Chapter 65
Sasha wakes up from her newest nightmare with a jolt, but after remembering where she was and what day it was, she forces it out of her mind as she jumps out of the bed, takes yesterday's dinner spoon off the table and scratches a final line with it on the floor under it out of habit, only then realizing that there was no need anymore; yesterday, captain Frank had told her she'd be leaving for the ship today. It wouldn't depart until tomorrow, but Frank had considered today to be a safer timing to get her on the ship without any unnecessary questions rising. Sasha trusted him on that, and she couldn't wait to get some fresh air while walking out of here, so she was in high spirits.
…Which probably wasn't the best thing; he had reminded her several times that she needed to act the same as ever. If someone not in the know saw her acting more positive, they could get suspicious. If she was very unlucky, her positivity could ruin everything on this very last morning if someone got suspicious of her behavior while bringing her breakfast.
Was she overthinking it? Possibly, but since captain Frank bothered to warn her several times as well, she wasn't about to risk it. That meant no changing her morning routines, either, and so she did her regular set of squats, pushups and sit ups, plus a few jumps she'd added a few weeks back. When she finishes, she hears the footsteps echoing through the hallway. Just one person, so this was probably just breakfast and not someone picking her up to go. She was a little impatient about that, but as she was also hungry, Sasha forced herself to focus on the meal she'd soon get.
Sure enough, the hatch on her door is opened without a word, just like most other times during her stay here, but this time, after pushing her meal and, surprisingly, something else, too, in and closing the hatch, the soldier says: "I'll come to let you out at dinner time. Be ready."
He's already walking away before Sasha can question what he meant by that, so instead, she goes over to see what he'd left for her along with the food. A pile of clothes, with a familiar white color… a uniform?
XXXXX
Nikolo paces back and forth around the small hotel room he and Thomas rented, nervous beyond belief. Thomas should've been back by now; had something gone wrong? Did someone suspect something?
"Do you have to pace like that? It's making me nervous, too." says Herbert, sitting on top of a huge travel trunk that the two Marleyans had used to smuggle him to the harbor.
Turning to his friend, Nikolo wonders out loud how he's not nervous from the beginning. Herbert shrugs.
"I try not to think of anything but here and now on daily basis; thinking of the future and what could happen would drive me crazy from fear. It's probably not the smartest thing to do, but…"
"…But it's a way of protecting yourself? I think I get it." Nikolo says with a sigh, sitting down on the bed that had been his for the night and still would be for another one.
"…Should we go over the plan again? Thomas isn't back yet, but assuming everything goes as planned, we need to make sure we know exactly what we're doing." Nikolo says, hoping that the soldier will soon return with good news, because if he doesn't, they don't have a backup plan. Herbert would be put in great danger, for there was no way to smuggle him back home; Nikolo wasn't strong enough to carry the trunk alone, and it's not like the Eldian had a home to return to in the first place "I know you just said you try not to think too much, but- "
"It's fine; I know how crucial this is" Herbert assures "Once Thomas comes back, hopefully with a permission to bring along a suspiciously large travel trunk, it means we can do this. We'll empty the trunk first thing in the morning, I'll go in it, and you'll cover me with his clothes and whatever else he's taken along. Then you two will carry the trunk to the harbor, and your part ends there and someone else will help Thomas to carry it to the ship. Once there, I just need to stay still and very quiet until Thomas gives me the signal to come out, which is when I'll hide elsewhere, in something that won't be taken to the Marleyan settlement. That's… easy enough."
That's what he says, but from the look he now has on his face, Nikolo can tell Herbert was very nervous. And why wouldn't he be? If he got caught stowing away in that trunk, he'd be dead the second it was confirmed he was an Eldian. Nikolo was sure his friend knew that, but it was better not to remind him. Probably.
