I walked calmly down the isle in-between the cells. Hellfire was standing at the door to the cell I wanted. I stopped in front of him. "How is our guest behaving this evening, Master Gunnery Sargent?" The man grinned, then turned to open the cell door. "Like a good little boy, Captain." He responded. I stepped into the room and nodded to Hellfire to lock it back. I watched Azarael in the corner slumped against the wall in defeat. He looked up when the door opened but didn't move to stand. "Come to give me my sentence, Captain?" He said my title like it was a curse. I have to agree with him there, but that's not the reason he said it that way. "You think I'll make you walk a plank? Or, better yet, take your giant angry feathered friend and dump you in the desert?"
I leaned against the door and crossed my arms over my chest. He finally glanced at me, confusion written all over his face. Who wouldn't be? "No easy way out for you. Azarael, right? I told you, we would have nice chat about the continent you are from. Because I know for a fact you are not from this one." The confusion disappeared in the wake of shock and surprise. "Didn't think I was that intelligent, did you? So, let's start with you home town and go from there." I knocked on the door and Hellfire brought in two chairs for me, Newind followed with a table, Musaki right behind them with a trolley that held food. I waited for them to set up the spread of meat stew, cheese and wine, as well as a fruit pie and a cream made of some kind of milk I can't identify. I settled into the chair facing Azarael. "Hungry? I don't starve my guests, Trillian would be pissed at me if I did."
"I'm not interested in morals of a Pirate's-"
The temperature began to rise. I stopped chewing. "Finish that sentence and this will no longer be a polite conversation." My voice dropped an octave and steam rose from my body in little white wispy clouds. Azarael started sweating. I held his gaze long enough for him to feel my fury. Azarael looked away and rose to join me at the now readied dinner table. "What would you like to know, Captain?" His voice was shakey, fear took his strength and voice. "Start with the obvious, and we'll see where the night takes us." I gave him a smile and his right eye started to twitch. My attitude was getting to him. Azarael took a moment to drink from the wineglass. "You are correct in thinking I'm not from Spira, I am from Ivalice. I lived in the Easter sands, in a small village with very few people. Our main source of income was traveling merchants and the occasional Hunter from the Hunter's Guild."
"A guild for Pirate Hunters." I sneered at the thought of razing it to the ground. "No, these were fiend Hunters. They took care of the harder fiends for money. Usually they came to the village for information on their marks. It was a peaceful place. I had a family. Two loving parents, a younger sister. Even a girl I was going to marry." I could almost picture his simple life. "Why are you not there with your family and people, why are you hunting Pirates?" Me, more specifically, but I left that part out.
"Because Pirates destroyed my home, burned everything to ashes. My sister and girl were taken and used for their pleasure then burned alive while I watched, tied to a stake, waiting for my turn. My parents died when the house we lived in was blown to smithereens. They took my life from me, and yet they let me live." I stopped eating to pay attention to his story. "I was left alive to spread the word that a band of Pirates were responsible for the destruction. I decided that instead of telling the city of Rabenastre what happened to them. I vowed to serve justice to those bastards." I let his story swim in my mind for a few minutes, he was glaring at me again. The boy was like a rabid dog over this. But something about what he said made me question the story. "You came from a small village in a desert, the only money you gain is merchants passing through. Pirates attacked and razed the town. You can ask any one of my officers, I don't ask questions, I command answers and they are provided. So here is a first for you. What did they take?" He frowned in confusion. I rolled my eyes, the boy was really single minded. "Pirates only care about one thing, be it as a mercenary or for giggles. Treasure, that is what we care about. Why do you think I was in Bikinel? So I ask again. What did they take?" He sat there, stumped. I knew he saw the problem. I stood and went to the door. "I'll give you time to think about your answer. We will talk again tomorrow. Oh yes, the Anger Chicken is fine by the way, I put him with my own flock for company. I don't harm innocent people, no profit in that." I left after Hellfire opened the door for me. "Don't take too long, this isn't a resort."
"What's a-" The door slammed closed, cutting off whatever he was going to ask. I didn't have the patience for questions anyways.
I went back up to my quarters to work on my newest problem. Even if the moron in the brig doesn't understand what I asked of him, I knew immediately that the posers were not Pirates. As I told him, Pirates only raid for profit. They don't raze a village for nothing. Now, not only do I need to look out for Hunters, but also Fake-ass Pirates. Just perfect.