Drifters

Inti's Watcher

Sophie put on her new clothes and stretched. She needed something good for climbing. Which meant the outfit had to allow full movement in her legs and shoulders, and couldn't have any lumps that would bruise her if she landed on them.

The top, a tube of elastic fabric that snugly covered her breasts and not much else, allowed for all movement. It had two ribbons which went over her shoulders, holding it in place as she tried a cartwheel in her room.

Her trousers, apparently a popular rostari design, also allowed for free movement. The wide waistband fit snugly just below her waist. From there fabric ballooned out, until it was collected and tied off at the knees.

Sophie pushed herself into a brief handstand, then jumped up and tried a few kicks and punches. Every muscle moved freely, and no clothes fell off or moved out of place.

Feeling pleased with herself, she left her room to practice flips with Rani.

Peter and Marie were in their group area, playing cards. Marie looked Sophie over, then smirked and went back to shuffling. Peter, on the other hand, stared at Sophie in shock.

"What… are you wearing?" he asked.

Sophie beamed, stretching. "Do you like it? It's perfect for all kinds of acrobatics."

He continued staring. "You're planning on wearing that in public?"

"It's no more revealing than what people from warm climates wear," Marie said, dealing.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked Peter. "Don't you like it?"

Marie lifted her cards and arranged them. "I suspect the problem is he likes it too much."

Peter spent a few seconds failing to make a coherent sentence. Before he managed it, Razan came into the area. He paused on his way to his room, looking Sophie over.

"Your breasts were already small, now you're binding them?" he asked, moving past her.

Peter stood, glaring at Razan. "Oy!"

"What's wrong with them being small?" Sophie demanded, crossing her arms.

Marie was grinning. "Careful, samurai, or the cowboy will shoot you yet."

"What, I'm simply pointing out how I, personally, find nothing attractive about Sophie, and she's just made herself look worse," Razan shrugged.

Sophie caught herself half a second before she swore that he would find her attractive at some point. Instead she smiled at Peter. "See? I'm completely unattractive in these clothes, thus there is no issue with me wearing them in public."

Razan bowed and went into his room.

Peter looked very annoyed. "He- Razan is-"

"Chasing after Innoka," Marie supplied. "Who looks absolutely nothing like Sophie. But don't worry, thief, people who find thin blondes attractive would say that outfit looks good on you."

"I'm not worried about that," Sophie said primly. "All I care about is moving without restriction. Which this garment allows."

"Also your mother would undoubtedly hate it," Marie said, then smiled blandly at Peter. "Are you planning on continuing this game, or do you forfeit?"

He sat down, absently picking up his cards. Then he folded them. "No, Sophie, you can't go out like that."

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's not… proper."

Sophie turned her back on him, stepping towards the door. "Oh, well, if that's all, I don't give a damn about being proper."

"Sophie!"

"Yes?"

"Don't," Peter ordered.

She turned, catching Marie's eye. The pirate gave a tiny nod, and Sophie sighed. She stepped towards her room.

"Stop, no," Peter said, getting to his feet. "Clearly my opinion doesn't matter; you'll only do what Marie says. So do whatever you want." He stormed to his room.

Sophie hesitated, watching his door close. A part of her thought she should go after him, but she had promised Rani she wouldn't be away long. She looked at Marie, who simply shrugged.

Razan came out of his room and took in the situation. After a moment, he slid into Peter's chair and picked up the abandoned cards. He set two on the table.

Marie frowned suspiciously. "And when did you learn to play cribbage?"

"Recently."

Noticing no one's attention was on her, Sophie silently walked out of the area and went to the climbing room.

Razan heard a knock on his bathroom door and sighed. He found a dry paintbrush and threw it at the door, the motion causing it to open. Sophie walked in, but he didn't look up from his paper.

"After the duel I might not be here every night," he told her. "What will you do then when your lover is asleep?"

"I'll be doomed to boredom," Sophie sighed, sitting down to watch him write. "Do you really find me unattractive?"

"Compared to Innoka everyone is unattractive," he answered simply.

She rolled her eyes. "Poet. Is that what you're writing? Odes to her beauty?"

"Yes," he lied.

"Well, when not compared to a paragon of beauty, a veritable goddess of perfection, am I attractive?"

