Aboard the Black Swan | P.JM |

Theft

The port bustled to life, with vendors selling their wares, people advertising on the streets, and the common folk running about their duties in the early morning sun. It felt good to see that there were no disturbances so far. I was wearing a simple black dress with white lace (boy does that feel familiar), carrying a basket of goods to blend in perfectly with the crowd. The man beside me wore a simple attire and posed as a trader.

The two of us made our way towards the heart of the port. Many buildings stood tall and proud, and in the center of the square was a giant marble statue of The Blind Angel, a Deity who is said to bring you good fortune. No wonder this town is so lively.

Taehyung led me to a building on the far right, a small wooden construction that bore a hanging sign titled "Black Wings". I noticed it was a cozy tavern and the workers were just starting to arrange the tables and prepare for business.

We entered the tavern with the tingling sound of bells. The workers turned our attention to us, and the man behind the bar seemed especially surprised to see us. Taverns usually don't have customers this early in the morning. Taehyung went closer to the man and stopped in front of the bar. He slowly moved the collar of his shirt and revealed the carved gem in the shape of a swan.

The man immediately smiled and slightly bowed for the Captain. He turned and eyed me from head to toe. Taehyung whispered something yet again and the bartender nodded, gesturing to follow him. I walked quietly behind the Captain, taking a look at all the barrels of alcohol that were stored in the pantry. We were led to the storehouse where a man was seated at a wooden table with stacks of papers and a few scrolls.

The man looked up, a little bit annoyed at the early morning disruption. But as he saw Taehyung, he immediately got up and stood straight.

"Captain! I was expecting you!" He said and quickly came over to us. He looked around 50, and yet he bowed down in front of his superior.

"We came to take a look at how things were going. I assume you're Harold, the person in charge of this branch?" Taehyung inquired. Harold nodded.

"I have put my utmost effort into maintaining this place, Captain. Not a twig is out of place," he said. Taehyung nodded slowly. He then eyes the storeroom. His eyes seemed to narrow when they reached the corner of the room. He walked over and stood in front of a few crates of rum.

"Is this all you got from the last shipment?" Taehyung asked Harold.

"Er, yes sir. We only get very few customers in this branch compared to the others and thus, we require a smaller shipment to make sure nothing goes to waste." Harold explained.

"And what happened to the rest of it?" Taehyung asked.

"I believe it gets sent to some other branch which requires more materials," Harold said. Taehyung didn't look convinced. He turned to the man who brought us here.

"Bring me the shipment records."

Harold suddenly looked nervous. "Um, sir, that is hardly necessary. I would never be unjust or dishonest," he said while rubbing his hands. Taehyung shot him a glare and turned to me.

"Check the drawers. Find me a stack of papers with the records of all the times we have shipped materials from other outposts." He said, I nodded and went to the table. I opened the many drawers and checked for the papers that Taehyung requested. Finally, in the far right, I found a rolled set of papers that had lots of numbers and red markings.

I handed the papers to Taehyung who muttered a 'thank you' and started to read through the contents of the records. His eyebrows kept scrunching more as he read further. Harold stood