Secrets

"You've made quite a name for yourself," Shaad spoke in hushed tones. "Ghost. . . I like it, but let the Ghost take a break. Stay out of sight, and await my word. Of course, if someone occasionally drops something, it would be your civic duty to pick it up. Just be careful; these thieves may not take kindly to good Samaritans such as ourselves."

With that said, Vega disappeared just as quickly as he'd appeared.

Inching forward in the waiting line, the increased security presence kept Shaad on edge. Marine officers littered the ship including a Vice Admiral surveying the area below deck, and Shaad presumed a World Noble meant an Admiral was almost certainly nearby. His instincts screamed at him to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, that was completely opposite of the man whose identity he'd assumed.

"Stop! No weapons are allowed on board. Relinquish them now, and they will be returned upon your departure."

In the face of three stout men, an appalled shock was Shaad's reaction. "I'll have you know, I am Lord Arturio Braddock IV, esteemed knight and swordsman. My blades shall only be parted from my dead body. If any man shall force his opinion upon my oath, come forth and I shall mete out justice."

Shaad mentally scolded himself. That reaction was outlandish to the point of being a bit cartoonish. There was no way they'd actually buy it. Was there?

"Calm yourself, Lord Braddock," a stern voice compelled from the side, instincts digging at Shaad to react violently to the surprisingly callous hand gripped firmly on his shoulder. "Your uncle, Lord Byron, informed us that you would be representing your family on this occasion. And, like that of a sniper and his weapon, I understand the bond between a Knight and his sword." As Shaad's sight line of the newcomer shifted from a side eye to a full view, he spotted the longbow strapped on the Noble's back for the first time. And, the noble noticed the puzzled expression deep in Shaad's eyes.

"My apologies, Lord Braddock, for not introducing myself. I am Valentino Rozzeg, representative and head of the Rozzeg Family."

Valentino Rozzeg was a prime specimen of a man. Strength, speed, and just the right amount of salt streaks to his pepper hair, the gods' favored son was a man in his late 40's but still looked to be well in his prime, with a smile capable of disarming a warship. Valentino's appearance, demeanor and attitude were entirely contradictory to the feeling Shaad got from him, however. From the almost too fitted cream slacks and long sleeved, wine red button up being stretched taut to the point of bursting around his barrel chest to the opaque yellow and green enamel rosebud pinned onto his right breast, everything about his attire screamed entitled rich bastard (albeit one with an impeccable physique). The white cloak draped on his broad shoulders only added to the dominating, superior air surrounding the large stranger. Sprinkled with rose-cut diamonds and rubies and topped with a deep red, fur collar, the fancy cloak only further pronounced his high status. A status (presumably) told by the mark on his cloak: a Rosebud egg flanked by a golden dragon to each side spewing forth a fire that merged into a flaming crown atop the egg.

But, as regal as Valentino appeared, Shaad saw past the facade the fancy cloak helped to perpetuate. That longbow he carried was definitely not for show, the cross section too stressed for mere casual usage. Shaad's victim, Arturio Braddock, was gifted with the finest teachers and a high-born, haughty passion, but no actual skill. This man, though, clearly had it all.

Steadying himself under Valentino's oppressive aura, Shaad heard the last few words of the conversation the noble had been having with the staff attendant. "We're all known nobles here and the Marines have been kind enough to provide increased security this time around. I'm sure if a few invited guests insist on bringing a carry-on, exceptions can be made."

The man - around Shaad's size, but far smaller when compared to the imposing Valentino - quickly agreed and Shaad stepped by with a derisive snort as Valentino handed the man his own longbow, along with a previously unseen quiver of arrows and sabre, from beneath his cloak.

"Hold on, Lord Braddock," Valentino's deep voice called. Shaad stopped cold, a wave of dread washing over him briefly. "I'd heard word that you used a single blade. Was that wrong?"

Shaad, feeling the accusatory glare at his back, instinctively clinched his back, readying to attack. But, his better sense quickly regained control. "My ship was attacked by lowlife pirate scum on the trip here and my sword lost. The captain's weapons were serviceable enough, so I took his until I'm able to have a new blade forged."

