[OOC] Cirque D'étoiles (1x1, FxM, MxM, FxF)

[xivyxx]

Lucien's eyebrows furrowed slightly at Faolan's response. Silver? That wasn't something that would be poison to normal people, though.. having it in your system probably wasn't pleasant either. He wasn't all that knowledgeable when it came to that particular thing. Maybe it did have the potential to be, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to question it. He figured in this case Faolan knew best. At his demand, Lucien moved to do as he said, but he was stopped as Faolan took hold of his arm. It took him by surprise for a moment.

He briefly averted his gaze, unsure of what he could say. He had done exactly what the priests had advised him not to do. He had given himself away but.. Faolan had been in so much pain. He had saved him once, Lucien had only wanted to return the favor.

"I-I.. healed it.." He muttered. "You seemed like you were in a lot of pain.. so.." He trailed off, clearly nervous of wanting to say more.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan felt his vision clarifying as two Lucien's became one. This was an uncharacteristically fast reaction to the young man's healing. The last time he had been so much as scratched with a silver blade, he had been laid up for days; intense pain, blurred vision, headaches, vomiting. In the right doses it was fatal to those with Faolan's particular affliction.

"Mm." He grunted as his grip on Lucien's arm slackened. But...how could he? He was just an ordinary sheltered church boy. How know healing magic. Faolan let his hand fall to his side, just below his rib cage, and while the sight of the wound was still sore, he felt no gash where there once was. The side of his shirt was still soaked with blood, as were his hands and one pant leg, but the wound was gone. The pounding in his head was subsiding little-by-little, and if he had a mirror, he would be able to see the black veins on his neck, side, chest, stomach, and arm, all pulling away and fading. It was true...but how?

Faolan shook his head, then nodded toward Lucien's arm, "Sorry, I'm...a little dazed." He rubbed a hand over his face, then gestured toward the blade. "Can you get rid of that? I can't...touch it." Faolan knew what it was like to want to avoid unwanted attention, Lucien's 'healing' was his business and his alone.

[xivyxx]

Lucien pulled his arm back after Faolan released him, taking note of the fact that those strange black veins were subsiding. It was a little strange that he could see this take effect so quickly. He didn't think his healing abilities were this potent to get rid of something that had made its way into his system. Perhaps.. he was allergic to silver? It was the only reason he could think of for him to be unable to touch such a small blade, but to think it would cause such a strong weakness in him.. it was a little unsettling, but he didn't ask. To be honest he was incredibly relieved and thankful that Faolan had not asked him how that was possible. He hadn't wanted to be put in a position where he would have to answer him.

"It's quite alright.. I'm just glad you're okay.." He said before nodded slightly and went over to pick up the small sharp object. The nephilim then went over to the small window in the room and opened it, before tossing the blade out into the ocean water. Walking back to Faolan he briefly glanced over him one more time, making sure he was truly fine, before he glanced toward the door. Anger was not a common emotion for Lucien, but in a moment like this, he felt like he was quite close to it. Those men had taken things too far.

Seeing Faolan like this.. he didn't feel like he should ask the man for help. While he didn't know who it was that had hurt him, he could only guess it might be related to those other men, and Lucien didn't want him to get hurt again. They were even now. Lucien would simply have to deal with this on his own. While the priest's warnings rang in his head, he ignored them. That relic was too important for him to simply allow them to keep it. Worst comes to worst he could just.. fly away, or something. He wasn't sure, he'd worry about it when he got to it. With that in mind, he headed for the door.

[FreckersFrog]

"Wait." Faolan held up a hand as the boy made to leave. It was clear there was something wrong; Faolan's own wound was not the only danger that floated around in the air. There was something wrong. Lucien's veins were pumping in his neck and chest, Faolan didn't have to know him long to pick that up.

"You said--" He grunted as he stood, pushing off against his knees and coming to a slightly wobbly standing position, "--you needed help with something?" Maybe the same men who had attacked him had done something to the Frenchman. After all, they had waited until they were both alone to strike, it made sense. But he seemed untouched, unharmed. The only blood in the air was Faolan's own, and there were no obvious signs of a struggle aside from a slight rumple of his hair and clothes.

