Long Overdue

"I would say I've gone far enough," the confident voice of Raine's Noble tormentor called out in the empty hallway.

"Quite perceptive," Shaad's voice responded hauntingly from the shadows. "Maybe you're not as oblivious as others of your ilk after all. Though quite a bit stupider to come here willingly," Shaad added, scraping his blades against the walls like nails against a chalkboard.

"I wanted to confirm it was in fact you coming for me."

"Aah, the grave costs of knowledge," Shaad lamented ruefully. "But, the bill has come due for your. . . transgressions."

The nobleman laughed mirthlessly. "You," he questioned incredulously. "You think you know the prices I've paid? The resources I have?"

Shaad stepped from the shadows, into the open hallway. "And, there's the rub. I don't have to; I know a loser on sight. And, you can't miss a rat of your size."

The nobleman was a top flight actor if nothing else. But, cracks were beginning to show, and Shaad, focused as he was, could see them clearly. So, he pushed, sneering, "No, you're not a rat. . . Rats know better than to think finding a gazelle makes you a lion. . . Crushed under the boot of the giants you look up to, yet here you are, stepping to your betters again." Shaad wore a taunting smirk as he stared down the nobleman, arms outstretched to the side. That little flex as the nobleman held back a fist might have gone unnoticed by most, but it only spurred Shaad on, the pirate winking at his on edge foe, wanting the Noble over that precipice. "I'd almost admire ya persistence if I didn't know it was just yo nature, the nature of a parasite: to attach yourself to someone stronger, smarter, more connected, all in the hopes that you can siphon off a little of that which you haven't earned, that which you can't earn."

That was it. That was the breaking point. In that instant, the nobleman shot forward, faster than Shaad was expecting. Still, sidestepping the quick takedown, Shaad taunted the enraged Noble as he created distance between them. "I'm gonna tell you sumthin' your momma clearly never did, guppy. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to. This ocean is dangerous."

Shaad had happily pushed the nobleman to the edge and beyond. Vision red with an uncontained bloodlust fixated on the upstart pirate, the Noble hastily pursued the boisterous youth. Right fist raised and cocked back, the veins bulging from his neck told clearly his aim and intent.

But, that never came to fruition, while the Noble aimed at Shaad, Vega eyed the Noble's open back. Swooping in like a blur, Vega's 'claw' connected cleanly with the nobleman's shoulder blade. However, despite the unblocked attack, it was clear to the masked fighter that his 'claw' never found proper purchase, ripping through the suit jacket but scraping along something underneath. Whatever it was that stopped Vega's strike, it was the only reason, the Noble's right arm was still attached as Vega alighted between Shaad and their target.

Leaning to the side, Shaad spoke condescendingly from behind his crewmate. "I would introduce you two, but I'm trying to break my bad habit of playing with my prey. . . Vega, let's make this quick. We have other business to attend to."

Vega and the Noble set off at each other almost simultaneously while Shaad held back. But as the two sides' collision became more imminent, Shaad seemed to disappear entirely. The Noble quickly unleashed a powerful punch. He was, by far, a more proficient combatant than Shaad had even began to give him credit for. But, Vega was far from a slouch, dropping underneath the punch and drawing the nobleman's eyes with a slash to the ankle. Deft footwork dodged the low strike, but the entire ordeal proved a feint to set him off balance as Shaad suddenly reappeared from the blind spot created by Vega's lithe figure, delivering a heavy blow with the black blade, Tairyoku.

Despite using only one hand, with Shaad's boosted strength, the swing should have decapitated Mr. Cypher in one fell swoop. Instead, the nobleman managed to raise one arm in defense, the blade clanging against an obscured gauntlet on the Noble's wrist with force enough to throw the older man back.

Cypher popped up quickly, exploding upward to meet an incoming attack from Vega. A stiff shoulder bump stalled the lithe fighter's momentum, but Vega was still able to get a hand between himself and Cypher's uppercut counter, using his agility to twist his body and float over the Noble. Vega pinned Cypher's muscled arm to the nobleman's back and Shaad took advantage of the opening, pummeling their foe with a flurry of punches. After Vega's failed first strike and Shaad's blocked sword swing, it didn't take a genius to figure Cypher was using that same Hammerlock tech as the transporter, Tru. But, even if blades and bullets couldn't get through, Cypher would feel these punches.

