Waiting sucks.

[Rhindeer]

Well....this was it. The big day.

Perched on a large, sandy boulder, Keina briefly glanced skyward to judge to position of the sun in the sky while shielding his eyes from the blaring light with a hand. It was noon, give or take, which meant he had about two hours to get the job done and get on the ship that would take he and his "acquisition" out of this country, but he wasn't really too worried about missing it. If he did, he'd had that lord guy's word that he could wait out at his place until the next ship docked, and as of yet he'd had no reason not to trust him--hell, he'd been staying in the man's manor for the past week, both as a symbol of good will from his "employer" and so that he could more easily observe his target and prepare for the day of departure. The man had about as much at stake as he did and so it was in the best interests of them both that Keina did not get caught. Because if Keina got caught, it wasn't like he had any loyalty to the man or anything--he was just doing what he was paid to do and that was that.

And he was good at what he did, though he had to say this was the first time he'd been hired to abduct someone important. Prior to this, it had been mostly minor stuff: snatch this guy because he owed someone money, snatch this girl because she'd run away from her husband. Stuff like that. What happened to them after he abducted them and returned them back to their husbands or bosses or whatever wasn't his business or concern, because, well, he wasn't paid to care. This job was way different, however. Not only was the target important--hells, but a princess!--but he wasn't being paid to take her somewhere and drop her off. Nope. This time, he was being paid to hang out with her for a while. Why he was doing all this, he really had no idea, but it really wasn't his place to question his employers motives.

Needless to say, this would be interesting. He just hoped the girl wouldn't be annoying or he'd just have to...gag her and stuff her in a chest or something. From the picture he'd been given, and from what he'd seen of her from a distance as he observed her, she looked rather pretty so it wasn't like it would be torture. At least he'd have some eye candy.

Feeling a little anxious while he waited, Keina took a deep breath, shifted his pack over onto his lap, and began to rummage through it, checking to make sure everything was there. The tickets, the money, the clothes...check. Now it was just a matter of waiting for her. He'd seen her heading this way, and from what he'd gathered, this was one of her favored spots. Which suited him just fine, because it was perfectly secluded yet not insanely far from the docks, not that he also wasn't accustomed to working in more crowded areas--he had no qualms against working to gain someone's trust, even over the course of a few days, in order to lure them somewhere more isolated. This, however, took less effort and drew less attention--with a lesser risk of witnesses remembering seeing some guy chatting it up with her, which was always inconvenient. Besides, from what he gathered, gaining her trust in advance might have been difficult anyway; she had seemed rather uncomfortable in social settings.

Keina always worked and planned around what he observed in order to come to the best solution, and this was it.

He just wished she'd hurry up and get here. If she wasn't here within five more minutes, he'd just have to go stalk her down and use a different approach, he figured. As much as he appreciated the lord's offer to hide out at his manor if this attempt was botched, he'd rather get it over with and get out of the country as soon as was logically possible. The waiting and anticipation was always the worst. He'd been in the "snatching" business for years, starting out small and working his way up, but that didn't mean he still didn't get nervous. Once he got moving, though, all that flew out the window.

But for now, it was just the waiting.

With a sigh, he stretched his legs out in front of him and readjusted the loose ponytail that the majority of his red-brown hair was drawn into at the nape of his neck--excepting the bangs, which weren't long enough yet for that. He really needed a hair cut, and he'd be getting one soon enough. And why the hell was he thinking about his hair now? Argh. Stupid thoughts, always coming at the strangest of times. Keina shook his head to clear his mind and focused his attention out onto the ocean ahead of him, the waves gently lapping at the shore.

It was a good day to sail.

[ooc: Eek, I made a few assumptions here, but if I was off...just tell me and I'll correct 'em! XD]

[Anonymous]

((ooc: Nope! You did great. XD ))

It took so much effort to sneak away. Between having to beg the guards not to tell if they caught her sneaking out, and having to later come up with an excuse for why she'd missed piano or knitting or some other stupid lesson. Drea was a smart girl, she caught onto things quickly and unfortunately, it made most things people tried to teach her very boring because they insisted on taking forever about it. Two days to learn how to hold her knitting needles?! Come on! After the first ten minutes she got the idea!

