Sinbad's Hidden Love

New Beginnings

It had been more than a year since Mari last saw Sinbad but somehow he still managed to have an impact upon her and the village all the way across the world. Ever since Sin left for the dungeon things had changed here in their home town. After it's defeat Sinbad had left them all his winnings and the poor town was now flourishing thanks to the seemingly endless funds. 

People in the impoverished village had looked to Mari for guidance once they became free of the Military's iron clad rule over them. They no longer considered themselves to be part of the terrible country and governed themselves as a separate entity. The Empire did not care seeing as how they were only a small dying village at the time. Mari's parents had been Mayors of a sort back when she was a young child but that was before she lost her father to the military and her mother to the heartbreak that had followed. Now people expected her to take their place and lead them in the rebirth of the small village, she was doing the best she could.

Mari had started by first counting out the funds Sinbad had acquired for them so she had an idea of what they had and could plan what to do with it. Next she had made a list of every person in the village and their skills in hopes of working out teams where people could work to fix the city. She set up town halls to let everyone explain the issues they were having and worked with people to get an idea of what the major issues in the village were and this is what she had come up with. 

1. Food. The people were hungry, the only sources of sustainable food was the sea and even that was dependent on the luck of the fishermen and the moving of the creatures throughout the seasons. Other than that there was the occasional traveler selling fruits and vegetables but there were no large farms for either plants or animals. People needed to set up real, large scale farms so there would be a sustainable source of food for everyone. 

2. Housing. Many people were homeless and those who did happen to be lucky enough to have a home did not have much more than a one room dirt hut. even her own home was like this and she was one of the village leaders. Mari planed to find a way to improve the housing systems of the village make them more solid and safe for people to live in, and make it possible to improve them when needed. To do this she would need to get together a team to be in charge of the renovation and creation of housing in the village, and she would need to buy things like trees and bamboo plants to help start farms which would aid in the continuous supply of building material going forward. 

3. Money. People needed jobs, they needed an economy to help keep them capable of buying food and other materials. Mari would need to help people revive their business and set up a town market in order to give people the chance to grow and earn what they needed to stay alive.

4. Finally, there was the need for the education of the village children. Only a very small amount of kids in the small town were given the education necessary to grow up and become something more than a poor fisherman. Mari needed to create a schooling system to teach kids at the very least how to read, write, and do basic math. Hopefully this would help the village grow during the generations to come. 

That was all over a year ago though, and while Sin had been off traveling to his hearts content, Mari had been here. Cleaning up their home and making it better for the people she knew so well. People had homes, good quality ones too. There were multiple farms and ways to get food now, kids were learning and their parents had jobs. Compared to the desolate place it once had been the village had become a harmonic masterpiece. It hadn't been easy, and Mari had wished to give up numerous times as she yearned for her old friend to return to her but it had all been worth it in the end. 

Mari looked to the sky and sighed quietly to herself. The clouds rolled across the horizon in white puffy bunches providing shade from the harsh sun. The ocean breeze whipped through the small town giving the air a refreshing sent. It was a truly beautiful place, and all thanks to her childhood friend Sinbad. 

She was 15 years old now, coming up on 16 very quickly and had matured quite a bit over the year. Her once short deep brown hair now hung to her waist thick as ever. she had grown a it and was now rather tall compared to the other girls her age, her long limbs making her a very athletic person which she did not take for granted. Her eyes were a stark contrast to her dark hair and tanned skin. They were a stunning and vibrant blue that people liked to say sparkled like the sun hitting the ocean waves. Her curves had come in as well and her athletic figure was contrasted with the curve of her hips and now slightly above average sized breasts. Mari would often find herself wondering what Sin would think if he could see her now, considering he always had teased her for her boyish appearance after they had played all day in the sand and dirt. 

She had not seen the boy in a long time and while she had wished to go with him on his adventures it had not been possible at the time he had left. Mari had a duty to her people to stay and help rebuild the city that had been brought to near ruin by the empire and their greed for the dungeon power. Yet somehow she still found time to write him letters, often it would be months before a response but she didn't mind and tried to write every week. When he did reply it would be a long recount of his adventures since they had last spoke and these occasional writings had been what kept her going all this time. Mari still remembered what he had said that night before they had parted ways. "I need you here, I need you to stay because I can't I need to know they will be okay and I can't know that unless I know you're here making it happen. So please Mari, stay for me."

"Stupid." She closed her eyes for a moment and looked back down at the letters in her hands. "You got me all worried Sin." 

It had been 3 months since she had heard from him and just yesterday the mail had come on a ship. Her letters were returned. It had never happened before and she was really worried about it. "What am I gonna do with you." She looked over at the ships in the harbor which would be leaving for the trading port in Reim in the next couple of days. 

"Looks like I'm gonna have to find you myself huh?"