Seagulls squawked. The sea so serene while sunlight bounced off its tidal waves. Through his protracted spyglass lay the sea border to Dona, blockaded by chain of navy ships. Beyond those ships lay the cove of Dona's harbour and the walls of the city so great you couldn't see a thing past them.
Hangpole read the brigantine's name behind her stern. Sails furled, flag down, the pirates let her drift with ocean current while they made other preparations on deck.
Davy remained the youngest crewmate on board. His had to be the smoothest face amongst all the rough, gruff men – even though he sported a light moustache above thin lips pouting while he strapped a wooden tank on his back.
"Mentee, ya got this. Finally pulling yer weight 'round here. How inspiring." A sable crewman with his face wrapped in black bandanna came teasing.
Davy's voice as disinterested as the lackadaisical squint of his eyes. "Shut up. You should really be the one doing this not me."
"That's no way to talk to ya mentor."
"Deron, please tell him to shut up." Davy turned to the large, shirtless man next to him with the spyglass.
When Deron retracted his spyglass, he had no interest in their chitchat but the job at hand. However long Davy had spent with the Hangpole pirates still hadn't defeated that feeling of intimidation whenever Deron towered over him – even eclipsing the sun from his view. Whether it's the mean disposition of his face or the tattoo of a noose around his neck, Davy always peeled his eyes wide open when it's Deron speaking.
"You got 6 days to the Carnival. Remember the code words for both contacts?"
Davy nodded.
"Good. Also remember, Dona be the one city strict against immigration. They only open their gates once a year during their annual Carnival. The fore-gates to receive diplomatic guests. Then the backgate market open for a fortnight during the carnival season. 'Tis a mighty right time to sneak into Dona at this time of the year so authorities be on high alert. The first contact will help get you through the backgate. Haggle down his price otherwise you starve inside Dona before the Carnival day and Just because you get the citizen tag don't mean lower your guard, eh."
"Why couldn't the buyer just meet us at the backgate market and run the transaction easy?" Davy grumbled.
Deron frowned. "Screw this up and I will snap your neck! How many times have I told you? We don't know who the real buyer be so you be meeting with the third-party inside Dona."
"Meet up with the chap on the Carnival eve. I know, Deron. I got this."
Deron's narrowed eyes studied him head to toe one last time. He found fault in the flintlock pistol at Davy's hip. He had him leave it behind so as not to risk calling trouble to himself within the strict and orderly walls of Dona. "You want to get your own ships and pursue that goal of yours, eh? Complete this job without fuss and you're set."
Those last words of Deron would remain stuck in his brain after he wore his googles and he plunged into the cold sea.
He swam underwater, drawing breath through a pipe extended above sea surface. It must've been couple of miles between him and the blockade of navy cruisers. He swam 'til his limbs sored, rested and continued. Over and over. He drew a long breath on reaching the blockade, pulled his pipe underwater and swam deeper under their hulls.
Navy watchmen didn't suspect a thing, then his pipe popped back up above water at the other side.
Still another long swim to the cove harbour.
He timed his emergence onto a pier when it looked like no one across the busy market at the harbour was watching his way. Then he ran into the first corner in sight. That's where he pulled dry clothes from the wooden tank he carried. A purse stacked, a pouch filled with pebbles, and another that contained one peculiar crystal orb pulsating with life. His attire completed with a weathered hat.
Hours underwater left him pale, wrinkled, so hungry his stomach growled almost as loud as the heavy noises in the harbour's marketplace that evening.
Permitted ships conducted business in collapsible stalls at the port market – while on the other end stood the giant brass gate of Dona with people queued up for inspection before they could be allowed in or out.
"Crab stall. Crab stall." He muttered to himself, scouting around only to find multiple crab merchants. "How hard is it to be more specific or put up a sign?" He grumbled to himself in an exhausted sigh. He wouldn't walk another step – instead stopped a random elderly woman.
He giggled and grinned like a simpleton, explaining how he's running an errand for his mum to purchase crabs but couldn't recall the 'Crab stall' she specified that he buys from.
"Aren't you a doting young man?" She pointed him to a stall of someone called Old man Zeke. She said that merchant got most customers so whenever anyone mentioned Crab stall, his was probably the one in question.
