Chapter 12

Another week had gone by and there was still no news of their upcoming execution. The prison inmates had mostly received the news now; they knew that they were all heading for the same fate. Thanks to Eoleo and Batta, the politics within the cell were kept clean and fair for all. Inside the cell, everyone was treated as equals, and after three long weeks, everyone was starting to become happier inside the cell. Death didn't seem like such a bad thing now.

As night drew over once more, the pirates prepared themselves to go to sleep. Despite this, Sveta couldn't find herself feeling tired. She remained kneeling against the wall, watching as the pirates settled down to sleep on the hard ground. She herself had taken to sleeping upright with her head rested in a groove in the wall, which prevented her from slumping. Sometimes she would sleep on Eoleo, whose large, bulky arms served as a nice pillow. She had even started using her shirt, which she had managed to keep clean by constantly wearing her now filthy robe, to rub against her fangs to keep them clean. Her little system pleased her and her survival instinct was in full swing.

Eoleo had gone to a corner of the cell where a small hole in the floor substituted as the toilet. His business was short and quick; zipping his trousers before returning to his spot next to Sveta. By this time, all the pirates had now nodded off, leaving only the two of them awake.

Settling down, he made himself as comfortable as he could.

"Good night" he said. But Sveta still couldn't find the conviction to sleep. Not wanting to be awake by herself, she sighed.

"I can't sleep" she said flatly. Eoleo turned his head to look at her.

"You can't sleep?" he asked. Sveta responded by nodding her head, leaning against Eoleo like a sandbag. "Well what are you gonna do about it?" Sveta examined something that had been growing on Eoleo for quite some time. She sniggered a little.

"Nice moustache" she said. Eoleo's eyes opened in surprise as his moustache came under attention. Feeling his face, he realized for the first time in three weeks that he hadn't shaved and that his facial hair had broken out. Despite his red hair, he had a brown moustache and a beard that reached all the way to his sideburns hidden beneath his hair. It had grown to be quite thick, and unfortunately, tangled, due to the lack of care.

"Heh, I guess I have gotten pretty hairy lately" he noted. "…Say, if you can't sleep, then can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, scratching her nose delicately and licking the fur of her hand.

"Could you give me a shave?" he asked.

"A…shave?" Sveta asked, turning around and sitting on her knees to look at the slumped Eoleo, who appeared pretty drowsy.

"I figured your claws were sharp enough, and if you're not tired, then you can help me out with controlling my facial hair" he noted. Sveta started to giggle at the strangeness of the request. She felt slightly rebellious and twisted her head to the side, her own hand made braids swinging behind her ears.

"I don't know…" she said, smiling. "What's in it for me?" Eoleo started to feel the heat of the exchange.

"Oh, here we go" he thought to himself. "This is where it gets flirtatious…"

"Well, what would you like?" Eoleo asked, deciding to pursue his own adventurous path with Sveta. Sveta thought for a few second before an idea sprouted in her head.

"You'll let me sleep in your arms" she said, making her decision clear. Eoleo's premonition had been confirmed: this was definitely flirting. Inside a prison cell. Unbelievable, he thought. They were supposed to fear an upcoming execution, and here they were, teasing with each other in the most unlikely of places. Eoleo breathed out deeply as Sveta sharpened one of her claws.

"Remember" Eoleo warned. "If you cut me at any point, I expect a free heal"

He chuckled a little as he sat back. Sveta shuffled up next to him and he felt her hold onto his head softly with her left hand. Eoleo felt his nerves rise slightly as her hand slid down his rough cheek and took hold beneath his chin. She then moved in very closely and primed her sharpened claws.

Delicately, she swiped her sharp claw in small, swift strokes, slicing off the hairs on Eoleo's face. Eoleo was nervous as she methodically swiped away at each his hairs, cutting them close to his skin.

"I'll have to leave some stubble behind, unless you want me to risk cutting you" she said.

"Nah, it's fine…" Eoleo grumbled. As she held his head and cut away the facial hair, Eoleo couldn't help but feel a sense of therapy in the shaving session. He was initially nervous, hoping that the flirting hadn't gone too far, but as Sveta cut away at his beard, his heart rate returned to normal and he felt as if he was at a barber's, being tended to like a loyal customer.

As Sveta reached the halfway point at his chin, she started to feel uneasy from the silence. Thinking hard about something to say, her gaze fell down onto the scar on Eoleo's tightened stomach.

"I completely forgot about your wounds" she said quietly as she continued her business. "How are you feeling now?"

"A lot better" Eoleo answered. "You may have seen me doing the sit-ups with the boys on mornings without any trouble"

"You did get kicked really hard in the stomach thought…twice" Sveta noted.

"I'm pretty much all healed up now and it's all thanks to you" Eoleo murmured, opening his eyes and looking right into Sveta's eyes. He felt a genuine truth in his words as he took in a deep breath, slightly caught off by the pause in Sveta's shaving as she stopped to look at his eyes. "Your healing's the reason my stomach patched up just in time. One healing session less and those kicks probably would have been fatal"

"But what about your back?" Sveta asked, stopping her shaving for a minute as she awaited Eoleo's answer.

