[[Tags to
@Lion!!!]]
The world was moving. This way, then that way. This way, then that way. And the world wasn’t only moving, it was… fuzzy. And heavy. And moving. This way, then that way. This way, then that way. But try as she might, Zahi Akello could not manage to open her eyes. Or, for that matter, muster much of a will to move. She was… fuzzy. Her eyelids and her arms felt were made of lead. She should just sleep. That was easiest. The appeal of it weighed down on her like a warm, heavy blanket. It would be so easy…
Where was she again? Even in her muddled consciousness, Zahi was aware that she didn’t know. She didn’t know where she was.
This way, then that way. This way, then that way.
Something in her brain tried to raise the alarm. But it was hard. Zahi felt so…
relaxed. And heavy. And fuzzy. But where was she? What was the last thing she could remember?
Quinlan. She was with Quinlan in some dingy tavern room. Drinking whisky. Why had he been there? Zahi racked her muddled mind. Selevea. They had been in Selevea. It streamed in Zahi’s mind like reflections on water. Moving this way, then that way. This way, then that way. They’d been hunting traffickers. Human traffickers. No. They hadn’t been. She had been there with Tallinn. Quinlan had been… no. He hadn’t been involved. In the end, he hadn’t. And worse, he had helped Zahi and Tallinn bring the trafficking operation to light. And crumbling down. Just one last night, that’s what he told her. One last night together. One last drink. One last drink together before they disappeared from each other’s lives.
One last drink.
”He put something in my drink,” without realizing it, Zahi mumbled the words out loud. And with a groan, she turned where she lay, rolling onto her side. She sleepily ran a hand over her face. With another groan and an unreasonable amount of effort, she opened her eyes. The brown, then the hazel. And immediately she blinked, screwing her eyes shut again. Sunlight streamed into her vision. She took a moment to adjust, then opened her eyes again. It was a small, clean room full of bright sunlight and surprisingly fresh air. She was in a narrow, hard bed under loose and scratchy linen and, she realized, partially dressed in only her smallclothes.
Where was she?Then she raised her head enough to look out of the window. There was nothing. Wait, nothing. Just
onething. An endless blue sky, and rolling blue waves.
With a start, Zahi tried to get up off the bed, but barely managed to raise herself before the heavy effects of whatever had put her to sleep plopped her right back onto the bed.
”I’m going to kill him.”
He was there. Drinking whiskey in that dingy room. He was there when he managed to coax Zahi away. And he was there when he asked Tallinn to take her on a vacation, to which Tallinn whole-heartedly agreed was an excellent idea, because Zahi didn't know how to have fun. And if there was one thing Quinlan was good at was having a good time. At least when it counted. If anyone deserved a holiday, it was Zahi.
Truthfully, there could have been better ways to go about it. He could have easily just asked if she wanted to get away for a night, or two, or ten. Although past experiences told him just how well that would have played out in the end. Zahi was a stubborn as an old owl in her barnyard nest, fully content to just glower at the world down below and fluff out any ruffled feathers.
But deep down even Quinlan knew she wanted those feathers pet, calmed down, and eased. Not everyone could be so stubborn, so hardscaled, so formidable all the time. Even Zahi - granted it was a bit of a stretch with her. So when the opportunity presented itself, he took it, knocked her out and carted her away to a far away land. It wouldn't be for long so the journey was rushed and making sure Zahi didn't wake up while the boat rocked to and fro on it way to Kunata.
But damn it would be worth it.
She was going to kill him. He knew this going in. But if anything Quinlan Duirne was a glutton for punishment. And when that punishment's name was Zahi Akello, he was ready to be flayed. That being said, he was still careful to have her quietly stashed away in the room of that trade ship.
It was going to be perfect.
Until she woke up, anyway. Quinlan had been sleeping beside her, dead tired when the sun came up in that small room. He raised his head and glanced over to her, seeing her try to get up only to fall back down again onto the hard cot. It was small, but it had plenty of room for hardcore spooning. Didn't need much room for that.
"Easy there, chocolate," Quinlan murmured, pushing himself up from his side to catch her and put an arm around her waist. He leaned in to kiss her shoulder. "You had a nasty spill on the way here. I had to stitch your forehead on the left temple. Don't worry, you didn't bleed out too much." Damn that was one hell of a sedative though.
Zahi moved to elbow the damned blood mage away when he kissed her elbow - Kia's tit's, had she really not even realized he was there behind her - but the motion just turned into a weak push of her arm against his. She was going to kill him.
And yet. It was probably just the light, airy feeling that was the side-effect of the sedatives wearing off, but there was something 'nice' about having his arm around her waist. And part of her wanted to lean back into him and go back to sleep. The stupidest, weakest part of her; and she was already annoyed with that part. It was the drugs. It had to be.
Slowly, as though she were trying to move underwater instead of above it, she turned herself so she could face Quinlan. She frowned at him, eyes narrowed a little. She was trying to look angrier, but she was still so groggy, she couldn't quite muster it.
"We both know that's shit, Quinlan," she told him, voice still thick and heavy. "You have 30 seconds to tell me what's really going on before I skin that nasty, scarred hide off of you. Slow like."
Quinlan had gotten good over the years of making himself as inconspicuous as possible. Gods knew he'd gotten himself into plenty of trouble even some of which was uncalled for. This, however was completely called for and he just let the sedatives wear her out. The beating would so be worth it.
"No you have 30 seconds to take in a deep breath and smell that wonderful deep sea air. Because you, my dear butterfly, needed a fucking vacation after that mess in Selevea," Quinlan murmured and leaned in to gently kiss her. "Besides, I've been on the brunt of your wrath before. And it's kinda hot."
He grinned and slowly crawled over her, accommodating for the motion of the boat and he shoved her gently back into the bed. "You don't remember what I said do you? Before you passed out? I'll repeat it because...Well, why not? You'll probably ignore it anyway," he said, trapping her against the wall on the other side of the bed. "I said 'I'm doing this because I love you.' And then you got all groggy and passed out. We're on our way to Thanatos."
Zahi did not return Quinlan’s kiss. Instead, true to form, she glared at him. She could hardly believe what he was saying. Except that she’d met Quinlan. Of course he’d do something idiotic like this. Silently, she cursed herself for ever agreeing to that last drink. ’One last drink,’ he’d said. Fuck him.
”You what?! You can’t just- !” she sputtered, the sedative starting to wear off a bit more.
But then she stopped. Partially because what do you even say to such a crazy scheme, but also because beyond glaring, she wasn’t sure how to react. He said, ”"Besides, I've been on the brunt of your wrath before. And it's kinda hot." Which meant that not only did he expect her to make an angry attack, but that he’d at least on some level like her to. And she was not giving him that! Nor was she going to agree that she ‘needed a vacation’ or at all imply she was anything less than deeply unhappy to be here. Most important of all, Quinlan could not win this!
And even with those two options gone, Zahi knew that just rolling over and giving him the silent treatment would be childish.
