[[⚔]] molotov & alphaess

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

the gentle touch beneath her chin lead her straying gaze back to meet her partner’s stormy grey ones. “well, i hate to disappoint.” she breathed, trying her utmost not to show how very flustered she felt in that moment. though composure fell across her features along with a gentle smile, there wasn’t anything she could do to stop her cheeks from burning a bright red. the woman before her was a mystery, not well understood, and perhaps that’s what gave her such an air of intrigue. she was volatile in many ways. sometimes an imposing, villainous presence, other times relaxed, reserved - if not a little too smug and callous - and most recently there was the discovery of a certain thoughtfulness about her, gentle, kind - in her own way, yet still so difficult to decipher. not unlike the unpredictability of the ocean, the noble would be quick to compare in poetic fashion. it was hard to know her intent, harder still to understand why silverclaw seemed so intrigued by her of all people, sure lenore tried her best to make it through the day one step at a time. but, she wasn’t exactly special compared to most - though one could argue noble upbringing was enough to proclaim exceptionalism and excellence, at the end of the day, lenore still felt more like a creature trying her best to survive with the cards she’d been dealt.
the highborn listened carefully to the advice given, noting the unexpected insightfulness of jacquelyn’s words, lenore took them to heart - or at least tried to to the best of her ability now that she was given the permission to. relishing in the moment, enjoying the release of expectation and judgment and allowing herself to wallow in the excitement and shared joviality of the waltz. after all, lenore considered herself an optimistic woman. or at least, her mindset relied heavily in looking to the upsides to life to keep herself moving forward to cope with her shortcomings. which were more abundant than usual to say the least. despite that simple fact, it wasn’t often lenore found herself feeling glee, beaming up at the taller woman. so captivated by her partner in dance that with time, she found herself drawing nearer each opportunity she could, almost an unconscious effort. sneaking quick, polite glances down to silverclaw’s plum colored lips, then back to her eyes as they traversed the chaos together. amid the scuffled, screams and battering, a single certain pathway forward revealed itself amid the dog piles and wrestling sailors, the promise of safety awaiting them if they wanted it, all other possible routes seemed far too risky to try. “say, i followed your words of wisdom, what am i expected to do if there’s only one certain path? we can’t really change that, all other routes could end in disaster, is it really worth the risk?” she reasoned, pulling in close as to dodge a fleeing man who’s coattail’s were lit ablaze. “i-is it not irresponsible of me to willingly throw myself into harms way, when i could just as easily return to the security of the ship. am i not of unsound mind for… finding a strange delight in your company?’ much like silverclaw’s own words, she was applying her questions of uncertainty to more than just this waltz. so caught up in the moment, lenore failed to recognize that she hadn’t pulled away, her proximity so very close to jacquelyn.

[alphanea]

☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠
────────────────── [[ ｊａｃｑｕｅｌｙｎ x ｇｒｅｙ ]] ──────────────────

