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jolly sailor bold
chapter two , once upon a tavern

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         A FOUL STENCH of cheap ale lingered in the dingy atmosphere of the decrepit tavern nestled away in one of the most gruesome corners of Narrowhaven. The only way for one to see in the space was with winced eyes, so as to avoid the sting of cigar smoke as it ascended in wisps before remaining stagnant in the air. 

A low rumble of chatter echoed around the walls of taverns as multiple groups of — predominately — men hunched over their tankards, conniving in one way or another.

         There was only the light of a few candles with the stray beams of daylight that fought their way through cracks in the doors and window shutters. Even though the small port was riddled with crime, it seemed it was better to keep it behind closed doors during the day.

         That and, of course, the light of the embers off the end of cigars that occasionally flickered and fell onto the peeling tabletops, only to be furiously extinguished by their smokers.

        Mira was quick to press her sleeve upon the embers that fell upon the tabletop before Tirian, who nonchalantly let out a puff of smoke amidst a laugh at the disgruntled look on the face of the girl beside him. She had never liked the smell of smoke.

The scene around her brought much nostalgia to the blonde bandit as she sat tucked away in a corner of the tavern beside Tirian and Zardeenah. Of course, it would.

Mira was sorry to see the state of her father's tavern since his disappearance and her desertion. What was once a comforting, homely place, now dripped with hostility and danger. A transformation that was much like the one Mira had undergone herself.

Oh, the irony. She thought to herself, as her golden eyes continued to scan her surroundings.

A large tankard of ale sat on the tabletop before her as well as a glass of whiskey — a few indulgences Tirian had managed to swipe from the barkeeper. Mira steadily sipped from the glass of whiskey while the man on her left had downed his beverage in a matter of seconds — Zardeenah had nothing, she was too preoccupied with sharpening the blade of her dagger to drink.

With every swipe against the steel, the dagger's blade let out a sickening squeal which would occasionally attract attention from customers around them.

"So much for remaining unnoticed." The blonde chuckled into her drink, casting the girl on her right a slight glance.

The silent girl unsurprisingly showed no sign of acknowledgment of Mira's comment. Tirian, on the other hand, let out a small grunt which soon elapsed into a cough due to the inhalation of smoke.

Raising her hand, Mira forcefully smacked the man on the back in attempt to aid his predicament. However, she probably didn't have to hit him that hard.

          Upon their arrival back in Narrowhaven, the bandits had taken the liberty of strolling around the port. Not much had changed since their last visit; crime still ran rife and it was practically a playground for their kind.

        Aravis had elected to stay with the ship as she so often did, she preferred to stand guard and be alert; she lived to protect.

         Mira, Tirian and Zardeenah had settled themselves at a table in what remained of her father's old tavern while Shasta had taken Corin out to the market in the hope of picking pockets in broad daylight — as was their talent.

         The talents of the other three lay in the other areas, so to speak. Areas that required their daggers sharpening, surroundings observed and a very strong stomach.

Zardeenah's sharpening continued and Mira gritted her teeth in attempt to keep her nerves in check, shooting menacing glares at anyone who dared glance over at their table longer than necessary.

An intense silence remained between the three of them, which was only interrupted when a loud ringing sound of a bell echoed in the distance beyond the tavern.

The atmosphere suddenly changed around them as people exchanged hearty laughs and raised their glasses high; Mira felt her heart sink.

"Sounds like more bait for the mist." Tirian chuckled, seemingly amused by the signal.

        "They're not bait, Tirian." Mira told him, harshly, her cold stare narrowed in his direction, although beneath it was a look of hurt that she tried desperately to disguise. "They're just out of luck."

        Tirian only continued to smirk, he wasn't exactly the most empathetic of individuals — well, none of them were, it wasn't exactly fitting for their profession.

        A large sigh left Zardeenah lips as she looked up to face her two companions, the blade scraping ceasing as she did so.

        "How much longer must we spend in the wretched place?" She whispered, her nostrils flaring in disgust. "We're drawing too much attention."

        Mira fought the urge to let out a large laugh at the girl's statement. She chose not to mention that Zardeenah's blade sharpening may have been the cause of said attention — knowing full well if she did, she'd be greeted with that blade at her throat.

         "Nonsense." Tirian dismissed her, letting out another puff of smoke as he reckoned calmly in his seat.

        "Almost everyone in this tavern has their eyes on us." The dark-haired girl persisted, her gaze still furious as she addressed Mira and Tirian.

