Chapter 7 - Yo ho ahoy

"That's your fifth bowl!" Zinkata couldn't believe how a small Mithra like Vivli could have eaten 5 large bowls of noodles without throwing up. It was like watching someone try and fill a bottomless pit. And no matter how many times Zinkata saw it he still couldn't get over it. He was sort of glad when they were out in the fields with only enough food to stop the rumblings and he didn't have to be subjected to the horrors that were Vivli's eating habits.

"I told you I was hungry! Now unless your willing to buy me noodles go shut up and go away."

Zinkata heeded Vivlis advice and headed up to the deck where Bootus, Bollo and Voldos were most probably looking over the edge and seeing whose spit could hit the ocean first.

Before he had even opened the double doors leading to the ship deck he could hear the familiar voice of Voldos and by the tune it would seem like some poor young women was getting an ear full of corny lines from the 7th layer of chat up line hell, with the odd visit from a line from the 8th layer. But what he saw when he went through the doors surprised him into almost tripping over himself. There stood Voldos, with his fast becoming world renowned chatting up smirk, looking at Bootus. Thankfully Bootus didn't seem to be looking at Voldos any differently, defiantly not with love or admiration.

"What's going on here?" Zinkata hoped to have caught the two in courtship and exchange it for them to never mention the Zinkata Vivli love theory ever again.

"I'm just showing Mr. No romance a few of my best, most romantic, chat up lines." At the line romantic Voldos had done a fancy twirl which ended when he had gotten within a couple of inches of Zinkata.

"So far he's made me feel dirty, used and sorry for the female portion of the population. You think its bad when you just hear him saying it to some female, its 10 times worse when its you, and slightly disturbing when you start to think he might actually be trying to chat you up." Bootus's species was only made up of one gender, male, so being chatted up was a new thing for him and Voldos being the first person to have ever done it most probably left lingering psychological scares.

"Pfft. One more line and I would have had you in my arms ready to do my every whim." At this moment Voldos's chat up lines pride was at risk so the thought that he was putting his masculinity and sexuality at risk didn't come into Voldos's mind.

" That's just disturbing. Don't speak for the rest of eternity or I might have to do something I already said Bootus could do." Zinkata now realised the errors of his question and decided to repent this sin by changing the subject entirely.

"Heh. So how's Vivli?" Zinkata had hoped the conversation had gone onto a discussion on the many ways to kill Voldos, not a conversation on Vivli. No matter how innocent the question might have seemed Zinkata could instinctively tell the underlining motive behind it.

"Uh she's fine. Probably on her 7th bowl by now. How someone so little can eat so much I'll never know."

"Well as long she's quiet and not pestering me it's a good thing."

After 47 minutes of watching the ocean go by and Voldos trying to convince the other 3 that his chat up lines were the best ever and that he could snare any girl he wanted with them when Vivli made her way up to the deck having finally finished eating.

"Well she finally manages to pull her face out of a bowl of noodles to join us." Voldos was only the first to notice due to all ready facing the door.

"And I think she spent the time getting pregnant! Look at that belly!" Bootus had already thought of what he was going to say to Vivli when she had been below deck for 30 minutes.

"I AM NOT FAT!" The raised voice made sure that everyone on the boat looked towards Vivli, even the people below deck were looking in her general direction. "And for you information I haven't been spending all my time eating. I met a nice guy and got talking." The four male adventurers faces reacted in different ways. Voldos had a look of confusion, Bootus simply raised an eyebrow even though he was confused as Voldos, Bollo's face suddenly lifted with joy and happiness while Zinkata's had a look of complete shock.

"Vivli's got herself a boye-woye friend." Bollo being the one who didn't need the rest of time to process this new information was the first to comment.

"Whu? No he's not my boyfriend. We were just talking." Though she was telling the truth, Vivli's blush gave away that she wished for a little bit more.

"Aw has little Vivli started noticing boys?" Bootus's comment patronising did convey a certain encouragement.

"Excuse me? I've been noticing boys for years!" Like Voldos, Vivli's defences sometimes left something else primed for the mocking.

"Oh. So you're a bit of a noticing whore are you?" And Bootus always liked to exploit these openings

" … God I hate .."

"So who is he?" Bollo could see where this was going so decided to step in with a more Vivli friendly question.

"His names Milliano. He's a Warrior and so dream… he's nice." All through Vivli's description of Milliano she had a dreamy smile conveying some of her true feelings towards her new friend.

"So that's what love looks like … Love's over rated." As unlikely as it might seem Vivli's love stained face was the first time Bootus had actually seen love. Being a Galka Bootus doesn't have the ability to love like most humans, Mithra, Elvaans and Tarutaru's, though can create motional attachments.

"I'd hate to ruin the moment … actually Li's lovey-dovey ness is kinda disturbing" Voldos might have been shocked, and slightly weirded out, but the massive ship slowly getting nearer was something he thought needed to be brought to the rest of their attentions.

"Yeah it's all great and lovely to ruin a moment as long as you have something to ruin it with." Bootus was starting to enjoy mocking Vivli over this previously un-trodden avenue of life and start to learn what love was, instead of Voldos's shame of an example.

"Hmmm? Oh yeah. Pirate ship closing … I mean boarding us."

"Ar me arties. I think ye be handing over ye gill and any other valuables for that matter." The pirate captain was noticeable by his big captain hat and coat where the rest of his crew wore thin shirts and shorts which were more practical for tackling the daily tasks needed to be taken care of on a pirate ship.

"This is one of those situations that you should notify us early instead of waiting for the last moment." Bootus hoped that in continuously pointing out Voldos's faults might teach him to improve. So far this method hasn't worked.

"Hey! I was too busy being traumatised by Li's disturbing show of affection."

"It is not disgusting! Your blatant disregard and lack of respect for the female gender of the species is what's disgusting."

"Excuse me. Yea we be robbin' ya so I'd appreciate it if ye pay us some attention and hand over ye goods."

"Oh shut up! Your not intimidating. Everyone knows pirates are just a group of homosexual men hiding from society and using situational homosexuality as an excuse to practise their sexuality." Bootus nto having a sexual preference himself any sexuality was alien to him and he'd learnt to except them all, so he was in no way homophobic, he just hated being disturbed when there was a good opportunity for mocking Vivli.

"I shall take your possessions off yer dead corpse matey."

"I'd like to see you try pretty boy."

"Crows nest. Take him out."

With the pirate captains orders up stepped a Galka, standing a good 4 inches taller than Bootus, drawing a cutlass with a massive smile on his face. However before he could take a 4 steps forward Bootus lept forward knocking his cutlass flying out of his hand then proceeding to force his left fist into the over grown Galka's stomach bringing the giant down to his knees.

Meanwhile the cutlass that was flung out of Crows nest's hands was hurtling towards Vivli's head. Seemingly aimed to kill.

"VIVLI!"