Beyond the Skies [--+Hahvoc Requiem+--, H a r r i e t, TakodaVega]

For once in Karita Marinus' mind she was starting to doubt whether or not this was such a bright undertaking. Mostly on the basis that she had always viewed something as simple as this should be to not need so many damned people aboard her ship. True, the others had approached her, which in itself was unusual for other Pirates to do, simply based mostly on the fact that Karita's ship was the fastest.

Pirates normally don't ask other pirates for help. It's typically one of those 'all-for-one' kind of mentalities that stuck around from when the original ships were created back when only the sea was the untamed. She was still slightly wondering if the others had an ulterior motive in this, though the promise of a reward for such an undertaking was almost too good to pass up. As she contemplated she spun the tip of her knife against one of her nails, getting rid of some grit that seemed to gained it's perch there. Duty, however, was nagging at her to gain her forward attention. Well, not duty, it was more of a routine she did on every voyage. Rising from her chair, she belted the knife into it's sheath on her hip.

The boards beneath her creaked ever so slightly as the winds began to pick up just slightly. Up here there were no such thing as a 'calm' wind. A few years ago, a band of explorers discovered a new type of rock that reacted much like the air did under certain temperatures. Heat causing them to float, and cold to sink. They had theorized, at the time, that the amount of rock needed in travel a single person would be mass amounts. Good thing they had been wrong. Otherwise Karita would be out of her way of life and she could have none of that. She was damned good at it. So what if she was supposedly the 'bad' guy in the sky? At least she could outmaneuver things people didn't normally see.

Opening the door from her cabin, she glanced up to see the rigs to The Outlaw Seraphim's own floating stones. Each stone rigged much like one would a hot air balloon save for the within the fireproof nylon pockets the rocks were forced into place by the metal workings. The heat generators were currently fueling them ahead, storing energy during the day so that at night there was no fear of suddenly loosing power and everybody crashing to earth with a large 'thud.'

Both Karita and the Seraphim had seen years of this kind of life, years which had been inked and branded onto her own skin, where as the Seraphim had gained a reputation. It was one of the fastest airships to be created. It took a lot of hard work to keep it that way.

Too bad her bodyguard couldn't grasp that sort of thought. "I warned you," came that sultry voice from her lips, her green eyes flicking to the sight of the elf in front of her. Hanging naked from a roped band over his head. She had been a Pirate for so long that nudity, or being 'skyclad' as some called it, had long since stopped bothering her. "Next time you should listen to me before thinking you know better." Her eyes gained a calculating glint towards the rope above him.

Without blinking she pulled the pistol from it's holster on her hip, and aimed inches from his head to the rope that had bound him in place. Not like she could reach to give him a knife anyway. The bullet burrowed through the rope, before skidding into the clouds nearby. His weight should do the rest of the work, the rope already starting to creak in weakness as she continued her ritual walk to the bow of the ship. The clouds were dusted with pink with the coming dawn, the only thing really disturbing the sight was the loud 'thunk' of him falling the wake of snapping ropes.

Something inside Karita told her that this wasn't going to be an easy journey. Even though the cargo was secured deep within the holdings of the ship, no one seemed to have bothered to tell her what the big deal was about it. She would find out, eventually. Unless of course the enemy seemed to catch whiff of her travel patterns. Then she'd be in trouble.

Switch Maltrese​

"Tsk, tsk...must we have violence?"

Switch asked as she watched them. She stood along the railing, her boots perfectly balanced even with their heels and all her weapons visible. Her beauty radiated against the backdrop of the sky. Her wings had brought her onto the ship, but her shipmates didn't know about that darling little ability. Smoking her cigarette with it's color-changing smoke, she let out purple fumes that changed to gold and then blue before it dissipated. She had a small interest in the little elf...thing. But who was she kidding with her question? As much as her human half didn't like the violence, her demonic nature was just a tad stronger and relished the pain. She had drank in the scent with a wink when she had watched him get clocked in the face for his brattyness. She liked that he had some spark and wasn't some droll bodyguard. Still, she didn't understand why he had to be on board in the first place. She could protect these women herself, but for some reason, whenever she went near the cargo hold...she felt...crazy. She wondered if it was something magical that brought out her darker desires and soul. The bars the held her berserker had barely stayed in place until the cargo hold door had been shut and the energy locked away. She didn't know what lurked beyond those doors...and she didn't want to know.

Jasna and Karita didn't know about her wonderful demonic blood, but they knew she wasn't ordinary by any means. Her swords were much too large and heavy for them to even attempt to lift and yet she wielded them with ease. Obviously they had questions, but she wouldn't give them answers yet. Dearest Howl knew those answers alone for she had once saved his life and he was joining the crew on this loveable journey. He seemed very interested in the red-haired beauty that was Jasna. Switch was too good to indulge in anything intimate with the crew, even if her human soul longed for intimacy and touch. Perhaps this journey would yield such fulfillment, but her cynical nature took a small foothold and chuckled at her. She was dangerous...almost too dangerous. How could she possibly let herself go? Scoffing at her inner voice, she took another drag as she walked casually along the thin rail.

"Perhaps a bodyguard should know his place and keep his mouth shut for he is not paid for his opinion but for his mere protection?"

Her voice was light and even with the smallest hint of amusement as she raised a delicate brow at Avarien. Her deep colored eyes bore into him with such an intimate stare it was if she was stripping away the layers of his soul to his inner core. But soon her too-intimate-gaze turned away as she took another deep drag and let out a plume of silver and red smoke that drifted into nothingness.

She adjusted her giant sword to settle against her body better as she walked, it lightly tapping against her hip. She adored her crewmates, but she still didn't understand why this little twit was on board as a bodyguard. Oh well, she would get over it. Turning her eyes to the other end of the ship, she watched a dark figure walk towards their little commotion as if the very air parted for him. Dearest Howl, her thoughts echoed as he came into the light with one of his Cheshire grins plastered on his crazy beautiful face. His wolfish eyes turned to the small group and a crazed laugh escaped him as he pointed at Avarien. His blue hair whipped around in the breeze a moment before settling. He could be such a clown.​

Karita rubbed her temples slowly, "What they do in retaliation to you provoking them Avarien is not something I'm going to control. You had your warning before you started this and signed a contract saying you understood. There was no fine print to hide the answers to say you couldn't see it." She sighed softly, "If your more concerned about your face versus your job I might have to drop you off and see if you learn the hard way." She wasn't kidding either and everyone aboard the ship knew it. She was not willing to take chances on this mission if she could help it.

He just wasn't helping the situation as it now stood. Her eyes however slinked over to Switch, her eyebrow carefully raising. "At least it's contained violence versus that of an outbreak from another ship. I'm surprised we haven't seen any yet, we should have seen at least one after we left port." On her crew she was the level-headed one. Probably why she was captain and they were her crew. "He'll learn." She gave a colder glance to Avarien, "Or he'll forget and be forced to remember." Crossing her arms she turned her back against the railing the rays of the morning dawn lighting everyone's faces. "Has everyone found their quarters comfortable?" Her eyes glittered with amusement, "Save for of course Avarien." She felt the wind slowly flutter by them. It was small enough not to change their course for now.