The code phrase was to ask if 'he packs lettuce with it'. This left the hoary merchant gawking at him at a loss for words.
"Do you pack lettuce with it?" He repeated.
"What the hell are you on about? Are you here to buy or not?"
Davy apologised and left that stall.
Hands on his hips, he resigned himself to have to go stall by stall. Before he moved to the next one though, someone appeared by his side.
"Would you like your lettuce wet or dry?" Asked the freckled ginger-head no older than Davy himself if judged by facial hair.
"Rinsed with sea water, please." Replied Davy.
"That's two thousand Notes."
"Whoa! Meridian Notes? I was sent with Meridian tokens."
The way his contact's jaw dropped on hearing that. Panic strangling his voice as he argued that no way such a mistake could've occurred. "Do you know how much outsiders pay to get into Dona? A fortune – in case you don't know how things work around the Consortium. I am lending you my citizen tag here! Means I have to stay out here for long as you're inside the gates roaming the city. I'll be homeless right here! Not to mention what will happen to me if you slip up and get caught. Do you know what they do to people who sneak into Dona or help smuggle someone in? Even I don't have a clue… tells you that's bad. Bad, bad, bad!"
"Maybe we could reach a compromise then?"
"No. no compromise. Two thousand Notes or I keep my tag!"
"Can you afford this deal falling apart though? I mean, given how worked up you seem."
He wagged a warning finger at Davy. "Two thousand Notes. Not a token less!"
"A token more if you tell me what's got you so desperate? Neck deep in debt or maybe a fine to pay?"
Davy might've been teasing but turned out that he was right as a gang of thugs soon came looming at their location.
These thugs cornered Davy's contact, who glanced far towards the city gate where there were some constabularies huddled around a board game. But he couldn't cry for help even though his slender frame trembled – not with the knife one of them stuck against his waist while the three others concealed theirs in their long sleeves.
Davy knew Loan sharks wherever he saw them.
"Think we won't find you out here, huh?" Snarled one of them.
"I know you would – of course you would. I – I – I – I was just getting your money, I swear." He turned to Davy, telling him to give them the money. All of it.
Davy stared back with suspicious eyes while attention turned on him. "I don't know this individual." He chuckled awkwardly, taking one backward step after another 'til he plucked himself away from the situation.
He still couldn't just watch them walk his contact into a corner. "Maybe I was being too paranoid." He muttered to himself with a sigh. Right then he sighted his chance in the form of a sail ship moored right across from the corner they disappeared into.
The constabularies still immersed in their game. He climbed aboard the ship, which was as empty as it looked from below, and in addition – a perfect vantage to his targets.
"A pistol would've done this much quicker." He grumbled, taking out his pouch of pebbles.
The thugs had pinned their victim to a wall and singled out one of his fingers. The first pebble knocked one's head so hard he writhed and squealed.
Spooked. Before they could locate where the throw came from, another struck the next one's forehead.
Davy was crouched out of sight behind the ship's bulwark. He crawled to another angle where he could hardly catch a glimpse of them. But it didn't matter. Two successive throws both ricocheted off a wall and hit the same target.
He crouched back down.
The unhurt thug fled out from there. Other two followed suit. The last, stubborn one stepped out, resolved to find where the throws were coming from while gripping his bleeding forehead.
Davy crawled to another angle. Shot one pebble to ricochet against a wall, intended to distract the jumpy thug before another hard throw came for his teeth.
The thug finally scrammed.
The contact scrammed too but towards a pier unlike the thugs.
He hurled another rock. Gentler compared to his previous throws. Striking the ground right in front of the boy's feet, it caused him to slip, tripped, and then plunged into water.
Davy waited on that pier for his contact to pull himself out the water. "We still have unfinished business. Where did you think you're going?"
Laid on his back, his drenched clothes leaked a pool of water over the wood as he gulped deep breaths through a grin of relief, looking at all ten of his fingers still intact. "That was you, huh? Thank you. You're a lifesaver. How do you even throw like that? I'm Stally by the way."
"Not here to make friends, Stally." Davy retorted. "I need to get into Dona."
