In Chains

Through and Through

A day or so had passed aboard the Polar Tang – its peculiar name Samira learned from a short conversation she had with its captain; the only words she had spoken to him since her immediate confinement to his solitary room. Hard to determine while locked up – she tried the hatch door, but it was unfortunately bolted from the outside – Samira did not know whether in fact a day had passed or the entire trip had come and gone. All she knew was that lunch and breakfast were brought to her once a day, and only twice had this ensued.

Nonetheless, she feared the next time would be the last. Law neither mentioned or alluded to the allegation he made the first day she woke up aboard his sub – a foreign term she still did not grasp completely – to hand her over to the authorities. Her bounty was indeed generous, especially to money hungry pirates, such as Law and his crew. The missing bangles confirmed that. But the risk was not worth the reward offered for her return.

Samira knew better; she was clever; the man who put the bounty on her head was also clever. The likelihood that he would give Law the reward was slim to none.

But how to ask the pirate captain to abandon this fruitless and simple attempt was beyond her. He would not so much as carry a lengthy conversation with her unless it pertained to the bounty, or her unexpected tumble from the clifftop. Samira was not ready to expose so much personal information about herself then she already had.

No ... it's too risky to involve them; too selfish of me to hope for aid.

She fell back onto the bed with her arm tucked beneath her; the one securely wrapped in a cast laid on the sheets at her side. It was close to lunch time. The flavorful smell of meat hung in the air – the vulgar growl of her stomach was nearly comical. She would have laughed, if not for the fact she was caged.

No. Samira didn't think she would be given free reign aboard the sub; Law thought sensibly on this decision. He wanted to keep his crew from danger, and obviously – according to her lucrative bounty – she was a threat. True – the rampant force clawing away at her chest, pleading to be released, was not to be taken lightly – however being treated like a monster was not necessary. She was a liar, but not merciless. Her sought after power landed her into a whirlwind of misfortune; she wanted just once in her tragic life to be given a moment of rest.

What was so bad about wanting to be happy? The gods had a dark sense of humor.

As gods often do. What plans I wonder do th––

The hatch door shrieked in sudden protest and swayed open, disrupting her previous thought. Probably for the best; the gods often acted mindlessly when spoken or thought badly of. Samira rose up with a grunt just as Law entered, carting with him a plate and a tin mug, as he often did when lunch was served. Her stomach felt at ease; she'd get to stay another night.

Eagerly she watched as Law laid the contents onto his writing desk, seating himself at the back. Neither spoke; they often met in silence – she ate or rested on the bed while he poured through hard to understand books on his shelves. The only time he talked was to give her orders in regards to her arm; checkups and aftercare. Samira thought he was either a patient man – opting not to badger her about the bounty, since she so politely told him it was an issue, she was neither willing or wanting to tell him about – or he no longer cared to learn from her the truth. Either way, she didn't care.

Samira pulled herself up and merrily ambled to the front of the desk, where she propped a folding chair up and sat with her legs beneath her. A smile pulled at her lips as she began to eat. The food was just as delicious as it looked – the meat of some kind of animal and fresh steamed vegetables. She hummed in delight.

"Are you always this loud when eating, or do you generally take pleasure in disturbing me?"

She puckered a brow; obviously she wasn't trying to be. Opting not to curse at him, Samira huffed a sigh and set down her fork. "It's been so long since I've had food this good – life on the wire doesn't give you very many options when it comes to eating; it's eat light or nothing at all."