-A little rum, a little rub..hopefully, and maybe some bones. I have been lucky for a week now.-

  A few steps from the harbor had Ruby walking along a cy brick road that had been meticulously pounded into pce and filled in with the white sands that surrounded the rge City of Alexandria. Dotting the roadside were purple flowering jacaranda trees with full canopies that provided retive shade from the heat of the desert sun. Upon spotting a sign made of cypress, Ruby memorized the road that led back to the harbor and her home, ‘The Ghost Spade.’

  -Not very original for a name…Cove Circle. It isn’t that I saw unique names anywhere else.-

  Ruby shrugged and kept walking towards what she thought was the center of town. Passing buildings two and three stories high, made from brick, and clear windows framed in Acacia. It wasn’t hard to distinguish the dies looking for a bit of silver for their time, as Ruby noted that they all seemed to have one green sleeve on their dress.

  -Wildly organized for a pirate-friendly pce.-

  Thanks to the myriad of people who used Alexandria as a stopping point, the city was able to reap the benefits of a world full of trade. Ruby passed by old and stained carts filled with some fruit she recognized such as apples and oranges, then there were other vendors offering figs and pomegranates. Ruby had just picked up a couple of oranges when the merchant spoke to Ruby, his accent thick.

  “Ma’am, have you tried one of these?” He pointed to her red-rose bandana and smiled, “Sailor…right? Long time on the water, scurvy…yes, yes?”

  Ruby looked up from where she’d been squeezing the oranges, “Sailor is a loose term, but yes.” Pulsing with familiar heat, Ruby took comfort that her dagger was down in her boot, waiting to be used. “What are you trying to trade my silver for?”

  The merchant held up one finger and grabbed a small red fruit that looked simir to an apple. “This, I swears, called passion fruit.” He cut into the flesh of the fruit and showed Ruby the inside. “Here.” He handed the picky pirate half, “Scoop out the center and just eat. Tases lots like a blend of many, some orange, some pineapple, mayhaps even a little melon.” Chuckling he winked at Ruby, “I understand it goes really well with the dark rum that is served all over town. Interested?”

  Aware that she wasn’t looking her best, Ruby did know that the gem in her eyepatch would make her a sellers target. “How much for how much?” Ruby perked her eyebrow and waited.

  “Very rare this type is, Ma’am. It isn’t like an orange or a lemon.” His eyes twinkled, “Five for one silver.”

  Ruby took two sultry steps forward, accenting her hips as she did so. She half-twisted and softened the look in her furtive hazel eye. “I am not so sure. There are many shops along the road.” Ruby pushed out her lower lip and gave the appearance that she was both thinking and somewhat sad. “You can do better for me, right? I won’t tell anyone. I will tell everyone where I got them.” She wiggled her eyebrows and daintily licked the tops of her white teeth.

  Swallowing hard, the older merchant ran his hands through his graying hair and gave Ruby a wide smile. “I will fill this sack full and…” He looked around and put his finger to his lips, “Shhhhh…for a silver.”

  Getting close enough for her round ruby to leave a red reflection on his cheek, Ruby whispered. “Let me fill the bag, agreed?”

  “You-you’ll…um come back, right?...Miss..?” The merchant asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

  “Ruby. Just call me Ruby, that’s what all my … friends call me.” She promptly filled the bag with more than three times the amount the man was offering initially, then flipped the merchant a silver crown. “Have that sent to ‘The Ghost Spade’, If you please.”

  “Captain Jaques…’Ghost Spade’?” The merchant seemed to almost hide behind his cart. “So…so… you…” He started to fidget, “I can leave the bag at the dock, he and I crossed words st time he was in port…so I can’t get deliveries on the ship.”

  Nodding briefly, Ruby smiled and winked at the merchant. “I tell you what, you give me a silver and I will clear up the issues with you and the Captain. How’d that be? Just give the bag to a big burly gentleman, that’s the first mate, Just call him Big Bubba.”

  “You’d do that for me?” The man stood up and slicked back his hair again, “It has been a fear that he’d put a blood mark on me.” He handed Ruby back the silver she’d paid and added another two. “That should remind you, right? I gave you three silver, yes? Let him know that Gaerynor wants peace.”

  Jingling the three silver in her hand, Ruby nodded then reached for her bag. “You’ve been so polite, I will take care of all this myself. You just keep right on making those deals!” Ruby blew the man a kiss and flittered off into the crowd.

  Walking through town, people seemed to be everywhere. Mostly sailors drinking and falling down, or already passed out against an alley wall.

