Trade and Sell Part 2

(Silver's POV)

With my mini panic attack over at having lost Jim in the worst planet possibly, I had decided to wait for the lad at the dock. That was the logical thing to do. Jim knew where our ship was and I was certain he could make his way here with little hassle. But as I continued watching strangers pass by, doubt crept into my mind and worry for Jim rose again.

I had attempted to search for the boy, but in a crowd like that, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I just hoped the boy was smart enough to stay out of danger. As long as he didn't stray from the path, he would be fine. Then again... Why did I care in the first place? Was it to avoid the captain's rage or the doc's panicked expression? Or was it because I deeply cared for the boy and his safety? Whatever the reason was, I had to find him before someone else did.

"Yer sssssstill waiting for that cabin boy?" Scroop questioned, loading several boxes of delivered food onto the small longboat while leaving enough for for us to squeeze in. "He probably abandoned usssss and took a long boat back to the sssssship."

"If the lad 'ad returned, he would had taken this boat," I replied, my back facing Scroop, hiding my obvious worried expression.

"One lesssss person ta worry about," Scroop said, I heard the smirk in his voice.

Enraged, I span around and fixed my most menacing look at Scroop. He held a challenging look in his own eyes. "If we were ta arrive back on the ship without the boy, the captain would 'ave our heads for losin' him!"

"I wasn't the one who lost him..." Scroop reminded, a satisfied smile spreading across his mouth.

"Yer head back ta the ship, I'm going to search for the boy." Before Scroop could object, I had already began walking away.

I felt Scroop's suspicious gaze on my back as I hobbled back into the crowd, but my first priority at the moment was Jim. I had to find him and fast.

(Jim's POV)

Ugh... My head... What happened? I vaguely remembered getting separated from Silver then... nothing... I must had blacked out or something. Everything was just one big blur...

Opening my eyes, I saw a mixture of colours and shapes come into view. I was aware of lying on a concrete floor, feeling the cold sensation on my cheek and bare arms. A dripping sound could be heard nearby and muffled voices in the distance. With what little strength I had left, I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, forcing the bile back down my throat.

"Owwww..." I groaned. After my vision cleared, I was able to take in my new surroundings. Metal bars were to the front and both sides, but behind was a brick wall with a tiny window with bars running across it. Metal cuffs littered the walls and I shuddered as I envisioned the poor soul that got that punishment. It looked like a prison cell- Wait... I'm a prisoner!

The earlier events came flooding back to me. Those jerks had drugged me and locked me in here. I knew they were trouble when I first laid my eyes on them. I guess I was partly to blame for trying to find a shortcut. Sighing, I glanced up at the cell door. I struggled to my feet, almost instantly collapsing back onto the floor, but luckily caught myself against the bars. I made my way to the cell door, using the wall as support. Peering out, I caught sight of other cells, but they were all empty.

Sighing, I lowered my body to the floor, escape plans running through my mind. Suddenly, I heard a faint chirp coming from my pants pocket. I glanced down in time to see a pink blur fly in front of my face, surprising me. Smiling, I realized it was Morph. With everything that had happened, I'd completely forgotten he was asleep in my pocket. He cuddled up against my cheek, happy to see me. I smiled, patting him on the head.

"Hey, Buddy," I greeted him, keeping my voice low. Morph landed on my shoulder. An idea sparked. I leaned close to him and cupped my hand over my mouth. "I got a job for you, Morph. Can you unlock the cell door?"

With a nod of his head, Morph slipped through the metal bars and into the lock. I heard a few thunks and clunks, keeping an eye out for anybody coming down here. Finished, Morph returned to my side. Deciding to test this, I pushed the cell door and was surprised when it creaked open. A little too loudly for my liking.

"Way to go, buddy," I congratulated, rubbing his head.

"Way to go! Way to go!" Morph mimicked, twirling around me. I laughed quietly.

"Let's go." I cringed as the door loudly creaked as I opened it, just wide enough for me to fit through. I hoped the pirates hadn't heard that. Squeezing through the cell door, I made my way down the concrete path towards the end, eye wearily searching for any unexpected visitors. I climbed up the stairs and tested the big metal door. Hope fluttered when the knob turned. I opened the door just enough to peer through. I caught sight of a lounge room. The familiar three pirates sat around on the couch, screaming and laughing at the TV.

Deciding they were too preoccupied in their show, I took this opportunity to escape. Crawling on my hands and knees, I slipped through the door and quietly closed it behind me. Catching sight of the door, I began making my way in that direction, but a familiar package on the table behind them caught my attention. That was the spyglass I brought Silver.

