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"Halfway to Sublimity"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: When Duo moves to a new town on the river,
he meets a young man running the river and a rich boy who seems nice.
Maybe he'll settle down for awhile, or maybe not. "Halfway to Sublimity " Chapter One It was four o'clock of a late spring afternoon. Duo Maxwell was thinking of renting temporary lodging, and accompanied the property owner to check out the cottage and, possibly, obtain the keys. He judged the man to be about his age, no more than 18; very wealthy, while he was not; handsome, as was he; and kind-hearted, which Duo worked toward. He liked him instantly; they were already on a first-name basis. "Here it is, Duo," the young man said, dismayed, "but now that I see the condition of the cabin up close, I'm embarrassed to admit it's my property. You couldn't possibly live in this. I'm sorry to have dragged you out of your way for this." "Hey, exterior don't signify, Quatre. C'mon, I wanna look inside." Quatre guided him to a small building in disrepair. The first step to the porch was rotten, and Duo fell through. "Duo!" Quatre cried out, offing him a hand up. "Are you all right?" He wasn't hurt. It would take a far worse fall that that to harm Duo Maxwell. "'Sokay, Quat. Piece of wood and paint'll fix that." "Is that a hole in the roof?" Quatre peered up at the ceiling while trying not to touch anything. Well, if I were wearing white slacks and shirt, I'd avoid the dirt, too, Duo thought to himself. "Yeah, looks to me like roof rats ripped it up some. Water damage by the fireplace. Be needing more wood and shingles. "Lots of dust." Duo followed Quatre's gaze to a hanging lamp embellished with spider webs floating on the fresh breeze."Plenty of that. Yeah, dust. Family of mice owns the pantry." "And they are subletting your mattress to the riffraff relatives. Ugh! I'll send down a new one; if you decide to stay, that is." "So, ah, where's the bathroom?" Duo didn't figure that even a Winner fishing party would piss in the yard. Quatre made a face. "The privy. Really, it's outside. I'm sorry, it was just a fishing cottage." These Winner people have class. See, I was right, Duo thought with satisfaction Quatre trailed Duo outside for a look at the outhouse. "I'm really sorry about this." "Don't be. I mean, at least there is an outhouse. The place is chill." "Is that good?" Quatre, Duo figured, wasn't accustomed to translating the Sweeper patois. "Good enough for me," Duo said. He put on a reassuring smile and stuck his head in the outhouse. "I don't think I've been out here since I was eight." Duo missed the rest of Winner's ruminations, because he was busy trying to breathe again. "Ah, it needs paint and lime," Duo guessed and gagged. "Little ruination doesn't bother me. Hilde, now, she'd have a fit. What's this?" They attempted to open the door to a lean-to along one side of the house. It didn't budge. Duo tackled the stuck door with a running start, and the jam gave way, splintering a little. He raked the cobwebs from his face and looked around. "This is cool." Inside stood two tubs, one dark wood and large enough for six people, while the other was enamel and equipped for laundering. There appeared to be floor drains and by the door stood a wood-fired boiler. "Real cool." "Is Hilde coming, too?" Quatre asked, politely not pushing Duo for personal details. Duo appreciated things like that. "Nah, she's got full-time work back in the Serendipity scrap yards. I'm seasonal. This for water?" Quatre said "yes" and they returned to the back yard, where they located the well and outdoor water pump. A clothesline stretched across an overgrown yard, but nothing else of interest to Duo. "Besides the one in the laundry, there's a water pump in the kitchen, too, but," Quatre shook his head, "I can't rent this to you. I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about you sleeping with the mice and spiders. I have a bigger house, a groundkeeper's cottage that's empty. It wouldn't be so remote, either. There's practically a village on the estate. Two groundskeepers, a gamekeeper, the stable... Ah, I'll bet you aren't interested in hearing about all that. Let's just go back and look the other house over." "But I wanted by the river. Nah, I think it just needs a little TLC and elbow grease." "It needs a lot of hard work." "That's what I said." "I can't possibly charge you for this place." "How about you supply