Wanderlust - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Weeks later, the Wanderlust sailed into the harbour at Deor-Morcea. It was an interesting town. Even from a distance, Tanden could see the old Morcean bones of the buildings. He knew all about the history of the place, he'd read about it and asked plenty of questions while in Deoran ports. Seeing it in person was different, though, and gave him a thrill of excitement. This was a brand new place. Same people he was used to, Deorans, but it was a step in the right direction.
Getting there without a first mate had been both harder and easier than Tanden had imagined. Handling the ship hadn't been a problem, the crew worked seamlessly together after so many years, but there were little things Tanden noticed. He hadn't realized how much he'd relied on Vosh, even for the simplest things like making sure he'd eaten. He had a tendency to get distracted or caught up in the moment, and Vosh had quietly kept him on track. Tanden missed him, and it didn't help that many of his other sailors were trying to step up and get promoted. None of them properly filled the gap and mostly they just got in his way.
They moored off of one of the bigger piers. Even in an unfamiliar port, the Wanderlust got a cozy place in the port. Tanden hopped off of the ship while his sailors secured her, and went to pay the harbourmaster. Soon, they'd reached an agreement for the cost and Tanden had managed to befriend the man enough to get some insider tips about the town. He returned to the Wanderlust, gave half his crew leave, and set out to take his own break. He'd deal with the cargo distribution later; they were going to be in Deor-Morcea for about a week. First, he wanted to explore.
He wandered the streets of the town, taking in the sights, peeking into a couple of shops and dropping in on more than a few conversations. People were always pleasantly surprised when he addressed them in Deoran instead of making them speak in messy Teltish. He loved being able to explore alone. He wasn't a lord or a captain, he was just a Teltan, a fact which already got him enough attention.
He eventually decided it was time to get some food and made his way to the tavern the harbourmaster had described to him. The harbourmaster had sworn it was the best one around, and as Tanden pushed open the door he was convinced. It was loud, smoky, and completely packed. It was further away from the port than most taverns which attracted sailors, so its popularity could only be because it was good. Tanden scanned the room and didn't see any of his sailors. They would have gone to the cheaper taverns and brothels near the port.
Tanden was about to head to a little table in one of the back corners, where he could relax and observe the locals, when he noticed someone at the bar. A Crelan among all the Deorans. Tanden started across the tavern. Seeing a Crelan on Mora shouldn't have been unusual, but he hadn't noticed another Ziannan ship in the port. He sat down beside the Crelan and waved at the bartender. A moment later a tankard of ale was placed in front of him and he took a long drink.
"How long have you been in Deor-Morcea?"
The Crelan jumped a little at the sound of Teltish. He looked at Tanden in confusion. He was younger than Tanden had originally thought, and better looking. Typical dark Crelan hair, clear green eyes, and the edges of a tattoo showing around his collarbone.
Tanden pressed on with his questioning, even though he hadn't been given an answer. "Extended shore leave?"
The Crelan shook his head. "Fired."
"Fired?" Tanden swallowed another mouthful of ale. "Mind if I ask why?"
The Crelan turned his attention back to the empty tankard in his hands. "I fought with my captain. So he left me here."
Tanden waved at the bartender again, motioning quickly at himself and the Crelan. The bartender brought over two more tankards. Tanden pushed one of them closer to the Crelan. "Must have been a bad fight."
"A misunderstanding..." The Crelan took the drink. "I misunderstood. It was my fault."
"A misunderstanding isn't cause for being fired," Tanden said. "He doesn't sound like a reasonable man. How long ago was this?"
"A few weeks."
"You've been here since?"
The Crelan nodded.
"Have you done anything besides drink?"
"Not really." The Crelan gulped down some more ale.
Tanden let his interrogation pause for a moment. The young man was clearly miserable, which didn't seem like a reasonable reaction to being fired. Crelans usually took that kind of thing in stride, they just found another ship to work on. Of course, being stranded in Deor-Morcea probably wouldn't have helped, but Ziannan ships stopped by often enough. There should have been plenty of opportunities for him to get a new job. Tanden got the feeling there was more to the story.
The Crelan had almost finished the ale, so Tanden waved for another tankard. The Crelan seemed startled by its appearance. "I can't—"
"I'm paying, mate," Tanden said.
The Crelan word seemed to put the young man at ease, and he wrapped his hands around the tankard. "Why?"
"I like helping out fellow sailors," Tanden said. "It isn't always an easy life. So this misunderstanding, this fight you had, has it stopped you from getting another job?"
"Don't want another job," he mumbled in reply. "Haven't been looking."
"So why not head home? Where are you from?"
"West Draulin."
"Was your ship in the navy?"
The Crelan shook his head. "Little merchant ship, is all. And there's no reason to go home, mate. No one's waiting for me."
Tanden smiled to himself. The man was warming up to him a little, so he continued with his questioning. "I see. A proper navy man would never have fired a sailor over a simple misunderstanding."
"Wasn't simple."
