Eating Crow - King and Charity

Started by Charity, June 10, 2021, 04:34:09 PM

Charity

Now that everything had calmed down, wounds had been stabilized, and a course set in for Iscariot Space Station, Charity was exhausted. She'd plum run out of adrenaline and her wrist was throbbing from where the villain had nearly crushed it. She inspected the bruised skin with a frown as she made her way from the bridge toward the Captain's Quarters, the tip of an index finger poking the bluish mark experimentally.

Pressing the button for the door, Charity stepped inside and left the door open for King to join her when he was ready. They had a lot to discuss and it was best to do it while Francis was occupied with getting better. She trusted him, sure, but he was still Mister Little Sebastian's man and she was starting to be a little concerned that he might be more loyal to him than to her. She had nothing to prove that and nothing in particular had made her start to feel that way, but the whole situation was making her feel lied to and... her footing wasn't as secure. This made her nervous.

The Captain approached a wall mirror and stared at herself with dejected horror. Her perfect curls were coming unclasped, the hem of her dress was dirty and ripped, and dried blood was still splattered across her chest and bodice. She grimaced. Her hands set to attempting to smooth out her curls, but she paused mid-motion and stared hard at her reflection, fingers hidden in her hair.

What was she doing? What exactly was the plan here? Amy and Grace were gone, the crew of the Wushu was split up and in the wind, she was now captaining a ship for the benefit of a shady back alley con man, and her crew was mostly comprised of strangers. And for what? So she could keep her freedom? Was she free now? With a 'tsk' of annoyance, Charity lowered her hands, yanking the clips out of her hair and tossing them at the mirror, dark curls sliding free to cascade over her shoulders.

One step at a time. She needed to sort out this whole sticky situation they were in now, and then she could think about being broody.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

June 11, 2021, 02:42:08 AM #1 Last Edit: June 11, 2021, 02:45:17 AM by Axe
King looked about as exhausted as Charity felt as he hobbled his way to the Captains cabin. Both of the days fights put together was more action than he had seen in years. It almost reminded him of the war. Usually any one you walked away from was a win, but today definitely felt like a loss. Jumped in the streets, not once but twice. Delivery of illegal goods. An Ex lawman pilot almost bleeding out in their cockpit. Church got himself shot too. King and Coop were pretty banged up as well. Definitely not the smoothest operation ever...

He arrived at Charity's open door in time to see her abruptly tear out a couple handfuls of hairpins and throw them at the mirror. He knocked on the door frame with a knuckle to announce his presence and then entered, closing the door and then leaning against it while favoring his bandaged foot.

He gave Charity a tired look and sighed. "Well, today sucked."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

The Captain's shoulders stiffened momentarily at the knock on the door, a deep breath lifting and lowering them again in an attempt to calm herself. More than a little embarrassed that King had seen her frustration, she set to picking up the hair pins as nonchalantly as she could manage.

"Well, today sucked."

Charity laughed at the understatement, pausing a moment with the last hairpin between thumb and forefinger to stare up at him before standing. "Yes, it did," she agreed, slipping the pins into her hidden pockets. "I'm sorry, for my part in it. If I had been better at this," she gestured vaguely, "it might have gone a lot smoother." Her gaze lowered to his injured foot and she shook her head slightly.

"We have a lot to discuss," she murmured, lifting her hand to gently remove the rest of the pins from her hair and running her hands over the waves to make sure she didn't look too disheveled. "I know I'm not alone in thinking that what we delivered today was most assuredly not rations... you have more expertise on these sorts of matters but, I am beginning to think we've done something illegal after all," she concluded, shoulders slumped slightly.

She gestured toward one of the two chairs for him to sit, not wanting him to be forced to prop up his body weight on that injured foot any longer than he needed to. "And, I have a favor to ask you. I know I don't exactly have any saved up but..." she began, sitting in the chair opposite the one she'd indicated. "I'd like you to teach me to use a weapon."
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

King watched Charity while she talked, and took the indicated chair when she offered, lord knows his foot was happy for the relief.

"And, I have a favor to ask you. I know I don't exactly have any saved up but..." she said, taking the seat opposite his. "I'd like you to teach me to use a weapon."

