Closed Desperate Deceptions [Kirvan]

[Ayanna]

Timestamp: 14th of Winter 512 AV
Time of Day: Early morning/Late night

Ayanna was walking through the Syliran streets, it was deathly quiet this early in the morning. Syna would not grace the sky's with her presence for bells yet. This was why Ayanna was about in the deserted streets, the suns golden rays burned her eyes like fire. Her rays would eventually turn Aya's skin into a bright red that burned constantly. She appreciated the sun, but she didn't like it. She always had her hood far over her face in the day, mostly to stop people from noticing she was Symenestra and to keep the sun from hurting her.

Walking at night cured that problem, and the problem of people looking at her. She found she had less of an urge to check her reflection at night, there were few people to make her feel grotesque. She found thoughts of her appearance would slip away easier, although if she saw another being it rushed to the forefront of her mind and she found herself checking eh appearance before she could even think.

But she had been out on the streets before during the last few days and now she knew where to avoid, the streets with taverns and the ilk. She was headed in the direction of the docks, she missed being on a ship. And she wanted to climb a mast again. She'd have to find a ship with no one on watch though, a sentry would get her killed for stepping on someone else's ship.

Ayanna walked towards a building and scaled the walls, tiring of walking along the streets that were a blanket of black to mere humans but well lit to her. Ayanna moved easily on all fours across the building, eventually she reached the roof where she hauled her self up to. She crossed the city from the roof tops, a graceful shadow, for awhile before she was close enough tot eh docks to descend to the ground again.

before she even reached the docks the smell of fish and salt water assaulted her. She took in a deep breath, comforted by the smell of it. Her pace quickened and soon enough she found herself in front of a simple Casinor. Aya's eyes locked on the top of the mast, a very precarious place but a great place to be none the less.

She didn't notice the harpoon that was on the ship, she was too stuck in memories of climbing the mast in the middle of the night under the light of a full moon. Looking out at the never ending expanses of the sea and just sitting there for hours.

So she climbed the side of the ship with the ease her race was known for, it was hard to be bad at climbing when one's hand and feet stuck to whatever surface you wanted them to. She padded across the deck in as silent a way as she could, she was no stealth expert but she was light and her race was known for it's grace. She made it to the mast without being stopped, for there was only one man on this ship and he was asleep.

Ayanna ascended the mast, relishing it as she did. She twined through ropes and fabric that were common on a mast. After all a mast was there to hold up a sail. But in the process of maneuvering into a comfortable position her Symenestran Lash, which had been attached to her belt, came loose and tumbled down onto the deck where a loud thumb disturbed the silence of the night. Ayanna froze, the boat was small, she would have no time to get down and off of it if the person came running out. So she did the most logical thing, she hid.

Only, she was on a mast, there wasn't exactly anywhere to hide. So she stilled her body and hoped he wouldn't look up. And if he did maybe she had suddenly gained the power to be invisible and he would see right through her. because that was definitely possible. She chided herself for such thoughts, she knew he would see her. There'd be an inevitable confrontation. But even in the midst of the fear rolling through her she felt her hand try to grab her mirror.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

14th of Winter, 512 AV Docks Kirvan knew his boat inside out, having lived on it for nigh a decade. To a Svefra, these boats were their homes, and Kirvan was no different. His boat was his livelihood and his most important place, so he like everyone else was very protective of it. Which was why when the thump of the lash hitting his deck woke him up, he stirred and looked to the exit of his cabin quickly. Climbing out of bed, he picked up his cutlass which was leaning on his trunk, drawing the blade from its sheath. The metal made a soft noise as it slid free from its leather holder, and Kirvan held it before him as he stepped out of the cabin, his bare feet padding against the wooden planks. His cloak was still inside the cabin, leavin him in nothing but his shirt and trousers, but the cold was blocked out by his indignance and anger that someone had stepped aboard his ship without permission. Last time someone climbed aboard without permission, there was a blade at their throat almost at once. It actually happened here in Syliras too, this city was not turning out to be the most respectful. Out on the deck, Kirvan quickly found the lash that had dropped to the deck, out in the open. Yet there was no trace of whoever it belonged to, which made Kirvan all the more suspicious as he looked around for whoever had trespassed on his ship. "I know you're out here!" he called softly, loud enough to be heard on his boat but quiet so as to not wake anyone else up. "Just come out and stop hiding in the shadows!" While he called out he looked around the ship, behind the mast and whever one could be hiding, yet he found no one. It was incredibly frustrating as he knew someone was here, but he could not find whoever it was. The lash was still in the center of his deck, though after looking around a bit Kirvan picked it up and looked at it more closely before draping it over his shoulder, hoping that it would draw out whoever was there. He had no use for it, but if whoever once had it had left it lying around then it wasn't their's either. Then he remembered what he sometimes did when messing around on other people's boats back in the pod, climbing the mast as a kid and watching the inhabitant look around gormlessly for who was making all the racket. So when he looked up at the mast, he finally found the intruder. Surprise mixed with anger, and he struggled to keep his voice down. "Explain yourself!" he called up, his cutlass at his side. For the moment.

