Life sucks.
Even at night, there was still heat lingering in the air.
How lovely.
Coral checked left, checked right, then crossed the street. There were few people out at night; that meant less eyes to see him, but also no opportunities to duck away into a crowd, and little in the way of good explanations for why he was out at this Tiamat-forsaken hour.
He was not at all familiar with Clawes either, so he couldn’t even pretend to be a local. But this was one of the few Arisian cities that still allowed foreign ships to dock, so this would have to do.
He just needed to make it to the port, without being seen, and he’d be fine. Once he was on the ship, all he had to do was hide until they were out of Arisian waters, and then he’d be safe.
He kept away from the edge of the sidewalk as he walked along the street, even though there were barely any cars out at this hour; it helped him keep out of sight, or he liked to think so, at any rate.
Shit. Two Hippogriffs came around the corner, talking with each other. Coral looked at them carefully as he kept on walking. They didn’t look like members of the Phalanx, but it was hard to tell these days, and even if they were just curious citizens there was a chance he’d be recognised.
‘’Evening,’’ he greeted as he walked past them, tipping his head.
‘’Evening,’’ one of them called back, before continuing the conversation with his friend. Once they were out of earshot, Coral let out a quiet sigh of relief. Another trial passed.
The docks weren’t far now; he’d booked a hotel as close to them as he could for that precise reason. But it was still too far away for his own comfort, and now he was stuck with the most careful walk he’d ever taken.
How did it come to this?
A question Coral had pondered many times in the past months. He had seen the signs, but he had not connected the dots until it was too late. One moment, Aris First had been holding small-scale rallies; the next thing he knew, they had taken over the government. And now that Raft Wood had been disposed of - poor bastard - Crack Lightning, damn him, had the free reign over the nation he’d always wanted.
Coral had some choice words for that fucker, but he wasn’t going to utter them until he was well and truly far away from Aris. Aris First had eyes and ears everywhere, from the deepest crevices of Seaquestria to the highest peaks of Hippogriffia, and no one was safe anymore.
Ah, the docks. Excellent.
He kept to the shadows as he entered the harbour. He knew where he had to be; he just had to make it there.
No one else on the docks that he could see. Good. Just this last part, and he’d be there.
‘’You! What are you doing?’’
Fuck.
‘’Evening, officer,’’ Coral responded as he turned to see a policegriff watching him with narrowed eyes. Where in the Gods’ names had he come from?! ‘’I’m just out for a late stroll.’’
‘’The harbour’s not a common place to go for that.’’
‘’I like the sea,’’ Coral defended himself. ‘’And this was closer by than the beach.’’
‘’You don’t look familiar.’’
‘’I’m a tourist, sir. From Mount Aris.’’
‘’Hmph.’’ The policegriff glared at him for a moment longer, before shaking his head. ‘’Fine, go about your business.’’
‘’I will, officer. Good evening.’’
‘’You too.’’
Coral turned back to his path and continued on at the same pace he had been at before, despite the urge screaming in his head to break out into a run. That officer would have definitely arrested him if he had found proper cause, and then he would have been fucked beyond belief. He let out a single, quiet breath, then carried on his way.
Please, Tiamat, no more of this. Protect me just a little longer, and I shall forever be in your debt.
If his prayer was heard, he did not get a response back; but no one else troubled him as he continued down the waterside, until he reached the pier he had been looking for. There, docked at the end of it, was a ship from Colthage; a rare sight even before Aris First took over the government. But only Colthaginians would be willing to smuggle out political dissidents from Aris now, and it was his best chance at getting out of the country without being stopped.
As he approached the boat, he saw a Zebra standing by the catwalk onto the ship. The stallion was large, with an impressive scar running down the left side of his neck - he could probably throw Coral into the water without any issues. ‘’Good evening,’’ Coral greeted in what was surely horribly-accented Colthaginian. ‘’I’m here for the shipment of lemons.’’
