Private Tales Reckoning

[Mako]

Mako filled the time waiting for his tour by sketching a few of the patrons within the tavern.

It was a habit that he'd picked up over the years on The Crow, something to do when the winds were low and there was nothing but waiting. He was not the best artist, and any critic would have told him to quit while he still had respect for himself, but he did a fine enough job in capturing a likeness.

The ink made it somewhat more difficult, but by the time Emilie finished there were three or four scattered parchments on the table where she'd left him. Each one was a small captured seen, bare and with little detail, but recognizable as corners of the tavern and those within them.

When she approached Mako put down the writing tools and looked up at her.

His head tilted in a curt nod. I hope I don't have to kill her.

Mako thought to himself as he stood from the table. She seemed like such a nice girl.

 

[Emilie]

Emilie's smile brightened as he nodded, as though she'd half expected him to change his mind. Her gaze fell on the array of sketches and her brows rose.. "Oh, you're an artist?..May I?" she asked curiously as she reached to pick up one of the sketches, glancing to the man sat alone in the corner as he recognised him.

"These are very good." she smiled, looking over the others too. "Maybe you can draw me some time.." she chuckled, but the sound stopped short as she realised how that sounded.. "Not to say I.. I mean with... clothes.." her voice grew quieter and she huffed, dragging her coppery bangs out of her face, her face beaming as she laughed at herself.

"Shall we just, go?.." she sighed.

 

[Mako]

Mako smirked at her, just letting the words tumble from her mouth.

Had he been able to speak Mako might have offered some sort of quip, a flirty comment, but all he offered was that easy smile. There was no judgement to his eyes, and only the slightest hint of amusement as her cheeks blushed crimson and her tongue tripped over itself. For a brief second there was just a nod.

The slightest hint of affirmation.

Just what question he was answering was hard to tell though.

Quickly Mako pushed himself up and off the bench, reaching back to scoop up his sword and strap it onto his back in one quick liquid motion. He then glanced around the tavern, shuffling the papers and simply placing them into the center of the table.

After a moment he turned, and very gently brushed the small of her back to urge her to lead the way.

 

[Emilie]

Ah, that easy smile that did absolutely nothing at all to help with her furious blushing. She'd be better off just avoiding looking at him at all lest she continue to make an absolute tit of herself. Air, air would help cool her skin and calm her fluster.

She tensed slightly at the touch of his hand against her back, but quickly eased as she stepped outside and drew in a deep breath. "Market day today.." she smiled, and greeted a few people as they headed toward the square. "Lets..go there last.." she reasoned. She couldn't be bothered with them all staring and wondering who he was and what he was doing with her. Word would no doubt get back to her father and that would be a whole other discussion that she didn't feel like having. She was showing him around, and that was it, but she knew how the people here seemed to come alive for a little bit of gossip.

"There really isn't too much to see.." she shrugged, and wandered slowly up the middle of the street. "And on our left, we have the blacksmith. Grumpy old bastard who drives a hard bargain, but he does good work. We sometimes have people come here from Alliria to purchase his blades."

 

[Mako]

Mako followed along as Emilie walked him through the town. He pretended to be at least somewhat interested, and in truth he did pay attention to certain names and features. He only had another night or two within the town, but knowing where everything was would be important if he had to follow her again.

When they passed the blacksmith he caught the man within the forge glancing out towards them. His hand jutted out in a wave, though it was not met with the same enthusiasm in return. Instead he simply grunted, and then went back to pounding the piece if iron on his anvil.

Mako chuckled to himself, then regarded Emilie.

For a few seconds he did nothing, but after a moment he tapped her on the shoulder and lead her to the side of the road. After he made sure they were not in anyone's way Mako crouched down on the ground.

With his index he swiped a few quick words into the loose dirt.

What do you do for fun?​

 

[Emilie]

She trailed him down the streets, telling him what little bits about the small town that she could. She’d only been here a short while herself, but it wasn’t much to pick up.

“See. Grumpy bastard.” She smirked as Mako’s politeness went ignored.

Em paused as he tapped her, following him curiously to the side of the road and tilting her head as he wrote in the dirt.

“I ride.. my horse.” She added quickly. “He’s fast, and a good jumper, so we play in the meadows, and I shoot.. nothing living, just targets. That or there’s a pretty creek to swim in. Otherwise, there isn’t much else around here, and I’m not much for drinking and gambling.” She smirked..