[Ayanna]

Well at least if I die it's at the hands of a handsome man. Ayanna thought with a morbid humor as she looked down at the man who came out of the cabin, his blade held in front of him as he looked around for the intruder on his boat, her.

Ayanna knew she couldn't escape, there was no building near enough to the boat for her to jump to besides her lash was on his deck. She couldn't leave it, it was one of the few things she had of her family left. And it was her main weapon, she'd be practically useless.

She wasn't sure she would live to see the morn, the man under her was large. he could crush her with a single hand and she wouldn't be able to do much. Not for the first time she cursed her race, her body, her inability to take most races in a fight. Ayanna felt the cold prickle of fear run over her skin, she would die today. She knew it.

Anger replaced fear quickly though. Ayanna resisted the urge to hiss at the man like an feral cat when he touched her lash. How dare he! That was hers! Not his. It was her weapon, how could he touch another's weapon? It was wrong! Her claws bit deep into the wood of the mast, leaving ten deep holes in it.

He yelled at her to stop hiding in shadows. She almost snorted. To her there weren't that many shadows around her, and besides her race were known for lurking in shadows. Besides, if she came down he would kill her.

She needed to catch his eyes, she was only used to using her eyes and voice to hypnotize. It only worked if she caught their eyes. She just had to calm him down before he found out she was up here and climbed up the mast to strangle her.

In retrospect climbing some unknown sailors mast was not her finest idea.

Ayanna started, a normal human would've fallen in surprise when he addressed them with a voice that held barely suppressed anger, but Symenestra were far better balanced and graceful than your average human. Her hand tightened on the mast and her body held to the wood easily as she looked at the man. She shook her head no. Best to start talking to him, calm him down enough that he would be easier to control when she got within range.

"You'll kill me." she stated in a matter of fact tone, her voice not betraying her nerves. She hadn't noticed it but as she began to talk one hand reached into a pocket and pulled out her small mirror. Now she felt its familiar edges biting into her flesh, she looked down and her face stared back. Purple eyes framed by pale, grey traced skin. Black and white hair fell around her in a mess, wind whipped and still mussed from sleep. She was hideous, a monster.

She turned her face from her reflection and put the mirror back in her pocket, it was an odd habit of her to check her reflection. It seemed to happen the most in stressful situations. As if whenever something bad happened she needed to be sure she was still ugly. Still gruesome to look upon.

No one knew really why she did this, except that the pressure of all the hate and disdain piled on her by other races had finally caused her to crack. And this was the way her cracks had turned to.

Her hand replaced on the mast she looked back at the man, who thankfully wouldn't have been able to see what she had been doing in the darkness.

"Put your weapons on the ground and slide them away, then I'll come down." she bargained, it wasn't a good bargain for her, he would still be able to kill her even without the sword. he could just punch her chest and it would cave in on her heart. But perhaps he would calm down without his weapon in hand, and it might make him a bit more wary to attack her, it would give her time to convince him to not hurt her.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

