Chapter Eleven: MARINA?! And Adventure to Ria Venus Island
A/N: ENTER A YOUNG MARINA! And Zuko, and Mayumi…
Tettia sighed, bored of waiting for Sinbad's return, "Tor! I'm booooored!" She was laying on the ground, her crimson hair splayed out as she looked blankly up at the ceiling.
Snapping her pinkish-red gaze at her best friend, the eleven-year-old Tora growled, "And? The fuck do you want me to do? You know I use my magic for myself and only myself, Tet."
Groaning, Tettia answered, "You don't have to get snappy with me, you bitch." After that, the half-Fanalis sat up and looked at her best friend, then groaned once again, "God, I wish we went with Sin… to wherever he went."
"Remano. He went to Remano, the capital of the Reim Empire," came Ja'far's crisp answer, "to deal with our debt."
"AAAAAAAHH! But, I still am bored here," said Tettia. That was when a Fanalis female and blue-haired boy walked into the building. Blinking slowly, the two became familiar to the half-Fanalis. Quickly, she grabbed her purplenette best friend, pulled her to the side and said to her, "Are those two Zuko and Mayumi?"
Tora looked back at them, they did have a striking resemblance to the two aforementioned people from their present. "They sure do fucking look like it, maybe we should go and I dunno, ask?" she said in a smart-ass tone.
Rolling her eyes, Tettia let her best friend go. "Are you ever not a smart-ass?!"
"Nope! Anyways, go fucking ask, you bitch," said the young Tora, as she shoved Tettia towards the two individuals.
Tettia was forcefully shoved towards the two. Ja'far was looking at the young Tora as she pushed the older half-Fanalis. "Hey you two! What are you doing in here? You probably shouldn't be here. The company is having a difficult time right now," she said to the two younger versions of people she knew.
The blue-haired boy looked at the older half-Fanalis and said, "Oh, we're sorry. We aren't looking to conduct business here or anything. We are just looking for a place to hide from the wrath of one of our friends."
Tora bounded up to stand beside Tettia and said, "What are you two named?"
"Oh! My name is Zuko," the blue-haired boy introduced himself.
"I'm Mayumi. Nice to meet you, now can we please hide here for a while?" the Fanalis woman introduced herself.
Just as Tettia opened her mouth to say something, a familiar voice — albeit higher pitched — screamed, "ZUZU! YUMI-CHUMI! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Tettia and Tora whipped their heads around to look at the golden-haired, younger version of Marina stood in the door. "Oh fuck," they said in unison. Even as an eleven or twelve-year-old, Marina was terrifying.
"Marina, have mercy! We didn't mean to," Zuko spoke calmly, though slightly flinching at the harshness of her scream.
Tora looked at Zuko and Mayumi with wide eyes. "What did you two fucking idiots do?!" the purplenette scream-questioned.
"Yeah! Why is Marina pissed at you two?" asked Tettia, crossing her arms over her chest.
Marina's angry stomping echoed throughout the building as she marched towards the duo. Zuko and Mayumi were reduced to shivering in fear, holding each other and praying that they were not killed. "W-we destroyed her candy stash while we were fighting on our ship…" answered the Fanalis. "We accidentally threw it overboard when we were throwing stuff at one another," said the shaggy blue-haired fifteen-year-old.
Ja'far crossed his arms over his chest, much like Tettia had. "That does not seem like a problem that we have to deal with. We are having problems of our own, anyways," he hissed dangerously.
Tora smacked the white-haired killjoy's arm very hard, which caused him to yelp in pain. "Killjoy! Excuse you!" she exclaimed, the white-haired boy rolled his eyes and grumbled something to himself. Rolling her eyes at Ja'far, the purplenette cast her pinkish-red gaze at the two in front of her, "Don't worry, we won't let you two die."
"Zuzu~ Yumi-chumi~! There you two are~!" Marina said in a dangerously bittersweet voice. She was cracking her knuckles as she neared them.