Stally pulled out his citizen tag that's an alloyed metal with scrollwork pattern impressed on it and his name, Stally Raja, engraved below. "All yours for the week. Will take whatever you got to offer."
Davy tossed the whole purse to him. "Found you once, they'll find you again. Best be ready to pay up in full when they do." With that he left Stally marvelled at the amount inside.
He followed the queue at the backgate up to the Commissionaire who examined Citizen Tags using a thick hand glass. Constabularies uniformed in maroon, each with a foil and flintlock pistol at their hip for anyone who tried to access Dona with counterfeit tag.
"Confirmed." Said the Commissionaire, and she returned his tag.
Stepping through the giant gate,
The full expanse of Dona lay before his eyes. It smelled of steam. Elevated railways crisscrossed the metropolis. Spires and clock-towers looked down upon everything. The early evening daylight bouncing off the city's architecture rich with brass.
"Ugh!" Davy grimaced.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early as the sun had climbed up in the sky, Adonna would be out in the crisp morning air. Always around her was her loyal companion, Bear: her short dog so furry and grizzly he almost looked like an actual bear. Adonna's braids swung around every time the playful dog prod her to chase him.
Another thing always with Adonna would be a compass necklace around her neck. That and a beaming smile – especially whenever she and Bear came across a familiar face. Whether it's merchants at the market. Workers at rail stations. Engineers of the enormous waterwheel rotated by ocean current channeled through the city walls. Timekeepers on break under the greatest clock tower in the city called Stellar Tempus, which not only told time but also depicted celestial events and changing seasons. Or mere Constabularies you'd find on every row around the neat city. Adonna would happen upon countless encounters along her everyday stroll with Bear, all cheerful interactions – however, short.
By lunch time when Bear had become so lethargic his ears drooped. First scent his black nose whiffed, he ran in its direction and Adonna had to chase him up to the crab cakes stall. The aroma made her own stomach growl too. As usual, she bought for two.
By evening, the streets came alive with the glows of gas lamps. The city had a whole different scent and ambience at nighttime: a nectar of aroma and entertainment. Adonna arrived at her favourite place to be every night: Kory's Hall. You could hear the music even from outside the theatre, and it was always so busy inside, filled with workers that came for some entertainment after a long day.
Tonight's show hosted a duet of singers that had some keen fans gazing with bated breaths at the empty stage. When the stage did get occupied, it was only one of the two singers of the duet and he fumbled between singing and blowing his ocarina alone on stage. Not only did he fail to capture attention, he lost those keen fans as well. All except Adonna.
The singer's desperation prompted her; she climbed up the stage without thinking twice. The glint of unwavering resolve in her brown eyes made him hand over the ocarina to her as if her request was an order.
Her melody and his song would blend beautifully – though not enough to recapture lost attention as most audience still carried on other activities. She clenched her jaw to the challenge, put aside the ocarina and chorused along with the singer.
The way distracted eyes turned to the stage, they must've thought the more famous partner of the duet had arrived. Her being the second singer amazed because according to painted posters of the duet, it's supposed to be two men.
Some men's boisterous noises kept interrupting the show though. It didn't take long to get to her, she flung the ocarina hard towards their table. Her aim was way off and it smacked a newcomer's head.
That ended the show.
Soon she was bowing her head, making earnest apologies to the man she caused a bump on his forehead right outside the theatre. This victim was in fact so glad Adonna did the show in his place that he kissed her cheek before having to deal with his furious partner.
One final activity before she'd call it a night, she and Bear waited at a bench beside a teashop across from the theatre for long as it took until those very noisemakers who kept disrupting the earlier show passed across the row. Even if they weren't being loud as ever, she'd already registered their faces since back in the theatre.
One minute those men entered a silent row, next thing came water-filled balloons out of nowhere that soaked them wet under the frigid night.
Adonna could finally walk home around the stroke of midnight wearing a face at peace.
Her home almost large enough to be called a manor. From the time she keyed the door open, all traces of radiance faded from her face and her dimples would never again flash 'til next morning. Without her and Bear, the home was just empty halls and vacant rooms she'd run from every morning only to return every night. All the beds laid and unruffled; all fireplaces cold and dusty.
