A Match Made in Hell / Flashback (T.R)

[Merik Dragmire]

A brown haired, pale skinned man walked alone down the dirty street of Westport in the early evening. Though his simple clothes and dirty cloak might have labeled him as a simple commoner he had a certain air about him that seemed to belie that notion. Walking closer to the docks Merik couldn't help but smile as he watched the workers load and unload the various ships, noting their primary crew race by the colors they flew and even marking a few of them in his memory.

Hylian Merchant Galleon, Nayru's Bounty
...I'll be keeping a weather eye out for you when next we sail...

Human Brigatine, the Wandering Death
...Come hunting for the Defiant and you'll be changing the name to the Wandering Dead...

Zoran Fishing Sloop
...unimportant...[/color]

He spent a little longer watching the ships before he grew bored and turned towards the Drunken Zora before a tacked up sign caught his attention.

"1,000,000 Rupee reward for the person or persons who bring in the Pirate King to the Hylian Knights, dead or alive." he muttered as he had to fight back a growing smile.

It had been two years since he had claimed the Knight's flagship, the Invincible, and changed it to serve as his own ship, the Defiant. Since that day the bounty on his head had been steadily rising by order of the King of Hyrule...though the pirate wasn't certain if it was because he had taken the ship or because he had taken the lives of dozens of Hylian Knights, including their commander. Shaking his head he turned and walked into the rowdy tavern inn and straight up to the bar, ignoring the stares of the patrons trying to puzzle out whether the seemingly unarmed man would be worth hassling.

"I want a room on the top floor...send up some food and something to drink too." he said before pulling a pouch of rupees out and tossing it to the barkeep, knowing he was overpaying by a wide margin but not caring.

"Top of the stairs, first door on the left." the bartender replied as he handed Merik a key and pointed to the stairs. "I'll have your meal sent up shortly."

"I appreciate it." the Gerudo replied as he took the key and went to his room.

He wasn't worried about the owner trying to poison his meal as he had been here in many different guises and had learned that he was rough but fair man. Some of the idiots down below might try and attack him but he could handle any of them on his worst day without breaking a sweat. Smiling once more he closed the door of his room and dropped onto the bed.

(OOC: So you don't have to go hunting for the year in Merik's CS, I've got us set here 5 years before the plot kicks off)

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

The docks were such an interesting place to T.R. There was so much wood lying around. Everything was constructed of it. Yet there was also so much water available, an entire oceans worth. And at the same time if she lit it all up, there was next to nothing anyone could do. The fire would spread and consume the docks, sending it all back into the sea. How interesting a dynamic that was. She considered doing exactly that, as there hadn't been a lot of fires in the area for quite some time, but then she had a certain fondness for ships as well.

All that rigging was quite fun to play around on. The way they embraced nature, they way they didn't discriminate against their crew. A ship would sail for two skilled Gorons just the same as it would for twenty untrained Hylians. All it wanted to do was sail, regardless, and it didn't care who made it do that, so long as it was done. Of course most of the crews discriminated harshly. The last time she'd tried to do anything but buy passage aboard a ship she had received quite a few nasty words from the captain.

The man's flailing had spread the fire to the rest of the ship.

Of course then there was the long row back to shore, as they had been quite far out. That poor soul thought if he rowed all that way she would let him live. And it was true: she had let him live. The fire did not. But that was not her choice to make. It wanted to consume him, so she had simply allowed it. It was not her place to stop it. It's amazing how few people will jump off a wharf when on fire. The panic must block that connection from clicking.

Hello.

Who was this?

A rather peculiar man entered into the tavern where she was sitting, tossed an arbitrary amount of money at the barkeep and disappeared upstairs. T.R. didn't recognize the man, but then the docks held the comings and goings of many strangers. Still, the man seemed to have a certain paranoia about him to do order everything upstairs, yet he was not afraid of poison. T.R. decided she would have herself some fun . . . it didn't really matter which definition of the word one picked for the matter.

There was nothing that could occur up those steps that she wouldn't find fun.

Such was her psychosis. Despite the armored gauntlets and questionable other accessories the woman wore, there was no noise as she made her way up the stairs to the closed door that sheltered the man. A single clawed finger raised up, followed by the rest as they curled into a fist. Her gauntlet made a metallic thunk as it knocked against the door ever so gently, her other hand setting in on the curve of her hip as she waited for him to answer.

