Family Heirloom

Langley and Sabreur spent their afternoon finding rumors.  They were a valuable commodity for skimmer captains who often did not want to walk into a bad situation unknowingly.  Rumors about weather, local governments, pirate activity, etc often determined the next port a skimmer would dock at.  The twins also had an ulterior motive.  Via the rumors they found out that the Cadre did have a small presence here in Bastion, although it was mostly token as there were far too few Cadre to stop the influx of smugglers and pirates and it was too ingrained in the culture and economy to try.  That meant that part one of their plan was complete – someone could pay the bounty on necromancers.  However, part two was a bust as they failed to find any rumors on actual necromancers in the city.

“Maybe we can use Crystal as sort of a bloodhound,” Sabreur suggested.  He was holding his sister’s hat and jacket and standing near the mouth of a small alleyway.

“Uh-huh.  I’ll make that plan C as I really don’t think she’d make a good bloodhound.  Too easily distracted.”  Langley was on her hands and knees, trying to coax a kitten out from under a drainpipe with a tidbit of meat.

“Then what’s plan A and B?”

“Plan A is we keep looking for rumors and hope that someone takes that as we’re actively searching for their services and contact us.  Plan B is we be bloodhounds ourselves and hunt out traces of necromancy.”

“Despite knowing absolutely nothing about that branch of ‘mancy outside of what we’ve personally seen?”

“We’re quick studies.”

Langley discarded the bit of meat with an oath and resorted to an alternative method.  She took the bone she had in her pants pocket and held it between her teeth, then stretched out her hands towards the kitten.  It froze for a moment, then carefully walked out towards her until she managed to grab it and hoist it up into her arms.  Its eyes remained slightly glazed and Langley tucked the bone back in her pocket.

“Learned that one from Dog,” she said, “About the only ‘mancy I can do without a verbal cue.”

“Uh huh.  And do we have room for another cat?”

“Sure we do.  Ajiin swears there’s a rat in his wall so we’ll give it to him.”

“He’ll be thrilled.”

“I’m sure.  Now, let’s get dinner.”

The rumors the twins had gathered were quite useful.  Storm season had started in the northern part of Alannis and the Stormrider family was warning away all but experienced captains.  Langley and Sabreur had already decided to ride out this season in the south, having had their fill of difficult trips for the time being.  The prospects in the southern part of the world was looking fair.  While most skimmers retreated to this area to find work in there was some upheaval in Swerthia, which looked like it was going to result in a couple major shipping firms pulling out of that nation.  A captain that was confident they could avoid the trouble would be able to pick up work fairly easily.  There was no news from the other southern nations, which was a good thing, and Langley had contacts on several of their ports and her family in general had contacts everywhere.  During storm season a Stormrider could usually pick up work simply because everything people were hearing about them was good.  Stormrider managed to get through to this port town where no one else could.  Stormriders protected these shipping vessels when they were caught in a particular bad spell.  And so on.  

The elven isles were also potential for work.  Most islands were too dangerous to land on due to the natives but a handful would trade with skimmer captains and if taken to the right places elven craftwork would fetch a good price.  Langley was considering making a run before turning north again at the end of the storm months.  She voiced this to Sabreur while they were waiting for their food and he was drinking tonic, upon which he nearly choked when she finished speaking her mind.

“Pardon me?” he said, “Did you just say you wanted to go to the elven isles?”

She shrugged.

“Sure, why not?  You heard anything that should dissuade us?”

“Why yes.  Sirens, Langley.  They’re making more raids than usual between the southern nations and the elven isles.  About the only way through is to swing past the entrance to the underworld and those waters are dangerous.”

Langley rolled her eyes and caught sight of the waiter returning with their dinner.  This busied the twins for another ten minutes and another five when their new cat decided he wasn’t really so scared of humans that he wouldn’t settle in for a meal with them.

“I’m not worried about sirens.  If they catch sight of a woman captain they usually let the skimmer sail on by.”

“Usually.”

“Okay, if they don’t, we can still fight them off.  There’s three women in the crew, myself, and Crystal.  We can get by them and I’m sure you know enough ‘mancy to be immune and Ajiin is so distrustful of ‘mancy that he’ll be fine as well.”

“You weren’t listening to those rumors, were you?  Too busy staring at the cat in the alleyway,” Sabreur chided.

“Come of think of it, I’m not sure if Ajiin has shown that much interest in women either…”

“Langley!  Back on topic.  The sirens aren’t up to their usual tricks.  They’ve got a skimmer now, captured, and apparently are going raiding that way.”

The only silence on the table for a moment was the kitten, eating so fast it was nearly choking itself.

“Oh,” Langley finally said, “Yeah, that would be a problem.  Well, we’ll wait and see what else we hear.  If it’s not a very good skimmer we can possibly outrun it.  Or maybe the Cadre will be unhappy with the idea of sirens with a skimmer and go in there and sink the thing.”

“I’ll hope for the second possibility.”

The twins were about done with their dinner when someone else entered the restaurant.  She was promptly intercepted by the staff, who really tried to keep the common rabble out of their establishment and the ragged girl with a glazed look in her face certainly fit the appearance of street urchin.  Her blue dress was tattered and had dark stains on it.  She was dirty, as if she’d managed to fall into a nice clingy patch of dirt or hadn’t had a bath recently.  Furthermore, her hair was purple and she smelled of an alleyway.  They got so far as herding her back to the door when she caught sight of the gold trim on a jacket hanging off the back of a chair and then at the gray hat that was resting off one edge.  She slipped out of the man’s grip and went running through the room, much to the surprise of the patrons inside.  Langley had just enough time to turn before she was tackled by the necromancer and the chair went over and she found herself on the ground with a very happy Crystal hanging around her neck and not letting go.

“I got you a present!” she cried.

“You know,” Sabreur said, watching Langley try to pry the girl off her neck, “They have doctors who can remove those things.”

The kitten on the table mewed.  Crystal’s eyes went wide and she jumped off of her captain and focused on the kitten.  Meanwhile, the restaurant staff and even the owner watched in dismay and tried to figure out how to resolve this.

“Kitten!  Whose?” Crystal gasped.

“Ajiin’s,” Langley grunted, picking herself up, “Although he doesn’t know it yet.”

“So cute.”

Langley eyed a bundle on the ground that Crystal had dropped.  It was mostly likely a sword and was wrapped in what appeared to be the tattered remains of a shirt.  That disturbed her; even more so the thought of how Crystal had managed to acquire both and if this was the gift that she had referred to.

Finally, one of the waiters had either been ordered to or gathered up the courage to approach the commotion.

“Pardon me,” he said and Sabreur turned to face him.  Langley was still staring gat the sword like it was going to bite her and Crystal was petting the kitten and cooing.

“She’s with us,” Sabreur replied.

“Yes, well, that’s the problem.  We have a certain level of respectability we try to maintain here…”

“And?” Sabreur prompted.

“And I’m afraid that we simply can’t allow someone like – that – in here.”

“I was afraid of that,” Sabreur said with a sigh.

“So you’ll leave?” the waiter asked, as if he didn’t believe his luck.

“No, not quite,” the twin corrected, “You see, that’s a member of my crew you just insulted and we’re all rather fond of her.  So I’m going to hit you and then leave.”

The man turned pale, Sabreur cracked his knuckles, and promptly made good on his word.

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