He looked at her for a moment, and then sighed, leaning forward and rubbed the bridge of his nose before replying.

"Well first off, Cherry, given the circumstances of acquiring your Captaincy you're doing pretty damn well. You know, considering your lack of training and experience you're still a better ship Captain than a fair few Captains I've met. And I've met a lot of ship captains"

He leaned back again, reaching up to scratch the back of his head.

"Secondly... yeah. Pretty sure we just delivered a full shipment of illicit narcotics for distribution. A fact I am very much Not. Okay. With." He stressed the last three words very carefully, and the look on his face spoke volumes about just how not okay he was with the idea of being a drug mule. It was clear there was more to that story.

He sighed again, his expression becoming more composed and appraising. His head tilted to the side and he looked up up and down.

"And thirdly... well, I think everyone should learn some sort of combat training. I'm sure we can find you something you're comfortable with. Plenty of weapons to choose from. Guns, knives, hands, feet... hell, I even knew a guy during the war, scout-sniper, the guy was like the Grim Reaper. I'm real good at sneaking around, but this guy could sneak up on God if he wanted to, or put 10 rounds in a tea saucer from a mile away. Anyways, he knitted. Hand to god, knitted. Said it helped with stress. He had titanium alloy knitting needles. He use to knit when we were in plain-cloths trying to blend in on a stakeout. Once saw him kill 3 guys with a single knitting needle. Good man, incredible focus and will. Anyways, getting off track here." His eyes has lost focus slightly as he talked, and now the seemed to refocus on Charity.

"One question I have before I agree to teach you anything is, well, why? Why do you want to learn how to kill? Because that's what you're asking me to do. Teach you how to kill. Weapons are a tool whose sole purpose is ending life, so... Why?"
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"Secondly... yeah. Pretty sure we just delivered a full shipment of illicit narcotics for distribution. A fact I am very much Not. Okay. With," he confirmed. Charity crossed her legs at the ankle and leaned back in her own seat, her gaze looking his face over slowly before diverting up toward the ceiling. She wasn't okay with the idea either, but it was clear that he had something deeper that made him upset about their current arrangement. She figured it'd be impolite to pry. "I thought so," she murmured, closing her eyes and sighing a little. Some small part of her hoped he'd tell her she was wrong, and out of her depth, and obviously that's how ration sales went and she was just being paranoid. No such luck.

After a couple seconds to compose herself, the debutante sat up again and settled her hands demurely upon her lap. They'd have to deal with Mister Little Sebastian somehow and get this all sorted out. She wouldn't be part of the drug trade, and she was entirely certain that neither would King. A jolt thrashed in her stomach for a moment at that and she settled a hand over her belly to soothe it. But what could they do? He had her tightly in his grasp, his vague threat not having fallen on deaf ears. She knew what it would mean to tell him they wouldn't be working with him any more. Whatever they did, they would need to do it with a ship load of tact and no small amount of cunning.

"One question I have before I agree to teach you anything is, well, why? Why do you want to learn how to kill?" he asked, which raised her brows and brought that tightness in her gut back. She could feel the muscles in her jaw tighten and Charity worked hard to smooth out the crease that had formed between her brows.

"Because that's what you're asking me to do. Teach you how to kill. Weapons are a tool whose sole purpose is ending life, so... Why?" he continued. The Captain took another deep breath, her shoulders lifting and lowering, and then slumping slightly.

"I've been taken hostage twice now," she reminded him, then paused and looked toward the mirror, "Well, maybe three is a more accurate count..." Charity mused, before returning her attention to his face. "I've been shot and bruised," her hand rose to show him the purpling around her wrist. "You've been..." she paused, hands gesturing at the entirety of him and then finishing by pointing at his foot.

"My crew is full of holes or covered in bruises and lacerations, and the entire time, it was to keep me safe. Every single time, people have put themselves between me and danger. I am, in essence, entirely responsible for your injuries. If I knew how to defend myself, if I was an equal and dependable in situations like these, none of you would have to throw yourselves onto swords and in the path of bullets to keep me safe. I could just...well I wouldn't be a liability."

