Thar Shaddin

“Tried that, doesn’t help,” Soneya muttered, sorry for having completely ruined the mood between them, especially as he had asked a really interesting question to which she quite would have liked to answer, but the moment had passed and she was never going to get out of this place anyway. She was too scared in the end to actually do anything about her pathetic life situation. And as for her parents, they were most likely already running up the walls in anger for her having defied them and letting them wait. They weren’t really the most likeable kind of people.

“But thanks for trying to help. It’s been like this ever since I can remember. Practically constant headaches, but for the most part I’ve learned to live with it. Sometimes I just get hit by a really heavy migraine that just turns me into this little pathetic heap of self-pity and sorrow. Just ignore it, it’ll blow over, sooner or later.”

Attempting another smile through her dizziness, Soneya looked at Ko once again. “Got any more stories to tell me? Maybe somewhere else you’ve visited? The distraction helped, I just have to keep my head still and preferably not do any abrupt movements. ‘S all.” Even as she spoke the words, she inwardly cursed at herself for actually being as pathetic as she had just described herself. “Ah, nevermind,” she muttered. “I should just go home, and to bed. Sleep should help. It usually does. Do you have somewhere to stay for the night? Otherwise I could recommend you a place or two.”

"Near constant?" That wasn't any way to live. Ko wasn't a big fan of any pain that wasn't necessary, and in his firm opinion most pain wasn't necessary. "Hold on there, I ain't some sort o'knave. Here," he jerked his chin towards her, no matter that she'd almost said the magic words. Separating him was the recommendation rather than the invitation; he'd no intention of spending money on anywhere to sleep when he could find a room for free. "Gimme yer hands. An' th'food ain't even here yet."

He sat back on the table, setting his own hands palm up. He waited for her, his smile going a little cagey.

Give him her hands? Soneya pulled back a little and cocked her head to the side as she looked at him. What was his game? That seemed like a rather odd request. But when her headache made her stomach jump in a wave of nausea, the woman decided that there was nothing to be lost by accepting his help. If indeed, that was what he wanted to do, and even could do. Anything was better than just idly sitting there, trying not to throw up or fall off her chair into unconsciousness.

Slowly, she leaned forwards and slid her hands over the table towards his. She hesitated a moment longer before she finally placed her hands in his, very gently, still hesitating. “What are you going to do?” Her voice sounded small all of a sudden, as she felt her hands settle against his, suddenly very aware of the fact that their skins were touching and that he was actually rather handsome. Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, she quickly turned her face away from him, glad for the hair falling over the side of her face, out of the ponytail she had loosened to ease the strain on her head, way before she had even bumped into Ko.

She was hitting hit buttons without even realizing what she was doing. "Jes tell me if it works'r not," he said.

He almost snickered at the blush that spread across her face, but he kept his smile easygoing as he looked down to her hands. There were a good many ways to help ease a headache. He couldn't remember the entire lecture, but he certainly did remember some of the tricks he'd been taught. Especially when they'd been reinforced with sex, though considering that sex, itself, was a neat trick to cure headaches (wilting damsels aside), he supposed it all worked together.

He slipped his hands around under hers so that he could gently pinch the acupressure point where the bones from thumb and first finger met. Once he had it, he began a slow and sure massage of that bit of flesh, eventually looking up to gauge her reaction. "Might take a few minutes," he allowed. Granted, she'd said gingerroot and camomile tea hadn't worked, and that was his usual go-to for head pain.

'Course, he still had one or two tricks up his sleeve, but considering her show of reluctance to just put her hands out he wasn't so sure she'd go for those. Besides, he could wait. This was a much better reaction than the one he'd gotten when she'd first bumped into him. At the thought, he tilted his head back, studying her face. She was so high strung, the way she reacted at every little thing. No wonder she had such headaches, if she couldn't relax.

"Th'first time I was on a ship in a storm, I was terrible useless," he started, allowing his smile to disappear into a smaller expression. It wasn't quite bashful, he knew, but it really set off his dimples. "Thought I was gonna shit meself."

A small shiver raced along her spine as he began to massage her hands, and Soneya shook herself to get rid of the sensation, though she never removed her hands from his. Instead, she closed her eyes, trying to ignore both her discomfort and the fact that she could feel his eyes upon her. She needed to concentrate on relaxing, letting his massage ease her into a calmer state of mind in an attempt to relieve the headache.

It really did take a few minutes but once Ko started talking again as well, his distraction combined with the massage seemed to do the trick and Soneya sighed in content as she felt some of the knots loosen up a little. Her dizziness was slowly dissipating as well and she could dare to move her head without wanting to throw up every time.

“I never tried this before,” she breathed, fearing that if she spoke any louder, she’d burst the bubble and the headache would come back full force. “I didn’t know this would help so well.” Admittedly, she had once been offered a sort of massage, but she had flat out refused because she couldn’t stand to feel their doctor’s hands upon her skin, if it was only to feel the heat on her forehead. This was quite something else, though it still surprised her a little that she had trusted a stranger to touch her, and for this long.

