• Closed • Heard it from the grapevine.

[Elijah Ki'Ouj]

Elijah observed as Kyle wobbled on the dock and he chuckled at his comment. "Give it a break or two mate, it will pass." He chuckled and closed up the hatch on the boat, locking it and then climbing out on the gangplank and onto the dock. His own body too used to the ocean to get sea legs, he didn't really notice the change between land and sea any more.

Elijah followed Kyle as he headed towards the main part of the town. Elijah recognised the place, he had been their enough times. Of course he could not remember it perfectly, that would be a fairly hard thing to do with all the other places he had seen in his long life. "An ale sounds good to me, although a woman would be even better." He laughed aloud and walked alongside the older looking male. His hand moving naturally to rest on the hilt of his cutlass, a comfortable position. It also drew attention to it though which in a place like Bayward was both good and bad. Some might think twice before attempting to mug you and some might fight you because they feel threatened, it was hard to tell which most of the time.

Elijah observed as the town went from shanty to old and dirty, with better built houses that lacked good maintenance. Still they must have been at their destination as Kyle came to an abrupt stop before a door and looked to Elijah. He then seemed to adjust his stature, making himself up straight and tall. Elijah on the other hand felt no such need and instead remained at a slight lean to one of his legs. Although he was tall already so standing straight in his mind had little advantage.

The place was dark and musky, for some reason its owner seemed to be against good lighting. It appeared the owner was not against pointless trinkets though, the place was crawling in expensive and useless items. Ornaments and statues, empty vases, all manner of items that were only their to show wealth. Elijah rolled his eyes but still followed into the room with a fire and an armchair.

So this was Asher, young and handsome and likely a fool. Elijah had met many of the type yet he could of course be wrong there, people did sometimes surprise him. According to this new man they were late, of which Elijah was sure they weren't, verified by Kyle's own words. Something felt odd, wrong even, like there was some key piece of information he was missing. He did not like being shut in the room and it showed in the way his eyes looked around for the exits and any sign of a trap, his hand very slowly working its way across his body towards the hilt of his weapon.

[Harpy]

Asher shook his head in their direction, not failing to notice the way Elijah's hand twitch towards the sword by his hip. "I mean," Asher said, taking a seat by the fire and gesturing for Kyle to do the same. He would not offer a seat to Elijah; this was between business partners. Not the help.

"I mean you're later than I'd like. Later than is good for you." He sighed, passing a hand through his hair. Kyle's lips twisted in consternation, but he said nothing, prompting Asher to continue. "Look, Kyle. You know I love working with you. You know we've had a good relationship all these years. But there's nothing I can do this time. They've forced my hand..." He sighed, looking at Kyle with a pleading expression.

"Asher," said Kyle, his voice taut with a tension that had not been heard by Elijah before. "Just say what you're not sayin', boy." Asher swallowed, his eyes searching Kyle's face, devoid of the joviality usually there, before nodding in agreement, albeit reluctantly.

"Dregoon's men want the drugs." Kyle's eyes flickered towards Elijah, but otherwise his posture stayed straight. "They knew you were bringing them, and they knew when you'd be here. They came yestertrial, demanded them. And Kyle... I didn't get the impression this was a business transaction. Seemed more like a free for all, if you know what I mean. Kyle, I think - I think shit's gonna get really real. Pretty soon." Asher looked at Elijah. "Perhaps hiring a bodyguard was a stroke of good luck."

There was silence for a few moments. And then: "fuck." Kyle stood, aggravated. "You didn't think to warn me? At the docks maybe? A letter? A fucking carrier pigeon? Anything? Shit, Asher, they're gonna know I've come straight here!" Asher stood up in response, and looked as if he were going to say something, but Kyle turned to Elijah instead.

"We gotta get outta this town and fast, son," Kyle murmured to Elijah. "I 'ope we don't have to cut our way outta this. We need to go back to the docks, dump the cargo in the sea, and sail all speed ahead back to Ne'haer - and never come back to this shit hole again."

Kyle made to leave, without even giving Asher a farewell, and he started towards the door. Opening the door, he led Elijah through the hallway, but before they made it out of the house - there was a thunderous knocking at the door.

Time, it seemed, had run out.

