【Ma Ai】Island of Illusion

"Can you understand the birds?"

Marco turned around, thinking he had heard wrong.Ace wobbled after him like a duck just learning to walk.A banquet will be held in the evening to celebrate the arrival of the new island tomorrow.Saatchi and Ace are the protagonists of the banquet as usual, but now one of the protagonists is following behind him, holding two wine bottles in his hand.The night is as cold as water, and it has reached the moment when even the sea is drowsy.

"Did you just say something?"

Marco took the wine in his hand, shook it and found it was an empty bottle.He held Ace's shoulders, sticky with sweat.Ace's face was blurred in the night, which may also be related to Marco's slightly short-sightedness.Now the drunk man who couldn't even stand on his feet leaned close to his ear, and asked in a different tone: "Can you...can you understand the words of the birds...the birds?" He took two steps back.

"You've had too much to drink buddy...can you walk?"

Ace straightened up awkwardly.Marco smelled strong agave and meat coming from him, pungent.

"You...you can..."

"Yeah, I can understand the birds. Your problem is solved, now go back to your room obediently." He tried to use his status as an elder to arouse the only consciousness of this young man who had just become the second captain, but Ai Si just stood up straight and swayed a few times, then plopped into his arms.

There were only the two of them in the bow.The night wind blew, and he wiped away the sweat oozing from Marco's forehead a little maliciously.He sat on the deck of the boat with the drunk Ace in his arms, and for a moment didn't know whether to call someone or just dump him and leave.Ace's body temperature was so high that it was almost hot to the touch.Holding such a natural charcoal stove in midsummer, Marco felt that he was also scorched from the inside out.

He bends his legs and rolls over Ace's back so he can lean into his arms in a less awkward position.After a long time, until there was a slight snoring sound in his arms, he slowly lowered his head and began to look at this young face full of sunshine marks.

He sometimes laughs at himself with Sage, making fun of his age in front of Ace.In their eyes, Ace looked like just a little boy in every way, reckless, full of vitality, and always full of energy.They even used dirty jokes to run on him, and seeing his idiot who was flushed with pig liver and refused to admit defeat and resolutely resisted, the two of them were as happy as two monkeys.Ace is not the kind of person who gets angry. It should be said that he may not even know what to do when he is angry.Seeing them happy, he laughed along with him, a natural optimist.Everyone on board loves him, and a new and energetic person can always breathe new life into a ship.Even Marco himself had to admit that this young man with small freckles was as bright and dazzling as his fruit ability.

It's just that I don't know when, Ace started to become a little absent-minded.

Marco parted his black hair that was hanging on his forehead, and stroked his fingers along the roots to the ends of the hair.Just like what old men do—when they tease Ace, they often pretend to be old and frail, hold Ace’s head and rub it violently, in Sage’s words—let the uncles warm with love you-

"What happened?"

He lowered his head, knowing that Ace couldn't hear it, but he still asked.Recently, Ace obviously smiled less, and he didn't secretly doze off when he was on guard, but lay on the guard tower in a daze.As an elder, he has reason to worry about the inner world of the younger generation. Marco is a little bit worried that Ace may really have what Sachs called the puberty symptom - springtime?But who knows, kids today are much precocious than they were back then.

"Do you want a glass of wine?" Hearing Yizang's voice from a distance, Marco turned his head and saw him and Sachs climbing up with several barrels of wine jars each.

"Is it fun to count the stars? Or is it that the first captain should start to protect his body and stay away from alcoholics?"

Sage jumped up first, and saw Ace in Marco's arms almost slipped and fell to the deck.Yi Zang leaned over, and his loose long hair fell on Ace's bare neck and chest.

"...Saqi, do you think Ace will have Electra complex?"

"Haha, I'm not sure about this, but this guy has a serious brother-in-law complex... So, what does Marco's father think?"

Sage was obviously drunk, and slapped Ace on the face when he was talking to Marco.Marco kicked him away, taking advantage of the momentum and laying Ace flat on the deck.The drunk who had been slapped cursed in a low voice, turned over and was still asleep.

"Speaking of which, it is indeed a situation that started a long time ago."

Yizang scratched his hair and said.The three simply sat around Ace and had a small drinking party.Sa Qi was sobered up by the night wind for a while, and also joined in the private gossip of the mother-in-law.

"I'm right, it must be that one—a boy at this age would like to have a girl to care about. What we have to do is help find a good girl... Who was that last time?"

Saqi took a sip of his drink, raised his head and thought for a long time but couldn't remember who it was.Marco glanced at him and said, "Is it Uruya or Kelly? Or the one you were thrown out last time... who... don't use your dirty memory to solve the problem."

Yi Zang said to him: "You should be considerate of him, uncle only thinks of good girls with big breasts and big butts."

The three laughed out loud at the same time.The laughter alarmed the crew who came to watch the night, and they all ran up to beg for drinks.If there are too many people, there is no need to continue the discussion. Marco patted his butt and planned to leave this group of boring guys and go to sleep.Saqi held him back, pointed to Ace who was always sleeping boldly, and said, "You just leave him here like this?"

