The Band of Rotten: A Sanders Sides Story

Trouble

They had not, in fact, landed on the shore by the fisherman town. The captain thought that it would be a bit too risky if any of the residents of the peaceful little town noticed their boat had come from "that big ship just right out the shore." From the looks of this town, it doesn't look like many ships dock on its pristine waterfront. The odd crew trudged through a clear part of the beach right by the town where no one would see them. The sand was soft under their steps and heavy boots, leaving a trail of footsteps as if etching a memory of their presence there. It had been a while since Janus would spend his time on land again, in a way that was different than it was a few weeks earlier. He had been in a rush that day, cursing himself as he escaped from his very own ship after unintentionally betraying his own crew—the only people he'd known in his life. This time, it was a more thought out decision and he couldn't decide whether he'd made the right one or not. It could be a blessing change—or impending doom.

At least he wasn't alone.

Janus peered over his shoulder, looking at his odd crew. They were not his friends, that much was clear. Virgil walked with his rotten shoes soaked by the wet sand, but the little thief didn't voice any complaints. Logan and Remy trailed in the back, having a hushed conversation. Janus thought the two sounded quite elegant speaking in what he could guess was Italian. Logan was a wonder, he thought. The man shares nothing about himself to anyone he encountered—always closed off, but not particularly averse to having a simple conversation. Different than how Virgil was closed off—the former captain remembered how the thief had snarled at him on that flimsy boat when he had taken Virgil and Logan with him that evening. Virgil always holds his hands close against his chest, using them as pseudo-shield against any and all things. Janus couldn't quite decide whether it was a mistake to take in the smart glasses-clad man and his thief companion.

Not long, they reached the fisherman town. The town was quite busy seeing that it was approaching midday. Janus watched as two children followed a woman with small wagons of bottled milk trailing behind them as they towed. He was yanked, quite abruptly, into a memory of his childhood, fishermen coming home after their night of fishing bringing buckets of fishes.

"Alright, where do we start?" Janus was pulled back into reality by Virgil's words.

"Je ne te comprends pas," Janus mumbled at Virgil with a raise of an eyebrow.

Virgil watched as the pirate took off his eyepatch and replaced it with a piece of ripped white cloth. He didn't remember ever having the chance to see the captain's always-covered eye. From the brief glimpse, he saw the eye where white should be was replaced by a mild yellow. And where his own iris was greyish in color, Janus' was a milky white. He's blind, Virgil thought, surprised. He had heard, of course, from a few conversations he'd unintentionally eavesdropped on back in London, that pirates would cover one eye with an eyepatch so that the eye was used to the darkness. He'd thought it was a clever trick. It'll be easier if the pirate was to search during their raid in the darkness. He never once considered that Janus would actually be blind. Virgil stood next to the captain, for once appreciating Janus' presence by his side so he didn't feel so alone in the unfamiliarity of the fisherman town.

The thief looked around with his skillful eyes, an opening if he could swipe anything. He calculated—subconsciously—the way people behave. He smirked, spotting an easy target. Logan and Remy had been left walking behind as they walked rather slowly consumed by their interesting conversation. Unfortunately, that means he was left alone with a pirate whom he did not understand and did not understand him in return. He turned, glaring at the pirate.

"Qu'est ce que tu regardes?" The pirate returned the look with a glare of his own, his dark blue eye pierced into Virgil's grey ones. "Problème?"