GET IN LOSER, WE'RE GOING SHOPPING!
Dalla's off with the rebellion's new leader in search of groceries. And political intrigue, of course. - LS
...
Considering the hour Steela stumbled into bed and how much she drank last night, it's no wonder she doesn't wake up at her usual hour.
It's also no wonder Ahsoka helped clear out the dormitory to execute Dalla and Lux's plan. If it meant getting Steela and Dalla out of the safehouse, then there was really no question. It's too bad; Dalla gets the feeling they're on the same page about most everything except Lux.
When the sun's well into the sky Dalla walks into the ladies' dormitory, now completely empty except for Steela, and shakes her awake.
Steela winces in the bright light. "Dalla? Where is everybody?"
"Ahsoka, Lux, and I have them on their assignments. It's midmorning."
"It's what?" Steela's head snaps around to the chronometer on the wall. "Oh, my gods. I slept this late?"
"You were putting down ale pretty good last night," Dalla points out. "I've had crew sleep later on less."
"I can't believe this." Steela scrambles out of bed and shoves on her boots. "They elected me leader last night and then I slept in till midmorning. Such a great example."
"It's not exactly a shining moment, but they understand." Dalla shrugs. "And also, I covered for you."
Steela turns around.
"You covered for me?"
"I told them you and I were going to the market to get groceries and that's why you weren't around."
The point sinks in for Steela. "So they think I'm at the market?"
"Well they think you're making the list, so we've yet to actually go to the market but aye, basically - oof!"
Steela ambushes her in a quick hug. "You are a lifesaver! We just have to make a list and go?"
Dalla holds up a piece of scrap flimsi with a grocery list scrawled on the back in Lux's neat handwriting. "Lux helped."
"You two are the best." She hooks her utility belt to her waist. "Just give me a second and I'll be ready to go. Thank you for saving me!"
"You're welcome," Dalla winks at her and lifts the scarf from around her neck. "I'll be waiting."
After Steela emerges, Dalla has her scarf wrapped to her satisfaction, and all the last-minute edits are added to the list, they take the back streets into the market.
"Do you have a favorite merchant?" Dalla asks when they walk through the main gate. She has to yell to be heard over the hubbub.
"We have a few. Some of them hike their prices for no reason, but most of them are fair," Steela directs them over to a stall selling produce. "That guy's going to be our first stop."
While Steela negotiates the sale, Dalla hopes the two of them won't rocket through the errand too fast. The entire point of going shopping is to give Saw some time away from Steela so Lux and Ahsoka can snap him out of his self-pity. And since it's Saw they're talking about, that exchange is going to have some fireworks Steela can't be around to see.
"I'm not paying that much for muja fruit!" Steela shouts. "Take them out. We'll only take the vegetables."
"You're killing me, lady," the merchant sighs.
"It's your own fault, expecting us to pay eight cred per pound," Dalla mumbles under her breath This time of year fruit isn't even that expensive up north.
The merchant sighs. "Fourteen cred," he growls and hands them the vegetables.
Dalla counts the produce while Steela hands the merchant the credits.
"Is Rash eating up the fruit supply or is that guy just a crook?" She rolls her eyes. "The guy running the stall last time I was here, I could handle, but this one's a piece of work."
"It's not just him," Dalla says, her eyes boggling when she sees a sign advertising the price of fish. "Holy kriff! We don't even charge that much for premium fillets!"
"Those are the river fishermen," Steela explains. "They get the freshwater fish you guys don't."
"Do your freshwater fish have golden scales?"
"No," Steela scowls. "When your father declared against the Rashes and set up the trade embargo, our merchants didn't have fish stored away since they were expecting your summer catches. The freshwater merchants have a monopoly, and they're taking advantage of it. They're having a field day."
"Leeches," Dalla grumbles. Northern fishermen have more respect for barnacles than the rivermen, who sometimes try to make them pay for passage on the river. She scans the merchants' stalls to see if she recognizes any of them and relaxes a little when she doesn't. It's unlikely anyway the same people who run the ships would run the stalls. Of course there's nothing.
Hang on, that can't be -
"I would have bought fish but from the looks on people's faces over there, they're not haggling down." Steela looks at the list. "Lux put down that much booze? How much did we go through last night?"
Dalla squints at one of the stalls and then tugs on her friend's hand. "We're getting fish."
"We can't afford fish at those prices."
"Then we're going to go window shopping for fish," she says and makes a beeline for the stall.
"Why would -?" Steela jogs to catch up with her. "Oh no. I've seen that look on Saw way too much."
Dalla gestures to the stall with her chin. "See the merchant with the yellow striped awning?"
"He's got a line," Steela observes.
"Aye, because he's got the monopoly within a monopoly. Those fish he's dealing with right now? They're called rupingfish. They only live up north."
Steela shares a look with her. "They could be frozen."
"They really don't look like they were frozen but I need to get closer to be sure." She turns her beeline into a leisurely stroll to match Steela's pace and they poke over to the fish stalls, starting first at a freshwater merchant on the right and then ducking past the stall with the yellow awning. Dalla's eye goes to the fish. Yes, all saltwater species. And no, they are definitely not frozen.
"And the verdict is?" Steela asks when they wind up away from the fish portion and over toward the section specializing in handcrafted goods.
