(22:08:13) Kaltain. It had been messy, to begin with; Kaltain was less than happy to be loosing her love, mere weeks after promising him he'd never have to leave her side again. As short as the journey was to be, there had been flushed cheeks, sad eyes, and no note of understanding from the head of the Hummingbird movement. She had become selfish with her lover, since they had forbidden the touch of others - and the result was an endless display of passion. Usually, every encounter alone left them breathless, and sans clothing -- and yet, Kaltain found it was not his touch she would miss, but him. She would miss the feel of him asleep next to her; she would miss the sight of that ragged book on their bedside table, the way he always knew to leave a candle burning through the night... >
(22:08:19) Kaltain. It didn't take long for the bird to decide - to leave the fort in the hands of The Osprey, as her glittering saree's and jewellery were instead traded in for simple leathers and fabrics. Hair was braided to the side, and with the help of some determind Plovers, Kaltain was able to sneak on-board one of the most secure vessels to sail the oceans. It seemed that, at the very least, she'd not forgotten her old tricks! The sound of the gangplank being recalled had Kaltain dipping from the storage room, and up into the Captain's chambers. Mind was filled with the memory of their first rough coupling, and a smile touched Kaltain's lips, before she moved to hide herself under his bed. If she stayed here just long enough, he'd be unable to send her home - at least, that was the plan. [e]
(22:29:44) Mad Eye should have known the plovers would not have seen him off otherwise, had his and their most precious cargo not already been aboard. Ushering the deckhand who had run late into the hull along with the last of the crates of galley-prep, the batbear grumbled and heaved the anchor on board with one hand. Allowing his crew to properly shove them off then after, he'd retire to his cabin and review the ledger that Meissa had left him a few days prior. Dipping quill in ink, he'd mark off what he already had in his possession and start to map out the area in which they were to excavate during this endeavor. However, out of the corner of his eye, he'd notice in the reflection of the silver platter that was among his stolen spoils from his last venture out (something he'd yet to pawn off on some cutlery connesoire or sterling collector), a pair of...boots that were FAR too small to be among his own trimmings, let along the fact that there were DEFINITELY spotted feet already INSIDE of them.
(22:31:14) Mad Eye didn't say anything, not at first, but he would flip to a new page in his ledger and begin to disctate a letter out loud to the EMPTY room while he wrote. "Hummingbird, I'm afraid my voyage will keep me far longer that I originally had told you..." Ohohoho. That would get her for sure! Would she budge?
(22:39:59) Kaltain had, truthfully, made herself quite comfy under his bed; she'd stolen a pillow when he wasn't looking, on which to rest her head, and she was nestled quite cosily into her own jacket. As he arrived in the room, Kaltain felt that knot in her stomach loosen, as she basked in the knowledge that he was close. His scent soothed her, and her eyes fluttered closed... As he did his job, Kaltain dozed, the blissful quiet something she had long forgotten - to not be surrounded, badgered by her birds.. for it to just be them.. It was bliss. Only in her sleepy, happy state could she have fallen for such a trick, however; she knew him well enough to know he didn't read out loud when he wrote - and yet, the information was so jarring to her moments of bliss, that she couldn't help but believe it. >
(22:41:07) Kaltain. "Wha-- OW!" Head cracked against the underneath of the bed, the woman momentarily forgetting where she was and attempting to straighten up. Her eyes smarting, she crawled out from underneath the bed, rubbing at her head. "You promised no more long journey's!" Hand continued to rub, pout forming - not at the idea of being away longer, but at the idea that he had planned to go away again. [e]
(22:57:44) Mad Eye cringed mid-chuckle when he heard Kaltain knock her head in the upset of surprise. Turning from his desk, but remaining seated on the stool in front of her, Alastor laughed and shook his head. "Pray tell, what does it matter how long I am gone when you are here with me?" He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at her. "Here I was, sat there, trying to figure out whether I should grab you by the ankles, or get you out of hiding by some other means..." Aha! The smirk on his roguishly handsome face said it all. He had conned her from beneath the bed, and now sat looking rather pleased with himself. "Perhaps I should add to the letter the beautiful stowaway I found in my hullstead. Perhaps I should reconsider the punishment placed upon those I find hidden in my keep. Maybe, just maybe, we could come to some sort of...arrangement." He smirked and rose from his seat now, approaching her and leaning down the way he always did when patronizing her. "Why in the world >>
(22:58:05) Mad Eye >> would you think you needed to sneak on board?"
(23:03:14) Kaltain. As always, whenever Kaltain was in the wrong - she flat out pretended she was in the right. "Well you didn't know I'd be here! What if I wasn't and--" she cut off, his words slowly bringing to realisation the trick he had put upon her. She almost smirked, but instead sought to swat him. "Punishment indeed," she scoffed, her arms folding as her foot began to tap. Eyes locked with his, humour and irritation at being found out so clearly at war with one another. "Well I knew you'd never let me join," she huffed, "You'd do what you always do, and tell me it's my duty to stay and look after our birds. I just.. didn't want to be away from you," she shrugged, gaze dropping to her feet, which were now shuffling nervously. "I didn't want to risk you saying no." [e]
(23:12:57) Mad Eye waited for the lightbulb to flicker on above Kaltain's head before he truly allowed himself to let loose with a good belly-laugh. Backing off as she swatted at him, Alastor ducked low and got underneath her before scooping her up like she weighed literally nothing. From beneath the bed, to thrown on top of it, the batbear knelt at the bedside instead of laying beside her and continued to smile that smug and self-satisfied expression...at least until he noticed her stubborn toe-tapping had turned into something more of a nervous scuffing. "Who am I to tell me leader, my lady, my love anything at all?" he asked her, brushing a claw through her hair as she continued to pout at him. "I assume you've left our birds under the wing of our Osprey? She is more than capable in your stead, is she not?" Pausing for a moment, the beast considered how best to communicate what he felt for the beauty: "...I am becoming less and less able to tell you no the more time we spend together." Another >
(23:14:24) Mad Eye >> pause, as something dawned on him. "But if you're going to stay. You're going to work. And guess what? On board, I'm the boss." He grinned wickedly and was upon her in an instant, for no other reason than to drag her into his arms and give her a hug appropriate to his species-sake.
(00:17:45) Kaltain squeaked with laughter as he scooped her up, feeling nothing but safe, even as he so casually tipped her onto the bed. She grinned, twisting to look at him as he knelt; there was something about seeing a free man wilfully kneel, that touched Kaltain's heart. It was a level of respect that she was sure no other woman had ever truly known. "She will make sure they're all still alive when I get back," she teased, leaning into his caressing touch as her eyes locked with his. Still, the sudden display of bravado to his words had her eyes rolling as she grinned, hands moving to grasp whatever shirt he wore, and encourage him onto the bed with a tug. The feel of his arms around her had her openly purring, nestling into him. With no other birds on the boat, the woman looked more relaxed that he had likely ever known her. >
(00:18:45) Kaltain. Today, there was no mask - no facade. She wasn't pretending to be a princess, she was simply the lover to a captain, stowed away in his room. They were almost.. Normal. "I love you," she sighed happily, her eyes closed as her face relaxed into bliss. [e]