So she just glared at him. Then she cringed and frowned as he crawled over her and pushed her to the back of the hard cot. She opened her mouth to protest that there was definitely not room for both of them in the ship’s cot and that he should go fuck off for awhile, but her mouth quickly shut at Quinlan’s next words. Maybe too quickly.
”I’m doing this because I love you.
That was just a thing people say. She knew that. But he ‘just said’ it while very, very close. And somewhere in her gut she knew that the way he couched the words, in the middle of a story complaining about her passing out, only lent the words weight. Which made Zahi feel very awkward. Especially here, pressed against the back of the cabin, Quinlan inches away. It was just a thing people say.
So, instead of having an angry outburst like Quinlan predicted, Zahi closed her eyes and slowly let out a breath. Not like someone who was relaxing, but like someone who was summoning all of their patience to deal with an exhaustingly unreasonable person. Which, basically, she was. ”Quinlan,” she started, in the voice one might use to explain something obvious to a particularly obnoxious child, ”you can’t just kidnap someone to take them on ‘vacation.’ I don’t need vacation. I need less insane Connlaothians in my life. And,” she added pointedly, ”I need to get back to my job. I know that’s not a thing you know about, but some of us actually have responsibilities.”
Wow, she really did know how to make mountains out of molehills. Quinlan rolled his eyes, even visibly so that she could see see them disappear behind his eyelids and reappear right on the other side. It wasn't even like this was a legitimate kidnapping. People knew she was gone, they might not know where she was going or how long it would be or when she would be back, yet they were well aware she was in semi-trusted hands.
"Oh come on!" he groaned with a sigh. "You make it seem like I'm holding you for some kind of ransom. Which I totally could... Hmm..." He briefly considered it before leaning on his side and leering at her. He propped himself up on his elbow and licked his lips, looking at her and her small clothes. He wanted to reach out and touch her, he wanted her to touch him and feel him and know that what he meant was true.
It was hard to break such a mendacious streak. Even harder to convince someone that with them, you never really lied. "Funny," he murmured aloud, mid-thought, but said nothing of that. It would be some story-book nonsense. And he already had her right where he wanted her.
"Tallinn knows you're gone. In fact he recommended that I get rid of you. He wrote a letter to your superior saying you were taking a leave of absence for a short time, just a short one, although you did not make it clear when you would be back." Quinlan quickly explained and he casually let his hand tug at the band around her torso covering her breasts. He let his hand reach at her waist, feeling across her umber skin.
"Because, Zahi, you are overworked. So I thought...let me take you to the farthest possible place on the map, away from any mainland bullshit. Come on, is it really so bad to shirk your responsibilities for a weekened away - emphasis on away. We'll probably be gone longer than a weekend," he murmured and slowly leaned in, nipping her lower lip with his, kissing her again, with all the determination of a slow burn.
It was just as well that Zahi couldn't hear his thoughts. Because if she heard him say that equating 'being drugged and smuggled onto a ship' with 'being kidnapped' was building mountains out of molehills, she would have properly clocked him one. Then again, his overdone eye roll was more than enough, and she rapped him sharply on the side of the head.
Seemed like the seditive was wearing off.
But at the mention of Tallinn's name, Zahi's expression went from vaguely-annoyed to down-right stony.
"You talked to Tallinn about this?" she hissed angrily. And more than anger, the idea left Zahi feeling deeply embarrassed. It was one thing for Quinlan on his own to have some crazy idea and decide to execute it. It was something all together(!) for him to conspire with her partner and to have both men decide for her that she 'needed some time off.' Not that she was shocked to think Tallinn would be happy to see the back of her.
Which gave her another thought...
She pushed away his kiss. "Oh, you idiot," she complained with a new sense of urgency. Even after everything that had happened in Selevea, Zahi wasn't really convinced Tallinn trusted her. And this would be the perfect opportunity. "What if he doesn't deliver the letter, you useless... This is the perfect opportunity to just say, 'Akello abandoned her post, went back to her criminal background, betrayed our trust-', whatever he wants!"
As she explained, she struggled to climb over Quinlan. Where she was going to go, she wasn't sure. Maybe they weren't that far out to sea yet. Maybe they'd turn around. Maybe she could get on... who knows... like a fishing vessel or something. But even though she was recovering from the effects of the drug, she was still a bit clumsy, and failed in her effort, landing hard on top of Quinlan.
Nose-to-nose, she glared daggers at him. "I'm going to kill you, Red."
Ansgar's balls, there was something in her stony gaze that made her eyes light up. Of course it was a look he was familiar with and Quinlan chewed on his lower lip when she gave it to him. Anger made the eyes flare, even when you tried to control it, and with his gaze locked on hers, Quinlan was not at all perturbed by the fact that she was within inches of skinning him - and rather focused on something much more interesting.
"He will deliver the letter! He did help you in the investigation after all. Why wait until now to get at you instead of just watching you fail? In fact the latter would only solidify any thought as him trying to make you out to be incompetent. Tallinn delivered it," Quinlan groaned and let his body flop back against the bed uselessly.
Yeah he had no way of knowing for sure if the letter was delivered, but what point was there in thinking about it now. As ever Zahi was the optimist.
"Besides you'll be back sooner than you know, and you'll be able to hang him by his hamstrings if you want. I'll even help you," Quinlan sighed and watched her climb over him. Why couldn't she just stay still? Just enjoy the moment! Of course, the feel of her passing over him gave him a great view of her chest and legs. He wasn't picky about positions and he certainly had no qualms about her being on top.
With a gasp, she landed hard on him and Quinlan reached around her form to stabilize her. "No you're not," he murmured. "Not yet." He grinned and pushed her hair back with one hand, kissing her brow. "Look, we've been at sea for a while now. We're on a trade vessel bound for Thanatos called the Iron Swan. Unless you can swim for days, you're not getting very far. Now, come on, just relax and let me make it up to you." His throat purred out those last words and he kissed her again this time on the neck, clearly having no intention of letting her go any time soon.
"You're the one I'm going to hang by the hamstrings," Zahi growled, pushing herself away from Quinlan's attentions, "Did you think maybe Tallinn still would rather end a child trafficking ring than sabotage me? But you gave him a nice opportunity to do both."
With that, Zahi pushed hard off of Quinlan's chest – possibly pushing her weight a little higher on his chest than she needed to, but not quite at his throat. Once she was on her feet, Zahi did a rather inelegant sideways stagger as the ship's floor moved beneath her. She nearly staggered straight to the other side of the little cabin and fell straight back down, but she managed to right herself and took a few shaky steps to the cabin's little porthole, leaning against the brass frame once she was there.
Zahi looked searchingly out the window, as though checking whether or not it was too far for her to swim. Her anger in that moment wasn't just the standard grumpiness Quinlan always elicited from her. In truth, it was mixed with a kind of fear. That Quinlan's actions were shifting the sand beneath her feet. That, when she returned to Serendipity, she'd be back to square one. Jobless, alone, adrift. She'd worked hard to get where she was now, and she liked it. Though she wouldn't want to admit that she was happy to be doing something societally useful, the truth was that in a way she was. But she'd yet to earn the trust of half her colleagues, regardless of the often invaluable information she'd provided them. That she'd risked her life for theirs, the same way she would have for a fellow Soot Wolf, in the right circumstances. Most of them still looked at her and saw only a criminal. And Zahi was sure that her disappearing for Kia knew how long with a Connlaothian mercenary who'd just left the employment of a notorious crime boss would do little to improve that impression.