         She had a point. Mira took the opportunity to glance around the tavern again, since the ringing of the bells it had seemed that the majority of people in the tavern had turned their attention to their small group. However, Mira smirked — she had noticed a small figure weaving among those figures looking in their direction.

         "Yes, and not on their pockets." She smirked, sparing a wink in the direction of the small blonde boy as his hand dipped into another unsuspecting individual's pockets.

         "They know who we are." Zardeenah hissed, deciding to not acknowledge the blonde's point. "They'll report us."

         This time, Mira could not suppress the urge to scoff and slammed her glass of whiskey upon the tabletop, before turning to Zardeenah.

        "To who? The King?" She asked, her tone laced with derisiveness. "He hasn't been in these parts for years, and I doubt he will be anytime soon.

        "Besides, they don't know; they suspect." Mira corrected the girl, a smirk sitting on her lips as she took another gulp of whiskey. "There's a large difference."

         "If they keep on staring, they won't be suspecting much longer." Zardeenah snapped, earning an eye roll from the blonde who took a final sip of her whiskey.

         "Alright, she's getting tetchy, Tirian." She chuckled, elbowing the sailor in the side and getting to her feet. "Put out your cigar, before we're forced to slaughter the entire tavern."

Zardeenah was quick to rise to her feet soon after the blonde, glaring at the older man to hurry up with extinguishing his cigar.

With a large exhale, the man jabbed the end of the cigar into the tabletop which emitted a few loose curls of smoke before he picked it up — a dark circle of singed wood was left in its wake — and the sailor left the cigar upon the tabletop.

The tavern fell into silence as the three deserted their table and began making their way towards the door. Mira was hardly surprised; their reputation preceded them, the silence was assuring. She much preferred to be feared than afraid.

"Well, well, well."

         The sound of a deep voice stopped the blonde in her tracks, her brow arched as she slowly turned around in the direction of the voice.

Before her, a man stood — at least a foot taller than her — with a sickening grin of yellowing teeth, looking down upon her. Mira could only chuckle at the sight of the man; she knew him, she knew him well.

"Mira LeFay." Her name fell from his lips dripping with triumph.

Mira cast a glance back at Zardeenah and Tirian who had stopped also to witness the scene playing out before them.

"Go, I can handle this." She assured them, nonchalantly, her smirk never fading from her lips.

Her companions didn't need anymore assurance than that — they had no doubt she could handle any challenge thrown at her. With two curt nods, the duo exited the tavern shutting the door behind them.

Looking back at the man, Mira took a second to take in her surroundings again. He had arisen from a table on her left — his hand still rested upon the tabletop — around which three other burly men were sat smoking, gambling and wearing the same sickly grins as he did.

"You've got some gall to show your face around these parts." He smirked, his gaze never leaving her strong golden eyes.

She flashed him a charming smile before pursing her lips and taking a step closer to him.

"You'll find I've wronged no man in these parts, Matthias." She told him, assuredly, never blinking. "Now, back to your gambling."

"Why don't you join us?" He asked, reaching forward and laying his hand upon the edge of her overcoat, "Shed a couple of layers, sweetheart."

Mira maintained that same smile upon her face — again, she was very unsurprised by the way this encounter was playing out. However, it was what enabled her to use her own skill set to her advantage.

"She's quite a looker, isn't she, boys?" Matthias chuckled, sparing a glance over at his companions who responded with jeering shouts of agreement.

A smirk filled Mira's features as her golden eyes fell to the man's side where she saw that same small blonde boy pulled his coat back to reveal a dagger strapped to his side.

"Well, how could I resist such an offer?" Mira hummed, edging that bit closer to the man.

She waited a brief moment to ensure he was completely entranced, and then she struck.

Corin remained at the man's side, holding his coat open so that Mira could seize his dagger from its sheath, spin it in her grasp before slamming its blade into the tabletop.

Or rather — slamming its blade through Matthias' hand and into the tabletop, securing it there as he let out a strangled scream of pain.

Mira shushed him by seizing his face in her hand, grasping his chin and pulling his gaze down to face hers. She wanted him to remember her eyes.

"Don't call me sweetheart." She grimaced, before pushing his face away from her, grinning at the sight of tears of pain brimming in his eyes.

A soft giggle sounded from her right, and she looked down to see Corin at her side, looking very pleased with himself. Mira spared him a wink before offering him her hand, which he took and the two left the building in silence.

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
oh, the way the
bandits own me.

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