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[Elijah Ki'Ouj]

Elijah listened closely as the two conversed, not caring that he was left standing. He could hear fine from where he was stood and there was no need for him to sit. Still, the mention of a third party, someone messing with things was unsettling. Elijah was not new to the smuggling business and so whenever a third party started meddling in affairs it was never a good sign. Elijah made sure to remember the name mentioned, Dregoon. It sounded familiar to him but he could not place it exactly.

Still clearly him wanting the drugs was not good news it appeared as Kyle was not happy about it. He swore and stood, clearly disturbed by the information and ready to get out of their. Elijah regarded Asher with a curious gaze for a brief trill. The man seemed to have done little to try and stop it, smelt fishy to Elijah and had he more time he would have asked his own questions. The suggestion of dumping the cargo though, he was not so sure of that. "Kyle, are you sure about dumping it, we could sell the cargo back in Ne'haer or even distribute it ourselves. Why waste all the money in those barrels?" He asked because he wanted to make sure the man wasn't thinking too quickly.

Still Kyle wanted to leave and he was the one paying for his services. So following the older looking man out into the hall they headed for the door. Unfortunately they were not in luck, the knocking on the door stopped Elijah in his tracks just behind Kyle. He felt his teeth crawl out over his lower lip as his hand flew to the hilt of his blade, he looked at the corridor though and new better than to try and fight in such a small place.

He placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder and span him around. "Is there a back door? We can't get out that way and fighting in a corridor like this is stupid." His hazel eyes regarded Kyle with a look of calm, even as he felt he should be panicking. "That way we could sneak out or at least maybe get outside to fight before we are stuck." Elijah was ready to fight but why risk your life if their was a way to escape.

"Then once we are out we get to the boat and get the fuck out of here. Clearly this Dregoon fella wants trouble but we know he wants us now and we know what he wants. If it goes to shit and we get stuck in the docks we can threaten to spill the cargo. It is our bargaining chip." Elijah felt like his plan made sense but he was ready to be corrected on it.

[Harpy]

Asher followed the two out into the hallway, cautiously. He looked between the men and the pounding at the door, as if he couldn't decide which one to support. "Don't fuckin' open it, Asher," Kyle growled, running a hand through his thinning hair. "You know what happens if ya do."

Asher swallowed, guilt playing on his features for the position he had put his business partner in. "I know, but this is my home, Kyle. I can't not open it for Dregoon's men!" Taking another look at Kyle, he sighed, speaking quietly.

"There's a backdoor. Opens up in an alley a block over. They might know about it, though. I don't know if they cached the joint. I'll give you a bit to get outta the house before I open it, but that's all I can do, alright?" Kyle growled and began moving away, assuming Elijah would follow him.

"And Kyle?" Asher called. Kyle stopped, and turned to face his long time friend. "I'm sorry, mate. I really am." Kyle said nothing, but after a moment, nodded stiffly and continued back towards the other way out.

"We gotta dump the cargo because it's marked," Kyle hissed as they swiftly moved through the house. "It's easy to track like that, and it'll always come back to me. But if it's at the bottom of the sea, well..." They came into a kitchen. It was dirty and rustic, but there was a door there that seemed to lead outside - there was natural light filtering through the gaps of the door.

"Right, son. We might be met with men. We gotta fight if we do, but I'd prefer to just fuckin' run back to the boat. We needa get outta Bayward, you hear? So no heroic business. I warn you, Elijah," Kyle hissed, staring into the sailor's eyes. "Dregoon is not a man to fuck with, ya hear? We needa go, and we needa go fast." Once Elijah had agreed, Kyle turned to the door and swallowed nervously. "U'frek gimme strength," he muttered, before swiftly opening the door to the alley.

There was no one there.

"Quick!" Kyle whispered, taking off at a jog through the alleyway, surprisingly fast for an old man. They made their way through the streets as quickly and silently as possible. None of Dregoon's men seemed to have found the back exit. "Yes! They didn't see us. Hurry, boy, back to the docks, and then we're castin' off."

They ran up to the docks, and came to Elijah's little sloop, ready to get the fuck back to Bayward. But something wasn't right. All the cargo had been moved up on deck, and there, behind the wheel of the ship, was an elaborately dressed man. Clearly Biqaj, he was older, but not as old as Kyle. Tanned from the sun, his teeth glinted gold, and his long black hair waved in the wind.

"Well, well, well, Kyle," Crux Dregoon drawled, moving over to the out of breath pair. "Running out on me, are you?"

Kyle looked behind him reflexively. There were all of the men Dregoon had sent - and there, scruffed up and red faced, was Asher.

