Chapter Text
A low-flying seagull veered off at the last second, changing directions and flapping away from Salia’s raised arms.
“Gah! Stupid bird!” she yelled at its retreating form. “Do I look like a fish to you?” She turned to Grevesh, who was chuckling. “Really, do I? Am I wearing something that makes me look like bird food?”
“No,” Grevesh agreed, then looked in the direction of the gull. “They taste okay, though.”
“When did you…nevermind. There they are.” The pair stopped halfway down the pier, a short walk from a group of humans loading crates onto a sailing vessel. Salia pulled a sealed envelope out of her satchel and held it up, facing Grevesh. “Last chance. You sure you want to send this? Once this goes, you lose a lot of options.” She paused briefly. “All but one, really.”
“…yes, I’m sure.” Grevesh nodded as the envelope slowly lowered. “I should have a while ago. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Right…okay. Here goes.” Salia jogged towards the end of the pier, calling out “Captain Dagam! Captain Dagam!”
The slim, bearded human turned around, surprised. “Yes? Ah, yes. You. If you’re looking for more of that tea liquor, I am actually leaving – “
“Yeah yeah, I heard. No, something much simpler. One delivery there, one passenger on the way back.” She handed over the envelope. “And we’ll pay coin up front this time, no wager.”
Dagam snorted, smiling. “Heh. Our wager worked out for me just fine, young lady. These dock workers buy every bottle I bring.” He plucked the letter from her hand. “I’ll see to it that this…” he read the name on the address, “…Kousa gets your message. Will he be the passenger?”
“Yes, captain.”
“Was he the tall human? With the furs?”
“Yes, captain.”
“I’ll see to it there’s enough rations in his cabin.” His gaze left the envelope and returned to Salia, and his smile resumed. “Don’t worry. My reputation is repeat business, and that means reliability. You’ll see him in…six weeks, maybe seven if the seas object, but that’s not up to me.”
Salia gave a quarter-bow of gratitude. “I’ll pray for your safe return, Captain Dagam.”
She returned to Grevesh’s side, stopping briefly as a sudden gust of sea air flapped her skirt. “Okay. The letter’s on its way. So, three weeks, the other letter goes to Sharra. Three more weeks, they should get here. Can you draft those plans in six weeks?”
“Yes.”
“…you could do it in six hours, couldn’t you?”
“Maybe. I was there a long time. And built some myself.”
“Alright, big guy, let’s get you something to write on. There’s a good market over gah!”
“CAW!”
“Stupid bird!”