15 Hellos:
Don could practically smell the reek of loqua before the New Hope had docked at Sailors Island. The captain trudged out of his ship and allowed his legs to get accustomed to solid ground. Khazim and Pinta would be down soon, but Marco was content to stay and sulk in the forecastle. Don sighed, the boy needed to grow up and the weary captain wanted no part of it.
The sun overhead bore down on the back of Don's neck and the white sand at his feet was warm. The cries of gulls made the captain flinch; if those birds thought to leave any presents on his ship he'd be very angry. Don turned his attention to the aromas that emitted from Polly's tavern nearby. His feet followed his nose and he quickly found Polly's door.
Inside, the smell of deep fried sardis overwhelmed everything else. Don enjoyed Urala's cooking, but every now and again a man craved something that wasn't wrapped in seaweed or on a bed of rice.
Polly's daughter, Ann, grinned in his direction as she deftly wove her way through the throng of patrons with a steaming platter propped on her shoulder. A blonde drunkard slapped Don's bottom as he made his way to the bar. Polly had a mug of loqua waiting for him.
"Well look at you!" Polly beamed. "Is Vyse with you? Today's just been a day for familiar faces."
"No. I'm the captain of my own ship now, actually." Don loosened the pink scarf around his neck with a jerky hand. "Could I have a cup of moonberry tea instead?"
"Moonberry tea?" Polly raised one finely plucked eyebrow.
"Yeah, moonberry tea." Don chuckled nervously. "I'm trying to break an old habit."
Polly smiled warmly. "Don, you can have anything you want here." She thought a moment before she added, "As long as it's legal."
"Thanks, I think." Don cleared his throat.
"I'll be right back with the kettle in a jiffy." Polly bobbed off into the kitchen.
Don nodded absentmindedly and turned inward. Polly had left the jack of loqua right in front of him and it taunted him. It had been easy to forget about the drink when he had been playing at captain aboard the New Hope, but now it sat so compellingly alluring in front of him.
One sip. No one would know and then Don could just slurp his moonberry tea down like a barbarian and be on his way. Polly wouldn't know, Kirala wouldn't know, Vyse wouldn't know, Fina wouldn't know, Marco wouldn't know and Urala wouldn't know.
Don would know. That final admission ate at him.
"Here's your tea, darling." Polly's voice shook Don from his thoughts.
His head jerked up and he caught the woman watching him carefully. Polly poured the contents of the kettle into a dainty cup. Her full lips were pursed in a frown.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." Don nodded slowly. "I just think too much, I think."
"About what?" Polly wondered.
"About lots of things." Don reflected. "For instance, I was just thinking about how it looks like your dress is clinging for dear life to your hips."
Polly's look immediately hardened, though Don noticed a slight blush grace her cheeks.
"That's an awfully bold thing for you to say to a married woman." she warned. The woman's fingers drummed dangerously along the dark wood of the bar top.
"Will I be able to save my sorry hide if I casually mention that Robinson's a lucky man?" Don asked meekly.
"I already know that." Polly replied dryly.
Don clamped onto the small china cup with his thick fingers, forced his pinky outward and took a sip. The bitter taste of the black tea made him grimace. Perhaps, he thought retrospectively, he was not a "tea man."
"Maybe some milk or honey would make it taste better." Polly offered after she looked at his expression.
"I think it's just swell." Don muttered.
"I'm not paid well enough to put up with your attitude." Polly smiled darkly.
"How are things going here at Sailors Island, anyway?" Don tried to change the subject.
Fortunately, Polly abided. "You'd almost think it was the center of the universe." she mused. "Emperor Enrique and his wife made a pit stop here a few weeks ago before they headed to Crescent Isle. Probably for publicity, as if they needed any. Gilder and Aika just showed up and now you."
Don gagged on his tea. "What did you say?" he spluttered.
"Enrique and Moegi visited, followed by Gilder, Aika and the crew of the Claudia." Polly repeated. "I wonder, do you have any idea why that girl would have left Vyse?"
"Aika?" Don choked out.
"Yes, Aika." Polly confirmed. "Are you alright, hun? You don't look so good."
"Where is she now?" Don demanded.