There were other irritations of living at that bloody castle, of course. Mostly tied with how many visitors were constantly coming and going, and that Drea was expected to show anyone close to her age (especially potential suitors, whom she thought were all terribly dull) around the castle. She'd done so many tours by now she could've done it blindfolded. So many courtesies and names and manners and sigils and colors and what have you to remember... Drea didn't mind being a princess in the least, but it got exhausting sometimes and made her extremely people-weary.

...Which was why she liked to sneak out.

Occasionally she'd dress down and wander around town, but more often than not, it was the beach that she came to with a book in hand. The lack of people - lack of voices and formality - were all so soothing. And this... this was her favorite time of day. Not too hot nor too cold, and she could bring along a small lunch if she wanted, though today she refrained; tonight was yet another feast for another visitor, and it was considered polite to try one of everything and if she ate now she'd never have room for it all.

The warm sand was welcome beneath her feet and somewhere along the way she took off her shoes to better enjoy it. She'd dressed down, of course, in a less-than-extravagent dusty-blue dress that made her tan skin and mahogany colored hair look even darker than usual. Save for the sound of gulls somewhere nearby and the water lapping at her ankles, it was silent. And that was certainly something that made her day better.

Somewhere along the shore a safe distance from where the water reached, she picked a spot, glanced around and sank down to the sand to relax with her book.

[Rhindeer]

Movement further down on the beach along the shoreline caught his attention, and a jolt ran through him when he focused in and saw that, yup, it was the girl. She sank down onto the sand with a book, and though she'd glanced around, it didn't seem that she'd noticed him--which wouldn't have mattered anyway, because he could easily just pass as a commoner enjoying the sun. Even if he was fully clothed and all in breeches, a shirt, and a partially unbuttoned overshirt, it wasn't like the weather was quite hot enough for swimming, nor was it like he was wearing ominous black clothes with "KIDNAPPER!" written across them in scary red letters, complete with an arrow pointing up at his head.

Nah. Cool as that sounded, he was dressed just like anyone off the street. His breeches were well-worn and baggy, comfortable with lots of room to move in--he now had the money to buy better clothes, but when he'd stayed at that lord's manor he'd secretly tried on a bunch of clothes he'd found in the closets just for the fun of it (yeah, he'd been that bored) and found them stiff and scratchy and not that great--and his shirt was white, with the overshirt a sort of khaki green in color. He never really understood why so many thieves dressed in black...trying to go unnoticed, sure, but, uh, he always found the best way to go unnoticed was to just emulate everyone else. Plus, he didn't look good in black.

Shouldering his pack, he took a deep breath and glanced around the area thoroughly, waiting a few minutes to make sure she had, indeed, come alone. Five minutes passed, and he finally stood up, casually brushed some sand off of his bottom, and started walking over to her. Time to get started and make good on his end of the bargain.

Keina made no effort to be "sneaky" or "stealthy" or anything. He didn't want to scare her off before he even got started, and when he could, he liked to avoid struggling and screaming and all that junk--it was inevitable, but if he could lessen it by assuring the victim that, no, he wasn't going to chop them up into little pieces and feed the bits to his goldfish, then that was a bonus. Saved both he and the other party loads of grief, and he couldn't say he really liked getting punched or bitten or scratched, nor was he really crazy about chasing after someone when it could be avoided--because that just plain got messy if the other person was a faster runner than he was. Yeah. He'd learned that the hard way. Sure, of he could cut back on time, sneak up behind someone, and grab them, he did it, but she was kind of out in the open so there was no way he could approach her without being seen.

"Hey there," he greeted as he approached, flashing his most genial smile and pausing a few feet from her. He tilted his head a little, pretending to study the open book. "I don't mean to interrupt ya, but I couldn't help but wonder...what book is that? It looks sorta familiar." Then, blinking, he looked up from the book and gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. "Sorry, that's kinda random, huh? It's just, I like to read, too, and you looked really into it."