"The galley will have food ready soon, You should eat while you still can." She gave them all a small grin. "I'll eat later. I've got to finish plotting out this course to see if we can't cut some time. We only have three weeks to deliver the product, and only two weeks of supplies to get there with." She was not exactly comfortable with the sexual tension that thrummed in the air. Fuck any tension didn't normally sit well with Karita. Then again she was the levelheaded one. Not many had even seen her loose her temper. Those who did, normally didn't see the next day to tell the tale.

Pushing herself from the back of the railing, she watched as other crew members arose from their places along the ship to their duties. The people in front of her were mostly excluded from their duties. Except for of course Jasna, the one who counteracted the coolness of the captain with her well-known temper. A temper which was a blessing and a curse at times. "Other than Avarien's misguided sense of how to address someone else of the crew without being conceited, were there any other problems last night to be made aware of?"

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • He had been so concerned with his face that Avarien hadn't even realized Switch was balancing herself along the rail of the ship. His eyes flickered towards her, a scowl set in place along his lips, even with the strain and pain it caused his jaw. The thing that he hated the most out of the entire gig was that he was outnumbered. Three women to two men. Normally, any guy would have a hell of a time being stuck in the air with three women, but Avarien wasn't normal. The last thing on his mind was sexual anything, which just made the women's presences more annoying as opposed to welcomed. Rolling his eyes, he glanced at Karita and then back towards Switch. "Oh, bite me, sugarplum." He was tempted, oh so very tempted, to send a spark of electricity her way to test exactly how good her balance was, but he knew that if he did, he'd most likely have a bigger problem hanging over his head, and getting mutinied on a floating island wasn't in his best interest.
            
            His mood only soured further when Howl decided to make an appearance. The only other male on the ship, and he was against him as well. Sighing, he flew his hands up in frustration before setting them on his hips, fingers clenching against the robes he wore. "Says the guy who's literally stalking his fare." He muttered out loud, blue orbs switching from looking at Howl to looking at Jasna. She didn't seem happy about the accusation of being stalked and glared back at him. Hearing Howl speak as though he were a good man, raised with manners and polite tendencies, it took a lot to bite his tongue. Which was odd for Avarien, considering he didn't have any regard for other people's feelings, and couldn't care less if he said something that was offensive. He wasn't the kind of guy to keep the peace, especially not with a bad nights rest and most likely a disgusting purplish bruise sporting his jaw.
            
            The entire time Karita was talking, Avarien's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to risk actually being dropped off somewhere. Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and blew some of his hair from his face as he exhaled, amusing himself inwardly, while still looking as though he were paying attention to what the Captain was talking about. At the mention of the gallery, Avarien's stomach growled, and he pressed his lips together. Without much of a word, he turned on the back of his boot's heel and started towards the cabin, raising his right hand lazily and waving it behind him. It would be rather obvious as to where he was headed, or at least in his mind it should be, so he didn't bother with wasting his breath.

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Sexual tension wasn't normally something Jasna picked up on. It was usually easy to ignore, especially when she had higher duties to fulfill. But with Howl... with Howl it was different. She could put up a front all she wanted that she didn't care, or that it didn't even register, but he knew better. It wasn't a surprise, not to Jasna anyway, that she stiffened when Howl had said that her hitting Avarien in the face was sexy. Her eyebrows creased together, but otherwise ignored the statement and kept her focus for the rest of the conversations. When Karita stepped in and started to explain things, she relaxed a little more and let her hands remain at her sides, ignoring the way the air shifted her red bangs. Her eyes watched as each of the members dismissed themselves, her eyes following Howl as he took his leave, before looking back to Karita. Stepping up to the railing beside her, she laced a hand gloved hand over the railing's metal. "Really all depends on what you would call a problem on this ship."
            
            Before Karita could question what she meant, she shrugged it off. "Nothing that hasn't sorted itself out already. The supply problem wont be much of a problem if we take a few extra days to re-supply. We wont have to worry about that for a while, though." Leaning on the railing, her arms crossed on the railing's surface, she looked below. Red eyes cast over the various clouds that they were passing through, and small glances at mountain peaks as they became visible. "You want anything from the gallery, just holler. I'll make sure Avarien doesn't eat the entire table before you get a chance to eat something." Straightening, she lifted her hand and gave a two finger salute to her Captain. It wasn't necessary, no, but for someone who treated the ship and the Captain with the utmost respect, it felt like it was. Turning on her heeled boots, she started to walk across the deck towards the cabin's entrance, her face set in stone as she entered it.

  ​

+Howl Hatter​

• • • "What do you think of little boy Av?"
      
      Howl couldn't keep his curiosity at bay as he had watched the interaction between her and the other man. It made him protective of her, but he wouldn't admit it out loud. Well, maybe he would. Who knew? His eyes had tracked Jasna and he couldn't help but latch onto his favorite body parts. He liked the whole package, but he did have his preferences. He wanted her naked and writhing beneath him like a wanton slut but blushing like a virginal bride. thinking about it did amazing things to his libido, but not so much for his stroking arm. He chewed on a carrot as he thought of all the ways he could get beautiful relief in the form of a red-headed vixen. He would sink so deep-
      
      Switch muttered something to him about keeping it in his pants and he grinned at her as he stealthily adjusted his pants to suit the added...inches. Man, being on this ship was going to kill him if he didn't get some of what Jasna was selling. She smelled like night roses mixed with summer morning. Just plain delicious. He could tell he was just staring out into space by the way Switch raised her brow at him and he gave her a cheeky grin. She just laughed softly and ate her dainty looking meal. He wondered why she tempered her meals like that when he knew she could eat twice as much as he could. He wondered if it was a cover-up and it seemed very much like her style. She kept herself hidden like a wolf in sheep's clothing. She wanted to protect the women from the most dangerous thing on the ship: Herself. And well, him of course. It was then that he remembered something.
      
      "What happened when they were putting in the cargo?"
      
      His usual goofy-crazy expression faded into stoic seriousness, staring her down into talking. She put her palm over her mouth and looked away as she rested her chin against her wrist. She always put her hand over her mouth pensively when she didn't know what to say. It was her subtle form of being unsure. The fact she was making that expression worried him. He hoped he wouldn't have to hurt her to keep her safe.​

"The problem becomes the only place that is within our range to even get to and make it on time is near our destination. We might have to do a Raid." She said softly. Raids were tricky little fuckers if you weren't careful about which ship you decided to take on to stock up on supplies from. Karita lightly bit on her nipped on her knuckle as she thought. Shaking her head she watched the others leave to feed their grumbling bellies in the deck below. Though Karita herself was hungry she had business to attend to.

Walking along the warm boards towards the front of the ship to the control room, settling into her seat in front of the steam chamber she added a few more coals to get them going through the early morning fog. Mist was not fun to fly in normally, fog was about as bad, but mist made things wet and cold. The engine hummed slightly as the ship slowly began to raise from the clouds. Satisfied she moved towards the upper deck to see one of the deck hands lowering a sail to catch the breeze. Most of the higher officers didn't have to worry about the day to day duties, but Karita still went through the motions if only to make sure things were running as smoothly as they should.

