Chapter Text
Boris stuck close to Mugman as the pair made their way through the streets of Tortuga. It seemed different than what Bendy had described during one of the few story's he'd told Boris. Vendors yelled at everyone passing by trying sell their wares and/or fish. From what Bendy had told him the streets were full of drunkards, while there were a few it wasn't as bad as the demon had described. Perhaps they were all sleeping somewhere?
Every so often a rather scantly clad human or illusie woman called out to them. Mugman ignored them all, and while Boris tried to it was rather hard with how the street walkers tried to 'entice them'. Making sure to put the main assets on their chests on display, not fully but enough.
"If you are hoping to satisfy your urges, I would rather you wait until after our business is done." Mugman spoke so suddenly after being quiet for so long it caused the wolf to jump.
"I'm… I wasn't.." Boris shook his head, pale face having gone pink with embarrassment. A few
"I understand if you wish to go have your fun." Mugman said. "You are a young man after all, illusie or human other wise. I'm sure a handsome young wolf such as yourself-"
"I DON'T LIKE THAT SORT OF THING!" Boris yelled out causing the busy street to quiet for a moment or two, before everyone continued their business.
Mugman had stopped turning to face the wolf, he was slightly taken aback by the tall wolf's now hunched form. Long arms wrapped around himself and tail wrapped around his legs almost defensively as his ears were pinned back against his head. Mugman let out a small sigh as he walked toward the younger man. Closer now he could see the other was trembling slightly.
"Alright, I apologize for assuming." Mugman tried to sooth the slightly panicking wolf. "It is rather rare to see someone who isn't interested in such things."
Boris let out a small breath as he looked at the mug headed pirate. "I… I've never been interested in anything like that. I grew up in a local tavern, the Ink Tavern, while Bendy was at sea. I had enough seeing the working girls there take clients. Some barely waited until they got into a room, some didn't even make it that far. Using any empty space or alcove that was just out of sight."
Mugman arched a brow, "You grew up in an environment like that?"
"Yes, Bendy was going to sea and I was still too young to go even though I was just two years younger." Boris nodded. "He worried I'd get hurt out there so he asked Betty to take care of me til he got back. Being around that, seeing the girls and even Betty work.. it just killed any interest I had in that sort of thing. I guess you think I'm strange, huh?"
Mugman stared up at the taller wolf for a moment before shaking his head. "If you are strange for your aversion to sexual intercourse of any kind, then I would be as well." Boris turned his gaze back toward the pirate in surprise. "Come, we are wasting time."
Boris watched for a second or two before hurrying after the man. He guessed there were people with the same feelings as him. The two walked a ways further down the road, the crowds had started getting thinner as they finally came to a shop. The front window was filled with jars full of colorful liquids, some not so much. Mugman pushed the door open and stepped inside, waving Boris in after him.
"Teakel, are you in?" Mugman called into the shop.
Boris glanced around in shock, for an apothecary it seemed rather welcoming almost cozy. Multiple lanterns hung around adding extra light to the space. Much like the window colorful jars lined the many shelves. The apothecary at Port Royale looked very different than this. Darker and certainly not as welcoming. It didn't help the keeper was a bat illusie.
"Is that you, Mugman? You are back sooner than I expected. Has your brother gotten into a scrap again?" A voice called out from the back of the shop. From the back came a rather odd looking illusie, for one they were a skeleton with a parrot skull-noticeably with a crack in their beak-and keeping the bones in place was a void of a body lined in gold, the ichorous matter as as lively as living ink around their head. They seemed relatively put together, though his singed and tattered coat tail and collar had definitely seen better days.
"Thankfully not this time." Mugman shook his head as he approached the other man. "I am here for extra supplies for my new student here."
The man, Teakel, Boris assumed came closer as well and shook the pirate's hand. "Student you say? Well that is certainly a first for you." Teakel 'glances' at Boris. It felt as if the man's glowing eyes could look into his soul if Boris stared in them for too long. "I'm assuming you?"
