Ashsib and the Cat Beast

Chapter Two

Par de Sallen, though it was only mid-morning, promised divine sunny weather that just begged lounging in the rays and having a cool drink while the gulls circled overhead. But the Triand Mermaid had work to be done.

"Anyone seen Namere?" The Captain called to half his crew as they organized the hold.

They needed money for ship repairs and food. The marketplace had been scouted in the early morning and now they were finding the items that would sell best here. Calder, the expert, was leading the exercise with the manifest in one hand and a checklist in the other. It wasn't easy work, they'd filled the hold in Tarssis with goods of many kinds. The small space free at the bottom of the stairs was already being filled with the sorted out goods. Normally, Quinn would be helping, but they were in a rush to leave the island and begin the journey proper after their disastrous detour. So he was leaving it to Calder's very capable hands. They were lucky to have the merchant's son aboard, honestly, despite his rather irksome personality.

"Elian wanted to see her, so he knew what supplies to buy." Calder, in a bright and knowing voice answered. He tended to ask all the questions and, therefore, usually had the answers.

The Captain raised a hand as acknowledgement and headed back up to the ship's deck. There, Bretta and Pashqua were going over the boat so that the repairman could not overcharge them. There were a few fog warped planks, a couple of gouges that needed to be sanded, and the crow's nest railing needed to be refitted. Keeping the Mermaid in good condition took time and money, but as his only home, Quinn never minded lavishing attention on her. Bretta's insistence of budgeting everything on the other hand...

Leaving the inspection to the ones best suited to understand the boat's needs, the Captain headed to the door that was in the shadow of the ship's mast. Nestled under the door-less entry of the wheelhouse, the narrow stairwell led below decks. Quinn strode past the first door on the left. He'd return to his cabin soon enough, and the pile of requests and forms waiting on his desk, but for now, he moved on.

At the second door, this one open, Quinn heard Challah banging around in the kitchen. She was also taking stock, and Quinn knew better than to bother her during inventory.

The next door was where he was headed, anyway, and he didn't bother knocking as he entered. He didn't have to, it was his ship.

"Namere?" Two men's voices said at the same moment, the Captain coming into the small clinic and the doctor standing up from his desk.

"You're looking for her, too, Captain?" Elian spoke in his usual bored tone, a hand scratching at his scalp and further mussing his fine blond hair. His hazel eyes half-lidded, he blinked a few times in confusion.

"I was told she would be here." Quinn felt like scratching at his own sun-soaked hair, "She's not?"

"She's not. I sent Ashsib to fetch her, oh, two hours ago when you were still out." Elian checked his desk clock, "Closer to two and a half now."

"Ashsib is working in the hold, Calder said she left to come here." Quinn explained.

Both men sighed.

"Well, I'm sure she'll return before we lift anchor." Quinn shrugged, "As a passenger, she's got no obligation to follow orders but a little consistency would go a long way. She's a mystery."

"Worse than that," Elian's eyes showed humor his tone of voice didn't, "She's a ship cat. Just as soon as you think she's happy mousing, she'll let them run wild and find another boat."

"Nah, Ashsib keeps her aboard." Quinn smirked at the analogy as he denied it, "She'll stay until she fixes him."

"It's another six months until that time." Elian reminded the Captain, "Can the two of them keep their tempers that long?"

Quinn had too much work to do now to think that far into the future. Namere had made her vows and Quinn had made his promises. His job was to provide and protect for his crew. Ashib would be alright no matter what happened. Quinn was captain of this vessel and the leader of his crew, and he took that obligation seriously.