The Scarlett Horizon drifted smoothly across the open sea, sunlight gleaming off its dragon-shaped prow. The deck's soft grass swayed in the breeze, the apple tree rustling gently.
Noah stretched his arms wide.
"Ahhh… first day as an official pirate. This is gonna be great."
Emma nodded.
"Until you do something stupid."
"I— hey. That was uncalled for." Noah replied.
"Let's explore the ship." Emma said.
They started with the kitchen.
It was huge. Steamers, a massive fridge, a long counter, shiny pots… everything spotless.
Emma spins in a circle.
"This is perfect! We can cook all kinds of stuff here."
Noah nodded proudly.
"And by 'we,' you mean you."
Emma squinted.
"You can't cook?"
"I can boil water."
Emma walked away immediately.
"That's not cooking, Noah."
They then headed into a room filled with equipment.
Punching bags,Weights,Weapon racks.
Strange metal devices that looked like they'd injure someone.
Emma poked a weird machine.
"What's this button do?"
"Don't—"
WHAP!!
A spring-loaded arm shot out and slapped Noah across the face.
He flew backward.
Emma stared.
"…Why would Franky build that?"
Noah stood up, wobbling.
"Because he's super."
Next they climbed the ladder up to the lookout.
Noah went first.
Emma looked up.
"…Noah."
"Yeah?"
"I can see under your shirt."
Noah froze mid-climb.
"Stop looking!"
Emma laughed the entire way up.
The lookout room was round, with big windows and binoculars on a stand.
Noah looked through them.
"…More water."
Emma shrugged. "It's the ocean."
"Yeah but I thought pirates see cool stuff when they have their own ship. Like a giant fish. Or a ghost ship. Or a giant fish ghost ship."
Emma patted his shoulder softly.
"Maybe tomorrow."
They climbed down and headed towards the lounge.
Comfy couches, bookshelves, a big window and a card table.
Emma opened a cabinet—
CRASH!!
A mountain of board games poured out and buried Noah.
Emma blinked.
"Noah…?"
A hand slowly rose from under the pile, giving a thumbs up.
"I'm alive…"
They walked down the hallway.
"Six rooms," Noah said, counting. "Two bathrooms. Not bad."
Emma picked a room and walked in.
"This one's mine!"
Noah opened the one across from hers.
"Guess I'll take this—"
He hopped onto the bed.
SQUEAK—SQUEAK—SQUEAK—
Emma slowly turned her head.
"Noah… why does your bed sound like THAT?"
Noah stared at the ceiling.
"...Guess I'm changing room."
Finally, they entered the lowest floor.
A large glass tank filled the room.
Emma pressed her face against the glass.
"Noah… this is a whole tank."
"Yeah. I know."
"Why do we have it?"
"…We can catch fish and put them in it for later."
Emma gasped.
"WE CAN GET PETS?!"
Noah immediately walked away.
"Nope. Absolutely not."
Emma ignored him.
"I'm naming the first one Squishy."
"We don't even HAVE one!"
"You're ruining the fun."
Evening on the Deck
As the sun set, they sat under the apple tree.
Emma stretched.
"This ship… it feels nice."
"Yeah," Noah said. "It really does."
Noah's stomach then growled so loud that a flock of birds flew away.
Emma blinked.
"…Hungry?"
"…Kitchen. Now." Noah replied.
They walked off laughing, the Scarlett Horizon sailing smoothly into their new adventure.
THE NEXT DAY...
A warm, buttery, suspiciously smoky smell rolled out of the kitchen as he stepped inside. Emma was already at the counter, sleeves rolled up, frying pan in hand and an apron that said "Don't Blame the Cook" tied around her waist.
Noah blinked.
"…Emma… why is the pan on fire?"
"It's not on fire," she said proudly. "It's cooking aggressively."
A fireball puffed up from the pan.
"No, that's fire," Noah said.
"Then it's aggressively on fire."
Noah rushed to grab the lid, slapped it down, and the flames died, he lifted the lid slowly. The food inside was… black. Completely black. It looked like it had given up halfway through life.
Emma stared at it, then at Noah.
"…Maybe the oven likes me better," she whispered.
Noah sighed, grabbed a pot, and took over.
Ten minutes later
The entire kitchen smelled amazing.
Noah set two bowls on the table—simple soup, fresh bread from the storage room, and seared fish they caught earlier.
Emma stared at the food like it was treasure.
"You… can cook?" she said, shocked.
"Well," Noah said,"I had to learn."
"I thought you only knew how to cook water," Emma said.
"I wasn't lying," Noah replied.
They dug in. Noah took one bite.
And froze.
Emma leaned forward. "What? What is it?"
"…I forgot to season it."
Emma took a bite.
She chewed.
Chewed again.
Then swallowed like she had just eaten a dry piece of wood.
"Noah," she said. "This tastes like sadness."
Noah slammed his hands on the table.
"NO! This ship will NOT defeat me!"
He grabbed spices...way too many spices, threw them into the pot, stirred, tasted again.
Instant regret.
His eyes watered.
"Too hot. Too spicy. This is punishment."
Emma was laughing so hard she was wheezing.
"I'll cook," Emma said, getting up.
"No, I will," Noah replied.
After thirty minutes and two disasters.Emma ended up taking over the cooking. She then banned Noah from touching the "Stove," they finally sat down to a decent meal.
Warm fish soup. Fresh bread. Apple slices from the tree on deck.
Emma leaned back with a happy sigh.
"This is nice," she said. "Just… peaceful."
Noah smiled, resting his chopsticks on the bowl.
"Yeah," he said softly. "Our first real meal… on our ship."
Then.
BOOM.
Something in the kitchen exploded.
They both froze.
"…Did you leave the pan on?" Noah asked.
Emma's face turned pale.
"NO— WAIT— YES— MAYBE—"
They sprinted back into the kitchen, yelling in panic