Sennecroft Holm; The Gathering of the Pirates - Part 02

Dinny asked Tim to join him when their chat was over, but Tim wasn't sure what to do about it. He didn't want to put him in danger, but with the pirates on the other side of the river, it's not entirely unlikely that he would stay on Sennecroft Holm.

"Tim, please. I don't want to be alone in this place. In order to avoid appearing weird, I've had to sleep outside. I even had to steal food, but I don't want to do that anymore. Even though I know you won't be able to protect me, I just want to go along so that I have a greater chance of surviving." Tim was uneasy after hearing Dinny's explanation and had to scratch his own cheek to think of the right response.

"I'm not sure, Dinny. It's probably riskier for me to go that way than for you to stay here. In addition, I'm not even sure how to get to La Isleta Cortada without the seamen spotting me." Then Dinny had an idea and made a snap with his fingers. "What happens if I buy us a ticket? You won't have to be concerned about your identity being discovered, and we may both leave at the same time."

Tim sighed knowing that he wouldn't be able to get Dinny off himself, so the best he could do was accept his request. "Won't lie... Those tickets could come in handy, especially now that so many people know about me. But I just don't know how to proceed, so the best I can do is let you come as well." After witnessing the happiness in Dinny's eyes, he stood up straight and put his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks a lot! I knew I could count on you, Timothy!" Tim let out a breath but took care not to smile. He did that to emphasize how hazardous the road in front of him would be.

"Don't forget, this will be a dangerous road. I shoulda have been able to find a way on the ship even without your help, but I need to save as much time as I possibly can." Tim didn't see the purpose in commenting because Dinny knew the danger lay ahead.

"Okay then! I'll book us some tickets!" Dinny shouted, then quickly took off into the distance. "Wait, Dinny!" Tim reached out with his arms, "Don't wander too far!" he yelled.

Dinny waved his arm in approval before sprinting behind the structure. "Well, I don't know how long it will take him to get those tickets, but he has a better chance of getting them than me. What do I do in the meantime?"

Soon after, he saw a pirate ship anchoring itself on the other side of the river. "Maybe I should check it out." Despite making it plain to Dinny not to stray off too far, he saw a docked boat and chose to paddle to the opposite side of the river.

Dinny was able to see the approaching pirate ship, which gave him the chills. "I hope those pirates don't come to this side. I don't like the odds of being raided." He prepared to approach the ticket booth by gulping down his throat.

When Tim got to the opposite side of the river, he hid the boat behind a remote location so the pirates wouldn't see it. He left the paddle on the wooden boat, got out, and walked into a little town from the shore.

When he looked around, he saw pirates all over the country. Many were preoccupied with their own projects. The majority of the pirates were unknown but had some form of bounty on their heads. Many drank beer or booze. Others listened to music resembling that of a pub.

On his travels across the Vast Expanse, he never encountered pirates like these, largely because of the island he visited which hardly had any proper pirates. "These pirates know how to party hard. I don't get the gist. Wouldn't they raid the other side by now?" He realized that his wandering thoughts would not be resolved any time soon and committed himself to explore the town in the hopes of avoiding needless conflict.

The town he was passing through had just one alleyway, and it led straight ahead to a circular field. It led to a pub where a group of laughter could be heard from a distance. "These pirates don't seem to be aggressive toward me. So, maybe I haven't been identified." He had no trouble in reaching the tavern and stretches his arm on the batwing doors.

The pirates inside joked and indulged in alcohol like everyone else. There were numerous people seated around the tables, but few sat behind the bar. The music was upbeat and the many different instruments were audible.

A man with an anchored mustache had taken control of the counter. He had bald patches on the sides of his very short hair. He had a black spider tattoo on his right arm and was dressed in a white tank top.

The tavern became quiet when the batwing door was wrenched open and the light shone within. With the exception of the woman sitting in front of the counter, everyone's gaze was fixed on the shadow in the frame.

Nobody said another word.

Tim blinked curiously around, but he could see that something wasn't right. He had to get serious and keep his perplexity under wraps. He insisted silently that he needed to blend in with the crowd and that approaching the counter and placing an order for a drink was the best course of action for staying out of trouble.

As he moved closer to the counter, he became increasingly aware that no one was taking their eyes off him. Suddenly, one of the pirates emerged from the table and blocked his path while grinning. Tim paused politely, then tried to maintain as low a profile as he could.

Without sitting back down, the pirate jumped into a conversation right away. "Hey. I don't think I've ever seen you around here. That makes me think that you might be one of the new-generation pirates that are looting the seas, huh? But you do look a little young to be here by yourself. Who are you, fella?"

Tim seized the hood's peak. "No need for an introduction. All I wanted to do was have a drink. Therefore I humbly request of you that you step out of my way." However, the pirate's gaze shifted slightly to another who shook his head. "I see. That's fine. Be our guest." He stepped aside to allow Tim to access the counter.

He sat down in between a lady and another pirate. The pirate seemed to be overweight. He had a thick black beard and black hair, drinking booze and gargling it down his throat.

The man behind the counter asked for Tim's order. "What do you want?" he wondered and looked down at him with a serious expression. "I'll have booze ~ which I won't drink..." He asserted, adding a whisper. Quickly the man dragged out a glass from beneath the counter, set it in front of Tim, and poured the booze into it.

The woman sat next to Tim, consuming the alcohol in front of her without expressing any interest in him. She stayed silent but had a smirk.

Just how will Tim's goal to rescue the kidnapped Chiaki progress from here?

To be continued...