"Yeah, that's the easy part. But after the ship has reached Paradis Island, there's the risk of wrong people finding you. Ideally, Thomas should find either commander Hanji or Jean, at least one of them should be at the harbor according to what Sasha told me, tell them everything and ask for help, which he'll get as long as they believe him. Then, he could bring them to your hiding place and they'd take care of you from there. But if Thomas can't get in contact with them in time- "
"He'll get me to some secluded area, and from then on, it's up to me" Herbert cuts him off. He takes a deep breath and continues: "I get out of my hiding place, talk to the first Eldian soldier I can find, and tell them I'm the continent's Eldian who stowed away on the Marleyan ship and am looking for sanctuary. Hopefully, I'll be granted it."
"Right. Whoever you run in to will most likely be sympathetic to your situation; all of the soldiers should have a general idea of how Eldians are treated in Marley. As long as you don't unfortunately run in to some total scumbag, that plan will work just fine, too." Nikolo smiles reassuringly, but Herbert doesn't seem quite as convinced as he nervously fiddles with a strand of hair that has come out of his loose, low ponytail.
"Will it? It's not that I don't trust you, because I do, but that doesn't mean you can't be wrong. What if they're not so accepting of Eldians from elsewhere? And even if they wanted to be, what if they don't want to take the risk of Marley finding out? Or if they want to rat me out in order to be more in Marley's favor?"
Of course, all of those possibilities had occurred to Nikolo too, but he didn't think them highly likely, especially the last one. And if their first plan succeeded and Thomas could get one of Nikolo's friends to help, those wouldn't be issues. That's why it was the plan number one.
"Of course, those are all possible scenarios, but I think they're unlikely" Nikolo smiles, hoping it's reassuring "Besides, this is only for plan B; you might not have to rely on any random soldier at all… but if you do, try to find someone with the wings -symbol, or if that doesn't work out, roses. The ones with horse symbol, the military police, should be the last resort. They tend to be more self-centered than the others."
Herbert still had something to say, Nikolo could tell. It was understandable that he had concerns, but these were the best plan and backup plan they could come up with; it was too late to make any changes. Either they'd successfully sneak Herbert to the ship departing for Paradis tomorrow morning, or they'd need to find him a new hiding place. And it would be only the two of them searching, for Thomas was assigned to the island even if Herbert got cold feet. He had also ended the contract to his apartment, moving to the barracks again when he comes back, so Herbert couldn't return there.
"Can't we ask help from that woman they're taking back to the island? Her name was Sasha, right?"
So that's what Herbert had in mind. Nikolo had told the whole truth about Sasha to his two friends, knowing that if he didn't, Thomas would not volunteer to go to the island like Nikolo wanted. He needed Thomas to be the one to verify that Sasha did indeed get home. Of course, he'd remembered that Thomas agreeing to it would mean Herbert losing his safe place, so he'd come up with the plan they were now putting in action in order to protect him. Not that it had been that easy; while Thomas hadn't directly said it, the implication that he thought Nikolo was a fool had hung heavily in the air. He supposed that the only reason Thomas didn't let him have it directly was that it would've made him a hypocrite; after all, he was the one risking everything by hiding an Eldian fugitive that he barely even knew.
"No. I don't want to put Sasha in to any more danger than she already is, and we can't be sure the captain was even telling the truth; he could've just said all he did to get me out of his hair."
He waits, but Herbert's hesitating again despite clearly wanting to say something, again fidgeting with his hair. Was he holding back in order to not upset a friend, or in order to not upset a Marleyan who could potentially harm him? Nikolo wanted to think it was the former, but he couldn't be sure, and if it wasn't the case, he probably wouldn't get the truth by asking. He sighs.
"I know you still have something to say. Out with it, Herbert."
The Eldian startles, sitting up straighter. His hand moves quickly from his hair to his knee as he does, and for some reason, Nikolo notices the few pieces of hair that had come off with the quick move of the man's hand. With disappointment he realizes that it was more than enough of an answer to the question that he'd just had in mind.
"So-sorry… I know this is none of my business, but we- I mean, I was wondering what you plan to do if… if it turns out that this Sasha woman didn't get to go home after all."
