Amal narrowed her jade green eyes in concentration as she considered lines which ranged from light grey to ebony spreading across her page.  It wasn't her best illustration, not by any stretch of the imagination.  For days she'd been adjusting to the gentle sway of the vessel carrying them to Besaid.  She'd never been on a boat and it had taken a while to get used to the floor moving beneath her feet.<br/><br/>She was improving, she decided; just last night Chiron had commented about her not looking green anymore, which must have been some expression from his home because it made little sense to Amal.  Casting a glance over her shoulder to where he was still asleep on a bed beside the one she shared with Harris, she wondered if the pair of them, Chiron and Harris, might wake up feeling a little under the weather.  They'd had a lot to drink the night prior, which was mostly the fault of ever-competitive Harris, who had challenged them all to a contest.  Chiron had been the only one to accept.<br/><br/>Smiling for the memory as she ran her left thumb over a particularly bold stroke to soften the line, Amal let her thoughts drift back to Bevelle and her brother, Agustin.<br/><br/>Of course he would have realized she was gone; in all likelihood, he would be furious she'd defied his wishes and run away on an adventure with two strangers she hardly knew.  Amal had long ago worn out her worry over the secret fear he'd send someone after her.  Agustin had neither the time to divert from his studies nor, frankly, the resources to see such a deed done.  If anything, she'd struck his ego by leaving and only time could heal that wound.  Her brother wasn't the sort of man who was used to things not going his way.<br/><br/>Tracing her pencil lightly over the line on the page that would mark the beginning of Harris's one good eye, Amal caught her lower lip with her teeth and slowly began to blend the graphite she'd left behind with her thumb.  She'd tried not to stare when their group met the boisterous Blitzer several evenings ago - but there was something about the tall blonde that simply drew one's eye.<br/><br/>She was athletic in every possible meaning of the word, all long limbs and lean muscle.  Her legs stretched on for miles until finally disappearing under her short shorts; that detail alone caused Amal to blush when she considered how much bronzed skin Harris seemed content to share with the world.<br/><br/>Studying the details she'd managed to capture of her subject so far, Amal mentally began checking them off for herself.  Long blonde hair and high pony tail?  Check.  One grey eyepatch, situated over the left eye?  Check.  From behind the patch, Amal had captured the pale splash of a scar stretching from Harris's left cheek, across her eye, and trailing up her forehead to disappear somewhere in the silvery white tresses of her hair.  It was a shame she'd lost that eye, the artist frowned, because the one she did have was wide and deep set in a stunning shade of chestnut brown.<br/><br/>A sudden creak caused Amal to start. When she noticed Ethan peeking his head in through the cabin door, she closed her journal and stood up.  She was a bit stiff from sitting on the floor and leaning against the foot of Chiron's bed.<br/><br/>In response to Ethan's greeting, Harris groaned and pulled the Chocobo feather pillow up over her head to block out the trail of light he'd let in.  Patting the other woman's shoulder gently, Amal just laughed and hurried past Ethan towards the railing of the ship, offering only, "I hope for your sake you're telling the truth."<br/><br/>She didn't want to get her hopes up.  For days, Chiron and Harris had been 'seeing' Besaid off in the distance.  And each time she'd rush towards the front of the ship in anticipation, she'd turn around to find the pair of them laughing at how gullible she could be.  Even though she knew they meant it all in good fun, Amal hoped Ethan wasn't somehow in on the joke, too.  These were fairly new friends and some of the first she'd ever had; the Black Mage was still finding out her place among them.<br/><br/>Sure enough, just at the edge of the horizon she could make out what must have been the small island of Besaid.  She rested her left hand against the weathered railing of the ship and paused to admire the tiny island.  Against crystal blue waters, it appeared as a brilliant beacon of emerald and bright white sand; it was a welcome sight after so many days at sea.  Looking over her shoulder at where she'd left the priest, she placed a hand over her heart and sighed her relief, "I think I knew you weren't trying to tease me."<br/><br/>Amal turned away from Ethan to watch as the island grew closer.  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the warm sea breeze swept a few dark curls of auburn hair away from her braid.  It was a beautiful morning; nothing but warm sunshine and gentle sea, with the soothing sound of waves breaking against the bow of the ship.  They were still far enough away from shore it would be another hour or so before they'd arrive at the dock.<br/><br/>After a few moments, she turned to see if Ethan was still standing behind her.  Her bright eyes glimmered with a hint of uncertainty as she asked, "Or is it that you really were looking for a laugh and timing just got the better of you?"