Indebted

47

Esti's head hurt. Waking up alone, under a clear sky again. Her head really hurt, her face too. A lot. She held her hand over her eyes to shield them from the far too bright sunshine. The gulls sounding cries were too loud overhead as they called out to each other. Esti opened her eyes. Everything was far too bright and blurry at first. Salt, minerals and sun dried kelp perfuming the air around her. Endless cloudless blue sky overhead.

A sound, from a deep voice Esti did not recognize was carried on the winds, "Oi!" The inelegant greeting was called out by a voice well versed in how to ensure their words carried. Long and loud. Sitting up and feeling very much like the effort might make her vomit, Esti peered over the edge of the boat.

A man wearing a wool coat over tweed pants, was walking down the beach in rubber boots not dissimilar to the ones Esti was wearing. Hand held onto a salt and pepper hat, wisps of gray-white hair being stirred by the winds. "Oi you alright lass? What the blazes were you doing out on the water?" Esti blinked, rubbing the back of her head first, touching her still bruised orbital bones next. Pulling herself up to stand. Listening to the man continue to chastise her for being out in the boat during a storm.

Wincing, feeling dizzy on her feet. "I'm here." Esti called to the man on the beach. Waving her hand. In greeting to prove she was more or less ok. Not answering his second question. She felt foolish, like she should have known a storm was coming. Weather on an island was far different from what she had known on the very deeply inland farm or Court Castle grounds.

Thankfully the old man wasn't really waiting for her to reply. "You must be that young European missus with more money than sense-'' Devolving into a rather long rant on what he thought of those from across the ocean, with colorful language unlike anything Esti had experienced. "'Magine now. Thinking little yous could sail across the sea all the bys herself." Wincing as he got close enough to see the dark shiner of a black eye Esti had gained from her fall into the deck rail. The broken orbital bone had already healed, mostly. But it would take time to heal everything else. It had been a significant injury at first. "Aye, you've already been told once, I'd not labor the point. 'T'would be rude." Another colorful amendment on his current assessment of Esti and her intelligence. Which did seem to veer towards open rudeness in her opinion.

Esti was about to reply at the end of the monologue, but the old man persisted, cutting her off, "Stays put now, before she all goes arse over kettle." Esti repositioned her feet, and the boat did indeed shift with the slight motion. The creak of the boat eliciting a growl of disapproval from her current chaperone. Freezing in place Esti looked wide eyed towards the older man. Not ready to face another head injury.

"Terrance D'Eon and yerself?" He introduced himself, moving to the bow of the boat, and grabbing hold of the buoys to give balance to the boat. "Toss any salvage to the shore now the once." He ordered.

Before she could stop her lips, "Holly Monroe." Esti lied, feeling bad about using the first friend's name who came to mind and a long dead actress. The dragons at court at loved Marilyn Monroe. She was famous even at the Court of the Sovran. Tossing over her two bags of clothes and travel supplies. Glad she had thought to bring all her currency and valuable assets with her. It seemed her one overnight trip was going to last far longer than she planned.

Bags on the beach, Esti slowly made her way to the bow, crawling her way over the pointed bow, jumping to the rocky beach. Turning back to look at her boat. It was in very bad shape. The moment Terrance released the buoy he had held down, the boat shifted back on the two rocks it was wedged on. The whole boat groaning in the motion. The hull was cracked in several places, and Esti already noted at least one through and through hole. She would not be sailing out on this boat any time soon.