Weariness began to take over the captain. She'd been so good - so careful not to slip up or go too far, getting just enough sleep when she needed it. But, things kept happening, kept piling up, and she was still just waiting. Just waiting for her papa to return, like that short man had told her he would. She wore the necklace he'd given to her. What more could she do but wait? She could not force him to return, even if she knew where he'd gone - it would be so unfair of her to do that. It was selfish of her to even expect that little man's words to really be true after all, to uphold her papa to that promise from a stranger. Instead, she remained upon her set goal and purpose, despite the visible struggle now. "You've been reckless", they'd told her, but what other option did she have? To sit idly by, let work go unfinished? Everyone had things to do. Still, they called out to her.

The fool she is, would she ever really learn?

Voices whisper to her, incoherent prophecies passing through her senses. Something was happening, the Gods wanted something, but she couldn't place what. She was no stranger to their small interactions. She'd sealed her fate with them long ago.

Most days - well, no, every day, Goldenluxury Roux takes it upon herself to do at least one productive thing. To get something done, fix another thing up, check up on others, create more plans, and overall be certain she is working towards the benefit of the Typhoon. Her crew deserved the best, and she was determined to give that to them. The girl never let go of that habit, and she likely wouldn't ever. There was no time to think of herself and what she could do for the benefit of herself, personally, or how she may be feeling, or if she has taken good enough care of her body. As far as she is concerned, she has improved enough to the point she would not collapse, unlike before. Anything else was irrelevant. If her crew was well, then she was too: no questions asked. And, in some ways, she wasn't wrong. In others, though, well, she would need to have shown to her somehow, and those who are wrong will always eventually be proven such way. She would be shown the truth. Today, after all, was not every day.

It was not the day she would wind up in such an arcane part of their island, but it was a glimpse into the murkiness that has called out to her a full year ago, declaring in cold, dark hues the possibility and suddenness of death, crashing onto her until she sunk completely. It was a warning in more ways than one, but Goldie was never one to back down from the unknown before. If she took no risk, she would receive no gain, and she likes to think she knows how to take calculated risks; it was a skill passed down from her papa, like many others, and not unrelated to this warning that had presented a preview into the fates that would take from such a young girl. But, with the threats of doom, the cove also seemingly held her life within it, somehow, and thus followed the progress of existence as they knew it. The only treasure she, nor any pirate, may never be able to reach; the very island seemed to claim it for itself, destroying anyone and anything that dared enter its vicinity. But, she'd been there before, twice. The Gods chose her, even keeping her own secrets within it. There was some form a connection, though she had never really tried to think about it before, and she wouldn't even do so today. Not yet.

All this considered, Goldie did not ever think herself special, and certainly was not a greedy pirate. Instead, she simply sought out what was best for others - she has always been quite generous (to those that deserved such generosity, anyway). So, why, and how would the pirate captain ever possibly come up with a good reason to approach this dismal luxury alone?

The truth is, she hadn't. She'd been lured, like a fish biting down onto its bait. But, she knew better than to follow the siren's song so easily now, no matter how hypnotizing the melody may seem.


Still, though, the voices had the advantage of catching her when she is stressed, tired, and seeking success. Her corpse, cut up into so many pieces across the jungle, the head nowhere to be found, only to find that an old friend was responsible for such a thing, mysterious murders, the war with the Pitt, Stryker once again out in the world, each passing day with little friends left to confide; life took too much for the captain to always feel at peace, no matter how much she may deny. We wish to show you something. We wish to help. They'd told her, various voices whispering to her at once. She remained in her room for a few moments, writing down notes for herself, feathered ear tips twitching once or twice. It is abnormal to approach her while she is conscious, she must admit.

But, as if reading her thoughts, she feels her eyes start to droop and head begin to fall. There was no control over it. She should have known better. Perhaps one would argue there was no choice for her to go where they urged her to, that she simply could have stayed put if she so desired (if this was true, she clearly wouldn't find out). The tiger was curious, she could not help it. They'd warned her of something awful before - her papa's death, and then they gave her electricity, and then more and more gifts until she finally died and they gave her the gift of living when she wasn't ready to die. They weren't ready for her to die, either - that's why she must be asleep now. They could not hurt her here. They sang to her.

She could have sworn, too, she heard "find him".