"Now, my boy," continued Dregoon. "Let's talk terms, shall we?"

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[Elijah Ki'Ouj]

Their escape seemed at first to be going well, the back entrance was indeed free of Dregoon's men. So that was where they made their exit, heading straight for the docks and the sloop. Whoever this man was, clearly he was feared and it was a surprise to Elijah that he had yet to have a run in with the man in his line of work. From what he had gathered up until now he seemed to run all the illegal business around here. Perhaps in the past Elijah had been unknowingly stepping on people's toes.

They made their way quickly and quietly towards the docks, Elijah following Kyle who moved surprisingly fast for an old man. However, they were too late, it quickly became clear that whoever it was that was after them had gotten there first. Elijah stopped next to Kyle and rested his hands on his knees while he caught his breathe, aware that he was not the fittest person and should probably work on that.

Still he could not help feeling somewhat amused at the man before them. For all he knew he should have been intimidated, instead he thought the man was the living embodiment of a cliche. The long black hair the tanned skin and the golden teeth, could he have looked like a more stereotypical pirate. Elijah hid his amusement well, covering it with the heavy breathing before righting himself and looking still towards the one he assumed to be Dregoon.

The man used the word "boy" and for a moment he was unsure if he was referring to him or not. He must have been, at least that was how it felt with the fact Kyle was the oldest one there. "Looks to me like you are the one who will be dictating those terms to me." Elijah remain calm, knowing it helped no one to lose your nerve and cool in a situation like this. Instead he searched for possible escapes if the need came. He noted the water, he could easily jump in. The fact he could potentially jump between the other moored boats to another dock. These were his potential escaped besides, of course, fighting his way out. "So lets hear it then, what are these terms?"

Elijah was determined not to be intimidated by this man, to stay on top of his feelings and nerves. He stayed his hand from touching the hilt of his blade, although it would have felt natural it would be a bad move. After all, the man did seem to be acting somewhat civil so far.

[Harpy]

Crux Dregoon moved fluidly from the wheel behind Elijah's tiny sloop. Even though he had never been on the ship, he was clearly at home, his fingers trailing over the wood of the boat as if he had always owned it.

"Kyle, my friend," he crooned as he walked to where the two, Kyle and Elijah, were stunned. They had Dregoon before them, and his men behind them. There would be no escape, not without some exceptionally clever improvisation. But before he could continue, some whelp interrupted.

Dregoon laughed. "Kyle, who is this?" He came up to Elijah. It was a threatening gesture, his body nearly within touching distance. Dregoon was shorter than Elijah, but with his men behind him, he gave off an ineffable sense of intimidation.

The first words that Kyle had muttered since he got on the ship: "My bodyguard." Dregoon barked out a laugh, before turning to Elijah and circling him, like a shark might circle prey. "Well well well," Dregoon crooned, eyeing Elijah closely. "He certainly is a strong one. A sailor, too, if I'm not mistaken." Dregoon turned to Kyle, who for some reason looked ashamed.

"So, did he know?" Dregoon asked. Kyle looked sharpely towards the lord of Bayward, and the pirate snickered."Ah, so, he didn't." All of a sudden, Dregoon's men grabbed Kyle, a knife to his throat. It was obviously sharp, and the slightest struggle would slit Kyle's throat.

Dregoon stalked towards Elijah, a threatening and yet seductive figure. "So, my friend," he crooned. "Let's talk terms. The terms are these: Kyle stole these drugs from the disenfranchised and homeless on the Crazed Corner. He denied them the only thing they had come to rely on. No doubt several have died from their withdrawal by now."

Dregoon smirked. "Whatever you say - I will not hold it against you. You are a hireling of this thief. Yes," Dregoon admitted, "I am a pirate lord and an enslaver, but only of those that deserve it. And so - Elijah, I think -" he smirked. "He ruined many lives. Will you support your employer?"

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[Elijah Ki'Ouj]

Elijah payed close attention to what was happening and clearly Kyle had crossed this man somehow. At first it was not obvious how but it became much clearer as time progressed on and he was told outright what it was the old man had done to offend this man. Who seemingly attempted to intimidate Elijah and with some success. However, Elijah hid his nervousness well, the only tell being his hand fingering the hilt of his sword without pause.

Elijah bit his lip as the knife pressed against the neck of the man who was paying him, unsure whether he should have some sense of allegiance to the man or not. He could not tell if it was the fact he would lose his pay with the man dead or that he had quite liked the old chap that meant he was not wanting him dead. So when the question came to him of what should be done he considered for a few trills before answering.