Despite the man having corrected himself quickly, Nikolo caught the slip; Herbert must've talked about it with Thomas the Worrywart. It made him wonder if the man would agree to help him again if Sasha didn't get home, but that was probably too much to wish for; knowing Thomas, Nikolo would consider himself very lucky if the man didn't try to stop him.
"I've thought about it, but haven't come up with anything concrete yet" Nikolo decides to be honest about it "But it'll take three months for the confirmation of the situation to get to me, so I hope I'll have a solid plan by then. But of course, even if I do, I hope I won't be needing it."
"But if you do… well, be careful, all right? From what you've said, I'm sure she wouldn't want you to do anything too risky, either."
Nikolo smiles. It's genuine, but a little sad.
"I know, but- "he's interrupted by the door opening, and both men turn their heads, seeing Thomas enter the room "Welcome back."
"Thanks" he says as he takes off his jacket "We have to make some adjustments; I got the permission to take the trunk along, but that was only after being questioned of its contents, so I said that it held soaps and other hygiene products, enough for myself and my friends, so that we could stay as clean as possible on the filthy island. So- "
"Looks like I'm going shopping" Nikolo concludes "They probably assume you already have everything, so if someone just happened to see you, it might cause suspicion. The chances are small, but we better not risk it."
"That's what I was thinking, yes. We'll be using some of my clothes as a cover as well, but make sure you buy a lot; in case the trunk is opened for inspection, it has to look like it's mostly filled with hygiene products."
"Got it" Nikolo gets up "I'll be off, then. I needed some fresh air anyway."
XXXXX
Sasha sat nervously on the edge of her bed, dressed in the Marleyan military uniform, hoping that all went according to captain Frank's plan. She runs her eyes over the note that she'd found hidden within the clothes again, trying to make sure she remembers every detail written on it. A name, military rank, place of birth, unit, and other information of a single soldier. Sasha was no genius, but even she could understand that these were the details of her false identity that she'd have to use if someone questioned who she was while she was disguised as a soldier. Fortunately, she was sure she wouldn't have to do so for long: she'd sneak in to the ship in plain sight, pretending to be one of the soldiers, and after that, most likely hide somewhere within the ship. Pretending to be one of them wouldn't work in the long run after all; there were sure to be lots of customs and rules she didn't know of that would expose her. Or someone could just recognize her face if she was unlucky.
Suddenly, she tenses, hearing footsteps. Just one pair of feet, but there was still a chance it was someone else than who she was expecting, and the possibility makes her heart beat faster. Not wanting to take any risks, she rips the note in to small pieces before swallowing them. When Sasha hears the lock open, she relaxes a little, and sure enough, the person behind the door is one of those that captain Frank seemed to trust the most. But he's holding a food tray, and that doesn't really make sense to her.
As if reading her thoughts, the man says: "I had to take this along to not make anyone suspicious, obviously."
He walks in, puts the tray on the table next to the one from the morning and takes his helmet off.
"Put this on. Once you go, keep your eyes fixed straight ahead but try not to meet anyone's gaze. Don't speak unless spoken to, and even then, keep it to minimum. Go directly to the interrogation room. The captain was certain you'd remember the way. Do you?"
"Yes, sir" she says, and then a look of surprise comes to her face "Wait, you mean I'm going alone?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Well, not for me, but I wouldn't have thought you'd trust me enough to let me go on my own."
"I don't, but the captain does for some reason he's not sharing. It's not my place to ask, but I trust his judgement" the soldier says without hesitation, taking the empty tray from the table "Take this with you; it should lessen suspicions if someone sees you leaving here at this time. Caleb will be waiting for you three corners before your destination. Hand it to him there before entering the interrogation room. Understand?"
"Yes, sir" Sasha says, taking the tray. She didn't know which one was Caleb, actually, she didn't know anyone's name here, she now realizes much to her shock, but she was sure she'd figure it out. There shouldn't be too many people waiting at the assigned spot, and if there were, this Caleb would probably do something about it.
