Or High Water - Part I
'Who names a bar The Pit nowadays?', was the first thought that crossed the mind of world-renowned hunter Ging Freecss when he looked at the swaying, worse-for-wear building. The lights were on despite the odd hour and a promising scent of food was clinging to the old brick walls. Experience dictated that he would never find a better place in the tiny coastal village.
Stepping in, he tossed a brusque greeting and some coin to the meaty, weather-beaten man behind the bar and asked for a mug of ale. His rumpled appearance earned him a little more foam than he would have liked, but a thirsty man couldn't be picky. He downed his drink in three huge gulps and turned towards what seemed to be the main attraction of the bar: a young woman kicking the ass of men twice her size in arm wrestling. Interesting, to say the least.
With his hands stuffed into his pockets, Ging ambled over, maneuvering smoothly around badly balanced drunkards and a few rowdy youths who were looking for trouble. He steered to the right of the lady's current opponent and got a good, long look at her. She was of average build upon first glance with an above average bosom shown in a cleavage that was generous on the eyes. Her mess of non-descript brown hair tumbled in tousled waves onto her shoulders, framing a simple face that the flush of wine and excitement did wonders to. Her eyes were startling; they lacked color almost entirely, the pale blue irises eerily melting into the sclera with the pupils black as coal in contrast. When she laughed, she showed teeth far better than most sailors' and she tended to end her bouts of merriment in little fits of hitched giggles that sounded annoying at first… showing their charm only if one dropped his gaze lower and watched things bounce.
She was a strange and delightful creature and she was a cheater.
Ging smiled to himself, indulging in the struggles of the man she was currently competing against. He was putting all his weight into the push, his arm bulging painfully as he seethed through his teeth. Veins began popping on his forehead with the exertion, his eyes almost watered. The lady captain stood her ground without even breaking a sweat.
As far as he could judge however, Ging was not the only person around that understood that the man had no chance to beat her. A couple of lads in mismatched clothing were roaring 'Captain!' at the top of their lungs, already grinning. Gold was piling up in front of the woman and they would probably all get a few nickels.
With a sudden, impulsive push from her, the man went down groaning. In obvious, strained pain he rubbed his arm, bemoaning his misfortune. "An iron grip…!" He wailed as he got up and shambled across to the bar to get another drink on what little money he had left after losing to the mystery captainess. Ging stifled the grin that was threatening to ruin his image of a regular observer; that man had been closer to the truth than he knew.
"Anyone else~?" The lady pirate asked, fanning herself with her feathered hat for show. Her men howled in amusement, cheering her title in intoxicated good mood.
Ging almost laughed seeing that. He took the vacant seat and rested his right elbow on the table. When he spoke, he aimed to keep his voice light though he was already suspecting he would not be able to fool her with the act. "I'm next. I'm left handed but I can make an exception tonight. Does that work with you, Miss?"
She looked at him with those strange eyes, head on, no fear. Her eyes showed no recognition, but her joyful smile froze and began slipping off her face. Ging tamed his pleased smirk into a smile and wiggled his fingers. He knew she understood the threat he posed, but he wanted to push her just a bit further. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat expectantly, going as far as to begin tapping his foot on the floor.
He saw the nervous kick in her pulse as a tiny throb at the side of her neck. She leaned back and hastily began clawing the gold into her already sagging pouch. Quite the fortune there, Ging saw, but he didn't care for the gold. What, or rather the person he cared for was the owner of that playfully apologetic tone that was chiming, "I'm done for the night! Look how late it is, I think I'll be heading back to my little boat. Sorryyy~"
One more little push… "Come now… let me be your last for the evening?" Ging reached out to grab her wrist. It should have been too quick for a regular person to respond, but he was already aware the woman was no simple sailor. Her knifetip grazed his palm in a hair-thin arc as he yanked his hand back from its vicious slash. She had honest to god aimed to cut his fingers clean off. Perhaps the idea of it should have been frightening to a simple person, but Ging was a hunter. He just smiled and allowed the excited shiver to run its course down his back. He often said there was no rule what made a person special to someone. Their eyes, their laugh, their views of the world… or the fact that they had the guts to try and fight back… whatever it was, interest just happened. And as Ging had always told his cousin Mito, to know someone, first find out what makes them angry. With the captainess, he was succeeding.
"...seems like you're scared of me. Why?" He got up from his seat with a clatter, gaze still fastened on the woman's eyes, watching them change up close. As fury and desperation drew wrinkles around them and curved her lips down, a strange sort of beauty showed in her that hadn't been there before. Her face was the mask of a warrior, someone ready to fight and kill. She never looked away. From her annoying little cute giggle one never would have guessed what lay beneath. And Ging, in his own words, always desired what he couldn't see. Grinning now, he went on, "Afraid I'll expose you as a cheater?"
He was drawing unwanted attention to the two of them with that word, putting her into a tight situation. Eyes were beginning to clear of drunken awe, filling with suspicion. Ging saw her flick her gaze around as she stood, evaluating her chances at escape. "Alright, lads!" She called the attention of her own, her hand inching towards the belt hanging around her hips. "Back home!"
Ging knew what she was going to do before she even grasped the pistol. He saw her steer discreetly to the left and then he shut his eyes. There was a bang and the lights went out, blinding everyone unprepared for a split second. It would be enough for her to dive for the window undetected. Eyes open and fully adjusted to the darkness, Ging saw her climb through it and couldn't help but whistle at the silhouette her tight trousers allowed.
While the men around him roared and piled up in a mess at the small door (they all tried to cram through it at once), he bent down to pick up a couple of coins she'd missed, pocketing them. 'I never even got her name…' He flipped the last coin and caught it on the thin sides between two fingers in mid-twist. '...well, there's always a next time.'
He stepped out of the way of a flying body just in time, putting the coin away to go with the rest. Seeing that the fight was rapidly becoming bloody, he decided to follow his mystery lady's route and climb through the window. With mild amusement, he thought he probably failed to look as fascinating as she had while hauling herself over the windowsill. Then again, he lacked the leather trousers.
TBC