The little green shell was perfectly matching her new dress. The pendant was the very first gift from Em and the dress, a sleeveless square collar apron embroidered with flowers, was a work of art that Lim had given her the night before.
With a little subtle makeup here and there and her hair pulled back into a headband instead of the usual ponytail, she barely could recognize herself in the mirror.
The Ballerina had no place for that type of clothing. Neither fancy accessories nor beauty products. Her work was rough and comfortable outfits were the way to go.
Ivy turned on her side, taking a deep breath to, right after, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Not that her breasts were non-existent, but compared to most women in ports around the Ring, they seemed small, and Ivy wished they could continue growing a little more.
At the galley she approached Lim timidly, with small steps. The reaction of her aunty filled her heart. “You look wonderful, dear!” Lim exclaimed. “Does it fit well? Seems short on the knee. Doesn’t it?”
“It’s perfect! I love it.” She signed before embracing her in a long hug. “Thank you.”
“Here, wear this. I don’t want you to use your dirty sleepers today.” Lim opened a box and removed a pair of espadrilles. “And I made a ribbon for the straw brim with the same pattern as your dress.”
Ivy put on her uncle’s gift and hugged her aunt again. “Have a good day, and be careful, dear. We love you.” Lim said, letting her go.
Em didn’t like to land on Ujan Temasek. The island of the rain was one of the largest ports of the south, a place that fed from the intense commerce between Tampra and the islands of Srivijaya. But as a vassal state of its more powerful neighbour, Ujan was subdued to the same laws and taxations of the rest of the Tampraparni commercial area, something the old capitan despised. The last time they visited was over three seasons back, so Ivy used to spend her day of birth out in the blue, way to Srivijaya. This year, she was going to enjoy her special day on land, a day that strangely, for an island famously known for its constant raining, had a sunny morning.
Em was shouting to Macha, who was chewing a banana while waving his hand with disdain. “I said… eat that stupid fruit as you please, but not on my ship!”
“What’s the matter? It’s just a fruit!”
Em opened his mouth to reply with more shootings but dropped his jaw when seeing his niece. “Damn… You look gorgeous, pumpkin!”
“Right, he is! You look fantastic, Ivy! drag me down the abyss if I lie!”
“’Drag me to the... ‘ Look at you! Such a hardened sailor.” With a quick movement, Em snatched the bunch of bananas from the kid’s hand. “Give me that, rookie. You still have a lot to learn!”
“Hey!” Macha protested, unable to take her eyes off Ivy. “Ivy, Ivy. Buy nothing for this grumpy old salt! He doesn’t deserve it!”
“She won’t!” Em said as he strode away. “Come on, we have a lot of work to do today. I don’t pay you to lounge around.”
But Ivy was going to buy her uncle something. The old man, if he ever remembered his day of birth, never told. Forgotten by her troubles or by intent, Lim did not tell as well. But that never stopped Ivy. Wanted or not, they received presents by the same day as her, so being in a big commercial hub was the perfect opportunity to buy them something better than clothes or tools.
The morning was unfolding beautifully, and Ivy was in a great mood. She was even considering buying a gift for Macha. Since their fight in the Maze, they got along better. His words hurt her, deeper than she initially thought, but as she let them sink, they helped her to start anew and become a better and stronger person. In doing so, she surprised herself when she accepted the parni boy and his oddities in a friendlier manner.
The northerner piers, the bigger and wealthier of the gigantic port of Ujan, were packed with merchants and fishermen, and unlike others, no thieves and scammers. It was not because the few Tampra soldiers she barely could see around, but because of the hidden watchers from Charles.
Em's old friend was the most prosperous merchant in the city. He was also the leader of an organization that worked for a Temasek free of the yoke of Tampra. They didn’t oppose the oppressors by fighting openly, but by gaining the hearts of their people with good deeds. Cleaning the streets, protecting the traders from crime or lending money to the ones in need were amongst the achievements no Tampra official or soldier were willing to do, as their only purpose on the Rain island was to fill their pockets with bribes and taxes.
She headed to the street of wonders. A place not as wonderful as the one in Bandanii, but where you could still find unique gadgets and fancy trinkets worth a look.
