Thread: Here Be Dragons [ Forsaken Dreamer and Terucin ]

You're awfully stubborn once you've set your mind, aren't you? Sverdar asked dryly, glancing up at the female. It was interesting to watch her, as she lifted her chin and other small nuances. She was definitely from a different life from his, a softer one, in ways, and harder in others. He idly wondered if it could have been a life he would be able to survive, or if he had been a pirate for too long for such things to be possible anymore. That was the greatest possibility, and he was unsure of how it made him feel just then, so he chose to ignore it for another time. Have you ever been sold before, miss? he asked quietly, dropping his gaze to stare across the room. I have it on the best authority that it is not a wonderful experience. They degrade you, tear you apart from the inside out, and take away what they think makes you who you are, he paused for a moment before continuing. Your free will, your ability to speak or think as you want, how and when you act, how you act, how you look, who you are, what you are called by, and so much more. It's no different if one is a slave, a servant, or a prostitute. They all end up the same. In that similarity, however, there is one thing you're overlooking. It's no different than what we filthy and soulless pirates out here face when in the middle of a terrible storm or facing down the point of a sword, having just watched those who you once knew slew around you. It's hope. It's an undying resolve to give up, to let someone else win, he lapsed into silence for a short while. It's funny because that spark of resistance can seem to be extinguished. A person can be completely devoid of hope or drive to escape. They have accepted their fate with utter certainty and prepared themselves for it, whether it be an execution or another client to whore themselves out for. Yet, if just one thing comes along to kindle that spark, it flares anew. I saw a prisoner once, being lead to her execution. She had steeled herself for what was to come, had given her life away. For just a moment someone gave her hope, then stole it away, he looked up at Tessa at this. That cry of pain and anguish was far worse than any pain we might feel in our lives, miss Halliwood. With this, he pushed himself up slightly so he was sitting a bit straighter. It really doesn't matter in the end. People never really give up. It's what makes us human, at the very core of it all. Perhaps one can be viewed and sold as a commodity, but they are no less a person for it. They might be shit upon, abused, and even killed. But they never stop being a person, whatever the circumstances, he laughed softly. But then, I suppose it's just me deluding myself again, isn't it? Some pretty fairy tale to make the bad man able to lay his head down at night and sleep, to not feel so bad, Sverdar shook his head slightly in amusement. No, I suppose that's the ay of the world. He fell into silence once more before shrugging his shoulder. Feel free to let me die, then, miss Halliwood. With my arm near useless from this anyways, at least part of the crew is likely to entertain thoughts of a mutiny, at the very least. I'm not certain how well I can manage against them right now, much less if they can convince anyone else. It's the way of the pirates. So, let me die, and hope you live. Save me and hope you live, He returned his gaze to her once more. I cannot promise that we will make landfall, much less that I will be able to fulfil either my promise or much less your proposal. If you want honesty, then here it is. No sugar coating, no threats, he paused, remembering a thought that occurred to him. And stop telling me to drop the pleasantries. I can be damn well polite on my own ship if I wish. Especially to the one who controls when I die, for the immediate future. Sure is a kicker, isn't it? he laughed softly. My life in the hands of the one I just saved to sell. Oh, if the crew could see this now. He absently wondered why he was talking so much, and realized that his vision wasn't as clear as it should be. The blood loss was getting to him. He had to fix this soon. Look, make a choice, or I'm going to bandage myself up and limp along until I lose my arm or get shot. I don't have time to sit around and bleed out. He reflexively fell back onto a more gruff demeanor, as it was a habit after so many years. He couldn't remember that it wasn't something that would work on someone like Tessa, someone who already disliked him and was very willful.