"Um..y-yes sir." Boris nodded. "I'm Boris Stein."
Teakel's fire seemed to flicker for just a second at the young man's last name. "Stein. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
"Did you know my father Henry?" Boris suddenly asked.
"Henry? No, young man, I knew of the Stein family but no one specific." Teakel shook his head. "I am curious are you the only member of the Stein blood line?"
"Oh I'm not blood." Boris shook his head. "My brother Bendy is, I was taken in as a pup."
"Ah, I see." Teakel nodded, Boris wasn't sure but he swore the man looked as if he wanted to say more. Instead he turned his attention onto Mugman. "Well then what will you be needing?"
"A bit of everything really, we are starting from the basics." Mugman replied as he pulled out a list.
"I see, that is quite a lot." Teakel glanced from the list to the pirate. "Well lets get you sorted, I also have some new ingredients from the latest shipment you might be interested in."
"Really now? Well lets go have a look." Mugman stated, his expression seemed a bit eager at the thought of new ingredients. He glanced over at Boris. "You stay here, browse around if you wish. There may be some ingredients you might like to work with, but try not to break anything."
Before Boris could protest, the two left him alone in the front of the shop. Boris just sighed in a resigned manner as he did as told. It was roughly thirty minutes later that the pair of them walked out of the shop with their purchases. From his shop window Teakel watched them leave, more pointedly he watched Boris.
"Hmm, Stein eh? Not by blood but blood doesn't always matter for that family." Teakel stated aloud to himself. "I wonder if Connor's 'treasures' found their way into their hands yet."
Some ways away in a clothing shop…
"Do ya really need all of this?" Cuphead groaned as he shifted the small pile of clothes around he'd been forced to carry. They'd been at this for nearly thirty minutes now, the demon was very.. picky about the clothes he was getting for himself and his siblings. He was as bad as a high born lady. "We're gonna be at sea most of the time anyways, plus you're gonna get dirty at some point."
"I am aware of that, but you never know when more sophisticated clothing will be required." Bendy retorted as he held a shirt up to inspect, it looked way to big to be for him so it must be for that wolf brother of his. Cuphead made a noise of protest as the shirt was added to the pile. Bendy smirked at him over his shoulder as he continued down the small asile. "Now be a good clothes wrack and don't drop any of that."
If I didn't have a thing for him.. Cuphead thought slightly annoyed. He could be drinking by now but nooo he was clothes shopping like a woman! He could have pushed the issue, could have let the demon go off on his own like he wanted. Why'd he let himself get dragged part way down the street like some dog? Cuphead thought about saying the hell with it and was about to toss the clothes. Then he looked toward Bendy, the mid morning sun shone through the open window. The light caught on his dark skin gave it a golden glow. Hed picked up a dress that Cuphead assumed was for his sister and smiled, it was a soft natural one that the pirate only saw directed at the demons siblings.
Oh.. that was why.
A slightly dopey smile stretched across his face as he stared at the gorgeous demon. Cuphead didn't really know why he was drawn to the other the way he was. The young man's beauty was a definite bonus but it wasn't the only reason surely. He thought back to the day he first saw the demon years ago on that flower's ship. They had just been at sea for a fair few years by then, during one of their trips they ran across Dandy's ship. Cuphead had jumped into the fray having the time of his life as he always did. And then Cupid's arrow hit him in the form of Bendy's foot connecting with his gut. He was ready to get up and stab and/or shoot whoever had kicked him, then he froze standing over him was the most beautiful demon he'd ever seen. That angry expression as he pointed the tip of his sword at Cuphead's throat, the way the sun caught on his inky skin. The pirate was smitten right then and there. Mugs always talked about the love at first sight scenarios in those romance books he used to read. Cuphead never thought it was true, until he saw that demon in the throughs of battle. The man's attention didn't stay focused on him for long getting back into the fray but Cuphead? He couldn't move or even get himself back up to fight. It was like his body had completely locked up, not moving until a little bit later when Mugs had gotten their ship and crew away from the other ship. Mugs had been worried Cuphead was injured until his brother had gotten up completely fine and ran for the railing watching the ship disappear over the horizon. The demon unknowingly taking the captain's heart with him. Since then the older Kettle twin had been keeping an eye out for Dandy's ship, hoping to convince the demon to join their crew.
