A Friend in Need or How NOT to Represent Your Country[M]

[Tammika]

Another annoying intake of breath makes Pim hiss as both Raa's words and body makes demands. Demands he badly wants to submit to as the hiss is followed by a moan. His head tilts back allowing Raa more access to his neck. No matter how much reason screams at him his body responds on its own.

"Raa, stop, please." Still whispering there is only a thread of conviction in his words. "We really need to... need to talk." What the hell? Fuck me silly? ...damn! The thought made him lose his breath.

[TruthSayer]

Raa stilled, hand pinning Pim's hip, knee ceasing its gentle gyration, and whispered his lips against the flesh of Pim's neck, pulling little nips of it between his teeth only to instantly sooth the hurt a moment later with his tongue.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he muttered, shifting down Pim's body slowly, his back arching, until he paused hovering over one pink nipple. "I will, you know." He pressed the tip of his tongue against it, drawing swirling, incoherent patterns, the taste sending a magnificent throb through his own body that settled, heavy and aching, in his groin. His hand, once by Pim's head, trailed lightly down the body beneath him, running light fingertips through scant blond hair that painted a trail toward the one thing that Raa had coveted since first meeting the man. His fingers dipped lower, brushing against its base in fleeting strokes that inflamed him further, the twitch it gave echoed instantly in his own cock.

"Just tell me one more time, and I'll never touch you again."

[Tammika]

"Dammit Raa I can't think." And he was having difficulties breathing without making embarrassing sounds one after another. His left arm was a little sore and tender around the wound but there was absolutely nothing wrong with his right arm. His hand was winding the sheet in circles in his clenched fists. Raa's words filled his mind as his breath sent chills rippling throughout his body when it contacted the flesh recently moistened by his tongue.

Pim whimpered when he was given his choices but didn't speak a word right away. He couldn't speak. As Raa trailed his way down his body he lifted his hips almost pressing himself into Raa's hand. His body trembled "Please Raa..." Pim was so aroused it scared him. "Just..wait." After those words Pim couldn't say stop. The idea of Raa never touching him again was not appealing. At all.

[TruthSayer]

Raa waited, hand hovering, lifting just out of reach of dancing hips.

Fuck, but his body was on fire, every cell aflame. Sweat, cold on hot flesh, dotted his forehead, his eyes feverishly bright as they trailed down the body beneath him, flicking over bandages and the smooth arches of hipbones to rest on the cock just below his palm. It was thick and blushing, flushed with need even as it wept at being denied. Raa felt his mouth go dry as the thought of how those tears would taste flickered through his mind, and he licked his lips, shifting himself to where he lay pressed against Pim's side from chest to knees, eyes that had long ago gone black with desire sliding closed as his own cock found pressure against Pim's thigh, hard and angry within the confines of his pants.

Hovering hand shaking ever so slightly, Raa bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep himself from thrusting blindly against the hot flesh pressing against him, though he could not help the gentle rocking of his hips.

"What do you want, Pim?" he asked, voice gone rough and breathless with lust, his tongue darting out to lick a bead of sweat coursing down Pim's arm. "What do you want?"

[Tammika]

Pim could not control the visible shiver that made its way down his body at the caress of Raa's whispered questions. Raa had flirted , harassed, even molested on brief occasion, but never had he been this... enticing, demanding. The feelings the man evoked in him now were totally new to Pim, a man used to being in complete control and very unused to sexual advances this strong and from another male.

The needy rocking of Raa's body pressed hard against his side was nearly enough to send the inexperienced Pim over the edge. "Not like this Raa, please..." His voice was now just a breathy whisper. The words mixed between gasps for air as Raa stimulated some new spot on his skin. Yes he couldn't deny he wanted him, but in his condition and with so many other things he needed to settle within himself first... it felt good but it didn't feel right. Not yet. "I want you, Raakaa... but not like this, not yet." The confusion, longing and desire so strong in Pim's voice it was almost tangible, as he softly begged Raa to slow down. He wondered if Raa knew how much power he had over him and how long he'd be able to resist.

[TruthSayer]

For a long moment, Raa did not respond, fingers still offering light caresses, breath still a hot wash against the flesh of Pim's arm.