[xivyxx]

Lucien paused as Faolan called out to him, turning slightly to face him, though he didn't seem any less inclined to leave. He didn't want to keep dragging Faolan into his messes, but from what he had learned from observing the man up to this point, he wasn't sure he'd just let him go if his question went unanswered.

"They.. stole something. Something that's really important to me." He said quietly. "But it's alright, I'll deal with it on my own. You need to rest. You've done enough for me, Faolan."

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan's face twisted into a scowl that could spook the devil himself. He glowered at Lucien, no, through him as he spoke. They did attack them both when they were alone, and weakest in their small minds. They knew Faolan worked during the day and used that opportunity to exploit Lucien's weakness. They were no men, they were animals... no, worse than animals, they were scum.

"As I've counted, you just saved my life. That makes us even." He straightened, stretching his neck, and then strode toward the door. "Come, I know where they are."

He could smell them from here.

[xivyxx]

Lucien held back a shudder at the expression Faolan showed him. He was angry, that was clear. That expression was all it took for him to know that it didn't matter what he said to him. The man was coming. He let out a small sigh, though he couldn't deny that he was relieved he wasn't going into it alone. While he knew they couldn't physically hurt him, he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to get his things back based on that alone.

The nephilim simply followed closely behind Faolan as he made his way down the hall, further below deck to another area of rooms. He wondered how he even knew where they were, but he didn't question it. He was anxious to find them quickly. He didn't take them as the type of men who would be careful with something that important.

As they neared a larger room at the end of the hall, probably meant to accommodate more people, he could hear the loud laughing of men, a few of which he recognized. Faolan hadn't wasted even a second in kicking the door open. There was a moment of surprise from the men, but Lucien's eyes quickly scanned the room. The man who had started the trouble to begin with held his pouch of coin in his hand, having previously been tossing it up and down in his hands. That was the less important of the two things he had lost.

"Aye what the bloody hell? Thought we taught the two a ye a less'n." The man with the pouch spoke up.

"Ye didn't hit the frog hard enough if he's still goin round' like that." Another man spoke up, smacking the one next to him upside the head. That one was the one whose nose Faolan had broken, and around his neck lay the same relic he was looking for. Lucien hadn't hesitated to step forward, fists clenched. It was the angriest the nephilim had ever felt.

"Give it back." He demanded.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan stomped down the hallways toward the sour smell of the thieves. Their trail would've been hard to follow for any ordinary man, but they didn't have Faolan's nose. He was still limping a little, but it was clear that some of the strength sapped by the silver had returned. They made their way to a lower deck and directly to the doorway of the men's cabin. He didn't think twice before battering it down with his boot.

Faolan stood in the doorway, blocking the inhabitants sight of the hall. His eyes swept the room, seven of them, all caught by surprise. Their cabin smelled of sweat, cigarettes, and stale urine. His nostrils twitched with disgust. He heard them calling out, but barely registered what they were saying. He was about to step forward when Lucien brushed beside him and Faolan glanced down, slightly surprised by his sudden boldness. This item must mean a lot to him, if he was willing to face seven men for its retrieval, especially if he had been planning to come alone.

"See!" One of them shouted in a thick Liverpudlian accent, "I told you the biggun wouldn't flinch at that tiny letter-opener!"

"No, I got 'im, see!" The one who had stabbed Faolan chimed in, "There's blood all over the brute!"

A deep growl issues from Faolan's throat and his eyes flashed with fury as the fell on the man who spoke last. He flinched away, almost as if struck, and took a step back.

The man who had the relic stood, his face purple and both of his blackened eyes nearly swollen shut. "Why don't you come over here and take it from me, poufter!" And spit on the ground again.

Another one spoke up as they all stood, filling the room, "Yeah! You can't take us all, not with a wound like that."

Faolan felt Lucien moved forward to engage, teeth bared and fists clenched, but the man knew that the French lad had no idea how to fight. He hadn't developed enough in his movements to have sure footing or quick enough reflexes. Faolan reached out to stop him, gripping him by the shoulder and stepping forward in his stead.

"You asked for it." He said, and lunged into the group of men standing before him.

