Closed [The Docks] Beneath Leth's Light {Aidan}

[Hadyn Skellig]

30th of Fall
513 AV
22nd Bell

The moon hung brilliant and luminescent, Leth's light coating the Docks in a silvery sheen. Shadows were long this night, their depths endlessly black, stretching across the District's streets and alleys. The quiet murmur of ships rocking and voices lulled across the breeze, the Broken Casket's music cutting through every few chimes. Hadyn's boots thudded purposely as she traversed the cobblestone, the scent of the Suvan heavy.

The woman was not of the mind to be home this night, the encouragement from most parties to rest and relax falling on deaf ears. Both recommendations meant being alone in her apartment and that would not do. She deplored the thought of wasting the remaining days until the birth wallowing alone in the dark chamber. Hadyn was nothing if not active and though her feet ached and fatigue was close at hand the stubborn nature that permeated so much of her life made it clear she would not be resting orrelaxing this evening. Not yet, anyhow.

The brunette offered polite nods to those she passed, brown eyes meeting strangers as they exchanged niceties. These were her people. She'd grown up in this district and though she'd obtained a reputable profession in the Bittern the woman remained a frequent visitor to her childhood haunts. As the bell waned, however, the people became fewer and far between until it was just the occasional sailor or patron heading to the Casket.

Pausing to shed the worn jacket Hadyn took the moment to observe the Suvan, its dark waters lapping steadily at wooden sides of the boats. Never one to be overly fond of water the weaponsmith had to concede there was something awfully peaceful about the Sea, especially at night. It bordered on hypnotizing to both watch and listen to the gentle waves. A ghostly smile touched her lips as she lingered another tick to rest her feet and take pleasure in the quietude.

Brushing the dark braid over her shoulder Hadyn turned back to the path, ready to resume her walk, despite an unknown destination. It was in that moment she caught sight of a figure seated on the docks, his gaze similarly focused on the water. He was far enough away that she wasn't obliged to speak to him, yet close enough that a quick study might reveal him familiar. Leth illuminated his face for that brief chime as the woman paused. He was familiar. It was wise in her line of work to place faces to names quickly and it took but a tick for her to realize who the man was. Aidan. She hadn't seen the fellow in seasons. He was a barman. No, a cook? Had to be the Stallion as she didn't frequent the other establishments enough to know their staff.

He looked like shyke. Normally the woman wouldn't have gone on her way. It was none of her business and there was no reason to address him. But curiosity got the better of her. She couldn't be certain he'd remember her. After all, they'd met so long ago and the last time was during that petch-awful brawl. Biting her lower lip in indecision Hadyn glanced at the road and then back to the man. Why wasn't he serving customers at the Stallion - it was prime time for patrons. Having made up her mind the woman took a few steps closer, far enough that he could dismiss her without being rude if he wished. Crossing her arms she leaned a shoulder against the pier to take some pressure off her feet, gaze directed downward at the seated figure.

"Aidan," she called out, a warm smile on her lips. "Forgive t'intrusion, but y'look a little worse for wear... Y'alright, mate?"

[Aidan Sutter]

.

Pale light danced across the black waters of the bay, silhouetting a host of moored ships whose sturdy masts appeared as mere toothpicks stretching towards a starlit sky. It gave Aidan measure of the immensity of the world around him; of the sea that stretched on endlessly, and the sky whose depths were impossibly vast. To most it may have imparted a sense of one’s meager existence. For Aidan however, it was as close to freedom as he‘d ever felt.

The sounds of his surroundings had long been forgotten, mere murmurs of life that had taken on the droning quality of insects hovering near one’s ear. His clothing had turned tatters since the season’s change, a sapling that had lost its summer leaves and grew gray with winter’s promise. He seemed more shell than human in this quiet state, features cast in a more venerable light than what his natural age should have dictated. One touch, and he might have scattered as dust to westerly winds.

His legs were bent over the edge of the dock, feet swaying gently in the breeze while his threadbare cloak did its best to conceal his torso from the uncaring cold. Only his eyes moved of their own volition, trading long glances with the sea and then the sky. A stack of crates netted with frayed rigging sat close by, leaving his perch mostly obscured from the wandering eye. But it seemed not all were so easily tricked.

