Seeking Treasure Beyond The Cup: Part Six

     Hannah was NOT impressed with them and argued with Kanrik about getting her broken arm checked out by a doctor. She eventually agreed when Kanrik said he would spend more time with her, to make sure that she healed alright.

     What? She missed him. They both led such independent lives that they could rarely meet, so it was nice to have the extra company.

     But now the Usul had a score to settle with Team Krawk Island as they approached the Golden Dubloon.

     “Team Krawk Island, you are rubbish pirates. You need to practice piracy before you become a REAL thorn in my side, but I will give you credit for the effort.”

     Garven looked at her quizzically. Was that a compliment?

     She continued, “I’d advise you guys to stay away from the caves. You are not ready for them, but you have so much more potential as normal Neopians to exceed your expectations and to avoid trapping yourself in Yooyuball. You need to stop thinking as athletes to succeed in your dream.”

     This he agreed with. “Aye, I guess bein’ stuck in the tourney fer so long has made us forget where we came from. We thank ye for that much, showin’ us the entertainment of a cave.”

     Hannah then turned to Dasher. “You have a snoring problem.”

     “Yeah, what of it?” the Krawk retorted in defence.

     She remained cool. “That usually means that you have some type of nasal issue. You should get that checked out.”

     Nitri found this funny and began laughing in spite of him.

     “If you guys are serious about becoming pirates you should get talking to some locals in the Dubloon over there. They’re the ones with the experience,” she continued knowledgeably, waving to an old lady Xweetok who was an ex-employee of the Golden Dubloon. She was a cleaner. “Just avoid talking to pirates like Captain Scarblade or any of his crew from The Revenge or you could end up losing more than just your careers. He’s a nasty piece of work...”

     Garven nodded. He had seen that rough-looking pirate Lupe in the Golden Dubloon before. He really WAS a nasty piece of work; he always got what he wanted because he usually had the menace to backup his demands.

     “Aye. I know not t’cross blades with Scarblade.”

     “Good.”

     They fell silent as they approached the tavern, which was about to re-open for the morning shift. They had only spent about a day in the caves hunting for treasure, but the Yooyuballers did not think to question that fact. Hannah knew that they had barely just begun to get into the interesting parts of the cave, but she wasn’t prepared to tell them that.

     “So what are you gonna do now?” Dasher enquired as Kanrik kindly held open the door for them.

     Hannah smiled and said, “Firstly, I’m gonna get some time off work because of this injury. Then I’ll put on a small performance for the tavern because I like singing stories... and after that I’ll go home and spend some time catching up with my dear friend, Kanrik.”

     The Gelert seemed happy with this plan. He still could not shake the image of Hannah when she was under the full power of the curse of Ta-Kutep. It was nice to see her here, acting like a normal Neopian, and to see her doing the things she enjoyed most in life. But she was special because she kept on fighting, even when there was no fight left in her, and that was a rare quality. That, and he also admired her skills as a thief.

     Team Krawk Island parted ways with the Usul and sat down at an empty table. They had not mentioned Yooyuball practice in a while and were now plotting their next adventure instead.

     “You guys wanna help me repair me ship, then?” Garven asked hopefully, eager to set sail once more. “I could use the extra hands an’ yeh can be me crew stealin’ all kinds of treasure!”

     “I like that plan.” Dasher nodded eagerly. “I wants more gold!”

     “Won’t our manager hate us for doin’ that though?” Nitri asked dubiously, cracking her knuckles to relieve the pressure in her joints. “I mean he’s a bit of a safety freak.”

     “We’ll just tell ‘im it’s a team buildin’ exercise. It technically IS and managers LOVE that type of excuse.”

     Zayle laughed. “Yer a genius, Garven!”

     “I know... an’ as a failsafe we should take our Yooyuball equipment on board anyways so we don’t fall behind on trainin’.”

     Dasher approved. “Aye. I think it’d be nice out on the sea rather than practicin’ indoors all day... or in that alleyway fer that matter.”

     Nitri was much happier. “Can’t wait ‘til I get me own ship.”

     “Nah, yeh won’t get yer own ship,” Zayle teased, smirking. “You’d miss us too much.”

     “Um... Nah, not really.”

     “Yeh can’t AFFORD a new ship,” Garven reminded her victoriously. “Yeh’ll just have t’put up with us fer longer.”

