— high on misery ;

i will remember your face ‘cause i am still in love with that place but when the stars are the only things we share will you be there?

He was going to see Christopher, despite the other man’s dislike of Samuel seeing him in his place of business, and as he was passing an open doorway he noticed a man tied down on the bed. Christopher never ever left him alone like this, it was dangerous- so this man should be released from his bindings. He couldn’t tell what the man was saying, but from how he was tugging at the ropes he wanted to be let go. Samuel ignored the man’s nakedness, he had seen plenty of bodies in various states of undress, and his nimble fingers untied the man’s left hand before he untied his ankle.

Weeping candles lined the rocky walls of the cave she called her home, creating a false light as real as the sun in her own dark corner of the kingdom. By those candles, she worked through the night until dawn had approached, her fingers sore but her soul relieved. Twigs and strings, pelts of the deceased creatures of the woods, maneuvered together as some sort of relic. Ancient, though freshly configured, it held within it a power and she would later hide it away deep in the forests for wanderers to find. Sigils among it, she would steal away little bits of themselves, their happiness or confusion, their anger, their fear or bravery. Whatever they had to give, she would take.

     A voice so h a u n t i n g --- his name leaving her LIPS brought lost images to a surface most pure. The pirate kept at his place the cave as she dared venture closer; though he’d STOOD from his seat rather to greet her mannerly. “ Avalon Gravely, ” he returned… so cunning, so charming in his approach --- his grin grew an inch wider, muscles MOST unused as the name left chapped lips. A single lock of dark & dirty hair played just over brown eyes as he’d lowered his head & looked down to the h i d d e n box on the table. 

She could tell, the moment that she wandered closer, when he caught sight of the gleam of the blade just by the way every bit of him tensed, and his caution only served to pull a little chuckle from the woman as she perched on the mattress, brow arching as she watched his reaction to the blade. “Frightened? Big bad boy like you?” The redhead asked. There was something about her tone, it wasn’t demeaning, but it seemed that she didn’t remotely take a man like him.. or perhaps any man.. seriously. As if she was the biggest, baddest thing in the room and simply knew it. To be fair, she often was.

     A silent glare as Griem watched the woman stare down at her dagger; he’d noticed that turn, that little grimace beforehand & for a moment? He feared she’d SNAP, plunge that blade of hers into his stomach… or WORSE, stand up & walk out. When she spoke --- a twitch in his brow… of course she’d side with the prostitute, it wasn’t a surprise; but that didn’t stop the anger from b o i l i n g in his stomach. He fought the urge to r o l l his eyes for the moment, wasn’t ASHAMED… as her tone implied he probably should be. Rape. It was a sexist game. A man raping a woman, sure, but a woman raping a man? UNHEARD of... but it was exactly what had happened. VIOLATED was how he felt & all he could do--... all he wanted to do was get ANGRY. Wrists finally freed, Jakue sat up c a u t i o u s l y --- the ghost of a glare keeping on her for a dead minute.

‘’Top of the mornin’, captain — or should I say bottom?’’ taverns were like a second home ( or technically her only home, considering she owned jackshit, let alone actual accommodation. ) and with the constant wandering mind, it was not an uncommon occurrence for her to find her way around the place and surroundings while people were distracted. The last thing she expected was to discover the captain of the Calyposo’s Curse — one of whom she hadn’t even realised was back, let alone already finding himself tied up in trouble — experimenting with bondage. ‘’I don’t even want to know how you find yourself in these …situations.’’ fingers had already began untangling the mess; letting the rope fall from his wrist — she didn’t want to know ( which was a first for the girl who wanted to know everything. ) but she certainly found it amusing. ‘’Being desperate, I assume.’’

     A pair of narrow eyes SHOOTING to the familiar voice the very instance it came to be, Captain Griem widened his mouth in relief before dropping his head back to the pillow. “ Miss Sinrakov… truly a pleasure, ” he exhaled, staring up at the ceiling --- his tone & overall demeanor a s a r c a s t i c one; but to say he wasn’t truly GRATEFUL to find a familiar face during a time most vulnerable rather than an unfamiliar one would be a LIE. Dark oculars kept up as she’d moved to untie bony wrists & he cocked his jaw to the side as he listened to her predictable sarcasm... but kept silent. A natural motion to cover himself with the blanket once his wrists had finally been freed, sitting up the gawky male looked to her disbelievingly. ‘ Desperate ’, Jakue took OFFENCE to the word. “ I’ll have you know this wasn’t my idea, ” he argued --- leaning forward, quick hands moved to untie the ropes around his ankles then.

         STONE—the temple of qiya was carved of stone. ornate and beautiful, it was an earthly home for a celestial goddess to live amongst the children of the moon. unbent and unbroken, it was a home meant to stand on the soil FOREVER. 

     Mindful ( but easily mistaken for eager ) eyes when she’d caught him at the edge of the crowd --- a slow smirk played the captain’s features as she managed to keep any looks for him hidden... though that’s not to say he couldn’t SEE them, regardless. At her signal, however, he made HASTE --- eyes finally taken from her; he immediately set off the stone he’d leaned, into the shadows as she disappeared down the steps & her warriors & worshipers s c a t t e r e d.

     Ingfrida had a nasty habit ( was it really a habit when she went searching for it? ) of showing up in places where she should never be. Her life was rather SIMPLE, barely a worry in her little mind, and it left a lot of dead time ; how else was she supposed to entertain herself? Gossip wasn’t enough to sustain a girl of nineteen years, she yearned for mischief and adventure. Apparently she had found it, walking through halls she clearly did not belong in. No, girls like her weren’t supposed to be in places with women that provided the types of  ‘  services  ’  this man had presumably been enjoying—or not, since he didn’t sound too pleased. The shock she felt was clear upon her pristine features, yet an INTRIGUED glint shone in her eyes. She had never seen a naked man before ; not outside of a nude painting, never in the flesh, and oh, this man was hiding nothing. Slowly Ingfrida approached him, attempting to keep her sight fixed on his face, though temptation was making her stare waver. No, it wasn’t proper, and she should be ASHAMED. She was ashamed.  ❝  Y-Yes…  ❞  Ingfrida whispered, hands reaching for the rope fastened snug around his wrists.  ❝  M-My apologies, sir.  ❞