His hopes had raised a bit when he heard through the grape vine that the demon on Dandy's crew had resigned in a rather intense way. Cuphead had been ecstatic! That would make it easier to recruit the demon, but his hope turned to disappointment the longer he looked with no signs of the demon. And then he saw him again at that tavern in Port Royale, finally. Just as beautiful as he remembered.
"I think that's everything." Bendy's voice broke the pirate from his thoughts. "We should be good now for a while, long as no canon balls find their way into the drawers."
"Eh, so far none have." Cuphead stated.
The pair made their way to the main counter where Cuphead set the pile down. The shop owner, a rather ruddy faced human, smiled as he started writing up the clothes.
"I hope you two found what you needed." The man said.
"Aye, we did." Bendy nodded. He looked at the counter noticing there were some weapons for sale. Perhaps he should get himself and his siblings some weapons. It was then his eye caught the shine of a sword pommel. It looked familiar but.. surely it wasn't.
While the man was totaling up his purchases, Bendy walked closer to the barrel and his breath caught in his throat. Upon closer inspection of the pommel he was right. It was his old sword; Bendy pulled the blade out and unsheathed it the sound catching Cuphead's attention. The pirate glanced over at the blade in Bendy's hand, taking note of the look of recognition on the demon's face. The blade was a saber style the length of Bendy's arm, the metal was polished silver with a scimitar end. A basket guard covered the demon's hand molded into a vine design. As the demon began swinging it around in familiar motions, Cuphead realized it was Bendy's old sword. He only saw it once but he never forgot it. He watched the man for a moment or two, it was as if the demon was returning to himself.
"That yours?" Cuphead asked for confirmation.
"Aye," Bendy nodded. "I.. left it behind when I went back home. I didn't want it linked to my life as a pirate, it'd put my brother at risk. I can't believe it's here."
"Oh, the blade belongs to you, Sir?" The clerk asked. "It was sold to me rather cheap by one of Captain Dandicous's men. They told me it wasn't worth much."
Bendy felt his blood boil a bit at that. Not worth much? He had spend HOURS designing this blade specifically for himself. He even learned how to forge it here in Tortuga, he made this sword with his own two hands. And Dandy's man said it wasn't worth much? Bendy sheathed the blade and turned to the counter.
"How much for it?" Bendy asked.
"Well… there's the normal fee along with original owner's fee." the man stated. Bendy could see the greed forming on the man's face. "I'd say about a hundred gold."
"A hundred?!" Bendy yelled in shock. "I told you this blade belongs to me."
"You did, but see you left it behind by your own admission. Therefore it no longer belongs to you but to whomever owns it, which at the moment is me." The man grinned at him. "So a hundred gold it is."
Bendy glared at the man, before nodding. "Fine. What's the total right now?"
"Well with the sword price, it comes to three hundred." The man replied. Bendy balked a bit at that. Three hundred?! He only had two!
"This is robbery." Bendy growled.
"I call it business." The man shrugged. "Man's gotta eat. Do you want the blade or no?"
Before Bendy could reply, Cuphead dropped a bag of coins onto the counter. His red eyes glaring at the man. "We'll take it. Should be enough in there to pay for everything and keep your greed fed."
The man looked up at Cuphead a little skeptical until he looked into the bag. Bendy could practically see the avarice flashing in the man's eyes as he grinned.
"Sold!" The man stated.
"Pleasure doing business with ye." Cuphead nodded. "If you could wrap up these clothes for us and send them to our vessel that'd be great."
"But of course, sir!" The man nodded. "What vessel are they going to?"
