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@crowerichardson
Heavy in Your Arms | Drabble
Drabble: Heavy in Your Arms Characters: Raven and Crowe Richardson Theme: The eventual end all pirates must face. Musical Accompaniment: Florence + the Machine, Heavy in Your Arms Wordcount: 2,120
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Playing With Fire || Celine & Crowe
ccelinedahl:
She knew the moment his face lit up that she had made the wrong choice. For a man who was remarkably good at being deceptive, there were moments where he was as easy to read as a child. “…It was the other brother.” Celine sighed, although she was far from disappointed. It had been a long while since she had enjoyed a guessing game quite like this one. He had been patient as well; much more so than other men who wagered against her. Normally she would have kept talking if only to see if he would snap, at which point she would happily ensure that he never spoke another word again.
“I suppose that means I’ve lost, what a pity.” The pirate lord smirked, bouncing back from her loss quickly. Sulking over such a thing wasn’t becoming of someone like her, and she was far from done with the man known as Crowe. If stringing him along for a while had been fun, it was only natural to see his reaction when she threw him a bone or two. So she drank the final dregs of her ale, setting the empty pint on the counter and waited to see what exactly would be demanded of her. Surely he wasn’t the sort to drag on about the things that he wanted.
She waited a beat, then another before quirking an eyebrow curiously.
‘Oh?’
Celine wondered if perhaps he had forgotten, and relished the thought. He had proven, after all, to be simple-minded about certain things. “You do remember what that means, don’t you? Winning our game?” She tilted her head, grinning coyly as she sidled up to him. Her movements were slow and with purpose as she pressed her body against his. The blonde took one of his free hands, guiding it along her lithe frame and allowing him to touch what no other man in that tavern had been allowed to.
Her voice had been reduced to a low purr as she closed in on her newest toy. “So what will you have of me, Crowe Richardson? You can ask for whatever you like. Anything that your cunning little mind can think of, barring my title, of course.” Celine let his palms rest on the curve of her ass, gleefully feeling up the firm muscles of his chest. “I’d even let you fuck me right here on this bar if you wanted. I’ve never minded an audience before.”
Good goddamn. There were times when Crowe could admit to the fact that the things that happened in his life were not his own doing but just sheer luck that kept him pleased and alive. The fact that Celine Dahl, one of the pirate lords and the only woman among their ranks, was practically flush against him. Not only that, but she was moving and touching and he was quite certain he’d hit his knees in front of her if she so much as said to. A woman like that? He imagined she could pack quite the punch and give quite the order. His lips turned up in a smile just thinking about it as he felt her move against him and watched the look on her face when she spoke to him in a low voice.
Did he remember what the bet was? Not in so many words. But with the way she was acting he was quite sure he was going to get laid. Nothing he would complain about, that was for sure. Hell, this woman could’ve punched him in the face and if he lived to tell about it he would’ve thought it was one of the most exciting things to happen to him his whole life. Idolizing women did not typically become Crowe. Objectifying them was far more his speed, as far as things typically went. Women were there to sleep with and occasionally to keep things clean because the men had other, better things to do. But this woman? He doubted she would be one to stand barefoot in a kitchen to look after someone. Which just left sleeping with, and he was almost positive that she could do that exceptionally well.
That, and she was leaving it all in his hands. Literally, as she took his hands and let them find a place to rest at her ass. His gaze dropped to watch them for a moment, mouth opening and going dry at the thought of what all he could request--demand--of her. He had won, after all, which meant it was apparently his choice. With that question, he smirked again and let his gaze slowly move up the length of her body. Her hands explored him and he was more than happy to let them. Over his chest until they paused and his eyes found her face.
Her suggestion had him grinning, eyes not leaving her. “I wouldn’t say no to that.” He replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. He’d like to see the looks on a few of their faces when he, a rigger and con man, got to fuck the woman they were all too scared to talk to. Crowe, on the other hand, found that going with the flow and trying despite the idea one might fail was always a better solution. Clearly, it was working in his favorit. He had, after all, been given permission to request whatever he wanted of her and he was more than happy to do that.