So, with swords held in a reverse grip, Shaad battered his Noble foe with a storm of heavy blows to the face and body. With Shaad backing off, though, to deliver a blade across his enemy's throat, Cypher muscled free from Vega's grasp moments before the masked fighter was himself thrown into the path of Shaad's sword.

Shaad struggled to pull his blade. And, while ultimately successful, that moment of pause left him open to a strong push kick that sent him stumbling back. Meanwhile, Vega slipped free, barely avoiding a devastating strike to the jaw but responding with an uppercut of his own. However, Cypher's Hammerlock vest again proved a difference maker. Even falling, Vega's 'claw' should have ripped the nobleman's throat out instead of the slight gouge it inflicted on the Noble's chin after scraping roughly against the reinforced vest.

Cypher, though, showed the depth of his fortitude and rage. Blood steady dripping on his collared shirt and chest, the enraged Noble's only focus was the pirate before him. But, before he could crush Vega with a double axe handle, Shaad intervened with a front dropkick, saving his crewmember and creating a brief separation.

"Fun's over. Time to end this." Shaad spoke in hushed tones while helping his partner up, pulling the masked fighter back so as to take the lead himself. They'd managed to wound their opponent, but there was no denying the limited space was a hindrance to both him and Vega. That and - if he was being completely honest - he was still holding back a bit. But, going all out was so tiresome. Still, if it had to be done. . .

Ballrooms were fine places for shady dealing and illicit meetups while fancy dinners were useful tools in seemingly idle chit chat and more intimate conversations. But, pool areas and gambling halls - places where vices were allowed to blossom - always had been best for Raine's particular style of nuance. And, that day, the beautiful navigator showed just how in her element she was.

Rising out of the pool, water glistening on her every delectable curve, all eyes were on Raine, lust-filled stares from men and women alike. And, Raine made sure to put on a show for her audience. Throwing her head back, Raine's ample chest was on prominent display in the black string bikini she wore as she ran her fingers through her lustrous pink locks. The slick sheen of the clinging fabric contrasted alluringly with her smooth alabaster skin giving her an almost transcendent, goddess-like glow that made it impossible to turn away. In the following moments, Raine didn't let up the hold she had on her admirers in that moment, drying off with a deliberate slowness that only fanned the flames of desire burning around her and spending a few moments more than necessary bent over to pat her feet dry. After she'd wrapped her hair tight, leaving her unmatched figure for all to see, Raine broke the trance she'd induced with a lilting laugh as pleasant on the ears as she was on the eyes.

Mere seconds had elapsed. But in those seconds, the rest of the world may as well have been hidden behind a curtain as, for the first time, onlookers noticed the attractive young woman's presence just behind Raine as the two women laughed together.

Raine had become acquainted with her in the preceding days. Gem was her name; the daughter of some general, her background was as of little interest to Raine as almost everything else about her. What was important was that she was an eye-catching airhead with insider bonafides and no ambition.

Raine turned heads on her own. But, the higher end targets didn't brag about classifieds to every pretty face. And, if they did, it was in the form of pillow talk when defenses - and everything else - were down. Such an approach was inefficient and counterproductive given the setting, not to mention, distasteful to Raine's aesthetic for these types of targets. Gem, as a known commodity to those accustomed to this scene, provided a misleading launchpad as well as some semblance of instant credibility.

Sharing a small laugh and a quick word with Gem, Raine, her little show over, headed to the poolside bar alongside her newest acquaintance while some of the more uncouth men were still picking their jaws up off the floor. Meanwhile, the tantalizing opening gambit was already paying dividends. Unfortunately for the flirtatious pirate the payout - at least at first - was low. At the bar, Raine and Gem easily amassed a crowd. And, though Raine largely ignored them in favor of ordering herself a drink, one of those entitled rich pricks who thought he was better than most everyone else solely on the basis of birth tried to chat her up. Luckily for Raine, there was enough of a fuss being made to ignore him without being too obvious. Avoiding his outstretched hand as he reached for her arm was decidedly less subtle as the navigator retreated with her drink, slipping away with a bit of practiced footwork and a seductive wink just as a rugged but clean cut gentleman who looked to be only a few years Raine's senior slid in beside her.