Shaad watched Valentino for his reaction. The imposing noble nodded slowly, evaluating the answer in his head. A strong hand stroking his clean-shaven chin, he then stated, "They seem to be quite strong indeed. Do they have names?"

Although, it wasn't imperceptibly fast, the speed with which Valentino got behind Shaad to inspect the swords was still enough to surprise the young pirate. "A pirate with named blades? Don't make me laugh; such trash barely deserves a name themselves," he managed to answer after a short pause.

Valentino's face pursed into a frown, and with two swift steps he stood directly in front of Shaad, hand resting on the pirate's shoulder. "Nonetheless, I'd be honored if you'd grant me a friendly spar."

"Uh, no. . . I-" Shaad tried to deny, but his protests were muffled by one of Valentino's large arms draped around his shoulders as he was essentially forced down a path with some other guests.

"Of course not now," Valentino spoke lowly, a smile on his lips as he leaned close to Shaad. "We all need some time to get comfortable. Later; once you're accustomed. How's that sound? I'm sure you can oblige. . . Cornelious. Shaad's caramel cheeks went flush a moment. "I care little that you acquired a ticket onto my ship. Just remember, I am a poor choice of enemy. . . for both yourself as well as your 'Ghost' friend."

With that said and a hard slap to the back, the dangerous noble disappeared into a throng of people. Shaad was left standing stock still until a portly older man roughly pushed past him with a thinly veiled sneer.

After all the guests had been shown to their room assignments, Shaad - separated from Vega and having not seen Raine since they arrived - followed a throng of people back up to the main deck. From the chatter, Shaad picked up that the guests, gathered in packed crowds along either side of the deck and leading to an area Shaad had yet to venture, were giddily awaiting the arrival of the World Noble.

The young pirate, though, couldn't care less about a noble of any kind, much less some pompous World Noble. Shaad had overheard enough conversations as a child to know they were a bunch of egotistical assholes basking in the afterglow of unearned pride and superiority. The only dangerous thing about them was the repercussions for harming one as, apparently, Shaad's dad had almost killed one in his younger days. He met the boy's mother that way as she fought him off to keep the citizens from being put in danger. It was the first and last time, the 'Kingslayer' had failed in executing a target already in his sights, and the first time a woman truly caught his interest.

Shaad took advantage of the enamored masses to slip away. With presumably every noble on the ship gathered for this procession, it was as good a time as any to find his navigator. Slipping into a massive three level ballroom with entire countries' worth of GDP decorating the walls, Shaad couldn't immediately spot Raine even in the less congested space, but what he did see was Valentino Rozzeg standing between the two wings of guests at the far end of the room flanked by a strange pair of towering individuals - a man and a woman - in unassuming masks and white suits decorated with small flourishes and accessories.

A feeling of stomach-churning dread choked Shaad. It made him angry. Not at those who caused it, but at himself; angry at his own weakness and angry at the underlying fear. Shaad didn't fear much. The only things he could honestly say he feared were failure and his own mortality; not death per se, just no longer being alive. The resplendent triumvirate could almost certainly make both those fears a reality, but they were not the cause of the unwanted feeling this time. Instead, the upstart captain's heart sank watching the World Noble's ongoing procession enter the room accompanied by deafening trumpets. More precisely, the Noble's designated Marine escort.

Shaad recognized the towering man and his hard features immediately. Even if the scraggly, neck length black hair obscuring his left eye was marginally more kempt than in the past that stony gaze was unmistakeable. Shaad shrunk as the imposing marine meticulously scanned the room as if memorizing each face.

'Why him,' Shaad lamented, disappearing deeper into the crowd.

⟨ ⟨ ⟨ • • • ⟩ ⟩ ⟩

"We need to hurry!"

"Oh; showing up at this hour? What will people think," Raine spoke coyly, peeking through a crack in the door at the antsy Shaad waiting with angst in the dim light of the residential hallway.

