A Princess, a Knight, and an Assassin Walk Into a Tavern...

Tollie

The front had drawn quite the crowd, so Tollie slipped out the back with Capt. West, amazed that everyone was just letting her do that! She'd kept waiting for someone to protest as she'd helped him retrieve his weapons and other items, stuffing a few of their sinfully acquired coinage in their pockets as they went, then quietly walked through the chaos towards the door; she willing herself to be invisible. But then they were simply out, the door hanging haphazardly on its hinges as it creaked closed behind them.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked about the dark, dingy, STD ridden alleyway and smiled.
She was going to save her brother! And the toughest, most talented, courageous...questionably moraled people...with good hearts - she sincerely believed - were going to help her!
And she was with the dashing Captain West and was going onboard his PIRATE ship...with him.
And he was going to help her get her brother back...she with him while that happened.
And he was sorry for what he'd done and wanted to make it right and had saved her, and she him - and now they were going to save her family and his...together.
Meaning, so far as she could calculate, she was going to be 'with him' an awful lot, whilst working towards their happily ever after...or death.
Or life imprisonment for treason.
She really tried to be serious and scared, trying to mimic West's cautious expression as he surveyed the alleyway and beyond in every direction – but she wasn't. She was excited. Excited to even be in a situation that should make her feel serious and scared. The closest she'd come to this kind of rush before being swiping warm tarts from the kitchen with Riek...
Riek.
And just like that she felt serious and scared. Scared for him, unable to block out West's description of the type of people he'd left him with. West had assured her since that there was no way they would kill Reik, not this soon in the game...but that didn't mean he wasn't being treated terribly.
And yet she didn't blame West for what he'd done. She'd tried to, just to see if the emotions were there; glaring at his back while he was bent over retrieving his hat, but nothing came. People made bad decisions. Even good people made bad decisions, good people in hard spots made bad decisions. West had thought he was trading one man for a whole mountainside of people, not a good choice, but he'd thought at the time a better choice than the alternative.
She followed him to where the alley met a street. He paused, then looked down at himself. Without a word he removed his hat, handing it to her with the open side up, removing his rings next and plopping them inside. After that he began to remove his jacket, Tollie's eyes getting wider.
"How do I look?" He questioned teasingly once done, opening his arms in a grand gesture.
Tollie didn't say anything. Tollie couldn't say anything.
How did he look? With his head bare, his dark hair tossled and curling – his shirt, fine but simple, open partway down – not quite as flamboyant as the dwarves proud display, but subtle and sexy in its reveal - sleeves loose, pants fitting, tall black boots? He looked...dreamy. He looked like something you wanted to take to bed, immediately. Tollie, realizing she thought so, making her blush in the moonlight.
Misinterpreting her silence West added, "Less like meself to a passerby and more like a regular sailor out for a midnight stroll with his...strangely feminine cabin boy?" He cocked his head when he'd finished. "When said like that it sounds a might dodgy..."
Tollie cleared her throat, finally finding her voice. "You still look like you."
He nodded, "If someone's on the lookout for me, you're right. But even worse than that lass is that you look like you."
When he saw the hurt on her face he immediately began to backtrack, holding up his hands in a settling motion, "MEANING...meaning o'course that you are very distinctly you, and if anyone's looking fer me its only to get to you. Trust at this point that your description's been passed 'round to every no good in this entire town, and beyond by morning – meaning that right now, you look like dollar signs to every scumbag with a weapon and a bag."
While the weight of what he said sank in, he looked at her ponderously, announcing after a time. "Actually, I think I might have an answer for that. C'mon then." He said, turning left and heading down the street, she matching pace with him – two of little steps to his one long stride.
After only a few steps though he swayed, slowing and putting his hand on her shoulder, saying to the worried look she gave him. "Just a might dizzy dove, though I'd wager not much more so than 'bout every other bloke walkin''round this time o' night." He smiled loosely, eventually moving his hand from her shoulder and picking up the pace again.
