@DragonSong Burton was glad for small coastal towns, a notion he made apparent every time the Red Jewel stopped to top itself off in one of them. The ship's nature meant that it couldn't exactly
dock anywhere respectable, so it was longboats to shore. And between the sheer time going back and forth in longboats with supplies took as well as how easy it was to charm small town folks just by virtue of being himself, Burton always had a great time during these small asides.
So it was today as well, with his small landing party of actual living crew mates (no undead on shore, thank you very much) and a light whistle on his lips as they worked to gather up everything they needed to make sure their supplies didn't dwindle on the sea. He was quick, urgent on time ordering his crew about moving the supplies onto the longboat, eyeing everyone who crossed their paths. Burton hadn't let anyone get the drop on him in over a year now: he was not about to start now.
Most everyone just went about their business, more than happy to take the red haired, foul mouthed man's coin and let him and his ship mates go about their business unmolested. Though that was the way of small townsfolk in general. They, better than most, knew to keep to themselves when clearly dangerous men were trying to get in and get out quickly. And if they considered trying to give the men trouble, Burton's hand on the pommel of his sword served as a reminder that one's first idea was not always one's best idea.
Bo was fairly convinced that her brother was trying to kill her.
Not straight out, no of course not. Arryn's goal seemed to be to have her fret to death, as he darted from one end of the small market to the other, seemingly without any sense of self-preservation. Or even any sense at all, as crossed her mind when a rather shady looking gentleman tried to wave the young lord into an alley, promising "special deals."
When Arryn took a step to follow, she put her foot down. Literally, stamping on the young man's toe to draw him up short and grabbing for his upper arm as he doubled over with an incredulous, "Ow!"
"My lord, we must secure a ship," she hissed in his ear, voice pitched low and gruff to keep up with her disguise. "Have you forgotten why we are here?"
Arryn pouted at her and jerked his arm away. His guard could be so stifling! "I most certainly have not. But this place is fascinating! So many spices and trinkets we wouldn't see back in Jadenshine."
"The ship, my lord."
"Fine, fine!" With an exasperated huff, Arryn freed his arm from her completely and began making his way toward the docks. "You're no fun," he informed his sister, loud enough to make her wince and look around warily. "Oh for gods' sakes!" He scowled at her. "What do you think someone is going to do, jump us in broad daylight?"
One thing Burton had always had was being observant. One never knew when an opportunity would present itself. Like just then, when he heard two men arguing over something about a ship. Glancing over from the longboat and the boxes he was helping load up, he noticed a few things. They were Serenian and one of the men was definitely nobility of some kind. Patting his men on the back, he gave them a wink and turned around to head for Bo and Arryn.
"They just might," he replied with a casual shrug as he approached the two, putting on his best charming smile. "I've been port to port enough to know that some people are desperate or stupid enough to do things you'd never think they could."
Offering a little bow first, he jutted his hand out to Arryn to shake. "Burton LaMont of the Arca LaMonts. Not a noble family by any regard, but we do well enough for ourselves. Not to be a busybody, gods know my father would box my ear for butting in, but I couldn't help but hear that you need a ship?"
Arryn brightened and exclaimed, "Yes, we are!" at the same moment his bodyguard ground out a rough, "We're fine actually, thanks."
The siblings turned to glare at each other. Don't even think about it, Bo growled internally, trying to put as much feeling into her gaze as she could.
She thought she managed it, though judging by her brother's smirk all she'd managed to do was rile him up. Great. Now he had the bit between his teeth and they'd be all day with it.
"We are, actually," Arryn continued, looking back to the stranger. Bo bit the inside of her cheek to keep from shouting at him. She gave the newcomer a narrowed, calculating look up and down as the young lord continued, "Did you happen to know where we should look?"
Burton snorted, his amusement at the two of them arguing more than apparent. "The two of you argue like my folks used to. S'cute." Glancing between the two of them, he made a mental note that while the lord was a naive idiot, the guard was much more cautious. Though it all might not matter if the two of them weren't worth the risk and effort.
Scratching his cheek thoughtfully, Burton kind of kicked his heel against the dirt as he pretended to think about things. "Well that entirely depends on where you're going. I thought I heard Jadenshine? Couldn't tell you about some of the other ships here, but our journey takes us through Cerenis, where you'd probably have an easier time getting a reputable carriage."