[Merik Dragmire]

Merik froze at the sound of metal on wood because it was obviously not anyone with his food and certainly not an assassin that would announce their presence.

A gauntlet...it would appear that the Knight's have tracked me down, even with my disguises in place...apparently they're a bit more clever than I ever gave them credit for...[/color] he thought as he sat up and walked to the door.

Preparing himself for possibly a very long battle he pulled the door open a few inches to look out at whoever was calling. Releasing the door handle he summoned Frostbite with the door blocking it's appearance in case he felt like stabbing through the door.

To say he was shocked by the girl was a bit of an understatement, though her clawed gauntlets were a clear indicator not to let his guard down just yet.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, fairly guarded as he watched her carefully.

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

He didn't keep a girl waiting, that much was for sure. T.R. had to wonder if that applied to all other kinds of waiting as well. The door quickly crept open, only a couple of inches, enough for him to look out. A real paranoid type, it seemed. Why so paranoid? He must be a wanted man, to be so afraid of a nightly visitor. Which meant that on the other side of the door was a weapon of some sort, ready to fend off anyone he wasn't expecting.

Of course few people ever expected T.R.

"Oh there are many things you could help me with, milord," she purred as she took a step closer to him, somehow pushing her way through the crack in the door and into the room. Such was her way. Things were done, though many people were baffled by how they were done when they looked back. She made a point of stepping clear into the room, her back vulnerable and exposed to him to allow him to drop his guard. Rigid men were always the hardest to play with.

"Though some people would say there's more than others," she mused, turning around then and stepping back toward him. Close to him, exercising some forwardness and much seduction. Her gauntlet touched against the tip of his sword in what might be the most phallic sentence ever. The metal of her gauntlet cooled to the touch, but held its own inner flame that prevented any extensive damage. With a single finger she led his blade up and pressed it close to, but not quite since it was cold, her throat.

"So you could help them instead, though I can promise you I'm much more fun," she finished with a giggle. She made a point of looking the man straight in the eyes, as if daring him to do it, almost enticing him, her life now at the mercy of a complete stranger she had abruptly visited on a whim. Such were the ways of T.R., and that was why she left many very confused afterward.

[Merik Dragmire]

"Speak plainly, I'm in no mood for riddles and games." he said as she slid the blade to within a few scant inches of her throat. Her eyes seemed to almost be asking him to drive the blade home... Merik didn't even consider the action before Frostbite disappeared in a burst of cold mist in the girl's face.

"I'm not an executioner, if you want to die so bad go rob just about any of the men downstairs and I'm sure they'd be happy to kill you in time." he growled in irritation at her as he pulled the door open the rest of the way.

"Or better yet go back to your parents girl, before they realize you're missing and dispatch the Knights to come bother me in the middle of the night looking for you." he said, slightly calmer, as he waited for her to exit so he could return to his rest.

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

She could only pout as the cool mist brushed against her skin, the sword gone. "Aww, not going to play my game?" she said with what seemed like sincere disappointment that he hadn't tried to partake in her reckless little fun. Her face drooped if only for a split second, before the coy eyes of a seductress returned once more, a slender grin spreading across her lips.

"But the men downstairs don't seem nearly as fun. You order a room and then retreat immediately. That begs investigation and I have something of a soft spot for beggars," she cooed, her voice becoming somewhat breathy. "A wanted man, are you? Perhaps too important to be seen down here. Politician waiting for a mistress? No, I'm sure your story is much more interesting, a man with a sword like that."

She paused, took a step back, and thought for a moment. "I have one, too," she said simply, reaching out her hand and the bladed hoop, her most unique weapon, appeared. She whipped it around and lassoed him with it, drawing him close to her so that their bodies met. "They're fun little toys, aren't they?" she said with a playful giggle.

His other comment did catch her. "Parents. Oh I don't have any of those, and the Hylian Knights wouldn't bother with me anyway. I'm just a filthy hybrid in their eyes. But then, maybe you're one of those too," she mused, realizing she had him in a precarious position if he was, indeed, a racist. "I do hope you aren't. You seem capable of handling yourself and I want to have some fun tonight."

