"How do you do it?" Shi struggled out, propped beside the door of the ship's food storeroom. It was much smaller than the main one used to store the cargo they transported for others, something Vincent had learned after cleaning both, but was packed to the brim with all sorts of crates and barrels, more than enough food here to last several months. Maybe more.
"Working out I guess." Vincent said as he stacked a pair of crates full of the hardened biscuits popular among the crew then effortlessly lifted them up before turning to Shi. They'd just finished their early morning cleaning -unlike others who rotated the responsibility, it was a daily thing for them- and Shi was already covered in sweat, slumped shoulders raising and falling with ragged breaths.
"O-Oh, I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it." Vincent brushed off the apology. He was more curious than distraught about whatever memories were associated with this body; as far as he was concerned his memories were fully intact.
He was especially curious after these past few days.
Whether it be cleaning every corner of the ship, running food to everyone, or taking care of whatever errand was thrown his way, not once had the familiar weight of exhaustion made itself known. This body went beyond simply being fit.
Just what sort of life had been led to develop strength and endurance like this?
Shi, finally getting some measure of wind back in his sails, pushed off the wall. "Still, I'm sorry." He muttered awkwardly as he hefted a single crate up with a huff. Vincent simply nodded as they stepped out of the room.
Shi was more or less the easiest to talk to, not that they did much of that while they were working. Without the learned confidence that came from life experience that just about everybody on the ship possessed, he was more in line with the people he'd known before this. A little on the awkward side but normal enough.
Yawning members of the crew, both heading towards and leaving the crew quarters, took from the boxes as they passed. Naturally, Beidou kept a night crew running and it was about time they swapped out with the morning now upon them.
Vincent and Shi headed into the crew quarters, taking opposite sides of the room and handing out food to any who wanted some.
"Kid, over here!" After days of having been called that, the entire crew having adopted the way Beidou referred to him, Vincent's attention snapped towards the call. Three women in the corner of the room were waving him over; one with shorter hair, another with a ponytail, and last with a deep scar marring her left cheek. When he got to them the scarred one pulled a crate from beneath her bed, tapping it with her foot.
Whatever was going on, he didn't have any real reason to deny them. Setting down what he was holding, he took a seat on the crate.
A hand was placed against his forehead, his back was straightened, and he winced, a mess of silver hairs coming together to form tangles undone by something hard combing through them.
"How ya finding life among the crew, kid?" The one with shorter hair questioned from her bed.
"Fine, I guess." He answered honestly. Despite the absurdity of the situation, he'd say they made things far easier for him. While polite pleasantries were nowhere to be found on the ship, no one gave him a hard time. After the initial awe of being out on the open sea and seeing nearly every part of the ship, things were actually a bit dull.
"Good to hear it. You've taken to life on the sea faster than most. You've already got a better pair of sea legs than noodle arms over there." She jabbed a finger towards the other side of the quarters where a thud had come from, not even needing to look that way to know a sway had knocked Shi over.
"Think you'll be joining us?" The one with the ponytail questioned with a smile, leaning forward. "You're just my type too, so if you do you might just get to share this bed with me. What do you think? Sound good?"
"W-What?" He blurted out, taken aback by the flirting that was borderline a proposition.
"Whore." The short-haired one snorted.
"You telling me he isn't a looker?"
"Well…" The short haired one looked him up and down before settling on his face. Under her attention he became painfully aware of the heat that'd spread around his face. "He is cute with his face all red like that."
"With arms like that, he'll be anything but cute in bed, trust-" And the burn only worsened as the conversation went on. It might not have been his body, but it was hard not to be embarrassed at the center of this sort of attention.
His hair, now properly combed out, was bound into a short ponytail, the scarred woman pushing off the crate and to a stand. "You have nice hair. Take care of it." She said, waving him off.
Vincent spared himself any further embarrassment and took off while the obviously amused pair continued talking about him. Due to the little detour he and Shi finished passing out food around the same time, shuffling out of the room together.
"How did you do that?" Shi questioned, no clarification need on what he was referring to.
"Working out…I guess?" Vincent said just as much at a loss. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends from high school to college, so flirting wasn't exactly new ground for him. That sort of bluntness? From two different woman at the same time no less? That was certainly new and he was certain it had more to do with this body than him.
Is this what people meant when they said attractive people lived in a completely different world?
Putting that situation behind him, they headed up towards the deck, the cool air of the open sea greeting them as they began handing out food to those they missed, taking opposite sides once more. Steady as he'd become, the swaying giving him little issues, he made it up to Beidou and the Hei quickly enough.
He'd expected to hand them food and be on his way.
"You're getting on well, kid." Beidou said as she allowed the old man to take the wheel and stepped towards Vincent. She looked him up and down, much the same way that woman from below had done though her one-eyed gaze was much different, genuinely curious in nature. "What do you say to a little fight?"
The old man chuckled, gaze kept forward at the sea ahead of them, while Vincent and the few who heard it were shocked. Him fight someone? A vision wielder at that? The only fights he'd ever been in were scuffles as a child; he didn't know the first thing about fighting.
"Worried about this?" She questioned, nudging the vision hanging from her clothes with a slight smirk. "You must be confident if you think I'll need to use it."
No, confident definitely wasn't the word he'd use to describe the pure apprehension that held him in place.