He suddenly held his hands up in a defensive position, his face supposedly flushing with embarrassment. He slipped into something a lot closer to a lower class city accent, stumbling less over his words but speaking more quickly. "I mean, not that I'm necessarily suggestin'... I don't wanna seem like I'm trying to strong arm you good folks. And I'd have to talk to the captain before we could even take on passengers... ah, many apologies. I'm ramblin'. My mum just used to tell me that I oughta stick my neck out for others, back before she left us."
"Oh no, don't apologize!" Arryn said quickly, clearly quite taken in. Bo was not so easy, though she didn't voice her misgivings. Not yet, at least. "Truly, we're grateful for the offer of aid. And yes, I did mention Jadenshine, that's where we're from-- we're actually heading further north though, toward the Connlaothian border." He tilted his head slightly, almost puppyish. "I...don't suppose you're heading in the same direction? OW!"
Bo had trod on his foot again. Hard. He glowered at her.
"Aahhh, Connlaoth. Had me a sweetheart up there a few years back." Burton paused when he saw the toe stomp coming. He hadn't really ever stopped looking at Bo, given how the bodyguard was definitely wary of him. Smart man. Too bad about his charge being such a naive tool.
"We do indeed head up that way. Not exactly a direct path, mind you. We make stops along the way to pick up cargo and such."
"Well we're not in any particular rush," Arryn replied, glowering at his guard, who returned his look with one that was utterly blank. Turning his attention back to Burton, he continued with a smile, "If you have room for two more, we'd be more than happy to pay for passage."
Bo ground her teeth. He was trying to give her a heart attack, she knew it.
"Well I'll just pop on over to the ship then. Get this cargo up and away to it. You know how it goes," Burton said with a casual dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll sweet talk the captain. Butter her up a bit. See if I can't get her to let you loverly folks on board. I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes, aye? Ye have my word, I'll e back with word regardless of her answer."
Giving a decidedly flirtatious wink and a grin to Arryn and blowing a kiss to Bo, Burton sauntered back to the long boat with a kick in his step his men knew well enough at this point. The man had a plan. And if they fucked it up in the least, they'd have to play him in pinfingers later.
As the longboat left the docks, Burton waves his hat at the nobleman and his guard, grinning at them as he donned it once again. Back on the Red Jewel, it didn't really take that much convincing once the word hostages and ransom started getting thrown around. And, of course, a few compliments about Vailea's body. Sometimes he didn't know if his flirting with the captain was seen as endearing or annoying. But either way he absolutely was not about to back down.
And so it was not even half an hour later when Burton and another member of the crew rowed the longboat back to the docks, stepping up into the busy market area to find his rich, naive new friend.
Arryn simply waved the stranger off, looking rather pleased with the whole scenario. Bo waited until Burton was out of sight before grabbing her brother by the scruff of his neck and dragging him down a conveniently deserted alley.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Arryn thrashed in her grip until she let him go with a little shove, backing him up against the wall and glancing warily back over her shoulder. "What in all hells, Bo?!"
"That," his bodyguard hissed, whirling on him with fire in her eyes, "is my line. What the fuck were you thinking?"
The argument pretty much devolved from there. They managed to keep their voices down enough so as not to draw too much attention, but they weren't too far from where they'd met Burton, and they weren't exactly being subtle.
It wasn't hard for Burton to find the two again, a spring in his step as he whistled a cheery tune and came to lean against the wall at the end of the alley.
He cleared his throat rather obviously, a pleasant grin on his face. "Don't mind me. Continue with yer married folks arguin'. I just wanted to let you guys know that the Captain, well. She ain't usually one for passengers. Says they're bad luck."
He gave a sigh, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Playing up the notion that it hadn't been a pleasant conversation with the Captain. That he hadn't been as giddy as a school boy mentioning the word ransom. "She weren't easy to convince, and she said ya'd have to pay extra what you would on another ship. But if ya still want on board, she's willing to take ya both on."
Both Bo and Arryn jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, caught off guard, though while the young lord seemed a little relieved, his guard just glowered and folded her arms over her chest with a huff.
