The God's Game

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An asshole.

" aaaaa" the boy broke into a radiant grin and clapped his hands loudly like a monkey. " I keep forgetting he goes by that fancy name now"

"What was he called before?" River probed. Chipper only swatted his filthy hand furiously in response, as if to cover up his previous words with air.

"It's a dead name ay, dead and gone "he laughed awkwardly "If he catches me talking nonsense to Sista," the boy shuddered visibly, probably imaging Raven fuming out his nostrills like an angry bull. "he will poke my eye out too."

River tilted his head and batted his lashes, the very image of a bimbo. "He would?"

Chipper scratched his head, baffled. "why! He is scary when he is angry!" He inched closer to River and lowered his voice to a whisper "Once he got into a fight at a bar ay? I collected thirteen teeth off the floor!"

"Aiya!" River clutched his chest and blew his eyes wide in mock surprise. "How crude! No wander people fear his mighty, scary name which is.."

"Captain Raven Black!" Chipper muttered, voice dripping with fearful respect, like he was mentioning an evil entity that could be summoned by name alone. "We don't mess with him, Ay"

Gotcha.

The boy did not seem to notice the slip. He kept babbling with vigor. He pointed a stick -like finger at the hull of the ship. "You see that black colored strip on Clementine ?"

River had indeed noticed the peculiar black colored strip long before Chipper mentioned it. He pondered over its purpose for a while and assumed it was only there to be aesthetically pleasing. The conspicuous paint stripe was anything but pretty, though. It was quite an eyesore in River's humble opinion but then again, sailors were not known for their taste in classy decoration.

"He is the Captain of all the ships that bear a similar mark "Chipper explained, preening, his admiration for the older man palpable in his voice. "How many ships you ask? Over hundred!"

River scrutinized the black paint stripe on the majestic wooden hull and felt his brows creasing. A king owning a fleet of over hundred ships were nothing to write home about. Still, no king bore the title of Captain of the vessels. Normally a hired person would do the back breaking job of steering while the King realxed and indulged in the luxury of the cruise.

No matter how you look at it Raven Alistair having the expertise of a seasoned sailor could not be a coincidence. No one knew where the man came from, after all. River chewed his bottom lip, making speedy deductions and connecting the dots. An illegitimate heir who first made an appearance three years ago. What was he doing before? A sailor?   

"Raven Black, you said?' He mumbled, tasting the name. Where had he heard the name before?

Chipper filched, alarmed to his marrows. His jaw slacked and he clapped a hand over his forehead " My! How did Sista know that ?"

Brother. Is your brain on a diet? Has  it lost a lot of weight?

"Magic " River deadpanned and refused to elaborate "You work under him? For how long?"

Chipper waved his hands in steadfast refusal "No, no! Im not talking about captain anymore!"

River suddenly tipped his head up, pointed at the sky and asked loudly"Is that a crow?"

Chipper covered his eyes with his palm and glanced at the direction,completely distracted. "Ay , ain't that a seagull? Crows are not white"

River nodded solemnly "Thank you, brother. You seem very knowledgeable." He watched the boy scratching the tip of his nose bashfully. He mumbled a shy thanks.