The Outer Isles were actually ten days from Crescent Main but after spending the first day and night unconscious and most of the second shivering in bed, Syko needed to adapt fast. Waking in his cabin to the sound of a loud bell ringing on deck, he made his way forward to the galley.

The cook offered him breakfast and they struck a short conversation.

"How long until second bell? I'm supposed to hold sick call."

"Sick call," Mr. Cotter marvelled, "we haven't had one of them in moons."

"Why not?" Syko chewed on the gristly pork topping his grits.

"The best healers are runesmiths, but registered runesmiths have a lot of...strings attached." he chuckled and bared his yellow teeth again.

Strings attached. He thought of how hard it had been to purchase his knife. A proper runesmith could have breezed in, gotten whatever they needed. Wouldn't that make things easier for them? Surely there were renowned healers who weren't runesmiths. 

"You can hold sick call in here," Mr. Cotter took his bowl when it was clear Syko wasn't going to pick at it anymore, "I'll tell the lads to come down, second bell should ring in a tea's brew."

"A tea's brew?" 

Mr. Cotter gave a curt nod, "Best muster the tools of your trade."

Syko had just inventoried his bag when two long bells rang out. The entire crew had lined up outside the galley. Most just wanted a check up, as none of them had seen a doctor in seasons, and Syko checked all of them over.

There were a surprising amount of minor injuries. Most were rope burns, minor sprains and one member had been struck by the boom when the wind shifted. Syko treated them with balms and salves from his satchel.

When his supplies ran low, Kay'la suggested he supplement from the kitchen supplies and he was treated to the delightful sight of a cellar. It was barely tall enough for Mr. Cotter to stand straight and Skyo had to keep his back hunched, but it was cool and dry and perfect for preservation on long journeys.

"How did you achieve this?" Syko marveled at the vast amount of preserves around him.

Mr. Cotter brushed his hand against the wall and revealed a rune etched into the wood.

"These keep the place at a stable temperature. The cold water does most of the work but it will never become warm enough to spoil."

Mr. Cotter had exotic tastes and Syko found herbs and barks he'd been too poor to buy at market.

Outside his duties he spent time replenishing his medicines and reading the sparce books left around his cabin. Most were short guides and histories of town and cities, but among them he'd found a blank leather notebook and tucked it into his satchel. He thought it might be a good idea to keep notes on his travels.

One thing he noticed about the crew was that they sang. On day five they had a short spell of rain in the mid day. Two men danced a jig together, stomping above Syko's cabin about clear skies in an attempt to send the clouds away, but the rain came anyways.

As the rain drummed on the deck they sang a call-and-response as they braced the gusts of wind and choppy water. Each man taking turns with a verse and being joined with a chorus as they lament their time in the cold.

Dinner was always served at sixth bell, as the sun sank over the water. Syko took his usual seat at the counter. The crew gathered to eat while the barrelman, a lean sailor of around 25, strummed a dulcimer and played jaunty tunes. As the moon broke over the sky he slowed his tempo and played more sorrowful songs of love and regret.

Suddenly one man jumped onto the table and pounded on the ceiling. Mr. Cotter hollered at him and he jumped down.

Mr. Cotter went to the wall and rang the dumbwaiter bell as a cheer rang up from the men. Piping them down again Mr. Cotter shouted into the hollow, "Your presence is requested in the galley Cap'tn."

From above the bell chimed in response and the men cheered and sang louder as she made her way down to them. Kay'la strut across the deck stopping in the doorway to showboat.

"What do you sorry sobs want?" she jeered.

The chorus begged her to join in as the dulcimer picked up again. She spun circles and danced with near all 40 crew, tapping her feet and playing a tambourine someone had pulled from the wall.

After the crew had tired out and drank as much as they'd spilled, the dulcimer slowed again and the crew was affixed as Kay'la began to sing. 

The soft, plinking melody washed the crowd in ambiance as her haunting voice filled the room.

She raised a toast and began a ballad detailing getting drunk during a fire in a bar. The crew stamped along and joined in on the chorus, giving a round of applause and begging for more as she finished. 

Her and the barrelman whispered before he stummed another soft chord in a higher key. She sang of a lover. A warning of love and promises of marriage, forsaken as the weather turns cold. 

When she was finished the crew again called for an encore but she moved to sit at the counter. The barrelman continued with soft melodies the crew could sing along to.

