[[⚔]] molotov & alphaess

[molotov]

xxxx ◤ ────── ▼ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐑 ▼ ────── ◥

montresor wasn’t the only predator lurking in the vicinity of this building packed full of thieves and sailors. there, amid the drunken flocks, garble of banter, music and slurred speech, a raven-haired fox slipped through the crowd. cleverly taking advantage of their inebriated states to swipe what she could from their pockets. come to find, she was the very vixen he had been stalking, silverclaw. the root of his inconveniences, and yet also the perfect solution to an entirely different predicament: lenore, pathetic as ever. while it was evident her years of being caged had taken it’s toll, her reason for acting so fragile amid a group of humans eluded him. she wasn’t one of them and yet, appeared desperate to act the part, even when it came at her own expense. nice to know the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, he supposed. clement had thoroughly ruined the girl’s chances of survival, but confinement brought about resentment, and that’s what he was counting on. all efforts to change her inexperience simply required patience and montresor was more than willing to take his sweet time waiting out this little adventure of their’s. odder still, the young sea monster had naively taken a fancy to her own captor during her prolonged stay. though he struggled to understand the extent of her affections, it was a behavior he was keen to take note of for future use. even now, as she stood there allowing herself to be tormented by feeble pirates, she continued to cast glances silverclaw’s way, sometimes worried, other times disapproving, always troubled by something unspoken.
yet another intriguing development soon came to light, as he seemed to have become the intended prey of his small thief, which was truly a sight to behold. the little thing was entertaining, he’d give her that. the beast would humor her for the time being. fortunately for her, he was quite fond of catching thieves. well rehearsed, montresor feigned obliviousness centering his line of vision on a trivial argument going on between two men. the looming figure stood still as a statue, only moving to ensure silverclaw a perfect reach for his gold lined pockets, intent to give the impression of an easy catch. the impact of her feigned drunkenness was about as fazing as the brush of a feather, though enough to trigger his predatory instincts to retaliate before his lure was snatched from his pocket. lightning quick, montresor seized the woman’s wrist with crocodilian speed, his long, pointed fingernails clamping down into her flesh, provoked by the thrill of the swift capture. “hmm?” the noise was a low, eerily serene rumble, almost a growl. much like a beast stirred from a deep slumber. slowly he allowed his piercing, unwavering stare to lower. examining his ensnared prey with little emotion portraying his unsightly features. “well, aren’t you an impish little thing.” cooed the mountainous man. observing the curious creature below him ruefully. “that was a fine show you put on there. quite the amusing display of theatrics and theft. up until a…. certain point, that is.” he tsked slowly, tilting his head to the side as he continued to observe her features for any indication of weakness. “though, if i could offer some words of enlightenment to the foolhardy silverclaw. you ought to properly gauge your victim before you go carrying off something of theirs.” an odd smile slowly curled across his cadaverous countenance. eyeing the concealed silver-talon with amusement, such a design didn’t appear well equipped to handle keeping the rest of the body buoyant in water, he wondered how long it might take someone with such an inhibition to succumb to the ocean. “this further prevents the likelihood of your plans going awry, and you never know what that simple miscalculation may cost you.“ his clawed fingers coiled ever tighter around the scavengers wrist of flesh and bone, his long nails slowly piercing through the feeble meat with a crushing grip, not enough to damage it to the point of immobility, but most certainly cause pain. “you know, in some places, the penalty for thievery is the removal of the transgressors hand?” from the newly open cuts the lovely sanguine liquid would soon blossom from its place, like a brilliant rose! alas, he could not afford to let too much of that tantalizing crimson spill, not yet. montresor released his grip abruptly, though maintained his vacant stare long after, his voice just as monotonous. “i jest.”

