Of White, Of Black, of Blood- Chapter 2

Alright! Ayïve is back! Oh, and please don't criticize me about the way you spell it. I know what it means, it helps you pronounce it. I took away the awful accents, but kept the kind of junky speech. They've never seen a mirror or a book before, for Goodness sake! Please read and review!

Chapter 2

Ships and Other Such Drunken Ideas

Pappito Knidd was a man of filthy hair and a terrible beard. It simply grew left, right, up, and straight down. He had never seen a pair of scissors in his life. Ayïve was taking a great personal risk to even approach Pappito Knidd’s beard that had not been washed for seven years.

“Ah, my little darling, how you doing?” asked Pappito Knidd.

“Well, making sure Hoartún doesn’t try any funny stuff, and planning to buy some chestnuts.” Offered Ayïve, following Pappito Knidd into the darkness of the building.

“Don’t you go about offending to many people, my little Aeron, or else no one else is going to pay you!” exclaimed Pappito Knidd as he started up a tilting set of stairs that appeared from nowhere.

Aeron was Pappito’s special nickname for her, short for Aeronwy. She didn’t get it- no one was called Aeronwy, just Alyss and Aer.

“Yeah. But I’ll be needing another job to keep the bread coming, Pappito. Can ‘you hook me up with someone? Ayïve asked, following him.

“I could,” he said slyly.

“Stop it, Pappito! I’m going to starve if I don’t get a job soon! They don’t my sort around here, they don’t. Please?” she begged, but with superiority. She wasn’t one to sink down a level for the elders.

“Come on, Aeron, and I’ll tell you something you’ll like.” Pappito was obviously drunk and hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

They walked and talked up the staircase for a while, Ayïve arguing amiably with Pappito about his stupid, stinky beard.

“So, is there anywhere you know that has a fat pay check?” she asked randomly.

“Finny and Berk are opening a spot for somebody to stir the camel dung in the back.” Smirked Knidd.

Ayïve gave him an awful sour look.

“And Tyman wants somebody to serve the rich merchants their wine and cheese down on the docks.” Knidd smirked even bigger.

Ayïve’s eyes widened in furry.

“And, the best yet, is the place at Jackals. They want somebody to smear themselves in jam and to the tap dance in front of an audience of scholars while singing ‘Ode to the Moon’ and-“

Ayïve smiled at him sweetly and smacked him in the face.

Pappito did a fake little gasp. They reached a door and he opened it, letting himself in first.

Ayïve walked in and sat down on top of the squeaky wooden desk that was the only other piece of furniture in the room besides a wide board with blankets piled on top of it to form a bed. A shattered window lay behind the desk, showing the dreary view of the foul alleyway.

Pappito sat down in a creaking chair behind the desk and cracked his bony knuckles. From under the desk he brought forth a bottle of beer and uncapped it with a pop!

In truth, Pappito Knidd was not her pappito at all. He was a good old friend…well, may be not that good. He was rarely within his wits, for he always spent his pay check on whiskey and vodka. He was a dealer in the black market: anything alive, dead, or stationary that could be traded legally or illegally could pass through his hands and turn in to cold, hard, cash. He lived in one room in this abandoned apartment building that had no owner, for he had scavenged it out and stood his ground ever since. He was a cold trader: you come, you go. He helps you, you pay up. They knew each other through Ayïve’s ten year old days in the burglary department.

“So, what do you have to tell me?” asked Ayïve as she crossed her legs in an impromptu fashion.

“Ah, you’re to fast, Aeron! This old man has to catch up. And calm down” He said, torturing Ayïve, for he spoke long and slowly and slurred his words in a practiced fashion and took the bottle to his lips with relish.

“Just get to the point” prompted Ayïve.

“So, I need someone to help me in the business, Aeron. “You could help me.” He offered kindly and smiled through broken and yellowed teeth. Drink still dripped in his mouth.

“What I’d be doing, Pappito?” asked Ayïve, then added under her breath “Stealing chickens, selling children, forging signatures? The nasty thief.”