Razan set his brush down, looking her over. "Do you really care what I think?"

She shrugged.

"In my opinion, women ought to be curved. Round. You're rather flat. Sharp. Also, before I met you I didn't know humans could have hair so… light and yellow. It doesn't seem natural."

"I'm the first blonde you ever met?" she asked, incredulous.

"Most humans have black hair. Me. Marie. Peter. Innoka. You are an oddity," Razan said, rinsing his brush.

She looked thoughtful. "Should I dye my hair black, then?"

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"You'd still be very flat."

"There's no pleasing you," she decided.

He smiled, reaching over to pick up a deck of cards. "And why are you trying to please me?"

"I'm not. Shuffle the cards."

He did as ordered. "True, if you were trying to please me you'd let me win a game."

Sophie smirked. "Which I'll never do."

"So what shall we play for tonight?" Razan asked, dealing. "I owe you breakfast into eternity, and you've won several paintings…"

"If I win… you will kiss me," she decided, calmly arranging her cards.

Razan stopped. He looked at her, a bit suspicious. "Why?"

"For… comparison."

"What would you like compared?"

Sophie set two cards down, frowning, not looking at him. "I'm worried Peter only enjoys kissing me because he's in love with me. And I'm not actually any good at it. You are not in love with me, clearly, so you'd give me an unbiased opinion."

"Ah. So it's not me specifically you want to be kissed by, just someone who isn't Peter," he decided.

"Yes."

Razan put two cards on top of hers, debating telling her to go to Ebba if she wanted someone with true experience. He decided against it. "I do not lie. …For important things. If Peter were to ask me if I've kissed you, I would have to say yes. That would upset him, and him being upset would disrupt the group's ability to win competitions."

"He won't ask," she said.

"He might eventually," Razan said.

"If he does, I'll handle it," she shrugged. "I can explain."

"Naturally, 'I was worried other men might not enjoy kissing me' is an excellent reason to cheat on your lover."

"It's not that," she said, lifting half the deck. "I'm worried he doesn't enjoy kissing me, and only thinks he does. Now. But might realize later that he doesn't."

"My mistake." He took a card and flipped it over. "Saying 'I was worried you'd find me unbearable once the infatuation wore off' is much better."

She huffed. "Will you accept the bet or not?"

This was dangerous. He knew he ought to say no, and that any sane, rational person would insist she leave for even suggesting it. Still... "Only because I don't know who you'd ask if I say no. It might be someone at risk of falling in love with you."

"Thank you."

They played the first round, only calling out scores. It went quickly, ending with Razan in the lead by three points. He handed her the cards to shuffle and sat back, deciding on a good counter-bet.

"If I win, I get to tell you what to wear tomorrow," he told her.

Sophie shook her head. "Tomorrow's the contest. You can have Saturday."

"Saturday and Sunday."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

She dealt, and they played the next round. Sophie ended up in the lead. Another round was played, and another, and another. They kept pace with each other, neither pulling too far ahead. What would undoubtedly be the last hand of the game fell to Sophie, meaning Razan would count first.

He picked up his cards and immediately saw twelve points, enough to win. He began pulling the useless cards out of his hand, but paused.

If he chose, he could win. The bet would be his. Saturday and Sunday would be incredibly entertaining.

He watched the woman across from him confidently put two cards on the table, and his fingers moved. He put two cards down, leaving four points in his hand.

A minute and a half later, Sophie cheered her win. Razan bowed, acknowledging her superiority. She beamed, then slowly grew serious. Razan carefully kept his face neutral.

"Right," she said primly, getting to her feet. "So. You owe me a kiss."

He stood as well, acting as formal as she was. "That was what you requested, yes."

"Indeed."

"Unless, of course, you have decided against it," he offered. Just to be polite.

She took a step towards him. "No. I would like you to-"

Razan grabbed her shoulders, shoved her against the wall, and kissed her.

Sophie squeaked in surprise, feebly trying to react. She put her hands on his arms, paused, then moved her hands to his chest and pushed him back, stepping forwards. She fought, pressing against him, not letting him dictate her movements. He broke away for an instant, giving her a grin before pushing his mouth against hers again. This time she seemed prepared.

