The Pirate and The Assassin

Chapter Three

Hours it seemed, that they trained until she could not hold the blade up any more. It fell and clanged to the ground and Grimm glanced at her young face. Tired and worn. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes so He finally stopped hitting and attacking her, so he stopped and took a breath, worn out. A few cuts, one on her arm and one on her cheek, reminders not to fail to block next time.  They weren't bad, and probably would scab over by the morning. Didn't matter if they did or didn't really, wasn't going to kill her if she bleed a bit.  Kenna handed the beautifully crafted sword back to Grimm, handle first, but he shook his slightly grey head.

"Keep it. You've earned it tonight, but do not expect other nights to be as easy as tonight.  I expect you to be wearing that sword every day, no matter what. You never know when it could come in handy." Kenna tucked the silver sword back into its cold sheath and hooked it onto her worn leather belt in the spot where a sword never hand hung before.

"Tonight was easy? Mhm can't wait for the next lesson." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Grimm eyed her dirty clothes, knowing she couldn't be comfortable. They looked to be her only clothes. . The red skirt was fine, as were the boots, but the shirt was torn and filthy. The corset looked worn and old and some of the hooks were close to falling off.  Grimm handed her a sack of  gold coins and she was surprised at the weight it carried.

"And we must do something about those clothes. Your skirt is fine as are your shoes, but it is unacceptable for a girl to wear a shirt like that with a corset that is practically falling off. Especially when you are
Are of my crew. I expect my crew to be looking well, and not like we live in mud. At least not anymore." He walked over to his closet and rummaged through it for a bit. Finally he tossed her a small white blouse and a thick wool black cloak with a silver clasp, they looked like her size. Kenna left her unsaid comment in her kind, better to do so after he was showing her this kind of respect.

Jasper walked into the cabin and picked up a few papers before rolling them up and putting them in his pocket.
"Change into that for now. When we dock next, I expect you to have a new set of clothes, that includes a corset and a cloak. Use that money to pay for it. It can get cold at night her out on the rough sea, especially during winter."  There was a kindness in his gruff voice that hadn't been there before, and she found it quite warm and comforting, almost like a father, if hers had stuck around. Her tired feet lead her to the heavy wooden door and her sore hands opened it.

"Oh and Kenna?" She turned back to look at him, the moonlight hitting those green eyes perfectly, making them seem almost reptilian.

"Welcome aboard The Shadow Queen."  The door closed and Kenna looked at Jasper who was leaning against the desk, his arms folded at his chest. Her eyes narrowed at his facial expression.

"What?" He said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.
"Why are you following me?" She wrapped the cloak around her and fastened the clasp.
"Because I find you breathtakingly beautiful."
Kenna rolled her eyes.
"Well I find you stubbornly annoying." His deep laugh came from behind her and it made her more irritated.
"Astoundingly Intelligent?"
"Miraculously Mysterious?" He kept going as he pushed himself off the desk and walked to her.
"Alluringly vexing?" She flipped around to face him and her face was red indeed.
"You are one of the most irritating people I know." She jabbed him with her finger and he grinned.
"Yet here you are, still in this cabin when you could have left. You hate to admit it, but you like me." He walked past her and opened the door.
"It's ok, I like you too." The door closed and  she growled.
"Asshole."