[alphanea]

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────────────────── [[ ｊａｃｑｕｅｌｙｎ x ｇｒｅｙ ]] ──────────────────

xxxx Caught in a grasp that was as strong as a bear trap as soon as she had reached for her mark, a cold chill went down the daring pirate's spine, unable to react in time to free herself from her fate. "Many apologies monsieur --!" the thief had started, keeping her words slurred together and her body shaky, appearing as if she was another drunkard bumbling her way across, perhaps she could pretend she had merely attempted to steady herself from a near tumble, but when those two piercing orbs were lain on her, allowing her to take in the whole sight, her voice and subterfuge fell apart prematurely. A shaky breath stirred within her before she could hold it down, certainly the pirate captain was not the squeamish type - having seen enough marks of battle and enduring through her own maiming and mutilation. But there was something that was provoking her primal fight or flight reflex within those eyes, framed with the frighteningly large and unusual scarring, that piercing gaze, the yellowing sclera. He appeared much like an otherworldly predator even as the more reasonable part of Silverclaw's mind insisted upon an explanation to all odd features her eyes had lain on, some sort of sickness for the coloration of the eyes, an unfortunate accident for the scarring present and an unconventional lifestyle to be the cause of the disheveled appearance. As the mountain of a man spoke to her, Silverclaw tried to force a little bashful smile onto her face regardless of the immense difficulty it took to still her fast beating heart. She tried her damned best to remain nonchalant and keep the drunken act, at least outwardly - but it was quite the difficult task to appear coy with the vice-like grip on her wrist and the frightening aura that was... by the gods there was something deeply unsettling about the man, making itself even more apparent with every word uttered.
xxxx Breathe, Jacquelyn Grey forced herself, a calming practice she was all so familiar with already, keep breathing until your voice doesn't shake anymore. Most of the words uttered escaped her ears that were roaring with a rush of blood but the ones that mattered were caught through the netting of her mind, the first, her name, or rather given title, was uttered, even though her namesake appendage was very much hidden at her side. Sure, he might have gotten a glimpse of her silver digits but that brought us to the second thing that she had caught onto: he had been watching for an unknowable time. Why would anyone want to spy on her specifically when one could bump into a lawless man or woman without even having to move from where they stood was beyond Silverclaw, who found the whole thing odd, curious even. As much as the more primal part of her brain wanted nothing to do with this man there was a more logical part of her that wished to pry. As a fresh spike of pain shot through her forearm, Silverclaw squinted, not willing to allow herself to wince, like a cornered animal, not wishing to display weakness. "That'd be very much unnecessary - and unsavoury in a house of merriment." Having managed to steady her breathing and her voice coming unwavering through sheer willpower, Silverclaw finally spoke up to this mysterious stranger, having to crane her neck upwards uncomfortably due to their close proximity. "I'm afraid I've already signed away my soul to the devil for the first replacement and the second would be quite much of a hassle to obtain." with a sliver of her cocky and wordy personality returning, Silverclaw took a step back the moment she was released, taking a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. Now free of her constraints, her panicked mind wanted to just sprint away - the dark, frightening aura was almost too much to bear - yet the pirate persisted, a frown on her face as she felt the welts on her skin ache and leak. A strong fundamental part of her forced her to slap her other hand on top of her broken skin, as if she feared if she allowed the stranger or anyone else to see her blood it'd be quite similar to bleeding into shark-infested waters, marking her a prey to devour. Apparently no longer concerned with keeping her claws out of sight - if anything, she wanted to put her own out on display, as if a subtle threat to imply she was not afraid, a dog raising its hackles, even as fear clawed at her core her face thankfully betrayed none.
xxxx "Again... apologies. I will do my best not to trouble one as wise to common trickery as monsieur -" the pirate properly displayed a short bow not long after, having decided on braving the storm and lingering in attempts to pry some more information, hiding her wounded arm behind her back. The urge to run as fast as her legs would carry her was still there held back by the thought of bringing more attention onto herself and the situation at hand, more eyes to witness her moment of fear and weakness - if there was one thing Silverclaw hated more than her own strong fears, it was them being put on public display. With her drunken act dropped entirely, Jacquelyn Grey chose to stare right into the source of her fear with a cold gaze after she straightened herself from her little greeting, letting her intelligence shine through instead of the rowdy drunken pirate persona she made sure to wear on her sleeve most of the time. "But, ah, you have me at a disadvantage, as you know of my title while I don't believe I know yours. And I do not think I'd forget a gentleman such as yourself, so I assume that we haven't met before." Curious. Silverclaw made to add, polite yet calm and cold, mimicking the speaking pattern of one that was used to the sly politics of a ballroom or a royal court, with threats hidden as compliments and despicable intentions covered with honey.

