"Ja'far…" Masrur started, putting down his spoon. Ja'far turned, closing the cabinet he was rummaging through, dark eyes gazing at the seated child.
"What is it Masrur?"
"What am I supposed… to do now?" Masrur didn't meet his eyes, looking intently into the bowl instead.
"That's up to you really," Ja'far started, sitting down beside Masrur. He didn't know much about the kid, except that he was an abnormally strong kid, and the one that had beaten Sinbad with that strength, and that like Sinbad, he was probably coerced by Maader.
"But I don't know what to do… I've never done anything besides fight…"
"It kind of sucks, but that's what freedom is," he puts his hand gently on Masrur's shoulder, and bright red eyes turn to meet his, confused, and frightened eyes. Ja'far looks forward, releasing Masrur and lacing his fingers together in front of him, watching his thumbs twiddle. "I-I know what you're feeling. Before I met Sin, all I did was kill people.. I was an assassin, and then, Sinbad gave me the same freedom he gave you, and I- couldn't imagine I could be good at anything else, and I was lost.. But I found home here, and family, and if you're unsure if this is the right choice, give it some time.. at the least. Talk to Sin, meet the rest of us, give it a chance to be something good. I want what's best for you, if you find that isn't here, we'll help you try and find what to do next. I promise you that," Ja'far tried his best to smile, tugging at the sleeves of his shirt, feeling the discomfort and heat coming off of him as he thought and shared his own discomforts. He felt like his cheeks were on fire, and his toes twitched in his shoes.
"If he helped you so much, why'd you hurt him before?" Ja'far's back straightened, and he stilled, before giving a small laugh.
"Because, I'm still new to talking, and he wanted to give up because some people got hurt, and I got mad. He said he wasn't any better than the people he was trying to be better than, and it made me irrationally angry to hear him talk that way about himself. He's.. so much better than that," Ja'far paused, feeling Masrur's eyes on him, and turned to meet his gaze.
"I'll… try… ok?" Masrur tried hesitantly.
"Okay," Ja'far smiled, taking Masrur's hand and standing. "Let's try and get you some rest before we reach the company. Masrur nodded, standing next to Ja'far, and they walked back to his room.
Ja'far walks back to the deck on his own, Masrur had started snoring just after his head hit the pillow, and it was only at that point that he released Ja'far's hand. He set his elbows on the railing, before opting to climb up, and dangle his leg off the side and curl his torso around the limb. The night air was chilly, not enough for him to really notice, but enough to know it was there. He wasn't sensitive to cold, not anymore. Not after spending so long in ice-cold sleeping quarters and cells. His body gave a shiver unrelated to the cold, a motion he hadn't felt in some time.
He reached out, fingers stretching towards the horizon, before he pulls them back, clutched in a fist, tight against his chest.
'I'm happy here, right?' He rises to his feet then, toeing off his shoes to fall on the inside of the ship, bare toes curling around the very edge of the railing. Air blows his night shirt around, billowing it around his still small form. A sound reaches him and he spins around, one blade already free.
"Whoa whoa, just me." Sinbad says, hands outstretched. "Come on, I'm sure your balance is great, but can we get you down. Please?" He steps forward, placing his hand within reach of Ja'far. "Come on." He gestures for Ja'far to come forward. Ja'far takes his hand, the warmth of it a pleasant change to the cold of the air, pale fingers wrapping around his palm. "What were you doing up there?"
"Just, enjoying the view." Sinbad frowns, seeing how unfocused his eyes are, and how on edge he seemed to be at the sound of someone else, on a ship, in the middle of the sea, full of their own people.
"Do you feel safe here?" Sinbad asks, as Ja'far's feet hit the ground, barely making any kind of sound, and Sinbad can't help but be a little impressed, both with Ja'far and with himself at ever having been able to fend off the brat. Ja'far stayed silent, looking off to the side. "Hey, come on now." He puts his hand on his shoulder, then pulls it away, opting instead to place it on the cold skin of Ja'far's cheek, gently turning his head to face him.
"I do…" Ja'far mumbles, eyes still downcast.
"Then why are you so on edge?" Sinbad rubs his cheek with his thumb, taking his Ja'far's hand with his other, pulling the blade from his grasp.
"If I don't stay sharp, then what use am I?" Ja'far laughs, a hoarse and humorless laugh, and Sinbad's grip on his hand tightens.
"You worry me when you talk like that. If I haven't made it clear already, you have a place here whether you want to use those skills or not, your position isn't conditional." Sinbad drops to one knee, putting himself more on level with the boy and squeezes his hand. "If you wanted to toss those blades in the ocean right now and be a pacifist you would still have a home here."
"Who would watch your overly trusting back then," Ja'far says, giving Sinbad's hand a squeeze back. "I know that, Sin."
"Sin?" He asks, smile widening on his face.
"Sinbad," Ja'far corrects, meeting Sinbad's gaze and tilting his head in confusion at the broad smile stretched across the young man's face.
"Sin is fine, Ja'far," he says, standing up then and ruffling white hair as he turns around. He stretches his arms above his head, his shoulder popping loudly. "We'll be home in a few hours, join me for some breakfast?"
