Year 765 Hippocampus Rush

Rhea breathed in the very air around her, its salty from Chemuk’s waves seasoning the air thy creates. She inhaled and exhaled in repetition, because it was the only way to calm the burning rage in her.

This man by the name Connor, around twenty-four birth moons, must have practiced all night to know how to agitate her so well. She was extremely pushed to the edge when he showed up at the orphanage unannounced. Vicar had long been gone in the market so there was no convenient buffer between Connor and her. Grace and the children are too awestruck to say anything to help her.

It made sense why people gawk at this sailor. Connor was a sight to behold. Walking tall with undeserved confidence, face constructed with a lot of care by Chemuk. A strong angular jawline and gifted prominent cheekbones. His skin dealt the brunt of the sun, but it only added color to his prominently lighter cream complexion, she could tell based on his tan line that peaked from the loose shirt collar. Brown straight hair is swept behind his ears, it is bleached around the ends from the sun exposure. Face completely clean shaven and not shrouding the lips that seem to always set either straight or downturn, broad eyebrows angled down to maximize his scowl. Then the copper color of his irises drew her in and set her in her place. The shade wasn’t exactly common, but she could only think of the piercing eyes of a Starpecco when she was underneath his gaze. Intense and unforgiving.

He keeps walking around as if he owned the ground beneath everyone. The strange posh saunter doesn’t match the civilians that live in this town, nor the profession he claims to have. It’s like he was trained to keep a straight posture since birth.

There is almost no primitiveness in him, even the way he speaks is a man of high articulation, which confused Rhea. A normal ‘thief’ would have what is endearingly termed as Moarin slurs.

He had nothing like that. And his lack of compassion in his tone, how could she ever deal with a person like that?

She had to learn right away.

Rhea showed him the way to the gang’s border fence and hid behind a few boxes to keep herself from being seen. Connor did not attempt to hide; in fact, he studied the fence. She made all the trouble keeping pace with him and yet he wouldn’t even humor her for that.

“PSST....Mister Connor...HIDE” Rhea poked her hooded covered head from behind the crates, nervously alert for any guards that may pass by.

“No need.” Connor didn’t elaborate, it seemed he was at his max for words today. He has yet to explain the steps of his plans.

He is doing that thing where he crosses his arms and just stands there.

I really cannot understand you. “Can you give me more than just two words?” Rhea hissed. Last time she was there she had to run for her life. Now she had enough time to really look at the property. The fence is just tall enough to reach Connor’s chin and made of wood planks of varied colors and cut. It is a terrible attempt to ward off people since she can easily hop over it. The gang’s property is this abandoned mansion tucked in by other buildings. The gang attempted to fence it off and decorate it with sigils and graffiti to ward off locals by the sight alone, not the integrity of the structure.

The mansion is three stories with the head of the gang living furthest up. The height of the building does give the leader the protection he needs, although Rhea has proven that didn’t work last night.

“Hmph.” Rhea must have struck a nerve since he didn’t obey her request. Changing the subject, or at least she thought so. “How’s the security last night?”

“Um...they rotate shifts. Move from down here to-” Rhea got up from behind the crate, craning her neck to look for them. Her silver eyes aren’t just for show, she can see distances that a normal person can’t. The eyes she inherited could easily see the cracks in the walls and the moss that started to eat away at the foundation. She saw no guards on this side. “The guards are not here...”

“I applaud you.” He wasn’t doing any applauding, begging the question that he purposely ridiculed her with a straight face.

Rude. “It is completely irregular to have no guards around.” She pouted, choosing to stand beside him, cussing under her breath in Krax. At least she can have some reprieve by getting away with just that.

Connor flicked his attention at her. For a split second she thought he was going to respond to her cussing. Instead, he bottled up whatever emotion surfaced. “It’s IRREGULAR that one woman managed the Glittering Stampede.”

Point taken. “Fine. What are we to do then?”

“Hmph.” He was making that noise grunt of reluctance, a sign that he didn’t feel the need to elaborate again. What a terrible habit it is. One she is ready to smite him for.

“By the gods. I should not have even asked. Chemuk just forgot to give me my mind reading...” Rhea is getting really irked by his behavior. She started to believe that she had better social skills than this sailor. What happened to all that chatter earlier?

