Completed Boxed In (Garland)

[April Windweaver]

Sounded like a good deal to her, especially during these winter seasons when food was scarce to begin with. Of course, April didn't like the idea of being told where to go and what to do. Being a Knight meant giving up your freedom in her eyes. Or at least that seemed to be the case. But with Garland, April was starting to question that notion.

Just me. I had two others with me a few seasons back, but they didn't really agree with my line of work. To be honest... Well... I probably shouldn't say this in front of you, but whatever. I'm not a 'pirate' strictly speaking, but if I happen to come across a ship who just came back from a treasure haul, I may be obliged to... Uh... 'barter' with them. I had the two to help out in case negotiations got ugly. Which was... often. But they bailed out on me. Bunch a..."

Her sentence was cut short as a cloud of smoke caught in her throat, making her wheeze loduly. She had to repeatedly pound her chest to regain her breath. "G-chugh! I'm good! I'm good... whew... Alright I think that's enough for one day." The pipe found its way back into her dresser after dumping the ashes into a small tray on her desk. Her voice was a bit more ragged now, and she had to let out a few more coughs before she was back to normal.

"Guess I'm not making the best of first impressions. Can't seem to keep myself from nearly dying. Sigh, at least I have a 'great and noble squire' here to keep me from harm." Her words were accompanied with a sly smile. It was odd, feeling so relaxed around someone of such authority, but it was fun. Garland was pretty alright in April's eyes. Better than most.

"Not sure what it is about you, Mr. Garland, but I've got a good feeling about you. I think we could be good friends," she said with a warm smile. "But I wanna know more about you. You look like you've seen a... ?" A heavy whistling noise came through the crack in her door, making her ears perk. Cool air was filling the room. Outside something was brewing. April moved past the squire and out onto the deck, where snow was starting to fall.

"There's a storm on its way here. Looks like a pretty nasty one. Mmph. Well, Mr. Garland, you're welcome to take shelter here. I mean, it's not the best, but I've got enough blankets if it gets cold." A man of the law, and she just invited him to stay in her den of thieves. Or... thief, singular. What could possibly go wrong?

[Garland]

"Pirate? Hmmmm... As long as you don't 'barter' in Syliras' waters, I really don't care." He said and looked out the door to the deck, it did look it was going to rain.

"Don't smoke too much, it's bad for your health... but mostly your purse. At this rate, you won't be able to save enough for spring or whatever." He said with a slight smile, he knew that that won't make her kick the habit, but he had to try. He sat down on a chair and heard the thunder.


"Guess I'm not making the best of first impressions. Can't seem to keep myself from nearly dying. Sigh, at least I have a 'great and noble squire' here to keep me from harm."

"I wouldn't say 'noble' but yes, I am pretty great. This isn't the worst first impression I've seen. I remember I met a girl and accidentally groaped her... It was very strange day to say the least." He gave a smile. He wouldn't say he liked April, which was essentially a thief, a pirate and a general hoodlum, but she hasn't done anything bad or illegal. Besides, she might be good contact if he ever gets to the top of the knights and need someone in the underworld of crime.

Then again... she's working at the docks. Nothing illegal or generally bad about that.

"Not sure what it is about you, Mr. Garland, but I've got a good feeling about you. I think we could be good friends, But I wanna know more about you. You look like you've seen a... ?"

It seemed to have started raining, and unless he wanted to get a cold or worse, he needed to stay dry, inside this old, weathered ship. "I've seen a what?"

"There's a storm on its way here. Looks like a pretty nasty one. Mmph. Well, Mr. Garland, you're welcome to take shelter here. I mean, it's not the best, but I've got enough blankets if it gets cold."

"I would be happy to stay here, besides it must get pretty lonely sleeping alone for so long..." He said and then covered his mouth and blushed. "I didn't mean it like that though! I mean we just met and all. Not that, I would sleep with you after a while, I mean we're just friends right?" He gave a nervous laugh, maybe it was time to leave. Then again, the storm was really pouring now, it looks like he's going to have to stay inside.

[April Windweaver]

"I would be happy to stay here, besides it must get pretty lonely sleeping alone for so long..."

His words were so blunt that it took April by surprise. A moment or two passed before it processed in her mind, but soon she had an evil smirk stretching across her lips. The meaning of the words she understood, of course, but it was the delivery that amused her. She had a single eyebrow raised and her arms crossed, waiting for him to try to recover from this one.

"I didn't mean it like that though! I mean we just met and all. Not that, I would sleep with you after a while, I mean we're just friends right?"

This was too much fun. A pirate and a squire stuck inside a boat on a stormy night. It was the perfect set up for a comedy. Or a cheesy love story. Only thing that was missing was a band and some musical numbers. An image of Garland prancing and dancing in full body armor gave her a short burst of laughter.