[molotov]

xxxx ◤ ────── ▼ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐑 ▼ ────── ◥

exceptionalism was a prominent issue among human kind, that feeling of superiority that caused man to believe himself higher than any other creature of this earth and sea. while they certainly carried an unarguable uniqueness, at the end of the day, they were still animals. fear was the greatest reminder he could instill in mankind to shed light on that simple truth. it was the most visceral aspect of all living things, an integral sensation to ensure survival. it helped to knock man down from their pedestal, humble them, and in their last moments, enlighten them to the truth that their were powers in this world far greater. unstoppable terrors that no amount of human innovation or craftiness could hope to overpower. they were prey, and they needed to learn their place. in that instance the towering predator could sense his quarry’s fear, smell it, hear it in her breathing, the rapid beat of her heart beneath a defensive exterior of composure. still, she stood her ground, an action that the monster looming before her found intriguing, which only persisted as she started to speak. “i am always one step ahead of the game, miss grey, you can count on that.” came montresor’s gentle reply, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the scent of the blood that now coated his claws, he’d remember it well. “we’ve met in some form or another, just not in the direct sense.” he clarified in the most vague manner possible, implying his use of intermediaries, and his consequential stalking from beneath the waves. “i’m sure you’ve caught wind of my name once before.” the mountainous man sampled the remnants of the crimson liquid. his sickly yellow eyes never left the captain’s silvery blue one’s as he did so, licking his lips with the mouthwatering taste and for a brief instance, flashing rows of yellowing, dagger sharp teeth hidden behind the polite smile. “much like you, my notoriety is present, just not in the way you might expect.” he continued to explain tauntingly, like dangling a carrot over a hungry rabbits head. montresor continued to analyze the raven-haired pirate under close inspection, he tilted his head curiously, parting his lips as he intended to point out something of interest. shamelessly deviating from the inquiry presented to him. “-you know, you’re quite the actress.” the monstrous stranger’s voice quieted down to a gentle growl, his soulless yellow eyes bore into the woman as if looking right through her guise. slowly he took a step closer, the floorboards creaking with the movement. “your voice and face betray little fear, but your heart…” he regarded her ravenously, veering on inhuman. “it’s beating so fast.”
alas, his fun was not to be, for his attention swiftly snapped back to lenore who’s voice had grown a tab bit louder. her quality time with the rest of the crew didn’t appear to be going all too well. the tiny sea monster had grown increasingly more frustrated with her mistreatment. stately as she attempted to appear - unlike the sailor standing before him, lenore was far easier to upset. as demonstrated when her restless movements caused her to bump into a tavern goer behind her, unleashing a domino effect of unfortunate events. thanks to the noble’s clumsiness, the man spilt his drink on the front of the fellow’s pants sitting next to him. who, upon being startled by the splash of liquor, had violently pushed his seat backward to stand upright. of which the wooden chairs legs ran over the toe of yet another unlucky soul, who yelped and began to stumble, crashing into the table behind, and subsequently disrupting the gambling taking place. the impact, launched an array of valuables, die and playing cards into the air, which sprinkled to the unclean floor, and sent the more desperate and shameless of thieves flocking to it, like pidgins to crumbs. what ensued was a lot of pushing, shoving and screaming, which soon intensified into an all out brawl as voiced frustrations turned to threats and violence. the cause of the uproar; lenore, stood their amid the chaos dumbstruck, gawking at the disorder she had ignited incredulously. a mess of of bottle throwing, fist fighting and the breaking of furnishings ensued. lenore barely dodged the crossfire in time, scrambling under the safety of a table as the battle between sailors continued to spread like a wildfire.

