Family Business 49 (Patreon)

Family Business
Chapter 49

-VB-

As they left Bilgewater, Vayne thought about how hard it had been to stop the locals from shooting anyone and everyone in their panic even after the Black Mist left the Serpent Isles. Miss Fortune was having trouble keeping the city under control so that regular activities could commence, but it was a hard endeavor on her part. Even without an equal rival to mess things up for her, smaller gangs saw a chance in this chaos and sowed their own variations of it into the city.

So far, Miss Fortune only controlled the Docks, which was a significant part of the city, yes, but it was hardly all of it.

It just went to prove that Vayne had been right in killing Gangplank.

The short-sighted fools incapable of thinking beyond the next meal would have gladly jumped onto Gangplank’s words if the man offered Bilgewater to the next set of idiots who joined him while he was on his execution stand.

“Hey, hey!”

The words brought her out of her musing and back to reality, and she turned to face the owner of the eternally cheerful voice.

“Hello, Gwen,” she greeted the once-doll.

“Hey, Vayne. You seemed… oddly happy.”

“I guess I am,” she chortled. “I was proven right.”

Gwen paused to digest her words before frowning. “I guess, but isn’t it better to be wrong and for people to be happier?” she asked her.

Vayne thought about it. She supposed that there was wisdom in Gwen’s words. If Vayne predicted that her master would die from some poison and then he did, then she would be sad. On the other hand, if she was proven wrong, then she would be happy. Extrapolating that to her usual habit of predicting the worst about people, the world would indeed be a better place if she was wrong all of the time.

“You are right,” she told Gwen, who looked happy at her admission. “But the world is not such a good place, is it?” she asked while looking back at the shrinking Serpent Isles in the distance.

The bluenette lost some of her cheer before shaking her head. “They just don’t have the means to be better. But they will in the future.”

“Yes, let’s hope that is the case,” Vayne replied. ‘Because the alternative is that Bilgewater and the Serpent Isles continue to be a haven for pirates, and my master will eventually see that as a nuisance big enough to the necessitate culling.’

Speaking of her master, she wondered how he was.

-VB-

Lux wiped down the sweat that had built up overnight with a strained wet towel.

Each day that Marr spent in his coma reduced his once fit frame.

It’s been over a week now, and his cheeks had grown gaunt over that period.

“{Hey.}”

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, and saw Sona. She stood in a more reserved dress and only carried a small bell with her to talk with her music. Marr had been trying to find a way to give Sona her voice back, but his current condition - that and the disaster that seemed to break out biannually - kept his progress slow.

“Hey, Sona,” she greeted the woman. Her eyes flickered as her exhaustion used the momentary loss of focus to seep into her.

“{I’ll take over the watch, Lux. Go and sleep. Marr won’t be happy to see you so tired.}”

“I know,” she mumbled as she dropped the towel back into the water-filled bowl. Instead of leaving, she pulled the soaking wet towel back out and twisted it. Wordlessly, Sona came in and sat down, waiting for her to finish the morning routine.

Lux went back to wiping her brother-husband’s arm when that arm moved. She froze as one of his hands came around his chest and laid on top of her hand.

She looked up and saw Marr staring at her with a soft, tired smile.

“Hey,” he whispered hoarsely.

Lux threw herself at Marr and sobbed as tears flowed freely, and she felt Sona do the same to Marr from the other side.

“Sorry, sorry,” he laughed quietly and still hoarsely. “I’ve been out of it for a long time, huh?” he asked to no one in particular as he raised his hand to see how thin they’d become. Not quite skeletal yet but it was very thin.

“Welcome back,” she whispered.

“... It’s good to be back.”

The door to his room opened, and Lux saw Garen standing there.

She giggled at how Garen’s chin quivered before he quickly wiped his watery eyes.

Their entire family was here.

She was happy.