She was painfully aware that her hands were still in his but she made no move to change anything about that fact. “Thank you, Ko.” Her face had relaxed and the smile came much more easily this time. “Definitely not useless for my kind of storm,” she tried to joke.

"I've learned plenty since then," Vexako said. His voice had deepened a little bit, matching the teasing expression he wore. He was watching her. "You always just let your storms run their course?"

Soneya looked at the face of the young man who was teasing her and she couldn’t help but blush. “No, of course not!” she replied, turning even redder. “I mean, that would be…”

What was the point? Her complexion was already more than giving herself away and reluctant, she finally nodded, feeling her cheeks burning. “Yes, I sort of do let my storms run their course – and mine along with them. It’s gotten me into trouble more times than I can count, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop myself from doing that. It just… sort of… happens, you know?”

Soneya wrung her hands together a bit, unsure what to do with herself, before she just clasped them together and put them on the table in front of her, arms rigid in the hopes of it keeping her from fidgeting too much. “Not everything has always turned into a bad situation though,” she added as she dared look back up at him. “I mean…” She drifted off, not quite sure how to finish that sentence. Indeed, not everything had turned into terrible circumstances she wished she had never experienced.

Diversion. Diversion would be best now. “What about you then? Do you not let your storms lead your way?”

Ko's smile might have turned into a smirk for just a few seconds, his eyebrows lifting long enough for him to ask, "Get into trouble often then? Wouldn'ta pegged you fer it."

The food arrived, and Ko released Soneya's hands to let it settle between them. They remained on the table. An invitation? Conscious or no, that she didn't hide them was a hopeful sign. He looked at them, then at the food, and pulled his own plate towards him so he could start eating. It wasn't half bad.

"Only thing t'do fer storms is ride it out. Rest o' the time I set me own course. Don't know no other way. Not that me own way is always smooth, neither."

He gave her that charming and rakish look most scoundrels had tucked away somewhere, and then tucked into his food.

The arrival of the food was fairly well-timed, especially because Soneya had started to grow a little uncomfortable, or rather quite simply ill at ease because she wasn’t used to it, with Ko’s hands still wrapped around hers. Not that she minded the action as such. It was just very unusual for her.

While they were eating, she couldn’t help but observe him from time to time, trying to ignore the fact that she could still feel the heat on her cheeks from when he had smiled at her. She needed to stop this silliness. She was acting like a little girl! Then again, there was no real reason why she shouldn’t enjoy his company for as long as it lasted. After all, if he rode out his storms the way they blew him, he might not be around anymore in a few hours’ time. Not that she wanted him to stick around.

Shaking her head at herself, Soneya lowered her eyes to her plate and kept them there until her plate was empty and she had no reason to stare at it but she kept her eyes downcast nevertheless. She was confusing herself, though that was nothing new at all, but it was bugging her somewhat and she needed to get a grip. Her head was still pounding as well, though not nearly as badly as before.

When she finally couldn’t keep up the pretense of being interested in her plate anymore, she looked up again, her gaze instantly drawn to his face. To prevent herself from falling back into just staring at him or blushing randomly, she picked up their previous conversation. “So what kind of work is it that you’re looking for? Since there’s no port here, it would have to be far removed from what you like.”

Ko let the little flower have her silence during the meal. He was ready to talk, there was hardly a time when he wasn't, but the way she kept her eyes pinned to her plate spoke the volumes she wasn't ready to. He shrugged and tucked into his own meal, though he kept his eye on the rest of the tavern as well as the girl he'd made no small bit of progress with. He was staring towards the door when she spoke up in that shy little manner she had. He gave her his attention immediately.

"Me days on the docks're over an' done with, I fear. I like new an' interestin' things."

He let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds, his expression congenial as he watched Soneya. Then he shrugged with a twitch of his lips in a quickly gone smirk, and added, "Y'wouldn't happen t'know o' some work, eh?"

Ko’s words left Soneya feeling awkward, more than she already was, and she noticed a slight increase in the dull throbbing in her head, which she consequently tried to ignore again. It was a good thing he continued speaking without actually wanting to hear a response.

“Work? Hmm… well, if you’re not fussy, then there’s always something to be found. I’m sure there’s a butcher or two somewhere who could use an assistant or even a proper apprentice. I know one of the baker’s I regularly go to was looking for a hand only a while ago, but I’m not sure if that spot hasn’t been filled already. Other than that… well I don’t know. There’s a lot of possibilities, but I wouldn’t know anything about it.”

She never really had to wonder about this kind of thing since her parents had taken care of it for her, without asking her opinion, and she had been settled ever since. Too uncertain to do anything about it and grown too comfortable with her situation to change it now, since she knew what she had but wouldn’t what she could expect if she were to get a different job. Probably exactly what her parents had intended for her. It left her with a bitter aftertaste in her mouth, and she was quite surprised to realise that she actually had these kinds of thoughts.