xxxx Somehow her words had worked, easing Lenore into a much more reckless and jovial mood, which in turn, made Silverclaw's smile grander - a feat that the she-pirate wasn't aware anyone was capable of - graciously allowing the petite noblewoman closer towards her, with her grasp on her upper back eventually settling on the small of her waist respectfully. "There's always an unseen, often untrodden path." the pirate answered with a casual little shrug, still watching Lenore through her drooping eyelids and a calm expression. "You are wise beyond your years, Lady Sauveterre," purred the captain, her voice barely above a whisper - she didn't need to speak any louder for their closeness was unescapable - even if just to fill in the silence as she took her time to think, it was hard to keep up a banter when her eyes were fixated down onto Lenore, her playful glances hadn't gone unnoticed but the pirate chose not to tease at the heat of the moment, instead holding back her own desire to just - well, no, she couldn't. Surely a noblewoman as Lenore didn't want anything to do with a rascal as herself, this was all but an experiment and an experience. With the fear of ruining the moment, Silverclaw reined in her daring nature and just smiled. "But to answer your question, yes, I suppose there is a bit of insanity and irresponsibility within the mix, a dash of daring and bravado and bad life choices." she answered, biting down onto her lower lip gently, a curious look within her eyes as she, unexpectedly, brought up a pale metal finger, caressing Lenore's cheek softly - she just couldn't resist the urge. Although her talon was sharp, unwelcoming and cold - her gesture was so uncharacteristically gentle and pure. "Yet the outcome can be a once in a lifetime experience," Silverclaw cooed, leaning in closer without she even realized what she was doing, either due to the alcohol in her bloodstream or something much more foolish.
xxxx Lady Luck had a tendency to play her wicked games on Silverclaw, one such occurred just that very moment. Behind Lenore, the doors to the tavern opened capaciously to accommodate a new group of patrons filtering in, a rather large one, consisting of just about half a dozen men - and by pure chance did Silverclaw glanced over Lenore's shoulder as the group entered, her eyes growing wide the instant it registered. Dammit! She knew the lot and she knew that they probably didn't like her very much, having 'stolen' something rather important from the captain himself. Talking about the captain - he was curiously absent, making the threat of running into him all the more likely if he was already within the establishment. "-- Oh bugger." With a bitter swear on her tongue, Silverclaw quickly disengaged from Lenore, the moment they were having completely shattered. "Would you look at the time, how it flies when you have fun." lowering her sleeves back down to a position to cover up her prosthetic, Silverclaw spoke very hurriedly, turning her back towards the entrence. "Best we make our exit - no no, not that way," she grabbed Lenore by the wrist before she could attempt to go towards the open doors, already guiding her towards the back - there was less known back entrance that Silverclaw had used time and time again to make her grand escapes. Unfortunately, they couldn't flee into the night that easily, as they made their way through the crowd and the doors to the backside was in sight, Silverclaw flinched as she heard the rough voice of a man, thick with an accent that implied he was not quite speaking his mother tongue:
xxxx "Blimey! Isn't tha' ol' Jackie?" Halted in her steps, Silverclaw frowned, took in a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face just a second before she turned on her heels in her own showy way, releasing Lenore as she did so and allowed her to linger to her back - this wasn't quite an issue that involved her after all, best not to put her in any more trouble than she already got. Now facing the caller, it was revealed to be a short-ish man with shortly cropped hair, a rather disproportionately large forehead and blue eyes much darker than Silverclaw's own, a well kept beard was placed right beneath his lips, which were locked in a smile - for some reason, surely nothing good would come out of the friendly appeal he currently bore. "Bois! It's Jackie - Jackie the claw!" he gestured at the freshly entering group, who turned, like a pack of jackals, surrounded the duo in a crescent shape, blocking off their escape route.
xxxx "Ah, Boris! Fellows! Been a while since our paths crossed. Hadn't we last hunted down Southbound company ships together?" Silverclaw forced her fake smile to intensify as if she had come across old friends she had dearly missed, going as far to give the leader of the brutes a short curtsy - albeit lacking the hat. "There you all are - except I don't see Rosie, how's Mrs Kozlov doing?" she asked innocently, trying to make small, casual banter - sadly, the mention was taking as anything but innocent.
xxxx"She left me two seasons back, with no small part than's to yer antics." the man grunted, his exaggerated smile dying down, instead there was a spark of anger behind his dark blue eyes - Silverclaw's smile also faltered for a moment, before a sheepish one replaced it with a little 'oh' muttered. "Don' take me a fool, you harpy. I know ya and Rosie had a thing behind me back," The man stepped closer, barking into the taller woman's face with anger, his fist balled up while Silverclaw put up her own in an attempt to both protect herself and possibly calm down, palms presented. The furious man's eyes swayed, finally taking notice of who was with Silverclaw, briefly eyeing Lenore up and down, possibly trying to guess if she was even worth his time, wondering if she was one of the She-Devil's crew or just another fling of the flirtatious captain. "And who might tha' be? Stealin' someone else' girl ya git?" as the man kept barking, from the corner of her eye, Silverclaw was watching a larger fellow stumble closer, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
xxxx "Funny how you mention that," chuckled Silverclaw, no longer trying to keep her friendly character, the situation itself was inherently quite funny to her and she seemed to have no sympathy to the man's plight - if anything, he had brought this upon himself, not giving enough attention to the lass, pushing her around, and as if he was completely a honest and straight man, he had the gall to push the blame on Silverclaw, who, although a bit guilty inherently due to the nature of the things, had done nothing but give the lady a good time in the brief time they were together. A wicked expression on her face, Silverclaw grinned as the large man she noticed earlier waddled closer, the perfect moment to strike drew even closer - it was easy as tripping the big fellow in his trot with her boot, and shove him towards the pirate captain, thanks to the drink he had partaken, his reflexes were not fast enough to save himself from being squashed beneath the weight. Grabbing Lenore once again, Silverclaw made a dash for the back exit as Boris' mates tried to save their captain, this time having nothing to block their way, the two made through the narrow exit and back into the cool night air (of course, Silverclaw made sure to grab another bottle as they passed by the preparation area as a prize), panting and looking around to see if they were followed. "For the record, I don't condone cheating on one's romantic partner, although exceptions could be made if it's a man as vile as him... Still, I didn't know they were in an exclusive relationship - hell, he for sure wasn't when I met them." Silverclaw urgently spoke, with a bit panting breaking apart her words, but somehow it appeared as if the pirate really wanted to clear her good name and not leave the impression of a homewrecker. "Probably he's still bitter I chose Rosie over his tasteless advances, can you imagine? No thank you," she turned her nose up and stuck out her tongue, as if there was a rather foul taste in her mouth.