Then Arryn's face twisted up in disgust and he squawked, indignant, "Married?" and Bo actually had to smile, just a little.
An expression that quickly faded as the sailor continued his pitch. She narrowed her eyes, not buying his sad-sack act for a second, but before she could try to say anything to Arryn he'd piped up happily, "Oh, that's no trouble, ser. We're in a bit of a hurry, so as long as you can promise safe and speedy passage, price isn't an object."
Bo gritted her teeth to bite back a growl, glaring at the back of the little idiot's head. To a stranger, she just seemed like the lordling's put-upon guardsman. To somehow who knew her, the worry was clear behind her eyes.
Burton watched the two of them, grinning just a bit all my with Bo when the guard actually seemed to enjoy his little joke. And then how quickly the expression shifted again as he continued. This man was not going to be easy to convince. But it also didn't seem like he was the one who needed convincing. Nevertheless...
"I'm humbled by your trust, m'lord, but I might say that your man seems rather put out by me and my offer of assistance." Burton glanced toward Bo, giving him a tight, apologetic smile. "I've been dealing with your lord up until now, but I would feel terrible dragging you along without your peace of mind. Is there anything I can do to set you at ease, eh?"
"Oh, Bo?"
Arryn looked at her, a flicker of something vindictive and childish in his eyes. Bo bit down on a groan. Oh, here we go...
"Don't mind him, he's always been like this," the young lord said with an airy wave of his hand. "Insists on believing that the world hides innumerable dangers around every corner."
"That's because it does," his guard muttered through gritted teeth. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Burton, and lifted her chin slightly in an effort to appear a little taller. "I highly doubt there's anything you could say to make me trust you," she told him bluntly, pitching her voice a little lower and gruffer, a habit when she was inhabiting her role as simply Arryn's put-upon bodyguard. "But, seeing as I am a simple guardsman--" a quick glare toward her baby brother, one that made him actually flinch-- "I have no real say in the matter, it would seem. If m'lord wishes passage on your boat, then that is what we will do."
She narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, placing herself firmly between the stranger and her charge. Lowering her voice slightly, she added with a cold, clear kind of certainty, "But know that if you contrive any harm to come to him, I will do everything in my power to beat you to death with your own spinal chord." She tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow. "Savvy?"
"Bo! Really, that seems entirely unnecessary--er, do forgive him, ser, he is hopelessly overprotective--"
The guard ignored Arryn as he continued babbling apologies, her eyes never leaving Burton's face.
Burton, for all his usual ability to hide his less than polite side when he was in town, couldn't help but crack a bewildered and arguably manic grin as Bo put herself between Arryn and him. He stared at the guard, at this close range it was more obvious that his right eye didn't react or move like the left one did. Blind, probably. Slowly, Burton's hand slid up the front of his shirt and clutched the spot over his heart.
"I'm sorry," he apologized with a sudden, sharp intake of breath. Leaning in a bit closer, he studied Bo's face with his one good eye. "I'm sorry, I think I might be in love with you now, ser bodyguard."
And then he took a step back, fanning himself. Burton slid easily into a bow, the kind he had learned in court from his father, leaving the back of his head exposed to attack. "But you have my word, on pain of being beaten to death with my own spine, that no harm will come to you or your charge while you are in my care on our fine ship. We can't offer much in the way of luxury, but I will personally make sure that you get the best of what we can."
After a moment more of bowing, he glanced his head up to look at the pair of them. "Do you have anything else to take care of here in town? We can leave whenever you are ready."
A hint of color stole into Bo’s cheeks, just for a moment. She managed to ignore it, keeping up her glare even as a part of her kind of was starting to like this man and his ridiculous air.
Didn’t trust him one whit, but was maybe starting to like him.
She stepped back to Arryn’s side, keeping quiet as the young lord enthused, “Oh, we just need to fetch our things from the inn, the sooner we can be off the better. If you’ll just tell us where you’re docked, we can be there in less than an hour.”
Bo nodded once, calculated eyes still roving over Burton. She’d noted the hitch in his sight, filed the information away as it might be useful later. She still didn’t like this, but it was painfully clear that there was no talking Arryn out of it.
She’d just have to be careful enough for both of them.
Like always.
Damnit.