She puffed out a breath to push a stray curl away from her face before setting an elbow on the arm of the chair and propping up her head with her palm. Her eyes looked down at his foot again and her lips pursed. "I don't want this sort of thing to continue," she murmured, barely lifting a finger on her free hand to point at his injury. 
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

"I've been taken hostage twice now," Charity reminded him. He winced slightly. The first time, to his knowledge, she had been taken hostage was mostly his fault. Or at least he blamed himself for it. He was supposed to have been her bodyguard, and he let her get snatched and then shot. If he'd been working for a security firm he would have been fired on the spot.

"I've been shot and bruised," She indicated the impressive bruise on her wrist. "You've been..." she paused, hands gesturing at the entirety of him and then finishing by pointing at his foot. King made a small dismissive gesture as if to say something along the lines of "Its part of the job", "I've had worse", "I'm use to it", but he didn't interrupt.

"My crew is full of holes or covered in bruises and lacerations, and the entire time, it was to keep me safe. Every single time, people have put themselves between me and danger. I am, in essence, entirely responsible for your injuries. If I knew how to defend myself, if I was an equal and dependable in situations like these, none of you would have to throw yourselves onto swords and in the path of bullets to keep me safe. I could just...well I wouldn't be a liability. I don't want this sort of thing to continue," she finished the last sentence in more of a murmur, once again pointing to his injured foot.

King regarded Charity with a pensive expression for a moment, and then smiled at her. "That was a good answer. Well. If you want to learn, there's a lot I can teach you. No half assing it though. You're going to have to practice, and we're going to have to have regular training sessions... and its going to take time. Even if you're a quick study its going to take a while before you're proficient, there are no shortcuts learning this stuff." He paused a moment, "And I probably wont stop jumping in between you and the bullets, just so we're clear. Kind of my job, you know." He gave Charity a tired wink.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"That was a good answer," he told her and she couldn't help but smile in response. She'd been honest, but she was glad to know that he thought her motives were acceptable in his eyes. She was going to need to rely on him for a lot if they were going to continue whatever they were doing. He was knowledge and skills that she'd need to tap into to fill the gaps in her own abilities.

"Well. If you want to learn, there's a lot I can teach you...there are no shortcuts learning this stuff," he warned her, her chin tilting downward as she listened. She knew all about spending long hours perfecting skills, but at least this one would be more useful than embroidery or the waltz. She shook her head a little at all the remarkably useless information she'd had to learn and just hoped something rattling around in the jeweled box around her brain would be somehow valuable to her crew.

"And I probably wont stop jumping in between you and the bullets, just so we're clear. Kind of my job, you know," he reminded her. Her smile returned and she looked down for a moment before her gaze slid back up to his face. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe we invest in armor," she replied, laughing gently.

Charity allowed herself a few moments of mirth before another deep breath strained the fabric of her bodice. She was glad to have that worry taken care of, but they had another concern that they'd need to tackle together. "Thank you," she remembered to say, both for his agreeing to teach her and for a great number of other things. "Now, we need to decide what we're going to do about our situation. Mister Little Sebastian has us at a disadvantage, with what he knows, but I have no intention of repeating today's genre of adventure. I'm going to...politely request...a change of merchandise but I'm not sure what to request or how to do it in a way that he takes  us seriously."
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

"I'll keep that in mind. Maybe we invest in armor," Charity replied, laughing gently. King chuckled. "Yeah, armor would probably be a good idea, now that you mention it." They sat together in shared tired mirth for a few moments.

"Thank you," Charity said. King smiled again and inclined his head.

"Now, we need to decide what we're going to do about our situation. Mister Little Sebastian has us at a disadvantage, with what he knows, but I have no intention of repeating today's genre of adventure. I'm going to...politely request... a change of merchandise but I'm not sure what to request or how to do it in a way that he takes us seriously."

King sat back and gave it some thought. "He needs us. He may have some leverage on us to keep us transporting things for him, but we're the key to a particular kind of job market for him... And that gives us a bit of leverage of our own. Making money is still better than not making money, even if its a little less than he wants. As far as a change of merchandise... Hmm." He paused for a moment, thinking.