In no mood for games, Shaad brushed her aside and stepped inside, ignoring her grumble as he spoke. "This is serious. I've been trying to talk to you all day."

"I know; you're not as stealthy as you think. . . Do you know how many times I sold your country?"

". . . I don't. . . have a country," Shaad finally bumbled out, puzzled.

"Exactly. But, it's about watching."

". . . Oh, I'm sure they were watching quite closely," Shaad prodded, actually noticing what Raine was wearing for the first time that evening. That shimmering silver gown left little to the imagination up front what with the way Raine filled out its already risque cut down the front. And, the sheer material composing much of the rest didn't exactly give one a chance to compose himself, especially not when it guided lascivious or bashful eyes to the sinfully high slit on the left leg.

"Jealous," Raine teased, leaning over so as to accentuate all her womanly curves. "Well, I'm all yours now."

"Great," Shaad responded, sidestepping Raine, and leaving her to almost stumble onto the plush lounge sofa he'd been standing in front of. We need to leave immediately. It's dangerous to stay here"

Raine gawked at Shaad, eyebrow raised in confusion. "What!? We just got here," Raine exclaimed, tenderly massaging her feet after removing her heels, annoyed at Shaad's 'sshhh'-ing. "Besides, they may preen aggressively, but their harmless. . . Most of them.

"That Rozzeg is certainly not harmless, but the Admiral is the real problem, anyway."

Pssh, Raine scoffed, turning her back so that Shaad could unzip her dress. "Someone thinks highly of himself."

Shaad took both the louder than necessary jab as well as the brief glimpse of Raine in only a tiny pair of white lace panties before slipping behind an opaque curtain in stride, only a small hitch to his breathing before he spoke. "Unfortunately, his issue with me runs deeper than Marines, pirates."

". . . Hu-," Raine began before cutting herself off and, after some silence, falling into a groan. "Don't tell me this is about your all powerful, phantasmal father." If ridicule could be visible, Shaad would've insisted he saw it in her words as clearly as he would've sworn he saw her roll her eyes.

Nevertheless, the captain answered smoothly, his foot tapping impatiently. "Not directly, no. . . The Admiral's distaste stems more from the fact his daughter quite likes me."

"Ooohhh," Raine cooed, popping out from behind the curtain with a wide smile and a towel wrapped around her hair despite no such wrapping on her nude body. "I didn't think you had it in you; so, that's what gets you going, huh?"

"It's not like that," Shaad grumbled, averting his eyes as his tan cheeks visibly reddened. "Anyway, gather your things; we need to leave."

Raine's smile faded to a frown. "We can't," she answered flatly, turning her back to Shaad, drawing a raised brow. ". . . The ship's too far from coast by now."

A slack jaw soon joined the raised brow as Shaad couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Uh, lifeboats," he asked incredulously. "Vega could have one waiting for us by the time we make it off this floor. . . Hell, knock out a few guards, and we're out of sight by shift change."

Raine could feel Shaad's eyes pressing against her back, but couldn't bring herself to meet his incessant stare. "We just can't okay." Raine's voice sounded shaky, almost scared, certainly far from anything Shaad had heard from his usually assertive navigator. "I can't. . . I'm caught up in something here."

Shaad released a calming breath, his stern gaze softening; he didn't know, but now, he at least understood. "Let me help you," he offered. "We'll get away from this together."

"No; this is my-"

"No," Shaad shouted, slamming his palm against the wall as he struggled to hold his temper. "We are a crew! That means we move as one body! If something ails the legs, the head doesn't just continue on. But, my beautiful, tough navigator is almost as smart as me; she would know that. So, whenever you're through playing whatever role this is," the young captain said derisively with a flippant wave, "tell my navigator that I'll be waiting for her. After all, I'm traveling blind without her to guide me." A smile may have flitted across the pirate's lips at that last statement, but there was no joy felt as Shaad slipped from the room and into the shadows of the hallway, still fairly quiet on this first night. Things wouldn't really pick up until tomorrow.