Chapter 13 - It’s a Damn Tough Life

Sam stood stock still at the end of the hallway, looking out at the bizarre scene. 'Um, Alfie? Where the hell are we?'

'This is the port city of Bodan, in the kingdom of Jijebee,' the bunny at his feet replied, deciding that his host didn't need to know the specifics about which sector of the multiverse or universe they were in, as it would only confuse him. 'It's similar to the cities of Port Royal and Tortuga in your world during the 17th century.'

Although Sam had never had much interest in history, he was somewhat devoted to subjects that captured his imagination, like ninjas, mummies, or mythology. So when Alfie mentioned two of the best-known havens for buccaneers and privateers, his heart fluttered in his chest.

'Wait, wait, wait...' Sam held up his hands, trying to wrap his head around this exciting development. 'Alfie, are you saying I get to meet some honest to god pirates?!'

Alfie was of two minds about his host's suddenly brightening mood. On the one hand, he was glad that Sam had perked up, but on the other, he had a sinking feeling that his excitement over the news of seafaring felons sailing in nearby waters did not bode well for their mission.

'That...' the system hesitated but finally decided it would be best to get it over with quickly. It wasn't like Sam wouldn't find out on his own eventually either way, so keeping it a secret would be pointless. 'Yes. This is indeed an era rife with foul play of the nautical variety.'

A wicked grin spread slowly across Sam's face at that admission. Due to their mental link, Alfie knew precisely what the mischievous gleam in his host's eyes meant and took measures to quash it immediately. 'We are not here to become pirates. In fact, unless absolutely necessary, we should steer clear of them all together as they are highly dangerous individuals.'

'Ugh! You're no fun!' Sam pouted dispiritedly. He had already begun imagining a high seas adventure with a handsome pirate captain, complete with all the nasty things he was interested in trying on top of a mountain of stolen treasure. 'What good is getting a new life if I don't even get to enjoy it?'

'Ahem,' Alfie cleared his throat, trying to bring Sam back from his lewd fantasies. 'Anyway, rude awakening aside, a tavern is an excellent place to do reconnaissance.'

Sam glowered at the bunny, suddenly feeling that the glowing violet eyes were rather beady and he wasn't as cute anymore. He could brush off something as traumatic as being beaten half to death as a minor inconvenience? So heartless.

Alfie, the 'heartless' system: '...' You survived. Get over it already.

Ignoring Sam's suddenly hostile expression, he pressed on, saying, 'Places like this one are breeding grounds for gossip and rumors, so with any luck, we should be able to obtain a lead on the source of the irregularity relatively soon.'

'Great, then let's get started,' Sam said, preparing to enter the chaos. 'I want to get away from that abusive creep as soon as possible, and since it seems like he's my boss, that won't happen until we can GTFO. Besides, I want to meet some pirates!'

Alfie sighed, placing one of his fluffy little paws against his forehead. Hopping into Sam's path, he held out his paws, cautioning, 'Wait, before you go out there, you need to know about the body you're currently inhabiting.'

'Fuck,' Sam's excitement immediately drooped. 'Don't tell me I'm gonna have to worry about going OOC...'

OOC, or out of character, penalties were the bane of most transmigrators in the stories Sam had read, and he was not anxious to experience the same level of restrictions.

'You will not be penalized,' Alfie assured his host. 'However, if you act differently, you will draw attention to yourself, making our job immensely more difficult, even if it doesn't affect the timestream.'

This was probably going to be the most challenging part of Sam's new life. There was an enormous disparity between himself and Simon Mulligan, the person in whose body Sam's soul was currently residing.

Where Sam was a free spirit, outspoken and confident, Simon was shy and introverted, more than willing to let others dictate the course of his life.

Orphaned at the age of seven and having no other family, the child had ended up on the streets of Bodan. After begging and stealing to survive for five years, the child was fortunate enough to encounter a kind and generous woman named Marybeth Coleman.

Moved by Simon's tender age and tragic circumstances, Marybeth convinced her husband, William Coleman, to let the boy stay with them in exchange for working at the tavern they owned and resided in.

'Don't tell me. The bastard with the short fuse is dear old Mr. Bill,' Sam guessed, feeling bitter. Why did it seem like any potential father figure he was given always turned out to be shit?

