Late Night Blues

⚔ A BEGINNING ⚔

The events leading up to the capture of a one Graison Starling as told by the capturers themselves, Vesper and Marlon of the Blue ship, under the orders of Captain Bastian Trevolde.

     WHEN A PIRATE leaves his ship, it's usually under Captain's orders.

     Tonight, Marlon and Vesper have de-boarded the Blue to retrieve a one Graison Starling, who they do retrieve and in a pretty timely fashion, too, they think. So when they drag him aboard, and plunk him down at Baz's feet, they don't understand why Captain looks like he's ready to sling them to the mast.

     "I did say I wanted him back here alive, didn't I?"

     To be fair, Vesper and Marlon have never stolen a person before. In fact, both of their skill-sets happen to be in acts of murder and burglary, respectively. So they aren't entirely sure why Cap had them on this mission, anyway.

     But just to set the record straight, Graison Starling is, in fact, still alive.

     See, when Marlon and Vesper got to shore earlier that night, it'd been with the express orders to bring Graison Starling, first born son of Barron-James Starling and heir to Starling Arms, back to the Blue very much alive.

     Cap had called them to his quarters but an hour earlier, pulling them both from a game of cards where they were losing all their week's earnings to give them the task. Cap gave no explanation, but when he gave an order, it was wise not to ask questions.

     Even Marlon and Vesper, who were closer to him than the others, knew that. They probably could've gone to Rit but they didn't have time to coax information out of him. Captain wanted them back before sun-up.

     There they were now, idling on a dimly lit street deciding which direction they should head. "Don't you know the way?" Marlon asks, voice smooth like a honey whiskey. He's squinting at Vesper, which has been his permanent expression since his eye was swelled shut two nights ago by Alyana, a girl Vesper expressly told Marlon not to mess with.

     "No," Vesper grunts. "Thought you did. You were born here, weren't ya?"

     Here is the capital city of Luxtra, where the money lives. Money that dried up on Marlon years ago, apparently. Vesper never had any money, was born in Occasum, south of here and on the coast. Occasum is the West seaport, home mostly to fisherman and those that work in the industrial plants. 

     Marlon makes a noise like he'd prefer not to be reminded of such things. He doesn't live in any moment but the present, which gets him into trouble more often than not. "That was two lives ago," he says with a shrug.

     Vesper rolls his eyes. Marlon always talks like he's so old, even though Vesper's got three years on him. Marlon cuts ahead of Vesper, deciding that so long as they're moving in the general direction of where he thinks the Starlings are holed up they'll find the kid eventually.

    Graison has only been asleep for a moment when a noise across his bedroom stirs him. He lies very still, eyes pressed closed, trying to imitate the sleep he was just in so his father won't bother him. He sort of saw this coming. His father had been drinking all night, but he'd hoped he'd pass out before the rage hit.

     "That him?"

     This voice is distinctly not his father's. Its pitch is soft, clearly coming from someone who has never screamed before and has no intention of starting.

     A second voice, sharper than the first, cuts the darkness. "The fuck would I know?"

     "Whoever you're looking for, I'm not him," Graison says before he's decided if it's better to play dead or run. Clearly he's choosing option three: get himself killed. There are two people in his house, his room, and they want something – money, no doubt. It's always money, he realizes.