In Benedict’s line of work, there never seemed to be a dull moment. After having been pulled out of the frigid waters (by his lover’s wife, no less), Ben knew he wouldn’t feel safe until he was back on solid ground. Even then, he had learned he would never truly feel at ease unless he was with Ari.
At this point in their journey, he’d gotten used to the constant rock of the boat; honestly, after having had to navigate the crashing boat, any type of rocking was preferable to having to change his whole perception of space and time. Walking on decks that were supposed to remain fairly parallel to the horizon was weird, to say the least. Still, it was the salty air that seemed to ground Ben, and he used it as means to keep himself awake for as long as he could. He was used to long hours, and even as his eyelids felt heavier, he fought against it. His efforts were fruitless, as he soon found himself waking up to someone shrieking.
His eyes opened and he shot up from the sitting position he was in, hand already inside his pocket for his wand. Once he was on the main deck, he lit his wand, though the illuminated tip of it only did so much; it had a blanket of the night sky to combat with, and the slight mist of the sea seemed to provide a sort of screen for them to only peer through. Lips grimly pressed together, he directed his wand light onto the deck, dimming it slightly so the figures on the deck would be softly backlit as opposed to harshly blinding everyone including himself. Dionisia had to be around here somewhere - perhaps she’d gone below deck to get some well-deserved rest.
Hearing his name, he turned and reached out to her just as the boat lurched. Widening his stance, Ben seized her hand just as she grabbed onto him. "Steady," he said, more as a reminder for himself than a command for her. The groan that rattled through the air next made him freeze. In all his years, Ben had never heard anything like that. He motioned to guide Dionisia towards the middle of the ship before inching towards the edge of the starboard railing where the noise was coming from.
All of his Auror training told him this was both the place to start investigating and the moment to back the fuck away. The sound emanating from in front of Benedict seemed to reverberate all around them — a cold, rattling sound that could come from nowhere else but a large object. If Ben’s brain had a diagram, the arrow would be pushing past the DANGER zone. The next he knew, a wet slapping sound crackled through the air, and droplets of water sprayed everywhere. Ben dove to his right.
There it was — just to his right, a massive, slimy tentacle curled onto the deck, right where Ben had just been standing. "Captain Darrow!" he shouted, directing his wandlight to the giant object.
At this point in their journey, he’d gotten used to the constant rock of the boat; honestly, after having had to navigate the crashing boat, any type of rocking was preferable to having to change his whole perception of space and time. Walking on decks that were supposed to remain fairly parallel to the horizon was weird, to say the least. Still, it was the salty air that seemed to ground Ben, and he used it as means to keep himself awake for as long as he could. He was used to long hours, and even as his eyelids felt heavier, he fought against it. His efforts were fruitless, as he soon found himself waking up to someone shrieking.
His eyes opened and he shot up from the sitting position he was in, hand already inside his pocket for his wand. Once he was on the main deck, he lit his wand, though the illuminated tip of it only did so much; it had a blanket of the night sky to combat with, and the slight mist of the sea seemed to provide a sort of screen for them to only peer through. Lips grimly pressed together, he directed his wand light onto the deck, dimming it slightly so the figures on the deck would be softly backlit as opposed to harshly blinding everyone including himself. Dionisia had to be around here somewhere - perhaps she’d gone below deck to get some well-deserved rest.
Hearing his name, he turned and reached out to her just as the boat lurched. Widening his stance, Ben seized her hand just as she grabbed onto him. "Steady," he said, more as a reminder for himself than a command for her. The groan that rattled through the air next made him freeze. In all his years, Ben had never heard anything like that. He motioned to guide Dionisia towards the middle of the ship before inching towards the edge of the starboard railing where the noise was coming from.
All of his Auror training told him this was both the place to start investigating and the moment to back the fuck away. The sound emanating from in front of Benedict seemed to reverberate all around them — a cold, rattling sound that could come from nowhere else but a large object. If Ben’s brain had a diagram, the arrow would be pushing past the DANGER zone. The next he knew, a wet slapping sound crackled through the air, and droplets of water sprayed everywhere. Ben dove to his right.
There it was — just to his right, a massive, slimy tentacle curled onto the deck, right where Ben had just been standing. "Captain Darrow!" he shouted, directing his wandlight to the giant object.
![[Image: WEY2zhj.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/WEY2zhj.jpeg)