Hello, loves! I'll be on today to post. C: if anyone wants to start something, lemme know.
“Vexed.”
“They call me by my surname, Baudin.” Alice informed, finally, arms crossing as she took on a less threatening stance. Not that she was much of an imposing figure when she only stood just past five feet but she made up for it.
“Right,”
“Baudin,” He repeated, his smile never wavering. “So you’re one of Barrett’s then. Should I walk away before he sees me? Seems the possessive type.”
“…”
“Your name,” Alice prompted, ready to skewer the man if he tried anything.
“Crowe,” He gave readily, smiling and tilting his head a bit to watch her. She had the attitude of a woman that hadn’t grown up in a city like this; too callous and forward to be one of the fine women and or towns people. That left pirate, and that meant giving his real name instead of that of his brother’s. “And you are? Other than beautiful, I mean.”
Shadow in the Night || Darren & Crowe
Darren let his head swing down and around to shoot an incredulous look at his crewman. He’d known Richardson for years now, but sometimes even he couldn’t be sure if the man was just pulling his leg or not. Most of the time, he just assumed that the man was having a go at him and let it go. For as troublesome as he could be at times, he had yet to cause any severe commotion upon Poseidon’s Rift and so Darren just tended to let him about his business. All Darren asked of Richardson – all he asked of any of the men on his ships – was that he do his damned job, that he do it right, and that he didn’t take a year to do it.
“Look at me – I’m practically leaping from joy,” he replied with a cocked eyebrow and sardonic smirk. Still, it was nice that at least one of his crew gave half a damn about Poseidon’s Rift. Not that Darren was about to admit that (and certainly not out loud for Christ’s sake).
A strong wind gusted past them, bringing with it the smells of salt from the water and ozone from the lightning. The storm didn’t seem to be coming any closer to shore, for which Darren felt a small glimmer of thanks. The last thing he needed was for the fucking fish to bring their storms closer to land and to dash all the ships they could upon the rocks that lined the coast. Luckily for him and the other pirates, the merfolk seemed to actually give half a damn about the “innocents” on the waters. Their unwillingness and inability to do what was necessary to rid themselves of their enemies would surely be their downfall. Darren didn’t give a damn what happened to them. As of yet they hadn’t personally slighted him and so he wasn’t going to waste his time or energies on their extermination.
“Good. Don’t let me disturb you from that, then,” he said stiffly, turning away from the rigger. As good as it was that someone beside himself cared enough about the ship to check up on her while they were land-locked, he wasn’t exactly looking for “buddy-buddy” time.
There was something about being a pirate that was thrilling. An avenue for adventure and entertainment that Crowe didn’t expect to find many places. But it wasn’t always something that he found great interest in. For one, there was more fighting than he was a fan of and there was more likeliness that he’d get hung or run through on someone else’s sword. Killing and being killed weren’t high on his to-do list. He was a con man, after all. A criminal, sure. But he wasn’t what he would consider a killer. Had he drawn his blade across the flesh of another man? Maybe. He couldn’t rightfully remember. Most of the raids and things that the crew had gotten themselves into was just a blur. Fights rarely lasted hours; not all pirates were expert swordsmen that could keep it up for a long period of time. He was evidence of that enough. They were just men. Some women. With a desire to take and a weapon pressed in their hand and permission to do so. Crowe had always found that he was better at taking when his weapon was his words and not his blade.
With a self confident grin at Darren, he ignored the sarcasm and nodded his head. He was a valuable part of this crew, after all, and he should be treated as one. If not for him, half this ship would be in shambles. ‘Grunt’ or not, considering that his tasks were all limited to that of the physical side of things, if he wasn’t there to manage the sails then who would? It wasn’t like Darren would do it himself, he was the captain.
Watching Darren give a rather stiff reply and then turn to leave, Crowe should’ve known better than to speak. But ‘knowing better’ wasn’t something that Crowe spent a lot of time investing himself in. It was better, he thought, to hear the sound of his own voice than to silence his thoughts before they could be heard by others. With a shrug and a nod he agreed that he’d go around to check out the ship. In time, of course. He hadn’t necessarily cared that much about the whole deal enough to think that something big would have happened. He’d been on board not too long ago and this was just an excuse to escape the suffocating feeling that surrounded him when back in the port of Ronsanella.