Burton definitely noticed the subtle change in how Bo reacted to him. He flashed the guard a wink and a quick kiss to the air in Bo's direction before leading the way back out of the alley. "Absolutely. We're docked third from the left, the red trimmed boat. We'll row out to the ship and get you both aboard in no time."
His hand naturally fell back to the pommel of his sword as he cast glances around to ensure that all was safe and clear on the street. "I'll follow you to where you're currently resting your heads: you are officially in my care after all, and I do intend to keep my word." Burton's grin slid over to Bo.
He had to admit, both men had their charm. Arryn was pretty, of course, but also naive. Bo looked like he could and would kick Burton's teeth in, and he did like that quite a bit. Too bad he definitely was going to lose any chance at bedding either, or both of them as soon as they got on board and realized that they were prisoners.
"Lead the way m'lord, ser bodyguard. I am at your service until we reach your destination."
No kept herself between Burton and Arryn as they walked, though her eyes did continually scan the crowds as they made their way back toward the inn where they’d been staying the last two days. But she could feel Burton’s attention on them, on her, and it made her skin itch.
She wasn’t utterly naive—but she wasn’t used to getting looks like that when playing her role as “ser bodyguard.” She was just a part of the scenery then, usually. People typically didn’t pay Lord Arryn’s irritable guardsman much mind.
And she did not like the way he looked at her brother. It would be just like Arryn to catch onto such a thing and become instantly infatuated—sailing, adventure, grand romanticism. Just his weakness.
Oh no. No sir. Not on her watch.
When they reached the inn, she turned to their new companion and muttered, “I think you’d best wait out here. We’ll only be a few minutes collecting our things.”
“Oh, there’s no need to be so cold, Bo,” Arryn sighed dramatically, but he didn’t seem quite as inclined to argue as he had earlier, now that he’d gotten what he wanted. Bo shook her head as she watched him climb the stairs up to their room, a hint of a fondly exasperated smile tugging at her lips.
Spoiled brat.
Burton did as he was told, taking a rest on a barrel outside. He played with his dagger, sticking it in the dirt harrowingly close to the toe of his boot, picking it up, and repeating the process. He nicked the leather several times, but didn't flinch with an indifferent boredom each time it happened. This had the very much desired effect of making sure that anyone coming in, out, or around the inn did their level best too ignore the man apparently trying and failing to stab himself in the foot.
Around his twelfth throw, Burton realized that he was bored. This had been far too easy. Bo was a challenge, for sure, but none of that mattered when he was bound to the whim of an arguably petty and naive nobleman. Burton wondered if the hired muscle would prefer to join the crew: that could be fun. Maybe he'd pitch that once they were on the ship.
Continuing his game of one man mumblepeg, he started up a half-remembered tune he had heard back home, before he had left. And he waited.
Bo was the first down the stairs, hand on her sword hilt and eyes wary as she cleared a subtle path for Arryn to follow her back out of the inn. She didn't say anything to Burton when she found him sitting on the barrel, just gave him a brisk jerk of her head and an affirmative sort of grunt. She was carrying two middling sized packs while Arryn had one larger one slung haphazardly over one shoulder.
The young man's eyes were bright with excitement, mismatched gaze positively glittering. She shot him a stern look, but he didn't notice; if he didn't get a handle on himself, his magic was going to start sparking off randomly. She hated when he did that.
"Very well, we're ready, Master Burton," the young Lord Sylvaren practically chirped.
Burton leapt to his feet when he saw Arryn and Bo leave the inn, a slight spring in his step. "Good to see you too, Bo," subtly reminding the guard that his master had indeed said his name earlier. Or at least the name he went by. He gestured for the two of them to follow, leading them in a slow but straight path towards the docks. "Lovely name, that. Deceptively simple, just like a bow. Father always used to say that the worst kind of perfectionist is a bowyer. Said that about every profession though, so take that with a grain of salt."
As they neared the row boat where the two men he had brought with him had been ordered to wait, Burton slowed his pace further. He slipped in close to Arryn and Bo, dropping his voice into an almost conspiratorial whisper. "Now, between you and me, after the Captain I'm the prettiest piece of ass on the ship. The rest of the boys, well they don't have my wit or my charm. Rough around the edges like. I just ask you forgive them if they aren't as polite or political as I try to be, aye? They're sensitive. And try to use small words around them. Some of them can't even read."