He exhaled heavily and then began to speak. "Lord Dregoon, I am just a smuggler, I transport goods of a less than savoury nature because others won't. I do not pretend to be a captain or a lord like yourself, I could not possibly know how to pass sentence." He paused and looked to Kyle before continuing. "Truth be told I care little where my cargo ends up or who ends up losing or gaining from it but I do know what I get from it and that is money and freedom with it. So I cannot blame Kyle here for trying to gain some extra money, he is old and weak, probably close to retiring and just looking for some more Nel to put aside before he is without work."

Elijah raised his hands in a sort of shrug and looked into the eyes of their captor. "Can you really blame him for trying to get one last shot of excitement and influx of Nel before his time runs out, I doubt he will ever be crossing you again whether you kill him or let him go he is old." Elijah sighed again and rubbed his hands together. "Yet, like I said, I am just a smuggler. I move things from A to B, I do as I am instructed by those who pay me but I don't ask questions of them only answer those they ask me and I do so honestly."

He crossed his arms and remained where he was, studying Dregoon. "Now, I too, speak truthfully and honestly. The man did no real harm, you have your drugs back and there is no doubt he won't mess with you again." He was trying his best to persuade while making sure his attempts did not put him at risk or alienate him too far from this pirate lord who could be useful to him in the future so if the man was not convinced he would not fight any more to protect his employer.

[Harpy]

Crux stood quietly as Elijah spoke, but his lips were curled into a faint smirk, his teeth stained from chewing tobacco. When Elijah was done, he stepped forward. "I admire you, boy," he said, clasping his hand on Elijah's shoulder. "You're straightforward, and you don't mince words." Crux's eyes flickered back to Kyle, before nodding to the man holding Elijah's employer.

With a thud, Kyle was released and dropped to the deck, gasping. He groaned at the ache in his bones, but he stayed quiet as Crux walked over to the old man. "Your employee speaks well in your favour, Kyle," he said, smiling down at the man. "Do you think he would do so if he knew what you truly are?" Crux took the sharp knife from the man who had been holding Kyle.

"Come," said Crux to Elijah, gesturing him to stand in front of his employer. "You use your words well, boy. You straddle both sides. Neutrality is good for a smuggler - you won't offend the buyer or the seller that way, but there comes a time for choices to be made. Here," Crux held out the knife to Elijah. The Mortalborn would have no option but to take it.

"You have the knife now. This means you're going to take a side. You can decide what to do with your employer. You can let him go, you can let us seize him, or you can kill him. It's up to you. But every choice, boy, has consequences, and you need to know the facts to make those choices - lest you make the wrong one. So before you choose, I'll tell you some facts about our dear friend Kyle Martin."

Crux cleared his throat, and grinned. It was like he was telling a story, not about to sentence a man to death. "Kyle Martin was not always Kyle Martin. Once Cyrus Marwood, a sailor in the Ne'haer navy, he had ... a not so good reputation. In fact, so bad that whispers eventually got back to his higher ups. Habits he had, of drinking, of bringing women back from the port, women they said were ... less than willing. The tears kept the sailors up, you see. And when he was found with jewels he'd stolen in his back pocket, it was the last straw."

"They cast him out, banished from Ne'haer. Never to return. And where else does a man like that find new beginnings? Bayward, of course. He started out just like you - just a smuggler. Kept it in his pants, this time, at least for the most part. Until," suddenly Crux's voice was no longer as jovial - anger dripped from his voice, and heartache, too, "He came for a woman who wasn't his, and wasn't willing."

Kyle blanched and looked down, but Crux reached out and grabbed his jaw, forcing the man to look up at Crux. "Sarah," Crux hissed, and Kyle moaned, shaking his head, but said nothing. It was the truth - whoever this Sarah was. "She killed herself shortly after," Crux continued, enraged, "and it was because of you. You fled Bayward, but did you not think my men would find you? That a fake name would hide you? And these stolen drugs... led us right to you."

In disgust, Crux released Kyle's jaw, looking down on him in disdain. His chest heaved as he struggled to regain his composure, before turning to Elijah, and his eyes were grim. None of the joviality of before. "Now you know what kind of man Kyle Martin is. And now you have a choice. But remember - there will be consequences."