"They all stayed at the inn last night. Gilder planned to leave here sometime today." Polly replied. She continued to watch the curious shade of green that Don's face was turning.
"I need to see for myself!" Don shoved his stool away from the bar and leapt to his feet. He took off into a sprint from the tavern.
"Don't worry; I'll put it on your tab." Polly called after him sardonically.
Don raced through the cobblestone streets of Sailors Island until he reached the dry tufts of grass and sand that framed the island. He scrambled to the docks in time to find Gilder watching over his crew as they loaded supplies onto the Claudia.
"Gilder!" Don cried as he ran towards the fellow captain.
Gilder waved nonchalantly. "Fancy seeing you here." he said.
Don collapsed into his knees as he panted desperately. "Is Aika with you?" he wheezed.
Gilder raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting 'hello.' Hang on, I'll get her."
Gilder turned around and cupped a hand around his mouth. "Hey, Red!" he called. "Get over here."
"Yeah, Captain?" Aika jogged over.
Her brown eyes grew to the size of saucers as they met with Don's. She stopped abruptly until her brain could regain control of her body. After a few seconds, a yip erupted from Aika's mouth and she dove behind Gilder's trench coat.
"Aika?" Don stammered.
Aika flinched. It looked as though she was trying to contract her boney frame into nothing.
"I think you've been caught, kid." Gilder chuckled.
The Claudia's captain slipped his cigarette case out from his pocket as he strolled off, leaving Aika exposed.
Aika gave a hoarse laugh. "Don. Hi."
"You're alive." Don managed.
The expression on Aika's face promptly died. "Alive? That's all you have to say?"
"We thought you were dead." he said. "We found your destroyed ship."
"Oh that." Aika said. "Baltor tried to kill me. Gilder rescued me. I've been a crew member of the Claudia ever since."
"We thought you were dead." Don repeated.
"Really?" One thick red braid brushed her shoulder as she cocked her head to one side. "I didn't think anyone would come looking for me."
"Well, we did." Don spluttered.
"So I'm dead now?" Aika asked.
"We had a funeral and everything." he replied.
"Oh." She grinned sheepishly.
"That's all you have to say? 'Oh.' Vyse nearly went loony afterwards." Don exclaimed. "He locked himself up alone in his room and everything."
"Really?" Aika asked quietly.
"Really." Don affirmed.
Aika stood there silent for a moment, her forehead wrinkled with thought.
"I never meant for that to happen." she said finally.
"Well, it did." Don said. "Will you come home?"
"Not yet." Aika looked down at her boots.
"I'm going to head back to Crescent Isle soon." The harsh sunlight revealed Don's true age. "I'll let Vyse know what you're up to."
"Don't!" Aika balked. "I mean, I can't handle that just yet."
"You want me to make that poor boy think his best friend and whatever else you are to him, is dead?" Don demanded.
"Don't yell." Aika pleaded. "Don't make Vyse think anything. Just don't let him know."
"On account of you being dead, I just did a very bad thing." Don growled. "I don't like that."
"Vyse isn't like you." Aika whispered.
"No, he's not." Don agreed. "I doubt he'd aim the largest gun on his ship at a fleeing life raft. But because he's not like me, he doesn't deserve to mope around heartbroken over someone who doesn't deserve his thoughts."
Her dark eyes narrowed. "What do you know about anything?"
"Not much it seems." Don chuckled bitterly. "A couple hours ago I was an avenger. Now I'm just a murderer."
"You can't blame that on me!" Aika hissed.
"I don't intend to." Don replied. "But when I arrive at Crescent Isle, what am I going to tell Vyse?"
"Please don't tell him anything about me." Aika begged.
"Do you plan on coming back to Crescent Isle?" he asked.
"Eventually." she said. "But it doesn't feel right just yet. I can't explain it."
"I'll let you stay dead for now." Don agreed. "But you have to come back someday. I'll give you six months."
"Thank you." Aika forced a smile to her lips.
"Don't thank me yet." Don muttered.
"I have to go." she murmured.
Aika offered Don a nod and scrambled off towards Gilder and the crew of the Claudia. Don shook his head ruefully and plodded back towards Polly's tavern.