167. Gifts

After a few months of stalking Cristianno's family, Jako and Ammar now face their boss, however, things are not what they seem.

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The tavern was starting to calm down after a day of patrons walking in and out, drinking, eating, conversing, sleeping. Several hours after sunset, and many groups of pandaren and different races singing old drinking songs, only a few drinkers remained. There were a few couples hidden along the corners and walls of the tavern, as well as the occasional pained person who had lost it all or was in such a predicament that drinking seemed like the only solution. 
Among these was a human dressed in dark leather leaning back in his seat. He scratched at his dark brown hair and then reached for his grog. “I tell ya, whoever we’re meeting ain’t coming.” He took a drink and slammed the mug down on the table. His companion, a giant draenei male leaning against the wall, did not flinch or make a movement. “You’re getting tired of this too, ain’t ya? I say we just confront the damn pup and take what belongs to us. I mean, that’s all we want, ain’t it?” He looked up at his friend, whose yellowish eyes glowed down at him. “Right. So this deal is making me run out of patience.” The man placed his black boots on the table and stretched his arms out, yawning. It was getting late and although they both had agreed to this meeting, he had someone waiting for him upstairs in his room.
“Captain,” the draenei’s deep voice rumbled and the human turned to look at the entrance. A small hooded creature walked in, heading in their direction. 
“About bloody time.” The human dropped his feet back onto the floor and rose as the figure approached. “A pleasure for you to join us, although, last I remember, you were taller and more...troll-like.” He smirked, gesturing to a seat across from him. 
“I am merely the messenger,” the female under the hood said. Her tone was soft and the man smirked as he took a seat.
“Is the great and powerful Tia’Zula unable to grace us with her presence?” He gestured for the waitress.
“She is rather busy at the moment.”
“I’m sure she is, sweetheart.” The waitress arrived and he ordered two more drinks. “You want anything?” The woman shook her head. As soon as the waitress walked away, he leaned against the table. “Alright, what does she want us to do know?”
“Wait.”
“Wait? Are you kidding me? That’s all we’ve been doing! Unless she’s going to give us funds to survive, you tell Tia that we’re pirates. We need to be out on the seas!”
The woman lifted her head and he could see that she was a goblin. She looked young with her light shade of green skin. “All she said was to wait.”
The waitress returned with two mugs of grog and the draenei paid her. The man reached for his mug and pointed at the goblin. “You tell her that we are done waiting. I’m going to go talk to this bastard and get what I want and be done with this! We don’t do trees. We don’t stalk. We’re tired of this bullshit.”
The goblin’s blue eyes then turned gray and her mouth curled into a wicked smile. As the man drank his alcohol, the goblin spoke, this time, in a familiar accent that took the man by surprise. “Joo must be patient, Captain Jako. Dis be very delicate. Joo not the only one needin’ sometin’.” The man lowered his mug, staring at the goblin and even the draenei dropped his hard stance to stare at the goblin. 
“Tia,” the human said. “What did you do, die and put your soul in this poor creature?”
“Tia’Zula don’t be dyin’ any time now. She be tellin’ joo she be a messenger. Now, joo will wait.”
“No, you don’t understand. We’re done waiting. I had come to terms with the injustice my father had made. I was fine with not seeing this bastard at all, but you,” he laughed and shook his head. “You said I could claim all that my father had if I followed your orders and now you’re telling me to wait?”
“Dat be followin’ orders, Captain.” The goblin sneered at him when she said the last word.
“Fuck this. I have someone waiting for me and I don’t have time for this.”
“Sit, down, Captain.” The goblin’s hand stretched out and suddenly, the man was unable to move. Against his will, he sat down and stared at the goblin in disbelief. The dranei was about to go to the goblin, but she said, “I would stay where you are, Ammar, if you know what’s good for you.” He then stopped and stayed leaning against the wall.
“This is preposterous, Tia,” Jako muttered as he tried to fight the force that was restraining him.
“I ‘ave two tings I want joo to give our captain friend.” The goblin placed shark’s tooth on the table and a small sliver rattle wrapped in plastic. “Joo listen carefully now. Give dis tooth ta ‘is wife. Tell ‘er dat she must give it to ‘im, and dis message: It be joo or da chile. Den give ‘er the rattle. It be a gift.”
Jako looked down at the items. He noticed that he was no longer being constrained. “What are they?”
“ ‘Ee will know.”
“It’s not going to...kill the child, is it?” Jako lifted his blue eyes up to glance at the goblin.
“Joo be soft now, Captain?”
“Killing children isn’t my thing, Tia.”
“I need dat chile alive. Do no betray me, Captain. I will find joo.”
Jako grabbed the items and rose. “Is that all?”
“Jes.”
Jako sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked to the stairs, slamming his boots against each step he took.
The goblin’s face returned to normal and she gasped for air, breathing heavily. She lifted her blue eyes toward the draenei, who frowned down at her. He walked toward her and patted her head sympathetically before walking away. The little goblin, Pina, sighed and lowered her head onto the table.

Jako opened the door to his room and as he closed it, he took the two items he was just given before and placed them on the table nearby. He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He didn’t like Cristianno, that was a known fact, but there was a code among thieves and they both lived by it. The last thing he wanted to do hurt him without a proper fight. He shook his head and sighed. A pair of arms slithered around his shoulders and embraced him. 
“How did it go?” the woman’s voice whispered in his ear. Her blonde hair fell over his shoulder as she kissed him.
“It’s Tia. How do you think it went?” he muttered.
“You’re here with me now,” she said.
“I ain’t paying you for tonight, Brisa,” he said as he grabbed her hand and turned to look at her.
“I know. I came here by my own free will,” she said, slipping onto his lap.
He looked at her as she straddled his body. “I’ll settle for having his whore for now,” he muttered and before Brisa protested, he grabbed her, kissing her hard and pulling her down to bed with him.