TSUF crouched at the edge of the pier, eyes scanning the rippling water below. The skiff was gone, but its absence felt deliberate. He shifted weight, toes gripping the wet planks. A breeze carried the scent of salt and something faintly metallic—warning, or just imagination?
A sudden splash made him flinch. Small, almost playful, yet deliberate. Something—or someone—was testing him. He bent closer to the edge, peering into the shadows beneath the pier. Nothing visible. Only currents and echoes.
"Are you… okay, sir?" The laborer's voice trembled from behind a crate.
TSUF straightened, brushing damp hair from his forehead. "I'm fine," he said, tone calm but firm. "Just stay alert. Watch the water. Every ripple counts." He paused, eyes narrowing. "Not everything moves with the tide. Some currents have their own minds."
The boy swallowed, eyes wide. TSUF crouched again, fingertips brushing the damp wood. A small piece of rope floated near the pier's edge. He nudged it with a careful foot, watching how it moved. Pattern? Randomness? The line between the two was thin.
A gull cried overhead. TSUF exhaled slowly. Muscles coiled, senses sharp. He let the moment settle. Observation first. Reaction second. Mistakes weren't an option.
He glanced back at the boy. "Remember," he said, voice low. "The pier is full of whispers. Not all of them speak your language."
Footsteps echoed somewhere distant, wooden planks creaking under invisible weight. TSUF's jaw tightened. He adjusted his stance, feeling the subtle give beneath his feet. Every plank, every shadow, every movement mattered. One misstep, and the currents would punish.
Sunlight flickered over the water, throwing brief reflections onto the pier. TSUF inhaled, letting tension drain slightly, muscles ready but mind calm. Whatever stirred beneath, he would meet it fully alert, fully aware, fully himself. Step by step. Breath by breath.