Hanako just didn't learn, did she? You'd think she'd know better after stumbling out of the haunted house, covered in all sorts of icky liquids, but nope. She'd been strangled by a case of itchy paws, indecisiveness steered her up towards Fireside-despite the fact they'd raided Ashen not too long ago- but she thought better of it at the last moment and swerved east. Soon enough she found herself at the mouth of a cave and yanno...instead of listening to common sense she wandered on in. As though she thought she'd find some sort of party inside.

The ground was cold and worn beneath her pale paws and despite the fact that wolves could see decently at night she could barely make out a thing. Nothing but vague shapes and blurred outlines, as though she was wandering through a bad dream. She meandered down corridors, her side brushing against the far wall as if it would act as her guide and lead her...somewhere, anywhere. But the further she ventured the greater the feeling of unease became, rooted deep in her guts.  Despite it all she found herself glancing around nervously as her ears pinned against her skull. And then she heard it, a most terrible sound. Out in the darkness, far beyond what her eyes could see, the clinking of chains. Creeping closer and closer with every breath she took. Hanako swallowed thickly and made the rookie move of pulling away from the wall as she turned on the spot and lost all sense of direction.

"Hello?" She called out to the dark, quaking like a leaf. "I'm sorry I- I'm lost."

Now this was new and interesting... Sparrow made her way into the dark, damp cavern as it opened up into a maze of a crypt. The walls hosted ornate columns and the light of day was completely blocked. This place wove around though different and halls. Every now and then, the sight of some poor unfortunate animal who never quite made its escape would litter the corners of the rooms, their bones or pieces of flesh strewn about. While that wasn't particularly worrisome, Sparrow REALLY didn't like the thousand-legged pinching worms that crawled about the mostly but not quite clean carcasses.

Other than that, the worn, decrepit rooms offered a host of benefits and Sparrow could definitely see how the pirates could make a hearty home here. There were even good rooms with chains and clasps and- oh was that a key? Bingo. Sparrow allowed Friar to test the key on some of the shackles which lined the walls of this room. It popped open with a hearty ca-chunk. Nice. Sparrow could definitely keep some poor bastards down here if she needed to. It all looked good.

"Hello?" A voice called out. "I'm sorry I- I'm lost." Sparrow eyed the doorway aside from the room where she and her companions played with the shackles. Sparrow debated playing a prank on this small-sounding creature, but decided it might be a bit too much for this area. "Hello, Lost!" she called into the corridor. "I'm Captain Sparrow. Why dontcha come on out?"

Hanako's breathing hitched as she squeezed her eyes shut, it was hard to think clearly when panic overlapped her senses. Logic and reason had long since abandoned her as her mind raced, conjuring images of monsters that lurked, unseen in the dark. And then a voice called out in return and though she'd desperately wanted a response she flinched and let out a loud EEEP anyway as she near leapt out of her fur. Had her mind been less wobbly around the edges she would have noted the strangers attempt at a joke, might have even laughed at it, but instead her ears shot stiff as she whipped her head around, trying to figure out what direction they were coming from. This way? Or...maybe that way? It was near impossible to tell.

She worried her lip. The stranger spoke again, beckoning her to come on out and well...that was easier said than done. Using her voice as a guide Hanako slowly made her way down the corridor, unable to tell if she was simply just retracing her steps. The stone flooring was a little uneven beneath her paws, cracked and jagged beneath the soft pale of her paw pads. Blindly she made her way forward, only to stumble to a stop as her foot connected with something white and cold. It clattered against the stone, bouncing and clicking, as though hollow in the middle. She sucked in a breath from between her teeth, she'd just tripped on someone-or something's rib bone- and it belatedly dawned on her that she could die down here. Probably would have if the stranger hadn't happened to pass on by.

Hanako pressed on.

"I-uh..are you close?"

Sparrow abandoned the chains in the chamber and crouched into what she imagined as the perfect stealth mode. She listened as the other wolf spoke and treaded lightly on the hardened dirt floors. The arches and open doorways led from area to area and one of the rooms had some cool long cut outs in the wall. They were all stacked perfectly and some even had bones. Neat! Sparrow found an unoccupied one and slunk into its depths. It was actually rather shallow, but if she were laying flat, it was comfy enough she guessed. The other wolf echoed from a different room, asking if she was close.