Raa was well-versed in the language of sex. He had known his first lover at the age of fourteen, his partner an older boy, carrying a higher rank at Northern Reshir's Navel Academy. It had been a painful experience, one that was full of fear and demands he knew he could not have met even if he had known how, and since then, sex had become something extremely impersonal, as emotionally meaningless to him as his own estranged family. It was a release of tension, a fun and entertaining way to pass the time. He had never kept a lover longer than the time it took to reach completion, had never actively pursued one when he could just as easily pay the whore down the street. It was vastly safer that way.

Until Pim. At first, it was mere appreciation for a handsome face and a well-built body. Pim's reticence had been intriguing, delightful even, and had served nothing more than the turn the man into an obsession in Raa's eyes. Thoughts of whether or not Pim was just being coy because he had another lover elsewhere were forbidden thoughts that spurned nothing but irrational anger in Raa's stomach, forcing him to call Pim back again and again for jobs that could have just as easily been performed by other thieves, and at a far cheaper rate. And then there was the irritating fear that crept upon him that Pim was in trouble-hurt-arrested-dead, so Raa would call him back again, breathing a sigh of relief each time he appeared.

Pim, his obsession. Pim, the stuff of Raa's deepest nightmares and uplifting dreams.

Raa drew a shaky breath and rolled onto his back, feeling entirely unsatisfied and a bit grouchy because of it, wondering, not for the first time, if the man laying next to him was a virgin or just damn good at playing hard to get.

"Here," he said, reaching over the foot of the bed to grab the pile of clothes laying there, a simple pair of white cotton pants and a billowing white shirt. He tossed them lightly on Pim's stomach and said, "Yours were ruined, so I hemmed a pair of my pants. The shirt is still too big, but at least you won't be tripping over the pant legs."

[Tammika]

Pim struggled to an upright position, shivering now from the chill after pulling away from Raa's warm body. He shifted his weight on the bed with his back now to Raa. On his lower back his family mark could be seen, interweaving scroll work that was meaningless to anyone but dira and those familiar with dirian customs. The mark denoted his relationship to his mother who was from a family of high standing among the dira, a fact not widely known.

"I have never been this close to anyone in my life." he hesitated and grabbed at the shirt, pulling over his head then still paused, trying to gather his words carefully. It was hard for him to look at Raakaa. Too may weird thoughts were screaming in his head all at the same time. The loudest one was telling him to lay back down and curl up next to Raa, but he fought that the hardest. His face was still warm but it reddened more so. "And I have never wanted anyone as badly as I..." He ran out of courage before he added 'want you' to end of the sentence. Pim was scared to death.

He had spent his entire twenty-two years chasing money and the next adrenalin rush. When he met Raa, it was different. The jobs he did for him were harder challenging and insanely fun, but he knew now, it was more due to working with him. His constant attention had become an expected highlight of the job, but Pim knew the attention wasn't exclusive. Raa was well known for toying with people long enough too get what he wanted and move on. Pim didn't want to be toyed with nor did he want Raa to just... move on.

The pants were a little more difficult to put on without aggravating one of his wounds. Gritting his teeth he slid them on, thankful for the extra room. Because of the wound low on his side he allowed the pants to ride low on his hips, glad the large shirt covered it up. The whole outfit made him look even younger than usual. Like a kid in his big brothers clothes.

[TruthSayer]

Raa turned his head, watching Pim dress, eyes focused on the smooth play of muscle on his back. His hand lifted from the covers, hovering just an inch from Pim's skin for a moment before falling back onto the bed, limp and defeated.

"Do you know the single greatest sin of mankind, Pim?" Raa asked, voice quiet and introspective, as words Pim had said just moments earlier whispered through his mind.

I have never been this close to anyone in my life... And I have never wanted anyone as badly as I...

"Religious fanatics would say it is that we have turned our backs on the goddess who created us, but that's not it. It's that we live our lives denying ourselves the one thing that makes them worth living. Out of fear of rejection... Out of fear of acceptance... I don't know." Raa gave a self-depreciating grin, and rose to his feet, grunting as the pain in his arm throbbed, reminding him of its presence, forgotten and buried beneath the layers of lust and companionship that had blanketed Raa warmly just moments before; he placed one hand over the wound and lifted his arm, rolling it in its socket as if to ease the ache.

He turned to face Pim, looking down at him with the same grin, and said as he sank down into the hard-backed chair that had become his bed, "But my five minutes of redemption are up, and you said we need to talk. So talk."

