It didn't take much time for Kenzie to get her name known amongst the seas and trade docks. Known more for talking with fists or sword she 'recruited' a Zuberi merchant slave to do the bartering for her. She was quite suprised how eager the frail figured male was to please both she and Mason. She wasn't familiar with rasa or really the Zuberi at all but it was made clear immediately that the male had been beaten and starved by his previous owner needlessly. A shame for the owner who happened upon an untimely demise for a failed attempt at having the slave steal goods from the ship. That was the first occurance that made it clear that neither she nor Mason would be walked on.
After a few more unpleasant encounters, they started getting requests to transport illegal goods between rather shady people. Her previous association with the Cloaked Hand made her partially known already amongst the crowd, enough so to hire her service without much question. Mason, at first, didn't seem to care much for the kind of life she was leading them into though was supportive either way. Despite his dislike, he couldn't deny the fact that these days were the most active, entertaining and profitable. Not only that but it brought them closer together.
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Dusk, lounging in the warm yet cooling air of a Zuben evening on the deck of the Mead Barge. The glistening of light reflected from the waters surface shown like specs of diamonds in sapphire gaze as Kenzie peered out into the horizon. Mason, seated beside her, was more entranced with the diamond specs than admiring the coming night. Silence was all that was heard aside of the faint ripples that were cut through as the ship moved with the light breeze, drifting with the current. Soft rocking was enough to put most anyone to sleep. She knew he was staring at her though she didn't mind, mutually used to such a thing. Nothing was said between them. Not until a pool of red started to seap through pristine white clothing. Mason's gaze shifted then to one of horror, everything suddenly seeming to have been played in slow motion and Kenzie jumped slightly at his unprescedented movement to her side to inspect the source of the blood. That was when Kenzie herself looked to her side and then the pain set in.
Jolting to an upright position with a wail of onsetting pain, her hand moved to her side to grip at the dagger still embedded there. Still wary with sleep, she sat in her bed while Mason looked over the wound and blade to see if it could be pulled out. A glimpse to the door to the room suddenly awarded them both a visual of a person in all black fleeing. With a rush of adrenaline and determination she quickly emerged from the bed to give chase, too stubborn to stay put despite Mason's attempts at getting her to do so. The rest of the crew was gradually emerging from their slumber wondering what was going on. As Kenzie moved through the door to their room, a large booted foot came from just around the corner and landed squarely upon the hilt of the dagger still in her side, pushing the blade in as far as it would go. The unexpected motion dropped her to her knees then flat out on the deck with the impact and loss of blood. Right behind her however was Mason who cleanly impaled the assailant with his sword, twisted and pulled away to meet with a clash of metal of the next figure that came at him. Moving back and forth, near equal in skill with a blade gave Kenzie the time she needed to recover enough to thrust her blade up into the dark figures back and wrench upward to his throat before removing it. The one that plunged the dagger into Kenzie's back had taken the row boat in hopes to get away, a large chest of goods with him. Kenzie helped to keep the remaining four busy while Mason took careful aim and released several arrows at the escaping attacker, all of which landed their mark, the last one was remarkably dead center of the throat. Two of her remaining loyal crew were lost in the scuffle though the chest was recovered and goods within it safe, the goods she was transporting.
Two of the four aggressors were kept alive for questioning though one managed to swallow a vial of poison shortly after capture. Once satisfied that all was settled again, a brief look around the ship was all she could manage before collapsing towards the deck, unconscious. Prepared, Mason was waiting for it to happen as there wasn't any other way they were going to get her to rest and so caught her before she landed and carried her back into the room once the rasa had cleared the bed of the bloody mess.
Several hours later Kenzie finally woke up. Mason had remained by her side the entire time after mending the wound as best as he could. A crate of supplies was kept in the cargo hold for this kind of encounter though was said to have been sabotaged, everything destroyed. Fortunate enough, Kenzie and Mason both kept personal pouches of healing aids.
Advised to remain in bed, Kenzie, to no suprise of anyone around, got up and went to where the captive was being held. To call what she did an interrogation would have been putting it extremely lightly. The hilt of her large and heavy sword was used to break various bones in the males body starting with fingers and toes until he answered her questioning to her satisfaction. Even after she got all the answers she wanted, she finished off all ten of each and then a few others for good measure. When she was through, she left the bloody mess alive though he seemed short a few teeth and functional limbs. Setting sail for Valgard dock to restock and acquire more people to operate the ship, she returned to her quarters to plan her attack on the one guilty of hiring the group in the first place.
Kenzie hadn't made it a habit to look and see what it was that she was paid to transport though after this altercation, she changed her mind.
Slumber finally consumed her again once she managed to get in bed. Despite her discomfort, Mason refused to sleep in worry something else would happen.
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Kenzie's awakening was met with many groans of the aching pain caused by the dagger two nights ago. Disoriented wasn't even the word for it. Mason had begun wondering if she would wake at all from the motionless sleep caused by the healing potions she had drank. It was for her own good, any doctor would say. She was already fairly well known for ripping open stitches and not getting her wounds tended to. 'Oi'm foin' she's always say until she could have been blue in the face. Mason knew this to be true quite well and not even he could get her to listen.
The deep puncture of the dagger didn't slow her down any. She did take a moment to quiet Mason's worries before leaving the bedroom and to the very front of the ship. Docks of Valgard were in sight distance now and she wanted to watch the approach. It's dawn by the time the ship finally docks and hand in hand with Mason they disembark while the remaining crew fixes up the ship. A ship captain contact she has on shore is who she seeks out first. A written inventory is given over so everything can be restocked as needed including more people. This time, those chosen will be hand picked out by Mason and Kenzie instead of trusting some paid off sioba.
Just as some sailors can be paid for information about you, so too can they be paid for things about others. A fairly heafty sack was dropped into a strange males hand and inquiry was made on the one who put the thieves on her ship. After a few threatening and painfilled gestures to ensure the information given was truth, she and Mason left back to the ship and spent some time alone on the deck until it was ready to set sail again.
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Quite a few repairs were needed to get the ship ready to sail again but all was finished by nightfall. Not wanting to sail into the falling sun, she gives the crew the night off to do as they pleased.
Unlike all the others that left the ship to go about their business, she and Mason stayed behind to take advantage of the whole ship to themselves.
Encouraging Mason to stay seated, she walked off to the bedroom and changed into a fancy white silk and lace bodysuit that she bartered off some Jillhani merchant for just the right moment. While anyone could have come back to the ship at any moment, she silently advised against it when she told them they had the evening off.
Re-emerging from the room, covered by a silken robe of a dark forest green hue, she carried in her hands a wooden box which was sat down infront of him. Finger of one hand was pressed to the underside of Mason's open jaw to lift it to a close before turning her hand to press her thumb to his lips to keep him silent. A small grin played upon her features as she pulled her hand away and opened the wooden box. Next to where Mason was seated was a fold down table which was lifted and two wine glasses were placed upon it along with a rather pricey bottle of Zuben brandy. A candle seemed to be the final touch though she reached in again to pull out two bottles of spiced honey mead. She nodded a bit at the amused smirk on Mason's face though still no words needed be exchanged as she gestured to the inside of the box where numerous other bottles of mead were. Once the brandy was opened, she poured some into his glass and then her own before downing a good lot from the bottle itself then offering it to him. Several bottles later, there was much laughing and even tears as they chatted the night away as they often did before they left the land for the sea. Once tiredness started to set in, they went down into their room wher e Kenzie continued to insist on letting her do what she wanted to him. Gentle, loving and selflessly she would offer him a long night to remember and why being on a boat with her wasn't so bad afterall.