Chapter 199: 197

I didn't have any particular expectations when it came to the detour that Synestra offered, so when we appeared on the deck of a large ship I didn't offer much of a reaction as I looked around. I wasn't one to talk when it came to the kind of people I typically kept around, but as far as I could tell, every crewmember on this ship was female, though there were actually very few proper humanoids. There were Therians of all kinds, from the more humanoid to the mostly animal, however, there were far more abnormal beings than not. Some that looked as if they had been sewn together from the parts of various others, others that had additional appendages or eyes growing from strange places, such as the neck or palms.
Synestra tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to turn away from the display of interesting beings aboard the ship. "I had expected a greater reaction from you, yet none of these women seem to bother you. Why?" she asked, motioning for me to follow her while stepping away.
I shrugged as I followed her. "I've seen worse things done to people." I said, very little emotion in my voice. My words weren't false, however I did leave out that I had willingly been a part of some horrible things as well.
Synestra let out a long but rather quiet hmm as she led me into what I could only assume was the captain's quarters gesturing to a small round table carved from some kind of dark and heavy looking wood. Just as I sat down she pulled a small tray covered in small pastries and tea set from seemingly nowhere, likely a dimensional storage of some kind, though whether it was an item or her own Skill I couldn't tell. It had been some time since I had had tea and pastries, especially ones of such quality, however, while it briefly provided peace, I couldn't help but think that I would normally be sharing with at least Arya and Steria, the two of them were surprisingly gluttonous when it came to sweets. Marian preferred my blood since she said it was the best tasting thing she'd ever had since becoming a Dhampir, and while Ellie, Ashara, and Kaliel didn't particularly care for any, they would still at least have joined in if they saw us.
"Why is it that you smell of such sorrow and loneliness? I can smell your anxiety and worry as well. What is it that you are running from? And why is it that Melarc is the place you chose to flee to?" Synestra suddenly asked, causing me to freeze for just a moment as I lifted my eyes to meet hers.
She was staring at me intensely, and for a moment I felt like she might understand, but I hesitated as the words from the observation diary flashed through my mind. "I just miss my family." I said, my teacup lightly clinking against the small plate it had come with. "Nor am I running from something. I just have a small problem where the only lead to solving it is in Melarc."

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Synestra snorted scornfully at my answer. "Don't bother lying to me. I may not have the same destructive power of my brother, but I do have a rather special Gift. I'm an empath, which allows me to detect lies and current emotions, among other things. The reason I brought you here was to see what I might do for you.
My ship is a refuge, mostly for freed slaves who were used in horrific experiments or some other depraved act. I don't know what your circumstances are, but you should talk to the others on this ship, it'll be some time before we make it to Melarc. Feel free to stay in this room for now. I don't need it and it isn't seeing much use anyway."
I was unsure of what to say back to Synestra as she resumed drinking her tea, so I simply remained silent. I hadn't thought she meant we'd be taking her ship to Melarc, but I supposed that she probably couldn't just teleport there, and might even have the same reason for not flying us there as I did for not flying across the ocean. Not to mention how conspicuous riding a dragon would be if anyone were to happen to catch a glimpse.
I also couldn't trust that Synestra was being completely sincere with what appeared to be concern for me, for all I knew it was simply something Zinok had put her up to, so as to convince me to kill a God with him. On the other hand it wasn't as if I had much choice but to stick around if I wanted to get to Melarc anytime soon, so I could only hope that she didn't bring the topic up, I didn't want her to drop me in the middle of the ocean, not that I thought such a thing would really happen. Had they wanted to get rid of me they could likely do so with easier methods.
I was not accustomed to riding a boat, so it took some time for me to become fully adjusted to the sailor's way of life, but at the same time I was learning quite a bit by just watching the crew work. I was purposefully icy and unapproachable, afraid that the less powerful crew members would be easily influenced by Corruption, and taking away one of Synestra's crew in such a way was something that I wanted to avoid.
As such, not too much changed compared to how it had been when I was moving by myself over land, the exceptions being the comfort of my rests as well as the rather talkative Synestra. She still pestered me about my troubles frequently but for the most part she simply appeared to take some joy in having someone to talk to that didn't treat her like the crew members did. I didn't know if I would call it just loyalty, there was a certain reverence, and I didn't know if that was because she had saved them and offered them a home, or if it was something because she was a Dragon. Unlike Synestra however, I didn't enjoy prying into the issues of those that I felt didn't concern me so I was perfectly content to ignore the oddity when it did surface.

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