Tettia and Tora stepped in front of Marina, their hands out in front of them, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Marina. There is no reason to cause severe harm to these two," spoke Tettia. "Yeah! Even though they both totally fucking deserve it! We can't let you do that," said Tora.
Stopping in her tracks, Marina looked at the two. Cocking her head to the side, she asked, "And why not? Last time I checked, this was between us three… not us five."
"Well, be that as it may, we cannot just stand here and watch you murder people in our building. That would just cause more problems that are not even needed right now; we are having plenty of issues at this time. Let us talk about this like rational people, eh?" spoke Tettia, "How about they get you more candy? Would that solve the problem?"
"Yeah! Would that quell your fucking need for blood, Marina?" asked the physically young purplenette.
The golden-haired captain looked at the young purplenette and spoke, "I don't think a girl as young as you should be using that kind of language."
Rolling her eyes, Tora answered, "Fuck off, Marina. I'm not actually eleven, I am twenty-fucking-years-old! I just so happen to be a very powerful magician, I turned eleven to prove a point to this," she pointed to Tettia, "dumb bitch. Futhermore, I have been cussing since I was THREE! So, bitch, puh-lease!"
"You're a magician capable of age manipulation?" asked Marina.
Tora rolled her eyes and undid the magic casted on herself. She reverted back to her twenty-year-old self, her chest-length hair reverted back to her normal shoulder-length; her flat chest swelled to her normal breast size. "I think this speaks for its-fucking-self, yeah?" Tora said, her voice sounding more mature to match with her age.
The golden-haired captain's purple eyes twinkled as she exclaimed, "Oh my God! You really are twenty! You are a wonderful magician, Miss!"
Waving her hand in front of her face dismissively, Tora spoke, "Just call me Tor. Now, can I go back to being eleven?" Marina nodded, having her fill of looking at the twenty-year-old Tora. Casting her magic upon herself one more time, Tora reverted back into her eleven-year-old self.
Tettia laughed, "Now that that is taken care of, what do you think, Marina? Zuko and Mayumi replace the candy they threw into the sea… and you don't kill them?"
"Yeah, sure, I can deal with that, Miss. But they need to get to work, that was several months of candy they threw overboard. If it wasn't—"
"Please, call me Tet, Marina," interrupted Tettia.
"Okay. Tor and Tet. Anyways," Marina narrowed her eyes at the duo hiding behind the half-Fanalis and young purplenette, "they need to get on it, because if it weren't for you two, I would be leaving them here."
Zuko and Mayumi shivered as they answered, "Yes ma'am! We will get right on it!"
They started to bolt for the door, but Tettia and Tora caught them, "Not yet. For now, you three can spend some time with us."
"O-okay…" the trio said, curious.
Sinbad had returned from Remano, everyone was outside to hear the news. If he had settled the company's debt or not. "I spoke with the Mariadel Company. As of today, all of the Sindria Trading Company's debts have been taken care of. Everyone, please return to your normal duties," he announced to the whole company.
"…So, that means we can all continue to work for this company?" asked someone.
Nodding, the purple-haired merchant answered, "Yep."
Everyone cheered and from a distance, Vittel was crying tears of joy, "So that means… the company wasn't ruined because of me! Yay! That's great!"
Hinahoho picked up the pinkish-purple haired man and said, in a chastising tone, "Show some regret." Hanging his head in shame, Vittel muttered, "Y-yes…" That caused everyone to laugh out loud. Tettia and Tora had introduced Marina, Zuko, Mayumi to the young Sinbad. Everyone returned to their jobs. "Looks like everyone's energy returned. They really didn't want to lose the Sindria Trading Company… it's like a home to all of us," said Hinahoho.
With a bag in his hand, Sinbad turned from Hinahoho and Vittel, saying, "Well, I'm off then."
"To that arena?" asked Vittel.
Sinbad nodded and said, "It starts in three days, so I've gotta hurry. I'll be back as soon as the match is over. I'm counting on you 'til then."
