[Pig's Foot] Ropes And Coils (Marone)

[Mirian Jade]

For a moment, her efforts were met with stillness; he remained in his seat, out of surprise or reluctance or something else, Mirian could not fathom. All she knew was that he was resisting, and for a single, terrifying instant, Mirian thought she had lost him.

But no. He was moving, rising, and Mirian felt a wave of relief come over her as he abandoned his seat without another look at the approaching bartender and followed her lead.

And lead she did. Away from the bar, through the building and out of the door, making them one of the last “decent” patrons to depart the place as the number of shadier characters began to increase.

Once outside, Mirian would abandon the lead and instead come to slip closer to Marone, even under his arm if he was willing. She realized suddenly that he might see that knife strapped to her thigh tonight, and she wondered how she would explain it; it was rare for a man to get far enough into her favor to glimpse what was under her skirt. If it was discovered, perhaps it would be best to set it aside to keep him calm. Come to think of it, keeping him calm was probably the best thing to focus on; for what she had in mind, it would be best to be certain of Marone’s levels of comfort at all times. Reassurance would be the key.

She matched Marone’s pace step for step, although as they walked she kept an eye on the alleyways for those that might wish to interrupt their evening. For the journey to the Drunken Fish, her attentions for Marone would be slightly dimmed; she wasn’t a fool, and she knew that nighttime in Sunberth was not a time to be absentminded.

oocDo you want to timewarp over the journey or play it out?

[Marone]

Secret :

I'm fine with either although I don't think playing out the journey would take long unless you have something planned.

After they'd pass through the door the thought went through Marone's head that 'maybe I should've stayed in my seat a little longer' when she decided to stop dragging him along. A sign she didn't wasn't looking forward to things as much as he'd thought. The thought only remained in his head for a moment. Quickly replaced by something else once she got closer and under his arm. 'Oh.'

"Oh!"

Now they were getting somewhere and Marone couldn't be more pleased. He believed everything was going according to plan with no unwanted surprises as long as they were able to reach their destination quickly. He rather not put himself or the lady he charged himself to at the mercy of whatever would appear in the after dark of Sunberth.

"So. Are you a local or just visiting? I can't quite get a read of you." Marone finally asked. The question slipping in and out throughout the night since he first met her.

A question normally interrupted by the others like whether it was a good idea to be away from the protection of the Sun's Birth he has so taken advantage of over the years. In fact he was wondering if his companion thought the same when he noticed her finally paying less attention to him compared to when they were in the Pig's Foot by looking out for the alleyways.

Even so Marone maintained a slow walk to make the most of his time with her since she didn't seem to be in much of a hurry in matching her pace to his. Despite the lawlessness of Sunberth actually getting jumped at random was a rarity in itself either out of bad luck or a meticulous plan. A plan. Could this actually be some plan of hers instead of a pleasant encounter?

Marone started to take a closer look at his fetching companion for any signs she might be leading him into a trap but with a quick glance he could find no signs of a weapon though a weapon was not what he was looking for. It was gang signs and he searched for them in the usual places. Tattoos, scars, colours but he didn't take long.

Because he was eventually distracted by her during his search. Again. Her slender body grabbed his attention. Her gilded skin caught his eyes instead of whatever marks he might find. Her deep dark hair which so naturally brings out all those characteristics and more only made it hard for him to look away. The halfbreed was a rare sight Marone wasn't used to and after a short while of being caught up in it he found himself looking right at her.

It would be rude if the reason for their association wasn't already set out but Marone didn't want to seem like some classless crass. Immediately he pulled her closer to him unless she wished to resist his sudden advances because of the increased contact they'd have. That is a rather lovely coincidence for Marone considering his objective was to put him in between her and the alleyways.

"Don't worry milady. I'm here with you" he said softly and close to her ear hoping she would afford him the same attention from when they were in the Pig's Foot.

Once she did or at least reacts to what he said he would ask "maybe you could indulge me. Why has my lady has deemed it worthy to grace me with her company tonight where there are so many others a beauty like her can definitely choose from without any issue?"

[Mirian Jade]

He let out a surprised noise as she came closer to him, although in another moment he had adjusted and compensated for the new presence at his side.

"So.” The man’s voice shook her from her wary examination of their environment. “Are you a local or just visiting? I can't quite get a read of you."

Mirian opened her mouth to reply, then halted. That wasn’t usually a question she was asked. Her tongue was on the tip of ‘local,’ but she realized that the very existence of that question meant that, to Marone, she could be either one. Did she want to try her luck with a lie?

It was risky, she knew; her caution around the city and the city’s children was characteristic of someone who had spent many years in the place, but her relative easiness around Marone himself might be enough to displace that information.

And what was she, anyway? That was a question Mirian had never put thought to. Native or foreigner? She hadn’t been born here, it was true. Her birthplace was far, far away, in a land that held too many good memories for her to dwell on. It was much better to focus on the present, on the day’s money and the simple act of putting enough food in her belly to wake up in the morning.

