Shrouded Seascape

Charles had his very first peaceful sleep over the past three months, but he woke up in a not-so-peaceful manner as he was jolted awake by something heavy landing on his chest.

"Time to get up, Mr. Charles! You can't sleep in today!" Lily yelled, straddling Charles. She was wearing a beige dress today, and she stared at Charles with mirthful eyes and lips parted into a smile.

Charles stared at the petite girl with bleary eyes. Then, he peeled her away from him using his tentacle and said, "You should pay attention to your behavior. You're no longer a mouse, after all."

"I know!" Lily lifted Charles' blanket and pounced on Charles. Unlike what she said, she was still acting as though she were still a mouse, and her actions vanquished any traces of drowsiness in Charles.

Charles sat up with resignation and stroked Lily's head gently before walking toward the bathroom.

"Mr. Charles, I think today's a day off for everyone. It's very lively outside. Let's go out and have some fun, too!" Lily exclaimed while following closely behind Charles into the bathroom.

"I'm busy. Go and have fun with someone else," Charles replied as he squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush before vigorously brushing his teeth.

"No, I wanna play with you! How can you do this to me when you've been catering to my every whim until just yesterday!" Lily exclaimed, pressing her bouncy cheek against Charles' back.

Lily remained undeterred and pestered Charles incessantly until Charles reluctantly agreed to spend three hours with her this afternoon.

Lily walked out of the bathroom with a spring in her steps; Charles reckoned that her tail would have been wagging left and right if she were still a mouse.

Lily started planning their afternoon itinerary. "I'll make Mr. Charles take me to the flea market on the eastern side of the island, I heard there are many interesting activities to do there. Also, Mr. Charles has to take me—"

Lily paused mid-sentence and cast a puzzled gaze upon the two people before her.

"Sister Linda and Mr. First Mate? Why are you two standing by the door? You're here for Mr. Charles, too? He's in the bathroom right now, so I think you should wait for him to come out," Lily said.

The bald Linda grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her toward the newly renovated infirmary of the Governor's Mansion.

"What's wrong, Sister Linda? Where are you taking me?" Lily asked.

"A physical exam," Linda replied.

As always, the quiet Bandages silently followed the two into the infirmary.

An hour later, a frightened Lily on her tiny heels rushed out of the infirmary with eyes brimming with tears. Her unsteady gait and bloodshot eyes made it clear that something untoward had to have happened inside the infirmary.

Bandages and Linda exchanged glances inside the all-white infirmary. One of them was seated, and the other leaned against the wall; silence engulfed them.

After a few moments, Linda tapped the white triangle tattoo on her forehead and broke the silence. "You're the First Mate, so it's your call. I'm just a ship doctor, after all."

"Ahem..." Bandages could only let out a grunt in response.

At two in the afternoon of the same day, an excited Lily dragged Charles toward a crowded alleyway on the eastern side of Hope Island. The alleyways on the eastern side of the island were already narrow, but they had become even narrower, with many stalls lining up each side of the street.

There was barely a meter of distance between the stalls on both sides, and the crowd in the middle was trying to squeeze their way out of the alleyway. Charles and Lily decided to follow the flow of people.

It wasn't exactly a strange sight; they were at a flea market, after all.

The sheets of paper on the ground were filled with a jumbled cornucopia of items, and everything imaginable was available for everyone to browse and barter. As for whether one would profit or not, it all depended on one's ability of discernment.

"Mr. Charles, what do you think of this?" Lily asked after picking up a pink crystal ball with a purple hue.

"What are you going to do with that? Are you trying to dabble in fortune telling?"

"Of course not. I just think it's pretty. I want to buy it and display it in my room. I think Blackie can play with it, too. Ah, Blackie is that cat with black fur," Lily replied.

Charles was momentarily speechless before saying, "We're at a second-hand market, so there isn't really anything worth seeing here."

The pot-bellied stall owner frowned, seemingly displeased. "Sir, the Blackfoot Alley has more than just ordinary rubbish. There are many treasures here that are simply waiting to be discovered by those with discerning eyes.

"Haven't you heard? Last week, someone found a relic here! What do you think? Feeling envious now, right?"

"Am I supposed to be envious of someone who has found an unknown relic with unknown effects? You wouldn't even know how you died if you were to make use of something like that," Charles retorted.

The pot-bellied stall owner was left speechless by Charles' remark.

Lily puffed her cheeks and tugged on Charles' sleeve, pulling him closer to her. "You are being a wet blanket, Mr. Charles. Didn't you say that you'll go on a shopping spree with me today?"

"Yes, and I'm here with you," Charles replied.

The dazed pot-bellied stall owner stared as the odd pair vanished from his sight. He eventually picked up the crystal ball and placed it neatly among his other assortment of items before grumbling, "If you can't afford it, then just say so! Why bother showing off?"

Just then, the skinny stall owner next to him leaned over and whispered, "Hey, is it just me or that guy just now looked like the Governor?"

"The Governor? No way! I'm well informed, and I know that the Governor is blind!" the pot-bellied stall owner retorted.

Meanwhile, Charles and Lily continued to squeeze their way through the crowd. The huge variety of strange wares and items seemed to bring Lily infinite delight.

Charles stared deeply at Lily's bobbing head and couldn't help but ask, "How tall are you now, Lily?"

"I'm about 150 centimeters. I got the measurements this morning. I'm only fifteen, though, so I can still become even taller," Lily replied.

"You're 150 centimeters? How come it looks like you're only 140 centimeters? I guess you really are still a child," Charles said.

"I'm not a child anymore! Some girls around my age are already mothers, you know?" Lily retorted. Her words had yet to finish echoing in the air when the two stumbled upon a dead-end. Clearly, they had reached the end of the alleyway.

"We're already at the end? I'm still not done playing..." Lily muttered, and her young face revealed clear dissatisfaction.

Charles turned around and swept his gaze across the sea of people and stalls before him.

"Actually, I have a better idea," Charles said, and before Lily could react, Charles scooped her up with one arm and aimed his prosthetic limb toward a nearby chimney. A loud noise echoed as the grappling hook flew and pulled Charles toward the chimney.

Just like that, Charles held Lily in his arms as he hopped onto rooftop after rooftop amidst the latter's piercing shrieks. Eventually, Lily calmed down, and she stared blankly at Charles' face as the scenery around her peeled away.

"Where should we go next?" Charles asked as he placed her down on the ground, startling Lily awake from her daze.

Upon coming back to her senses, Lily grabbed Charles' right hand and said, "Let's go to the harbor area, Mr. Charles! I heard about the yummy barbeque stalls there, and I want to try them out!"

"As you wish," Charles replied, nodding.

He accompanied Lily toward the harbor area, and the two ended up exploring the entire island, going through everything that Hope Island had to offer. They visited the circus, theater, library and other places, and by the time their date ended, Charles had already memorized the parts of the island that he had overlooked until now.

Lily turned toward a bustling photo studio, and she had just taken one step toward the studio when Charles grabbed her arm, stopping her. "It's gotten quite late. I think it's about time we go back."

However, Lily looked a bit reluctant to go back as she said, "It's just going to be one picture, Mr. Charles..."