There were plenty of ships in the harbor, ranging from small fishing boats to two or three-masted merchant ships. The bigger ones would be her best bet; she just needed to find one that was going to Chasan and willing to take her.
Seth had said he’d meet her back here in an hour; that didn’t give her much time. She stood up and stretched, then headed for one of the staircases that lead to the docks. She guessed she’d just have to start asking around.
She thought of the diamond necklace stashed in the bottom of her pack. It was all she had to offer in exchange for passage. Again, she felt a twinge of sadness at the idea, but she didn’t have much of a choice.
Most of the larger ships were docked further out. Adalynn headed out onto the first dock in the line, weaving in between fishermen and sailors.
As she neared the first ship, she saw a group of men and a woman standing around near the gangplank- at least she thought that’s what it was called.
One took notice of her and started in her direction. She tensed slightly. As the man neared her, she noticed that he looked to be a few years older than her.
He stopped in front of her. “Hello, miss,” he said, giving her an easy grin. “Are you looking for someone?”
She hesitated, not knowing how to respond. “I-”
Someone from his group groaned loudly, making the rest laugh. One of the guys jogged over, chuckling to himself.
The newcomer was much younger than his friend, but quite a bit taller. “Nic, come on, pay up. Rey punched Barry.” The first man- Nic- groaned good-naturedly. “I told you she would, man,” the newcomer said as Nic passed him a few coins.
The new guy turned to Adalynn. She noted his Chasanian accent when he spoke. “You’d think he would learn not to bet against me. I know my sister, you know? He should know by now to trust me on these things.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nic laughed.
“No, really! She’d punch any guy who hit on her, but a crew member? If she hadn't decked him, I would have.”
Nic rolled his eyes. “Sure, Owen. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.” He turned back to Adi, who’d been watching the whole exchange with growing confusion. “So you were looking for someone? I can try to help if-”
She froze.
Owen punched his friend in the shoulder. “Ah, leave her alone, man.”
Nic laughed. “What? I’m trying to be helpful.”
“Mm-hmm. Hey, go punch Barry for me.”
Nic grinned. “Ooh, gladly.” He took off.
Owen shook his head. “Sorry about him,” he said to Adi.
She shrugged. “It’s okay, he wasn’t doing anything-”
Owen laughed. “That was his attempt at flirting.”
Adalynn felt her face redden.
“Ah, don’t worry. He’s just like that.” He squinted slightly in the late afternoon sun. “What's your name?”
“Adalynn. You can call me Adi.”
He offered her a hand, and she cautiously shook it. “Owen. You can call me Owen, cause, uh, I guess you can’t really shorten that much, and I don’t have a nickname.”
She let out a small laugh.
Motion from behind him caught her eye. The woman in his group was waving to him. “Hey, Shorty!” she called.
Owen groaned and flapped a hand at her. “Except that nickname.” He rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I have to go- we set off for Chasan in the morning and my sister- that’s my sister there, Reyna- anyway, we have a tradition and she keeps to it religiously, and-”
“Owen!”
He whirled around. “I’m coming! And I like Eve better than you!”
“Everyone does!”
“You know, it’s no fun to insult you when you agree with me.” He glanced back at Adi. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you-”
“Wait!” she blurted before she could stop herself.
He paused and turned back to her.
“Uh…” She fumbled for the words. “You’re going to Chasan?”
“Yeah.”
She cleared her throat. “Do you think-”
“Do you wanna come?”
She blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry?”
He grinned. “Do you want to come? We’re docking in Spallock. We’ve got the room, we just finished a big trade deal, so we’re empty on cargo now. I can talk to the captain if you’d like.”
She let out a baffled laugh. “Actually that was what I was going to ask. I, uh…” she dug around in her bag for the necklace. “I don’t have much, but I can-”
“Oh no, you don’t have to pay,” Owen said. “We just had a huge haul, and the captain owes my family a favor.”
Adalynn shook her head in shock. “I- alright then.”