"Tell me healer, have you healed my crew?"

"I've done what I can with what I have. They'll heal."

"You must be familiar the anatomy of the body." Her breath smelled like juniper spirit.

"Yes." Syko was growing tired of her doubtful questions.

"Male and female?"

Syko turned his head sharply. "Yes." he hesitated. Was this some attempt to flirt with him?

"Then I think you should come to my quarters-" 

Skyo stood with a small sigh, "Actually, Captain, I think I'll retire for the evening."

She tried to grab his arm but he yanked it away. "Please don't do that." he said sternly, and turned for the door.

"Syko," Kay'la followed after him to the galley doorway, "tomorrow morning after sick call, come to my quarters."

He paused. This sounded serious. Was there something else she needed from him?

He looked back at her for a long moment. The warm light of the galley reflected off her hair like sunlight, casting her face in unreadable shadow. 

"Yes Captain. Goodnight." he turned and carried on to his cabin.

As he fell asleep he thought of all the possible tasks Kay'la could enforce on him. The worst he could think would be personal butler of some kind. He hated being toyed with and pushed around like a doll at someone's command.

The next morning Syko loitered in the galley from breakfast until the end of sick call. He only saw two crewman but took the entire time to restock and organize his supplies over and over again.

Finally the third bell rang out and he shuffled up the stairs and across the deck. His feet landed like lead in front of the large glass panel double door. He reached out to knock but stopped. His satchel down bellow, what a perfect reason to go back.

He backed away from the door slowly, aware that anyone inside might have seen him through the colored glass. After a few steps he turned and ducked back down the stairs and into the galley. 

He picked up his bag from the corner but lingered and watched Mr. Cotter washing dishes in a large tub. He thought of asking him about the captain, if she'd confided anything in him about why she wanted to see him, but Mr. Cotter was busy and Syko was now running late. A worse offense than forgetting something.

He trudged back up the stairs and knocked, rattling the glass. It was Sedrick, the quartermaster, who opened the door.

"The Apothecary is here Captain." he tuned towards Kay'la.

"Send him in," she called. She could clearly see him from where she was sitting. "and leave us Sedrick."

He nodded and closed the doors behind him.

Syko stood just inside the door. Kay'la stood and walked towards the back corner of the cabin.

"Don't be shy," she waved him toward her, "I have something to show you."

His interest was piqued, but this wasn't the first time he'd been bribed with gifts. Was this some sort of attempt to win him over from last night?

Kay'la stood against the rear wall and reached up for a handle. She unfolded a workbench out of the wall, dropping the two legs to stabilize it. Inlaid into the wall were shelves of herbs and tools used for healing and apothecary work.

Syko marveled at the cupboard as a whole. He never could have guessed all this was tucked just under his nose. His heart felt lighter seeing the tools of his trade. It was a comfort to be back in his true element.

"What do you think?" asked Kay'la.

Syko shrugged silently. He was pleasantly surprised by this little gift but surely this wasn't the reason she'd wanted to see him.

"You brought your healing kit, good." she was trying to be friendly with small talk.

"Is there something you need from me?" Syko wasn't interested pussyfooting around.

"I need to know how good you really are." Kay'la's expression dropped its cheery facade.

"I need to know what I'm dealing with."

"A venom from an echinomarlen. But it didn't come from the creature, a blade was coated in the venom."

"So this is-" Syko scanned her quickly, "are you injured?"

Kay'la swallowed and stiffened her body but didn't say anything.

Syko plopped his satchel on the workbench. "Why call for me if you won't tell me what's going on?"

He turned for the door and Kay'la grabbed his arm. Syko jerked his arm away, tuning and pushing Kay'la in the chest. They were both stunned for a moment.

"I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry-"

They both spoke at the same time. Kay'la was the first to move. Syko flinched as she moved past him.

She walked over to the empty corner and unfolded a murphy bed from the wall. A frame of simple wood with a thick padded mattress filled the empty space, completing the room. 

Kay'la adjusted the mattress and began undoing her clothes.

"It's a knife wound, not a sting or bite, but the blade was coated in venom," she raised the left side of her shirt and pulled down the waistband of her pants to reveal a bandage saturated with dark fluid.

Syko turned back and grabbed his satchel. "How long has it looked like this?" he knelt at her side and pulled back the bandage. The wound was on the rear of her left hip and could have struck a bone or an organ.

