Yohohoho, the followers are growing. They are growing!
A shout out to those in Italy and Argentina! I raise my fernet to you people.
She took a sip from her mug and felt the cold coffee drown the heat of the early morning, then came the twitch of rum that woke her up and put a nice fire in her belly. It was a decent drink, with about a mug more of rum it would be an excellent one, she thought complacently as Nico started preparing his own breakfast.
A ticket to diabetes was the only way to call what he had every morning, coffee made entirely out of milk, with nutmeg and enough sugar to make a cake or two and cocoa, two dollops of the stuff. Fortunately, there was none to be found in Itse's home.
The three of them settled in the dwarfish table in front of her bed, the cat refusing to leave her side after she had fed it some of the tiger's meat despite Nicolas' objections of giving it his cooking. Foolish man, the cat deserved it.
"Itse, is there a town or a village nearby?"
The woman in question took her time answering the question, pausing for a second while she was drinking to look at her and then back at her drink. She took things slow, she had realized, took everything at her own pace and let the rest wait.
"There is, of course, I know no one that would choose to live in a deserted island mind you. At least not by choice,"
"And where is it? If you don't mind telling,"
"My, my, what's the hurry? Are you already bored of keeping company to this old woman?"
Bored wasn't quite the word she would use when speaking about her, annoying, exasperating, teasing, those she could use.
"We need to buy things, sell the fur from the tiger, and then get a newspaper. If we can,"
"That same fur your brother left caking in the sun?"
"Shit,"
And they both cursed, and sighed, defeated, there went their chance of getting their hands on their first few bills. Why did she think she could leave it to him to handle the parts he couldn't eat, and then came the memory of a soft rum that washed away her worries and she shrugged. It was worth it.
Itse gave them both a smile, that same smile she showed when they met yesterday that showed none of her teeth and all of her thoughts. Her amusement, her joy, her everything in a single curve.
"Not to worry, not to worry. You left it at night and I took care of it before the sun came up. Took off the bits of meat and rolled it up in a bag with bug killer. Should be ready to be brushed by noon,"
And they both sighed in relief, and she grumbled for the scare. Nico simply kept eating contentedly after finding out everything was alright, sometimes she thought, it would be nice to be so simple for a minute or so, maybe.
"Then, about that town. Can you tell us where it is now?"
"Better yet, I will take you there. I need to sell my furs already and need to see my grandkids. The little things might have forgotten they have a grandma already,"
"We could use some help selling ours too, if it isn't too much to ask,"
Nico finally added himself to the conversation, the plates and the mug already spotless clean sitting in front of him. Much to the cat's chagrin as it padded over to his side, looking for a crumb or something to nibble on.
"I will buy it from you, right now. Fur like that needs some extra care to be worth something and I don't think you know how to do it,"
"How much for it?"
"Eighty thousand berries,"
Martina worked the number in her head, the fucking coin of this world was awfully devaluated, it was worth most nothing and that price could be on the low side for all she knew. Low even for what she was selling.
"Hundred and twenty thousand, we had to pick it up twice because someone chased us round,"
"We? When did you lift the damn thing?"
"I am doing business right now, so shush,"
Nico looked like he wanted to say something, face pinched and angry, veins almost popping on his forehead. He hated that, being dismissed that is, hated disrespect in general but being dismissed simply made him explode but Itse interrupted him before he could flip.
"I am including expenses in my price. Hosting you, children, doesn't come easy to my pocket. I am but a lonely woman on a mountain you wouldn't take the pittance I am making from this, would you?"
"She would collect money from a kid if they asked her to buy them candy,"
Martina fixed him with a glare through her squinted eyes, and he smirked, that stupid half smile he always kept around to look smug.
"It's a hundred thousand here, all you need to do is give it one last treatment and its over. We did the rest of the work,"
"Again. We?"
"Would you stop being so petty? I am trying to get some money here,"
"You would have an easier time if you spoke with property, saying he lugged it, he skinned it,"
"He left it in the sun,"
"That's a one mistake,"
"That's enough. I am paying you ninety thousand, and that's only because you two make me laugh, what do you say?"
She could feel there was still some money to be had, could almost smell it, but she let it rest. They were being hosted here, after all, wouldn't do to be kicked out.
"Okay, we will take the ninety-five thousand,"
Martina could see Itse chewing on her lip, trying hard not to smile, trying hard to laugh, and failing to hide the radiance of enjoyment that struck her eyes like the sun. She had been using that to see how far she could push it, how much she could get, and the only time it had dulled was when they had argued with Nico. Whatever was the reason for that, was none of her business.