“What about you, Cap?” He asked, the ‘knowing better’ than to pester the captain more being lost on the young man. Common sense was, once again, glaringly absent from his actions.
Just because she wasn’t trained in, well…anything in regards to combat and fighting, didn’t mean that she couldn’t pretend otherwise. Ronsanella was one of her two homes, and she would sooner damn herself right to hell than allow it to go undefended. With that being said, nearly tripping over the feet of someone who seemed much bigger and much stronger than her was more than enough to have Serena acting instinctively and out of pure impulse, and before she was even fully aware of what was happening, she had whirled around to unleash her cutlass on whoever it was that had gotten in her way. Looking at them now, she started from the bottom and worked her way up–just as she had previously noted, they were much taller than she was (though she supposed that wasn’t saying much), but they also appeared to be unarmed. Fiercely narrowed brown eyes opened wide in shock as they trailed upwards to glimpse upon the face of the stranger she had nearly skewered, and she was startled to realize that she…she knew them. Standing before her was a man she had met almost two months ago, one with dark blonde hair, a rogue grin, and vivid blue eyes: Crowe. Instantly, the apples of her cheeks flooded with rosy heat, and her lips parted out of pure and undiluted surprise.
…Oh, for Neptune’s sake. The first man she managed to threaten, and he turned out to be the very same man whose touch had lingered on her skin for a good week after they had first met.
“I–hello to you too! You remember me, don’t you? Oh, that isn’t important right now…why don’t you have something to fight with? And why are you smiling? Crowe, I–!” She was cut off by the sound of a nearby cannon launching itself into the village, and with a breathy cry, Serena was tucking her cutlass back into its sheath and reaching for the hand of the man she had nearly impaled upon it. It was an odd sort of parallel to the night they had come close to spending together–just like before, she was leading him to exactly where she wanted him, and his palm was just as rough, calloused, and warm pressed up against her own as she had remembered it being. It wasn’t safe for him to be outside right now, not when he didn’t appear to have so much as a dagger to defend himself with, and no matter how much of an absolute bear he was, there was only so much that one could do to avoid being shot and stabbed and set upon with explosives that Serena felt as if she needed to find him shelter, and fast. “I’m really, really sorry that I tried to stab you, but–in my defense, you came out of nowhere, and this is kind of my first time using a sword, and–oh! Here, follow me!”
Spotting a building that hadn’t been burnt to the ground, Serena hastily tugged Crowe alongside her so that they could seek refuge behind it. She hadn’t gotten too much of a good look at him just yet, and she wanted to be sure that he was injured before allowing him to slip back into the fray of things. They needed to find him some sort of weapon, too, lest he fall prey to the pirates that had laid claim upon Ronsanella. She glanced around anxiously to ensure that they were alone, and once she was certain that they had managed to remain unseen for the time being, she let go of Crowe’s hand in favor of gently taking hold of his burly arms to hold him in place. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” she asked breathlessly, taking a step closer and examining him for any signs of injury. Gingerly, she trailed her slim hands up along the lengths of his muscular arms, feeling them over in search of blood or debris, and she did the same with his broad shoulders and even his chest–all the while trying very hard to ignore the memories of their first (and last) meeting that demanded to be replayed in her mind over and over again. “Tell me–were you injured at all?”
Crowe didn’t like battles. Not because he couldn’t fight; if he had a sword in his hand he could hold his own. Obviously, given the fact that he traveled with a group of pirates and hadn’t died yet. But battles really weren’t fun. In fact, they were just about the opposite. Because he could’ve died, and dying was the least fun thing he could think of. Dying meant not getting the things he wanted anymore and he couldn’t have that happening. Running into Serena, then, seemed a bit like fate and he was more than happen to allow that opportunity to just be dropped into his lap. Literally into his lap, if he could get her there again. It wasn’t like being in the middle of a war zone made him horny, it was just that he was always in that state of mind and it didn’t much matter what was happening around him to deter him from it. She could’ve actually stabbed him when she whirled around and he probably would have thought it was an open invitation to some kind of foreplay that he wasn’t familiar with--but more than willing to learn about.
