At a Loss

BRRRRR! With the tremendous roar of the horn bellowing loudly, the merchant ship departed from port.

"That's it; that's the ship," Shaad yelled.

He and Vega, running at top speed, had just entered the coastal town's perimeter. Despite making record time in getting from the mountainous ridges where Vega was held to here, they were still late. But, neither was one to give up that easily. So, the neck and neck race continued.

"We'll have to jump on."

Both young men showed off their agility as they raced through the occupied city streets. Vega bounded along with relative ease, his feet rarely touching the ground as he ran atop market stands, tree branches, and rooftops, using everything he possibly could to maintain speed. Meanwhile, Shaad weaved his way through the crowds, showing off his footwork and reflexes as he transitioned from left to right, slipping through gaps that seemed impossible for someone of his stature.

Shaad had managed to eke out a lead as Vega hopped off a nearby rooftop and it became a full-fledged foot race down the final stretch. The town behind them and the docks ahead, the people in the seaside market square gave a wide berth. The ship, however, was already too far away from the docks and moving along the coast on its way out to sea.

But, even as people continued to scramble to the wayside, one man stood pact, a large bodied man staring ahead at the retreating merchant vessel. It was perfect positioning for Shaad who, using the large man's head as a springboard, jumped onto the roof of a tenement and trade stretch that could be used to intercept the ship's path. The large man, Tiny, immediately lifted his head, his face a visage of anger, before it was pushed back down by Vega using the same trick to follow after Shaad.

Now truly pissed, Tiny released a spine tingling roar that neither Shaad nor Vega paid any mind. The bullish Tiny then charged after the speedy pair, barreling through the complex as Shaad and Vega raced along the rooftops above. Shaad finally had to take notice as a string of buildings fell in his and Vega's wake. The direct approach, and his unilateral rage, allowed Tiny to keep up admirably well despite the pirates' clear speed advantage.

As the duo neared the end of the last building's roof, a steep tilt suddenly befell them as Tiny ripped through the reformed courthouse's front pillars. Jumping off, they landed nearly simultaneously, Tiny bulldozing through the back wall almost immediately after. But, while the debris from the large man's intrusion still fell, the two young men launched themselves in the direction of a hillside cliff, kicking up a cloud of dirt right in Tiny's face and heading for the approaching ship.

Tiny fumed with rage watching the two run up the hillside, and as his aggression poured forth, alongside a monstrous roar, he struck the ground with a twin hammer fist. The earth shaking attack sent tremors rushing up the hillside, cracks forming along the jutting land mass.

It was a near impossible task to maintain balance while the ground beneath them fell apart, but Vega expertly navigated the crumbling terrain while Shaad kicked a falling piece of earth into the open air in front of them before they both jumped off the edge. Vega was a millisecond ahead of Shaad and used the rock as a launching pad to jump for the passing ship's deck. Shaad was directly behind him, but the piece of rock had already been pushed down.

"Burst." With a last ditch push, the earthen clump was blown apart and Shaad flew towards the ship as well.

Raine raised her arms in front of her face as both bodies flew towards her place on the railing. A slight breeze rushed through her long hair as Vega landed gracefully behind her, his lone braid and sash quickly settled despite the erratic exertion. Not a half second later, a hand clamped on the railing in front of her and something heavy slammed into the side of the ship.

"Aah," Shaad groaned, reaching and clamping down on the rail with his other hand, too. "Somebody wanna help me up?"

Shaad lay spread eagle on the ship's deck, chest heaving with each breath while Vega stood stock still, stoic and with barely any noticeable movement from his chest. Raine looked between the panting Shaad and impassive Vega, a mix of frustration, relief, and annoyance flushing her beautiful features. As Shaad's breathing finally slowed, he extended his left arm above him.

"Either of you wanna help me up, now?"

Raine looked him in his eyes, but didn't give him a hand. Likewise, Vega turned to Shaad, his mask indicating he was looking the captain up and down, but made no other move. Shaad's arm fell tiredly down as neither person assisted him, and he rolled over before rising to his feet.

