Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

The captain's eyebrows raised slightly when she mentioned the planetarium. "Ok?" He wasn't really sure why she would want to visit one, but if that was what she wanted to see than he would be more than happy to show her. Killian scowled when she started to laugh and say she was joking. It was typical of a girl to think that she could pull his leg and do something like this and still be funny. This was hardly funny. Mostly because he'd never been one to risk this sort of relationship with a person before.

Oddly enough the first place they stopped was a clothing shop. As for its reputation Killian knew nothing. Why he should have heard of it he couldn't have begun to guess. Nevertheless it seemed that Star had to try a few things on. Taking a seat on one of the benches he waited for her to step out time after time. That grin on her face was amusing but, he doubted she knew what it was really about. After what felt like forever she was finally done whipping about and stuffing herself into various articles of clothing. Why women needed so many changes of clothing he couldn't understand. He had a few pants, same boots for a while, coats, and enough shirts to last a week. It was all the more he needed.

Killian let the woman drag him wherever she willed. The places were all vastly different and none of them anywhere he would have thought to visit. Finally she ended with the aquarium. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he watched the Octopus from his place. These sort of things were fascinating strictly at a distance. Star naturally had to be the kind of person that wanted to get closer. He glanced about the room and noticed that the majority of the folk liked to stand back except for the kids. Maybe that was why he liked Star. She was rather uninhibited. Everything about her was about expression. It was a lovely thing and he admired it.

At last they were done with her sight seeing and then he grabbed her hand. "Now you'll have to come with me." Ducking into one of the alley ways he pulled her closely behind himself until they arrived at a small door. It didn't look like much. Inside it was far larger than one would expect at first glance. The light was dim and the place was filled with a hazy smoke. "Best drinks around." While the crowd was typically a little rough they knew to leave Killian alone. He'd visited a few times and one of those times ended with a few dead men. "I usually take the side over there." Pulling Star with he let her take the seat nearest the wall and then he scooted in next to her on the seat. "Order whatever you want. They got some food to."
 
Star, needless to say, was somewhat nervous about the atmosphere of this place but Killian seemed perfectly at home. He felt safe, then she knew they were safe. She sits against the wall and smirks as he pulls his chair closer to her, as if hemming her in, either to protect her or keep her to himself. He was hopeless. Clearly interested but having no idea how to express it. It was endearing in a strange sort of way. She orders the food and drinks.

When it arrives she raises her glass in a toast, "To being the best damn smugglers in the galaxy. May death never catch us."
 
Killian raised his glass till she ended with the last sentence. "That's bad luck to talk like that." He thought that for a moment she must have paused because he was joking. It wasn't a joke in the least. "Never toast to a smugglers life expectancy." Doing something like that was kind of like jinxing yourself. Waiting for what seemed to be long enough for the phrase to wear off he finally sipped at the drink.

The smuggler looked over at Star after the first drink and grinned. "Maybe another one?" He didn't really intend to get drunk but, one more drink wouldn't hurt anything.
 
"I've toasted my life plenty of times and I'm still here. Granted, I thought for sure when I get arrested and got that death sentence I was done for." She shrugs and finishes off her glass. Star smiles back at Killian when he suggests another one. "Sure." They order another and she takes it into her hand.
"How did you become a Captain anyway, Killian?" She asks, taking a drink.
 
The captain listened to her with a grave expression. How this woman seemed to make so light of her life he didn't know. It was a fairly serious thing so far as Killian was concerned. When the next drink was sat down in front of him at the table he took a gulp of it and then the dreaded question came up. Everyone seemed to want to know that answer and he never liked telling the story.

Setting the glass down he frowned. "I stole my ship." That was the shortest answer but, there was always more to it and like most folk she caught on. "Eventually they caught up with me. I was about 17 not really sure how old I am anyway so I take my best guess. So I hid myself inside one of the bays when I landed at the port. Let them think they were in the clear. Once we got into space I started working my way through the ship killing the crew members a few at a time. Shoved the engineer into the fan. Opened the bay when two crew members stepped in to check on things. Slit the navigators throat and then I went for the captain. Went a little crazy and mutilated his body." Involuntarily his hand started to shake a little. Lifting the glass to his mouth he took another giant gulp and finished it off. "That's how I got the ship and then I recruited whoever I could find to run my ship. Had to kill a few members to start until I got a reputation and crews quit trying to take over." Ruling with an iron fist was to a degree the only way to make it in this business if you were just starting.
 