[Merik Dragmire]

The Gerudo brushed off the girl's various guesses at his identity, not even remotely worried that she'd get anywhere near the truth. It was easy enough for him to detect the faintest trace of the threat in her words as she brought up her mixed heritage.

"Hybrids can't be blamed for how they were born, it's a fact that the pure-bloods will have to accept if they hope to survive the times to come." Merik said simply as he ignored the encircling hoop and focused on the girl pressed up against him. She was attractive, no denying that, and he was fairly sure that by this point most men would have fallen for her completely. But one thing that he had learned early on from his life among his all-female tribe was how to control himself around women.

"I'll give you credit for being persistent but you aren't the woman I'm looking for and I rarely take on lovers." he said kindly even as he was bracing himself to avoid the hoop if she was really set to not take 'no' for an answer.

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

He was quite the charmer. T.R. didn't have any intention of murdering him. She could take 'no' as an answer, especially since his opinion on hybrids pleased her. It was nice to see a man with vision, a man who understood in part the truth of the world. Though the way he spoke, too, told her he did not know the prejudice directly. He was not a hybrid. Unfortunate for him; T.R. was beginning to grow fond of this man and his tongue. He knew what to say to keep her from wanting to spill his blood but knew how to make it clear what he wanted.

She particularly liked the lack of resistance. A man without an appetite was a man without a soul. All men burned the same, though, so it didn't really matter in the end. The hoop disappeared from around the two of them just as quickly as it had appeared, though she made a point of keeping her body pushed against his. There was fire in this one, she could tell, and fire appealed to her, intrigued her and enticed her. She wanted to see that fire released, to see what it held and what fueled it.

Her hand came up slowly and stroked along his jaw, the palm pushed outward so her skin felt the roughness of his jawline, the claws still dragging across his skin. Enough to irritate the skin but not enough to scratch it or even leave a mark. She wore those gauntlets almost constantly, she was used to them. "Rarely still happens. But who is the woman you're looking for?" she cooed, turning on one of her most seductive voices.

[Merik Dragmire]

Rarely still happens... her words were true enough though up to the point he had only taken Gerudo to his bed. So far he had no children but he wouldn't allow for the possibility of any unknown bastards and it was easy enough for him to keep track of his few partners until he was certain whether they would bear children or not.

"She is Gerudo...beyond that I cannot say for I have yet to find her." he said, absolutely sure that when he did locate the woman who would be his Queen she would be one of his tribe.

This one though, he still wasn't too sure what to make of her: she was very spirited, good at ignoring fear, and quite possibly more than a little crazed...honestly she reminded him a bit of how he was a few years before. Without breaking eye contact with the girl Merik reached up and wrapped his hand over her wrist, calmly removing her claw from his face before giving her a roguish grin.

"And what about you girl, what is it that you're searching for? Other than a bed for the night that is."

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

T.R.'s eyes unfocused for a split second as her mind was assaulted by much information. Few minds would be able to handle such an influx, but that was one of the unique things about T.R. Perhaps it was why her mind was so broken in the first place. Either way, it took only a fraction of a second before her eyes refocused back on him, her lips twisting upward in a wicked knowing grin.

"Oh I could find a bed anywhere in Hyrule if I so wanted. What I'm looking for is something very special," she breathed, her hand slipping free of his and trailing along his chest. "And I think I've found much more than what I was looking for. A king with more crowns to count, yet no throne to stay seated on, my oh my you're an interesting one indeed," she cooed, stepping away from him and spinning around, taking small steps toward the bed as she spoke.

"One such as you is born only once every so often, so you're rather unique, aren't you. But who were those women? Priestesses. You certainly never bothered questioning them beyond that, did you? And such gifts they gave you . . . ice and fire. I was right to think there was a fire burning inside you. But how bright?" She pondered her own question as she sat down on his bed, tapping her chin and looking out the window thoughtfully. Or at least what appeared to be thoughtfully. It was always hard to tell with T.R.

"Merik Dragmire, King of the Seas, King of the Pirate, King of the Gerudo. Might you be ambitious enough to add King of Hyrule to that list?" she cooed, spinning on the bed to lie back, her feet crossing at the ankles as she stretched. Wiry muscles that were hidden away stretched under her skin, showing a hidden strength where one might have seen a dainty girl. "But you showed no fear. What if I had wanted to cash in on that rather large reward on your head, my dear captain?"