It was only once everything had been accounted for, calibrated and seen to did she return to her own private quarters. Tossing up a pear from the bowl of fruit on her table she nibbled at it, pondering even more what the hell it was they had in their own cargo hold. Part of her didn't want to know, yet the designation of bodyguards didn't help make her ponder the trip. Not exactly regretting it since it had been harder to avoid the AirNauctals that the other nations had assembled to combat the pirate problem.

Tossing the core of the pear into the bin near the door, she did her more 'captainly' duties, grabbing the nearby graph of the world. There was another one hanging in the Navigational area of course. but here she could plot and strategically maneuver things off book. Currently they should have been heading towards the south across the open shores where they could pick up the thermals from the sea air and have them the advantage of traveling faster. Problem was that required going through patrols and searches and...

Too much work to deal with. Simple as that. Besides she wasn't quite sure if her new precious cargo was legal to their standards. Better to be safe than sorry. Instead she decided to take to the Pass through the west, skirting the edge of Cyclone Ridge and then further still going through til they got to Geis. Geis was a bitch to get to as it was without the worry of the whole navigational defunctionalization. No, they also had to deal with having to navigate through their own 'rock farm'. That's the only way she could describe it. They harvested the stones for the ships and then started to cross breed them with other rocks to make things more interesting. However that means they let the rocks 'grow' unnaturally. On more than one occasion other Airships had crashed because of this filed.

Sighing softly she leaned back in her chair. It was well into midmorning by now. She still hadn't eaten but, her hunger didn't seem to register as much as it had earlier that day. She didn't mind though. It meant while the others did their own things in the lower decks below for the afternoon she could find some food to eat later. Pulling off her shirt, she placed it on the hook that divided her public quarters to her more private rooms. Pulling the bandanna off of her head she ran her fingers through the loose coils that fell. She could use a small nap. Peeling off her shoes she settled onto the bed, pulling out the gun from her holster and tucked it under her pillow with it's companion. The sun left a criss-cross pattern across her and the bed as she pulled the sheet over her hips as she rolled over onto her belly and finally let the sleep claim her. What her crew mates didn't know about their Captain's lack there of sleep wise since the new cargo had gotten on board was a good well kept secret. For now.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • While he sauntered off, Avarien wasn't expecting company. His hand had been placed back into his pants pocket, the motion sending his robed shirt to crinkle at the edges, but he couldn't care less. His thoughts were, instead, on the pain that refused to go away from his jaw. Now, if he had been a white mage, something like this wouldn't be a problem at all. He could've healed himself and kept himself from getting stripped and strung up like some piece of cooking meat. That's when he reminded himself why he had chosen the path he had, and the thoughts recurring about his class ceased to exist. That left him with walking, the sounds of his boots a little too heavy on the wooden floor beneath them to be considered respectful. At the most, he figured he might run into one of the under crew members who might complain about his arrogant stomping, but Avarien really wouldn't be able to care any less.
            
            Naturally, his elven ears picked up on Switch's footsteps before she was even remotely close behind him. He made no efforts in seeing who it was, and kept his eyes forward. At least, until he felt her delicate finger tap on his arm. Instantly, his boots came to a halt and his eyes narrowed into an annoyed glare. Even if it was just a tap on the arm, Avarien didn't enjoy being touched. Especially not by people he hardly knew. Turning slightly, just enough to get a good look at who it was, his lips parted and his eyebrows pulled together, expressing his annoyance further. But he didn't even get a small peep of a word out of his mouth before Switch's hand was against his face. Avarien's eyes widened from their narrowed gaze, and his lips remained parted, showing how vulnerable the touch made him.
            
            All it took was one blink of his eyes, and his facial expression was back to annoyance. Lifting his arm, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face, his teeth gritting together as he stared into her eyes. "Don't touch me ever again," Letting her wrist go, he swiped his hand over where she had touched as though he were wiping off her germs. Avarien wasn't a germ-freak, but that still didn't mean he liked people touching him. Especially not skin to skin. "I'm a big boy. I think I can handle a small bruise." He couldn't even swallow his pride to get away from the annoying pain that was thriving up into his skull. Typical male. Stuffing his hand back into his pocket, he took one last look at Switch and turned forward again. Without another word, his legs carried him into the Gallery, Switch's presence forgotten as soon as the food's smells rushed into his nose.
            
            Since Avarien wasn't much of a social butterfly, he grabbed a tray and stacked it up with food he most likely wouldn't finished, and carried it back out of the Gallery. His steps were more sluggish than his last stride, but he didn't notice it much as he grabbed his fork and shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth. The food wasn't amazing, but it wasn't the worst he had ever eaten. Not that it mattered- it was bad enough to complain about, and complaining was one of Avarien's favorite past times. Instead of going out on the deck, like he normally would've while eating, he made a B-line towards the Captain's quarters. He figured it'd be the best place to start looking for Karita, considering the quarter belonged to her, and her alone. He didn't stop eating until he was in her hallway, and as soon as he reached her door, he didn't bother knocking. "Hey Cap't, you should really get a better chefs in the Gallery. These potatoes taste like they're a day old." Naturally, he didn't knock, figuring that she'd be awake and well. Dressed. Opening the door, he stepped inside, his eyes closed as he let a smug smile pull over his lips. "Here, you try some, tell me how disgusting they-" Avarien's eyes opened, and the first thing he saw was Karita. Half naked. Dropping the tray out of surprise, he raised his hands and clasped them over his eyes, much like a child would in a scary scene of a movie. "... well this is awkward."

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Having left a little later than everyone else, Jasna took her time in getting to the Gallery. Taking care of a few complaints from the men working underneath the luxury, Jasna told them if anything progressed further that they should take it to Karita. She wasn't completely in charge of the ship, and the final say was always going to be the Captain. After those were dealt with, she continued on her way to the Gallery. She entered quietly, keeping her eyes on the food, and observed what was already cooked. After taking a selection of meat, potatoes, and a green apple, Jasna grabbed her tray and looked at the tables. There weren't a lot of people located within the Gallery, which left little room for conversations. Not that most of the crew wanted to talk to Jasna casually, of course, considering anything they might say to her could set her off on a raging fit. Swallowing her pride, she sighed to herself and started towards the table Howl and Switch were seated at. Considering Howl was her body guard, no matter how seriously he took the job or not, and Switch was the only other female on board that wasn't afraid of her (minus Karita, obviously), it seemed only right to sit and eat with them.
            
            Setting her tray down, her eyes glanced to Switch. "Switch," Nodding her head in greeting, her voice normal and light. Glancing at Howl, her face turned a little more grim and hardened. "Howl." Her voice was a little more strained, like she was just short of telling him where to go and how to get there, but she concealed it. Taking a seat across from the two, she crossed her legs at the ankle to keep herself comfortable, resting her left elbow on the table while her right hand held her fork. For a moment, she kept her eye on her food, her fork pushing around a few mashed pieces of potato before her eye lifted to glance between the two. For a moment, her eye rested soullessly on Howl, the red iris going blank, clearly trying to hide any emotion she might have shown him if he were normal. It's not that she didn't trust Howl, not exactly, but showing any emotion would make her seem more like a target to him. At least, in her mind, it would. Slowly, she pried her eye off Howl's face and looked at Switch, studying her silently, a small look of curious wonder lacing her expression. "I trust you're both doing well with your meals." Turning back to her food, she lifted her fork to her lips, pulling off a small chunk of potato. Chewing it and swallowing shortly afterward, she kept her gaze lowered and waited to see if conversation would spring.