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

once again, she was reunited with the icy sharp metal of those talons, though unlike the times before they lacked the cruelty that one might expect from such a formidable weapon, created for the sole purpose of harming another, it seemed. yet the cool bite of the sharpened fingers simply caressed her skin. so gentle of a touch, so very unfamiliar of a feeling that lenore couldn’t help but be taken by surprise by the gesture of affection. an unmistakable flow of endearment soon followed, silently craving more, just a little closer and maybe- lenore batted her eyelashes in perplexity as she felt silverclaw pull away. a look of disappointment apparent, if not for a moment. with little time to process the issue, turning to the exit, she was swiftly pulled away with a small squeak of surprise. shooting a confused glance silverclaw’s way as she was guided away from the doorway. “what the devil is going on?” she hissed, trying to spot the problem, but finding everyone deemed liable of being a threat at the moment in her mind. their escape was cut short when a new face stepped into the limelight, not entirely imposing at first glance, though he made it so as his goons turned to surround them like a pack of wolves. lenore wasn’t liking these odds, and could only assume these were those enemies silverclaw had mentioned - of course they had to reveal themselves now of all times. oddly, lenore found herself more frustrated than frightened, if not simply due to the exhaustion of the day catching up to her. even more was the disruption of their tender moment that left her particularly crabby, not that she would ever admit it. the exchange between the two captains was oozing hostility, and the man - known as boris, seemed to sour with the mention of the lady’s name. all the while lenore could only silently beg the gods that nothing bad would transpire, even as the attention was briefly turned on her she stood still as a statue, and just as silent. there was a brief moment of annoyance, if not simply for the accuracy of the man’s assumption - though perhaps her and rosie differed in the sense that lenore had been stolen in the literal sense. fortunately, silverclaw was far more crafty in the moment of tension, sending a large fellow down on his captain and prompting their escape back into the comfort under the darkened sky.
as their pace slowed, and the commotion grew distant, lenore came to a stop. using a barrel to keep herself upright. running wasn’t something she did often, and her body sure wanted to remind her of such a fact. hearing silverclaw begin to speak, her expression hardened back to a cool glance. brushing a stray strand of ginger hair out of her face as she took a moment to catch her breath, she shook her head. “i cannot.” she answered simply through her panting, trying to stop a look of disapproval from washing across her features. it was difficult to make a proper judgment on silverclaw when lenore still knew so little about her. were her efforts more for the thrill of the hunt, or was that display of affection real? the noble would never get an answer, her mind refocusing on silverclaw’s words of haste. her efforts to detest cheating didn’t really rectify the fact she also partook in thievery and kidnapping, something lenore would argue was far worse. still, here she was, enjoying every bit of the pirates company, craving a bit more of it, even. maybe, that’s why she felt the need to push back her bitter thoughts in favor for reassurance. she was just now getting somewhere with the captain and she didn’t want to loose what felt like a lightening in a bottle moment. “in any case, it’s not my place to judge.” she sighed, fixing her new hat atop her head. “although, in my own humble opinion as an outsider. i must admit that rosie seems a wise woman for choosing you over him.” the moment the words left her mouth she realized the implications behind the utterance, so she swiftly corrected them. crossing her arms and diverting her gaze as if it hardly mattered. “-in a lesser of two evils context, of course.” she clarified with a shrug of indifference, and the smallest trace of a teasing smile on her lips. though that’s when the metallic scent of blood hit her nostrils. a smell she hadn’t picked up on within the stuffy, stench ridden tavern. now, out in the crisp night air it was unmistakable, causing her to straighten with sudden wariness. “wait just a moment-“ she sniffed the air, her eyes tracing it back to silverclaw with surprise. “-are you injured?” she blurted, not grasping the abnormality of her heightened senses. she stepped closer, searching silverclaw for the sight of the scent, and promptly found the source where crimson bled through the sailor’s white sleeve. “may i- uh-” she trailed off. gently, albeit awkwardly she took the others hand, gingerly pulling back the sleeve to observe the damage. she winced at the sight of the wound, giving silverclaw a careful glance before she gently raised the woman’s hand to inspect it closer, feeling queasy by the mere sight of the warm blood that dropped from the series of gashes. “poor dear, this looks like it hurts, when did this happen?” her brows furrowed, noticing the deep rakes through the skin. such a injury didn’t align with what she would expect from such an environment, this looked like an animal’s doing. “these… look like claw marks… how could that be?” she noted in slight confusion, glancing over at the taloned hand, then back up to silverclaw expectantly awaiting an answer.