Bendy noted the sharp grin that spread across the cup's face as he replied. "Oh just a simple vessel, called the Collector." The captain's grin got just a bit wider as the man's face paled at the name.
"Then..you are.." The man started to say fearfully.
"Shhh, we wouldn't want to draw attention to your little shop would we?" Cuphead shushed the human. "Just do as I asked and you'll be fine."
"Yea.. o-of course sir." The man nodded as he set about wrapping up the clothes.
Cuphead wrapped his arm around Bendy's shoulder and lead him out of the shop. Once out on the street Bendy shoved it off.
"You didn't have to do that." Bendy said looking up at the pirate.
"Aye, I know but I also know as fellow pirate even an ex one, the bond with a blade is a special thing." Cuphead retorted. "That old partner of yours should have known better than sell something so precious."
Bendy's hand tightened on the sheath. "Its not like he thought I was coming back, after how I left. I… suppose a thank you is in order. For buying it back for me."
"It was truely my pleasure, Darlin." The man's smile was natural and.. rather kind. Bendy started to think that maybe he wasn't so bad, until that annoyingly familiar lecherous grin appeared on his face. "Course you could always pay me back with a nice dinner, or a kiss."
The white of Bendy's face turned scarlet at the man's words. He drew his now returned sword. "You Perverted bastard!"
"You, Demon!" A voice called out from the left side of the street. The voice caught the pair's attention, there stood a human with several other human sailors. All of them brandished weapons of some kind and looked rather angry. "I knew it was you, Demon of the Sea. Finally showing yer ugly mug here again after all this time."
"Ugly? I'll have you know he's the prettiest demon this side of the Caribbean." Cuphead stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. Bendy groaned a bit though his cheeks were still a bit red.
"After what he did with that flower bastard? I don't think so." The man sneered. "Finally yer back and without that crew so we can take our revenge on ye!"
"Look whatever I did, I..I'm sorry. I was a different-" Bendy started to explain only for a gunshot to sound, a shot grazed his cheek. The street had gone silent at the sudden noise, Bendy's ears had started ringing as he carefully lifted a hand to touch the bloody ink slowly leaking down his cheek. He could hear Cuphead cursing at the men as he drew his straw from his head turning it into his broad sword. But to Bendy it sounded far away.
"You scurvy dogs! Ye won't be fit to be shark bait by the time I'm done with ye!" Cuphead snarled.
"Ha! Like ye could!" The man laughed. "There's a whole herd of us and only two of ye. If ye know what's good for ye, ye'd leave that demon bastard to us."
Cuphead's soul liquid started to boil a bit as he got angrier. Then he felt Bendy's hand on his arm. "Little de-"
He cut himself off as he saw the look on the demon's face, his eyes had a slight golden glow to them.
"If they want the Demon of the sea, then I'll give it to them." Bendy snarled his teeth a bit sharper.
There he is. Cuphead thought with some excitement. The Demon of the Sea had returned to the surface.
"I'll be happy to give you a hand, Darlin, haven't had a proper fight in a bit." Cuphead offered.
Bendy side eye'd him as he drew his returned blade. "Just don't get in my way."
The two then lunged at the crowd of men.
*
Shelly looked around the shop in excitement, there were so many maps and navigation tools on display. More than she'd ever seen at Astro's shop.
"I just want to buy all of it!" Shelly said dreamily. Pebble arfed from her arms in agreement.
"Sadly ye can't." Hilda stated as she walked around the shell headed girl and her rock dog, she was headed for the very back counter. "Keep up, I'm only in here for one thing then we're leaving. If ye see something ye want get it before we leave."
"Alright!" Shelly smiled as she started looking around for something. Eventually she did spot a leather-bound journal, that was the one thing she'd completely forgotten to grab when she hurried out of the shop back home. She hoped it wasn't an expensive one.
Grabbing up the book, Shelly and Pebble made their way to the counter where Hilda was talking with the shop owner. The man had a compass shaped head, fitting for this shop. He was showing Hilda a sextant, it shone as if it was brand new.