The narrow street, full of people scurrying through the shops, was exactly as she remembered. The attached buildings, each one made of wood painted in a different unique colors, were all designed the same: A ground floor shop with no wall on the front and a residence on its top, mixing hanging clothes and motley signs with a mess of electricity cables only few cities in the Ring were prosperous enough to afford.
She entered the ‘Pung & Mimi’, a shop that had been there for ages. The old Mimi, almost blind, narrowed her eyes at her sight. Silently, Ivy wandered around for a while. From time to time, she would remove her glasses from the straw basket, to have a better look at the goods, enough to see them well, but as fast as possible to hide them again. She never liked to be seen using them.
For Lim, she took a perfume bottle. One with a pumping rubber balloon on the side that was used to spray the liquid as a cloud. Her aunty did not have one like that for sure. For Em, she found a wooden frog which made the animal sound when rubbed with a stick. A silly, unuseful thing that would definitely make him laugh.
Mimi narrowed her eyes to almost closing them. “Do I know you? You look familiar,” she asked with a cracked voice. Ivy replied with a bow and a step closer.
“Oh, you are the girl of the metal man!” she shouted. “You have grown into a fine woman! Look at you! Bobo, come, here is the girl of the yung-eh ship.”
Old Bobo dragged his feet from the back room and adjusted his glasses. “The yung-oh girl. Maleh, you are a pretty lad. How is your old man? I hope you are all healthy!”
Ivy nodded politely and smiled, but rushed to leave as fast as the formal greets were met. The word Yung was not a derogatory term but still hurt her a bit. In the Ujan language, it meant ‘strange’, as in something out of the ordinary. Although she didn’t like it, the old couple didn’t use it in a bad way and nothing was going to spoil her day, especially a stupid comment towards her rarities.
She headed up the street to the market. Her next step was to buy some fruits for the evening. Lim would prepare some cake with them, but she would not wait for that one. The afternoon was for sweet tea and plenty of chocolate deserts at the shops of the upper hill area.
She didn’t even reach half the street when she started noticing the furtive glances of men. She was not used to that at all. Some were pleasant but some were uncomfortable.
The one that made her blush the most was a tall and attractive young man who was dressed in a traditional outfit from the upper classes of Dong Song. Seeing her, he showed a perfect white smile and stood firm, gently touching his forehead with two fingers and leaning slightly in her direction.
She could get used to such greets, she thought, but not the others. The look that disturbed her the most was that of a man dressed in sailor’s rags, perhaps a small-time pirate or a buccaneer, who had wandered around the wrong town. He was a thug with a wicked look and a false smile, who went over her from top to bottom, licking his teeth.
Ivy didn’t see well up close, but her vision from afar was as good as any. And that face of him, engraved in her mind. The lascivious gaze was not repeated the second time she saw him as she glanced over her shoulder. He didn’t repeat it the next time she saw him either, way inside the market. The fourth time, it didn’t matter anymore, as she then was completely sure he and two others were following her.
She stopped to buy some mangos and took a better look at the trio while filling the basket. The leading man was short and robust. A strong fighter with hardened hands. His two companions were taller and younger. handsome both strangely. But like their older mate, they had a nastiness in their eyes that meant no good. At first, both look weaker than the other, but still a threat. Em had taught her to never underestimate an adversary.
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Maybe her sneaky look became too obvious, or her scrutiny was too long, but the older one noticed. He bit a tomato and smiled, dripping the fruit’s juice all over his chin in a way Ivy found terribly disgusting.
It was her day of birth and she would not spoil it with a fight against a bunch of perverts. She turned away, thinking of how to lose them when someone touched her shoulder. The icy chill unconsciously triggered a quick slap to push the hand away.
“Auch. That hurt, girl!” said the short sailor, taking a few steps away.
“Did the little flower hurt you, Ficus?” mocked one of the two young thugs who reached the older man's side with movements too confident for the threat they were going to face.
Ivy turned towards them openly and put the basket on the ground. “Stay away from me or I will hit you harder.” she signed.
“What’s dat?” said the other youngster. “Is she doin’ some black magic trick on’us?” The other young man laughed, but the older did not. His eyes were filled with rage. She stared back with not a glimpse of fear , to realize he had dark blue eyes. Under his burned skin and gray messy beard, there was a foreigner. His two companions were clearly from Temasek, but he was from the Nor’Wes.