  -The sheer amount of silver I could lift would feed me for months.-

  Desperate for the means to get out of her dank and dirty pirate clothing, Ruby finally stumbled onto a three-level well cared-for brick inn named, “White Sands Inn & Pub”. Gncing at herself one final time, she pulled off her heavy sweat-scented bandana and tied it loosely around her neck and allowed her thick bck mane to roll down to the base of her neck.

  When she opened the door, the main entrance was covered in many vish Persian carpets, and heavy furniture with both couples holding one another and a few people looking down and reading various papers. Initially her scruffy look garnered huffs and snorts from the more elite-looking folks, but the maidens working the floor simply smiled and waved Ruby to the innkeeper. Confidently, Ruby greeted the man. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I would enjoy a room..please.” She leaned on the small desk and cupped her cheeks with her hands. “I will pay in advance and I’ll be here about a week, so let’s call it seven days.”

  Pompous beyond what Ruby expected, the gentleman raised his eyebrow and gave the pirate a firm look. “Your people typically stay down the road a little ways. The most popur one near the harbor is called ‘The Lazy Turtle’. It’s rooms and drinks combined for a few silver.”

  Blinking her one lovely hazel eye, Ruby let out a light sigh and fanned herself. Once she noticed the man’s demeanor change, Ruby sensed that her heavy feminine scent from her bandana clouded the innkeeper's judgment. “I have a little more interest than falling down drunk in the street.” She bit on her lower lip for a couple of seconds, “You seem to run a first-rate inn, complete with a bath service, right?”

  “Indeed, we do Ma’am.” He affirmed.

  “You have just become my hero, Mister….” Ruby giggled and flipped her hair over one shoulder.

  “Khalid Mai, Miss…?” He reached for his quill.

  “Ruby Jaques.” She found herself smiling as the look of shock came over Khalid’s face. “Oh, he’s my father.”

  Setting down the quill, Khalid took a step back and folded his arms. “Captain Jaques has a daughter, you say? Where have you been all this time?” He tapped his foot on the wooden floor.

  “I just came of age not long ago, good man.” Ruby shed a single tear, “I joined my father because I lost…lost..” She lightly touched her smooth Ruby, “...to…” She hesitated and pretended to pout, “...when..when..I fell out of a tree back home.” Knowing that the gentleman was partly taken in by her sweet sweat, Ruby looked solemn. “He said I should come here.”

  “A little test, if you don’t mind.” Khalid smiled, “If you are his daughter then you would know full well what he uses to communicate to others. Tell me.”

  Watching her captain for months gave Ruby an insight into the man that she worked for. Many nights while pulling duty in the crows nest, she’d watch the captain leave behind a marker of his debt and walk away. Ruby winked at the innkeeper and pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling them a few times. “I believe this is what you mean, good sir.” Ruby waved her hand over the deck and shook her hand until the card of her captain appeared face up. “A One-Eyed Jack. Or in his case Jaques.” She flipped the card to Khalid and winked.

  Laughing to himself, Khalid picked up the card and retrieved the rest of the deck from Ruby’s hands. “I won’t ask how you got my deck of cards, but welcome to White Sands, Ruby Jaques.”

  Once Ruby made it into her room, she flopped on the bed and closed her eyes while waiting for the maid to arrive and fill her tub. By the time she’d woken up, the sun had just dipped into the horizon and her dress and armor were id out nicely on her bed. Stripping out of her foul pirate-acquired clothing, Ruby tossed the fish-stained clothes in the fire.

  -I will just buy something ter.-

  After stretching and rubbing her neck, Ruby felt the pull of sleep gnawing at her and nearly climbed back into the bed. Drawing her attention, little vials of oil had been pced beside the steamy bath. Naked except for her dagger strapped to her leg, Ruby lowered herself into the tub. Unable to hold in her delight she happily moaned out loud, “Sweet sharks, this feels wonderful…What the hell did I give up?” Ruby reflected for a moment then buried the thoughts.

  -A warm bath doesn’t compare to the salty water, the wind billowing your hair, the waves gently rocking you asleep nightly.-

  Dunking herself, Ruby held her breath under the water and just let her hair spread out and float all around her. When she needed a breath, Ruby slowly crept up and relished the way the little rivers streamed back into the tub and left little drops behind kissing her cheeks.

  Blowing a few strands of her wet hair from her good eye, Ruby looked over the oils that were provided. Most of them were common to the area, having coconut oil or orange oil in them. With a little frown, Ruby moved each bottle until she found two that filled her needs.

  -Amber and bck cherry. Finally, something that is different.-

  She looked at the wind lightly moving her window and smiled, “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you.” She pyfully talked as though the breeze were alive, “Sea and you are my first love..your precious smell will never be enough.”