Crow and Genevieve

Chapter Four- Carpathia

As daylight made its way upon the ground of Carpathia, a port village made voguish by its notorious reputation of quality brothels and the patrons that had visited them, Genevieve continued upon the path given to her by Crow taking the lead. When loosely following his footsteps, she could not help but admire his figure. He was a well built man a few years older than her and far more experienced; experience that had shown in his calloused fingers and scarred skin. His stalwart physique hid poorly beneath his inky fabric that was more visible in daylight as opposed to its twin darkness of the night, made her develop butterflies in her stomach from his handsome nature. She had encountered many men in her lifetime, but none that pushed her buttons as Crow had...usually, they would try and seduce her with their large sums of finances and possessions or charm her with their impressive reputations as lovers and fighters. But for Crow, he seemed uninterested in her, and by trait as a woman, it made her desire him that much more. 

“Where are you taking me?” She questioned as the duo made their way through the tireless crowd bustling around them. Despite the fact that the town itself had been rather quaint and filled, the population seemed increasingly impressive in comparison to the lack of entertainment and culture that had been present in larger towns such as London. “Crow!” She spoke to him in a loud exclamation that stilled him from making any further steps. In his time frozen, she feared that perhaps she had overstepped his kindness and would meet his wrath. But instead, he turned to her, taking her wrist into his own, before pulling her away from the crowd and into a butcher shop-currently vacant. He scanned the area around him before speaking. 

“You are never to use my name in earshot of others…” He spoke in concentration to her, begging through his gaze that she would not perform an action such as this again, for if she had, he would have no choice but to silence her once and for all. 

“Why? I have gathered you are a pirate...a notorious one perhaps?”

“Your tongue is at risk of bringing you harm if you do not learn to cage it when thoughts cannot be properly filtered to know when and when not to speak…” He warned her, now releasing her hand. 

“I am not worth anything to you...If you would just release me-” He presented an aggravated glare to her that was then accompanied by hands folded across his torso. 

“You do not strike me as the type of lass that can travel without a horse and carriage-manned by professionals of course..not yourself-” 

“I am not as frangible as I appear! I have endured more than you could ever understand!” She yelled to him before marching away from the butcher shop and back onto the street. Forgetting for a moment of the danger she was present in by being in existence without a chaperone, she had become lost in her thoughts; everything from Tobias to Ironwall having rushed through her mind in regret and somber remembrance. As much as she wished Crow was incorrect in his assumption of her frailty, she was well aware that she would be lost without him acting as her empathetic bulwark. 

“You cannot be without protection-” He reminded her as she was met with his hand taking hold of her wrist yet again. Frustrated at having been apprehended as if she had been a young child running away from her father, she forced her hand back into her own possession before then rising on the tips of her toes to speak against him. 

“If you place your hand upon me again, I will yell your name to the highest points of Carpathia and alert the Royal Navy if I must…” She spoke while motioning her gaze to a duo of men dressed in the proper attire to be members of the aquatic military. Casting a sideways glance to the couple in a current conversation of distress, the navy members continued on their way as Crow c****d his jaw. “As I see it, you need me far more than I need you…” He tensed his teeth in knowing she spoke the truth, before crossing his arms against his chest. 

“What is it that you want exactly?” He questioned as she revealed a confident smile across her lips, having reigned victorious in their verbal tussle. 

“I may be independent and stronger than you believe, but I am not gifted in the art of swordplay or espionage as you seem to be…” She spoke in reference to him having retrieved her, as well as the sword set in a sheath upon his hip. “And I have a friend that is still upon The Dead Man’s Raft…”

“You wish for me to save her?” He inquired as she nodded. 

“And return us both back home safely.”

“And what is it I shall get in return if I am to return you...my leverage against Marrow?”

“If you hold up your end of the bargain...then I will pay you double of whatever he owes.” Crow’s brow rose in surprise. He knew due to the comb that she had a small nest egg at least, but was seemingly speechless to her offer. “I could even purchase you a ship all your own and pay off a bounty, if you have one-but only if you promise to bring me home-and Helene.” 