[alphanea]

☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠
────────────────── [[ ｊａｃｑｕｅｌｙｎ x ｇｒｅｙ ]] ──────────────────

xxxx Blood pumping, muscles warm and aching - not too bad of a way to finish the night, although there was still a pinch of longing within the captain's stormy eyes as she glanced over towards Lenore, the tiniest of a bite on her own lower lip in frustration - if only Boris' men had arrived a few moments later. Well, no use crying after spilled milk or a ruined moment - there would surely be more opportunities for Silverclaw to take advantage of her, she was a resourceful bandit after all. "Aye - good on her that she finally found the strength to walk out on that worm." Silverclaw chuckled, glad to have Lenore on her side and agreeing to her words for a chance, before the pirate herself realized Lenore's mistake simultaneously as the runaway noble did. "Of course," Silverclaw echoed, with a grin deepening on her face, her taloned finger twirling a strand of raven hair in a coquettish way, enjoying every second of Lenore's attempts to cover up her original thoughts. The sounds of the tavern still could be heard at a distance and the bottle that Silverclaw stole on her way out was still stashed beneath her corset belt. Remembering its presence, the pirate carefully held it in one hand, popping the cork with the taloned thumb of hers easily, bringing up the sanguine liquid to her lips for a taste. Before she did so, she found Lenore focused, searching for the source of something that was not quite tangible for Silverclaw herself. "No? I think not at least." just a tad confused herself, the pirate captain checked her shoulders and patted her back briefly, searching for a lodged knife or a bullet hole, discovering none. Still, she relented when Lenore approached, switching the bottle to her talons and allowed her arm to be held. Oh. The interaction had completely slipped her mind, although there was a lingering pain still, her mind had completely blocked it off with the adrenaline. Before anything, Silverclaw took a hearty gulp of the bottle, coughing as she lowered the bottle down, now lacking a quarter of its contents.
xxxx "Hmm? Oh, that." she muttered innocently, although she was incredibly enjoying the attention that Lenore was giving her - especially being called dear was what she had mentally attached to the most - the questioning obviously made the captain, who famously never allowed her weakness be seen by foe or friend, somewhat uncomfortable. Gently, Silverclaw pried her injured arm from Lenore's soft grasp, holding it up for herself to see and turning it side to side as if she was inspecting it - and in a way, she was, once again taking note as to how the marks appeared much like the slashing of a wild animal. No one would guess it was made by a man. That thing was no man, a voice on the back of Silverclaw's mind peeped, quickly shoved to the very back of her mind once again as Silverclaw shrugged, lowering her arm and unfolding her sleeve back down to hide the gash - she'd guess it'd stop bleeding pretty soon and it didn't require any medical attention presently. "Is nothin', probably bumped into something sharp during our little scuffle or before - more than probable the culprit was my own claws." Silverclaw decided to declare, with an unconcerned smile on her face, taking another quick sip of her drink - she would need plenty of the bottle to sleep uninterrupted that night, lest she wished the frightening aura of the mysterious stranger to be her night terror through the twilight. "Can't help it sometimes, can't notice, after a while, too. Nevermind that for now. Here," Stepping beside Lenore once again, she held out the bottle she was clinging to, the dark bottle of wine now had just about half of its content within. "I noticed you haven't gotten the chance to have a proper chance to wet your whistle while we were back there." the pirate smiled, all genuine, perhaps even a bit caring - the moment being short lived as her boastful personality took the stage shortly after: "I picked the best bottle for the lady - although I may have skipped paying the tab. Oh well, they say free vinegar tastes sweeter than honey - with that logic free wine would taste divine." chuckling at her own musing, Silverclaw realized that the effects of the earlier drinks were finally catching up on her, not to mention the sweet sweet wine. Sensing hesitance from Lenore, her smile dropped for a second, offering a playful little pout. "I'll let you know it'll bring us bad luck and ill winds on our journey should you refuse a drink from a ship captain, that's a tried and true fact. And you'll make me sad, which may or may not be worse than summoning a tempest." of course it was all just senseless talk that the pirate came up with on the spot, but by the gods did Silverclaw feel chatty, and her steps seemed to be getting a bit wobbly. Am I forgetting something? There was the lingering feeling that she was meant to do something. Or that she had promised something.