[Tammika]

"Talk .. right." Pim sighed and ran his hands through his hair, a move that caused him to flinch. The pain in his arm increased sharply when he lifted it too high.

"The airship I was on. The Reshirian ambassador was in Limshar for a week of talks or something, I don't follow that shit as close as my dad does. He was assassinated, true, but not by an air attack. He was dead already. I should know. When I got on the ship the first place to hide was an unlocked chest that held his dead body. The attack was staged, but I don't get why. I mean, other than stirring up stuff between countries or something yeah but why kill him and then go through all that trouble to draw attention to his death?" Unless the ambassador wasn't murdered and it was made to look that way?

Pim couldn't think it all out right now but something was bothering him about the whole thing. He tried to remember the voices he had heard, but he was actually knocked unconscious when the ship crashed and his memory was fuzzy. Some of the questions he was asked later by Reshirian council was a little odd too.

"I can't think straight. I was hoping you could make some sense of all this. For now I need to lay low, until this passes over, but not on your ship. This cold get ugly and I don't want you to be... It's just better if I hide alone somewhere for a while is all.... maybe I don't know."

[TruthSayer]

Raa kept quiet, listening intently to Pim's words, mulling them over in his mind as he tried to connect them with the whispers of society, but could not think of anything concrete. There were always undercurrents of unrest among the citizens of every country, talks in basement clubs over tubs of alcohol about overthrowing apathetic governments who were more worried about filling their own purses than the general welfare of the people. North Reshir was a powerful country, awe-inspiring with its military force alone. Its pockets were deep and much of its governmental leaders ruthless in furthering their holdings, often times stomping over those whose purses were not so deep to do so.

It pissed off a lot of people, especially their enemies. It would not be a difficult thing to steal aboard an ambassador's ship, slit his throat as he slept, and crash the ship to make it look like death by accident. What didn't make sense, though, is why those responsible didn't burn the ship to hide the evidence when it had landed on the edge of the Blue Mist Mountains mostly intact.

"I haven't heard anything aside from the usual mumblings of discontent," Raa said, twining his fingers together at the back of his head and leaning back on them. "I'll have my men scout around, though. And I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go off by yourself. If there is something more behind this, and considering they know you were there, they'll be looking for you. I agree with you laying low, but it would be damn stupid to go off without anyone to watch your back."

[Tammika]

"Yeah, stupid I know but... I just don't want... I don't know what I want. My brain is so fucked up right now, thanks to you." The sarcasm had crept into his voice, not as convincing, but still a flash of the normal Pim.

He sat back down at the foot of the bed glancing up at Raa. A mistake. His face went red all over again and he looked away. "Gah, man! Is this what's gonna to happen every time I look at you now." The comment was as close as Pim wanted to get to admitting any feelings towards Raa. He was aware of how his emotions and responses were flip flopping around, but it was only a reflection of his knotted emotions and his failing attempts at staying firmly behind his mask.

He was about to say something else when he had two sudden thoughts, both a refreshing distraction to what he had just said, but the difficulty thinking was getting aggravating. He blamed both Raa and his injuries. His mouth opened but he still debated which one to say first.

"The crystal? Where is it again? ... hurians... specifically Kimeians.. you know much about them? I can't remember but I am almost positive I heard some one speaking the language on the ship."


**************


"Interesting. It takes some skill to be able to hide out here for this long. I'm impressed. Fixing your mistakes might not be as boring as I first thought, dear brother." The man smiled, a slight twisting of one corner of his mouth that barely passed as one. Turning to a uniformed officer on his left he gave orders. "I'm tired of sitting here. Fire a warning as soon as we're close enough, then we'll see how entertaining our reunion with Pimerand will be. I'm dieing to meet his new friends."

"Yes sir."

The air ship was small. Small and fast, though only a trained eye could tell by the crystal housing in the rear of the vessel. No visible markings as to its owners, but the design was distinctly a work of diras. The tell tale propellers that allowed the ship to hover silently, a trademark of dirian craftsmanship, increased their speed as the main engines engaged, moving the ship closer and into full view of Raa's ship.

[TruthSayer]

Raa raised a single brow at Pim's blush, an amused smile playing on his lips. Complete gratification was lost in the shadows of an unknown future, but these blushes were the gold that paved the road to it. It left Raa wondering if Pim would ever make the first move without Raa prodding him first, but the wonderment brought with it a niggling pain of doubt. Raa took what he wanted when he wanted it, but Pim had yet to instigate anything completely on his own, leaving Raa to wonder if his advances were entirely welcome, or merely put up with because Raa paid him well, and Pimerand Viramontez loved money.