"Oh?" Tanden prodded a little more. "What was it about?"
"I told him I – " the Crelan cut himself off abruptly, his eyes narrowed. "Wasn't simple, is all."
"That's a shame," Tanden said. "I suppose your words made him uncomfortable."
"Didn't say that," he replied defensively.
"Of course, sorry. I shouldn't assume," Tanden said. But he knew he was right in his assumption, the Crelan's reactions made it clear. "So, you've been staying here? This tavern rents rooms upstairs, doesn't it?"
The Crelan nodded. He had more of his ale, and when he put the tankard down his gaze slid over to rest on Tanden. Tanden pretended not to notice as the Crelan eyed him. He really didn't mind being stared at. He appreciated it, even, because the Crelan's blatant appraisal just served as further proof for his assumption.
Tanden finished drinking his ale, and waited until the Crelan had drained the rest of his, then he got to his feet. Tanden dropped some siyas onto the counter. "It's been a pleasure talking to you. Would you mind coming with me for a moment?"
As Tanden had expected, the young man got up. He swayed a little before gaining his balance. "What d'you want, mate?" he mumbled.
"I just want to talk privately," Tanden said. Nearby, there was a closed door that Tanden guessed led up to the rented rooms. He walked towards it, trusting the Crelan to follow him. Once at the door, he held it open so the Crelan could step through first, before letting it shut behind them. It was a heavy door, muffling the sounds of the drunken men on the other side. Tanden took his chance. He nudged the Crelan back into the wall, grabbed the front of his shirt, and kissed him.
The Crelan briefly tensed up, then he relented and returned the kiss with feeling. Tanden pulled away suddenly. The Crelan tried to follow but Tanden firmly held him at arm's length. There was one more thing he needed.
He looked the Crelan directly in the eyes. "If you tell me to leave you alone, I'll go," he said earnestly. "Or you can take me up to your room."
The Crelan stared at him, and Tanden knew his drunken mind was racing, debating the two choices. After a moment the young man pushed away his hand. Tanden was surprised, until, instead of telling him to go away, the Crelan grabbed his arm and led him towards the stairs.
The staircase opened onto a thin hallway flanked by doors. The Crelan let go of Tanden's arm to drag a hand along the wall as he walked. He stopped at the third door, fumbled in his pocket for a key and clumsily opened the door. The room was small with a narrow bed, but that didn't bother Tanden. He'd been in cheaper looking rooms before. He closed the door and leaned back against it.
The Crelan tossed the key onto a tiny table tucked into the corner of the room and turned around. He eyed Tanden a little suspiciously. Tanden waited. He made a point to never force anyone into anything, so he waited to see what the Crelan would do. There was still a chance he'd tell Tanden to leave.
Finally, after what felt like hours of staring at each other, the Crelan cleared his throat. "Need help with your jacket?"
It wasn't what Tanden had been expecting. He cocked an eyebrow. "Aye."
The Crelan hesitated, looking wary, before closing the distance between them. He started to unbutton Tanden's jacket. He was slightly taller than Tanden and his shoulders were a little broader. Then there were the edges of the tattoo sneaking out from under his tunic. Distractedly, Tanden put his hand under the Crelan's chin and nudged his head up so he could get a better look at the dark lines. The Crelan went still as Tanden held his head up and traced the lines with his other hand.
Suddenly Tanden needed to see the rest of it. He moved quickly, shrugging off his jacket without a second thought and guiding the Crelan back towards the bed. The young man didn't put up any resistance and fell over when the edge of the bed hit the back of his legs. Tanden leaned over him and slipped his hands under the Crelan's tunic. The Crelan responded instantly, pulled his tunic over his head and tossed it away.
His tattoo was gorgeous. It covered both arms and travelled across his shoulders. Dark, intricate swirling lines. Tanden had been with Crelans before, but never one with proper tattoos.
"Beautiful," Tanden murmured. He didn't realize he had said it out loud until the Crelan responded.
"What, me?"
Tanden dragged his gaze from the tattoo to look at the rest of the young man's body. He certainly was attractive, lean but clearly quite strong. "Aye, you," Tanden said with a grin. He straddled the Crelan and leaned down to kiss him, first on the lips, then the dark swirls on his shoulder.
The Crelan allowed this for a moment before hooking an arm around Tanden's neck and pulling his head over so they could kiss properly. Tanden didn't usually let his companions push him around, but he let it happen. The Crelan kissed with a sense of urgency Tanden wasn't used to, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
When the Crelan's spare hand slipped under Tanden's tunic, Tanden paused their kissing in order to pull it off. He chuckled when the Crelan's eyes widened.
"Like what you see, mate?" Tanden knew he was attractive.
The Crelan nodded. Almost tentatively, he ran his hands over Tanden's torso. Tanden took the momentary break to glance around the room curiously. "Do you happen to have any oil?"
The Crelan froze, his hands still on Tanden's stomach. "No..."
Tanden frowned.