Suddenly everything was chaos. There was yelling, growling, grunting, the sounds of pain and fury. Faolan's bulging arms and open hands, poised like claws, slashes through the air with lightning speed. He knocked the first two onto their backs as he entered the frey, but more came to take their place. One man ran from the corner, holding a steel pipe, and hit Faolan as hard as he could across the back with it. The Irishman didn't even flinch. His arm shot out, faster than the eye could follow, grabbed the pipe, and instead of turning the man's weapon against him, Faolan tossed it behind him and it clanged loudly to the floor. Another man lurched forward and punched Faolan in the side, right where he had been stabbed, but he only paused for a moment in pain before backhanding him so hard that he left the ground before crashing into the bunk against the wall.

Blood pounded in Faolan's ears and eyes, and all he saw was flying limbs and red. Adrenaline pumped through him, fueling his swings until he had forgotten why he even came here. He relished in the battle of skin against skin, no dirty tricks to trip him up. They were men, and he was a beast, and he would show them where they stood.

[xivyxx]

There was a lot more men than he had thought there would be in the room but, Lucien didn't care. He hated how openly they were willing to admit they had attacked them. It was clear these men had absolutely no honor. It was all more than clear now why he had been told to avoid people like this in the first place. His eyes hadn't left the man who held his relic, however. At his defiance, Lucien frowned, and without any hesitation, he stepped forward. While he had allowed Faolan to come he hadn't wanted to let him completely fight his battles. That at least, had been his intention, but the man had stopped him, furious. Had Lucien been on the end of that anger, even he had to admit he would have been frightened. All hell broke loose after that, as Faolan launched himself at the men.

For a moment Lucien was unsure of what to do, but he wanted to see his previous course of action through. At least the relic, he wanted to retrieve himself. That particular man had been doing whatever he could to avoid direct contact with Faolan's wrath. Lucien maneuvered himself through the room, to reach him, and tried to make a grab for the relic. Despite his messed up face, he could see almost a trace of amusement and satisfaction.

"I'll make sure to knock you out real good this time, poufter!" The man pulled back his arm, and Lucien felt his fist make contact with his face. The nephilim, of course, had absolutely no idea how to fight. The force of it caused his head to turn, but other than that it had no particular effect aside from the moment it took for him to regain himself. He was unsure of what to do in this situation, he didn't have the skills Faolan did, and hadn't particularly thought this through, but he didn't want to give up. He at least wanted to be able to do something on his own.

That was when he remembered what Faolan had done. What had caused the bloody mess on this man's face to begin with. The man had gone at him with another punch, but this time he just barely awkwardly move of the way, before he pulled his head back and smashed it straight into the man's face, tightly shutting his eyes. It was a bit disorienting, and caused him to stumble back a little. He was pretty sure he didn't do it right, as he hadn't been able to aim with just his forehead as Faolan had. He was much smaller after all, but considering he had absolutely no need to hold back, it had been enough to knock the man to the ground, his expression of pure surprise quickly twisting into one of pain as his previous injuries opened up again. Pulling back, it took a bit for Lucien to gain the focus in his eyes. His face was now a bit of a mess, having gotten some of the man's blood on him from the improper collision.

Taking advantage, Lucien quickly bent down and removed the relic from the man's neck and wrapped it around his own, tucking it under his shirt. Glancing back at the much bigger scuffle in the room, he took note that his money pouch had fallen to the floor, so he snatched that too.

"Faolan!" He called out. Physically he saw no way he could stop this fight on his own, so he hoped his words would be enough.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan was in full blood-lust, thrashing and slashing at everything that moved before him. He had put two on their knees and knocked three out cold. The last Englishman was backing up, clutching the steel pipe to his chest as if it would protect him. He was muttering something, but Faolan couldn't hear him over the blood pounding in his ears.

He approached the cowering fool and raised a hand to land a hammer blow against his prey's face, but stopped in the back-swing as something caught his attention. His name? Had Lucien called his name? He grunted and glanced over his shoulder, looking slightly confused, and saw the young man standing near the door. It was then that he noticed the wreckage he had wrought all around them in the room. The three of seven that remained conscious were looking up at Faolan in terror, shielding their faces as they peered at him through their fingers. It was a look he was familiar with, and it snapped him out of his frenzy. For a moment, he feared he had killed someone, so intense was his rage, but they all appeared to be breathing as he scanned the room.

He saw the last crumpled in the corner, but knew he had never entered the frey. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and nodded toward the body, "You do that?" That one wasn't dead either, luckily, but Lucien had clearly re-opened his broken nose, and by the sight of him, he had used his own face to do it.

