Fable - Ask Carrying the Same Sin

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla Moreno had taken the job with Captain Timms because she owed him a favor. She did not like the man and she did not like to work with him. She was an assassin and a mercenary but he liked to take things too far sometimes and even she was sickened. There was a line that even pirates refused to cross. Timms ran over it at every chance. Layla had planned his death half a dozen times and she was going to take care of him on this trip. They only had a small crew of five and that was to her advantage. Less people to kill especially since she liked a couple of them. Oh well.

The ship, The Rampage, was now off the coast of Vel Anir and they were waiting for a particular merchant vessel to cross their path. The plan was easy. Board ship, steal weapons shipment, hightail it out of there. Apparently, Timms had some buyers for the weapons and she just wanted her debt to be paid in full.

Fuck that guy, she thought as she laid on the ships deck. Layla watched the clouds as they danced around the sky. The merchant vessel should be there anytime now.

Get on, get weapons, get off, kill Timms, kill any crew who wanted to fight her. It would be a nice leisurely day.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian leaned against the inner wall of the crows nest, a yawn escaping his throat.

Today was an exceptionally boring day.

They had headed out from Vel Luin two days ago, intending to head up the coast and towards a city in Cortos to deliver a shipment of weapons. It was a standard run, apparently, at least that was what the First Mate had told him as they'd played cards.

He'd been on three Anirian Naval vessels now. One Ship of the Line, and the other a Frigate. The latter had met with utter disaster, though through no fault of it's own, and the former had seen far more action that Bastian had any desire to repeat.

Somehow he'd managed to buy himself some good will and slip onto The Hawk, a simple Merchant vessel belonging to the glorious new Republic.

To Bastian that whole thing was...well inconsequential. Didn't much matter whether it was the Houses or a grand Council in charge, neither wanted murderers like him around. That was why he'd decided to stay in the navy. No one looked too hard at him as long as he kept his head down.

A few more months and he might even get to go back home. At least he hoped.

"SHIP ON THE HORIZON! BASTIAN! WHAT IS IT?"​

Shit. So much for keeping his head down. He immediately shot up, glancing all around until he spotted the sails on the horizon. A frown touched his lips, and he called back. "I can't tell! She's not flying a flag! But she's coming fast!"

There was some cursing below, but Bastian couldn't make it out.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla felt the ship speed up and she slowly got to her feet. The fun was about to begin. Her sword rested in its sheath on her hip and her dagger on the other other hip. She was in mercenary mode today so her poisons were left in a safe spot.

She sighed lazily and stretched her arms above her before skimming the water for their prey. She didn't know this ship, but she also didn't particularly care about who she was robbing. It was a job, period.

It was not long before The Rampage overtook the mercenary vessel. Three of the crew and herself would board. Layla would not be detected though. It was her job to secure the shipment and wait for the others. They'd send men down out of habit and she would pick them off easily.

The magic prickled Layla's skin as she transformed into a sleek black rat. She scrambled up into Marshall's bag as they ships came close together.

The pirates boarded and the sounds of fighting at what told Layla that it was time to go. Marshall had been so sweet to drop his bag and now the rat darted out of it. She made a beeline to the ladder that would take her below deck.

She was quick in her rat body and was sitting on the wooden containers of weapons as a human in less than a minute. She waited now. Waited for the poor, unfortunate soul who thought he would stand up for the shipment.

Her lip quirked in a mischievous smile.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian was not that poor unfortunate soul.

In fact, one could argue that he was almost directly the opposite. The moment the Pirates had begun to board the ship Bastian had decided that it would be best not to be seen. Not because he was a coward, but because he knew exactly how this fight was going to go.

Most of the men on the Merchant ship were not fighters. They were barely even sailors. Vessels like this weren't filled with corsairs and Dreadlords, they were occupied mostly by wastrels and degenerate gamblers. Bastian knew that because he was one of em.

So, instead of fighting, Bastian did what any smart man would do.

He took the first opportunity he could see to climb out onto the rigging of the ship, and proceed to jump into the water below.

From there he immediately cut around the back of the ships, grasping onto the pirate vessel as the sounds of slaughter echoed from above. "Fuck me."