"Come on, Jimbo," Silver said, walking over to the purp stand.

I remained in place, returning my attention back to the spyglass. Silver didn't necessarily need it, considering he had that cyborg eye. But I wanted to get him something. Just to thank him for always looking out for me. Sure, he could be a bit of a strict boss, but he was an overall nice guy.

"How much for the spyglass?" I asked the seller, pointing to the item.

Smiling, she picked it up and cradled it in her hands. "Ah, you have a fine eye, young man. This spyglass was recently imported this morning, crafted from the finest materials. I would be willing to sell it to you for 5 silvers."

5 silver's? That was a bit much... But...

Looking back at Silver who was talking to the purps seller, I decided he was worth it. I dug through my pocket and pulled out my coins, counting them. I just barely had enough to cover the cost. I dropped them on the table in front of her. "Deal."

She neatly wrapped the spyglass and gave it to me. I took it and slipped it into my duffle bag, swinging it over one shoulder. "Pleasure doing business with you," she said.

I nodded and walked off to rejoin Silver. The old cyborg was already crossing one of our items off the list. He looked up at me, smiling

"There yer are, lad. I found us some purps that will be delivered ta the ship so we don't have ta worry about that anymore. Let's move onto the next thing on our list."

Silver was already walking away before I could reply. With one final glance at my duffle bag, I followed.

I had spent all my remaining money on that gift for Silver. I couldn't just abandon it. But the exit was just within my reach. Sighing, I decided to risk it, crawling over to the lounge room and hiding behind the couch. Morph chirped in protest, but I quieted him. I heard the clank of glasses and the strong scent of alcohol. This should be easy. They were too drunk to see an inch in front of them.

I saw my gift on the nearby table, just out of reach. I scooted closer, keeping a close eye on the drunken pirates. I cautiously reached forward, grasping the bundle and pulling it towards me, smiling in relief. Okay, time to go now.

But when I turned around, I was met with a pair of legs. Trailing my eyes up, I caught sight of a toothy smile, the smell of alcohol assaulted my nostrils.

"Leaving so soon. But the party's just getting started."

I glared up at this guy, contemplating making a run for it, but that didn't go so well last time.

"We've already got a seller that is interested in paying good money for you," slurred the wolf guy, stumbling over to where I sat.

"Who wouldn't want a young teenager with lots of energy," the slug alien added, grinning.

So that was what they planned on doing with me. They planned on selling me off as if I was a sack of potatoes.

"Let's get you back into your cell," four-armed yanked me to my feet and held me in a tight grasp, my struggles seeming effortless.

The wolf guy approached me, a needle filled with that familiar green liquid. He planned on drugging me again. But this time, I was not going down without a fight. Before he could inject the liquid into my body, I bit down hard on the four-armed-alien. He yelped and released his grip, causing me to tumble to the floor. Recovering from my fall, I looked up, a satisfied smile spreading across my lips. Wolf man had accidentally injected the liquid into the four-armed guy. Whoops...

"Well, it's been a pleasure. But I have a ship to catch." Not giving them time to recover from the shock, I bolted out the front door, lucky for me, they had forgotten to lock it. Idiots.

Silver's POV

Where could that boy possibly be?

I wandered the streets in search of Jimbo, but he was nowhere in sight. My mind repeatedly travelled to the worst case scenarios, but I fought to keep those thoughts back. The lad was strong and I was certain he would be okay. Maybe he just got lost on his way back to the ship.

I attempted asking people, but no one had seen him. I swear if those pirates laid a finger on Jimbo, they would never see the light of day again. Why was I being so overprotective of him? He was just some boy that I got stuck babysitting. It wasn't my responsibility to look out for him. So Why was I so worried about him? Why was my heart racing? Was it because I cared for the lad? Or was it simply because of what the Captain would do to me if she found out I lost him? Was that really the reason? Whatever the reason was, I'd be damn if I allowed harm to come upon the boy.

A familiar chirping sound broke me from my thoughts. I blinked a few times, regaining my focus. In front of me was Morph, worry filled his big eyes and I immediately felt my heart drop. He was with Jimbo. If he was here then...

"Morphy. Where's Jimbo?" I asked, getting to the point. Morph frantically chirped, blobbing up and down, buzzing around me. Catching him in thin air, I patted the blob to calm his nerves. "Alright, Morphy. Calm down. Now... W'ere's Jimbo."