"I am going to give you ninety- two thousand, just to make you stop haggling,"
"Very well then,"
And Itse laughed as she spoke of how greedy young people are, about how people go for everything when they have nothing and other nonsense. She wasn't greedy, not in the least, she simply knew what she wanted and took it for herself and if when she opened her hand there was more than what she expected at first then that was a matter to celebrate. The joy of a happy surprise.
"Then, if you aren't going to keep trying scam me I will get myself clean and then we can leave for Usato,"
Time went by in a flash as they kept bickering with her brother about bad manners, about what to buy, and shouting about not feeding the cat anymore. As if he knew if the poor thing was hungry or not. Until Itse finally came back, dressed in a cotton shirt that cut a pretty view of her cleavage, soft leather pants, and trench boots that looked far too hot for her but still fit perfectly the image of wildness she had going for her. She would need to see if they sold those somewhere in Usato, they looked comfortable for all manners of places.
The trek went by fast, at least for her, Nico lugged around the back of their march, slower than either of them and having trouble in the steep slopes. On the other hand, Martina was fast as wind, no matter how steep, how rock-strewn or pot fill was the road she walked as if on flat ground. The roots and the boulders could have been blades of grass for all the trouble they brought her, and she had a good idea of what was at work here, that Skill of hers, that same thing she had dismissed and jeered was showing her wrong.
To ignore terrain, to ignore any and all changes around you, that was one hell of a support Skill. And she wondered where was the limit on it, would it work on sand and snow, would it aid her once she learnt Geppo in walking in the air and the water? The limits were blurry for her, but that was only for now, one day, she promised, she would cross the skies and ride the clouds.
Once she was over the hill she saw it, a town made of stones piled on each other with a single road of concrete that split the buildings and carved the place in half, cutting it in two like the place was made on two crags facing each other like bitter enemies. A view worth being a postal or something of the like, surely.
"Can you ease the pace? I am still dragging this on my back here, I can't run!"
"And I still think its embarrassing to agree being a mule for some spices,"
"There is that and the fact we owe her. Owe her big, and you aren't helping to pay that when you haggle,"
"She doesn't mind the money a bit, if she did she would have been harder on me when I tried to raise the bar,"
"Doesn't matter if she doesn't care, its bad manners to take advantage from someone that helped us,"
She rolled her eyes at him, and vaulted down the slope, the cat following close by her feet, excitement trailing it as they raced down and reached Itse who she could simply not pass. Every single time she had tried to over take her she would find her back farther down the road, like a mirage, always goading her onwards, always just a bit away. Except now, now that they were close to town she stopped moving like a specter and let her reach her.
"Tired of running already? Thought you would reach the city first and then check on us,"
"I have no money, so why torture myself with looking at things I can't have,"
"Such are the pains of the poor and the destitute,"
"Woe be me,"
Nicolas finally caught up to the two of them after they had slowed to a walk, the wooden rack on his back jingling from time to time when he moved the leather straps to a more comfortable position. And so they entered the town, with no checks, no guards, no nothing but the great road and the starts of civilization. She found it strange, to have no security posted around, no kind of protection.
"Isn't this place too exposed? Too undefended?"
"Don't worry yourself, boy, there is no one to steal here and nothing worth the stealing. You will find more security in places near the Red Line where there are actual pirates and money,"
They passed by a street vendor that blew a kiss at Itse and offered her a free skewer that Nicolas took after thanking him for the offer, leaving the man glaring holes on the back of his head.
"Seems like tempting fate to me,"
"Maybe, but this is a place that breeds hard people for some reason. No pirate gets farther than the quay before being pummeled by a mob, the city takes the bounties and puts it into keeping it nice and clean for us. Pirates mean money here, not trouble,"
"So, a city of bounty hunters then?"
"Just a side job for everyone, if they come that's fine but we don't go looking for them,"
Nico whistled at that, to make hunting people a side job that was a new kind of part time workers alright.
"Well then, we are here. Pass me the crate and I will see you two later,"
"We will go with you,"
"Nothing of that now. I need no distractions when dealing with this snake or we might all lose money,"
And she took hold of the straps in one hand and shouldered her way into the building like a battering ram through a gate, leaving them alone and without much to do but look around. Nico looked at her with a mouthful of meat and shrugged before walking to a shop that looked like an armory, all full of blades behind glasses and guns on stands and nails on the walls.
But what took her eyes, her attention, her everything were the revolvers. All lined up and pretty, drums laid bare by the side, the stocks varnished and polished to a gleam, and the steel glinting teasingly in the light.
Why, Itse was most certainly right, looking and not buying was almost a pain in her heart when she looked at them. But it was a damn good inspiration to aim higher.
Script: JUST CAN'T HANDLE THIS VANILLA (Me)
Edit: LET ME MIX THAT CREAM (Me)
Proofread: I WILL CHURN YOUR BUTTER (Still Me)
