its too damn cold up here

At least this stranger has a sense of humor. Absinth's emeralds glimmer with amusement as Scald chuckles in response to her proposition. Was she in the presence of a man whore, then? She supposed he was attractive, in a commodity sort of way. “How bold,” Absinth quipped with a playful tilt of her head, her tone a blend of amusement and curiosity to keep the interaction nice and light.. enough. His suggestion of a passionate liaison elicited a smirk from her lips, but she didn't let it linger long before pressing the topic forward.

“Passionate entanglements aren't exactly what I had in mind for our exchange, I was thinking something along the lines of hearsay.” She countered, her voice a teasing purr. Her lumps were moving again with a sway of her hips as she continued her predatory half circle of his perch. “Low risk, you see. Don’t the pirates have something of a bad rep in these lands? I’m sure we do as well.” Her interest lay within word of mouth, of rumor and public opinion.

Absinth's intrigue surged as Scald hinted at the value of his information, each word igniting the verdant fire of her gaze as she focused in on his face – in particular, his eyes. Mismatched and mischievous. She absorbed his mention of a certain ‘lil’ birdy’ named Ely with a knowing smile. That cunning minx. Found herself a nice boy toy in the shape of a pirate. How fitting. But look how he speaks of her, haughty beast he was. Her circle ceased, her paws carrying her back to his perch where she could face him properly.

“Oh, Elysia,” She echoed thoughtfully, a roguish chuckle falling from her lips. It was odd to say this in the face of a stranger, but perhaps there would be merit in giving him that sliver of information to see just how much he trusted Elysia. He’d come to scout out the Syndicate on her word, wasn’t that right? To confirm that easily gained information he was talking about. “She holds great significance to me—like family.” Her sentence is firm, her gaze a hidden warning, to keep his comments to himself. For as humorous as his words spilled, it was as though he was talking about a common whore. Tut tut, Elysia. Look what happens when you treat a man too well, they think the world of themselves, and nothing of the woman that made them feel that way.

The revelation of Ely's apparent favor towards Scald, coupled with her readiness to share information, really only deepened Absinth's curiosity. Leaning in slightly, she locked eyes with him, her voice low and conspiratorial. “Secrets have a way of surfacing,” She murmured, mischief and intensity dancing in her eyes. “They despise hiding in the shadows indefinitely.” Absinth's lips curled into a smirk as she awaited Scald's response.

wormwood