"There is no one else I trust. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. No one shares my vision like you do.â€
The memory of her conversation with Nero would come to her out of nowhere, without warning. It did not matter what she was doing. Or in this case, who she was talking with.
“So then when they saw the smoke, they thought there was a fire! HAR!â€
Broken Nose threw his head back in a rancorous laugh that echoed off the walls of his office, his large hand slapping against his armored thigh. The chair he was sitting on creaked with his weight. “I woulda loved to have been there to see their faces when they saw the Immortal Flames called in.†He sighed with a shake of his head. “Although bein’ that I gave you that location, it’s probably best that I wasn’t--†he paused, looking at the paladin in front of him. “Deneith...?â€
“Trust...it can lead to the most painful of betrayals. I know this all too well--"
Roen blinked out of her reverie when two thick fingers snapped just ilms away from her face. “Hm..?†She looked distractedly at the Roegadyn Brass Blade.
She was answered with a cock-eyed look. “Have ya been listenin’ to anything I said? Look like you were daydreaming.†One corner of his mouth lifted into a teasing smirk. “Got yourself a goofy grin an' all.â€
Roen cleared her throat, feeling a sudden flush to her cheeks. “A-apologies, Broken Nose. I was um...pondering on other matters.â€
The paladin did her best to calm her expression, attempting what she hoped was a blank look, hoping fervently that the warmth in her cheeks would abate. But guessing from the odd look that Broken Nose was giving her, she doubted that it went unnoticed.
“I am tellin' you about how Taeros’ warehouse was raided, second time no less, and by the Immortal Flames, and there’s something more important on yer mind?â€
“Ah. No…nothing, really.†Roen knew she was a terrible liar. Thoughts of him kept floating through her mind like a welcomed breeze on a summer’s day, and they would not blow away.
"I wonder too. There are doubts in my mind I cannot quell. Will you use me as well? Will there come a time where my belief in you will be dashed? Will I perhaps end up one day betraying your faith?"
The memories would come at the most unexpected times. Sayer had caught her staring off to nowhere while he and Lancel prattled on about their parents. The two refugee Highlander youths took her absent smile to mean that she was approving of their parents becoming fond of each other, something that the two boys seemed in absolute opposition of. But the paladin soon realized that even in the most destitute of conditions, Sayer’s mother and Lancel’s father had found a blossoming romance. Perhaps they were each other’s port in the storm, drawing comfort from each other despite the suffering that weighed upon them.
How could Roen not support such a thing?
"That is what trust is. To leave it in the hands of that other person. I…trust you. What you do with that trust, I leave to you."
“Well, unlike the first warehouse where everything was looted and untraced, this one, well, the Immortal Flames combed through it, quick as fire.†Broken Nose’s booming voice broke through the haze of her reflections again, the paladin furrowing her brows to quickly bring her attention to bear. “Mayhap they can nail something on him this time, though I doubt Taeros is foolish enough to leave anything laying around that implicates those illegal goods as his. Them warehouses are always under an alias.â€
“Right. Well, I will look into it,†Roen pushed herself off the desk she had been leaning on, nodding. “Gratitude, for the update.â€
Broken Nose cocked a brow at her. “You alright there, Deneith? You been awful distracted of late.†The tone in his voice suggested he was amused more than worried.
Roen wrinkled her nose, fearing he knew exactly what was going through her mind. She shook her head quickly. “I am, but that is alright.†She felt another smile emerging, and willfully pressed her lips tightly together. “I will speak to you again soon?†When the Roegadyn shrugged back at her, the paladin quickly ducked out of his office and strode out through the back exit.
When she felt the warmth of the Thanalan sun against her face, she leaned back against the building, finally not resisting the broad smile that lifted her expression. It had threatened to emerge at the oddest of times, and for no reason whatsoever.
Well. That was wrong. There was a reason.
"Then I will do my best not to betray that trust. For what it's worth--which is very little, I'm sure--you have my word on that,†Nero’s quiet words still rang clearly through her mind, her memories calling upon their words exchanged in small fleeting snippets.
When they had spoken last after a secreted shipment into Crescent Cove, the smuggler had let his mask drop, something that he was allowing more often in her presence, even if it was only for a few moments. This time it fell away as he gave her a weak grin, and she knew he had no pretense about him when she saw the ragged expression that lay beneath. His arrogance and smirk often disguised his fatigue, his struggle to stay focused hidden behind his eyes; the dark circles under them spoke of sleepless nights.
But the smile he gave her was honest, as were his words. "I do not imagine I will ever truly know you well enough to understand why you seem drawn to me so."
