[center][h3]A Moment Apart[/h3][/center] [hr] [i]13th of Midyear, Late Night, the Governor’s Palace[/i] It was strange how the mind worked. When Sirine had entered the room with Zaveed, the opulence had been overwhelming, reminding her of a life she'd lost. Now that he had left and she was there by herself, her mind was beginning to process things differently. Looking at the chairs, the bed, the curtains and sheets, she founds herself setting a price to each. It was almost a game- with the sound of the waves from the balcony, she could almost pretend she was back on her ship, readying to sell off all the goods she had plundered. Smiling to herself, she let her fingers trail lightly over the bed, feeling the covers, the sheets, the pillow shams. They felt so [i]luxurious[/i]- she felt if she allowed herself to sit down on the bed, she would end up falling asleep almost instantly. She didn't want to though... not yet. Having this sort of freedom at this time of the night had been unheard of. Even tonight she had been engaged in pleasuring a man, though as Zaveed had very astutely mentioned, the Redguard man hadn't had his release. Her mouth turned downward as she looked at her hands, wanting to wash them yet again, even though they were as clean as could be. She'd never have to go back to that life anymore, yet unseen stains remained. Her hand twitched and she reluctantly allowed herself to clutch the coin around her neck. It seemed to her that she was treating it with more reverence than she had expected or wanted to. It was silly, and it still irritated her... and yet she didn't think she would get rid of it. It had been a jest, but she didn't think the khajiit really understood how it was to be given money and not expected to do anything to earn it. Her coin, her medallion… It was no mere septim. There was [i]meaning [/i]to it. She let go of it along with an annoyed sigh. It really was sentimental drivel, wasn't it? But he didn't seem to mock it or find it funny. If anything, there was a sort of understanding in his eyes… and this ignited a curiosity within her. Who was he exactly? And who was Sevari, upon whose rescue banked the rescue of her brother? Her forehead wrinkled momentarily; she turned toward the balcony once more, leaning over the railing as she looked out to the sea. It really was beautiful… it she stared long enough, she could imagine the sails in the distance, her colours flying high for all to see. [i]Nothing but a dream now. [/i]What had taken her years to put together had been so easy for the dwemer to take apart in just minutes. She could still hear the panicked yelling, the screams, and finally the silence. Desperately swimming to the shore while trying to make sure she wasn't being watched or followed. The shock and utter fear when she realized she was alone and her brother wasn't with her. Letting out an angry growl, she turned away from the sight of the sea, hands curled into fists. Here she was, peaceful in the lap of luxury, when her little brother was stuck out in the desert in a prison. Without warning her fist shot out and slammed against the wall. The sudden, stinging pain felt cathartic- she focused on it, her fast breaths slowly easing into calmer, measured ones. Carefully moving her hand away from the wall, she then inspected her knuckles to see if she had taken any damage. Aside from a few scratches, her skin was intact; she reckoned there would be light bruising at most. Shaking her head at her lack of control, she decided it might help to take a bath before heading to bed. The last thing she needed was a hand injury impeding in helping with Sevari’s escape. Despite the fact that she felt a pang of guilt enjoying the Dwemeri comforts gifted to her by Zaveed, there was no denying that by the time she stepped out of her bath and pulled on a robe to cover herself, she felt like the pampered child of a rich merchant once more. It was strange and she didn’t quite know if she liked it, but it was what it was. Rubbing a hand through her still wet hair, Sirine made her way to the bed, deciding she might as well sleep the night away. Her hand hurt a little, but she’d had worse. As expected, slipping between the sheets and laying down was as comfortable as she had thought. It was a large bed, much more spacious than she was used to on any occasion- she could very well have slept away in the middle and still be fine. Being who she was however, she rested her head on the pillows like a normal person and closed her eyes. It felt so odd that she was the only one there, and surprisingly sleep did not come to her. Perhaps she was simply too used to staying up late while entertaining people. Without wanting to her mind wandered back to the tavern the night she had arrived there. [hr] Every inch of her was soaked and chilled to the bone by the time the pirate reached Scorpion's Song. She had no coin on her- the only thing of value on her person was the dagger at her belt, hidden under her tunic. Light streaming out from the crack under the door as well as the voices from inside was enough to tell her this place was still in business. She had been here before, worked two years in fact… there was an inkling of hope that the owner may recognize her and let her stay the night at least. Pushing the door open, the familiar sight and smells were immediately noted by her, though they gave her no solace.