She appeared quite elegant if also rather sickly, with pale ashen skin and long white hair, occasionally interrupted with steaks of black that fell from her head past her shoulders and into the open air. Black claw-like nails grasped the mast, and her purple eyes seemed so unnatural that even Kirvan with his history of meetin diverse people was taken aback. Her form was lithe like a an acrobat's or a dancer's, though she appeared to be the former with the skill with which she was steadying herself up there. Not altogether an unattractive woman if Kirvan had to admit - which he wouldn't since she had trespassed on his ship. "You're not doing yourself any favors by staying up there," the Svefra growled, though he largely dismissed the thought of killing her and didn't realize she took the possibility so seriously. His irritation only grew as she took the time to pleasantly gaze at her own reflection, as if examining herself for any dirt that would make her less presentable now that she could gloat to him about having invaded his ship without so much as a challenge. No, she certainly was not doing herself any favors. Stepping towards the mast, he continued his threatening language, though his cutlass remained at his side where it was both out of the way and at hand should he need it. "You think I'm going to drop my cutlass because some stranger, who is invading my ship for no good reason I might add, asks me to?" There wasn't a strong emotional bond with the weapon, though they had seen their fair share of battles together. It was the notion that he would disarm himself merely because it made some trespasser comfortable that seemed absolutely ridiculous. "I will not. You are on my boat, my home, and I will not have terms dictated to me by some woman who makes fun out of slinking into people's boats!" Kirvan's hand clenched his cutlass a bit tighter, though no true thoughts of attack were running through his mind yet. If he had really wanted to hurt her, he'd be up the ropes in an instant, climbing the mast himself so he could get closer. But right now, at this time of night, in this particular city, he just wanted her out. Not that he was in the state of mind to convey that desire. It was shame she hadn't made herself known before she climbed aboard, her appearance was fascinating and exotic so as to hint an interesting story to tell, but right now he just wanted some of the rest that had been stolen from him. However, he was lucid enough to know that this wasn't going to get them anywhere. She couldn't very well stay up there forever, and he couldn't spend all night waiting for her to come down. Someone would have to negotiate slightly more appealingly, or suggest a compromise, but it sure as shyke wasn't going to be him. This was his ship, and as far as he was concerned that was all he needed to support his threats and claims. For Laviku's sake, he just wanted her away so he could sleep. She hadn't done much to calm him down, if anything only irritating him further, especially with the calm way she carried herself as if she felt nothing at all about what she'd done. Kirvan was of a mind to actually carry that earlier thought through and climb the mast to have a go at her, but logic prevailed. This was Syliras, and murder or even assault in their port would be poorly met and he would likely not be welcome back. Not to mention that he honestly did like this stranger's appearance enough to fascinate him into not destroying the story so quickly, and he might look for her later to swap stories, but for right now he just wanted some petching sleep, undisturbed by any intrusions. "My patience is growing thin," the Svefra spoke threateningly. "Come down now and be on your way, just get off my boat. Else I'll be forced to come up there myself and bring you down myself."

[Ayanna]

Ayanna flinched visibly at his harsh tone, she had never developed the toughened skin most needed to survive, and the way he was talking to her did hurt her rather badly. She didn't mean to make him angry, or to trespass really. She just thought his mast looked very climbable, and so she climbed it. What was wrong with that? And what was she supposed to do? Come down the mast where he could kill her? Oh no, she was not stupid. She would not put herself in so dangerous of a situation, at least up here she was slightly safe. For now.

Ayanna retreated a few inches up the mast as he came closer, trying to put space between them, unwilling to be so close to someone so angry when she was weaponless. What was the man expecting? For her to be all nice and kind when he was being so mean to her?

Not that she didn't deserve it, for what she was she got it regularly. Ayanna forcefully pushed these thoughts aside, she didn't have the luxury of time for such thoughts, she had to figure a way out of this predicament she had unwittingly gotten herself in.

Ayanna looked a little outrages at his claim that she had come onto his ship for no good reason. Climbing a mast was a very good reason!
"You will still be perfectly capable of defending yourself against me without that oversize knife at your side." Ayanna reasoned with him, trying to convince him it was a good idea to just put the cutlass out of reach. "Also I had a very good reason I'll have you know." she had a slightly haughty tone as she told him she had a reason for trespassing, and in her mind it was a good reason, it didn't occur to her that it wouldn't be satisfactory to him. "I do not slink!" a bit of anger flavored the woman's soft voice at that. She was sick of people calling her sneaky, of slinking and lurking. It was annoying to say the least.

She saw his hand stayed on his cutlass though and she supposed now was the right time to tell him why she had snuck on his boat and woken him up.
"I wanted to climb your mast. It's a very nice mast, very tall. Not too difficult to climb, you should think to change that. It's more fun when it's hard to climb things." she descended slightly as she explained, her way of rising and descending the mast was a mix between using the ropes and just the plane wooden pole to go lower and higher, either seemed to be a natural option for her.

Something just occurred to her, perhaps he thought she had come aboard to steal his things?
"I didn't want to steal anything, or hurt you. I just wanted to climb your mast." she further explained to him. She wondered if he would be able to tell if she used hypnotism, if he did notice she could be in serious trouble, but if he didn't she might be able to get out of here alive and well.