[alphanea]

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xxxx Every single word that the stranger uttered disturbed Silverclaw, leaving her battling her ever growing instinct to flee the scene. There was still the warmth on her forearm, reminding her of her wound, with the droplets forming and travelling down her wrist, down her fingers where they were still hidden behind her back. A brief expression of distress crossed the captain's face upon witnessing the man's actions, deep down feeling that this was not a foe to be trifled with - if there was something Silverclaw excelled at, it was making enemies and also carefully picking who to choose as her rivals and who not to mess with. This mountainous man was an immovable object, and although Silverclaw prided herself an unstoppable force this was an interaction she would rather not be involved in. Although her lips parted with the intention of rebuttal, the wordsmith pirate found nothing to speak of, alerted with the threat drawing nearer, her weight shifted on her feet, almost in instinct leaning backwards by a hair's breadth. Thankfully it was not a lingering moment - for something seemed to catch the attention of the strange man and Silverclaw's gaze followed his as much as she abhorred cutting her line of sight from a possible adversary. What followed with sudden pandemonium - quite a regular sight within the confines of the rowdy tavern filled with sailors, pirates and an excess of alcohol. A few spilled drinks spiralled into a few broken bottles all until there were fists flying, with the radius of the fight increasing with every passing moment, the chaos soon to reach her very corner.
xxxx When Silverclaw turned her head back, she discovered the curious absence of one absurdly tall man, with his easily noticeable frame nowhere to be seen despite their rather close proximity just moments prior. "What in the bloody - ?!" The pirate was exclaiming - that was until she received a shove that was caused by the ripple of chaos. Great, Silverclaw frowned as she repositioned herself to slip by the chaos unaffected, she was now being taunted by spectres - very frightening spectres with sharpened teeth and yellowing eyes that could move through the people as fast and quite as a thief. Perhaps she had already had a few too many that night - she had already misplaced her cup prior to meeting the man with no recollection of where she last left it. With nothing left to do but return to where she had last left her crew, Silverclaw sifted through the brewing fight with ease, ducking and weaving without even stopping to think over it until she was greeted with her lot. Kathreen, the one that was never too interested in the unnecessary roughhousing was downing the last of her drink before it met a dreary fate splashed onto the ground - or into the face of someone in the vicinity. Harker was nowhere to be seen, probably already in the heart of the fight, punching and kicking people many times his size on the shins, his buddy Fletcher was similarly absent, likely goading on his friend for a laugh. That left their party much smaller, and Silverclaw, trying to force the immediate frightening memory out of her mind, grabbed one of the half drunk mugs of grog on their table before it too became a causality of the tavern brawl and downed the remainder of it.
xxxx "So what'd I miss?" the captain asked, feigning obliviousness to the chaos that was spreading like wildfire, her injured arm pinned to her back with her talon up and visible in a proud display, not quite wishing to scare her party for no reason and ruin the mood of merriment and celebration after the good hunt.

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

“well, miss sauveterre started a fight.” petey was the one to answer plainly, looking through the newly made bullet hole in his now-empty mug with disappointment. not entirely surprised by the development, much like the others he was convinced her presence would bring them nothing but bad luck, a belief that continued to be proven. the table lacked the more upbeat presence of goldie. who, for once, hadn’t been the direct cause of the scuffle between sailors, but hadn’t turned down the opportunity to partake in the madness, either. “excuse you? i barely nudged that gentleman, it was clearly unintended!” protested a voice from below the table, the noblewoman poked her head out from beneath her hiding spot to glare at her accuser. like he hadn’t witnessed her subjection to torment, she was regretting her decision to have ever stepped foot off the she-devil. to think, the noble could’ve been settling down for the night with a good book in her hammock, lulled into a peaceful and much needed slumber by the gentle sway of the ship. instead, she was on a grime riddled floor, fearing for her life - which was a common occurrence by this point. “it’s not my fault we’re surrounded by brutes.” she swiftly turned her anger on silverclaw, who had abandoned her for an uncomfortable amount of time without warning, not to mention, filled her with a sense of betrayal, which burned in her blue-purple eyes. “-and where did you wander off to? you’ve been gone an awfully lengthy time for a drink, i don’t suppose you flirt with every commonplace barmaid that catches your- ah!” a disruption was soon spotted, and lenore ducked back beneath her shelter just in time to evade two wrestling sailors, who promptly crashed into the table before disappearing back into the fray. lenore scooted backwards into the comforting shadows under the table, overwhelmed by the madness ensuing all around her. all instincts pointed to hiding as the best course of action, anything to avoid the perceived threats. “by the gods, i never should’ve followed you here. i can’t exist amongst pirates without chaos erupting every bloody second!” she ranted over the noise, pulling her legs close to her chest, and preparing to hide out until the storm of fists and bottles calmed. which, by the look of it, wasn’t going to cease anytime soon.

