Lost at Sea | BSD x OC

6] vile creatures *:･

                                                                ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･₊ ⊹

Dazai waved Luna a prompt goodbye, leaving her alone at the bar with her own thoughts. The bartender came back and brought her glass of wine. She simply stared at the maroon liquid for a moment, catching her own reflection in the surface.

This is what their wine looks like?

Luna took a short sip, briefly letting the bittersweet taste sit on her tongue. But just then, she felt a small presence from behind–something tugging on her slacks near her left ankle. She turned and looked down at the entity.

It's a little human girl..

"Ah.. sorry about my daughter." A man suddenly approached. He was one of the ones wearing an eyepatch. His voice was gruff, and he had dark features.

"Just a piece of red velvet please. For the kid." The man said to the bartender, sitting down and replacing Dazai in the stool beside Luna.

Luna studied the man for a moment longer, then looked down at his daughter. She had her brunette hair in pigtails and wore a pink, zip-up jacket with a heart pattern. Luna felt a little less out of place seeing the toddler here.

She looked back up at the man and thought to ask him a question. She was a bit hesitant, but if she wanted to figure out what was happening, then she had to just go for it.

"Um, so.. who is that?" Luna pointed to the man dancing with Dazai on the stage. The man's eyes followed hers, looking towards the stage.

"Oh, him? We call him 'cool pop'. He's the owner. If you're wondering why he stole your boyfriend away, it's because he feels indebted to the kid. Saved this entire village."

Luna's face contorted at the man's choice of words, but she didn't have much time to dwell as he continued speaking.

"I mean, that's what he says, at least.. truth is, cool pop had a son. Looked just like him. He and a few of his buddies went out to the shoreline one morning. They were gonna try and prove that you can still catch fish around here–that just because the waters are deadly, didn't mean the fish were. Keep this island from runnin' outta food. Didn't exactly end well. Youngest was only twenty-one."

"Oh.." Luna stared wide-eyed at the man after he finished explaining the grim story. So even the fish were deadly. These people were in even more of a rut than she had initially imagined.

She looked towards the stage at the two men dancing in a seemingly graceful waltz. They were surprisingly good, cool pop leading and dragging Dazai by the wrist. People were beginning to crowd around them. Luna studied them.

This place was full of ex-pirates, yet Dazai seemed to fit in with them perfectly. However, there was one thing Luna couldn't help but notice; none of them really fit the description she had once read about them. Pirates were supposedly ruthless crooks who stole goods, land, and valuables from people. These people certainly looked the part, but the way they acted was a stark contrast. These people were actually... nice.

The little girl suddenly tugged on Luna's pant legs again, reaching her arms up and looking up at the woman while opening and closing her little palms. Luna's eyes widened for a moment, but she couldn't help herself from smiling a little. She reached down and picked the toddler up, placing her on her lap.

"What's your name, little one?"

"That's my Delilah," The man answered, raising his glass slightly before drinking from it. "And I'm Brigg."

Delilah's eyes fixated on Luna's neck, and her little fingers began fiddling with the pendant on her necklace.

"Pretty.." The girl said quietly.

Luna watched the girl's fingers wrap around the turquoise pendant, pulling on it slightly. "It is pretty, huh? It was a gift from my mother."

"Gift.." The girl repeated.

Luna reached a hand behind her neck, unclipping the necklace and setting it in Delilah's hands. The pendant was almost as big as her palms. She looked up at Luna, her little eyes sparkling with joy, and she let out a small sound of excitement. She began trying to put the necklace on herself.

"She's such a prima donna." Brigg watched his daughter, chuckling slightly and shaking his head.

Delilah's attention turned to her father now. "Cake.. I want cake." She said, reaching a hand towards the plate of red velvet cake on the countertop and thus proving her father's point further.

Luna's eyes flicked to Brigg, as if silently asking for approval. He nodded once, and she got up from the stool, lowering Delilah onto his lap. The little girl immediately began digging her fingers in the slice of cake.

"Don't be a dirty mutt now, use the fork." Brigg took the fork and handed it to her.

Luna couldn't help but recall Marina's words as she watched the scene taking place in front of her.

'...the vile creatures that stole our lives from us.'

She narrowed her eyes a bit.

That just can't be true..

These 'creatures', Luna realized, were people with lives. Lives, families, and hearts of their own, trying to make sense of their world just as she was. These were the people who supposedly killed her family, but why didn't she feel any animosity? How would Marina act if she saw this right now?

She wondered what Marina was doing. She had no doubt that she'd woken up by now to find her gone. She would be worried in any other case, but just before she'd left, she'd written a note and left it at her bedside.

'Not going north, I know that's what you'll think first. Do not look for me. I'm coming back in one day.'

She knew her sister was smart. That was the only assurance she needed. But if she didn't make it back the next day, then she knew there'd be a problem.

"I heard this village was raided a few years ago.. but by who?" Luna suddenly asked the man, curiosity eating away at her.

"Ah.. I'm sure you've heard of them." Brigg said, a small smile tugging at his lips, yet his eyes were darkening.

"That notorious gang'a'crooks. The Port Mafia."

The tiniest chill ran down Luna's spine at those words. A mafia group? She'd had a few encounters underwater with a mafia group when she was small. She never saw them up close, but they'd managed to get on her parent's property a few times. Attempted kidnappings. To be a member of a group like that, you had to have some sort of issues.

Clearly those kinds of groups existed up here too. Luna looked around for a moment. If this group in particular had managed to bring these guys down, just how dangerous really were they?

"They've been playin' dirty over these past few years," Brigg continued. "But I bet ya they'll get everything that's comin' to them."

Before their conversation could continue, Luna felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned around.

"It's time to go, little lady." Dazai said, a half smile on his face.