"Sure, leave it to me. Be careful and come back in one piece," said Hinahoho as he ruffled Vittel's hair.
"Nah… it it's Sinbad, he'll definitely be fine! He's fought us with his bare hands," said Vittel.
Hinahoho nodded, saying, "He's fought all sorts of people and monsters, so I don't have any worries about his fighting ability… I just worry that in the middle of things, a woman might catch his eye and cause him to lose everything…"
"Hey…" said Sinbad, "Even I keep my public and private affairs separate, Hinahoho!"
Ja'far, Tora, and Tettia walked up and plopped three bags onto the ground. "Wait just a minute, Sin," said Ja'far. "Yeah! Wait a gotdamn second, Captain Moron," said Tora. "We're… going with you," said Tettia. The three of them had a serious and unmovable determination in their gazes.
Pointing at them, Sinbad said, "Ja'far?! What about work…? Tet, you have a place in our work to find. Same with you, Tora!"
With his arms crossed, Ja'far said, "I've already given out all my instructions regarding work. Everything else can be handled by our excellent employees. It's not a problem."
Sinbad's golden orbs widened as he said to the trio, "But this isn't the type of trip you three need to accompany me on…"
Sternly, Ja'far asnwered, "No, it really is. … This whole incident happened because I wasn't paying close enough attention to what those around us were saying."
"I'm just not letting you go alone, Sinbad," answered Tettia, "The last thing we need is for you to fuck it all up because of some woman!"
Tora nodded, "The only woman you should be looking at is Tet, Captain Moron! And you fucking know it! I'm just going because Tet is my best friend and I don't trust her alone with you! I'm afraid all you'll do is get into her pants then dump her."
"Not to mention that you entered enemy territory alone and accepted this ridiculous match! Just what do you plan to do if it's a trap, huh, Sin? You're too egotistical. Just think about how the rest of us feel," exclaimed Ja'far. Sinbad smiled at the young killjoy and he saw that, snapping, "What?! Is there something strange about that?!"
Laughing, Sinbad replied, "Haha! You haven't changed a bit. That part of you is exactly the same as it was the day we met. You're the only one who sees the bad things about me, the things I dislike about myself, and tells me about them so frankly. It's because I have someone like you around that I can be sure that someone's watching my back for me. Thanks… Ja'far." He had walked up to and placed a hand on the young former Assassin's shoulder.
The purplenette huffed to herself, "Fucking Killjoy… if he remembered me, he would've said that about me too."
"You okay?" whispered Tettia to her best friend.
"No, I'm not. I guess my five-year-old existence in this time has been erased, because I'm the same way. He addressed both me and Killjoy when he said that the first time, when Killjoy and I had first known him within months of the other. I guess I just fucking feel… something," answered Tora in a whisper.
Tettia pat the purplenette's shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry about it. Ya know, I wonder what happened to your five-year-self from this timeline?"
Sighing, Tora answered, "Probably faded from existence… it would cause a big problem if I were still around. Because I was always with Captain Moron when I was five. We would've run into myself by now."
"True. Well, try to worry about it," said Tettia.
When they had finished talking, Ja'far's voice faded into their ears, "…Being left without the head of the Company is no laughing matter, is it?"
Sinbad put his hands on his hips, answering, "I said I'll be fine. You don't need to worry. But… I'll leave behind a plan for the future. Right… to put someone in charge temporarily, let's discuss it and decide together. Wouldn't someone like Rurumu be good? She's got a good grip on things."
Laughing, Hinahoho said, "Hahaha! She might just be better in charge than you."
"I agree! Rurumu is probably better at leading this Company that fucking Captain Moron is," laughed Tora.
"What?! Wait just a minute! I'm here because Sinbad is here. I can't imagine this Company with Sinbad. Please don't say such careless things…!" exclaimed Vittel.
Tettia looked at the pinkish-purple haired man and her crimson eyes softened. "Oh, Vit… that's sweet," she said.