✦✦✦
After Adalynn had explained that she was meeting Seth and Owen was able to talk his sister into delaying their “tradition,” whatever that meant, he walked her to the meeting spot. They were a few minutes early, so Owen asked why she was heading to Chasan. She launched into her story, saying her passage for her cousin’s wedding fell through. He was even more adamant that she join for free after that.
Seth showed up a few minutes later, and jogged over when he saw them. “Did you find your passage?” Then he noticed Owen. “Who’s this?”
“This is Owen,” Adalynn answered, letting them get introductions out of the way. “He works on a merchant ship bound for Chasan. My passage fell through so he offered to talk to his captain about letting me catch a ride.”
Seth frowned slightly. “Do you know him?”
“Like before today?”
He nodded.
“Oh, no.”
Seth turned to Owen. “Think it’s possible to have one more along?”
Adalynn cleared her throat. “Seth, you don’t have to-
He turned to her. “I’m not about to let you spend a month at sea with a bunch of people you don’t know.”
“But you’re supposed to be back home soon-”
“I’ll write a letter to Joseph explaining the situation.”
Owen watched their exchange with interest. “I can probably arrange that,” he said to Seth.
“Thank you.”
Adalynn was at a loss for words.
Owen grinned. “You can join us for our tradition! Reyna and I always have a game of darts the night before we set off. Helps us relax after all the preparation.”
Seth frowned. “I don’t know, I already booked the inn-”
“Well you don’t have to stay on the ship, just hang out for a while. Give you the chance to meet some of the crew and our captain.”
Adalynn thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright then.”
They followed him back to his ship, where he had them wait on the dock. “I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared onto the ship, and they waited.
“Adi, are you sure about this?” Seth asked in a low voice.
She shrugged. “I talked to him a bit earlier. He seems genuine, and I don’t really have any other options.”
He just grunted.
A few minutes later, Owen reappeared, followed by an older man. “Come on up!” Owen called.
He grinned as they stepped off the gangplank. “This is the Aster’s captain and close friend of my family, Daniel Atlee. Sir, this is Adi and Seth.”
The captain grinned. “So you want to be stowaways, eh?”
Adalynn reddened. “Oh. no, sir, we just-”
Mr. Atlee burst out laughing. “I’m just pulling your leg, lass. Owen explained the whole bit; you’re more than welcome aboard.”
She laughed awkwardly. “Thank you, sir.”
Mr. Atlee waved them along. “Well come on, then! I’m sure you’ll want to meet the crew!”
Adalynn and Seth traded a glance before following.
Seth followed Adi and Mr. Atlee, Owen bringing up the rear. It was noticeably warmer in the hull, and louder. They followed Mr. Atlee to the lower deck, which was crowded with crew members. They were obviously all having a good time; plates of food and kegs of ale were being passed around, and all the conversations overlapped to create quite the racket.
“There’s my Shorty!” someone called. A young blonde woman pushed her way through the crowd over to them and socked Owen on the arm. Seth held in a laugh. Owen was at least half a foot taller than her.
Owen rested his arm on her shoulder. “You’re one to talk.” He gestured to them. “Rey, this is Adi and Seth. They’re joining us on the trip to Spallock.”
She jerked her chin in greeting. “Reyna.” She cocked her head, studying them. “We can do teams.”
Adalynn frowned. “Teams for what?”
“Darts. Owen’s going down.”
She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know, I don’t really do darts-”
“Well you do now!” Reyna grabbed Adi’s elbow and led her into the crowd. “You’re on my team now.”
Adalynn shot Seth a look over her shoulder, but followed Reyna.
“Guess we’re a team, then?” Owen said.
Seth shrugged. “I guess.”
✦✦✦
Reyna led the way to the far side of the space and pointed to a dartboard mounted to an empty barrel. Many of the crew members had gathered around to watch. She quickly introduced Nic, who would be scorekeeper, and who Adi had apparently already met. Seth didn’t miss it when he shot her a wink.
