SEASICK

58- Ruby Red

[[ I do not own the music or art! Enjoy and remember to vote! This sort of a short chapter since this is another 'letter' chapter, but the next part will be kind of long! Promise! - L RANDY]]

The tavern was rowdy for the night, shouting and the odd sound of glass shattering rang through Mamoru's ears. He loathed crowded places because his sensitive senses were abused by the commotion.
Silas stood beside him in the doorway, a disgusted scowl obvious on his countenance. He was surrounded by what he loathed as well, criminals or what he considered lowlifes.
"What could the Princess want from a place like this?" Silas gripped, keeping one hand on his hilt.
"Who, you mean." Mamoru corrected, moving further into the establishment.

The duo garnered their own odd looks and glares as they did not exactly look like the targeted clientele. Even though Mamoru urged Silas not to wear his uniform, he in his civilian clothing did not take from his authoritative aura that was like an unsaid threat to those around them.
"You say you two are friends of the scorched bones?" A croaky, high-pitched voice sounded below them.
It had caused Mamoru to jump and take a quick sidestep.
"Gods, I had forgotten all about you." He released a sigh looking down at the short man.
"We are," Silas spoke up, ignoring Mamoru.
"I ain't ever seen you with 'em." Harold eyed the two suspiciously.
"We are just lowly crew members; rarely do we ever join the bosses for an ale or five." Mamoru regained himself and was quick with the lies.
"Then why are you here and not them?" Harold stood in front of Silas and Mamoru to prevent them from moving any further.
"They weren't thirsty." Silas's tone was darker, he was getting impatient.
"They had other business to attend, we were just sent here to meet with someone." Mamoru quickly followed up with Silas.
"Oh yeah? And who is that?" Harold quizzed, crossing his arms.
"None of your concern."
"Captain Ruby."
Silas and Mamoru spoke in unison which only caused Harold's eyes to narrow.
It was a staredown between the three. Mamoru slightly smirking, Silas stone-faced and frustrated, and Harold biting the inside of his cheek.
Mamoru and Silas had made it into the bar on Alana's instructions including the secret knock but did not expect to be held up by a four-foot man.
After a long pause, Harold jerked his head to the right, joined by his thumb.
"You will find her over there." He added and turned on his heel to return the bar.
It was not that Harold believed the two, it was simply he did not have the time or energy to wrestle two men out the bar on such a busy night. If they were trouble, he would handle it then.

Silas and Mamoru both looked in the direction he pointed and saw only a crowd around a table.
Apprehensively, they made their way over, pushing past the pirates in the way. The closer they got to the table the clearer they heard a particular female's voice.
"You sad sacks must have more than this! What fun is it with a small pot?" A woman shouted with a joyous laugh.
When the duo approached, they observed a raven-haired beauty sitting at the head of a table with a cheesy grin. She wore all red, topped with a red tricorn hat that had a white ostrich feather reaching off of the back.
She was currently counting gold coins in her red leather gloved hands, eyeing the men that sat at the table with her, before her emerald eyes caught a glimpse of the handsome men that just arrived. Her smile grew larger, revealing her canines were gold plated.
"How about the two of you? Do you want to have the taste of defeat to wash down your rum?" She spoke to the guards.
"No," Silas bluntly replied. "You are to talk to us privately. Now."
Ruby cocked her brow and tilted her head to look up to the stoic brunette.
"Excuse me?" She scoffed.
Silas closed his eyes in annoyance, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"I said now."
After the words left Silas's mouth Ruby had pulled a pistol from her hip and had it aimed at him before his lips could meet again.
Silas gripped the hilt of his sword as the tavern went from rowdy to almost silent with the exception of murmurs.
The men who stood around Silas parted, moving out of the line of fire, all that was left was Mamoru trying to keep in a fit of laughter.
"I don't take orders from men," Ruby slung one of her legs onto the table. "So, again: Excuse me?" She finished off by crossing the other leg over and cocking back the hammer.
Silas's jaw clenched, he knew he could kill the woman before she pulled the trigger, but what would Alana say if he did? He did not want to upset her even if she was hundreds of miles away.
"Mamoru," Silas spoke lowly, sick to his stomach he was caught in this situation.
He glanced over to the fox spirit to find him turned around, shaking, and slightly hunched over, a hand clasped over his mouth to dampen the laughter.
"Damn fox..." Silas sighed.
"Humor me, though. What was so important you dare disrespect the captain of the Maiden Fair?"
"One thousand gold pieces," Silas replied bitterly.
How could my princess sink so low to hire a criminal?
Ruby jaw slacked, eyes wide and brows raised.
"A thousand?" She repeated softly. "Do you realize how much that it is? You want to bet that?"
"I am not betting it," Silas quipped. "It is yours if you follow us."
Ruby looked between the two, though one fighting for air, with distrust and kept the gun aimed at Silas.
"Why?"
"Follow."
"Why not just shoot you now and steal it off your dead body?" Ruby straightened her arm a bit more.
"You won't have the chance." Silas essentially promised.
Another staredown took place but this time with higher bets, life, or death. Though it was Ruby's call to make, however, Silas would be the only one walking away alive. It seemed she knew that, felt it in her bones that the man she had in her sights was not one to play with. It was an instinct that kept her alive, it told her when to hold and when to fold. Her life was the biggest gamble she played, and it was a wager she did not want to lose in a filthy tavern.