Razan's hands slid to her back, his fingers moving in a rhythm as one hand slid up and the other down. Sophie draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling herself close. One of her hands went between his shoulder blades while she used the other to play with his hair.

They pushed back and forth, fighting as intensely as in any battle. There was no asking, no caution. They both knew what they wanted and were determined to get it.

Finally they broke apart, breathing heavily. Sophie shoved Razan away, smirking.

"How was that?"

He tilted his head, considering. "Six out of ten."

"Six!" She crossed her arms, glaring.

"An argument could be made for seven," he conceded.

"Well I'd rate you-"

Razan put his hand over her mouth. "I never asked for your opinion. I also don't care." He felt her lips under his fingers and debated kissing her again. Instead, he took her shoulder and turned her around. "Mostly you don't seem to know what to do with your hands. Don't just let them hang loose; apply pressure in this area." He ran his fingers up her spine, pleased when he felt her shiver. "Personally, I can't stand people, or anything else, touching my hair, so I'd appreciate if you didn't. Peter keeps his hair short and wears hats, so he may feel differently. That's the argument for seven."

Sophie nodded, taking him very seriously. "Anything else?"

"As I have said, you're too flat all over. Nothing to grab."

"That's not my fault," she snapped.

"No, but it is your problem."

Sophie rolled her eyes, then squeaked as he groped around her butt.

"See? Nothing good to hold," he told her.

"Thank you," she said, turning to face him fully. "I think that's enough for now."

"Are you sure? I can keep going."

"Yes. You've touched me enough for one night."

Razan almost said something, but stopped himself.

"Go on," Sophie prompted.

He pushed her against the wall again, keeping his voice soft. "You are in my room. I'm stronger, faster, and better trained than you. If I wanted to touch you more, there's little you could do to stop me."

Sophie briefly looked afraid, then she grinned. "No, but it would be rude. You wouldn't want to be impolite."

"When you put it that way, of course not," he agreed, his fingers moving to the edge of her trousers. "I would never do anything without your permission."

"Wait, stop," she said, pulling his hands away. "There's a contest tomorrow, which I need to be ready for. Thank you for your opinion and suggestions, but it's time for me to leave."

Razan stepped back, bowing. "Thank you for the game."

Sophie hesitated, then quickly walked out of the room.

Left alone, Razan started laughing. If there were awards for being stupid, he was sure he deserved at least two.

Marie finished breakfast on the morning of the contest, concerned that Sophie wasn't out yet. Deciding it was important, she called to Nop and asked if the thief was awake yet.

The raven hopped onto the table. "Sophie is not awake. She is being kept asleep as we prepare her for the contest."

"Kept asleep?" Peter asked, frowning.

"Yes. Within reason, we can keep humans asleep as long as needed," Nop said. "There are no side effects; we have tested the drugs thoroughly. She simply fell asleep fully prepared last night, and will wake up in Bolivia."

"Drugs?" Marie asked, worried. "Are they addictive?"

"No," the raven assured her. "You were given them when you first arrived; you have personally experienced them."

That made Marie feel a little better, but not fully. She was about to ask something else when she saw the samurai's face. He clearly wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure if he should. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Razan glanced at Peter, then looked at Nop. "Will she get breakfast?"

That wasn't it.

"If she requests it, yes," the raven replied.

He nodded and got up, taking his bowl to the sink. Marie followed Razan, handing him her bowl to wash as well. He bowed slightly, taking it.

"As you know everything, Captain, I'm sure there's no need for me to say anything."

That was… alarming. "What have you done?"

"Nothing without her permission."

Marie rubbed her face. It was too early for this sort of thing. "We will discuss this tomorrow," she warned, heading to her room to dress for the contest.

The area they were going to was apparently quite warm, but Louis had described swarms of biting insects. A jacket was required. While most groups were prepared to climb, Marie knew Sophie would happily do all that herself. All they had to do was reach the button and wait for her.

Marie left her pistols behind but kept her blades. She'd walked through jungle before, and knew at some point during the day she'd feel the need to beat the hell out of a plant blocking her path.

Pleased with her preparations, she joined the men in heading to the transport room. They waited there with other groups for a few minutes as the clocks ticked up. The hour arrived, and the room was filled with a blue glow.