[Anonymous]

Obviously no one had ever warned Drea about the dangers of sneaking off to a secluded area and not paying attention to her surroundings. Even if they had, she'd probably have done it anyway. Keina was able to approach her without her so much as lifting her head until he was right there, and then she startled a little and shut the book, looking up at him. ...Oh.

"Oh... I'm sorry, you scared me." She paused, glancing down at the worn cover of her book and back up at him. Funny. Most men, when talking to her about books, were more likely to pat her head and say it was silly for a girl to waste time learning how to read -- until they realized she was the princess and that shut them up pretty quick. Either way, Drea didn't like it.

She smiled up at him. "It's called 'A Tale of Worlds' by Oliver Sun. He's one of my favorite authors - I could read this book a million imes. Have you heard of him?" Her voice was almost a little excited. Talking to anyone not of nobility or royalty was always a little exciting... What her father and the others called 'commoners' were interesting people to Drea. They always had much more fascinating things to say and tell her... And even better, they had opinions rather than thoughts planted into their heads by others.

[Rhindeer]

...Come to think of it, he probably could have done the whole "sneak-and-grab" approach to save time rather than be stuck talking to her, especially about something as boring as books. Keina could read okay, but it was a skill more than a luxery and he didn't waste it on reading stupid works of fiction, nah, it came in handy for more practical, everyday things. Ah, well, no matter. This introduction would be short and sweet, because they'd certainly have plenty of time in the coming days, weeks, hell probably months that were ahead of them. If, of course, she didn't drive him crazy enough to seriously consider that whole "gag and stuff into chest" idea. Because he would so do it. Or...at least, he'd fantasize about it a lot.

"No need to apologize," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly. "I did kinda sneak up on you, sorry."

Keina smiled down at her and shook his head. "Oh...I think I've heard of him, but I haven't yet read any of his books. That sounds interesting, though. You'll have to tell me all about it."

He tilted his head curiously, then crouched down next to her to be more on a level with her, still calm and casual as he glanced from the book to her again. But his smile wasn't quite so cheerful anymore, and he grasped one of her wrists firmly with a hand, bringing his other hand around to cover her mouth firmly in anticipation of the usual protests. "See, Princess Drea, I'm being paid to take you on a little vacation. Now, don't scream or try and struggle or anything, and don't you dare bite me--just cooperate, and everything should run smoothly with no one getting hurt. I really hate having to gag people, see? It's not much fun all around. Besides, no one can hear you, here," he explained almost boredly--he couldn't count the number of times he'd fed people that same line.

Princesses, commoners...really, it was still the same old thing no matter who you were abducting.

"I'll remove my hand as soon as you promise not to scream. Can you do that for me? Just nod, okay?" he went on almost gently.

[Anonymous]

Poor Drea. She was such a trusting girl - she'd never been given a reason not to, after all! So when the hand went around her mouth and the other to her wrist, she sat there dumbly for a second, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He probably could have just asked her to follow him to see the ship on the docks and she'd have followed right along!

But now... Don't struggle? Don't bite? Ew. She didn't know where that hand had been! Fine. But she still had a hand free. And he didn't say anything about reaching around to try and hit him! But, sadly, she didn't try. Not that it'd be very effective even if she didn't miss anyway. Oh screw it. She had a good set of lungs - if she could wriggle out of his grasp long enough to get in a good scream, someone was bound to hear her!

...And then her father would never let her out of his sight again and her trips out to the beach would be put to a stop. Dammit!

Oddly enough, that thought kept her quiet, but she was scowling and looking like she wanted to bite him after all. Nodding her head, she huffed a little, looking more irritated than scared or upset. Go figure.

[Rhindeer]

...That was a new reaction.

