The next time Basaran saw the little thief he’d caught robbing his house, she was arguing with a vendor in Bree, feigning outrage at being accused of theft. The vendor’s threats rang in her ears, the usual, about cutting her fingers off, mention of The Watch, jail and such. It was whilst this scolding was taking place and the bread being prised from her hand that she saw the young Captain watching her from the steps of Three Farrows with some amusement.
Eventually, he wandered over, his blade hung by his side, this leader of sellswords seemed to prefer loose fitting robes with soft leather in places where needed, than one would typically expect a Captain of such men to wear. Compared to her threadbare breeches, that were patched over the patches, holes in the knees, she thought his attire rather grand, and the man certainly had a presence about him.
His expression was rather mischievous as he pressed a coin into the Vendors hand “I believe the lass was tryin’ to buy some provisions for a picnic, no cause for a fuss.”
The vendor’s mouth gaped in disbelief, looking between the two his mouth twitched “N..no, Cap’n nuthin’ wrong here”
“Ouch” Dani complained attempting to wriggle her wrist free from the vendors vice like grip, her expression indignant “yer…” she eyed her wrist “yer hurtin’…”
The vendor’s fingers sprang open dropping her arm as he supressed a curl of his lip. Aye, he saw how it was now. Nobody knew much about the current Captain of The Bloody Dawn, but it was better to stay on the right side of him, whatever his tastes were. He looked at Dani’s grubby face, her feral eyes staring defiantly back at him, unruly curls dancing on the breeze. “Humph” he muttered under his breath as he readied some provisions suitable for a picnic, his mind already made up that the Captain didn’t have eating in mind. Still, he begrudgingly conceded, beneath the dirt and grime, she’d scrub up well.
“So, ye come lookin’ fer me Cap’n?” she chirped
“No”
“Then ye won’t want me t’ show you a nice spot where we can eat all that good food, an’ drink the wine ye just bought eh?”
“I’m not hungry” he replied a little too quickly.
“More f’ me then!” she retorted.
“Your so annoyin’”
“But I’m growin’ on ye eh?”
“No, you are a pain in the arse, but someone needs t’ keep you outta trouble” he grinned, his hand gesturing for her to lead the way.
Dani led the way a playful little smirk about her features as she took him through a series of back alleys and had him climbing atop boxes, carts, stables and onto a roof where they could jump across to the side of a large hill. From there they made their way up to the top where she led him to a nice little clearing, sheltered by trees to the back of them and a panoramic view of Bree to the front of them. Basaran was quite flustered by the time he flopped onto the ground next to her, not entirely sure where this nuisance of a girl was leading him to, and even less sure what possessed him to follow her in the first place.
Dani dumped her backpack on the ground and looked at him, “You always carry that bag around with yer?” he enquired, a light puff to his breath.
She nodded “mostly…thought my cloak might be in it t’ sit on, yer got a cloak Cap’n?”
“Am I wearin’ one?”
“No.”
“Then that answer’s ye question, then doesn’t it.”
“Yer not very prepared are ye?”
“Mhmmf? Didn’t ‘spect to traipse half way up a mountain an’ be lookin’ over Bree with a thief eatin’ food an’ wine bought with m’ own coin”.
She grinned at his protestations and soon enough she began tucking into the food and chattering away. A short time later, she paused her babbling and stuffing her face and looked over at him. He was leant back on his elbows, his hair dancing in the night breeze looking ahead over Bree as the lights began to be lit in the windows, not having touched the food, only the wine.
Silence…
She mirrored him for a time and then lay down and looked up at the stars, finally breaking the silence and pointing up at the northern star “Tha’ one’s pretty eh?”
Basaran shrugged a little and lay down next to her and pressed his palms to his chest. "It's definitely a bright star, aye." he chuckled.
She took his hand and pulled off his gauntlet with relative ease and discarded it onto his chest and made the sign of an ‘A’ in his palm. ”You know yer letters Cap'n?” she asked innocently.
Basaran blinked, curling his fingers a little at the touch of her fingers to his palm. "Course I do. Else I can't reply to anyone that sends me letters. Wouldn't be much a captain without that."
“Was goin’ t’offer to teach ye...if there was somethin’ in it for me,”
“Fraid I'm already well versed in communication through letters. You'd have to offer me something else." He chuckled, cutting himself short. "Not, like that, before you get any ideas." He wriggled his hand from her grip.
Dani turned her head towards him, grinning mischievously "Yer dun' like me Cap'n?" she pouted.
