The ship blows its horn, and we start to leave port. Leaning up against the railing, I stare at the town as it slowly chugs away. See ya, Agadton. Not really worth knowing you!
"Certainly a thing to be rid of it, too." I mutter, getting some of my thoughts in the open. My eyes pull my attention away from my thoughts and to the Vyacvan don as he waves farewell. Pops certainly had his ears talked off by all the questions from the curious crime family. The underworld famous hitman who's suddenly reappeared in the 'public' eye.
We're going, though, off into the unknown to finally get ourselves back on track. For the first time since that damn giant caused that earthquake. Just through the black market and to a seller to dump Nin off at and... We finally handle Gamtambo.
I don't know why it feels like it's such a faraway goal. Pops, Hrurim and I have spent more than a couple years down here in the underground. We returned to the realm of the hwardgon all that time ago. So why do I feel like this brief stay in Agadton has been some laborious, unending quagmire...?
"I don't even want to know..." I sigh out into the open, rolling away from the ship's edge. I thrust myself forward and walk along the deck. Much as this ship is leaving port, I really should let my thoughts do the same. Let them go off down the currents, never to be seen again.
We're not adrift here, we're on the right track. No open seas, a navigable river. That is where we are. The path to Gamtambo has never been clearer.
A click breaks my mouth open and I find myself wandering. Pops and Hrurim continue to elude me and I keep to myself. The crew aren't thinking much about our presence onboard and I will do the same for them. Don Vyacvan must've kept Pops' identity quiet, if it's all like this.
Smuggler's ship carrying such a legendary smuggler as my dad? I doubt the captain could keep his paws off of him. Much like our patron in that regard, I suppose. Would be fun to watch, I guess. Watching as Pops' patience cracks and rusts away as the laconic is forced against the verbose.
Gods and goddesses only know what the surface is like. At least there will be no more falling giants and grander heroes standing atop them. Sail we shall. Sail far and sail forever.
"Oh, there you are." I mutter, spotting my father as he messes with his gear on some random crate. I head on over, giving him a slight wave and getting nothing in return. He acknowledges my arrival with a subtle shift in focus. It goes back to his work.
Moving in closer, I look over his shoulder and around his arm. It's a thing alright, nothing special or important if I cannot think of it. I can certainly make my guesses about what Pops is up to, but I don't want to push my luck with him. Not some needy girl like the ones he cleaned up in such a bloody manner back in Agadton.
"Something on your mind?" Pops asks, his voice surprisingly soft. He puts the tools down and turns my way fully. He even hops up onto one of the crates once he's cleared himself a spot. I blink, stepping back halfway.
"Na-Naturally. Be a bit silly to not have any thoughts going through my head." I answer, the question catching me more off guard than an actual ambush. My thoughts elude me and all I can get out is a bad, dry joke and Pops is... Still looking at me, his eyes not having lost any of their concern. Those same eyes move, focusing on one of my fiddling fingers.
"You didn't want to put much effort into your quills, did you?" he asks and I find myself nodding as I surrender my thoughts to him. I cannot get them in order, so I'll let him dictate them. Give them the direction I can't find myself right now.
"Didn't seem worth it." I shrug, not giving him the full answer as the nightmare of a pool party returns to mind. A moment to live the slightest moment of a normal girl's life and it ends poorly. I know it won't stick with me forever and it really shouldn't be sticking with me now. But what happened then has left me... Iffy.
"You looked pretty, dressed the way you were back then." Pops compliments and I huff myself into a smile, my fur being enough to hide the blush right now. I like hearing Pops tell me that. It sounds like such a normal thing to hear from a father. Not something like 'find a sniper position and hold it well' or any of the other stuff that normally comes out.
"Thank you, Pops." I say, a choking sniff breaking my expression up. I shake my head, getting it all back under control, rattling the few decorations I put back into my quills. Don Vyacvan's granddaughters were very open to allowing me into their lives. If only for the chance to treat me like an art project. Not that I minded. They had a spare shape... Mother's Shape.
"Shouldn't be too long until we get to the port. The black market is out of the way, but it's not far. We'll hit the docks, Captain'll let the ramp down and off we go. Foot to pedal and back on our own," Pops says, leaving me nodding as he tries to fill up the silence.
"I'm sure Hrurim will love the fact he's not our pack mule anymore." I let out, smiling as my voice fails to fully deliver the humour. Pops gives me a curve of the lips, anyway.
"Mm." he goes, his eyes wandering away. My head does much the same, my eyes going even further. Our invisible bond brings us back to each other.
"Any plans once we're done underground? Are we... Even staying down here? It's our homeland, but I've always really been up on the surface." I ask, shrugging as I tug on some of my quill decorations. Nervousness is quite the force, but not one that's strong enough to ruin my aesthetic. Thankfully.