[xivyxx]

It seemed his words had been enough to snap Faolan out of his rage. Honestly, it was a little scary. He had never seen anyone so consumed by anger. He was unsure if it was anger on his behalf.. or if this was out of personal vengeance for the fact they had stabbed him, but Faolan had clearly been out to teach them a lesson, however, he hadn't wanted it to go too far. He didn't want Faolan to get into further trouble.

At his question, he glanced to the man. "Er.. yeah.. I tried to do what you did, I don't think I did it right though.." He said, but then glanced toward the door. "I got my stuff back, we should go. We've already attracted a bit of attention.." He said hesitantly, able to hear a bit of commotion from people in the nearby rooms. The scuffle had clearly not been a quiet one, he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Honestly, he was genuinely surprised how well Faolan managed to fight despite how terrible he had looked earlier. He knew the man was big but.. to take on six other men and win? While he didn't know very much about fighting, he didn't think such a thing to be possible. Then again.. considering someone like himself existed.. he supposed it wouldn't be impossible. He wondered if this meant that there was something special about him too, but he didn't ask, wanting to prioritize leaving the room.

[xivyxx]

Faolan almost smiled, "If you knocked him out, you did it right." then glanced once more at the wreckage he had wrought over the room, and nodded to his companion. It was time to go. Now that his brain had settled out of its wave of violence and malice, he realized that he may face some heat from the ship's officers for this fight. Regardless of who had started it, the evidence of Faolan's wound had disappeared, despite the blood on his shirt. They would most likely assume it did not belong to him, especially if they got a look at the state of the Englishmen. The theft was easily denied, now that Lucien had his possession back. All things considered, if they were smart, they would make it look like Faolan came here and attacked them unprovoked.

It wasn't that he regretted what he did, in fact, he had been glad for the opportunity to let out some energy having been trapped here for a week, but he knew this would not be the end of it for him.

He nodded to Lucien and headed for the door, the sounds of groaning following them as they made their way up the hall. Faolan wiped his nose again, a little blood had trickled out and smeared his upper lip, residual damage from the silver.

"Just so you know," he said, "The law'll come for us sooner rather than later. Maybe even tonight." He wanted Lucien to be prepared in the face of the inevitable, Faolan doubted he had been in trouble before.

[xivyxx]

Lucien followed Faolan out of the room, glad all of this was over with. Or at least, that's what he had thought, until Faolan spoke up again.

"T-The law? But we weren't the ones who started this." He said, his eyebrows furrowing. It had been the other men who had attacked them first. If the law had to look at anyone, it should be those men. They had stabbed Faolan after all, and had robbed him. It wouldn't be fair of them to be the ones who took the blame.

"Surely if we explain what happened.. it would be okay? You were only trying to help me. There's seven of them and only one of you. Wouldn't it be a little unbelievable that you did that all on your own? I.. I can vouch for you. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me.." He muttered, guilt reflecting in his tone.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan shook his head as he trudged back up toward their quarters. This was one of the downsides of teaming up with someone so naive; he was untested, and too optimistic.

"That won't be how they see it," He said, "Regardless of who started what, they will lie and twist the truth to their favor." He gestured toward his bloodied shirt, "I've no wound, and you have your property back. Because of what happened when we met, we look even more guilty. They'll say we jumped them, unprovoked, and the officers'll believe 'em. And that's that." There was a finality to his final statement, but no anger in his voice. There was no one to blame for this outcome other than himself, Faolan knew that, and he wasn't even upset at the whole turn of events. As far as he was concerned, whatever punishment he faced was worth teaching those scum a lesson. Maybe, in the future, they would think twice before taking advantage of someone weaker than themselves.

They approached their door and Faolan entered first, holding the door open for Lucien to enter.

[xivyxx]

Lucien entered the room, muttering his thanks. His expression was conflicted. This wasn't right, and it most certainly wasn't fair for either of them. Was that how things worked here? They cared not for the truth and would believe anyone who told the better lie? There had to be some way to get them to listen properly. He sat down on his cot, his expression still contemplative. He lifted his sleeve and wiped away at the blood and soot he knew probably lingered on his face, looking down at the relic he had re-secured around his neck.