[i] Just the night, [/i]she told herself. The idea of having to spend more time here than was necessary made her skin crawl. All she needed was a night of recuperation, and then she would be on her way… wherever. Sirine made her way to the counter, looking for the owner. Her eyes narrowed; it took a moment for her to recognize the man. Ten years had certainly taken their toll on the man known as Jamir- his weight had increased in all the wrong places due to excessive drinking, his face was heavily jowled, a few teeth missing, and dark marks prominent around his eyes. He stared at her for the moment before cracking a grin. “So you’re back, huh? No longer terrorising the poor honest sailors? What happened? I heard the grey skins have been destroying ships.” He sounded much happier than the news warranted. “Yours fell with the rest?” “I need a room for the night.” The pirate ignored Jamir’s quips, not giving them the attention he sought. “I will leave in the morning, no worries.” Jamir seemed to deflate, but he immediately jumped to the most important business at hand. “The gold then.” Putting his hand out on the counter, he waited, a satisfied look on his face. Teeth gritting, Sirine barely managed to keep her face expressionless as she replied. “I don’t have the gold on me. I will pay you as soon as I can.” She pressed her hands against the counter, hating she had to ask for this but hoping against hope that perhaps he would be willing to let the gold issue slide for now. “I’m running a business here,” Jamir replied flatly. “This ain’t a temple, it’s a tavern. I need all the septims I make. You can stay the night, you can stay longer, but you have to pay with work.” There it was. She should have known better than to think this sleazy man would do her a favour. Why did she think ten years would have changed him? A fierce look came to her eyes as she grabbed her dagger and pointed at him with it. “I could simply end you this second and stay here as long as I wish.” Jamir stumbled back, though not before he looked to the large man standing by the door. Sirine couldn’t help but cast a glance as well. It seemed the owner had his share of cronies, not only the bouncer but a couple of other men who seemed fairly armed and staring at her. If Bakih had been here, she would have been happy to tear them all a new one. But… she was alone, and as things stood, she would be the one who would end up dead. Turning back to face Jamir, Sirine nonchalantly sheathed her dagger. He thought he could intimidate her? Very well then. She had played this game before. There was no denying that she was the one in need right now. She would simply bide her time until she could finally strike. Some coin and gossip might be useful in finding her brother in any case. “It’s a good offer.” Jamir spoke up again, obviously feeling he was in the clear now and didn’t need to worry about his stomach being poked through. “No, it's a shitty one,” Sirine replied. There was no need to mince her words just because she wasn't going to mince him. “Here is a good offer. You give me a job. I will work nights for you. I worked here two years and made enough septims that this place could be lined with gold. You know that as well as I do, otherwise you wouldn't have begged me to stay when I left previously.” To a nitpicking person it probably sounded the exact same as what he had offered, and truthfully it was. However, it was coming from her mouth, not his- he needed to realize he would be lucky to have her stay in this dump. The owner sputtered for a moment before looking disgruntled. “Fine,” he muttered, lowering his voice. “You should know the drill, nothing has changed. You serve the men drinks, you take them to your room when they ask for it- make sure you charge them right-” “Don’t fuck them more than they paid for,” Sirine interrupted crassly, uncaring about the words leaving her lips. “I know this already.” Jamir shoved two tankards at her and motioned to the armed men in the back. “Then start with those two.” [hr] Unwillingly, a drop of salty water trickled horizontally down her face, making a trail over her lightly freckled nose to dampen the pillow her head was resting on. [i]What a fool I was, what a fool I am.[/i] Why was she even thinking of such things when she should be reveling in her freedom? Letting out a shaky breath, Sirine sat up in the bed, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands. Maybe being alone and having a moment apart wasn’t a good thing after all if it left her plagued with unwanted thoughts. She pushed the sheets away and slipped out of bed, toes digging in the lush carpet that lay underneath. Dark eyes swerved around the room before they fell on a table that was decorated with more than a few bottles of alcohol from across Tamriel. It was tempting, oh so tempting to simply head over and fill a goblet and drink until she could forget. But she wouldn’t, because that would simply mean she wasn’t strong enough. Sirine refused to be weak. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to breathe in, holding it a little longer than usual, and then finally letting it out. There was no need for her to feel like this anymore. The past was the past, and she couldn’t let it continue to haunt her. No one could take advantage of her anymore, no man would touch her unless she wanted it. Morning would come soon enough, and she would no longer have to face the empty silence of the night. Maybe she didn’t have to right now anyway. Taking hold of one of the pillows from the bed as well as a sheet, the former pirate headed back to the balcony, from where she could not only hear the water and smell the salt, but see it as well. Settling down and making herself comfortable, she curled up and watched the sea, the waves seeming a lover beckoning her to come hither. A soft breath escaped her, and it wasn’t long before she finally fell asleep.