Raa was smitten, he knew, but the difference there, stark as the light of day to one who looked for it, left Raa feeling decidedly inadequate.

Raa shifted, uncomfortable with his thoughts, but covered the action by pulling the crystal out from beneath the deep blue shirt he wore and slipped it over his head, handing it back to Pim with some reluctance; perhaps it was only his state of mind at the moment, but handing the crystal over felt like a farewell.

"They're religious zealots who believe in purity of the race. Rumors are that they sacrifice the most beautiful of their children to the god they worship, first pouring the blood out from a golden chalice onto an ivory alter before their Clockwork Queen drinks it herself to bring herself closer to the devil she worships.

"But these are just rumors. I stay well away from Kimeia." He shuddered. "I do know for a fact, though that Kimeia is the clockwork capital of Altheria, making them one of the richest countries in the world. They‘re ability to manipulate clockwork technology to suit their needs is far more advanced than any others I‘ve seen.

“...Could be that this is a preliminary strike against Northern Reshir. It's well known that Kimeia and North Reshir hold no love for each-"

“Boss, we got trouble!” Gavoth’s voice broke in, tinny and insistent over the com unit set into the wall behind Raa’s desk.

Raa cursed and stood, running out the door toward the quarterdeck directly above his quarters. Pulling himself up the steep stair that put on him on the quarterdeck, ignoring the sharp pull of pain in his arm, he barked, “Report!”

“We got a unmarked ship jus’ ahead,” Gavoth said, hands firm on the wheel, expression stony, “They ain’ respondin’ to no hails an- Fuck me they’re firing!”

“Roll the ship!” Raa shouted, but Gavoth had already spun the wheel, throwing the ship to the right with a sickening lurch that caused bolts to rattle.

[Tammika]

Pim was half way up the stairs when the ship rolled. He cursed wildly but hung on tight, making the rest of the way up without slipping. He was well versed in moving on ships, both air and sea, but not so much in moving about with this amount of injuries. His head swam for a minute and he thought he may puke. but he instinctively grabbed the crystal that he had received from Raa. It calmed him and he focused on the sight top deck.

"That's a dira craft. The blades are... Oh, shit." His heart sank as recognition settled on his face. The winds were high from the sharp maneuver so he was unsure, and in his current state of shock unaware, if Raa heard what he was saying. As if in a trance he walked towards the rail still gaping at the approaching ship. The winds whipped his baggy clothes like rags around his small frame and on reflex he lowered his goggles onto his eyes. He spun a wheel on the right side and the lens zoomed in.

"Shit, shit shit. Why are you here Gailen? Why?!" The idea of Gailen and Raa in the same proximity made him worry. The idea of actually seeing Gailen worried him even more. Normally, Gailen was 'around' but when he made an appearance it usually meant something was horribly wrong. When he considered recent events, it didn't surprise him too much.

"...Raa. They won't attack. Though they may attempt to board." His expression was guarded by his goggles, but his mouth was pulled tight over gritted teeth. His knuckles were white from gripping the rail. "I know who that is and will board them to prevent that."

The captain of the other ship was visible and as if on cue he raised a hand saluting Pim with a fist over his heart and a slight nod of his head. Reluctantly Pim returned the dirian salute well aware of Gailen's smirk.

[TruthSayer]

"Like hell you will," Raa snarled, the thought of Pim being in danger again so soon dropping his heart into his stomach; he knew them, but that didn't necessarily mean they were friendly, even if they hadn't seen Pim when firing that shot. "Now sit down, shut up, and let me do my job."

"They're guns are still hot, boss," Avi reported, eyes glued to the holographic readout she held, an exact replica of the ship hovering above the screen glowing with reds, yellows, and blues that showed the vital statistics of the ship, "but they aren't charging to fire."

"Coulda been a warnin'," Gavoth said.

"The proper warning would be to voice a hail," Raa growled, angered at the danger to his crew and possible damage to his beloved ship. "Damage?"

"One mo'," Talugh said, holding up a gloved finger on one hand as his other held a small digital recorder jacked into the ship's main computers by a thin fiber optic cable; the boy was seventeen, short as a pure blood Dira though his heritage lay within the Aburu floating islands, spoke little and kept to himself, but knew machines as well as a lover's body. "All systems green, boss."