"Up to you, Heiya. I'm... Hesitant, to plan that far ahead, however." Pops answers, his tone shifting in an uncomfortable manner. He's not confident that we can do this. He's not sure that he can put our Gamtambo business behind us. This is a first. I don't like it.
"Don't think like that, Pops. You've got me through worse. You've got the slaves in our inventory through worse, even. You know what they always say about the lengths we go to for the people we care about..." I say, waffling on into silence and the look away that comes with it.
"Yeah." he lets out quickly, an unfortunate sound to it. I guess all I've done is make him think about all we lost. Knowing Pops as I do now, I know he puts so much effort into things. He tries to account for everything and plans as flexibly as possible to ensure the plan survives. Whatever he did wrong all those years ago has been eating away at him for just as long. A mistake he can never let happen again.
"We will get him, Pops. We will." I say, my arm bending around to touch Mother's Shape. I forgot to ask Don Vyacvan's granddaughters for the name of the shape. But it doesn't matter either way what it's called. It's the shape of Mother's precious necklace. We will get Gamtambo in her name and in the name of all the siblings I've forgotten about.
What a cause... We don't even recall who they are. I don't, anyway. All I have is the idea of her at my age and if this goes on for too long, Pops will be the same. Pops tries not to show it in front of me, but he misses her. I'm pretty sure he misses them all more than he even loves me. He's scared to lose me, is all. What once belonged to a family can now only go to one person. Me.
Me alone.
Pops gets down and approaches, his paws taking my free hand, "Don't worry."
I smile awkwardly, "You know that's impossible."
"I know... I know," he repeats, his expression dying as much as Gamtambo will when the time comes. Our greatest foe will be vanquished. It won't be as grand as what Nin did to that giant. However, Gamtambo won't leave us magicless and crippled. We won't end up like Nin did. We will go on and enjoy our lives. Assuming Pops even manages to carry on.
"I don't suppose you're up for a father-daughter shopping trip when we get there, will you?" I ask, moving my thoughts to somewhere happier. Like what he did for me when I was feeling down after the mess of a party. A simple moment of him spending time with me. Where we did nothing but focus on activities. Not guns and bombs and criminal plans.
"What would we even shop for? I doubt a black market will have the same luxuries as a regular market." Pops huffs and he hops up onto the crate next to me. We keep our distance, but share a grip. I squeeze his paw and he squeezes right back. His aged fur showing its well-worn nature while the softness of my youth comforts him.
"I don't know... I've been hoping for a new scope for my rifle. You know, birthday present." I say, grinning wildly as I cling to the idea of us just taking the moment to do something. A way to break out of this life of avoiding and hunting Gamtambo. A taste of what is to come when we're finally free of him.
"With what money? No safe pick-pocketing in a black market." Pops chuckles and I wave him off with my free hand. Nonsense, if I can pick a whole town clean of loose change. I can manage a few hardened criminals who grew up in those rougher streets. Got the skills and the experience for it all, no lost hands for me at all!
"We still got plenty of spending money." I say, shrugging as I recall the amount I stole from the people of Agadton. Not a fortune by any stretch when compared to the prices in a black market. But enough to maybe buy something or other. Enough to even make someone the fool in a lovely trick.
"We'll have to check up on our essentials first. Hrurim's had the mechanics back at the tower give him a hand. He's even or should be working on the lorry still. But we have more to it than that." Pops explains, that professionalism of his keeping us grounded away from anything light-hearted. My eyes look away and I nod, a sigh building up in my throat like dragon fire.
"Of course. Still, we can leave him to sort out our buyers. He's a charming enough person." I point out with all due respect to Pops' human friend.
"For a human." Pops goes, his smirk putting one back on my face.
"For a human." I repeat, breaking out into a giggling snicker that throws me onto my back a little. I hiccup myself to a stop, easing myself upright.
"I best go check on him, though, Princess. Make sure he's not betting away anything he shouldn't." Pops goes and I nod, letting go of his hand a little too late. My father stumbles ahead and gives me an elated side-eye. I keep a smirk up at him and wave, watching him vanish without even bothering to collect his things.
"Guess I'm lingering." I huff, staying where I am to make sure none of the ship's crew gets any ideas. I'm all for some lovely hypocrisy right now. Only my fingers may be sticky, only my paws may hold the ill-got loot. Not them at all.
A popping sound bursts through my lips. Pop, pop, pop. My fingers drum the crate and my mind wanders again. I stare up, towards the ceiling of the cavern and all in its shadows. Another noise lingers in my mouth. A thoughtful one that keeps my head going in the right direction.
Life after Gamtambo, huh?