"And you won't find a better tool, Miss Hilda." The man said cheerily. "It is calibrated to perfection, you won't get lost at all!"
"That's what ye've been saying." Hilda nodded. "It doesn't look to be damaged or anything."
As Shelly got closer she looked at the sextant, upon closer inspection she realizes something seemed off with it. The dials seemed almost crooked, it was off just by a few inches and that would be all it'd take to be lost.
"Miss Hilda, that sextant is off." Shelly spoke up. "Its not by much but still."
The man looked at her indignantly, "How dare you question my equipment! This sextant was shiped here directly from England!"
"Then it must have gotten damaged on the journey." Shelly stated as she took the tool from Hilda. "See? This dial here is off by just a few inches but its enough to throw off the course."
"What would you know, Girl?" The man snapped as he snatched the tool back. "This tool is perfectly fine!"
Hilda looked from the girl to the man. "Ye sure ye checked yer stock after it was delivered?"
"Wha-! Of course I did!" The man looked affronted. "Miss Hilda, are you truly going to take the word of some girl over me? Surely not."
"Depends on how many items ye have sold me in the past that were actually damaged." Hilda retorted. When the man didn't reply she let out a snort as she dropped the equipment on the counter carelessly. "I think I'll take my business to someone more honest. C'mon, Shelly."
Shelly offered the man an apologetic smile, "Sorry."
"Sorry!? You cost me my business you bitch!" The man snarled as he started to reach out for Shelly, specifically her neck. Pebble barked at the man in defense of Shelly, the man ignored the dog and kept reaching for her. He froze at the sudden gun pointed at his forehead.
"I wouldn't do that, mate, if ye know what's good for ye." Hilda stated suddenly between the two. "Learn to take yer losses with some dignity. Let's go." Hilda put her gun away as she grabbed Shelly by the arm and pulled her out of the building all the while grumbling about the man possibly cheating her out of gold for years.
"I didn't pay for my journal." Shelly gestured to the book in her hands.
"Call it is apology for trying to put his hands on you." Hilda snorted. "Are ye alright?"
"Yes, thank you, Miss Hilda." Shelly spoke up as they came out onto the streets.
"He should know better than to act like that with me there." Hilda sniffed. "And Hilda is just fine."
Shelly nodded in understanding. She perked up a bit as she spotted Boris and the quartermaster coming toward them up the street. Boris was carrying a couple packages as was the other kettle brother.
"Boris! How was your shopping?" She asked as the pair got closer.
"Fine, got what we needed." Boris replied. "What about you?"
"Oh the shop keep was shelling damaged equipment trying to pass it off as new." Shelly waved off his question.
"Was he now?" Mugman questioned as he looked at Hilda. "I hope he isn't operating anymore especially if he was selling you bad equipment."
"Don't worry about that, Quartermaster, I'll take care of it later." Hilda said. Boris didn't like the rather murderous look in the illusie woman's eyes, but it wasn't like he could stop her.
"I guess we head back to the ship now?" Boris asked.
"If you wish, there isn't anything else I wish nor need to do." Mugman said.
"Aye, I need to check what all I've bought from that swindler." Hilda nodded.
"Aw but I want to explore more!" Shelly protested. Pebble barked in agreement.
"This town is not exactly the friendliest especially when it starts to get dark." Mugman shook his head.
"He's right, Shelly." Hilda agreed. "Even during the day this place isn't the safest, especially for the ones unfamiliar with it. Ye and yer brother should get back to the ship."
Shelly pouted but nodded in agreement. "Fine. Hey speaking of brother's where is Bendy?"
Before anyone could reply there came yelling and gunfire. As they looked toward the sound of the commotion, they saw Bendy yelling obscenities from where he was being carried on Cuphead's shoulder. Not far behind the men was a crowd of angry sailors, some shooting at them while others yelled waving swords. The group… just blinked in surprise not sure what to make of the scene.