07; "How Can I Repay You?"

In this chapter, here, Toube is asked to take Tania, a girl whom he just met, with him onto the sea. Which, in pirate eyes, is bad luck.

  The old man shifted in his seat, proposing that his tale would be a long one. "Near 40,000 miles away from here, in the northwest, there is the Portland of Alabastor. There in that port, you need to find an old woman named Bonnie, and ask her for the key to the Maysla Bell Tower. If she questions your reason for wanting the key, tell her Charles Vasquez sent you, she should hand it right over." The elderly man stopped for a moment to breath, " From there, you'll want to continue in-land to a town called Rustboro. Then, you need to plunge into the woods, that lay right inside the bounds of the town, there somewhere in those woods should be the Maysla Cave. Enter the cave, and search for a wood cellar door. The key opens that door. Then, you will have entered the old Church of Maysla that was hidden from the protesters, whom once rebelled and tried to burn down any church that didn't worship their sun god. Once inside the church, you must search through the four stories of the church for the bell tower. Under the floor boards of that tower, lies what you seek."

 Leaning back in his seat, Toube felt reassured. He had his directions, all he had to do was get Captain Ross to believe him. But, something didn't feel right to Toube, then it hit him; "How can I repay you?" Toube asked, shaking the man's hand again as to thank him. Tania, who had been listening to her father that whole time, exchanged glances with her father. "Toube, I want to come with you." Tania looked Toube in the eyes, her stare was icy, yet gorgeous. "I have the story memorized, I grew up on that tale. If I come with you, you'll be less likely to get lost." Tania added. The last spoon full of soup that Toube was pouring into his mouth spilled out when he gawked at her, had she really meant what she asked? "T-Tania... Please realize, that being a pirate is no fun and games. It's dangerous." Toube pleaded. "So? I'm ready. I can leave right now." "I'm sorry, but as your father has probably already told you, women are bad luck on pirate ships." "We'll cheat luck. Come on, let's go recruit me, right now." "I don't know where my captain is." "When will you know?" "Sunset." "Then I'll stay by you until sunset." "But-" Toube and Tania's exchange was interrupted by Tania's father. "This is the only way to repay us." he murmured. Toube looked down in shame, it WAS the only way to repay them.

 "Fine. Pack your things." Toube grumbled and set six pieces of eight on the table. Tania smiled and she stood from the table, disappearing behind the counter again. When she returned she was dressed to resemble a pre-teen boy. Her dark brown hair was stuffed up under a large khaki paperboy-like barrette, she wore an unbuttoned forest green pea coat over an eggshell tank-top with khaki knee-high shorts that matched the barrette. Dark brown heeled boots accented her outfit nicely. "Well?" Tania chimed and stuffed her hands in the front pockets of her pea coat as she casually walked over to Toube, who was now standing at the door. "You disguised yourself well. Come on, let's go." Toube stepped outside and held the door open for Tania. Tania looked out the door and then looked back at her father. "Bye Dad..." Tania whispered, "Have fun, Sweetheart. Remember what I taught you." Tania's father reminded "Yeah, Dad." Tania waved and the elderly man waved back as she closed the door behind her.

 The team walked down the streets of Port Isabella. Toube had nothing else planned for that day except to get a hold of a map. Which in some technicality he did. "What now?" Tania broke the silence that had settled over the two while walking down the busiest street of Port Isabella. "Well, I'm not sure. My assignment when I arrived was to find a map, which I did." Toube laughed a bit at his own joke, Tania giggled along with him. "You know you can't use 'Tania' as your name when your introduced to Captain Ross. What do you plan on changing it to?" Toube asked. "Hm... I hadn't really thought of it. What about... Tonio?" Tania suggested, adjusting her barrette. "Tonio.... I like it. It'll work." Toube said, looking out to the sea that the street lead out to. The sun glistened across the vast sea and sails shook in the easterly winds off in the distance. It was just past two o'clock in the afternoon. Toube had learned to tell time with the sun a long time ago back in Saint Clarissa, when he was still only a small child with the seemingly unrealistic dream of becoming a pirate. Now he had made that dream a remarkable reality. Toube at that moment wondered what else life had in store for him and it made him excited just to think about what the future held for him, but he'd have to wait for it, just like everyone else.