"…It's a little sore, but I'll be fine" Eoleo said. He smiled, rubbing the half-shaven side of his face. "I didn't say stop"

The two chuckled and Sveta carried on whittling away at Eoleo's hairs. Minute by minute, Eoleo's moustache and beard turned into tidy, rugged stubble. Eoleo could feel Sveta's concentrated breaths condensing on his newly shaved cheeks. He came to realize the intimacy of their little session, almost as if it were some sort of relationship workshop. But what unnerved Eoleo the most was what was to happen when the procedure was over. Would something happen, or would they just leave it at good night? He clearly identified that there had been playful flirting between the two of then after he had asked her about her age, almost as if it were an assurance to find whether this was acceptable or not.

Drawing another breath, he closed his eyes and thought heavily about the time they must have spent during their previous adventure. The times, few and far between, when they had conversations remained foggy and unclear in his mind. The topics of their conversation didn't seem very interesting, evident in the way that Eoleo was struggling to remember them. He could faintly remember talking with Sveta about how the rudder of a ship worked, but apart from that, there was little else. So why now was he suddenly enraptured by the creature that cut away at his beard, almost like an innocent bird tending to the teeth and jaws of a lion? What was it about her that was captivating him all so suddenly?

Maybe it was her survival instinct. As a pirate, his father had always taught Eoleo to make due with what you had, especially at sea. Admittedly, this was the toughest scenario Eoleo had had to deal with, with the lashes to his back and his injuries. But it wasn't as if he had never been in a tough squeeze before. Eoleo had survived countless stormy nights out at sea, sacrificing precious hours of sleep to tend to the ship and prevent the heckling waves from capsizing the many boats he had boarded in his life. Seeing the same form of will to stay alive in Sveta was rather attractive to Eoleo, maybe it was just the way he was programmed.

It wasn't just that though. Eoleo knew if he only wanted survival instinct in a partner, he would have gone on dates with a bear. It was the one small secret that Eoleo had been hiding within himself from the point that he first met Sveta. Opening his eyes slightly, he could see Sveta's face on a semi side profile, the few fine hairs that matter the back of her jaw bone, bringing a silky, shimmering glow to her face, despite the filth of their prison cell and the darkness of the atmosphere around them. When she smiled, he could see her spiky wisdom teeth, which added a strange, yet somewhat soothing addition to her smile and her joy. Her silver hair shone as well, and there was something about the way her ears would droop or raise when her emotions changed accordingly what warmed Eoleo inside.

He chuckled to himself. It was strange that he was feeling like this; he had never felt like this about someone before. Sure; he had his flings before. He could remember that through all his voyages, he had met a lot of women and had flirted and gone further with many. But despite all his previous experience, it didn't quite match this. He could place a hand on his heart and say he had never felt this way about anyone in his life. Ever. He chuckled once more, almost unable to believe it.

"Why are you laughing?" Sveta asked suddenly as she worked on his right sideburn, the shaving almost complete. Eoleo almost jumped, not realizing how loud his chuckling was.

"Oh…it's nothing special" he said, breathing out again. With a final swipe, Sveta cut away at the last bristles of the right sideburn, the shaving job complete.

"Well, I'm done" Sveta sighed, shuffling back to administer her work. "What do you think?"

There were no mirrors of any kind in the room, so Eoleo judged the job by rubbing his hands across his new stubble. It had been cut very finely; any closer and it could have been bloody. Having said that, he was thoroughly impressed by the fineness of his beard and moustache.

"It's great" he spoke, smiling as he continued to feel his new facial hair. "You cut it very fine: you should do this more often for me"

"I should, shouldn't I?" Sveta twittered. She rubbed her lips together and looked up at Eoleo, resting her hands just above her knees. Expectant.

"…Right, your reward" Eoleo said, blushing a little. "You can position yourself as you want…just be sensible" he added, unable to hide his face. His shaven beard now revealed more of his reddening face than before now, and Sveta clearly noticed the embarrassment. She flushed red as well, but she was unable to hide her giddy smile. She shuffled up close to Eoleo and sat on his legs, surprising Eoleo with her lightness. She rested her back on Eoleo's powerful, barreled chest, before grabbing his wrists and wrapping his arms around her midsection like a scarf. Eoleo's face was smothered by her hair, forcing him to rest his head upon her shoulder. This was the price for a shave, he thought.

"Well, I hope you're comfortable" he snorted, suddenly realizing how uncomfortable the night was going to be.

"I'm sorry" she said.

"Agh, stop apologizing!" Eoleo scolded, chuckling straight afterwards.

"Oops…" Sveta mumbled. "Good night, Eoleo…"

"Good night"

Minutes passed and a thought sprouted in Eoleo's head that made his heart thud powerfully. He was afraid that the thumping of his heart would accidentally wake Sveta from her sleep. How could he, he thought. It was a preposterous idea and he started to silently curse himself for even thinking it. Maybe he was a pirate, but even pirates had a sense of honor. He couldn't take such advantages.

Then again, he was supposed to be getting executed at some point. What was life worth if one didn't take risks?

Gathering all the courage he had, before he could allow his drowsiness overcome him, he puckered his lips and kissed the side of Sveta's head. It was short, a peck at most, a little goodnight kiss. No harm in that, surely?

Of course there was no harm in it, he thought. He felt a slight shock to his senses from feeling the soft silkiness of her hair against his roughened lips. Sveta had fallen asleep by this point, and slowly, covered in a sense of victory, so did Eoleo.