[h3]The Box[/h3] [hr] [indent]Having left Aurora to her own devices, Dro’Sintaba made his way across the deck. She had left an impression on him that was just as troublesome as anything else on this journey was going to be. Namely, Ms Vasellius - a woman who had also been left to her own devices. He shook his head, an attempt to stop thinking about the blonde. It didn’t take much to do so, it took only a redhead struggling with cargo to erase Aurora from his immediate thoughts… He watched her for a moment, she was strong looking. Must have been 6’3”. A nord too, most definitely. Thick auburn hair in a single braid over her shoulders. Her arms toned and freckled - kissed by the sun itself. He smiled, feeling that voice in the back of his head warn him about staying out of yet more trouble. Of course the khajiit ignored it as he approached the woman, removing his hands from his pockets to take up the other side of the barrel she was attempting to lift. It was indeed heavy, but between the two of them it’s weight was not an issue. “Let me help you,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Oh thank t’Gods! I’m running behind schedule as it is, yer saving me hide.” She replied with a relieved sigh, “I need to get all this down t’below decks. Rex fuckin’ nipped off… Captain aint gonna want this on the deck when he sets sail,” the woman added with a shake of her head. “You’re a strong one like, I shouldn’t really let yer help me, but it needs doing… I’m Cerys by t’way.” If she’d had a free hand, and if his had been free too - she would have offered to shake it. “Dro’Sintaba,” he replied in a low rumble. “Happy to help,” he smiled. He did wonder what Vas was getting herself into, but knowing that they were on quite a busy ship, he saw no reason to worry about her. [hr] Meanwhile, Vas had set about for a look around the ship. She was a nosy woman, and unashamedly so - and perhaps if she’d stayed with Dro’Sintaba, or with Beren, one of them might have advised against her traipsing around and into the staff quarters. There was also the very real chance that she had no idea that was where she was walking, and the airy smile and happy eyes signalled to that. She quietly hummed and stepped across the timber and absent-mindedly wondered about what would be for dinner later. She was hoping there would be lots of sweets. It occurred to Vas that she no longer had a curfew, and that each step that she took was of her own volition. Nobody to tell her what she must do, and more importantly what she [i]mustn’t[/i]. She stopped for a moment, dead in her tracks - pressing the tips of her forefingers together. She bit down on her lip and stifled a laugh. What was able to pull her from the whirlwind of her own thoughts were the faint sounds of conversation, and something important at that… “-At the feast, you’re to bring him to me, understood?” It was a distinctly masculine voice that she heard, from behind a door. Serious and somewhat nasal. Vas stopped in her tracks, her own quiet humming tapered off and she instinctively took her place against the wall. “By [i]any[/i] means necessary…” “Aye, if only weren’t for passengers we’d ‘av easier job o’it-“ was the sound of another voice, a boy, no - not a boy, and older man for his voice was cracked and hoarse. “But they’ll at least be a distraction…” “We can’t waste more time, The Ritual is important… do you understand?” The nasal one asked, and Vas could sense the importance of those words on her own skin - it began to grow cold and the atmosphere was frail enough to collapse beneath her feet. [i]ritual??[/i] she mouthed until she found herself holding her breath, cupping a hand over her mouth. There was a choking sensation of something terribly wrong in the air - even she could tell. She wanted to find Dro’Sintaba and tell him, to tell anyone what she’d heard… It was too secretive and intense to be anything other than malicious. “We’ve waited a long time for this Rex, everything is ready - [i]he[/i] is ready… This is what [i]I’ve[/i] been waiting for,” came a sadistic hiss. Vas stepped to move away… [right][i][b]Creeeeeeeeeak[/b][/i][/right] The loose board of timber bit back under even the soft weight of her foot. Groaning out a sigh of defiance against her feeble attempt at stealth. The Imperial took in a sharp breath and silence followed from behind the door. Silence, and then footsteps. It swung open a face leered around the frame. Wrinkled, with drooping jowls - the skin of his face like tanned leather. Just worn and worked by the sea. He appeared older than the strength that was in the hand that grabbed at her collar, pulling her inside. Behind the door was a taller gentleman, who would have looked more refined if it wasn’t for the oily sheen in his hair. His eyes were piercing, small downturned grey beads in his gaunt face. Were it not for the colours of his clothes, he would have looked like a phantom. “Well well well,” he spoke at last - head cocked to the side to eye up the woman like a hawk might clap eyes on his prey in long grass. Fingers twitched at either side of him. They were long and bony, like claws. “Who do we have here? A little rat perhaps?” He asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, a thin and harsh crack in his face. “I’m…. I’m Saffine,” she answered, breath catching in her throat and her heart racing. “I got lost, that’s all.” “Don’t lie. Did you hear something you shouldn’t have?” He said accusingly, taking a single step towards Vas. Had she not been in the clutches of the other man, she would have taken one back in turn. She nodded, swallowing back anything she might have wanted to say. “Oh dear, oh [i]dear[/i], little rat” he replied - a bitter sugar stained his tongue with derision, but