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

the commotion of the tavern was a mere distant echo in the calm of the night, yet lenore found her mind once again buzzing with lingering worries, struggling to ease as the captain did. silverclaw didn’t appear all to fazed by the recognition of the injury, and her reasoning, though nonchalant over the possibility of it being her own claw’s doing - which did seem to most logical - something about it all felt so off. the offering of the stolen wine bottle surprised lenore, perhaps still adjusting to the kindness of the other - short lived as it was before she went back to her pride-filled musings. the noble couldn’t help but roll her eyes, letting out a quiet chuckle with her warnings of misfortune if she didn’t accept the half drunken bottle. “well, we wouldn’t want that, now would we.” lenore sighed, hesitantly accepting the bottle with a nod of gratitude, trying to disregard the blush that returned to her features with the sight of the woman’s kittenish pout. it was becoming evident the alcohol was starting to do it’s job on her companion, who teetered and wobbled with growing intensity. not the best of times, if it was to be believed that her claw could do her so much damage, topped by potential pursuers. lenore knew it was in both of their best interest that she escorted the captain back to her sleeping quarters before their luck ran out. with that, she raised the bottle to her lips. reluctant to drink in a manner that felt most unladylike. unfortunately, the social pressure in the moment was far stronger than the need to maintain etiquette. lenore started with a careful sip, sampling the beverage and finding the taste (compared to most things she had consumed while aboard the she-devil) could be compared to liquid gold in that moment. a small smile came to her lips, grateful to be reunited with a drink of refinement, a fine reward for surviving the journey this long, if i do say so myself. lenore was quick to note. she then took a generous swig, more eager than she cared to admit. “divine indeed. thank you, i needed this.” she concurred calmly, eyes glittering with mischief as she eyed silverclaw playfully, she hoped the effort was enough to please the drunken pirate. lenore lowered the bottle to her side, leaving about a quarter of wine left within that she was intent on finishing off on their way back. she gently interlocked silverclaws arm with her own, having no choice but to take the reins. “now then, let’s get you back to the ship, yes? the longer we dawdle out here, the longer we run the risk of bumping into more trouble. something tells me you’re in no state to handle such a task, and neither am i.” she ordered, quick to continue before silverclaw could get a word in. “-and before you say anything, i’ll have you know that disobeying a woman of noble upbringing heralds far worse misfortune. forget tempests, you’ll face the entire ocean’s wrath, and i don’t think you want that.” she teased, taking another sip and hoping it’s influence might ease her looming worries. with that, she encouraged her taller partner to start their walk back to the shore. still, something didn’t sit right with lenore about the pirates answer. subconsciously there was a detail that was preventing her from taking silverclaws reasonings as the full truth. it was something about the smell of those scratches, traced with something she couldn’t quite identify - yet in the same instance, carried a vague familiarity to it. she couldn’t help but refocus back on the topic, if not simply to confirm one last thing. “-you’re sure you’re okay?” she pressed gently, not sure if silverclaw would even be interested in dabbling back into serious topics, she had been rather quick to dismiss the injury, after all. “it’s just, back in the tavern- when you left the table, i lost sight of you in the crowd briefly, and well-“ she paused, caught up in her own thoughts and not quite grasping the fact she was admitting to eyeing silverclaw as she had gone about her thieving. “it’s hard to explain. in that instance, something just felt.. off? beyond the fact i am unused to this type of environment, and the disorder of it all.” she took another quick sip. “as though, instinctively, my senses were warning me of something deeply wrong, yet unseen.” she let her eyes gaze ahead of them, struggling to find words to describe the feeling. “almost like a predator. i guess that’s why the distinctness of your injury bothers me.”

