Crimson Threads ♡Sinbad X Oc♡

Chapter eight: Songbird

King Rashid stood at the back of the crowd, completely mesmerised by the performance. When the show was over, he watched as Sinbad held out a bag collecting the coins that the crowd was tossing at him, a gleeful smile on his face. Noticing the king, Sinbad jumps from the stage. "Harun!" The young man exclaims, running to greet the king.

"I'm quite impressed, Sinbad. I never thought this would be your answer. You gathered such a large number of people with no less than a theatrical performance. Truely, a feat only a dungeon capturor could acomplish. " Harun laughs impressed. "You flatter me, sir, but this is all thanks to you. When you told me how much you enjoyed my stories, I realised that adventure stories can get anyone intrigued. If something brings you joy, it can become merchandise. So.. please, sir, grant me a little bit more time. I'm only a couple away from 100 gold coins!" Sinbad replies, Harun's eyebrows raising in surprise. "And to be honest, I did have some help." Sinbad says as he looks at Yunalesca, who was playing with a few children on the steps of the stage. "If Yuna didn't sing, there would've been a lot fewer people."

Picking up on the tenderness in Sinbads voice, Harun smiles. "In that case, let me pay my fee for enjoying your performance." Harun notions to his gaurd to fetch something from the carriage. Handing a large sack to Sinbad, the young man notices it's filled with gold coins. Shocked Sinbad looks up at Harun, who smiles. "Accept it, Sinbad. It's only natural that I support my friends' dreams, is it not?"

Playing with the children, Yunalesca looks over at Sinbad and the king. She was intrigued by the sack the guard handed to Sinbad. He looked quite surprised to have received it. "Can you sing again, lady?" One of the little girls asked her, holding onto the hem of her makeshift dress.
"Of course." Yunalesca smiled at the child, delighted that she enjoyed her singing. "What would you like for me to sing?" The little girl pursed her lips, thinking very hard before her face lit up with excitement. "Can you sing the song from the second dungeon?"

"Very well." Yunalesca beams. Sitting down on the steps, she starts to sing the tune she concocted from the stories Sinbad told. The sharp, high notes like piercing shards of ice were carried by a soft and gentle melody. The song itself was mysteriously warm for something that reminded all who listened, of glaciers and frozen corals.

"Amazing..." Harun stares at Yunalesca, shivers running up and down his spine. "She sure is." Sinbad says, a proud smile on his face. Although he's been listening to her sing for the past few months, he never got tired of it. Her voice stirred something inside of him. Just as the song reached its climax, Sinbad saw strange little creatures flitting and swirling around Yunalescas body. A little bewildered, he looked around, but to his surprise, no one else seemed to notice them.

When the song ended, Yunalesca noticed both the king and Sinbad staring at her through the crowd of onlookers. Feeling embarrassed by the applause, she quickly bowed and rushed to Sinbads' side. "You have quite the talent, young lady." Harun complimented her, causing a rush of heat on her cheeks. "Thank you, sir." She says, a bashful smile on her face. Turing back to Sinbad, Harun gestured toward the inn. "Shall we get something to eat while discussing our newfound partnership?"

~~~~~~~

"Why not join the theatre?" Haruns question leaves Sinbad in a daze. "No, that's alright, sir! You've already done more than enough for us by helping me register at the guild!" Sinbad protests, hastely putting his drink down on the table. It's been a few days since Harun has given Sinbad the money he needed, and the two met for lunch to discuss possible business ventures.

Haruns smiles knowingly. "Sinbad, you are wise beyond your years, but as a merchant, you still have a long way to go. Consider this. You may have registered your company successfully, but where do you sell your goods?" Haruns words hit Sinbad like a sack of wet sand.

Seeing the realization set into Sinbads' mind, Harun continues. "You will need carts to transport goods and a place to store your merchandise. On top of that, no one comes to a new merchants shop. Just because a shop is open doesn't mean it gets good business. We need to achieve everything I just stated using your abilities. " Sinbad takes a bite from his kebab. 'I'll need all that set up before Hinahoho and the others arrive. Not to mention accommodation for Yuna and myself.' He thinks chewing a piece of meat.

"That is why I suggested you do theatre performances. Reim has a policy to provide a variety of entertainment to citizens, the most popular among them being the gladiators and the plays." Harun explains carefully. "Gladiators and plays?" Sinbad asks. He didn't even know about these things despite living in the city. " Yes, but don't even consider the colosium. " Haruns voice is firm. "It's a harsh spectacle where people fight against each other and monsters. Though you are a dungeon capturor, you have the abilities and confidence for it, I dont think your lady friend would be so enthusiastic about you putting your body on the line. Your body is your only real asset. If you are to be a merchant, you must understand that you can not do the impossible."

Haruns words roll around in Sinbads head as he carefully considers every word. " That being said." Harun pulls Sinbad out of his thoughts. "Your performances went really well. I also hear that many of the theatre goers are nobles and electorates. The participation of children is also anticipated, so gossip will spread like wild fire. I believe the best course of action is to use your popularity to earn money."
Sinbad suppresses a grin. Harun really was a shrewd businessman.

"Besides." Harun continues. "With your little lady's voice, I doubt getting spectators will be difficult." He smiles, taking a sip of his drink. "That's the truth." Sinbad chuckles, raising his glass as if to toast to Haruns words. "Speaking of which, where is she, I hadn't seen her since your last performance." Harun scans the tavern, absentmindedly searching for the young woman.
"She went to try on a dress we got for her yesterday, since she only had that one article of clothing." Sinbad says as he looks at the stairs leading to their room. She was taking an awfully long time to get dressed, and Sinbad was growing worried that something might have happened.

Noticing Sinbads' anxious figgeting, a thought crossed Haruns mind."How did you meet her?" The words escaped Haruns lips before he could stop them. Taken a little aback by the sudden question, Sinbad stares at Harun before regaining his composure.
"She was floating in the ocean when my companions and I found her. She had shackles on her limbs, and she was so frail that a zephyr could blow her away." He winced at the memory, anger churning in his stomach.
Haruns face contorts in disgust. "Such a beautiful young lady.. it makes sense that some ruffian would like to take her as a slave.."

The lively tavern suddenly became quiet, except for a few hushed whispers from some of the patrons. Looking at the table next to them, Sinbad noticed that the men were staring at something. Turing to face the direction the men were staring, his breath hitched, and he felt his heart skip a beat.