[alphanea]

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xxxx With those that enjoyed a good fight more than anything vacant from the table, everything seemed lifeless - except for the raging storm around them, of course. "Ah, I see - was wondering about the commotion," the captain grinned, before being briefly surprised by the presence from beneath the table. Not so soon after came an accusation - curious that the noble would be complainant about her choice of coquetry. "What, can a girl not have a nice mug of booze with some nice company?" Silverclaw shrugged it off, effortlessly sidestepping the brawling sailors as if they weren't even there. Bending from the waist, Silverclaw peeked beneath the table "You wound me, miss Sauveterre. I thought you'd at least give it a honest try before giving up," she uttered with a little pout, before straightening herself back and stripping off her longcoat, along with her hat, bundling them and offering them in the direction of her first mate - who was already looking tired and ready to depart back to the ship. "Ms. Redd, if you'd be so kind," words were unnecessary in this commonly practiced action - Silverclaw had occasionally gone tavern brawling along with her crew - and Kathreen took the offered items without complaints, throwing the longcoat over a shoulder as the sly captain withdrew and started to roll up her sleeves. "Merci beaucoup," With that out of the way, Silverclaw stepped back near the table that hid the frightened noble, thinking of a way to best approach the delicate situation and rouse her from her hiding place.
xxxx Settling on crouching down next to the table, she put on one of her half-smiles, her confidence emanating through the expression, her grey eyes examining Lenore briefly where she hid. "I don't think your technique is very effective - hiding in a corner is hardly the way to go in a bar brawl, on the filthy floor no less, where leftover grog and excess blood tends to spill. No place for a lady of your pedigree to be." With a playful zest Silverclaw teased, pushing on Lenore's buttons in hopes to force her out of the fear. Let frustration and anger towards her fill her, it'll make her less aware of the frightening noises all about. "Thankfully there is still time for you to sample this delectable chaos. Give me your hand and we'll fix it," the captain ordered, holding out her talon, her dominant hand, for Lenore to take. "You have my promise that I'll be gentle and keep my claws in," she made sure to add, in regards to her cold metallic appendage, in a softer, assuring voice. "It's not too different than a dance... just with less gowns and ballrooms and more shouting and alcohol. I'll escort you back to the ship if you find it unbearable after you give it a go."

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

realizing her hands currently occupied the very blood stained ground, she swiftly jerked them away from it in disgust, wiping her hands off on her breeches. she glowered over at the pirate who now crouched beside her. “well you don’t exactly see noble-borns partaking in bar fights either, now do you?” she retorted with a huff. listening further, her features softened a bit. staring at the extended talons offered to her, quieting down as if to contemplate obeying the order. though, she had already made up her mind. letting out an exasperated sigh (just to be difficult,) lenore gently grabbed hold of the appendage in silent compliance. apprehensive as she was to the cold touch of the sharpened fingers, silverclaw had stayed true to her word this long, and she wanted to show her trust in her remained steadfast. there was the option to leave presented if things didn’t go as planned, that alone filled her with enough relief to look passed her restrictive fears. “alright, i’ll try to view this from your perspective. twisted as it is to use delectable as a descriptor.” she muttered, still trying her best to look displeased. lenore used the helping hand to leave the safety of her hiding spot. moving out of her shelter back into the madness, immediately her lilac eyes darted from place to place with growing uncertainty. she clung tight to the unfeeling metal limb like her life depended on it. the violence almost seemed contagious the way it had spread, sailors giving into the frenzy of the bar fight almost like it was a typical afternoon for them. hard to believe anyone could act as if this was a mundane predicament, and yet here she stood beside a woman completely unbothered. turning her attention back to silverclaw with her lips parted, she paused as she noticed the pirate’s rolled up sleeves. was she really intent to join the fight? lenore wasn’t exactly built for this kind of environment, a single punch could knock her out for good if she wasn’t careful. “i assume you must deal with this often, that, or the drinks are doing their job well.” the noblewoman cocked a brow as she glanced up at silverclaw with a puzzled look plastered across her features. “-in what way is this likened to a dance?”