Adonna snugged in a blanket on the floor in the attic, where she could gaze the vivid, bright stars of November through the skylight. Books and maps littered around her and Bear. She extended a palm as though to reach for the stars because in her eyes the random patterns of the stars depicted Chiron of the Sagittarius constellation drawing his bow. She blinked away the imaginary constellation then rolled on her side to comb her fingers through Bear's fur.
She yawned.
By morning,
17th November read the calendar. A special date she'd circled out, titled Klein & Rwby, and had awaited with so great anticipation that she lacked the patience to stroll that morning – but instead flashed her citizen tag to the uniformed coachman of a horse-drawn carriage and hired a ride up to an expansive, gated premises.
Her eyes widened as she stepped out the carriage only to find some purple smoke rising from within the schoolhouse compound, commotion stirring, uniformed students and the tutors all evacuating the premises.
The coachman urging for his payment but Adonna's focus was riveted on a student she sighted wearing a specialised gas mask fit with visor and two large air filters. "Rwby!" She yelled.
The commotion soon came over Adonna and the carriage. Someone grabbed her abruptly. She'd recognise Klein in a heartbeat no matter what situation. His sandy brown hair still kept short, his loyal satchel slung at his side as usual but he must've grown an extra inch or two taller than her since last they met.
"Bad timing! Get away!" Warned his cracking voice.
Accompanying his warning, a spicy waft in the air invaded her nose, provoking sneeze after sneeze out of her. Her fingertips had contracted the purple tinge of the smoke, she realised.
"Rwby?" They both looked around at the same time, and she was right there in front of them: the only one wearing gas mask.
The coachman called once again.
Three of them boarded the carriage that reeled away immediately.
Rwby freed her face from the gas mask. Raven curls trimmed in a manageable pixie cut so it was always out of her way when immersing herself in experiments. Right after removing the mask, she shifted her loyal googles from around her neck below her sharp chin to their default resting place atop her head.
While Adonna panicked at her purpled fingertips, Rwby's attention was on the hand clock wrapped securely around her left wrist, referencing its time to calculate how many hours left 'til 22nd November. Her own tiny fingers were most purple of all but didn't bother her one bit. "106 hours and 46minutes left to the Carnival!"
"Rwby, my fingers! What did you do?"
"Not only yours!" Klein displayed his too.
Rwby looked at hers finally. "Hmm… Grape fingers or magic fingers?" Her light-hearted tone in the situation confirmed Adonna's suspicion. "This is your doing, isn't it?"
"Relax, it's completely harmless. The purple will fade away under a day."
Klein clapped a palm to face. "Rube, harmless doesn't just mean not toxic. Everyone that sneezed their lungs out or cried their eyeballs dry, or got shoved or their foot stepped on during the panic… or the harm of fear."
"Yes. Accountability. I know. Which is why I'll prepare a public apology to take full responsibility after the Carnival and accept any penalty from the Hierarchy."
"Oh Rwby, your accident would've still caused harm with or without you taking responsibility afterwards." Adonna explained.
"Hmm…" she fiddled the zipper of her woollen jacket like she always did while in thought. "But what made you think it was an accident? Are my inventions always flunking that much?"
Both Klein and Adonna slapped their faces. "Why?" They both asked.
She explained that even though they were to be allowed vacation today, the Hierarchy elected to detain Klein in the Schoolhouse for another two days for disciplinary measures because he was caught trying to research Astridology.
"Just 2 days, Rube." He said. "It was just 2 days."
"Exactly! Up to 48 hours while we have only barely 100 hours to prepare for the Carnival. That's why I was left with no choice but to force full evacuation of the school."
Klein's heaved a defeated sigh. "Admirable problem-solving, Rube."
The coachman must've only just noticed his own purpled fingers just then the way the hooted out a deafening scream.
They were abandoned on a random street and the coach rode away.
While they had a lot of catching up to do, the most pressing concern was to rehearse their upcoming show for their final Carnival.
Klein stooped on a knee to feed a scrawny, stray cat from the treats in his satchel. "My hamsters are always ready to go but Rube has an addition to make to the play. That's why she's so time-conscious." He said.
"Electrical lights!" Her eyes lit up.
Adonna's eyes equally lit up. "Let's do it!"