Morphy flew up to my face. "Help! Help!" he said frantically, flying off, hinting for me to follow. I wasted no time in running after my pet, letting him lead me to my cabin boy.

Jim's POV

I raced through the streets, the remaining two pirates hot on my trail. I knocked over barrels and carts to attempt to slow them down. It worked for a second, but they continued to pursue me. I just had to get back to the docks. Then I would finally be in the clearing.

Rounding a corner, I slowed to a stop, my breathe coming out in thick gasps. In front of me was a giant wooden fence blocking off my only escape. Too high to climb over. I turned around to head back, but the sounds of incoming footsteps stopped me. Cornered, I attempted to climb over the fence, but only ended up slipping back down. At a lost, I backed up against the wall as the two pirates came into view, wielding swords.

Silver's POV

As I continued chasing after Morph, I noticed the crowd of people grew thinner and the area looked rundown. This was the bad side of the town and I knew it. If Jim was here, he was in a world of trouble. That thought alone was enough to force my aching muscles to continue moving. Morph rounded a corner and I followed, slowing to a stop at what I saw before me.

Two pirates directed swords at Jimbo who had backed himself up against a wooden fence, staring back at them. With no hesitation, I stepped towards them to intervene.

Transforming my cyborg arm into a gun, I approached the group. "Let 'im go," I commanded.

The slug and wolf guy whipped around, confusion lighting up their gazes as they stared at me, which quickly faded into fear when they noticed the gun.

"Silver!" Jim cheered, a relieved smile lighting up his youthful face.

"Ah, Jimbo. T'ere yer are. I was searchin' everywhere for ya."

"Who are you?" the slug-guy asked, raising his sword up in self-defense. As if it would do any good against my gun.

"I'm the boy's guardian," I stated, surprised when I realized it was partly true.

"Oh... His guardian... We were not going to hurt him. We were just playing a nice little game with the kid," the wolf guy lied, hiding his sword behind his back as if I couldn't see it.

"Drop the sword," I ordered, pointing my gun at them. The slug and wolf guy exchanged uncertain glances, hesitating. "I said drop the sword!"

Surprised at my sudden outburst, they leapt a feet in the air, immediately surrendering their weapons. "Right. We dropped the swords. The swords are down," the slug said nervously. I saw Jim softly chuckling before them. I bit my lip, stopping my own smile that was threatening to form on my lips

"Good! Come on, Jim. Let's go. The others must be worried."

Jim walked past the pirates towards me. They remained in place, making no move to grab their weapons. My gaze remained on them a second longer before I moved to follow the boy. Jim appeared fine, apart from the obvious scars and bruises on his arms. But I was relieved he was out of harm's way. I hated to think what would had happened had I been a second too late or if Morph hadn't of gotten me. Still, the lad managed fine on his own and I was quite impressed with that.

The next few minutes happened so fast. I was walking down the pathway with Jim, then a gun sounded and I felt a burning pain in my shoulder. Pressing a hand to the injury, I felt something wet and sticky. Pulling my hand back, I noticed sticky red liquid coated my palm.

"Silver!" Jim rushed back to my side. "Are you hurt?"

Looking up into those concerned blue eyes, I masked my pain with a smile. "D-Don't yer worry... I-It's just a graze. Let's keep going." I regained my footing, ignoring the burning pain and Jim's uncertain glance. We continued on our way to the docks and I fought to keep consciousness.

We eventually made it. Our long boat was no longer there since Scroop had taken it back to the ship. I rented a long boat for the two of us. Waiting until Jim was seated before climbing in myself, detaching from the docks and heading in the direction of the ship.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're sweating alot," Jim asked, leaning forward to study my expression.

I hadn't noticed I was sweating until he mentioned it. I wiped a hand across my face. "I'm fine, lad," I lied. In truth, I was in agony. Blood trickled from the wound and I began to feel light headed. Jim's image transformed into a giant blur and his voice became muffled. Breathing became difficult, every breathe hurt.

I doubled over, gripped the injury as the world around me span. I was aware of Jim calling my name, sitting at my side, shaking me, telling me to wake up.

Then... I passed out.

I was awakened by sunlight streaming in through my eyelids. Opening my eyes, I realized I was in my room aboard the ship. Stifling a yawn, I sat up, but instantly regretted it when I felt a jolt of pain in my shoulder. Gasping in pain, I reached up and touch the delicate area, covered in bandages. When did this happen?