“Why do you think the entire village are in the tavern every night?..” she mused. “What about you? Besides your drawing and adventuring…”

 

[Mako]

Shoot?

So she was an archer. That was a goodmpiece of information to have, and the fact that she had a horse. A frown touched his face for just a brief moment, easy enough to see as him responding to the lack of 'fun' within the village. After a moment he shook his head and took a breath.

Her counter question wasn't one he could really answer.

Not if he wanted to keep her close. He wasn't cruel or course, but he could hardly say that he spent most of his off time gambling with pirates and training to be a better killer. Women liked a bit of danger, but not like that.

He shifted for a moment and then quickly scribbled in the dirt again.

I like to read.
​

For a few seconds he considered, deciding that scribbling in the dirt wasn't the best way to communicate what he liked to read. After a few seconds he wiped away the message and wrote something new.​

Is there a river nearby?​

 

[Emilie]

Her lips curled as she read his words. She too enjoyed reading, though she hadn't met many men who valued books very much. Her father had been a more, practical man, and saw such things as a waste of time.

Em nodded at his question. "Mm-hm.. It runs behind the village straight through the valley. Come, I'll show you." she smiled and turned on her heels. She led him across the same meadow he'd followed her through the previous night, though in the opposite direction and down the hill of the valley to where the river ran, banked with birch and snowing pear blossom.

The river was calm, and so crystal clear that the rocks and pebbles on the bed of it could be seen as though looking through glass, as could the occasional fish. The remains of a small fire sat surrounded by rocks, and Em smiled. "I sit here some nights, its peaceful after listening to that rabble all day." she explained and perched herself up on a smooth rock.

 

[Mako]

The river was gorgeous, not at all like the ones at home.

Back in the bayou the water was as dangerous as any man in a dark alleyway. The waters were murky, and what lurked beneath them wanted you for nothing less than dinner. One had to be weary around the rivers of Garamarrisma. Here it did not seem to be so.

A pleased smile touched his face as she spoke of her peaceful retreat. He was now sure that she knew this village well, well enough to hide a murderer. He just had to figure out where, but that would come soon enough.

As Emilie perched herself on the rock Mako quickly began to strip.

Sword, jacket, and tunic were tossed away in the blink of an eye, nearly thrown into a pile besides the very rock Emilie had pulled herself onto. His boots came next, though not as smoothly, and then last were his trousers.

Before Emilie could offer any sort of objection Mako was stripped to his small clothes. The sun seems to catch on his muscles as he turned and then he took a running jump into the crystal waters.

 

[Emilie]

Emilie stared unblinkingly at him as he began stripping off, her mouth suddenly dry as her eyes explored the dips and contours of his bare torso.. She faltered as she realised that she'd been staring, and looked away in time to see him strip off his trousers in her periphery. Her throat cleared awkwardly, that heat rising in her skin once more.

She casually watched the falling pear blossom petals, ruffled free of their branches by a passing breeze and flickering down to land on the grass like fresh fallen snow, or to float down the river to somewhere new. She looked back at the sound of the splash, her lips twisting as she fought a grin, but she couldn't help a shy laugh. He was no doubt as bold with all of the girls he met, and why shouldn't he have the confidence to be, looking the way he did?

Sissy was going to love this bit of gossip.. She smirked to herself and her head shook as she kicked off her boots, and sat by the river's edge to dip her feet into the cool water.

 

[Mako]

The water was cold, but not as icy as the ocean was in some places. Mako found himself diving to the depths of the river, spinning slowly around and just floating for a few seconds.

For a moment he forgot why he was here.

What he had to do. Why he had come to Old Ashton. It was a pleasant thing. A second of peace. Those were rare for him. Downtime on the Red Crow was hardly ever peaceful, and as he floated there he couldn't help but revel within it.

Then he burst from the waters.

A breath burned into his lungs, his legs kicking as he swept his hair aside so the water would not drip into his eyes.

He flicked his gaze around the bank, orientating himself to find Emilie. Back to work.

Mako reminded himself, flashing Emilie a rather mischievous grin. His hand rose from the water, and he gestured for her to join him in the river.

 

[Emilie]

Emilie smirked as she watched, the rippling surface of the crystal waters distorting his form until he breached the surface. His beckoning was met with an incredulous laugh.. She wasn't in the business of stripping down to her smalls in the presence of perfect strangers, but she was young, and he was cute, and the last thing she wanted to seem was boring..