[Merik Dragmire]

Merik didn't bother to check whether his disguise was intact because he immediately recognized this was more than her simply seeing through his magic: she knew things about him that he had only shared with the Gerudo and even a few things that he had only shared with his sisters...if the girl had wanted his attention before she certainly had it now.

"And who's to say you could have made it to the Knight's to collect? The Knight's may ask for me dead on paper but assuming you did manage to kill me and you arrived with my corpse they'd execute you for my assassination to prevent the outbreak of another war. So you'd have to take me in alive and while I'm sure you're quite talented I highly doubt you could best me in combat, much less capture and contain me." he replied with a much colder smile as she laid back on his bed.

"And now my dear, what is to stop me from killing you for the things you now know? Why is it that I should not simply pin you to the bed with a pair of blades in your gut and allow you to see first hand how brightly my flames burn?" he asked as he loomed over her, hands positioned above her torso as if he were about to stab her with his blades.

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

She tilted her head up at him as he loomed over her. Quite the imposing figure; most girls would probably scream at this point. T.R., however, could only do the one thing she does best: giggle. She giggled wildly, that manic nature of hers finally coming through the seductress. She batted a hand dismissively at him and grinned up with all the confidence in the world. She knew this man inside and out now.

"Why there is nothing stopping you. But then if you were really testy about people knowing things about you, you'd have probably done it without asking. You're curious. You're an ambitious man, Merik, and you're curious how I could've found out all these little secrets you hold." She hoisted herself up on the bed and leaned in real close, whispering into his ear, once more playing the seductress. "Here's a hint, it was none of your Gerudo kin."

She rested back down on the bed and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "And trust me, I know more then any of your kin. I know things you only tell the shadows at night when you're absolutely certain you're alone. I know everything." She paused to let that sink in, then tilted her head looking up at him innocently enough. "Now, tell me I'm not the woman you're looking for," she said with a little bit of a chirp in her voice. This was all a game and it was playing out beautifully.

[Merik Dragmire]

Merik couldn't help but laugh at her response though it was short lived as he sat down on the bed.

"You can read minds, it's not the most uncommon magical skill though I'll grant that you are the fastest reader I've ever heard of." he said as he looked at the clearly crazed young woman lying before. "And seeing as you know so much I'm sure you've realized that I fully intend to take you into my crew and use your little gift for my benefit whether you like it or not; although I doubt that you'll put up much of a fight about it because I can see that you want to prove that you are so much more than the worthless, dirty hybrid that the rest of the world sees you as and you know that you can definitely make a real name for yourself at my side. It's also fairly evident that you like to live dangerously and there are few things so life-threatening and rewarding as piracy."

He paused at her last words with a smirk at how much she thought of herself.

"I hate to break it to you but you still aren't the woman I'm looking for...but you are definitely growing on me who can truly say where that might get you further down the road?"

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

Her eyes widened in shock. One might at first think it was because his words were so accurate, but then she began to giggle. "Merik, Merik, Merik," she cooed between breaths, giggling uncontrollably. "If I ever hear that combination of words from your mouth again, if you ever refer to hybrids with those adjectives, I will be your death, and you can hold me to that."

She paused, her eyes conveying the seriousness of the threat. "That being said, it's been a long time since I've been aboard a ship. Perhaps the sea is the best place for me. But you need to do yourself a huuuuge favor before we engage in this little partnership. You need to know that you do not, can not and will never understand me. Greater men than you have tried. The last one scattered his brain across the cobblestone of the street below because he wanted me to get out of his head and that was the only way he saw it fit." She cackled at the story, the truth in it lost to her hysteria.

"I am no mere mind reader. I can't tell you what you're thinking right now. That's only a parlor trick, my dear captain. I'm something far better. I can see everything you are, through all lies you tell. If you truly intend your words, then you need to know this. Just don't do yourself the disfavor of letting me into your mind in that way. I would hate to see my dear captain hanging from his own rigging as an escape," she giggled again.

[Merik Dragmire]

The Gerudo allowed the girl's threats to roll off him as he could care less about how pure or mixed her blood was, he had chosen his words carefully to elicit a response and to drive his point home and he had not been disappointed.