There were no people from the Nor’Wes that south. “She hits hard, I tell’ye.” The old sailor pulled his sleeve to rub his arm and her suspicions became clear. A set of red tentacles encircling the forearm sinuously. The red squid of The Kraken Brotherhood. No other people she hated the most. No other people she would enjoy more to beat to dead than those scum. But she was not a fool, and she knew well what her uncle would say.
“Girl,” added the one on the left. “We just want to speak to your cap’n. he’s round?”
“He’s at the southern docks. Go speak to him and leave me alone,” Ivy signed with aggressive movements.
“Stop the magic ye’bich,” said the man on the right while stepping forward.
Ivy reacted fast with raising her fist menacingly and putting a foot back, ready to strike. The hand of his elder friend stopped the youngster. “Hoy, hoy. No need to fight, eh? Just wait with us here. Ma’boss wod’like some words with ye. Swavy? Nothing to be scared, flower.”
Ivy waited, but not because she was going to stay. When she was sure they would not get any closer, she grabbed her basket and left. Two steps further she felt the hit on her back. The tomato dripped through her dress as the trio giggled.
The old sailor stepped closer, hands opened in a friendly stance. “Do not be afraid, flower. We won’t hurt ye, we just wait ma’boss.”
Ivy raised a finger and turned her head from side to side, but he didn’t stop at the warning. He was trying to look harmless, but the eyes were betraying him, and Ivy would not tolerate another step closer.
She hit. controlled power, full speed. He didn’t see it coming. She felt the jaw bone cracking. The brother of the Kraken stumbled and fell over a cabbages stall, breaking all of it and rolling on the cobblestones together with pieces of wood and veggies. Ivy knew he was not dead, but he would not awake soon. She knew her limits.
Suddenly, there was an empty circle of people looking with shock and surprise around them. The two younger krakens prepared to retaliate. Ivy focused. She was strong but not immune to hits and the two had excellent feet movement.
She dodged the first two punches but missed the grip from behind. It was a smart move from them and she felt ashamed of her mistake. They lowered their guards tough, and she saw the opportunity: clutching the arm on her neck and squeezing as hard as the bones needed to break. She did, and the man behind her cried in pain. The other hesitated and she punched him in the ribs. As he felt, she turned and kicked the crumbling man with a broken arm on the crotch, raising shouts around them. Both felt at the same time agonizing.
Ivy checked her dress and looked at the surrounding floor. The basket had fallen sideways, letting the fruits roll, and they had stepped over the hat during the fight. She was furious. Her heart was pumping heavily inside her chest. She didn’t reach for her things yet when the circle widened. Many spectators fled. With her good hearing, she could listen to the rise of prayers and profanities around her. Breaking the circle, a new batch of krakens appeared. twenty? Thirty? she didn’t count them but she inspected them carefully as Em had taught her. Tall, short, dark pale, skinny, fat: None the same but all showing with pride their red tattoo.
“Girl. The Riko wants to talk to you.” said one of them, a flamboyant man with a wing hat with long colorful feathers.
Ivy gazed at her surroundings. The few people still around were all terrorized. No one was going to help her. “Leave me alone,” she signed.
“He just wanna talk, tha’s all.” Said a parni young man while pointing to one of his peers.
“You ruined my day! You ruined my life!” Ivy signed.
The man standing in the front spoke in a deep voice. “Does anyone understand the language she uses?” He was a tall and pale Nor’Westener. His military blue jacket, ragged by the years, could not hide a powerful build. He was shaved completely, but his thick beard was long to the collarbones. He had two golden earrings at each side shining with the little sunlight sneaking through the stormy clouds forming above.
Ivy stepped backwards but noticed two of the brothers sneaking behind her. They didn’t want to talk. If the Kraken ventured so far south it was because they were looking for Lim, and if they were interested in her, it meant they knew her aunt was sailing with Em. Now, Ivy was a prize, a prize they could use as a bargaining chip.
“I heard about a special passenger in your catamaran. I’d like to talk to your captain. Why don’t you come with us and-”
Ivy went back to the defense position, which raised chuckles from most, except from the man they called the Riko, who frowned deeply instead. “I do not wish to hurt you,” he said. “Please come with us. Our business is just with your captain.”
