Year 765 The Storm Crawler Charge

Once the families are informed of the terrible news, it is nearing the afternoon, and Connor can hear Rhea’s stomach rumble with what he assumes is her hunger. She didn’t openly admit it, but he already made up his mind. He guides her back towards the pub.

They got close enough to hear the pub drumming with a lot of activity; the jovial chatter can be discerned from the chorus. The rest of the crew must’ve started harassing Mikael for alcohol and food. Mikael is Cid’s older brother; he took on staying at the isles to be a cook like their father Vaphicus. The only thing he didn’t take on physical training like Cid yet he’s still very burly and tall. He is very quick to adapt with the returning mouths to feed, and Connor isn’t concern there won't be any left for Rhea.

Despite Rhea gawking at the building, Connor leads them to the entrance and push through the double doors with ease. What he isn’t prepared for right away is how quick the crew saw them.

“TIS THE CAPT’N AND RHEA!”

The thumps of boots in some rhythm would fill his ears. Rhea isn’t ready for the attention, and Connor is already too focused on one goal and that’s getting her something to eat. This show is already making him irritable, and it won’t go away till he carries out this. He waves them away, “ALRIGHT! Save that for later.”

The cheering lowers a tad, but the smile on their faces says they are not at all intimidated by Connor right now. He can hear Rhea giggle. If it isn’t for Rhea, he had the lot of them run for a mile on the beach. Wild bunch of drunken scroundrels…

“Ahoy. Capt’n and lil matey.” Cid slid around the chairs and tables, and the rest of the crew. Finding them easily, he is smart enough to get in the middle. Already he wears a makeshift apron that had been stained by him serving the rowdy patrons. Mikael and Vaphicus have their hands full if they aren’t even greeting them in the first place.

Connor recalls how this place was built. A young teenager at the time he crossed Master Roland’s graces for a few reasons he can’t recall in the moment. His master has a few ways to punish his crew, and it was usually day labor. Neither Connor, Alex, nor even Cid who wasn’t one of Master Roland’s student could ever escape the punishments. This and many other buildings here were done by their hands and a few others. And Master Roland used to get annoyed with them a lot, Connor didn’t even know a single building he isn’t personally involved in its construction. Even now as a captain, if there is a need for a new structure or expansion, he will be there to help with the labor. Rarely he delegates, keeping that responsibility to whoever is more adept. It used to be Dion; he did have a great understanding the roles of each wooden piece. Dion built his own farm, yet when he lost his hand from a battle and his mobility due to age Gash took over to delegate while Iggy design the infrastructures and advises them.

This is why Connor inspects the inside of this place with a tentative gaze while Cid helps them move through the excitement and straight to the bar. Some planks did jut out, and holes where he didn’t recall seeing before. Without the crew to help, this place too suffers from natural damages of weather and age. Mikael might be young and able but since he’s been taking on cooking for a whole villa and acting as a stand in leader it just isn’t possible to fix every time. Connor even can tell a few storms came by with the recent patch work. The walls however are still painted, which helps hides these wear and tear.

The windows are not barred right now, left open to allow in all the light and fresh air. The fresh air is a need with all these salty pirates who are stupidly drunk.

It smells. Bring in a bunch of men in one place after sailing for months activates an odor, he isn’t too fond of. Rhea seems unbothered, again one of those traits of his that comes from his unfortunate lineage.

They reach the bar, a simple long island of a table with drinks tuck behind it or along the wall it sits parallel to. This furniture island is the most annoying part of the building that he can recall. Not because of the difficulty but because Master Roland had forced him to work on it alone with Alex.

Now it stands very strong still, the new imperfections on it are some punctures from careless pirates and worn at the top where all the alcohol is served. There are stools to sit on and he had made her sit, his diligence to keep her from over exertion made obvious by his gestures. Rhea juts her bottom lip out, annoyed. Again, he ignores it finding her annoyance just her usual rebelliousness. At this stage she isn’t going to keep arguing, and Connor won’t just let her ignore her required rests.

She obeys, now attentive at Cid. “Cid. Is this your home?”

“Aye lil matey. Me pa and brother live here as well.” Cid sifts through to find cups. Connor didn’t sit on a stool yet, inspecting the crowd of people. He didn’t feel ready to relax since he hadnt seen that pesky Azar at all today.

“Where do you sleep?” That question Cid answers with a point towards the two sets of stairs. One goes up to where the extra rooms are for pirates with no home. The other goes down, Connor recalls it is usually for storage, but the three half giants prefer to sleep below. Something to do with their weight and height. Connor helped dig the basement too back then, there is nothing here I haven’t helped built.

“Oh.”  Rhea didn’t hide much of her fascination, quietly thanking Cid for serving water.

Connor opens his mouth about to request food for her but the giant door near the bar flings open. Out comes Mikael. He is close in height as Vaphicus which meant he is taller than Cid, but much smaller in muscles. For what is worth he is still burly, with brown beard and mustache that makes him more imposing. He had more of the half giant traits, the ears with a few longer points and skin the had doting of freckles that are very gray in color. Half giants are known to be a very distant cousin of Grima people, they tend to share a lot of these features. Only significant difference, Grima people have horns and gray skin while half giants don’t and are shorter and stocky in shape. Then again, half giants are pretty rare race that are almost mixed out of existence. Maybe just as rare as a Kraxxian mage. No, I haven’t met other Krax mages till Rhea.

