Pub fights

Rowing back to the docks gave Sam ample time to appreciate his home, A town of modest size and incomparable beauty, located in the south east beaches of the continent Docksford was the first place most travellers would see a fact which locals took great pride in.

It's customary in this town to paint your own house when you move in and just before any major festival but it's frowned upon to use the same colour as someone else in the village. This makes for a beautiful everchanging plethora of colour sitting gently upon The Great Avvilan Ocean.

The town was settled on royal decree in a place where no one would regularly dare to build, situated next to The Red Cliffs of Anite the town is built into a hill which makes for steep roads and the ability to see every house in the town from the ocean's surface. Atop the cliff stood the lighthouse, although hardly ever used due to the unique and bold colouration of the buildings.

Docksford is surrounded by vast plains of nothing to the south you had the ocean and to the north nothing but meadows as far as the eyes can see. All of the materials to build the town came from the nearby city of Finn, since its destruction it had been almost impossible to make new houses resulting in a generation of newly formed travelling merchants.

Speaking of merchants, they'd flock to Docksford in their thousands. Ranging from small personal sailboats to galleons the docks are always packed full of ships. With The Royal Avvilan Market sitting at the centre of the dockyard you could get pretty much anything the wider world had to offer. Exotic metals, potions, spices, foreign animal carcasses bring in hundreds of thousands of coins each year.

The idyllic views were quickly split up by a fast approaching ship. A large blue fishing vessel which appeared to be carried by rogue waves on a docile ocean. The rowboat would shake as the ship got close, getting caught in its wake. The booming echo of a horn cut the silence as the boat slowed to a sudden stop.

"Nice catch Sammy boy, I'll take that as the reason why you're late to the reunion."

There was a boy standing at the bow of the ship. His blonde hair shone in the sunlight and so did his teeth with the goofy grin on his face. Coming around from the helm of the ship was another slightly taller man, in his blue and white striped turtleneck vest and navy blue jeans. He had a thick black beard with a couple of grey hairs dotted about his chin, from his mouth hung a pipe from which exuded a small plume of smoke. His face was red, battered by the weather and the sea.

The man smiled, taking the pipe from his mouth to reveal grey and chipped teeth.

"Samuel, you go out and have fun, I'll have Eddie join you in the rowboat and you can lob that fish up here."

Tim would extend an arm gesturing to Eddie to jump over the side of the boat. He'd grab the railing looking down to the tiny rowboat and hoist himself over the side landing with a thud and causing the rowboat to buckle violently. After balancing himself he'd then stumble over to the fish, picking it up with one hand and then pushing it over the railing onto the bigger boat.

Sam sighed, chucking the paddles at Eddie and lying back in the boat. Eddie's grin would turn to disappointment as he held them.

"Go on then."

Sam would gesture, resting his hat over his face to block the sun from his eyes. Eddie would oblige and began rowing.

"Why'd you tell dad? I said I wasn't going to bother."

"Sally said she wanted you there."

"Oh so that's where you was this morning, is that why you never do your fuckin' job anymore?"

Eddie rolls his eyes.

"Yes. Sorry Sam but I think I've got a chance with her, you've seen how she looks at him."

Sam tutted.

" You could fish up a fucking mermaid you'd have a better chance with but it doesn't get you out on the ocean doing your fucking job…"

Eddie scowled at Sam.

"Don't get mad at me because I'm succeeding where hundreds of hours of being together couldn't get you."

Sam lifted his hat.

"You're delusional and if you knew anything about what's good for you you'd not be worrying about stupid shit like whether your childhood friend was into you or not. You wake up at the same time as me every day but instead of coming out onto the boat, building on the business that you're also going to inherit you piss about with your hair and try to make yourself look good for a woman who doesn't give a toss about you in that sense."

The conversation halted suddenly, left only with the gentle trickle of waves and the sloshing of the paddles against the water.

Eventually they'd land at the docks and hop out of the boat. Sam would carefully secure a cloth over the top of the boat. He'd then tie a rope around the metal hook at its bow and would use the length of the rope to pull the ship out of the water and onto the dock.

One of the merchants on a neighbouring ship was offloading their wares when they spotted Sam and hollered.

"You're off early today aren't you?"

Sam would sigh.

"We'll have to work out that plan of yours some other time, have a good one Rico."

Usually Sam would then drag it home but as Eddie was around he picked up the boat with one hand and carried it with him as they'd walk. Before long they'd stop at a light blue three-storey building with the words "Barrabosta's and Sons" plastered onto the wall in a much darker shade of blue. Eddie would set the boat down against the wall of the building and the pair would head inside.

Once inside they'd walk through the storage room up some stairs into their home. An old man sat in front of a fire burying his head in a book. The pair would head upstairs, Sam attempting to greet his grandfather with no luck and they'd head into their shared room. Sam would come out a minute later having changed clothes and walk back outside. About ten minutes later Eddie would emerge too.

"Why'd you have to change if you haven't done anything?"

Eddie rolled his eyes at Sam.

"I touched that fish and was on the sea for like an hour."

"Eddie you live next to the sea, you'll never not smell like it you fuckin idiot."

Fed up with each other's company the pair began to move on towards the tavern, walking up the winding road that climbed the hill. It's impossible to miss Sally's family tavern as apart from the docks it was probably the most busy area of the whole town. Drunkards as far as the eye can see, occasionally you'd also see Tim's dad, now old and often beaten up.

In big words, lit up for the world to see "The Dusty Tankard" Sam had helped out working there quite a lot when Sally's dad was busy or otherwise unavailable and it paid a lot better than fishing. He would try to prepare himself mentally for the inevitable shit show that he was about to walk himself into.

