Madeira convinced Emma to wait outside before she stepped into Barsala’s stuffy cabin. The man himself was still situated behind his desk where she left him, though his wine goblet had been replaced with a abacus and his desk was spread with what looked like very complicated sums of inventory, damage and expenses.
"Miss Craven." The man rose respectfully from his chair and smiled, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Have you been successful in getting rid of our unwanted passenger?"
"Yes, I have." She braced the sealskin bundle in her arms against her hip, and peeled back a corner to reveal the tigers glittering black eyes and snarling mouth. "Her name is Emma, and she was haunting this pelt. I'm going to assume you did not know that this was a Kelvic’s pelt?"
The captain put his hand to his wide belly, aghast. "By the gods, what a beastly thing to do."
Madeira smiled thinly. It was a convincing performance, but she doubted there was much this man wouldn't do for enough coin. His lush lifestyle must be expensive, after all.
"I'm going to take this ashore. And if all goes to plan, you will never see the ghost of Emma again. Have a good night, sir. Thank you for trusting the Craven family with this matter.”
"Wait", the man called after her as she turned to leave. “You will be paying for that fur, won't you? That is an expensive piece, Kelvic or not.”
Madeira paused and turned back, her eyes incredulous under a raised eyebrow. "Well, in that case, why don't I just go put it back?"
After a storm of vehement refusals and an apology from the captain, Madeira left the cabin with the pelt, wrapped tightly in it's sealskin bag, still safely tucked into her arms. Emma was fidgeting on the deck, but visibly relaxed when her Raj returned. Madeira gave her a reassuring smile.
"Come on now. You're going to stay with me for awhile, but then I’m going to make sure you and Raj go home."
So with a Kelvic skin in her arms and a Ghost at her back Madeira made her wobbly way down the gangplank and back to Alvadas.
"Miss Craven." The man rose respectfully from his chair and smiled, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Have you been successful in getting rid of our unwanted passenger?"
"Yes, I have." She braced the sealskin bundle in her arms against her hip, and peeled back a corner to reveal the tigers glittering black eyes and snarling mouth. "Her name is Emma, and she was haunting this pelt. I'm going to assume you did not know that this was a Kelvic’s pelt?"
The captain put his hand to his wide belly, aghast. "By the gods, what a beastly thing to do."
Madeira smiled thinly. It was a convincing performance, but she doubted there was much this man wouldn't do for enough coin. His lush lifestyle must be expensive, after all.
"I'm going to take this ashore. And if all goes to plan, you will never see the ghost of Emma again. Have a good night, sir. Thank you for trusting the Craven family with this matter.”
"Wait", the man called after her as she turned to leave. “You will be paying for that fur, won't you? That is an expensive piece, Kelvic or not.”
Madeira paused and turned back, her eyes incredulous under a raised eyebrow. "Well, in that case, why don't I just go put it back?"
After a storm of vehement refusals and an apology from the captain, Madeira left the cabin with the pelt, wrapped tightly in it's sealskin bag, still safely tucked into her arms. Emma was fidgeting on the deck, but visibly relaxed when her Raj returned. Madeira gave her a reassuring smile.
"Come on now. You're going to stay with me for awhile, but then I’m going to make sure you and Raj go home."
So with a Kelvic skin in her arms and a Ghost at her back Madeira made her wobbly way down the gangplank and back to Alvadas.