Mikael gloss over the crowd with his gaze, then to Cid and commands with one word. “Brother.”

“Aye! Just makin’ sure capt’n and lil matey are taken care off!” Cid chirps picking up a few large jugs that Connor can guess are ale. “Remember? I told ye all about lil matey?”

Mikael looks at Connor and Rhea finally and snaps out of the front, one thing this brother differs from their grumpy father is that they know how to smile. And smile he did, “Aye I have. I’ll take care of ‘em.”

Rhea blinks at Mikael, Connor guesses she amazed to see another half giant or that this one looks a lot like Vaphicus with one more eye and more strange features.

Cid leaves, accepting that he is needed elsewhere without a single hesitation. Mikael stood behind the bar, doing a once over of them and shook his head muttering. “Again, me brother fergits to get food. Give me a few breathes, capt’n.”

 “A couple of servings for Rhea if you have. I can wait.”  Connor’s request had Rhea gift him a pointy glance, a new neediness of hers is she didn’t like it when he didn’t eat with her. Connor isn’t as gluttonous as her, nor is he growing a mortal inside of him.

“Aye, I have enough for two crews. There be enough for ye, capt’n” Mikael must’ve seen and understand Rhea’s aggravation to just appease her. She even looks at the half-giant like he read her mind. “This isn’t new for me, lil’ misses.”

Connor now lets out his grunt; it’s like every one of them just wants to overshare Connor’s habits. Regardless, Connor didn’t have the desire to get too upset. Rhea seems to enjoy hearing it. Mikael vanishes again through the same door. This is when Rhea leans towards Connor with a bigger pout. “So… it is not just me who has seen you abstain from food this way? For many hours no less.”

Connor just shrugs to tease her which has her grumbling in Krax how she is going to be more difficult when he asks her to do anything. That is not something he isn’t used to, so the threat slips off him like rainwater. Besides, he might find her fussing a little too fun. There is still this one nagging reason he isn’t ready to relax and eat.

Where is that damn Vhaltian?

Mikael came back with the bowls, setting them down on the bar table. Once again, Rhea didn’t wait for anyone to eat her first bowl. It is when she is on her second that she slows and glares at him.

He took his bowl and took one bite, but he still isn’t sitting. He assumes that is enough for Rhea since Mikael points out her gluttony and distracts her. “Brother wasn’t jokin’ ye do eat like a half-giant.”

“Bah! I just eat healthy, unlike some people.” Rhea claims of normalcy of her ravenous nature nearly had Connor choke on his second bite.

“Hah. Well, I will remember t’ save ye more food. Especially now that yer got a wee one on the way.”

That had Rhea cough midstride of chowing down the second bowl because of Mikael accuracy. Connor is the one to responds plainly, “Good. So, you know.”

“Aye. I understand why ye be a lil tense, capt’n. Bein’ a new father and all. I am just glad to meet lil missus now before I miss more of ye new changes.”

Connor didn’t respond to that, it seems so long ago but he is a different man three months ago. Mikael only saw the more rigid side of Connor for so long just like a lot of people in the crew and villa. Few thought he can never find a wife, so he understood Mikael’s awestruck. This new Connor no longer had the obsession to hideaway in his quarters in his ship. He no longer wants to keep a stoic front now that Rhea impressively dismantles it with just how she is as a person. He is opening more to the people closest to him. It’s all so different now, his past self will have find this jarring but now he didn’t see the point to be too secluded. There are things that do still are the same. His goal to find the artifacts and his love of the freedom in sailing.

“Oh!” Rhea chirps after finishing her food, her eyes glittering when it lands on someone in the crowd. Connor follows her gaze to see Sabol and his husband Karlel. “Is that his husband?”

“Yes.” Connor already knew what this meant, she got off the stool and chimes.

“I am going to speak to them!”

Connor already saw the third full bowl being nearly neglected, chastising. “Make sure you eat that.”

“Aye Aye. You too, hypocrite” She grabs the bowl and takes it with her as she approaches the couple. She really did want to meet Karlel if she didn’t wait for him to respond.

“I am glad ye found someone who can bite back.” The chuckle that came from Mikael irks the captain.

“Hm.”  Connor grunts, glaring at the half giant from the corner of his eye. It only lasts for a breath because he is too keen to keep an eye on Rhea. He can surely trust their crew and the people in the villa. But Azar can show up at any point. “Have you seen the mage?”

“Oh…. That unfriendly incel? He already introduced himself.” From his own recollections, Mikael isn’t one to hide his distaste towards people especially when they cause too much trouble in his own home and place of work. “He’s taken a lot of ale and gone off upstairs. I expect he won’t come down.”

Upstairs, huh. Connor inspects the stairs that goes up nearly tempted to confront Azar. It isn’t the right time, and Rhea will follow Connor if he did. She will never allow them to speak alone if she knew. Thinking that annoys Connor, again the ugly jealousy and possessiveness creeping in the back of his mind.

“That’s a really dark face on ye, capt’n” Mikael points out and Connor had to quickly change the subject placing his barely-eaten bowl back on the bar table.

Hopefully, Azar stays far away and minds his own business. “No matter. There is someone else that I want to ask about."

“Aye.”

“Has Farnley come by yet…?”