"Then let's talk. Outside." Ruby waved her gun once to the exit.

"You were no help at all, as usual," Silas grumbled, removing his glasses to clean them off on his shirt.
Mamoru still chuckling to himself leaned against the alley wall.
"You should've seen your face." Mamoru giggled.
Silas rolled his eyes as he replaced his glasses.
"Guns are rare, it was surprising, but I was not concerned. A coward's weapon."

Ruby stood a few feet away, her gun still pointed on Silas, using the alley lantern to read a letter. It was addressed to her by the girl who beat her repeatedly at Gomoku a few months before. Her face contorted into many different expressions as she read the letter, not knowing whether to believe it or not. It would not matter to her either way, she wanted the gold.

"How can I trust this isn't some trick?" Ruby called out, keeping her eyes trained on the paper and her gun aimed.
Mamoru sighed. "We aren't asking for your trust; we aren't even asking for you. It is Alana that wants you."
Ruby peeked away from the letter, eyeing both of the men now.
"Where is the gold?" She quizzed, squinting her eyes in suspicion.
Silas rolled his chestnut eyes once again, reaching around to the back right side of his belt to retrieve the gold.
It was not easy to come by that amount, but Silas had no issue confiscating much of it from the Taycia vaults along the way with his fancy Holy General title. Once the pouch was in hand, he tossed it onto the mucky alley ground.
Ruby's eyes lit up with hungry greed when her ears caught the sound of several coins thudding against each other on impact. The size of the pouch was convincing enough no matter what coin was inside.
"So, I just have to give my word to complete this and there is more in store for me later?" Ruby questioned.
"More?!" Silas snapped.
Mamoru stepped away from the wall to face the woman completely.
"Whatever that letter says is what will be. Alana is no liar or a manipulator." He assured. "If you pull it off."

The pirate captain took a moment to look from the pouch that laid lopsided on the stones to the two mysterious men. She trusted her gut well and her gut rarely led her astray, but the contents of the letter were farfetched. Too good to be true was how she saw it.

"Who is this woman?" Ruby said aloud, more of projected thought to herself.

"Someone you do not want to cross... or your head is mine," Mamoru answered confidently.

Ruby replied with a laughing scoff.
"Is that right?"
"That's right." Silas followed up standing taller.

After a moment of thought, Ruby lowered her pistol. A smug look washed over her face like an afternoon tide.

"Okay then, I owe her a favor anyway. I suppose I am going to Kori."

[[ oooo, kori? I wonder what could there? What could Alana be planning ? Any guesses for her wild plan? When or will she tell the pirates? Next part coming soon!]]
Captain Ruby reference pictured below