Maybe it was because he was so used to dealing with people who were, by nature, suspicious and people-wary--he'd dealt with all sorts of shady folks in the past--but Keina hadn't expected her to just nod. If he tried to chat it up with someone off the street, they tended to be wary of him at first, and certainly asking someone on a first meeting to go some place with him would send off warning bells in most common folks heads. That never worked--unless he had enough time to try and establish a relationship and build trust over the course of a few days. But even then there was the issue of them flipping out completely when it finally became apparent that he was taking them somewhere and was not going to let them return. Yeah...it was always better to just break the news early and suffer the backlash in advance, rather than at an inopportune moment.

Besides, some people were just so freaking suspicious that it was pretty much pointless to even try and establish a relationship, since most people were well educated in that whole "don't talk to strangers" line. There was enough crime on the streets that no woman in her right mind would take the chance of happily following a random man off to a secluded place, at least not on a first meeting, sometimes not even after multiple meetings. Well, unless, of course, they were either unforgiveably naive or unforgiveably stupid.

In any case, he wasn't expection her to react so calmly. She didn't even look scared! If anything, she was acting like he was simply inconveniencing her...hell, she was probably just mad that he'd interrupted her book-reading session.

Oh well. That was good enough, he guessed. If she acted irritated, hey, that worked better for him, anyway. It was much better than leading her onto a ship with her crying or whimpering, which would have certainly drawn attention.

"Good!" he announced with a grin, lowering his hand from her mouth and releasing his hold on her wrist. "I'm really sorry to have to do this like this--I didn't know how you'd react, so don't be mad, please. But anyway, do realize this is all only for your own safety. There's some political drama starting up--you may or may not be aware of it--so I was just put in charge of you, to keep you safe until it mellows out. We're just gonna go out of the country for a bit, then when I'm given the word, you'll be returned. That's all. You just can't say anything, though. No one can know who you are. If they find out, they might try and hurt you, you understand?"

Lying through his teeth, but it sounded good to him!

"Now, dressed like you are now...will anyone recognize you? I mean, did anyone see you wearing that today?"

[Anonymous]

Everything suddenly clicked into place. This guy was kidnapping her - probably for money, she imagined. Whether it was for the reasons he claimed, or because there would be a nice ransom, she didn't know. Though the idea of murder was sort of out... If he'd wanted her dead, he could have done it by now.

Drea scowled at him, and for a moment it looked as though she just might scream after all. But then he said the magic words...

"Out of the country? As in... over seas?" Well, that was interesting! She'd never been on a boat; her father was too paranoid to let her do more than just watch them. Even going within a mile of the docks was a Big No No. She'd never even left her town, much less her country! And while she looked wary about believing his reasoning behind why he was taking her along... she was wanting to believe that he'd bring her back.

"You really are going to bring me home?" she asked slowly, studying him. Though honestly, she might've been willing to risk it even if he said no... It wasn't like there was anything besides her parents that she'd miss here - and even them, not so much. Not really the people, and she had no friends or pets or... much of anything except her books, which were perfectly replaceable. Drea was a princess, and she liked her fancy lifestyle of being able to afford things (books!), but... going elsewhere in the world to live a fancy life and see all the things her books talked about would be even better! A vacation, even a permanent one, and over seas at that...!

Drea squinted at him, almost scowling, and then her expression smoothed out again and she looked thoughtful. She had a plan and a destination in mind, but maybe best not to mention it just yet. He might've laughed in her face or...something if he found out she was hoping maybe he'd take her to some other kindgom and leaving her there... The reasoning of why she wanted to go was a bit of a long story.

"If you promise to keep me safe and not to rape or hit me, then I'll go." As though she had a choice. "I don't believe anyone saw me wearing this today. Father doesn't even know I own anything this plain."