"Who knowwwws," Sparrow called from her perch. "I'm just a ghooooost"

Hanako couldn't tell if she was getting any closer. She inched along, shoulders hunched and tail curled between her legs as she felt the room temperature drop considerably. Unbeknownst to her she'd simply wandered in a big circle, so the change in temperature was simply result of the snowy weather outside, but of course she immediately assumed there were ghosts lurking around. Cause why wouldn't she? She'd been attacked in that haunted wooden place, that had firmly put the fear of the supernatural in her. And then as though the stranger could read her mind they pressed Hanako's spoopy buttons a little harder, making Hanako flinch and skitter back a couple of steps.

"Omgaw- no, really?" She glanced about so quickly it made her eyes sting a little. She saw nothing of note, just general crypty things and the musty nature of the air made it hard for her untrained senses of smell to pick up anything of use. "Come on. I've been lost for a while and I- If you help me out I'll owe you."

Probably not a wise thing to say but she was grasping onto straws here.

The woman circled through the same room Sparrow was in and Sparrow had to hold her breath to stifle her laughter at the timid thing. Soon she found her way back out of the room by the time Sparrow offered her ghost impression. From the other room she spoke, offering a favor if Sparrow helped her out.

Sparrow quietly hopped down, licking her lips to keep the mischievous smile off her face as she quietly trailed the other. The floor was cold and it gave Sparrow too many warm fuzzy ideas at the offer.

"Really?" Sparrow cooed, turning around into the room behind them to cast her voice through the other doorway, "What kind of favor? Will you avenge me? Telly family of my demise?" Sparrow turned around again, trying to use her long legs to quietly and quickly catch up to the spotted woman before whispering into the darkness, "Warm my cold, vanishing soul and make my heart beat again?"

Hanako meandered on, her attempts at gaining her bearings were about as effective as a fly struggling in a spider's web. She was going nowhere fast, completely oblivious to the phantom that followed behind. The ghost asked if she meant it and Hanako hummed, it was too late to take it back now and from where she was standing, ambling really, she didn't feel as though she had much of a choice. As for what they wanted...well wasn't that up to them? Hanako didn't really have anything valuable at paw but then again what use would a ghost have for worldly things? It seemed as though they had something a little different in mind as their voice echoed around her, making Hanako draw to a stop. She still wanted to get the hell out of this place, the sooner the better but, some company was better than none. Her thoughts came a little easier, as though not being choked through a funnel.

Avenging them was kinda out of question, Hanako was no fighter and letting their family know they- whoever they were-was dead probably wasn't gonna be as easy as it sounded either. Naively she stood there and weighed up her options, only to flinch when the spoke again, considerably closer this time and their words felt... heated in the cool depths of the crypt. Hanako flushed pink. She didn't know what they were inferring but she could read their ghostly tone well enough.

"Maybe?" Which again was a very dumb thing to say. What if they were an ugly ghost?

The dark and stone walled crypt offered many possibilities for Sparrow to slink around. Small bugs and spiders chittered about, their legs barely letting out a rap tap tap against the walls of the caverns.

Sparrow was led by her nose and the shuffling of the small woman. She gave a meek maybe I'm response and Sparrow wasn't all too impressed. In the echoing halls, Sparrow was careful to breath shallow and to not step on any of those bones.

Wait a second.

Sparrow slowly grasped one of the bones, careful to keep her teeth from clicking across the smooth surface. She then hastened, pitter pattering across the floor to try to nearly cut off the woman, yet she aimed to stay just around the corner.

"Maybe? Should I maybe let you stay down here with me then." She sent the bone clattering forward and backpedaled into the next room. Friar awaited, cloaking himself in dusty spider webs. With a tap on his rump from Sparrow he was sent flying in Hana's direction, screaming like a banshee like only monkeys could.

Deciding that wandering around was useless Hanako chose to make her stand. She glanced about, there was a prickling feeling on the back of her neck, as though she was being watched but when she whipped around to see if the ghost-or whatever- was there she saw nothing. Straining her senses she squinted a little as though that would help, as though years of pampering would give way and let her notice all the clues she's missed so far.  At the very least any other wolf would have figured it all out sooner, or figured out it was all a rouse from the start. A bit of a mean joke at her expense. Hanako was many things but world wise was not one of them.