The stallion watched him for a moment, eyes narrowed, then nodded. ‘’Go up to captain,’’ he said in accented Arisian, and then he resumed staring at the docks.
‘’Thank you,’’ Coral said, before ascending the catwalk onto the ship.
It was very different from an Arisian ship in aesthetic, but the general design was the same. And luckily, that meant Coral could take a reasonable guess as to where the captain would be. Hopefully. If not, this could become very awkward.
But the ship wasn’t very large, so the bridge was easy enough to find. He came across a few other Zebra sailors on the way, but they ignored him and he did not bother to talk to them; he barely knew Colthaginian, and they probably had an equal grasp of Arisian, so communication would have been near-impossible even if there had been anything to talk about.
When he did finally arrive at the bridge, it was just in time to see a pair of Zebra mares emerge from the door that lead to it. One of the mares was obviously the captain, dressed in a sleazy suit with a well-kept cap on her head, and the other mare wore clothing that looked far too expensive for the ship they were on. They were talking in rapid Colthaginian, but that changed as soon as they saw him.
‘’Ah!’’ the captain exclaimed. ‘’You must be Coral Ridge! Here for the lemons, eh?’’ She winked at him.
Coral smiled back, putting on his best face. ‘’I am indeed, captain. Thank you for taking me aboard.’’
‘’You paid for it, so I’m happy to take you,’’ the captain said dismissively. ‘’I’m Yapa Erimgo, and as you guessed I’m the captain. I’ve set up a room for you downstairs; one of the sailors can show you where it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go. Need to inspect the ship.’’
‘’Of course.’’ Coral stepped aside to let her pass.
Impressive Arisian, for a Zebra. She’s been in Aris before, that’s for certain.
‘’Good evening, Mr Ridge,’’ the mare dressed in fine clothes said; she had not followed the captain. ‘’My name is Zerdinit Guziniad. My family owns the company this ship is chartered under, and when I saw your name on the list of, ah, ‘cargo’, if you will, I decided that I had to come. I’m a fan of your work, you see.’’ And she stuck her hoof out to him.
Coral blinked, then shook the mare’s hoof. ‘’Pleasure to meet you, Miss Guziniad. I didn’t know I was known outside Aris, but I’m grateful for your assistance nonetheless.’’
‘’It is nothing, Mr Ridge. It would be a shame if you were silenced by your government.’’ Zerdinit smiled. ‘’Now then, can I help you with anything? I do not know what your past days have been like, but I cannot imagine they have been peaceful.’’
‘’They haven’t been, no,’’ Coral admitted. ‘’It has been… hectic, to say the least.’’
‘’I remember what it was like when we had to flee from the Storm King,’’ Zerdinit said. ‘’My family hails from Zapsa, you see. We had to flee northwards into the hills when the Yetis came; it was terrible. Come, let us head down to your cabin. Those saddlebags look heavy.’’
‘’I wouldn’t mind going downstairs,’’ Coral said. ‘’I’ll follow you, Miss.’’
Zerdinit led him away from the bridge and into the ship’s hull, until they arrived before a door in a hallway filled with doors. ‘’This is your cabin,’’ Zerdinit said as she opened the door. ‘’It’s basic, but this isn’t a ship made for transporting passengers.’’
Coral stepped into the room and took a look around. It was small, yes, but it had a bed and a little desk for him to work at. More, he didn’t need.
‘’It’s more than satisfactory,’’ he said, turning to face Zerdinit. ‘’Thank you, again.’’
‘’You’re welcome, again,’’ Zerdinit replied with a smirk. ‘’If you don’t mind, could we continue our conversation? I’ve been eager to speak with you.’’
‘’Of course,’’ Coral agreed as he slipped his saddlebags off and placed them on the bed. ‘’I’ve got all the time in the world.’’
Just this night, and then we’re off. I’ll be out of Aris. I’ll be safe.
Thank the Gods.