the materials and I'll fix it myself then split the difference on the rent for the season?" "Halve the rent on top of that and we have a deal," Quatre said. "Remind be never to let you negotiate any of my business deals!" Duo said, laughing. "Oh, I'm ordinarily pretty tough, but this place... I can't honestly accept anything for it." "But you will." "But I will, because I imagine that I'll be pouring that much back into it." They both laughed and enjoyed the instant camaraderie they formed. Quatre may have been the young lord of the manor and Duo the seasonal scavenger and tinker, but they hit it off just the same. Duo hoped he had made his first friend in town. "You can't stay here tonight. No, don't give me that 'I can rough it anywhere' look. You are coming with me. We have materials to order, supplies to pick out, and arrangements to make for it to be delivered tomorrow. You can dine, bathe, and sleep in comfort before, well, you write home to your Hilde and tell her you've made it safely to Sublimity, and I'll make certain it goes out in the morning mail. Please?" "Quatre, you don't gotta twist my arm. Let's hop back into that fancy-ass carriage of yours and head into town." (o) The next day balanced on the cusp of a new season, and even though it was the last day of spring, Duo decided he still had time for his spring-cleaning day. He walked into town from Quatre's estate to complete his shopping. Duo was grateful for the kindness of a comfortable night's sleep, but refused to become anyone's charity case. He turned down Quatre's offer of a ride into town or to the cabin, his cabin, saying he needed to stretch his legs. He tossed back his long braided hair and grinned into the sun as he jaunted downhill on the hard-packed road. The air smelled of the fir trees lining the roadside and clustered thickly in the forest beyond. Dew clung to the cobwebs, sparkling in the sun, and the twittering of tiny wrens followed him as he progressed along the curving path. Sublimity was sublime, he decided. "Goin' ta town?" called a man over the clopping of heavy hooves in the dust. "Climb up!" "Thanks!" Duo hopped the horse-drawn dray carrying freshly milled kegs to the brewery, and road for the last mile to the small market. "Farmer's market starts up this weekend," the merchant told him. "Best come early. Sells out." "Okay," Duo said. "What's sold?" "Seasonal produce from local farmers and that includes cheese and honey. Strawberries so fine...!" "I'll be here," Duo declared. He continued to make his purchases and arrange for their delivery later that day. (o) He planted the ladder solidly in the ground and tested it for stability in the mushy ground near the chimney. Equipped with a few tools in a bag slung over a shoulder, he climbed to the rooftop. This afforded him a fantastic view of the river and countryside beyond. In the opposite direction was the forest. The Winner Watergardens estate was hidden from by the mix of dark fir and lighter maples, nearly in full leaf. His little cottage was very secluded. From
his aerial perch, he watched the lumber supplier unload his wagon,
while talking to the driver of another cart loaded with paint and
other building materials. In the near distance, he could see another
conveyance carrying his mattress and two suspicious boxes rounding
the corner to his river way lane. That cart also delivered him a young
boy. "Master Winner wanted me to bung out the chimney." "I'll bet." Duo ended up getting very dirty when they tore up the leaky roofing around the chimney, resealed, nailed in the new flashing, and patched the roof rat hole. He encountered the worst of the grime when he helped Todd remove the tar build up inside the chimney shaft. "There's somethin' up there." The boy raised his lantern and squinted. "Stuffed like a turkey. Prob'ly a nest or dead animal." "Swell." Duo remained on the roof pushing while the boy poked from the inside until the blockage broke free and a nest of string, sticks, and lint fell to the bottom. ""Just a nest," Todd called out, clearly disappointed. He swept out the litter with the ashes and built a fire to test the draw. He rejoined Duo on his rooftop aerie. "All good!" he declared, to Duo's relief. Their soot-smeared faces gazed out along the river. A narrow, fast-moving flatboat floated by on the canal side, steered by a young man with a long punt in one hand and another on a rudder. Duo stood and waved. He wanted that job and might as well get to know the other