[Rhindeer]

Keina was so damned confused all of a sudden. Uh...he was a stranger. He was taking her, an important, rich person, over seas. He'd just lied through his teeth coming up with some weird, random excuse. Even if she believed him, she wasn't even questioning any of it, which would seem pretty natural to him! He'd fooled people a few times before but they'd always asked him for more details, which he of course embellished upon. Honestly, it was kind of throwing him for a loop, just because it was so damned unexpected, and he found himself almost wanting to take her by the shoulders, give her a good shake, and clue her in that, hello, there was something wrong with this picture! Of course, that would have just been stupid, and Keina wasn't really complaining at all--if she was really that trusting, all the better for him! But it wasn't just that. Her behavior was making him suspicious. People couldn't really be this naive or oblivious, could they? Right?

Right. She was probably just trying to play it cool until they got somewhere more populated. No one would just up and go along with something like this without at least demanding more information!

...Wait, what the hell? "Uh, yeah, over seas. The ship'll be leaving in about an hour, now," he answered slowly, studying her just as she studied him. Was it just him, or did she seem sort of excited about that? Hrm. Weird. Though, somehow, even if she was genuinely interested (weird! Augh!) he wasn't so sure how well that interest would hold up once she saw where they were actually going, eh heh. It wasn't the most ideal of places, he didn't think. Keina gave a nod at her other question. "Yep, as soon as it's safe to return," he answered.

Which was sort of true. He would be returning her eventually once he was given word, but hell if he knew what was going to happen to her when she was returned. Again, not his business, so he hadn't asked, and since he wasn't being paid to care about her after she was returned, well...not his problem.

He watched her closely as she went silent, squinting at him, studying her expressions. He might not have looked it, but he was rather tense at the moment--but, hey, he did have a lot to lose if this was botched, and he really couldn't believe that she would just go along with this so passively. Only when they got onto that damned ship would he be able to relax, and even then not so much--but that was because he hated ships with a passion because he always got sick on them. Keina was not cut out for them at all.

Standing up finally, he brushed some sand off of his knees and gave her a bland look. "...I won't be tempted. You're hot and all, but I'm not desperate," he told her with a small smirk, then shook his head. "And yeah, I promise, if you promise to behave." Good...no one had seen her, then? Nodding again, he held out his hand to her. "C'mon, then. We better head to the docks."

And he'd be watching her like a hawk the whole time. He still didn't trust her, because this was way too weird.

[Anonymous]

Drea peered up at him, then at the offered hand and back again. Oh, she had plenty of questions. But most of them she didn't want to know the answer. This was the first big decision she'd ever made in her life, and it was a tough one. Give up her parents that loved her ('...I think...') and see the world, or stay... here?

Put that way, she really had little to lose by leaving. Lifting her thin shoulders in a slight shrug, Drea took his hand, picked up her book and stood, dusting herself off. There was one question she had to ask him though. "If I can't let people know who I really am, then who do I tell them I am?" His sister? Wife? Daughter? They didn't look anything alike so passing him off as a relative didn't seem too likely... As for a wife, uh, if she had to be all kissy and act the part, well, no. She'd rather announce to the entire ship that she was a captive. Once they found out who she was, they'd turn the ship around and bring her home! ....Wouldn't they? Well, Drea thought so. As a majority, human beings were kind and honorable creatures! ...Or... something. Yeah.

[Rhindeer]

Heh, good question. And Keina already had an answer planned out for that one. Still gripping her hand as she stood, he gave her a little tug and began to lead her down the beach toward the docks in the distance, the massive ships a faint outline from where they were. They really didn't have any time to sit around and chat and, much as he was not looking forward to the voyage on the ship, they had to go now. If they missed it, it would be so difficult to get on the next one after the royal snobs figured out Drea was missing. Security would probably be a bitch, and while he had no qualms about altering his appearance, Drea probably wouldn't like it if he told her to cut or dye her hair. Which would have to happen, because there would probably be guards at every Adelan border and guards inspecting every passenger boarding every ship. Keina didn't have to worry about that, though, because he'd never been to Adela before; no one knew him here. Serendipity was another story--he'd done a lot of business there, so he had to be damned careful.

And Necromantia? No one there would probably even know who the Adelan princess was. Much as the place sounded nasty, that lord couldn't have chosen a better destination. In regards to safety, at least. Desireability was another story entirely.

