Poison; a bonding expirience
Arabella knocked on the polished wood of the bar. "Southern Comfort and something with which to kill this guy behind me." She smiled and then drew her gun when his hand slid onto her neck. "Nevermind, this'll do just fine." Once again, Arabella Porter's revolver was pressed into the chest of Thomas Dunning. "Give me the warrant papers or I'll shoot."
"I don't have them. I wouldn't have those privileges in foreign skies and soils." He held his hands half way up in surrender, looking down. "Can we-"
"Wouldn't? Not don't?" Ara pressed harder, Thomas returning with a grunt. "What the bloody hell you doing here, copper?" She hissed.
"I'm not a copper. I'm...." He hesitated looking up at her with shameful eyes beneath his brow.
"What are you?" She asked and he looked away shaking his head.
"I'm a pirate." He responded. There was silence before Ara dropped her revolver to her side. It was a smirk that turned into a giggle and a giggle that turned into a cackle. Thomas sighed as Sam joined with a sort of chortle followed by Jon and Marlow before the rest of the crew who was in the tavern broke out into laughter, all but Ben and Mercurian who sat astonished.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ara asked. Dunnin looked away again. "Lang," she shouted over to her dark purple haired crew mate. "Bring this defeated mess a chair. " Lang rolled his eyes but picked up a bar stool from the table he was sitting at and slammed it in front of Dunning. Thomas nodded to the man an sat down. "Do you loot ships?" Ara asked mockingly, sipping her bourbon.
"Not yet. That's why I'm here." Thomas smoothed his hair back and Ara could see he'd gotten thin, tanned from the desert, and some sort of emptiness in his eyes. "I need to talk to you in private." He whispered.
"Whatever you'll say to me, you'll say to the other spiders." She said bluntly.
"No." He said, "We need to talk." Ara looked to Mercurian who shrugged in response and stood up taking Dunning by the hand, ignoring dog whistles as she dragged him upstairs with quick steps. She walked a few rooms down between the faded damask wallpaper and then turned to a door, immediately chambering her leg and kicking it in. Dunning walked in after her and took a wooden chair from the corner of the room and leaned it against the door so to make sure it was closed from the inside and turned to Ara, sitting cross legged on the small bed. "You won't kill me here."
"Oh for Christ's sake, Arabella." Dunning yelled causing Ara to kind of jump. "Answer me, have I ever tried to kill you?"
"Oh please, how many times have you-"
"Threatened to kill you but I was never going to do it. Think about it, if I were to kill you, I would have done it by now. My only intention, ever, was to arrest." He paced back and forth in the room. Ara rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look. We fucked in my own bed. Whether you like it or not, we trust each other. We betray each other but we trust each other." She sat silent; listening. "I know you've tried to kill me before and that's why I wanted to talk in private." He suddenly moved quickly at her and she scrambled bak defensively but Thomas already caught Arabella's gun and shoved it in her hand. He held it up to his forehead. "If you want to do it, kill me now. I have nothing to return to. Nothing more from my life I can lose. You can shoot me if you want. Go ahead. Just know that I'm done hunting you down for kings and queens." His eyes were desperate now, his thin lips in a sick frown. "Just know that they set me up with a girl and I couldn't marry her. Just know that my father is dead and left my mother nothing and that he left me everything.... His disappointment over what I always saw to be the love of his life. It was an illusion and my sister has run away from her fiancée. My family, my life, my guilt has torn me apart and the one thing I have is the mind of a copper and that, that can be useful in crime."
"Thomas,"
"Shut up and shoot. For every forensic investigation I needed you for and every piece of straw on the floor of every cell I locked you up in." A tear rolled down his cheek. "We had great times but I'm," WHAP! She pistol whipped him and like him, a tear rolled down her cheek. There was gun fire downstairs and Ara sat down on the. Bed, staring at Dunning as he groaned. "I'm not de-"
"Shut up." She interrupted him quickly, staring off into space as shouts erupted. She didn't care. Her crew had probably started a fight and she wasn't in the mood.