workers. Connections. The guide shielded his eyes with a free hand then returned the wave brusquely then lowered his hand to grip the staff and shove the flatboat away from the side. He disappeared at the bend in the river. "That way's Tumult. North," Todd said in case Duo couldn't tell directions. "Prob'ly takin' guns for the border fighting." "You know his name?" "Who, the driver?" "Yeah." "Some guy, Yuy. Loner. You'll see him comin' back before dark most times." "Most times? And the rest of the time?" "I dunno. He stays there and comes back in the mornin' or goes further. He lives just over there on the other side of the river, Tumbletown." The boy pointed vaguely to the south where the view was once again blocked by trees, but those were poplars and willows with their new, bright green leaves. Duo wondered what kind of place Tumbletown was, thinking it sounded like where the poor hung out. He'd lived enough of his life in shanty towns and didn't want to return to that. He was moving up. "Want me to clean more?" Todd sounded unenthusiastic. "Place is dirty." What kid would be excited about sweeping every last smear of soot from the floor? "No. I've gotta mop it all anyway," Duo told him. He offered the boy a drink as they passed one of the crates being unloaded, which Todd snatched up with a mumbled "thanks." There, they stood and drank in silence, neither one willing to part just yet. Duo had plenty of work staring him in the face, if he wanted to sleep in something close to healthy surroundings. "So, I owe ya," Duo said at last. He counted out a few coins and paid him what he owed plus a tip. Todd accepted the payment as due, pocketed it quickly, and then said, "My bitch's got a passel of puppies. Want one?" "Possibly. They any good for anything?" "Terriers are good ratters." He straightened a little and added, "My dad's gamekeeper for the Master, so he only keeps useful animals." "Bring me the best, then, when they're weaned." "Best is taken. Gotta runt." "Like me, eh? Okay, I'll take the runt. For free." Todd examined the ground, hands in his pockets, feeling the weight of the money Duo had already paid him and the tip. "Deal, 'cause we're friends. Wanna cat?" "A cat? You got kittens to schlep off, too?" "Good mouser. Prob'ly don't gotta even feed it." "Is it male or female? I don't want a female, and get stuck with kittens of my own." "Male then." They settled on a price and Todd leaped upon the cart back to the Winner estate at the Watergardens. Duo smiled, thinking of his growing household then wondered, too late, what he'd do with the animals once he returned to Serendipity. (o) Duo resignedly leaned over, reaching for the bucket, and the mop fell over, the handle smacking him on the head. "Shit!" Tired and frustrated by the load of work still to go, Duo determined that he needed help and a break. "Maybe that Yuy fellow on the boat could help. I could find his place and wait for him to come home. Mebbe." As good an idea that it was, his walk brought him no further than the short dock fifty feet from his front door. He dumped the dirty bucket of water and rinsed the mop in the river, leaving it on the dock to dry. The sunlight glinted off the water, slow moving around the dock and slapping the supports with wet slurps. His legs folded under him. Off came the shoes and socks and he dangled his legs over the side. "Nothing better than this." So he sat there, in the lazy atmosphere of a late spring evening in a little market town, staring at the last patch of sunlight on his dock, the only piece of the property well maintained. His eyelids grew heavy and he nearly missed the river flatboat traveling back south. He was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Hey!" The river driver turned his head. He must have recognized Duo from the rooftop greeting in the morning, because he drove his pole into the water and with an impressive show of strength slowed the craft mid stream. "Duo Maxwell!" "Heero Yuy. New?" "Yeah. Just moving in." Well, duh. "You know anything about building?" "Building what?" "Anything. House needs repair. I'm a Sweeper. Outta work." "You suggesting a trade of skills?" "Yeah, for starters. I need work, fer sure. I'll do anything." Well, practically. "I'll be by in the morning," Yuy said as he pushed on the pole and moved on past, around a turn, and out of sight. Duo stripped off his clothes and dove off the end of the dock. All he needed was a quick wash up and he'd be fixed. Heero, he thought seemed an okay