"Well, you got choices. You could be a business partner--we could own a shop together in Thanatos--or you could be a friend, a distant cousin, or a girlfriend. Or..." He glanced over at her and winked. "A distant cousin and a girlfriend, who is also a business partner and friend," he added with a playful grin, before finally lifting his own shoulders in a brief shrug. "I'm kinda fond of that last one. Covers all the bases and all that. But I already have stories fabricated behind each option, so whatever you choose, it doesn't really matter."

On the subject of what to tell other people about their "relationship", he had a feeling she'd choose either the business partner or friend option. But, what the hell, he figured he'd throw in the girlfriend one for shits and giggles, just to get a reaction and lighten the mood. As little as he'd complain if she choose that one--he really wouldn't mind the acting that would come with it, though assuming there would be "acting" to begin with was probably pushing his luck a lot--he would kind of worry if she did pick it.

[Anonymous]

Drea permitted herself to be pulled along, however she was walking at her own leisurely pace. He really would have to drag her to get her to move faster - after all, she didn't understand the urgency of getting out of there now, not to mention she was still trying to think of there was any reason why she should be resisting more than this. As of yet, she was still coming up with none. It would've been a lie to say she wasn't scared - she most certainly was, but... well, it was more a fear of leaving the only place she'd known her whole life. That was intimidating!

His suggestions made her frown and then all-out scowl, though that didn't last long. It was unprincess-like to wear such a distasteful expression. "Whatever you think is best," she said reluctantly. Really, Drea didn't want to ruin anything by being picky... She really didn't want to be found out once they were away from home. "It's not like I've ever done anything like this before, you're the expert. We don't really look like cousins, do we? Though I don't have any cousins, so I suppose I wouldn't know how similar they look..." Both her parents had been only children, and so had she - and she'd gotten her mother's long, curly hair and both of their darker skin.

And if he did try and tell anyone she was his girlfriend - well, she could live with that. If he tried to put the moves on her, however, she could always hit him and make a big scene about how she knew he'd been sleeping around with some other hussy. Ooh, that actually kind of sounded like fun... She'd seen fights like that happen in town!!

[Rhindeer]

"Hah...you really want me to pick?" Keina asked, giving her hand a firm but careful tug to try and prod her into moving quicker. Her lagging didn't go unnoticed, but it wasn't a problem yet. If she didn't get the hint non-verbally, he'd let her know soon enough. And if not even that worked, well, eh, there was always carrying her. Wasn't like he'd mind that much, if at all! He could always just say she'd tweaked her ankle if it came down to that,, though the downside to that was that if he said that, she'd have to play along. And she might not want to play along or, hell, even if she was wanted to she might forget. Keina was used to acting, but he didn't see why she should have any need for that.

"Alright...well...we could pass for cousins. It's not like cousins look all that similar, though you're right. Maybe it's best not to chance it." After all, he had no cousins that he knew of, either. He'd only seen the cousins of other people, and there weren't that many similarities from what he gathered. "So...since you're asking my expert opinion--" He secretly wondered how many times she thought he'd done something like this, especially given how calm she was. Weird. "--I think that we should go out, love."

Hey! She hadn't voiced any objections to the idea! So why not? Maybe he was flirting with disaster--no pun intended--but she'd asked for it! Besides, the option ruled out the complications of the business partner idea, like having to fabricate some bogus business if anyone asked, though to be safe he would have said they planned on creating the business but hadn't yet started. After all, it'd be bad to name off some fake business only to have someone who actually lived in Thanatos point out that it didn't exist. That would be awkward. So, hell, why not. He had to amuse himself somehow, and so long as she didn't peep and blow their cover, which was a huge possibility, it would all be good. If she did...he'd be screwed.

So, of course, that meant she had nothing to fear about him putting any moves on her!

"Now hurry up so we don't miss the ship. Unless ya want me to carry you, hon," he added with a wink. Hey, this place was still secluded! It was best to test her reactions here in advance rather than at the crowded docks.

