Housekeeping
Well, here comes a handful of trouble for Terry. Meet Lydia. There’s a joke in here if you know what you’re looking for.
Lydia
Terry had heard stories about dock side bars his whole life from his less reputable cousins. There was also a guy in Raymond that sold possum meat that told jokes and stories about the kinds of things that went on there and they typically made Terry blush and want to charge straight back into the woods. The one he found himself in now did not fit those expectations in the least, for which he was glad.
No, “The Sailor’s Rest” was a quiet tavern and inn where crews came for privacy and quiet. There were multiple private dinning rooms, and the table layout was all booths. Even the landlord, Master Rogers, was a soft spoken man who didn’t raise his voice. If he spoke loudly, you were in trouble. It reminded Terry of some of the restaurants his uncle liked in Pearl, and he felt at home there almost immediately.
Terry and Arthur had rented three small rooms for far less than Terry had expected, and the plan was to stay until a ship came through that would be willing to take them across the Great Sea. It had been two days of sight seeing for Terry and Gella. They made sure to get Aloysius and Ed out of their stalls for an hour or two each day. Al continued his warnings about Ed, to the point that Terry was starting to look sideways at the small donkey. The third day, Terry walked up to the animal while Gella was talking with Aloysius after their daily ride.
“Hey,” he said to Ed, feeling only slightly foolish. “I don’t know what you’re saying to make Al so nervous, but this is your one warning. If I catch any kind of hint that you’re going to harm me or mine, then I’m going to drop you over the side of the ship we hire and you might or might not be in a boat. You got me?”
The donkey actually seemed to narrow his eyes at Terry. He had no way of knowing if it understood or not, or if it agreed. He’d just have to ask Aloysius tomorrow if the weird little animal was still being off-putting.
Leaving the stable, Terry escorted Gella back into the common room and found Arthur already there looking excited.
“What’s up?” Terry asked. Arthur had finally gotten what that phrase meant after several days.
“What is up, is a ship has just docked. Master Rogers says that they’re known for taking on passengers. The first mate should be coming here soon since the Sailor’s Rest gives her time away from the captain.”
Terry sat, Gella taking the seat beside Arthur.
“Why would she want to get away from the captain?” Gella asked as a server brought her a mug of something spiced. The woman nodded to Terry. Three days in and she’d stopped giving Terry smoky looks at the very least. Some people didn’t understand that he was spoken for.
“Very observant, child. I don’t know. I just know that the Blowhard is a large ship with space for cargo, passengers, and mounts to be stored.”
“That’s good at least. I’m not leaving Al,” Terry said, attempting to get a server’s attention for himself. It was well past time for him to eat. She seemed to be ignoring him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. He’s proved himself several times over. I regret my doubts.” Arthur sounded sincere and Terry was glad to hear it. The man had seemed to mellow during their journey.
“Any idea how we’re supposed to spot this first mate?” Terry asked, finally getting someone’s attention and pointing at himself vigorously.
“I’ve been told that the lady in question can’t be mistaken for anyone…” Arthur trailed off as the door opened. Terry turned to look, and sure enough, this had to be her.
She stood there, removing an all encompassing cloak and hanging it on a peg by the door. She wore a deep green dress with a low-cut, puffy, white blouse. Her long, dark brown hair spilled from a yellow bandanna on her head. None of that outshone the woman herself though.
She had brown skin and a face that even Terry had to admit was beautiful. He couldn’t begin to put an age to her. Large, dark, mysterious eyes, a bold nose, and a full mouth made her stand out from everyone else in the room. Heck, Terry thought she might outshine everyone in town. What made her truly unique, though, were the tattoos. Almost every inch of her besides her face was covered in runic tattoos, and the blue ink glowed of its own accord.
“That would be Lydia, I presume,” Arthur said. Even he sounded stunned.
Terry found he needed to clear his throat. He turned back to the table.
“So, you gonna talk to her?” Terry asked.
“Young Terrance, I think that perhaps you should be the one to speak to Mistress Lydia. She might be more receptive to a handsome young man.”
Terry swallowed, but he nodded. He stood and saw the woman had taken a seat at a booth by herself. Terry heard his own food placed on the table behind him and mumbled a mild curse to himself. He approached in what he hoped was a casual manner.
Lydia looked up and when she saw him a slow, broad smile split her face. It was almost a smirk.
“Mistress Lydia?” Terry asked.
“Yes. And who might you be when you’re home alone?”
Something about the statement threw Terry off for a moment. It said nothing untoward, but felt filthy. He didn’t want to seem like a rube though, even if he was one. He took a seat across from her.
“My name is Terry Lingal, and I won’t take up much of your time. I’m sure you’re starving.”
“Indeed,” she said and that smile never wavered. Terry knew he was blushing, but soldiered on.
“I need passage to the Eastern Empire for myself, two companions, and two mounts. I’m willing to pay handsomely.”
“Oh, I just BET you are,” she said and the raising of her eyebrows seemed to underline the implications.
Terry took a deep, calming breath. He gave a quick glance to his own table and the grin on Arthur’s face was very frustrating. He looked back to Lydia.
“Mistress Lydia, I am a warrior on a quest to rescue my betrothed. I will gladly pay in gold, and gold only.”
Terry had to admit it wasn’t his most subtle act, but it got the point across. Lydia pursed her lips and her brow furrowed as she considered him.
“So you, two companions, and two mounts. I hope you’re not in a hurry.”