"A couple days."

"Since we were in the water?"

"Ya, about then."

Syko stood again, "Remove your pants, lie down on the bed." he called, ringing the dumbwaiter bell. 

He called down the shaft, "Mr. Cotter, Mr. Cotter,"

"Syko?"

"Yes Mr. Cotter," he took a deep breath and steadied his voice, "I'm sorry to bother you but I've run out of cinderbark. Could you spear any?"

"Of course lad, hold on." a moment later the lower bell rang and he hauled up the sprigs of woody spice.

While he waited he.

Syko unpacked his tools on the workbench putting the cinderbark in his mortar and grabbed a flask of strong spirits.

The smell was acrid but he bathed a cloth in it anyways and used it to wipe down his hand. 

He took the cloth and spirits over to the bed where Kay'la was laying face down under a sheet.

"May I touch you?" he asked.

Kay'la nodded and he pulled the sheet back so he could clearly see, then doused the cloth in alcohol again and wiped around the wound.

"This might hurt," he pressed gently against her skin, "just tell me if anything feels off. How did this happen?"

"What can I say, the life of a sailor is one of betrayal and misadventure." her voice was breathy as she spoke.

"I thought sailors were loyal to their crew."

"You would think, but some things out weigh loyalty."

"I'm going to press against your wound, I want you to rank your pain on a scale of one to ten."

"What does a one feel like?"

"Like a splinter, or stubbing your toe. Something that hurts for a moment but you move on from quickly."

"And a ten?"

"You'd know..." he started to trail off, "Ready to begin Captain?"

"Yes,"

"Alright, how does it feel here?"

He moved around the wound, the tendrils of black venom leaching outward from the tear of the knife. The skin refused to heal, a product of the venom. If it wasn't removed soon the flesh would rot and the rot would spread throughout the body.

"It doesn't hurt. It feels a one."

"And how about here," he pinched her upper thigh hard.

"About a two,"

"And here?" he pinched her calf just as hard.

She jerked her leg, "Four."

"How long have you been numb in your left hip?"

She was silent a moment. "Since we went in the water. I thought it was just the cold but I've had little feeling in it since then."

"Roll onto your side, face me. I want to know where you start losing feeling."

"Here," she took his hand and placed it at the top of her hip bone. "and above my knee. It all feels cold."

He rested his hand flat against her skin. She wasn't cold, her skin was hot and blotchy as the venom edged its way out. He moved his hands across her abdomen. He could feel the tendrils of venom under the surface of her soft skin.

"I'll make a salve made from cinderbark, that will help to draw out the toxins." He was trying to sound hopeful but his tone was slipping.

"Speak plainly apothecary, what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, the salve will help but alone it wont do much." he took his hands off her stepped back.

"Why not?"

"The venom is hydrophobic. When you went into the water it forced the toxin further into the wound. The cinderbark will help draw some of it out but with these tools, that might be all I can do.”

“What sort of tools would you need to fix it?”

”Fix isn’t quite the word I’d use.”

"Plainly," she said again.

"This type of wound could leave lasting damage. The venom can damage the nerves, that's why you feel cold," he was kneeling at eye level. "The tissue itself might not heal completely. You could be left with malignant sore you'd need to take care of."

Kay'la sat up slowly, pulling the sheet over her.

"What would it take to heal the wound completely?" she implored.

Skyo stayed kneeling, writing in his notebook as he spoke. 

"I would need a clean solid surface for you to lie on while I work. An assistant who's good with their hands, access to all my tools. And the process would take several hours."

She considered everything for a moment, "Thank you Syko, you may go."

He stood, "Did I say something that upset you?"

"No, I just have a lot to consider."

"Can I- Do you-" He couldn't figure out what he was trying to say. He didn't want to leave yet. She was clearly upset by this news and he felt ethically bound to treat her to the best of his skill. 

"I should apply a salve before I leave." 

She stayed sitting and didn't say anything, so he turned to the workbench and began grinding his cinderbark.

"Syko," she breathed.

"Yes captain," he didn't turn from his work.

"I'm...I apologize for what I said at dinner. I didn't-I shouldn't have phrased it like that. I'm sorry if it upset you."

He wasn't entirely sure what she was referring to. Nothing said at dinner had really hurt his feelings. She seemed sincere and he didn't want to minimize her efforts.

