Even Desert Roses Need Water

[Anonymous]

Miriam was exhausted. She hoped Master Tsharan wouldn't find her here. Why bother trying to get to La'marri anyway? Her parents were dead. She still needed the food for herself and her child, but Miriam loathed the idea of fathering a child by that beast of a human.

But she loved it. It was the only thing she had that was hers now. Once back home, she would probably have to sell everything she had owned to survive, but she would have this baby.

If he didn't take it from her.

But she tried not to think of such things now. Night was falling and now was the time for rest. She had managed to get as far away from Tsharan's tent as possible, but she was so thirsty... and so tired. She needed rest. Where could she find to get food and water and rest from that he wouldn't find her?

Miriam felt trapped, and yet the only thing she could think of to do was pray.

"Gods, please be kind to me...."

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: Going to say that this happened a few months before current time line? (at least for Chris'... this could be Miriam's current one to keep things less confusing lol)

IC:

Chris stretched, his back turned to the fire, whose light burned low behind him. Evening was swiftly ending so, of course, the captain had put him in charge of guarding the camp along with two other sailors. One was an Adelan lad, a dark skinned kid no older than 15 that was at least three inches taller than Chris. The man couldn't remember if his name was, but the nickname Hedge seemed to have stuck, so Hedge it was. The kid was soft spoken  and played with his micro braids like a girl but he was serious and didn't seem to be slacking off from his duties, which was enough for the pirate. The second was a rowdier man named Rigdor. He was from Connloath, a short and muscularly lean blonde that was one of the men that was one of Chris' underlings when on duty. Not only was he strong, but he was reliable. It was no accident that Chris had handpicked him to help guard the pirates' camp during the night.

After all, though the Reaper's Chalice was a feared and respected crew, there were thieves and cut throats aplenty in the Serha Plains. In truth, that's partly why part of the crew was subjected to go out all this way from port to trade and barter the stolen goods they had collected in return for weapons, supplies, food, drink, and coin. They would be able to set up shop in the more civilized cities later, but here was always a good place to start, especially if the pirates wanted to pick up tidbits of certain information or recruits. Chris sighed. Being so far inland made him feel a little uncomfortable. His glass eye gleamed red as he scanned the area. His eyes frowned as it spotted a figure slowly approaching their camp. No, not one figure... two. But they were close together, some how? Curious as to whom these intruders might be, Chris instructed Rigdor to watch his spot before he bolted off into the tall grass.

The pirate stopped once he saw with his normal eye the so called intruders.
A pregnant woman.
The pirate arched an eyebrow. Now this was curious. Of course, sometimes looks could be deceiving, but Chris highly doubted that she was trying to pose a threat to their camp. If anything, she  probably was either a run away slave or an idiot who didn't know which way to go to return to their own tent.
The man began to walk towards her, his good eye scanning her clothes for hidden weapons.
"Good evening, madam," he politely greeted, "Are you lost?"

[Anonymous]

(OOC: She's pregnant, she doesn't have the baby yet.)

Miriam jumped, visibly startled, but when she took a closer look at the man, he didn't seem like someone she knew, so she relaxed. "Yes...a little. But...I need to stay hidden. There is someone who... wants me...wants my baby. Oh it doesn't show right now, but in a few months it will.Can you tell me where I might find some food and water? Especially water...." She was trembling from both fear and need of sustenance.

She looked at him closely. He was... rugged, maybe, but she liked that in a man. The only different thing she noticed, besides his clothes, was his glass eye. That was certainly different, but not enough to frighten her, just unusual.

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: Ah, whoops. I fixed it.

IC:

Chris kept a rather indifferent exterior as the pregnant woman spoke, but inside, he was conflicted.
She's naive to reveal to trust me like this, he thought, a bit amused by both her innocence and spunk. She was running away? From who? A couple of possibilities flew through Chris' mind. Was she a slave? Did she have a rotten husband? In any case, the Serha Plains was no place for a mother to raise a child.
Not that I'd know, he thought, a little bitterly.
 He stared back at her shamelessly as he watched her take in his features. His scars, his glass eye. She didn't seem unsettled by it, which was nice.

The man grunted as he reached towards his side and pulled out his water skin. It was full; it was his whiskey flask that was half empty. He handed it towards her.
"Drink," he instructed, "But don't take this the wrong way. I don't want to cause any trouble."

That was a lie. Trouble happened, anyway. He could deal with trouble. But there were other things. It wasn't like he could take her back to camp. Oh, he could guard it from here, sure enough. But he didn't want anyone to think that he was slacking off; he had a job to do.
You could take her back to camp, the noble gentleman in him suggested. She was a woman in need and there were women on the crew. But this one was practically useless to them, and pregnant to boot. They had no business messing with her. Chris arched an eyebrow.
"What would you do if I took you back?" he asked, testing the woman, "Because I can, you know. It wouldn't be that hard."

[Anonymous]

"What do you mean? Take me back home to Essyrn?" She couldn't raise her baby there either, not alone, and in a part which had suffered famine, but it would still be better than-

And she realized what he meant. How dare she trust anyone! Her disappointment was painfully obvious, but she had to know he would ask that. She had merely thought he was safe because he wasn't from around here.

She took a drink of water, smiling at him in relief and thanks, before answering.

"I don't know how I'd be received. You see...I've been thrown out, not run away. My master's wife is barren, so he... he forced me to...but apparently it was not the first time he'd tried such a thing, and she thought I'd seduced him myself. So she banished me. She told me once she would love to have a child, but not if it meant she was being cheated on.  He, no doubt, would be quite happy, but it's not that simple. They can do anything they want, good or bad. There are no laws here, you know. If I am returned, I could be ordered to be beaten, or killed, or even beaten until I'm dead if you want both. All because I followed the mistress' orders and left like she told me to."

She sighed and returned the water skin to him. "Thank you for the drink. I know I must seem awfully naive. It's just that you don't look like you're from around here- and neither am I-so I thought I might be safe. Next time I will be more careful."

[Winters-Feather]

Chris nodded at the woman's initial question, as if it were obvious. He watched as realization seeped into her eyes, though it didn't seem to bother her too much as she smiled and continued. The pirate silently listened. He remained rather stern faced and placid throughout her whole explanation. It was, he concluded, a very stupid decision made by an even denser woman in a fit of rage. What good would banishing this naive  girl would accomplish? No doubt her husband was sleeping with another slave or whore. Why'd this one matter so much?

He grunted as he accepted his empty water skin. Chris frowned at her next works. Did this girl really think the world worked that way?
If she had known any better, she wouldn't have told me so much.
It was starting to annoy him, how  naive she was. If this woman wanted to survive in this world, there were some things she needed to understand.
"Yes, you are naive," he bluntly scolded, "Very. I'd say even daft, though you were smart enough not to give me your  name. You said it yourself; there are no laws here."
The man approached the woman and stroke her cheek, the moonlight reflected  eerily off of his glass eye. For a relatively short man, he stood up as tall as he could as he closed the distance between them.

"I'm a rogue, lass. A pirate. Who cares if I'm from a foreign land? I can take or kill you all the same, if I've a mind to," he said this last bit with a bit of a smirk. It was only a half truth; he wasn't one to 'take or kill' as he pleased, but Chris supposed that he wouldn't having a round with this woman, even if she was a little daft. After all, she was kind of pretty, which was another thing. The pretty ones never lasted long on their own. It astonished him that she had made it this far.
"What if there wasn't a next time, girl? What then?"
He sternly glared at her.
And please make it a half decent answer, he thought, skeptically.