Remind me how I got here again.

River Verlice now sat on the wooden main deck, squished , between two men who were about three times his size.

The man on his left, whose name he caught to be Bones, swung an arm thicker than River's thigh around his shoulder.

"Sista ! Don't be shy, 'kay!?" He laughed, sounding like a braying donkey choking on water. "Haf more wine, good stuff!"

River politely pushed away the wooden tankard offered to him. He had already downed half a pint and was dangerously teetering on the verge of sobriety.

Bones had a thick ginger beard, bushy brows, and lively green eyes. Some of his teeth were missing from the bottom row, but that didn't stop him from smiling all the time. With his tan skin and muscular build,paired with a tattoo of a sparingly clothed woman over his bicep, he exuded the air of someone you really didn't want to pick a fight with.

"And I fucking win again, suckers!" Julie Jagger, as River remembered her name to be, slammed her palm on the floor board. Six cowrie shells at her crossed legs bounced on the impact.

"Eeee?!" the scrawny boy beside her whined,eying the shells suspiciously , "Ya cheatin'."

The boy was probably younger than River was, and quite honestly, he reminded him of a possum with his long, thin face and small,beady black eyes. His mop of dark brown, messy curls made River doubt if he had ever touched a hairbrush. He had a couple piercings and a painfully obvious crush on Julie Jagger.

This game, for some reason, was called "sea chicken," and the rules were shockingly simple. You bet which would have a higher number: the die or the shells. If you get it right, you win.

Chipper, the possum boy, handed three silver coins to Julie Jagger, who greedily pocketed them in her bossom.

"Sista ! Ya go next!" The girl handed the die to River. "Cow or die?"

River had no coins to bet on, so he was taking penalty shots out of Bones's tankard each time he lost. He thoughtfully shook the die in between his palms, not very eager to lose again.

"Die," River announced and rolled .

"Three!" Julie Jagger announced. "Sista might just fucking win this one!"

Miss, luck avoids me like it owes me money. What are you talking about?

River grimaced and scooped up the shells in his hands, gave them a light shake, and then threw them carelessly across the floorboard.

Everyone stared speechlessly at the single overturned cowrie shell in front of them.

"Ha ha ha, ya, such a sore loser." Bones handed the wooden mug to River. "Bottoms up!"

River took a cautious sip out of it, raking his brain for a way to get himself out of this stupid game that he was royally losing at.

Coming out of his embarassing crying session in front of the Southern King, River decided to look around the main deck.

It was his first time seeing a real-life ship, and it was quite enthralling. The canvas sails billowed and fluttered  in the wind over his head as he leaned against the railing. He gazed down at the waves crashing against the hull and breathed in. Salty air filled his lungs and he smelled mildew.

Except for a few soldiers keeping things in check on deck, it was mostly desolated. River shielded his eyes from the brutal sunrays and stared up at the main mast. The crow's nest was empty. That was where Aithan had been when he was shooting explosive arrows at the retriever.

Puzzeled as to how on earth he got himself up there, he looked around and noticed the crew climbing ratlines. He tried to imagine Aithan Alistair's prestigious figure crawling up them with a huge bow in hand.

He couldn't.

With new-found respect for the older man, he walked to the far end of the main deck. River was so distracted with everything around him and his thoughts about their future trip to the North that he stepped on something sharp.

Biting back a cry, he jumped away. The object that had caused him such agony was a small, worn-out black die.

"Ayy!"

He looked up to see a group of questionable-looking people sitting around in a tight circle on the floor. The one who called out to him was a woman dressed in a yellowing white dress with puffy sleeves. She had a mane of black hair, tied to a messy bun on top of her head.

"Bring over the fucking die," she hollered, waving at him.

River walked up to them, feeling rather awkward with all their intense gazes fixated on him. The group consisted of three men and one woman, each looking more intimidating than the last.

They glared up at him, displeasure and doubt etched on their faces. It was evident that they were not very welcoming of strangers.

"Ay ? Ya dumb?"" The woman snatched the die from his hand rudely and scowled. "Fuck off."

She had coffee-colored eyes. One of her brows was slit, and freckles dusted her sun-kissed face.

River turned around to leave when the woman called out to him again, stopping him in his tracks.

"Aaaaaaaaa," she said, scrutinizing his face, brows furrowed. "I know you!"

I don't, miss! Let me go!

This caught the attention of the other three men, and they too started eying him down.