     Nitri folded her arms and glanced away in protest. “It’s a temporary arrangement.”

     Nitri was only playing. She actually enjoyed her time with the boys, even though she wouldn’t admit to it. The main thing that irritated her most about them was that Garven and Dasher seemed to get the most attention out of the team.

     Loretta Fontaine approached them, notepad at the ready with her pencil poised. “Mornin’, Team Krawk Island! What can I get you?”

     “Some Thornberry Grog would be great fer us all,” Garven said kindly to the nice waitress.

     “Okay...” She made a note. “Heard you guys broke Hannah’s arm?” she added with a frown.

     Dasher shrugged. “Yer welcome?”

     Loretta glared at him. “No! She gets more time off than any of us employees. Rosetta an’ I keep workin’ overtime to make up for her absences.”

     “Then why hasn’t yer boss fired her yet?” Hawkshanks asked in genuine surprise.

     This is where her source of jealousy really became apparent to the squad. Her next words were highly strung: “Because she’s FAMOUS. Little Hannah the Brave is a local celebrity and our boss says she’s good for business. He doesn’t mind her takin’ time off so long as she comes back with more performances. But she’s still workin’ here, even though she’s hardly here at all, I don’t get it.”

     Dasher flicked over a Ten Dubloon Coin to her and said reassuringly, “If it’s any consolation, you gals are good at yer jobs. An’ that Hannah gal ain’t too bad, she has ambitions like you do with yer Perfect Pizza or whatever it is... The Usul just takes risks an’ it’s paid off fer her. An’ it’s healthy to chase dreams when yer young.”

     Loretta looked at Dasher sadly. “Is it true that you’ll be retiring?”

     The ol’ Krawk faltered. He loved to play Yooyuball but lately he got too tired in general... but matches didn’t last for very long and he still had a good arm, so it would be stupid to quit now. He then smiled with a winning glint in his eye. “I make me own rules, missy. I’ll retire when I wanna. This ol’ Krawk ain’t givin’ up yet!”

     This cheered the Aisha up and she pocketed the coin. “You remind me of my grandfather...”

     “Did he play Yooyuball too?” he joked.

     Loretta giggled. “No, he wasn’t as cool as you are, but he was a mischief maker too, and it’s nice to see that quality in you.”

     Rosetta appeared and patted her on the shoulder. “Come on, Loretta, the boss wants you to do the dishes.”

     “All right...” she sighed, turning away. She turned around to Dasher one last time. “I’ll put in an extra order of grog for you all, on the house, because you deserve it.”

     As the sisters left, Dasher beamed happily at his team. “See that? VIP treatment!”

     Garven patted him respectfully on the arm. “Nice one, mate!”

     Hannah approached them after the Fontaines left the scene. Kanrik was close behind her. She looked at them pathetically. “You’re going soft on the Fontaines?”

     Dasher scoffed at her. “Nah, they’re fans. I intend t’see how many free meals we can get outta them.” He said this with a triumphant look on his face. He was feeling more like a pirate than he has done for a long while.

     Kanrik shook his head. “That’s old school theft, but you’ll get the hang of the real thing eventually. You’re definitely on the right track to peeving Hannah in the future. Although I would advise you guys to stick to Yooyuball as your main career; you’re rookie pirates. Sorry, but you are.”

     Garven stood up defensively, poking him in the chest. “Yeah, yeah... Just go back t’the Thieves Guild, mate, we ain’t interested in yer lectures.”

     Hannah stood between them. “Hey, cut it out.” She then changed her tone. “I’m bored of this place. Kanrik, take me home.”

     “With pleasure,” the Blue Gelert said chirpily, escorting her out of the tavern.

     Team Krawk Island sniggered and poured their portion of treasure out on the table. They started to count what they had when Loretta returned with their grogs. They could definitely get used to this!

     Unbeknownst to them, Hannah had every intention of returning to that pirate cave once her arm had healed. Accompanied by Kanrik and quite possibly Armin, she would not be denied more treasure that lay within!

     Team Krawk Island were renewed players. They now had a new purpose in life. They wanted to make their fans proud, and they were going to increase that level of pride by doing what everyone expects them to do in the off-season... Pillage towns and loot lots o’ treasure! Onwards, Krawkstars, yo ho!

The End