"You didn't shoot." Thomas said. Her head snapped to see him sitting up, holding his cheek.
"I couldn't. Ara said, "it was too pathetic. Now shut up and let me think." She stood, "wait here," she said and went downstairs, numb, to find the crew looting the bar. Classic, Widow. The Captain had joined them and everyone was drinking. Dominique and Michelle, who had also come in while Ara was upstairs, looked up a her and she looked down at them and then to the captain.
"Where have you been?" asked Captain Charlotte, leaning on a corpse strewn across a wooden table. "Alright, all here! Take what you can! We're getting shattered tonight! Haven't had a good party in awhile and I'm right thirsty!" The captain yelled. Ara stayed on the steps until all had cleared, had it been an hour? Thirty minutes? Ten. She didn't know. Her boots crunched on broken class an she kicked over a body before sitting at the bar. There were. Footsteps on the stairs and Thomas sat next to her.
"Smuggle me on or kill me." He said. She circled a fist around to knock him one again but he grabbed it and twisted it behind her back. She shot her elbow back into his stomach but he only grabbed her other hand and they fell to the ground, Thomas pressed on top of Ara. Broken glass dug into her cheek. "Stop it." He whispered in her ear. "I won't talk like that but don't attack me again unless,"
"Stop talking like that! It's upsetting!" She yelled struggling against him. He flipped her over and pinned her down.
"Upsetting?"
"What happened to the conceited, boastful, proud arsehole? I want him to knock me in handcuffs and take me to Scotland Yard so I can slip out with my maniac Koala and shoot you in the hand and steal your trousers and run from you through White Chapel alley ways and- " she stopped struggling and complaining when he began to laugh. "I'm so confused."
"Arabella." He leaned how and kissed her only so that her knee came up and room the cheap shot to the crotch he rolled off of her, moaning in pain.
"That's not what I meant. She stood and felt at her face, wincing as she pulled a shard of glass out of her bleeding cheek. The pain was sharp and solid and he face felt heavy. "Have a drink with me" she more demanded him than invited him but Arabella Porter and Thomas Dunning for the first time, sat down in a public bar, and had a drink.
"The first time that I know you won't poison me." He said.
"I don't have them. I wouldn't have those privileges in foreign skies and soils." He held his hands half way up in surrender, looking down. "Can we-"
"Wouldn't? Not don't?" Ara pressed harder, Thomas returning with a grunt. "What the bloody hell you doing here, copper?" She hissed.
"I'm not a copper. I'm...." He hesitated looking up at her with shameful eyes beneath his brow.
"What are you?" She asked and he looked away shaking his head.
"I'm a pirate." He responded. There was silence before Ara dropped her revolver to her side. It was a smirk that turned into a giggle and a giggle that turned into a cackle. Thomas sighed as Sam joined with a sort of chortle followed by Jon and Marlow before the rest of the crew who was in the tavern broke out into laughter, all but Ben and Mercurian who sat astonished.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ara asked. Dunnin looked away again. "Lang," she shouted over to her dark purple haired crew mate. "Bring this defeated mess a chair. " Lang rolled his eyes but picked up a bar stool from the table he was sitting at and slammed it in front of Dunning. Thomas nodded to the man an sat down. "Do you loot ships?" Ara asked mockingly, sipping her bourbon.
"Not yet. That's why I'm here." Thomas smoothed his hair back and Ara could see he'd gotten thin, tanned from the desert, and some sort of emptiness in his eyes. "I need to talk to you in private." He whispered.
"Whatever you'll say to me, you'll say to the other spiders." She said bluntly.
"No." He said, "We need to talk." Ara looked to Mercurian who shrugged in response and stood up taking Dunning by the hand, ignoring dog whistles as she dragged him upstairs with quick steps. She walked a few rooms down between the faded damask wallpaper and then turned to a door, immediately chambering her leg and kicking it in. Dunning walked in after her and took a wooden chair from the corner of the room and leaned it against the door so to make sure it was closed from the inside and turned to Ara, sitting cross legged on the small bed. "You won't kill me here."