Instead of turning towards the water, he took them further in town a ways, until they turned down a street that dead ended in a tall dark building. Instead of taking her to the front, now shuttered and closed for the night - though a few men still lingered, smoking and chatting – he veered them around towards the back. Only the door at the bottom of some steps leading to a cellar of some sort, exuded any light; as they got closer, the sounds of talking and laughter joined the light that spilled out onto the street.
He directed her down the steps but paused just outside the door, looking over at her. He opened his mouth, shut it again, then simply shook his head and shrugged, knocking in a very distinct pattern.
A little peep hole slid opened, followed by a delighted squeal, and the bolted door was quickly unlocked and pulled back, West being yanked in and out of sight by a confusion of pink feathers and ruffles; Tollie, cautiously approached the opening and peered around the frame, worried she might suffer the same fate...but also worried about West.
She needn't have worried. He was just fine. A little too fine infact.
Though she wasn't so naïve as to not recognize now what kind of an establishment he'd brought her to - overly done up women lounged about in what looked like a back stage of sorts, the top of the stairs at the far side of the room ending in a red curtain, the front of the women's skirts hiked up to their knees baring high heeled boots and black fishnets - this particular dancehall may as well have been entitled 'Captain West's Harem' for the amount of adoration he was receiving.
The pink blonde busty thing that had pulled him through the doorway was soon joined by a purple red busty thing, then a yellow brown busty thing and a green black busty thing - all of them with cooing mouths and very busy hands; Tollie suddenly feeling very plain and alone in the doorway.
Though not for long.
It soon became apparent that West was actually busy trying to extricate himself from the grouping as delicately as possible, his arms up above them all busy putting hands back against their owner's own bodies and sidling back towards Tollie, giving her an apologetic look over his shoulder...which did absolutely nothing to comfort her heart or ease her jealousy.
They were all talking over each other, though she only caught snippets of some of the statements...wishing afterwards that she hadn't.
"Ladies...ladies..." He was trying, getting close enough finally that he reached down and grabbed Tollie's hand, pulling her in to him, an action that not only surprised her but also managed to trip the adoring rainbow all up, for a moment at least.
Thankfully, before they recovered, three sharp claps came from behind them all.
"Ladies, we're forgetting ourselves." A very proper but strict voice called in a sing-songy-way.
As they turned, shuffling moodily back to where they had been before West's entrance, Tollie caught sight of the speaker. A short trim silver-haired man, though his hair seemed to be the only thing old about him, walked towards them with the best posture and brightest outfit Tollie had ever seen. It seemed he had taken a swatch of material from each of the girl's dresses to complete his ensemble – though it was immaculate and finely tailored.
"Sorry about that." He said to her, with perfect diction no less. "I literally have to pay them to deal with men all evening, but the second HE walks in, the Peacocks go into heat. I honestly don't understand it. Baffling really."
From where Tollie stood, still pressed in against his side, she looked up to see Captain West smile, pleased with himself. "What can I say..."
"Nothing." The man interrupted. "Please for the sake of us all, say nothing." Though from the way she saw the two smile at each other she realized it was merely friendly banter.
"Dove, meet my oldest and best friend Roj. We go back to me childhood street days."
"'MY' childhood street days." Roj corrected. "And I think you are confusing friendship with necessary dependence."
Looking down at Tollie he said, "I had his back with the thugs and he has mine with the ladies."
"Oh please." Roj sighed, rolling his eyes, "Do not in any way associate me with that sad portion of your life. No. I merely make him presentable to the public – Or do you honestly think a street-gypsy-pirate has any clue how to dress himself? 'Dashing' he said, oi. Now are you going to tell me why you've come begging at my door at this unearthly time of night, or am I going to have to sick the Peacocks on you again?"
"Roj, this is dove..." Captain West began, Roj interrupting him immediately.
