Revolution of Freedom [Flashback]

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The tone of the relatively unfriendly ruffian had apparently shifted entirely when met with cooperation, revealing an unexpected chummy personality. When the stranger introduced himself as “Eva”, the young man had to apply all his self-control to keep himself from giggling at the feminine name. However, he soon recalled far more exotic names that he had encountered during his travels, and quickly regained his manners. He had masked his slip-up well enough to go unnoticed, and the moment he was offered a handshake by Eva, he gladly accepted it with a composed stature that contrasted against his jolly new acquaintance. ”Call me Yedi.” He then shrugged towards the traffic that had passed them by and added, ”Don’t mind the ignorant people here. They’re all too self-indulgent to give two shits about someone else.”

It was a bit unfair of him to profile every citizen and criminal that walked around them into the selfish category, but he had met far too many folks that fit this bill as opposed to the ones that didn’t. Nevertheless, Eva seemed to clash against the people around them, seemingly not fitting in, which was one thing that the two new companions had in common.

When Eva began to converse with Yedi, he listened attentively while walking forward at a brisk pace along the wooden platform adjoined to the docks. He was searching for a small sailboat that could sail them to their destination without charging a fortune. When Eva questioned his motives for visiting Kyte Isle, he immediately responded with a practiced reply. ”I have a friend that works at the plantation there. I’ve been meaning to visit him for quite some time, but I just now managed to get around to it.” Convincing lies were always brewed with a hint of truth mixed in. Yedi did indeed have a friend that worked at the plantation, and he did technically mean to visit him, but the rest of his intentions he would keep to himself.

As they walked through the crowded platform, shuffling through a freshly unloading ship, Yedi returns the inquiry to Eva regarding his reason for his visit. If and once he answered, Yedi then comments on the ferry situation. ”Normally, you’d be able to find a fisherman sailing out to fishing lanes who’d be willing to give you a ride to a nearby island for a small fee. But, Kyte Isle is privately owned, and so are the waters around it. Fishermen can’t be seen in that territory without being required to pay a hefty tax.” It was a frustrating situation for the competitive profession, surely, but it was commonplace for any private island owners to monetize resource-gathering from their turf. It was no different than citizens of a kingdom paying taxes for operating their businesses within that kingdom, or foreign traders paying a tariff. However, private owners often practiced the shady tactics of overcharging such businesses, despite it being detrimental to their income in the long run. Though it was no surprise to Yedi that greedy pieces of filth like Bailey looked for an immediate turnover as opposed to long term stability.

While Yedi fussed over the bad business decisions of people he’d never met, his attention was drawn suddenly by a small sail boat being readied by an elderly man, who wore dirty linen clothes. He was accompanied by a stubby middle-aged man, with a twirled mustache, and a fancy merchant’s outfit that screamed “rich fat man”. The man stood with a stiff and uptight manner, eyeing his company critically, while two men in thick leather armor stood to his either side. The men were, without a doubt, guards assigned to protect him. Although he sensed this to be troublesome traveling company, Yedi decided to try his luck with this boat. He pointed it out to Eva, who he hoped had not gone missing through hustle and bustle of the docks. ”Let’s see if we can’t tag along with that ferry there. I don’t like the look of that pompous bastard, but we may not get another chance till tomorrow morning.”

Having said that, he approached the merchant that stood against a pole, while his head scanned the two aloof guards. ”Good evening sir! My friend here and I were wondering if you were by chance heading to Kyte Isle?” The fat man gave him a dismissive look before the old man interrupted. ”We are. I have room for you two if you wanna jump on. You’ll have to split the boat fare with Mister Johnson here though.”

Mister Johnson…. Yedi’s eyes instantly shot up at the mention of this name. Could he possibly be Bailey Johnson? It was unlikely, though, since it made little sense for the owner of an island to be paying his way on a shabby sailboat, rather than his very own prize sloop. Perhaps he was a relative? This was one more reason for Yedi to get on this boat. However, if it were only that easy. ”Hold it there, old man! I never said I’d share this boat with another passenger, let alone two goons who are clearly pirates or criminals of the lowest order.” The old man laughed mockingly, dispelling any festering anger Yedi may have had after that demeaning insult. ”If you don’t want to be sharing space with criminals, your lordship, you’ve been spending your time in the wrong town.” His tone was as condescending as it could be without soliciting a violent response from Johnson’s security detail.