His voice when he spoke again chilled her, this man was a force to be reckoned with. "You'd not be able to catch me sir." she wasn't being over confident when she said that, she was being honest, her balance was better and she was more used to being in high places like this. At least, this was her thought process. The ides that a human, even if he had been on a boat all his life, would be a match for a Symenstra in a high place was unthinkable to her.

"Will you hurt me?" her voice was small, fearful. She really was scared of him, for all her words of negotiation she was terrified she'd die this night. It was then that she let a little of her magic flow, in her eyes. She descended more so the contact would be stronger.
Calm, be calm, calm, calm. she repeated the mantra in her mind several times as she locked her amethyst eyes with his own. She wasn't trying to make him do anything unreasonable, she was just trying to make him more amiable. She wasn't strong and if he was invested in his anger it would have little to no effect, but if he really didn't want to hurt her or wasn't truly angry it would calm him to a degree.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

In all honesty, the strange woman on Kirvan's mast hadn't done anything particularly wrong besides trespassing. She obviously didn't have any hostile aims, and were her intent malicious then she would be down on the deck rather than up in the sails. Even so, that one act of trespass crossed the line for Kirvan like it would for any Svefra, whose boats were a connection to their domain and their god, Laviku. Having someone violate that connection without warning was never pleasant, and mixed with the irritation caused by his lack of sleep it made one particularly angry Svefra. As he advanced, she retreated, trying to keep the space between them. Were his intent to injure, it would have been a smart move as it would put her out of harm's reach for now. However, his intent was not injure but intimidate, hoping to galvanize her into action down the mast, not up it. Kirvan's frustration grew as the situation progressed not towards resolution but further towards impasse, which would be petching inconvenient. Yet he did not carry the thought far enough to stop his imposing behavior, wanting this trespasser off his ship at the earliest opportunity. Kirvan let out a sigh of frustration. She had completely missed the point of his refusing to do as he said, so he was going to have to lay out how he saw it to her. "I have no doubt I could defend against you without my cutlass," he said irritably, dismissing any potential skill she had and the fact that he knew nothing about fistfighting. "But what makes you think I'll get rid of it just because you ask? You've trespassed for no reason, so you're in no position to make demands." Snorting, Kirvan looked up at her incredulously. "And what reason would that be?" he asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer. Then his face darkened slightly as she began to show some anger of her own, protesting that she didn't slink. "You hide from me when I'm calling you out," he said. "You move up the pole to get away. Yes, you slink. If you don't want to slink, make yourself known." Regardless of her reasoning, the Svefra looked at her with annoyance. "You still have no right to climb my mast," he challenged. "Especially not without my permission. You're climbing and defacing my home, it'd be the same if I walked into your room and began scraping the walls away." Still, she seemed to be coming down, which was a start at least. He watched as she switched between using the lines and sliding down the mast, apparently not very used to climbing a mast. Climbing yes she could probably do, but mast specifically maybe not as well. When she disclaimed that she had no malicious intent, he dismissed her. Obviously, else she'd not be on the mast. She'd be on the deck scrounging for whatever she could find. Still, it annoyed him that she claimed he would be unable to catch her. He grew up on boats like these, and though his balance might not be innate he had more than ample experience to climb up. Besides, the moment she jumped down, he could jump down on top of her. "I'd rather not have to find out, but if you keep testing me I might have to challenge that claim." It was an aominous threat filled with competition, but he would prefer to not have to do somrthing too stressing on his body. Though he would not mind proving her wrong. It seemed he was making progress as she descended the mast slightly, and as she voiced her concerns Kirvan shook his head. "I'm not in the mood to get in bad with the Knights here, so no, I don't want to hurt you. I just want you off my ship." He, of course, had np intention of returning the whip that had completely slipped his mind. As gar as he was concerned, it was left lying around and so no one needed it, therefore it was up for anyone to take. That said, he didn't have a need for it either, except maybe to barter with. His success began putting him at ease, and Kirvan was relaxing slightly, though he still held his cutlass to his side. It looked as if she were about to be on her way, and he could go back to sleep assured that his boat was safe for now. He of course had no idea that it was tge woman's hypnotism at work. While he still felt offense at the trespass and annoyance at her claims and self-importance, but at least the immediate problem would be solved soon, so he wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone to makr a point.

