They say to let sleeping dogs lie, but why can’t they do the same with civil servants. Every blood hour of the night I get woken up for some irrelevant complaint. How am I supposed to fix people’s problems if I can’t get a moment of rest?
-Quoted from Gregory Waxwood, Civil Governor of Pallis
They made a quick stop at the inn, The Golden Cannon, to meet Nasar and drop some things off. Trent handed the chef a leather pouch, which jingled as he handed it off.
It seemed as though he’d managed to sell all their goods in the brief time Rose had wandered off. So he was hiding his tricks from me. Bastard captain.
The more time she spent around Trent, the more she’d been swearing. He was just so damn infuriating. They stayed long enough for her to have a bath and change into a clean pair of clothes.
It had been far too long since her last, which was perhaps the worst part of being at sea. Another one of those little annoyances that the story books never mentioned.
Thinking about how rarely they docked, most of the pirate legends had to have terrible body odour. Or perhaps there was a skill to deal with that?
Rose wanted to try and level up Cleaning, to see if one of the traits did just that. However, the mental scar from the last time she went cleaning mad still lingered and she was hesitant to open that can of worms.
Trent was still talking with Nasar when she stepped out of the bathroom, which meant she had a little more time before they embarked on their quest to solve Yasmin’s problem. She overheard the chef chuckling.
“I knew it. You were a fool to believe that woman would follow after you without a second thought. I wish I was there to see it,” he said, patting Trent on the shoulder.
Leaving the two men to their musing, she went through the door into the smaller room. Felix was sprawled on one of the two beds, snoring loudly.
Despite it being the afternoon, he had somehow managed to drift off. He deserves a proper rest. This might be the last time we’re on land for a while.
Sitting at a wooden desk in front of a circular window that afforded her a view of the market, Rose took out a piece of paper and a pen. She was finally going to write that letter to her parents. For all she knew, she wouldn’t get another chance.
It was a shame, but the last letter she’d written for them had been destroyed in the chaos of the convergence. Then again, a lot had changed since. Perhaps it was for the best that she was able to write a new one.
The only problem was, she wasn’t quite sure what to say. They knew she’d always wanted to be a pirate, but perhaps they thought it the ramblings of a child and never took her seriously.
If she told them that she’d truly embraced piracy, how would they feel? Would they be embarrassed, upset, ashamed? She considered lying and telling them she’d joined a merchant crew.
It would be a half-truth, given the time Rose had spent on board Unrequited Love. However, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to her parents. So, she decided to pour her heart out.
Dear Mother and Father,
It is your daughter, Rose. You might have thought I was dead and if that made you worry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but I couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a fisherwoman or a dorii herder. That would be a fate worse than death. I don’t mean to insult your professions, because I think the life you live is comfortable and I had a happy childhood.
However, I had my own dreams. You should know what I’ve always wanted to be—what my ambition was, and is. I have become a pirate. I don’t have my own crew yet, but I am part of one. The captain is called Trent. He is a smug bastard, but he takes good care of us. There’s Felix, who’s a little lazy but dependable. Nasar is the chef. He’s seriously good. Maybe even better than you, mother. And today I met the most terrifying and incredible woman ever.
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She’s called Yasmin and she was able to make the captain do whatever she said. I want to grow up and be as strong as her. Maybe not as scary, though. I’m not sure. Anyway, don’t worry about me. I’m having a wonderful time and living the life I always dreamed of. I hope you are well.
With all my love,
Rose
It was simple. Perhaps if she was better at writing or had more time to perfect it, she would be able to convey her feelings more accurately.
However, it was good enough. Folding it in three places, she dripped a little wax from the candle onto the paper to seal it shut. She wished she had one of those fancy rings like nobles did to add a symbol.
Taking the pen, she scratched a capital ‘R’ into the wax after it dried. Smiling, she slipped the letter into her jacket and walked out of the room to see that Nasar and Trent had disappeared.
Walking downstairs, she discovered them in the small restaurant on the bottom floor of The Golden Cannon. More accurately, they were at the bar.
“Alright Rose, are you ready to solve Yasmin’s tiny little problem?” asked Trent when she approached.
“Yes. I need to stop by the seagull post on the way.”
“Who’s the lucky person getting a letter?”
“My parents.”
“Oh? What are you telling them? Nothing scary, I hope.”
“Just what I wanted to tell them,” she replied, not giving anything away. “Can I have a drink, too?”
The two men burst into laughter. Trent downed his glass of pale brown alcohol in a single swig. Nasar sipped his in a much more refined manner.
“After the state I found you two in after your last attempt at drinking, I think we’ll give that a miss. Maybe if our quest goes well,” chuckled Trent, standing up and tossing a silver coin onto the counter. “To the seagull post we go!” he declared, raising a fist.
***
As they approached the tower, the squawking of seagulls grew louder. She could see various sizes of seagulls flying in and out of the numerous open windows up and down the tower, each with a leather pouch tied to them.
She noticed that the birds had different coloured scarves, too. Some wore red, some blue, and she spotted a single seagull wearing a green scarf. That seagull was at least one and a half times bigger than the rest and there was a notch in one of its wings.
Entering, she was surprised to see that the lobby was completely calm in comparison to the raucous outdoors. Not a single seagull could be seen.
They probably kept them on the upper floors to make sure they didn’t interfere with the process of receiving letters from customers. A young woman greeted them at the desk.
“Welcome to the Seagull Post! How may I help you today?” she asked with a bright smile.
Rose smiled back and took out her letter. “I need to post this letter to my parents,” she said.
Without missing a beat the cheery girl replied. “How sweet. And where exactly are you parents? We need a name, town or city, and country for your destination.”
She held out her hand and Rose passed her the letter. “Fairwater Bay, in Emerlan Isle,” she replied, feeling silly for not offering the information upfront. “Oh, and for the names you can put Simon and Alyssa Everblue.”
“Of course, thank you very much. It will cost you seven copper coins to send the letter to Fairwater Bay.”
Rose handed over the coins, counting them out carefully from her pouch. Considering that you could get a cheap meal for a few coppers, it was rather expensive to send a letter. “Thanks,” she added, smiling at the woman.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for choosing Seagull Post. We hope to see you again soon!” the girl replied, slipping Rose’s letter into a draw labelled ‘Fairwater Bay’.
The other draws were all towns and cities around the Bluestone Sea, as well as there being a few she didn’t recognise. It seemed the reach of the Seagull Post was quite widespread.
Trent hadn’t said a word the entire time they were inside. Rose was quite proud of herself. Other than buying from the vendors back home, that was the first time she’d managed to purchase something entirely of her own accord.
“You’re a strange girl, Rose,” said Trent as they walked away from the tower.
“What do you mean? You’re the weirdest man I’ve ever met,” she retorted.
“Maybe you should socialise more often. A girl your age should have more friends than a lazy merchant,” he replied. “What I meant is, you almost seem like two different people. The Rose who stumbles over herself and smiles when she manages to send a letter without making a mistake. And the Rose who carves monsters and men with concealed glee in her eyes. It’s hard to tell which one is the real you.”
She frowned. “I don’t enjoy killing. Monsters are one thing, but even then it’s a little gross. I didn’t enjoy killing those pirates. Who, might I remind you, were your crew.”
“Touché. Only time will tell, I guess. Forget I said anything.”
They continued walking in silence, heading towards the very centre of Clissolt, where the richest and most influential members of the city lived. They would find the governor there.