"Of course you'll indulge her idea. We've only seen this "electricity" thing in demonstration. Have you considered how to even acquire the materials to recreate it?"
"Did you also consider that the Hierarchy owns our schoolhouse so you couldn't possibly expect to find anything about your beloved 'magic creatures' just lying around in the library?" Adonna retorted.
"They aren't magic creatures." Klein corrected her. "And for your information, I did get interesting findings about Astridology. Bet you didn't know there's up to 31 known species of Astrid Beasts, all of them different shades of blue and they're outlawed only within Dona but other places around the Consortium of States have use cases for some of their abilities."
"You call that interesting findings?" She laughed.
As Klein was now stroking that stray cat's black fur, it all of a sudden upped and ran back into the alley from where it came.
"Only thing I hate more than someone feeding my cat is petting him." Two thuggish teenage boys appeared over Klein but conscious not to step out onto the open row.
Klein rose upright.
Adonna and these boys knew each other. They were brothers – easy enough to tell from their resemblance, even though one had a swollen bruise above his eye. "Back hanging with academics already, Wayneroyal?" One asked. "Thought you'd become one of us now."
"Still can't keep your little brother out of trouble, Finney?" Adonna responded.
"Told him collection jobs could get outta hand easy. Didn't listen." Finney's eyes always flicking around to pick out anything valuable stopped on Rwby's hand clock. "What's that?"
Klein pointed Finney's eyes up towards a clock tower in view. "That, but obviously much smaller. Designed and crafted by her own hands."
The younger brother leaned on a wall, sighed in disbelief. "Pfft! Even 'em timekeepers haven't created a piece this small."
"Clockwork is simple enough and definite." Said Rwby. "You should see the things I can make with electricity."
"That lightbulb thing Innovatus Consortium did a whole showcase for it? Pfft! No way in the devil even you could have a crack at that, Ferron."
Rwby smirked at the challenge.
All of a sudden came a group of boys in schoolhouse uniform like Klein and Rwby. Viciousness and desperation twisting their looks.
"THERE SHE IS!"
They came for none other than Rwby, accusing her to be the cause of the smoke that purpled their fingers.
"Let's all calm down first." Klein coupled his words with pacifying gesture but of course that wouldn't diffuse the situation.
"YOU SHAM OF A SCIENTIST, YOU DID THIS, DIDN'T YOU?"
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO US? WHAT IS THIS?"
Klein displayed his own fingers too. "We all have it too. See. She has it too. Nothing to fuss about, just listen."
Rwby stammered in trying to explain but interrupted by one of them who pointed finger at Adonna. "IT'S ALWAYS TROUBLE WHENEVER WAYNEROYAL IS INVOLVED, THAT'S WHY SHE'S EXPELLED!"
Both Finney and Klein knew what would follow next after that.
"This is about to get fun." Finney pulled a carrot and leaned on a wall.
"Adonna, wait… don't." Klein tried to stop her but ended up burying his head in a palm the moment she opened her mouth:
"Of course it's our doing. Who else could make such a poison?"
"P-poison?!"
The way their faces paled, aghast eyes stuck on their fingertips.
Adonna didn't stop there. "I know the lot of you laughed when I got expelled. Thought I won't get back at you, huh? You've planned and rehearsed for the Carnival, yeah? Well, guess what? None of you will make it there!"
Same boys that wouldn't listen to Klein were now bringing cries to him. Like always, he's left with no choice but to indulge Adonna's mischief. He did so by telling them they had an antidote for the poison and since it took couple of days to act, Rwby would make enough for everyone. "But for a price." He added.
"No!" Adonna refused. "Not enough." She pointed to someone among the boys. "You! Your old man is one of the Innovatus Consortium, right? You're going to get something for us or absolutely no one gets the antidote. Spill to anyone… especially constabularies and the same goes. Understood?"
How could they not nod their compliant heads?
She turned to Rwby to describe what she she required.
"This won't end well." Finney remarked right after the boys left. "Tell you what? Offer a good number plus that mini clock and give us an address. We'll get you your bulb thing. No fuss – low risk. That's why you came here, isn't it? You only find us when you got a job for us."
"Not anymore." Adonna refused his offer.