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 Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 8:25 pm
Estellaina took a deep breath as she prepared herself to continue walking once more, her feet already screaming in protest with each new step she took. She took a moment to look the boy over again, his new clothing making him appear even more dapper than he had looked before. Whoever he was, he certainly made a statement. She felt odd wearing his vest, the material a bit too long for her smaller torso even with it all buttoned up. It also smelled, not bad, but like him. It was noticeable and she didn't know what to do with the information. "Thank you. For this," she spoke softly still, hesitant to speak any louder for fear he may vanish and it all be her imagination.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:24 pm
He didn't look directly at her when she spoke but still saw her in his periphery as he stared sharply at the ground. "You might want to save your thanks until you're truly safe. But you are welcome."Most people voluntarily chose to limit their lives, to stay in one place with one job forever. But when that choice was not their own? When their freedom was taken from them? If he ever witnessed something like this again, he knew now that he wouldn't be able to leave it alone. The realization was irritating. Zhan nodded once then pushed into the alley, offering her his arm at the last second. He joined the densest part of the crowd at a stroll and angled them in the direction of the pier. It seemed he hadn't lied. It really was just a few more blocks.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:22 pm
"Understood." She didn't know where he was leading her, but anywhere was better than where she had been before. Estellaina grabbed hold of his arm, curiously brushing her fingers against the fine sleeve of his coat. No one in her home had such fine clothing, at least no one she had met. The crowd around them made her nervous, her fingers digging harder into his arm as the rush of people moved around them. "There is much going on here."
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:53 pm
"Mm. Besaji is busy. We dock here regularly for deliveries, but I've never liked it." Zhan's voice was calm, but the tension in his form and the way his eyes darted from person to person suggested he was more anxious than he seemed. "On a normal visit, I would swap out an altered goods manifest in the dingier clothing I had on, then use the new outfit to drive up the bidding on..." Ahead he saw a familiar pair of blue-skinned Matori, one far larger than the other. "Ah. There they are." A good thing too. There was a chance he might still escape punishment if he stopped this nervous chatter. Zhan strolled toward the water folk, keeping his pace slow and deliberate despite the looks of confusion on their faces. "Oku. Rumble." He nodded to them in turn, the latter being the bigger of the two. "We have a passenger, so... I'm going to need you to take care of this yourselves." He handed Oku the manifest, looking a little lost now that the weight of what he was suggesting settled in. "You can do that, can't you?""No?" muttered Rumble. "What're you talking about, a passenger?" But Zhan had already turned, steering the Yaeli girl toward the gangway.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 6:12 pm
Estellaina glanced over at the larger man, dipping her head towards them as she followed after the boy. Her fingers drummed nervously against her arm, worry setting in that things would not be okay with where she was going. The men did not look pleased with what was going on, and she was afraid to find out why. Instead she attempted to focus ahead of her and where he led. "You live on a ship." It was more statement than question, she could see the ship in front of her, but hadn't realized it would be where they were going to escape. She had been on a ship before, of course, but forced into a cramped space hidden away from the rest of the people aboard. They would toss her food and water from her small crawl space, but other than that she had never seen the grandness of a ship.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:58 pm
As they crossed the wooden ramp above the water, Zhan kept his head down, looking for his shipmates out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully, most of them were ashore on various errands, though he did spot Seyra's bobbing, bright curls as she tended to the deck. She wasn't exactly a gossip, but she did love digging up secrets and holding onto them until they proved useful. She raised her head, violet eyes meeting his before returning to her mop. He wasn't looking forward to when she dredged this up again. Zhan led the Yaeli girl below deck, stopping outside a heavy door that was locked from the outside by three iron bars. He lifted the first of them as he finally replied. "This ship is The Sector of Secrets and, yes, I live here. You are welcome to stay until we dock in Yael, or we can drop you at another port, if you'd prefer. You can't come above deck again until we take in lines though. Um... until we leave. They'll kick you off. Unless you don't want to stay." He turned. "I'm not trying to keep you against your will."
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 5:11 pm
"Ah. I see." The hope of exploring a ship crumbled around her, the sight of the iron bars on the door sealing her fate. Her ankles stung, the dirt and harsh metal working its way into the wounds being rubbed raw by the troublesome chains. Still, she supposed it was better than the alternative option. Estellaina didn't meet his eyes as she wandered into the room. Once inside she began the work of undoing his vest she wore, fingers shaky on the buttons as the uncertainty set in. Should she have trusted this boy? Or did she just put herself into another horrid situation where the whims of others would be what led her actions. If she was careful, maybe she could run out and find someone else, but that seemed foolish. She had already been seen by his crewmates. Along with that, she was simply too tired to fight. She'd gone without food for days now, and her ankles hurt. She didn't think she could fight even if she wanted to. "Your vest," she stated, finally managing to focus her shaking hands long enough to pass the garment over.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:02 pm
He had only intended to pause at this particular storage room, so when the girl moved past him and dejectedly began to strip off her borrowed disguise, Zhan could only watch her, his lips ever so slightly parted in confusion. When she held out his vest he took it, noting her shaking hands but too close to breaking to stop himself. A smile bloomed across his face, and for a second he was too relieved, too surprised, too tired to care that the stretch pulled at the new scab inside his nose. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing." He managed to dispel the mirth from everywhere except his eyes. "It's not funny." He almost sounded like he was scolding himself. "I just..." Zhan dropped the vest into his bag and his bag onto the floor, then approached one wall and retrieved a large pair of what looked like heavy, metal scissors from a respectable hoard of shiny weapons. "I want to remove these chains, if that's all right. You don't have to stay here."
