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"Or it can go into the gutter," she grumbled. "We're not at rock bottom yet, Princy."
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"Or it can go into the gutter," she grumbled. "We're not at rock bottom yet, Princy."
His whole body froze at the last word and he looked up at her with confused eyes. "W-what did you call me?"
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She opened her eye and looked up at him with a raised brow. "Princy? You're so high maintenance and stubborn, I thought it fitting to call you that from now on."
He let out a visible sigh of relief, returning to the blade with hands that shook slightly. "O-oh. Yes. Right."
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She narrowed her eye at him, trying to piece some puzzle pieces together. He reacted strangely to the nickname, and she wanted to know why.
He ignored her gaze the best he could as he continued to sharpen. However, his hands shook so bad that he had to put the stone down or he was risking cutting himself.
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"Anto," she said softly, "You're shaking." It was probably pointing out the obvious, but sometimes the obvious needed pointed out for it to be noticeable.
"Yes….I am." He attempted to stop the shaking by pinning his hands against the bed, to no avail.
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She didn't push it any further, but she did close her eyes and say softly, "I'm always available to lend an ear, if you ever need it. Nothing goes past me."
"I…um….much appreciated," he said, frowning as his hands refused to sit still.
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Once again, she didn't push it. She knew a secret when she saw it, and she had enough of her own to know when to back off. So, she just rolled onto her side, her back to Anto, and attempted to get a nap in. Being the first mate was difficult work, and naps were few and far between.
"I am not what I saw I am," he blurted, rubbing his hands against his pants. "I got….more in my past than one would expect."
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She was silent as she opened her eyes, staring at the wall. "One does not often use that kind of language unless one has been raised in a higher class family," she observed, falling into her old, old home dialect.
"Um….yes, that is true." He nodded in agreement. "What I am going to say might sound a bit….far fetched, but I promise I am telling nothing but the truth."
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She rolled over onto her other side, head nesting in her arms as she looked at Anto. "I'm all ears, and my lips are sealed." She even went so far as to bury her head further into her arms so that her mouth was covered.
"There is…a kingdom that spans a whole island off the coast of Southeast England," he said, rubbing his hands together. "It is called Lysteria. A prince has been missing from the land for about 6 years now; his name is Anthony Torrino. Well, I say he like he isn't sitting right in front of you. I chose to run away after my father was assassinated and have been at sea ever since."
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She just hummed in response, slightly surprised but not entirely. Funny, how easily she was able to guess he was a fellow runaway, and a noble one at that. We really will get along, it seems.
"There is a bounty for my return that still stands to this day," he explained, thumbing at the edge of the knife. "That is why I was a bit nervous speaking of my past."
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"Aeleis Rosia Fane Valhalla," she murmured, voice muffled by her arm. "Child of a well-known dutchess that went missing at a very young age. Said to have drowned after falling off a cliff."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, scratching the side of his face.
"So we are one in the same, in a way," he said. "I am guessing I am not allowed to call you by anything but Fane?"
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"No," she said flatly, then turned around again. "Your secret stays with me, and I expect the same from you."
He nodded, then realized she couldn't see it. "Yes, yes. Of course. My apologies."
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"And why are you apologizing?" she inquired, not recalling anything that he had done that required an apology.
"I am….not certain," he said with a shrug. " Just felt like I should."
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"Princy," she cooed, teasing him with his prim and proper ways.
"Lady Fane," he shot back, using her proper title.
(Had to look up what a child of a Duchess was called)
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She curled her nose with disgust. "Ew. I haven't heard that title in forever. But it would be Lady Valhalla, if you want to get technical. It was my mother's last name. Fane is my father's."
"My formal title has become something to fear for me," he said with a shrug. "If the wrong person figures it out, I can get shipped off to my death."
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She rolled over onto her other side so she was facing him. "Or, said person would find themselves suddenly unable to report you."
"I might have just sealed my fate already," he said with a shrug. "Someone could have been eavesdropping right there and are already going to the captain."