As Reyna explained the rules to Adalynn, Seth studied the crew. Many were obviously experienced sailors, and Owen was clearly the youngest. He scanned the crowd and noticed some whispering to each other. He tensed.
“Don’t worry, they’re just placing bets,” Owen said. “You’ll both be fine. Oh, and don’t worry about Nic.”
Seth forced himself to nod. “Right.”
“That was cool of you though, to come with her. What’s your story, anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
Owen shrugged. “I mean how do you know each other?”
“Oh. We’re friends.” For the first time, he realized he meant it. Up until then, it was just an automatic response that was easier than explaining the truth. Earlier, in town, he hadn't thought anything of his comment. But he realized now- he meant it. She was his friend.
“Ready, Shorty?” Reyna asked.
Owen groaned. “I’m taller than you.”
“No you’re not.”
He turned to Seth. “I’m pretty sure I am.” He took the darts Reyna offered him and made his first throw. It stuck a little to the right of the center.
“Come on, Squirt! I thought you were the master at this!” Reyna laughed.
Owen rolled his eyes. “Well that’s not at all patronizing.” His next throw stuck right in the center. He whooped.
Seth laughed as Reyna grumbled something under her breath and passed two darts to Adalynn. She landed both throws, but not in either of the center rings. “That’s fine, that’s fine, Blondie. We’ve still got it.”
“Save it, Rey,” Owen sighed, spinning a dart between his fingers. “We all know Seth and I will win by a landslide.” He turned to the crowd. “I’m assuming all of you bet on me?”
About half shook their heads, and one said something Seth couldn’t quite catch.
Owen pulled a dramatic hurt face. “Lachlan? How could you, man? I thought we were friends.”
Adalynn recovered her darts and passed them to Seth. She gave him a funny look, and he laughed. “They find this relaxing?” she muttered to him.
He just shrugged. “I guess so.”
He scored pretty well on his two throws, but neither landed center. Owen clapped him on the back. “Nice!”
Reyna’s turn was last, and she hit the bullseye both times. The crowd cheered, and someone in the back whistled. She turned and bowed, sweeping an arm out dramatically.
“Beat that,” she said sweetly.
Owen groaned and pretended to throw a dart at her.
“Watch it, Buster.”
The rest of the game went similarly. Lots of insults and cursing, and one “I know where you live” threat. At one point, a fake throw went wrong and Reyna ended up impaling some guy’s foot. “Son of a sea monster” was a very interesting curse, Seth thought.
He and Adalynn watched the whole thing with a mix of amusement and incredulousness. He kept an eye on her throughout the game, making sure she didn’t seem too uncomfortable. She definitely looked outside of her comfort zone, but she played it off surprisingly well.
It was a close game, but Seth and Owen pulled ahead for the win in the last round. Owen couldn’t help but pester Reyna about it, and Seth didn’t miss money changing hands in the crowd.
He pulled Adalynn aside. “Are you sure about this?” he asked quietly. “They’re-”
“Crazy?”
He chuckled. “I was gonna say ‘intense’, but sure.” He glanced over to the aftermath of the game. “We can find some other way if you want.”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “They’re alright,” she said with a small smile.
✦✦✦
(sometime in the first week or so)
Adalynn was startled awake when Reyna barged into the cabin. “Come on, Blondie,” she said, swinging the hammock.
“What was that for?” she said tiredly.
“You’re gonna want in on this.”
“In on what?”
Reyna gave the hammock a shove, and Adalynn threw an arm out to keep from falling out. “Just come on.”
Adi groaned, but got up and followed her to the main deck. The sky was dark and filled with stars. Reyna shoved a small drawstring bag into her hands. “You’ll want this.”
The two girls made their way up to the quarter deck, and Adalynn frowned in confusion.
A ring of lanterns illuminated the area. About half the crew was crowded onto the deck, talking amongst themselves. Owen was at the front, standing on a wooden crate.