"I refuse to accept that.." He muttered. There was no way he would. He understood that he was naive, that wasn't something that he had to be told at this point. Over the years he had been given plenty of different books to read to pass the time, and had learned many different things, but reading about something and being put in that situation were two completely different things, he knew that now, but a part of him saw a way, or at the very least, a possibility. Lucien was not fond of lying, he tried to be as honest as he could without giving himself away, but that was a separate manner. In this situation, the people they were against wouldn't hesitate to say whatever they wanted to make sure they got in trouble for this, and he wasn't about to just sit back and do nothing about it.

"Why don't we beat them to it? Right now they're clearly in no state to go speak to them.. if we go to the authorities first, doesn't that give us at least some sort of advantage?" He asked.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan made his way to his cot and fished his bag out from underneath. He traveled light, as always, and carried only necessities in a bag that was usually slung over his shoulder. He had found it on a dead solider, and simply kept it. No use to him now anyway.

He laid it on his cot and unzipped it, searching for a fresh shirt. He knew he had one left.

As Lucien finished speaking, he couldn't help but scoff. Too optimistic was right on the nose. He looked over his shoulder, contemplating the situation quietly to himself, trying not to sound too harsh as he spoke, "And what will we say? 'Officers, my friend here just finished pucking a bunch'a English in their fat gobs, laid 'em out he did, but it was justified. They stole from me and gave me guff!'?" He pulled his shirt off, which had slightly stuck to his skin, wincing as he did so, and tossed it on to the floor before putting the a "clean" one on. His back was absolutely covered in scars, large and small, deep and light, ones that looked like slashes and others that looked like bite-marks. The largest of them was the scar that could be seen from the front as well; it stretched around his neck and shoulder like an enormous animal had taken a bite from him. It was clear from this view that Faolan knew his way around a battlefield, whatever type that might be.

"No offence meant, lad, and I know you came down in the last shower and all, but they'll think you're not quite the full schilling with that."

He sighed and took a seat on his cot, pushing his hair out of his eyes and leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "I think that no matter what story you tell, truth or not, they'll get their man in the end. It's not about the truth, it's about who's more put-out, and right now, that's them."

[xivyxx]

Lucien's expression flattened a little as he began to grow more frustrated. Granted he didn't like that Faolan kept trying to find arguments to why what he wanted to do wouldn't work, but it was more frustrating that he was right in terms that saying something like that wouldn't get him anywhere. His eyes drifted upwards at Faolan as he removed his shirt, and honestly the sight of it was not something he had been expecting. He held.. so many scars, some larger than others. He could not begin to imagine how much pain those must have caused him. As someone who had never known the pain of an open wound, he almost thought it unfair that he could get away unscathed while people like Faolan had to suffer to this extent, in more ways than one. He shifted his gaze so he wouldn't get caught staring. It was this thought that gave Lucien back his determination. He was not going to let this stand. If it as within his power to keep Faolan from going through more pain, then he would do something about it.

The nephilim rose to his feet. "I understand that I'm naive.. but please don't treat me like a child. I'm twenty-years old." He muttered, considering the way he was speaking to him, he honestly felt like Faolan probably believed him to be some teenager. It was understandable, considering his appearance didn't help him, but he figured he should at least let him know that much.

"I'll be right back." He said, before leaving the room. He was determined to do something about this, he just had to figure out how to go about it. Clearly, the truth was off the table. His goal here was to make sure Faolan didn't get in trouble.. but to make sure that his story was believable, at the very least. He glanced down at himself. He was sure his face was still dirty, and he could see small blotches of blood on his clothes from when he had helped heal Faolan. Maybe just this once.. he could use his appearance to his advantage. He made his way through the ship, until he finally found an official-looking man. The one who acted as security on this ship. Where was he when he was getting bothered by those drunk men? He shook his head, and took a deep breath, before he took on a more frightened expression as he approached. It wasn't hard, considering he was actually afraid of what would happen if this went wrong.

"E-Excuse me sir? I would like to report a robbery.. and an assault.." He told him. The man looked down at him, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"You alright kid? Here, come into my office." He motioned to him before taking a seat behind a desk. "What happened?" He asked. Lucien noticed the French accent in his tone, so he switched over to his native language for an easier explanation.

