[center][h3]There's an Endless Road to Rediscover[/h3][/center]
[hr][I]18th of Midyear, late, morning, Alik’r Desert tent village[/I]

It was hard not to feel somber even with the mood of those she passed by still being rather festive. Sirine smiled at a passing Redguard woman who offered her a couple of fruit without her even asking for one. She had offered to pay for it, but it seemed the villagers were still very much grateful to their group- the woman promptly told her she wouldn't be accepting any money, and that it was her honour. It felt [i]very[/i] strange, but Sirine decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and simply accept the offered free fruit.

Without realizing it, her feet were leading her to the edge of the village, though not so far that she was devoid of shade. Finding a tree to settle down in front of, she leaned back and looked at the expanse of sand before her, the dunes of gold melding into a clear blue sky. Where it ended it was hard to tell, the sands seeming forever. As small, sad smile tinged her lips as she set the fruits down on her lap, sighing softly.

She really hadn't meant to get emotional like that in front of Daro'Vasora, but it seemed that with her freedom the former pirate had also been freed of the mask she'd worn for months. Happiness, sadness, anger, all were emotions she could feign as easily as the next, but they seemed to be showing themselves much more easily than she would prefer. Leaning her head back against the smooth tree trunk, her eyes closed as she let her hands drift down to the ground, digging into the loose, almost sand-like dirt. It felt nice, stress relieving in fact, though she'd now have to wash her hands if she wanted to eat-

"Siri?" The voice was hesitant but her eyes flew open instantly, recognizing the speaker. Footsteps approached and came to a stop beside her; she looked up, a smile on her lips but worry in her eyes. What was he doing up and out of a tent? Why wasn't he resting?

"Bakih," she replied, her voice calm and steady despite the stream of worried thoughts flooding her mind. She easily scooted over and patted the spot beside her. "Sit down, little brother."

He didn't hesitate any longer, and soon enough he was the one with his back against the tree, with Sirine leaning against him, his arm around her shoulder. She took in a deep breath and let it out, smiling. Despite everything, her worries for the future, [i]his[/i] future... this was nice. It eased her a little to know that regardless of all that had happened, he was alive and... relatively well. 

"You should be resting," she finally pointed out, looking at him with a sideways glance, the reproach within clear.

"Maybe," Bakih replied, shrugging a shoulder before smiling down at her. "But I don't want to. Not there, in an enclosed place where I can't see the sky anymore." He let out a short breath of air. "I..." Sirine could see the uncertainty in his expression... or was it fear? "I'd rather have no roof over my head than something enclosing, encroaching."

Sirine reached over and grabbed his hand despite the dust and dirt on her own, seeing it was already clenched into a tight first, knuckles white from strain. He hadn't said much yesterday during their journey to the village, simply listening quietly to what she had to say. A lump filled the former pirate's throat. Zaveed had been right the previous night- she couldn't make Bakih's decisions for him, he was his own man. Perhaps [i]she[/i] had needed him before, but right now she needed to be there for him.

"You're not there anymore, little brother." She carefully opened his fingers before gently folding her hand over his. "You're here now, with me." Her hold on his hand tightened a little. A stinging in her eyes, a burning in her nose, and she knew she was close to tearing up once more. [i]Don't. There is no need to.[/i] "We're both safe and sound." She bit the inside of her lip, eyes lowering to their clasped hands. "I'm only sad that I did not find you sooner."

A long moment of silence passed, with Bakih looking out in the distance while Sirine's eyes remained lowered, unwilling to show her wet eyes. She needed to be the strong one, she needed to maintain her control, for him. 

"I thought you were dead." Bakih finally spoke, his voice tight. Sirine looked up to meet his light brown eyes with her darker ones, both pairs equally wet. "When I saw you there, I thought it was... a dream. And then, a nightmare." His mouth turned downward. "An illusion, a conjuration."

"I'm alive," Sirine returned earnestly. "No dream, no illusion, I am flesh, blood and bone." She let go of his hand and reached up, stroking his auburn hair, so different from hers. It really was amazing [i]how[/i] different they looked from one another, though perhaps not as much as two sibling Khajiit born at separate phases of the moon. "Not a day passed that I didn't think of you, little brother. After all you've done for me, sacrificed for me- I wanted to tear down every dwemer my eyes fell on for taking you away from me." A fire returned to her eyes as she thought of how she mercilessly killed the dwemer guards she came across at the prison. Their lives were worth nothing to her when it was her brother's on the line. Even now, even with him sitting next to her, she could still feel the anger, the pain and sorrow.

"Did any of the others...?" Bakih's question was left incomplete, but she knew very well what he wanted to know. Of course he wanted, no, [i]needed[/i] to know. Her crew was his family as well. He'd had his friends, his lovers, his moments of happiness and sorrow despite his wishes for change. The pain she had felt and still felt was one he must have been feeling as well.

"No." Sirine shook her head, eyes lowering until she could barely see a glimpse of light. "I'm sorry Bakih. I had returned to the docks in attempts to find you when I knew there was no fear of being caught by the dwemer. The shambles of our ship... the bodies-" She stopped herself abruptly, unwilling to say more.

