Even chance

The feelings hanging between the two of them are... complicated. Dread feels they're deeply complicated, but then, what sad teenage boy doesn't at least think he's deep and complicated. Who knew what he actually was. In truth, he's never thought about who he is. Who he is at his very core. Without the weight of the Warlord's expectations draped over his shoulders, Dread feels naked. Exposed. Though it's vindicating, it's also scary. Not that he'd admit it out loud, of course.

At the mention of a band, his eyebrows lift. Dread straightened up, thinking about it for only a heartbeat. He'd never much pictured himself a pirate, and to think, he wouldn't have to be. They could see the world. He could get over the travel-related anxiety that had plagued him for as long as his memory served. If he wasn't chained to a physical location, then he could be truly free. And then there's the thought of raiding... Dread thinks for just a moment. "Yours, and then we pillage all of Auster. No reason to go north in the winter." He grinned. He wouldn't have to freeze his rear end off all winter, they could just chase summer back and forth. The idea of raiding the Armada did cause a bit of a lump in Dread's throat. The boy pushes down the feelings that he can feel bubbling in his chest.

"Sorry I couldn't stop him from stabbing you." The words carry more weight than Dread expects them to. They rest strangely in his mouth. Like there's genuine tenderness in his tone, perhaps more than he knows he's capable of. Though the words are borderline comical, Dread really did feel bad about not putting himself between them sooner. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, before slipping back out over the sea.

"speech"