"There were some Englishmen.. they hit me over the head and stole my things.. I was really scared.." He said quietly, clutching the relic that lay around his neck. "I asked that big Irishman that works here to help me get them back.. When we found them, they seemed to be fighting among themselves over who got to keep my stuff.. there were seven of them. The Irishman took advantage of that and helped me get my stuff back but.. the men were really angry, I'm afraid they might come after me again. It isn't the first time they've bothered me. If it was just the money I wouldn't have cared but.. this necklace is the only thing I have of my father.. and I couldn't let them get away with the theft.." He had lowered his gaze as he spoke, feeling guilty that he was manipulating the information but.. those Englishmen were going to do the same thing, and he wasn't completely lying. He was scared they'd come after Faolan and him again. He didn't want anymore trouble because of them.

"You say the Irishman helped you? What happened to the Englishmen?" He asked, having began to write things down on a notepad.

"Some of them had already been knocked out when we got there.. so he was able to fight off the rest and get my things back, but I don't want him to get in trouble because he partook in the fight.. I would have gone myself but.. I couldn't really have done anything on my own. I was so panicked at the time I didn't even think to come here. I understand he works for the ship, but I'm afraid those men might retaliate again.."

The officer let out a sigh. "I don't know kid.. I'm sure the cap'n here doesn't take kindly to his crew getting into fights while on the job. He'll probably get fired. If that happens then he can't pay his passage, means he might get locked up even if it ain't cause of the fight." He said, scratching the back of his head. Lucien panicked, that was definitely the last thing he wanted.

"Please sir! I-I'll pay his passage instead, would that be okay? Honestly I would feel better about having him nearby in case those Englishmen come around again. They.. don't seem to be all that fond of the French.. They kept throwing insults at me.. I must just seem like easy picking to them.." He muttered. At this, the officer rose his brow. The man was also a Frenchman, in his opinion that was the best he could have asked for in this situation.

"Do they now? I see.. If you pay his passage, then I think the Cap'n won't have any problems. I'll make sure the Englishmen can't bother you anymore. I'm glad you were able to get your necklace back. Here, take this and get your face cleaned up. Where are the Englishmen now?" He asked, having handed him a few tissues so he could wipe his face. He did so, and didn't waste any time in taking out the appropriate amount to pay Faolan's passage.

"They're further below deck in one of the larger rooms.. Will.. everything be okay officer? Will my friend be alright? They weren't a big fan of him either.." He asked, wanting to make sure.

"It'll be fine. Hurry back to your Irish friend, I'll take it from here." He encouraged. Lucien got up from his chair and bowed his head.

"Merci beaucoup pour votre aide!" He exclaimed. The man smiled. "Vous êtes les bienvenus." He said, motioning for him to leave with his hand. Lucien didn't waste any time in leaving and heading back to his room. Lucien felt a small sense of accomplishment upon having been able to get Faolan out of this. He knew he had done wrong in manipulating the information but.. it couldn't he helped. Hopefully with this, they would have no further trouble for the rest of their voyage.

"Things will be okay." He said upon returning, a small hint of pride in his tone at what he had accomplished. Part of him was glad he had been able to prove Faolan wrong. He was a little too pessimistic for his own good, though having seen those scars.. he couldn't' necessarily blame him. Still, he wanted to show him that sometimes, things could work out in his favor.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan had nothing to say to Lucien's protests, and only grunted and shook his head at the comment. Twenty's still a child. He thought and kicked his legs out to lay out on his cot. There was clearly no sense in arguing with the boy, he was too stubborn. Optimistic and obstinate, a bad combination. He tucked his hands behind his head as a pillow and closed his eyes, his brows furrowed. The least he could do was get some rest before the law came knockin'.

Faolan made no attempt to stop his leaving either, if he wanted to walk around alone some more and get himself in trouble again, that was his problem now. He didn't know what he thought he was doing, risking himself to keep Faolan out of trouble would only get him deeper in the shite.

After a moment alone in silence, Faolan sat up again and reached for his bag, a little too angrily. Why would Lucien risk himself for this when he knew it was a loosing battle? It was plain stupid, is what it was. The boy had no sense.

And yet, had Faolan not done the same thing for the lad, twice? Sure, he'd gotten something out of it for himself, twice, but was it more for private rage or out of some sort of sympathy for the lad that he acted? After all, had he not been a small fish in a huge pond? When he'd left the farm, he'd run into his fair share of gobshites and ne'er do well's, and no one had stepped in to help him. He'd learned on his own what the world was like and it had shaped him into the man he was today. Once he'd thought that maybe everyone wasn't so bad, it was just the few he'd met, but his gut had been right all along. They were all scum...