His smile widened a bit as she asked if he remembered her. How could he forget a bitch like that? The girl was probably the devil incarnate and he’d managed to track her down again. Or, more accurately, bump into her. There had been no tracking down on his part and he couldn’t even pretend that there had been--well, no. He could pretend just about anything he wanted without a problem. That was what he was good at, after all.
“Been awhile--” He started to say before she was shrieking over the sound of a cannon fire that only made him twitch a bit to look in the direction from which it came. Not close enough that they had to be worried... yet. Her hand was accepted quickly when she said something about safety and he was on board with finding a cozy little place to drag her into and stay until the whole mess of the battle out here settled down. This was a lot easier than he thought it was, following a few steps behind her as her hand was held in his own. She’d pulled him behind a building that still stood and there was no one around. God, did he have to do any work at all? Clearly, he had made a good impression. Not a good enough one, or he wouldn’t have had to wait this long for shit to actually happen with this godforsaken demon woman. But, either way, it was happening now and he was fine with that. A self confident smile spread over his lips as she asked if he was okay and her hands moved from his hand to his arms.
He shrugged a little, tilting his head to watch her as her hands trailed up over his shoulders and then across his chest. “I’m fine,” He replied easily, eyebrow twitching up suggestively before he deicded that talking was the last thing either of them needed to be doing and he was moving this time. His hands, which he’d allowed to just hand there where she’d left them, moved up to cup her face and he pushed forward to press her between himself and the wall behind him so he could kiss her. He didn’t linger too long, but his body remained where it was so she would have less chance of slipping away from him again. “Even better now,” He whispered, smirk twitching the corners of his mouth and eyes on her.
“You?” He asked, leaning forward a bit to kiss the corner of her mouth and then aimed to move his kisses along her jaw.
“I’ll start with your eyes. It’ll be excruciating.”
“Not exactly.” Alice leaned away when he leaned in, mouth curling down at the corner. “Have we run into each other before?”
“Hn... love it when you talk dirty.”
“Us?” Crowe looked her over and smiled a bit wider, shaking his head and leaning a bit more into his position. “Nah. I’d remember a pretty face like yours.”
“Ooof. Ow.”
“I - I’m no fighter. I’d just like to g - go home, please.”
“Damn,”
“Easy. Probably the place we wana be. My home. And your home. Not the same home.” Crowe smiled, offering a hand. “Need help? Come on, it’s not safe.”
"Okay—mothers and their children, and anyone under the age of seventeen and over the age of fifty, all of you head that way, and anyone capable of fighting, you come with me. Okay? I know that this is all sorts of terrifying, and that no one really knows what’s going to happen, but we don’t have much time, so hurry!”
Standing outside of the orphanage that was as much of a “safe zone” as anyone could hope for, Serena held fast to the cutlass she had liberated (read: stolen from a pirate), and did her best to delegate who was going where in terms of fighters and civilians. The very moment she had been informed of the raid that was taking place on land, she had come out from the sea as fast as she could just so that she could try her hand at offering some form of assistance. Ronsanella had come to be just as much of a home to her as the Mer-Kingdom was, and she absolutely refused to let it be defeated at the filthy hands of the pirate lords and their slimy comrades. It didn’t matter that she had next to no fighting experience whatsoever, that she was more of a dancer and a performer than anything remotely even close to a knight or a royal guard, because she still had every intent of putting her life on the line and laying it down for the people of Ronsanella that simply didn’t deserve such an awful act of terrorism. So she would learn to wield a sword, and she would learn to use her body for something more than singing and dancing—that was all there was to it.