 "Toube.... Toube?" Tania tugged at Toube's sleeve. The day-dreaming and distant Toube finally shook from his lost stare out at sea to realize where he was and what was going on. Ian had been calling to him from behind. "T-Toube ya... Ya jerk! Ya... Ya left me at the tavern!" Ian swayed as he walked and bumped into a few people in his disorderly and drunken rage. When Ian finally came upon Toube and Tania Ian looked over at the 'boy' with Toube and made a displeased face. "Who's this?" Ian asked, sitting on the ground. "This, Ian, is Tonio... Tonio Vasquez. He wishes to be a pirate as well. And, he knows of a treasure said to be untouched by anyone to date." Toube explained, putting a hand on 'Tonio's' shoulder. "So... This is our guide to a mythical treasure? Am I right?" Ian smirked, for a drunk he picked up well. "Actually my-" Tania began when Toube cut her off, "His father, long time friends with a trust worthy pirate, has known of this location for ages, no one knows of it but an old woman, Tonio's father, the friend Captain of his father, Tonio, and myself." Toube reassured his friend. "No respectable pirate is 'trust worthy', Toube." Ian looked at Toube, and Toube looked at Tania. "Well-" Tania began before realizing she'd need to swing her voice into a manlier pitch, "Well, the sun sets in about four hours. Let's get to the ship right away, maybe we can catch your Captain there and we can ask him permission to let me on board then." Tania came up with the idea quickly to change the subject. "That's not such a bad idea." Toube looked down at Ian, "Why don't you come along, too? If you pass out here and don't wake up in time to get back to the ship, you'll be left behind." Toube suggested, patting Ian on the back as Toube and Tania passed by him walking back to the vessel. Ian stood, and fallowed after the two.


 As the three reached the docks where the Gray Riff was tied up, they ran into Master Flack,who was bickering with an old man about something involving the easterly winds that blew across the waters around Port Isabella. When the three approached Master Flack he dropped the conversation and the fact that the old man was present. "What do YOU want?" Master Flack hissed over his shoulder at Toube. When Toube's unamused stare met Master Flack's usual cold glare, Flack realized that Toube was, at this point, used to his stinging words and glare. The elderly man that had been dropped from the conversation realized he was of no use in the conversation and decided to leave quietly. "Do you know where Captain Ross is?" Toube asked sternly. "Captain Ross? Why? He's of no importance to ya at tha moment. Yer job is to find a map an' come back here at sunset, not report to me four hours early with a drunken crew mate and a boy." Flack spat, unamused with Toube's straightforwardness. "Yes, but I've got the next best thing to a map, and it requires the Captain's decision whether or not we can keep it." Toube folded his arms across his chest and looked at Master Flack seriously. "It...?" Tania echoed. Her comment was ignored. "I see... He's strappin' the rum down with Jason on the ship." Flack nodded back at the ship behind him. "Thanks." Toube murmured as the three walked up to the plank that lead up to the deck of the ship. "No, no, Jason, me boy. Yer doin' it all wrong." the three could hear Captain Ross booming as they walked up the plank and reached the main deck.

 "Ah, Toube me boy! Just tha face I wanted ta see!" Captain Ross greeted the group while 'Tonio' got his footing on board the rocking deck. "Um... For what, Captain?" Toube asked hesitantly. "Ah, Jason 'ere just can't seem ta tie a sturdy knot. Wouldja give 'em a hand, me boy?" Captain Ross asked, Toube peered over Ross' shoulder to see Jason fiddling with two pieces of rope next to a pyramid shaped stack of ten kegs of Isabella rum. "Oh, alright..." Toube began, walking over to Jason and kneeling down, "Look, you've got to do it like this..." Toube instructed Jason. "Oh.... Okay..." Jason murmured and began to tie the rest of the knots the way Toube had shown him. At that moment Captain Ross realized the new face on-board his ship. "An' who are YOU?" Ross questioned walking up to Tania and eying her in ponder. "Captain, I am Tonio Vasquez. I'm here to help you on request of Toube, there." Tania looked toward Toube as he stood up and walked over to the three. By this point Ian had passed out at a corner of the deck. "Th-that's right. He knows about a chest some place a tad far from here." Toube explained hesitantly, he was afraid of how Ross would react to his decision. "Okay, well, all ya had ta do was bring me a map." Ross scratched his head. "There is no map, Captain. Only word of mouth. My father told me about this place. Only a handful of people know about this location, and only one is a pirate. That pirate is Toube." Tania explained. "I have it's location memorized." Captain Ross stood looking at 'Tonio', then at Toube, and back at 'Tonio' again. "Are ya sayin' ya need to come with us?" Ross finally asked. "It's always been my dream to accompany pirates, Captain. I just never knew how to make it a reality." Tonio said, realizing how kind Captain Ross was compared to most captains. "... It seems a bit sketchy, I must say. So how 'bout this: ya can stay with us 'till sunset, when tha rest o' my crew returns, if no one else brings me a map, you can lead us o' this treasure o' yers." Captain Ross suggested, Toube and Tania glanced at each other and Toube nodded his head "That sounds good."