"Ho ho, something tells me you're not very good with girls. But consider me flattered." She fluttered her eyes, mocking him. "And I know you squire types like to be very... heheh... 'hands-on', but if you want to keep all ten of your fingers, then you'd best watch yourself. I'm not a ditzy tart, Mr. Garland. I'm the scourge of the Suvan Sea." Her smile only widened, as if she was challenging him, daring him. The air got heavy as she took a step closer, mere inches away from his face.

"Arr."

She backed off and let out a loud and bubbly laugh, jumping past him towards the pile of clothes. A few good kicks revealed a trap door amongst the old shirts, pants, and underwear. "Behold! The Chamber of Dispair! Also known as... Storage!" The door opened to reveal a small staircase leading under the deck, the ceiling so low that April had to duck down when she entered it. A few seconds later and she had emerged with a sleeping roll, blankets, some sweet rolls, a couple apples, and a handful of jerky.

"It's not a feast, but it'll keep your stomach from eating itself. Here." She tossed the bedroll to him and set half of the food onto the desk before taking a blanket with her into the hammock.

"What was I talking about? Oh, right! You. You look like you've seen quite a bit, yourself, Mr. Garland. I can see it in your eyes. Kinda like you're looking for something you lost, but you don't know what it is yet. That or you just look tired"

[Garland]

"And I know you squire types like to be very... heheh... 'hands-on', but if you want to keep all ten of your fingers, then you'd best watch yourself. I'm not a ditzy tart, Mr. Garland. I'm the scourge of the Suvan Sea."

"Wouldn't dream of it..." He coughed into his hand, trying to brush away the blush on his face. He gave a loud gulp as she inched closer to his face. He could actually feel her breath, it smelled of Temper, but honestly he really didn't mind, mostly because she was so close to his face.

And then she backed off. He breathed in a sigh of relief and wiped his brow, he didn't even know he was sweating. "Don't do that." He said and pouted a bit. He looked over to the trap door, expecting maybe a skeleton or something. What are the chances of him staying in a serial killer's den?

Actually pretty high, given the low chances he had of meeting Yukmen, and bandit attack, but it still happened, this wasn't out of the question. Luckily there wasn't anything in there. He crossed his arms and waited for his "friend" to come back up.

She did come back eventually, with a few cobwebs in her hair, but otherwise fine. He could smell some food, but it wasn't warm, but he didn't realize how hungry he actually was.

"It's not a feast, but it'll keep your stomach from eating itself. Here."

He took the jerky and smiled. "Thanks, I'm starving really." He took a bite out of the hard beef jerky. "So... You have a cobweb in your hair. Have you ever cleaned this place?... Ever?"

[April Windweaver]

"Hunh? My... Hair?" She ran her hand through her hair, pulling out the strands of cobwebs from her braids. No matter how much she tried she couldn't get it all out. She leaned forward and violently shook her head to get the clouds of dust and spiderwebs out, the filth now settling on her clothes.

"Gah, okay, well... Maybe it's been a few weeks... Or months." A blush rose to her dust-covered cheeks. With a sigh, April got out of the cot and lifted her shirt over her head. With a few good rubs she managed to wipe most of the filth out of her hair and face before tossing it onto the pile with the others. "Besides, it's my ship. Unless you feel like cleaning it up yourself then... Well... Shut up"

All of her upper body was now bare save for a cloth wrap dutifully supporting her (less-than-steller) features, and the candlelight illuminated an array of bruises and burns that ran up the length of her torso before curling up into her chest. There were fading splotches of blue and black around her ribcage, and a particularly nasty set of cauterized claw marks that ran diagonal across her stomach. Her shoulders, too, bore the abuse of time. On her left bicep was a small linen bandage. It looked fairly old, maybe a week or so. There was no sign of blood, new or old, and the skin around it seemed to be agitated, redder in hue.

Instinctively, she clasped her hand over the bandage.

"Cut myself on an old plank." She said, turning her eyes away to look at the wall.

[Garland]

He was interested in her scars more than her body, compared to his other friend... there wasn't much to look at. It seemed like she needs a healer or something, her wounds look painful to say the least.

"Well I can help you clean up if you want. It will count in 'helping a citizen of the city'." He gave a smile, and took another bite of his beef jerky. "Who knows, it might help with me finally get my knighting ceremony." He laughed and handed her an apple.

"So, it looks like you've been a few scrapes before, I wouldn't want to get on your bad side." He went over to her and took a closer look at her scars. "That looks like it must have hurt." He poked one of her scars, hoping to see a reaction in her face.

Just then, he noticed that she was shirtless, and he was poking around with her scars. "Oh, sorry. I'm just not use to being with... smaller girls..." He said, giving a sideways glance at her underdeveloped features. "I'm just use to seeing... a bit bigger."

He coughed and backed away slightly, expecting either a punch to the face or a kick to the groin. Either way, he was expecting some form of physical punishment.

[April Windweaver]

"Well I can help you clean up if you want. It will count in 'helping a citizen of the city'."