"That's not what I-aiiii!" She let out a shriek, stiffing as she leapt into the air. Only to skitter further down the hall as she fled for the devil monkey creature. Could this day get any worse? Probably? Especially if she was so insistent on getting herself even more blindly lost in her attempt to escape and then hide.

The prank went as planned and as Friar went scree-ing down the crypt halls, Sparrow dashed around the side, nearly sliding on the smooth ground as she hurried around. As expected, the timid girl turned tail and fled. Sparrow braced herself for-

THWACK

The woman thudded into Sparrow's chest and Sparrow accepted it greedily, falling onto her back to cushion the blow. One paw wrapped around Hanako's lower shoulders and the other one careened her head into Sparrow's neck. She aimed to hold firm and stroke the woman's head. "Shhh, there there," she said, but she couldn't keep the smile off her maw, "No one's gonna hurt you now." She wasn't being deceitful and anyone with a brain could see she was teasing the (slightly) smaller wolf, "Except maybe the ghosts."

Yet again Hanako was struck and the wind was knocked right out of her. Though this time was not like the last, thank heavens. Sure she was left winching and probably had a new bruise, but instead of flopping to the floor like soggy seaweed she was pulled into an embrace. Not overly gentle mind you but they weren't trying to step on her muzzle so Hanako didn't feel like being a choosy beggar. Instead she blinked, the shock sinking into her system as she peeked up at the stranger through her lashes. She was certainly no ghost, she was a pest! And whilst the reassurances were very much appreciated, Hanako had always been a sucker for soft words and gentle touches, but she felt really stupid. Naïve beyond belief.

She puffed out a sigh as she buried her head in the fluff of the stranger's chest, a bold move no doubt but better than having to look her in the eye. She tried, and failed, to think of something reasonable to say. She'd been well and truly pranked, like a sucker.

"You're so awful." She mumbled, though it wasn't really meant to be an insult.

Now Sparrow expected a lot of huff and fighting and biting and she was ready for it. She had braced herself and was eagerly ready for the fight and struggle that would ensue. Of course she planned on taking a beating and letting the woman go- she was chaotic not an absolute monster. She knew when she deserved to get her ass beat and she wasn't even upset about it. Maybe she was even looking forward to it a little bit, but shh that was a secret.

So when the girl melted into her chest and chided her softly like they were old childhood friends, Sparrow's mind absolutely reeled. She felt her entire face flush and whoo boy she was glad she wasn't a man. Her soft patting of Hana's head abruptly stopped for all of the five seconds it took Sparrow's brain to reboot before she could resume pretending she knew what she was doing. Sparrow wasn't scared of ghosts or any challenges like that, but give her a cute girl? Ruined. She was sure the woman could feel how rapidly her heart was now beating and she tried to brush it off with a chuckle, aiming to give the girl a soft kiss on the head- who knew maybe she could win this game of chicken.

"I know, but you were just so cute, how could help myself?" she rumbled huskily, trying to regain the upper hand despite the burning in her cheeks and ears. Friar huffed a small sigh in the other area as he swatted spider webs off his fur. Stupid lesbians...

Hanako felt the stranger stiffen and for a ridiculous moment she thought they'd push her away. That she'd be rejected for a third and final time. But nope, instead she felt the stranger's heart race beneath the fluff of her coat and Hanako felt a strange rush of power come over her. As though she'd never lost her whims and wiles, clearly the Fatalis boys were the problem and not her. But where was her propriety? As selfish as it sounded Hanako just didn't care, the lessons and lectures she'd received back in the day hadn't done her a whole lot of good. No prince or King had asked for her paw yet and from the way things were she didn't think it'd change anytime soon. Boreas was leagues away from the old world she knew, those rules just didn't apply here and so if Hanako had to adapt to get what she wanted then so be it.

The stranger offered her a sweet kiss to the top of her head and Hanako liked it, a lot. She nuzzled a little deeper into the brown of her coat, noting how big and strong she was. Yet another thing Hanako liked. Clearly she had a type.

"I suppose that's true." She said, pulling back so the soft lilt of her voice wasn't muffled."I'm Hanako." She introduced herself with a smile, the prettiest she could muster."Is that what you do in your spare time? Haunt pretty girls?"

