The Island With No Parallel

A Portal in the Plaza

It couldn't be said that Cannes didn't give the Diovolo a warm welcome. The torches they held at the ready for them as they came in to the docks were very warm, and as were the heated and rageous shouts that Yunara was sure suggested nothing less than his neck under a guillotine.

The Italian crew shouted and taunted the enraged citizens at the docks as the ship pulled in closer, and Yunara could only hope that Luca was telling the truth when he said he'd instructed his men to do the people of Cannes no harm, because their faces showed far too much enjoyment of the situation for her to believe he followed through with that promise.

A hand pulled her by shoulder, Yunara finding Luca's face startlingly close to hers, a grin spread on his face that told her he was getting far too much enjoyment from this as well. "We'll be landing soon. When we do, my men will be following your lead. Take us to this parallel point, or whatever it's called, and they'll ensure no harm comes us. Then I'll send them back to the ship when the magical parts start happening."

"I won't be guiding us anywhere," she corrected him, pulling out the silver bell she'd placed in the pocket of her briefs. A soft jingle sounded and Lorenn swooped in and landed on the ground beside them, Luca jumping from her startling entrance.

"An owl?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Lorenn challenged.

"She knows where the parallel point is, and we'll follow her to it," Yunara said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Ah. I would still follow you anywhere, regardless, il mio fiore."

Yunara set the distance of a few steps backward and looked to Kailu, who was standing by the balcony and she was sure had turned her head as soon as she'd seen Yunara look to her for help. Even Lorenn disappeared, perhaps indignant by the fact that she was brushed over by Luca, though it didn't make Yunara feel any less abandoned. "You think you're charming, don't you?" she said dryly.

"I'm trying to be. If the Moor doesn't catch your attention or fails to do so, it would be wasted opportunity if I didn't at least attempt a chance with a delicate flower like yourself."

"I told you I didn't like being called Moor."

"I didn't. I called you a delicate flower."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Perhaps Kailu's advice was helping her, though not exactly for enjoying this unwanted attention, but rather adopting the ability to laugh at it. It was nothing if not ridiculous.

Her moments contemplating what exactly to think of Luca were cut short as Manuel came in on the two of them. "We're docking now," he told them, and Yunara noticed he had his sword at his side now. After a week of some form of tranquility, she lamented having to go right back into all the violence and danger. Kailu was armed with her blade as well, and she was quite certain Luca slept with his pistol as a habit. It was time to get back into it.

He asked, "are you ready?"

"Yes," Yunara answered immediately, eager to abandon the previous conversation and concentrate on the matters at hand.

Manuel was eyeing Luca, raising an eye and looking at the arm he used to cradle his stomach. "Are you sure you want to come?" he asked, sounding more like a threat than a friendly gesture.

"We already talked about this," Yunara answered instead, hoping it would be a quicker end to the debate that was formulating. "He's safer with us than he is without our protection. We know what we're looking at. His crew doesn't. And besides..." she closed her hand and felt what she was reaching for appear in her grasp. She rose in front of her a silver shield with a gleaming bear on the cover that said all she had to say for her, but she said it anyway. "This will protect him much better than his crew can."