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“So then…let me see if I ‘ave this straight then.” The dark-haired Miqo’te swirled the tankard in her hand thoughtfully, a scowl on her face as she paced in front of the table where Katsum sat, “Yer G’rajaooh Tia’s daughter ya said…”
Katsum nodded.
“An’ ye came here from yer…kingdom on an island in t’ middle o’ t’’ sea that is…surrounded by storms, aye?”
Again, she nodded.
“T’ find his birth tribe an’ hopefully his family ‘cause ye had nowhere else t’ go. ‘ave I got it all right so far?” The woman didn’t even wait for a response, raising her tankard to her lips to take a long drink of whatever it was. Katsum was sure it was a kind of alcohol judging by the pub they sat in, but knew nothing more than that and was not about to ask questions. The woman slammed the tankard down after a few moments, noticing how Katsum did not flinch, grinning and chuckling as she pulled out a chair and plopped herself down in front of the young, light-haired Miqo’te, “Well, ye don’ seem t’ startle easy fer as young as ye are. Maybe ye are me niece aft all.”
Katsum blinked in surprise at this, “Wait, you said you knew my father, but you mean that…Why did he never tell me about a sister?”
“Prolly ‘cause he didn’ like me, dear. Not a good wench with good morals like dear ole Dad dear. Quite th’ opposite,” Her grin widened with satisfaction as she lifted the tankard for another gulp, “Which is funny ‘cause in that logic, ‘twas ‘im that was th’ black sheep, not me.”
A look of total confusion covered Katsum’s features, and something in the back of her mind made he start to feel uncomfortable. She felt the woman watching her, felt the eyes of the other members of her party from across the room staring at her. Her eyes and ears began to shift about her to catch any odd sounds around her, growing more uneasy by the second. Her gaze met with the woman’s again, seeing the dark-haired Miqo’te’s eyes narrow as she watched her. Then she leaned forward, causing Katsum to lean back.
“Tell me, lass,” She set her empty tankard down and leaned her elbows on the table eyeing the young woman, “Wha’ did yer father tell ye o’ his birth tribe? Wha’ did he say was th’ reason fer ‘im leavin’?”
“He…actually didn’t really say much. He of course said he was from La Noseca, on the Eastern shores, which is what lead me here. And he said that he and the few other Miqo’te that came with him were treasure hunters before they came to the island, skilled seafarers looking for hidden riches left behind by shipwrecks.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, “Anythin’ about bein’ disowned by his family an’ kicked out o’ th’ tribe?”
Katsum’s eyes widened, “What?”
“Well I suppose tha’s a bit dramatic actually. ‘twas his leavin’ that caused th’ tribe t’ disband aft all…” She sighed, rasing a hand for another drink and a waitress nearby scurried quickly to go and get one, “Alright, look. Yer father was a rare sort. Smart, courageous, highly skilled in fightin’ an’ in pilotin’ a ship. He would ‘ave been th’ perfect Nunh had he not decided he didn’ quite like th’ idear o’ a tribe o’ women only lovin’ one man.” She gauged Katsum’s shocked expression and chuckled, “I see he didn’ explain how that works either, but ye hang around here long enough, ye’ll figure it out. Ye’re a smart lass.”
The waitress from before arrived then and set a new mug in front of the woman, quickly grabbing the empty one and scurrying away before a word could be said. Katsum blinked in question, and the other woman only muttered in amusement. She picked up the newly filled tankard and continued, “Lon’ story short, yer father got where he’d had enough bein’ talked down to an’ pushed aroun’ so gathered his thin’s an’ left. Ne’er looked back an’ ne’er saw ‘im again. We all assumed he an’ his wee band o’ misfit followers died out thar on th’ seas…An’ yet here ye be. Th’ daughter o’ me long lost brother. Settled down an’ got ‘imself a castle, did he? Wha’ a lucky wee bugger.” She tipped her head back as she lifted the mug for a good swig of alcohol.
It made sense now. Her father had always said that he didn’t like to remember where he came from and how he used to live, but he’d never told her why. He’d only said that only she and her mother mattered to him now. He’d never mentioned any of his family other than the only other Miqo’te on the isle, those that had come with him to live in peace. Now, she was starting to see why. These were pirates after all, and she knew every one of them was eyeing the golden necklace with the blood red gem around her necklace like flacons staring down their prey. Her hand reached up to be sure it was still there, her eyes darkening as she watched every move the woman made now.
And of course she noticed, “Figurin’ it all out now are ye? A smart lass, aye, but ye’ve got t’ be quicker than that if ye’re goin’ t’ survived in these lands here.”
Katsum froze, reaching for the shortsword’s pommel in response as the woman took another took another drink, expecting an attack for some sort. The woman sighed and shook her head, “Girl, if I’d o’ wanted t’ rob ye or hurt ye, I would ‘ave already done so by now without tellin’ ye all that I ‘ave. Calm yerself. This one time ye don’ ‘ave t’ worry yer pretty wee head about bein’ attacked.”
Katsum remained on edge, but let go of her sword.
The woman shrugged, “Fair ‘nough. Tell ye wha’. I owed yer dear Daddy a favor way back when,” She had an annoyed expression on her face as she said that, “An’while I ain’t th’ type t’ keep scores straight an’ fair…what he did gave me wha’ I ‘ave now, an’ so bein’ Llymlaen’s jus’ give me th’ perfect way t’ balance th’ scales again an’ ‘ave me debts paid. In honor o’ yer father, I’ll help ye.”
This dumbfounded the young Miqo’te, “Wait are you saying-”
“Don’ get it twist’d, girl! I’ll help ye get on yer feet, find some Gil an’ get somewhere ye can make a life fer yer self, but tha’s all! Cause thar’s no free hand outs here, dear, ye understand?”
Katsum nods.
“Ye’re not afeared t’ work hard are ye? T’ fight fer the right t’ live an’ breathe amongst th’ hundreds o’ others in these countries?”
Katsum again nods, “I’ll do what I must to survive and keep my family’s legacy going. I survived this long for a reason…and I shan’t let it go to waste.”
The woman grinned amusingly, “How very noble. Raised ya t’ be a knight er somthin’. I might know of jus’ the place fer ye then. An’ it ain’t Limsa.” She lifted the tankard again tipping it all the way back and finishing it off and set it upside down on the table to show she did not want any more.
“Regardless, ye’ll do alright. An’ me Gil won’t be wasted.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out two small sacks of what Katsum guessed was coin, placing one on top of the tankard and the other she threw in front of her, “Find ye somewhere t’ sleep for the night and find ye some new clothes. What ye’re wearing is to rich looking for a lass with no money to ‘er name. Will draw much unwanted attention.” She stood to her feet and gave Katsum a blank look, “Meet me back ‘ere in the mornin’ and we’ll set up yer journey to Thanalan.” She turned to go.
“Wait!” She paused and looked back at Katsum curiously, “I just…wanted to say thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. ‘Tis only cause of me debt that I offer ya help. An’ aft tomorrow, ye an’ I wont see each other again, savvy?”
Katsum sighs, but nods, “Can I at least know your name? As Father never told me.”
“Does it really matter, lass?”
“Perhaps not to you, but to me, yes.”
“Heh…Jus’ like yer Dad…fine. Name’s G’rarsu. An’ that’s th’ name o’ th’ pirate ye won’t hear from again aft ye’re on yer way. Mark me words.” And with that, she turned and went to join back with her crew mates, leaving young Katsum alone to her thoughts, a hand still shielding her Draic necklace from prying eyes.