"Narcotics is a big money market, and there aren't many other types of cargo that would make comparable money while still making use of our particular advantages. Stolen art, maybe. Guns? Guns could work. The people I imagine he's selling to are the type who'd get what they're looking for anyway, and given the... nature of their business... odds are that anything we delivered would be used against others in their profession, and not sold to some poor guy on the street." Another short pause. "I could live with that. For now. At least until we figure a way out from under Lis."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"He needs us... And that gives us a bit of leverage of our own..." he reminded her, which was a fact she had missed entirely. She'd been so focused on worrying about the leverage he had on her that she had completely forgotten that he did need her. He likely hadn't been lying when he said that she could open doors for him that he  couldn't quite knock down himself. That reminder lifted her shoulders slightly and unclenched her jaw.

"Narcotics is a big money market, and there aren't many other types of cargo that would make comparable money while still making use of our particular advantages. Stolen art, maybe. Guns? Guns could work..." he explained. Charity's brows rose a little. Stolen art or munitions. Her head tilted to the side and she idly fiddled with her necklace. "I wouldn't mind smuggling stolen art, that could be nice. But Mister Sebastian doesn't entirely strike me as someone who appreciates the arts..." she lamented, offering another tired smile in his direction. Really though, of all the options for crime, selling art (stolen or not) did align more with her personal aesthetic. And art couldn't harm anyone. Typically. She'd run it by the little crime lord, but she doubted he'd go for it.

"I could live with that. For now. At least until we figure a way out from under Lis," King added. Again, she nodded. Carefully, the Captain stood up and moved to where her bags had been deposited when they'd arrived. Only a small portion of her effects had made it with them from Wushu, to the wedding, and then to Iscariot. Her dress collection had been cut down to a fifth of what it had been when she'd first booked passage with Captain Jax. She knew this was no time for such thoughts, but she lamented the loss all the same.

At least having a steady job would enable her to replace her collection, keep King in her employ, and provide herself and her crew with a moving safe haven to those who needed it. She knew she did, she suspected King would as well once he didn't return to his last employer with the 'items' he'd been hired to collect, she didn't know about Mister Cooper but she doubted he enjoyed being bossed around by Sebastian. Doctor Jed seemed happy to go along with them and was a capable replacement for their sweet Gwen, and although she had very little knowledge about Pele, she did like her. If only for their shared level of poise and refinement.

"Captain Charity, Gun Runner," she mused aloud, testing the way it tasted. Then, she snorted at the absurdity and laughed in earnest, then. "This whole situation is absolutely ridiculous," Charity pointed out, turning to face his seat again and smiling warmly down at him.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

"Captain Charity, Gun Runner," Charity paused, snorted, and then laughed. "This whole situation is absolutely ridiculous," She said, turning to give King a warm smile. He chuckled and returned the smile. "I suppose it might be a tiny bit ridiculous." He thought back over the course of events that had led them here. It almost felt like some adventure drama show you'd see on Friday nights on some core world network.

His foot was starting to ache from being in one position for too long, so he carefully extended his leg to a more comfortable position. "So, what now?"
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"So, what now?" he asked, and she lowered her gaze to watch him shift in his seat. She moved around to the back of her seat and pushed it closer to him, then slipped back to his side and bent down, her hands wrapping around the underside of his knee. She lifted his leg a bit until he could set his foot onto the seat of her chair. "Elevated," she reminded them both, taking her hands back and standing straight again.

"What now...well, I suppose I'd appreciate a direct Captain, so I think we should tell the crew what we've surmised, although I'm sure it's been on their mind already, and what we plan to do. gauge their position on our decision, and give them all an opportunity to offer up their own suggestions?" she guessed, setting one hand on her hip, the other lifting to her face. Her thumb rested under her chin while the side of her index finger pressed against her lips.

"I think we should see how far out we are from Iscariot, maybe make the trip go a little slower to give us time to think. Oh! And we should probably deal with his man Francis," she noted, lowering her hand from her lips.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

King grumbled and winced as Charity lifted his leg, but didn't physically protest. His foot was weirdly hot and cold at the same time inside the medical boot thing Jed had attached, and it tingled something fierce from whatever the Doc had injected to help his bones knit faster. The fact that King refused painkillers probably didn't help. "Elevated," She reminded. "I know, I know... Sorry, I'm a terrible patient. Shame Gwen didn't stick around, I liked her bedside manor better than Rambo's."

