{ Old Friends Reuniting } (256 views)

Jean was frowning when Eldin walked in and took the seat across from him.

”Hello, Eldin.” He said, waiting for the drinks. ”I was just informing you that I am docked in Salem’s port. I intend to stay for not very long – just enough time for my crew to rest and recover from our last journey. I just want there to be no... surprises when it comes to our stay.”

”Oh, no, I understand you want peace. I was just warning you that we are in the area. Of course my crew might get themselves in some minor scuffs – the lot of them are rather unaffiliated with rules – but no harm should come to the citizens of Salem.” Jean said. While he did respect his friend he had very little respect for the Navy itself – he still found it laughable that ‘keeping the peace’ was something the Navy did. They did not keep peace, they destroyed it. ”I want your word that when I leave I will be able to leave with every member of my crew aboard my ship. I will pay for any damages they cause – if they cause any. But they should not add up too much.”

”The governor is the least of my concerns right now, Eldin. All I need is the Navy staying out of my business.” Jean said. The governor did not have as much backing without the Navy’s support – as intimidating a man as he was. Jean had heard rumors of Daniel Rivers, and seen him occasionally.

When he suggested quitting, Jean laughed, the sound loud and bellowing.

”The fleet admiral just quitting? That’s a hilarious notion,” Jean said, leaning forward and snorting when he said the political bullcrap was tiring, ”The reason you stayed in the Navy all these years was because of that political bullcrap. What, now are you suddenly having a change of heart?”

”Correct my memory, Eldin – where is your family? I don’t recall,” He said. When Eldin mentioned he and his men wouldn’t meddle in their business he smirked to himself and took another sip of his drink. ”Good. We will likely leave before too long – right now my men just need to get some shore in our lives before we head off to the deep sea. I’ve heard rumors of a shipwreck I’m dying to learn more about. Supposedly the bastard navigating the ship was so loaded, that was what ultimately made him sink. And since he was a pirate, the Navy’s got no business poking the nose around the wreck,”

Jean blinked at the suggestion of Eldin taking a boat of his own. ”You mean when you retire? Better not speak to loudly, sir, or else your men may hear you and spread rumors you’re leaving the navy. Who would be an admiral after you, I wonder?”

Jean spared a half smile when Eldin said they weren’t spring chickens anymore.

”No, we certainly aren’t. We’ve gone and grown ourselves cocks,” He laughed, raising his brows when he said he didn’t care. ”My, my... if someone overheard you’d be thrown from your position in a heartbeat, old friend. ”The Spanish can come for it. That’s not a problem to me. My men aren’t strangers to battle, and when they’ve learned on the seas has made them stronger. What does it matter to me if the man who died was Spanish? His gold certainly doesn’t care – and you know how the Spanish feel about the pirates. Once a pirate, he’s disowned from his homeland. My men and I have more claim to his treasure than the bloody Spanish.”

”See? He stole it. Therefore it’s not Spanish property anymore.” Jean said, nodding at his sound logic. When he commented that he was a mean drunk Jean laughed boisterously, paying no mind to his volume or the looks he got.

”Of course I remember – My face didn’t heal proper for a whole weak, you bloody baboon!” He said, clapping Eldin on the shoulder as he spoke. ”Ya pack a mean punch, too.”

”Pay the doctor, or not, that didn’t stop me from having a black eye for the next week.” Jean said, though he wasn’t actually angry at what had happened. When Eldin gave him leave to pursue it, he grinned. ”What’s this? Admiral of the Navy telling me to go steal some treasure? You’d be out of a job if someone else heard!”