Seth made his way over to the girls. He was holding his own pouch. “Do you know what’s going on?” he asked Adi.
She shook her head.
They stood together at the back. Adalynn opened the drawstring pouch and frowned in confusion. It was full of beads, buttons, shells, and what looked like… animal teeth?
“The buttons are the least valuable, then shells, then beads, and the teeth are worth the most,” Reyna said as she pushed her way to the front.
“What-” Adalynn started, but she was already gone.
“Welcome to the Aster Auction!” Owen said.
Adalynn glanced at Seth, who looked just as confused as she felt.
“I am your favorite auctioneer, Owen Galen, and let me say we have quite the spread to bid on tonight!”
“Currency?” she asked Seth, holding up her bag.
“Most likely.”
Owen bent down to grab something from a table next to him and held it up. The item was a decent-looking satchel. The leather appeared worn, but in okay condition. “First item on the list is this lovely, one-of-a-kind satchel-”
“One-of-a-kind my foot!” someone hollered.
“-courtesy of Lachlan.” He nodded towards the Kastran, who saluted. “Bids open at ten buttons.”
Reyna raised a hand. “Ten buttons.”
“Twelve.” Someone in front of Adalynn said.
“Twelve buttons, we have twelve, can I get thirteen? Thirteen buttons, thank you, Reyna, we have thirteen buttons. Can I see fourteen? Fourteen buttons. Fourteen? Thomas, with fourteen buttons, how about fifteen? Fifteen buttons? No fifteen? Okay fourteen buttons, going once, going twice, sold to Thomas for fourteen buttons.”
Thomas grinned and took the satchel from Owen, passing over his payment to Lachlan.
Seth leaned towards Adalynn. “This is something else.”
She laughed quietly and nodded.
Owen retrieved another item from the table and held it up. “This was provided by Rowland, a pristine set of flasks here, you don’t want to miss this deal gentlemen. And ladies,” he added, grinning at his sister and Adalynn. “We’ll open bidding on these treasures at seven shells!”
Nic raised his hand immediately. “Seven!”
Owen grinned and pointed to him. “We have seven shells, can I get eight? Eight shells?”
“Eight,” someone called.
“Excellent! How about nine, two flasks for nine shells?”
“Ten shells and a tooth,” Reyna said confidently.
Owen blinked. “Ten shells and a tooth, can anyone beat ten shells and a tooth?” He scanned the crowd. “Going once, twice, sold to Rey for ten shells and a tooth.”
The next item, a belt buckle, went for five buttons to one of the Chasanians. Owen lamented that it hadn’t gone for more, but oversaw the deal and reached for the next item.
“Oh, this is a beauty!” he said. “Four individually wrapped sticky candies, thanks to Stephen-” Stephen, one of the oldest of the crew, nodded. “-and the starting bid is eight beads.”
“Eight.”
“Nine.”
Owen grinned. “Nine beads, anyone want to go ten? Ten beads?”
Seth raised a hand. “Ten beads and two shells.”
Adalynn turned to look at him. He grinned somewhat sheepishly. “It’s candy.” She shook her head and laughed.
“Can anyone beat Seth’s bid of ten beads and two shells? Come on, folks, these are Stephen’s famous sticky candies! He’s the best candy-maker any of us know! Alright, ten beads and two shells, going once! Going twice!”
Seth grinned.
“Sold to Seth, four sticky candies!”
Adalynn laughed as Seth went to make the trade. He came back with a huge grin and offered her one.
She shook her head. “No, you bought them, I-”
He shoved two into her hand. “Too bad.”
She rolled her eyes, but thanked him and put them in her pocket for later.
The auction went on for at least half the night. Other items up for grabs included odds and ends such as writing quills, little tools, nick-nacks, and occasionally food; even some of Kastra’s specialty- smoked salmon, courtesy of Lachlan and Barry.
Adalynn surprised everyone by making the highest bid of the night; eight beads and five teeth for an empty book and charcoals.