"'m sorry," the Crelan mumbled. He pushed himself upright, so they were both sitting, and kissed Tanden's chest. "You can still have me."
Tanden didn't say anything at first. He tangled one hand in the Crelan's hair as the young man continued to kiss his chest and mumble apologies. For all the Crelan's eagerness, Tanden could tell he was relatively new to all this and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the young man. He toyed with the idea of going downstairs and asking the bartender, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to make their activities that obvious.
"Are you angry?"
The Crelan's question broke through his thoughts and Tanden shook his head. "No, mate. Annoyed at myself for not thinking things through, is all."
"You can still have me," the young man repeated.
"No." Tanden ducked his head to kiss him. "It'll hurt, mate. And I'm not here to hurt you."
"But—"
Tanden kissed him again to cut him off. "There are other ways to have fun." He climbed off of the bed to strip off the rest of his clothing. The Crelan watched him, until Tanden waved at him. "You too."
The Crelan scrambled to get undressed, and soon they were back on the narrow bed. Tanden settled himself comfortably at the head of the bed so he could lean back against the wall. He drew the Crelan in close and continued to kiss him. It was clear that the young man was still upset about not having any oil, but Tanden blamed himself for not being prepared. It took a while for the Crelan to fully get back into the moment, and that was when Tanden took a slight risk. He slipped his right hand into the Crelan's hair again and held it lightly.
"Tell me if you want to stop at any point."
The Crelan met Tanden's gaze and nodded. He had beautiful eyes. Crelans often had green eyes, but this Crelan—Tanden had never seen such a clear green.
"You don't have to do this," Tanden said. The Crelan was still drunk, after all, and for whatever reason Tanden felt the need to clarify again, even though the young man had clearly consented to the evening by then.
"I know." The Crelan glanced down. "'ve only done this a few times. I'm sorry if it isn't good."
"Mate, it'll be good," Tanden said confidently.
The Crelan nodded again. He paused, then leaned down. Tanden kept his grip in the Crelan's hair loose and let the young man control the pace. The Crelan knew what he was doing.
The Crelan moved tentatively at first, but he gradually got more into it. Tanden made it abundantly clear that he was enjoying the attention. He moaned and muttered things, only half aware of what he was saying. His words seemed to encourage the Crelan, who certainly didn't act like someone who had only done it a few times.
Afterwards it took Tanden a moment to collect himself enough to know what to do next. Using his grip on the Crelan's hair, he tugged the young man to sit upright again and kissed him. He didn't mind the taste of himself on the Crelan's lips.
"That was absolutely fantastic, mate," he cooed, giving the Crelan another kiss. "Your turn, now. I don't do this very often."
The Crelan looked confused, but also pleased by the praise. "Fuck men?"
Tanden laughed. "No, reciprocate." He manoeuvered them both around so that the Crelan could lean back against the wall. The young man looked at a loss, making Tanden chuckle again. "Just relax, mate. Being on the receiving end is easy."
"But..."
"Don't overthink it." Tanden said. It was true that he didn't usually do this, which meant that he was nowhere near experienced. But he did what he imagined would feel good to himself, and the moans from the Crelan assured him he was doing well. Not that he could really do badly, he figured.
When they were done, Tanden sat up and kissed the Crelan, who didn't recover as quickly as he had. Tanden turned his attention to the tattoo once again, running his fingers along the lines and planting an occasional kiss on them.
When the Crelan finally did something, it was to gently wrap his arms around Tanden's waist. "Thank you," he said shakily.
"Only fair," Tanden replied, still distracted by the tattoo. "Did you get this done on Crele?"
"Aye."
"I want one," Tanden admitted it out loud for the first time. He glanced at the Crelan's face to see his eyes dropping closed. "Tired, mate? Maybe I should get going."
His eyes shot open and his arms tightened around Tanden's waist. "No, stay. Please."
Tanden mulled it over. He almost never stayed overnight, but the Crelan was endearing. "All right, then," he agreed abruptly. The ship would be fine without him. He climbed off of the Crelan and nudged him aside so there was room to lie down. The Crelan seemed surprised that he had agreed and just watched as Tanden got comfortable and pulled up the thin sheet. "Well?" Tanden asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you going to stare at me all night?"
The Crelan settled down beside him. Cautiously, he moved a little closer.
"I'm not going to bite you," Tanden teased, then added. "Unless you want me to."
The Crelan froze.
Tanden laughed. He took the Crelan's arm and tugged him closer, then lay back and draped the Crelan's arm across his chest. The young man got the idea and got comfortable. Tanden was about to drift off to sleep when the Crelan spoke.
"Told him I loved him," he muttered, sounding half-asleep himself. "The misunderstanding."
Tanden nodded. "I thought so."
"Things happen at sea."
"Aye. This happened on land, though."
The Crelan's reply was mumbled so quietly that Tanden couldn't understand him, and a moment later his breathing deepened and Tanden knew he'd fallen asleep. Tanden yawned and closed his eyes.