Finally, the horde of people that had once been standing before her had separated into two groups: one had been taken into the relative safety of the orphanage, and the other was armed with their makeshift weapons and all of the grim acceptance of the fact that everything that took place today would be life or death. A few of the men were even looking at her skeptically, and she supposed that she couldn’t exactly blame them…most people on shore knew her as simply, “the burlesque girl”, and so perhaps the fact that she was attempting to rule an army was laughable at best. Still, they seemed to trust that she had a plan, and Serena slid her cutlass back into its holster (also stolen) before clasping her hands together and speaking once more.
"Okay! Good. Now that everyone’s been taken to safety, it’s time for us to head back out there. We need to find their ships—that’s where all their supplies will be, and all of their cargo, and if we’re able to bring them down, then they’ll have no choice but to turn themselves in when they realize there’s nowhere else for them to go. But we need to be safe! Protect as many people as you can, but try really, really hard not to get yourself killed in the process. I—alright? Your lives are just as important as anyone else’s out there…it’ll do you well not to forget that.” Letting out a soft sigh, she waited expectantly for them to nod in response, and she inclined her head as well before reaching for her sword and pulling it out of its sheath once more.
"Alright then, ladies and gentlemen! We’ve got an island to defend!"
And with that, she was off. She darted away from the orphanage, only after ensuring that the doors were locked and barred from the inside, and she made a beeline towards where she knew the ships had pulled into the dock. She would have taken off at a run if not for the sudden sensation of someone nearly tripping over her own dainty feet, and with a breathy and furious little gasp, Serena was whirling around to face them fully, cutlass at the ready and brilliant brown eyes narrowed dangerously. Even if it were someone she knew, or perhaps just a civilian, she still couldn’t be too careful.
"You’d better hope that you aren’t a pirate, because I will not hesitate to skewer you on the end of my sword!”
War and fighting and the whole bloody mess was really not something that Crowe was interested in. Too much risk to his own life and risking his life was not something that Crowe liked to do if he could help it. He tied knots. That was his role on the pirate ship he served on. He was really good at tying knots. He was even better at lying. Neither of those involved dying, and he wanted to keep it that way. No matter what Darren said, where ever he was, Crowe was looking to avoid this whole fucking mess that was erupting in Ronsanella. Mostly, that meant keeping his ass out of the crowds and staying as far from the action as possible. Cowardly? Maybe. He would have said it was smart. What reason was there to die for a fight that you didn’t start and you didn’t care for the conclusion of. Either the town would win and the pirates that got caught would be cut or hanged or the pirates would win and the whole city would probably burn.
Either way, Crowe wanted to stay back and stay alive. Dying would largely interfere with his ability to fuck women and make money, from what he understood. Weaving through some of the back streets, he was moving with relative ease. He’d not yet come up to anyone fighting about anything yet and he didn’t have more than a knife with him at the moment. Maybe that was a bad part of his plan towards staying alive. But that would have allowed a range of long term planning that he never cared to work through. Someone was yelling when he turned a corner and rather than wrestle with that, he was backtracking the way he’d come. Avoid smoke. Avoid loud noises. Maybe find a place to drink. That would have been easier said than done, as the majorty of places he was coming across were locked up tight to keep people out. Whether that was because people were hiding inside or looking to lock people out, he wasn’t sure. That, too, would have been a good plan. Maybe, again, if he had thought things through he would’ve had a nice little place that he could’ve been safely locked up inside.
God, he really needed to sort his life out. What was he doing? A whole lot of nothing, apparently. Walking through back alleys with a few pieces of silver in his pocket, no sword, no friends around, and too much stupidity. This is what his twenty-some years had amounted to? It wasn’t as if ambition was his strong point, but he hardly thought cowardice described him, either. He wasn’t smart enough to be a coward. Maybe he should go out there and find someone to fight? Not that he really know who it was that he’d start swinging at but with the amount of suspicion floating around he was sure it wouldn’t be hard to rile someone up. But, then, going around fighting people for no good reason seemed just as bleak a thing to be doing with his life. He really needed a drink. And a nap. Fuck, thinking about this shit was hard.