Connor’s brow twitched at her comment. A new sign, a reaction she needed to prove he acknowledged her. His scowl deepens, “Save your energy for later. Hand me your bow.”

Rhea’s jaw dropped, taking two steps away from him and played with the string cross-sectioning her chest. Not her weapon, she is willing to do anything else but part from it. “What if...I say no?”

“I’ve asked for your compliance. You’re not going to be a convincing hostage with it on. You can keep your dagger...” Connor held his hand out, waiting for her to give in.

He saw my dagger? Her attention absorbed the callous covered hand of his. It was huge in comparison with her hands, with scars along the side of his fingers. She finally saw something that she could slightly relate to. He had the hands of a hard laborer. His fingernails were kept short, but they had tinting of some gray powder. It was hard to say what could have colored the skin of his fingertips, perhaps it had something to do with the phials on his utility belt.

That is something she could ask about later, though why she even grew more curious begs a lot of questions.

He’s rude. He’s not compassionate. He treated her like a dumb person nearly the whole time. Yet, she couldn’t ignore how he took his time to warn her about the gang’s intentions. Even though he played an impassive individual lacking a heart.

“...my recommendation is to move the orphanage. You owe those children at least that.”

These words circled her mind, reminding her that he had some form of dignity beneath the scoundrel’s attitude.

It softened her attitude towards him, something in her nagged that she needed to compromise with him, then another part wanted to be more difficult.

“Why just the bow then?” Rhea removed her bow despite her probing, handing it to him without hesitation.

“Consider it my compromise.” Connor did not smile nor frown, his brow ticked up a tad from the probing. He was very good at keeping his emotions in check, his voice the only indication that he was losing patience with her. He took her bow and slinged it on himself, which looked very awkward on his broad stature.

Oh...why thank you... for your boundless generosity.

Rhea grumbled beneath her breath, watching his every move, then after. He didn’t say anything while peering over the fence line, and for a while she started to think he had forgotten she was there. Then he lowered himself, pressing his shoulder against the fence, and snuck beneath the height line of the fence. She wondered why he started to stealth. That question was answered when she could hear a few voices close to the mansion.

It sounded like Ranko!

“Boy. Our boss is not gonna be happy to see ya mug without the lass. Are ya okay with what he’s gonna do the Vicar?”

“Shud up already. I know. She’s not that easy to catch...ya can’t even catch her with the three yesterday.”

“Whose fault is dat!? Ya ran off the gods knows where! Now Vicar will pay for ya dumb move-”

Their voices grew distant, as if they must have entered the building.

They have Vicar!? Rhea’s hand shook, tempted to scale the fence now and confront the gang and save both. Connor wasn’t wrong... Her stunt last time placed her pseudo family in danger one by one. The fire burned within her, whirling this rage. Seeping into her chest, her shaking hand shot up to her mouth and nose to cover the smoke.

No matter how enraged, she can’t lose herself in the fire again. The last time that happened seared in her mind, remembering all the screams of both innocent and evil.

Not again...

Connor noticed slowing at some point, scanning her body language. Her shaking shoulders and covered face must’ve hinted that she was on edge, which he wasn’t in the wrong. Quietly, he reassured her out of nowhere and his words served more to agitate her. “Save your tears. Vicar Jal and Ranko won’t be staying here for long.”

“Not tears...” Rhea moved her heated stare from the ground, then at him to show him exactly that: dried eyes. Frustrated was an understatement, she craved to set the whole mansion on fire. “Mister...?”

She stopped herself short of questioning, he wasn’t too keen to answer many of those anyway. So, she would give him an ultimatum instead. “I cannot wait a moment longer.”

Connor locked eyes, playing some dominance game that she had no intention of losing. The promise to work for him hung by a strained thread. If she loses, there will be no partnership. However, she failed to realize that his goals were already aligned with her own before she needed to be frustrated.

“We begin our charade now. Come closer.” Connor beckoned her and for some strange reason she listened to him. Getting any closer will just have them bump arms, too close for her taste. After all, he is a criminal and a man...Those two facts make an individual worse than any mortal kind, the same type of evil that tainted her years prior.

“I...am not seeing...this thing you call charade.”