[Ayanna]

If Ayanna had been better at observing she might have noticed the dark bags under the man's eyes or the way he continued to get angrier when she retreated. But she didn't, she didn't know that if she just used her hypnotism to lull him to sleep she might have been able to, or that if she came closer his anger would fade slightly. These were things that could've made this whole encounter easier on them both.

Ayanna looked around when he told her she was in no position to make demands. She was among his sails and ropes. There were very heavy thing sup here attached by mere ropes, ropes her claws could make quick work of. If this man had attempted to truly harm her she would've made quick work of these ropes and sails. "Sir think again of where I am. If I was the type of person to be truly cruel i would be able to tear your sails and ropes to pieces before you could get up here. If you could without ropes to hold you aloft." She after all, needed no ropes to keep herself up here. But she would do no such thing unless the man came after her, such things were not in her nature to do simply because the man was angry she had trespassed on his ship.

Ayanna frowned at him. What did he expect her to do ?Letting some of her anger out Aya opened her mouth and ranted. "Imagine sir, if you would, for a moment that you are me. That your bones are no stronger than glass, that your kind is hated by all who see you. That men and women will corner you in alleys in every city you go to and will try their best to kill you. Her eyes turned away and looked out at the city, to avoid letting him maybe see the tears that glittered in her eyes. "That every person who talks to you can be someone trying to kill you simply because of your race, and that it's a very easy thing to kill you. A blow to the chest will cave it in on your heart. Now imagine that you see a tall mast, that you had just earlier gotten off a ship where you had had some of the finest times of your life and the mast had become a second home to you. This time her eyes turned to the sea, where she had known some happiness since leaving her home. " You see a mast and just to get some of those emotions back, to relive those memories of a time where you weren't quite so hated. You go to climb the mast and a man storms out, angry and yelling. What would you do sir if you were used to being hated, used to people attempting to kill you and that you were no harder to kill than it is to smash a window. Now what would you have done?" Ayanna descended slightly as she talked, as she ranted. She wasn't aware really that she was doing it but subconsciously she was using some of her magic to get him to actually listen to what she was saying. To hear her. She wanted that so badly, for someone to hear her for once that she was desperate. She'd even try to get an angry Svefra to listen to her.

The man responded to her question of him killing her with what she had scarcely hoped, an affirmation that he would not try to kill her if she came down. Ayanna descended swiftly down the rest of the mast, sliding down ropes and climbing down the mast soon she was near his head. Now she could see those dark circles under his eyes.

She remembered seeing those on her brother after he came home from gleanings, where he didn't get much sleep from fear that he would be killed at any moment by angry humans. She had first begun learning hypnotism then, to help him sleep. He was plagued by nightmares then, whenever he tried to sleep. Nightmares of his friends being brutally murdered by angry people trying to protect their women. Aya, desperate to help her big brother, had then begun to learn the art of hypnotism to make her brother sleep without dreams. If she ordered it she could eventually get him to sleep.

Now she saw those same circles under this mans eyes and she understood, a little, of why he was so angry. Her eyes showed some sympathy for the man. She reached out a hand though for her lash.
"Can I have my lash back sir?" she inquired of him, looking at him upside down, her hand was as well. She had climbed the last part of the mast face first, a way she was used to doing but others found slightly disturbing usually.

She continued to look at him with her big purple eyes before she spoke again. "I can help you sleep if you'd like." She offered her voice kind, something one would not expect from a person you had just threatened and yelled at, but Aya was used to such treatment and felt she deserved it most of the time for who she was. She liked the way the man looked though and the circles under his eyes had reminded her of her brother, such a thing inspired her towards kindness.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