"Of course.. Sin."
"Welcome home!" The festivities struck almost as soon as the ship had touched port, everyone graciously welcoming Sinbad back to their company. Drinks were shared, and food was served, much nicer than the stores they had on the ship, so Ja'far made sure to present a rather hearty plate to Sinbad himself, having noticed, once he had calmed down, that the man was not quite in the shape he used to be, and would need proper nourishment, or at least a substantial amount since Sinbad's diet had never been very well rounded to begin with.
As the party continued Ja'far excused himself, still not accustomed to large groups of people, and have a bit of sensory overload at all the noises, sights and smells associated with masses of people. He decided instead to go see Rurumu, knowing she would be with her children, and would pay her visit to Sinbad herself later, in a more private manner.
"Rurumu?" He called as his knuckles rapped on the door. Rather than an answer, the door itself was opened for him, and Hinahoho's face greeted him.
"Welcome back Ja'far," the Imuchakk man said, opening the door wider to let Ja'far in. "I hear Sinbad brought some friends with him." Ja'far nodded.
"Several of the children he had been around no longer had homes to return to, so he brought them back here with us."
"Yes, we were told by a messenger when the ship docked that we had some new guests, I wasn't told they were children though," Rurumu spoke, laying down her youngest in the finely crafted crib.
"You know Sin, he couldn't leave them."
"No of course not, that wouldn't be like him at all."
"He did a few things that weren't like him, that just wasn't one of them," Ja'far mutters, not quite concealing his lingering upset at his leader's actions at the coliseum. Rurumu glances to Hinahoho, and he nods, knowing that look meant a couple of things.
"I'll go collect the kids, I'm sure they could use a bath and some fresh clothes," Hinahoho said, already making for the door, knowing too well his wife, whose heart was much larger than most in more ways than one, would make it her responsibility to make the children feel at home and assure they were cared for, and that she wanted some time to speak to Ja'far, to give him time to say some of the things he wouldn't tell anyone else. Hinahoho smiled, feeling pride in his wife for her care, and her strength, and her ability to even make a loud-mouthed and distrusting assassin warm up to her to the point she was near his closest confidant. Ja'far looks up at him as he leaves, and Rurumu nods at him, and then the door clicks closed and his heavy footsteps fade away in the distance.
"Do you want to talk about it Ja'far?"
"There's nothing to talk about, he was just being an idiot! He didn't think we could handle it, and he was doing stuff on his own, and then the big dumbass starts saying he's as bad as all the other Kings!"
"It sounds like there is a lot to talk about, Ja'far." Ja'far huffs, crossing his arms. "And I thought we talked about those words," she added gently.
"Sorry… He just made me so mad acting like that, and well then I hit him."
"Okay, let's start from the beginning, what do you mean he didn't think we could handle it?" Ja'far's face turned bright pink, and she held out a hand, "take a deep breath, calm down, and then try and explain it to me. Okay?"
"Okay," he grumbled, taking in a breath like she asked, and letting it out. "That didn't work I'm still mad."
"Do it a few more times," she urged. He bites back words about this being stupid, and how is breathing supposed to help anything, and does as she instructed.
"That's.. a little bit better I guess."
"Good," she smiles, and he briefly wonders how in the world she has such patience for him. "Now, tell me what happened while you were away."
"Well, we worked really hard on our plan right? On how to get Sinbad out of that contract?"
"Yes, and it was a very good plan and I'm very proud of you for it Ja'far." He feels his ears warm at the praise, but tried to ignore it and keep going.
"It would have gone perfectly, but we get there, and Sin's, he's started a rebellion with the slaves, they're pointing weapons at her, fighting guards, there are dead kids everywhere, it's horrendous, well, the other shipmates thought it was. I… I didn't really notice, I'm used to that sort of sight, but Sinbad, he, he didn't think we could help him, he thought he had to fix it, and then I got to him and he was sulking about how those kids were dead because of him," Ja'far was pacing now, quick and small steps back and forth across the small span of floor, "and that he wasn't any better than the other crappy Kings, and I was so mad, that he didn't have faith in us to help him, and that he was giving up on his dream so easily, that I hit him… "
"I see. What happened after that?"
"You're not mad I hit him?"
"I'm not mad no, I understand this is new for you, and you were hurt by what he did. Next time, try breathing first, so you aren't quite so rash. Besides, you felt bad after hitting him didn't you?"
"Maybe…"
"That's good. Feeling bad about hurting people is an important step."
"It's not like I liked hurting people! It's just…" he quieted, trying not to extend his outburst, "what I had to do…" Is that the truth? Did I really not like hurting people? Or did I? this is so confusing. I thought I liked it, but then I had a choice, and I don't want to hurt people anymore, and not definitely anyone that hasn't done anything to me, did I ever like killing? Or was I trying to make myself feel like I liked it, so it didn't feel so terrible to have no say in what I did…
"Relax, you don't have to figure everything out right now. It's okay to be confused, you're making a lot of changes in your life, it's okay not to understand. Just know that I'm proud of you for all the progress you've made."
"Thanks… mom."
"Knock knock," Hinahoho calls as he opens the door, "we all good in here?"