"Good. Go"
And Sasha does. She walks with her eyes fixed ahead of her, just like she was told to. She passes by the empty cells and walks up the stairs with no issues, passing by a soldier after the first corner upstairs, but the man pays her no mind and keeps walking in the opposite direction. So, she keeps walking too, hoping that it's really the last time she has to walk this route.
Caleb, or so she assumes since no one else is there, is waiting for her, and she passes on the tray to him without a word. When he nods, she nods back, and continues to her destination. She doesn't know when had she started holding her breath, only becoming aware of it when she reaches the interrogation room and closes the door behind her.
"You really need to work on your poker face"
Sasha jumps a little in surprise before taking a proper look at the room and noticing that the captain was already there.
"…Noted" she says "What now?"
"Now you'll deliver a box of "forgotten" supplies to the ship with a few fresh recruits. As they leave, you stay behind "to make an inventory." You'll hide in the storage area until we reach land, and once we do, you hide inside one of the barrels that's supposed to have gunpowder, but is actually empty. Should be the second last in the very back, that's where I had it put, if it's not that one, it'll be close. Look for it. Once you're in, don't come out until you hear the key phrase of "this thing weighted like a fucking elephant." Once you do, you'll already be on Paradis. At that point, it's all up to you. Understood?"
Sasha nods. She's not sure what an elephant is; she's heard the word before, but can't quite place it. But that wasn't important; there's something more pressing bothering her.
"Won't you get in trouble? I mean, even if no one suspects that you let me go on purpose, it would still be seen as me escaping under your watch. That's bad, isn't it?" she stammers, already feeling slightly guilty.
Captain Frank raises an eyebrow at that.
"That's not your problem, now, is it?" he asks. Sasha bites her lip, unsure of what to say, and he sighs "Of course, I know what this will do to my career even if we succeed; if I'm lucky, I'll get demoted and pushed to the sidelines for good, if unlucky, I could face jail time for such a neglect. But this isn't just about me or you; this is about the bigger picture. We talked about this already, didn't we?"
He pulls a piece of paper out of his chest pocket, but as he shows it to Sasha, she realizes it's a family photo, but instead of the captain, there's another man there, one that does resemble him, with three children and a woman.
"It's my brother and his family. I don't have any kids of my own, but my niece and nephews are dear to me enough to count. I want to secure as safe of a future for them as I can, even if it means making some sacrifices" he pulls out a letter this time "Hand this to your commander. She and the rest of your countrymen need to know that Marley has soldiers that are serious about keeping this fragile peace of ours."
Sasha takes the letter and puts it in the inner breast pocket of her jacket.
"One more thing: in case this fails and you get caught, don't say any names aside from mine. This was my idea, and if I were to go down, I want to keep my subordinates from going down with me."
"Wouldn't it be better if I didn't tell them about your involvement, either?"
The captain shakes his head.
"No, they'll need a culprit, and if they suspect and press any of my subordinates, only one of them breaking would take down everyone involved. But if I'm caught, I can make it seem like I did this on my own."
Sasha can't help but think that this man shared some resemblance to another captain she'd known for so long.
"But I better keep that to myself; I don't think either of them would appreciate hearing it" she thinks.
"I understand"
"Good. Let's go."
XXXXX
Nikolo walks over to the door of their hotel room, carrying two large bags. He had seen it best to get everything from several separate places to not rise too many questions with how much he was buying, so it had taken him a while, but now he was back and ready to crash down on his bed.
Putting one of the bags down, he fishes the key from his pocket and unlocks the door. He opens it and is about to call out a greeting, but what he sees from the half open doorway makes him stop in his tracks.
Thomas couldn't see him due to having his back to him, and while Herbert was facing his way, his eyes were closed as the two shared a kiss.
Nikolo stands there for a while before his mind starts to work enough for him to realize that the two would not want him to see this, so as quietly as he can, he backs way and closes the door, hoping he isn't heard. He waits a moment, holding his breath, but hears nothing from within the room, so he concludes he wasn't noticed. Letting out a breath, he slides down to sit against the wall right next to the door, still holding one of the shopping backs.
"What the heck did I just see?" he wonders "They're both men, for god's sake!"