his eyes were alight behind his pupils. Two bright lights dancing and Vas couldn’t look away. “Are you scared?” He asked, lip curled in delight as his hand reached into the inside lining of his cloak. She had no answer to that question, and that was enough of an answer for him. The grip around her collar tightened and she began to feel her pulse in her throat, a heat in her forehead. “Let her go, fool,” spat the greasy one - and Rex did as asked. “B-b-but Bronn she’ll run off, she’ll say summink,” he stammered - seemingly also frightened of the other man. He however, simply sighed out a rasp of a laugh. “No she won’t.” He smirked, removing his hand at last from his pocket - there in his palm was a small wooden box. “But Bronn, we can’t — we’ll have to,” Rex began, his eyes widening at the sight. “Hush, there’s time. Now wait outside,” Bronn snapped, the hypnotising lights behind his eyes flashed red and Rex slunk away like a tortoise recoiling back into its shell. He waited behind the closed door - standing watch in the hallway. Vas finally took her step back to move, but was met with the solid wall, blocking her from escape. Bronnl held the box in front of him, and started to turn at a handle in the side and as soon as he did, a soft melody began to play. “What is that?” Vas asked, a bold inflection suddenly in her voice— [i]resistance[/i]. Bronn smiled, his smile like a crack through porcelain, “It’s going to help you relax.” “I don’t want to relax,” she replied - that resistance forming a barrier from within that gave her the posture of a vanguard. Strong, and growing stronger. “If you knew who I was, you’d stop that at once,” her green eyes flashed and narrowed, but the melody was in between her ears now, like a quiet and enchanting purr from somewhere unknown. A beckoning jingle, pulling her to rest. “And, just who, my dear, are you?” He asked with an amused look on his face. Outside of the room, Rex clasped his hands over his ears and looked to the floor, counting backwards from ten, over and over. “My name is Car… Car…” Vas spoke, the words slurring until she found them; “Carlotta Va—,” her eyes glazed over as Bronn drew nearer. “Carlotta? But [i]you[/i] told me you were Saffine…” he hissed, that mocking tone had returned and was sharp as a knife. “You don’t know who you are now, do you? Perhaps opportunity has knocked sending you my way. What are you running from?” he grinned, words laced with curiosity and mockery of the young woman in front of him. In the now dim gloom of the room his teeth looked sharp too - misshapen in his mouth. The melody was playing over and over in her head, in her heart, in her body, in the room - and in the lights dancing in his eyes. The lights that she followed with her own. Vas moved, as if to grab for her rapier - but her fingers found only air. Bronn closed the distance between them, and she was able to break from his eyes to look at the box - the lid was stained with an etching of a skull with smudges of something else in russet, and when she opened her mouth to scream the lid sprung open on the final melancholic note with an eerie pop. She felt a twist in her chest and from underneath the lid a smoke burst out. Bronn held the box right up to her face and Vas inhaled it all. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she dropped to the floor almost immediately. After a long pause, and having heard the thud, Rex returned to the room. He pushed the creaky door ajar, moving Vas’s limp body in the process. The corner of the door caught her forehead and he winced at the sound of wood meeting bone. ‘B..Bronn?” He asked as he looked down at her, he wasn’t sure if she was… “She’ll live.” Bronn answered in a cold fashion with a nonchalant wave of his hand, staring down his nose at her on the floor - giving her a gentle kick with his foot. “Take her. Quickly, back to her quarters,” he commanded, placing the music box back into his pocket. “We keep an eye on this one. She could be another… She has [i]potential[/i]...” he sneered, looking at the filthy, lying harlot with disdain. “She’s going to tell the Captain what she heard…” Rex muttered, words that brought the red back to Bronn’s eyes. “Saffine here is not going to remember a thing,” he tapped his chest - the box. As if it wasn’t the first time he had to remind Rex of his skills. Bronn’s eyebrow raised as a warning, and Rex shuffled awkwardly. “Take her back upstairs. It’s quiet still,” he hissed, moving to the furthest wall of his suite, placing his claw-like hands on the paneling which he pulled back to reveal a narrow gap. “You know the way Rex.” “I’ll have to convince our Captain to close off our quarters to wandering strangers… We can’t risk more… [i]rats[/i] infesting our living space. That would be bad for everyone involved...” Bronn continued, his lips pulling into a smirk again. He walked to his desk in the corner, opening a drawer to remove a vial. “Besides, it’s time for his tea…” He gave one last look in Rex’s direction and watched him struggle to load Vas over his shoulders. “This might all work in our favour… They’ll be pleased with us. Pleased with [i]you.[/i]” That was enough to bring confidence back to Rex, and he found an extra ounce of strength within himself to make the climb, reappearing in a corner away from the entrance to the space set aside for the passengers. Bronn was right, it had been quiet indeed, there was only a gentleman seemingly sleeping in his hammock, still, he stepped carefully toward an armchair and placed Vas into it. He felt the woman stirring back to consciousness - and took it as his time to leave. There was one thing that Rex did know to be true. Cerys was going to be angry at him for leaving her with the cargo for so long… [/indent]