"You didn't get strength like that from carrying around boxes and scrubbing dirt." She said, voicing exactly what he'd been thinking. "Aren't you a little curious about what you can really do? And, if you're lucky, could be I end up beating some memories back into you."
He sincerely doubted that but…ah what the hell? What did he have to lose?
If this was his new reality, something that seemed more likely with each passing day, it was one rife with monsters, bandits, gods and so much more. If he was going to survive, knowing what he was capable of was the first step. What better way to figure that out than against someone who, as far as he could tell, meant him no harm.
"Good." Beidou said, somehow knowing he'd agreed to it without a word on his part. She led him away from the wheel, taking up a spot a good distance away from him.
She just stood there, arms and one eye on him.
Should…Should he just head over and go for a punch? No, no, that was way too obvious. Maybe a kick? Could his foot even reach high enough to-
Pressure, powerful enough to force him to take a step back, slammed into his left forearm, that arm raised and blocking Beidou's fist. His mind barely caught up with that before he found himself backpedaling, avoiding and blocking punches. They were quick too. Quicker than anything he'd ever seen. But here he was, able to see and keep up with them.
Or more accurately, this body was. Truth was, that first punch would've laid him out had this body not reacted of its own accord. This whole defense was its work, not his.
Should he try to find a chance to retaliate? It's not like he could sit here blocking all day.
As a punch slid past his shoulder he stepped in-
His cheek exploded in pain. Then his chest, his feet leaving the ground. He hit the deck groaning.
"Come on, kid, shake it off. You've got more in you." Beidou encouraged. Sure enough, unfamiliar as the pain was, it was far more tolerable than expected, Vincent easily rising to his feet. "Good. Ready to go again?"
He reluctantly nodded and once more found himself on the receiving end of punches he couldn't do much against.
This wasn't going to end well for him, was it?
…
The sun shined directly down at him, Vincent staring up into the skies. His entire body ached, bruises more than likely forming in places he'd never suffered them before.
Beidou might not have used her vision but the difference between had been made crystal clear. Not once had he managed to do so much as graze her, every attack he tried shut down before he could throw them out. It was a miracle he lasted as long as he did. Or maybe a testament to just how sturdy this body was.
Someone stepped up beside him, the glaring sun blocking out their face. "Stand up." Recognizing the old man's voice, Vincent swallowed his pain and did as ordered, rising up with a muted groan. "Take off your shirt."
"What?"
"Take off your shirt." Hei repeated. Vincent glanced around. Everyone else was focused on their duties, Beidou, the only woman on this part of the ship, focused on sailing. Reluctantly doing as he was told, Vincent removed his shirt through a wince, bruises crying out in protest.
The old man walked around him. Letting a doctor was perfectly natural and nothing to be too bothered by. Not until Beidou looked back from the steering wheel. He found himself looking away, the familiar heat of embarrassment returning as she looked him up and down. That smirk spread across her face was enough to tell him she was unashamedly checking him out.
"A physique like yours doesn't come about without great discipline and effort." The Old Man said as he returned to Vincent's front. "Soldier or adventurer I'd bet." A sensible deduction if ever there was one.
"Interested in learning Martial Arts?" Hei offered. "It should give you a fighting chance in those beatings the captain will be giving you."
"Beatings?" As in this was going to be happening again?
The Old Man patted his shoulder. "My dear boy, you've caught her eye. It will be best if you accepted that reality sooner rather than later." And why was he saying that like she was going to be torturing him or something?
Vincent couldn't say he was looking forward to being on the receiving end of those punches but again, this world was filled with so much danger that remaining defenseless wasn't an option. He was lucky that one god- what had she called herself? The Sustainer of Heavenly something- hadn't appeared to deal with him on the spot.
Common sense only left him with one choice.
"I would." Vincent said.
The Old Man nodded and to Vincent's surprise, dropped his clenched fists to his side and stood straighter, chest puffed out. "Go on, strike me. Use all the force you can muster."
It took more than a little encouragement for Vincent to set aside his reservations about hitting the person responsible for looking after him, but he eventually pulled back his fist.
Took a step forward.
And let it fly!
"I see." The old man said without batting an eye, the fist pressed against his rock-hard chest insignificant. "You'll definitely need to learn to throw a proper punch."
Dammit. Did he really suck at fighting that much?
…
"You can go now."
Beidou watched silently as their newest guest trudged his way down to the main deck and into the hull below. This marked the first time she seen him tired after he did the impossible and bounced back from death. He'd clearly been a fighter of some kind, something the loss of his memories and vision hadn't changed.
"How's the chest?" She questioned as old Hei propped himself against the railing near the wheel. He unbuttoned his shirt and revealed an ugly dark bruise where the kid had punched him.
"Something would've been broken had I not moved." He admitted. "His strength far exceeds what his physique should be capable of producing especially with that sloppy form. Quite the interesting one you've picked up, Captain."
Beidou hummed in agreement.
She doubted his memory loss was a complete lie, but she knew he was holding out on them. Whatever the reason, she felt no malice from him. In fact, she'd take a gamble and label him as one of the few good ones in the world.
The look in his eyes when he sometimes paused to look out at the open sea; she'd seen it in the eyes of plenty who'd the world had taken too much from.
He was just lost.