Did she know why? Did she need to? This unbearable lightness of being that lifted her onto her tiptoes--this feeling that she could not put words to, that made her feel both bold and bashful at the same time...did she need to explain it? She wanted to guard this happiness as if it was something precious, and yet wanted to share it with the rest of the world too. She had never felt this way before.
"You have caught me so unawares. I hope you know that,†she had whispered to him.
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual. I've never known a woman quite like you, Roen Deneith."
Since that night, when the vision of his smile rose in her mind, she found herself catching her breath, her focus lost. Roen could not help but share the news with at least one person, she had to.
She had met Coatleque on the airship lounge, and had gushed to her--odd smiles and blushes abounding--about her feelings. The Sultansworn had shared her joy for awhile, before she then bequeathed upon her a warning regarding the pending dangers ahead.
But Roen heard none of them. It was as though she were distracted by a distant song.
"What…what do I mean to you, Roen Deneith?"
Nero had asked her again. She had answered him in the past with how she saw him: the good man that she believed he was inside, the earnest intentions that spoke of his soul, and the compassion that was hidden beneath his layers of ambition and pain. But she had never truly answered what he meant to her. Not until that night by the pier. Beneath the moonlight surrounded by the whispers of the ocean, she finally summoned enough courage to admit her feelings that she had been hesitant to accept herself.
"I believe...I believe you have more than my trust."
"Dare I hope...that I may have some of Roen Deneith's heart, as well?â€
She had nodded ever so slightly, as if that would conceal her confession. He then answered her with a kiss, long and unabashed, his fingers entwined with hers. Only the moon and the sea stood witness to his acceptance of her heart.
Roen closed her eyes, allowing the sun’s rays to warm her skin. She let those memories waft through her mind like a delicate melody, savoring each note.
Despite the impossible odds...despite the threat of violence, and the darkness of corruption that loomed over them, Roen still felt hope lifting her from within, filling her sails with sunlight and sea wind, as if she too had finally found a port in a storm. She did not know what awaited, or if the world would come tumbling down at the end, for distant stormy skies loomed on the horizon.
But her heart, one that was now entrusted to another, it held boundless optimism, one that threatened to fill her days with fleeting and distracting thoughts. And for the first time, Roen was content to let her mind wander, to revel in the joy of it all.
The memory of her conversation with Nero would come to her out of nowhere, without warning. It did not matter what she was doing. Or in this case, who she was talking with.
“So then when they saw the smoke, they thought there was a fire! HAR!â€
Broken Nose threw his head back in a rancorous laugh that echoed off the walls of his office, his large hand slapping against his armored thigh. The chair he was sitting on creaked with his weight. “I woulda loved to have been there to see their faces when they saw the Immortal Flames called in.†He sighed with a shake of his head. “Although bein’ that I gave you that location, it’s probably best that I wasn’t--†he paused, looking at the paladin in front of him. “Deneith...?â€
“Trust...it can lead to the most painful of betrayals. I know this all too well--"
Roen blinked out of her reverie when two thick fingers snapped just ilms away from her face. “Hm..?†She looked distractedly at the Roegadyn Brass Blade.
She was answered with a cock-eyed look. “Have ya been listenin’ to anything I said? Look like you were daydreaming.†One corner of his mouth lifted into a teasing smirk. “Got yourself a goofy grin an' all.â€
Roen cleared her throat, feeling a sudden flush to her cheeks. “A-apologies, Broken Nose. I was um...pondering on other matters.â€
The paladin did her best to calm her expression, attempting what she hoped was a blank look, hoping fervently that the warmth in her cheeks would abate. But guessing from the odd look that Broken Nose was giving her, she doubted that it went unnoticed.
“I am tellin' you about how Taeros’ warehouse was raided, second time no less, and by the Immortal Flames, and there’s something more important on yer mind?â€
“Ah. No…nothing, really.†Roen knew she was a terrible liar. Thoughts of him kept floating through her mind like a welcomed breeze on a summer’s day, and they would not blow away.
"I wonder too. There are doubts in my mind I cannot quell. Will you use me as well? Will there come a time where my belief in you will be dashed? Will I perhaps end up one day betraying your faith?"
The memories would come at the most unexpected times. Sayer had caught her staring off to nowhere while he and Lancel prattled on about their parents. The two refugee Highlander youths took her absent smile to mean that she was approving of their parents becoming fond of each other, something that the two boys seemed in absolute opposition of. But the paladin soon realized that even in the most destitute of conditions, Sayer’s mother and Lancel’s father had found a blossoming romance. Perhaps they were each other’s port in the storm, drawing comfort from each other despite the suffering that weighed upon them.
