Chapter 9:
Gigi had to admit that she liked Bee more and more every day. At first glance, the looming ogre seemed no different from any other. He wore the hair on his right in long, tight braids while his left was bald. He wore but a hide loincloth supported by a belt, his earthly belongings hanging in a satchel on his side. A few tattoos were scattered across his back and arms, presumably nautically themed although she couldn't quite tell. Despite the simple appearance, the ogre was not only less oafish than his kin, he exceeded all of her expectations in every way.
For starters, he was bright and not only when it came to ships and other things that concerned his job. He knew about the world, it was clear that rather than just drinking his days away on the docks, he had kept all four ears open to the world of outsiders who passed through his town each day. He knew about magic and what was even more intriguing, he knew about warlocks, though Gigi had not been able to discern why. His ability to keep his secrets surprised her almost as much as his self-control when it came to probing hers. He asked where they were headed on day one but she refused to tell him, a week into their journey he had still not asked again.
"Some things are for you alone to know and that's good enough for me, boss."
"You must be more curious than that."
"I've no reason not to trust you. Besides, I'm sure Jang mentioned to you my birthday wish. To meet someone famous?"
More and more naiveté, that is the wish of a child.
"She told me, although I had a hard time believing it."
Bee smiled, shrugged and gestured with his hands as if to say, I'm not changing my story regardless of what you believe.
They were just over a week out of port. Having rounded the Cape of Stranglethorn, they were now heading up the east coast of the continent. The ship was a splendidly clean transport, Gigi always preferred travelling in style. She sat in a reclined chair on the huge, open deck while Bee sat leaning against a taffrail. The ogre loved sunning himself, having spent his life in the temperate South Seas, he had never needed more clothing than the bare minimum. It was many years before he learned through chance that ogres never wore much more than a loincloth in any climate, preferring to show off their bodies in a culture which valued size and strength above all.
Beside him sat a backpack almost as big as he, stuffed with Gigi's many belongings and with several additional packs buckled to it on all sides. Upon 'hiring' Bee, one of Gigi's first ideas was to remove her many belongings from the enchanted satchel she wore on her belt which thanks to its clever magics could fit as much as one of the ship's spacious cabins. She then found a vendor of travel containers in Booty Bay and basically bought out the store to assemble the monstrosity which now sat by the Ogre. She had said that this was all to give him something to carry but in truth, she liked the fantasy of looking like a big-shot merchant with her ogre carrying the various goods. Bee noticed that she switched her violet garb for a blue one and matching hat which somehow immediately made her look less like a warlock.
"So you're telling me you don't care where we go because…"
"Might be that I'm more interested in people than places."
"Then why don't you ask me who we'll meet?"
"I hate to generalize but you warlocks still keep to yourselves. You are less likely to tell me about these friends of yours than you are about our destination."
She raised a menacing eyebrow, Bee was quick to save the situation.
"Look, maybe it's not about people or places. I've been in Booty Bay all of my life so I just want something different. At first I thought I wanted to travel to exotic lands, or meet someone famous, or see something significant, or have a story to tell. Really it's all and none of those things at once. I want to throw myself into whatever comes my way."
"So why come with me, adventurers are supposed to make their own way, and that is what you are as of now right?"
"I hope I don't sound presumptuous. Jang has told me nothing but amazing stories about her dearest family member, how you've been like a sister to her and..."
"Ooh that line would be cute if it wasn't so clichéd," her tone of voice was undermined by her smile and flushed cheeks.
"Think what you want, it's the truth. I have no friends outside of the city and the naval service. I imagine adventuring can be quite dull, who wouldn't want such charming company?"
She raised an eyebrow as her lips curled even further. Bee thought her eyes may have been warning him to cease the flattery but, ever the gambling man, he pressed his advantage.
"Especially when my company commands all those impressive talents," he wiggled his fingers in her direction in a mockery of spellcasting.
"Careful there Romulo," this time Gigi snapped her fingers and flames engulfed Bee's body...or so he thought before realizing that the flames, while dancing all around him and licking uncomfortably close in certain spots, were nevertheless held far enough away that he felt no pain and could almost get enough air to breathe. She let out a quiet chuckle, Bee raised his hands as if acknowledging the loaded pistol of a pirate who told him to reach for the sky, the flames followed his arms, almost like a mobile cage. This little goblin had quite a sense of humor.
"Don't mistake me for easy prey."
Bee may not have had good poker faces but he was still good at poker. The discerning eye of his left made his own weakness common around the table. Flushed cheeks, dilated pupils, flared nostrils and nervous gulps were no match for the mammoth orb. Even now, through the inferno swirling about his massive frame, he could tell when his opponent was on the ropes.
He continued with massive smiles on both faces, as if the flames were tickling his feet, "Can you imagine it? A band of gnolls with knives to my throat? They'd rob me, or worse...until you come in and show em what for?"
She finally gave in to his flattery and with a chuckle, the flames dissipated.
"Now you sound presumptuous."
"Oh what, you wouldn't save little old me?"
"Not before those gnolls relieved you of your belongings and taught you a lesson."
"You'd let them steal all your hard-earned gold out of my pockets?"
Her smile faded quickly as he produced a dark blue coin purse from the satchel on his side.
"It's fashionable, matches the rest of your regalia, which I must say…" he winked as he brought his thumb and forefinger together in a circle and clicked his tongue.
This time, the blood rushed to Gigi's cheeks so vehemently that her face rather resembled a pair of ripening tomatoes. She snatched the purse from his hands and stuffed it back in her robes, huffing and puffing for a second before she found her voice.
"I see, when you find yourself in danger, you take a hostage."
"Who says I didn't swipe that earlier?" He gestured towards her as if to illustrate 'swiping' while making clear that his hands were almost as big as her body. This made her laugh.
"I'll admit you can conjure some cheap tricks, but I don't think I'd put my money on you when it comes to sleight of hand."
The two continued chuckling for a minute, unable to break eye contact.
"You know these talents of mine, they're mostly for show," she relaxed her body for just a moment before her amber eyes playfully darted back to meet his, "or are they?" another shadowy orb appeared in her palm. Her smile widened as the sphere swelled to an alarming size.
"We'll have to find out another time, when we're in less of a joking mood," as Bee spoke, he reached one hand over the dancing void in hers. The darkness continued swelling but now seemed to vibrate from within, as if an unseen force was attempting to pop the bubble. As the swirling mass continued to increase in size, the two received concerned looks from some of the nearby passengers similarly sunning themselves on deck.
The two continued chuckling intermittently as their eyes darted back and forth between the heart of the growing orb and each other's gaze. This continued for another minute until the writhing mass of blackness, now the size of the ogre's belly, was torn apart from whatever force Bee had brought into its core. As it did so, a blast of deep sound escaped with no crescendo, almost like a foghorn in how sudden and loud it was. This time they caught the attention of everyone on deck, exclaims and profanity were heard in the distance. Their eyes met once again and the two struggled not to laugh.
As the shadow dissipated, Gigi found herself impressed once again.
"No trickster after all."
"I aim to please, boss."
"Perhaps I'll find a use for you yet, pack mule."