And yet, he'd definitely seen them kissing. A hug he could understand, especially in a situation like this, but a kiss? Did that mean they were lovers? Or were they just having fun?
"Wait no, that's not the point! Serious or fun, they're both men either way! And that's… that's just weird! Unnatural!" Nikolo thinks.
Suddenly, like finding a missing piece of a puzzle, he thinks back to Thomas´ behavior from the day they'd met to today, and the things that didn't make sense before start doing so. The man's devotion for him, his willingness to hide a fugitive to gain his approval… those things would make a lot more sense if Thomas had had feelings for… him.
"That's just wrong!" Nikolo thinks, covering his mouth with his hand. If he'd realized this faster, then- then-
…then?
He blinks, suddenly feeling less nauseous than just a moment before. If he'd known, then what? What would he have done differently? Used the knowledge to his own advantage for his own goals? He might've actually tried that, Nikolo realizes, much to his shame, for he was a selfish person. Not that it would've worked; Thomas would've probably seen through it.
And what those two were doing… it was weird, Nikolo was not backing out of that one, but now that he had calmed down a little, he remembered it wasn't illegal. He occasionally heard about things some men did with other men and of how immoral it was, but there was no law against it. If there was, he would've surely heard about it. It was frowned upon, but unlike things between a Marleyan and an Eldian, like him and Sasha, it was perfectly legal.
Nikolo sighs, ashamed of himself. His love was against the law, so who was he to judge others? Of course, the love, if that's really what it was, between his two friends was illegal too, with one being an Eldian and the other a Marleyan, but that was beside the point; he had no right to be shocked about that, considering his own situation.
Nikolo takes a deep breath before letting it out.
"I'm just gonna pretend I didn't see a thing; it's not like it's any of my business" he concludes. He's tired and just wants to go to sleep, but to do that he needs to come up with a way to alert the two of his presence without making them realize he'd already been here for a while "Guess I'll just pretend that I forgot the key and knock."
XXXXX
Sasha sighs in relief when the soldiers leave and she's left alone to "do the final check." The three young soldiers had offered to help, but Sasha had politely, but strictly, declined, telling them to get back to their posts. Thankfully, the three hadn't insisted, for she would've had no idea how to get out of that.
"I can't believe everything actually went according to the plan" she thinks as she sinks down to the floor behind a big crate, putting down the lantern she'd been carrying. If she'd known this would all go so smoothly, she would've probably been able to enjoy the sun hitting her face for the first time in months, but nervous as she'd been, she'd barely acknowledged it and the fresh air, though the ocean breeze had been harder to ignore. It had felt so good, but from experience she knew that nothing beat the feeling of first rays of sunshine hitting her early in the morning at the start of a good hunt in the mountains. That, she truly missed. Hopefully, she'd have time to visit home after she'd clear everything up with Hanji and the others. But those were thoughts for later; right now, she should get some rest as no one should be coming by until tomorrow, and perhaps not then either if she was lucky as everything should be in place by now.
Unfortunately, her stomach disagrees.
"Okay, food first. No one will notice if a little bit goes missing here!"
XXXXX
The trunk was heavier than when he and Thomas had brought it to the hotel because of all the added cargo, but even so, Nikolo couldn't help but think that it was too light, considering the fact that there was a full-grown man inside. Herbert was leanly built from the start, he knew, but now he wondered if the man was somewhat underweight, malnourished even. But it was too late to ask; the ship was already in sight, and since he wasn't allowed onboard, he and Thomas were now putting the trunk down, ready to part ways.
"Well, uh… have fun?"
"This is for work, not a vacation" Thomas deadpans "And I highly doubt it'll be any fun."
"Not with that attitude, it won't" Nikolo says, punching his shoulder "Just keep an open mind and don't cause trouble. Got it?"
"That's my line; I don't want to find you hospitalized again when I come back" Thomas shoots back "Or jailed."
"Touche" Nikolo chuckles, glancing at the trunk. He'd already said his farewells to Herbert at the hotel as it'd be too dangerous here "You got someone to help you with this?"