Ivy raised her fists and spit on the floor. “That’s a challenge, Boss.” said one of the brothers.
“Yeah, a challenge for the Riko!” shouted a couple more. The Nor’Westener snapped his teeth and nodded side to side. He removed his jacket and pulled up his shirt sleeves, showing muscular arms completely covered in black tattoos except for the red, hideous squid on one of his forearms.
“Challenge! Challenge!“ Shouted the crowd of krakens.
“I don’t wish to fight you.” The Kraken’s boss said, stepping slowly closer, with his hands inside the pockets.
It was a trick; she thought. It had to be. The Riko closed quarters, head moving side to side in discontent, the guard down entirely. Ivy was not a fool, it had to be a trick.
He stepped to striking distance, defenseless. Knowing she’d not reached the face, her first blow flew towards the stomach. It was a big target, and yet, she missed. His body moved to the side with grace. Faster even than Ivy’s fist. She didn’t see his footing, or his body turning, and definitely not the elbow smashing her face over the eye.
Her face snapped to the side and when her senses returned, she was on the floor bleeding profusely from the eyebrow. The world was spinning and her eyes were burning. All the members of the brotherhood were not moving, only watching from above, giggling and whispering. Her opponent was just a step further from her, with a serious expression but relaxed body, waiting. No signs of defense, no signs of attack. Nothing, just standing. She staggered. Her knees trembled, the market square spinning even faster than before.
“That cut will become a scar. A scar to remind you of your failure today. Now come -” he stopped, suddenly moving side to side to dodge fists flying at him one after another. Her arms cut through the air faster with each strike. His feet moved in unison, dancing faster, and his body contorted around each fist, making her movements look clumsy and slow. Without a stop, she pushed her limits until hands felt heavy and breath short. A step back to recover and I will start again was a thought that took an ephemeral instant. Still, a mistake he noticed. The next punch was not dodged, but intercepted. She realized too late. His hand twisted her arm, making her lose balance, and his foot, kicking low over her legs, made her fall, rolling like a top.
“Don’t be stubborn, little one,” the Riko said.
A man who seemed to play with her and the laughter of his companions fueled her rage. She jumped up and charged, slower than before, but still determined to win. The person in front of her was a Kraken brother, one of her family’s killers. She was going to avenge them. If only it wasn’t for the Riko’s hold on her. How he managed to step behind so fast she didn’t know. An instant, a fleeting blink, and one of his arms was surrounding her neck, the other locking the grip on the side.
Ivy felt the annoyance of being catched in the same way twice in a row but it didn't matter much as she could get rid of such grappling like she did before, crushing bones with her fingers. As Riko raised her body, feet dangling, she squeezed the arm with all her strength. It didn’t work this time. His muscles were as hard as rock. His embrace tightened over her jaw. Ivy’s vision narrowed and darkened. With the last spark of rage, she hit him on the side. His torso didn’t move. She hit again with no restraints, and again and again until he bent slightly. It was hurting him, she realized with a blurry thought. She continued, convoluting his body at each strike. It could have worked but her elbow faltered. Soon after, her arm dropped and under a grip that didn’t let her breathe, she fainted. Then the floor hit her.
He let her go. Let her free. Coughing, she pushed up to stand with weak arms. “Stay on the ground,” the Riko said, who was lying next to her, facing down with his hands over the head.
Ivy mumbled and pushed harder, heartbeat pumping around a swollen eye. “Do not stand,” repeated the Riko. “You have heart, little one. And a good elbow. I think you hurt my ribs. No one has ever done that before.”
Ivy ignored him, focusing on getting up and returning to the Ballerina. Her only clear thought: To go back home.
“You have the power and speed,” the Riko continued. “But the Art is more than that. You lack technique, experience and good breathing. Now, be a good little girl and stay down.”
Ignoring his talking again, she stood, just able to sit on the floor. Rain began to fall heavily. Her dress was ruined with blood and mud. She searched around, wishing to find her things and return to the docks. The square was a wasp nest with people running and soldiers screaming.
“On the ground!” Shouted someone from behind. She ignored that voice as well. All she wanted was to go back home. “I said… on… the… ground!” A hand grabbed her hair, scratching the scalp with the nails. Then the soldier pulled down, smashing her face on the cobblestones.