"As long as you do not keep the secrets that I need to know and if you can follow orders I will have no need to go digging through your mind...because I think we understand each other just fine. And don't worry your pretty little head about what you think I may do: I've been outrunning Death my whole life and I don't intend to give him an easy victory now." he said as he watched the girl still giggling beside him.

"However if we are going to make this partnership work, there is something very important that I need from you right now. Can you guess what it is girl?"

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

T.R. giggled again. "Captain, oh my captain, I am no captain nor do I aspire to be. You needn't worry about me mutinying unless things get too boring. Keep them interesting and you won't have a more loyal follower, even among your own people," she cooed softly, with meaning behind every word. "But I like things interesting, fun, so if I start getting bored . . . then I have to stir things up among the crew, maybe set a few people on fire for this or that, just have fun."

His comment about outrunning death made her giggle some more, but she decided to hold her tongue on that one. Death was an old travel companion of hers, but she didn't think Merik would want it aboard his ship, so she let that lie. Instead she focused on his question. Curious. "Well all things considered you either have some grand offer, or you're going to say 'I need you to get off my bed'," she said in her best gruff voice.

"But then it's a large bed, isn't it. Perhaps you have other needs I can meet, dear captain. Perhaps you want me to climb the main mast and mount the lookout," she said, giggling at her own innuendo. "I am no mind reader, like I said, so you're going to have to speak up, dear captain, to let me know your needs."

[Merik Dragmire]

"Always finish business before considering pleasure and our business isn't concluded until I know your name." Merik said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world...which truthfully it kind of was. "As I'm sure it will only bring me headaches if I'm forced to refer to you as 'Girl' any time I require your assistance."

He loosened his cloak and tossed it away without a glance where it flew, his gaze locked on the woman lying beside him.

"Past that, seeing as you'll be sticking around afterall, I suppose it's to my benefit to keep you entertained tonight...I'd hate to see you grow bored and burn down one of my favorite taverns."

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

He had her pegged there. When T.R. got bored, buildings burned. Then again that wasn't hard considering all that she had just told him. Her captain would have to display much more prowess in other . . . areas to truly impress her. Right now while he was clearly a capable captain, T.R. couldn't help but see him as lackluster. But then, that is a step up from how she typically views people: flammable and not flammable.

"It would seem I got ahead of myself, wouldn't it?" she giggled, almost like a bashful schoolgirl, oddly enough. "Tabula Rasa, though it's easier to say T.R. when barking orders, I'm sure," she cooed, though she didn't know why. T.R. wasn't one to followed barked orders, but rather follow logical requests. Underneath that manic giggle and pyromania was a perfectly logical and practical mind.

"Now, I'm looking forward to seeing how you intend to keep me entertained," she purred, rolling onto her side in such a way to emphasize the natural curves of her body.

[Merik Dragmire]

Tabula Rasa...an interesting name for a very interesting woman... Merik thought idly as he trailed his hand along her side and up her body before stopping beneath her chin.

"Well T.R., I have never been known to leave a woman high and dry and I don't intend to start now." he said with the faintest hint of a growl as he leaned in and kissed her fiercely as only a sailor gone too long without a woman's touch can. As the kiss continued he quickly set to work on removing any non-essentials that she happened to be wearing at the time. After a time he broke the kiss and smiled devilishly at her.

"And if at any point you get bored let me know and I will rectify the problem immediately."

OOC: And now for more pirate-y innuendos

[Tabula Rasa]

x x

T.R. could only grin slyly up at him as Merik gave in to the moment and began taking away her clothing piece by piece. The captain was definitely not one to give in and submit, he would dominate her, she knew, so T.R. lay back and allowed him to go to work, offering assistance where necessary. What else was there to do at the moment than that? She had been tempting him all along, and T.R. enjoyed herself some carnal delight as well.

Of course as dominant as he no doubt was, T.R. had some tricks of her own she decided she'd show him. Might as well make a good impression with her to-be captain, after all. "Of all the Gerudo you've taken, I can promise you haven't experienced anything like I'm about to do," she cooed up into his ear from her position now under him. "And I have seen them all, I know this for a fact," she added with a breath and grinned devilishly.

[Fade to Black]

^{OOC: I think it's time to end this thread, unless Merik is one for pillow talk.}