It was still pitch black outside when I woke up again. I looked around the room I was in and sighed remembering what had happened hours before. The candle next to me had blown out and the door was slightly ajar.
I ducked my head out and saw the same man who had brought me back sitting in a chair across from my room. I cleared my throat loudly to gain his attention. "You need something?" He asked dryly looking up from the book he was reading. I nodded sheepishly. He sat the book on the table next to him and shifted his weight to the edge of the chair. "Out with it." he said urging me to talk. I looked down refusing to meet his eyes, "My candle went out and-" He cut me off, "And you're scared of the dark?" He asked in an almost mocking tone. "And it's cold in there." I finished with an annoyed tone. "Oh. Yeah, I mean I didn't think about that. You were out cold so I didn't even think about another blanket. I apologies Miss Sylvia. The fireplace is still lit and I can easily throw on another few logs if you want to go in there. I can even see bout something warm to drink." He offered standing up and taking his long jacket off. He handed it to me as he waved a hand towards the room from earlier.
I sat in the chair across from the fire as the one known as Seonghwa brought over an arm load of logs and set a few on top of the dying flame. He gently moved a log over to try to restart the fire into a full ember. I was so transfixed on the flame, I hadn't even heard the footsteps behind me. "What is she doing out of her room?" A whisper came from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and almost fell out of the floor as I stared at the man above me. "She was cold so she came out to seek warmth." Seonghwa said not even bothering to look up. "And she has your jacket instead of another blanket why?" The man questioned further. "It was within reach and already warm. Can you not act like an absolute jerk right now Mingi? She is doing nothing wrong and I can handle her if she does decide-" He was cut off by the taller blonde one scoffing. "You mean like how you handled the interrogation earlier?" He huffed. "It got the results the captain wanted. She wasn't going to admit Lei tried to assault her." I listened on as I looked down at the bruises on my thighs.
As I began to rub at the skin a blanket was thrown over the side of the arm of the chair. "Cover them up before you think about them too hard and make yourself upset. The last thing we need is to hear you crying and it wake the captain up." Mingi said as he sat on the steps that the chair sat on. "No the last thing we need is the captain to hear you two bickering like an old married couple complaining about their daughter going out in a skirt that is above her ankles." Came yet another voice from the hallway. I looked over to see one of the men I remember from the estate. A small yelp left my lips as I forced myself into the corner of the chair. "Relax. He has no interest in you. He is awake cause it's his normal waking hours. Yeosang always is awake at all hours cause of one reason or another." Mingi said as he stifled a laugh. "Right now I'm awake at all hours because we have a woman as a hostage in the inn. That makes me rather uncomfortable." Yeosang said in a bleak tone. "I hate the idea of a woman being here against her will... Even if she is useful." He spat out as he grabbed a glass from the table and filled it with what I am hoping is water.
I looked back at Seonghwa as he rolled his eyes. "She is fine. She just wanted somewhere warm and more lit than her room. She knows better to step out of line. Cause I know where San's sword is-" Yeosang cut him off "And I know how much she weighs. She would be easy to take down." He said. I swallowed hard as my anxiety crept forward. "Now who's being the rude ones?" Mingi snickered as he pulled a small flask out of his pocket. I looked between the men and sighed. "I think I will go back to my room...." I said quietly. "Nah. Don't mind them. You still look really cold and we can't have you catching a cold or getting sick. Not until we have Destiny back. We still need you well as a sign of good faith." Mingi said extending the flask to me. "What's this?" I asked taking the flask. "Something that might help you sleep if you need it." He answered. I handed it back without taking a sip. "No thank you. I don't know if I can go back to sleep with everything going on." I said as I wrapped the blanket around myself.
~ About a hour later
"Yo, I think she fell asleep again." Yeosang said as he looked up from the table he was sitting on. My body was wrapped up in the blanket and jacket, soft snores left my lips as I clutched the arm of the chair. "Poor thing. I can't imagine this is easy for her. She didn't even step off the ship at Illusion and she's being punished like this." Seonghwa whispered. "Why was she even there? The sea is no place for a woman." Yeosang muttered. "No telling. But that's not something for us to judge." Mingi scoffed as he looked at the ball on the chair.
"I've already taken her to bed tonight." Yeosang muttered looking at a piece of paper on the table. "I did too." Seonghwa said throwing another log onto the fire. "You're gonna make me pick her up and take her?" Mingi groaned. The other two nodded. "Can't I just wake up back up and make her walk to bed?" He asked. The other two snickered. "Not unless you want her to panic again" Seonghwa laughed.
Mingi sighed as he slid his arms around and under the ball of fabric and as gently as he could lifted it up as to not jostle me. A soft groan escape my lips as I reached out of the blanket. My hand connected to his shirt and balled up around the fabric. Mingi sharply inhaled looking at the tiny hand against his chest. "Don't hurt me." I whispered in a desperate plea for safety. "I would never." He whispered back as his heart thumped against his chest. 'What the hell....' Mingi thought to himself as he sat the sleeping body onto the bed. 'That felt really weird...' He thought as he left the room closing the door.
