Ch. 29: Incoming Storms

                                    

                                          
Several hours later, I emerged from the cabin, slightly less tired but not anywhere close to well rested. At some point, the chill in the air gave way to mugginess, and the tiny room became an oven. I discarded Remiel's cloak halfway through the morning, but every so often, I would move and catch his scent. It lingered on my skin and in my hair.
"There's the sleepy head," Astreia called out when she spied me standing awkwardly on the deck. She and Yoko were chatting in the same place Remiel and I had stood before dawn. 
"Where did you get those?" I asked, pointing to the tops they wore. 
Slender straps clung to their elegant shoulders and attached to a strip of ruched yellow linen barely wide enough to cover their breasts. The bottom portion of the top was made of material that clung to their ribcage and stopped the top from riding up when they moved. Yoko had thrown a striped vest over hers but kept it unbuttoned, and she wore a pair of loose, wide legged trousers. 
I wasn't the only one captivated by them. Sailors who wandered by stared openly. One even tripped because he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, but the princess and soldier paid them no heed. 
"I have an outfit for you in our cabin," Astreia replied. "Bought them off a Joridorian girl the night we stayed at the inn. As you can tell, the summer heat holds on far longer here, and it will be sometime before we will need our cloaks and furs again. You will melt if you wear that the entire time."
I looked down at my tunic. It was long-sleeved and wool lined and already stuck to my skin where sweat and humidity pooled, but I couldn't imagine exposing my entire torso like that. My legs were covered from hip to ankle, and I still felt exposed. And I didn't want everyone to see my scars. 
"I'm fine."
They both snorted. Yoko rolled her eyes and hopped up on the railing. "Told you she wouldn't go for it. She almost cried when she put on the trousers."
Astreia clasped her hands together and widened her silver gaze in mock pleading. "Oh, please put them on."
Hands on my hips, I replied, "I am not a doll, and this is hardly the time to care about what we wear." Then, a little less sternly, I added, "Besides, I'd burn to a crisp in something like that."
Yoko winced and then ran her finger along Astreia's shining black skin. When she spoke, her voice held a husky timbre that seemed inappropriate for the public. "She's not wrong."
Catching Yoko's wandering hand, Astreia pressed a kiss against her knuckles. I nearly backed away, feeling like I was intruding upon a private moment, but Astreia pinned me in place with a gaze filled with steely resolve. 
"The sailors have a salve for that. Something you put on your skin to protect it from the sun. I'm sure they won't mind sharing."
"I'll let you know if it's needed." Changing the subject, I asked, "Where is Tievel?"
They shrugged in unison. Yoko answered, "Saw him talking to the captain earlier. Thought he might have gone back down to check on you. You slept very late."
I glared, hearing the suggestion in her voice. "I was up late—not like that."
They burst into gales of laughter, falling into one another as they fought to catch their breath. Astreia wiped her eyes. "Honey, neither of us would blame you... well, Yoko might, but that's because she's never been interested in men. Tievel, for all his flaws, is a beautiful man and," she gestured below her belt. "I've seen what he's working with. You would not be disappointed."
I slapped my hands over my ears. "Enough."
But she wasn't through. 
"And Remiel," she purred his name and fanned herself. "He looks like the type to break your back and then kiss it and make it better."