  ​

Switch Maltrese​

She had seen the change come over his face before he hardened back up and pretty much told her to go screw. She wasn't offended. She had been told much worse in much more nasty terms for just looking at someone "strangely." Still, she felt...aggravated? She wasn't sure, but she shrugged and licked her fingers as if he had been a real treat to touch, though her face was completely blank as if all the emotion had been completely removed. She knew it would unnerve him in the slightest- probably because he just couldn't figure her out. She gave him a small smile that looked...odd on her face.

"Fine then. Enjoy your marred beauty."

She said lightly, giving almost a genuine smile. But with the way she turned up the corners of her mouth, it appeared almost sinister with suppressed mirth. She got some bit of satisfaction out of it before she went about her business and grabbed herself food and sat down with Howl as if nothing had occurred and he asked her a question about Ava. She shrugged lightly as she munched on an apple very prim and proper.

"I can't say what I think, I might hurt his feelings."

She couldn't help but give Howl a sly grin before she saw darling Jasna make her appearance in the Galley. Her expression softened a little while her lips curved in the slightest of amused smiles. Poor girl. She had no idea that Howl would try his very best to seduce her and found out all of her secrets. But the funny thing was, she wondered if Jasna would allow him to chase her.

"Jasna. Is everything in working order?"

She asked lightly, knowing that the woman needed and wanted some small talk. Not many people wanted to talk to her, but Switch enjoyed her company- especially when she got angry. It was good entertainment.​

OOC: CRAP POST IS CRAP ;-;

Luckily for Avarien, his captain was asleep. Her head resting on top of the pillow with her arms crossed underneath. What he didn't know was the guns she always kept there as a habit. Old habits died very hard. The soft rise and fall of her chest told him she was still asleep - even despite the racket he had made. Whatever god looked after him be careful if he did wake her up. Karita was not self-conscious about her body. Tattoos of various tribal backgrounds danced along her shoulders and arms. Her skin an almost constant liquid tan.

However even though the air was warm in the Captain's quarters, Karita appeared to be shivering. Ever since the new cargo had boarded her ship she had been having nightmares. Horrible life pulling nightmares that had left her screaming into that very same pillow the night before. Not that Avarien or the others had heard. They were busy. Avarien had probably been getting his ass handed to him as it was.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • He had expected a large spout of wrath to wash over his body any second after the tray had hit the cabin's hard floor. His eyes narrowed, and he listened, waiting to hear the rustling of Karita's sheets move as she gets out of bed to confront him. He assumed she'd call him a pervert, considering she could've been naked for all he could see, and she was also asleep. Now, in his defense, Avarien had no way of telling if she was decent or not through closed doors. And he hadn't known she'd be sleeping mid-morning, either. It just wasn't natural to sleep when the sun was up. The thought of her having difficulties sleeping, or having nightmares, hadn't even occurred to Avarien. He didn't dream whatsoever, so the thought of someone dreaming always escaped his train of thought.
            
            Slowly, when no pain or yelling came to him, the elven male spread his fingers open and looked through the small cracks towards her sleeping body, as though he were watching a scary movie and wanted to hide all the bad parts, but see all the nice ones. He could only partially see the tattoos that lined her skin, and the colour of her sun kissed skin looked more pale than normal with the window's reflection of the sun beaming into the room. Even slower than before, his hands slowly pulled off his face completely, soon coming to a rest back at his sides. Pouting his bottom lip out further than his upper, he stared at what he could see of Karita in slight amusement and wonder. He had no idea how she hadn't woken up from all that racket, but he wasn't about to complain. If he could walk away from his without getting in shit, he'd be more than thankful.
            
            Squatting down, he grabbed his fork and placed it on the tray. Grabbing the two handles of the tray, he lifted it off the ground, a little more than amazed that nothing fell off it but a few pieces of corn. Now standing straight, he was about to turn on his heels and walk back out of her quarters to go dump the food on Howl's plate when he saw Karita move. Since he had caught it out of the corner of his eye, he stopped moving, settling himself into a half turned stance. Turning his head slightly to get a better look at her, he saw her move again, appearing to be shivering. Thoughts whirled within his mind, and he debated walking over to check up on her. Being her bodyguard gave him the right to make sure she was still breathing, but he wasn't sure if that still applied while she might be naked.
            
            Sighing, giving into his pride, he gnawed almost viciously on the inside of his cheek as he started to walk towards her bed. His feet were silent with each step, able to reach just in front of her bed without being detected. That he knew of, anyway. Setting the tray down on the table beside her bed, he raised his newly freed hand to push some of his hair out of his face, debating what to do now. Tilting his head, he slowly gave in and did what seemed to be the most logical thing to do (in his mind, anyway); lifting his right boot, he pushed the toe of it to her side, resting it there for a moment. Slowly, he put pressure into his leg, nudging against her bare skin with it. "'Ey Karita," Giving another nudge, this one a little harder than the last, he grumbled. "Wake up already."

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Ignoring Howl's wink without a second thought, Jasna looked up from her food after taking another bite and directed most of her attention on Switch. Her face hardened for a moment, thoughts pushing back and forth within her mind, before she settled and started to mindlessly play with her mashed potatoes, eye still level with Switch's. "Every thing is working fine, yeah. We might run into a slight problem down the road for food and other supplies, but we'll deal with them when they're more pronounced." Her mind transferred back to their cargo, and her head tilted slightly, eye over Howl's shoulder, staring at nothing in particular. To anyone who knew her extremely well, they'd know that she was a little troubled by something that had to deal with the entire job to begin with, but with her workaholic motives, they usually overran any unease she got. It wasn't like anyone would actually attack them to get the cargo, right?
            
            Snapping out of her small daze, she stopped fiddling with her food and raised the fork up to her mouth, licking some of the potatoes off it's metal points. "If anyone's stupid enough to get in our sights along the way to make the drop off, we'll most likely take a chance and do a raid. I can't see Karita doing it if it isn't necessary, though." Her attention flicked over to Howl, who she had been temporarily ignoring. "It also depends on you and Avarien, though. Considering you're technically helping in protecting The Outlaw Seraphim, your choices would count." Jasna knew already that Howl wouldn't have any problems with tearing someone apart for whatever reason, so she could already tell he'd be ready whenever Karita made a decision. Avarien, on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about. The elf was lazier than any other body guard she had seen, and a lot more snobby than she'd ever expect a male to be.
            
            Letting out a dull sigh, she leaned the side of her face against her left palm, fingers curled against her temple. Without meaning to, she stretched her legs from their crossed position, unaware as to how short of leg room she actually had, and brushed Howl's leg with the heel of her boot. Upon contact, she pulled her foot back as though if she did it quick enough, the entire action would go unnoticed. Unfortunately, she knew it didn't work that way, and her eye lifted to see how Howl was going to react to the sudden, but accidental, touch.