 The time was passed on the ship for the next three hours with Captain Ross sitting on a barrel and telling 'Tonio' and Toube past tales and encounters of his young life. When sunset rolled around and Ian had awaken with a splitting headache and Master Flack had joined them on board, the rest of the crew had began to return to the ship and began to file on-board the deck. Soon the whole crew was standing in four horizontal lines facing the quarter deck, where Captain Ross had been standing. Just as the last of daylight was disappearing and stars where dotting the night sky, Captain Ross' voice boomed across the deck as it did normally on recovery nights like this. "Alriiight! Shut yer traps an' listen up! Anyone successful in recovering a map come line up on tha steps 'ere to quarter deck!" Captain Ross commanded his crew. A minute passed and not one crew mate stepped up to the quarter deck stairs. Ross' stern eyes looked port, and then starboard. His mouth, which was a simple line across his face, melted into a frown and his horizontal eyebrows began to point downward. "Ya have failed me, I see. Ya greasy oafs are lucky! Thankfully Toube managed a destination for us. If it weren't for him, all o' ya would be thrown over-board on tha spot!" Ross flicked his hand out starboard to the open water that licked the flank of the vessel. "Return to yer positions, ya worms, 'ere settin' sail." Captain Ross grumbled to his crew and they scattered to untie the ship. Toube scrambled to the criss-crossing ropes and began to untie the sails. Tania was sitting on a barrel in a corner of the quarter deck behind Ross when he and Master Flack approached her. "Eres' yer new partner, Flack. Treat 'em well." Ross slapped Flack's back and walked off down to the main deck.

 Master Flack glared down at Tonio, who avoided eye contact with Master Flack all together and stared out to sea. "Your name?" Master Flack demanded. "Tonio Vasquez." Tonio said in the manliest voice she could manage. "I'm Flack Begans. That'll be Master Flack to you." Flack held out his hand to Tonio and raised an eye brow. Tonio shook it as hard as she could, the stronger the handshake, the manlier she'd seem. When Tonio released Flack's hand, she finally decided to look at him. She was surprised to see him slightly smiling at her, instead of the scowl he'd greeted Toube with. "Come with me. We'll need to start charting our destination right away. I trust you've worked with maps before?" Flack asked as he lead Tonio down the quarter deck stairs. "To some extent, yes." Tonio replied, her father had always shown her maps of different places as a child, and he'd even taught her how to read them. "Good." Master Flack responded as he lead Tonio into the charting room. The room was a site. Red velvet draped on the walls, gorgeous gems and jewelry, gold coins and necklaces scattered across the shelves that held old maps of charted destinations, maps of visited locations, and blank maps for charting. In the center of the room was a large wood table with a glass top. A blank map was pinned down to it with three large clusters of uncut emerald and a chunk of unshaped gold. Tonio gave way to a light gasp. "It really is stunning, isn't it?" Master Flack made his way to the table and pulled a fountain pen and two compasses from his coat pocket. "Captain Ross really is a great pirate when it comes down to the act of attacking ships. All of this is simply from his days with me. I've only been on his crew for four years. He was without me for six years before that. You should of seen what he had in here..." Master Flack trailed off and started gazing at the ceiling of the cabin. "Master Flack..?" Tonio whispered, and sent Master Flack crashing back to reality. "Oh, yes. Come here. Don't just stand in the doorway." Flack waved his hand, signaling for Tonio to come to the table.

 Leaning over the table with Master Flack on the opposite side of the table from her, Tonio could see just how much work she had to do in order to chart this exhibition. The map was bare; the land masses where brown to the khaki waters of the map, and the only lines and lettering where that of the marked lateral coordinates. Just at that moment Captain Ross came into the cabin, all smiles. "Just thought I'd let ya two know that we're movin' now. Which way are we off 'ta?" Ross asked Tonio. "Let's see... We're in Port Isabella..." Tonio started, taking a fountain pen and putting the tip over the small port, she marked the port with a centimeter wide dot and the title "Port Isabella" over it. "... And we need to move northwest to the Portland town of Alabastor..." she then said, making a dashed line moving around the tip of another continent and across the map to Alabastor. "Holy Mother! Ye mean ta say it's THAT far!?" Captain Ross gasped, looking over at Tonio. "Yes, Captain." Tonio murmured. "Wha-well... I... I guess I'll go tell Lieutenant Messa we're headin' northwest..." Captain Ross breathed in disbelief as he left the cabin to give Lieutenant Messa their general direction.

Author's Note

This chapter feels really slow, I know. The next one or two will. After that the chapters should pick up a little bit. My apologies. NOTE: Tania will be referred to as Tonio for the rest of the chapters unless she's interacting with Toube.

Reviews

[Rae]

This story is getting more and more interesting, especially since Tania has joined. Please update soon! I'm so hooked on it! :3