The woman, instead of freezing, snuggled deeper into Sparrow's coat and for a moment she was sure her heart would beat so fast it would stop. She couldn't stop the blissful thump thump of her tail for the few moments after she buried herself into Sparrow's chest- dumb smile across her maw and all. She couldn't be bothered by Friar practically imploding on the other side of the room. He eventually waved a dismissing hand at the duo and went into another room to find some trouble instead.

The woman pulled back to speak and Sparrow's heart skipped a beat. She was tempted to pull the smaller woman right back into her fur, but decided against it as she took the time to really observe the woman's face.

Oh fuck.

She was pretty.

Really pretty.

Sparrow swallowed, too mesmerized to do much else.

Hanako. That was her name.

She smiled.

She smiled and Sparrow thought she died.

God fucking damn it that was a pretty smile. And a pretty name.

But maybe Sparrow was biased.

The woman went on to ask if haunting pretty girls was what she did in her spare time and a wry smile rose to Sparrow's face, "I also like to- uh- kiss pretty girls." Sparrow glanced at the woman's lips. BIG MISTAKE. Oh fuck, her heart couldn't take this. "I'm Sparrow, King of the Pirates, but you, Miss Hanako, may have just stolen my heart." It wasn't a lie. Sparrow was absolutely enamored. Her eyes drifted back to Hanako's lips before she forced herself to inhale a shaky breath. Calm the fuck down, gay ass disaster woman.

For a long and lingering moment the stranger said nothing but it wasn't an awkward or unpleasant silence. If anything it filled Hanako with a delightful, honey sweet sense of satisfaction as she got a good and proper look at her. And even as naïve as Hanako could be even she could tell that she liked what she saw, a lot. Too many people tried to hide their true thoughts and in doing so side stepped stroking Hanako's ego. It was a silly thing, selfish really, to get all petty over but given how badly she'd been treated of late it was just nice for someone to finally see her true worth. Hanako had settled for way too long, gotten all dusty and rough around the edges worrying over boys. Stupid ones at that.

See, not only did the sense of power and confidence lure Hanako in but her boldness worked it's magic too. She was tired of talking in circles and moving things at a snails pace, Hanako was a woman of immediate gratification and it seemed as though they shared that in common. She claimed that she liked to kiss pretty girls and Hanako's gaze flickered to the dark of her lips, it was... despite the blush that speckled her cheeks pink, tempting thought. She'd never been kissed before but she'd thought about it a lot, daydreaming and fantasying about the perfect setting and lead up. But it seemed right, almost poetic, that a pirate would steal it and claim it as their own. Beyond Sparrow's striking face and clever eyes, Hanako liked the drama of it and the cheesy pick up line that followed suit.

"Hmm. Well..as a pirate King then it only seems right for you to steal a kiss." She said, the blush remaining as she tried to keep her voice cool and casual. She almost couldn't believe what she was saying as she looked up through her pale lashes, seductress she was not but it felt kinda good to try."Or more. Just so we're even."

Sparrow indulged in every moment the two shared together. She had an overly satisfied smile on her face as the smaller woman nestled against her and warmed her belly. Every second together made her more and more want to steal the woman away and keep her forever like a little treasure. All the woman would have to do is be pretty and gay and allow Sparrow to cuddle her whenever she wanted. Even if that was far fetched and stupid, Sparrow had this moment and she was living for it. It was temptation and warmth and drama and it all fit nicely between her paws.

Hanako mentioned that it was only right for her steal a kiss and Sparrow couldn't stop her smile from spreading even though her heart hammered nervously in her chest. After only a beat of hesitation, Sparrow brought her paws lightly to Hanako's shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss that lasted a second longer than necessary even though it was kept very PG otherwise. At Hanako's 'or more' comment, Sparrow couldn't resist to bring her tail up and around the other's rump. "I've always heard pirates like to steal booty," she rumbled, her lips so close to Hanako's that she could feel the other's whiskers. Maybe if she tried hard enough, the woman would decide to just stay.

