Azra leaned over the railing, his gaze empty, staring ahead as the ghostly ship approached the dock. The shouts and calls from the harbor were distant echoes in his ears. This wasn't just any town—it was the capital of the Pirate King. A place that once felt like a second home to him.
At one point, he could have been the next Pirate King, but a lack of presence in the cutthroat world of piracy and thievery had likely cost him that dream, and with it, his place in this world. He sighed and shook his head. He had visited this port every nine months over the past year, but with a larger crew now and more mouths to feed, the visits would likely become more frequent.
Maybe this time, the beautiful ship, Shadow, would finally allow her crew to step off her dreaded deck. Gods knew Azra craved a break, a place to escape these men. Over the past two months, he'd tried to earn their trust, but it was clear they still followed Zukata more than him. That was fair, he supposed—they were Zukata's men after all—but Azrael couldn’t help but feel a deep longing for what he'd lost. A crew that felt like family. Friends he could count on.
He had Zukata, a companion, maybe even a lover, but the rest of the crew? He barely knew them. Sure, he knew their names, where they came from, the basics. But not the little things—like their favorite meals, their quirks. He wanted that closeness back.
With another sigh, Azra patted the railing of the ship. "Alright, Shadow, let us off. We’ll come back, but we've got an important shopping list to take care of—a surprise for you." He straightened, heading off to find Zukata.
"Besides," he muttered with a snort, "Zukata’s got a personal shopping list to get through." The memory of their recent conversation brought a faint smile to his face—Zukata needing another belt, a vial of oil, and likely more items that had slipped
his mind.