"Thank you, Captain, I accept you apology."

She laid down again as he applied the salve and a fresh bandage.

"How does your knife work?"

"Well, it's designed to work a lot like my wand. It's an extension, a conduit for what I'm trying to achieve."

"So you draw runes with it."

"Not exactly. It already has runes on it. I use them to heal."

"Healing with a knife sounds like an oxymoron.

"Razor," Syko corrected, "it's not some standard hunting knife but I can't explain it without showing you."

Syko finished applying the salve and put a fresh bandage over the wound.

"I can't go through with it yet." Kay'la sighed.

"I don't understand," Syko replied.

"You said it takes time, there are some things I must attend to before I go through with it. When we set sail again, I'll have more time then."

"That's probably for the best, I can get supplies when we get to shore."

She nodded, her expression lost in thought.

"Is there anything else I can do for you Captain?"

He waited patiently as she sat up again and gestured to the folding workbench.

"You're welcome to use the workbench at any time. My door is always open, please don't hesitate."

The sincerity in her voice caught him by surprise. She was staring at him, but he couldn't meet her eye. Instead he turned to look at the bench, studying the polished grain from a distance.

She stood and stepped towards him, "Do I scare you Syko?"

He turned back toward her and tensed as she closed the distance between them.

"I don't understand the question." he muttered.

She tilted her head side to side trying to catch his eye, "You don't meet my eye, you flinch when I walk by, you don't like to be touched."

"It's not personal, I'm just not used to being around people. I don't get out much. This is my first time off the mainland, my first time on a boat."

Kay'la smiled a little, "You sound like you were raised in that shop you ran."

"Something like that. Is there anything else you need from me Captain?"

She paused like she was studying him. Waiting for him to do something.

"Thank you Syko, that will be all."

In the following days Syko settled into a comfortable routine, getting to know the crew better and spending any free time in Kay'la's quarters pouring over his medicines. 

As well as workbench, Kay'la had opened her library to him. A scattered collection of every topic, from culture and history to obscure mathematical runeworkings. She claimed to get them all in trades or payments or bought at cheap markets. Though the topics might not have been as interesting as she'd hoped, every book had caught her eye.

Indeed every manuscript was eye-catching. Most were bound in leather or hide, with pressed lettering in gold or brass. One book, a field guide on sea plants and their properties, had wooden covers carved with the authors name and an intricate tree-like structure surrounded by fish.

He read it back to front and back again. None of his books in the shop had been about sea plants. River and wetland plants he read about extensively, but sea plants were never something he could harvest or cultivate.

Not many of them were suitable substitutions for land plants, but some could be powerful in their own way. 

Kay'la wasn't in her cabin much, but she did take lunch in her cabin at fifth bell every day, and Mr. Cotter sent up two plates of roasted potatoes and grilled fish with greens.

"Read anything interesting today?" 

"I read about corals," Syko adjusted a burner on his still, "I've never heard of anything like them."

"They're interesting creatures indeed."

"Creatures? I read about them in a plant book."

"They have a heart, they're a creature."

Syko scribbled notes in his journal, "I didn't know that, thank you." he muttered.

Kay'la made no remark and they both finished lunch in silence.

Instead of returning to her usual duties, Kay'la opened the cupboard and took out her ledgers.

"Are you any good at mathematics?" 

"Weights and measures, balances for distillations. Nothing vast or metaphysical." 

He took a seat beside her.

"I'm sending the crew to rest for the afternoon. We'll be arriving in The Outer Isles and it's easier to navigate in early hours. Before we rest I'd like your help with the pay ledger." 

"Money isn't exactly my strong suit."

"I don't need your help, only a round estimate of your expenses and services rendered."

"Oh, that I do have," he showed her his notebook. The rear pages were filled with scribbles and random notes, but the first pages were neat rows of ingredients and quantities all dated.

"I don't have costs but I've kept a ledger of all the materials I've used." 

Kay'la peered over to it, "Do you always keep a ledger?"

"The store always has inventory logs, I guess it's just habit." He poured himself a glass of water to fight off the heat rising up his neck.

Kay'la flipped pages between her book and his, scribbling numbers in Syko's notebook and sliding it back to him.

"You'll receive this when we leave port again."

 Syko nearly choked as he drank. The number she'd written seemed far too high.