Memories of the encounter with the pirates while rescuing Jim came flooding back. One of them must have had a gun and shot me as we walked away. Well, rather it be me than the lad. What time was it? 9am! I missed breakfast, the crew was going to kill me.

Before I could get out of bed, a knock sounded at the door. "Aye, come on in."

The door opened, revealing Jim wearing an apron over his usual getup. A smile lite up his face. "You're awake!" Closing the door behind him, Jim approached me and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Forcing a smile despite the pain, I said, "A little banged up, but I'll live."

Jim dropped his gaze, picking at a stray thread of the blanket. His long bangs fell into his face, shielding his eyes. "Um... About today... Thank you... For you know... Saving me."

"Ah, anytime lad." I winked.

"I'm just sorry you had to get hurt."

"Yer mean this old this," I glanced down at the bandaged area, lightly shrugging my shoulder, "I've been through worse."

A sad smile laced Jim's lips and he chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so." Jim returned his gaze to me, smiling gratefully up at me. "Thanks, though."

I was a little stunned by the look on his face. He had never looked at me like that before. Not with a genuine smile or that light in his eyes. I didn't know how to respond. For the first time in my life, I was speechless. When my silent extended, Jim moved his gaze to stare at the floor, slightly swaying one boot in midair.

Clearing my throat, I turned my gaze to the ground, having a sudden interest in the floor. "It was nothin', lad. Jus' lookin' out fer ya, t'at's all," I proclaimed nonchalantly, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

"That wasn't nothing. You saved my life," he argued, glancing up at me. His smile faded as a grim expression took over. "If you wasn't there..." he trailed off, sighing.

I found myself smiling. I was touched that he trusted me so much. No one had ever looked at me with such kind eyes. They usually looked at me with fear or hatred considering I was a pirate. But... Jimbo was oblivious to that part of me. He only knew the side of me that I pretended to be, not the real me. He didn't know anything about me. While Jim started to trust in me, I was really lying to him about who I really was. I was going to have to betray him when we reached Treasure Planet and I knew that.

"Actually, I... Um... got you something from that planet," Jim said, drawing me away from my negative thoughts.

Pushing all those thoughts to the back of my mind, I focused on the young lad in front of me. It was going to be a while until we reached Treasure Planet. I'd deal with it when the time came. Right now, I should live in the present.

Jim shrugged off his backpack and dug through the contents. Smiling, he pulled out a long, neatly wrapped package. Suspiciously, I eyed the gift, raising an eyebrow at Jimbo. Before I could question him, he offered the bundle to me. I hesitantly reached towards it and took it from his grasp, staring at it a second longer. My eyes darted back to Jim's face, seeing that same bright smile upon his lips. I really didn't want to upset him by declining the bag.

I tore through it, feeling the lad's watchful gaze upon me, watching my every move. Tossing the bag into the bin, I turned the spyglass over in my hands, admiring the detail. This was the same spyglass the two of us saw at that stand. Jimbo actually brought it for me. Must had costed him a fortune. At a loss for words, I just stared at it.

"I know you don't need it, considering the cyborg eye and all. I just... wanted to thank you for... looking out for me all the time. I know that I don't make it easy."

I moved my gaze from the gift back to Jimbo. "I love it. T'ank ye very much, boyo." I smiled.

Jim shrugged. "No worries."

"Well, I should get ta the Gallery." I placed the spyglass onto my bedside table. I began to move out of bed, but Jimbo leapt to his feet and held me down.

"Oh, no you don't. I will deal with the kitchen today. You're going to rest," Jim commanded, folding his arms, leaving no room for arguments.

"Yer can cook?"

"I'm not amazing at it, but I know how to make a few dishes. So you just rest, I'll be the cook for the day."

"Aye, aye, lad," I mockedly saluted, lying back down in bed.

"Call me if you need anything." Jim slung his duffle bag over one shoulder and moved towards the door. With a final wave, he closed the door behind him. I listened to his boots echo down the hall, fading until there was just silence left.

My eyes darted back to the spyglass sitting on my bedside table. I was still stunned at what he got me. He even used his own money to buy it. I reached my hand across the bed and picked it up again. No one had ever gotten me a gift before. I never celebrated Christmas or my birthday. This present meant a lot to me.

Even though I hated to admit it, I think I was going soft for that boy. I usually protected myself rather than others. But for some reason, I wanted to keep Jimbo safe. That boy was special. I now knew that he meant the world to me. But... I couldn't turn my back on my crew, they would kill all of us, including me. I had to keep Jim safe and to do that, I had to go through with the mutiny. I just hoped Jimbo would understand