A dark look passed over Kirvan's face as the woman made her threat. If she decided to wreak havoc on the sails, it would take a good day or two before his vessel was made seaworthy again. He wasn't worried about the lines though; even with a blade it would take about half a chime to cut through the interwoven lengths. Something he was about to point out to his unwelcome visitor. "Check again the thickness of the lines," he called out, an edge in his voice. "If you pull out a dagger it will still take you a while, and in that time I could easily climb up to where you are. Even without the lines, I have something a good deal sharper to help me climb." He lifted his cutlass ominously, letting the action itself speak for a few ticks. "My sails for your life. Tell me that doesn't sound a bit pricey, even to a daredevil like you." He had no time for long winded speeches. Every moment out of his cabin was a moment he should have been asleep. Yet a simple suggestion was left in his mind, a simple echoing phrase pulling at his subconscious, weak but present: listen. So, despite himself, he did, and the more he heard the more sympathetic he became. Of course he had no understanding of what it was like to be so frail - though short, he was as sturdily built as any of his kind - though her description gave him a clearidea. What was she that her bones were so weak and her form so fragile? Though his mind sighed at her comment, asking him to imagine a fine life at sea. Obviously she had no idea what he was, else she'd not make such a silly request. Kirvan's life was the sea, it was reflected in his race and being, and boats of all sorts beckoned him home whenever he was in the shore. Even so, he knew better than to get on someone else's. Despite himself, Kirvan was beginning to feel sorry for her. He'd met people in the past who were hated purely because of their race, though neither of them were very bothered by it. One even embraced it, though she was still hindered by that suspicion and doubt. His own race had trouble among others on the land, though not nearly to the same degree. Even though his own pod did their best to rid the seas of non-Svefra piracy, all of their kin were branded as pirates and thieves anyway. And as for fonder memories, there were a few things he'd do to go back to a time where he had everything he needed, where he was complete... A hand fell onto the glass necklace beneath his shirt. However, boarding a stranger's boat unannounced and without permission was one of the basic natural laws of the sea in Kirvan's mind. It could be forgiven, but never should it be forgotten. Her long speech was taxing his mind, and even as he bid to listen Kirvan found himself becoming more frustrated toward the end, culminating in her final question. "What I would do," the Svefra answered, "is apologize and find out how to leave without bothering him more." For crying out loud, was sleep too much to ask at this bell? A misunderstanding was a misunderstanding, but he was petching tired and not in the mood for a lot of socializing. Still, things seemed to be moving in a favorable direction as she quickly began descending the mast. As she did so, he walked around the side of the cabin to the bow, just to make sure she wasn't headed anywhere else and to see her off his ship loody finally. However, she stopped just a few feet from the ground, dangling by her feet and legs as her hair fell straight down to the ground, leaving her pale face completely reversed and uncovered. She was pretty in a way, though it was hard to tell because of the odd direction. How could anyone want to kill someone like this? Then Kirvan remembered the state of mind he'd been in not a chime before. Well, that was provoked and therefore justified. The entire race couldn't be so intrusive. When she reached out for her lash, Kirvan was of a mind to say no and nearly did so. Then he thought back on what she'd said, the hoeplessly sobby story that nonetheless got him to think, and reconsidered his initial answer. Really, right now she had no more claim to it than he did, but he really had no use for it. As far as he could tell it was simply an elaborate piece of line, though it could certainly be used as a weapon in the right hands. Those hands weren't his, and he doubted he would be ablr to barter it for much among his own people. Besides, if it meant something to this woman, then it would be of more use to her anyway, at least in terms of sentimental value. Sighing, Kirvan took the lash from his shoulder and awkwardly lifted it into her upside down palm. Such an odd way of climbing - and hanging. He doubted that he'd be able to do something like that, it was the kind of thing he'd only seen the truly experienced of his kin do. Odd it may be, but not once did even a thought of disturbing cross the Svefra's mind. Different as petch though. "Whatever gets you out of here faster," he said, trying to save face. "Don't want to have to worry about you sticking around or coming back." Honestly he doubted she'd try such a thing, it was all bluster and bluff. Her offer caught him completely unawares though, and his eyes widened slightly. Drawn into her amethyst orbs, Kirvan looked for any sign of malicious intent but saw nothing but kindness and genuine sympathy. For some reason he trusted this woman, and not just because of her looks either. "Fine," he grumbled, walking back towards his cabin. "I'm not going to sleep on the deck though."

[Ayanna]

Ayanna looked over the ropes, confident that she would be able to get through them with her claws. Not that she wanted to try. But she would be bale to shred his sails without any problem, her talon like nails would rip through it easily. Ayanna waved claws at him, showing him she did have them. She needed no knife. She ignored his threat, she didn't think he could catch her up in the ropes. Besides, if he killed her the Knights would not look upon it favorably.

Aya was surprised he actually listened, not understanding she had wanted him to listen so badly she had used her magic on him to get him to. But he didn't interrupt her as she ranted and she was glad. It made her less scared of him slightly, that he had listened. She felt something in her heart lighten slightly, as if she had been carrying something around and being able to talk about it made it lighter for her to bear. To be able to tell someone about what she had to silently endure day by day, and to have them listen was helpful to the fragile woman.