"What now...well, I suppose I'd appreciate a direct Captain, so I think we should tell the crew what we've surmised, although I'm sure it's been on their mind already, and what we plan to do. gauge their position on our decision, and give them all an opportunity to offer up their own suggestions? -- I think we should see how far out we are from Iscariot, maybe make the trip go a little slower to give us time to think. Oh! And we should probably deal with his man Francis,"

King smiled slyly up at her. "For someone who thinks she isn't very good at this stuff, you sure could have fooled me." He paused for a moment, and then continued, slightly sheepish. "You uh, mind if I just sit here for a bit longer though? The thought of getting back on this foot right away is... less than enticing."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"For someone who thinks she isn't very good at this stuff, you sure could have fooled me," he complimented and Charity couldn't help the rush of blood that forced a rose colored blush across her cheeks. She looked away, smiling. Her hands lifted again to make sure her hair was presentable, then she lowered her her hand to the front of the bodice and felt the flaky, dried blood that had soaked into the pink of her dress and absolutely ruined it. She grimaced again.

"You uh, mind if I just sit here for a bit longer though? The thought of getting back on this foot right away is... less than enticing," he asked, her attention returning to his face. The Captain nodded, carefully moving to sit next to where his leg was propped up on her chair, making sure not to press her hip against it or cause it to move about too much when she sat.

"Of course," she assured him, setting her hands on her lap and leaning back in the chair. "I imagine Francis will tell his employer everything that happened here. I can't imagine that shining a king light on our competency... perhaps we can convince him to keep it to himself and stay on with us? From what little we saw, I wager his life at Mister Sebastian's side isn't a gentle one. Maybe he'd like it with us better..."

A thought struck her and she couldn't help but laugh. "Perhaps I should wear this when we negotiate with Mister Sebastian, it does cut a gruesome figure, does it not?" she asked, looking down at her poor destroyed gown. Another thought pulled her lips into a frown, "Although I imagine a man like him isn't fazed by blood," she figured, sighing a little.

"I'm glad you're here with me," she told him, nodding a little and looking over at his foot. "That's selfish of me, I know, but I think I'll allow myself one selfish thought per day," she added, smiling again.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

"Of course," Charity replied, as she sat back down. "I imagine Francis will tell his employer everything that happened here. I can't imagine that shining a king light on our competency... perhaps we can convince him to keep it to himself and stay on with us? From what little we saw, I wager his life at Mister Sebastian's side isn't a gentle one. Maybe he'd like it with us better..."

King opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a word out Charity cut him off with a laugh. "Perhaps I should wear this when we negotiate with Mister Sebastian, it does cut a gruesome figure, does it not?" She said, looking down at her blood encrusted dress. "Yeah, thats not a bad idea." "Although I imagine a man like him isn't fazed by blood," King thought for a moment. "Might not be, but it might still have an effect. Worth keeping in mind at least."

"I'm glad you're here with me," King tilted his head slightly to one side, quizzically. "That's selfish of me, I know, but I think I'll allow myself one selfish thought per day," King smiled back at her. "Wow, one whole selfish thought per day? That's a pretty strict regiment. I'm impressed." He teased her, good naturedly. "This is why you get the fancy hat and I get to stand behind you and look intimidating." He chuckled. "I'm glad I'm here too, in spite of-" He gestured to his... well, entire body. Their time traveling together had not exactly been kind to King, physically. "-all that, its been fun. Then again, I'm a little weird, so my definition of fun is a bit off kilter."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"Wow, one whole selfish thought per day? That's a pretty strict regiment. I'm impressed." He teased her, good naturedly. A pink glow crept across her cheeks and she smiled at the teasing, her shoulders visibly relaxing. Her smile broadened. This was helpful. She'd felt ready to burst after their 'mission,' her own worries and doubts about herself and her position weighing on her heavily. But now she was starting to feel somewhat acceptable.

"I'm glad I'm here too, in spite of...all that, its been fun..."

The Captain looked over at her things and then back at him, "If you're jealous of my fancy hat," she began, laughter glimmering in her eyes, "I have several you might enjoy," she assured him, allowing that laughter to slip past her lips, then. She sat in silence for a moment, looking his face over, glancing over at his foot, and then back again. Then, she clapped her hands together to get her own attention back on track.