"Yeah, asked a favor from a friend, he'll be here soon."
"In that case, I'll be off. Some people might get the wrong idea if they see me here" Nikolo was sure Thomas understood what he meant, and sure enough, the man nods "Take care."
"You too"
XXXXX
Sasha, hiding behind some crates in the very back of the storage area, had woken up to the sounds of people starting to come on board. From time to time, some passed her hiding place from close enough for her to make out actual words, but most of the time, they were too far. No one had come to the room, either, she would've heard the door opening, and while it was loud outside, it didn't sound like things were out of control. So far, it seemed like the plan was working, and even if her absence from her cell had been noticed by now, which captain Frank had been sure wouldn't happen for a few days, but they couldn't be sure, for now, she was clearly safe. But that could change any moment, and it made her nervous. She was used to patiently waiting for her prey, she was used to even being the prey, but when she was, she could fight back. She could flee. But now, if she was caught, she didn't have much of a chance for either.
"Calm down; nothing's gonna go wrong, you'll be just fi- "
Sasha has to cover her mouth to keep any sound from coming out as she hears the door open. She doesn't dare to move, let alone take a peek at what's going on, so instead, she focuses on what her ears can tell her. Footsteps, slow but steady, probably carrying something heavy. There was more than one person, but only two or three in total.
"I still can't believe you filled this whole goddamn thing with soap!" a man complains "I get it that the island devils are filthy, but isn't this an overkill?"
"Not just soap; there's also shampoo, towels, gloves… and they aren't just for me. If possible, I'd like to keep the whole unit I work with clean." another voice replies, and Sasha also hears a heavy thud, which must've meant that whatever had been carried had just been lowered to the floor.
"…I don't recall you being that much of a neat freak. You've always been tidy, sure, but to go this far? You do know that the talk about filthy island devils doesn't mean literal filth that you can just wash away, right?"
"I'm not an idiot. But where there's smoke, there's usually fire, too. They probably aren't the cleanest around, so some soap will do them good."
"Meeting captain Levi would do you some good!" Sasha bites back at the man in her mind.
"You mean you plan to give this stuff out to the Eldians? You trying to make friends or something? Giving stuff to them for free sure might work for that, but is it worth it?"
A short silence follows, and Sasha wonders what the man will say to that. Knowing that they weren't here for her, she's tempted to take a peek, but controls herself. It was better not to risk it.
"Who said anything about giving them out for free?" the other man asks, and the moment the meaning of his words sinks in for Sasha is the same moment that the other man bursts out laughing.
"You plan to sell all that to the island devils? Do you actually think you'll make profit?"
"Why not? I hear they're curious about many things from outside their little island, and hygiene products are a safe way to try my luck since they're a necessary everywhere, and unlike food, won't go bad. If I can't sell them, then I can't. Investments always come with risks, right?"
Judging from the calming laughter and silence, the other man is giving his friend's words some thought. Then, he says: "But this isn't allowed, is it? I don't know how foreigners, like the ones from Hizuru who apparently have good connections with the island already, do things, but in Marley, only selected people and companies are allowed to do business there. Sure, our superiors would most likely look past it if you sold soap or anything else that you brought for your own needs to the locals with profit in mind, but this much stuff? You're screwed if you get caught."
"The keyword here is "if." I don't plan to get caught, and you're no snitch, are you?"
The other man chuckles.
"No sir, but if you do pull this off, you're treating me to drinks once we get back."
"Fair" the man laughs "Thanks for the help. I still need to separate my personal items from everything else in the trunk, but you go on ahead. I'll join you shortly."
"Sure, but if you take too long, I'm coming to get you. Don't think you can slack off, Thomas."
"Wouldn't dream of it" the man says, and Sasha hears the other one walk away and the door close. Soon after, the small light in the ceiling goes on, startling her. It wouldn't help the man to see her hidden form, not from where he was, but it still made her more nervous.
