The others stared at him patiently. And he stared right back at them in total silence.
"Well?" Callopie asked.
Foster shrugged. "It just occurred to me I haven't actually listened to the song in a long time." He admitted.
Vince sat forward "I thought you were a Jolly Rodger?" He complained.
"NO!" Foster exploded. "I'm not! I said I wasn't!" He picked up his bag and board. "This is my dad's old stuff! He wanted me to be one but after three years as a pledge I quit!" He grabbed a chair and sat down hard. "I don't even really like Pirate Rock all that much, the seas dried up hundreds of years ago and anyone living in this city sure as hell isn't beyond the wall solar sailing on the desert sands! So really how 'Piratey' " He air quoted for his own amusement and started pacing. "Can I really be?" He asked rhetorically. "And the pirate queen! Oh my god the pirate queen! You'd think they all knew her personally! 'may she bless you and lead you unto good fortune!'" He stuck his tongue out and made a face. "It's just an old song! So she supposedly loved sailing so much that she left her body to sail the skies for eternity, big whoop! That doesn't sound like ascension to me." He stopped and waved a finger at his audience. "That sounds like death! The big, boring, eternal snooze fest! And there's no proof she created UV absorbent fabric for solar sails so WHO CARES!" He exploded and then sat back in his chair in a huff. "It's just one more dumb religion with made-up symbols -" He pointed at the little girl "No offense, that people use to feel better about their shitty lives! It's all crap." He slumped slightly in the chair. "There is no true pirate bloodline, there is no ancient treasure, and there is definitely no such thing as reincarnation." He pointed to the airlock door. "Because who really wants to get thrown back out into that, shit, over and over, and over again?" He sighed heavily having run out of steam. "It's all just garbage, and I am sick of it." He finished.
There was silence in the room. Vince mindlessly fidgeted with the frilly edge of Callopie's skirt and she slapped his hand.
Aaron got up from the bean bag chair. "Man, if there was ever a poster child for needing to get high, you would be it. And while we share more than a few opinions on the weight of literal truth in our histories, someone believes in the fantasy world you've grown to hate, enough to tattoo that symbol onto this little girl." He pointed at Mary.
"It's not a tattoo." Mary interrupted. Everyone else turned to look at her
"Of course it is." Vince denied.
Mary shook her head. "It's a birthmark. She pulled a small wallet out of her pants pocket and pulled a tiny worn picture of out the wallet. She handed it to Aaron. "That's my mom holding me about two minutes after I was born."
Aaron nodded. "And there it is, on your arm." He confirmed. Mary nodded.
Foster got up and snatched the picture from Aaron's hand. "That's bull, prolly just a photoshop job to sucker you into taking her where they're waiting to pull the drugs out -" He looked at the picture finally. "This is an Instapic." Mary nodded. He stared deeply at the photo. Then back at her arm where the birthmark was peeking out from under her shirt sleeve. "Do you know who you are?" He asked in disbelief.
Mary shook her head. "Not really, I was found just outside the city walls before my first birthday. Other than that photo, the only life I've ever know is the orphanages I've been moved between." She offered.
Foster handed the photo back to her. Shaking his head. "I already told you I don't believe any of this crap, but, let's just assume for a minute that you are telling the truth and that photo is real. You would be something like the 11th granddaughter of the pirate queen. and if the songs are anywhere close to accurate, someone with your birthmark will be responsible for jump starting the world again." He sat back in his chair.
Mary put her picture away. "And how am I supposed to do all that if I don't even know who I am, what I'm supposed to do, or even why I'm supposed to do it?" She asked.
Foster shrugged. "Dunno kid, like I said before, I don't believe a word of it."
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