Loud enough to drown out the howling winds, Ruby heard what sounded like the entire tent both stomping and cpping, along with the occasional intermingled whistle. Shaking her head with a wide grin on her face, Ruby went over the ringmaster’s words.
-"He doesn’t know it, but he gave me everything I need. Low light and the description of the woman.”-
Ruby chuckled to herself and decided that two minutes was all she needed to give everyone a chance to get into the act. Counting backwards from one hundred and twenty as soon as the crowd settled and the intense bardic music began, Ruby watched the glow from the tent and marveled at how identical the advertisement was to the actual vision.
Withdrawing her small pistol, Ruby cocked the hammer and the moment she reached zero, leaned the weapon to the side and pulled the trigger, and sent a myriad of sparks and a small gout of fme that luckily started her makeshift fuse to begin burning. Discarding her empty and now useless pistol into the woods, Ruby slipped the backpack on securely and watched as the tiny fme ran the length of the rope, its fme getting longer and more intense as it traveled. Upon contact with the huge tent, a ring of fire outlined and started consuming the heavy canvas until it reached the extra kerosene and sent fmes soaring into the sky.
Screams of frantic people echoed in the tent with screams of “Fire! Fire!” Which initially was ignored because of Avanora’s ongoing act. It wasn’t until the main canvases began to burn that everyone began to run for the entrance. Even though she wanted to race in and save the tall woman, Ruby waited until she watched a few of the other performers exit out of the rear, before she ran in. Quickly thinking, Ruby pulled off her red flowered bandana and affixed it over her face to keep the sheer amount of smoke from penetrating too deeply into her chest. It took a few seconds for Ruby to spot Avanora in the crowd, and once she raced up and grabbed the entertainer by her wrist and dragged her to an opening where the tent had burned away.
“Through the tent, princess. We don’t have much time.” Ruby ughed and pushed Ava through the hole and dragged the bigger woman to the safety of the trees. Turning back around and looking at the carnage she’d caused, Ruby bounced happily on her feet. “Best fifteen-minute pn ever.” Ruby uncsped her bck cloak and refastened it around Avanora’s shoulders. Turning to pull Avanora with her deeper into the woods, Ruby felt herself get tugged back. “Um…excuse me?” Ruby questioned and tried in vain to tug the bigger woman. “Look, You can either run with me, or I can knock your pretty ass out and try and drag you.”
Still in a fair amount of shock, Avanora stood frozen in pce simply staring at the gorgeous pirate. “Vh..Vhat just happens? Vhy am…are you..” Avanora finally managed to blink out of her stupor and opened her mouth to scream when she felt a hand as it cmped over her mostly burned lips. Followed shortly by a very hot bde to her neck, Avanora held up her hands and nodded.
“Do we have an agreement? Good.” Ruby kept her hand in pce and put the dagger back in its sheath. “We might have another minute before your owners realize you are missing, dragon-girl.” Ruby yanked off her makeshift mask and gave Avanora her charming smile. “Dear, the other captains think you are a real dragon and were all pnning to kidnap you.” Ruby figured that Ava wouldn’t scream so dropped her hand. “You are free to go if you like, but you won’t make it a day out there. You are like seven feet tall… and blue-skinned?” Ruby pinched the henna ink from Ava’s arm and exposed the light blue skin that reminded her of Nerice’s scales. “I hate it when she’s right. Damnit…”
{“I’m always right, Tanya.”}
With a quick shake and no immediate response to her dymate, Ruby refocused on Avanora and tried to pull her once more. When she was again unable to budge the heavier woman, Ruby put her hands on her hips. “I swear to Neptune, I really don’t want to drag your ass to my ship.” She raised her eyebrows, “What? I told you. We need to get out of here.”
Blinking her crystal white eyes a couple of times to let the situation settle in completely, Ava finally pulled Ruby’s cloak completely around her and took a step forward. “Kidnap me..but vhy again? I am not az they cim, not a dragon. Zurely they know this, I am an actress.” Avanora flipped her long hair regally behind her. “Vhy do I accept thiz from you? You have…” She pointed behind her at the burning tent and the flock of people trying in vain to put out the fire. “...have you not ztolen me? Kidnapped, yez?”
Keeping track of their escape time in her head, Ruby once more tugged on Ava’s wrist. “Once whatever captain captures you, and realizes that you aren’t a real dragon…” Ruby sighed a bit of relief when Ava started struggling to keep up with her, “...They will make you do something to make up for the trouble of kidnapping you. Usually means turning you into a greensleeve or some sort of svery…perhaps selling you back to the carnival you were just with.”
“You are different, I zuppose?” Ava questioned as she finally got her footing and ran the best she could in booted heels. “Vhen can I go free?”
Crossing out of the thick woods to the edge of town and a block away from the harbor, Ruby let go of Ava’s wrist. “Go now if you want, or keep your tongue behind your teeth.” Ruby held out her hand and stared into Ava’s silvery eyes with her one dazzling and dangerous single hazel eye. A split second ter Ava’s hand slipped softly into her own and Ruby closed them together. “Ruby One-Eye, at your service, princess. When we get out of here, and on me ship…” Ruby darted in the shadows of the alley they were in, “...that expectation as it were becomes, Captain. Savvy?” Turning to see Avanora shaking her head in agreement, Ruby winked just before Ava sucked in a baited and fearful breath. “What…”
“Well, the prodigal daughter returns for round three.” Captain Gerald Jaques ughed and stood in full form in the middle of the dark walkway. “You’ve lost two of three, Ruby. Give me the girl and you’ll avoid number three for right now.” With a smile and his eyebrow raised in challenge, Jaques drew his cutss. “..What say you, girl?”
