Yangchen Fanboy

The kid tapped her lips, a sparkle in her dark gaze that promised mischief. “Well, older than me, but definitely younger than Old Man Bo on the edge of town. So probably around very old?”

Mikak laughed and gestured for the kid to sit across from her at the table she’d claimed while waiting for Kuzon. He was late, so his seat was forfeit to cheeky things who amused her.

“Astute observation, kid. You from around here, then?”

“Nah, just in town for a bit while my captain does business.”

“Oh, so you work on one of these ships, then?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately. But they’re not one of the fun ships.”

“And what makes a ship fun?”

“Piracy, obviously.” 

Mikak narrowed her eyes as the girl grinned, all teeth, not even an attempt at innocence. “I see this wasn’t a random encounter.”

“Well, of course not! How could I miss the chance to meet the great Captain Mikak? But, really, I was shocked at how old you are to still be sailing like you are. I thought maybe you’d be agelessly immortal or something to explain how you’ve been a captain for so long.”

There was no containing her laughter. The kid was fearless! How long had she been observing Mikak before deciding to approach her? Since Mikak started her vigil waiting for Kuzon? Since her ship docked last night? Regardless, Mikak always did her best to encourage precocious young women, so a treat was in order.

“Kid, do you like sweets?”

“What? Yes? I mean, what?”

Delighted to catch the little troublemaker off guard, Mikak waved down a worker of the food stall and ordered more shaved ice. She would take the chance of a stomachache to indulge with her new, little friend. Maybe Mikak could steal her from her current crew… There was no way she was being properly appreciated. 

The wait for her idiot was much more pleasant with her new company. Dipa, as she introduced herself, was a cabin boy (“It’s the title, isn’t it? Cabin girl doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Dipa said with a shrug.) for one of the legitimate traders in town. Mikak wasn’t familiar with the legitimate traders of these seas, which was a minor setback in her plan to steal Dipa for herself.

Their conversation was delightful, swinging effortlessly from sailing topics to the local gossip Dipa had picked up in the week she’d been in town. The girl was shrewd and observant on top of being a little shit. Oh, Mikak absolutely needed to leave with her on board her ship.

The sun was beginning to set as a harried, wrinkled asshole came running up the street, out of breath. “Mikak! I’m so sorry I’m late!” he exclaimed, coming to a stop in front of her, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. “I’ve been running around town all day trying to find my wayward flower and-”

Kuzon cut himself off as he looked up and spotted the child seated across from Mikak. He narrowed his eyes at Dipa, then cursed under his breath and ran his hand through his hair as he stood upright.

“Of course, I should have come here first.” He sighed and shook his head. “Well, what’s this one’s name, then?”

If Mikak thought Dipa’s earlier smiles were sharp, they had nothing on the toothy thing she shot Kuzon, her eyes practically glowing with pride. “Dipa, cabin boy—because that’s the title, and cabin girl just doesn’t have the same ring, right?—of a local trader. Currently ingratiating herself with the great pirate captain Mikak because pirates are fun.”

Kuzon hummed. “Not bad. More solid than your last one with less details. Simple is better, lets the other person fill in the blanks to make the story work.”

“Excuse me, but what the fuck?” Mikak interjected, looking between them in disbelief. Did Kuzon set her up? No, his distress and surprise had seemed genuine but… What?

Kuzon laughed and gestured to the still beaming child. “Mikak, let me formally introduce you to my little weed, who’s been growing into quite the vicious flower. They’re actually why I asked we meet in person.”

Of course Mikak knew about Kuzon’s little flower. How could she not, with how often he wrote of them? She wasn’t even surprised Kuzon was reaching out for help, for the child he wrote of was not made for martial skills as Kuzon was. They were more suited for Mikak’s line of work. But even knowing about their tendency to blend into crowds and create personas to hide in plain sight, Mikak had a hard time believing what was before her eyes.

“Kid, have you ever even scrubbed a deck in your life?”

The child whose name was not really Dipa smirked. “No, but the kids who actually do sure do love to complain about it. Loudly. Where anyone can hear.”

Bun Ma grinned wide, knowing full well that the flash of teeth was visible through her helmet. “Aw, but Princessy, then who would keep your secrets?”

Azula scoffed. “What secrets?”

This was a familiar song and dance, a script Azula felt the need to act out to assuage the maelstrom that was her own thoughts. So Bun Ma didn’t draw attention to how it was the middle of the night, how Azula wasn’t dressed for slumber, how Azula woke Bun Ma because she was leaving her quarters. Instead, Bun Ma pushed off the wall supporting her to stand on her own and sent Ju Long a cheeky salute.

“Of course, no idea what I’m talking about. See you in a bit, Ju Long.”

“I don’t need an escort,” Azula said dismissively as she breezed past them.

Bun Ma fell in step behind her, following the script as was expected of her. “Of course not, but since there’s nothing secret going on, it’s only natural you would be found with a guard as you wandered the grounds in the dead of night.”

Azula glanced over her shoulder at Bun Ma. The dim, flickering lanterns illuminating the hallway reflected the brief glimpse of what was going on in her mind through her eyes. In a blink, the emotions were gone and Azula looked away.

“Not that anyone will see us.”