Hanako's eyes fluttered shut as the pirate leaned in and held her close with a gentle touch of her paw. She was not demanding or overzealous, as though entitled to take whatever she pleased, but there was a sense of confidence in her movements. That despite the slowness of it all she knew what she was doing, how to make it right. And just like that Sparrow claimed her first kiss. Till now Hanako had been left in the dark about acts of intimacy and so had expected for...sparks to fly or a rush of warmth. Something big and dramatic, something that would mark her as a changed woman but nothing changed. Outward or in. Except that now she'd had one kiss she found herself wanting another, to take as many as Sparrow would give if she continued to be inclined.

And there she stayed, snuggled up and close as her tail curled around Hanako's rump. Followed by a booty joke that left Hanako giggling, all bashful and pink cheeked as she averted her gaze. It was a little lewd and Hanako always regarded herself as a lady but...a compliment was a compliment. She couldn't stay away for long, and was soon drawn back into the blue of Sparrow's eyes. She was so close, right there and Hanako took the leap. Cause she could. She closed the space between them pink smushing together with black as they kissed for a second time, a little clumsy cause Hanako knew next to nothing but it was the thought that counted right? Her breathing was shaky, all airy and flustered when she finally spoke.

"Then again, is it really stealing if I give you it willingly?" Oh how brazen!!

The girl gave her a kiss and now it was Sparrow who had gained the upper hand. The woman fidgeted lightly, her breathing shallow, and while Sparrow's feelings were mirrored, it was the anticipation and nerves she liked the most. Whether it was fighting physically or with wits, or even just against herself, that amped up feeling, the heavy heart beating, the warmth of adrenalin were all things Sparrow lived for. To get all those good and tingly feelings from a woman all cozied up in her arms was just the icing on the cake. Sparrow had been melted in place long enough and though her cheeks flushed and her heart hammered, her wits returned as soon as Hanako's shyness crept up- an ebb and wane of power in the dynamic.

The woman stole a second clumsy kiss and she asked if it was stealing if she gave it willingly. Sparrow's breath hitched and she tossed a look to the crypt ceiling because, gods take her now or she was going to spoil this woman rotten. After half a second, no god struck her down and Sparrow's eyes returned to Hanako's pale eyes. A mischievous smile crept all the way up Sparrow's maw and she pulled the woman in for another kiss. The meeting was a little rough, but Sparrow slowed it down to a softer, more intimate kiss as long as Hanako would allow before she had to pull back to breathe. Okay, yeah, she could do that all day, but she had better plans.

Though Sparrow was loathe to move from her current position, she knew they might need a little resituating. Sparrow brought Hanako in for another long kiss, wrapping her arm around Hanako's shoulder and in one fluid motion- without breaking the kiss if she could help it- she gently rolled to flip Hanako on her back with Sparrow above her. She pulled back from the kiss to give Hanako a moment to recover and to give Sparrow a second to enjoy her new view. Her smile hadn't faded and her gaze melted into Hanako's, a spark behind them ignited. "Do you?" she asked breathily, "Do you give it to me?" It was a weighty question, and while Sparrow was a pirate, she had boundaries. Besides, she already liked this girl and had no intentions of hurting her.

Hanako was 100% okay with being manhandled- womanhandled rather- and went with the flow of it. The cold stone met her back and she sucked in a shocked breath between her teeth. She stared up owlishly at the pirate who loomed over her, pressing but not pushy, and felt an affectionate warmth spread between her ribs. See, this was how it ought to be. How long had she daydreamed about being swept off her paws, pictured someone who'd just treat her right? Selfishly she thought it was about dang time. It wasn't exactly what she'd expected but that somehow made it all the more exciting, unanticipated, like a flash flood.

Her heart raced in her chest as Sparrow asked a very important question. Naive or not, the weight of it was not lost on Hanako.

"I-yeah." She nodded, a little anxious for sure but ready and eager all the same. "I do."

It was all too easy being with Hanako and Sparrow could already feel the woman filling her veins as her new drug of choice. She studied the woman for any signs of discomfort as she contemplated the question. When she answered, Sparrow wasted no time with a small flurry of kisses, coming more from sheer excitement than a truly romantic perspective. After that, however, Sparrow focused on working her way around slower, building tension and desire. More than anything, she wanted Hanako to have a good time- Sparrow was already. Just being here, with this mysterious little woman was more than enough satisfaction for the pirate.

-Fade-