Kid was careful not to let on that he knew about Beth's past. Obviously, she had trusted Killer enough to tell him, but he was sure she didn't feel the same way when it came to him. Not that he cared, but it would save the crew any drama if he pretended he hadn't overheard the girl's plights the night before.
He had to admit, for a girl like her, she had come out pretty strong for being sold into slavery and growing up in an alcoholic family life. At the same time, Kid knew she was weak. A lot weaker than the others in his crew. That didn't mean he felt sorry for her, not at all. He could care less what she'd been through or what she'd done. All that mattered was that she stayed and cooked them food on his ship.
Killer never said anything to him about it, which surprised him. Usually the first mate would pass on all new information as soon as he was able. Maybe he knew that Kid had been listening and decided it wasn't worth repeating it? Or...maybe he respected her enough not to go shouting her past out to anyone who would listen. Though Kid doubted the second option.
It had been a few days since the Auction House incident and the Marines had calmed down significantly. Kid felt comfortable enough to send Killer to escort Beth to get groceries. They were running desperately low on supplies and much as he didn't care to admit it, Beth was an excellent cook. He figured it had to do with having to live with a drunk father for a year or so.
That morning, after she had cooked a meager breakfast of hard bread and more of the stew she'd been making, Kid found her scrubbing the walls below deck.
She glanced up from her work, her face red from effort. "Can I help you?" She asked.
He grunted, gesturing to Killer who stood behind him. The masked man had his arms crossed and leaned against the wall. "I'm sending you to get food for the kitchen. You said we were running low, so buy what we need." He dug in his coat pocket and produced a wad of beli. She hesitantly reached for it.
"How much would you like me to spend? What do you want me to get?" He shrugged.
"Whatever you want, whatever you think we need. The hell if I know, just make sure I can eat it." Figuring he'd put his point across, he left his first mate and his cook to figure out the details.
Beth held the wad of cash in her hand, frowning in wonder. She'd never held this much currency in her hands before. She'd been around the World Nobles and their extravagant wealth before, but a low slave such as she had been never would have had any contact with it. It felt soft in her hands, the folded bills flayed out at just the places to create a fan of paper. Before she could sit there all day, Killer's throat-clearing brought her out of her thoughts.
"We should go."
"Oh...right." She deposited the scrubber into the bucket of water and slid it closer to the wall so no one would trip over it accidentally. Standing, she brushed her wet hands on her uniform and followed Killer out onto the deck.
"Are you sure we're safe out in the open like this?" Beth glanced around the open street nervously, feeling a twinge of fear every time someone looked in their direction. She forced herself to appear normal.
"Yes." Was all he said. Shaking her head, she once again wondered why the first mate didn't speak very much. She assumed he was just shy or soft spoken. Sometimes she wished somebody on board the pirate ship would just carry on a conversation with her, a regular one, but they were all still getting used to her. She supposed it would still take some time.
"There." Killer pointed to a market further down the road on the right. Crowds were forming in front of the tents and stands that sold vegetables and fruits from different regions around the world.
"So...what do you guys like to eat? What are your favorite foods?" Beth asked, trying to get a look at the merchandise over the shoulders of the people in front of her. She had to shout to be heard over the haggling of prices and frantic sales pitches of neighboring stands.
Killer shrugged and Beth frowned. "There's gotta be something you like, right?" He didn't seem to react, though she couldn't see his face behind the mask. Shaking her head, she went back to looking at the lettuce on the table.
Beth had somehow managed to weave her way through the crowd and wedge herself at the front. There, she was able to talk the seller down a few beli for several heads of lettuce. He put them in a brown grocery bag and she was able to escape without an elbow to her face.
"Hmm…" She wondered aloud, glancing around at the various foods to choose from. What next?
"Ramen." Killer suddenly said, making her jump a few inches in surprise.
"What?" She asked in confusion.
"I like ramen. With beef in it." It took her a moment to realize he was answering her question from earlier. He waited that long to answer? She shook her head and laughed.
"Well, why didn't you just say so? There's a ramen stand over there. We'll go get some." She pointed down the road to a crimson red booth. Killer nodded.
"But first we gotta get the fruit from over here." So, pulling his arm towards another stand, Beth led the first mate through the market for supplies.
"Are you sure you can carry all that?" Beth asked, watching doubtfully as Killer somehow managed to balanced most of the bags of food in his arms. They had effectively spent most of the money, and now had lots of ingredients that Beth could cook from. She already had several meals planned out for the next few days, but a cookbook would be beneficial. There were only so many recipes she could remember by heart.
"I can carry a few more." She offered, but Killer shook his head.
"I've got it." Shrugging a little, she walked towards the ship.
"Fine, but if you drop them, that's on you not me." She replied with a smile.
The walk back to the ship was slow. The many bags hampered the speed at which they were comfortable with walking without dropping them. Several times they had to stop and adjust grips on the bags. Fortunately, not one item of food had been dropped by the time they got back. Heat gave Killer a strange look when they boarded the deck, eyeing the numerous bags that made the first mate crouch awkwardly to carry them. Noticing this, Killer tried to stand a little straighter and look more normal and not like a weirdo, but instantly a bag was teetering dangerously on the top of the pile. With a sigh, Killer returned to the awkward position and started down the stairs. Beth only shook her head to herself.
"So, you like ramen with beef. But what do the rest of them like?" Beth inquired while they unloaded the bags onto the kitchen counter. Killer shrugged. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on her hips. "You don't know or you're too lazy to tell me?"
"You'll have to ask them."
"You are stubborn aren't you?" She grinned, placing the fruits and vegetables into the fridge. The bags of rice, flour, and sugar she placed on shelves in the pantry, along with spices and herbs they'd purchased.
"Well, the other's don't seem like they would tell me what they like as easily as you did. You're all a stubborn bunch."
"They'll tell you." Killer said, putting the last of the contents of the bags and silently leaving the kitchen. Beth only watched him go, wondering what it was that made him to come-and-go. He obviously didn't like company much, well, besides Kid of course.
Beth smiled a little, placing the uncooked ramen noodle packages into the pantry. Maybe, just maybe, she would enjoy her time on this pirate ship more than she thought she would.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
