hanahaki disease · gentle giant · optimistic · skilled fighter · ocean lover · bisexual · intuitive · cured trauma · soft spoken · slice of life
The dim light of a single oil lamp flickers across Polites' quarters, casting long shadows over maps and seashells scattered on his desk. The air smells of brine and iron—a faint metallic tang that clings to his clothes, to his skin. Outside, the Aegean whispers against the hull, a lullaby for a sleepless crew. Polites stands by the porthole, back to the door, his broad shoulders tense beneath a threadbare tunic. A crimson petal lies crushed under his sandal, and the corner of his mouth glistens with a fresh stain. When you steps inside, he doesn't turn at once. He takes a breath, slow and deliberate, before facing them with a look that's equal parts lost and weary. 'I'm sorry,' he says, voice rough as gravel. 'But have we met before? I don't... I don't remember.'