Bastian swore quietly as he pulled himself out of the water. "I need a new job."

He grumbled.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

One young merchant, barely old enough to be away from his parents, stumbled into the hold. She saw her and all color drained from her face. No doubt the other merchants had believed this would be the safest place for him. He would be the very last line of defense against the pirates. The merchants did not know Layla though.

She jumped down from the boxes and crossed her arms over her chest. She really hated killing children, but he was close enough to adult to take any second thoughts away. The right side of her mouth quirked up and she grabbed the boy before he could make a noise. Layla pulled him to her and slit his throat without a word. The mercenary watched the boy gurgle his last breath and then she returned to her crates.

It was not long before her fellows came down into the hold with wide grins. She rolled her eyes and left. She had made it clear that she was not lifting anything on this trip. Fuck Timms. She did not take the time to pay attention to the dead as she shifted and flew back over to the pirate ship as a red tailed hawk.

Layla landed on the railing of the desk and ruffled her feathers while she waited. To anyone who did not know she was a shifter, it would be strange to see a hawk just chilling there.

She may have fallen asleep while she waited for them to finish loading the cargo and she only woke when she heard a female shriek and begging to let her go. She wouldn't tell anyone anything. Please. Layla shifted in an instant and had moved across the deck in second. Her hand had pulled her sword as she walked and she plunged it deep into Timms back before he would even turn around.

The girl started crying and Layla threw her a look. The girl shut up and only silently cried now.

Layla sighed. Now she had to kill Timms' first mate and this girl. At least she had been nice enough to save her from Timms.

 

[Bastian]

As Layla conducted her massacre, Bastian hung just beneath the window of the aft cabin.

He sat seated, if one could call it that, in such a way that he pressed himself against the ship itself. The position was hardly comfortable, but then again that was to be expected. His fingers reached up, grabbing the edge of the window.

With one quick strain of his muscles Bastian dragged himself up, and through the open window into the Captain's Cabin.

As his feet landed on the wooden floor he found the room unsurprisingly empty. The place was decorated as though a bomb had recently exploded. There was a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf that looked like it might have been full at one point.

Bastian glanced at it all for a moment, and then suddenly a shrill shriek echoed from beyond the door.

He tensed almost instantly.

The assumption had been that no one would be left aboard. Had someone decided to stay behind? A scowl pulled at his lips, and from the desk he quickly grabbed a strange curved knife. With it he moved towards the door, cracking it open by an inch to see what was going on.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla had no idea that The Rampage had a stowaway as she yelled as Marshall to drop the sails. She needed to kill the poor girl and the first mate, Fillant. Marshall and Thomas would get to live. She liked them, they liked her, and they all worked well together. She would kill them and then head down to the Captain's Cabin to find his paperwork on this damn load. She might as well make some money.

The assassin had wiped her blade on her thigh before she resheathed it and drew her dagger. Quicker than the girl could blink, Layla had slit her throat. Quick and efficient. Thomas had already cleaned Timms pockets out and thrown the body overboard. He nodded to Layla to let her know he would take care of the girl as well.

That left Fillant. The stupid fat man who could barely climb a set of stairs. "Thomas, do you want Fillant?" The man had used Thomas as a whipping post more than once and Thomas just smiled his wide grin. Good, he could deal with the first mate while Layla went down to the cabin.

In her mind, she was fully aware of everyone that was aboard the ship. She walked down the hall, twirling her dagger between her fingers and humming a jaunty drinking song. Today had been a good day.

Layla reached for the door handle.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian didn't feel a sense of horror. No.

He'd witnessed, participated, in more than one massacre in his day. Death was a common deal within his life. All that he felt in the moment was confusion. What was going on here? Was this some sort of mutiny? A justice dealt out?

Lips thinned, and then the woman suddenly turned.

A sharp breath caught in his throat, and almost immediately Bastian spun on his heal. The door slid shut ever so slightly, and he quickly went darting across the room. He bounded into a small alcove between the empty bookshelf, drawing himself tight against the wall.

If anyone looked, he'd be seen, but that wasn't why he was here.