It had been long since Aidan had heard his name called by another, a coarse yet decidedly feminine voice sparking each memory he’d managed to keep of her in that instant. The body reacted only minimally, shoulders breaking from their rhythmic weave into a startled jerk that stiffened quickly. He’d once been known for his ability to speak fluently and carry a warm liquid smile, but those days felt forever ago. Now, he wasn’t even sure his voice was up to the task of simple greeting, eyes refusing to meet with even a sliver of her dark frame.

“Hadyn…” It was croaked more than spoken, ushering forth a hacking cough that sliced at the cobwebs lodged in his throat and forced him to lean forward. “I’ve seen better days.”

A slender hand rushed from the side of the worn cloak to steady himself against the planking’s edge, pushing against gravity’s natural desire to pull him down wherever there was room for his body to go. Matted strands of hair that had grown longer with time’s passing, yet still only half sheltered his ears, flit across his brow and darkened his grease stained, beard swept features. Drawing in a sickened, deep breath, he slowly righted himself once more.

“But nights like these should not harbor sad tales,” he spoke with more firmness in his voice this time, unwilling to allow his pride to slip further from grace than what it already had. “Leth is putting on quite the show, and it would be rude to keep the night's master waiting. Join me.”

The hand he’d used to steady himself now pat gently against the boards beside him, gaze finally turning towards her in cordial offering. It was not difficult to imagine that beneath all the mess still resided the same man she’d met not so long ago, his disheveled state no more than a gossamer curtain it seemed one could easily strip away with but a warm bath and a clean razor.

x

[Hadyn Skellig]

Merciful gods... what curse had befallen him? Stepping a bit closer when he answered the woman found herself both perplexed and concerned. From those few interactions he seemed a decent fellow with a good head on his shoulders. Yet here he was, looking in sad shape. Curious. The charm and wit he'd displayed seasons before still lingered beneath the surface, or so she suspected. Whatever transpired that lead to his current predicament hadn't stripped him of an eloquent tongue. Standing closer now she cast him a wistful smile when he offered her a seat beside him.

"A kind offer," she replied with a hand on her back, her eyes moving across the dark water. "But I'm a bit compromised for the edge o' the dock."

Being with child made it taxing if not frustrating to do even the simplest things. Sitting down would take effort and she couldn't imagine the sight she'd be trying to get up again. But she was tired of standing on sore feet and she could use a glass of water. Hesitating a chime Hadyn considered leaving Aidan to the night - his solitude clearly self imposed. Yet as she watched him in Leth's silvery light she decided it would not do to simply depart after engaging him.

"Reckon you could use a bowl of ol' Selma Krakow's stew," she added with another smile, brown eyes gazing carefully at his seated figure. "An' I need to rest m'feet - useless things they are these days. Casket's not too far off an' it's full to the brim with blaggards. You'd be doin' me a favor."

It wasn't untrue. Hadyn was loathe to go to the more raucous bars these days if only due to her inability to throw a proper punch. But she was fatiguing quickly and having a friendly face nearby was a fortune. Perhaps he wouldn't wish to join her. But the man he looked like he could use at least three barrels of the hearty soup. Admittedly she was curious for his story, though she knew it was none of her business. Damn pregnancy encouraged her to do things she would otherwise forgo. But she couldn't deny the subtle tug on her heart as she stared down at a once successful man looking so morose. Getting food in his stomach would do them both good.

[Aidan Sutter]

.

Her polite, yet curious refusal tempted his narrowed brow to bend shrewdly in the dark, head angling to the side as though to engage her from a better angle. Many nights had passed since Aidan had held the privilege of the woman’s company. More of them than he cared to be reminded of. But by Leth’s divine light covering her in a somber milk-white glow just then, he noticed a discrepancy around the woman’s waist that had not been present at their last meeting.

Revelation dawned much like a match being struck swiftly, awe and elation mixing together upon the plot of dishevelment that was the young man’s face. His dry lips parted to reveal a smile that had not been tarnished by his fall from grace, though springing to his feet was met with loud, popping joints and twanging fibers of muscle that cut through his joyful expression.