Fucking Quinlan. Brought her nothing but trouble.
She left him where he was, watching out the porthole with her back to him, in a grumpy, silent sulk. With the cabin below deck, the porthole only just looked out over the water, and an occasional wave submerged it, filling the round little window in an aquarium blue. Her eyes watched the play of the water. It was, though she would rather start the swim back to Serendipity than admit it, soothing in a way. At least it was until, in a sudden flash of black and gold, a yellow-sided dolphin leapt past the window and into the air.
Zahi visibly started at the sight, tensing and jerking slightly away from the window. In truth, she'd never been aboard a proper sea-faring ship before. And while she'd been a handful of times to the coast, she had never seen such a beast so close. And, when the first dolphin was followed by six companions, Zahi leaned closer again to the porthole, watching them with a curiosity she hoped Quinlan wouldn't see.
Quinlan did see it, and despite the steam boiling beneath her skin, he knew there had to be some upside to this. Untrue to his old self, he wasn't going to open his mouth and spoil her wonder just yet. She did have a point in that maybe he did talk a little too much. But perhaps that was what made their banter so enjoyable. He blabbered on, and when she had enough she showed him just how she wanted him to shut up.
He grinned a little, not quite thinking of all the things that were stewing in her head. As ever she would linger on the negative, and forget to enjoy the moment she was in. Until she backed away from the window and enjoyed the dolphins.
Quinlan, still quiet, rose from the bed, a little more used to the rocking of the vessel than she was - and undrugged to boot - and pulled his tunic back over his waist, slipping his trousers back on. It was chilly outside. He reached for his jacket too, but instead of throwing it over his shoulders he placed it gently over hers and gave her back her pants.
"There's a better view up on deck," he said and opened the door for them to venture out into the hallway.
Zahi might have been 'enjoying' the view for the moment - not that she enjoyed anything, except maybe watching worms like Quinlan squirm - but that certainly didn't mean she was ready to forgive Quinlan, play nice, put on his jacket and go for some romantic stroll around the deck.
Fuck that. Fuck him.
So when he came over and tried to place the jacket over her shoulder, she shoved him fiercely away. But she took the jacket and, glaring, put it on herself. Looking very serious and professional, indeed, in just her small clothes and a mens jacket.
She glared daggers at him for a moment, nearly snarling then slowly moved back to the bed, plopping back down and sitting legs akimbo. But she was still glaring, and still frowning. "What the fuck are you after, Quinlan?" she asked. Her tone, as always, was disdainful and distrusting. Because, the initial annoyance at the situation aside. This situation was... weird. And if Quinlan's intentions were no more than he said, it was kind of, well, weirder. He just wanted to whisk her away? Take her on a holiday? Go for romantic strolls around the deck, looking at the dolphins that she knew he'd seen her look at and was inwardly seething about.
Her frown deepened. "Why are you doing this?" She paused, then added before he could repeat his earlier claim, "Really."
"Do you really think I would like to you? Just to take you away from your life and job in Serendipity for my own personal gain? Admittedly I don't be have the best track record, but if you really wanna know... It's because I give a shit about you. Yeah yeah, you think it's bullshit because you always do."
Quinlan shrugged and let his hand rub at his chest where she'd shoved against him. Because damn did she have a mean fucking shove. And his heart speed up at that thought. He frowned however that she would really think all this was meant to deceive her somehow. To ruin her life.
"Because you're the great and ruthless Zahi and you don't need anyone or anything to take care of you. I didn't drag you here to 'take care of you're like some kind of ubermacho man. But ... I meant it when I said I love you. And fuck, I don't love anybody. Not like you, I guess," he shrugged and tucked his shirt into the waist of his pants.
"Why do you fight so hard against enjoying yourself, Zahi?" he grumbled. "I would never do this to hurt you."
And now it was Zahi's turn to have her heart rate pick up a tick. Because... on some level, she believed him. On her more rational level, the more everyday Zahi, she believed him. And what did that mean? Because another level, a deeper level, protested against the very idea. She didn't trust him or anyone else who had ever claimed to care about her. Much less 'love' her. Because, in the end, it was never true. Or it was never true for very long.
If she chose to believe him, it made her feel... vulnerable. And Zahi didn't let herself be vulnerable.
If she chose to believe him, it begged the question of what did she feel about him. No. Nevermind. It was always better not to ask that question.
Unwittingly, some of this ebbed into her glare. She hadn't stopped glaring at Quinlan. Still, she didn't know what to say. And Zahi hated not knowing what to say. Especially if it was some dumb git like Quinlan that tied her tongue.
In the end, all she said, her eyes leaving Quinlan to look back out the window, "Drugging and kidnapping someone is a weird way to show you care about them." It was a half grumble, half mumble. Half to Quinlan, half to herself.
Quinlan was going to enjoy this trip with Zahi. Even if it killed her. Even if it killed him, and if she thought he was going to let her get away so easily she was dead wrong. Quinlan didn't want to have to force her and her lack of enthusiasm - while completely unsurprising - was thoroughly frustrating.
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have gone if I'd asked you," he shrugged. And walked back to the door. "Look, do you wanna go up on deck? The dolphins are still splashing. They're nice. Or we can get some food. You have to be hungry after being out that long."
Quinlan sighed and waited by the cabin door, parting it. "If you just sit there, you'll miss it.
Silently, Zahi was grateful that Quinlan moved the conversation on as though he hadn’t said any of those uncomfortable things he’d said a minute ago. She could pretend for awhile longer - forever, if she could manage it - that he’d never said any of it. That she’d never heard it. And that suited her down to the ground.
When Quinlan mentioned the food, though, Zahi blanged; her rich brown complexion turning a little, well, green. The effects of the drug may have worn off her senses, but they still left her feeling sick at the thought of eating. Blehg. ”Oh no,” she replied hastily, looking thoroughly sick, ”I don’t think your sneaky drugs have worn off my stomach yet.”
It took her a minute to recover her composure. The last thing she wanted was another bucket incident. And when she finally pulled herself back together, her expression was… well if not ‘soft’, then certainly ‘softer.’ She knew as well as anyone, even if she’d never admit it, that as long as they stayed in the ship, being in a complete sulk was only childish. She’d have to dial it back to just being grumpy…
But she didn’t seem exactly grumpy when, looking back up at Quinlan, she inched back into the hard cot a bit and asked, ”Can’t we stay down here a little longer?”
She was free to sulk. That suited Quinlan just fine. But he was damned if he was going to let her stay that way once they got to Thanatos. He'd paid quite a bit of money for a cabin on this trade vessel. It was kinda nice to know they'd at least have some time to spend with each other out on the wide ocean.
