Under the Moon and Stars

Chapter 2

The rest of the voyage to Port Royal went without any further incident. The crew let loose with some drinking, sea shanties, and banter regarding Xyx and Toaster's deal - which Xyx couldn't recall, and how dare he be accused of being a betting man without something in writing as proof!

By the time dinner was finished and some crew members had been swapped for watch duty, Nightowl had alerted the ship that the port was up ahead. Lanterns illuminated the pier, reflecting off of the dark waters below, but the moon illuminated their way just fine. Once the ship was docked, everyone was a flurry of activity - goods were unloaded, sails were secured - no one was without a job to do. Xyx and Toast met with the Harbormaster to discuss business before reconvening with the rest of the crew, who were waiting at the beginning of the pier.

"Alright my little band of malcontents, do you want the good or bad news first?" Xyx strolled up while rolling a shilling in between his fingers. Toasty trailed behind him, looking completely sleep deprived. An alcohol induced slumber certainly did not make him well-rested.

"Good news please. I need something positive after that last trip." June rolled her neck as if to accentuate her point.

"Alright, bad news it is." The groans of the group caused Xyx to smile brightly. "We're stuck here for about a week. Ship needs some serious repair. We've actually been pretty lucky to have gotten this far without major issues to our hull-"

"You can thank Quest and Two for that," interjected Toaster through a yawn.

"Yes yes, the ship greatly thanks the superb work of these two stuffing holes with cloth and such."

Quest merely chuckled, but Two stood up taller. "Hey! I do good work around here!"

"That you do, ya' fluff ball, and we greatly appreciate ya'." Lady ruffled Two's hair, which Two tried to duck and squirm away from. Xyx's smile warmed at the interaction. Seeing his mates like this always made him realize how lucky he was, and that he had no regrets about the life he chose, as unconventional as it might be.

"Now on to the good stuff. This will give us plenty of time to sell our goods and restock our coffers. Quest, Salo, Onion, I'll leave you in charge of that. Of course, you can always come find me if you absolutely can't do without me."

Onion crossed his arms and pushed his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose. "No need. I don't want to be called a swindler and chased out of town again."

Salo gave a hearty laugh. "That was quite fun actually. I wouldn't mind pulling that stunt again."

Xyx cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention. "As much as I would love that, we need to play nice with the locals this time. Wouldn't do if we get our necks slashed by the second day of our visit. June, Lady, Owl, see what juicy little secrets and rumors you can pick up. Two, I'll need you with Toasty to make sure all of our supplies are in order."

"I can do that myself you know," Toaster mumbled beside Xyx.

"Yes, but I need someone whose awake in the day and can get some good merchandise. Some laughter was had at Toaster's flushed face, but Xyx merely patted their shoulder for comfort. "Beyond that, do what you will but try not to cause too much trouble, yeah? I have a reputation to maintain."

"And what will you be doing Captain?" inquired Salo.

Xyx smirked. "Curious are we? Don't worry, I'll be around." He did in fact have work to do as well - he had a meet up with a contact in a few days for their next big lead. No point in sailing if you had no where to go.

"Fine, keep your secrets. Let's go everyone!" Nightowl was practically bursting with excitement, not that Xyx could blame him. Even at this time of night, Port Royal was bustling with energy - music was blaring, food and drinks were plentiful, and the streets were filled with people. All trying to run their own gambit, all trying to survive. The others had already dispersed to whatever seemed to tickle their fancies, leaving Xyx alone to silently take in his stomping ground.