"Speak with the crew, deal with Francis, confront Mister Sebastian, find something we can all be okay with smuggling," she listed, nodding her chin down once with each item listed. "And we'll need to find another pilot," he added, grimacing a little at the state of the law man. They'd have to drop him off on the station and hope no one asked too many questions about it. They'd be at Little Sebastian's private docks so she figured there would be less to worry about, but even his goons asking questions might be included in the 'too many questions' category. Her hand settled on her forehead. And then there was the matter of no one on this ship being who Sebastian had thought they were. She let out a breath and lowered her hand. "What a mess," she reiterated, smiling gently at King.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

King noticed Charity blushing, not for the first time, and was glad his compliments and teasing were relaxing her a little bit. This certainly wasn't the first time he had seen someone new to command have a mission go... not exactly as planned. Often times the best approach was to simply tell them what they did well, and work on what they didn't at a later time. You get faster results with the stick, you get better results with the carrot. You didn't usually get that luxury during war, but this wasn't a war, and King very much wanted to see Charity do well here. Both professionally... and personally. She was a remarkable woman. She was so much like the debutantes he'd known growing up, and somehow completely different at the same time. King could safely say that he had never met anyone like her, which was saying something, he'd met a lot of people.

Looked over at her things and then back at King "If you're jealous of my fancy hat, I have several you might enjoy," He could see the glimmer in her eyes and he laughed with her. He mimed putting on an obnoxiously large hat, struck a pose, and momentarily stared stoically off into space.

"Speak with the crew, deal with Francis, confront Mister Sebastian, find something we can all be okay with smuggling, and we'll need to find another pilot," Charity pressed a hand to her brow for a moment, let out a breath and lowered her hand. "What a mess," she finished, smiling gently at King. He returned the smile. "What a mess." King echoed. "We'll be alright though, I'm pretty good with a mop, and you're a quick study." He said, and winked.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"We'll be alright though, I'm pretty good with a mop, and you're a quick study." He said, and winked. Charity laughed again and leaned back in her chair a little more, allowing herself to relax, although she was careful not to bump or press into his foot too much. She looked his face over, then took a deep breath and asked him something that had been in the back of her mind for an hour or so. Usually she was pretty good at keeping such thoughts to herself, figuring it out on her own by watching people closer than they thought she was. But that felt dishonest, and she wanted to be honest with at least one person on this ship.

"King," she began, pausing to think of how to form her question. "Drug are bad, yes?" she asked, blinking rapidly at just how stupid she sounded. The Captain closed her eyes tight and pinched the bridge of her nose before trying again, her hand lowering to wave away the first attempt. "What I mean is... we all know drugs are...not something that we want in our lives. But, your response to them does seem a little more stern than..." her nose scrunched up. Why was this so difficult. She was known to be quite charming and eloquent. Her brows furrowed and she took a breath, gathering herself.

She set her hands on her lap, tilted her head to the side, and raised her brows in a very clear 'help me' expression. "If this is too forward of me, please, you do not have to answer. I will gladly accept a sudden subject change if you're uncomfortable discussing this," she started for the third time, nodding a little. This was sounding better. "Is there...a particular reason that drugs seem to bother you so? You wouldn't even take the pain medication," she asked, finally getting all the words out in the right order.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

They sat in companionable silence for a short while before Charity spoke again. "King," she began, and then paused. "Drugs are bad, yes?" Kings head tilted quizzically to one side. Charity seemed uncertain about what she was saying, or at least uncertain how she wanted to say something. "What I mean is... we all know drugs are...not something that we want in our lives. But, your response to them does seem a little more stern than..." Kings expression slowly shifted from happy-tired to serious-tired as he began to suspect where this was going.

"If this is too forward of me, please, you do not have to answer. I will gladly accept a sudden subject change if you're uncomfortable discussing this... Is there... a particular reason that drugs seem to bother you so? You wouldn't even take the pain medication," He sighed and looked away, lowering his eyes. A myriad of deflections, lies, and half-truths rolled through his head. He didn't want to lie to her, she was his Captain after all, and she had a right to know a way in which her XO was compromised.