How could Roen not support such a thing?
"That is what trust is. To leave it in the hands of that other person. I…trust you. What you do with that trust, I leave to you."
“Well, unlike the first warehouse where everything was looted and untraced, this one, well, the Immortal Flames combed through it, quick as fire.†Broken Nose’s booming voice broke through the haze of her reflections again, the paladin furrowing her brows to quickly bring her attention to bear. “Mayhap they can nail something on him this time, though I doubt Taeros is foolish enough to leave anything laying around that implicates those illegal goods as his. Them warehouses are always under an alias.â€
“Right. Well, I will look into it,†Roen pushed herself off the desk she had been leaning on, nodding. “Gratitude, for the update.â€
Broken Nose cocked a brow at her. “You alright there, Deneith? You been awful distracted of late.†The tone in his voice suggested he was amused more than worried.
Roen wrinkled her nose, fearing he knew exactly what was going through her mind. She shook her head quickly. “I am, but that is alright.†She felt another smile emerging, and willfully pressed her lips tightly together. “I will speak to you again soon?†When the Roegadyn shrugged back at her, the paladin quickly ducked out of his office and strode out through the back exit.
When she felt the warmth of the Thanalan sun against her face, she leaned back against the building, finally not resisting the broad smile that lifted her expression. It had threatened to emerge at the oddest of times, and for no reason whatsoever.
Well. That was wrong. There was a reason.
"Then I will do my best not to betray that trust. For what it's worth--which is very little, I'm sure--you have my word on that,†Nero’s quiet words still rang clearly through her mind, her memories calling upon their words exchanged in small fleeting snippets.
When they had spoken last after a secreted shipment into Crescent Cove, the smuggler had let his mask drop, something that he was allowing more often in her presence, even if it was only for a few moments. This time it fell away as he gave her a weak grin, and she knew he had no pretense about him when she saw the ragged expression that lay beneath. His arrogance and smirk often disguised his fatigue, his struggle to stay focused hidden behind his eyes; the dark circles under them spoke of sleepless nights.
But the smile he gave her was honest, as were his words. "I do not imagine I will ever truly know you well enough to understand why you seem drawn to me so."
Did she know why? Did she need to? This unbearable lightness of being that lifted her onto her tiptoes--this feeling that she could not put words to, that made her feel both bold and bashful at the same time...did she need to explain it? She wanted to guard this happiness as if it was something precious, and yet wanted to share it with the rest of the world too. She had never felt this way before.
"You have caught me so unawares. I hope you know that,†she had whispered to him.
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual. I've never known a woman quite like you, Roen Deneith."
Since that night, when the vision of his smile rose in her mind, she found herself catching her breath, her focus lost. Roen could not help but share the news with at least one person, she had to.
She had met Coatleque on the airship lounge, and had gushed to her--odd smiles and blushes abounding--about her feelings. The Sultansworn had shared her joy for awhile, before she then bequeathed upon her a warning regarding the pending dangers ahead.
But Roen heard none of them. It was as though she were distracted by a distant song.
"What…what do I mean to you, Roen Deneith?"
Nero had asked her again. She had answered him in the past with how she saw him: the good man that she believed he was inside, the earnest intentions that spoke of his soul, and the compassion that was hidden beneath his layers of ambition and pain. But she had never truly answered what he meant to her. Not until that night by the pier. Beneath the moonlight surrounded by the whispers of the ocean, she finally summoned enough courage to admit her feelings that she had been hesitant to accept herself.
"I believe...I believe you have more than my trust."
"Dare I hope...that I may have some of Roen Deneith's heart, as well?â€
She had nodded ever so slightly, as if that would conceal her confession. He then answered her with a kiss, long and unabashed, his fingers entwined with hers. Only the moon and the sea stood witness to his acceptance of her heart.
Roen closed her eyes, allowing the sun’s rays to warm her skin. She let those memories waft through her mind like a delicate melody, savoring each note.
Despite the impossible odds...despite the threat of violence, and the darkness of corruption that loomed over them, Roen still felt hope lifting her from within, filling her sails with sunlight and sea wind, as if she too had finally found a port in a storm. She did not know what awaited, or if the world would come tumbling down at the end, for distant stormy skies loomed on the horizon.
But her heart, one that was now entrusted to another, it held boundless optimism, one that threatened to fill her days with fleeting and distracting thoughts. And for the first time, Roen was content to let her mind wander, to revel in the joy of it all.