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:07 pm
Oh. OH. God and Goddess above let her melt into the floor where she stood. Estellaina felt her face flame as she moved to cover it with her hands, a soft groan escaping her at her incredibly wrong conclusion of the situation. She sunk to her knees, too tired and too embarrassed to care what she looked like in this moment. She couldn't believe how wrong she had been, and for a moment thought being locked in here would be better than facing the awkward situation she had put herself into yet again. Maybe if she didn't make eye contact with him they could move on quickly from the situation. Maybe that would help to cool her reddened cheeks. "I....apologize. For my misinterpretation of the situation at present. I read the room very differently," Estellaina admitted, chancing a peek up at the boy from between her fingers. "Please free me from this burden." She slowly inched her legs out from under her, positioning them as delicately as she could out for him.
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2023 3:29 pm
He was quiet as he kneeled beside her, careful to keep the sharp metal away from her skin while he worked through it. The first manacle dropped the short distance to the floor—after more time and effort than his ego appreciated—and he frowned at the mottled bruising around her ankle. They had rather strong painkillers aboard, and he would offer them later, but had he been in her position he would have been too wary to take them. "There's no need for that," he said. "I'll admit I should have made my intent more apparent given the circumstances. I will make myself clear now, however." Zhan looked at her, hoping that he had given her enough time to regain her composure. "You asked for my help, and I'd like to give it. My crewmates, though... they're pirates." A pinch of fondness touched his features. "They're going to start rumors and consider bounties and generally cause trouble. So if you could stay hidden until we can no longer see land, that would be for the best." It would give him a chance to explain himself to the captain as well. "We dock in Oba next, then probably Yael." He looked at her other ankle with a sigh, rising to a crouch in the hope that it might give him a little more leverage. The last time he'd used these things, the bindings he was breaking had been much less substantial.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2023 7:23 pm
A soft sigh of relief escaped her as the first manacle dropped from her ankle. She flexed her foot hesitantly, flinching as a jolt of pain ran up her leg. Okay, no strong movements for the moment. Each time she relaxed around the boy, something more worried her just as quickly. At the mention of pirates Estellaina's brow knitted together, her moment of comfort leaving as quickly as it had come. The others had been pirates too, slavers. She had been in Yael when they had taken her from her home, and now she had gotten herself on yet another ship full of pirates. "If they try to touch me I will defend myself," she warned, glancing back over at the weapons behind her. She had no idea how to wield a weapon, but she would rather take the chance than be taken advantage of. "But we are going to Oba next? That is....where the fire people live? What is it like?" Her desire to learn about the other nations and cultures still got the better of her even in the bizarre situation she was in.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2023 6:52 pm
Zhan paused, eyes cutting to a barrel full of blunt instruments just behind the girl. He didn't doubt she would put up a fight if confronted. He also didn't doubt it would end poorly. Rather than reply right away, he waited until another subject was raised, busying himself with the second shackle in the meantime. Thankfully, it didn't take long. "Yes, the fire people are from Oba. Sulburi isn't really like the rest of the nation, but it's the city that I have the most experience with. Everything is much taller than this one... Besaji. The docks are fancier and the trade is less food-based. From what I understand, most of Oba is covered in desert. I have seen the palace from afar. It's worth doing so at least once." He might have even imagined himself living there as a child. With a little careful maneuvering and some strategic wiggling, the shackle finally snapped and she was free.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:05 pm
"You like fine things," Estellaina commented, tilting her head at him. His clothing looked very fine, it had certainly felt fine. If he was a pirate too, then she supposed he worked to have the fanciest things. She just didn't know if that meant taking from others or not. She glanced down at her feet, wiggling her toes a little bit at a time to work some feeling back into them. The manacles had been heavy and tight around her ankles, and her feet had been a bit numb until now. She wanted to make sure they were up to the task of walking if she was to go exploring this Sulburi place. She would make the most of her time here with the boy, even if she didn't fully know what she was getting into. "Your name?" Estellaina realized she hadn't gotten it in their journey to the ship - worried that he wouldn't give it even with her mentioning it.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:22 pm
It wasn't a secret, obviously, but when she brought up his predilections so directly, Zhan felt a little self-conscious. He had food and shelter in exchange for his loyalty, but the spoils he had earned over the years had always gone toward clothing and gems. Outfits and jewelry tailored to fit him were less likely to be stolen for a number of reasons, and he did... like them. There wasn't anything wrong with that. He smoothed a slight furrow from his brow as he rose to his feet. "My name is Zhan. And I do like fine things." He replaced the metal shears on the wall, stepping closer to her once they were secure in their place. "It's good to meet you, even though circumstances are not ideal. Would you like a hand up?" He didn't ask, but there was something curious in his eyes and his tone that suggested he expected an exchange of information. A name for a name.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 7:56 pm
Estellaina took her time in considering the offering of her name, wondering if she should give him a fake one or not for safety's sake. She muttered his name to herself a few times, getting a good feel for it as she looked at him. Zhan was a good name for him. It was quick and sharp like she gathered he was. Even with his fancy clothes and liking of nice things, she didn't think he was necessarily bad. He had helped her after all. Maybe he was just a bit vain. Estellaina grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it gently as she moved to get up. Testing to see how solid his grip was and if his hands were calloused. "Estellaina."
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