She does, and Azula watches her, still leaning against the railing. Mai takes the steering wheel from my hands, "Alert us if you see another ship coming."
Her nod is enough for me to gesture to Circus Girl to lead the way. She does.
...
The galley is surprisingly large, and somehow I'm beginning to think the ship is larger on the inside. How did pirates come by such a gem?
The cook is still face-down where Circus Girl must have left him. We secure him with a piece of rope she has on her.
There is still a large pot of some kind of stew simmering on low heat. Lucky.
"Let's carry it on deck, and have everyone eat," I suggest, and once more, she only nods.
Together, we heave it out the door, and up the few steps to deck. She returns to the galley for bowls, unprompted, and I check on our prisoners. Some are awake, but none speak, which I find odd. Some might not because of sore throats, and others because they're not the mouthy types. But all of them? Perhaps they've decided to politely wait until interrogations?
With a sigh, I return to where Circus Girl is waiting with the bowls. We fill one, wordlessly, and I turn to the pirates.
Aware of the eyes on me, I am almost gentle in tugging the strap of leather from between one pirate's teeth, and tilting his head back so that I might pour some soup down his throat for testing. He does not protest, and it gives me some hope that the food was not poisoned. Nonetheless, I've not survived this long by being unnecessarily reckless when it comes to my food-intake, and I wait for long enough to be certain that he's not experiencing any discomforts beside his shackles.
To be sure, I rest a hand against his stomach and feel for any disturbances like I was taught as a boy, and wait. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Well, then. I wait another few minutes, to be sure, and then give Circus Girl a nod. She distributes the stew evenly, hands me two bowls, and takes another two up to Mai. It seems I've been put in charge of the princess' food intake. I carry our portions over, hand her hers, and proceed to mostly ignore her in favour of the crew.
Slurping my spoonful loudly, I look at them. They seem awfully complacent.
Are they, perchance, in league with other pirates? Ones that will attempt to free them? There seem to be large sums of money involved in this business. Are they certain that a certain Earthbender will free them? I should have Circus Girl block his chi if she hasn't already.
"Do you know if Circus Girl has blocked the bender's chi?" I ask Azula. She swallows her mouthful, thinks for a moment, and shakes her head. Right. I'll have to speak with her, then.
I finish my stew, and climb to the stern once more.
The two women's voices trail off as I come into view, and I'm treated to two apprehensive stares, and the brat stretching his chubby arms out towards me. Slowly, I move closer, and check on the captain on my way there. He's tense, but seems stable, for now.
"May I?" I stretch my hands out to take the brat from Mai, and with a deeply suspicious nod, she hands him over.
Immediately, he fists the material of my shirt. "Yes, don't be so impatient. I know exactly what it feels like, being unable to do anything."
"What is that language?" Mai questions, voice taut.
I give her a long look over the brat's tuft of hair. "It's spoken in a land far, far off. You will likely never see it."
"How do you know it?" Circus Girl asks, voice rough, reminding me of what kind of person I am. Does it matter if I answer their questions with vague statements? Or is it better to not answer at all?
"I intend to make contact with the Spirit World and find my own answers. You will have to wait to know until then."
"Spirit World…" Circus Girl repeats, a touch distastefully.
"Mhm. On the topic of bending, did you perhaps block the bender's chi?"
She flinches. A guilty expression crosses her features, and she stands wordlessly to go block the man's chi.
Mai watches her friend go, and looks at me again. "Could you have asked that differently?"
"Tactfully, you mean?"
She nods.
"Tact is silence. If I were unfailingly tactful, I'd have sewn my mouth shut long ago and it serves no purpose now. You know by now that I don't care for it, or other conventions. And while we're on that," I get up, "I will go and search through other people's belongings now."
She can be glad I didn't say that last part in front of Circus Girl. It might have hurt feelings…
...
The captain's cabin is rather roomy, with a desk, and a proper bed, even if it is for only one person. It even has a small wardrobe. How convenient. I think I might see if some of his clothes fit me.
I put the brat down on the pillow, and he goes without complaint, flopping onto his back with a huge sigh. He looks comical that way, spread eagled, and done.
With a new white tunic, and too-short cloth trousers I look the part of a pirate, and with my natural darker skin tone, no one will think I don't usually show much skin. The mask… I leave off for now. I'm glad to be rid of it for the moment. It will have to go back on soon enough.
Well, then.
Unto the man's intellectual life.
He's not very exciting, for a pirate. His taste in novels isn't very adventurous, and his choice in treasures is unsurprisingly a chest of gold pieces.
Not, that I don't appreciate those. I really do. I go about finding a pouch that I can fill with some coins, just in case. As you do.
It's while I'm pouring over the map he's spread over his small table that the door swings open, and Mai joins me. Surprised I move to accommodate her. "We passed by Lao Ling just four days ago," I tap it with my forefinger. "I imagine we're somewhere here. If we have an eye on the twists and turns of the river, we might pinpoint exactly where."
She nods. "Yes. How many supplies are there?"
"If only we eat, we're fine for a month. If we feed the crew, a week at most. I don't think they made port recently to stock up food."
A frown and she narrows her eyes at the map. Then she taps it just where the river spills into the sea. "There is a Fire Nation outpost here. We should…"
She trails off uncertainly, and looks at me again, realising my change of attire.
"Well. If you promise not to turn me over to your authorities," I smile at her surprised raise of eyebrows.
"You'd trust us not to?"
"Azula? No. Circus girl? Not sure. You? Yes."
"What?"
"You were indignant I'd broken our agreement. And you don't seem like you would forsake principles to pay someone back for a slight in turn."
She's silent, thinking it over.
"Besides, I want to be able to sleep at some point, without worrying about slit throats, or tied limbs. Don't you?"
Mai nods, cautiously.
"So, then. We don't do any of those things to each other, and agree not to deliver each other to anyone's authorities."
"I… alright," we shake on it, "Which would be yours?"
I chuckle, "There is resistance everywhere. Someone will want to take you to Ba Sing Se, if I don't. So, unless you know you're going to meet your Fire Nation friends, I suggest finding some other clothing as well."
She looks at herself, then. Tired, rumpled, dirty, Fire Nation noble. And grimaces.
"You might find something in that chest there, or some flags."
She goes to look. Indeed, more clothing, and some of it decidedly feminine. So, then.
...
Don't forget to throw some power stones :)
...
If you want to read ahead of the public release, or just want to support me.
you can join my p atreon :
[email protected]/Numera