𝕾𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖉𝖘 - 𝙺𝚊𝚣 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚔𝚔𝚎𝚛

XIV

The two men were standing at the helm, passing a half-finished bottle of rum between them.

When Mira crests the stairs, Rotty pushes the bottle into Specht's hand and turns away, humming a tune. "Wasn't me miss."

She chuckles and holds a hand out. "I'm not the boss, I won't tell." Specht passes her the drink and she takes a swig, the cheap liquor making fire burn down her throat. "Besides, I'm implicit now."

"With all due respect, miss, we don't think you'd get caught." Rotty turns back and leans against the railing.

"Here's hoping our luck holds out." She takes another drink before passing it back to Specht, who periodically looks up and finds their bearings. He takes a sip before passing it to Rotty.

Before too long, her legs start swaying and she sits against the railing, her back to her beloved ocean. The feeling so much larger, stronger, and purer than any canal in Ketterdam.

"Will you tell me a story?" Mira asks neither one in particular. Looking up at them like the child she really is.

The two men look between each other and Specht sits down beside her, only a few fingers left in the bottle he sets by his feet. "You know about his niece Annabelle, so now it's time you learn my family history." He chuckles and looks over to Rotty, who nods his agreement. "I have a sister, Eloise. She lives in Belendt; a teacher of music." He sits back, and his face becomes much softer when he talks about his sister. "She loves the kids, teaches them piano every day. I don't know how she does it, patience was a virtue only she inherited."

His face lost some of its shine in the next words. "She can't play very well anymore."

Who- Mira is ready to go back to Kerch just for Elosie.

"Arthritis." Specht reassures her. "If it were something I could fix, believe me, I already would have. But I can't do much other than send her money. She can't work every day anymore, and the market is as lively as ever. That's why I took the job." He looks over to her. "I haven't got much to lose, but everything to gain."

Mira is silent. They were so similar, separated by decades but alike in so many ways. She leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck, squeezing lightly. "Thank you. I'm sure she's well-taken care of with a brother like you and a community who loves her." A story, knowledge that the world isn't going to end when she does.

She leans back and rubs her eyes. "Fair's fair, I have dirt on you, you get dirt on me." She smiles, more than a little wicked. She makes herself a promise to find Eloise and send something when they get back.

"But," she holds up a finger as Rotty opens his mouth to speak. The alcohol makes them all a little looser in the lips. "Only if you beat me at a card game of my choosing." She holds up the cards she picked from Specht's pocket before she sat down. "And I choose a family game." She deals six cards to each man and leaves the rest in the middle. "Ever played Go Fish?"

The two men laugh and sit down. "A game of luck, eh?" Rotty crosses his legs and takes the bottle from Specht.

"Let's hope we don't waste all of it tonight," she smiles. "Got a crane, Rotty."

"Go fish."

The night progresses onwards, and Mira swabs the deck with them.

She throws down her cards and raises her hands in victory. "Fifth time in a row!" The liquor and smell of salt intoxicating. The men have to shush her and smother their own giggles.

"You'll wake the whole blasted ship."

"Then I'll be sure to let them know you two suck at Go Fish," she sticks her tongue out, but quiets down, pondering. Seems to be something she's doing quite a bit. She blames the open ocean. "I pity you. Here's some information on me because I'm not a complete bastard.