sorta guy. Great shoulders, tan, nice enough to consider taking on a stranger. He looked forward to seeing him the next day. When he got out of the water he felt refreshed and pleased with himself, although he wished he'd thought to bring clean clothes and a towel. He hadn't, so he yanked on the grubby pants, letting his wet braid drip down his back, and carried his shoes and socks, hopping sharp stones and mushy spots in the path back to his tiny cabin. First, he finished unpacking a box of lamp oil and new lamps, set one up, and lit it. It would be dark in a few minutes. The sun set as he closed his door. Grateful for Quatre's generous gift of a new mattress, pillows, sheets, and towels ("These weren't being used and I thought you could use them") made Duo consider what he could do in exchange. There had to be something. Bed made, he added more wood to the fire and then padded back to the pantry. He immediately thought of all the things he forgot to order, but found his sack of potatoes. He reached further into the coolest recesses and pulled out a bottle of the local brew, and carried the potatoes and beer to the fireplace. He tucked potatoes into the ashes, banking up some coals around them, and sank into the dusty, but comfortable old chair. Living alone was going to be strange. He'd always shared places with co-workers and buds, and now a pang of loneliness threatened his contentment. Threatened, but it took a lot to bring down Duo Maxwell. "Hey, it's summer tomorrow. I got friends here already. Sweepers are only a ride up the river away if I wanna go see'em, and it's only for the season. Getta grip, Maxwell!" Still, he was glad to have a dog and cat coming for company. Until he found work, the summer days would be long, and the nights longer still. (o) He woke up to the sound of banging on his front door. "Ugh!" he groaned as he uncurled from the same chair he'd settled into the night before. "Damn!" He had fallen asleep without eating, too. "Man..." He must have been beat to do that. "Just a minute!" He smoothed his hair and shirt as he skidded across the clean, slick, wood floor to the door. Heero Yuy stood at the door, sun streaming over the roof, lighting the trees, and glinting off the river. His eyes deep blue in the shadow of his dark, over-hanging bangs. "You weren't at the dock." His eyes are blue! "I, ah, no. I just crashed last night. Want breakfast?" "If it's portable. We should be off." Duo dug out the potatoes from the ashes, barely warm, dropped them in the sack, and skipped to the pantry for apples. "Too early for beer?" "No, but I have that." Duo handled him the bag, and waited just long enough to get another look at those lovely blue eyes. Yeah, those. "Gotta piss, then I'm good ta go." Heero followed him out the back door. When Duo emerged from the outhouse, he looked for Heero and spied him squatting by a tree trunk, plucking flowers, awash in the pale glow of the rising sun. He swallowed, soaking up the sight of the attractive young man along with the sun's warmth. Oh, man. Then he cleared his throat. "Ah, ready." Heero nodded. "Buttercups and violets." He rose abruptly. "You have fruit trees." Duo blinked and forced his eyes in the direction Heero pointed. The guy was intense in the way he spoke and moved, demanding all of Duo's attention. The rows of trees on higher ground rained pink and white blossoms in the breeze. He never would have noticed if Heero hadn't shown him, unless the petals landed in his messy dark hair. Like that one... "The flowering ones, yeah." "There is a cleared spot up there for a garden," Heero continued to say as he led the way back through the house. "Never had one, but I guess it might be worth it." If I could watch you all sweaty and half naked hoeing away. Duo sucked in his breath hoping he hadn't said that aloud. He hadn't, but he had to get a handle on his libido. He watched Heero leap off the porch to avoid the rickety stairs, admiring the slim, beautiful, strapping young man. "Yeah, that's just another one of the projects on my list," Duo said with a laugh. "Your garden supplements your winter diet here." "Say what?" Duo smiled. "I never grew a thing but hair," he said, grinning wider and swinging his braid to show it off, just in case Heero hadn't noticed. "Really, it sounds fun, but I'm only planning on staying the season-through early fall. I gotta part-time job back with the Sweepers. You been to Serendipity? You know, where the mountains are slag and heaps of scrap? I