[Anonymous]

((Sorry for not replying sooner. This last weekend was horribly busy. x_x; ))

Drea's expression, for the most part, remained carefully neutral. She didn't think this was a great idea, but... What better idea was there? Partially she was hoping if she just played along for now, he might start growing a little fond of her - just enough to the point where he'd agree to take her to where she wanted to go! It sounded such a perfect plan to her, too bad she wasn't accustomed to situations like this enough to know that it wasn't likely to happen.

"Fine, but if you touch me more than neccesary in front of other people, I reserve the right to slap you." That sounded fair. And when other people weren't around, well, he didn't have reason to touch her at all, did he? So that wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't thinking far enough ahead to things like having to share a cabin with him and whatnot. That could be worried about later once he managed to get her onto the ship.

She was finally piicking up her pace enough to try and keep up with him, but like hell if she'd start running. She was looking all around her, getting in one last view of the home she didn't imagine she'd ever see again. It was... sad, but the prospect of what the future might bring had her far too excited to dwell on it for long.

[Rhindeer]

Keina snorted. "Yeah, yeah, won't touch ya more than necessary. Got it, darlin'," he agreed, though he couldn't help but give her an odd, amused look, one eyebrow arched. Hmm. Poor girl. She'd have to learn to be a lot more specific around him, because that...well, that could be taken a lot of different ways and while the way she meant it was pretty obvious, Keina had a certain sadistic love of twisting words and whatnot, just to freak people out. Hey, he had to amuse himself somehow, and it would be a long voyage by ship. Don't touch her more than necessary in front of other people? All right! She didn't say a thing about when other people weren't around, so he guessed she'd have no problems with that!

He'd just keep that part to himself for now, though.

Of course, he'd also just have to wait and see how much energy he had once he got on the ship. All this was assuming he'd have the energy to keep himself entertained and that he wouldn't be spending ninety percent of the journey draped over the railing feeding the fish. Ew. This was also assuming she wasn't planning on pitching a fit once they got close to docking, or on the ship itself, in an attempt to give him away. She was acting all calm and cool and just...weird (maybe she was just that stupid, though, who knows!) but...ah, whatever. He'd deal with the issues as they popped up.

Back to the present.

Drea was finally picking up her pace, but she stil wasn't going fast enough--and she kept gawking at everything! Yeesh! Were princesses seriously that sheltered? Well, whatever the case, they were obviously spoiled because she was sure taking her sweet time! Shaking his head, Keina decided to settle the issue himself and, stopping abruptly, he looped one arm around her legs and settled the other against her back before, quite unceremoniously, scooping her up off the ground and into his arms, bridal style. That done, he took off again. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you were being way too slow."

[Anonymous]

Drea gave a startled yip, arms reflexively latching around the man's neck for fear of being dropped. She glanced at the ground, and then at him, brows drawing together in a sulkish frown. She could walk just fine, dammit! Why were they in such a hurry, anyway?

Still, this was fine for the moment. She was able to look around at everything without having to worry about tripping and falling flat on her face! Much more convenient. Maybe next time, she'd just ask him to carry her to begin with!

It didn't dawn on her until they were almost to the ship that she was leaving an awful lot of people behind at home without getting to say goodbye. With a soft sigh, she looked towards the castle in the distance, wondering idly if anyone had noticed she was gone, and if so, if they were even concerned.

"Do you think anyone will recognize me...?" she murmured to him, voice low out of necessity so that no one would overhear. Apparently she wasn't entirely stupid if she realized that it was possible people on the boat (or wherever they were sailing to) might know who she was.

[Rhindeer]

Keina blinked at that question, then suddenly stopped. They had made it to the docks, all right, with people bustling around them, carrying out their business, and just generally paying no attention to a couple of mushy kids, because with the way he was currently carrying Drea, it probably looked like they were involved. Er...huh. He didn't think she would be recognized. With the way she was dressed, she looked like any commoner, at least dress wise. But indeed...what about her looks, her face, her hair...