[alphanea]

☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠ xx ☠
────────────────── [[ ｊａｃｑｕｅｌｙｎ x ｇｒｅｙ ]] ──────────────────

xxxx Silverclaw's usually intelligent toothy grin was rendered something of a stupidly giddy smile, although there was still a sparkle of something wicked within her eyes as they scoured the noblewoman who broke her gentlewomanly outer shell to partake in the offered drink in a less than acceptable etiquette. With a chuckle on her tongue, Silverclaw combed her taloned fingers through her hair, genuinely enjoying the moment that the sly pirate found herself in. "Oh?" the pirate uttered in a bit of surprise before she was silenced by a very firm Sauveterre, blinking where she stood as the much smaller woman was already holding her. A grin spread across Silverclaw's freckled face. "Well, if that's the case here, I am incapable of refusing, miss Sauveterre. Lead on, ma'am." she bowed her head in a playfully respectful way, eagerly following along Lenore, seemingly having no qualm or argument to give against being led - if anything, the pirate was enjoying it a bit too much, leaning closer towards Lenore, although that was in part thanks to her now spinning head and lacking balance. It was already had on the seasoned sailor to be on solid ground after many days spent on a rocking vessel, the alcohol in her bloodstream was just the cherry on top.
xxxx The duo weren't the only ones walking around in pairs with a similar destination - many others were also headed to their own ships after a long night of drinking. From the lowly cabin boy to the most decorated captain, they were all on the same path, laughing and enjoying the very same liquor, all together. That was the thing Jacquelyn enjoyed about the pirate folk, each ship's crew were akin to a family unit - or at least, that was how she imagined a somewhat functioning extended family would be like, as the captain herself came from a 'family' of just two. And that family interacted with other families, some ending up bitter (or playful) rivals, some worked well together, some just ignored each other. Still, despite the differing members and stories of each crew, they were capable of existing together to some extent. Roused from her wandering thoughts by gentle words from her companion, Silverclaw blinked twice, her processing time of the words were quite longer than normal, as expected. "Your worry is - is endearing, mademoiselle, yet I must insist that I'm fine." again, without flawless acting despite her drunken state, or perhaps thanks to it, Silverclaw assured, trying to dispel any notion that might be worrisome to the already easily frightened noble. "Oh, pish posh. You were probably just a bit high-strung after... all the excitement, not to mention the alien environment." she sighed, a sly smile plastered on her face long before she added in a bit more teasing of her own: "Or perhaps you were experiencing just a smidgen of longing for my return? Worried I might wander off and you'll never see my charming face again?" as quickly as she cooed, the pirate held up her hands in a friendly, somewhat surrendering way. "I jest!" she speedily yelped before much offence could be taken, wincing as if expecting a blow. "You wouldn't hit a drunken woman, would you? Last time hurt, you know? For such a sweet little thing, you've got a strong slapping arm." she made to remind that particular interaction which was, still to this day, absolutely out of nowhere for the pirate, a bit of indignation in her voice that gave the assumption that she was still a bit offended by it.
xxxxLowering her hands to her sides sheepishly, Silverclaw again took Lenore's arm, continuing their trek for a few seconds before she once again chose to break the silence: "Then again, people often tell me that I bring the worst out of them. I wonder why...?" the pirate mused, talking solely to the purpose of hearing her own voice and not quite expecting an answer while her own mind struggled to find the answer herself, further muddling her own thoughts. Thankfully, they were already to the end of their little walk under the moonlight, with the pier just within view. "What was I saying?" Silverclaw asked, blinking uselessly as her grey eyes stared at Lenore for a long moment while they were boarding. Just as they were about to reach the doors that separated the captain's quarters from the rest of the ship did Silverclaw excitedly grasped the thoughts that had eluded her and spun on her heels to face Lenore once more. "Right! I remember now. Back in the tavern, I'd promised a peek at my own bodily art." Wait, that doesn't sound right. Confused, Silverclaw paused, chewing on her lower lip as the gears in her mind, rather sluggishly turned once more. "Body art. Tattoos." she corrected herself, with one talon in the air, with the stance of a lecturer. "If - if you want to," She added innocently, although with her words drunkenly slurring together with a tiny shrug, opening the door to her cabin behind her invitingly.

