A month had passed since I arrived at the brothel. I had gotten to know most of the workers, and I started living comfortably. The fear of starving and getting murdered no longer came. Even though these were some of the nicest people I have come across in the slums, I still felt like I didn't belong in a brothel. This was not where Freedom awaited me, it wasn't the Freedom my mother told me all about.
Old lady Ellie had started giving me a salary, and I had saved enough to travel. But on one faithful day, a letter was delivered to Ellie who was sitting restlessly at the reception. She had picked up the Captain's smoking habits due to having been the Captain's left-hand man.
She inhaled as much smoke as possible to numb her pain from her old aching body and picked up the letter that a suspicious man delivered. What the man was wearing was the signature clothing of the Coastal city of Nautilus.
On the letter, green wax with the seal of Serenity was stamped on it. As the old hag was struggling to breathe seeing that green seal she dropped the letter onto the floor.
It fell right by Aylin's feet and she picked it up and saw the Captain's seal. Her mouth opened slightly before closing. She handed the letter to Ellie and walked away without saying anything. Curious, I stood behind the old hag and peered down at the letter in her hand.
I had still not seen the stamp of Serenity before but it made me wonder how the mere appearance of it could make someone as stoic as the hag leap out of her chair.
She tried to shoo me off but when she opened the letter and quickly went through the contents. Her breathing calmed and she put the paper onto the wooden reception desk and picked up her pipe to smoke again.
It seemed like she was inviting me to read it as well and I tilted my head to read the contents. It was written in beautiful cursive that was so elegant that it made it seem like scribbles and not words.
"Dear Ellie, my companion, my ship to the sea, the fleeting years seem to stream by like the calm belt's currents carrying the Mary. I wish for nothing more than for you to stay in good health. As a fellow sailor, I must inform you that I have uncovered a trail left behind by the pallid whale on the bottom of the seabed.
Though this wasn't the purpose of this letter, the reason I write is that I want you to grant Aylin an education. Though times have passed and painful memories may have eroded like rocky spires, ships will always be caught if not steered away. My sister who is a professor at the Nautilus's royal academy could perhaps help with giving her life a stern.
Kind regards, Sekito Sakaranai."
As I finished reading the letter I looked at the old hag who had her eyes closed and was blowing smoke. Her eyes were closely shut and she had a strained face full of wrinkles thinking about the offer the Captain had given.
After a few minutes of thinking her eyes darted around and saw me still standing there also pondering the contents of the letter. An idea flashed inside Ellie's head and a sinister grin formed on her always stoic face.
She waved her hand at me and told me that I was dismissed and could take the day off for today. That was unusual, usually, she would force me to work to the bone and only allow me to rest during meal times and sleep. As I was walking away from the reception area I saw Ellie throwing the letter into the fireplace and burning the letter into black ashes.
Did that mean she wouldn't allow Aylin to enrol in the Royal Academy?
After everything Aylin had told me, I knew that she didn't want her story to end here. She was just like me, a stray wishing to see and feel human emotions. A place like a brothel could never satiate those yearnings, her story couldn't end here.
I hurried off to Aylin's room to tell her about the letter from the Captain but couldn't find her. The window was open and there on the rooftop, Aylin sat curled up with her head resting on her knees. The streets below were quiet like the sea. The breeze blew Aylin's pink hair all over the place and she was staring out towards the horizon where the clear sky was pink-orange.
Aylin took a deep breath before puffing out air almost like she was simulating smoking. Her lips were cracked from the cold air and her eyes were sunken from lack of sleep.
I called out her name and she turned towards me slowly asking if I needed something.
"That letter…"
"No, I don't want to know the contents of that letter," she said shaking her head.
Carefully I grabbed onto the metal edge of the window and adjusted my footing on the frame before jumping out and sitting next to Aylin. There was a small gap between us and we decided to watch as the pink turned into darkness that enveloped the skies.
Aylin took out the crescent moon necklace from her pocket and put it around her neck as the moon appeared in the sky. She interlaced her fingers and rested them against her forehead.
As night arrived Aylin thanked me for staying with her and helped me get back to the room through the window. I needed to say anything, just anything to break the ice. I had been next to her for too long without saying anything and thus I just asked her if she wanted to attend a school.
She tilted her head to the side with an eyebrow raised.
"School?"
Her eyes were in the corner trying to think but after a brief intermission, she told me that she would be grateful for an education. She had already been taught to read and write by her mother but she felt that there was more than that she needed to know. To be able to experience everything she needed to learn about this world. Her final answer to my question was an adamant nod.
I agreed with her, an education would greatly help in this world's affairs, there is so much more to know than only writing and reading.
"If you got an opportunity to attend school would you go?" I asked.
She nodded again and asked me the same question.
I told her that I would and that I want to experience what it is to be a student.
A smile spread across her cheeks.
"Then how about one day we both become students and study together?" She smiled even brighter thinking about that future.
My mind was melting seeing her jolly expression which made me feel something I had not felt since I lost my mother. A feeling of security.
"I would gladly study alongside you," I said brimming with happiness.
Aylin turned around to hide her face and put her arms behind her back. Even though she was trying to hide how she was feeling I could see her fingers fiddling and laughed quietly.
The night was quiet, too quiet, no sounds were coming from the other rooms. It was as if everyone had left the building and it was only me. My eyes were struggling to open even though it was only 10 PM and my body felt like it was carrying a load of bricks.
I struggled to get my body out of bed and was confused to see smoke coming from the gap under my door. My sluggish body stumbled forward as I tried to reach out towards the door handle. It was as if my legs had iron shackles around them and I fell onto the ground. I saw the blurry image of a man dressed in complete black with his face completely covered and an old lady standing behind him smoking from a pipe. A little device rolled by my head and from it smoke poured out from its holes.
My eyes were struggling to open.
"Jeez this guy is tenacious, you should have told me, to put more potent sleeping gas."
The man's voice was being completely distorted and some words were not being processed in my head.
He kicked the ball closer to my face and I started to breathe in all the gas that it emitted.
As I was about to pass out the faint hue of pink caught my eye. The only one with pink hair in this establishment was Aylin and on the man's shoulder was a pink-haired girl.
I shoved both my hands into the ground and pushed with all my strength.
"I… will… not…yield…her…to... YOU!" I yelled out at the man dressed in complete black.
Both the old woman and the man were still blurry and my movements were slow and predictable. I tried to rush towards the man but rammed into the wall instead, my body rested against the wooden walls and I moved slowly closer towards the man with every step.
"How is he even moving around with all the muscle relaxants in his system?" The man asked the old woman.
I swung at the man but he easily dodged my punch and I landed on the floor.
"Are you sure you want me to take him as well?"
"I am."
The next moment I felt a sharp pain travel throughout my body and everything went black.