Taking another turn, he was too busy thinking and ignoring the fact that decisions should probably be made and not paying enough attention on his surroundings. He’d wandered his way almost completely into the middle of a group that seemed to be splitting and heading off in opposite directions. The smart decision would probably be running back the way he came. Or maybe joining them, despite having no idea who they were. But, before he could make a decision (which was good, because he hated those) he had a woman tripping over him. “ You alright--” Before he could fully help, starting to reach out to steady the woman, she was whirling around with a sword pointed in his direction. Had he not been an idiot, which was wishing for a lot, he would have had a sword of his own to match hers. Instead, his eyes were widening bit and he realized a decision was being made for him. “Woah, hey--hey.” He could just play dumb; play the innocent commoner. But before he could fully get out a reason as to why he stood there he was recognizing the woman in front of him. The bitch in front of him, if he was being honest and even that was generous. That was the woman that had all but fucked him on a dance floor and then left him without giving him much of anything at all. Fight forgotten, he was smiling a bit and raising his eyebrows.
“Uh... hi.”
"Because, I—like I said before, every living thing deserves to have a name! Especially if you’ve had them for quite some time now," Clara insisted softly, her eyes wide and imploring as she gestured beseechingly with her small hands. "You’re a man, but I don’t—erm—I don’t call you that, right? I don’t come up to you and say, ‘Hello man, how are you doing today?’, because you’re Raven, and—that’s your name! And it’s a perfectly nice name, too." She was babbling now, just a bit, and just as she had done the last time they had run into one another. She didn’t know what it was about him that made her feel as if she could talk for ages and ages without stopping, but perhaps it was due to how quiet he usually seemed to be. "Now for your dog! Hmm…you said there were too many birds in your life the last time we talked, so—let’s see. What…erm…what kind of dog is it that you have? Is it a boy dog or a girl dog? Are they very friendly, or are they more of a grumpus?" Names, as far as Clara was concerned, were incredibly important—you were only ever given one, after all, and so perhaps that was why she took them more seriously than she maybe should have.
“Right, right...” Crowe nodded as she gave her reasoning. Some kind of bleeding heart little girl was not the kind of person he imagined being up close and personal with his brother or the farm, but apparently Raven had gotten really desperate for attention lately. When she explained further, Crowe shrugged a little bit. “I don’t know... Might answer to just about anything you call me,” He replied, smirk returning to his lips. If there was one thing that he knew both he and his brother could do well, it was flirt. At least, sometimes. Crowe liked to believe he was a lot better at it, though; years of practice while Raven spent his time with pigs and shit (literally). Naming his dog was the next topic she shifted to and he just shrugged again. He didn’t much mind one way or another what she named the thing; he barely remembered what it looked like, after all. When she asked about what it was like, Crowe’s eyebrows rose a bit as if it was a concept that he’d never thought about. “... It’s a dog? Uh... dirty?”
“Interested in wiping that smug look off your face,” Alice quipped back, the man’s gall digging beneath her skin in a most irritating manner.
“I’ve seen you around before.”
Crowe’s eyebrow raised slightly at the comment and he leaned in a bit, smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Really? How you gonna do that? .... Will it hurt?”
“You have? Been watchin’ me, huh?”
“If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, and smells like a dog…it’s a fucking dog.”
“I don’t care if you clocked her over her pretty blonde head and took her away or if you got down on your hands and knees and begged they leave her alone, and neither does anyone else. They’ll hang you just the same.”
“I think we established this dog looks a lot like you. So what the fuck does that make you, then, Ray?”
“I’m not being hanged. And I’m not begging people for anything. I’m doing just fine, in case you haven’t noticed. And no thanks to you.”
Playing With Fire || Celine & Crowe
The man had guts, Celine could acknowledge that much. She was sure that she had him cornered, stringing him along in this game of theirs like a puppet or a children’s toy. She wasn’t prone to doubting herself, and she was positive that she knew who he was, yet his reasoning was fair. It was clear that he was smarter than he looked (although admittedly that wasn’t saying too much- generally she didn’t think highly of the intelligence of the male species as a whole). It was also understandable that he would hesitate to turn someone like her over to the authorities at the risk of being accused of being a pirate himself. At the very least, if he had intended to do that from the start, it certainly wouldn’t have been by approaching her directly.