"Is something wrong?"

Syko shook his head and cleared his throat. "Are you sure this is what I'm owed?"

Kay'la relaxed in her chair, "I've taken prices from Mr. Cotter's inventory and applied them to all of the personal supplies you used while on board. I added services rendered daily for every day you've been on board, this is the total." There was a twitch of pain across her face when she sat back.

Every day on board? He'd been incapacitated for two of those days and there had been mornings where he hadn't seen any patients. 

"This is-" Syko was at a loss for words.

"Not enough?"

"No, no. It's...very gracious of you."

"Gracious? Don't tell my men that, they'll be haggling me over pay until next moon." Kay'la finished her writings and closed her books, refilling her own water glass. "How do you manage a store if you're not good with money?"

"When I was younger my master would manage the money. When he left I kept all the prices the same and let customers pay what they could."

"Doesn't seem like a profitable business."

"Realistically it's not but my master got a stipend from his academy. It kept the doors open."

"Where is he? Your master."

"He's traveling." Syko traced the letters in his notebook until he came to the number scrawled at he bottom.

"Just traveling?"

"It's for his Runework studies. The academy called him away explore." His palms were clammy around his glass.

"He just left you?"

"Was kind of nice to be rid of him." Syko clenched his jaw. He'd never admitted that before. 

He thought of all the abuses and slights his master had hurled at him over the years. Yes it was nice to be rid of that side of him. But when he'd left Syko had been abandoned, and he felt profoundly alone in the store. At first he desperately craved the customers attention, asking in detail about their lives and goings on. He became friendly with many of the older visitors who appreciated having someone to talk to about how they ache, but many patrons were annoyed as they tried to do simple business.

Kay'la reached out and tapped the table. He'd been lost in thought and clearly hadn't heard what she'd said.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Syko sputtered.

Kay'la cocked her head to the side. "Do you ever hear from him?"

Syko shook his head. He sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"Was he a nice man?" 

"He was like any parent I guess."

"I've never had parents, so I wouldn't really know." Kay'la crossed her arms across the table.

"If you don't have parents then who raised you?"

"I grew up in Ceruleus Bay, it's a very communal place. I was raised by a number of families."

"But how? All at the same time?"

"Not all at once all the time." She filled her water glass again. "When I was a babe I lived with nursemaids, some of whom had children of their own. As I got older I made friends with other children and their parents looked after me. Or if I was alone there were always nice old people to beg from."

"You just go around begging for food?" 

"Not like that." She could see the pity in his expression. "The geography of the city is difficult for carts and some streets are even too narrow for pack animals. There are a lot of stairs and it's common for people to offer to carry goods for the elderly and tourists. I used to ask the old folk for dinner instead of payment."

"And where did you sleep?"

"They usually offered me a bed too. I had no trouble finding a warm place to sleep."

"How did you come to live on a ship?" 

"My patron. He loaned me the ship in exchange for doing business with him. He's called for me now, that's why we're heading for Ceruleus."

Syko swallowed. "Is he the one who told you about me?"

Kay'la's ear twitched, it was subtle but from this angle Syko could see it clearly. 

"No." she answered simply.

"So who told you about me?"

"Someone else."

Her avoidant answers were annoying him.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want to speak about it, so I won't." she took another sip of water.

Syko gripped his knees under the table. His ears burned and his chest felt tight.

Kay'la leaned towards him, "Does that make you mad?" She was studying all his features and Syko felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

"No Captain." His voice was calm and monotone. He picked a spot on his water glass and fixed his eyes to it, relaxing his hands.

Kay'la spat some word into her glass as she took another sip. Its sounded like 'liar'.

"It's not because I want to keep it from you." She shifted in her seat wincing again. 

"It feels like you're toying with me." 

Kay'la shifted again, then stood and leaned against the back of her chair.

She took a deep breath, then sighed and reached for her water glass. 

She took another deep breath. "The man who stabbed me, he told me about you." 

Syko could tell this was a hard subject. A life of betrayal she'd said.

Before he could properly form a question, she answered, "No, I don't know how he knew about you."

Kay'la folded down her bed and flopped onto it with a sigh.

Syko stood and waited for her to say something, anything, but she just laid lost in thought.

He moved back to his workbench and continued toiling. At some point he realized Kay'la must be sleeping, like the rest of the crew, and quietly packed up and excused himself.