Memories of the Sea I BTS X OC I

Chapter 8 - Dionysus

The man behind her was tall and broad, and had startlingly blue eyes. His hair might have been blond - it was completely covered by a faded red bandana. In any case, he didn't have any eyebrows to speak of, but his face didn't look like it needed them anyway.

"Sure. I mean, no, it's free. Go ahead", Hae stammered. Wow, real smooth, she thought to herself, and took a big gulp of her drink to wash down the embarrassment. He eyed her curiously, and raised one hand to signal the barkeep. His arm was tattooed, colourful designs wrapping around it like a sleeve of some sort.

He caught her staring, and smiled at her, cool amusement sparkling in his clear eyes. "Do you like what you see? I like yours, by the way, the colour came out really good. I'm Connor. And you are...?" His accent was strange, something Hae had never heard before, harsh and exotic, and she couldn't help the blush that crept into her cheeks.

"Hae", she mumbled, and went to take another sip of her drink – but the glass was empty. Connor met her gaze, and turned to the barkeep. "Two please, one for me, and one for the Lady here. Make it something special".

While they waited on their drinks, Connor made small talk. He was charming enough, and had always something to say, even if his face remained mostly impassive. "Eyebrows", Hae thought, distractedly. "It's the missing eyebrows that make him seem off." When she looked over, Youra gave her a thumbs up from her perch in the redheads lap – the poor accordion had been long since demoted to the floor.

Finally, the barkeep placed two new glasses before her and the blond. Connor raised his glass. "To the beauty of the evening", he said, and they drank. It was nice, definitely something with rum in there, and Hae found herself relaxing again, laughing freely and telling some stories of her own.

"It's awfully stuffy in here", the foreign sailor complained eventually, and Hae found herself quickly agreeing. She felt a bit lightheaded, and gladly followed him outside. The rain was still falling, but only softly, like an afterthought. The muddy streets of Ma City had turned into a full blown swamp, with large puddles everywhere.

So instead of going for a walk on the beach, like Hae had originally thought they would, the two of them took shelter in a narrow alleyway around the corner. The floor was still mostly solid here, thanks to the overhanging roof of the tavern, and although it was dark outside, there was a lit lantern across the street, providing a bit of light. They were standing closer together now – there wasn't all that much dry space - but Hae didn't really mind.

"And how did you end up here, out of all places?", Hae asked, continuing their conversation from inside. Connor smiled at her sharply, and then he took a confident step forward, crowding her against the wall. Her back hit the wood with a dull thud, her eyes wide.

"Don't you think we've had enough small talk, Hae?", he asked, leaning in even closer. She could feel his breath ghosting aver her cheeks. "I for one am in the mood for something more... substantial". He smiled again, and this time the dangerous edge hidden in it became clear. He leaned against the wall, both arms extended, effectively caging her in.

Hae felt frozen, trapped, her heart pounding, blood rushing in her ears. "I don't think so", she said, and made her voice as sure and decisive as she could. Instead of backing off, Connor leaned closer, moving one hand to trace the patterns of her tattoo. She shivered, and something akin to panic swept through her mind, ripping through the dizzy haze that had filled it.

"No", she said, again. "Stop it." She pushed against his chest, using both her arms and leaning into with all her weigh, but he wouldn't budge. She felt weak, like her muscles couldn't quite work right. His fingers were still drawing spirals on the naked skin of her collarbones.