"Dove? Really?" He asked flatly, one arm across his chest holding the other elbow in place so he could prop his head on his fist. "Her mother named her Dove? Sounds to me more like you don't know what her name is...do you?" He asked, smiling conspiratorially at Tollie.
Captain West looked down to her as well, raising his eyebrows, and she realized it was her turn to say something. "Oh, um...Tollie. Well...the easier to pronounce version of my name is Tollie."
"Tollie then." West said, continuing where he'd been interrupted earlier, pulling Tollie in front of himself so Roj could get a better look at her. "And she needs your help."
Roj's eyes widened at the sight of her. "I should say so! May I ask what it was you were going for here my dear?" He asked, a swipe of his hand indicating all of her as a whole.
"Um..." Tollie began, looking down at herself, her arms spread out. "Not...princess?"
"Huh. In that case I'd say you did rather well. Though with so many options to choose from this wouldn't have been my first."
West stepped forward, putting his hands on her shoulders. "She needs to look not at all like herself, unfortunately."
Roj raised his eyebrows at that. "Well usually you know I'd tell you take your shady business elsewhere Damien, you know that. This is a classy establishment I have going here and I will not risk that to buddy up for old time's sake. But..." He continued, looking down and Tollie and sighing. "I'd hate for the entire fate of this poor girl to be in only YOUR careless hands."
West smiled triumphantly. Roj merely rolling his eyes again and turning, they following him up the stairs, across the stage, and back down again into a smaller room, looking to Tollie like a study/private dressing room of sorts.
"Damien?" Tollie asked West as they went.
West shrugged. "Me first name. No one but Roj uses it anymore though."
Tollie smiled, pleased about that. "I like it."
"Yeah?" He said, smiling down as they walked. "You're welcome to use it then, just not in front of me crew. I'd never hear the end of it." He teased, looking over to her.
"Deal." She nodded bashfully.
"What about you...Tollie?" He asked, trying out the name, as they stood in the doorway watching Roj readying things. She looked over to him, but he was looking down as he spoke, uncharacteristically unsure. "Do you mind that I call you dove?"
She thought about it a moment, asking quietly, "Do you call anyone else dove?"
He thought for a bit, then shook his head.
"Then no." She smiled, "I don't mind."
He cocked his eyebrow, then turning towards her he took her hand and bowed, bringing it slowly to his lips. Saying afterwards, looking up at her. "It is settled then. I am your Damien and you, my only dove."
"You do realize I need to actually sleep at some point before our next performance?" An unimpressed Roj interrupted them then from across the room.
When she looked over to him he gestured to a chair. "Shall we?"

The hair dye smelled potent enough to kill them all and burned where it touched her skin, but that was the worst of it. Mostly she just sat there being poked and prodded, but also occasionally complimented. He was especially impressed with her soft and clean hands, not something you got to see much of out of the King's court. She, more embarrassed about their inexperience and lack of use than pleased by them. Still, compliments were nice.
West on the other hand, promptly sprawled out on a sofa against the wall, sent word to his crew bout what company to expect and to treat them well until they got there, and allowed the Peacocks to pamper him – bringing him wine and something for his headache and the like.
Roj, catching Tollie watching one of said interactions unhappily, said in her ear.
"You have nothing to worry about. See...he treats them all the same, no one gets any more or less attention than the others. A man surrounded by women that he keeps at arm's length is no different from any other lonely man; both of them still just have empty arms."
He straightened back up, continuing to mess with her hair. "Commitment issues you know. All of us, emotional disasters. The streets can really mess a person up..." He shook his head, obviously drawing from personal experience.
When Roj was finally finished with her, he walked over to where West lay dosing on the sofa - hand pinched against the bridge of his nose, and kicked his boots unsympathetically. West started up, blinking about the room until his eyes fell on Tollie. As Roj had removed the chair while she'd dressed, she had no choice but to stand there in the middle of the room, fully exposed and feeling very small and self-conscious.
"How does she look?" Roj asked, his tone conveying how confident he was in the answer to his question.
West didn't answer. West couldn't answer.