“Nothing much. Ain’t hard work. There will be a bit of thievery involved, you know that, and a little honest tricks, but no harm done, eh?” he answered her with a wink.

Ayïve distinctly saw him take a large slurp from the bottle and observed the pink tinge that appeared in his cheeks.

“Well, I got another bit o news for you’” said Pappito.

“What?”

“They got a new trade up East. Something to do with Polar Charter and demon infestation. I think the old hags at Gazelle going to import some mighty good stuff if the trade goes well.”

“Do I look scientific to you?” asked Ayïve with sarcasm. She’d seen a high and mighty scientist at work in Gazelle once. She didn’t care for the white coats and glasses that made you look like a bug.

“Ah well, then I ain’t got no more advice…” said Pappito, taking another swig of beer.

“Pappito!” said Ayïve and gave him a sharp slap on the hand that reached for yet another sip of alcohol. She wanted him within his best senses. “That ain’t all. I know you. You ain’t stupid, you’re sly. Now feed up.”

“Well, little Aeron, first things a first. You are too impudent for yourself, correct?” said Pappito, irritating Ayïve. He waggled his finger dazedly.

“Um, excuse me!” she said, surprisingly sassy.

“So, you don’t get along with bossy bosses, correct?” The pink tinge in his face had turned red.

“Correct again, slime beard” she muttered under her breath. The drunken man ignored her.

“Well, what if I told you there’s a job where there ain’t no bossy bosses and there ain’t no chance of you getting fired until you’ve escaped?” Slurp went the bottle.

Ayïve suddenly sat up straight. Escape?

“Pappito, do you mean…” she said in a hushed whisper.

Again, he could not hear her.

“Yes, you say? Good, that gonna…cost you…” he began to murmur sleepily. The alcohol was taking its toll.

Ayïve leaped over to his side and shook him. “Yeah?”

“Six kings! Yeah, I deal harsh…big old ship…made of strong wood. Five kings you say? No…Lady’s name…” he was beginning to go to sleep in his drunkenness.

“Pappito! PAPPITO!” Ayïve yelled in desperation, shaking him harshly.

“Ayïve! Well, the plan is that you will hide. Grama Dilla…Hmm, yes…fine ship, she is…my little Aeron, you’ll be a good…” he was slipping away faster now.

“What, Pappito!” Ayïve cried, and slapped him.

“Good roomy trader’s ship…going to Quest…Port Janine…you’ll make a good girl…aboard…the…”

“Yes, yes!” cried Ayïve excitedly “Aboard what?”

“Aboard…the Freiheit. Ninth nine. Good night, Isabel…” and he was asleep, snoring loudly.

Ayïve waited quietly beside him and dragged him out of his chair.

“AYIVE!”

Ayïve was so surprised she jumped and hit her tailbone. She forgot the pain and waited anxiously.

“DAMN STUPID! WHEN I GROW UP, IDJIT, I’M GOING TO BE KIND AN’ …” the repulsive man nodded of again.

Disgusted, Ayïve stepped away from Pappito Knidd. She leapt to the window and held on to a piece of bent iron protruding from the wall. Nimbly she hopped out of the window and scaled the wall in seconds, grabbing on to knobs and holes. She jumped down onto the vile alley and could see Pappito’s jacket corner sticking out from the window. The boys were no longer there; no doubt they ran for it when they awoke. She hurried away, thinking.

What had Pappito meant? Had he meant what she thought he had meant? If he did, Ayïve knew that tomorrow, Freiheit the trader’s ship was leaving Port Janine.

She had wanted to escape this hellhole for five years, this monster trap cunningly disguised so that everyone was a slave, an uneducated criminal that obeyed and never understood.

Her wish was about to become reality. The Lady Freiheit would be leaving with her aboard.

Ayïve new that she did not have enough money to buy a ticket to Krea, or anywhere. She wasn’t even supposed to know about the true Gazelle.

She’d be going as a stowaway.

It's long, yes. But hopefully not to long. Remember to please read chapter 1 beforehand, it makes it easier on the characters.