[molotov]

xxxx「 𓆙 」「 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 」

with wine in her system, muscles burning after a hard-days work, and the warmth of another by her side, lenore found herself overcome by a new emotion; satisfaction. pride even, if not just a brief glimmer of it before it was extinguished by the torrent of slurred speech that came from her wobbly partners mouth. unsurprisingly, the pirate did what she did best; she ran her mouth. a little too much for her own good. as her words grew teasing, enough to summon a look of displeasure back across lenore’s red face. she was fully prepared to slap silverclaw out of her drunkenness right then and there if she hadn’t relented in jest. not that it could prevent an ill-tempered pout remaining fixed on her features - if not simply for their being a level of truth to her accusation. “don’t push your luck. give me a reason to, and i just might.” lenore retorted with a huff, letting her hand lower back down to her side. listening quietly to the puzzled musings that followed after, she gave a roll of her eyes and let the faintest of smiles return to her face. she wouldn’t deny that silverclaw had a tendency to bring out her temper, but in the same instance, she had just as easily brought out a level of joy and excitement and lenore that couldn’t be overlooked. in both instances, good and bad, she felt more herself than she had ever before. so, if lenore had been given the time to respond, she would have probably argued against the statement.
back aboard the ship now, the noble barely got out a small ‘uh’ before jacquelyn appeared to recall what had been eluding her for some time - or at least attempted to in her intoxicated state. lenore wrinkled her nose, a confused smile across her face as she muttered a ‘what?’ under her breath. she wasn’t sure what jacquelyn was even going on about. though she figured it was her time to go, lenore began to turn on her heel before her companion seemed to properly recall what she was attempting to communicate. “oh, right.” the noblewoman recalled, swiveling back to silverclaw. who, rather cutely stood by the doorway in a welcoming manner. while tiredness was growing ever present on lenore’s features. she couldn’t really say no. if not for the sake of spending a little more time with jacquelyn. now was a opportune moment, seeing as how drinks had the tendacy to lower one’s guard, enough to get more information out of silverclaw than she would otherwise. she would’ve been lying if she didn’t say she was curious. “sure, i don’t see why not-“ lenore relented, offering a tired smile as she entered. “what exactly is the purpose of these decorative pigments anyways? i don’t see any present, though i recall you mentioned you had one or two.” she noted innocently in thought, moving to glance out the large window out into the inky black sea, it’s water glinting gently with flecks of brilliant light in the glow of dim flames. a peaceful sight, she hoped the night would remain this nice. finishing the reminisce of her wine with one final swig, she turned back to face silverclaw. “so uh, where might they be located?”