Except for Lucien.

"Lad's not the full schilling, alright." He growled quietly to himself as he fished a small leather-bound book from his satchel. It was tiny in his large hands, and filled with yellowing and mis-matched pages. There was a leather string wrapped around it, to keep everything inside. Faolan flipped to the back of the book, about a dozen pages from the end, took the charcoal pencil from inside, and began to scribble almost furiously inside. If he was waiting for the inevitable, he might as well record the day's events.

Date unknown, day 7 at sea. Took silver dagger to the side. Could've been dead, but lad saved me with some quick healing. Never felt or seen anything like it. Warm and painful, hot, light from his hands, and the silver and it's poison was gone in a flash. Almost better now, about thirty minutes later. A bit drained and nauseous, but otherwise alright.

He paused here, lost in thought for a moment, then continued:

Took out pack of English. Bastards all, and thieves, got Lucien's the lad's goods back. Law will be coming. Another pause, then:

Lad's special, not human. Something else. Something--A final pause--good.

He;d just added the last bit of punctuation when the door opened. He looked up, saw Lucien, and snapped the book closed with one hand. Immediately, he felt his brow furrow, but his frustration had left him. Why was that?

He raised his eyebrows at the Frenchman's words. "Will it now?" he said, disbelief thick in his voice. The boy hadn't been gone a half hour and already everything was fixed?

[xivyxx]

It was clear Lucien had interrupted something Faolan was doing, but he quickly disregarded it. That wasn't important right now. "That's right." He said almost proudly, before he shut the door behind him and walked over to his cot to take a seat on it again.

"I talked to the officer on the ship and explained what happened—" He paused. "—With um.. a couple changes to the story here and there, to make it more believable. I kind of said the men had already been fighting among themselves for the money when we got there.. You told me the Englishmen would say anything to make us look bad so.. I just kept that in mind so it wouldn't look like it was a one sided fight between you and six men. Instead we kind of just took advantage of the chaos to get my things back and you didn't have to fight as many..." He muttered, his voice slightly more quiet since this was the part he wasn't proud of. He didn't really like lying but, it couldn't be helped in this situation.

"Good news, the Englishmen probably won't bother us anymore, bad news.. you're probably fired.. but your passage is dealt with so you won't get in trouble for that either. I made sure the officer knew that you really helped me out." He explained, hoping he wouldn't get mad about that. Lucien had kind of made that decision without consulting him but.. in the moment doing that was the only thing he could think of to guarantee Faolan wouldn't get into any trouble, both for the fight, and for not being able to work for the payment to this voyage.

"Also, the officer was French, and he didn't seem to like the fact that Englishmen were going around throwing slander so.. that kind of helped. For once I think looking like this has worked out in my favor." He said a little jokingly.

[FreckersFrog]

Faolan's eyebrows lifted with each passing refrain of Lucien's story. He wouldn't normally have believed such a thing, that Lucien had gotten him off nearly scott free after leaving a room full of otherwise healthy men battered, bruised, and probably concussed. He had been in scraps an scrapes in the past, but as soon as the law was involved, he either had to find a clever way out without hurting anyone else, or get thrown in the clink until he could find a way out. Never would he have gone to the law before the attacked, essentially that would amount to turning himself in and Faolan hated nothing more than imprisonment. Being on a ship, there was nowhere to run, however. He had been more than willing to accept his fate of incarceration for this, unless things got even more sour.

No, he wouldn't have believed this story if anyone else had told it. Lucien had nothing to gain from lying to him and everything to gain from keeping him out of prison. There was nothing for him if he was lying, and Faolan knew the way people reacted to him, most were scared to cross him. But it wasn't fear either, that motivated Lucien to help him, it was just out of sheer goodness. A kind that Faolan had never encountered before. It left him feeling...lost.

There was a long pause after Lucien finished speaking, and Faolan took this moment of contemplation to put his little book back into the folds of his bag.

"Well, color me impressed." He said, his voice flat. He shrugged, then kicked his legs out again and laid back down on his cot. "I suppose I owe you again, for getting me out of trouble." He closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head, his face completely blank.