"Hmph. Well aren't you just the star citizen." She gave a playful giggle and continued with a warm and friendly tone. "But seriously, I would appreciate the help. I've been kinda slacking when it comes to tidying up. I'm sure there's stuff down there I haven't seen in years. "

The Temper had finally managed to make its way into April's bloodstream. It brought with it a feeling of ease, a feeling she craved after a long day. Her head got a little lighter, and her body felt much more sensitive now to the point where even the draft slipping under the door made her shiver in ecstasy.

She idly ran her fingers up and down her arm as waves of tingles ran up to her head. It was so pleasant. In fact, she was so enamored with the feeling that she almost forgot garland was there until he poked at one of her scars. A flash of bright pink filled her cheeks again and she shuddered.

"H-hey! I told you, hands off!" She said, slapping his hand away. She was still blushing profusely. The effects of the drug had not made her any more receptive to being felt-up, but it was hard to deny the fact that his touch made her feel fuzzy. April felt conflicting emotions.

But not for long.

"Wh-HEY!" She chunked the apple at his head with all of her strength, her face now completely bright-pink.

"They're NOT small! They're just... They're just fun-sized!" She shouted, embarrassed to the point that even the tips of her ears were red. She picked up the dirty shirt again and threw that at him, too.

[Garland]

He stumbled back as the apple impacted right between his eyes. "Ow! Note to self... Apples are hard..." As he said that, the dirty shirt came flying towards him and covered his face. "Hey, no need to throw your clothes at me. I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

He pulled off the shirt that was covering his face and placed it back to the pile. "And I didn't say they were bad... And I like fun-size, it has the word fun in it." He said innocently, though he was a bit embarrassed now and looked down, trying to avoid eye-contact.

He twiddled his thumbs, sort of like a boy being scolded by his mother. "Well... I think they're fine, just the way they are, if its any consolation." He blushed and looked away, trying to focus on his food instead of the girl he was staying with.

"Umm... Let's change the subject... Are girl's rooms always so messy or is it just you? The only other room I've been in had literally nothing to be messy about. It was kinda cozy though." He said and looked back up, trying to establish eye contact. This was weird to say the least, but he felt like he trusts this pirate girl.

Then again, he trusts almost everyone. He shifted in his armor, he could wear it for as long as he wants, but it didn't mean he was comfortable in it. At most he could stand it for the better part of the day and possibly the early night, but now he felt rather sweaty and tired from lugging the giant metal suit he needed to wear.

"Ummm... Mind if I take off my armor?"

[April Windweaver]

April was still steaming. You could almost see the heat coming off of her. She wasn't sure if Garland was just incredibly bold, or an idiot. Either way, she was still mad at him. Though her temper did drop below boiling when the squire gave his apology, she wasn't about to let him off the hook on that one.

"And I didn't say they were bad... And I like fun-size, it has the word fun in it."

Well, that was certainly an interesting way to think of it. Still, too little too late. "Sorry I can't be as well endowed as your girlfriend." She snapped. Size was a bit of a berserk button for her. Everything from her less-than average height to her... woman-like qualities. She was very self-conscious when it came to that sort of thing.

"Well... I think they're fine, just the way they are, if its any consolation."

Somehow this snapped her out of it. "Really, you think so? I-I mean... yes, of course they're fine! Better than fine, they're great!" Now she was flustered, and she had to look away from him to keep herself from blushing the skin off of her face. Great, one second she's throwing food at him and now she's getting all schoolgirled with him. Uuuugh, get a hold of yourself April! Yeah, he's nice... and handsome, but you shouldn't let your guard down. Just keep a level head.

"Sigh... yes, yes. You can take your armor off. But I'm putting on another shirt. I don't want you oggling at me all night." Her words ended with a sideways glance, her cheeks still pink and a mischievous smile on her face. Ah, screw level-headedness. Why not have some fun?

She scrambled over to the pile of clothes and quickly pulled out a tattered, but relatively less dirty tunic and threw it on. It wasn't great, but it worked. It had a tear over where one of the more recent scars.

[Garland]

"Sigh... yes, yes. You can take your armor off. But I'm putting on another shirt. I don't want you oggling at me all night."

He smiled and gave a mock salute. "I won't! Trust me, besides, I'm not really interested in that. I'm more interested in your stories." He said and started unstrapping his gauntlets, and greaves.

Besides... There's not much too look at anyway He thought to himself, but he said nothing. Though he does have to admit they looked quite nice. He shook away the "bad" thoughts that were trying to invade his mind. Nope! We're just friends sharing a night together because of a storm.

He rubbed his face, trying to remove the blush, and took a deep breath. Mostly trying to convince himself that there is nothing he would like to do to April other than talk. "Oh, and no I don't have a girlfriend, thank you very much." He said, trying to change the subject from April to something else.

"I'll be honest though... I do get pretty lonely sometimes, but I can cope." He said with a faint smile. He unclasped the buckles on his armor, and set them down in a relatively neater pile than April clothes pile. He was wearing a slightly tight shirt and cloth pants. He had gotten much more bulky since he joined the knights, most of his old clothes didn't exactly fit it use to, but he didn't mind. He was wearing armor most of the time anyway.