Although he hadn't planned on Zahi getting seasick. Quinlan moved away from the door and shuffled over to the cot, plopping down beside her. The wooden frame and the cushioned mattress didn't offer much comfort. But if she wanted to lay on him to supplement that, he certainly wouldn't mind.
"Yeah," he murmured, smiling at her and giving a gentle nod. "We can just relax. It takes a while to get used to the boat." He reached up and pushed a stray hair from her face. "I didn't think the drugs were gonna work, I'll admit. So I may have hit you on the head a little hard to make doubly sure. Sorry about that."
he chuckled and shifted himself on the bed so that he could face her. "Wanna lie down? No funny business," he said putting a hand on his heart. "Unless you want to. But no pressure."
If Zahi knew he thought she was seasick, she'd clock him one. Seasickness would, of course, be a weakness on her part. And Zahi obviously didn't have weaknesses on her own part. She was sick now because he drugged her. And, who knew, possibly gave her a concussion. Especially considering how he was treating her. With all this... gentle consideration. It was disgusting.
She swatted away his hand after he brushed back her hair. "I'm not some scared child you have to coo and coddle," she grumbled. She glared at him, frowning, but there was something different about it. A glint in her eye. "Don't forget," she warned, pushing him suddenly over, flat on his back on the little cot; she kept the pressure on him, pinning him down, "I can still skin you, Princess. Even drugged and bashed over the head."
"OH- fuck!" he yelped when she pushed him down against the hard cot and Quinlan had his head pressed deep against the pillow. The bed was terrible and he could feel the slats underneath as she pressed down against him, he gave her a half-scowl. Because of course she would make her stupid threats.
"No you won't. And you wouldn't! It'd be a hard body to dump. Gods, your fucking strong," he hissed and tried to sit up. So he did what had to do and wrapped arms around her, holding her tight and firmly rolling them over to pin her against the wall. "But it's nice to see being drugged hasn't made you any less grumpy."
Quinlan gave her a cheeky grin.
”One of these days,” Zahi hissed from beneath him after he turned them over, pinning her close against him, ”I will.”
She glared at him. But it wasn’t really a glare. Because what was going through her head, still, were his words earlier. I’m doing this because I love you. She still, in her distrustfulness, couldn’t exactly take those words at face value. She wasn’t sure she wanted to take them at face value. Because… then what? And suddenly she was thinking about Bujari. About how she’d let him love her, or how she thought she had. How, in the end, he hadn’t come for her. And old doubts crept into her brain: Maybe he had. Maybe he couldn’t find her. Maybe his hands had been tied. Maybe maybe maybe. Zahi knew what it really was. Just a door she wanted to leave open. That the obvious wasn’t true. That the man she’d loved, who’d “loved” her and fucked around on her at every turn, hadn’t chosen his position over her life. But in all likelihood it was true. Bujari was gone. And after this little adventure, Quinlan would be, too.
Not that she cared.
It wasn’t that she wanted him to stick around. He was a headache. But why pretend? Why imagine they were on some ‘vacation’ as, what… lovers? They both knew how this would end. And it wouldn’t be with them together. Zahi would go back to her job, assuming it was still there, and Quinlan would go back to chasing whatever chance came his way. And he’d probably go first.
Of course he would.
With that thought, Zahi pushed away from him, but not hard enough to really push him away, just enough to express her displeasure at their current arrangement. ”You can drop that grin, too. You’re a real piece of work, you know that? You're just lucky that I don't still have a bad temper. Once upon a time, I'd have already smashed that ugly face in.”
It was best that Quinlan didn't keep any mind to his 'competition' or whatever Bujari was to Zahi. He knew about him, knew he was some kind of old flame. But whatever he was to Zahi, it couldn't have been much any longer because here he was and here Bujari was clearly not. Quinlan wasn't a man that gave much stock in tomorrow. If you knew there would be one, definitely, but in his situation, he didn't have to keep that in mind.
In the end, what was the point? You only had this one life anyway. And he wanted to soak in as much of it as he could.
So no, her threats meant little to him, even if he actually did follow through with it at some point in the future. For now, they were squashed in his little cot and Quinlan reversed what he'd done, rolling them back over, shifting himself so that he was properly underneath her and letting her body lay against him. Of course that was how they already were, but he liked her on top of him, the feel of her body pressing against him.
And because he'd rather he take the hard bed than force her to suffer through it.
His hands, however, didn't leave her back, and remained lazily at her waist, shifting so that they were underneath the jacket she was wearing and playing at the skin of her spin, nails playfully digging in.
"Well, fucksicles. Your temper, really, is among your best selling points," he chuckled, and kept his hands warm underneath the jacket, pressing fingers firmly into the muscles of her back, squeezing and loosening with equal pressure.
"No, I don't really know how much of a 'piece of work' I am. Because in all honesty, if I'd asked you to go away with me, would you have said yes? Don't lie, Zahi. Would you?" he countered pointedly.
"Now it is," she agreed, unwittingly letting herself relax a little from her Obligatorily Grumpy State. "Now that I'm calm and disciplined." She even smiled ironically, just a tiny bit. "But you should have met me when I was younger; I had a terrible temper. I was a real firecracker. If you'd even look at me the wrong way, I might clock you. And you," she gave a huff. "You, I'd've smashed up ages ago. Luckily, for you, I've grown soft in my old age."
Her smile faltered, then disappeared, at his question, however. "Well," she answered, "it would depend on how you asked. If you asked me to walk away without a word at the end of a job, before reporting back or anything. Then no, I wouldn't have. As hard as it might be for you to understand, I care about the work I've built for myself. But, if you waited for me to go back to Arca and ask for time off..." She gave a shrug, a slightly awkward gesture when she was laying flush against him. "Maybe. Maybe with someone I'd want to go away with, anyway," she half-teased. Or was it a tease? Things like this were never clear with Zahi. "But since you're not that patient, we'll never know. And, since you weren't that patient, once we get to... wherever we're going, I'll find a ship back to Serendipity. See if I can't get back in time to salvage whatever sad little life, in your eyes I'm sure, I've cobbled together for myself there."
"I wouldn't ever ask you that," Quinlan said, grinning playfully. "I mean to drop everything and walk away from salvaging your life. I don't know what heat happened between you and your old gang, and you don't have to tell me. But I would never ask you to run away with me, to be reckless like me. Even if that's what that feels like now. But me...I don't have anything anchoring me, so I can pretty much do what I want. And I wanted to be here just like this. Laying on a hard cot...with something poking me awful bad back there, with you laying on me just like you are."
He chuckled, even snorted and pressed a stray hand to his forehead, looking at her. "You know you drool a little when you're out cold? It's hilarious," he snorted, laughing harder. "And kinda cute. I cleaned it off when it started to pool around your pillow. I didn't want you to drown yourself."
Zahi visibly rolled her eyes at Quinlan’s little quips about her ‘drooling.’ ”I should have left you to be eaten by the Great Salamander God or whatever it was those cooks up to,” she complained, shaking her head at him. ”My life’d be a lot easier.”