Basaran rolled on his side to face her. "Not what I said. Though I'm still yet to figure you out. First thieving now just laying here? I feel you have a game."
“Ye dun' like games?” she teased playfully.
"I like games. I mean a 'game'. A plan of sorts" he sniffed, then looked at her again, a grin spreading across his face.
She rolled onto her side propping herself up on her elbow to get a better view of him. “Do I unnerve you Cap’n?” she asked slyly.
Basaran shook his head, his fringe flopping over his eye that bore the oddly shaped scar that resembled an upside down V. He rolled onto his back again, his eyes snapping back up to the sky as he pushed his hair out of his face. "Not anymore, no. That worry left as soon as I had to at least offer you food, when you broke into my house. I'm just, cautious of you." He nodded sagely, tapping her leg with his bare hand.
Dani snatched his hand as soon as it made contact with her leg, and laced her fingers with his, her thumb discreetly rubbed on each of his fingers to check for jewellry.
“We can watch the dawn come up, an’ then whenever I watch the dawn come up mayhaps I’ll think of tha’ company o’ yours eh?...The Bloody Dawn, and wonder what the day’ll bring?”
Basaran sighed, "Brings the same 'fer me, more or less. I don't know about you though." he muttered, linking his fingers with hers seemingly oblivious to her primary reason for holding his hand, or giving too much thought as to why her thumb was now snaking up to stroke his wrist checking to see if he wore a bracelet.
"Look..Dawn's breakin'...sky's pretty eh?"
“Mm, suppose it’s got its charm” he sniffed, his hair flickering in the breeze.
“Tis a little chilly until the sun comes up fully”
Basaran turned and looked at her, raising a brow. "Can always move somewhere warmer if the cold isn't to your liking."
Dani furrowed her brow not registering his words at first. "Come winter an’ we will lose many o’ the old an’ the sick, but it’s the babes tha’ gets ye here,” she responded tapping her heart, her voice wavering at the end.
She rolled closer to him misunderstanding his meaning as his earlier words now caught up with her, thinking that he was offering her direct warmth. He flattened his lips a little, unprepared for the harsh realities of life for those down on their luck. He nodded in agreement, "it's a shame such things happe- happen." he stammered watching her warily as she rolled towards him.
“The old un’s dun' break yer heart the way the babes do” she continued ruefully.
Basaran nodded again. "To be expected. Young'uns shouldn't have to deal with something like that. Not a world we live in, though, unfortunately."
Dani signed after a time "Can’t waste my night lyin' atop this hill wi' you, there’s work ter be done or I’ll feel Hog’s belt"
Basaran frowned for a moment, looking up at the sky as he listened to her. He grunted a little then lifted his arm and wrapped it around her leg a little and held on to it without uttering a word. She looked at him curiously, but did not make any attempt to wriggle free, enjoying the warmth she snuggled closer and settled her head on his shoulder, lifting it a number of times in case he protested.
Basaran chuckled a little, watching her fight for a final resting place on his shoulder. He lifted her head with the shrug of his shoulder. "Shouldn't be letting people do that to you. Doesn't do anyone good."
Dani shrugged it off dismissively, content at picking shapes out of the clouds drifting over her head. The young Captain furrowed his brow a little, looking back up to the sky, he jerked his shoulder. "Oi, falling asleep on me now, are we?"
Dani shook her head lazily, he smiled a little as his hand found its way to her side and attempted to tickle her. "Suppose I can try to keep you wide-eyed. Didn't know that was my job now."
Dani wriggled and giggled heartily as she was tickled "ha...that’s the game yer playin’" she chuckled and began to tickle him back. The two of them began to rough and tumble, rolling about in the grass trying to win a game of pinning the other down and tickling them into submission until a roll too far sent them rolling one on top of the other until they came to a stop at the foot of the hill, Dani ending up the victor, the pair of them laughing heartily. Then a moment passed and the laughter subsided, finding themselves sharing a quiet moment of thought, she moved the hair from his eyes noticing the hue of his eyes was far prettier than she’d remembered.
"Something in my eye?" he mocked, breaking the moment.
She ignored him “You got some charcoal…you know… for writin’ with.”
He raised a brow “Well if y’get off me” he grinned, rolling sideways so that she slid off to the side of him. Basaran sat up and reached into the pouch on his belt retrieving a small piece of etched charcoal and an even smaller piece of parchment and handed it to her.