Er...

They didn't have the time for a total make-over! But he couldn't risk anyone recognizing her, and he had been in such a hurry that he might have almost made a very, very big mistake. Right. No taking any chances. They may not have a lot of time to do anything drastic, but there were a few minor alterations Keina that could be made--small details that could make all the difference in the world.

Turning his back on the docks, Keina started carrying her away from them and into the town that surrounded the busy port, looking for an alley they could duck into. "Good question. We'll answer that question right now, make absolutely sure no one can," he answered with cautious quiet. That said, he finally turned left into an empty alley and, once there, he set Drea down onto her feet. They alley was filthy, with garbage and dirt everywhere. Perfect. Stooping, Keina ran his hands over the ground, getting his hands nice and dirty...and then he stood and promptly smeared the stuff onto her cheeks and neck, and along the shoulders of her dress. "No complainin'," he said, patting her forehead and then wiping his hands off on her dress. Then, bending again, he reached and drew a dagger from his boot.

"Cut your hair," he said simply, straightening and offering the dagger to her, handle first. "Be quick, now."

If she didn't do it...well, he'd just have to do it for her. But he preferred to give her the opportunity to do it herself. Less traumatic that way.

He was also prepared for any tricks, in case she decided to turn that dagger against him. He had another at his belt--which was why he took the one from his boot. That way, his extra dagger was easily accessible if she tried anything...funny.

[Anonymous]

The alley, Drea took quietly enough, though looked around with a distasteful frown. How.... dirty. And unprincess-like. Ew. In fact, she didn't even do more than squirm a bit and make a displeased noise when her captor put that disgusting stuff on her skin. It could be washed later, and it wasn't like the dress was anything special to her. But still, it was gross.

But... cut her hair? Oh, oh no. No no no.

Drea took a step back, giving the knife and Keina a baleful look. "I don't want to cut my hair. Can't I just tie it up or braid it or something?" She fingered one of the dark curly locks absently, and for the first time did look like she just might hit him if he decided to try and do the cutting for her. ...Of course, she probably hit like a girl, but she figured the important thing was that him having to fight with her would waste time, and she was hoping that he'd been serious when he'd said they didn't have time to waste.

[Rhindeer]

Ugh. Of course. She would take the whole process quietly--up until he asked her to cut her hair. Women! They made no sense! Here he was kidnapping her and she was totally fine with it, but oh, ask her to cut off something that would grow back and thus begins the protesting.

Rolling his gray eyes, Keina took a step toward her to make up for the one she'd taken in retreat. "No. If that'd work, you'd think I'd've asked ya to do that, since it's easier. But no. If anyone's gonna recognize ya, they've probably already seen what you look like with your hair braided; judging by how you're acting, no one would expect to see you with short hair, right? Look, we're gonna be on that ship a long time--a change in hair style can make all the difference in the world, so unless you can guarantee that you can keep it hidden under a hat the whole time or something..." He shook his head and took another step forward. "Just do it so I don't have to, alright? It grows back fine--I've had to cut mine tons of times!" Which was true. He had, in addition to staining it different colors when need be. His hair had been every natural color at least once...

The way he had it all estimated, they only had like twenty minutes left. Okay. They were good. They could make it fine.

...As long as she didn't continue to insist on acting like...like...a princess.

Jeez. Women...

[Anonymous]

She took in a breath, all but ready to scream if he did try and advance any further. Her hair was her pride and joy, the only thing she really liked about herself! She didn't want to cut it all off, even if it would grow back!

After a moment of glaring at him sulkishly, she had a new perspective on things. Well, if she went out to sea with her hair like this... and if he expected her to stay looking so... so... dirty, then her hair was likely to get filthy as well. Ick. The only thing worse than not having all that pretty hair was having that hair look not-so-pretty.

Drea huffed softly, and reluctantly turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "Fine. Go ahead," she mumbled. "I can't do it myself." She'd probably cry if she tried. Hell, she felt like she was going to cry when he did it, too.