Raa let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding at the knowledge that if they absolutely had to, they could make an honest break for it, but sincerely doubted they get very far; the sleek needle-like design of the ship meant it was Diran, and like any good pirate would know, those ships were silent, fast, and mean.

"Orders, boss?" Gavoth asked, narrow eyes on the offending ship, one hand tightly clasping the wheel.

Raa's eyes fell on his crew below on the main deck, each man arming an aether cannon, thoughts rushing almost too quickly to be understood. "...Be ready to be boarded," Raa said, ignoring the grunts of displeasure from his crew, then grabbed up the open air mic hanging beside the ship's wheel that used an open frequency all ships tuned into to, and brought it to his lips, eyes locking on the man who threw the salute with automatic hatred. "This is Captain Raakaa Hakesh of the airship Absalom. Explain your presence."

[Tammika]

Still tired, Pim did listen to what Raa said and sat down near the stairs. "Raa. I said they won't attack. That wasn't a warning that was Gailen's sick way of saying hello.. okay so it is a warning but not the way you think. I'm telling you he's not...an enemy." Your enemy had come to mind but he quickly changed that. Depending on Gailen's mood everyone but him was an enemy at times and suffered his wrath. "As long as I'm on this ship he won't attack I can guarantee that."

"Captain Hakesh. I should ask you the same. We are in free airspace, I owe you nothing. This is Captain Gailen Ashovere Damos of the airship... Pimerand. Now she's a stealthy little thing and could out run your ancient pile of dung with little effort. Need I mention armament?"

"This isn't happening..." Pim pushed up his goggles and rubbed a hand along his brow. The very sound of Gailen's voice was making him nervous.

"Two choices. I speak with Lord Viramontez face to face, or I destroy your ship. It's quite simple really."

Pim cringed at the use of the title before his name, he wondered what Raa was thinking, unable to see his face from his position. Pim rose and approached Raa leaning on him. He had been up too long too soon and it was starting to show. "For the love of Sagwa, don't let him on this ship. I'll talk to him but... you come with me. Please?" A little more desperation and worry than he wanted to let on showed in his shaky voice.

[TruthSayer]

"I thought I told you to shut up?" Raa said to Pim, in no mood to attempt to lighten the situation with jokes or lighthearted banter. His crew was in danger, his ship insulted, and if Captain fucking Damos used that insolent tone again, Raa was going to hop on board his ship and stuff his fist down the guy's throat.

The frown that had been Raa's prominent expression since the call from Gavoth did not waver when he heard the name of the ship, nor the title given to Pim and the choices offered, though Raa felt decidedly sucker punched, and for a long moment, Raa didn't respond to Pim's plea, nor to the pressure of his body leaning against his own.

Lord Viramontez...

Raa didn't know why he felt betrayed by that. He and Pim talked of many things, each quite as superficial as the last, and had no reason to explain each others pasts; they were not in love, not exclusive to each other in the deepest sense of the word, and Raa had no idea why that hurt so much, either.

"Sure, why not? I'd like to see this captain face-to-face anyway," Raa answered finally, words curiously without inflection.

"Boss! You can't go over there!" Gavoth and Avi both protested; Talugh's eyes shot up, narrow with worry, though he said nothing.

"I am the captain of this ship," Raa said in an unusual moment of pure authority, "Do not question me."

"It's because of him!" Avi snapped, turning a burning gaze on Pim. "If it weren't for him, none of this-!"

"DO NOT QUESTION ME!" Raa yelled, loud enough to disrupt the noise of the crew on the main deck as each man turned to him in surprise. "Or do I need to order your removal from this ship?"

Avi snapped her mouth shut so hard her teeth clicked. "No, sir, you do not. But I protest this."

"Noted and ignored," Raa said. "Gavoth, bring the ship around."

"...Aye, Cap'ain," Gavoth muttered, manoeuvering the ship beside the Pimerand to prepare for docking procedures.

"Captain Damos," Raa said, speaking into the mic again, "Lord Viramontez-" the title felt stiff and unwelcome in his mouth, causing a bitter twist to his lips, "-and I will board your ship. Prepare to be boarded." He hung the mic back on its double-pronged hook, and watched as Gavoth slid the Abaslom smoothly beside the other airship, matching its tilt and velocity before firing the lead ropes that latched onto the side of the Pimerand with palm sized but magnificently powerful magnets; internal mechanisms within the ship whined to life as they began to retract the lead ropes to pull the ships snugly together.