The moment the woman stepped through the door, the second he heard the lock fall shut, he would move. He'd dart forward and grab her, lay the stolen knife across her throat and silence her with his palm.

It would be the only way.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind her. She had completely let her guard down as she hovered over the desk looking for the notes. A split second later there was a hand over her mouth and a knife at her throat. What the fucking shit?!

She didn't move or try to speak. She stood there with the blade so close to ending her life. She knew for a fact that this person wasn't supposed to be here and she was pissed off that she had let some stranger get the jump on her.

The shapeshifter could easily get out of this with the use of her magic but she decided to see what this person wanted first. Perhaps it would be worth her while. She did have a new ship and a shit ton of weapons to sell after all.

She mumbled welcome aboard but it came out as a mess.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian pressed the knife against the woman's throat.

The blade could have dug in any moment, any second. "Don't move."

He whispered quietly, his gaze flickering over her form as he considered what in the fuck he was going to actually do. He'd just seen this woman kill someone, watched her slaughter what he assumed was her own crew. There weren't many options.

"Scream." Bastian began. "And I slit your throat."

The blade pressed harder against her neck. "Move, and I slit your throat."

There wasn't any question in that. No doubts.

"Do anything but answer me, and I'll make sure you bleed out before your friends can reach me." The tip of the odd curved knife pressed hard enough against Layla's skin that she would feel a pinprick of blood drip over the blade. "Understand?"

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes.

Scream, and I slit your throat.

Layla rolled her eyes.

Move, and I slit your throat.

One more eye roll.

Do anything but answer me, and I'll make sure you bleed out before your friends can reach me. Understand?

Nope, there was the last eye roll.

She sneered as the blade cut her. It was not her first cut and it certainly wouldn't be her last. Her body was covered in scars that told the tales of her failures.

"They aren't my friends. I just like them more than the others." Meet Layla, the queen of sarcasm even in dire situations. "Oh, sorry, yes...I understand. Now...what...do...you...want?" Each word has a deliberate pause between them.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian let the words flitter from the woman's tongue. He had absolutely no fucking idea who she was, and he absolutely did not care. For all he knew she was the Queen of some lost island, but it didn't, really matter. As always he was only interested in one thing; himself.

"I need to get out of here." He said simply.

In games of cards it was often best not to reveal ones hand, but Bastian hardly had a choice at this point. He was on an enemy ship, his own men were likely dead, and...well last he'd checked they were about two hundred miles from the nearest port of call.

Why bother with lies at this point. "Now I'm smart enough to know that seems unlikely."

He said quietly.

"But I did just see you kill some people, and while some might agree with that." Bastian pointed out. "I'm sure others might be a bit more...conflicted."

A shrug rolled his shoulders. "So I'm going to propose a deal. A partnership, really."

Not like he was above dealing with killers.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla let out a slow purr of laughter, careful to avoid slicing her neck further. "Mmmm so I don't kill you and in return you don't tell the authorities about my naughty behavior?" She was acting like she was thinking about it for a moment.

A heartbeat later she was gone. A black cat was on the floor in front of the man and then the cat was a human again. A pissed off human with adrenaline coursing through her. She grabbed the arm that was holding the strange blade and raised it above his head as she pushed him against the wall.

Her body now held him in place with her leg strategically placed to knee him in his most delicate area. Layla was not stronger than him but she had used the moment of surprise to her advantage.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now?" She would give him one chance to convince her. He was skilled enough to get off his ship and onto hers as well as get the drop on her. She might have uses for him.

 

[Bastian]

Bastian let out a curse, having no fucking clue what just happened.

The sum total of his magical knowledge came from two encounters, one with a mermaid, and the other with an Anirian Noble whom had nearly been killed alongside him. There wasn't any doubt that he was new to this, but well, fuck it.

Layla slammed him against the wall.

She was fast, quick, and apparently some sort of...cat girl person, but that didn't matter.

Bastian might have known next to nothing about magic, but fighting he did know. He'd grown up in the slums outside Vel Anir. Had been in more scraps in his short life than most soldiers saw in their entire terms of duty. "Well."

