Even with Toz's appearance that stood out in the crowd, Stitches managed to lose most of the attention they had.
Toz and Stitches ended up in a lively bazaar with loads of stalls and people selling their goods. Toz was sure that the cats would love it since there were tons of fun stuff picked up from all over the Void, but he and Stitches were on a mission, so taking a look would have to wait.
Something that didn't have to wait, however, was Toz's question. He finally got the opportunity to ask Stitches why he was so anxious.
"Stitch, there's something else. Isn't there?"
"Huh?"
Toz was unsure if Stitches was just playing dumb or didn't hear due to the ruckus of the people milling about all around them, so he clarified his question.
"Why are you so anxious?"
"Am I?"
"Yeah. You've been in a panic ever since we found the Bunglehoppers' old and deserted base. They were more than a simple pirate crew to you, weren't they?"
"Well…"
Since Toz had already mostly realized it and wanted to know, Stitches told him more about his relationship with the crew members.
The group he was with during the raid on the island was a gathering of several newcomers deemed trustworthy enough to send out on a mission alone. Stitches was supposed to survey their behavior when they weren't directly supervised by a more senior pirate to see if the newcomers really were worthy of fully joining the Bunglehoppers.
Stitches had been given the mission by Captain Wulf and his right-hand pirate, Hayar, after gaining their trust. It would have been impossible to gain enough trust to be sent out on such a mission if he wasn't sufficiently close to the two of them. Stitches was naturally close to the rest of the crew as well.
Stitches didn't know why he hadn't told anyone about it. Maybe he was afraid of what Hods would think if he knew Stitches acted like a spy. Or maybe Toz and the others would worry that he would spy on them or something. Stitches didn't know, and he had already gone too far without telling them, and it would only be weird if he told the others something like that out of the blue after so much time had passed.
However, he was left without a choice due to the situation. Stitches was worried that Toz might be mad at or disappointed with him, so he looked nervous and frightened while bracing himself for Toz's answer.
"The past is in the past, don't worry about it. I'm more curious about the future. Are you gonna go back to the crew, or are you gonna stay with us?"
Stitches was comforted by Toz's words, but he didn't know how to answer immediately.
"Think about it. Don't make a hasty decision."
Toz signaled for Stitches to continue leading the way through the marketplace. With the Bunglehoppers' careful attitude, it was very likely that they would succumb and suffer an unexpected defeat. If Captain Wulf was careful enough to investigate the personalities of each pirate trying to join their crew, Toz was pretty sure he would be meticulous enough to prepare a safe house or a secondary base for emergencies.
There also hadn't been any signs of destruction or battle at the old base, nor had anyone else taken over it, despite it being a nice place left all alone. If the Bunglehopeprs were still around, it would make sense that others wouldn't be interested in offending them and taking their old house. Stronger pirate crews had fancier places, so they wouldn't need to go after the Bunglehoppers' place.
Stitches was looking for someone who usually knew everything that went on around Pirate Haven. But considering that person's business, it wouldn't be weird if some of the stronger pirates wanted to silence them, so Stitches wasn't sure he would be able to find them. If he didn't, they would have to rely on themselves and scour through Pirate Haven and look for leads.
While leading Toz through the marketplace again, Stitches told him about the information peddler, Retsy. Though, there wasn't much to say since not much was known about them.
They were currently headed for one of Retsy's three bases of operation, the middle market. Compared to the upper and lower market, it was the closest, and it also meant the quickest way to get a hold of Retsy.
However, since Retsy moved around a lot, there wasn't any guarantee they would be able to meet them, but they would be able to request some information or maybe even set up a meeting with them.
Eventually, Stitches led Toz through an obscure back alley hidden behind some tilted wooden poles and torn fabric. Stitches sighed in relief since it was the way he remembered it from the time Captain Wulf brought him along. Retsy was still around, and that meant they would be able to find out what happened to the Bunglehoppers.
Stitches followed the alley all the way to the end, which led out to a completely deserted courtyard, where he carefully looked around.
Toz kept his guard up since he could sense someone's presence somewhere close by, but he couldn't pinpoint their exact location.
After surveying their surroundings, Stitches and Toz walked on the gravel path that ran straight to the house at the back of the courtyard.
The house stood out from the rest of the courtyard. While the courtyard was overgrown with weeds and had a couple of sheds on the verge of collapse, the house looked properly maintained and cared for. It was far from sparklingly clean, but it looked like it could handle someone living in it.
The house was a simple, one-story building with a door and a couple of windows, though there was probably a loft or something right beneath the roof. All the windows were covered by aged pink curtains, so Toz and Stitches couldn't see inside.
Stitches walked up the stairs and onto the wooden porch before knocking on the door.
A gruff voice responded almost instantly after Stitches' knock.
"Come in."