"I, uh..." He paused, searching for the correct way to begin. "I was an addict." He said, speaking with a nonchalance that didn't match his body language at all. "Started in high-school, got busted. Parents had enough clout to keep it off my record as long as I got clean and went to college. Was clean for a while, finished high-school, started using again about a month into college. I kept it managed for a while, light use. Parties mostly. After a while I started using more and more often, fell in with a bad crowd, and after a while I just... didn't care anymore. I was doing everything I could get my hands on, mixing things that shouldn't be mixed. My dealers made a small fortune off me. Went from what you might call a "social user" to a heavy user in a very short amount of time. I'll spare you the drama of my parents finding out. Long story short, I ended up overdosing. Almost died. Well, technically I was dead, briefly." King looked up again, and around the room, carefully not meeting Charity's eyes. A collection of images flashed through his mind. Waking up in the hospital. The disappointment and hurt in his parents eyes. His father telling him he could make it all go away. Signing into rehab. His first day of basic training. "Anyways. The uh, siren song, never went away. Antibiotics, some local anesthetics, and most medicine doesn't bother me, but anything narcotic... freaks me out. Even just talking about it makes my scalp itch. Being in a med-bay with all those painkillers hits me like a glass of whiskey passing under the nose of a recovering alcoholic." He sighed. "So that's why they bother me so much." He said, finally letting his eyes meet Charity's again, a little afraid of what he'd see in them.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"So that's why they bother me so much." He said, finally letting his eyes meet Charity's again, a little afraid of what he'd see in them.

When he finally allowed himself to meet her gaze, all he'd see was a deep sadness, but also a warm compassion. She was silent as she processed the story, her lower lip trapped between her teeth for the barest of moments. She took a deep breath, then slowly stood from her seat to look down at him. There were a few more seconds of consideration before she knelt down in front of his chair, her skirts fluffing up and surrounding her like an embroidered nest. The Captain reached up to take one of his hands in both of hers, her expression intent and her gaze moving from his left eye, to his right, and back again several times.

"You will find no judgement here," she assured him, her tone stern and soft at the same time. "We all have demons, some of them are a little easier to identify, but they exist nevertheless. I would not dare judge you poorly for yours whilst my own were breathing down my neck," she continued, nodding a little. "I'm sure you have some inkling of my demons," Charity wagered.

"Thank you for trusting me with this," she added, taking another deep breath and offering him a gentle smile. "I promise you I will do all that is in my power as Captain to make this ship a safe haven for you, for all of the, should they decide to stay. We will not allow Mister Sebastian to use us to ferry his drugs all over the 'Verse, no matter what. Even if that means turning down his offer and..." she trailed off, knowing he knew what would happen should they stop working for the little man. One of her hands left his to pull her thumb and index finger across her lips, 'zipping' them. "And I shant tell a soul of this, I swear it," she promised, nodding once more. She patted the back of his hand and smiled reassuringly.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

King was reassured by what he saw in Charity's eyes, and he kept eye contact with her as she stood, and then knelt next to him. She took on of his hands in hers. Her palms were very soft, quite a contrast to his own rough skin and callused palms.

"You will find no judgement here, we all have demons, some of them are a little easier to identify, but they exist nevertheless. I would not dare judge you poorly for yours whilst my own were breathing down my neck, I'm sure you have some inkling of my demons," King nodded, lightly squeezing her hand.

"Thank you for trusting me with this, I promise you I will do all that is in my power as Captain to make this ship a safe haven for you, for all of the, should they decide to stay. We will not allow Mister Sebastian to use us to ferry his drugs all over the 'Verse, no matter what. Even if that means turning down his offer and... And I shant tell a soul of this, I swear it,"

He returned her smile, and squeezed her hand again. "I appreciate it. Figured you ought to know, since you are not only my boss but my Captain as well. And I do. Trust you that is. We'll just have to do our best to convince the little guy that our way is the better way. Or at least better than no way at all. And if we cant, well, we'll deal with that too." He was once again struck by the oddity of her, kneeling, in all her frippery. For him. He cleared his throat and broke eye contact. Suddenly feeling... embarrassed? Although he wasn't sure why. "Well I, uh, I should probably get out of your hair, so to speak. I'm sure you want to get cleaned up and get some rest, its been a long day..."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

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