"Narej?"

Once again she shook her head, and as she did, she felt Bakih's arms encircling her into a tight hug. Sirine smiled; eyes still stinging she returned the hug, simply listening to Bakih continue to speak. "I know he was your good friend, Siri. Last I remember of him, he was yelling out curses and flinging whatever he could find at the dwemer ship. He was not the sort who would allow himself to be taken." She felt him shake; at first she thought he was crying but it quickly became clear that he was laughing instead. Just the realization caused her heart to lighten.

"Unless the one taking him was a certain captain of a ship," she added as she relaxed once more. The back of her hand touched against the fruit that somehow hadn't rolled off her lap, and she quickly moved it away so it wouldn't get dirty. "Here, Bakih, be a dear and take these. Eat them actually, I'm not quite hungry at the moment."

Bakih was more than happy to, and Sirine couldn't help but smile as she watched him eat. In a way she still felt rather motherly over him, even though they were barely five years apart in age. Still, it wasn't hard to see the small boy she had helped around her father's ship, or the teenage lad who had joined her in her quest to up her brothers. And now, a man, seeming whole on the outside, yet she could see the darkness that lingered behind his eyes. 

"Was he ever, you know...?" Bakih motioned with his hand before biting into the second fruit, ignoring the trail of juice that trickled down his chin.

"He wasn't my lover," Sirine replied. "Is that what you thought, silly boy? No, but he was my most trusted friend, and you know quite well I refuse to ruin something good for carnal pleasure."

"Hm." Bakih's response was very short as he wiped at his chin with his sleeve, not caring if it stained. "And that... other Khajiit? Zaveed, was it? Are you-"

"We haven't fucked either." Sirine smirked, enjoying the scandalized look on her brother's face from her crass words. It passed however as she continued. "We are recent friends, and without his help I wouldn't have known where to even find you. He and his brother, the Ohmes-Raht with the guns..." She smiled and shrugged lightly. "It's like being back on the ship, you could say. And now with you here, I feel almost complete again."

It was hard to tell what he was thinking as his eyes returned to the distant horizon, and after a small while she prodded him gently with her elbow. "Tell me what you're thinking, Bakih."

"I..." Once again there was hesitation in his voice. She watched as he looked away from the desert and to his outstretched legs instead. "When you spoke to me yesterday, I was still in shock, and not really all there. Hearing you say we can no longer travel together... it almost felt like you wanted to get rid of me."

"No, never!" Sirine bit down on her lip to calm herself. "Bakih, you know that couldn't be further from the truth, I just-"

"I know," he replied, raising a hand to stop her from continuing. "I know. Like I said, I was still in shock, and you were as well. I can read you as well as you can me, Siri." He chewed at the inside of his cheek before continuing. "Where do you go from here? Will you be following after them?"

Now it was Sirine's turn to hesitate, unsure what her brother wished to hear. Mulling through her thoughts, she fiddled with the coin hanging from her neck. She couldn't lie to him though, she never had and she wasn't about to start now. "I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. You know that home for me was never Gilane, never Anvil, never land. It was always the expanse of the sea where I felt the most alive, the most free. But I know it's not the same for you, Bakih." A short sigh left her. "I don't want you to live at my behest, I don't want you to feel beholden to me. You deserve to live as you wish."

Once more she grasped his hands, eyes earnest as she looked into his. "I'm free now, physically, mentally, perhaps even spiritually. You are the one person who has been with me without question for my whole life. I want the same for you, whatever you feel that is. There are many roads for you to walk, not just the one that I lead you down... but if you wish to come, it's yours to rediscover once more." She squeezed his hands before letting them go. "And you can take all the time in the world to decide."

Bakih smiled down at her, his arm tightening around her big sister's shoulder. "I know, Siri, I know." He paused and shook his head before continuing. "You've always been like this, thinking that everything is on your shoulders alone, and that you're responsible for all that happens, good or bad. It's not the case." He smile shifted into one of amusement. "Stop being so big headed, big sister."

"You dare," Sirine replied, a laugh escaping her, and then a few more. She shook her head as the laughter continued, under her breath yet continuous. "My head isn't so big anymore. Even my hair is shorter."

"It looks so strange," was her brother's reply. "I think I prefer it longer."

"I think I prefer not being roasted in the heat, if it's all the same to you." Sirine gave him a sidelong critical look before gracefully getting up to her feet in a single movement. "Come." She reached a hand out toward her brother. They had done enough moping, and the small lighthearted banter had her remember words from last night once again. They were alive and together- it was time to be proud and happy and just... live a little while they could. "Let's go pay homage to our father's people and buy ourselves something new to wear."

"Are you sure?" Bakih asked, raising an eyebrow in much the same fashion as Sirine normally did.

"Are you mistrusting your big sister's judgement?"

"Maybe a little, yes."

She laughed. "Well at least if we look like fools, it will be happy fools. Now off your ass and let's go."

Bakih sighed, shrugged, and then smiled. Grabbing her hand, he pulled himself up to a stand.

"As you wish, Captain."