!	Message from: Harpy
	Whatever choice you make - even if it's a choice Crux hasn't presented - is completely up to you! But remember...choose wisely...

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[Elijah Ki'Ouj]

Elijah had hoped to avoid this, he didn't like to kill without a reason. Yes he was a criminal but he was a smuggler not a pirate or a murderer, this was quite the dilemma presented to him. The mortalborn sighed and listened to the story of Kyle Martin, or as it turned out, Cyrus Marwood. A man who liked women but wasn't too good at getting their agreement it seemed, something Elijah did not often struggle with. The smuggler rubbed his face with his unarmed hand and thought as he listened closely.

The story was quite generic until it reached the part about Sarah. Clearly this was where it got personal, for both Crus and Kyle. Elijah had seen heartbroken men, grieving brothers and enraged sons and even with all his life experience he could not quite tell what it was Crux Dregoon was. If he had to make any guess he would say lover but he could just as well be a brother or truth be told just a man with a strange sense of morality. Even criminals had things they would not do and thought wrong and not always that different from your everyday law abiding citizen.

For a moment at the end of the story Elijah turned his back on his employer, looking towards the dock, the mental cogs turning at double time. He new this was a test and he did not want to fail, lest it cost him his life. Of course Elijah was ambitious and he was getting ready to grow his smuggling position in the world, more jobs and more associates and this man ruled Bayward. If he pissed this man off he would be done in the business if not worse.

The question was whether Crux wished to kill the man or really wanted him to kill Kyle. On top of that was whether Elijah could really bring himself to do it, he had killed before but never like this. Still time was dragging on too much and so he turned crouching down in front of his employer. He could not hide the apology in his eyes as he plunged the knife through the throat of the man in front of him, aiming to end the mans life as quickly as he could.

He stood blood dripping from the tip of the knife onto the deck of his sloop as he faced the Lord of Bayward and forced his face to remain calm, the apology leaving his eyes. "This is yours." Elijah rotated the knife in his hand so he held the blade, the blood now covering his fingers as he offered it back to Dregoon.

[Harpy]

Crux watched Elijah turn from Kyle, thinking. He said nothing, only waiting quietly, but even he had limits of patience. He would not wait too long for Elijah to wrestle with morality. There was vengeance to be done, an old debt to be repaid, and Crux had hunted Kyle for many arcs. Now he had him...

Before he could speak, though, Elijah turned, crouching before the old man. There was a moment of silence, but Crux watched as a flicker of understanding went through Kyle's eyes, and he knew then what choice Elijah had made. The right one. Crux and his men were silent, as Kyle opened his mouth to protest - say something - anything.

But the man lost his chance to appeal his sentence.

Elijah tried to make Kyle's death as clean and painless as possible, but he was a smuggler, not a surgeon. He misplaced the knife, and instead of slicing through the carotid, the blade severed Kyle's windpipe in half. Even as Elijah withdrew the knife, and handed it to Crux, Kyle lay on the deck, gurgling. He was gasping for breath as the air and blood escaped through the slit in his windpipe. It was a torturous half trill for the man - he died slowly, and Crux and his men simply stood silently. Watching. And waiting.

Only when Kyle was dead did Crux move. Until now, his expression had been unchanging, but once the old man lay dead and unmoving, a sudden change came over him. His expression crumpled, anguish overtaking his features, and he passed a hand over his eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath. His lips mouthed something, but what it was could not be deciphered.

Finally, he opened his eyes again, looking to Elijah. "Thank you," Crux said, simply. To be thanked by the Lord of Bayward was an honour not many were bestowed. "You made a choice. Whether it was the right one, only you can decide, but I will not forget what you have done for me today."

Crux stepped forward and handed the knife, still dripping with blood, back to Elijah. "Keep it. It is mine. Others will see it and know you have my favour." He nodded to his men, who picked the dead body of Kyle up and began to move off the ship. "The drugs are yours, too. For sale, or to give back to the Corner. Again - a choice you must make." With one last sigh, Crux began to move off the small sloop.

On the gangplank, he paused, looking back at Elijah. He made to say something, but instead, shook his head, with a silent smile, and left Elijah standing on the deck of his ship, the blood of Kyle Martin - Cyrus Marwood - still running over the wood.

!	Message from: Harpy
	And we're done! Thank you for coming on this adventure with you. Please write a wrap up post (it can be as short as you like) and then I will leave a grade. And then we will see what happens if (when) they meet again...

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