Sabina Vala Calista
There was something to be said for the darkness of the Deepwell, not just the lack of light but the sheer immensity of it all. To those fresh from the surface, their eyes used to the never ending blaze of the sun, the Deepwell was nothing more than a huge pit of blackness that they could feel rather than see. For Sabina it was the endless promise of something fantastic and unknown, always lurking just past an invisible horizon, beckoning a wandering soul every onward to oblivion.
She scrunched her toes against the wooden deck of the Steelbrow, the wood cool beneath her bare feet, polished to an almost marble like smoothness by years of hard grinding with a holly stone and Dwarven muscle. Even beneath the world, a breeze tugged at the ends of her blonde hair, tickling her lower back as it curved toward her buttocks. Her hands gently rubbed her belly, the slightest bulge hinting at the child she carried beneath her heart, and she felt the warm glow she always did when she thought of the love that had brought her such a gift.
Behind her, several hundred yards away, the Beacon, or the Marina to those above, glowed beneath the sunlight that pierced the darkness here, and here alone, in the Deepwell. The Steelbrow was anchored in a section of the Harbour known as The Roads, an area rarely used due to its distance from the docks. What it lacked in connivence, it made up for security. No one was going to risk a long swim that might leave you lost in the darkness, or worse, dragged beneath the surface by any of the dozens of predators that lurked in the inky black water. Occasionally a shape, faintly outlined by phosphorus, would slid through the water before vanishing with a quick flick of a tail into the deep.
Steelbrow himself had gone ashore with the remainder of the crew, and Ty was gone to run an errand or two in the upper world, leaving Sabina alone on the boat. She had taken the opportunity to have a sponge bath, carefully heating water over a spark crystal stove until she could pour it in to a small bronze tub that doubled as the vessels dish washing basin. It was not a relaxing process, and one that she never did around the rest of the crew, even Ty.
She dropped to her hands and knees, slowly stretching out one leg, then the other, as she sank to her elbows, her core tightening as she dropped her head to keep her spine straight. She began to count slowly in her head, eyes fixed on the faint light that danced on the deck of the Steelbrow. She had never missed a chance to exercise, something easy to see from the muscles that rippled down her body as she held herself motionless in a plank position.
When she hit a count of sixty, she pushed herself back up onto her hands and began a set of pushups. Her arms were pressed close to her sides, hands beneath her shoulder blades, breathing quick and easy in time with the rise and fall of her body as she worked to the count of fifty. Sweat was beading her brow by the time she was done and she could feel a heavy burn in her triceps as she rolled her chest forward and upward, stretching the small of her back.
"I could watch you do that all day..." Ty's voice sounded behind her and she smiled unseen in the dark. She had noticed him leaving the Beacon before she began her routine and knew that he would, as he always did, try to sneak up on her.
She didn't reply as she held the pose, her face upturned toward the unseen roof of the Deepwell. She could feel the vibration of his steps on the deck through her toes and smiled as he bent to kiss her gently on the mouth. He smelled of desert air and the crush of thousands of people, a sharp and dry scent so strange, and yet so familiar, it elicited memories of her time in the world above. She heard rather than saw him remove his travel cloak and boots before be sat next to her, near enough he could speak to her without getting in her way, waiting patiently until she acknowledged him. She had always appreciated that about him, he gave her time and space when she needed it.
"Did you have a good time?" She asked finally as she sank down until she was lying flat on the deck, the smell of the wood faint but pleasant as she rested her cheek on her arm.
"I suppose..." Ty grunted as he leaned back against a large bollard. "The usual nonsense, pick pockets, Juggernauts throwing their weight about, sell swords, cut throats, yadda yadda. I can tell you I am very happy to find my way back down here and, best of all, to find my lovely wife naked as a dune mole."
"I hope I don't look like one!" She snorted laughter and turned to look at him. The spark boat lanterns, as dim as they were, still allowed her to throw him a teasing glare.
"You know, sometimes I am not sure, it's so dark down here..." He had moved onto his hands and knees and began to slowly tap his way across the deck toward her like a blindman. "If only I could lay my hands on you to make a proper comparison..."
She giggled and allowed him to tap his way over to her before snaking out a hand to grab the front of his tunic. She gave a sharp tug and dragged him down to lie beside her on the deck, kissing him fiercely as she did so. For a moment their bodies intertwined, his hands running eagerly down her sides and across her buttocks. She ran her tongue across his lips and then suddenly rolled away and leapt to her feet, hands planted on her hips as she stared down at him.
"Just a minute, mister, you better have what I asked for, or there won't be anymore of that!"
"You tease..." He muttered, patting around at his waist for one of the dozen pouches he carried until he found the one he was looking for. He drew out of it a small red flower, that even in the darkness of the Deepwell, seemed to glow. It was the Calerian Flower, popular for its colour and smell, but also its uses as a contraceptive. Sabina knew how babies were made, but wasn't sure if she was still fertile while pregnant and she didn't wish to risk any complications. He was about to hand it to her when he snapped his fingers, a common gesture when he remembered something he had meant to tell her earlier.
"I saw the White Talon."
Sabina hissed between her teeth. It had been some time since the Dusthawks had been summoned, at least publicly like this. No one ever thought to come into the Deepwell to alert those who lived below, but what could you expect from a bunch of surface dwelling thugs.
"I had better get some clothes on then, sorry love." She bent to kiss him, deeply and with promise. "Later." She tapped one long white finger on his chest and then vanished below.