Maybe it wasn’t the right joke, and it made her grumpy countenance falter. Because it sparked a memory of how bad of shape he’d been in after that. After how she’d had to drag him back to Fluffy’s hut and watch over him for days, sure he would die. And caring about whether or not he died. Without thinking, she smoothed a hand across the side of his face, brushing her thumb against his forehead. She might not say it out loud, but the gesture was clearly one that said she was, on some level, glad that she hadn’t; that he was here, warm living flesh and blood, pressed beneath her.
It wasn’t a large gap to close, leaning down to kiss him, laying on top of him as she already was. Her lips grazed against his at first, hesitating for a moment, before kissing him properly.
Quinlan grew quiet when her face changed, just a little that it was perceptible enough even to him. His own expression relaxed, the amusement tempered with her touch as she brushed her hand against his face, thumb lingering against his forehead. He kept his trap shut; it wasn't the first time it would have gotten him in trouble in a moment like this.
The moment her lips made contact with his, he was on the brink of release. And the tension that had sparked between them gradually melted away when his mouth naturally fell in time with hers. Quinlan closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and sealing her tightly against him in an embrace.
He still said nothing, just let his lips do the talking, nipping and pulling at her lips as he tongue sought hers in heated oscillation. It was broken only by a moment to breath and Quinlan reached up again to push away the loose hair from her face. That poofy hair that he would know anywhere. Still no words, and he leaned in again to give her a kiss ripe to steal her breath away.
It took more than a kiss to steal Zahi's breath away, but she leaned into Quinlan's kiss. Sparked by her earlier comment, the kiss made her remember previous encounters like this, holed up in the little shepherd's hut. She put her hands on either side of his head, fingers lacing into his hair. She pulled it, just a little, as she pressed herself against him, deepening their kiss.
It was a long time before she broke that kiss, pulling away just enough to look at Quinlan. They hadn't actually had much time to themselves over the course of the last weeks. She'd thought Quinlan was involved in a child trafficking ring of half of it, and Tallinn had been there as well. And she remembered something Quinlan had asked her during the brief time at the beginning of the adventure they had been alone. What she had done, after they'd left Adela. "I never asked you, Princess" she said, her voice low, "what did you do after we left Adela? After you left, I mean, stealing Fluffy with you." She smoothed her hands on either side of his face, giving a small, maybe ironic, half-smile. "I'm asking now because I'm turning tail back to Serendipity, once we're off this ship. Just to remind you."
After she broke the kiss, Quinlan savored the taste of her on his lips. He licked them and chewed on his bottom one to look at her through half-lidded eyes. He sniffed and observed her features in thoughtful quiet. Right, after Ketra, when he'd gone off to try and take jobs that would kill him and nothing worked. And had all sorts of misadventures.
Quinlan blinked and snorted. "I got myself into trouble," he murmured. "Nothing new there." He grew quiet a little and adjusted himself more comfortably underneath her.
"I took a lot of odd jobs. One of them returning a slave to her master. I don't really know if she ever made it home or not before getting captured myself. Got away. Then I...found my way north to Connlaoth... I know, crazy huh? Wanted mage wandering around in a country at war with itself." He sighed and swallowed a little. He was purposefully vague and shrugged. "I mean, after that, I wandered south into Serendipity. I'm not sure what happened to Fluffy. He got away. Ran off to go do what magical sheep dogs do. I got that job doing bodyguard work.
"I got tired of the inconsistency. I wanted something to give me some kind of ground. I honestly thought I would never see you again. I'm glad I was wrong," he said, looking up at her again and reaching up to bury his fingers into her hair. "You're not going anywhere," he said steadily. "You're going to enjoy our stay in Thanatos. Then when our trip is done, we'll go back to Serendipity together."
Zahi listened silently as Quinlan answered, her mis-matched eyes watching him carefully. She noted the way he sighed and swallowed at the mention of returning to Connlaoth. She knew just enough about his past to know that, whyever he had gone there, it was likely not something pleasant. But she didn't ask about it just then. She might later. She might not. Such questions only encouraged intimacy, after all.
But still. For all her grumpy airs, and for all her genuine anger with him for 'whisking her away' - nonconsensualy and with the help of drugs - she couldn't deny that there was something comfortable about being with him now. Like this. Probably too comfortable. She should really be giving him a harder time.
When Quinlan got to the last part about being 'tired of the inconsistency' of his lifestyle, Zahi's eyes widened slightly to give him an incredulous look. "I have a hard time believing that. I know your type. If you'd spent one, maybe two, weeks longer in that gig before I came along, you'd've gotten bored and wandered off to your next catastrophe. Once you'd fucked your way through the locals." She gave a little snort, and shook her head at him. Oh, she was going to enjoy their stay in Thanatos, was she? "That sounds like a challenge," she said with a small, wry smile. "What's a little gnat like you gonna do to me if I don't enjoy myself, heh?"
She definitely should be giving him a harder time.
Oh gods. Fucked his way through the locals? Was that what she honestly thought of him. He supposed he'd gave that impression pretty easily when they first met. And it wasn't entirely inaccurate but if he told her she was the only person he really wanted to fuck, she'd lose all respect for him. Not that there was much to begin with. And not even if that really was the truth.
Quinlan just snorted at her comment and he leaned his head up to briefly kiss her with parted lips. He gave a soft moan, letting his body curl around hers. Gods why did it feel so good to have her resting on him like this? They hadn't even rutted and he was soaking up the sensation of being close to her. He pulled away and licked his lips, eyes daring and he let his hand reached up to rub at the knot he'd made on her head with that cudgel.
"I might just have to bind you up and strap you to a wagon. We'll see the sights, go to the beach, have drinks with the locals. And if you break out, I'll pin you down. Kind of like how you're pinning me. You're going to have a good time. Even if I have to drag you back from Serendipity to do it." His tone was half serious. And his eyes stayed steady with hers. In them, they were entirely serious.
"You're not getting away from me. Not this time."
Somewhere between his words, the situation went from ‘probably too comfortable’ to ‘definitely too comfortable.’ And that made Zahi distinctly uncomfortable. Maybe it was the way he looked at her. The half-joking tone that only made him sound more earnest. But Zahi’s half-smirk faltered, a bit of a lump in her throat. For what felt like far too long of a moment, she simply returned his gaze and when she looked away, it was to where his hand brushed against the bump raised on her head.
”Yeah, your tactics for this trip sound just about as subtle as your methods of charming women and whisking them away,” she joked lamely. It fell flat, and she left it there for a moment before pushing herself (less forcefully this time) up off Quinlan and rising to her feet.
”Alright, bossy, we can go above deck and see the majestic ocean or whatever,” she said, as though Quinlan had been nagging her to leave the little cabin. Stretching, she added ”I’m sure I’ll be awestruck. You didn’t think to bring clothes for me, did you? When you knocked me out and smashed me over the head for this spontaneous little adventure?”
Quinlan let her get up off him, although he hated the feeling of the cold that lingered with her body removed. Quinlan didn't always like cuddling, but he could make exceptions as far as Zahi was concerned. Even if she hadn't been all that fond of it from the beginning.