But it was that awareness of the present that made her fit here. This was her home, no matter how much she hated the place. She knew the slang, she knew the gangs, knew which alleys to stay away from and when the fattest purses would present themselves to her hungry hands. She could posture with the best of them, knew how to diffuse plenty of encounters before they even began.

And Sunberth, for all its teeth and mange and scum, was a place that was, in its own way, one of the most accepting one could ask for. No one was too low, too dirty or too sick for this city. No matter who you were or what you looked like, if you could live by Sunberth’s rules you were one of her children.

And Mirian was nothing if not someone that abided by the city’s rules.

Letting out a laugh, the halfbreed answered Marone’s question with total honesty. “I guess you could say I’m a little of both.”

She could feel his eyes on her as she spoke, filled to the brim with a bit of caution, a bit of suspicion and a bit of desire. And then he was moving, pulling her closer, placing himself in between her and the walls that could so easily be hiding madmen or thugs.

“Don’t worry, milady,” he said softly. “I’m here with you.”

While the assurance didn’t do much to alleviate her worry, it did manage to put a wide smile on her face before she could stop. She couldn’t help it. She had a weakness for chivalry.

Wrapping her arm around his waist, Mirian slid as close to him as she could manage.

“I’m glad,” she replied.

They were almost at the Fish. The dull susurration of distant voices had appeared in the air, carried on the off-key notes of half-drunken music.

“Maybe you could indulge me,” Marone continued as they drew nearer to their destination. “Why has my lady has deemed it worthy to grace me with her company tonight where there are so many others a beauty like her can definitely choose from without any issue?"

Mirian laughed out loud and gave a quick half-hug. “Because you’re the type of man that would ask that question,” she answered. Craning her neck to get close to his ear, she elaborated; “I have a thing for gentlemen.”

[Marone]

Her answer wasn't quite as Marone expected. In Sunberth where action counts there was no need to hide behind words to obscure the truth. Yes or no, stab or not, fight or flight, one or the other. To get the answer that she was both was baffling because there was no way for a person to be a native or foreigner at the same time but their conversation was more enough to ease Marone of most of his worries.

Because the conclusion he came to based on their short time together made him feel like she was an outsider to Sunberth. From the way she had so easily approached him to the way she had so readily left the tavern with him alone. Not to mention the way she had been so taken in by Marone's cheap impressions of chivalry. Chivalry had no place in Sunberth. Not unless you were a Dragoon and even then they weren't from Sunberth to begin with.

Which surprised him of how effective that turned out to be.

But still it was like she was no stranger to the dangers of Sunberth when Marone chose to reassure her of himself once he caught her spying the alleyways. She also seemed to know where to go after their meeting, The Drunken Fish and she was now leading Marone who was unfamiliar with it there despite him being the local here. Perhaps she is a visitor only being in Sunberth for a couple of seasons. Long enough to at least be aware of these.

Or that was what Marone kept reminding himself everytime he looked at her. He hadn't the chance to meet many people with either her exotic qualities but of both? That was absolutely bewitching.

And Marone would be fool to let her go. However it looked like she was the one to latch onto him first. Latch onto a gentleman. Was that how Marone would have to be around her? What he was expected to be if they should ever meet after this day? That would be troublesome. More than keeping up the charade for the night under the pretense of some game between them.

But until then, if it happened Marone would keep up the role he inadvertently gave himself. He opened the door for his companion as a gentleman would with an "after you" and waited for her to enter before he followed through. Considering she was the one who was more used to this establishment and the one who was supposed to be in charge, he would let her take care of the arrangements.

[Mirian Jade]

He didn’t respond to her altogether unhelpful answer, although he didn’t look like it was a pressing matter in his mind. For that, at least, Mirian could be thankful.

The establishment grew nearer and the air thickened with shouts and songs and what sounded like a fistfight or two, none of which were stunningly unusual sounds for the Drunken Fish. More people could be seen here and there, most in varying states of intoxication. A few leered at Mirian as she passed, but the presence of Marone was enough to deter any real advances.

Once at the door of the place, Marone even stepped forward to open the door for her. Unable to hold back a grin, Mirian inclined her head with a half-curtsey.

“Why, thank you, sir.”

Inside, Mirian chose to take the lead, securing her arm back around Marone’s waist both to restore their previous physical contact and to also keep from getting separated in the sheer mass of people that filled the building with noise and movement and the odor of alcohol. She knew this place and was used to making her way through crowds; if Marone allowed her to keep the lead, she would guide both of them to the bar at the far end of the tavern.

“A room!” Mirian called out over the din.

The barkeep took a moment to locate them, then nodded. “How long?”

Mirian glanced teasingly at Marone, then back to the keep. “We’ll start off with one night and see how that goes.”