She came down ever farther when he didn't interrupt her, wanting to get closer to someone who listened. But when he replied harshly again her face betrayed her hurt. Her eyes held a crestfallen look to them and her lips pouted. She backtracked a little as if space would get his anger and hurtful words away from her. "I was scared you'd kill me. I didn't want to die. So I hid, hoping you wouldn't see me and try to kill me." Trying to kill her was what she had expected from him. It was all most wanted to do. She had expected him to attempt to take her life from her, that was why she hid. She was weaponless and fragile, she couldn't hope to stand up to someone like him. Couldn't he see hiding was her only option?

But he had promise dot not kill her, that was the only reason she descended the mast. Because he promised her she wouldn't be killed, she would be safe. She trusted him to keep his word, he had to. Didn't he? The thought that he would go back on his word struck her and she slowed her descent but continued, scared he would go back on his word and decide to kill her.

She gave him a large happy grin when he placed her lash in her hands. It was a reminder of home, of love. She clutched the handle tightly and wound it back up and put it on her belt. She looked back to the man's face and her eyes widened in shock. She was close enough she knew the man could see her for what she was, yet he had no looks of disgust on his handsome face. He wasn't looking at her like she was little better than a rat in a a baby's crib. He looked at her like she was annoying, yes and like she was something different. But not something hideous. He'd never know what that meant to her, that simple lack of disgust.

As he walked back towards his cabin Ayanna put her hands on the mast and let her feet fall over her head. She dangled briefly by her hands, having flipped slowly over her head, letting gravity do the work. She let go though and dropped the little space to the ground. She grinned with joy when he agreed. Surely this meant he liked her, a little. He certainly liked her better than those thugs she ran into regularly did. She shivered thinking of those times she had been trapped in alleys with angry men in front of her.

She shrugged when the man said he wouldn't sleep on the deck, she didn't care where he slept. She padded after him, her lighter weight making less noise than his heavier steps did. "Thank you." She said quietly as she followed just behind him. Ready to jump back at any hint of violence from him. She trusted him enough to be this close and follow him to his cabin, but not enough to not fear him still a little. Life out of Kalinor had ruined her trust in others.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Quite honestly, Kirvan hadn't been expecting her to follow, rather just hop off onto the dock and run away. He'd been menacing enough during their negotiation, trying to intimidate her into coming down, and he would not blame her if she had simply bolted the moment she had her belonging and was out of his scope of anger. While not the most imposing figure, especially among the Svefra, a sword could go a long way to makin one much more forsome. Yet when he heard soft padding behind him and turned around, there she was following close behind like she'd said. Perhaps he'd misjudged her earlier. Still, that didn't change that she had, in fact, trespassed on his boat. That was something that couldn't be ignored or forgotten. Only now he was a bit more readily accepting the idea that she simply did not know how much it meant to do so. As long as she had learned, he had no more business in threatening her. Leading the way around the stern of the boat, he then proceeded to enter his cabin, which was a slight step or two down from the main deck. It wasn't the most spacious, but for one it was more than enough. It was certainly what Kirvan was used to, living out of it for the last few years. To his right after he entered the small space lay his trunk, atop which rested a now empty leather scabbard, thrown quite unceremoniously on the wooden container. Picking it up, he absentmindedly returned his cutlass to within the sheath, unintentionally signalling that his guard was now down and the stranger was safe. When she thanked him the Svefra looked at her sideways. What was she thanking him for? As far as he could tell, he'd done nothing but shout and beckon aggressively and voice dangerous threats since he'd noticed her upon the mast of his casinor. There was nothing particularly worth thanking him for as far as he could tell. Regardless, Kirvan shrugged and gestured around. "Not much space for you to fit," he explaindped. "You can just sit there and be on your way whenever you wish. And everything better be where it is now come morning." The thought hadn't even crossed his mind that he'd be powerless at that point to find her, as he instead of jumping up with wariness fell back onto his bunk and laid down on it, resting his hands back beneath his head and facing the strange woman. He did feel slightly sorry for the stinging words he'd said earlier, particularly after her heartfelt explanation, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud. Besides, he reasoned, she more than deseeved it after trespassing without permission or announcement. The way he saw it, they were almost even now. "Right, well," he said, unsrue of what exactly she had meant by helping him sleep. "Do whatever it is you do and then scat. I'm not in a very generous mood right now, so no luck taking a souvenir."