So sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! Internet troubles, holiday plans, and writer's block! All at once! Oy vey iz mir!

"Okay, so lemme get this straight," Syrise folded her arms, "Your dad is bad. Your brother's not bad, but he attacked you to protect your bad dad. Which is bad. But he's not bad. Only your dad is bad. And your bad dad is making your not-bad brother seem bad. Which is bad. That sound about right?"

"I...think..so?" Zami furrowed his brow.

"Great," Syrise clapped her hands together, "So all we have to do is make your bad dad mad, then your brother will be sad when he sees how bad your dad is."

"Can you stop dat?"

"Aw but it's fun," Syrise huffed.

"I think I understand her general point," Mythene spoke up, "Zalu won't listen to you if you try to convince him. He's already shown that he won't take you at your word on this matter. What he needs is to see the truth for himself."

"Clever little kal'dorei," Syrise said as she pinched Mythene's cheek, "And yup! Get him to see your daddy-o is a baddy-o with his own two eyes-no offense to you, Z-and he'll come crawling back to you in no time."

"So what's da plan, den? Just, wait?"

Syrise shrugged.

"Yeah, these kinds of things take time, you know?"

"But we don't got time," Zami shook his head, "We gonna reach Booty Bay tomorrow. What if Jumi gets Zalu to leave wit him? What den?"

"Just wait," Syrise shrugged, "Either he'll eventually change his mind about dear old dad, or-"

"Eventually?" Zami interjected.

"-Or he doesn't mind him being awful. In which case, maybe you don't need the brother around either," Syrise finished.

Zami sighed in frustration, rubbing his face.

"I...need a minute to think."

"Hey, only a minute?" Syrise grinned, "That's pretty good for a troll!"

She laughed at her own joke, elbowing an unamused Mythene.

"Oh, c'mon, kal'dorei, that's funny! Laugh!"

"Ha," Mythene offered sardonically, rubbing her arm where she was elbowed.

"Ho ho, she's got some sass in her, huh?" Syrise chuckled, "I like this one!"

She then flung her arm up around Mythene's shoulders, earning an uncomfortable look.

"You gotta come meet my friends."

"I already-"

"Hey! Daendrea! Come look at this kal'dorei! She can sass!"

"I already met the yesterda-"

"See? This is what I'm talking about!"

Zami perked an eyebrow, watching Syrise drag Mythene off against her will. Once they disappeared in the crowd, his thoughts turned back to Zalu.

He wasn't sure what to do anymore. When they'd all first left Moonglade a few days ago, it was all so clear. But as soon as they'd arrived in Ratchet, everything became so complicated.

With a sigh, Zami say down against the deck, near Syrise's luggage. He glanced over at it making a mental note to scold her for leaving it unattended. Especially considering she was a thief herself. He reached out to pull the boxes closer within his reach to be safe, but found it surprisingly light. A quick glance inside revealed that they were full of nothing but a few rocks and bits of crumpled up paper. With a chuckle, he closed the lid. Okay, so perhaps Syrise wasn't being as careless as he thought, if she went through all the trouble of setting up decoys.

His interest waning, his mind wandered back towards thoughts of Zalu. They'd never gotten along when they were younger, that was true. But he had to admit he'd grown a bit fond, if a bit exasperated, of Zalu since this whole thing started. They'd been together since back in Sen'jin Village. Every step of the way, they were together. Like a team, or something.

Zami liked teams. He always preferred to be alone, of course, but teams worked well too. He had been in a team with Syrise and Jazax back in the day, and that had always worked out pretty well for them. There was nothing they couldn't steal, no one they couldn't kill. It didn't matter if the Cartel made them go all the way to Winterspring, they'd get the job done.

A faint smile played at Zami's lips as he reminisced, but it faded after his thoughts again moved back towards Zalu. He still couldn't wrap his head around it; around why. It didn't make any sense. What would Zalu have to gain from Jumi? That old man offered nothing but empty lies and cruelty. Syrise's words flashed in his mind, but Zami shook his head.

No. Zalu wasn't like him. He was certain of it. Sure, Zalu was a bit irresponsible, and had a bit of a temper, and wasn't very respectful towards women or children, but at least he wouldn't just abandon...his...family.

Zami furrowed his brow, growing pale. A knot began to form in his stomach. No no. That was just...coincidence. Right? Yeah. A coincidence. Zami nodded, as if trying to reassure himself. Even so, he could feel a rising sense of panic. A panic that he had blind to something so sinister, yet so obvious. That Zalu might be exactly like Jumi.

"No," Zami said aloud, shaking his head, "Not a chance. Dere ain't no way."

He tried to speak with conviction, yet his words just came out sounding like lies. The knot in his stomach grew. Maybe he just had to prove it to himself. That they weren't alike. But how?

That was when he got an idea.

With a deep breath, Zami pushed down his growing anxiety and calmed his mind. Once he was properly stealthed, he got up and began to weave through the crowded deck. His eye eventually fell upon his target and he approached him.

Zalu was seated at a table, a frothy mug of beer in his hand. Jumi sat beside him with his own beer. The old man was in the midst of a long-winded story.

"So dat's how I saved Vol'jin from da Sea Witch."

"Wow," Zalu leaned forward to prop his chin up on his hand, "All by ya self?"

"Ya deaf boy?" Jumi slapped Zalu's shoulder, "Did I ever say dere were anybody else? No. Course it were all me self."

"Wow," Zalu repeated, pausing to sip his drink, "So, anyway, I been meanin' to ask ya, fa'da-"

"Oh, ya should hear bout da time I met dis beautiful Scullsplitter gal. She were-"

"Fa'da, I wanna ask ya-"

"Hey!" Jumi reached out and smacked Zalu in the head, "Don't interrupt me when I'm tellin' a story, boy!"

"Sorry," Zalu sighed, rubbing his head, "But ya been tellin' a lotta stories. I been tryin' to ask ya for days-"

"Fine, fine," Jumi waved a hand, "If I let ya ask ya stupid question, will ya promise no more interruptions?"

Zalu nodded.

"Fine. What?"

"It been a few days now," Zalu rubbed his neck, "Shouldn't I go check on Zami? He should be calmed down by now."

"Nah," Jumi sipped his beer, "He be fine."

Zalu shifted uncomfortably.

"Maybe I could just, ya know, bring him somethin' to drink?"

"I told ya, boy," Jumi looked over at Zalu sternly, "He be fine."

"But it been six day-"

Jumi growled angrily and slammed down his beer, spilling it all over the table.

"I once went twenty days in da jungle wit nothin' to eat and nothin' to drink, and I was just fine."

Zalu furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side.

"But ain't da jungle, ya know, full of stuff to eat and drink? Why would-"

"You questionin' me, boy?" Jumi narrowed his eyes.

"Well, it just don't make sense. I mean, maybe if-"

Jumi reached over and slammed Zalu's face into the table, hard. Even Zami winced just watching. Zalu lifted his head slowly, a pained look on his face. He went to say something but stopped, his eyes fixating on one of his tusks. Zami looked at it as well, eye going wide. There was a deep crack, towards the base where it curved forward.

Zami looked over angrily at Jumi, who was staring Zalu down coldly. Zalu, meanwhile, brought a shaking hand up to his tusk, gingerly running a finger along the crack. As he did so, Jumi leaned over towards him.

"Never question me again," Jumi said to Zalu slowly, before calmly picking up his beer and returning to drinking, as though nothing had happened.