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Flipp
“Flipp, darling, wake up.”
I squinted through sleepy eyes and just made out Azil’s outline.
“What is it?” I groaned. Why was he waking me up so early?
“I have a surprise for you.”
My eyes popped open. “What time is it? What surprise?”
“Well, my dear, you have to come and see for yourself.”
I rolled over in the hammock, my bare legs showing out from beneath my night shirt. I rubbed my eyes. “Why are you bothering me at this hour?”
“The sun has already risen. It’s not as early as you think. Come, now.”
I sat up. He handed me a kimono that I could wrap around myself. I hopped off the hammock and put the kimono on. I yawned and he smiled at me.
“You are adorable, Flipp.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start. It’s too early for this.”
I had immediately gone to bed the night before, mainly because I was embarrassed and I couldn’t face anyone who might have heard that I had the Hirpy’s dick in my hands. The crew was sure to hate me even more now. Azil seemed to get over things pretty quickly, which I was glad for. I was going to avoid going into the cargo hold for a while.
I followed Azil to the upper deck, unsure of whether I should trust him, or his surprise.
“Look.”
He was pointing to the shoreline, and my heart skipped a beat. There was land ahead, and it looked like we were going to dock.
“What is this place?”
“It’s a floating trade city.”
The floating trade city looked very industrial, as it floated in the middle of the water. There were towers and shops, and people moving around the city. It wasn’t land in the way I was used to. It was all rocks and rough coast that looked like it would cut you, but it was a place where you could buy and trade, get supplies, and even dine at a restaurant. There were huts on towers where security could ensure that patrons didn’t get out of hand. Floating cities were hubs for violence, because ships could pull up easily and attack.
The city looked rather large, with shopping and dining areas within the city itself. There was also a mysterious aspect of the floating city that included swamps with rich, lush green trees and moss hanging from them that came right out of the water. The swamp area formed their own city, giving a mix of industrial and nature, all in one floating city.
“We are going there?”
“Yes, there is something that I want to purchase there, and I would like to treat you to a day out.”
I blinked at him. “A day out. I don’t even know what that means.” I had grown up with no family and no connections. I had been left at a brothel with no one. I struggled with poverty, and had to work for everything that I had, which wasn’t much. The idea that someone wanted to “spoil” me, or take me out, was not a concept I was familiar with.
“I thought we could do some dining and a little shopping. It will make up for all the horrors that you’ve seen on the ship in the past few weeks.”
I nodded, unsure of how to answer. A day of shopping and dining, that should be interesting. He walked away from me then, and I watched him go. He was talking to Xagon, pointing to the approaching city. Something wasn’t right. It didn’t make sense that after being attacked by pirates, and having two prisoners in the cargo hold, we were heading out for a day of shopping? It seemed ludicrous. I was starting to question what the Sirens intentions were with me. What were they really intending on doing with me, as well as the two prisoners? I would need to keep my eye on them. There was definitely more to our little trip into the city than meets the eye.
When we docked at the city, it was not just Azil that got off the ship with me but Xagon as well. We started our excursion with a visit to the shopping centre. There were old wooden shops with storefronts; things I had never seen before. Everything on Demon Isle was so modern, because of all the money that floated through the mob bosses, while these shops were rustic and elegant.
I floated in and out of the shops with Azil, but I wasn’t really paying attention. He purchased me a silk scarf and a gold twig ring. He was parading me around like I was his girlfriend.
We were in a dress shop, and Azil was positioning a dress in front of me, chattering about how exquisite I would look in it. I tried to smile, wondering where on earth I would wear such a thing. I was on the run from the mob after all. Was he going to try to keep me on the ship as a companion?
I caught Xagon staring at us, and he didn’t look too happy. His eyes were narrowed at Azil and it occurred to me that he might be jealous. I had encounters with both of them, and I was trying to avoid it in the future.
“This color is perfection on you.” He was holding up a deep blue silk cocktail dress.