"When you leave, ask two people to help you drag it back... Don't play too late, you will go to the island early tomorrow morning."

"Forgive us, it's not just once or twice that he falls asleep and falls asleep into the sea. We don't have many awake here, and it's not so easy to catch him if he falls."

Marko spread his hands impatiently, and Thatch shrugged at him with straight eyes.

"Caring for children is a compulsory course for a captain."

He had no choice but to half hug and half support Ace to go down.Yizang yawned and said to Sa Qi: "You really like to make trouble for him..."

"Your words are too absolute!"

Sage laughed.He remembered the scene he had just seen - Marco buried his head in Ace's neck and didn't lift it up for a long time.This guy who usually looks like he can't wake up and is doing nothing, at that moment, looks like a believer who believes in gods on the boat.Quiet and reverent.

"People who can't be honest are often causing trouble for themselves... aren't they?"

He said.

Ace woke up with a splitting headache.He woke up at the wrong time, the moon outside the window was still crumbling on the distant coastline.He sat up with difficulty on the edge of the bed.bed?The soft touch, the hemp fabric rubs against the skin, it is indeed a bed.He tried to pat his cheek to wake himself up.Generally speaking, every time he wakes up, he will not be on his own bed, and it is normal for him to roll to the floor or beside the coffee table.

And the room looks too tidy.

His stomach started to churn and his throat felt sore.

"are you OK?"

Marco's voice without warmth came from the cool air.Ace covered his mouth and looked up to see a team captain walking in front of him barefoot.

"Do you want to throw up? Hold on to me, buddy..."

He pulled Ace up, regardless of whether he had any objections, and dragged him directly into the bathroom.Ace didn't pay attention, his head hit the door panel, and he hit his eyes with a bang.

The warm water has a wonderfully soothing effect, and once Ace finishes throwing up, Marco grabs him in the tub and pats him on the back while rinsing his face with warm water.

"Ah-cough-cough-cough...big...big brother...the water...the water is too hot..."

"woke up?"

"Wake up...wake up...ahem..."

Ace sat cross-legged on the floor, drying his hair with the towel Marco handed him.He seldom enters Marco's room, and only heard from Sage that he has a slight obsession with cleanliness and tidying up.From the point of view that the neatness of the room is somewhat uncomfortable, using a slight description is already quite polite.

"...It's simply abnormal, Boss Marco."

he said with a smile.Marco knew what he was laughing at and didn't care.

"Have some milk. How are you feeling?"

Ace nodded and said, "It's okay, except for a little pain in the face and head."

"You can choose to knock down the door to my bathroom and beat Thatch up...but I didn't know you were such a bad drinker before."

"It was just an accident."

He takes the milk from Marco.Marco sat in front of him, resting his left hand on his cheek as he gulped down the milk.

"Ace, do you remember what you said when you were drunk? You have been a little depressed recently. It is not a good thing to continue like this. If you lose your mind on the battlefield, you will lose your life."

"Well…………"

Ace wiped his mouth, actually a little dizzy, but it didn't feel so disgusting anymore.He looked at Marco, saw the seriousness on his face, scratched his face and said, "Did I act so obviously? It's really bad... Actually, it's nothing, just a little bit unmotivated. Let you I'm sorry to be worried." He stood up to say goodbye, but Marco grabbed his wrist suddenly.

"You asked me if I could understand the birds... the moment you were drunk. You kept following me around asking that question, and now I'm answering you, I can understand. But then? Yes Do you have any special meaning?"

Ace looked at him in surprise, and the shaking of his eyes was accurately captured by Marco's eyes.He stood up and faced Ace.The height difference between the two was half a head, and Ace had to raise his head slightly to look at each other.This made his head start to ache violently again.

"I'm sorry, Boss Marko, I don't remember that I have asked about this kind of thing, you...you must not have heard it wrong."

Marko said, "What do you think the chances are that I got it wrong?"

Ace felt that the atmosphere of the two people in front of him was a bit too delicate.He is not good at debating, but the opponent cannot use force, and he cannot find a suitable excuse to leave.His mind couldn't turn to the point, and the questions were crowded together.He just stood there dumbfounded and speechless.

Marco let out a barely audible sigh and let go of his hand.

"You, should I say that you are elusive, or that you are a pure idiot...... Since you can't answer it, let it go. But in the future, don't use alcohol to talk about messy things, cheer up Come."

Ace rubbed his nose, not thinking about what to say.He opened his mouth, and finally choked out a sentence: "Then I'll go back."

"Go ahead. You still have less than two hours of sleep. We will go ashore early tomorrow morning. This island is not easy, so don't be careless."

Ace nodded and staggered out the door.He glanced back as the door closed and saw Marco still standing there looking at him.Their eyes met under the orange light, bringing out a little inexplicable, what the text calls ambiguous.

"Marco, what's the name of that island...?"

He asked one last thing.Marco smiled slightly, and said in his usual lazy tone: "Reflection, the island of mirrors."

A magical space that reflects the inner world.