I wanted Jayd to acknowledge that she knows who Bennesaud is. Obviously, she couldn’t have mentioned it earlier without tipping off that she was also tied to the mob, but it makes sense that someone who takes her work seriously would look down on Bennesaud for walking away from his dhama.
And now Roka gets some verification that Sky was indeed part of that shipment he delivered to Dhama Tylo at the end of Volume 1, despite him trying to convince himself that she could’ve just been a stowaway on the Tique Amara. I needed them to know that at some point, so I figured Jayd would be the one to mention it.
As I’ve mentioned before, I like accomplishing different things simultaneously and having one scene serve multiple purposes. In this case, while primarily an action scene, it also reiterates Bocce’s fighting ability and his berserker mode, Bennesaud’s mob past, and Sky’s “provenance” of ownership.
To be honest, I can’t tell if Jayd’s last line is influenced by the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones, in which the phrase “the Lannisters send their regards” is uttered. But I kept the line regardless since it seemed like something Jayd would say. It was either that or “smell ya later, suckas!”
The line is a good fit as Jayd seems to be someone that has a code of honor. How long she can rhyme honor with working for organisations that regard persons as cargo/property could be an interesting character development down the line.
No sign of Cember, could he be making a last effort/shot to stop Jayd?
Good job hitting all the marks you listed!
Good point with Jayd. She’s been a fun one to write this chapter. Looking forward to getting to some of her other scenes!
Who was Dhama Tylo pls?
The crew ran a job for Dhama Tylo in the first volume, Bad Goods and the choices made during that run still have consequences in the present. Like Jayd showing up here.
This should be the incentive to start reading from the very beginning. 😉
What Feroz said. Dhama Tylo is the mobster that Roka used to work for. The job in Vol 1 went sideways so he got cut loose (and has been struggling ever since). Tylo also showed up in Chapter 1 of this volume. There’s a scene with a bunch of clones of Sky, with Tylo mentioning that he would be dispatching Jayd to find out some info from Roka.
I do think I’ve written each volume so far in a way that can be totally fun to read on its own. But if you have not read the earlier volumes, I would suggest doing so at some point. Everything is part of one big ongoing story, so you’ll definitely get more out of it that way. But take your time. It’ll all be here for a long while!