Star had completely forgotten to drink throughout the duration of the story, and just listened to him wide-eyed. At first she thought he was teasing, but then that look that one had when reliving a bad memory came into his eyes and expression, his hand trembled slightly, though he tried to hide it. She reached over, and put a hand on his own a small comfort, but there was little comfort to be received in memories like this. They were burned into your brain and dirtied your soul. And in their life, there was little chance of redemption.

"We do what we must to survive in the world we're put in." She says knowingly, giving his hand a light squeeze. She takes a drink, deciding to change the topic to something a bit more light hearted. "How'd you get stuck with Mike and Adam?"
 
Killian glowered at the woman when she put her hand on his. He didn't want her sympathy. After the slight squeeze he pulled his hand away. "Why do you want to ask so many questions?" It was only a natural reaction to feel that she was prying like so many others tried before. Catching the look on her face he sighed. "Alright." Sometimes he knew that he was difficult and he was working on not doing that. "Mike stood by me when a crew tried to mutiny. Two of us did what we had to. Adam we picked up from another crew. Offered him a better share."

Shares were all the business in this kind of work and Killian made sure to pay his men well. If they weren't he had half an inkling that Mike wouldn't have any qualms taking over and neither would Adam. However, they were all getting a little soft after years of running together. It was near 10 with Mike and then it was 7 with Adam. "Been around for a long time, those two."

Ordering a third drink he gulped that one down and then looked up at Star. "So..." He'd already heard from her where she came from and that was all the more he needed to know about her for now. "One more drink and then we can go out to a final spot?"
 
"I've had enough...I'm a light weight." She snickers as if to prove her point. Her cheeks and nose were already flushed red. "Um, did you have a spot in mind? I'd ask it's someplace romantic but we all know the Captain doesn't do romance." She mocks teasingly then snickers again, covering her mouth in a poor attempt to conceal it. "Sorry..." She waves her hand "But not sorry." She snickers again, a slight snort coming out this time, then coughs and does her best to recompose herself. "Eherm...what were we talking about?"
 
Already the woman was getting a bit rummy. Her giggling really didn't help. Killian finished his drink and shook his head. It was like she was issuing a challenge for him to try and be romantic. "C'mon," grabbing her hand he started to scoot out and pull her with. Once they stepped outside again he wrapped an arm around her waist and stopped there for the moment. It at least kept her from tipping over and he figured she might consider that romance.

Taking her out to the docks he pushed a few pallets together and plopped her on top of them. Climbing up after he laid down next to her. Almost nervously he reached for her hand and gently squeezed. "You ever think about uh...Well what if you..." It wasn't really going to come out right and he knew that. Instead the man turned to his side. "If I were going to try and court a woman a kiss would be coming just about now." Leaning over her he hovered for a moment as if asking for permission.
 
Star allowed him to walk her with his hand about her waist. His body was so tense she thought he might be the one to tip over. God, he was so bad at this. The "romantic" location ended up being on the dock, laying on pallets. Had he ever courted a girl before?
Then he appeared above her and she flushed red, or maybe that was just the alcohol. She catches his lips with a finger, a mere inch from her face. "Kisses are best after the 2nd or 3rd date, when you've found out if the person actually likes you for you...or just wants to get in your pants."

She smiles up at him lightly, with bright green eyes wreathed with mirth. "I appreciate the gesture though."
 
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The captain felt a cool little finger catch him before he could try progressing. "Oh." Moving back to his spot he laid on his side and watched for a moment. He might have asked her if getting in the pants was the usual order of the first date except that it seemed she wasn't the kind to aim for that. "Hmm..." A grin came to his face. "I've never had a girl do that before." Granted the only girls he'd met before and spent anytime with were the street girls and if you picked one up and protected her, she put out. Other than that he had only had the company of prostitutes for quite a few years.

"You uh...Grew up a little differently with you brother?"
 