"Screw you both," he joked in a friendly tone, earning a saucy smirk from Raine. He then turned his attention to the newest crewmember, Vega. "Well, I guess you win. But, seriously, you ain't tired? I'm spent; Imma start thinking you some kind of machine or something," he half-muttered while pushing his shoulder back into socket with a pained grimace.

As Shaad calmed his breathing, their little reunion was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Captain Morrigan would like to speak to you in his cabin."

All three pirates looked to the man with questioning gazes. He had an athletic physique and wore a uniform indicating his position as quartermaster, the high collar and long sleeves of which hid the majority of a pair of elaborate tattoos peaking from under the expensive material.

Shaad, Raine, and Vega looked among each other for a few seconds before Shaad took a step forward.

"Let's not keep the man waiting," he smiled.

"The young Rashaad has escaped the island," a shadowy figure spoke.

"I knew better than to expect anything from that bloated court jester playing make believe," the BMF's ranking officer on Tatihara fumed, a sour expression twisting the wrinkles on his face. "Is there backup plan in place?"

"Morrigan will perform his role."

"Good. Is everything in place to finally get rid of that pompous peacock?"

"I found a leak in the pipeline. The shipping routes and port ledger will be yours as soon as you say the word."

"Good. Good; this entire island will be mine soon enough."

"What's his problem," Shaad immediately snapped after the door closed behind them.

Within the room, a table full of delicacies and delicious foods was prepared for them. Shaad, his mind forgetting the irksome quartermaster, looked at each piece of food in turn with voracious eyes but held himself as all three looked to the portly captain seated at the far end of the table greeting them with a friendly smile.

"He doesn't trust strangers much is all. Please. Sit."

Raine was the first to move, stepping from behind Shaad and taking a seat on the right side of the table. Vega followed suit and quietly sat on the left. Shaad watched his two crewmembers take up their spots, returning their host's smile as he seated himself opposite the merchant captain.

The captain bid them to begin eating as the dining staff exited the spacious, elegantly upholstered quarters. Giving time to make sure they were alone before speaking.

"I was only expecting two of you," he stated. His eyes traveling between the three guests, he sized them up carefully, though his smile never faded, before resuming his meal.

"We had an addition to our ranks in the interim," Shaad answered smoothly, watching the captain closely for any reaction.

The captain, though, truly the experienced tradesman, played it all close to the vest and gave nothing away, speaking calmly and simply, "Your number is of little import to me, but I only have one room available for your lot."

Shaad's eyes went from Raine to Vega and back before focusing on the man sitting across from him. "That shouldn't be a problem. You've already been more than accommodating by allowing us point this exquisite vessel and greeting us with this wonderful meal."

"But, of course. You three are special guests. Though it seems the food isn't exactly to your friend's liking." Captain Morrigan almost sounded as if he was apologizing, looking to Vega and the untouched plate of food before him.

"Apologies," Shaad offered. "He's a bit reserved. Not one for group settings, you understand."

The captain was about to nod his head affirmatively, but Raine's silky voice smoothly cut into the exchange. "Each of us has our quirks. Mine is an aversion to cheap comforts. I'm sure I'd feel more comfortable in these fine quarters of yours." Raine ignored the sharp glare Shaad cast in her direction, putting on her most captivatingly alluring gaze, eyes used to, and fully expecting to, get her way.

But, Morrigan simply laughed it off, a hearty laugh that surprised both Raine and Shaad. "I sincerely would, young lady, but for my standing. As captain, I must keep my position in mind at all times, and to lower myself would not show well. Unfortunately, all other private quarters are taken, so you'll simply have to make due for the duration of our trip together."

Shaad breathed a light sigh as Raine let it pass with an inaudible huff and everyone resumed eating, only the sound of silverware striking fine dinnerware and general chit chat breaking the subdued monotony within the opulent room. It was easy to forget Vega was even there at times as he remained perfectly quiet and ate nothing, just watching the scene in the room as if a mere spectator.

Once all was said and done, and everyone had cleared their plates (Shaad taking it upon himself to clear Vega's as well), Shaad and Raine again thanked Captain Morrigan for the food, noting how delicious it was, as the trio prepared to leave. Raine was halfway out the door with Vega close behind when the captain suddenly stopped Shaad short of completely standing from his seat.