  ​

Switch Maltrese​

Switch wasn't one to play with her food, and always looked at people funny when they did. But she managed to marshal her features so that she didn't look so curious about Jasna's eating habits. She ate her food with a practiced ease, with a certain grace that was practically unheard of on a pirate ship. But it was how she grew up. For a long time it had been her focus to control her darker half to eat with patience and manners, but now it was just second nature. Howl had always thought it odd that she ate the way she ate, but he had never really bothered to ask. It was on the tip of his tongue now, she could tell, but he wasn't going to ask in front of his charge. She felt a strangeness upon being on this ship and it hadn't left her since the cargo had been sealed away. She couldn't help but comment on it and her words sounded ominous and mixed with a warning.

"I do not like whatever is on board our ship. The sooner we are without it, the better the atmosphere shall be. I am usually quiet about such matters...but I feel unease at the presence that cargo brings here."

She knew Howl was looking at her funny and she knew that he had felt the strangeness. But he was shocked that she had actually spoken about her unrest. She knew he had caught her walking around aimlessly, muttering to herself about the possibilities of whatever it was that was on their ship. She had an inkling it wasn't good. She hoped it wasn't what she was thinking it was. If it was what she thought...Her thoughts drifted away as she found her foot tapping against the floor. She never did that. Stopping the motion, she continued to eat her food as if nothing different had occurred. She hoped that she wouldn't lose herself at the end of this voyage. Two weeks seemed like nothing...and yet they seemed like an eternity that she was not ready for.
​

The darkness that had become a leech to her, the light that came through the window above her seemed to be the solace that broke the shivering. Many an inked pattern danced along Karita's skin some looking fresher, more distinct than some as though a hand stroked the ink by chance mere hours before. Even as Avarien's approaching presence grew, the woman could not break free of the cold darkness that lurked in the back of her mind. Suddenly it was there. Nothing but cruel silver eyes in the darkness. "Release Me, Human." Then the pain would start, agonizing trendils along her body like needles had been injected into her.

It was only the presence of his boot that snapped her out of the nightmare. Out of reflex, she sat up, pulling out both guns hiding beneath her pillow, guns cocked, and sweat trailing over her body. Realizing who it was beside her however she uncocked the guns and put them down. "Jesus, Avarien, I almost shot you." Her breath was practically panting as her heart raced a thousand miles a minute. Her body was still on fire as though she had been running a marathon. Not once in Karita's career as a Pirate Captain had she been so scared. She shivered again, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Still sitting there topless as she tried to refocus.

It took her about another few breaths for her to realize she was sitting in front of him topless. Not likely she cared though, She looked up at him as she cleared her throat. "What's the matter Avarien? I'm sorry you had to go through that. I haven't been sleeping well lately." She shrugged her shoulders before crossing her arms across her chest. Okay she was lying to herself, she did feel a little odd with Avarien in front of her.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • This hadn't been a bad idea in Avarien's mind, to start off with. He didn't think that someone like Karita would be so scared to sleep on her own ship that she'd have her guns hidden underneath her pillows while she slept. After his last nudge woke her, he expected her to shift and wake up like a normal person. Instead, she shot up, scaring the shit out of Avarien in the process. He pulled his leg back from her side and lifted into the air, arms flying up to block any attacks that might be directed to his face. He remained like that for a moment until he heard her voice, his clenched jaw slowly untightening, peering at her through his spread fingers, trying to catch his breath and appear calm. Swallowing, he dropped his leg so it was fully fastened on the ground, his hands slowly recoiling, shoving into his pockets. Instead of admitting that she had scared the shit out of him, much like he had scared her, he blew it off and tried to let the entire encounter roll off his shoulders. Avarien wasn't a scardy cat.
            
            His eyes had been adverted from the time moment he had raised his hands to hide his face. Now, as he glanced back towards Karita, he came face to face with the harsh reality that she didn't own modesty in her soul. A purse of his lips was all that was given, his eyes remained on her face, having little interest in what her chest revealed below her throat. He felt a little weary, standing in front of her so calmly with her half naked, but what else was there for him to do? It wasn't like stepping outside after apologizing for walking in on her would make much sense. Come to think of it, he was in there for a stupid reason to begin with- he had had wanted her to try his potatoes, but now? Potatoes seemed to be the last thing he wanted to worry about. Instead, his mind was currently tracing back to what the others would think if they heard about this. He didn't think he could handle having people suspect he was trying to get into the Captain's bed. That was just absurd.
            
            "I, uh, don't think it's important." Blinking, he raised a hand and scratched the back of his neck, limply shrugging his shoulders. He liked the fact that she tried to cover up, but he knew very well that the images he had seen wouldn't vanish with time. At least, not with him unable to see them behind his eyelids every time he blinked. "At least... well, not unless you wanna talk about it?" He wasn't talking about his reason for being there, of course. He was talking about the reason why she had been shivering so much. "What's got our fearless Captain scared, eh?" At first, he had been asking her if she wanted to talk a little sarcastically, not thinking he could spare the time to listen to her drone on about something stupid. But the reason why she was scared in her sleep, and why she woke up in such a startle? That was interesting enough to stick around for. Grabbing her shirt, he tossed it towards her so that she didn't feel as uncomfortable and sat down, elbows leaning on his hands as he looked at her, completely ignoring his food. "You tell me, and I wont tell the rest of the ship." A boyish grin fluttered over his pale lips, and for a moment, he looked like he actually might be really into this blackmail business. "We gotta deal?"

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Jasna's eyes narrowed with curiosity as Switch voiced her opinion on the cargo. For a moment, she sat quietly, thinking what she said over. She didn't understand what she was talking about, completely unaware that the only reason her mind and body weren't picking up on the same vibes from the cargo hold were because she was too busy fighting off her own demons. Or, to put it more simply, keeping Howl from getting his hands on her. Her mind raced, trying to think of any reasons why the cargo would be uncomfortable for Switch, but she couldn't come up with anything. Instead of prying into her life, she nodded her head for a moment of thinking, her eyes adverting for a moment, still a little lost in thought. "Well, we have three weeks with it on board. S'not the longest amount of time we've had something on board, though. You'll be fine." She was trying her best to comfort Switch without actually doing so; Jasna wasn't much of a comforter, so whenever she tried, she usually just sounded a little uneasy.
            
            Watching Howl leave to refill his plate, Jasna took another bite of her potatoes, this one more fuller than her last. It was an obvious motion to keep the table silent while Howl was gone, her mouth being "too full" to politely say anything. Instead, she used the small amount of time chewing to think. A lot of things had been getting screwy since the cargo had arrived; Karita seemed to be alone more, Switch was actually speaking up about how uncomfortable she felt, even Jasna herself was feeling a little something. She didn't know if that had to do with the cargo hold, however. It was becoming harder to keep her mind focused, and her dreams were a chaotic mess whenever she went to sleep anymore. There wasn't blood, or disaster. Only Howl and herself in unspeakable situations. It bothered her, knowing that he was getting to her so much that she couldn't keep him out of her dreams anymore. What she didn't know, however, was that Howl himself was controlling her dreams from time to time. If Jasna ever found out, so help him.
            