When she got up, his eyes lingered on her form, admiring the faint movement of muscle under skin. The little scars there, knicks made by passing adventure, jobs, gone wrong, by meeting bastards like him, added character and he wanted to push her down into the bed and press his fingers against them, dig knuckles and palms in until she was thoroughly unmotivated to do anything but melt away.
Later though. For now, a walk sounded good. Maybe food if she could handle it. Quinlan got up from the bed and stretched, pulling his shirt up from the waist of his pants in that motion.
He looked at her and moved toward the bag he'd tucked away under the bed, pulling out his own clothing that was cleaner than hers. They would fit probably. "Here, these will do unless you want to wear yours. They're in the bag too but could probably use a good washing. Mine are clean. Here"
He handed them off to her and stood behind her against the wall, watching her get dressed.
"You'll like it. And if you don't, I know I'll hear about it later," he laughed and stuck his tongue out at her. "The dolphins follow you all the way to Thanatos. That's what the crew says anyway."
Zahi frowned at his proffered clothing. "You know," she complained, taking the clothing from him, "if they see me dressed up in your clothing, they'll think we're lovers or something."
She threw him a look over her shoulder, but she got dressed nonetheless. As much as Zahi might like to tease him for being a scrawny gnat, the shirt and trousers were obviously too large for her, giving her a rather disheveled look. She would probably be right in her assessment. Of course, the assumption would, in a way, also be correct.
But at Quinlan's last comment, Zahi shot him a fierce look. And, despite herself, her cheeks colored. Just slightly. What did she care about some stupid dolphins? She didn't. And she resented deeply that he'd even suggest that she might.
Secretly, though, she wondered if it were true.
Maybe she could feed Quinlan to one of them.
Quinlan opened the door for his little grumpy butterfly and followed her through, leading the way above deck. The ocean at large was calm, even as the easterly wind pulled them along and over the water swiftly. Quinlan didn't bother with shoes, and although the deck was warm, it was cool enough with the wind blowing around them. His hair whipped backwards, and so did Zahi's and he stayed close to her, resisting the urge to put his arm around her.
Although an angling in the ship toward the starboard side had him catch her lest she topple off her feet. He released her arm shortly and smiled. "You ever been on the ocean before, Zahi?" he murmured softly. The day was clear, no storm clouds in sight. It wasn't always this beautiful, but he would relish every moment that it was.
"I've been on lots of boats. Can't say I liked most of them, but this one is very nicely built, cuts through the water like glass through paper." Quinlan stepped carefully over to the side of the ship where their windo overlooked the water to see if they could catch a glimpse of those dolphins still.
Zahi shook his arm off when he caught her, giving him a glare that said loud and clear, I do not need you to catch me! But it didn't last long. As much as she might normally try to stifle it, Zahi looked curiously around the deck and over the sea. Having spent her entire life in cities and slums and ruins, there was something both foreign and invigorating about the fresh air and sunshine and open, endless blue of the ocean. She wouldn't tell Quinlan that, of course. But if he was observant enough, he'd be able to see it easily.
Her eyes roved over the endless blue of the ocean, but returned sharply to Quinlan when he bragged about how 'he's been on so many ships, and she's been on none.' She frowned at him. "Yeah, yeah. The cultured Connlaothian. Been everywhere, seen everything, fucked everyone," she said with a roll of her eyes. "And knows about ships. We're all very impressed, I'm sure."
It was while she was rolling her eyes that Zahi noticed the crewmen on board. And from their only slightly-disguised leers, it was clear Zahi had been right in her guess. She looked at Quinlan with slightly raised eyebrows. 'I told you so.'
Normally he wouldn't have minded her rather clear assertion of his promiscuous habits. He wasn't ashamed of them. Sure he'd had some fun encounters in the past, but that was in the past, and here he was now with Zahi. Right where he wanted to be. So he bristled - if just slightly - at her words and he exhaled sharply.
Quinlan wasn't going to linger on it. Quinlan looked at her with a side-long glance, observing her features, watching her eyes and when he saw the brief change in her expression, he grinned, and quickly hid it. She couldn't hide everything under that grumpy poker-face.
"I don't know everything. I do know that the grub can be shite if you don't get into the galley early," he chuckled, turning to her and observing her face, he quirked a brow. Riiight, they were being observed and all he had in response to that was a shrug.
"Why do you care so much what they think we are? We are, what we are. Whatever it is that we are. Come on, Zahi, if you can stomach a trading ship meal, then truly you have the favor of gods on your side."
His hand teasingly poked at her ribs on the inside of his jacket that she still wore. He stepped in and slipped that arm around her waist, even at her resistance, and pulled her into a hug. It was nice, and felt right just for that brief moment. He let her shove him away, because she always did, and nodded his head to the galley. "I hear they're serving octopus. Must have been a good catch today."
For once, she didn't shove him away. But she didn't actually return his hug, either. Because... why was he hugging her? Okay, sure, they'd had sex a few times and fooled around a bit. But that was something different. At least, in Zahi's mind. A hug was... so unnecessary.
"Um. What are you doing?" she asked, body awkwardly limp in Quinlan's arms in her refuse to reciprocate. The question wasn't even particularly barbed. "Look, I don't think octopus is going to go down well for you, Princess. You're clearly drunk."
[[short post!]]
She might have been limp against him, but that didn't stop him from giving her that needless embrace anyway. They were a day away from Thanatos. And unless she drowned him, or took the whole crew hostage there was no way she was getting back by swimming.
"I just like being close to you is all," he chuckled. The look he gave her might come as familiar, along with all the other smarmy smirks he was capable of. "I'll only drink if you drink. But gods know, that's a disaster waiting to happen. You couldn't hold down a couple of shots of rum anyway." His voice was an obvious dare, and he took her hand to take her down to the galley.
Wood creaked and ropes shifted with the movement of the ship. Once in the kitchens and moving past the bolted tables, and chairs, Quinlan found an empty bench unoccupied by crew and directed her to sit, bring two bowls of steaming hot soup. "Have you ever been to Thanatos before?" he asked, moving conversation along rather than focusing on how awkward she was.
Ha ha ha, she can't handle her drink, because of one time with moonshine. Hilarious. Though in truth, Zahi didn't have any plans to drink. This situation was too weird - and getting weirder; was he holding her hand? - and she wanted to keep her wits about her. Because even without alcohol, Zahi had no clue how to act in this situation. That was not a sensation she particularly enjoyed. And the more Quinlan did cute little things like take her hand or give her a completely unnecessary hug, the more suspicious she got.
Grudgingly, unhappy to just blindly comply but without too many other reasonable options, Zahi sat where she was bid, but she settled into her more comfortable demeanor with Quinlan: vaguely grumpy.
Luckily - or was it? - she didn't have to answer Quinlan's question about whether or not she'd been to Thanatos. She was pretty sure that he only kept asking these questions to point out that he was making all these new experiences for her. What a guy. Because before she got the chance, the salty old first mate of the ship staggered over to them, setting his own bowl of soup sloppily down on the table.