"If you would stay, I do have a bit of business to discuss with you." The captain's voice was completely serious and devoid of the cheer Shaad had come to expect, moving the young pirate to do as was asked of him.

Raine, for her part, stepped back into the room and let the door close behind her, an annoyed expression on her face. She looked about ready to say something when Morrigan added, "Alone," in a terse tone, but Shaad spoke first, hoping to avoid a conflict as he kept a lookout on Raine and Vega out of the corner of his eye.

"They can stay," Shaad declared affirmatively. He knew he needed to take control before things went south; he'd made a promise after all. Besides, even his dad - one of the most untrusting people he knew - had Grendel. Shaad guessed these two would be his Grendel, his inner circle if you will. "Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of them."

Morrigan was silent. Eyeing the three youngsters evenly, he placed both palms on the table in front of him, rising from his seat with authority and without a word. Each of the trio was put on edge, all eyes following the captain closely whilst they simultaneously fought to keep their wariness from showing. The merchant captain took slow deliberate steps, walking around the table and opening the door to a storage cabinet on the wall. From within, he pulled a single folder from a stack of multiple. After rifling through the folder's contents, he came across what he was looking for and lay a small stack of papers on the table in front of Shaad.

"I guess it's fine since this will likely involve all of you anyway. . . Sir Meech has a job for you."

"What kind of job," Shaad questioned as Raine picked up the stack of papers with an audible 'Hmph'.

"Simple retrieval," Morrigan summarized while Raine silently read through the details of this job. "We were supposed to receive a valuable shipment the day after tomorrow, but the courier made a poor choice in stopover islands and gotten himself in a spot of trouble."

"So -"

"So what do you want from us," Raine interjected.

"Let me guess. You don't know exactly what the couriers' condition is - or the shipment's for that matter - so you want us to risk our lives to check on everything's status. At the very least, we should make a good decoy. That about the gist of it?"

Morrigan donned a smirk as he returned Shaad's intense gaze before turning it to a slight frown. "For someone of your strength and experience, it shouldn't be all that dangerous. A simple in and out. . . Though I would warn you not to dawdle."

Shaad chuckled lightly, his arms crossed as he looked down in contemplation. "Is that what Uncle said? Someone of my strength and experience?"

Shaad stopped laughing and looked up with a smile, ready to say something more when Raine placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

His eyes briefly showed surprise, but the knowing smirk soon returned. "The Illusory Forest, huh? Now, that makes sense. . . Sure, we'll do it; I was planning on heading that way anyway," he finally answered, a predatory smile spreading across his face.

Morrigan was about to thank him, but Raine interrupted. "Hold up! What's in this for us?" She impatiently tapped her foot waiting for an answer which came after a few moments of relative silence.

"A finder's fee of 5% upon return of the shipment to this ship here."

Raine immediately saw beli signs as she calculated five percent of the listed shipment's worth. But, always one to aim for more, Raine recovered quickly and countered, "Ten."

"What?"

"Ten percent and you have a deal."

Captain Morrigan was quite a bit slower to reply this time around, and both Raine and Shaad could sense his hesitancy. But, the way they reacted differed between them. Shaad spoke up before the merchant captain had a chance to answer Raine's demand. "As I said, we'll do it," he declared forcefully. "Five percent upon return of the specified goods."

With that statement and negotiations seemingly settled Shaad stood from his seat and extended his hand to the captain, directing Raine and Vega out as he followed shortly behind, after requesting a plate of food be delivered for Vega, to meet the quartermaster in the hallway and be directed to their room.

"What was that about? He was about to agree to ten percent and you ruined it," Raine fumed almost as soon as their room door closed behind them. Unlike at the hotel, these walls weren't soundproofed, but she either didn't consider it or frankly didn't care as she cursed at Shaad.

"Shh," Shaad instructed, only further stoking the flames of his navigator's ire. This wasn't a deal we had the right to refuse from the onset," he explained. "Uncle doesn't make requests. He makes kindly worded demands. And, he doesn't give you anything for accepting those demands; he just doesn't kill you. Meaning that five percent is likely coming out of the captain's pay to begin with."