"That went pretty well, didn't it?" the man, Thomas the other one had said his name was, says as Sasha hears a heavy creaking sound, one that she assumes to be coming from what had been carried in. She assumes he's just talking to himself, so when she hears him actually get a reply, she almost yelps out loud, but manages to cover her mouth again in time.
"I didn't know you had a talent for acting, especially acting shady" the other voice says "That goes against your nature."
"I'm literally smuggling a person out of the country; how's shady against my nature?" hearing this, Sasha can no longer resists. Cautiously, she gets on her knees and crawls closer behind the crates and barrels until she's in a place to take a peek close to the door. She sees two men, the other one sitting in a large trunk that wasn't there before.
"Human trafficking?" is Sasha's first thought as her eyes widen in horror, but then she furrows her brows as she looks at the man still half in the trunk. She couldn't see well in the dim light, but while the man seemed nervous, it didn't seem to be caused by the soldier. And he wasn't bound, either, so… this wasn't a kidnapping? What was going on?
"You're doing it for my safety, so it doesn't count" the other man says, climbing out of the trunk and starting to go through it, probably looking for the personal belongings the other man was supposed to take with him "But honestly… I fear protecting me will put you in danger in the end, just like it did Nikolo."
Sasha wonders if she heard the name right or not. Maybe it was simply similar, or maybe it was some other Nikolo they were talking about, but that didn't stop her from wanting to learn more.
"But I'm not him. He's short tempered, more or less traumatized from whatever happened on the island, even if he denies it, and he's not the smartest person around. Neither am I; I'll give you that, but I'd dare to say I'm smarter than him. I won't make any desperate moves that'll get me caught. And as long as you do as we planned, you're not getting caught, either. We can do this."
"And after that, we'll never see each other again."
It was something that one might think would be said in relief, but Sasha can hear the sadness in the man's voice. His back is to her, so she doesn't see his face, but she doesn't need to. She does, however, see Thomas' face, and while it's no open book, she can see how his expression becomes stiffer at the mention of it.
"It's for the best. Just like it's best for Nikolo to not see that woman again. He doesn't understand it now, but in the future, I'm sure he'll be glad things went the way they did."
"Really? You're comparing Nikolo and the love of his life to us?" the other man asks, looking up at Thomas. Sasha sees the blush taking over his face, but her mind barely registers it, too focused on the things she heard. Now it was clear they were talking about Nikolo, her Nikolo, not just someone with the same name. And they were talking about her too, she realizes. Had Nikolo told them? Were they friends of his? Or were they simply in on captain Frank's plan? The soldier, Thomas, might be, but she still wasn't sure what the other guy was here for.
"What we have between us is just as forbidden; while you aren't from the island, you're still an Eldian while I'm a Marleyan and we're both men" Thomas points out.
"The later one's not a crime though, hasn't been for over three decades"
"But it could just as well be one with how we'd be treated if word got out!" Thomas yells, and Sasha's instincts tell her to shush him, but she stops herself, not wanting to be seen.
"…Yeah, so you've said, and it's not like I think you've been lying about the way you were treated when rumors started at your home town, but not everyone and everywhere is like that. My family and friends, they never minded."
"Good for you" Thomas hisses, and Sasha can't tell if he means it or not. He definitely doesn't sound like he does "But have you considered that they were the exception to the rule and- "
He stops midsentence, and Sasha hears what he does before the other man can even voice his concern.
Footsteps, and she was sure they weren't far outside the door. She gets her confirmation when voices start to carry in as well, clear as day.
"I'm telling you, I heard something" a man's voice insists "Think we have a stowaway?"
"No way; some people are just doing last minute checks… or hiding to slack off."
Sasha sees Thomas motion for his companion to shut the trunk. He does so, and right after they both look in to her direction, making her duck. She holds her breath, wondering if she made it in time or not. If she didn't-
Her thoughts are cut off as a man jumps over the crate she's hiding behind and another comes around it, both crouching down before the nameless one, not having his back to her unlike Thomas, locks eyes with her. She hears the door open just as the Marleyan turns to her direction as well, a look of shock on his face.
