[color=gray]“Ha, I didn’t expect you to be so precious about it. If the idea of kidnapping and ransom bothers you maybe you should find another line of work, or does slitting throats not bother your conscience as much as a peaceful abduction?”[/color] This wasn’t going to end peacefully, not if they couldn’t get past this impasse; they weren’t going to give up the prince and leave empty handed, Nikko would never allow such a thing, and this girl wasn’t going to let them leave with him either. One of them was going to be disappointed and Shigeuchi wasn’t planning on it being him.

[color=gray]“We’re pirates, lass. We’re going to act like it.”[/color] He reached out and touched a finger to the hilt of a knife nestled in the waistband of the crewmember standing next to him. In doing so he confirmed its location in his mind, allowing him to target it with his power. [color=gray]“You’ll have to do this and worse if you want to survive out at sea.”[/color] The poisoned blade in Lexi’s hand disappeared, instantly replaced by the mundane dagger belonging to the man at Shigeuchi’s side. Depriving the girl of a familiar weapon was one thing, depriving her of an unknown poison another, but the fact that the knife was backwards in her grip and that she was now holding the weapon by the sharp edges was the real kicker.

[@ladyonyx04]