"Ha! See yer sleepin' beauty there finally woke up," the older man said to Quinlan, grinning ear-to-ear. "Hope yeh don't mind if I join yeh! Not offen we got fresh blood on the ship! How'd yeh all like the journey so far, huh? Gettin' yer sea legs?"
Zahi said nothing. Just looked, a bit frostily, between the old man and Quinlan.
Fuuuuck. Of course they had to be interrupted. Of course.
Oh, what difference did it make? It wasn't like Quinlan wouldn't have Zahi all to himself in the cabin. It wasn't like he'd have her chained to his side once they reached Suna. Once they were far enough away from everyone else, Quinlan could enjoy her. There was still the risk of having her cudgel him over the head in turn, maybe throw him unconscious into a river.
Worth it!
Quinlan glanced at the old seafarer, the heavy set man plopping his bowl down beside them. And just slid his largeness into the bench. The wood obviously creaked beneath the weight of them all. At least he was in good spirits.
"We're getting there," Quinlan answered. He grinned, and the old seafarer looked about and pulled a flattened flask out from the back of his britches, setting the metal container on the table and opening it up, and pouring a shot of it into the soup, taking a sip of it, and pulling out a collapsible shotglass from his jacket pocket, slamming it on the table.
"Put some hair on your chest, sharkbait," he said, mentioning to Quinlan and tossed him a shot of some amber fluid. Quinlan watched it, then him, for a long second before accepting the drink, and coughing when it went down. Oh...just one was going to be enough for him.
The old sailor refilled the shot and gave it to Zahi. "And it'll make ye, more lovelier than ye are." He winked at her and took a spoonful of the octopus stew in his mouth. "Names, Hurk. Been on the ocean all me life. Nice to see a young couple bonding. Though, not all of 'em carry the other, passed out on the shoulder into a rented cabin. Ye must've been out cold." He nodded to Zahi, eating soup again.
Quinlan tried to eat, finding the octopus a bit chewier than he wanted.
Zahi cringed when she saw the old sea dog pour a shot of god-knows-what into his soup. And she essentially stayed in “cringe-mode” as the man blathered on and offered the dingy flask first to Quinlan, then to her.
”Eh, no thanks,” Zahi responded, her nose not quite unwrinkling. ”Let’s say I’m lovely enough how I am.”
Despite the cold words from the woman, the first mate guffawed. ”That yeh are, lass! Now you two love bir-”
But he didn’t have a chance to finish before Zahi cut in bluntly, ”We’re not. We’re just acquaintances. ‘Sharkbait’ here drugged me, gave me a knock on the head, and carted me off onto your ship without so much as asking.”
For a moment, the man looked confused and a little concerned. But decided that Zahi’s deadpan delivery meant it was clearly a joke, and let out an even louder guffawing laugh. ”Ha! Nice try, missy, but anyone with eyes’d tell the two of yeh’re besotted. Ha! Wit and beauty, hold ont’this un, eh, sharkbait?”
Zahi visibly rolled her eyes, finally steeling herself to chew on some of the octopus. Wit and beauty indeed.
The man laughed awhile longer, then turned back to Quinlan. ”Where’re the two of yeh from, then, eh? I can hear neither one of yeh’s Serenian and well,” he grinned as though he were making a clever observation, ”not likely from the same brood, are yeh?”
Ugh, more stupid nicknames. Quinlan wasn't going to give their new friend any satisfaction in calling him names. Although it would seem he wouldn't have much other choice. Sharkbait. Ah, well. He'd been called much much worse by worse people than this old sailor. Quinlan just grinned and shrugged, sampling the chewy octopus.
Oh...not his favorite dish. Thankfully whatever was in that flask numbed his tongue to any real flavor, and he was able to take another bite without gagging. Quinlan forced a smile, and when he flicked eyes to Zahi, it turned genuine, namely because he was enjoying watching her squirm.
"Wit and beauty! Damn straight, Hurk. I like this guy," Quinlan said and forced the rest of that bowl of sea food down. Better now than later when he didn't have to taste it. With a slurp he swallowed the rest of it, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and sighed loudly. "We're from Serendipity. We live there, but weren't born there. We met on a fluke actually. You see i was lugging a dead body around," he murmured with a shrug.
At that, Hurk laughed so hard he almost choked on his food. Quinlan reached up to smack him hard on his back and finally the wheezing laughter finished and he sobered a little. "Ye did, didja?" he was red in the face, trying to catch his breath. "Was it a friend of hers?"
"A mutual acquaintance. We then went on a pretty amazing trip. Took out a whole cult of evil doers. We were stalked by birds owned by some arrogant wizard - because they're always arrogant. And we were saved by a magical sheep dog," Quinlan answered. And Hurk laughed again. He was in tears this time and clearly wasn't taking any of this at face value. "Easy there, Hurk. I don't need you passing out!"
He finally caught his breath and glanced between the two. "Ye two sound like yer made fer each other," he panted.
Zahi shot Quinlan a withering look. Yes, great idea, mention carting around dead bodies. Her frown deepened a little; she wasn't sure why, but she didn't like hearing Quinlan retell their 'story' like that to the old man. 'Amazing trip.' She just barely managed to not roll her eyes again.
Old Hurc kept laughing a bit longer, unaware of Zahi's cold frown at his assessment. "Oh-ho, I can tell yer good fer a tale, Sharkbait! That's why I was askin' where yer'all from. Ach, I won't make yeh tell another story," he reassured with a heavy wave of his arms, "but yeh must know some songs we don't!"
That actually got some attention. And Zahi was very relieved to see that the eyes now turned to them were mostly looking expectantly to Sharkbait. She slunk back a bit, setting herself to dutifully eating her soup.
"Come on, man," Hurc encouraged, "teach us some'in new!"
Heads of sailors nodded in agreement. Zahi, meanwhile, watched Quinlan a bit amused. "Yeah, c'mon, sharkbiat," she said under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear, "sing 'em a song."
Oh...oh gods no. They didn't just ask him to sing.
Quinlan's face flushed furiously and he chuckled, waving his hands. "You don't wanna hear me sing," he chuckled loudly. And when old Hurk clapped a heavy hand across his shoulders, Quinlan lurched forward, slamming his chest against the table and the air went out of him.
The old sailor was laughing. "Oh we'd don't wanna. We gotta!" he huffed, cackling again, joined in by the other men.
And Quinlan heaved in a deep breath. Well, he better start fucking singing. He cleared his throat and licked his tongue against the top of his mouth. Seemed the taste was coming back and Quinlan sat up straight. "This is called the Maiden of Bellkrath," he announced and made a show of clearing his throat again.
"Oh, there once was a golden haired lass,
That lived in the hills of Bellkrath.
She was buxom and bright
and made the air delight.
"And when she did pass, the golden haired lass
Turned the sky to darkest night.
Save for the eyes, the eyes
That came to light.
"Oh I loved my lass,
especially her ass, and when
next she came, parted curtains of rain,
I knew then and there I'd make her mine at last.
