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"Yer Sister is missin'." Pea and I look at each other as if the old man is unhinged and has finally lost his mind. A slow look back to him in unified confusion. "...One o' yer other ones" OH. He means one of the others he's sired. Not here with Pea and I. "It's the Monk's kid?" I ask. He shakes his head. "No, though she'll be goin' with ya so yer can keep an eye on her too." I glare at him for several moments, I can feel Pea looking at me also before putting her hand on top of mine. "What do you know, Baba?" She asks him. He shrugs. He has obviously been drinking. His response is slow, though not slurred, yet. "She's 'er Ma's image." He says finally with a slow nod. I am dumbfounded. Is it not obvious? "A short delivery then...she'll be at the Valley. We can pick her up and drop her back off at her village." He shakes his head. "She ain't there..." He says, pulling the bottle out from under the table, confirming he's on brews again. Pea looks at me with question, until I think the same. "Maybe shes dead." I say flatly. The question doesn't stir a thing in him as if he's already ruled it out. "Her Ma can reach her there, if she was. She ain't dead." Of course. The raving lunatic's daughter wanders off not knowing her place. And now Pea and I will be expected to pick up the pieces and persuade her to go back to the village. I pinch the bridge of my nose, annoyed at the inconvenience. I rub the tension out of my face before thinking out loud. "So we go, find her, take her back? And when she runs off again?" Old man looks at me in a way that tells me I've misunderstood. "You two, y'been on the seas long enough... Be nice fer yer t' go and do somethin' different a while." Without a second between his response and mine I clap back "How long is a while?" There is a look exchanged between him and I. One that says I'm asking too many questions. One that says if you ask one more I'm going to make you regret it. Pea smiles gently and rests a hand on each of ours. The mediator. "We will go Baba, and we will see to it that she is safe." He smiles affectionately at Pea, I roll my eyes while he can't see. "Good! We'll drop yer off at the northern docks in the mornin'. Only pack yer basics. Yer not gonna remember much else y'know when you get there." We'd delivered to the kingdoms before now, but not as dwellers. Quick drop offs at a few docks for local taverns and that was as much as I knew, really. Stories I'd heard of course, but not much time spent there myself. Old man gets up as if that is that and stumbles off towards the galley. Pea begins grinning stupidly to herself, her head probably whirling with excitement of possbilities, new challenges. Probably also of the fact her feet will be on grass and dirt, among the flora and creatures of land. She never really did like having sea legs. We'll see what morning light brings. >>Ri | |