She took the coal and parchment holding them so he could not read what she was writing, it took her quite some time, her brow furrowed in thought as she formed some letters on the parchment, folded it, and handed the coal back to him. He quickly placed the charcoal back into his pouch, “What’re you up to now then?” he frowned, his eyes on the parchment.
“Tis a game” she toyed, shuffling to sit in front of him.
“I can read minds an' tell fortunes, there’s them on the Alley that think I’m a soothsayer!”
Basaran chuckled, nodding along to humour her. "Another game, alright." he smiled, watching her curiously. "Fortunes, hm?"
She nodded enthusiastically, locking her eyes with his, feigning absolute concentration as she took his face in between her hands. "Now I been readin' ye mind" she explains, grinning. "An’ I wrote down just then, what you’ll do next, an’ it’ll cost you a silver coin if I’m right…we dealin’ Cap’n?"
Basaran rolled his eyes a little but humoured her again, making no attempt to remove his face from her hands, he nodded, forcing the smirk from his face. “Alright, a silver piece it is. Aye, I’ll deal on that”.
“An’ I’ll pay a forfeit iffin I'm wrong...but I ain't go' no coin mind, so dun’ go askin’ for coin, an’ dun’ get any ideas about anythin’ else! Terms agreed?”
"Terms agreed!"
Dani smiled at him, loosening the grip on his face and pushing his unruly hair back into some semblance of order as his wayward fringe flopped forward again. Her pale grey eyes darted about his face as she moved in closer, their lips almost touching as she snaked her arms around his neck, burrowing her fingers into his hair. Her lips accidently brushed against his as she whispered upon them “Your move Cap’n!”
Basaran relaxed a little, the game she was playing now becoming obvious to him. He reached down in between them and into his pouch selecting a silver coin out of sheer luck and dropped it into her lap as he leaned in a little closer pressing his lips against hers surrendering to what he believed was her game. She closed her eyes and their lips connected briefly pulling back a little not entirely breaking contact before parting her lips slightly and imparting a gentle kiss that lingered for a time. Moving closer, momentum gathering; the coin fell unnoticed out of her lap and back onto his. He smirked slightly tracking her kiss with his, his arms relaxed at his sides as his body leaned against hers, his breathing slowing down. Dani slid onto his lap, her lips playing a more anxious game now, one hand moving down his back as his hand roamed up hers, taking a moment of caution for himself at this point to press his lips deeper against hers for but a short moment before pulling back and opening his eyes; hers opened a moment or two after his and they looked at one another with an air of awkwardness between them.
“Weren’t you off somewhere Dani?” he asked breaking the awkward silence. She slipped off his lap, her hand hadn’t quite gotten as far as his pocket “Aye, that I was, mayhaps I will come find ye later then Cap’n Basaran, iffin I got naught better t’do eh?” she grinned cheekily.
Hopping to her feet in one easy movement she stretched her hand out to him. “Reckon ye owe me a silver coin!” she quipped. He smirked back at her and stood up himself to face her, catching the silver coin as it slid from his lap on the way up “I suppose you will, though I had already guessed that game of yours before it started somehow” he retorted with a somewhat toothy grin.
“An' yer trust that I scribed the truth on the parchment"?
He shrugged giving her a quick nod. “I can at least give you trust in that alone, aye.”
The pair of them climbed back up the hill to where their belongings lay waiting. She packed hers back into her bag making sure she took all of the food and wine, then slung her bag onto her back offering him a parting grin.
Basaran sniffed catching her arm. "So, do I get a name yet? Or is that all part of this game of yours still?"
She tucked the folded parchment bearing her prediction into his pocket and smiled rather secretively “Game’s not over yet Cap’n” she murmured, stepping away from him after patting his pocket.
His eyes angled to his pocket a playful smirk forming, “Games not over” he repeated back to her by way of a comeback, ending his statement with a quick bow. “I shall let you be on your way, then o’ teller of fortunes.”
Dani walked backwards wriggling her fingers in the air “Coin’s waiting to be plucked” she hummed, a look of mischief about her. “Until next time eh Cap’n…you’ll see me in yer dreams” she teased.
“Til’ then thief” he chuckled rolling his eyes, sending her off with a wave and a nod. She was barely gone from his sight before he pulled the parchment out from his pocket and unfolded it, his smile turning to a look of surprise, before letting out a peel of laughter. There, written in childlike lettering were the words…
‘DANI HAS YOUR SIGIL’