As the door swung open the pair were hit by a trifecta of bright light, loud chatter and the smell of booze. Alchemical lanterns were bolted into the rafters illuminating the merry faces of friends gathered to drink and have a good time. The raucous cheering and laughing coupled with the gentle humming of those lights and the high pitched plink of glasses tapping together. The room stunk of body odour and ale, this tavern wasn't the sophisticated kind to serve a range of spirits. The floors sticky from spillage.

A young lady stood behind the bar, ginger pigtails drooping behind rosy ears with freckles scattered plentifully over her nose and cheeks. Dressed in the loose fitting suit of her fathers, it was Sally and she'd spring to life when she saw her friends come in through the door.

She'd rest her elbow on the bar using her hand to prop up her head as Sam and Eddie awkwardly shuffled towards her. She had a toothy grin, revealing a chip on her top right canine.

"You actually managed to get him here, fuck I lost."

Eddie looked shocked at the accusation.

"We didn't bet on this, you asked me to get him. I said he didn't want to come!"

Sam and Sally would chuckle.

"What's with the outfit you part timing at a funeral home?"

"It's dads, he told me I could wear it for the reunion because I didn't want one of mum's dresses."

Sam would point at a bottle on the shelf and Sally would go get it, grabbing three small tumblers in the process. She'd pour out three drinks and the group would begin to take sips.

"We're not paying for this right?"

Sam would question.

"Nah dad said you and Eddie get tonight free, he says it's thanks for the other day."

He'd initially look shocked but then he nodded.

"He made this stuff too, right?..."

Sam was interrupted by shouts from the other side of the room.

"Oi Barmaid get us another, uhm one, two, three… Get us seven"

Sally looked over to the full table in the back of the room and put on her best fake smile.

"Coming right up guys!"

Sam recognised the voice and kept his head down, trying his hardest not to get recognised. Eddie immediately turned his head to see where the noise was coming from.

"Oh my god… Eddie? Is that you? It's been far too long mate, what are you up to now?"

Eddie smiled as he replied.

"Oh you know, getting ready to take over the family business. I'm basically in a management role right now."

For once Sam wouldn't react.

"Your family was properly poor wasn't it? What happened to that fake brother of yours? The useless one, did your dad kick him out?"

Eddie was hesitant to speak and as the man spoke to him he noticed the person next to him was slumped over.

"Oi that's not him there is it?"

Sam would breathe a deep breath before turning around.

"Hi Wesley, how have you been?"

The man was Wesley Snarp and along with his gang of spineless lackeys he made Sam's school life hell. His brother was next to him, Reginald Snarp, he wasn't even old enough to drink yet but there he was; a glass of ale in hand.

Sally remarked.

"Wow, wow, wow. Wes you can't give Reg alcohol here, you'll get us shut down!"

Wesley rolled his eyes.

"It will be fine, my father has allowed it."

Unfortunately these boys were untouchable, heirs to the Snarp estate and a branch of the royal family they pretty much had full control of Docksford. Those two boys did everything they could to torment Sam, waiting outside of school every day for a moment where Sally or Eddie weren't around so they could kick and punch him.

They knew he couldn't retaliate so he took it for years, waiting for the day where he'd finally be free of them. To his defence, Eddie was blind to it all, loved by his peers for his ability and charisma he had no idea what Sam went through but Sally knew. She'd grit her teeth as she knew anything she could do would only make things worse.

"What was that worm? Did you say something?"

Sally, slightly spurred on by liquid courage, was being pushed to her limit.

"He's not a kid anymore, don't you have anything nice to say to him?"

He'd stare daggers at her.

"Oh fuck me, he's not going out with the ginger is he?"

The table would snigger, enjoying the cruelty in which Wesley would dish out to anyone he didn't see as worthy of his presence. Eddie would interject.

"He's not her boyfriend!"

Sam would look to Eddie, confused by his choice of words and his complete lack of self awareness.

"Sounds about right, even a ginger would be too good for impotent Sam."

His nose twitched as he'd look smugly over at his brother, expecting some kind of affirmation.

Sam looked over to Sally, trying desperately to nonverbally gesture her to not react. The message didn't translate though as Sally began to speak.

"It's good to see you Wes, you got a job yet? Or are you still riding your daddy's coattails."

His face went bright red, eyes darting from left to right, looking for one of his lackeys to save him from embarrassment. But they were all just as shocked as he was.

"Of course not. You've never been one to do anything useful, that fat fucker next to you isn't any better either."

Reginald slammed his fist into the hard oak table, getting up from his seat he'd barely make a difference in height. He'd push past his supposed friends and would shove Sally.

"Maybe if your dad wasn't such a useless cunt, you wouldn't have to work either."

Sam shot to his feet, putting himself in between Sally and Reginald and urging Eddie to intervene. Eddie was shocked though, he couldn't believe the things that Reginald was saying as a boy who was always so nice to him. Sam was furious, shaking with rage, but he managed to contain his feelings.

Suddenly, Reginald would plant his fist firmly into Sam's ribs, winding him and causing him to collapse to the floor. As he gasped for air on the floor Wesley would leap over the table with an empty bottle in hand.

Reginald began kicking him on the floor and Sally, who had just noticed Wesley would wrestle the bottle from his hand.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME COMMONER."

He would shout, Sam rolled onto his back as Sally grabbed both Reginald and Wesley by the shirt. She'd push them through the shop and out the door.

"Don't come back!"

She'd yell. Sally was now in tears, the brothers seething. Wesley would then speak, his voice trembling.

"Your life is fucked, bitch!"

The pair would run off, their group pushing past Sally at the door to leave. Sam is still lying on the floor coughing and wheezing.