[alphanea]

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xxxxWith the astute noble coaxed out of her hiding hole, Silverclaw's smile was widened, already assuming victory over Lenore's hesitance. "I'd say a little bit of both," the captain grinned - of course, she was a bit tipsy already, which was the only reason she had pushed aside the somewhat terrifying encounter to the back of her mind. With the question she was waiting - nay, depending on - Silverclaw smiled in her cocky way. "Allow me to demonstrate." with that, carefully, she released Lenore's hand and stepped backwards into the thick of it, instantly getting enveloped by the beautiful chaos of it all: a man was pinned onto a table by a larger man as a woman was repeatedly hitting the larger man on the backside with whatever she could get her hands on, a peg-legged sailor was staggering, either due to a belly full of booze or the blunt force trauma he had received earlier, somewhere in the crowd something akin to a hornpipe playing out echoed, a couple of passed out sailors were already lining the filthy wooden flooring beneath and shards of glass and wooden splinters, even the occasional bullet, flew overhead, much like a strange display of fireworks. And in the middle of it all, Silverclaw remained, feeling the rhythm of each yell and scream and crash.
xxxx The peg-legged man was on a collision course with Silverclaw, to which, the pirate gracefully stepped to the side, much like a dancer, grabbed the man by the arm and spun him around like a merry dance, until he was released and continued on his intended route, albeit resembling a spinning-top much more closely now. Like the sly cat she was, Silverclaw was not yet done, her grey eyes darting towards where Lenore was to ensure she was still watching, moving in between the one man trying to strangle another by ducking beneath the action and stopping when her path was cut by two man attempting to throw another out of a window, allowing them to pass but not before she grabbed the tricorn hat off of one of the man that passed her by. She was like the fresh mountain water flowing through the rocky terrain, bending and weaving, finding her way without having to force through. After that brief taste, Silverclaw returned back to Lenore's side, bowing with the hat in hand like a performer. "Now it's your turn," the captain hastily and eagerly declared before any protest, promptly placing the hat on top of Lenore's hat, mostly an action to confuse and distract, as she took her hands not soon afterwards, placing one on her shoulder, while the the other she held within her taloned hand once more. With the close quarters, their height difference was much more pronounced, leaving Silverclaw smiling down at the noble as she very delicately held her good arm to her upper back. "Just follow my lead," she whispered in her husky voice, before, without warning, she moved Lenore and herself to the side just as a flying bottle went past where Lenore was standing just moments ago, all the while keeping up the gimmick of likening the dodging to a ballroom dance.

