Reborn From the Cosmos

Miniarc-Bad Tidings 03

Maxine never cared for love.

She didn’t object to the idea of romance. She objected to the reality of it. Any thoughts she had of admiration for another were always accompanied by cruel rationale about the consequences of a dalliance and the impossibility of a relationship. Her father’s many conquests and Marcella’s exploits soured her opinion of the kind of people she could trust to navigate a discrete affair. Over time, she lost interest in anything aside from the theory of romance.

A lack of interest from her didn’t mean a lack of interest in her from others. As a Guiness daughter, she was used to being desired and had learned to endure greedy looks. But no experience could prepare her for the attention of her minder. She didn’t think a mere gaze could make her sick until he proved her wrong. The problem was that he didn’t desire her. He desired to use her for some purpose she didn’t care to learn the specifics of and some age-old instinct meant she could feel it like a worm squirming in her stomach whenever he got too close.

“Jack,” she greeted neutrally. A small miracle. There were few who could greet the man without cursing.

He had a deceptively average appearance; unremarkable height, the tanned pallor that dominated the population, flat features that were arranged in a way that was easily forgettable. His life hadn’t left any reminders in the form of scars or misaligned bones. If not for his scruffy appearance and the large-brimmed black leather hat that was common to sailors, he wouldn’t stand out walking the streets of the capital or anywhere else.

So long as no one looked into his eyes. No matter what expression he made, the dark orbs never changed. They were cold and cruel, revealing the soul that lurked within.

He was the kind that gave the city its bad reputation. The kind that never left the shore because the squalid city was the only place he could survive. The biggest obstacle to her plans. So long as she was dealing with people motivated by profit, Maxine was confident in finding the road to a satisfactory negotiation. Those who would reject business and progression because they wanted the city to remain a stain on the kingdom? They were like storms. Nothing to do but hold on to something and ride them out. Or even better, avoid them.

Unfortunately, avoidance wasn’t an option for her.

“Ye should use my sign,” Jack said as reached for a spare roll on the table, munching on it without regard for his visibly dirty hands. “Hundreds of Jacks on the docks, none of ‘em with a drop of proper blood. Signs mean something here.  The way your fancy name means something to the landies.”

His words were true. Sailors put a strong emphasis on their nicknames, or signs. They, especially the criminals, cared far more about an individual’s power than their predecessors. Simple strength wasn’t enough. It was about what they did with it. A sailor was defined by his feats; the harshest storm they’d survived, the biggest haul they’d brought to shore, and the nastiest villain they’d traded blows with. If anything, having a successful forbearer was detrimental, as being compared to a legend made it that much harder for their own accomplishments to stand out.

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Maxine didn’t object to the practice. Her distaste was reserved for him alone. To call him by his sign would be to acknowledge what he had done to receive it. One did not get a sign like “Hollow Jack” for doing good deeds.

“You needed something?” she asked, pushing down her fear. So long as she had the protection of his captain, he wouldn’t hurt her, but it was a thin guarantee. There was no way to truly control animals like Jack.

“Captain’s concerned about you keeping to the deal.”

She didn’t fight the frown his words summoned, wanting him to know the very idea that she would renege on an agreement offended her. “What have I done to earn such distrust?”

“Not you, little miss. Seems the hunters picked a fight with the wrong beast and got stomped to dust, along with their city.”

“…is that a joke?”

Jack chuckled. “Ye’re lucky. Much as I like leading silly little girls around, Captain’s serious bout this. He wants a meeting.”

Coldness crept down her spine. “You’re serious.”

“As a storm.” He snatched more leftover food, chewing noisily. “The city’s gone.”

A thousand questions entered her mind. Why? How? What had become of her sister and the Guiness properties? But the most pressing question was undoubtedly the state of her own affairs.

She had forged a connection to her current sponsor as a vendor. Maxine hadn’t received many benefits in her pursuit of securing Lou’s cooperation for her father, but one of them was a closer acquaintance to Howie, the genius half-goblin brewer. Before, he was a reluctant supplier for the Golden Feathers chain but his association with Lou’s family had opened his reserved nature. Her association with the Tome clan and their previous history meant he was willing to do a private contract with her, in much smaller capacity.

It wasn’t about the getting drunk, though Howie’s abilities in that regard were unmatched. It was about the utility of his brews. The drinks had effects that were almost magical. Seamen feared the cold the same as everyone else and working in storms made them prone to chills. Shroom Inferno, the name Howie gave the drink that was exceptional at warming someone up and keeping them that way, could save lives. The better condition the sailors were in, the better chances their ships returned and the better chances the captains got paid.

As she was the sole supplier of an unrivaled product, it was in her sponsor’s interest to keep her safe. Maxine counted on it, but she was only protected so long as she could keep up her end of the deal.

“When—"

“Soon as,” Jack interrupted. “Since I can’t drag ye out now, I’d appreciate ye not making me wait too long.”

“I see. Excuse me.” Maxine brusquely stood up and walked back to her room as fast as decorum would allow. Blaine and Briar followed her, Briar following her into the room while her brother remained on the door. A heavier precaution than normal but it paid to be paranoid when men like Hollow Jack lurked about.

“This going to be a problem, boss?” the female fighter asked as Maxine grabbed her papers from the small writing table in the room.

“Don’t worry. I can afford your wages.”

“Not what I asked, but good to know. I meant is whatever’s going on going to affect the job. We’ll protect ye best we can but it’d help if we knew what was coming.”

“Why would what happened have anything to do with me? I’m dozens of leagues away.”

“Bosses are always mixed up in the trouble. And ye ran from something.”

“I ran from nothing.”

The large woman’s scoff was heavy with disbelief. “Then ye know nothing?”

Maxine grabbed her coin purse before answering. “I have suspicions. If they’re right, then it really has nothing to do with me but that doesn’t mean we won’t be involved. At the very least, I’ll have to return to Quest. If there is active combat, I’ll be taking my guards with me.”

“Feels like ye’re talking around me,” Briar grumbled. “What are we fighting?”

“If it’s who I think it is? It could be anything.”