She let out a deep huff and got to her feet, nervously removing her clothes until she stood in no more than her smalls, a white silken vest and shorts. Her arms wrapped around herself as though she might as well have been naked, and she walked carefully across the rocks to reach the deepest part of the water, glancing to him with a smirk before taking a leap into the cold water, ensuring that her landing would send a wave of water over him.

 

[Mako]

Mako didn't stare, he wasn't some lech. But it would have been a lie to say that he didn't look. His gaze didn't sweep over her, but instead the steady reflection within the water. He smirked as she approached the river.

Water went cascading over him, but he smiled.

A laugh might have erupted from his throat had he been capable of such a thing, but no sound passed from his throat as he shook his head and waited for Emilie to rise.

Almost as soon as her head slipped up from the rippling waters his hand pushed forward and sent a wave of water rushing towards her face. His eyes and featured spelling out the words 'take that!' before he suddenly pushed himself off a boulder beneath the water and swam further into the river.

He seemed to glide almost effortlessly through the waters, as though he belonged to them.

 

[Emilie]

Em lifted her hands to shield her face with a laugh of her own, her grin wide as she wiped the water from her eyes and watched him swim. The water was fresh and cool in the late afternoon sun that sparkled across it's disturbed surface. She pushed her wet hair back from her face and followed to the middle of the river, feeling the soft current pull gently at her feet underneath.

She stopped a short distance from him to tread water, her brow quirking at him as though half expecting some mischievous trick.. "Feels strange to have company here. I usually have it all to myself." she laughed under her breath and smiled shrugged..

"The peace is nice until it gets boring." she mused, realising that this had been the first time she'd been in anyone's company outside of The Inn who wasn't her family. Not that her father would approve..

 

[Mako]

Mako smiled at her.

He knew what being alone was like. Most.of his childhood in the bayou had been on his own. None of the other kids had ever wanted to play with him, and he'd spent most of his days and even nights exploring the swamp around their village. Going home had never been pleasant either.

By the time he'd joined the Crew of the Red Crow things had been a bit different. It had still been isolating in a way though, he'd been a kid surrounded by pirates. Most had treated well enough, but he'd sought out small sanctuaries on the ship. Ones that he'd still not shared with anyone else. Perhaps this place was like that for her.

His features softened a little, the cocky smile disappearing and a more sympathetic look offered.

Slowly he swam a bit closer to her, gliding effortlessly through the water until he was just a few inches from Emilie.

 

[Emilie]

Emilie's head titled as he swam closer to her, her body tensing slightly and her mossy eyes holding his gaze. She swallowed the dryness in her throat as he stopped so close to her. His eyes were like golden hour, like sunlight caught in amber glass.. And the dimples in his cheeks...

"You swim a lot?.." she asked quietly and cleared her throat..

'You swim a lot?!... How fuckin' smooth, Em.' she thought to herself, biting on her lip, her hands pulling slowly through the water..

 

[Mako]

Sometimes, most times, Mako wished that he could speak. It would have made so much in his life more simple. Home would have been better, his training, communicating with people. It would have been easier. He craved for it in moments like this.

A voice.

The ability to say something, anything at all.

His eyes were fixed on hers as she asked her question, and his lips broke out in a wide grin. It would have been a laugh from anyone else, and it should have been. He dipped his head in answer, the only one that he could give.

Well, one if them.

As they floated within the waters, as Emilie did her best to hide her face and tuck away her blossoming cheeks, Mako reached out. His touch was gentle, softly grasping her hips to pull her against himself, pressing his lips to hers with reckless abandon.

 

[Emilie]

Oh dear Gods.

Her life had been so void of excitement these past weeks that her mind couldn't keep up. His hands on her hips, his mouth against hers, it all made her heart pound and her head light. Of course, she kissed back, how could she not? Was it not the most thrilling thing any lonely girl of her age could imagine? Some tall, handsome and mysterious stranger appearing from nowhere to sweep her off of her feet? Why shouldn't she have fun?! She would only know him for two days, and so there was no time to take things slow..

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled himself against him, and the world itself ceased to exist, blurred and indistinct as an impressionist masterpiece. There was something heavenly about a kiss in the river, an impassioned, impulsive moment of mutual desire that just couldn't wait. And so she kissed him back, letting her tongue tangle with his with a throaty sound of approval against his mouth.