"Even more reason to -"

"We are on his ship," Shaad interrupted with raised voice. "Surrounded by his men! It may not have been his choice, but it is his reality! Now, he's shown us hospitality and you want to spit on that. For what? Greed?"

"Greed," Raine scoffed. "You can't be that dense! Something is off here. Just because you refuse to open your eyes and do something, doesn't mean I'm going to suffer for your weakness!" Raine's words shook him like a bucket of ice water, but what she said next was the real slap to his worth. "It's because of that weakness, that naivety, that I had to step in in Tatihara!"

Being called weak twice on top of having his intelligence insulted, Shaad's closed fist slammed through a nearby table. ". . . What are you talking about 'step in'," he growled fiercely, his palm slapping against the wall while Vega stepped outside to ensure they didn't draw any unwanted ears.

"Because you weren't willing to, I had to create the necessary strife between factions and make sure G was sufficiently implicated by spreading the rumor that a small group of pirates was responsible for the attack on BMF."

"A small group of pirates," Shaad said in disbelief. "Why would you basically tell them it was us?"

Raine simply scoffed at her captain's reaction. "Really? You think the Hangman's Noose was that devoid of pirates? It's damn near a pirate haven. . . 'Sides, no one on that trash island knew we were pirates unless you told 'em. Ya didn't, did ya?"

"That's not the issue here," Shaad countered. "I had a plan. It would implicate G and give us enough time to escape. You-"

"That's your problem," Raine shouted over him. "You only wanted to create tension between them so we could get a head start. I was out there making sure that when the dust settled, there wouldn't be anyone left to come after us."

Shaad had no answer to what Raine was saying, finding it difficult to match her intense glare as he stood there in silence.

"You're the captain, right? It's your job to protect us? Then, fuckin do your job, and I won't have to. Having mommy and daddy watching over you may have made a narrow escape fine in the past, but not anymore. If you don't take care of the threat now, then we're stuck looking over our shoulder. . . What - hoping they have something better to do than come kill us? This world is simple; you either eliminate a threat or live in fear of it. I refuse to live in fear of anything anymore."

Shaad had never thought himself a prideful person, but in that moment he could neither match Raine's passion nor concede her point. Instead he turned away from her and hurried out of the room without another word.

Letting the door slam shut, Shaad moved briskly down the hallway as Vega fell in line behind him. "You agree with my decision, right," Shaad asked the stoic Vega, who made no reply, vocal or otherwise.

"What? Then you agree with her," Shaad huffed, turning to look the masked man in his eyes.

Silence*

"Then what would you have done?"

Silence*

"You're no help, you know that," Shaad exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air before resuming down the hall. "Go. Eat and keep watch over Raine; I need to be alone right now."

A few lonely clouds settled overhead, Shaad leaned over the ship's railing watching the sunset. 'You know she's right.' The young captain groaned as the nagging voice in his head disrupted his quiet.

'That's not the point.'

'Ha! Since when?

'Since-'

'Pft. Even if your frustration was out of care for them, she still did the right thing. G was already onto us. We don't even know if any of Tazz's subordinates lived. This way, even if they know it was us, it looks like we were working for G. Otherwise, G was trying to scapegoat a couple of strangers. Either way, that truth ain't coming clear quickly.'

'Ugh. Can't I just be-'

"Lovely isn't it." Shaad turned from his thoughts to see Captain Morrigan approaching, a calm smile on the older man's lips. "Nothing beats the view of the stars at sea. Though, I'm surprised you're still up. From your remarks at dinner, it sounded like you'd had yourself a long day."

"Looks to be a long night as well," Shaad sighed before changing the subject, an action not as clear to the other party. "Deck's pretty empty for night watch."

"Don't you worry about that. I know these waters quite well. My men and my ship are always prepared." With the seeming weight pressing down on Shaad's shoulders and brow not lifting an ounce, the assurance appeared to have little affect on the young man's brooding countenance. "Ah, I understand. Heavy is the head, after all."

". . .Nobody ever mentions that the crown isn't what's heavy," Shaad finally remarked after an extended silence between the two as he continued to stare over the horizon.

"No, they don't," Morrigan stated softly, making his leave to continue with his original reasons for being on deck. "No, they don't."