Rune of Oldfyre

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Vaguely Romantic

The Harbor District didn't just house my shop, it's also where the harbor is located. This fact is what always gave it a fishy smell with just a hint (i.e. not enough) of foreign spices. Today, the harbor bustled with activity. Winter was coming and people hurried to get their haul on land before storms kick in. Why we were heading out, I couldn't fathom.

The Kraken's ship was massive. It could probably fit the village of Fraywood on it. We rode up to it very early in the morning. The entire ship had a squid theme to it. The beams (pardon my lack of knowledge when it comes ship parts, I grew up far from the sea) that stretched on its side looked like tentacles. The thing at the front, usually a woman or mermaid, was a squid. The masts too looked like tentacles. I began to see why they called him this guy Kraken.

I packed with me: a bag of provisions, some gold, and whatever personal belongs I saw fit at the time to pack. The rune was attached to my satchel strap and placed near my chest. May pretty much had the same, except whatever the female equivalent was.

The rest of our party had arrived a few minutes prior, but acted like it was hours.

"Finally," Allister exclaimed, "we've been waiting been waiting forever."

"You're exaggerating a bit." May told him.

"Maybe I am." He said "My point is still valid, you guys take forever to do anything."

"There's that word again," I began, "I don't think it means what you think it means."

"Whatever, just don't start doin' it while I'm here." He said.

"Are done?" The Stranger asked impatiently.

"I believe so." May said.

"So where is the Kraken?" Anya asked.

"He's below deck. This way." The Stranger answered, leading us into the ship.

We passed through several layers of decks, each one appearing to store different treasures, until we reached a set of golden double doors. The handles were in the intricately designed in the shape of, you guessed it, tentacles.

When the Stranger opened by he door, I really shouldn't have been surprised. You'd think that I've encountered enough to not be surprised by weird shit, you really would. But, for some reason, when those doors opened, I was taken aback. If you're picturing a man who simply had an obsession with squids, you'd be wrong. If you're picturing a actual giant fucking squid on a boat, you'd be correct. Also he was wearing a tiny pirate hat; but I don't think that's relevant to the story.

"Oh, he's an actual kraken." Allister said.

"Why was I not expecting that?" Anya asked

"Why does a Kraken need a boat?" I asked aloud to no one in particular.

"I don't need it. I just find comfort in it." The thing said.

"Oh, he's an actual, talking, kraken." May said.

The Stranger approached it. "I'm here to collect a debt." He said. How many people are indebted to this guy?

"Oh fine, what is it?" The kraken asked, waving a tentacle in the Stranger's face.

"My compatriots over here need a lift to Stav’on Port." He said.

"Why so far up north?" The kraken asked.

"They need to get to New Qurat, and it's much faster to take the north passage than to sail around the entire continent."

"Fastest I could get you would be three weeks, not including weather." The kraken said.

"Fine by me."

"It's settled then!" The kraken yelled flailing his appendages around in apparent glee.

The others went to there respective residences to to gather their things, leaving May, Molly, and me alone on the ship. A fog had begun to roll in from the sea.

"We're really going?" May asked.

"It appears so." I said.

"You don't seem so excited." She observed.

"I'm not, really." I said I sat cross legged against Molly's side, "Where will we be in a month's time? Two month's? A year? I want to settle. I thought I wanted something big in my life. Originally, I thought that it was an adventure, join the kings army or bring this damn thing to the volcano and lob it in." I grabbed the rune and pulled it from my chest, "But it's not, you see, it was you. My big thing in life was you. You're my love, the one thing I've ever truly loved. This is a stupid fetch quest. Boil this 'quest' down and I'm just a delivery boy. Literally anyone could do this job. I like my relatively quiet life, in my bed, with you, in the atrociously red coloured room."

"We don't have to go," she said, "just hand the rune over to Al or Anya. They seem like they're fine with carrying the torch."

"I would love to, I really would," I said reattaching the rune back to the strap. "But, you said you wanted to go."

"We don't have to go." She said, "I'm fine with staying. You told me during the party that if something is wrong with me, then it was wrong with you. Well, that works in reverse. If you don't want to go then we won't."

"It's not that I don't want to go. I'm interested, believe me the kraken with a boat was more than enough to catch my attention. I'm just not too excited about going. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I just left this with them and said 'see ya later shit lords'? Not a real one at all." I said.

She hugged me and said to me. "I think I know what could get you excited." She began to unbutton her coat when a cough requesting acknowledgment sounded.

"You two really don't listen do you?" Allister said. "Keep it in your pants, at least until we've left port and I'm safely below deck where I don't have to see it." May refastened her coat and shifted embarrassedly.

When Allister stowed himself below deck, May turned to me. "Am I turning into a slut?" She asked.

"To my knowledge, no."I said.

"Are you just saying that to avoid the question?" She asked.

"No," I was, "'slut' would suggest that you're taking on multiple partners. Since I don't seen you doing that -are you?"

"No!" She said defensively.

"Since you're not, I wouldn't say 'slut'"

"What would you say?"

"I'd say you want the comfort of another person.” I suggested.

She paused, waiting for me to add more.

I sighed, “...inside you.”

She giggled.

“Didn't this start out as a vaguely romantic conversation?” I said.