"They smell fresh. If I had to guess I'd say they got here this morning. Which means the ship they came here on would still be in the harbor."
Steela reads her mind. "We're here for groceries!"
"If one of the northern clans is breaking the embargo we need to know who it is," Dalla protests. "If they're doing this behind my father's back then who knows what else they're doing? It's not like it'll be some huge deal. All we have to do is go past the docks and look. No one will notice!"
Steela looks at the grocery list, then at the contents of their bags.
"We finish the shopping first," she compromises. "Your boat is still going to be here in fifteen minutes."
"Tell me what we need and we'll split up."
…
"No one will notice, my foot," Steela laments. "We stick out like sore thumbs."
It's more that Steela sticks out, warily eyeballing each craft in the harbor. Dalla flashes her a reassuring smile "If we get stopped, here's the story. We're on a grocery run for the captain of one of these ships. I'm a deckhand, you're from the merchant's helping me carry stuff."
Steela unceremoniously puts another vegetable in Dalla's box.
"What was that for?"
"If you're the deckhand then you would be carrying more."
Dalla scowls at her with mock annoyance. "So this isn't about us being on the docks?"
Steela smirks. "It's one of the perks of leadership. Now tell me what we're looking for so we can get back to base."
"She would be a clipper. Three masts, wooden hull, sleek design. If they're breaking the embargo they'll want to be fast. There'll be a banner on the top of the main mast." She squints against the midday sun. "Tell me if you see one."
"Why would smugglers fly a banner?" Steela balances her box of groceries on her hip and shields her eyes.
"They don't think there's anyone down here who would reveal them to the North. It's a pride thing. They'd only look more suspicious if they didn't do it, like if you...I don't know, didn't saddle a ruping?"
"That would be bad," Steela checks the other side of the dock. "It looks like mostly riverboats, except for a few larger ships to the east. Two are definitely Rash banners, the last one might be an offshoot. The whole serpent instead of just the head?" She looks closer. "No, not a serpent. It's a squiggle."
"It's a stream," Dalla groans. "I should have guessed." If there were any walls within a reasonable distance she would bang her head against one. The absolute last thing she needs at the moment is having to deal with these people.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're not your friends."
"It's the Bralykburns. They're pirates." Dalla puts the box of groceries down; they're going to be here for a while. "When their catches don't go well, they go reaving and pirate the other clans' ships. They must have thought the chance to sell behind House Blackwell's back was too good to pass up."
Steela gestures to the box. "Grab that and let's get a closer look. We wouldn't be standing still if we're on an errand." Dalla complies and Steela whispers into her ear. "Tell me more. Quietly."
"They hate us," Dalla whispers. "It's an old family feud; they pirate, we shut them down, they try other dirty tricks and we have to stop them. The only reason they bent the knee to us in the first place is because our navy is bigger than theirs and we have most everyone else on our side."
"They're the underdogs of the north?"
"Not by a long shot. They think we sold out to the south, or our beastmasters are stealing the fish away from them, or we're hoarding the north for ourselves." She rolls her eyes. "My uncle always says if Lord Bralykburn got a cold he would find some way to blame House Blackwell."
Steela looks over her shoulder to the Bralykburn ship. "Tell me something. Do they hate your family enough to harm one of you directly?"
"Huh?" She searches her memory banks. "They try to pirate our ships all the time, and when my father and uncle held negotiations with them a long time ago they blocked their transmissions. One of us could easily have been hurt with that."
"No threats toward you or your brothers?"
"Not personally. Not that I know of."
"Here's why I'm saying this. Their ship is docked right next to the Rash vessels."
Dalla bleaches from the implication. "Oh salt gods - if he paid them enough!"
"They'd sell you to him?"
"Without question." She can't believe she didn't think of it before. "If he pays them, or offers them a higher position and a chance to burn the Blackwells, they wouldn't think twice about it. Oh no."
"They don't know you're here," Steela reminds her, speeding them up.
"That only keeps me safe. What about everyone else?" If the Bralykburns even think about laying a hand on Thias or Cade or any of her cousins, Dalla will tear them apart with her bare hands. "That's not to mention if Rash gets them on his side and they use their navy. My father won't know anything's wrong until they've gotten past the Hold's gates. We wouldn't have a chance!"
They reach the street and Steela directs them toward the Bralykburns.
"When we get closer look on deck and tell me if you think they might be here to treat with Rash."
Look for nobility. As the deck comes closer into view Dalla scans it and the docks immediately surrounding it. Deckhand, sailor, deckhand, that guy looks like the galley cook.
"None of the family members are on board so it doesn't look like they are at this time," she whispers. "But when Rash sees the ship, and he will see her if she's docked so close to his, he won't waste time. He'll find out why they're breaking the embargo and when he does he'll approach them with terms. We can't let that happen."
Her head spins. The only way to keep the Bralykburns from accepting Rash's terms is to make sure they're too scared to. And the only way to do that…
"Steela, is anyone using the holotable back home for something urgent?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"We're going to need it."
Steela reads her mind. "Uh-uh, no way are you contacting them. Not with their ships in the harbor. I forbid it and Lux will too."
"I wasn't planning on it," Dalla says. "How do you feel about getting a house alliance that can actually give your firepower?"
…
Thank you to everyone for reading, and please don't hesitate to talk with DK and I in the review box or the forum. We promise we don't bite. -LS