peach into her pocket with the other. Only when we’re out of sight does she retrieve it and take a bite, wiping at the juice that runs down her lips and chin.
“You do that just like Bastian.” I recall the deftness of his fingers. The clever way he can slip a coin from one hand to the other before there’s time to blink.
Shanty’s laugh is hearty and genuine before she takes another bite and says through it, “Who do you think taught him?”
Surprise has me nearly tripping over my own feet. It’s no secret that Bastian and Shanty knew each other in the past. When we first met, she’d told Bastian that he owed her money, which led me to believe it’d been a fleeting thing. I thought perhaps he’d spent a few days on Ikae and happened to run into her, or that he’d hired her for a job. But there’s more to it than that.
Shanty tosses the peach pit onto the sand. “It’s when we were kids, back before the barracudas even had a name. I’d left my home the season prior, and he’d been on that ship of his for about the same time.
“We met in the market,” she continues, rubbing her peach-dampened hands on her pants. “He was vying for some bread, and I was eyeing a pair of pink diamond earrings. I was hungry too, don’t get me wrong, but I thought Bastian used to think too small. Why go for the bread when you can go for something that could buy you a whole bakery? I didn’t have full control over my magic yet, but I’d learned from a young age how to alter my face enough to prevent anyone from recognizing me. After enchanting myself, I’d go into the stores and pretend to shop. Sometimes, when I had spare money, I actually would buy something, so they’d grow to trust one of my faces and not pay close attention when I got too close to the jewels.
“I’d spent a week trying to figure this shop out. I went there every day with a different face to see who was working, and figure out which shopkeeper would make the easiest mark. Every day Bastian was there too, roaming the streets, stealing small things like pastries and fruit. I didn’t think he’d ever noticed me; I was used to being the one who did the watching, since no one was ever able to recognize me. Except, one day, Bastian did.” Shanty shakes her head when she says it, a smile playing on her lips.
“The second I finally got those earrings, I booked it back to where I was staying—I think it was some shack that’d been out of business and was having a difficult time being sold. I didn’t think I’d been followed, and yet there was Bastian. He showed up at my place to tell me he’d seen me use magic to enchant my face back on that first night, and that he’d known it was me ever since. While I’d been watching him, thinking him so silly for going after such trivial objects, he was the one who’d been in it for the long con. He knew I had the earrings, and had seen what I could do. If he wanted to, he could have told the authorities and been rewarded for it. Those earrings weren’t the first pair of jewels I’d stolen; shops were complaining about theft, and soldiers were cracking down to try to catch me. He knew this, I’m sure, but when I asked if he was going to turn me in, he laughed and said not if we partnered up. Clever bastard. I didn’t have any choice. I tried to give him the slip a few times at first, but he always managed to find me again. He was far more precocious than he let on.”
It takes me a moment to realize I’m smiling, and I try to smother it before either of the girls can see it. The Bastian from her stories sounds exactly like the pirate I first fell for.
“What happened?” It’s Vataea who asks, keeping her melodic voice low in public. “Why did the two of you separate?” I’m curious too, and Shanty notices.
“It was never anything romantic, if that was your impression. Men aren’t my thing. Bastian and I had a business partnership for a while, but he never settled on Ikae the same way I did. He left every night to sleep on his