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Goodbye, Iris... — Description
Scanner killed it a little....but expect to see a cleaner, and colored version of this soon....

This is a drawing I've tried to do so many times, and I finally got it mostly right Alex looks a little off, but oh well T.T

I still love the way Iris turned out, here's a little bit of her story where this picture comes from.

“Alex, did you see the pirate ship outside?” Iris whispered excitedly. Alex’s face was grim. He placed his bag on the floor and knelt down to be eye-level with her.

“Yes, I saw the ship.” He whispered back.

“Why don’t we go check it out?” Iris suggested, turning to walk to the door. Alex grabbed her shoulder gently and turned her back around.

“You shouldn’t go. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He said quietly, Iris could barely hear him over the commotion that was taking place in her own mind. Why won’t he let me go? What’s going on? Question after question was popping into her mind, she tried to ignore them, and the growing anxiety inside of her.

“I know how to defend myself. I can fight them off!” She protested, determined to reach the ship to explore. She tried to turn and walk away again, only to have Alex’s grip tighten.

Alex took a deep breath before speaking softly to Iris, “Iris, I need to tell you something. I-I’m leaving.”

“What? Where are you going?” Iris felt as if she had been punched in the stomach, she found it difficult to take a breath.

“I’m going out to sea. I’m joining those pirates on the Grey Empress.”

“Let me come with you! You know I’ve always wanted to be a pirate!” Iris whispered loudly, remembering all of her daydreams. This could be her chance to escape her dreaded town. This could be the chance of a lifetime for her, to finally go out to sea, so why would Alex try to deny her of this chance? She pictured herself aboard the Grey Empress with Alex, the salty wind tossing her hair carelessly, she imagined all the new places she would see, all the people like her that she would meet.

Alex closed his eyes, “I can’t take you with me. You need to stay here with mom dad and Mina.” He answered in a stern tone. Before Iris could protest any more, Alex continued. “The crew of the Grey Empress wouldn’t let a child on the ship. I would never want you to get hurt because I let you come. I need you to listen to me closely. One day, your chance will come when you can go out to sea. But right now, you need to stay here and look after everyone for me.” He didn’t smile, his eyes were fierce with determination, but Iris could see the sadness that was creeping it’s way out.

“W-will you ever be back? Will I ever see you again?” Iris whispered, holding back her tears. She didn’t want to hear his answer, every alarm in her mind was screaming ‘no’, but she tried to ignore them, she couldn‘t imagine a life without him. Iris couldn’t believe that her own brother wouldn’t allow her to leave. She felt betrayed, how could he leave to be on a pirate crew and just leave me here, alone?

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” He began, still staring directly into her eyes, “but I want you to know now, that you have the potential and skill to become a great pirate someday. If I ever manage to become a captain, I‘ll head straight here and let you join my crew. That is, if you haven‘t found one by then.” A tear rolled down Alex’s cheek, he leaned forward and hugged Iris. His warm embrace was like a blanket around her. He stood up and silently turned around. As he left the house, he looked one last time at Iris, “Goodbye, Iris.” he said quietly, forcing a smile as he walked away. The only person Iris truly cared for was now gone, the cold wind tried to steal the warmth from his last embrace, and the silence pierced the sound of his farewell, his voice already gone in the air.

Iris waited until his shadow was out of sight, and she bolted from the house to the edge of the cliff. She stared at the ship for what felt like hours, a figure boarded, and tears began to flow from her eyes as she realized it was her brother. He walked around, stopping to talk to who Iris assumed was the captain. A small echo barely reached her ears, someone had yelled “Cast off!”, She watched as the ropes were thrown back onto the ship, and it slowly crawled away from the docks, carrying Alex on board. Iris felt his eyes upon her, and she quietly whispered, “Goodbye, Alex.” She watched the ship closely, noting it’s every feature, she would never forget the Grey Empress, and she felt that she would never forgive it for stealing her brother. As the ship reached the horizon, she turned around and headed for home, her eyes blurry and her cheeks wet from crying. She touched her cheek to feel the tears and be sure they were real. Iris hadn’t cried for a long time, she couldn’t even remember the last time it had happened. She tried desperately to keep the flood of memories off of her mind, but at each thought of Alex, her sorrow increased. Every memory of their sword lessons, their walks to the pier, trips to town, all of the trouble he helped her get out of, and every encouraging thing he had said to her shot back into Iris’s mind. Her walk home was nothing more than a daze, and before she knew it, Iris was sitting on her bed, staring out the window once more. Hoping, in vain, that the ship would turn around and that Alex would return.