At the Gangplank

How this is all gonna end I can’t rightly say, but it ain’t gonna be good. It started at the Gangplank where I goes for me mugga ale and crusty bun – but that cranky Malus was there with some right surly lookin’ bugger who dint talk none, not once the whole time. Then Malus gives me one of them dirty looks of his and said they ain’t given us urchins no more free drinks – nor food neither.

 I asked to speak to Miss Junie onna counta she’s the nice one but Mal-ass tells me she ain’t in and besides, anything I wanna say to the boss-lady I could say to him. So I says to him ‘Mr. Malus, I be right hungry and haven’t etta bite since noon yesterday.’

 He gives me another dirty look and I thought he was about to tell me to piss right off but he dint. He just rolls his eyes like he always does then he makes this kinda spitting sound like he thinks I’m some dumb brat or something. But the bugger goes and pulls me an ale from the tap and tosses me a crusty old bun –  just the kind I likes too, with a solid butter dollop in the centre.

I think his friend weren’t too kind to the idea of charity ‘cause he starts with these grumbly mutterings that sent me shivers. Malus gives him a backhand gesture like he’s gonna give him a right solid smack in the side of the head and that sets the ugly bugger quiet and surly again.

“This is the last time – understand,” Malus says, then he points his finger at me and he’s got a kinda mean look about him. “Next time you or any of the other urchins belly up to the bar you better have some coins.”

I just keep right quiet after that, onna counta I don’t wanna disturb Malus converssin’ with his pal; so I takes me mug and crusty bun and I gets me all comfy on one of the big chairs in the corner where I tends to me ale.

It were prolly ‘bout twenty minutes later, I held but a mouthful left to swish me mouth clean of crumbly bits when there’s this right fearsome bang at the door and I see straight off it’s Mr. Petharic!

I feel I should catch you up some and explain to you how that bugger Mr. Petharic’s been inna right sorry state these days. Been like that for awhile now. He’s been livin’ at the train station and spending his days practicin’ somethin’ called yogert meditation. But now that it’s gettin’ cold he’s been gettin’ right friggin’ grumpy. I know this ‘cause we hang out sometimes, me and Mr. Petharic. He’s a real good guy deep down. He teaches me lotsa neat stuff.

I sorta figured he’d given up the killin’ business since he went all cuckoo with his peace and nature ways, but here he was, in the Gangplank aimin’ his gun towards the bar. He looked right wild too waverin’ that big Colt between Malus and his creepy mate; and he’s yellin all the time, stuff like, “Where the hell is that bastard Emerson Lighthouse!”

Then that pal of Malus jumps from his stool like he’s all excited to fight with Mr. Petharic or something. And I bet he woulda too if Malus hadna put a hand on his shoulder, and said, “Tobias not now!”

His buddy, Tobias, keeps standin’ for a second longer lookin’ like he might still attack. I hardly don’t breathe for fear someone was gonna get killed. But I feel a bit of ease when I sees Tobias sit back down on the barstool.

“Consider me stopping him a favour!” Malus says right serious-like at Mr. Petharic. “You should leave – now! You have no idea the danger you are putting…”

But I dint hear what Malus was tryin’ to say onna counta Mr. Petharic interrupted when he fired a bullet into the ceiling directly above Malus’s head. That gunshot was so friggin’ loud it made me jump! Malus dint hesitate, with sword drawn and Tobias at his side he runs full-out from the bar right to where Mr. Petharic was at, over by the door. Tobias gets there first though and pins Mr. Petharic’s gun hand to the wall while Malus presses the edge of his blade into Mr. Petharic’s throat and it looks almost like it’s hard enough to draw blood.

“You’re not even worth the effort to clean up the mess you would leave,” Malus gets a real sour look, then shoves himself back off of Petharic. “From what I hear you’d only come back anyhow – freak.”

I jumps right up off of me comfy seat in the corner when I hears that. “He aint no freak! You’re the freak, you freak!”

I shouted out onna counta I was right upset over what Malus said. But then after my outburst  I’m feelin’ all heated onna counta everyone’s starin’ at me; so I run straight out the door and catches-up to Mr. Petharic and I follows right alongside as we makes our way west along Prince Dakkar Boulevard.

“Where we goin Mr. Petharic?” I says to him.

“Wheatstone,” he says back. “Try not to fall behind. I need your help.”