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

a gasp escaped the noble born cupping a hand over her mouth to hold back the urge to protest. silently she watched her companion willingly disappear into the heart of the storm, passing flailing limbs and exploding debris in graceful motion. she expected the worst out of such a reckless demonstration, and yet, found the opposite to be true. jacquelyn seemed to glide through the madhouse with the ease of a feather, moving with the rhythm of the bombardment of unpleasant noises in dance. how lovely a sight, she thought to herself. keeping her hand raised over her mouth, struggling to hold back the urge to let out a laugh of disbelief as the pirate found herself a partner who’s unwilling dance sent the man spinning. a moment longer of moving about the disorder and silverclaw was right back in front of her, ending with a performers finishing bow. completely unscathed, at least upon first glance that seemed to be the case.
lenore blinked dumbly at her parting her lips to speak “how-“ without warning the hat silverclaw had snatched was placed atop her head, a gesture lenore was too perplexed to formulate words to. she repositioned the tricorn hat reluctantly, somewhere between amused and utterly confused, but didn’t remove it from her head. at a loss for how to even refuse or protest, apart from just accepting that this simply must’ve been the pirate way - or perhaps, the silverclaw way. not long after was she encouraged into what she recognized as a waltz. the realization had the nobles ghost white features flush a rosey pink. barely registering the bottle that wizzed by them as she was moved out of it’s path behind eyes wide as saucers. “ah, so you meant dance in the literal sense. you’re an exceptionally peculiar woman.” she chuckled softly, albeit sheepishly, her steps reluctant and awkward as worries of judgment started to creep into her head. though upon remembering who their current audience was, moreover that they were occupied with more pressing matters. she found herself focusing her attention back onto silverclaw, trying to make sense of her perspective, she was entirely in her element, finding music in the mayhem. to think, just a few days ago she was dreading sharing her first dance with her husband to be. plagued with questions of ruining it all with a simple misstep or nervous fidget. yet now, she realized that marrying him wasn’t entirely set in stone, she was free - if she was to believe this is what freedom felt like, unrestrained in the moment. she wondered if she were selfish for finding joy by the side of someone who wasn’t her fiancé. here she was, dancing while her family worried, somewhere, desperately searching, not certain she was even alive. oh, what the hell. let them worry. all those concerns were swiftly pushed to the side, and she allowed herself to ease into their shared dance, embracing it even. lenore willingly let herself be guided along the danger-plagued dance floor, following the lead of her partner. perhaps failing to fully grasp the scale of danger surrounding them now that her anxieties had weakened. the gritty and grim details of the scene seemed to become embellished in a new light, in a moment that felt straight out of a book. lenore was enamored by the freedom, the thrill and her dance partner. “how’s this, am i doing it right?” carefully sidestepping an unconscious man facedown on the ground. she cocked her head, giving the captain a proud grin along with it. something she immediately regretted, as she nearly tripped over a portion of broken chair she hadn’t seen. regaining her footing with a titter, she tried again. “wait, wait, pretend you didn’t see that, i can do this-” a sudden yelp and a loud crashing from behind briefly caught lenore by surprise. for a moment snapping her out of her fairytale trance as worry creased her brow and her footsteps again grew uncertain, beginning to turn her head towards the commotion.

[alphanea]

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xxxxThere was a certain buzz in Silverclaw's mind, clouding the distant sounds, blurring anything that was not in the immediate vicinity of herself and her 'dance partner' - just as well, one would probably experience a sensory overload should they let their mind wander and sense and feel every little thing that was occurring that night. For the pirate, the world that was currently existing was a rather miniscule one. "I give it my best," the captain answered in earnest, a mischievous glint in her eyes, which never left Lenore, her interest bright and apparent, as if she was the most interesting thing within that tavern - and she was, wasn't she? A frightened, perhaps a little flawed, diamond in the muck, quite literally a thing from out of the world that Silverclaw and the rest of the pirates resided in. What made her endure the hardships without breaking or running away (as she had plenty of opportunity to do so), Silverclaw was quite puzzled over the answer - what puzzled her more was her own willingness to continue on with this fairytale 'pirate adventure', avoiding the pitfalls of the gritty truth of it all. The merchant ship, now this little spectacle, they were all a ploy to prolong her stay, serving very little in the manner of getting her to the promised treasure, for the captain knew the moment they finally reached their destination and their coffers filled with gold, it would mean the conclusion to the tale. Brought back from her own wandering thoughts, Silverclaw let out a hearty laughter as Lenore almost found herself tumbling - even though her hands tightened in response to keep her from the fate. "Like an angel in the flesh," Silverclaw teased in a light-hearted manner, noting that despite all her efforts, Lenore was still somewhat set in her ways, dwelling on things that were of little consequence.
xxxx "You're too worried about making a mistake, my dear." she spoke very softly, releasing Lenore's hand momentarily as she propped a finger beneath Lenore's her chin, gently guiding her face towards hers to look up towards, to look her in the eye - and also to stop Lenore's to wander off and allow her concern grow. Taking a slow breath, Silverclaw smiled down at the noble. "Allow your movement to be free, there's no one here to judge your... 'dance moves'. Take mind of your surroundings but don't allow them to dictate where you want to end up." her sagely words could apply to more than just their evening getaway, although Silverclaw didn't add any other indicators to make them more clear. Once again taking Lenore's hand, she gave her a merry little spin, holding her out and distanced just enough for her avoid a splintered glass jug before pulling her back in, continuing their sway and keeping the rhythm with each little step but most importantly of it all, enjoying every moment of it, each whisk, each turn and each spin. Not too different than a ballroom dance at all.