Raa took a slow deep breath, and put an arm around Pim's shoulders, though whether that was to help steady him or reaffirm his claim, he didn't know.

[Tammika]

"I'm glad you are reasonable. Come aboard."


Pim knew it would enrage Gailen, but there was no other way about it and he personally didn't care. Hell. Raa's entire crew hated him and he understood where they were coming from.

"Raa." He whispered. "I need your help. I can hardly stand." He leaned heavy into Raa's side, from fatigue and the comfort of being this close to him. The excuses helped him ignore the embarrassed voice screaming within him. "I..I. need you to carry me over." he spoke with his face nearly buried in Raa chest.

[TruthSayer]

Raa's arm where Pim leaned against it grew warm, spreading outward in a pulsating spiral that reached his heart and clenched it.

What right did Raa have to be angry for Pim's silent past when Raa would rather break his own fingers than talk about his own? Pim was here, now, leaning against Raa on the quarterdeck of his ship, was panting moments before beneath his ministrations, moaning in pleasure... And he would be there again, because all be damned if Raa was going to die celibate.

Raa bent and put one arm behind Pim's knees, the other behind his shoulders, and lifted him carefully, pressing his nose into Pim's hair. "Lord Viramontez?" he asked, and lifted his head, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Should I bow or something? Should I break out the silk sheets the next time I have you in my bed to make you feel more at home?"

Raa stepped across the one foot of open air between the two ships from the opening in the railing of the quarterdeck designed for just this purpose, arms tightening protectively and smirk dropping into an arrogant frown when the captain of the Pimerand came into full view.

[Tammika]

"It's a family title not anything political. His family has been responsible for my mothers for ages. Don't you start calling me that." Shamefully pleased with the return of Raa's suggestive behavior, he only rolled his eyes.

Not one to show any emotion unrelated disdain, Damos' brow furrowed in anger at the sight of Raa cradling Pim like a child. Lover would be more accurate but his mind refused the thought, so possessive was he over Pim. Damos was a tall man for a dira standing at five four, but his posture and carriage made him seem much larger. A natural air of authority was about him and even those not under his orders cleared a path. Dark eyes were a contrast to his pale skin and sandy hair that was held at the nape of his neck in a leather cord. He narrowed his eyes upon closer inspection of Raa, widening them after seeing Pim's condition.

"To my quarters." He spoke at Raa, instead of to him, his eyes not lingering past their initial assessment. "Juaneir, with me." Juaneir nodded sympathetically at both Pim and Raa. As his younger brother, his look was very similar, minus the lack of compassion and a condescending attitude.

"Good to see you, my lord." He whispered as he led them in the direction of Damos.

"You too, Juan, and don't call me that."

"You know I can't do that."

Like the ship, the captains quarters was lavish and extravagant, even for a small ship. Thick curtains, expensive crystal lamps and plush carpeting made the room beautiful, but suffocating to Pim. "Care to explain why you have our young Lord Viramontez involved in Reshirian, political drama?" Damos leveled a gaze at Raa that would have flattened a lesser man. But added for Pim's benefit, "Be glad, my lord, Juaneir did manage to keep your name from being published, though he failed to prevent your shameful incarceration."

[TruthSayer]

Raa sat on the divan without being offered, sinking onto it gratefully as it took Pim's weight away from it his arm, but he did not release Pim. Merely, he shifted him to sit astride his lap, one hand laying across Pim's thighs, the other rubbing small circles against the small of his back beneath the fabric of the over-sized shirt he wore.

The Captain's Quarters were extravagant, but overly so, in Raa's opinion. It was true that captains of a vessel were allowed certain commodities that the rest of the crew were not privileged to, like privacy, but crystal lamps? Raa scoffed, and wondered how difficult it would be to lift that pretty gold watch laying on the Captain's desk.

At the Captain's expression, Raa thought it prudent to yawn, and hide it in Pim's neck. "I hired Pim to run a job for me," he said, offering Damos an uncaring look. "He was captured. I got him out. Then, I attempted to fuck him silly, but due to his injuries, I was unable. I'm sure you understand."