"Who's she?" One of the men asked. He was bald, had a dark, thick mustache, and a lazy eye. Judging by his build, he could easily defeat a bear in a fight.

"Ay!" The woman broke into a very stupid grin. "The blue-eyed beauty!"

River had no clue how his having blue eyes related to anything at all, but the crowd lightened up at the drop of a hat. They all started laughing like they knew something he did not. All previous tension dissipated into the sea wind.

"Sista in law!" A scrawny boy sitting beside the woman called, smiling like he just saw a long-lost relative, "Come! come ! Sit with us, ay?"

He was given a brief introduction; the woman was Julie, and the possum boy was Chipper. The ginger-bearded man was Bones. The one with the lazy eye was very surprisingly named Lazy-Eyed Louie.

And he was their sister-in-law.

How did this relationship come to be? He had no idea. He was then given a speedy explanation of the rules of the game and was pulled into it.

They played another few rounds before River politely excused himself with the promise that he would certainly come by and play again. They looked very bummed out to see him go, but said their farewells.

*  *  * *

What is wrong with everyone today?

He had just returned from his weird encounter on the deck to find Wolfram pacing back and forth in the cabin with such vigor that the floor boards were wearing down beneath him. His face had gone pallid; all colors had drained away.

"Im doomed." He tugged at his hair and started laughing like he had gone mad. "I can't believe this is happening."

He snapped open his light pink fan, given to him earlier by Aithan Alistair, and furiously fanned himself in the face.

"I need a fainting chair. And wine! Preferably laced with rat poison."

River stared at him in vexed silence.

"Are you going to ask me what happened?"

"No," River said, sinking into a chair. "I have a feeling you are going to tell me anyway."

"Aaargh,Riv!" He pinched his temples. "Please tell me that tall dude is not Aithan Alistair."

"He is not," River deadpanned.

Wolfram froze in his tracks to look at him. "Really?"

"No "

"River Verlice! A man's pride is on line, and you jest?" Wolfram crashed onto the chair next to him and buried his face in his hands.

"You know him?" River asked.

"Worse!" Wolfram groaned into his palms. "I fucked him."

"..."

There's still water in my ears.

"Please let me get off this ship. Right now! !"  Wolfram wailed and melted into a puddle on the tabletop.

"But we are in the middle of the ocean."

"Exactly!" Wolfram whispered.

River still felt quite dumbfounded at this new revelation, and he had quite a few pressing questions. His expertise in the field of babymaking was minute, and this was his first time hearing that the deed could be done by two men.

Respectfully, how does that work? What goes where?

"Why are you tilting your head like a stupid pigeon, Riv?" Wolfram asked, annoyed.

"What happened?" River inquired, putting his questions away for a later time.

"I picked a fight with Kai once," Wolfram whined, "and ran away to Whiowolf. I got a bit drunk at a tavern and ran in to this really tall, scrumptious-looking man, and one thing led to the other..."

He trailed off, his face going redder than a ripe tomato.

What filth are you reminiscing about, brother?

"And I never really got his name..and I had to leave in a hurry next morning and..."

"Are you sure it's him?" River questioned.

Wolfram glared daggers at him. "How many 6-foot-tall, red-headed, amber-eyed men have you seen around here?"

I have not seen that many men to begin with, sir.

"Plus, you think one forgets a face they were looking at while being..." 

Wolfram caught himself on time and covered his mouth with his fan.

"The point is, I never thought I would see him again! And you are telling me that was Seagull's brother?"

"He seemed quite neutral about seeing you again," River pointed out.

"Do you think he was avoiding me?" Wolfram pouted.

"I think he was giving you some face." River tapped a finger at his chin. "He is very gentlemanlike."

Wolfram banged his head on the table. "I know."

"So..." River prodded him with his finger, feeling a wave of devilish joy he had never felt before surging through him.

"Do you like him?"

"Lose the shit eating grin, Riv," Wolfram swatted him away , expertly avoiding the question. But his blush deepened a few shades in answer.

River felt his grin widening despite himself. He had finally discovered why Einar Ashford enjoyed matchmaking so much.

This will be fun.

Author has something to say

Plotttt twissssssssst!

Comment if you saw the ship coming your way.

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Emby Schulz

Wolfram Shulz

Raven - wanna hear a joke ?

River - not really ..

Raven -pleaseee

River -fine ..go ahead

Raven - knock! knock!

River -come in

Raven -.....

Raven - meanie..

(Prompt from pinterest )