"Yeah. He protected me. Showed me what a real man did to love and protect a girl he cared for." She smiles sadly up at the station ceiling, imagining the stars just beyond the thick metal. "After he was killed...it was really hard. I kept looking for that friend, I had in him, in other men...but all they cared about was getting me in bed with them. As soon as I got boring, they dropped me for someone else." She turns on her side and looked over at Killian.

"I like that I'm a crew member to you first and girl second. Sure you can be an ass sometimes..." She smirks, "But at least I know that you actually care about us...you're crew." She lays back down and squeezes his hand lightly. "Thanks. For treating me like an equal."
 
The captain nodded. Somehow he got the idea that so far he'd failed miserably as a man in her eyes. However that worked he wasn't sure. So far he'd done a bit of killing, kept his own, maintained a ship and crew. Whatever about that didn't make a real man he couldn't begin to guess. As the explanation went on he got increasingly quiet. It was almost too wild to imagine that she had another idea of a man. Folks grew up differently but, he always had the baseline set pretty low. A baseline of manners and expectations that he lived as a kid.

Killian guffawed slightly when she called him an ass. "I am not. Its called doing what is necessary." Sitting up on the crate a little suddenly made it sway. "Ooh...haha." Laying back again he felt her squeeze his hand. "Why do you do that? Its kinda weird you know."
 
"What? Squeeze your hand?" Star laughs. "I'm trying to be affectionate. Man, have you seriously never courted a girl before? Or have all the girls you've had before just been street rats and prostitutes?" She smirks at him knowingly.
 
Killian tried not to turn a little red at the tips of his ears but, it was a futile attempt. "Well they weren't quite that bad." He couldn't deny that the women were all street rats and whores. "They were kind of...Its not like I had a choice. Why would you say something like that? You don't even know what most of those women were like."
 
"Well....if they were woo'ed by you so easily they must have been desperate." Star laughs, sits up and jumps off the crate. She extends a hand to him to help him off the crate which was now tilting precariously. "If you want to woo me, you have a long way to go. Granted...I am interested." She winks mischievously.
 
Killian laughed at her term. "Wow'd you mean." He was pretty sure that was what she meant. Looking at her hand he shook his head and helped himself off. Once he was down safely he peered into her eyes. She was still saying woo. "I don't know what you're talking about. There isn't any such thing. Courting a girl is just...I know what it is." In actuality he didn't really know what wooing or courting a girl was all about. "I thought being interested was all you needed."
 
Star laughs at him again, nearly bending over from the mirth. "Wow...just...wow." She looks at him and bursts into another fit of laughter. She finally calms and clears her throat. "No. Killian...that's just the beginning. Now you have to show me you're willing to pursue me. That I am worth you sacrificing parts of you, like your pride, to make me happy and in return, I do the same. For example, what you did today was a good start. Following me around wherever I took you and you not complaining." She took his arm. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. I'll teach you."
 
His eyes grew wider as she laughed and then said it was only the beginning. The captain suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay out here any longer or if they should just go back. Star explained more of it and he started to understand why men like himself didn't have time for this stuff. She was part of the crew so it made the story a little different, but it was still hard. "Uh...." Blinking a few times he moved a step away from her. "I uh....That's really complicated. L-look at the work we do!"

Clearing his throat he did his best not to sound nervous but, there was only so much he could do about that. "What the hell kind of traditions to you people have outside of this life?" Killian might have never wondered before but, she was odd and he wanted to know now.
 
"I'm no more outside this life than you are, Killian." Star smirks. "Don't forget I grew up on the street and in the gangs. Life is not that much different. The trick is to pursue the relationship in the midst of the chaos of the rest of life. To let the other person know that they are the most important thing on your mind, despite everything else. You do that by acts of affections. A tender stroke of the hand, a well-placed kiss, cooking up dinner, buying sweet gifts, telling them what you like about them, and above all...treating them like they are the true treasure you've been seeking all your life." She looks up at him.

"Most girls like me would've probably given up the idea of even bothering a relationship with you. But...I'm willing to cut you some slack and help you out. And if doesn't work out with us...at least I'll have taught you how to treat the next woman better."
 
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