            By the time he had returned to the table, Jasna's mouthful was almost fully gone. She swallowed the rest of it the minute Howl's mouth stopped moving, her eye narrowing. Before really thinking things over, she stood and leaned over the table towards him. With her eye still narrowed into a small slit, she pursed her lips for a moment, trying not to let the fact that her face was inches from his go to her head. Ignoring the fact that Switch was there, she raised one of her hands and pulled at her shirt, her breasts popping out of the material a little better. "Like this, Howl?" When his eyes weren't focused anymore on her face, Jasna counted to three in her head, and without hesitation, used the hand opposite to the one that showed him more of her "goods" to punch against his face. Her hand connected with the right side of his jaw, sending his entire body out of the table and onto the wooden floor of the Gallery. Normally, Jasna wouldn't go to such levels to tell someone to fuck off, but she knew Howl was more than capable of handling a punch to the jaw. It wasn't like he didn't ask for it, anyway.
            
            Grabbing her tray, she pulled her legs out from under the table and nodded her head to Switch, a silent goodbye. "I think I'll find somewhere a lot less dirty to eat." With that, she gave Howl one last look and headed for her own quarters, ignoring the fact that her frustration had gotten the best of her in such a way that the clicking of her heels was much louder than normal.

  ​

Switch Maltrese​

She laughed. She actually laughed and it sounded like chiming little bells- a beautiful and amused melody that spilled from her lips. She never laughed. She did give a chuckle or two, but she had never fully laughed before. Until now. She heard chairs shuffle and move and she felt stares all over her, but she didn't care. THAT had been hysterical. She actually had to wipe her eyes. But it wasn't long before her laughter started to die down and she also left the room, leaving Howl to fend for himself with a dazed look on his face. She was still letting out little notes of laughter as she exited the Gallery, muttering how fantastic it all was.​

"It was important enough to wake me up, Avarien." She said gently, though her eyes were not the soft calm they normally were. She sighed catching the shirt one handed before pulling it over her head, letting the cool fabric stick to her sweat stroked skin. "I have no idea, to be honest." She said gently as she rubbed the sweat from her brow. "It started a few nights ago, it's like there is someone calling me to do something. A cold voice, not something I've heard before." She glanced over at the elf with slow even breaths. "It's always cold where I am in my dream, but every time I wake up I'm sweating and feel like someone is trying to mark me with needles." She shrugged then her eyes slightly distant. "It didn't start till recently, maybe my body is trying to tell me this should be the last run we do. I don't know. I have been a captain for six years."

She played with her hair nervously. "Something big is going to happen, I just feel it in my bones." She laughed at his deal though and shook her head. "Honestly Avarien, if the rest of the ship thought we were Fucking the amount of times you come barging into my room, then we'd have some very angry males in the lower levels wondering why Captain turned down everyone but an elf." She pressed on her knees to stand up slowly looking out the window as birds fluttered outside. "I feel though sometimes that we have isn't meant for mortal hands."

-*-*-

Deep in the cargo hold, the covered case stood in the center of the room. To ordinary people, once uncovered, it appeared to be a normal box. Well as normal as the black metal box could be. However it was inlaid with silver, archaic symbols moved along the box. The box itself however, was something of legend. Long after the old Gods and sealed away Pandora's Box from the world so that Hope would never be lost, another box was made. Forged from fire, earth, water and blessed by air, the second box was to seal the monsters back into the deep pit they belonged.

Of course things were a little bit more complicated than that. The Demons had infiltrated into the human world and possessed many a blood line until their purposes in the world were no longer exactly needed. Or at least until they were captured and placed back into the box. For fear of letting Hope, which truly was a demon, escape, they made this box to contain the enemy within. However because it was not forged by the gods, the taint was slowly seeping out of the box. They couldn't open the box of course, that would be to easy. They needed a Human female, pure of heart much like Pandora had been to open the box to let them escape. Well, not exactly 'they' anymore. Only one true Demon resided in the box now. A mishmosh of various demons had combined in the box. Obsession, Promiscuity, and Nightmare had learned in order to succeed in anything they had to work together.

As luck had it they found one. Now if only she would listen to the damned call to release him from his cage. He had work to do.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • As Karita explained everything, all Avarien really had to do was sit there and pretend like he was actively listening. It wasn't hard, his eyes remaining on her face while she talked about her dream, and although his body responded to her talking normally, his mind was far off. He'd slip back and forth, paying attention long enough to know they were still on the same topic, and then he'd slip back into his own thoughts, most of which that took place no where in particular. He wasn't much of a listening kind of guy, even if it was a serious problem that someone needed to get off their chest. Like Jasna, Avarien wasn't capable of properly extending comfort without looking either uneasy, or just plan awkward while doing so. Which is why he didn't do it often. Not only did it make him look stupid if he tried, but he didn't have the patience to deal with someone else's problems. That, and he didn't really think having a heart to heart conversation with his Captain was going to be a super fun thing.
            
            "Whoa whoa!" Avarien's eyebrows pulled together and he shook his head as he reclined into the chair, lifting his hands, playing on the defensive side of things. "There's nothing wrong with you saving yourself for an elf." His lips jutted out into a childish pout, as though he was really affected by the comment she had made. And, in a way, he was. He was prideful to be an elf, and if he heard anyone coming down on the race, he usually wasn't hesitant about verbally kicking them in the face about it. "Why would you say something like that, anyway? Am I not good enough for a human like you, Karita?" His eyes grew darker as he looked at her, his lips pulling back into their usual straight line. It wasn't hard to tell that from the look on his face, he was ready to stand up and somehow prove to her that he would be better than any male she decided to drag back into her Captain quarters.
            
            It was bluntly obvious that the only thing he had heard her say was about him.

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • After reaching her room, ignorant to the fact that Howl was stalking her, Jasna entered and closed the door behind her. Setting her half uneaten tray of food down on her desk, she glanced around for a moment, frustration and irritation fluttering around her stomach. It was just like him, to be so forward in front of everyone, and watch her squirm under the attention. With a huff, she crossed over towards her bed. Sitting on it's side, she started to lean down, unlacing her boots from her feet. By the time she had the second off, Howl's lullaby was already working it's magic, coaxing her to relax, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. At first, she didn't notice it as she pulled herself up to the headboard of the bed, expecting to just rest there for a little while before finishing up her food and leaving to check on Karita. Instead, she felt her body starting to shut down.
            
            A gentle hum was made along with the tune inside her mind, something she did absent mindlessly. Jasna's eyelids started to pull closed, hiding her sight in darkness, before she realized what she was doing and jolted awake again. She fought the strange urge to fall asleep, her eyes searching for her window again to mentally tell herself that it wasn't anywhere close to being late afternoon, but her body insisted on sleep. Unable to fight it any longer, she settled down, pulling her sheet over her clothed body, knowing the warmth would bring her more comfort. Cuddling against her pillow, she closed her eyes for good, permitting sleep to overcome her. The minute her eyes were closed, and she was asleep, she forgot all about having walked in there and sat down, her mind playing Howl's delusion perfectly, making it seem as though this were all real. At least, she wasn't aware that it hadn't been real until she woke back up from his persuading compulsion.
            