"No, you’re more clever than I had anticipated. However, the reasoning remains the same. The only person who wouldn’t hand over little old me would be someone with something to hide." She retorted, keeping uncharacteristically quiet as she worked out her logic. The bastard was actually making her think for once. Celine had underestimated him. "Seeing as I’m such a high-profile target, the only one with a secret damning enough that even the king himself wouldn’t exonerate you would be someone who shares the same lifestyle." If he really had been a commoner, it would be easy enough to prove his own innocence. A house, proof of his occupation and a few witnesses to confirm his story would be more than enough to convince them. The royal army was made out of bumbling idiots, but if one thing was certain, they gave most suspects the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t exactly a flawless argument, but it suited her needs. Besides, to waste her guess by chickening out at the last minute was a gamble she didn’t want to take.
When he asked her to give him his full name, the Pirate Lord paused again. Now this was something she wasn’t entirely sure about. Celine knew it had been something unusual- the name of a bird of some sort. The problem was discerning which one it was, for there were two names of that like that often floated around in conversations among the pirates. One of them was Raven, and the other, Crowe. They were both popular among the rumour mills, although only one of them actually sailed under the black flag. Which one it was, however, had her stumped.
Celine thought long and hard about it, trying to think of which name she had heard more often than the other. Eventually, she gave up on the exercise. She heard too many names in a day to be able to differentiate one from the other; Given that she had narrowed it down to what she saw as a fifty-fifty chance, it wasn’t the worst possible outcome. Besides, the idea of losing wasn’t so bad either, since she knew it was to someone with an iota of cunning. So, she leveled her gaze with his and blurted out the first name that came to mind.
“Raven. Raven Richardson.”
Crowe’s stupidity was far too potent to have him walking away from this. Surely, if he said something that didn’t appeal to the woman in front of him she would drop him in a heartbeat. Crowe could fight, but his style was far more fit for the drunken bar fights than it was a dance of skill and ability. The woman in front of him? He was sure she knew exactly what to do with her weapons. It was a pretty exciting idea, all things considered. Not that Crowe was looking to die, but she knew how to handle herself. There was something enticing about the idea of a woman that knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. Clearly, she wanted him or she wouldn’t have started this beautiful conversation to start with. That, more than her intimidation or ability to handle herself, was even more exiting to Crowe. Or, maybe that was just his overactive sense of self worth that made him think this woman wanted him in the way he thought and not just for an afternoon snack before tossing him in the trash. Crowe would let her toss him in the trash any day.
When she went on to reason what it was that she was basing her decision on, Crowe just shrugged. He was starting to get bored of her explaining each and every choice. Was there a reason for it? It was like having a goddamn monologue in the middle of a conversation, and he barely had a long enough attention span to stay in the conversation, let alone one that involved a speech. But he nodded instead, smiling a little too cockily and shrugging his shoulders. Sure, sure. Only a pirate would let her slip through their fingers. Or a commoner with a high libido and a lack of civic duty. Depending on the day, Crowe could be counted as just about any of those. He was more interested on getting to the end of their game and convincing the woman that he won, even if he hadn’t. For all he knew, the next word out of her mouth would actually be his name and he’d just convince her that he was Raven.
But, then, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, much to his delight, she was saying Raven. He couldn’t help but laugh, a broad grin breaking across his face as he realized that he had, in fact, won. He won without really lying. At least, not too much lying. A fair amount, and he figured with the fact that he was a pirate, he was allowed a certain number of lies in each conversation. Really, he wasn’t quite sure what to do now. Was there something he was supposed to say? Could he dance? Instead, grin still on his face, he shook his head and looked back to the pirate lord.
“Close. Real close. Except I am far better looking than my brother Raven. But that’s your guess, sweetheart.” If it were possible, his smile widened a fair bit and his confidence was all but dripping from him. “Crowe Richardson. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Pleasure to beat you. To win this bet. To get... what was the reward? Honestly, he forgot. There was probably something that they were playing for but the fact that he’d just beat this woman at their game was really satisfying enough for him. Unless she was offering to do him favors, and then it was far from enough.