'That's right,' Alfie affirmed. 'In the beginning, he wasn't that bad. At one point, the man even began looking at Simon as a son and potential heir as he and Marybeth were unable to have a child of their own.'

However, fate was a cruel mistress, and tragedy once again clouded the skies of Simon's life. Marybeth contracted a deadly disease that slowly and painfully ate away her vitality until nothing was left. 

She pled with William on her death bed to look after Simon, but her final wishes only emphasized their lack of blood-related offspring in the bereft man's heart. His pain twisted into something dark and ugly, and eventually, the man convinced himself that Simon was at fault for everything that went wrong.

In this country, at this time, there were no laws in place to protect minors from their guardians, and corporal punishment was the norm. So, although the visual evidence of Simon's suffering was painted clearly on his body for all to see, most people simply scolded him in their hearts for being willful or accused William of being too heavy-handed without lifting a finger to help.

Whatever animosity there was between Simon and William, it was up to the two of them to figure it out.

This little piece of insight into the workings of society didn't come as a shock to Sam. Despite the laws in his homeworld being geared toward protecting children from those that would abuse them, in his experience, people still chose to look the other way rather than get involved.

'Seems like it's every man for himself no matter what world you go to,' Sam sighed mentally, shaking his head in sorrow.

Trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Alpha 7419 asserted, 'Things did eventually get better. The beatings became less frequent, and Simon was given more autonomy as he got older.'

'Let me guess,' Sam interjected. 'It was around the time he started puberty, and judging from this body's appearance, it wasn't because he suddenly got taller or stronger.'

Alfie was taken aback, but he was interrupted before he could verbalize any of the thoughts running through his mind.

'Don't ask.' Sam quickly replied, his shoulders sagging weakly. 'Let's just leave it as I've met people from many different backgrounds, and not all of them had as 'pleasant' of an upbringing as I did.'

'So did Dear Old Willy develop a taste for young boys himself, or did he settle for pimping the kid out to his customers?' Sam inquired bluntly.

'What? No!' Alfie exclaimed, perturbed by the very thought. 'He noticed that the boy's delicate features and jade-like complexion attracted people to his establishment.'

'And he decided to stop damaging the merchandise,' Sam added, sneering, his eyes cold. 

'It's not all about that,' the alpha system protested but soon gave up when he remembered what the man had done to his host the moment he entered the world and decided that he didn't deserve to be defended. 

William Coleman may not be a pervert, but that was practically his only redeeming feature, after all.

'Anyway, the point is that Simon is an innocent and shy young man,' Alfie admonished, appraising Sam with a critical gaze. 'So you need to make sure you don't act out and give yourself away, or we'll have to find somewhere else to gather our information.'

'And I'm not an innocent and shy young man?' Sam protested. 'I was only twenty-three when I died, you know.'

Alfie: '...'

Under the scathing glare of the fluffy black bunny, Sam admitted, 'Ok, I'm not shy.'

Alfie: '...'

'Wait,' a suspicion bloomed in Sam's mind, and the sudden realization churned his stomach. 'Simon didn't... He died a virgin?'

Of course, this spicy chicken host would get hung up on that detail, Alfie thought, rolling his eyes. 'In any case, don't blow your cover. Simon may have had a great many eyes on him since he was young, but he's never reciprocated anyone's advances, so kindly keep it in your pants.'

'Spoilsport,' Sam huffed, playfully scrunching his face at his system. 'So, just act shy and pretend I don't like getting my ass pinched. How hard can that be?'

Alfie gave him a knowing look, but Sam ignored him in favor of glancing at his reflection on a large metal platter hanging on the wall.

It was a bit unnerving to see a face that wasn't his own looking back at him. Still, Sam had been crossdressing for years, which wasn't all that different if he pretended the hair was a wig and imagined that he was wearing colored contacts. 

He lightly brushed Simon's blond hair with his fingers, encouraging it to drape over his face more, and practiced making his brown doe eyes appear large and innocent. Finally, throwing a wicked grin over his shoulder at Alfie, he declared, 'I've got this. The coy boys are the ones that really get the big daddies going, anyway.'

Then with a swish of his hips, Sam sauntered through the swinging doors, making Alfie groan in frustration.