don't know how long my body can stand the fresh air." Duo stopped at the dock, but Heero turned right onto the path and walked on. "Where ya goin'?" "Boathouse. You knew you had one, didn't you?" "No! Quatre didn't show me that." Duo ran to catch up since Heero was keeping a quick pace. The soggy path led beneath willows and through reeds to a boardwalk. A dock hung off to the river side with Heero's flatboat tied at the end, and in the other direction a covered boat storage structure nestled deeper into the tiny cove. "A rowboat! There's a boat! Quatre, you devil! Why were you hiding this?" "Do you mean Quatre Winner, Master of the Watergardens?" "Yeah, I'm renting the cabin from him. He was showing me around yesterday and almost didn't let me have the place it was such a mess, but I convinced him I could fix it okay." Heero studied his face until Duo lifted his eyes. "Did you like him?" "Who, oh, Quatre? Yeah, real nice guy. You know him?" A tiny smile flickered across Heero's lips. "Slightly. Everyone knowsof him, but few know him well. We don't travel in the same social circles." "Oh yeah? Well, he seemed real and didn't treat me like the backwater scum he could've. Easy on the eyes, too." Heero's sharp look in response to that last statement warned Duo that he'd almost certainly said too much. "He most likely didn't use the fishing boats and so didn't know about this. My broad-horn is that direction." "Broad-horn's what you call flatboats here, I get it." Duo nodded and followed him along the dock. "Sweepers call'em barges mostly, but they're all flatboats in the end, right?" Duo didn't expect an answer and stepped closer to look over the craft. Rectangular in shape but with a slight tapering fore and aft and with boarded up sides about two feet all around was all pretty average. A small cabin sat near the center for the use of the owner, but no other covering. "You've got a big load. That normal? I mean, that's lots to move for one guy." "That's why I've been looking for help." "So, I'm kinda the right guy at the right time?" "Possibly. The work's full time, though. The river doesn't ice over so the work's year round." "But you'd be willing to take me on?" "I need the help," Heero admitted with a shrug. "Plus you are easy on the eyes." Duo's jaw dropped, uncertain he'd heard correctly. When he tried to catch the other man's expression, his head was turned, busy untying the rope from the boat hitch. He decided that Heero was ribbing him, so sloughed it off. No reason to get in a snit over nothing. "Get on and grab the other pole. I'll show you how to push off," Heero said. "I've punted before with the Sweepers," Duo said. "Good. Take us south." Duo continued on chattily, since his new friend listened more than spoke. "Our flatboats were all propelled by 'sweeps' mounted on the sides, thus the name 'Sweepers.' We also had a rudder and a short oar in front we called a 'gouger.' Some had a'hawser,' so if we hooked one end of the rope to a tree stump, we could wind up the reel to pull us ashore." "I have a wince and can mount a rope to the reel on board, but it works better when there's two to work it." "Well, now there's two of us," Duo said with a winning grin. Heero didn't react, so he rattled on to fill the space. "See, I specialized in recovery and reclamation, moving goods on and off flatboats with Howard and the Sweepers, and running materials up to the salvage yards of Serendipity. Then a week ago I got pink-slipped." Heero gave him a questioning look, eyebrow raised. "Laid off. Bounced for the summer and fall. Drew lots. Hilde drew long and I drew short." "Hilde, your...wife?" "Wife? Nah, roommate. Better company than the one before, a little nosey like most girls, though. Things got dicey after she wanted ta fomp and I said no and hadta set her straight. Anyway, I couldn't stay and leach off her, so I hopped a river runner north, saw a sign posted along the river that said 'You are Halfway to Sublimity,' and decided half way wasn't enough." Duo chuckled at that then went on, "Boatman dropped me off and gave me Quatre's name to see about a place. Told me to ask at the market, where they sent a kid to bring him around. Had no idea where he lived. 