"So I saved all my hard earnings,
My back broken and burdened, and
Slaved I did to be worthy of my love.
"The next I knew we were wed,
(And I was eager to break in that new bed),
and there I raised her patterned white veil.
I screamed then in horror,
My stupor began to fade,
I wish then that I listened,
to the wise words my friends gave.
"Lo then, behold, the bell gave it's toll.
And I was dragged off to bed
by my new bride, the troll."
The end of the song caused a chorus of raucous laughter around the mess hall. Zahi, however, rolled her eyes; though she had thoroughly enjoyed seeing his face flush with embarrassment before he started the song. That was something she had not seen before! And it had left a vaguely smug smile on her countenance.
From the sailors, though, came the chanting demand, "Another! Another! Sing us another!"
While she didn't exactly love his song, Zahi was enjoying watching Quinlan in this awkward position. Well, she wasn't enjoying it. She was determined not to enjoy any part of this 'holiday,' obviously. But the smug smile fell off her face in an instant when one of the younger sailors grinned, ear-to-ear, encouragingly at her.
"'Ow abou the sleepin' beauty? I bet yeh sing sweeter'n the birds! Sing us'n!"
Zahi just stared at the young man for a moment. Was he kidding her? "Uh, no." But the mens' attention was turned to firmly to her now. And Zahi was more likely to bust a chair over someone's head than sing a song!
For now the old sailors would have to be satisfied with that song, and when the attention turned to Zahi, Quinlan felt it was best to slip out of the situation while everything was in the all clear. He stood up from his bench and maneuvered around to Zahi grasping her wrist to encourage her to stand.
"I think you'll have to be satisfied with that, Hurk and friends," Quinlan announced as he dragged them both out of there and he nodded to them in parting. He stepped from the galley as the sailors began a chorus of their own songs, laughing jovially.
Quinlan released her hand and took her along with him back to their cabin.
Zahi was only too happy to leave the mess hall. She glanced back over her shoulder at the mess hall's door, to the rowdy song echoing from inside. Well, at least someone was enjoying themselves. And that was when Zahi noticed that Quinlan was leading her by the hand. With a jerk, she pulled her hand away from him. It was an instinctual move, as was the grumpy glare she shot at him for holding her hand in the first place. But it softened, just slightly.
Instead she paused, the reflexive glare giving way to her casting her gaze out over the ship. While they'd been choking down octopus and singing, the sun had dipped down onto the sea, and the sky was a canvas of orange and pink. Not that Zahi liked that kind of thing. But she could use the fresh air. "Let's stay up here for a bit."
Without waiting for Quinlan, she moved over to the ship's side, leaning against the cool, sea-sprayed wood. She waited for Quinlan to join her, not saying anything for awhile. Finally, "I suppose you want me to thank you for saving me from having to sing or - more likely - break the heads of the people who actually know how to sail this thing, huh?"
"You know I admire your ability to wrangle even large cave salamanders to the ground, but sailing a ship? Not so much. I would very much like not to drown, and you not to drown with me." Quinlan did join her and he leaned a little against the railing. He was happy to be free of the rowdy crowd for once. On a closed quarters ship, it was much more difficult to escape, except for the quiet of their room.
Quinlan looked to her briefly as she watched the horizon, the sun setting. And saw the painting reflected in her eyes. Gods, he wanted to say something cheesy but instead thought better of it.
"That liquor Hurk gave me burned the hell out of my tongue. I can't feel a thing. If you tongued me right now, I wouldn't even know." He laughed at his lameness. "I'd never expect any thanks for rescuing you, by the by. Not being throttled for hand holding is thanks enough."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Zahi muttered, rolling her eyes at Quinlan's line about cave salamanders and ships and blah blah blah. She leaned out over the railing, sea spray misting her face and her curly hair. She wouldn't tell Quinlan, but it was exhilarating and peaceful all at once. But his last comment got her attention, and she looked over at him. Handholding. "Yeah, about that: cut it out. Or I will throttle you. I ought -"
But Zahi stopped; something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. A spray of water spouted into the air, followed by the smooth black back of a whale, and then its tail breaking above water.
[If you mind me taking liberty here, I can fix the post]
"Come on. Let's go inside," he said. Quinlan pushed himself away from the railing long enough to get some momentum and saw the dark shape of the whale underneath. It was massive and at least fifty times larger than the ship they were on. The vessel cut through the water and as the animal dove back underneath, a massive splash spewed up from the tail's impact.
"You're sopping wet," he hissed and nodded for them to return to the cabin. "Come on." It wasn't a question, but nor was it an order, and once they were back inside, Quinlan didn't smile, didn't so much as ask for her permission before he peeled that jacket off of her, and the borrowed top and the small clothes underneath and nudged her toward the cot.
"Lie down. Please." He knelt straddled her back, and although he didn't sit on her, he was on his knees on either side of her and pressed his hands firmly into her back, again no expression of humor passing along his face, and he kneaded his palms into the muscles along her spine.
Zahi let Quinlan lead her back towards the cabin, glancing over her shoulder as they descended to have one last look at the ocean. One she hoped Quinlan didn't notice. But when started fussing over her and clucking like a nursemaid - except, of course, that he was undressing her - Zahi frowned at him. It was a frown that made it very clear that she was letting him do this. Oddly, she wasn't in a mood for a fight. The situation had her too... disoriented. No, it was probably just the remaining drugs in her system. It was almost easy to forget that little fact: He'd drugged her and kidnapped her here. But now that here they were, he was being so... odd.
She didn't know how else to call it.
Zahi even let Quinlan put her on the cot, but she couldn't say that she enjoyed it. Even as his hands worked into her back, which was no doubt tense, Zahi only felt uncomfortable. "I know we already did the short version of this," she started, breaking the silence between them, "but what happened to you in the however long it's been since that nonsense with the salamanders? You've gone a bit soft, Princess."
Quinlan's hands, while firm, alleviated the pressure here and there where the muscles of her back met in the ridge of her spine. She was nicely built and he couldn't help himself when he admired her form. Nothing soft about her, not even the curves where one might expect. Lean and mean, and something about that drove Quinlan crazy.
He relaxed a little more and eased into the deep massage, letting his fingers spread over her skin and settling down even as she posed her question.
"Me soft? Yeah, I guess I have," he murmured. "A lot of crazy misadventures since before that business in Selevea. I went back to Connlaoth...stupid I know. But I'm not known for my sensibility. Anyway, I had a dream. A really bad one. I had to get my sister out. I couldn't wait for the same thing to happen to her that happened to me. But...she didn't make it. We were close to the border..."
The sadness was heavy in his voice. He stopped and shifted around to lay against the wall, keeping a hand gently rubbing at her shoulder, wanting that connection, needing it, and his eyes searched hers for a time. The smile he gave fell flat and was forced and he rubbed at his eyes.
Pathetic. He couldn't even keep himself together. He didn't need her feeling sorry for him. He just wanted her close to him, to anchor him to some manifestation of a reality where he didn't need to feel so damn lost.