It was very considerate of him to offer to show her the way, and Sera was certainly pleased to have his help. He was a kind man and Sera knew she would be glad for his company as they found their way to the jeweler. She couldn’t help but smile as he offered his arm, she could hear his clothing shift. “I would be fine without it, though I appreciate the offer.”
Sera took his arm regardless, linking her arm with his loosely her other hand resting on his forearm. “I won’t turn down an escort though. Thank you,” she added.
“Oh...” Crowe shifted a bit, clearing his throat and raising his eyebrow. Did that mean she didn’t want his arm? What a bitch. She could’ve just taken it and not been so rude about it. But, then, before he could say another word she was taking his arm and he was just as easily smiling again. Maybe not a bitch. (Maybe still a bitch but, then, it couldn’t really be said that Crowe minded.)
With a nod, he grinned a bit wider. “No problem.” When he looked back around he started off in the opposite direction of the jeweler. It wouldnt’ serve him too well to take her straight there, after all. His goal was to catch her attention, not pawn her off as quick as possible. “So, whaddya want from the jeweler?”
Clara didn’t know what it was, but there seemed to be something…different about Raven today. Granted, she hadn’t known him for too long at all, and so perhaps she was just imagining things, but he did seem to be a little off. Maybe he was just having a bit of an odd day? Whatever it was, she was glad to see him again, and, as per usual, she hoped that she wasn’t keeping him from much more important things. “Horse is now Bluebird, remember?” she reminded him with a playful little grin, reaching out to gently poke the middle of his chest with a slim finger. Just as she had assumed by merely looking at him, he was impressively solid to the touch, and she was half-surprised her finger didn’t run away in fright the moment in came into contact with…well…all of that muscle. “The name won’t ever stick if you don’t keep up with it! Consistency is key, okay? And—oh, goodness. I’m going to have to name your dog too, aren’t I?” She was giggling now, shaking her head teasingly as her eyes twinkled with good-natured mirth, because the thought of visiting his farm if only so that she could attach a name to every single one of his animals was as appealing as it was humorous.
“Bluebird,” Crowe repeated, a bit of a smile touching his lips as he said it. Apparently this girl had taken it upon herself to name Raven’s animals. He could piture his brother’s face and amusement at the idea and it was easy enough to emulate that in himself. No doubt her cheery disposition was irritating to Raven at times, and he would’ve paid just about anything to watch his brother deal with the girl. But that would take away all the fun of the current situation. When she poked at his chest, his eyebrow rose slightly and he chuckled. “Right... Yeah, Bluebird. Still don’t see why I can’t just call it horse. That’s what it is after all.” When she mentioned the naming of his--or, rather, Raven’s dog--he shrugged a bit. “You could. Might still just call it Dog, though.” But, then, that was also a good way of covering his own tracks. Not only did he think Raven would often default back to calling the animals what they were, but he knew that his brother wouldn’t have knowledge of this interaction and should the two meet again he wouldn’t know the name of his new pet.
After a moment things fell into place with the man and Sera nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips because she could hear the amusement in his voice. Whatever was confrontational in it had dissolved when he realized Sera wasn’t attempting to be offensive. He even knew where the jeweler was.
“Perfect, thank you!” Sera answered with a grin. She had a chain to fix that she had lost one of the links for. While if she had the link, Sera could fix it, but it was probably deep in the sand now. The only option was going to a jeweler and she heard there was a good one in town. “Only if you have the time.”
This was easy. Maybe it was wrong, taking advantage of a woman that couldn’t see. But that woman had a smoking body and he was pretty certain that because of it he could do just about anything he wanted and it wasn’t really wrong. Maybe a little morally skewed, but he’d done worse in the past.
Nodding before he realized she couldn’t actually see that, he smiled. “Of course. Nothing but time. You want an arm or something?” He asked, shifting a bit and reaching out towards her before stopping himself. Crowe wasn’t entirely sure the protocol for such things. Was he just supposed to grab her? Most women didn’t like that. But then, most women weren’t blind. Maybe that was alright. He decided to let her dictate that and stood a few feet away until she indicated what to do.