He shook his head in feigned disappointment as he approached the boat and gave his men a hidden wink and a nod. Once again, his accent dropped into something ragged and low class when he addressed them. "Look at you two. Didn't run after the first piece of arse what blinked her lashes at ya. Good job, really."
He stepped over the edge of the boat, undisturbed by the slight sway as it shifted with his weight, and turned to hold his hand out towards Bo and Arryn. Halfway gesturing to them, halfway offering to help them aboard. "These are our distinguished passengers, boys. Now you're both to treat them as good as you treat the Captain, or I'll let Ser Bo feed you some of your teeth. Lord Arryn, Ser Bo, this is Faldin and Kira. Two strongest backs I've had the pleasure of working with."
"Oh, it's just a nickname," Arryn chirped happily when Burton commented on his guard's name, before his sister could stop him. "Gods, when we were children Bo always hated when I used his full--"
"Yes, thank you, m'lord," she cut him off quickly, shooting him a firm glare. Damnit. Bad enough that he'd tipped off how long they'd been together, she didn't need him sharing her real name with every random stranger they came across. Most of the Sylvaren household didn't even know that.
Not because it was a particular secret, exactly, not by itself. But the rumors of Lord Orrin's illegitimate daughter still abounded in certain circles, and if someone recognized the name--an old Sylvaren shieldmaiden--really looked at the new lord and his guard, took her for what she was rather than what she pretended to be... Despite their difference in coloring, the rough hands of Bo's work and silky smooth skin of Arryn's luxury, it was impossible not to see the resemblance.
Another benefit of her disguise; a bit of dirt smudged around her jaw or over a cheek could distract one quite easily from what she actually looked like.
She rolled her eyes when their guide referred to himself as a "pretty piece of ass", but took his advice about the crew for what it was. At least for now. She closed in a little against Arryn's side as they approached the gangplank, giving the two strangers a nod but not speaking.
"Thank you, Master Burton," Arryn piped up cheerfully, gratefully accepting the other man's hand--apparently taking that offer at face value as well. Little idiot.
Bo kept close to his back, eyes still flickering about warily as she followed them onto the ship.
A nickname. And they'd known each other for a very long time. Both interesting things to note. Burton nodded understandingly though when Bo berated Arryn. "Don't be too hard on him. You'll find were an openminded lot of folks. Just tie a stocking around the handle to your cabin door and no one'll disturb you."
He grinned, clearly teasing them both as the other sailors unmoored the row boat from the dock and took up the oars to get them moving. The ship was a ways away, too large to dock at such a small port. But there it was, a relatively short board ride away, glimmering on the water like some kind of red jewel.
"I do love making landfall. Pretty faces, new friends. But gods damned if I wouldn't give it up to live on the sea only if I had to." The two other sailors rolled their eyes at how corny he was being, but they knew well enough to play along. They murmured in agreement, grunting with the effort of rowing the boat, and dropping the fact that Burton was the quartermaster among their idle chatter.
"We'll be at the ship in just a minute, you two. We'll hoist your stuff aboard and then drop a ladder for you to climb up. And I'll go last so I can catch you if you fall." Burton winked at the pair of passengers again, flashing them the winning smile his father had beaten into him as a young boy.
Both lordling and guard looked positively ill at that particular comment.
"Oh gods no. No no no. Eauch, just...no," Arryn babbled out quickly, face screwed up in disgust.
Bo, who'd recognized the joke for what it was but still screwed her face up in horrified distaste at the very idea, tried to school her expression back into something more neutral as she stepped up and took her seat in the small rowboat.
They were in very close quarters. Her fingers twitched unconsciously toward her sword hilt, shoulders stiff and tense.
Arryn, joking forgotten, positively beamed as he looked at the water around them. "Oh, I've always loved the sea," he chattered excitedly. "But I only rarely get to leave Jadenshine, really. We used to visit the coast when I was a child though, before..."
For a moment his expression flickered, old grief welling behind his eyes. But only for a moment. Then the smile was back in place, with a nod of gratitude for Burton's explanations. "Thank you very much for all you've done to aid us," he told the sailor, sincerity shining in his tone.