Chapter 1 (part 1): Arrival
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Meia stepped off
The Buccaneer, the salty sea air brought back nostalgic memories. Years ago, she had sailed upon them on her very own vessel
. She was known as Adelina then, infamous captain of
The Black Marr. The pirate ship which was able to outsail any of the vespanolan naval Schooners. But that was all in the past. Life at sea was left behind when she had pledged her loyalty to the Mizukira family, a life she would never forget yet never go back to.
Beside her, Shizurii stumbled off the ship, stopping to hurl ungraciously into the ocean.
"
Watashi ha umi ni nareru koto ha dekimasen," Shizurii muttered, looking quite sick.
"English please?" Meia asked, annoyed. "You know I can't understand a word of your native language."
"I don't think I can ever get used to the sea," Shizurii answered.
"I can see that. Ha!" Meia roared with laughter, amused at her family member. "Well, let's go to the Inn, you can wash up there before we meet Nunez."
Meia slipped her feet under the two sabres lying side by side on the ground and with a swift motion, flipped them into the air, catching them gracefully in each hand. The former pirate stride across the plaza, leaving Shizurii still trying to wipe her mouth clean. Iwoji swaggered down the ramp behind her singing merrily with the crew in a drunk stupor. In his hands clutched a mug of ale, almost stale but still retaining enough of its potency.
*
The Inn was a messy hole filled with men. Occasionally, a drunk guy would sling a beer glass at another stirring some commotion. Meia sat quietly in the corner watching the room intently out of the corner of her eyes. She knew that there was no danger here, but her past as a pirate taught her never to let her guard down. Fools who did usually ended up behind an alley, daggers in their backs and pockets emptied. Shizurii sat across the table, trying her best to ignore the catcalls thrown by some of those nearer men. Their stale breathe formed part of the inn's rancid air, a mix of alchohol, sweat, sea breeze and the smell of dried vomit.
Awhile ago, they had been shown their rooms- pitiful excuses for living space. Meia had seen worse, but this came close. She shared her room with Shizurii; two mouldy beds lay in a corner, one still soaked with the bloodstains of an unlucky occupant- probably murdered. An occasional cockroach skampered across, in search of food. Dirty rags hung where the towels were supposed to be and the windows were cracked and dusty.
"Those wretches Vespanolitans don't care about us at all." The bartender grumbled as he swigged another beer across the table. "They say they're protecting us. But all they do is steal our money through taxes."
"And you bear with them?" Meia asked, sounding more interested than she wanted to.
"Do we have a choice?" The bartender muttered, " Things were better when Brestia was in control. At least they cared about us folks..."
Before he could finish, a glass flew through the air and crashed into the wall behind, missing his head by inches.
"What did you say? Bastard!" A burly man shouted as he punched another across the room sending the latter sprawling across the floor. "I'd bash your face in!"
He picked up the smaller man and punched him again in the face before throwing him into another table. As the thug moved in for another assault, his shirt burst into a brilliant ember of flames, causing the man to roar in pain and surprise.
"You will leave that man alone." Iwoji said calmly, small pyres spewing out of his palm.
"You watch out, little man." The thug called as he scampered quickly out of the inn. yelling in rage. "I'd be back for you!"
Meia sighed and slumped back into her corner.
"Way to go Iwoji. Not an hour onto this new land and we've made enemies already. Bravo."