“How am I to believe you? You could be a simple thief...or a talented doxy…” He questioned as she repressed her desire to bring her hand to his cheek for assassinating her character to such a degree; but just as she had mistrusted him, he held the same feeling against her. Without much of an alternative path, they were forced to place trust into each other. Hoping this gesture would be enough, Genevieve brought the hairpin and presented it to him within her own palm. The silver metal stared up at him, a silver thistle design on the circular disk covering the bend of the pin, Crow looked at her with a grateful eye. 

“I understand how much this means to you...you offering it as collateral allows me to understand your sincerity and honesty…” He took his touch to her fingers, forcing them to close over the pin. “I trust you...but once lost, my trust cannot be earned again.” She nodded, understanding his choice of words as she had felt the same from having been scarred before. They seemed to be kindred spirits or perhaps star crossed lovers, but either had been far too stubborn to allow their feelings of intrigue or romantic interest to the other be made public. Instead, they hid their feelings behind clever banter and harmless insults. 

“We must keep you as far from the public eye as we can...you are a distraction against a field of plain women.” The first compliment given by Crow, Geneveive hid a smirk beneath a dipped head as she followed behind Crow as they attempted to hide among the crowd of nearby patrons of shops, taverns, and brothels. This compliment having acted as a spark to her developing romantic feelings towards him, she hid it behind a bashful contentment. Fearful of losing her among the crowd, Crow interlaced his fingers within her own, allowing her heart to skip a beat to feel him pull her close-even if it had been in a way to keep with his end of the bargain. 

Leading her from the butcher shop, through the main foot traffic of the city, Crow eventually came upon an Inn on the very edge of the city that bordered the beginning of the woods. Her eyes venturing to the dark wood that would have allowed them the cover needed to remain safe, she knew they would be at each other’s throats within seconds of deciding a direction, and because of this, kept her mouth shut at suggesting this as an option of an escape. But even as she waited for Crow to speak to the innkeeper, her gaze continued to dance around the village to take in the surroundings before coming upon Klaus. 

Marching up and down the extent of the village, swords at the ready, and venturing forth with fellow mates at either side, Klaus had been on the hunt for her. Swallowing hard, Crow moved to try and gain her attention for what would have been a safe place to stay until The Dead Man’s Raft would depart without her, before realizing the reason behind her silence. The moment his eyes had fallen to their mutual enemy, Klaus, had also seen them-a wicked smile cresting upon his cheeks as he began to charge forward in their direction. Before Genevieve had a chance to think, she was moved by Crow and taken back through the city, using the labyrinth of alleyways and thin crevices to try and keep her from being captured once more. All thoughts of romance having been eradicated from her mind in this moment, Genevieve was a rag doll to Crow’s unkind pull while he fought to keep her safe. 

Coming to a crossroad in potential escapes, the duo were at odds once more. For Crow, he believed the water would allow them a rather quick clear out, whereas Genevieve believed this would be their downfall. Unable to waste a moment in an argument or having been stalled, Crow commented on how there had been ‘no time’ before lifting her over his shoulder and dragging her towards the woods. Able to keep from being spotted by Klaus and his duo of miscreants, Crow forced Genevieve against a large tree, using his body to cover her as he watched the village nearby for the sight of their shared enemy. While his body protected her, Genevieve could not help but feel overwhelmed by the man in front of her. Although she had only known him about an hour, she had come to trust him more than anyone she had ever met, due to the fact he had now saved her life twice. But when remembering the details behind these rescues, she recalled how it had been part of their arrangement- this recollection having made the moment less romantic to her. 

Crow’s eyes fell to Geneveive as she had looked to the ground beneath them. Just as she had been momentarily intoxicated, he became a slave to their s****l tension-but only for an instant. When he fought to reach his hand to her cheek, her hands moved to his chest to keep him at bay. “I believe he has grown bored of searching…” She commented, unsure if this had been the truth, before moving away from Crow-knowing only tragedy and heartache would come from allowing herself to feel anything but contentment towards him...no matter how she truly felt...