 

[Mako]

As both of them stopped paddling Emilie and Mako slowly slipped beneath the surface of the river.

The hands on her hips slowly slide over the bare skin of her back, arm wrapping around her as he held her tightly against himself. His tongue floated slowly over hers, the two of them interlocked as the sun cast down through the ripples above.

For that moment he found peace again.

Thoughts of his mission, his place in the world, what he was at his core was forgotten. His fingers softly dug into her skin, as though he were grasping onto that small sliver of time. He stayed there as long as he could hold onto it, until his lungs burned and he needed breath.

With a powerful kick he pushed them both up and above the surface once more. Air rushed into his lungs, but he did not let her go.

 

[Emilie]

Breathing was not a priority for those moments as they dipped below the surface of the river. They were a tangle of limbs, grasping for dear life, flashes of sunlight warming her skin. Her lungs burned , but her lips burned hotter by the second.

She was loathe to break it to pull the air back into her chest, but she didn't let go of him either. Her hands clutched hold of his back, her fingers trailing over the rune he had imprinted there and she let out a breathy laugh as she looked at him.

"You always kiss girls you don't know like that?.." she grinned, her skin scalding.

 

[Mako]

The touch of her fingers upon the rune was pleasant, that itch still slowly crawling its way under his skin.
Not as much as you'd think.

Mako thought to himself, though all she got was that same mischievous smile. His thumb gently traced down the small of her spin, dragging along the small seam of her back as he softly pushed them a bit closer to the bank of the River so that they did not sink into the waters again.

As they got closer to the bank his feet dug into the pebbled shore, slowly spinning so that she was still floating within the water.

Before she could say anything else his lips pressed against hers again, passionate, firm, fingers dragging across her skin and slipping over her backside as he drew her into himself.

 

[Emilie]

That grin...

She melted.

Her breathing hitched, her skin reacting to every touch until she was shuddering and covered in goosebumps. Her kisses were greedy and fervent, fingers gripping at his wet hair and her legs wrapping themselves around his waist.

This time she broke their connection to let out a few heavy breaths, her eyes searching his for a moment before she curled her fingers around the hem of her vest and lifted the soaked garment up over her head, tossing it onto the bank. She stared at him, ensuring that she hadn't read him wrong - though she didn't think she had.

Slowly she leaned back toward him, her chest heaving with hard breaths as she kissed him with silent demand.

 

[Mako]

Mako lay practically sprawled out on the bank of the river, his chest rose and fell, and he could feel Emilie gently resting half to his side and half on top of him.

His fingers slowly threaded through her hair as he lay there, eyes closed.

Exhaustion clung to his skin, and he felt as though he were ready to pass out. The sun felt good on his skin, there was a pleasant breeze, and he could feel the river gently passing over his feet as they laid upon the banks.

A smile clung to his face, but it was not the mischievous smirk he'd been wearing before.

It was an expression that spoke of contentment, perhaps even a spot of happiness.

 

[Emilie]

The tumble back down was just as pleasing as the climb had been. Her body was tingling and her toes had curled until they'd gone completely numb. Her frantic breaths and pitched pulse were slowly returning to some sort of normality as she lay half draped over him, her eyes closed as she savoured the pleasant little aftershocks and the soothing feeling of his fingers combing through her hair.

"That was fun.." she breathed quietly, tilting her head back to look up at him, her expression one of sleepy satisfaction as her fingers trailed over his chest, drawing small circles.

 

[Mako]

They were words he could not disagree with, though all he could do was a slight nod of his head.

His fingers curled further in her hair, shallow breaths causing a rise and fall in his chest. Golden eyes flickered open to look down at her. There was a thrill within her eyes still, a look that spoke of excitement and desire. He leaned down, placing a soft kiss against her lips.

A better answer than a simple nod.

It was hard not to want to stay in this moment, to be a bit more human. He wasn't a soldier, he wasn't a Knight, but he was a part of a crew. He owed Radic everything. He didn't care about the Reckoners, didn't even care about Charos, but...he knew Radic would be disappointed.

As much as he wanted it.

He knew this wouldn't last.

Knew that in a day, maybe less, he would have to find those people Emilie was hiding.

As though the thought summoned the feeling back, he felt the itch between his shoulders once more. A shiver ran up his spine, and for some reason he felt a cold wash over him. His fingers tightened on Emilie, drawing her a bit closer.