"Of course. I was just joking around," answered Sinbad.
Vittel's face fell as he said, "Sinbad!"
"…Hmph. You have the Devil's luck as always, Sinbad…" said Seredine, walking up to the group.
Tettia and Tora looked at the princess and waved at her, "Hello, Seren," they said.
Casting her pink eyes at the ground, Serendine said, "Being kidnapped by a business rival… moreover a female trader… isn't that just like you and your Company?" Her words caused crimson and pinkish-red eyes to narrow to a dangerous point. "With that lewd look on your face, she probably seduced you, too, didn't she?" she continued.
"Watch your mouth, Serendine," growled Tora, "The only woman who seduces Captain Moron is my main bitch, Tet."
"Princess, that's not what…" said Ja'far. However, Serendine continued, "How deplorable… where's your humility as the leader of the Company?" Sinbad frowned and Ja'far said, "She's the same as always… Let's get going before this turns into something troublesome, Sin." Sinbad marched over to the princess, "SIN?!"
Slapping his hand onto the wall beside Serendine's head, Sinbad said, "Young lady… you…" Everyone looked on with bated breath, Tora holding Tettia back. Serendine opened her eyes to see Sinbad leaning against the wall. "Are you… jealous? Oh… how nice. All because of me, even though you say you hate me? Is that really okay? …Letting me see such a cute side of you?"
The princess became red-faced, meaning that there had to have been some truth in the Captain's words. "Wh-what are you saying?! I don't… THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" she stuttered out.
"But you were waiting here just to see me off, weren't you? Even if you won't admit it, I know it's true. Look…" he reached for her hair, taking hold of a leaf, "there's a leaf caught in your hair. I wonder how long you were waiting here for me? I'm happy, but it wouldn't be good for you to catch a cold waiting our here. Don't worry. We'll meet again soon. After all, I've got you, the Goddess of Victory, on my side, don't I, young lady?" Sinbad said.
Tettia stopped her struggling. The poor half-Fanalis was frozen. Just the possibility that Serendine and Sinbad harbored feelings for each other had her heart aching and caused her stomach to lurch upwards — towards her throat. The crimson-haired woman slumped to the ground, not knowing that she had started crying because of what Sinbad had said. Vittel helped her stand back up, "Tet? You okay?" he asked, unaware of Tettia's feelings for the golden-eyed man.
Despite not knowing the two best friends for long, Marina knew something bad was about to happen.
That was when Tor, not Tettia, snapped. She reverted the spell that made her appear younger, sucked in an angry breath, then marched over to the pinkette princess and Sinbad. Tora ripped Sinbad away from Serendine and looked dangerously into his eyes, warning him in a deep tone, "You ever fucking say that to another woman in front of Tet again, and I will gut you like a fish and make your disemboweled corpse the fucking flag of this company! Understood?" The terror that swirled in Sinbad's golden orbs as he nodded was enough to make Tora smirk, "Good! Now stand back!" Coming to stand in front of Serendine, the purplenette glared a stare of death at the princess. Lifting her hand into the air, Tora's hand connected with Seredine's cheek. A loud slap echoed through the air. "You! You know that Tet has feelings for Sinbad, you have no gotdamn reason to feel jealous… in the slightest! Tet has every right to feel jealous if that woman did seduce Sinbad! Now, if you ever let Sinbad talk to you like that again, I will make sure your body is never found! I will ensure that everyone forgets that you ever fucking existed! Am. I. Understood!?" Seredine held her swelling, red cheek as she looked at Tora with tear-filled eyes. Seeing the utter serious gleam in the purplenette's pinkish-red eyes, she nodded, unable to say a word. "Good, glad you understand that I am being serious, Princess. Now go the fuck back inside," exclaimed Tora, shoving the pink-haired princess into her handmaidens' arms.