How did she look? With her dark black coffee hair falling softly all about her face and neck – making her already generous eyes absolutely pop, her shirt – loose sleeves almost falling off her shoulders out from a form fitting corset, and soft tight pants meeting tall dark boots at just above the knees? She looked...bewitching. She looked like something you wanted to take to bed, immediately.
West didn't say anything for a long time, just staring, his jade eyes a rush of a hundred different emotions. Eventually he said, still staring, his voice low and serious. "I said she wasn't supposed to be noticeable...I can't take her anywhere like this!" He finished, looking over at Roj accusingly.
Tollie dropped her head, cheeks hot and eyes stinging, only knowing in this moment how important it had been to her that he had liked what he saw. She began to tell herself it didn't matter what he thought, that the point was not to look like a member of the royal family...a dialogue which did nothing to ease the tight pain in her chest.
Inexplicably, Roj only smiled. "No. You said that she couldn't look like herself, and she doesn't...well not the version of her that you brought in my door earlier. Besides," He said, waving his hand dismissively. "I hardly did a thing - just darkened her hair, styled up her cut, and put her in clothes that actually fit her. The fact that she's an attractive woman has nothing to do with me, and is therefore your problem to deal with as you will."
The word 'attractive' caught Tollie's attention, and she looked up again in surprise; not a word anyone had used to describe her before. Was it possible? Her eyes found West's again hopefully, but he still only looked alarmed, strangely on guard, not at all the teasing pirate from before.
"Now." Roj said then in that bossy voice he'd used earlier with the Peacocks. "Get out of here, I need some rest."

Tollie had been left to say all the 'thank yous' and 'good byes' as Captain West had done nothing but gather his things and head for the door, an attitude that didn't seem to phase Roj one bit, in fact it seemed to amuse him more and more as it went on.
It phased Tollie though. What was she supposed to do now? What's done was done. FURTHERMORE, hadn't it been his idea in the first place? They couldn't spend the next upcoming weeks working side by side in silence! Well, they could...but she knew she wouldn't be able to stand it.
She couldn't even stand it for the next 5 seconds.
Trying to be brave she said abruptly. "You don't like how I look." Might as well get it out there, come what may.
He sighed heavily, rubbing his face before answering, "I just...Things were a lot simpler when you were only a littler cuter version of your brother."
Her eyebrows came together, perplexed. "So...you DO like how I look?"
He laughed once quietly, smiling over at her wearily. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
She shook her head.
"Fine." He said, stopping to look at her. "I do look like how you look. Of course I do. I'd have to be blind and dead not to, and even then I'm pretty sure I would still be able to sense it somehow." He'd blurted it out, like admitting to a crime, beginning to walk again immediately afterwards.
"I just...I don't know that it's a good thing that I do." He finished more slowly, silence falling between them.
She tried to take his concerns seriously, she really did. It's just that, she couldn't. What he'd said had started a sunrise inside her, starting at her belly and reaching out until her whole body and soul were filled with warmth and happiness; inevitably spreading in a smile across her face. She stayed looking down, but soon felt his eyes on her occasionally, taking in her beaming smile.
She peeked over at him, catching his eyes for a moment, and he shook his head, though she caught him smiling again before he looked pointedly away; pretty sure she heard him say something like "Oh bloody hell..." under his breath.
Only moments later they broke out into the port, he saying with obvious relief. "Ah, there she is, the Drunken Mermaid. Don't judge her by her title though...I lost a bet, and didn't want the bad luck o' changing it after we'd one our first victory under it."
"Don't mind the crew either." He said as they walked down the dock towards the great and beautiful Drunken Mermaid, soft and strong in the reflection of the moon on the water. "They're...well...if you just..." He stopped and shrugged. "There are no words. But they're as good as a Captain could hope for. Capable, brave, faithful...so long as you're not so particular about individual oddities."
And with that they crossed the plank and stepped aboard Tollie's first ship. Her first pirate's ship at that.