"Maybe I could help." The stranger's voice was the type of deep baritone that made women swoon, and Raine wasnt impervious to his charm. "You stepping out of the water was quite a sight, but I think the effect might be different with that drink. Though, if anyone could pull it off its you, I'm sure."

"I'm fine," Raine answered rather brusquely, not enough to be rude but enough to let him know his comment could certainly be labeled as such. Still, despite the comment, the hunk of a man's piercing eyes never swayed from Raine's own.

"Of course. This - pursuit. . . and looking for any. . . justification to prolong this conversation - is new for me."

Raine gave her admirer an appraising side eye. "You're surprisingly honest," she finally commented before laying back and stretching out on a beach chaise, turning on her side while her conversation partner sat down on the adjacent chaise.

"Forward is my way, not the gamesmanship of politics," he said matter-of-factly before adding with a rumbling chuckle, "Do not tell that to these jackals. They'd come up on me like a babe in a brothel."

Raine gave half a smile at the man's colorful description. "Oh, really? Yet it's you who'd refer to your counterparts as jackals."

"Tis true. But, it matters not what you call a wolf. Fact is, I find myself surrounded by more enemies than friends. . . hoping I can count you among my friends, at least."

Raine smiled shyly, showing some bashfulness as she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "That why your guards intervened so quickly? He wasn't going to be a problem," Raine assured, speaking of the bother at the bar that his guards had blocked from following them.

"You saw that, huh," the king asked abashedly. "I didn't want 'em here; violence, of course, is strictly prohibited on the ship. But, my brother - sorry, my Head of Security - wouldn't hear it. My sister, meanwhile, wouldn't release the 'Spear of Aragnon' into the service of his king. . . Said it was their honeymoon, and she wasn't putting it off another day. . . 'for war, diplomacy, or the goddamn apocalypse' - that's a quote," the King of Aragnon jokingly complained.

"Ah, so you're the King of Aragnon," Raine nodded, genuinely impressed by the fact. Unlike most nobility, Aragnon's monarchy was not inherited. Instead, a group of qualified young boys were trained from a young age in the skills necessary to lead. They were then tested against one another with the sole winner named the heir apparent and positioned to continue his lessons from beside the reigning King. It was a difficult process and not every named heir went on to become King, but those that did were respected negotiators, strategists, and fighters within their province of the New World. Likewise, the 'Spear of Aragnon' was an inherited title for the strongest person in Aragnon's army and the King's personal bodyguard, of which only one lived at a time.

"You can call me Aragorn. . . Sincerest apologies for not introducing myself. This will be my first Reverie; I'm still adapting."

"To all the liars?" Raine's smile was playful and a little mocking.

"To all the acting," Aragorn countered with a wry smirk, eliciting a soft chuckle from Raine

"Ssh, don't let all these jackals overhear," she pleaded in a conspiratorial tone, the two laughing over their shared joke.

Minutes turned to hours so smoothly that Raine barely registered the passage of time as she and Aragorn laughed and chatted. Conversation flowed effortlessly, and Raine hardly played her usual games, even when she'd requested Aragorn to lotion her back. While the battle-hardened, impeccably tutored King verbally expressed his desire for her, his body language was well controlled, eyes on her as he listened intently to what she said - and what she meant - hands never betraying him or a touch lingering longer than necessary or longer than Raine desired.

Aragorn had been honest when he expressed his contempt for games and duplicitous language, and it showed in his actions. His sincerity seemingly inspired the same in Raine, the navigator showing less guile in their comparatively brief interactions than almost any with her own captain.

But, of course, their time together had to come to an end, seeming all too short lived as the setting sun crested over the horizon. The dimming light served as a reminder to Raine of where she was and what she was meant to be doing. "I'll see you in the casino," Raine asked, extending the invitation with a coquettish smile before it was promptly shut down.

"Unfortunately, no. Vices are best kept secret, not flaunted among strangers and rivals alike. I do hope we'll find a time to continue our enthralling discussion, though," Aragorn quickly added, as much to express his sincere wishes as to alleviate the brief moment of despondency that flashed across Raine's eyes after his initial refusal.

And, with that, they ventured their separate ways and onto the business they'd each allowed themselves to be distracted from for a few pleasant but fleeting hours.