Eight Intertwined

11 - Merchant

As soon as she could bear it, Tressa hauled herself back onto her feet. She rubbed away tears of upset with the back of her hand, doing her best to keep a scowl on her face rather than the fear that she felt would be more appropriate to express. The pirates were long gone by this point, and the crowd surrounding her had burst into chatter about the events that had just transpired. Others sent her glances of sympathy, but they just made Tressa want to melt into the ground and disappear more than ever. 

A hand came down on her shoulder once again. "There's no need to pretend, lass," the captain said from behind her, his voice as soothing and gentle as the ocean itself. "Your legs are trembling."

"I-It's just a cramp... That's all," Tressa forced herself to say despite how obvious the lie was. Of course the man would be able to see that she was afraid. Why was she even bothering to hide it in the first place?

The captain narrowed his eyes. "Not even the best merchant can buy back their life once it's taken from them," he pointed out. His gaze made it clear that he didn't want her to even think of pursuing the pirates. 

Even though Tressa knew it was because he was looking out for her, she still felt anxiety and red-hot anger boiling up inside of her. "I know, but..." she said through gritted teeth. She wanted to go after them, to take what she had lost and avenge those who the pirates had hurt, but she didn't know if that was an option in the first place. 

Shuffling came from behind Tressa, and she turned to see the old vendor from before walking towards her. His eyes were filled with rage, and he looked to the places where Tressa's knees were scuffed angrily. She hadn't even noticed that bruises were starting to form on her legs from when she had been forced to the ground. 

"Why won't they just leave us alone? Those pirates should be out at sea!" the man said, pulling Tressa away from her thoughts immediately. "Instead, they're holed up in the Caves of Maiya, west of town. They shouldn't be harassing us, but here they are, making everyone miserable for their own amusement." He turned back to his stand, which had been utterly ravaged by the reach of the pirates. "What do I do now...?" His eyes were best described as hopeless, and he appeared to be on the verge of either exploding with grief or anger. Perhaps it would be a blend of both.

The people in the town exploded into chatter after that, and they began to disperse. Tressa wasn't sure of when the captain left his place behind her, but she knew that he had disappeared at some point. She growled in anger, finally allowing her anguish to be laid to rest, as she started to storm off towards the west side of Rippletide. If those pirates were in the Caves of Maiya, then she was going to fight them off. Tressa liked to think that she was good with a spear and a bow. Her father had taught her how to use both, and she had picked up on wind magic over the years thanks to parchments that other vendors sold in town. She would be able to defend herself if they came after her. It seemed that the pirates were more concerned with their wealth than with killing the people of Rippletide, so Tressa thought that it was at least somewhat safe to assume that she would be fine. 

She weaved through the people of the crowd, her shoes making rough and angry contact with the cobblestones below. The docks came into view soon afterwards, but rather than turning to investigate the ships, she went straight to the place where the notable streets of Rippletide gave way to the haphazard rocks of the path leading to the Caves of Maiya. She had seen the route there many times, but she had never thought to travel through it until that moment. She had never thought that she would be given a reason, and yet, there she was. 

"Going somewhere, lass?"

The voice of the captain behind her made Tressa turn, her eyes narrowing with determination. Her hands were pressed against the straps of her bag as a way of releasing excess stress that she was unsure of how to get rid of otherwise. As far as she could tell, he had been caught up in the crowd, but the way that he watched her made it clear that he had always been intending on seeing what she got up to in the aftermath of the pirates' antics. Maybe he was perceptive enough to know that this was Tressa's plan. It certainly wouldn't surprise her given what she had already seen.