The seaweed bar was a place where gangs gathered, it was common to see a wanted pirate wander in and have a drink. The local gangs have a truce not to fight with each other in the bar. After all, it was only basic courtesy. Sage stirred his drink, smiling. His mother was fond of the books written by Fors Wall and Aurore Lee, although his mother always told him the tales of Gehrman Sparrow, the crazy adventurer before bed.
He took a sip of his Zarhar, it was a malt beer, locally produced in Bayam. It was cheap and had a unique taste, a great starter drink to ease himself into alcohol again. The last time he had a proper drink was when King Oyster scammed him.
"Fuck abstinence." Sage toasted, downing his beer and refilling it. Sweet and bready at first, like toasted grain, before a mild bitterness settled on his tongue. He sat at the bar counter, staring at the mirror wall that shelved the drinks. As he started to take his sips of his beer, Sage would constantly glance into the mirror. He didn't sense anyone watching him but he would rather be safe than sorry.
He enjoyed the warmth of the alcohol, but doubted it could make him drunk. The reason being, he was a beyonder with an enhanced physique and his family came from the Feysac Empire, a nation known to drink more liquor than water. Sage was about to get his fourth mug when he saw a somewhat familiar face. He stared at the chubby man through the mirror. Then the memory clicked into place.
The chubby man was one of the seamen on the Sun Strider. Sage remembered him. The man always came back for seconds, and Sage would quietly give him a little extra.
"This should be fun." Sage whispered, smiling to himself.
Jamie sat in the back of the bar, drinking his beer alone. Every once in a while, he would glance at his wristwatch, an upgrade from traditional pocket watches, more fashionable and currently the new trend in Loen. His eyes drifted to the door, and back to his watch again. He was supposed to meet someone here, someone who was supposed to be here before he arrived half an hour ago. His gut told him something was wrong. Trusting that instinct, Jamie finished his beer and prepared to leave.
"Not so fast, buddy."
Jamie froze, shaking. His heart trembled as Sage sat across from him, setting two mugs of Lanti Proof, the harsh malt liquor sailors favored. His trembling hands took the mug and sat down again, afraid of triggering the cook. He stared at him, unable to accept Sage was alive and well. He watched him drown. He watched the currents carry his twitching body away.
"You're supposed to be dead." Jamie said, which made Sage giggle.
He had never seen him laugh, let alone giggle.
"I'm a lucky man." Sage said lightly. "Tell me Jamie… How did you survive?"
Jamie took a long sip of the liquor, letting the burning liquid settle his nerves.
"I begged." he muttered, his voice full of shame. "Begged so hard they took me in and stripped me. They kept me tied up…" his voice trailed off but he continued his story. "They used me for their fun. For days before dumping me on an island nearby."
To sell his story, Jamie downed the whole mug. The liquor upset his stomach, it was too strong for him to handle. He hated Lanti Proof because it got him drunk easily but he couldn't refuse Sage.
He needed to escape.
Jamie gave him a slight smile before standing up, wobbling. "I think I drank too much, let's meet again tomorrow, Sage. Are you still staying at the Employment agency?"
Sage nodded, "Yes I am. I'll see you tomorrow."
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"Where were you last night?"
Sage raised his head with a groan. The sunlight stabbed at his eyes. After his trip to the bar and an extra co-curricular activity, Sage dragged himself back to Miranda's house and slept on the couch. Miranda took the spray bottle and misted his face as if he was a housecat.
"Did you drink water before you sleep? Did you mix beer and hard liquor?" She asked.
"Remind me when we got married?" He asked, resulting with another barrage of mist.
"Since we saw each other, my love. Answer the question."
Sage hissed at her but he had enough of the spraying. "I didn't. Beer before liquor, never been sicker."
He knew better to switch drinks, since that was how King Oyster got him drunk in the first place. In truth, the order didn't matter much. But beer before liquor always made people drunk faster. That was why he gave Jamie a mug of Lanti Proof while he stuck to Zarhar. He didn't tell Miranda all that, she doesn't need to know about it yet.
Miranda sighed, misting him a few more times. "This is for touching my stuff. I did not need you to color coordinate my outfits." She hated it when he did that, but she did appreciate the cleanliness of the house. He would make a great housekeeper. Although it was still early morning, Miranda believed there was no wrong time for wine. She poured herself a glass of red.
"I have put a word out for Wayland and anything related to the Sun Strider. However, pirate activity around the Archipelago has increased. So I recommend keeping your head low. The nighthawks are involved so black market businesses are going to be affected."
Sage, refreshed from all the misting, kissed her on the cheek. Stealing the wine glass out of her hand. "Where would I be without you, Wife." He teased before returning the glass empty.
"Probably dead in a gutter somewhere." Miranda paused for a moment, as if she was debating if he should know more. Sage could tell from her face, it wasn't good.
"You scrunch your nose before telling me bad news. What is it?" He asked.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking
"Your brother may be involved."
Sage frowned, but he also knew his brother cannot involve himself directly. This would mean the Church of the Lord of the Storms and the Church of Eternal Darkness. There is also a chance that the Church of the Fool was involved since it was the main religion of the Rorsted Archipelago and the main cathedral is at the New City of Silver.
He giggled to himself again as he took out a map of Bayam from Miranda's desk and laid it out.
"Shark, I'm going to need to know everything you do."