Ko pulled a face. Leaning back in his chair, he slouched and pushed a hand through the mop of hair that curled over his forehead. He considered what she'd said, and what she hadn't offered. How much time did he have to spend on this girl, when she'd given every indication it would take days, and not hours, to win her over? Easy enough: he didn't. He needed a woman who wanted an interruption in her life, who wasn't pressed closed like some oyster with razored edges just waiting to slice a man's fingers open.

He pushed his chair back. There was no need to stand, not just yet, but he wasn't one for lingering. Sitting in one place for too long made him all antsy. "C'mon, I'll walk y'to where you were goin' afore I took y'off yer course."

And maybe along the way he'd find a new opportunity.

It wasn’t hard for Soneya to notice that her response may not have been the one Ko had expected, even though she was not generally one to easily read people’s signals, unless they were in dire need for help.
She hadn’t expected however that he so quickly wanted to get away and walk her home. Of course though, there was nothing else to say. They had drifted off into meaningless small-talk and Soneya had no idea whatsoever of what to talk about.

She knew however that she neither wanted to be rid of his company yet – oddly enough she quite liked having him around, he was a refreshing breath of air – nor did she want to go home yet, the reason why she had been, probably still was, in a bad mood in the first place. The instant she thought of facing her parents, her headache became stronger again and she sighed.

“I’ll pay,” she stated and stood up to walk to the waitress before Ko would even have a chance to say something. Not that she thought he would really protest but she didn’t want the discussion. He had done something nice for her and she had nothing better to do with the wages she earned, and since he was looking for work…

Business taken care of, she found her way back to Ko and attempted a smile. “Shall we?” The dread of stepping outside and heading homewards made it hard to actually walk out the door and into the streets, turning in the direction she needed to go. “Thank you for walking with me.” For some reason, Soneya suddenly felt shy, now that there were less people around them and they were practically on their own. Lost for words and unsure what to do, Soneya kept her eyes on the ground, once again.

Well, well, the lady had manners. Ko would've insisted, if he thought he had a chance in swinging her to his tune by nightfall, but he didn't. What was the harm in letting her pay? Naw, he could build something a little more substantial than a few nights in her bed. Maybe. Buuut, that was still a half-bet. If he got her talking, maybe he could use her place as a town girl to his own advantage later.

It wasn't like he had anything to lose.

"Where's it you work in this city, if y'don't mind me askin'."

He was slouching a little as he walked, his travel-worn clothing creased with the sure signs of walking and sleeping in them with little time out of them between. Still, he moved easy enough, and he didn't show any sign of strain on his face. He didn't have to. It was written on his body, in the dirt and the dark circles. It was in the way he'd eaten his food, and the worn state of his shoes.

Vexako was a vagabond. Of that, there was no doubt. But his manner of speaking, the thickly layered accents and the slow meander through baseborn mannerisms, tied together with his manner of movement and the confident way he sized up his surroundings, could easily lead someone believe there was more to him than a man down on his luck. The gleam in his eye dared the observer to try and find out what.

You’d think that working for a guard with lots of other people in the household would make Soneya adept enough in talking to people but somehow that simply wasn’t the case. When she could question someone for whatever it was they needed a hand with and give some sort of advice when it came to little wounds and such, sure, then her mouth worked, but now, with Ko next to her and looking charming despite the fact that he was dressed like a veritable streetrat almost, she couldn’t find the words to put in her mouth. It was horribly frustrating.

She was so focused on working herself up that she almost missed his question. Smiling briefly, she replied: “I work at a Guard’s place. One of the many people, mostly girls, on his stuff, running the household, the kitchen, well basically everything. I am lucky enough to be the one to most often get to do the errands that take me out of the house – mostly because I often have headaches and fresh air seems to help without completely incapacitating me for work. It’s not very fulfilling, but it pays well enough and it’s a respectable work place.” Especially for someone with literally no skills, but she didn’t say that out loud. She didn’t want to sound like she was whining.

Someone stepped out of a door at just that moment, still talking to the person inside and thus not paying attention to where he was going. Soneya didn’t sidestep him quickly enough and the man bumped into her, saying a million apologies before walking on again. The motion however sent the woman stumbling into Ko, and she briefly grabbed his arm to steady herself again.

Instantly, an electric shiver raced up her arm and down her spine, making her hair stand on edge and she could already feel herself blushing before the shiver had even ended. The man who had caused this was instantly forgotten, his words left unheard as she stared up at Ko in wonder. All this from just barely touching his arm?

Oddly, it made her feel alive, and she hadn’t felt like that in quite a long time, so she wasn’t going to let that feeling slip away from her again. “You know what? I really have no inclination whatsoever to follow my parents’ orders and go home.” Soneya stopped dead in her tracks and fully turned towards Ko, her eyes not leaving his face. “Would you like to go somewhere? Just… anywhere? Enjoy the rest of the day?”