Tettia was leaning against Vittel, her tears no longer flowing from her crimson eyes. Instead, she was filled with irritation. "You know what…" she muttered, then rose her voice, "I don't give a damn if Sinbad even comes back!"
Returning to her best friend's side, Tora stroked her back comfortingly, "You don't mean that, Tet. You care for Captain Moron, you're just upset and hurting right now. Can you believe Serendine had the audacity to think she had the right to be jealous? Oh! That makes my blood boil. She even knows of your feelings, Tet. Anybody in their right minds knows of your feelings for Captain Moron."
Sinbad looked at Tettia and knew he fucked up. Even if he had been joking about Serendine's jealousy, he took the joke too far. He stepped towards Tettia, reaching out to her, "Tet… I—"
"Don't you even think about touching me," growled Tettia, "You lost the privilege to touch me, even if it's a hug. For the time being."
"B-but… I-I was joking! I was teasing her! Why would she like me when everyone knows you do? When did I ever show any interest in her," retorted Sinbad.
As he stepped closer to Tettia, Tora growled, "Back up, Sinbad." When Tora used his name instead of calling him Captain Moron, you knew she was being dead serious. "You've hurt Tet enough for one day. Maybe you'll get back in her good graces while we go to the arena. If you still are going with us, Tet."
"Of course I'm fucking going! I'm not gonna let this get in my way! Maybe Sinbad can get back in my good graces," answered Tettia. "Now, let's go, we have three days to get there."
Sinbad was now officially in the doghouse with both Tettia and Tora.
Three days later, they docked on the island. Ja'far, Tettia and Tora gasped, "A-…amazing! This is… this is…"
"The headquarters of the Mariadel Company… Ria Venus Island!" said Sinbad, smiling at them, specifically at Tettia. Huffing, the half-Fanalis looked away from the purple-haired man who was her lover-in-progress. That shot Sinbad threw the heart, she was still ignoring him. Damn… what can I do to get Tet to talk to me again? he thought to himself.
"Ria Venus Island. One of the main locations of trade owned by the prominent and powerful families of the Mariadel Company. Built to show appreciation to merchants from various places, it became a place where they can privately enjoy popular attractions like casinos and the arena. Now, it serves as a cen—"
"Killjoy… how about shutting the fuck up and looking where Captain Moron went," said a deadpanned Tora.
Ja'far opened his eyes, "Huh?"
Sinbad was gambling, and apparently winning. "Awesome! Ten wins in a row! You just jumped right in, but you're amazing!" exclaimed someone. "To earn that much with a single coin… you have unbelievable luck!"
Smiling to himself, Sinbad bet, "Next, I'll bet… all of it on Seven Black!"
Tettia walked over to him and dragged him away from the gambling den, exclaiming, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SIN?!"
"Ah! You're talking to me again, Tet!" he exclaimed happily. Tettia glared down at him as she was dragging him off; he cleared his throat and continued, "Anyways, this place is full of casinos, right? I thought I'd go in and give it a try, and I kept winning… I think I might really be a talented gambler."
Having let him stand up, Tettia crossed her arms. "Your life is nothing but gambling, Sinbad," she said.
"Be that as it may, is it a gamble to say that I think you're over what happened? Is that why you're talking to me again, Tet?"
The half-Fanalis rolled her eyes and did not answer him. Instead, Ja'far said, "Sin, please stop acting like we're here sightseeing." Sinbad bought some food on a stick for everyone. "This is a special administrative district. Although it's a territory of Reim, it doesn't follow Reim's laws, but it's a self-governed region with its own unique laws. Whatever happens here, it's difficult for anyone outside to interfer. It's like a while separate country," explained the white-haired former assassin, "Please don't forget that we're in the middle of our enemy's headquarters…"
"Yeah, don't forget that fucking detail, Captain Moron," spoke Tora, taking the food Sinbad offered her.
Sinbad handed the food to Ja'far and Tora, but withheld giving Tettia's hers. "Want one, Tet?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes. I do, now gimme," came her emotionless answer. Tettia reached for the food, but Sinbad kept it away from her, which was irritating the half-Fanalis.