He began, almost innocently. "I have one idea."

As he spoke, Bastian closed his legs in a vice like grip. Slamming down on her leg and pinning it in place as he jerked his head forward and slammed his forehead into the bridge of Layla's nose.

Cat girl or not, no one did well with a broken nose.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla felt pain explode through her face as his head connected with her nose. "Fucking asshole," she yelled and instinctively tried to step back but she couldn't. Her leg was stuck between his so she swung I stead. Her fist flew towards his face intent on paying him back with a matching broken nose.

Her fist hit its target with a crack and she took the moment of pain to step away from him. While stepping, she grabbed her dagger off her belt and held it in front of her.

"We could've been friends, ya know, but now I will kill you!" Layla was angry now.

She danced in with her dagger aimed at his stomach. The blood from her nose dripped down onto her shirt and her head was on fire.

 

[Bastian]

The crack across his face landed, his head pulling to the left as he felt something in nose nose snap. Pain lanced through him, but in that moment he didn't really care.

She spoke, a mistake that gave him time.

As the words echoed from her lips Bastian took a quick step the left and away from the wall that had been behind him, sliding into the open space. A dagger flickered into the cat-girls hand, and he frowned slightly as he took half a step back.

Then in one swift motion he bounded backwards, the blade slicing nothing but air as he found himself quickly peddling away from Layla.

One of the first things Bastian had ever learned; Who won in a knife fight?

The Undertaker. He got two bodies to bury and charge for.

From the left of him he scooped up what appeared to be a log book of some sort. "Easy there."

Bastian said, muscles tensing as he watched her, waited for her to jump forward again.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla growled as Bastian avoided getting stabbed and she turned to see him holding a log book at a shield. That was a terrible shield but it worked because she needed the information in there. She narrowed her eyes and sheathed her dagger before lifting her shirt to wipe the blood off her face. It was starting to get into her mouth now.

She glared at him and crossed her arms as she moved to block the door. He could try to run but it would be out the window and then she would be done with him. The assassin leaned against the door, still glaring at Bastian.

"Fine, you can hold your own. What is this partnership you want to propose?" She asked him in a low growl that promised murder if she didn't like his answer.

If Layla was being honest with herself, she was not a fan of prey that fought back. First and foremost, she was an assassin. In and out. Sneaky. This whole fighting thing was not her style. She also liked her face quite a bit so having a broken nose would ruin her good looks for a while.

 

[Bastian]

Bastain didn't like fighting anymore than Layla did, but at least he was used to it. Most of his killings weren't quick nor easy. The people in the slums fought back, even those fat bastards that tended to be at the top. He was fully ready to fight, mostly because he was confident that he could draw this out long enough to at least draw attention.

That would give him a chance to expose her and cause even more chaos. The plan flickered through his head as she squared up with him, Bastian tensing slightly when he noticed her hand tensing slightly. He frowned for a moment, then felt a flicker of relief as she relented and asked once more.

A frown touched his lips.

Why change her mind now? He supposed it didn't matter, not really, but he was more than a little suspicious.

"Easy." He told the cat-girl. "I just saw you off some people. Probably not good people given the screams I heard but, I don't particularly care about that."

Good or bad meant little to him. "So way I see it we both got a little secret to keep."

She was a good fighter, but didn't matter how good of a fighter you were if you had to take down twenty men. Plus, it wasn't like she could just fly away. She'd need a crew to operate either of the ships, and so did he for that matter.

"So you keep me being here to yourself, and I keep your murdering to myself." Easy peasy. "Then we part ways at the nearest dock."

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla contemplated his suggestion as she continued to look him over.

"The men left on this ship won't care that you are here. They like me a lot more than their former captain and first mate. You don't need to hide especially in my room. I am not sure how long it will be before we hit a port again," she paused and debated how much to tell him. "I have to make this weapons delivery."

Layla pushed herself off the door. She hated to admit that she was insanely curious by him. He seemed to have some of the same skeletons in his closet that she did.

"Answer me two questions. What is your name and why do you need to be kept secret?"

Her curiosity had gotten her in trouble a lot and she had a bad feeling that this case of curiosity was going to do the same...

