The Ghost of the Shipwreck
Chapter I
Minamitsu Murasa was desperate, standing around the makeshift soup kitchen. As she reached the front of the line to get something to eat, one of the volunteers struck up a conversation with her.
?Any luck with a job, miss??
?Huh?? She blinked, returning to reality. ?Oh, no, nothing yet, anyway.? Murasa sighed. ?I?ve been here for about five years now, and still nobody?s offered me a job The worker nodded, frowning. She noticed another volunteer come in from outside, and chose to take her break at that time, following Murasa to a nearby table, eager to continue the conversation. ?Thanks, by the way.? Murasa smiled slightly, pushing her short, dark hair out of the way. ?It?s good to have someone to talk to.?
?Of course,? the volunteer smiled warmly. ?So, how?s your family??
?They?re still around, writing every now and then to ask how I?m doing and if I want to come back home,? she paused for a moment, ?which I don?t, to be honest. I couldn?t face them if I did.? Murasa had an odd sense of pride about having left home to pursue a life in this city, claiming that she?d find a well-paying job soon. Apparently, according to whoever cursed her with unemployment, five years still counted as ?soon.? There was no way she could go back to her family until she did something to better her situation.
An hour passed as her and the volunteer spoke idly about an assortment of trivial topics: How the innkeeper Murasa was staying with was doing, the weather, the old fishmonger?s latest sale, and the fact that ? being close to the end of the month ? the trade ships would be back soon. The two enjoyed these conversations. For Murasa, it allowed her to stop thinking about trying to find some sort of income; for the volunteer, it allowed her to connect with the people she was helping. Finally, the conversation turned back to Murasa?s troubles.
?Argh,? she dropped her head on the old wooden table, her dark hair spreading out in front of her. She spoke in a muffled voice. ?I just want something better than this. No offense, I like you and the innkeeper and all, but?? She beat her head against it a few more times, speaking in time with the thudding noise. ?I just want some employment and a nice little place to live and to stop being so lanky and boy-ish.? She looked up, chin still resting on the table. ?I know a job can?t fix that, but damnit, a girl of my age should not have the figure of a teenage boy!? The volunteer stifled a laugh, looking away. ?It?s not funny?? She whined for a moment, blinked, then jumped up from the table.
?Is everything alright, Miss Murasa?? The volunteer stood up slowly and took Murasa?s empty bowl. Murasa nodded and looked out the door. It was still fairly close to noon.
?Good. Still got time for my daily job hunt.? She grinned. Today is going to be the day I get hired. Definitely. No chance of anyone saying I lack experience. She ran out the door and began her search. As she did every day, she started it with the old fishmonger who had set up a stand by the harbor.
?I?m sorry, miss, but you lack the experience,? the old fishmonger said. ?My people want a man who knows the difference between a halibut and a tuna; they want someone who knows when, where, and how a fish is best cooked and eaten. Maybe get a few years on a boat, and then come back.? He patted her shoulder and handed her a bag, likely containing an undefined, fantastic object. Of course, it just contained fish, as she could tell by the smell. ?But if you?ll run that over to the inn you?re stayin? at, I may be able to give you some advice.? He nodded out toward the docks, grinning. When he looked back, Murasa had left, leaving only a trail of dust in her wake.
It may not be much, she thought, sprinting through the streets and nearly running into several people, stands, and carts; her short, dark hair trailed behind her as she ran. But advice is advice! That old man?s been good to me, so he must know of some place that can get me a job. She?d been so preoccupied with the very concept of employment that she ran a good two blocks past where she was supposed to drop the fish off at. Of course, by the time she realized this, her muscles were on fire and she was out of breath, so she decided to leisurely walk back to the inn, smiling brighter than she?d ever smiled before on the way back. However, she quickly became impatient and broke into another run, despite it killing her legs, after only a few minutes of walking.
Murasa, not wanting to waste any time, burst into the inn and charged into the back, heading for the kitchen. She dropped the fish and spun on her heel, nearly falling in the process, and bolted back out without saying so much as a ?Hello? to the numerous people inside. She hadn?t the time to be distracted by chit-chat and manners, she had a mission. However, she did have time to be distracted by her own thoughts, as she contemplated what the old fishmonger said.
Advice, huh? She slowed, and then stopped to rest her back against a wall in order to catch her breath, a decision which soon led to her sliding down the wall and sitting for a few minutes.
He was looking at the dock about the time he said that. Does that mean he found a job for me on one of the ships? She paused, frowning at the realization of the date. It was near the end of the month, when the fishing boats came back. He very well could have just been keeping an eye out for his shipment. A new thought sprung into her head. A job hauling fish, maybe? But, she thought as she bit her lip. That would only last me a few weeks at the most? She blinked a few times and looked up to the slowly setting sun, realizing that it wasn?t just the end of the month; it was nearing the end of the day. She had to hurry back or else she?d miss the old man. With a determined look in her eye, she spoke to herself.
?Murasa, stop overthinking this. Stand up, and run like hell so you don?t miss out on a job.? She pushed her dark hair out of her eyes, matting it down with the sweat she?d accumulated from running from one end of the city to the other in the heat of the day. Pushing herself from the wall, she stood and brushed off her clothing and, indeed, proceeded to run like hell, putting her earlier sprint to shame.
A few minutes passed and she?d arrived at the old man?s stand. Granted she was exhausted, breathless, and nearly tripping over her own feet, but she made it. That was good enough for her. The old man waved with a gnarled hand, laughing heartily as she fell against one of the poles holding a canopy over their heads. He patted her shoulder, an action that led to her knees buckling, nearly knocking her over in the process.
?From my fish stand, to that inn way out on the horizon,? he squinted as he looked toward the inn, barely able to make out its roof in the distance. ?You took a cart, somehow magically flew, or have some amazing legs and lungs on yourself, girl.? He turned, digging around under his bench and threw a rag at her. It proceeded to hit her head and drape over her face for a bit before she wiped herself down.
?Y-y-yeah?? Murasa nodded breathlessly. She was barely able to speak through the thick rag. ?If only I could fly, huh?? She weakly tossed the rag back to him, forcing the old man to lean over his stand to get it. ?So?? She took a deep breath, coughing hard. ?How about that advice?? She grinned as the old man looked out to the docks. She followed his gaze and could guess at his answer.
- End Chapter One -
So, feel free to toss your thoughts, etc out. Also, I love Esif for making the formatting not be a silly bastard and giving me advice such as 'it's easier to not use indented paragraphs when copypasting to a forum'.
And honestly, it looks it (because the indents got screwed up and those took about five minutes to five on their own :derp:). So, thanks much to all of you, and enjoy.