"Then, if you want it, you have to kiss me," answered Sinbad.
Crossing her arms, Tettia said, "Then forget about it. I'm hungry, but that hungry that I'd kiss you for food, Sinbad." However, her stomach growled loudly, which caused her to blush from embarrassment.
"I think he's learned his lesson, Tet; he's been begging for attention the past three days. Plus, your stomach seems to disagree with your words. Oh, the betrayal!" exclaimed Tora as she ate.
Looking away from Sinbad, Tettia said in a pouty voice, "Fine. I'll kiss you… and stop ignoring you. But, you hurt me like that again, and I will give my affections to someone else. Someone like Vittel, understand me?"
Sinbad stopped walking and wrapped an arm around the redhead's waist, still holding the food. He pulled her close, answering her, "I understand, Tet."
"Okay," she said. Tettia leaned up and kissed the purple-haired idiot on the lips for a few seconds. When she pulled away, she reached for her food, which Sinbad pulled out of her grasp again. "SINBAD!" she exclaimed.
"That wasn't a good kiss, Tettia. Kiss me… and mean it," said the purple-haired captain.
Tettia rolled her eyes and kissed him again, this time, meaning it. The kiss lasted a god thirty seconds before she pulled away. "Better?" she asked.
Sinbad smiled and kissed her forehead before handing her the food. "Much better. Let's not fight again, okay, Tettia?"
"That all depends on what you say to other women, Sinbad," answered Tettia, taking her food.
Later, at the arena, Sinbad was about to get checked in. "Past this point, only the gladiators are allowed," said the trio, "Leave your personal effects here. You'll have to use the clothes and weapons they lend to you in the arena."
"Got it," said Sinbad, handing his Metal Vessels to Ja'far.
"…Now you are just a regular guy with no Metal Vessels, just like everyone else," Ja'far and Tora said.
Sinbad smiled at Ja'far, "And just who was it that picked a fight with this normal guy in the past?"
"Please forget everything about my days as an assassin," answered Ja'far.
"Yeah! Let it be in the past, Sin!" exclaimed Tettia.
Smiling at them, Sinbad said, "Well then, see you three later."
As he walked off, Tora said simply, "He's gonna get wrecked…"
Sinbad was introduced to the arena and his opponent walked out. It was Masrur. A young, seven-year-old Masrur, who was a slave. Shackles were cuffed to his feet and that made Tora's blood boil. "That still pisses me off!" exclaimed the purplenette in a whisper-yell.
"Is that… Mas?" whispered Tettia, looking over to her best friend.
"That is indeed. That's why I said Captain Moron was going to be wrecked. He stands no chance against my husband," whispered Tora to Tettia.
Laughing quietly, Tettia said, "That sounds so gross, Tor. He is seven right now."
"And!? Your point? He is still my husband," whispered Tora.
Tettia and Tora then turned their attention back to Sinbad and the young Masrur. "Try not to root for him, Tor."
"I'll try. I remember what happens, anyways. It still pisses me off. Umm Madaura cheated by putting Captain Moron up against Massy. She just wanted Captain Moron to be her slave. I remember having Killjoy prying me off the edge of the ring, I was going to kill Massy back at that moment. After all, he literally decimated Captain Moron in front of my very eyes. And remember that Captain Moron saved my life two years prior to this. I cursed at Umm Madaura, too. Saying how this match was rigged for Sinbad to lose. Screaming how much I was going to kill her," said Tora quietly to Tettia.
"Oh fuck, Tor. It's serious, huh?"
"Yeah. Sinbad temporarily is made Umm Madaura's slave," answered Tora, "Try not to loose your mind, okay?"
"No promises. She lays a finger on my Sinny, I'm going to kill her before Haku can even meet her," snarled Tettia, quietly.
"I don't know if she touches him in a sexual way or not. Can't remember," quietly spoke Tora.