“Aye me, Hadyn. Seems some scoundrel ruined you proper!” Placing one hand against the small of his back, Aidan leaned against it to relieve some of the ache in his spine as the ocean breeze tangled with his hair, a simpering expression still present and accompanied by an airy chuckle. He could imagine she suffered from a similar torment, if not for different reasons entirely.

The offer for food was all too tempting to a man whose last meal consisted of moldy, stale bread and but a thimble’s worth of souring milk. Yet pride had a strange way of blossoming before the company of familiar parties, and Aidan’s appetite quickly diminished to nothing. Even so, it was difficult to refuse the offer for conversation with a known face, if not for more than a bell’s chance to relieve his mind of woeful thoughts.

Clapping his hands together before him, Aidan rubbed some warmth into his joints and approached her with a lightness in his step. Despite being a mess of ruined cloth and unkempt features, the cook’s scent remained that of a well stocked spice rack. His epicurean knowledge was still of some use to him, even when there was little more than a copper in his pockets to put any of it to good use.

How he’d procured said scents was, of course, another matter entirely.

“Be my pleasure to keep yeh company. Casket’s not what I’d recommend for a woman in your state, but I’d imagine the wee one there,” his flattened hand casually acknowledging her noticeable paunch, “has made yeh more thick headed than yeh ever were before.”

Vulpine eyes caught the flicker of torchlight from a distant sconce that danced in the night air. She was likely to make him pay for such glib commentary, but her presence alone had refreshed an old manner in him that made breathing feel worthwhile rather than just a tether that kept him anchored to this world.

x

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn couldn't help but feel the tug of a smile on the corners of her mouth as Aidan rose to join her standing. Now facing her she could observe the result of his present state, what was left of his clothing hanging from his thinned frame. The considerably disheveled mop of hair was accented by a beard colored ruddy in the silvery light. His eyes carried the weight of his predicament - brooding and somber, the planes of his face more angular than she recalled. But that smile...

"Good an' proper," she replied mildly with a grin exposing a flash of white teeth. He approached her his gaze dropping to the belly, much as she expected. Despite the squalor he'd been reduced to her the scent on the breeze was far from assaulting. In fact it conjured memories of his prior profession, the cautious waft of herbs and spices emanating from his person gave Hadyn pause to hitch an eyebrow. Seemingly out on the streets and down on his luck yet the man still smelled of a well stocked kitchen. Curious.

The eyebrow rose a notch higher as Aidan laid a hand on the swell of her bump, the comment receiving a smirk. She was unsurprised by the jab but it never failed to bewilder her how folk had no trouble touching her body as if it was something to be marveled at. Though his tone and the light pressure on her belly was far less invasive than those before him the woman couldn't help but experience a pall of uneasiness wash over her. Had he reached out to caress her neck or shoulder, even her hip she'd feel more comfortable. Yet the immediate tactile interest in her baby made her feel as though she were a trinket on display - an example of the dangers of living an untethered life.

But Hadyn allowed herself to relax in Aidan's presence, full lips pulling into a soft smile as she shrugged one shoulder at his comment. He meant nothing by it. She'd expected him to search silently for any indication of Cheva's mark - as most do. A flash of silver on her flesh denoting her commitment to another, preferably the father of the child she carried. But Hadyn possessed no such gift. Her skin was clean of any mark, decidedly alone in her predicament. With that, however, came a note of challenge, daring the observe to question how she might possibly do this alone. Pride, that anathema, was her unfortunate default.

"My skull was thick t'begin with," she replied dryly, removing her skin from his touch as she began walking slowly. "If the babe's makin' it any worse I fear there'll be nothin' left inside my poor head."

The brunette flashed him a winning smile, her steps measured to wait for him to fall in stride. As inquisitive as she was about his state she figured he didn't need to be grilled. He needed a warm meal. She was more than happy to provide that for him, if only for the blessing of company. Her days had been lonely, which seemed entirely at odds with the way a pregnancy should be. Without family and the man who begot her thus Hadyn was alone.

Well, not tonight.