Of The Sea : John Murphy

'Ello Murphy

He groaned and scrunched his bloodied face that was pressed into the dirt. His face showed pain but that was about all I got from his squirming.

I stood and walked over to him, my feet inches from his face. His eyes opened a peep but he seemed dazed and unaware of his surroundings. I tipped the leather flask I held in my hand so that the brown liquid poured into his face.

He spluttered and shook his head to get rid of the ale from his eyes, mouth, hair and face.

His eyes, a bright blue, widened and darted around the front of him until he registered that my feet were right in front of him. His eyes locked with my laces before slowly tracing up my legs and torso until he got to my face.

I grinned and crouched, getting down to his level. His breath quivered but his body laid stiff, daring not to look away from me.

I didn't think he knew how to react as it seemed he hadn't seen a 'grounder' in the flesh before. I mocked his facial expression for a moment before chuckling and pulling him forcefully up into a sitting position. The fabric of his jacket felt strange to the touch, just as Wells' did.

I looked at the plasticky leather red patch on his shoulder and tilted my head, jabbing at it with my forefinger. The texture was so unfamiliar, it was hard on the studded bits but still soft in a sense.

His eyes like ice stayed staring at me, so scared he began to tremor.

I grinned again, bearing teeth as I gave him a flick on the cheek and standing up.

Shrimp was sleeping like a child in the shelter with a blanket tightly wrapped around his figure. I grew bored again and decided to pester the sky person.

I sat across from him with my back against a tree, looking him up and down. He stayed silent but I could tell he would cry like a little girl with just a bit of coaxing. What to do, what to do...

I'm sure Anya wouldn't be too happy if I cracked him a little before handing him over but her rules on handling the prisoner were pretty absent.

I was sitting here with a piece of new knowledge, I just couldn't resist.

First I jerked my head, resembling a nod. From his huddled position he slowly raised his head from the safety of his arms.

I smiled deviously at him but he just stared.

"Boring." I mumbled, my eyes locked with his.

He shivered at the sound of my voice and I frowned. Why was he so scared?

"Are you from the sky?" I asked.

He looked at the ground then to me, nodding. He parted his lips, a croak escaping. He licked his lips and swallowed with great trouble.

I pushed myself up and got around to the front of him, handing him my flask. "Drink."

He reached up and took it in his shaky bound hands. He brought it to his lips but the smell got to him first. He cringed and pulled away. "What is this?" He asked with a broken voice.

"Ale, take it or leave it."

He held his breath and swallowed multiple mouthfuls, his face scrunching up in distaste. He parted with the flask and looked to me gratefully. "Thank you." His voice now smoother.

I nodded, tossing the empty bottle to a side. "Why are you here?" I asked, my mind itching for information.

"I-I don't know... Our Chancellor said, but, I wasn't listening." He mumbled.

"I'm not the one you should be afraid of John Murphy." I told him.

"You know my name?" His tone surprised but quiet.

"I've been watching you and your people." I told him, feeling like I wasn't revealing anything more than I should.

"F-for how long?"

"Long enough." I narrowed my eyes. I was the one asking the questions here.

"You said you're not the one I should be afraid of, who should I be worried about then?" His curiosity and tone not doing him any good in that time.

"You will find out sooner or later." I sighed, crossing my arms. "So tell me about your sky settlements." I wondered.

"Space."

I tilted my head.

"We came from space, not the sky." He explained.

"I know that."

He pulled his gaze away from me quickly and kept them fixed on his hands.

"I'm Thea, of the Sea." I smiled, trying to loosen him up. Pleasant conversation wouldn't be possible if he kept that quiet.

"Nice to meet you, why did you take me." He mumbled sarcastically. I smiled some more. Second thought, I do like this attitude.

"Did you have anywhere else to go?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

He sighed. "Well... No..."

"My thoughts exactly." I leaned back into the tree and looked up at the sky, breathing in the fresh air that was still foreign to my lungs.

There was a rustling in the tent and moments later Adrian came out with a yawn and a stretch.

"Took you long enough" I joked, standing up.

He mumbled under his breath and shuffled to his pack on his horse, taking the bottle of water and pouring it on his face.

After gathering our things, I yanked John Murphy up to his feet and tied more rope to his hands, one leading to Adrian's horse and the other to mine. "You're walking, prisoner."