 

[Bastian]

The answers to those questions were about as simples as the birds and the bees taught to children. "Uhh...I'm Anirian?"

Of course there was more to it.

His real name was, well no one knew that. Not even those in the slums who had hired him. Most people just assumed what he told them was the truth, and that was really enough of that. There were always those that dug, but they didn't care about folk like him.

Nobodies. Murderers. The scum of the earth. "That's usually enough for Pirates."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders, though he didn't mention his name.

He was well aware of the reputation that his people, if he could even call him that, had for those who flew the black flags. Vel Anir did not deal kindly with free-traders. They were summarily executed, regardless of crew, code, or creed.

"That's usually enough." Bastian said, still clutching the log book.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla slowly blinked and let out a long annoyed breath. "Well...I am not a pirate so it is not good enough for me."

It wasn't a lie. Layla Moreno was not a pirate. Assassin, mercenary, scoundrel, fucking bitch...that's what she was but she was no pirate.

"So let's try this again with some honesty this time," she gave him a look of pure annoyance and narrowed her eyes. "Here, I will start for you. My name is Layla." She said the last sentence like she was talking to a child.

 

[Bastian]

"Oh I wasn't ever lying, Doll." He said with a shrug, compltely telling the truth. Omitting certain details wasn't a falsehood after all.

Even given that though, Bastian considered for a moment. "Del."

It wasn't a lie, not really.

The name was one that he had used for a long time within the slums. He'd always found that trading under different names helped with keeping prices where he'd wanted them. Getting too much of a reputation was dangerous, particularly with the Guard.

He had always changed names every few months. The reputation of 'Del' was solid enough. A man known in Anirian territories, a killer for hire, but nothing more than that.

"I still need to keep secret that I'm Anirian." That was after all the most dangerous aspect of all this.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla knew the name Del. They ran in the same circles of the depraved and fucked up. She looked him up and down, a new respect forming. Only a little bit though. She didn't trust other killers. She had learned quickly that killers do not have qualms about...well...killing.

"I don't give a fuck about where you are from," she said as she stepped away from the door slowly and sneered. The assassin nodded her head at Del. "Fine, I will keep you secret and you won't tell anyone about my murderous tendencies." She said while rolling her eyes. "Also, the captain was a rapist so I had to kill him. Even I do not put up with that shit"

She wondered if he was going to make her shake on it but she would wait on that. "Why are you in this part of the world? You could be anywhere and not have to worry about hiding that you are Anirian."

She knew he probably wouldn't answer her honestly, but she was trying to be nice here. Trying. She would kill him later or he would prove that he was useful and she would let him live. It was really up to him.

 

[Bastian]

"Uhh..." Bastian blinked. "I was on an Anirian ship? In Anirian waters?"

Bastian said, flipping the odd book in his hand an tucking it under his arm. He still didn't trust her, not by a longshot, but if she was going to take a more defensive stance than the least he could do was copy her.

"You're the one that attacked us." He reminded her, his shoulders shrugging.

"I'm going to hide that I'm Anirian from anyone that chooses to attack Anirian ships." It seemed more than logical. "I may not look it, but I'm not dumb enough to get my throat slit because of where I'm from."

Nor what ship he'd been on. "I just want to get the fuck out of here alive. I don't care who wants want or whose from where."

True enough.

All he cared about was his own safety, and he was pretty sure after this little...venture he wasn't going back on board another ship.

 

[LaylaMoreno]

Layla was also sure that she was done with ships for a while. This job had been a debt owed and she had paid it before the killing had started. She wondered how much money she could get for The Rampage. It would definitely be enough to take a nice, well deserved vacation. Somewhere nice and quiet where no one could find her.

She let out a hmmmmm at his reply. "If it makes you feel any better, I am only here because the fucking asshole of a captain forced me to a pay a debt I shouldn't have owed in the first place."

Layla had did something nice and a young slave girl had been freed. It turned out that she was his slave girl and he was not happy. He didn't want money, he wanted her to suffer. So he forced her into five jobs of his choosing and this was the last.

"Can I have my book, please?" See...she could be a decent human.