new meat pie for herself, she impulsively extended the bag to him in wordless offer. "Is there any point asking for you name?"

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

"You have my word," Jack drawls, smiling around his cigarette like the cat that's got the cream. What can he say? It's a pleasant enough journey (and short, and keeping him out of the trouble he's just caused) even without the entertainment of the Ancient's thoughts, so those are just a sprinkle of delight on top at this point. Removing his matchbook and striking one, he spends a moment in lighting the smoke before blue eyes flick back to see his new travelling companion... offering to share breakfast?

Raising his eyebrows and colouring himself pleasantly surprised, Jack huffs out a whorl of smoke and accepts one of the pies from the paper bag, offering her out one of his cigarettes in return. Look, sharing! Or trading, as the merchants all around would see it. "Mm, not really," he says, "but you can have it anyway. Call me Jack." And no, he does not ask for hers in return.

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

It was satisfying to surprise people like Jack. So sure of themselves and how they understood the world to work, it was not an easy thing to accomplish. But today all it took was a bit of generosity, and her lips curled into a little smile as his eyebrows went up. Biting into her own pie, she hummed contentedly at the taste, and nodded courteously as the man - wonder above wonders - introduced himself.

"Very generous of you," she said. At the offer of the cigarette she declined politely with a shake of her head. "I'm Maea," because the idea of owing this person anything seemed really bad. "You seem to know your way around here. Since you're along for the ride, perhaps you won't mind help me find a few things I'm in the market for?"

The blithe smile she gave him offered to keep the nagging to a minimum if he agreed.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

"And don't you forget it," Jack drawls of his own generosity, as if he hadn't been caught on the back foot by Maea's actions. And he doesn't miss the flush of self-satisfaction she feels either; if the captain wasn't the sort to share that kind of enjoyment, he might have been offended by it. Inclining his head at her name and taking a bite of his own breakfast, before chasing it down with a drag from his cigarette, he settles back to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

Having absolutely not expected to become the Ancient's personal shopper, Jack turns his eyes away from the ocean to focus on her once more. Then, tilting his head, he points out to the distant waves, and a small, mahogany shape bobbing along them with ruddy red sails. "That's my ship," he says. "You got until she's close enough for me to board. What exactly are you in the market for?"

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

"The generosity or the name? You know, I figured you more for the kind of person who preferred being forgotten," she quipped, with a small smile that lingered as she dug into a pocket for the note she had written.

Following the way he pointed, Maea considered the ship and was moderately impressed with what she saw. Even though the wasn't too familiar with seagoing vessels, this one had a well maintained look about it. It was approaching fairly quickly though, which was both good and bad.
"Nice ship," she mumbled. "Better make this quick then. What I need is good quality clothes for the winter. High lace-up boots and a coat that would fit over a dress takes priority."

Neither of what she currently wore looked like they would last another season. What had been good quality garments once upon a time were threadbare and ragged, well worn to the point of falling apart.

"Sorry it's nothing more exciting..." She left out the jewelry on the list. It would be too awkward to look for finery while she looked like a homeless vagabond.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

"You figured wrong," Jack informs her with a flash of teeth. "I'm the sort of person you should remember." For exactly what reason is debatable, of course. But for Maea, for today? Apparently it's for shopping. Finishing off his breakfast and cigarette, Jack wipes his hands off on his pants and takes the compliment of The Ark with the respect she rightfully deserves. And then it's onto the Ancient's list.

"Mmhm," the captain murmurs, leaning back and peering down a short canal between dockways. He nudges the oarsman and points them down it, and they're soon lazily turning that way. "You're in luck," he says. "Looks like there are a few merchants from Halo down there. You'll find most of what you want, I reckon. Maybe more besides." And there's a curious little knick-knack stall beside them, which suits Jack fine as well.

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

"Is that so." Amused despite herself Maea bit the inside of her cheek to prevent the smile from breaking through. "This must be my lucky day after all, then."

Used to traveling alone, it was a different experience to have someone else take charge. Torn between an itchy need to maintain control and lazy contentment at getting to be the backseat princess for a while, she watched stalls and shops drift by and stole glances at Jack when she thought he wouldn't notice.

Upon reaching the Halo merchants, Maea spent some time looking over their wares. They had plenty of both shoes and outerware, but she was particular in her desires and it took a fair bit of digging before she found something she liked. Haggling back and forth for a bit, she came away with a few carefully wrapped bundles and turned to her co-passenger with a pleased expression.

"That was a good suggestion. Thank you! Did you find anything worthwhile?"

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

Whilst Maea peruses and makes her careful selections, Jack all but swings up and onto the edge of the stall he's interested in, bartering and gesturing and conducting, from the outside at least, some very animated business. The truth of the matter lies between the captain and the merchant, of course, and by the time she's finished, Jack has also gotten what he wanted from the transaction.

"I certainly did," he says as he sits back in the boat, a wrapped package beside him and what looks like a puzzle box in his hands. His fingers are already feeling at the seams and beginning to play with it even as the oarsman shoves off and starts to row them out of the little row of stalls. "And you? No frostbitten toes in your future?"

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

"Not a single one," she confirmed with the contentedness of a feline next to a bowl of cream. "They even had – "

"HEY! There he is!"

A shout from a rough voice cut through the still air. Surprised, Maea whipped around and caught sight of three men jumping from boat to boat, headed towards them. They looked upset and kept pointing at Jack, for some reason.

"Uh, are these acquaintances of yours?" she asked, alarm rising when she noticed how fast they were approaching.

Their onrush left a wake of upended boats and toppled merchandise bobbing in the waves. Her hands went automatically to the railing of the boat, worry rising over what a fight in the small vessel would mean for her who didn't exactly have sealegs worth speaking of.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

JACK

The voices cut through far enough away that even Jack's magic hasn't had a chance to pick up on it yet, but his blue eyes flick over Maea's shoulder the second they hit the air. Already the captain is on his feet, puzzle box tucked away and package under his arm. "You could say that," he says with the sort of half-smile that suggests the only acquaintance they'd like to make with him is via fists or daggers.

"Well, it's been a time," he continues conversationally, already stepping onto the prow of the boat and patting the oarsman on the shoulder. "Have a day, or somethin'." Stepping smoothly onto a merchant vessel to allow Maea's boat to sail on without him, he tips the Ancient a wink and a lazy salute. "I know what I said earlier, but if any of 'em catch up with you, feel free to forget me after all, yeah?"

believer, believe it or not you'll know
when it ends and how it goes