'Bout pissed in my pants when I saw him roll up in that fancy-ass carriage. But he was cool. Even put me up at his palace on a hill for the night 'cause my mattress was ripped by mice." "Winner invited you to his house?" "I said so and I never lie." Duo's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he'd missed both dinner and breakfast. "How 'bout we open that bag?" "What's this?" Heero held up a black, rock-like object. "Potato. You never bake'em in ashes?" "No." Duo felt Heero's eyes rake over him as he cracked open the crispy-hard outer covering of the potato to reveal the fluffy, white innards. "See?" Heero wasted no time breaking the other one open and giving the contents a taste. "How did you do this?" "The cooking? I buried them in the ashes and fell asleep. Thankfully, the temp was low enough not to overcook'em to coal. You like?" "Yes." It was a heart-felt "yes", too. "I'll have to do this. Beer?" "Yeah." "Here, I'll take over steering awhile." Duo handed off the pole and took up the cool bottle. "Fuckin'-A! This is sweet." Heero chuckled and shook his head. "You are not from around here." "Got that straight. Just moved rural a few years ago. Born in the city. "How 'bout you?" Duo said no more, preferring to eat, drink, and listen rather than talk about his tawdry past. "Been on my own for some time." "I really do need this job. I ain't got jack-shit." "That's about the only thing you've said that I've understood." Heero smirked, confusing Duo as to whether or not he was joking. Duo finished off his beer and rustled the sack about for the apples. He tossed one, which Heero caught with lightening-fast reflexes, and chomped into the other, staring ahead and watching the river currents. "Where're we headed for? One drop point or more?" "Just the one today. Local kegs to the north dock of Serendipity." "And you get free beer?" What could be better? "I get some beer, free." "Yeah, they figure you'd snag some anyway, so might as well make like they're being generous." "They are being generous. I don't steal merchandise, they don't expect me to, and they award me a little allowance. This is a new brew they're testing. What do you think?" "Best I've ever had. Rich and dark." "Stout. I like it too," Heero said. When they reached the north-end docks, Duo steered them into an open slot. Heero jumped off to hail a dray, leaving Duo alone to moor the flatboat in place. His attention was focused on his task, so for a minute or two he didn't notice the large shadow pass over then hover above him. When he did, Duo straightened and fell into street-fighter stance immediately. No way was some schlub going to steal Heero's freight under his watch! "I'll take that off your hands," the towering man said. His muscles stood out like braided ropes on his bare arms, his legs bigger around than the kegs of beer stood shoulder-width apart and the thighs still touched, his neck was as thick as his head. "Get the hell outta my face, you schmuck, and make it snappy." Duo cracked his knuckles for effect. He needed all the 'effect' he could get, being short, slender, and unintimidating on first glance. The ruffian flexed his arm muscles so they stood out like ropes and grinned. "Oh, I think you be the one with your ass in a crack, bushwhacker. Now, step aside while I lighten yer load." "If you place one fucking foot on my flatboat, Sogran, I will kill you." Heero appeared from behind a large wagon, cocked the gun in his hand, and aimed for the man's head. "Odin trained me not to miss." The huge fellow backed off, hands upraised. "Y-you're one of Odin's boys? Damnit, it's Yuy. Didn't recognize the boat with the other cocky lad on board." "That's my new partner and that's my flatboat and my shipment and you are in the way of my unloading it." Partner? Duo liked the sound of that! "Musta been a mistake. Got the wrong dock, ya see?" the man muttered, backing further until Heero lowered the gun and then he stalked off. Duo found his voice. "I wouldn'ta let him take anything." "I know. Sorry to spoil your fun, but I want to get home before dark tonight. Get unloading." Heero signaled to the driver of the heavy dray to pull closer. Duo lugged a keg up from the flatboat to the dock and Heero hauled it up onto the open wagon. Barrel after barrel they heaved and muscled the containers off the boat and onto the carrier. When the last barrel was in place, Heero yanked Duo ashore. "We go with the delivery to get paid. After that we'll eat dinner, all right?" "Yeah to both parts," Duo said, surprised and pleased that Heero even asked for his opinion. With money in their pockets, the two young men sailed into the nearest pub and ordered the special with ale, which was of the pale variety at the White Fang. Ensconced in a booth in back with