The Harika Inn was already near claustrophobically packed by the time Bulut arrived. A motley mix of pirates and locals passing stories back and forth through alcohol loosened lips as if the tales were a form of currency. It wasn't unusual for the Inn to be so busy, it had become one of the most popular places in the whole city for those seeking half-decent drinks and somewhere to sleep that was only a tad less uncomfortable than the hammocks most of them were used to suffering with. Borderline luxurious for pirates.
It took him only a few seconds of searching to spy out his companions. Seated around a table in a nook in the very corner of the room, were Ceycey, Muzo and Guliz - all three seemed well on their way to becoming completely inebriated. If the three half-full and eight empty glasses on the table, along with their simultaneous and drunken sounding chorus of 'Buluuuut!' was anything to go by. They all burst into stupid giggles as he sat down.
"How did it go?" Ceycey asked after he had calmed down, wiggling his eyebrows and managing not to slur the words too much.
"How did what go?" Bulut stole Muzo's half-finished drink, pulling a face when he discovered the contents were far more bitter than he had been expecting.
"Picking out a dagger!"
Bulut narrowed his eyes. "How did you know about that?"
"Well, it's not as if you've been particularly subtle about it," Guliz shrugged.
Bulut gaped. "You know too?"
"Dude, everyone knows." Muzo chimed in, sounding only slightly more clear-headed than the other two. "It's been the worst kept secret since that one time Ceycey tried to smuggle that rooster on board the ship. And we all know how well that turned out the very next morning."
"I loved that chicken." Ceycey raised his glass.
Bulut rolled his eyes. "Does Deren know?"
"No," Muzzo shook his head. "Probably not. I'm sure you're fine."
"Anyway, what did you do with our captain?" Guliz inquired. "It wouldn't be good if we went and lost her again."
"She's running an errand," Bulut explained. "She should be back soon."
Ceycey took the opportunity to sneakily reached out to steal a steak knife off the table next to them while their neighbour wasn't looking, digging it into the surface of their own table and beginning to carve out a memorial for his chicken friend against the wood.
Bulut stood, heading toward the bar to fetch a drink for himself and another for Sanem for when she finally joined them. If he had to spend the rest of the evening babysitting those three then he would much rather be drunk too.
Slipping into a gap between burly figures precariously seated on rickety wooden stools, he caught the eye of the barmaid with a slight wave of his hand, who nodded acknowledgement in his direction before finishing the round of orders she'd been halfway through pouring.
He felt someone approach silently on his right-hand side, standing a little too close for comfort in a way that had the hairs on his arm standing on end. Bulut observed the stranger out of the corner of his eye, noticing a young man, probably no older than eighteen, casually leaning over the wooden bar to peer at the range of drinks on the display board while flickering attempted subtle looks towards where Bulut was standing. His subtlety clearly needed some refinement. Bulut tried to ignore him for a while hoping he would eventually leave him alone, placing an order with the lady behind the bar when she approached but soon growing agitated a few moments later when the boy's glances turned into full-on staring.
"What do you want kid?" He asked gruffly.
He didn't even have the grace to look taken aback. "You work on the Albatross right? For Sanem's crew?"
YOU ARE READING
On The Wings Of An Albatross
Fanfic"It was pure luck, really, that this hadn't happened sooner. Two years of keeping out of his reach had really been testing the limits of fate, and the sane voice inside her head kept telling her she would have to face him eventually. The world was b...