The tigress moved towards the declared no man's land of her home, one that no one may venture - not even her, nor her papa. Was it lonely, waiting for someone to arrive and stay, becoming a part of it? They got to see her face before, though she is not so sure she was physically present. Dreams were as if entering a portal to a different world, perhaps that is why the Gods used them the ways they did. Maybe that is why she should have never trusted Decius' claims of seeing the future, as well. Seers have never declared themselves in such ways before. Nonetheless, the female was intrigued. What would they have to tell her now? She knew now to take these visions seriously (even if they ended up inevitable in the end).

Goldenluxury flew above the crystal caves, not bothering to explore the mostly abandoned mines that sat in front of the cove, almost as if they were trying to protect others away from it, shield the cursed lands from those who did not deserve to meet such a horrid fate. But, she did not care to protect herself from such a thing now, for she is not conscious. From here, it would not take the captain long to glimpse at the blackened sand, the pulsing reds, harsh smoke, and loud grumbles and hums of the creatures she would soon face. She walked slower now, looking to the ground, and then all around her. It was always so hard to see here - even underwater. The waves were harsh, the smoke filled the air, and the lava never finished cooling. Her otherworldly eyes still managed to glow through them, the cold greens and blues piercing through the air.

A low rumbling was distinct throughout all of the noises, so loud and filling her senses in every direction. It was directly in front of her, she could tell. The songs turned to quieter hums and the scene in front of her simply seemed to be waiting, nothing in particular moving closer towards her until she made a step forward. The waves, too, seemed louder than usual. They seemed to be all around her, very close to her. But, whenever she made a step in any direction, they were still within a fair distance away - certainly not within proximity to make the sounds they were creating now. Though, the female has learned to accept whatever reality met her in this sort of place. Nothing seemed to quite make sense here. After all, what use would sea creatures have with a ship full of treasure, left untouched?

ONE DAY WE'LL REVEAL THE TRUTH

The thing that would bewilder her most of all though, it was yet to come. She stepped towards it all, head held forward and ears perked cautiously, until it finally presented itself to her.

His eyes would be the first thing she'd notice. Those icy cold blue eyes stared out to her and she stared back, one of hers reflecting it almost perfectly: the slit pupils and all. Next, the feather earring, the red fuzzy mark, slightly ruffled from old, small blood stains. And then she'd see the chains, strapped around his legs. "Papa?" she whispered the word unintentionally, stopping in place to stare at the figure before. The snow leopard continued to peer towards her, nothing but that low rumble emitting from him. What was the point of this? His posture was irregular, stiff. The female stepped closer. He was coming home soon - she knew this already. "Where did those chains come from?" It was worth asking, to hope for any answer, though she did not have high expectations. Something felt wrong, her gut was telling her so. The wind picked up and she felt something tug at her ear, to which she'd immediately turn her head only to find her blue feather earring flying away. "Hey!" she'd call, pushing herself towards it, but by the time she'd leap up, it was out of sight.

"Hey!" she called louder, as if that would make it return. Her gaze travels around her now, feeling the wind pick up and seeing her papa now being enveloped by smoke, his mouth opening but no sound except for the echoing of the sea creature's emerging. She jumps up, running towards him but immediately being stopped by the throbbing magma pushing towards her, trapping her. She plans to push herself upwards, the only direction free, but finds in her panic, lightning strikes around her, and then water emerges from underneath her, causing the electricity to meet it and spark wildly around, forming a bubble around her. A roar is emitted around her and a chant. Halbgöttin! Raging storms. The mix of German and English echoes through her, though she's no idea what the word means. It's all so loud, though, and everything's gone away. She can't see shit, everything is so fucking loud. "Hey! Shut the fuck up!"

And it all stopped, all at once. The female was left with the black cove, lava beating away from her, water droplets still floating within the air. A slight laughter of a voice she did not recognize could be heard.

She wakes up.

The female pushes herself off of her desk, sitting silently for a few moments, blinking. Her head hurts. The tigress gets up, moving outside of her room in the submarine and out onto the docks, wincing at the afternoon sun. She can hear a strange sound around her, and would look down to find the water under the docks was creating a dip of sorts, floating up around her as if trying to create a bubble. She grits her teeth, blinking to the floating water.

"What the fuck is this s'posed t' mean."