"Excellent, come on in," Rurumu says, beckoning them all in. "Ja'far, do you want to help me or would you like to go on to the festivities?"
"I can help," he starts when Hinahoho speaks up.
"Go on back Ja'far, I can help her. Make sure Sinbad is still in one piece, and at least moderately sober." Ja'far nods, running off, making it half down the hall before turning around and poking back in.
"Thanks Rurumu, Hinahoho," he waves, pulling the door shut, and not another sound comes from his end.
"That's, unnerving. How he can do that." Rurumu shrugs before speaking to the children.
"Okay kids, let's get you guys cleaned up, and then we'll go talk to President Sinbad. Who's first," she calls cheerily, and a little girl volunteers herself, "alright, one more, we have to showers open."
"Um, we usually shower together, so you can get this over with faster," one of the littler ones says.
"If that's what you want, you're welcome to, but time isn't a worry. You'll be well cared for here, take your time. Hinahoho walks away, ducking into the bathroom to start the water.
"Well, it's ready for whoever wants to go first," he says, standing beside Rurumu and placing an arm around her shoulders. One of the kids goes inside, albeit hesitantly, before coming back out, eyes bright and smile wide.
"The water is hot! And clean! Come look!" The kids rush inside and Rurumu smiles before turning to her husband.
"Should probably start the other one as well," she comments before walking to a closet and pulling out a stack of towels. "Here are some clean towels whenever you kids are ready," she calls, setting them just inside the door without looking inside. "And the other shower is ready if you'd like some more room." There was silence before a couple of kids bolted through the door, clad in towels and still dripping, flashing into the other door Hinahoho held open.
"Good to see they have some energy now," he says smiling, letting the door fall closed. "Everything all right Rurumu?"
"Ja'far seems troubled, I worry about him."
"What happened?"
"Sinbad did something foolish, but he's just so downtrodden all the time. Its painful to watch him."
"Just keep being there, like you have been. He's been through a lot, as long as we keep giving support, he'll come around."
"I'll talk to Sinbad, I'm sure he didn't mean anything like what Ja'far felt his actions implied, but right now, he needs explicit reassurances, and that boy looks up to Sinbad like an idol."
"I wonder why," Hinahoho chuckles. "Sinbad admires him too."
"I think it's a little more than admiration," she smiles behind her hand, thickly lashed eyes beaming lovingly at her love across the room. "We'll see, as they get a bit older. Ja'far is only twelve, and I'm not sure he'd have any what to do with feelings like those. He's still getting used to bare camaraderie."
"I never said today, I just said they're important to each other, and could build off each other."
"They will make a great team."
"Like us?"
"Like us." They round up the children then, dressing them all and brushing hair. Cleaning teeth and clipping nails. "All right children, let's go, follow me." The children that had been rambunctious were suddenly quite solemn as they followed her down the hall. "I'm going to speak to President Sinbad, when I say, you can come in and join us. Ok? Let's go Hinahoho." She pulls open a door, leading them to the noise and room filled with vigor and spirit.
"Hinahoho, Rurumu…" Sinbad says, noticing the couple after having greeted Pipirika.
"It's good that you're back safely. Did you know that I served as the head of the company during your absence?"
"Yes…"
"Well, then you know just what I want to say to you don't you. I heard everything from Ja'far. About what happened. And what you did there… Everything."
"I see," his eyes cast to the side, his expression fallen from the ease he had held earlier, weighted with the weight of what he did there.
"Don't misunderstand. I don't blame you. However, I wanted you to have faith in all of us… Without having to start such a dangerous rebellion. At least… For Ja'far's sake. He worked harder than any of us to make it right." Sinbad's eyes travel again, looking to his friend, his face falling even further, remembering the marks on the boy's forearms, and the sadness in his eyes. How much it must have hurt, for Ja'far to think the reason he had acted, was because of a lack of faith.
"Yeah…"
"Talk to him later," Hinahoho whispers, giving a gentle thumbs up while Rurumu watches Ja'far interact with Vittel.
"That's it for your lecture. With a face like that, you won't set an example for the children. Come on in everyone," she calls, and the door opens revealing the kids Sinbad had rescued from slavery, clean and freshly clothed, and apprehensions written all over their little faces.
Ja'far looks over after having spoken to, and consoled Vittel, watches Sinbad give his speech, his tone renewed with hope, and Ja'far smiles, heart fluttering at the sight of his friend back on his feet, back on track for his future, the future they dreamed of together.
"Won't you become citizens of my country?" He hears Sinbad say, and it's then, he decided to walk away. Citizens of my country huh… I can help him build it.. But after that, I should probably go. Let the organization and Al Sarmen follow me elsewhere. Don't let them get involved in this, don't let them lose anything else. Not for me. I'm not worth that. Solomon hope I have enough time before they come after me.
All right! Another chapter down. We will probably be seeing Al Sarmen, I'm not entirely sure how far this story will go, but I will probably have some of the Zepar dungeon stuff, maybe go on to the Partevia fall out, and if there is anything you guys want to see let me know. I'm open to ideas.
Until next time!
AsthmaticGlader