“No ma’am, but I need to get there. Preferably sooner rather than later.”
She looked him up and down.
“And you have gold? She asked doubtfully.
“Yes ma’am. How much for the passage?
Before she answered, a plate of roast and turnips was placed in front of her.
“Why don’t you go eat and we can talk about it after dinner? I do my negotiating best on a full stomach.”
Terry nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”
When he reached his table, Arthur was still grinning.
“You knew how that would go.”
“I knew that you’d pique Mistress Lydia’s interest one way or the other. Either with your face, or your story.”
Terry gave him a flat look before digging into his own meal. He was interrupted more than halfway through, though.
“You ARE handsome, Terry,” Gella said, which made Terry blush.
“Thank you for saying so,” he mumbled, “but I’m not out to win any beauty contests.”
“THAT,” Lydia said, taking the bench beside Terry at their table, “is a matter of opinion.”
Terry looked at her. She was one to talk. He shook his head. She was a fast eater.
“Now, I’ve decided I’d be more than happy to transport the three of you. The cost won’t be cheap. Unless you have services to offer in exchange?”
Terry opened his mouth to offer to work as a deck-hand, but the look she gave him made his face color again. That wasn’t what she meant.
“What’s the full price?” he asked.
“Two hundred and twenty gold.” She smiled as she said it, but both Arthur and Gella stared. Lydia turned to Arthur. “Now, that’s one gold per day on average for each of you with ten total for your mounts. I would charge more, but I would enjoy looking at Terry on this voyage, you understand. I’m practically beggaring myself here.”
She chuckled, and Terry saw Arthur’s expression darken. He obviously thought this was highway robbery, or at least wildly unfair. Gella looked crestfallen. Terry simply reached into his pocket, fished in the money pouch he kept there, and pulled something out. He glanced at it before setting it on the table. Lydia’s mirth died and Terry thought she was going to start drooling.
The stone was black with a myriad of colors in it along with golden flecks, and looked like one of those images from the space telescopes back home. It was about the size of a gold coin and already cut for a mounting. Mistress Deliverance had been extremely grateful for Terry’s services.
“I don’t normally carry that much gold,” Terry said, “and I hate to think you were beggaring yourself on my account. I’m assuming a black opal should cover everything well enough?”
Lydia snatched the gem up, then pulled a loupe from her belt pouch. She put the lenses up to her eye and stared intently for a long time. Terry smiled at Gella, who seemed to find all this terribly amusing now. Arthur stared at Terry, so he held up three fingers for an instant to indicate he hadn’t given them all away yet. Lydia put the loupe away, and the gem Terry noticed. Lydia leaned, putting an elbow on the table. Terry wished she wouldn’t. The blouse was entirely too loose.
“I think, Master Terry, you have yourself a ship. I’m sure the captain will be delighted.”
It was the next day, and Terry found himself down by the pier where the ship, the Blowhard, was moored. He’d always loved the water, but he’d never actually been to sea, or even on the reservoir except to fish on the docks. This wasn’t all that different from the ships he’d seen at the dock back home. Terry supposed that with sailing, the basics were always the same. You just needed something to float on and something to catch the wind.
He’d had never seen an actual sailing ship besides the small ones on the res, and the Blowhard was considerably smaller than movies had lead him to believe it would be. He realized most of the ship was below decks. The upper decks were for work. He wondered how much of the fiction he’d taken in would translate to this voyage. He walked along and tried to stay out of the way of the dock workers as they transferred cargo into and out of the hold. Even now, with the sun beginning its descent, there was still work going on.
Terry caught sight of Lydia on the deck and tried to hide before she saw him, but it didn’t work. She waved at him, then motioned for him to join her. He smiled weakly and walked up the ramp to meet her.
“So, Master Terry. What brings you out this fine evening?”
Terry looked around at the ship as he approached and it was shockingly clean. He supposed if you were going to live on a ship, you may as well treat it like home.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m anxious to set sail, so I thought I’d take a look at the ship before we leave. I’m going to be aboard for a while.”
She smiled at him. “I’m impressed! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tell a passenger it’s not a boat.” Her smiled slipped right off her face. “The captain is aboard. Would you like to meet him?”
“Uh, no. Not today. I’ll save that honor until I don’t have the choice.”
Lydia laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. Hard.
“Good man! What do you think of the Blowhard?”
She looked extremely proud of the ship, with a massive smile and her hands on her hips. Terry examined the decks and masts, taking in details.
“Everything looks ship-shape to me, if you’ll pardon the pun, ma’am.” He looked closer at the rigging. “Except that one line, I guess. Looks kinda rotted.”
The woman walked up next to him and stared. Terry pointed to the offending line and she pulled a spyglass from her pouch to look closely.
“Jack in the Leaves. You’re right.” She looked at him with her eyebrows lowered. “How in the nine hells did you spot that?”
Terry couldn’t help but smile. “I’m a knight. I look for weaknesses.”
The look the woman gave him made his face turn red.
“Your lady is extremely lucky, Master Terry, and that’s all I’m going to say.”
Lydia started shouting for someone to replace the line, and Terry sighed. Hers wasn’t the first implication, or offer, like this he’d had on the journey. It wasn’t even the fifth. People in the Everywhen appeared to be way more forward about things than he was used to. He waved to the woman as he walked back toward the ramp, but she was so mad about the line that she barely noticed him go.