"Oh for Christ's sake, Arabella." Dunning yelled causing Ara to kind of jump. "Answer me, have I ever tried to kill you?"
"Oh please, how many times have you-"
"Threatened to kill you but I was never going to do it. Think about it, if I were to kill you, I would have done it by now. My only intention, ever, was to arrest." He paced back and forth in the room. Ara rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look. We fucked in my own bed. Whether you like it or not, we trust each other. We betray each other but we trust each other." She sat silent; listening. "I know you've tried to kill me before and that's why I wanted to talk in private." He suddenly moved quickly at her and she scrambled bak defensively but Thomas already caught Arabella's gun and shoved it in her hand. He held it up to his forehead. "If you want to do it, kill me now. I have nothing to return to. Nothing more from my life I can lose. You can shoot me if you want. Go ahead. Just know that I'm done hunting you down for kings and queens." His eyes were desperate now, his thin lips in a sick frown. "Just know that they set me up with a girl and I couldn't marry her. Just know that my father is dead and left my mother nothing and that he left me everything.... His disappointment over what I always saw to be the love of his life. It was an illusion and my sister has run away from her fiancée. My family, my life, my guilt has torn me apart and the one thing I have is the mind of a copper and that, that can be useful in crime."
"Thomas,"
"Shut up and shoot. For every forensic investigation I needed you for and every piece of straw on the floor of every cell I locked you up in." A tear rolled down his cheek. "We had great times but I'm," WHAP! She pistol whipped him and like him, a tear rolled down her cheek. There was gun fire downstairs and Ara sat down on the. Bed, staring at Dunning as he groaned. "I'm not de-"
"Shut up." She interrupted him quickly, staring off into space as shouts erupted. She didn't care. Her crew had probably started a fight and she wasn't in the mood.
"You didn't shoot." Thomas said. Her head snapped to see him sitting up, holding his cheek.
"I couldn't. Ara said, "it was too pathetic. Now shut up and let me think." She stood, "wait here," she said and went downstairs, numb, to find the crew looting the bar. Classic, Widow. The Captain had joined them and everyone was drinking. Dominique and Michelle, who had also come in while Ara was upstairs, looked up a her and she looked down at them and then to the captain.
"Where have you been?" asked Captain Charlotte, leaning on a corpse strewn across a wooden table. "Alright, all here! Take what you can! We're getting shattered tonight! Haven't had a good party in awhile and I'm right thirsty!" The captain yelled. Ara stayed on the steps until all had cleared, had it been an hour? Thirty minutes? Ten. She didn't know. Her boots crunched on broken class an she kicked over a body before sitting at the bar. There were. Footsteps on the stairs and Thomas sat next to her.
"Smuggle me on or kill me." He said. She circled a fist around to knock him one again but he grabbed it and twisted it behind her back. She shot her elbow back into his stomach but he only grabbed her other hand and they fell to the ground, Thomas pressed on top of Ara. Broken glass dug into her cheek. "Stop it." He whispered in her ear. "I won't talk like that but don't attack me again unless,"
"Stop talking like that! It's upsetting!" She yelled struggling against him. He flipped her over and pinned her down.
"Upsetting?"
"What happened to the conceited, boastful, proud arsehole? I want him to knock me in handcuffs and take me to Scotland Yard so I can slip out with my maniac Koala and shoot you in the hand and steal your trousers and run from you through White Chapel alley ways and- " she stopped struggling and complaining when he began to laugh. "I'm so confused."
"Arabella." He leaned how and kissed her only so that her knee came up and room the cheap shot to the crotch he rolled off of her, moaning in pain.
"That's not what I meant. She stood and felt at her face, wincing as she pulled a shard of glass out of her bleeding cheek. The pain was sharp and solid and he face felt heavy. "Have a drink with me" she more demanded him than invited him but Arabella Porter and Thomas Dunning for the first time, sat down in a public bar, and had a drink.
"The first time that I know you won't poison me." He said.
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