...Kiyer looked at him, as the memories rose up behind his eyes.
Running, running, and nowhere to stop or to look for help. His enemy was too fast, too powerful.
Too highly placed.
Too trusted by the honest Neopets around him...
"I wish I could," Kiyer said sadly, slumping down again and testing another of his deeper bruises. Ouch. "I don't understand all of it myself."
He'd been a spy, a double agent, like another more famous Zafara. But he'd always been faithful, he'd always been loyal to his home. He'd been as law-abiding as his job allowed. But it was easy to stop trusting someone like him...
He was lying, and it still made him sick, but he was long practiced at hiding it. He wasn't quite lying, because he did wish he could confide in someone, and he truly didn't understand all of what had happened to him so far.
He let his head fall back, then looked up and around at them. "I found a high-up with a lot of Virtupets technology," he said, choosing elements of the truth judiciously, "and a freaky collection of toys. Then I got arrested." That was leaving out a bit. "What about you?"
"They don't trust Darigan Neopets here in Shenkuu," the Aisha said sourly.
The Eyrie laughed roughly. "Like that's what got you in trouble, missie. Me, I'm a pirate, and a merchant kingdom don't like pirates."
"Oh, come on," Kiyer said, sitting up a bit more and looking around, his information-gathering instincts kicking in for lack of anything more productive to do at the moment. And knowing more about people around you was always good. Always. "I might just have gotten in over my head, but I'd bet you lot have better stories than that..." He trailed off invitingly.
The pirate Eyrie guffawed. "Fascinated with the criminal life, are you, lad? What would you bet?"
Kiyer blinked, faltered, and set the Eyrie, his three possible crewmates, and at last the Darigan Aisha and the disconcertingly muscular pair of lime Chias laughing. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I guess that didn't come out right. I haven't got anything to bet, they took it all, and anyway I want you to tell an interesting story, if that's not too nosy."
The Eyrie laughed. Kiyer suspected he had him. Pirate culture practically required bragging. "Oh, well, I suppose I might as well start..."
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