            Jasna's eye grew wide, her eyepiece having slipped a little against her face, the edge of her scar visible from where she now laid. Her chest was heavy with panting, her mind pounding as she sat up, still unaware of Howl sitting not even five feet from her bed in her chair. Instead, she clenched the sheet with one hand, her other moving to tend to her eye patch. After it was secured, she glanced around, eyes catching the colourful smoke easily. A growl pulled from her lips, and instantly, all sexual thoughts revolving around her and Howl were starting to slip, her anger pushing them into the back of her mind. Getting out of bed, she set Howl a glare she reserved for people who really got her pissed off, though she knew simply glaring at him wouldn't get her point across. "It's been you, fucking with my head?" Her teeth grit together, right hand clasped into a tight fist, though she was too far from the chair to properly use it. "Trying to get into my personal life is one thing, Howl. Invading and influencing what happens in my head while I'm asleep?" Despite her anger, she could still tell the arousal from the images he had displayed in her head was still there, somewhere. "Watch what the fuck you do, Howl. You're wearing my patience thin, and the idea of kicking your ass off his ship mid-air is looking better and better the more you piss me off."

  ​

Those green eyes of hers moved to look at Avarien's face. "No there is nothing wrong with it, but there is something wrong when the Elf in question doesn't pay attention unless it involves stroking or demolishing his ego." Karita actually looked kind of hurt as she turned away from him to look out the window. "Get out." She said softly, not turning back towards him or answering his later questions. She had been surprised that the others had been wondering just where Avarien, or even she, was. Ah well, you get what you pay for. Jasna usually was down below anyway by now.

In all actually, Karita had a good solid exterior that had been built upon years and years of hard work. Hard work which had shielded most of Karita's emotions from the others. Mind you anything she did was with good intentions in mind. Even if she was a pirate, a Pirate Captain did what was best for the crew. Do that and the idea Mutiny barely, if ever, crosses their minds. However as watched the clouds drift across her window, she became more and more aware of the fact she really was alone.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • It was more than obvious that Avarien had hit a nerve. He didn't know how to react at first; should he make like normal and be smug about how he can annoy others so easily, or should he show a little bit of guilt about giving her such a hard time. He hadn't made up his mind by the time she grumbled at him, which put a pause on his train of thought. "You didn't stroke anything-" His mouth shut when she told him to get out, and he glared at her, completely appalled that she had treated him like that. Of course, if he was given a moment to sit back, he'd realize he was the one at fault. Too bad he wouldn't openly admit it, though. With a loud snort, he stood up grabbed his tray of cold food. With his nose prompt and in the air, even going as far as closing his eyes. "Your potatoes taste like ass." Turning on the heels of his boots, he started towards her door, not looking over his shoulder, and he didn't fully look anywhere until he was safely in the hall.
            
            With a grim sigh, Avarien started down the hall, his mind set on the deck. It was nicer out in the fresh air than it was inside, anyway. Plus, up there, he could have a lot more fun and get in less trouble. Carrying his tray up both flights of stairs, he emerged into the sunlight, his eyes narrowing for a moment to get used to the change in lighting. Because of his unfocused sight, he didn't see Switch at first, settling himself nearly five feet away from her at the side of the railing. Grabbing his fork, he dug it into his cold potatoes, the cold giving them a little more of a hardened substance. Lifting it, he pulled the fork back, flinging it off the side of the ship, his concentration barely influencing his aim, considering his mind was far off by now.
            
            In fact, it hadn't even registered in Avarien's mind that Switch was to his right until he was out of potatoes to toss. Blinking, he glanced around, then to Switch's face. "When'd you Houdini up here?"

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Jasna didn't want to believe a thing that Howl was saying; as far as she was concerned, she wouldn't think those things unless she was in a desperate spot, and even then it would be slim. What he was telling her didn't match her plan and refusal of any sexual advance from anyone on the ship, and she insisted to herself that he was spewing bullshit. It wasn't until he said her full name that her fist unclenched, and her eye widened slightly. Her entire body stopped for a moment, and then she took a small step back, having almost lost her balance. The change in tone was unexpected, even though Jasna had been waiting for one of these days to be different. She wasn't scared, but she was definitely shocked. It left her stunned in such a way that she couldn't even start to stamper a response to him trying to order his higher up around. All she could do was stare at him.
            
            When he moved his hand, she flinched. Not backwards, in fright, but forwards, having let her self control slip a tiny bit without being aware. Swallowing the lump that was dying to get out into a rushed breath, she took a few steps towards the chair he was currently sitting in. Jasna didn't know why she was listening to him, he had no authority over her. But... his voice... She felt weak compared to the tone of that voice, and it frightened her more than anything else in this world could. She had believed that someone could take everything that made her, her, and she'd still survive if she kept her tough act up and stable. But Howl. He was the first, and so far the only, to crack the mask and make her spirits cower.
            
            "Wha... what is it?" She struggled to hold her tone when she spoke, having stopped at the side of the chair. Her eyes tried to focus on him like she normally would, but between the trigger he set off and the past arousal she was trying to keep controlled, giving him the finger and storming out didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon.

  ​

Switch Maltrese​

"I've been here and you're intruding. Besides, you shouldn't waste food."

She teased him, though the last part sounded more like she was lightly scolding him. She hadn't glanced his way and she didn't intend to do so until she felt like it. She was enjoying the way the clouds moved and flowed past the ship, making it into an ocean of fluffy whiteness. She had never believed she would ever be able to fly like this. She had watched the world wake and blossom, but she hadn't expected to live as long as she had. But she was still here, and she was all the better for it. Dwelling on what could be instead of what was ruined the soul.

She stood upon the railing, kneeling down so her forearms rested on her knees, her demon sword having been stowed away in her cabin beneath her bed. Her other was strapped to her back, just waiting to be used. Adjusting her hat, she finally decided to look at Ava. Arching a brow, she stared at him with a bottomless gaze.

"So what did you do to annoy the Captain?"

​

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • Avarien's face slightly dropped, at first not detecting the playfulness in her voice. A supple pout jutted out his bottom lip, and he slumped against the railing a little further, dropping the fork onto the tray. His eyes followed the clouds for a little while, observing their shapes, and how fast they moved. It only kept his attention at bay for a moment or so before he was bored at looking at them. Turning on his heels, he leaned his back against the railing, his arms leaning at either side of him over the ledgers. Not only did it give him a better look at things, it also made it a little easier having to stand.
            
            He happened to glance at her at the right time to catch her look. Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged his shoulders, as though he wasn't at fault. "I don't know what you're talking about, Switch, love." Closing his eyes, he tilted his head downward a little. "Even if I pissed her off, I think I'm entitled to be upset as well." Pausing, he opened his eyes and glanced up at her sideways, eyes narrowed, a slightly devilish grin trying to break on his lips. "You don't think there's anything wrong with sleeping with an elf, do you?" As much as he wasn't obsessed with sex, he was obsessed with people finding him good enough to do things. Call it an ego issue- to Avarien, he was just a snob.