their freshly drawn brews, they awaited their plates of food with better cheer than they had earlier on the docks. They didn't bother discussing the likes of bullies and thieves like Sogran, right then; instead, they talked about Duo's cabin and the work he needed done. "Besides the porch steps," Heero said, "what else?" "It's livable, but the Chick Sales is a scrungy hellhole and like a mile run in the dark," Duo said just as their brimming plates were dropped at their table. Heero settled for a runic "hn," and looked totally baffled by what Duo could have meant, so Duo tried again using plainer speech. "I thought it should be enlarged and connected somehow to the house and same with the lean-to; at least have a covered walkway." "You are talking about the outhouse? Over dinner?" "Ah, sorry." Duo grinned an apology and crammed more food in his mouth, figuring that Heero's penny-wise speech was meant to weigh against his own overspending chatter, thus keeping a balance. "So, couldn't help but notice that you're packing artillery," Duo started up. "You ever run a con or make drops of hot mahoska?" Heero shook his head. "I only take on legitimate jobs, if that is what you're asking me." "Well, even I've heard about the river traffickers that called themselves the Traders led by Odin Lowe." Heero looked over his shoulder and lowered his voice. "I mostly run freight... guns and beer up and down the river from Tumult in far north to Serenity in far south. I carry a gun to protect from pirating and bear attacks at night." "So, you aren't one of the Traders?" "When Odin was killed, I struck out on my own." "Killed? Way I heard it, he fell off a boat liquefied, loaded to the barrel and drowned." Heero leaned closer, practically whispering in Duo's ear. "Odin Lowe was murdered by Dekim Barton." "No shit!" "Shhh," Heero shook his head. "What happened next?" Duo said in a lowered voice. "Most of the Traders moved north with Barton's gang." "Enlisted?" "Conscripted." "Bunch of gamblers and scammers." Duo gestured for another pair of ales. "But not you." "No." Heero nodded then returned to his dinner, wiping up the gravy with his final hunk of bread. Duo didn't need him to add "end of story." The other man's body language unmistakably sealed off the subject. Duo accepted the refills with a sigh. "Great place, this. Never been in these parts. Funny, tough it out a couple years in Podunkville and you'da thought I'da found this. Go figure. Bushwhacker? That's a new one on me." "Just another name for poling they use further south." Duo knew different methods used to move the flatboats upstream, the most common being either bushwhacking or walking along the shore and pulling the boat by a rope, but that method only worked where there were cleared paths along canals, which could be found north of Tumult. "Yeah, it's slow going upstream." "About a mile an hour. In decent weather, expect a fifteen hour day." Duo swallowed hard. That was one hell of a long work day. They finished up, paid their bill and left soon after. They didn't want to linger and have another run in with Sogran backed by a few of his buddies. What they wanted was to punt up river to home, which even with the lengthening days would bring them in after nightfall. Although their flatboat was empty for the trip back, they were exposed to pirating more at night than at any other time. But this time all went smoothly. Heero dropped Duo dockside, turned the flatboat on a pivot, and then allowed the current to carry him the short distance to where he lived-Tumbletown, wherever that was. Duo waved and promised to be ready in the morning for the next day's work, then trundled down his path to his front door. He saw a mountain of firewood stacked to the side and a small wooden box sitting on the railing near the broken stairs. In the box was a letter and from Quatre an invitation to come for dinner with the note 'bring a friend.' The letter was from Hilde, addressed to Quatre's Watergarden estate because that was where he had written from the evening of his arrival. The box, Duo decided, would be nailed to the porch upright after he painted "mailbox" across it and got the postal boy to agree on an address for him. But that would have to wait until he had a few free hours. There was firewood to chop, food to buy, mending, building, ugh! But not tonight. Tonight he was going to sleep in his very own bed in his very own room for the very first time.
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