The old man then turned towards Eva and Yedi, and smiled warmly. ”I’m Jake. You two can come along if you’re willing to part with 5000 berries each.” The merchant seemed outraged at this and demanded satisfaction. ”You rat! You’re charging me 15000 berries while you’re only charging them 5000? I should have you arrested for discrimination!” The old man laughed again as if pointing out the obvious. ”I’m sorry your lordship, but I assumed that you were paying for your two companions here too, which is why I charged you the total sum of three passengers.”

Realizing his folly, especially after his own guards snickered behind his back, he grumpily but silently boarded the boat and seated himself inside the tiny one-man cabin of the boat, while his guards stood by the entrance into the cabin. Jake invited the two youngsters aboard, which Yedi quickly accepted, awaiting Eva’s boarding.

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Having realized the curiously chatty nature of his new found companion, Yedi had to watch himself more cautiously than ever. His natural tendency to warm up to energetic and enthusiastic people had loosened his tongue many times in the past, rarely to his benefit. In this case, his drive towards his mission had him too focused to lose his reins over his words.

Once they were aboard the cramped boat, Jake skillfully steered the boat away from the pier after declaring his departure to the foreman at the docks in a rambunctious sailor voice. The unfurled sails quickly caught the wind, fluttering proudly as the boat speedily began its crossing. Jake made no small talk as he sat behind the two guards of the shelter hungry merchant, focusing on steering the boat with furrowed brows. Yedi had seated himself on the bench at the front end of the boat, opposite from the other passengers. There was only enough room for one more on the bench, leaving Eva little choice for seating arrangements.

Wherever Eva stood or sat, Yedi initiated a conversation, continuing the topic of Eva’s mention. ”You were saying something about tattoos before. What made you decide to get a tattoo? And what kind of tattoo are you planning on getting?” It was not often he met people who were as passionate about tattoos as Eva seemed. And his earlier comment suggested to him that he was the rebellious type, wanting to get tattoos as his way of displaying freedom and independence. It resonated with his younger self, but Yedi had long since grown out of unruly needs such as tattoos and flashy accessories.

The tattoos he had had his torso covered in were entirely faded after his chest and back suffered countless burnings he suffered during his time as a mistreated prisoner of war. This was many years before he reached adulthood, and he had far outgrown any of his former captors in terms of raw power. And yet, he had yet to avenge himself upon them. He shifted the bandages that covered his unclothed torso by practically forming a shirt, and listened attentively to any responses from Eva.

After a short while of exchanged dialogue, the stuffy merchant exited his shelter to the open air outside, breathing deep. He circumvented the cabin and approached Yedi and Eva with an entitled air about him. ”You two. What business do you have on Kyte Isle?” Yedi immediately retorted before Eva had the chance to reply more or less amicably. ”And what business is that of yours? The man seemed almost offended at Yedi’s response, his head turning towards his guards, who were too aloof to care. ”Kyte Isle belongs to my family. So, what you plan to do on our property is literally my business.”

Yedi couldn’t decide if the fat man was simply trying to have a conversation due to the encroaching loneliness, and simply did not understand the concept of treating someone of a lower status with a sense of equality… or if the man was, in fact, suspicious of Yedi’s not-so-innocent intentions. However, considering the merchant’s display of airheadedness earlier, Yedi could not imagine him being so perceptive. And so, he decided to stow away his repulsion and wore a mild smile instead. ”Oh! I see! I apologize then for my rudeness. I was heading to Kyte Isle to visit a friend of mine that works at the plantation.” The man’s eyes instantly sparkled. ”The plantation, you say? You do know that all the laborers at the plantation are slaves, right? Slaves aren’t allowed visitors.” The man’s moronic bluntness astounded Yedi to the point where he was at a loss for words. The man had just openly admitted to being involved in slavery, an act which was a crime for anyone who wasn’t a noble. While Kyte Isle may not have been directly affiliated with the World Government, it was called the “World” Government for a reason. Its rules applied just about everywhere, a sad fact that Yedi and his comrades had to battle with every day.

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