C'kayah arrived in Limsa the same day that he'd met Red and the Bubblegum Girl in Thanalan. They were having one of their off-and-on cold autumns: thirty-four degrees with his breath white in the air. His pocket bulged with Red's somnus, a bottle of mandissarette for a dancer who worked out of the Drowning Wench, and his silver flask.
Red was a new one. Tall and strong, with long red hair and a sad face. She was a 'sworn, which always made him pause, but she had already made good on her promise to keep the Blade's heat off of his shipments in Thanalan. She wanted the somnus for a friend, she said, but he didn't really care. He'd told Kenthy he did it to keep Red in his pocket, and he told himself he did it to help keep the Blade's tax men away from Aya, but he was really doing it for Red. Her eyes were so sad when she'd asked him for the favor, he couldn't bear to say no.
He wasn't the sort of man to plan things out too far in advance. His instincts had served him well, so he trusted to them. It looked like they'd served him again. The Bubblegum Girl worked the Thanalan black market, and was sitting on a fist-sized bag of the stuff. When Kenthy came back from meeting the Pirate, with a story about needing goods moved through Thanalan, the pieces snicked together. The Pirate and the 'sworn were locked in a sort of Ala Mhigan standoff. The 'sworn had locked the Pirate out of Thanalan, and in retailiation the Pirate was choking off shipping from Limsa to Ul'dah. C'kayah's business was smuggling, and the increased demand was making him money almost faster than he could count it. It wasn't a stable situation. Revenge was satisfying, but the Pirate couldn't live off of revenge forever. Better to scratch the Pirates back, and get his back scratched in return.
C'kayah could move the Pirate's goods, Red had arranged that when she and his ex had conspired to take down Melkire and wanted his help. The Bubblegum Girl could take delivery, keeping the Pirate happy, and the Pirate in turn would hold his focus on the 'sworn's shipping. The only real threat was Red's immunity, so it turned out he had a good reason for helping her after all.
The Drowning Wench was empty tonight, just a few sad sailors drinking their pay while a waitress in stockings dabbed at the same spot of floor with a mop. Naia leaned against the bar, beautiful in her dancer's blacks, and he greeted her with a kiss, slipping the bottle of perfume into her hand. She beamed at him, her teeth bright in the dim light of the bar. "I got a modeling job," she said. "Some Lala named Gus doing a themed party."
"He pays well, I've got friends who work for him."
"It'll be nice to get away from sailors, you know?"
C'kayah watched one of the sailors squinting through his glass of rum at a lamp. He nodded, kissed her again, and left to get a room. Red was due to contact him tonight, tomorrow at the latest, and he didn't want to carry the somnus around until that happened. It was time to check in with Kenthy, anyways, while things were still quiet.
Red was a new one. Tall and strong, with long red hair and a sad face. She was a 'sworn, which always made him pause, but she had already made good on her promise to keep the Blade's heat off of his shipments in Thanalan. She wanted the somnus for a friend, she said, but he didn't really care. He'd told Kenthy he did it to keep Red in his pocket, and he told himself he did it to help keep the Blade's tax men away from Aya, but he was really doing it for Red. Her eyes were so sad when she'd asked him for the favor, he couldn't bear to say no.
He wasn't the sort of man to plan things out too far in advance. His instincts had served him well, so he trusted to them. It looked like they'd served him again. The Bubblegum Girl worked the Thanalan black market, and was sitting on a fist-sized bag of the stuff. When Kenthy came back from meeting the Pirate, with a story about needing goods moved through Thanalan, the pieces snicked together. The Pirate and the 'sworn were locked in a sort of Ala Mhigan standoff. The 'sworn had locked the Pirate out of Thanalan, and in retailiation the Pirate was choking off shipping from Limsa to Ul'dah. C'kayah's business was smuggling, and the increased demand was making him money almost faster than he could count it. It wasn't a stable situation. Revenge was satisfying, but the Pirate couldn't live off of revenge forever. Better to scratch the Pirates back, and get his back scratched in return.
C'kayah could move the Pirate's goods, Red had arranged that when she and his ex had conspired to take down Melkire and wanted his help. The Bubblegum Girl could take delivery, keeping the Pirate happy, and the Pirate in turn would hold his focus on the 'sworn's shipping. The only real threat was Red's immunity, so it turned out he had a good reason for helping her after all.
The Drowning Wench was empty tonight, just a few sad sailors drinking their pay while a waitress in stockings dabbed at the same spot of floor with a mop. Naia leaned against the bar, beautiful in her dancer's blacks, and he greeted her with a kiss, slipping the bottle of perfume into her hand. She beamed at him, her teeth bright in the dim light of the bar. "I got a modeling job," she said. "Some Lala named Gus doing a themed party."
"He pays well, I've got friends who work for him."
"It'll be nice to get away from sailors, you know?"
C'kayah watched one of the sailors squinting through his glass of rum at a lamp. He nodded, kissed her again, and left to get a room. Red was due to contact him tonight, tomorrow at the latest, and he didn't want to carry the somnus around until that happened. It was time to check in with Kenthy, anyways, while things were still quiet.