Then she felt it, his strong-arm rope around her waist and carried her like a recently hunted carcass. Leaving her leg and arms hanging, embarrassingly sensing every tone of muscle underneath his sleeve. The panic filled her quickly, constricting her lungs and any words that came out next were squeals. “W-what are you doing!?”

“Shush...play dead”

Her brow twitched, balling her fists and contemplating punching at a certain unprotected area. In her head she had to chant the sanctity of their partnership. This was the hardest thing for her to comply with, and yet she started to believe that this man was going to keep his promise. She was still so angry; the anger would have made her ramble. Even her threats sounded strange, resembling those of her father’s rambles. “Remember Chemuk’s intention of mortal kind?”

“There is no time for that.“. Connor tried to reprimand her with his hushed tone, not understanding where she was leading this question to. Or perhaps he wasn’t going to try to humor her.

Thy created a man and a woman with tools to create new life. Those tools are exceptionally vulnerable for a man... Those thoughts stayed that way, trying to relax her body enough to play dead. Connor was already on the move. To keep calm, she focused on his footfalls, counting each time his right foot led the other. She never noticed how worn out his boots were really, with patchwork to keep them all together. Although he was a high articulate man with a gait just as posh, it seems she is proven that he was the opposite of rich Moarin folk. He is quite the enigma of a man.

She could tell by the shadows on the ground that they were at the door of the mansion, and two more shadows of what must be the guards that stepped forward. Rhea weakens the tension of her muscles to look more convincing.

“Hey!? Who are yer-”

“Derrell!? Isn’t that the lass we’ve been looking for?”

“By the gods!? Those locks were unique, I’d say.”

“Are you...finished talking amongst yourselves? I’d like to offer your boss a trade.” Rhea was starting to recognize Connor’s impatience in his tone. He’s quite an impatient individual when crossed, nearly walked out on her when she asked too many questions.

“Um...who are ya to demand-”

“The captain of the Nightmare Maiden...docked in the harbor as we speak.”

Nightmare Maiden? Rhea isn’t good with stories about the sea. And her father only really told her one story of the Thieves of the Angoran Isles. The self-identification doesn’t translate well to her brain. Apparently, these guards were well educated in the matter.

“Ya the capt’? The very same that snatched the Drake Jewel? The same that broke out of Alabast Prison?”

“I dun’t buy it. Too yung, with enuf fingers attached.”

“If you have heard of my accomplishments, you must understand that my skills are above average. No matter age...and intact appendages thereof.” Rhea would scoff at the unbridled confidence, too bad she promised to pretend to be ‘dead’. Connor wasted no time, dropping his salesman approach. “Take me to your boss. Or perhaps you’re implying your boss doesn’t want this Krax? I can find plenty of buyers that would easily pay triple for my inconvenience, you will lose your jobs by the end of the day.”

Not if I scorch you to ashes..sea-thief.

“Boss’ll be mad if he knows we turned him away with the lass.”

"Alright, young capt'. Follow"

She could feel Connor start moving, recognizing the shift of weight as he had to accommodate her additional weight. Although a normal person might struggle, he did not indicate so and moved around as if he wasn't at all carrying Rhea in one arm. It proved to her that this man had training that weathered his body to an extraordinary example of a mortal kind. She imagined he hid more than he showed beneath the layers of clothing. Do not even dare imagine it!

Connor followed the lackeys, more added on to the two. With her hearing, she started to count about fourteen prowled around them, excluding possibly the gang leader.

"The capt of the Nightmare Maiden requests a trade!"

"...Is this needed?" Connor questioned the method of security right out, as if he had any say to it in the first place. This man has no filter.

Confrontational as a Starpecco...

"Ya have no idea what I've been through thanks to that damn Krax bitch!?" There was the booming voice of the gang leader, Death Twisters Kang. From what she recalls, he fit the description of a criminal leader. Death Twisters markings littered on his lanky frame, darkened eyes, and a sneer as sick as his thoughts and the actions that followed suit. There are numerous earrings on each ear, necklaces of silver wrap around his protruding gullet. A shiver ran up her spine, the memory of his sick dark eyes glossing over her frame as if she was some meal to have. The promise of what he would do to her if ever caught...