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Even if Jasna had noticed that Howl was going to pull her into his lap, she wouldn't have had time to react. She moved with ease, resting in his lap in a straddle, her legs on either side of his with her hands resting on his chest. Her fingers twitched, wanting to move them, but at the same time, the arousal and electricity circuiting from his body to hers was too good to pull away from. Jasna's eye hadn't even looked up from his chest until his free hand cupped against her cheek, smoothing over her skin almost absent mindlessly. It was a little startling, to be seeing so many new sides to Howl in such a short time span, half expecting him to scratch her to bring out his more pronounced personality. Her lips parted when he muttered, and she almost replied, but there were no words on her tongue, nothing in her mind to say back to him.
            
            She had just started to get used to sitting on his lap when his arm moved, allowing his hand to cup against her rear. A shocked gasp cooed from the back of her throat at the feel of his erection, moving her right hand unknowingly to clench against his shirt. His words furthered her arousal, images of her past dreams, and the one that just played out minutes before, all flashed through her mind. Every time she blinked, she was re-dreaming one of her most favorite fantasies, or a small action that really stuck with her. Jasna knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. There was something about Howl that completely messed her up, and in moments like these ones, she didn't want it to go away. She wanted to share the madness that was locked inside him, but she never had the courage to give up her facade to do so. And what if someone walked in during her one slip up on self control? She wouldn't be able to handle news like that spreading around.
            
            "Howl, no... I can't..." There wasn't anything remotely close to sincerity in her voice, trying to put up a barrier between them, but there were many cracks. She wanted him too much to block him out this time. When his hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck, she knew what was coming, her eyelids clenching before his lips even descended on her own. The kiss was harsh, completely taking her breath as she tried to fight against his dominating kiss, and her willpower. Her willpower quickly diminished, however, leaving her starving for sexual attention. Jasna kissed him back, just as roughly as he had started, her left hand lifting to slip into his hair at the back of his neck. Without really thinking, she pulled the strands, shifting her waist against his, groaning against his lips from the press of his erection.

  ​

Switch Maltrese​

Switch barely stifled her laugh, but a small chuckle still escaped at his question. Why was he asking her of all people? The only virgin on the ship? It just seemed so silly and funny. She adjusted her hat a little bit before she looked over at him with a shrug. Standing to her full height, she laced her fingers behind her head and stared out at the sky ocean before answering him with a shrug.

"You shouldn't be asking me. I wouldn't know of such matters."

Glancing his way, her eyes were sparkling with mirth but also with truth. She really didn't know of such things- seeing and reading about it was different than experiencing it. She didn't really know for sure and she wasn't planning on finding out anytime soon. Before she could stop herself, she gave him a tiny grin.

"Nice bruise."

​

Karita heard Avarien's comment and gave him a look over her shoulder. "You get what you can we're a pirate crew not some mile high club where everything is fine dining." She growled after him sighing softly as she settled back down onto the bed, her head in her hands. What was wrong with her? Normally Ava's temperament didn't brush her like that. It was probably the lack of sleep that was getting to her. Pulling herself to her feet once again she buttoned up her shirt completely. Compulsion to go down to the Cargo hold had been nagging her since she had received the item in her cargo hold.

She wasn't normally one to investigate such things but something had been telling her she needed to go down there. As her foot falls moved along the steel like steps in the hold she came to a halt in front of the door. Here it was the loudest that the calling echoed. A deep masculine voice in her brain pulling her towards the clothed object in the center of the room. Pulling it away she saw the ebony box. Her eyebrow slowly raising as she eyed it carefully. There was nothing extremely ornate about the box itself. Yet she had been paid quite well to make sure the delivery got there, unharmed.

"Maybe there is something inside of the damned thing." She muttered looking around for a key only to see that there was no lock to be seen at all. She pondered a moment, her tattooed fingers stroking along her chin lightly as she carefully opened the box, with the slowness of in case something exploded in front of her. Then it all went black...

-*-*-

The Demon wasted no time as the box was pried open, latching himself to the human soul the best way he knew how. Integrating himself through her airways until there was nothing but air once more. The darkness could be felt throughout the ship to those who were, well, gifted to say the least. Damned box had weakened him to the point he'd need to feed on some energy. Preferably the most potent that came with his innate details. He lurked in the back of the unconscious humans' mind. Reading her, studying her...the woman was of little interest but there was someone he did see in the memories that had caught his attention. Simply based by her aura did he understood just hwat he had stumbled upon.

Oh he was going to enjoy tainting a fellow of his own race, particularly when she seemed to hold herself so poise. He wondered what she would look like at his feet, but disregarded it for now for gathering the details he would need to even get close to Her. Which...may take awhile.

• 
  《 AVARIEN NARYA 》​
  • • • • • If anything, Avarien hadn't expected laughter. Maybe a surprised gasp, or a scolding on how inappropriate it was to ask something like that, but not a chuckle. It was like a smack to his ego, and he acted as such, crossing his arms tighter along his chest, adverting his gaze to try and save what little dignity he possessed. At her words, he blinked, before craning his head to glance up at her. "Bullshit. I've seen how you act around Howl." Eying her from the corner of his eye, he narrowed his eyes, waiting for her defense.
            
            At the mention of his bruise, Avarien's eyes widened, feeling a little vulnerable. "B-bruise!?" Raising his hand, he touched the side of his jaw and instantly recoiled from the pressure of his fingers, muttering a curse in his foreign language under his breath. "I'm gunna kill her." Crossing his arms again, looking up towards the sky with a hard-set face on, he tried to think of ways to get past Howl's apparent body guard duties. While he was pondering, a shudder rolled through his veins, and his eyes instantly moved to glance where the cargo hold would be. Frowning, he uncrossed his arms and stepped off from leaning on the railing, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
            
            His left ear twitched, but other than that, the only indication his body sensed about the Demon being freed was the change in aura around the ship.

  ​

• 
  《 JASNA VON SEGUR 》​
  • • • • • Everything was going so well, like another one of her dreams. That is, until Howl pulled her hair out of it's restrictions, and let it down. A small shiver pulled over her body, but she couldn't understand why. It wasn't until she felt the strands brush against her skin that she realized he had gotten rid of something that had taken her almost an hour to do. A fire stirred within her chest, and Jasna found that it helped heat between her and Howl, though at the same time, she was still aware of the sting from being a little angry. But, by now at least, her mind was making up excuses to get rough.
            
            As soon as he lifted her, however, her anger was gone and replaced with a hard passion. Her legs tightened around his waist, kissing him more roughly as he crossed the short distance to her bed. As he pulled back after setting her down, she let his hair go and opened her eye, watching him through a narrowed slit, her chest heaving in protest against her heart rate. Her head tilted back with the help of his and, and her back arched in response. Lifting her right arm, she wrapped it around to Howl's back, her fingertips slowly slipping into the hair at the back of his neck, where she gripped and pulled in mirror to his own hand. Soft wisps of moans or gasps surfaced from her lips the entire them he kissed against her neck, but she was getting tired of her neck getting all the attention.
            
            Shifting, she pushed her hips into him. Raising her left leg, she wrapped it back around his waist, giving her a sealed contact with his waist. Looking up at him with a slightly smoldered glance, she lifted her hips against him once more, her gaze slightly adverting in a small embarrassment. This was Jasna, becoming needy, and wanting. Something she looked at as weakness, and was usually kept under strict lock and key. Instead, a supple demon like Howl can creak it without an issue.

  ​